The Exploits of Misfit Company

"I can try." Stella smiles.

"Gosh you're really wracking up the customers, Stella." Kasha timidly snorts out.

Stella laughs. "Maybe you and Aryn can have some lessons together," she suggests.

Per the rules in Xanathar's Guide to Everything, it'll take you 10 workweeks (We'll say that this unique fantasy world that I definitely plotted out months ago uses 7 day weeks and has the normal five day workweek, so 50 days), subtracting a number of workweeks equal to the character's intelligence modifier. Aryn has an intelligence modifier of +1, so it'll take 9 workweeks, or 45 days.

Kasha used her hands to scrunch her face in glee and made a squeaking sound from her mouth that sounded like she completely agreed with that idea.

"ohmygodsyes" she breathed.

As the girls adorably chatted with their new hatchling, Alys would also reach out telepathically to B. Whether she’d reach him would be another story. Hi B. Sorry to interrupt. I thought I’d pass the message along. She’d nudge. But our dragon egg has hatched and the Misfits have been approached with another job.

 There is at least a moment of silence before the 'sending' by an exhausted sounding mental voice. 'Message cut off near end, but premise understood. Timing unfortunate. Will not be back until tomorrow morning. Leave directions with staff if need be.' He responded, before focusing once more on completing yet another small project -- more a child's toy than a proper time piece, but work was work. Through which over the past few days he learned the value of being more conservative of money.

You spend the rest of the day teaching Aryn to speak Common or Kasha how to read or if you're Bixby, doing something illegal. The next morning you wake up, have a quick breakfast, and leave instructions for the servants as you join Mr. Avdol on his airship. The airship resembles a regular ship, except in the back there is a large wheel-shaped thing that looks a lot like something that Dio might make in his store and there are no masts or sails on the ship. There is, however, a Captain's wheel in the place where it would usually be on a ship.  When you all get on the ship, you feel something odd in the soles of your footwear for a few moments as you step on the deck. Once you're all situated, the Captain pulls out a stone, speaks into it and the ship ascends and starts flying towards Murimar.

Stella can't stop herself from smiling as the airship ascends, loving the feeling of flying through the air. "Incredible," she says simply.

Obsidian, on the other hand, starts climbing the tallest structure on the ship.

There are higher and lower decks, as there would be on any normal ship, but since there aren't any masts or sails, there's really nothing for Obsidian to climb on.

Yvan rises when dawn comes as he usually does, planning to do a few things prior to their departure, though most of it was just his daily routine. Today he decided it would be best to keep his training light, just enough to warm up the muscles, and then tend to the garden as he normally does. He mainly focuses on ridding of any growing weeds in the area as he waits for Alys to come and show him just what medicinal herbs they needed to restock their supply and hopefully ask his question.

The barbarian notes Bixby's lack of presence when it came time to leave, however assumes that one of the staff would fill him in on what they were doing, assuming the changeling would return home (not that he cared, baka). When approaching the airship, the goliath was a bit apprehensive, being the last one to get on. While heights weren't something he was afraid of (having lived a time on a mountain afterall), he wasn't entirely sure if it was safe. He had to remind himself that the man wouldn't have suggested flying if it wasn't safe, but the worry was still there. Eventually as they embark on their journey, he finds himself wandering over to the rails and looking off into the scenery, a solemn expression on his face as his eyes locked onto the mountains in the distance.

Alys would smile to herself while the girls made concrete plans to learn together. It’d warm her heart to watch everyone grow together. Stella will be a great teacher. She is a great teacher.

While receiving B’s message, Alys couldn’t help but feel comfort that despite the noted exhaustion and unfortunate timing, he at least responded. That was enough. He knew his way.

Of course, when she says dawn wouldn’t be a problem, as it usually isn’t, something woke Alys in a start. She felt late. So the elf would fumble out of her bed, foot caught in her sheets. she’d scramble about scattering last night’s papers everywhere. Some of them managed to take to the air. The wizard would curse and scramble, grabbing things by the handful, or even scooping it off of surfaces into her bag of holding. Future Alys’ problem. She thought as she’d pat herself down to ensure she she had her pants on and gear on the right way before darting to her patio door, half bursting out of it as if realizing she should have remembered to breathe. She had forgot to take a look in the mirror, forgetting her glasses and throwing her hair up in its usual messy bun.

Alys would present herself sheepishly and apologize profusely worried she kept Yvan waiting. She’d struggle for a moment to catch her breath, but would be sure to try to remind herself to take her time when she was showing him what herbs to collect to restock their supplies.

The wizard would chew her lip as they’d approach the airship, elbow deep in her bag as if busying herself with trying to find her pen. I should make sure I have everything prepared that I want prepared... Alys would pull out her spellbook and hastily prepare it as they prepare to board the aircraft. 

Portents: 6 | 4

After her reading lesson, Kasha would gather up her picture and coloring books and join everyone on the ship. She would spend nearly all her time talking to the others or outside mostly making sure Obsidian didn't fall off, joining him in his attempt to get as high on the ship as he could. From a height, the arial scene was so spectacular and amazing, it was like seeing the cosmos on a clear night for the very first time and having such a sense of wonder instilled in you realizing that the universe was so much bigger than anything you could imagine. The notion, while Kasha already knew it, made her feel part of something mystical and magical, and yet..so terribly alone.

Sitting high with Obsidian, her heart sank, and sank further knowing that she was alone because of who she was - her personality, her free spirit, her longing to never stay in one place. Her truly being..a misfit..  

"Gosh." she sighed, and revealed something to him that she never told anyone else. "We have so much fun together. I'm so happy to be a Misfit, and I love everyone on the team..well, almost everyone, but..sometimes..sometimes..I wish you were a real person."

Obsidian blinked and looked at her for a moment, quietly, observing her silently. Eventually, he put a comforting singular paw on her thigh and left it there, as if trying to tell her something.

Stealth: 18(for flavor, mostly).

Bixby never makes an appearance, or so Yvan, the last to board the ship, can ascertain by the time he boards on to the ship. Certainly whatever Bixby was would have to find his own transportation, or fly after them somehow, ensuring further delays yet to be seen out of the man. Woman? Whatever they were. Soon enough, they are out of the barbarian's mind as he stared off at distant mountains, musing perhaps on the past. But as he stood there staring off into the distance, the gradual sound of Mandolin at play, and rather close by at that.

An initial glance around reveals next to nothing of its source if Yvan should bother to look at all. A half a minute into the song, the player magically materializes beside Yvan, revealing Bixby leaning against the railing if it is high enough to safely support him. He keeps playing a few more bars without so much as a glance in the goliath's direction. The mandolin was the entirety of his world for a few short while longer. Then, the song peters out just prior to their letting out a tired sigh.

"I apologize. Back then, it was never my intention to upset you. But, I did not wish to lie as well. Even by omission." He admitted calmly but clearly tiredly. As if whatever it was he'd been doing the past few days had left to leave him with any time to relax. "Duplicity in regards to members of the company... has always left a bad taste in my mouth. Just as my continued presence likely does yours at the moment." Bixby pushes off the railing and turns to more formerly address Yvan. "For that, I do apologize as well. As promised, I have seen to it that feelers -- people who are better scouts than I -- are currently on the watch for my potential replacement. However, given the abilities and nature of the company, it will take some time, and-..." He pauses, furrowing his brow at some thought. "I do not wish any for the company to suffer any serious casualties in my absence, as unlikely as it will be. So, I.... will remain for now, and continue providing assistance -- and I will endeavor to limit unnessary interactions, so that I do not cause further disturbances in the meantime.... is this satisfactory, Yvan?" He asked, sounding almost tentative towards the end. 

Not quite the right instrument, but certainly the right song and tone:

Stella spots Bix talking to Yvan at the front of the ship, and feels a small bit of relief that he's okay. Then she watches him talking to Yvan, and a slight shadow crosses her face before she shakes her head and turns back to watching the ship go by, albeit with her shoulders a little more slumped.

She'd tried with Bixby, on multiple occasions. Apparently whatever had broken between the two of them was unfixable.

Stella rubs her forehead lightly to stave off the incoming headache. They'd been coming more and more lately, she wasn't sure why.

The memories of what had transpired in those mountains were always less than welcome, yet, despite everything, he wondered how his tribe was fairing. He wondered if his father was still chieftain, if his mother was still alive... if they were still searching for him. Of course, it wasn't out of the goodness of their hearts had they been. The Matake had a certain way of dealing with traitors, those who ran, many of them having to deal with him when they were caught and thrown in the ring to be taken care of. 

If there was one thing Yvan had been afraid of, it was of them finding the Misfits. With word of their group spreading, he feared that it would reach them, one way or another, and they would come for him. There was doubt that they would go through the trouble after all these years, but his father had always been a vindictive man. Regardless though, there was a reason why he had always been found outside, more so now than ever, because had they found him first, they wouldn't hurt the others. 

When the melody reaches his eardrums, it disrupts his thoughts, and he does briefly look for the source of the song, but he doesn't search for long. There had only been one person Yvan knew who was capable of playing such a tune. Green eyes return to the mountains again, silent as to let the changeling play uninterrupted. With his song, the memories that had resurfaced now were... good ones. Through all the grim, they were the ones he held close to his heart, ones he cherished, ones that got him to crack a smile when they would cross his mind. 

Though that smile would falter at the end of it all and Bixby began speak. He did note his tired tone, but says nothing on it to allow him to say his piece, again, uninterrupted. His gaze would be held on the scenery as he listened intently, though when he sees the changeling move to formally address him through his peripherals, he does the same, for respects sake. His expression is mostly unreadable for the time the other speaks, though at the final question, the goliath goes tight lipped. 

After a minute or so of processing, thinking of what he wanted to say, he eventually lets out a sigh. "I know it wasn't," He would begin. "And I appreciate your honesty with me regardless of how I reacted. There is no need to apologize to me for that... and your presence here doesn't bother me. Truthfully, I hadn't expected you to come at all." He admits his gaze going to the floor. "It shows to me-- and maybe I'm simply reading this incorrectly-- but it shows me that you... you still care in a way. The effort you're putting into finding a... 'suitable' replacement, is... also appreciated, I suppose, but..." His eyes soften. "No one would be able to truly replace you."

After a moment, he returns his gaze onto the changeling. "I know it's probably too late to ask this but... Is this what you want, Bixby?"

 Bixby had been prepared to wait however long the goliath needed to think. Tired as he was -- tired as he visibly appeared given the bags under his eyes, BIxby was nothing, if not dutiful and patient. But he gave little in the way of reaction to Yvan's words as they are spoken apart from a raised brow over 'expectations' of him. A fair point, or so he later mused, thinking back to the feywild incident. It is an idle thought, however. One he promptly pushed aside upon being asked a question.

"... What I want... is irrelevant. What has passed was inevitable." He stated after only a brief pause in thought, then sighed and examined his arm; now currently naked of the strange contraption picked up by barnabus since the festival. "This body is frail, and my grasp of sanity has always been somewhat tenuous... What was done to make me what I am  insured but one of three fates. Either I would go mad from fragmented personalities and memories eventually pulling so far apart as to leave the whole clinically insane. I would die on one of these ventures from one of the more bold personalities actions. Or, I would succeed in acquiring the funds and knowledge necessary to fix it... at the cost of the one known as Bixby's continued existence. For I remember now  in part who I was before what made me what I am today. Before this body even came to be."

He rubbed at his temple and furrowed his brow. "I know it sounds ridiculous, and perhaps it could be this memory is just a manifestation of madness. But, it feels 'right'. It is 'Bixby's -- /my/ purpose, a foundation and his obsessive side, to see it all fixed when all others have forgotten or failed to do so." He shakes his head to the side. "But that business aside, it was loosely suggested... hinted at... that I give things another chance. To... I am not even fully certain of really. What I am certain of is that I would remiss if I were to leave without ensuring there was another to take my place. Perhaps not perfectly, but at least suitable enough for the continued healthiness of the group. The work we do, while it has in part been for material wealth, has aided a great deal many people."

The others patience was appreciated. Conversations like this always took time for the barbarian, as to not say things impulsively, and get a better understanding of the others words. Again, he would process, this time a bit faster than before, having deduced something immediately after Bixby had explained what he had been going through at the time.

"I... I can't help but feel as if we failed you, Bix." He admits solemnly. "We didn't... we hadn't noticed that you were struggling... You were dealing with that weight all alone... And we never realized... For that I apologize. I know it's too late to say that, but... I should have been more attentive. Perhaps had we... had we realized it sooner we could have helped you in some way, and even not... We would have had an easier time accepting this you." Yvan is unable to bring himself to look at Bixby, feeling ashamed.

"If it is right to you... then I can learn to accept it. I... I'm glad to know that you are giving things another chance, and I hope... the others can too." His gaze would briefly go over to where the others had been, wondering if they had known any of this. "And I wish to let you know that, no matter your decision in the end," He finally brings his eyes to Bixby. "That you will always be a Misfit."

 Bixby canted his head and frowned, seeming not understand Yvan's initial words. In fact, the more he spoke on, the more pronounced the confusion until the goliath looked away. At which point he shakes his head, and tries to say something. Yet, twice the words catches in throat, resulting in his eventually giving up for the moment, and looking away rubbing at temple again.

"You and Alys can be so alike as to make things.... frustrating, you know." He states dryly. "There is nothing apologize for. If anything -- if it makes you feel any better, the fact that none noticed is a testament to the collectives -- my other halfs' duplicity, however incidently as it may be. If I had wished to...." He grimaces, and looks askance for a moment. "If there is one trait all sides shares, it is that we do not care to trouble others in our own ways. The fact of the matter was, 'Bixby', I, was never to surface. And yet-..." Bixby makes an offhanded sweeping gestures to his form, and then brushes his bangs back.

"Be that as it all may, the sentiment is appreciated. And, don't trouble yourself overly much over all this. Focus on what you can help with for the betterment of the company going forward." He stated evenly. After which, he altered his height so that stood eye to eye with Yvan, pat him awkwardly on the shoulder, and then simply walked away to explore as much of the ship as they were allowed to. The whole magic field, or what he assumed to be one, flowing through their feet had him curious since coming aboard. And while he had theories regarding it, he thought he might have a casual interrogation with other members of the crew regarding it.

"Mr. Avdol, how long will it take for us to get to Murimar?" "10 hours, far quicker than it would take for us if we were traveling by the sea. I suggest that you find something to do to occupy yourself, Ms. Melloran." "Very well." She walks over to Alys, noticing that her informal apprentice was missing her glasses. "Your glasses are missing, were you in a rush this morning?"

The airship flies out to the west, showing the fields and cities of Riisel, as well as the empty plains and mountains of the Outer Wastes, which from this altitude look more like hills than anything else, before you fly over the open ocean. 

At the sound of Vastra’s voice, Alys would look up from reviewing her book. And almost right at her mentors mention of her missing glasses, she’d reach up as if to correct them. Of course they weren’t there and her cheeks would flush with a shy smile. “You know those mornings you wake up feeling rushed? Like you’re late by only 2 minutes, but it’s just enough to throw off your whole morning?” The elf would chuckle sheepishly before gesturing with her spellbook, making last minute studies and tweaks. Although a bit embarrassed, it was endearing to her that Vastra noticed and was striking up a conversation with her. “Do you have any new goodies to share?” Her blue eyes would pry Vastra’s, curious what the wiser elf may have added to her repertoire lately. They haven’t quite sat down to swap spells in a while.