New roleplay! Sorta critical role?

dragnoc: ..*he walks up to the group bullying the shark girl, towering over them (he's 7'1), simply staring at them* leave her be, she's done no wrong.

(peak character btw)

The two boys, one with darker skin, the other a Spanish looking boy with braces, turn around, their eyes widening in shock/fear. The two look at each other, nod, and quickly sprint off, leaving the shark girl looking up at Dragnoc with fear.

"..." She gapes, eyes wide.

...*he tilts his head at her* what is your name.

She sniffles, wiping a tear from her eyes and holding her plushie tight before answering. "M-mei.... I'm Mei... and this- this is Grape Juice."

She holds up her shark stuffy, wiping her eyes again.

...grape juice. an interesting name. he looks kind of like you.

She smiles, hugging the shark tight to her chest. "Yeah! My momma got her for me before her and daddy..."

Her smile faded, and she sniffled again, burying her face in the shark.

...lost your parents too huh. i get how that's like, but at least you ended up a bit more fortunate than me.

She looked up at Dragnoc, a curious look in her eyes. "Oh? What happened?"

She walked over, holding up Grape Juice to him. "Here. You can hug him to feel better."

..i appreciate the kindness, but you can keep him. i lost my parents to a fire, a forest fire to be specific.

She frowned, hugging Grape Juice close. "Oh no... my momma and daddy were in an accident. That's what the people told me." She whined, hugging the stuffed shark tighter.

"Now I live here now. Sometimes kids get to go with other adults and have a new home but I haven't been picked yet. Are you here to pick me?" She looks up at Dragnoc, a hopeful look in her eyes.

..we share a lot in common, so i suppose it'd be the logical choice. i suppose you need my name as well if you don't feel like calling me "father", i'm dragnoc.

(4 sum reason it won't allow my 2 reply 2 ur latest comment so imma reply 2 this one)

Her eyes lit up, and a smile spread across her face. "Really? Really? You're gonna take me?"

She jumped up and down excitedly, drawing attention from some nearby kids.

(yeah it limits a string of comments to a certain amount, but you can just go from like the first to keep going) i suppose so, i'd rather not have the kids pick on you again anyway.

it's.. burned. not a lot of fun to be had there. but in the little time i had there, it was enjoyable.

Her smile fades again, and her movements slow. "Oh... yeah... That's scary... I don't like fire. Fire hurts."

i don't like it either. it stole everything dear to me.

She kicks a nearby rock, sniffling quietly. "My parents were burned. It was in the newspapers. I found it, even though they tried to hide it from me." She wiped her eyes, tearing up.

...mine burned too, although i saw it firsthand. i know how you feel.

She nods, tugging his pant leg. "Can you carry me? My legs hurt and I'm tired... and sad now..."

Mei looks up at him sadly, wiping her nose on her sleeve.

..*he sighs, but obliges, picking her up and holding her comfortably with ease*

She snuggles into him, laying her head on the shark stuffy that he was already holding. "Thank... mn... you..." Her eyes close, and she relaxes, almost immediately falling asleep.

..*he moves carefully to not wake her up* your life will end up better than mine, i'll make sure of it.

(hes so sweet wthhhhh man)

An inn is around the corner, somewhat shabby, but it looks like it'll be safe for the night.

(he's rough, but he has a heart of gold) *he walks towards it*

(I love that) A room is booked for the two of them, room number 15. Inside are two shaggy beds, creaky floor boards, and a dripping ceiling, but at least it's warm.

i've lived in worse. *he lays her down on one of the beds and lays down on the other one himself*

The night passes surprisingly quickly. When Dragnoc wakes up in the morning, he finds Grape Juice in his bed, Mei snuggling up behind him.

...*he doesn't move now, not wanting to wake up the kid* ...

After what seemed to be forever, Mei wakes up and yawns. "Morning, Mr Dragnoc... mnnommm...." She slurs sleepily, rubbing her eyes.

...*he sits up* ..when'd you come over to my bed

hm.I suppose nightmares are common for people like us, I've grown used to them. *he stands up himself*

She nods, following him down the stairs and into the inn's main lobby. "Can I get some oatmeal? Pleeeease?"

sure. *he walks up to the innkeeper, grabbing some coins* I need some oatmeal for the kid.

The innkeeper, a tall, burly orc, nods, counting the counts and trudging into the back kitchen, leaving Mei and Dragnoc to wait.

*he stands with mei, waiting patiently*

Around five minutes later, the orc walks back out, handing Dragnoc a bowl of oatmeal and nodding. Mei reaches up to grab it, but she's too short.

*he grabs it for her and hands it to her, giving the orc a small nod of respect, which is about as respectful of a gesture as can be gotten for a stranger*

She grabs the bowl, making her way to a nearby table. The orc smiles slightly.* "Cute kid. Hybrids are rare, too. Where'd ya get her?"

orphanage, her parents died so I took her in.

"Ah." The orc clicks his tongue, shaking his head. "Getting real common nowadays, with more and more getting drafted into the king's army. Keep her close, or they'll snatch her along too. They'd pay a pretty penny for a young, impressionable hybrid."

if anyone dares touch her, they'll meet the end of my flaming spear, I will not let her be stolen from me like my parents were stolen from me.

After a moment, the orc nods. "Good on you. We need more passionate men in this nation. The majority of 'em are either greedy whelps or cowardly followers."

Mei finished her bowl of oatmeal, bringing it over. "All done!"

*he hands the bowl back to the orc* in case you want to reuse it. it's better not to waste things nowadays.

The orc sighed sadly. "Unfortunately, yes. With that war going on and all, it's hard to even get by, unless you've got a high standing." He turns back to the kitchen, washing the bowl.

I can see that, even for people like me who were raised in forests it's getting hard, this war has burned and scarred many of my homes.

The orc gives a nod of acknowledgement, bowing his head. "Don't I know. My sister died in one of those forests. Hope to Greah that this war ends soon, eh?"

Mei's walking around curiously, staying near Dragnoc.

I hope it does too, then I might get to properly settle down without fear of getting my home burnt.

(SORRY FOR THE LATE REPLY T^T)

"Aiy." The orc watches Mei nearly trip, holding Grape Juice tightly. "You're an adventurer, I presume?"

yes, pretty much the only way i can properly get around and stay safe until this war's over and i can settle back down.

The orc sighed again. "Makes sense. Lots of travelers around these days. You seem more experienced than most. Is the hybrid your apprentice or something? I heard they can wield powerful magic, great for adventurers."

Mei tugged at Dragnoc's pant leg, pointing outside. "Explore?"

in a minute mei. i might teach her some of my skills so she can survive without me should she get lost or something happen to me.

The orc nodded, reluctantly grabbing something from under the counter. "I don't normally do this, but you seem like a good guy. Follow me. Kid, do you wanna help sweep something up while your Master follows me?"

(Masters are apprentices teachers)

..*he looks at mei, but proceeds to follow the orc*

The orc leads Dragnoc into the back room, handing him a bag. "In that bag's a crystal. It enhances magical powers, but only when the user unlocks it. It can also be used as a protection amulet."

He sighed. "I might be betraying the king by saying this, but he's ordered all hybrids to be brought forward to him. He needs more magic and fighters. I suggest you use this to help that girl. My sister was an oracle. When I was little..."

A pause, the orc gesturing for Dragnoc to come closer. "You can't tell anyone about this, okay? Promise me before I tell you."

*he nods* your secret will be held safer than that bastard king himself. *he moves closer*

The orc nodded. "This could be completely bogus, as my sister's foresight had a 50/50 chance of being correct, but... it was the last one she gave me. It was rather vague, but it said something about a man with a passion hot as fire and a girl with the strength and adaptability of water. Your little hybrid is a shark, yeah?"

He didn't let Dragnoc reply, handing him the bag. "This crystal's quite rare. It's... put me in danger before. It's incredibly sought after due to both its protective properties and ability to awaken its user's true potential. I want you to take it. I might be misinterpreting it but... she seemed really serious about it. She said they'd stop this way. It sounds... almost cheesy, like the plot of an adventure book, but she insisted. Could you... at least make sure that girl stays safe."

The orc crossed his arms, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "I'm sorry if it seems like I'm forcing you to do this. You can always just... return the crystal. But I'm begging you, could you at least try?"

...*he takes the bag* ..i'll keep it safe, i'll see if it works with mei. i definitely don't need it, i've already unlocked my potential.

..what nightmare was it this time sweetie

She sniffled, rubbing her eyes. "I-it was scary... p-people burned me like they did to my momma and daddy..."

...i won't let anyone burn you, not without facing my wrath.

She wiped her tears, nodding. Her clothes had dried, but they were dirty and crusty, same with her shark plush. "O-okay...."

...if you wish you can sleep with me, just try not to keep me up.

Mei nodded, curling up next to Dragnoc and quickly falling asleep. She burrowed close, holding Grape Juice in between the two of them.

...*he closes his eyes and goes to sleep himself*

The next day, Mei already had some oatmeal, a bowl ready for Dragnoc on the counter. "The orc guy said if I wiped off the tables, he'd give us free breakfast! Isn't that nice? And he said he loved my cuffs!"

..that's quite nice of him. *he grabs the oatmeal, eating it much slower than her*

When they both finished, Mei brought the bowls down the stairs, quickly returning. "Mr. Dragnoc! Are we going to start traveling? You said you were an adventurer!"

i suppose we can, you'll need to start learning how to use your magic and skills anyway.

She jumped up excitedly, squealing in happiness. "Yay!! Where are we going?"

we should start somewhere less dangerous, maybe some nearby plains or a forest, somewhere you can train in while being mostly safe.

She nodded excitedly, her purple sweater and other clothes dirty and most likely not great for training. It would be restricting, especially in water, where she'd be slowed down.

...we might need to get you some better armor though, i'm sure i can get you some mermaid or sea basilisk scale armor.

"Armor...?" She asked, tilting her head. "Why do I need armor? I'm a kid! Armor is for knights and stuff! Knights are so cool! They protect people and are awesome heroes! I wanna be like a knight someday!"

well, if you try to fight in those clothes, you might not be able to fight very well, besides, you'll need something that works better in water and can protect you on our adventures

She thought for a moment before nodding. "Okay then! Can we get pretty armor? With pretty gems and stuff? I want it to look like my cuffs!"

i suppose i can, if it has more of those gems it'll probably further boost your abilities. *he looks outside for an armory, keeping an eye on her as well*

There was no armory in the town, however, there was a bit of a bigger city nearby, so that might be a better place to look.

..*he sighs* looks like we're in for quite a trip. get ready to go mei.

She nodded excitedly, grabbing her shark plush and slipping her shoes on quickly. "Yay!!! Adventure! You're the best, Mr. Dragnoc!"

She hugged his leg again, before bounding down the stairs, the orc barkeep smiling slightly as she rushed by. He gave a small wave to Dragnoc. "Safe travels!"

*he gives a nod as he walks with her, walking towards the city*

She skipped along, getting distracted by every other thing, flowers, animals, pretty rocks...

*he looks around carefully, making sure nothing attacks them on their way*

The city quickly came into view. It wasn't very big, but it still housed many people, much bigger in size than the last town. Mei stopped, gaping. "Wow...." She breathed, holding Grape Juice tighter to herself and retreating back to Dragnoc.

stay close. *he starts looking around for an armory that can make her armor*

A young elf with blonde hair and discolored eyes waves them over. "Hello! Are you looking for an armory? We can make custom armor for your needs!"

..i need good aquatic armor for my daughter, light and flexible.

The elf looked at Mei, squealing. "Oh my gosh!!! A sharkie hybrid!!! Awww, you're so cute!" She ruffled Mei's hair, grabbing her hand. "Can do! And look at your pretty cuffs! Do you want your armor to match?"

Mei had a wide smile on her face, nodding. "Yes please!!"

*he nods* do you need any measurements, or do you already have something her size.

"I'll quick measure her! And if you need any clothes, my sister works in the shop next door, she can pair it with the armor!"

The elf quickly made some measurements, making her way to the back of the shop to get to work.

...i suppose i should get her some spare clothes as well. *he walks to the other shop to get her some clothes as well*

The store next door was run by a more mature looking elf who was sewing at a wheel. She looked up, smiling. "Welcome, customer! What are you looking for today?"

I need to get clothes for my daughter, I'm doing this while her armor is getting made and her measurements are taken.

She nodded. "Clothes, huh? Tell me about her, and I'll whip something up."

(i can describe him along the rp btw)

She looks at his shoes, a curious look in her eyes. "Wow... are those fire shoes? Do they hurt? They look real cool!"

She seems a lot happier and more outgoing then she was back in the orphanage.

they aren't "shoes", my feet are always on fire, but they don't hurt, i'm used to them

"Oh. Wow." She looks a little confused, but she moves on quickly. "That's cool! So- so where are we going next? Can we get a snack? I'm hungry!"

She skips along pulling her shark hood back, revealing little purple fins.

sure. i'm sure there's an inn around here that serves fish, if you even like fish to begin with.

She nods, jumping in excitement. "Yeah! I love fish! They're really yummy!!"

hm, i figured, most hybrids tend to take their preferences from the animal they're from. *he looks around for a place to buy fish*

She follows Dragnoc dutifully, not missing a step. She chatters on about random things, a little bounce in her step as she looks around.

"This place is soooo cool!"

i suppose so. i'm more used to trees though.

"Oh yeah! You said you grew up in a forest, right? Is it fun there? I've never been to a forest! Only in the orphanage!" She nearly trips over her own tail, barely righting herself.

"I had a nightmare last night so I came over here..." Mei sniffled, crawling over him and hopping off the bed.

Mei nodded, grabbing Dragnoc's hand and holding a dirtied Grape Juice close to herself. "Are we going to the Inn again?"

I suppose so, it is safe. *he starts walking with her to the inn again*

She skipped alongside him, humming quietly. She held up the cuff with the special crystal in it. "Look! This thingie glows when it's wet!"

...indeed it does. it's powerful with water magic.

"Wowww....! That's so cool! Thanks for getting it for me!" She hugged Dragnoc's leg, careful of the fire.

..it's no problem.

They made their way back to the Inn, the orc nodding at Dragnoc as Mei and him went upstairs, Mei almost immediately falling asleep, dirtying the sheets with her soaked clothes.

*he lays down on his own bed, closing his eyes*

Hours later, Mei shook Dragnoc awake. "Mr. Dragnoc...? I had another nightmare..."

(kk thx!!!)

Mei hugged Dragnoc's leg tightly. She was small, but DAMN she was strong. her hug was nearly bone crushing. "Yay!! I'll have a home! Thank you, Mr Dragnoc!!!"

...you're welcome. that's impressive strength, even i can feel it. (he doesn't have the muscle mass, but he's quite strong himself)

She squeals happily, pulling back and dragging Dragnoc over to the director, and old women with circular glasses and white hair. She looks down at Mei and smiles. "Oh, hello, Mei. Who's this?"

Mei jumped up and down excitedly. "He said he was gonna adopt me!

i'm dragnoc, and yes, i'm going to adopt her.

The lady's smile fades slightly, and she pats Mei on the head. "One moment, Mei. Mr. Dragnoc, would you be willing to come with me for a moment?"

She gestures to a nearby empty room.

..*he tilts his head but walks towards the room

(i forgot to add a * to the end sonofa-)

(lol)

She leads Dragnoc into the room, pulling out a chair for him. "It's very kind of you to offer to adopt Mei, but she comes with a few... setbacks, I suppose."

After a moment, she continues. "You see, like many of the children here, she both has magic powers, or is a hybrid, and trauma. Her parents were actually traitors to the empire, and they... somewhat neglected her growing up, leaving her on her own. She's also shown that, being a shark hybrid, a bit of bloodlust. She expresses it in mostly little nips and such, but she could become trouble growing up, and her values, due to her upbringing, might not be ideal for you. Are you sure you still want to care for her?"

i can handle it. i know what it's like to not have parents, i can treat her well.

She nodded, smiling. "It's good to hear that. She's been here for a while. If you can just fill out this paperwork?"

She slides a piece of paper over to Dracnoc, nodding.

*he nods, summoning a pen with a small burst of flame in his hand and beginning to write on it*

After a moment, the woman nods. "Alright. Things are all checked out. You may go. Oh, as you know, hybrids are rare, so not much is known about them, but Mei has tendancies to do shark-like things, and she can breath underwater, so don't worry if she stays under for a while."

i figured, there are a few hybrids that lived in the forest i lived in, i'm used to them. *he starts to walk towards mei* if you have anything else you want to grab, i'd grab it now, otherwise let's get going.

"I have all I need!" She followed behind Dragnoc, waving back to a couple of kids. "So, where are we going first? Are you an adventurer? How'd you get that scar? Your hair's really cool, is it naturally that color? Why'd you pick me? What kind of cool things are we going to see? Do you have a home? You're really tall, are you part giant?"

She stopped talking, nervously looking to the ground. "Sorry. Too many questions?"

it's fine. just try to do one at a time. *he walks out, looking behind occasionally to make sure she's following

Mei nods, skipping slightly. "So... are you an adventurer? A lot of them come around here for apprentices and stuff. They mostly take the older kids, though."

sort of. i travel a lot and do some adventuring for money.

She nods, excited. "So I get to travel, too! Right?"

Her shark tail swished behind her, a bounce in her step.

yes, but i won't actively put you in harms way. you're strong, but i don't want you hurt.

"Mhm! Don't worry, I'll be super good!" She says, making sure to follow Dragnoc closely. She hands Dragnoc the stuffed shark.

"Can you hold Grape Juice for me?"

*he gently holds the stuffed shark, making sure it doesn't touch his feet so it doesn't get set ablaze*

(i forgot the * at the end again, i'm not on my a-game rn lol)

(its ok lol)

(continuing on this one bcs SPACE)
The orc nodded, smiling. "Thank you. I had a feeling you'd accept. If you ever need any information, just come back to the inn. I have eyes in special places."

He winked (obviously has spies) before walking back out, Mei waiting, the whole place sweeped clean. "All done!"

..that was fast, mei. *he starts walking* we can go out now.

Mei nodded, following behind, happy with the complement. "Okay! Can we look around? I've never been anywhere cool because we weren't allowed to leave the orphanage! I wanna see some cool things! Pleeeease?"

...*he sighs* sure, just try not to wear yourself out too much.

She made a happy squeaking noise, handing Dragnoc Grape Juice again. "Can you hold him? I wanna go look over there!"

She pointed to a charms shop. The kids had good taste, charms were great for magic.

*he holds the plushie, following her*

She enters the shop, looking around in awe. There were a lot of shiny, pretty crystals. The shop was remotely empty, seeing as it wasn't a large town, but it was great for a first look around. After all, it wouldn't be good to overwhelm her.

She looked around, stopping when she saw a silver, intricate wrist cuff with Lumiqua gems (A gem that channels water power). It was really pretty, and looked to be in her size. However, the main crystal was missing, shown by a gap in the silver.

...*he looks around before trying to see if the crystal in the bag would fit in the missing crystal in the cuff*

Mei continued looking around, unaware of anything else. The crystal looked like it would fit in the cuff with a little bit of adjustments to the crystal through cuts and sanding.

...*he puts the crystal back in the bag and grabs the cuff, looking for the shopkeeper*

The shopkeeper, a middle aged man with a goatee, raised an eyebrow, smiling. "Hey! Customer! Over here."

He noticed the cuffs, smirking. The guy seemed kinda shady. "Cuffs, huh? Those don't look like they'll fit ya."

they aren't for me. they're for my daughter.

The shopkeeper snickered, looking at Mei. "Oh, she's your kid? Though you was one of them rich guys, collect hybrids like pets. They don't come around here often, but it's not unheard of. Alright, for the cuffs.... that's a pretty rare gem, it'll be.... about 120 Knargs."

*he starts grabbing the coins from his pouch, he seems to have quite a lot, probably because he has the strength to do higher paying things*

The shopkeeper's eyes widened, not actually expecting Dragnoc to pay up. He took the money, nodding at him. "The cuffs are allll yours, valued customer!"

Yeah.... this guy was sketchy.

*he stares for a bit as he turns around* come on mei, with me. stay close.

Mei nodded, walking over and noticing the cuffs. "Ohh, the pretty bracelet thing I liked! Did you get them for me?"

yes, but let me do something first. *he takes the gem back out of his pocket, sneakily etching the gem into the main slot, using heat to expand the slot to get it to fit the gem in*

She jumped up and down excitedly, the shopkeeper watching her out of the corner of his eye, no doubt thinking of ways he could make money off of her. Money hungry bastard.

*he seems to notice the shopkeeper staring at her, and just starts staring at him with the will of whatever gods exist, looking pissed* ...stop watching her. *he waits for the cuffs to cool before handing them to mei, still staring at the man*

The shopkeeper immediately paled, realizing that this man was dangerous. He nodded, sheepishly smiling. "Yep! You got it sir!"

Mei grabbed the cuffs, putting them on. "These crystals are so pretty!!"

The shopkeeper noticed the added crystal, but decided not to say anything.

indeed they are. let's get going, sweetie. *he starts walking out, watching to make sure mei is following*

Mei followed Dragnoc out, really happy with the cuffs. The other cuff had an empty slot, seeing as Dragnoc only had one crystal, but it could be used for cute charms Mei liked.

Mei reached up to hold Dragnoc's hand, having to stand on her tip-toes because he was so tall.

..*he gently holds her hand (he's beginning to warm up to her huh)* ..is there anywhere else you want to go.

(He isssss ><)
She looked around, before noticing a couple of kids playing by a pond. "Can I go play?"

...yes, but don't wander off, if someone tries to do something to you, come to me.

"Okay!!" She nodded, rushing off to play with the other kids, talking excitedly. One of the nearby parents grimaced, muttering to another.

"Yeesh, is that a hybrid? Thought those things were all rounded up for military service."

..i can hear you muttering about my daughter. *he's suddenly behind them* do you have a problem with my child?

The two women jumped slightly, the one muttering putting a hand over her chest. "A problem? Of course I have a problem! Those things are dangerous. They have animal urges and could hurt MY children! In my personal opinion, they shouldn't even count as the empire's citizens!'

The other women nodded in agreement, scoffing.

...*he just starts to stare her down* so you admit to my face that you don't like my daughter, and that she shouldn't be a citizen?

The two of them started to realize that pissing off a 7 foot man was not a great idea. The first woman stammered. "Well, I- she doesn't look anything like you!"

The other woman suddenly seemed very interested in the grass.

I adopted her. she lost her parents, so I chose to be her guardian. (and he's insinuating both forms of guardian, the protector and parent kind)

The woman shut up, scoffing and rolling her eyes. "Still! If she lays a HAND on my sweet children, I will be calling the local patrol!"

she won't. she is quite tame. especially with her plush.

Speaking of her plushie, Mei ran back over to Dragnoc. "Mr. Dragnoc! Can I have Grape Juice back! I wanna show Hasorn!"

The second woman moved away slightly, biting her lip.

*he nods, giving grape juice back to mei*

Mei ran back over to the other kids, holding up the shark plushie. The women glanced at each other grimacing, calling their kids over to leave. There were still a couple of kids, but honestly... jerks.

*he stares at the women with an agitated look, but goes back to watching mei*

Eventually, it started to get dark, Mei running back. Her clothes were wet and dirty from playing, but she looked so happy. "Mr. Dragnoc! I made some friends! It was super fun!"

that's.. good, I think. let's get going then.