The Cracking Ice - Chapter 1

Kai scratchs his face and stares at Justice Hammer pointing a finger, "I think Grandpa Justice is hiding something. While I don't mind helping the people out I'd like him to be honest with us... Otherwise I'll put my foot down and get mad." Kai states emanating an aura most 9 year olds wouldn't in this situation.

Kyron hearing Kai gulps and pulls Ana behind him, "Kai, why would they hide something from us they need our help. Please don't get mad." Kyron backs up clearly worried about the seemingly sleepy young man in flip flops.

Kyron looks to Chay with a look that says pick a window, pick a door if things go bad.

Ana catches herself on his arm before quickly letting go, a little confused. Was Kyron worried about Kai...or the person who'd used their magic to talk to her?

"He's got a look in his eyes like when I found my Grandpa's lady picture books. All the ladies just got out the bath in the books. He said they were medical magazines but they always seemed to have something in one eye." Kai points at the man and stares blankly, "All the old ladies beat him till he was black and blue since they were "bad" books to have around kids."

Kyron's jaw drops open a bit and he looks from Kai to Justice Hammer back to Kai in a looped double take.
He almost wanted to laugh but he had no clue what a young dragon might do. Though he did look to see if Justice Hammer would say anything.

The accusation from Kai leads the Coffin Nails into shouting and a lot of fear. Guns get gripped tighter, and the shouting intensifies. Phrases like, "What's he saying?" or "How dare that boy disparage our good name!" and worse "Somebody needs to fetch me a strap!" emerge from the din.

Justice Hammer glares daggers but doesn't move a muscle.

Kai's confused narrative about dragons' puritanical view on pornography doesn't ease tensions at all.

"He is just a boy, please relax. We don't wan't him to get mad and we are sorry we got you mad."

Still something was odd he knew Kai was a dragon but they didn't to react so strongly to the statement of a boy. Thank the unicorn Kai didn't explode into dragon form and really put his clawed foot down.

Persuasion to try and calm things down.

Oh I got an ace so rolling for that.

Tipolei slowly gets up and walks to Justice, "If Kai say you not tell all, me believe him. Now if you want us help, you tell all, even if you be afraid..."

Kyron manages to get the Coffin Nails to calm down a bit. He doesn't sense any arcana at work.

When Tipolei towers over Justice Hammer, you get your answer. The man drops his maul and raises his arms defensively. "No, please, don't hurt me!" he whines.

Silence.

Kyron jogs over to Tipolei giving Ana an apologetic look before doing so.

"Wait, we wont hurt you, we really are here to help you. Are my companions right is there something you know your holding back and if you are why ? What is it please the more we know the better we will be able to help you."

Terror. Fear. Shame. Anger. The emotions cross his face like the march of the seasons. He stands tall shaking in fury across his withered features, but turns and leaves out the back.

Singer and Bully are holding each other, Singer's shoulders shaking with sobs. Shooter casually flicks the safety off her rifle, shaking her head. Graves' hands can't be seen behind the bar, but his face is cold, dispassionate, expressionless.

Doom alone seems like he is willing to reach escorts the aisle, so to speak. "Well that went badly."

"Yes, Danny, what is going on ?" Kyron looked up, up, up at Tipolei a moment and the friendly dog face he knew wasn't there at the moment and he would have been scared too.

He looked back to Danny. He didn't know why everything went badly so fast or even really why.

Tipolei crouches down at Justice's level, putting a friendly hand on his shoulder and speaks to the mage...
"Fighting demon be hard, Tipolei know... You not be Tipolei but you fight anyway. You be proud. Now you rest. We take care of demon, then maybe fear go away. Maybe fear be demon magic..."

Danny squirms. "Since the fight, Justice has-"

"SHUT UP!" Singer cries, tears running down her face. "It ain't for us to tell!"

Danny flinches and nods. "Look, it's personal. Nothing to do with the job, just... We're not keeping anything from you that you need to know." he looks over his shoulder. "I best see to my pa. Stay here, please?"

Doom follows Justice Hammer out the back way.

As they leave Kyron pats Tipolei's shoulder since he had crouched down, "I will be honest with you Tipolei, I am a little afraid too. It's something that effects us I know canines have a greater bravery then most." This is said lowly to Tipolei alone.

He moves over to Ana, "I want to apologize. I always try to stand between you and trouble even if I just think something bad might happen. I know the Legion picked you for a reason, I just can't help it sometimes."

Ben considers the story, and thanks Kyron for healing the Coffin Nails. "That's quite impressive, and I hope we won't need that ourselves later on. Glad your one of us," Ben says. The whole story from Justice Hammer unsettles Ben, and he feels like something is missing. A motive maybe? There's a hole in the story, but questioning further to that end seems like a poor strategy since Ben's team was greeted by an armed mob. "Tensions are running a little too high to start treating people with too much suspicion," he thinks to himself.

"Any chance you might be able to show us on a map where exactly all of this took place?" Ben asks Justice Hammer Its always nice to have that visual aid.

Prior to fleeing in a huff, Justice Hammer would have agreed to describe how to get there. Basically go north about ten miles down the valley. There are trade roads that are easy enough to follow.

Tipolei turns to Kyron, "You look tired, you need rest before we go?"

Ana shakes her head at Kyron, hugging him gently to show that it was all okay