RP:Felonies And Friendship

From HollowWiki

Summary: It's been three days since Khitti and Lanara have reunited, and as promised, they meet again in the apartment above the bakery. This time, Meri, joins the fray. To say she's shocked to see her close friend out of a mental institution and in Khitti's living room, is an understatement! After a few minutes of everyone catching up, and being gifted a Tikifhlee kitten, the witch states the reason for all the secrecy. Lanara wants to break into the bank of Cenril and steal her rose quartz skull, so that she can use it in the trial of The Realm versus The Woodland Witch, to prove her innocence. The reason she needs their assistance is because her assets are frozen, and she's not allowed to use magic without permission. But... It's a huge risk, as Khitti and Meri have families, careers, and are both guild leaders. This could put them in danger! Meri agrees to help her friend break into the bank, but she sticks Khitti with babysitting duty, and the trio agrees to meet up in a few days to fully plot their mission.

Part of the Magic, Madness, and Mayhem Arc



Khitti || Khitti’d needed a bit of thinking time after Lanara left. So much had been said in such a short amount of time that she’d realized her head was spinning a bit afterward. The adrenaline rush from thinking it might’ve been that damned dryad from the Shadow Plane. The thinking led to a seriously long nap (okay, it wasn’t really a nap, but still) and, in typical Khitti fashion, a few nightmares as well. Lanara being burned for her “crimes” was one of them. Another had been along the lines of Jessamine (the dryad woman) and her mysterious partner had made it to Lithrydel and hunted down all the people she cared about before they set their sights on dealing with Lithrydel as a whole. This continued for the few days that stretched from one meeting to the next--maybe it hadn’t been a good idea to sleep alone at the apartment that entire time. Dark rings circled her eyes because of it, and she set to covering it up with that dark make-up she favored before Meri and Lanara were to arrive. Her wrists were eventually dealt with too, the bruises on them given the treatment of milk and the fresh aloe that Lanara had sent her before being re-bandaged. The witch had been right; the bruises had had a twinge of magic burn to them, and they soon started to feel better, though she’d keep them wrapped until they were entirely gone. Once Sunday rolled around, Khitti made a few snacks (the cookies Khitti had promised Lanara, as well as a few sandwiches) and some tea--though Khitti chose to down no less than three cups of coffee that morning about would continue this trend throughout the night. Word had been sent to Meri about the meeting. She didn’t give very many details, leaving it half a surprise and half protection for Lanara to keep her from being found out. And last but not least, Lanara’s tikifhlee had been brought to the apartment. The cats were sentient enough to know when to shrink themselves down to house cat size when indoors and right now was no different. The dark purple creature let out a loud ‘MOWROWR’ at Khitti, grey eyes watching the human as she went about preparing things. “Hush, you. I’ve got enough problems with dead things--I don’t need you waking them up too.” The cat would not hush, however, because it’s a cat and they do whatever the frak they want.


Meri really did not think much of the summons to the bakery, the blonde arrives as asked at the time she was meant to. The fact that there were not many details about this meeting request also did not strike Meri as unusual. Khitti was her sister, you would think they'd occasionally meet up and chat for no particular reason. It was not until she was actually in the bakery that she was starting to get the notion that perhaps there was more to this meeting that she was told. Why were there so many snacks? Khitti normally just...had her pick whatever she wanted to snack on from behind the counter. What is this with this spread nonsense? And why are there three cups. A look is pinned on Khitti, it's a questioning with a tinge of mild annoyedness because why would Khitti not tell her who this mystery third party is? "So what the heck?" Meri motions to the spread, specifically honing in on the tea cups. "Who else are you trying to make me be social with?"


Lanara :: It had been three days since Lanara had appeared at this very location, a lone wooden bench on the bustling street, before the bakery. However, the witch isn’t donning a cloak and oversized sunglasses, nor is she using a book as a prop, but she’s disguised to the hilt. Lanara had cooked up a glamour potion, after receiving hesitant approval from Lunalesca to use her magic, as this was necessary in proving her innocence. Of course, it came with a price, as things often did with the leader of the Magical Oversight Committee, in Enchantment. The glamour potion wasn’t ingested, instead it was used to enchant an amulet, which Lanara had vowed to wear about her neck when in public. Also, the effect would dissolve, it she were to remove the necklace. Lustrous chestnut locks are now a strawberry blonde, chocolate hues appear to be a piercing shade of blue, olive tinted skin is now ivory, and the body of a dancer is now carrying a good fifty pounds in excess. The facial features of the faux-Lana bare a sprinkling of freckles on her cheeks, and unruly curls continuously skew her visage, as the seemingly middle-aged woman lowers herself onto the bench. Wearing a tangerine romper which clashes horribly with her red hair and lipstick, she can’t help but grumble, “I swear Luna is enjoying this! I look like I belong in a circus!” A sidelong glance is given across the street, though she tries not to be painfully obvious, as it’s where the bank resides, that she intends on breaking into with the assistance of her friends. Had Khitti been successful in arranging for Meri to meet with them on this morning? Would Meri hate her and believe all the rumors? With a sigh, the plump woman rises and opens the door to the bakery and bumps a chair with her hip. Curse this disguise, she thinks, as she ascends the staircase and raps on the door to Khitti’s apartment, “It’s me…” Her words are above a whisper, though she’s careful not to drop her name. Once the door is answered, she would unclasp the necklace and the spell would be broken, leaving Lanara standing in that ugly romper, and staring at both of her friends.


Khitti was right in the middle of downing another cup of coffee when Meri walked in and it was all she could to do keep from spewing said coffee everywhere once she started getting interrogated. She could tell that Meri was annoyed--they spent enough time together after all--and Khitti frowned at it, “I couldn’t tell you. It wasn’t safe.” She hoped Meri would understand; Khitti really hadn’t liked keeping things from her. The knock on the door was soon answered and Khitti would step aside for Meri to see why things hadn’t been said prior. “I also haven’t left the apartment since Brand went on his lasted cargo run, so I’m sorry.” The frown was still planted on Khitti’s face and she sighed as she closed the door and locked it behind her and Lanara. She rubbed one of her wrapped wrists idly as she headed to the kitchen table and sat down--it wasn’t going to relieve her of the itching that went on beneath the bandages thanks to the healing, however, and Khitti resisted the urge to let out a few choice curse words. “She’s got a lot to say, if you want to hear it, and there’s not a whole lot of good news attached to it, I’m afraid.” There was more good news than Khitti let on, but she was in a pessimistic mood today.


Meri would have protested Khitti's reasoning, but she barely gets the chance. Lanara reveals herself causing Meri to feel an entire mix of emotions. She was shocked, happy, confused, and a bit mad all at once. The blonde processes this revelation about as well as anyone can expect of Meri, which is to say that she stands there in shocked and dumbfounded silence. A few seconds after, the werewolf decides that she needs to sink into a seat. Unfortunately Meri has never been a woman of many words, especially when it comes to emotionally trying and stressful situations. Arms are folded across the blonde's chest, who finally breaks her awkward silence with a simple, "Hi." Because what the heck else is she supposed to say? Really...people need to work on how they break shocking news of a return. How has someone not capitalized on writing a 'how to break the news to your loved ones that you are basically back from the dead' guide. As much as Meri loves them, the blonde has decided that both Khitti and Lanara both get to be in the 'examples of what not to do' section of this guide.


Lanara is silent for a moment, as she takes in the sight of the blonde, a welcome vision of an old friend. The psion sits, crosses her arms, and seems unsure how best to handle this change of events, though she does manage a ‘hello’ which is better than nothing. Of course, Lana’s inwardly groaning, as she can sense the bit of tension between Khitti and Meri, and she isn’t sure what direction things are going to turn. She was branded a murderer, arsonist, animal abuser, wicked witch, and she managed to earn herself quite a few other unsavory titles before the latest events unfolded. In truth, she didn’t do –any- of the crimes she was being held accountable for, and she was here on her own recognizance, to clear her name. Swallowing hard, she locks eyes with Meri, sapphire against chocolate, her voice steady, “It wasn’t me… I didn’t kill those children, or harm the animals, or slaughter the staff at my brother’s home… It’s a long story, and if you will hear me out… I think you, too, may believe that I’m innocent.” She pauses, to look at the array of goodies and drinks that were laid out neatly on the table, and she is touched by the gesture. “Khitti, you didn’t have to go to all of this trouble… Thank you.” A small smile is given, as she points towards the bandaged wrists, “I hope the aloe and milk mixture is helping. How are you feeling?” She’s asking how she’s doing mentally, as well as physically, and only once she received an answer, would she notice a noise in the background. Was that a meow?! The tikifhlee pops her head out from behind a chair, the dark purple fur slightly rising on the back of her neck, as she studies the newcomer with curious eyes. “You are so cute!” Like a kid in a candy store, the witch all but forgets that this is a reunion, carrying the weight of a very dire situation, one in which she’d be asking her best friends to break the law. Hell, she could even be burned at the stake or hung for her crimes! However, it had been seven long months since she had been near an animal, and all that know Lanara, know that her two greatest loves have always been beasts and magic. Dropping to her knees, she extends both hands in greeting and makes cooing sounds, in hopes to draw the cat into her arms. “Come here, Kitty… Oh, Khitti she is too precious! What is her name? Can I hold her?”


Khitti only felt worse as Meri’s mood seemed to sour a bit from the mix of emotions that seeing Lanara brought on. She shrugged when Lanara thanked her for the food, mustering a faint smile for the witch, “It’s nothing, really. Besides, I dunno what all those faefolk are feeding you.” Khitti’d heard stories of the fae back in her homeland and as myths usually go, they were a little unkind towards the fae. Those fairy tales of Khitti’s hadn’t helped things either, so she was a little wary of them. She dodged the question about her health for the moment, that smile of hers a little more genuine as Lanara spotted the tikifhlee, “I’ve not named it yet. She’s yours to keep, so you can name her. I just really didn’t have the heart to name either of them after you were taken away and Talyara’s been more or less by herself or, I guess, with Krice. I haven’t wanted to bother her. I really didn’t know how to talk to her after you were gone and after the witch hunters… so I just let her be.” She sighed again and eventually just removed the bandages on both of her wrists; the dark purple rings of bruises that had been there before was a lot less so, but they’d soon redden from all the scratching Khitti was about to do. “And, I’m fine. They’re healing, but are incredibly itchy for now.” Khitti looked to Meri again, crimson brows furrowed when she remembered that she hadn’t told her yet about the Shadow Plane stuff either. How do you tell someone that there’s another pair of big bad evil guys in the place where said someone was left for nearly a month and now has severe ptsd about it and that you have to deal with the problem before it gets worse? It was not as simple as some might think. “Speaking of whether or not someone is feeling better, how are you and Cal?” Aside from the nature of Khitti’s situation in the Shadow Plane, she just hadn’t wanted to bother Meri with it after the mess the blonde had to deal with during the full moon.


Meri :: Any tension that Lanara was sensing between Khitti and Meri would pass, it's not like Meri is going to hold a grudge over this. The blonde wouldn't say that she was the least moraled person of the group, but there is a whole side of her life that she tends to only let a select few know of. That more criminal aspect of her life has earned her a few unsavory titles herself, but as Meri goes on to explain, "Never really thought of you as guilty to begin with." If someone is captured and tortured, they sometimes have a mental breakdown. Meri has yet to hear that this was not even the case with Lanara, she has not understanding that it was really a shade. "Just really surprised to see you here is all. Talyara seemed pretty adamant there as not a possibility that you would return from the facility you were at." As the shock of Lanara's presence begins to fade, slowly but surely, she becomes more aware of her surroundings. Namely the bruises that are upon Khitti. Meri is perplexed again. "What the heck happened to you?" Really, Khitti and Lanara seem quite intent on giving the poor werewolf a heart attack tonight. As for how she is and Callum are? Reminder of that night causes Meri to frown and sigh heavily, "We're...healing up as well as can be hoped. Clearly our current home is no longer safe though..." Though Meri did not really think that any home they claimed could fully be safe given the state of things.


Lanara coaxes the tikifhlee kitten near enough that she can snatch her into her arms, and it’s literally love at first sight. She scratches behind her ears and beneath her chin, whispering softly how ‘adorable’ the cat is, and how she hasn’t had a feline familiar since Taylor. It’s a moment of bonding that would intensify with time, as for a long moment the witch stares into the grey eyes of the kitten, her heart feeling the fullest it had in nearly a year. It had been so very long since she last felt happy and tears spring to her eyes as loud purring interrupts the conversation between Khitti and Meri. “Thank you… I love her, and will cherish her for the rest of my life. She will be spoiled rotten!” Rising from the floor, the kitten still in her arms, Lana walks over to Khitti and pulls her into a one armed hug, her voice thick with emotion, “Really… This is the best present I have ever received and I cannot thank you enough. My sister will love hers, as well… I haven’t seen her since I’ve been back, either.” The arm which is draped across the redhead’s shoulders would lower, as a Lana leans in to fully look at the bruises, which are thankfully not as menacing as a few days ago. Poor Khitti had suffered horribly in the Shadow Plane, but she’s pleased to see that her skin was on the mend. “Don’t scratch it! It could get infected… The best thing to do when it’s irritating you is to slap the flesh, as one would with a tattoo. It may hurt, initially, but it will keep the itching at bay for a while. And… Itching is usually a sign of healing, so that’s good news!” She glances over at the blonde, relief evident in her expression, “It’s a long story… I never was crazy…” She wrinkles her nose, uncertain if it was a plus that people believed she was capable of being crazy. Should she be offended? Her attorney would likely aim for an insanity plea, but Lana wasn’t one to sugarcoat anything, and wanted to prove her side fair and square. “I… I learned how to use this new form of magic, well; it’s more like an advanced stage of meditation, really… It’s called astral projection. But… When I was having an out of body experience, a rogue spirit entered my body, and committed all those horrible acts… I… I never meant for –any- of that to happen… After being left at the altar, losing the ability to dance again, and being kidnapped by witch killers… I sort of gave up wanting to be me. I shouldn’t have dabbled in the art, or left my body so vulnerable when I was out frolicking as a rabbit… They thought I was crazy and put me in an asylum for six months, until they discovered the books I was studying. After a cleansing ritual I was released, but I hope to clear my name… There will be a trial. And if I’m found guilty I will be put to death.” How’s that for a mic drop?! It was said as if she memorized the words, though it’s clear from the tears streaming down her cheeks that she’s emotional. Lanara clears her throat and takes a seat on a chair, the cat on her lap, as she takes a cookie from the platter and lets Meri and Khitti continue talking as she needed a minute to collect her thoughts.


Khitti smirked at Lanara as she got the hug and words of gratitude, “You’re welcome. I’d been hoping to get them to you both as cubs, but they grow fast. This isn’t her real size, of course. She’ll be as big as her parents once you take her outside. They’re smart. Probably too smart, heh.” She’d let Lanara tell her tale before continuing the other conversation--it was much more important at this point. Nothing could be done about the Shadow Plane currently anyway, until her and Brand had gone to Vailkrin, and traveled to its mirror in the other realm. Returning to the task at hand, ie: Meri’s questions about her wrists, Khitti gave her a somewhat pained, lop-sided smile, “It’s a long story that we’ll have to talk about soon, probably with Brand. And probably with alcohol.” She paused, hoping that was enough to quell Meri’s questions for the time being before Khitti addressed the subject of Lanara’s possible fiery future. “She needs her crystal skull… and it’s locked away in the bank across the street, and her account is frozen. And we need to get it… or… someone does.” How does Khitti phrase this in such a way that Meri’s own personal life isn’t going to get entirely revealed? Not that Khitti knew -all- of the ins and outs of the things Meri did and Khitti wasn’t going to pry. Meri did bad things. Khitti did bad things. They just cancel each other out and it usually wasn’t talked about at all. “While it’s closed possibly. Though, I guess there’s an option of doing it while it’s open too.” At the right moment, as Lanara’s busy munching away at the cookie and focused on her own thoughts, Khitti stared at Meri pointedly, like someone that wasn’t going to say something out loud, and then shifted her attention to the necklace Meri was wearing, and then back to the blonde’s face again. Help us, Meri-wan Kenobi, your thieving skills are our only hope.


Meri was left with more questions than she was answers...to pretty much all questions she had about any subject. "Well if they were convinced enough that you were not a threat to society...enough to let you out of the facility...shouldn't it be fairly easy to win this trial?" It seemed really cut and dry to Meri. Except clearly it was not, because Khitti muddles up any clarity that Meri might be having with this request that Meri has many mixed feelings about. Like out of all the things that Khitti has asked Meri to do, including trying to get a damn tooth from a leviathan, Meri likes this one the least. "I am sorry. Please for one second. Can we revisit one particular bit of crazy...?" Meri lifts a hand with palm up as if to say 'stop with this madness'. She knows exactly what Khitti is hinting at and she's not mad for it, these things have to come out of the woodwork eventually. How else would she get the occasional unsavory job to begin with? That does not mean she is just going to come out and own up to everything. She was still going to skirt around things as much as possible, "You want me to use connections that maaaaybe I have, maybe I don't....to break into a high security place....like...a place that literally has the goal...of stopping people from breaking into it....?" This is pretty much job two of the bank: keep the gold that people are bringing to them safe from theft. "To steal one of those stupid skulls? You know how much I hate those stupid skulls, right?" They have been the literal bane of her existence ever since helping the witches earn their skulls. The greedy part of Meri would have asked 'what she gets out of it' but she already knows: Lanara not dead. "So what the frakk is getting this skull supposed to prove, were I to say yes?"


Lanara is so delighted to have a new companion, and be eating a delicious cookie, that she completely misses the look that Khitti is giving Meri, regarding her fate. She didn’t know anything about the blonde’s thieving background, but she knew that she was a psion… And banks had lots of metal items, including locks, and she assumed that sort of skill would come in handy. Plus, Meri was there when they retrieved her skull in Enchantment, as it was her and Encara that dealt with the dragon, while Taly worked as bait, and Lana had dove into the water to snag the rose quartz object from the depths. If they had defeated a dragon, saved a city from being burnt to a crisp, resurrected Valrae, all with the same skull… This should be relatively easy, right? Except… If Lanara had robbery added to her list of transgressions it would severely harm her chances of a fair trial. And Meri and Khitti would both be her accomplices and they had actual families to worry about, and businesses to run. Was she being selfish in asking for their assistance? The last bite of the cookie is swallowed, and her hand pauses above the tikifhlee’s head, as she looks from Khitti to Meri, and waits until it’s her turn to speak. “I know this is asking a lot… You both have beautiful children, you each lead a Guild, and you both have amazing careers… You would be risking everything for me. You could do time in jail. And… I wouldn’t want either of you to feel obligated to help me with this, but I honestly can’t do this alone… I can’t even pick a lock! And… I can’t even use magic, without permission from the board in Enchantment.” She sighs, frustrated beyond belief, as she dries her tears, “Meri… They let me go from the asylum because I’m not crazy, and Nick already took the fall for my crimes. He served his time… But the Backstreet Bards are all but destroyed, and if I ever want to live in the lands again, be free, wield magic, pretty much anything… Then I have to prove my innocence. I –asked- for this trial, this chance to clear my name, all of it. Because without my animals, my magic, and my freedom? I’m nothing more than the shell that the shade took over months ago…” It’s important that she not only clear her name, but set the record straight for Nick, and to not put such a target on her fellow witches. “Also… No one knows that I’m back, aside from you two and a scant few in Enchantment, as they are providing me with a safe haven until the trial is over. In turn, I do volunteer work on their grounds. I just… I worry that if I do this and get caught, it will fall back on –all- witches. And the hunters are what led to my seeking isolation and ‘escaping’ myself, in the first place… I’m nothing without my best friends… I need you both.” Lana sighs, looking from Meri to Khitti, “The skull… It speaks the truth… I will ask it what really happened that night, and all that are there will witness the events.” Much like watching a movie, the illusion would float in the air and play in its entirety. Khitti had agreed to help immediately, but Meri was proving slightly more difficult to persuade, “Will you guys at least think about it?”


Khitti II “Lanara, I’m not as innocent as you and many others think. I run a guild of devout people, but a lot of devout people are not squeaky clean like that Kelovath guy and I’m nothing like him whatsoever. I’ve done a lot worse than rob a bank--to the point that Hildegarde had promised to remove my head from my shoulders if I hadn’t gotten my situation under control at the time. That aside, robbing banks, specifically, isn’t my forte, like I said. But, I’m good at research and trying to figure things out, so I can certainly aid in figuring out the comings and goings of the people that work there, shift changes, and all that,” Khitti said, a smirk painted on her lips briefly at the thought of people seeming to think she was a pious individual. Meri might not’ve said the words ‘what’s in it for me’, but Khitti knew it was lingering in the air. “Lanara’s safe deposit box would not be the only one in the room. There’s likely a lot of others.” You know, Meri, others that are full of shiny expensive stuff. “The skulls are bad news--Valrae was the one to tell Lionel this over a year ago--but bad things still have their uses when push comes to shove. I would’ve likely been dead a long time ago if I hadn’t been fused with Amarrah--and she was one of the worst things I’ve encountered for awhile there.” Khitti sighed heavily, looking to Lanara, “We’ll discuss it further later, her and I. There’s… some other things her and I have to talk about anyway. We’ll try to make a decision soon, though.”


Meri was being more difficult to convince! Lanara and Khitti were laying a lot on Meri right now! This was all so much to process within the span of....an hour or two? "Listen. I am going to help, but if you want this job done right without anyone going to jail....Then you need to trust me." The blonde werewolf points to Khitti. "She's not helping. I mean she can help plan, but she is not coming along." This might seem harsh, but Meri is not intending for it to be. She smirks as she goes on to explain, "Khitti is great at throwing our half baked plans out the window, rushing recklessly into things, and stabbing them." Meri only half believed those sentiments...half because in her experiences with the red head, they have actually handled a number of their encounters in this way. The other half, there have been some successful plans involved. "She is on babysitting duty that night, and I am not accepting any argument about otherwise." The blonde pushes up to her feet at this point. Timing might make it seem like she was daring Khitti or Lanara to fight her on this matter, but that's not the case. She is just getting ready to depart for the night....A long walk home to really stew on everything that has just been thrown on her plate. Honestly, sometimes it is a miracle that Meri herself does not have a mental breakdown with some of the shenanigans her loved ones pull. "I need to go. Apparently I have a job to plan." Meri was not usually the hugging sort, but in this moment she would make an exception. First it would be Khitti that is given the hug, if only to make her feel a little guilty and to ease any tensions that might have been brewing between them toward the beginning of the meeting. Then Lanara gets a hug. "Stay the hell out of trouble while I am gone, please. Both of you." Except in both their cases? Meri was not sure this was possible....not that she was one to talk.


Lanara meets Khitti’s gaze as she tells her that they would speak in private, and she understood. Yes, the trio were close friends, but Khitti and Meri had known each other longer and considered each other to be sisters. It made sense that they wish to discuss this further, without her present. “I understand.” The twinge of guilt twists in her stomach as Meri agrees to their plan and excludes Khitti, but she gives a solemn nod, “Yes… Someone should watch the children. And maybe Khitti can be our lookout, as she can watch from across the street?” She looks to the redhead, “Any research you can do would be amazing…” The promise of shiny things was enticing to the psion, she figures, based on Khitti’s hint, so she looks back to Meri, “Once I can access all of my gold, I can reward you both for your troubles. I can’t believe we are stealing my own item from a bank! But… If gold were to go missing from my account, they would instantly pin it on me.” At this rate, both of her friends would be visiting the Wellness Clinic, and she didn’t want to cause them further alarm! “Thank you both for considering all of this… We can meet again to flesh out the plan. Maybe in a few days?” Lana lifts the necklace, prepared to wear the disguise again, but before that she gives Meri and Khitti each a tight hug, “You both are the best… Thank you for everything. And for this Little One.” The tikifhlee bops Khitti on the cheek with her paw, as she prepares to make the journey back to Enchantment with her new mistress.


Khitti side-eyed the floor as Meri pointed at her and called her out on the way she carried out her plans, an innocent cough leaving the redhead. “She’s not wrong. I’m way too stabby to do anything of this nature. Can’t help it. I dunno. Maybe it’s bloodlust leftover from the vampirism.” It’s not. At all. She just loves to fight people and Meri full well knows this. “I say I’d be dead by now because of it, but… well… This Khat’s lost two of her lives and had a lot of close calls.” She shrugged, nodding at Meri, “Babysitting duty it is. And yeah, I can keep an eye on things from outside.” She was soon shrugging her head at Lanara, “I don’t need your money, Lanara. To be honest, this will keep my mind off of other things.” Hugs would be exchanged and Khitti would let the two be on their way--after she’s booped by the cat of course.