Return of the Emblem Chapter Thirteen: Revelations

[KentaEzren]

"Well, my good friend. I am truly happy to work with you. All i need now is the information, and i'll buy a horse and a guide to find the people my mother used to work for." Kenta told Gaston with a calm voice. "It isn't everyday you find a secret about your family, now is it?" The young man continued. "And how much would it be worth? well, back in Kigen, i supplied weapons for warriors, and my father was a traveling weapons merchant, so i did place to place as well. How about quarter of my shop profit? maybe half?"

[Mercakete]

Cecelia had managed to collect her note-taking supplies and was on her way to retrieve Snowshard. Already, some of the mercenaries were in view, one of which was...emanating darkness, it seemed. At least, she assumed that was one of the mercenaries, as she didn't recognize that particular display as belonging to anyone else stationed at Fortress Nature at the moment. Regardless, Cecelia decided that for now, she would leave that mercenary alone and speak with another who was making his way across the courtyard. Her pegasus was only truly necessary once she was finished with these mercenaries anyway.

"Excuse me," the captain spoke up as she approached Blake, pen and paper already poised for note-taking. As was her norm, the rider's face was set in a sort of stern neutral. "You are a mercenary who participated in the battle outside of Fortress Nature against Invictus last night, are you not?"

[Nanami Touko]

"I can always hope that things come to a more civil end, without the need for more bloodshed... Though, against the Fallen, I suppose that must be the way of things. I just wish we could all live in peace." The bit at the end may have seemed a bit more heavy handed than was necessary, but she couldn't help herself. Even if she felt that violence against the Fallen may be necessary, she still didn't feel entirely right about it, and simply wished that such a race would be content to sit with itself, instead of pushing out against the rest of the world. Perhaps a bit too optimistic, in thought.

[Snike]

But of course, the return trip wouldn't be so smooth. A silvery-blonde haired soldier with a notepad approached Blake, asking if he was one of the mercenaries. Oh boy. Hopefully this was just for a census, or something along those lines.

"I might be," Blake said, frowning as he reached into his pocket for his nobleman's insignia. "What do you need of me? I am in the middle of an errand, so I would advise you to get on with it."

[Phoenix]

Business Venture

It seemed his potential customer was being intentionally vague, Gaston noted to himself, perhaps trying to test his reaction the implied amount, which was naturally very high. He wasn't getting his hopes, up, though, not when all the young man wanted from him was information. He could have easily meant a quarter of a week's profit, or a mere day's profit. "We'll see," Gaston replied noncommittally, "let's find out what it is you're looking for first, shall we? I'd hate to waste your time negotiating a price for information I don't actually have."

Amanda resisted a chuckle at Gaston's statement. It sounded like it was about time for her and her alone to start searching through the files for information related to the customer's request. Gaston never had to retrieve anything himself unless it happened to be locked away in his desk with the rest of the more commonly requested bits of information. Amanda had a feeling this wasn't going to be one of the usual requests, though.

Romantic Adventure

"It's indefinite," Jethro answered Veronika sternly. He couldn't argue with her and his daughter at the same time and keep his thoughts in order, so he focused on the former for the time being. "She shouldn't be involved in this, at all, but until I figure out some way of dealing with the emblem, that's not possible." This next part wasn't going to be as easy for him to explain, especially not with Raquel sitting right there, but he couldn't get the rest of his point across, otherwise. "She's always been into the idea of grand adventures and overcoming adversity. That's why she read so many novels, even before she went to Horizon. That said," he paused, looking a little angry, "respecting what she wanted because she made the decision as an adult, when it's only a wish driven by romantic naivety, isn't going to happen."

Raquel had to admit, if no one had been killed in all of this, and her father hadn't been abducted from the very get-go, she might have enjoyed such an exciting back and forth of chases, ambushes, and near decisive battles with the organization. She supposed there was no way to have it, both ways, though, defeating their enemies in a brutal contest of skill, not killing them, and not being stabbed in the back as they turned to leave, victorious. Of course there wasn't, she thought to herself as she glanced down at the emblem piece now resting in her lap.

[Mercakete]

Cecelia's brow lowered in annoyance at the man's wording. It was as though he was in a position superior to hers. Mercenaries. That was all the thought she gave it. She had a job to do, after all. And so her countenance became impassive again and her tone businesslike. "I am currently gathering the reports of the mercenaries Major General Belo hired. What is your errand? If you seek me out later, I can record your prospective on last night's battle then, but if the errand is trivial, I do not see why I cannot record your account now."

[-Cynthia-]

"How exactly do you plan on enforcing this? Are you going to drag Raquel away against her will? Keep in mind that I am not your child and feel no compelling need to respect your authority," Veronika said sternly, her eyes narrowing at Jethro.

[Snike]

"Major General Belo did not hire us, is the first thing you have wrong, so you might want to double check who you are supposed to be questioning," Blake said bluntly, as he pulled his hand out of his pocket and looked at his mark. "Secondly, I'm going to deliver some medicine to one of my comrades, who nearly died last night. After that I am going to be busy all day with other matters, all more important than repeating what your people at large already know. If you absolutely have to ask for details, start by laying out what you already know, so that I can fill in the rest. That way you aren't wasting any more of my time than what's needed."

He didn't really have the patience today to deal with being interrogated, it seemed.

[KentaEzren]

"I see... Well then, we can cooperate anyway you would like." Kenta agreed. "Time wasted can never be brought back. but I don't buy in for information that may be fake. If its fake, you might as well keep it to yourself. But if its true, i would like to know. Lets keep it that way, shall we?" He continued, getting a small bag of gold out of his right pocket.

[Phoenix]

Order of Operations

Gaston scoffed, a little insulted, "We don't deal in bad information, here. It's a matter of principle. Tell me what it is you're looking for. There's no point in negotiating a price until after that. I'll need to see if what you want to know is actually here in my records."

Paternal Wrath

"Drag her away ..." Jethro repeated the words with an anger he was no longer trying to hide, "It's sad, really, until you people showed up, she was asking me to take her home," he threw his hand out to the side, hard enough to send another man to the floor. "Now you've gone and filled her head with all these little heroic adventures you went through together-" "To try and rescue you," Zachary cut in pointedly. "I don't give a damn what you were trying to do! This isn't a game! Time and again I've nearly lost my daughter to this mess, and why?! Because you kids put empty ideals before lives; hers, and even yours! The people you've lost up to this point are proof of that! Raquel's already shown she's in over her head, and you've all proven that you can't protect her, so ... why in the hell shouldn't I drag her out of here, all things considered? What kind of father would just sit back and let this happen all over again?"

She knew that she'd suffered some injuries here and there due to Veronika's retelling of the last two months, or as much as she was able to get through in one sitting, but what had she gone through to have her father this upset? She supposed there was the amnesia ... her mother would be absolutely livid when she found out about it, that much she was certain of. Raquel set the emblem down in her lap for a moment and looked up to see Jethro eyeing Veronika and Zachary with total distrust. She felt that she should have a voice in this argument, as well, but she didn't know what to say at this point. Even at eighteen years of age, she apparently hadn't been skilled enough to look after herself, and it was absurd to rely completely on others for her own safety, so she readily conceded that point to her father. Still, it felt like what they were doing was right. Their enemies obviously weren't going to give up on getting the emblem piece, and from what she'd heard earlier, she was closely connected to it, too closely to just abandon the thing. Perhaps that was the warmth she was steadily becoming more and more aware of.

[KentaEzren]

"Well, i need to know who was my mother working for, and is there anyone that knows if they are joining forces against More than just Kigen?" Kenta had to know if there was anyone who was linked to the group his mother was working for, and if they are a group working against Kigen or any other country. "If you could find anyone that was linked to this, or know any one who may know about them and have more information to share, i'll give you a good price."

[Mercakete]

Cecelia paused, suddenly suspicious. Then, she asked, pointedly, but not rudely, "Are you saying that the Major General did not give you permission to be here?"

If that was the case, then she may have to do more than just write things down and was already going through how to handle that situation in her head: everything from giving a short lecture to actual combat. Of course, that depended on what this "mercenary" said and did next...and what was that he was fingering?

Edited September 30, 2015 by Mercakete

[Snowy_One]

"To live in peace is a nice ideal, but one that I do not believe will ever be obtained." said Robin with a sigh. "After all, how many people have dreamed of uniting the world in peace before? How many centuries have gone by with people claiming we need to unite or that war is bad? We are not the first, we will not be the last. I dislike being put within a knifes edge in every battle. I think I have almost died in every one in fact. It is... actually scary."

[Snike]

"No, I am saying that we were not hired by Belo. I went to the Major General yesterday afternoon, and offered her our assistance for finding the bomber," Blake said irritably, as he showed his insignia to the woman. "I am Lord Frode of Urcenter, if you want to go verify. That was what that whole plan last night was about, before the attack on the fortress. Anything else?"

[Mercakete]

Cecelia barely reacted to the revelation and there was no change in her uninterested gaze. There could have been quite a few explanations as to why this man -- one who may be a mercenary -- had the insignia of and claimed to be the lord of the relatively recently fallen city. It was particularly suspicious given the previous night's events and the recent bombings.

That wasn't an issue she was willing to bring up here and now, though. Instead, Cecelia jotted down the name she was given and what little testimony went along with it. As she did, she replied, "Yes." Finished writing, she lifted her gaze back to the man. "What happened after you offered your assistance, and the assistance of your...'fellows?' And am I correct in assuming this 'plan' you refer to is the same as the one coordinated between Colonel Langley's forces and the forces of a Miss Valcyn?"

[Snike]

"Oh, Merz, no I am not giving you a play by play of what I did yesterday afternoon. Yes, that plan was the one involving Sapphire and my allies. You would have known if you would have been involved in that meeting. But that isn't relevant, anyways. I thought you were asking me about last night's battle?" Blake asked, as he tapped his foot. "Because if so, you are doing a very poor job of it."

[Mercakete]

Cecelia marked the only relevant detail she received -- that this man had been one of the mercenaries to coordinate with her battalion's attempted maneuver against Invictus -- down as she replied, "I assure you, Mr. Frode, that if you would simply tell the events of last night's battle as you recall them, that my recounting of your testimony will be true to them. To put it another way," she raised her no-nonsense gaze back to meet Blake's. "if there is any fault to be found with the relaying of your prospective, it lies with you. Not with me. As for me, I will do whatever I can, within reason, to complete my task. If you wish not to talk about the events leading up to the battle as well, then that is up to you. If you would prefer for me to speak with you later, as I suggested before, then that is also an option. If you would rather write a report of your experience last night and turn it in yourself, then I do not see the trouble with that either. And if you refuse to share your prospective entirely, in spite of my efforts..."

The captain gave a small shrug. "Well. Then I will have done all I can, wouldn't I have? And if your particular prospective is truly necessary, then I or others will be sent for it again. Until that time, Mr. Frode, what do you intend to do regarding this matter?"

[Lightbringer]

OOC :Your people are accepting new characters?

Edited October 1, 2015 by Lightbringer

[Snike]

OOC: Yes, go to the sign-up topic for more information.

"Have a good day. I admire your tenacity in pursuing redundant reports instead trying to find the mole within your ranks," Blake said irritably as he left the interviewing woman and resumed his trip towards the barracks. That ended up, as expected, a complete waste of his time.

Edited October 1, 2015 by Snike

[Mercakete]

As Blake left, Cecelia irritably contemplated going after him again, but if he would not cooperate, then her time would be better-spent speaking with the other mercenaries. In the meantime, the captain wrote a note beneath the annoyingly short report she'd scrapped together from what she'd managed to pull out of "Mr. Frode."

She wrote, "Personal observations: This mercenary bore an insignia, likely from House Frode and claimed to be 'Lord Frode.' Legitimate? Or was the insignia taken from Urcenter by a clever mercenary who had potentially helped the Imperials to overrun it, in order to pose as Lord Frode? Refused to give a true report on the battle in question. Mentioned a mole within the ranks upon leaving. May require investigation to ensure Lord Frode is who he claims to be."

Satisfied, the captain turned her attention to the other mercenary in the immediate area. It seemed that "Mr. Frode" was on his way to the barracks. If there were other mercenaries there, she would deal with them shortly, but that could wait, particularly if the blue-haired mercenary chose to hamper her efforts as soon as she stepped through the door.

So, for now, she headed towards the unusual display in the courtyard...and it seemed that someone else was already standing there. She didn't recognize him, but she was certain that he had better things to do than gawk.

"Excuse me," Cecelia formally began as she approached Basil. He was in uniform, but that hardly meant anything, what with uniforms having been distributed among some of the mercenaries the previous night. He was also currently the more approachable between him and the one tearing the air apart with dark magic. "Are you one of the mercenaries who aided in the battle outside of Fortress Nature last night?"

[Ether]

With not one, but two direct spectators having gathered, in addition to her own growing fatigue at the high-intensity regime and complete lack of any desire to fully drain her magic reserves, Isabella ceased her training, taking a firm stance upon the ground and letting out a deep breath, as the violent gathering of dark units began to disperse. Of course, given the amount of energy that had been pumped into her body, it was inevitable that she would be unable to reclaim all of it, and as the disciple relaxed, dark units continued to flow off of her limbs as though they were smoking from a wicked blaze, her increased musculature receding as the excess dark magic was either re-absorbed, or lost to the air.

After a few moments, returned to her regular size, Isabella gave her body a few stretches, to ensure nothing had been missed. Everything seemed as normal, so without any overt concerns at present, the Disciple turned inquisitively towards the onlookers.

***

Amalia had seemingly been unaware of their overall goal of stemming the Fallen invasion, but Faatina was still rather stuck on the revelation that Raquel really had developed amnesia, as if in the blink of an eye. Everything was gone, just like that... the paladin couldn't help but wonder what would become of their little assembled party, from this point onward.

"Yeah, we've... we've gotta keep going, it's important, after all." Faatina chimed in, rather absentmindedly, rather obviously distraught.

***

"Yeah, she'd be able to spot an ambush out miles in advance, wouldn't she? It'd be no good if she passed out on us mid-operation." Arietta echoed, nodding as she spoke.

[Phoenix]

Name

"And your mother's name?" Gaston leaned forward, expectantly. He could hardly be expected to act without that critical information, however, he suspected Kenta was cautiously holding back as much as he could, though the reason was unclear. Either way, without her name, there was no possible way Gaston or his assistant would be able to find what they were looking for. They might even miss it while chasing false leads.

Unit

Basil winced before turning to face the pegasus knight. He knew he didn't look like a native Ursian, but it was disheartening and a little annoying to think that even in uniform, others would think to double check. "No, I am not," he said, dragging out his reply slightly. Hopefully she wouldn't expecting a salute or any of those other tired formalities after that greeting of hers. "I'm with the reinforcements from Wrath's Fort. You can ask Major Florez for the details."

[-Cynthia-]

"Because of the decision your daughter made...despite the people we've had to kill, the friends we've lost during our journey, knowing that her own life was at risk- she resolved to keep going because she believed what she was doing was right. I'll be damned if I let everything we went through be for nothing. If Raquel wants to keep traveling with us, then you're going to have go through me to stop her," Veronika stated as she clenched her fist, looking Jethro in the eye.

[Mercakete]

"Ah, I see," Cecelia replied with a formal nod. "Captain Cecelia of the Eastern Task Force. I'm gathering reports from the mercenaries who were in the battle outside of Fortress Nature last night, in order to ensure every prospective has been accounted for for review. Some uniforms were distributed among them, so identifying them isn't as simple as it otherwise would be."

She didn't normally split her attention unless it was necessary, but she did turn her head to address Isabella and bring her into the conversation. She remained facing Basil, however. "You, however, are one of the mercenaries, aren't you?"

[Phoenix]

Courtyard

Basil chuckled, "Can't imagine wearing this any longer than I have to. They probably tossed them all back into the pile before they turned in for the night." That was what he would do in their shoes. The captain's attention was on the woman he'd been watching up until a moment ago. Before, she didn't look like she would take too kindly to interruptions, which was why Basil was content to just stand there and watch for a minute or two. His stomach was finally beginning to protest all of the delays, though, and she appeared to be finished, anyway.

Barracks

Jethro's gaze narrowed at the warning. He'd figured that was Veronika's stance on the issue from the beginning, but now that she was openly stating as much, he wasn't about to back down, either. He shrugged and then began to crack his knuckles ominously. "You think it'd be hard for me to go through you?"

Zachary hated having to take sides in situations like this, but Jethro looked like he might actually throw a punch at this rate. He wasn't visibly protected at all, wearing only a pale navy blue shirt, under which there were likely some bandages from the wounds he'd suffered the night before, and some simple beige slacks. Still, he had far more experience than anyone else in the room, and would likely take quite a bit of force to subdue. I'd rather play mediator but I'm pretty sure we're already at an impasse. Figures.

Before he could move to Veronika's side, Raquel rose up and swiftly inserted herself between the two of them. "Hold on," she cried out, her hands raised high above her head with the emblem flickering erratically in her right. She didn't have a plan, not really, but she had to say or do something to ease the tension and prevent this from devolving into a shouting match, or worse, a full blown fight. There wouldn't be any winners in a simple discussion that took such an awful turn. "The problem is that I keep getting hurt, right?! So ... I'll ... I-I-I'll focus on training! The better I get, the less likely it'll happen, again ..." That wouldn't be enough all on its own, she knew, but she really didn't have a plan to placate either side. All she could do for now was announce her own intentions.

"That's not enough," Jethro shook his head, though his voice was calm. He sounded disappointed, but one would never have guessed he was on edge a moment earlier. "It's especially not enough against Samael. It's only going to take him one attack, one shot to kill you or anyone else here. If you plan on going after him, you damn well better have a better plan than just 'getting stronger,'" he warned coldly.

Edited October 3, 2015 by Phoenix