Return of the Emblem Chapter Fifteen: Terra Incognita

[Phoenix]

The Note (Pre-Time Skip)

Though the meeting at large had more or less concluded, Lane had decided to stay in the hall, writing ideas and comments about the meeting down, for a few reasons. One was that he wanted to get his thoughts on parchment while they were fresh, and he knew that, with the impending training, he wouldn't be able to later on that night. The other was to see if anything needed to be addressed regarding the note he had left Reign. It might not have been the clearest, he figured.

Sure enough, the note did warrant some explanation, though Reign had to get Sirius back from Zachary, first. With a heavy sigh, the nomad stopped a few feet from Lane and gave him a concerned look. "Are you sure about this?" he asked, glancing down toward his coat pocket, where the note was tucked away. Thinking back on it, it seemed impossible, using the term loosely, but given what the group had gone through up to this point, nothing could truly be considered impossible ... and more likely than not, it was just a case of mistaken identity.

"Dark blue hair, brown eyes, right?," Lane asked, looking up at Reign from his writings. "I'm fairly sure, if what I've heard about him is correct. The information matches up, to some extent. The other parts I can check tonight."

He paused to put aside his quill, then continued. "What do you want to do about it? Even if we hold it back, it'll no doubt come out eventually."

Blue hair was common enough, as were brown eyes, and even that combination of the two, but still ... it was worth looking into, just to be sure. They didn't have a whole lot to do until the Paladin was ready to be transported over to Neviskotia, anyway. "It's probably better to be absolutely sure," Reign said, still mulling over the odds, "otherwise we might just give everyone a big jolt for nothing."

As for what to do specifically, some excuse for a plan was starting to come to mind. "I don't mind helping you scout the place to try to find him, again. I know his face and his voice, so if it's really him, I'll be sold. After that, we should probably at least tell Nika and see what she thinks." After that, they'd probably have another meeting to discuss it, and their options for making contact.

"I guess it might be a coincidence, so better safe than sorry," Lane said, frowning for a moment before covering that up with a smile. "We'll have to scout sooner rather than later, because if this turns out to be true, and he shows up, there'll be chaos."

As he thought more about it, the more the magic user became certain that it wasn't a coincidence. Not with who the man was speaking to in mind, and certainly not with the location in mind. "We should be careful, all the same, since I don't think the Wrathites are really cordial to our group right now."

"We never did get along with that bunch," Reign agreed, "but a scouting run's a scouting run, and I know my way around a disguise. When did you want to go check the place out? Tonight or tomorrow?" Reign didn't plan on taking Sirius along since this was at least a little dangerous, but the idea of leaving her with Zach specifically wasn't ideal. He wasn't a bad guy, just overly attached. His paternal instinct was even stronger than his libido, it seemed. Raquel was probably the best choice, amnesia or no.

"Tomorrow," Lane said immediately. "I'm working with Raquel on her emblem abilities tonight, like what was mentioned in the meeting. I also want to spend some time in the Archive. Besides, if we end up being caught sneaking about in the night, we'll have a harder time getting out of there without fighting the Wrathites head on."

"Alright," Reign nodded, "I'll make sure to be ready by then. Is anyone else coming along?"

Lane paused for a moment, to think about that question.

"I can bring Tonya along, for some security. If you have anyone else in mind, I don't see a problem with them coming along," he said. "We just have to be careful about it."

Both, the man thought, because more people could be made out, and because this couldn't leak just yet, for the sake of the group's stability.

"She's the one from that fight in Ursentius, right?" Reign asked, just to have a matching name and face from now on, "That's fine. Just the three of us should do." It was a scouting run, after all, not a normal outing. Best to stay light on their numbers.

"Yes, and I hired her on as a guard," Lane said, nodding. "Alright, well, since that's settled, is there anything else you wanted to talk about around this meeting?"

Reign shook his head at the question. "I was just curious about the note. If anything else comes to me, I'll be sure to track you down, again," he smiled faintly.

"Won't be too hard to find," Lane said, as he gestured to his robe. "Okay, then, take care."

---

A Plea

Hell was coming. Tatiana Rusayev, one of the younger representatives on the Neviskotian Conclave, and friend or associate of no fewer than one hundred military and political figures, could only sit at her desk and write, hoping her words would be heeded before it was too late. The Fallen Empire, slightly better known as the nation of Corvus by those living in the northeast, was preparing to launch a coordinated incursion into the three largest nations in Sardius, Neviskotia included. According to Tatiana’s sister, and her associates, this distant empire of winged nightmares planned to use spatial bridges known as ‘siege gates’ in order to send massive armies to strategically critical points and begin their overwhelming assault. Victory, if it could truly be called that, lay in preventing the completion of these siege gates, wherever they were.

This latest letter was addressed to the Grand Marshall, and the message was simple enough; in so many words, Tatiana was pleading with Grand Marshal Milena Sokolovna for military aid in locating and destroying the siege gate intended for Neviskotia. This was the young Rusayev’s last resort. All other channels were unavailable for the time being, or hopelessly bogged down in current affairs. Tatiana would have no choice but to leave everything on her father’s shoulders if the Grand Marshall was unable to lend them aid.

Thinking back on her numerous failed attempts, perhaps Tatiana’s most frustrating endeavor to acquire the personnel and resources her family and newest allies needed was the Conclave, itself. Bringing up the issue during a regular meeting, despite outward appearances and various reassurances, had been a dead end. Local issues, the unsettling movements of the rebel fleets, and the loss of the Basilisk, Neviskotia's most powerful war vessel, all trumped the threat of an unprecedented, and thus, ‘unlikely’ incursion. Tatiana and the few others that agreed with her, were able to at least force the issue to the forefront long enough to get it some real consideration. In the end though, the majority of the Conclave members agreed that convincing evidence of the impending incursion must be presented before any action could be approved by the body.

Not willing to waste her own or anyone else’s time, Tatiana inquired what evidence would be considered ‘convincing,’ and unsurprisingly, the responses were mixed, vague, and in some cases, precluded prior examples. One of her fellow representatives even suggested bringing a fallen with in depth knowledge of the plot to give testimony in Kievan Rus. Veronika, Tatiana’s sister, was in contact with Prince Steinn, one of the Corvian royal family members, but that approach wouldn’t work. If one of the royals of an empire hell bent on invading Neviskotia showed up on their doorstep, they would be lucky to just be taken and imprisoned someplace secure and used as a bargaining tool. Such a tactic would ultimately fail, but the problem was in the attempt itself, and doubtless Steinn was aware of this all too likely outcome. Not only would the prince not risk his own safety, but he also wouldn’t risk that of his bodyguard. There was no trust between the parties, and even Steinn’s written testimony, offered during a special follow up meeting on a different day, was ultimately shelved in favor of the current government debacles. Much as she hated to waste time, Tatiana realized the testimony approach had been dead on arrival.

Having given up on the Conclave in favor of going directly to those with the resources to help them, as well as the inclination to do so, Tatiana tried to get in touch with the Petrov family at one point. With Aleksandr, the younger of the two brothers and army colonel, still deployed in the west, Tatiana was only able to get in touch with Aleksey, the older brother, and the co-engineer of the Basilisk. She wasn’t just looking for men and supplies to prevent the fallen incursion, but also strategic advice from certain keen minds. Aleksey was in short supply of nothing. However, as with the Conclave, simply painting a grim and compelling picture of the situation wasn’t enough. Aleksey, for reasons he couldn’t divulge, wouldn’t be able to directly assist her. All Tatiana was able to get out of him in the end was that he had an assignment that was more important than any unconfirmed rumors, at least as far as his superiors were concerned. Thankfully, Aleksey at least believed Tatiana’s story, offering to request reassignment once the truth came to light. Until then, of course, they were on their own, albeit with a fresh perspective on smoking out the fallen in their own territory.

This pattern of hopeful requests being crushed by immediate problems that, to Tatiana, seemed so much less important now, continued much the same way as she worked through most of her connections. People were either too far away to reach, or too busy to help. Most gave her the benefit of the doubt, at least. That had been somewhat heartwarming in the days following the fiasco at the Conclave.

So then, it now came down to this, whether or not the Grand Marshall would also give her the benefit of the doubt, as well as a large enough force to head off the invaders. If this didn’t work, and Tatiana’s father and his men proved inadequate to counter or at least delay the threat, the Fallen Empire would condemn everyone; the nobility, the commoners, the merchants, the dragons, and especially the Conclave representatives, all of them, to a brutal new reality many wouldn’t even live to see. Fortunately, Milena was in the area. Tatiana wouldn’t have to wait more than a day or two for a response, assuming the Grand Marshall sent her reply on the day she received this important letter.

“Gods help us,” Tatiana gritted her teeth as she signed and sealed her formal request to the Grand Marshall, “we are not ready for this, yet …” Indeed. Hell was coming.

---

Day 74

The news Tatiana received on that fateful morning was nothing if not shocking. She’d been awaiting--with a bit of anticipatory dread, admittedly--the Grand Marshall’s response to her plea days earlier. Instead, an aide informed her that a special meeting had been called by none other than the Grand Marshall herself. Had that been her response? Rather than some private back and forth between the two of them, she planned to bring this up as the sole topic within the Conclave? If that was her plan, it was bold, but well within her limits, especially during wartime.

In theory, the Conclave was always at its weakest during wartime, as the various generals and their superiors gained special powers to fight said wars as effectively as possible, with minimal external interference. With the rebels and other major threats in the mixture, however, and with some members serving on the Conclave also being active or former military officials, things turned out much different in practice. With Neviskotia nearly always in a state of war, either with Ursium, or extremely large internal factions strong enough to pose a threat, the Conclave managed to secure some wartime powers for itself by holding votes on priority tasks for both the army and naval branches of the military. It came down to either branch to work out the details of how priority tasks were dealt with … but they had to be dealt with. It was this influence on the allocation of personnel and resources that ultimately left the Rusayevs dealing with the threat of the Fallen Empire by themselves, while the military was stretched thin between countless ‘priority’ assignments, the war with Ursium in the west, and the war with the rebels in the east.

Knowing she would likely find most of the important people she was looking for in the dining hall having breakfast, Tatiana made her way there to deliver the potentially good news. She wouldn’t hold her breath; the Grand Marshall was bringing due attention to the problem, and giving them one last chance to win the argument, but if Tatiana couldn’t convince them of the severity of the threat, this might all have been for nothing. At least her own father, Mikhail, wasn’t currently on any assignment. One division of troops was dicey, and Tatiana didn’t want her father shouldering all of the risk any more than her mother did, but if things fell through here, the most they could add to their strength were mercenaries and volunteers. It might not be enough …

“Good morning, everyone,” Tatiana greeted those present as she entered the dining hall. Not ‘everyone’ was there, but everyone that was needed to hear what she had to tell them. “I have some news, though whether it’s good or bad depends on the outcome. There’s a special assembly happening today. Grand Marshall Sokolovna gave the summons. I was hoping for a direct reply from her, but I guess getting tossed up front and center to plead our case again will have to do.”

[-Cynthia-]

Purgatory- Pre Time Skip

Spoiler

With some assistance from Weyland's staff, Lysandra made her way to the infirmary. She managed to locate Naomi, who seemed to be conscious and looked relatively healthy. 

"Hello dear, how are you feeling? I thought I would bring you some food from dinner- I wasn't sure what you were in the mood for so I brought a little of everything," she said, setting the plate down on a nearby table.

Naomi smiled, a bit forcefully at first. "I'm alive, so ..." she paused, eyeing the food. Although she wasn't particularly hungry right that moment, it was around dinner time, and it likely wouldn't be long before her stomach got the hint. "Wow, that's so nice. Thank you. I'm used to being the one that has to handle dinner, heheh. Let's see, fruits, veggies ... and I think this is beef casserole. I might need a little help to finish everything," she admitted, her smile being taken over by embarrassment.

"It was no trouble dear. You can always save some for later, you need to keep your strength up after all," Lysandra reminded Naomi gently. "So you're the one who does the cooking for your companions? It's a difficult job, but very rewarding."

Naomi nodded, her expression going blank. "They could thank me more often, but I won't complain." Dominik thanked her plenty, but it didn't feel right to count him when his kind gestures were so loaded. Give that man an inch, and you'd wake up the next morning wondering how on earth things could escalate so quickly. "I don't just cook, though. I have to go and buy the food myself, too." Having her numerous coffins with her made things both easier and more difficult; she could gather quite a bit of food on each trip, but even the most superstitious sellers didn't appreciate the unnatural enough to just let her shop and ignore the coffins.

"I grow some food in my garden, but I still need to go into Ursentius for most things. Feels like a longer trip there every year. Still, the happiness others get from my food makes it worth the effort. I remember the first time I made scones for Gabriel- the look on his face the first time he ate one is something that I'll never forget. The biggest smile you'll ever see and jelly all over his nose," Lysandra said with a small chuckle.

"A garden?" Naomi's face lit up at the thought of a functional garden. What Thanatos' people really needed was a farm, but neither a farm, nor a garden could ever produce anything in Purgatory. With no flora or fauna to speak of, no natural light, and not even drinkable water, it was one of the least hospitable places in existence. Samael was probably having a 'great' time, come to think of it. The thought of him wandering aimlessly as he slowly died made her chuckle.

"Gabriel is one of those artificial humans, isn't he? Are you two close?" It might not be a good idea to mention Samael, now that he was on her mind, again. Even if he was a ruthless bastard, she didn't want to risk upsetting Lysandra if she did know him personally.

"Yes, Gabriel is not of my blood but I have raised him as my son for many years," Lysandra responded with a smile which faded slightly.

"You may have noticed that he bears a resemblance to Samael- they are brothers of a sort. I did not raise Samael however, so our relationship is rather different."

"Different, how ...?" Naomi asked, not really having time to catch the question before it escaped. At least if she learned more about Lysandra's connection to the artificial man, she might be able to stop feeling bad about killing him.

"Well, we only actually met once and from our conversation it was evident that there was much evil in him. Still I...held onto some fool's hope that I could change him somehow. Not that I blame you for what happened dear, you did what you had to do to protect Reina. I just wish things could have turned out differently," Lysandra said, pulling out a handkerchief to dab at the corners of her eyes.  

Naomi winced as Lysandra explained her purportedly brief experience with Samael. Even in that there was some sympathy from the older woman, which brought back some of Naomi's guilt. She'd never truly regret killing someone that was evil, much less someone harassing Reina, but she didn't like leaving good people to mourn as a result.

Lysandra leaned over and patted Naomi on the shoulder. "Samael was probably too dangerous to be allowed to roam free regardless- just like his father. A rational person would accept that, but like most humans I am irrational and feel the need to try and save them anyway," she said, managing a small smile. 

"Heh, saving them." She'd been saved, herself ... multiple times, in fact. Of course her jobs, those that weren't domestic, involved taking out especially dangerous or troublesome individuals. Protection was usually a secondary objective, and a natural consequence of the her killings. That made her assignment to guard Reina a much appreciated change of pace. "That's a very ... motherly approach. Yeah, motherly."

Lysandra gave a small chuckle despite how serious the conversation had become. "Yes, indeed I consider myself a mother to a very unusual artificial family. Life has a funny way of not turning out how you thought it would."

Naomi could certainly agree with that. She certainly knew better, these days. "So I guess that makes this hydra guy, Cygnus, the 'father,' figuratively and maybe even literally. What's he like? I've been thinking he's probably really cold, thanks to Samael, but most people think Thany's like that too, but I know better~"

Lysandra paused for a second to consider before answering. "You could consider Cygnus cold, as that how he appears to many, but he can also be warm and kind and generous. He's a visionary who believes that he is saving humanity- by employing any means necessary. That could make him either the hero or the villain of this story, depending upon your point of view."

"So he's not so bad, then?" Naomi tilted her head, "just ... needs to be stopped for the bad ideas?" It was probably something the disciples should ultimately leave to Raquel's group then, so long as other vasili stayed out of it.

"That's what I think, but we were in love so you should take my opinion with a grain of salt," Lysandra said matter of factly. "What about you, dear? A fine young woman like yourself must have a gentleman in her life."

So it was an old flame, then? That was ... actually somewhat tragic in the big scheme of things. Her own woes, which came up immediately afterward, weren't nearly so bad by comparison. Still, Naomi blushed, having been caught off guard by the sudden personal question. She was suddenly wishing her mouth was full ... "Err-well ... not exactly. The person I want isn't ... interested ... in other women, heheh." Feeling it would be strange to not at least clarify a little, Naomi pressed on through her embarrassment. "M-men are fine too, I guess, but I've never fallen for one, before. It's just her ..."

Naomi quickly took a bite of the casserole …

"Oh...I see," Lysandra responded, somewhat surprised. "Well, I'm sorry dear. I'm usually better to giving advice to young people in love, but women being with other women wasn't very common back in my day."

Well, the beef casserole was delicious, at least. "It's okay. Just ... a part of life. It's ... not like she's having any luck in her love life, either." Between fooling around with a fallen prince and her old relationship with a western tyrant, Gabbie most certainly didn't have any luck in that area.

"Love is never an easy thing, whether one is old or young. The common advice is that there are other people out there- but no man that courted me could measure up to Cygnus. I pray that you have more success than that my dear," Lysandra said with a small smile and nod.

Me too," Naomi smiled somberly, "I can't expect Gabbie to get fed up with Steinn and those other guys and come running to me ..."

"Ohhh Gabbie- well she is quite beautiful and seems like an interesting young woman," Lysandra remarked, her curiosity sated as to the identity of Naomi's crush. "Who is this Steinn you mention? I don't recall anyone in Raquel's group by that name, though perhaps I missed someone."

Lysandra would hear no argument from Naomi on her assessment of Gabbie. As for Steinn ... "He's that silky haired fallen 'prince' that's working with Mister Weyland. I don't like him, but he's well behaved, at least. Hmm, you know the one that wears black and gold and has long bluish hair? That's the buzzard I'm talking about."

"Oh yes, I didn't see the tail so I assumed he was an avian. That is...unusual. I try not to based on reputation much- given how people usually view 'artificial' humans- but the stories about fallen are at least somewhat true. I didn't think they socialized with humans much at all," Lysandra noted, frowning slightly at the news.

"Steinn's a 'special' fallen," Naomi said, curling her fingers a couple of times for emphasis, "He's trying to be a chess master and beat his brother Valdimarr for control of their buzzard empire, but he needs help: Weyland's, Raquel's one time, et cetera. He seems like one of those 'by any means necessary' types, so I don't trust him." He humored Gabbie too much, so that was definitely a few points against him in Naomi's eyes.

"That is a strange turn of events, but we do live in strange times. I'll try to keep an eye on Gabbie and make sure this Steinn doesn't cause too much trouble. I'm sure you will be as well," Lysandra assured Naomi. I can't see a romance between a human and fallen working out very well, but given my past I probably shouldn't judge...

Naomi nodded with a little enthusiasm. "That's right ... and thanks. I'm not sure what he's going to pull once his brother is out of the picture, but I'll make sure Gabbie and no one else I care about gets caught up in it."

"Avoiding Corvian politics is generally a wise move. Well, I think I've probed enough into your personal matters for one evening and you need your rest. I'll bring you some tea later," Lysandra promised Naomi.

"Tea? Wow, thank you!" Naomi beamed with gratitude at the older woman, "I'm not used to being brought things ... well other than pain medicine and bad souvenirs, heheh."

"Oh goodness dear, for all you've done to help Reina a cup of tea is really the least I can do," Lysandra responded, waving her hand in the air dismissively.

"The least you could do is ignore me," Naomi teased, "but seriously, thank you."

Crossroads- Pre Time Skip

Spoiler

That night's meeting had left Veronika with a great deal to think about and she left the meeting shortly after it concluded so that she could attempt to process everything. Pavel entered the room shortly after and she gave him a half smile.

"So I was trying to get some information about what you do from your fellow...disciples? They weren't very forthcoming. Seems like you have a knack for getting into secret organizations," she said airily.

Yeah, well, this club's not one you would want to be a part of," Pavel said, as he took his helmet off and closed the door. "Don't take it too personally that Dominik and Cassandra were cryptic; it's hard for them, or anyone in the Disciples, to really trust someone. Plus, I don't think I was clear with them on our relationship."

"That's fine- I don't really trust them either but we're not in a position to be turning away help right now. How in the world did you end up joining them anyway?" Veronika asked.

"Well, that would be the same way that everyone else, aside from Cassandra, has joined up," Pavel said, quiet all of a sudden. "You remember how I mentioned I had died, right? The same thing happened to all of them, and at one point or another, they accepted the offer, for their own reasons. I'm no different with that point in mind."

"I don't remember you telling me how you died- that seems like something I should know at this point," Veronika said, looking Pavel in the eyes.

Pavel grimaced, frowning. He made it a point to not intentionally recall the way he died, but, well,

"Alright, without getting into too much detail," he finally said, tapping the rear of his armor, then the front side, around the stomach area. "I was stabbed in the back, then, when I tried to turn around, I was shot in the gut and left to bleed out. The problem wasn't how I died, so much as it was one of the people I was working with that did it."

Veronika shook her head in disbelief. "I would say that I could never believe that the Guardian Corps would turn on own of their own, but after everything I've seen and heard it all fits in the picture. Has the Organization been...infecting Neviskotia like some sort of disease for decades now? And with the Fallen invading and Raquel losing her memory and you dying and fucking Fox supposedly being the crown prince I just don't know how I can handle it anymore. I need to be strong for Raquel and the rest of the group, everyone else keeps leaving or dying, but the world is just so much more of a shithole than I ever thought it was," she rambled in frustration.

"...Sorry, I can't answer about Hydra's influence, mainly because I don't know either," Pavel said, frowning, "As for everything else, well, let's talk about it, since you're at a crossroads. Ignore all the minor issues, right now, like Antonov, my state, and Raquel's memory. Yeah, the world's shitty. It always has been, though that's much harder to see from Kievan Rus than from anywhere else. But now that you've seen it for what it is, do you want to go back to your old life on the estate? Do you think that you can ignore what's going on all around you?"

Veronika held her head in her hand and closed her eyes, just to think for a few seconds. "Part of me wants nothing more than to try and go back to how everything was before honestly. It was all so much simpler and death wasn't around every corner. But trying to do that now would just be sticking my head in the sand while the rebels kill us or the Fallen enslave us or whatever other calamity is coming," she said with a heavy sigh.

"I'd ask you to promise me that you'll stay alive, but I wouldn't ask you to make a promise I can't keep myself. Sammy, John, Sophia, Marella, Blake...sometimes it feels like anyone could be next."

"Try thinking of it as working to make the world a better place, one stabbing at a time," Pavel said, with a grim smile. "More seriously, though, Nika, that's what makes you stronger than a lot of people. Those people see the danger, and still stick their heads in the sand anyways. You're not doing that, even though part of you might want to. Simple as that."

"As for staying alive," he said, moving on for the time being. "You don't need to be as worried for my sake. Barring Obelisk winning, I won't die for good as long as I'm with the Disciples. But, speaking of that, this is going to sound weird, but, let's say you do end up being wounded badly, to the point when healing wouldn't help. What would you want to happen?"

Pavel's remarks did manage to bring a small smile to Veronika's face before his strange question. She raised an eyebrow at Pavel, but decided to answer him. "Well, given the opportunity I would choose to serve Thanatos and join the Disciples. Being able to stay alive and protect those I care about sounds like a fair deal for serving a vasilus even if that wasn't part of my plans. Unless there's some hidden catch I don't know about..."

"Other than having to work with a few people you might not like and maybe getting a special power, no, nothing like that. Just something that's better decided well beforehand, as silly as that sounds," Pavel said, with a shrug. "It's unlikely to come into play, regardless."

"Not that I'm complaining, but it all seems a little too good to be true. Almost anyone would take that deal if it were offered- I'm worried Thanatos might abuse his position to make you do terrible things," Veronika responded, frowning.

"Depends on your definition of terrible things," Pavel admitted, with a shrug. "It's similar to some of my work in the past, so it wouldn't bother me much, but for someone who's not used to fighting, it wouldn't be appealing. I'll keep that in mind, though."

"I suppose we have enough to worry about without that," Veronika conceded. "So are you coming with us to Neviskotia? Or does Thanatos have other plans for you?"

"I'm heading to Neviskotia, but I won't be traveling with the group just yet," Pavel said, frowning a little. "I'd draw attention from the traitor and whoever he's working with towards you. So instead, I'm going to do some groundwork and figure out who's been converted among my old comrades. After that, well, once I deal with them, I'll come back."

"I wish I could help you, but I suppose that makes sense," Veronika conceded. "Just be careful- Thanatos may be able to bring you back from the dead, but there are some fates worse than death."

"Oh, I'm well aware," Pavel said, as he continued to frown. "You take care too, alright? I don't want you to end up like me, even though I was asking about it earlier."

Veronika put a hand on Pavel's cheek. "I have every intention in remaining in the realm of the living for as long as I can. Now enough with all the gloom and doom, let's enjoy what time we have together while it lasts."

"Okay," Pavel said, deciding to leave it at that. Enough worrying about the future for one night.

Dining Hall

Veronika wished she had more time to appreciate being back in her home, but there just wasn't time for that at the moment. Tatiana was all business. At least I managed to convince my own family. "Our group hasn't heard much news from Neviskotia directly- is there any hope of getting support from the western or eastern fronts? This meeting won't have much purpose otherwise," she asked her sister. Working together with Tatiana is a little strange, but this is definitely not the time for petty sisterly quarrels. 

Lysandra spent several minutes looking over the great hall. It's a bit large for my tastes, but not overly ostentatious. "We may want to give consideration on how much we want to talk about Hydra in front of the Conclave. Not to impugn the honor of the Neviskotian government, but they probably have been...infiltrated on some level already," she spoke softly to whoever was nearby.

Robin managed to sneak up and steal a seat near Zach. Are we not speaking to each other or...something? Ugh, this is ridiculous. Just go for it Robin! "So, uh, nice to be back home huh? Well, Neviskotia in general I mean of course, I've never been to the capital before. I feel like half of Ohka could fit in this manor..."

Stables

Connor was at a bit of a loss at what to do- the Paladin was finally finished and he didn't have a workshop here. He did spot a smithy but it looked somewhat...primitive for his needs. Wandering into the stable, he managed to find Gabbie. "Hi Gabbie- feels like I haven't seen you in a while. How are things?" he asked, approaching Tacito without fear. 

Edited September 19, 2017 by -Cynthia-

[Phoenix]

Dining Hall

"We could have a third of the Empire's support with a few more months of investigation," Tatiana noted, with a hint of bitterness in her tone, "but since we apparently don't have that much time, all we can do is be persuasive. I think the best we can hope for is to get the Conclave to vote in this siege gate problem as a priority assignment. At that point, it can't be ignored, and we'll be in a better position to pull in more people from less important work. It will be the difference between having an army to work with, or just father's people and any mercenaries we can hire."

Lysandra's mention of this Hydra entity was a little concerning, but it hadn't been the first time it had come up since the group arrived. From what she'd gathered, it was a secretive organization with nefarious designs for ... well ... everything. The idea that the government may have infiltrators from that or other organizations was certainly plausible, though the eldest of the Rusayev siblings was at a loss for how to handle that kind of problem on top of everything else going on.

"Well, we certainly welcome any help in dealing with undesirables like them," Tatiana forced a faint smile, "but unless they try to stop us from destroying that siege gate, or begin interfering in more dangerous ways, we shouldn't mention them at all. It's difficult to get the Conclave to act before a problem gets out of hand, and my credibility depends on whether or not this siege gate problem actually proves legitimate." Ironically, solving the problem too effectively might actually hurt Tatiana and her family in the short term, as an overwhelming success against a seemingly immaterial threat would be presented after the fact as a gross misuse of personnel and resources by their enemies on the Conclave. They would be accused of blowing a minor issue out of proportion, something akin to swatting a fly with a ship's broadside. It was worth the risk all the same, as the alternative was destruction on a scale even the Ursians wouldn't wish on them.

Zachary wanted to comment on Cygnus and his followers when they came up, but Tatiana had been close enough to catch it, and said her piece, first. The thunder mage felt sympathetic and slightly guilty by the end of it. Maybe Raquel's group ought to leave the siege gate problem to the Rusayevs for now, and try to see about dealing with the Hydra and its innumerable heads. It didn't seem possible for them all to contribute to the political debate unfolding at the moment, anyhow. Wouldn't they make better use of their time and energy keeping their oldest enemies on their toes?

Zachary decided to suggest as much, but by the time he'd organized his thoughts on the matter, Robin had managed to sneak up on him. She seemed even more impressed with the manor than he was. Granted, he'd spent plenty of time in impressive homes before, the Weyland Estate, that dreadful mansion of horrors in Tremere, and a few others in his days of traveling and study. "Er-yeah," Zach nodded a bit forcefully as he tried to catch up in the conversation, "at least half the village, even. Probably more than that if we brought in the ones that like sleeping outdoors heheh."

He supposed it was nice to be back in Neviskotia. It was just a shame things were so different in the capital. Ohka was actually peaceful and devoid of all this military and political nonsense. It was nice to be home, but he wished he didn't have to get such a nose full of its annoying, inefficient wartime governing methods. Why were they voting on a priority assignment when the Grand Marshall could just order whatever parts of the army she wanted to go and crush the gate? Was this why they had to be involved? Was Neviskotia this woefully unprepared for the Fallen? Merz ...

Stables

While being in a country where wyverns were the norm again was certainly a good thing for Tacito, Gabbie herself felt a little out of place. It didn't help that her allies were still in Ursium as a whole. That might change soon if the situation in Neviskotia deteriorated too much. For now, here she was ... and here was Connor as well, looking equally out of place. Gabbie smiled. "Well we've been busy. You with the Paladin, and me with 'skotian stuff." When she wasn't tending to Tacito and getting a feel for the manor, Gabbie had been brushing up on her language skills and trying to figure out what the political climate was like. Ursium's dragon stereotypes existed for a reason, it seemed ...

"I'm still gettin' used to the place," Gabbie admitted, "but it's not too bad bein' in a city. No one bats an eye at wyverns flappin' around, so I can head out and find somethin' fun to do whenever I feel like." It would certainly be different from a quiet trip to Europa from the Weyland Estate.

Edited September 27, 2017 by Phoenix

[scorri]

 

Erion strolled down the hallway, headed for Amalia's room. They'd spent some time together since things had calmed down while preparations were made, but not enough. And most of it was inevitably chaperoned by Uriel or someone else. Though that was changing. Uri had finally gone over to 'Skotia, taking his dragon with him to help people calm down about that around here. And Erion couldn't help but hope that he might finally get some time to talk with Amalia just the two of them. See where they both thought this thing was going. He knew that she wasn't exactly used to everything, but he wanted to try and see just exactly what she wanted to come from their relationship.

"Plus I just want to see her..." he confessed to the empty hallway. Arriving at her door, he smiled and knocked loudly twice before calling out, "Amalia? Are you in there? Do you mind if I come in?"

 

"Hhhhgh... Ahh... E-Eri, on..." Amalia was on the floor of her room, the pain having overtaken her. She tried to get up, struggling to her knees, unable to get to the handle before collapsing again. "I... It's, open... Hhh..." She hoped that he'd hear her... As much as she wasn't in a position to be seen by anyone, right now.

 

"Amalia?" She sounded like she was in pain. Erion quickly threw the door open, and spotted her on the floor. Quickly crossing the short distance between the two of them, he grabbed her hand. "Are you ok? What happened? Did you hurt yourself somehow?"

 

"No, n-no... Ahh, haha..." Taking a moment to sit herself up while he was holding her hand, she pointed back over at the stand next to the bed. "There's a, uh... Bottle over there. Could you give it to me, please? It's for my... Er... Transformation, I suppose... Though I feel I may run out, soon." Trying to compose herself was visibly difficult, taking heavy breaths and trying to keep herself quiet.

"I'm sorry... I d-don't mean, to make you worry."

 

"Right just a sec." Quickly getting up, he grabbed the bottle, noting how light it was before returning. "You're right, it does seem to be low. Maybe Weyland will have sone more..." Kneeling back down next to her, he quickly removed the top and offered it to her.

"The last thing you should be worrying about right now is making me worry, alright darling? You need to worry about keeping yourself ok. That's all." He gently stroked her head, hoping to reassure her that he was ok.

 

"D-Darling? Erion... I... Thank you." No time to get a spoon, Amalia took a quick bit of it straight from the bottle, coughing quietly after, hoping the laudanum started working sooner than later. "I'm sorry. I've been lying about the pain. And it finally got to me, a few moments ago. It just got worse, recently... I think things are finally starting to grow in. Gods, it feels terrible, but... I suppose I deserve it."

She wanted to get up, but the floor was really comfortable all of a sudden, and her body was still aching. Probably a good idea to give herself a moment's rest.

 

"Mmm I don't think I would say you deserve it. You had no idea what you were getting into." He adjusted his position so that he was seated next to her instead of kneeling when it became clear she was staying on the floor a bit longer.

"You made a choice that you felt was the right thing to do, no? There's nothing wrong with doing that. But it doesn't mean you deserve this pain. But... Please. In the future? Don't lie to me about this stuff. I care about you a lot, you know that. I'm going to worry about you either way so better to just tell me so I know how to help you."

 

"I... I suppose I can tell you. I still do deserve it, though... For what I did to myself. But hopefully, it will be over, soon. Until it is I will have to soldier on. Just... Do take care to avoid my back, if possible. Things are starting to grow in, and are going to be incredibly sensitive for the next few weeks."

Ahhh, he was so close, now... Sitting next to her on the floor. And the drugs were starting to kick in, her head going a bit light. It relieved some of the pain, but it made her a bit wobbly, slowly slumping against Erion's shoulder. "S-Sorry... Shouldn't be, touching you like this..." But she was so tired... Holding in this pain for so long was the most difficult thing she'd ever done. Do I deserve a rest, as well...?

 

"I guess we will just have to agree to disagree on that then. Nothing you say to me will convince me that you deserve it. So best to just leave that subject alone." Leaving her back alone was a small enough request that he didn't feel a need to respond to it with anything but a nod. 

He could see the medicine start to kick in though as she leaned up against him and couldn't help but laugh at her response to it. "You're not doing anything crazy, you know that, right? Heck, friends will touch each other more than you're doing right now. You're allowed to lean against me. Something as innocent as this isn't going to cause any trouble. Not that less innocent things would cause trouble around these people either though..."

 

There was almost something of a grumble coming out from her, but she didn't want to argue with him. "Okay. We can leave it, at that..." He seemed so confused by her apology, and went on to explain how normal this was for humans. "It feels a bit crazy to me. We've barely known each other and you... Keep coming after my hands, and your words, and... Less innocent? Please, don't... Ugh."

It was so difficult to keep up with him. She already felt herself starting to turn red. "Things... Things do not work that way in Aquila. That I'm this close with you already would not be tolerated, there... Sometimes I feel myself slipping away from what I know, and I worry that I've been among humans for too long. But then, it doesn't feel wrong? Perhaps I was destined to lose touch with the Goddess..."

Amalia sighed, looking at the far wall, contemplating things in her head. "My real name is Ayla. I threw it away when I threw away my wings, but... Since that was a mistake, changing this was probably a mistake too. If you wish to call me that when we're together, you can. I don't... I don't know how to go about getting closer to someone. It is difficult to think of ways, but... This is something, right?"

 

"Do you want me to stop?" Erion pulled a bit away from Amalia, no, Ayla, after her speech, looking at her seriously. "I know that my pace and what I'm comfortable with are very different from yours but you always seemed to enjoy what I was doing. If you want me to stop, all you need to do is tell me." He pulled more fully away from her, turning to face her and pulling his knees up to his chest.

"I can't speak for your connection with the Goddess or what others from Aquila would say. That's all over my head. But I do know some things. I really like you. I'll be honest, I've flirted with a lot of girls, but there's something about you that's different." He grinned and shook his head. "The whole reason I came over here today was because I wanted to talk with you about all of this. Where you saw it going. Because I want to get closer to you too."

He considered his next words carefully before continuing. "I guess... I know what I want. But I need to know what you want. Because if my advances are unwelcome, I don't want to keep pushing. So I guess I'm handing control over to you. What do you want, Ayla?"

 

"Do I? I... I would be more comfortable, but..." She didn't quite know. All of thus human culture was overwhelming. Her back was finally at ease, for the time being, but her mind wasn't. She sighed. Erion meant well... Or he said that he did. If he was this suave with the humans then he could likely find anyone else that he wanted, instead of taking all this time to work slowly with her. It made her smile a bit.

"It's nice. Hearing you say my name... Uhm..." She looked at his hands, gently rested on his knees, and put her own out, gently resting them atop his. "I want to try. Is that alright? I don't know how fast I'll go... And I don't know if that will upset or annoy you. But... You make me feel comfortable, when you aren't trying to test my limits. It's a nice, warm feeling... And I want to see if that goes anywhere. So... So if that's... If that's fine?" She looked at him with a worried face, wondering if there was anything wrong she'd said.

 

Erion couldn't help but chuckle quietly at the worried look on her face. "Heh, you're pretty adorable when you're all worried like this." But even though she'd cautioned him that her pace wasn't going to be fast, she hadn't rejected him. That was a start for sure. "Ayla, I meant what I said. You're in control now. However fast or slow you want to go, that's how things will progress. I'm not going to lie and tell you that there will never be times I will maybe wish that you were more comfortable, but that's my problem, not yours."

He smiled at her, and nodded down at their hands, touching but not clasped. "This right here is enough for me if that's all you want. You've got enough on your plate without having to worry about me. So yes. Everything you've said is more than fine by me."

 

"There you go again, with the adorables... Gosh." It was a bit to take in, casual compliments just weren't a thing... Well, ones that meant anything. And Erion definitely meant everything he was saying.

About wishing she was more comfortable... She started to blush before she spoke. "If... I-If you want to hold my hands, in... In private. You can. I-I don't... I don't really mind. Uhm... Just, not in the meeting. Like before. Alright?" That was something she could manage. Probably.

 

"Well the way I see it, I'm just telling the truth. But I'll do my best to hold off on those, alright?" He'd just have to be content with thinking about how beautiful she was. Though... There was the issue of  her reading minds. That'd be a handy power to have. Especially as she started to turn red, though the reason for that was revealed pretty quickly. Gently sliding his hand around, he lightly clasped her hand in his as he smiled and nodded. "Not in public. No problem at all."

 

She flinched as she felt his hand come around hers, immediately noting just how much bigger his hand was. And he wasn't that big a human in the first place. "Haha... You seem to used to this sort of thing. I... I worry that I'll never be up to your standards, Erion..." And that was certainly a problem, especially with the lifespan of Avians versus him...

 

"It's less that I'm used to it and more that some things are less of a big thing to humans than Avians." And then she was worrying more. He shook his head. "You don't need to be worrying about my standards or Aquilian standards or any standards but your own. What matters is that you're happy. If you are happy, I'll be happy too, ok?"

 

She smiled, trying to stay calm. He was right... All that mattered was that he was okay with her situation and that she was happy. And she was. This felt really nice. "Thank you, Erion... Did you want to talk about anything else while you're here? I'm just trying to rest my back, so... I have plenty of energy to use my mouth."

 

Erion blinked, smirked briefly, and then shook his head and sighed. "Well, I wouldn't mind hearing more about you if you're willing. Your family, your life, all of that. We can swap stories, you know? I'll tell you about my time as a thief, you can tell me about your time as a dancer. I want to know everything about you."

 

"My family and my life, is it... What would you like to know first? Ayla, or Amalia... They're quite different stories."

 

"Hmm... Well I think I know Amalia a little better." Erion released her hand, and leaned back into a slightly more lounging comfortable position. He wanted to hear her story not have her be distracted by the fact that he was holding her hand. "So tell me about Ayla. Let me get to know her."

 

"Alright, then. Well... Aquila isn't exactly that interesting to you humans, or, I would imagine it isn't. My family was part of the gatherers. We would go in and out of the city, gather materials, foods, medicine, trade with the city of Flugel. It's at the base of the mountain, and... Well, it's where I got my head full of all these ideas to try and help people."

"But, life was simple, and calm. Most of my time I spent reading and relaxing, when I wasn't working. I... I ended up attempting to convince some of my family that it was the right idea to step in and help with your tensions. That... Was my first and only mistake. I was shortly removed from the city, and... Well. Events led to where I am now. But it wasn't a bad life, and I'm not upset at them for it. It was... Simply the way of things, when my head got too full of thoughts."

"After all of that, I... I ran into Uriel. He's the dark avian with the dragon. We spent a bit of time traveling together before I... Became Amalia. That's about all there is to my silly story."

 

"I don't know about it not being interesting. Honestly it sounds a lot like my small village back in 'Skotia. My family and I lived there for a long time and we grew food, traded it with our neighbors for chickens and other things that we couldn't make ourselves. And everyone worked together, and relaxed when we could. Winters were always hard there, but we would find ways to entertain ourselves." He smiled, remembering the happy moments of his childhood.

"And I don't think wanting to help people is a bad thing or a mistake. You put too much pressure on yourself and don't give yourself enough credit." He shook his head wishing he could help her see. "I know that your goddess has issues with you interacting with the rest of the world, but I don't think it's fair to punish someone for wanting to help. She's Mercy. Shouldn't she understanding wanting to help others? I don't know. Just doesn't make a lot of sense from the outside looking in I guess."

 

"That sounds nice... A-And no, her teachings make perfect sense! It's just... It's difficult for humans to follow along with them. You're all... Uhm... I don't know how best to phrase this. Very prone to conflict...? As a race. And you seem to almost enjoy solving those conflicts with weapons and magic, instead of words and talk. Mercy doesn't want us to help humans with more violence. That won't solve the problem. That... That was my problem."

Amalia sighed. "I had hoped that the Cloud Legion could intervene... It was a silly thought. And I regret it immensely. That would just spread the violence. Even now when we fight, I try my best to only incapacitate my opponent, not kill them... Though I suspect someone else in the group will attempt to finish up the job if I don't. It's very difficult..."

Amalia squirmed in place a bit, seeming uncomfortable. "I don't mean this to come across as humans being some war hungry race. I know that many of you can be kind and compassionate. I just wish there was more of that..."

 

"Ha, that's a bit of an understatement..." Erion laughed ruefully at the statement about human's tendency towards violence. "I'm pretty sure there are some of us who see violence as the only answer. We're not as bad as the Fallen maybe, but that doesn't make us good..."

Using the Cloud Legion... That made slightly more sense with what she had been saying before. "Still... I don't think you should be punished so much for one idea. Though I guess I shouldn't be complaining too much. If you hadn't been exiled, I wouldn't have met you." He paused, a thought crossing his mind. He wasn't sure how best to phrase it, so he just jumped straight in.

"I know avians go into relationships for life. But how does courting work there? Do you go on dates or do you just decide to marry someone? And... was there anyone like that... for you? Back before you got exiled I mean. Were you involved with someone. Not married. Obviously. Err... you know what I mean, right?" Erion wasn't sure at that point if he knew what he meant, so hopefully Ama-- Ayla understood.

 

At least Erion seemed moderately sympathetic to what she was saying. That made her smile. And blush, as he went further on about having it be a stroke of luck for meeting her. "You don't have to spin it so positively. It was a mistake, I should just accept that and leave it as it is." She sighed, shaking her head a bit, but her smile remained. He was a wily one, wasn't he?

Very much so, he proved, with his next stuttered question. She shook her head, stammering herself. "N-No, I... It's a very slow process, uhm... And, we, don't really have much in t-terms of public affection, so... No. I didn't. I'm sure there were a few men up there that were quite interested in me, but... I wouldn't have known, no one did anything. Oh, that sounded really vain just now, didn't it..."

 

"Hmm, I don't know. Is it really vanity if it's true? You know I think you're attractive. I'm sure I'm not the only one to think so. I bet if you'd stayed there, you'd be attracting the attention of a lot of them. And Ayla, that's not a bad thing." It was becoming more natural to call her Ayla, even if he did have to think about it more than he did if he called her Amalia. Still, it was a pretty name and rolled easily off his tongue.

"You're allowed to be proud of things, you know that, right? You're allowed to admit that you're good looking. No one is going to think negatively of you for it," he said in a teasing voice, hoping that she would see the truth behind his words still. "You're a woman with many talents. You should be proud of those too. You're not defined only by your mistakes. That'd be a pretty terrible way to live your life." Maybe he was reading too much into how she was constantly putting herself down, but it seemed like a fairly reasonable assumption to him. Hopefully she would understand what he was saying.

 

"Ah, but... I... Ohh." She sighed, fumbling over words, trying to figure out what to say. "I... Suppose. When I was traveling as a dancer, I definitely got a lot of... This. What you're giving. Mostly from the audience, there were a few that approached me after shows. Nothing ever got violent, and Uriel was always nearby, so that definitely helped." She frowned a bit and sighed again, gently slipping her legs out from under head and resting on her elbow.

"I don't know... I just thinking it's odd, thinking of myself as attractive. At least compared to, you know, human women. They're so... Er, forthcoming. With their features and... Clothing. I can't imagine wearing as little as some of them do..."

 

"Hmm... I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by that. Men tend to make it clear when they're attracted to someone. With me as a prime example of that I suppose..." He trailed off, wondering how much better he was than some of those men in the crowds that Ama--Ayla had danced for.

And that was a mental image that he wasn't going to forget any time soon. Imagining Ayla in some of the dancer outfits that he'd seen before, scarves and silk, was certainly an interesting addition to the conversation as a grin snuck across his face. Shaking his head, he focused back on what she was saying. "Well, I don't think that clothes make someone attractive. They can accentuate it sure, but they can't change someone. And trust me. You're more than just attractive. You're beautiful."

 

Amalia quietly blushed and looked down at the floor, stammering to try and say something but deciding to keep quiet. He does know I'm casually looking into what he's thinking of, right? Uhm... Geez... This is very difficult.

"I-I suppose. I know you, think that. Haha... I'd guess it has something to do with... How I move, talk, and my hair...?" That was the typical response she got from her dancing years before. Her motions were quite smooth and eye catching, and her hair was long, silky and flowing. Rather typical attributes to what most humans valued.

 

"Hmm, that's part of it, yeah. Your hair is great for sure and when you danced with me that one time, your movements were graceful. But, at least for me, it's more than that." He wondered what the best way to say this was and then just gave a mental shrug. He was going to embarrass her regardless, may as well just speak the whole truth. "It's just... everything I guess. Your eyes are beautiful, your face, your body, your gentleness... everything. Yeah, I was first attracted to you because of your looks, but it's more than that now. Seeing you. Ayla. Amalia. Everything that makes you up. That's what makes you beautiful."

 

Amalia had to sit back up, lest to fall off of her elbow and collapse simply from embarrassment. "H-How can you say all of that so readily? We've barely known each other, I... And I'm always wearing these clothes, you don't know what... Y-You try, anyway, in your head. I'm sorry. I've... Been paying attention to that, this whole time. Ahh... I should probably stop doing that, you... You're likely to continue all of those... Thoughts." She could barely look at him, saying all of that without a problem...

 

"I..." Erion stammered to a halt as Amali-Ayla reminded him that she could read his mind. And had just seen that image... NO! Forcing the image down and out of his head, he stared down at the ground for a few seconds, cheeks red, before nodding. "It... isn't something I'm used to. Not exactly something I grew up having to worry about. My mind was always my own. It's not that I mind you being able to read my mind. Not exactly. It's just not something I've any practice with." He ran his hand through his hair, trying to find the right words.

"Yeah. Those thoughts aren't going to go away. I'm sorry about that but... It's hard to control it when you say things without realizing what you're saying, you know? Most of the time I don't get into it, but sometimes the mental image is just too strong..." He sighed. "I get it if you want to stop. Sorry that's something I've caused. Geeze, I feel almost dirty now..." She was so innocent and he was just imagining her all... Stop it Erion. You've embarrassed her enough already.

 

"Uhm..." She hadn't meant to make him feel awkward like this. He hadn't meant anything bad, he was just... Enthusiastic about how much he liked her. That was a nice thing, in its own way. "I-I can... Just stop, looking into there. It'll be better for both of us if I do, right? That way you can... Explore your imagination, and I don't have to worry about stumbling upon... S-Silk."

She almost buried her face in her hands on that one, shivering a moment, still smiling, but a bit awkward about it now. "H-How do you even imagine that much? I... These clothes aren't exactly entirely form fitting, so... I... Wow. Well, your brain is an impressive tool, I can... Say that much."

 

"No I don't... You shouldn't feel bad. I've got to work on it. You shouldn't... Guh.." Erin groaned, not sure how best to explain all this. "See, I want you to be comfortable. I don't want you worrying about what I'm thinking..."

Her next question was out of nowhere though. And seemingly pushing her comfort zone given how embarrassed she was. His cheeks were turning pretty red at this point too as he stuttered out a response, "We-well I mean... I can see... generally at least. And... Err... I guess... Yeah just... Imagination fills in the rest. Man I need to control my thoughts better around you..." And I'd done so well earlier in the conversation but I just had to screw up...

 

"Huh? G-Generally? Wha..." She quickly turned around, looking herself over, wondering if there was anything she wasn't covering or was too tight, or... "What do you mean? ... At least you have a healthy imagination... Ahhh, I... I don't want you to be upset or worry over that sort of stuff, I mean... Thinking about it is different than acting on it, so. It's harmless to have... Thoughts. Right? You said you weren't going to do anything, and I trust you. How difficult..." Now they were both stammering, blushing, trying to talk around it and change things... I should've just kept quiet.

 

Erion groaned and laid down on the floor staring up at the ceiling for a second. He had no way how to handle this. Both of them were trying to make sure the other was happy and ok and they were just going to go in circles. Finally he sat up and shook his head.

"Right. We're just being ridiculous, going around the same thing again and again. So let's just... I'll try and control my thoughts and you try and not read my mind as much. That way you don't feel like you're going to see something you don't want to and I... I don't feel like I'm disrespecting you and your wishes to go slowly." That seemed like the best compromise and could let the two of them get out of this embarrassing cycle.

"So... What else did you want to talk about? It is nice to just talk with you, you know? Even if we've both embarrassed the other."

 

Amalia managed a small laugh, sighing and nodding. "We are both being a bit ridiculous, aren't we? Ahhhahaha... I can try to do that. Alright." No point in continuing to argue more of that. They were both trying to compromise more than the other was, and she didn't know if anything was going to come of that. 

"What else? Well... Do you want to hear more about me? Or tell me some of yourself? I wouldn't mind hearing about your life."

 

"My life? Well... Like I said, I was born in a small village in northern Neviskotia, first kid in a big family. I think I have... Six siblings last I checked? I haven't been back home in a while honestly. When I was a teenager, I left home. Hopped on a ship to earn some money for my family and ended up in Kigen." It had been a while since he'd thought about all of this. It was strange to think about it after so long.

"I ended up in a thief guild down there. Sent money home when I could. I ended up doing a lot of different things down there. Some I'm proud of, most I'm not so proud of. But it's what I did. What I had to do to survive, you know? And it's given me a useful set of talents that I'll still use. It's not thieving I'm not proud of. Just some of the stuff that came of the stealing if that makes sense."

 

Amalia took time while Erion was talking to relax back onto the floor, laying down on her stomach and resting her head on her hands as he spoke, watching him intently. "A thief, huh? Well, then... What was the most intriguing thing you've ever stolen? I can't say I condone the act, but what's done is done, so... You might as well try to get the most out of it. Was there anything really special? A-And... Nothing cheesy, like, 'your heart', or... S-Similar."

 

"Heh you're catching on to me, aren't you? Well in that case..." Erion contemplated the distant stories he could tell and then nodded. "Yeah alright. It's not the most valuable thing I've stolen but it's probably the most interesting. There was this jewel we wanted to get. Problem was it was being displayed at a ball before being pretty much out of our reach. And two men were going to have a harder time getting in than a couple. So..." She'd get the implication, right?

 

"...So? Did you have some woman in your group to help, or...?" She tilted her head, unsure of what he was getting at.

 

"Ha. No not exactly. Turns out I can pull off a corset, dress, and heels pretty well." He gave a shrug and a half smile. "So I was pretending to be a woman and eventually had to run away in said corset and heels. Lost part of the dress along the way but that's a whole other story. Those things are not easy to move in..."

 

"Y... You... Pft... Hahaha~" She collapsed off of her hands and started laughing against the floor, completely unable to imagine Erion in a dress, a corset, all the makeup necessary... What a laugh~ She took a moment compose herself, but... Even looking back up at him gave her another giggle. "That was your only option? Really? That's so silly... But very like you. I'll bet your legs looked wonderful. And I can give you some pointers on running in dresses, if you need them again, hehehee~"

 

"It wasn't the only option exactly. But it was the easiest. And hey, it worked!" She was clearly amused, which had been the point of the story so that was good. "Hey, you never know when you might need to run in a dress, so I'll take any pointers you can give me! It was silly but I did get quite a few compliments on my legs, yes. Mostly from the guys in my gang teasing me, but that's hardly the point, you know?"

 

"Hardly the point... I suppose so. As long as it worked, right? Haha... Mmm, well, I'm sorry to say that I don't have any riveting tales of dressing up as a man, so you've won in that regard. If... you can consider that really winning. Though, did you get the jewel in the end? Was it worth putting on a corset?" She'd thought back, any corset she'd had to wear was incredibly uncomfortable. She can't have imagined that Erion was happy to wear something like that.

 

"I'm not really sure I'd consider the tale riveting or winning, no... But it got you to laugh, so I suppose it was good enough." She asked about the jewel and he grinned. "Of course I did. Would have hardly been worth it if not. The corset... Well, it's not something I'd do again without good reason, but it let me eat for a while, so I'd say it was worth it, yeah." There was that darker truth to the story as amusing as it was. If he had failed to bring back a prize, he had gone hungry. That was how it went. So it ended up meaning he would do whatever it took to make sure he got his food.

 

"I've worn a few corsets in my life, but none of them were any comfortable. Perhaps I strung them too tight. Still, as long as it worked out for you. I don't condone the action, but... Sometimes the ends justify the means. As long as you didn't get anyone killed doing this." That would've really soured the whole story. The end note of having to succeed to eat already had, but Amalia knew dwelling on that would have made things awkward.

"I wonder if I should try on a corset again... Maybe once things are done with my wings. You could help me tie it so that it's not too tight."

 

Erion blinked, trying very hard to think of anything but what Amalia had just said before coughing slightly. "Ah, ehm, I don't think you want me doing that. It's not... exactly proper. And while I usually don't care... You do. And it's... A corset is like underwear. Not something that you should be showing a man unless you're... well I mean, we're involved but not quite like that. Am I... Am I making sense?" He could feel the heat starting to creep back up into his cheeks and knew they were turning red. But he had to let her know since he couldn't see her meaning it in the way that he'd take that offer from most girls.

 

"Oh? Why not? Every corset I've ever worn was put on over another piece of clothing... Was that not right? Perhaps that's why they were so tight... I'm sorry, I er. I didn't quite realize they were supposed to go that close to the skin. Not that... Well I trust you. I'm sure you could help me fasten one on. You wouldn't take any opportunities, I'm sure." Amalia blushed, as she spoke, shaking her head a bit.

"What am I saying, ahh... The drugs must be getting to me. I'm sorry..."

 

"You don't need to apologize. You're right, I could help you fasten one if you wanted." He paused. He wanted to keep talking, but if the drugs were starting to kick in more strongly... "If you want, I can leave and let you sleep. I'm sure the drugs aren't helping things right now, and sleeping might be good for you."

 

"No! No, it... It's fine... Uhm." Amalia slowly say up, crawling up next to him, and placed her head on his shoulder again. "C-Can I stay like this? I... It was... Really comfortable. I don't know if it's... a-appropriate for you. But... I..." She looked up at him and sighed, eyebrows furrowed somewhat, before she started to tear up. "It hurts, so much. I know that I have to grin and bear it... But it's like daggers, in my back. I only hope that I can make it, so... So, just... Please..." She ended up nuzzling herself a bit closer to him, before giving in and leaning onto his chest, giving him a full hug.

"Let me have, this small comfort... Even if I know it's wrong."

 

Erion froze for a second as she leaned against him and then started tearing up. He smiled gently at her as she pulled closer to him, and gently stroked her hair. "Hey now. It's ok. You stay here as long as you need it. There's nothing wrong about this. I'm here for you, ok? I won't go anywhere as long as you want me here."

 

"Just, h-hurts... Erion... Mmm..." Clinging to him, she became slowly less tight in her hold, eventually settling against him quietly and motionless, quietly breathing. She'd started falling asleep, comforted and drugged up enough to do so.

 

Erion continued to gently stroke her hair as he watched her drift off before giving a rueful shake of his head and a quiet chuckle. Can't say I ever imagined I'd be in this position. What exactly have you gotten yourself into this time, Erion? He didn't have an answer for the questioning voice in his head, but looking down at Amalia, he could only feel that whatever this thing was, it was something good.

 

Erion leaned against the wall near the door of the room Ayla had picked out, smiling as he watched her move about. Ever since the day he'd found her on the floor in pain and the two of them had sat down and talked about what they were and how they were going to try and move forward together, she'd asked him to spend more time with her, being there for her as she worked through the pain. It was certainly a new experience for him, but he couldn't deny that it made him happy. Slowly straightening up, he crossed the room over to her and snagged her hand before nodding towards the door with his head. "Come on Ayla. Lets go get you some breakfast, alright? Help distract you from everything, and get ready for everything that's going to happen today."

He knew that she would blush about the hand holding and likely only let him hang on until they reached the door, but it didn't matter. He was going to enjoy it while he could, since he knew as things got busier, private moments would happen less and less. He had to grab on to them while he could and do his best to not let go until he absolutely needed to.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Uri sat in the room opposite Amalia's, giving Seraphine a rubbing down with a small cloth. She was enjoying the process thoroughly, and was refusing to move until he did it just a few more times. She'd flopped down on his feet and had him trapped until further notice. It was a problem since she'd started getting so much bigger, but it was still nice to have her. Thankfully their hosts had not been upset about him bringing a dragon into their house, though they did suggest he keep her as secret as possible, something that he'd planned on doing anyways. Giving her head a final rub, he smiled at her. "Come now, I need to go get food for myself and for you. If you keep laying here, you'll miss breakfast. Is that really what you want?"

A snort and a grumble were directed at him as she slowly stretched and circled around a few times before moving off of him. He chuckled as he made his way over to his bag, quickly checking it before attaching it to his waist. "I know, I know. You would prefer having someone else bring the food to you so that I could continue to serve your every whim, but that's not how it works. Maybe some day when you're big and can scare people into working for you, but for now you just have me." A puff of air blown at him was the only response to that, and as he turned back around, he found her curled up on his pillow, rapidly heading back to sleep. He chuckled and walked over to give her one last pat. "You're safe. Finally, you're safe. At least I've done that much for you." Now to just try and make sure that this world stays safe for you.

Edited September 22, 2017 by scorri

[Nanami Touko]

The week had been... Terrible. Only now, that things were starting to finally grow out, was she starting to feel some relief, but it was still a throbbing pain to not focus on. Luckily, Erion's patient company and comfort had made life easier for the Avian. Hopefully with a bit more time, this pain would fade, and her wings would sprout feather, instead of being... The naked, rather worrisome looking appendages that they currently were. She tried not to think about it, and was quickly distracted, as Erion took her hand, causing a blush to spread across her face in an instant.

She squeezed back, out of instinct, and when he mentioned going to eat, she paused a moment. "I-I, of course... Food sounds, good. Uhm..." She looked at his hand, holding hers, and knew that going to eat would be leaving the room. "Uhm... Er... L-Let's go, then." Is it alright to keep holding his hand? He looks so happy... Ahhh, it doesn't bother me! So I shouldn't... I shouldn't care. But... But what I've been told... Oh, this is so difficult. Deciding to please Erion and fuss with her worried confusion later, she tightened her hand in his a bit, and stepped towards the door.

[Thany]

Thany had brought some food with her on the way to the Dining Hall, when she arrived she noticed a group of people sitting around probably talking about something important. (Looks like I missed out on some news or something.) she thought to herself, as she cautiously makes her way to an open seat to not drop her food. after sitting down, she decides to pay some attention to whats being said while also eating her food.

[scorri]

She'd grabbed on tightly to his hand instead of pulling back, and he couldn't help but smile more at that gesture. It was a small thing to most people, but he knew for her it was huge. Opening the door, he glanced out and saw no one there. Stepping through and gently pulling her after him, he gently squeezed her hand and whispered, "I know you aren't quite comfortable holding hands in public, don't worry. But no one is here right now, so I'm going to enjoy it for a few seconds longer." Taking one last look at the hallway, he smirked slightly. "You are lovely, you know that right?" Before she could react, he quickly leaned in and kissed her cheek, before letting go of her hand and taking a step back.

Unfortunately for his plans of secrecy, right as he kissed her, Uri swung his door open, just in time to see him pulling back from the kiss. Err... What? What was he doing? The avian hadn't seen the actual kiss, which made it worse, since he didn't know if he had kissed her on the cheek, on the lips, or maybe just whispered something in her ear. All in all, Uri was extremely confused, and looking to Amalia for answers.

[Nanami Touko]

"I was going to try and see if I could stand it for a while, if you wanted to... S-Stop that, though. Gosh, Erion, it's barely morning, just-- Ah...!" Well. For someone that had said he'd be giving the lead over to her, he definitely did seem to enjoy pushing her buttons, her cheeks flaring up at the gesture as she flinched away. Life worked in mysterious ways, Uriel walking out of his room at the exact same time, staring at her, staring at Erion. "I... You... Uhm!" She had no response. This was probably the most ridiculous spot she'd been put in. All she could do was get away from it, and before Erion could add to the situation, she snatched his hand and started dragging him down the hallway away from Uriel." Mercy help me.

[scorri]

Apparently Amalia was not in the mood to explain as she grabbed onto Erion and dragged him away, her cheeks bright red. If nothing else, that was a clue that something was going on between her and the rogue, a though that had Uri frowning. Still, at the end of the day, she was a grown woman, and if she wanted to get involved with a human, there was nothing he could do to stop her. He just hoped that she had thought all parts of that through. He knew that the end result of this would be Erion aging and dying while Amalia was still young, but she had to know that as well as he did.

"I hope you're sure about this..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The grin on Erion's face as he was dragged down the hall could not have been bigger as he cheerfully waved goodbye to the scowling avian they had left behind. "You know, I don't think he saw the kiss. I think he just saw you blush! You could have been blushing about anything." He wasn't exactly resisting being pulled along, instead just chatting cheerfully as he enjoyed the bright red face and how Amalia was clearly completely lost for words. "If you wanted, we could go back and ask him exactly what he did see!"

He knew that he'd told her he'd go slow and at her pace, but he had to admit he was enjoying the reaction to his slip up. She seemed more embarrassed than mad, and in the worst case scenario, he'd get a lecture from her. He could live with that, especially when the rest of the situation was so amusing. "Did you have a specific destination in mind or are we just getting as far away from Uri as we can before you start yelling at me?"

[Nanami Touko]

Amalia turned some corners, went down some halls, and finally turned to Erion with her finger pointed at him. She opened her mouth to talk, found nothing to say, sighed, and put her hand down. "Why?" She looked up at him with furrowed brows and a worried look in her eyes. "I, I don't know what to do when you do something like that... Even if Uriel hasn't seen anything, I... you confuse me so much, Erion." She felt her shoulders fall, trying to figure out how to put this all into words. "You do this things that seem so normal and easy for you, the hand holding, k... kissing my cheek, and... It makes me happy, truly, but it scares me that it makes me so happy. I've been taught the opposite all my life, I don't know how to respond or how I'm supposed to take it. It doesn't make me upset, but, I... I just..." She sighed, resting her shoulder against the wall. "I'm too confused."

[scorri]

Erion's grin faded slightly as the anger and frustration that had seemed to be coming from Amalia turned into confusion and maybe even some sadness, it was hard to tell. Taking a step back from her so he wasn't crowding her and potentially making things worse, he considered his words before trying to help. "I guess, at least as far as I see it, it's like when you're a little kid. Your parents tell you that you shouldn't go outside late at night because it's dangerous and scary and not something for you to do. And when you're a little kid, that makes perfect sense. The night is scary and dangerous for a small kid and they shouldn't be out there. But then you get a little older. And you still have that voice in your head telling you what to do. But now you have friends telling you that the night is great, there are stars to see, adventures to have, and you start getting confused. Who should you listen to?"

He stuffed his hands in his pockets, leaning against the wall and continued to carefully choose his words as the story continued to unfold. "So one night you sneak out. And it's amazing. You're so happy, having a blast with your friends. And so you start sneaking out more. It makes you happy to spend time with your friends, to have adventures, and the night isn't so dangerous after all." He was pretty sure he wasn't making any sense, but he'd committed to it at this point, so he pushed forward. "But then one day, you have kids. And you start to think about how lucky you were that you escaped all those nights without getting hurt. So you tell them that the night is dangerous and not for them. And so the cycle continues."

He'd probably lost her. Scratching the back of his head, he laughed. "I probably sound crazy right now. I guess what I'm trying to say is... People, parents especially, but anyone in a tightly knit community and even complete strangers, are going to try and tell you what's best for you. And they might be right in that moment. But situations change. People change. And there comes a point when you need to take everything you've learned, everything you've been taught, and everything you've experienced and decide what's best for you. For me, it's easier. Life's short, I've never really known if I was going to see the next sunrise, so I've learned that if something makes me happy, I've got to grab on to it. But that's not true for you. You've got a long life ahead of you, so maybe grabbing things the moment they make you happy isn't the right way to go for you. But sometimes you need to consider what you want, not what everyone else wants for you."

[Nanami Touko]

Amalia understood what Erion was trying to explain. The problem was that it wasn't something passed down through a family. It was a way of life for her people, and not something she could discard as easily as wanting to explore the night. It still made sense... And what he said about life being short, really struck a chord. She paused, waiting to see if he had anything left to say, and finally sighed. "You are right, that life is too short. For you... I'm only nineteen. That's not in Avian years, or any other format. It's the same counted years as you humans have. I... I've barely started living. You... You've been living for a long time, comparatively. And you won't live for long, in my life span... Are you alright with that, Erion?"

She hadn't wanted to think of it, but if he was going to push her, she had to push back. It was a serious worry. She was sure that he meant everything he said towards her, but did he realize how long she was going to live? He'd said she had a long life to live, but did he truly grasp the scope of just how much longer hers was going to last... "And if you do... I just... I find it hard that you would. You'll grow old, and I'll... I'll still look like this. I won't change. And then, you'll..." She looked down, shrinking her shoulders again. "It's not just a happy life with a beautiful woman, Erion. You have to understand that..."

[scorri]

And there it was. It wasn't a new thought to Erion, though having her say it out loud was different than the idea surfacing in his head. "Well, I'll just be the old guy with the young hot wife, that's every guy's dream, right?" His humor was pretty clearly forced, and Amalia wouldn't have to be reading his mind to figure that out. The smile had entirely faded now, and he dug his hands even deeper into his pockets as he stared at the ground for a few long seconds. "It's not easy, no. But maybe not for the reasons you think."

He sighed, turning so his back was against the wall and tilting his head back so that it could rest there too. "Like I said, I've never expected to live long. I've always been ok with the idea that I get what I get and I don't need more. And since I'm a human, I've got this selfish core to me that means I want to keep you by my side even if it means I look eighty and you look twenty. But if I'm really honest with myself..." Not something that happens very often. She's a terrible influence like that though... He let his head fall to the side so he was looking at her again and smiled a small sad smile.

"The real worry I have isn't about me. I can be selfish and want to keep you around for as long as I can, but how is that fair? You're the one who has to watch me get old and watch me die and then keep living. Your culture moves slower. Once I'm gone... will I have ruined you for that too? If I claim to love you, how can I be so cruel as to make you watch me die and then keep on living for hundreds of years after that?"

[Nanami Touko]

"Erion..." She shouldn't have brought this up. Now he was just getting upset. Really, what he'd done was harmless, she'd blown it out of proportion. Shes sighed. "I'm sorry. I should never... I didn't mean to... I'm sorry." All of this was too much, this early in the morning. Could she pull him away from it and go back to what they were about to do? Would he try to bring it up again...? Would he feel bad that she threw it aside... Too many things to consider, this was fairly delicate. She shook her head, trying to find words, what words? What words to say...

"I... I'm not worried about all of that. Unless I managed to get together with another Avian, this would always be how things would end up. And even if I did, there could be hundreds of years between us, at that. So while they might live with me longer, there'll still be that chunk of time where I'll have to be alone." What was she getting at, anyway? It had only been a week. Erion was just... Ugh, saying he has 'something' feels stupid. I know I'm young. I'm... I'm impressionable, but this much? I never responded to any advances when I was dancing... Maybe because that wasn't my goal in life. Do I even have a goal now? This is so frustrating... Why do you have to push me so hard, Erion?

"Prove to me that this is worth it, for you," she said, standing firm, staring at his sad smile. "If... If I am what you want, through your 'long' life, that you have decided I'm worth the trouble of that, that sadness... That you would do that to yourself. Prove it to me. Make me believe these feelings aren't just something fleeting because of how smooth talking or h-handsome you are..."

[scorri]

Erion stared back at her before shaking his head. "I... You're asking for the one thing I can't do. There's no way to prove how either of us will feel in twenty years. That's the danger of love. You always risk getting burned. I could ask you the same thing I suppose. Are you sure you want to waste sixty years of your life falling in love with someone who's going to die and leave you alone. Someone who you can never have a child with. But I'm sure you'd have some answer to those and that's not the important thing." He slumped further down against the wall, pulling his hands out of his pockets and running them through his hair, stopping halfway through and glancing back up at her.

"I'm being incredibly selfish with all of this. Pushing you out of your comfort zone, trying to rush things... And I can't even prove this one thing to you. I think a better man than me, the sort of man you really deserve, would bow out here. Or wouldn't have even been here in the first place I suppose. But I'm not that man. So I guess I try and convince you as best I can. I know this is all so fast for you and you think I'll regret all of this. But why would I regret loving you any more than I would regret loving someone else? Everyone dies eventually. The only regret I have is leaving you alone when I die. But I understand if that's not enough. I understand if this is too much. I don't regret the time we have had together. Even if it ends today, I don't regret a second of it."

[Nanami Touko]

She hadn't really thought about children, but giving it a moment, she didn't quite care. She was always on the move, it would be difficult to raise a child. That wasn't the right sort of atmosphere for a family. So that wasn't a concern. Neither was his insisting that this was something she was throwing away. "What waste? If we truly... Do, l-like, each other. Then what's wasted? I don't understand. Yes, I'm sure it'll be painful, but that's a part of life, is it not? It's better for me to, t-to 'experience the night', as you so put it when I'm younger... Than wait and not figure any of this out for hundreds of years. I could never meet someone again. I don't know what life, the Gods, anything has in store for me."

She sighed again, listening to his answer. It was about what she'd expected, and she wasn't upset by it. It was this insistence on some 'better man' that would've done differently. She didn't get that. Maybe they just couldn't see eye to eye on this, with their life spans, and how they'd lived. Erion had lived fast and large, doing crazy things just to survive, probably... Probably making eyes at a lot of women. But... Her life hadn't even started. Really, she was barely a child, despite everything. So perhaps she saw that time in a way he couldn't. When he only had sixty or so years left in him...

She took his hand, flushing red anew, and clearing her throat. "L-Let's go get breakfast. Okay?" She did her best to keep her eyes trained on his, as difficult as it was. "Take your time. Prove it to me. If this is worth that much to you, then, do that... And I will try to give back. I know it will be tough, but... I'll try. We c-can start with holding hands. I know that'll make you happy, so... So l-let's go, then." She smiled, finally staring down at the floor, finding it hard to keep eyes on him.

[scorri]

As she took his hand, looking him in the eyes for a few moments before being drawn back to the floor, promising to try and move faster, Erion briefly hated himself for what he was doing to her. He gently untangled his hand from hers and took a step back. "You don't need to do this. I know that I make you uncomfortable by trying to move too fast. Yes, it makes you happy too but..." He shook his head, having no idea how to explain everything. "You're right. You're young. And I can't help but..." feel like I'm taking advantage of you... No sense in finishing that sentence. She'd object, tell him that it was fine, that she knew what she wanted. But how could she... "Lets go to breakfast. I agree with that. But we don't need to hold hands, ok? I'd rather you were comfortable over my short term happiness."

[Nanami Touko]

"Oh, you stop it!" Amalia snatched his hand back and held on tight, huffing. "First you're coming onto me more than I can handle, then you pull back, then you flirt hard with me again, and when I try to push myself, you pull back again! Should serious things just never be talked about between us? I brought it up because it was mentioned, and now that it's all in the air, you're getting cold feet. So... S-So quit shrinking on me and just-- Just hold my hand, for Mercy's sake." Giving Erion a pout for probably the first time, she could only wish he'd stop being difficult and let her do this.

[Script]

Worried Woman

Xenia chewed on her nails as she paced some corridor in the Rusayex Manor.  A childish habit, she knew, she hadn't done it since Dirk was on the frontlines.  But Raj's stupid display had her worried.  The whole bundle of issues with Raquel had set him off like she'd never seen before, but he hadn't gone and given her the go-ahead to leave.  It was impossible to heal the Raquel he contracted her to heal.  She should be free.  He was an ass, but he was a consistent ass.  He didn't much go back on his word.  She might need to hire some goons.

Edited September 25, 2017 by Script

[-Cynthia-]

Great Hall

"I was actually thinking that we may want to consider informing Hydra of this- perhaps through that Jaeger person that Weyland mentioned. We have many quarrels with them, but it is not in their best interest to have the Fallen overrunning Neviskotia either," Lysandra suggested.

"They'll probably just make things worse by pursuing their own agenda," Veronika cut in dismissively. "The area around the siege gate must be remote- but surely there's some farmer or shepard or someone near there? If we could get an eyewitness account of demons in Neviskotia that makes our case much stronger."

Robin

"There's nothing wrong with sleeping outdoors," Robin answered Zach defensively. "I know we're here for important reasons, but I hope we can meet important people while we're in the capital. Alyssa Ivanovna is probably in the palace protecting Prince Deniska right now..." she said wistfully.

Stables

"I guess I have been rather busy, heh. I'm not entirely sure what to do with myself here honestly. Not that I think anyone here would recognize me, but I don't think throwing around Uncle Seth's name is going to make me very popular," Connor speculated to Gabbie.

[Phoenix]

Dining Hall

"I didn't really consider having you ask them for help," Tatiana admitted, "I figured there was so much bad blood between you that it was off the table."

"It might be," Jethro spoke, shrugging at the idea, "Let's see how things pan out at the meeting, first. I honestly don't mind working with them in this one instance, but only if it's necessary. The problem with working with them isn't our short and violent history, but our long term goals. Better they handle some aspect of this mission by themselves, and we handle another. As long as we're not working too closely together, the lack of trust shouldn't ruin the mission."

"As for eye witnesses," Tatiana moved onto the other thing her sister had mentioned, "I doubt we'll find any if this siege gate is really important to the fallen. That is ... if I were them, I'd pick a remote, but easily defended spot, and scout for miles around, mostly at night, and capture or kill anyone that got too close. At least if that's what they're doing, we still have a way of finding them." Find out where people have gone missing, recently, and hope military or bandit activity doesn't correspond with said disappearances.

When Robin mentioned meeting important people, Zachary wasn't sure what important people could possibly garner her interest. He'd envisioned her gleefully shaking hands with some posh conclave member he'd never even heard of, and running through each one of their accomplishments with disturbing clarity. Then reality arrived in the form of Alyssa Ivanovna, Prince Deniska's bodyguard and more importantly--in this instance, one of the nation's best archers. Naturally Robin would look up to someone like that. Zachary had to chuckle at his own wild imagination. "Right, Alyssa. I nearly forgot about her. That's what happens when the most talented people become bodyguards and practically vanish from public life."

Stables

"Yeah don't do that," Gabbie shook her head, nervously, "We've got enough enemies waiting out here. One thing you could do is have a look at some of the tech around here." The manor wasn't the ideal starting point, but hopefully Connor got her meaning. "Seein' how the 'skotians do things could give you some ideas. If you want, I could take you around the capital. It's somethin' to do while the Rusayevs take care of that conclave business." It wasn't much different from babysitting, admittedly, but neither was it much different from playing bodyguard. As long as the younger Weyland could keep himself busy over on this side of Sardius ...

[Script]

Vanishing Act

Gar vanished the moment the conversation died.  Only to eventually reappear when the transport to Rusayez Manor occurred.  Not that he stayed long there anyway.  The moment he was boots-on-the-ground he left once more.

He covered his tracks and made damn sure no one was following him.  A song of blood and death on his mind the whole way through.

No more quarter-ass Gar.

After another few loops to make double-damn sure nothing could possibly be following him.  He inspected the outer grounds.  The stone and metal fencing was still in good order.  Clean and tidy.  Still his height and a half.  Nothing was out of shape.  Good.  He approached the gate and inserted a key into the lock.  It opened up unto his property and he quietly shut it behind him.  Nothing was out of place here either.  The lawn was in good care, the walkway to the house was still in shape.  The porch hadn't been ransacked or bore burn marks.

He inspected the house proper.  There hadn't been any sort of obnoxious scarring on the first floor's stonework.  The windows were still in good condition and a good tug told him the double-bolts were still working strong.  Both doors however, had suffered some damage.  Words would be had on that.  But the frames were still in tact, so whomever had tried to force entry hadn't succeeded.  So it was recent enough that they hadn't gotten round to replacing them.  All the windows were still intact with his markings.  Not that he could check the second story.  The awnings were only useful to break downward momentum, they'd crumple if anyone stood on them.  No trying to sneak in through the second floor.

He entered in through the back.  Though he'd been sharp to make sure no one spotted his checks on the house from outside, no one was inside anyway.  He checked all the rooms, double-checked them, checked the secret rooms, and the secret rooms they didn't think he knew about and the attic.

Empty entirely.

He'd run of the place.

Good.  He needed the time.

First, he set his glory belt in the room with three full others.  He wanted a new one for the fun to come.

Second, he stored his extraneous items.  His travel clothes.  His hair clippings.  His random bits of odd n' ends.  The flute.

Third, he replenished his supplies.  He drew water from the barrels, boiled it, and stored it in his flasks.  He retrieved food and apples.  Sword polish, threads, money.  Little else.  He'd no longer need to sequester his pouches at the beginning of combat.

Fourth, he had to settle his equipment options.  He exchanged his clothing for a new set.  Double-layered.  He could turn his new long-sleeved shirt and pants inside out for a new combination of colors.  This was useful for losing trails or hiding bloodstains.  The double-thickness made it hard to seep through.  He chose a new set of boots on the same principal.  A lighter shade of brown, with some bottles of darker polish to alter it should the need be. 

Fifth: Then came the altering of his armor.  It had proven well to help thus far but he needed new flexibility.  Not just in combat.  He carefully segmented the pieces and began to rearrange them to the patterns and situated he needed.  It would offer less protection overall, but increase the speed of his draw and overall infiltration abilities.  By carefully integrating the stilettos into concealed locations on the armor, and bounding things together with leather, he could pass muster on curiosity searches.  A through search could find it, but a through search was irrelevant.

Sixth: Modifying his new clothes to accommodate his offensive changes.  Opening up the cuffs to allow swift access to the dozen knives strapped to his forearms.  Loosening up the collar for a quick removal if need be.  Shortening the side just a tad to allow swift access to those knives.

Seventh: Maintenance on the knives he did have.  The stilettos were still in excellent condition, as to be expected of Weyland craftsmanship.  Old Stabby however, needed to be put down.  It was a liability at this point.  Sentimentality or no.

The front gate creaked.  He knew how to open it without the noise signaling everyone.  They didn't, and their attempts to oil it away always failed.

He hid himself near the front stairs as the front door was opened.

She didn't bother checking the perimeter, didn't bother checking the rooms for entry.  She went straight to the kitchen with her hands full with grocery baskets.

"You're dead," he grunted in a voice entirely unlike his own.

"Ah!" she yelped, spun around and leveled a pistol at him.  "Tor!"

"Shoot first: confirm later."

"Your hair..."

"Where's Klara?"

"At her job.  She's working as a bouncer at a pub."

'Skotians never stopped drinking.  "How's Elena's schooling coming along?"

"She hates it.  She screams and pouts and doesn't want to learn."  She shook her head.  "But she'll have a better future than any of us."

"You?"

Maya lowered her pistol.  "I've gotten a new job as a noblewoman's servant."  She shook her head.  "We can't rely on your money forever..."

Good.  "Don't forget what I taught you."

"Are you gonna stay for breakfast?"

"Yes."

"Oh." She was taken aback.  "I... it's been years..."  Her gaze drifted to Old Stabby.  "Still carrying that around...?"

"'Til the day there's nothing left to stab."

[scorri]

Erion sighed as she grabbed back on to his hand and basically lectured him. He shook his head, trying to explain his thoughts. "I just... Yeah, the kiss was wrong of me. I said I was going to let you decide so I guess pulling back now is wrong of me too. I just... Bah." He threw up his free hand in frustration, words failing him, a sensation he was not used to, nor that he liked. Muttering nonsense for a few seconds, he finally turned back towards her, still letting her hold on.

"Yes, we should move past what we were talking about. That's not really why I pulled back. I just... I saw how you reacted when Uri maybe saw us kiss. I know how you felt about everything. How other avians feel. Everything. I just... Ayla, I feel like I'm changing you and while part of me is ok with that because it makes me happy and I think it makes you happy, I can't help but worry that in ten years you'll look back and not even recognize yourself. And it will all be my fault. And I know you say you're ok with that and I'm probably being ridiculous, so please just tell me to shut up, but..." He shook his head, annoyed with himself. "I can't say that the part of me that is ok with all of this won't keep pushing your boundaries even though I promised I wouldn't." And I think that might make me a terrible person...

[Nanami Touko]

"Okay," she said, flushing crimson and turning to face him. With a swift step, she planted a kiss back on his cheek, and huffed. "Sh-Shut up, then." He was definitely being ridiculous and overthinking this to the max. She had plenty of life to regret any choices, and right now it didn't feel like regret... Just, scary. Something new. Something unknown. It was exciting, and terrifying. It would take a long time for her to get over that fear... Or so she felt. She'd been making bold decisions all morning, though... Maybe spending those days with Erion had opened her up to him more. It was certainly likely. Still, she was rather shaky, holding his hand walking towards the dining hall. Maybe she'd pushed herself too far.

[scorri]

Erion had jumped at the kiss on the cheek, not expecting it at all, but now sighed quietly to himself as he walked along with her towards the dining hall. He could feel her shaking, but didn't know why. The whole mind reading thing would come in handy sometimes... Eventually, right outside the door to the dining hall, he halted, gently tugging on her hand. "Hey, before we go in there... Just take a second to breathe, ok? You're still shaking so... Calming down for a few seconds can't hurt, right?" He pondered if the next part would make things worse or not before deciding that even if it did, it might still help reassure her. "And thank you. For, uh, shutting me up, I suppose. It was nice and I know it wasn't easy. But I do appreciate it." He smiled and winked at her, hoping to make her calmer but knowing that it would probably have the opposite affect. Ah well.