Lord of Azure Flame: Chapter 17: I got nothing.

[Snowy_One]

"Can you tell me where the baths are?" asked Esphyr, still drenched in the rudoberry juice Rita had spilled over her. Despite it's effect on Rita, Esphyr seemed unharmed. Mainly because she had managed to not swallow the juice and instead was drenched.

OOC: Lev with loads of estrogen... What would that be like? Fem-lev?

[Script]

OOC: permission granted for these things.

Count Altair

Luc sighed at the story. These people were walking disasters. "Alright, alright, I'll believe that. You'll probably need a wash of clothes or something to get it out correct? And at the very least isolation for her." Luc made a motion to Fargo, who came outside. "Fargo, distract her."

"Hey, come on Captain, I'm like, twice her age."

"You're barely older than me, get yourself ready."

"Yes sir," Fargo sighed.

The Fargo dragged the ravenous Rita away and Luc knocked her out cold with the heft of his polearm.

"Odd, that was easier than expected. Nonetheless, Fargo, take her to a room and lock her inside. The rest of you, follow some of my servants to the bathes. At the very least get your clothes washed if you don't desire a bath."

Luc went back to the foyer, desiring nothing else to go wrong this day. But knowing, that something would.

[Phoenix]

Irina Levski and Jasmine

Once Irina and Cess arrived, Irina walked over to Lev, whom Jasmine was helping off of the ground.

Irina: What happened to you?

Lev: ... yeah let's not go there.

Jasmine: Hey guys? I need to deliver this letter to the main fortress. I'd like to leave now and get a head start but I don't know where it is.

Lev: It'd be better if you were shown. Following directions to get there could be tricky.

Irina: I have a small map I keep around in case I forget, but I haven't been back there in a month and a half. You can borrow it for now if you want. I even have some decent camping grounds and towns marked.

Jasmine: Oh that would be great! Hey, thanks!

After accepting the map, she leaned closer to Lev to tell him something that only he would hear.

Jasmine: You look kind of nice wet.

Lev: >.>

With that, she trotted off to the stables to gather up Illiam.

Irina: ... what did she say to you?

Lev: ... ... ... she told me that I was wet >_>'

Irina raised her eyebrow in suspicion.

[the_whistler]

Heinz watched the thunder mage wander sleepily out of the kitchen and stood up from his chair, looking out of the kitchen for a second. If he's found his sister, he should be alright, sitting back down at the table and digging into his plate. After leaving Directus, the group would probably be traveling for at least a few days, and Heinz planned to take full advantage of the good food at the mansion. At least before we get kicked out, tucking another apple into his cloak at the thought.

Less than a minute later, the count himself entered the room, ringing the bell and sending the cooks into a frenzy. Heinz observed the man quietly, debating whether to ask if the group was allowed to stay. Or if we still get those discounts, Heinz thought ruefully. Seeing as the captain chose to ignore him, the mercenary continued eating in peace, figuring he would introduce himself later.

Somewhat later:

Heinz looked up as a servant ran into the kitchen, claiming a fight had occurred. Another fight already? raising his eyes. Military types never like it when they can't control things, smirking slightly. Heinz stood up and followed the captain slowly, figuring he could take care of it. Heinz caught up in time to hear Lev explain what had happened, and chuckled for a second before covering it up with a cough. "You two look like you're soaked," he commented. "Wonder how long does it take for that stuff to wear off?" he puzzled to himself.

OOC: Be back in 9 hours or so.

[Script]

OOC: Timeskip later in this post. All the ridiculously long stuff about Luc can be safety skipped since it pretty much has nothing to do with anyone but him and the deeper reasons he'll be following everyone else.

Middle of the Night

Everyone had gone to bed except for the night-shift servants and Luc himself. The master of the manor stood alone in the ruined foyer, contemplating the series of events that led to the constant disasters that had plagued him recently. It had all gone wrong once that green sky had corrupted everything, and the advent of the group bearing the Crimson Weapons pointed Luc to one conclusion. The Lord of Azure Flame was returning, and his armies would sweep across the land once again. And the thought of that thrilled him. This is why he was born, this is why he had fought and struggled so hard his whole life. To live up to the example his father showed and fight the demons.

A light knock came at the door, a small, tiny, insignificant noise that only those of Directus would specifically recognize. The knock of a spy. Luc opened the door a crack, seeing the barely exposed figure in the darkness. He gave a nod, and the spy vanished.

This was it, the inquiry for his failure. Luc knew what had occurred in Councilman Richtor's office was more a surface meeting than anything significant. Save for the Councilman's pledge of aid. Now, now Luc was heading to meet his fate from his crimes. He fully expected that when he returned from the board the mansion would no longer be his. Rendering all his worry for naught.

"Luc?"

He stopped at the sound of Jeanne's voice.

"Yeah?" he replied not caring to make up a lie at this hour.

"Where are you going?"

"To meet my fate," he sad as plain as possible.

Jeanne stayed quiet for a few minutes before replying. "Tell me everything."

"I will." Luc left his house.

---

The main inquiry room was large and about as lighted as the last light of a candle in a dragon's cave. Ahead of Luc sat General Mendoza, still in full gear, and Councilman Richtor. Above him Luc could hear the various whisperings of the other heads of the city. The top blacksmith, the Cavalry Colonel, and even the sound of his own parents.

General Mendoza broke the various hushed words of the above. "Captain Luc Altair, Count Luc Altair, you stand here today to investigate the lose of five members of the 12th Patrol Cavalry, and if need be, any punishments deserved. Do you have any statements to make Captain?"

"No, sir." Luc said.

"Very well, relate to me the exact action that caused the deaths of your former soldiers," the General asked.

Luc held himself steady at the word former. "Cavaliers Jess and Zachariah were crushed by boulders set up by an enemy ambush. Troubadour Anna-Seline and Ranger Canna met the same fate. Cavalier Tom was trampled to death by the enemy's own horsemen. Cavalier Fargo and myself were the only survivors." Words were whispered.

"I see. Do you, in your opinion, honestly think there was anything you could have done to prevent your former soldiers deaths?"

Luc once again held himself. "Sir, yes, sir." Luc gave a short answer.

"Elaborate please."

"I could have scouted ahead better. I could have rushed my men through the valley faster. I could have staggered my lines more. I could have rested the men before we went in, prevented the enemies timetable from occurring. I could have... kept them moving instead of staying and waiting for my own reasons." Luc listed off numerous reasons he had been at fault.

"A fair amount of reasons, yes." General Mendoza rested his head in his hands before he spoke again. "Why did you take none of these actions Captain?"

"Sir. We were in Directus outreaches sir, I made the mistake of believing things safe."

"Don't make such assumptions again. But that isn't the full reason, tell us of the group you arrived with."

"Sir, they are an assortment of people from across the nations. My unit and I encountered them shortly before we reached the Canyon. They were in combat with some others, and after they had finished their battle I sent an offer of aid."

General Mendoza kept silent as the voices overhead whispered. Once they had died down he spoke again. "What was it about the group, that you considered to be worthy of escorting yourself Captain? Especially since you were on a previous mission, a mission from Councilman Richtor?"

"Sir, I believed they held information about the missing person sir." Luc gave the best answer he could.

"But they did not, did they? After all, the missing person was found dead in the complete opposite direction of your search." General Mendoza replied coldly.

"Sir," this was Luc's first time hearing the man had been found, "I was unaware of that sir."

"Of course you were. But that is of little concern in this hearing. The group, it has been brought to my attention that they were the real target of the attack."

"Yes sir."

"Then would you also add, that abandoning them would also have spared your men their lives?"

"No sir," Luc said in slight defiance. "There is no knowledge that the enemy would have let my cavalry pass safety had we been faster. Despite my initial words."

"Oh?" General Mendoza ever-so-slightly raise his eyebrow. "Going back on your own word are you? Very well. Speak more about the group, and what you have learned."

Luc was relieved and curious the General had dropped that line of questioning so quickly. "They are a very mixed unit, as I have said." Luc took in a deep breath, what he was about to say might make the whispers into yells. "I believe the group is in possession of most -- if not all -- the Crimson Weapons." And as he predicted, the whispers became yells.

General Mendoza kept his eyes on Luc as the yelling swelled and fell apart. "Captain Luc," he said, "What has led you to this accusation?"

"My own observations, General. General Conrad wields the Crimson Ax, and he is clearly with them. The Crimson Lance belongs to Damian, as many eyewitnesses saw. I've heard talk of the Crimson Sword from the female mercenary Esphyr as well. The Crimson Wind tome is in the possession of the Wind Mage, or else he is an exceptional natrual caster to knock aside the Crimson Lance. The Crimson Darkness Tome is in the hands of the shaman Morgan, I heard, and saw her, use it. The group contains members of it who would also be candidates for the remaining weapons, and the shaman was quite keen on having them all."

The room was eerily silent. Far worse a sign than any amount of noise. General Mendoza sat there, eyes always on Luc. Whatever his thoughts were they were impossible to read. "Captain Luc," General Mendoza broke the unease, "I have come to my conclusion regarding your punishment."

This was it.

"In regards to Captain Luc of the 12th Patrol Cavalry, I have rendered that he shall be kept at his current rank, but must begin collecting years for promotion to Major."

What? "What?"

"The lose of the 12th was a tragedy, but the boon of the Crimson Weapon wielders is an account we cannot ignore."

For the first time in the whole hearing, Councilman Richtor spoke. "Count Altair, the men at women that have been stolen from us so early can never be replaced. But weakening the whole of our city for things so our of anyone's hands is not something I would do. Your title shall persist, and your manor will remain yours."

This was more than Luc had ever imagined.

"And now," Councilman Richtor continued. "Your new assignment. You, and Private Fargo, shall accompany the Crimson Group as long as you are both fit enough to fight. A spy, shall also be shadowing your group, in the inevitable event you must send a report to me."

Luc was almost too stunned to talk. "But, why me sir?"

Councilman Richtor chuckled at Luc's words. "You are a good man my boy. Besides, it would be far more suspicious if someone else went with them."

"Sir..."

"And Luc, if you complete this mission, their may be greater rewards in your future. Duke-like rewards," Councilman Richtor tempted the younger man.

"Duke-like?" To be a Duke was Luc's fondest wish. If he could achieve the title by helping save the world and do his parents proud? He would fight the Lord of Azure Flame barehanded to do it.

"Good, good!" Councilman Richtor clapped. Which turned into an eclipsing series of applause from the audience above.

---

Luc returned home with his parents, the two cheering him on the whole way for his mission. But as he lay down in his bed, all he could think of was how easily he had been manipulated.

OOC: TIMESKIP TO MORNING. EVERYTHING IS RELEVANT AGAIN YAY!

The foyer of the manor had been cleaned considerably during the night, but still was in no good condition. Nearly a dozen people were already moving about. Mostly Directus locals. Luc and his family among them. Between a pair of guards was Damian, clasped in irons still and waiting for others to wake so he could be released.

On the doors of the rooms where the women stayed, an envelope had been carefully hung on each doorknob. Each letter inside would have the exact same message ready.

Dear madame,

In accordance with Councilman Richtor's wishes, one of you will be treated to a free dress designed specifically for you, for use at the ball in the capital. Please, decide amongst yourselves who should receive this gift.

And on the doors of the rooms the men stayed -- creating a bit of a mess on the knobs where both sexes stayed -- were a different set of letters.

Dear sir,

In accordance with Councilman Richtor's wishes, two of you will be allowed to receive a customized ceremonial armor for use at the ball in the capital. Please, decide amongst yourselves who should receive these gifts.

---

Outside the mansion, a dozen stalls and vendors had been put to shop, their proud wares on display and gleaming even under the green sky. General Mendoza and Councilmen Richtor walked amongst the area, inspecting the items at random.

"Did your ploy work?" The General asked.

"Oh?" the Councilman alluded to no ploy in particular. But knew exactly what ploy the good General was talking about. Yes, the Councilman had managed to get in contact with the double agents. And flooded them with so much information about the group that a man would be buried in the words. Of course, most of those words were lies. "I wonder..." But enough were truth that Richtor could turn the inevitable counter. Or so he hoped.

OOC: Whew, that took forever. Before anyone asks, Richtor is trying to force his own agenda ahead with the letters, you don't have to comply. And Luc doesn't know about them, yet.

Edited April 24, 2012 by Script

[Snike]

Pre-skip

Derek

"Well, you've got at least a whole night, and half a day, to do so," Derek said, smirking slightly. Getting up, he said, "If you don't need anything, I guess I'll be going."

[Snowy_One]

With a groggy yawn, Esphyr awoke and plodded outside her room. Noticing the letter on the door, she quickly plucked it up and looked it over. A ball? A thin grimace slid over her face. Such things were for nobles and prissy girls. Not a hardened-"even if he loves you, he will suffer pressure from other nobles because you are a lowborn girl." a near approximation of what Alf had said earlier flickered through her mind. Still, just a dress and a ball wouldn't matter THAT much, would-"You know, you would look really cute if you let your hair down, and maybe dressed better." As Lev's words flickered through her mind, Esphyr's opinion on the ball changed. She may not have been the most suited for formal events, but still... She wanted to go now. Holding the letter to her chest, she looked down the hallway to see if any of the other women were awake.

---

The Headmaster awoke a few moments after Esphyr. She too plodded outside to look at the note, only to read it and laugh a moment later. She didn't need a specially made dress! Though it would have been nice, simple mana-weaving and letting her wings out would trump anything a normal person could do. Still, she wanted to go! Balls! Dancing! Music! Men! Romance! She had to stop herself as her arms slowly started to rise up and her feet slide across the floor in a waltz as two of her six wings slowly fanned out behind her.

---

Altion awoke in the mens quarters soon as well. Finding the note, he read it with a bit of disdain. Balls? Why would someone want to wear ceremonial armor to watch a childs play toy? Shrugging, he stashed it in his gauntlet until he could ask someone before yawning and moving out into the main area.

[Dark Sage]

"*Yawn* Mrrrph-phlakgne Cthulu fhlyagan," Alf muttered as he woke up. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and left his room to check up on Reika. Maybe she was feeling better today.

What he saw astonished him. Reika was reading a book he never saw anyone carry and she was writing on a piece of paper, a closer inspection revealing her practicing her letters. She can't read or write very well either I see. She had clearly been up all night with no signs of tiredness.

"You're....feeling a lot better," said Alferis, surprised at the seemingly fast recovery.

"M-my n-nerves were jittery a-all night," Reika stammered looking up from the book. "Don't know why it is now, but I feel, pretty on edge ya know?"

"Uh huh. The effects of the severing on you are...odd," said Alf, too stunned at the revelation.

"Obviously," Reika's lip curled. "P-Practiced a bit o-of m-my fighting to t-t-try to get used to this," she said getting up and walking a bit. There was a bounce in her walk, marking hyperactivity. I wonder how long this'll last, but for now, I need to get her weapons back. And talk Esphyr out of trying to get severed. I don't want two people to end up like this.

"I wonder....will you crash in the middle of the day?"

"W-well slave, now's a good chance to find out. A-And I can do with a bath t-to relax me somewhat," she said bounding out of the room, Alferis trying to follow.

"Hurry up slave, or do I h-have to bring out t-t-t-t-he whip?" she said turning around. Alferis took the opportunity of quickly studying her face.

Still swollen, he thought sadly. Whatever this was, it was clearly a temporary recovery, if a recovery at all.

[riariadne]

Preskip

Chase woke up on the ground, unconscious. "Uuugh... Damian... that jerk! If he wasn't already unconscious I'd knock him out... Gah. I need to get some rest..." With that, Chase went to an unoccupied guest room and went to sleep, knowing tomorrow would be better, because he had something to look forward to: his birthday.

Meanwhile, Conrad approached Jasmine. "I heard Morgan asked you to deliver something, right? Could you also drop off that letter I gave you?" he asked her.

--

Postskip

Chase blinked, staring at the sunlight, and thought to himself. Today feels different for some reason... hmmm, what's today... oh, right. Today's my seventeenth birthday! Smiling, he went down the stairs, and was served quickly by the chef after ordering a meal. That's a good start, at least. I wonder if anyone else even knows. Well, I suppose they will later.

Edited August 19, 2010 by Lightning

[Dark Sage]

As the two walked throughout the hall, they came across Esphyr who was walking along as well.

"Well t-the cat's out of t-the b-bag now that idiot slave h-ere told you," said Reika fiercely, clearly still upset about what happened before.

"Yeah, she's still sick and stayed up all night. Just ignore her. How you feeling Esphyr?"

[Snowy_One]

"A bit off. Rita showered me in this 'love potion' last night and I still feel a bit gunked up from it, even after a bath. I know I didn't drink any, but she poured the stuff on me. You can ask her for some if you want to make Reika nicer to you Alf. It will work, but she may try to rape you if it does." she said before showing the note. "I found this on my door this morning... And... Ummm... I remember what you said about Damian being pressured because I'm a commoner and... I'm interested in attending."

[Dark Sage]

"Love potion?" Alf asked in a neutral voice.

"Ad-advice from the slave? Th-that's new," said Reika, jumping a bit.

"Oh that. I'm sorry Esphyr. Go to the ball if you want, I'm sure you'll have a good time. And given from what I saw yesterday, I doubt anyone will want to pressure him about it," Alferis said dryly. "I doubt either of us are going though. Balls aren't my thing and I'd be treated a lot worse since, you know, the class, the clothes the scars," he said, his voice nearly trembling at the last part.

[Snowy_One]

"I'm scarred as well Alf." said Esphyr. "I'm sure I can handle it though. I mean, they aren't too visible and I'm sure that I will be little more than a nameless face there for most of the night."

[Dark Sage]

"Yeah, you're much better off than me in that regard," said Alferis, shuddering. "Don't worry about it. You'll be fine, I promise. You can tell me about it afterwards. In the meantime this evening, I'm going to sample every single food in this house," he said smiling. "Man if this is being a noble, I'm going to try to make as much money as possible and be one."

Reika merely rolled her eyes.

[Snowy_One]

"It's impossible to do while being a bandit or mercenary. In order to earn money, we need to take on life-endangering missions. Yet rare is the job with a low risk and high payout. In order to maximize our chances of survival, we need to spend money to maintain weapons and armor as well as upgrade them. As a result, any money we earn is sent back at a near even rate. We'll never get rich like this. It simply isn't possible. Not without putting yourself in a dragons maw."

OOC: Gonna be playing Starcraft.

Edited August 19, 2010 by Snowy_One

[Dark Sage]

"I know I know, I might quit and be a merchant or something. I dunno, but being wined and dined and doing all these fun things is my idea of a good life, especially when you never know when your next meal is coming from."

[Psych]

Rita and Cess:

Walking out of their room, they noticed the parchment on the door.

"I don't think I'd look good in armor. It should probably go to someone else."

"Ooooh my head. What happened last night?"

" You need to go apologize to Lev and Iso. And probably Esphyr too. Go take a bath, you smell like rotten fruit."

As they walked down the halls towards the baths, they ran into Irina. Cess stopped and waved to her.

"Can you make sure Rita takes a bath? She's kinda sticky and smelly after last night."

"I'm not three...>_>"

[Balcerzak]

OOC: Yesteday.

After having finishd with the healing, and confirming the abduction of Charlotte when the others were questioning her location, Tessa had rode along with the rest of the group as they left the canyon. The troubadour wasn't happy with the situation, but realistically, Charlotte was likely being taken to Jace, and Jace was already their destination, so there was nothing more to be done on the matter. Minding Reika as they travelled, and plagued by her headache and ill rest, she kept mostly to herself as they rode on, though Arrin, it seemed, was as always nearby.

The appearance of the peddling merchant piqued her curiousity briefly, but remembering how terrible she was at understanding matters of finance, she simply watched the nomad mage's reaction. After she'd mentally appointed him as 'responsible for monetary issues', she figured it would do well enough to trust in and follow his judgement of the situation. When it became clear that he either didn't deem the goods of value, or felt they were overpriced, or attached some other negative quality to dealing with the fellow, she separated from those who were ogling at them, moving Trevor several paces further down the path. She wasn't about to say it aloud, but she was eager to get to a town, and sleep in a proper bed, under a proper roof. Not... some... cave.

------

The group had stopped again, for some reason or another. Trevor wasn't particularly sure why, nor did he care, but he suspected it had something to do with the brightly dressed human loudly addressing his current human and her group. Since his human wasn't telling him to do anything, he was currently taking advantage of her leniency and lightly grazing at some grasses by the side of the road. The crashing appearance, and ensuing ruckus caused by the arrival of the pink wyvern was another matter though. Pricking his ears up, swishing his tail with a touch of nervousness, and prancing a little bit, the stallion surveyed the sudden development with a cautious eye, gauging its danger.

Seems to be okay... the beast is concerning itself with the loud and bright human, my human and her group are not its focus... very well. Assessment complete, the warhorse relaxed once again, and was about to resume his grazing when the party's own wyverns starked to muck about in a fuss.

Snorting impatiently and with disapproval, Trevor couldn't believe himself. Show a little restraint, guys! Pffft, jumping all over each other at the first sign of a fertile female... how juvenile. You don't see me trying to rut with each and every of the mares here, do you? Well aware of how poorly things could go down in a battle for dominance among males seeking to mate, he further distanced himself and his human from the struggle that was sure to come. She was somewhat small, and probably fragile, and keeping her safe from danger was his charge from his primary human.

------

Tessa hadn't had to do anything, when the wvyerns had descended. Trevor had seemed inclined to move her far away from the scuffle, and she wasn't all too keen on trying to step in and resolve things either, so she let him. Soon enough, that disaster somehow managed to get sorted out, mostly thanks to the efforts of Lev, it seemed, and they were back on the road again, headed towards Directus.

OOC: I'll get some more in here later. But, hey, I'm not dead guys, honest. It just seems that way.

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

OOC: Nobody else posted, so the next chunk just gets editted in. Still all in the yesterday.

The group had arrived at Directus without further incident, and the cavalry captain had done a decent job in handling the negotiations. The city's Visitor Center seemed at first blush to be quite welcoming. Before they were allowed in however, one of the guards had requested the group leader to attend a meeting, perhaps interrogation, of sorts. There was a pregnant pause, as no-one seemed to volunteer themselves, and Tessa found herself looking pleadingly at Morgan. If nobody volunteered, she would have to step forward herself, and the troubadour couldn't see that working well in the slightest. While, yes, she'd slowly been forced into taking more responsibilities here and there when others of the group were indisposed, or otherwise unavailable, she was by no means confident in her skills, and Fargo's reaction when she'd ridden out to meet him suggested that her appearance would immediately cast doubt on her place in the scheme of things.

Morgan finally spoke up though, and Tessa started to breathe a sigh of relief. She was forced to catch her breath, though, as the shaman finished her sentence. ...Not only had the woman refused to attend the meeting... but she was sending one of the prime remaining mole suspects in her stead? Tessa's jawed dropped, and it was all she could do to keep from squeaking out a protest. It wouldn't be seemly to expose the group's inner squabbles to outsiders, and display just how fractured their unity was... though, no doubt Sir Luc could easily shed more than enough light on that if pressed, she conceded. Still, she at least, was not about to make matters any worse. Derek was led on his way before she had managed to arrive at a diplomatic solution to the mess, as thinking past her headache was difficult business, and she just watched on with a distressed look on her face.

However, with that business out of the way, they were allowed in to the Visitor Center, and after being shown a brief tour or the place, Tessa headed back outside. While she was a mess and should be taking care of herself, by immediately heading to sleep, other things still had to come first. Directing Trevor into the stables, and making sure he got at least some of a personal touch, before leaving him completely in the care of strangers, and then carefully moving Reika into main building. The troubadour wasn't particularly strong, but thankfully the female thief was of slight build, and manageable. Moving the girl inside the lobby, and draping her onto one of the couches, she was heaving a little sigh from the exertion when Alferis suddenly came up. The axefighter quickly thanked Tessa for looking after Reika for him, before picking her up in his arms and effortlessly carrying her off to one of the bedrooms.

"Heh... he makes it look so easy," she allowed herself to whine just a little, as he left earshot, before shaking her head a bit. "That said... they really are a lot closer than I remember. I wonder if I just missed it before, or what exactly goes on between them."

Musings aside, she went to the dining area to grab a light snack, but mostly for a tall crisp drink. She contemplated asking Pary for some of the tea she always saw him drinking, to try to soothe herself that way, but she didn't see the priest around at all. Resigning herself to an early night, she just picked an unoccupied room in the center and flopped down on the bed, closing her eyes. She would have to just postpone things until the morrow...

------

...however, her rest was almost immediately interrupted, as apparently quite successful with the council meeting or whatever, they were being moved out of the Visitor's Center, and relocated to the axe knight's private residence. Perhaps after seeing Damian's manse Tessa was no longer all that surprised when it was revealed that other members of the military held similarly posh estates, but the more likely explanation was that her brain simply wasn't in the condition to really register much more of anything. She wasn't sure who it was−had it been Heinz, Eric, Arrin?−but someone had lent her an arm, as she sleepily moved from one bedroom to the next.

Settling in, she slept soundly through the rest of the night, missing out on a grand incident, and oddly enough, despite the need for healers, no-one had come to her directly. Likely they had noticed the fatigue and simply let her be once it became apparent that the in-house healers were competent and up to the task.

Edited August 19, 2010 by Balcerzak

[Phoenix]

Isotov

As he woke up, he was once again greeted by a dark abyss he could swear was giving him an invisible sinister grin. He clinched his fists scrunching up the blankets as he sat up. His energy had come back in his sleep, and his old wounds were gone once again, but he felt terrible. He'd had a dream about his old teacher and it was strange, more like a memory really. Not wanting to dwell on it with his current tutor and love interest missing, he stood from the bed and felt his way to the door. By chance he found the letter addressing the ceremonial armor. He held the note out and aimed his face at it as if he was going to read it, but he was merely thinking to himself.

Iso: ... *sigh* ... is this what it's going to be like when I see Katie again? ... she can't speak, and I can't see a damn thing. What am I going to do?

He dropped the letter and hung his head overcome by despair.

Iso: What the hell am I supposed to do now?!! I can't get Proxima back, I can't get Katie back!! I can't protect anyone I care about, and I can't even get back at Ixion and Ivanko for what they did to us!!

He slammed his fist against the door as hard as he could fracturing the wood and causing himself a great deal of pain!

Iso: I can't ... take this anymore ...

As he slid down to his knees, he kept one hand on the door, and kept his other fist on the ground. He looked down at the ground with his grayed eyes open just before slamming them shut and screaming!

Iso: RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!

Irina

Having taken full advantage of the luxury of staying at a mansion, Irina was once again trotting around in a t shirt and short shorts. She had planned on getting breakfast and then taking a bath. The letter that she read was a bit startling to her. Were they really going to go to a ball at the capital? Was that safe? She read the note a few times on her way down the halls, but then saw Cess.

Irina: Oh! Morning, Cess. Rita ... needs a bath? Didn't she wash up last night?

Levski

Levski had spent the entire night posted up on the roof. Before he did that however, he traded in his armor to the servants and switched to a regular shirt and some slacks. It wasn't comfortable for him to be so lightly clothed, but he didn't mind so long as he caught his flying pink prize. Krinkov and Kiev stayed out on the roof with him. The wyvern didn't come before morning, and he could be seen reading a novel while leaning up against a snoozing Krinkov. Kiev was sleeping on his back for some reason. Lev thought that was odd since it was a female trait, but figured the young wyvern was just going through a phase.

Viveka

After being left to rest by Derek, Viveka drifted off to sleep. She had her typical nightmare where the stone gray red eyed wyvern forced her to watch as it killed everyone she cared for, and endured as she always did. When she woke up, she felt completely fine. her cold related sickness was gone, and the rest had restored her energy to normal levels. She immediately hopped out of bed and started taking off her armor! She grabbed a spare robe from the closet before rushing to find the baths.

Jasmine

Jasmine gladly accepted the letter from the General before she set off. With Irina's map, she would be just fine, and if she flew as fast as she could, hopefully she could make it back just as the group reached the capital. Finding them once she got there would be another issue she thought. She set out in the dead of night and made her way to her first stop. Halton.

[Balcerzak]

Tessa actually awoke bright and early for once, having gone to sleep so much earlier than the norm as well. Stretching, a satisfying popping noise coming from some few of her joints, she let out one last yawn, before taking care of her morning ablutions and assorted matters of hygiene. Exitting her room, she noticed, and pocketed the letter hung thereupon. The fact that all doorknobs in sight seemed to have a letter attached made her think that it was a form letter, and perhaps not-so-urgent.

Rather more pressing, were the various affairs she needed to talk with Morgan about, and the best way to do so would be to catch the shaman early in the morning, before anybody else managed to acquire her attention.

...The only problem the troubadour faced, was that she was not sure just who was in which room. Not about to let that stop her, she decided to just pace back and forth, keeping an eye out on all the rooms with letters. When she saw Morgan, great!

[Psych]

Rita and Cess:

"I was too tired. >_>"

" Look, I'm going to get some breakfast and try and make sure Rita didn't screw things up too badly. I'll be back soon."

Rita, with her head held low, walked into the baths.

[riariadne]

Having finished his meal, Chase walked past the axe-fighter. "Hi, Alferis," he said pleasantly, and waked passed him.

Conrad noticed the change in behavior, muttering, "Huh, what's with him? Must be something going on today."

[Ansem]

"Yo, Chaser! How you feeling after i nuked you yesterday?" He snarked with the letter in his hand. "Got one of these?"

OOC: Troll bait!

[riariadne]

"Well, it hurt then, but I'm fine now. Don't ruin my day please. Oh and I didn't notice the letter. Thanks for pointing it out. Bye," Chase replied, determined not to have his day ruined, not even by Helios, and he headed towards the room again.

[Phoenix]

Irina

Irina: I guess I could take a bath first myself. I might not get the chance if we get run out of here so better to do it now I guess ...

Viveka

She reached the baths as Irina and Rita did and rushed in before preparing a bath for herself. She was in a rush so she decided to forgo the warming period and endure the cold. She was in a hurry to be done with her morning activities and started rushing every step of her morning activities furiously!

Irina came in and took her time unlike her pegasus riding counterpart.