Lord of Azure Flame Chapter 20: Bait and switch

[Ether]

"Is that so? You didn't mean to steal him? You showed up, started blubbering at his feet for attention, and you knew he cared enough to follow you! Then you just did like you always do, you weasel your way into what you want once the opportunity presents itself!" Aiya replied, anger winning out over the hurt as she heard Esphyr stumbling at her words trying to look sympathetic.

"And you heard me talking to Irina too... and you still haven't done anything about it? You would go so far as trying to kill the poor girl just so you can ruin my life afterward?!"

[Dark Sage]

"I'm...gonna knock off for today..." said Alferis, backing away slowly from the quarreling ladies.

"Maybe some sleep's what I need. Yeah, that's it. Haven't been resting well lately..." he mumbled, annoyed at everyone present.

Well you sure screwed up now. Wonder what's up with my head, but now, I'll have to work even harder at regaining their trust. They think I'm mad and I probably am.

You can't trust them! They're after you! Go--

"Oh shut up figment of my imagination." Immediately after this, he smacked his head, shaking it a bit.

"We'll discuss this later Aiya," he said before turning away and heading towards a tree, resting in the shade.

Edited October 21, 2010 by Yoshimitsu

[Snowy_One]

"I haven't done anything, yes. I'm too scared. How do I face someone whom I almost killed over a dress? I wish I had not. I can face you though. I thought we were friends. I only wanted a chance to dance with Damian. A chance to spend time with him. It is no secret I love him, and it is no secret that you do as well. Do you think I would push you away just so I could have him all to myself? I would rather see him happy with you, then have him to myself and regretting ever leaving you for me."

[Ether]

"Do I think you would push me away just so you could have him to yourself? That doesn't sound like what happened, not at all. It isn't like you dragged him away from me so you could have your shot, and left me sobbing in the corner and smothering myself with spiked punch! You just wanted a chance to spend some time with him? I'm sure there were ways to do that without shoving me off on my own for the whole damn night!" Aiya clenched her hand in an attempt to mediate and control herself.

"If you would rather see him happy with me, then the ball is in your court, Esphyr. Make my day."

[Phoenix]

Isotov

Iso listened, his eyes still closed, his body still leaned back, his arms still supporting his head from behind, his mood still near furious. When Aiya expounded on the fight between Irina and Esphyr, Iso grinded his teeth. It was just one thing after another, as if a cosmic force was egging him on and trying to get him to cast the first stone, or in this case fire spell. He wouldn't do it though. He wasn't one of the group's insane lunatics and refused to ever stoop to their level of incompetence by acting like an emotional wreck. He wouldn't let his anger get the best of him. Not now. He shut out what they were saying and tried his hardest to dwell on it.

Ixion

Ixion: Much more violent. Possibly. It is going to take the other researchers and works some time to set up another lab room so take your time resting up. It should be ready by tomorrow morning at the latest. I'll be heading back soon to make some preparations and also amend our safety procedures.

He shrugged thinking about it. They didn't know enough about either condition to be completely prepared for anything that could happen. Ixion simply resolved to prepare as best he could and improve his methods as the research progressed.

OOC: Just some quick things to note. Damian is in a hospital in Irvinheim. This is a few blocks outside the IM fortress walls. Aka, he's not currently inside the base itself though the building is being somewhat guarded. Reason for this is because Ixion suspects the burst of energy might have effected Mana as well and is keeping him at a temporary distance. Last thing he needs is them both raging and the same time. Also this hospital actually has good food. Once Damian feels well enough to return to the fortress, Ixion will take him(if he's there), if not, one of the other IMs will.

[Snowy_One]

Esphyr took a long, pained look at Aiya. Then, she dropped to one knee. "Damian is gone Aiya. For now at least. You are the closest thing to his second in command, his other part. As such, I follow your command as a mercenary. If you desire for me to leave him alone, I will. If you desire to send me forth to fight for you, I will. The only thing you can not do is contradict Damian's orders, for he is the contract holder. Aiya. I'm not looking to make you my enemy. If you want me to leave you and him alone, I will. A single command is all you need, and I will never lay eye upon him again except as a hired sword."

Esphyr drew her blade and offered it to Aiya, hilt first. "I don't want to hurt you, I don't want to hurt Damian." she said. It hurt her to say those words as she offered up her sword to Aiya. For so long, the sword had been her salvation, her life, and her suffering. It had defined everything she had ever been since that fateful night... and now she wanted to see Damian happy. Be it with Aiya, with her, or... with... She knew that to drive Aiya away was to spoil her chance at happiness, and to live alone was to be cut inside. She quietly prayed to the Goddess in her heart that Aiya would listen, would understand, though she knew it would not turn out like that.

[Inactive Account]

Kelas let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding as Alferis backed off, but the conflict between Aiya and Esphyr was also worrying. "Come on, let's get out of here," she muttered to Isotov, moving to get up. "This can't end well."

[Ether]

Aiya shook her head a little as Esphyr began to speak.

'Is she just trying to mock me now? What is she doing? I just... I just don't know.'

"I... I don't have any orders for you right now... just... just leave me alone for a little while, Esphyr. I need to think on this." Aiya replied, sitting on the bench with a sigh.

*****************

"All right. I guess I can give myself time to rest up if you can spare it." Damian replied, before a feeling of hunger washed over him.

"Urgh... looks like that drained my energy... where can I get something to eat here?"

[Phoenix]

Isotov

Iso: Ugh. Probably a good idea. I'm getting a headache for one, and this isn't exactly my idea of resting either.

Once he got up and began following Kelas, it seemed that the situation had somewhat dissipated. Still, Iso was apprehensive knowing full well that he was in a furious mood as it was.

Ixion

Ixion: The nurses should be able to bring you anything you need. One moment.

He walked over to the door and opened it. He stuck his upper body out into the hall leaving his feet where they were and spoke to someone by the door. Three people were outside the room. A Hero standing on the right side of the door, and a sword master standing on the left with a young nurse standing by him.

Ixion: He's awake.

Nurse: Oh! That's good. He didn't look so well when you brought him in even though his more serious wounds were already healed.

Ixion: I'll be leaving shortly. After that, I want you or one of the others here at all times.

She nodded as he opened the door further revealing her to Damian.

Ixion: This is Angel. She will see to anything you need while I'm gone. If you feel good enough to continue, let the staff know and we'll bring you back into the fortress. As I said though, take your time recovering for at least today. A new lab room isn't ready yet.

Angel: (I wonder what happened.) Well, is there anything I can do for you, Mister Kleine?

[Snowy_One]

"As you wish." said Esphyr, standing upright and sighing in relief. She had fully expected Aiya to outright demand that she stay away from Damian entirely. Standing upright, she looked Aiya in the moment in the eye before she moved past her to leave. As she did, her hand came up to touch Aiya on the shoulder. Regardless of if Aiya moved or not, a moment later, Esphyr had left her to herself... happy that things had not turned out as bleak as they could have.

"I need to apologize to Irina as well but..." she slumped down against a wall. "How do I manage that? Oh hey Irina! Sorry about almost killing your wyvern over a stupid dress!"

[Ether]

As Ixion opened the door, Damian saw several guards on standby.

'He is serious about this... that's a good thing, though.'

As the nurse, who Ixion introduced as Angel, entered the room, she asked Damian if he wanted anything.

"Yes, actually. If you wouldn't mind, could you bring me something to eat? I'm famished."

******************

As Esphyr looked her in the eye and rested her hand on Aiya's shoulder, then left, Aiya was snapped out of her thoughts for a moment. She noticed that everyone had left.

"Am I scaring everyone away now?"

Edited October 21, 2010 by Ether

[Phoenix]

The Pink Wyvern

Once Lev came over to her, Irina quickly took a few steps toward him to close the distance faster. He had a smile on his face for some reason. Not sure why, she quickly made that her first inquiry.

Irina: What are you so happy about?

Lev: Not really happy or anything, just in a decent mood.

Irina: What could possibly have you in a good mood after what we went through?

Lev: Well, for one we survived. Also Morgan's not too upset about these Kamilla business which is a bit of a pick-me-up. I can always count on her to not break out into hysterics. It's a nice quali-

Irina: If this is turning into a Morgan praising talk, save it. I wanted to ask you about little Miss Pink here.

Lev: She's not really pink, it's just the way she looks in certain lighting. She's more of a peachy light red.

Irina: I know pink when I see it. What are we going to do with her? Are we keeping her as a breeder, are we selling her ... what?

Lev: I had an idea, Irina, but I'm not sure you would be alright with it.

Irina: Umm ... okay what's your idea?

Lev: You're almost ready to become a wyvern lord but you don't have the size advantage most wyvern lords take with them into combat. Both you and Kiev are a bit too small to even qualify.

Irina: ... again ... and again ... and AGAIN. Urgh, I'm getting so sick and tired of people harping on Kiev about his size. He's only a couple of feet smaller than any full grown wyvern. Do I have to keep reminding people that he's not fully grown yet? I mean come on. You guys act like he's never going to get any bigger.

Lev: (Yikes. I forgot how protective of Kiev she is.) Umm ... okay ....

She lowered her head and a deep moping carried with her voice.

Irina: Stop picking on Kiev.

Lev: I'm not trying to pick on Kiev. Hell, he's the only other wyvern I've managed to boss around besides Krinkov. He's alright in my books but this isn't about being alright. It's about you being as effective in combat as possible.

Irina: Say what?

Lev: I won't beat around the bush here. I want you to train pinky over here.

Irina: Lev, she's uncaged and that would take a whole month.

Lev: No it won't. These wyvern is already domesticated. I've been watching her closely and she's nothing like normal wild females.

Irina: What?

Lev: She wasn't fully trained to be ridden, Irina. I think she was someone's pet. "Pressha" is the name on that pendant she had. Maybe that was the owner. She's ours now though so I want you to train her and use her as your riding partner when you begin your wyvern lord training.

Irina didn't know what to think. The pink wyvern was somewhat less aggressive than normal wild wyverns, but she was also another's wyvern once. Who's? Who was Pressha, and what happened that led to her becoming a stray? And what about Kiev? He was her true wyvern partner. She would never feel good about grounding him for another wyvern simply because it was bigger, faster, and stronger. She was starting to get annoyed feeling that Lev was being completely insensitive to her on the matter.

Irina: I don't want to do that. I don't want to just push Kiev to the side and train this wyvern, Lev. It's not fair to him. He and I have always been together and I can't replace him. I won't.

Lev: I'm not asking you to replace him. Pinky here is just for battles. If you really want to be fair to Kiev, give the guy a break. He takes so much hurt in combat as it is and at his age that isn't necessarily a good thing. You only need this new wyvern for battle. That's it. Kiev is still your wyvern, and he's still your true riding partner. You always said you hated having to use him as a war engine, so put an end to it now. Pinky here certainly doesn't mind tearing things up. Use her.

Lev had pointed out some things that addressed all of Irina's issues with training the female wyvern. She wasn't sure what to think of it being owned by someone else in the past, but she could overlook it for now she thought. She had one last concern though.

Irina: Um, Lev. If I do this, will you help me?

Lev: Just between you and me ... ... that's why I'm here.

She smiled but was quickly caught up in thought. What exactly did he mean by that? He was here because he had two relatively simple jobs, not to help her train, right?

OOC: Pink wyvern's color is R: 255, G: 120, B: 124

Ixion and Angel

Angel: You're hungry? Is there anything in particular you'd like?

Ixion: I should be going for now. The lab will be ready sooner if I'm there to point out the specifics and I also have a few other things to tend to for the moment, the Headmaster being one of them. I'll see you later, Damian.

With that he turned to leave.

Edited October 21, 2010 by Phoenix

[Inactive Account]

"There's got to be somewhere quiet in this place," Kelas muttered, heading inside. She realized that she didn't really know where anything in the palace was; what little she'd found the other day, she hadn't remembered. "Random direction, I guess?"

[Ether]

As Angel asked him what he wanted, Damian shrugged to himself.

"I don't have anything particular in mind. Just get me something that isn't going to take you too much effort, alright." Damian replied with a smile.

[Phoenix]

Isotov

Iso: Yeah sure, but let's not stray too far wherever we go. This place is more complex than I remembered. Probably because I'm still not used to walking around in here with working eyes.

That certainly brought back strange memories, mostly sounds. He hadn't even seen much of the castle. Just the main hall itself from what he recalled. The revisit felt a little strange because of that.

Angel

Angel: Something that won't take much effort? Hmm ... okay. Air it is, teehee. Don't worry. I think I know just the thing for a recovering soldier to dine on.

She headed for the door and quietly opened it before waving goodbye and stepping out.

Edited October 22, 2010 by Phoenix

[Dark Sage]

"Yeah...sleep's what I need," said Alferis, heading over to a nearby tree and collapsed right by it, closing his eyes, trying his best to ignore the voice raging in his head.

[Inactive Account]

"It is kind of a miserable rat-warren," Kelas agreed. She spotted another bench at the end of the hall. "This should work. Hopefully none of the chaos comes wandering through here, too," she added, sitting down. "People will probably get moving soon, anyway."

[Psych]

I call her Vera:

As the carriage rode along, Vera looked out across the plain. They were making good time, and would arrive at the capital by nightfall. Vera went back to trying to nap, the sounds of the horses' feet running along. "Oh my gosh! Look Vera! There's a kid out there!"

Vera's friend Rosy shook her awake. "What is it? We don't have time to stop if we want to be there by night time. I'm not sleeping outside again tonight."

"But he looks really young, and all alone."

"Fine. You can see if he needs a ride or something." Vera knocked on the back wall of the carriage, before they slowed to a stop. The young boy seemed to be carrying a staff, walking alone. Rosalind hopped out, running over to the boy.

"Hi! We noticed you looked kinda lonely. You're really young to be out all alone. What's your name?"

"Rosalind! What have I said? You're supposed to keep your guard up."

"Oh...right, right." Rosy puffed out her chest, before saluting. "Major Rosalind Scheffer at your service!"

"*sigh* I am Major General Vera Tyrell. Can we be of service?"

Edited October 22, 2010 by Psych

[Phoenix]

Bench Warming

Iso walked over and sat down right by Kelas and resumed his previous back lean and arm resting. It was only a moment before he finally thought of something positive to talk about, even though it was about the exact opposite of resting.

Iso: So when are we going to get back to useful things, training, etc?

Nibbler

As Alferis slept the area about him seemed calm and perfectly normal, but it wouldn't stay that way for long. Susann had been nervously wandering around searching for the magnificent one who frequented these parts. A bit discouraged, she came to a stop right over Alferis. His head was much closer than the grass and so she lowered her head a bit and began nibbling on his hair.

Edited October 22, 2010 by Phoenix

[Mercakete]

Beau looked at the two women with some slight confusion. They seemed to be heading deeper into Septiumus territory. What was even more peculiar was that they were part of someone's military and the sudden shift of Rosalind' attitude at her superior's odd rebuke.

(Perhaps I should have stayed hidden... They hopefully won't give me any trouble, but unless they are entirely unaware of the nobles of Elyisimia, it is likely that they will recognize me. I simply hope that they are uneducated enough to mistake me for a Septiminian child. Honestly, though, I have made myself obvious. Perhaps they are dense enough to think that, though. Otherwise, I might have just been glanced by a poison-tipped knife.) The thoughts played in his head as he analyzed the women all in the blink of an eye. Then, an innocent smile formed on his face as he blinked up at the women. (I'll have to try to pass myself off...)

"No, I'm fine. Thank you for asking if you could help me, though. The goddess will surely repay your kindness," he replied sweetly, his stomach churning with disgust at his foux disposition and disguised, insencere words, "I need to keep walking, though, or I won't make it to my next stop on time. Goodbye!"

With that he waved to the women and continued on his southwestern way. When his back was to them, though, he let himself relaxed a little and his face to be twisted with disgust. (I never want to do that again... Ugh... I was acting like a stupid, happy peasant-child... Forgive me for falsely associating myself with that religion, Sisrae... Ugh, I don't feel...quite so hale as I should...)

[Psych]

Two Girls, One Priest:

"Vera?"

"Yes, yes, make it quick."

Rosy hurried over towards him, stopping him. "Oh, well....We can give you a ride. I'm sure we'll help you reach your destination much faster. And a little kid shouldn't be out a night all alone. Don't worry! We're big tough Halton Generals. We'll protect you."

Vera stood on the sidelines, looking over her armor. She went back inside the carriage to wait, and took off her breastplate, polishing it.

[Dark Sage]

"Oww!" Alferis said, shooting up, clutching his hair. What greeted his eyes was the sight of a pegasus chewing yellow...hair?

"Oh son of a bitch. Do all pegasi do this?" he muttered, glaring at Susann before moving away.

"Sleep's impossible. Ah well, might as well get my shirt. Better be dried off now," he said, heading back over to where he left his shirt out. He sniffed it a bit. It still smelled awful but it could've been worse. At least it was cleaner.

He headed back to the pegasus, and tapped his foot, glaring at her.

"Look pegasus. Humans don't like their hair being eaten ok? It hurts."

[Phoenix]

A Sunny Disposition

The human woke up and moved away so fast that some of his hair was pulled out. When she no longer felt any resistance from the hair she dropped it. She moved her head closer to try and latch back onto Alferis' head but he moved away and she stopped in her tracks as he left. Upon his return she smelled something different. It smelled kind of bad and she snorted a bit.

The human began tapping his foot against the ground and making noises at her, disapproving noises, aggressive noises. It forced her to take a few steps back, her legs shaking the whole time. What did she do wrong? Why was this human upset with her?

OOC: That title is more ironic than I first realized.

Edited October 22, 2010 by Phoenix

[Ether]

As the nurse departed, Damian leaned back into the pillow of the bed.

It was comfortable, at the very least.

"I wonder what she had in mind..."

[Mercakete]

(Ugh... Not that stupid act again... Oh well, here it goes...) Beau smiled back at Rosalind.

"Halton? You look like you're going further into Septimus, right? Sorry, Miss General, but the place I have to go is further towards Jerdon and Elyisimia. If you're coming from the south, then we're going in opposite directions," Beau shifted appologeticly as part of his act, "Keep safe, Halton generals! Buh-bye!"

Again, he turned and began leaving the women behind, once more disgusted with himself. ("Buh-bye?" Ugh... If I keep this up, I'm going to be ill for a week...or more... Agh, the suffering of intellect... I cannot believe the uneducated's slaughtering of language... And I mimicked their simple-mindedness! Nnn... Ah, well. If it meant getting away without my identity being noticed and my father informed of my wherabouts, then it was worth it...perhaps...)