Lord of Azure Flame Chapter 24: The Schism

[Phoenix]

Peggies

Viveka: You're ... leaving?

Jasmine would have said the same thing had Viv not beaten her to it. She stayed silent while Derek helped Viv off the floor and looked back at the window when the cavalier asked her Captain about what had caused all of this. Viveka lowered her head and looked away slightly. Jasmine knew Viveka couldn't think of anything to say that wouldn't cause her military act to fall to pieces.

Jasmine: Uh, Derek? Well it's-

Viveka: J-Jas ... m ...

She couldn't just shut up this time. Viv needed some help here.

Jasmine: Viv, if you don't tell him he's just going to be worried, besides you don't want him to leave like this, do you?

Viveka: W-where are you going, exactly?

Uspensky

Uspensky: <"Well I'm happy I could help be of assistance. Farewell, Borodin.">

The man leaned back and looked up at the ceiling.

Uspensky: <"Tch ... they aren't really that stupid are they? What are they up to, these mercenaries and their little magician?">

[Snike]

Departure Drama

Viveka was visibly affected by the announcement of his departure, drawing away and stammering out a question, but... it wasn't just his announcement. Something was bothering her.

"... Back to Jerdon, to return the princess to her rightful throne, after all this time," he said, frowning now. "... I can tell there is something wrong, Miss Viveka. Is there any way I can help? It grieves me to see you so... distressed."

[Phoenix]

Peggies

Viveka: Oh ... I see. (He's leaving out of the blue like this ... ... does it really have to be one of MY friends? Why not someone else ... Well ... I don't know what you can do, really. (They already left ...)

Jasmine looked back and forth at the both of them and was getting a bit anxious.

Jasmine: Can you really just not tell him what's bothering you?

Viveka: What difference would it make now?

Jasmine: Get it off your chest at least! You're gonna have the guy on the road wondering what the hell was wrong and worrying about it. That's dangerou- err ... well not that it would distract you that badly, Derek, I'm just saying. It's just not a good idea to say goodbye with stuff like that not out in the open.

Viveka: ... a littler over four and a half years ago I was living with my parents and my little brother on a farm. Things had been hectic in the region for awhile because there was a bunch of wyverns terrorizing the people living there, and there was a massive bull wyvern leading them all. They were pretty much all over the place and people were losing livestock by the dozens. When our farm got hit, my little brother Lars, he ... he tried to defend our home but, once the bull showed up, he ended up saving me instead. The bull chased us though, and we got ourselves cornered. It was pretty much over. We were both going to die, its jaws were big enough to get us both in one chomp. Lars knew that and charge at him so I would at least have time to run, but when I saw him ... die like that ... I couldn't move. Ivanko had to save me. He left that bull a bloody mess and returned me to my grieving parents. I've thought so highly of him ever since ... but ... but now ....

She looked at the window where she discovered the truth and finally began tearing up. She couldn't stop herself.

Viveka: Now I know what really happened, and why he didn't answer any of the letters, and ... ... it ... hurts so much. That bull wyvern that killed my little brother and almost killed me is Ivanko's ... he's Ivanko's wyvern. I spent all this time thinking he killed it. I thought they were dragging away a body, not a new pet. I thought my brother was avenged but it's just Ivanko's tool now. I don't ... have a goddess damn idea how to deal with this.

She Who Can Read

Kamilla: (How do his eyes work, exactly? Well if he can't read a map he's literally traveling blind so I guess we're not splitting into singles like I thought. I guess that's not entirely bad. I shouldn't be going alone after what I've been through anyway.) I'll help you read the map, Henry. (And now I'm a utility ... great.)

She was going to sigh at the situation but didn't want to allude to her mood in front of church officials.

Edited May 1, 2011 by Phoenix

[Inactive Account]

Kalten

There was one last target. Borodin headed down the hall to the last of her potential allies' office, rapping on the door. There was no answer. Perhaps he was still asleep...

She was about to go try and find him elsewhere when her assistant appeared, panting; she'd apparently been jogging around looking for her. "<General,>" she began, "<news about the rebels-->"

"<Is it that they're on the move, or is there more news?>" Borodin asked without missing a beat. She suspected not, but if there was it would definitely be important, and regardless of whether or not she could find the last of the generals she wanted to talk to, she'd need to talk to her subordinates about what was going to happen.

"<No, that was it,>" her assistant replied. "<Anything you'd have me do?>"

"<Get Glinka, Kouriatov, and Ilyushin in my office,>" Borodin ordered, naming her top subordinates; she'd talk to a larger group later, as well. "<I'll be there in a few minutes. I need to brief them on the situation.>"

As her assistant ran off, Borodin resumed combing the halls.

Edited May 1, 2011 by Kiryn

[Snike]

Mountie

"..."

Derek was at a loss for words. There were none to be had. His friend just had her hero be revealed as the liar he really was, and all of her trust in him, and his own peace of mind, crushed. One one hand, the cavalier couldn't help but feel sorry for her, but if he voiced consolation or tried to, she might lash out and accuse him of being condescending, and the friendship would be broken further. On the other hand, he stand there and say nothing, but if he did so, Viveka would feel irrevocably alone, and it would be heartbreaking, to see her depressed. The third option was to walk out, but that would basically end all association between them, and any chance of Elyisimian support. Dammit, what WAS the right answer?

Instead of any of those, the man found himself walking over to Viveka, wrapping his hands around the stricken woman and pulling her closer to him, all the while careful to let her head rest on one of his shoulders.

"... It's going to be alright, Viveka. Just, don't lose hope. I can't even begin to understand what you're going through, but, it will be all right," he said, softly. Hopefully, this would not backfire, horribly.

[Script]

Luc Altair

The Captain spun around and faced the Princess addressing him. "That," he needed more time before this decision. There were still too many factors to consider and calculate. Bah, he had to make his choice now. Best to go with the safest then. "I shall take you up on your offer." If Helios kept his stubborn decision to keep with the Jerdon-bound then Morgan was likely to either force the rest to follow or try some action to keep him contained here. But either way, Luc would be prepared. "Fargo," Luc called to his subordinate.

"Whaddya need Captain?" the other Directus cavalier responded.

"Stay with the Crimson group," the Captain ordered.

"That's!" Fargo shut himself up before continuing. He sighed and answered. "Alright Captain, should I keep my bags?"

Paul. If Helios successfully separated then a demon attack was possible. They would need his strength if they were attacked as such. Yes, it was a good idea to take him. But, the question would be was he back?

A Paul

Paul was back. With considerable difficult with how damn crowded things were getting in the stables. People these days, no respect for anyone they don't know is there!

Luc Altair

"No, I'll be taking what I need from them and leaving what I suggest you'll need," the cavalier officer said. He'd need to have Fargo deal with Reika's payment it seemed. That could only end poorly, but he had little recourse. "Do what you will with the carriage though."

"Alright!" Fargo slammed his palm unto the table in happiness. His odd fixation on carriages was becoming more pronounced it seemed.

Luc faced those he would be leaving. "It seems this has become a departure for me. Until we meet again." He looked back at Charlotte and the rather oversized case she had been carrying. "Do you need assistance with that milady?"

[Phoenix]

Viveka ... and Jasmine

Jasmine's face went red as Derek hugged Viveka. Suddenly she felt out of place and couldn't figure out what to do with herself. She wanted to disappear into thin air for awhile, but that probably wasn't going to happen. So she just stood there ... not moving a muscle. Maybe she wasn't as noticeable this way?

Viveka felt the embrace and whatever was left of her attempts to stay composed and normal were gone. She hugged Derek back as tightly as she could manage and the built up tears flowed down her face. For a moment, she let go of every other thought and focused on what to her was the one good thing the world had to offer that day. Maybe he was just offering the only kind of support that came to mind, but for her it was a brief period with her problems out of mind and out of the way. If only it could last a little longer ....

Viveka: (He's ... he's leaving as soon as I let go. It's not like I won't see him again, right? So it'll be fine. There are barely a handful of people in this group I consider friends, yet alone true allies. It's really frustrating to lose one now ...)

She kept reassuring herself and looked up into Derek's eyes as she wiped her tears with her hand..

Viveka: Thank you. I can't say that enough. L-look ... the javelin ... keep it, for now.

Jasmine: Wha!-eep .... (Silencccce. Still, what's the point of letting Derek have MY javelin?)

Viveka: It's not much but ... take it with you. You can return it to us later on.

She barely managed a smile hoping the cavalier understood what she was trying to do.

[Dark Sage]

Alf nodded as Esphyr gave him the explanation, thinking a little bit more about what happened. All of what Esphyr said made sense and Alf really was lucky he got away relatively unharmed.

...I really should've knocked before entering. This whole thing could've been avoided and now I've pissed off another member of our group. I'm not in good standing as it is already and god knows what might happen if I do something like this again. I just hope Viv's not the type to hold a grudge because putting this situation fully to rest will be much more difficult. I guess leaving them alone would be a good idea but it just doesn't seem like it's the whole answer...

"Yeah. You're right," Alf began when Esphyr was finished talking. "I really wish I did knock before. And I understand their pride was hurt. I'm just wondering if it's a good idea to just leave them alone completely though. I mean, I want to stay away for awhile, but I feel like I should probably apologize to them. I never did get a chance to do that and maybe they'll feel better if I do."

-------------------------------

Good Cop, Bad Cop

Reika had been crouching near Elle's room for awhile, desperately waiting for everyone to leave. They certainly did take awhile talking, not that Reika listened in. None of what was said would've interested her, and anyway she needed to still consider whether this was a good idea.

On the one hand, Elle was fairly popular with the group when she was Dani and people were definitely protective of her now. It was probably necessary to get rough with her to get the information Reika needed on her backstabbing employers. On the other hand, harming her would definitely cause a conflict and Reika had already been beaten up enough times in the past few days.

Still, there was no other way and if she did get the info, it could alleviate any tension if they learned that she found out more about one of their enemies. Or at least, they would probably beat her up less. In any case, the risks definitely did not outweigh the reward, so Reika decided to go through with it.

When Charlotte and Helios did finally leave, Reika entered into the room quickly to make sure that nobody saw her and closed the door. Facing the green haired mage, she strode towards her, glaring.

"Alright. Let's get a few things straight here. We both work for the same guys, and you led them and tried to kill me. You've been with them longer and you got the orders to attack so you're going to tell me right now all you know ok?" Reika said in a challenging, yet quiet voice.

[Mercakete]

"I don't think they want to talk right now," Esphyr replied, glad that her words were understood, "Maybe you should wait until they come out of their room before trying to appologize." Leaning against the hallway wall with her arms crossed, the mercenary girl asked, "What do you want to do in the meantime? Been a while since we've really talked or anything." She was a little bored, to be honest. There wasn't anything exciting going on that she could see. (If only a carnival was in town or something... I'm getting tired of the same thing day after day. .. Am I becoming fickle? Well, I guess I deserve to be. Everything's been so confusing lately.. I'm getting tired of it. I want to do something different.)

[Dark Sage]

"Yeah I agree. We should talk, seeing as it's been quite awhile," said Alf, relaxing a little by leaning against the wall by her. "I'm waiting for Aiya to be done with reuniting with Damian anyway, so I'd be glad to talk to you while I wait. But what exactly do you have in mind to talk about?"

[Mercakete]

"Not a lot," Esphyr replied, shrugging, "We've been under attack quite a bit. In fact all we've been doing is running for our lives, it seems. We fight when we have to, then we keep going. It doesn't make much sense. We're looking for something, right? That's the only reason I can think of for having to run around so much. What are we suppsoed to do with these crimson weapons anyway? How do they help? They're demon bait and they're sort of useful weapons, I guess but... How would they help in the end really? It doesn't make much sense but it's what's going on... Hmm. How've you been holding up?" The mercenary just started talking, figuring that that was a good way to start a conversation. It wasn't much of a start but hey, at least it wasn't silence or anything depressing. Just sort of confusion and a check-up.

[Dark Sage]

"I'm doing ok. I'm glad we're getting a break here though. All the fights against the demons started to wear me out. But I'm wondering something. We can barely tackle these demons and we were almost killed by that scaly bitch back in that town. I'm just curious on how Morgan expects us to be able to tackle the Lord himself. We don't even have the aid of an army yet and even then, I'm still not sure how well we'd hold up. But at least we know where the Lord is," said Alf, slumping against the wall.

Fighting the Lord huh? When I was a kid, I never even dreamed of doing something like that. I dunno what I was expecting when I joined here. I knew we were going to fight the Lord but I guess I thought we'd just handle it when we got there. Never really thought about it too much but now....it's such a scary thought.

[Mercakete]

"Yeah," Esphyr almost chuckled, pointing to the ground to indicate where the lord was, "Down. Though maybe we won't have to fight him. Maybe the weapons will do the work for us." It was a hope, at least.

[Dark Sage]

"Hopefully," Alf said curtly, trying to make himself feel a little better. It was clear that neither of them felt comfortable by this topic of conversation and unfortunately he didn't have an idea on a good topic of conversation.

"You know I always wondered. Did you have any pleasant memories in Vaorin? I know I've had a couple of them."

[Mercakete]

"Hmm..." Esphyr hummed as she thought back, "... It was a good place: simple and quiet. Not much to do but work, but it really didn't need anything else. It's a good place to think." Nodding, she decided it was a good reply. Though there were no specific memories that stood out, it wasn't such a bad place in and of its self. "It does have its own troubles and pleant of them. Though Vaorin its self isn't the source of it, I think. The problems come from people trying to take advantage of the townsfolk there. That was why you became a mercenary, right?"

[Snike]

Derek

Viveka didn't pull away from the embrace, and instead broke down, crying for only a few minutes, but, by the Goddess did those minutes ever feel like an eternity. There was just some sense of unreality around the two friends, and right then, nothing mattered to the cavalier but Viveka. Derek remained silent, letting the woman cry out all her sorrows on his shoulder. He couldn't quite describe the feeling, but it just felt right for him to be there. It slowly and sadly came to a close, as the pegasus knight lifted her gaze up to meet his, and managed to bring up a tearful smile as she thanked him and directed him to keep the javelin for the time being.

"... I'll get it back to you, I promise," he said, smiling reassuringly as he began to let go of his friend. "... I have to be going. But I'll see you soon, alright?"

Prisoner of the Room

Helios had went on ahead, in an attempt to get by the common room undetected, so Elle decided to wait a few minutes before catching up. Unfortunately, the knife-wielder, the Organization's informant, entered the room and closed the door behind her. The thunder sage backed away as the rogue drew her knives, searching for an escape route, all the while repeating, "... I don't know anything...", more and more desperately.

[Dark Sage]

"Well...I did work as a mercenary for awhile, but mostly I robbed people. The reasons I did do all that wasn't because of people taking advantage of me, it was because I didn't have any money. To be fair, that's not really unique to Vaorin, it's present in all countries," Alf replied to Esphyr.

No More Ms. Already Not a Nice Girl But Will Be Even Nastier Gal

"That's bullshit and you know it," Reika growled, sheathing one knife and jumped towards Elle, grabbing her arm.

"Believe me. Cooperate with me, and I won't have to hurt you ok? It'll be better for both of us. Got it? Now tell me why you were ordered to attack me and who the hell these people are."

[Phoenix]

A Fond Farewell

Viveka nodded at Derek's reply.

Viveka: Be careful out there, okay? We'll do the same. And tell anyone who's going with you I said goodbye and good luck, please?

Jasmine nodded following Viv's gesture since she didn't want to say anything and make her presence too known there.

[Snike]

Terrified

"... I don't know!", Elle exclaimed, trying to pull her arm back. "Please, leave me alone!"

The woman was trapped, now, and she doubted that she'd be heard since the door was close. What had she done to deserve this?

[Balcerzak]

Helios had passed Charlotte on the way up, and been slightly jostled by Derek as the group had gathered and put together their final plans. He'd passed along Morgans... less than receptive attitude towards his departure, but noted that it was about what could have been expected. Charlotte still had some farewells to say, it seemed, as did the cavalier, and for a moment it was just the two again. Helios and Dani/Elle. He had a small wave of discomfort, and didn't know quite what to say, so had ended things a bit abruptly. Maybe one day he would be used to this... maybe it would have been better if she were still Dani... but for now.

"Well, I better try to get away without attracting Morgan's attention again. I have an idea... it may work. I'll have to do it alone, though, so you should wait for Derek, and then make your way out when ready," the wind mage had offered, before parting.

Returning to the room, he acknowledged to himself that it may not be the best idea... but it was better than some. He leaned out the window first, looking up, down, and all around, making sure the coast was clear and that he wouldn't happen to land on any innocent passerby. Then he lifted up, and dropped down his small bundle of possessions he'd packed up previously, trying to swing them a little off to the side so he wouldn't end up landing on them.

Part one, accomplished. Stepping back, he realized that upon closer inspection, the window was actually smaller than might be really comfortable. Just how was this going to work? The prince eventually guessed that he'd have to take it like putting on pants, one leg at a time. Swinging the left leg over the sill first, he then hunched over, and leaned the majority of the way out before straightening up again. Looking down once more, now with considerably more exposure, he started to seriously reconsider the wisdom of this approach... Swallowing deeply though, he pressed on, gripping the top of the window sill tightly as he tried to shuffle his remaining leg across. It was somewhat successful, though for his troubles he won a nasty splinter in the seat of his pants, and instead of managing to gracefully lower himself down, it was more of a clumsy affair. The landing was... sub-optimal, and shivers of pain ran up his legs, shins especially tingling... but nothing was broken. Grimacing a bit, he picked himself up and brushed himself off. Hopefully everything was clear for departure now. Just... waiting for the rest to make their exit.

[Mercakete]

"That's true," she replied somewhat absently, trying to find a new topic of conversation. She decided on one of the basest of topic-starters, "Do you have a favorite food?"

[Balcerzak]

Yes... Arrin's suggestion made sense. Tessa wasn't sure that things would be bad enough that Morgan would necessarily be that irritable that she needed to be avoided. The situation right here, though, there were things to be taken care of here too. As exciting as it would be to give her sister her gift, that could wait. She had stopped in the middle of moving to the room's exit, hand still on Kelas's shoulder, then nodded to the mage, showing she agreed. Hopping lightly up on the bed behind the nomad archer, she tucked her legs under herself, bent at the knees, and then pulled her friend gently back into a full hug, pressing up close against her back.

"You tell me not to worry, so I won't, or at least I'll try not to. But... you sounded and looked like you needed something. So, if it's not trouble, at least let me stay like this for you for awhile..."

[-Cynthia-]

Charlotte

"Thank you so very much for the assistance, Sir Luc," she said, curtsying and leaving her suitcase with him. Looking around, she didn't notice Kelas in the common room, so she decided to look for her upstairs. On her way up, she heard Dani with an upset tone back in her room, so she decided to open the door.

Reika seemed to be holding Dani by the arm and threatening her with a knife. Charlotte did the first thing that came to mind and yelled "HEELLLLP!" at the top of her lungs.

Tristan

Tristan had Bellerophon all ready to go and led the pegasus out of the stables. He briefly considered going back into the inn, but he figured that since he was so new to the group, no one would really notice he was gone anyway. Suddenly, a green-haired mage climbed out of one of the windows of the inn somewhat near him.

Tristan came up to the man, rather puzzled. "Are you all right? Do you..have a particular reason for jumping out of windows or is this just some sort of unusual habit?" he asked a fllow-up question, more curious than concerned as the man did not appear to be terribly injured.

[Balcerzak]

Zaftra

2nd Lieutenant Iris Frederikov had graduated from one of the prestigious Zaftran military academies, certainly not top of her class but at least in the upper quarter, and she had had high hopes for her future, sure to be bright and promising. It was slow to dawn on her though, that her life was not quite unfolding as she had hoped.

As male classmate after male classmate was inevitably promoted, and she was not, the bitterness rose, little by little. When Sergei Tsukerman made Captain, and she was still the rank she'd been conferred fresh from the academy, some few years later, well, that had been tough to swallow, and she had hit the bottle hard that night. Sure, she probably wasn't as ruthless as she perhaps ought to be, with a singular drive of purpose, and sure, she only came from a lineage of commoners. But she wasn't without talent, she'd complained at the bar to anyone with an ear to listen, before ordering yet another round of shots, entertaining herself by waving the barkeep off then lighting hers on fire herself with a small incantation. It was pretty much her favorite drink, really, a Flaming Wyvern.

It had been a bit embarrassing then the next morning, when she'd awoke with a headache to a knock on the door announcing a formal military summons. She'd quickly put her shoulder-length curly hair up into a loose bun, the style she'd taken to keeping it in ever since joining the military, donned her uniform and followed the messenger to see just what was what. It wasn't a promotion. Of course not. She'd learned not to get her hopes up. It was however a new assignment. At least some modicum of recognition for good service. She'd been appointed as adjutant to one of the generals who had recently found themselves in need. It was unexpected, and just the breath of fresh air on the heels of the yesterdays bad news that she needed. She wasn't sure just what she thought about this Brigadier General Borodin, but time would tell.

That was months ago now, Iris thought back, and they had been some of the best months of her career. Yes, she was still doing paperwork, and running errands. But now... it was for someone truly deserving of her respect, and she didn't mind so much. The women didn't always get on perfectly with each other, but then who does? The past couple weeks had been abuzz with rumors, and it seemed there might indeed be a major mobilization, and the lieutenant was starting to get excited. Of course, it was unlikely she'd see any action personally, but she'd spent some time down at the range, incinerating some targets just the same. Today though, there was news, and after receiving the dispatch she had dashed the halls looking for her superior officer.

She'd found the woman outside the office of one of the other generals, seemingly just finished with a meeting. "<General,>" she began, "<news about the rebels-->", but it seemed she had taken too long. Borodin already had the news, or divined it from her demeanor. Straightening her back to mask her slight disappointment, she inquired after any other business. The reply came back to "<Get Glinka, Kouriatov, and Ilyushin in my office. I'll be there in a few minutes. I need to brief them on the situation.>" With a salute, then she had been off, heading towards the barracks, in order to fulfill her latest orders. A meeting of some of the top subordinates... certainly this could prove an interesting meeting, and she hoped she would be allowed to attend and assist.

~~~

Septimus

Shortly after his desent, Helios was approached by Prince Tristan. The Toran prince winced slightly, removing the offending splinter, and then raised a hand to his head, ruffling his own hair a bit, slightly embarrassed.

"Ahh... fine thank you. As for that?" he gestured back up at the window he'd just used as an exit, "Yeah, no not a habit. Just... would rather not run into Morgan again this morning, so figured this was the safer approach. I may not have thought it entirely through, but... eh, what's done is done."

Noticing then, that the man had his winged horse saddled up and ready to go, he cocked his head a little to the side and asked, "You're heading off somewhere yourself just now?"

Edited May 2, 2011 by Balcerzak

[-Cynthia-]

"Well, that's probably for the best, jumping out of windows will probably lead to a broken bone or something down the road. I'm leaving with Charlotte and her group General Alex said it was for the best, so that's what I'm doing," Tristan said to the man, scratching his head. "I guess I maybe should have told everyone I'm leaving, but I just joined a few days ago so I doubt I'll be missed much."