Return of the Emblem Chapter Three: The Show

[Mercakete]

The captain nodded. "You will be attending the confrence, won't you, Colonel? If you feel an extra set of eyes would be better placed watching the grounds, I could perform that task," Cecelia offered. She didn't mind missing out on the demonstrations. If they wind up in our hands, then I'll get to see them anyway. The most important thing is to keep those dragon-loving fiends and their devil allies away from our homes. How it happens, I care not.

[Phoenix]

"It won't be necessary, Captain. As the Lieutenant Colonel said, our security is about as good as it can get, and if there are intruders, we are most likely to find them in the conference room itself." she explained.

"Weyland's just going to do one of his pop quizzes like always, and then shoot them right from the stage. Sometimes I worry he's going to make a mistake, or someone else is ..." Miguel interjected scratching his head, nervous by the thought of a fiasco like that. Wouldn't be as bad if he didn't shoot people in the head. I mean what's a medical team supposed to do about a shot wound to the head if he nails the wrong person? Sure he hasn't yet but ... that's a real danger.

"That is a good point. Attend the conference with us Captain, that way we might have a chance to apprehend any suspicious individuals and detain them before the Professor guns them down. If he makes a mistake it would be bad for everyone involved."

"Not as bad as it would be for the guy that gets offed in the middle of a debut." Miguel said throwing in a comment.

[Mercakete]

"Yes sir, Colonel," Cecelia replied, unamble to contain her grin. Though she hadn't minded being left out, it was a real honor to be invited to something like this, especially by the Colonel herself. The captain began to feel that familliar pride of being a captain under the colonel welling up again. Though she never stated it openly, she was obviously proud of her rank, skill and efficiancy. More than that, she looked up to Colonel Langley. One day I'll be just as good and hold the position of Colonel myself. Though she did somewhat covet Miguel's possition, she wasn't in a hurry to take it from him. She was satisfied with her possition. ...And thusly, found herself daydreaming again.

[-Cynthia-]

Estate

"I'll just threaten to take her off the payroll, that usually keeps her in line. Good luck Uncle, just give me the signal when it's time for me to go!" Connor said, running back to the preperations area behind the stage.

Major General Selene listened to the conversation behind her regarding possible spies and decided to get up and interject. "There have already been attempts by the Neviskotians to enter this meeting. I apprehended a spy several hours ago, had her locked in the gallows for the time being. However, there could certainly be more about, so I would recommend constant vigilance. We do not need the public backlash from an accidental assassination; Weyland's inventions are too useful to lose on some foolish error," she said, scanning the faces of the three officers.

[Phoenix]

"Frankly, I'm surprised we even managed to get that woman accustomed to that much." Weyland muttered to himself. It brought him back to the early days of her stay when Weyland was struggling to change her alien customs, like literally working for food and board instead of gold. "... that woman ..."

Officers

"You caught on already?" Miguel began. And a woman too? Uuuuuugh. Neviskotian bastards sending over women. They're just trying to piss me off, I just know it. "So then, if we're going to be vigilant we need proper seating, right? Sure we could all sit up front but if the spy's in the back then we'll never make it in time. With four of us stationed near each corner of the room, we should have much better coverage, I think. Uh ... your help's welcome to Major General ..." he explained, stumbling a bit at his ending request.

As the officers and aids began pouring into the conference room, Miguel and Sapphire glanced at all of them picking out and then disregarding any familiar faces but paying special attention to unfamiliar people like assistants or recently promoted officers who weren't all that well known yet. Before they knew it, a very familiar man stepped into the room. He was at least six and a half feet tall, towering over most of the others and was very muscular for a man of his rank. A crest donned his uniform, a symbol of a fleet of arrows ...

"Well, well, if it isn't General Capaberra." Miguel chimed.

[GoD]

Looking about, Chelsea had finally noticed Amon with the company of some stranger.

"Ello Amon.......and person. Fancy seeing you here. How are you?"- Chelsea asked with a cheerfull disposition.

Edited April 14, 2011 by GoD

[Phoenix]

"Uh, I'm fine. I'm more worried about you actually. No one should be sleeping that long, you know?"

"My name is Benjamen by the way." the mage corrected her before giving Amon a dubious expression. "Well then, I suppose there's no longer any reason for me to suspect you of being a thief. Clearly this wagon's occupant knows you in person. That or you're in league with each other to steal goods. Wait a sec. That means I'm outnumbered-oh craaaaap.

[Snike]

Domovoi was talking aloud about a letter being intercepted. With the door wide open. In an Ursian university. It was a bit sad to see that 'Skotians were so foolish as to talk about sensitive letters where people can hear them. Now, they were practically asking for the letter to be intercepted. Axel rounded the corner of the hallway and began to make his way to the entrance of the university. Along the way he passed John, the other wyvern rider, and he nodded in acknowledgement. A minute later, the lancer was out of the building, a cool breeze meeting him at the steps.

Before he could really go anywhere, though, the man noticed a few people over by Raquel's wagon. He chose to investigate, to find Amon, the recently recruited troubadour, and a student of the university.

"Good evening, lady and gentlemen," Axel said to the loiterers, as he approached the wagon, in a formal tone. "Is there something amiss with this wagon?"

Edited April 15, 2011 by Snike

[ReformBlade]

"You hate green? D'aaaaw, come on man! Oh well, not much I can do about that if you don't want it. So, anything not green, palm sized, and ready to take off you said? Like, it's crouched and its wings are up?" Nanahm asked with a curious look in his eye, "I just want the best picture possible in mind for when I start carving."

[Rothene]

"That would be spendid." said Ranyin, "and should we continue searching for the paint rather than stand here. after all we can discuss about the specifications while walking." added Ranyin. He took a step forward to place emphasis on his desire to keep moving.

[-Cynthia-]

Estate

"Hmm, I thought General Capaberra was stationed near Urcenter and was not planning to come back to Europa. Any spy would now be either very brave or very foolish to attempt something right under the General's nose. Although Neviskotians are often very foolish, so their presence here would not surprise me," Selene responded to the Lieutenant Colonel.

[Snowy_One]

A slow and steady drivel of rain had been falling since earlier that morning. Having left Sergei port almost straight-way, the pair had been on the road constantly as they headed towards the border between Ursium and Neviskotia. The last night they had come off the road and taken rest under clear night skies, only to wake up to rain falling ever so lightly overhead. Pulling her cloak about her, Robin was shielded from the rain. Yet, as the pair moved onwards, her eyes glared accusingly at Bron. <"The only reason we're here is because he's looking for someone."> she muttered under her breath, shaking water off her cloak as she did so. <"If I were the leader, I would have marched fast and swiftly for the capitol, no mucking about in the rain.">

Raising her voice, she decided to put proper voice to her complaint. "Why are we even here again? The road is long and we could have taken a alternate route to this destination. May have been longer, but we would not have been caught out in the rain." she said loudly and in common.

[GoD]

"Yeah, that was kinda strange. It was actually my first time fighting, or rather, the first time I actually killed someone. But don't you worry I'll be just fine."- Chelsea reassured Amon, before directing her attention at the Mage.

"Benjamin huh? Well it's nice to meet you.... So what was that about Amon being a thief?"- Chelsea asked.

[Phoenix]

Estate

Before Miguel could even react to what Selene had said, Capaberra made his way swiftly over to them and placed a heavy hand on the Lieutenant Colonel's shoulder, and grinned somewhat menacingly. "Tis true, I had no intention of interrupting the thrill of war just to grace the meeting with my presence, but I've heard promising things about tonight's presentation. A new platform of archery. This, I cannot miss, for if it possesses even half of the potential the rumors suggest ... then I want many for my army."

Uuuuoiii why does he talk like that ... "So what about your units?" Miguel asked, having to try rather hard to keep himself centered with the man's weighty arm dragging him down.

"The colonels have their orders. The Neviskotians are bound to try something at some point, but our intelligence suggests that their offensive is nearly at its end, and what ground they gained initially, they are losing piece by piece. There are no vanguards currently on the front lines, only a few dragons, one of which was killed by my men the day before I left. That leaves only two reported sightings. I'll leave it to Remus to chase them out." he said proudly.

"Your men killed another one?" Miguel asked, a bit stunned.

The General's voice became agitated, but still calm as he explained. "Hmph. It's just a wrathdamn dragon. Stick enough arrows in something and I promise you, Lieutenant Colonel Taylor, IT WILL DIE. Once these new weapons are deployed, we may get orders from on high to take the fight to their homeland. If that's the case, I want to make certain my units are among the first to test this new technology on the enemy."

I heard something about a weapon that can kill Vanguards. I'm more interested in seeing that than anything else. Vanguards have always been a serious threat to homeland security after all. Langley thought to herself.

Wagon

"It's nothing." Benjamen spurted out quickly trying to dodge the thief question. Fortunately it seemed he wouldn't have to worry about ever answering either since a new person approached and guided the conversation elsewhere ... if only a little.

Amon spoke up before Benjamen however. "Hello. Nothing amiss really, but I don't trust the security here to be all that vigilant with our stuff, so I decided to stay out here until morning. To be honest I've slept in less comfortable places, so this isn't really a bother."

"Are you some kind of ... homeless bum?" Benjamen asked.

"Actually ... I live in a really huge palace ... but I'm on a mission right now so I've got to sleep where I can." he explained. The explanation had Benjamen with his mouth hanging open.

Is he some kind of ... royal guard in service to a nation? Some kind of knight in disguise perhaps? the mage thought to himself.

Bron and Co.

"You know I kind of like the rain." Bron said looking over at Robin. "It's really nice. By the way, we're looking for a couple of colleagues of mine. Unfortunately they're going to find us before we find them. That's the way it always is." he ended with a sigh.

Suddenly, a knife came speeding through the air and embedded itself in the ground at his feet. He raised an eyebrow looking down at the knife, and then looked out into the distance at his left. The rain was fogging things up but he could barely make out two figures coming toward them ... coming toward them fast!

"There you are!" a young woman's voice called. As they came into view, they were revealed as two very similar looking young girls. Twins even, though one was just slightly shorter than the other. One wore a blue cloak and tunic with shorts, separated sleeves and leggings. The other wore a red tunic with shorts and not much else. Once they arrived, the shorter one clad in blue spoke up again pointing her finger at him, and loudly. "This is all your fault! You rushed us out here and now my sister is soaking wet!"

"Isn't that her fault? I didn't say 'Hey, come all the way out here without a cloak!', you know?"

"No, but you did rush us, which I told you never to do. We get really messed up when we get surprises right out of the blue! Hence, this falls on you!" she said before grabbing Bron and forcing his cloak off.

"Hey!"

"This belongs to us now!" she said helping her sister into it.

"Ugh, you little thief." he said with a spiteful low tone.

"Look who's talking. Okay then, so ... we're here ... and who's this?" she said pointing to Robin.

"Wanna introduce yourself, or should I?" Bron asked her.

Edited April 15, 2011 by Phoenix

[Snike]

"I see... The guard's away from his post, it seems," Axel said, gazing into the wagon. "So you're filling in for him? Awfully kind, sir. Raquel will probably be relieved. ... You look shocked, Mr. Benjamin," he added, turning to the dumbstruck mage. "Is a Rexian mercenary guarding his employers' wagon such a surprise?"

[Phoenix]

"Uh, no, not at all. It's just ... well ... ah never mind. No need to make more of it than it is." Benjamen replied to the man.

Well ... not that I'm a mercenary. That does remind me though. I'm going to have to find some way to make money in this group. I usually just do volunteer jobs or fetch and grabs for people but now I may need to think of something else. Working as a guard in this group's not going to guarantee my meals will be paid for, especially if I don't ask and get the details sorted in advance. I don't want to bug Raquel about it but the sooner I do, the better. Amon thought to himself.

"So then ... I guess there's no need for me to stick around any longer, then ..." Benjamen muttered looking around for cues from any of the three. His suspicions certainly didn't seem valid anymore so what else was he to do, he wondered.

[Snowy_One]

Robin and the sisters

Clutching her own cloak as tightly as she could with her left hand to ensure that the sisters did not try to swipe it from her, Robin extended her right hand to the pair of girls. "Zdrastvuyte!" she said in greeting. "Good day. I am Robin, companion of Bron." Then, before either of the girls could shake her hand, she retracted it and leaned in close to Bron. <"Bron. There are thieves here."> she said, noting the knife imbedded in the ground. <"Are they your friends?">

Then, she pulled away, bowing, but keeping her distance from the pair of woman. "You must be friends of Bron. I am glad to meet nice women such as you."

Edited April 15, 2011 by Snowy_One

[Phoenix]

"Don't mind them, they get like this when things aren't going absolutely perfect for them." Bron commented.

"Oh shut up. Oh right uh, yeah, I'm Liza, and this is my sister Liliya. We're this jerk's work buddies ... sometimes." she explained crossing her arms and secretly cursing the rain. "Is she going to be working with us on this job, Bron?" Liliya asked, shivering.

"Ayup."

"Hmmm ..." Liza eyed Robin up and down dubiously.

[roymbrog]

Rodrigo informed the two in the library that it was time to go, and Synthia closed her book, put it away, and followed him and Raquel out. She assumed Shadrak was following, with how excited he had been about meeting Weyland she would be surprised if he missed this. A short while later they reached the entrance to the meeting room and Synthia was somewhat nervous with the number of guards and military personnel. Was it alright for her to be here? As they neared the doors she drew closer to Rodrigo, hoping she wouldn’t get as many weird looks if it was obvious she was in the celebrity’s group.

[Snowy_One]

Robin... did not look pretty. Despite that the rain had been light and the added cover of her cloak, she seemed to be near indistinguishable from a wet blonde hound. Her hair, already having been cut for practicality instead of looks, now jutted out in random and messy directions held together by the dampness of the rain while the cloak, though keeping her dry, also clung to her like an old pair of clothes, made worse by the annoyed look and slightly reddened cheeks upon her face. In the right light, instead of a young hunter, Robin would have seemed more like an angry old crone eager to use the wrath of heaven to smite people down!

"Do not worry." she said, pointing to the bow on her back. "I am skilled as a archer and I am useful to your cause of stealing a artifact for Neviskonia." she then eyed the girl, Liza, weirdly. "You dress weirdly. Clothes are not as worn."

<"Clothes not as worn? You sound like a idiot when you speak like that Robin!"> she mentally chided herself. It was a question she was interested in though. For her entire life, she had seen clothing that had been practical, with little coloration or attempt to seem pretty. Even Bron's clothes seemed to carry a degree of practicality to them, so what on earth where these two sisters wearing and why?

[Mercakete]

Haha! Another of those loathsome lizards feathered and bled! Cecelia's grin only widened at the news. "So long as we keep those 'Skotian pigs away from our borders, I don't care how it's done. If that means pushing for capturing Kievan Rus, then I'm all for it." Her enthusiasm became somewhat more apparent at her next question, "General Capaberra, sir, what sort of dragon was it that your man slew? Fire? Earth?" She almost sounded like a child who'd just been told she was going to an amusement park the next day.

[-Cynthia-]

"If there are no vanguards on the front lines, then they are probably laying in wait for a countrstrike. Still, these weapons may give us an unexpected advantage against them, and without their vanguards we may be able to force Neviskotia to surrender. A Neviskotian surrender would allow us to focus on other matters- wild dragons, the Fallen, the avians," Selene said, noting Captain Cecelia's fervor with approval.

[Acacia Sgt]

John walked around the university, trying to find someone from the group. Considering the size of the place, it sure wasn't easy. At least the place was now more calm than how it was when the explosion happened.

'This may be pointless...' He thought. 'If anyone else is going, they may be getting on their way too. I guess I too should be...'

As he turned around a corner, he finally spotted Nanahm, and that mage from before, Ranyin.

''Hey there.'' He called out as he approached them. 'Well, I guess I should ask then.'

[Rothene]

Seeing John greeting him, Ranyin waved back and approached him before asking,"Hey there. You passed by anywhere we can get paint? Nanahm here is in need for one to complete his..." looking at the duck figurine, he said,"...duck figurine."

[Acacia Sgt]

''Paint? Sorry, but I haven't.'' John replied. ''But, since this is an university, I would assume they'd have an art department or something.'' He suggested.

''Anyway, I guess you may be busy now, but I was wondering if any of you would be attending The Phoenix's show. I was planning on going and was wondering if anyone who stayed here would.''