Return of the Emblem Chapter Three: The Show

[Rothene]

"Phoenix's show? What is it about?" asked Ranyin his interest piqued. Then he remembered that he had offered to search for paint with Nanahm.

"Erm...how much time do we have before the show starts?"asked Ranyin

[ReformBlade]

"Oh yeah, the show. I almost forgot about it what with carving and all of that. If it's soon I guess I'll just have to find some paint another time." He said, putting the duck figurine in his pocket for the time being. He'd be able to find paint from a merchant somewhere if he couldn't find any here anyway, not to mention he was rather tired of the tedium involved, so he finally said, "Eh, maybe we should get there early, if you guys want? Or at least soon, anyway."

[Rothene]

"If we're all going to the show, don't mind I head back to the dorms to get my belongings? After a certain experience, I have acquired a certain paranoia of leaving my belongings unattended." said Ranyin recalling about the donkey he rode to Europa. He turned and ran for the dorm rooms and shouted back as an after thought,"I'll be back soon, so stay where you are."

[Phoenix]

Somewhere

Liza raised an eyebrow. "What? Are you making fun of my clothes or something?"

"Now, Liza, don't be so hostile. She's a friend, remember?" Bron explained.

"Tch, your friend maybe. So? Spill it already. What about my clothes?"

Estate

"Let's see ..." Weyland muttered as he began counting people coming into the conference room with a single finger.

Meanwhile, the conversation between the Ursian officers continued ...

"The one we put down was an earth type. I know it's more popular to kill fire types, but on the battlefield they don't like to get that close, and at the first sign of an arrow storm, they flee, about the only smart thing they're capable of it seems. The earth type we killed however tried to close the distance on us shielding itself with rocks. Wasn't counting on us surrounding him though." Capaberra explained.

"Ah." That sounds rather well played. Miguel thought to himself.

Thinking on what Major General Selene mentioned, Capaberra made comment. "If the others don't start thinking more strategically we'll never take the fight deep into the Neviskotian homeland. They're so paranoid about casualties that they can't see the bigger picture. The fools lose three percent of their overall forces and suddenly the stakes are too high. It's exactly why I hate times of peace. Dealing with bandits, occasional wild dragons, and mutinous noble security forces has them so soft and weak, it's disgusting. If we're going to defeat this civil war spawned garbage once and for all, we need to start hitting them in full force. These border skirmishes are a waste of our time and resources. Speaking of which. You, Colonel Langley. Your battalion's got the worst of it. So close to the front lines and glory, yet you're charged with clearing out bandits and the like."

"Yes, well, being born in a noble house has its consequences. I'm merely grateful to be part of the Ursian military at all. It isn't very glamorous I'll admit, but I do take pride in putting down that which plagues our country from within. I'll trust you, General Capaberra to see to that which threatens us from abroad, as I always have."

"... well said, Colonel Langley." replied the General, someone intrigued by her reply.

At the doors to the conference room, the group from the university was just now being inspected. Raquel looked nervous, but couldn't help it. The guards were pretty heavily armed. "Just relax." Rodrigo shot to her.

"I-I'm trying ..."

"Waaaaait. Which one of these is your date, Vasquez?" a guard asked him.

"Why she is!" he replied gently pulling Synthia in closer.

"She from around here?"

"Ursian, born and raised." he said with almost too innocent of a smile.

"... alright."

"Oh and by the way, the two behind me are Raquel and Shadrak. They were invited by Weyland personally."

"I'll have to confirm that." the guard said before gesturing for one of the others next to him to go check with Weyland. The soldier ran all the way past the conversing officers up to the stage where Weyland was pacing about and still counting.

"Mister Weyland. The two currently being inspected at the door have your leave to attend, correct?"

"Yes, that's right. Let them in."

"Very good, sir." the soldier said before heading back and giving an okay gesture to his superior while on the way.

"Alright, you two are fine. Head on in, pick a seat, don't bother any of the officers, and don't do anything else obviously stupid. Couple things though. Casting spells of any kind during this conference that aren't authorized in advance will not be tolerated. Violators will be shot, healing spells included, we have our own team of medics on standby. Also, only officers and assistants with verified personal history records are authorized to take notes or have any parchment or writing utensils in their possession at any time during the course of this conference. Everyone else is prohibited and will be arrested for doing so. Also goes without saying, but if you're caught with a cloaking device in your possession ... and you will be caught ... you'll be arrested. That's it. Enjoy the debut." the guard explained to the small cluster of people.

A bucket with a lot of people's personal weapons in it, a bunch of guards, history checks. This must be big. I never thought I would be attending a meeting like this. Heh, I guess it's all in who you know, heheh ... uuuuuh why am I still nervous? Raquel realized why she was nervous as they walked down the central isle. There was a towering giant fully clad in armor and wearing a blood red cape standing near Miguel and some others. Miguel noticed her and gave a friendly wave. "Hey, there. Feelin any better?"

She nodded "Yes," and then placed a hand on her stomach "especially now that I've gotten something to eat."

"Good, good. Are you sitting anywhere in particular or would you like some company?" he asked.

"I-I wouldn't mind I guess." she said shyly.

Shadrakhe'sstealingyouronlydateinthisconference. Rodrigo speedily muttered as he escorted Synthia past them.

The Lieutenant Colonel is certainly an opportunist. He would be a much more dangerous combatant to the enemy if he would apply himself in that area as much as he does in this one. Alas. Langley thought to herself.

A moment later, a young man ran up to the guards at the door panting. "Am I in time?" he asked.

"Hey there, Lieutenant. No, you're just in time. We're about ready to start once people get seated." he explained.

"Whew, that talk with the guards took longer than I thought it would, but I had to make sure the seekers weren't slacking off."

Edited April 16, 2011 by Phoenix

[Acacia Sgt]

John watched Ranyin go. ''Say, that's a good idea.'' He suddenly said.

''I'm going to get my stuff as well, if I don't find Ranyin along the way, tell him I'll be waiting back outside near the wagon.'' He told Nanahm before heading back the way he came.

[Snowy_One]

Two feet to the right of Somewhere

"They are- ummm... Very pretty and not as worn as mine." Robin hung her head, biting her own tongue in her mouth to avoid her real question. Why would people wear such bright and impractical clothes? Were they prostitutes? Shaking a layer of water that had accumulated on her cloak off, she released her tongue "You will be helping us acquire the relic then? You must be skilled for Bron to ask your help. I assume you are skilled thieves then?"

[Rothene]

As he closed in on the dorm rooms, Ranyin slowed his pace. Was Gytha around, was she awake, pondered Ranyin. His instincts had started to kick in as he closed in on his room. He started sweating profusely as soon reached a few paces away from his room, which was a mere few steps away from Gytha's.

Gently, he started tipping toe to his room. The straw sandles of Kigen proved very silent...which suited Ranyin's purpose at the moment. It would not be wise to rouse the beast, thought Ranyin being cautious in case she was nearby. He inched closer to his door and very slowly, while praying to the five dragons who helped in the founding of Kigen, reached out to turn the knob...

Edited April 16, 2011 by Rothene

[Phoenix]

Bron and Co.

"Our clothes aren't worn because we can afford to replace them regularly." Liza said a bit coldly in response. "Liza ... uh, don't mind her, she's slow to trust anyone." the other sister explained. "Yeah, we're ... thieves I guess, if you can't find a politer term. You'll need us if there are more than a handful of guards anyway, so I guess we'll be working together then."

"Right. About that. We're pulling a big one this time." Bron began.

"Expound for us please, the cold wet rainy outdoors is no place to stall." Liza shot back crossing her arms, partly for warmth, and partly out of impatience.

"Ascension."

Liza was actually a bit surprised by what they were to be going after. "Ascension? That sword that white flying woman used?"

"Her name was Lilith. Heheh, that's close to my name." Liliya chimed in.

"Yeah Lilith's gigantic sword. It's pretty impressive. We just need a way to lift it." Bron explained.

"Uh, that's what you're for."

"Not, quite, Liza. Thing is, Ascension is way too heavy for just one person or even two or three to lift. It actually ways a ton."

"Whaaaa-how's that possible?!"

"I dunno. Probably has a lot more mass than its size would let on, and its already huge for a sword."

"Where's a Kigenese war elephant when you need one? Ugh."

[Snowy_One]

"I am willing to wager that it is more likely to be enchanted than not. It may respond perfectly fine to descendants of Lilith, of which I am sure Bron knows at least one of. Besides, in a way, it does not matter if we actually steal the blade or not. All we need to do is get to it through Ursium guards and they will become scared. I personally specialize in sniping for the accomplishment of this goal. I can put a rope through a window with ease or kill a guard from two streets down without a problem. I believe that means I will be on guard-control while you three steal the blade?"

[Phoenix]

Bron and Co.

Bron scratched the back of his head having been at a loss. "No history records about any descendants, really. Even if there were, they'd be avians and getting within a few miles of Aquila is just suicidal."

"We don't have to worry about being able to use the thing ourselves. That's not for us. We just need to be able to move it about somehow, right?" Liliya asked.

"Yeah. Right. I'm absolutely positive they've got ways of moving heavy stuff around in the museum already. We just need to use it ourselves." Bron explained.

"Aaaand get a wagon to haul the thing home with." Liza added.

"Yeah. Eh, it'll be easier to figure out the finer details of the plan once we get to Ursentius. It's a looooong trip as it is. When we get there though, here's a general outline of the plan from start to finish. First we arrive at Ursentius and pay a visit to the museum during its open hours. Now we don't just do this to locate the sword, but also to case the security and get familiar with the layout. Now another precaution is that only one of us is going to be casing this place. The less we're seen together the better, and that protects you individually in case the actual heist gets blown and only one or two of us get caught. Once a map of the museum's made, we'll work out the actual strategy we use to get the sword out of there." Bron explained.

"Oh man, stealing from the Ursentius museum. They'll catch us the next day if we're still anywhere in the city or if we try to leave. We'll have to be really far away from the capital by daylight or we're as good as busted." Liza said biting her lip.

"Hmm ... well I've got a back up plan for that but ... it involves Ulga. Thoughts?"

"I hate, Ulga." both Liza and Liliya said together in unison, Liza's voice sounding angry, and Liliya's sounding merely apprehensive.

[Snowy_One]

"Two thoughts. First, maybe we can get a load of other weapons to put into the cart to disguise the blade. The best place to hide a tree is in a forest after all. Second. Who is Olga and why do the girls hate her so much?"

[Mercakete]

"Any overgrown lizard put down is a victory, whether fire or otherwise," the captain metnioned at the general's story about the earth dragon his men brought down. "In spite of any setbacks, we are quite honored to be at the front, even if that is not our present station," Cecelia put in. Langley's talk about the bandits they'd been fighting was as awe-inspiring as ever. She certainly has a way with words. Just another reason why I'm proud to be stationed as her captain. she thought as her pride swelled again.

That pride somewhat deflated as Miguel began flirting again. Her thoughts were similar to Langley's though a bit of complaining was attached: Remind me how he's two ranks above me. Why is he Colonel Langley's aide? ... Well, I suppose when he has a job to do, he does focus on it well enough. And he is more skilled in battle than me, somehow.

That was when a familliar man came up to the cluster of military. He was someone who the captain actually quite welcomed the sight of. Not only was he easy to get along with, but he was dependable in the field as well, taking down any exsess wyvern riders who challenged the Ursians' pegasi. "Good to see you, Lieutenant," Cecelia greeted as the familliar, helpful sniper joined their conversation, a friendly smile appearing on her face. She didn't expect the conversation to last much longer seeing as Weyland would likely begin soon, but it was still good to see the lieutenant.

[Phoenix]

Conference Room

"Oh, hello there, Captain." Fletcher replied with a big smile. They aren't seated yet? I guess I'm not nearly as behind as I thought I was. "Yyyou don't look like you've gotten any seats ready yet ..." he added looking around at all of them one by one.

"Yeah, like I was saying earlier, I think we may want to spread ourselves out a bit, so we've got time to get to any potential spies before Weyland shoots them dead. If he accidentally kills the wrong person, it could be a really big mess, you know?" Miguel explained.

"Can't we just ask him to indicate the spies so we can arrest them later? I've heard he's a quick draw so the four of us spread out over a room this size will only buy us about two and a half seconds at most. That's barely enough time to jump in the way and get shot ourselves. Also on average there's only one spy per summit, two at the most, so we should factor in any previous arrests before we commit ourselves too much to this." Fletcher explained.

"Uh, didn't you catch one earlier, Major General?" Miguel asked.

"That so? Then, yeah, we should just ask Weyland to give us a signal, and deal with them once the showcase is over. Even if they try to leave early, we can just send a few guards to pick them up on the way out." To be honest I'm not sure how Weyland finds the spies he does but at least if it happens tonight, we don't have to worry about any blood being spilled at the meeting itself, innocent, or Neviskotian. Besides, spy executions are better when done by the actual military. We don't need Weyland proving his loyalty by hand sniping people during showcasings for the upteenth time.

Bron and Co.

"The extra blades sound alright so long as they don't weigh down the wagon too much. Last thing we need is a poor old horse trying to pull a wagon that's too heavy for it. As for Olga ... well I think only guys can put up with her. She's a mage ... and an alcoholic." Bron explained.

"And an annoying bozo." Liza added. "... who's a very talented staff user." Liliya interjected, prompting a glare from Liza.

Edited April 16, 2011 by Phoenix

[Mercakete]

"Since our seating arrangements seem to be of such tactical importance, perhaps we should let the highest ranking among us decide where we ought to sit, letting each adhere to the one above him or her in rank," suggested Captain Cecelia. Though she was half-joking, she didn't see why rank wouldn't apply if they were following military duties such as ousting spies from a top-secret confrence.

[Snowy_One]

Robin and the ladies (plus Bron)

"Sounds like you two have some history with her. Did she beat Liza up or something?" Robin shook her head in light ire at the sisters before continuing. "You said she works best with men, but there are four people here and three of us are women. Four if we count Olga despite her absence. Unless one of the sisters is not telling me something, I assume that this means you have at least one more person in mind for this venture? A man I assume?"

[roymbrog]

Synthia was nearly as nervous as Raquel, though not all for the same reasons. She failed miserably to quell the blush creeping up her face as Rodrigo led her into the conference room, especially when he told the guards she was his date. She wanted to slap herself. Her mind was empty of all things to say, which for her, was weird, and she was still uncomfortable about all the soldiers in the room.

She looked sheepishly at Rodrigo and asked,” Er… where would you prefer to sit?” she looked around the room and all the various people therein. “I’d rather not be near the stage, if that’s alright with you.”

------

Heading back to his room, a lone student was navigating the university’s hallways when he turned a corner, and stopped dead still. Shock defined his face, quickly replaced by horror, and he ran to the middle of the hall. Red liquid was leaking out from underneath the door to the janitor’s closet. It was obviously blood, he thought.

What was he supposed to do? What were you supposed to do if someone was murdered in the school? Maybe he should check inside first. But what if he found a gruesome sight, as he was so certain he would? He wrestled with the decision for a few moments before his curiosity won out; he’d always wanted to see a crime scene. He opened the door to find….

A jar of red paint shattered on the floor. He scowled, and was about to close the door when he heard a thump and saw a boy gagged and tied up in the now fallen chair. “H-Harold?!” he shouted, recognizing him, and rushed to untie him. The boy could’ve been worse off, as it was he had a few gashes on his back and arms, a black eye, and a goose egg on his forehead.

A few minutes later and he was half carrying Harold to the nurse’s office while simultaneously trying to ask what had happened and look for someone in authority to alert. The last two goals he was failing miserably, the boy was too busy sobbing to explain what happened, and they hadn’t yet passed anyone in the hallway. Back at the janitor’s closet a few other students discovered the mess, but figured out part of what happened when they saw the other paints that fell inside the closet. While the group chattered about who made the mess, they had no idea of anyone being tied up and thought some idiot had just upturned the paint shelf.

[Acacia Sgt]

John made his way back to the where the dorm where. When he finally arrived, he saw Ranyin... tiptoeing? 'Now what is he doing...?' He wondered, walking towards his room. Deciding to ignore him for now, he got in front of the door and opened it.

[Rothene]

After snagging all his belonging as fast as he could, Ranyin poked his head outside meekly. Noticing the hallway being clear, Ranyin hurriedly closed his door and locked it in one swift motion. He had no idea how he was able to perform both actions at once, but he attributed it to his adrenaline or something along those terms.

Then he went and stood outside John's room in order to follow him to the show. It never pays to travel alone, both because it was not safe and also because humans always needed someone to chat with.

[Phoenix]

Taking Places

"Highest ranking? Well ... I'm hosed." Cain replied, a bit jokingly.

"I'll be sitting in the front row. I came here to see these new designs, and I want to do so up close." Capaberra said before departing for the seats nearest the stage.

"Well his mind's made up. Colonel?"

"I'm fine with any seating that doesn't obstruct our viewing or hearing ability." she said simply.

"So anywhere but way in the back ... that helps." Miguel replied. "Raquel, what about you?"

"Uh, anywhere's fine, really! No preferences in mind."

"Craaap. Well ... we came to see a show so ... we may as well see it up close. Let's follow the General's example and sit up front." Miguel finally suggested.

Meanwhile, Rodrigo scanned the room while listening to Synthia's seating concerns. "Not the front row ... okay then how about row four or five? It's close to the middle from the looks of things." he suggested.

Weyland stood on stage, arms crossed, eying various individuals and waiting for everyone to take their seats. Truth only knew what was going on in his head.

Oceans 1

"Well there's plenty of folks I could call in for this, but I'm trying to keep things simple here. I was just saying that Olga's ... she's uh ..."

"Only a desperate loser a.k.a. a guy could possibly put up with a person like her." Liza finished, crossing her arms. She was clearly disgusted for some reason or other.

"Anyyywaaay, I'll give it some more thought before I decide whether or not to ask her to help with this one. For now, we should get moving."

[Acacia Sgt]

Once back in his room, John went over to where his bag was and picked it up.

'I guess I never got to use the room in the end.' He thought giving it one last look. 'Oh well...'

He went back outside and found Ranyin already waiting there. ''Well, time to go I guess.'' He said, until he suddenly remembered. ''Wait, what about Nanahm? I think we just left him back there.''

[Snowy_One]

Robin nodded her head as she pulled her cloak closer to her. "Yes. It is wet out and I do not like being out in the rain for so long without shelter. I am interested in knowing where we plan to head next though. Ursium is our obvious goal, but we must first enter into it. The roads will be watched and the border towns on alert for strangers from the east; especially ones looking like me. How do we plan to enter within?"

[Phoenix]

Bron and Co.

"We need to get past border security. So, obviously we don't cross the border til nighttime." Liza commented, still in a bad mood.

"You going to be this sour the whole mission?" Bron asked.

"And what if I am?"

"... kay. Better call in Olga, just in case."

"Huh?! In case what?!"

"In case I need someone to help balance out this party's serious-passive-aggressive feel, you know? A good team needs all sorts after all." Bron said matter of factly while nodding his head, eyes closed.

"... see? Only desperate losers put up with her. Whatever, let's just go." Liza conceded.

[Mercakete]

"Yes, sir, Luitenant Colonel," Cecelia replied, standing at attention. Though her expression and tone were serious, she was actually joking with this level of strictness. "Does this mean you would like to abort the previous plan to spread out our possisions, sir?" The corner of her mouth twitched into a smile for a moment, giving away her joke.

[Rothene]

"Oh, I thought Nanahm was with you," said Ranyin looking around for the distinct red haired big man, then continued,"Yeah, you're right, I think we need to get going in case he goes somewhere else and it'll be a hassle to find him."

As soon as he finished his talking, Ranyin sped off to the area he and John had left nanahm behind. Hopefully Nanahm's not pissed at us for leaving him behind, thought Ranyin worriedly. He did not want to be on the wrong end of the fighter's axe.

[roymbrog]

"That sounds fine," Synthia replied. Truthfully, she just didn't want to sit with all the officers who'd likely be in front.