Lord of Azure Flame Chapter 25: The Road to Jerdon

[Balcerzak]

Mage

After Miranda had informed her that Ixion wasn't currently present, just the chimera, Iris had backed of, more than a little embarrassed. She watched the rest of the exchange between Morgan and Miranda play out. She also observed last night's nomad, now obvious in the daylight hours a female, had returned to the room that Isotov had come from. The plot had thickened, it seemed. She pursed her lips tightly, and wondered just how far along things were... but even if this was a thing from before, when his future was still his own, that was going to have to change. The nomad had only stopped by briefly, and was off again before Frederikov had decided just how to confront her on the subject, so she simply headed back to her post outside Irina's room. The lieutenant figured she'd give the princess maybe ten more minutes or so before knocking and seeing what was what. It turns out that that was about the right amount of time, and when Irina had exited, there was a sigh of relief. Whatever stupidity there was in the heirs, it seemed that, at least for last night, it was confined to only one member. After a silent bow, she had fallen in step behind the princess as they left on the way to the dining hall.

When they had run into Isotov, she'd watched the conversation unobtrusively, and as the two parted ways for the morning, she found herself in a dilemma. It was an obvious problem with one person to watch two heirs, but until she found someone she could really trust it seems she was going to be spreading herself far too thin. It had been foolish to imagine the siblings would be spending most of their time together, but somehow she'd not really paid all that much thought to it. Staying put in the hallway for some few moments, indecisive, she finally turned to follow Isotov, who'd made his was back to the quarters. She caught up when, in new clothes, he exited the room once more.

"You'll forgive me, Highness, but I'd be remiss if I let you go alone. If anything were to happen..." Iris said nothing more about the previous three-way arguement. She was adept enough at reading the mood to not want to disturb that again, not now at least. And not before she did some more poking around, finding out the rest of the story from some of the other members perhaps. For now, just observation, no need for confrontation. Especially if not provoked.

Not Mage

Tessa, had lightly waved off a little of Arrin's worry, when he asked her if she'd had trouble sleeping. A small nod, and a soft "Nn," was all. The mage, reassured perhaps, had then gotten involved in the situation with Isotov, running off to take care of things. She was glad the group was back together, she really was. She'd rested her head back on her arms a moment, and then the next time she opened her eyes, a plate of food had appeared before them. Her friend had brought her breakfast, and busily engaging his own.

Yawning again, she ate quite a bit, but perhaps the mage had packed her plate with his own appetite in mind, as there was more there than she could handle. She smiled a bit, and slid the rest in his direction.

Mage

Helios had mulled about in the yard, awhile. Chase never showed up, but that was fine, he was enjoying the outdoors air considerably, and even if he wasn't training, and wasn't snarking, some how he was feeling a little better regardless, just strolling around. He'd somehow made his way around to the front gates, but obviously knew better than to just leave. However... It seemed Charlotte had gotten there some time ago, and was just sitting alone on a bench. That should be alright, he figured.

Pulling up a seat next to her, without thinking he said the first thing that came to mind. "You're looking nice this morning." Suddenly realizing that was a bit awkward sounding, he mentally stumbled, then tried to cover for things. "...because of the summit right? I suppose I should probably fix myself proper too, huh..."

That didn't make things any better, did it. He gave up and swallowed hardly.

Edited October 30, 2011 by Balcerzak

[Phoenix]

Iso

Iso: I'm not actually going alone. I'm going with-(Wait ... I've got a bad feeling about this all of a sudden. If she comes along with, neither me or Kelas will be able to talk or even relax. And what if she ends up thinking we're ... uuuuuuuugh. How am I going to get out of this?) ... Francis.

[Balcerzak]

Iris cocked her head a little at this. "Francis...? That's odd. I don't remember that name ever coming up when we were talking about the group. Neither amongst your friends, nor your foes." Narrowing her eyes slightly, remembering another instance of this, a disagreeable one, she continued, "That said, you never mentioned this Miranda either, so, I guess there could be other things you've simply been neglecting to tell me."

"Still, if it's an acquaintance of yours, I should like to at least meet him," stopping for a second Frederikov remembered that it was a rather gender neutral name. "Or her," she appended. "Don't worry, after the introductions, I can fade into the background, if you prefer. You'll hardly know I'm there, but it will help keep you, and them, safer."

[Phoenix]

Iso

Iso: (Well ... so much for that idea ...) Do you really need to come with? I do this all the time and nothing's ever gone wrong. (Come to think of it, we only seem to get attacked when everyone's all huddled up together in the same place. There was that one time when Kelas, Irina and I ... and some others split off from the group... but that was bait for a trap.)

Iso kept trying to visualize an outing with the three of them, Kelas, Iris, and himself. It wasn't even remotely comfortable ... and since Iris was riding a wyvern, he ended up with two versions; one with Iris riding alongside them being too close, and one with her in the air, keeping an eye out from above. The former was more annoying, but the latter wasn't much better.

[Balcerzak]

Iris nodded firmly, but gently. "I do. And even if I didn't, I don't have anything else to be doing and it sounds like it could be a good time. Is the idea of my company really that disagreeable?" She furrowed her eyebrows a bit. The lieutenant couldn't remember having done anything that unpleasant. Sure, she'd been willful, and forceful, but she'd thought her actions all appropriate and perhaps even restrained, considering their individual circumstances.

"At the very least, allow me to meet your companion. If I strike things off well enough with them, I could perhaps be persuaded to spend my time this morning with Her Highness instead. But I'm not making that decision until I'm satisfied here. After all, you are the direct heir, and should be prioritized as such."

A compromise. Iris was a reasonable person, and hoped the extended olive branch would help smooth over the prince's oversensitive behaviour. If she were to alienate him, and this soon, that would only make the entire remainder of her time with him as her charge unbearable. She had to weigh when and how to pick her battles. But she couldn't just give up without even showing up to the field.

Edited October 30, 2011 by Balcerzak

[Phoenix]

Iso

Iso: (I'm not sure she'd dislike Francis ... he's just a horse ... but if her view of wyverns is any indication, I doubt she'll be satisfied with just that. I'm willing to bet Kelas already has him ready for me too ... ... I just can't win. Alright, let's get this over with. She can just find out that Francis is a horse when we get there. No point in explaining it, now.) Alright, fine ... if you insist.

He sighed heavily and gestured for her to follow him out of the embassy. This was certainly going to be ... new. Once the two made it outside of the embassy, Iso spotted Kelas with the two steeds.

Iso: (Well ... here we go. Time to see more of the downsides to princehood.)

Iso waved apprehensively to Kelas and kept his head slightly between his shoulders.

[Inactive Account]

Oh, this was going to be interesting. "Hello again," Kelas called. Isotov wasn't doing a particularly good job of hiding that he wasn't happy about the fact that he'd apparently picked up a tagalong. She wasn't either, but she wasn't about to make that openly apparent-- she didn't think getting on the bodyguard's bad side before they'd even been properly introduced was a good idea. "Is she-- er, sorry, don't know your name-- is she coming with?"

[-Cynthia-]

Morgan

"If she were being perfectly clear, I would doubt that it was Flemeth. She thinks that speaking in cryptic riddles makes her sound wise, but it is really just an irritating habit she has picked up over the years," Morgan said, rolling her eyes.

"As for what to do about her, well...I do not know. She is too powerful to simply defeat in combat and I have no idea how to bargain with such an entity. I have been focused on defeating the Lord of Azure Flame for so long...perhaps it is all for naught. Whether it be death by demons or death by Flemeth, the result is much the same," she said to Lev, looking down at the ground.

[Balcerzak]

Ah, so it seems to have been the nomad? Having followed Isotov out to where the woman had prepared a pair of horses, Iris was somewhat surprised by this. But then things fell together nicely. He'd been disinclined for her company because of this woman, and he'd probably avoided mentioning her in his list of friends for a similar reason. A disagreeable state of affairs.

...But why then, when he'd claimed Kelas to have been his only friend, and Her Highness and Lev had chimed in with others, had her name not also floated to the top? Questions such as this swirled in her head as they finished the approach, crossing the yard, Isotov waving silently, but nothing more.

When they were close, the nomad had piped up, and broke the ice rather well, essentially inviting either Frederikov or the prince to reply, and she rose to the occasion.

"Ah, so you must be Francis then? I would be 2nd Lieutenant Iris Frederikov of the Zaftran armed forces. I hope to get to know you well," she inclined her head slightly, and offered a handshake.

During the introduction, the wheels of her mind were rapidly spinning. Certainly she had offered the possibility of letting the prince alone, but... with the woman he had stayed the night with? A sudden change in situation requires a sudden change in tactics, but she cannot seem to be one to renege a her promises either. Even if that promise was just to consider the situation at hand.

"As for whether I am to come along, it is my opinion that it would be for the best, though the prince seemed... hesitant. At the very least, I needed to meet with his intended companion. Do you two have any destinations in particular, or an itinerary?"

That should prepare the way adequately. Almost anything in a reply could be work off of, and some answers would make things so much easier. She was torn between hoping the nomad was ill-prepared, and thus she could use it as an excuse to force herself along, and hoping that she was actually competent, even if that made the current task a little more difficult.

[Phoenix]

Breakaway

Iso: S-she might.

When Iris mistook Kelas for Francis, Iso had to fight off a mix of humor and embarrassment. On one hand, his minor deception had been made all too apparent for at least Kelas. On the other, it sure was funny.

Iso: Err ... the horse is Francis. He's a ... coming along too ....

He then gestured toward Kelas. The apprehension in his voice was noticeable but began to fade as the conversation progressed.

Iso: This is Kelas.

Iso wasn't sure about plans other than escaping the immediate vicinity, a task that seemed less meaningful than before. He still wanted to go, though. Only so many people could tag along currently.

I'll Be There

Lev: Hey ...

Lev came a little closer.

Lev: You're not giving up, are you? It's not over until you're dead ... trust me, I would know. (I need to stop free falling all the damn time.) If you want to live, you'd better be ready to fight for it, day in and day out. ... I'll ... help.

He shrugged. He assumed that wouldn't mean a whole lot to her given her unique circumstances.

[Dark Sage]

"I don't really have many hobbies really. I guess some good ones might be...knitting? Gambling? Horseback riding? Reading? I don't know really. I doubt we have much time to pursue hobbies. Sorry I can't really help you out there," replied Alf.

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

Sadie

Breakfast arrived and so Sadie put a large amount of food on her plate and began eating. She was utterly surprised when she saw Arrin wolfing down his food so eagerly. This was common behavior among gluttons, but not many teenagers as far as she knew.

"Whoa. Slow down Arrin. You could get sick eating so much so quickly."

[Inactive Account]

Kelas' only response to the apparent misunderstanding was to stare for a moment-- she wasn't entirely sure how that had happened-- and then shrug it off, walking over to shake Iris' hand. It wasn't nearly as strange to her as it was to hear Isotov called "prince", anyway. "Well, I figured we'd go around the outskirts of town a bit, where it's not too crowded, then come back-- not going to take long enough to miss breakfast, certainly," she explained. Hopefully the plan sounded better than what it essentially was, picking a random direction and wandering around until they got bored. She knew she'd be able to find their way back, but she doubted that Iris was going to trust in any of her abilities without a demonstration. "Don't worry, I'll bring him back in one piece. We're not going to just blunder into any trouble."

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

Arrin glanced at Tessa when she pushed her plate over to him. "Are you sure?" He continued to dig in to his own plate, and looked sheepishly over at Sadie when she commented, mouth still full of toast. "'m huhgby," he protested incoherently.

[-Cynthia-]

Morgan

"You are right I think. If I give up I will most certainly die, if I fight I at least have a chance. It is...the uncertainty that bothers me the most I think. Dwelling on hypotheticals is usually useless business, but I still do not know what to do on the off chance we defeat the Lord of Azure Flame. Returning to Flemeth seems like an unwise option and I have little interest in wearing the regalia of a hero. Going by modern history, the life a hero either seems to be filled with politics or obesity; neither of which is especially appealing," she said to Lev.

Charlotte

" Thank you. And it probably wouldn't hurt to fix yourself up a bit," Charlotte said to Helios truthfully, grateful for the company. "I assume you'll be going to the summit then? Tora needs a representative after all and well, I suppose you don't really know if any other delegates are showing up are you? It might be a bit jarring to return to the world of politics after being away for some time, but it's probably something you should do," she advised to him.

Edited October 31, 2011 by -Cynthia-

[Balcerzak]

When informed of her mistake, Iris turned and glared daggers at Isotov. Her voice dropped about an octave as she replied, "Oh. Is that so? The horse."

The prince seemed to be taking great delight at this too, which was fuel to the fire of injury. Yet... it hadn't been a blatant lie. Half truths and omissions, yes. Could she forgive it this time? Perhaps, though her positive opinion of his conduct from this morning's frankness had been completely erased. She bit back any further comments for now.

Soured by this turn of events, her handshake with Kelas was probably a little fiercer than it should have been, but still certainly nothing beyond the bounds of civility.

After Kelas explained the planned course of action, Frederikov nodded, and asked, "Do you have a spare horse I could ride, or should I be following along on Drake? No offense to your skills intended, of course, but it seems I really do feel I have to come along after all. It would do me some good to move about anyways."

But mostly, if His Highness couldn't trust her, she couldn't trust him.

Edited October 31, 2011 by Balcerzak

[Phoenix]

Iso

Iso: (Ohhh nooo. Well I guess that's about as much as I could hope for, I guess. At least Morgan or Miranda aren't tagging.) Is it really necessary that you come along? It's ... not that you'd be a bother but ... Kelas and I hardly ever get to talk alone-(Wait ... that's not entirely true.)

He quickly cut himself off, shaking his head.

Iso: No, that's not it. I mean I was ... hoping I could talk with her ... alone. (There's nothing I can say to fix this, is there?)

Miranda

As Miranda made her way through the halls back to her room, Fenrir tugged on her cape a bit to get her attention. She turned expecting the chimera to complain about food but saw that face again.

Miranda: FU- ... oh ... Ixion what is it?

Fenrir: Good. I thought it might help if I tried something different. I'm checking in, again. How are the siblings?

Miranda: Irina's in the dining room, I think. Iso's outside ... with Kelas probably.

Fenrir's head cocked.

Miranda: They're probably just going for a ride.

Fenrir: Follow them.

Miranda: ... youhuhuhuh have nnnnoooohohoho idea what you're askihing of meehehehehehe!

Miranda broke into laughter in that lasted throughout her reply and even wrapped her arms around her stomach.

Fenrir: ....

Lev

Lev: You actually entertained the idea of going back to her? Even though she might ... do God knows what to you? Well I'm not exactly sure what to do with myself just yet, either. My days as a mercenary officially ended with the IM disbanded at Kalten. ... I suppose I could always start up a new company. Ivanko wouldn't mind a few outside contributions, I bet. Hmm ... (That gives me an idea ...)

[Inactive Account]

"Far as I know we haven't got any spares, unless you want to ask someone about borrowing theirs," Kelas added. She walked over and pressed Francis' reins into Isotov's hand, standing next to him so that she could step on his foot if he seemed to be about to say anything else that might make things worse. He wasn't a very good liar. Amari was allowed to follow behind Kelas, and did so in a wandering sort of way, pausing to poke at Isotov's arm with her muzzle a bit as a sort of grudging hello-- it seemed he'd brought Kelas' ability to not be miserable back, after all-- and then ambled over to investigate Iris. The mare sniffed at the mage, deciding she was completely uninteresting, and walked back to stand beside Kelas, clearly expecting praise for not biting the newcomer.

[Balcerzak]

Commoner

Tessa nodded, and leaned backwards. "You loaded it up with large portions, and I guess I was still more sleepy than hungry. Nightmares," she added quietly. "Maybe my appetite will improve a bit after this first bit starts to digest, though. But if I don't ask for it back by the time you've finished yours... it really is fine."

She looked around the room a bit, thinking to maybe go and welcome Isotov back proper, but it seemed he'd already finished. Maybe another time then. There was that woman from before she didn't recognize, though. And she felt a bit foolish, but couldn't help asking Arrin and Sadie in a low voice, trying to discreetly point to Midori, "Say, do you know who that lady is?"

Noble

"I... yeah," the realization that he may have to pull double duty at this conference finally hit home for him. Crimson weapon and royal. A unique position.

Helios wanted to dislodge the powers that had taken control of Tora... but in actuality, it was likely there'd have been sent representatives furthering their own interests to the council anyway. The prince had never really thought of himself as a proper ruler-in-exile either. He didn't have the right. Not after what he'd done. He'd been sort of the prodigal prince for so long, even if...

Jenny should be the queen still. Just... without anyone pulling her puppet strings.

"I honestly have no idea. The last time I was in any direct contact was at the ball... and before that, well I don't know that Ian or Mark really would have counted as 'contact' either, while they were here. I'd honestly be surprised if there weren't delegates, but I suppose I should at least serve as a second opinion." The prince managed to vocalize his thoughts without too much trouble.

"I'm likely to be right terrible at getting a proper appearance up for this though, and I don't know that there's anything to help for it. I know my court manners are rusty too, maybe even downright horrid. I suppose I'll have to just try to to keep the damage to a minimum. If I start to embarrass myself," he paused a bit, "If there's no harm to your standing... Actually never mind. Put Jerdon first. Don't ever falter and don't give up."

"Also... I'm sorry things didn't work out like we'd hoped for you, just yet at least." A quiet final addendum regarding the events of the past two days.

Edited October 31, 2011 by Balcerzak

[Mercakete]

"That's fine," Esphyr replied, "You gave some good suggestions. I'll think about...reading, maybe." She hummed as she pondered the idea. It was the most reasonable of the suggestions Alf had made, but... There was probably something better out there that matched her better.

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

He was nearly done with his breakfast when something caught Tas' eye: someone else was entering the dining hall. Half a milisecond later, Tas recognized who it was. Swallowing what was in his mouth, he waved her over. "Irina! Good morning!" He was obviously feeling better today than he was days prior.

[-Cynthia-]

Morgan

"Well...living in the Wilds is the only life I have ever known. My time among civilization has not changed my outlook. I admit, there once was a time where I was enamored with the idea of the outside world, but I soon learned that people hold little interest to me. They are always busy lusting after things that do not matter, clinging to false happiness with every opportunity. That is why I believe the Lord of Azure Flame was able to come back- the heroes lied about truly defeating him and then the people lied to themselves so that they could revel in their glorious "victory". I am forced to defeat the Lord of Azure Flame because Flemeth has willed it so, but I am not obligated to pick up the mess afterwards," she said to Lev emphatically.

Charlotte

"I am probably quite rusty myself, I haven't acted like a proper princess for years really," she said to Helios with a small smile.

"I admit, I don't know much about what happened in Tora, but even if you lack a few refinements you will still do more of a service to your people than those currently in charge. At least that's what I tell myself. Maybe Father and Mother would have wanted me to stay in that clergy forever, living my life as a sister. But I felt that I could not ignore destiny when E-e-ric," she said, struggling to get out the name, "came to Hamburg. I felt as if the Goddess had chosen me to go on your journey and that that journey would lead me back to Jerdon someday. I still believe that today, otherwise well...I wouldn't be here. All we can do at this point is our best," she said to Helios, tears in her eyes.

[Phoenix]

Iso

Amari's greeting was surprising but it soon passed and Iso was left standing there, awkwardly, hoping the situation would just resolve itself in some favorable way.

Irina

Once Irina arrived in the dining area, Tas greeted her, and she hurried over to sit next to him.

Irina: Good morning, Tas. I'm glad you didn't let yourself go hungry, again, hahah.

Lev

Lev: Hm? What's false happiness? How would you define that, exactly?

Lev tilted his head a bit toward her as he asked the question.

[-Cynthia-]

Morgan

"False happiness is the state of being happy only due to ignorance or lies. The man who praises the Goddess for saving him while his neighbor's barn burns down is not truly happy, as that fire will spread and burn the fool's crops."

"I suppose then the question remains of what true happiness is and for that I do not have an answer. Such talk would end up delving into the realm of...feelings rather than facts. Not that feelings are necessarily untrue, it is just that, er nevermind," Morgan said, beginning to stumble over her words.

[Mercakete]

"Heheh, yeah. I actually planned my day when I woke up and included breakfast this time. This is good food, too, and there's so much that it should be okay to just eat it. I think it was set out for us, especially since people were already eating when I got here," Tas replied cheerily, "So, how'd you sleep?"

[Phoenix]

Hungry Irina

Irina: Too long, actually.

Irina reached for a plate with a joking smile. Once she had some things on her plate, a few things she knew she would like and some ... experimental food, she sat back down next to Tas.

Irina: I'm officially off schedule, so hopefully I can work up some fatigue today and get back to sleep at the right time.

True Lev

Lev: Hmm ... true happiness probably needs to be something that doesn't rely on the 'state of things', then. I mean we don't know what's truly going on in the world, now do we? What if the Demon King is defeated, and then some other threat we didn't know about springs up? Maybe it's something that can endure that outcome. There's only one thing that could make me feel that way if this demon hunt turned out to be the foreshadowing of something far worse. Heheh, anything like that come to mind for you?

[Mercakete]

"Would you like to spend the day with me, then? Or at least part of it? After breakfast I was going to go get some of the gold I earned and go into town to get another set of clothes since what I'm wearing is all I had time to get before. Then I was going to go to the Septiminian embassy and then go back into town to get Namid a treat. I usually go over to him rigth after breakfast, so that's why I thought I should get him something. After that I was just going to spend the rest of the day with him, but if you have any other ideas, we could do that, too. Maybe you could teach me how to fight better or we could fly around for a while," Tas suggested. He had pleanty to do so if Irina had a lack of things to do, he migth as well ask her to come along.

[Phoenix]

Irina

Irina: I haven't seen Aiya, yet. I did want to tell her about what happened in Kalten over breakfast. Maybe she could come with us? I didn't have any other plans besides that, really. I do need to do something to wear myself out before I go to sleep tonight, so some training later would definitely be good.

Then it was time for Irina to try the food. First what she hadn't eaten before, just to be safe and have a fallback meal. It wasn't half bad, though she wasn't too fond of one of the items she'd picked out, so she left that on the plate and focused on the other portions.