Return of the Emblem Chapter Ten: Converging Destinies

[Script]

A Man Called Gar

"Three cheers for our new second," Gar clapped. "I'd pop a bottle of wine on this momentous occasion, but I sold it all off weeks ago." Not like it really mattered to Gar. He never really gave a damn who was in charge since he had offered his contract to Raquel--and only Raquel--and just went with whatever he wanted as usual. "So can I wander about the nice little fort or do I have to enjoy the company up here a little longer?" he asked.

[Mercakete]

"Well, aye. Though specificalla I meant forgettin' t' say it was a grievance match. If it's not clarified quickla, it makes problems, but this one was," she clarified to Gar. Cocking her head some, something dawned on Gytha. "'R... Are things different inland?" Yeah, that made a lot of sense. The mariner flinched visibly and humbly then amended, "I didn't realize it, it that's th' case. Sorra about that... Er... By Leviathan, I miss Amon. He usualla corrected me on things like this b'fore it turned disastrous..." The end was more mutterings to herself as she desperately tried to think of some way to make it up to the group, Raquel in particular.

It was around then that Raquel came back and finally appointed a second-in-command. Gytha was actually relieved at that. It meant more structure in the group and she knew just who to answer to as a member of it. "Aye, Captain!" she responded to Raquel before saying to Veronika, "Ye kind of took on th' role earla, but congratulations. N' at some point, it's be nice t' know what I have t' do t' pay fer that blunder o' mine. I want t' make it up as best I can in some way, even if I can't take back th' damage I caused."

[Snike]

Raquel returned to the group and made the announcement, while Blake followed suit, splitting off as he moved directly to Reign.

"Alright, same deal," Blake said, once he got into speaking range. "I need to borrow you, Reign, and this needs to be private. Same spot as I talked to Raquel, or do you have any better options?"

[Script]

A Man Called Gar

"Things are different on land and sea, between countries, religions, races. Between settlements in the same country, between areas in a city, between parts of a house, between family members, and most of all between each and every person." Gar bared a truth he held. "There is no gold standard of ruleset, every person has their own standards and practices. As binky boy there mentioned, someone else could have the whole thing crashing down. If you care about appearances and rules and procedure, think first." Gar ended his half-assed lecture. None of it really applied to him, of course. He did what he wanted whenever he wanted.

[-Cynthia-]

Veronika

"Thank you for the clarification Raquel, hopefully this will solve some issues in the future," Veronika said, not especially relieved to have this issue exposed in front of Colin and Silvia. Colin's comment worried her as well- she thought the man was a bit of an idiot, but he probably didn't deserve to die.

She mulled over Raquel's announcement. I'm surprised she did not take me with her- perhaps she wanted someone she could trust in case things went south. Marella and Luka are very...unexpected- some plan of Blake's perhaps? She wished she had been clued in, but figured that the organization members being present made revealing things more difficult.

"If Sardis rejects all of our terms, I would seriously reconsider negotiations, but the choice is yours," Veronika advised Raquel before the news arrived.

[Phoenix]

Terms of Enragement

"I'm sorry I didn't do it sooner," Raquel replied to Veronika with an embarrassed look on her face. It was true, many issues could have been avoided outright had she just said those simple few things. "I guess we'll hear what he has to say, but I think I we'll be alright," she added, trying her best to hint at the plan without making Colin or Silvia suspicious. The latter of the two wasn't even paying attention them though.

When approached to be brought into private too, Reign nodded saying, "Let's go."

Marshal finally arrived in the interim and dismounted with a scroll and old flute in hand. Silvia met him by his horse and he handed her the flute and the scroll. While he waited, she came back over and handed Raquel the scroll. "This is for you ..." She then came over to the Dauntless trying to gauge whether Gar wanted the flute tossed to him or handed up. "Aaaand this is for you ...?"

Raquel took a moment to look over the scroll. She only made it two lines in before quickly rolling it back up. It appeared that Jethro had left nothing to chance when it came to confirming that he was there and that he was indeed Jethro. She turned to the others saying, "It's him. I mean, there's a lot here and it's too personal to be made up on the spot." She didn't say anything about the specifics, feeling too embarrassed to do so. She held the scroll behind her back for the moment.

"Hey!" Marshal called over. "That's not just your personal information and secrets in there, Valcyn! Sardis' reply is in there too, so hurry up and read it!"

"Ah!" Raquel took the scroll back out and slowly opened it up again, looking for Sardis' response while trying not to reread Jethro's embarrassing mentions. Once she found it, she read it aloud for the others. "Oh ... here ... 'You have your proof, Raquel. Jethro is here. This is as far as we go. Now it is up to you. Come and speak with me, on the terms given to you before, or leave. Know that if you do not come to see me, you will not see me or Jethro again. This is your last chance, Raquel. After today, this feud of ours will be over, one way or another.' ... never see my father OR Sardis again? What does that mean? Is some assassin going to just run up and stab me in the back? Is that it?"

"Wormwood ... grrr," Colin muttered angrily. I knew Sardis was going to get strong-armed sooner or later.

[Script]

A Man Called Gar

Finally did the slow horse arrive baring gifts most pleasant. Silvia came over to hand the flute over but Gar had one more thing to do. "Could you give it a little whistle yourself first? I wanna see how it sounds in someone else's lips." Raquel confirmed that Jethro was here--or at the very least he was alive enough at one point to write the note. It really told nothing but Raquel was hesitant enough and this was the push she needed. And Blake-guy probably had something up his sleeve by now with all his private talks. Gar spoke over to Raquel. "I suppose hoping he'd randomly vanish from existence would be too much. Especially with someone with an even more obnoxious name pulling something here? Wormwood? Really? Was Maggottree and Nightcrawlermahogany taken?"

[Snike]

"Got it," Blake said, before backtracking to where he had filled Raquel in. Once there, he turned around and removed his notes and an insignia from his coat pocket.

"Here's the combat team notes. Seeing as Veronika's going to be in command, you might want to forward them to her so she can arrange the teams," Blake began, as he placed the emblem on top of the notes and offered them both to Reign. "And if you don't mind, could you hold on to this for me? If things go south and I fall, I'd rather not have them identify me. Speaking of which... If Raquel doesn't manage to use her staff in time, or it otherwise doesn't work, don't bother mounting a rescue if she and the others are out of the fortress. I'm not worth the risk."

[Phoenix]

Preparations

That was an odd request, but it was an odd day; she was surrounded by enemies and not under fire. "Well, alright ..." she said with a shrug. She didn't know how to play it and so planned to simply blow, softly, but with no additional work involved. That's what she planned to do at first, but as she began to blow and the flute produced that interesting sound, she couldn't help but alternate her fingers a few times. "Hahah, this might just be my kind of instrument." Well it probably wasn't poisoned, rigged to explode or otherwise dangerous, though now it had Silvia germs on it.

"Yeah I don't think he's going to randomly disappear ... not out of existence anyway. That would be too convenient, and I still wouldn't get my father back necessarily," Raquel replied dejectedly.

Colin looked rather unamused with Gar's focus on the odd name, but felt slightly guilty for mentioning it in the first place. "Look, you'll probably be meeting him in the near future, so try and keep comments like that to yourself, man."

"Samael's not so bad~" Silvia cheerfully chimed in.

"Eh, depends on who you ask," Colin countered.

Elsewhere, Blake handed Reign his notes and insignia and gave a somewhat grim contingency. Reign wasn't going to argue with it. It was one of those sad truths in a situation like this. "I'll take care of them both. And don't worry, I'll let Veronika know the plan once I can tell her without them noticing," Reign replied. "But do us all a favor, and look after yourself if it comes down to that. We can't mount a rescue, but that's no reason for you to go down fighting. Not when you might still be able to help us again later. Make sure you do anything that you can live with to survive." It was better than saying nothing, he reasoned.

[Snike]

"... Heh. I'll keep that in mind," Blake said, upon hearing Reign's advice. "One more thing: don't kill Colin if things come to a head and you have to make a break for it without me. He's a relatively decent guy, and we're already making enough enemies today. No need to add another one and make it personal. Just drop him off on the side of the road or something."

And with that said, the swordsman returned to the group. "Well, I'm ready to go. How about everyone else?"

[Script]

A Man Called Gar

"Hmm, that'll do nicely now," Gar extended his hand to take the flute now that it was safer. Still not safe, since there were slow-release poisons they could have the antidote for inside or were just plain sacrificing her. But hey at least something was accomplished. Well, probably not. "If he has you so tensed up about a name, then he'd certainly have the power to change it. I mean, at least if Sameal's his first name then at least it isn't bad, but Wormwood is just, ugh. And if he gets all 'rawr rawr murder the me guy' over a little name slinging then I'd get to laugh and recall this entire conversation and especially the parts about you accusing us of starting violence. Good times," Gar gave off a huge grin.

[Eail]

Luka still wasn't entirely comfortable with the thought of going into the enemy territory with such low numbers, but it appeared that there really wasn't any other option. "Yes, I'm ready." he said with a nod, though it was obvious that the boy was nervous about the situation. Both of his staves were strapped to his back, would it be better to keep the warp one in his hands?

[ReformBlade]

Aneda glowered at Gytha but didn't really follow anything up on that. Lots of things, annoying things, taunting things, generally displeasing things were abound but Aneda kept silent about it since they were resolving themselves fairly quickly. "Well that was interesting...?" she commented aloud, still not sure on why Gytha was still around after repeated attempts of not giving a shit about how the world works.

Mushirah on the other hand overheard some talk about trying to tear down a wall, taking note that it was a hushed conversation and that Sardis people were right over there. I could help with that, pretty darn sure... So with that in mind, she approached Reign, keeping her voice down, "Um... hey there, I heard you guys were talking of taking down a door or a wall or something. If you need help, I can certainly do that."

[Mercakete]

While that fiasco had been taking place, Norbert had been attempting to calm down from his own disagreements. It wasn't going entirely well, however. As soon as she starts making suggestions, he shuts her down... I can't stand that. Not listening to what someone has to say when what they have to say is entirely legitimate... Norbert's grip on Rizen's reins tightened. The next thing you know, he'll be blowing off a warning that could save his life! Or even downright brushing off a claim that someone attacked her! Or worse, convincing the others that any and everything she has to say is trivial or outright lies!

The fuming pegasus rider grit his teeth, quietly hissing out, "Curse you, Cecelia...!" He's just like her. Who knows who he'll trivialize next? I won't let what happened to me happen to them. I can't. These are the closest to friends I've ever had. And people like Cecelia need to be overturned and exposed... I may never be able to prove my innocence against Cecelia, but I can protect the others from being mistreated. That Zach... He'd better not try that again.

And so he was no closer to actually calming down for a while longer. Eventually, though, he felt he'd at least regained his wits enough to return and when he came back, there were some new people there. Deciding to try to fade into the background until he could figure out what was going on, the pegasus rider quietly rode up to the outskirts of the group, curiously watching the proceedings.

[roymbrog]

Flying High (spoiler commands aren't working) (also during TS)

Everyone was preparing to leave and for Gytha, that typically (until recently) meant climbing on top of the Dauntless and waiting for everyone to move out. This was an unusual case, however, as she saw an opportunity prompted by the previous night's endeavor. In the dream, she'd flown, but she'd been clinging to the wyvern the whole time. That was just in a dream, too. I have t' keep tryin' till I get over this... she thought to herself, and so she sought out the wyvern rider from the dream.

It didn't take too long to locate the girl she was looking for. "Ahoy, er..." Well, that greeting feel flat. A bit embarrassed, Gytha resumed, "Sorry, I seem t' have fergotten yer name... Mine's Gytha. If ye remember, ye helped Veronika n' me t' th' others in th' dream trainin'." Best to get that established before the actual request.

Finished with her breakfast of venison and crackers, Katrina had been lounging around on Volga’s back as she waited for everyone else to mobilize. An unexpected thing happened when she received a visitor, but unexpected did not mean unwelcome. “Hey, Gytha,” she replied cheerily. “It’s fine though, I don’t even know if I introduced myself before. I’m Katrina.” The aforementioned girl turned to better face the mariner, and smiled. “I remember the dream. You were the one scared of wyverns, right?” Or, wait. Maybe that was wrong. She was scared of something, the wyvern rider was sure. Kat never had the best memory.

"Fyin', actualla," Gytha replied, just happy that Katrina remembered the events in the dream, "Thank ye fer th' help then. I do have a favor t' ask, though." The mariner paused before making her request, "I was hopin' ye'd let me fly with ye again. I didn't get over it in th' dream n' I want t' keep workin' on it until it's gone. Think ye could help me with that?"

Oh, being scared of flying made more sense, considering Gytha hadn’t had problems approaching Volga a moment ago. “It’s not a problem, I was happy to help,” Katrina replied. And then came the request, and Kat was all enthusiasm. “We could definitely help you with that, couldn’t we, Volga?” The wyvern looked up briefly with a blank expression. She was going to take that as a yes.

"Ah, thank ye!" Gytha replied cheerily. She was trying not to think of the actual flight that was about to transpire, instead focusing on how helpful Kat was being.

"So, should I get on -- Volga, was it? -- now?" the mariner asked. She was pretty happy with Kat so far. This looked like it was going to blossom into a fine friendship.

“Yep, just hop on,” Kat replied. She turned around to sit properly in the saddle, and Volga looked raised her head. Were they leaving soon? “You can grab onto me or the grips on the saddle. Just lean forward when we take off and you’ll be fine, though. We’ll take it slow~”

"Um, a'right!" Gytha replied, trying to sound cheerful, but her nerves were kicking in some. Still, she climbed onto the wyvern's back, just as instructed and decided to grab onto the saddle. She didn't want to accidentally hurt Kat, after all.

Once Gytha was situated, Volga was given the command to take off slowly. No leaping, no hurried wingbeats, just a gentle ascent until they were a few meters off the ground. Kat then had Volga fly around the outskirts of the campsite for a few seconds before calling back, “You alright so far? Not bad, right?”

Gytha was tightly gripping the saddle. In spite of the gentleness of the flight, she still felt like she was going to fall. "Uh, err, it's... Y-ye sure we're secure up here?" Gytha replied, managing to open her eyes and glance around at the ground. It certainly was a different vantage point; not entirely unlike looking down from a crow's nest. Looks like everyone's about reada t' leave...

“Yep, perfectly safe~ Unless you deliberately tried to fall off, I don’t think you’re going to,” Kat reassured. Perhaps it was because of the large wingspan, but Volga was a pretty stable flyer at most speeds. “Let me know when you feel more comfortable, and we can go a little higher, ok? Or if you want to go down, we can do that too.”

-

The group eventually set out and Gytha wound up flying along with Katrina on Volga. She'd decided to keep around the same level and not dismount just yet. They'd been travelling a while and progressively, Gytha began to relax some. "So, Katrina... Anaone ever call ye 'Kat' 'r d' ye not go by nicknames?" Yes, it was time for idle chat.

“Yeah, a lot of people do actually. Rina works too, but uh... only one person ever calls me that. But hey, you could be the second!” she replied. It seemed Gytha was starting to feel more comfortable. That was good. If they were gonna start talking though Kat did have something she wanted to know. “So I’ve been meaning to ask, but did you grow up in a port too? You sound a lot like the sailors that came in and out of Lukin,” she said.

"Ah, aye!" Gytha practically guffawed. She hadn't been expecting to meet anyone else from a port -- everyone so far seemed to have come from inland -- and she was actually surprised at how happy that made her. Maybe she'd been more homesick than she thought. "Lukin, hm? I've ne'er had th' pleasure o' dockin' there. I'd love t' visit! Actualla, I find it kind o' funny how yer called 'Kat.' Been a while since I've heard that name! See, back home, I was called 'Cat' sometimes, too! But 'Rina,' hm? Who was it who called ye that? A parent?"

She was just bubbling over with interest, questions and excitement. Actually, she'd even forgotten they were flying she was so happy.

“It’s a nice place,” Kat said and smiled. It was nice to think of home every once in a while. “Oh, you were called Cat too? What for?” It sounded kind of funny, naming someone after a feline. “Anyway, nah, my dad uses my full name. It’s a member of my mercenary guild. I saw him while we were in Sergio, actually, the lazy bum.”

"Oh, that must'a been nice. Seein' an old friend," Gytha happily replied before answering Kat's question, "It was a joke, actualla. Bein' called 'Cat,' I mean. See, me father's a ship captain, so th' crew -- 'r at least th' senior staff -- would call me 'Cat', short for th' 'cat o' nine tails!' Haharr! If ye know that whip's other name, ye'll get th' joke: th' cat o' nine is also called th' 'captain's daughter.'"

Katrina laughed. “Haha, that makes sense then. When you started I thought it was going to be about how you whipped them into shape or something. I like the pun, though,” she answered. “So you used to work on ships then, right? What brings you to working with Raquel? Me, I’ve just been in need of a job.” And then there had been the whole thing with John, but she didn't want to talk about that. If this group was something he died for, she wasn't even going to consider that it wasn't important.

"Oh, that. Well," Gytha began, taken off-guard a little, "I met Raquel a few months ago in Sergio Port. Was buyin' some supplies. Then 'er father was taken n' people came after Raquel. She was taken up inta th' sky by a mercenary I'd arrived in Sergio with. We never worked t'gether, realla. Just happened t' be on th' same ship. Anaway, Raquel was taken up by a wyvern rider. I don't know what I was thinkin', but I grabbed the thing's tail as it flew off n'... Well, that's how I got me fear o' flyin'. Anaway, figured protectin' this merchant wasn't much different from what I usualla did -- which was bein' hired onta merchant ships t' guard merchant n' merchandise from pirates -- so I decided t' help 'er out. It's given me a lot o' new experiences, that's fer sure!"

Though that was how she met Raquel and joined her on this adventure, she didn't exactly say why she joined. As fun was it was talking to Kat, she was reluctant to tell her about the true reason for her joining. In fact, she only had a vague idea herself and she didn't really want to think about it at the moment.

“So you’ve been around since the beginning of this, huh? That’s kind of you, to help her out after something like that.” So this had been going on for several months now. How many of those had John been with them? “Ooh, grabbing a wyvern’s tail though, that sounds painful. If it was a Makarov wyvern, at least. But anyway, what about now? You feeling a little better about flying?” Katrina asked.

"Well, I wanted to," Gytha replied honestly, regarding Kat's comment on her kindness, "I'm not acceptin' pay, but what I realla want is t' see Raquel get her father back."

With regard to flying, Gytha replied a tiny bit more shakily, "Aye, a little bit. If I keep ridin' with ye, then it will probabla disappear entirela. I guess flyin' from a wyvern's tail with nothin' but yer arms keepin' ye from fallin' makes it a bit hard t' get used t' flyin'... Volga's a lot steadier than that was, though, so I'm feelin' a bit better. Thank ye." She offered a sincere smile of gratitude.

“Heh, sometimes I wish I had the ability to help for free. Money’s been tight,” Kat said, grimacing slightly. “Hopefully we can reunite them today. I know I miss my dad, and I left voluntarily. Can’t imagine what that girl’s gone through these last few months."

Returning to a subject she liked, the wyvern rider cheered up considerably. “It’s no problem, though. I’m glad you’re getting more comfortable up here. Once you’ve got the knack for it, flying is the best thing in the world~”

"Hahaharr! Fer me, there's nothin' better n' travellin' with people ye care about n' who care about ye! Especialla when those travels give ye stories t' tell!" Gytha laughed. Talking with Kat really was doing wonders for her nerves.If I keep this up, ana fear I had o' flyin' will be completely gone th' next time I'm in th' air! Praise Leviathan!

The scene with Gytha had been a shock to Katrina. Being relatively new, she hadn’t seen anything before that would have foreshadowed it or given warning. It just kind of… happened. Thankfully it got resolved quickly, but she was curious as to why on Sardius the mariner would do such a thing. Her explanation hadn’t really clarified it for the wyvern rider.

So, after things cooled down, she walked over to the wagon where Gytha was leaning. “What’s a grievance match?” she asked.

---

After all the other crap happening today, Valter’s patience was starting to wear thin. He had actually taken out and strung his bow before the conflict had been resolved, but put it aside once it had. He had a feeling there was going to be some serious discipline after this meeting. If not, well… He was going to ask about it. At the very least he was going to talk to Bert and Synthia about their behavior. In any case, at least something good had come of all this. The group finally had an official second in command. That should help curb some of the worst problems.

---

Synthia, meanwhile, had been loath to get involved after the previous incidents. And then when she was going to talk to Gytha, other people beat her to it. Whatever, she could do it later. For now she had moved to sit in the shadow of the Dauntless, the opposite side of where most people were standing.

Edited April 14, 2013 by roymbrog

[Mercakete]

Veronika completely ignored her. Well, Gytha figured she deserved that, even if the ruckus she caused was unintentional. Still, Gytha felt terrible about the whole affair and resolved to just remain where she was unless she was called to action. It's not that I don't r'spect authorita... Of course, that thought only reminded Gytha of the other thing she was miserable about. Luckily for her, Katrina came by. She only hoped she hadn't lost the friend she'd only just made. She sounded...not angry. Oh. Well, that was comforting. It was a little disheartening hearing that she hadn't heard of a grievance match, though.

"So that realla isn't somethin' that's done around 'ere..." she groaned, "Aye, aye, that woulda been looked at as an attack... Oigh..." She hadn't forgotten the question, though, and so as she slid down into a sitting position, Gytha explained, "A grievance match is usualla not unannounced. That was a mistake on me part. If someone has somethin' against someone else, they can proclaim it. If it's b'tween two o' th' same crew, best t' take it t' th' quartermaster 'r someone o' higher rank n' tell both o' 'em ye have a grievance against whoe'er it is ye have a grievance against. Then, if ye took it t' th' authorita figure, he 'r she tells ye what yer entitled t' do. If it's just ye two there, ye duel t' settle th' dispute."

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

Norbert, meanwhile, rode up to Valter and asked, "So, do you know what's going on?" He knew he'd missed something moderately important at least.

[roymbrog]

“Well, not really, no, considering I haven’t heard of it,” Katrina said, wincing a bit at Gytha’s reaction. The explanation was helpful, but the wyvern rider’s brow furrowed as she thought of another question. “But… it wasn’t just the two of you, right? Maybe I’m understanding wrong, but could it have been sorted out between Raquel and Sardis, as they’re the two in charge? Or, maybe it doesn’t work between different crews I guess, huh?”

---

Bert returned, looking much calmer than when he had left. “It’s already been resolved, so don’t worry about it, but Gytha almost ruined the negotiations by attacking one of the diplomats,” Valter replied. “Also, Veronika was appointed second in command by Raquel. She’s about to go talk to Sardis.”

[Mercakete]

"There's a way t' talk b'tween crews, but it's not worth it if it's somethin' small," Gytha replied, "since it usualla pits two entire crews against each other."

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

The news about Gytha didn't surprise Norbert near as much as the news about Veronika. A couple words were started, but cut short even as the pegasus rider started them. Finally, he settled on an incredulous "What?!" I am NOT taking orders from that bossy wench! Not as easily as Raquel anyway. I...don't have much of a choice if I want to be paid, I guess... "Blast it all..." Norbert's voice quivered some as his rage built up again, glaring at the base of Rizen's neck and arms shaking some from how tightly he was gripping the reins. Every word that was spoken was somewhat separated from each other too, not quite forming a smooth sentence.

[Snowy_One]

"So then what would you suggest I do? I obviously can't fight to prove I can fight unless I throw myself right into the midst of their enemies. That will probably just get me locked up though. I suppose I could summon up a huge golem or something, but I don't think I could manage that, plus they might attack me. Hmmmm... An advanced water display would show my skill, but that has nothing to do with actual fighting. Do you have any suggestions on the matter?"

[Phoenix]

Preparations

Spare Colin? That was a surprising request, Reign thought, though as long as it didn't come back to bite them later, he didn't really mind much. It was seeming like the mercenary was growing on some of them, maybe even Raquel. While Blake left to get ready, Reign turned his attention to Mushirah who, from the sound of things, wanted to assist with taking down the fortress gate. "If it comes down to us having to go in there, by all means, but wait for the order before doing anything."

By the Dauntless, talk about Samael continued for ... some reason. "Nooo, he doesn't murder people over names," Silvia explained. "In fact I've never seen or heard about him killing anyone."

"Never mind him," Colin interjected. "You people have other things to worry about right now. Remember Sardis? Jethro? Either of those two?"

Raquel wasn't satisfied with that, but Colin didn't seem to be willing to expound any more than he already had. "I'm ready ... I guess."

"Great! Let's head back now." When Silvia noticed Colin hadn't so much as budged, she said, "Colin?"

"Theeeey'll probably want to keep me here and out of reach until Jethro's released, so go on without me, I guess."

"... fine, but I'm coming back for you, soon."

[Click This]

Mao by now had made it back to the Dauntless, but with kept her eye and ears at the highest level of attention. She was every bit in her merchant-mode; it was not a situation to let anything slip past her ears. Naturally, the merchant overheard Tia's indignant protests as she passed by the large wagon. "A good mage does not need to attack something to be useful in battle," she commented, popping her head briefly into the Dauntless. "There's something that applies to almost every line of work: think outside the box. That did well for me in business, and I'm sure that would work for tactics. Say, instead of pummeling a knight at a relatively close range with a spell, do something to the ground from afar. Make it slippery. Make it muddy, maybe freeze it. It might not work here, -if it comes to a fight- but it's just an example off the top of my mind."

With that, Mao removed her head from the interior of the cabin and turned back towards the crowd and fortress, eager to listen for more information.

[-Cynthia-]

Veronika

"Yes, Colin will be staying in my custody until negotiations are concluded. He will not be harmed while in my care," she assured Silvia. Knocking him out before a potential battle would be beneficial...but also dishonorable. We'll just have to fight him if it gets violent.

Connor

"That's a good suggestion. I guess you could also try dueling someone in the group to prove you're combat ready, but I'm not sure if anyone would be willing to accept that request," he said to Tia.

[Snike]

"Right, well, if everyone's ready, lead the way," Blake said to Silvia, simply. Everyone knew their roles, so now it was just a matter of time. And opportunity.

[Snowy_One]

"I wouldn't mind serving in a support role if they asked me too, but Valter made it pretty clear I'm not allowed on the battle field at ALL!" exclaimed Tia with a frumpish frown on her face. "That's the real big problem. Even if I showed up dressed in cleric clothes, carrying a staff, with a big 'medic' sign on my head, and outright pleaded with the enemy to not attack me, I'm sure that they would shove me off the battlefield. And I can't beat anyone in a duel because they have experience over me and... most of my spells are kinda not meant for single combat anyways."

[Phoenix]

Fortress of Solitude

It sucked to have to leave Colin behind, but Silvia supposed it couldn't be helped if they were even going to pretend to be laying out fair terms for these people, so she focused on leading Raquel and her escorts back to the fortress. Once they were out of earshot, Colin began muttering something to himself. "Would have been nice to go inside; I'm thirsty ..."

Heading over on foot put their arrival at just under six minutes and unsurprisingly, the gate was closed behind them, causing Raquel to gulp. She was intimidated, not surprised. Moving on. Raquel took note of all the organization fighters roaming about. It reminded her of Patricia's garrison and they only seemed to be missing the uniforms to sell the illusion. At first she wasn't sure where they were headed, but she made sure to keep the distance from where they were to the outer walls in mind as they went along. If she was going to warp Blake out in an emergency, she had to know how far to send him.

The lost one is here ... I feel her presence. "Huh?" That wasn't Raquel's thought she heard just then. It sounded more like the dragon head, dozens of whispering voices. And ... an emblem piece. "Wha ..."

"Something wrong, Raquel?"

"No, sorry, I ... it's nothing."

Silvia decided to let it go since pestering her about it might just be a waste of time. Maybe she was just reacting verbally to the sights. After all, the place was in complete shambles the last time she was here.

Remember your answer, Discovery. What answer? That's what she was wondering when they arrived at their apparent destination. The was a closed door in a medium sized hallway with various guards standing at a fair distance from the door. Still, Raquel was extremely uncomfortable knowing that these people could storm the room in seconds if necessary. She would have seriously considered turning back if not for the plan they had put together to extract themselves; this was too dangerous.

"Umm, Hayato's in there for some reason, so be careful," Silvia warned with a nervous smile. Then she opened the door for them. Inside were Sardis, Hayato, and someone Raquel didn't recognize, a mage of some kind at least judging by his staff. "Hi Sardis, Hayato, Owen. Raquel and her escorts are here."

"It took you people long enough," Hayato snarled.

"... Raquel," Sardis greeted. He was the only one sitting down at the long table inside, and there only seemed to be one more chair at that table. It was opposite him and probably meant for Raquel. Sitting down would make using her staff nearly impossible, so she immediately decided not to sit down unless forced for whatever reason.

Wagon of Waiting

Having little other choice but to take Veronika aside with Colin loitering about, Reign brought her to the same place Blake had brought him and Raquel to explain things. "Okay, so it's obvious you're in charge for the time being, but if this comes to blows, you need to know what's happening on Raquel's end. She brought Luka with because he and she both have a warp staff and together can get all four of them out of that meeting in an emergency. Marella went with because she can guard them both while they prepare the warp, and Blake went with for offense. Still, in case something goes wrong there and they can't get out, we'll need to get people to break down that gate so we can get to them and get out of here. Also I've got the combat team roster for the time being. Blake's not going to be able to make much use of it right now so ..." No point in mentioning the insignia.