Return of the Emblem Chapter Ten: Converging Destinies

[-Cynthia-]

Connor

"If it were as easy as attaching 'flippers' to ships, people would have done that already. We probably aren't the first people to think of this issue. Maybe when we get to Europa we can ask Uncle if he's done anything involving naval transport- I don't have the resources here in the Dauntless to be making boats, model or otherwise," he said to Tia.

Veronika

"Raquel did," Veronika said, frowning. Is she hiding something from me? "Not sure what's going on here, but I suppose we can discuss tactics if you want."

[Snike]

"... I told her I'd handle preparations," Blake said, looking away. "Anyways, this is a precaution I want to make before entering that fortress. I'll explain more when I come back with a few of the others." And with that said, the swordsman was off.

[Phoenix]

Raquel's Rodeo

"Is anything broken?"

"I don't know ... probably," Colin replied listlessly as he laid there in the grass.

"I need to go get a healer-" "Wait," Colin interrupted her before she could leave. "W-what is it?"

"Sta-y here for a minute. If all this c-care and concern is ... only going to last until I'm better, t-the-n I can endure a crushe-d body for a few more ... minutes. Sit down. L-let's talk," Colin struggled to let out.

"Are you crazy? You might have a dozen broken bones or something," Raquel protested.

"Iiiit can wait. Chances like this don't come often," he reasoned.

"Look, I promise I'll treat you fairly or whatever but let me go get a healer for gods' sake!"

"... ... I'm holding you to that, Raquel."

Finally she stood up and made her way over to the campfire.

Breakfast Club

"Looks loike it," Gabbie noted when Faatina mentioned the danger of Shariff's kicks. "There are advantages to not having Ringo foighting roight by my soide too though," she began another explanation. "If I need to get the hell out of a battle quickly I just whistle and he comes flying in. I don't have to guide him, luckily. He seems to know the drill and just takes us to the safest place he can foind. And if it's just me foighting one enemy, heheheh ... if I even think I'm about to lose and I know they don't know about Ringo, I just give him the signal, stand back and lick my wounds, and watch whoile he tears them open like an old pillow case. I don't do this much because Ringo can't avoid getting stabbed at that range and so if he doesn't kill or disable them quickly enough, he's vulnerable." Gabbie ended her explanation with a heavy sigh and continued eating.

Campfire

"The idea of him having fun with Raquel makes me want to gag," Shadrak pointed out, glancing over at the unfolding scene. He then looked to Gar again and then back at the scene. General frustration mounting, he said, "This sucks ..." and crossed his arms.

Not long afterward, Raquel turned and came running over. "I-I need a healer, quick! Colin's hurt!"

Shadrak was tempted to make it clear to Raquel that he didn't care less about Colin's well being but opted against for various reasons and instead stood up with his staff and sighed. "I'll do it if no one more well versed in healing magic wants to." His tone was still making it obvious to Raquel that he didn't care about Colin's well being.

[Eail]

Luka had gone back to the campfire after it appeared that there wasn't much of anything else to do at the moment. Just sitting down and starting to get comfortable when it appeared that his fellow pinky was in need of assistance. "I can do it. Is it anything serious? Broken bones, internal bleeding, what?" He asked, coming to her side

[Script]

A Man Called Gar

"Did I unknowingly mention fun?" Gar wonder out-loud when Raquel came over. "Well, anyway, keeping him alive will probably not get us attacked on sight by the other goons, so you should probably hop to it. And if he just-so-happens to pass out, from pain or a thawk against his head, well that's just too bad." Gar shrugged at his barely thinned suggestion.

[Phoenix]

Campfire

"Uhh ... Riley rolled over on him. Probably some broken bones but I'm not sure," Raquel answered Luka. As usual, Gar's wording was confusing Raquel a little bit. "You're not suggesting we knock him out, are you?" she asked, squinting at him.

"Why was he messing with your horse anyway?" Shadrak asked expectantly.

"I'm distracting him while the others prepare, so be quiet about it," Raquel quickly and quietly answered.

"... prepare ...?" Oh Lord Truth, what was going on here?

Edited April 11, 2013 by Phoenix

[Eail]

"Oh dear..." Luka mused. "Probably has a few things broken and a touch of internal bleeding, not fun. I should probably take care of him really quickly then."

A smirk coming upon the healer's face "Unless, that is... you'd prefer I take my time?"

[Script]

A Man Called Gar

"Yeah, kinda exactly what I'm saying," Gar clarified. It'd been forever since he'd seen someone so unseedy. "Hey, he fell of a horse and is in all sorts of pain. Why, if we say he passed out from it how can he argue? And it wouldn't really change much in the long run." Gar shrugged again.

[Phoenix]

Campfire

"That's kind of cruel ..." Raquel noted apprehensively, first to Luka and then again to Gar. "That's kind of cruel too. And more importantly, I'm still trying to find out what he's been holding back from me since he came with us. I can't really find out if he's out cold."

[Eail]

"Well it's your choice still, but really. If you don't want him to be in that kind of situation we do kind of need to go to him." Luka replied

[Script]

A Man Called Gar

"Frankly if he's hurt bad enough to be getting a healer he'd probably be in enough pain where being unconscious is preferable," Gar shrugged. "But, it's your call, so whatever."

[Phoenix]

Return to the Rodeo

"Yeah I know, but ..." Raquel wasn't able to follow up with anything at first, not without sounding selfish. Eventually she gave in and said, "I need answers ..." and turned to head back, expecting Luka to follow.

Shadrak sat down feeling a little strange about the whole ordeal.

Once Raquel and Luka arrived and found Colin lying right where she'd left him, she asked "Where does it hurt? Anywhere in particular?"

"Right colla-rbone is fractu-ured, three ribs, at the botto-om, two on the right, one on the left, and probably a few fractures here and there; can't be sure. Can't mo-ve my arm too much to check anymore," Colin reported, far more accurately than Raquel ever expected. He'd clearly been poking around to check for himself while she was absent.

[Eail]

"...Man, that horse got you good." Luka deadpanned. "Well this should be able to fix you up, try not to stab me later on though as a favor okay?"

Concentrating with his stave in hand a soothing healing light washed over Colin. Holding the healing power longer than normal due to how many internal injuries the man had.

"Feel any better?" He asked once done

[Phoenix]

Raquel's Rodeo

Riley was still close by, but he didn't have his head down near the ground anymore and was simply observing the light show with interest. Once the light show was over though, Riley began to wonder if Colin would try to challenge him again. Despite how annoying the prospect was, Riley also thought defeating his aggressive opponent was impressive to the rest of the herd.

Colin answered saying, "Not really, but if the bones are mended, then that's normal." He tried to sit up and managed to do so without any sudden spikes in pain. "Looks like you got everything ... so I won't stab you later, promise."

[Ether]

So it seemed the prisoner had been manhandled by one of Raquel's horses while the merchant was apparently distracting him... weird. Arietta debated going over to the pair, but apparently this would detract from whatever scheme they had in place.

"I don't bloody get these people." She muttered, before laying herself down on the ground and looking up at the sky.

[Phoenix]

More Sparring

The rest of breakfast was rather uneventful, with Ringo receiving some more rations from Gabbie, as well as both lancers finishing their food. A bit of small talk was exchanged, but nothing really of consequence. When all were good and fed, the both of them ventured out from the campfire to somewhere closer to the outskirts of the camp, not far enough for treatment to be a problem, but not close enough for interruptions of unintended outside casualties to really be an issue.

"Are you ready, Wolfy?" Faatina asked, giving the other woman a sarcastic taunt, brandishing her shield and lance.

Ringo followed along like usual and observed everything passively. While Gabbie was at least glad she didn't have much to do to get ready a second time, she wasn't so sure about consecutive matches. She'd had breakfast so she was beginning to get her energy back, but this wouldn't be anything like fighting Bert. Faatina had far more reach and a much more solid defense than the pegasus rider.

"Maaaybe in another ten minutes," she answered Faatina somewhat joking, somewhat seriously. To give a good enough impression that she was only joking ready to go, she assumed her fighting stance and began mulling over her options.

"Sorry to dissapoint you Wolfy, but I can't give you quite that long." Faatina responded with a smirk, before abandoning any sort of stance she might have had, and charging her opponent.

'She doesn't seem... quite sure of what she wants to do. So then maybe I...'

Cutting her charge somewhat short, Faatina made a quick feint to the left. The still as of yet unsure Gabbie appeared to take the bait candidly, and the intercepting strike was easily forced aside by Faatina's shield. The resulting opening was more than enough for Faatina to land a decisive strike to Gabbie's midsection, but not without taking a second hit that had wheeled around her shield.

When Faatina charged her, Gabbie mentally prepared herself for any damage she might take in hopes that even if she did take a hit, that brief window would allow for a counter from her, but when it actually happened, Gabbie had Faatina's shield to deal with, and her swing violently bounced off of it instead of hitting the sancturan herself. The instant she'd recovered her footing, she attacked again, figuring it was her last chance to score a hit before the pain she was in began to weaken her. "Rah!" Gabbie managed to get around Faatina's shield this time and even scored a decent hit as well, but that was all.

When Faatina failed to intercept Gabbie's second blow, she knew that her shield would be far less effective at this range than it had been previously. Still, Faatina knew that while her shield was not as effective a defensive tool as before, it made for a surprisingly potent offensive one, and at this range, it was difficult to circumvent.

Still, said second blow had been a good one, and Faatina was feeling the hurt, despite the protective wrapping Gabbie had applied to her weapon, the force of the blow combined with the lethal edge of her lance caused a distinctive wound that immediately gripped Faatina with pain. But it wouldn't be enough, as a quick sweep with her lance to jar Gabbie's footing, followed by a prompt shield slam to the woman's chest forced the wild lancer to the ground, where she was immediately placed in to a coup d'grace by the victorious paladin.

"Heh... good fight, Wolfy." Faatina concluded through a heavy pant.

[spoiler=Stat Stuff]Faatina(1,4,4) 11 hit - 10 evd, hit! 11 Mt - 5 def, 6 damage, CRITICAL! 12 Damage!(9/21)

Gabbie(1,2,4) 9 hit - 7 evd, hit! 7 mt - 7 def, TINK!(15/15)

Gabbie(5,6,4) 13 hit - 7 evd, hit! 11 Mt - 7 def, 4 damage!(11/15)

Faatina(2,3,5) 12 hit - 10 evd, hit! 10 mt - 5 def, 5 damage!(4/21)

Faatina(5,3,6) 15 hit - 10 evd, hit! 10 mt - 5 def, 5 damage!(-1/21) KO!

Gabbie held up one finger signalling for Faatina to wait for a moment, leaving her lance where it was and reacing into the pouch secured to her belt. She pulled out her vulnerary and drank a bit of it before closing the bottle and putting it away. After coughing twice, she weakly said, "Could've gone better," forcing a smile, but the vulnerary wasn't addressing the pain in her abdomen just yet. "Can you make another sandwich before we head to the fortress? Just in case ..."

Well if that wasn't the most forced smile Faatina had seen in a good while, she wasn't sure what was.

"Sure I can, but are you sure you're alright? Do you want me to grab a healer?" Faatina asked, concerned for the other woman's well being, and understandably so. As she asked, she got up from Gabbie, and offered the other woman a hand up, if she was in fact feeling better than she let on.

"Don't worry about a healer, just you get on that sandwich, chop chop," Gabbie replied, clapping her hands together softly while on the ground before sitting up and putting her hand to her stomach. Hopefully that vulnerary would kick in soon, though she had taken a bit less than usual to spare what little she had left in case of a real emergency. Perhaps pain killers would have been a better choice than the miracle juice, but she didn't have any.

"Alright, but I'm gonna send someone over just in case. Stay here for now." Faatina replied, giving Gabbie one last concerned look before heading back over to the campfire.

Upon arrival, Faatina was glad to see that Shadrak was still in the area and seemed generally unoccupied.

"Hey, Shadrak. Could you check on Wolfy and heal her stomach?" Faatina asked, as she began rummaging through her saddlebags for more food preparation materials.

"We were sparring and she took a hit to her stomach, and it looks like she's in some pain... Ringo is there so you can't miss her. I would have stayed with her but she was really insistent on me making her another sandwich for some reason..." Faatina clarified, still somewhat confused by the whole ordeal as she began cooking.

"Please, Shadrak?"

"You hit her in the stomach ... and now she wants a sandwich ...?" Shadrak inquired. "Is there like ... a lot of vomit over there?" he asked as he stood up with his staff a second time. "Either way, I guess I'll be back shortly ..." Getting a negative on the vomit, he decided to head out, nodding as he did so.

He didn't exactly like the idea of coming to heal the woman who had smashed a nigh indestructible egg onto his face, but Faatina was the one asking him, Luka was busy, Nadya was nowhere in sight, and Chelsea wasn't at the fire either. Once Shadrak reached Gabbie, he waved.

"Hi," Gabbie replied flatly. Fortunately for her the pain had settled down quite a bit. She could even go another round if she was so bold, but she'd prefer to eat something and rest for a few hours instead.

"So I ... heard you got hurt sparring," Shadrak tried to make small talk while moving closer. "Are you alright.

"More or less."

Well this wasn't going anywhere. "Do you need me to heal you or ...?"

"Take your best shot, I guess," she replied. Shadrak did just that and the pain finally went away completely, prompting a sigh of relief from Gabbie. "Thanks, she said as she picked herself up.

"You're welcome ..." Noticing she was getting ready to just up and leave, Shadrak spoke again. "Hey wait!"

"Huh?"

"G- ... whatever your nickname is ..."

"Pick one and run with it."

"Thigh-highs, I wanted to ask you something. Kind of important."

"'Thoigh hoighs' ... that's my defoining trait now ...? Huh. Alroight whatever. What did you want to ask me?" Gabbie put one hand on her hip and held her lance in the other as she waited.

"Okay uhhh ... why did you hit me with the vasilus egg?"

"Closest thing I could foind that seemed loike it would hurt a lot. Simple as that."

"No I mean why did you hit me?"

"Well I realoized that killing you wasn't called for so ..."

"That's ... urgh. Never mind. I guess we're just two different people. I could never justify attacking someone over something verbal, but you do it if your real name gets dropped one too many times."

"I don't know if 'Gabriella' is my real name, Shadrak, all I know is that I don't loike just anyone using it. If people test me on that, I'll hurt them, or in the fallen's case, I'll hurt their little sister. How else am I supposed to get my point across? Cry about it? Besoides, judging from what I heard just now, my methods work just foine."

"Somewhat, but they don't really build friendships."

"I don't want friends too stupid to listen to fair warnings, so this still works for me."

Shadrak sighed. "Fine, whatever. I'm heading back now."

"Noice try, Shadrak, but if you want to smooth things over with me, you're going to have to just let it all go. It's not loike I'm still mad at you about that day. Got my payback after all~"

"Urrrrrrrgh."

Shadrak left first and made it back to the campfire to let Faatina know that he'd done as she asked. By the time Gabbie returned, the sandwich was ready and she was happy, now being almost as full as Ringo.

Final Destination

They set out eventually and spent hours traveling offroad on their way to the fortress. As the mountains and mountain forests drew closer, Raquel came closer and closer to drawing out the information Colin was withholding from her. Once the old fortress was finally in sight, Raquel woke up Colin, who had been taking a nap for a short while and pointed it out to him. He advised her to park the wagon a safe distance from the fortress, which she was planning on anyway, but at least they agreed on something. Still, what he'd told her earlier during the trip was frightening. She was surprised Colin even told her something that ... potentially damning for Sardis.

"Yeah, there's 'another you'. That's what happened to you after you were captured." Colin explained.

"Why bother with me then? He already has a ... a copy of me somewhere. So why bother with me?" Raquel asked, finally starting to come down from her initial shock. She felt more than just a little violated. "Urgh, of course, I nearly forgot. He can't get my emblem piece by force so he's trying to talk me out of it by using my father. It's just like we thought in the first place ... my father for my emblem piece."

Colin shook his head. "Nope, it's not that simple. Raquel, Burke's a strange fellow, and nobody asked him to make that girl from you, so we don't know what the deal with that is. Maybe just a gift, maybe his way of mocking Sardis since he can't keep his hands on the real Raquel, maybe one part of a much bigger scheme. Either way, it's not going to change Sardis' overall plans, hence this meeting we're heading to. So, there you have it. Now you know at least some of what happened to you while you were out. There's another you running around and she can use the emblem in ways none of us knew were possible ... though I guess we should have figured."

"Is she ... like me or ... different?" Raquel struggled to word her question.

"Huh?"

"I mean is she like me, nice most of the time, hates fighting, that sort of thing? Or is she a completely different person?"

"Burke said she was a blank slate, and I'm inclined to believe him," Colin answered, thinking back to the fight between Cassandra and Jethro. He wasn't going to relay that though ... it would raise too many questions. He doubted the real Raquel could be trained to act so covertly, so he believed Cassandra really was a blank slate as far as personality went. "She wouldn't have any of your memories so you essentially end up with a new person."

"Great, that just goes to show that the reason my emblem piece doesn't work is because I'm pathetic, not because of any external issues ..."

"Ah you'll get the hang of it. We'll even help you if you want~"

"No thanks," came a disinterested reply. "But ... thank you ... for telling me. I get the feeling you weren't supposed to."

"NO I was NOT," Colin noted with quite a bit of emphasis.

Raquel sighed. I'll worry about that other me later ... for now I have to focus on saving my father.

As for the fortress itself, she didn't recognize it, and that scared her. There was a large gate, the walls were mostly fixed, and walkways atop the walls had guards and archers scattered about. How could they possibly make it back out of this place? That's what she was wondering, and apparently the sentries had taken notice of them since it wasn't long before a lone horseman came out to meet them.

Once he was down from the Dauntless, he said "You ever wonder how you greet someone when it's exactly noon? Do you just say ... 'Noon' and leave it at that or what?"

"I think you just say 'afternoon'. It's not like you'll be greeting someone exactly on the hour and even if you did, you can still say 'afternoon' since ... well by the time you say it, it will actually be after noon ... I guess," Raquel answered, confidently at first and then less so toward the end.

"I'm gonna say 'noon' if it ever happens anyway," he decided, despite her explanation. "Hey, how's it going?" he greeted the horseman.

"I'm surprised they don't have you tied up, sir. Anyway, things are fine, except for Mister Wormwood and Layla showing up within hours of each other. Latter's gone though. Took her pegasus knights with her."

"C-Clara's gone?" Colin asked, almost choking up at the news.

"'fraid so. Alright, so here's the deal, Valcyn. We've got no intention of a fight breaking out here, so as long as you and your people mind yourselves, everything should go smoothly. You can bring your weapons if you must, but you can only take three escorts with you to see Sardis in person. If you do not agree to our terms, leave now, but be assured, Jethro will not be here should you return any later than today."

"I ... Wh ..." Raquel was speechless for a moment.

"Agree and pick your escorts or get back in your wagon and leave. The choice is yours," the rider stressed.

[Script]

A Man Called Gar

Gar just had the loveliest time laying out on top of the wagon chilling--literally!--with the frozen bodies. He was in his natural habitat, surrounded by the bodies of the dead and or the dying. A little spice in overhearing the conversation between Raquel and Colin about "another her" was just the heat his cool little dallying needed. While waiting for... whatever, Gar rumerized about the fortifications that lay in front of them and how well grabbing the another Raquel would go over with the others. Probably badly, but hell it'd certainly be fun. Providing it was possible. The fort had clear signs of being rebuilt, which was actually kinda perfect for him since it meant just enough flaws to exploit if he needed a mad dash.

Some nobody came from inside to play messenger though. Only three escorts was a smart play. Not that it would save them in the end. But points for trying. Gar decided to wait until some others got to talking before offering up his thoughts on the matter, so he kicked back and looked at the fort with an upside-down view.

[roymbrog]

Stuff before TS

So this was at least something worth talking to Raquel about, then. “Fair enough. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I don’t expect you to compromise your views just because someone told you to,” Valter said. The horseman then adopted a placating gesture for what he was about to say next. “Even if you disagree with how they take authority however, it’s impractical to waste time arguing in an emergency. If the group has to respond immediately there’s no time to weigh in everyone’s opinion. I would appreciate it if you wouldn't cause conflict in such a situation."

-----

Oh, so Blake was just leaving the staff here. That… made sense too. “Sorry. Nevermind, then,” Synthia mumbled as she continued counting out coins. It looked like there would be enough in the pouch to cover everything so far. Then Tia came knocking at the door, Connor left, and then Veronika entered and Blake left. The mage just finished counting gold and started collecting the guns and grenades from the back.

Stuff after TS

After breakfast and helping Robin with the meats, Katrina had spent most of the next few hours flying high while most of the others traveled by ground. Once they drew near the fortress she had Volga land and follow along on foot. No need to give the enemy archers the wrong idea, she thought.

[Ether]

So that was how they were going to play, huh? Limiting Raquel's escorts inside the fortress certainly limited any sort of counterplay they might have against Sardis. Arietta mulled over what might be done about this, but she found herself disheartened by the prospect that she was likely not even in consideration. Making her way over towards Raquel, Arietta found herself next to the merchant, maul slung over her shoulder.

"I'd feel better 'bout it if I went with ya, but I s'pose that tactician a'yers ain't gonna have room fer me, is he?" Arietta noted to Raquel, her voice showing a rather obvious dejection.

'What did you have in your head, boss? Why did you send me here?'

***

So this was it, huh? If a fight happened here, it was going to be the big one. Faatina braced herself, even though at the moment she was well aware that for the moment, she was not relevant to this three man escort that was being proposed. She supposed all she could really do at the moment was prepare herself to run down the messenger, if the call came out.

[Snike]

Well, that plan sort of fizzled. Now what? Axel sort of just stood around and waited for a decision to be made.

***

And within five minutes the original plan was blown out of the water. Wonderful. What was worse was that the place of the meeting, the fortress, appeared to have been rebuilt recently. That meant it'd be harder to get out of.

"I thought we were going to discuss this as equals," Blake remarked, turning towards Colin. "I mean, given the history between the two of our factions, it's hard for us to agree to that. Especially given that the last time we agreed to a meeting it turned into a bloodbath." Then, to Raquel, he said, "Your decision."

***

The rest of the morning and the trip went uneventfully, and soon, they were at a rather new-looking fortress. Oh, dear. Grant hopped down from the top of the Dauntless, and stared at the building, frowning. He did not really want to go in there.

[Eail]

Zach didn't like this so far, the plan was already shot to hell and things were only going to get worse it seemed. "I'd think three is a bit low wouldn't you say? You've got a lot to gain in comparison to us for there to be such a lopsided number." The sage commented, he was going to be involved in this if possible. Blake would need his help for this, he was certain. "But I'll go if you want me to Raquel."

______

Still on top of Rika, Luka was uncomfortable, certainly he could make a run for it on the pegasus if things took a turn for the worst but wouldn't that make him nothing more than a filthy coward? Raquel still needed his skills, and if things didn't go smoothly they might be needed very soon.

[Script]

A Man Called Gar

Thanks for shattering the illusion of invulnerability, Gar deliberately thought. Everyone who began speaking was sort of letting the decision rest on Raquel in the end. Probably not good to put her under that kind of pressure right now really. "How about giving us some time alone to talk about this?" Gar said loud enough for Colin fodder and the nameless fodder to hear.

[Mercakete]

Norbert, though grudging about it, had to admit Valter had a point. They don't have to tell everyone else what to do, though. Everyone can decide for themselves what they're going to do if we don't have a leader to listen to.

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

The messenger had laid out the terms for them and it didn't seem like anyone was too pleased with them. Gytha had made her way over and leaned against the side of the Dauntless, frowning at the scene. "Don't think a one here wouldn't go with ye, Raquel, so just choose whoever yer most comfortable with comin' with ye," she advised. She'd only caught the end of the discussion, but she really didn't need to hear the whole thing to know only a limited number of them could go with her.

Norbert heard more of it than Gytha had. He'd been riding Rizen along side the Dauntless when it'd been stopped. The restrictions on how many could go into the fortress, of course, prompted a foul mood. "No one would blame you for waiting for a better deal, either," he added to the merchant. I'd just attack, but Raquel's father's in there... Blast it, hostages make everything more complicated!

[Phoenix]

Dauntless

"The lot of you aren't enough to take us in a battle, so I don't see why it matters how many or how few escorts she has, and you assume Sardis is bringing a platoon or something. This is a summit, not challenge to battle; there's no need for any of that," the rider replied to Zachary in an agitated tone. Deciding to clarify a bit before any more complaints came, he added, "Sardis will have two men with him as well as the man Valcyn is here for. No one else is to be directly involved in this."

"I ... I need a minute to think about this," Raquel answered the group members all at once. She wasn't in a good place to be picking escorts just yet, and the revelation itself had her desperately reevaluating their situation.

"Time alone?" Colin repeated when Gar asked. "Well I'm still a hostage, so I'll just go wait in the Dauntless I guess. Besides, no point leaving until I get my sword back," Colin answered him as he looked toward Raquel, who still had his sword, though not on her person. He motioned for the rider to head back to the fortress and report in, which he began to do in short order.

"Wait, Colin!" Raquel stopped him from heading toward the back of the Dauntless. "Why can't I bring everyone with me?"

"Because then there's almost no way this meeting will go down without bloodshed. Sardis knows you can't control these people if the tension's running too high, so he's lowering the numbers. They can all come into the fortress ... if they have the courage ... but the room you'll be meeting in is for you and your escorts only ... otherwise who knows what kind of insanity will ruin this for us. A battle doesn't serve either side here, so please try to keep that in mind, Raquel. I can't stress that enough now."

Colin's demeanor had become a lot more serious, something that had Raquel discouraged and worried. Some small part of her also missed the overly casual Colin that she couldn't take seriously most of the time. This one was essentially telling her that her ineptitude as a leader would lead to a lot of violence in this meeting if not done on Sardis' terms. That was harsh in a way ... and then there were all these repeated warnings. He keeps saying that. They keep saying that. 'Don't cause trouble', 'Don't start a fight'; that's not us! We don't do that, so why do they keep acting like we're the violent criminals in all of this?!

[Eail]

"As if he even needs the two men,isn't this guy capable of destroying tanks?" Zach muttered tohimself. It looked like they'd be here for a little bit at least,Raquel was having trouble again, retreating back to the Dauntlesswith the Organization member. Letting out a sigh the sage walkedover to Blake. Hoping that his blue haired friend would be able to discuss what they should do now that things had taken a left turn.

"So what do you think we should do? I'd wager both Veronika and you are going with Raquel, but the thirdperson is up in the air, maybe Reign. Even though I'd prefer to gomyself I doubt she'd choose me."

Edited April 11, 2013 by Eail