Return of the Emblem Chapter Twelve: Divergent Paths

[Script]

A Man Called Gar

"Rarely is their something 'stronger' than something not expected. And who would expect a Fallen raised by humans," at this point Gar was just rambling randomly.

[Ether]

Without much to say on the matter, Annelise followed along quietly.

[Rothene]

"Oh, life's been rough, had to act as tour guide for my granduncle, help him translate, recommend food for him, teach him to eat without chopsticks, keep him away from cheese and milk," Ranyin rolled his eyes and grimaced, "in short, wonderful productive time was spent."

As the diminutive mage wondered what to get to eat, he turned to a vaguely familiar voice that greeted him. His thoughts still preoccupied with hunger, the Kigenese mage gave an uncharacteristic, "Oh, hey." Something tugged at the back of his head, clawing its way to his primal being and heart but Ranyin seemed to have forgotten what was it about. And then his thoughts of hunger reminded him of a very important piece of information.

Oh gods. Just who have I sat next to? Sweat breaking out through all his pores, Ranyin struggled against curiosity to look in Gytha's direction, deluding himself that if he did not notice her, she probably wasn't sitting there. Keeping his face staring firmly at Amon, the mage asked, "So, what food is good today?"

***

Remembering her training about maintaining composure, Mireille tried her best to suppress her urge to blush at the compliments that came her way, with some success. While she had always been striving to earn praise for her martial prowess and sometimes, sturdiness with a shield, the Ursian highborn did not spurn compliments to her looks. But there was never a time to be all happy about it. When a knight sets an objective, she is to see it through without being distracted.

"It is no surprise you do not see me too often, I worked as Weyland's bodyguard for a time, mostly spent protecting him from harm when he goes to the university," Mireille answered Eric as she shook his hand with the same firm grip she used on her lance in battle. Not so much protection was needed with all the talented people he surrounds himself and the shortage of attempts on his life.

"So, I'm usually not at the mansion. And you probably never saw me when I am not encased in metal armour," the Ursian knight chuckled at the last part of her sentence.

[-Cynthia-]

Veronika

Is Gar trying to provoke Siv here? Veronika wondered, although she didn't seem terribly disturbed. We're lucky the Fallen live far away from Neviskotia I think- they seem to cause a lot of problems to whoever lives around them.

Nadya

"I think I'd take 'tour guide for granduncle' over shadow dragons, light beams of death, and dead comrades, but to be fair I've never met your granduncle," Nadya chimed in to Ranyin.

Connor

"Err, I'm not sure Gabbie would give Tia the experience she's looking for- Tia's looking to possibly become part of Weyland Enterprises and I don't think Gabbie cares enough about that to explain what we do. What should I tell Raquel about the new Dauntless exactly?" he asked.

[Snowy_One]

As Tia entered into the library, she could feel her young heart rising up into her throat, a rise soon voiced by a high-pitched squeal! She quickly bounced up and down before leaping at Tamara, hugging the maid tightly.

"Thank you so much Ms. Maid! It's just as big as I thought it would be!" said Tia as she buried her head into the maid's side before tearing off to the nearest bookshelf, her nimble fingers almost ripping the book off the shelf as she flung it open and started to read for a moment... before a look of utter confusion came across her face.

"What the heck? It's all this mushy, gushy stuff." she asked, slightly perplexed at the idea. "And why would someone write a book on that instead of one on science?"

Edited September 7, 2013 by Snowy_One

[Phoenix]

Dining Hall

"I'm not sure what to make of that," Amon quietly replied. Nadya's comment made sense, but he still wasn't quite sure what to add afterward. "Well, I'm glad you're alright at least ... I think." Amon noticed Ranyin suddenly wasn't looking too well. Did he sense his granduncle's presence drawing near or something? Oh well, he had a question to answer so focused on that for the moment. "Well I ordered bread bowl soup since this is the only place I know of that makes it. Other people ordered various things like pasta and lasagna," he explained, shrugging and smiling afterward. That was all he had for the kigenese mage for the moment.

Hallway

The next stop on their trip to conveniently bumping into Weyland was the ... library? Ohhhh myyy g-*retcon'd for directional error*

The next stop on their trip to Weyland, wherever he may be, was a busy intersection. The group was forced to stop momentarily as some of the workers moved some things up and down the hallways heading north and south. It seemed to be mostly furniture. Steinn waited for a break in the traffic and then led them by. "Any idea what they're up to?" the guard asked.

"No," Steinn replied.

"No mind reading?"

Grinning slightly, he echoed, "No mind reading." As they kept walking, he said, "It's best not to rely on such things. You'll never be able to fully calm down if you find yourself without it or keep running into 'flood thoughts'. Besides, if I was curious, I would have simply asked them what they were up to. I doubt it has anything to do with us, at the very least."

Patio

"Hmm ..." Shadrak slowly approached Siv hoping not to startle her. "Hey ..." he said in a gentle tone while reaching out with his hand. "We should get the egg inside, now. It's safer in there and I'm sure the little one in there would feel more comfortable in a secure environment."

"Do you have any oidea whatsoever how many explosives are stored in this place?" Gabbie asked seriously. "I'm pretty sure we could blow up the Grand Cathedral if the Wrathoites keep messin' with us."

DAMMIT, GABBIE, NOT NOW!!! "If it was really that dangerous, I'm sure Weyland would see that something was done about those," Shadrak irritably retorted before focusing gently on Siv again. "Come on. It'll be alright. I know I'm just a wild human, but I'm also your friend and I want to help you with this. Besides, it's my responsibility to look after the egg today, so maybe you can help me ... make sure I don't screw up this eggsitting thing, huh? I'll follow your instructions to the letter, I promise."

"... mm." Siv looked away for a moment, pondering something. Then she looked at Shadrak again. "You aren't going to look underneath my clothes again ... are you? Humans shouldn't do that."

"Wait ... and fallen 'should' ... 'can'?" Gabbie immediately wondered aloud. Shadrak meanwhile tensed up and broke out in a cold sweat. Why did she have to remember his two slip ups from earlier, of all things? "Don't moind him, Siv. You may be a fallen, but you look pretty close to human which means men are going to give you some looks occasionally ... women too, actually. Just deal with it."

"Mmph ..." She looked uncomfortable and not willing to just let the matter be, which had Shadrak worried and beginning to frown as his outstretched arm got heavier and heavier.

Workshop

"Tell her the old one's getting retired and put on display in a gallery once it's fixed or something," Anna immediately replied. She was mostly joking, but in actuality, the Dauntless likely would end up on display with other 'prototypes' that weren't destined for mass production. "We'll have a new one built she can use within a few days. Sooner if Weyland gets on a roll. Anyway ... Tia ... Tia. Hmmm."

"She's looking to be hired?" Weyland inquired curiously.

"I guess, but an interview's better for handling things like that. This tour would have no bearing on it. I'm sure Gabbie can handle it as long as Tia doesn't get overly familiar with her."

"I'll risk it. I need you here for this for the time being, Anna," Weyland decided. To Connor, he said, "Just make sure she knows that I don't want anyone with potential scared off over trivial matters."

Edited September 7, 2013 by Phoenix

[Script]

A Man Called Gar

"Explosives you say?" Gar rubbed his chin at the thought of how much damage he could do with the amount of explosives shop-lady mentioned. "A man could do a great many things with such an amount of bombs." Gar stopped when he realized he was about to start drooling at the imagined carnage. That was just sloppy. "But uh, explosive and Shade Drake's upskirt fiendary aside, yeah back inside, no deadly rays of the sun to blind people in there."

Edited September 7, 2013 by Script

[scorri]

Hoshi

Shoving herself away from her desk, the alchemist sighed. She'd finished about half of the daggers it seemed, and she was starting to get tired. Picking up a pen instead, she started working on calculating exactly how much carbon she would need to get her blade to work.

Erion

"Ah, here Al is! Shall we head out then?" The thief made a grand gesture towards the doorway, complete with an almost bow to Jamilla. Straightening up, he grinned and winked at her and proceeded to start to walk out the door.

Lumi

"Ah, yeah, sounds like a plan. Hmm, I wonder if they'd have gauntlets... I sort of want a pair of light metal gauntlets to help protect my hands if I start using magic to enhance my strength," she explained. "Being able to punch a hole in a tree is all well and good, but it sure hurts a lot if I'm not careful."

Flirting in the garden

"Oh, but it's so much better now that you've taken the armor off! Before it would have hidden the beautiful flower inside. It would be like if I were to take these flowers here that you so admire and cover them with a blanket. Clearly if you are about to go into a fight you must be protected, but otherwise, would you deny me, I mean... everyone the gift of your beauty?" He grinned at her, clearly going over the top here on purpose to see exactly how she would react. "Though I must say. From your grip, it is clear that whoever you protect would never be in any danger. If I were wearing a cap, I would tip it to you in respect for what you do. It's not anyone who can take up a weapon and not use it for their own glory, but rather to protect those who are important to them and others." He bowed to her. "Now, is there something more you wanted from me? If there is not, I fear that my flowers call to me. However, if there is, I will cruelly reject their pleas for help, and remain by your side for as long as you desire."

[Rothene]

With the word in mind, Ranyin hurriedly stood up and went to the nearest mansion maid to ask for bread soup bowl, taking the opportunity to see what had he sat next to. Sure enough, his delusions broke, but now, armed with the knowledge of the positions of hazardous individuals, the Kigenese mage made his way around the table, and seated himself in a safe distance from the dreaded Gytha.

His new strategic locations was a few steps from the exit, and the widest angle to survey the entire dinning hall, more than enough to focus on the movement of any individual he set his eyes on.

***

"Oh, enough with the flattery," Mireille commanded, the cheeks dark with embarrassment. The Ursian knight was starting to feel uncomfortable with the onslaught of words from Eric. But his later sentence did carry much relevance. And also brought some memories to the knight's mind. Memories of why the knight found the resolve to stick to the path she took.

Her expression controlled, Mireille took a deep breath before saying, "I do not know if you heard about a ball that is about to be held soon, but I am in need of a partner. I mean, I wish to have someone with. I came to this garden that always served as a place of thinking for me. And it seems that it has so far not failed in providing me with options to solve my dilemmas."

Realising she was being long winded, Mireille blinked and looked at some nearby flowers, "Well, I...well...would you like to go to the ball with me?"

[Toogee]

“There you are,” Jam replied as Alphonse walked up to them. “I was wondering where you wandered off to.” That was when Erion started acting like a gentleman. Jam just shook her head with her own smile as he winked back at her. The dancer then took Alphy by the arm and grabbed Erion by his arm. Jam would walk the streets with both her boys on her arms in a Jam sandwich as they toured Europa’s streets.

***

Jam took the two through a street lined with merchant stands, each selling different wares. Pots and pans, fruits and nuts, and linens of all types were on display. In particular, the shawls caught Jam’s eye. Ever since she saw Aubri with her shawl, the dancer had thought about incorporating one in her routines. She immediately left the arms of Alphonse and Erion and approached the stand. All the shawls were nice, but the dancer was quickly attracted to a white one that incorporated fish scales to create a glimmering effect. She held it up to the light to admire the shine.

“Hey,” Jam called over Erion and Alphonse, “look at this one! What do you guys think?” She proceeded to wrap the shawl around her neck to see how it looked on her.

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

“Or you could just, you know, not punch trees,” Eli commented with a shrug of his shoulders with a grin. “Seriously, what did trees ever do to you? Anyways, I’m sure there are gauntlets over there, but there really is only one way to find out.”

He shrugged his head over to the exit to begin the trip. Clearly, Eli was feeling a lot more comfortable around Lumi. With Aneda around as a buffer, this wasn’t so much a date as it was a bunch of friends hanging out. That he could handle.

***

Eli knew the streets of Europa pretty well, so he took initiative to lead the way. He took them away from the streets of merchant stand to the larger, more impressive stores that had their own buildings. And so, they found themselves at their first destination: Largo’s Cargo.

The store had all sorts of clothing options for all kinds of travelers. Everything from simple garments to elaborate sets of leather armor was on sale. The place was pretty huge, so there was plenty of room to navigate around the various shoppers.

“Hm, I don’t remember this place being this big,” Eli commented. “I’m not sure where everything is anymore!”

[scorri]

Eric

"Me? Go to the princess's engagement ball? But... I'm just a gardener. I... I wouldn't know what to do with myself. I..." he trailed off and paused. "Wait. If you're going to the engagement ball..." He turned white. "Are you some type of nobility? I'm so sorry if I've overstepped my boundaries. I was just... you were so pretty and you appeared out of nowhere and I figured I would never see you again. I'm sorry. I..."

Lumi

Wandering through the store, Lumi spied the area that seemed to have gloves of different types. Walking over, she found a pair of gloves that were reinforced with metal plates on the back of the hand and on the knuckles. Grinning, she slipped them onto her hands. They were a bit big, but that could be rectified by wearing the gloves that she would wear normally while flying. Taking them with her, she made her way back to Eli. "I found a good pair! How about you? Find anything?"

Erion

The thief had more been paying attention to the people walking by then the different merchandise, but at the girl's call, he looked over and grinned. "It fits you well. Of course, I think most things here would. Would you use it while dancing?"

[Rothene]

"Oh dear, do not apologise please," Mireille said waving her arms flustered by Eric's sudden change in speech. "We Authine's are more warriors than nobles, there's no need to attempt at being formal. But, I presume that with my family name, there should be no problem with bringing you along to the ball."

[ReformBlade]

Listening in on their small conversation at the moment, this silly gal was looking at jackets. Hmm... something... 'good'. Something comfortable looking, some pockets, something greeeeeeen maybe? Sifting through all these jackets, she wasn't dissatisfied as a whole at what she was finding, some were fairly cool and worthy to be worn by a lady such as Aneda, a lady with a REBELLIOUS STREAK. However... she wasn't finding one that ju- "Ooooo!| Never mind folks, she found one. Pulling it out (giggity) and wouldn't you know it, it's just her size! "Well it works for me, don't really care about the price~" she said, holding it out to show off to her NEW FRIENDS.

[Ether]

"Though perhaps they may have knowledge of where Mr. Weyland has gotten to... perhaps it would be prudent to inquire of them." Annelise chimed in.

[Eail]

Al had taken in most of what he'd already wanted to see on the way in, so he was more focused on Jamilla herself as they ventured back out into the city. Wondering silently to himself if there was a good blacksmith about where he could pick up some supplies for the Ball.

'Weyland Enterprises..... right.... stupid me'

"It looks great Jam" The swordsman responded with a smile as he was drawn out of his thoughts. "Planning on incorporating it into your dances?" he'd already made his mind up about it, walking over to the vendor and paying out of his own pocket for Jam's new item. "Hey if I can't be your escort maybe I can at least get ya something nice right?"

'I am so broke...'

_____

Zach's breath was taken away as he entered the library. "....It's beautiful..." The sage murmured upon seeing the volumes of books present. There had to be a collection on just about every subject possible here. "That'll be it for me, thanks a ton for your help Tamara."

[Phoenix]

Patio

Shadrak quietly grumbled at Gabbie and Gar's shenanigans. "Anyway ... I'm really sorry about that." Instead of focusing on Shadrak's apology, Siv carefully presented the cloak and egg to him. "I uh ... okay. I'll get this right. Just watch," he said as he took the egg back and carefully held onto it.

Siv, now feeling a little better, reached up and ran her palm over his head a few times. Shadrak wasn't sure what she was doing, but from an outsider's perspective, it was easy enough to see that she was petting him on the head somewhat like a dog. Gabbie began snickering almost uncontrollably at the display. "I'm ready to go back inside, now."

"Okay," Shadrak nodded, standing up with the egg and turning to head back. Siv stuck close to him just in case as they began to make their way back inside. Hmm, I'm not sure what I'm going to do when it's time to head over to the cathedral. I doubt eggs should be moved around this much. "Siv, I've got a question. Can eggs just be left alone at times, or should someone always be close by?"

Siv frowned a bit and said, "Already you want to abandon them to go exploring. I'll look after them when you leave." At first she sounded angry with him, but the very next statement saw a total change in tone. She was willing to cover for him even though he was supposed to be looking after the egg for that day. She hadn't answered his question, but it was now obvious that at least she wasn't willing to leave the thing completely unattended. Shadrak suspected this was because it was fractured, and likely to hatch any time now. Even now, it was uncertain why it hadn't already hatched.

Hallway

"You may be right. Well then," Steinn stopped in his tracks and turned to face Annelise. "... no point in leaving any stones un-turned. Ask them about Weyland's whereabouts. We'll wait here for you."

Library

That was one matter settled. Tia had gone off investigating the books and Zachary had stayed a moment to thank her. "It's no trouble at all. I hope you find what you're looking for. If you need anything else, feel free to ask."

Edited September 9, 2013 by Phoenix

[Ether]

"Very well." Annelise replied, making her way over to the supposed movers, doing the best she could to appear as far from bloodthirsty as possible.

"Excuse me, would you happen to know Mr. Weyland's current whereabouts?"

[Phoenix]

Hallway

Two men among the group, both moving some old couch, stopped moving for a moment. The others slowed, but most of them went back to what they were doing after one of the couch movers said, "Mr. Weyland? No idea." Then, the second spoke up and got everyone's attention.

"Hey, any of you guys seen the boss around?" Apparently he was relaying the question in case they hadn't heard.

One of them then tightened his grip on a box he was carrying and came closer, saying, "Weyland? Yeah I thought I saw him not too long ago. He was heading the same way you people were. Keep looking in that direction. I'm sure you'll find him."

[Ether]

"Very well. Thank you for your assistance." Annelise replied with a bow, before moving back to Steinn and Mr. Friendly Guard.

"Apparently he was heading the same way we were... we should come across him shortly if we retain our course, provided he did not err from his own."

[Phoenix]

Onward

"Oh? I think I might know exactly where he is in that case," Steinn replied. It seemed like an earlier hunch he'd had, the hunch that led them down this path in the first place, might actually right.

The escort then asked, "Think he's in the garage working on something?"

"Yes, that's it exactly. Let's go. If he's not there, we'll have at least ruled it out, and Annelise will be able to familiarize herself with that particular area."

Arrival

Just before Steinn's group came into the garage area, Anna went over the list of wagon prototypes that either Weyland or his engineers had designed. Unfortunately, most of the vehicles on the list had never actually been built, save for a few older designs and the Dauntless, the test bed for the deflector system. That system, along with the Dauntless was also now completely obsolete thanks to the dampener system Weyland developed during the Dauntless' dangerous and unexpected trip into foreign lands. With Weyland trying to come up with a way to now retrograde the dampener system for whatever reason, things were looking rather uphill in putting together a successor to the Dauntless.

"Good afternoon," Steinn greeted Weyland, Little Weyland, and Anna as he entered. He spotted the Dauntless nearby and a dozen men inspecting the damage up close and gathering information. There were also other vehicles in the area, most not all put together. Of course, the Dauntless stood out mainly due to its size and damage sustained.

"Steinn, what are you doing in here? Is that your 'guest'?"

"Yes, it is. Allow me to introduce you. Annelise, this is Seth Weyland. Weyland, this is Annelise Mortos. She'll be assisting us."

[Ether]

"Well met, Mr. Weyland." Annelise replied, bowing her head to the man.

"I wish to familiarize myself with this place, as well as your men, so I may be of use to Lord Devlinos."

[Snowy_One]

Tia smiled happily as her fingers ran over the books, sliding several back as they didn't seem related to anything science or magic. Then, after a short while, she walked out with a literal stack of books reaching up to her chin in her hands. "Thank you so much for letting me come here!" she said to Tamara in thanks as she looked down at the wealth of knowledge before her. Books on everything she could get her hands on, from magical theory, to seemingly simple things like corn growth and other mundane things.

Then, calmly, she waddled over to Zach, keeping the books in check with her chin. "Hey! Zachary! Mind if I sit beside you? I want to know what you're reading and trying to figure out. Maybe, if we think together, we can solve it much faster than on our own. What do you say?"

[Script]

A Man Called Gar

"Well now that all this is settled I have to go off and... do... things..." Gar trailed off for no real reason. "Toodles." He waved and departed, taking a series of random turns and waiting for his luck to just lead him exactly where he needed to go.

And it did! Lucky him. It was a garage of some sort with the wagon here, which Gar didn't care about at all. No, he was here for that red-head Weyland employer. There were also some other people but Gar didn't care either even if he did burst back into song! "Just who I wanted to see!" Gar indicated his target. "I have a super-secret question for you!" and with that he got oddly close and whispered his question over to her all secret-like.

[Phoenix]

Workshop

"Hmm," Anna kept going up and down the list, looking at the illustrations of the wagons and their written details as the introductions went on behind her. Yes, she had her back to all of this from the get go. Busy lady was busy being busy.

"So, you're in on this whole incursion prevention, are you? I suppose that's helpful, though you'll have to forgive me for this precaution." Weyland, having requested a pardon preemptively, then asked Steinn, "Exactly how do you know she's not simply here to assist Valdimarr? This would be the most effective way to do it, obvious or not. The last rescue attempt failed miserably."

"It only failed because they underestimated your home's defenses. My brother sent a scouting party when he should have sent a battalion. Unfortunately, he won't make that mistake again. Expect special forces or the man himself, next time ... or both. He may just be that bold at this stage. We'll see, I suppose. As for Annelise's loyalties, you needn't worry about that."

"Don't get careless, Steinn, not now," Weyland scolded.

"It will be fine, I promise."

When Gar approached, Anna had found a couple of potential components, though she was worried the designs, when incorporated into the final product, would severely limit interior space. "Mmm ..." Then, before she knew it, Gar whispered a question to her. She hadn't been expecting that, though in hindsight, she realized that ... maybe she should have. She shook her head, answering, "Nope, sorry," and went right back to perusing transports.

[Ether]

"I find your lack of faith disturbing." Annelise replied when Weyland did his evaluation of her loyalties, though Steinn himself quickly vouched for her.

"I shall live and die at Lord Devlinos' will. If not he, no one shall prevent the next massacre befalling our people... those who would oppose him shall find their deaths at my hand."