Return of the Emblem Chapter Twelve: Divergent Paths

[Ether]

"So basically sit back and let them do their thing until it becomes necessary to intervene... there's a reason you're the boss, after all." Arietta noted.

***

"Do you think it might be in one of these crates?" Faatina asked... the prospect itself was rather daunting, what with how much stuff there was piled up here.

[Mercakete]

"Are you sick in the head?" Norbert asked, puzzled by Robin's way of thinking. "I've worked hard for most of my life to protect myself from people who want to hurt me, and you're saying that that's what you want?"

His puzzlement had only lasted a moment. True, he still didn't understand her point of view, but he hadn't worked his anger out yet and now this was rapidly adding to it. She had something that he didn't have the benefit of for a long time, and here she was groaning about it. He was incredulous. "You want people to be constantly beating you up for their amusement?! You WANT that?!"

His rage was rapidly building. If she really wanted to be punched, she got her wish. Norbert suddenly swung at her, the quick jab aimed directly at her face. That was the only strike he sent her way, though, and if she retaliated, like heck he was about to let himself be hit. His maces were ready to block or parry anything she threw at him. "YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE LIFE YOU WISH FOR!! People like you... People who gripe and whine and moan about their problems instead of DOING something about them...! PEOPLE LIKE YOU DON'T DESERVE ANY CHANGE IN YOUR LIVES! And wishing for what you've wished for... PEOPLE WHO WISH FOR THAT DON'T DESERVE ANYTHING LESS! So if you still want THAT...LET ME GIVE YOU A TASTE!"

Norbert fell back into a ready position, maces up. If she accepted, fine. He wouldn't beat her to death, but he would give her a piece of his childhood. If she fell back into a ready stance, however, he'd retract his offer. Anyone who wished to be beat up didn't have a right to defend themselves.

[scorri]

Erion

With a slight frown, Erion commented, "Seems a bit... ineffectual to do things that way. It would make more sense for him to hire you, it seems. You'd gain the benefit of his name and the doors that would open, and he would gain some profit. But..." He shrugged. "I suppose if it works, it works. And there are probably more important things to be focusing on right now."

Lumi

"Oh I see... Well, I hope you get to stay with us! I'm technically just tagging along myself. As long as they feed me and my pegasus, I don't need much else." She shrugged. "Uhm, line of work... Well... I used to work with my family training pegasi but... I kinda stole one and ran away. They were going to send him to work for the army and I just couldn't stand the thought of him being in danger like that. So now we travel around with Pete. I guess in this group I help fight? I have a way of fighting that's fairly unique around here it seems. I use magic and physical weapons together. So I'll use ice magic to help speed up my strikes, or use a physical weapon to help put some power behind my spells. That sort of thing. How about you?" She grinned at the other girl, happy to have met someone who was upbeat like herself.

[Sakusa]

"I'm a mage," Gwyn replied. Lumi seemed like an interesting character, and they seemed to have a bit in common. "I specialize in support for the most part, keeping morale high and making sure nobody gets themselves killed. I'm proficient in light and wind magic, but my tome is currently unusable, so I'm afraid I can't properly defend myself at the moment. So you're a runaway too, huh?" she asked, smirking a bit. "Unfortunately my reasons for abandoning my family aren't nearly as noble. A childhood friend of mine was a wyvern breeder, and well... I'm sure you're aware that this isn't exactly condoned in Ursium. Even though we lived on the border between Neviskotia, the local villagers weren't as lax about having wyverns around as you might think, so when something went wrong in the village, his family was to blame. He didn't have many friends, so he set off to seek his fortune outside of our village through mercenary work. I've looked out for him since he was a child, so I couldn't let him fend for himself, especially not when he can hardly take care of himself. That's the story I usually tell, anyway," she grinned. "In truth, I'm really just running away from the pressures of getting married. My parents are naggy and my childhood friend's brother is a boor who won't leave me alone, so I just took the chance to get away. Besides, it's a great opportunity to see the world and meet new people."

[scorri]

Lumi nodded in sympathy as the other girl explained why she had run away from home as well. "Well, seems to me that you should get to decide who you want to marry! I was lucky that my parents hadn't started to bring that up yet. They probably would have if I'd stuck around much longer. Mother's got connections in the military, so she probably was going to try to get me to marry up into a noble family." She shrugged. "I got out of there before that could happen. I don't want to get married yet, I just like having fun, flirting with anyone who will flirt back, that sort of thing. You know? None of it serious, it's just fun to meet people and have fun."

[Sakusa]

"Exactly! Since it was such a small village, everyone knew everyone, so of course I already knew my prospects were shabby," Gwyn exclaimed and shook her head a bit in exasperation. "There isn't really much hope for a merchant girl to marry into a well-established family, let alone to a man with good looks and personality. I don't particularly believe in love, but I have to at least like the guy in some capacity, right? Besides, if you've been around enough military personnel, you'd think that all of them have sticks up their rear ends and a penchant for being unable to think for themselves. Of course there are exceptions, but as a mercenary fighting alongside army regulars, perceived hierarchy is difficult to ignore. I think it's wonderful that you got out before 'the talk' began; I would hate to be matched with a stuffy windbag, even if he did have his coffers lined in gold. We're not going to be young and beautiful forever, so we might as well see what the world has to offer~ Settling down comes after that."

[scorri]

Rolling her eyes, Lumi nodded. "You have no idea how big of a pain in the butt some military guys can be. It's like... since they have to wear fancy uniforms, they have to be all serious and grumpy all the time. And they're all 'I'm risking my life to keep you safe' blah blah blah, and I'm just 'Well that's very nice, but lets talk about something other than how brave you are.' It just gets annoying after a point, and none of them understand the meaning of fun. It's like... They won't even kiss me because I might be 'promised to someone else' and I'm just sitting here like "Well, why don't you let me worry about that.' So I'm here instead of there. Apparently my parents told everyone there I was dead. Maintaining image over the shame of having a daughter run away apparently." She shrugged. "I left them a note and everything. Told 'em I might be back at some point but apparently they don't want me back."

[Phoenix]

Dining Hall

"Hmm, maybe." Reign was beginning to worry about something, despite Veronika's encouragement. He still felt that there would come a time when it would be impossible for Raquel to return to a normal life. Until then, he'd thought, and also hoped that it was the remnants of her old self and how long they remained that would determine whether or not that was possible. Now, he was thinking that perhaps it was the circumstances surrounding her, and not merely her state of mind, that would be the deciding factor in the end. He truly didn't want his friend scarred and hardened by the realities of battle, but at this rate, it seemed inevitable.

"Well," he spoke up again, "here's hoping it all works out for the best ... somehow ...."

Study

"Oh?" Steinn said, looking intrigued. "I thought you inherited your position."

"Well, yes. Technically, I did," Weyland nodded, though he gave Steinn an interesting look, "but of course like you royal males, I had to earn it. To keep it all ... keep it all from falling apart ... and to survive. The Weyland name would have disappeared from anyone's notice before long if not for the company's pursuits and the earnings from my projects."

"I see."

Some Hallway

As they made for the dining hall, Suzume kept an eye on their surroundings, taking special note of them like before. This was likely to become a habit before long, at least until someone clued her in on the purpose of the seemingly random decor of the halls and the main building in general. "I kind of used to want be normal," Suzume noted with a frown that eventually worked its way into a weak smile. "Maybe I still 'kind of' do, but I'd rather live an active lifestyle, even if there's some occasional fighting involved."

Storage

"I hope it's not in one of them but I'm not sure where else it could be other than my room," Raquel groaned a response. "All I can remember about the sword right now is that I got it recently. I don't keep a lot of cavalry blades because our mounted units tend to use lances ..." Case in point. "I also don't have anyone else to sell to a lot of the time. That said," she paused and looked to Erion again, "I kind of doubt I can make Weyland much of a profit right now. I was actually thinking about contacting the military at some point, but with them being so closely involved with the wrathites, it seems like it might be better to just keep my distance. Also they like to buy things in bulk. A bunch of unique weapons only interests the officers so I'd have to sell to them directly ... aaand the only officers I know personally are Nadine and Miguel ...."

Estate Grounds

<"Well I'm glad she's happy with this little arrangement, then,"> Haythem smiled, still wondering what Isis was trying to do, resting her head on him. She normally had a good sense of how big and heavy she was but right now, she didn't seem to care much. <"So, anything else going on that I should know about? You mentioned someone named Nyx, and the buyer ... Ryder was it? Sounds like someone fancies themself an equestrian ... or wyvern rider, whichever, heheh.">

The Grand Cathedral

"Oh you can expect to be waiting for quite awhile at this rate," the knight replied to Eva.

Shadrak tuned everything else out momentarily as he confronted the rune knight. The human guardsmen nearby just watched, while the other rune knight ignored the scene entirely. "I don't think you could care less about how overcrowded this place is given where we're trying to go," Shadrak began, clinching his fists, "I get that at least one of the royals is here right now--the royal guards lurking around are proof of that--but unless they're talking to you personally, there's no reason to turn us away right now. We're here to make an exchange, and there's no need to keep up appearances."

"If it's that important, then I doubt you're going anywhere," the rune knight countered. If Shadrak hadn't known better, he could have sworn the knight was smirking behind that visor. Shadrak did know better though ... but he didn't speak better because of it.

"Listen, Nyx," he outed the armored puppet, "We're not going to just sit out here in the rain all day. I don't need you! I'll find another way if you're going to treat us like commoners and make us wait for no reason other than catering to a system you yourself apparently hate! That's ridiculous!"

"That is not my name," the rune knight replied before pulling his sword on Shadrak. The move was too quick for him to react, but he wasn't struck down. In the end, the blade was held beside his neck. It had drawn blood from his shoulder, but not much. "Seek out the priestess, Io, as you did before." With that bit of instruction given, the rune knight brought down his sword and stepped aside.

That was what I wanted, but I have to wonder why we're going through the motions like this just to get back to the archives, Shadrak thought to himself, turning back to face the others. He held his shoulder hoping to hide the blood but doubted they wouldn't notice anything amiss. "Alright, we can go in, now ..." he paused to glance at the rune knight, "... right?" The rune knight responded by making a welcoming gesture with his free hand at the entrance. After that, the other guards began to make room as well, curious about the whole exchange. "Alright," Shadrak said, trying to hide his relief.

[Nanami Touko]

"Thanks," she said, still awkwardly, to Mushirah. It seemed that the woman was still not in the best of moods around her, but there wasn't much she could do about that, not yet. Hope we get that time to talk. Don't really want to burn any bridges already. It's only been a day.

Charming. The knights seemed as welcoming as they had before. At least these ones hadn't started swinging at them yet. Though she started to worry when Shaddy argued back. He'd already been apparently tortured, so perhaps it wasn't best to try and stand up to things she'd learned were dolls controlled by the person who had done his torturing. At least his dangerous foray had gained them entry, though she almost sprung over when the knight's sword came out. As it went away, so did her tension, and she followed after him. Not before addressing Sasha with a "<you stay here, and you don't bother anyone. You got it?>" The wyvern quickly settled down and relaxed, looking up at the sky and wondering why the rain wasn't hitting it.

Eva shuffled off after Shadrak, sticking her tongue out at the imposing knight as she went by. You'd think she'd at least let the rest of us in. If she's got a beef with Shaddy then keep it over at him.

Edited May 25, 2014 by I have opinions

[ReformBlade]

Right off the bat there was open hostility towards the group, regret for her decision was pretty much solidified at this point. No amount of regret was going to keep Mushirah from at least seeing it through to the end though, for better or worse, as she followed behind Shadrak, playing with her bag as she did so. Normally she would have thought that things could only get better from here on out, but such a statement was absolutely false as she was finding out day after day.

Aneda urged Hannah on as well, the mention of crowds and whatnot really making her hesitate but she liked the idea of leaving Hannah behind by herself much less than dealing with crowds. "Come on, girl, it'll be dryer in there at least!" Snort.

[Sakusa]

"Ugh, it's as if all they know how to do is follow orders, flaunt their muscles, and use underhanded coercion to manipulate you into doing what they want. It's the worst when you're getting along with a cute officer, and you think that he's different from the rest, only to find out that he's dumber than a pile of bricks and he just so happens to be all of the above." Gwyn bit into her apple, tearing off a chunk feverishly, and chewed with vigor. "Men seem extremely prone to making half-witted assumptions and believing them to be truth. My function is as a mage in combat situations, but I'm a performer by trade, so I meet all sorts of interesting and oftentimes unsavory characters. Most of them just assume that I'm available because my skirt is short and I happened to be dancing in front of a large crowd, so they automatically equate me to being a showgirl of the illicit variety. Honestly, I've never been able to flirt long enough with a man to get to the point of kissing him. Cyrus usually interferes before it can get too far since I tend to attract annoying men, I simply have other places to be, or there are errands to run. As for your parents writing you off as dead," she chuckled a bit in spite of herself, "I would rather my parents do that than accuse my friend of kidnapping me. Your parents at least did something for themselves instead of ruining someone else's image. I left them a clearly-written letter about my intentions, but it seems like they never received it. In any case, you're probably better off without them. There aren't many people that are skilled in using both magic and weapons, so they're missing out on a point of pride and a potential son-in-law!"

[Snowy_One]

The blow connected solidly with Robin's jaw, practically knocking the woman off her feet with the sheer force of it as she stopped a short distance away, and didn't move. Not at first at least. Not while Bert was yelling at her. Or the moment after. Then, slowly, she moved as she started to get up.

"Heh. You hate me. You punch me. So much simpler than everything else." she said, spitting out a bit of blood. "Maybe you are right, I do not know, but speaking like that was so much less awkward." she said, not sure what more she should say. She didn't want to get beaten to death, and Bert certainly looked ready to smack her around quite a bit.

---

Tia smiled as the guards let them pass, letting the rain resume falling outside. It wouldn't have been much of a fight anyways if they had tried. Outnumbered, with a caster in her element, and mounts, yea. Wouldn't have been much of a fight. Least for those two. "Sorry. I'd offer to heal, but I'm not that sort of mage. Not yet anyways." she said chipperly as she headed inside.

Edited May 25, 2014 by Snowy_One

[Mercakete]

Suddenly, things began to make a bit more sense. "'Stop talking and start doing,' huh?" That was something he could understand. She didn't actually answer his question -- that was a little annoying -- but it sure seemed like she was retracting her earlier wish...maybe. It wasn't enough for him, though -- too vague.

"So, what are you saying? Do you still wish people would beat you up?" He was wary, but his anger levels toward her had dropped significantly.

[Snowy_One]

"Not like that at least. I thought it would be more of a fist-fight, not a blow like that." she said, trying to smile. "But... yea. I feel like people are just talking talking far too much and I feel lonely. Especially since no one is doing anything with me, even if that something is punching me."

[Mercakete]

Well, that helped Norbert to calm down a little. It was enough to get him to get back to a normal standing position instead of a fighting stance. He belted Splinter and Crunch back and then rested his hands on his hips. Her second sentence... Had that been a compliment? It sounded like a compliment. He couldn't be sure, though, and in the end, it didn't really matter. There were some things that needed clearing up.

"Well, I don't hate you. What you said just made me mad...and I was really angry already," he clarified, though he was still a little testy, "But you know, I meant what I said: you don't deserve change in your life if you don't work for it. And trust me, if you keep working at something, things will eventually begin to change. So stop waiting for people to tell you what to do or invite you to do something or whatever and just go do something yourself and tell others to go with you. If no one else wants to go, fine. Just do it yourself, and keep asking them to do things with you. I don't see why this won't work, especially if you ask a lot of different people to do a lot of different things."

[Script]

A Man Called Gar

Considering the kind of "normal" life a Kigen woman had... Bah, he didn't want to think about it. "I've had enough of 'normal' for lifetime. Damn turnips." He grumbled at the thought. "Everyday's new, exciting, who knows where it'll lead? I've gotten more living in my adventures than whole cities."

[-Cynthia-]

Dining Hall

Well, that didn't seem to work... "So, did you ever meet Jethro back when you were studying with Raquel? We've been trying to find him for quite some time now, but I don't really know the man at all," Veronika commented to Reign. Seems odd not talking about this with Raquel but...she could find the question somewhat invasive. Maybe she doesn't talk him for the same reason that I don't talk about Pavel...

Estate Grounds

<"Could just be a name he gave himself. He was a bit of an odd sort, wore a mask the entire time. Then again, I woulda been more surprised if he had been completely ordinary. Ordinary people don't serve vasili and hang out with magic knights that throw swords at people,"> Nadya said to Haythem, feeling a bit of pain in her shoulder as she mentioned that.

[Ether]

"I mean, it's not a big deal, really... I just noticed that it was similar to some blades from home, but there are some notable differences in the make of it, so I was curious. Do you recall what you wanted for it?" Faatina noted... it might be est to keep Raquel's stress levels down, afterall.

***

"Everyone's got different talents, eh? Boss isn't much for fighting, but a game of wits or some kind of tactical showdown, I don't think I'd be more scared of anyone than him." Arietta chimed in.

"I'm not all that good at being more than a pawn in the grand scheme of things, but even pawns can be useful, and hell, if you play it right, they can take down the big shots as well as anyone."

[Snowy_One]

"But that is not who I am. I am a follower. I take orders, be it from Raquel, my father, or you and I do them as best I can. I do not know how to ask others to do things for me. If I were to ask you out on a flight, I would trip and stumble over my own words. If I wanted someone to just say 'hi' all I can do is hide in a corner. I can not approach people like that."

[Toogee]

For a moment, Eli thought their trip (and Shadrak) would be cut short as the rune knight slashed at the latter. It seemed to be just a warning shot as the knight let them pass into the building. Fortunately, Eli had his staff on hand, so he healed Shadrak's shoulder while walking beside him.

Seeing that Aneda was bringing her steed along, Eli didn't want to look like the mean owner who leaves his peg out in the rain, he called over Betty. Having the peg around made Eli feel a bit more comfortable about walking into the cathedral. He'd be glad to be on her once things went south.

[Mercakete]

Robin's reply was annoying. Frowning, he replied, "Well, if that's what it takes, then I order you to get better at taking initiative. You'll never be happy otherwise. If it's not who you are, too bad; you'll just have to become that person. Understand?"

[Snowy_One]

Robin looked at Bert for a moment like he had lost his mind and was crazy. That order was self-contradicting after-all... But... Then a small smile came across her face and a laugh. "I see what you are trying. Bert, I do not know what we can do together, but if you cannot think of something in the next ten seconds, I order you to have a friendly fight with me!"

Edited May 25, 2014 by Snowy_One

[Mercakete]

"Hah! That's one difference between you and me," Norbert noted, both amused and glad at Robin's reply. With a competitive fire in his eyes and a defiant grin, he winked and finished, "I don't take orders easily."

Playful as he just was, he did notice something on a more serious note. Is that the first time I've seen Robin really smile? Heh. Maybe I did something right. He laughed, then asked, "Hey, have you had lunch yet? I was so mad earlier that I forgot about it." That's right. I was in here at first because of what happened to Joanna... I should eat now in case there's something I can do for her once Weyland decides on a course of action.

That brought a bit more of a serious expression to his face. He was still quite unhappy with the Wrathites, but Robin's issues had proven enough of a distraction that he could think clearly again.

[Snowy_One]

"You know. I do not remember if I have or have not. I do not care though. I am far from the most petite of women and I would be more than glad to have a second, if smaller, lunch with you. Besides, fighting is a serious work-out, so I do not need to worry. Sure, if you want to have lunch, I will join you for it. Do you have a place in mind? Or do you want me to hunt down some food for the both of us? Actually..."

Robin stopped, taking a small sigh. "Actually, let us just have a nice meal together. No hunting or anything of the sort."

[Mercakete]

Oh right, she's a hunter or something. "Yeah, I was thinking of just eating in the dining hall," Norbert replied with a nod. Well, there was no need to keep standing there, talking about it, so he just began making his way back over to the dining hall, figuring Robin would follow.