Return of the Emblem Chapter Twelve: Divergent Paths

[Toogee]

Jam caught Alphonse keeping out of sight behind her. In reaction, she turned around and began walking backwards to face him.

“So, I talked to Greta earlier. She seemed…OK. Lonely, but OK.”

Not long after, Erion appeared, offering to escort with a fancy bow and calling her Milady. She couldn’t help but smile at his extravagance, even if he seemed to overdo it.

“Well, why else are we here? And no need to be all fancy like that. All the rich folk will think you’re making fun of them.” Jam took his arm nonetheless and walked with him. She did however look behind her to see Alphonse still keeping watch.

“Alphy, come walk by me. No need to hide behind.” With no date of his own, Jam felt bad that Alphy was here alone.

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

“Agreed,” Eli replied to Lumi. “Though I feel we’re going to have to make a return trip to Weyland’s to dump all the chocolate Aneda is about to buy.”

Pierre had made Aneda a decent bargain on the Chocolate-Caramel Swirls, handing over a pound of the candies. It was not clear whether the transaction was complete; there were far more chocolate treats to browse through.

[-Cynthia-]

The inspection by the guard was a little odd, but Nadya supposed they didn't want anyone stabbing the princess or anything, would certainly ruin the atmosphere. As she entered the ballroom she wasn't too surprised by what she saw and heard. Yep, not a very lively party at all, she thought to herself before Haythem mentioned the free food.

"If ya want to we can get some grub. Looks like there's no dancin' around here yet and I don't really wanna be chattin' up Ursian nobility too badly," she replied to him. Probably a lotta money in this room, but I don't think tryin' anythin' as Weyland's guest here would be a very good idea.

[Script]

A Man Called Gar

"Looking to make my date jealous?" Gar asked as he got searched over by a female guard.

[Eail]

Alphonse had been content just to stay out of the way for the evening, everyone else was going to be having the time of their life, so he felt obligated to keep an eye out for any sort of trouble. Besides, he was already a third wheel in this, and as much as he'd love to ruin Erion's evening, that would upset Jamilla by proxy.

"Maybe I should have stayed back with her...." The swordsman trailed off, looking in the direction that they'd come from Weyland's estate was located. It may have been a mistake to leave the woman all alone, especially with her newfound drinking problem.

His thoughts were distracted by the thief putting on his act though, scoffing at the over dramatic flare, it made him look like a jackass. "You sure? I don't wanna step on loverboy's territory, he might decide to bite."

[scorri]

Erion rolled his eyes before freeing himself of Jam's arm. Walking over to Al, he leaned in and quietly retorted, "Well excuse me for trying to make her feel like a princess. She deserves to be treated well, and if I have a little fun with it, well then I get a laugh from her and it's even better. Now don't let your jealousy ruin her night just because I had the guts to ask her to the ball while you were busy puking yours up. As for loverboy... trust me. If I had any intention of pursing the lady, she would know." He smiled at Jam before continuing, "You see, unlike you, I would have made my move already because I'm not a coward when it comes to women. Or in general for that matter. But, I'm not interested in her that way, which I believe she knows. I'm just trying to be there for her and let her have some fun. So if you're going to be grouchy all night, perhaps you should have stayed with Greta. After all, White Knight, doesn't she need you too?"

Turning his back to Al, he smiled at Jam again. "Sorry about that. Shall we?" He started walking towards the line again, but was slightly tensed, waiting for sudden movement from behind.

Edited October 4, 2013 by scorri

[Snike]

"Yeah, that sounds just like him," Blake said, glancing over to Raquel for a moment. "I am not sure if we should wait, though, given the.. business we must attend to. I will leave that up to milady, though, to decide."

He really didn't want to run into Cain, but, given that his employer was acting odd at the moment, it might be better if he did.

[Snowy_One]

"Why, indeed we are, my fine mage co-worker whoisinnowaymyunderling. This lovely woman here has requested a smaller painting of herself to take home. If she would go and stand over there." he said, pointing to a spot in front of his easel. "After she has, we can both get started! Now, madame, tell me a bit about how you want the painting to be done."

[Phoenix]

Shenanigans That Come From Outside

The guard glanced at Angelica for a moment and then answered, "Heh, if at all possible. You're that Raquel woman's guests, right? Or Weyland's?"

Deciding to speed up the process a bit, the guard with the block waved it over Angelica's body, draining away all of her aura in the process. Gar would of course, be next, once his partner was done with him. As soon as she was, the two switched places. The woman started on Angelica but immediately stopped at her necklace. She then took it into her hand by the end and asked, "What's this?"

Her partner meanwhile waved the block over Gar, nearly pointless but standard procedure, nonetheless.

"We'll wait just a bit longer, just to make sure all of our people make it inside," Raquel chimed in, figuring she'd drop that stall attempt as early as possible. Then, feeling that she was running out of time regardless, moved closer to Weyland and very quietly said, "We have a serious problem ..." Then, after glancing back to make sure she hadn't gotten any of the guards' attention, she added, "The emblem energy. Remember what happened the last time?"

"Hmm?" Weyland was a little confused at first, but then he remembered that the emblem had responded to magic seal the kigenese mercenaries had attached to Siv to keep her powers in check. Of course, unlike her, he didn't immediately freak out about it. Having gotten his drink a moment earlier, he took a sip, put a hand over her shoulder and turned away from the scene with her. They didn't seem to be going anywhere, but it was obviously a private conversation. Chie leaned in and listened anyway.

"What should I do?" Raquel desperately asked.

"Just calm down and think. We can't be certain, but I believe you'll be fine. The magic seal the mercenaries used was a universal one, made to trap all three forms of magic. The emblem's energy likely responded to it because of that. The seals they're using aren't universal ones, however."

"They aren't?"

"No, if those devices were made of seal material, they would be affecting us even at ten times this distance. They make those devices with tiny seals on the inside of the casing, one for each type of magic; what's left of your emblem shouldn't respond to any individual seal no matter how powerful it is. Furthermore, that energy is inside of you, correct? If it's infused, then it shouldn't be affected."

Oh dear, someone smarter than me, Hypnos made an extremely poor attempt at feigning shock and dismay. At least I get to live a little while longer.

Is it true? Will we be alright? Raquel asked.

"Well, I'm sorry you have to wait out here with us instead of enjoying yourselves from the get-go, but I guess it can't be helped," Miguel replied to Blake. "What's taking them so long ...?"

Hypnos explained some things while that happened. The theory is ... sound, but even he isn't certain. The truth is, I've been concerned about this for awhile now, because the emblem responded to a magic seal in the first place. That shouldn't have happened, at least I don't think it should have. I never figured out if it was doing what was expected of it or if it fell under the influence of the magic seal naturally. Regardless, if Weyland is correct, then we should be fine ... but try not to imagine losing your power, just in case, Discovery.

"Right ..." Raquel replied aloud. That was an accident, but Weyland assumed she was just agreeing with his assessment. With that matter settled, he let her go and she returned to Blake's side, somewhat seamlessly, as Miguel hadn't noticed.

Shenanigans That Come From Inside

"Oh, sure," Haythem immediately replied. Oh I am far from hungry, but I'll manage. I'm sure this stuff isn't all that filling anyway.

Shadrak wasn't sure what to do first, wander around, or try to find someone knowledgeable to ask about the 'schedule' for the party. He soon decided on the latter, since, once armed with that knowledge, they could plan their activities accordingly and not run headlong into any complications. "Let's see if we can find someone who might know what the plan for the evening is going to be."

Deciding who to approach first was a lot harder than Shadrak expected. He wanted to find the right person on his first try. His gaze soon fell on someone who seemed to be the center of attention in his respective corner of the room. He could only see him from behind, but he had pale blue hair and a white bow tie, along with a sky blue coat with tails coming down to the knees. Once he led Mushirah over to that small gathering so they could make their inquiry, things got confusing, fast.

"Right, right, you shouldn't have to worry about his exams. He's doing quite well." That was a woman's voice he was hearing. When the attention of those speaking to her moved to Shadrak and Mushirah, she turned around to face them, as well. "Can I help you?" she asked, hinting just slightly that she was irritated at the interruption.

... and that's a woman's face. Why's she wearing THAT of all things? It was none other than Morgana Wyght. "Uh ... I-we were wondering, that is ... if you perhaps know what the schedule for this evening is like? We were hoping to avoid going against the flow of events, and such." 'and such', what the hell am I saying?

"I don't know what she's planning. Athena decided to take over the second she spoke with the real planners, so I doubt anyone knows what's going on anymore. Just be ready to follow along, regardless of what happens," she answered.

"Oh I hope she doesn't make us all dance. I didn't bring a date this evening, and I'm a bit too old to be moving around in a big crowd," said one of the nobles.

[spoiler=Shenanigans At Home]It wasn't long before an experimental dinner was served at the table, and the three Abrams, Reign, Aldric, and Regina, had sat down to eat it and ... maybe talk. "I know you don't want to talk about it, but let's talk about it; what happened since you left?"

Reign immediately dropped his spoon back down onto his bowl and said, "Ugh, it's really messed up that I can't eat now and talk later. That's like winning a whole lot of money but receiving it all in coppers."

"Yeah but you'll probably leave as soon as you're done eating, so best to start right now."

"How about a compromise?" Reign's mother spoke up. "While you eat, we'll tell you how our lives have been going, then, once you're finished, it's your turn."

"... deal." Reign immediately began eating, and though he was listening for any stories they had to tell, he wasn't exactly waiting for them. He just wanted to enjoy a good home cooked meal for a change.

"Let's see ... where to begin ..." she mused aloud.

"Your mother's pregnant, again," Aldric quickly blurted out, hoping to shock his son.

His plan worked, and Reign nearly choked. After a short coughing fit, he said, "What is the matter with you? Anyway, that's ... good news I guess. I don't really want to be a middle child, but it's not like that can be helped, now"

"I just hope it's a girl," Regina said.

"Me too," Aldric muttered.

[Ether]

As the guard took hold of Angelica's necklace, asking the woman quite sternly asking of it, Angelica cracked a slight smile.

"Ah, that's a Leonus ruby, set in gold... someone who's opinion means the world to me told me that it brings out my eyes... with how rare it is to get something like that from him... well, I couldn't just leave it in the shop." Angelica replied, her tone sweet as a button. For once, however, the sugar-coated story was pretty much true... Boss never was one for such matters, but for whatever reason, that day, on that escapade, he had told Angelica that he thought that necklace would suit her.

"I don't get to wear it often because it's rather fancy... I thought it would be good for the occasion..." Angelica trailed off, feigning a sudden bout of sadness.

***

Well that was... an interesting ordeal. Faatina had never seen that type of screening before, and even though she had nothing to hide, the idea of it did make her rather nervous. That in mind, she subconsciously squeezed Zach's hand a little tighter.

***

Was there going to be a damn conflagration already? One of the newer girls had been stopped at the door about a necklace she was wearing, and Arietta couldn't help but scowl at the whole thing... she knew that Raquel's people were being held accountable for themselves here, but... despite having no actual connection to the whole thing at a mere word from Weyland, the bodyguard didn't want to see them hung from the rafters by the royal guard...

Having to sit on standby just outside the line, still within earshot if Weyland gave an order, but far enough away as to not draw ire with her weapon, got on the warrior's nerves.

Edited October 4, 2013 by Ether

[Snike]

"Eh, it's not an issue. And, perhaps something came up," Blake suggested, after Miguel began to wonder where his subordinates were, presumably. Raquel left and came back, but for what, the man didn't know.

[Mercakete]

Gytha moved to the indicated spot but really wasn't sure what to do after that besides answer Alex's question. So, smiling in a friendly manner, she did that. "You're the artist. I'll leave it up to you!"

[ReformBlade]

Holding the bag of chocolate caramel goodness in her hands, Aneda forked over the amount of gold necessary for the exchange, not wanting to wait or forget or do anything foolish regarding this dangerous and tense moment in her life. Chocolate was at stake, there was no alternative. "Thank you very much, sir." she said politely and quietly, including a formal bow and everything. Joining her two new friends, she was all smiles as she glanced at one and then the other. Holding it right below her face and resting her chin on the bag, "think I should get more? Do you two kids want some choc-oh-lot?"

So it's just going to be a reactionary evening all around, I guess? Though really it was going to be that way for us anyway, at least we're not going to be the only ones in the same boat though, not... entirely anyway. Mushirah thought, smiling at the guests that they had interrupted. This Athena person seems pretty willful, or perhaps just a bit of a control freak? Either way, I'm sure we'll be fine. "Sounds like it's going to be a pretty interesting night then." Mushirah decided to try and comment on it. Unfortunately her comment was pretty unoriginal and didn't further the conversation any.

[Script]

A Man Called Gar

"One of those two," Gar shrugged at the lack of scrutiny. "You wouldn't believe how chaotic things were." Angel was into some explanation about her necklace in the meanwhile.

[Snowy_One]

Alex sat down with a smile, his eyes fixating for a moment on Gytha as he took her in, observing all he could about her to try and form a image in his mind of who she was.

"Okay Alex. Think. She's obviously a strong woman, not unlike many of the men doing hard labor, so she's clearly not a noble who spends more time hobbnobbing. Her voice and tone is a bit rough and unrefined as well, so she's clearly not accustomed to social graces. Hmmm... Maybe a fighter? The build seems about right but it's too damned hard to tell with that dress hiding her legs. A woman like her isn't some delicate flower though for sure and probably likes being complimented on her strength. I'll be sure to include that. What else...

She has a strong love for the ocean, that's for sure. The aquamarines, opals, and ocean print gave that away easy. Put her on a ship. That should make her more than happy. She doesn't look like a terribly mean person either... Probably not a pirate or vagabond.

So, what is her story anyways? I bet she was a poor girl raised in some village near the ocean that had to deal with pirates a lot. Maybe she decided to fight them at sea? Maybe she had to work hard to stop them from raiding? I don't know. Too hard to tell based off of just a few sentences. Damn. Least I could understand more from the priests. Still... I think I can get a good enough reading of her..."

And with that he started to paint. First off he started by painting Gytha, but not stock and still as she was before him, but upon the main deck of a large ship, her dress swirling in the breeze as, about her, sea foam sprayed about in the breeze as the ship sailed off the coast of some shore with a peaceful hamlet just in the distance, barely more than a few dots of paint really. Behind Gytha was a small family, cowering behind her, while before her was a group of pirates. Gytha was still as the breeze ruffled her dress and spray danced around her face. In one hand was a sword and in the other was a gun, a cloud of smoke showing it had just gone off in the face of one of the encroaching pirates as she defended the people before her. She was a tough woman, made in her own way. A lover of the sea. Had he a bigger canvas he might have even included a pirate being eaten by a shark just to be even more awesome.

Then he focused a bit more on her beauty. Smoothing her edges a bit, being sure to avoid blood or wounds of any sort on her, giving her a soft radiance of protection, being sure to include both her noticeable smile and bust, making sure the gemstones in her dress were as pretty as he could manage, and trying to ensure she didn't look like a psycho while doing so.

After a while he smiled and leaned back. "Done! Thank you Charles. You've been most helpful. Would you like to see the painting now or pick it up later?"

---

Tia hummed softly as she spent time flipping through the many books of the library, studying and learning instead of going to the stupid ball. What would people do there anyways? Talk about how rich they were and eat ladies fingers? How useless. Instead she was enjoying herself with a piece of work on ancient beliefs, her form of relaxation.

Hmmm... So much stupid back then. The idea that mistletoe means death and the like. So glad we moved beyond then. Ah well. Course we have the creation idea. That the world was made by a flaming amulet. she said with a happy smile. What could she say? She was feeling a bit tired and overwhelmed, so reading about history was a great way to relax the mind. Yet, as she flipped through one book and into another, she noticed something a bit off.

Hey! This one described the creation myth almost the same way, except here it's a gemstone instead of a amulet. Odd... Guess that's what I get for snoozing off in history lessons. Wonder if there is a third story that's also similar? she thought to herself. Standing up she went looking for another book before looking over at the maid, hoping she wasn't asleep. "May I please have some pen and paper? I need to do something I haven't done in four years. Take notes."

[Rothene]

Mireille accepted Eric's arm after she made her way down from the carriage carefully. The Ursian noblewoman had not forgotten her training back in her household, thus with great care, Mireille did not leap off the vehicle as she normally would when in her armour.

This is much easier than...oh, oh dear, Mireille thought as she realised why moving around was a far easier than she had remembered in training. She had donned her boots out of habit instead of the intended high heels. Wrath take those heels, it's not like anyone can see what footwear I chose to bring with me with all these skirt in the way.

Smiling at Eric, Mireille relaxed to let him lead the way. It was only proper after all. "What a gentleman. Indeed, we should follow the rest."

Edited October 4, 2013 by Rothene

[Mercakete]

Rather than answering, Gytha had already started moving to take a look at what he'd painted. She was pleasantly surprised by what she saw. She was in her ball attire, yes, but this picture also showed what was more or less her work as a mariner, even going so far as to display her weapons of choice! The sword and gun looked different from her own, but the concept was the same and, quite frankly, it'd be a bit unsettling if she saw her own sword and gun in the painting when she hadn't brought them with her. He'd made her look a lot prettier than she figured she looked, too. She couldn't help but smile, her wide grin spreading across her face as she took in the picture.

"It's perfect! Thank ye so much, sir! Heharr! How could ye tell I'm a mariner? 'N I do use a pistol n' a sword, too! That's downright r'markable, have t' say!" she happily commented. Suddenly, she remembered that she wasn't supposed to let her accent and lazy tongue through when she spoke and so, with a bit of a sheepish version of her grin, apologized, "Argh, sorry about that. Don't mean to make you uncomfortable if I did -- I know I'm supposed to speak more like the folk around here."

Brightening right back up again, she reiterated, "Thank you very much! It turned out great."

[Phoenix]

We Came

"Hmm, I see," the guard replied while looking at the necklace more closely.

"If you're going to confiscate it, do it already," her partner chimed in jokingly.

She sighed and gently let go of the necklace before going back to her work. "I suppose it does ... suit you, that is," she quietly said as she worked her way down the dress. "And clear. Hey," she called over to where Miguel and the others were. Then she pointed her thumb at Gar and Angelica.

"Oh, they're my guests," Raquel spoke up, figuring that was what this was about.

"Have fun," she said, something of a farewell to the two.

"Merz, I hope nothing's wrong," Miguel said, worrying due to Blake's comment. "Now I want to go inside and check ..."

"You might as well," the guard interjected again. "It's not like you're doing anything other than babysitting Weyland at the moment." Her tone soon changed and she added a soft, "You might as well see what's going on. We'll cover for you until you get back."

Not expecting that, Miguel stared blankly at first. "Well ... alright then, I'll be back shortly." To those waiting, he said, "Just wait here for a moment." Then, he was off, heading inside alone, to figure out what was taking the others so long to return.

Up next were Faatina and Zachary. "Hold still, please ..." Now that the crowd was beginning to thin out considerably, the other two teams were able to pick up some of the party members, which meant some others were also up for screening.

We Saw

"As long as no one sets off any fireworks in here, I'm content with whatever she does," Morgana said as she crossed her arms.

"Well, thanks for the information, Ms. ..."

"Morgana Wyght," she introduced herself. She held out her hand for a handshake, and rather deliberately at that. At least Shadrak wouldn't have to decide how to handle the exchange since she wasn't giving him any other options.

Accepting her hand for the shake, he replied, "Shadrak ... and this is my friend, Mushirah." Urgh, I'm positive I screwed that up. I mean, there has to be a better way to introduce us than that, right? I hope she's not into formalities ... though I guess if she really was, she'd be wearing a dress and having me kiss her hand or something.

Meanwhile, over by the snacks, Haythem was examining the food rather than eating it, trying to figure out what some of the items actually were. "Why is there a stick in some of these? And ... is that a square cut of cheese ...? Oh, heh ... little ... sandwiches ... right? At least ... they look like sandwiches."

Alex's painting business continued when Gytha agreed to being painted. The assistant got into position and waited. Once the painting was finished, he took a seat near the table of drying paintings, drank the rest of the water from the wineglass, and examined his pendant. He sighed heavily at it and then glanced over at Alex. "I'm running low here. After the next one I'll have to have a talk with security to see if I can get a replacement source."

[spoiler=We Conquered]"Your turn, Reign," Aldric insisted, noticing that Reign had more or less finished his bowl.

Reign cursed his hastened eating for what he was now going through. He sighed and said, "You want the long version or the short version?"

"... the long version of course, now quit stalling."

"Well after leaving, went to buy something to eat. If I remember right, it was just some bread for the road, but it was pretty good. I remember having a thought while eating it, like 'where am I going to go from here? Neviskotia is right out, and Kigen's not the friendliest place. Tracea might be my only real option now that I think about it ...' ... but I hadn't really decided yet. So I got to eating the bread and-" "I can already see where this is going, SHORT VERSION, PLEASE," Aldric interrupted in order to concede to Reign on that point.

Reign smirked. "Left Ursium, traveled, traveled some more, wound up in Port Temptress, got hired along with Raquel to help capture a ship, captured the ship, wound up in Tremere, got into a fight with some nutjobs, then got into a fight with an entire rebel fleet, escaped, got tailed for a bit, met two vasili, visited Chousokabe, got into another fight with the rebels, spent almost two and a half weeks eating the chefs' experiments, came back to Ursium, got into another fight with Raquel's sworn enemies, traveled toward Ursaea, got into another fight, this time with a shadow dragon, then came back here. Figured I'd pay a visit."

"... that was going to be a very long story ... the long version, I mean," Regina said, feeling a bit grateful Reign had glossed over so many details.

"What were you doing fighting dragons ... again?" Aldric asked.

Reign shrugged. "Better question is what was I doing 'rescuing' them. That ship we went to capture, yeah, that ship was smuggling dragon eggs and infants for the rebels which is why they kept trying to kill us afterward. I just needed a job at the time, but Raquel actually took the job even though she still had other options open to her."

"So did you actually do anything or were you just a witness to all of this?"

"When the ship we were trying to capture left port, I sneaked along with it, riding just above the waterline until we were well out at sea, then I set the sails on fire so our people could catch up. Didn't get to do much else on that one though. Didn't want to, either."

"Reign, why are you taking such huge risks?" Regine chimed in again. "When you left, you said you needed to find something that was worth fighting for. It can't be mere gold ..."

"It's Raquel isn't it?" Aldric concluded with a smirk of his own. "How'd you even run into her way out there? What was she doing south of Kigen?"

"Since you can't handle the long version, the short version is 'vasili'. As for what I'm fighting for, I've still got nothing, but that's got nothing to do with why I'm helping Raquel right now," Reign explained. "I guess ... I guess I'm doing all of this crazy stuff for her to make up for what happened with Nadine. Raquel isn't affiliated with the military, so it wasn't a hard choice ..."

Regina took advantage of the silence that followed Reign's explanation. "Nadine ... you haven't spoken to her since you left?"

"Seeing as she'd be obligated to arrest or kill me, no, I haven't." Aldric and Regina looked to each other for a moment, having a silent conversation while Reign scowled at them. "What's going on? Has the military been pestering you?"

"Well ..." Aldric started an explanation and then paused to make sure Regina was alright with him continuing. He knew that the news he had for his son was good news, but also knew that it wouldn't be taken entirely as good news. "They have spoken to us a few times since you left. They're ... not trying to capture you, Reign. They just want to talk to you about that synchronous whatever casting. They even offered to let you back into the military ... for some reason. I don't remember all the details."

"What ...?"

"Ahem, according to the latest envoy, you and the rest of your team were inappropriately deployed during the opening stages of this conflict, which is why you ended up nearly being wiped out. Your knowledge of synchronous casting made you too valuable to place on the front lines with such little experience and the 'stress placed on you that led to your desertion is a natural consequence'. They're basically taking a bit of responsibility for what happened, but I'm pretty sure they just want to get what information they can from you so they can finish researching that casting method."

"Of course they are! Dammit!" Reign snapped. "If they haven't gotten that information out of Nadine already ... then the only reason they're not ready to execute me for treason is because they might still get it from me. That's bullshit! They execute people every single day but they'll go easy on me at least until they get the information they want. Those bastards ..."

"Calm down, Reign, that's just how governments work. There are always exceptions. You should count your blessings. They probably won't arrest you after you give them the information ... if you decide to give it to them."

"You know as well as I do that being pardoned is contingent on my rejoining the Ursian military and following those conniving officers, and mark my words, I will never help worthless scum like them, again. Ever."

We Wrote About It

"Certainly, just wait there a moment," the maid replied. She entered the library proper rather than going off somewhere else, however. What Tia needed seemed to be within the library already, fortunately. She soon returned with a quill, some ink, a rather plain looking pencil, a few blank parchments, and an empty notebook, likely one of dozens stored in the library. "Will these do?"

[-Cynthia-]

"Well it looks like food at least. Let's dive in," Nadya suggested, grabbing a stick with a mushroom impaled on the end of it. She swallowed the mushroom in one gulp and discovered it was filled with some unfamiliar, fishy meat of some sort.

"Thish is pretty good, try one," she suggested to Haythem with her mouth full.

[Snowy_One]

"Well, I didn't. I mean, how could I? We just met and you haven't told me anything about you yet. You did give a lot of hints though. When I painted I saw that you were strong and realized you were less likely to be some noble dame and instead some hard worker, and the ocean was easy to figure out because of the design of your clothes and your gems. As for the sword and gun and pirate shooting? I just tried to imagine what type of person you were and thought you were most likely from a port town where you needed to be strong and probably had to fight pirates... and the sword and gun and keeping the family safe? Just looked awesome. And don't worry about it. I may dress nice, but I'm not exactly noble material myself. If I was, I'd be out on the ballroom floor, not painting pictures of people for commission."

He gave a small wave to Charles. "Take five then Charles. We don't have a line at the moment so you can probably rest. Just be sure not to let the bosses catch on. They might not be happy at us taking a break when we were hired to work."

---

"Yes. That will do just fine. Thank you." said Tia with a smile as she took the notes and started to write down the details from the first book before laying the parchment out on the table. Regardless of ones opinion of Tia, it was clear her handwriting was very practiced and skilled as the flowing script was both beautiful to read and not difficult in the slightest. Her content, however, consisted mainly of bullet-points and summaries as she merely described the story within the first book. Then she did the same with the second book before laying them side by side.

"Do you know if you have any more books detailing this 'Fire Emblem', 'Fire Gem', 'Fire Amulet', 'Creation story', or anything like that? It's odd that these stories are so similar. History books and books on magic too. Anything that might relate to it? I think I'm on to something here, but I need more information first!"

Edited October 4, 2013 by Snowy_One

[ReformBlade]

Nodding at what Morgana said since that's probably something they could both agree on, Mushirah couldn't help but notice Shadrak's word choice but decided not to worry about it while they were talking to someone else. Hopefully he's just saying that for appearance's sake right now... If nothing else, she had some tact, and perhaps some hopes. "It's a pleasure to meet you." Mushirah said, holding her hand out for a handshake as well. Seemed like a good idea at the time.

Edited October 4, 2013 by ReformBlade

[Ether]

"Hehe, thank you." Angelica replied with a smile, as they were waved through.

***

It seemed they were up next for screening, as the instructions came to hold still. There seemed no reason not to listen, so Faatina did so.

[Snike]

"Not a problem," Blake responded, as the Red Wolf left to check on his comrades. Out here in the dark was better than in there, with the wolves, for the time being.

***
The line began to thin out, and soon enough, Ethan was up next for inspection. The healer stood still when asked, and just relaxed. This should be a walk in the park.

[Toogee]

Jam could only watch as Erion had a "heart-to-heart" with Alphonse after the latter's comment. Behind Erion's smile, the dancer felt the tension between the two. She presumed that Alphy's seemingly sarcastic remark struck a nerve, leading to the private conversation. The tension remained even after Erion rejoined Jam, which didn't sit too well with her.

"Uh...are we OK?" Jam said to the two of them, looking to both for any signs of discontent.

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

"I think we're OK," Eli replied to Aneda, shoe chocolate stuffed mouth seemed to have affected his appetite. That is, he was getting hungry.

"We could always go back to Weyland's and see what lunch left over."

Edited October 5, 2013 by Toogee

[scorri]

Erion

The man smiled gently at the dancer on his arm and shrugged slightly. "I'm not the one with the issue here. If anyone has one, he does. I just want you to have a wonderful night, full of dancing and beautiful sights. After all, you're just entering your adult years. You don't want to rush things like this. Beautiful moments like tonight will hopefully be are few and far between as you get older." His smile slipped into something more melancholy looking before he shook his head and returned to the cheerier smile he'd had on before. "If he has no issues to address, shall we move on? The night is slipping away from us." The man hadn't looked back at Al the whole time he was talking, and only the first and last bits were meant to be heard by the swordsman. Erion was still anticipating an attack from behind, but he had allowed himself to relax, not wanting to worry the girl he had invited out this night.

Lumi

Grinning at Aneda, Lumi shook her head ruefully at the stack of chocolate in her arms, "No, I'm good. I think you've got quite enough for all of us. I agree with Eli. Time for some real food. Shall we head back?"

Eric

"You move so gently and elegantly, if this is how you fight, I must see it some time. You would be the awe of the battlefield, dancing in and out among the other fighters. You would truly be the gem of any fighting force. I cannot wait to see your dancing." Smiling, he led the two of them into the line, hoping that they would soon be in the main area where he could find place to be out of notice.

Edited October 5, 2013 by scorri

[Mercakete]

"That's amazing! You could tell all that just by looking at me. Sounds like there was some luck too, of course, heharr," Gytha commented. Already, it seemed, she had a story from the ball to tell her friends at Weyland's about. Getting more to the business side of things, she asked, "So, when do I pick it up?"

She decided that it was a good thing that Alex hadn't painted on a larger canvas. Sending her mother a picture of what she did for a living would probably not be taken too well by the guests. It wasn't exactly easy to send things to Stubbsgrit anyway. It would've been very hard to try to hold on to the painting herself in the meantime even if she decided to deliver it in person. As a result, she was very happy to have requested a much smaller portrait. She did like souvenirs and this one was just perfect.