Return of the Emblem Chapter Twelve: Divergent Paths

[ReformBlade]

"She's influential then..." Jericho mused, hand on chin and stroking it like a pro. "Does she use it well or is it unwanted what she does? Or is that too vague a question? Bah, I suppose I'm just shooting in the dark in regards to what she's like when I can find out later." That was the end of the conversation from his end at least, his hand lingering towards his harmonica, pulling it out and playing with it for a second before finally mustering up enough courage to ask people around him "Anyone want a song? Something to just kinda let the edge off?"

"I just hope you'll be honest with me, not that I doubt you are now or anything" Mushirah said, adding in the last part very quickly before any misunderstandings were made. That wasn't enough for her though. "I meant, um... Oh, never mind, I got my foot in my mouth now, hahah..." If she wasn't nervous before, she certainly was now, though maybe embarrassed is the more correct word. Yeah, it is.

[Toogee]

"Well, not every time we're in town," Jam replied to Alphonse. "That would make it less special, and I'd hate for all these fancy gatherings to get dull. No need to go broke over little ol' me. Besides, you're supposed to be training me to use that sword, not wining and dining me."

Mentioning sword practice, Jam went for the floral centerpiece arrangement on the table and grabbed a stick. She was swinging it around in one hand in an attempt to remember some of the strokes she was taught. A little rusty after not practicing while in town (she was swinging a bit slowly), but at least she knew the gist of it. While swinging the stick, she addressed the issue of their future.

"Greta seemed OK before we left, but I don't know. I don't like leaving her when she hasn't figured out what she's doing. You know?" Talking had clearly distracted her as her strokes became more sloppy as she went on.

[Eail]

"Fair enough, but you're a good girl, most of the time anyways." Alphonse replied, shooting the girl a wink "You deserve a treat every now and then Jam, besides, friends do things with friends occasionally right?"

Watching the girl go through a few of the motions he'd taught her before everything had gone to shit, Al could see that she still had the talent for it even though it was a little rusty. Grabbing a stick of his own, the experienced mercenary stood beside Jamilla, showing off the forms as they should be done by a master. Adding a little bit of flare and totally unnecessary movements to show he was joking around after a few movements of actual swordplay

"I don't plan on leaving Greta just yet if I can help it. She's probably going to want to travel somewhere else, no doubt some security will be needed for that. If I really had a choice though.... I think we should all stick with this group if they'll let us. They seem like good people, and they've got some talented fighters among them."

[Balcerzak]

Theodore Farnesworth was quite a bit unhappy, and had decided to actually accept the invitation the princess's ball to try to alleviate that mood in some manner. In fact, he was rather looking forward to the event progressing a little further along so it wouldn't be too terribly unseemly to be indulging in some of the more spirited beverages available.

It is not that the hook-nosed man was morose without reason, and in fact maybe "unhappy" wasn't exactly the proper term for it. Angry didn't exactly fit either. Perhaps the closest fit was "frustrated". After all, he had just received communication from the higher-ups at Hammer that the project he had been currently working on had been "indefinitely suspended". The whole thing had been rather light on details and explanations, merely offering that everyone involved "take a few weeks to themselves, maybe work on a pet project" and after that to "report back in for reassignment". The worst part of it all had been the fact that Theodore had felt like they were truly on the cusp of eliminating the main obstacle to achieving a working submersible, after which they'd no doubt switch locations to switch to working on a full size prototype, rather than continuing work on the buoyancy adjustment device in isolation.

On the one hand, that particular project wasn't perhaps the best use of his particular talents, and sometimes Theodore had felt there were better things he could have been doing with his time, and he'd been considering requesting a transfer himself... But by damned, when the matter was taken out of his hands entirely, that was a different story. And so, this event had seemed like a good opportunity to perhaps let off some steam, maybe network a bit, reconnect with old acquaintences, take his mind off of－wait just one second. Was that Weyland? Well now things were interesting. Curiosity piqued, he carefully noted the company the old man had arrived with, where they dispersed to, and whom they interacted with－as best he could at any rate－and made note to try and find some time during the course of the evening to make contact. A meeting with the inventor himself was probably not the best idea, after all, but hmmm, that could also work if handled correctly maybe...

Anyway, the cogs of his mind now set firmly in motion, his prior sense of boredom and impatience had been forgotten, and he had tuned out distractions with a practiced mind. He'd settled upon a path of approach at about nearly the same time as the princess's announcement of a dance competition, and coincidentally that seemed like it might end up working out in his favor, if all went well. At about this point nature called, and grumbling at its interruption, he departed to take care of business. When he arrived near the competition sign-ups in time to see one of the fellows he'd taken interest in disappearing back upstairs he cursed that unfortunate bit of luck, but trying to put a positive spin on things he supposed that if they both were successful in their bid for a chance to judge there would be plenty of time to correct for the opportunity just missed.

A few moments to collect his bearings and he approached who he presumed to be the proper person to address his inquiry. "Pardon me, but is this where I would apply for consideration as to matter of dance competition judge?"

Edited November 14, 2013 by Balcerzak

[Toogee]

"Fair enough, but you're a good girl, most of the time anyways." Alphonse replied, shooting the girl a wink "You deserve a treat every now and then Jam, besides, friends do things with friends occasionally right?"

Watching the girl go through a few of the motions he'd taught her before everything had gone to shit, Al could see that she still had the talent for it even though it was a little rusty. Grabbing a stick of his own, the experienced mercenary stood beside Jamilla, showing off the forms as they should be done by a master. Adding a little bit of flare and totally unnecessary movements to show he was joking around after a few movements of actual swordplay

"I don't plan on leaving Greta just yet if I can help it. She's probably going to want to travel somewhere else, no doubt some security will be needed for that. If I really had a choice though.... I think we should all stick with this group if they'll let us. They seem like good people, and they've got some talented fighters among them."

"Maybe, but during lunch, all they were talking about were vasilli, wrathites, separatists and impending war. I don't know what they're up to, but it seems way more than what we were doing for Greta. What about Amon's group? Yeah, they're somewhat involved in these emblem shenanigans, but at least they're not crossing into enemy territory. Plus, they're about as close to Rexians as I've found so far. I'd rather follow someone from my part of the world than someone headed into a warzone. Fewer nasty surprises that way. Surprises...like this!"

Jam turned around swiftly to poke the stick firmly at Alphonse's chest in an attempt at a surprise attack.

[Snowy_One]

"Oh. If I lived here, it wouldn't be empty. I'd have these rooms stuffed full of books and laboratory equipment!" said Tia with a mad, slightly happy, gleam in her eyes. "Imagine it! I could occupy the main room as my own personal lab with tons of small labs running off to the sides. The servants could run around, making sure everything was in perfect working order while myself and a few other scientists hurry about between them, trying our best to uncover the secrets of the universe! Guests could be shrunken down and made to stay in a doll-house and, when all our work was done, we could sit down and play with them! Well... Maybe that would be a bad idea as the cat might eat them... Though there are worse ways to go to be sure."

[Phoenix]

Ballroom Beats

"I can't exactly blame you," Raquel replied with a guilty look on her face. "This was starting to look similar to what happened to us at the fortress near Sergio. Desmond just did who knows what to you and now we have to act normally until this party's over and we can get the heck out of here." Moving on to the subject of Alex, she added, "That man back there seems like he might be a runaway noble or something, but I'm not sure. I'm probably going to have to set a few things straight with him either way because I'm not really comfortable with constant compliments, especially big ones."

Meanwhile, Shadrak was coming to a realization about something. Mushirah's more nervous than I am. I should try to make this a little easier on her, but how? Well she did mention food. Yeah, that should be a good start. "I know what you mean, don't worry about it," he replied with a wide smile. "Now before we forget, you wanted to get something to eat, right? Well my signup thing is out of the way now, so we should do that before all of the good stuff is taken." Not that he had any idea what they were serving but there just had to be good stuff, right?

Around that time, someone, somewhere in the ballroom began playing some sort of percussion instrument. It was one of the musicians trying to practice with a foreign instrument. It wasn't being played along with the ambient music, and so became more of a disturbance despite how well he was playing. The conductor soon had had enough and motioned for the band to fade out, then he made his way over to the drummer boy and said, "Can you please practice OUTSIDE, good sir?"

"No can do, 'good sir'. I need to know how this will sound in 'this room', you know, the room we'll be playing in? Yeah, that room; I want to gauge the sound so I can make a few adjustments before the big show. I'll be done in a minute or two. Why don't you have the band play along with me?"

"Ugh, buffoon. Why don't you play that instrument a bit softer and follow along to OUR tune, hm?"

"Meh, your 'tune's' got no life in it ... it could, but anyone with ears can tell you guys are under a lot of pressure right now and aren't really enjoying your music. You're just playing, and that's not worth drumming along to, my friend," the musician explained, shaking his head at the end.

"Urgh, have it your way, imbecile, but there are other places for you to practice."

"Not practicing, gauging the sound in this room. It's kind of like tuning."

Things were no longer quite as busy at Bartholomeo's signup table, but the ratio of dancers in line and musician in line were beginning to tilt in the latter's favor. There was even another judge signup. "That's correct," The noble answered Theodore. "Here you are," he added, sliding a parchment forward for the man.

Practice Makes 'Okay'

Unlike some of the others, who were practicing in the corners of the ballroom itself, or out in the halls, Haythem wanted to make sure they got this right and could surprise everyone with a completely foreign group dance. Once Tina finished signing them up, he asked about any vacant rooms they could use to practice ... and apparently they weren't the only ones. Once a servant arrived to take them to one of the free rooms, Haythem left the group to see about the instruments and musicians, which they would also need to have with them for this.

After taking Nadya, Gytha, Faatina and Zachary to the room, he went back for Haythem and the musicians that knew how to play the instruments they had requested. Everything was going according to plan, so as long as no meteors hit, everything should work out just fine.

When Haythem made it back to the room with the groups players, he began a little announcement. "Alright, so we have our band, we have our instruments, and we have ... about twenty minutes left to really get this down, so we'll start off with the music, then we'll base our routine around that."

"What's the pacing of this one? I know plenty of rexian music, but ..." one of the musicians asked, not being sure what type of music they would be playing.

Haythem immediately set the pacing for the percussionist by tapping his palm with the opposite hand's index finger. It was about as close to a metronome as they were going to get for now, but he picked it up quickly enough. "Start with just this beat and we'll build off of that until you have a song going," he explained as he continued to lead them. He wanted this to come naturally to them, so building into it would be useful here. "Oh and Nadya, go'head and start dancing along to this. No reason we can't start handling both bits at once. I'll help out once we've got the right sound." This should be much easier to dance to than the Ursian strings, Haythem figured.

Dining Hall

Amon wasn't sure how to answer Jericho's followup questions and Malik very well couldn't without speculating. None of the rexians said another word until Jericho offered to play some music, and it was Fizza who spoke up, not Amon or Malik. "Please do. I haven't heard one of those things before."

[Phoenix]

Law & Order: Europan Case Files (Part I)

Miguel, Cecelia, Cain, Nadine, and Amber eventually all finished their lunch and once they had, it was back to waiting around for the final touches to be put on this big event. It was one of the least defined assignments they had received in a good while, mainly because the surplus of personnel at the estate meant they didn't need nearly as many people on duty at a given time before the actual engagement party began. Miguel suspected that someone up top was having a hell of a time organizing so many soldiers. Fortunately, this meant that Langley's battalion could handle the areas within their jurisdiction however they wanted. With Miguel in charge for the moment, he decided to take his four favorite subordinates and go for a walk around the premises.

The haphazard exploration of the estate was a little short lived, as Sapphire herself eventually tracked them down in one of the numerous hallways, still dressed for a social event. "There you all are," she greeted. "I've been looking for you since you left the table out on the patio."

"If you're gonna reprimand us for intruding, I'll take full responsibility for that," Miguel preemptively said.

"Hm? Oh, no, that's not why I'm here. My father wants to see me and some others right away. The problem is that he didn't send a carriage, and he isn't willing to come out here. We'll be meeting at a restaurant in town. It's all rather odd, but I feel obligated to see what this is about. I was advised to take an escort and couldn't think of anyone better than the captain, here."

Miguel glanced at Cecelia and then to Sapphire, said, "Merz, don't get yourself assassinated, Colonel. This has 'trap' written all over it."

"Nonsense. My cousin Desmond is going to be there as well and you can wager he'll be under heavy guard. I however, only really require one escort for this."

After they had finished lunch, Cecelia had been inclined to start patroling right away. You couldn't be too careful with guarding an event like this, after all. However, Miguel had suggested they all familiarize themselves with the interior of the manse. Really, she couldn't disagree with that idea. They'd gotten lost before once already. If that wasn't an embarrassment to the battalion waiting to happen, getting lost a second time certainly would be! They were professionals, by Wrath, not some band of disorganized vagabonds!

As they were taking a look around, they happened upon the Colonel herself yet again. Apparently she had been looking for them. Miguel, of course, immediately did the proper thing. There was no one else in the area to embarrass the Colonel around and really it had been him leading them when they'd gone out to the patio. She, however, quickly explained her true errand: she was going to meet suddenly with her father and some others without a carriage or her equipment and was following the good advice to take an escort. When she heard that she, herself, was the Colonel's first choice, her eyebrows lifted and her expression went from focused to blank. That was all that she outwardly showed, however. On the inside, though, the captain was, at first, shocked. Steadily, that rose to and almost dumbfounded excitement, hardly able to believe that she of all people was the first pick for the woman she so looked up to.

Cecelia tried to concentrate, calm down and remain professionally blank-faced as she listened to Miguel's concerns. They were quite reasonable. Colonel Langley, however, dismissed the notion of a trap and pointed out that her cousin would be attending this meeting with his own guards. She also went on to say that she only required one. That one was her: Captain Cecelia of Langley's Battalion.

"You can rely on me, Ma'am!" Cecelia informed, stone-faced and standing at a rigid attention, "I will be extra vigilant." Her determination shone through so much on her face at this point that she looked as though she could spring into action at the slightest sound, such was her present, restrained ferocity.

"Glad to hear it, Captain," the colonel replied with a smile. "It's going to become busy in town soon if it isn't already, so we should head out here shortly. We'll also need to be back here at least an hour before the party starts. Have both of our pegasi ready and meet me at the front gate. I'll be along shortly," she ordered, letting some of her commanding tone come through. Fortunately, both of their mounts would be in the same stables.

"Yes, ma'am!" Cecelia replied with a salute before hurrying off to follow her orders.

A Short While Later ....

Just as instructed, Cecelia had both Snowshard -- her pegasus -- and the colonel's pegasus ready and waiting at the gate in good time. For the time being, she, herself, was dismounted, holding the reins of both pegasi. Even Snowshard seemed to have good posture as he waited near motionlessly.

He could tell that his rider was waiting for orders and seeing as this particular pegasus was also ready on Cecelia's other side, she was probably waiting for Rosa's rider. It was a bit odd, though. Usually, their entire herd would go out and storm other herds and when they were relaxing, his rider never went out alone with him and those other two. So Snowshard wondered just what was afoot to prompt this behavior. Was it a special mission of some sort?

Soon, Sapphire arrived at the front gate. Her outfit was mostly the same, but her hair had been let down, her scarf had been replaced with a jacket made of light materials, and she had somehow even managed to find a pair of slippers with shorter heels. Neither the heeled shoes she was wearing before nor the slippers were her preference; she preferred riding boots, but the shorter heeled versions would be easier for her to walk around in. There was no telling how long she would have to stand, if at all, during her time in the restaurant. It could be thirty seconds, it could be thirty minutes. She just didn't know and she wasn't taking the chance of exhausting her feet only hours before she was expected to go walking around mingling and perhaps even dancing with people. The one other thing she was carrying was a medium sized purse. She seemed like someone who was probably going out to a social event, but not one quite as high class as the princess' upcoming engagement party.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Captain. Thank you for fetching Rosa for me."

"It was no trouble, Colonel," Cecelia replied as she handed her superior Rosa Blanca's reins. She then proceeded to mount her own pegasus and turn him about to face Europa proper. As they rode, the captain paid her attention to keeping an eye out for trouble. Between the two of them, she was the only one armed, after all. She had on her normal armor and she had her sword and whip easily accessible, of course. She only paid a small percentage of attention to the Colonel regarding where they were going since all she had to do was follow. She'd leave the navigation to the one who knew the destination. It was a satisfyingly perfect setup in her eyes. Each could focus on her task.

After mounting up, Sapphire began leading the way into town, letting Cecelia focus on safety, while she herself focused on getting to their destination. It turned out that this meeting was happening in a rather crowded part of town. Sapphire almost regretted coming to such a lively place. Before long, their pegasi couldn't even keep to a brisk pace anymore for risk of knocking over pedestrians. Fortunately they were almost at the restaurant.

"My father could have decided on a more appropriate place for this meeting of his. Captain, we're almost there. I'm truly sorry about all of this ..."

"Rest assured, ma'am, that my performance is not so easily affected," Cecelia replied, "This is hardly a hostile environment and I am confident that even if it was I could guard you adequately."

"Glad to hear it, Captain," the colonel replied with a nod. Soon, they arrived at the restaurant. It was in a two-story building, so Langley quickly concluded they would be eating in a secluded lounge or some other area separate from the rest of the customers. The crowds began to thin out around the restaurant because a proper line had formed just outside and there were some guards keeping everything orderly. Also of interest, was a nearby carriage escorted by some mounted troops, four of those in total.

Langley recognized the escorts as wrathites. It was easy enough to spot since they were wearing the same colors as the regular army, red and white, but in different arrangements, something the wrathites typically did with their attire. Once Desmond stepped out of the carriage, she knew they were not only at the right place, but that it was probably time to go inside. "Well ... I'm not hungry, but I suppose something light couldn't hurt," she said. She began to dismount and look for a place to hitch her pegasus, but she didn't feel entirely comfortable doing so.

"Hey, it's Ms. Langley," one of the guards said.

That was when one of Desmonds mounted escorts rode over to Sapphire and Cecelia. "Glad to see you made it safely, Ms."

"Perhaps my father should provide an escort if he's concerned about my safety, but thank you just the same."

"I'm with Master Langley's personal guard, so I have no idea what's going on there, but we're clearly overstaffed. Allow me to look after your pegasus during the meeting," the man insisted.

That would give the captain some legroom. "Very well. Captain, I'd like you to meet me back here in an hour and a half. That should be plenty of time, right?" she began, gauging the mounted escort's reaction. Once he nodded at her, she continued. "Until then, I want you to use that time for yourself. Understood?" She explained herself gently, but she was 'insisting' even more so than the escort had been when he'd asked to look after her pegasus.

When the man from Head Wrathite Langley's guard offered to take Rosa Blanca, Cecelia was ready to interject that he needn't bother with it as she could simply look after her commander's pegasus. However, to her surprise, Colonel Langley agreed to the man's offer. More surprising still, she immediately told Cecelia to meet her at their current location later, as though the captain was off to some other errand. Then, she was more or less ordered to go enjoy some free time while the colonel was at her meeting.

The captain's first thought was to protest -- to insist that it was her duty to personally ensure the colonel's safety. She didn't, though. Talking back to her superior officer over something so trivial was a behavior for undisciplined rookies. After all, it wasn't as though there was any want for security in the area. Though Cecelia saw this as a lost chance to prove herself and as subtle orders to waste her time when she could be doing something useful, they were still orders. And that meant that she would follow them to the best of her abilities. Insubordination even on this wasn't the impression she was trying to make, after all.

"Yes, ma'am," she replied to Colonel Langley after quite a short pause of hesitation. For a second, Cecelia wondered if she should wait to be dismissed, but then she realized that the order she'd received was to be dismissed and orders were to be carried out right away. So, the pegasus knight, casting a glance skyward to make note of the time, turned her peagsus about and then trotted off. To where, exactly, she didn't know just yet.

As she rode, Cecelia thought about what she should do with this hour and a half she'd been given for herself. I suppose I could go to a book shop and see if they have anything interesting. Of course, for her, that meant books on dragons and military tactics. I could also go to a barracks and train. Hmm maybe I should go see if there are any new criminals about to keep an eye out for. I could always go somewhere secluded and go over aerial drills with Snowshard... Hmm I am in Europa. Maybe a visit to a temple is in order. Perhaps Wrath will grant me a good opportunity in battle in the future... As she was pondering this, Cecelia kept an idle eye on the people around her. The crowds thinned and as she wandered, one in what had become the few people caught her interest.

What? Her eyes locked onto the man in a sharp, intense glare, as though she could snare him with just her gaze. What's he doing here? Of all people, he was one she least expected to see in Europa. His head was down and he was carrying a sack filled with something as he lead along... Oh yes, there would be answers to the questions that were beginning to flood her mind.

Norbert had acquired a sack in which to carry his earnings and now he was walking through Europa carrying it while he led Rizen along. He'd ridden her in and through the streets for a while, but that had proved frustrating after a short while. All the crowds made riding around inconvenient and so he'd veered off to what back roads he could take. After all, all he was looking for was a bank to open an account in, so there was no sense in traveling the crowded streets until he was further in. He was just about at that point, too, and so was beginning to head towards the sounds of bustling Ursians. He'd dismounted Rizen a while ago to give her a break. He could carry the gold and himself just fine, after all.

He was focused on where he was going and thinking over what might happen once he got to the bank, so he didn't notice a particular someone pass him by. He did notice the sound of hooves getting closer, though, and looked up to see who it was. His initial surprise was quickly joined with tense wariness and instead of a greeting, he snapped, "What do you want?"

"Answers," Cecelia replied shortly. Norbert had stopped to address her. He was not convinced that was all she wanted, but she went on before he did. "To start, what, exactly, is in that sack and where did you get it?"

"The sack or the contents?" he snapped back.

Cecelia's hard glare slowly began to intensify. Slowly, she answered, "The contents."

Urgh, something's up. Why did I have to run into her of all people? "My payment is in this sack," he answered, then hastily added, holding up an index finger "And before you accuse me of stealing anything, I earned this fair and square!"

"Oh?" Cecelia skeptically asked, "And just how did you 'earn' it? You've never had an honest job in your life and that seems to be a sizable load of money."

"I got a job," he answered, "I've been a mercenary for almost two months now."

"Two months and you managed to earn that? What sort of coin is in there -- copper?"

"No, it's gold," he impatiently replied as he set the sack down and opened it some so she could see. At first, her surprise caused a grin to poke at the corners of his mouth, but when she turned a hostile glare to him, he wondered if that had been smart. Before she could accuse him of anything, he put in as he shut and shouldered the sack again, "I did some work for Weyland."

That managed to calm her a little, it seemed, but it was clear that she was still highly skeptical. There was something he, himself, was skeptical about, though. "How did you know I haven't had a job for a while anyway?"

"Oh please. I keep myself informed, 'Bert the Crusher,'" she replied, seeming now to just be annoyed and disinterestedly scathing rather than suspicious, "Going about torturing people and scattering bandits in order to steal stolen money, making things more difficult on the military... You've always been ill-tempered. I suppose I should have expected that you would grow into an outright monster."

"'Outright monster'?" he shouted back as his temper spiked, "I was fighting bandits, not babies! And who cares if I took some of their plunder? I have to eat, too, you know!"

"Your methods were inhumane and no matter your circumstance, you were using stolen coin! If you want to eat, get a real job!" she snapped back before toning it down a little, "Although it seems you've at least done that. If you are telling the truth, of course."

"You can ask Weyland yourself."

"Oh no, not I, but I can assure you that I will have this looked into one way or another and that very well may include sending someone to question Mr. Weyland. I, myself, am too busy with my own work to step in for Europa's officers on a full investigation."

"Then why are you still talking to me?" Norbert irritably grumbled.

Cecelia sighed. "Do you honestly think I would waste my time on a pathetic ingrate such as yourself if I did not have reason to suspect a crime or if I did not have the time to do so? Just because I am too busy for a full investigation does not mean I am too busy for a simple questioning and apprehension."

"So I'm an ingrate now?" Norbert snapped.

Cecelia sent him another glare. "Have you ever even written to Father Nigel after you left home?" That forced a grimace from the dismounted pegasus rider. "I thought not."

Norbert regained his own glare. "Are you done? I have to get to a bank so I can put all this away."

"No, I am not. Is this your pegasus?" Cecelia asked, indicating Rizen.

"Yes, she is!" he snapped, "You don't think I stole her, too, do you?"

Cecelia cocked an eyebrow. "'Too'?"

"As in you think I stole the gold and now you think I stole the pegasus!" his temper was rising.

"No, I believe you in that this is your pegasus. Her armor matches yours, after all, and she is following you obediently. I was going to ask why she is wearing armor in the first place," she went on. Her face was emotionless.

"So she doesn't get hurt, of course! I wouldn't just let her go into combat without some sort of protection!" he yelled impatiently. A faint and knowing smile steadily began to grow on Cecelia's lips. Norbert frowned and furrowed his brow as he tried to figure out what just happened. She only got that look when she had him cornered and she knew it. "What?"

"You've always been stupid -- all forms of it: uninformed, slow-thinking, reckless... It is one of the things I've always been able to count on."

Norbert didn't say anything at first. He just shifted from looking confused to glaring at her. He didn't know why this was suddenly coming up, but it was the least of what he expected from Cecelia.

"That and your impeccable temper. Though it makes you dangerous, it also causes you to make mistakes. In all honesty, it is all too easy to prove you guilty for any given crime." Though she was referring to legitimate crimes, a deep hatred and bitterness began to stir in Norbert. He thought she was talking about all the times as children when she would frame him for her own wrongdoings and no one ever believed him when he said he was innocent. "It's no wonder you became an outlaw."

"I am not an outlaw," he growled, gritting his teeth.

"We've already been over this," she corrected with a frown. Her disinterested eyes shifted into a glare as she went on, "You have never been anything other than an audacious, ill-tempered, reckless, miscreant bastard and that is all you ever will be."

"SHUT UP!" Norbert snapped as he dropped his bag of pay and pulled his tight fists back, "You don't know that!"

"Know what?" Cecelia asked.

"We never found out who my father was -- there's no proof that I'm a bastard!"

"Oh, Norbert..." Cecelia sighed, "Just think about it. After you were born, Father Nigel searched for a long time to find out who your father was. No one had any idea who it could be and your mother had no record of ever having married. In all likelihood your father was a rapist or someone who took advantage of your mother and she was coming to the orphanage to have you and leave you there so that she could move on with her life without being burdened by a child she never wanted. ...To be honest, a child no one ever wanted who grew into a man no one ever wanted... Hm. I wonder if the apple has fallen very far from the tree... Your father was likely unwanted, too, except for felonies."

Norbert couldn't take it anymore. He didn't know who his father was, and so what Cecelia was saying could be true. There was no way for him to refute it, but he wanted it to be nothing but malicious lies. There was that chance, though, that she was right. He violently rejected the notion, though. This conversation had come up before, when he still had hope of meeting at least one of his parents, long, long ago. They were only children, then. Now, though, Norbert took up his maces and charged at the captain. "SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"

The captain's pegasus leaped into the air, getting out of reach but still within a fair talking distance of the enraged mace-wielder. "Oh, are you going to fight me?" Cecelia asked with a light laugh, "I sincerely doubt you have gotten any stronger from when we were children. Sure, you may be bigger now, but you're rough and undisciplined. You could never best me."

"GET DOWN HERE AND FIGHT ME YOU COWARDLY WENCH!" he screamed, "OR I'LL COME UP THERE AND KNOCK YOU DOWN!"

Cecelia sighed and landed before dismounting Snowshard and drawing her sword. "You certainly are a public menace, aren't you? Stand down." Norbert's yelling was drawing a small crowd from the somewhat nearby, busier streets.

He didn't answer with coherent words. Instead, he simply yelled and charged at Cecelia again.

Norbert

Class: Pegasus Knight

Skill: N/A

Level: 5

Equipt: splint mail (iron mount armor), Splinter and Crunch (steel axe), LP(half-plate armor)

Stats: HP: 6 STR: 7 MAG: 0 SKL: 6 SPD: 6 LCK: 1 DEF: 3 RES: 3

Simplified Stats: HP:18 MT: 7(8 when S&C) HIT: 7 AVO: 7 DEF: 3(+2) RES: 3 AS: 6

Cecelia

Class: Falconknight

Skill: Renew (skill2)

Level: 2

Equipt: Brave Sword (in-use), Vulnerary, Whip, Skill Book (2)

Stats: HP: 7 STR: 5 MAG: 0 SKL: 6 SPD: 10 LCK: 2 DEF: 4 RES: 5

Simplified Stats: HP: 21 MT: 5 (3 when whip) Hit: 7 Evade: 12 Defense: 4 Resistance: 5 AS: 10

Norbert attacks Cecelia!

WTD!

((7-2)+5)-12 = miss

Snowshard moved out of the way while Rizen watched the fight, guarding the sack her rider had left on the ground. Cecelia herself avoided Norbert's maces, but it was a fair and ferocious opening attack. She was much faster with her sword than he could react to, though.

WTA!

((7+2)+1)-7 = 3 = hit!

(5+2)-5 = 2 damage!

Double!

Autohit!

(5+1)-5 = 1 damage!

Norbert 15/18

Cecelia 21/21

As she stepped around Norbert's attack, she got in a couple, quick hits of her own using the flat of her blade and kept walking backwards to give them a bit more space. Norbert wasn't about to let that gap widen and charged again, determined to defeat this woman who had always bested him in the past. She, however, charged him right back.

Cecelia attacks Norbert!

WTA!

Autohit!

(5+1)-5 = 1 damage!

Double!

Autohit!

(5+3)-5 = 3 damage!

A couple more strikes and she backed off some again, but Norbert wasn't about to let her get away when she was right in front of him.

WTD!

((7-2)+3)-12 = miss!

Norbert 11/18

Cecelia 21/21

She nimbly avoided his strike, though, easily getting out of range of his attack. He rushed towards her, though and tried to strike out again.

Norbert attacks Cecelia!

((7-2)+3)-12 = miss!

She still managed to maintain the exact distance from Norbert that she desired, however, and again, stepped around him. As she did, Norbert realized that though he likely had some nasty bruises under his armor by now, he was very glad he was wearing his armor. This thought has barely quick enough to enter his mind before it was gone again as a sharp pain shot through his middle along with the quiet, commanding voice of Cecelia in his ear: "Enough."

WTA!

((7+2)+6)-7 = 8 = hit!

(5+6)-5 = 6 LETHAL! 18 damage!

Norbert 0/18

Cecelia 21/21

"HAURRGH!" Cecelia was no longer using the flat of her sword. As she'd stepped around his attack this last time, she'd kept the tip of her sword pointed to Norbert's belly and both her and Norbert's own momentum had caused the sword to push right through. Cecelia knew about Norbert's tenacity, however, and gave him a swift, few jabs to the head to take his mind out of the fight before she pushed him off of her sword and he fell to the ground in a heap. Coughing and groaning, he slowly moved to cover the hole in his belly while Cecelia whistled for Snowshard.

Rizen, at first, was aghast, but then she became enraged and charged at Cecelia, horn lowered. Snowshard arrived before Rizen could do his rider any harm, however, catching her horn with his and tossing his head to force her away with an angry bray and whinny. Rizen wasn't about to give up that easily and so, ignoring Snowshard's warning, charged again, this time at Snowshard. He, however, turned quickly and kicked, managing to hit her lowered head with a hind hoof. Rizen staggered back, dizzy and dazed. Her threat had been neutralized for now.

"Excellent work, Snowshard," Cecelia praised as she fished out a pair of cuffs from her pegasus' saddlebags. Then, she knelt down, took Norbert's wrists, forced them behind his back and cuffed them together. Then, she took her vulnerary and began applying it directly to her brother's wound. As she did this, she formally stated, "Norbert, for bringing a pegasus into combat uncertified, assaulting a military officer and for suspicion of theft and consorting with bandits, you are under arrest."

Of course, those punches had only worked for a moment. Norbert heard every one of his accusations. "What?" he could hardly believe it. "You need a certificate to ride a pegasus into battle?" So that's what she was grinning about...

"If you can talk, you can drink. Here," she forced him to drink down the rest of the vunerary then corked the empty bottle and stuffed it into one of Snowshard's saddlebags. Though the vulnerary helped, but he was still very injured seeing as he'd been run through.

While the sibling arrivalries transpired, a passing guard caught sight of the action and rushed over to get a closer look. He had initially planned to intervene and assist Cecelia in apprehending her target, but didn't see how he could contribute with what equipment he had. He wasn't a mounted patrolman and neither was the rest of his unit. He also noticed a growing crowd and knew that if they got in the way, they would either get themselves hurt, become literal shields for what was possibly a dangerous criminal, or simply give the man some other avenue of escape. With that in mind he quickly turned around and hurried to gather the others.

He returned by the fight's end with four other guards, and they quickly began shouting and waving their blades at the crowd to scare them back. Some even shoved the onlookers when they failed to fall back at the desired pace. When one onlooker who was shoved shoved back, he was hit with the pommel of the guard's sword in the face and fell to the ground with a blood stained nose. Rather than bothering with an arrest for something so petty, and feeling the man had already gotten his just desserts, he dragged the man to his feet by his arm and then shoved him away into the crowd.

The first guard to spot the commotion then approached Cecelia. He could tell she was a captain, so she outranked him, which meant he'd have to rely on procedure to learn who she was. Introducing himself first, he saluted and said, "Sergeant Ken Brisk, can you tell me what's going on here?"

"Captain Cecelia of Colonel Langley's Battalion," she replied, standing and deciding to keep her introduction short and to the point, "I can give you or your commanding officer a more detailed explanation of what, precisely, transpired, but this is neither the time nor the place. Suffice it to say that this man not only has he unlawfully brought a pegasus into battle -- almost assuredly on multiple occasions -- but he also attacked me. He is prone to fits of rage. I would say, for the sake of everyone, that it would be prudent to take him somewhere more secure, wouldn't you, Sergeant?"

As an aside, she continued, "Oh, and beware his pegasus. She seems rather protective. That sack over there is also his. Its contents may or may not be stolen."

"I told you, that was my payment!" Norbert argued stubbornly but a lot more quietly than earlier. His glare burned up at Cecelia as he spoke. Sure, she'd given him her vulnerary, but she'd also given him a nasty cut and, most likely, a criminal record. "I didn't steal anything and I didn't start that fight!"

"There were a few witnesses about who can testify that you struck first -- or at least tried to -- I am sure," she coolly replied to the injured rider, "And if I were you I wouldn't be spouting false claims of innocence. You'll only worsen your situation."

Norbert's glare intensified. The witch goaded me to lash out! Urgh! And there's nothing I can say or do! No one ever believed my word over hers before and why should they now?!

"The Eastearn Task Force? Huh."

"Langley's battalion? Nice to see one of you celebrities in the flesh," one of the other guards cheerfully chimed in. Brisk promptly conked him on the head with his fist, tilting his helmet and forcing him to drop the topic and get back to what he was doing.

"Anyway, the prisoner and the sack should be easy enough to deal with, but we're not trained or equipped to deal with angry pegasi. We'll need some time to get a handler team down here."

The captain simply nodded at Brisk's recognition of Langley's battalion and only gave his comrade a disinterested glance when he chimed in. She was far more interested in the information she received next. Norbert didn't particularly care about Cecelia or her coworkers' reputation, but he did care about a couple things that were being discussed.

"Hey! Don't talk about me like I'm not--mphph!" Norbert began to complain but was interrupted by his sister forcing his face to the ground with a rather inconsiderate though relatively gentle stomp to the back of his head. He'd gotten partway off the ground -- even sitting up -- but now he was more or less just curled up on his knees. He was also getting very tired of some officer or other stepping on his head.

Cecelia, meanwhile, ignored her brother and glanced up at the sun. "Which jail is your destination?" she asked. I should have enough time to escort his pegasus at the very least before I have to return to the restaurant.

"Fort Dailey. It's pretty close by ... not an actual fort mind you, that's just the name," Brisk explained. "Don't worry about him, we'll run him in, but like I said, the pegasus is another matter. I'll let the captain know we need to get that handler now. If you'll pardon me for a moment," he said before turning to go find his commanding officer.

"I could see about bringing her in myself, if that's the case," Cecelia replied to Brisk, "If you think that would take less time. We need to get this situation under control as soon as possible."

"KEEP YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF OF MY PEGASUS!" Norbert yelled as clearly as he could with his face being pushed into the ground.

"Oh hush," Cecelia pressed a little harder on the back of his head, causing a muffled grunt. "She's dangerous and you're still bleeding out. This is the fastest way to ensure the safety of everyone involved."

"That'd be most helpful. Saves us a trip, too. I'll tell the captain," Brisk said before heading off.

Another patrolman came up in Brisk's place and knelt down in front of Bert. "Merz, the bastard is still bleeding, isn't he? Nothin' really wrong with that ... let'em bleed a little and they don't have the energy to try and escape later, but let's get him healed up soon just the same."

Another one of them hoisted the sack of coin over his shoulder and came over to poke fun while he could. "Hahah, there is no way in Sardius a simple merc is making this much on legit jobs. Don't get me wrong, kid, I don't think you stole it per se, but there's no way your employer's on the right side of the law." He had no idea how right he was.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT YOU VOMIT-MUNCHING WORM!" Norbert snapped as well as he could with his face being forced into the ground upon being called a bastard again.

"I tend to agree, but I'd rather not have him die because of me without a death sentence," Cecelia answered the first other patrolman, "and a vulnerary couldn't have healed him very much and I did run him through. Hmm speaking of which..." Cecelia finally stepped off of Norbert's head and took a cloth out of Snowshard's saddlebags then went to casually cleaning her blade.

Norbert raised himself up again and shook his head, quickly stretching his neck as the next guard came over and began to speak to him about the gold he'd earned. Tch. What a moron. He's right, though; we did smuggle a Fallen over to Weyland's for crying out loud. I'd better be careful about that. Sure I'd like Steinn and his ilk to be slain but that'd just be causing trouble for Raquel, the others, a key ally of theirs and myself! Merz... You know what? I'm not about to deal with that. So, he simply snapped in return, "Yeah? Why don't know tell Weyland that yourself? He's the one who paid me."

"What?" the guard with Bert's gold utter blankly. "What'd, he pay you to keep your mouth shut or something? Bahahahah!"

"Relax, I didn't mean 'bastard' in that way ..." though I wouldn't be surprised if he was one. "I'll be back in a sec. Need to fetch my gear for this." With that, the guard who knelt down in front of Bert and called him a bastard, left.

"He's going to get his stuff so he can heal your wounds, then it's off to the Dailey Jailhouse for you, kid. I guess your 'pay' is coming with us too, but ... don't expect to be seeing it again any time soon.

"And why not?" Norbert asked the remaining guard.

"If it's stolen property, it will be returned and it will not be given back to you if it was pay from a job as illegitimate as you are," Cecelia casually replied.

Norbert shot her a nasty glare and tried to jump from his knees to his feet but wound up sitting down instead. That hole in his belly just wouldn't allow for it and he was beginning to get dizzy from the bloodloss, not that he was about to show that. He grit his teeth in frustration and glared down at the ground, muttering to himself in his anger.

The guard soon came back with a pack over his shoulder and set it down in front of Bert. He then pulled out what looked like a very short staff. It was about the same size as a two handed sword's hilt and had a gem stone on each end for what seemed to be double the lifespan of an ordinary staff. The man used it just like a mage would use any other healing staff, and Bert's wound began to heal more fully.

"There you go. Okay, I think he's ready to be moved, now."

"You take him. I've got this bag to deal with," the other guard said.

The captain of that unit came over with Brisk at his side. The crowd was more or less dealt with and even though some were still there, they weren't causing any real trouble. "Alright, Brisk, you take him. Captain, are you planning on taking the pegasus or should I go'head and send for the handler?" he asked Cecelia.

When she got the news that Norbert was ready to be moved, Cecelia sheathed her sword and began fiddling with Snowshard's tack a little while putting away her cleaning rag. When she was asked if she would be taking Rizen or not, Cecelia answered, "I'll take care of her. Or rather, more accurately, Snowshard will."

Rizen had been watching things progress warily after she recovered from the kick she'd received. They seemed to be trying to heal Norbert, but that didn't mean they had her trust yet. When Cecelia began walking towards her, she lowered her horn, snorted and pawed at the ground threateningly. She didn't notice Snowshard come up behind her and to the side until he gave a quiet nicker and that distracted her long enough for Cecelia to rush in and thread Snowshard's bridle in with Rizen's. The mare neighed in protest but soon her tack and his were bound together and Snowshard was stronger than she was. Try as she might to tug away, Snowshard outmuscled her and so she stayed right where she was so long as Snowshard kept rooted to his spot.

"There," she noted with satisfaction before turning to the other guards and telling them, "I'll lead Snowshard and he'll keep the other pegasus in line. Now, if that is all, we should be going."

"Nice work," the guard captain said before waiting for Brisk to do his part. With Bert's injury healed, Brisk carefully helped the cuffed man to his feet and then kept a tight grip on him. "Alright, let's get down to Dailey. It's the closest."

Law & Order: Europan Case Files (Part II)

Their arrival at the jailhouse wasn't anything notable in and of itself. In fact, hardly anyone seemed to be guarding the place at first glance; two at the entrance the group could see, and the rest inside Fort Dailey's small defensive wall. The place also only had two guard towers, isolated in the middle of the courtyard on the southeastern and northwestern sides, and neither seemed to be in use at the moment. The premises was however, well maintained, thanks to its location deep within the city.

"Get cozy, man; you're probably going to be staying here for awhile after going after an officer like that," the healer patrolman warned Bert.

"Why is it that attacking an officer is a higher offense than attacking someone who can't defend his or herself?" Norbert questioned the healer guard, shooting him a bitter glare. His gaze shifted back to the jailhouse, though, not actually expecting an answer so much as putting one of his frustrations with the way things were run in the form of a question. He couldn't help but feel some form of relief that he wasn't connected to Raquel anymore. This way they could worry about their own problems and no longer have any form of obligation to worry about his.

Rizen had struggled and complained almost the whole way to Fort Dailey, having only recently begun to come along quietly. That was harder on Snowshard than on Cecelia, but the winged stallion had dutifully held his own, not that he wasn't looking forward to a nice drink of water and some rest after this.

Thinking about it, Norbert asked, not really caring who he got his answer from, "What's going to happen to Rizen?"

"Because for one thing, attacking an officer limits the officer's ability to enforce the law. Every second they spend on you is one a more important crime goes potentially unchecked," the healer guard answered. He sounded a little offended by the question, but seemed to be trying to explain his views gently to the prisoner. "The penalties for this are more severe because we need a pronounced difference that the people will see and understand in order to keep crimes like these to a minimum. If you think this is too harsh, then learn your lesson this time and don't go around assaulting officers in the future."

Another answered him regarding the pegasus; the guard captain himself, actually. "This one will probably be sold off."

Brisk realized that this might get Bert too riled up to cooperate and so quickly added, "Of course, we're not so cruel as to not give you any options, here. If you have relatives or anyone else who can take the pegasus off our hands so we don't have to deal with it, that should suffice too ... I think. We don't get cases involving pegasi very often."

"You mean 'hardly ever'," the guard with Bert's gold corrected. "This pegasus is fitted for battle, so we actually have to keep her if you don't have a permit for using one in battle. You'll either have to pay for her care in the meantime or she'll be sold off to make up the difference."

Norbert shot the healer guard an annoyed glare. He understood some of the reasoning now but he still didn't agree with it, especially not when it seemed to him that if you were in the military you got away with just about anything you wanted. The guard mentioning the penalties might have seemed "harsh" to him got him wondering a little just what the penalties entailed. He'd been thinking it just meant jail time but maybe there was more to it than that.

Those thoughts were quickly replaced when the guard captain answered his other question, however. Brisk had been correct. "WHAT?!" The idea to start trying to fight them off and find a way to free Rizen would've been carried out about as soon as it entered his head if Brisk hadn't began to explain a bit further just then. His first sentence was calming enough, though he was still held by an anger born of a fear for Rizen. He knew how wild she was. What if her new owner tried to break her spirit or decided she was too wily and had her put down? He couldn't allow that to happen. So he paid very close attention to the alternatives Brisk mentioned.

Unfortunately, those options weren't very good. The closest thing to relatives he had were the other orphans and he didn't trust any of them with this -- not even the reasonable ones. Though he could send her back to Nigel to be released back into the wild, he'd much prefer to have someone take care of her who was easier to get to in case he had the option of reclaiming her. Brisk had also said "or anyone else" so maybe he could send her back to Weyland's. Though Brisk didn't sound too certain if these were actually options, which reinstilled a bit of fear. This was apparently an uncommon case; he didn't doubt it.

That was when the one carrying virtually all of Norbert's money corrected Brisk. He couldn't send Rizen over to anyone. In fact, his only options were to pay the military for anything and everything she needed while under their care -- which was practically forced since he was being put in jail -- or they would sell her. Without the gold he'd earned -- which he apparently wasn't about to get back any time soon -- he had no way of paying for her stay aside from what little he'd moved to her saddlebags before they got to Weyland's. "What happens if I get out? Do I get her back?"

"If you can pay up, sure," the bag holder said just before the gates to Fort Dailey opened to welcome them. They received a few nods from the guards at the gate as they entered. Whether they were simply exchanging benign hellos or congratulating them for their arrest was anyone's guess.

"Please wait here for a moment, Captain. We'll get a handler out here to get the pegasus off your hands shortly," the guard captain said.

After the walk to the main building, they entered the jailhouse only to find more guards, and more oppressive and confined spaces, though there wasn't a prison cell in sight just yet. What they found instead seemed to be a reception counter and a couple of benches. One of the guards immediately went over to the closest bench and sat Bert's gold down on it so he could take a rest from carrying it. The man behind the long counter noticed them enter just like the other lurking security forces and greeted them. "Afternoon. What's this?"

"Assaulted an officer from Langley's battalion with a pegasus and nooo certificate," the resting guard explained in amusement.

"Oh! Good stuff. You're a bold fella, aren't ya?" the man behind the counter replied, mostly to Bert.

If I can pay, huh? Well, I probably could if THAT GUY WASN'T DETAINING EVERY COIN I HAD TO MY NAME. Norbert thought in frustration. He didn't have tons of time to stew on that, however, as the gates opening garnered enough of his attention to distract from it, at least for a little while.

When Cecelia's fellow captain informed Cecelia that they'd get a proper handler out to her soon and asked her to wait, she responded with a simple nod and complied. Norbert, however, twisted around as he was walking and locked his eyes onto his pegasus. Rather than the angry glare that he'd mostly been wearing up until this point, Norbert's red eyes seemed more worried and even apologetic.

He was still being led away and she had come to a stop. Rizen couldn't free herself -- she'd tired herself out trying already. It seemed that he couldn't free himself, either. He had a strange look to his face, too. Normally his eyebrows were lower and closer together, but somehow his eyes seemed softer and rounder. This was certainly atypical...and it greatly worried the pegasus. What was happening? Why were they being separated? Was her rider going to be okay? Fearing for Norbert, Rizen let loose one, long, desperate whinny. But all either could do was watch each other until the door to the jailhouse closed between them.

After the door closed, Norbert returned his gaze forward and his glare returned to his eyes. As they walked he glanced around, but nothing held his attention until they got to what could be compared to a registration counter. When the man behind the counter asked his question, the one who'd decided to rest a bit replied somewhat inaccurately. I attacked her with my maces; I never had Rizen attack anyone. It wasn't worth mentioning aloud.

It was annoying how both the questioner and the one who answered seemed to find this amusing. Normally Norbert wouldn't have minded quite as much but he was in a fairly bad mood at the moment. He wasn't quite expecting what almost sounded like praise, however, and that distracted him somewhat from his frustration, if only for a moment. The only reply he offered, however, was a grumbled, "I guess."

The captain left the group momentarily and the man behind the counter asked, "Well, let's get started. What's your name? Full name, mind you. If ya don't have a family name, a few of your other monikers'll do just fine." He had a pen and parchment ready to go, as well.

The guard captain came over to one of the others and said, "We've got a pegasus out there we need to get stabled. She's going to need a handler." The other guard nodded and then left the area, going down the hall deeper into the building.

What's going on, exactly? Norbert wondered as the man behind the counter asked for his name. If he was being questioned there and then, it was already an improvement from his experience in Ursaea. For one, he wasn't being threatened or hurt. This questioner also took into account that he might not actually have a surname, whereas the others didn't believe him when he told him he really didn't have one.

"Norbert," he answered, though he watched the man behind the counter skeptically, "Also known as Bert the Crusher. I don't have a surname."

"Bert, the Crusher ..." the man repeated the name as he wrote it down.

"What? You're that 'Bert'?" the bag holding guard spoke up, coming closer with some renewed interest. "Merz, for some reason, I thought you'd be taller ... or dead by now ... ... meh, both, honestly."

"Hometown?" the man behind the counter asked.

In all honesty, Norbert was a little surprised by the bag guard's sudden interest and showed it with a somewhat confused, rather blank look. "Uh, yeah, that's me. ...And trust me, there were some times where I didn't think I'd make it out alive, but one way or another I did."

He would've gone on -- ignoring the bit about his height -- but the guard behind the counter asked him another question he figured he should answer. "Don't have a home 'town.' I was raised in an orphanage in the northern mountains," he replied, hoping in the back of his head that these guards wouldn't know that it was, specifically, a girls' orphanage. This was a bigger city than Ursaea was, though, so he was a bit uncertain if things would be left well enough alone or not.

"Merz, you've got some guts doing the stuff you do," the guard commented while the man behind the counter wrote down a simple note, 'orphanage in the northern mountains'. "So, does the Crusher's orphanage have a name? That would make the guy's job here easier."

"We can narrow it down later with our own investigation. For now let's just get the essentials out of the way," the man interjected, disinterested in the potential help. "What's your age, and current height?" He wrote down other information about Bert that he could plainly see while waiting for the answer.

Meanwhile, two people emerged from the main hallway and one of them had a rather bulky tome on hand. They were headed straight for the main entrance.

Brisk decided to chime in about them before they left. "That's the handler ... and an assistant, I think. Hey, Bert, this would be a good time to give them some tips on how to handle your particular pegasus ... otherwise, they'll have to get a little rough. Aggressive pegasi have to be restrained with wind magic as well as ropes. It won't hurt them, but it's very uncomfortable," he warned.

If he'd expected that anyone had heard of him -- which he hadn't -- he expected even less that any of the guards would actually be impressed by it. It was nice, if strange. When the guard suggested he give the orphanage's actual name, though, he frowned. He'd hoped that they wouldn't care about that detail. It was something of a relief to hear the man behind the counter -- whom by now he guessed was a record-keeper -- waved it off, but when he clarified that they'd just find out later, Norbert was a bit disappointed. He had other questions to answer, though.

"I'm five foot, ten inches tall and I'm twenty years old," he answered. When the issue with Rizen and the handlers came up, a protectiveness welled up inside the rider. What he really wanted to tell them was to let Rizen go and leave her alone, but that would just be unhelpful. Rizen was strong and healthy, but the trip over had tired her out. She didn't like being dirty and she liked her feathers and hair in order... Too much time thinking about it -- I'll just say it. "Hey! You, handler! My pegasus is protective, but she's tired from fighting this long so don't go too rough on her. And once you have her stabled, give her a good brushing if you get anything out of place or if she gets scuffed up; she doesn't like being dirty or messy. She probably won't let you near her very easily, though. But you'd better not hurt her!"

While the man behind the counter wrote down Bert's information, the handler stopped to address, Bert concerning the Rizen's care. "Okay, relax. We do our best not to injure them, but sometimes they won't settle down. If she really is tired, then we shouldn't have any trouble," he explained. "I'll make sure she's well cared for. She's not going to be punished for your crimes, rest assured."

"Alright, this looks good. We can run it by any others in the records in a couple of days and see if any match up. You can take him to his cell now," the man behind the counter said.

Norbert nodded starkly at the handler in satisfaction. He didn't appreciate mistreatment himself but he tolerated any mistreatment aimed at Rizen even less. When the man behind the counter mentioned "running it by any others" he had to wonder what that meant. So, he asked, "What was all that for anyway?"

He also noted how strange it was that being taken to a cell was definitely not a nice thing and yet it had been said in such a polite way... He really wasn't entirely sure how to feel about it but he was leaning towards being rather unhappy with the situation as it stood.

"Not really any of your business, you know," one of the guards gently cut in.

"There's nothing more irritating than redundant records, so we cross examine similar files, make sure that two 'Bert's we have on record aren't the same person. If they are, we correct that and update the information. That's why nicknames and other asides are as useful as legal names," the man explained.

"Where do you want the gold?" asked the guard who had been looking after Bert's payment.

"Is it evidence or just property?"

"... it might be stolen but he insists it's payment ... from Weyland of all people."

"Urgh," the man grumbled as he pinched the top of his nose. "Yeah, give that to someone else and tell them to put it in the bin. It'll have to stay there for now."

Norbert considered insisting again that it was just payment, but he settled for an irritated roll of the eyes. He wondered what this "bin" was for, but seeing as it was apparently frowned upon for him to ask questions, he decided he didn't really need to know, nor would it do any good if he actually found out. He just hoped no one stole it in the meantime. So instead of asking about that, he offered, "I might as well save you the trouble of sorting it out: I don't usually even go into towns, let alone jailhouses. I don't know if Ursaea actually kept any records of it, but that's the only other time I've been detained by the military."

"You got hauled in at Ursaea too? ... and they just let you go?" the gold carrier asked, wondering if he just escaped or something. He also wondered what he did in the first place.

"Well, whatever he did, we'll know about it before too long. They keep records too, though they aren't as diligent as they should be about it," the man noted.

"They thought I did something wrong," Norbert somewhat irritably corrected, "One of the guys I was travelling with confirmed what I said, though, so they let me go." If the details didn't matter at the moment he didn't feel like telling the story.

"Darn, and here I was hoping we'd actually caught a fugitive. Turns out you're just plain unlucky," the gold carrier said with a sigh.

"More like plain stupid," another guard said.

"Cut the crap and do your jobs. You're crowding my desk, fellas," the man behind the counter irritably interjected.

The guard then hoisted the bag of gold back over his shoulder and began making his way down the main hall while the remaining guards prepared to take Bert back to the cells. After that, they would likely be leaving Fort Dailey and getting back to their patrol.

Norbert shot the other guard a glare. He wanted to refute the claim that he was stupid, but it seemed like it was time for him to be taken further into the building and that was more his concern than a petty, little insult.

It wasn't long after Bert was led deeper into the building that they arrived at the cells. Fort Dailey's were surprisingly well kept and had some finely carved stone flooring in the cells. They had various substance stains that were difficult to remove, but the cells were otherwise well maintained. About the worst Bert had to worry about for the moment was how rock hard the beds were. Sleeping on the floor might not have been much worse, really. There was also a barred window looking out to the eastern courtyard.

Once they reached Bert's cell, one of the guards who had joined up with them during the walk, upped his pace so he would reach the cell first and opened it for them. "Alright, in you go," he said to Bert. Unlike the street guards, he was carrying a club, and he patted his palm with it a few times as a warning to Bert to comply with his instruction.

Well that's ironic. Norbert thought, noting that the guard who seemed more in charge of keeping the prisoners in order wielded a blunt weapon. The reminded him a bit sorely that his maces were, once again, confiscated. They'd been taken from him when they set out for the jail, actually. As on-edge as that put him, he was less concerned about his maces and more concerned about Rizen at the time.

The guardsman's threat was irritating and a part of him wanted to outright defy the order just on principle, but the unknown future was a heavy enough distraction that he just walked into what would be his home for he didn't know how long. As for Rizen, all he could do was hope he would see her again soon and as for himself, he really didn't know what to expect.

As soon as Bert was in the cell, the guard with the club closed and locked it.

"... well ... good luck ... for what it's worth," the medic among the guards said before turning to leave with the rest of them. It wasn't long before their captain came through the halls, in a hurry to catch up with them.

To be honest the well-wishing really wasn't worth much at all, especially since it seemed that, yet again, he was stuck in a cell with his wrists bound behind his back and nary a clue as to what was going to happen to him. Only this time, he also didn't know what was going to happen to Rizen. Or at least, he didn't want to think about what was most likely to happen to her. He'd just parted ways with everyone in Raquel's group. Rizen was the only companion he had left and she was by far the longest-standing one. She'd gotten him out of countless scrapes and now...

The Crusher saw red just thinking about it and with a cry of frustration he threw a hard kick at the back wall of his cell. Then, breathing heavily in his anger, slowly rested his forehead against said wall. I can't do anything about it from in here. I feel so helpless! There's nothing I can do to help... I can't even tell her it's going to be okay! Let alone be honest about it! This time he bashed his forehead against the wall, but these guards had been courteous enough to let him keep his forehead guard, so the strike didn't hurt him at all. He held his breath for half a moment before loosing a heavy sigh and letting his muscles relax, closing his eyes. What am I going to do? Rizen...just hang on. Somehow I'll find a way to get you out of this.

After a short time, the receptionist received another visitor ...

"So, you've already handled the prisoner?" Cecelia asked as she approached the man at the counter and stopping at a comfortable talking distance.

"Hmm? Yeah. Were you involved in that? What can I do for you?" the man asked.

"I made the arrest. I was also the officer he assaulted," Cecelia answered the man, "I am to file a report, am I not?"

"Yep, that'll make things much easier for us. You want to write it yourself or should I just jot down your statement really quick?"

"You may as well," Cecelia decided before beginning her report, "I was riding my pegasus down Brook Street when I saw the accused leading an armored pegasus and carrying a sack. At the time I did not known the sack's contents, but I was suspicious as I recognized the accused as the infamous Bert the Crusher from the northeast. I was suspicious he was up to no good, as his reputation is a violent one. So, I rode over to question him. First, I asked about the sack he was carrying. Specifically, what was in it and where he acquired it. He claimed it contained payment and immediately told me it was not stolen. That I honestly doubted, particularly because Norbert has never held an honest job in his life. He told me he'd been a mercenary now for about two months, but however much money was in that sack was just too much to be earned honestly. I asked if it was copper and he both told me it was gold and showed me. Then, he claimed to have been paid by 'Weyland' who I can only assume is Professor Seth Weyland. For the life of me I cannot imagine why the professor would hire Bert the Crusher, especially since Norbert has generally kept to himself in the wilderness far away from Europa."

Cecelia paused, but only for a moment with a shake of her head before continuing, "I then asked if the armored pegasus he was leading was his own. He confirmed it. When I asked why she was wearing armor, he answered it was for her protection as he does take her into combat. Soon after, his terrible temper took him over and he attacked me. At first, I flew a short distance into the air on my pegasus to avoid his attack and tried to calm him, but he soon made it clear that if I did not do something about him that civilians could be at risk. He is quite the violent fellow. So, I landed and he came after me again. We exchanged blows but in the end he couldn't do me any harm -- not for lack of trying -- and I ended his confined rampage by stabbing him through his belly. Shortly afterwards, his pegasus attacked me, though my own dealt with her. She was rendered ineffective quickly enough. I then bound his hands behind his back with some shackles I had and healed him as well as I could with the vulnerary I had with me. The nearby civilians were controlled by Sergeant Ken Brisk and his fellows. Norbert was healed more effectively, I brought in his pegasus and Brisk's unit took Norbert and the sack of gold to Fort Dailey, where he is now detained."

"Hmm ... mhm ..." came the fairly quiet acknowledging mutterings of the receptionist as he wrote down Cecelia's report. "Lastly, your name, rank, and division for the record and then we're done here ... though you seem to know Bert the Crusher pretty well. Feel free to give him some counseling while he can't take a swing at you, heheh."

"Captain Cecelia -- that's C-E-C-E-L-I-A -- of Colonel Langley's Battalion," Cecelia replied to finish the report. She figured this record-keeper had already put the date on the document. Then, she answered his suggestion, "Thank you. I think I will. First, however, I have to ask... Was he at all difficult or have you not questioned him yet? If you need any information regarding him, I can see if I can supply it."

"The eastern task force those generals put together to knock out those brigand groups? Hah, good for you. It's not a glamours gig, but it's less suicidal than taking on the skotians. To answer your question, I did get his basic information, though we could definitely use a family name on this thing. We haven't gotten his statement about the incident just yet. Not my responsibility, at least; someone else'll see to that shortly. We also need to confirm where all that gold came from, so we know whether or not to charge him for any additional crimes. If it actually is his, I doubt he'll be in here too long, though. That's the most bribing money I've ever seen in one place."

Cecelia frowned. "I honestly hope you mean bail and not actual bribery." Her face returned to its usual, impassive state as she continued, "As for a family name, he doesn't have one. Father Nigel never found out who his father was and his mother died before anyone could learn anything about him. Not even a desired name; it was Father Nigel who named him 'Norbert.' His mother didn't have a surname either, so it's not as though we could just use hers even if there wasn't that tradition at the orphanage to discard old surnames."

Crossing her arms and sighing and shifting her weight a little, she went on, "I cannot help you with regard to the gold's legitimacy, unfortunately. You have everything I know about it already written down."

Bail ... bribery, the lines are getting pretty blurry these days, the man thought to himself. "Thanks for the information, anyway. We'll count up the gold and send someone to confirm whether it came from Weyland a little later. That should be everything, then."

"Very well. Keep up the good work," Cecelia replied with a curt nod before adding, "Oh, and I'll need another set of cuffs and their key. You may as well take the key to the cuffs on him." After placing said key on the man's counter, she briskly started down the hall towards Norbert's cell.

A Little While Earlier ...

Meanwhile, outside, the handler and his assistant approached Cecelia and the pegasi. The handler's assistant waved to get her attention while the handler himself eyed both of the pegasi. He was almost certain which one was Rizen and which was likely Cecelia's but he was still planning to make certain before embarrassing himself.

Cecelia greeted the two with a nod before asking, "You are the handlers, I assume?"

"That would be me, yes," the handler nervously said as he and his assistant approached. "Am I correct in assuming this is the pegasus we're here for?" he asked, carefully pointing to Rizen.

Rizen didn't know what to think. These people had taken Norbert away and for all she knew she'd never see him again. No, that couldn't be the case. It was impossible; she and Norbert always wound up together again, even when they were apart for a while! In the unstable stables he was gone for days, but he eventually returned safely. And then when he flew away on that giant predator, they were reunited the next day.

But...that look he gave her as he was being led away... He was in trouble, wasn't he? He was in trouble and she couldn't do anything about it. She'd tried and tried but she couldn't break free from the stallion beside her. And now here came two humans from where they'd taken her rider. What was happening? The winged mare shuffled back a little and brayed uneasily, lowering her head as much as she could with her bridle intertwined with the stallion's. She was too tired to put up a fight. All she had to do was go back to the herd and everything would be okay eventually. That's what happened before. She couldn't get away, though. Things looked bad...

Cecelia nodded curtly to the handler. "That is correct. Let me know when you are ready and I will unhinge my pegasus from the troublemaker's."

The handler stopped at a very safe distance while the assistant drew closer to inspect Rizen, though he minded his distance as well, giving himself enough room to avoid a goring. "Does look pretty tired. Shouldn't need to use too much force," the assistant informed the handler.

The handler nodded and readied himself, reaching out with his arms to cast off invisible wind magic. "Ready when you are, officer. Be sure to keep yourself and your pegasus at least three meters away."

Cecelia nodded, then she undid the strap of Snowshard's bridle that bound his and Rizen's heads together. As soon as she did, however, Rizen saw that as an opportunity and -- albeit somewhat clumsily -- she swung her head at the captain. Cecelia jumped back to avoid the strike while vigilant Snowshard quickly struck Rizen's neck with his own, stopping her attack. Both pegasi then seemed to start an argument in the equine language. Cecelia, meanwhile, moved to undo the tack on Snowshard's side to completely free the two pegasi. Once that was done, Rizen began to hurry away from the two on hoof. How far she made it, however, was determined by the handlers while Cecelia bound up Snowshard's tack again, this time properly rather than as a restraining device. Rizen was no longer her concern.

Once Cecelia and Snowshard were clear, the handler began to converge his spell around Rizen's body. Aside from her head, her movements became more and more restrained over the next few seconds. Eventually all of her limb movements were restricted enough to prevent her from taking another step. About all her limbs could do was wiggle back and forth for the moment.

The handler's assistant took this moment to approach Rizen from the side with some rope but stopped short when he realized her head was still free to move. "Hey," he called back to the handler. "Don't forget the neck. I need her still if I'm going to get this on."

"Right, right ..."

As she tried to get away, Rizen found that it was becoming oddly difficult to run away. She was too tired to fly without a running start since that'd require a jump, but pretty soon she couldn't even move her legs. There was no other choice and she began flapping her wings and neighing in a last-ditch effort to find some escape. Soon, it began to become hard to move her head, too. What was happening? Rizen didn't know and that scared her. She wanted to buck and kick, flap and throw around her weight, but she was just too tired and it was too hard to move.

"If that is all, then I suppose I should head inside. Or do your superiors no longer require my assistance?" Cecelia asked the only two available to her. Snowshard's tack was all back in place.

"You made the arrest, right? You should head in and fill out a report. They'll need it or this'll just be another catch, fine and release," the assistant answered her as he approached Rizen. He carefully began to use the rope to tie down her wings while they were immobile. Once they were secure enough to keep her from getting them out with any less than a full force attempt, he approached her head and carefully stroked her neck. "You're going to be alright, but we need to keep everyone safe right now. That includes you, so calm down," he said to the fearful pegasus, figuring words of reassurance were better than silence.

The handler kept his spell going, but began to gradually change its properties. Once the assistant backed out in front of Rizen with her reins in hand, the handler began to change the areas that had the most pressure. After a moment, it seemed that Rizen would have an easier time moving forward than any other direction, and moving backward would be nigh impossible. Still, moving at all would take more effort than the pegasus was used to.

Rizen didn't like this one bit. Where was her rider? Who were these people? One tired down her wings then began talking to her. It sounded like he was trying to calm her down. He was using a soothing tone, but Rizen had her reservations about it. Suddenly, though, she felt like she could move forward more easily. She tried beginning to move backwards, but that didn't work. Absolutely frustrated, the pegasus did move forward...just enough to lie down stubbornly and give a spiteful snort, giving the assistant as unhappy a glare as she could manage.

"My goodness, she's as stubborn as he is..." Cecelia muttered at the sight. Snowshard looked on in distaste. Rizen certainly was acting immature in his eyes. His rider spoke up again, addressing the two dealing with the unruly pegasus, "Go on and take my pegasus to your stables once you get that one moving. I'll need him ready to go, however. Depending on how long this takes, I'll need to leave in a hurry."

She didn't wait for a reply. Instead, she indicated the two to Snowshard, telling him that they had permission to lead him around, then she strode to the door of the main building, opened it and entered.

"Urgh ... we'll inch you along if we have to," the handler warned the rebellious pegasus on the ground. He then began to literally inch her forward with repeated pushes from behind, urging her to get onto her feet.

The assistant nodded at Cecelia in reply and then approached Rizen again. "Come on, now. You don't want to be stuck out here all day, do you? Your master's inside that building," he explained, eventually pointing at Fort Dailey's main building. "That's where you're going too."

The handler gave a few more nudges in the meantime. Once the pegasus was on her feet again, he planned to apply more pressure to keep that from happening again, but this was taking longer than he would have liked, being this gentle.

Rizen looked over to the indicated building. That had been where they took Norbert. Were they threatening him? That wouldn't stand and neither would she. From where she rested and was being scooted along -- which was interesting in and of its self to the pegasus -- she demanded in the equine language that they return her rider to her.

After two more minutes of nudging, they had managed to move Rizen all of five feet closer to the their destination. The handler had had enough of these shenanigans. "Urgh! Alright, then ... we're not making any progress being nice, so ... my apologies to your rider, but we're going to have to do this the hard way. Get away from her. I'll handle her. You get the officer's pegasus and stay close behind us."

The assistant nodded worryingly at the change in the handler's attitude, realizing he was probably going to force the pegasus along, even to the point of causing physical pain. Nonetheless, they had to do their jobs or their livelihoods would be at stake. He took Snowshard's reins and stood by.

Meanwhile, the handler relented completely on his wind spell and within a couple of seconds, had produced a bottle of stimulant. "You can try to run away ... but you won't get far," the handler warned, just before drinking the entire stimulant. "The gloves are comin' off now!"

And sure enough, Rizen did. As soon as the spell let up, the pegasus hurried to her hooves and charged at the main building's door, lowering her head as she did, fully intending to rescue her human. Snowshard just watched the scene and loosed a heavy equine sigh. What a rowdy, undisciplined mare...

The handler shook his head at the charging pegasus as he held out his arms toward her. A powerful gale rushed out from behind him and quickly caught up to Rizen, stopping only to engulf and ensnare her entire body. The handler then began moving his hands around each other, tracing out spherical shapes as Rizen was hoisted right off of the ground. "We could have done this the easy way ..."

When the whirling wind wrapped around her and lifted her off the ground, Rizen shrieked in surprise and on reflex she snapped out her wings as quickly as she was able. The ropes binding her wings snapped and she tried to flap them, but her wings wouldn't extend beyond the wind around her. This was just unnatural, causing Rizen to get very shrill in her noisiness as she began kicking, tossing her weight around and flapping as best she could. She just hoped she wouldn't wind up in the sky and unable to fly again.

"And that's the end of that," the handler said, somewhat satisfied at the successful capture, though this was only the beginning, so to speak. He began shifting his spell bit by bit in order to move Rizen along toward the stables, but it was going to be a straining process.

The assistant began leading Snowshard after them once they had made some progress toward the stables.

Soon enough to avoid an incident, they reached the stables, and the handler lowered Rizen onto the ground. The gust spells he had been using then began to change, and before long, Rizen's movements were being restrained again. The handler had covered his bases better this time, having applied enough pressure to only allow Rizen some limited movement in the direction he wanted, and nowhere else, even down, but he was panting at this point and had broken out in sweat from all of the hard and delicate work. "Listen to me, you ... you are going into that stall there, and if you refuse, I will make you."

"Want me to take over ... or at least help? Managing the entire spell yourself has to be exhausting," the assistant chimed in. At about the same time, some soldiers drawn by the commotion gathered around, about four in all, to witness the pegasus roundup.

"We'll see what she does with the choice I've given her first."

Now that her hooves were on the ground again, Rizen dug them in, stiffening her legs and giving the handler as angry a glare as she could. He wanted her to go somewhere, apparently. She was also convinced that this human was the cause of all the trouble she'd been having. Therefore, she wasn't about to comply. He wanted to restrict her movements? Fine. She just wouldn't move. That included not braking her glare from him.

The handler began to increase the pressure on Rizen's body, carefully, but he was angry and so this would likely be taken a bit past what he would normally have done with most stubborn pegasi. "Want some help there? Don't wanna hurt the poor thing now, do ya?" asked one of the soldiers watching from a safe distance.

"Go on then, get yourself gored. See if I care," the handler shot back before returning to his work. Despite shrugging off the offer for help, his assistant soon handed off the reins to one of those soldiers and approached him. "What?"

"It's difficult to multitask when you have to counter such stubborn movements, so let me help you out. You hold her and I'll move her into the stall," the assistant replied.

"This isn't going to be easy, you know that," the handler warned.

The assistant smiled at that. "So you should shoulder all the work instead of just some of it? You're going to give yourself a major strain that way. Forget your pride and let me give you a hand."

"Fine ... get ready, I'm about to-" "On second thought, maybe we should just take turns wearing her down. She's got to run out of energy soon thrashing about like she was," the assistant interrupted half seriously. "Urgh ... make up your mind already."

Rizen was getting a tad tired again, but it wasn't to the extent that she had been when she arrived. The rests she'd had since then coupled with her determination and adrenaline -- plus being in very good shape for a pegasus thanks to her naturally exuberant personality and the gradual increase in weight she's had to shoulder -- were working in her favor to a fair degree. So she still stood stubbornly against the forces pushing against her.

Snowshard, meanwhile, just looked on, half bored and half mind-boggled. If he didn't know any better, this mare was the same filly from the mountains who was always flapping her wings or running around like a psychotic idiot. No sense of dignity, that one.

"Alright, you hold, I'll move," the assistant said, beginning to siphon off energy from the handler's tome.

"And go!" The handler increased the pressure on Rizen's body significantly; movement was no longer an option, and even the winged mare's ability to breathe in was now being challenged, as air pressure around her torso was increasing as well.

"Merz, better make this quick before the goddess herself drops another pegasus on us out of revenge," the assistant worriedly joked as he readied a spell. "Just a little more force and I can get her moving," he said, as he began casting in earnest. A powerful gale struck Rizen and continued to press against her, sending gusts throughout the area, but the pegasus herself was completely shielded by the snare spell encasing her body. After a few seconds, she began slowly sliding along the ground, leaving deep hoof trails in the dirt as they moved her closer and closer to her stall.

"Excellent! We're almost there!"

"You know, something really awful just occurred to me," the assistant spoke up.

"I swear to the gods if you break my stride now, you're getting snared next," the handler warned, not wanting to have this moment ruined by the revelation of some oversight, but he knew full well it was coming.

"This pegasus is pretty upset, and pretty stubborn. I think we'll need some more help to get her under control once she's in the stall ... otherwise she'll just tear the thing apart and try to get loose."

"Urrrrrrgh!"

When her breathing became restricted, Rizen's first instinct was to buck and try to stab whatever was doing that with her horn. However, that just wasn't possible. She couldn't move. However, odd as it was, she was being pushed backwards. There really wasn't anything else she could do but try to endure what was going on. She didn't let go of her courage, however. She wouldn't let herself be confined. Not like this.

"Blast it all. Hurry up and get some ropes. Once she's in the stall, tie her down," the handler angrily instructed the others. "You brought this on yourself you stubborn mule." Soon enough, Rizen was in the stall, and the soldier rushed over to begin getting the ropes over her. They didn't touch her body at first and instead were held at bay the the wind magic encasing her, but once they had made all the necessary preparations, the handler released the spell, fell onto his rear, and the soldiers all pulled on the ropes at once, securely tying Rizen in place. "Ugh ..." The handler put his hand on his forehead and shook his head a few times.

"You all right?" asked the assistant while offering the handler a hand up.

He promptly accepted the offer, saying, "I'll be fine," to reassure the assistant as he got up.

Meanwhile, the men helping out avoided the pegasus' head while adding more ropes. They didn't want to be so rough, but this was the most uncooperative pegasus any of them had ever encountered. Most would have been content just sending her away into the wilderness, the handler included. He wasn't finished just yet, though. He approached the stall from the front with his tome at the ready. For the moment, he waited to see how much more resistance she gave the new helpers.

"What the hell are you guys doing?! It takes less rope to rig a galleon," one of the stable hands said as she approached the scene.

The assistant held out his hand, insisting that the woman keep her distance. "Careful ... we're not sure how much fight she's got left in her."

Rizen didn't at all enjoy being tied up but it was preferable to not being able to move at all and not being able to breathe very easily. Still, some of the ropes weren't all that hard to sway for the time being while others were getting stiff. And so she had to choose. Try to throw off the rest who were tying her down or wait? These were just ropes, after all...and she was beginning to resent these people. The human who she blamed the most for all of this misfortune had fallen down, too. That would teach him to go up against a pegasus.

So, Rizen started bucking, pushing herself up onto her hind legs as hard as she could before dropping again and jumping her hind legs up before rapidly repeating the process, neighing, snorting and whinnying furiously the whole while. She also kept jostling her wings to try to get them free.

As expected, the pegasus put up a lot of resistance. Some of the ropes they had just tied off were snapping and one of the men was to the side of the stall and slammed into it before toppling over and losing the rope he was holding. The handler was furious. "ENOUGH!!!" He quickly began to cast a snare spell over Rizen's snout, intending to hold it there until she stopped fighting or passed out from the lack of new air reaching her lungs. He was inclined to wait for the latter, but hadn't made up his mind just yet.

Meanwhile, the assistant led Snowshard into a stall across from and one unit south of Rizen's. "You're pretty well behaved," he complimented the army pegasus.

When Rizen found herself unable to breathe, her efforts to escape ceased in favor of finding some way to get air again. As a result, she stopped bucking and instead began alternating between rubbing a leg over her snout and shaking her head. There was quite a bit of shuffling that went along with it, too. Backing up, stepping forward, swaying some...nothing violent, however.

"Hurry and finish while she's not resisting so much," the handler instructed.

The woman was shocked by Rizen's sudden change in behavior, but could tell whatever was bothering her was the handler's doing and it was probably centered around the pegasus' own head. "Are you choking her?"

"Not quite. Just a little air deprivation to tucker her out so we can wrap this up. Do not argue with me right now. I am in no mood," he warned.

"Ugh! Is that really necessary?! Haven't you at least tried calming her down with words?"

"She doesn't trust us. The time for negotiation has passed, alright? Now shut up! I'm trying to concentrate." He continued to maintain the spell while the others continued to tie Rizen in place. He had decided to wait until she was just on the brink of losing consciousness before giving her just enough air to prevent it, and then starting the process over again until they were finished. He was very tired by this point, though and mental strain had assailed him a few times already, so he was no longer willing to use larger spells.

The longer Rizen went without breathing, the more panicked she became. She began desperately charging at the stall door, ramming into it as well as she could while giving the occasional shake. Each ram became weaker and weaker, however, until she wound up standing still with her head down, swaying from side to side as her consciousness began to slip away.

"Quickly now! Secure the legs while you still can," the handler instructed. The men were hesitant at first, though. "What are you standing around for?! Do it?!"

"Careful, guys, if she falls over, you'll get hurt bad," the assistant warned, though that was exactly the reason they were hesitating. His warning only served to inform the handler why they were reacting so slowly with such a great opening.

"COME OOOOOOON!!!" Deciding to take the risk and start tying Rizen's legs down while she was still standing, they grabbed the extra rope and got down to business. The handler meanwhile watched her carefully, making sure that the moment she was about to lose consciousness, he could give her a little air. He had no intention of giving her enough to put up a decent struggle however. The men finished tying two legs, her hind ones specifically, in very short order, and the handler gave Rizen a small opening to breathe, and then cut her off from the surrounding air again.

"I hope this is over soon. It's like watching an equine having an asthma attack," the assistant dejectedly commented.

Rizen's muscles were demanding oxygen, eating it up more quickly than it otherwise would have. Therefore, soon after she began swaying, Rizen collapsed, knocked out.

"Urgh, held it a bit too long, there," the handler mumbled to himself as he dispersed his spell.

"... waited too long ..." the assistant said with a frown. The men didn't miss the opportunity, though. Her hindlegs had been secured already, so they only needed to tie up the forelegs before she woke up again.

"I can't believe you! You actually suffocated a pegasus! The princess would have your head," the woman yelled.

"This is perfectly legal, albeit a little extreme," the handler calmly addressed her. He was too tired to tell her to shut up again, and now that the deed was done, he felt a little better, less agitated, and even a little passive. "Just hurry and finish tying those ropes."

[Phoenix]

Law & Order: Europan Case Files (Part III)

Cecelia walked down the hall, glancing from side to side to find Norbert. She didn't pay any of the other prisoners any mind -- even the rude ones. It didn't take too long for her to locate him. He glanced up from where he was seated on what passed for a bed when he heard her footsteps and scowled when he saw her. She was the first to say anything, however.

"Well, this is a sight that puts my mind at at least some ease," she commented with a smooth, cocky smile.

"Come to gloat, then?" Norbert bitterly returned.

"Gloat? No, of course not. I am simply glad someone as dangerous as yourself isn't posing a threat to anyone anymore."

"Tch! Make up your mind! You call me weak then say I'm a threat?"

"You are weak -- make no mistake -- but even so you are a danger to peaceful folk. You have no self-control and that in and of its self makes you dangerous. Not to those who have been trained to fight, of course."

"I've beaten down plenty of people looking for a fight!" Norbert snapped.

"Of course you have," Cecelia's demeaning tone ended there as she went on more seriously, "That isn't entirely the point I'm trying to make, though."

"Then what is it?"

Cecelia paused for a moment, looking Norbert right in the eye, then slowly, purposefully said, "Give up."

As he intensified his glare, she expounded, "Give up this lawless, violent life you lead and actually try to become a civilized member of society. You do see where your current lifestyle has led you, don't you? When you let your temper get the best of you and go your own rebellious way, pushing others around no matter who they are, there are serious repercussions!"

"YOU set me up! You goaded me into attacking you, witch!" Norbert snapped back as he got to his feet, "Ever since we were little you picked on me and you always got away with it! You kept saying that one day I'd end up in jail so confidently... That's all this is, isn't it?! You're just trying to get me in trouble again for your own amusement!"

"How dare you?! I am a member of the military! My whole life is devoted to upholding the law and protecting the people of Ursium! You had broken the law and I was apprehending you for that!"

"That's a load of pegasus dung and you know it! If you were just arresting me for having gone into battle with Rizen without a stupid piece of paper saying I can -- which is a STUPID law, by the way -- then you should've just told me that it was a law and let me off with a warning since I DIDN'T KNOW. And you immediately assumed the gold I was carrying was stolen! PLUS you DID goad me into attacking you! I'm not stupid, Cecelia! I know when I'm being targetted!"

"You are stupid, but that's beside the point. Knowing your history, I had reason to suspect you had stolen the money and it was you who brought up theft in the first place. Regarding your pegasus I didn't even mention her until I confirmed that you had, in fact, taken her into battle before -- possibly several times. And as for assaulting me, there was no reason for you to react violently to a simple conversation."

"SIMPLE CONVERSATION?!" Norbert wouldn't take that wording. "YOU KEPT INSULTING ME AND THEN YOU STARTED THROWING AROUND ACCUSATIONS YOU COULDN'T EVEN BACK UP! WHAT WAS ALL THAT ABOUT MY FATHER?!"

"I stated what was the most likely explanation to his silence and the lack of any record of your mother marrying," Cecelia replied with a shrug, "If you cannot handle the facts, then you're a lot more delicate than even I thought."

"Delicate?!"

"Tenacious, yes. However, you are quite easily pitched from one emotion to another. Therefore, your temperament is very delicate...not that you aren't physically delicate as well."

"Oh, so does that make you delicate when someone starts talking about dragon fire?" Norbert couldn't take it anymore. Usually this was ground even he wouldn't tread, but he had a point to prove...and that point rewarded him with a bone-chilling glare from Cecelia that seemed to get colder and more deadly by the moment. He tried to ignore that unnerving look, growing a malicious smile. "What? You're not thatdelicate, are you?" His smile completely vanished before he solemnly stated, "That rule's in place for a reason. You have no right to talk about my situation."

"At least I was wanted by my family," Cecelia coldly returned, "And after them, the family I gained at the orphanage. And after them, the comrades I gained in the military. You, however? Your own disposition has alienated you. You are crass, rude, violent, unintelligent, unskilled, snappish, brazen and impudent and because of that none of the sisterhood has ever wanted you around and I'm willing to wager that no one after them ever has nor ever will. You will die alone unless you change your ways, Norbert -- mark my words!"

For a moment, Norbert was silent. Then, he got a half-confused, half-glad smile on his face. Soon, that had faded into a more legitimate smile and after that, a laughter that began as a small, quiet chuckle bloomed into a full, loud laugh.

"What is it?" Cecelia half-demanded, being a little too confused to have the usual authority her voice carried.

Norbert's laughter ceased as he gladly and loudly answered, "You're wrong! The others that were hired by Weyland -- there are people who actually did want me around!"

"That's preposterous!" Cecelia refuted, "The only reason anyone would possibly want you around is to use you as an expendable shield or weapon, even as impotent as you are."

"Hahah! You are WRONG!" he laughed, rushing up to the bars of his cell and gleefully grinning at his sister with his red glare, "A couple risked their lives to save mine, others have been telling me that I'm not as terrible a person as I think and a couple told me that I'm important to the group! The one who led the group even had me promise to stop thinking so poorly of myself after she tried to convince me to stick around! And I don't care that I couldn't beat you back in that street! I don't have to prove my value to you anymore! You'd always beat me whenever we fought and you'd say that I could never do anything. You always insulted me and always got me in trouble but those were all lies! I always thought that if I could beat you -- that if I could prove to you I had value -- if I could make you admit it -- then I could start to believe it myself. But you know what? I don't have to prove anything to you! Sure, I may never beat you in combat -- and let's face it, combat is what I do -- but that doesn't mean I have to listen to you! I'm notweak! I'm not stupid! I'm not garbage! And I'm NOT unwanted!"

It had been a very long time since Cecelia had seen that defiance burning in Norbert's eyes herself. For a long time, he had mostly given up when it was between his word and hers, though he would always do his utmost until he could no longer move when they fought each other. "You...cared about what I thought thatmuch?" That had been the most surprising thing to Cecelia.

"Oh yeah. We spent the most time together out of everyone until you left. And I thought that if I could prove it to you, I could prove it to anyone. I wasn't about to let you tell me who I was and I'm still not. But now I see that I don't have to beat you to start thinking well of myself again. But you know, that doesn't mean I'll ever stop trying to beat you. I'm not going to let anyone push me around anymore -- not even you. You said I couldn't ride a pegasus because I was a boy, but guess what? I'm a grown man and I've flown all over the place with Rizen. You said I couldn't fight, but I've smashed in more than one head on my own. You said I'd always be alone and friendless...but I'm starting to think that I really do have some mutual friendships. And you know what else? I'm still going to beat you one day! And I'm still going to live life the way I want to! I'm just going to keep proving you wrong!"

"Inspiring, Norbert, really," Cecelia flatly replied, "You still have that nasty temper of yours, remember?"

"I'll get it under control one day," Norbert solemnly stated, "No one and nothing is going to stand in my way of accomplishing what I want to do. I won't let them."

Cecelia kept an even gaze for a good, long moment. Norbert met her gaze evenly. Finally, Cecelia actually cracked a small smile as her eyes softened a little. "See that you don't."

That stated, she turned and began heading back the way she came. As she left, she did add, however, "You still have to pay for your crimes, though."

"Yeah, yeah," Norbert sighed as he walked back over to his bed and flopped onto his back. "AGH! .. Grr, stupid handcuffs..."

Norbert gains Miracle!

After her confrontation, Cecelia returned to the man at the counter. "Have you procured some shackles and a key for me or is there somewhere else I need to go for that?" she asked, "Also, do I need to stay for this investigation much longer? I may have to return later if that is the case. I have somewhere I need to be relatively soon."

"Here ya go," the receptionist replied, producing a pair of cuffs for her, complete with a new key. "Mind yourself. This is a Europan pair, so any Europan key'll work on'em. Better than a universal, I guess. You can get back to your unit now if they're expecting you."

"Thank you," Cecelia replied as she took the cuffs and their key, "If I am needed regarding the Crusher, you should be able to contact me easily enough. Goodbye, now." With that, she walked down the hall, mind focusing on her appointment to meet with her superior.

The Stables ...

When she reached the stables to get Snowshard, her brisk stride steadily slowed as she peered in confusion at the fuss that was being made over one of the equines. As she got closer, it became apparent that it was Norbert's pegasus that was being tied down and appeared to have been rendered unconscious somehow. There was a stable hand nearby who seemed fairly put off, too.

"Um... Excuse me, but what is going on here?" she asked those in the vicinity in general as she approached.

"This bumbling idiot decided choking out the poor thing was the easiest way to handle this," the woman explained. "You can't just keep forcing her into submission or she'll never trust humans, period."

"That would be fine by me; this creature is a lost cause, anyway," the handler shot back.

"She's just scared!"

The captain sighed. "It could be that she was never actually trained and is essentially still a wild pegasus, too. I advise asking her rider if you want confirmation on that. Though I'd imagine he won't be pleased with hearing about how you've treated her. Bert the Crusher isn't exactly known for having an even temper." Hmm... He could have had a terrible influence on this pegasus, too. It wouldn't surprise me. Frowning a bit deeper, she added flatly, "Of course, Mother Mercy is likely not entirely pleased either. I certainly hope you have no dying loved ones. There are reasons why the pegasi are protected."

"Hmph, no I don't, but I would hope the Lady isn't so spiteful."

The assistant spoke up next, saying, "Yours is right over here. Good role model, if only that one there had been paying attention," in an amused tone.

"I would hardly call withholding a gift 'spiteful.' In any case, good day and good luck," she replied coolly to the handler before addressing his assistant with a simple "thank you" and completing her walk to her pegasus. Soon, she'd deemed Snowshard ready for travel, put away the new cuffs and key, mounted her pegasus and rode off.

Return ...

The return to the meeting spot outside the restaurant was far less eventful than the leaving had been. A glance at the sun told Cecelia that she was, of course, on time -- perhaps even a little early. That was good and the captain was satisfied with the results of her little "mission." She'd been away as requested for the correct amount of time, returned punctually and even helped out the local guard some.

It was still a bit mysterious to her, however, how that conversation with Norbert went. They hadn't spoken since she left the orphanage, which was at least a couple years before he did, and then there were the years after that that they had spent apart. In all that time, so much had changed, and yet so little. He's still a troublemaker. That certainly hasn't changed... And those stories I've heard about this "Bert the Crusher" he's become. And yet, now he has friends, he says... That could have been a lie, I suppose, but with everything else he said... He really sounds like he's trying to change. I hope he does. ...Hmmm... I had no idea that he cared about my opinion of him so much, either. Perhaps I should pay more attention to that sort of thing...

The meeting soon ended and those attending began to exit the restaurant, both full of food and new information. Desmond was among the first of those leaving the building, but unlike the others, he didn't simply get into his carriage and ride off. He waited for a few minutes. Eventually, Sapphire and Bernard came out and the latter bid the former farewell before heading back to his men and his carriage. One of Desmond's guards brought the colonel's pegasus back to her, and that was to be the last of any exchanges between these people and the ball.

"Colonel," Cecelia formally greeted with a salute. Though she relaxed the solute, she remained formal as she asked, "How did your meeting go? It seems like nothing went too awry."

Taking a moment to stroke Rosa on the neck, she answered, "It was somewhat alarming at first, but I'm coming to terms with it. I can't speak of the details here, but it does concern the entire unit as of right now. Let us first return to the estate. I'll give you the details once there's time."

Cecelia nodded with a "Yes, ma'am" and left it at that.

Once she was mounted up, the colonel said, "We should definitely be getting back now. I trust you took some time to relax?"

As they began on their way, Cecelia answered, "Yes, ma'am. I apprehended an unusual criminal and helped in his detainment. It was an interesting experience."

The colonel's face was nearly blank for a time, only hinting at surprise. Then, after a moment, she giggled and said, "I shouldn't have expected anything less from you, captain."

"Thank you, ma'am," Cecelia replied, thinking the colonel had meant the successful capture. She was a little unsettled by her wording, however and so, a bit slowly and concernedly continued, "Did I give you reason to doubt my abilities at some point? I sincerely apologize if I did..." I can't think of when that could have been...

"Oh not at all, Captain," she replied with some lingering amusement. She went on to add, "I simply wasn't expecting you to apprehend a criminal during my meeting."

That was a relief. "I see. I admit I wasn't expecting to assist the local guard in their duties either, but I knew I had to step in when I saw him," she replied.

Duty first, I suppose ... I had to make a similar decision not long ago .... "In that case, good work, Captain."

"Thank you, Ma'am," Cecelia replied.

Law & Order: Europan Case Files (Part IV)

About an hour after Cecelia left, Norbert had managed to figure out how to move his cuffed wrists from behind his back to in front of him. At first, he didn't even bother with it, but there wasn't exactly a whole lot to do besides think with those cuffs on his wrists. Breaking them off hadn't worked, as expected, and trying to get them over his head was just pathetic. He felt a bit silly when he realized he had to bring the six-inch chain under his feet in order to accomplish it. As a result, his arms were freed up a little and that enabled him to train for the remaining hour before he heard several sets of footsteps walking down the hall.

Curious, he stopped his present set of push-ups and got up to watch what was going on. As it turned out, it wasn't what he expected. He'd figured that someone else was being brought into the prison, but instead, the guard with the club walked up to his cell and unlocked it. Three more guards were waiting outside the bars.

"Come on," one of the guards said to Norbert, "It's time for your hearing."

"Hearing?" the pegasus rider echoed.

"Just come on," one of the others groaned. Apparently there were other places he'd rather be. "You'll figure it out quickly enough. Not our job to explain it to you, just to get you there."

"Hey, careful there..." the third guard suddenly started before fading into more hushed tones to have a nervous word with his comrade.

"You're too high-strung," the second guard replied to the third, waving off whatever it was that was bothering him.

"He attacked someone from the Eastern Task Force!" apparently that was supposed to be stressed more quietly than it wound up being since immediately the third guard's eyes darted over to Norbert.

"If you're worried about me doing something to you guys...that's actually pretty pathetic, have to say," Norbert replied almost boredly before walking out of his cell as directed, "I don't have my pegasus or my maces and my wrists are chained together. Nevermind that I don't have any allies to call on and this place is probably crawling with yours. I guess I appreciate the compliment, but sheesh, get a grip."

Seeming a bit offended, the guard, indeed, got a grip...a rather tight one on Norbert's arm. "I'm not taking any chances. You were bold enough to attack an officer once, even a captain, so what's going to stop you from attacking one of us? Me, that's what!"

"You just referred to yourself as 'what,' you know," Norbert noted aloud as he and the three guards began heading down the hall. That earned him a strong whack to the head. "OW! Rgh! What was that for?!"

"For being smart-mouthed," the guard who was keeping a hold of his arm replied.

As tempted as he was to ram the guard into the wall for that, Norbert strained to hold his temper. He remained tense the whole way to the hearing, but he managed to keep quiet and not retaliate, primarily by desperately clinging to Veronika's advice of counting to ten, even going so far as to focus on the written shape of each number as they passed through his mind. It felt like he'd counted to ten hundreds of times by the time they actually reached where the hearing would take place.

Once the doors to the courtroom were opened, it was clear to those entering that something was already happening inside. A woman with red hair was speaking with the judge in a noticeably pleading manner. "I need to speak with him before this hearing starts, not during." That was definitely Anna's voice.

"Very well, but you have only five minutes," the judge stated sternly.

Guess that'll have to do ... urgh. Why, Bert? WHY? This is no time to be getting in trouble with the authorities, Anna thought to herself as she turned around. That was when she saw Bert in cuffs and grimaced. Then, realizing that they were probably already on the clock, quickly approached Bert and his escorts. "We need a few minutes. The judge just agreed to it."

The guards glanced over to the judge for confirmation and when he gave them a nod, the first one who'd spoken at his cell told Anna, "Alright, but just a few minutes." Then, to Norbert, "And you, don't try anything. We won't be that far off." With that, the guards left the two alone.

To be honest, Norbert was a little surprised to see anyone he knew there, let alone one of Weyland's people. "What's going on?"

Anna sighed. "You're being charged with armed assault and illegal pegasus combat, which is shorthand for using a pegasus for any kind of fighting without a permit. They asked us to verify that you're a Weyland employee because of that gold you were carrying, but I'm here to act as your advocate so we can try and keep this from going to trial," Anna quietly explained while trying to steer Bert toward the eastern corner of the room. "Listen, you're going to have to be very careful how you conduct yourself here. That judge will have your life in his hands and he'll have you thrown right back in jail if he sees fit."

Well that wasn't at all comforting. "I know what I'm being charged with, but you mean I could be killed for that?" he asked, trying to keep his voice low, but his ire was rising, "I didn't even attack Cecelia as someone in the military! I attacked her as my sister who crossed a line! She always gets away with everything and I'm always the one who pays for it! Grr...so I guess it isn't surprising if the same thing happens here." He frowned at Anna as he more calmly went on, "I appreciate the help, though. I'll do my best to keep under control."

"Whew, that's exactly what I needed to hear. Okay, now we don't have much time, so I need to explain this quickly. For the purpose of this hearing and any other part of this case, I'm your advocate. I'm certified, so don't worry about that. This hearing is to decide two things, the first, whether or not you're going to fight these charges, and the second, whether or not you'll be staying in jail in the meantime. It's up to the judge if you serve jail time or not, so you have to be on your best behavior right now."

She glanced back toward the judge to see what he was doing, but he seemed to have his gaze settled elsewhere for the moment. Looking back at Bert with motherly concern, she said, "We really don't want this to go all the way to trial, because if it does, you won't be able to win. You'll also be stuck here in Europa until you finish your sentence, which means you won't be able to go with Raquel when she leaves."

"I'm not going anyway," Norbert answered with a small sigh, "I ended my contract with her before I left. Pretty good timing, it seems. I really don't want to drag her or the others into this. The only person this reflects badly on is me and I wouldn't have it any other way." The corners of his mouth lowered again as he added, "Well, I guess Weyland suffers a bit, but this kind of thing probably won't stick to him."

He continued, "As for fighting the charges, I don't plan on it. I've never been able to beat Cecelia in a physical fight or any fight like this one. Besides, I really did bring Rizen into combat without a certificate, but it's not like I knew you needed one. And even though she goaded me, I was the one to throw the first punch and there were witnesses to that so there's no way that's not falling on me anyway." His voice became somewhat bitter and he glared at the ground. "She made that pretty clear."

"Wha-err- ... hmm." Kind of wasting my time here if he's not working with Raquel anymore ... unless ..."Well ... I didn't know you weren't working for Raquel anymore, but it would be silly to throw you to the wolves now, so I'll do my best to see if we can't reach a settlement, but you're going to owe Weyland big time for this."

"Why's that?" Norbert asked, suddenly a little on guard. He hated owing people, which was why he typically didn't accept favors especially from sources he didn't trust. This was a little strange, though, since Weyland had been so hospitable already. And it sure sounds like she stopped caring as soon as she found out I wasn't working for Raquel anymore. Yeah... Should've seen that coming. Everyone has an agenda, don't they? And as soon as you don't fit into it, you get tossed aside. ...Well, not everyone, I guess. Raquel seemed pretty genuine. Valter, too.

"Because if we do this right, I can get you out of this mess without any jail-time, but throwing our weight and money around isn't really good for the company's reputation." Unless you come to work for us, that is~ "Either way, helping you costs us in some form, and unlike Raquel, you're not testing prototypes for us. You're just a house guest for the moment."

"I still have that pay I earned from you if I get it back," Norbert replied, moving to cross his arms but just letting them drop again when the chain prohibited that motion. "You shouldn't have to be throwing money around." He wasn't entirely sure how accurate that was, though. He'd never actually been to court before.

"We'll be lucky if your pay even puts a fine sized dent in the fine they'll drop on us," Anna countered. "The only way you're avoiding jail-time is with an enormous fine, or 'rehabilitative service' ... but they prefer the huge fines because it's a bigger payoff. We're just lucky you didn't actually land a hit or something."

"Urghh.." Norbert grunted, a bit dismayed. She was the legal expert between the two of them so she could very well be telling the truth. His dropped shoulders tensed up again, though, as he skeptically eyed the red-haired Weyland employee. "How do I know you're not just taking advantage of my situation?"

"I ... am ... taking advantage of your situation ...?" Anna nervously admitted while rubbing a finger against her cheekbone and looking away. "But hey, if you'd rather spend half a year in prison for armed assault and pegasus fighting, by all means," she quickly added, becoming chipper and confident once again. "Be warned, though ..." Now she was holding up a single finger in front of him and had a serious look on her face. "If you're in jail and no one can take care of your pegasus, they'll probably sell her off. We could take care of her while you're in prison so you won't lose her forever, but you'd owe us just the same."

I knew it! Norbert immediately thought when Anna admitted to using the legal issues for her own gain. In spite of this, he actually was surprised, though mostly that she didn't try to hide it once it was brought up. He was stunned more and more as she made her case, too, until he wound up glaring slack-jawed at Anna. She'd brought up Rizen's predicament, for one, which was unfair in and of its self, but the way she phrased things only obviated that he really did need their help. Whether serving time or getting in Weyland's debt, he was helpless. He hated being helpless.

There was nothing the pegasus rider could say in his defense, but at the moment, he was furious at Anna. All the same, he couldn't risk losing Rizen. As much as he wanted some sort of comeback, he felt even less able to speak than when Lilith somehow made him forget his entire first language. At least back then he had a rusty, incomplete version of his second language to fall back on. He so wanted to reject her offer; he absolutely abhorred subjecting himself to someone else's control.

Finally, though, his mouth closed and he grit his teeth and through those teeth, he answered, "Fine." She really has some nerve... He couldn't decide whether he admired or hated that about her at the moment.

"Look on the bright side, at least you're not going straight back to being a hungry bandit crushing vigilante the army can't make up its mind about," Anna offered. "Oh, I might be getting ahead of myself here ... this case isn't quite a shoe in for us, but our chances seem good. Just be humble until it's over, okay?"

Again, he wasn't entirely sure what to say (her request to "be humble" was a bit odd to him and made him wonder if he was unwittingly egotistical or something similar) but he did wonder if Weyland's people had for whatever reason been keeping tabs on him. It could've been that they did some digging on known members of Raquel's group -- which was good if that was the case since Raquel clearly wasn't doing that herself -- or that it was all speculation but either way, her summary of his life since leaving the orphanage was surprisingly accurate...and actually not cast in the worst light possible so much as portrayed as pointless and unappealing.

At least in that life I was free. Starving, but free. No social norms to worry about, no bending to a preconceived form of what I should be... All I had to worry about were survival and getting stronger. Hmm... I wonder if I won't go back to that after my debt's paid. Thinking about that helped him to calm down and refocus. He kept firm, however, as he looked right into Anna's eyes and stated, "Fine, whatever that means. If you can't uphold your end of this, though, I don't owe you anything."

Anna wound up staring blankly at Bert for a moment after that. Then, she confidently said, "Behold, be amazed, and be thankful." Turning back toward the judge and the lingering escorts, she motioned for Bert to follower her and moved over to the front bench on the left, which was also complete with a rather large desk.

Meanwhile, on their far right, across the isle, a man was seated and looking through a copy of Cecelia's report.

The sound of a gavel could be heard right by the judge. "Now then ..." the judge spoke, but only briefly at first. "This is a somewhat informal hearing, but nevertheless, I expect you people to conduct yourselves properly. Bert the Crusher, you stand accused of armed assault and illegal pegasus combat. Do you deny either of these claims?"

He didn't have much time to think about how exactly he was expected to behave or what would be the "proper" way for people to conduct themselves in this situation before he was addressed directly. It was essentially what Anna had wanted to know earlier, so it was a pretty easy question to answer. He figured there was no use in clarifying that he'd been goaded or that he didn't know he needed a certificate so he decided to answer the question as simply as possible. "No."

"Well then, this doesn't have to get messy, at least," the judge quietly said to himself. Speaking up so everyone could hear him clearly, he continued. "And how do you judge his mental state? Ms. ... Anna?" He didn't recall her surname, because she never gave it.

"He's completely sane, but has a short fuse. As you can probably guess, Your Honor, he has a bad history with even civilian authority. He's improved a lot since he began working with one of Weyland Enterprises' affiliates, however. I can assure you this won't happen again in either case." And right on cue, here comes the jackass ...

"You think that excuses what he did?" the man sitting on the opposite side of the isle spoke up. He definitely sounded angry and offended. "A simple 'it won't happen again' should not lighten the sentence one bit. This man needs to be incarcerated for at least six months. That's the standard for a crime of this magnitude, and lenient enough given his violent history."

"It's true, he made a mistake, but you think throwing him in prison for that long is going to rehabilitate him? I think this crime warrants rehabilitation, not retribution. After all, he's been living like a wild man up until recently; this was bound to happen, but we've been taking steps to ensure that Nobert properly acclimatizes."

"Seth Weyland, always bringing in stray criminals and turning them into indentured servants, spitting in the system's face in the process ... Your Honor, are you willing to let that happen again?"

"Your wording could use adjustment, good sir ... the company isn't just rounding up criminals--that's far too dangerous--but, we are in the habit of helping those in need. If we find talent and can supervise otherwise troublesome and lost individuals, why shouldn't we? The government understands what we're trying to do and for the most part, supports our cause, so while Norbert has certainly earned six months in a cell or more, I instead propose a fine, and mandatory pegasus certification."

"Your Honor, I don't need to inform you that this is what's known as a 'slap on the wrist'," the man protested. "While I agree that a fine is in order, as well as pegasus certification, I don't see why he shouldn't also serve some time behind bars for trying to cut down an officer."

"No!" Anna pointed her finger accusingly at her opponent. "Nowhere, not even in the officer's own statement is there anything about Nobert intending to kill her. That can't be assumed, here."

"He attacked her with a pair of steel maces. She wasn't wearing a helmet. A blow to the head could have easily killed her," the man reasoned.

"That is not intent to kill!"

The judge sighed. He might have called the room to order by now if this wasn't such a mild debate compared to the ones he was used to. It was actually rather civil.

It was rather strange having his rebellious-yet-legal history being referenced at first, but then Anna began making it sound like Weyland Enterprises somehow took him under their wing and had been trying to rehabilitate him. That turned him from finding things passively odd to beginning to feel the fires of anger beginning to quietly burn. Right, cause you're a bunch of saints that didn't try to smuggle a Fallen into Ursium and aren't fraternizing with a Fallen prince. It was Raquel and the others who had to deal with me, not you. And how are you supposed to assure anything? I guarantee I'll be fighting with Cecelia again and I don't know if she'll call it assaulting an officer again or not!

When the guy on the other side of the isle began calling for him to be thrown in jail, Norbert narrowed his eyes at him. Hey. What'd I ever do to you?

Then Anna began "defending" him again. He began to wonder just what he'd agreed to. Was this kind of dishonesty what it took to get out of trouble? It was pretty close to the truth; he'd grant her that. And it was true that they had to protect Raquel and her errand with the emblem piece, but he couldn't help but feel his anger grow a bit due to how similar this was to when Cecelia and him would plead their cases back at the orphanage. It always seemed to be the liar who won these sorts of things. Isn't this supposed to be something that keeps injustice from hurting the innocent? Why do people have to always lie and debate these sorts of things? He also began to wonder if Weyland would actually try to rehabilitate him or if that was part of the facade. I'm not going to let anyone try to make me into what they think I should be! He wasn't sure what to make of the comment about his living like a wild man. It was true, but it was also strange to hear.

When the prosecutor called him a stray criminal, he shot him a glare. His first reflex was to deny being a criminal, but the shackles on his wrists reminded him that after walking the line for so long, he'd finally stepped over it. His comment about turning criminals into indentured servants also caused a hint of nervousness, though it was only displayed by a slightly deeper frown. That was one of his newer concerns. He didn't want to be anyone's servant. It was interesting to note that apparently this has happened before, Weyland recruiting people like him who got in trouble with the law.

Up until this point, Anna had mostly been provoking him to anger, but this time she actually calmed a bit of his worry with what she said. It sounded less like he was going to be stuffed into some mold and reformed and more like he was going to be helped. Just being supervised as opposed to having who he was shredded and made into something new could actually be very helpful. It would keep him from getting into as much trouble, for one, and it would help him to meet his goals of improving himself in the ways he wanted to. As a result, his glare softened some, though it returned when she mentioned mandatory pegasus certification. What does that even involve? If it means joining the military, no thank you!

After what the prosecutor said next, Norbert had to clench his jaw. He almost spoke up what he said instead in his mind. Jail time AND a fine?! There's no way that's fair! You were just saying I should go to jail -- you never mentioned a fine until she did! Needless to say, his burning glare was fixed on the guy who was trying to put him in the worst position possible for whatever reason. And shows how smart you are! How does anyone "cut down" anything with maces?! Try cutting anything with them! It won't work because they're blunt, genius!

Anna apparently caught something he didn't even think about and quickly rose to his defense. He hated to admit it, but he was pretty glad she was helping him at that moment. He didn't even see that subtle phrasing as an incoming threat. Also, apparently, Cecelia had written up a report about this incident and Anna and the other guy had read it already. Oighh, I hate to think of what she put in there... She doesn't even need to lie, though, to get me in trouble this time. I don't doubt she told the story extremely one-sidedly, though.

The man began reasoning how Cecelia could have died given the circumstances and he found one thing inaccurate about what he said: his maces were made of iron, not steel. Reinforced, high-quality iron, yes, but not steel. Oh please; I couldn't even land a hit.

Anna continued to insist that he didn't intend to kill Cecelia. He, himself, tried to remember what he was thinking during that fight. He found that he wasn't trying to actually kill her so much as beat her up. He wasn't actually thinking too far into the future, being furious and more concerned with the then and there as a result. For a moment, he considered sharing his findings, but then decided it was probably better to hold his tongue unless asked a question and even then, to say as little as possible. Sometimes that was the only way he could be cordial and it seemed to work out better than any other ways of trying to be polite.

"Your Honor, I implore you to enact justice and throw this man in jail before he causes another incident or worse, kills someone. Even under Weyland's supervision, he had the audacity to attack an officer in broad daylight. What else can that say about his mental state than that he is too dangerous."

"If he's so dangerous, why are you willing to say all of those things in front of him after reading the officer's report?" Anna asked with a genuinely curious look on her face. "You know people don't just get attacked out of the blue like her report implied. Why don't we have a look at Nobert's claim ... or better yet, he can just tell you here and now what happened?" She then leaned toward Bert and whispered, "Stay on topic, here ... unless you know of any officers abusing their authority. That never hurts to use as ammunition."

"What say you, Bert the Crusher?" the judge spoke up.

"You actually want to know my side of this? Gee, how civil of you," Norbert bitterly answered the judge, resting his even glare loosely on him. I guess I should start from the beginning. He tried to cross his arms out of habit again as he sat back, but again, the chain stopped him. His glare shot down back to the cuffs. "Grrrr--! Blasted shackles... Tch. Whatever; I'll deal with this question first."

Returning his glare to the judge, he began to tell his story, "I'd just received my pay from Weyland's and was heading for a bank when Cecelia came up to me. I asked her what she wanted and she began asking me questions. What was in the sack I was carrying was the first one. She also wanted to know where I got it. She and I haven't had the friendliest history so I figured she was trying to get me in trouble for theft or something. So I told her it was the payment I got from a job and told her right up front that it wasn't stolen. She didn't believe me and we got into a conversation about my employment status. I told her I earned it by working for Weyland and showed her the money inside."

His glare intensified as he continued, "That was when it started, I guess: the insults. She never liked me and I never liked her. She never did try to hide it either. This time, she called me a monster. It's not like I prey on the innocent." He paused for a moment and his tone sharpened a bit as his eyes wandered the room to the guards and the prosecutor, "Unlike some folk."

He continued right on the heels of that, "Sure I used to steal from bandits and used the money I got from them but hey, I had to eat, too, you know! When I told her that, she told me to get a real job, which I did, which is why I had the money. She still didn't believe me, though, so I told her to ask him herself. She said she's too busy to go into a full investigation herself. Tch! I asked her why she was still bothering me and she answered with more insults. She called me a 'waste of time' and a 'pathetic ingrate.' She then clarified that she still had time to question me and to make an arrest."

"She asked if Rizen was my pegasus and I told her the truth: she is. I thought she was accusing me of stealing her, but she asked why she was wearing armor. It's pretty obvious where that led. I told her it was because I didn't want her to get hurt when I took her into combat," his glare darkened as he continued, "This was the Cecelia I remembered growing up with. The insults started flowing. She called me stupid, said my anger problems were reliable. She started bragging about how easy it is to get me in trouble and called me an outlaw, which was something I've been very careful not to become. When we were kids, everyone would always believe her story, even though it was always her! She always started the fights -- not me! And it was always ME who got beat up or locked outside in the snow or trapped in a room until someone found me!"

Now he was really getting passionate again. His eyes burned with rage as they locked onto the judge's. The guards moved closer as he stood up and Norbert's fury faced them. "DON'T YOU DARE GET CLOSE TO ME! I'm not going to let you do to me again what happened in Ursaea! That dragon tossed me away and when I woke up, I was tied down to a blasted chair! My forehead guard was gone, my maces were gone, and I couldn't defend myself while I was questioned and beaten! Even when I told the truth, that no-good piglet Doran kept punching me and kicking me! And you know what else?! At least here people were nice enough NOT to beat me down with MY OWN MACES AND BREAK MY LEG while I was cuffed and threatened with my maces being melted down if I didn't stand there and take it!"

He returned his attention to the judge. Though his voice was at a more normal volume, it still carried the same, furious tone. "And then, after I told her I was not an outlaw... She told me the same thing that I've been a slave to for years: that I am nothing but an audacious, ill-tempered, reckless miscreant. I used to believe that, but I'm not letting her define who I am anymore. ... Oh, right and she also called me something that she has no right to call me, especially knowing my story! 'Bastard.'" His voice shook with rage, "She knows that no one knows who my father is. She has no right to call me that. There's no proof!"

Norbert's knuckles were white he was clenching his fists so tightly, though it wasn't visible as he was wearing his gloves. More quietly, though just as furiously, he went on, "She started talking about it again... We talked about this before -- it breaks the code! No one at the orphanage uses what happened to make anyone an orphan in a fight. It's too much of a cheap shot. She started talking about how no one ever found out who my father was and how there was no record of my mother having married anyone. She accused my father of being a rapist or a sleaze and then said my mother didn't want me and that was why she was coming to the orphanage when she was so pregnant. Then she remin-- ... Then she saidthat I was still unwanted and that I'd probably grow up to be like the man she described as who is presumably my father."

His rage grew even greater still, pulling on his bonds violently in an effort to move his hands to either side of himself. Instead, the chain just became straight and though he was focused on the judge, it was hard to see him. He was so angry that his eyes had watered up. "I REFUSE TO BELIEVE THAT! THAT is why I attacked that infuriating, no-good, little miss perfect VILLAIN of a sister of mine!"

"I ... rest my ... c-case ..." Anna spoke spoke up, sounding rather disturbed. I'm starting to wonder if Mercy's punishing him for this whole pegasus riding thing or something. I hadn't heard about this Doran guy.

"Did you see that, Your Honor? That passion, that RAGE? ... do you really want to send that kind of dangerous individual right back out into society with a mere slap on the wrist?" the accuser immediately pointed out. "That would only encourage him to keep the violent attitude. The best rehabilitation for someone like him is a lengthy jail sentence."

"Hmm." The judge began mulling the matter over more intently than ever before.

"On top of that, the fine suggestion is also a good idea, to leave a lasting reminder."

The judge immediately but slowly shook his head at that. "I don't think he'll improve if he is punished merely for the sake of being punished. I've heard enough from both sides. I'm ready to make my ruling, now."

Anna's eyes widened surprise. That was fast ... She hadn't expected the judge to reach a decision this quickly and began to worry that she might not have had enough time to ensure Bert stayed out of prison. She quickly composed herself with some quiet, calming breaths, despite the tension.

"Right now, you're encouraging a violent attitude," Norbert growled at the prosecutor as his eyes burned at him after he pushed for him to go to jail again. He didn't make any movement, though, other than having turned his head to lock his eyes onto the other's. He would have just kept quiet if he hadn't been so stirred up already, but right now he was in the heat of his anger and was managing to keep himself from making any hostile movements.

When he again spoke up, this time suggesting adding the fine on top of jail time, he just about snapped again. I'LL LEAVE YOU A LASTING REMINDER! In an effort to keep his temper at least somewhat in check, though, he, quite literally, bit his tongue. Just the very tip of it -- and that tip was bitten off -- but it did help him to come to his senses a little. It was a good thing, too, since the judge spoke up regarding that. That he wasn't going to be metaphorically kicked while he was down again helped him to visibly calm down some: relaxing the tension his muscles had held, no longer bearing his teeth and the fury in his eyes dying down as they turned again to the judge.

Bert's accuser shook his head at Bert, feeling mere words were no excuse for his attitude. He even said as much before long. "Uncivilized fool, mere words, all of them, and even they have you on edge."

"Enough," the judge spoke again. "Norbert ... Bert, the Crusher, by order of the court, you're to go to the cathedral and receive pegasus combat certification, and you are to pay twenty-five thousand in gold. You have two weeks to have it delivered. This incident will be on record, and so the next time you break the law like this, you will face a long prison sentence."

Anna sighed in relief, though she was steadily becoming upset about the sheer size of the fine. There was no way in hell Bert could afford that, just like she suspected. The judge was sticking it to her and Weyland and clearly expecting them to foot the bill and take responsibility for him. She expected all of this, but having it actually play out was no less irritating for her. They were paying an awful lot to help him get out of his own mess.

"Furthermore, until you receive your certification you are not to enter battle with your pegasus under any circumstances. To prevent the same charge from being laid on you a second time, I'll be issuing a notice that shows we know you've yet to receive certification. It will keep you from being arrested for not having certification until you do, but it is only valid for seven days. You will have exactly one week starting on the morrow to handle it." He then brought down his gavel and the sentence was made official, prompting a sigh from Bert's opponent. "Come back to my office in five minutes. I'll have the notice ready for you then."

A smug expression slowly crept up on Anna's face. Sure, they had to pay an enormous amount of gold for almost nothing, but- "Looks like Weyland Enterprises just got itself a shiny new Bert." She didn't see a point in being subtle about it; Bert couldn't pay the fine on his own.

Norbert shot the prosecutor one last glare before the judge addressed him and his attention returned to the one who would decide his fate. He was a little grumbly about the certification he was supposed to get but so far the sentencing wasn't so bad. Then he said what the fine was. I... Urgh... Guess it's a good thing Anna's helping out after all... He hated to admit that, though. He had two weeks to have it delivered. Weyland had better not be late on that payment... Then there was the warning about what the consequences would be if he was ever caught doing the same things again. Yeah, yeah; I'll probably wind up having to defend myself again so I'll just make sure someone can take care of Rizen for me if this happens again.

Apparently the judge wasn't done as this was followed by a "furthermore." He wasn't supposed to "enter battle" with Rizen no matter what until he was certified. That was something he had a problem with. What if we get attacked before then? I'll take care of this as soon as possible but you never know. I can't always control whether Rizen helps out or not. At least he would be provided with a notice preventing anyone from arresting him for the same crime in the meantime, as the judge explained next. It was only valid for a week, though. This wasn't something he planned on putting off anyway. And then the sentencing was made official with a loud bang. To him that meant he didn't have any more penalties that were going to be thrown at him. He'd have the notice ready in about five minutes.

Then, he heard Anna's remark from behind him. And that was when it hit him. ...I've...just been bought, haven't I? Frustrating as that was, he couldn't do anything about it except heave a sigh. "So," he asked flatly as he turned partway towards Anna, "what is it your boss wants with me?"

As Bert began speaking to her, Anna's smile quickly faded to a more blank expression. She could be smug later, she supposed. Once he actually voiced his question though, the smile came back, bit by bit until she looked plain suspicious. Unlike the last smile which was more like a smirk, this one was a friendly, seemingly harmless one. Finally, she addressed his question. "He wants you ... to do your best."

"My best at what? I don't doubt there are a lot more qualified mercenaries out there he could hire -- less expensive ones, too -- so why me specifically?" he clarified. He didn't expect the full job description but he still didn't understand why he was being bothered with in the first place or, more importantly, why Anna was so happy about...purchasing him, for lack of a better term. Thinking of it like that was still bothersome to him, too.

"It's not like this was all planned from the start. I was working on a replacement for the Dauntless when I heard about your situation and rushed down here. I was surprised to hear you aren't working for Raquel anymore, but since I picked up another potential employee on the way, I figured I'd give you a chance, but Weyland doesn't actually know anything about this yet," Anna explained. "He'll know when I hand him the bank statement, though," she quietly mumbled while glancing away from Bert.

Norbert wondered who it was who'd also been recruited by Anna, but his curiosity was quite outweighed by his apathy. Even if it was his business now he didn't want it to be, so in his mind it wasn't. "So...all this was more or less on a whim," he summarized.

"Weyland trusts my judgment," Anna replied, standing straighter and more dignified for a moment. "Anyyyway," she continued, as she went back to standing normally. "We should probably save some of this 'job' stuff for later. You've got more important things to worry about, like living arrangements and your pegasus." She glanced at the guards and kept her eyes on them, waiting to see if they were going to remember to uncuff Bert or if she was going to have to remind them.

Judgment? So this really was thought through? Then why did you just make it sound like...? Urgh. She's right; I'll just ask later. What does she mean by... "Living arrangements?" he echoed. He hadn't thought about that before, just assuming he'd be staying at Weyland's or if he was being sent on a job somewhere, dealing with that once he came to it. He'd never actually owned a place before, having always either been a guest or just roughed it outside.

The guards, meanwhile, were chatting among themselves near the door, but occasionally one would glance over at Anna and Norbert.

"Yes, living arrangements. You'll either have to live in the city or at the estate until you're assigned somewhere," Anna began to elaborate. "You'll probably end up staying at the estate, though. That's usually the best place for new people since they get to have a little one on one time with Weyland and when I'm not busy working somewhere else, I can help them out. This isn't too different from how Gabbie ended up with us, come to think of it."

That was interesting. He wasn't sure which part of his situation she was talking about specifically, but at least that the wyvern girl had some sort of situation like his that led up to her working for Weyland wasn't something he expected to hear about, even in passing. "I guess I'll stay with Weyland for now, then. Do I really need a house, though? It's not like I haven't lived in the wild before. It's a lot more cost-effective, too." Plus I won't have to deal with neighbors or landlords or...other people in general and society's dumb rules.

"If we needed to get a hold of you, we don't want to have to search a whole forest or something. Just having an address somewhere in the city makes things more convenient for us. Besides, living in the city would in no way prevent you from being a complete shut-in with almost no contact with the outside," she teased.

Deciding it was about time to get a move on, she called over to the guards. "Can you get rid of these shackles now? We're on our way out."

The guards all looked over when Anna called to them. Then, after a short discussion, one of them came over with the key to the shackles in-hand. "Was hoping I wouldn't have to use this," he mumbled to himself before telling Norbert, "Okay, just hold your wrists out so I can get those off."

As Norbert complied -- and briefly contemplated a double-fisted uppercut -- and as the guard unlocked the cuffs, he told Anna, "You know, if you're heading out anyway, you could have just come to us. Oh well; doesn't really matter now. Just remember what the judge said and go see him in his office before you go on your way."

That said, the guard headed back over to his fellows, cuffs and key in-hand. Norbert, meanwhile, swung his arms a bit to regain some of the range of motion in his shoulders. "Another thing is that human houses typically aren't built with pegasi in-mind. I'll try to figure out a compromise, though." Maybe I can rent some space from a farmer or something... Hmm maybe I could buy food directly from them, too, instead of having to head into the city.

"I guess someplace in the outskirts wouldn't hurt either. We'd still be able to find you, you get yourself imposed isolation, and your pegasus gets a nice pasture to use. For now, though, you're probably going to have to stay at the estate. You won't even have your own money again until you can work off the debt we're paying for you." She felt it might have been a little mean to bring that up again, but she didn't want Bert to think he was getting his own place anytime soon. "Let's get going, we need to go grab that notice, get your pegasus, and then get back to the carriage. I don't want to keep my other new charge waiting."

From the sound of things, even if he did get his gold back from the guards, it'd all be going towards his debt to Weyland. He figured as much, so he was only a little bothered by the inconvenience that came with that. It wasn't as though he had to worry about buying food or paying maintenance fees for a while, from the sound of things, so the essentials were probably covered and that was good enough for him. The only trouble was coming as he began to calculate his debt out. All of that danger and illegal activity got me roughly five thousand gold... Oh Merz, how long am I going to be in debt to this guy? I still have twenty thousand left to pay off! With a quick yet gusty sigh, Norbert answered as he followed Anna, "Okay, but as soon as by debt's paid, I'm out."

The fleeting thought occurred to him that he'd said about the same thing to Raquel when he was trying to earn his maces back and yet he'd stuck with her a lot longer after that, though as a paid mercenary. Deeming it trivial, he dismissed the thought. "We need to get my maces back, too."

"Well that's sad to hear, but I guess it can't be helped," Anna replied, leading the way since she knew all three of their next stops and how to get to each. The first stop on their trip was the judge's office. Fortunately, by the time they arrived and were let in by an attendant, the judge had just finished stamping an official seal onto the notice.

The Office

"Right on time," the judge greeted the two as they entered. "Norbert, you hold onto this until you and your pegasus are certified. Without it, you won't be able to prove anything to anyone, but remember, it is only valid for one week. Attempt to edit the dates listed down there in any way and you'll be thrown in prison for forgery." Then, grabbing another document and handing it to Anna, the one he knew would be taking care of the monetary issues, he said, "Here is the information on where and how to pay his fine."

"Oh, don't you worry about that. I already know how the Europan justice system operates~" Anna replied, though she took the document just the same. Free paper, or at least something Bert could use to help educate himself about how normal society worked.

"Indeed," the judge said with a bit of a scowl.

"Yeah, yeah; don't worry, I don't plan on altering anything written on here," Norbert replied as he took the document over and gave it a brief read-through.

"That's all then. Stay out of trouble. You as well, Miss Anna."

"Don't count on it. There's a war on," Anna replied with a smile as she turned to leave. The judge shook his head at that and then began reading what looked like some completely unrelated document.

The Stables

After picking up Norbert's maces, the next stop was to go get Rizen. As they approached the stables, however, Norbert heard a steady crashing sound. The source became louder and more obvious as they got nearer, too. The door to Rizen's stall was nearly off its hinges as she slammed her back hooves into it again and again with the occasional, angry whinny. The ropes that had once bound her she'd long since severed with her horn.

At first, Norbert just stared blankly as his pegasus struggled to free herself. Then, his face broke into a smile and he sputtered out the first of his laughter until it became a full-on laughing fit. For him, the trouble Rizen was giving the guards was just too amusing. Hearing his laughter and noticing his scent, Rizen stopped her door-bashing and turned around to see him hugging his middle and bent over he was laughing so hard. She was glad to see him, but she wondered if he was in some sort of terrible pain what with the way he was acting.

"I don't know why you're laughing," Anna spoke up, holding up a finger for what she was about to explain next. "They're going to make you pay for the damages here. At this rate, you'll be working for Weyland for the rest of your life."

That brought his laughter down to a lighter degree. "Heheh... I still can't help it," he replied, the laughter finally fading, "So if I'm going to be billed anyway I might as well enjoy it. Looks like she showed them a thing or two. Rizen, you really are the best."

He looked up as he said that and this was the first good look he'd gotten at Rizen's head. Any merriment he had previously was quickly replaced with surprise, then his glowering countenance returned. They'd put a muzzle on her. Locking her in a stall or tethering her was one thing, but putting a muzzle over her ignited even more animosity in Norbert against society and especially against the military.

Figuring he'd have to pay for a new door anyway, the rider took up a mace, signaled for Rizen to take a couple steps back and smashed the lock off of the door. Then he saw more clearly all the severed ropes and the rope burns on the pegasus' hind legs. With a smoldering anger, Norbert led the pegasus out of the stall. That wasn't necessary, though. She wouldn't let him go too far away from her again so soon anyway and kept her head touching his shoulder unwaveringly.

Partially to comfort Rizen and partially in an effort to calm himself, Norbert stroked the side of her neck before working to remove her muzzle. "What did they do to you...?" he quietly murmured. Rizen just loosed a light bray as she hung her head over Norbert's shoulder: as close to a hug as an equine could achieve.

"Hmm, she must have put up quite a struggle for them to resort to this. She's not even trained, is she? She's just a wild pegasus following you around everywhere, isn't she?" Anna worriedly inquired. Employees with uncontrollable assistants or steeds invited all kinds of disastrous situations. She had an idea on how to address this, but wouldn't get into it until later on.

"That's right," he answered a tad defensively as he removed the muzzle and gave Rizen's chin a quick scratch, "And she's the only reason those whelps didn't get very much trouble from me. Rizen and I fight hard for each other. My fight was just a different kind this time."

He'd relaxed a little talking about Rizen, but the fringes of anger came back into his face and voice as he went on, "And this sort of thing was what I was fighting to prevent... What they did here... It's obvious she was being forced to just wait here quietly at least. By Wrath, Mercy save them if they tried to break her spirit while I was caged!"

"Oh no, don't even think about doing anything else, today! Don't so much as make eye contact with the authorities if you can help it, just to be safe," Anna urged him. Frankly, they had enough problems, and taking Bert under her wing made him her responsibility for the moment. "Anyway, we should get Rizen looked at once we get back, so let's not wait around here. Those burns are going to scar if we don't hurry." On second thought, they should have at least one healer around here ... "Toss that. Just wait here for a moment. I'll go see if they have a healer that can heal her legs up. Behave and don't antagonize anyone, okay?"

Frustrating as the instructions were, he wasn't so far into his anger that it was too difficult to reel himself in; he saw the wisdom in her words. The anger remained, but he tried to ignore it as it simmered at the back of his mind. Right now Rizen's injuries too precedence.

"I'll take inventory while you're gone," he informed, then immediately set to work on that. So far, the only visibly missing thing was his poleaxe, which he'd left strapped to Rizen's side. Why they'd remove that, at least, was understandable.

Fortunately for Bert, no one else showed up while Anna was gone, allowing him to handle his business in relative peace. When she returned, she had a healer with her, but the only giveaway was Anna's mention of going to find a healer, and the short staff they carried; they were dressed like a stable hand and probably were.

"The doctor's in. Is she going to behave for this? She's only going to try and help her," Anna asked, worried the medic would need a medic if Rizen didn't stay calm.

"I'll try to keep her calm, but depending on what she went through I can't guarantee it," Norbert responded a bit bitterly as he took hold of Rizen's reins and stepped aside somewhat to let the healer over.

Anna winced as the healer approached. Making a quick decision, she stepped in front of the healer and blocked her way with her arm. What she said next was for Bert, though. "If you can't guarantee her safety then I'll handle it myself. Safer that way ..."

"You'll do it?" the healer asked, wondering if Anna was serious. Her question was answered when Anna swiped her staff from her and began approaching Rizen on her own. "Just let me know if you need help ..."

"I'd have a better idea if I knew what she went through," Norbert explained. So far, Rizen was eyeing the two who'd held the little stick warily, but was a lot less frantic with her rider so near. Said rider continued, "Until today, the worst she's ever been through was being handled by someone she didn't know. I've never allowed her to be mistreated. Usually, though, if I'm letting someone approach us, she won't attack anyone. Of course, now I don't know if that's changed. Being abused makes me hostile, so I can only assume the same is true for Rizen."

"That's why I'm doing this. They'll never excuse you if she gets hurt trying to do her job. I'll be just fine on the other hand," Anna explained as she came closer. She only planned to get close enough to heal Rizen's rope burns but she would still have to be within striking distance to do so. She tuned out everything else other than the pegasus in question and Bert, so she could react in time if the former became defensive.

"Do you have actual experience doing this sort of thing?" the healer asked. Frankly, she was surprised she had been called in the first place if Anna knew how to heal. She ended up concluding that Anna just hadn't been expecting to need a staff for anything and merely left it at home. "Please be careful," she added, though Anna hadn't really heard any of it. Fortunately, Rizen didn't make any sudden moves or lash out when Anna began healing her wounds with the staff.

The second she finished treating the wounds, she backed away and returned the staff to its owner. "Well that was a little tense. Thanks for letting me borrow that."

"You're welcome, I suppose ..."

"Ready to go, Bert?"

"We have to pick up my poleaxe first, but other than that, I think we're both ready," he replied with a nod.

Looking through his saddlebags had revealed that he still had the cash he'd had on-hand from before he cut ties with Raquel. He also still had that little investment he'd made back in Sanctuary: the sun coin. He'd taken it since it seemed like it was only in use as a regular currency in Sanctuary, which made it a rare coin outside the desert city. That made it a nice fail-safe in case he needed some extra money, or at least so he guessed and hoped. Now that he was thinking about it, he wondered if he shouldn't try to sell it and put whatever money he got from it towards his debt or if he should keep it in case he needed it. He also thought about how it was good to keep some money on-hand, but his debt was pretty extensive so he figured even that might go towards his debt.

Once they had retrieved Bert's poleaxe, the last of his equipment, they went to pick up his gold, which was essentially Anna's gold now. On the bright side, she offered to carry it for him. Bert had to follow her back to the carriage she drove down in and it seemed that she had her own driver, since a man was in the driver's seat waiting patiently for them. "Just to be on the safe side, let's head back to the estate for now. We can handle your legal troubles a little later."

Norbert nodded. It didn't make much sense to try to do anything else at the moment; it was getting late. He still had to find out how to get that certification and he figured that'd be explained to him later anyway.

"So," he began as he mounted up into Rizen's saddle, "What can I expect I'll have to deal with now that I'm a Weyland employee?" It was obscenely strange for him to hear himself say that aloud and it showed by way of a grimace. That'll take some getting used to...

"It really all depends on what you end up doing. The only thing Weyland's people all have in common is that they all answer to him and his top agents regardless of their position. There are currently nine of them, myself included. You should probably get to know them so you don't end up getting into a fight if something important comes up. Anyway, that aside, you can expect to be working alongside people more often than not, so don't forget your time with Raquel and company and how to work as a team," Anna explained.

She continued while standing by the door to the carriage. "Another very important thing to keep in mind is that we're more like a little nation than a company. We look after each other; instead of cutting ties, we reassign people to roles that suit them better if they fail to deliver the results we're hoping for. So for now, don't think of yourself as just some indentured grunt, think of yourself as a foreigner applying for citizenship~"

Then she opened the door, waking up the girl inside, who appeared to be laying across and entire seat. "Oh wow, we must have been gone for a good while if she decided to take a nap."

"Indeed, heheh," the driver said before chuckling.

"Hate to wake her, but I'm not changing seats. Kind of a pet peeve. Suzume, switch sides if you're going to be napping. I got Bert off the hook so we're heading back home now."

Suzume sleepily replied, "... that's good," before yawning.

So, Anna not only had experience with the law, but she was one of Weyland's top agents? There certainly was more to her than met the eye. This got Norbert wondering just how many talents -- or at least things she;d been trained in -- this woman had. She had a good point about meeting the other top agents. Who knew? Maybe getting to know them really would help him to not get into as many fights with them. Getting to know Raquel, at least somewhat, had helped him to respect her authority. He still stubbornly doubted that he could ever actually enjoy this job, though, and in the back of his mind he decided he wouldn't like a single one of the top agents. Even Anna was one he was suspicious about. Even though he was grateful for the help she'd offered so far, it'd all come at a price.

Then came the warning that he'd probably be working with other people and the reminder that what people skills he'd developed with Raquel's group would be helpful there. That all depends on who I'm working with. he mentally grumbled. If he was working with people like Valter or Blake or Raquel, then he figured he could stand it. If they were anything like Zach or Cecelia, though, they were going to have problems and he wasn't going to be shy about expressing his thoughts.

Anna's advice continued, and so he continued to pay attention. Quite frankly, the comment about being a little nation of their own was a tad disturbing. He always lived on his own terms as much as he could and "applying for citizenship" didn't sound appealing at all. He had to remind himself that if he hadn't "moved" then he would probably have never seen Rizen again. In fact, if she kept misbehaving, then her spirit would have probably been broken or if that had proven impossible, then she may have been killed. With that thought, he steeled himself adamantly against that possibility once more and he felt a bit better about the choice he'd made. That aside, he began to wonder how he would fit in this new community. To be quite honest he'd never actually fit into a community before. The closest he'd ever gotten was just sort of being around without actually contributing or having any real direct impact on society. If Raquel's group counted, though, there really wasn't much variety as far as occupations went and even there he hadn't made much of a difference.

I'm not actually good at anything. The thing I'm the least bad at is fighting, though, so I'll probably wind up doing that again. If I get assigned something else... he grimaced at the thought. Igh... I can't even imagine it... Suddenly, he found the thought humorous. Heheheh they might just kick me out so I don't ruin anything else for them after long enough.

When Anna entered her carriage, he didn't pay much attention to what sounded like an exchange between herself and the driver at first. When he heard a name he deemed too obscure to belong to anyone other than the one person he knew who it was attached to, however, his attention snapped over and he peered into the carriage to see if it was who he thought it was. Sure looked like it was. Still, his surprise was fairly evident, in spite of his having been the one to direct her towards Weyland's in the first place. "Suzumay?"

"Hi Bert. How have you been?" Suzume greeted, getting out of her seat and stepping out of the carriage. It was definitely the same Suzume the group had encountered on multiple occasions in Chousokabe.

"Uhh, well," he began. In truth, things had not at all been going well for him recently, but then again there were some things he'd been glad had happened. Probably the best thing that'd happened aside from being bailed out -- which wasn't all sunshine and roses anyway -- had been his recently acquired better way of seeing himself and the realization that there were some people who really did want him around and not just as an extra wall between them and something damaging. In the end, he shrugged and finished, "more or less the usual. I guess you found your way to Weyland Enterprises."

"It wasn't as easy as I thought. I always saw myself as a city woman, but Chousokabe and the other places I've been to are campsites compared to Europa," Suzume explained.

"Approach Ursentius from the air and you'll have a heart attack," Anna teased.

"Anyway, it's good to see you under ... better circumstances. How's Gar?" I hate to jump straight to that but I already asked Anna and that was a mistake. At least Bert would know something for sure.

And there she went with that mysterious way of talking again. What did she mean by "better circumstances?" Was she referring to his being a Weyland Employee now? Did she mean he wasn't behind bars anymore? Well, it didn't really matter much anyway since in the end it was a kind gesture either way.

When Suzume asked about Gar, he shrugged. "I haven't really been paying much attention to him." I guess she really enjoyed her time with him back in Sergio. I hope he's not leading her on. "He's fine, though, last I checked. If you haven't been to Weyland's yet, I guess you can just ask him when you get there."

"I see. He's probably doing just fine then. I guess I'll find out more later. I'm supposed to be staying at the mansion for a while."

"Well that's convenient," Anna noted. She wasn't specific, but she felt Bert having some semblance of a friend around would make the whole transition easier. "Shall we head back then? Bert you'll have to just ride alongside us, I guess."

"So am I," Norbert noted aloud in response to Suzume. Then Anna asked if they should get going which really meant that it was time to head off. She also told him that he'd have to ride along side, to which he replied (a bit of an edge creeping back into his tone), "I was planning on that anyway."

[Snike]

"I... suppose you could equate this matter with that, but, really, I should have had more control over my words. Do not feel bad about it," Blake said, before the subject changed to Alex himself, what with Raquel guessing that he might be a runaway nobleman. That was a funny thought. "I somehow doubt he is a nobleman, though he fits the stereotype. Regardless, if his display here was any signal of his personality, he might cause... problems with some of the others, if he is not taken aside and spoken to."

[Eail]

"True, they are into some pretty heavy stuff, part of me even wants to see just how far that rabbit hole may go. I don't plan on abandoning you or Greta though, and there's no way we're all going into that without having a reason to. Besides it might be nice for you to be around some Rexians for a change get a taste of your nationality again.... kind of ironic for me to say that though.... what am I even....." As Alphonse trailed off in his thoughts, he managed to see Jamilla readying a strike at him, parrying it off to the side before speaking.

"Attacking when my guard is down? Such a low blow...." A smirk suddenly appearing on his face "Good girl, you're learning. Never give your opponent a moment of respite." If it wasn't for the fact she probably would have whacked his hand with the stick, he'd have patted her on the head.

[-Cynthia-]

He's really takin' charge here. "All right y'all, the first thing we wanna do is find our rhythm. Move yer left foot in, then your right foot in time with the beat like so," Nadya said, demonstrating the motion. Best to start with the basics.

[Ether]

"Yeah, I definitely remember this now." Faatina replied, hearing the beat begin to form, and seeing Nadya begin the dance. That was all it took for her to join in.

[Toogee]

"Oh. If I lived here, it wouldn't be empty. I'd have these rooms stuffed full of books and laboratory equipment!" said Tia with a mad, slightly happy, gleam in her eyes. "Imagine it! I could occupy the main room as my own personal lab with tons of small labs running off to the sides. The servants could run around, making sure everything was in perfect working order while myself and a few other scientists hurry about between them, trying our best to uncover the secrets of the universe! Guests could be shrunken down and made to stay in a doll-house and, when all our work was done, we could sit down and play with them! Well... Maybe that would be a bad idea as the cat might eat them... Though there are worse ways to go to be sure."

"Well, at least you have big dreams," Eli responded, not sure what else to say to the 'cat eating tiny guests' remark. "It's getting a bit late. I think I'll see if I can find an available room and rest for the night."

"True, they are into some pretty heavy stuff, part of me even wants to see just how far that rabbit hole may go. I don't plan on abandoning you or Greta though, and there's no way we're all going into that without having a reason to. Besides it might be nice for you to be around some Rexians for a change get a taste of your nationality again.... kind of ironic for me to say that though.... what am I even....." As Alphonse trailed off in his thoughts, he managed to see Jamilla readying a strike at him, parrying it off to the side before speaking.

"Attacking when my guard is down? Such a low blow...." A smirk suddenly appearing on his face "Good girl, you're learning. Never give your opponent a moment of respite." If it wasn't for the fact she probably would have whacked his hand with the stick, he'd have patted her on the head.

"You mean, like...this?!"

Jam swiped at his legs in a second attempt to get a hit off. A mischievous smile stretched across her face, desiring to continue the game.

[Eail]

"Yep, exactly!" Al replied, jumping over the sweep "Come on Jam, this is fun, show me what you've got! Get a good hit and next town we stop in I'll get you the sweetest dessert there is!"

He'd do it anyways even if she didn't hit him.....

[Snowy_One]

"Awww... Oh well. Nice talking to you then I guess." said Tia with a pouty voice as she visibly slumped down, saddened by Eli's desire to head off to bed. "Will I see you tomorrow at least?"

[Mercakete]

It was always a little exciting to learn a new dance. Those instruments the musicians had with them were new to the mariner, too, getting her to wondering what they all sounded like. Now was the time to start learning the new steps, though. Finding the rhythm was extremely easy for Gytha, so her head was bobbing a little even before Nadya began showing them the steps. She was a mariner, after all, and so she was used to music with heavy beats: they were used for keeping in unison while doing ship work quite often. It was the exact way of moving that she wasn't sure about yet and so she kept her eyes on Nadya's feet as she mimicked the steps.

[Toogee]

"Yep, exactly!" Al replied, jumping over the sweep "Come on Jam, this is fun, show me what you've got! Get a good hit and next town we stop in I'll get you the sweetest dessert there is!"

He'd do it anyways even if she didn't hit him.....

"Dessert? You better be getting me a sword!"

Jam started to strafe around Alphonse in order to find an opening. The dancer in her was coming out; she was hoping from foot to foot to keep from standing still.

"Awww... Oh well. Nice talking to you then I guess." said Tia with a pouty voice as she visibly slumped down, saddened by Eli's desire to head off to bed. "Will I see you tomorrow at least?"

"Of course," Eli replied. "You might want to do the same, in case your group decides to head out."

[Snowy_One]

"You kidding?" asked Tia, practically jumping up. "A rush of sugar, a mystery involving an ancient artifact, magic abounding in the air, a new friend, how COULD I sleep! This is so... AWESOME!" she said before hugging him. "And thanks for talking to me as well. Sleep well. Don't let the undead bite."

Edited November 17, 2013 by Snowy_One

[Balcerzak]

"Most excellent," Theodore replied jovially, taking the proffered parchment and, dipping the quill in ink, began to fill out the sign-up sheet for dance judging. "Will there be any need to demonstrate proficiency in the subject prior to selection? While my footwork may be... rusty, I daresay I'm a rather impeccable judge of rhythm. I played the viol through most of boarding school and the academy." In the man's experience, a little bit of light relevant discussion never hurt one's chances of consideration, and putting forward a presentable image and friendly face was only the sensible thing to do.

Edited November 16, 2013 by Balcerzak

[Eail]

"How about a sword made out of dessert then?" Alphonse chuckled, if she was really determined to have a sword, he'd see what he could do.

Seeing the girl was starting to bring out her inner dancer, hopping from foot to foot. Picking up on Jamilla's rhythm, Al started to mimic her actions

[Toogee]

"You kidding?" asked Tia, practically jumping up. "A rush of sugar, a mystery involving an ancient artifact, magic abounding in the air, a new friend, how COULD I sleep! This is so... AWESOME!" she said before hugging him. "And thanks for talking to me as well. Sleep well. Don't let the undead bite."

"Um...right, undead."

The poor girl seemed quite happy of their talk. Eli wondered how much others interacted with Tia. It was a common story, geniuses being shunned from society for one reason or another. Was the story repeated here? It was true that her childish enthusiasm could get on the nerves of others, especially in the older crowd she was traveling with. The rider would hate to see such intelligence get whittled away here when it could blossom in the university full of like minded individuals.

Still, it was her choice, and quite frankly, it wasn't any of his concern.

"I'll be here for a bit, so if you need to bounce something off of someone, come find me." With that, Eli said his goodbyes and headed upstairs to find a vacant room.

"How about a sword made out of dessert then?" Alphonse chuckled, if she was really determined to have a sword, he'd see what he could do.

Seeing the girl was starting to bring out her inner dancer, hopping from foot to foot. Picking up on Jamilla's rhythm, Al started to mimic her actions

"Let's see dessert do this!" Jam slashed upward in a diagonal. Her "blade" reversed direction soon after in case the first was blocked.

[Phoenix]

Bart's Table

The nobleman smiled at Theodore before explaining. "The princess is just trying to have a bit of fun with this competition and so Bartholomeo is likely to do the same. Just try to put your best--fun loving--foot forward and I'm sure you'll make it."

The Judge of Judges

Bartholomeo, the judge of the judges, made his way over to the small gathering of applicants, hoping to lower the number to five in the most fair or at least gentle and cordial way possible. It was a short and somewhat confusing process with no real consistency to be found. Bartholomeo seemed to be asking the would-be judges random questions about themselves, and by the end of it, he'd chosen Simmon, Shadrak, Theodore, Steinn, and Charis.

Carmen was a little annoyed to be passed over, seeing as she was only the second person to sign up for the role, beaten out for the first spot by someone who was in far too great a hurry, and ironically, not among those chosen as judges. She shrugged and took her leave, hoping to now spend her time a bit more purposefully by finding her date, who had gone missing at some point.

Meanwhile, Bartholomeo showed the five judges and their dates to the judge's table, a short (yet long) dining table they had the servants bring in for the competition. The judges could sit wherever they wanted and would use a scoring system to determine how good each dance was. To keep things simple, only the numbers one through five would be used, though Bartholomeo doubted any ones or twos would actually show up unless a dance was particularly bad or thoroughly botched.

Fantasies and Nightmares

When Cain finally reappeared, he had Sapphire on his arm and a suit that just barely fit him on. The suit aside, everything was perfect. He doubted he could win the colonel's heart, but at the very least he could spend a night with her as something more than just another officer in her unit. He couldn't hope for much else due to military regulations and the like.

"Lieutenant, you seem nervous," Sapphire said with concern in her eyes. That concern was quickly washed over by self surprise and she amended the statement. "Cain ... Cain, you look surprised. That's what I meant. I'm not used to using much but your rank, it seems."

"It's fine ... I'll probably be a Lieutenant for my entire career, anyway," Cain shrugged it off as best he could.

"You're not expecting to be promoted anytime soon? I would put in a recommendation for you since Jernigan has been talking of retiring as soon as the war is over. Your handling of the troops during our last battle was also exemplary."

"You think so, Ma'am?" Cain asked while looking away so she wouldn't see his face turning red. "I'd love to be a captain, but I just don't know if I'm ready for that kind of responsibility yet, and even if I was, a couple of good performances in battle isn't good enough."

"You may be right, but if Jernigan does plan to leave, you would likely be the one to take his place. We have to bump up the chain of command occasionally, so even if you don't feel you're ready just yet, you should do your best to prepare," Sapphire explained.

"... so true," he nodded.

Meanwhile, Carmen found herself on the second floor of the ballroom searching for her date. Movement was somewhat restricted along the walkways but it offered a better view of the room overall and she had a much better chance of spotting him if he was on the second floor with her. She didn't find him, however, she found Bernard Langley, instead. That wouldn't have been worth noting if not for the fact that he was motioning her over by the time she noticed him looking her way. She squinted and reluctantly approached the man.

"Is there something ...-" "You're General Illia's daughter, am I correct?" Bernard cut to the chase.

"You are correct, Sir," she nervously replied. Something was up here. There was no reason for him to be talking with her, and though that wasn't reason enough to be suspicious, she had a bad feeling about this, and that was governing her responses to a noticeable degree. Bernard though, he didn't care. He was on a mission.

"I thought so. Is your mother here this evening by any chance?"

"No, she had to attend a strategy meeting. She's likely deployed with her troops already," Carmen answered before going into a bit of musing. "Perhaps I can relay a message?"

"No need; this concerns you, Crimson Lightning. That's the moniker you wanted, was it not? Unfortunately, this isn't the best place to speak of such matters. For now, if you aren't busy, I'd like you to find Colonel Langley and Lieutenant Colonel Taylor and talk with them. Get to know them a little better while you can do so in a conducive environment."

... oh no ... "Scarlet Thunder, not Crimson Lightning. That aside, I did have a word with the colonel earlier, before the party began. She's a very strong woman despite her appearance."

"The Lieutenant Colonel, then," Bernard insisted.

Oh no ... please, gods, please! Don't do this to me! The poor grunts in that battalion have quite literally know advancement opportunities! Don't let him stick me in that deadend battalion, PLEASE!

[spoiler=Upgrading Your Ball Plan]

'Gar's really managed to get himself lost this time... I suppose he has a knack for that sort of thing...' Angelica noted to herself, as she made her way about the ballroom, her expression growing slightly annoyed... she didn't even know why she was bothering to look... no one would question her if she said that she couldn't find Gar of all people, and she had no doubt that he would be fine...

"What a bother..." She cursed under her breath, as she continued her search, not paying much attention to the guardsmen about the gathering.

Standing near the doorway Angelica was steadily approaching, were two royal guardsmen, both well armed. One of them stepped forward to redirect her, holding out his hand and saying, "No guests beyond this point. You'll have to turn back, now. Are you lost?"

"Hmm, no, I wouldn't say that I'm lost... just looking for someone..." Angelica replied, as she stopped moving forward. That was kind of annoying... knowing Gar, he had slipped through one of these checkpoints and was forever lost to them... atleast until he wished to be found.

"Unlikely they're back here unless they were escorted," the guardsmen replied.

A little ways behind them, out from a large door came a tall man wearing anything but ball attire. He shut the large double door behind him. He then began heading out, hoping to find Athena somewhere in the ballroom. What caught his attention first, however, was the bit of commotion in his path. "What's going on here?"

The guard still standing where he was posted, turned around and said, "Prince Athrun? This woman is ..." not quite finishing his answer at first. He glanced in Angelica's direction and then back toward the prince. "... looking for someone, though we're not sure who."

"Perhaps I can help. After all, you two have your own duties. I'm merely here as a show of support for my sister."

They couldn't very well argue with that, and the prince could handle himself, though he wasn't wearing what he should have been for attending a party like this. He almost looked like a part of the security team with those greaves on his legs.

"Oh my, Prince Athrun, attending to little me, how exciting~" Angelica replied with a giggle, as the unexpected new addition appeared.

"It would appear I've been ditched by my date... for the life of me I can't find him anywhere..." Angelica continued with a sigh.

The royal guard went back to his post as she explained her situation. Athrun was more surprised than sad to learn that she had been ditched and couldn't help but wonder if there wasn't more to it. "What does the man look like? I'll gladly help you find him so you won't have to wander about alone, any longer." He wasn't sure exactly what would happen when they found this man, but he decided to at least give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Tall, wiry build... silver hair... wearing black from head to toe..." Angelica replied, as the prince asked of Gar's appearance... she couldn't help but be curious as to his motive... was he simply proactive about this sort of thing, or perhaps Raquel had caused an even mightier stir than she had thought... the prince was a Wrathite, after all... Angelica somewhat doubted that sort of ulterior motive for the simple fact that she wasn't exactly primary target material, but it didn't hurt to keep it at the back of her mind.

"Though won't your date feel shafted, if you're wandering about with another woman, Prince Athrun?"

He committed Angelica's description to memory, but hadn't seen anyone like that before now. "Not very likely," Athrun replied, grinning. "I came with no date this evening."

"Oh? Now why would you not bring a date to your own sister's engagement party, I wonder?" Angelica replied, giving the prince a smile to match his own growing grin, before continuing.

"Ah, but where are my manners? My name is Angelica, Prince Athrun."

"Angelica ..." he echoed, somewhat impressed with her name. "Since you're curious, I find it all to be ... bothersome. When almost any woman I lock eyes with falls prey to rumors of becoming Ursium's next queen, I can't help but feel a little uneasy, especially at events like these. Truth be told, I was hiding out earlier: my sister knows full well I'm here and support her. I can only hope that's enough." Then, mumbling to himself, he said, "Now there's this dance competition ... I'm not sure what she's thinking."

"Oh my, now you're even throwing scandal at the feet of a petite young maiden who happened to lose her way... though I might not object to that kind of excited speculation every now and again... still, to have it a constant thorn in your side, I suppose it might grow annoying." Angelica replied, as Athrun elaborated on his circumstance... every woman felt like an emboldened fib, but she couldn't be sure, not enough to risk poking the lion. Moving right along to the next subject, the adept continued.

"Well, there are people of all sorts attending... perhaps she's simply interested in seeing what sort of dances they might come up with... though she did seem to dart off rather excitedly to another woman after making her announcement, maybe she has something planned. Though that might be reading too much into it... dancing is fun, and this is supposed to be a party, after all. A little playful nudge towards competition never hurt anyone, either... it makes everyone want to do just that little bit better, so long as it's kept in check it can be a nice way to spice things up... she might have just been bored?"

This engagement is not something she would have agreed to under normal circumstances ... so of course she would behave this way. How else can she exercise any control in her life if not through these little ... games ... Athrun thought to himself, a little saddened by the thought. He immediately repeated part of what Angelica told him when he heard it. "Another woman?" It only took him a moment to figure out who that woman was though. "Morgana Wyght, of course. I'll need to have a word with Athena at some point, but for now I suppose we should look around for your 'missing man'."

It seemed that something about that had gotten the prince feeling down, atleast momentarily, as the emotion flitted across his expression, quickly receding.

"To be honest, I think I'm having a better time now than I have all night... he's an interesting fellow but he really doesn't know how to treat a lady." Angelica noted, deciding to bemoan Gar a bit behind his back... not that a word of it was false, either way. Deciding to take a slight risk, the young blonde snaked her hand about to lightly take hold of Athrun's, moving herself closer to the prince.

"Perhaps I wouldn't mind, spending a while with you instead of him... if you want to see your sister, we can take a detour that way... he's just about as likely to be with her as anywhere else, anyway."

If that was how Angelica felt, Athrun had to wonder if his suspicions were right on the mark. So much for the benefit of the doubt, though he was still going to keep relatively quiet if they found her date at some point. For now ... "Very well, I'll take his place for now if that's what you prefer," he replied with a nod. More rumors would abound, but he wasn't so averse to them that he would avoid this at all cost. "Perhaps it'd be best to go to my sister first so I can get that out of the way."

"Hehe, great~ This night might not end up such a disaster after all. Lead the way, Prince Athrun." Angelica gleefully replied, pulling herself even closer as Athrun agreed to stand in as her date, wrapping herself about his arm as they walked.

"You're more muscular than I would have expected." She noted, with her newfound empirical evidence towards said statement.

It was turning out to be a disaster before he showed up? Maybe it was a bit of an exaggeration but Athrun took note anyway. She certainly seems to be enjoying this, though, most do ... While he led them back into the ballroom proper, she commented on his muscles, which he, frankly, hadn't been expecting. Once he thought about it, though, he was more amused than surprised. "What were you expecting, exactly? A frail nobleman?" he asked with a smile.

"To be perfectly honest, I was expecting to never find out... I had heard that you were somewhat of a swordsman, but many of the upper class will pick up a rapier and call themselves a master of the blade... I can feel your practice and dedication, though... it's quite nice." Angelica replied... the prince seemed to be responding fairly well so far, that was always a plus.

"Well ... for me, skill in battle is a kind of freedom. The freedom to do what I know is right, not simply the freedom to run around doing whatever I please. I've always hated the idea of watching terrible situations unfold from afar and being able to do nothing about them. It's so much worse when one is expected to rely completely on others for protection," Athrun explained.

"That's not such a bad reason to learn to fight... you want to protect people, and not just sit back and be protected yourself... Is that why the royal guard lets you help with chores like little lost girls, hehe?" Angelica replied, her eyes catching Raquel, the woman seemingly making her way towards the exit. Deciding to give the merchant a slight wave with her off hand, though not sure if the woman would see it, Angelica did so, as they began to approach the area Princess Athena had claimed as her own.

Athrun noticed her waving to someone in the distance but he didn't focus on it long enough to spot who it was. Instead, he focused on his own reply, which began with, "Well I'm not that closely supervised, but ..." He paused due to noticing pretty much every guard in sight looking his way. So much for what he was trying to say .... "... suffice to say, they're effective at long range," he corrected himself and smiled.

"Haha... not as autonomous as you'd like, huh? Well, strong as you might be or might get, it'd be a tragedy if anything happened to you... better this than them just not caring and you getting into trouble that you couldn't handle." Angelica replied, as Athrun noted that the guardsmen were effective from afar.

"Effective from long range, huh? Well, I suppose if they all just had the swords on their belts they'd be pretty ineffective if something happened across the room, it makes sense." Angelica replied, snuggling a little closer.

'And I'm sure that some, if not all, of the attendees who can't seem to stop looking at us, are probably working for the guard too...'

Is her grip getting tighter? That's not unusual, but ... Time for thinking about stuff was up, and Athena was within talking range, along with a few other people, but Athrun expected as much. It was difficult to find Athena alone, even excluding the guards. "Athena ..."

"Hm-OH, Athrun! Hellooo~" Athena replied as she turned around, exaggerating her tones to absurdity at first. "Who is this with you? I didn't think you would bring a date for this." He didn't, to be fair ...

"This is Angelica. I'll, spare you the details ..."

Well... that wasn't the expected reply... either the princess was trying to draw attention over, or she had dipped a little too deep into the punch bowl... either way this looked to be an interesting exchange.

"It's so nice to meet you, Princess Athena~" Angelica chimed in, her voice nice and sweet, to match the main event's... enthusiasm. Speaking of the main event...

"It looks like your fiance has fallen to the wayside, though... well, I might only speak for myself but, you're certainly more of a draw than he is anyway."

"Oh yes, poor Terrel's gotten himself cornered from the looks of things," Athena agreed. "Thank you so much for that, though, really. Are you sure it isn't just the dress?" she asked, looking down at her now violet and ever changing gown. "I like to think I could have pulled this ball off in anything, but ..."

"Athena, why exactly are you holding a dancing contest in the middle of your engagement party?" Athrun cut in. This was why they were here, so he wanted to handle it sooner rather than later.

Athena gave an unamused glance and then her face went blank as she said, "It's my party, it should go exactly as I wish it to, no? Speaking of which, you should enter now that you have a partner."

"I think not," Athrun immediately replied, holding out his palm in a gentle stopping gesture.

She gave him another unamused glance and quietly said, "Probably can't dance in those shoes anyway," noting his greaves and then smirking.

"Well, it is a rather fancy gown... but I don't think you need it... you've such a nice, full figure, I think just about anything would look good on you... to be honest, I feel a bit underdressed myself, though..." Angelica replied... it wasn't a lie, after all... sometimes the truth can be the best course of action in buttering someone up... rarely, but sometimes. Following that, Athena asked her brother... more like softly demanded, that he join the dance competition, which he stoutly refused.

"You didn't want to dance, Prince Athrun? It sounds like it would be fun..."

"Until martial arts demonstrations qualify as 'dances', my brother is never going to be too fond of them," Athena teased.

Athrun sighed. "I might have actually dressed for the occasion if I had any intent of dancing," he explained.

"Well... it's not my place to force you, I suppose..." Angelica replied, her expression dropping along with any excitement in her tone.

Athrun let loose a long and quiet sigh. "Is this really what you wish of me, Angelica?"

"Well, it seems like it would be a lot of fun... and it might be a nice way to make some memories with you... this is a pretty rare chance, after all..." Angelica replied, looking away to hide a blush as she spoke.

It seemed a little too soon to sigh again, especially for the same reason, so Athrun simply acquiesced. "Very well, then."

"Wonderful, I look forward to seeing what sort of performance the two of you put on," Athena interjected. "Now then, if you'll excuse me, I've got some preparing of my own to do, and some dancing shoes to see delivered." With that, she left the two.

"Hehe, alright~!" Angelica jovially replied, throwing herself at the Prince and nuzzling against his chest for a moment before pulling away, looking up at him with eyes full of glee.

"This is gonna be so great~"

"I'd be willing to settle for 'fair', truth be told ..."

[spoiler=The Wanderers]Raquel wasn't sure what she would say to Nadine if she actually ended up speaking with her again. They hadn't seen each other since before graduation, and Raquel herself hadn't graduated at all. While thinking about what might happen should she actually be there when they went back to see Miguel, she noticed Angelica waving to her from a distance. It was a small wave, so she narrowly caught it, but what was strange was that she wasn't with Gar; in fact, she was with someone else entirely. He looked like a nobleman, but that was all she could tell from a distance. He looked like he wasn't expecting to come to a party, though, which was a little odd. She gave a small, curious wave in return before facing forward again as they walked.

"Was that what she was talking with you about earlier?" she asked Blake. She went on to add, "Walking around with him, I mean."

Blake did not respond for a second, as he tried to navigate around meetings with other old friends. Eventually, though, he looked back and saw Angelica with a nobleman... Wait a second, was that...?

"... No, she came to me about asking how the meeting went, and to say that Gar wandered off. Nothing about encountering another nobleman," Blake responded, as he turned back to Raquel. "Especially not that gentleman. That is Prince Athrun, I believe."

Raquel's eyes widened in surprise. She had to wonder what circumstances could have landed her with the prince of all people. Shouldn't he already have a date, or something? "Are you sure that's the prince?" she asked, just hoping to be sure.

"I believe that is the case," Blake responded, in an even tone. "He never was one for formal events such as these, which may explain why he appears to be out of his element. It is a bit surprising that he is alone, however. I was half-expecting him to be accompanied by Miss Bradford, now that our previous matter was settled."

"'Miss Bradford' ...?" Must have been the annoying girl with Desmond. "Wait-how do you know all of this? I'm not well informed, but you know about the wrathites individual members, the prince's personality ..." She wasn't sure where she was going with this, but ... some new information had to come from asking, even asking as clumsily as this.

"Yes, Clover Bradford, daughter of the late Head Wrathite, and an Exemplar, from what I have heard as of late. You met her at the meeting," Blake explained, before pausing to consider his words. "As I said before, I used to attend the Church of Wrath regularly, until a few years ago. It isn't that surprising that I would know quite a bit about the Order's membership. "

He was omitting a few details, but, to be frank, he didn't think they were relevant, and he wasn't going to bring it up, unless absolutely necessary.

"... right. You should probably not bring that up around most of the group, come to think of it. Our experience with the wrathites has been really bad as a whole, and if they find out you're not only a former wrathite, but also let Desmond do whatever he did to you ... well ... I don't know what they'll do." She hated having to keep quiet about this but she really didn't think the whole group would just nod their heads at the news and let the matter be.

"I was not planning on saying anything unless absolutely necessary," Blake responded, as he avoided eye contact. "I mean, I have not said much if not anything before this, so this will be a return to the norm for myself. Besides, getting attacked by some of our more violent members is not very high up in my priority list, at the moment."

Something in Blake's response caught Raquel's attention and she looked at him for a moment. ""Our'? You're talking like you're still with them," she noted with a frown, looking away from him before he had a chance to make eye contact.

"Our as in as a member of the mercenaries," Blake said, as he tried to catch Raquel's glance and failed spectacularly. "Getting attacked by Norbert or Zach would not be very productive. I am not with the Wrathites, despite what you might be thinking. Mind you, you have every right to treat me as if I am, I suppose. Especially considering I have no idea what the full extent of this bond is."

"Right, sorry ..." Apparently she'd misheard him. "So we won't say anything about that for now." As they exited out into the hallway, she remembered that Blake had mentioned Bert and though it seemed a little belated, she said, "Bert's ... leaving us. He doesn't want to cause anymore trouble, so we probably won't be seeing him anymore after we head out from Weyland's."

"It is no problem," Blake responded, eyes on the ground for the time being. "That... might be for the best, especially if our next destination is Neviskotia. Though, he will be missed."

"Yeah ..." Raquel agreed, albeit a bit gloomily. As they headed for the main hall and the entrance, Miguel came into view, which was surprising to Raquel. She thought he'd have to stay outside with the rest of his unit. Either way, he wouldn't be avoided, and she was curious, so when he waved to them, she waved back and the three of them converged on one spot.

Miguel was quick to point out that Nadine was now back at her post, but Raquel wasn't in a rush to meet her again; she had some thinking to do, first, since she didn't know exactly how her friend took it when she suddenly dropped out of the academy. Just as well, since Miguel had caught wind of the dance competition on his way and suggested that they make time to watch it. Raquel would have pointed out that they were on the way to talk with Nadine to cover for the fact that she wasn't interested in watching the competition, but Miguel crushed that excuse by noting that the competition wouldn't last too long and Nadine was going to be stuck at the main entrance for much of the night, anyway. There was time, clearly.

With that, it was time to go back to where they'd come from to watch the dancers compete for ... whatever it was they were competing for.

[spoiler=Suspicions Abound]"Evening, gentlmen," came Weyland's voice. He looked to be in a very good mood, but Chie knew he was faking it as hard as he could. The men he'd greeted were all from Hammer Industries and there were only two reasons he was even talking with them, the first, to keep them from coming to him first, which allowed him to play this on his own terms, and the second, to catch them relatively off guard. A game of corporations was getting underway.

"Ah, if it isn't Seth Weyland himself. And who might this lovely woman be?" asked one of the men.

"Chie. Just Chie," she introduced herself, while burying whatever her surname was under a little thing called privacy. Weyland wasn't surprised. She wouldn't tell him, either.

"A pleasure, Miss Chie," one of the others spoke next. "My name is David Garaile. I'm the Chief Executive Officer of Hammer Industries. This is Darius Turner, Head of Finances, and Daniel Tucker, Master of day to day affairs. So Weyland, what brings you our way? The ballroom is back that way. Surely you didn't come here to mingle with us."

"You must have noticed looks on our faces a moment ago ... these are trying times," Daniel noted.

Weyland smirked. "Of course I noticed the downtrodden looks on your faces. That's why I had to come over and help to cheer you gentlemen up."

Seth, you and your rivals are such entertaining liars. It's all I can do not to laugh aloud at this charade, Chie mused. A bit of laughter from all three of the Hammer officials followed. Nothing stopping them, it seems.

"Oh if only a greeting from the renowned Professor Weyland could undo all our woes," Darius said, smiling sadly.

"I say, man, what's wrong? What's happened?" Weyland was genuinely concerned, but only because it was apparently bad enough to allude to right in front of him, their biggest business rival.

"Best we not speak of this out in the open. There's a patio nearby we might use," David suggested. Everyone ended up following him outside to that patio. "Darius, as you were saying ..."

"Well, recently our main building was attacked by a marauding freak of nature. He killed several of our people and kidnapped Mister Wilson's daughter, Lois. He's one of our benefactors, and as you know, Lois is an absolute genius; she's refined quite a few of our designs, some of which are actively in use in the field. It's a terrible situation to be sure."

Daniel then continued where Darius left off. "The man must have been working for someone in particular because we haven't received a ransom notice or any demands. We've heard nothing."

"Strange, almost as if this Lois girl is prize enough, or removing her is prize enough. Perhaps both. It could be a bold business rival, or a bitter enemy ... perhaps those two are one and the same, as well," Chie speculated. Weyland wasn't sure if she was implicating him on purpose or just being extremely unbias like usual.

David nodded in agreement. "Yes, I too suspect as much ...."

Then, there was silence, a silence that lasted for far too long. Eventually, Weyland had had enough. "Ahem! I've heard nothing of this, so I can only assume you've somehow managed to keep this kidnapping a secret. Perhaps it's time to go public with this news before any trails that do exist go cold."

"We don't want the skotians catching wind of this, her revisions to our weapons are literally killing them by the cartloads," David said with an eerie calm.

"Her revisions are already in the field, man, and who bloody cares if the skotians find out; for all we know, they're behind this. They certainly had no problem attacking me in my home, after all," Weyland countered. He didn't want to look like he was shifting suspicion away from himself, but Chie hadn't taken the opening to bring up the other obvious suspects, so he did.

"Terrible business, that. I'm sorry for the damage they caused and the lives they took," Daniel offered his condolences.

"It's war," Weyland muttered with an exaggerated shrug. "That aside, I'm curious, have you sent anyone to try and rescue Wilson's daughter?"

"Mister Wilson's hired about ten different mercenary groups, but he doesn't understand how that sort of business works. You don't hire glorified thugs to do the work of a huntsman," David explained. "We have some of our own people looking into the matter, but we're not likely to track this bastard down so easily. You're the one with all the secret agents, Weyland, perhaps you could help us. You'll gain a lot of support helping us in our time of need, I'm sure."

Weyland swayed backward with a chuckle. "Hmhmhm, only if it becomes public knowledge, David, only then." With some ideas coming to mind, he put a hand on his chin and said, "I'll see what I can do."

What are you up to, Seth? Rescuing and returning that girl won't help your image enough to be worth the investment. Perhaps this is the groundwork for something greater, or perhaps you're only pretending to get yourself involved. I sincerely hope you plan to eat these men and their company alive at some point, but if this is a part of that plan, it's going to be a long, long meal, Chie mused.

Dance

They had the instruments, and they had the musicians. They had the judges, and they had the contestants. They had the stage, and they had the audience. With that, they could begin the dance competition, whose prize, if any, was yet to be revealed for some reason. Bartholomeo made use of the wind mage to get the whole room's attention. He didn't expect everyone to watch, but he did hope anyone in the ballroom proper would at least be quiet. Ambient noise would be far too distracting.

"Our first contestants are Niel and Laura," announced Bartholomeo.

These two were a pair hoping to win through their mastery of the waltz, and while not likely to be unique or intriguing, they were masters, and hoped that with their perfect movements, coordination, and timing would impress as much as anything unique or intriguing would. As the two began their duet, the audience fell mostly silent, though whispers and excited reactions were still rampant. Their performance went off without a hitch, everything was perfect as far as they were concerned, and many in the audience seemed to agree.

Shadrak was certainly impressed, but he would have been impressed with anyone who had the guts to dance in front of so many people watching them, expecting great things and catching any mistakes. Steinn was actually intrigued due to this being the first time he'd seen an Ursian dance in isolation. He finally had the opportunity to closely examine and pick up some of it. Simon was impressed but felt the dance was somewhat underwhelming. They hadn't pulled him into the dance as he hoped. He wanted to pin some of the blame on the musicians, but the pacing of the song wouldn't allow for anything more interesting from them on such short notice. Charis liked the dance, but that doubted anyone doing doing a waltz would win the competition.

The second dance was to be performed by a group of five women. They danced to some lively music and often ended up in a long rotating line, holding hands, and always broke the line to twirl in circles like ballerinas in preparation for the next joining. They ended their routine while all lined up together, mimicking a wave as they each leaped up and fell to seated positions one after another.

Shadrak had no idea how anyone could have memorized all those moves in just half an hour, so began to wonder if it was an old routine the five women already knew well. Either way, he was impressed. Simon felt the dance lacked something, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Steinn had his head cocked at them for most of the performance, and every time Gabbie reached over with her hands to right his head, he would tilt it over slightly again in his intrigue. Eventually she just laughed quietly and gave up. He barely seemed to notice her messing with him, anyway. Lastly Charis, she liked this dance the most. It was a group effort with great coordination and pacing. It reminded her of a well practiced choir and she gave them the best score she could.

The third dance was performed by a single woman: Gytha. The music was fairly simple but very lively, carrying a strong rhythm to which the mariner was constantly bouncing, switching from one foot to the other. Sometimes, she landed on the ball of her foot with the toe of her other tapping the floor behind the one on the ground and sometimes she'd land full on a foot and sweep the other out. At first, Gytha kept her hands on her hips, kicking in a few twirls with the music. The dance ranged around the area given to the dancers for their performance and Gytha raised her hands above her head and began clapping, grinning at the audience and encouraging them to join in clapping to the beat.

This lasted only a short while before the song began to speed up. Gytha's grin widened and she kept to the new rhythm as it got faster and faster, throwing in more spins and even leaps as she just enjoyed the energetic music. She never tried to stop herself from belting out a "hey!" or some laughter here and there. When the song finally began coming to an end, she jumped and spun once in the air, landing with her hands on her hips and a knee bent and her other leg kicked out forward, heel on the ground and a large grin on the last note. That completed, she let herself laugh as she returned to a normal standing position and clapped for the band that had played for her.

"Now for our fourth act, the Buzzed Bachelors! ... and Bachelorettes!" Bartholomeo had quickly corrected himself when he noticed he'd missed part of it. Reading from a sheet and putting on a show wasn't as easy as he'd hoped it'd be.

Haythem led the group, and they formed into a crescent so they could be more easily viewed from various angles. They had also made it a point to change up the direction of the formation throughout the routine to give the entire audience different views of the routine throughout. The dance moves themselves, were highly rhythmic and the men's hips moved just as much as the women's provoking much thought among the audience. Haythem had also gone the extra mile to get the group a chanter who emulated Haythem long enough to do some chanting with the music and more or less complete the feel he was going for. All in all, it was a new and captivating experience for the audience. Haythem couldn't have enjoyed it more unless they had gotten their hands on some sancturan dancing garments. When the music stopped, Haythem guided them into a bow and the audience applauded.

Shadrak was surprised, and for many different yet similar reasons. Gytha was doing this dance, Faatina was doing this dance, Nadya was doing this dance, Zachary was doing this dance, Haythem was doing this dance, all five of them were doing this ... THIS dance. He wasn't sure what to make of such a fun looking but suspiciously titilating routine. It wasn't until about half way through the routine that he realized why they were called bachelors and bachelorettes. Simon ended up clapping quietly to the beat and swaying. Clearly he liked the performance. Steinn didn't need to ask Gabbie if this was a mating dance. While he could have been wrong, he was pretty sure it was to some extent, at least in the right context. Charis appreciated the group effort but wasn't thrilled with the titilating gestures, especially Haythem's; that young man was a little too experienced with those gestures.

After the buzzed teasers performance came a solo dance, from a lone nobleman. When Carmen recognized him as her date, she nearly called out loud enough for anyone nearby to hear her. She only managed to stop herself by swiftly covering her mouth so only a quiet muffled "Whaaaaaat?" could escape, and it was drowned out almost completely by the initial applause.

As the man's dance began, Carmen knew she was the focus, as Joshua, her date, and the man performing down on the dancefloor, wouldn't take his eyes off her without necessity. At times, often after fancy and swift, almost jackknife like moves, he would gesture dramatically at her, getting those nearby and afar to look her way. She hated being put under the figurative spotlight like this, but she kept herself under control, repeatedly telling herself that his intentions, however ridiculous, were good.

The dance, at the very least, earned Joshua a grand applause. Shadrak was secretly wishing he was that light on his feet. He could dance circles around the enemy before violently cutting them down with dark spells if he had moves like those. Alas, it was too hard for him to cast on the move for him to consider actually trying to learn evasive moves like that. Simon had similar thoughts to Shadrak, but was more intent on giving them a try. This was his favorite dance thus far. Steinn leaned back somewhat to ask Gabbie if that was a mating dance or anything similar, to which she said "Could be~". Charis was impressed like some of the others but felt the dance to be a little too wild, as if overcompensating for being the only person in the act. Still it was good, and she would give it a high score.

Next up was none other than Princess Athena herself, and her partner for the dance, Morgana, who now had her dancing shoes, a set that matched Athena's perfectly. Athena had also changed out of her color changing dress temporarily, to a light blue dress to match Morgana's coat.

There wasn't as much music with this routine, because Athena and Morgana were providing the percussion element with their own feet. The dancing shoes their were wearing were for tap dancing, and they had long memorized many routines for this kind of jigging. They planned to spice things up by throwing in some acrobatics occasionally, but for the most part, they wowed the crowd with their ever evolving beats, seamless transitions and role reversals, and unstoppable pacing. It was a strong effort, but for Athena, it wasn't about winning, it was about showing her friend a good time and making sure she could still put a smile on the woman's face. She achieved that end, and so with or without a win, she'd accomplished much of what she set out to do in just this short routine.

Athena and Morgana ended with two aerials mirroring each other, and a final crescendo that left the two facing opposite audiences with their arms out to their sides ... and then they bowed and the applause and whistles ensued. Shadrak ended up clapping too. This was the first dance of the competition he had actually seen some of before and he was very impressed. He felt the princess deserved to win if she could take Sanctis jigging to a whole other level like that. Simon was both overwhelmed and underwhelmed. On the one hand, it was an impressive show and featured many ... feats ... but he didn't see Sanctis jigging as an impressive dance. He knew a few moves himself, so that may have colored his opinion somewhat. He thought that perhaps it was the acrobatics mixed in that hurt the performance, but he wasn't sure. This performance was the only one thus far that made Steinn at least move along with either the rhythm or the beat and though it was slight, he very much enjoyed it. Charis too loved this dance. It featured a high level of coordination that even surprassed the second act, which until then had been her favorite. Now it was her second favorite, for Athena and Morgana weren't just coordinated, the two had strong synergy.

The seventh and final dance of the competition went to Athrun and Angelica. Neither had any intention of holding back, and on Athrun's suggestion, they worked a prop into their routine, a dangerous one, in fact ... his own sword. Ever since he had received Wrath's blessing, there seemed to be almost no stunt he couldn't pull off with a blade so long as physics didn't get in his way. Angelica on the other hand, had no prop, at least not yet ...

Everyone was surprised to see two step out onto the dance floor with the prince holding his weapon. Was this a dance or a tragic play? They would soon find out, though many people began whispering and asking the guards if he was allowed to have a weapon in the ballroom. The short of it was always 'yes'. The purpose of the sword became more obvious as the two began their fast paced, hot blooded duet. There were spins, lifts, spinning lifts, and all the while, Athrun's sword changed hands between the four present. Sometimes he had it, sometimes Angelica did. The sword generally changed hands whenever they came together, but all of that was about to change as they entered the next phase.

Many in the ballroom were on edge as the blade came out of the sheath, though this was all a part of the routine, and it was the only part that had any chance of going wrong, since they hadn't practiced it thoroughly, and the very nature of what they were doing demanded mistakes be made, but as they continued their dance, swapping sword and sheath, and occasionally uniting the two, they did so flawlessly. Athrun was able to correct for any inaccuracy on Angelica's part, and Angelica was able to help Athrun keep his movements steady when they were close with his attention divided. The dance finally came to a close when Athrun tossed the sword skyward and bent Angelica over backward. Both of their hands aligned as they held the sheath, and somehow, without even looking, Athrun knew where and when the sword was coming. It landed right in the sheath, and the dance came to titilating and nearly supernatural end.

Some slightly intoxicated but truly impressed man in the crowd shouted "YEAH!!!" before anyone had the chance to applaud their performance, but applause and a bit of chuckling near the man quickly ensued. Athena felt a bit cheated since Athrun managed to use props. She hadn't thought of that, but she supposed in hindsight, her routine had no place for them. She decided to pity Athrun instead, feeling that he wouldn't have stood a chance if not for his ridiculous blade skills. She had to admit though, the dance was impressive, with or without his sword flying all over the place.

Shadrak couldn't believe what Angelica had gotten herself into. It was a fantastic performance, yes, but it got his mind trapped in the gutter quite a few times throughout and had him feeling a little threatened afterward. Simon had chosen his favorite only a quarter of the way into the routine. The first time Athrun caught Angelica with one arm and his sword in its sheath with the other, he was won over. It was wrathdamn brilliance, if not a little provocative. Steinn liked the dance, plain and simple, but Gabbie came up to his shoulder and asked him if he thought that would be a good fallen dance, to which he slowly nodded several times as a smirk creeped up onto his face. Charis was torn. It was a great effort by the prince and by his partner, but she didn't like how overtly sexual it was. Did the woman's leg really have to be so high, nearly wrapped around to the prince's back during their final steps? She decided to be fair and give them the score she thought they deserved for their effort rather than the score she thought they probably needed as a reminder of how much more tasteful they could have been about the whole thing.

With the last performance out of the way, it was time for the groups to all gather on the dance floor for the final rulings ....

Home At Last

The carriage Anna had borrowed finally pulled up to the main entrance of Weyland's estate, after a very long day and early evening of activity. The driver hopped down to let the two women out. Suzume emerged first, stretching her arms high above her head and yawning toward the sky. Anna emerged second, with a few small sacks in her arms and notebook between her teeth. Rather than say anything, Suzume reached out with her hand, offering to hold the notebook for a little while, and Anna let her take it.

"Thanks. I don't want to have to make two trips." Looking over to pegasus knight, she yelled, "Bert, go get your pegasus settled in and then go to the dining room. Suzume and I will be waiting there for you."

"Is something going on?"

"Since you guys have almost no luggage to put away, we can deal with getting you moved in after dinner, right? Right. So that's the plan. We have a few basic things to go over, and then we'll find you some rooms. You'll be staying here for a good while unless something urgent comes up."

[spoiler=Phoenix Rising]Try as she might to sleep, things were bothering Siv, mainly the feeling that something extremely volatile was right beside her, and a red light so intense that it shone through her eyelids. It wasn't until she had moved her arm to shield her eyes that she opened them and began to rise up. From the corners of her eyes, she could see that Shadrak's entire room was being assailed by this light and everything around her had a deep redness to it.

Deciding to back off for her own safety, she crawled away from the nest of blankets and pillows she'd made, toward the head of the bed. Still she couldn't see what was at the source of the light. <"Little one?"> she called to the infant in the egg. She kept her voice relatively low, but she was clearly worried. The red light didn't let up, and Siv decided to try and feel around while keeping her eyes shielded. She was beginning to suspect the egg shell had fallen apart by now for there to be so much light coming from the nest.

As she drew closer, the light finally began to relent, and before long the room returned to its normal color, the darkness began to take over, and Siv was able to see for herself what had come forth from the egg, a small fallen hatchling. Once the light was completely gone, the two of them were alone in the dark. Both of their irises began to glow, the fallen infant's through her eyelids; she wasn't asleep anymore. Siv quickly but gently scooped up the child and held her close as she got out of bed. Next, she took a clean towel and wrapped the child in it. She was slightly too young to do most motherly tasks reliably, so she thought to get some help. Norn would have been her first choice, being old enough to bare and raise children all on her own, but she was locked up and Siv doubted the guards would risk lives by making an exception. She knew just how determined Norn was to escape and if the guards made even one small mistake, they would be bled dry. Maybe Steinn or Anna could help, then? That was what she hoped to find out as she left the room.

Edited November 19, 2013 by Phoenix

[Mercakete]

The errands that followed the events at the jailhouse didn't always involve him, but the ones that did drifted in and out of the fore of his mind. One was their visit to the temple to sign him up for getting certified for pegasus combat. He'd been able to choose which order was going to perform the ceremony and his natural choice was the Mercites. Considering previous run-ins with the Wrathites, they were right out and he didn't really care about the Naturites or the Truthites. He'd been raised a Mercite, even if he didn't practice it, and so the ceremony had been scheduled. From the sound of things, there was nothing to worry about other than extreme boredom and possibly being touched, but neither were deal-breakers.

The other, more annoying errand had been the one he'd set out to accomplish in the first place: setting up a bank account. He'd argued a little with Anna on this, bringing up the fact that he no longer had anything for them to actually store and so setting up an account was both useless and a waste of time. She'd insisted, however, and he was reminded that since he had been purchased by Weyland Co., he had to comply even on silly things like this. And so he'd opened a bank account. He still felt a bit bitter about that one, but it was only enough to encourage his usual scowl and occasional, quiet grumbling.

When they arrived at Weyland's estate, Norbert had mixed feelings about finally being back. For one, he was glad he wouldn't be sleeping in a prison cell and he was also glad that the errands seemed to be over and he probably had a bit of time to himself now -- time to rest and think about the events of the day. He would have to stable Rizen, but he figured she wouldn't mind it as much since these were stables she'd rested in before and no one was forcefully separating to two. Arriving also, however, reminded him that he was now indentured: a fact that he rather resented. Part of him wanted to head out again as though that would somehow delay the status. Of course, the notion was just dumb so he figured he might as well just get a good night's sleep and face the next day as refreshed and strengthened as possible.

Of course, as soon as they arrived, Anna started yelling orders at him. Norbert had to wonder if she was enjoying this a little more than was necessary and cast her an unspoken complaint in the form of a glare, but acknowledged the orders and rode Rizen off toward the stables. He'd already begun off in that direction when Suzume and Anna had their brief exchange so he was left to speculate a bit more. They'd had sort of informal meetings in the dining hall in the past, so it could have been that that sort of thing would transpire there again when he got there. That was his best guess for the moment.

[-Cynthia-]

Faatina, Zach, and Gytha had gotten a handle on the dance moves, at least by Nadya's estimation, and their performance had gone as planned. Part of Nadya wondered whether Haythem had chosen this particular dance to impress the judges or whether there was some other reasoning behind it...she would have time to figure it out later as the groups assembled onto the dance floor to determine the winner.

"Nice work everybody! If we don't win, it's probably because of the home crowd if ya know what I mean," she said to her dancing partners in a loud whisper. She didn't expect to beat out the prince and princess of Ursium at an Ursian ball, that was for sure.