Return of the Emblem Chapter Thirteen: Revelations

[roymbrog]

Synthia had made it through the second alley just in time to see the wagon leaving, but far enough away that trying to catch up would be pointless. So she ended up walking back to Weyland’s estate. Not the most pleasant experience. Now that she was back though, and coming up on the main gate, there was another obstacle to making it inside. She didn’t know who the girl was, and quite frankly didn’t care at this point. She and the guards were just in the way.

Hopefully they’d just let her through with no fuss, and she could go check on Raquel. “Excuse me,” the mage said, approaching the gate in an attempt to simply walk through.

---

After flying around the complex for a bit, watching the gunfight below and the guardsmen moving in to reinforce the remaining Wrathites, Katrina had finally turned Volga back towards the manor. They landed in the back near the stables and Kat immediately slid off the wyvern to stretch out her back. After hearing a satisfying crick she relaxed and started to remove some of Volga’s tack. “Are you going to go see if Raquel is ok, Zach?” she asked while working. “Lemme know how she is, if you do. I think we got her out in time, but…”

[Mercakete]

Behind Synthia, and fast approaching, came a jovial cry. "Ahooooooooy, Synthiaaaaaaa!"

Gytha was bounding up the road, waving her arm around with a giant grin plastered to her face. She was very glad to see the mage up ahead unharmed. So much so that she'd just about forgotten the one she'd been walking with just previously. As she came up to the woman, she finished her run with a jaunty, one-turn spin and pulled the mage into a tight hug. Synthia was quickly released, however, and Gytha ended with her hands on Synthia's shoulders, looking her over to make sure she really was okay. Finally, beaming, she announced, "I'm glad t' see yer a'right! I was gettin' a bit worried ye didn't catch up t' th' others on time either."

[roymbrog]

Synthia scant had the chance to pass the guards before there was some very familiar shouting from behind her. She turned to wave and possibly return the greeting, but only managed the former before being abruptly grabbed and pulled into a hug. It was a very confusing experience for the mage. People had worried over here in the past, but not when she wasn’t actually hurt. They also didn’t pull her into bear hugs. “Uh, yeah, I’m fine. I actually didn’t make it back on time, but got here regardless. What ended up happening with Hayato?”

[Mercakete]

"Th' brother? Got away. Not sure where to," Gytha replied to Synthia with a shrug as she rested her hands on her hips. She felt a little bad for Jericho, but in the end, there was nothing more they could do about it until next time.

[Phoenix]

Stables

"Riley actually likes Raquel, so of course she's managed to ride him, but yeah, I'd rather not take any chances," Reign replied. He carefully led Riley into the stall beside Sandrock and began taking off the saddle. He would have done Sandrock first, but she seemed content regardless. He'd get to her next and hopefully not disturb her little nap.

Workshop

"Yeah her ... it's been awhoile already, though. Doubt we're gonna foind much of a trail at this point ... still, it's better than sitting around waiting. Speaking of who makes the decisions, with Raquel out cold, that more or less puts Veronika in charge. Not sure how I feel about that, really, but I doubt she'll do anything loike this again, so maybe it's an improvement."

Main Gate

Jericho murmured to himself as he approached the gate, wondering if he shouldn't just turn around and be on his way. He didn't want to get the others involved; losing Hayato was his own fault, and getting him back was his responsibility. Add to this that they were perfectly willing to injure Hayato in order to capture him, and Jericho was convinced he was best served handling this on his own. In the end, he'd only come this far because he knew they weren't going to leave well enough alone, and he planned to leave either later this same night after a hardy meal, or early the next morning, before or after breakfast. It all depended on how he was feeling, but he wouldn't wait any longer than that, not with the lead Hayato already had on him.

"Jethro?" one of the guards echoed before locking gazes with the other for a brief moment. "Saw her and Ringo earlier but I didn't know she had a passenger. It was already getting dark."

"Not sure I like this but go ahead," the other guard nudged his head past the gate. In their experience, they'd typically gotten in more trouble for erring on the side of caution than just letting people through. Though it wasn't encouraging much vigilance on their part, the estate's security had usually proven more than a match for lone enemies. Neither of them liked banking on that, but to them it was better than the alternative.

Streets

"What?" As soon as Cassandra disappeared, Lilith let go of Samael and quickly came back up to her full height. Cassandra's rescuer had lingered a bit too long, however. Despite getting away initially, the brief exchange gave her the time she needed to reach out to him with her power and catch a glimpse of his destination, a realm she was all too familiar with.

My suspicions seem to be spot on, Samael mused to himself, This could prove interesting if I can get the truth from her. He picked himself up while Lilith stood there. The guards were closing in fast, so he too had to leave rather soon, but thankfully that wouldn't be too difficult now, not with Lilith's 'fire' mostly extinguished. Her lack of aggression was going to make things that much easier for him.

"That place, again," Lilith said aloud, wondering if she should try to pursue.

Samael cocked his head at her. "If you know something, please ... tell me. I'd like to know where she was taken, as well," he asked her, looking just as concerned, but also as calm as he sounded. As soon as he had her attention, he raised up his hands slightly, somewhat defensively, and smiled. "Don't feel like sharing? Is that it?"

Lilith's eyes narrowed at him. She had to wonder why he was being so casual all of a sudden; she hadn't forgotten that she planned to deal with him, too ... only ... matters regarding emblem pieces always took precedence.

Emptiness

"This place, again," Cassandra grimaced at the familiar sights. 'Anywhere but here' is what she wanted to say when she first heard the question, but she didn't even know who had pulled her out of the fire just now. It wasn't until Uniter's name came up that she was even able to begin to calm down, the pieces falling fitly into place. "I'm not sure where I should go just yet ... I definitely don't want to be here, though. There's something ... wrong with this place ...."

[Ether]

"Thank you. Would you happen to know where in the estate she's gone?" Isabella asked, as she began to move forward. If these newcomers would leave her be, she would give them the same courtesy.

***

"How reckless..." Faatina replied with a sigh, keeping an eye on Reign... if that was the case, there was no way she wasn't going to keep watch while he was working with that horse...

[Snowy_One]

Robin looked down as the diagnosis was given. Wait and see what happens. Part of her regretted not having some sort of medical skill to help out, but she knew better than that. There were many healers and people with far better qualifications than her around to help meaning that, even if she could have, there would be little to do.

"Wait and see. I see. Nothing more that can be done then." she said as she turned to head out of the dining hall. Things had been rough on her and she needed a bit of a work-out. Some good exercise would help pass the time.

[roymbrog]

“Ah. That’s too bad,” Synthia replied, with the tone and expression of someone who was not that bothered by the news. “I’m surprised Jericho came back, after that,” she said, leaning around Gytha to watch the aforementioned approach. He certainly looked frustrated.

Straightening back up, the mage crossed her arms. Her voice was tinted with genuine sadness, this time. “I was going to check on Raquel’s condition, if they’ll let me in to see her. Would you come with me, Gytha? I-“ Wait a minute. She abruptly shut up to turn and stare at the guards behind her. “Hey, you! Did you just say that Jethro was here?!”

[Ether]

"I extracted him from the complex, and Gabriella was supposed to bring him back here... that's what I came to check up on... Tacito appears to have made it back in one piece, so it's a good sign." Isabella replied... so much for being ignored by the newcomers. Still, she remembered seeing this girl before, being a part of the raid lead by Raquel.

[roymbrog]

As Isabella spoke, Synthia’s stare transferred over to the woman she had pretty much ignored. Well clearly that had been an awful decision! “’Extracted’ him? And Gabbie was in on it too? Any particular reason WE didn’t know about this?!” This was absolutely ridiculous. The mage dragged her hands over her face, fighting the urge to punch someone (read: Belle), and possibly cry.

“So we just went through all that- Raquel nearly died doing that- and all the while there was a safer plan to get her father out. You and Gabbie better have some damn good reasons for withholding that info.”

[Ether]

"I can't speak for Gabriella's reasons, I myself was only made aware of our objective recently. You'll need to speak with her... she was the one in contact with you." Isabella replied flatly. Great, now she was getting emotional.

[scorri]

Keeper shrugged. "Well, if we warp back to the normal world from here, we'll just end up back where we were before, which somehow I suspect you'll want to avoid." He paused and then grimaced. "Actually, hold on a second." Grabbing her wrist again, he concentrated and they both disappeared again. Reappearing in a room stocked with weapons, he sighed. "Right, realized that there are people powerful enough to see where I was warping to, and if you weren't able to deal with the people you were fighting... Best that we don't stay in one place for too long. Now, I can get you back into the other world easily, but a location would be best. Somewhere I know well would help, but it doesn't really matter in the long run."

Erion sighed and pushed back from the table. His drink was empty and he planned on fixing that. As he stood up, he paused and then turned to 'Nika. "Right, I'm drinking, do you want something to drink? This was just gin and tonic, but I can get something else for you if you'd prefer."

[Snike]

"Gotcha. Ask her if there was any emergency spot to meet Samael at if something went wrong," Uniter said, slowing down his pace. "Cassandra, is there anything else I can do to help you out right now? I don't think bringing you back to this area's a good idea, but I am still on the ground right now."

***

"It's all we can do, at this point," Blake said, looking down at the table.

***

Axel finally made it to the main hall, and decided to visit the dining hall, to see who was there. Sure enough, there was Blake, the other white-haired man, Veronika, and Robin, all looking rather grim.

"Well you're all looking grim. Rest of the complex not go so well?" he asked.

[Mercakete]

"He's here?!" Though Synthia was upset, Gytha was ecstatic. As far as she was concerned, that both Raquel and her father had made it back to safety was reason for major celebration. Raquel was either healed or not, but if she was still in bad shape, she could just join in once she was feeling better. Sure, the injury had been dire, but Gytha had faith in both Synthia's healing prowess and that of Weyland's healers, she she fully and firmly believed that the pink-haired merchant would be just fine relatively soon. "HAHARR! Can ye believe it?! We did it! They're both safe!"

After some bubbling laughter and a short dance of joy, Gytha grabbed Synthia's hand and hurried through the gate towards Weyland's estate proper. "C'mon! Hurry! Aye, a'course I'll go with ye t' check on Raquel! I don't want t' miss th' moment o' 'er bein' reunited with 'er father!"

[Ether]

"I wouldn't be so jovial, quite yet... Samael heavily injured Jethro before I reached him... his hand might heal, but I doubt he'll ever have use of his eyes again, they were nearly burned right out of the sockets." Isabella interrupted... was it better to cull their expectations beforehand? She could only guess at that, but it was the course of action she decided to take.

[Phoenix]

Finishing Up

"And finished," Reign said after finishing the double load of work. With both horses taken care of for the evening, their saddles removed, their coats brushed back into smooth uniformity, and their water well within reach, Reign loosed a sigh of relief and tossed the door leading into the estate a bit of a longing glance. Oddly enough, he really didn't feel like drinking at the moment. He doubted Raquel would be able to see any visitors, and even if she could, she was probably still out cold, so perhaps just turning in early for the evening was the best thing he could do for now.

Admission

"No, we have no idea where she is-" the guard replied, before Synthia asked him and his partner if they said Jethro was here. He shook his head at her on reflex but soon enough the unfamiliar woman began explaining things. As they watched, Jericho tried to walk right on past everyone, but the other guard stopped him.

"Hold on. And who might you be?"

"Well ... that's all I needed ..." Jericho muttered before pivoting on the spot and turning to walk away. Better to just leave now rather than pretend he was a part of this group to try to get inside for one last decent meal. Better to just head back into town, use what was left of his money to rent a room, then head out and look for Hayato. "I'm going." With anyone that would think to stop him rushing to get inside or being dragged off, there was no stopping him now. Jericho went on his way.

The guards had half a mind to try and stop Gytha and Synthia, but one of them realized that they were either insane and wouldn't be much trouble for the guards inside, or were legitimately with Raquel. "I hate this post ..."

Destinations

"I don't know where I should be going right now," Cassandra said, her gaze falling to the floor. Her cover was completely blown long before this, and she wasn't sure if she was still supposed to work with Samael and the others or wait for some other favor Thanatos wanted. In that moment, she really didn't have any idea of where to go or what to do. "I'm ... completely lost ...." No wonder he calls me that. One incident like this and it's like I don't even have a purpose anymore ....

[scorri]

Keeper blinked and then shrugged. "Well, Uniter told me to ask if there was an emergency spot you were supposed to meet up with Samael if things went wrong. I can take you there if you want, even can stay close by if you need me to grab you away if things go poorly. If not, you can stay with me for a while. I'm not a front liner like the others, but I'm still useful occasionally. As proven by today. What even happened there?"

[Snike]

"Alright, well that's your call," Uniter said, as he slowed to a walk. "You can keep going with Samael if you want. We still haven't pinned down the leader behind the organization, so any help we could get would save lives. Or you can walk away. In that case Commander would make some arrangements so you can live out your life in peace. It's entirely your decision, on that front, as we've been putting a lot of pressure onto you."

[roymbrog]

“Oh you can bet I’ll be speaking with her, I-“ but Synthia was cut off by Gytha’s shouting and laughter, and the subsequent dragging away. The mage could’ve put up resistance, but there was no way she was going to win a test of strength against the mariner. Best to just go with it. She was still glaring back at Isabella as she was pulled away though, and caught part of what the woman had said. Mostly the bit about Samael getting to Jethro.

“Gytha, I don’t think it’s going to be a happy reunion…” she said as they neared the manor itself. “Please don’t get your hopes up before we find out how they’re doing.”

[Eail]

As he slid off of Volga as well, Zach gave the wyvern a pat on her side "Honestly I hadn't planned on it, despite wanting to know how she's doing. At the moment the girl is probably surrounded with people that are arguing and healers that want them all to shut up and get out, and I'd rather not add to that. I was gonna go find Veronika and talk with her a bit, maybe share a drink, care to come along Kat?"

[-Cynthia-]

Dining Hall

"Raquel was gravely wounded, we obtained Jethro but he was also wounded and there has been no sign of Gar," Veronika reported to Axel. "A gin and tonic sounds just fine, thank you," she replied to Erion, pleased that someone else was getting the drinks for once.

Workshop

"Maybe there's no trail, but it's at least worth looking into I think," Connor said with a shrug. "I guess I should get back to work though, The Paladin won't be building itself. I don't see how anyone will be able to blow up this transport once we're through with it," he said to Gabbie proudly.

[roymbrog]

“Good point,” Kat said as she pulled the unbuckled harness from Volga’s neck. The wyvern started to scratch at the now exposed scales, and Katrina had to smack her claws away to reach the saddle straps. “Sure, I’d be up for a drink, after all that…” she continued. “Hmm.. Mind helping me with this saddle? Just gotta unbuckle the side over here and it should slide off towards you.”

[scorri]

Erion nodded. "Right, two gin and tonics coming right up." Heading into the kitchen, he poured two healthy sized portions of gin and tonic, stirring them both nicely. Heading back into the dining hall, he handed over the slightly more full glass, and slumped back down. Adding to Nika's comment, Erion said, "Raquel's in a coma as far as we can tell. Ethan's not letting us into the ward with her as he works on her, but he said he'd come tell one of us when we could check on her. Everyone else seems to be fine, though I don't know what happened to Gar and all his explosives. Did those ever go off?"

[Eail]

"Sure, no problem." Zach said prepping himself to catch the saddle once Kat had unbuckled the strap... really hoping it wouldn't be too heavy. "I've got a bottle of quality Neviskotian vodka lying around that's begging to be drunk, and now's a good a time as any. Let's head over to the dining hall once we've got Volga squared away, she'll probably be there if she's not with Raquel."

[roymbrog]

With the last buckle unfastened, and a push for good measure, the saddle slipped off into Zach’s waiting arms. It wasn’t too heavy, just a bit unwieldy. “Sounds great, I haven’t had anything from home in ages,” Kat replied, walking back round the wyvern. A sturdy pat on the neck, and Volga promptly laid down right where she was. Katrina picked up the harnesses off the ground to store inside the stables, expecting Zach to follow with the saddle. After the things were put away they could head inside. Volga would be fine out by herself, or at least Kat though she would be.