Return of the Emblem Chapter Thirteen: Revelations

[Snowy_One]

"<I know that you dunce. I can't help it if I'm far more blunt and far less political than you.>" muttered Robin to herself as she grumbled down to the table. No matter how good or bad she got at dealing with friends it felt like she'd always be the target for bad social skills. Regardless, there were a lot of things she still had to try and do. One being to forgive the woman who had shot her and that she had to journey with. Before it wasn't an issue, she could stew in silence, but if she was to try and become more sociable she would have to try and talk to Gytha again.

[-Cynthia-]

"Be careful," Veronika reiterated to Reign before heading back to the dining hall. Part of her wanted to use her authority to stop people from going on these side trips and getting their bodies maimed and minds tortured or whatever else, but then they would just leave as Shadrak demonstrated. I wonder how that all went- I've been so wrapped up in everything else that I missed them entirely. I'll be glad to get away from Europa and this 'Nyx'.

[Phoenix]

Reign's Room

Reign wasn't sure how much good caution would actually do him at this point; he had a blind spot that narrowed his field of view and robbed him of his depth perception. He could only compensate for the former by being more proactive in observing his surroundings. He could only make up for the latter, by relying on his visual memory, and making rough estimates about the distance of people and objects. That was no mean feat in the middle of a scuffle, but perhaps with practice, he would master it. He wouldn't have much choice in the interim if things didn't go his way this morning.

Figuring he had everything he needed, he shut the door to his room behind him and set out down the hall, making his way toward the stables, and debating whether to go to the cathedral or his parents' home first. The latter was closer, but what he was really weighing was his mother's cooking versus potentially getting his eye restored. Distance carried no weight in the decision for now. Nonetheless, he couldn't settle on one or the other, so he opted to worry about it a little later.

Dining Hall

Being one of Weyland's top assistants, estate overseer, and third highest ranking among the current Numbers, she was no stranger to foreign languages, especially Kigenese, her semi-first language, and Neviskotian, a language she had moderate exposure to. She had learned Kigenese at the same time she was learning Common as a child, having parents of both Kigenese and Ursian descent. Neviskotian, however, was something she began to gather bits and pieces of as an adult, as more and more staff members of 'skotian origin came into Weyland's service. The archer could say whatever she wanted, in whatever language she wanted, but she was better off insulting people in the one language normal people simply couldn't understand ... thought. "More blunt indeed," Ernesta countered in common as she scowled at the archer.

Suzume and several other women wandered into the dining hall and began homing in on the nearest table, exhausted from their irritatingly early routine, and unwilling to put off breakfast a moment longer, not even to change and freshen up. They were all wearing dull looking, loose fitting clothing, mostly gray, but with a few whites, blacks, pale blues, navy blues, and beiges mixed in. Suzume was wearing a loose sleeveless shirt, a simple pair of shorts, both the same shade of light gray, white socks, and a simple pair of navy blue house shoes.

She had agree to attend one of the morning exercises Weyland's employees sometimes got together for, but this morning, it had been a little too early. It was as if the recent string of disasters, both in the estate, and in the world at large, had thrown off their schedules slightly. It didn't bother Suzume much; this was all new to her, and exciting too, though admittedly her excitement stemmed mostly from the fact that her talents in with thunder magic would probably be widespread enough soon to end any talk of her taking a position as a maid. She would have preferred to be a security guard. She might have to stand around in the sun all day, but she wouldn't have to go far to find her bed once she needed rest, and the food here was excellent, not to mention free, and served regularly.

Ernesta turned her benign ire on Suzume and the others. Suzume didn't necessarily know better, than to run around dressed just barely above what was an acceptable norm, and straight from training, as well. Suzume would learn soon enough that while there was a great deal of freedom offered at the estate, the staff was still expected to not get overly familiar. House guests showed up seemingly at random, and the last thing self respecting individuals wanted to see while here--rather, should see, was a small cluster of giggling girls in their pajamas. "What do you think you're doing in here dressed like that?"

"Oh crap, I had no idea Ernesta would be here," one of the girls whispered, leaning into the others.

Suzume had just enough time to realize they might be in trouble when she noticed Gar in the room as well. She had been in such a hurry to sit down that she hadn't seen him at first. She raised her hand up to wave at him, but one of the girls quickly reached up and pulled it back down. Why, Suzume had no idea, but it did bring her attention back to Ernesta, who was giving them all an expectant look. She didn't a clue how to respond, and the others weren't offering any clues.

Main Gate

"I can't believe we've got another one," said one of the guards, gawking in utter disbelief at the steady approach of a winged woman. Somehow, he knew she was trouble, and he knew that he and his partner were little more than a gesture of common sense, guards placed at the main gate on principle. Half the threats that passed through these days weren't things they could ever hope to deal with by themselves, and they certainly weren't a deterrent, either.

"I think I recognize her, actually," the other guard said, his eyes narrowing at the approaching woman. "Besides, at this point, you shouldn't be surprised by anything that comes our way, especially not winged 'anythings', heheh," he added, chuckling as she came to a stop a few meters in front of them.

"State your name and business," the first guard said, putting on the expected posture and attitude of a dutiful guard.

"My name is Lilith and I'm here to see Raquel," she said, responding to his demeanor with something quite similar.

[Ether]

By this time, Faatina had already made her way to the stables, and was finishing securing the last of her belongings into Sharif's saddlebags. Getting her armour set up in that fashion had easily been the most annoying part of it all, and now that was done, so it was just a few finishing touches. After all, going around town at this point on errands of sorts didn't really constitute full battle attire... wearing her blade at her hip should be deterrent enough for any small-scale ruffians, and anything else would be close at hand... normally she would't prepare so much for such a small outing, but if time in this group had taught her anything, it was to never expect to be able to go back somewhere to pick something up. Well, if her precaution was not needed, so be it. After all, it seems Reign had not yet arrived regardless.

Which lead to another problem, at least in her mind. She hadn't been quite sure what sort of attire to wear for this visit, after all, it wasn't really anything special, but she was going to meet Reign's parents, and he had promised her a while back that they'd have dinner there if they got the chance to... she had eventually settled on a pair of form fitting black pants and a vibrant red halter-necked top, but until Reign showed up, and even then he might just not say anything, she had no idea if it was suitable or not.

'Just... calm down. It's not a big deal... it shouldn't matter what I wear... shouldn't it?'

***

Speaking of clothing, Annelise had also finished changing, though in her case, it was simple loose-fitted training gear, as she made her way down to the designated area... she assumed that Lord Devlinos would be there already, as he had already been dressed, but she supposed something may have come up to hold him. Regardless, she opened the door and entered. She'd know soon enough.

***

Arietta chuckled to herself as Ernesta prepared to lay into the girls that came down in pajamas, flocking about like school-age gossips. As entertaining as it might have been to watch them get lambasted by the stern woman, Arietta did seem to be running short on time... she had managed to pick up just about everything despite arriving late, but they'd still be leaving after not too long. Best to double check, though...

"Hey, Ernesta. Got anything else you wanted to ask of me before we head out to Ursentius?"

[Script]

A Man Called Gar

The dining hall was suddenly invaded by a bunch of similarly glad women, Suzzy Q among them. She gave a small gesture towards him before it was rescinded by someone else as some other Weyland employee looked to start something with them. It really wasn't something he should interfere in... but he waved back over to her anyway.

[Phoenix]

Training Room

Evert was sitting on one of the benches in the training room, passively observing as Steinn readied himself for the various exercises they would be doing, though these were more like sparring sessions and little games. This would be the first time Evert would be participating in one. His interest was piqued when he learned that Steinn had come to them with the suggestion, rather than being invited to something more routine. It wasn't that surprising; Steinn had proven time and again that he was assertive, subtle, but very assertive.

Another thing that had Evert's attention was Steinn's hair. The longest parts ran all the way down his back. He didn't see the point of tying it up into a ponytail; that would barely contain it. A braid would work better, though it wouldn't be worth the effort for something like this. Evert didn't know what he would do with hair that long but he did think it might be interesting to let his own hair grow a bit more. He would never reach the length of Steinn's before losing interest, though, he knew that for certain.

There were also those wings of his. They were enormous but he supposed they didn't really hinder the man's movements, not while tucked away neatly on his back that way. Evert had also heard from one of the others that had trained with him that those wings were quite flexible. He was surprised by just how flexible they apparently were. According to his source, he could easily and comfortably bring them around to the front of his torso and bring his arms down over them, creating an awkward looking set of crossed limbs on either side of his body. Whether that was natural or just something Steinn and other fit fallen could do, Evert wasn't sure. He at least figured the molting had to be a downside to having such enormous wings.

Lastly there was Steinn's tail. Evert had no idea what it was meant for or good for, but Steinn's had only the faintest bit of hair on it, and no feathers, allowing it much more flexibility, probably more flexibility than his wings. He found it to be unappealingly long, though. Too easy for someone else to step on it, or for it to get caught in a door, or run over by a cart. He supposed that was why the Fallen Prince always kept his tail in motion. Motion was the first thing people noticed, so keeping his tail swaying would go a long way to keep it safe from harm.

"When's she getting here?" the one other man in the room asked. Evert wasn't sure what he meant at first but did recall seeing him and Steinn chatting briefly a couple of minutes ago.

"I'm sure she's on her way," Steinn answered, standing back to his full height and brushing his tied locks over his shoulders. He was right, as the door opened just a few seconds after he'd said as much. It was Annelise, and though Evert wasn't at the best vantage point, he would be surprised if she wasn't toting that large demonic looking farm tool with her.

Dining Hall

"Can we please eat first? Please?" one of the girls finally pleaded from her seat. She realized the chances of Ernesta compromising on this were close to zero, but asking couldn't hurt. She realized the answer was a firm 'no' when Ernesta pointed at the entrance without taking her eyes off them. She sighed and began to slowly stand. "Let's go," she said, her mood overly downtrodden.

Suzume wasn't terribly bothered by the order, she was still new to all of this, and she was still sitting in the lap of luxury, all things considered. What was waiting another ten minutes before getting to eat? She'd gone for days without food in the past, all while in constant danger. "Sorry for the trouble," she said, standing up, herself. "I'll try to remember the rules, here."

"Please see that you do," Ernesta nodded once and let her arm down. With that matter settled, she turned her attention to Arietta. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the women funneling out of the dining hall. Hopefully when they returned they were in proper attire. "Make sure you and the others are as well prepared as you can be. I doubt you'll get a second chance at them if things go poorly," she answered, shaking her head. Either they would get away, or ... a lot of people on their side would be dead, likely too many for a second attempt. "Also, please inform Veronika that since the Paladin isn't finished yet, if the group needs a transport, they'll have to use one of the others."

"... one of the others," Weyland murmured to himself. It was a reminder that he sorely wished had come up sooner, but he supposed it was a simple fix: loan them one of the other wagons here on the estate. It wouldn't be anything fancy, and it wouldn't stand up to a tank for more than a couple of seconds, but for travel, it would be just what they needed.

Stables

Reign quietly stepped into the stables from the estate entrance. Stepping from a polished estate directly into the well maintained but still weathered stables was always a strange transition. Stranger still was that he was actually going through with this. While he hadn't decided whether to go to his parents' place or the cathedral first, he had decided that he would ask Faatina to wait outside the archives or at a safe distance once it was time to take care of the latter. He hoped being in there alone would expedite things, or at least keep things on track. They had til noon to get back or they would be playing catch up, so he definitely didn't want to waste any time on that errand.

As Reign headed over to prepare Sandrock for the long day ahead, he noticed Faatina already here, and somewhat dressed up. "Where did you get those?" he asked, a hint of jealousy in his tone. He was wearing the same thing from yesterday: his simple shirt, loose fitting pants, belt, boots, coat, gloves, and necklaces. For all Faatina's worry it was Reign who now felt improperly dressed, though for him it wasn't really a big deal. It was however, a good distraction from the more serious matters eating away at the back of his mind. "Do I need to run back inside and 'borrow' something a bit fancier too before we head out?" he added, pointing a thumb back at the door he'd entered from.

Main Gate

"All right, have fun inside, I guess," the guard shrugged. What were they going to do, stop her? At least she wasn't here for nefarious reasons. If she was, neither of the guards expected she wouldn't fly right on past them ... or worse ...

"Thank you," Lilith replied, heading past the main gate. She'd considered flying straight to the entrance in the beginning, bypassing this little civilian checkpoint, but thought better of it. Now that the fallen were active, she didn't want to startle even these vaguely defined allies. Why she was walking when she was in a bit of a hurry, even she didn't know, and once she realized that, she picked up her pace considerably. This is where the emblem is, so Raquel should be here. Still, that girl from last night isn't a good sign.

[roymbrog]

“So, previous work experience and locations,” Synthia said, jotting that down. She paused for a moment, thinking over previous issues they’d had with group members and future issues that could come up. “Perhaps we should ask how they feel about Neviskotians… and Wrathites. We don’t want to hire a Wrathite sympathizer if we can help it,” she noted.

A group of giggling, half-dressed girls entered the dining hall and the mage barely gave them a glance before returning to her thoughts. There wasn’t much that surprised her at this manor anymore.

---

The kitchen smelled delicious, which was slightly interfering with Katrina’s search for a cup. The food cooking on the stove kept drawing her gaze. Consequently, her distraction caused her to be mildly startled when Erica asked her question. “O-Oh, uh, I actually came back here for some water. Could you get me a cup? I’m not sure where they are…”

[Ether]

Speaking of large, demonic looking farm tools, Annelise had indeed brought hers along. It was some combination of being unsure what type of training this would be, and just feeling more secure with it close by. Seeing Lord Devlinos, among a few others, she stepped forward towards him.

"So what shall we be doing today, Lord Devlinos?"

***

"That makes sense. I'll let her know, and they should hopefully be aware not to mess around with tanks, but I'll drill it in their heads if I have to." Arietta replied with a sigh.

"I suppose I'll go find Veronika. Anything else before I go?"

***

"Huh... oh, it's just something I bought while I was exploring town, when we first came to Ursium. A-and... don't do anything like that... you look fine, I just... I didn't think it would be good to visit in full armour, so I picked something that didn't seem too crazy... is it no good?" Faatina asked somewhat nervously, twirling around slowly to show off both the front and back... may as well give him the full picture to make a proper decision.

[Mercakete]

"Ah, aye -- good thought," Gytha commented with a nod. She was drawing from what might've been asked of a mariner seeking to join a crew, and they tended to be less delicate with who they worked with than the group members. "Hmm ye might want t' ask about ana medical issues they might have, too. Allergies, sickness, maybe bein' prone t' infection..."

[Cevian]

The girl that had decided to talk to Cherish got in to some exchange with someone about the clarification of what their job was. That was nice to hear given the circumstances. It would allow herself to seem a bit more in the know when she made her reappearance. This whole thing was just becoming a bit confusing, but she made sure it was what she was told to do so she was going to do it.

It also gave her a bit of time to figure out how to reply. Given that she wasn't in a disguise her normal name would suffice, even if she was padding her personality a bit. "Call me Cherish." She took a sip of the drink she'd grab with her plate of food, better than getting into an argument over container ownership again. "And I don't believe that you've given your name," she said to Robin.

[Script]

A Man Called Gar

Well that went nowhere. Or elsewhere.

Either way, Gar dug into his own supplies and took to eating. One shiny red apple to start with...

[Phoenix]

Training Room

"Just staring," Evert's colleague murmured.

The faintest smirk possible appeared on Steinn's face for a second. "The last time we were playing a few simple games," he began, "nothing like the sports back home, but charming in their own way. I figured since this is your first time, we should introduce you to a few of them."

"Youuu won't be needing the scythe," Evert noted, gesturing at the weapon cautiously.

Dining Hall

"Nothing else comes to mind," Ernesta answered, glancing off at nothing as she tried to quickly review the mission from every conceivable angle. The only thing that came up in the end was whether or not Connor would be going with them. She couldn't think of any strong reasons for him to go other than making it easier for the group to pull the Weyland card when they needed to, but Anna, Craig, or Raphael were just as credible, so it didn't seem necessary. Reasons for him not going boiled down to safety like always, but as she recalled, there were extra parts at Weyland Enterprises that could be used to complete the Paladin and of those with the group, only Connor would know exactly what to look for. The Numbers would be busy either hunting down leads or revising security at Headquarters. Best to just let him go with, she supposed.

"And ... make sure that Gabriella isn't the only one looking out for Connor, at least until he's inside HQ."

Kitchen

"Oh, just some water?" Erica asked, just trying to confirm before she did anything else. She supposed kitchens did tend to confuse outsiders. It took her a day or two to get used to this kitchen as well when she started working on this side of the main building.

"Getting breakfast while you're here too or are you more concerned with washing away that hangover?" Johnny asked, his comment about the hangover being a pure guess. By the time he'd voiced the question, Erica had a glass and was heading deeper into the kitchen, presumably to get Katrina's water.

Stables

Reign didn't see anything wrong with the outfit, quite the opposite actually. The addition of a sword did give the look an odd balance, however. Similar to Veronika, she seemed like a person of status--a noblewoman possibly, venturing into town on some urgent business, with no escort, and wearing only a passable disguise. It was looking to be an interesting morning. "I think it looks good, but don't mind my opinion, here. Do that too long and you'll probably wind up in a getup more like Nyx's," he warned his smirk less visible than usual, evidence that he was at least partially serious.

"By the way," he began as he approached Sandrock. For once, the horse wasn't asleep or trying to get there. "We've got til around noon to get back before the group sets out for the capital. I heard from Nika that we've got a rescue mission and it can't wait. We can catch up to them on the main road if we fall behind schedule but let's try not to be late."

[Ether]

"Very well." Annelise replied, placing the scythe down at the edge of the room.

"If you would be so kind as to instruct me on these games, then?"

***

"Gotcha, keep Connor guarded. Well then, I'm off to see if I can find Veronika." Arietta replied, as she made her way to the exit that she had seen said swordfighter use earlier... hopefully she hadn't gotten too far.

***

Reign didn't seem to be joking about that remark... thinking back to the Vasilus' attire was somewhat embarrassing, so Faatina decided to not dwell on it for very long. Instead, the topic of departure and a rescue mission came up, the perfect thing to dwell on instead.

"That's fine, I mean they'll likely be paced on foot as usual so we can catch up no problem... did she tell you anything else aside from that?" The paladin asked, well, at least her intuition to be prepared not to come back here hadn't been off the mark...

[Snowy_One]

"My name?" Robin gave a small, internal, laugh. It wasn't an odd question by far, one she had fully expected in fact. After all, who wouldn't ask such an obvious question when getting to know someone?

"My name is Robin. I am sorry for not introducing myself before. I am still learning how to socialize well with other people. It is not easy as it feels like every relationship I have tried to form has backfired at me."

[Cevian]

Well, fancy that. It was someone else that had trouble socializing with other people. If only she knew the irony of saying that to Cherish, someone who was about to assume an entirely new identity just because that made befriending others easier to her. Maybe befriending this girl in her alter ego would help get her a bit more in to the group since she's trying to make friends already.

"It's fine. Interacting with others is as much a skill as it is anything else. I'm certain you will get better at it if you keep trying."

I just simply see no need in doing so unless I have to. It's just more trouble than it's worth. Still, orders are orders.

[Snowy_One]

"I hope I do." said Robin as she looked down, memories of the prior night in her mind. "I still am not good at it though. I do not know what to do now, for example. I mean, what? Invite you out to shoot some ducks? To do something else?"

[Cevian]

"You see that's the problem. You can try too hard to befriend someone, and then it just feels forced. It takes a fine touch. Becoming friends is a two way street and they have to be convinced to consider you a friend as well," Cherish said, as she continued to ear her breakfast.

It's true. Infiltration 101. People are more willing to accept you as part of their group if it feels natural, like they came to the decision themselves.

[Phoenix]

Training Room

"Two words," the man held up two of his fingers. "Dodge. Ball."

"Oh no ..." Evert groaned. This wasn't the sort of exercise/game he had in mind when he decided to join in this morning. Dodgeball consisted of a lot of sitting on the sidelines for those who were hit. With only four of them, each round could potentially be over in as little as a few throws, but just the same, it wasn't an ideal game for conditioning the body when one could spend so long on the sidelines and there was a little too much luck involved for his tastes.

"Two teams," Steinn began explaining the rules as he recalled them, "each is restricted to one side of the room. The boundary between sides is a drawn line. Several balls are placed on that line just prior to the start of the match. Once the match begins you must race to claim whatever balls you can before the opposing team does. Strike opposing team members with the balls in order to take them out of the fight, but be careful, if they catch a ball you've thrown, you'll be taken out instead."

"I've been meaning to say something about that," the other man chimed in with a raised hand, "better to just forgo outing people by catching the balls since things'll be over too quickly that way. Instead, let's just let catching a ball get our partner back in. How's that sound?"

Steinn nearly shrugged. "That's fine," he nodded, accepting the amendment. He continued his explanation for Annelise. "The match ends once one of the teams has lost all of its members and can no longer fight back."

He needs to make it a little clearer that 'can no longer fight back' does not mean we're out cold or in a broken heap on the floor, Evert thought to himself. He didn't think the fallen would overdo it but their culture seemed to have a way of putting a brutal spin on just about everything sport related.

Stables

"Heh, yeah," Reign said, "she told me to be careful." Reign found it somewhat amusing much like before. As far as he could tell, luck played a bigger role in who survived than caution or anything else. At least with two of them they were better prepared than alone. Things were going smoothly and Reign had Sandrock's saddle on in no time. The horse had already been fed and watered, it seemed, so she was as ready for the long day ahead as she'd ever be.

[scorri]

Erion shook his head and pushed himself away from the table. Time for some food and water. Walking into the kitchen, he spotted the green haired wyvern rider and grinned. She'd been looking a bit worse for the wear when she'd first come in. Strolling over to her, he overheard the question about food. "Well, I don't know about her, but I'd like some food. Though, even if you are just looking for a hangover cure, you should eat some food too. It'll help you feel better in the long run. Trust me, I'm talking from experience." He grinned at her and gave a quick wink.

[Ether]

"Understood. Each faction has it's own designated camp, and entering the opposing side's camp is not a viable option. A supply line is in contention, and arms and ammunition must be lifted from that supply line by both factions, making it a deadly point of skirmish. If one is struck by opposing artillery, they are considered downed, and unable to continue the battle, however, if opposing artillery is sufficiently suppressed, medics can be brought in to tend to a downed ally. Once one faction has been fully eliminated, the other claims victory, and dominion over the land and the felled opposition." Annelise replied, looking over the room to get a feel for it, and then focusing intently on Evert towards the end, examining the man.

"Very well. The spoils to be gained seem worth the risk."

***

"Well, that's a given, or at least I would hope so. Oh well, whenever you're ready, we can head out... and I suppose you should lead the way, since this was your trip to begin with..." Faatina replied, as she climbed up onto Sharif's saddle, waiting for Reign to finish.

***

Luckily enough, it would appear that Veronika had been on her way back to the dining hall, just as Arietta was exiting... this convenience would find a way to bite her in the ass soon enough, she was sure.

"Aye, Veronika, just the woman I was lookin' for. Got a minute?"

Edited October 16, 2014 by Ether

[-Cynthia-]

On her way back to the dining hall, Veronika encountered Arietta. Hmm, she's an employee of Weyland's isn't she? Maybe there's some new information I should know about. We're not planning to leave for several hours regardless...

"Sure, what is it that you need?" she asked.

[Ether]

"Boss just wanted you to know that we won't be able t'use the Paladin since it's not finished yet, but that if y'need one, y'can borrow one a' the other wagons." Arietta replied, glad that this hadn't ended up being such a long-winded search as the last one... and Veronika was easier to deal with than most of Raquel's people.

"That and t'try and keep some eyes on Connor when y'can... they worry about him from time t'time, so."

[-Cynthia-]

"Well, that's handy I suppose. Connor should be far away from any conflict we have, but if we're ambushed let's make sure nothing happens," Veronika replied. I really don't know much about these wagons we're using, so I'll just have to trust Weyland's judgment. Sometimes I think it might be easier to go without them, but having all those people in our group travel on foot would be time consuming...and tiring.

[Ether]

"That's all the messages they gave me, so if y'had any more questions about it, it'd be best to ask'm directly. Well, I should get m'self ready to, I s'pose." Arietta concluded, relishing the simple, non-convoluted exchange...

[Snike]

As he left the manse and headed down to the main gate, Blake was hoping that, for once, today would be relatively uneventful. That hope was crushed the moment he saw Lilith, heading up towards the estate-presumably to see Raquel. This might not end well.

"If you're here to talk to Raquel, you're out of luck," Blake said, once he was in speaking distance of the Vasili. "She's in a coma, and won't wake up for a couple of days."