Return of the Emblem Chapter Thirteen: Revelations

[roymbrog]

“Ehehe, there’s no comparison,” Kat said. Flying was so much more enjoyable than riding a sweaty, bumpy animal, in her opinion. “If you’d ever like to find out, just let me know. Volga needs exercise anyway.”

She took another bit of her sausage before responding to Erion’s next question. “Well she was actually a gift, but she was bred in Makarov. It’s where they get a lot of their military mounts. One of my guild members has a few connections up there and he negotiated to have her bought and sent south.”

[Script]

Xenia

If there was any solace to be taken from the insanity before her it was the girl getting back up.

Only to fall down.

"Whatever the hell craziness this is, you need to sit back down," Xenia tried to restore a sense of normality to the events. Even if it was clear that wouldn't work.

[scorri]

Grinning, Erion raised an eyebrow slightly. "Hmm, I think I'll have to take you up on that. Flying... It would be nice. As would spending some more time with you." He took a bite of toast before continuing. "That was a very nice present then. So, I'm guessing you fight on her then? What sort of weapon do you use?"

[-Cynthia-]

"I'm responsible for having people in this group operate at their best, and that includes people feeling sorry for themselves for no good reason. You're a good archer and a loyal person Robin- don't let yourself be defined by your weaknesses. We can talk about this later if you feel you need to," Veronika instructed the archer before turning to Synthia.

"I'm available to talk if you need me for something." Wonder if this has to do with our gold- hope we're not running out...

Edited October 26, 2014 by -Cynthia-

[roymbrog]

“Heheh.” Katrina wasn’t even trying to hide the toothy grin that spread across her face. Between freefall, barrel rolls, and spins, Erion was going to have a great time. “Yeah I fight on her, but she’s a pretty good fighter herself. I use axes, mostly. Dad taught me since I was little.”

---

“Yeah, two things actually,” Synthia replied. “I think we need an interview procedure for new hires, and… probably fix our chain of command issues. It might be better if you come sit down; I’ve written some things I’d like your opinion on.”

[scorri]

Raising an eyebrow at the grin on Kat's face, Erion slowly said, "... Now I'm slightly worried about agreeing to take you up on that ride... But I won't back down. Don't worry. And axes, oo, interesting. Can't say I could ever use an axe. Don't have the build for it. I'm more of a knives guy. Well, knives and bows, but tend towards knives." Taking the last bite of his toast, he stretched and relaxed back in his seat. "So then. The group's heading out at noon I think. Plenty of time between now and then. Probably not a smart idea to go flying now though... You got any ideas?"

[-Cynthia-]

Veronika sat down near Synthia at her request. "I wasn't aware there were any chain of command issues," she stated. I wonder if this is a subtle way to try and get me to step down-I suppose I didn't handle that Shadrak situation very well...

[Phoenix]

Infirmary

"I didn't come here expecting this," Lilith countered.

"Fine," Raquel bit out. She couldn't exactly argue with getting back onto the bed, not while she was still too weak to stand properly. She let her father place her back on the edge of the bed, then, with a swift gesture, she yanked the emblem from Lilith's grip and back into her own. It was until that moment that Lilith had been wondering why Raquel was sticking up for the specter. After that little display, however, she began to suspect that she was picking up a few new skills thanks, in no small part, to him. "Just go away; nothing good ever happens when you're around. At least not to me."

Reign winced, hoping Lilith wouldn't given in and fly out of here, not before he got a chance to talk to her.

"The emblem is the source of your troubles, not me," Lilith shook her head. "I'm only here to make sure the one I left you is in good hands. I'm not really sure about that in either case, but at least you know how to recall it." Something is terribly wrong with all of this ... "As for your little helper, I don't trust him, though it should be fine at least for now." As soon as the words left her lips, the dragon vanished with a final parting glare.

"Funny, he doesn't trust you either," Raquel said before looking away.

"It doesn't matter; listen, I ran into someone last night, someone that looked like you ... and she had an emblem piece, too. Not only that, but she knew how to use it. Can you explain that?" It was clear from Raquel turning even further away that at the very least, she didn't want to say anything about it. Whether or not she actually knew anything didn't matter for the moment. "Can someone with a looser tongue, explain, then?"

Dining Hall

"Pancakes and bacon ..." Erica noted another order. That was when Kou returned and she decided to swap places with him. He could take any orders she'd missed while she delivered those she had to the kitchen. The next time she appeared, she'd have a half dozen plates precariously balanced in her arms. Don't worry, she's actually pretty good.

Suzume sighed while waiting around for breakfast. She still wasn't exactly a welcome face with the mercenary group, though she felt she'd been treated worse during the grisly encounter. She was trying to decide whether to invite Gar to her table or wander over to his. Neither option seemed much better than the other; on the one hand inviting him over here would mean she would be spending most of the morning being teased by her new colleagues, and on the other hand, going over to his table would put her all too close to her former enemies and make her a little uncomfortable in general. Even as Erica wandered back into the kitchen to start getting food that was ready and turning in orders for whatever else had to be made, she hadn't decided, yet.

[Ether]

It must have been the double... that was all that made sense, but... they still knew so little about that girl, the other Raquel... this was just becoming more and more confusing and convoluted as time went on...

[Snike]

"...That was probably the doppelganger," Blake said, seeing as an argument hadn't actually been ignited."She looks and sounds just like Raquel, but what she does with the emblem is different, and she's with the organization. No idea where she came from, either. We encountered her at a fortress outside Sergio over a week ago."

Ethan, however, opted to ignore that conversation, instead returning the container to the cabinet and scanning through it again.

"How do you feel? Bit disoriented, and probably a bit drained, but are you in any sort of pain?" he asked Raquel, as he continued his search.

[Phoenix]

Infirmary

"A doppelganger? I take it you don't know exactly where she came from?"

"Probably the 'organization'," Reign said, a little hesitant at first; it was second hand information, and purely circumstantial to boot. It at least made some sense. The group didn't seem to be conforming to any moral code and they'd had ample opportunity back when Raquel was abducted from this very estate. The doppelganger was even working for them.

"I suppose I'll let you people deal with her, then ... assuming you can handle that," Lilith said, narrowing her eyes at Raquel, who, just happened to be sneaking a peek in the vasilus' direction. She sorely regretted doing so. "That's it, then. I was curious about how you learned to wield the emblem as you do, but I'm almost certain I've already got my answer." I also doubt she would humor me at the moment, so I won't waste anymore time on this. Suddenly, a thought occurred, the little vasilus. She didn't feel the need to worry about the vasilus too much, at least not so long as they weren't being raised by the fallen or the avians. Still, this incarnation of Sol needed mental care if they were going to be of any use later. "Actually, there is one more thing. How is the 'egg' doing?"

"Hatched. Congratulations, it's a girl," Reign explained, trying to play the part of a jaded doctor.

"Then try to put your best foot forward from now on," Lilith nodded, "if she eventually decides mankind and the others aren't worth fighting for ... dying for, then this will have all been a waste of time. I'll come and find you all another time."

As she turned to leave, Reign winced; that was dark. He couldn't tell if the infant vasilus was a guaranteed casualty in Lilith's war on Wrath or only at great risk like, much like everyone else. He was so caught up in the grim prospect of raising a sacrificial soldier, that he nearly forgot to go after her, only realizing that she was leaving once she was halfway out the door.

[Snike]

On one hand, Lilith left, which defused the situation in the infirmary. On the other hand, she left with the suggestion that they were raising the infant vasilus to die for her war. That was... unacceptable, to Blake, but worrying about that wasn't his priority right now.

"...Well, despite that discussion, welcome back, Raquel." Blake said, as he turned his attention to her. "We're glad to see that you're alright."

Ethan frowned at Lilith's parting words, but continued with his work. He took out a glass jar containing a light brown powder, and moved it over to a nearby table. From there, he returned to his search in the cabinet.

[Ether]

Make humanity seem good so that kid... the newborn Fallen Vasilus thing, would be willing to die for them in the future... if that wasn't a grim prospect, what was? Giving her head a quick shake, she turned towards Reign. It was up to him what they did now, since she had mostly been tagging along with him anyway.

"Reign...?"

[roymbrog]

“Don’t worry, you’ll be safe with me.” Though she meant it, Kat retained her previous grin. It did morph into something less suspicious when she answered his question, though. “I was going to get my things together and nap on Volga outside until we leave. I don’t really have anything I need to do, though.”

---

“Well… there have been in the past,” Synthia stated. “To prevent future issues, I think we need to make sure everyone knows who’s in charge, and enforce it. It would probably only apply to people on the payroll unless we made people agree to the terms to travel with us… That may not be the best idea.

“Anyway, I wanted to ask your opinion on whether Blake should be given some form of authority. He’s been planning our combat formations for a while now, and most of the group respects him. Technically you’re in charge at the moment, so… it’s really up to you,” she said.

The mage’s tome was already open, so she just flipped it to the first relevant page for her next topic. “With Gytha’s help, I also wrote down some questions for potential hires. Between the trouble in Ursentius and Neviskotia it’s likely we’ll end up hiring a few more people.”

[scorri]

"Yeah, see, you say don't worry, and yet, somehow, that grin isn't at all comforting." He grinned at her, clearly not too serious. "Ah well. I suppose it's worth risking my life to spend some time in the air with a lovely lady. I suppose I should make sure I have all of my stuff as well. Though, there's not much to grab. A pack with a spare set of clothes and I'm good. I already have most of my weapons on me, and my bow's with my horse. Hmm... I suppose there might be work for us to do with the rest of the group. We'll see I guess."

[-Cynthia-]

"There are a lot of people not on the payroll, if I remember correctly," Veronika said, frowning. Not that I want to pay them, but allowing them to do whatever they wish is...unpleasant. I doubt I'll be able to force them to follow rules regardless however, as she thought of trying to rein in...independent spirits like Gar and Gytha.

"I'd be fine giving Blake authority, although this should be cleared with Raquel once she wakes up. I doubt she'll mind, but it's not something I'd do without her consent. What sorts of questions did you have in mind?" she asked Synthia.

[Ether]

[spoiler=And then drinking happened... last night]Well, that had been a lot of writing, Arietta noted to herself with a sigh, as she slipped the now completed report on the events of Raquel's raid, into a neat little folder where it would be found by Ernesta and Seth in the morning. Stretching slightly, the bodyguard began to head towards the library, where Zachary had said he's be waiting... though with how late it had gotten, she hadn't checked the exact time but it had to past 1 AM at this point, she wouldn't be surprised if he had went off to bed already. Well, if he had, she'd simply do the same... with her armour off already and now wearing a simple cotton shirt and pants, with her hair in a loose ponytail, it'd be easy enough to just slip into bed and off to sleep.

But, much to her surprise, to be honest, when she entered the library, Zachary was not only still there, but seemed to be in the full swing of things, surrounded by graphs and maps and charts and a whole manner of open books and writing utensils.

"Well would y'look it that? Yer realla' goin' hard on this, aye?" Arietta noted, as she began looking over what the man had worked out, so far.

As he said he would be, Zach had spent a good few hours in the library, planning, thinking, researching, just about everything that he thought might possibly help out with the next step of their mission to save the entire freaking world. Several lamps were lighting the room still, despite he having been the only one left in the archive of knowledge for quite a while now. The only break he'd ended up taking was to go freshen up with a bath and change out his clothes after a while, wanting to be fresh in body, if not mind, for the task he'd set up.

Maps of Neviskotia, estimates of their military might and troop placement, types of dragons that were to be found in each location that could possibly be the key to victory... If there was something to be found in this library concerning what he wanted to know Zachary had no doubt already found it and read through it twice.

At current he was sketching away inside of his notebook, seemingly much further along in pages than he had been earlier in the day. He was slightly startled when Arietta actually ended up coming into the library, assuming she'd ended up going to bed. She actually looked quite different in casual wear with her hair up, not in a bad way either. "Oh... Hey Arietta." Greeting her with a wave. "I don't really have a choice in the manner I feel. Raquel is out of commission and Veronika is no doubt.... reacquainting herself with Pavel, so it's a shot in the dark if she'll even be available tomorrow. I promised I'd figure something out for her, and I intend on keeping it... isn't very easy though." Marking his place in the notebook before shutting it and relaxing back in his chair. "I've got to say, tonight I've learned more about demons than I ever really cared to."

Reaching into his trusty bag of holding, the mage produced the bottle of vodka from earlier and two shot glasses "But I think we've both done enough work for the night, how about a drink eh?" Pouring both of them a shot.

"Well, I mean... gettin' a group this size inta' 'Skotia at a time like this ain't the easiest thing, t'be sure. 'Specially with one'a Boss's combat transports..." Arietta replied, accepting the poured shot and downing it.

"Though... speakin' a' Boss, he wouldn't be too thrilled if he found out we were doin' this in 'ere... I appreciate the enthusiasm an' all, but let's clean 'er up and head back down to th'dining hall, before we drink too much t'do it right, aye?" She noted, beginning to gather some of the documents that had been put off to the side, obviously not in use at the moment.

"Precisely." Zach said, before downing his own shot, the familiar burn easing some of the stress he'd accumulated in the past several hours. "That's been the other half of what I've been doing, trying to properly figure out safe passage for us all... not the easiest indeed."

"You do have a point... wouldn't be very polite for me to leave all of this strewn about so messily. Let's just think of that one as a pre-drinking celebration shot that the hard part of the day is over." Moving to start cleaning up the place, putting things back where they needed to go. Nearly everything that would be needed in the future was in his notebook, and if he needed to come back tomorrow, he'd know where it all was "Hey Arietta.... would you mind if I asked you a somewhat awkward question?" He said while they finished up "Is it... obvious that I'm from a backwater town like Ohka, despite trying my hardest to not sound like it? I can't really tell if I still sound like I'm actually from Neviskotia or not."

"Naw, it ain't obvious that 'yer from the sticks, if that's what'cha mean. Well, Robin's a pretty big tell, with how chummy she tries t'get with ya... s'that why you've been tryin' t'distance yerself from 'er? Embarrassed 'bout where ya came from?" Arietta replied, as she finished putting away her own share of the books and other reference materials.

"A'course, y'still have a bit o'an accent, but it's nothin' major, and it ain't like 'Skotia itself is a hick country 'er nothin' so that's not a big deal... hardly noticeable really."

"That... really isn't the case, I'm not ashamed of where I come from, not really, I tried to lose what accent I had though just so people wouldn't judge me based off how I sound. As for Robin herself... people change, some people can't accept that. I'm not too sure how to properly phrase it but I'm rather.... annoyed at how she treated me after a particular situation that involved the death of someone I cared about dearly." That seemed to be the extent of how much he'd explain, unless she asked for more.

"Righto, that seems to be everything. Which means it's alcohol time, wanna head back to the dining hall or one of our rooms to kick things off?"

"That makes sense, I s'pose." Arietta replied, as Zach began elaborating on the rift he had with Robin. No need to go further, really. From the sounds of it, she had been an asshole about something one simply shouldn't be an asshole about.

"Probla' best t'go t'the dinin' hall. They've got a buncha stuff in th'kitchens 'fer mixin' and such if that's yer thing, n'that way no one wakes up in th'wrong place on accident, aye?"

"Dining hall sounds good to me, though I've got to admit, I really don't have experience with mixing drinks, never really found the time to learn how to do it, maybe that'll be another thing that I end up learning today." Zach said back to the woman.

"So... it's generally a thing that people do after a few drinks, but let's skip ahead a bit, swap life stories while we walk?"

"Mmm... sorry t'break it t'ya, but I ain't got much experience with that either, really. I just know some people get inta it and all so figured I'd bring it up." Arietta shot back with a grin.

"Life stories, huh? Well, s'not all that interestin', but sure. M'father's a big-headed nobleman, has a bit of esteem, I guess... I got tired a'bein' coddled and all that shit, so I skipped out. Learned t'fight around the bars and pubs downtown, eventualla' met Teach, one'a Weyland's Zeroes... he helped me get my technique t'gether and got me this job here. Ain't too much else a'note, really." Arietta continued, as they walked.

"What about you?"

"Sounds like it's been an interesting enough life, if nothing else." It almost seemed as though they were kindred spirits in a strange way, trying to escape what they'd been born into, he, a yokel, her, a noble, what a perfect plot for some shitty romance novel.

"Me though? Mom was in the military for a good bit, she had some friends I plan on looking up when get into Skotia proper, eventually she and my old man wanted to settle down far away from the conflict, and it's hard to do better than Ohka when you want to get away. Mom trained me in magic, Dad ended up being a guardsman... got killed when I was about twelve by bandits. Mom was strong though, kept herself upright and raised me on her own... fairly well if I'm allowed to say so. She got sick... died a little before I turned eighteen, didn't take it so well, ran away from Ohka. Ended up in a port town, became the protegee to a big shot mage, turns out he was part of a cult and wanted me to join, I said to hell with it. Long story short on that end, rape cult, artificial girl goddess, the girl I cared for dearly, tried to save her, ended up meeting Raquel and everyone else, saved her, got out of town... got into a fight... she died... Met Marella, pretty sure I was starting to love her by the way, enjoyed the time I had with her, the god damn dragon comes along and ruins everything and here we are!"

A soft chuckle escaped

"Sorry, I really didn't mean to make things so depressing, that's just the way my life turned out. Kinda felt good to actually get all of that off my chest."

"Sounds rough... well, when ya get mixed up with somethin' like that, life tends t'get pretty rough. Might not be what y'want t'hear but, well... when y'get inta fightin' for what ya believe in, for what y'feel is right in yer heart... you'll meet people ya hit it off with, who feel the same way. You'll laugh with 'em, cry with 'em, fight at their side... and unless y'dip out early, you'll see some of 'em die in front a ya, feelin' like there wasn't a damn thing y'coulda done t'stop it. It sucks, but that's what happens when the world s'at war like it is, from the ones err'one knows about to the ones in th'shadows like the Organization." Arietta replied, giving her head a solemn shake.

"S'good t'get things out there, sometimes, even if it ain't pretty. It helps ya heal those wounds, that medicine and staves can't get to, aye?"

"At the end of the day, shit happens and there isn't anything we can do about it but soldier on or give up eh? I don't plan on giving up, even if this world is one that's battered and bruised I still plan on trying to save it from whatever that Fallen prince is up to. Nika and Pavel... I want something like that one day, can't really happen if the whole world has been infested with a bunch of demons though."

"All in all, it really just feels nice to be able to say all of that to someone, so... thanks for listening Arietta, it actually means a lot to me." Zach ended, rubbing at the back of his neck feeling slightly awkward.

"Well we just gotta keep fightin' t'keep from bein' overrun, aye? Get inta 'Skotia and get rid a'those gates so they can't invade. As fer them... a fiance, huh? Well, s'pose it's somethin' everyone wants t'have someday." Arietta responded, chuckling at Zach's display.

"Well, s'not a problem t'listen if y'need t'talk. Err'one's got somethin' t'get off their chest, after all."

"Glad to know that you're on board at least... I've been worrying that Raquel might elect to not join us, now that she has her father back, even though Veronika might do the same with Pavel, but that's a rather idiotic though to have, not a chance she'd quit." As for the other part.... "Everyone needs somebody, just a matter of actually finding that person."

Looking over at the woman, he couldn't help but ask "So... while we're on the subject, anything you need to get off your chest? Figure I owe you one at this point, might as well just clear up a bunch of problems in one go."

"Well, we'll have t'see with Raquel... she ain't the fightin' type, really. Her resolve came from wantin' her dad back, so we can't really expect ana'thing from 'er. Veronika'd likely stick with 'er, like ya said. She's got a good head on 'er shoulders." Arietta noted, nodding in agreement.

"Mmm... nothin' really, right now. I took care of a lot of m'problems a while back... still haven't settled things with m'dad but I don't expect I'll ever do that, so..."

"Still though... having the power of the Emblem on our side sure would be a confidence booster when potentially facing off against a horde of demons know what I mean? I'd rather have all the help I can get when it comes to a situation like this." Zach continued, as they finally reached the dining hall again.

"Well, I'm open if you ever need anyone to talk to about anything, for now though, how about we pick up where we left off at the library eh?" Already claiming a table and bringing out the equipment again.

"Yeah, anythin' helps... hopefully we can get some support in 'Skotia once we get there. As fer the Emblem, well... that's on Raquel." Arietta responded, sitting down across from Zach.

"I'm game. Let's see what ya got, aye?"

"What I've got." Zach said while grinning as he poured their alcohol "Is a tolerance that would make any average Skotian blush, let's see if I can't drink you under the table sister. Cheers!"

"Oh, I'm scared now. Let's see if ya can back that up, then. Cheers!" Arietta replied with a chuckle, accepting the first... err, second, shot, and downing it.

Thinking back to the night before had Arietta chuckling to herself a little. After a time, she had stopped the mage from having any more and put him to bed... still, he hadn't done too bad for the bookworm type. Arietta herself didn't have much of a headache left, but with a little time to spare after talking to Veronika, it seemed a good enough idea to go and get some coffee from the kitchens.

[Script]

Xenia

The craziness was over... for now. Gods this kind of thing was the last thing she ever wanted to handle. Keep your head down, don't ask questions, get paid. It was all so sad and easy before! Urgh, whatever. She needed to do her job to get out of here as soon as possible. She looked back at Raquel. "How you holding up?" she asked. "Is your wound still hurting?"

A Man Called Gar

During the lull in activity, Gar got to pondering about some serious issues. The meaning of life, the nature of man, wealth inequality and the steps the rich took to widen the gap. But most important was deciding what to do with Suzzy Q. He wanted to be near her, but their positions made it difficult. He'd just ate, she had no food. Everyone in the group hated her, and though he could stand any hazing they tried, he didn't want her to go through it. Oh the other hand, going over to her would just be scandalous and who knows what the other employees would think? And continue to think long after he was gone? Truly the greatest quandary he'd faced recently.

Was heading elsewhere an option? But after the fuss earlier trying to eat somewhere besides the hall might earn another tongue lashing. Oh, there was an idea, get her to carry food to him or something similar but that would just be so demeaning.

Ah well, he'd wait.

For now.

He grinned.

[Phoenix]

Infirmary

"Yeah," Reign nodded, "let's go." One last glance back reassured him that Raquel was in good hands. "Listen to the healers, Raquel," he called back as he made for the door. It was better than leaving without any word at all.

Raquel frowned as the door closed behind the three that had left so far. Something important must be going on if Reign was in any sort of hurry. Blake was still here, though, so maybe it was a personal matter and not something affecting the whole group. For now, she supposed she would just try to relax. She didn't have the energy to do much else. Holding the emblem piece as tightly as she could manage without straining her fingers, she answered, "My chest is a little sore but I'm fine ... I guess. I'm hungry, though."

Jethro smiled but barely. His little girl wasn't out of the woods, yet, not until he somehow convinced her to let go of that damned artifact. The way she was holding it, she seemed like she would snap at anyone who made an obvious move toward it. That wasn't good. There was also that dragon. With that thing still around, someone could get seriously hurt ... or worse, at a moment's notice. The memory of Owen forcing his own staff through his chest and killing himself at the behest of that phantom was still clear as day to him. What was worse, for him, though, was the inexplicable agony he'd seen his daughter in during that awful meeting. That floating head was bad news, pure and simple.

"It's alright if she has something to eat, right?" he asked, his glance darting back and forth between Ethan and Xenia.

Training Room

It was almost like a gamble ... if they could sense this presence, Lilith, she could probably sense them, as well, but as far as Steinn could tell, they weren't drawing any attention to themselves. "I suppose we can begin the match once she leaves. I'd rather not be distracted the entire time."

"Who knows how long that will take ..." Evert's partner muttered.

"She didn't stick around long the last time," Evert noted reassuringly.

That was when Steinn felt another presence. It appeared out of nowhere ... someone had just warped to a position very close to Lilith. Normally that would have been alarming, considering that his mortal enemy, Valdimarr, was the person that stuck out most in his mind where warping tactics were concerned. This wasn't Valdimarr, though. They were considerably weaker, though Steinn suspected this person had a great deal of gathering ability, possibly even better than his brother. "Hmm ... seems there's another 'guest' has arrived."

"Not going to investigate?"

"I doubt it concerns us," Steinn replied. Despite his curiosity, he didn't want to confront the vasilus or this other person directly without knowing more about their motivations.

Hall

"Hey Lilith, hold on a minute," Reign called out. He wasn't sure if taking a few seconds to give Raquel some parting advice was enough for Lilith to put almost twenty meters between them or if she was just walking extremely fast a moment ago, but either way, he didn't want to have to go chasing after her when he could just get her to stop and let him walk to catch up. Fortunately, she stopped and turned halfway to face them. As Reign started to close the distance, he noticed a pegasus just outside the main building, about three meters from the windows lining the hall's southern side. It was a black pegasus, sniffing at the grass, though Reign noted it wasn't just black, it was pitch black, as if the light of the sun refused to even touch it. Probably too much to hope it didn't have an owner and was perfectly tame. No, not with the saddle, though he could barely see the thing and only noticed due to the reins and stirrups attached to it.

Better to focus on the matter at hand and figure out the pegasus situation later. "I need to ask you something," Reign said, just as he got close enough to use his normal tone.

"Ask, then," Lilith replied, glancing momentarily at the pegasus outside.

"Are you capable of using dark magic to heal scars? I'm asking because, if so, I had a favor to ask." The moment of truth, it seemed. If Lilith couldn't help him, or wasn't willing to, that just left one option other than conjuring up a small fortune to throw at some 'skotian dark healer and arrangements like those seemed to come with even fewer certainties. If Lilith wasn't an optino then that left Nyx, and he still had reservations about her, despite having already getting Nadine to talk to her about it for him.

"More capable than you might think. Is this about your eye? I don't recall you having that patch before." She then glanced past Reign and Faatina to a hooded figure approaching from the other end of the hall.

"Yeah, pretty much," Reign nodded. "I know, I know, it makes me look even more aloof than usual, but I prefer effectiveness to appearance," he explained, half jokingly.

"I suppose I could-" "Before you do," Ryder interjected just loudly enough to be heard at a distance, "I'd like to make a proposal on behalf of my mistress."

Oh great, Reign thought as he looked back to see that it really was Ryder coming up the hall. That explained the pegasus. He should have known. I wonder if Nyx is planning to have that guy convince Lilith to leave this eye thing to her and then dangle it over my head like a prize for joining her. That seems a bit obvious, though. I'm not sure whether to put it past her or not.

Dining Hall

"Are there any other special orders?" Kou asked the dining room as a whole, scanning everyone for any hint of someone wanting something besides bacon, eggs, and toast. That was when Gabbie wandered into the dining hall. Her hair was still untied and she was wearing her black tunic instead of the standard one, and none of the armored components. Kou quickly called over, "sorry but it's breakfast time; no one feels like making your crazy little sandwiches, woman!"

"I was going to go for a couple of eggs, actually," Gabbie replied, her amusement hidden beneath a veil of fatigue, "but now that you mention it, I could definitely go for another panini. Well, get on it, kitchen slave."

"Just for that, I'm going to cover your eggs in soy sauce. I know how you northerners hate that," Kou threatened, though there was a hint of playfulness in his tone.

Gabbie froze for a moment. "That ... you know what, go roight ahead. That actually sounds loike it moight be decent."

"It's delicious," Kou said defensively.

Erica soon returned with a large serving tray. She was good at balancing plates, her work in the kitchen ensured that, but she wasn't about to risk an accident, not with drinks in the mix like water and Robin's orange juice. Just about all of the plates had bacon, eggs, and toast in balanced portions on them. She made sure to drop off each plate for the appropriate person. As she did, she explained, "the pancakes will be done shortly and then I'll have the rest of the orders brought out for you." Her forced smile wasn't quite cutting it; she wished Carol was here since this was supposed to be her job. "Kou, were there any other special orders?"

"Yes," Kou said feigning offense, "the wolf girl wants paninis for breakfast, but I informed her that she'll have to settle for eggs bathed in soy sauce."

"That sounds kind of bad," Erica murmured to herself. Kigenese cuisine wasn't ... wasn't her thing. She could prepare it well enough, with a little help, but other than a few particular dishes ... "Maybe ..." As a cook, she couldn't help but try to give the dish a hypothetical chance, but she personally preferred eggs either plain, or with a little cheese.

"I'm just curious," Gabbie said shrugging.

Suzume and her new colleagues had their food, but only they were eating. Suzume was deep in thought. Maybe if I asked Ernesta if I could eat outside ... I'm sure Gar would catch the hint. I know she won't let me run off upstairs with this stuff ... I can't blame her for that, really.

[Script]

Xenia

"Well, first you should make sure you can actually stand under your own power," Xenia answered. "If you can stand and walk we can head over, otherwise we'll get someone to bring something back. Start with some liquids to see if you can keep it down, before moving on to some whole foods."

A Man Called Gar

Suddenly! "Gonna go check on the infirmary crew," Gar muttered to no one in particular. But he'd be out of sight and out of mind! So he got up and left. But a certain fine young lady would certainly notice this.

[Snike]

"The chest pain's a minor side effect of the healing. It should go away after a day or so," Ethan said, as he closed the cabinet. "You're going to feel drained for the next while thanks to Lilith forcing you awake, as well as likely a bit out of sorts. The latter's due to the fall you took, and you're lucky it isn't more than that. But, moving on, I agree that you should start with fluids."

[Ether]

That was right, wasn't it? Lilith might be able to fix Reign's eye... Faatina hadn't considered it, but it was so obvious in hindsight. And just as Lilith seemed to agree, one of Nyx' men came up and interrupted them, supposedly with some sort of proposal. She scowled as the man approached... more than likely he was going to make things difficult... if only she had her proper equipment...

***

"What a strange set of circumstances." Annelise noted, Steinn having confirmed the new arrival before she could speak. At his suggestion, they wait and see before continuing, something she agreed with at the moment.

***

Stepping into the dining hall, Arietta spotted Erica handing out plates, that might save some time.

"Hey Erica, d'ya know if there's any coffee on?"

[Phoenix]

Infirmary

"Maybe I should just eat in here," Raquel grimaced. She would have rather warped to the kitchen, but something told her that would just make a mess of things and worry everyone. She didn't feel thirsty but she supposed a glass of water wouldn't hurt. "What happened after I ... passed out?"

"Tch, long story short, Samael nearly killed us. I've got to figure out a way to put an end to all of this, but for my number one priority right now is you," Jethro explained. If he could just figure out a way to touch on the emblem without her getting defensive. She was still clinging to it like it was her own beating heart.

Jethro's explanation was sparse on details; he had said it was the short version, but it was admittedly too short for her to glean much from it. Samael was a homicidal maniac, everyone already knew that much. Last she remembered of the evening, she was trying to fight back against him. Then ... darkness. "Can I at least know how both of us wound up here?"

Training Room

"Nothing's strange around here, anymore," Evert said, sighing heavily afterward.

"At least you're getting used to it," Steinn noted. "That's good. You'll be better prepared for my brother, then."

"What is with you people anyway? This succession war is bloodiest I've ever heard of ..." Since the fallen had taken up temporary residence at the estate, word had gotten around about the Slaughter of Siblings and that seemed to only be the tip of the iceberg. This particular Slaughter of Siblings was also, apparently, not going the way it was supposed to, as only one of the male Devlinos siblings was supposed to be alive right now, but with Steinn still very much alive, they were in murky territory. For now, though, the throne was Valdimarr's and the majority of the empire would likely fall in line behind him.

"It's just our way. The right to rule really shouldn't fall to the first born unless they can overcome all of their brothers, though there are exceptions besides this one. There are times when the Slaughter of Siblings must take place unexpectedly, and while one or more of the princes is too young to even stand a chance. When they are so young and frail that even their own cunning won't save them, they have sometimes been given a choice ..."

"A choice?"

"Yes, fight and die with some vague sense of honor ... or be turned into a demon." Evert and his teammate glanced at one another, each clearly sickened by the idea of turning a royal child into some kind of abomination. "Demons and significantly modified persons have no claim to the throne, regardless of the Devlinos blood in their veins. Adult princes have also been given this choice in the past, but we aren't taught to back down from a challenge just because the odds are against us."

"You're quite the shining example of that, yeah," Evert said. "You've really got your work cut out for you."

"I find life as a disgraced prince far more interesting and ... appealing, than most of the alternatives."

Hall

"Ryder," Lilith's gaze narrowed.

"Hello again, Lilith," the messenger nodded a greeting. "As I was saying, I've come with a proposal."

"Does this have something to do with me becoming one of her servants?" Reign quickly asked, wanting to expose whatever was going on before Ryder had the chance to make a proper, possibly even compelling, proposal.

"Oh, get over yourself," Ryder spat back, stepping right up to the mage. Ryder was significantly shorter than Reign, likely around five feet and seven inches. The messenger wasn't backing down, though. "You're being presented with an opportunity to earn a great deal of coin as well as the use of your eye. As far as I'm concerned, you're not worth her time. Now ..." Ryder took a step back so that Lilith was back in view. Reign wasn't sure what he'd done to get on Ryder's bad side, but he was sifting through every memory he had of the messenger and Nyx to try and find out. "Lilith, this could benefit you, as well," Ryder continued, sounding casual, again.

"I'm listening," Lilith said, crossing her arms. What did Nyx have in mind?

"The only vasilus of fire left on this continent is the little phoenix the maids are taking care of, right now," Ryder began. The maids were taking care of her? Not Raquel's people? Lilith could only scowl at the news. She knew they were closely aligned with Weyland, but she still considered them separate entities. "She'll learn to wield her powers on her own ... given enough time, but like you keep telling everyone, we don't know how much time we actually have left. Better to take a few shortcuts when we can find them, right? Well here's the offer: Reign is the only full fledged fire mage in Raquel's company right now, so my mistress wants to hire him to train the vasilus ... in exchange for the repairs to his eye, and some gold to make up the difference."

Train a vasilus? Reign had heard crazier things but only in tall tales during voyages. The idea was nonetheless ... intriguing. "That can't possibly work," Lilith shook her head once, "anima behaves differently with mages than it does with my kind. A mage is constantly struggling to maintain control of their chosen element ... a vasilus is that element."

"There is always a way," Ryder smirked beneath the mask.

Dining Hall

"I told them to start before I came back out here," Erica replied, "but they would have only just started. Why, did you want anything in particular?"

'The infirmary crew'? Suzume didn't know how long it would have taken her to muster up the courage to ask Ernesta if she could eat outside, but it was clear that it would have taken too long. Gar was already on his way out, and heading for the infirmary apparently. She actually knew where that was and it was a straight shot from here, so catching up would be simple enough.

"Heeey~" one of the others sitting with her cooed, "Ernesta stepped out. Was so busy keeping my head down that I didn't even notice. What do you say to eating outside? It's a nice day out." An odd coincidence that she'd gotten the same idea Suzume had, though for entirely different reasons, apparently.

"What if we run into Ringo?" one of the others asked, frowning at the prospect.

"Well, I'm going," Suzume quickly decided, though where she was going was left for them to interpret. She stood up, grabbed her plate, and headed for the entryway as casually as she could. She couldn't tell if the others were following her lead or not ... she hoped not, or at least that they would fall behind a little.

[Script]

Xenia

"Well I ain't playing room service," Xenia mentioned. Even if she needed some eats herself. With a side bonus of yelling to the high heavens at Raj. "All I know about your circumstances is that it was crazy enough for Raj to pay me a fortune to treat you."

A Man Called Gar

Once Gar was out of the dining hall he slowed down. He couldn't go too fast when he was waiting for someone after all.

[Snike]

"That might be for the best," Ethan said once Raquel mentioned eating in the infirmary. He didn't say much else, if only because he didn't have anything to say.

"... Well at some point, you fell through the wall, with a hole in your chest. If Synthia hadn't been on hand..." Blake said, avoiding eye contact. "... Regardless, you were brought back to the estate, where Gabbie was in the process of bringing your father in. I don't know much about how that came to be, so I'd ask him about it."

The blue-haired man stopped talking, for a bit, then turned towards the door.

"I'll go get you some food from the dining hall," he said, as he opened it. "Was there anything that you wanted in particular?"