Return of the Emblem Chapter Thirteen: Revelations

[Snike]

"I know that much, Blake over there came in while he was taking a look at me, and Gabbie came in a few minutes later. Followed by you, pal," Axel said, turning to Erion for a minute. "I'm wondering about where the others are. From what she said, I'm guessing the bombs didn't go off. Otherwise we'd be hearing about how many of our own we hurt."

"How were they when you left?" Blake instantly asked once the red armored man paused.

"Ethan's probably still working on Raquel's injury right now. He said it was worse than he thought, but if anyone can handle it, it's him," the latter said, smirking a little at his questioner's sigh. "As for Jethro, he'll recover from most the injuries to his arms. It's not looking good for his eyesight, though."

[scorri]

"... Right, that. Sorry, wasn't thinking. Coulda missed somethin or whatever." He shrugged and took another drink. "Just gotta wait, I guess. Want to know what went on that room that everything went to shit like it did."

[Ether]

"You holding up okay, Reign? You've done a lot, today, and I mean... you must still be getting used to your injury... can I help with anything?" Faatina asked somewhat apprehensively as she walked out of the stables with the mage.

***

Well, that seemed to be mostly taken care of... now to try and find Gabbie. Likely easier said than done, Isabella surmised, especially with the guardsmen being of no help in that regard... though she had heard tales of the infinite wisdom of this place's magical maid network, she supposed perhaps if she could find one, she might be able to locate the Seeker... it was all she could do while she searched to also attempt to will one into existence in the near vicinity.

***

Based on all of the ruckus, it seemed that one of the parties that had departed prior had returned... and upon coming across a good deal of the members of one of them drinking, it seemed that their mission hadn't gone overly well. Approaching the grouping of people, whilst still snacking on the jerked venison she had retrieved from the kitchens, Annelise addressed the red-haired swordswoman who she recalled acted as a second for this grouping.

"Judging from all of the alcohol being consumed, I presume your task didn't quite go as planned?"

[-Cynthia-]

"Thank you," Veronika replied to Erion, gulping down some gin. "I think we would have heard the explosions if they went off- Gar being warped away must have disrupted that plan and allowed Raquel to become injured," she explained to Axel and the Fallen woman. I suppose Steinn wants us to get moving and close the Neviskotian gate, but we don't have a ship to Neviskotia right now anyway.

[Ether]

"She was injured? That's unfortunate... I will hope for her safe recovery." Annelise replied, as she began to chew on another piece of jerky.

[Mercakete]

"They'll be fine! Maybe they're not right now, but they're finalla t'gether again!" she happily replied to Synthia as she hurried along, finally having reached the steps and begun to ascend them to the front doors. "If a father n' 'is daughter have a good r'lationship, then that's somethin' worth fightin' fer! They'll be so happy t' be t'gether again after all they've been through!"

And then they were in the manse. It didn't take long to find an unfamiliar face, either, and unfamiliar faces in Weyland's estate probably meant they were Weyland employees. "Ahoy! D' ye know where Raquel n' 'er father're?" She wasn't hiding her enthusiasm.

[Snike]

"How was Gar able to be warped in the first place? I thought you guys were doing a quick in and out, with leaving the explosives inside," Axel said, after the crow chimed in. "Or did you all literally announce to them that he had explosives on him?"

[scorri]

"We don't know. It was just the two of 'em. No idea what went on in there. Raquel just fell outta tha buildin with a hole near her heart. And then Gar was warped or somethin. I dunno, just heard Kat yellin. Dunno what happened between them gettin in there and her fallin out besides her warpin that other guy we were tryin to get out." He shrugged and took another sip of his drink.

[Snowy_One]

Robin's nose scrunched up in mild disgust at the sight of the gin, memories, or the lack there-of, of her most recent encounter with such things still fresh in her mind. Part of her wished to never have those memories back, and likely for a good reason. Being passed out on the floor was the best case and she did not want to remember that.

"Ummm, Annelise, I know this will sound weird, but..." started Robin before giving a small cough. "I am hungry. May I please have some of that jerky?"

Edited September 4, 2014 by Snowy_One

[Ether]

As the humans continued to discuss the inner workings of the mission, it seemed that the man in red had not gone with them, as he was inquiring further as to details. As the exchanges continued, one of the humans approached her with a somewhat shy visage, Annelise was surprised that this girl recalled her name at all, really, and asked if she could partake in some of the food that she was munching on.

While her initial reaction in such a case would normally be to snarl and defend what was hers, she managed to catch herself, instead her only outward reaction having been to give the archer an inquisitive gaze before replying.

"At times I forget that Ursium is a land of abundance... very well, I suppose I can spare some." Annelise replied, offering a few pieces to the girl.

[Snowy_One]

Robin took the jerky in hand, giving it a quick sniff over and examining the texture closely, clearly looking for something. "This is not human jerky, right? It is venison like it looks and smells like, right?" she asked, giving the Fallen a careful glance. She, somehow, doubted it was made from human flesh, despite the owner being fallen.

Edited September 4, 2014 by Snowy_One

[Ether]

"It feels like I am being mocked." Annelise noted bluntly, not bothering to lash out at the girl for the insult... was she trying to pick a fight or was she simply intellectually defective? Considering she had recalled her name, it was more likely the former of the two, but it may have simply been a slow afterthought?

"It is, in fact, venison. I acquired it from Sir Weyland's chefs. Such a thing is considered a rare delicacy back home." Annelise continued, as she began chewing another piece.

"For your own benefit, you might think it best to learn not to bite the hand that feeds you. Especially if you are to call out that hand of your own volition, asking to be fed." She concluded, her tone still flat. How amusing it might be, that despite all their talks of culture, and the Kestrelli's supposed barbarianism, that she might teach this human simple manners.

[scorri]

Erion shook his head at Robin. "What, you think that Weyland would just allow 'er to eat humans in tha middle of his place? Makes no sense, he wouldn't allow that, don't be dumb." He took another drink of the gin and tonic and sighed. "Blah, wish we could get some news from the healers. Stuck here waiting..." He shook his head. "This sucks."

[Phoenix]

Turning In

Reign shrugged. It was a tough injury to get used to, all the tougher when he couldn't even be sure if it was permanent or if Nadine would convince Nyx to help him. "Well, if you want to come tuck me in, you're more than welcome," he smirked lightly, "but I think I'm just going to try to get some rest."

Break?

"Oh for gods' sake, eat something," Gabbie gave Connor an annoyed look. "I've been sitting here for half an hour to see if you'd take a break or just pass out on the spot and you're still at it ... seriously, eat something before your stomach turns on you or you'll end up feeling loike crap for the rest of the noight."

Inquiries

"Okay, who are you?" Anna demanded as she came from down the hall. She'd been on her way to the workshop to force Connor to take a break so he could eat dinner and ask Gabbie some questions, as well as for an update on the overall situation, when she saw Isabella for the first time. It was a safe bet that this woman wasn't an enemy, but it was never a safe bet that she wasn't trouble.

One of the maids, Ellen, if her bandaged hands were any indication, sighed as she walked on by. Anna seemed to be dealing with this newcomer personally, so she supposed she should continue making her rounds for the time being.

Direction

"I'm afraid I don't. I haven't been well informed about what she's been up to," Tilly answered Gytha. She wasn't in the best of moods, so all she could do was force the typical smile found on most of the maids working in the estate. While not very convincing, it at least didn't betray the depth of her bad mood; maybe she'd stubbed her toe an hour ago or something ... that guess would have been as good as any other. "Someone in the dining hall might know."

"She and her father are in the infirmary," Tamara suddenly spoke up, stepping out from around a corner to do so. She reframed from smiling herself, but only due to the severity of the situation. "It's on this level. I can take you there if you'd like, but if I recall correctly Mister Ethan is already working. It might be best to wait for news. Neither of them are in very good condition, and Raquel has yet to wake up."

Rest

It was a lot to think about; apparently she could continue to help them in tracking down the organization's leader. She wasn't sure how that was going to work, out, though, even with Samael's strange reactions to her. "Could I ... rest for awhile before deciding?" It had been so long since she didn't have to consciously monitor her own words. If she was going to continue down the path she'd started on, she definitely wanted to take whatever time she had now to recover from the weeks she'd spent with them, either under suspicion, or undue praise. Both were taking their toll on her.

[Mercakete]

Gytha just kept a less intense smile and nodded. "A'right. Please let us know when they're awake! I don't want t' miss th' reunion!" she cheerily requested, having finally let go of Synthia's wrist, and began to happily make her way towards the dining hall to wait.

[scorri]

Keeper shrugged. "Like I said. You can stay with me for as long as you need. Either here or back in the other world. Though if we do warp back to the other world, I'd like to offer you full selection of my armory. I know that you probably have your own weapons, but I have a nice range of items that might help you if you need variety or something that would require less effort if you use magic or what not. After all, this is open to all Disciples. But, my point is, no rush. I was told to save you, and so I did. And now, I'll take care of you however you need, be that giving you time to relax and figure things out or by warping you somewhere. So take the time to relax."

He paused, and then spoke to the thin air, "Uniter, we'll be staying here for a little, giving her time to relax and figure out the best course of action. We might leave Purgatory, but for now I'm staying with her. If there's anything else you need, let us know." He frowned slightly and then turned to Cassandra. "I'm... sorry. I don't think I know your name or title. I'm Gatekeeper or Keeper. Sorry for not doing that sooner."

Edited September 5, 2014 by scorri

[-Cynthia-]

Dining Hall

"Right, you're going to have ask one of them what happened. Maybe we could consider searching for Gar, but if he was warped away there isn't really any way to tell where he might have gone," Veronika answered Axel, sipping her gin.

Workshop

"Hey, I ate breakfast!" Connor responded defensively. "Or maybe that was yesterday...I kind of lose track of time down here," he admitted sheepishly.

[roymbrog]

Raquel and her father might be fine someday perhaps, but Synthia felt it wasn’t as simple as that. Similar to a contest of strength, however, the mage was pretty sure she wouldn’t have much success fighting Gytha’s optimism. She remained quiet until they’d found the maids and stayed behind after the mariner left. “Could you take me to the infirmary?” she asked Tamara. “I was the healer who worked on Raquel before she was brought here.”

[Ether]

"Sure, I can help you with that much." Faatina replied. She wasn't sure if Reign had been joking or not, but she fully intended to take him up on it regardless.

***

Well, that demand wasn't very maidlike... judging by this woman's posture and general aura, she was likely one of the higher ups, here. Isabella did notice out of the corner of her vision, a maid had indeed appeared, but seemed to have backed off upon noticing that she was already being spoken to. Well, no cause for concern, quite yet.

"My name is Isabella... I'm an associate of Gabriella's and would like to speak with her." Isabella replied flatly.

[Snowy_One]

Robin gave the jerky one more cautious, sniff before she finally started to chew into the jerky, a slightly annoyed scowl on her face. Annelise was a Fallen, the same as Siv. What she had asked was simple precaution after all. Weyland might not know that she had man-jerky on her and Annelise was only starting to eat it now.

"There are things we can do while we wait of course. I, myself, have not been doing well. I fear I am getting a bit less fit than normal. I had to stop for breath while retreating and I am now becoming worried. Such a thing would mean death were I being chased by a wolf or bear and I do not wish to be killed because I could not run fast enough."

[scorri]

Erion rolled his eyes. "So stop eating unhealthy food like jerky and go for a run or something. Don't bother us with your human jerky nonsense, and let us drink in peace." He drained his glass, and headed towards the kitchen to get a new one.

[Snike]

"I'd say you can take a few days, yes," Uniter said, as he spotted Lilith in the distance. "We'll handle things in the meantime. Gatekeeper, I'm aware. Just be ready to have to pull myself back, as well."

***

"So, the second in command doesn't even know what the exact plan was? That explains a lot," Axel said. "Given I think it was Gar who suggested bombing the place, don't you think it's a little strange that they didn't tell you what they were doing? And how he was suddenly whisked away?"

Between this, and the beginnings of an argument between Robin, the Fallen guard, and a drunk Erion, Blake had had enough. He got up and left the room, without a word.

[scorri]

Keeper nodded out of habit, despite the fact that Uniter couldn't see him. "Err, right. I'm ready if you need me Uniter. Though... it will take two warps to reach you, be warned. So it will take a few seconds more than normal."

Erion stalked into the kitchen and started to pour himself another drink. Then he sighed. He didn't need this right now. Making one more drink, he stalked out through the dining room into the courtyard. Quickly draining his drink, he climbed up the tree he had been up in when he first met Eva. With a sigh, he slumped against the trunk and wondered why he'd stuck with this group instead of heading to Kigen with the others he had been closer with.

[Ether]

It seemed the odd human girl had no plans to reply, and there was now a back and forth between her and another human who was quickly becoming inebriated. With that, along with another of the humans, this one she recognized a bit more than the others, suddenly departing, Annelise decided that there was nothing to be gained by remaining with these ones, and followed after the swordsman. By the time she caught up with the man, he had made decent headway.

"You seem... amiss. It seems unlike you to depart, with the condition that girl must be in." She asked, as she somewhat listfully flew behind Blake.

[Snike]

"Alright. Just don't get any further away," Uniter said. "Talk to you in a bit, then."

***

"I know what condition she's in, since I brought her to the infirmary myself," Blake bluntly stated to the fallen woman - he had no idea why she was following him, but he didn't care. "And it doesn't really matter where I wait, so I decided to leave that room and go elsewhere. I just really don't want to be around others right now."