Return of the Emblem Chapter Thirteen: Flight

[scorri]

Lumi sighed. "I'm sorry, you two. I'm used to people knowing what I mean when I say that... What I mean was that we all got out alive, which, in my books, means that it was good. Normally I woulda added something like fun or exciting, that sorta thing. But... No. Today was a good fight because we all survived. And here's the thing. No matter who you fight... It's likely that they're going to have family, friends, someone who will care about them when they get home. But you can't focus on that, or else it will destroy you. Focus instead on why we're doing all of this. We're saving the emblem pieces, going to Kigen, all of this to help save the world. There are some things that happened today that I don't agree with. Some things that shouldn't have happened. But the net result? Look, we tried to get Joanna and get out of there without fighting. Those soldiers... They knew what they were doing, that they were risking their lives." She sighed. "I'm no good at all of this, because I've learned how to not focus on it. You need to find a way to distract yourself from all of it if you're going to continue along this path. Otherwise it will be like poison and eat you up from the inside. And sometimes all that you need to do is to talk about it. So... I'm always free to listen, if you want." She sighed again, feeling bad that she hadn't realized what was bothering the two of them. They were both younger than her, if barely, and clearly not as used to battle. She had spoken without thinking and now she was regretting it.

Hoshi nodded. "It's, uhm, true I don't have much combat experience. And... all that..." She sighed. "I, uhm, would rather not think to much about it. That... I wish I could have stopped him from shooting that man but... There was nothing I could do and nothing I can do and..." She shook her head. "I will be fine..."

[Phoenix]

In the Meantime

Greta nodded at Kimiko before waving one of her arms in the air. "Hey, Nadya! C'mere, I've got a new friend I want ya to meet!" Now seemed as good a time to her as any to bring this up since Kimiko seemed ready and they were still waiting on Malik to return. It wasn't until Amon started making subtle faces that she even considered Malik's actions earlier might be a problem.

Amon was entirely focused on the situation with Malik, and was beginning to consider going to look for him. "You said he went that way?" he asked Haythem, pointing in that direction. He still didn't see anyone over there but it was dark now, and the contrast of the city lights nearby was definitely hurting his chances of spotting someone in the distance.

Haythem nodded, not trying to hide his feelings about Amon's decision. "Yeah, but you're not going to run off now too, are you? Malik's only been gone about fifteen minutes." Haythem resisted the urge to laugh as he thought back on the situation, instead gently scratching his side burn. "I probably should have gone with him, huh?"

"Maybe ..." I've just got a bad feeling about this all of a sudden. Maybe this is my fault, even.

"Let's give him a few more minutes. I mean think about it, what else can he do at this point? She said the box can't be forced open, and trying to head back to Sanctuary without us catching up to him is impossible."

"I guess you're right," Amon conceded. He was hardly listening, though.

Joanna listened closely to the conversation, even though she was no longer facing them directly. From what she could tell, Amon and this Malik person wanted the box ... more specifically the emblem piece sealed within it. The former was being less aggressive about the whole thing, but that could have easily been due to not having it in his possession yet. They were clearly divided on some things. What would she have to do to get the box and its contents back if Malik saw fit to keep it or bargain with it? Even if Liam and the others were willing to try and take it from him, that wasn't the ideal outcome.

[-Cynthia-]

Odd time to be makin' new friends, but friends are better than enemies, Nadya thought to herself, making her way towards Greta. "I'm Nadya, as ya mighta figured out. Who're you?" she asked the Kigenese woman, presuming she spoke Common as that's the tongue Greta was using. My Kigenese is all rusty anyway...

<"So do you think that these humans actually intend to return the emblem piece to you or was this just a plot to obtain it for themselves?"> Liam asked Joanna bluntly as he observed the Rexians. I assume other members of the group are not familiar with Quilesh- it is not commonly spoken outside of Aquila as far as I know.

[Nanami Touko]

<Certain preparations like pressing your chest into mine?> Eva didn't say anything on that, but she did frown. "<I wanted to wait until we were flying to talk, because I didn't want to bother anyone, but...>" She sighed, and looked around. No one was coming to bother them. "<What was that all about with the prince?>" <Hit hard and get it started...>

----------

Tia only felt a bit better after Lumi spoke, and not about the situation, just about the woman. It was good that she wasn't pleased about the fight either, but it didn't help Tia to feel pleased about herself. Through her muffled voice she said at Lumi, "I don't have anything to distract myself, anymore... maybe I'll take you up on that talk, later..." It was better than nothing, but no matter how hard she tried she still ended up going back to what Nyx had done. It made sense; this wasn't something she could just shrug off in a few days, but it was still terrible. She glanced at Jamilla, who had been rather silent after her initial thoughts. I wonder how she's taking all this advice...

Edited September 2, 2014 by I have opinions

[Ether]

"Hmm? Oh, that... simple, really. I went on a date with him at the Princess' engagement party, and was hoping to try and reconcile with him, somewhat... it was a miserable failure, as you no doubt saw. It would have been nice to have him come out of this not suddenly hating me, after all... that and he was being stubborn as an ox and I wanted to give him a piece of my mind... honestly it all ended terribly..." Angelica replied, with a heavy sigh.

"Why do you ask?"

[Phoenix]

Worry

<"I don't know. He seems worried about what the other one might do, though,"> Joanna quietly replied. She didn't want to name Amon or Malik, since their names would sound the same in quilesh, and the former would know he was the subject of another discussion. That kind of tension wasn't going to do them any good right now. After a moment, though, the question itself began to make her worry. <"But, please ... give them a chance to return it to me. I don't want the situation to escalate again.">

[roymbrog]

Oh, so that was the woman? Kimiko looked over to Nadya after Alphonse pointed her out. Greta waved the nomad over and Kimiko took note of her name. It was also around this point she began to notice the sorry state of some of the new arrivals, with both dried blood and injuries around. Between the darkness and the distance, she hadn’t picked up on it the first time. Just what had these people been doing?

As Nadya arrived and asked her question, the alchemist began weighing her options for response. The nomad was straight to the point, and would probably appreciate a straightforward reply. “My name is Kimiko Junabara, and I am an alchemist in need of a loan,” she explained, bowing slightly. “Some of my goods and transportation were destroyed in the attack of last night, and my funds are not sufficient to replace what was lost. Greta explained to me how you invested in her business. If you would be willing to do the same for mine, I would most appreciate it. I am also headed to Kigen.”

---

It seemed the consensus was that they should wait for the Rexian to return, and so that’s what Valter was going to do. And maybe. Take a nap. Before they had to go… Joanna and Liam were having their own discussion in Quilesh, but he was too tired to ask what it was about. Probably wouldn’t have anyway, it was none of his business...

[-Cynthia-]

Loans

Get a little gold and suddenly random strangers start treatin' ya like a bank, Nadya thought to herself. "Well, that's convenient. So how many years have ya been in business? What kinda alchemy have ya done?" Nadya asked Kimiko. Anyone can just claim they're an alchemist after all...

Promises

<"I will give them a chance to return it,"> Liam promised Joanna. <"But if they refuse, I see little way this can end peacefully. I swore an oath and I intend to keep it- even it results in violence,"> he warned her.

[roymbrog]

Ah, so she wasn’t immediately opposed to this idea. That was good. “I have only been living off it for five, but I have been studying alchemy and imbuing for ten years,” Kimiko explained. “Alchemy wise, I specialize in creating, repairing, and reinforcing small or fragile objects, such as jewelry. I also make weapons, mostly imbued ones, and other items with runic triggers, such as light magic lamps. I can also make explosives.” Why anyone else would need grenades she didn’t know, but it felt right to mention it as well.

[Mercakete]

Well, just from listening, it was pretty obvious that really the only thing holding them back from continuing on their way was Malik's absence. They may have been okay with sitting and waiting, but if Malik really did have the emblem piece, Norbert wasn't leaving all this up to chance. After all, judging from the red-haired Rexian's conduct and complaints, he had all the incentive in the world to just leave with the piece, even if it was sealed away. And not only did it rightfully belong to Joanna, but he wasn't about to stick around and risk everyone getting captured and postpone the healing of his injury for something that could possibly not even happen.

"I'll go find that blasted loudmouth -- we need to get moving again!" Norbert half-informed, half-snapped to Amon and the others in the immediate area before having Rizen take off and fly in the previously-indicated direction. If he couldn't find the Sancturan after a reasonable amount of searching, he'd come back and report that.

[Phoenix]

In the Dark

Amon didn't quite realize what Norbert was talking about--or doing--until Rizen started taking off, but by then it almost wasn't worth saying anything at all. "Urgh ..." Putting him and Malik alone together was just a bad idea, plain and simple. "Haythem, go with him, please," he asked, not hiding how frustrated he was getting.

"Alright," Haythem sighed and shrugged. Isis looked so peaceful resting nearby, but it was time for a bit of work, even before it was time for them to leave, apparently. Isis' takeoff was even less subtle than Rizen's, kicking up whatever dust had dried since the rains stopped. <"It's not going to be easy to spot a speck out here. We really should just wait,"> Haythem muttered to himself as he guided Isis after Norbert and Rizen.

Joanna tried not to frown, even going so far as to force a smile. It was really the best she could hope for, and while it still wasn't exactly ideal, it was still appreciated. Now she only had to worry about things on the rexians' end.

[Nanami Touko]

As Angelica spoke Eva became both more annoyed and at the same time pacified. Annoyed because of what the girl had said in the cathedral, pacified knowing that there wasn't much there. She sighed. "<Because I'm a big jealous baby.>" She didn't feel anything needed to be added to that, but she went ahead and said, "<and I wish I hadn't been around to hear what you had to say to him...>"

Edited September 2, 2014 by I have opinions

[Ether]

"What, because I said it would break my heart? Well of course it would, I'd... like to still consider him a friend, even if he doesn't think the same of me. No one wants to have to kill a friend, right?" Angelica replied somewhat sombrely.

[Nanami Touko]

"<I told you I was a jealous baby. I took it to mean something else...>" She sighed, and felt stupid. And this time, even if her brain wanted to say something else, she stopped herself. <Not this time, head of mine... I've already shot myself in the foot, I don't need you shooting me again.> "<That was all. You don't need to ride with me if you don't want to, anymore. Not that you seemed to want to anyway, heh...>"

[-Cynthia-]

Musta started pretty young then...alchemy is rare enough to be pretty profitable... "So what would ya need to get started anyway? I ain't exactly an alchemist so I'm not familiar with the process," Nadya asked Kimiko. If she's makin' the whole thing up, then Shadrak or the other Kigenese lady in our group should pick up on it pretty quick. Alchemy's hard to fake I reckon.

[Ether]

"I don't mind going with you, so much, just... I'm not the biggest fan of mounts, okay? But since you seemed to get pretty steamed over this, I suppose I can go with you, this once..." Angelica replied, looking away slightly as she spoke.

[roymbrog]

Kimiko frowned in thought as she constructed a mental list of materials. “Metals, mostly iron or steel, and magic hosts for infusion. Gunpowder or its components to replace grenades… To be quite honest, most of what I need is not for alchemy itself. My donkey and provisions were devoured by the monsters last night, and my cart was damaged. Between expenses of transport, materials to replace stock, and inn fees, it would take me at least a month to raise the funds on my own to continue my journey to Kigen. “

[scorri]

Hoshi had been standing somewhat near Nadya and the woman she was talking to and overhead the word alchemy. Excusing herself from Luther, she walked over to the two women and quietly asked, "Uhm, excuse me, you said... you do alchemy? I, uhm, I'm also an alchemist, it's good to meet you."

Lumi nodded at Tia. "It doesn't have to be anything important. It can be as simple as learning a new hobby, going out flying with someone, or even just reading a book, cooking a meal, that sort of thing. It's about distracting yourself and not letting yourself get stuck in thinking about things. I'm not saying you shouldn't ever think about it. But... if you're committed to this path, then you will need to learn how to deal with this somehow. Because the battles aren't going to stop, and it's not always clear who's right and who's wrong."

[Nanami Touko]

Eva didn't smile, but she felt better. "<Alright, then.> Hey, Amon! Just gonna take Sasha up to get his wings stretched. I'll follow the group once you start moving it, when Malik gets back." Speaking of Malik, it seemed Norbert had gone off to try and find him. She would've taken Sasha to do the same, but if Angelica didn't feel comfortable flying, the speed she'd want to search at would probably put her off entirely. "<Hang on, then.>" She slapped the reigns and Sasha took a few wing beats, before flying off, at a slow gliding pace. <Just a few circles for now, get him ready for some long flying.>

----------

Tia fidgeted in her space and took out the knife Angelica had given her. "So... A new hobby?" She had always enjoyed reading. Maybe the subject didn't matter. If she liked reading then she just needed to find something to read about, something to get her mind away from all the bad. Maybe it could be that easy. It didn't feel like it, but she could figure out the details later.

[Ether]

"Alright." Angelica replied, pressing herself into Eva once again... it wasn't the end of the world if she fell off, really... but it would be annoying.

[Mercakete]

In the air, Norbert was very focused on finding Malik, but his injury continued to hamper his awareness. It was dark, so it was difficult to see much of any detail on the ground, even from his vantage point. Even if it was fruitless, however, at least he was doing something, so it at least felt like there was some progress being made towards his immediate goals. That helped calm him, if nothing else.

These two things had so much of his attention, however, that he didn't even notice how nervous Rizen had become. Presently, she was struggling with fearful indecision. Her rider was guiding her, as per usual, and normally, that would be enough to maker her at least assured that she wasn't going to be eaten by the nearby predators. However, the one coming up behind them was massive. Either it was the same one from before, or a different one, but she simply did not feel safe around it. What if it ate both her and her rider? True, right now she had a job to do, and she really did want to trust her rider, but she also had the urge to bolt. Without any reassurance from Norbert other than his apparent not worrying about the large predator behind them, Rizen could suddenly bolt at any moment. She just hadn't decided whether she should or not yet.

[roymbrog]

Kimiko noticed Hoshi approaching when the druid was a few meters away, and once she spoke, was moderately surprised to find another Kigenese alchemist this far north. “<Yes, I’m an alchemist,>” she replied, smiling. When was the last time she had someone to speak to who (she assumed) understood that language? “I am Kimiko. It is good to meet you as well.”

[scorri]

<Ah! Uhm, yes, I am Hoshi. It is good to meet you too. I mean... ah, I uhm, right.> She blushed at the repetition she'd just stumbled over. Shaking her head slightly, she continued on in Common, "Uhm, so, you are interested in working with this group for a while? I'd, uhm, love to talk to you about alchemy some time, if that's the case."

[roymbrog]

Kimiko chuckled. She couldn’t tell if the woman was nervous or just shy, but she was finding it more adorable than annoying. Contributing to that may have been the fact that it wasn’t often she found an adult shorter than she was. And another alchemist, at that! “I would like to, yes. To both,” she replied.

[Toogee]

Jam really wanted to come around to Alphy's and Lumi's opinion. She wanted to turn her frown upside down and continue on with her day. Yet the replies of relative morality did nothing to quell her doubts.

“I don’t want to put blind faith in what we’re doing. I want to know what we did was right. I saw one of our own kill an unarmed wounded man. Was that right? And the worst part? I tried to make excuses, as if that death was justified in some way. What does that make me?”

Realizing that she was going down a path she didn’t like, Jam finished her talking.

“I think I just need to rest. Get this day over with…”