Return of the Emblem Chapter Thirteen: Flight

[Mercakete]

"Our withdrawal would be up to both of you which is why I addressed both of you," Norbert growled in response to Hoshi, "And I don't listen to people who haven't earned my respect except in situations where I don't have any other choice. I don't know you and I don't trust you with my compliance yet."

It was about then that Alphonse seemingly came out of nowhere and challenged him to a fight, calling him "boy." "Really?" Norbert asked flatly in response, "You look about the same age as me." Even he's saying it? Why does everyone call me that? I'm just going to have to ask someone at some point just how young I look... He didn't get to reply any more than that since Alphonse was called away just then.

That was fine by him, as Malik spoke up again in short order. Evidently, he didn't care if a bunch of Wrathites came down and outnumbered them. His confidence in their fighting ability was nice, but Norbert wasn't sure how they'd do if they had to fight even more Wrathites this time around. Besides that, there seemed to be noncombatants they'd have to protect this time around. What was strange was Malik's apparent willingness to leave the emblem behind. At the moment, Norbert actually preferred that: leaving the darn thing behind and getting somewhere safe where they could stop and get some rest. Things appeared to already be underway, though. His ire rose somewhat when Malik dared him to go find it. If he was any more impulsive, he might've done just that, but he was beginning to get tired, and he knew he wouldn't find it in any reasonable amount of time.

Joanna asked the red-haired Rexian a question that he'd been wondering, too, and Malik's answer was somewhat surprising. Norbert had to admit that Haythem was right: Malik was a lot smarter than Norbert had thought. He just wants to assure he's listened to, huh? He could relate. He was curious enough that if he'd been in better health, he would've forgotten the looming threat of the Wrathites and just quietly listened. The pain in his side wouldn't allow him to forget, though, and punctuated the urgency he felt. Even so, however, he knew there was nothing he could do about it, and that it was better to just let things be for now. He couldn't just sit still, though.

Norbert's anger had burned itself out, and though he was still annoyed, he didn't have the energy to focus on the problems that weren't immediate at the moment. So, he turned Rizen around and had her begin walking. He couldn't fly at the moment, so he had to get some other form of distance between himself and everyone else, and he figured it may as well just be a head start down the road.

[scorri]

Hoshi started to speak up and the sighed. The pegasus rider was right. She hadn't done anything to earn respect as a leader besides fight and even that hadn't gone well. She wanted to go somewhere quiet and be alone, but she couldn't. She was the leader and that meant she should be around for all of this, regardless of what others thought of her leadership abilities.

Lumi spotted Bert heading away and decided to follow after him. Whistling for Star, she trotted down the road after him, with Star following behind. Once she was close enough to call out, she hollered, "Hey, wait up. You're clearly upset, but you shouldn't be heading out on your own, ok?"

[Mercakete]

"Leave me alone," Norbert snapped...or at least, that's what it normally would've been. The phrase wasn't quite uttered in the form of a moan or a sigh, but that was about the energy level he'd put into it. He didn't bother to shift his eyes away from the road ahead either, and Rizen's pace didn't slow or quicken at all.

[Eail]

"Those that act like children will be treated as such." Alphonse simply responded, before turning to walk towards Greta "If he ends up needing an attitude adjustment after all, someone come get me."

Giving a nod to the merchant and the alchemist "Anything special I should know about before I start picking things up randomly? Jam is also sleeping back there, so should we get her up first rather than trap her behind various volatile mixtures."

Edited September 9, 2014 by Eail

[scorri]

"Nope!" Lumi said with a grin. "You're heading off by yourself when we're possibly at risk due to our adventures earlier today. That means that doesn't happen." She paused to quickly swing herself up on Star, and then continued after Bert, nudging Star into a bit of a faster pace to catch up with the walking Rizen. "Besides. Being upset by yourself doesn't help anything."

[Mercakete]

"I can't deal with other people right now," Norbert flatly stated, "I know I said I'd talk to you later, but now isn't the time. And I'm heading away from danger -- there's no reason to worry about what I might do. I just need to get away from people and lie down somewhere until the others catch up." He was a little out of it. If he'd been of a better mind, he would't have said that much of his plan.

[Nanami Touko]

As Malik explained himself, Tia left Shadrak alone. She was still interested in what he thought, but as the situation has been plainly explained, he probably didn't have anything incredibly complicated in his head. She did see something she didn't like, though, which was Hoshi shrinking from Bert. She let him walk away and then hopped over to Hoshi. Even if she'd bothered her in the past, she still respected how well the woman could perform her alchemy. "Don't let him get to you like that. He seems kinda screamy, anyway." That was the view of a mature, well knowing girl. Definitely.

[scorri]

Lumi shrugged. "I'm going to follow you. We don't need to talk, but I'm not letting you wander off by yourself right now."

Hoshi smiled slightly at the young girl and shook her head. "I... Thank you."

[roymbrog]

[spoiler=Search and Rescue(?)]

Valter did not slow down, despite the yelling behind him, and was caught up to about the time he could make out Phyllis not too far ahead of him. Eva’s lamp was helping with that, but he wasn’t about to say that to her, not when her presence was presenting other problems. “For god’s sake, stop following me! You’ll just make her spook again!” he called back, slowing his speed so he wouldn’t do the same.

For her part, Phyllis was watching the light warily. She knew her rider wasn’t going to hurt her, but not the girl who had been with the large predator.

Eva frowned. "I'm trying to make it up to you and explain what happened!" She continued to follow him, but slowed down when he did. She wouldn't go near his horse, not after it had been spooked like that. She knew animals, and the only person they'd trust was their rider, in a situation like this. "Just tell me when to stop so I don't get too close!"

“Explain what? That you can’t control your damn wyvern?” Valter snapped back. “And I already told you to stop.” Despite his tone, he was approaching the horse calmly. As a horse, Phyllis responded more to body language than voice. She didn’t shy away when he was close enough to reach for her reigns, and once he had hold of her again he rubbed her neck soothingly. It really wasn’t a good idea to ride without her being calm again first, but she seemed fine, aside from nervous staring towards Eva.

"Explain why he did what he did! Gods... Everyone always jumps to conclusions," she said in frustration as she stopped. She put her hands on her hips and watched. First Bert, now Valter. I don't even get a chance to explain or clarify before someone jumps down my throat with their damned assumptions... "I'm not going to hurt you," Eva said in a calm voice, over at the horse. She didn't move any closer, as that wasn't going to help, but she wanted to try and talk at it, if it would help calm it, even slightly.

Satisfied that Phyllis wasn’t going to bolt again, Valter pulled himself up into the saddle. As he started walking the horse back to the wagon, he glared down at Eva as he rode by. “I’m not jumping to conclusions, I’m telling you exactly what I saw. You can’t control your wyvern. I don’t care why he nearly killed Phyllis. The fact remains that you couldn’t stop him. I suggest you learn how, because if this happens again he’s not getting away unscathed.”

Eva huffed, sure that her exclamation wouldn't send the horse running, again. "That's exactly what I'm talking about! He wasn't going to kill your horse. He only ever does that shake on one occasion, when he wants to play with something..." She sighed and tried to figure out how to explain it. She walked along with Valter as she thought.

"He... I know he might've ended up hurting your horse, because he's a wyvern and he's bigger, but the worst that was going to happen was he was going to end up grooming her. That's it. It's odd that this is the first time he's done that around a horse, though... Can I get a ride?" Running back was not something she was in the mood to do.

“What part of ‘I don’t care’ did you not understand?” Valter asked. Despite his words however, he took a deep breath, trying not to lose what little patience he had left. “Regardless what his intentions might have been, he terrified my horse. What if she had kicked him? Would he not have hurt her then? As his owner, it’s your duty to keep him under control, and you failed.” Immediately after, he had Phyllis speed up, leaving Eva behind. “And I am not giving you a ride back!” he called over his shoulder.

Eva sighed, starting to feel bad. He probably wouldn't have hurt the horse, but she didn't know that for sure. She sighed, and shook her head. "No, you're right. I'm not trying to excuse what he did, just explain it, and-- hey!" Not only was he not going to let her finish, he wasn't even going to give her a ride. "You jerk!" she shouted after him, groaning and starting the run back.

Valter returned to find the pseudo-camp more tense than he had left it, and though he wasn’t surprised after Malik’s disappearing act, he was also less in a mood to deal with it. Whatever patience he’d regained the last hour or so was quickly being dwindled. Once he was close enough he dismounted, but kept hold of Phyllis’s reigns to prevent a repeat of earlier.

“Alright, what did I miss during that inane horse retrieval?”

---

Elliot started grumbling and rolled over onto his other side, to which Kimiko responded by shaking him a little more forcefully. “Ah, well he has before. Elliot was tired after our ordeal last night,” she replied to Greta. The shaking combined with a second mention of his name had the avian open his eyes and slowly sit up in the cart.

The commotion nearby caught his eye, mostly because of all the new faces. “What’s going on, Miss June?” he asked, yawning.

“Greta’s friends came back and they are having a bit of an argument,” Kimiko explained, noting Nadya’s warning. She wasn’t in a habit of sugarcoating things for her student, so if this was a recurring thing it would be best to inform him. “We are going to transfer our things to their wagon. Could you get out of the cart?”

Taking a moment to stand up and get his balance, Elliot hopped over the edge. “Um… what are they arguing about?” he asked, then seeing that Kimiko was both starting to talk with Alphonse and lift crates, looked up at Greta for an answer.

“Well… all of my explosives are gone, so no, nothing volatile,” Kimiko replied to Al with a hint of sheepishness. Regarding Jamila, she had no idea where the girl was positioned in the wagon. “If she is going to be in the way, perhaps wake her… I do not want to trap her in or have her injured.”

[Phoenix]

Promises

"Yeah, I do want to reach an understanding ... so bear with me for one moment," Malik said, glancing around. Eventually his gaze settled on Joanna, again.

"Thanks a bunch, Al," Greta said, placing her hands together and over her right shoulder in an exaggerated fashion. "Huh?" Right, Elliot was asking her about them. "They're arguin' property rights or some mess," she answered with a deep shrug. It might have been an oversimplification, but she couldn't be too far off, could she? She was paying close attention to find out.

So was Shadrak. Now that Tia was focused on reassuring Hoshi, he was free to focus on this strange turn of events and see what the consequences would be for those involved. If she doesn't agree to let him take the emblem after a certain amount of time has past, he'll just leave it here. He'd have to have her swear to that on her honor ... that's the only way something like that would work. I think that's his plan but that's pretty much 'coercion' in a nutshell. I'm not sure he knows what that word means.

"We, even I, risked our lives to get you and that box out of there," Malik began, "You didn't ask for that, and it was our choice ... you don't owe us anything. However ... I don't owe you anything either, not even the box. I don't have it with me ... it's not anywhere on me."

"... okay, but I don't know where you buried it," Joanna noted with a frown. It was so obvious, she felt silly just saying it. What was he getting at, she wondered? "I'm not sure what you want."

"I want you to promise that you'll help us. Convincing you to give us the emblem isn't the only option; it was just the quickest way and offered us an easier path out of this mess," Malik said pointedly, "I want you to promise you'll help us, Amon, Haythem, and myself, promise that you'll either come with us to Sanctuary and let Lady Aisha make her proposal in person, or help us to get the other emblem, the one the fallen leader has. You don't have to hurt anyone yourself, but we cannot go back empty handed. If you'll promise to help us in our mission, I promise to help you in return."

How come I wasn't mentioned? Fizza pondered with a frown.

"I'll finish what I started and get the emblem for you, I'll do whatever I can to help you accomplish your goals along the way as long as they don't conflict with ours, and I'll spare who I can when I can."

So that was his plan. Amon was pleasantly surprised, but Shadrak was leaning toward irritation at the revelation, not because Malik had seemingly over prepared for such a reasonable request, but because he completely defied Shadrak's own predictions and expectations. This was beyond what the shaman could have anticipated and the thought of the rexian suddenly becoming ... any semblance of rational or reasonable made him question the rest of his thoughts on the group.

Amon wasn't the only one pleasantly surprised. Joanna didn't really want to be caught up in anymore fighting, but traveling with an emblem piece that various people were after seemed to make it inevitable, so if she was going to be forced into battles, she felt she should at least give all of this inevitable struggle a purpose. She was still bordering on depression at this point, but if she could fix this one issue for now, put to rest Malik's worries and bring these groups closer, she would have accomplished something. Still, it wasn't something she would agree to lightly ... she spared Liam a glance, letting him know that she was going to agree to Malik's terms. "I ... promise ... that I will give you all the aid I can in your mission. If for some reason we aren't able to obtain the other emblem piece, then I will accompany you to Sanctuary and speak with Lady Aisha. It isn't up to me in the end ... it's up to the Goddess, but if she agrees, I will cooperate with Lady Aisha."

The relief that washed over Malik in that moment was indescribable. Hearing it from anyone else would have meant next to nothing as far as he was concerned, and now that the ordeal was done, that just left the emblem itself. "Thank you," he sighed, "Haythem, let's go. We need to dig up the emblem before someone notices these lights over here. Amon, Hoshi, you should get everyone else moving and not bother waiting for us. This will take awhile. Just keep one of the lights on and we'll follow it to you."

[-Cynthia-]

So they made a promise to a vasilus as well- it is unfortunate that our goals must conflict but I see no way we can- as Joanna agreed to the unthinkable- engaging with a conflict with some Fallen emperor Liam knew nothing about or essentially surrendering the piece to Lady Aisha.

I really should have expected this... Liam thought bitterly to himself- involving herself in other people's problems was a very Joanna thing to do. I cannot even talk her out of this at this point- she already gave her word and we would be going back on that if we were to take the emblem piece

"As Joanna is the lawful holder of the emblem piece as dictated by Lord Luminous and Lady Isolde, I must abide by her decisions for better or for worse. I promise that I will aid you to the best of my ability as well," Liam said stiffly. It seemed against the better part of wisdom, but the oath was said.

[Mercakete]

"I really wish you wouldn't," Norbert grumbled, "I hate being around people when I'm like this. I can handle myself -- don't worry about that. I lived by myself with Rizen for three years in the wilderness. We only stopped in towns for food or if something needed fixing, then we headed right back out. And I don't plan on going that far away from everyone else...but I need to be alone. I can't think -- I can't clear my head with others around. I can handle myself out here as long as there aren't any other people around."

For a moment, Norbert considered just enduring the pain and getting airborne, but quickly remembered that he wouldn't be able to escape Lumi up there. She had a pegasus, too, after all. He was also frustrated and embarrassed at how he sounded. It sounded far too much like pleading for his tastes. I don't plead. I fight. With a bit more strength, at least to his eyes, he punctuated, "Just go away." I'm too weak right now. Once I sort my head out, I'll be better again, at least mentally.

[Nanami Touko]

A few moments later, Eva came back into camp, panting heavily. She found Sasha and collapsed against him, cursing everything at the moment. That run was not one she had wanted to repeat, and this night was turning out to be the worst. She wanted to get moving, pronto, and find some way to forget that today ever happened. None of the good was outweighing the bad..

----------

Hah... Someone said thanks. What a nice feeling. Tia lit up at everything happening around her, as the earlier part of the day seemed to just disappear. Everything worked itself out with Mailk-- for better or worse --,the woman she'd practically harassed in the past was thanking her, and they were going to dig up the emblem piece right now! She wandered back over to Shadrak and beamed up at him. "Isn't this all wonderful? I can't believe everything's working out!"

Edited September 9, 2014 by I have opinions

[Eail]

"Yeah yeah I'm the greatest I know." Alphonse grumbled in response to Greta as he started grabbing a few things off of the cart for transportation. "Jam is kind of out of the way, I'll wake her up if we end up taking too much space though."

[Phoenix]

Pseudo Camp

"Well, looks like they solved that problem," Greta said, smiling at the satisfying conclusion. It seemed they would get to keep and benefit from the talents of both avians, and Greta could already see that being useful for more than just fighting.

Shadrak nearly shrugged in response to Tia but thought better of it considering who he was dealing with. Anything questionable would likely wind up being questioned. "Yeah ... but we really need to get going, now. If they're going to go dig up the emblem and then catch up with us, we should just let them and guide them back to us with one of those lamps like Malik suggested. After that ... I guess we find a real place to set up camp and try to rest up while we can. If they find out we headed south, we'll be rushing from here until Kigen and that's not going to be easy."

Joanna smiled at Liam, though it didn't last long, as she knew this couldn't be easy for him. It wasn't easy for her, either, but hopefully everything would work out in the end. Hopefully this would fall in line with her own purpose in some way.

"I'm sorry about all of this," Amon said to both of the avians.

Malik winced for a brief moment, and then approached them again. "Trust me, you won't regret helping us. Now be quick and get as far away from here as you can. We'll catch up once we have the box."

Fizza smirked at Malik's words and casually strolled the area as people prepared to leave. Eventually she'd tighten her orbit until she was close enough to catch Amon by surprise. By then, Malik and Haythem ought to have been long gone and the group about ready to move out.

[Nanami Touko]

Eva hopped back onto Sasha and started moving him, as things seemed like they were starting to finally move. Whatever had been decided with Malik, she hadn't heard, but if it got the group moving, all the better. Maybe tomorrow would be better, as this day, and especially this night, had proven to be incredibly arduous, and almost entirely unenjoyable.

----------

"Alright! Let's get moving~" Tia clung onto this small moment of naive happiness, as it was helping to shove all of her nasty thoughts deep into her head. They'd come back eventually, that she knew, but for now, there was bliss. She followed after Shadrak, hoping she'd be able to talk with him during their walk, about all the little things on her mind. Maybe he'd know something about knives or swords? Well... Maybe not how to use them, but maybe he read something! He probably did, he looks like a booky kinda guy. That goes without saying.

[roymbrog]

As Malik laid out his request, Valter had mixed emotions on the matter. On the one hand, it was still coercion, what with him having buried the emblem. On the other, it was very understandable considering the Rexian’s position and the request itself wasn’t too unreasonable. Joanna had agreed to the terms, but the horseman still felt uneasy about the situation.

There wasn’t too much time to dwell on it, however, as it seemed they were finally going to move out. Their only wagon was getting more things loaded into it making it near certain a good number of them would end up on foot. Valter thought to suggest loading up the mounts, but thought better of it when he remembered how well Nadya had taken that request last time. Well, there went a perfectly good excuse.

Instead, he led Phyllis over to Joanna and waited for Malik to finish talking with her. He had one extra spot on his horse, and it was pretty obvious who he would offer it to first.

---

“Property rights?” Elliot repeated. He guessed they were fighting over something then. Didn’t seem much like fighting though, just talking. The lady avian agreed to what the man was asking, and Greta seemed pleased by how it ended. Elliot was still confused by something though. He stood on his toes and tried to surreptitiously whisper to Greta, “What’s an emblem?”

“Oh, very good,” Kimiko replied, after walking over and placing one of the crates in the wagon. The discussion seemed to have died down after the two parties came to agreement. The alchemist wasn’t paying the most attention to the proceedings as she was more concentrated on moving her things around. It sounded like they were going to leave soon, and this needed to be done before then.

[scorri]

Lumi had continued to follow along quietly behind Bert, trying not to be too abnoxious but also not wanting to leave him alone. He may claim to be able to protect himself, but better safe than sorry.

[Phoenix]

Saddle Up

"An emblem ... iiis trouble," Greta said, nearly groaning out the answer. "Let's just focus on packin' up and movin' outta here. I'm sure you'll get all the details before too long, here."

Haythem and Malik had taken off in short order, and thanks to her timing, Fizza was able to approach Amon as soon as the two had disappeared into the darkness. <"You know, I noticed something interesting earlier,"> she quietly spoke to him. <"Malik's missing at least two of his grenades.">

Amon winced. <"Do you think he ran into trouble?">

<"Oh he shows all the signs of someone having gotten into a bit of scuffle, but I don't think he was pushed so hard as to start chucking bombs at his opposition.">

The Red Job

<"Okay, so where is it? Where are we going?"> Haythem asked, keeping Isis' speed as low as he could without forcing her to beat her wings too often.

Malik grimaced. He was just glad only Haythem had to hear this part. <"It's near the southern gate.">

Haythem nearly turned around. <"How did you get way back over there? And why did you bury the box there of all places?">

<"That's just the half of it. I knew it would be a gamble to just bury the box where people wouldn't think to look, so to make sure no one else could get to it, either, I rigged it with explosives. The box is strong enough to take an explosion or two so only the unlucky person who found it would get hurt. The explosives weren't for anyone in particular, but ... I'll admit, there are a couple of people I wouldn't mind seeing blown to steaming bits right now.">

<"And if Joanna could sense the emblem and track it down?"> Haythem glanced over his shoulder, curious for Malik's answer.

<"I would have been more forthcoming about the trap, that's all. Luckily, she had the sense to hear me out. I couldn't trust anyone else to.">

Haythem sighed. <"What have the rebels done to us over the years? If we can't trust our allies, who can we trust?">

<"Virtually no one, that's the point. Now listen, I set this up so that there's no way guaranteed way to get to the box without setting them off, and it's very close to the guard posts at the southern gate, so as soon as I set off the explosives and dig the box out, we need to disappear. Fast.">

<"... wow. So, even if she had found it and weaseled past your little trap, the guards would have come running and recaptured her anyway.">

Malik nodded. <"Like I said, luckily, she had the sense to hear me out ...">

The Great Plains of Ursium

It was a long shot but word of the battle in the Grand Cathedral would reach Ursanctis before it reached Ursaea, if only barely, so in theory, a town further away from Europa and the capital might be a better option for stocking up on supplies and merchandise than something closer, with far more soldiers to spare. It did mean that the group would spend at least a few more days traveling roads, only greeted by the occasional fellow traveler and oblivious patrol group. So long as the latter remained oblivious, just a while long, that would be enough.

The sun wasn't quite up to its noon position, but they had made excellent progress since they first set out last night. Even if some patrols were after them, they had a good head start. Their combined trekking hours had placed them nearly thirty miles from Europa. It came at a price, though; the animals would need to rest again, and soon. There wasn't any shade for miles not provided by the clouds, and no rivers to use anywhere in sight. Glen sighed at the painfully uninteresting surroundings, having been reminded every few minutes since they left why he didn't much enjoy traveling. As far as he was concerned, it was up to Alphonse to keep an eye out for oncoming traffic and landmarks; Glen was spacing out constantly and unable to quickly recognize anything that was going.

Inside the wagon, Joanna was sound asleep her back up against a supply crate, and the box resting in her lap, a single arm draped over it. Greta was wide awake and bored enough to do some reading, a choice Shadrak made, though he was going through his own tome and re-familiarizing himself with the material. It was safer than training, given how volatile offensive dark magic was.

Occasionally Shadrak would muse about Joanna and Liam, wondering how they would conduct themselves in future battles. The battle in the cathedral was almost inevitable, but if they saw it coming next time ... what if they thought they had other options? Would they help or hinder them in some way prior to or during an engagement? It was something he was genuinely curious about. There were always voices calling out for non violent solutions, but at the very least, Joanna was on a whole other level, and with this winged light user supporting her, she might just get her way more often than not ... a somewhat annoying prospect. After all, sometimes, violence was the best way to deal with troublesome individuals, the wrathites being the best example in recent memory.

High above the wagon and its escort, Isis glided, both tired and hungry, while Haythem kept an eye out, Amon and Malik spoke, and Fizza pretended to sleep. It wasn't the most interesting conversation, just more of the same ... Amon's approach to gaining allies and accomplishing his goals versus Malik's. Both were hilariously flawed to her, but she wasn't one for allies to begin with. That wasn't to say she didn't like having them, but she was just as comfortable, if not more so, working alone, coming up with her own plans and executing them without any input from others. While some plans would inevitably fall through, there was no one around to care but care, and in that, she found a great deal of comfort. This poor excuse for a saddle on the other hand ...

<"Can we take a break, soon?"> Haythem cut into the discussion, <"Isis is running out of energy and I haven't had a wink of sleep, myself ...">

Looking around, all Amon saw were plains and all too distant mountains. The road in front of them went on and on, even from their vantage point. Still, the animals couldn't be pushed past their limits. That was too dangerous. <"There's no food around here, Haythem ... are we going to be able to feed her?"> Isis wasn't the only wyvern to worry about, but she was the largest, and in that, was a bit of a problem. They were far from the mountains, her natural hunting grounds.

<"I can already tell ... this is going to be a wonderful day,"> Malik said, his sarcasm causing Haythem shake his head. This was not going to be a fun day, not unless the next rain brought meat instead of water.

[Nanami Touko]

Eva had managed to sleep a little, laying down on Sasha as he walked. As it was a rather uncomfortable position, she found herself waking up a few times throughout the night, and by the time morning had come, she was rather tired. She yawned, and felt her stomach rumble. "<No food, no proper rest... I can't say I haven't had worse, but this is pretty bad...>" Sasha whined as well. She pet his neck and pushed him up to Amon and Haythem "Hey, don't suppose you have any food for the wyverns hiding in the wagon? I don't think we have enough time to spare, sending them flying off to those mountains... Are there any towns or villages nearby that we could stop at? Just to at least get something to eat." She didn't know what they were talking about-- she didn't speak Rexian --but she hoped it was about food. Who wouldn't be hungry right now?

----------

Tia found herself propped up next to Shadrak in the wagon. She didn't have the stamina to walk the journey for very long, so she eventually sat inside and dozed off. Now, though? She appeared to be having a nightmare. A frown was on her face, and she was fidgeting in place. Whatever was happening in her head must've been rather tormenting.

Edited September 11, 2014 by I have opinions

[Phoenix]

Sky

Haythem shrugged deeply before hunching forward in the saddle. It would be easy enough to get supplies if they weren't in such a hurry. <"Just hang on, Isis.">

Amon shook his head. "It's way too far, and as far as I know there aren't any towns around here. That's sort of a blessing and a curse. If we see any traveling merchants or anything like that we should probably see if we can buy any spare provisions they have. We'll be starving by the time we get to Ursaea if we share what we've got with the wyverns."

"Yeah, don't bother," Haythem groaned, "much as I hate to admit it, everything we've got left would amount to a basic meal for Isis here. She'll be okay until we reach Ursaea, but we have to find some water or she won't make it that far."

<"We could send you and Isis off ahead of everyone else," Malik quietly suggested. "Think about this; you'll get there ahead of us, be able to get her fed, and then you can figure out what the situation is before we get there. Then all you have to do is take what you can carry, head back this way and find us, and then let us know what to expect there. A scouting mission, basically.">

<"Maybe, but let's get some more opinions first ...">

[Toogee]

Jam slept through the night and much of the morning in the corner of the wagon. The rocking of the moving wagon did much to lull her to sleep, despite the hard surface of the floor. The relative quiet within the wagon kept the dancer in her slumber, though her empty stomach would eventually rumble as a wakeup call.

[-Cynthia-]

Liam sat in the wagon near Joanna, feeling himself doze off occasionally but not for very long. The strangeness of the new situation as well as the possibility of being attacked at any minute. So we're fighting the Fallen it seems...I have no preparation for that. But there is no time for weakness, I must believe in Lady Mercy and myself that I will see Joanna through this.

Luca was holding up nicely- this wasn't the first time Nadya had made a quick getaway from the law. The other animals didn't seem to be faring as well however. We're gonna need to stop soon to rest, but the longer we stop the better chance the army has to catch up to us... she worried. Escaping with just two was much easier than trying to keep this whole group moving along.

[roymbrog]

Despite the travel conditions and somewhat cramped space inside the wagon, Kimiko was not about to let Elliot skip his studies, and the poor avian was steadily losing interest in the copy of Metal Compositions and Their Properties. It was quite frankly an incredibly dull read, but essential for his alchemic studies, Miss June had said. Elliot could care less what she thought about it right now, as he marked his page with a strip of cloth and set the book roughly aside. “This is boring,” he muttered under his breath. Why was everyone around his age sleeping? He at least had the manners not to wake them up, though the girl in blue didn’t look like she was sleeping well…

Kimiko had been writing out a list of supplies and ingredients to pick up when they reached the next town when she noticed Elliot sitting there, frowning, with arms crossed and book set aside. “Elliooot,” she said warningly.

That got him to stop sulking quite as much, but he didn’t pick the book back up. “I can’t concentrate,” he said instead. “Can I read one of the books mom sent me instead?” After his teacher nodded, he shoved the alchemy tome back into the crate behind him and pulled out a slightly newer looking manuscript with “A Collection of Poems – For Elliot” scrawled across the cover in Quilesh.

---

With how long they’d been traveling since stopping to rest last night, the group was probably due for another break. Valter guessed that had something to do with Eva suddenly flying up towards Isis, and he had Phyllis trot up to keep pace by the front of the wagon. He was intending to mention the idea to Glen, but the man looked about ready to doze off. All the more reason for a break, probably. The horseman didn’t know Al’s name, so settled for addressing both of them in case Glen was too zoned out to answer immediately. “We should probably stop soon,” he called over. “The scenery won’t change for another few hours at least.”

[Nanami Touko]

Eva sighed. If everything they had wasn't enough to feed one wyvern, and they didn't have time to send them off to the mountains, then she was at a loss for what to suggest. Maybe Malik had suggested something, but as she had no idea what he was saying, she couldn't comment on it. "Well, we could have someone ride or fly ahead, try to bring something back, maybe? I dunno if anyone would be up for that, it seems like a risky idea. I'd be up for it if no one else is, but..." she suggested, not knowing it had been exactly what Malik had said. "And, uh... Not to sound rude, which I might, but could you stick to common? Don't know any Rexian outside of 'hello' and 'thank you'."

----------

Tia shook again, fidgeted in place, and then woke up with a small shout. She was sweating, wide eyed, and was even starting to cry. Realizing she was not stuck in the cathedral basement, and actually in the wagon, she tried to control her breathing and wipe her face off. She didn't exactly want to talk to anyone about that, and not fixing herself up would probably lead to questions, if her shout hadn't already. A quick glance put her next to Shadrak, and there was a small avian boy sitting across from her. She gave him a tiny wave, as her breathing started to even out.

Edited September 14, 2014 by I have opinions