Return of the Emblem Chapter Thirteen: Flight

[roymbrog]

Angelica’s last words rankled Kamal. She didn’t know his situation, and he wasn’t about to explain it to her, but it bothered him to no end to be grouped with the kind of people who’d normally be after his head. “If that’s what you want to think, fine, but I never wanted to work with them.” With that he gave a sharp wave and started his horse moving again. “Thanks again for taking the dog,” he called back.

---

Lagar had turned his face so he could at least glare up at the man holding him down. “Get your wrathdamn foot off me, I know when I’ve been beaten.”

Gregory ignored him, which set the bandit off cursing again. He ignored that too as he considered the wagon situation. They would be able to move it, if they replaced wheels from their own cart, but it’d really just be a waste in the end anyway. “You know the garrison’s just gonna take everything if we bring this stuff back. We don’t even know who this wagon belonged to,” he called over to Charles.

“And what they do with it is none of our business,” Charles called back. When he looked back at the group in front of him and saw Greta’s pale, troubled expression, however, his brows knit together in concern. “Are you alright, miss?”

[Phoenix]

Lurking

Fizza snickered. "You should tell him to find better work ... you know, work he actually wants to do."

Amon wasn't sure if Fizza was saying they should try to recruit him or just give him some advice, but it would have been strange for her to be suggesting the former after being so suspicious. Or perhaps not; she was trained to be extremely cautious, feeling out a situation before making any decisions. Maybe this was the conclusion she'd come to after feeling things out from within the shadows of the wagon.

"We can't exactly hire people ... well, Nadya could but she went with Valter. Do you really think we should ask him?"

"You people decide, it's good advice regardless."

Haunting

It took a moment for Greta to realize anyone was talking to her, and once she did, she immediately came back and tried to shake off the dread. "I-I'm fine ... this massacre's just bringin' up awful memories." The bastards in the caravan that left her behind just to get up north more quickly, the bandits and 'skotians that had tried to take them down without a just cause; it all made her sick, and now she'd have to revisit the scenes at this rate. At least Lagar and his men wouldn't be there waiting for them.

[Mercakete]

On the one hand, Norbert was glad he'd tagged along in case a fight started. On the other, this was just turning into plain negotiations at this point, so all he was good for was steering Rizen. He was glad to be in the know, though, so perhaps this wasn't a complete waste of time. There was the concern that these bounty hunters had seen their faces, though. That was beginning to bother him more and more as time went on. He and Valter in particular might be recognized down the line, and not just because they were passing near Ursaea. Norbert himself hadn't been shy about his identity when he'd riled up the Mercites, and Valter had already stirred up trouble in Europa and was probably known to be Joanna's bodyguard. The supplies were looking nice, though, and it would really help if they could salvage some of it. It was good thinking on Valter's part, but did they have the time? Hopefully, these bounty hunters would be on their way sooner rather than later.

In other news, the merchant behind him seemed to have recovered a bit, and the explanation she gave gave Norbert an idea. He still wanted to talk to her, but he was trusting these hunters less and less. The pegasus rider asked Greta, "Want to get away from here, then? I'll keep an eye on things from above if you'd like." Considerate as the wording may have sounded, his tone was still more serious and even borderline annoyed, though he didn't mean it to be.

[Phoenix]

A Shot in the Dirt

"Not sure what good it'll do now ... I'm over it ..." Greta mumbled. That wasn't exactly true, but she doubted ducking out of the conversation would help her forget. This would likely haunt her until it came to pass or they decided to go the long way, to Sergio Port, rather than through the southern plains. Now that she thought about it. Sergio wasn't exactly the 'long way', just a way that would have them spending more time on the water. She'd need to check with the others when the time came and find out exactly where in Kigen they would be aiming to land, as that would determine which of the two closest routes suited them better. She'd done all but one thing she'd come out here to do, she realized.

"Just a sec, Bert," she said, reaching out with her pistol. Aiming as close to her target's head as she could without actually putting Lagar out of his misery, she fired. No doubt, he'd still gotten a face full of stinging dust to his face and hair, but he was still in mint condition for a bandit. "Ya know, a hangin' ain't nearly that quick sometimes, and in your case, I hope it ain't ..."

[Mercakete]

That had been WAY too close to her head for Rizen to ignore. "Oh Mer--" Rizen suddenly reared in a mild panic and Norbert wound up trying to rein her in with one hand while throwing his other arm back to make sure his passenger didn't fall off the pegasus. He was just glad he'd landed her when he did, which actually wasn't too long ago.

Though the pegasus was brought under control relatively quickly, she was a lot more fidgety now, and the whole ordeal was frustrating to her rider. "let me know if you're going to fire off that thing! Merz!"

[roymbrog]

“Ah, well… I’m sorry you were unfortunate to come across this,” Charles told Greta. Though he had become desensitized to this kind of scene over the years, he did acknowledge that to most it would be unsettling at least.

Meanwhile Valter was mulling over returning to the rest of their group to tell them about picking up water. Perhaps they should check the ruined wagon first though, to make see how much there was. He looked over to their wagon and was surprised to see it stopped. Huh.

The gunshot startled Valter and the other three men, but Charles had at least seen the pistol come out. “That was a terrible idea,” he said, though he sounded more concerned about it than upset.

The reason for that soon became apparent as Gregory brandished his axe and glared daggers in Greta’s direction. “Don’t you DARE touch my bounty, you got that? I don’t give a shit about your grudge, don’t mess with my gold.”

Lagar indeed got a face full of debris, and after the initial shock wore off he turned his head as far as he could to see where it had come from. He’d known there were other people here, sure, but he hadn’t actually seen them till now. The voice he’d been hearing finally placed as he saw Greta. Despite his position, Gregory’s anger left him feeling pretty brazen. It wasn’t like he had anything to lose at this point. “Who says I’m getting hanged, love? No one’s ever managed to bring me in before. I wonder why that was, hmm?”

“Because you’re a sack of shit, so shut up,” Gregory said, stomping down harder on his back.

[Phoenix]

Stuff It

Greta was only slightly surprised when Rizen nearly threw them both off, but holding onto Norbert saved her from that embarrassing fall. Other than nearly getting bucked for her efforts, she wasn't too concerned. "I don't see what good tellin' you is gonna do when the pegasus is the one that gets spooked," she teased, though to her, Norbert looked to annoyed to realize it. "I know what ya mean, just forget it," she quickly added, hoping to end that line of discussion right there if at all possible.

It couldn't have been soon enough with one of the bounty hunters ranting at her. Didn't this guy know that she was using a single shot pistol? In the time it would take her to load up another shot, the both of them would have ample warning, and plenty of time to stop her. She supposed it wasn't clear to everyone that she had no intention of doing more than she'd already done to the man. "Like I care about your gold; I promised someone I wouldn't kill him if he was already tied up when I found'em and I keep my promises."

She might have managed a reply to Lagar, himself, but short of loading up another shot and pelting his face with dust from another pistol shot ... He was quickly silenced by the bounty hunter, though, so she supposed, that would be the last she heard from him prior to some final words at the gallows. Maybe. She wasn't sure she wanted to stick around and try to get in to see the man's execution, nor did she think they would have time for all of that.

[-Cynthia-]

Well, that gunshot was pretty loud- didn't seem like violence had broken out yet, but if people were firing warning shots it could certainly be a possibility. Nadya casually spurred Luca closer to the scene, remaining on the perimeter and attempting to look as inconspicuous as possible.

[Ether]

"And how are we supposed to know that...?" Angelica muttered under her breath. Well, whatever, other people's idiocy wasn't something she needed to be concerned with unless they gave her a reason to be, which this man hadn't. Time to head back to the wagon.

[Eail]

"Oh like they give a fuck if he's a little roughed up." Alphonse replied, before giving Lagar a kick in the face, likely enough to knock a few teeth loose. "You still get your bounty and we've gotten the slightest bit of payback for our dead friends."

"If it weren't for the two nice men that just want some gold, I'd make you suffer myself, bastard. So enjoy the gallows, do try to think of me right before you choke to death on your own blood, all right?" He said down to the prisoner. "I guess if we're all done here then, you guys can get on with taking him in, we'll grab some water, and be out of here as well."

[Mercakete]

Norbert glared furiously at Alphonse. "Hey! Just what was that for?!" he snapped as he rode over. Getting him a bit dirty was one thing, but this situation was way too close to his own back in Ursaea for him to not relate to it. "I don't care what sort of revenge you want -- the guy's going to hang anyway from the sound of things, so leave him be!"

[Phoenix]

Return to Ursaea

Two more nights passed, but by the third morning, Ursaea was in sight, which meant it was time to decide whether or not to follow through on their previous plans. Greta seemed intent on heading in, for the supplies she would need to get on her feet financially, and to make sure at least one other witness was able to help ensure Lagar got his comeuppance. Some people, mainly those who ran the risk of being arrested on sight, would need to stay behind for now, but hopefully the errands wouldn't take long, and then they could skirt around the city and move on.

The scouts that were sent off ahead of the group had returned slightly over a day ago; the supplies they brought with them were what allowed the group to get this far without having to prioritize anyone over anyone else, but it would take more still to make it to the coast, whether they went southwest, or continued straight south to Sergio Port.

For the moment, Glen had the wagon parked under the shade of a large tree, one of few in the area. There was plenty more vegetation to the southeast, and as one came further up the small mountain Ursaea was nestled beside, but out here, they were a little exposed, not to attack; they would see anyone approaching them from well over a mile away, but they themselves weren't difficult to spot, either. For now, they could pass this fugitive transport off as a campsite, but it would be best to leave the moment they had wrapped up their business here.

Shadrak pulled up his hood and gave Amon a very annoyed look. "Even if word's reached here by now, they don't necessarily have decent descriptions of us."

"Do you know what a wanted sign is?" Amon countered. "A lot of them survived that fight and they could have easily described everyone who was there. Pulling up your hood just makes you look even more suspicious."

Fizza leaned against a crate while listening to the two men debate just outside. Joanna seemed to be sleeping again ... sleeping or meditating ... sometimes, even the assassin couldn't tell which. The winged cleric was so serene and peaceful no matter which she was doing. She hadn't decided whether she would be heading into the city with those who were going or not. She knew that once she made up her mind, she wasn't going to let something like a little wanted sign stop her if she wanted to do a little exploring.

[Ether]

Some time had passed, and they were still on the move. Luckily, nothing had really gone down with regards to the bounty hunters... there had been a bit of a scene at just who the bandit leader had turned out to be, just who they suspected, but nothing major aside from that. With boredom fueling her, Angelica wandered about the camp, eventually stumbling across Eva, who was sat in the shade of Sasha, fiddling with her sword. Walking over to the rider and squatting in front of her, the adept looked her over.

"Hey, whatcha doing?"

[Nanami Touko]

The flight for supplies had been mostly uneventful. Outside of getting to speak with Hoshi and Lumi a little bit, there hadn't been much Eva had gotten to do-- other than get some much needed food, for both her and Sasha. But now, rejoined with the group, boredom was beginning to set in. That was a bad thing, because it meant one thing: constant thinking. And while it was good, for helping her sort out her feelings, it was bad because some feelings were not sorting out. Add in that Angelica had just come over and spoken to her, and nothing was working out right. It'll take your mind away from it all for a bit, so just... Just talk, with her. Eva tried to smile, but that lasted but a few seconds before fading into a blank expression, once again. "I'm just, checking over my sword. Making sure there are no nicks or dents in it. It wouldn't do to have it break in the middle of something important." She was telling the truth. While boredom brought along a lot of thinking, it also brought along a chance to check things over in great detail.

Tia sat near Shadrak and Amon, mostly keeping to herself. Maybe she'd get the chance to talk to Elliot again, but for now she was laughing at the sight of Shaddy pulling his hood up like he had. "You look really silly like that, you know..." She giggled a bit, and sighed. She couldn't help but think about that group from before, and what had happened, even if she hadn't seen it. Al, Greta and Gelly all seemed more tense than before they'd left. Hmmm... I don't really know if I can ask any of them about it, but, whatever...

[Ether]

"Yeah, it's best to make sure you always keep them maintained... especially when it's your main weapon. Even with something to fall back on, I've been knocked off balance pretty badly when my knives broke." Angelica replied, standing up from her squat for a moment to move and take a seat next to Eva, lightly resting against the larger woman's frame.

"You've been pretty quiet ever since you got back... something on your mind?"

[Nanami Touko]

"Yeah, so... Just making sure it's fine. Don't think I'd be able to get something to replace it if something happened, so..." Eva began to feel a bit awkward, and even more so when Angelica rested against her. She resisted the growing urge to flinch away and move, but powered through it with a sigh. "Always is... I just... It's you, of course, and this whole thing. Still don't really know if I'm making the right choice. Haven't exactly gotten the chance to talk to you and... While the kisses are nice, they don't really resolve much, sorry..." Eva tried to smile again, and managed to hold it, even if it was small.

"Just... Okay. Tell me why you're so interested in me. You seemed like you really liked the prince, and from how sad he was, he seemed like he really liked you, too," Eva managed to say, breaching the topic once again. "I get that you like me, but... I'm just... I don't get why, and it's really making this confusing. Making me wonder if this whole thing is just some, superficial attraction, thing. I barely know anything about you..." She sighed, and hoped that Angelica wouldn't get too mad at her. They had to talk about it at some point...

[Phoenix]

'Camp'

Shadrak grunted at Tia. "There's nothing silly about a hood. A simple hat can only do so much when the weather turns bad, and a hood's better for hiding more of your features. Now look, Amon, even if there are wanted signs plastered all over the place, that doesn't mean we'll be easy to identify. In fact, if we each go separately and handle our business, they probably won't link us to the incident."

"Shadrak has 'business'?" came Fizza's overwhelmingly disingenuous voice. By the time either of the two had looked her way, she was leaning out from the back of the wagon, staring right back at them. "Do tell~"

"Research," he reluctantly answered. "Unless this wagon spawns a whole library, I'm not wasting time waiting around here. I don't need anyone to come with me which is why I suggest going in separately. They're expecting a group, not random people who, for all they know, have never even met before."

"We're coming from the same camp, Shadrak," Amon countered. "The guards inside the city won't know that, but those on the wall will. Word can still get around, and we're suspicious enough as it is without spreading out."

"Then I'll go in with Greta and break away once I find what I'm looking for. I'll come back here once I'm done. The sooner we get moving, the sooner we can get to the next town."

Amon groaned. Shadrak obviously had more energy for this argument than he did. Coming here was a mistake ...

[Ether]

"I see... me and Prince Athrun... we got along pretty well, He was a gentleman, he was nice, more down to earth than I would have expected... but he was still the Prince. His sister hated me, his guards hated me, pretty much every noblewoman that saw us together glared daggers at me... we never could have worked out, him and I. And while he was a nice guy, I wasn't stuck enough on him to press it... maybe if I was a more docile woman they might have warmed up to me eventually, but even then, I'm not even from a noble house... maybe if I at least had some minor noble blood in me somewhere it might have worked out, but as far as anyone in the palace vicinity aside from Athrun was concerned, I was just a parasite that needed to be removed from him. In the end, we met by chance, and he let me play Princess for a night... I can't expect anything else from him, and it's not something I'll ever forget." Angelica began, explaining the predicament between her and Athrun... Eva was right about one thing, they had to get this done with if it was something the rider was going to dwell on.

"As for why I like you, Eva, I told you already. You... you're willing to look at me as more than some one off plaything. There's... nothing wrong with that sort of thing, but it's not something you can build a relationship on. You showed an interest in sticking it out with me that I've just never gotten before. I guess you might say that you intrigue me, Eva. You keep me interested and wanting to figure out more about you, and it's not like you're unattractive or anything of the sort. If I'm honest I've never really had strong feelings for someone before, so this is a bit new to me as well. Sorry if that's not the answer you were looking for." Angelica concluded, leaning further into Eva.

Edited November 9, 2014 by Ether

[Nanami Touko]

Angelica didn't get mad-- she didn't seem mad, at least, and she'd started talking. A small wave of relief washed over Eva. Maybe they could finally talk about this. Maybe. At the very least, she was getting the full explanation about Athrun that she wanted to hear. It was reassuring, to know that there was nothing lingering between Angelica and him but a few good memories. Maybe if things had gone differently, but, well, that would be practically impossible, now. It's too bad that they all hated her, though... Not that I don't get why, but still. Eva continued to have that tiny smile, keeping it through Angelica's explanation of why she was liked. It was pretty good, even if it was a bit vague. She wasn't about to complain, though.

"That's... That's all good to hear. I was worried with how on top of me you've been that it was just some physical thing... And I wasn't sure how to respond to that. I won't lie, right now it's pretty physical on my end; I still know next to nothing about you," she repeated, almost as a sort of hint to share things, "but I'll stick it out, if you think I'm worth it. It's not the answer I was looking for, but... It'll more than suffice." She didn't get an urge to flinch away again, as Angelica rested her entire side against the rider. Eva made a tiny laugh, and slowly rested her head against Angelica's.

Meanwhile, Tia scoffed at Shadrak's explanation of hoods. She prefered hats! And she always would. Why would anyone want to stuff their entire face away under some sheet? No matter, he was right on one thing: it was better for the weather... Though, in all of this sun, she didn't really see the point of mentioning that. There was another topic at hand, so maybe her two cents would be worth more there! "I don't think it'd be that bad of an idea to come from the same camp. If the guards get really wary, they'll just send someone over, and we can explain it to them, or, something... And if we have to leave in a hurry, we can just leave. We're far enough away that it wouldn't be that tough to do so, right? Anyone still in the town can meet up with us later, after sneaking out!" FOOL PROOF.

Edited November 10, 2014 by I have opinions

[Ether]

"That's just how I am, really. I like to get up close and personal with people." Angelica replied, shrugging slightly with her free shoulder.

"There's not really much to say about me. I was born near the border on the Ursian side, I'm not all that physically strong so I rely a lot on my magic and finesse for fighting... there's not much to tell really. I'm mostly a wanderer taking up odd jobs... I wound up travelling with Greta because of safety in numbers, and we ended up meeting the rest of the group on the way to Europa when we got ambushed by a dragon. You know the rest, really."

[-Cynthia-]

Liam raised an eyebrow at the plans that were going on. "What is so important to research that you would risk our safety?" he asked the hooded man. It was an honest question, if somewhat loaded.

The bandit issue had thankfully been resolved with minor fighting that did not require the use of Nadya's staff. Now the issue of what to do in Ursaea was coming up. Hmm, I'd like to help Greta get supplies so she can start makin' money, but gettin' the attention of the guards could lead to trouble...

"A group our size all enterin' Ursaea at once is gonna attract a lotta attention. Things might go faster if Greta has some help with the supplies, but we should be careful. Some of us are pretty distinctive," she said, giving no indication who she was referring to.

[Nanami Touko]

"I noticed... You're lucky, you know, that I also like getting up close and personal... Not in the same way, as you probably know, but, still." Eva's ways up getting up close and personal involved shoving her sword into things, but she could tailor that a bit, no problem.

But as Angelica went on, she laughed. "That's not what I meant, silly..." She shook her head, ending up rubbing it against Angelica's. "I meant the things you like. That's what I barely know about you. Look at me. You know I like fighting, training, riding wyverns... But I also enjoy cooking, hiking, theater. What do you like? If I get to know that, we can spend more time together, and see if this works out on more than a physical level..." At least, Eva hoped that Angelica had hobbies... She must have. Everyone has hobbies.

[Ether]

"Oh... hobbies, huh? Let's see... I like reading, getting dressed up in different things... I never really thought about it. If something looks fun, I'll usually do it. But really, you, cooking? You look like the sort who would throw a leg of mutton to heat and call it a balanced meal, haha. If you take pride in your cooking, though, I'll definitely have to try it, someday." Angelica replied, thinking it over, before making a light jab at Eva.

"I don't really know if most of the stuff I do could really be considered a hobby, though."

[Nanami Touko]

"Yeah, hobbies... And I can't say I'm all that surprised at what you said, heh..." Angelica seemed like a jack of all trades, so when it came to hobbies, she probably had one or two things that she liked above all else, and then just tried at least everything else once. The jab at her cooking wasn't necessary, though. "Hey, I can cook meat just fine... I-I mean, that's about it, but, I'm damn good at it! It's not that I can't cook anything else, it's just that that's what I've spent time learning how to do well, as opposed to vegetables, or grains, or whatever." That shouldn't have been as embarrassing as it felt, but she knew Angelica would take that part, now. Probably something like, then I'll have to teach you how to cook properly, or, how have you survived this long on just meat? Ugh...

[Ether]

Angelica considered responding somewhat to the effect of 'How have you survived for this long on just meat? Ugh, then I'll have to teach you how to cook properly.', but somehow felt that she would be playing directly into sinister hands if she did so. Well, less sinister and more likely doing exactly what the other party expected her to... that was no good in it's own right. Silly premonitions aside, she simply grinned.

"See, told you that you were the type to just eat meat and nothing else and have no problems with it... geez, no wonder you're so muscular, practically your whole diet must be protein." The adept concluded with a sigh.