Return of the Emblem Chapter Thirteen: Flight

[Toogee]

"Alright..." Eva took it and gave it a few looks over. It was put together well enough, the grip was in fact nice, and it had a good weight... Hmmm. "Well. It's pretty good. I figure, though, I mean. If you wanted, whenever you're confident enough to use it mainly in battle, I could try and fix it up some? My dad was a blacksmith. He taught me what he knows. Would just need the right materials and some time." She smiled a bit, thinking about it. It was nice to... Talk about these things. Jam was... A friend, wasn't she? The thought made Eva smile wider.

"Blacksmith huh?" Jam inquired. The big smile on Eva's face did not escape the dancer. She smiled back; smiles had a habit of being infectious.

"Sounds like you have a few stories to share. Let's find a place to sit. Maybe you can tell me how a blacksmith's daughter got all the way out here."

[Nanami Touko]

"Huh? Uh... Alright." Eva was surprised Jam wanted to talk about that. There were a few rocks near their tree, big enough to sit on. So she led the dancer over to one and started braining a place to start. "Well... I guess I'll just ask first, you want the whole, life story thing, or just how I ended up here? One's a lot shorter." She chuckled slightly, starting to really enjoy this. She hadn't really had friends before.

----------

"Well, uh, not you! But your bodyguard guy." Even Tia could tell the comments were making Joanna uncomfortable so she didn't go into her next bit about where she figured Shaddy was weak. "I dunno. You could just keep it to yourself for now, until Shaddy's experiment runs its course with the whole, making you an emblem user deal." Tia shrugged. She didn't know how to resolve these things. Her resolving skills were pretty shit, judging by past experiences.

[-Cynthia-]

"Unlike many humans, avians only resort to violence when necessary- not to resolve any sort of disagreement," Liam explained to Tia. "What is this trust ensuring method you speak of?" he asked Shadrak. Is it some sort of magical pact or is he using 'ensuring' more lightly than I would?

[Toogee]

"Huh? Uh... Alright." Eva was surprised Jam wanted to talk about that. There were a few rocks near their tree, big enough to sit on. So she led the dancer over to one and started braining a place to start. "Well... I guess I'll just ask first, you want the whole, life story thing, or just how I ended up here? One's a lot shorter." She chuckled slightly, starting to really enjoy this. She hadn't really had friends before.

"Whichever one explains why you're here pounding fools instead of pounding iron with your dad. You seemed pretty happy reminiscing back there."

Jam sat herself down upon one of the rocks, eager to hear Eva's tale.

"Also, I can't just hand my sword to any ol' blacksmith. Consider it a background check or something," Jam chuckled.

[GoD]

"Very well then, I shall deliver your belongings to the crate; it'll give me a chance to see what my charge is doing. It was a pleasure meeting you Angelica."- the lilac haired knight told the curt blonde as he moved to pick up the crate filled with the girl's stuff. With a quick nod to the young lady, Ing slowly made his way to the wagon, where it seemed as though Shadrak, Tia and some other people and... apparently two Avians were discussing something of great importance. The knight did not care for that though, as he set his sights upon the rest of the camp once more, surveying it's surroundings.

As Ingret finally reached the wagon after losing track of time since gazing at the camp, he arrived just to hear one of the avians talk about violence or something or other, talking to Shadrak and Tia. "Ah a natural case of superiority because of his race. Classic and boring.-thought the knight as he approached the group.

"Good to know you won't be engaging in any violent activities. Makes my job a little bit easier."- casually said the knight as he neared the wagon.

[-Cynthia-]

Liam sighed. "Using violence only when necessary does not make me a pacifist. Lady Mercy grants the power to protect as well as the power to heal and I intend to use that power as best I can if it is required."

[GoD]

"...I was not asking if you were a pacifist Sir. Nor about your devotion to the Lady Mercy."- the knight raised his eyebrow as he deposited the box in the wagon, speaking to the avian, but with his back turned. When he did finish placing the Angela's goods in the wagon, not caring if it obstructed someone's way. he would fix that later, the lilac-haired old man, turned to face the group at large. "Hello again Shadrak, Tia. Did something happen while I was gone?"- the knight asked the two people he knew, this time while depositing his huge backpack filled with armor and the rest of Ingret's belongings.

[Phoenix]

Commander's Office

"... and all they want is a wagon and the means to haul it?" the commander asked his subordinates. He sat in a rather large chair, leaning forward against an even larger desk, a desk fit to serve as a war table. Most of the office was mundane, with walls of old fashioned stone and mortar, a few banners and trophies, and a pair of armor stands flanking the door. The massive desk also had a few maps and other documents strewn about, as if the commander had been multitasking. "They don't want anything else from us?"

"Doubtful, but it wouldn't be the first time something like this happened," said a guard standing off to the side of the desk, arms crossed. It was Doran.

"I was thinking we could send her and her people up into the mountains to see if they'll have any luck finding those bandits, or confirming what happened to the scouts we sent," the guard who had been speaking with Greta explained, "We can't spare too many more people, so ..."

"We can't spare anymore pegasus knights, that's for certain," the commander nodded. They had received disturbing reports that bandits were holding up somewhere in the mountain forests, intent on swooping down to pick off travelers at any opportunity. With all the recent transfers, resulting from the consolidation of forces in the capital region, Ursaea was currently severely undermanned, despite the front they were putting on at the city gates. Sending scouts to try and pinpoint the bandits and their hideout only exacerbated the problem; most of the scouts had gone missing, likely caught off guard by the bandits, while a lucky few returned and brought no helpful information with them. The dragon attack, as well as the botched scouting missions, had left the garrison sorely lacking for pegasus knights in particular, which meant Ursaea had virtually no air power in the event of an attack.

"I'm not sure a merchant and her 'helpers' can deal with something like this, but if all they want in exchange is a new vehicle," the commander bobbed his head to either side several times, considering the matter, "then I suppose we've got little left to lose."

"Wait a second," Doran quickly chimed in, "is this company going to be scouting for us, or fighting the bandits once they find them?"

"I was thinking we would let them decide if they want to take care of the problem for us or not. Either way, I'll be sending a unit in behind them, so in the event they do find something, we can deal with it then and there. Regardless of what they do, I want these brigands cut down before they pull off something big and cut us off from Europa," the commander glared down at one of the maps of the region.

Camp

"We're ... talking," Shadrak answered Ingret, barely managing to get the words out. He wasn't sure if blood pacts or the like would be enough to convince either of the avians ... probably not, but it was all that came to mind, initially. As far as he knew, there was no way to force someone to keep their word in the long term. Free will was not so easily conquered. For now, it was irrelevant, as Joanna would be the one they were focusing on, but eventually, Shadrak was going to have to come up with some way to assure them that any other wielders would remain trustworthy.

"Violence really won't be necessary, regardless," Shadrak chimed in, again. "We'll worry about other wielders, later. For now, you should just focus on trying to get the emblem to do something. Anything."

"Perhaps I can start this training another time?" Joanna asked, avoiding eye contact.

Shadrak shook his head. "It's a wasted opportunity, but if you've got more important things to do, go right ahead. I'll be reading like I was originally planning to do."

[Mercakete]

Blacksmiths, huh? Well, that brought back memories. Before he got wrapped up in this crazy emblem business, he lived in Ursium's northern mountains. First further up them, then down in its forests at their feet. Blacksmiths were one of the few reasons he ventured into town. More recently, it was the fumbling of a blacksmith and his idiot merchant brother that landed him in Raquel's group. Looking back on it, I guess it wasn't such a bad thing. He was sure he wouldn't have met the others if it hadn't been for that little slip-up.

Then there was the time after that when he was still trying to keep as separate from the others as possible and got into a fight that was a little too tough for him. That had been when he'd met Valter and Joanna. If Valter hadn't distracted that bandit, Norbert wondered what sort of condition he'd be in today.

And now, here he was, just outside of the man's hometown...and more or less hiding behind a tree. The rider sighed in annoyance as he leaned against Rizen's side. Things may not have been all bad, but they sure as the Gate weren't all good either. Still, he felt he made the right call. Staying out here was a lot more comfortable than going into a bustling town would be. It was a lot safer, too, considering how many people he'd annoyed recently, and the worst of them, here.

[Nanami Touko]

"Whichever one explains why you're here pounding fools instead of pounding iron with your dad. You seemed pretty happy reminiscing back there."

Jam sat herself down upon one of the rocks, eager to hear Eva's tale.

"Also, I can't just hand my sword to any ol' blacksmith. Consider it a background check or something," Jam chuckled.

"Hah. Alright. I'll just go to why I'm here, then." She sighed and took a moment to think about it. She decided it'd be best to condense her childhood. "Well... My mother and father taught me all of what they did. My mother's a tamer, and my father's a blacksmith, so most every day I was learning with one or the other. I didn't... Really, get out of the house a lot. No real friends, no other hobbies. When I hit twenty, they said I should head on out and try to find work for myself. So I take off on Sasha, and I head out. I end up meeting Raquel, and her group."

And now, why she was here. "I'm... I'm here on my way to Kigen because of Angelica." She sighed. "Have you ever had anyone show interest in you, Jam? And I don't mean just a passing thing I mean, like... They like you, for everything you are." She ended up messing with her hair some. "I don't know how honest she's being with that, and I don't know if she really does like me, but she keeps saying she does, so... I just don't know. I guess I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt, for now. Will that work out? I haven't the slightest." There was the faint hint of a smile forming. "I hope it works out. It'd help a lot of things, for me."

"Ah, sorry if that's not really what you wanted to know. As for smithing, I've worked on almost every type of sword out there, so if I could find a place to work, when we get to Kigen proper, I could probably help make your sword sharper. Give it that edge it needs to help with your speed."

Edited March 29, 2015 by I have opinions

[Toogee]

Jam wasn't sure how she could relate Eva's relationship with Angelica. Being only 16, the dancer couldn't say she knew what Eva was talking about. Even at her age, Jam suspected that going across the world over what could be described as "puppy love" probably wasn't the best plan. She kept those comments to herself.

"I might take you up on that," Jam replied. "I haven't really use it much in real combat, but I'd like the first time to really count."

"As for you and Angelica...I'm only 16, so I can't say I know what you're going through. I spent a year in an abbey, so I know even less about those things than most. It sounds like something you need to talk to her about though."

[Nanami Touko]

"Really?" Eva smiled wide again, almost giddy with excitement. "It's been a while since I've had the chance to properly work on a weapon, but I promise you won't regret it! Thanks, Jam." Well, that was a pleasant surprise. She hadn't expected to be able to work on anyone's weapons while she'd been here, but she'd so easily gotten the chance to. What a turn of luck~

"Oh, you are? Wow, I... I thought you were older." Eva felt her excitement dwindle, and embarrassment take over. "I have been, don't worry. I just... I don't think there's much left for us to talk about. I have to see where it takes me, and go from there. But... I trust her, so, I'm sure it'll work out. She wouldn't be cruel enough to just be toying with me." Eva said the line to assure herself of it, but, she still smiled rather calmly. She really did trust Angelica, enough to keep this going.

[Toogee]

Jam thought it was time for a change in topics. This whole relationship thing was getting a little uncomfortable.

"So...have you ever been to Kigen? I've never been, so it's going to be great to see a new country. Kinda like to know what to expect though." Her gaze went to the horizon as she imagined the exotic locales they would be traveling through.

[Nanami Touko]

"I haven't spent a lot of time out of Neviskotia... Well, I haven't spent any. Joining the group was... Honestly, my first time out of the country. I'm probably just as excited as you are!" Eva followed Jam's gaze out to the horizon and smiled, chuckling a bit. "I'm sure their customs are wildly different from what I have back home, so it'll be interesting to see a whole new culture. Is there anything you're looking forward to, or know about, Jam?"

Edited April 3, 2015 by I have opinions

[Toogee]

"Well..." Jam started to fiddle with the red scarf around her neck.

"Erion told me he had some friends in Kigen, the Mamushi gang. I'd like to try and see who they are. He even gave me his scarf to prove I knew him. See?"

She twisted around to show Eva the knot with Erion's name embroidered into it.

[Nanami Touko]

"Erion, huh?" Eva hadn't known him much longer than Angelica, but he'd still been really nice. She missed him. "Why... Didn't he come along with us, if he had so many friends in Kigen?" Even if he wasn't there, maybe his friends would be able to provide the same level of enjoyment. They had to be somewhat like him. Not for herself, either, mostly for Jam. Erion seemed like he'd known the dancer for far longer. "I'll help you try and find them when we get there. Should get in touch as soon as we can, yeah? It could help the group."

[Phoenix]

Bearing News

Greta had some things to consider on the way back to the camp, who to bring, who to have stay and wait. Truth be told, it would probably be more productive to set up a new camp in the south, that way they could regroup quickly and leave the area once they were finished, here. They were still in a hurry, so taking time out to help the guards deal with a bandit problem felt like they were just begging for the wrathites to catch up to them. Still, they only had to find the bandits, and didn't necessarily have to fight them, so this might be over very quickly if they were lucky, and they would leave with a new wagon with little time or effort spent.

Before leaving, she had asked about Lagar and what they intended to do with him. Seeing that she asked about him by name, her story about running into him twice on the road was easy enough for the guards to buy into. She passed along her version of the story before heading back to the camp with Haythem like she'd planned, but didn't get a chance to see the bounty hunters who'd captured the man in the first place.

They arrived back at the camp to find things much the way they had left them, only with a few positional changes as well as some marks on a nearby tree. That was odd; was someone champing at the bit while they were gone? "Okay, everyone, I've got some good news, and some possibly bad news," she began, raising her voice so everyone could hear her clearly, even those inside the wagon. Haythem continued over toward Amon, who was still sitting against the front right wheel in the meantime. "I had a word with the guardsmen and they're willin' to part with a wagon and a couple of horses if we do some scoutin' for'em. Apparently there's a bandit problem and these guys are really good at pickin' off the garrison's scouts, so we'll have to be careful ... not split up or rush in or anything dumb like that. Now, they'll be sendin' in a group of their own behind us to take out the bandits once we find their hideout, but we're apparently welcome to help out if we want."

"So they want us to be their disposable vanguard and keep all of their troops fresh for the real battle," Malik surmised with a scowl.

"Free wagon, Malik," Greta noted dismissively. "So, any a y'all have any experience findin' bandit hideouts, 'cause that'd really come in handy right about now? I figure we can just go up there, keep our guard up, point the hideout to the guards once we find it, then y'all can go on ahead while I go back into town, pick up the wagon, and I'll meet ya on the road."

[scorri]

Lumi waved her hand. "I don't really have bandit hunting experience, but I'm a flier and have scouting experience. If we check 'em out at night, I'd have a better chance at hiding, but I'm up for scouting if you want."

Hoshi meanwhile frowned. She had no experience and so didn't want to slow the group down at all, but at the same time, she was the leader so she should be helping, right?

[Toogee]

"Erion, huh?" Eva hadn't known him much longer than Angelica, but he'd still been really nice. She missed him. "Why... Didn't he come along with us, if he had so many friends in Kigen?" Even if he wasn't there, maybe his friends would be able to provide the same level of enjoyment. They had to be somewhat like him. Not for herself, either, mostly for Jam. Erion seemed like he'd known the dancer for far longer. "I'll help you try and find them when we get there. Should get in touch as soon as we can, yeah? It could help the group."

"Erion has family in Neviskotia. That's probably why he's headed over there."

Just then, Greta finally rode back into camp and announced that she had news. Jam got up and ran to hear her announcement, waving Eva along to follow. They had a mission: to find a group of bandits. As a reward, they were to get another wagon. The dancer was more than happy to help; she could use the extra leg room.

Jam stepped forward to show her willingness to participate.

"Last time we encountered bandits, they found us," Jam replied, distinctly recalling her first fight. "Think we'll have the same luck?" She meant that in both a serious and sarcastic manner.

Edited April 9, 2015 by Toogee

[Nanami Touko]

The remark about family made Eva smirk. "Well, if I was worried about my family, I woulda gone with him. But they're a lot tougher than me. A lot tougher." Seems that conversation was over, though, as the group returned. Talk of bandits, eh? "I can't say I've ever fought bandits, but, let's be honest, if I can beat the tar out of a Wrathite, I doubt some thug swinging an axe is going to cause much trouble. Let's go kick some ass."

Tia didn't have anything to say about bandits, really. She couldn't exactly pick up a knife and start trying to fight, right there.

[Mercakete]

Well, that was good news...kind of. Norbert wasn't too happy about soldiers from this particular city following them around. This was exactly why he hadn't gone into the city in the first place.

"Wait a minute," he asked Greta, stepping forward, "So, you're saying you invited a bunch of soldiers from Ursaea to follow us around and you don't expect any problems to crop up? We're not exactly on good terms with the law right now."

[Phoenix]

Something About Bandits

"Mmm, probably better if we get this done before dark, honestly," Greta replied to Lumi with a frown. It wasn't just the time constraints; Lumi and her pegasus would be harder to spot in the dark, but the bandits would have an overwhelming advantage over most of the rest of the group if they decided to attack the bulk of them. She supposed the severity of that would depend on who they brought with them. Greta wasn't even sure if she was going. She felt somewhat obligated, but she could only contribute a few bullets at best.

"They're sending us because their scouts got killed," Haythem noted with a look of unease about him. "I think we should take a small but able group, armor guarding the flanks, and eyes in the center."

"Yeah they'll definitely find us, first, Jamilla," Greta groaned, "it's their stompin' grounds after all. And yeah, apparently they've been pickin' off the garrison's scouts."

"I'm with the tree man on this one," Malik spoke up irritably, "why are we working with the guardsmen? Even if they have no idea what happened in Europa, something could still happen here. Can't this wagon problem wait until we reach Sergio, at least?"

"Bert, Mal," Greta placed her hands on her hips and stared both of them down in turn, "This wasn't my idea, it was theirs. It's quick, it'll be easy if we're careful, and we don't even have to take out all the bandits. We find the hideout, they give us a wagon. We get the heck out of here. End of transaction."

[Mercakete]

"Yeah, sure. The 'end of transaction' could be when they figure out who we are and arrest all of us," Norbert replied irritably. He wasn't bringing it up, but he was especially wary of these guards in particular. There was at least one among them that he knew would be trouble, at least towards him, unless Doran had been sent to the capital or something. "And if we try to defend ourselves, we'll have even more trouble coming after us. Trust me: these people are best left alone."

He also didn't know who Malik meant by "tree man" but he supposed the Sancturan had seen him practicing his agility in the tree earlier. It was still weird for him. "Tree man?" Really?

[-Cynthia-]

"We're gonna move faster once we have a wagon. Just get in and out quickly and it should be no trouble," Nadya echoed Greta.

"I do not see what this has to do our mission," Liam said, frowning.

[Nanami Touko]

"Hey, armor, that's me," Eva said, continuing to chime in. "If some of you don't think it's a good idea, then you can stay here, wait, or just keep moving. We'll catch up when we're done, I suppose. Or something to that effect. And if we don't have to even fight them, send me and Lumi in, we find where it is and fly right on out. Simple enough, yeah?" Eva really didn't mind fighting, if it came down to it. Part of her felt she could use a good brawl, but if it was safer, faster, and better for them, then whatever, scouting it was.