Fire Emblem: Wretched Whispers, Act 2: Warpath

[Bluedoom]

"The name's Wolfgang." Wolfgang replied nonchalantly, checking his surroundings to see if there was anything different in this place from the last that they had been there. It seemed like the only thing different was...Mina not being present.

"Well Orpheus, you need to be proud of the fact that you're the only person in our group who wields an axe and rides a horse. You would be so good at hit-and-run tactics, you know! Oh, and Sierra...where's Mina? What's the situation of the city like right now? We checked a number of places, and they're all empty!"

[Shin]

Wolfgang did have a point, he certainly did have things he could bring to the table. If anything, who else could say they'd given Calden a piece of their mind? Hit and run did sound right up his alley. It was a lot like being bait, except actually attacking first rather than waiting to be ambushed before running. The more he thought about it, the less it seemed like it, in fact, it was almost completely different.

Nodding in agreement, Orpheus listened to the conversation. Now that he thought about it, the city was pretty empty, even considering how late it was.

[MRDRHAWK]

Declan shrugged his shoulders and left Magali and Shylah to their own devices. Still, what was he to do here now? There wasn't exactly a lot going on, so... maybe he'd take a walk; clearing his head definitely sounded like a good idea in this kind of situation. Something was still feeling... off inside him, and he needed a bit of time to think things through.

[Xinnidy]

Magali offered her shoulder for as long as the girl needed, watching her back off and listening to her words with care. The story was a touch unnerving, to be sure. "That sounds like quite a burden..." Magali paused to search any words of comfort, but had none to offer to that situation. "I haven't heard of anything like that before..."

With the subject changing to her dance, Magali corrected her posture. "Ah, my dance?" She curtsied, "I dance for entertainment and, with the help of magic, to bring vigor back to my viewers. It is something I learned in my travels." Magali had a mind to keep the topic there for now, something they could relate and discuss. "It is a special form of magic that does reduce fatigue and allow my allies to do more, act faster. Unlike staves or tomes, the catalyst is my exertion and movements, though probably in a different way than yours. I could give you an example, if you would like."

[riariadne]

Phantoms of the Past

"Burden... the phantoms take their toll. I'm not surprised you haven't heard of it before. It is forgotten magic, and if the consequences I suffer are to go by, it's not terribly hard to imagine why, too," Shylah explained.

"Invigorating magic through dance... now that's very intriguing. I would never think of such a thing- my dances serve more to channel power. A demonstration of yours, that would be nice. I will... show you mine, as well. The spirits have power over my words, but not actions, so..." The channeler spread her arms, backing away from Magali with the tattoos pulsing as she begun to move. The motions seemed fairly mundane at first until the tattoos stayed focused on white- and after a moment she vanished completely in a white flash.

But not long after a raven landed on Magali's shoulder, screeching once before ruffling its feathers and circling her before landing on the other shoulder and disappearing as well. After another moment a white cat was at her feet, pacing around the dancer and mewling, its tail twitching before it too vanished.

Shylah was kneeling on the ground, panting heavily when she reappeared. "Did you like it...?"

Focus

"Yeah... maybe you're right." Malcolm sighed. "You're off to the barracks too, then? Alright. Maybe it'd be good for me to head with you, then." He started off in the general direction, before pausing briefly. "Do you... wanna go for a practice fight, when we get there? Maybe it'd be a good way to let off some steam. You looked pretty frustrated earlier, too."

Absence

"That's the spirit! You just gotta keep trying!" Sierra cheered. She did frown slightly at the mention of Mina, however. "She had to leave for Velms yesterday! She's supposed to be meeting with some fancy leaders for diplomacy or something. I guess they got it together with a government for the time being in Norres, but I dunno if we should be hopeful with its past history. I just hope she's safe and does as well as she can..."

The Northern Front

"Yes, we're running low on supplies there. Even if Commander Moore is truly out of the picture, we have to keep going strong- especially now that we have an opening. He's a truly daunting opponent with the Kezmur in hand, after all. So we must press our advantages to fend off the enemy forces and keep our homeland safe!" Theodore explained heartily. "I believe these ones will be given to General Merv's troops- obviously, the General himself has no need for more weapons with Iraxen's enchantments, but for others it's all too easy to lose a blade or axe."

[scorri]

"I would love a match, you have no idea. I'm just... Ugh, I haven't been fighting nearly as well as I should be. I'm the armor, you know? I should be taking hits and protecting my companions and instead... I just keep failing. So. The desire to punch something has been around since the last battle I was in." She shrugged and started to head off to the barracks with Mac.

[Ether]

"Yeah, you definitely will... but don't rely on me too much, either... it's not like I haven't been known to make... poor choices, from time to time." Celestia replied, with a light blush and a shrug. It wasn't something she entirely wanted to bring up, but it might help Melanie with her current predicament, so it was worth a try.

[Nanami Touko]

"Eh? Do not rely on you? Pourquoi?" Celestia had proven herself to be an incredibly strong and reliable mage, why stop now? It wasn't like Mel needed her hand held all the time, but it was nice to have a friend to count on. "What poor choices 'ave you made?" Mel did her best to pay attention, going so far as to stop herself from reading, managing to take her eyes off the book and glance at Celestia.

[Xinnidy]

"Forgotten magic... I see." Magali had her reservations about tackling every piece of information the girl gave her, especially with how deep things seemed to imply. Shylah seemed more than willing to say what she could on her own terms, anyways, so perhaps that was the best decision.

"A demonstration? But of co--" Magali stopped abruptly as she saw Shylah begin a dance. In moments, Shylah was no present in a flash of white light, leaving Magali confused, looking to either side until the raven landed on her shoulder. It screeched, and continued to have an uncanny interest in Magali. Could this be...? Yet, that raven was lost from sight quickly, and Magali turned her face to find it nowhere around her, then a handful of fur brushed against her leg.

Turning to look once again, Magali was faced with a white cat, but that once again vanished, and a tired Shylah showed herself at last. So it was...! "That's impressive, Shylah. I've never seen anything like it. I did enjoy it." Magali answered, a soft smile growing, quite struck with the impression. "But, it seems that it takes a lot from you, right? Well, now is a good time as ever for my turn..." Magali took a step, preparing her own dance.

Unlike Shylah's, Magali's dance focused on more energetic moves, though never changing in pace and flow. Another step, a turn, a spin... Magali's dance did resemble more of a traditional performance, but the magic flowing through her body could be perceived to those who were adept at magic. It did leave a soothing, contagious sensation, as if evoking motion of its own. Magali stopped just in front of Shylah, her left foot on toe, and returned to a casual stance. Unlike Shylah's condition, however, Magali had only broken a sweat. "Whew... What did you think of that, Shylah?"

[Ether]

"Well, it'a kind of embarrassing, really... riding out solo against large packs on monsters and barely making it out alive, forgetting rations in town and being two days out before I realized... I'm uhh... kind of a hot head, sometimes..." Celestia admitted, looking away from Melanie with a flustered expression.

[Bluedoom]

"This is the first time I've heard of Mina being a diplomat! I hope she gets the job done, although that would make earning harder for me." he replied and chuckled to himself. "What about the situation here? Its very quiet outside...almost lifeless, in fact."

[Refa]

After most of the group had left to do their own things, Artemis decided to browse the wares of the new merchant girl who just shown up. Most of what was on offer were weapons she couldn't really use herself, although that didn't stop her from admiring their intricate designs anyways. And that's when she happened upon a weird crest off to the side. Feeling oddly drawn to it, she picked it up and asked Anna, "Hey, I was wondering...what exactly is this thing, anyways? Most of your other goods are weapons, so it seems kinda out of place."

Edited October 7, 2015 by Refa

[riariadne]

Shapeshifter

"It does take a lot from me..." Shylah admitted. "But, it can be fun, to be honest. Different perspectives from the eye of a bird or cat change the way you see things, really- let you go to different places, experience new things."

She watched intently as Magali did her own performance, feeling rejuvenated from witnessing it. "Marvelous..." she murmured. "Yours looks much nicer than mine, and this relief is truly wonderful. I thank you." She stood up from her kneeling position, bowing. "Even though we love the same thing, we show our skill differently. What a world we live in."

Hand to Hand

"Nah, I get you... I lost a lot more this week than I have before. It's rough... Tyson was thinking about going on a challenge for my title, but the ring got closed down. I don't wanna be out of practice when things calm down," Malcolm explained, walking to the barracks with Taima.

Sure enough, at the barracks Captain Douglas seemed to be talking with Sheikah. "Hey, how's it going, you two?" she greeted them. "Mac, right? How funny... I actually just worked out a new assignment for us with Doug here. It's a quieter one this time... which is good, I guess. The front lines can be rough, but we're gonna head on a mission no less important."

"Name's Malcom, ma'am," the boxer introduced himself. "World Circuit Boxing champ- didn't fight you myself, but saw your matches. You're pretty good, huh?"

"I'm alright, I guess," the boss conceded. "I did the Minor Circuit, but I don't think I'm much cut out for the others. What brings you two around here?"

Unusual Path

"Well, she's good with people!" Sierra reasoned. "She managed to trick that summoner into trusting her so he could be arrested for months, right? He was smart... Lady Nora was saying they talked to him a few days after, and he might not've been found without Mina's help at all- you guys too, of course! Still, it is kinda different. But there's another diplomat being sent to Sloktan, and lots of others are trying to talk with Angala or amongst the government here. So Mina looks nice in the light of Regus being arrested, especially when we found out more of his plans- I guess that's why she got sent to Velms. The city is kinda sad, though... lots of people are on the front lines, and others went south or west to try and escape from the Angalans. So it's a lot less lively than ever here." She drifted off in thought for a moment. "I dunno if I was supposed to mention the Sloktan mission, or really anything about Mina, either, now that I think of it... well, now you have to keep it a secret, okay?"

[eclipse]

Kezmur? In Commander Moore's hands? And Iraxen in Merv's possession? Hmmm, this might come in handy later.

"It's the small things, back home, that help to win a war. The best general with the best troops can't hope to win a battle if they don't have a good supply chain," Peter replied, after offloading some axes. "Still, it's good to hear that we're making headway out there," he continued.

[Nanami Touko]

"Ben, maybe eef you were not as good as you are wis magique zen zat would be a problème, mais... Considering zat almost everysing you 'ave launched somesing at falls over, I do not sink zat being so 'ot 'eaded ees a bad sing, non?" Melanie smiled, closing her book with a finger on the page she was reading. "Besides, you 'ave a famille now, donc, you will not 'ave to worry about forgetting, or being rash. I will back you up, oui?" Mel hugged her friend's arm again, giggling. "You, and Magali, you are like, ehhh, ma belle soeurs, non? We will 'elp each ozzer." With a quick motion, Mel planted a tiny kiss on Celestia's cheek, leaning against her and going back to the book. "Zere ees nossing wrong wis relying on you."

Edited October 11, 2015 by Snake Mom

[charlie_]

"Well, you see..." Anna tossed the emblem up into the air and caught it between her middle and index finger, grinning triumphantly. "This is a super rare artifact I found a few months ago! It might not look like much, but it comes to the aid of it's holder when they need it most. And while I don't normally do this, I'm feeling pretty generous today. How does 1550 gold sound?"

[Shin]

Whoever this Mina was, she seemed to have a knack for dealing with people. Much like Sierra seemed to have a knack for talking a lot, Orpheus was still trying to process what she'd said. The world seemed a lot bigger than he'd initially thought, far larger than the farm he'd grown up on or any of the battles he'd been part of. Orpheus didn't even pretend that he understood what the war was about, but something seemed to be afoot.

[Ether]

"If you say so... but I've been overwhelmed before, so try to keep me in check, if you can." Celestia replied with a light laugh, blushing the slightest bit as Melanie left a kiss on her cheek, before the other girl immediately went back to her book. Well, they had come here to read, after all...

[Refa]

"Hmmm, well...that's affordable enough, I guess," Artemis muttered to herself. Should I really be spending most of my money after I just got paid, though? Well, I should have a bit left in case something comes up. I don't really need to worry about my equipment for a while anyways. Besides, something that comes to the aid of its holder when it's needed most could be useful. I just hope this isn't a con... "Yeah, sounds alright to me. Where did you end up finding such a rare artifact, anyways?" She asked as she handed over her payment to Anna.

Edited October 15, 2015 by Refa

[scorri]

Taima nodded to Sheikah. "Yeah, I ran into Mac here after I checked out the arena. We talked some and decided to come back here. Might end up having a match for fun here, unless you need me right away? And good. Feels like we could use a quieter assignment right now..."

[riariadne]

Competitive Spirit

"No, not right this second- probably whenever you're done," Sheikah responded. "I need to relax a bit, so I'll watch, I guess. Too much running around and never calming down makes Sheikah a boring boss, or however that saying goes." Sure enough, she set her belongings down and kneeled by the two, leaning her head on her hands to watch. "I can hang on to your stuff, Taima."

"Guess we should get started then, huh?" Mac backed away from Taima, removing his jacket, taking a bite from a chocolate bar from it, and readying himself. "Make your move when you're ready."

Standstill

"Good to know indeed," Theodore agreed. "Things had not been looking hopeful during Commander Moore's initial offensive, but we're stabilizing. There seems to be disorder amongst the Angalan ranks- many of their powerful Generals are regrouping- of course, we can't be sure of what it means, but for now, this is almost a reprieve."

Edited October 20, 2015 by Reinfleche

[eclipse]

"Disorder, huh?" Peter repeated, his mind trying to work out what this meant. "A great advantage for us, and the common soldier probably doesn't care too much about the upper brass of Angala," he continued. "Still, best to sow as much confusion as possible, before the enemy can do something about it."

Sounds like things up north about to go straight to hell. Perhaps Angala's chain of command has a few kinks. Or perhaps they're reorganizing everyone, for a more concerted push south. I'll definitely need to let Sheikah know about this!

[Tryhard]

Ivan sigh, not could thinking, Ivan wood carve put down, now maybe later. Restful timing being maybe not good idea, being train more a lot soon.

Ivan lefting for barracks, before like. Ivan notice some enemy for time at tournament. There was one, Taima, think? She be one with group. Then there being other ones who Ivan have greatness with fight. Ivan wonder if go talking, seeing Taima start fighting other, Ivan watch.

Edited November 1, 2015 by Tryhard

[Xinnidy]

"Hmm, I can imagine." Magali replied, displaying a soft smirk. "Seeing the world from a bird's view must be refreshing. I always imagine it when I see a pegasus rider." There was a small shine as Magali's gaze turned distant for a second. Memories of the pegasus group that showed up one battle hunting for Calden quickly resurfaced, as they flew past the horizon after the deal with Sheikah was made. That feeling of déjà vu once more.

Magali's smirk accentuated to a genuine smile at the compliments,"Yes, it is very pleasant to share experiences like these." She nodded to Shylah, gaze centered again, "I'm glad you enjoyed it. Since the war it has been much harder to find time to dance just for the enjoyment. The theater is certainly closed too, with the city so empty. Shame, I wanted to give it a go again."

[charlie_]

"To be honest, I don't even remember!" Anna smiled, handing over the emblem to Artemis. "When you've been in the business for as long as I have, it all kind of blurs together. I thiiiiiink that I found it exploring in eastern Angala, but I'm not sure. That could've been something else..."