Fire Emblem: Wretched Whispers, Act 2: Warpath

[charlie_]

The librarian shook his head, moving his chair back slightly to create some distance - at this rate, she might try and snatch it back from his pocket. "I'm fairly sure that the owner would like their privacy, young lady." It didn't look like he was going to budge. "Now, if there's nothing else I can help you with, you might want to start your reading now. It's quite a lengthy book."

[riariadne]

Intrigue

"Yes, familiar... I'm not sure how." Shylah seemed to be lost in thought, eyes flickering yellow at the mention of performance. "Are you now? Perhaps that would be how I've heard of you... I'm rather fond of dance, myself, though not in the same way as a performance. Ritualistic ones, with a shamanic power. A dancer among mercenaries is rather interesting, I suppose. Have you been here before as well, then?"

Aimless

"Nah, you're probably just better than me right now. I know I gotta step up my game. My eyes, well, I've taken a few too many belts to the face with how reckless I can be, so I don't see things that are far away too well. Wouldn't be able to tell if an ally far off is in trouble or something like that," Mac elaborated. "So I'm not allowed in the army and I wouldn't fancy myself doing too good with mercenaries either, if we're being honest. That's fine with me, but it just happens to leave me in a rough spot right now."

Cheerful!

Sierra sat on a chair outside her house as Wolfgang and Orpheus approached, holding a tiny black kitten in her arms. "Hello, hello! You two were with the Hollows, right? Hi! I've got some time off right now- I've been training really hard these last few days and staying vigilant at the palace in the night! Oh, oh! Have you met my kitty? This is Rooooosie!" She held out the cat for them both to see, who mewled quietly. "Isn't she just the most adorable little kitty you've ever seen? She's only three months old! You can pat her, but you have to be very gentle with her- or else! Oh, and what were your names again? Sorry, I don't think I was even properly introduced to all of you."

The Man in Red

The barracks were much quieter than they had been before, perhaps a couple dozen people still present to train. A man in typical Irskan armor, but with a large red cloak approached Peter after a few moments.

"Well met! I am General Theodore, the second most senior officer in the Irskan army!" he introduced himself. "General Dervas is in the field, and I am to assist in any going-ons here until his return! How can I help you here today?"

Edited September 11, 2015 by Reinfleche

[Shin]

Orpheus laughed, if only because of the notion of anyone being friends with Calden. "He's a grumpy little punk, but I can't let that get in the way of quality purchases. I figured he'd try and rob me blind, but I don't think he'd pull a thing like that with me. I'm not some simple country hick."

That being said, Orpheus was surprised Wolfgang had friends in the army. He seemed more of the library type, although Orpheus had felt firsthand what he was capable of. After their brief walk, they'd reached Wolfgang's contact... who didn't seem to know him particularly well at all.

"I assumed that when you said you had an acquaintance, they'd at least know your name or something." Orpheus sighed, figuring that the castle was at least safe from mice. "I'm Orpheus, I joined up with the Hollows a little while back."

Bending down to pet the cat, Orpheus wondered if everyone surrounding the Hollows were this strange - he was struggling to remember anyone particularly normal.

[Xinnidy]

"Yes, I have been here. Only once, and not too long ago. It wasn't bursting with people, but it was quite livelier than now." To Magali, the girl was proving cryptic: Still claiming familiarity, and an interest in ritualistic dance...

"The theater was still open then, I even got a chance to perform, twice. However... if you haven't been here before, maybe you've traveled through Angala in the past?" Magali decided the best course of action to be tackling the girl's memory. "I used to travel around southern Angala quite often. Well, before I decided to cut my ties there for good. Then I thought it'd be better if I joined a mercenary group weeks after I crossed the border, and now I'm helping defend a country against the one I once lived in. Funny how things work, hmm?" With the piece said, Magali offered a smile and turned head to the sign once more.

"Shamanic power... do you mean to channel magic through your dance?" The question escaped Magali's though, whom remained observant of the sign. "I can invigorate people with magic, through my dances, but I'm not sure this is the same. Your idea sounds new to me..."

Edited September 13, 2015 by Xinnidy

[eclipse]

"Hello, sir," Peter said somewhat absentmindedly. "I'm looking for a short job - something that'll take maybe half a day at most. Do you know of anyone that needs an extra pair of hands?"

[Nanami Touko]

Melanie growled a bit, scowling. Now he was openly hiding stuff, but there wasn't anything else she could grab at, literally or otherwise. So she huffed, picked up her book, and spun on the spot. "Fine." If she wasn't getting anything else out of him, then at least she could read her book and learn something from that. Maybe she'd meet the person who owned the medallion before they left, and she could ask them directly.

"Stupide bibliothécaire..." she moaned under her breath, taking a moment to tug on Celestia's shirt. "We should probablement get to reading, non? We do not 'ave all ze time een ze world." Melanie realized she might be seeming a bit cold to her friend, shaking her head and giving the girl a smile. "Désolé. I am sure zat zere ees somesing trés interessant een zese!" With a half faked, half renewed happiness, Melanie gave Celestia one last tug, before heading on over to a little nook near the stairs to sit herself in, with enough space to have Celestia sit next to her. Seat achieved, she plopped the fat book open on her lap, and started reading.

[riariadne]

Agent of Change

"Angala... I lived there for a while, near Vallisent. It is a nice city, but not a very lively one. Everything felt locked away all the time. Perhaps around there could be it... I'm not sure, to be honest." Shylah trailed off in thought, pausing awkwardly for a moment. "Invigorating... I wouldn't say I can quite do that sort of thing. Channeling is a good word for it. I can, ah... ch-cha-"

Do not betray your secrets!

Power not worth tampering with...

They mustn't know!

Silence yourself at once.

Would you dare to speak further?!

Shylah brought both hands to the sides of her head, eyes bursting several different colors at once before she closed them. "Ah! Sorry, I... ah. They'll not let me say. It can be... frustrating."

Catty Business

"Nice to meet you, mister Orpheus! I am Sergeant Major Sierra Tairn!" Sierra introduced herself, smiling when Rosie purred at the affection. "Awww, she likes you! Don't mind if I can't remember your name, I meet a lot of people and my memory's not always the best. Lots of people don't take me seriously, but they just don't know how tough I really am! I saved the princess by myself once! So, you joined up recently? What do you do?" the guard asked.

Hard Work

"Short job? Why, certainly- we have many supplies that need to be loaded onto wagons to bring to the front lines," Theodore explained. "We have some men here to help with that, but it cuts away into their training. Assistance would be appreciated and compensated- say, about a hundred gold an hour. What say you?"

[Shin]

Orpheus paused for a second, there had been a stark realisation that he had made. Orpheus had no idea what he actually did in the Hollows. Surely there was something useful he did? It wasn't like he charged through the front lines, cutting down enemies and winning battles, nor did he draw the enemies in... he was just kinda there. But that was important too, right? He kinda filled the gaps.

"I'm mostly back-up, but I'm sure I'll have my moment to shine. Battlefield's not all about glory after all." Orpheus replied, his bravado restored. "Don't need to be taken seriously to do your job right either, just means they'll be eating their words once you do it. My old group always used me as bait, since I didn't fight as well as the others. Managed to save their sorry rears once, decided to split from them after that."

Edited September 14, 2015 by Shin

[Ether]

There wasn't much of an opening for Celestia to interject in the back and forth, and before long, the templar was dragged off by Melanie. Taking the seat next to the dark mage, Celestia couldn't help but just watch her for a moment, before speaking.

"Are you sure that you're okay, Melanie?"

[Nanami Touko]

Mel waited until Celestia was sitting next to her, before collapsing her head against the templar with a sigh. "Non, I am not okay... Ze power zat I felt from zat medallion was eendescribable..." She casually looked up at Celestia from her shoulder, a small pout on her face. "And I am not allowed to learn anysing about eet? Zat ees juste not fair! I am not even allowed to know 'oo owned eet, so I can not even ask zem about eet... Bah." Mel sighed, sticking her tongue out and sliding around so her back was gently resting against Celestia's side. She propped the book back up onto her lap and started flipping through it. "Ben, I suppose zat I still 'ave zis, and I still 'ave you, of course, so I am not going to be sour all day, mais... I juste wish zat zese sings, so close in my reach, would be less of a problem to know more about... Power..." She mumbled the last word, closing her eyes for a moment. "Ah, well." With a quick smile and mood change, Mel leaned a bit off of Celestia, so the girl could move her arm and not be uncomfortable. "I suppose zat I will 'ave my learning from zis, and figure somesing out wis eet~"

[eclipse]

"That sounds like it's right up my alley, thanks!" Peter responded, his excitement leaking into his voice. "My boss expects me back by evening, and I'll need some time to sort other things, so how does half a day's work sound?"

[Ether]

"Well, some people are really stingy with their things, I suppose." Celestia replied, allowing Melanie to move as she wished, listening to her description of what she felt.

"Still... just touching it made you look really... strange. It was kind of scary, to be honest..."

[Nanami Touko]

"Zey should not be. Eet ees knowledge, eet ees power... I am not some awful person, I am not some bandit. I would not use zis for evil means." Obviously, no one could know that, but Mel knew herself. She'd use that power to do what she could to help her friends, and stop this stupid war... But she couldn't even learn anything more about it. Ugh...

But, strange? Scary? "Eh?" Mel hadn't felt that way. She had felt strong! Powerful! Smart! Scary? Had she been scary? Her thoughts of power sobered up a bit as she pulled herself off of her Celestia rest, getting on her knees and facing her. Perhaps a bit too close, but, still... "I-I was scary? I... Are you sure? I mean... I... I want zat power, ben... Eef you say I was, terrifying, zen..."

[Ether]

"Well... you yourself weren't really scary, so much as, well... as soon as you touched it, your eyes got all wide and you looked... well you looked like you were in shock. I wasn't sure what to think..." Celestia replied, thinking back on it. Melanie was leaning in a bit close, but this seemed to be the norm for when the girl was curious about, well... anything, so Celestia didn't pay it much mind.

[Nanami Touko]

Mel stayed close. She seemed... A bit distraught, to hear that. She didn't say anything immediately. She had to process it, and think about it. "...Vraiment?" she finally asked, losing some tension in her shoulders. "Maybe eet ees... Not such a good idée, after all." She sighed, and slumped against Celestia, resting her head against the girl's shoulder. "I do not want to scare you, or Magali, or ze rest of our friends... Eef power does zat to me, eet ees per'aps not worce eet. I can find eet elsewhere..." There was a hint of disappointment in her voice, but she still managed to smile.

[Ether]

"I mean, I'm sure that once you got used to it, you'd be fine... you might have just been overwhelmed." Celestia replied with a bit of a frown. It seemed that Melanie had been a bit thrown off by what she had said, and the Templar hoped that she wouldn't take it too badly.

[Nanami Touko]

"Hmm..." Melanie sighed again, turning back to face Celestia, though not getting so close this time. "I... 'Ave not said zis to anyone, because I did not want anyone to worry, oui? Ben... Zis, zis lust for power, eet ees nossing I 'ave been ignoring. I know zat... I want to be stronger. Eet scares me, sometimes, how far I am willing to go for zis. I almost jumped over ze counter at 'im, you know?" Melanie locked eyes with Celestia, the frustration and worry apparent on her face. "But I am... I am me. I am ze, 'appy go lucky, cheerful girl. All of zis worry, you would not sink zat I would 'ave eet..."

She held that stare for a moment, before looking down. "Ever since my village was destroyed... I 'ave always wanted zis power. Eet ees why I dug so deep eento ze dark magique. Eet was strong. Eet was ancient, mysterious... Somesing I could use to get--" she cut herself off, almost like she was afraid to say the word. "Revenge," she said, slowly, and heavily, "against ze people zat did what zey did to me." Melanie sighed again, gently flopping against Celestia and hugging her. "You are probably confused. I 'ave never really brought all of zis up, donc, I would not be surprised... I juste... I felt zat power, and eet... Eet was so close! I could 'ave 'ad all I needed, right there. Ben, I can not, because I am not allowed to know anysing more. Eet is... Draining. Disappointing..."

Edited September 19, 2015 by Snake Mom

[Xinnidy]

"Vallisent? Maybe--" Magali paused the moment Shylah's behavior turned from exotic to alien, examining as the pale girl's eyes changed color until her piece was said. "Ah, are you okay? Something..." Magali stopped herself from describing the situation, realizing the girl probably knew it all the better.

One word did strike Magali's concern harder, "They?" It was odd, unsettling. Yet the more that was hinted, the more Magali couldn't ignore the girl, even without the least idea of what was going on. "Who are th-- What... What can you say?"

[riariadne]

On the Edge...

Shylah struggled, grabbing onto Magali's shoulders before her and shaking, "Sorry, sorry..." She took a moment to compose herself, letting go of the slightly smaller woman. "Spirits speak to me, whispering in my mind. It was a ritual I partook, one that I regret dearly... they don't control me, but they can hinder me, and bring me pain." Shylah grimaced, waiting for some sort of mental response, but they remained quiet.

"I think I've silenced them for now... I pray so. Sometimes I can be fortunate enough to keep them from speaking, but it is difficult... Tell me more about your dance, though. To be so invigorating in the middle of battle sounds enchanting. Perhaps I will be able to tell you more about myself, how I can... change."

Serious!

"Defense is important! I'm a soldier, but I mostly do guarding... I care more about protecting my friends than killing enemies!" Sierra proclaimed proudly. "But I guess they weren't very good friends of yours, huh? That's alright- it's always a good time to make new friends, and these people are all really nice from what I've seen! And you're on the side of justice working for Irska! So things will get better!"

Halftime

"Half a day would be excellent!" Theodore agreed instantly. "Any help is good help! Come with me, if you will." The man lead Peter over towards some wagons, racks of weapons not far. "Simply transfer these to the wagons- it doesn't look like much, but we're very undermanned. Angala vastly outnumbers us, so we need as many soldiers on the front lines as we can! Still, our initial reports have only been promising. I've even heard Commander Moore is backing off a bit."

[Tryhard]

Ivan be thankful for peaceness after many hard days. Ivan wanting be own for time, have no chance, place find away others.

Ivan taking off knife small, be place it on small wooden carve Ivan also take out that be working on. Ivan finding it the most relax could getting when travel. Wood shoot off, Ivan be focus on.

Edited September 20, 2015 by Tryhard

[scorri]

Taima gave a nod. "Ah, yeah, that makes sense then. Well, maybe you could help out some at the barracks or something. Make a bit of coin somehow, you know? Besides, it's not like fighting is for everyone anyways. Though, you're pretty clearly a fighter so dunno why I said that." She chuckled a bit at her own misspeak but gave a shrug. "I think I'm headed that way myself actually. The boss went there, so I should go see if she needs anything, that sort of thing."

[Ether]

"I... I don't know what to say, really... but Melanie, I... I do understand what you mean. Wanting to get stronger, to get revenge... I'm the same way, after all. But not everything out there is something we'll be able to use, right? We'll get there, where we need to be... we both will, I know it." Celestia replied, freezing for a moment as Melanie unexpectedly hugged her, returning the gesture after a moment.

[Nanami Touko]

It was a bit vague, but it was what Mel needed to hear. With a smile and a reluctant letting go of the hug, Melanie sat back down and flipped her book open. She sighed again, but her smile wasn't forced any longer. "I am really glad I 'ave you to 'elp anchor me down, Celestia... I fear zat I would make a few bad choices, eef I did not. So, merci." She began flipping through the pages, trying to absorb the information. "I'll get where I need to be... Eheh." Melanie let out a small giggle, trying to repeat those words in her head.

[eclipse]

"These'll be headed to the front lines, eh?" Peter asked, as he hauled the first armload of weapons to the wagon.

Who's Commander Moore? he thought to himself. Small talk should work best, for now. The more comfortable he is, the more he seems to say.

[Shin]

Orpheus wasn't so sure about the side of justice and all that. His own village had swapped hands in ownership, but at the end of the day, he never really saw much of a difference. War was a complicated thing, and thinking about the big picture wasn't very interesting. It was always easiest for Orpheus to understand things when he could see it in front of him. At the end of the day, did it really matter who owned what? As long as it wasn't his, of course.

""A job's a job, the people I'm with now aren't too bad either." he replied, still wondering if the Hollows had any normal contacts. "I think I'll be sticking with them for a while, I can always knock some sense into Calden if he plays up."