ACT COMPLETE Angelcynn: The Myrcian Conflict - Act 2

[Nanami Touko]

"Fine, don't talk. Adele, is this your new butler?" Cassandra hadn't been introduced yet, but his tone of voice and way of addressing Adele tipped her off, at least, to his occupation. "Let him have some fun with our friend, and maybe he'll be more willing to talk, after." It... It felt wrong, to pass the torch to someone else. She wanted ever so much to start beating the tar out of this man, but... She was still shaking. Even if no one noticed in the darkness of the sewers, Cass could feel her legs wobbling and her arms twitching as her fists clenched. Am I honestly scared? Of this wretch? I... I...! She lowered her head some, gritting her teeth.

[Jotari]

"Enough of this" Emmet muttered. "My arm's getting tired." He launched his arrow directly at the man's heart. Kill or incapacitate, he didn't care either way.

Edited May 7, 2016 by Jotari

[charlie_]

"Erm, yes thank you." She refrained from commenting on the absenses because frankly she hadn't noticed them leave to begin with, and Charlotte's sudden return announcing the safety of the princess she found herself wondering how much she'd missed. Although Angus' antics drew her attention away from that as well - the way the woman was clinging to him so carelessly was kind of ridiculous. She wasn't quite sure if she should laugh or not. She turned back at Decima upon her return, trying to find the right words. "You have colourful sisters." she decided, eyes moving between the pair of them. And she wasn't talking about their hair.

Edited April 26, 2016 by SB.

[Dandragon]

Serge waited through the silence, expecting Ratty to say something. Instead, he merely held his lighter out, keeping a source of light between him and Serge. "Hey...You alright?" He said, placing his hand on Ratty's shoulder. "It's alright, we're just gonna interrogate him, and then you won't have to worry about this bugger ever ag-" And then he heard Emmet. And then the arrow launch from his bow.

[Shin]

Han Emmet always shoots first

Stan was ready to move, the ruffian did not like the suave man's tone. However, Emmet's shot was right on target, striking him right in the heart. Gasping for air, Stan turned very pale, collapsing to his knees as he clutched his chest. Reaching out, a strange round object dropped from his hand, rolling a little as it hit the floor. There appeared to be a string poking from an opening in the sphere. Keeling over, Stan fell into the trickling stream of sewage, his body leaking blood.

Bowing politely, Sebastian looked up at Cass. "You are correct, princess. I am Sebastian, I am serving as Jeeves' replacement." he replied, standing himself up. "It is a shame about this gentleman here, but looking at what he dropped, I can't say that we would be looking forward to his next move. Our arrow firing companion may have done us a favour."

Ratty dropped to his knees, letting out a sigh of relief. "I'd never thought I'd be happy to see a fella done in, but I is, mister!" he cried, a wave of relief spreading over his rodent features. "He's been nothing but trouble for the last decade I knew him!"

[Dandragon]

It took a moment for Serge to process everything. The arrow had fired. Stan was dead. No information was gotten out of him. Ratty was relieved.

"Emmet!" He yelled, taking his hand off of Ratty and turning to face Emmet. "What the FUCK is wrong with you?!" He said going up to him, grabbing him by the shoulders. "Did you really just shoot him before we could get anything out of him?! Because your ARM was TIRED?!" His face had a look of disbelief and anger all over him.

[Nanami Touko]

"What--" Cass' voice cut out as the arrow struck him, his body collapsing instantly, as the last breath in his lungs left his heart. Her expression fell alarmingly, from anger to fear and then terror, as their only lead for any information past a vague name slipped away. "No, nonono, NO, NO!" Her eyes darted to the source of the arrow, rushing over to him at a terrible speed, nearly collapsing on the way, but managing to stay standing long enough to-- Serge was in her way. "MOVE." She was not pleased, and the mercenary was unceremoniously shoved. "WHY DID YOU DO THAT!?" She was only resisting throttling him over what the thug had dropped, because a grenade would've left a bit more than a mess, but even still...! "Now... W-We have no, no lead, no nothing-- BECAUSE YOU GOT TIRED?" She slugged him hard, driving her fist into his face with the fury she'd been unable to release until now. She didn't really know if there was a proper term for this. She felt angry, sad, terrified and anxious all at once, and closer to the group, anyone could see she was still shaking fairly badly. "Why... Just..."

[Dandragon]

Serge felt himself get forcefully detached from Emmet by the princess, before Emmet himself was hit hard in the face. He only regretted that he wasn't able to do it first. He held the area of his face where the bridge of his nose was near his eyes as he closed his eyes and tried to think. Now what were they going to do? He sighed. Heavily. He was too mad to think. He just punched the side of the sewer, hard. "God dammit..." He was too mad to be happy that everyone was safe, or even notice the ball that fell out of Stan's hand. He was just angry.

[Jotari]

"God damnit woman" Emmet cried as the princess attacked him. "Calm down. He wasn't bloody well going to tell us anything. He was clearly about to attack and I'd rather stick an arrow between his eyes then let him take one of us down first. Specifically that one" Emmet pointed a finger at Ratty. "He was just about to gun it towards him. I'm not an idiot." Emmet ran his hand through his hair and calmed down. He supressed the urge to hit her back. "You know what I think is important? The fact that you're safe. I'd like some appreciation for the fact that I risked my life to help you when the sum total of our interaction until now has been six words. Now they were clearly using this place as some sort of base even if only temporarily. If you really want to figure out why this happened then let's get searching. We didn't exactly give them an opportunity to clean up and there's plenty of corpses here that might have some instructions on them."

Edited April 26, 2016 by Jotari

[Xinnidy]

[spoiler=At the gardens, moments past the Raewalden meeting...]

Sidney trailed Owen slowly as they made their way to the garden, not speaking up along the way to give him some time to think as he'd asked. She admired the plant life as they arrived for a few moments before finally voicing her concerns, walking up to his side and holding his hand. "What seems to be troubling you, Prince Owen? The meeting, or something else? I know I have a lot to think about now myself, but if there's anything needed of me, you must only ask." She gave his hand a brief squeeze, a slight but sweet smile on her face. "I am here to help you, after all..."

"Ah, Sidney." Owen finally broke his own side of the silence when his hand was taken, looking back at the noble. "I... feel taxed. I think that's it." Owen sighed, gaze quickly escaping Sidney to the flowers surrounding their spot. "I didn't expect this meeting, we received no forewarning at all, yet father thought it'd be fine to have me represent him. I went through with it, but I can't say I wasn't feeling my blood run cold, I just tried very hard to disguise it. It's what I do best." A melancholic chuckle escaped him, "I think so, at least."

Unconsciously, Owen's hand returned a firm grasp to Sidney's. "Well, it's not only that. After that castle siege, the men we lost, the fact my father told me to cast judgement upon Dettard... I feel my responsibilities a lot harder, and risks too." There was a light frown in Owen's face. "Moreso than before, even. I'm sure my dad's health has some play in it."

"I see... that sounds difficult," Sidney agreed. She walked ahead of the prince, still holding his hand but putting her other on his shoulder to try and comfort him. "I think you did a very good job in the meeting, from what I saw. You have a lot on your shoulders with your father's troubled health right now, but you are managing to handle yourself quite well still. I think you should be proud of yourself for how well you've done given your difficulties. Lots of people wouldn't keep themselves as composed as you do, so don't beat yourself up over the fact you need to make hard decisions. I don't know what happened with Dettard exactly, but... I know you're smart enough to make the best choice that you can."

She looked down briefly, flushing a bit at the stance she had put them in just a few moments ago. With one hand holding his and now the other on his shoulder, they were rather close. "Ha, sorry... I didn't mean to break your personal space. Unless..." Sidney adjusted a bit, shifting her stance and moving her hands slightly and giggling. "Would you like to dance? I did say I'd show you my music skills eventually, so..."

Having somebody that agreed with him did put Owen's conscious to rest a little. He wasn't an inept successor, it was an arduous task. "Thank you, that does mean a lot." Owen replied, briefly and honestly, feeling some weight be lifted from his shoulders. If only a little. "I always want to appear competent to others, which is why I can put out a face if I feel overwhelmed, but it's hard to tell if I'm doing what I wish to, then. I feel like I'm more likely just to act out on the expectations of others, that can't be the makings of a true king." Owen confessed, returning to observe the plant life as he tried to digress his more negative thoughts.

Owen hadn't caught onto Sidney's breach of space until she'd mentioned it. "Ah. That's, that is fine." The prince shook his head in quick succession. The fact that he wasn't bothered enough to catch it on his own was somehow more embarrassing than Sidney pointing out at all. "A dance?" After his short fluster, the prince had received an idea he wasn't entirely opposed to, "I... suppose. This is a pleasant place to have a dance. Why not?"

"Well, you do a pretty good job at it. You manage to seem very calm in stressful situations," Sidney assured him. "It's okay to be critical of decisions you've made... they won't all be easy, and nobody can be correct all the time. You'll learn with time, and you already have a good starting point- I think that you can be a great king if you have faith in yourself." Owen's own embarrassment in the situation made Sidney feel less awkward about her own. "It is very nice here, isn't it? I can see why your mother is so partial to it. I suppose I'll lead- shall we, then?"

Sidney took his free right hand with her left for a moment, moving it behind her left shoulder, then put hers back behind his own right shoulder and pulled herself closer. She inhaled rather sharply, nerves showing a bit. I bet he can feel my heartbeat for sure... She hummed a soft tune, beginning a slow tango with the prince, each step very deliberate and allowing him to follow. While there was a bit of disconnect at first, the two reached a good rhythm with time. Slowly, she started to smile as they walked in sync, enjoying herself even more than she'd expected.

The dance continued on for a few minutes before she opted to take a chance. Moving her head close to Owen's, she moved her mouth to his ear, whispering "be ready to step forward a bit quickly. Don't drop me!" After just a few more steps, she pulled up her right leg, crossing it over her left and falling back a bit, leaning only on the prince's arm. Sidney held the pose for a moment before pulling herself up, eyes glimmering slightly and panting, still leaning on him a bit and heart pounding. "Marvelous... I didn't know you were so talented. Most of it wasn't too complicated, of course, but you followed along very nicely. Well, thank you for taking my hand in this dance, Prince Owen. It was very lovely... I wouldn't mind the chance to do so again. Ah, and I still have my promise to fulfill about singing for you, too, so that's something to look forward to. I..." She pulled back, hands on his shoulders, and in the spur of the moment leaned in to kiss him, holding on for a moment before backing off. "S-sorry... maybe that was a little too much, I just..." She quieted herself. Far too much, she was finding she had nothing to say to help her situation recently, only flushing bright red.

"Learn with time, huh..." Owen contemplated the words as he offered his hand for Sidney to lead. "I recall a tutor that held the same belief. I suppose time is the best teacher, as long as we're willing to learn." With a more complacent sigh, Owen followed Sidney's steps. It started rather awkwardly, not only by his lack of familiarity with how Sidney danced, but thanks to their proximity as well. Perhaps this wasn't the smartest idea to break the awkwardness.

Slowly but surely their steps were more in synch, and Owen could put his mind off of their situation, enjoying the dance. He barely caught Sidney's whispering, slightly distracted until he realized what she actually meant to do. Bracing his arm to not lose hold of Sidney, Owen leaned slightly back as well, holding the pose until Sidney pulled herself up and ended the dance. No sooner she'd shower Owen with praise, which lent to his cheeks flaring a very light red. "No, you're just a good dancer. You led me well, all I know are the basics of how to not slow my partner down." Owen forced an awkward chuckle as he tried to regain his composure, to little avail. "...Ah?" Sidney had brought herself much closer to him, face to face, placing her lips against his own... and quickly retreated as she caught herself. Well.

Owen averted his gaze as the awkward mood settled in once again, his face as red as Sidney's. "...I see." Owen tried his most to not stutter his words, "I wouldn't mind, hearing you sing." The prince quickly added, taking a slow step forward. "I do enjoy these moments with you. It's not something I have everyday here. I can talk more at peace with you, even though it's been hardly a week." This was the prince's time to inhale sharply. "S-so please, don't worry too much about it."

Sidney listened quietly to Owen, not daring to speak up after her previous fumble until he tripped over his own speech a bit. She hesitantly reached out her hands when he stepped forward, taking his. "I like this... you understand me, how I feel. I'm usually not all that good with keeping a good friendship. Honestly, even in just the time we've known each other, you might be the best friend I've ever had. And I'm glad that you feel comfortable with me. We can do this more often if you want, meeting up like this." She sighed rather contentedly. "Let's call it a date, then, for singing! I'm an even better singer than dancer, so I'm sure you'll love it."

Owen couldn't hide a blush as Sidney started speaking, it was true that they'd grown friendly rather quick, even if it seemed neither was used to it. "Yes, there will be more time to meet up like this, in the future." Owen managed to say, before Sidney proposed her own idea. A ...date?-- "For singing? That does sound nice." The prince mustered a smile, keeping some discretion. "If you say you're a better singer, then I'll look forward to it. This was already a nice dance, but... when would you plan to have it?"

He said yes! Looking forward to it, even! Sidney let go of his hands, clasping her own together in joy. "I'm not sure... whenever you're not busy, I would suppose. I know you have a lot to do as the prince, so maybe it's best to figure things out when you have time. You can just let me know a little beforehand and I'll prepare for it, unless you have a time in mind. It'll be wonderful!"

"Hmm..." Owen paused briefly to think on the subject. His schedule wasn't particularly busy the following days, but there was no telling what else would need his attention with sudden guests from Raewald there, among other things. Dettard's execution is later today, and then there's the matter of who will receive his lands... "How about... give it four, no, hmm..." Owen paused to ponder some more, this would be a bit complicated. "...Alright, when things settle down, I'll let you know." He concluded, managing a smile. "And maybe then I'll be in a better mood to appreciate your singing too."

"Sounds great to me! Well, I won't keep you too long, I know there's still much to do today. Hopefully things all end up okay. I'll see you soon, Owen!" With all said and done, Sidney and the prince parted ways- at least one of them in much higher spirits than entering.

[spoiler=Owen's chambers, a couple hours before the Lucky Goose party.]

Owen waited in his chambers, readying himself up for the party later that day --he'd been just a few moments notified of that, what a chore. Hmm, I could choose the pitch black doublet, or... Owen scanned through his wardrobe for whichever clothing he felt would suit the situation more, it'd also serve as a way to spend his time. Lionel apparently had news to inform him, but with how busy the day was, Owen certainly lacked the time to hear it earlier, but Lionel was sure to show up during this brief free period. At any moment he'd be knocking at the door, surely.

Lionel had been slowly moving towards Lord Owen's chamber, he felt an urge of nostalgia as he looked around the hall leading up to it, remembering reporting to him of the days activities. He sighed briefly, hoping his Lord wouldn't be too upset with the news he was about to bring

He eventually came up to the door and knocked gently as he used to.

There it was. A gentle knock to his door. Yup, that has to be Lionel. Quickly, Owen place the doubled carefully atop his bed and made for the door, opening unceremoniously. To no one's surprise, there was Lionel at the other side. "Ah, I was waiting." With a soft smile, Owen invited his trusted advisor in. "Sorry I took so long to give you a time. It's.. it's certainly been a day, I'll tell you that much." The prince sighed.

He smiled as Owen opened the door. "I understand you've been busy since we've arrived back, don't worry about it"

He entered slowly, "Same as ever in here, proper, tidy" he remarked, before getting ready to address his Lord, wondering how he should put it all. He stared a little bit into space, Owen must have thought he was just reliving something in his mind, "I do have some news you may not like, but I was wondering how everything was going with you first" He trailed off, trying to balance his duties out with this.

"Hmm?" Well, that was puzzling for Owen. He'd never expect Lionel to trail off from a topic, especially if it concerned Owen --even if the resulting topic was just Owen's current well-being. "I... I am fine, yes." Owen replied, not hiding the puzzled look on his face. "I am pretty tired, and right now I'd just prefer not visiting the dungeon for a good, good while, but everything's turned out for the better." Or... at least I hope so, I really hope that wasn't the wrong choice with Gewaint... Owen cocked an eyebrow. "Well. And what could those news I might not like be?"

He bowed briefly "I'm quite glad to hear that, I've been worried about you, during that whole campaign I felt I may not have served you the absolute best." pausing before going into his topic

"I just got a letter from my Kylander kin, that they need my assistance in taming Dettard's territory, they want me to lead the effort in ridding the land of the bandits he allied himself with, as there are stragglers." He looked at Owen, a hint of sadness in his eyes. "I never thought I'd have to choose between my own people, and the lord I swore to serve."

"Ah, it's fine, Lionel." Owen reassured his adviser rather casually. "If it weren't for you thinking ahead and calling for help from House Kylander, things would certainly be rougher on us back then. I thank you nonetheless." It was a quick compliment, but surely that matter wasn't why he was here...

Listening further as Lionel finally brought the topic, Owen stood silent shortly after Lionel was done relaying it, gaze lowering to avoid Lionel's sad eyes. "I see. That's quite a position." Owen nodded, and held back a sigh. "I'm sure there's a lot of work to be done in those lands, no doubt the Magonsaeten wouldn't think to free their grasp so simply. You're probably the best to give them a hand with the experience you gained." Owen admitted, "Now... stay positive. I'm sure you'll succeed there and then return better off from it. You're Lord Lionel, from House Kylander." With a step forward, Owen placed a hand at his vassal's, and friend's, shoulder. "I'd be hard pressed to find a more able spear fighter in the kingdom, and you've proven your quick thinking time and again. Go to their aid, I'm sure we'll meet again, soon enough."

He nodded solemnly thinking about Zadkiel and Ermin's loss, "Thank you for your kind words."

His eyes brightening back up, after Owen's next words of encouragement however, he'd respond a little embarrassed "You always did know how to properly compliment someone haven't you?" He chuckled a little, bowing slightly as Owen put his hand on his shoulder.

"I'm proud to call you my Lord, you will make a fitting king one day. When that time comes, you must not ever forget your compassion" He looked up at the Prince somewhat seriously, but with a smile still on his face. "The recent campaign showed me just how much you truly have grown, but remember your roots, as the kindhearted kid who looked up at me and wanted to practice, who smiled as he looked from the balcony seeing his sister free in the gardens..."

"I will remove the stain Magonsaeten has put on our lands, for the glory of all our houses, and for the safety of the next generation." However he was not quite done

"I expect you will have your hands full, the Dettard situation seems to be boiling over slightly, and I have some fears that I hope are unfounded... But keep your trusted vassals close to you and the Princess... If anything were to happen to either of you, I don't think I could live with myself."

He suddenly took a brilliant blade out of his bag, "This is my parting gift to you... I'm not sure if you're quite skilled enough to use this yet, but I hope you won't have to." Lionel gifts Owen a Killing Edge.

Owen managed a smile. Even though Lionel praised his compliments, he gave quite the flattering back. "Thank you, I'll have to think on that, on not losing my way, to be sure." It was definitely food for thought, the way Lionel described it. Hah, that's a pretty dramatized way to recall the old days... but I can see why. "I trust you will, Lionel. May Engel continue to grant you strength. And... yes, I will keep those I trust close by." The prince reassured. There was still Angus to help them, if the young squire was a bit overeager, not to mention Claire and Gerrard, probably? Maybe Owen ought to spend some more time with his other vassals...

A surprise from Lionel took Owen out of his thoughts, looking at the blade presented to me. "What an exotic sword..." Owen made a comment, taking the hilt and bringing it closer to his view. "Thank you, Lionel, I will keep it with me, nonetheless." The young prince nodded, "I hope that, next time we meet, things will have sorted themselves out. Maybe I'll even showcase my skill with this sword!" The prince joked, "But I digress. Thank you for your service, Lionel. I hope we'll meet again soon."

Lionel bowed his head a little more "I trust we will meet again in time, I cannot give any promises. But do try to keep in correspondence. I know I will"

He chuckled again, "I will be taking Andromeda along with me, I hope you don't need that extra bit of man power, but I feel we'll need her in the Kylander territories for some of the leftover Dettard dastardly schemes, or whatever is around the corner."

"And yes... Maybe you can entertain us all with a dance of the sword?" Lionel had commented at the skill showcase, with an amused expression, knowing he could probably pull it off, but might be slightly embarrassing to mention.

"Certainly, I will await your return. I know you'll come back." Owen reassured, "We should be fine without Andromeda. If anything arises, I'm sure we can summon more men from the castle. There's a fair amount of able people, so I hopefully won't end up needing to take from your or Adele's men again."

"And about the sword... hmm, maybe another day." Owen realized maybe it wouldn't be so fruitful to try right now, he wasn't exactly a fan of embarrassing himself. "I do need to catch up on my fencing, so I hope I'll have mastered this sword by the time you're back."

"Huh? Well met, Lord Alain." Owen quickly turned to acknowledge the ambassador, nodding back. Right, it'd be of poor form to just leave them alone in their table like I did... "I'm sorry, my vassal here seemed to have been caught in some issue with local thugs. He's had a tad much to drink... this won't happen again." Owen's voice was stern as he glanced back to Angus, hopefully the story was as believable as Angus swore it would be. "Either way, everything should be sorted. Is there something you need?" Adele and Sidney can do it... They must, I have to believe. I just hope they'll send a sign back soon...

Think of the devil; Sidney made way back to the Lucky Goose in a very hasty pace, if her breathing was any indication. "Sid--Lady Charlotte?" Owen spoke, surprise at the sudden appearance, and Sidney seemed quite exhausted, nonetheless. At the notice that Cass was safe, Owen's hands trembled sightly, the prince letting out a long sigh. "Thank goodness. I'm glad you were so quick." The prince spoke to Sidney, his voice lowered to prevent possible eavesdroppers. "Is Adele with her? I can send an unit if they need anything. Otherwise... I'm probably staying here a while longer." Owen had a slight frown in his face, though he quickly mellowed his expression at the return of Decima. "Thank you very much, Lady Decima. Don't worry about your sisters, we're at the Lucky Goose, and I don't think Sir Kearney is complaining." Owen chuckled, glancing at the squire once more. "Perhaps he could also help take your sisters back home? It'd be much safer to take one more person, with how the streets are tonight."

Edited April 26, 2016 by Xinnidy

[Nanami Touko]

"I... You didn't know what he was doing to do! You! You just..." Was he? Cass... She hadn't been watching she... Had been too upset, for lack of a better term, to notice anything that had been going on. All she wanted was answers, and she'd put it on everyone else to get them. She bit her lip again. Almost drew blood, this time. "I'm sorry," she muttered, stumbling to her knees. "Thank you." She didn't even know who she'd just hit, honestly. She couldn't remember an archer other than that Kylander girl in their group-- and Sidney, but her weapon forte laid elsewhere. "I'm sorry," she repeated, crying again, as she shrunk further, hiding her face in her hands. She wasn't going to do anyone any good in her state, searching through the bodies or through their base of operations.

[Jotari]

Emmet acknowledge the princess' apology without saying anything. A nod, neither forgiving nor condemning her. "I'm going to leave the searching for the rest of you" he muttered as he turned to leave. "This place stinks and I don't have nearly enough alcohol in me right now.

Emmet begins heading back towards the lucky goose.

[Terrador]

Angus blushes at Prince Owen's suggestion--he knows too well that it can only be bad news, but... Claire, Alain, and Sidney were all there, and if they had Cass back, odds are these folks weren't terribly competent. He puts one rough arm under Nona's arse, hoisting the drunk over his shoulders. [better'n her feeling me up the whole way home.]

"Righ' then. Eyes open, Prince." Angus eyes what seemed to be the one sane sister. "Decima, wazzit? Kindly lead th'way."

Edited April 26, 2016 by Terrador

[Shin]

Show time

Decima jumped, nodding her head as she hurried over to grab Morta from the bar. "It's not too far, I'm really sorry for having you come with us!" Decima apologised, her two sisters somewhat less coherent. Herding them towards the door, Angus was in for an interesting journey.

[Dandragon]

Serge sighed again. "Today...has just been too long." He really wanted to go to bed. He no longer cared whose fault was whom which way whatever. He was just tired. He had rested arm against the wall, and his head against his arm. Maybe Niko or Larissa had some stories to tell or something or other.

Serge walked over to Cassandra, who was shaking. "Hey...How bout we, uh...We get you home. I think we all need a break after tonight." After a moment, knelt down to her eye level. "Hey. Listen. I know things...things might not have been great tonight. But at least let me take you to your brother." She was crying. Serge wasn't sure how to handle this.

[Nanami Touko]

"Might not have been great?" she sputtered, glancing at him for just a moment. No one needed another argument, another outburst, another fight. Cass bit it back, lowering her hands and looking away from him. "Just get me Adele," was the only response he got.

[Dandragon]

"Alright...Alright, I can do that." He got up, and went over to where Adele and Sebastian were. "Hey, uh...Adele. Cass needs you right now. Like, now. Immediate." He wasn't sure what else to say. He wanted to go home, but at the same time, he really didn't wanna leave those two alone without more than a few people guarding them. He sighed. Tonight was not great.

[Jotari]

Maybe I should have stuck around to help with the healing Emmet thought to himself as he walked through the streets. Though I don't think anyone was seriously injured. They're a lucky bunch. Much luckier than that last group I was with. Let's hope that luck persists until we part ways. Very little seemed to have changed at the luck goose by the time Emmet arrived there. "Prince Owen, I'm surprised to see you're still here" he commented as he joined the group, a fresh bottle of vodka in hand. "I assumed you would have retreated back to the castle. And lady Charlotte, I didn't notice you leave us after the battle."

Edited April 27, 2016 by Jotari

[Ether]

Everything happened rather fast as they stepped outside. The remainder of the group had cleared out the thugs outside, leaving only the leader standing. He was soon killed by Emmet before they could bind and interrogate him, causing both Cass and Serge to go over and harass the man, Cassandra herself getting violent. While Adeltrudis didn't like that they were now out of leads, the fact that Stan had dropped a grenade he had been about to use dulled her anger down to manageable levels, for the time being. Her only real regret was that she hadn't gotten to vent on any more of them, really. Drawn out of her thoughts by Serge coming over and asking of her, Adele made her way over to Cass, giving the Princess an assuring hug.

[riariadne]

Sidney glared at the impudent squire. "Quiet, you! Delivering important news matters more than anything else here. I wasn't even that loud." Fortunately she didn't have to be near him much longer, as he left leading a few smashed noblewoman home. "Thank Engel that's over with... yes, Adele was with her. Everything was just wrapping up after a scuffle we were in to save her from her kidnappers. I'm just glad I was able to help in time, along with the others... I'll stay here if you need any help, too."

Speaking of, Emmet showed up and once again said something completely ridiculous. "Were you not paying any attention at all back there? I was delivering the relatively good news of his sister's safety to the prince."

[Jotari]

Emmet raised an eyebrow at Charlotte. "I wasn't criticizing you. I just didn't notice you slip away. More than likely I was still focusing on the last brute who was cornered but still very dangerous. He probably would have blown half of us to hell and back had I been distracted."

Edited April 26, 2016 by Jotari

[Nanami Touko]

As soon as she felt hands touch her she flinched and tried to swing at whoever it was, "Serge I swear to Engel--" Oh... "A-Adele..." She twitched a bit, and calmed down, shrinking back into her shell. "S-Sorry... Can you... Take me back to your place? My... My dress is ruined, so I don't want to go back to the bar. I'll need to put something proper on..." She slowly pushed herself out of the hug, managing to stand. Did they-- no, that's... That's good. Cass had felt at her neck for a moment, the choker still there, and the brooch still attached. She could replace a dress, but not something like this. "Do you," she started, glancing at Adele and holding her stare, "do you mind carrying me? My ankle still hurts, and... I'm pretty beat up. Probably don't look much like a princess right now, hah..." She wiped off her face, again. At this rate, she wouldn't be able to cry anymore.

[Ether]

"Just one second, Cass. Ratty, was it?" Adele asked, turning towards the small, timid man. She said the name with a bit of disdain, since it clearly wasn't his actual given name, but... that was what he had asked to be called... reaching her hand down into her purse, Adele pulled out some gold, handing it to the man.

"I never properly thanked you. Were it not for your directions, we might have taken hours if not days to find this place... I understand you were afraid of these men... it was very brave of you." Adele noted, curtsying in his direction before moving back over to Cassandra.

"Now then, maybe I'll have to help you look a little more like the Princess you are, hmm?" Adele replied with a smile, lifting Cassandra up in an aptly named Princess carry, hoisting her off the ground and into Adeltrudis' arms.

"Are you comfortable enough, Your Highness?"

[Nanami Touko]

"Ah..." Cass squeaked just a little bit as Adele hoisted her up. She'd asked to be carried, it was her own fault, getting a result like this. "I... Suppose." She rested her head against Adele's shoulder instead of making a fuss. "Just make sure we don't dawdle, or anything... It's a bit breezy. I'm sure you can see... But I'd rather as little people as possible in town do, so..." She faintly blushed, due to her embarrassment, but decided to close her eyes and wrap arms around Adele's neck, despite that. "That'll make this easier for you."

Edited April 27, 2016 by Melissa

[Toogee]

Everything that happened after Doug's cane broke went by exceedingly fast. The rider was just mourning the loss of his latest accessory ("that was expensive you know!") when Cass appeared safe and sound, angrily questioned Stan, and Emmet ended up shooting him anyways. Doug would have waited for a bit of torture before the execution, but the move proved fortuitous. Though Doug didn't know it, the mysterious ball would have taken one of them out for sure. It seemed Emmet had enough people yelling at him, so Doug laid off. While everyone was headed back, he examined the discarded piece of artillery. He wasn't sure what it was, but it must have been handy if Stan was keeping it as some last resort.

"Looks like Niko hired a prophet," Doug commented as he examined the weapon. "Also, a guy who knows an ace-in-the-hole when he sees one."

The rider took the string out Stan's limp hand before picking up the device. With nowhere else to store the thing, Doug opted to slip it in his pants pocket before joining the others in leaving the alleyways. He'd contemplate on his discovery later.

Edited April 27, 2016 by Toogee