Faith in the Spirits Arc 1: To Align the Stars

[mcd900]

Nyx was mumbling some incoherent swearing as she entered the room - not unusual on its own, though the energy with which she spoke it was rather indicative of her condition. Laniva stepped into the room, hurrying over to check her injuries; she was faring a good deal worse than Syndra was, and there was probably little she could do on her own - she hardly had the equipment, much less the expertise for treatment. Fortunately, Syta burst into the room, staff in hand, and was already setting about healing Nyx without needing to be prompted. She nodded back at Syta's instructions.

"Okay. Do what you can for her, then we can move her outside... she doesn't look good. Let me know when she's okay to carry." 

She watched anxiously as Syta did her work; after the battle was always a difficult time for her, unable to assist in any significant way as she was.

[Xinnidy]

"Iris! Listen to me!" That was scary. Even despite all his talking and restraining, Iris was like a beast beyond what they usually were. Üllr was distressed as it kept going, but still held strong, until Iris finally stopped. She finally came to some sense, and... started crying... looking at her sibling and Versaris. Üllr bit his tongue, holding her closer. "They're there. Alive." He held her shoulder tight, running a thumb in a soft carress, trying to calm her down.

I couldn't help... at all. His mind came to a dark thought, cursing his lack of preparedness.

He held Iris tighter.

[MRDRHAWK]

Man, Nyx could really use some shut-eye. She wanted it real bad, too, but then Lani and her new blonde buddy - shit, head hurt too much, she couldn’t remember the name - were by her side. Thank fuck she could remember voices well enough, even if her vision was blurry.

”Th’ fuck…? Synnie… she’s still ‘ere?” Wait, wasn’t Krauser here for her, specifically? Man, that big lug was still a complete fuck-up, even after all this time. “They… di’n’t grab… anyone else… did they?” If Nyx remembered anything, it was that if the Underground had this big of an operation, they sure as shit weren’t leaving empty-handed.

Edited July 10, 2023 by MRDRHAWK

[Nanami Touko]

"... Yeah. Kill." Sari didn't want to encourage Alriana to kill like this, but some people deserved it. This man was exactly the kind of person that he'd been trained to kill. Ruthless, unforgivable people that harmed others for their own pleasure. The Tigers hadn't done anything to deserve this, let alone deserve their own members being kidnapped. He could barely feel his arms after the blast, but his clenched his fists anyway, grimacing down at the ground. "What's the point in all of my training if I can't stand up to a single spell...? Fuck..." He didn't want to put this on Aly at the moment, not while they were both hurting, so he bit back his frustrations and sat down properly, letting out a sigh. "Nothing to do but wait until we're fixed up... As soon as I'm healed, I'm going to go after them."

---

"Mmm. Yeah..." Iris slowly sat up, all her energy and ferocity gone, the slightly meek snake staring at Ullr, not bothered by his rubbing-- even leaning into it some, slowly resting against the wolf. She sniffled, tail weakly thumping against the courtyard's ground. "Mmn... I'm sorry, Ullr. I... I saw Versaris and Aly hurt and I just... I couldn't help myself. I just... He hurt my family. How dare he..." Iris sniffled and slowly hugged into Ullr, shivering a bit. "And, even if I was angry... I know. There's nothing I could've done against him..."

---

Syta bit her lip. The damage was extensive, mostly to her back, nothing that couldn't be fixed, but... "You might have to go and grab Tio, Lani. I don't think I can manage this on my own... Not enough to move her." Nyx was responsive, at least. She couldn't pass out. "Yes! Syndra is okay... We managed to stop the guy that had her... As... As for... No, they, they ran off with that fox lady. Mikoto... I don't know if they got anyone else. They might've... Just, sit still and do your best to stay awake, okay? Focus on Syndra. She's okay. That's what matters, right?" Syta couldn't help some pang of sadness in her heart, her free hand clutching onto her necklace. Please come back. Please come back... We need you, Kisara. Need your help. Anything you can do... Please...

Edited July 11, 2023 by Nanami Touko

[Mercenary on the Winds]

Tio looked back over her shoulder at Koba as the bird landed in the courtyard, "What?! They took Alvira as well?!" This was not what she needed to hear tonight. A week in Islexia had gone without incident, and now they were contending with Tigers being kidnapped. Tio opened her mouth to infer about what he'd seen and heard, but the sound of movement drew her eye back to Versaris, who was now on the move over towards Alriana, "Wait, Versaris, at least--ugh!" Tio stood up and followed after the man, not satisfied with her healing just yet. "Koba, we'll talk in a moment... too much to do right now. If you could, try to figure out a spell that you can liken it towards. We can use a similar signal to try to reverse link the spell to one of them..."

She darted off after Versaris, "Versaris, I understand your worry, but could you at least wait until I'm finished? You could make your injuries worse if you're not careful..." The look on the man's face was simple enough to intuit; frustration, and anger at the situation they now found themselves in. Their attackers had been efficient, and knew where they needed to strike, and who they needed to ward off. "Versaris... whoever attacked us had information on us. I don't have... enough to say for sure, but they definitely knew that Elisa and I weren't at our best. The speed of this attack was far too quick for it to just have been a random operation..."

Tio then looked over at Ren, "Ren, I'm sorry to ask more of you, but you can leave Alriana and Versaris with me; could you please check on Elisa?" Tio's head was starting to pound with all of the variables swimming about in her head. These likely weren't the only two hurt; she hadn't seen Nyx, Renais, Gean, or Tasha. Though... if Alvira was taken, Tasha's wellbeing was more of a concern now. Damn it, damn it, damn it... This is the last thing we needed. 

[JakezuGD]

A few more empties of her lungs later, Tasha was starting to breathe normally again, and Renais's added healing on top was taking the weakness from her muscles, soon detaching herself from Cin and standing up to the window on her own two feet. For a moment, all she could muster was sheer fury at the situation, gritting her sharp teeth and gripping the window frame so tight it creaked in her palms... but the tiger seemed to calm down somewhat quickly, taking a few deep breaths and straightening herself out as she was restored to more or less normal condition. She'd heard what the others behind her had been talking about, of course, but what she was about to do might have come as a surprise to them.

"Cin, Gean, Renais?" She asked for their attention, only pulling back from the open window enough that they could hear without her turning around, eyes peeled in the direction the attackers had fled. "Thanks, but I'm fine now. Get everyone else checked up and ready to go. We leave for where Cassandra's staying as soon as everyone is stable. This attack can't have been a coincidence, and she needs to know about it."

---

Though she was exhausted, Elisa hadn't taken any injuries at all from the little fighting she did... but she was really exhausted. Despite how uncomfortable sleeping on the ground was, she was counting sheep already, completely disregarding the ruckus of everything getting fixed up as best as possible. If she tried to do anything more than she already had, she'd only be making things worse, so this really was her best course of action for now. Hopefully someone could get her back to her bed.

---

Performing his sweep, Ferid spotted the Tigers' commander being resuscitated, but little sign of anything else he could immediately do. The perimeter was clear, at least, so further attacks were unlikely for now, though that meant they now had to plan forward. Given at least one of the Tigers had been kidnapped, it seemed likely that this was the very group he had come to deal with... perhaps Versaris or some of the others had a clearer picture of things. Coming back around to the front, he entered the courtyard to see Tio's impressive light show for the second time, not minding for now that anyone could plainly see his ears and tail, and approaching the already burdened Evoker. Just as well, since she was with one of the people he wanted to speak with. "The premises are clear. All of the remaining enemies have fled, with at least one of yours in tow. I recommend a small, capable search party track them as soon as possible, with the rest preparing for pursuit. I'd imagine your hosts would also like to know what happened... and I don't expect you to consider your people being stolen to be acceptable losses."

[Nanami Touko]

Versaris didn't heed Tio's complaints about him moving, eyes focused squarely on Alriana. Her comments, at least, he listened to, and she was right. Someone had to have known enough about them to know the Evokers would be indisposed. Which meant, they either had a rat, had been betrayed by one of the people they'd very recently met, or someone had managed to spy on them without their knowledge for quite some time, and very closely. "No time for any of that," he mumbled. They had to chase them, quickly, or they'd lose the trail and likely lose Mikoto-- and now Alvira, forever. "That is exactly the plan, sir Ferid. Koba," Versaris pointed at the young man as he picked himself up again, Tio's healing doing its work on him.

"You and I will tail them as best as we can to figure out where they've gone. You seem to be uninjured, and if you're aware that they took Alvira, you must've seen another group of them that we didn't... Even I had no idea the commander's room was under attack." Another moment of frustration, but there was nothing to do for it now. "We are not to engage in combat. If we see any of them, we follow them as best we can, nothing more... If they spot us, we run. And if we see that light mage again, we leave, immediately. He's too dangerous to fight, for any of us save for the Evokers." He could already feel a certain lizard springing up as best as they could to demand coming along, but he decided to hope she would stay laying down...

Ren quickly nodded and picked themselves up. "Of course, of course. Do take care of yourself, miss Tio. If necessary, even if it's slower, I can do more healing. I don't need as much sleep as others." They couldn't yet explain why, but it was the truth, and they weren't going to stop any time soon. They headed on over towards Elisa, gently sitting next to her. "Hello, miss Elisa. Tio asked me to take care of you, so pardon me..." Elisa didn't have any serious wounds, it seemed, but she was more than exhausted, Ren doing what they could to ease that.

[scorri]

Koba had been trailing after Tio, mumbling under his breath about spells, when suddenly his name was called by Versaris. He whipped his head up, suddenly paying attention. The man wanted him to come along to try and track the group that had attacked them. "Ah, yes. I saw them... I saw which way they were going before I got blinded by that spell." He turned toward Tio and nodded. "Uhm, as for your question... It was some sort of thunder and light magic combination. I'm not sure the exact spells, if you give me a little bit of time to sort through the signatures I may be able to figure it out a little bit more, but neither are my specialty. Light magic especially is not something that I can use. Thunder... I can technically use, but not as well as wind. So it might take me a little bit to figure it out." Finally, finally, he was being helpful. First with this spell, now with helping Versaris track down the group... I might not be a fighter, but at least I can help them find their companions.

[GoldsbroTSG]

Miria gave a sigh. Everything was being handled to the best of everyone's ability. That led to her. She held the bridge of her nose as she started to think. "Okay..." She said, trying to maintain herself. There wasn't anything she needed to say now, at least, she didn't think. Now to make herself useful. Elisa had been on the ground since the light guy ran away, and Ren was tending to her. Miria brought herself over, and kneeled on the other side of the Evoker. "She's exhausted... Ren, can you help me carry her to somewhere to rest? We'll take her to my bed, it's just down the way. I don't know what happened in their room, or if something's still there... I'd rather she rest somewhere slightly safer." She gave the Evoker a soft rub of the shoulder, and gritted her teeth.

[TheRoon]

When gave confirmation she was stable enough, Renais nodded in respect to her wishes. "You're right, this attack isn't a coincidence. I was supposed to be one of the targets, I believe the man in charge is responsible for...a traumatic event in my life. In fact they took Mikoto in my place." She let off a small frustrated huff. Renais did her best to keep composed and focused on her job, but she really wished she could go after them now. "As you wish, commander. I'll take care of the others. Speaking of which..." She turned to Cin to look at his injuries. "...don't push yourself, Cin. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but promise me you'll keep yourself alive and safe too, please?" She knew Cin was just as angry, and she hoped that last word might help keep his fury from a grim result. After she put her own feelings out on the matter, she raised her staff and began to heal the dragon's wounds.

Edited July 11, 2023 by TheRoon

[scorri]

"Mmm. I need to be alive to help get those taken back." The lack of confirmation about staying safe was blatant, but Cin couldn't promise that right now. Not after how strong their enemy had been. If I can't keep my companions safe, what's the point in keeping myself safe? Why bother protecting myself if it means I lose those I care about? He shook out his arm, looking it over. The wound was gone and the only thing left were phantom pangs, reminders that he had been hit again by a pure weapon. The healing had come quickly enough that there wouldn't be any actual effects, but his mind couldn't help but remember the corrosion. "Thank you Renais. I should go check on Siorel. I'll meet up with the rest of you soon. Commander... I'm sorry. We'll get her back. I swear it." He nodded to Tasha before heading out into the hallway. He paused outside the Evoker's room, staring at the bodies and the broken door. His fist suddenly shot out, slamming into the door frame again. "DAMMIT!"

It was as much of an outburst as he could allow himself. He took a deep breath, shoving the anger down as far as he could before heading back to the room he had shared with Siorel. Walking in, he saw her where he had left her, curled up under the blankets. "Siorel..." He sat down, gently starting to rub her back. "I... I'm sorry. I had to go... For what little good it did. But I had to try and help. I'm sorry I left you alone here though." Have to do better. Protect them all. I have to.

[MRDRHAWK]

Tanya frowned, watching Cin leave the room, frustrated. She didn’t want him to beat himself up over everything, and hoped Siorel was alright… but she’d be overstepping her boundaries to go after him. So, instead, she turned to Tasha. “This is… bad, right? That fox was… probably the strongest of us besides the Evokers themselves. If they got her so easily, then just what kind of powerhouses are we up against, here?”

These definitely weren’t some common thugs, no. But Tanya wasn’t sure what exactly this all meant. All the dots were connecting, sure, but that didn’t mean she got the idea; this was out of her usual element. If only she’d learned more from Papa before she left home.

---

Nyx let out a very pained sigh of relief as Syta confirmed that Krauser had, indeed, fucked up yet again. Ah, he really hadn’t changed much over the years, beyond his weird hate-boner for her. The news of Mikoto getting taken away… given how strong she was, there must have been some heavy hitters over on the other end. Maybe even… “Fuck… well, tha’ ain’t good, but m’gettin’ th’ feelin’ tha’ means they fucked up their real objective.”

It made sense, at least for Nyx; she knew they were in league with Islexia down in the Underground, even back when she was there, and Synnie was the estranged daughter of a warlord. She could put that shit together in her sleep. “Well, she’s th’ mos’ important t’me in particular, but… if they got any o’ th’ other Tigers… they’re m’family too.” Nyx lolled her head over to Lani. “Oi, Lani. Didja… see who mighta been leadin’ ‘em? Krauser’s a… big dumbfuck, always has been. He ain’t… the kinda lad who’d be leadin’ this big an operation.”

[Ursali]

Alriana didn't know how to handle Versaris' outburst of frustration, the feeling contagious as she was forced under threat of severe pain to stay laying on the ground. She tried to reach out her hand to hold his, to offer him some comfort, but the following words out of his mouth almost made her jolt upright and tackle him to the ground. "No you will not." She'd already had two scares of a lifetime regarding the not-elf within the past week and he was already speaking nonsense about throwing himself into more danger when he had barely been healed. She growled as he stood up, unable as of yet to follow after him; Ren's healing was appreciated but it wasn't enough for the lizard to shrug off the damage she'd taken.

A small team seemed to be assembling, the wolf knight from before, the bird clouded that had semi-recently joined them, and Versaris. The fact that Alvira had also been taken was mixed up somewhere in this talk of them leaving; were she not already exhausted and in fear of moving it would've driven her into a second rage, but instead all she could do was sit there and simmer. What Versaris confused for her moving to stand up was in actuality her tail wrapping around his leg, and threatening to pull it out from underneath him. "You not go, without me. If you think, I let you go, you dead wrong." She went so far as to flash her teeth at him; the malice that she had shown Krauser was completely absent but the threat still remained.

[Nanami Touko]

"Alright... If you can track the magic, then-- Urk!?" Suddenly his leg was grabbed, tight, looking down to find Aly's tail... He ended up sighing, rubbing his fingers against his eyes. "Aly... It's... It's late, and you're more, hurt than I am, and..." He tried to rattle off a few excuses, before realizing that it would take at least three or four of them to stop her from coming with him, or sneaking out after on her own. The risk of her travelling, wounded, on her own, was too high. At least if she was with them, he could try and convince her not to do anything stupid. "... Okay. Just... If you, do something dangerous, Aly, I'm taking you down and we're returning. Leave the rest to Ferid and Koba... I'm warning you right now. This is to find their trail and report back; zero combat." He looked down at her and raised an eyebrow, hoping she'd understand completely.

"On that note, Tio, if you could fix Aly and I up best you can... The sooner we leave, the better."

---

"Ahh, w-wait, Miria." Ren held a hand out gently, slowly retreating it as Miria just seemed to be giving her a slight gesture of comfort. "Mmm... Elisa, do you think you're good to move? I understand that you're exhausted, and we'll help you get up to mitigate that, but if you're hurting somewhere... It would be best I take care of that before we try anything." Hopefully she was awake enough to respond, but if they had to, they could move her. Carefully.

---

Siorel flinched at the sound of footsteps, the bundle on the bed curling up further, until it was Cin speaking. She squirmed around, still completely hidden under the sheets, arms slowly peeling out from beneath the blanket and wrapping around Cin's, hugging it tight. "It's okay," she choked out, shivering, voice quiet and scared, "it's okay... I understand. Is... Did... Wh-Who's hurt? Are they gone...?"

[Mercenary on the Winds]

Tio switched into more generalized healing, working on both Versaris, and Aly at the same time when Ferid walked up. She could feel her own exhaustion starting to ramp up, but that quiet anger was more than enough to keep her focused on task. "Well, if there was any doubt that this was a full unit that's more than vanished... and I think that also further confirms that they took Alvira--Koba mentioned it earlier." Tio shook her head, "I imagine it will be a little bit before the Tigers will be able to manage that... a number of them are still unaccounted for, injured, or--" Versaris stood up again, cutting her off before he began agreeing with Ferid, and organizing the search party, "Hold on a moment! Versaris, I understand the urgency of this moment, but I can't in good conscience just heal you, and then let you chase after them! Had that man attacked you with any more precision you would be in far worse shape!"

Alriana seemed to take Versaris's outburst poorly, wrapping herself around Versaris's legs. Tio sighed as it seemed like Alriana was falling on her side in this matter... until she opened her mouth and expressed her own desire to follow after him. "...Were you listening to anything I just said?! Neither of you are in any condition to try to trail this group! The-- Ugh!" Tio simply shut her mouth, and continued healing the pair, "I can't with this at the moment... Sir Ferid, Koba, since I already know that neither of them are going to heed my concern, just make sure that Versaris heeds his own words, and to do the same to him if he gets any ideas. Crazy as it is... Versaris has more experience with this than I do. I'll exhaust myself more trying to argue." 

Tio huffed, and returned to her work. This was what she needed to do right now; securing everyone here, and making sure that everyone was still breathing was something that she knew how to handle. This attack wasn't her scope of expertise, and neither was it something she could safely help with. That thought had her grinding her teeth. The moment I get a chance to pay the underground back for this... I'll pay it thrice over...

[Nanami Touko]

Versaris stared at Tio, unblinking, unbothered by her complaints. "Tio, I need you to understand this as deeply as you possibly can. If we don't attempt to follow their trail, immediately, the next time you see Alvira, she'll be adorning someone's armor. Infused into someone's sword. Turned into someone's spell. Dragons are not bodies to be carted around and sold to the highest bidder. Dragons are parts and given she was targeted, instead of her and Cinaed, they're very aware that she's a full blooded dragon..." Hopefully that would sink into her head well enough.

"Not to mention that I have absolutely no idea what they'll do to Mikoto, and that's even more terrifying. She's got more magic in one of her tails than Alvira does in her entire body... I can't... I'm not going to put into words what I think they could do to her, just know that it's far worse than anything that Alvira could go through. The point remains. Do the best that you can in one minute. Koba, Sir Ferid, be ready to go after that minute. Aly, it might hurt, but I'm going to have to ask you to get up. If you can't manage that much, we will leave you here, no matter how much you kick and scream."

[Mercenary on the Winds]

Tio just remained silent, focused on healing the pair. She just needed to focus on the spell because arguing would just exhaust them. Inexperienced with conflict like this as she was, the workings of the underground, and many of their more psychotic dealings was something that she, and Elisa were fairly well informed of. More than a little frustrating for him to imply that she didn't understand, but that couldn't break her focus now. If nothing else, Versaris was absolutely serious; none of his lilt, or playful nature remained. What was present was a man who knew exactly what needed to be done, and how to do it. "One minute, I'll focus mostly on Aly, then. Koba, be sure to follow their lead, okay?" 

Edited July 13, 2023 by Mercenary on the Winds

[mcd900]

Laniva fidgeted nervously as Syta worked on Nyx, kneeling next to the two; she was doing her best both to heal and comfort, but the injuries were... less than good, and Syta confirmed as much in saying that it might be too much for her alone. "N-Nobody's dead... they wouldn't take her if they meant to just kill her. We can do something..."

With the adrenaline of combat still waning, her sense were still blunted around the edges, not enough to see Syta's concern, not consciously, at least; but nonetheless, she laid her hand on her shoulder; then, a shake of her head to Nyx. "I... didn't. It, it was a real mess... there must have been a light mage, though. Just the big one, then that flash... my ears are still ringing. Those two, and a lot of silhouettes... those ones are probably most on the ground now, though."

She gave Syta a quick squeeze on the shoulder, then rising to her feet, making quickly for the door. "Okay. I'm going to get Tio. I'll be right back, so just... stay with her."

---

She could see what seemed like some kind of frustrated conversation going on as she approached the Evoker and her present company; it grew quieter before she was close enough to hear - that infernal ringing was havoc on her ears - but she ran up quickly, intent on her purpose, panting from the short sprint. "T-Tio. Nyx is injured... wounded pretty badly, in her room. Syta's doing what she can, but I think she needs your help..."

[Ursali]

The more excuses Versaris gave, the more force Alriana put into her tail's tugging; her threat to topple the not-elf if she didn't get her way was incredibly real. Wisely, he chose to relent, though not without serious restrictions. She wanted to spout off potential situations where combat would be justified, but, as Versaris spoke with Tio, she gained a quick understanding of the severity of the situation. Even if they found the group of Tiger stealers, attacking one group could potentially seal the fate of the other of Mikoto or Alvira. She wore a sour expression on her face, almost a glare, as she looked up at Versaris. "...Fine. Will not do something 'dangerous'." She didn't like these terms, even if she understood the reasoning for them, but it was far better than letting Versaris go unsupervised.

Alriana grunted as she pulled herself to sitting. The pain had subsided greatly due to Ren and Tio's healing, but was far from gone. She could move again without searing pain at least, which was enough for her right now. As Tio's healing came to an end she pulled herself to standing, carefully stretching her limbs; Versaris's leg had been kept captive for the entire time. She told herself it was out of pettiness, part of her had wanted to topple him so she could parrot his bit about needing to be able to stand to leave, but the truth of the matter was she just didn't want to let go of him. She found herself sharing Tio's worries, at least towards Versaris, but she wasn't sure of her ability to keep him here. There was also the fact that if she did that it could very well condemn Alvira and Mikoto to their fate, and that wasn't selfishness she would ever be able to justify.

"I'm ready."

Edited July 15, 2023 by Ursali

[JakezuGD]

Cin seemed to take the hint, and went on his way to deal with what was important to him, as it should be. Renais would probably follow suit soon enough, but Gean might have something else to say. She usually did, if she wasn't complying right away. That was Gean, the daughter, not Aegean, the mercenary. But there was someone else in the room too, someone she hadn't addressed by name earlier... the cat who'd kept herself out of the spotlight, for the most part. Natalya didn't flinch, or show much of anything in her demeanor, only continuing to look out the window, her back to the others.

"I don't know. But I know we're gonna kill every last fucking one of them." Her tone was unnaturally calm for saying such a thing, letting it hang for a couple seconds. "If you don't mind, there's something I want to say to Gean. Just the two of us."

---

Elisa was, absolutely, not awake anymore. Ren's questions and Miria's prodding got nothing more than the smallest of shuffles from the woman, so thoroughly drained by this violent interruption to her already important sleep that she'd be out like a brick for the next few hours, no matter where or what happened.

---

Ferid nodded along with the conversation, more or less agreeing with Versaris's suggestion, despite the initial pushback from Tio. Her irritability wasn't exactly unexpected, considering the overall manner of attack, what had occurred, and what they still stood to lose. "I'm prepared. Have been since I came back." He took a quick look toward Sari, and gave him a somewhat longer nod with his eyes closed, before turning back to the Evoker -- bad news from elsewhere demanding her attention be damned -- and giving his own reassurance to their prospects. "Though I trust in Versaris's ability, I'll take operational responsibility for our group. I'm here to deal with the Underground, so what use would I be if not? If any of the three of them try anything stupid, I'll drag them back by their heels if I have to." You couldn't say he wasn't confident, at least.

[Xinnidy]

"It's fine, Iris. You just couldn't. Too strong." Üllr kept Iris close as she leaned against him, reaching a hand to pat her head. "Sorry... I couldn't help."

The guilt still weighed him, leaving one thing sure in his mind: Üllr just couldn't leave people to chase after the assailants alone. "I'll go help find them... do you want to go too?" It made sense she'd want to stick with her sister and him, after all. He wouldn't stop her.

Üllr carefully lifted himself, helping Iris up on the way. Versaris and Tio were discussing, and he intended to approach. He'd heard enough while jumbling his thoughts.  "Versaris. Take me too. I wasn't hurt, I should help too."

[MRDRHAWK]

Tanya couldn’t help but be a bit shocked at the idea of Tasha being so… angry. Still, this wasn’t quite her place, and… well, Tanya wasn’t blind to who was missing from the room here. “Right… if you need me, just call for me, okay Commander?” 

She slipped from the room, and looked over towards Renais. Cin had gotten healed and then immediately walked off, leaving the young healer and the feline Clouded to their own devices. “Hey, Renais. You need a hand gathering people up for healing? I’d like to think I’m pretty strong… and I can back you up in case there’s any stragglers.” Plus, Tanya wondered how well she was holding up, and wanted to support Renais as best as she could.

[Nanami Touko]

"... Okay. We can move her. Miria, carefully. We don't want to hurt her, especially when she's unconscious. Give her head a lot of support." Ren got into position, waiting for Miria, definitely the stronger of the two, to get ready to lift her head and make this much easier. What a mess, what a mess... Even the Evokers are out of commission. This isn't good...

---

Versaris was about to groan in frustration as now Ullr also demanded to go along with him, but inspiration struck first, a flash of lightning in his mind. "Right! Okay. This works perfectly. Ullr, Ferid, Iris," he glanced at the girl still sitting on the ground, the lizard turning her attention to him when she was addressed. "You three, I'd like you to go after the group with the light mage. Once again, no combat. Fighting is absolutely out of the question... Alriana, Koba, and I will trail after the ones that our avian friend here spotted. We can't all go together; we'll be so much easier to spot as a group of six, but two groups of three... We can make this work. Everyone understands, yes?" He wasn't going to wait for complaints or questions at this point. Tio's healing had done what it could, and he was ready to go. "Koba, lead the way. Ferid, I'm trusting them to your care. Don't let any harm come to them."

[Bluemask 96]

Folks were begininng to plan their next steps, but Jesse was stuck. She didn't do much of anything, and was doubting what she could do. The folks seemed ready to push back and save those who were taken, and she was still gripped in her fear. She didn't know what to do, what to say, instead just losing herself in this moment...

---

Gean said nothing as the others left the room, still fighting her own struggles. She wanted to cry, she wanted to scream, she wanted to fly into a rage and chuck her axe at the nearest tree. The only thing holding her outburst was the "mercenary" in her, listening to the "commander". Gean still didn't say anything, but closed the distance between the two, the silence threatening to swallow them up in this moment.

 

(These two retros took place before reaching Sipa, sorry about that)

History and Sympathy

Spoiler

Gean let out a small yawn as she walked through the evening camp. The Tigers had just begun their trip to Islexia, and this was their first night resting. Gean had made her usual rounds amongst the group, and now she made her way to a particular tent. Tio and Elisa were still out of commission, so Gean would speak to them later. Approaching Versaris’ tent, the mermaid called out “Sari, are you free to talk right now, or should I come back later?” and waited for a response. 
“Oh, fuck– I– One moment!” The sudden sounds of bodies moving, clothes, rummaging, all echoed from the tent, and finally, Sari poked his head out. He looked rather disheveled, his hair let down, a bit of sweat on his face, an awkward smile up at Aegean. “Uh… Hello, Gean. What is it that I– we,” he paused a moment, glanced back into the tent, then opened the flap and pinned it so it would remain open. Aly was there, of course, seeming in a similar state of duress and haste. He gave the lizard a sheepish smile, looking back towards the mermaid. “What can we help you with…?”
Alriana nearly hissed as her ‘time’ with Versaris was unexpectedly interrupted by Gean. A sudden scramble to become presentable occurred and it was by no means subtle. As Versaris opened the tent, her eyes fell on the intruder, Gean. She couldn’t help the instinctive glare, even if it only lasted for a moment. She approached the tent opening after a huff and a sigh, her unusually messy appearance becoming more apparent as the fading sunset lit up her pale skin and her dark clothes. “What want?” Her frustration was evident, her arms folded across her chest.
Gean’s eyes widened and a small smirk crept up her face at the sight of both the people she wanted to talk to present in the same tent and clearly in the middle of something. As much as Gean knew she was in trouble, Aly’s clear frustration at being interrupted was very cute. “I wanted to share some important Lufirian things with Sari, and I should count myself lucky, or unlucky that you were here too. I’d like to include you in this conversation too, Aly. That being said, I can come back later. Unless you’ll both be too tired by then~” Having had her fun, Gean turned her head towards the less angry one of the duo. “It’s in regards to General Rosaria, I highly doubt we’ll directly run into her, but if we do, there’s something you should know as our rep.”
“I can give you a few minutes… Probably.” He glanced at Aly quickly and then squirmed back into the tent some, giving Gean some room to slide in next to them. “I don’t know if I can call myself your ‘rep’ for Lufiria, anymore, but if you want to tell me, I’ll listen. If it has to do with Aly, though…” He sighed, sliding a hand over to Aly’s and giving it a squeeze. “I just hope it’s not something too serious. I’ve learned a lot that’s got me worried about getting closer to Lufiria.” He nodded, staring back at Gean and sighing. “Alright, hit us.”
“Raaaahh!” Alriana let out a growl as Gean pushed her luck, making a point to flash her teeth. It was bad enough to have Versaris, and occasionally Iris, tease her; she wouldn’t tolerate it from a third source. Her expression settled into a half-glare, half-pout, moving back into the tent with Versaris to make room for Gean. “How this related me?” She couldn’t see how anything related to Lufiria would concern her, unless Gean somehow had information about Grelbiria. Though she’d been the one to expose the mermaid, Alriana had halfway forgotten that Gean was an important person in Lufiria. Versaris had said he would ask around, did that extend to Gean? “What know?” Her expression softened to her normal stoic look, with a bit of curiosity behind her eyes.
Gean entered, standing close to the opening of the tent. She took a mental note not to push any further, having gotten enough out of Aly. “Right, so pardon me for this, I just unlocked this memory after all the hubbub with Escaflowne. As you know Sari, the Shiva’s have always been prime subjects for attacks and assassination attempts. Well one such attempt about fourteen years ago happened to include my family, and myself as well.” Gean took a deep breath, this was her second time telling this story, but it felt no different from when she told Mikoto and Renais. “All of us children were attacked and I got this scar on my eye as a result. The ones who saved us were the General and my Aunt, who took out all of the attackers and many more who lay in hiding, just the two of them.” Gean turned to Versaris. “You should know this, because the general showed off a power that day that would make Tio’s field of light look novel. It was more than just precognition, whatever that ability was, it made her completely untouchable, and that was before you factored in her having very capable backup.” Gean folded her arms and turned to Aly. “The reason why I wanted you here Aly… is because the people who attacked me and the royal family that day weren’t human people. They were monsters much like you and Iris, pale, not quite any one race of monsters, and bright piercing eyes.”
Versaris sighed. “I assume you’re warning us because you want us to be aware… That the General, should we ever meet, might take issue with Alriana’s being, given the past?” Hearing that there were others like Alriana so far back was worrying, but given her make… It wasn’t entirely surprising. There was too much mystery surrounding her that he still didn’t know, but this didn’t help solve the puzzle. Just more odd beings like her and Iris… What were they up to? Making monsters for assassinations? Creatures created just for this…? Is that why Aly always has that anger in the back of her mind? Ugh… What a stroke of luck it would’ve been if this led to Grelbiria, but that’s not going to happen. Still, Aria… Using more than her precognition, that means… It was a valid concern, but he doubted they’d all ever come face to face with Aria. “Jeremiah is a much more reasonable man, so I still expect he’ll be open to discussion before hostilities, so long as Aly or Iris don’t attack him on sight… And I can’t imagine you doing that, Aly. Iris, though… Well. I’ll meet him first. Temper him in advance…”
Alriana stood there and listened to what Gean was saying, arms slowly unfolding. For the majority of it she failed to find any relation to herself in what the mermaid was saying, though that only served to strengthen her curiosity; how was a fourteen year old assassination attempt going to tie into her? It certainly wasn’t the bit about the ‘General’, though that was worrying in its own sense. As ignorant as she was when it came to magic, something that could make Tio’s magic seem insignificant wasn’t anything to be taken lightly. Her curiosity was piqued, but Gean kept moving past it like it was no big deal.
Finally the reason why she should be hearing all of this was revealed, though the lizard didn’t find that much surprise in it; or at least not as much as she would have if Iris hadn’t found their group and gave confused hints as to how the sisters had come to be. If two could be made, then surely there would’ve been more. Though the likelihood of her and Iris having more sisters or brothers out in the world seemed rather slim after this revelation. “So, others like me tried to kill you and your family? Do you remember what they were like? Were they like me, or… Like beasts?” It was a big ask that Gean would even remember, but it was more information than anyone else had. Or, at least, anyone that was willing to speak about it to her and Versaris. “You look up to him a lot. Maybe…” She caught herself before she said something. She would save that for later to bully Versaris with.
Versaris picked up immediately on what Gean wanted to impart. “You’re right, my uncle was always a man of words before action, and I’m sure he’d listen to the both of us as long as no one jumps at him first. I mostly wanted to share this because if Uncle was in fact the one who attacked Iris, then that was the only reason I could think of being why.” Now Aly had her own questions for Gean. “Of what I remember, none of the ones who attacked me could speak, or chose to speak. Instead, they stuck to growls and hisses. They also didn’t show feelings or anything in their eyes beyond basic instinct and intent. So yeah, I guess you could say they were beasts.” Aly’s side comment did get a chuckle out of Gean. “In some ways Sari and my Uncle are very alike. Maybe you’ll get to see how.” 
“They were mindless, then…” Versaris couldn’t help himself, and maybe Aly would get upset about it, but he quickly hugged her and pulled her into his lap, squeezing her tight. “At the end of the day, Aly and Iris aren’t like that, so I hope anyone involved in her past will see that. Until they arrive, we can’t really do anything about that… But, thank you for telling us, Aegean. And… I’m sorry you had to go through something like that at such a young age.” He idly rested his chin against the top of Aly’s head, sighing quietly. We need answers. We need someone with answers… Jeremiah, please hurry.
“Hmmm…” Gean’s answer gave credence to a worrying thought, one that had been creeping up on the lizard when she was alone. Maybe I’m supposed to be like them, violent, feral… I don’t remember much of what happened after arguing with Iris, but it’s happened in the arenas too. When I’m pushed hard, I lose control but get much stronger… “MRaahh!?” She was jostled out of her thoughts as Versaris suddenly grabbed her and pulled her onto his lap, letting out a confused growl and trying to squirm out of his grip before giving up and settling into his lap; Gean already had a good idea about what was happening before she showed up…
“Mhrr… If he’s like Versaris then he’s probably annoying.” She grumbled some more, tail flicking behind her on the floor of the tent. “Should I also apologize?” She didn’t understand why Versaris was showing remorse for something he had no responsibility for. Or at least something she didn’t think he was responsible for…
“I hope they see that too. Aly and Iris are a part of the Tigers, and therefore just as much my sisters as Tasha is my mom. I may not always show it, but I do care about you. I’m also glad you found someone willing to protect and show you things about the world that books couldn’t.” Gean looked Aly in the eyes and gave a smile full of warmth. Sure the two of them didn’t talk much, and that memory may have been why, but it was nice to see how much she had grown just from this journey alone. “There’s no need to apologize. I know you weren’t the one who attacked me, and you and Iris are more than some mindless beasts or assassins. I’m sure Grelbiria felt the same way too.”
Straightening up, Gean laughed once more at Aly’s annoyance towards Sari’s closeness, and Gean’s earlier comment. “He might be, but trust me when I say they’re the kind of people who will stand by you even if the world were against them. It’s something to treasure.” Gean felt herself getting a little sentimental, but that wasn’t an unwelcome feeling. “Well that was all I really wanted to talk about. Sari, when he gets to us, may I accompany you to talk to him?” Gean wanted to see her uncle for a number of reasons, but now the desire to know what was going on was growing stronger with each new revelation they made on this trip.
“If he has time and agrees, sure. But, there might be things for my ears only, Gean, so don’t be upset if he doesn’t… And I’m sure he has his own things to speak to you about, miss runaway Lufirian.” As long as they were sharing secrets in this tent, he didn’t mind firing a bit back at her in jest. “Mmm, no, Aly, it’s just a thing of… Sympathy. I’m not apologizing for playing a part in things, I’m just upset that, Gean had to experience that. Like if Iris was frightened by a nightmare, you could say you were sorry she had to go through it. It’s just showing that you care, that’s all. What happened back then wasn’t your fault.”
“Mhhrrr… If you say so. One not-elf is already enough though…” The thought of two Versaris level annoyances was… Annoying, but she was complaining, externally and internally, way more than she actually cared. What she called annoying was more embarrassing, or just considered annoying because she was competitive by nature and couldn’t tease the incubus back effectively. “Hhhmm…” She leaned back into Versaris as she pondered the word he’d given her, trying to tie it to any action or feeling she’d recently taken, witnessed, or felt respectively. “So if I felt bad when Alvira lost her flame, that sympathy? Same if feel good when she got it back?” She was focusing hard on the concept, cutting corners with her speech instinctively.
Gean smiled once again being able to see this side of their relationship. “Thank you Sari, that’s more than I could ask for.” She still wanted to be there, but she wouldn’t argue things more than that. She’d ask her uncle these questions regardless, she had to try. “Well that’s it then, you two have a good night, I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” With those parting words, Gean exited the tent. Mmm. Perhaps it’s time I get back to my partners. Seeing that was so sweet, I could use some cuddling myself. With her smile still intact, the mermaid made her way back through the camp, the sounds of evening playing all the way back to her tent.
“Yeah, that’s sympathy. You get it. That’s all it was.” He gently pet her hair, happy that she was understanding, nodding at Gean. “See you tomorrow, Gean… Take care of yourself. You’ve got plenty of friends, here.” Hopefully she wouldn’t be too worried about what was coming… And hopefully, neither would Aly. I’ll keep her safe, no matter what…
 

Catching up with the Boss

Spoiler

Gean moved through the Tigers camp, slowly but with purpose. The heat was starting to kick in, which meant challenge for the mermaid as the progressed further into Islexia. Still, there was talking to be done, and information she needed to share. Tio had been rightfully out of commission for the first part of their journey, so Gean held off on approaching the Evoker on the subject, but tonight her and Elisa had joined the rest of the group to chat and eat, so it seemed like a good time to talk. Better to handle this before we get deep into our mission here. Gean approached Tio's tent and in a familiar fashion to their last talk announced herself. "Tio, do you have a moment? It's Gean."
The ride so far had been quiet, and Tio thanked her lucky stars for that. After their encounter with Mercuria, she and Elisa had simply been too tired to do much. Fortunately, Marigold knew exactly where they were going, and was arguably a better lead for this than either of them were, so the fact that the pair had been asleep for most of the day before wasn’t an issue. They’d both come to eat and chat, but they’d both quickly worn out, and gone back to their tent. Tio was at least better off than Elisa had been, and so she’d spent much of that time watching over her and helping where she could. Work on her projects had halted due to their exhaustion, but tonight was a good time to get back on that…or not, as it seemed like Gean had something to talk about. She hadn’t really gotten much time to speak to her after all that happened, but she could fix that now, she supposed. 
Tio walked over to the opening of her tent with a finger to her lips, “Elisa’s resting, I should be too, but I feel like I haven’t done much today, so I thought I’d get some work in.” Tio stepped outside, “Is there something I could help you with, Aegean?” 
Tio had emerged from the tent to speak, still looking worn out but willing to talk. Gean felt a little bad about taking up the older lady’s time, but it was best to keep her in the loop, especially regarding the matter Gean was about to bring up. “Well it’s less of helping me and more of giving you information in regards to our lively conversation with a sword. I didn’t know until that moment I touched the sword, but that wasn’t my first time experiencing an event like that.” Gean wished they could speak inside, so Tio could sit down, but with Elisa still resting, the Evokers tent was not the ideal place to continue on.  “With how tired you’ve been I’d hate to keep you standing out here, maybe we move towards the wagons?” 
“Information about the sword?” Tio then blinked. Aegean had felt something similar before. The Evoker clicked her tongue, “Well, that mildly annoys me that Mercuria and trying to hold her back took so much out of us… I had planned on asking before that all happened.” Tio sighed, and then nodded, “I would appreciate finding a place to sit, and talk. The wagons should be fine… Though, equally as important. How are you holding up after, well, all that happened with Princess Lucille?” 
Gean had a feeling this would come up, considering everything that happened. “I’m.. still moving. I’ve had help in keeping my mind off of what happened, and I’m even more determined to see this mission through, possibly even returning to Lufiria myself. Something is going down, and I don’t want the people I still care about sparking off  a potential war.” Something was going on in Lufiria, and it was something Lucille couldn’t tell them. She led Tio towards the wagons as she spoke. “To that end I need to be stronger, to know more, which leads me to what I discovered. To clarify this isn’t about Escaflowne directly, but rather the feeling I got when I touched the sword itself.”
“That’s good at least. There wasn’t much that we could have done then, but as long as you’re hanging on, that means we did just enough.” Lufiria’s involvement in the theft made Tio worry about the reality of what was actually going on. It felt like there was so much more to this story than any of them realized, and those who did know weren’t going to say anything without being forced into it. “Discovery, hmm… so you realized something that was similar to what happened in that room with the Escaflowne?” Tio took a deep breath, “So… you’re implying that you may have met something that gave you a similar feeling to what we all felt in that room?” Tio plopped herself down on the edge of the wagon with none of the grace, or poise that she usually exhibited. 
Gean paused for a moment as Tio plopped down on the wagon. Having embraced Renais’ “birdwatching” habits, Gean was now more aware of the Evoker in some aspects, and so she briefly tucked those thoughts away. “Yes, there was one other time that I felt something like that, but it was so long ago I nearly forgot the exact details.” Gean decided it’d be fine if she took a seat next to Tio as she began to explain.
“So about 14 years ago, there was an assassination attempt on the royal family of Lufiria. Not the first, and definitely not the last, but my family was there too when it happened. In fact I received this scar on my eye during the attack.” Gean pointed to her eye, something which she had been doing a lot recently. “However I was saved by my cousin that day, as well as my aunt and General Rosaria once they arrived on the scene, but more importantly my cousin Catherine managed to keep me safe by creating this blue shield. That shield and the aura around her had the same feeling as when I touched Escaflowne.”
Aegean sat down next to Tio, and began recounting a memory. A memory that immediately had Tio annoyed, but in a different manner from before. “An assassination even while children are about… Sigh, everything I seem to hear about Lufiria just seems to… Mmm, never mind. More importantly… this is the same girl that you mentioned a while back from your vision, right? The one where you saw that woman with blue, and pink hair, and the temple of water?”
“Yep, my cousin Cathy. She’s the daughter of The Grand Cleric, my Aunt Serena. Between that event and the vision I saw, I feel that she might be in a similar boat to us four, at least that’s what I concluded after talking to Mikoto. All of us are connecting to these ‘spirits’ it seems, and it’s not just exclusive to us Tigers.” Gean was still wondering why it was them, and why two members of her family were involved in this. Beyond her parents' generation, Gean didn’t know of anything major that would convince her that she was special. The part about the creatures resembling Aly and Iris could come up after, for now they should work on this part of the puzzle.
Tio quickly started to think, looking for any sort of connections that could be drawn of this. Obviously, it made sense that the Tigers weren’t the only people who were being drawn to the spirits. They didn’t know why Alvira, Lani, Miria, and Gean were being called to by the spirits, but for that reason, there was no way to exclude anyone else. “That is… relatively eye opening considering that you remember this happening, and then she was present in that vision of yours… If she’s the daughter of the Grand Cleric, we can probably expect that she is very powerful magically, but… if that happened fourteen years ago, then her connection to the spirits, should it be the same, is likely much, much stronger than anyone among us. Magical auras in that manner… are fairly rare, and usually the mark of particularly strong magical power, and I can’t imagine she’s too much older than you are now…” If I am to assume that she drew that power from a spirit, then that means that this might not be a recent phenomena at all… How troubling. How much do the Lufirians know? And… because the power was blue… Could that mean that she…
Tio had gone into analysis mode, explaining the circumstances around this. They were still missing information, but they weren’t completely lost. “I still don’t understand that vision though, mainly because of two things. The first thing was the location I saw. I’m guessing we can assume the woman she was with was a spirit, but where were they then. The other thing was what she said, or at least what I heard in my head. She addressed my cousin as a Levion, which is my last name, but Cathy doesn’t go by the name Levion. She’s a Noire, which is her father’s surname.” Gean had a small feeling of who the spirit was, but she couldn’t be sure, and if she was right she was gonna be a lot more angry about this than she was right now. “You mentioned magical ability playing a part in this, and I can very much understand that for Cathy and Vira. Even in Miria’s case I can see why considering her armor. The real odd ones are me and Lani, neither of us have any real talent for magic, and as far as I know magic tended to stick with my aunt’s side of the family, my father is similar to me in that aspect.” There had to be a common thread amongst them.
“Ah, you misunderstood, Aegean. I do think that magical inclination is a part of all of this, but only that, a part. For example, you mention Miria, but the only real indication that Miria has any magical competency is her armor, and only that. If magical competency was the major contributor, I can’t imagine those who have been chosen would have been. What I am saying is that I am concerned that she exhibited something like that fourteen years ago, and believe that her magical ability is why she did so.” Tio first needed to correct the record before she continued, “More importantly… we can’t entirely be for sure what you witnessed is related, yet, anyway. Magic is so variable, and with Lufiria the way it is, I wouldn’t be surprised if there are types and levels of magic that none of us are capable of comprehending. Then there’s the issue of the misnaming… but we now know that these gods are hardly infallible.”
Tio leaned against the side of the wagon, “But, let’s work in a framework that assumes it is related, just like all of you. There’s something intrinsic to all of you that draws the spirits to you. And I think I have an idea… I wouldn’t have thought about it if not for Mikoto and… Kisara, but Kisara’s actions with Mercuria earlier… seem to make me believe that it might have something to do with Voima. I can’t possibly begin to confirm that, but it’s a bit more plausible than anything else.”
Gean was following Tio’s logic thread as the older woman clarified on Gean’s questions. The last part was a little confusing however. “Maybe Mikoto can look into my Voima, see if there’s anything unique or something that can give us a clue.” It was worth a shot, considering how much it felt like the group was playing catch up. “Slightly off topic, but are their records about weapons like Escaflowne? I never heard a voice, and I know Vira keeps talking about a black spear. Maybe there’s a weapon I’m more resonant with.”
“I doubt Mikoto will be able to find the oddity, if Voima is what is causing this. Though… someone might be able to, but for the moment, they’re indisposed. It can’t hurt to check, of course.” Tio then smiled at Aegean, “Finally, something I’m actually reasonably versed on. Especially since Escaflowne is one of the twelve relics that are responsible for seeing the end of the Holy Lufirian Empire. The names at least are fairly easy to come by… Let’s see. Here in Hecatia, there are the Verdantia, a bow, and of course, the Escaflowne. In Kansei, reside the Sol Incantio, and the Mille Seseau, a fire tome, and staff respectively. Mura has the Malos Magna and Stargrasper, an Axe and Fist. Karavel has the Destine, and Nox Aria, a spear and dark tome. Then Glacies, with the Lux Aria, and Silent Brillia, a Light and Ice Tome. Then, finally, Islexia, with the Serpent’s Tongue, and the Dayspring, a knife, and an unusual style of sword. Each country has access to two of these weapons, same as they did back during the war to my understanding. And if what Alvira got from the Escaflowne is correct… there may be more of them in Lufiria. For obvious reasons though… good luck getting more information than that without an incredible amount of influence. I’ve only seen our relics a handful of times, personally.” 
Well at least they had something to go off, though the chance of any of them getting to touch these weapons was a pipe dream. “Well I’m not sure if any of those relics are the one for me. What I felt touching Escaflowne was a burst of wind, so I’m guessing that’s my connection.” Gean took a page from Tio and flopped back on the wagon, hair covering her face as they spoke. “If I remember my own vision, Cathy had a crystal like staff in her hands, though what it could be is something I have no clue of,” even through her dreads, Gean’s expression was showing her annoyance at things “seems there’s a lot of things I never knew about my family.” Realizing her inner feelings on things were beginning to show, she quickly changed topics. “Does anyone beside Elisa talk about how nice your smile is? You have a really nice smile.”
“If I’m being honest… it’s not one of the things people remember me for… right away, anyway.” Tio chuckled, it was a very quick, and sudden shift in topic, almost doing the opposite of what Aegean had likely been trying to do. “Well, I’m not one to turn down a compliment, but… you may have to try a little harder when it comes to changing the subject, you know? It’s difficult to know everything about one’s family, even if you think you know them perfectly well. That’s just reality because people change, that’s what we have to do. What matters then… is what happens when your family does change, or you learn more about them.”
Tio sighed, and then looked up into the night sky, “Crystal-like staves are notoriously rare… I have mine but you would not believe how difficult it was to both acquire the materials, and find the people capable enough to pull it all together. Even in Lufiria, I would imagine there are only a handful of them, and in the hands of remarkable clerics, and mages, so, if you’re sure that it was of that make, we can at least shrink the search quite considerably. Not much help immediately, but in this line of inquiry, anything helps.”
Gean stuck her lip out as Tio immediately sussed her desire to change subjects. "I don't know, it's just-" Gean paused for a moment and blew some hair out of her face. "While I'm ever grateful for meeting Tasha and the Tigers, I've spent years beating myself up over what happened and those I left behind, and now I've had the chance to talk with her again and there's this gap between us I feel like is impossible to close. I want to help them, but I'm afraid that opportunity will never come."
Gean looked up and saw the moon moving higher in the sky. "God I didn't mean to take up your night like this Tio, at least, not to pour my heart out. You have enough on your plate."
“...Somehow, I doubt that. You have something of hers, after all.” Tio leaned back against the wagon, a yawn escaping her lips. “You had your first opportunity, and things didn’t work out. Admittedly, considering that you all had to fight her to get the Escaflowne back, and then all that happened with Mikoto… things will be difficult. Still… you asked me to hold onto that pin for a reason, didn’t you? I’ll be honest, Aegean…” Tio turned to the younger woman, a tired, wry smile on her face, “I think you’re kind of lucky that you still have the chance to close that gap. To figure out about these things that you never knew about your family. A lot of people… don’t have that chance. It’s difficult, certainly, but you said that you were on this journey to figure out what really happened to you back then, didn’t you? You didn’t come on this journey thinking it would be easy. Take things one step at a time; thinking too far ahead will only make what you want to do that much more difficult, because you won’t see how far you’ve come.”
Tio yawned again, “Mmm… goodness. I’m usually a night owl, but Mercuria really tuckered me out, and to think, both Kisara and Elisa got it worse than I did.”
With Tio’s second yawn, Gean sat up. “I guess that’s our cue to table this for now. If I find anything else out I’ll let you know.” Tio’s words were right, Gean was being impatient, but she had to pace herself. Hopping off the wagon Gean dusted herself off and took a deep breath. “Thank you Tio, for everything you’ve done for us. Hopefully we can pay you and Elisa back for all of this.” Gean didn’t turn around, choosing to hide what expression her face had displayed. “Rest well boss lady.” With those last words the young mercenary set off.
Gean was up, and gone in a matter of moments, thanking Tio, and then calling her ‘Boss Lady’. I can file that one away as a new one. Yet, it all felt… hurried. Even if it was being spun as her leaving Tio to go back and rest, it felt like Gean was trying to hold something in. Tio held her hand out for a moment, before pulling it back, and letting the woman walk off. “...Could have at least helped me down…” Tio hopped off of the wagon, with a little difficulty, and continued to watch Aegean walk off. I guess you’ll have to find your time to confide in someone you’re closer with Aegean… because I’m sure you know by now that you absolutely cannot do what you desperately want on your own. None of us here can. Tio sighed, and sauntered off back to her tent, stifling yet another yawn, “Yeah, yeah, I get it… I can’t sleep until I note all of that down, so I can at least try to piece more of it together…”
 

 

Edited July 18, 2023 by Bluemask 96

[Mercenary on the Winds]

Tio kept her mouth shut as Ullr, and Iris were all added to the search party. Between Versaris, and Ferid, it would be very unlikely that any of them would break the terms of the mission. Unfortunately, she didn't have the time to dwell on it, nor look over Elisa as Lani hurried over to her with concerns over Nyx. "I'll be right there." Tio stood up, deeming her handiwork with Aly and Versaris as finished as she could do in the timeframe she was given. She felt faint for a moment, but quickly shook her head, "Lead the way, Lani. There isn't time to waste." She turned to Jesse who appeared stunned, and dazed in this situation. She felt bad over the fledgling knight practically being thrown into a situation that even the more seasoned knights likely had no idea to deal with. Tio shook her head again, "Jesse. I know this is new territory for you, but right now, people need your assistance. If you could help Miria, and Ren with Elisa, I would appreciate it. Remain calm for the moment. We'll figure this out, and make our decisions as they come." Tio turned, and hurried off after Lani, she couldn't wait for the rider's response. It might do to take your own advice, Tio... Your heart is pounding out of your chest, and your hands are shaking. It's not all exhaustion. Put on the mask for the moment... The Tigers need the Evoker, not the concerned, frustrated woman that you're being right now...

Tio hurried past Syndra who was still sitting in the courtyard, "We'll talk later, Syndra. But I think we both know that this attack had more than a little to do with you. I'm sure when Tasha arrives we'll be off to see Cassandra, so we'll speak about it all there." Tio pushed by her frustration, and hurried inside to assist Nyx. 

Tio arrived in the room, taking quick note of the damage to the wall, and Nyx laying not too far from the damage. "Hell... Nyx, are you still there?" Staff glowing well before she reached her side, "Do you know how long she's been like this, Syta? Or did you just find her like this?"