Return of the Emblem Chapter Seven: Reunion

[roymbrog]

“Huh? No...” Valter replied, confused. Ah, so Bert had left his things there. That was probably fine, but he had chosen one of the single rooms. And what was so bad about walking alone, anyway? “I don’t mind, but it’d probably be better to move upstairs, in that case. And I’m fine walking by myself,” he said. They wouldn’t have been given guest quarters if the Sanctuarians planned on killing them, after all. A short trip to the kitchen wasn’t dangerous.

-----

After reaching the baths, Synthia realized their guide didn’t understand common well. Gytha’s common especially. “Thank you,” she told the maiden and then attempted to grab Gytha’s arm and pull her towards one of the newly illuminated women’s baths. “We’ll just get one of the western end, Gytha” It wouldn’t be hard to peek in to check the view, she figured.

[Snowy_One]

"I did not knock it over on purpose." replied Robin as she stood up, the focus of her mind returning to getting cleaned up. She quickly stepped past the guard and walked down the stairs, having seen the gender-signs easily indicating the bathing area, or the bathroom, easily enough. Without a second thought, she hurried in to the female-side, eager to get cleaned up.

"<Awww crap.>" she moaned as she stepped inside, spotting Gytha within along with Synthia, thankfully pulling the former away so that Robin could, hopefully, get changed without being assaulted.

Edited January 22, 2012 by Snowy_One

[Mercakete]

Synthia seemed even more excited to get the grime off than Gytha was, seeing as she grabbed her arm and began pulling her towards the bath. Gytha hurried along with her teammate and she was quite pleased with the view they were recieving when they got to the sunset bath, though it could have been better seeing as it wasn't a full-on view of the sunset. Once Gytha was in the water, she completely submerged herself and ran her fingers through her hair and roughly rubbing her scalp to begin getting all that had accumulated there out. When she came back up, the cooling, outdoor air refreshed her lungs and head. This was the best bath she'd had in a long time so far. The setting sun's light filled the sky and reflected off the water, too. It was beginning to be quite easy to relax.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"I don't think any of us should wander alone," Norbert responded, his voice quietting a little as his eyes shifted leerily, "I don't trust our hosts. This could be a trap. First they try to keep us out, then they invite us into the palace? And Amon's odd behavior... It doesn't make sense. I think they're trying to get us to lower our guard -- putting us into a false sense of security." The pegasus rider acknowledged he could be being overcautious, but he didn't want to take any chances. It was all too suspicious.

[roymbrog]

Once they had reached the bath and gotten in, Synthia began scrubbing all the dirt and grime off herself. It felt good to no longer be covered in sand. Like Gytha, she submerged herself to clean her hair, but that resulted in a curtain of black covering her face when she surfaced. She had to resubmerge herself and pull her hair out of the way in order to see the sunset.

-----

“I think you’re being paranoid,” Valter said simply. “Now, I was going to get some food. I assume you’re coming?” He sighed, holding fingers on his forehead. Bert was going to follow him everywhere, wasn’t he?

[-Cynthia-]

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Raquel has a lot on her mind right now, perhaps I should take care of the monkey...not that I really know how to do that. she thought to herself, staring down the unfamiliar creature. "I'll bring you back something to eat from the dining hall I guess, try to stay out of trouble for a little while at least," she said affirmatively to Chip, leaving the room and shutting the door behind her before heading to the dining hall.

You Call That a Bagel?

"Oh they're delicious bagels, huh? Sign me up. I'm not much of one for dressin' up a pig in a wig and callin' it king anyway," she said to Haythem, eager to make a decision as she was getting rather hungry.

[Mercakete]

"You might be right, but I'd rather be paranoid than taken by surprise," the pegasus rider replied, "Still, if they're offering food, I won't reject it -- never been one to turn down a free meal. Just don't let your guard down completely." That said, an awareness of his hunger pains began to surface as he started to wander ahead towards the kitchen. However, he was swiftly accosted by someone, which he -- ironically enough -- wasn't expecting.

"Hello!"

"AGH!!" at the friendly, cheerful greeting, Norbert visably jumped, whipping out Splinter and Crunch defensively. He began to calm immediately, luckily, and just stared at the waitor for a moment. This... This is just like at Weyland's... Those waitresses have Rexian, male counterparts?! Straightening back up, the pegasus rider cautiously put his maces back to his belt. "D-don't sneak up on me like that!" the Ursian snapped, still a bit shaken from how sudden the encounter was.

"Oh, I'm sorry, sir," the somewhat-appologetic tone only lasted a moment before he addressed both Norbert and Valter, "Is there anything either of you would like to eat?"

"Do you have anything involving meat?" Norbert asked, having recovered from his slight shakiness, though he seemed a bit annoyed still.

"Is that as specific as you're going to get? If so, that's fine. I'll just assume you'll be fine with anything so long as it includes meat."

"Cooked meat and nothing sweet," Norbert replied. The waitor seemed a bit amused. "What? What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing. That just rhymed is all. It'll be easier to remember now!~ Anyway, what about for you, sir?" the waitor asked Valter as Norbert grumbled quietly to himself.

Edited January 22, 2012 by Mercakete

[roymbrog]

Valter chuckled at Bert’s antics. Being too cautious was not always a good thing. Asked what he wanted, the horseman took a good moment to think about it before replying. “Do you have anything with curry? And maybe some fruit?”

[Mercakete]

"Of course! I'll go get that for you, sirs. Have a seat -- I'll be back shortly," cheerily responded the waitor.

Before he could leave, though, in passing, Norbert corrected him on something. "Don't call me 'sir,' my name is Norbert."

"Ah, I'm sorry. I'll try to remember that," the waitor cheerily mentioned with a smile that seemed to be eerily ever-present. Even so, the pegasus rider made sure to keep a close eye on him as he left if only to convince himself that these servers were human.

[ReformBlade]

No reaction to it huh? Perhaps he misheard me... Or perhaps he doesn't care? Or any number of things. Either way, BATHBATHBATHBATHBATHBATH... Her mind on cruise control, Aneda hurried herself and Ranyin up as quickly as she could towards the you guessed it bathing quarters. Her eyes were almost twinkling with excitement and the knowledge that she could rid herself of the icky feeling she's been having to put up with for the longest time.

[Snowy_One]

Within the changing rooms Robin found herself a small corner. It was secluded or anything, just some place safe where she felt sure her items would be out of the way. She took off her quiver and anything else that wasn't clothes first, storing them in a small pile upon the nearest shelf. Then, she carefully pulled her deerhide shirt off. A sudden coolness fell over her body as she took it off, even in the heat of the desert. It had been a long time since she had been able to simply remove the clothes and relax. Despite the heat, a sudden wave of goosebumps shot over her body as sweet air flowed over her exposed skin. She took a deep breath... and almost instantly gagged. Along with the heat, the hide had stored in almost every bit of sweat since the last time she had taken it off, which she couldn't even remember herself. She held it at a distance before dropping it on top of the pile. She would have to clean it later, before she put it on again for sure, to get the stench out. A moment later, her pants joined the shirt on top of the pile.

For a moment she stood, letting the relaxing freedom flow over her body, her strawberry-blonde hair resting naturally, no longer bound up in the tight ponytail. She liked it more like this to be honest. Yet, if she was to keep it unbound, she would get her hair yanked out when firing her bow. It was such a simple pleasure though, not having to bind her hair.

With slow, relaxed, steps, she approached the nearest Gytha-free bath. Slowly, she dabbed her foot into the water, checking the temperature, before gently sliding in. Sand, dirt, and the rest slid off her as she moved into the water as she let the warm and cleaning water soothe her body. She started to lean back against the side of the bath, smiling happily as she looked up into the sky. Morning, evening, noon, night, it didn't matter to her. She was relaxed. She was happy.

"Ahhhh... <So nice. A chance to relax is so rare. Mmmm...>"

[GoD]

"I don't mind. Go ahead."- Chelsea spoke quietly and straight to the point. With that she left for her room, then to take a proper bath and meal.

[Acacia Sgt]

Well, that was easy. So, now what? Sophia thought. Nearby some were asking directions of the baths. The baths? I suppose that would be ideal to do first. So she decided to follow the group. Once down there Sophia entered into one of the women's baths.

[Phoenix]

Haythem Haythems

"One delicious bagel, coming right up ... erwait here ..." Haythem said, already running off toward the kitchen. Nadya and Isis were left alone. Using her long neck, Isis finally decided to investigate the nomad girl. A few sniffs and head tilts were endured before the huge wyvern left her alone.

As he arrived at the kitchen and saw the chefs at work he yelled <"I need the best desert damned bagel you've ever made on the double!"> It could at least be heard from the dining area.

<"The best? Dear Haythem, cooking is an art. It is impossible to get the best twice. Cooking is an art, you know.">

<"No it isn't ..."> another chef hastily corrected the first one. They both immediately abandoned their meal preparations to stare threateningly at each other. <"Cooking is an exact science. Anything can be duplicated with enough effort and precision.">

<"Oh boy."> Haythem muttered alluding to the confrontation.

<"No it is an art! Every piece, every meal is a unique masterpiece!">

<"It's a science you fool!">

<"Please ... best desert damned bagel? I'm trying to impress a girl. You two aren't helping."> he said with a depressed look and his back hunched forward.

<"Ask someone else. This is a very important discussion we're having here.">

<"More important than the food you're letting boil over?"> Haythem asked, pointing a finger at a closed pot with bubbles seeping out.

<"Oh dear!">

About ten minutes later Haythem returned with a basket of bagels, each a master piece and a few of them completely over decorated. "I wasn't sure what your tastes were, so just to be sure, I brought the best desert damned bagels of every variety ... every variety that is actually good, anyway. So then, shall we get going? You and I are going to have to best view of the sunset~ Also do you mind flying ...?" A silly thing to ask at the last minute, but better late than never.

Raquel Eats

Raquel ate. She had energy to restore. Her food tasted delicious, but it didn't go down as easily for her as she'd hoped. The rexians may have simply had tougher jaws than her. Or maybe she just didn't do well with steak. Once she was finished, she notified the waitor and quickly headed for the baths. After receiving a couple of towels from one of the guards that was now running standby, she headed straight into the nearest women's bath she could find. She took off everything she was wearing and got into the water, already taking some note of things as her energy returned.

Raquel Bathes

Raquel bathed. She had to get clean. Once she was finished, she simply basked for awhile. She looked up at the ceiling half expecting to see jewelry and gold everywhere but the guest quarters seemed to be more modest. Right, 'guest quarters'. They didn't have any reason to trust them. The place was luxurious, but it was obvious they didn't trust outsiders or foreigners on principle. That had her wondering what the baths the maidens used looked like. She felt they would be better in some way shape or form, but wasn't sure if it would be because of over the top decor or just extra amenities.

She eventually looked over to the small pile of her clothes and began wondering about the emblem. It was almost staring at her at the top of the pile since she had placed the cloak on top. I wonder if I can really control it. Lilith is giving me a chance, apparently, but only the dragon head ever offers any real advice ... not the best, either. I'm often not sure what he's ... she-it's getting at. Oh well. It's only been a day or two. I've probably got time to train ... and since I don't have to suppress my abilities anymore, maybe I'll get strong again, soon. After she was done thinking about it, she got out of the water and dried herself off. She wrapped her body in one of the towels and used the other to dry her hair. Like it usually did, it took her awhile to do just that one thing, and as much as she wanted to put her clothes on once she was relatively dry, they were still dirty. Only the cloak was salvageable.

"... I can't walk around with just this on ..." she muttered with an embarrassed look, holding the cloak up. She put it on over the towel she was wearing anyway and held the rest of her clothes in her arms. The cloak was a good way of keeping modest while she asked the guards for a change of clothes. She spotted Amina first though and thought she would be a better person to ask about it. "Um, are there any spare clothes that I could borrow?"

Amina was on the spot yet again and couldn't stand it. "C-clothes ...?"

"Yes, over here." the guard stepped in and then over to the shelves. "They are kept in these boxes, to protect them from the humidity. You can wear this while your clothes are cleaned." he explained. He brought a medium sized flat wooden box over to her and opened it to reveal a folded up outfit. The material was a bit thinner than she'd hoped, but she at least still had the cloak.

"Thank you." she replied, trading her old clothes for the box of new ones, and then heading back into the bathing area to change in privacy.

Gabbie Bathes

Gabbie had already been in the bath for awhile and seemed to be in deep thought for much of it. Her thoughts were on those people that had ambushed them at Danton, the very people who got them into this mess. More importantly she was thinking about the man with the eagle helmet and what Connor had said. He seemed to know her by name which was certainly odd. Most of her employers before Weyland didn't even know her name, partially because she never gave it to them. With Weyland it was simply a matter of time before she warmed up enough to share it. She didn't see herself warming up enough with that sociopath to share much of anything ... let alone her name. On the other hand, her name seemed to be getting around a lot lately. She winced at the thought of herself becoming more trusting. Maybe he found out in some other way. She wasn't sure but it was time to stop dwelling on it and get out of the water before her skin started to drink in too much of it.

She exited the baths with a towel wrapped around herself and her old clothes in hand. She passed Raquel on her way to get changed and immediately spoke up saying "Oh hey, you look less ... dead. And what's this?" she asked tilting her head and eyeing Raquel's mostly covered chest.

"What?" Raquel asked leaning back.

"Oh nothing~ Just haven't seen you out of that breast strangling shirt thing you wear. You are going to make a wonderful pillow someday ... assumin' you don't die first." Gabbie seemed to be prodding at first but donned a look of realization as she mentioned Raquel dying. It had suddenly come to mind, and it did indeed seem to get in the way of Raquel being a decent pillow. "Well, I'm off."

"... okay. Well you can get a change of clothes from the sh-" "No worries." Gabbie interrupted. "Brought my own."

"But you've been wearing that same thing since you joined us. Why didn't you change until now?"

"I didn't have a change of clothes until we got back to Weyland's. I didn't want to make that mistake again so I brought some stuff along this toime ... and good thing I did, because these guards have no friggin' oidea what our tastes are." she replied, noting the box of clothes.

"... I'm ... not exactly a fan of this outfit ... yeah."

"Heheh, they'd probably give me somethin' with pants. No thanks. Okay, then. I'll see ya later." Gabbie thought of leaving the area and heading back to her room with just the towel on but decided against it. It was fun to make heads turn but not fun to get scolded for it later. Once Raquel vanished around a corner, Gabbie asked one of the guards for a robe she could wear. He returned with a box and a robe. "Errrrr keep the spare. I've got a change of clothes in my room, heheh."

Raquel Runs

Raquel ran. She had an appointment to keep. She was now wearing a long sleeved robe with a plethora of rexian prints on it, as well as a wrap skirt that matched the robe. Her cloak was officially out of place but she didn't want to take it off. She focused on getting to the meeting instead.

Gabbie Walks

After putting on the robe, she left the bathing area. Raquel passed her at great speed as she headed back toward the rooms. Eventually arriving, she shut the door behind her, not even thinking to check for Connor and rummaged through her things. She found the spare hooded short sleeved tunic she was looking for and then she checked to make sure Connor wasn't in the room.

Edited January 24, 2012 by Phoenix

[-Cynthia-]

Dining and Flying

"That sure is a lot of bagels," Nadya commented with approval. Maybe I'll stuff a few of them in my pack if there are any left to save for later she thought to herself. "As for flyin'...never tried actually, Luca takes me pretty much everywhere. I'll give it a try though," she said to Haythem. Can't be too hard to stay on, if someone like Bert can handle it can't be too hard.

Dining and not Flying

Arriving in the dining hall, Veronika waived down one of the waiters.

"Something...not local for me please, I'd rather not take a risk," she ordered, not feeling adventurous enough for a night in the privy. "Also...something a monkey would eat, I don't care what,"

Connor sat down and admired the dining hall for the moment, not sure if it was appropriate to bother the waiters or not. This isn't home after all...not by a longshot. he thought to himself.

Not Dining at All

Leaving Weyland's estate, Selene dismissed the unit so that they could return to the barracks, which was met with approval by the weary troop. The Major General did not return to the barracks however, instead heading towards the great cathedral.

Vasili don't just show up out of nowhere, but I doubt Weyland was lying. Perhaps her reappearance has something to do with the emblem...in any case Disciple Desmond should be informed, and may be able to provide some insight on the matter she thought to herself, striding quickly through the large, ornate corridors before stopping at the statue of Wrath for a moment of prayer.

[Mercakete]

The last rays of the sun vanished, leaving the stars to appear in its place. Content, Gytha rose out of the water, having already washed away any grime that had previously been on her and headed back inside to the chaning room between the bath and the hall where the baths split off. Towels had already been left there for her and Synthia and next to them were a couple boxes. The mariner first dried off then draped the towel over her shoulders to catch the water from her hair as she picked up one of the boxes curiously. Her clothes were nearby, but not exactly clean. That had to be amended at some point. Her spares were in her duffelbag, but she hadn't exactly cleaned them in a while either. "Hoy, Synthia, look at this!" Gytha opened the box she was holding and inside was something she normally wouldn't wear but hey, it was free: a rich, royal blue, silk dress with bold, white-and-tan Rexian print flowing over it. The dress reached Gytha's ankles and the neckline was wide, but modest and rounded. The straps were wide and lacked sleeves and the silk was thin. Once Gytha had it on, she looked herself over, a bit confused. She never thought she'd wear something like this. It seemed impractical for her line of work and so it was odd for her. Still, the material was cool enough to wear around while they were in the desert country. She assumed she'd have to return it once her clothes were clean, which was fine by her. It fit, so she was glad about that.

~~~~~~~~~~

The waitor returned shortly with Valter's chicken curry -- which was on the spicy side -- and some sort of spiced, minced beef for Norbert. And it was the best thing he'd ever eaten and it was gone probably faster than it should have been. Of course, skin needs to breathe sometime, so the following bath was welcome. It felt good to be clean again. The pegasus rider would've been perfectly fine with wearing his own clothes, but they'd apparently been picked up to be cleaned while he was washing up. What was in their place was a box and towels. Well, the towels weren't broken, they did their task of drying well enough. He did wonder what the box was for, though. So, with towel around waist, Norbert opened it up. "...A new set of clothes?" he muttered, doubting it was a gift so much as a "wear this until we get you clothes cleaned" sort of thing. Having nothign else to wear besides said towel, he put the clothes from the box on. Now, he was wearing a silk, golden-brown, high-collar, long-sleeved shirt with sparce, golden print twisting over it and with the wrists of the sleves coming to a stop at cuffs and simple, loose, silk, dark gray pants. It's almost like we're supposed to be presentable or something. This was...different for him. "You get something like this, too, Valter?" he asked, unsure of whether he liked the outfit or not.

[Acacia Sgt]

After taking the bath, John was making his way back to his room. He had no need of the clothes supplied there, he had brought his own beforehand after all. <Well, now with that taken care of,> he thought. <Time to eat.> And so, he kept walking.

-----

Some time later, Sophia had likewise finished. It felt great. Sophia sighed. Certainly welcoming after... basically everything ever since the attack at the mansion. Despite having being only two days, they certainly had been through a lot. The attack, the chase and fight at the fort, the time in purgatory and now their journey through the desert, and now they finally had a chance to rest here in Sanctuary. Certainly this time of relaxation was welcoming indeed.

The issue about clothes had the solution in the clothes the place provided. Considering she had worn the same clothes for 3 days straight now, well, a change was certainly in order. And so she was leaving the baths with a brown dress with white prints. Alright then, I should probably go to eat now. So after asking a guard about the whereabouts of the dining hall, she made her way there now.

[Phoenix]

Amon

He thought about eating, but felt cleaning up would be more important. He had a feeling that he wasn't going to be idling for most of the night. Hurrying back into the main building, Amon headed for his own quarters. He eventually arrived at his room's entrance. It was at the end of a long lavish hallway. Five rooms were at the end of the hall each having an entrance that formed a circle around a small plaza like area. Right at the center was a small fountain that he recognized. instead of going right in, he stopped at the fountain and gazed at the water gathering at the bottom for a moment. <"Hmm ..."> No one else seemed to be around. He opened the doors to his room and shut them behind him. Inside were a dozens upon dozens of outfits lying randomly about.

<"... ... ... it's just like I left it. Why didn't anyone- ... well it's not like I would want someone to have to clean up my mess but they normally would. It's not like my door was locked."> He began sifting through things, a bit overwhelmed by nostalgia. Eventually he decided to get ready for a bath after he put his things away. The majority of his clothes were on the floor and his bed, a circular type that was rather low to the ground and easy to get onto. Once he had them all, he put them in a pile and sat at the edge of the bed where he finally noticed one more outfit. He hadn't thought to move it because it was folded already, but he soon remembered that he didn't think to fold up any of his clothes before leaving. He picked it up after standing and led the fabric come loose and hang revealing its true shape. It was a very long sleeveless vest. The rexians had a variety of different kinds, but this was the stalker's version. The kind Sancturan assassin's used. He was impressed but more concerned with why it was there in the first place. He took it and an extra change of clothes with him as he left the room and headed for the palace staff's bathing area.

Once he arrived at the baths, he put his spare clothes down, got a towel, took off his head band, and then took off everything else he was wearing and headed straight into the men's baths. He didn't bother relaxing and focused solely on cleaning off the dirt of recent days. He finished in about ten minutes and got out to dry. He didn't bother with drying his hair since he was in a hurry. That had to wait until he had his new pants and undershirt on. His coat would need cleaning as well, so he thought to put on the assassin's garb he'd brought with him. Why had he brought it with him, he wondered? He told himself it was to ask Lulu about it when next he saw her, but he felt that wasn't the case. After having a short staring contest with the vest, he put it on. He was surprised to see it was longer than his coat, coming down almost to the ground. The sleeveless vest also allowed him more maneuverability, though he was a bit vulnerable around his arms. If he was going to wear something like this, he would definitely need combat gloves. He felt it was probably temporary, though; he'd learn what the possible mix up was soon enough. He headed out of the baths and made for the office where he had found Lulu.

He arrived to only find some guards there. Not even Asad and his people were present. Maybe they finished their business while I was away ... One of the guards pointed out that Lulu wanted to see him in Lady Aisha's quarters. Lady Aisha's quarters ... Amon took a deep gulp. He'd only ever been there once. It was a place that was nothing like the rest of the palace. A gigantic chamber, only properly lit in certain areas. Amon knew where to go and nodded to the guard thanking him for the information. He made his way toward Aisha's chamber with great haste, even catching up to Raquel and the rexian she had found to escort her.

"Raquel?"

"Oh, hi, Amon." she replied a bit confused. "What are you wearing?"

"I ... could ask you the same. It doesn't quite fit you ... your figure, I mean." he muttered, putting his fist to his mouth and clearing his throat.

"It was what the guard gave me ... so what are you doing here? Are you coming to the meeting too?"

"I ... guess so."

As they walked along, they spotted a large staircase leading down deep into the palace. It seemed to be at the back of the main hall and about a quarter mile's walk from the main entrance. Lulu was waiting for them at the bottom of the staircase and escort left the two of them with her. Lilith was leaning on a wall around the next corner and was relatively well hidden in the poorer lighting. "Come. It's time." Lulu instructed, and the small group headed for the chamber.

Haythem

"Don't worry, you'll be fine. I know because Isis isn't snarling at you~ She doesn't like it when I socialize with other humans. Her jealousy can sometimes get the best of her." Haythem explained, and for some reason, the wyvern moved closer and plucked the basket of bagels away from him by the handle. "Heyheyhey! I was just joking!" He leaped up and grabbed the bottom of the basket in order to pull it down, but Isis didn't let go and she got dragged down to his level by her bottom fangs. "Come on, let go already." Not interested in getting pulled again, she got her teeth out of the handle and let go. "Heheh ... I'll ... eat the ones one the top. I don't see any drool but it'd be rude, right? Okay let's go~"

After a short bit of straddling instruction, Haythem and Nadya were lifted into the air by Isis and carried off over the castle. Not a shenanigan too soon as the sun was already setting by the time they got up there. Haythem tried to keep Isis in a steady flight and away from any turbulent winds so they could make the most of it.

Waitor

"Not local you say? And something a monkey would eat? Hmm. Wait one moment while I have a word with our cooks. I won't be long." he replied to Veronika before walking off. If not for Chip running through the halls earlier and being seen both chased and carried by Veronika, the waitor might have thought to ask her about the 'monkey'. At this point he assumed it was a pet she'd brought with her to the palace.

After a short discussion with the artistic and scientific chefs, he came back with a few suggested dishes. "For you I would recommend one of our imported specials, perhaps something from one of the northern countries, Ursium or Neviskotia. For the monkey, I believe some fruit would be in order. They can tame hunger and quench thirst and that's always pleasant for an animal~"

Cathedral

While Selene said her prayer, two men were holding a discussion in the halls and steadily approaching the Wrathite sermon area. It was Disciple Langley and Archbishop Worthington. As usual, Desmond had a somewhat unfriendly look on his face, and as usual Worthington seemed almost indifferent. "Perhaps the Wrathites should wait awhile ... a month or so?"

"A month?" Desmond echoed. "You believe my eighteen years of training insufficient, but an extra month or so of stalling as ... what? Useful? Meaningful?"

"I know you've been feeling upset lately, young Desmond, and I can understand why."

"Oh can you?" Desmond shot back tilting his head in a slow, hostile fashion.

"You feel that Lord Wrath does not see you as worthy of his word. But keep in mind, Desmond, that since the reestablishment of the four orders, Lord Wrath has never spoken directly to a Wrathite. Only through an archbishop are the words of the gods given voice." Worthington explained.

"And somehow instruction only comes from your words, not even his. I've never seen him speak directly in all my years as a Wrathite."

"Perhaps you are simply not ready."

"Perhaps you are the one who truly isn't worthy, and Lord Wrath is waiting for someone more capable."

Worthington chuckled lightly. "I fully understand your distrust, but my job is nothing you want to have to be saddled with, not at your age, young Desmond. Keeping four orders in tact throughout Ursium is quite a daunting task, and though I do receive instruction from the gods on occasion, it does not make my holy assignment any easier."

"Tch ...." The two finally reached the Wrathite hall and they noticed Selene at the end of her prayer. "Major General?" he quickly glanced back at Worthington. "Archbishop Worthington, might we have a moment, please?"

"Think about what I said, Desmond." were his parting words before heading back down the hall.

"... Head Wrathite Bradford has passed on ... and Worthington believes I am ... rushing in to replace him. He suggests I wait a month or so to refocus myself, but I don't believe such stalling is necessary. The Wrathite's will need new leadership for the coming trials. I trust you've caught wind of what happened in Ursentius yesterday evening?"

Edited January 24, 2012 by Phoenix

[Snowy_One]

Robin's long moment of blissful peace as she lay in the bath felt like it had finally come to a end. She was clean, warm, and feeling very, very, relaxed. However, she could tell, deep down, that this moment was the end of that time. She could already feel the water about her starting to feel cooler and the baths lacked the primal back-massaging power of finding a good eddy in a fast-moving stream. Quietly, she got up and dried herself off before heading back to her items and noticed the replacement clothes. She quickly pulled on the first pair, not really caring about size, as she was simply happy to be relaxed. The shirt she had pulled on seemed a few sizes too big and came down her thighs lower than some women's skirts, but she didn't really care. She didn't even bind her hair back into the ponytail, letting it instead fall down across her back in a sheet of copper-ish color, she was happy. She gathered her quiver and arrows up, leaving the hide clothing for the other people. If they really screwed it up, she might care but... ahhh...

"Mmmmm..."

She sighed happily, a small blush coming across her face as she picked up what things that were not clothing that were hers. She was happy... She felt more relaxed, and a little bit hungry. She slung the quiver back over her shoulder, probably the only thing that would help others identify who she was, as she headed out and towards the dining hall, asking the guard for directions just as (unknowingly) Sophia had just done as well.

[Acacia Sgt]

John reentered his room. Sitting on the bed, he reached for his bag, still on the bed, and took out some of the food he had brought in it. <Well, it's nothing compared to what a chef from this place could make up but,> he thought. <It's still food.> And he began eating.

-----

I wonder what I could have. Sophia thought as she walked towards the dining hall. It'd be interesting to try the local cuisine, but perhaps it's too foreign for my tastes. Or maybe just play it safe with something I'm used to eating? Probably that.

Entering the dinning hall, she took a seat and was approached by a waiter. After saying what she wanted, he waiter nodded and left, leaving her to wait until the food arrived.

[roymbrog]

“They left us clothes?” Synthia asked as Gytha held up her dress. She climbed out of the bath and got dried of before opening her own box. The dress she pulled out was long, red, and oddly Kigenese. It was sleeveless, like Gytha’s, but was covered in a dragon print design instead of flowers. It fit pretty well, so she couldn’t complain.

Once dressed, she began to leave the baths and return to the guest quarters for dinner. Time to try some Rexian cuisine. “Gytha, hurry up. We’ll miss out on the food!” she called cheerfully. She was in a pretty good mood

-----

The Rexian food was delicious, even if a little spicy. It reminded Valter of Kigenese dishes more than anything native to Ursium. After dinner he left to take a bath, and after the bath he opened up his box of guest clothing. His clothing was pretty similar to Norbert’s, except for the shirt was dark green. He rolled up the sleeves before he was happy with it.

“Yeah,” he replied to Bert. “...It’s alright.” He preferred his own clothes, if only for the familiarity. The silk was more comfortable, though.

[Snowy_One]

Robin sat down to eat the food, not quite sure what to expect. She quickly raised her hand, unsure of what to order. She doubted that they had venison or anything of the sort... and... well... why not try the local food out? A moment later, fresh Rexian food was brought to her.

She took her first fight of Rexian food... And instanly spat it out as fast and hard as she possibly could as she cried out in surprised, grabbing the nearest thing that had water in it, be it cup or... anything at all, as she quickly upended it, trying her best to cool down her mouth that felt like it could spit out dragonfire! The water was not enough though as she fell to the floor, coughing, gagging, and trying to get the taste out of her mouth.

Edited January 25, 2012 by Snowy_One

[-Cynthia-]

Veronika

"Something Neviskotian please," she replied to the waiter, somewhat surprised but also relieved. "As for the monkey...a banana would work I suppose," she said, recalling hearing somewhere that monkeys enjoyed bananas. Or was it that they were poisonous to them...nah I doubt that's the case. she reassured herself.

Nadya

"I don't know why a giant flying lizard would be jealous of me, but she just attacked the bagels, so no complaints here," Nadya said, before Isis took off. Taking a bagel from the basket she found it surprisingly delicious as she looked at the rapidly setting sun.

"It's really beautiful," Nadya admitted almost begrudgingly to Haythem, her mouth still full of bagel. It's the same sun wherever you see it...just in a little bit of a different place. Wonder if everyone back home saw this sunset too...

Selene

"It is a shame about Bishop Bradford, but such change is inevitable," Selene said, shrugging a bit. "I see little reason to delay naming yourself as his successor- there are no better candidates and the Order will need strong leadership in such a turbulent time," she said to Desmond.

"And yes, Professor Weyland told me about an avian woman with telekinetic powers taking Ascension from the museum in Ursentius...could it truly be Lilith? I thought she may have disappeared forever with the rebellion...but a random avian woman being able to break through security is almost as strange and also rather distressing. I was wondering if you had any insight on the matter."

[Mercakete]

Gytha hurried along after Synthia towards the dining hall. She certainly was in a good mood and when Synthia was in a good mood, everyone was in a good mood. Or, so the logic flowed, anyway. When they reached the dining room, one of the cheerful waitors approched, getting right to work.

"Good evening, ladies! I hope you are enjoying your stay here in Sanctuary's palace!" he greeted, "Is there anything you'd like to eat?"

Gytha thought for a moment about what to order. Back at Weyland's, she'd had her favorite food from home. So had Amon. She remembered back to that time and thinking -- if not saying -- that she should try his favorite food sometime, too. "D' ye know what Amon usulla eats?" she asked the waitor.

"Amon? One of the palace runners?" the waitor was a bit confused. Maybe they were friends or something.

"Aye, he mentioned bein' one o' those," Gytha responded.

"Well, I'm afraid I don't know what he preferrs... I'll ask, though. Someone probably knows."

"Thank ye. I'd like t' try it, since he tried me favorite food growin' up a couple days ago."

"Ahh, I think I get it now. And for you?" he turned his attention to Synthia.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Well, might as well go back to the room. Can't think of anything else to do tonight.." Norbert mentioned as he began to leave the changing area. As he and Valter walked the Rexian palace's halls, he asked the horseman, "So, what do you think will happen tomorrow? If we're still here, it'll be our first real day here in Sanctuary."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This place had a place from which good smells eminated, too. Maw had left Gytha and Synthia's room a while ago and had been exploring the palace a little Now, she was slipping into the kitchen. She didn't like all the hustle and bustle very much, but she could stand it. She was a seafaring cat, after all, and a ship was a busy place. Besides, this was where the food was. The little cat was mostly unnoticed, at least at first since everyone was so focussed on their tasks. So, she began looking for meat to eat. The last place like this had a lot of good meat. Maybe this place had some, too. Maybe even the ellusive white water, too.

[roymbrog]

“Hmm...” Synthia thought for a moment. She didn’t really know much about the food here, but wanted to try something different... Whatever Gytha was getting was probably interesting, since it would be Amon’s favorite food. “I’ll have what she gets,” she replied, gesturing to the mariner. After ordering, she found a table and sat down.

-----

“Mhmm, yeah,” Valter said, stretching as they walked down the hall. After all they’d been through the last few days, all he really wanted to do was sleep. He had no idea what would happen tomorrow, but decided not to worry much about it till morning. “I don’t know,” he replied. “I hope we’re allowed in the city, though. I still need a new pair of glasses.”

[Phoenix]

Queen of Rex-Avaz

It took them a long while walking, even having to travel down a staircase with two paths. Unlike the rest of the group who went down the left side, she came down on the right. She thought about going with them, but had already been walking down the right side of the hall to begin with. She took the moments she had of not being seen directly to examine the three of them closely; Amon, Raquel, and Lulu. Once again, something about Lulu put her off, evidenced by a short glare popping up on her face. They reached bottom of the staircase and another large hallway. This one far less luxurious looking than the main one. In fact, it actually seemed plausible that it was as ancient as the city itself. At the end of the hall was a medium sized entrance to Aisha's chamber, and they made for it with a bit more haste than before.

Once they reached the door, Lulu went ahead of everyone and knelt down at the door, clasped her hands, and gently closed her eyes. It seemed like a silent prayer of some sort, and might have been the 'key' to the chamber doors. Regardless of whether the prayer was actually important, or just religious custom, the doors began to pull back and roll away into the walls around them revealing a golden tinted chamber. It almost looked like an arena, but only due to the all of the sand blanketing the ground and the encapsulating walls. There were a few solid stone walkways through the chamber, and they seemed to form a symbol discernible from high above the center of the chamber, but the rest of the ground was nothing but soft sand caged in by stone walls taking the shape of a tall dome. Lilith eyed the floor and raised an eyebrow. "Why was I not expecting this?"

At the very center of the chamber was a large empty throne. They walked in following the stone path, only Lilith and Lulu not having any reservations about doing so. About half way to the center of the chamber, the doors began to roll back out of the walls and into place. Amon and Raquel looked back, intimidated by the slamming stone doors. Lilith and Lulu kept their eyes forward, toward the center of the chamber. Aisha was somewhere around there. Lulu quickly began to kneel and glanced back at Amon, alerting him to do the same. Just as Amon's knee touched the stone walkway, a small rumbled was heard by all present. Sand from the ground began to seep into the air and converge just in front of the throne. Raquel was stunned at the sight, the sand quickly taking shape and forming a woman. Once the sandy figure had completed itself, it began to move as if awakening from sleep, going so far as to gently stretch its neck. The figure didn't speak, and instead just gazed at them. Finally the sands were slowly replaced by a living breathing being and vanished into Aisha's body.

"What on earth? She just ... she just ..."

"The potential of anima magic is greater than most ever realize." Lilith clarified.

"Coming from one of Truth's daughters ... is quite surprising." came Aisha's voice. "I'll deal with you shortly ... Lilith. Amon, please step forward." Amon had been kneeling with his head down, the same as Lulu, so only Lilith and Raquel had seen the spectacle of her arrival. He looked up when he was called over and stood up. Without saying a word he carefully approached. Once he seemed close enough, he stood at attention with his arms at his sides. He was noticeably taller than her, but didn't look down. He kept his eyes level, even though that meant staring right over her head and toward the throne. "Thank you for doing as I asked."

What? But all I did was ... Amon's thoughts were interrupted by Aisha's somewhat sudden movement. She brought her hands up and placed them over his cheeks. He was blushing, but with her hands covering his face, even she wouldn't have seen it. Lilith grimaced when this happened, sensing a surge of power building up. Amon's body began to give off a golden glow for several seconds, and then it ceased. Amon felt a warm sensation for most of it, and felt different afterward. "Your reward." Aisha said simply.

Lilith began closely examining Amon's body to try and figure out what Aisha had done. It was 'fuzzy' to her due to all of the power flowing around his body. It was difficult to peer through it with her own power, and when she tried, Aisha glared as if staring through Amon's chest in her direction. I see ... she altered his energy somewhat. His body seems to have gotten quite the boost there ....

Amon Promotes to Rogue!

+2 spd +2 lck

HP: 5 STR: 2 MAG: 0 SKL: 9 SPD: 11 LCK: 7 DEF: 1 RES: 1

HP: 15 MT: 2(6 if CK) Hit: 9 Evade: 18 AS: 11 Defense: 1 Resistance: 1

"You never could mind your own business, could you, Lilith?" Aisha said in a hostile tone while stepping around Amon.

"A lot of problems could have been avoided if people in my position had been a bit more snoopy. Don't expect that habit to ever change, Aisha." Lilith replied, in a more calm but equally standoffish tone.

Haythem

"See?" Haythem replied glancing back at his passenger with a jolly smile. "Life in Sanctuary wouldn't be so bad, would it? There's always something to do, no one would be bothered by your very presence, and you might even become a maiden someday--maybe~" Isis hissed, though other than that, she was acting normally and flying steady. "Think about it, Isis. I would be flying with you more often because I would be showing her the sights ... hmm ... in fact, we should do that now." he said with a smirk. "Nadya, hold on to that basket ... and to me. I want to show you the city up close while there's still some natural light."

Luca

Luca spent his time racing at high speed over lush green plains, and for some reason without a rider or saddle. The reason was because he was on lone mission. Soon a large castle came into view and archers began shooting down at him from atop its walls. The speedy horse began to gallop at impossible speeds, leaving behind a trail of flames as he approached. The archers eventually abandoned their attacks and fled, leaving the castle wall undefended. Luca then ran into the wall and plowed straight through it without losing much momentum. He then ran through the inner wall, and the busted through several buildings, including the barracks, the main hold, one of the mills, and finally breaking out through the other side. The castle had a gaping hole running all the way through it with trails of dying embers pointing off toward the culprit. Luca continued his super powered galloping along the plains. Luca suddenly woke up and snorted. He sensed a disturbance of some kind.

Waitors

"Very well, I'll have the chefs get you something Neviskotian born, and we'll get a banana for the little monkey." the waitor said before strolling off to the kitchen.

The other asked the chefs about Amon's favorite dish, and surprisingly neither was certain. Another messenger was sent off to the palace to ask some of the other cooks. Surely those who cooked for the rexian runner regularly would know. He came back within a few minutes and the chefs began working on it.

The waitor returned with two plates and two glasses of water. The plates were one big meal containing meats, onions, minced garlic and tomatoes. There were some other ingredients including small amounts of salt, but they couldn't be readily spotted and identified. "Here you are~" the waitor said, setting the plates and glasses in front of the women.

The other waitor returned to Veronika with a Neviskotian dish and a banana on the side, as well as a glass of water. "I hope it is to your liking, Miss~"

The waitor that served Robin whatever it was she'd ordered, was shocked to see her spit the food out and collapse on the floor in hysterical fashion. He came to her side trying to help her, but there was little he could do beyond hope she could get back on her feet at the end of this fit.

Desmond

"The church was bombarded with questions from both the military, local security, six noble houses including house Langley, and even the common peasant didn't shy away from demanding answers from the clergy. We don't know what we're dealing with yet, but as of right now, the museum is the only place she was seen. As for what I know ... I feel that she may indeed be the Lilith from the old tales of rebellion. Why she's suddenly shown up after so much time is a mystery, but ..." Desmond paused to cross his arms and shake his head at the ground. "... she obviously wanted her sword back. We don't have enough answers to sate the people just yet, but I'm positive it has something to do with the fire emblem, and that information needs to stay within the order for the moment."

Edited September 28, 2012 by Phoenix