Return of the Emblem Chapter Fourteen: Nine

[Snike]

Lane kept playing with Sirius even as Tonya was finishing up her water, only stopping after a few more minutes. Once he did stop, the man in black picked his charge up, smiling.

"Ready to go?" he asked Tonya.

[Phoenix]

Streets of Europa

Tonya nodded, grabbing her things as she stood from the table. "It'll be much easier to do this job, now. So, off to the cathedral then?" It certainly wasn't far away, now. A relatively short walk through the central plaza and depending on which direction they chose to come in from, they would be at the steps of one of the Four Orders' main halls. It felt like a strange place to show an infant, but only assuming there was no personal connection involved.

[Snike]

Lane rose as well, stepping away from the chair before pushing it in under the table.

"Yes, to the cathedral," he repeated, as he started towards the central plaza. Hopefully it wouldn't be too difficult to to enter the cathedral through the nearest entrance, but who knew? Maybe there would be another crisis on hand there.

[Script]

A Man Called Gar

Gar pondered the idea for too long.  "No, it gave ample warning last time and should again.  Well, if fiddo hasn't knocked over dead."

[Phoenix]

We're Going In

"I'll be on guard just in case, then," Ernesta said, feeling just confident enough to investigate directly. She wasn't about to turn down a little help, though. Ernesta knew nothing of Gar's skills, but she'd seen Suzume in action and found her barriers useful. "If you want to help, then come along."

A Summary of Events

Later, once dinner was wrapping up, Jethro pulled Raquel aside to try and quickly confirm everything they had been through up to the end of the meeting with Cygnus. It had been a very short stay off in that foreign place, but a lot had happened, and even more had been revealed. Jethro didn't just have to try and explain it, he also had to make sense of it as best he could, or he and his daughter would be buried alive in questions. Either way, this was going to take some time, possibly hours if people couldn't quickly agree on how to proceed given the new information.

The prospect of explaining everything to the satisfaction of all those present seemed much better before Steinn's arrival. He was bound to be unusually inquisitive. The Fallen's arrival only made sense in hindsight for Jethro, but it made sense nonetheless; with the group slated for Neviskotia, and the siege gate that was predicted to be there, Steinn was naturally going to attend, both to keep himself in the loop, and to make certain the group remained focused on the siege gate, in particular. Once everyone was gathered, Jethro came back over with Raquel and the two remained standing while most of the others remained seated.

What at least a third of everyone present knew already, was that Raquel was now more than an emblem wielder. She was effectively an emblem piece. He had no doubts about that now, not after everything that had happened to her since then. Trying to explain as much about the implications, as well as the reality of the situation as he could, Jethro touched on both his suspicions that his entire immediate family had become emblem wielders due to their connection to Raquel, and that she would have to be very carefully looked after from now on due to being an emblem piece. As much as he hated to admit openly, Raquel's free will was now compromised. Visions of Cygnus and Fox ordering her around assailed both Valcyns as Jethro informed the group of the potential danger. He didn't cite the actual incidents here because he planned to get into those in more detail later on.

Once the peculiars of Raquel's new state were covered, Jethro focused on the most recent events, those only Raquel and he knew about at present. He began with the tail end of their time spent at the Blanco residence. As he easily recalled, his daughter had been up all night, and so had he for the most part. They'd decided to go for a walk together just before dawn. Once he'd gotten to the part where Cygnus contacted them, Raquel took over, and explained how she'd heard the man's voice in her head. She'd neglected to mention the similarity between his voice and those of the artificial humans, Gabriel and Zerachiel, the former of whom was right there in the room with them. The journey to this 'Alexandria' that had followed, had only taken a moment, and Cygnus was there waiting for them both, more friendly and gentle than she would have expected.

Taking the reins, again, Jethro explained that Cygnus had planned and organized a meeting, and that Raquel and he were the last ones to arrive. He somewhat bitterly recounted how the man was seeking someone among the four individuals he'd gathered there to rule over all of humanity, and that the emblem was a crucial part of that plan. The four individuals Cygnus had chosen were Raquel Valcyn, Jaegerin Lee, Fox Antonov, and Emil, a man from an unknown land. Jethro couldn't help but notice the varied reactions, particularly from Gabriella and Weyland himself. Neither seemed to want to interrupt, so Jethro continued ... rather, he tried to, but belatedly, the questions of 'why' and similar others were raised on several fronts. Weyland was quick to forcibly shelf that and any other questions, so that the elder Valcyn could continue with the story.

From there, it felt best to expound on what he'd heard from Cygnus' chosen ones individually. From Fox, they'd learned that he was the rightful heir to the Neviskotian throne, and was making preparations to claim it, and end the divide between the Imperials and the Separatist factions. That made him the son of the emperor, by some means. From Emil, they had learned of troubles in a foreign land, an exodus, and how he wanted to establish a new kingdom, most likely in Sardius somewhere. By that point, Gabriella seemed to be almost too frustrated to stay quiet, but she held her piece, whatever it was. From Jaegerin, they learned virtually nothing, except that she wasn't one for cordiality. In fact, she'd been quite openly hostile toward Fox, and to a lesser extent, Raquel and Cygnus.

Weyland seemed to be resisting the urge to chime in as much as Gabriella now, but he let Jethro continue onto the most important parts. What Jethro had to say next concerned the emblem and those connected to it. In addition to Raquel and Cygnus, there were two other wielders present at the meeting. One was Emil, Cygnus' guest and aspiring King. The other was Samael's twin brother, Michael. He acted as Cygnus' bodyguard, and possessed an emblem piece, likely the very emblem piece that Cygnus' abilities originated from. Not the hopelessly cruel and sadistic type his brother was, Michael seemed almost too kind and gentle to even lift a blade, but he'd made it clear that he would do whatever he had to do in order to protect his father. Being an emblem wielder with an unclear ability, Jethro had no doubt the man was exceedingly dangerous. While no one seemed to know what Emil was capable of, Cygnus had more or less explained his own emblem ability in full, and the implications weren't good ...

Jethro kept his tone such as to sound skeptical as he explained what Cygnus had told them, about how he was able to manipulate large events to bring about the outcome he desired, choosing a path to a more ideal future. Even though he was as close to believing the man as he could be, Jethro knew others would have their doubts, and he didn't want their skepticism leveled against him directly just because he was faithfully relaying the information. He continued on, explaining how Cygnus believed that killing him would lead to Wrath's ultimate victory, whereas not killing him would allow Cygnus to continue using his ability, and somehow give them a fighting chance. The man hadn't tried to hide the implication that it was his own survival and not the success of his plan for humanity that would make all the difference for them, but on the surface, it was difficult to see it as anything more than a ploy, a way to keep himself and his own hopes for personal victory alive, should Raquel's allies defeat him. If Cygnus was right, however, then they had to be extremely careful when dealing with him. Even if he was wrong, they had to be more thoughtful going forward; the man could control Raquel's body through direct commands, and his emblem ability had ensured that he and Raquel, as well as all those he had gathered, had been there at that particular place and time. Jethro finally explained that part in detail to them, because underestimating what he could do with that kind of power would be disastrous.

Speaking of those not to be underestimated, there was Fox. Although he wasn't an emblem wielder, he too had the sheer power of will to direct Raquel's movements. He'd demonstrated this to a far greater extreme than Cygnus had, causing Raquel to instantly appear in front of him, warping from roughly thirty feet away to reach him. It didn't appear to take any real effort for him, so Jethro feared Fox was an even greater threat to his daughter than Cygnus was. The man had even threatened her after the past incidents between his people and theirs were revealed. Cygnus promised only to use such a maneuver in self defense, while Fox promised an irrevocable command if Raquel interfered with his plans, again. It wasn't a rosy prospect, having to combat Fox with Raquel present. This heir to the empire clearly had indirect access to at least some of her abilities. Somehow.

It didn't seem important, but Raquel chimed in again, this time about Jaegerin. She was preoccupied with the woman's ability to levitate. There was no jealousy in her tone; that would have been a little ironic. No, there was mostly confusion. Raquel could fly, and her ability to do so had a clear and simple explanation, albeit an overly simple one ... the emblem. Jaegerin was no emblem wielder, though. She was supposedly an ice mage. Weyland finally touched on that, but only briefly, explaining that there are ways within the ice discipline to draw on kinetic energy rather than thermal. Applied under the right conditions, and supplemented with an upward and or forward driving force, one could achieve levitation, at least in brief bursts. It was a nice trick, but not worth the cost to use in battle until fully mastered. What was far more useful, as well as impressive in the professor's eyes, was simply drawing on kinetic energy. The defensive potential behind that couldn't be understated.

"So that was our meeting," Jethro began to wrap things up after Weyland's explanation, "We had one last word with Michael before he helped us warp back home."

"I should probably go hide somewhere if we run into Cygnus or Fox again," Raquel said dejectedly. It felt so stupid being so powerful--apparently, but being at the mercy of random people. Why was the emblem like this, she wondered? Why was she like this?

"You looked like you wanted to say something, Weyland," Jethro noted. The professor wasn't the only one, but as their host, he definitely had the right to get in the first remarks.

"Yes, it's about Jaeger," Weyland began, wagging his index finger toward Jethro, "I don't know who this friend of hers is, though I have a few good guesses, but she is actually one of ours. One of mine, to be specific."

"Zero-Four," Anna clarified even further.

Ernesta sighed at Weyland's revelation. It was true; like Anna and herself, Jaegerin Lee was one of Weyland's most trusted agents. It was just a shame the group's first encounter with her had gone so poorly. It reminded the Number of her very recent run in with Burke the Impregnable. One of Thanatos' people, and also the least likable of the lot by a seemingly infinite margin, Burke had been making alterations to a stray demon in the food storage area. Although Enresta hadn't been the first to arrive, she had gotten there in time to help settle the issue--mostly, with Gar and Suzume.

"Right," Weyland nodded, "She's supposed to be in Neviskotia, but I'm not sure what she's doing at Cygnus' base."

Jethro shrugged. In hindsight, Jaegerin's refusal to answer questions openly had left them with almost nothing to work with. What he had just learned of her came directly from Weyland and company. If she had been so fortunate as to not be named, they wouldn't have had many clues as to who she was. Taking that into consideration, it was no wonder she was so aloof, and occasionally hostile. Fox and Emil had even less on her than they did thanks to that thorny outer shell of hers.

"Well, that's that, then. If anyone else has comments, feel free," Weyland said to those gathered, "I need to mull this over for a moment before moving onto the emblem and the rest."

Edited July 8, 2017 by Phoenix

[-Cynthia-]

After checking in on Naomi and learning a little more about what happened with Samael, Lysandra returned in time for the meeting and was glad she did. There's a lot of information here that even I was not aware of...Cygnus has been busy on many fronts it seems. She decided to address Raquel directly to begin. "I'm so sorry for everything that's happened to you dear, someone else being in control of you like that must be extremely unnerving. I am unfortunately less familiar with the specifics of how the emblem works then perhaps I should be- it's outside of Cygnus's usual bag of tricks," she commented, putting her hand on her chin.

Veronika had managed to hold her tongue for most of the meeting, but once the floor was open she couldn't hold back her reaction to a particular bit of news. "Some Separatist warlord is claiming to be Emperor Loginov's son? That has to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard," she said with a snort of derision. "This Fox does sound dangerous though, even if he's completely delusional," she admitted. 

[Nanami Touko]

Amalia listened, but felt like she was too new an addition to their group to truly understand everything said. Erion had dragged her along nonetheless, despite small protests about making sure that Leo was alright. She could always check on him after... As for now, there were a few things that sprang to mind. One was... Mildly troubling, perhaps just to her. "I realize I may be rather new an addition to your group, but would someone be able to explain why there's a fallen in attendance?" One with quite the imposing scythe, as well.

"Aside from that... You have no idea how either of them managed to control you, Raquel? Or perhaps I am just not understanding this deal of her becoming an Emblem piece... Or how something like that comes into being. It's all quite above me, I must say."

[scorri]

Erion had dragged Amalia to the meeting for two reasons. The first, and the one that he gave her, was that if she was traveling with them, she was part of their group. It was important that she knew what was going on. Leo was under Uri's care and would be fine. The second, and the one that he was trying very hard not to think too long about in case she peeked, was that she was a nice distraction if things got too boring.

The explanation that Jethro and Raquel gave made general sense with what Erion already knew. The whole journey to Nyx originally followed by the rest of this left Erion knowing a few things. Raquel was significantly more powerful than she had been, but she still had weaknesses. Lilith had proven that through her ability to use Raquel's powers against her after Raquel had seemed to win. The Emblem in the end was a tool. And now Raquel was a part of that. A joke floated across his mind, but he squashed it, instead opting to reach out and snag Amalia's hand as she spoke up asking about the Fallen and Raquel's inability to resist being controlled by some people. She had a good question and it would be nice to know more about that so for now Erion didn't voice any of his own thoughts, instead content to just lightly brush his thumb against the back of her hand as he held it.

 

Uri meanwhile was busy glaring at Seraphine. He'd quickly managed to heal Leo's leg, though he wanted to go back and check on the man after he'd had a chance to rest for a few minutes. Instead he was being delayed by a stubborn dragon refusing to go to sleep. She was clearly exhausted and yet she was in the middle of the room that had been provided to them, turning in circles after her tail. Most of the time she acted reasonable and like one would expect of a dragon. And yet other times... He sighed. There was nothing for it. "Well fine then. Stay up. I'm going to go check on Leo. You stay here. No leaving the room. And no destroying the room either." Shutting the door behind him, he shook his head. It wouldn't be a good day when she was able to set things on fire. Already she was able to warm up patches of air, though not through any actual intent. It was seemingly random for now. Reaching the infirmary, he headed over to the bed he'd left Leo in. Looking over his patient, he nodded. "Well then, how are you feeling? Any complaints or anything that could still use some healing?"

[Ether]

That was... a lot to take in. Faatina couldn't really believe half of the things Raquel and Jethro had said, but... they had no reason to lie, did they? There were way too many questions, she didn't know where to begin.

***

How peculiar this whole situation was. Annelise followed the conversation both for her own benefit, but mostly for Lord Steinn's. If he was to work with these people, then being aware of their circumstances would increase her ability to aid her Lord. Luckily, the interruption didn't come until after the briefing was over, from one little human... no, not human. She had no wings, but her scent was distinctive amongst the crowd of humans... she was one of the Goddess' feathery spokespeople, who hadn't been a part of this group the last they had been here, seemed to object to her presence. How cute.

"Whatever is the matter, my feather-plucked friend? Do I make your skin crawl?" Annelise replied back to the unwelcome comment, her tail swishing about in front of her in plain view. After taking the time to acclimate to living around humans for her Lord's sake, she wasn't going to take this shit from a self-righteous new arrival.

[Nanami Touko]

E-Erion, this is not the time, for... Faced with an upset fallen, having him grab onto her hand was not at all helping her situation. It made her jump, which probably gave the vulture some idea that she was afraid, not confused. "A little bit," she admitted, "but I trust the people here, so surely you have a good reason to be around. I was just asking for that reason... I don't wish to start any conflict, past that." Getting into a fight with a fallen past words was likely to end very poorly for her. That scythe, combined with their own natural strength, meant a lot against just a sword.

Edited July 8, 2017 by SnakeMomMelissa

[Phoenix]

Dining Hall

Raquel grimaced at the apology. Being controlled was unnerving. At least the first time, it had only been a slight urge, an annoying feeling she could reject outright. When Cygnus had done it, the urge had become as strong as the urge to breathe, and when Fox had done it, it wasn't an urge at all, she simply acted without thinking. How could she deal with that? According to Cygnus, Fox wasn't even an emblem wielder. Raquel could only imagine how much trouble he could cause if he became one ...

"If you're out of the loop with the emblem then I'm really out of it," Raquel said, bitterly.

"Are you sure Fox is delusional?" Jethro asked, "Jaeger may have been right when she called him your emperor's bastard son. Of course if that's what it is, he'll have to prove who he is to get anyone on his side." Uniting the entire country by force was somewhere between extremely difficult and impossible, evidenced by the fact that it hadn't yet been accomplished.

Not missing a beat, Jethro quickly moved on to address Amalia's question, knowing Raquel didn't fully grasp Cygnus' explanation. "She's a part of the emblem now, and the emblem wants to 'do' things, as Cygnus put it, but needs guidance. Raquel can still live and act like a human, but ..." Jethro sighed, not really wanting to finish his explanation, at least not along that line. "If an inanimate emblem piece can do something, so can Raquel. Let's just leave it at that." He couldn't adequately address the woman's other question without raising several more, so he left that to whoever wanted to tackle it.

Steinn wound up answering, but not until after Annelise asserted herself a little. "She is here to assist me, and I," Steinn aimed two fingers loosely at his chest, "am here to ensure that our people don't destroy themselves or our adversaries. You have nothing to fear from us so long as you can keep our presence here a secret." After the demon attack in Europa, the authorities would just assume any fallen hiding in the area were behind it and bring in the cavalry.

Infirmary

Leo felt fine but he'd been advised to stay off his leg for a while just the same. He'd have to finish his exploration of the estate on the morrow. There was plenty of company in the infirmary, though. A girl with lilac colored hair named 'Naomi,' from what he'd heard of her most recent conversation, was just a couple of beds over. Alexis was also still here, on the other side of the dividing wall, though she seemed to be here for physical therapy and not bed rest. Last but not least were the mercenaries, the man that called himself 'Boss'--and what his associates also called him, and James, his subordinate. Neither were recuperating, exactly, but no one would blame the former for staying in the infirmary. With so many fingers missing, he couldn't do much.

So yes, as things stood, Leo was fine ... just a little bored. "I'm fine," Leo sighed, "just wasn't counting on the day ending so quick."

[Ether]

"Surely that would be a given, seeing as no one else here had made any such comments." Annelise replied, holding back from going any further in deference to Steinn, who had given his own answer to the question. Between the bird's clear jumpy disposition at the moment, as well as the docile bend of her thoughts. it seemed she wouldn't be much of a threat, but... still best to keep an eye on her lest she attempt to cause trouble.

[-Cynthia-]

"At the risk of stating the obvious, the answer may be for you not to be a piece of an ancient magical artifact," Lysandra said with a small chuckle to attempt to lighten the mood. "More easily said than done of course, since I'm not quite sure how you managed to accomplish such a thing in the first place." All these years of studying magic and still there are things that surprise me...

"Emperor Anton Loginov impregnating some Separatist whore reeks of political propaganda. But even it it were true, by some sick joke of the gods, Fox would still be a bastard and Deniska would still be the future emperor of Neviskotia so it changes little- particularly without proof," Veronika noted.

[Nanami Touko]

"My apologies," she offered to the fallen, as annoyed as they seemed. "It was just a curiosity. Thank you for answering." Admittedly, her response was a bit stiff, but if they were allies, it wouldn't do to instigate anything. As for Raquel... "So she's an Emblem piece... So, this Cygnus and Fox have the power to use the Emblem? Or... Does Raquel not have enough hold over herself to stop someone doing something? Or is it that, because she is a part of the Emblem, she no longer has control over it, but, just is it? Can use its abilities, but not necessarily as if she was commanding one? This is quite odd..."

[Script]

A Man Called RAWR

Mood already perturbed by the obnoxious voice the latest revelation of Raquel's ever-expanding Emblem powers infuriated Gar to a rare level.  The mental issues were a murky area Gar hadn't clarified yet but this reconstitution into some emblem puppet solidified the matter.

Furious was a word used by petty shallow dullards who wanted to justify their anger over their own insignificance.  It was lashing out at others.  Mindless whipping.

True anger was a fire.  An all consuming blaze that devoured the target, everything inbetween and the one raging.  True rage was as physically painful for yourself as it would be for the target of that ire.  It set everything on fire without care for who was burned.

And oh boy did Gar ever intend to make them pay.

NO ONE BROKE HIS CONTRACTS.

His mind immediately went to all the horrors he would inflict on the perpetrators of this atrocity.  He'd always wanted to pull off stomach-bombs.  And healing magic worked wonders at keeping people without skin alive.  There was always the ever fun feeding family to people option.  What was best was when you made them aware of the fact before hand!  There was the ever-gauche strangling them with their own innards—but skinsuits made of their friends was gonna be the new winter style.  Honey and ants was so played out but raising an ant colony in the body?  That was a winning combination!  The possibilities were endless and so was his wrath.  Let that little whiny bitch of a God call himself "Wrath", he'd show'em what that word really meant.

Good thing Gar was wearing his gloves.  He might have clawed his own face off in calm and composed reflection.  Ah, he nearly broke his nose.  That would have been embarrassing.

"Ah," Gar breathed calmly and coolly.  As long as one ignored the eye twitches, grin so wide it was painful, teeth that might well be filed to points—slight trail of drool and the abrasions that matched Gar's hand ebbing on his face.  "So I'm just gonna have to slaughter'em all.  And here I wanted the next few years open to pursue my true passion of dance."  His head flicked a bit at the notion.

Xenia snorted at the display of typical aggression excluding from him.

 

[Phoenix]

Dining Hall

Raquel wasn't sure how it happened, either. She was just trying to keep Lilith from taking the piece she'd had from her. Her intent, as far as she could remember, was to never lose that piece no matter what. Perhaps that had more to do with it than the exact circumstances. "Let's try to come up with something else," she said, hoping the current line of discussion wouldn't have anyone suggesting weird experiments.

From what Reign had gathered up to this point was that Raquel had unwittingly traded her free will for an unfathomable amount of power. Go figure, though she obviously wasn't too happy with the revelation. Neither was anyone else, given how much of a liability she might have become. The solution, or the closest thing to one, seemed obvious enough. However those commands had worked, the response had come from Raquel's end, so they could address it there, without necessarily having to deal with whoever was trying to manipulate her. Having someone with even more influence countermand people like Cygnus and Fox was probably their best defense. Rather than making that suggestion right away, Reign took a minute to mull over the issue a bit longer, thinking back to how normal emblem pieces behaved and how Raquel's behavior might be similar or different.

Jethro meanwhile remarked on the imperial heir issue. "Proof of lineage is tricky business, but he probably wouldn't be attempting something like this if he thought he couldn't convince anyone on the other side. Just something to be mindful of. I think the important part is that he and Cygnus are more or less allies. There's no telling how that might affect the outcome."

Suzume didn't have any particular interest in the meeting, but she didn't have anywhere else to be, either. Following Gar and Ernesta had landed her in the middle of a discussion she could follow, but not fully appreciate. It wasn't until Gar started talking about slaughtering people and dance that she found something to do besides waiting and listening. "Hey, what's wrong?" Up close, Gar looked like he was about to go berserk, with the last vestiges of composure and sanity hanging on by a thread. Suzume was even hesitant to try to snap him out of it non verbally.

Raquel noticed it too, and well before Suzume. Rather than the outward signs, however, it was something else that grabbed her attention. What should have felt like little more than a 'bad aura' was more like a physical force, trying to ignite all of the material world around it. Raquel could almost see it as she stared at Gar. Soon enough, she had zoned out completely, captivated by the quiet inferno.

 

[-Cynthia-]

"Some people would also believe that the world was flat if Fox said it- doesn't make it any more true. If rebels get in our way, we'll just have to cut them down like any other Organization member," Veronika answered Jethro's concerns confidently.

"There are ways to solve problems other than violence you know," Lysandra remarked in response to Gar slaughtering them all and Nika cutting them down. "Some members of Hydra aren't even acting of their own free will...well in a sense. It's a bit complicated."

[Script]

A Man Called...

"My contract is broken," he stated like a gunshot.  "The lack of memories fuzzied the what the 'personification' of Raquel was a bit and I was under way to ascertain the depths of this on reflection but this latest bout of Emblem business has sealed their fate.  You are Raquel.  You are not the Raquel I made my contract with.  My contract is thus broken.  Breaking my contract makes them my enemies.  Being my enemy means being on the receiving end of a long and painful process of me demolishing everything they've worked towards and ends in a fun romp through innards.  Violence sure isn't the be-all-end-all of problem solving but it's sure gonna be the end of this one."

"That mean I can leave?" Xenia ignored half the bullshit to what focused on her.

"No."

[Snike]

They had managed to gain entry to the Cathedral without any difficulties, much to Lane's relief. If things had gone hairy, he wasn't sure what might have been the result. In any case, the trio had entered through the northern side, and found themselves inside the Hall of Truth, which seemed more than a little forlorn at the moment, perhaps due to the the relatively few people visible compared to the size of the hall. They spent a minute inside there, marveling at the grim stonework and matching rune knights, before the black-robed man directed them over to the Corridor of Truthite Exemplars, which was a little more welcoming, and featured various strange runes, artifacts, and portraits of famous members of the order dating back to when it was the Order of Strength. Sirius, however, did not seem to enjoy the hall, and so, after a quick walk-through, the trio moved on through the connecting doorway to the Hall of Mercy.

The Mercite section of the cathedral was much brighter and peaceful compared to the dark candlelit walls of the Hall of Truth, and while there might have been around the same number of acolytes and priests around, it felt like there were more present. Lane, Sirius, and Tonya once again spent a few minutes in the main hall, then the Order's Corridor of Exemplars, which was decidedly more virtuous with regards to the types of artifacts on display, then continued on. 

It was crowded inside of the Hall of Nature, enough so that Lane had to be careful to watch Sirius, just in case she tried to latch onto the cloaks of those they passed by. Due to the hall's popularity, it was hard to get a good look at the chamber's architecture, but from what the scholar could see, it was as vibrant and as energetic as the people gathered inside. What they lost in the visual aspect, however, the triad gained in the auditory, as they overheard snippets of conversation, mostly about the events at the capital, and the mysterious resurrection of Head Wrathite Langley. Tonya's employer, however, seemed not to pay any mind to the gossip. After a few minutes, he tried to head towards the Naturan Corridor of Exemplars, but there were ultimately too many visitors to make it a reasonable endeavor. As a result , the man gave up and led his bodyguard over to the Hall of Wrath.

Or would have, anyways, had a man and a young woman not been standing directly in front of the doors of the Hall, deep in conversation. The woman was Clover Bradford, the Shield of Wrath and the former Head Wrathite's daughter, if Lane recalled correctly. The man, on the other hand, had blue hair, brown eyes, and what looked like form-fitting armor. The scholar thought he might've seen him before, in another time and place. In any case, as it was getting late, he decided not to bother the duo and turned around, heading out of the south side of the Cathedral before looping around to begin the return trip back to the estate. Once they arrived, the employer decided to head directly to the dining hall, telling Tonya that she was free to do what she pleased- which was apparently familiarizing herself with the new weapons, as she took them to the practice range.

- - -

As Lane arrived at the dining hall, he delivered Sirius to Reign, along with a note he had somehow managed to scratch out on the way back from the cathedral. Then, he moved away, took a seat, and set up quill and parchment for the meeting. Up until the exchange between Gar and Suzume, he had kept his silence as he recorded the events the Valcyns had relayed and made his own notes on the discussion so far. Once he had heard the white-haired man's latest statement he made a mental note to stay out of his way, then spoke.

"Professor Weyland, if it's alright, could you talk more about Jaeger? Since she's involved with this meeting, it might be a good idea to know more about her in general," Lane said, as he chose not to address the emblem issue quite yet. Speaking of Jaeger, though, he remembered seeing Gabbie about to say something...

***

Pavel had arrived at the meeting, after all, but for some reason he was wearing the armor he had been entrusted with by Thanatos. If asked, he would say he had just finished sparring with a few other disciples, yet despite that claim, he made no effort to even take off his helmet.

"Emperor's son or not, Fox isn't someone you really want to mess with, or so I've heard," the Uniter said, upon hearing about the man. "As mentioned, he's one of the most-feared Separatist warlords in Neviskotia. However, if he has allied himself with Cygnus, and he actually is the emperor's son, then a few more things make sense, relatively speaking." 

[Phoenix]

Dining Hall

"You consider just renewing your contract with her, Gar?" Reign asked, cocking an eyebrow at the man, "or does principle overrule pragmatism here?"

"Jaeger," Weyland sighed, "She's a prodigal mage, born out in the west. She and I met years ago when I was looking into settling down. Jaeger has a singular focus on increasing her power as much as humanly possible. To that end, she is always training in some capacity and suffers from intense mental strain as a result. It's not the sole reason she's so abrasive," Weyland noted in amusement, "but I'm sure you can understand how someone in that kind of pain would feel most of the time. I'm not entirely sure what got her started on that path, but she's very principled. Trustworthy, as well ... so for her to be at that meeting suggests that this 'friend' of hers is the same person she should be keeping an eye on ..."

"Susanna Bosconovitch," Anna clarified, again.

"Right," Weyland nodded. "Mrs. Bosconovitch has ties to Cygnus, though I only made the connection recently. Prior, I believed Sardis' company, and the people stirring up trouble in Neviskotia were separate entities. I sent Jaeger to win over and keep an eye on Bosconovitch, because I believe she had ties to the latter group, and Jaeger wanted to exercise her abilities more freely abroad for a while. Normally I don't involve my people in foreign affairs, but I feared this group had larger long term goals, and I was right." Exhaling slowly, Weyland concluded. "So that about confirms the connection between Bosconovitch and Cygnus. When you go to Neviskotia, know that Jaeger likely won't break her cover, but she is still technically an ally."

"What makes sense, now?" Jethro asked, wondering if Pavel was getting at the current war between Ursium and Neviskotia. These wars were all too common; they had one at least once a generation, but in this case, it had been influenced at least partially by the death of Empress Yelena, whom some suspected had been assassinated. If Fox had anything to do with that ... well, a connection with Cygnus, a man trying to weaken these big powers, made it highly likely. Maybe that was what Pavel was on about?

[Snike]

Lane made notes on Jaegar's personality and goals, only realizing after the fact that they sounded somewhat similar to those of the original Order of Strength. He decided to keep that remark to himself, though, as he wrote about Susanna Bosconovitch, and how she was connected to Cygnus. After he had finished, he put his quill down for the time being and decided to move on.

"I see. Thank you, Professor," Lane said, after Weyland had concluded, before he turned to Gabbie. "I think you wanted to say something?"

***

"Well, the Emperor's apparent hesitance with regards to dealing with the Separatists, for one," Pavel said, careful with his words. "There's also been rumors that they assassinated the last Empress. If Susanna Bosconovitch is in contact with Fox, that provides a plausible theory of how they would have had access. And, besides all of that..., well, apparently some of the senior members of the military have been acting oddly in the past year or so, which being controlled by Cygnus might explain."

[-Cynthia-]

"Susanna Bosconovitch? The wife of Peter Bosconovitch? Does that mean that the Organization has access to the Neviskotian military's secrets? That's even worse than I thought, we need to report this immediately," Veronika noted with extreme concern.

Seeking power for the sake of power doesn't sound very healthy... Lysandra pondered before interjecting. "I wouldn't call what Cygnus does 'mind control' exactly, but it would substantially alter their world view."

[Script]

Something Something Called

"Just because someone has the means to set a broken bone doesn't mean it wasn't broken in the first place."  Well, they'd understand it soon enough. 

[Phoenix]

Dining Hall

"Principle it is ... I gotcha," Reign said, nearly rolling his eyes at Gar's metaphor. Principle was all well and good, but what use was there having a conniption over some technicality, particularly when his plans usually consisted of killing the opposition anyway? Professional pride: A mark of excellence, or rage inducing stimulant? It was difficult to see the former at the moment, but quite the opposite for the latter.

Jethro wondered who they would warn about Susanna and if anything would be done about it in the short term. Even being an Ursian, he knew about that woman. As far as the public was concerned, she was the wife of one of the few easily identified Guardian Corp members, and an absolutely vicious vigilante. Known by various monikers like Lady Wrath, she and her mercenaries were known to scour the capital region like a pack of wolves, slaughtering outlaws and bandits by the cartloads. There was no doubt she and her people had a vendetta, and weren't simply cleaning house. Of course their activities, despite being quite inhumane at times, were nonetheless tolerated by the government.

Jethro agreed wholeheartedly with Lysandra's input on Cygnus' methods of control. He'd been subjected to it the same as Sardis. There was no change in personality or goals, just a slight tweak, a push that probably seemed insignificant to most, but that ultimately altered the big choices. Steer clear of the battlefield or march straight into hell. Fight for one faction or another. These choices hinged on a multitude of extremely small factors, and Cygnus knew how to exploit them using dark energy. His apology for the deed had been welcome but meaningless. In the end, Cygnus was like most people; he'd rather be apologetic, yet victorious.

Gabbie shrunk ever so slightly when Lane brought her into the discussion. "'Want''s not the right word ... not exactly ... but people I know keep comin' up in this briefin' and that Emil you mentioned is probably one of'em." ... and with that, she had Jethro's full attention.

"I was going to ask you about that," the elder Valcyn said, gesturing at Gabbie, "You and that Emil guy have the same accent."

"Yeah," Raquel nodded, "they do."

"Definitely Emil, then," Gabbie sighed, "Look, there's not much to tell, there. He and I aren't from Sardius. We came over here as children and got captured along with everyone else. I don't know how Emil escaped ... but I got out the hard way ..." Well, that was one way to put it.

Edited July 16, 2017 by Phoenix

[Nanami Touko]

This was getting so very confusing... Amalia was trying to keep pace on things, but was quickly being lost behind a wall of facts that she didn't have. That, and that Gar fellow, radiating such an intense feeling, it was enough to make her start squeezing hands. Oh! Right. Erion was there. She quietly cleared her throat, leaning near him. "Uhm... Would you be able to help me? I'm starting to lose the conversation... I feel like I'm too new to pick up on some of these names being thrown about."