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Angelcynn: The Myrcian Conflict - Act 3 Reunion


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Adele hadn't been expecting the embrace from Owen's end... he had always been the last to resort to such things in their little group, not that it wasn't appreciated, the Herman heiress gently squeezing the Prince back, letting out a small sigh.

"Yes, you're right. We have a group of people to lead, and at least one country to keep in good sorts... perhaps more, there seems to much at stake now... how about the both of us go make sure that Cassandra is alright... I trust Sidney to console her a little more than Alain... though that might be just for now knowing him... still, I don't think she meant what she said... and right now I think she needs her Big Brother... not the Prince of Wyke." Adele replied, stepping out of the hug after a few moments, giving Owen a light smile.

"What do you say, think you can manage that, for a few minutes?"

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Sidney huffed. "Owen's talking with other people. I'm his girlfriend, not his babysitter... and Cass is my friend too. C'mere, princess." She knelt down next to Cass, giving her a hug and patting her on the back. "It's okay. Being out here all the time is tough for just about anyone. I'm sure Owen will be fine, you just need to make it up with him, yeah? He's your brother. Sometimes he gets swamped down in responsibilities, but of course he loves you still..." She wiped a few of her tears off gently, even giving the princess an atypically sweet smile. "Everything's gonna be okay, just you wait and see."

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Emmet found the prince's reasoning weak. Everytime we step onto the battlefield there's a high risk half of us will die. He held his tongue however, seeing no reason to prolong the discussion anymore. Though if we do see Malaphar again I think *smack* Emmet's thoughts were violently dashed aside as someone hit him in the face. He found the lady Montana standing before him hurling all sorts of abuse before quickly running away. It was at that moment he decided he didn't like Charlotte all that much. At least Serge and Claire and, well presumably, Angus had some reasoning behind their words. But all she'd done was attack his character. Even when he was simply answering the Bard's question. Emmet rubbed his face. I didn't deserve that. For the first time in perhaps his entire life, Emmet felt no compulsion to apologise after falling out with someone. And he tended to apologise even when he believed he was in the right.

With a sigh Emmet went to find some food. Bridges have been burned he said to himself. Malaphar might prove me right in the long term but for now I've been branded as the villain. Even though most of the group remained silent rather than objecting. But I suppose that just reinforces what I've always believed about humanity. The prevailing alignment isn't good or evil, Engel or Belial, but apathy and a desire to preserve the self. The self and the things that bring joy to the self. Lady Charlotte believes I don't think of other people, but I'm certain Malaphar will go on to kill many more than is in our group if we leave him be. Though I suppose she is right to some extent. That doesn't bother me on an emotional level. But it's still the truth of the matter. Am I really the only one that can see that?

Outside he discovered Serge also had similar thoughts about food. "Hey, Sergeant" Emmet called as closed the distance. "I know I made a bit of a show of myself in there" he said before giving Serge a chance to speak. "I'm sorry if I embarrassed you. You and the reliants. To be honest I'm not sure I'm all that compatible with our group. You've been pretty aloof with me ever since we first met. Normally it wouldn't really bother me." Emmet rubbed his face as he talked. "But with how that exchange just went down, well I'm not feeling all that welcome in general this morning. So regrettably I'm going to hand in my notice now. Once we reach my homeland I'll leave the Reliants."

Edited by Jotari
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"Hmm, a big brother, but not the prince..." It was sort of cathartic. This had been the first time in a very long time Owen was asked to not act as his title.

He appreciated that.

"Of course." He nodded, returning an ever-so-lighter smile. "I've been too distant, I can tell now. I think a few minutes is the least I could do."

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"Good, I'm glad. She will be too, come along. Take it from me." Adele began, gently taking Owen's hand and leading him along towards the direction Cassandra had gone, less forceful than before, an air of calmness and a bit of contentment about her.

"From experience on this one... every little sister with a big brother wants him to be her hero. We just admire you all too much to say it. I can only be her hero some of the time, Owen. No one beats the original... sometimes it just has to be you."

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He's busy, so you decided to come out here and yell some more, as if that was supposed to fix things? Conflict resolution--he wished more people could understand the meaning. "Listen, Princess Cassandra, I cannot tell you how to feel, or make you understand my perspective through words alone, I'm aware of that. But I'm asking you to trust me on this. Things will work out for the best, and sooner rather than later. You'll see," he said, debating putting a hand on her shoulder. He decided against it.

At the very least Lady Charlotte had switched her demeanor into something more palatable for the situation. If only she'd had the foresight to use such endearing words earlier, the princess might not have been brought to tears. Alas, he kept his mouth closed, and sighed, looking towards the sky. I wonder how things are back at home. At least he'd have some stories to share when he returned.

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Cass weakly accepted Sidney's hug, trying her best to stop her gross sobbing. "You are both... Both too kind... But he will be upset, with me... Anyone would, after such... Such a grave... Uhhh..." She clung weakly to Sidney, not sure if there was anything she could truly do or say to get herself to stop crying. I imagine I'll be sent home over this... I deserve it. What a fool. Just because he missed out on you once. He's prince-regent, he can't pay attention to every move and breath you make you dolt! YOU IDIOT! Why did you do this!?

Every smack in her mind brought her closer to Sidney, flinching every time. "I suppose... I-I suppose this is how you managed to become a diplomat, Alain... You have a way with, w-words... Hahha... Thank you, very much." He'd tried. As much as she didn't believe him, he'd tried, and his story had been wonderful, even if the world around her hurt.

Edited by Narmaya
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Sometimes it just has to be me... Huh. Somehow, Adele just knew how to ease Owen's mind. It was one of these things that just never changed as long as he knew her. I wish I had the power to do that every time these doubts hit me. Well, self-sufficiency wasn't inherent to humans, as Engel made it so.

"Thank you, Adele. I knew I could count on you out here." He flattered, following Adele's lead outside. "But I must say, I didn't expect she'd see me like that. We're surrounded by exceptional people, like you, Lionel, Baron Nelon... even Angus has shown some signs of reliability at his age." Though he's still quite young in some aspects... I do wonder if his new title was taken to well. "I'd think with all these people, my achievements are in the shadows... but I digress." It wasn't time to regress to his former self. Be Cass' hero... That is one thing I wish I could be more often.

It was surprisingly less walking than expected. Already, a few meters prior to exiting the fortification, Owen saw Cass alongside Sidney; both crouched, and the Raewalden Diplomat Alain next to them, just like Adele had told him. "Cass." Owen spoke up, rather informally, following Adele's hand outside. "...I'm sorry, Adele told me what you've dealt with." Unlike Alain, he had no reservations placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I know I haven't been the most present brother lately... I, I wasn't even there when you faced those siblings." He hesitated to continue that topic, it was probably not the right time. "I wish I could have a way to go back and fix things, so that none of this ever happened, so that you never felt that way... but I can only change what's yet to happen." He winced, but in truth, it was to cover how emotional he was feeling.

As much as he had forced himself out of that spiral, he still felt the sting of failure in his heart, the sting of Cass' words. Cass, his dear sister that now seemed much worse off than during the short exchange of words they had inside the building. The sister he'd failed to give a better life to. "So... W-will you give this foolish brother another chance?" Despite the attempt at toughness, tears were escaping the prince then.

Edited by Xinnidy
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Sidney ran her hand through Cass's hair gently as the princess held her closer. "Shh, it's okay now. I'm here for you, alright? We're not family just yet, but I still care about you, Cass. So just let it all out if you need to, because that's what friends do." She propped Cass's head onto her shoulder, as Owen walked outside, already making progress. "See? It's gonna be fine, everyone. Here, c'mon." She helped the princess to her feet the best she could, walking her over towards Owen. "You two have some hugging to do, I think."

Edited by Reinfleche
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"You know, you're the second person here whose said that to me. Your words mean more to me than you could know, thank you Princess," he smiled, feeling flattered. Of course, his words didn't seem good enough to soothe a crying lady, but he figured he'd take the compliment in stride. If only you could have heard the way I sounded when I was young and still living on the streets. His manner of speech at the time was practically unintelligible. But that was a story for another time. He'd told enough stories for the day, and he wasn't actually too keen on revealing his status as lowborn filth just yet--or ever. And to the princess of a foreign land, no less.

He was brought away from his thoughts by Prince Owen's prompt arrival onto the scene. "See, what did I tell you?" he whispered to Cassandra, gently ushering her off as she was helped up by Charlotte. He thought to excuse himself, but the moment was rather poignant, private as it was. He couldn't help but stay around just to see how things resolved.

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It was fine if Owen hated her, really... She had friends, it seemed. Sidney wasn't the most upset with her, and Alain was willing to spend his time helping her to try and feel better. As smooth as his words were, they did little to change facts, leaving her sat there, still crying, until--

"Cass."

"Owe...?" Scared eyes peeked up at her brother, unsure of what was about to happen. Her immediate response was to scramble away from Sidney and Alain, but both of them were pushing her up to see him. No! No, he's just going to yell at me and tell me what a mistake I've made and make me regret everything even more and-- but he didn't. Despite what he should have been doing, he'd apologized. "D-Don't, say sorry you, y-you haven't..." Please, brother, none of this is your fault, please...

Despite wanting to run, she was standing in front of him. Despite wanting to shout how wrong he was, she stayed quiet, sobbing and blubbering. Despite how much she knew she'd messed up, he was still there to care for her. "Just, like... Like always..."

He wanted to be there for her. He wanted to change whatever he could, for her. He knew what had happened to her. She slowly reached a hand out, running it across his face, thumb gently brushing against his cheek. He was shaking too. It was rare to see Owen emotional, ever. "What did I do... To you... I'm so sorry...! Owen!" She couldn't hold herself back any longer, throwing herself at him in a desperate hug, hands clinging tightly around his back as she wailed and sobbed into his shoulder.

"I was so scared! I was so scared, Owen, brother... I was, s-so... Scared, ahhhh... Uwahhh!" She couldn't bury herself any further against him, heavy gasping sobs accentuating every word that managed to squeeze its way out. "Of course!" she gasped, clutching him tighter, squeezing him-- don't let go! "Of course, you can have, any, as many, chances as you w-waaaaant...! I'm so sorryyyy!" Talking further was impossible for her, falling limp against him and letting herself cry. I'm the one who doesn't deserve another chance! You're too kind to me... You always have been, Owen... Owen! She managed to squeeze out one more thing, before her throat closed over with tears and heavy gasps.

"I love you...!"

Edited by Narmaya
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"...Really? Really? I'm trying to have myself some breakfast and throw this at me?" He straightened himself up before scratching the back of his head, just under the root of his ponytail. He gave out a sigh of disappointment. "You know, you're putting me in a bit of a spot here, Emmet. ...But I guess I can't really stop you, can I? This also means I can't pay you either. Quitting before a job is finished and all." He really did not need this this morning. He really didn't.

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Owen wished Cass hadn't placed a hand to the side of his face, it was embarrassing, but most of all, it was getting harder to hold himself back. The tear that welled up in his eye finally escaped during a slow blink. The prince was still clinging to what he could of the foolish pride he held himself to.

Then came the hug.

"C-Cass..." The prince was biting his words back, but he couldn't stop the tears any longer, wrapping his own arms around his sister's torso, holding the back of her head with a gentle hand... "Please, I... Ah..."

"Of course, you can have, any, as many, chances as you w-waaaaant...! I'm so sorryyyy!"

"I love you...!"

These were her words, Cass' words. It made him so happy... Any trace of reservation had been broken at that point, Owen joined his sister in sobbing. "Thank you, sister! I promise... I promise! You won't be scared anymo--anymore. I'll be here, ah..." He'd covered his face by turning towards Cass' head, but she could still hear his muffled gasps well, his tears falling on the cloth covering her shoulder. "I'll be here for you more, Cass, my little sister...!" He was gently caressing the scalp of her hair. "I love you, sister..."

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Owen's crying didn't stop hers, it only made it worse, as happy as she was, clinging onto him as tight as she could. She didn't want to let go. It had been so long since her brother has spoken to her, instead of the prince. "I believe you... Owen... I-I love you, I'm sorry..." Anyone else watching didn't matter. There was no way Cass was going to be embarrassed, this moment of sheer sincerity finally happening between the siblings. She gently ran a hand through his hair, starting to calm down, even if her tears weren't. "Just stay with me... For a bit. Only a few minutes... And then you can do whatever you have to, a-as the leader."

"But for now, please... Just, b-be... Be my brother."

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"Of course, Cass." Owen had no way to refuse that, embracing his sibling tighter. "I'm here, just as Owen. For now, that's all that matters." All these talks about wizards, heritage, countries at war... that'd wait. There was something Owen had forgotten along the way, and had come to deeply regret forgetting.

"I'm here, sister."

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Emmet frowned. "I'm not leaving right now Serge. Like I said, I'll see you through to Raewald as promised. You're still going to have to pay me. A man needs to eat."

Edited by Jotari
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Sidney couldn't help but smile at the siblings' affection, but she knew not to interrupt as well. Instead she approached Adele, waving. "Thanks for helping him... here and when you were on your mission, as well. I did my best not to let Cass get in trouble too, or at least as much is possible with her." She winked a bit after that. "You and I should talk more, Adele. I think we've got a good amount in common, and if the future turns out nicely, we might be spending a lot more time together."

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The Menu

Nelon wasn't sure why so many people had decided to take their conversations in front of his cooking pot, but it was convenient enough - his oatmeal feast had come to completion. Sebastian had already stacked a pile of bowls by the side of Nelon's cauldron, service was very much his forte. Hopefully some sustenance would help cool the tempers of the nobility he served - he'd managed to catch snippets of various plans to murder Malaphar, a rather decisive proposition. The remaining Reliants had congregated outside, hunger taking priority over their self-perceived inferiority.

"No, I'm sure of it." Emily said firmly, Morganna looking at the girl with complete exasperation. "The Commander deflected the lightning bolt and saved Baron Kearney. Otherwise he'd have become even more impotent."

Morganna seemed conflicted, most likely considering if using her energy was worth trying to dispel Emily's ludicrous beliefs about their boss.

However, that would have to wait, an uncharacteristically loud shout from Decima had relayed some information - who had been loitering outside away from Nelon's outdoor kitchen.

"Prince Owen! Come quick! It's Malaphar, he's hurt!" Decima cried out, pointing to a solitary figure staggering towards the castle.

She was very much correct, Malaphar had indeed returned, although he appeared badly injured. The man limped slowly towards Owen's group, clutching his bleeding chest with one of his hands. His silky hair stranded across his face, his expression of superiority hiding behind a pained grimace. Breathing heavily, he continued towards Owen, outstretching his free hand. Nelon shot a worried glance across to Owen, if a man as powerful as Malaphar could be that badly injured, it did not bode well for the threats ahead.

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"Ah, what a beautiful day!"

Doug awoke refreshed and completely oblivious to the mornings events. After getting himself dressed, he happily marched outside, where he passed Owen, Cass, Adele, and Sidney. He only caught the tail end of Sidney's conversation with Adele, but that was enough to elicit a response.

"Oh my," Doug said, perhaps too vocally , as he passed the group. In the midst of war, it was so nice that the nightlife was still so...steamy. He made a mental note to include a chapter in his "Chronicles of Dougistan" memoir about those perceived escapades. For now, breakfast awaited!

Doug made it outside, finding breakfast in a pot of boiled grain. It suddenly brought him back to his early mercenary days. He happily scooped up a bowl of gruel. He made a point not to sit with Serge, who seemed to be on the verge of yet another nervous breakdown. Rather, he hung out with his fellow nobles Nelon, Esclabor, and Sebastian. It was a good time to start networking, in case Dougistan ever needed aid.

"Gentlemen," Doug began before he slurped a spoonful of gruel, "I assume the night was uneventful."

The conversation was interrupted when a call alerted everyone of Malaphar's approach. Doug took another scoop of breakfast before setting the bowl aside and running out to the wizard.

"Damn, how are you even walking?" Doug asked Malaphar, an incredulous look on his face as he offered a hand.

Edited by Toogee
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As much as Cass had wished this moment could last the rest of the day, should it end early, she was satisfied. Owen seemed to be better as well. Whatever weight he'd been trying to carry alone was finally shared between the lot of them, even if only a bit.

That moment came sooner than later, and with an unfortunate reminder of what they had been talking about before. Slowly letting go of Owen, only one thought was on her mind as Decima announced the return of their 'ally'. "Owen... If we're going to kill him, now is our best chance," she didn't look at Owen as she said it, too transfixed on Malaphar's broken body. Whatever had hurt him had succeeded far more than they probably could have, even in a best case scenario. This gave them a chance, but for what?

"Though... Whatever hurt him might come after us, next... You'll have to decide, but... I'm with you, no matter what you choose. Alright, brother?" She glanced at him through her red eyes, smiling. "I'll have to rest for an entire day to fix my face... Goodness."

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His timing is rather impeccable. Malaphar being injured came as a bit of a surprise. Whatever he had been out doing must have been rather dangerous for the man in question, which didn't bode well for the rest of them. Alain stood up, brushing any sand or dirt off from his cloak and robes. "Well, whatever is to be decided... it would be best to try and glean whatever information we can from him. His whereabouts of the past hour, and how his injuries came to be," he said, heading down closer to the beach to inspect the sorcerer's return. Doug was there already, trying to help the man. That's a tad close, is it not? Maybe he was just being overly cautious, Malaphar was gravely wounded after all.

Edited by Vestige
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Claire remained still until all of the drama moved outside, leaving only a couple of them standing in quietly inside. Should I have done something? She asked herself, sinking into one of the seats as she listened intently, catching patches of the conversation outside. It felt a little intrusive doing so, but at the very least she was glad to know that things seemed to have improved between the siblings.


It took her another few minutes to say anything. "...Hey, Angus." she started, trying to catch his eye before continuing. "Do you ever feel like we should be doing more for Owen?" There was a twinge of sadness in her voice as she spoke. Lionel and Gerard had both left, and Owen seemed to have the weight of the world on his shoulders now. She'd tried her best to figure out the vial for him, but especially considering her failure and recent events, that didn't feel like enough to her anymore.


Of course, it was at that moment that she heard Decima's yell about everyone's favourite mass murdering wizard.


"I guess that's going to have to wait until later." she muttered, shifting position to watch the wizard through one of the windows. He was still a good distance away, so the Claire struggled to get a proper look at him, but even the strange sense of dread that followed him felt weaker. She wasn't sure if its absence was more unsettling than how Malaphar had made her feel previously. If they wanted to kill him, this was the best chance they were going to get, but she wasn't going to make the decision for Owen. The choice was his.

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After his argument with Emmet, Angus withdrew, unwilling to give the bowman any more energy when neither had anything substantive left to stay. He waited, still, as Cassandra cried and departed, as Owen was dragged off by Adele. He had done quite enough meddling of late; he considered Adele and Sidney to have those two handled, and judging by the mutual sobs of love that soon followed, Angus had made the right decision. He was only beginning to appraise the crowd, to confirm one last time that everyone was present, before he discovered Claire at his side.

"Eh? Doin' more for Owen?" Angus pauses, considering; he hadn't done much for Owen specifically of late, he realized. The young knight had mostly concerned himself with attending to other matters. After a moment, he finally shakes his head. "I think we're doin' fine. We can't all do everythin'." Angus chuckles slightly. "Owen knew, sure as spit, I'd be useless advisin', an' not much better with turf. Still, I can think of more'n one day that would've gone right nasty if I wasn' around. Long as 'e knows how t'let someone else handle the grunt work, we can make sure he don't crack, eh?" Angus slaps Claire on the back slightly, but starts at Decima's voice. A few brisk steps soon reveal the injured wizard, with many souls crowding around--even the bear! Two snaps discourage Geoffrey's curiosity, as Angus makes his way to Malaphar.

The first thing on his mind, of course, was the thought of the assassination. With Malaphar so injured, a lot of the reason to leave him alive was gone. This would be a good a time as any... if only they were sure about it. Angus had been in enough bar fights, fought enough inexperienced soldiers (hell, been an inexperienced soldier for long enough) to know that a hesitant sword might as well be a loaf of bread. Perhaps Owen could sieze the opportunity and gore the potential menace... or perhaps the wizard would capture a healer and flee. There was no telling.

With all this in mind, Angus walks just past Malaphar, pushing him back ever so slightly in accompaniment with his request. "Lie down, let us look," Angus implores softly--and to his surprise, Malaphar complies. A knife makes quick work of the clothes surrounding the wound before Angus beckons Sebastian in, looking to Owen.

"Anythin' else we can do?"

Edited by Terrador
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Claire frowned a little as Angus knocked her on the back, but didn't say anything to him as he left. I don't think 'being useless' at a task excuses you here, Angus. she thought, getting back onto her feet. She wasn't sure if she agreed with his assessment of the situation - he was right in that they couldn't do everything, but...


She shook her head. There was no time to wonder about that now. She followed a little behind the Kearney, stopping at the edge of the crowd and finally getting a better look at Malaphar's injuries. For half a second, she thought that Angus was about to try and end him instead, but regardless the wound looked serious.


Now that she was up close, she found her gaze torn between the injured wizard and Razorwind. The general consensus was that he was a threat - she could agree with Emmet about that much, and her current mindset was that anything involving the elixir was bad news - especially in the hands of such a dangerous mage. She didn't move yet, but it felt like a nervous itch was present now, willing her to finish Malaphar while they had the chance. She just didn't know whether or not to take it.

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Emmet dropped his bowl of oatmeal as he saw Malaphar approach. This had been the last thing he had expected. It was almost as if Engel had arranged the situation specifically for him. He was already reaching for his bow subconsciously to end the wizard before his mind caught up and actually assessed the situation. Why would Malaphar be in this state? Who could have done this to him? And if I kill him now Owen and the others would never let me get my hands on the Elixir. This warrants more investigation.

Emmet approached the group gathering around the wizard. He flourished his healing stave. "Well prince, how are your feelings on the matter now?"

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