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[hider=Collab between Zaresto and jagajac]
Erika halted as she was approached by the group. There before her stood Calliope, Fell, and Liara. She was reasonably well acquainted with the three of them, but she was in no mood for any formalities. Luckily, she did lighten up at Calliope's attempt to remain comical, also realizing that keeping that dull and morose look over her face helped no one. Erika wasn't sure whether or not Calliope had any ulterior motives for interrupting her ramble, as such a meeting between the two rarely happened by chance. Whether or not it was premeditated mattered not, as both Fell and Liara left the two alone, being sure to give some motivation to their semi-depressed leader as they went.

[color=IndianRed]"I suppose there is something you wish to discuss, Calliope. I suspect that our meeting was not born out serendipity,"[/color] Erika sighed as she turned to Calliope, [color=IndianRed]"What was it that you said about needing morale? What has transpired since last we met?"[/color]

Calliope smiled politely at both Fell and Liara as they left the two leaders to conspire in privacy on the edge of the Mercenary training fields. Erika's proper language and attentive stance caused Calliope's shoulders to rise ever so slightly. The Mercenary leader had such focus and practicality written on her face at all times that it frequently made Calliope question her own authority. She shook her head slightly and smiled fanitly while gathering her racing thoughts into an intelligible strand of receivable information. It would be a futile effort for Calliope to completely smother her joyful nature, even in this time of trouble, so she spoke to Erika in the same playful tone as before. [color=goldenrod]"Come on, you know I [i]always[/i] love to talk with you about battle strategies, weaponry, and whatever it is you Mercenaries call fun."[/color] She turned her head to the side and looked away shortly before speaking again; this time with a more purposeful hint upon her tongue. [color=goldenrod]"Look... my scouts and I spotted [i]something[/i] the other night."[/color] She kicked at the dirt with one of her feet and tried to keep her voice calm and steady. [color=goldenrod]"Truth is, Erika, I don't think we have a lot of time before another wave of Cimmerians overtakes this camp. We need to leave, tonight if possible. I think one of us needs to take all the newest recruits and whatever they can carry to the far eastern side of the forest. There's a sheltered glen there where we can setup again before..."[/color] Ever since her Gathering, the Estuary leaders had drilled a common phrase through everyone's heads: We fight together, we die together, we move on broken, and we carry the spirits of those who fell. The routine was a normal way of life for anyone fighting the Valeriyan war. Even after four long years, Calliope still hadn't fully accepted or come to terms with this "truth". She looked up to Erika, silently conveying the remainder of her thoughts through her moist amber eyes. Calliope inhaled and cleared her throat once before breaking their gaze. [color=goldenrod]"We need to discuss and make final preparations in less than a quarter of an hour."[/color] Now Calliope's words sounded forceful and demanding. A low whistle sounded from the back of her throat, and heavy footsteps shattered the silence between the two girls. Bastian obiediently trotted up behind Calliope, his mane tickling the back of her neck as it was caught by the warm evening breeze. [color=goldenrod]"Gather your Mercenaries for the Circle, I'll tell Kieren to do the same."[/color] Calliope bowed respectfully before striding away, Bastian following closely on the girl's light, quickened heels.

It took a while for Erika to digest what Calliope had said. It had seemed as though her hypothesis from earlier was true, although the details pertaining to it were much grimmer than she expected. Erika made her way towards the heart of the Mercenary camp, trying to devise a plan based on what she had just heard. The camp really didn't have any time, it seemed to her. As she reached the heart of her camp, she gave a loud whistle and began to shout, [color=IndianRed]"All right boys, we got a Circle in 10 minutes, get ready!"[/color] She managed to hide her dread by a facade of sterness, but Erika knew it wouldn't help much. She began to walk back to her tent, biding her time before she had to face reality. As usual, Mikhael was able to somehow sense what she felt, reluctantly moving away from his bed to comfort Erika as she entered her tent.

The sound of Erika's powerful voice trailed behind Calliope and Bastian as they rounded a tent corner, heading towards Kieren and the other Practitioners in her stead. Although Calliope's heart was racing with impulsivity, her head reminded her that Dominique was closeby with insight from the bright Familiar, Edith. There was no need to act before they graced the Circle with their presence and knowledge. She almost ran into Ashlinn as her mind wandered, but Bastian grabbed her jacket collar gently in his jaws to prevent the collision. Calliope looked up to her Vein, a mixture of confusion and appreciation swirling within her eyes, and she spoke to her sister without wandering from Bastian's gaze. [color=goldenrod]"Kieren, you and your Practitioners are needed in the Circle. Try to be faster than me... for once."[/color] She turned her face jeeringly towards Kieren before jogging off to the outskirts of camp.

She ran into Tate at the corner of the trees and looked around hurriedly for other Harbingers. Hadn't Sam just been here earlier? She shook away the thought as she addressed her comrade below, [color=goldenrod]"I'm not sure where Sam's lazy ass went to, but your lazy ass needs to follow me. Circle in less than ten minutes."[/color] She whistled a high pitched notice to her Harbingers and didn't wait for Tate to respond before briskly walking back to meet everyone else in the center of camp. Silently she prayed for Dominique's haste as she walked.[/hider]

[hider=TL;DR]Calliope informed Erika of the foreboding Cimmerian cloud in the distance. Made some mention of a plan to evacuate. Both leaders parted to round up their recruits for the Circle, which will be everyone's next post in the IC.[/hider]

[hider=People being mentioned][@Zaresto][@jagajac][@SUN] and basically everyone else![/hider]