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The day continued to get more and more interesting. 

The weeks between the attack and today had been moderately monotonous; wake up, shadow Justinian, go to bed, repeat. Bianca decided that Justinian had set the tone of the relationship and she did not fight it. There wasn't a shred of pettiness behind her decision as she wasn't willing to entertain the possibility of him becoming a flight risk; she knew if she pushed, he would just dig his heels in further or end up trying to run away again. Even if he ignored her existence, at the very least she could perform her duty without problem. In a way, it was easier this way as she didn't lose her focus.

That said, the meeting was nothing like she expected. Well, she did expect talks of opinions on their next step, but as it was not her place, she was happy to blend in the background and simply listen. But nothing in life was simple, and with the meeting came a revelation and a concrete plan. She had to bite her tongue to keep herself quiet, to voice her opinion that she felt sneaking around was wrong, that Sonia's point on the church warranted further discussion. But it was not her place. Prince Lucas' choices were laid out and she wasn't even going to pretend she was surprised that Justinian desired to go where he could go wild with his magic. Again. Her words, again, fell on deaf ears and he would continue to do as he pleased. At the very least she was in a financially stable place so when Commander Fyodor would dismiss her, she would be alright until she found work elsewhere. Knighthood was out of the question, but she was certain there would be some manual labor jobs looking for workers.

Bianca was pulled out of those thoughts when she was addressed for the first time by her Scion in what was a very long time. She almost thought she was mistaken, but she wore the mask of neutrality like a second skin at this point. [color=salmon]"Riva del Garda is a valley surrounded by perilous mountains. The harpies that inhabit said mountains are extremely territorial, but they're smart enough to know to leave the town alone. That people would petition the church for assistance is concerning,"[/color] She admitted. [color=salmon]"Ash--Templar Everett is experienced with slaying monsters of all types. If he is asking for help, there must be more to the situation."[/color] 

The princess of Rosaria sat in silence as the rest of the Scions volunteered to go to several places. She eyed each one critically, and at the end, found herself staring at Lucas, who was actually looking at her. He didn't look expectant, as if he already knew what she was going to say. She stood from her seat, eyeing him warily. [color=turquoise]"My duties don't allow me spare time so suddenly. I will leave things in your capable hands,"[/color] She replied to the room at large before turning back to Lucas. [color=turquoise]"May I have a word?"[/color]

Despite his reluctance, Lucas nodded, turning the map off and letting the sunlight pour back in through the windows. [color=dodgerblue]"That's all I had to say, anyway. As for those going to the academy--"[/color] He didn't seem particularly pleased about his companions, eyeing Renault. [color=dodgerblue]"We'll meet back here tomorrow and take my transport since I finally have an excuse to use it. Everyone else, feel free to enjoy the ham, not gonna kick you out if you want to stay but if you want to go, feel free."[/color]

Bianca watched as the pair approached the door, noticing Lucas stopping Belle from opening it. He placed his hand on the handle and said something she couldn't catch, and it was only then she noticed that something subtly rippled down the doors and walls. Had there been some sort of spell in the room? She did think she felt something when they walked in. Perhaps it was so there wouldn't be anyone to eavesdrop; the information presented was particularly sensitive. Whatever it was, the two royals stepped out of the room without another word, and Bianca turned back to her own plate.

[hider=Pettiness]Lucas had half a mind to let himself collapse on the floor out of spite. He had no idea what Her Royal Annoyance wanted with him, but the sooner it was done, the sooner he could sit down. He didn't bother taking more than three steps out the door, leaning back onto the wall and crossing his arms. He was sure Tyler and Sir Abram would follow shortly enough and he didn't know if Belle wanted them to hear whatever it was that she wanted to talk about. 

Belle watched him for a moment, blue eyes looking for something. He hated how she looked at him, if he was being honest; it sounded stupid considering that he wasn't a stranger to people looking at his face, but the way her eyes lingered on his got old. She could at least pretend not to be so obvious. [color=turquoise]"Your carelessness in dropping such knowledge like this without thought to whomever hears it is astounding,"[/color] She finally spoke, placing her hand on her hip. 

At least she was surprising him with a new topic. Granted, it wasn't too much of a shock that she disagreed, especially since it was a big risk considering the crew they had. [color=dodgerblue]"The criminal was picked by the Goddess herself. That's out of my hands,"[/color] Lucas shrugged.

The blonde sighed, shaking her head. [color=turquoise]"And the commoners? You think they understand the weight of what you've just revealed?"[/color]

[color=dodgerblue]"I'll know if anyone blabs."[/color]

[color=turquoise]"Will you now?"[/color]

[color=dodgerblue]"Yes."[/color]

[color=turquoise]"How?"[/color]

[color=dodgerblue]"I'm not telling you that,"[/color] Lucas rolled his eyes. Belle only stared at him, clearly wanting to say more. He let out a small sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. He didn't know if it was his exhaustion or just getting tired of the constant arguing between them, but he just wasn't in the mood. [color=dodgerblue]"I don't want to fight anymore, you're just going to have to deal with it."[/color]

At that, Belle let out a loud laugh. [color=turquoise]"Why? Because I'm the only one who could possibly challenge you?"[/color]

Lucas almost disagreed, but something about what she said didn't sit right with him. He could take any comment on his vices or his shitty attitude, but this wasn't just her usual showboating of needing to tell everyone how big and important she was. He lowered his hand slowly, matching the intensity of her own gaze. [color=dodgerblue]"Why, exactly, would you need to challenge me?"[/color] He asked her calmly.

She was smart enough to recognize that she had made a mistake, her former arrogance melting. [color=turquoise]"Challenge is the wrong word,"[/color] She admitted, eyes darting elsewhere.

Lucas wasn't buying it and he wasn't going to let this slide. He pushed himself off the wall and invaded Belle's space, causing her to step back. To her surprise, he didn't stop until her back hit the wall, and even then he was directly in her face, ignoring how it flushed red. [color=dodgerblue]"You said Sir Edmund doesn't know what power is, but the fact that the entire world kisses your ass means you have power over me. But we aren't equals--and your position won't save you if you end up crossing me."[/color]

Belle said nothing, albeit she grew increasingly uncomfortable the longer Lucas remained close. Eventually, she pushed him away, taking a step so that he wasn't towering over her anymore. [color=turquoise]"Your threat would work better if you didn't look like a ghost of a man,"[/color] She muttered.

[color=dodgerblue]"Uh huh. Now, then, any other petty grievances you'd like to bring up, Princess?"[/color] He asked. [color=dodgerblue]"If not, we have nothing more to discuss."[/color]

[color=turquoise][i]"Petty,"[/i][/color] She repeated in disbelief, pushing past him again and stomping back into the meeting room.

Lucas let out a sigh, shaking his head. She was going to continue to be a problem, he could already tell. 
[/hider][hr][hr][right]March 13th, 1000[/right]
[hider=Riva del Garda]
Nestled within the protective embrace of towering, treacherous mountains, Riva del Garda is in the heart of a sprawling valley. The river comes from the peaks above and winds its way through and cuts the city in half. Buildings of differing heights both hug the cliffs and hang onto them while a number of bridges pepper the river, connecting different parts of the city together. From a distance, the city looks quiet and few cars are around as the main source of travel is through carriages and by horseback. A number of harpies fly high in the sky, circling the valley. For now, there doesn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary, even if the harpies are the source of the problem that calls the Scions to the city.

Upon arrival, both Scions and their Templars are directed to a small outpost outside of town and closer to the base of the mountains. Once there, the sheer number of tents and supplies is a likely surprise. Church knights litter the walkways but immediately move out of the way and bow out of respect as the group is lead to the biggest tent. There isn't much inside aside from a table with a multitude of maps surrounded by chairs, but the man in question that Lucas mentioned sits alone. He looks younger than expected, his shaggy brown hair in need of a haircut, but otherwise his eyes are entirely focused.

"Sir, the Holy Ones and their Templars have arrived," The aide that led the group stated.

He finally tore his gaze away from the maps, his expression changing to something a lot brighter as he gave the group a highly infectious smile. His serious demeanor evaporated as he sprang up, hastily giving the two Scions a bow. [color=salmon]"It's an honor to meet you, Holy Ones!"[/color] He beamed happily. [color=salmon]"I'm [url=https://i.pinimg.com/564x/3e/99/12/3e9912ea350fb2c069a504a71461562c.jpg]Asher Everett[/url], the current Templar in charge. Real glad you made it, arrived at a good time, too!"[/color]

His smile widened as they landed on Ionna and Bianca. [color=salmon]"Dire times are always a great place to reunite with old friends! Well, not too old--but I do miss your baking,"[/color] He admitted to Ionna first before looking Bianca up and down. [color=salmon]"The uniform suits you. Both of you."[/color] He hastily added.

Bianca let out a giggle. [color=salmon]"It's good to see you again,"[/color] She replied warmly. [color=salmon]"But we are here on business. I can't imagine you asking for help--haven't you had a hand in monster slaying since you were a boy?"[/color]

Asher's smile faltered and he let out a sigh. [color=salmon]"Honestly, we might have been able to handle it without additional help, but their behavior is..."[/color] He trailed off as he thought to himself. [color=salmon]"Actually, I'll be direct. The harpies aren't usually a problem here--a lot of times a mischievous one might come down and scare someone, but they hunt elsewhere. The problems started when the harpies started dropping other monsters into town."[/color]
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[hider=Croia]Once a formidable stronghold built to withstand invasions and sieges, the stone walls of the fortress clashed with the new buildings it surrounded. The turrets stood high but looked weathered, the massive gates permanently open as the border was operated by a much more modern system consisting of inspection booths. Cobblestone paths made up the majority of the roads and lead up to the keep, and this combined with the streetlamps reflected the city's age. An eerie fog kept anyone from viewing the entirely of the city, but what was truly frightening was how much denser the fog was in the surrounding forests. 

The Scions and Templars were met at the entrance by a knight who lead them to the entrance of the forest. A portly man with a thick mustache paced back and forth feverishly, only stopping once he spotted the pair of Scions. "Your Holiness! A-And Your Holiness!" He greeted the pair of Scions first with a deep bow. "Thank goodness the prince sent you so quickly, I was afraid he would ignore my message. I am John Garrison, mayor of this city. If you'll follow me, I'll lead you to the forest."

He motioned for the group to follow him, deciding to explain as he walked. "This fog is a product of the spirits--sometimes it fills the forest, and we know to stay away, but as you can see, it's in the city," He spoke hastily and with great worry. "There is a spirit here by the name of Reynard that has explained that we are in danger, but the other spirits won't listen to anyone that doesn't have the holy power. So I am hoping if you speak to them, maybe they can lift the fog and everything will go back to normal quickly--"

The governor stopped in his tracks as shouting was heard. He let out a groan, shaking his head. "Oh, no, she's back..."

Up ahead, a church knight is angrily shouting at a woman. She wasn't particularly interested in what he's trying to tell her, more focused on the forest. Her clothes were old fashioned and her golden hair was neatly braided behind her, hazel eyes focused on the forest ahead of her instead of the man trying to get her attention. "You can't go in there! Are you looking to get yourself killed?!" He yelled at her.

[color=khaki]"The spirits will get further upset if you keep yelling,"[/color] The woman told him, her arms crossed. [color=khaki]"If you continue to bar my path, I will have no choice but to use excessive force."[/color]

"That woman has been harassing the knights ever since the she got here two days ago," The governor explained, nervous. "I have no idea what she's doing, but going into the forest is dangerous!"
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Doumerc was probably one of Lucas' least favorite places to visit. The place itself was fine as the aristocracy made it one of the cleanest and had their opulence lie in simplicity. But the people were another story; the pompous assholes had their priorities only in who was the most intelligent and politics was a favorite topic as every Doumerc resident thrived on arguing [i]all the time[/i]. At first, it sounded like an exaggeration, but Doumerc nobles were notoriously difficult and it was hard to maintain positive relations if you weren't Rodion. 

The l'École d'Enchantement de la Lune was victim to the insistence that knowledge reigned. A noble concept, except too many people confused knowledgeable with intellect. What people thought was intelligent, however, varied, making the entire thing an endless debate between the more viable theory. It made for an academy of the world's finest brains endlessly arguing over who was more right and years of research trying to one up one another. There was a minimum of two fistfights a week due to the heated debating and numerous rules of civility constantly being broken, though the one thing everyone agreed on was that the arguing stopped at five--and it had to be enforced harshly to pretend there was [i]some[/i] semblance of order. The building itself was nice, though. 

The reception received them well enough and a buzz of excitement surrounded the group. Not that Lucas didn't see it coming. His reputation was shit but he was still the high prince, Maya was an Instagram celebrity or something, and Allard was the shiny new Scion who was probably one of the few people whose infamy was worse than Lucas' on account of being an actual criminal. What a trio.

[color=dodgerblue]"Here I thought the nerds wouldn't bother looking up from their books for anything,"[/color] He couldn't help but comment on the curious passerby that wanted a look at the group of Scions and Templars. [color=dodgerblue]"Where is Dr. Rhaveus' office?"[/color]

"In the East Wing, Your Highness. But I believe Dr. Morasco will want to hear your response to our acceptance letter," The receptionist replied. 

[color=dodgerblue]"Rhaveus first,"[/color] Lucas replied, motioning for the group to follow him. Fortunately, the further in they were, the more Lucas' initial assumption was correct. The halls were sparse of people as it was and the few they passed would only give them a passing glance or were completely absorbed in whatever it was that they were reading. Dr. Rhaveus' office was marked with his nameplate, making it easy enough to find. Lucas knocked on the door, but there wasn't a response. Of course it wouldn't be simple. [color=dodgerblue]"Any idea where a professor would be at this time of day?"[/color] He asked the group.
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