[hr][hr][center][h1][b][i][color=a187be]Elizaveta Romanova[/color][/i][/b][/h1][/center][center][h1] & [/h1][/center]
[center][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/b4c8d8bb-ce6c-4f28-ae48-5db57c8bd072.png[/img][/center][hr][center][color=c0c0c0][b]Location:[/b][/color] Almack's [/center][hr][hr]

	[color=c0c0c0][i]"No!"[/i][/color] screamed Mary's mind. Her face did not accurately reflect the sudden surge of confusion and denial that blasted into her conscious thought. Her body still functioned with observance and grace, but it was a horrifyingly detached autopilot. [color=c0c0c0][i]"No, no, no, NO!"[/i][/color] It was not merely for the loss of life, though that was part of it. The Arch Graveolase had been killed, seemingly singled out from among the masses in attendance at this grand soiree. The Council that oversaw the Trained was without leader, having been snuffed from the world of the living by a Cargast while fleeing for his life, his last act upon the God's earth a supplication for protection. 

	But it wasn't. No, the last act of the once proud man was to announce Mary as... No, her mind couldn't quite process this fully. This was [i]unheard of[/i]. Mary was a single Venator, a Knight in the service of the Church. She was no politician, she was no leader. She was not even a Knight Commander yet. Mary was a twenty-two year old woman without secular title or noble House, now entrusted with the care and defense of every man, woman, and child that breathed the life of the Soulled. It strangely fit very snugly to her Oath as a Dame of St. Sylvester, but on a massive scale. She would have to work this out later. Right now, she had a job to do, Arch Graveolase or merely Dame. If it be God's Will that she fall that evening, she would not do so as her predecessor did, right in front of her. Time to go to work.

	Mary nodded her head gravely in response to Elizaveta's pledge to protect her. It seemed that their roles had changed, at least at face value. Mary still had the Grand Duchess's interests and safety at heart, but her responsibilities just got bigger. She had to change her tactic. 

	Perhaps it was the sudden rush of emotion that she tried to batter back down, but her Trained sense of Tanter picked up nothing useful whatsoever. There was evidence that Buckingham had been taken by a Cargast right in front of them, but she could not pick out the Soulless from the Soulled in that moment. Hefting her halberd in front of her, the young Apostolic intoned to Elizaveta, [color=c0c0c0]"We need to get to the Lady Crypt. She has talents which might help us."[/color] In truth, Mary wanted to gather a knot of Trained around them. Enough of different backgrounds would give them a fighting chance to repel what remained of this assault. 

	Elizaveta stood there, her eyes moved around slowly as she held her position. She stood at the entrance to the Octagon Anti-Chamber. To get back to Mosi and Virginia, or to at least where they saw them last they would have to go back through the Musicians Galley. Which at that time had a mound of bodies trying to get over each other and at least one dead one. Was there another route? She didn't know, this was her first time at Almack's. They needed to move, they needed protection. Elizaveta was still drained from her Ostanavlivat'sya earlier but from the looks of it she would need to perform it once more this evening. Yet there was still more to be done and Elizaveta could only think of one thing. The Vyzov. It was an old skill, a lesson taught in the woods of Russia to protect oneself from not only Soulless but from wolves, bears, and anything else that came your way. 

	[color=a187be]"Ve need help,"[/color] she said as her eyes locked with Mary. [color=a187be]"I provide cover, you find a vay."[/color] A soft coo like a dove emanated from her vocal chords, barely over a whisper and hard to hear. Her lips pulsing as the bird like call exited her vocals. It seemed an odd time to practice bird calls. That was until sparrow swooped in through the front door and perched along the crown molding. Then another, and another. Soon they were coming in from the ballroom through the balcony, through the open windows, they seemed to come in from everywhere. Veta held up two fingers pressed against each other as she sped up the call, swirling it in the air. [color=a187be]"Shov them the vay. They vill cover you."[/color]

	Mary marveled at the massive flock of sparrows spiraling and tumbling in their aerial maneuvers above her. This was nothing short of [i]amazing[/i]. Her own Training was almost purely, brutally martial; beautifully inspiring in its own right, pragmatic, and pure. But she had command of nothing as wondrous as this host of sparrows, making the air perilous for their enemies. The sight of it almost alleviated the weight set upon her heart just moments earlier. Though she did not smile, Mary's look of positive serenity returned. 

	With a flourish, the Papal Dame threw off her knightly cloak, letting it settle upon the fallen form of the Arch Graveolase. She could not give him proper protection in life; she could at least give it in a symbolic way now in his passing. She reached into the depths of her Tanter again, probing the rooms and grounds around her for any evidence of hidden Soulless. The infestation of the [i]Inanimati[/i] was apparent; obvious even. Tanter would not reveal that which was not in hiding.  

	With her cloak shed, Mary looked quite the Hunter. Black, high collared cassock, rosaries about her wrist and neck, and armed to the teeth with howdah pistol, brace of short blades, and her more nigh trademarked halberd. She took a single step away from the Arch Graveolase, mentally plotting her movement for the push to come. She was getting to her friend, even if Hell barred the path before her. The fury of the righteous flashed in her eyes, contrasting the quiet grace of her youthful features.