[b]Aramir and Darius and UIcle[/b]

Uicle looked up as the two students walked into his office. If he had had eyebrows, they would have risen at the sight of all of the blood on the two of them. "Given your appearances, I'm going to guess that you encountered troubles on the way back from Yarosmere. Recently to boot as well. Have you both been to the infirmary? Sam will have your hides if you're injured and trying to hide it from him."
 
Aramir shook her head. "This isn't from our trip. We actually were just in Yarosmere. Its...difficult to explain. But things are much worse than we anticipated. The king is mad with power, and the people love him. He's able to get them to commit mass suicide and genocide for him. People are taken for questioning and he rules with an iron fist. The only resistance there is small, and losing people by the day. We have to help." 
 
Uicle glanced over at Darius. "We'll address the sudden traveling of hundreds of mile later. Do you concur with what she's saying?"
 
[color=#C19A6B]"Not everything."[/color] Darius crossed his arms and looked at the snow elf that followed him. [color=#C19A6B]"The king does have power. I would say he has mind magic, but the strength that he wields it with is... unnatural. He showed his hand by having his council kill themselves and banning the College from Yarosmere. I do not believe that [i]we[/i] can do anything to help the resistance. Any help we give may incite a war with the College."[/color]
 
"To get to us they'd have to cross through Djarkel and [i]that[/i] would  spark a war with them. He doesn't have the strength for that. We [i]can[/i] help. Even if its just supplying them." Aramir retorted, glaring up at the tall man. "He is right about the King's power. Its not normal. He seemed to be talking to someone else before making everyone at the dinner kill themselves. Taking orders from them, as they spoke in his head. He can be stopped though. If we help the re-"
 
Uicle held up a hand, forestalling anything else. "While I'm inclined to agree with Darius, going to war with a desert despot is low on the College's priority list, a full report would be helpful. Darius, you give it. Aramir, you add your two cents [i]after[/i] he's done. Then you'll both make your states as to why we should and shouldn't get involved, and I'll bring it to Khan's attention. Fair?" Aramir nodded. He looked back at Darius. "You may begin."
 
Darius nodded. He relayed everything about the trip to Yarosmere. Their arrival at the palace, meeting with Yolin, the King's enforcer, and their tour of the palace. He told Uicle about the kidnapping of a few students in the middle of broad daylight, and the public execution hidden as gladiatorial combat. How the students returned beaten up to cover their involvement with the resistance. And finally the dinner with the King and the outcome with their way home made possible by the resistance.
 
Once he had finished, Darius turned to Aramir, and waited for her to speak her thoughts. 
  
"He covered the high points. They're torturing and killiing any Naga they capture. Everyone we've met seems to be absolutely in love with him, [i]except[/i] for the Resistance. That was never explained by anyone we met. And Yolin...his powers struck me as odd. He only ever showed them when the resistance showed up and then only when he touched a scar. In addition, while they were a vitamancer power he didn't use them to heal any of the guards that had been wounded." Aramir replied, eyes occasionally rolling to the sky as she remembered details. 
 
"That is certainly bad, but not extremely concerning." Was Uicle's only comment, before he gestured to Darius again. "Now, why shouldn't we intervene in the tyrannical ruling of a desert kingdom that is openly hostile to us and actively genociding another race in their borders?"
 
Darius glared at Aramir for a moment before turning to Uicle. [color=#C19A6B]"I did not say that the resistance does not need help. I said that the college cannot help them without inciting an incident. Riovas has contacts with mercenary groups, correct? We can use them to help the resistance without getting our hands dirty."[/color]
 
 He turned back to Aramir. [color=#C19A6B]"Yarosmere is not able to march against the College as an army, yes, but they can send individuals to the College as students to do damage from within. There are many ways to go to war, and armies are only one of them. Yarosmere was my home. I will do what I can to help it become better. But, some things have changed for the better from this revolution, have they not?"[/color]
 
"An incident is already incited." Aramir hissed at him before Uicle could gesture for her to go. A year ago she would have backed down from this, this infighting. Not anymore. Giving into fighting was bad, but standing aside in timidity while people made callous choices wasn't better. "They actively threatened us and banned the College students. They're murdering people in the streets. They make a [i]game[/i] out of executions. As for your worries about about spies, first they have to be mages to even be admitted as students-"
 
[color=#C19A6B]"Are you saying that they will not send mages here? Even if they do not send mages, there are other ways they can enter the College. Hard labour, deliveries, shall I go on? I have fought many battles, girl, and while you may not see it, this mission has turned into a battle that may decide the fate of Yarosmere."[/color] Darius glared at Aramir as if daring her to deny his claims.
 
"Uicle's golems, Lucilia's companies, groups hired in Djarkel itself, Inferno below Tyrael's [i]demons[/i] if we have to." Aramir snapped. "If they're going to attack us, they will do so anyways. You [i]saw[/i] what he did. He had an entire room kill themselves just to show that he could. We need to support the only organization in that entire country that's fighting against them. Give them a chance to force him to focus resources to stopping them, rather than slowly picking them off one by one until they can't even fight anymore. We have the resources to help them, and they have the transportation to make that quick.  Mercenaries, equipment, food, whatever. We have the resources to do that. We'll be on alert for any counter attacks. we have to be now. It's either we do this, or we let him continue as he is and, how morally wrong that is aside, it'll just open us up for an attack." 
 
Why couldn't he [i]see[/i] that. She wasn't a soldier, but she knew how to guard against attacks and aid other tribes. It was no different than dealing with a pack of dire hounds.
 
[color=#C19A6B]"The College is neutral. We cannot give out food and resources to the resistance, that would show favoritism. We would have both Djarkel and Eania at our gates if even a rumor got out that we were helping the resistance. If Yarosmere were to attack the College fully, that would mean that either Djarkel has fallen to them, or that they have been swayed to the side of Yarosmere. In either scenario, we lose. Even if you are willing to toss aside our neutral standings, are you willing to toss the lives of the students that do not wish to see battle into this? Will you force them into something like the demon attack again?"[/color] 
 
Darius crouched down to meet Aramir's gaze. [color=#C19A6B]"You do not listen, I wish to help secure Yarosmere's foundation whatever that may be, but we need to proceed with caution. Any action we make here [i]will[/i] get people killed. Are you willing to rush into this and kill thousands?"[/color]
 
Aramir stared at him for a moment, eyes wide. Was he really suggesting that [i]her[/i] route was the one going to get thousands killed? To get [i]students[/i] killed? Like in the demon attack? She'd die before she let that happen. Not again. Her eyes clouded with rage and her fists clenched. "Fuck. You." She snarled at him. "We stopped being neutral when the King decided that we were his enemies. Your 'caution' is just doing nothing while he gains power and kills more people. If we can't send aid in the form of resources we certainly can't send aid in the form of mercenaries. And if we can't even make Eania and Djarkel see that holding college students hostage and threatening to kill them as a violation of our neutrality rules, nothing will make them see that and they'll be at our doors any day now. If we do not send help now, while the King is still consolidating his strength, we will never be able to help them and anyone we can help will be long dead. But you don't care about that. Gods forbid we do something like that, right? Gods for-"
 
"That's enough." Uicle cut in, his voice sharp. Aramir stopped. In her anger, she hadn't noticed the blue flames gathering around her fists and how close she had gotten to the Yarosmerian. Slowly, she let out a breath, the flames dissipating as her hands unclenched. 
 
"I can see you both feel strongly about this." Uicle said dryly, looking between the two. "I'll take your points to Khan, and the College will go from there. Go get new clothes, something to eat, and perhaps a nap. If you really insist you can even continue this conversation, but if either of you started a fight with the other over it I'll have you both strung up by your toes outside the college gates."
 
Darius looked up at Uicle from his crouch and then back at Aramir. Something he said had struck a nerve. Something that cut deeply. He was going to let her work whatever anger she had out before respoding, but Uicle had cut it short. Well enough, It meant that he ddidn't have to get burned. He straightened up, nodded to Uicle, and left the room. He leaned against the wall and waited for Aramir to leave. Once she had, Darius spoke up.
 
[color=#C19A6B]"You are far too emotional to make decisions that will cost lives. Once your mind is clearer, think on the decisions you would have made right now and go through [i]every[/i] scenerio that can arise from it "[/color] Motes of air started popping and snapping around him and Aramir.
 
[color=#C19A6B]"But If you [i]ever[/i] say that I do not care about Yarosmere again. I will do everything in my power to make this place the Pit for you."[/color] Darius growled at the Snow Elf. He had used his magic to make it so that only Aramir would be the one to hear the last part. With that said, Darius stalked off to the courtyards. He had an axe to familiarize himself with.
 
"And you are far to clinical to make decisions that affect lives." Aramir called at his retreating back. Caring for a country and caring for its people were two different things. And they were on either side of it. She had to chuckle dryly at his threat. As if she hadn't already been through it.  "Just try it." She muttered, walking away herself. She needed to clean herself off, check her bow. Calm the fire that she could feel on the edge of her fingertips. 
 
"I can take the heat."