[CENTER][color=0054a6][u][b]Hotel Kupol, T’sarae, Day of Departure[/b][/u][/color][/CENTER][hr] [i]Five more minutes… Just let me enjoy the warmth for five more minutes…[/i] The only thought drifting through Viveca’s mind dawn first began to break over the horizon was that of a simple wish to stay in bed. It was warm here… and safe… Free from the discussions, planning, and ceremonies of the last few days. She wiped the sleep from her eyes and very gradually began to sit up, suddenly struck with a cotton-filled mouth and a spinning room. Before the Inquisitor could even reach for her timepiece, she felt a violent twist in her stomach. Wrenching herself from the sheets, Viveca darted for the attached washroom. Through bleary eyes, she looked up from the porcelain bowl and blinked in surprise, gathering her bearings, and only had one question come to her mind: [I]How much did I spend on this room?[/I] It was far more opulent than anything she was used to… She could remember as far as stumbling into the hotel, but most of the night after a couple rounds of shots with a group of SA soldiers was little more than a blur. While gently rubbing her temple, Viveca leaned back over the bowl, catching her breath, when she felt a hand on her shoulder. In a moment of shock, she wrenched away and fell on her ass, leaning against a bathtub, her gaze met by the visage of a very tired-looking woman. Should she recognize this person..? “Viv? Are you… okay? It’s so early…” The unknown person spoke with naught but concern. “I… Uh… Y-yeah…” Came her rather shaky reply before she wipe the edge of her mouth and climb out of her vulnerable position, holding her head with a free hand to keep the growing pressure at bay. “I mean. Yes. I’m fine, just under the weather. What are you doing…” That was when she remembered – a cheery girl, probably only a year or two her own junior from the ceremony. One of the older SA soldiers’ daughters, though at this point, Viveca wouldn’t be able to tell which one if her life depended on it. She had long black hair, a mess from a night in the bed. “Up… so early,” She finally finished her sentence as the pieces fell into place. This girl was an odd choice, she realized as the antics of the evening caught up to her. “You leapt out of bed so fast, I’d have to be a hibernating bear not to wake up. Now come, you need more sleep…” The soft-voiced woman proposed, reaching out to help Viveca to her feet. The Inquisitor shook her head and used the edge of the tub as a support. “I’m fine.” What was this woman’s name, anyway? Too late to ask, maybe it would come back to her later. “I need to get dressed, we’re getting underway later.” In another world, on a better day, the previous night would be more than a few glimpses of moments, but in this moment Viveca only knew she had to leave… and hopefully find her coinpurse with a [I]little[/I] heft to it still. Maybe they gave her a discount? In a stumbling rush, Viveca began to collect her affairs. While putting on her uniform, she felt like her brain was expanding, pressing against the sides of her skull. Never again, she lied to herself. Struggling to pull a boot over her foot, the other woman reappeared, lending a hand. Why was she so pushy about being [I]helpful?[/I] Had she any idea with whom she was dealing? With a reserved sigh, Viveca allowed her to help and pulled her coat over her shoulders. “You can’t stay for just a little bit?” The woman asked quietly, a small smirk on her face. Lucky her, she clearly hadn’t had half as much to drink as the Inquisitor. “Your folk really can’t stop working, can they?” “No. And I pray you’ll never have the displeasure of realizing it a second time.” Finally, Viveca rose and checked her equipment one more time. It seemed she had packed [I]very[/I] little. She tied her hair back in her signature ribbon and headed for the door. Halfway over the threshold, she froze and looked back. For the first time in that short morning, she saw that the girl wore a pained frown. “I…” Viveca sighed and averted her gaze, “Thank you for making my last night in T’sarae a memorable one…” It was a white lie, for now, but she was certain that a little water and a nap on the ark might help jog her memory. “I’ll see you around.” Her name was Rebecca, Viveca later remembered. She spared only a few minutes ruminating on the exact implications of the night they’d shared, but with the festivities at a close, there were only two things on her mind, as there had been all the way here. [I]Vai’roth[/I] and the elusive [I]Ashe-rahn[/I]… [CENTER][color=0054a6][u][b]The Frontier, Day 3[/b][/u][/color][/CENTER][hr] Viveca sat in her stateroom, pouring over the journal that she had found under Indira’s instruction. It felt like so long ago now, and yet she hadn’t discovered anything new in its pages. The past three days had been nothing but a monotonous dredge of meetings, briefings, and only a shred of time to sleep or think about anything but the present. An ironic twist, considering the future was where Warbands Phoenix’s and Leviathan’s fates lie. She hadn’t had time to contact Oren or Tatiana about their plans for Vai’roth or their thoughts on this gods-forsaken book in days. What she would give to have all of the Inquisitors gathered without prying eyes for just a single meeting… maybe somebody else had insights they could all use. Her eyes scanned every page, but she couldn’t make out any more words than she had when Ashe-rahn, or some figment of him, had attacked her in the catacombs. She also had no new information on the shapes or sketchings outside of the possible depiction of the mysterious man’s shield. “I can’t go on like this. Somebody has to know [I]something![/I]” She cried out in frustration, “I’m obsessed with this stupid thing, which might be a dead end anyway! I’m just toying with my own curse, waiting until I uncover my death…” The Inquisitor mused aloud to herself, flipping several pages over in the hopes that she would land on one she hadn’t seen a dozen times before. Finally, in a moment of desperation and frustration, she slammed it shut, picked it up by the spine, and rose from her seat. [I]”FUCK!”[/I] She shouted, hurling the tome at one of her room’s walls. Immediately, she crumpled to the ground with cry of anguish, clutching the back of her neck as needles and swords pierced her repeatedly. It felt like ages, but in mere seconds it subsided, and she remained on the floor, taking deep breaths. A quiet sound rang out from all around her before it began to crescendo. Laughter filled her ears from every direction, sounding like it was closing in on her with every moment. That, too, subsided mere seconds later and she pulled herself, shaking, to a seated position on the floor. Her eyes stared daggers at the book she’d thrown… Why was it taunting her like this? “What do you want from me..? Why did Mother Indira tell me to find you? You’ve been nothing but a pestilence!” She shouted, finally getting to her feet and striding to the book. As she reached down to pick it up from the ground, she saw that it had fallen open to the page with the burning azure ring, the word [I]Ashe-rahn[/I] staring back at her menacingly. Did the book feel pain? Perhaps a very real part of Ashe-rahn was inside of it, and he felt it when abused… But where could he, or it, or… whatever it was get the power to harm her back? She checked her timepiece – this would have to wait… That wretched book, if nothing else, knew how to reel her back in as soon as she was ready to burn it. Viveca closed the door to her stateroom and checked that she had everything with her. Her ribbon held her hair back in a conservative ponytail while her falchion rested in its scabbard at her side. She placed a gloved hand upon its hilt and the other upon the leather satchel strapped over her shoulder, containing the tome and a few odds and ends for the day. Mayhaps she would find time to discuss getting together a meeting of the warband so that they could all make sure they were on the same page. She entered the warroom rather early, giving her enough time to find a seat and take her place before the gaggle of last-minute arrivals came rushing in. Truth be told, she felt a rush of satisfaction as Ilya was called inside, lightly chastised for his tardiness. Then, finally, Ragnar arrived and they could begin. It was the song and dance of upper-echelon militants, Viveca observed – tell the troops that things are going to be smooth-sailing and easy so they don’t panic, then let the decision-makers know that they could be utterly screwed if anybody makes a mistake. She maintained her silence and composure – anybody who thought that this trip wasn’t going to be massive obstacle after massive obstacle was kidding themselves. If they were going to shudder at the thought of the Narrow Gates, then any mention of the impending doom would induce absolute mutiny. The thought of it alone could break some of the officers on the ark, based on their reactions to this news. However, the mention of malfeasant undesirables being noted to board and attack arks did pique her interest. Viveca glanced to Astraea as the floor was opened to any wishing to put forward a plan. Silence cut the room for several tense moments as everybody rolled the words around in their heads. Finally, she stood up and felt several pairs of eyes immediately fall on her. Clearing her throat, Viveca spoke. “So, with only rumours to work from, we’re left with a few possibilities – and please, join in if I miss any. I’m a warrior and I don’t have Father Galahad’s skill with strategy. Right now, as far as the walls go, I don’t have a lot to put forward. Engineering is more Father Rodion’s wheelhouse. I will say as far as this mysterious creature goes, though, that we could be dealing with at least two options: firstly, an insurmountable number of relatively small cretins throwing themselves at the hulls and paling until they find a weak point they can push through as a group. I’d say that seems plausible, since it would make it easier for them to flood an ark or overwhelm any individual soldier. Conversely, it could be a handful of larger creatures and, if the alleged fallen Inquisitor made a misstep, they got lucky in one-on-one combat. If we have an option for reconnaissance, it needs to be taken. Maybe a small contingent of Inquisitors could investigate – catch one, even.” She looked around the room for reactions and saw a few uneasy stares from the officers of the ark. “Look, I don’t want to risk any of my Brothers or Sisters, but this kind of business is our intended purpose. We may be valuable, but we’re useless if we aren’t doing everything we can to [i]prevent[/i] harm to the ark before it comes to our doorstep.” With that, she sat back down, turning the floor back over with a wave of her hand. Hopefully it was as obvious to everybody else as it was to her that this was also her volunteering for the perilous mission as much as it was her suggesting it.