[hr][hr][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/ZiK5eoj.png[/img][/center][hr][hr][center][color=BC3823][i][b]Present: Ayla Arslan [@Ti], Evander Fino Synesti [@RezonanceV], Tku Pictor [@dragonpiece], Fiske Flachstrauch [@jasbraq], and Zarina Al-Nader [@YummyYummy], Desmond Catulus [@Th3King0fChaos][/b][/i][/color][/center][hr][hr][color=BDB76B]The meeting had mostly broken up by the time that they returned, Marci downcast and anxious, Fiske much the same. Egosto-Alguo had slipped back into the workhouse where he would spend the rest of the following day, along with Uixel. Stela had hurried back to her home and children, bidding her sister-in-law a quick farewell and some cautionary words. It was only Cazelui, Jascuan, and Evander remaining, Samaxi having drifted off to sleep. The last of the three was nursing a cigar pensively, as had become his habit of late. 

[color=BC3823]“Care to explain why you’re slinking back in with your tails between your legs?”[/color] As usual, the Revidian did not mince words. Marci shot him a hooded look. [color=598527]“Things went bad. We should lay low.”[/color] She quickly retreated towards the backrooms. Then, for a moment, she cracked. [color=598527]“I…”[/color] her gaze dipped to her shoes for a second. [color=598527]“I can’t. I’m sorry. I need to go.”[/color] With that, she disappeared.

For all that he often seemed hard, prickly, and unforgiving, Evander was well aware that he had crossed a social boundary earlier with Samaxi and he was loath to do so again. Marceline was young, she was a lady, and she was clearly hurting. He set his sights on fitter prey. [color=d4af37]“With her, I won’t push,”[/color] he began implacably, [color=CC5500]“but from you, I need to know.”[/color]

Old man Jascuan was there, then, among them, sitting on the table, feet resting on a chair, legs crossed. He nodded slowly. [color=808000]“What happened, boy?”[/color] he asked. [color=808000]“Where are Desmond and Tku, and just how much danger are we in?”[/color]
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For Marci, it was all peaks and valleys - almost overwhelming, but now she found herself in the deepest of the latter. The youngest of the students rushed into the other room without even looking, threw herself onto the bed, and pulled her knees up to her chest. [color=598527][i]A force for good. Leave the world a better place than you found it.[/i][/color] Those had been her mother’s wishes. They still were, as far as she knew.

[hider=Tears Don’t Fall, They Crash]The girl felt sick to the stomach. Instead, she had killed a policeman. She hid her face between her knees and cried. Thoughts fled with the escaping tears, and she just let them. She remembered the look on his face but, worst of all, she remembered what had been on hers: [i]triumph[/i]! Even Manfred, who had been a soldier, who had killed and nearly been killed countless times, did not simply rush into situations like that. There was planning, there was reason and justification and - She cried some more, looking up momentarily and glancing about her surroundings. [i]Shune[/i] it was dark!

The truth was that her brother was just better than her - at least at these kinds of things. She wasn’t so deep into self-loathing that she couldn’t recognize her own talents. Marceline was good at recognizing what people wanted. She was good at recognizing how to get them to do what [i]she[/i] wanted. She could make money hand over fist.

So why had she rushed in like an idiot to save Fiske? She’d killed a man for it - watched the life drain from his eyes - ended his story! She felt sick to the stomach just thinking about it. She wanted to shout apologies, scream them, reverse the entire thing and have absolution. How could people like Jocasta and Manfred… and Desmond, Benny, Evander… there were a lot. How could they kill with such ease, plunging into life or death scenarios again and again for dubious reasons and no obvious benefit? And now Desmond and Tku were going to jail or worse for what she and Fiske had done. She still even had Desmond’s hat! Why had she just [i]let[/i] them take the fall?

[color=598527]“Stupid,”[/color] she growled, pounding her knee with her fist. [color=598527]“Stupid. Stupid. [i]Stupid![/i]”[/color] A year ago, she’d been in the process of losing her knees - the next step in a particularly aggressive form of the tethering. Now, she was walking and even running, just like the others. Just like people who weren’t sick. She had literally been given an unexpected life, and she had no idea what to do with it - [color=598527][i]except be awful[/i][/color] she thought. She’d lied, cheated, and stolen. She’d been superficial, callous, and petty towards her own brothers. She’d been a horrible friend to Zarina, her business partner and sister in all but name and, even now, she’d dismissively left Ayla alone with those two filthy rich monsters! 

[color=598527][i][b]Dami![/b] How horrible can I [b]be[/b]!?[/i][/color] she wondered. [color=598527][i]I’m better than that,[/i][/color] the fourteen-year-old assured herself. [color=598527][i]I’m a better person![/i][/color] But the family of the man she’d murdered wouldn’t agree. Things were much better between her and Manfred these days, but she still felt a pang of guilt every time she considered him. Maybe [i]he[/i] wouldn’t agree, either. Maybe Ayla wouldn’t, or Zarina!

The girl began shaking as she cried, now. She had to be honest. She’d done it to prove something: that she wasn’t just the little sister, the younger friend, the pest, the schemer, the [i]deadweight[/i]. She’d seen it in his eyes, too: Fiske was… a lot like her, really. She could picture his face perfectly, and it hurt her to see him like that. [color=598527][i]You have a crush on him, Marci.[/i][/color] She blushed and sniffed bitterly at the thought, head retreating to her knees once again. Secretly, she wished her mother was here, or Manfred, or Zarina, or… [i]Ayla[/i] gave good hugs. She glanced up at the near-distant door, however, and the person she first imagined coming through it was Fiske.[/hider]
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Elsewhere, it was Tennaxi who was pushing open doors. It was a slow, arduous process, but she’d been given run of the house, for what it was worth. [color=D8BFD8]“Zox?”[/color] she called, slipping beneath a saloon-style gate. [color=D8BFD8]“Uinza? Zox?” (Hello? Zox?)[/color] It still felt like a strange dream, or some kind of game, being stuck at this height, scooting along the floor on her hands and rear. She’d been pumped full of chemical magic and the pain was gone, but there was no shaking the surreal nature of it and the deep-set feeling that she was ruined, and permanently. It bubbled beneath the surface, threatening to boil over, but she’d done an admirable job getting on with things. 

[hider=Flagging]It had struck her shortly after Zarina had departed with the bound and gagged Cuimits: he was from one of those outlying settlements. She wasn’t certain, but she thought it was Netsazai. She knew that place, and others like it. She knew what would happen if Zarina went there. [color=D8BFD8]“Zox!”[/color] she shouted one more time, but he simply wasn’t answering. He must’ve been elsewhere, doing what, she could not say. She picked her way outside, under the endless canopy of moons and stars, energy flagging, sharp pebbles biting into her palms. Her body had not been made to move this way. She had to say something. Maybe she could prevent it. Desperately, the young cazenax cast about, searching for Zox’s massive form.

Instead, the stable door opened and it was Classa who peered out. The centaur girl, still a child, towered over her. She yawned and swayed. [color=C71585]“[i]Maxi?[/i]”[/color] she murmured, perking up and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Tennaxi shook her head. They would [i]ever[/i] be mistaken for each other now. [color=D8BFD8]“No, it’s Tennaxi.”[/color] 

Classa blinked, trotting over. She looked down at the legless figure on the ground and tilted her head inquisitively. [color=C71585]“Why are you calling Zox?”[/color] 

Tennaxi craned her neck and the child, oblivious, pawed at the ground with one of her front hooves. [color=D8BFD8]“Because we need to go get Zarina. She’s flying right into a trap!”[/color][/hider] 
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If Tennaxi was set on rescuing her friend, there appeared to be nobody able to rescue Ayla Arslan. Though the wily Torragonese had succeeded in stalling Talo and Wesca while her friend Marci had snooped, she was now alone with the pair: a smaller fish in a tank of barracudas, but at least a somewhat… fabulous one. It was Talo who seemed to be most in charge, and him to whom her question was addressed. 

[hider=Drinks Before Dawn]He seemed to consider. [color=IndianRed]“A human could learn the Vozas, suppose I,”[/color] he admitted, stroking his chin, and his wife nodded, seeming to agree. [color=olive]“Human was Nyax-Acan,”[/color] she chirped, leaning in and regarding Ayla with large, warm, searching eyes. 

Ayla repeated the words softly, trying to memorize them, as they seemed important: [i]Nyax-Acan[/i]. She smiled warmly and gestured to Wesca, encouraging her to explain more about whom this human was.

Before she could do so, however, her husband cut her off. [color=IndianRed]“Nyax-Acan is a story, my love.”[/color] His Avincian was quite good, but stilted. He was speaking it solely for Ayla’s benefit, as there was an intake of energy instantly recognizable as that of the VOID. He closed his eyes for a minute and focused. He furrowed his brow and concentrated, then, perhaps genuinely challenged, or perhaps merely making a show of it. Wesca’s eyes widened, inquisitive, and then she clapped. From a black splotch of nothingness, Talo-Tecazan-Mostix-Cazui drew forth a large orange-striped cat by the scruff of the neck. [color=IndianRed]“Remind me of one you did, I suppose.”[/color]

Ayla had experienced dark magic before, especially when it came to summoning demons, or that incident with the stiletto back at the academy. There were always various strange beings and creatures breaking through, but the Vozas seemed different. Watching how Talo was able to bring forth a cat, living and breathing as if from the streets of Varrahasta, made her even more fascinated. Perhaps there was good to be found in this magic, the ability to control what comes through. If they could do this from simple things like food staples to creatures like a pet cat, the possibilities become unimaginable. [colour=009fff]"This is the most beautiful thing we have seen,"[/colour] her eyes widened as she moved toward the kitten, touching and stroking on it to confirm its authenticity. [colour=009fff]"We have seen this type of magic used... misused, rather, but seeing it in the hands of someone like yourself helps us understand better."[/colour]

Talo smiled. [color=IndianRed]“The vozas is our most wondrous Gift,”[/color] he replied reverently, while Wesca took in the little animal. The orange longhair was dropped into Ayla’s arms with a small mew and, for a moment, he struggled. She was not without some calming ability in chemical magic, however, and he soon settled down, nuzzling into her hand as she cradled him and sinking his claws lovingly - and painfully - into her clothing and whatever lay beneath. [color=Olive]“It is,”[/color] Wesca agreed, [color=Olive]“but right are you. Use this, not all can or should.”[/color]

[color=IndianRed]“[i]Most[/i] should not,”[/color] concluded Talo with a scowl. [color=IndianRed]“Only the best of a society can be trusted.”[/color] His face softened briefly, looking at the kitten, however.

Ayla found herself in agreement. This is a magic that seemed to be easily abused by those who pervert it for their own ends. However, it hasn't all been bad. [colour=009fff]"We haven't witnessed many good things come out of it before, except for the Eggs. They saved my life and the lives of my friends twice, and we even got to witness their ascension. That was a beautiful sight."[/colour]

Then, there were figures approaching from the near distance: a pair of hard-faced sirrahi and one of those faerie-like beings hovering behind them, arms crossed. They bowed their heads briefly and perfunctory in greeting Ayla, and addressed Talo in rapid zenuese. He furrowed his brow, listening, and then stiffened. He exchanged a couple more words with his wife before bowing to Ayla. [color=IndianRed]“Very sorry am I,”[/color] he said quickly, [color=IndianRed]“but I must go. Something urgent has come up.”[/color] He turned on his heel and hurried towards the house, just short of a run. She was left with Wesca and the as-yet unnamed cat.

Ayla found herself alone with Wesca, offering her a reassuring smile.  [colour=009fff]“We still have to give this one a name.”[/colour] She stroked the cat while attempting to salvage her dress from the claws, pondering for a moment. Then her eyes lit up,  [colour=009fff]“You mentioned a human, their name was… Nyax-Acan? Would this be fitting for a cat?”[/colour] She looked toward her encouragingly, as if prompting her to continue the story where she left off before it was dismissed by Talo.

Wesca let out a bark of laughter almost immediately, gaining control of herself before long. Still, the reaction had been taken. [color=Olive]“Goodness, no!”[/color] she giggled, with an easy shake of her head. [color=Olive]“A sacred name is it, you see.”[/color] She shook her head some more. [color=Olive]“Certainly not appropriate and, anyhow…”[/color] Her voice trailed off for a moment and returned, lowered as if in some acknowledgement of the sacrilege. [color=Olive]”‘Dark explosion’ means it. Maybe not best name for the bright orange cat.”[/color]

Ayla couldn’t help but find herself giggling too; the laughter was infectious. [colour=009fff]“Sacred names are definitely a no-no.”[/colour] She smiled as she looked toward the cat, “Bright, Orange, and turned up out of nowhere.” Perhaps the talk of an explosion made him come to mind, but it was fitting. [colour=009fff]“What about calling him Benny?”[/colour] She went into her dress, flicking through some coins and showing a copper one to Wesca. [colour=009fff]“This is what we call a Benny, and the saying goes, they always have a habit of turning up when least expected.”[/colour]

[color=Olive]“Benny…”[/color] Wesca trailed off, mulling the strange word over, before smiling. [color=Olive]“Just so!”[/color] After a slight apprehension, she reached out to pet the little furball, but he was having none of it. Restless and wary, he squirmed to be let go.

Ayla sighed a little, [colour=009fff]“It's a shame we can't provide a treat for him, like some chicken or catnip, perhaps.”[/colour] She moved to place her hand against the back of his head, using some chemical magic to help soothe him, so he's no longer as agitated. Then, she turned to speak to Wesca and blushed lightly. [colour=009fff]“This is meant with respect, but you both remind me of my parents a little.”[/colour] She smiled a bit in a teasing but friendly manner. [colour=009fff]“My father is the Duque of a big trade city called Varrahasta. He's very important, so he's always busy with work all the time, often having to be on call to advise the King.”[/colour] She then looked toward Wesca, [colour=009fff]“and my mother is left to do the very important tasks of managing the household, entertaining the guests – a vital but often underappreciated role. Allowing my father to be at his best.”[/colour]

Wesca had given up on petting little Benny by then. She sighed. [color=Olive]“I guess I [i]am[/i] about this age now.”[/color] She shook her head. [color=Olive]“Very different are you from mine daughter,”[/color] she admitted, starting to walk. She led Ayla towards a balcony that overlooked the canyon city in a panoramic view. [color=Olive]“This girl, I love, but think, does not she.”[/color] She shook her head sadly. [color=Olive]“She will not listen to king’s words. Only on what her friends say, him judges she.”[/color] Ayla noted Wesca’s words, and it was how she suspected, the pair didn’t completely agree, and continued to listen intently.

It was the wee hours of the morning and there seemed to be some sort of commotion down below. It was out of sensing range, in any event, and she paid it only cursory concern. Presently, a sirrahi servant approached, bowing once again in Ayla’s direction and speaking quickly to Wesca in her native tongue. The noblewoman nodded and he departed. She seated herself at the small table there, slumping and letting out a sigh. [color=Olive]“My husband outshines me not because of ability, but because he has the better name, and he is a man.”[/color] She shrugged. [color=Olive]“My hobbies have I. Places to shine have found I.”[/color] She sniffed. [color=Olive]“My friend is her majesty. She comes sometimes. We garden, we talk, we drink.”[/color] She regarded Ayla and the cat, who seemed to want to explore now instead of being held. [color=Olive]“Drinks soon, by the way. Still acceptable before sunrise, no?”[/color] She let out a snort.

[colour=009fff]“My brother is favoured because he is a boy as well.”[/colour] It was not an exact parallel, but Ayla attempted to empathize with her nonetheless. It also made her wonder more about Wesca, and she decided to be a little daring. [colour=009fff]“My father has this habit of talking over my mother in public, as if he is worried about her outshining him. Even though when they are alone, he is a lot nicer toward her.”[/colour]

Wesca sighed, glancing at her almost… evaluatively. Then, she waved dismissively. [color=Olive]“Oh, I let him think he wears the pants, and he [i]is[/i] much more agreeable when it’s only the two of us. Besides, I have my garden, and he doesn’t [i]dare[/i] interfere with that.”[/color]

Ayla glanced toward the green space and its carefully cultivated plants. [colour=009fff]“It [i]does[/i] look like you take wonderful care of your garden; the well-attended plants are quite evident.”[/colour] She leaned down to inspect those nearby and began to use her chemical magic to attempt to decipher Marci’s meaning. The plants didn’t look like they were being killed, more like someone had tried to plant crops in Varrahasta. Her mind clicked as she knew what to look for – salt content – and she found it. [colour=009fff]“We are from the coast, and sometimes the plants struggle due to the salt water from the sea. Perhaps the water source you are using is drying up. If you switch, you should get a better harvest.”[/colour]

For a moment, there was a flicker of something that crossed Wesca’s face, and it was so brief that Ayla had to have imagined it. Was it annoyance? Jealousy? Suspicion? Whatever it had been, she quickly moved on, letting out a quick bark of laughter as the servant approached with a platter. [color=Olive]“Water drying up, in a desert.”[/color] She grinned ironically. 

With the cat being more pleasant, Ayla decided to let him down to explore. She found herself possessive of the creature and concerned about it making a fuss, as she was there as a guest. She chided herself, remembering he wasn’t actually her cat, even if she was attempting to adopt him. He was quick to go walkabout, darting into the bushes in pursuit of a gecko. 

Then, the bottle of cactus wine and two glasses had arrived, and her attention was drawn back to the table as Wesca accepted them from the sirrahi, who bowed hastily and crisply and hurried off. [color=Olive]“Good it is your Somnes here,”[/color] she declared, gesturing toward the nearly-started sunrise as she began pouring. Ayla looked over briefly. [color=Olive]“A few more minutes of darkness.”[/color]

She smiled warmly toward Wesca and nodded. [colour=009fff]“You’re right, one of the many perks of the cold months: more time in good company and drinking till your heart is content. Thank you for being a gracious host.”[/colour]

Wesca handed her a glass and returned the smile. [color=Olive]“Thank you for being the good guest. ”[/color] The cazenax raised hers in a toast. [color=Olive]“To gracious hosts and good guests.”[/color]

A pair of glasses clinked as the horizon brightened behind them, and both sipped eagerly. [color=Olive]“You know, the worst part about it is that I like you,”[/color] said Wesca, her voice… odd compared to how it had been before. [color=Olive]“You’re bright - naive but bright, resourceful, and… charmingly forward.”[/color]

Ayla tilted her head to the side, an unease quickly building inside of her. [colour=009fff]“How is that bad?”[/colour] she inquired, casting about briefly for the cat. The wine was hitting her hard, it was - 

[color=Olive]“Because you deceived me, Ayla. You and that other girl are in league, exchanging coded messages somehow, and she’s just plundered our house and our safe.”[/color] Wesca shook her head and there was a draw of magic. Ayla stumbled to her feet, but she was woozy. It was poisoned! She’d been poisoned. She tried to draw on chemical magics to counter the effects, but she found herself drawing against Wesca. Talo emerged as well, and then it was their combined force. [colour=009fff]“You offrd uss foodn drink!”[/colour] she slurred. [colour=009fff]“We wwere jusscurious!”[/colour] The wife was snapping some words at her husband in their native tongue. Then, the balcony railing was immediately behind Ayla. Benny was nowhere to be seen. [color=Olive]“You know things you shouldn’t know.”[/color] Wesca shook her head. [color=Olive]“We can’t take that risk. I’m sorry. It’s nothing personal.”[/color]

Dimly, Ayla registered herself falling: falling towards the ground far below.[/hider][/color]
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[color=FFE4B5]The sun rose over An Zenui, the streets of the great city already coming to life. Thin trickles of people scurried about in the predawn: cazenax, sirrahi, and the others that had been brought into being through the efforts of the first. The barest amount of dew collected on its myriad surfaces, much of it carefully channeled into clay pots or metal pans or catchment basins. Great steel plates on arms were swung out into the sun’s rays to warm for the day. By the evening, thousands would be cooking off of them and eating. 

[hider=Netsazai]Outside of its boundaries, however, morning routines were sparser and more humble, and many had long been awake. They wasted nothing: not time, not energy, and not space. So it was that, in the outlying village of Netsazai, a young boy and a young girl, twins of no more than six years old, were already outside, reveling in the feeling of the nascent sun on their night-cooled skin as they coaxed water into scuffed pots and clouded old jars. Their mother was bustling about the kitchen with their older sister and their oldest brother was saddled with the undesirable task of changing the baby. Ostensibly, the children were outside to wait for their father, who had promised to return by the morning.

Cazan leaned into Cazéa. [color=87CEFA]“You think it’s gonna move?”[/color] he whispered, but the girl was enraptured. [color=FFB6C1]“You think it’s safe?”[/color] she replied after a moment. [color=FFB6C1]“It’s a dwagon aftew all.”[/color] A dragon, indeed, it was. The great reptile was resting on the sands, having arrived sometime just before dawn. There was a single rider - a silver clad knight in the style of the distant twin continents - perched upon its back, and it seemed, to the two children, like something out of a fairytale come to life. The question that faced them was: is it good, or is it bad?

The knight’s helm came off, allowing Zarina’s long, brown hair to flow out and her sweaty scalp to take in the cool morning air. A long sigh escaped her as she took in the views and noticed the young audience she had gathered after landing Alqasas near the destination: A red domed home in some ass-nowhere village close to the city. The human waved down the cute little Cazenax spawns with a warm smile on her tired face. [color=#E5E4E2]“You wanna say hi?”[/color] she asked, the language barrier making her verbal offer pointless, but the gesturing of her right, normal-sized hand communicated the intention well enough. 

The twins regarded each other, Cazan taking the tentative lead. Cazéa’s head popped out sporadically from behind her brother’s, but the child’s eyes were filled with wonder.

Cuimits was there as well, though as-yet unrecognized by his children. He had come in Tennaxi’s stead, although he was bound and his face veiled on the large saddle straddling the immature but still quite big alpha froabas. He could break free if he really wanted to, but was provoking a dragon when his kids were so close a good idea?

The two of them, growing in boldness, chattering softly in their native tongue as they approached, froze suddenly when they noticed the presence of another - a captive. Instead, they started to draw back, their eyes shooting up warily in the direction of Zarina’s. Their father, upon hearing their voices, went rigid. 

Zarina’s eyebrow raised as she noticed the reluctance. [color=#E5E4E2]“Ah.”[/color] she raised her chin after acknowledging the issue. The voices of the children were replaced by clanging metal that got closer and closer to the trapped Cuimits, until he could feel his captor right by him. A quick snip of her massive gauntlet’s claw had his tethers severed and his vision no longer obscured, although she had taken measure to keep his hands hidden inside improvised gloves. Then, she turned to the kids. [color=#E5E4E2]“New friend. Don’t want him to go splat when we fly.”[/color] again, all gibberish, so she illustrated with one hand ‘flying’ above, and the other dramatically dropping under it to represent somebody falling. She even did a ‘Waaahhh’ sound effect to make it evident, before finally pointing to the bondage she kept their father strapped with. Once again, she invited them over to get a closer look of the dragon.

Alqasas suddenly shook its head to rid itself of the accumulated sand that had entered her scales and pores. Her heavy breathing sounded like threatening growls to the uninitiated. She was as wary as the children were and never let her reptilian glare leave their minuscule forms as she rested her chin back onto the increasingly warmer sand.

Cazan and Cazéa were briefly thrilled and then mortified. They jabbered rapidly in cazenax, having taken a few eager steps before stopping once more. Young, they may have been, but they were not stupid. They had heard stories. They had played games of chase, war, and espionage. It was the girl who spoke, directly to her father, and Zarina knew not a word of it. Cuimits snorted. [color=9ACD32]“She asks why there was a bag over my head,”[/color] he translated, his reliability dubious. [color=9ACD32]“She’s a smart girl, like her parents.”[/color] The, with some urgency, the boy talked, narrowing suspicious, resentful eyes at her, for a moment, a miniature version of his father. [color=9ACD32]“He says you look like a badguy.”[/color]

[color=#E5E4E2]“So you do speak the civilized tongue.”[/color] Zarina snarkily remarked, although her joyful facade was unperturbed.

[color=9ACD32]“I know your barbarian words.”[/color] Cuimits shook his head bitterly. [color=9ACD32]“All the demons speak them and, these days, one [i]must[/i] speak with demons to have any worth.”[/color] He regarded his children and his craggy face softened. [color=9ACD32]“Gil nasca! Pax axol néist malma.”[/color]

Zarina’s hand brushed over the growing dragon’s neck, and guided the scaly head of the magnificent, reticulated beast closer to the children. Even with some distance, they could feel the hot air erupted from the animal’s nostrils. Again, she invited the kids to come and say hello.

They were both old and informed enough to understand that her gifts were poisoned, now, and they ran for the family home without taunt or remark: only fear. Cuimits was left alone with Zarina. He glared at her with the purest hatred one could imagine: a desperate, vicious, impotent rage.

Vexed, the Virangish threw her arms in the air. [color=#E5E4E2]“What was the point of that? I don’t need them to come close to burn this whole place down.”[/color] she spat out, as if disappointed she couldn’t have a little bit of wholesome fun. [color=#E5E4E2]“How often do kids get to see such a pretty dragon, and pet it? Fucking …”[/color] an exaggerated wave of dismissal followed her rant. A piece of dried boar meat was taken from a satchel on her side and tossed for the dragon to snag with its massive jaw. [color=#E5E4E2]“Anyway. Now that you’re talking. We may as well finish what we started.”[/color] she petted her dragon’s nostrils as her tone gradually shifted to something more flat. [color=#E5E4E2]“Who sent you. Both the woman, and who she worked for. And most importantly, why? It can’t just be some massive scam.”[/color] Alqasas shifted on the sands, growing increasingly antsy as her master looked to be losing patience already. [color=#E5E4E2]“We wouldn’t be sent here if it was bullshit politics in yet some remote crap-desert.”[/color]

 [color=9ACD32]“Your arrogance, truly, says it all. This is not some pile of shit for you to step in, outsider, it is our home and we fight for its soul, something I imagine a creature like you could not possibly understand.”[/color] He spat the words, eyes promising a murder his hands would never be able to deliver. [color=9ACD32]“Murdering [i]children[/i] to help you hasten our people’s ruin.”[/color] For a moment his gaze flicked over in the direction of his home, trying and failing to mask all of his anxiety. He scrunched up his face, putting up a mask of resoluteness, but closer to breaking.

[color=#E5E4E2]“I would tone down the hypocrisy if I were you.”[/color] it suddenly got much hotter for Cuimits despite his natural adaptability as a desert dweller. Intense chemical magic had caused his body temperature to rise uncomfortably. [color=#E5E4E2]“Last I checked there was at least one child in that farm. You and your men showed no qualms in fucking all that up. So yes,”[/color] she too was struggling to keep up the hardened warrior veil she had to stick with for hours now. This was soul-crushing. [color=#E5E4E2]“I will do anything to prevent the ruination of [i]everything[/i].”[/color] the silent ranger’s fear mongering did take its toll. The imposed heat on Cuimits cooled down after she had made her point. [color=#E5E4E2]“Tell me why some farm would ruin your people, and then answer my questions. Now.”[/color]

[color=9ACD32]“There were no children there,”[/color] he replied, his tone at least slightly less aggressive, [color=9ACD32]“Only monsters from the VOID, not matter how cute a personlike face they wear.”[/color] He would not budge on this, no matter what. [color=9ACD32]“The VOID corrupts both directly and indirectly.”[/color] Once again, his eyes flicked in the direction of his house. Zarina extended her magical sense toward the house he consistently looked toward, cautious of what he may have instructed his children to do and expecting something desperate. He spat at her feet, then, just close enough that she would have to step back to avoid it landing on her. And step back she did. [color=#E5E4E2]“Fucking really?”[/color]

[color=9ACD32]“You force me to pay attention to you, you pay attention to me!”[/color] He had managed to break her sensing concentration, however, and that was what mattered. They needed more time - just a bit more. [color=#E5E4E2]“Anything fucky and I burn everything.”[/color] she looked him right in the eye. Perhaps her best lie yet.

[color=9ACD32]“Can a man not be concerned for his family?”[/color] he hissed, [color=9ACD32]“Though I’d not be surprised if you killed them regardless of what I say.”[/color]

Zarina scoffed. [color=#E5E4E2]“I spared your people, didn’t I? I didn’t need as much as I saved.”[/color]

Cuimits was done with this. He waved his hand dismissively. [color=9ACD32]“The VOID is not of our people. It was you humans who brought it here. It has weakened and corrupted our society.”[/color] He shook his head bitterly. [color=9ACD32]“Where, once, all cazenax stood on level ground, now there are those who place themselves far above others and look down their noses at us. They jealously guard their secrets and use the VOID to control the wealth of our entire society.”[/color] He sniffed and scowled. [color=9ACD32]“Then the solution of fools like Stazen is to open this unnatural thing to all!”[/color] He shook his head once more. [color=9ACD32]“I will assume, for your benefit, that you are young and stupid and have never seen the things that come from the VOID, else you would not be fighting against me. Some may be passable enough, but they are all horrors beneath the surface: horrors that untwine the very fabric of our reality the longer that they exist within it - horrors that go wild and kill and destroy - horrors that act as magnets for more of their vile kind.”[/color] He regarded her grimly, distastefully. [color=9ACD32]“This is a truth our ‘king’ refuses to acknowledge, and he will ruin us all.”[/color] He breathed, in and out, eyes once again flicking to the house, and then to other nearby houses. [color=9ACD32]“I am no friend to the greedy slime of the bantarsca, but their fear serves my ends for now. The cazenax should be free of the VOID - [i]must[/i] be free of it. Then, and only then may they - and even your ungrateful people - be safe.”[/color] 

[color=#E5E4E2]“I have seen these horrors, for your information.”[/color] Zarina attempted to cross her arms, but failed due to the oversized nature of her gauntlet-shield. [color=#E5E4E2]“My own friends were changed. And they were never the same after. But they remained my close friends. No shitty opinion will change that fact.”[/color] this time she also flicked her eyes to any sort of habitation of line-of-sight blocker. No more distractions, the obvious expectation of something was making this hot-headed Virangish increasingly nervous. [color=#E5E4E2]“But the one thing we’ll agree on is this free use of it. That sounds terrible.”[/color] her eyes were no longer on him but her surroundings. [color=#E5E4E2]“Why did the farmstead matter for your cause? WHO gives enough of a shit about some independent water-maker to have it raided by organized idealists like you?”[/color] her attention returned to Cuimits and the gap between the two was closed. She was now right at his face while Alqasas, feeling something was off, got on its claws and feet.

Cuimits drew, then. He drew magic, and he was strong for one of these cazenax. [color=9ACD32]“Why this little farm?”[/color] He made a face of distaste. [color=9ACD32]“A devil’s bargain.”[/color] He shrugged. [color=9ACD32]“One of the scumbags we were working with wanted it. In return, we would get what we craved: the King’s head.”[/color] Cuimits spread his arms and took a step back from the dragon. [color=9ACD32]“I imagine, this very moment, he is dead, like he should be.”[/color] He let out a laugh. [color=9ACD32]“You can try to kill me. You can butcher my family - they believe just as I do; I have made sure of it - but we have already won. The first step to freeing our people has been taken and, when Nyax-Acan returns this very day, he will find the enlightened among his people invigorated and in open revolt.”[/color]

[color=#E5E4E2]“Nyax-Acan?”[/color] Zarina tilted her head. One step forward for every step Cuimits took back. [color=#E5E4E2]“Is that scumbag connected to the sweetwater guild?”[/color]

That was when Zarina reached out her senses once more. There was no opportunity to disrupt her and perhaps no desire. The surge of energy was colossal, and the very land itself reached up to envelop her and Alqasas.[/hider] 
[hr][hr][center][h2][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTgP5NOfPmM][color=FFE4B5]♫[/color][/url]  [color=FFE4B5]|  S M O K E  |[/color]  [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTgP5NOfPmM][color=FFE4B5]♫[/color][/url][/h2][/center][hr][hr]
Meanwhile, perhaps such a fate would’ve seemed a blessing to the two humans and two sirrahi who were being shoved relentlessly from sideroads to streets to grand boulevards. The officers who had arrested Desmond and Tku were smarting for blood, and they were quick to heap abuse on the cop-killers. If their actions technically fell outside of what the law allowed, well… [i]they[/i] were the law, after all, and they allowed it. Bindings were clipped on too tight, weapons roughly confiscated, and any excuse used to rain down kicks and punches. 

[hider=Smoke]There was dialogue exchanged, as well, between the sirrahi’s accuser and the eight officers. She was pointing back, repeating a particular word they didn’t know. All they felt were their bonds, the brutal blows of the furious officers, and the sting of wondering if they had, indeed, made the right move. 

The rising sun glared in their eyes and they found themselves drawing nearer to the center of the city, where a palace rose along the banks of a wide, shallow muddy river. Numerous opulent buildings rose around it and, around them, were thickening crowds. [color=gray]“Lixoasc!”[/color] shouted one of the officers towards the front of the group. [color=gray]“Lixoasc!” (Make way! - lit. ‘be smoke’)[/color] but it was tough going. Something seemed to have gotten their attention. Tku didn’t pick up on it immediately, but the two sirrahi did, and Desmond right after. Most of what the crowds were saying was gibberish to the outsiders, but one part was repeated again and again - a phrase, or maybe… a name: Nyax-Acan.

Against this backdrop, they were dragged into the Hall of Justice, one of the officers who spoke a bit of Avincian taking the time to taunt them. [color=gray]“He is return now,”[/color] she crowed. [color=gray]“You are fuck! Ha ha!”[/color] 

[color=gray]“Fuck!”[/color] repeated another. 

[color=gray]“You are fuck!”[/color] One kicked Tku from behind when he was a bit slow. [color=gray]“Zetsuo-zoan!” (cop killer!)[/color] he spat. 

Above were great vaulted ceilings and an open agora in the middle. They were hustled into a long hallway lined with heavy windowless doors. One of the officers hustled off with their accuser in a different direction. [color=gray]“There more know we,”[/color] one growled. [color=gray]“We get them! Don’t worry, fuck!”[/color] 

Then, there was a taller cazenax in fine, boldly coloured robes who gave off the air of some kind of official. His hair was slicked back and dyed a vibrant royal blue at the tips. [color=RoyalBlue]“You will wait here to enter your plea,”[/color] he said coldly. [color=RoyalBlue]“In the interest of fairness, we have searched for an attorney. I doubt one will take your case.”[/color] He scowled. [color=RoyalBlue]“I know I wouldn’t.”[/color]

Unceremoniously shoved into a small, dark cell with two sirrahi, Desmond and Tku were left to wait. They found that their cuffs were not removed, the cell was not cleaned, and there was nothing more than a bucket in the corner. While the accused remained resigned and stoic, pulling into himself, his partner was busy having a meltdown. [color=green]“I did nothing. I did [i]nothing[/i].”[/color] He began to murmur rapidly under his breath. [color=green]“I’m gonna die. I’m gonna [i]die![/i]”[/color] His voice rose. [color=green]“They’re gonna kill me!”[/color]

[color=brown]“Us,”[/color] corrected the other. [color=brown]“There is more than just you here, Inzé.”[/color] He looked at the two humans. [color=brown]“I am Gisté-Luno,”[/color] he introduced himself. [color=brown]“Your intentions were noble, I’m sure, but your friend was a fool, killing the police. You should not have gotten involved,”[/color] he warned, shaking his head. [color=brown]“It was his fall to take and this will not be a fair trial.”[/color]

[color=green]“We won’t even have a lawyer!”[/color] Inzé wailed. [color=green]“That [i]bitch![/i] We should’ve just taken the wages.”[/color]

Gisté-Luno shook his head, however. [color=brown]“It was less than half of what we were owed. One must have principles or one is stepped on.”[/color]

[color=green]“We were stepped on anyway, you old fool!”[/color]

Gisté-Luno merely shrugged. [color=brown]“I trust in Nyax-Acan.”[/color]

The two had reached an impasse, and they waited, after that. All could sense energies outside: cazenax, sirrahi, and some of the rarer, stranger forms they had seen since coming to this absurd place. There was a buildup of sound, motion, and bodies. They could sense a large chamber nearby filling with bodies. Then, surprisingly, their door opened and a small figure was ushered in. It promptly slammed shut. The quartet found themselves staring at Naxos, the imp. He scratched at the back of his head. [color=ADFF2F]“So, uh… looks like you got yourself in some hot water, huh?”[/color]

None of them denied it.

[color=ADFF2F]“Well, I just so happen to be a registered public defender, and I wouldn’t let friends like you and uh… innocent people go to the gallows for a crime you didn’t commit.”[/color] His eyes darted between the four and he leaned in, lowering his voice. [color=ADFF2F]“You [i]are[/i] innocent, right?”[/color]

There was a loud bang on the door. [color=gray]“Two minute, lawyer! Then out!”[/color]

Naxos swallowed and looked up after glancing at the door. [color=ADFF2F]“Ya know what? Maybe don’t answer that.”[/color] He smoothed back his hair. [color=ADFF2F]“Don’t worry. I’ve got a plan here. I’ll see you in court!”[/color][/hider]
[hr][hr][center][h2][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdzHBpxZWVM][color=FFE4B5]♫[/color][/url]  [color=FFE4B5]|  N Y A X - A C A N  |[/color]  [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdzHBpxZWVM][color=FFE4B5]♫[/color][/url][/h2][/center][hr][hr]
They were bound by the wrists, bags tied over their heads tightly enough to [i]nearly[/i] suffocate the pair. All around them, the Hall of Justice was packed with bodies - they could sense hundreds on the ground floor, hundreds more packing the balconies, and many more gathered outside, trying to get in. Shouts and jeers rained down upon them and, more than once, the four found themselves pelted with garbage until the perpetrators were roughly ushered out. Angry as the people here were, the dignity of the court could not be called into question. 

Desmond and Tku found themselves ‘helped into’ and then bound to their seats as official-sounding voices rose, augmented by magic. By the growing silence around them, one could assume that they were demanding order and silence. Finally, they had it, and the scampering footsteps of Naxos could be heard rushing up beside them. [color=ADFF2F]“Don’t worry, guys. We’ve got a good case here,”[/color] he whispered. [color=ADFF2F]“Don’t be alarmed. They’re gonna announce stuff and remove the bags.”[/color]

[color=gray]“The accused will now rise!”[/color] called one of the official-sounding voices. [color=gray]“The aggrieved will now rise!”[/color] it concluded, as they were forced to their feet.

It was quiet enough that they could hear footsteps somewhere out in front of themselves. There was a loud but soft ‘thump’ and a collective intake of breath and an outbreak of hushed, excited murmurs. Then, they stopped in reverent silence. 

The bags were ripped away roughly enough that Desmond’s neck was nearly wrenched, but he held steady. All around were walls of cazenax. At the other table was the aggrieved woman, who made a show of recoiling from the two sirrahi. It seemed that a plea hearing had turned into an entire trial within the span of no more than a few hours. 

That was not what drew the attention of Desmond and Tku, however. [color=gray]“Presiding, his eminence, the ever-wise and merciful Nyax-Acan.”[/color]

[hider=Nyax-Acan]It was… Benedetto, after a fashion. He was dressed more like a cazenax and he seemed a few years older, at least. He was draped with casual ease across the thronelike judge’s chair, one leg on an armrest, elbow on the opposite one. He straightened presently. [color=00a99d]“Well, fuck me sideways,”[/color] he exclaimed, looking them over and glancing their accuser’s way, scowling at her display. He blinked and regarded her a bit more sternly. She shrunk before him. Benny stood up, wielding his gavel in one hand. The cazenax murmured. Then, he leveled his pointer at the woman. [color=00a99d]“You,”[/color] he pronounced, [color=00a99d]“are a lying bitch. Out of my sight!”[/color] He brought the gavel down. [color=00a99d]“Innocent.”[/color]

The chamber erupted in murmurs, then shouts, and then movement. The opposing counsel stood rapidly, face flushed, and his voice was lost in the cacophony. A couple of the officials tried to reason with Nyax-Acan. He would hear none of it. They bellowed once more for order as another half-dozen were escorted out. Finally, it was quiet enough to continue. [color=00a99d]“It was a pay scam, clear as day. She was their supervisor, they protested, she pulled the abuse card.”[/color] He took in all of the cazenax. [color=00a99d]“C’mon, guys. You’re smarter than that.”[/color] Both of the sirrahi burst into grateful tears. Benny cringed at the sight. [color=00a99d]“Have some backbone, stuzets.”[/color] He shook his head. [color=00a99d]“Justice has been done and the bitch’ll be dealt with.”[/color] He ordered the officials to pay them their lost wages. 

Then, he turned to Desmond and Tku. [color=00a99d]“That doesn’t mean you get to walk outta here, though.”[/color] His face turned grim. [color=00a99d]“Police were killed, just doing their job and responding to a call.”[/color] There was a hardness to his voice. [color=00a99d]“And, you know, we live in a society here.”[/color] He shook his head and then his gaze settled on Desmond. [color=00a99d]“I’ll ask you once, because I kinda respect you and I just don’t think you’d be stupid enough to do something like this.”[/color] Proceedings had gone deathly silent once more. [color=00a99d]“Who [i]really[/i] did this and why’d you take the fall for them?”[/color][/hider][/color]
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