[hider=QueensGate Detour]
Place: Queen’s Gate, Ersand’Enise Academy of Thaumaturgy
Time: Velles 2nd, Orrendes (Afternoon going on Evening)

Roslyn joined Niallus and his friends to discover the purpose. While more adventurous students went over the wall, Roslyn took the safer route: the Queensgate. She wasn't alone as Esmii and Sven joined her. However, traffic seemed slow in both directions. They were stuck waiting in a line that seemed to grow no shorter. In the middle of the gate was a large.... statue. It didn't seem to be natural to the road and none of them could remember it from before. A cordon had been set up around it. More than one person seemed to have been detained. There were lamplighters about, and even a Century or two.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4-TvL1_rYo&list=PLAE502D4A62E2441A&index=103 [/youtube]

Esmii stretched, [colour=#b08cc9]"Well this isn't great, should we have hopped the wall. Wonder what that person did?"[/colour] Then she looked at Roslyn and Sven. [colour=#b08cc9]"I feel bad I made us come this way, sorry."[/colour]

Roslyn frowned, but had let Esmii pull her along. Her eyes watched the others scale over the wall despite the Zeno catching them. She sighed, her friend was likely wiser for picking this way. A part of her doubted she would've made it after a few of them failed epically. As they waited in line, it didn't seem to move at all.  Curiosity stirred, she tried to see if she could spot the reason.
[color=ebe7a3] "It's all right. But shit, it looks like someone got caught doing something wrong... Or something. I wonder if we can get closer."[/color]

Sven glanced about. "You had no way of knowing," he assured Esmii. He hated it when she took the blame upon herself like this. At Roslyn's words, he leaned over and peered with narrowed eyes at the statue and the couple of detained individuals. "Sho... doesh anyone think we should go ashk?" He glanced tentatively between the other two.

One of the detainees was begging for mercy, shouting that she couldn't help herself. The other was staring intently at the strange statue. As they watched, some of the lamplighters widened the cordon around it and traffic from both directions was rerouted further still. As they worked, even the loyal city guards stole glances at the statue. It appeared to be that of a beautiful young woman flying through the air. Her expression was urgent, her dress and hair swirling. She was held most delicately onto her pedestal. 
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDbHAIuCLpA[/youtube]

Esmii looked carefully, then thought. [colour=#b08cc9]"Maybe we could, but it looks like it has something to do with that statue."[/colour] Esmii wondered to herself and standing on her tiptoes tried to see more.

Sven agreed. He nodded and reached out with his senses.

Roslyn closed her eyes and followed Sven’s lead. 

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAQr_G_xOmo&list=PLPJny5xpzQqQYQFkrsntsCt1Kqghs88LB&index=14[/youtube]
Esmii looks up and asked Sven [colour=#b08cc9]"My love, can you give me a lift, please."[/colour]

While the others could sense that there was something... [i]wrong[/i] with that statue, they struggled to determine just what it was. Esmii, meanwhile, her yasoi senses keenly tuned to such things, noticed almost immediately.

Roslyn frowned. Something was off, but she wasn't sure what it was. With a deep inhale, her eyes snapped up and she turned to the others.  [color=ebe7a3]" There's something off with the statue, but I have no idea what it is."[/color] 

Sven shook his head, only now letting Esmii down from his shoulders. "I agree. Can't shay what, though." He narrowed his eyes, feeling... hungry. 

Esmii looked at the others, and gathered them in a huddle. She whispered to them both. [colour=#b08cc9]"I can sense an aberration inside the statue, and it's pretty large, about the same size as a person."[/colour] Esmii got a worried look on her face as she knew that this could be bad for her. She then wondered if Sven and Roslyn knew her problem with what's near.

Roslyn paled a bit when she caught what Esmii said. Her conversation with Vel surfaced, her eyes flickering to the statue and wondering how someone smuggled one in.  

[color=ebe7a3]"Is that even possible?"[/color]

[colour=#b08cc9]"I have no idea, but this isn't good for me."[/colour] Esmii starts to get really worried and starts to fiddle with her dress, and look around curiously.

Sven drew back, worried, and glanced over.

It was right about then that a tall, spindly woman in ragged clothes broke from the crowd outside the gate and made a dash for the statue. One of the lamplighters barked a warning, and then three of them raced towards her, another two levelling their rifles. "STEP. BACK. NOW."

She did not. [b]"Qitsiin!"[/b] she pleaded. [b][i]"Qitsiiiiin!!! Nax wasel ap!"[/i][/b] she hollered. Yasoi! She was yasoi. There was a massive intake of magic. [b]"Nax jex do nain! [i]Qitsiiiiiin![/i]"[/b] She shoved them away like toys and reached for it, eyes sparkling with dark glee.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdPhKXfbPSk&list=PLPJny5xpzQqQYQFkrsntsCt1Kqghs88LB&index=11[/youtube] 
Her gaze was wild and desperate, her hair dishevelled. She was thin and wiry and her clothes were patched. There was a deep sort of exhaustion in the woman's face. 

Esmii looks in the direction of the lady, she hears her speaking Yasoi [colour=#b08cc9]"She is saying. Please! Please!!! I need it! I have none left! Please!. She is addicted, this is why it's bad for me to be here."[/colour] Esmii is feeling very scared.

"An addict!" Sven shouted. With that, he gathered all of his immense power.

When the woman broke free and rushed for the statue, Roslyn tried to understand the language. As Emsii translated, Roslyn's eyes narrowed and gritted her teeth.  [color=ebe7a3]"Addict? You can get addicted to these things?"[/color]

With that, it was as if she had run into a wall. Her arms and legs twitched and she screamed. The addict stumbled back. Sven's face was a mask of concentration. Sweat dripped from his brow and his outstretched hand trembled. "Shleep," he said softly, shaking his head and finally releasing a breath. He glanced back anxiously at Esmii. "Beautiful, are you okay?" 

Roslyn tensed, surprised by the sudden grip on her arm. Her eyes jerked to her friend as she pursed her lips while patting her hand.  [color=ebe7a3] "Esmii, easy with the grip. It's okay."[/color]

Esmii is scared, she has no idea what to do, she lets go of Roslyn and drops to the floor. [colour=#b08cc9]"I'm sorry Roslyn, I'm so sorry. This is bad, really bad. No no no."[/colour] Esmii wraps her arms around herself. [colour=#b08cc9]"Think Esmii think, this can't be happening. I want it, but I don't."[/colour] She keeps glancing towards it then back at the ground.

Roslyn glanced at Sven, discreetly asking for help. With a soft breath as she continued to rub Esmii's hand as her head leaned into Esmii's head. [color=ebe7a3] "It's all right. Focus on me."[/color]

One grabbed her by the hair and two others wound up and kicked her. [b]"Fuckin' knife-ear junkie!"[/b] one spat. [b]"Think it's okay to attack people for your fix!?"[/b]

She curled up into the fetal position. [b]"I sorrii. I sorrii. You yanii no know. You have, you... moad. I have. Okay. Qitsiin! I vith!"[/b]

Roslyn tensed when she spotted the unneeded roughness. Instinctively, she pulled away Esmii and went to stop it.  [color=ebe7a3] "Hey! No need for that! Stop it!"[/color]

[b]"I vith!"[/b] the yasoi insisted. [b]"I.... [i]poca![/i]"[/b] she cursed. [b]"Pleass. Okay."[/b]
One of the lamplighters pulled her hair harder. [b]"No, you fucking junkie. Not okay!"[/b]

[b]"Yeah, we're actually gonna [i]stop[/i] you from ruining your life even more."[/b]

They grabbed her roughly and hauled her to her feet and that was a bit too much.

All three guards spasmed and shook. Two of them dropped. The other staggered and let go of her.
Once again, she raced for the statue.

Sven looked to Esmii, eyes wide. "Babe, what do I do?"

Esmii breaths in and out slowly but still unable to stand, and looking at the woman she shouts [colour=#b08cc9]"Qitsiin oap. Ap ya'dii duus ap!"[/colour]

Roslyn clenched her teeth as she started to move to the others, moving to put herself between the woman and the statue. She didn't know what the woman was saying, but the situation was getting out of hand. Before she could do anything, the guards were swiftly disabled. With a utter of a word, she drew in the heat from about the woman's feet hoping to freeze her in place.

Esmii then looks at Sven, [colour=#b08cc9]"I really don't know."[/colour] Esmii rises from the ground and starts to walk towards the woman.

She twisted to regard her fellow yasoi. [b]"Suunei, tuum wiip poiret! Tuum nar, tuum moad! Luum nar, luum tiin! Nax ya destuu sawii..."[/b]

For a moment, the attempt to freeze her held, but the yasoi broke free, shooting Roslyn a look. She reached out, past the human, to draw fromt he aberration. "Go! Go now!" she shouted. "PLEASS!"

"What is she shaying?" Sven asked desperately.

It was too late, however. She was already reaching out to draw and, thinking quickly, he reached out himself and the ground around her rose up in a stony prison.

Esmii tries to reach out for the woman, Saying again [colour=#b08cc9]"Qitsiin oap. Ap ya'dii duus ap!"[/colour]

But then, there it was: the aberration. She drew right through the prison, the sickeningly sweet black energy pouring into her through her eyes, mouth, nose, and ears. The stone began to shatter.

As Esmii got close, she found herself drawing despite all of her intent not to. It took hold of her in a warm, comforting embrace that smelled of sweet summer flowers in Mycormii, and felt of Sven's arms around her and the late afternoon sun in the arboretum.

Roslyn, as well, found herself caught in the middle of the stream as it poured into the yasoi. Now, it poured into her and... it wasn't bad. In fact, it was wonderful. This simple, helpless girl from a backwater who'd never had a sniff of power. Now, she felt it for real, and it inflated her, it filled her with a sense of purpose and agency. It was reassurance against her darkest fears. It was a promise of a future. It was love and respect and regard and it just. kept. coming. 

Sven rushed for Esmii and placed his hands upon her shoulders. When he did, they were like ice to the touch: sharp and cold and unwelcome, trying to wrench her from a pleasant dream. "Eshmii!" he shouted. "Eshmii, wake up!”

It was too much, and Sven could see it. This thing - this vile [i]thing[/i] - had seized his beloved and seized Roslyn too. It was only now that he understood what the yasoi had been trying to do. She'd been trying to sacrifice herself: to take it all in and save them... or maybe she was just a worthless junkie after all. He wasn't sure. Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward. He drew.

Roslyn didn't expect what happened next. She felt the black energy swept through her as the tension and resistance crumbled away. A pleasant, strong sensation flooded her system. Her racing heart began to steady out as she became swept up in the effects. She dropped to her knees, soaking into the sensation. It had been a long time since she didn't feel the pressure or pain of life crashing down around her. Her expression slacked as her head cocked to the side. Only her bones held her upright at this point while the energy kept flooding her core.

The four of them surrounded the statue and its dark secret and it poured into them: sweet and sickening and addictive and powerful.
Then, it was over. How wretched they felt without it, most of all Roslyn, as if everything it had promised, but a thread - a single dangling thread of hope - had been ripped away, leaving her cold and bare and bereft. 

Esmii felt scarcely better. Sven reeled, his head pounding.

Then, there was the ragged yasoi girl, Levette. Her eyes bulged and blood poured from her every orifice. She staggered to her feet, arched her back, and let loose a shriek that ripped through the air around her from an abnormally large mouth.

A colossal wave of kinetic force flattened the ground around her and blew a crater six feet deep in the ground. People scattered and fled. 

Then, it arced outward: at them.

Esmii felt strange, she felt the black energy course through her. as she inched closer she raised her right hand. She felt someone grab her shoulders but she couldn't stop herself she no longer had control of herself.

The wave of energy sent lesser mages flying, but the three biros, trained in magic, managed to hunker down and resist it.
She drew again and...barreled straight for Sven, fingers like claws.

Sven was caught totally unprepared. Only Esmii's timely intervention - a blinding flash and a tripping branch - saved him from the vicious attack.

She continued to rage.

She was fixated on Sven, even as he protested that he had done her no wrong. The yasoi woman was, sadly, beyond reason.

Roslyn exhaled. Her insides felt like they blackened and withered, her arms rose to wrap herself up tightly. Something was wrong. Her head throbbed like someone struck a hammer within her skull. As her eyes opened, shapes and colors twisted into clawed creatures. Her form crumbled to the side as her hands pressed tightly to her ears, the ringing deafening. Her form shook a bit as her middle curled.
[color=ebe7a3]"Make it stop... please..."[/color] The girl whimpered, unable to uncurl from her small ball.

This time, it was an arcane lance that took him clean through the shoulder and dropped him with a scream. The yasoi was shouting and raving nonsense.

Then, Sven snapped.

He stalked forward, brushing off her next attack as if it was nothing. He grabbed her arms and headbutted her. The yasoi went hurtling through the gate and down the road... at least most of her did. Sven was still holding the arms. He dropped them and charged, shouting incoherently in rage. He caught up to his half-dead quarry, grabbed her, and...His hand shot clear through her chest, ripping out her still-beating heart. He seethed and raged.

Then, before him, appeared a tall, pale figure, nearly his height, clothed in white with a red bandoleer and the most severe of bearings.

[color=FFFFFF]"You will sit, [i]now[/i]."[/color]

Sven flew at him.

It was as if he'd slammed into a wall that one could not see. His nose shattered and he rebounded hard, hitting the dirt. [color=FFFFFF]"I do not make my requests twice."[/color] 

The enormous Eskandr staggered to his feet, heat and rage boiling off of him in waves.

"Jeg vil dræbe dig, svin!!!" Sven roared.

Esmii rushed over to Roslyn to see what's wrong, she noticed that she wasn't doing well and that she could cause harm to herself and others. Because of this Esmii decided to use her quilt, she laid it on the ground, then she slid Roslyn on top of it, while she was saying strange things to her. Esmii while doing this she said to her friend [colour=#b08cc9]"It's ok, Roslyn, I'm here, rest now. You are safe."[/colour]

After she had moved Roslyn to the quilt, she wrapped it around her and used binding to make rope to secure the quilt to her friend. After this and she knew that Roslyn was safe, she carried her and made her way towards Sven and the teacher. She shouted to him [colour=#b08cc9]"Sven stop, Please stop, he's a teacher."[/colour] 

He began gathering energy - [i]atomic[/i] energy.

The newcomer crossed his arms. [color=FFFFFF]"Dii'pen cang, hy'lelan."[/color] he warned. [color=FFFFFF]"Iij nax diidoin."[/color] 
She listened and stopped, but tried again to get Sven's attention. [colour=#b08cc9]"SVEN ENOUGH, THAT'S ENOUGH, PLEASE."[/colour]
He turned back to Sven, even now preparing to unleash something cataclysmic. There was a small surge of energy. Then, he was a blur.

Then, he was touching Sven on the forehead. 

With that, the raging giant wavered and collapsed.

The yasoi turned to Esmii, looking down his nose. [color=FFFFFF]"Clean up your mess, Mycormish. I shall see to the rest."[/color] He nodded and was gone.

Esmii seeing this, she picks up Roslyn and rushes as fast as she can to Sven's side. She then places Roslyn on the ground and begins to check Sven to see where he is injured and how badly he is injured. Esmii is shaking with fear, and while crying she says to herself. [colour=#b08cc9]"This is all my fault."[/colour]

There were no words of reassurance forthcoming, only a still, bloody Sven, pieces of a dead yasoi girl, and a trembling, hallucinating Roslyn.

Their quest ended there, outside of the Queensgate, as lamplighters circled and the zeno Tarthas'talix'tuura presided.
[/hider]
[hider=Meeting the Sun]
Place: Queen’s Gate, Ersand’Enise Academy of Thaumaturgy
Time: Velles 2nd, Orrendes (Afternoon going on Evening)

Out from the Bath House entrance, the Sun King stumbled with his mask, spear, and little more than a towel around his waist to cover him. But the situation had already been resolved.

An attendant of the bathhouse followed him closely behind with the Sun King’s robes in hand. It made for quite a comical display seeing a mythical king running practically naked through the place while the mask had stayed firmly in place.

The Sun King bowed his head in appreciation. With an ostentation wave of the hand, his robes floated up out of the attendant's hands, above the monarch, and slid down to cover him.

Now for the pants. In a far less flashy display, he simply took the pants by hand. A flash of light encompassed the Sun King. After two seconds, the towel had flown toward the attendant. With two more seconds, the light faded and the pants were on firmly. Not so much as a hint of a crease to betray his lightning-fast change. [color=fff200][b]‘That's the real magic’[/b][/color] he thought to himself.

[color=fff200][b]“Thank you for your excellent service. You may put my visit on my acquaintance's tab, Leon Solaire. I’m sure he will be perfectly happy to pay. And get yourself a tip too.”[/b][/color]

He preemptively answered the attendant, who did not appear to be asking a question. [color=fff200][b]“Yes, yes, the incredibly talented and handsome singer. The very same. Put it on his tab as I happen to know he has some credit from his work at that place down the road. Now I really must be off.”[/b][/color] Turning on his heel, he gave the attendant a passing smile and wink, the latter being concealed by the mask.

Seeing the corpse spattered across the road, his smile quickly faded. He looked toward the large student with blood-coated hands. He was clearly the culprit. Instead of rising to the occasion, the Sun King planted his spear into the ground and leaned on it feeling sick.

The Sun King approached the trio with a grim look on his face. He kneeled next to Roslyn and inspected for signs of aberration sickness. It didn’t take very long to reach the correct conclusion. Aberration sickness and no small amount of shock were written over her face. The scene before her wasn’t likely to ease her condition either.

His head tilted back toward Esmii. [color=fff200][b]“I’m not sure exactly what's happened here. But it would be best if we got away from the smell. Do you need help lifting the big one to the authorities?”[/b][/color]

Because Esmii was blaming herself and scared after what had happened, she didn’t hear the newcomer, she didn’t even hear him, she was too busy blaming herself for everything that had happened.

[colour=#b08cc9]"It’s all my fault, if only i didn’t get closer, I wouldn’t have been drawn to it. You stupid girl. Why, why did you do it? You caused this, you caused your friend and boyfriend to get hurt."[/colour]

Before getting an answer, he returned his attention to Roslyn again. [color=fff200][b]“You are alright now. Can you hear me?”[/b][/color] He clicked his fingers a short distance from her face to check for a response.

Roslyn barely registered Esmii wrapping the blanket about her. Her sense of awareness was lost in the whirlwind of pain and suffering. The pleasant memories vanished causing her to shiver violently. The clicking caused her to flinch as her lips curled, baring back teeth with irritation. It couldn't be helped. Her emotions were unstable.

Her eyes narrowed, responding to his moving lips. However, she couldn't hear through the ringing.

[color=ebe7a3]"Wh-what?"[/color] Her voice spoke louder than necessary.

The Sun King smiled. The response had been lively and not nearly as despondent as others he had seen on his travels. The girl's dour mood was understandable considering the circumstances. But she bothered to respond to the clicking, which was something to be cheerful about.

[color=fff200][b]“Please, could you tell me your name?”[/b][/color] He responded in a calming tone. This question was spoken slower, which made it easier to read his lips.

Roslyn's eye twitched while she struggled to read lips. Voice, inaudible, roared in her ears. Underneath the quilt binded about her, the girl’s hands clutched her arms. Finger nails dug into the tender flesh and drew blood. As the man smiled, white lines scratched out in an X over his eyes. Roslyn’s face drained of color as she jerked back.

The sudden motion stirred her stomach contents. She twisted onto her side and hurled. Mostly beer and chunks of bread spewed into a wet mess across the ground. Shaking from the rawness in her throat, her weak voice spoke.

[color=ebe7a3]" R-Rose-Roslyn."[/color] She managed to squeeze past the pain.

[color=ebe7a3]"Your eyes... oh the gods, what's... happening?"[/color] Her voice trembled, losing the strength she had earlier. 

Esmii finally realized that someone had arrived and they had asked her something, however it took her a while to realize and respond as she was crying blaming herself for what had happened to Roslyn and Sven. She turned and looked at the newcomer, and while wiping the tears from her eyes. 

[colour=#b08cc9]"I’m sorry, I didn’t notice or hear you. Who are you and what did you say?"[/colour]

The Sun King looked away from the vomiting girl. The display on the road was turning his stomach as well, and he didn't need an extra push toward emptying his stomach of lunch.

He didn't respond to the girl's question because he didn't know if there was a good answer. Nothing had happened to his eyes, but the truth was rarely needed in circumstances like this. 

He simply placed a hand on the blanket and began to heat it while his attention was drawn back to the healer behind him.

[color=fff200][b]"I am the Sun King. I come from the great belfry in…"[/b][/color] He spoke the full introduction by habit but caught himself. There was no grandiosity to be found in a place like this. [color=fff200][b]"I said we should make for more pleasant surroundings. Staying around won't be good for Roslyn here and while I appreciate your need to heal that man, I'm sure we can get him more considered care once he is in the hands of the authorities. Do you need a hand lifting him?"[/b][/color]

Esmii looked up at him and nodded in agreement.

[colour=#b08cc9]"Hello Sun King, my name Esmii and this man is Sven. I can carry Roslyn if you can carry Sven. But Where can we go? We will need somewhere that has beds or something so I can heal him, and so we can put her somewhere safe. But I don’t know if I can do much for her, I do have a sleeping position if you think that might work."[/colour]

Roslyn placed her back, somehow managing to avoid the mess she made. Her back leaned into the hand against the blanket. She closed her eyes tight. White, green, and purple streaked across her vision as she pushed the blanket.

[color=ebe7a3] "I need... to move."[/color] Her voice was hoarse and cracking. Anxiety rose causing her to start to draw energy in for a spell.

Esmii notices that Roslyn was struggling again, she also noticed that she was trying to cast something. She moved towards her and tried to calm her down.

[colour=#b08cc9]"Rose it’s ok, I'm here, I know you're not well, but stop, you need to rest. Are you in pain?"[/colour] After this she picked up her friend and carried her.

[color=fff200][b]"It is nice to meet you, Emsii."[/b][/color] The Sun King swapped places with her, going to Sven while she took care of Roslyn. Instead of the floating he had become known for, the man walked.

[color=fff200][b]"I know a place where Roslyn should be able to recover."[/b][/color] He placed a hand on the unconscious Sven's chest, who proceeded to float upward in defiance of gravity. [color=fff200][b]"But I think you misunderstand me. The blood on this one's hands is not his own. Am I correct?"[/b][/color]

[color=fff200][b]"I intend to put him in a cell,"[/b][/color] he stated matter-of-factly.

Esmii hearing what Sun King said suddenly halted, her heart sank, she started to tremble with fear, and she turned round to face him, with the look of worry on her face.

Roslyn paused in her wiggling, her eyes snapped open. She had ceased her drawing as the energy bled back out, her head pounding harder than a mallet. Her stomach curled again, but nothing came out. It was empty, much to her relief. Esmii's face became an erratic scribble causing Roslyn to turn her face into the Yasoi woman.

[color=ebe7a3]"No..."[/color] It was a lie, clear as day despite her efforts to hide it. Her face tensed up as more throbbing rippled through her skull. [color=ebe7a3]"Please, don't..."[/color] She couldn't string together a proper thought. It was difficult to tell if her last response was to Esmii or the Sun King. 

[colour=#b08cc9]"He needs to be healed, not all of the blood is from the poor woman, some of the blood is his. He needs help too, not to be locked up, we are all suffering because of the effects of big aberration, it’s messed with us, them more than me, that's what happened. Why is this happening?"[/colour]

Esmii can feel her emotions building up, she doesn’t know what to do, she is angry, worried and scared, and this is all amplified. She feels like it’s all her fault, she can’t think of what she can do now. She knows what has happened, but it wasn’t Sven’s fault.

[colour=#b08cc9]"Do you think he wanted to do this? He needs help like She needs help, I won’t let him suffer. We can’t just lock him up. It’s my fault, I got too close to the aberration, he was trying to help me, then when the aberration disappeared the Yasoi woman attacked and he defended. I’m not leaving his side."[/colour]

She shouted with tears in her eyes. She then looked at Roslyn as she realized she had spoken and was moving.

The Sun King let out a drawn-out sigh. [color=fff200][b]“I care little for whose fault you think this is. The artist holding the brush is responsible for their painting, regardless of their influences. I find that holds for distasteful acts as well.”[/b][/color] A pause hung in the air.

[color=fff200][b]“But you love him. And for that reason, I will hold back judgment.”[/b][/color] He spoke with confidence on matters he couldn’t have known. [color=fff200][b]“Not even a king may intervene with love. It would be unjust for me to take him away, for now.”[/b][/color]

[color=fff200][b]“We should take these two to a more private location. I doubt I am the only one looking to collect ‘Sven’.”[/b][/color]

Esmii took a deep breath, to try and calm herself and her emotions, as she knew she was being irrational and was taking her frustration and fears out on Sun King, which wasn’t fair as she knows he is trying to help and doesn’t know the full story.

[colour=#b08cc9]"I’m sorry. You're only trying to help, and thank you for the help and holding your judgment."[/colour]

She walked over to Sun King with Roslyn in her arms, and tried to offer him a hand shake.

Roslyn tensed as Esmii tried to juggle her. The ringing became louder, her voice louder than intended, [color=ebe7a3]"C-careful.”[/color]  

[colour=#b08cc9]" Sorry Rose, you're ok. So where are we headed then, Sun King. And yes we should hurry as someone else could be looking for us, well me, him and her not you."[/colour]

Holding back judgment. When the phrase was repeated back to him, Leon began to notice the downside of his adopted persona. He wasn’t supposed to be here, under these circumstances. The Sun King was only supposed to bring even more joy and celebration to the trials. But fate brought him other plans. Even a fabricated authority was to be an authority, and Leon did not enjoy having to play that role.

The Sun King returned Esmii’s offer of a handshake with an awkward and unpracticed movement. It was not a common action for him to do at all in comparison to less formal greetings.

[color=fff200][b]“Follow me, and do so closely.”[/b][/color]

Esmii nodded, and followed closely. [colour=#b08cc9]"Ok."[/colour] 

[hr]

The Sun King’s tavern room could best be described as ‘spare no expense’. The lavish space was just about three times the size of a standard room and had a balcony overlooking the city. A low-lying table sat in the middle with a few lounging chairs at three of the four sides. On it was a vibrant fruit bowl and a book titled ‘Belzaggic Nights: Forbidden Romance Behind the Leaves’. It was a highly regarded book in the courts of noble ladies and the Sun King had almost finished it, judging by his bookmark.

After a cover was placed on it to catch the blood, the Sun King let an unconscious Sven gently fall onto a humongous bed that measured roughly three Sven’s big. [color=fff200][b]“Please, make yourselves at home. I will get the bath ready for whoever needs it first.”[/b][/color] He left Sven’s side and walked to touch the bath, which was positioned between the bed and the lounging table. The bath then proceeded to levitate up and float back into the bathroom.

When Esmii walked into the room she was amazed, her eyes widened and mouth fell agape. She had never seen a room like this in a tavern. Then she walked over to one of the chairs and placed Roslyn down on it. She checked her over, as she moved the quilt from her face, she noticed there were some cuts, it looked like she had scratched herself. She sighed and stated.

[colour=#b08cc9]"Sun King, Roslyn has some scratches, but that's to be expected, I can’t see any other wounds, but bathing her is going to be tricky as I think she is hallucinating."[/colour] 

As Esmii spoke to the Sun King, Roslyn's form slacked. Her bones felt like gelatin. A heavy, laborious breath exhaled from her chest. Again, she saw the jagged lines float in front of her vision. They scribbled then darted about, creating childish like pictures. She closed her eyes again in hopes to make it stop. 

After she had checked Roslyn, she walked over to Sven to check on him. She then took her boots off so she didn’t get mud on the bed, and climbed on the bed next to Sven. She unbuttoned his shirt to check the wound on his shoulder, then she checked his broken nose. She then began to heal him again. She healed his nose first as it wasn’t too bad,, then she healed his shoulder wound, lucky because she had partially healed it before it didn't take too long.

[colour=#b08cc9]"Ta. Sun King can I please have a wet cloth, to remove the blood."[/colour] 

A dampened towel flew out from the bathroom in response. Without a word spoken from the Sun King.

Esmii court the towel, [colour=#b08cc9]"Thank you."[/colour] She began to wash the blood off of Sven, from his chest, arms. After she finished she put the towel on a table then she took a deep breath, and held Sven’s hand. Then she leaned towards his ear and whispered quietly.

[colour=#b08cc9]"Please wake up soon my love, please. I need to talk to you. It's not going to be easy, but you need to hear this, something has happened. And Roslyn is in bad shape, I think she is hallucinating. It’s all my fault. You teshcexei'bidar (stupid girl or headpain child), why do you always cause things like this, maybe my moila (brother) is right, I’m useless, all I do Is cause problems."[/colour]

Esmii then sits back up, one hand still holding Svens and her other wiping her tears away, she then looks over to Roslyn, as she notices that she is quiet. She also starts to feel dizzy and drained. She may have used more magic than she meant to, she moves to sit crossed legged on the bed to be more steady and holds her head.

[colour=#b08cc9]"Sun King, can you check on Roslyn, I’m feeling a bit dizzy and drained, I will get rid of the binding ropes that are around the quilt for you when you're close to her. I don’t think I can keep the binding rope around her much longer."[/colour]

[color=fff200][b]"Very well."[/b][/color] The Sun King called from the other room. [color=fff200][b]"You may release her. I doubt she can cause too much trouble. I'll be over in just a moment, after the bath is heated to my lik… until it's warm."[/b][/color]

Esmii on hearing him, felt relieved. Just then she unfortunately released the binding ropes that were securing Roslyn in the quilt, were slowly disappearing, as she could no longer keep them there, because she had used too much magic. Also right now she knew she wasn’t well, she could see from her hand that she was pale. 

[colour=#b08cc9]"Sorry Sun King, but can you take care of her for me? I have used too much of my magic and the binding ropes are disappearing."[/colour]

When Roslyn felt the ropes loosen, her eyes opened. She caught motion from the edge of her vision. Drawn to the oddity, the Hendlish girl squinted at the nearest corner in the room. She stiffened and her eyes widened. To everyone else, the corner was completely empty. 

[color=ebe7a3] "No...no, th-this isn't..."[/color] She jerked upright. Fumbling to her feet, she began to step backwards. 

The Sun King left the bathroom with a smile despite the circumstance. It was somewhat explained by the exotic aroma wafting into the main room. 

But his smile was quickly replaced with an unpractised stern expression and his hands went to his hips. A murderer lay unconscious on his bed, a lady was fearfully retreating from an empty corner, and the large man's partner was trying to heal him up. The Sun King wasn't sure he would be able to win that fight if Sven came back around and still felt violence was still the best course of action.

His work was cut out for him. Curse his bleeding heart, he still had to repress a smile seeing that they were now safe.

The Sun King picked out a rose from the nightstand vase and waved his hand over the bloom. Then tossed it harmlessly toward Roslyn. The flower shone with an unnatural brightness. 'That should give her something to focus on at least' he thought. He wasn't going to close the distance yet, best to avoid unnecessary panic.

Meanwhile, Sven slept like the dead, more or less. Was there any sign of him stirring? Had he just moved?

Unaware of her companions, Roslyn continued to stare at the corner. An ice cold familiarity washed over her core. A woman swayed in the corner. Slow and steady, unaware of Roslyn's presence. A thin dress gown covered the woman's frame of bone and skin. The long braid, unkempt and loose, swung in the middle of her back.

[color=ebe7a3] "Mother?"[/color] Roslyn whispered, her voice cracking.

The figure stiffened at the word. The fragile hallucination turned about and looked back. Inky blotches crawled across her cheeks, draining her flesh of color. She stared out of two black holes, the dark ichor pooled and dripped from the bottom. She cocked her head to the side.

Roslyn trembled, her eyes unable to tear away. The woman smirked. Small cracks snaked their way from the corners. Her smirk twisted into a wicked grin. Flesh flaked off, crumbling from the face. Through the gaps, gray mass wiggled and writhed. She opened her mouth releasing an ear piercing screech.

Roslyn snapped her hands over her ears. Before she replied, a rose thumped near her feet. She jerked to look at it. What might've been an enchanting light for some, turned into a twisted image of faces howling at her. Roslyn turned then rushed for the balcony.

Esmii, seeing the state that her friend is in, tries to talk to her, to see if it will help to distract her from what looks to be a horrible hallucination. 

[colour=#b08cc9]"Rose you're safe now, try to listen to my voice. It’s Esmii, I'm here."[/colour]

Roslyn didn't catch Esmii's voice. In fact, she could barely hear anything. Her foot stumbled, but she managed to keep herself upright. This place wasn't safe. Adrenaline overrode the nausea in her middle, allowing her to reach the railing. Her arms reached out and braced against the top. As her legs swung over, her form rose into the air and... plummeted.

[color=fff200][b]“Shit!”[/b][/color]

Esmii, seeing this, screamed out to her friend. [colour=#b08cc9]"ROSE, NO."[/colour] 

She then stood up from the bed, but when she fully stood and tried to take a step, the adrenaline she was running on had finally left her. Her legs gave way and she dropped to the floor, she was trembling, her head felt like it could split, she had also landed hard enough for her to hurt her right wrist.

[colour=#b08cc9]"Sun King, please go and find my friend, as I can’t she needs help, her hallucinations could get worse, she is a danger to herself and others right now. I will be fine, and when Sven awakes he should be back to his normal self, and I will explain to him what has happened."[/colour]

Esmii looked up to see that only her and Sven remained in the room. She was talking to a faint afterglow.[/hider]
[hider=Chased by the Sun]
From the busy street below the tavern, passersby gawked in horror at seeing a woman plummeting from the 5th and top floor of the Duke’s Luxury tavern and accommodations. A further surprise came when an incandescent flare erupted from the roof of the building and dropped quickly to encase that woman in light as it touched the ground below.

The light dissipated to show the Sun King himself hugging Roslyn in the middle of a captivated crowd. While his embrace wasn’t constricting, it was firm. [color=fff200][b]“Please, please, there is no need to admire, praise, or fawn,”[/b][/color] he addressed the crowd with a feigned pleasantry. [color=fff200][b]“Can’t you see this poor girl wishes to mourn.”[/b][/color]

The Sun King had illusioned a funeral veil over Roslyn’s face, both to hide her identity from the crowd and to lower her visual stimulus. His heart was beating out of his chest; with any luck, they wouldn’t put together that it was his apartment a woman had jumped from.

When Roslyn released her grip on the railing, gravity sucked her downward. Air whipped up as the ground rushed to greet her. Her mind failed to realize her mistake until it was too late. Her eyes closed, bracing for the worst. Suddenly, the motion stopped. Something grasped her tightly and held her close to its chest. Her eyes cracked open, but she spotted nothing but darkness. 

Her heart hammed in her chest as she tried to puzzle what happened. It didn't help that her mind still pounded. For a moment, her form seems to relax. A sensation of eyes seemed to crawl across her skin. It was uncomfortable and set her on edge.

[color=ebe7a3] "Please, I need to get away. I killed her. I thought she was sleeping... She's dead. I didn't mean... Please, let me go."[/color] Her form shuddered, the panic rising.

[color=fff200][b]“A metaphor!”[/b][/color] The Sun King tried to settle the growing suspicions of the crowd. [color=fff200][b]“A weeping woman's tears kill any man.”[/b][/color] The panicked prose didn’t even make sense, she wasn’t referring to a man. But now his attention seemed more focused on the crowd than Roslyn herself.

When his grip loosened, she slipped away. Once more Roslyn bolted forward. Her feet slapped across the flagstones before she shoved past the parting crowd.

[color=fff200][b]“Shit!”[/b][/color]

He was quick to give chase, not only to catch her but to maintain the funeral veil illusioned over her face as well.

[color=fff200][b]‘What did she mean? Had this woman also killed someone?’[/b][/color] He doubted it, but it didn’t stop a growing nausea that was welling up in his gut. Leon had to get to the bottom of this.


He gave chase but didn’t manage to close the gap. [color=fff200][b]“Stop, please!”[/b][/color] The Sun King called out. Although it sounded vaguely like reciting lines of a play, trying not to lose composure. That would only serve to worry the crowd.

Roslyn's legs refused to listen. She slammed into the wall, then shot down the alley's narrow path. Her veil continued to hinder her vision as she pushed forward. At this point, she didn't even know where she was heading. She needed to escape from here. Voices once more assaulted her ears causing her to tremble.

It didn't help, she could barely see.

[color=ebe7a3] "I'm sorry. I'm sorry..."[/color] Roslyn cried, tears welled in the corners of her eyes. Bruises had formed along her arms from where she collided with the wall. Her foot caught against a box. She staggered, but she managed to stay upright.

[color=fff200][b]‘How fast is she?’[/b][/color] The Sun King kept the pace, but she was fast. He had hoped to be able to conserve his magical reservoirs. But the distance wasn’t being closed and she didn’t look to be running out of steam ahead. Even with the short trip.

[color=fff200][b]”Rosl… Rose!”[/b][/color] He narrowly avoided revealing her identity then jumped the box. Not without considerable effort on both accounts.

When Roslyn exited the alley, she turned right and headed east. The illusion veil stayed on well and continued to block her vision. However, she could hear the crowd become louder. She kept going, but her pace began to slow. Exhaustion weighed down her legs.

A wagon abruptly pulled into the middle of the road. Roslyn's shoulder smacked into the rear corner. She toppled to the ground, her scream stifled by the shock. A whimper escaped her lips as she curled into a ball upon the ground. The pain rippled from her bruised muscles to her brain. She couldn't move.

[color=ebe7a3] "I'm sorry. I thought she was sleeping... Why didn’t I check?"[/color] Roslyn asked no one in particular. 

While she asked no one, it didn’t mean no one was around to hear. The Sun King had just caught up to hear the diminutive weeping. There was more than the madness tormenting this girl, but now wasn’t the time to ask.

[color=fff200][b]”You have run long enough.”[/b][/color] His tone was comforting but solemn. There was no attempt to play to the crowd as he knelt, speaking to her and her alone. His robes took a pleasant flight and fluttered up from his body. Then was brought down to blanket the sobbing woman. [color=fff200][b]”A gentle sleep calls. Allow yourself the rest.”[/b][/color]

Roslyn didn't flinch or react, feeling the cloak hid her from sight. Her eyes remained closed and her form shuddered with her soft cries. Exhaustion numbed her limbs as she began to still. It was clear she had no energy left, not even enough to lift herself upright.

Due to the scene’s chaos, a small crowd drew close, but none dared to approach her. 

The owner of the cart, a stout and short human, had halted his horse. He stepped down and rushed about the side to see the Sun King attending to the woman. He gave a breath of relief. Scratching his beard, he gruffly asked the questions on everyone's mind.

"What in the name of Oraff-Zept was she thinking? Just rushing into the wagon like that? Is she all right?"

[color=fff200][b]“She is safe now. But I doubt she will be alright for some time. It has been quite the day for her.”[/b][/color]


The Sun King rose from his reverent kneel, carrying the resting Roslyn in a princess carry.

[color=fff200][b]“There is no need to worry now. Go back to to your homes. For all is protected, where the Sun King roams.”[/b][/color]

A gentle light picked up around him until the two weren’t visible to the surrounding crowd. Then, when it faded again, the two were gone.

There was a greater magical process to it all. But none around could tell the specifics, none except Leon himself. And he wouldn’t tell a soul about the details.
[/hider]