Gale McLeary was supposed to meet with the Captain that evening, to discuss recent developments and how they were to proceed. When he got to the tavern, however, the windows had been unnaturally dark, and a band of foreigners had been at the door, bothering some blokes that had been posted to guard the place and turn people away. And then the magic started. Magic meant the captain might respond with magic, which would mean they’d need to get her out of there quickly. He needed to get backup.

At the Knight’s Barracks, Lieutenant James Clearwell sat at his desk outside Stratya’s office, doing a bit of evening paperwork over a glass of mead. He wasn’t one for overindulgent days like Drunkard’s Day, but he wasn’t so far gone that he would ignore the holiday. He did enjoy a drink or two now and then.

Gale’s visit was a surprise, and a break of the protocol they’d laid out. This had better be important. The man leaned in and told him quietly, “magic. Brring a carriage, captain wants tae inspect t’ blossoms.” Just as the wind, Gale was gone again.

He’d said it so briefly, Clearwell had almost missed it. It had been very important.

[center][color=peru][h2]Knight Devout[/h2][/color]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/6ayJCLm.png[/img][/center]
[color=peru][center][h2]Captain Stratya Durmand[/h2][/center]
Time:[/color] 2nd Ignis, Evening
[color=peru]Location:[/color] Tough Tavern
[color=peru]Attire:[/color] [url=https://pin.it/5yhq8PwRC]Fine Dress[/url]
Boar Mantle of Spring Hunting - head’s at home, the bulky thing
A Dirk - strapped in, strapped down
[url=https://i.imgur.com/8bpbDCb.jpeg]Swordbreaker[/url] - strapped in, strapped down
[color=peru]Interactions:[/color]
[color=peru]Mentions:[/color] 


Aah, there it was. What Stratya could only expect was Charlotte’s first real exposure to live combat had taken quite the toll. It had been a brutal one, as well; the head being kicked around was a particularly haunting sight, even for her. Stratya’s left slid out and both arms wrapped around the shaken young lady. The honest compassion Charlotte expressed was a refreshing change from their spoiled night, but also from witch hunters and murders and plots.[color=peru] “You flat’err me wit’ yerr concerrn, Lady Charrlo’e.”[/color]

Slowly, she scanned their surroundings for someone. Not here yet.

A sigh, letting a bit of the tension off while her fingers flexed, patting Charlotte’s head lightly,[color=peru] “if I’d ken figh’in’ tae be on t’ menu, I migh’a brrough’ a frriend ah two.”[/color]

As Charlotte pulled herself back together, Stratya shook her head,[color=peru] “it’s naturral that y’d be shaken. It’s my job tae keep this kinda thing frrom ‘appenin’, [i]I[/i] should be apologizin’ tae [i]you[/i].”[/color] However, like any good ruler-to-be, Charlotte pulled herself together and got back to action.

[color=peru][i]Back inside? No, everyone should be moved to a safe area outside, what..? Hmn.[/i][/color]

Charlotte was right, however. She had to be sure everyone was safe and the fight inside was over, and to that end, she couldn’t let Charlotte go back in alone. Her training was getting a little rusty, she’d let the Fury fixate her on something. Or, perhaps she’d run herself harder than she realized, and her control slipped. Had it been her spellcasting? She looked over her shoulder once more.

He still wasn’t here.

Whatever the case, with unknown kidnappers about, it [i]would[/i] be best to-

.. it would be safer to go inside. But [i]here?[/i] The people here should be moved [i]anywhere else[/i], not kept with the smells and the sights and the horrors.

Charlotte seemed to understand that, in one breath expressing the need to go back inside for safety and the need to escape this place for safety. While admiring the resolve of the young lady that had only just been falling apart in her arms, Stratya heard her wonder to herself how the guards had seen nothing and the familiarity with which she used the word “magic”. It was turning up in so many places, and yet there was so little control or regulation. It was a toy anyone who looked in the wrong place could find without knowing a thing about it. Hmn.

She murmured to Lady Vikena in a similarly soft tone,[color=peru] “I wonderr ‘oo’s guarrds those werre?”[/color] Perhaps they’d been told to see nothing. There was no time to debate it, they both knew that.

[color=D0B4EC]”Let us go.”[/color]

[color=peru]“Yes.”[/color]

She hovered at Charlotte’s side, her right hand on her dirk, ready for the chaos of a battlefield to find her in the middle of what should be a safe city. It felt so wrong. The Duchess-to-be addressed Sjan-dehk and Stratya connected a few dots with something Kalliope had said in her ear before. Was this man what she had meant by that? The.. foreign captain she kept seeing places. Well, two places. Here and the castle.

[color=peru]“I was nae quick enough, I’m sorry. We [i]will[/i] find herr.”[/color] It was all she could offer right now.

Charlotte moved, and Stratya was her shadow. Then, she stood over the remains of Marius and the trio of traumatized nobles. Her eyes drifted over to the man the first mage had killed nearby, folded for trying to flee. She reached into her satchel and drew out a couple copper - she always carried a few - and knelt by the man, closing his eyes and laying a coin over either.[color=peru] “Wonderr if he ‘ad a family..?”[/color]

There was no time to think about it. Just as Charlotte called to her and bade her help Roman, The Edwards Guard and Duke Giddeon himself arrived. Had so much time passed? That wasn’t good, but at least it was Giddeon and not… … … [i]literaly anyone else[/i].

Oof! The way he said [i]you[/i] at her felt like she’d disappointed her own father. He was just trying to conceal her identity. Surely.

She didn’t need to be told twice, however. It was time to go. Having been bade to aid Roman, she sought his eyes, but when she found them, he told her no. There was no time to argue; as Giddeon confirmed for her, the Crown Guard was coming.

[color=peru]“Lord Kazumin, I will need ye tae carry Lady Olivia. Lady Charlotte, we [i]must[/i] go.”[/color] She took Charlotte gently by her shoulder and began to guide her out through the back, stopping only long enough to ensure that Kazumin and Olivia were not far behind her. If Giddeon had shown up already, the Crown Guard would not be far behind. Without Queen Alibeth to shield her, the Queen’s Knight would find it hard to escape this bind. She had to be sure she did not get caught in it, and it wouldn’t do to leave these three to it, either.

Out through the kitchen she would lead. First, they had to escape the closing snare. Then, they could go home. Before they made it very far, a voice sounded, “ser.”

Stratya recognized the voice and turned her head, slowing only enough to let Charlotte lean on her,[color=peru] “we need tae leave.”[/color]

The man that had addressed her was already moving, having read the situation. Guards everywhere, captain wounded with the kind of fatigue he’d seen on her before. “This way,” Gale would lead them north, around the library. He carefully matched their speed with a nonchalant gait as they rounded to the east. Once they were in the alley, he motioned them on and made sure they weren’t being followed, “turn south at the end.” They wouldn’t need the direction, as Gale hurried back to the front of their formation after finding nothing to lead the way again, taking them south along the edge of the Damien property.

As they came to the end of the alley, where it opened out before running into Cherry Ln, he motioned them to wait and went ahead to spot the carriage and flag Clearwater down.