Itzal smiled and produced a map, plaing it on the table and opening it. "May I?" He asked, before borrowing her quill and marking the location of Halden's den. "This is the location of one of Halden's Pits. I'm certain you're familiar enough with the name. He worked with Shade for some time before the two were trying to kill each other." Itzal began, producing a pendant that belonged to him and a larger, round package.

"Perhaps I should start at the beginning. I've been travelling with Lady Dralina for some time now, and a few of us decided to shut down Halden's operation after we got word of his presence here. He was a bigger problem for the daeva than the seraphim, but someone here might appreciate our efforts all the same. Anyway, Shade had tracked Halden there and the two clashed, while we were fighting off a handful of seraphim nobles who were there. Unfortunately, many of us were heavily injured or exhausted, so I could only bring you Halden's head. The two exchanged mortal blows to each other, and from what I saw, it seemed as if Shade had let Halden's blow land in order to kill him. There was no way he could have survived a punctured lung." Itzal continued.

"You'll find the truth of my words once you check the place out." Itzal adopted a more leisurely pose, though he was on guard and well aware he had not prepared a very good lie. There was just no way to cover up the ritual he had performed to cheat death - there would be no body of his old self, and he had no memory shards that would prove his point. Especially not from the others, since his own memories would show [i]him[/i] fighting Halden instead of Shade... and he needed the two to be separate identities now. "Even if Shade's body isn't there, the list of seraphim nobles funding and backing an illegal feral fighting ring should be quite valuable as well, no?"

Crossing his arms, Itzal looked Justica right in the eye and waited for the woman's response. He was not certain how well-informed she was of his movements, but while he wasn't keen on dying, should the woman figure out who he really was, there wouldn't be any point in resisting. Fighting his way out would only serve to condemn Neon's efforts and he would have to consider that. There was always the truth, though how the real story would change Justica's opinion, he did not see.

---

Kayla arrived in Adalrich as the warm afternoon sun lit up every building in the city. The council had received her notice and she would be put up in the guest rooms. She had received little to no word of where Neon and the rest were, but hopefully she would meet them tomorrow when the Council convened to make their decision on their participation in the war. To that end, she had been summoned before Macto and Munus - the two of them wanted to her version of the story and get her stand on behalf of the Element Masters on where they stood regarding the war.

It was a small meeting room where she awaited them, and she gathered her thoughts as she went over how she would describe everything - she would stick to the facts and the truth of things as best possible, and hope it was enough to convince them. On the matter of the Element Masters assisting in the war... she would have to be hopelessly stubborn and make sure the two men understood they would not have some of the kingdom's most power magi back them up. "Councilmen," Kayla greeted them with a bow, as they entered the room. They exchanged polite greetings, and Kayla tried not to betray her unfamiliarity with this all. She had corresponded and spoken before the Council on occasion, but never in a fine robe like the one she was wearing or alone in the small room.

She began her story, from start to finish, sticking to the facts. King Aaron had been paranoid long before they even arrived, and she saw for herself how daeva were treated in the city, feral or not. She described the events at the banquet, when a feral dragon daeva attacked and caused the king to panic, declaring the entire royal family ferals and to be executed on sight, firing the first shot. "However much destruction we caused, ser, was only as severe as the humans' reaction. They brought out their war machines and air ship just to deal with a group of suspected ferals. The king endangered his own people with his actions and decisions." She finished her tale, and tried to read the pensive looks on both men's faces.

"I have spoken my part as a member of Lady Dralina's entourage, now I speak as a member of the Council of Elements." Kayla began again, refusing to let the two men dictate the flow of the meeting and steer her into a corner. "We regret to inform the council that we cannot, in good faith or conscience, back any war effort against the daeva. Our brand of magic teaches us that all elements must co-exist in harmony in order to bring balance to the world and its inhabitants. Such is the nature of the relations between our three races. Eradicating the daeva would make us no better than the ferals who kill without regard." She left the words hanging in the air, as the atmosphere grew heavy. Unsure how the two men would react, she hoped that Macto would at least be tempered enough to see the folly of such a call.

[i]We can only hope.[/i]