[IC] Who Are You? [Ebonfort]

[Twhirtley]

Starting Date and Time: 39th Day of Crimsia, 18th Stretch
Starting Location: High above Silent Rise
CS URLs: Lii

Kalim lazily looked over from his resting spot, on his back high above the village he was charged with protecting. His keen eyes could make out the fairy folk therein, going about their day. They were his assignment. But that could wait for a bit, he didn't expect any trouble from them. His whiskers twitched, his ears flicked and he looked back toward the canopy. He'd been up here all day, mostly napping and observing their actions.

Everyone had heard about there being a fairy witch or some other dogshit like that. He didn't put much stock in that sort of thing. Gossip was just riddles without intelligence. However, being an Ebon Knight, he did have to investigate the matter. For the last few months, there had been talk that magic was returning to the world, and in increasing frequency. The higher-ups always sent an investigator to a magic rumor. He'd heard that this was for the protection of the people, but he suspected it was more about the other, more worrying rumor. The one that Vircastoria was being rebuilt far to the west, with the aid of the Screamers. If that was the case, having mages running wild during a war was just another factor the Lord Knights didn't need. But all of that was neither here nor there.

Letting loose one final yawn, he deftly sprang up from his back onto his paws, watching as not a single leaf wiggled on his branch. Springing from branch to branch, trunk to trunk, his claws keeping the grip needed until he found himself just outside the little settlement. Silently dropping down, he slipped into a passive, cross-legged seated position, clawed hands out in a display of peace. His tail lazily waved back and forth behind him, as he started purring loudly, intentionally trying to lure someone out. He knew his black, cloth garbs might be off putting to some, especially since he never wore his rank sash. Purple just stuck out a little too much when he was trying to go unnoticed. And his Sergeant Knight always hated the black headband he wore. Nowadays he did it just to piss her off.

[RomanAria]

The little village was peaceful as always as the small folk went about their day. Light flashed off of their iridescent wings and there was quiet laughter from within hollows and behind curtains of moss, as the golden sunlight filtered through the forest canopy and birds were chirping.

But of course, the peace wasn't to last. With the purring noise, many people peered out of their windows curiously. But some went even further than that.

"Kierie Aderren Elenye! Get yourself back in here!" The melodic voice echoed out from a particularly neatly-maintained set of hollows, faintly accompanied by a TWANG as a lyre was dropped carelessly to the floor.

"B-but, but Lii-lii, there's a k-kitty!" The high childish voice could clearly be heard as the two-and-a-half-inch tall winged child ran all of three steps out of the tree, before being grabbed by the arm and dragged back inside.
"I don't care that there's a kitty, you don't go looking at random creatures out in this forest, how many times do I have to tell you?" The older female speaker still did not make herself visible.

"Lii, what happened to "let's go on an adventure and get our little brother almost killed?" You're being awfully cautious all of a sudden." A male voice also echoed from the slender oak trunk.
"How many times have I had to apologize, Kintaer?!"
"I was just joking, Lii, gosh!"

"I'm sorry, I can't help that I'm scared to death that some hunter's going to come up here looking for us!" The girl at least had the sense to drop her voice, though it would be audible to anyone who was actually listening.
"Relax a bit, Lii, it's been four months and no one's come looking."
"That doesn't mean they won't start now."
"Quit being so paranoid."

There was a long moment of silence, and then...

"Lii-Lii, can I go see the kitty now?"

The girl sighed. "I suppose, but I'll hold you. We don't EVER run towards strange creatures." The voice came closer to the door, and a small fairy came out. She looked young, certainly too young to be the mother of the chocolate-haired toddler who was propped on her hip.

Lyriia almost panicked when she saw how big the creature sitting next to her home was. And wearing all black. Sure, he was... purring, and looked peaceful, but still...

"Oooh, it's a BIG kitty. I d-don't want to pet the big kitty anymore, Lii-Lii..." Kierie said loudly, betraying their presence.
"Well, it's too late now."

Lyriia came out onto a branch, her fluttering blue wings betraying her nervousness. "Greetings... My name is L-Lyriia, and this is m-my sister Kierie. How can I h-help you?" she curtsied as she spoke, trying to keep herself calm. They didn't know who she was. And she'd done nothing wrong, had she...?

[Twhirtley]

Kalim smiled wide, making it appear that his eyes closed in the squint, though he never impaired his vision. He slowly snaked his orange-furred tail out toward the younger sister, stopping it before her. "I am indeed a big kitty, little Kierie." He waved it invitingly in front of her, hopefully showing her that it was alright to pet his tail. After a moment, regardless if she took the offer or not, he looked at Lyriia, "Well, it is more about how we can help each other. I am Lieutenant Knight Kalim, and I'm investigating a recent... incident. Now, I want you to know before I continue, at this time, neither you nor any of your fellows here, are suspected of any crime, and do not deserve any punishment. I'm simply here for answers."

He knew that this might be fairly stressful for anyone, especially after what she'd been through, had he learned the facts. And he always learned the facts. He continued, "So it seems you were apprenticed to one Gherick Longarm, one of Silent Rise's finest medical minds. He did so after witnessing you perform what can only be described as 'magic'." He paused for a moment, to judge her reaction, as well as that of the sister. Moving past that, "So it seems that word got out, and the villagers reacted... poorly. As such, you were driven from your apprenticeship and forced out, and now it seems you live here with your family. Is all of what I say true?"

He kept his face passive, and his body language relaxed and aloof. He really hoped she didn't try and flee, it was really difficult to capture a fairy without injuring them. Then he remembered something on his person, reaching slowly into a small pocket on his thigh. His face broke into a grin as he pulled out a paper wrapped object. Unwrapping it revealed it to be a brightly colored honey candy. Pulling out a single claw, he stuck it straight down the center, shattering it. He popped a large chunk into his own mouth, hoping it showed that it wasn't a trap, then offered the shards to the fairies, saying to the younger one, "If you want, you can share these with your brethren." This also gave an excuse for the younger one to not be here for what was likely a very serious conversation.

[RomanAria]

Kierie reached out and petted the creature's tail, trembling with nervousness, only to look up in shock at the big creature. "Oh... It's s-soft. And f-fluffy." She cuddled the tip of the creature's tail, wings flapping excitedly. "Lii-lii, can we keep the kitty?"

Lyriia rolled her eyes. "No, Kierie, we're not going to take a kitty home. He's too big to fit through our front door, in any case." Then she heard what the man was saying and froze at the mention of magic. She was only slightly reassured by his comment of not being punished. He was from Silent Rise, after all; didn't everyone there hate her?

Nonetheless, she couldn't bring herself to lie.
"Y-yes sir. I was a student of Master Longarm's. But I w-wasn't originally apprenticed to him for my magic. I was apprenticed to him, b-because he had to save Kintaer because of something stupid I did, and I thought it only right to assist him however I could."

As she spoke the boy in question came out of the house and gave a stiff bow to Kalim. He was a good bit taller than his older sister, with a crease in his wing as the only mark of his accident when he was younger. He took Kierie from Lyriia, since it seemed like Lii might drop her, as she was so nervous.
"B-but besides the reason for my apprenticeship, y-yes, that's all correct and t-true, S-Sire." Lii curtsied, trying to hide how badly she was trembling and not succeeding at it even remotely.

Kierie took the shards of the honey candy. "O-oh, thank y-you!" she put one in her mouth and offered one to Kintaer. "Try it, it's y-yummy!"

[Twhirtley]

Kalim was satisfied that the rather nervous fairy had indeed told the truth, and didn't seem to be hiding anything further. He could understand her state, smiling once more at the little one, "You're quite welcome, little Kierie." His ears twitched as he considered her words. He didn't need to know what sort of magic she could do, just yet that is. The villagers had made it out that she was this scary terrorist, and yet she was shaking her before him just from a meeting with an authority figure. This girl hadn't hurt anyone, at least intentionally, in her life.

"Okay, since I do believe you are telling the truth, it is my final determination that you, nor any of your brethren, violated any Ebonfort laws, and were unjustly driven from the village. However, you also weren't a registered citizen, so unfortunately, I cannot punish those that drove you out. Which brings us to your little..." With this, he fanned out his paws, gesturing to the little fairy neighborhood, "Settlement. There is nothing wrong with you and your people living here. However..." He believed that he had a fairly accurate count of all the fairies living here, and was quite satisfied with the amount. "That does bring us to the very unfortunate task... One that brings me great... displeasure. I really, really hate to do this."

His eyes narrowed, his tail stopped wiggling as he looked at her seriously, a paw drifting to the knife at his hip. As it touched the hilt, "Paperwork. I so hate paperwork." With a flick of the wrist, the dagger was drawn so quickly and flung, that none of the fairies would be able to follow. However, they would hear the thunk as it embedded into the trunk behind them, piercing a very menacing looking wasp.

Looking at Kintaer now, noting the crease in his wing, and had put two and two together concerning her apprenticeship. "Are you still able to fly swiftly with that wing of yours? Because I will need you, and of course, Lyriia, to accompany me into Silent Rise proper."

He cast his gaze back to the young woman, "Are you able to speak for your entire settlement? It would make my life so much easier if so." His whiskers twitched as he saw this entire situation going very much in his favor. "Go fetch whatever you might need for spending a day away from here. I do hope someone can watch little Kierie while we're gone? I wish to head out in half a stretch." His tail was back to wiggling once more, that mischievous smile on his face, his head cocked to the side.

[RomanAria]

Stunned silence was the response as the dagger impaled the wasp. Rather than try to form a response, Lii walked back into the house, followed soon by Kintaer. A heated debate could be heard from within.


"Lyriia, I don't CARE that he's from the Knights! you are NOT going back into the village of people who tried to kill you, and you are most CERTAINLY not going with a crazy Katzheer!" An older male's voice echoed out of the windows clearly.
"But Mykiel! It's an adventure!" Lyriia cried.
"And we ALL know how well your adventures work, Lii! I'm crippled and I'll NEVER be able to fly long distances so easily again, thanks to your stupidity!" That cynical voice belonged to Kintaer.
"I SAID I was sorry, may the gods witness it! What's done is DONE, I can't undo it, so just LET IT GO!" Lyriia sounded like she was in tears.
"Lyriia. We let it go a long time ago. But... you're going alone. We can't afford to let Kin go, he has a job to do here, and so does Mykiel and so do I..." The comforting voice was accompanied by a muffled sob.
"So I'll go." Almost lost in the hubbub, the quiet, confident voice.
"Lyellan, no, you're not going. You have work here."
"Not important work! Gaeven, no, I'm not letting my baby sister go off on her own, especially not with a "Crazy Katzheer!" She needs someone to look out for her and I'm the best one for the job! Myki can watch Kierie, and Kin can go to work and so can you, Gaeven, and then me and Lii will go see what we need to do. Now let's get packed, before this Katzheer decides to leave us."
And the other siblings couldn't find a good comeback, so they said nothing.

So the twins packed their bags and hurried out to meet Kalim. Lii brought a change of clothes, some dried fruit, and her medicine satchel. On her belt she had her sling, ammo pouch, and dagger. Just... insurance.

The two twins stood arm-in-arm just beyond the edge of the porch. Lyellan, standing a good inch taller than his sister, fluttered his solid black wings nervously, his dark blue eyes flitting from Lii to Kalim.

"L-Lord Kalim? K-Kintaer couldn't-- w-wouldn't come with us. I hope it's acceptable that, t-that Lyellan, my... twin brother, c-come inst-tead." Lii curtsied, yet again, and Lyellan bowed to the man.

[Twhirtley]

Kalim could only smile as he listened in on the Fairies' debate. He even chuckled at the suggestion that he's crazy. They wouldn't be the first ones to say so, and perhaps at times he certainly seemed it. But that was only to those that couldn't see the big picture. His big picture. His smile only broadened at the girl's response, agreeing with her that the desire for adventure trumped most everything else. His tail wiggled as he watched the siblings approach, listening to their request.

He laughed, "Lord, that's funny. Just Lieutenant, for now. Lyellan will certainly suffice, perhaps even more so than your... injured brother." He wondered if the aptitude for magic was familial or not. If it were, the twin brother might manifest as well. If so, then this helped him out even more. One mage, one with the possibility, and he was the only one who knew of them and their identities. This all needed to be handled quite carefully. Thankfully, that was Kalim's specialty.

From his seated position, he deftly rolled backwards, until he was on his hands, upside down, then pushed upwards, flipping him over, landing silently on his feet. "Let's go then, shall we? Do try and keep up, I'll go slowly." With that, he leaned to his right, and just dropped off the branch. He dropped down, tumbling toward a nearby trunk. He extended his claws, grasping the wood, curling up, then pushing off with his legs. Traveling this way wasn't as quick as a straight drop down, but he needed the fairies to stay with him, for their safety. Eventually they reached the roofs of Silent Rise, Kalim perched atop the thatched peak of one.

His ears had been focused on the flutter of his companions' wings the entire journey down, so he waited as they caught up. When they finally did, "Be sure to stick close to me. I doubt the people who harassed you previously could tell you apart from any other fairies. However, my presence will keep you safe. And if not, my skill will." He stated this not as a boasting opinion, but a statement of fact. He tumbled down into a roll, down the roof, dropping down to the massive branch below, startling an Orc woman stepping out of the doorway.

"I wouldn't do that Peskia."

The large Orc woman had a massive fist pulled back, "You need to stop startling people Kalim, going to get someone, or yourself, hurt."

Kalim smiled, Peskia was a good soul. Little rough around the edges sure, but pleasant enough. Chuckling he began walking to the largest building in the village, the Ebon Knight Depot & Barracks. "So, Lyellan, your sister is a doctor, of sorts. What is it you do?"

[RomanAria]

The twin fairies pretty much had to stop flying and just fall, trying to keep up with the Katzheer lieutenant. Lii did a good job of it, at least, though she had to wait for a solid minute for Lyellan to catch up at the bottom.

Following the Katzheer, they saw the exchange with the Orc woman. Lii fluttered nervously, and Lyellan put his arm around her shoulders.

"You're alright, Lii."
"I k-know... It's just..."
"I know. I get it, sis. But it's alright. They can't recognize you."

The two fairies still fluttered closer to Kalim, though, flying just above his left shoulder.
"So, Lyellan, your sister is a doctor, of sorts. What is it you do?"

"I'm a bard, sir. Well, an apprentice bard."

Lii laughed, despite her nervousness. Lyellan was better than most actual full-fledged bards, at least that the fairies had ever met. He made a fairly good earning at it, too, and he enjoyed what he did. He was trying to get the whole family into it, though of course, that didn't work so well. Gaeven and Mykiel would never even consider doing something so undignified as singing or playing an instrument.

Lyellan looked around at the village, the mist and looming trees making it eerie. Somehow the magic of exploring it had worn off in the last two years. Or maybe it was the hostility seeming to radiate from all the buildings, the silence and tenseness of the boardwalks. Aside from the near-silent footfalls of the Katzheer, the minute flutter of the fairies' own wings, and the lonely crackle of flames in a couple of torches by the eating-house, there was no sound.

Lyriia glanced up just as they passed Master Longarm's house. Seeing the berry-red door and moss-green curtains hanging in the open-air windows, she flinched like she'd been struck. Lyellan saw it and glanced sharply at her, but she would not meet his eyes.

"Are you alright, Lyri-- uh, sis? Lyellan said it loudly, realizing his mistake too late and scrambling to cover it
"I'm fine. Just this place gives me the creeps." Lyriia spoke sharply, glaring at her brother for saying her name in this place, where it seemed like the trees themselves had ears.
"I like Islahiise a lot better." Lyellan muttered, finally taking the hint and dropping his voice.

To change the subject, and to actually make some sound, because she couldn't bear the quiet, Lii looked at the Katzheer.

"So what's your story, Lieutenant? Since you clearly know so much about myself and my brother."

[Twhirtley]

As the unlikely trio neared the Knights' depot, as Kalim stifled a smile, listening to their worry, and the brother's complaint. It would be rather interesting if any of the villagers did actually decide to strike out against them, but Kalim strongly suspected that they wouldn't. Hell, he doubted if many of them could tell the difference between fairies, and those that could would be too smart to have caused issues in the first place. Intelligence was far too rare in these parts. As for Lii's question...

"Oh, I'm just a simple man with simple pleasures, from humble beginnings. I was a normal citizen like you. As I began changing from boy to man, I grew bored, being the son of a farmer. So I entered the Knight's Tournament, and walked away as the only Knight Victorious. And here I am, a mere Lieutenant, serving the important people with some aspirations and dreams."

He led the way to the massive doors of the Depot's Office, guarded by two armored Knights, shining in their ebony glory. On the left was a massive human, well over six feet tall, a giant axe in hand. His partner was a white eyed Moon Fey, in the standard black armor with a two handed sword that appeared to be made of ice. Their eyes glared coldly at the fairies, nodding at the Lieutenant. He smirked lightly, a furred brow raising slightly at the man. Then in a blur of movement, he'd drawn both of his knives, one held at the man's throat, the other holding the ice-like sword at bay.

The Moon Fey spoke, "Seems it is a draw this time."

"Wrong again Glacia."

He then flicked his eyes downward. There she'd see the long, sharp claws of his feet just inside the gap of her plate armor, just by the major artery in her leg. She had no idea how he managed to block her attack with a single foot as his base, and cursed him for it. They all quickly sheathed their weapons, and nodded once more, Kalim smiling even bigger. Crossing the threshold into the building, one could see the many desks, occupied by knights, though not in full armor, busy at work. Squires and pages, fully armored as part of their training, rushed about with papers and parcels. He walked up to the central desk, a thin woman there, "Is she in?"

The woman didn't look up from the scroll she scribbled upon, simply gesturing toward a resplendent pair of doors up a set of stairs behind her. Everyone was far too busy to stare at Kalim and his entourage. Kalim stopped at the doors, "Be sure to be completely honest with her, and only speak when she questions you directly. Are you two ready?"

[RomanAria]

Lyriia watched in awe as Kalim so gracefully defeated the guards. She’d never seen a fighter like that…

“He’s good.” She whispered to Lyellan.
“He won his Tournament. He had to be good to do that.”
“But not THAT good… Oh, Lye, what have I gotten into…?”
“Don’t worry about it, Lii. You’ll be fine. I’ll take him on, if he hurts you.”
“A fairy against a Katzheer. A damned fast one, at that.” Lii’s voice was incredulous.
“An angry fairy, though.” Lyellan seemed determined.
“Just drop it. Nothing’s going to go wrong… I hope…”

When the Katzheer turned back to them, both fairies were intently focused on maintaining blank facial expressions.

"Be sure to be completely honest with her, and only speak when she questions you directly. Are you two ready?"

“Who are we meeting?” Lyellan asked, his wings rustling nervously.

“It doesn’t matter. Of course we’re ready.” Lyriia hushed her brother. She’d gotten enough of a read on the Katzheer to realize that he wouldn’t tell them unless he thought they needed to know, and she realized that her curiosity would be best sated if she kept quiet and watched. “I understand to keep silent.”

Lyellan opened his mouth as if to say something. Lyriia put her elbow into his side and he wisely remained silent.

[Twhirtley]

Kalim kept his playful smile on as he pushed open the doors and led the way into the very dark office. The windows were covered in blinds and a large, glow crystal cast a moonlight over the room. It was covered in dark woods and stone based artworks. A large desk carved from what appeared to be a single black crystal sat in the center of the room. And behind it, a small, drow woman, sitting in a high backed chair. Kalim walked forward and sat in the central of three chairs before the desk, indicating the other two, though quite oversized, were for the fairies.

Once they'd taken their seat, "Good evening ma'am. How's my favorite Warden Knight?" Warden Knights were the second highest achievable rank in the Ebon Knights, only below the five Lord Knights. It was an incredibly prestigious position, only granted to the most capable in both combat, tactics, and politics. There wasn't a single one among them that wasn't ruthless and dangerous, in all settings. The Warden smiled, her crimson eyes gazing fiercely over the fairies, her white hair swishing lightly. She nodded at the Lii, "Is this her?"

"Yes Ma'am."

"Outside of their village, who knows for sure what she can do and who she is?"

"Master Longarm, myself, and you."

It would be quite evident that Kalim's normal playful attitude and mystery was not applied to his superior. The woman now looked quite pleased, "Excellent. Let's make sure it remains that way." The weight of those words clearly indicated a not-so-veiled threat. She now looked at Lii as a spider would a fly caught in its web. "Do you speak for your village?" The woman would allow just enough time for a simple answer before continuing. "I am Warden Knight Drisceya. You are a rare and valuable person, Lyriia, and you need to be protected, by the might of the mighty Ebonfort and her laws. As such, we need to bring your village into the fold. If not, anything could happen to it. We'd hate for that to happen, wouldn't we?"

The woman now stood, creeping toward the female fairy, "This hasn't been done for some years, most recently with Stone Crest fifty years back. Some may not know the... protocols for such. And I see Kalim has ensured the first steps. You're now the civilian representative for your little village. What is it you call this place?" She paused, waiting for the response, "As such, you will bring forth any issues, of any sort, directly to the Captain Knight assigned to your village." She glanced at Kalim, smiling venomously, as she reached down and gently brushed a single finger tip across Lii's hair, "Kalim certainly deserves a promotion. After all, he's discovered this little village of yours, and found the first known mage in centuries. Consider it done, Kalim."

She began walking from behind Lii's chair, over toward her brother's, "Which brings us to the third requirement, now that a civilian representative and Captain Knight have been assigned. We require a certain percentage of the youth of a new village to enlist as squires. Since your population is so small, Kalim clearly only needed to bring along a single recruit. And all Captain Knights deserve squires. Congratulations Lyellan. Your training begins the moment you leave this office."

She continued her femme fatale stride back to her chair, "I know how much you detest paperwork Kalim, so Serah will take care of all that. However, civilian representatives cannot be so... unimportant. Perhaps it is time to restore Lii to her previous position. Would Master Strongarm be willing to take his apprentice back?" Kalim nodded, the self satisfying grin barely contained by his face, "He's already awaiting her arrival, and has been made aware of the plans."

"Excellent. All that leaves is the agreement from our two fairies here to make this official. Accept and enjoy the protection of our little empire. Decline and... well, that wouldn't be recommended."

Drisceya looked at the two fairies, awaiting their response, and the next step in her plans to come to fruition. Yes, this was definitely the advantage, the opportunity she'd been waiting for, and she was not going to let it pass her by.

[RomanAria]

Lyriia sucked in a breath as they made their way into the dark office. Lyellan’s wings brushed hers reassuringly and she bit back tears. She definitely had a bad feeling about this…

She nervously took the seat, although she had to stand on the arm of the chair just to see over the edge of the desk, at the slender woman sitting across from her.

Those eyes. Blood-red and terrifying, staring at her as though she was a piece of meat. Lii shuddered slightly and took another long, trembling breath, trying to keep her fear off of her face.
"Outside of their village, who knows for sure what she can do and who she is?"

"Master Longarm, myself, and you."

"Excellent. Let's make sure it remains that way."

Oh, gods. What was she getting herself into? A child trying to make her way in an adult’s world.

"Do you speak for your village?" It took a second for Lii to realize that the words were directed at her.

“Y-yes ma’am.” Lyriia’s wings fluttered nervously as she spoke. Lyellan glanced over at her with concern on his face and opened his mouth as if to say something. She quickly shook her head and thankfully, he took the hint.

"This hasn't been done for some years, most recently with Stone Crest fifty years back. Some may not know the... protocols for such. And I see Kalim has ensured the first steps. You're now the civilian representative for your little village. What is it you call this place?" The woman spoke, stalking towards Lii, and the little fairy resisted the urge to flee.

Civilian representative. But… she was just a child. Not yet an adult by her people’s standards.
Nonetheless…

“We call it Islahiise, ma-am, in our l-language… S-Silvermist, in the common t-tongue.”
She might as well be honest. She wouldn’t get her wings torn off for honesty, would she?

"…the first known mage in centuries.”

She was the first? She’d heard rumors, always, but… the first confirmed mage. The thought filled her with dread and excitement. Lyriia shivered as the Drow woman’s finger trailed across her hair. Such menace, even in that touch. She could snap Lii’s neck right there, if she wanted to. Again Lyellan opened his mouth, probably to tell the Warden Knight to not scare her so bad, and again Lii silenced him with a glare. She prayed her twin would quit being so hot-headed before he wound up dying because of some overly-uptight Knight—

“Congratulations Lyellan. Your training begins the moment you leave this office."

Oh, gods. Lii felt like she might be sick, and met her brother’s eyes across the desk to find that he was staring at her, a grim determination in his eyes.

He was too damn cocky, and he’d get himself killed or worse. Besides, she’d never heard of a fairy Knight before. Just the armor would be too heavy to fly with, and he’d be too weak. And he’d be an apprentice to Kalim, who seemed ruthless enough—

"Perhaps it is time to restore Lii to her previous position. Would Master Strongarm be willing to take his apprentice back?"

She would get her apprenticeship back? Oh, gods. That was both the most wonderful and most horrible thing that she had heard. On the one hand, she’d be isolated from her family again… on the other, she would get to train and hone her magic and her healing skills again. And oh, it would be wonderful to have something to do with her mind again.

”All that leaves is the agreement from our two fairies here to make this official. Accept and enjoy the protection of our little empire. Decline and... well, that wouldn't be recommended.”

This was moving far, far too fast.

Lii stood frozen for a moment, trying to assemble her thoughts.

The woman’s eyes were NOT helping. Crimson and full of cold, cruel calculation. The woman’s intense gaze seemed to pin her in place as she waited for an answer.

What could she say?

She wanted to say no and fly away. Fly away and take her family and run.
But…

But the whole town always lived in fear. Of what would happen if one of the hunting hawks from Silent Rise found them, or if one of the hunters climbed up to investigate the twinkling lights and laughter. They would be destroyed, their history forgotten.

Besides. She could take her family but all of the other fairies would be left behind, and Kalim… She shuddered. She vividly remembered watching him tear the wings off of a wasp. Wasp wings and fairy wings weren’t a whole lot different. He would slaughter her people.

If she said yes, she condemned her brother.

If she said no, she condemned her people. All of them.

Some of them had been there since before the fall of magic. They would die, if she didn’t agree. That much had been obvious from the Warden’s threats.

Lyellan was strong, well, for a fairy. Undeveloped, sure, but he could learn. He was clever enough, as long as he could keep his mouth shut. He’d survive his training. Probably.

Lyellan fluttered his wings and she looked over at him. His eyes were icy and hard as he mouthed two words.

Do it.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, and forced herself to meet the woman’s crimson gaze and not shudder, not display any uncertainty.

“I agree to your terms. For the protection of my people as registered citizens of Ebonfort, and the protection of our town of Silvermist under the codes regarding cities of the empire, I accept the role of civilian representative and all responsibilities associated with that duty, and will happily return to my apprenticeship to Gherick Longarm. Lyellan Elenye will train as a squire under Captain Knight Kalim to fulfill the ten-percent recruitment requirement.”

There. That was done. The agreement had been made.

Lyriia burst into tears as the enormity of what had just happened fell on her.

[Twhirtley]

Drisceya could only smile that cruel and pointed smile, "Excellent." With a wave of her hand, she dismissed them. Kalim stood up and nodded, gently scooping up the distraught Healer as gently as one might a babe, keeping her in his hands. He looked over at his new squire and nodded toward the door. His own knife sliced past his face, taking several whiskers with it before thumping in the door. "Be nicer to Glacia for a bit, her sister died the other day."

This wasn't just a caring piece of advice, but a show of strength and dominance. For all the Katzheer's skills and strengths, he was nowhere near Drisceya's league. Kalim took his knife from the door and slipped it into the sheathe where he swore it was just a moment ago. He opened the door and stepped out, letting his nerves calm and the fur all over his body settle. That woman was terrifying. He needed to develop a plan for her, just in case. He left the depot, glaring at anyone whose gaze passed to the crying Fairy for longer than a moment. Once outside, he brought the fairy up to his eye level, "You do know you're not banished from your village right? If anything, as civilian representative, you'll be going back and forth rather often, probably more than you'd like. As for your brother here, he will be fine, all of my squires are strong and successful."

He wasn't often a comforting individual, but the strength the little fairy had shown in there had impressed him a bit. "Oh, might as well start your training now boy." He pulled a coin pouch from a pocket, weighed it in his palm and added a few more coins to it, and handed it to the new squire. The weight nearly dragged him to the ground instantly, but the boy fought through it and fluttered back up. "I expect you to keep up and no complaints. Every time you make me wait, or I hear the slightest sound of distress, I'll add a coin."

The new captain placed the healer on his shoulder, "Let's go see Master Longarm then." He made his way through town, and if Lii were observant at a pace just a hair slower than when they'd arrived. Once they stopped in front of Longarm's clinic, "I'll leave you here for now, to get reacquainted. I have other business to attend to for now." He turned to leave, allowing for no time for goodbyes to be exchanged.

[RomanAria]

Did Kalim really think she was so stupid as to think she wouldn’t be allowed to go back to her town? Because that wasn’t at all what she was crying about. The thought of having to go back to Islahiise without her brother, and tell Myki and Gaeven that she’d given her brother to that crazy Katzheer, was what had her trembling.

She didn’t even realize the Katzheer had set her down on the windowsill, didn’t even realize he’d left, taking her brother with him, until she heard the door open softly behind her. “Lyriia, child, why do you sit here?”

“M-Master Longarm!” she squeaked, jumping up into the air and fluttering, hovering for a second, because she was so startled. The man tilted his head back and looked at her, dark eyes twinkling with humor.

“Come, child. Inside. We have much to discuss.” The man turned and walked back into his residence, and the fairy girl followed. She paused for a moment in the doorway, looking around.

Nothing had really changed. There were still bundles of herbs hung everywhere and laid out on all the window ledges. The treatment area, right in the front room, was the only neatly-organized room in the whole place; the rest had counters and tables piled with books, parchments, and various bits of clutter.

The sight of a faded blue curtain gave her pause. Master Longarm had kept her belongings, thinking there would be a day when she’d return.

“You were--” the girl’s voice came out a squeak. “You were expecting me? To come back?”

“Kalim notified me. But I’ve known you’d be back someday.” Longarm spoke quietly. He came out of the kitchen holding a tray of something, which he set down on the table. “You look hungry, child. Come, have some supper.”

Lii hurried over. She was actually hungry, having not eaten dinner before the Katzheer lieutenant had come in and turned her world on its head. She sat down on the edge of the table, looking at the acorn-sized bowl of stew and tiny square of bread (the perfect sized meal for a fairy) and took a breath, trying to regain her composure. She took a bite of soup and sighed happily. It was venison-and-mushroom stew, her favorite.

Yes. This was good. This was some semblance of normalcy. Things would be okay.

[Twhirtley]

Reward Review

Lyriia “Lii” Elenye

Skills
Leadership: 8
Socialization: 4
Observation: 4
Negotiation: 2
Aerobatics: 1
Subterfuge: 1
Logic: 1

Knowledge:
Contact: Captain Knight Kalim, the Crazy Katzheer
Ebonfort Law: Magic isn't Illegal
Kalim: Absolutely Hates Paperwork
Kalim: Son of a Farmer
Kalim: Knight Victorious
Contact: Warden Knight Drisceya
Ebonfort History: Stone Crest joined in 250 DM
Thought: "I'm the first known mage since the Death of Magic."
Ebonfort Law: Protocols for adding a new village
Guilty Thought: Trading Brother for Village

Other
Title: Civilian Representative for Silvermist
Occupation: Apprentice to Gherick Longarm (2gp/day, no expenses)