Atrophy

The Origin: A War Resumed (Arc One; Completed)

@The Darklight Project Who? Me? Never!

The Origin: A War Resumed (Arc One; Completed)

I'm just having the time of my life job hunting, or rather pretending to be job hunting. I can't tell which it is right now.

On an unrelated news, haven't seen @shinigami94 in a hot minute. Whatcha up to, bud?

The Origin: A War Resumed (Arc One; Completed)

Ennis

Ennis kept a polite smile on his face as the Serio family doted over their long lost friend, knowing that it would have been rude to interupt their reunion. He could tell from the reaction of Olain's children that they were not aware of the secret he knew, and he refused to be the one to put a frown on the Queen's face. Not to mention that he wasn't one hundred percent certain himself. As the small council broke and began to go their separate ways Ennis gripped ahold of Joy's gambeson, halting her from following behind the Prince.

“Sorry to bother, but I need to have a word with you,” said Ennis, his voice low and discrete. “Trust me, you'll want to hear what I have to say. When you're done with the Prince, come to my apartments.”

Joy shrugged free of the man and continued limping along behind the Prince's train; Ennis assumed that was a yes. He gave the Queen a polite bow as she dismissed him and briskly made his way out of the throne room—the stares from the guards were becoming uncomfortable. The ambassador mental list of tasks he needed to complete before the morning was growing considerably, but the first matter was to return home and see if Yan had been successful in his task of finding suitable bodyguards. The man began the walk back to his room above the flower shop, doubtful that the men in the stables would loan him a horse without the Queen's direct orders. Besides, he needed to stretch his limbs if they were to begin traveling tomorrow. He couldn't recall the last time he himself had been in Gurata, but he doubted his carriage would be fit for trekking through the snow.

He wasn't bothered on his walk back home, the streets being fairly thin once the general populace knew they would no longer get a peak at their beloved Queen. Ennis was certain by tomorrow the city would be abuzz with feverish jangoism once word escaped the castle, but today he enjoyed the relative silence that allowed his mind to drift. He thought of home. Depending on where they went in Gurata, the Kirun could be pretty close. Perhaps he would be able to check in. His mind turned to his wife and daughter. He knew Nia would be able to get them to safety. With the war going on, he doubted Gartian would pay much attention if they were secreted away. Perhaps by the time he visited home they would be there. A year's too long of a time for a man to be away from his family. Ennis clacked up the steps to his apartment, his family still in mind as his hand turned the knob and opened the door. Weird; had he forgotten to lock it in his excitement?

He called for Yan as he entered the hallway, lighting the sconce as he did so. The young man was greeted only with a silence. How hard is it to find a few bodyguards? thought Ennis as he made his way in to his office. Igniting the lights, Ennis felt a chill run up his spine as he looked around the room. Something felt off. The chill hit him again: the wind. His hand fell upon his sword and drew it. The blade was thin yet still personalized with engravings and far too well-polished to have ever been used in battle. Nevertheless, it was comforting to hold as his hand traced the edge of his desk as he made his way towards the balcony. The door was ajar ever the slightest. Cautiously, he opened it further, looked outside, and sighed with relief. Closing the door behind him, he shook his head at his own silly paranoia and turned back to sit at his desk. That's when he saw it.

The sword dropped from his hand, clattering against the floor with a loud ring.

Joy

Everything was too surreal. Wandering through the halls of the castle she once called home made her feel like a ghost. Ever subtle difference she noted. The colors were a little brighter, the walls were less ordained with weaponry and more covered in art. It all just seemed a little off. Joy felt her head swim. As the Prince showed the girls their rooms, Joy took the opportunity of their temporary distraction to take a quick drink. With the fire in her mouth, she felt her head clear ever the slightest. Her home was still different, but she could accept it. Stashing the flask, she turned back around and hurried after the others, her makeshift cane echoing through the hallways.

Even with the changes to the castle, she still knew where they were going as they headed through the hallway that led from one section to the other. Her eyes fell on the training grounds as they passed; she could almost hear her past self barking orders above the clashing and clanging of metal. She could also hear the whispers, the quiet insults that the recruits threw around when they thought she was out of earshot. She hadn't thought about those things in ages. It still stung. The former captain grimaced, shaking the thoughts from her head as they entered her former domain. At least they hadn't changed the decorations here. She heard voices from a cracked door; the Prince opened it the rest of the way.

"Everyone, meet the Sentinels."

Joy realized what she was doing before she had completely drawn her sword. The sound of her weapon slamming back in it sheath was masked by the staff shattering against the door. Being here might have been getting to her; nobody would actually be foolish enough to harm the Prince. Still, it had been a gut reaction. If she hadn't realized what she was doing, her homecoming would have ended with a rather bloody abruptness. Gathering herself, Joy stood back and observed as the woman bickered with the Prince. She felt her grip on her sword's hilt tighten as the woman continued to speak to Cyril. If it had been a private conversation Joy would be a bit more understanding, but to talk to a commanding officer, let alone royalty, in front of strangers like that? Joy gritted her teeth, biting down on her tongue in the process to keep it from lashing out freely.

She stepped forward into the room as the Prince continued his explanation of the group, examing the Sentinels as if they were cattle as he introduced each. A frown slowly formed on her face. Gortful's warm and friendly smile reminded her of a child, not of a hardened soldier. Sampson's refusal to stop eating was selfish and disrespectful, certainly unbecoming of a man serving the Prince. Joy already knew how she felt about Diane. The woman did not know how lucky it was that she still had a hand. As Cyril mentioned how proud he was of the Sentinels, Joy shot him an incredulous look. He's joking, right? she thought. It did not sound like a joke, but then again she couldn't be certain—she was never one for humor. If he was serious, well, she now understood how H'kela had launched a surprise attack if the Sentinels were the ones supposed to be guarding the border. She found herself making her way subconsciously to the head of the largest table like a woman possessed, her hand pushing the hair out of her eyes so that her stone gaze could fall on each and everyone of the Sentinels. A loud bang rang out across the room as Joy slammed her hand on the table in an attempt to get everyone's attention.

“Listen up,” she said. Her voice was calm and collected, but still carried loudly throughout the room. As she continued speaking, some poison seeped through onto her words. “You, Sampson. Three ladies, a brother-in-arms, your commanding officer, and your Princess have just walked into the room. Stand up and show some proper respect, or the next thing you'll be shoving in your face is dirt. And wipe that look off of your face, Gortful. Unless I was misled then I believe you're supposed to be a soldier, not the family dog. And Diane, you have a pretty good arm. Mine's faster. If you try to strike the Prince again, well,” a smile flashed across Joy's mouth, “consider me no longer responsbile for my actions.”

“I see why your brought me along, Your Royal Highness,” said Joy, giving Cyril a wry smile. “I am a bit tired from the ride, but I can still muster a few hours of drilling. I imagine I still have plenty I can show; perhaps even more now.”

She thoughtfully rubbed her chin, a devilish glint shining in her eye as she thought of proper punishment/training regiments for the Sentinels. She paused for a moment, as if she had just snapped out of a spell, and blinked before giving the Prince an apologetic look. It must have been an effect of the nostalgia; she had been acting as if she was still a captain. A slight tinge of red flushed onto her tanned cheeks as she stepped back from the table and sidled up against a wall.

“Ah, before any of that,” she said, her voice clearly less confident than before, “I'd suppose you'd want to debrief your men, my Prince. My apologies for being presumptuous.”

No Masters or Kings - ON HOLD

Thanks so much! Just posted my character and I hope she meshes well with all of yours.

@Medusa

How could anyone possibly struggle to mesh with a group of underhanded, bloodthirsty, dangerous, psychotic criminals? She'll do great! But really, thanks for joining. I'm excited to see this kick back up again.

@Rosalind We just need two more duders before we proceed, yeah? We get any suckers new friends interested?

The Origin: A War Resumed (Arc One; Completed)

@AdrianeNever have I been so close to shutting down this roleplay, and I haven't been close yet.

@The Darklight Project

Now that would be a bit extreme of a pun-ishment.

Okay, I'm done. For reals. I'll try and get a post up soon.

The Origin: A War Resumed (Arc One; Completed)

@The Darklight Project
Don't ask questions you don't want the answers to.

@Adriane

Yeah, wouldn't want to go barking up that tree.

The Origin: A War Resumed (Arc One; Completed)

@Adriane Welcome aboard, duder! Can't wolf to see howl Loredana will join the group. Ah ha ha ha, ah ha, ah hah....

...

...

...

...I, uh, I'll show myself out.

The Origin: A War Resumed (Arc One; Completed)

“H'kelan dog.”

Joy bit her tongue. Her normal shrouded and stoic demeanor was faltering under the pressure of being close to not one but all three of Olain's children. She looked away from the man in black, blue, and gold, knowing that if not for the Prince's even stranger entourage she would have drawn attention. The colors were those of the Cade family; Joy had the unfortunate experience of dealing with them twice. Once was when she was a child, back when she was Vesta DeBove. Despite being from rival countries, her father had always admired the Cades—albeit only for their wealth—and had offered her hand to Lord Cade's eldest son. The engagement broke like the poor boy's wrist when he erroneously accepted her request for a duel and took it as if it were a lark. She effectively ruined her father's scheme for a heavy bride price and, looking back, perhaps ruined a few other schemes. The second time was when she was Joy. She learned why the Kirun was not targeted by other bandits and that lesson had almost cost the woman her life.

The sight of the castle filled her with pain. She hadn't been there in ages, not since she had allegedly failed to protect her King. The bitter memory of the inquisition against her still caused her stomach to sour and tighten. How could they say she had failed him? If not for her, he never even would have made it out of the West. Olain knew the truth, he could have said something, but he had done nothing. She had protected him for so long. The one time she needed him to return the favor he had failed, and she never even knew why. Her face burned hot; she tasted copper in her mouth and swallowed the blood that she had accidentally drawn. She wanted to scream. Coming here had been a stupid idea; they hadn't listened to her years ago, just because Kori was now Queen didn't mean they would listen now.

Stupid, stupid idea, thought Joy, the alcohol from her flask burning against her blistered tongue and numbing her mind. She remembered how she chided herself as being drunk when she had come up with it. Now, dismounting from the horse and following the others into the castle, she wished she had filled her flask with heavier stuff.

Ennis watched with a childlike curiosity as the large, scaled man instructed the stable boy on how not to turn himself into a snack. He had never seen armor such as that before and would have liked to examine it further, but the man had caught himself staring. Not wanting to appear rude, he casually quickened his pace to fall in step behind the Serio family. He always enjoyed walking through the castle. It was like a pleasant reminder of home at the Kirun, made even sweeter after having spent a few years in Gartian's much less welcoming abode. He had managed to calm any of his worries and dispel any of his fears on the way to the castle, telling himself that they would find a peaceful way to settle all of this.

He forced away the frown that was forming. Even someone as optimistic as Ennis knew that was a slim chance.

He felt comfortable in the throne room despite his experiences generally being less than ideal. Kori had always been savvy enough to give him a moment to speak during court, although until now Ennis had always just assumed she was being polite. Ennis stood off to the side of the Sentinels and their posse as Kori and Cyril spoke, his arms patiently clasped behind his back as they confirmed his suspicion. The thought that the Queen would bring him in on this matter filled him with a radiant glow the showed in his eyes, although he managed to keep his smile to himself. A smart move, for smiling after hearing his homeland had begun a war was a quick way to paint himself with a target. Compared to the worn looking woman, however, he was doing quite well in maintaining proper, courtly appearances. Ennis listened patiently as the others spoke, and gave the older woman a moment to gather herself and tell her accounts. The moment, although a short one, stretched to one that was beyond Ennis's comfort. He cleared his throat.

“It is most unfortunate that your abilities were unable to predict this event, Miss Tanaka. I'm sure if you had properly been prepared then perhaps we would not be having this meeting at all,” said Ennis. A small smile slid across his face. He meant for it to look sympathetic and caring; he had dealt with enough of the fantastical to know that fortune telling was not always a gimmick used by grifters to get an easy gold or two. Of course, for all he knew it could very well look as if he, a H'kelan man, was bullying a young Barcean girl. The thought didn't even cross Ennis's mind; he turned to Shadar.

“Sir, while I do respect your right to privacy and even admire a man who knows when he'd be forced to lie but is honorable enough to admit it, I'm afraid that still leaves some of us in the dark,” said Ennis, turning his attention to the silent woman. “Perhaps you'd be able to elaborate, Ma'am?”

It took Joy a second to realize Ennis had been addressing her. She couldn't remember the last time anyone had addressed her in such a way. She shuffled uncomfortably under the attention being turned to her before taking a step and a half forward, her eyes never leaving the floor in front of her. She spoke to the ground, the command and weight in her voice all but squashed.

“Cy...the Prince already...” she trailed off, and took a step back as if she were done.

Ennis frowned. None of this had been helpful. True, he had the letter from his father, but he wasn't daft enough to reveal that he had prior knowledge of an attack, even if he had plenty of evidence to prove that he only received the letter today. And if Cyril gave the testimony, well, he loved Barcea as much as Ennis loved H'kela. The story would be full of embellishments and inaccuracies tainted by the man's swelling patriotism. Besides, there was a chance the H'kelan army had yet to strike despite what his father had said. Perhaps he could prevent a disaster; he just needed information. He decided to push the woman. The fortune teller had not been at the scene, supposedly, and it seemed unlikely that the large, armored man would break his vow of silence. Plus, she had a strange familiarity surrounding her that drew his attention.

“Now Ma'am, I know it must have been tough, but even the tiniest of details could help us access the situation. Please, the matter at hand is one that is extremely grave. Peace has proven to be quite advantageous for both countries despite what some might say; it would be most dreadful if the olive branch between our two countries was shattered due to some misunderstanding. I'd even dare say it would be ruinous for all of us,” said Ennis, his arms still clasped behind his back. “Do you understand, Ma'am?”

Damn him, thought Joy. She already disliked the man because he was a Cade, now she dispised him because he kept the focus on her. Her mind was too stirred to form cohesive lies; the others would be able to call her out too. She cursed herself for not being like Shadar and exercising her right to silence. Now, such an act would likely cause this H'kelan bastard to only turn the heat up even more. She relented.

“The H'kelans attacked Hillsborough. They killed everyone and burnt it down,” she said, forcing herself to speak calmly. It sounded as if she was an amateur reading from a script.

“I see,” said the persistent man, his lips turning down slightly. “And how do you know the H'kelans were the ones responsible? I imagine if you were there to witness the attack you would be a little, well, less lively.”

“I arrived after,” she said, and gestured to the helmet. “What more do you need?”

“More than that, I'm afraid,” said the man. “It's not an uncommon tactic for bandits and raiders to use military garb as means to lower the guard of unsuspecting townsfolk. Hillsborough is awfully close to the border, it is not much of a stretch to think that a few costumed thugs decided to dip across for an easy target. The tactic, of course, no longer works, but H'kelan armor is still better than what most marauders can get their hands on.”

“It wasn't bandits,” said Joy, her voice betraying her frustration. “Footprints show that the movements were too uniformed. They burnt crops, killed livestock, and destroyed granaries. Valuables were left either untouched or broken. Bandits don't operate like that. It's bad business. Soldiers attacked the Prince. He can confirm what I saw.” She looked up for the first time, glaring with a look of pure disdain at the intrusive man that forced him to take a step back. “Or are you going to call His Royal Highness a fucking liar, too?”

“Ma'am, I, uh, I apologize,”he said, waving his hands defensively in front of himself. “I never meant to imply that you were lying. I simply wanted to make sure that we examined all angles. Although, I do admit that it distresses me greatly how clear cut things truly are.” His face suddenly lightened and the man gave a slight jolt, as if he had been startled awake. “Oh! Where are my manners? I do beg your pardon, I never introduced myself. My name is Ennis Cade , son of Lord Dedrick Cade, heir to the Kirun and the current Ambassador of H'kela. A pleasure to meet you all; I am sure we can find a reasonable solution to this,” he paused for a moment as he carefully picked his next word, “incident. Ah, and please, don't feel as if you must tread lightly around me. I swear by my family's name that I am here to offer my assistance in whatever way I can.”

Joy quietly sighed with relief. Just like the last Cade she knew, the man made it a habit to turn the focus his way. For once, she was okay with it. She was just about to skulk back into Shadar's shadow when the man turned attention to her once more.

“I'm afraid I must have missed it. What was your name again, Ma'am?”

“Joy,” she said.

“Ah, how fitting,” said Ennis, his eyes twinkling. The luster in them faded as he turned towards Cyril. “So, Your Royal Highness, what would you propose we do about this?”

The Origin: A War Resumed (Arc One; Completed)

@AtrophyCongratulations on surviving, did you level up?

@The Darklight Project

Somehow I managed to lose experience.

I didn't even know that was possible.

No Masters or Kings - ON HOLD

Never too harsh. Spent a lot of time with family the past couple of days, so I had a lot of free drinks. That was nice. Then I spent too much on Christmas gifts (mostly for myself).

Now I'm just excitedly waiting for some others to post!