Fallenreaper

⊰Manifest Anima: Planes Divided⊱

♪♫ Lily Quarin ♫♪

---

Time

Day 3 ~ Morning around (9 am)

Location

Victorious Secret

@Raijinslayer & @13org

---

Upon hearing the silky smooth voice, Lily tilted her attention to the newcomer's direction. She took quietly stock of the woman who had politely invited herself into their conversation. The woman was about average in height, 5’5-6” to be more precise, with a fragile appearance and porcelain colored skin. The Siren initially didn’t trust the outward appearance on sight as most people might’ve because the woman’s aura wasn’t human. Upon noting the fangs peeking out from under the lip with each word, Lily’s attention began to examine the aura for additional evidence and found the traces of Licenti within the woman.

After taking notes, she began to realize both individuals had auras similar to nightwalker kin. Was this a convenience or planned plot of sort? The thoughts about if it was the latter put her on edge. She inhaled briefly to calm herself, recalling the impression Szayeis had made on her when she first met him and caused her to shiver inwardly.

Hybrids or not when it came to dealing with nightwalkers and their kind, the cautious route was best. The whole species were considered risky and trouble by most Licentia in Torqueo and she doubted that would change in Medius. However, being impolite wasn’t fair either. Keeping her experience and knowledge in mind, she found no indication to worry… yet. Using that to make her relax, she easily hid her discomfort.

She returned her attention to the woman, “It wasn’t as hard as a bump as it looked and I’ve had worse. Through I think he’s blushing enough to pop a blood vein at this rate.”

Lily continued to enjoy the boy’s flustered attempts to recover from his stuttering, her comment likely not helping at all. She considered the mention of Mr. Nabriales being eccentric to be an understatement but decided to water down her incoming comment, “It’s alright, no harm done. Mr. Nabriales is certainly a character I will say, even for me, but he was polite and accommodating enough.”

When Damian brought up the lingerie, she chuckled and her smile became deeper. With clear amusement on her expression, Lily shook her head then gently declined, “While I would love to replace the lingerie set from this morning, I like having the ability to pay for things when I go window shopping. I’ve already gotten the impression my credit card won’t work here. Besides, I have an engagement with a certain Fox later and I don’t want to be late.”

Mass Effect: Borealis

You didn't see SHIT :(((((

@Hellis

You're so adorable.

Coruscant Sacked: Aftermath

~|Interstellar Space, near the Y’Toub System|~

~|Day 3, 7^th Hour|~
Zora Nox

As much as Zora hated it, she was right about one thing: she was just another Sith. In the eyes of the Empire, she was above a civilian and could do nearly no wrong. Everywhere she walked everyone who wasn’t force sensitive knew where she treaded as to either avoid her or gain a glimpse of her, believing she was worth something. This naturally fed her ego in the past until she was entered into the academy. That’s when everything changed and reality slapped her hard in the face. It was a dog eat dog world out there which meant if she wasn’t careful, she was bound to wind up someone else’s kill.

She still didn’t trust Fa’s offer because underneath the Republic’s banner, she was either vermin or a threat. The fact was, reformed Sith didn’t exist peacefully within the Republic and she wasn’t going to farther someone else’s career. To pretend otherwise that it wasn’t going to happen was foolish. Fa’s protection was useless since the Jedi was going on what Zora viewed to be a suicidal mission.

“You’re so sure your ‘protection’ would hold any worth even when you’re going on a suicidal mission. When you’re dead, and it’s high chance, the Republic will simply change their mind and I’m still dead,” Zora pointed out, then sighed. Her tongue pressed against her lip’s interior in thought before Vebra’s comment snapped what little resistance at making a snide retort.

“Oh, it’s very brilliant idea to attempt an escape with your captors watching. It never fails,” Zora snapped in a sarcastic tone then turned her glare on the Zabrak and added, “Fine since I have to trust, I’ll cooperate on three conditions. First, you let me go with my belongings. Second, you leave me on a civilized planet along the way and let me vanish. And finally, the Republic never knows where I was dropped off at or where I was.”

She didn’t give Fa a chance to push her advantage as the Twi’Lek’s peeved expression hardened. It was clear Fa would get nothing better without a risk of her lying, “This is the only thing I'll accept and actually give you useful information. I don’t care what you believe in when it comes to the Republic, they will kill me when they get a chance. Especially with you being unable to return and enforce that deal. Nyiss isn’t stupid and you’re heading right into her territory.”

Letting that sink in, Zora turned her hands upright in the shackles to indicate for them to release her, “Now, you can let my negotiations stick or just toss me in jail and waste time finding another source, one that might not be reliable. I’m pretty sure that public display of my capture won’t help you very much as the Darth has sources outside of Sith.”

⊰Manifest Anima: Planes Divided⊱

@icmasticc@Raijinslayer@May: Post for you. :P *decided to stir the OOC*

⊰Manifest Anima: Planes Divided⊱

♪♫ Lily Quarin ♫♪

---

Time

Day 3 ~ Morning around (9 am)

Location

Victorious Secret

---

This time Lily wasn’t caught off guard. The moment the tingling pricked all over over her surface, she braced herself and held her breath on instinct. Once more came the sudden displacement of the molecules as she was dispersed and quickly reformed right outside the shop, no worse for the wear. As the world gradually righted itself, she began to take stock of her condition. She noticed her skirt had crinkled and now had revealed more of her upper thigh then she wanted. Casually she reached a hand to pull it straight once more before she noticed someone in her peripheral vision.

A smirk cracked along her full lips while she studied the shocked individual as he began to recover. He was sort of cute in an innocent and naive way, especially for a younger Licenti. The boy wasn’t someone she would’ve considered bring to bed for a one night if she had been single though. As his face seemed to became redder by the moment, her inner amusement also grew, he finally broke the silence between them.

She continued to resume her friendly expression as he mentioned someone’s name. Lily immediately assumed it was shopkeeper from earlier, though he never gave his name once, and made a note of it. Waving off his offer with her right hand, she spoke, “Actually, no but thank you for the offer. I’ve just wrapped up business inside not that long ago and requested to be teleported here. From the way you’re blushing, it seems you got more of an eyeful than you wanted.”

Her tone slipped into a teasing one as she mentioned the fact he had fallen on his ass, the angle being one that most boys would enjoy. Moving on before he could reply, she held out her right hand to shake his then added, “My name’s Mrs. Quarin and it’s nice to meet you.”

♤ Darius M Cain ♤

---

Time

Day 3~ 3 P.M.

Location

Nightclub-Entertainment District, Ominar

---

Darius had years to learn how to read individuals and did it on a natural level in order to survive. During the whole conversation, he quickly made notes and sized up each speaker. Their strengths were very obvious to the kitsune throughout the course of the subtle, hidden conflict between them. It was difficult to assume the winner since Masha had managed to hold her own and surprised Darius, the emotion quickly falling into pride.

Each small provocation had the intention to push Masha into a physical conflict. One that would force Darius’ hand to interfere or risk his reputation diminishing due to playing favoritism. It was a dangerous line to tread in his profession, but one he had learned to tread better than most. Thankfully, Masha had managed to keep her temper and wits about her.

Darius noticed the Cortes' smile seemed to hold fast but his eyes slipped when she mentioned bring customers back to the club. For a brief moment, they revealed a heated glare before he turned his head back to the counter to hide it. It hinted toward darker intentions to come. The fox expected things to become messy when he made his exit, but he couldn’t interfere until it broke one of his established rules. Even he was bound by them.

Cortes continued his mascaraque, his lips fixed in a smile, when Masha commented on finding a better bartender, “Apologies ma’am, Bruce will you put those dishes in the kitchen? I’m afraid to say we have only two bartenders since several of them moved on when they found their paychecks had to be trimmed. The difference had to be cut somewhere, unfortunately.”

He took another swig of his whiskey before he continued, “Our other bartender, Nikki, called in ‘sick’. I don’t suspect she will last very long as she’s shown some poor qualities that are not really suitable for this place.”

Darius’ eyes narrowed. He didn’t like the tone that Cortes used, his eyes gleamed with knowing, as the man continued to drink. It reminded the kitsune he still had an individual he needed to interrogate later tonight. Before his mind could linger farther on the thought, his right ear flicked and caught the sound of someone entering the establishment. Darius’ head twisted slightly to catch sight of her while information flowed to his attention from her aura: female, Licenti, and notably powerful. The longer he examined her aura, the more he noticed the new arrival’s power level surpassed himself and that meant he would have to take measures to avoid a physical confrontation. He wouldn’t die in the natural sense, but he wasn’t about to wait until Szayeis ‘saved’ him again. Last time he updated the shard had been about a year ago and the price was high enough he never wanted to pay it again.

ＤＯ ＹＯＵ ＫＮＯＷ ＷＨＡＴ ＴＩＭＥ ＩＴ ＩＳ？

I'm also female, but that doesn't really matter because there are no girls on the internet.

@Gullinkambi

I so have to comment on this due to my own gender: that is so 'true'. :P

Welcome to the guild and have a nice day, maybe see you around in an rp or two.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Nox Alignment Ceremony

_{@Rtron,@Lucius Cypher, @May, & @Luna}

Helena was glad for the cease is shifting walls and floors, but she was still not very excited to be where they were. She followed along near the rear of the group, keeping pace easily despite her shorter legs, but she was used to following along after much taller men. “C’mon c’mon,” she kept muttering as she looked back over her shoulder in the darkness to see if there was anything behind them. She wanted to never see that beast again and she was praying to whatever god felt like listening that they wouldn't. But somehow, she figured that wouldn't actually work in her favor.

Shortly though, they came to something. And just one look into the room made her question if it was actually a better outcome than if they had to keep running from the Nitemare. Her hand held her knife tighter and she scanned the room quickly to see if there were any other ways out that didn't involve going by the figure with the eerie aura. “Who is that?” she asked quietly to those nearby her, hoping they knew more than her about the Nox, because she was sadly under informed about the whole thing.

Once everyone entered, the doorway in their wake immediately sealed shut. Shadow and darkness swirled into the opening, blackening it completely, before it became completely solid. When touched, it felt like living flesh and even quivered at the contact. It gave an unsettling sensation. At Helena’s question, the masked figure looked at her. He seemed to be smiling underneath.

Casually he stepped from the crystal toward the seven flies that had made it to his web and welcomed them with a gravelly voice, “I see you’ve arrived at the heart of the Nox.”

His arms raised to indicated this place was their original goal and their way out. Rotating slightly toward his left, he seemed pleased with the fact and continued, “Congratulations would be in order but sadly, it’s short lived. I can’t tolerate insects.”

The man turned his back on the students then prodded a finger into the Nox’s core. The liquid light rippled and wavered in reaction causing a loud, ear piercing sound to erupt within the student’s hearing. It started off soft then quickly grew enough to fill them with pain, their knees crumbling from the intensity howling at their eardrums. Then it ceased suddenly. Their shadows extended from their feet, moving behind and then began to shift into about seven bizarre tentacle like creatures.

Darell cursed under his breath, “Shit, not a Uth.”

“Kill them all…” Came the man’s orders causing the beasts to pick a target and suddenly attack.

Uth

Name: Uth

Class: Medium 6 ft Height and 4 ft Length

Species type: Nox

Image/Appearance Description:

Abilities:

Unknown… for now.

OOC Notes: Feel free to control the beasts, but keep in mind I decide when they die. Have a little fun showing off your PC’s abilities and pound the snot out of the NPCs.

Uncovering Shadows

Lyn, Hysteria (Djarkel)

---

The thief made his way through the outer edge of the crowds far easier than the students. Even the ones who had opted to take the roof path and attempt to cut him off were having issues trying to navigate the rocky territory of each building. When he made to the street’s other side he broke off from the crowd, his head briefly glanced upward to spot Ssarak high above him and following. Without hesitation, he easily pushed open the door to the nearest building then vanished inside.

It turns out it was an established warehouse where food supplies and more were being held.

Meanwhile, Lyn’s ears caught Keri’s question. She nodded and replied, “I can try but I need to get ahead of him first as I’m not in range!”

With a goal in mind, she continued to navigate the rooftops at a fast pace. Upon the few buildings with flat tops she easily stepped across, her feet covered the distance and closed onto an upcoming gap blocking her path. She whipped her head over her shoulder to notice Keri’s location right behind her. She flashed an apologetic toward the vampire than sped up. Her foot kicked off the edge of the gap as her body sailed through the air toward the other side.

For a heart stopping moment, Lyn thought she wasn’t going to make when her body sank downward faster than she expected in midair. Her arms waved in circles, a fruitless attempt to urge her success, and her heart jumped into her throat. Time itself seemed to stand still at that point.

“Shit!”

Immediately, her torso smacked into the edge and purged her of all breath. Her body began to slid down causing her arms to scramble for any purchase among the edge. If she fell from this height, it would likely break a few bones or even kill her. Panic set in as she felt her grip slowly, her eyes widened in fear.

~~| Ssarak|~~

If the Esyire was aware and wide scanning, his mind would’ve caught about three other minds converging on the same building. However from his position he would literally see nothing.

Diplomacy at Yarosmere

Mar,’s group, Sansar (Yarsomere): Arriving at the Palace
@Konan375, @Luna, @Vesuvius00, @cqbexpt & @Fallenreaper

Gradually the daylight hours faded and night time rose to take its place, guards in the distance idly roaming to watch the distant sands for shadowy figures in the distance. Not a single animal, none seen, stirred when a darkness formed and the missing students were suddenly ejected from the Nox portal. They each landed harshly just a few feet from the palace entrance requiring that they walk until they reach a guard.

Mar was the first to pull upright from the entanglement of limbs. She groaned and looked down, her eyes traced her skin alive with vivid bruises spotting her surface. Every part of her ached with a dull fire in her muscles and bones causing her to bite back the scream in her throat while she stood upright.

The sand cobras hadn’t held back in venting their anger over the whole situation upon the students in order to make the ruse believable. Casually Mar looked down to assure herself that she still held the rune in her hand and ease her anxiety over this whole ploy working. She still distrusted the resistance but the grudge against those that murdered her people overcame that.

“Looks like we walk from here. Anyone has any idea where we’re at?” Mar stated as she dusted herself off.

Meanwhile, the students that had managed to remain with Yolin had eaten, rested and anything else during the period their comrades were gone. Now they were touring the outside ramps to ‘sight’ see how things had changed from their prior order. Several young men who appeared to never been within conflict had volunteered to stand watch over the desert’s landscape with the type of energy most veterans wouldn’t be caught dead showing.

A young man peered further over the ramp edge and looked into a direction hard, his lips pursed into a frown. If the other students managed to look too then they would easily spot a small group of individuals not far away. They seemed to appeared from nowhere, but within Yarosmere’s desert sands that wasn’t unusual.

Already the man was notching an arrow into his cross bow and ready to shoot unless someone spoke up.

Formaroth: Battle for the Throne

OH WAIT. Aulus is hardly important enough in that post to warrant being in the header xDD forgot to remove him whoops ^^'

Thank you for posting Fallen :)

@Kho

:P Just leave him as he does make a cameo.

Formaroth: Battle for the Throne

Aulus Granus, 9th Baron Eskandar

Lord of Castle Cramz

&

Híril Dyril Elian

Post Summary

• Alicja and Christian met up with Dyril and Kiseo in the Inn’s mainroom, in disguise.
• Went up to the room and Dyril was informed about her family resulting in them coming up with ways of how to release Pearl from her imprison.
• Kiseo has revealed a number of needed skills which are needed and finally, Alicja shows love toward her half sister and leaves with intentions to meet up with Dyril at the dock tomorrow.

_{Nyhem, 503 A.R}

Remember our words, 'We Never Quit, We Never Give Up, And We Never Surrender'. You may have taken my life but I assure you my children will have yours in return. That I can swear to you.

Alicja sat quietly at the table, the crumpled letter in her hand. She had been so preoccupied with everything that had happened, with the complete destruction of all that she knew, that she had almost forgotten about the letter her father had pressed into her hand. It appeared that she had a sister who was, at this very moment, traversing the world's oceans to come and see her family. Something caught in her throat and the tears almost welled up. Almost. She had grown harder, it was true, but the idea that yet another Mazeltof would soon suffer by discovering the terrible tragedy that had befallen them, the obscene crime committed against them, saddened her deeply. Dyril was her name, and she would arrive in less than a week - their meeting place would be the Little Reed Inn. She would be expecting her father, but she would be getting Alicja. It would be good to see another Mazeltof given the situation, Alicja was certain that she would be a great help in their attempts to save Pearl. Not for a moment did she doubt that this distant, half-elven sister would help in rescuing Pearl. She was a Mazeltof after all, Mazeltof blood ran in her veins and that was all that mattered.

She raised a hand to her face and gently passed the tips of her fingers over the burned and deformed left side of her face. It did not hurt as much anymore. It just sat there on her face, an ugly reminder of what had become of the Mazeltof. This time, the tears did fall.

She quickly wiped them away when she spotted Christian enter the inn and come towards her. She lifted her pint to her lips as he sat opposite her and - looking around quickly first - leaned in to whisper about his and Sir Ramfrey's progress.

'Sir Ramfrey has spoken with a few of his trusted contacts and they'll keep an eye on Nyhem's keep. Sir Ramfrey reckons we could get a few of our agents on the inside, and that will make accessing the Nyhem dungeons far easier. But it'll take time.' Alicja stared into his pint before nodding slowly.

'We're not going anywhere. Do whatever needs doing.' She did not care enough to whisper - there was no one around, and anyone who heard would have a hard time understanding what she was referring to. Christian nodded.

'Have you eaten?' He asked.
'Not hungry,' she said shortly.
'You need to eat.' He insisted. She looked up at him tiredly.
'I'm no-'
'Gods, you look terrible,' he muttered.
'Yes, I know that - thanks for pointing it out,' she snapped. He looked at her in confusion before realisation dawned.
'No, Alicja, I don't mean the...the injury. You just look very tired. When did you last eat?' He did not wait for her to insist that she was not hungry, waving instead to the barkeeper's wife and ordering a stew for them both, 'put extra meat in hers.'

Little had changed by the day of Dyril's promised arrival. Sir Ramfrey's contacts had kept an eye on the keep to work out how often the guard changed and at what times, but they had not managed to get any of their agents in the Nyhem guard stationed in the keep. 'Just a matter o' time,' Sir Ramfrey assured Alicja. They set out in late afternoon for the Little Reed. Christian had expressed his suspicions about this so-called 'sister' of Alicja's, but Alicja had dismissed his misgivings.

'If you're so suspicious, keep and eye on her and tell me if anything strange happens,' she had told him by way of assurance, and he had seemed content enough with that. He walked into the Little Reed first, and Alicja made to follow him. She stopped abruptly at the sight of a bearded young man just beside the door. His cloak was torn and he looked altogether dishevelled - but it was odd seeing such a young beggar. Surely he could easily find some work if he tried? He looked up and his intelligent dark green eyes met Alicja's brown, and he smiled easily enough. She quickly turned her head away so he would not see her scars and lowered her hood further to cover her face. She threw him a coin before moving into the inn, and Sir Ramfrey followed her - giving the beggar a quick glance as he did. Once inside, she noted how active the place was relative to where they were staying. It was clearly one of the more frequented and reputable places.

'I think that's her,' Christian whispered to her, gesturing towards a blue lady sitting in a far corner by a window, 'hard to miss an elf, really.' Alicja gave him a reprimanding glare.

'Elf or no elf, she is my flesh and blood. Remember that.' Christian had his doubts about that, but he muttered a quick apology as Alicja swept past him and headed right for the table. She slowed to a hesitant walk as she neared her, clearing her throat to get the seated woman's attention as she continued at a slow walk.

Dyril had been studying the inn's quaint surroundings. Its interiors were made of mortar and stone, all tightly packed together to keep it warm during the fall atmosphere. Mostly thanks to the collection of body heat produced by the patrons like herself. Though modest looking, the cleanliness was obviously done with care and attention to prevent spread of sickness. She had chosen a booth nearest the window overlooking the front as she wondered idly which of the individuals that entered could possibly have been her birth father.

There was only vague descriptions through letters and no possibly way to gain anything resembling a drawing, something that had seriously disappointed her in her youth. Thankfully it had faded over time while she made plans to meet the man who sired her.

So distracted she was, Dyril barely noticed the occasional stares both her and Kiseo gained from numerous patrons. Their curiosity held back only by their obvious fear of the feline-like Mao currently residing with her mistress. Kiseo was mentally grateful for this because she already was gaining anxiety by the moment upon seeing Dyril's attention so absorbed by worries and nervousness.

Having been with Dyril for eleven years, Kiseo could easily pick out the little ticks displayed in her mistress' body language. The slight tap of the foot shifting the dress’ lower hem, the first two fingers creating half circles over the mug's handle and pushed around food on her plate were all clear as day to the Mao, but anyone unused to Elven politics would easily have missed them. The awareness of the unsettledness had made her tail flick in unease, the tip skirted the floor then wrapped about the chair leg and finally pulled back across. It didn't help her peripheral vision occasionally caught the stares and idle whispers directed at them from fellow patrons.

Kiseo was the first to notice Alicja's approach, even the man in her wake, as the Mao cocked her head in curiousity. Her head turned to Dyril, still staring out the glass window idly, before she decided to address the woman. It would become very clear she struggled with wording of the native language, "You excuse? Interest or business, you have in mistress of mine? Explain, please?"

Interestingly enough, her paw like hands had made a few rapid gestures alongside her words. Her fingers pinched together then jerked to her forehead before twirling over her mouth and then extended toward the woman's posture. Another made a slight clap with her hands in front of her chest before moving her right to ear, her eye then once more flicked to the right side of her shoulder. It seemed to follow a pattern if Alicja or Christian looked closely.

At Kiseo's address, Dyril's attention promptly jerked from her thoughts to hear the woman's answer. There was something vaguely familiar about her traits but she had trouble placing why since she had never met anyone here.

Alicja had been so focused on Dyril that she had not noticed the strange cat creature. When it spoke and Alicja's gaze turned to it, she jumped slightly in shock but quickly composed herself. She looked from Kiseo to Dyril before speaking.

'I am here to meet Dyril Elian,' she looked uncertainly at Dyril, 'who I assume is you.'

"I am. If you will pardon me for being rude but how exactly do you know my full name? I've never met or even know who you are," Dyril's words were spoken in a guarded tone, her eyes still tried to place the source of the familiarity in her mind. There was nothing coming causing her some frustration though she let it linger under the surface and prevented her face from showing it.

Kiseo noticed the reaction which seemed to be the norm now in this foreign land. Trying to put the young human at ease, the Mao gave a little disarming smile (which exposed only a bit of fang) and lowered her eyes to avoid seeming aggressive. Alicja gave the cat-like creature another look and smiled hesitantly- it seemed like it was trying to be friendly, she thought - before slipping into the seat opposite Dyril and looking her direct in the eyes.

'I am-' and she paused quickly and looked around before continuing more low, 'I am Alicja Mazeltof, your sister. Our father, Henry, told me that you were meant to meet with him here. He wanted to be here b-but...he's dead.' Alicja's eyes lowered sadly, 'murdered in cold blood because he was steadfast, loyal, and true.' She looked up at Dyril and pressed her lips tightly together, her eyes watering slightly, 'I am so sorry.'

Dyril just stared at Alicja. For several moments her body went unnaturally still and her eyes seemed to see past the woman, her mind a whirl of emotions she wasn’t prepared to experience when she arrived. For many nights she had actually envisioned this meeting, but it wasn't going how she had wanted it to. It was nothing like this. With Alicja sitting before her and delivering the news her father was gone, reality belted her middle with a sickening punch to the gut. However she managed to retain her composure as she formed her reply with great difficulty.

The tone was hollow, almost empty of any emotion, "I see. This is not a good development, I’m…”

For once words escaped her grasp as she struggled to find the right ones. She wasn’t sure how to put her feelings on the situation since she barely knew the man, at least in a positive light. In reality, she had expected him to be prideful with no desire to admit siring her, but now any hope of knowing the man was dashed to the winds. She forced herself to relax then decided to utter the words in her head out loud, ones she worried she might regret, “How?”

Alicja bit her lip at the question and looked around somewhat fearfully.

'I...I don't think speaking of it in this place is a good idea. Is there somewhere more private where we could go?'

The Magister’s background display over the toxic politics in Formaroth appeared suddenly like the warnings of a fire in Dyril’s mind. She couldn’t help but notice the woman had mainly focused on listing the major houses, especially the Blackwell’s, unknowing revealing a likely deeper than a casual affiliation towards, in the war. However, the minor houses were completely absence because likely were of little influence or importance to mention. Details were the devil in this situation causing her to immediately regret not seeing the foresight about collecting more information. Now it was biting her in the backside, a fact she hated deeply.

There was little reason not to believe the woman because the information she knew was difficult to come across. This made it highly likely Alicja wasn’t exactly who she said she was and telling the truth, the odds in her favor. Even if Dyril found it hard to swallow. Inhaling again, she nodded to spare her from insisting on the answers now.

Kiseo, observing the signs within Dyril, decided to speak on her mistress’ behalf, “Mistress. Room upstairs, best place for discussion. Depart we shall first, follow by you so no attention draw.” Alicja nodded, managing to grasp the meaning of Kiseo's words.

“Yes, thank you Kiseo. I think it might be ideal if you ‘get’ a room for a few days so it doesn’t look suspiciously like meeting,” Dyril managed to suggest as she rose from her seat. She left her mug and meal behind for the barmaid to retrieve shortly before she began to depart for her room. Dyril hoped the two could come up with an explanation over their reason for staying and brief interaction with Dyril, or news might get back to the wrong ears about their interaction.

Alicja remained seated for a good few minutes before finally getting up, stretching in a display of tiredness, and stumbling towards the innkeeper - who was swamped by orders. She managed to request a room for the night, sliding him a coin. The busy man fumbled for a key and muttered something about 'upstairs, two doors to the left' before getting back to his other customers.

When Alicja turned to go upstairs, she found Christian looking at her quizzically. 'We're staying for the night,' she said as she got close to him and took him by the hand - causing him to sputter in shock and go bright red. 'Take me upstair, dear,' she said more loudly than she had to, 'I'm knackered.' He nodded quickly before marching towards the stairs with her, glancing towards Sir Ramfrey who had remained by the door, leaning against the wall nonchalantly. The giant nodded ever so slightly, to Christian before turning and leaving the inn.

'So who's your lady friend?' he heard as he left. He froze in place and his hand unconsciously reached for his sword hilt, and he slowly turned around. ...

When Christian and Alicja reached the room, they opened it and sat inside for a good ten minutes before Alicja got up once again and stealthily made her way to Dyril's room. The door had been left partially open and she closed it behind her once inside. Christian had wanted to come with her, but she had told him that would not be necessary.

When the door opened, Dyril had lifted up from her seat upon her own bed and casually moved toward Alicja. She raised her five digit hands to take her half sister’s then guided her to the nearest chair in the corner. After watching the woman take a seat, Dyril followed suit and moved to the empty spot in front of Alicja before she spoke, "We're alone now. Please, either confirm or ease my fears. How did he die?"

Deep inside her, Dyril felt that intense fear building enough to choke her. This dreadful feeling wouldn't leave until she knew the truth and only then could she act accordingly. Jumping to the worst possible scenario wasn't about to help her in any case.

Meanwhile, Kiseo was oddly staring up into the rafters with deep concern upon her features. Her tail flicked back and forth, her head bobbed side to side, but she seemed to give up after not finding what she was looking for. Her shoulders slouched slightly as she made her way back toward Dyril's bed and seated herself, her legs folded underneath, on the floor. She looked at Dyril with ears angled slightly downward then made her question known, “Strange Formaroth design, Mistress. Sleep place there isn’t for me.”

Alicja was about to begin when Kiseo spoke, and she looked at the Mao distractedly. She found, to her surprise, that the cat's struggles with Formaroth was getting somewhat easier to understand. 'There's another bed over there, Kiseo,' she said with a smile, 'you really can't miss it.' With that, she turned back to her sister and her smile faded somewhat as she began.

Kiseo blinked, her eyes turned upon Alicja with a subtle and horrified expression. It was as if the human had literally requested the Mao jump off the nearest cliff and into the very ocean. Dyril tried to hold back a snort of amusement upon her ex-slave's reaction to the suggestion. When Alicja began, any additional comment faded into the back of the Half Elf's mind.

Alicja spoke first about the death of King John Remonnet without any heirs. Her father had suspected some kind of foul play, but there was no proof. She continued, speaking about the great falling out between the lords of the various realms and their inability to decide on a new king. War naturally broke out - on one side Andrew Manshrew who was known for his honour and bravery, and on the other the suspicious Duncan de Reimer and his allies. Their House, for long rulers of Ralda, sided with the Manshrew Alliance against de Reimer and the Imperial Concord. They paid for their decision: Ralda was invaded, their people were scattered and slaughtered, and House Mazeltof torn asunder. Her father had refused to flee the capital of Ralda, Fishgrove, when their forces were defeated in the Battle of Ralda. And so he was captured. Alicja mentioned that it was in that battle that she received the burns on her face which now marred her appearance.

When she arrived in Nyhem, it was only to discover that her sister was imprisoned and her father was due to be executed - and she had watched him die. When she got to this part and she remembered once more that sickening moment, Sir Ramfrey's arms around her preventing her from running to her father - from saving him or dying with him - she could not help but release a small sob. She stifled it quickly and did not permit any tears to leave her eyes.

'And that,' she said, 'is what happened.'

When the tale finished, Dyril sat in her chair to digest the information given to her. She had already heard most of the history in relation to the war, namely from the Magister herself and who was aligned with the current 'king' presently. Inwardly she suspected that the Magister's loyalty might change in a heartbeat when certain conditions were met, her mind drifted to reflect upon the magical display earlier. Magic, interesting enough, tended to reveal more than most people realized at first.

It seemed to Dyril that both Formaroth and Elven politics had more in common than merely treading a line that was given, a fact that caused a wave of depression to wash over her for an instant. She had hoped to get away from it but alas, it seemed that was impossible no matter where she went.

She could have pressed to skip over the repeating information, but it was useful in forcing her to become objective in understanding the series of events she had stumbled onto. Dyril believed having one piece of information that was told from various sources would often lead to revealing some motivation and the individual's point of views made clear.

"You were lucky to have known him. I know I should feel the amount of grief you do, but I can't," Dyril said, her face showed little to no emotion that Alicja could recognize. It could have been seen as cold and distant, even when that was the furthest from the truth. "This situation makes things much more complicated. Especially as my only worth is my connection with the Mazeltof and being able to trade through them for the dwarven metal within their land."

Kiseo flinched at the mention of Dyril's life now hanging in the balance. The Mao's hands began to clench and unclench a few times to release the anxiety she felt, her tail stopped then rested close to her leg. The hairs bristled slightly to show her fear over this outcome should it come to pass. Alicja had begun to grow somewhat depressed at Dyril’s initial words, thinking that her newly discovered sister would now perhaps choose to leave - the Mazeltof were clearly of no use to a trader now. If anything, being associated with the family would pose a grave danger to her life were it discovered. She was about to say that perhaps it was best she return home and stay away from this mess when Dyril spoke again, surprising Alicja.

Ignoring the obvious fearful displays in Kiseo, Dyril thought a moment, "Placing that concern aside, I can't leave my half sister in jail to rot... now can I? So what have you gotten in mind so far?"

Alicja opened her mouth in surprise. She thought to say something, but her mind was momentarily blank. All she could really do was launch herself at Dyril and hug her tightly. She did not pause to think that perhaps Dyril would not take kindly to physical contact with a near-stranger - even if her own sister. But then again, Alicja was a Mazeltof, and blood transcended all other things to them.

Upon feeling the younger girl make contact with her body, Dyril immediately stiffened in reaction. Her breath was held in complete shock at the open display of affection causing her mind to struggle with understanding how she felt. She lowered her dark eyes to question Alicja’s sanity at the same time while waiting patiently for an explanation and not to instantly shove the woman off her. Elves rarely, if ever, showed physical affection toward their blood relatives unless they weren’t past walking age.

‘You really are a Mazeltof!’ she said, and in her surprise and excitement she did so louder than she meant.

“Shhh!” Dyril hissed at Alicja’s outburst, fighting the urge to shove her hand upon the younger girl’s lips, “Only half and keep in mind, my reasons for being involved are purely selfish. I won’t be directly helping as much as you want to believe, but I can at least ensure you don’t get caught. Now… do you even have a plan for how to get her out?”

Alicja largely ignored Dyril’s attempts to emphasise her selfishness as she returned to her seat - she had no doubt that she was just trying to be modest. Or perhaps it was a certain degree of pride and stubbornness - which the Mazeltof certainly did not lack! - that caused her to insist that her motives were purely selfish. As it were, Alicja did not truly believe it. It was good that there was one more Mazeltof in the world, that was for sure.

‘Yes, we do have a plan. Kind of,’ Alicja said, ‘we’ve been keep a close eye on the Nyhem keep ever since we learnt of Pearl’s presence there. We’re trying to get a few of our men on the inside - friends of Sir Ramfrey’s who are willing to help. We haven’t yet managed to get them on the inside, but hopefully soon. Once we do, getting in will be a far simpler matter. But we haven’t yet planned the details if I’m to be honest.’

“Details are certainly important,” Dyril inhaled then gestured for Kiseo to bring her paper and a quill, the Mao quick to obey her mistress’ orders. Upon rummaging through their belongings, the ex-slave produced the requested items and set them on the table before the women. The half elf pushed the parchment apart until it laid flat upon the surface before she reached for the quill, shook the extra ink and then passed it to Alicja, “This is best done in your own writing. The parchment, aged as it is, is sourced from Formaroth and has a very faint possibility of being traced back to me. However, I can arrange a few pieces to have gone missing and this isn’t enough to get me into trouble.”

Closing her eyes for a moment, Dyril thought, “Let’s make a list of what we need first of all. How well do you know the outlay of the city? Do you have a few safe routes out of it that can increase your safe passage out even if the guards are alerted?” Alicja furrowed her eyebrows for a few seconds before responding.

‘I know my way around Nyhem well enough, but it’s Sir Ramfrey who really know the various safe passages and contacts. Christian’s been learning from him and has joined him when he went to speak to our various…accomplices. I’ve tried to stay out of the light as much as possible - it wouldn’t be good if someone saw me and recognised me after all.’

“As far as anyone knows, you and your ally came to inform me that my ‘family’ no longer had interest in our dealings. Merely passing travelers who owed a favor which allows me deniability should this plan go south,” Dyril cut in in order to cover an overlooked detail, through she inwardly hoped things would work out in the end, “So you have ways out. Do you have safe points along those routes in which you can pause, hide and avoid capture? I ask because I can’t imagine Pearl being in the best of health while imprisoned. She will need time to recover after a long period of running or she’ll falter and you’ll need places you can adjust your path when needed.”

‘Yes, Sir Ramfrey has it all taken care of. His friends are fairly...uh, familiar with the more clandestine aspects of the city. They’ll be able to hide us if and when necessary. Though we hope to be out of Nyhem immediately after rescuing Pearl. While it may be a good idea to stay hidden inside the city for a while - something they wouldn’t suspect - I really don’t want to stay here more than absolutely necessary.’

“Do you have an idea what night, assuming you’re doing it at that time, you will be doing the actual event?” Dyril asked, hoping it won’t be tonight on the day she arrived. It screamed coincidence and likely would draw unwanted attention right to her causing her endless trouble, “I hope not for a few days. Are there any events, like celebrations or similar activities, coming up that could be used to assist your dealings?”

‘As we haven’t yet got a man on the inside, we don’t have an exact date for our rescue attempt. I would say we would want to do it as soon as we have someone on the inside. And I really am not too familiar with Nyhem’s celebrations - I doubt there will be any celebrations given the ongoing war. There...there’s always executions though. They attract a fair bit of attention, that’s for sure.’ A small scowl darkened her face at this, and the light-hearted, sometime sad, Alicja seemed momentarily replaced by something darker and angrier. But only momentarily.

“Tuck that emotion somewhere for later,” Dyril’s tone was nearly commanding in nature, but she quickly reined it back before she continued, “Right now, it won’t help you. Instead it will only serve to distract and hurt you more when it comes to saving our family.” Alicja nodded slightly, taking a deep breath and looking at the ground for a few moments.

As she eyed Alicja, waiting for her to calm, Dyril continued, “The grisly facts aside, an execution will work as long it is close to evening. The worry I have is that none of you can see in the dark and torch light is easily seen...” Alicja looked up at Dyril in confusion. An execution? She could not mean...

“Night sight, Kiseo can,” Chimed in the Mao, her eyes fixed on the pair. Looking distractedly at Kiseo, she eventually realised what the Mao had said.

‘W-wait, you can see at night?’ she asked in surprise.

“Shi,” Kiseo said as her left paw held up and fisted, the knuckles faced toward the woman. The Mao hadn’t realized she has slipped back into her native language until she caught the disgruntled expression from Dyril, her eyes immediately lowered in shame and her tail pressed against the back of her thighs.

Dyril inhaled then firmly spoke, “Correct yourself.”

“Mistress, yes,” Kiseo said then turned to Alicja for a moment and repeated herself in Formaroth, “Yes. night sight Kiseo has. Other skills I have too like climbing and jumping and navigating routes which is new. Help these would?” Alicja blinked a few times and a small smile spread across her lips. She looked at Dyril knowingly.

“I know that look...you have an idea?” Dyril’s tone was cautious but intrigued by this knowledge.
‘I think that skillset is going to prove very helpful, yes. We have been struggling to get someone on the inside so they can open the gates for us, but if we have Kiseo that matter is sorted,’ she leaned towards Dyril, ‘look, we are going to get a report from our sources tomorrow, I am certain that by now they have some kind of idea on when it would be best to attempt the rescue. Once they have contacted me I will let you know and we will work out what to do from there,’ she smiled excitedly at her sister and looked at Kiseo as though the Mao was a ladder leading to paradise. She had slowly lost hope over the previous few weeks, but now at last it seemed like the rescue would be able to go forward. She looked back at Dyril, ‘where shall we meet next? We can’t meet here again or else we might attract unwanted attention…’

Dyril turned on her heel and thought a moment, her mind turning its gears for a moment. She stepped toward the window and spied the ships in the distance giving her an idea, “What about the docks? With a bit of filth and shoddy clothing, you could easily pass yourself off as worker who’s assisting in hauling off the goods from the ship and storing them. This gives you primary excuse to talk with me over ‘payment’ without arising suspicion.”

Her eyes turned to Kiseo before adding, “Kiseo is going to be delivering messages to the docks daily. This means she can also deliver one to someone you trust and have it to get back to you. Each one will hold my next location and when, leaving it up to you to make it nature over how we meet. This should make a pattern difficult to detect when it comes to our meetings.”

She inhaled a moment, “Does this sound suitable for you?” Alicja looked at Dyril with unconcealed admiration, she was so...calm. And gave off an effortless air of control and authority - as though nothing could happen without her knowing it or catch her unprepared.

‘Yes, very suitable,’ she nodded, ‘thank you Dyril.’ Alicja moved forward to hug her in goodbye but then paused uncertainly. She had not seemed too comfortable being hugged before. ‘Uh, I am going to go now, so...well. Mazeltofs are close, and...well, when we say goodbye we…’ she suddenly felt rather awkward. How did one explain something that came so naturally...and yet did not seem to for Dyril.

“So that hug was something the Mazeltofs do. Pardon my reaction, I’m not used to such gestures. In fact, any gestures of praise, acceptance or love are rather foreign to me because I’m the hidden shame of my family,” Dyril admitted, her emotions about it hidden well. Kiseo, however, edged closer and seemed to adopt a sense of sorrow over the mention. Her tail was stilled and a slight sound, muffled by her closed mouth, fell upon the air though Alicja might’ve missed the noise if she hadn’t been within the same room.

“Know how to react she does not,” came the reply from the Mao. Alicja nodded slightly, though her eyes were wide with shock. The idea of...not being accepted by one's own family. It hurt. She approached Dyril and placed a firm hand on her shoulder, but went no further.

‘Dyril, you are not the hidden shame of this family. You are our discovered pride. We are honoured to have a sister like you - and I am sure father would have loved you very much had he lived to see you. Keep your chin up, you are a Mazeltof.’ And with that, Alicja stepped back with a final smile, paused to wave goodbye to Kiseo, and swiftly left the room.

Formaroth: Battle for the Throne

@Fallenreaper I'm really sorry. I haven't forgotten and feel extremely guilty for making you wait. Will try to respond asap

@Kho

Thank you. LEt me know when it's my turn.