ravenDivinity

When the Flames Die

Thomas sounds like Hitler in one of his speeches telling a sob-story about Germans being oppressed.

When the Flames Die

Gareth knew things were going awry yet again, and his eyes seemed to reflect an ongoing storm. He wanted so desperately to send Sophia away, to tell her that she could forge an alliance some other time; however, she was obstinate like a mule. Harker couldn't make her, no matter how dangerous it would be for everyone if she stayed. He sighed, his face unresolved and worried. "I... I... Alright..." Defeated, he recanted. On the other hand, it was apparent to him then that Wallace dismissed his claim. Although he had this initial impression, he gave it some deeper thought and found a deeper layer to Wallace's words and expression, implying acknowledgement. Gareth nodded back with an air of intuition about himself. From what he saw in the hall, it seemed Wallace and Thomas had some sort of transparent feud or tension, and the young man would have to keep a close eye on them as things unfolded. Perhaps he could attain information from Sophia about the interrogation, for they were close enough by then, and she could also help him keep surveillance on Jezin and Sir Tyler... He mulled this over while he was unable to sway the princess to flee the country and remained silent, waiting for another topic of conversation.

When the Flames Die

Gareth frowned at Sophia's words. "Sophia... You shouldn't stay here. This is a bad place for you right now..." He trailed off, not wanting to mention in the presence of an Order guard the things he suspected, despite his workings within the Order. She was unsafe just by remaining in Keilaudrin, and she could end up condoning a war with Lyok if she didn't return by the appointed time. This was not good news. He liked Sophia, but the state of affairs in the region was too grave for a foreign princess to lie under the responsibility of the kingdom. Harker looked at Wallace with a gaunt face akin to the one he gave before, indicating a deep dissatisfaction with the way things were going. He looked at Canti and said a little quieter, voice but above a breath, "The serpent on the neck is in the company of other snakes. The half-blood prince turns his back on us." Though the rest could hear him, the message wouldn't be significant to them with the cryptic way he delivered it to Wallace, who would be the only one to understand. The identity of the knight with Sophia became clear to him as Sir Tyler, the other candidate for commander. He thought to himself, 'What if Thomas is next?'

When the Flames Die

Gareth bowed in greetings. "Hello, Sophia, I am... alright, how are you?" He inspected Sir Tyler closely, the snake depicted on his chest peaking his interest, and deciding it looked from afar as though Harker found something else interesting, he looked away and turned his attention back to Sophia. Sir Tyler was worth noting, for he was likely one of the men appointed to guard Sophia, and Gareth found the snake peculiar given the snooping he and Wallace were doing around the Tower of the Thistle before they arrived at the great hall. He knew that Canti would notice as well, and mentally he watched Tyler go to the top of the suspect list, directly under Thomas, just for his associations with the symbol of the snake.

Uldor, Land of Glory. (High Fantasy)

The city square, lined with all manner of shops and businesses catering to both the town's citizens and the town's visitors in almost equal volume, was not crowded, given its large amount of allotted space, but despite how sized it was, it still garnered much business. The bakery, the butcher, the shoemaker—here all the craftsmen gathered. And to top it all off, there were plenty of restaurants and inns and boutiques and all that people expected of such a congested area of a port city. They had an image of prestige and service to keep up, and the sellers there would be damned if they didn't. Lovers walked the streets, and small children played in them. Women hung their laundry at the side of the road, and the merchants headed on the north road to the market.

When the Flames Die

Gareth walked through the door way past Wallace, quickly uttering, "Thank you." It was still unsettling to see those from Lyoki still trapped in the castle with some other foreigners, meanwhile other dignitaries and ambassadors and the like had left on ships and caravans much earlier in the day, for it was a reminder that a Lyoki snake killed the late commander of the Thistle and that they were remained under investigation. Wallace's anticipated departure wouldn't come as a surprise to Harker—after all, regency was always busy—, nor would it come as a disaster, since the young man himself had to report to Walden with his findings and likely would be called elsewhere as well.

When the Flames Die

Gareth stared at the floor. "Yeah, alright..." He knew something deeper was nagging at Wallace within, but Harker didn't know what it was and didn't think it would be right to ask anyhow. His feet turned out as he anticipated their movement from that location. "Thank you, sir. Where shall we go now?" Attentively he waited for an answer while his eyes wandered around their surroundings and found nobody else but a few guards and workers stationed in their typical positions.

Uldor, Land of Glory. (High Fantasy)

Edwin raised a brow, but his smile was steadfast as he listened to Clegg and scribbled down the name, with quotes around Caesar. In his typical, business-like, gruff voice, he responded, "Very well, Mister Clegg. Welcome to Wortgott. I'm sure I'll be seeing you around later." He closed his notepad with the paperwork in it and slipped it and the pen away, then Tubigan's feet turned away after a bow of departure. Down the dock he went again to survey more ships and document nautical traffic, him remarking on Louis's attempt to seem experienced and hardened as quite comedic with mental laughter, while deep-beaked gulls flew off his path. By then a few street vendors and performers had gathered along the edges of the city square, and a few paperboys sold the daily news at the corners of roads.

Uldor, Land of Glory. (High Fantasy)

Edwin nodded to Rarden with courtesy. "Good day to you, as well." He watched the ship's crew's scrambling about the deck and the dock and fastening the ship down, and he acquainted himself with the ship's captain whom he studied carefully for those first seconds crucial to impressions. "Greetings. Edwin Tubigan at your service." He pulled a pen from his chest pocket and held up his notepad to it, blatantly obvious that he intended on cataloging the ship and its crew. "Our dock workers will clean the boat and inspect it for possible illegal cargo, if that's alright with you." Casually he examined the boat over its captain's shoulders. "Your name, sir?" Simply 'Caesar' wouldn't do, and for legal purposes, he needed to record the man's actual name, not a moniker or an alias. He prepared his hand to deliver information to the paper.

When the Flames Die

Gareth agreed with an affirming nod, but he yielded to turn to Wallace fully. Face appearing pensive and heart-rending with eyes communicating a deep contemplation and mouth signaling a certain sadness, Harker looked at Wallace, who seemed particularly stricken by feelings as well, while Harker's own heart sunk into a pit of despair. These were not good times, and though they could make light of the situation with a joke, they knew that dark things were ahead and they had to walk together holding hands to avoid becoming tainted and evil by the grim days. Recognizing the dismay within Canti, the short boy came forward with a tender embrace for a short time to convey his honest sympathies and deepest worries, before he pulled away. "Sorry."