Saiyan

The Second Falling of the Big Brother Government - (A Tale by KrystalKleo & Saiyan)

Isaac awoke to the sound of chatter on the streets. He opened his eyes slightly to see the sun beaming in through the window, stirred in the chair, stretching an arm up in the air as he yawned. Sitting up, he looked to his right and saw Zara sprawled out in the bed, then his eyes widened as he realised that her flimsy tank top had moved and twisted in the night, revealing far more than it ever should about Zara's body. He turned his sight away and shook his head with a smile.

"Jeez," he muttered as he walked around the bed, grabbed the quilt that was supposed to be covering her, and gently threw it over his companion. He left the room quickly after that, not before grabbing his toothbrush and going to the bathroom to wash up.

When he went downstairs and straight outside, looking both ways before heading over the town square to grab some breakfast from the outdoor diner. Exchanging some smalltalk as he ate his squirrel-on-stick, he paid up.

"Damn," he said to himself after the store owner took the bill to and turned around to get change. "I've burned through this cash faster than I thought."

He had. Payment for the convoy to Boston was perhaps his biggest score to date, but he'd spent more than half of it while relaxing in Diamond City, not to mention the travel back to New York.

"Yup," the store owner agreed as he gave Isaac his change in the form of caps. "That's what cash does... burns faster than we thought."

Isaac shot the man a wry grin and finished his breakfast. He and Zara would need to start taking some jobs on the way to Liberty Point. Best to start now before all his funds were gone entirely.

He went to the the notice board in the town square to if there was something he could do this morning, maybe a quick job he could wrap up before lunchtime. His eyes darted around at the various messages. One of the notes was the warning of an angry man who was threatening to find and kill the man who'd slept with his wife. That got a laugh. Most all of the jobs would take days and some would take he and Zara in the opposite direction to the way they were going. But there was one. Isaac snatched the note off the board and read it more closely.

"The town of Brixton is in need of a gunman for pest control," he read aloud. "Bingo."

With that, he headed back to the tavern to see Zara.

The Second Falling of the Big Brother Government - (A Tale by KrystalKleo & Saiyan)

Isaac nodded his understanding at her words. It was a fair decision. He himself had never wanted to visit Vault 118, since he and his mother had left. Circumstances may be different between the two young adults at the table, but the sentiment was the same: There was only bad news, if any, waiting for them at the place they once called home.

Isaac fell into a comfortable silence as he occasionally sipped his drink, throwing an arm over the back of the chair and leisurely gazing around the room. It seemed that Zara was in her own world and everytime he spoke, he was dragging her out of it. At first, it had seemed like a good idea to keep her in conversation and her mind off what was probably awful thoughts about her pursuers, but he changed tack and decided to let have some time to think. Maybe sorting her thoughts out, whilst in this safe environment, was a good thing. If she could clear her head a bit now, maybe she'd be sharper when they got back out on the road.

After a while, he got up and went to the bar for more drinks. He double-checked with the owner that their room would be ready when they were, then returned.

He eventually tried to start up some more conversation between he and Zara, talking about the latest news he heard around New York, (which wasn't much, considering he'd only just got back) and of course, the expedition and what was going on in Boston; The Minute Men defeating the Brotherhood of Steel and the evil Institute to finally free the Commonwealth of its oppressors. The two ordered some food and more drinks, before Isaac was ready to retire to their room. It was fairly early, but he was in need a good sleep tonight.

Before Zara could protest, he occupied the chair in the corner of the room, used his jacket as a blanket and his rucksack as a foot rest. In the safety of Grasscroft, it wasn't long before Isaac drifted into slumberland.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Lucas pursed his lips satisfactorily when Tyaethe accepted his thanks. Good. She needed no further explanation and they could forget about the whole thing. Her response to his jokes made, at first, think she was devoid of humour, (as if he would actually try anything at such an event!) but with a moment to think on it, the 'decades long ban' gag was actually pretty funny.

"Not sure this would be the crowd my kinda dancing's suited for, to be perfectly fair," he told her. "I'd look like a right daft-arse... more than usual." He laughed at his own quip, a lot louder than he'd meant to. He made to grab a glass of wine, then hesitated. Then shrugged, threw caution to the wind and took one anyway. He held it like any other cup, his hand gripping the bowl rather than what might be 'proper.' "Still though, I might give it a go. Maybe throw an invite at that ravishing noble lady over there."

He nodded pointedly at Lein, who was with the Knight-Captain. He hadn't had a real chance to speak with the archer since they'd joined up in the Iron Rose procession. Lucas could barely contain his laughter, at first, but now he stood at the side of Tyaethe with a mere smirk. Lein was a hoot.

Elsewhere around the room, everyone seemed to be mingling well. Cecil had made a beeline for the spider-lady and they seemed to be getting on smashingly. Lucas just assumed that they already knew eachother. What was surprising to see was Fionn alone, stood rather awkwardly at a table. The barrel-chested man with a big heart was usually the lively sort. He was of regular folk (or common birth, as it usually referred to) like himself and Gerard, but Lucas would've guessed that he, of the three, amiable as he was, would be best suited to this kind of shin-dig. Lucas mentally shrugged. Shows what you know.

After enjoying watching the different guests for a bit, Lucas peeked a glance at the vampire. It finally occurred to him that she wasn't in the mood for talking (at least, not to him anyway,) so he dropped his resistance to the enticing smell and visage of the foods on the nearest table. "Time to eat!" he declared.

It wasn't long before he'd helped himself to plate full of food. He told himself not to let loose - to try and be polite with his eating manners - still he kept his back to the room and munched away joyfully. Suddenly he paused, his head lifting as he realised the implications of something Tyaethe had said before.

Decades long ban for attacking guests? How would she know that?

"Crikey," he muttered to himself.

Yet another question on the long list he had for the Paladin.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Considering how many times Lucas had witnessed people on the morning after a late night of drinking - all haggard and depressed in their hangovers - the young man was pleasantly surprised to wake up feeling refreshed and full of vigour. He was up at the crack of dawn and down on the training yard, stretching and exercising, then practising the stances and strikes that Sir Fleuri had taught him. As he ran through his drills, his eyes glanced over at the combat dummy with the head wound.

Last night had ended strangely for sure, but he felt better for it. His mother had once said that women live longer than men because they let their emotions out - cry once in a while, talk about their feelings. Maybe his session of sobbing had done him some good. What irked him though, was that someone might well have witnessed his palaver last night. He'd never had guessed, but for a conspicuously placed slice of cake left at the door that he'd discovered after cleaning himself and the training yard up. It could've been coincidence, but the castle was usually a tidy place, the servants always on top of things. So it stood to reason that someone had left the cake for him, probably to out of pity. But who?

In the mess hall, later on, Lucas was interrupted by a messenger. The man looked disconcertingly at the knight's obnoxiously large breakfast, then gathered himself and informed Lucas that he'd been selected to join Knight-Captain Fanilly at the Princess' Ball. Lucas stared at the messenger stupidly with his mouth full.

"Me?" he muffled out, some bread falling out of his mouth. The messenger replied affirmatively.

Why him? He was surprised any of the higher ups had even noticed him (at least, not for good reasons anyway.) However this happened, it had now filled him with a sense of urgency and he got up to go get ready, but halfway out from the benches, he looked back mournfully at the rest of his breakfast, then couldn't resist the urge to finish it. I'll be quick.

After taking his dishes back to the kitchen himself, he asked who was working in the kitchen last night, and managed to speak to the woman in question, who informed him, upon inquiry, that Paladin Tyaethe had stopped by around midnight and took a slice of cake of the same variety he'd found at the doorway. Luas was equal parts horrified and confused. Of all the people. Although it made sense that the vampire was up late. They were obviously the nocturnal type. Well that settles, he thought. It's no coincidence, after all.

A short time later, he was with Sir Enrich; a knight he'd shared a few conversations, who was a warm and friendly sort. The veteran was rummaging through some old clothes, looking for something that would be fitting for a ball and also fit Lucas, who didn't really have many clothes at all.

"Here, take this," Enrich said, draping some fancy threads over Lucas' arms. "And this. This should fit."

"You're a life-saver, mate. Much appreciated."

Bailed out again. As always. Just in time.

***

Following the knight-captain through the crowds, along with all of the chosen Knights of the Iron Rose Order, Lucas looked around, taking it all in. The place was beautiful, colourful and vibrant gardens decorated with flowers and decoration. The people were beautiful, Aimlenn's richest, dressed in the finest clothes and jewellry that money can buy. Inside the hall, Lucas' eyes went wide at tables full of food. It hadn't been long since he'd eaten, but by Reon, did the stuff on display look inviting.

Upon entering, the knights began to disperse and Lucas stood as people passed him by, looking around some more. Other party guests had looked over to spy the Iron Rose procession and Lucas' gaze washed over them, for the moment forgetting how 'out of place' he should be feeling. Perhaps he just didn't care. He'd spent months being out of place in a knightly order. Being out of place at a fancy ball was nothing.

Speaking of 'out of place,' Lucas' eyebrows shot up at the spider lady amongst the guests, then quickly turned his gaze away to the tables, lest he offend someone. As if on queue, Sir Lein crossed his gaze, dressed in his beautiful gown, walking with purpose. This was too much.

He himself was dressed in Sir Enrich's hand-me-downs; a dark red velveteen tuxedo coat, gothic in design, with carved black buttons and an embroidered black collar. Underneath - shirt, pants and boots - were all black. Way too fancy for Lucas' tastes but when he posed in his mirror, he certainly felt rather nice about what he saw. His sword was at his hip too, as he was instructed. The longest part of getting ready was gelling his hair, slick back. No matter how many times went over it, one thin spike of hair would pop out and hang down in front of his forehead. It was annoying but he decided to leave it be. After all, it looked tidier than the usually messy mop it was.

He spotted Paladin Tyaethe perusing the wines and let out a breath before heading over. She hadn't said anything, or made any indication to Lucas about what happened last night, (and Lucas was glad of her discretion,) but he felt gratitude for her efforts to cheer him up. Cake could always do that.

As he crossed the room, he realised that he also felt a little guilty for judging the vampire too harshly. He'd always seen her as an unapproachable, rather moody sort, displaying very little in the way of emotion of any kind. And she was certainly a mythical power, beyond any knight in the order - something she'd displayed seemingly effortlessly in the battle against Jeremiah. She was otherworldly. Aloof. Disconnected from simple mortal problems. But even if that assessment was correct, she'd didn't have to do anything to console Lucas. But she did. And that counted for something.

"Any orders for me, Paladin Tyaethe?" he asked jokingly as he joined her, his tone bright, but the volume low enough that only she would hear. "Perhaps slay the spider-lady? Watch the captain's flanks?"

He grinned at her, then looked out on the hall and it's guests. "How long do these things last for, then? I'm already thinking about bed."

Then, after a while of it lingering on the edge of his tongue, he finally said, "Thanks, Paladin."

Awkward. It was hard to be anything else when expressing gratitude to a legendary undead woman. If he'd told his parents that one day he'd be stood chatting to such a person, (at a Princess' ball, no less!) they'd be checking his temperature for fear of fever. Life simply doesn't prepare a man for perpetually-bored vampire paladins.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Lucas stayed in The Lonely Frame for one more quick drink, sharing banter, conversation and goodwill with his comrades. The bartender continued to tell the story of Jeremiah and the griffin to everyone who bought a drink. However, once the alcohol was lightly buzzing the knight's brain - mixed with the tiredness he'd accumulated - Lucas decided he'd had enough, put both hands on the table and rose to his feet.

"Alright, lads," he began. "I think I'm done. Some fresh air on the walk back to the castle should do me some good. I thank you, Sirs, for a fantastic evening."

He patted the knights adjacent to him on the shoulder and gave a nod the man across the table before excusing himself. After winding through the tables, chairs and tavern patrons to the door, he left the building. Before the door even shut, he was laughing as he vaguely heard Lein's voice shouting something 'a peach and Mayon's ass.' When the fresh air hit him, it was like he'd consumed another tankard right then and there. However his gait wasn't too out of whack and he walked back the short road to the western gate of Candaeln.

He should have just gone to bed.

Instead, in the late hours of the evening, he stopped and looked on the moonlit courtyard, then got one of his dumb ideas. Next he was wandering around the castle until he found the wine cellar and pilfered a bottle from the rack, then snuck back outside and managed to find his way up to the top of the castle walls. There he sat and mulled over good memories, fun memories and embarrassing memories of his life before. Even a few recent memories of his time as a knight snuck in there. He sat precariously over the edge of battlements, one leg handing off, leaning back on a hand as he took occasional swigs from the bottle.

He remembered his mother's caring eyes and smile as she stroked his head, one time he'd gotten really ill as a child. She sang 'You Are My Sunshine' - as she was want to do - while he stared at her, knowing that in spite of his pain, everything would be just fine. He was safe.

He remembered a time when he and Gorgeous George were making progress with a couple of female fans after a show and ready to take them somewhere where they could have some alone time, before his father grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and gave him the hiding of his life. Smacked him around in front of everyone - punishment for defying him, shirking his duties and sneaking out with George for the umpteenth time.

He remembered Biff and Kate's daughter, Sally, taking him to bed for the first time. Boy, did the older girl show him what he was missing the first fifteen years of his life!

He remembered being dragged into a mess, in a town in Velt, by Chip and Charlie, two young kleptomaniacs, who - that night - got in way over there head trying to burgle one of the richest houses in town. They couldn't run back to the troupe camp, so they were chased by the militia through rivers and reeds, into the nearby forest and had to camp out, up in the trees, all night to avoid arrest.

He remembered his first training session in Candaeln, after which, he was asked how in the world he'd been accepted into the Iron Roses. In spite of the fear of being thrown out, he was still proud he'd been addressed as 'Sir Lucas' and actually sparred with a real knight.

These memories and more, came and went, the feelings and imagery still strong and palpable in Lucas' heart as they ran through his head. "How did I end up here, eh?" he asked the moon before taking another swig of the bottle. "How does a simple gypsy lad become a knight of the Iron Rose Order? Mayon, you're too kind to me. I didn't deserve this."

...Midnight...

He returned to the ground level, back to a courtyard covered in moonlight. Lucas swayed as he looked around, blinking stupidly. It was deathly quiet, the air cold and crispy. At first he thought about what he should do with the empty bottle. Then he got yet another one of his bad ideas. Inhibitions completely gone, he stumbled towards his new goal.

Ten minutes later...

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" he announced in the courtyard, not too loud and hopefully not waking anyone up.

He'd dragged one of the combat dummies over to the archery targets and leaned the dummy against it. And he'd procured a few throwing knives.

"Introducing to you... The Storms!"

He made his own imitation of a crowd going wild, (which was basically just breathing really loudly, and pumping a fist in the air.)

"Here comes Harold Storm!"

More crowd reaction and then Lucas changed characters to his father and walked over to a point in front of the archery target, then juggled three throwing knives for a few seconds. It was amazing that in his drunken state, he managed to pull it off. More crowd reaction.

"And his beautiful wife and accomplice... Penny Storm!"

He gestured to the combat dummy leaning against the target, then did more crowd reaction.

"Watch in amazement as they frolic and flirt on the edge of death and danger!"

Lucas juggled the knives once over and then launched one, spinning toward the target, burying itself in it, right next to the head of the combat dummy. More crowd reaction. The second of the three knives, he tossed into the air, caught it by the blade and went to throw it in similar fashion, only he caught it wrong and couldn't adjust properly as he wound back to launch it. The knife span rapidly toward the target and slammed... right into the head of the dummy.

"!!!"

Lucas was horrified. Mouth open. Frozen. Staring at the dummy.

All this time, he'd not really had any chance to go through the grieving process properly. The moments after his parents were killed, he was being kidnapped by slavers. Then he was terrified in a cage for three days and nights. Then he was saved. Then he joined the merc unit that saved him and trained to be a soldier. Weeks later he was in the military arm of the church and transferring to the Iron Roses. Then he was training his hardest to make sure he wasn't thrown out. There'd been no time to stop and think.

And now, as he stared at the knife sticking out of the combat dummy, it was like the dam that was holding the grief back suddenly burst.

His eyes started watering and he fell to his knees. Moments later there were tears streaming down his cheeks. "Ma," he called quietly in a croaky voice. "Pa." And then he broke down into full-fledged crying. "Why...? I miss you so much."

There in the middle of the courtyard, head in his hands, sobbing his heart out in the moonlight, Lucas knelt. And there he stayed for some time.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

"My blood-kin all bit it while I was still on The Keening, so I'm stuck here with nothing to do but sit in this taudis and spit it with a bunch of these whoresons, heh."

It wasn't a very nice feeling to hear that Lein had lost his family too, but his nonchalant tone when speaking on it - together with the feeling of not being alone in having such tragedy in his past - helped Lucas to mask his pity and keep up a fairly up-beat expression on his face. Not to mention, the foul mouthed archer-knight's array of language. Lucas knocked his tankard against Lein's in salute, not at all noticing that what spilled on the table was definitely not ale.

"The Iron Roses are your family now, old buddy, and don't you forget it," he said to Lein. Sergio's response was short and sweet. Fleuri's a little longer. But both essentially gave off the same sentiment. Family was far away. It must've been lonely for them all too, at times. Lucas sure had felt the feeling creep in some nights, when he was alone in his quarters. He had a sudden urge to try and cheer them all up, but suppressed it, for it wasn't very manly to get all mushy. This was a time for drinking and merriment, after all. Still though, he would be mindful of their moods in future, and perhaps (like a bull in a china shop) try and lift their spirits in a time of need. "Stay out of my pockets, eh," he warned mirthfully to Lein, who Lucas had just realised, had scooched up to him moments earlier. He made a show of sliding his chair a few inches away as a joke. But it also wasn't exactly a joke. Growing up in the circus, Lucas had known a few pickpockets.

At the remark about learning from Fleuri, Lucas piped up also. "Fleuri's a great teacher. He knows everything about everything when it comes to swordplay. And he's good at wording it so it goes in the thick skulls of folks like myself." He grinned at Fleuri. "Still, I hope I can continue to amuse the goddesses, cuz I've got a better chance of that than learning how to fight fast enough to keep myself alive on the battlefield. I almost got skinned a few times, if it weren't for good luck. Fleuri saved my life in that first ambush too."

Lucas downed the rest of his ale, standing up and offering to buy a second drink for all before going and grabbing himself another. At the bar, the bartender asked, "What's this about 'griffin riders?'"

"Oh it's just Sir Lein being silly, really..." and Lucas proceeded to tell him about the battle to take down Jeremiah's bandit camp, giving the details also about Lucas and Fleuri's wild decision to mount the griffin and nearly get themselves killed. He decided to leave out the part where they garnered minimal advantage from the situation, and simply ended with the fact that Dame Serenity delivered the final killing blow.

"Reon," the bartender was aghast. "Well, Sir Lucas, that's quite... mounting wild griffins...?" he was flabbergasted. "You Iron Roses sure are something."

"Sounds a lot better than it actually was, probably," Lucas replied, laughing nervously and running a hand through his hair. "Main thing is; the rebels are finally done and dealt with."

As he left the bar, he heard the bartender start relaying the story on to another newly arrived patron and Lucas gritted his teeth as he chuckled.

"I. Will. Sleep. Tonight." He whistled a sigh as dropped back into his chair. "Took it outta me, that mission did. I feel like I'm already tired tomorrow!"

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Although he'd never really spoken with Sergio or Lein, he'd become aware of them, in his short time in The Order. Sergio had become a friend of Gerard and so Lucas - who was prone to hanging around, close by to his idol, like some kind of crazed stalker - had come to notice him by name and face. Lein, however, was simply hard not to notice. The Hundi's colourful personality made him must-see entertainment at times, and Lucas had already decided that he liked the archer....

"Now, if you'd regale me, where'd you learn to move like that?" ....So when Lein completely ignored the question and went on to ask his own, Lucas just found it really, really funny. This was going to be a fun night.... "Did the Flower of the North teach you that one?"

Before Lucas could answer, Sergio decided to actually reply to his question, albeit a little cryptically. "I see," Lucas said to the blazing-red haired knight. Something about that answer suggested there was more to the story.

"As for the Griffin..." The Knight finally looked back to Lucas, continuing. "Indeed you are to be applauded - were I not entangled with making sure you weren't mauled by the backlines I'd have done so at the time, eh?"

Lucas laughed. "That woulda been a right hoot. T'was probably enough room for two or three more knights on the back of that thing," he joked. "Beast was huge. Here's to not being mauled," he toasted as he raised his tankard to Sergio in thanks. "Cheers for that, boss."

After taking a quick swig, he looked to Lein at his side. "Was in the circus, I was. Grew up with a travelling troupe. Turns out I had a talent for trapeze work, so I spent most me childhood as part of 'The Flying Family, The Fergusons.' Not my real family, like. But Silus, the ringmaster, said it had a better ring to it."

Talking about his old life was a kind of bittersweet of the most potent extremes. He would let the others say whatever they wanted about it and seek to change the subject.

"So this outing... You got family in the city? Friends?" he asked. "How about you two?" he offered the question to Fleuri and Segio too, realising that he didn't really know anything about any of them. And he was eager to get to know his comrades better. Fleuri and Sergio had a similar nobleness to their demeanour. Nobles often came from families with interesting histories that went back generations. And Hundi were completely alien to the gypsy lad, so anything they had to offer in the way of their background, Lucas was all ears.

For a second or two, though, he was completely taken out of the conversation when he glanced at Lein's hand, looked away and then did a double-take. The hand was not quite as furry as Lucas had expected. Or rather, it wasn't furry at all. Reon's grace! Lucas quickly stopped staring and got back in the conversation. Although, it wouldn't be long before his curiosity got the better of him. For now, though, he left the matter.

Turned out that Lein's loud proclamations upon their arrival had not gone unnoticed and the table of knights had drawn the attention of others around them. Amongst the mutterings was the hushed words, "Griffin riders?" and "That's the Flower of the North."

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

"A sword like this can be used with either one or two hands without too much difficulty. Since Sir Gerard does not use a shield, we'll focus on using two hands."

Lucas was ecstatic when Fleuri agreed to his request, and he tried his best to be a good student, mirroring the knight as he was showed some proper longsword stances. Fleuri demonstrated his knowledge, explaining each strike and position in detail. Lucas tried to soak it up, nodding away, his eyebrows knitting together as if the learning was hurting his head. They went through each exercise in practice, Lucas trying to replicate the strikes from the right stances by attempting to strike his teacher. Of course, Fleuri easily fended off the blows, and pointed out any flaws in Lucas' form, at which point he would try again, to do it correctly.

<"Ha! An Amateur," Jeremiah's elite warrior goaded. "I'm gonna gut you like a fish boy!">

You have to get better lad, Lucas thought to himself (in the voice of his father, which was a common occurence, of late, whenever he lectured himself) as he advanced on Fleuri. He closed distance, his feet shifting effortlessly underneath him, his balance perfect. Nonetheless, he couldn't land a hit on Fleuri. You're gonna die out there if don't.

The two spent hours in the yard, going over a plethora of attacks and counterattacks, taking time repeat the fundamental ones over and over. Lucas' arms and shoulders burned with the work. It wasn't that the training was overly taxing, in of itself - the young man simply needed a proper rest was all. It had been a while, and Lucas didn't have the tireless endurance of his comrades. But he didn't slow in his efforts to follow Fleuri's instruction, nor did his concentration drop.

"Oh yeah," was a verbal nod from Lucas as Fleuri demonstrated with a real sword, some of the capabilities and limitations of the double-edged longsword.

The Flower was as good a teacher as any Lucas had trained under. Better even, Lucas reckoned. They did a few more drills with wooden swords before their training came to an end.

"I think that's enough for now," he concluded. Lucas rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck to one side. "I'd suggest practicing what I showed you, and in the future we'll spar to try and get it committed to reflex."

"Will do," Lucas replied eagerly. "Thanks for this. I'll practice everyday. Twice a day." The two put away the practice weapons and Lucas decided if he wanted to go to bed early, he'd need to get a few drinks in him early too. And it was late enough in the day to get started. "Hey, fancy a few drinks?" he asked the knight with a sidelong look as they walked across the yard. Then he quirked an eyebrow, realising that the man next to him was a devout follower of the church. "Do you drink?" he added, quickly. "I was thinking of heading into the city. Get out the castle for a bit. Find a proper tavern."

When Fleuri agreed, Lucas cheered and slapped him on the shoulder. "Let's have it, then!"

Lucas parted ways with the knight as he wanted to have a wash and change shirts. They met up right where they left eachother and went off into the city. They didn't have to go far. Out under the western gate they went, Lucas regaling Fleuri with a story about a time, a few years back, that Lucas' father, Harold, had taken him to his first tavern in this very city. "The Cracked Hoof, it's called," Lucas said. "Word was that a pissed up knight had ridden his horse right into the sign, ha! That's how it got it's name."

When they got there, the sign was gone (as was the name,) but the tavern was still there, looking just as Lucas had remembered it. The volume of it's patrons was loud enough to be heard from outside as Lucas and Fleuri approached. That volume went up a few notches as Lucas pushed open the door, a smirk on his face as he surveyed the taproom and the rambunctious, boisterous atmosphere. As they wound through the tables and chairs towards the bar, Lucas spied some familiar faces.

"Lein! Sergio!" he remembered their names, but the formalities of honorifics had faded from memory, in the wake of a more common and familiar backdrop. "Fancy seeing you here. I'll get the round in," he added, nudging Fleuri with an elbow and then going to the bar. He came back with four tankards, two in each hand, and slid them onto the table before taking a seat. "You been here all day?" he asked Lein and Sergio.

He took a whiff of his ale, before gulping a large swig.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Lucas gave Fleuri a dead stare for a moment. The Iron Roses hadn't been back long and already Fleuri wanted to train. It was admirable, for sure... admirable from afar. The younger knight was exhausted both physically and mentally from the slog of his first mission, no matter how relatively smoothly it had gone. The training yard wasn't exactly the most inviting place right now. And yet, he couldn't bring himself to refuse such an offer to train with one of the order's most skilled knights. Not only would it be a missed opportunity to learn something, but it might reflect poorly on his work ethic.

"Sure, it'd be an honour to train with you, Sir Fleuri. Just giz a moment for the old belly to settle, eh."

After a short spell to finish his drink, they got up and headed outside to the training yard. On the way, Lucas considered the Flower's words on performing for a crowd. He couldn't quite wrap his head around the (no pun intended) flowery words. What the young man took from it - right or wrong - was that their crazy actions may have inspired, intimidated or mislead their comrades. But which was it? And why? For Lucas' part, he wasn't performing, merely trying to help. It was after the fact, that he considered his ridiculous course of action might make a good story. Now he was left wondering what was going through the mind of Fleuri during the battle.

Seeking to fill the silence between them, as they made their way outside, Lucas piped up. "I'm not sure what dagger techniques I could show you, to be perfectly fair," he said. "Unless you want to learn how to juggle and throw knives. If that's what you're after, then boy, do I have a few tricks to show you."

On the training yard, he went over to the racks. "Sparring with swords or...?" he asked, hoping Fleuri had something in mind. He would be glad of instruction from an experienced fighter, a thought which prompted his follow up question. "Can you teach me to fight like Sir Gerard?" He pulled out a regular wooden longsword and started pushing forward aggressively against an invisible foe, giving the air a few swings. "He's amazing. All rough and tumble-like, huh-hah..." slipping his head under and around centre-line, he lunged into a stab. "Hah!" Then he relaxed and looked at Fleuri with a hopeful grin. "Like that... I think. I wanna fight like him."

Since Gerard had encouraged Lucas to find another fighting style, the young man had been relegated to simply watching his idol spar with others, then try to copy the moves later on. Perhaps Fleuri would have some insight on the matter. Lucas' footwork was decent for a rookie, but everything else left a lot to be desired. Nonetheless, he was stood ready to follow Fleuri's lead and get to work.

The Second Falling of the Big Brother Government - (A Tale by KrystalKleo & Saiyan)

The way she kept her eye out for trouble, even in this tavern, reminded Isaac of what she'd told him last night: She'd been a raider slave for thirteen years. Thirteen years! What a life, Isaac thought as he watched her. Can that even be called life? The young man wasn't sure. He only knew that his first mission, back in the sweet city of New York, was to take them all out, once and for all. Raider gangs often weren't so big, or lasted so long, but when they did, they were usually fearsome. And racked up a long list of heinous crimes and terror in their tenure. The Diamond Backs needed stopping. New York needed it.

And she'd mentioned that she knew some kind of weakness of the gang, or the gang's leader. A secret entrance to the town, perhaps? Or maybe a store of explosives that could blow the place sky high? Whatever that was, Isaac needed to know. A good plan could beat the worst of odds - that's what his mentor had taught him. Cairo Storm aka The Courier; The baddest man Isaac had ever known. Cairo had walked from one side of America to the other, delivering more than just packages. He was a one-man army, handing out justice and ass-whoopings, and it just so happened that he'd taught Isaac everything he knew.

I've taught you everything you know. Not everything I know, the old man would say. He was funny like that.

"...Hell, I've even eaten better since I got free."

"Glad to hear it. You earned it," Isaac replied. She had indeed. Getting herself out of that situation was no mean feat. It took balls to break away from that mess. Most slaves, after being slaves for such a long part of their life, were conditioned and broken enough that they wouldn't even consider escape. Zara had a strong spirit, that was for sure. And, if Isaac couldn't tell just by looking at her, she'd made it clear with the scuffle back in the other tavern. She was down for action - a fire in her eyes and her belly - and Isaac liked it. "And one of these days, you might just get used to it; not having to look over your shoulder all the time." He gulped down half of his drink, smacked his lips and wiped his mouth. "Grasscroft is a nice place, but there's nothing like Liberty Point. People there really look out for eachother. Everyone knows the guards and the high walls means you don't even have to worry about attacks. Raiders don't even bother trying to attack, they know they'll be dog food if they try attacking. And 'Big Sis' is awesome," he added with a teethy grin. He always called Katie by that name, but realised that he should clarify to Zara.

"Katie Wensdale's her real name. She's the town scientist and one of the most prestigious leading minds of wasteland technology and research. You'll love her. She's whacky as fuck." He laughed quietly as he thought of her. Katie had taken him in after he lost his mother to the wasteland. Her heart was as big as her brain. "But yeah, freedom is fun, but you'll still need to learn how to defend yourself. Well..." he paused and gestured to her. "You clearly know how to choke a guy. But shooting a gun can be useful too. We can get some practice on our travels. Shoot a few cans or something. Maybe blast some critters."

"Where'd you live before you were captured?" It might have been a stupid question. Would she even remember? She seemed to be around his age, which would've made her like, ten years old or something. Still, it was worth asking. Perhaps she'd want to pay somewhere or someone a visit? "Not tryna bring back painful memories or anything? Just wondering."