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Roen · **11-15-2014, 02:26 AM**

"Go on as if nothing is amiss. I know it is difficult, I know it is infuriating. But that is what you must do. One false word and she will know. And she may kill Gharen rather than risk another attack."

Delial Grimsongâ€™s warning echoed in Roenâ€™s mind throughout her days. The memory of their conversation under the stormy skies of Drybone had casted a dark shadow over every thought and every interaction since. She had returned to her duties in Ulâ€™dah and said nothing. She knew in the back of her mind that both Natalie and Kage had noticed that something had changed, though neither of them prodded her about it. But it was in their eyes, as they regarded her just a little bit more carefully than usual.

Even before her confession to them of her Garlean heritage, both Natalie and Kage had always allowed Roen her secrets, and especially after her admittance, they had left it to her to come to them should she want to share any other truths.

But this truth, Roen could not share. Gharenâ€™s life depended on it.

So when Natalie summoned both Kage and Roen to the middle of the Sagolii desert, the paladin came without much thought, her attention entirely elsewhere and on someone else. Her gaze was fixed on the distant setting sun, its fading rays elongating the shadows of the ruins there.

"Ul'dah had a sister city once,â€ Natalie broke her contemplative silence as she too was watching the sunâ€™s descent. â€œIt's name was Sil'dih." She glanced over her shoulder to the two apprentices behind her, the orange sky setting the Miqoâ€™teâ€™s unruly locks ablaze. Her usual mischievous tone had given way to a pensive timbre. â€œIt was Ul'dah's match in all things, and even greater in some."

Roen remained silent, absently regarding the distant ruins. Kage fidgeted alongside her, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

"There was war--over water of all things--and even to this day, this area is famed for its springs,â€ Natalie continued. "Do either of you know why this area crawls with the undead? And why we paladins train in the holy arts?"

When Kage shook his head, Natalie turned back to the ruins. "Sil'dih was a city that had put its faith in the arcane, in magic and sorcery. In order to try and gain supremacy over Ulâ€™dah, they ensorcelled their dead, believing Ul'dah could not stand against such a relentless force." She paused a moment. â€œBut Ul'dah had a force more relentless than death.â€ There was a proud grin audible in her words, "Paladins."

"They were many in number then, and found ways to match their holy techniques to force of arms." Natalie gestured with a sweep of her hand towards the ruins. "They pushed back the undead and sealed this place. Only recently have parts of it been uncovered due to the Calamity.â€

When Kage fidgeted again with his armor rustling, Natalie turned back with an amused grin. "You're probably wondering what this history lesson is for." She flicked a glance to Roen first. â€œRoen, what keeps Gridania safe? What do they turn to for protection in times of need?"

"The Wood Wailers? The Order of the Twin Serpents?" Roen answered distractedly, trying to concentrate through her haze of worry.

Natalie shook her head. "The Elementals." The Miqoâ€™te then looked to the lalafell next to her. "Kage, what keeps enemies from Limsa?"

Kage scratched his chin. "The Maelstrom's navy?"

Natalie nodded. "The Sea.â€ She turned again and pointed to the distant horizon. "Those are the lights of Zahar'ak, where the Amaljâ€™aa gather and plot against us. And you cannot see it, but out there lies the city of Ala Mhigo, filled with Imperial soldiers. Beyond that lies Garlemald itself."

Roen stiffened, her eyes narrowing. Garlemaldâ€¦ Her homeland, and the greatest threat to all of Eorzea. She was still struggling to reconcile the two.

"Ul'dah is surrounded by enemies, and we are not protected by the elementals, nor by the environment.â€ Natalieâ€™s tone had turned to steel. "Both of you, what keeps Ul'dah safe?"

"Us,â€ Roen said quietly.

Kage nodded. "The Sultansworn.â€

Natalie answered with a nod of her own. "Aye.â€ Her eyes then narrowed, her expression hardening. "What then happens if we falter?"

Kage bit his lip. â€œUl'dah falls."

Natalie nodded and stepped closer to her two apprentices. "That is the oath I would like for you to swear.â€ She held out her hand to them, palm facing down. "Place your hand on mine." When Roen and Kageâ€™s hands joined atop hers, the Miqoâ€™te Sultansworn closed her eyes.

"I will not falter," Natalie said, her voice strong as steel. "This I swear.â€

Both Roen and Kage repeated those words, their own voice unwavering. "I will not falter, this I swear."

Natalie opened her eyes as she withdrew her hand, her expression gleaming as a newly forged sword. "Welcome to the Sworn, brother and sister.â€

Despite the glow upon both her mentor and her fellow Swornâ€™s face, Roen could not share in the joy. This was the moment that she had been training for since arriving in Ulâ€™dah over a cycle ago, and yet on the day she swore her Oath, her thoughts were elsewhere, mired in dread. It was a struggle just to keep her composure intact. But she could not let Natalie nor Kage know that.

â€œI will not let Ul'dah down.â€ Roen furrowed her brows in concentration as she locked her gaze with Natalie. â€œIt will not fall under our watch."

Natalie smiled genuinely as she gave her a nod. "I believe you, Roen." Her eyes lingered on her a moment longer, before she sighed. "Ul'dah can be a confusing place sometimes. It's not always clear what is right, or where your loyalties should lie.â€ She turned from them to face the last of the sunâ€™s rays on the horizon. "When that happens, try to remember this feeling. Follow it, and you won't be lead astray, no matter what the others say. Know what you stand for. What you believe in.â€

Roen blinked, lowering her gaze. She knew her mentorâ€™s words should carry more weight, and yet any spare thought fled towards the life of one man.

Natalie stepped in between her two apprentices, taking their hands in hers. She stood with them and watched the horizon in the distance as the dayâ€™s light finally gave way to the dim of twilight. After a long pause, Roen felt a small squeeze of her hand.

"Roen..." Natalie said softly. "You can do it.â€

That brought her attention back to the Sworn, Roen looking to the Miqoâ€™te who still held her hand. Natalie had turned to fully to face her, warmth in her green eyes. Roen nearly trembled at the sympathy she saw in her smile.

"You can,â€ Natalie said quietly. â€œWhatever it is."

"I have to," Roen answered, swallowing past the tightness in her throat.

"But not alone,â€ Natalie added, her grip tightening just a little more. â€œRemember that, Roen. I know there is more going on than you are willing to share. Despite that, whatever may come, you are not alone."

Kage stepped up next to Natalie, tapping his breastplate. "You can expect me to be there for you too."

Roen managed to curl a small smile for them both. "I know." She nodded. "I know that I do not have to do this alone. I know I can call on you and Kage. And Kayah. I know I have a family and friends.â€ Her eyes narrowed as she then paused. She could not tell them why she could not call upon them. Not yet.

Natalie released her hand, shrugging casually. â€œGood. Because now that Iâ€™ve sworn you in, I'd have to fill out a lot of paperwork if you die."

Roenâ€™s lips twitched, almost forming a smile. "I willâ€¦try my best to relieve you of that duty, Natalie."

The Miqoâ€™teâ€™s countenance split with a wide grin. â€œI trust that you will, Roen.â€ Natalie placed one hand on Roenâ€™s shoulder and another one on Kage.

â€œAnd you can trust me. We are Sisters of the Shield now. I will forever stand by your side.â€

Roen · **12-06-2014, 04:20 AM**

It was the First Annual Royal Ball held by Her Majesty, Sultana Nanamo Ul Namo.

The Hustings Strip was bustling with activity, women and men dressed in all manner of finery gathered and mingling with each other. Music drifted through the air as bards made their talents known, their dulcet melodies weaving in and out of conversations. The Gold Court's central fountain seemed just a bit quieter this evening, its thin mist lending a cool air to the central halls of Ulâ€™dah. Noblemen swayed and twirled their ladies around the waterfall, some lost in each otherâ€™s gazes and others taking delight in showing off their style and finesse.

Roen barely noticed any of it; the grandeur of the event was lost on her, as her thoughts were far away. She had reported to her duty as bid, and stood vigilant guard next to the Sultana herself as endless rows of citizens and visitors alike lined up to pay their respects. Erik, Natalie, and Kage all stood at attention alongside her, and a part of Roen knew she should have been awed to be in Nanamoâ€™s presence. And yet her mind was elsewhere. She was merely performing her duty to make certain nothing seemed amiss.

So when they dismissed her from her duties to go â€˜enjoy the festivities', Roen found herself at a loss. She had donned an elegant white dress gilded in gold--one that was sent to her by a mysterious benefactor--and walked about the crowded halls aimlessly. Even her Oath-sister Sihaâ€™s warm greeting did not break Roen from her trance. She distantly murmured her polite responses to anyone who greeted her, silently thankful that those who knew her well enough seemed pleasantly distracted with the Ball to notice her dour mood.

It was not until she spotted Delial Grimsong, her dark complexion split with a wide smile, that the Sultansworn snapped to attention. The woman looked like a cat that had just swallowed a baby dove. She gave Roen a pointed look before sauntering away--one that indicated that there was more to be exchanged.

What is she doing here?!

Roenâ€™s panicked thoughts raced through her mind as she tried not to think of the worst possible scenarios that would explain her presence at this ball, especially wearing that ominous smile. This was not the same woman who spoke of debts owed and made her promises at Drybone.

The Sultansworn made a motion to follow the Highlander, when she spotted yet another familiar face in the periphery of her vision. It was a face she had not seen in sometime.

Kiht Jakkya beamed at her, her dark Miqo'te eyes fond with recognition. It had been moons since they had spoken last, and when they had, it was about Roenâ€™s undecided feelings regarding her mentor at the time. The Sultansworn could not deny the irony that the one person that Roen had confessed her feelings to would find her now, when his life was in danger.

â€œKiht,â€ Roen said, her eyes wide. â€œI am surprised to see you here. But glad none the less.â€ She exhaled in immediate relief as she stepped closer to the Miqoâ€™te.

"Kage told me you have recently become a full Sultansworn,â€ Kiht said with a bright smile. â€œCongratulations. I came hoping to see you." Roen and Kiht had come to know each other over many moons. They were both similar in their reserved demeanor, but in appreciating each otherâ€™s unobtrusive company had kindled a friendship of unspoken trust. It was this trust that drew Roen to the Miqoâ€™te now as she glanced again across the hall to where Delial had gone.

Kiht was quick to notice her somber expression and distracted gaze. "Is something amiss?â€

Roen gave her a quick shake of her head, though she knew it was not at all convincing, and the Miqoâ€™te stepped up closer. Her dark eyes were trained on Roenâ€™s. "If there is something you need help with, all you must do is ask," Kiht said softly.

They were watching Natalie. And Kage. And all the Sworns. But they could not know about Kiht. How would they?

Roen swallowed, her eyes locking onto the hunter before her. "Kiht, how skilled are you? As a tracker." Her voice had suddenly dipped to a whisper."...I cannot lose her this time.â€

Kiht narrowed her eyes, wary. "That is something I have done all my life. It is how I found C'kayah, and how I united a group ofâ€¦ Exiles."

There was a twinge of guilt that made Roen pause, but only for a moment. "I am sorry, I know you must have come to the festivities to enjoy yourself... I do not want to ask this of you. But I cannot lose her again. If she disappears again..." She curled her hands into tight fists by her side.

The hunter shook her head calmly. "Worry not, I came here to see you. What is it you need? Ask anything."

"I will be approaching a woman, dark skinned Highlander. Remember her face. I need to know where she goes after she leaves this ball." She bowed her head slightly, as if to level her gaze with that of the shorter female in front of her. "She has someone I hold very dear."

Kihtâ€™s eyes widened in understanding. "Very well. You go. I will follow.â€

Roen just gave her a firm nod. Kiht asked for no other explanation. It was always how it had been between them. Unspoken trust. Silent understanding.

Steeling herself, the Sultansworn turned and made her way through the crowd, weaving between dancers and singers, to find the Highlander. Kiht fell behind her and was soon lost to her sight, but Roen had expected as much. She had always suspected that the Miqoâ€™te was a skilled hunter who often traveled about unseen.

When Roen spotted Delial, the woman was standing by the railing with a drink in hand, watching the dancers below. The Sultansworn placed one hand over her stomach to quell the shaking there before approaching her.

â€œYou are not supposed to be here,â€ Roen said quietly.

"Dearest Roen," the Highlander murmured, her lip coiling into a smile.

"You made me a promise.â€ Roen did not bother to hold back her tone of accusation.

Delial did not seem to care for her ire. "I was rather enjoying myself. A lovely boy on my arm, though there is not nearly enough wine. A shame. But it is said that even the Sultana's pockets are not infinite." She gave Roen a lazy sidelong glance. â€œI have made you a promise. And I've kept it."

"You are not supposed to be here. You saidâ€¦â€

â€œI said he would be safe. And he is. At least... in the sense that he won't be dying any time soon." She rolled her shoulders in a casual shrug. â€œIn this I have not lied. Dear Roen, I have... no. I've not lied much at all to you. Though even if I did... well. You were very easy to nudge."

Roenâ€™s knuckles were white as she clenched her fists. "We need to talk."

The Highlanderâ€™s lips broadened, it was akin to a crocodile."Yes. Yes, we do."

The Sultansworn looked around quickly and gestured to the stairs leading towards the lift. â€œSo we can speak more freely.â€ She had scanned the area for anyone suspicious, but spotted none. Not even Kiht.

â€œAs you wish, duckling.â€

Roen · **12-06-2014, 04:40 AM**

â€œWhere is he,â€ Roen nearly growled.

The Highlander crossed her arms, her drink set aside. She eyed the Sultansworn up and down, an iciness to her gaze. The smile that touched her lips was not a pleasant one. "Silly girl. Even if I told you... well. What could you do? Pull together that little band of yours, march in? You caused quite a ruckus, my dear. People are angry." She added after pause with a cant of her head, â€œAnd angry people do not forget."

Roen swallowed, trying not to react to Delialâ€™s change in demeanor since they had spoken last. She felt herself grow cold. "Then why do you taunt me with his fate? What do you want?"

Delialâ€™s smile hooked wickedly as she flashed her fangs. "I'm not doing this for me. Gharen... well. Gharen made a mistake."

"What is it you want? Need I return? I will. You must want something!"

"You will return, my dear, regardless of my wishes. I do not care. Your father does, however, and... as I said. Angry people do not forget. It was sheer coincidence that your fate would intertwine with mine. With Gharen's. Such an interesting predicament."

Roen paused, her eyes narrowing. "What do you speak of?"

Delial tilted her head and raised her brow in mock surprise. "Poor, poor child. You don't even know what you are, do you? Roen Deneith, Sultansworn, prodigal daughter. It is much more fitting than you think."

The Sultansworn shook her head. "I do not understand. What does this have anything to do with... with his fate?â€

The Highlander canted her head, then fished about somewhere beneath her robes. "He didn't believe me," she said idly, "When I told him. Perhaps it was the drug. Or the rage. I cannot tell - that man has a great capacity for rage. Did you know?" Her smile brightened some as she apparently touched upon whatever it was she sought and she withdrew a picture. She extended it to Roen. "I don't need this anymore. You know what happened to Greyarm."

Roen opened the picture in her hand, her eyes blinking rapidly. "What is this...?" She saw her resemblance to the older woman in the portrait. â€œWho is this?!â€

"It is a dreadful thing to be so... oblivious to your ancestry. Perhaps it was better that you were taken,â€ Delial said nonchalantly.

â€œTaken... what?"

The Highlander sighed patiently. "I promised you I would lead you to your ancestry. So... here. I am an honest liar, duckling. Do not mistake me for anything less."

"Who is this other woman?" Roenâ€™s eyes darted between the portrait and Delial. She pointed to the younger woman in the picture, one that bore Gharenâ€™s eyes. "Who are they?"

"That, my dear, is your mother." Delial clucked her tongue. "No imagination in that pretty little head of yours. Honestly."

Roen staggered. "No. This is not. I know my mother. She... she died when I was young. I-I knew her face."

The Highlander rolled her eyes."Had I kept you to myself that night," she sighed, "You may very well have known me as your mother. Thank the Gods for small favors. Truly, a lost child."

Roen stiffened. "You are lying."

"The only lie I've told you, my sweet, is that I am on your side." Delial cracked that wicked smile again.

"I do not know what you have to gain, but you are lying about my mother. And this has nothing to do with--" Roen did not want to believe. "What does this have to do with Master Gharen?!" Her hand lowered to her side with the portrait, as if to dismiss it for now. "I do not wish for your games! I only wish to insure his return!"

Delial slowly tilted her head. "It almost breaks my heart, this. How long have you longed for that boy? I wonder what sort of dreams you've dreamt of that man? It is... well. Tragic, perhaps. Tragic." She tsked slowly. "I do not know how well you think you know him. But... honestly. Did he never tell you of his sister?"

Roen swallowed. "She... died." Her voice shook, her words were slower to come. "When she was a baby..."

"That's odd."

"When the Garleans..." Roen stopped. She felt herself sway, one step taken backwards as if she was struck. All breaths left her for an instant. She shook her head. â€œNo.â€

â€œI should have killed you. Killed him. Ended the line there. It would have been a mercy." The Highlander shook her head. "Your... 'father' was quite insistent. And I was young, and idealistic. We all make mistakes."

"No,â€ Roen said again, just shaking her head. "You are lying."

"Do you believe that?"

Roen stared at the portrait in her hand again, and what it showed plainly was difficult to deny. The older woman had her face, her eyes. And she also bore some resemblance to the younger woman in the picture, one that had Master Gharenâ€™s eyes. Had she been so blind until now?

"You will behave yourself, Roen Deneith. For as much as you have that traitor's blood in you, you are valuable. And so is he." The Highlander crossed her arms, smug confidence exuding from every pore.

Roen curled one hand into a fist by her side. "I want him back."

"Of course you do.â€ Delial smirked. â€œAnd it would please me to have him dead. But it is not up to me."

â€œWhat do you want,â€ Roen growled.

"Such a dangerous question.â€ The Highlanderâ€™s dark complexion split again with a broad white grin.â€œWhat would you do for him, hmm?"

"Anything,â€ she rasped.

Delialâ€™s single amber eye seemed to shine with delight, she too sensing the Swornâ€™s desperation. "My employer wants you. But I want your peers. The boy or his wench. Have you killed anyone before, sweet Roen?"

Roen blinked, blood draining from her face. "You cannot be asking me to..." She shook her head immediately. â€œNay. I cannot.â€

"This... lack of resolve. It is disappointing to say the least." The Highlander tilted her head, still staring at her. "Why the loyalty? You understand what they are, do you not?" She sighed heavily, heaving her shoulders and shaking her head. "Tsk. I knew you were innocent, my sweet, but this... Ah, very well. They sought a bomb. What, pray, do bombs do?" When she was met with cold silence from Roen, Delial continued. â€œI wonder. How many lives have been saved because these... these rebels. Were they not given the chance to have their toy? Do you honestly think Ala Mhigans look any different from Garleans? Do you wonder if they bleed the same?"

"I care not about--â€ Roen began, her jaw set. â€œI just want him returned."

â€œYou care about the lives of two worthless Ala Mhigans. Surely you care about the lives of thousands." Delialâ€™s words were sharp and unrelenting. "You want your brother back. Then give me the Resistance.â€

â€œDo not give me such a choice,â€ Roen shook her head. â€œIt is an impossible choice. You want me to kill for you.â€

"You are much too soft, my dear.â€ The Highlander tsked. â€œIt is no small wonder how we've carried on so long, you and I."

Roenâ€™s mind raced. To refuse the woman outright, she may be damning Master Gharen--no, he was her brother now--to his death. She swallowed hard. "Give... give me some time. Please. I need to think on this.â€

Delial cocked her head to a side, seeming to eye her with a slice of skepticism. But eventually she nodded. "... Soon. Pray it is soon. I will remain in the area for a time. But when I am gone..." She shrugged, leaving the rest unsaid.

"Very well." The words sounded dead in her mouth.

"I'll be awaiting your word.â€ Delialâ€™s face split with another wide grin again. â€œEnjoy the rest of the ball, my dear. And know that the choice is far, far easier than you think." The woman bowed with a flourish before turning away. "Do not make me your enemy, Roen Deneith. Things will be easier for you."

Shael · **04-05-2015, 11:43 AM**

Today

Three shots. It was supposed to be three shots. Shaelen flexed her hand. The Kinslayer had survived. Shaelen had meant to put three slugs in Delial Grimsong and yet after the first shot she had paused. What made her pause?

How many cycles had it been since she left the violence and brutality of the Resistance behind? Hadnâ€™t she swore to herself back then, loudly even, that she was done with that life? That all it left her was this black void of regret and bloodlust. When she left that life, she never wanted to go back.

But she cut off his head. And delivered it in a box.

The memory of Aylardâ€™s desiccated head, still bearing a pained but enraged expression even in rigor mortis, still ignited such a rage in the smuggler that Shaelen had to close her fingers again to quell the shaking there. She picked up the extractor and the pin instead, focusing on her task in assembling the barrel of her gunblade.

This isnâ€™t about the Resistance. This is about blood for blood. This is about family.

Family. That word made Shael laugh out loud without mirth. The very idea brought bile up to her throat. Here she was helping Roen and the pirate the paladin had allied herself with, while her brother was protecting the woman that killed their parents and tortured him. At least her own sense of family wasnâ€™t as fucked up as Wolfsongâ€™s was.

Gharen Wolfsong, once touted to be the next leader of the Resistance (if one would believe Aylardâ€™s words), was telling Shaelen in one breath about how his sister was in some â€œBlack Cellâ€ and in the next breath how he would not stand in the way of justice coming to find the Kinslayer. He agreed to deliver Delial to her, but then warned the witch ahead of time of the ambush. Then he got in the way after a single shot fired, and somehow arranged for the Blades to be there conveniently just in time to drag her way before the actual deed was done.

Either he didnâ€™t care about his sister, or cared more about the fate and well-being of the woman who killed his parents. At least I got my priorities straight. No way in seven hells I let that woman liveâ€¦ and leave my family in the mercy of my enemies.

Hroch Greyarm was safe. The Sworn kept her word and she released Hroch to Shaelâ€™s custody when Lazarovâ€™s contact was revealed. Shael was not happy to give up information on a client, but the pirate had ended their business contract. More importantly, blood was blood. She could not leave Hroch in the hands of Grimsong, lest she receive more bloody fingers with each passing sun.

Shaelen checked over the metal parts spread out on the table before her, reconstructing her beloved gunblade, Jolienne. She was going to get one more opportunity. The smuggler knew she was running out of chances.

I should have ended her back then. When we had the Kinslayerâ€™s family in our handsâ€¦

______________________________________________________________

Sometime before...

It was Roen Deneith, of all people, who voiced the idea. The paladin knew that Delial Grimsong, the woman who had lied and lured Gharen Wolfsong into a trap, had a brother of her own: Harvard Blackstone. For whatever reasons unknown, the Kinslayer had shared with Roen that she still had one person who still mattered to her, one surviving family member.

It impressed Shaelen that the paladin would suggest kidnapping the man, who seemingly had no involvement in anything that had to do with the Grimsongâ€™s treacherous ways. But the look in the young womanâ€™s eyes was one of desperation, and offering to trade brother for brother was her last hope. Shaelen could not argue. A part of her wanted to applaud Roen for her cold pragmatism while another part tried to ignore the bitter taste in her mouth at involving oneâ€™s kin in matters they had no part in.

Shaelen suspected that the latter was more of an obstacle for the paladinâ€™s conscience as well. Roen had brought the smuggler and one other, a former champion of the bloodsands named Qaeli Varily, to assist in capturing Delialâ€™s sibling. The silver-haired Hyur was one of sharp tongue and remorseless efficiency and she too had no qualms about doing whatever was necessary to free Wolfsong. Mayhap the paladin brought us along to do it because she knew she would hesitate when the moment came, Shael thought.

Finding Harvard Grimsong was easy enough, he was working as a retainer for some goldsmith in Ulâ€™dah. And luring the seemingly oblivious man into an alley in Pearl Lane was childâ€™s play. Shaelen drew him away from the crowded market streets with an offer of business and a carefree smile, while Roen watched their backs and Qaeli watched their fronts. Once they brought up his true surname however, Blackstone as it back in Ala Mhigo, his docile expression gave way to one of apprehension.

Shaelen did not give him the chance to plead his innocence, the paladin was already starting to try and reason with the man. Shael delivered one quick kick to the retainerâ€™s head, and the man crumpled to a heap on the ground like stacked cans being knocked over.

No one in Pearl Lane cared. It was a place for the poor to fight amongst themselves, after all. So they paid no mind to the unconscious man being dragged away by three women. Shael also knew well enough to grease the palms of a few Blades in the area to turn the other way. But after he was secured in Qaeliâ€™s safehouse, Roen Deneith would not have them harm the man any further and personally saw to his bindings. She also insisted on talking to the man alone.

Shaelen complied. She thought then that Harvard would be the perfect lure to bait out the Kinslayer and get Wolfsong out of captivity, and get vengeance for Aylardâ€™s murder.

So where did things go wrong?

And why didnâ€™t she see it through?

cuideag · **04-07-2015, 11:43 PM**

Then.

â€œThereâ€™s a place,â€ Daena whispered to him once. The two of them were exhausted and drained and beaten down, and they spoke quietly when they settled in their makeshift shelters out among the crags and the rocks. What had been a map scrawled haphazardly on Hrochâ€™s one and only shirt had become a mess of circles and crosses. The Castrum gave them Roen Deneithâ€™s father and an astounding number of possibilities. It was no secret that Garleans maintained a presence in Thanalan, but they were unprepared for just how many places they had secreted beneath the Ulâ€™dahâ€™s very nose.

Hroch Greyarm had grown up around strong people but what strength he did take from them was failing him rapidly. If it was not for Daena Ghurn, he might have given up. Every door she kicked down took its toll, and every empty shack and cave left him wearier and wearier than before. They had raised alarms going into the Castrum and it seemed as if its claws had all been pulled back to the fortress by the sea, but they would not stay drawn out of Thanalan for long.

Suns after they pulled out of Vesper Bay, they lay in the cold and the dark. â€œWe need help,â€ Daena said to him softly. Her own reserves were dwindling and he could not blame her for it. â€œThereâ€™s a place. My pa used tae speak oâ€™ it...â€

Settling into Little Ala Mhigo had not been easy. Aylard had spoken his fair share of harsh words and Hroch could not help but ponder them as well. Huddling in the caves, fighting for every scrap of food and drink rather than for the city they had fled; it pained him to see his kin that way as much as it filled him with shame. Many men looked at him with cold eyes. If they knew of his father, they held their tongues. That Daena Ghurn was never too far away and never too shy to give anyone who thought they could push them around a piece of her mind was a blessing. If it was not for her, Hroch did not know where he would be.

There was little that could be spared but Daena made sure they were given a tent at the very least. It was small and it could not stand without the help of the cracked and dusty crates and barrels that they managed to salvage from a passing merchant wagon, but it was theirs. Now and again he caught himself just grinning at Daena Ghurn like the fool he was.

That was before Roen found them.

â€œI amâ€¦ sorry.â€

There was a box in her hands. Her knuckles were white as ghosts. She did not meet their eyes - his eyes.

â€œI am so sorry...â€

The box was in his hands.

Aylard Greyarm was dead.

---------

Now.

The first thing he noticed was that his belly ached almost as badly as his head.

The second was the smell: it was not the musty, earthy odor of the caves they had made their home. There was stone and there was dust and the lingering scent of blood, but it was not Little Ala Mhigo.

â€œDaena?â€ he croaked, squinting and scrabbling forâ€¦ bars? Were those bars?

â€œDaena? Where in thâ€™ hells--â€

His hands planted against them and his fingers wrapped around them and that is when he noticed the bandages around his left hand. That was disconcerting enough in itself as he did not remember getting into a scuffle. He had been keeping watch over their tent while Daena was away. The people of Little Ala Mhigo were honest and they did not steal; if no one saw the thief then no one could be justly blamed, yet it still happened to those who were not careful. It was only supposed to be a few bells, and thenâ€¦

â€¦ then the woman came. She called herself Tilda Blackdale. Cloudy thoughts buzzed and throbbed. He gave her his flask and she gave her an ivory brush to pass on to Daena. â€œIf yeâ€™d be willin,â€ she said, â€œI wanna give ye something from thâ€™ city I brought. Itâ€™s nae much, but when I left the city tâ€™was all ah had left.â€

Her hair was red and her sword hand was strong. She smiled at him easily as she passed him back his flask. â€œSâ€™almost gone anyway. Might as well finish it.â€

Hroch hardly registered the round and unsettled face of the lalafell standing guard just on the other, much less the hushed tones with which he spoke into the linkpearl in his ear. He stared at his hand and the startling asymmetry that had taken to it, for where he should have had four fingers and his thumb peeking out from the bandage that had been set around it, he was shy a whole two.

---------

The guard could tell him nothing useful. He knew of no Tilda Blackdale nor of Daena Ghurn and after several bells of begging and pleading he settled into an uncomfortable silence. He was just a Flame, he insisted. He didnâ€™t know anything.

When the bells stretched out over a whole sun, Hroch could find no more reason to try. A dried smear of blood was on the floor and a line stretched to where he had been propped up against a wall when he first woke in that place. He squeezed himself in a corner opposite it, drew himself into a ball, and wept into his knees.

There was little Hroch Greyarm had wanted more than peace. Losing his father struck him hard and he tried to pick up where Aylard had left off. He had his fatherâ€™s name to back him and a few of his contacts but almost none of the iron strength that had made his father a leader. He had heard others whisper among themselves that he had been too soft on Hroch, his only son. He met the eyes of people around him and thought they looked pitying.

If it were not for Daenaâ€¦

He did not know what day or time it was when finally the door to his cell was opened. He looked at none of them as they pulled him up to his feet and pulled him out into the sunlight. Shaelen Stormchild was waiting but he did not look at her, either.

It was not the first time that Hroch Greyarm did not know what to do, but it was the first that that he could not find his voice through the terror that clenched at his heart.

Roen · **06-10-2015, 11:02 AM**

((The current portion of this post occurs sometime after this post.))

Then.

Raelisanne Banurein stood at the edge of the precipice overlooking Camp Bluefog. As dry and unwelcoming the rest of Thanalan was, Northern Thanalan was thrice more so, with a plethora of deadly beasts, a distinct lack of vegetation, a strong Garlean presence, and even cults taking root in deserted pockets of the region. Harsh environs fascinated her; it was under the most severe of conditions that the need to adapt and change was the greatest.

The woman regarded the jagged stones that made up the mountainside, absently following the upward spiraling curl of the blue wisps of smoke that emanated from the Ceruleum Processing Plant to the north. Despite obvious audible footsteps behind her, she made no move to acknowledge the approach of the Highlander woman who made her way up the ramp.

â€œAh. Here you are,â€ the dark skinned woman greeted her flatly as she stepped up next to the scientist.

â€œMiss Delial,â€ Raelisanne answered without turning. â€œHow are things.â€

â€œIâ€™ve beenâ€¦ occupied. Though things have been quiet, too, in the city.â€ Delialâ€™s tone was neutral, if not careful. The last time Banurein and Grimsong spoke was before the Highlander was going to deliver a head of Aylard Greyarm, as a message, to the Resistance. The Kinslayer--as Grimsong has been known in the past--had been quiet since her attendance of the Royal Ball in Ulâ€™dah. Raelisanne knew of the womanâ€™s goings ons of course, but expected a report from the Highlander none the less.

â€œWe are to release Mister Wolfsong soon.â€ Her eyes still looked to the grey landscape and the giant boulders beyond. â€œI am nearly done with him.â€

"I may have already got that covered, actually." Delial rolled her shoulders. "We shared some words, Roen and I, at the ball just recently. A trade, of sorts. Master Gharen's life for the last scraps of the Resistance cell here. I expected it would have been an easy choice. The Resistance means nothing to her... or so I would think. She's quite sentimental, that one, of people she does not know."

"She was always a foolish girl." Her words were clipped, but her placid expression did not waver. "But even if she refuses, she will get her wish. You will see soon enough that Mister Wolfsong is no longer himself." She gave Delial a sidelong glance. "I will equip you with the necessary equipment to control him until the release."

"Ah? You've... done it then. His soul?"

There was but a smallest lift to the corner of Banureinâ€™s lips. "He is undone." Her gaze returned to the camp below, idly watching a line of recruits doing push-ups. â€œWhat emerges remains to be seen.â€

"Name a time and a place. Roen will be eager to collect, no doubt. As will I."

"I will warn you Miss Delial,â€ Raelisanne tugged at the cuffs of her white gloves. â€œMister Wolfsong will not take kindly to your presence, lest he is subdued by methods I give you."

"That goes without saying,â€ Delial said wryly.

"I also wish to see the last cell of the Resistance gone." Her eyes paused at a speck of dirt on her sleeve.

"She will hand them over. She has no choice in this." Grimsong sounded confident.

"You have a few suns.â€ Her eyes narrowed behind her spectacles, but the calm tone in her voice did not change. â€œUse it as you will. Mister Wolfsong should be ready in less than five."

Delial nodded. "As you say, little dove. I will make the arrangements."

"That will be all." Raelisanne lowered her hands, her eyes going back to the landscape.

There was a pause, the Highlander lingering by her side. "A... question, if you would humor me."

"Speak, Miss Delial."

"This... Hm. Those creatures you... used." There was a pause, hesitation in the womanâ€™s voice. "The damage... is it permanent? Will he just... live on like this?"

"The voidlings.â€ Her lips pressed primly. â€œThey will continue to swim within his veins. His aether feeds them. They will go more hungry when given more aether." She glanced to the darkening sky, her face blank. "I suspect they will try and heal him at some point. They have the capability to find more hosts if given enough time and aether."

Gravel whispered below the Highlanderâ€™s feet as she shifted her weight. There was a slight dip in the womanâ€™s tone, a change that Raelisanne would identify as one of discomfort. "Ah," Deilal said after a long pause. "I see."

"They are a creation of mine.â€ A hint of satisfaction leaked into her words. â€œI mean to test their tenacity in the field. And this is the perfect opportunity."

"Quite so,â€ Delialâ€™s voice was flat. "I... wonder, though. Would Roen be that much more inclined to return, if... with Wolfsong as he is?" There was another pregnant pause. "Or... do you intend to..."

Raelisanne released a quick breath through her nose. â€œShe would see nothing but a waste of a man. A shell. A snarling beast. What would she see in one as such."

Delial was staring at the scientist now. "...they are blood. I do not know if they trust my word on it, but... she loves him regardless. I don't imagine she'd... no. She would not leave him if she thinks she can help him."

Raelisanne narrowed her eyes, a frown threatening to darken her countenance. "You may be overestimating this sibling attachment, Miss Delial. If she tries to heal him with aether, she too will contract the voidlings.â€ She released another breath through her nose, her expression turning placid again. â€œShe will need to turn to me to cure it."

"Ah."

â€œBut his mind is beyond help."

"I don't expect that will matter much to her."

Raelisanne gave Delial another sidelong look, this one much sharper than before. "It is irreparable. How long do you feed a sick rabid dog before you realize you need to put it to rest?"

Grimsong did not meet her gaze for long. She glanced instead to the path behind her, the way she came. "...He is blood," she murmured at last, as if that was all that mattered.

With a blink of an eye, the scientistâ€™s expression returned to the blank mask. "He is a beast. Sooner she understands that, sooner he will be put down. Or. He may kill her. And all those around him."

"As you say. Yes... I expect it will... eventually come to that. Very well." The woman bowed at the waist. "I've wasted enough of your time. I'll make the arrangements."

"It is an experiment I will look forward to seeing to completion." Raelisanne curled a small smile, actually sounding pleased. "Do what must be done, Miss Delial."

"Always have, my dear.â€ The Highlanderâ€™s pale eyes turned a shade darker as she nodded. â€œAlways will.â€

________

Now.

Raelisanne watched as the bare chest of the man rose and fell with even breaths.

The room no longer echoed with screams, its cold steel walls ever sterile and impervious. It had stood as mute witness to many of her experiments, from dissections to transformations. More often than not, and much to her displeasure, most ambitious of her experiments ended with a dead body, a corpse of yet another specimen that was unable to endure the stresses that had been put upon it.

Death was never her goal. After all, it was in the mind and soul of a living being that the potential remained limitless.

As her gloved hand came to rest over the heart of the man who laid upon the steel platform, the woman canted her head. Her attention went from his short but disheveled black locks, to his unconscious face. It then followed the mid-line of his torso to the scars that remained over his abdomen. The two gunshot wounds were barely visible, just a faint web of scars remained where once there was a gaping hole that was quickly draining the man of his life.

Soft velvet gloves slowly caressed the pink fibers of aetherically stitched flesh, and the skin beneath her touch responded with goosebumps. Raelisanne smiled.

The man stirred, his lungs suddenly filling with a deep inhalation, as if the body suddenly remembered how to breath. Eyelashes fluttered open, and amber eyes flickered about the room, as if to try and get his bearings. He had always been quick to adjust and adapt, she recalled.

Now she remembered why she had missed him so.

â€œWhereâ€¦â€ His voice was hoarse and cracked, his throat not having had the taste of water in suns.

â€œWelcome back to the realm of the living, Mister Taeros.â€ Raelisanne canted her head, regarding the man with an expression that almost touched a smile. Her gloved hand came to lay once more upon his chest.

â€œWe have much catching up to do.â€

cuideag · **08-10-2015, 12:54 AM**

Then.

Ala Mhigo. All Delial Grimsong ever needed to do whenever she felt her will threaten to sway and falter was think of Ala Mhigo. She was born in the city on a bright summer's day and had scarcely left its walls until the day of a most grievous mistake. Around Ul'dah she saw those who claimed themselves the sons and daughters of the city, but what had they to show for it? Little else but dust and hunger and the contempt of fat southerners. She watched them from time to time but never for very long. She could not bring herself to pity them. We are what we fight for, and they fight for naught but themselves.

Delial growled and turned and gave up any pretense she might have had for comfort in the small cot she claimed for herself. The warmth of day had faded into a comfortable chilly night but there were thoughts swarming in her head, hot and bright like so many fireflies trapped just behind her eyes. If she lay still enough she swore she could feel them thudding against her skull, though it could have just been the beginning of another headache. It was pain by any name and she had long since grown tired of it. Sleep - good, honest, soothing sleep uninterrupted by the scritch and scratch of imagined daggers at her door - was a luxury she saw less and less of in those suns.

So she pinched her eyes at the ceiling she could not see, and suffered thoughts that gave her no peace. If we are what we fight for, then what is Wolfsong?

She told herself it did not matter. He was an accomplice to an atrocity that would not come to pass thanks in no small part to her personal intervention. That other elements beyond her ken had also played parts did not matter much in her eye for it was not they that ended up with Aylard Greyarm captured and executed. It was his plan that threatened the lives of so many Ala Mhigans, and it was his word and his reputation that so many others followed. His death was a victory for Ala Mhigo as much as it was a victory for Delial Grimsong, and she would not have anyone take that away from her.

Less than five suns was what Banurein, the white haired Garlean, told her: less than five suns and Wolfsong would be ready and delivered to her that she might pass him back into his sisterâ€™s waiting arms. Delial had not set foot in Banueinâ€™s laboratory since her part had been played, when the true weight of Banureinâ€™s ambition was laid bare for her to see. The chains that held him upon the cold metal table looked as though they were meant more for a beast five times the size of the man they shackled instead, and she remembered they way they clanked and snapped against steel and flesh alike every time she cut into him.

â€œWhat is a man with a broken soul, Miss Delial?" The question was asked so casually that it had caught Delial off her guard. It must have been then, she supposed, that she finally saw that the even, almost gentle timbre she took masked something far more grave than she had realized.

"This one," said Banurein, "Will be a beast." In the back of her mind, restless as ever, she could still hear the way he screamed.

She turned.

----

Now.

It was well known that Gharen Wolfsong did not take too kindly to the cities. She knew his habits well enough that she knew he prefered nature to the walls and rooftops of civilized society; that he drifted, likely, night by night so that only those who were invited might find him and his fire and be welcomed.

It was also known that he was, in his way, an honorable man. To slight another was not his nature, nor was it to break his word. That Delial nor the others would hear no word from him was not especially surprising: he was a man of the wilds, after all, and the mail could not be expected to find a man who held no address. That he would repeatedly fail to keep his appointments, however, was something else entirely.

When she bid farewell to Limsa Lominsa she damned herself a fool for it and not a sun passed where she did not do so again. The journey across the seas to Thanalan was one she had taken many a time before but from there to the Shroud - through the Shroud, rather, was one that filled her with unease. But there were plenty of caravans eager to trade a spot in their wagons for a bag of coin, and she supposed she might have looked as the adventurers did, eager as they were to seek out new and fascinating ways to get themselves killed.

â€œYouâ€™d think they were rats,â€ said a man whose name she did not bother to register, â€œWith how many of â€˜em come passing through. Like fleeing a sinking ship, I tell you. Whatâ€™s south? The Jewel, was it? Hah. Never did care for it myself.â€

Delial said nothing, just as she had said nothing the entire time she suffered his presence. It was a futile gesture of course: the man insisted on leaning one way and the other, rocking between two one-sided conversations (the other being, Delial suspected, with a man who was either dead or dead asleep). It was a mistake, she decided, to bring the staff. Normal, common, unimportant people likely didnâ€™t carry staves about but she would be damned to leave it behind after all the trouble it took finding it.

â€œNot like the northâ€™s any better. Ishgard? Dragons? Bugger them all, I say. Am I right, or am I right?â€

Again she declined to speak, occupying herself with fixing her eye upon the passing trees instead. They were near enough the border that their leaves carried upon them the lightest sheen of frost, slips of crystal white that made them glisten like knife blades. Upon leaving Buscarronâ€™s, she thought to distract herself by counting the trunks as they passed. After the sixth time losing count, she gave up the idea entirely and settled for glowering at them instead, lest she catch herself glowering at the fellow beside her and somehow encouraging him to continue being unwelcome.

As was the trend, he did not actually need the encouragement. Delial braced herself as he swiveled back towards her as if his torso was set on a swing. â€œWhatâ€™s your story then, miss? Eh? Donâ€™t much look like the type for dragon-slaying. Uh, no offense of course!â€

Had she been feeling charitable, she might have spoke of missing persons and ominous names. Roen Deneith purportedly had joined the ranks of dragon hunters in Coerthas and her brother, Wolfsong, had vanished with little else but meetings unfulfilled to betray his absence. It was at her request that Delial delay Wolfsong for the sake of giving her time to do whatever it was she thought she needed to do with Nero Lazarov, just as it was to her that Delial promised to keep an eye on Gharen. Now both were gone, hidden or worse.

Banurein. Ser Crofte brought her a bottle of wine and the name that had been Jameson Taerosâ€™ final word. As far as Delial knew, the Garlean she formerly hunted for had gone silent after "returning" Gharen, chained and broken as he was. In allying herself with Taeros, she had hoped more information - any information - regarding Banurein or her plans would surface but the pirate proved to be more distracting than she had hoped. It seemed everyone was on his tail, Gharen Wolfsong included.

Her fingers tightened around her elbows. Wolfsong himself had seemingly vanished without a trace, leaving only promises of meetings that would go on unfulfilled. Deneith had asked her of all people to keep an eye on her elder brother, a request that, if she were feeling honest with herself, need not have been made at all. It was true that she no longer hunted Wolfsong for Banurein, but it was also true that she still hunted. Was it solely at Roenâ€™s request?

It took her a moment to realize that her unwanted companion was still starin, with one brow merging into the creases of his forehead. It also took her a moment to realize that a most unwelcome feeling clutched at the core of her chest, the hot/cold chill that came when the rigid structure of her thoughts and feelings were flustered into disarray. Absurd, came the thought, a command more than anything: hard and swift, it fell like a blade through her mind to pare away the distraction that troubled her.

She looked at the man, stared at him for whole moments too long without saying a word. In another time (another age, she thought, before she ever knew little Wolfsong still lived), she might have found an easy smirk and sweetened words; humoring the fool might have been amusing if nothing else. If she had been feeling charitable at all, the moment swiftly passed, and took with it all but the hollow ache of exhaustion and dread.

â€œI have often wondered,â€ she said in a frigid deadpan, â€œJust how long it takes for a grown man to burn to ash. There are bells yet to pass, yes? Bells yet until Coerthas, and we shall be cold soon enough. I wonder.â€

It was a lie but it did not matter. (Two bells, almost three, beneath an open sky; two bells and the smell.) The man had the decency to be perturbed. He furrowed his brow, his eyes drifting up to the staff that peeked over her shoulder. Then he muttered and pivoted with a harrumph! back to his other side to busy himself over his possibly sleeping neighbor. Delial stared until she was content that he would bother her no more, but even the new found silence gave her little peace. The wood passed by, trunks blurring together into a featureless brown that would be coated in frosty white. Delial hardly noticed for the thoughts roiling through her mind.

If we are what we fight for, then what am I?

Roen · **10-23-2015, 08:11 PM**

Over twenty-five years ago...

â€œMake certain nothing is left behind. I do not ever wish to return here again.â€

Maids and valets alike hurried about with nervous energy, eager to not catch the notice of the lady of the house. She stood still and statuesque--an ice queen in all but title at the top of the stairway. Her violet eyes were half lidded as they surveyed the servants scurrying about below, like frantic little ants across the marble floor of the foyer. She gave her orders; her sharp, glassy voice always echoing sharply beneath the vaulted ceilings, her words perfectly pronounced--always with an air of authority that would brook no argument from any who stood before her. The pale white hair that flowed like a ghostly waterfall down her back lent the woman an otherworldly quality, as if she never quite belonged amongst those she was with.

Such was Lady Juliana Brooksâ€™ repute within her household. When she demanded haste, all the retainers took notice and responded without question.

Lysa Grieve was the one exception. She had been the ladyâ€™s personal attendant for years, and she could sense that there was an unease about her mistress. A hint of skittishness had clipped the usually fluid and elegant mannerisms of the midlander noblewoman for the past moon, and Lysa had spied a wariness to the womanâ€™s glance more than once as she looked about her manse.

But Juliana Brooks never gave voice to what cast the shadows over her usual unwavering serene expression. Juliana was the mother of two, and the wife to an ambitious nobleman. Lysa had never seen her falter in her composure. But when she spotted the slight tremble to the noblewomanâ€™s delicate fingers as Juliana handed the hairbrush to Lysa two nights ago, the handmaiden realized that the worries that plagued her mistress were more than mere politics and finances.

It was after Lord Lyndon Brooks left this morn, endeavoring for a two-day trip, that Lady Brooks ordered all her possessions be packed with haste.

â€œAre you certain about this, my lady?â€ Lysa approached the noblewoman, her hands clasped deferentially in front of her abdomen. She kept her voice a quiet murmur, as to not be heard by the rest of the household as she peered up at her mistress imploringly.

â€œI know what you will say, Lysa.â€ Lady Brooks did not meet her handmaidenâ€™s gaze. â€œBut you do not know what I know, and it is for your sake that I do not share my reasons.â€ Her perfectly manicured hands curled just slightly tighter around the stair railing.

â€œShould I... then prepare for a long journey? Orâ€¦â€

She was instantly answered with a sharp look, Juliana's violet gaze unwavering. â€œNo. You will not be coming with me. You are to stay here.â€

That robbed Lysa of her breath. She had never been apart from her mistress for as long as she had been in this profession. Serving Lady Brooks and her children had been her sole occupation and livelihood for years; it was something that she took great pride in. She loved the woman who stood in front of her, much as she would her own kin. The Brooks were her family. Lysa felt the blood drain away from her face as she stared eyes wide in shock at the noblewoman.

â€œAmâ€¦ I being dismissedâ€¦ my lady?â€

Juliana turned from the view of the foyer to face her, dipping her head slightly to level her gaze upon the handmaiden. The noblewomanâ€™s expression had softened, as did her voice. â€œWould that I could take you with me, Lysa. As well as my children. But I cannot. If I am to completely cut my ties with my lord and husband, it has to be only me.â€

Lysaâ€™s eyes widened even more when she realized what her mistress was implying. â€œYou areâ€¦ leaving the children behind as well?â€ She felt her fingers tighten painfully in their grip around each other. She took a step forward, although her voice lowered to a harsh whisper. â€œBut what of Lady Rissa? And Master Lewanâ€¦â€

When Lady Brooksâ€™ hand came to lay upon her shoulder, Lysa quieted. â€œI need you to look after them, Lysa.â€ Julianaâ€™s quiet yet firm tone would brook no argument. â€œIn my stead.â€

â€œButâ€¦ what will I tell them?â€ Lysa shook her head vehemently, trying to impress upon her mistress the absurdity in all this. â€œThey cannot do without their motherâ€¦ I am a poor substitute. My lady, please reconsiderâ€¦â€

Juliana exhaled and for a moment, there was a flitting shadow of doubt that crossed the womanâ€™s face. â€œHe loves them too much to harm them.â€ Those words were spoken forcibly, without conviction, as if she was trying to convince herself. â€œAs long as they all abide by the ordinance set by the Holy Seeâ€¦â€

â€œWhat do you mean, my lady?! Of- of course theyâ€¦ we all abide by the rule of the Holy See!â€ Lysa knew that to even consider anything even remotely less could bring about the suspicion of heresy--that utmost dreaded word that struck fear in any heart who resided within the Gates.

Lady Brooks quickly shook her head, a nervous glance given over her shoulder to the foyer below. She exhaled after a moment, when none seemed to notice their conversation. She turned away from her handmaiden, her focus remaining on the luggage that were quickly piling up in front of the main door. â€œThe children will have to adjust. Change. Adapt. They will be fine.â€ Her fingers gripped at the edge of the railing again.

â€œBut my ladyâ€¦â€

â€œThat will be all, Lysa.â€ Juliana drew herself up and her manicured fingers straightened the hem of her dress. Her violet eyes adapted a cooler hue, and her countenance became porcelain perfect once more. â€œTake care of the children and serve your lord.â€ The noblewoman strode by the handmaiden and descended the stairs with quick fluid steps, the long fall of her dress whispering over the carpet.

Lysa had naught another word to offer her mistress, to try and plead for her to stay. Within moments the lady of the house was gone through the doors, three retainers in tow lugging her bags and boxes. It was only a few breaths later that Lysa turned, spotting something in the corner of her eye.

Rissalyn Brooks sat behind the stairway railing on the third floor, her hands clutching at the wooden bars. She said nothing, and her expression was difficult to discern as the light from the chandelier above reflected off her glasses, hiding her eyes behind the glare. But Lysa knew that she had heard everything. The sullen child was staring out at the door that remained ajar, as the frigid winds began rolling into the house.

Two months agoâ€¦

"So. Y'all were askin'..." Edmund grunted from beneath his helm. â€œâ€˜About names ye shouldn't be askin' about."

The winds were whistling loudly beneath the Black Iron Bridge, tossing the Highlands snow into a chaotic spin around all the occupants gathered there.

Lysa tugged on the thick woolen cloak around her form to try and ward off the chill. But her old bones ached and her joints had stiffened, as it always did in the cold. She leaned closer to the thick metal pillar to use it as a partial shield against the gale, even as the voices of the conversation on the other side drifted to her ears.

"Ye brought more gil? This only goin' ta happen if there are rewards to be had." She heard Edmund call out to those whom they had come to meet.

Lysa moved slightly to her side to peek around the pillar at the people they had come to bargain with. She could see a tall, dark-skinned Highlander woman step forward, her hand spread out in front of her.

"The universal motivator, is it not?â€ the Highlander woman answered languidly. â€œAnd there is more to be had, of course. This could be the easiest job you and your friend have ever had. If, of course, the information is sound."

Why were they inquiring about her? Lysa frowned. It had been years. She had nearly forgotten about the house she had served. About her mistress who had left the fate of two children in her hands. And the youngest... the one Lysa had failed the worst. It was Rissalyn that these outsiders were asking after.

Was it a mere coincidence that she had seen the ghost of her only a fortnight past? Deprived of wealth and opportunity, Lysa had made a humble home in the crumbling areas of The Brume. And once a sennight, she, along with many other residents of Brume, came out to greet those who often brought donations of food and firewood. Such benevolence was not often seen, but Lysa had come to know at least one of them with some familiarity. A soft spoken man who smiled to her when she prayed to Saint Reinette. He had given her an extra woolen blanket and clasped her hands in his in joined prayer.

It was with this same man that Lysa had expected to meet when she saw the vision of Juliana Brooks.

There she was with her silvery hair straight and sleek down her back, cold violet eyes deep as the darkest amethyst, and the perfect porcelain complexion that seemed untouched by nature. Lysa thought it was the spectre of her mistress who had come to visit her in the darkest depths of Brume.

But it was not. The woman had been shorter in stature than the noblewoman Lysa had served over two decades past. And this phantom who resembled her wore a pair of spectacles, something that Juliana Brooks never needed.

It had to have been Julianaâ€™s daughter that accompanied the charitable man. Lady Rissalyn Brooks always did bear the strongest resemblance to her mother, though her hair had been black in her youth. At least, when her mother had left.

The last memories of Rissalynâ€™s fate--the horrible memories Lysa had kept hidden away for so long--had made the old woman cringe and flee from the man who brought her food and firewood. The white haired woman did not seem to notice her.

"Lysa! Tell them something useful!"

Edmundâ€™s gruff voice broke Lysa from her reverie. She found herself staring at a group of strangers--the dark skinned Highlander woman standing the closest to her, with an armored Lalafell bearing an axe next to her. They were accompanied by a Highlander man and an armored Miqoâ€™te bearing a lance. Lysa found herself at a loss for words for a few breaths.

It had to be the Spinnerâ€™s work. Or Haloneâ€™s will, Lysa told herself. It could not be mere happenstance that these outsiders were asking about the young lady she had served so many years ago.

"You speak of Rissa,â€ Lysa said after a long moment's pause. Her voice was hoarse. â€œHow... how do you all know her? I had not seen the girl for many years."

"I once knew her,â€ the Miqoâ€™te answered first. â€œI talked to her several times in Gridania. I once... protected her before..." She paused and there was clear regret in her face and her downward ears.

Lysa craned her neck from her woolen cloak to get a better look at the Miqoâ€™te. She could hear the same remorse in the Miqoâ€™teâ€™s voice that she herself felt in her heart. "Gridania. Ah, yes, she always did love green things. Anything alive really." Some small warmth filled her chest as she recalled their unmarred childhood, the life Rissalyn had led before the Mistress departed.

"She needed protection you say." Lysa closed her eyes, her tone growing forlorn. "She needed it here too. Then. I wasn't enough though. None of us were..."

"All I knew at the time was that she was an Ishgard exile who may have been hunted by the same assassins after my mentor.â€ The Miqoâ€™te stepped forward, her words grim. â€œIt was a short alliance born of ignorance."

Lysa did not look back up, she just nodded. "Aye. She would have been an exile, then."

"Alright, enough." Edmund cut her off. "Any actual useful information is goin' ta cost ya more."

"And just what do you plan to do with so much gil?" The other Highlander man drawled.

"Ye outsider, eh?â€ The scorn in Edmundâ€™s tone was obvious for all to hear. â€œHave ye seen The Brume? What ye think we goin' ta do with gil? Hang it up on the wall?"

Lysa paid no attention to the haggling. That was not why she had agreed to come. She had ran away from the vision of her past, and then these outsiders came asking about a name she had long tucked away in the darkest corners of her mind. It could only mean one thing. That the girl she had failed, the daughter she had thought long dead, had returned.

"Praise Saint Reinette,â€ she said with a shudder. Lysa raised her hand to the sky. â€œThat Lady Rissa still lives. And now has brought deliverance upon us!"

Lysa hoped that perhaps this would be her second chance to redeem herself, to atone for her failures. To ask for forgiveness from the child she had allowed so much suffering to be visited upon. Her eyes began to well with warm tears despite the icy touch of Coerthas Highlands.

She did not hear the subtle crunch of snow behind her, nor the slick sound of metal piecing leather. Lysa did turn at the dull thudding sound as Denston fell to the ground next to her, his body limp. A crimson stain was slowly growing beneath him.

Then she felt the cold, cold touch of metal pressed against her throat. "Old one should be a Quiet one,â€ a growling voice hissed next to her ear.

Lysa was never given an opportunity to answer, for the metal blade pressed further into her throat then slid to the side, opening the arteries there. She felt the warmth of her lifeblood as it began to spurt forth, and her breaths quickly turned into desperate gurgles.

The surprised cries of the Lalafell warrior and the armored Miqoâ€™te were distant muted echoes to her ears as Lysa fell to the snow. She died before she could draw another breath.

Roen · **12-14-2015, 07:00 PM**

Then

Everything about this is wrong.

Roen stared at the man's unconscious form lying on the basement floor. Like most Highlanders he was tall of stature, his head shaved clean, dark-skinned like his sister.

But Harvard Blackstone bore only a slight resemblance to Delial. The paladin studied his breathing; it was even and steady. Her brows creased when she spotted the growing welt on the side of his head, where Shaelen had delivered a swift but hard kick to knock him unconscious.

What was she expecting, after all, when she had suggested to the two mercenaries that tracking down Delialâ€™s brother was their only option of negotiating with the woman? Roen herself knew quite intimately the quick and brutal violence that Shaelen was capable of. The paladin could see the anger simmering just beneath her cocky retorts--an anger all due to the the death of Aylard Greyarm, suffered at the hands of Delial Grimsong.

The second half of the mercenary pair was Qaeli Varily, the silver-haired former champion of the Blood Sands. She had been on Gharenâ€™s list of â€˜people to contactâ€™ should there be any trouble involving her brother. Both the paladin and the former gladiator had received each other with a measure of caution, neither knew the other had existed until Roen sought her out. But at the word of Gharenâ€™s impending fate, the heavy accented Hyur woman readily offered her help.

Much to Roenâ€™s chagrin, she also showed a penchant for brutality, if her verbal threats were to be believed.

Roen did not want either of them anywhere near Harvard Blackstone. She glanced down to the loops of coarse rope in her hand; she had demanded to be the one to talk to him alone and to see to his bindings. The paladin frowned as she set the rope aside on the floor, coming to a kneel next to the man. When she lightly touched his bruised scalp to examine it further, the man began to stir.

â€œOwâ€¦â€ the Highlander muttered sourly, his lashes fluttering open. It seemed to take him a moment to focus on her, but when his eyes seemed to clear, he immediately frowned. He flinched at her touch.

"Apologies... about how we got you here," Roen said quietly, lowering her head, her voice kept low. "But this matter is of great import." She continued to watch him, and although both Qaeli and Shaelen warned her of some possible attempt at an escape or violence from the man, Roen did not have such apprehensions. Resignation hung upon his slumped frame like a heavy robe, and even his attempt at sitting up straight was abandoned half way. His form was wiry, suggesting he did not do much heavy work, and he had worn no weapons on him when he was searched. The man was no fighter.

When Harvard propped himself up with one elbow and leaned his head back against the boxes behind him, Roen continued. "I would like to talk to you. One on one." She held his gaze intently. "About your sister."

"I already told you all that I don't know what she's up to,â€ the man muttered, lightly touching his head. â€œHad to go and kick my head in anyways."

Roen winced, knowing exactly what that kick felt like and the ache it left in the aftermath. She sat on the ground, leveling her gaze to his. "I believe you, that you do not know where your sister is. Or that you support her. What she does.â€

"Then why am I here?" He looked around blearily at the rest of the darkened room. It was a storage room in the basement of Qaeliâ€™s residence. The room had no windows, only rafters, wooden columns, and crates. The small space was only dimly lit by a distant lantern. "Is this... even Ul'dah? I just wanted to do my job, that's all. I have bills to pay, same as anyone."

"Delial told me of you, that while you two do not share a family bond, she still considers you the most important person in her life." Roen looked away, guilt darkening her expression. â€œYou are here because I was desperate."

She closed her eyes, and when Harvard only answered her with an expectant silence she swallowed. "I am desperate to save my own brother,â€ Roen confessed, looking back to the Highlander. "And your sister has him."

Harvard regarded Roen silently for a moment, his lips--thin already--seeming to draw tighter.

His restrained ire only brought more words to come tumbling forth. "I do not want you harmed. I only... want her to think we may consider it." She made a face, those words tasting bitter as soon as it left her tongue. She turned away from him again, instead looking behind her to the stairs leading up to the main floor. "Delial knows me well enough even to suspect my bluff... but she will not call theirs."

â€œDo you think she really cares?" he asked incredulously.

Roen blinked, turning back to the man. "She does. For you."

Harvard shook his head, then bumped it back against the crate behind him. A momentary wince gave way to a scowl. "I'm sorry you think so. I don't know what you expect she'll do but she's... I don't think she cares about anybody." His jaw tightened. "Not if it doesn't help her."

Roen stiffened. "She twists truths, but she claims she does not outright lie. If that is the case, you are the only thing she cares for. Perhaps the only thing in her life." She fixed her gaze on the man. "She said she would do anything for you. You are blood."

The Highlander met her gaze with his own eyes - an odd icy blue - before he looked away and settled them somewhere on the far wall. "If I'm the only thing it's cause she made it so. She didn't care for the rest of us. Westor, an' dad. They were blood, too. It's all just blood to her."

"What do you mean?"

â€œWhat do you think?â€ he retorted with a sharpness not unlike his sisterâ€™s. â€œYou know what they call her back home? What her legacy is? Kinslayer.â€ Harvardâ€™s stare returned to Roen for a breath but she could see the accusation and the anger kept close, kept cold and hard beneath his skin. â€œIt donâ€™t have anything to do with me. Not that it matters. Here we are all the same.â€

Roen froze, just staring at the man. "Kinslayer..." she echoed in a whisper. She found herself searching her memories, reevaluating all the conversations she and Delial had in the time that the two had gotten to know each other. When Delial had somehow earned her trust. Roen had been certain, at least until this very moment, that Delialâ€™s words of her only surviving brother was genuine. That he was the only person that mattered in her life. It was an uneasy truth that Delial had shared begrudgingly, and Roen believed it to be true. Was it? "Why does she care for you so?" she asked hastily, fighting the pitting feeling in her stomach.

â€œIâ€™m the last one. I donâ€™t know why. Sold me out, too, just like with the rest.â€ His face fell and his fists clenched. â€œSaid it would be safer. Ainâ€™t so bad in the south. Better than dying a traitor. Pretty words all plenty rich cominâ€™ from--â€ A bitter grin flashed across his lips and a harsh breath hissed out through his teeth. Gingerly, he tapped the side of his shorn head not too far from where his skin and darkened and swollen. â€œGot me right here, too, right before clappinâ€™ on the chains.â€

Her hands closed tightly, and she pressed them upon her lap."It is my brother she holds. He is an Ala Mhigan, just like you.â€ Roen sighed heavily, her gaze going to the floor. Her knuckles had turned pale in their grip. â€œShe knew of our relation from the beginning. She did not tell me this until after she had him."

â€œI'm sorry about that," Harvard said quietly after a long pause. Roen could hear that some of his misgivings had faded from his voice. "But... do you even think he's still alive?"

"He is. At least, she has said so. She offered me a trade. Two lives for his. Lives of two young Highlanders that belong to the Resistance." Roen swallowed. "I... cannot make that bargain."

"Still chasing the Resistance..." The Highlander shook his head slowly. "So... that's what I am, then. The card up your sleeve."

Roen sat up straight, looking to him imploringly. "I cannot harm them, nor will I allow anyone to harm you." She leaned in, shaking her head firmly. "I will not. But... if she at least is willing to bargain for you, her brother..." She felt her shame tighten its grip around her heart. "I may have a chance yet for the return of my own."

A long pause fell between them, where the paladin and the Highlander regarded each other, taking each otherâ€™s measure. â€œWill you at least, stay here, until I get him back?" she asked tentatively.

In that moment, Roen glimpsed an image of Delial in her brother, for there was a certain stoic quality the man shared with his sister. But that gave way to another resigned sigh as he slumped in his seat. "I don't wanna get beat up again," he mumbled. "And I don't think you're just gonna let me go even if I wanted to."

Roen bowed her head in apology. "I just need you to stay out of sight. And anywhere else, Delial will find you, I fear. Then my own hopes are lost." She frowned, her frame tense. "But I will give you my word, I will do my best to return you to your normal life. Very soon."

Harvard seemed to contemplate that, before he nodded. "She's not going to let this go, you know. Delial. She doesn't... she never liked being wrong.â€ He added then, his voice lowering further, â€œAnd she never liked people getting in her way."

The paladin narrowed her eyes on Harvard, her expression hardening. "She made enemies as soon as she took my brother. She of all people, should expect no less."

"I hope you stop her. Stop her taking people."

Roen blinked at that. She reached for the coil of rope and slid it across the floor toward him. "If they come to check in on you, just put your arms behind you with the rope. I will explain to them soon enough." She rose back to her feet.

"Right," Harvard grumbled, staring balefully at the rope.

"Gratitude." It was a pointless thing, but she said it anyway.

"Donâ€™t."

It made the paladin pause, but she had nothing else to offer. She turned and left the cellars, locking the door behind her.

cuideag · **03-07-2016, 12:38 AM**

All things considered, it wasn't a bad place to live. It was longer than it was wide, almost as if it had been a simple albeit generous hallway in a past life. The door seemed fitted on as an afterthought and the corners of the far wall creased and cracked far too suspiciously to have been part of the original design. There were no windows but a single window-shaped square of plaster that was just a shade lighter than the rest of the surrounding wall. Dust and detritus from the street puffed inside in tiny, curious gusts, and gathered in the hard lines along the floor. A broom, resting in a corner beside the door, watched with bristles clogged and defeated.

Given that there wasn't much to house there besides a cabinet of well-worn clothes and a bed that was not much more than a pallet padded with a generous few layers of rough blanket, it was not a bad place to live. The man who held the keys - lalafellin, simply dressed, hooded eyes - reminded her again and again that he charged a fair price for being within walking distance of the markets. She had not tried to suggest otherwise but the man, small and dusty as the rooms he rented, seemed to brighten considerably while deflecting any perceived question of quality on his part. She allowed him the pleasure all the way from his small shaded office at the other end of the row.

Delial shifted her weight from one boot to the other. She was an intruder here and had its occupant still been in the area she would have never dared cross the doorway. That he stayed there had not been a secret: the gil she left moon to moon was easy enough to follow, with virtually no effort made to conceal its use.

â€œLike a fella what has punctuality,â€ the lalafell was saying from where he had parked himself just outside. â€œBut rent is rent and rent needs payinâ€™. Now, Iâ€™ve been real generous about it--â€

â€œYou have,â€ Delial agreed. She could not tell if there was an unusual amount of dust coating the surfaces of the room, given how freely it entered. It was neat and orderly otherwise, each and every of his few possessions placed precisely where they ought to be.

â€œ-- and itâ€™s just not reasonable,â€ continued the landlord, albeit with a satisfied nod, â€œTo lose my living on account of a boy what up and left with no rent paid at all! None!â€

â€œNone?â€

â€œNone.â€ The landlord sounded aghast. Delial was more concerned with checking the drawers, however, and carefully sifting through rows and piles of neatly folded garments. â€œAnâ€™ let me tell you, I got mouths to feed! My family needs a home, too, same as any other.â€

â€œA predicament, of course. And this is the first time that this has happenedâ€¦?â€ Her knees creaked and what she hoped to make a graceful kneel to examine the contents of the bottom drawer ended with an ungraceful flinch and crack as her knee slipped and hit the hard floor harder than she would have liked.

â€œHa!! This is Ulâ€™dah, remâ€¦ oh,â€ paused the lalafell, clearing his throat. â€œWell, with this fella, certainly. Came over, what, two years ago? Didnâ€™t ask no questions, didnâ€™t give no trouble. Anâ€™ he paid.â€ The last word was stretched out and Delial was certain narrowed eyes were pinned upon her back.

â€œI expect so,â€ she said. Deneith had actually done it once, taken Harvard off the street with that Qaeli woman, with Stormchild, and shattered what little sense of safety he might have had living so near the walls of Ulâ€™dah. He must have seen the refugees every sun. Did he help them? Did he know Greyarm? Is that where my money has gone?

Did sending him away from the Resistance push him further into its arms?

â€œWhatâ€™re you sniffing around for, anyroad?â€ The landlord huffed, aggravation edging into his voice. â€œI canâ€™t be standinâ€™ around here all sun. Got work to do, same as anyone else!â€

Delial stood stiffly, grateful that the stinging in her knees distracted her from the slow sink of her heart. The question and itâ€™s questioner went ignored as she turned and scanned the room once more. To say the walls were in perfect condition would have been much more kind than the truth, and were one truly of the mind to crack plaster and stone to conceal something behind it then it would not have stood out at all. Her brother was not the sort to place undue damage on something that did not belong to him, however. That left the bed.

â€œVanishing has become quite fashionable,â€ she said. Delial had to force herself to commit to jostling the single pillow, light and lightly dented, and to feel through and pat down the blankets. (He would have fussed at her, slapped her hands and stomped his feet. Dust motes and sunlight and a red-faced boy, the youngest of three, and no no no--) â€œMany friends of mine have gone without a word,â€ she continued with the shake of her head. He might have thought her to be regretful. â€œBut one does not simply cease to exist, no, not unless one truly wished to. Even then, there are things left behind.â€

â€œDonâ€™t know nothinâ€™ about that,â€ said the lalafell, his tone dipping lower. Delial did not look at the man but she thought she caught his previously withering gaze direct itself elsewhere out of her peripheral vision.

The Highlander said nothing. Her hands tugged the neat creases free from where they had been tucked between the pallet and the thin mattress, and then she lifted. Stuck between the slats was a small wooden box, no larger than the palm of her hand, and with a gentle tug she pulled it free and let the mattress fall. It clattered in her hands as she turned it and slid the lid free.

(He wouldnâ€™t look at her, even as she pressed it into his hands, whispering promises into his ear: This is for your own good. This will keep you safe.)

â€œI wonâ€™t abide robbery,â€ warned the lalafell, but Delial hardly heard him. There was a rushing in her ears and a chill in her heart, and she had to ignore the quake in her fingers. A slender pouch of coins rested atop a few browning scrips of paper, letters if she would have had to guess, but it was the ring that she lifted out. It was wrought of a cold, dark silvery metal, the face of which was dominated by a square cut black gemstone flanked on either side with engravings of griffons with talons raised and wings outstretched. Her breath left her in a hard gust, as though she had received a blow to the gut, and she nearly forgot to suck in more air.

No, no, no. He would not have left this, not if he left. Passage, food, and lodgings easily paid. He would not leave them if he had the choice. Her innards twisted as fear and fury fought inside her, and numbly she shoved box and ring alike into her pack for fear of dropping them, losing them again just as she lost--

â€œI said, wonâ€™t be abidinâ€™ robbery,â€ growled the lalafell again, this time his voice coming from somewhere just in front of her. Delial focused just briefly on his greedy eyes eyeing the ring before, with a swiftness that caught herself off guard, she stepped around the shorter man and out into the ill-kept lane. The Twelve must have thought to bestow some small mercy in that she could not feel the pain in her knees until she was already in a dead run out into streets, kicking up dust and the screams of an angry lalafell echoing farther and farther behind her.

Roen · **05-06-2016, 11:16 PM**

[[Events here follow this post.]]

Delial stood by the railing overlooking the water, wisps of black hair wafted by the gentle afternoon breeze that rustled the leaves above. The pounding of the waterfall moistened the air around the Bobbing Cork, the cooling caress of the wind providing a soothing company for those who lingered on the side deck.

It had been almost a sennight since the meeting at the Sanctum of Twelve, where Roen had confronted her brother along side Delial and Kiht. The meeting ended on a note of animosity, somewhat reminiscent of a another encounter two years ago where the circumstances were eerily similar. Except Roen and Delial had opposed each other then, where the paladin held the Highlander responsible for the condition she found her brother in.

Now it was the opposite. Last they spoke, Delial had blamed Roen.

She had not spoken to Delial since, and it was with some measure of anxiety that the Highlanderâ€™s summons to Fallguard was received. The wooden boards of the deck creaked with the weight of the paladinâ€™s armor, to which Delial turned her head slightly with a nod. Both did their best to keep their expressions neutral.

â€œDid I tell you?â€ Delial said as Roen came to stand beside her. She had a wine glass that was, oddly for her, daintily perched on her upheld hand. A wine bottle was precariously balanced on the railing. â€œI do not recall. Things growâ€¦ blurry of late. She came to me. Banurein.â€

Roen arched an eyebrow, although she was not altogether surprised. Kiht had told her much the same after all. â€œShe has not quite lost interest then, as I had thought from all those months of absence.â€

â€œNever.â€ Delial took a generous swallow of wine. â€œIt did not end as she wished it, of course. A loose thread that yet remains." Her gaze shifted to the paladin, then she glanced away just as quickly. "He wishes her demise. As do I, of course. Too dangerous to be left alone. There was something she did say, however, that has given me pause in all this. That Gharen's... affliction is not an affliction at all, no, and ought not be treated as such. That such a thing might not be excised as one might a leech."

Roen studied the woman from the corner of her eyes. "You are telling me this because of what I said to him. At the Sanctum."

Delial did not answer right away. The Highlander emptied her glass, then busied herself with pouring herself another. Apparently as an afterthought, she held the bottle out to the paladin. "Such shocking things were said. So very strange to have heard them coming from you. You understand that I cannot allow any of the, ah... mentioned things to happen, of course?"

A long exhale escaped through her nostrils as Roen shook her head. She too recalled those words, where she threatened to end the man she was speaking to. "Do you think I would actually run my own brother through with a blade?" She dipped her head and crossed her arms. "It was mostly bravado on my part."

â€œI thought it best to remain cautious.â€ Delial shrugged and set the bottle back on its perch on the railing. â€œNone of us, I think, are who we were... and it becomes harder to read what may or may not come. I imagine most of what he said was likewise, bravado. Certainly fond of barking."

"He thought I was weak.â€ Roen frowned as her indignation leaked into her voice. â€œI am willing to do what needs to be done. But killing someone... even to save them from themselvesâ€¦ could I do it again?â€ She paused, her gaze absently watching the light ripple off the waters. She slowly shook her head. â€œThe wound still bleeds."

"That rage of his, it is strong. It always has been, I am certain, but he has conquered it before. Conquered it again and again. It ought not be any different now. Only a matter of time." Again she looked Roen's way, though it lingered this time.

"I am not sure what will come of this.â€ The paladin sighed, her shoulders sagging. â€œOr what will happen. But you need not worry about me trying to kill whatever that stands in my brother's body. Despite my words."

Delial took another sip, then leaned against the railing to rest her elbows upon it. She looked down at the glass held between her hands, like it were an offering to the water below. It was after sometime that she spoke again. "I am inclined to believe one does not get over it. Such wounds. Else they would be more easily forgotten."

"You bore such a wound as well,â€ Roen murmured. "When does it stop bleeding?"

The Highlander let out a soft snort. "In my experience? Never. Though mayhap you find one day that the taste of copper does not turn your stomach, and it matters no more. That, I pray, is a line you need not cross in your lifetime."

Roen fell quiet as she pondered that for a moment. "You crossed that line some time ago. And yet here you stand, willing to defend a man turned murderer, from his sister's own blade." She canted her head in Delialâ€™s direction. "Is it that you take sympathy in the broken? The warped? Or that you are not as warped as I think you to be?"

Delial lowered her head as she forced out a low chuckle. "I will give you a confession. But I imagine you will only think me mad for it." The distant roar of the waterfall filled the space between them for a time, before the Highlander broke the silence. â€œThe... war did do much good for my family. No, quite the opposite. It shattered it, as it did our nation. He was not the first man I -- that I lost," Delial drew out the word, stressing it, though she glanced elsewhere. "But my... my father, he..."

Delial paused, and Roen did not dare interrupt. The Highlander was frowning, her gaze fixed intently on the waterfall.

"The war did not seem real until he was gone. I did not know what I had done until then, I think. And to think it happening to your brother... It is mad, of course. They share a name. How infuriating it is. How maddening!" Her words had gained a frantic energy to them.

"What did you do...?"

"The Resistance... even then, cared not for peace. So I did what was... right. Garren Blackstone, and Westor as well, were dangerous. Fighting against the King only made them more so." The womanâ€™s fingers seemed to tighten around her glass, her tone sobering. Her gaze did not rise to the paladin. "There is a certain heartbreak that comes when you destroy something beloved to you. I know your pirate did not leave the continent, despite what the Sergeant suggested. But when it is your blood, it does not leave you. It is a dark and heavy thing, and it poisons you until the day you die."

Roen stared long and hard at the Highlander. "And yet, to this sun, you believe you did the right thing."

Delial stared down at her hands. Moving slowly, she swallowed what wine remains in the glass, and then dropped the glass into the water. "My... conviction comes and goes. Some suns it is easier."

"Hindsight is a strange thing,â€ the paladin whispered. â€œIt wears at your certainty." Another long pause fell between them, before she glanced at the woman again. "How do you deal with regret?"

Delial snickered, taking up the bottle and giving it a waggle. It sloshed noisily, before it too was dropped in the water. "Poorly, I should say. I think a normal, sensible person would have at least had the sense to find some.... some hobby to pour themselves into.â€

The Highlander watched the bottle bob and sway in the water for a moment before she admitted quietly, â€œAll I have is Gharen. You. Kage, I suppose, that poor, poor man!"

Roen blinked, and it was with some effort that she let out a quiet, nonchalant snort. "I think Kage believes himself fortunate enough to know you and call you friend. Strange that," she murmured under her breath. "Considering how both of you began. I suppose, same could be said about the rest of us as well. Odd. Is it not?"

"Very strange. So very strange. I had always thought it an exaggeration that the... the world would cease to make sense as you grow older. And yet... here we are. Befuddled as ever."

Roen watched the bottle's journey as it spun in the water, before it tilted to the side and the water bubbled in. "I do not think you poisoned. Not completely."

"It is a kind thing to say, untrue as it may be.â€ Delial snorted weakly. â€œYou are all the more lovely when you are being kind. Sometimes I find I miss it."

The paladin did not speak for a long time, her eyes now fixed on where the bottle had submerged under the water. Her voice was a raspy thing when she spoke again. "I thought kindness was my weakness. Only nowâ€¦ I find that my biggest regret... was my lack of mercy."

Roen Deneith grimaced, chiding herself for allowing her voice to waver. "I do not think I will ever be who I was before. But... even those who have done far worse than I could ever imagine, can still care. They come to the defense of a murderer.â€

"Such strange, bewildering times. Small blessings, mayhap, that we may still be surprised,â€ Delial said as she continued to look out over the water.

The two women allowed the waterfall to fill the silence again, a blue bird coming to perch on the wooden railing near them before taking to the air again. "I dreaded seeing him again," Roen murmured as her gaze absently followed the birdâ€™s flight. "For too many reasons that I cannot say."

When Delial remained quiet, Roen inhaled deeply and continued. "But knowing you and Kiht were there... ready to aid him in whatever way that was neededâ€¦ it made it easier, in truth." The paladin finally spared another glance towards the Highlander. "That even if I failed, he would not be lost. Not truly."

â€œIt was... a good thing. Certainly a brave thing. For all the unkind things I said to you before, I know it must have been difficult." Delial lowered her head but turned slightly, her amber gaze peering up at Roen. She curled a small smirk. "I should think Kiht would have tried to strangle the poor dear for you had anything happened. She is so very worried for you. I think she would do nearly anything if it may make things easier for you."

The thought of the Keeper, even if it was fleeting, softened the paladinâ€™s visage. "I owe her much.â€

â€œIt is a fortunate thing to hold one so close. Even if she is, as he says, just... a touch dense. Very kind, however." Delial nodded.

â€œAnd I owe you as well,â€ Roen gave Delial a side eye. â€œOnce this ordeal is over, perhaps some time of rest is needed. For everyone." She let out a long sigh. "But let us get through this first. However it plays out."

The Highlander snorted. "Kage has already insisted that he and I have ourselves a trip to Costa del Sol when all is done. I think I shall take him up on it."

Roen just raised an eyebrow. "You should take him up on it,â€ she said blankly. Somehow she could not imagine the two of them sunbathing together in the sand. She found it oddly amusing.

"Perhaps you and the others might come as well? You could use a little sun, I think. Gharen, too, once he overcomes thisâ€¦ a little fun may do him some good. Though I imagine he would head straight for that waterfall he was so fond of."

Roen regarded Delial, and to her surprise, a protest did not readily leave her lips. Her eyes wandered, giving it some thought. "I think I have forgotten what warm sun truly feels like."

Delial pushed herself back up straight, with considerable effort. "A travesty. If the Gods are kind and merciful, you may never again feel ice in your bones. Nor will I ever, ever, see another of these damned trees again!" Roen almost thought the Highlander would raises her fist to the woods.

The paladin snorted, a hint of an ironic grin touching her lips. "I call it an act of attrition."

She was answered with an ornery harrumph from the Highlander. "As you say. We need to have a talk, Kiht and I... and Gharen and I, too, supposing I did not anger him out of any thoughts of cooperation. Temporary, to be sure - he always was too charitable for his own good."

â€œKeep me informed.â€ The paladin nodded, stepping back from the railing. â€œI believe I have lingered here too long.â€

"Thank you for meeting with me. And, err..." The dark womanâ€™s lips twisted as she seemed to search for a word, an effort that that only left her with a deeper frown. "That is, allowing me to... ramble."

Roen canted her head, and the edges of her eyes softened. "It is a side of you that you do not allow often, if at all. It brought me some measure of comfort, whether you meant to or not. You should allow yourself to do so more often."

When Delial narrowed her eyes but maintained her silence, Roen nodded with a teasing curl to her lips. â€œI will bid you farewell on this rare note between us. Stay well, Delial.â€

cuideag · **07-26-2016, 09:17 PM**

Years ago.

She held her tongue.

When they knocked on the door of the small shack her brother had called home, Delial opened it and stepped aside. There was no need for words, after all: they had their arrangement, their task, their payment safe in the city. There was nothing more to be said.

It is the right choice. It is the safest choice. The words crawled slow circles through her mind even as her brother fought and struggled. He howled at her, voice taken to a defiance so unlike him. She could not look at him. She had nothing more to say. It is the right choice. It is the safest choice. It is the right choice.

She held her tongue, and when her brother was gone, she closed the door behind her.

----

Now.

Two years ago, Gharen Wolfsong was as good as dead. He was poisoned and broken and, miraculously, brought back from the edge. He accompanied her to a ball, danced with her while his sister glared. He spared her life again and again, to the discontent of everyone who called Wolfsong ally.

One year ago, Gharen Wolfsong was dead. His sword, bloodied, had been abandoned with is belongings and the man who took his life growled and snapped from behind an iron helm. Chained as he was, Delial held no doubt he was as volatile, as hostile as ever, yet he suffered their presence as well as a mad thing who likened himself to a wolf could if one did not think too hard on how he nearly killed or maimed several of the number that had been called in to deal with him. Once he had been unmasked, directing that violence elsewhere had been a simpler matter than Delial expected.

Banurein gave it its voice, the wolf that lingered in Gharen's skin. Banurein gave it fangs, black and dripping, and let it loose. Carved into his chest were the reminders of who it was that marked him as hers to begin with.

Delial took a breath and pushed on, leaning heavily upon her staff. She parted ways from her ride not far outside the Observatorium, giving her thanks and goodbyes once the road split westward. The cold was not quite as she remembered it when her heart was heavy with worry, when she spent her days wondering if she would find Wolfsong mangled and half-eaten somewhere in the snow. It sank into her bones sent shivers down her spine but it was numb, felt at a distance if she felt it at all. A heavy cloak was pulled tight around her shoulders and pressed near her heart beneath the layers that she wore was a stone, black and humming, warm in a way though it did little for her poor fingers and toes.

The road and her company continued on north where they would inevitably come upon Ishgard. It was the fork west that Delial took, gauging the mountains ahead against those in her memory. The wagon trails had long since been buried by fresh snow but she did her best to remember, as tricky as it was when the landscape was perpetually redressing itself in fresh, unmarked snow. If she called for the Huntress then surely she would come, but she cast the thought aside. Eager as Jakkya was to lend aid to Gharen and Roen both, Delial had no desire to drag her back to that place.

The three of them had hoped to confront the Pale Lady but it would not be so. Banurein had agreed to attend to the lingering plague in Gharen's veins albeit at a distance, suspecting a trap. The men she had sent in her stead unknowingly led them to a manor left to ruin at the foot of a mountain. It sat broken but proud, ringed by bent iron fences and frozen boulders. The crag overhead seemed a mouth intent on devouring the place, with gigantic icy fangs reaching ever closer one patient ilm at a time. The wind howled and whipped around them, furious and implacable, one final and nearly deafening warning they had no choice but to ignore.

Bells past sunset, Delial finally found it again. The moon did little to guide her and when daylight finally faded she could rely on little else but instinct and the stone, black and yearning, at her heart. The head of her staff glowed with burning aether, casting deep and wavering shadows as she trudged past the fence and into a yard that might once have been the envy of neighboring nobles. Though the windows were stained opaque with ice and dirt, the light gave the appearance of things writhing inside. Delial might have written them off as just shadows had she not known the truth of the place. As she drove on to the door, one lurching step at a time, she could hear the scratching from the other side of the wood. It did not stop when, groaning, the door opened and slammed shut behind her; it only dispersed, scritch-scritch-scratching from corners, from walls, from joints in the high ceilings.

A grand foyer yawned out before her, tattered and broken as the building that housed it. The taste hit her first as she gulped in the stale air, ignoring the dull ache of her knees and feet. It was stale and musty and overpowered yet by the harsh tang of vile aether, the sense of which had nearly overwhelmed Gharen when they found him there. "This place pulls at me in all directions," he told them, and it had only gotten worse the further they ventured. It was yet another thing he had survived, Gharen Wolfsong, and when he slew the winged thing that hid deep in the cavernous basement they took him and fled the place without a glance back. It was at her insistence that they visit Costa del Sol, seas far, far away from the manse beneath the mountain. There was no doubt in her mind, however, that it could not be forgotten.

They are your kin. How could you let this happen? Voices whimpered and wailed as they tore down the things that haunted its halls, though Delial could never tell from what or where they came. Her first concern was Gharen's safety but the voices stuck in her mind like bee stings, left to trouble her. If they were echoes then to whom did they belong? Why did Banurein chose it? Infest it?

You left me to this fate. I had no choice.

I would do anything for you. Tell me.

Delial took another hard breath, banging the butt of her staff into the floor once. For a moment, the scratching subsided, echoing only from the further halls hidden behind rubble and rubbish. Her obligations had been attended to save for one, one which she sat on silently for the better part of the year. The Huntress knew and so, too, did the Wolf; but she was dismissed to her own duties and he, he no longer remembered. It is better that way, she reminded herself, coughing into a sleeve. It is the right choice. Her staff blazed brighter as she centered herself, one hand clutching the stone, black and throbbing, by her heart. She was beyond certain time had long since run out for her brother, gone from Ul'dah so many moons. All that remained was to make certain the favor was repaid in kind.

Roen · **07-28-2016, 02:53 PM**

â€œI want you to be happy, Marcus.â€

Happiness.

What was it? Happiness: an elusive ghost of an idea that pitted everyoneâ€™s lives, leaving a void that all felt compelled to fill. The emptiness that existed in its absence was like a distant wail that nagged at the edge of oneâ€™s thoughts, oft leading one down a dark alley to despair. Some hunted for it with ambitious precision, desperate in their hope that things like wealth, power, or love would bring them this abstract trophy. It was a lie, like a mirage in the desert. Some might swear to have seen it, hovering just out of their reach. But it was envy that distorted their vision; they would see it upon others like an invisible aura, like the waves of heat burning off the sand.

Jameson Taeros could never recall ever feeling truly happy. There was always somewhere else he wanted to be, some other trouble that loomed on the horizon, or some other person that was standing in his way. He had always looked to those shadows of uncertainty and marked them in his mind. They were just obstacles to be eliminated or conquered. He had always prided himself in identifying his place in the world and learning about others, so that he could do what was needed to elevate himself. He enjoyed this game, and even the smallest victories he acquired along the way eventually amassed into what he considered was his peak of wealth and power.

So how did it all fall apart?

â€œYou have run out,â€ a sultry voice nudged Jameson from his reverie. A dark-skinned Elezen clothed in nothing but a small strip of silk wrapped around her hips leaned across his leg and sprinkled a pinch of herbs into the small metal flask next to him. Only then did the Midlander notice that the tendrils of heavily scented smoke had given way to withering fibers and he could feel the edges of his senses sharpening again. But once the dried roots were dropped into the ornate vase, a quiet hiss of the burning plant heralded a new fountain of smoky serpents as they began to spill back out into the tented room.

â€œAre you hurtingâ€¦?â€ The woman laid her hands upon his bare chest, pressing her breasts against him. â€œI can replace the noise. This will flush out your head.â€

Jameson barely heard her gravelly whisper. He tilted his head backwards against the pillows, just as the Duskwight leaned in for his lips. The female only smirked at the subtle rebuff, then proceeded to greet the underside of his chin with her tongue, slowly working downward toward his chest. The smoke began to cloud the air around them, unable to dissipate under the canopy of silks that hung low from the ceiling. The flickering light of a candelabra was further dimmed by the thick air, although it provided just enough illumination to outline the naked curves of the woman on top of him. But the once-renowned Monetarist of Ulâ€™dah paid no mind to his surroundings nor the rousing sensation that rose from the rest of his body. Only the intoxicating scent of burning milk root pushed at his consciousness, sending this thoughts plunging back into the pool of memories and reflection.

Lazarov. Deneith. Melkire.

Those were the names that ruined him. After the years he had spent carefully navigating through the Ulâ€™dahn maze of schemes and lies, somehow he had let a pirate, an ex-Sultansworn, and an ex-Flame undo all that he had worked for.

It was because of her.

Jameson wanted to lay the blame on someone else. The thought that he had underestimated Lazarovâ€™s expansive influence upon the seas, Deneithâ€™s willingness to recruit spies and civilians against him, and the Flameâ€™s readiness to commit murder without even a trialâ€¦ they had all caught him unprepared.

He had lost focus. It was likely his paranoia, but it seemed the Jewel wanted to collect all the heat of the Thanalan sun and focus it right upon him. Someone had dared to try and stand up to the Monetaristsâ€™ power and it was put upon him to eliminate the threat. At the time, he had welcomed the opportunity: finally a stage upon which he could shine! In retrospect, he should have sent assassins earlier. There were other methods, crueler and dirtier means to accomplish what had to be done.

But Jameson thought himself too clever. He had gone the slower, more methodical route. He decided upon a defensive strategy, a lawful one no less, relying upon the Ulâ€™dahn law enforcement to apprehend the outlaws that were threatening Monetarist shipments. The Sworns did not deliver. And the Flames were just employed thugs for Raubahn. Even now those mistakes pained him.

But was it his lapse in judgement that soured his pride... or the possibility that he had stayed on that course for the sake of a mere woman?

â€œI want you to be happy, Marcus. You deserve more than a woman who cannot return your affections.â€ He could recall Meliaâ€™s face, the tears running down her cheeks. Her beautiful, sad eyes were framed by her auburn curls as she broke his heart and wedded another man.

After Melia, Jameson had sworn never again. Never again would he risk humiliation and failure for the sake of a woman. And yet, he carried her picture close to his heart, hidden within a golden pendant even after all those years, did he not?

Was he one of those sentimental fools he so despised all along?

"You have given me all I could ever want. I merely wish to meet with your approval."

The memories of another womanâ€™s voice and the vision of another set of auburn locks returned to him yet again. The scent of the desert that lingered in her hair seemed to be woven into the smoke somehow, and he could imagine the green eyes that always regarded him carefully from beneath those long lashes.

He believed that Coatleque Crofte was a kindred spirit: a creature who had clawed herself out of a pit of misfortune with her eyes directed upwards at greatness. Someone who was made of ambition and grit as he was. It must have taken such perseverance to rise so high from a broken past that was hers. Why didnâ€™t she want more? As he did?

She was nothing like me.

He remembered his deep disappointment when she admitted that she held no further ambition, that she herself was amazed to have gained such authority. A highly ranked Sultansworn serving the Sultana, answering to Jenlyns himself, Coatleque seemed befuddled as to how she had stumbled upon such a position of power. All the things that drew him to her at the start, had proven false. And yetâ€¦

She loved me.

Jameson hissed as he felt the bite of incisors upon his skin. He took a handful of hair and pulled the Duskwight off of him. Her teeth gleamed white as a hungry smile split the Elezenâ€™s dark face. That look of lust in her eyes, it was one he knew well. He had seen it in so many others, for it was an easy thing to manipulate. And yet, he had no inclination to take part in such a diversion now.

â€œIf you like it violent,â€ the woman purred as she clawed her way up his chest, her nails drawing red lines upon his flesh. â€œWe can play rough and tumble.â€

The Midlander simply sneered at her.

â€œJust why are you here, lordling?â€ she barked back impatiently. When he did not answer, she snorted and rolled off of him, grabbing for a thin wooden pipe, taking a deep draw of it. As she exhaled the scented fumes again, her vexation melted off her face.

Jameson could still feel the thin rows of welts where her nails had raked against his torso. The Duskwight had not been the only woman to mark him so.

I could have come to love her, he tried to convince himself, his eyes fluttering closed. The vision of auburn locks washed away like ocean waves, leaving behind a field of golden hair, one that he had pulled free from their prison of tight braids. He could recall the softness of her bared shoulders, the prominence of her collarbone, and the fullness of her breasts. And yet, there was no stirring of lust within him.

â€œPity is the death of desire.â€

In the moons that they had slept beneath the same roof, Edda Eglantine had seen him brought low, trembling upon his knees. The pains of withdrawals from whatever cursed alchemical toxins Banurein had pumped him full of had robbed him of his precious control through many nights. And Edda had discovered him on one such an occasion despite his efforts. He hated showing such weakness in front of anyone, much less one he was engaged to marry. But then that exasperating enigma of a woman would show glimpses of wisdom and strength where he had expected none.

"I do not pity you. I do not pity myself. Pity is for those who do not fight."

The marriage to the Eglantine was only the first step to his return. After losing everything in Ulâ€™dah, he had come to Ishgard to start anew, empowered by his engagement and invigorated by fresh opportunities. He was ready to play the game again, he was ready to regain what was lost. It was in his blood.

â€œFavor for favor.â€

Why had he not sent Coatleque away when she found him again? She would have only dragged him down, like links of chains wrapped around his ankles as he tried to swim to shore. Why had he not cut himself free of the woman? He needed to only say the right words. Even when he had returned from presumed death, and revealed his secret engagement to another, the damned Sultansworn refused to leave his side. He told her that he was engaged. He told he intended to make his marriage work for Edda's sake. And yet, he did not send her away.

It was then that Jameson rose and grabbed the Duskwight by the shoulders, throwing her down against the pile of pillows. The womanâ€™s smile gleamed with impatience and she arched her back in anticipation. But it was not the view of the womanâ€™s naked form that fed the fire that now burned in his chest. He leaned in, his body knew the motions; but it was another place, and another woman that he saw before his eyes.

Was the tease the game or the consequence? Was it worth the fall? He always loved taking risks, playing both sides. He had never wanted to make Coatleque a mistress, and yet the thought of her by his side, it pleased him. Perhaps his past was the weakness. He remembered enjoying the day they had spent in Fallguard. There was an air of comfort, warmth, and familiarity that brought back memories of their time together in the desert city. Flimsy things they were, he thought them unimportant to him, and yet they returned to him all the same to pull at his emotions.

â€œWhen I first came to you that night at the Bismark. It was not for distraction.â€

Then she shattered it all to pieces with her confession.

All those nights, all those talks, all the secrets they had shared, the violence, the laughter, the intimacyâ€¦ they were all a lie. She did it to help his enemies break him.

He did not think. His past had been war. His reflex had been sharpened by conflict and ambition. And he had learned, painfully so, how he would pay for indecision born of empathy. Never again.

There was much blood upon her naked pale flesh, flowing freely from the deep cut upon her neck. Her eyes were wide with disbelief, and even as they began to lose their color, she stared to him. What else could he have done? She had betrayed him. The one woman he thought he could trust above all others, the first woman to whom he had confided in about his past, his insecurities, his plans for the future. They had even spoken of children...

What else could I have done?

It was with a guttural gasp that Jameson stumbled back, falling ungracefully backwards onto the floor. The Duskwight had been writhing beneath him, but he had been deaf to her moans and cries. His chest rose and fell with desperate breaths like a fish out of water, and his amber eyes stared in disbelief at the naked woman in front of him. There was no blood that soaked the silks around her.

The Elezen propped herself upon her elbows and gave him a perturbed look. â€œPerhaps you have had too much of the milk root, lordling.â€

â€œGet out,â€ he growled.

â€œBut we were just getting to the--â€

â€œGet out!â€ he screamed, hurling the metal vase at the Duskwight. She bolted to her feet, cursing at him loudly in a tongue he did not bother to try and recognize. She snatched up the scattered pieces of clothing and left the room in a hurry.

For a long moment, no sound rose to the silk draped ceiling except heavy, stuttered breaths. But when the distant peal of the morning's second bell faded to an echo, the quiet muffled sounds of his weeping filled the heavy silence.

Roen · **01-01-2017, 02:01 PM**

The room was full of shadows; the single flickering candle allowed only a glimpse of the coiling smoke that wafted through the air. The scent of milkweed stung her nose, but Raelisanne cared not. It was one of many drugs she had become immune to.

The man splayed out in front of her had enabled her to do so, so many years ago.

Due his current state of impairment, it was obvious the man had not followed his own teachings. Precise measured quantities administered at regular intervals, steadily increasing the dose over a period of timeâ€¦ the process of gaining immunity against mind-altering substances was a mere matter of alchemy. Committing to continuing the small doses over the years would have been a matter of dedication. It was a small price to pay for an assurance of self control.

This was something Raelisanne always believed was of utmost import to the man in front of her. But his shallow breathing, glazed eyes, and slowed reflexes all spoke of a man who had surrendered his own fundamental code of self discipline and preservation.

To see him brought so low by despairâ€¦ it displeased her.

The man eventually stirred. While Raelisanne made no effort to be silent, she said nothing after entering his tent, and the rest of the inhabitants of the brothel had made themselves scarce. The herb in the metal vase was left to burn, and any passing observer from outside the tent would only spot two silhouettes within, one standing unnaturally still, the other struggling to sit up.

â€œOf course you are here,â€ the man growled at her, his disgust obvious.

â€œYou are in poor shape,â€ Raelisanne observed as she continued to stare down at the Monestarist noble. â€œYou need assistance.â€

â€œDo not presume to know what I need,â€ the Midlander retorted hoarsely. His lips were chapped and his cheeks sunken in. â€œBegone from my sight. I do not need you.â€ The bloodshot eyes belonged to a man who lacked purpose, ambition, and will--all the things that Raelisanne had once admired about him.

My, but he was still so stubborn. That brought a small curl to her lips.

â€œYou seek to break free from the fetters that weigh your conscience.â€ She slowly tilted her head, and even in the dimly lit room, she could see the lines of his jaw tighten. â€œI too was once lost. Deprived of all the things that I thought I needed to be whole. You remember the damaged little girl. That was when you found me. You made possible a whole new life.â€

Raelisanne lowered herself onto one knee, her violet gaze peering over the rim of her glasses to level with his. â€œI would like to return the favor.â€

â€œFavor for favorâ€¦â€ the Hyur mumbled groggily. His focus waxed and waned; the air was still thick with tainted fumes. Raelisanne watched him struggle to maintain his composure, flashes of emotion contorting his angular features without warning. She wondered if he too was recalling their very first encounter. Did it leave an indelible mark upon his memory as it did hers? But so much had passed between them since. And it was the latter years that he seemed to remember with crystal clarity. He suddenly bared his teeth to her like a threatened animal. â€œLast time you saved me, I was forced to endure your toxins running through my veins.â€

â€œYou were nearly dead, I had no choice,â€ she answered matter-of-factly. â€œYou eventually fought to free yourself from those effects.â€ Her tone remained neutral, even though her expression brightened slightly. She had been mistaken. He still had some resolve yet. â€œI never believed you would remain crippled for long. Consider my methods unusual, but they remain effective.â€

To that the man said nothing, his gaze shifting away from hers. There was bitterness that remained in the downward curl of his face, that fought off the weariness that weighed his entire frame.

â€œYou lost what you had built in Ulâ€™dah. Then you lost again your second chance.â€ Her voice carried no sympathy. â€œIs that it? Do you have nothing left?â€

â€œHow childishly simple you make it sound,â€ he spat out. â€œIs that how you have framed your life? You lost what you were, and so you made yourself anew? You see that I have lost my toys, so you are going to give me new ones? Or am I to be another one of your experiments? Torn down like Wolfsong? Made a freak of nature like Renatus? Or whatever twisted games you are playing with Grimsong? Deneith? Donâ€™t forgetâ€¦â€ he hissed. â€œI know you and your obsessions.â€

Raelisanne remained still as a stone statue. Her expression did not flinch, she did not blink, her violet gaze did not waver. But she also had no words for the man.

His eyes narrowed at her stillness, but when she continued to stare in silence, he glanced away. â€œWhat do you want from meâ€¦?â€

â€œAs I said, to repay what I owe.â€ Her face did not show it, but there was a sting that lingered with his rebuff. He understood, and yet he did not. She adjusted her spectacles, her gaze shielded by its reflective surfaces.

When his eyes returned to her albeit reluctantly, she continued, more coolly than before. â€œThe aid I now offer is of different nature. It will mean the end of your old life. You will no longer have a place here. Not in Ulâ€™dah, nor Coerthas.â€

â€œA new lifeâ€¦?â€ he rasped. He was fighting for consciousness now. The air was thicker. â€œAway from all this?â€

â€œYes.â€ Raelisanne nodded.

The manâ€™s amber eyes darted to various points throughout the room, and yet to nothing in particular. His dark brows were pulled low, his struggle and doubt screamed loudly in silence.

â€œMarcus,â€ she said his name softly as she extended her gloved hand. â€œDo you trust me?â€

â€œNo.â€

â€œBut you will come with me?â€

A long moment passed between them.

â€œI have no choice,â€ he finally said, his voice cracking, failing on that last word.

"No," she quietly agreed. She guided his hand to hers, so that he might grasp it.

Roen · **05-28-2017, 12:18 PM**

[[ Following the events of these posts here. ]]

Potions, leather collars, scalpels, amputation saws, forceps...

The long steel tubing of a syringe gleamed pristinely under the artificial light that shined from the ceiling above. White gloved fingers hovered over the array of instruments, occasionally adjusting their position. Raelisanne had long been familiar with these tools, often favored amongst many Inquisitors. She marveled at how effective they were, in transforming the subjects they were used upon.

â€œAre you a truthful and goodly child, Rissa?â€

She had gained intimate knowledge from her own experiences, after all.

The sense of helplessness that came over once the paralysis potion took effect was strangely overwhelming, she recalled. It was as if her body was akin to lead, her limbs too heavy to lift. A part of her idly wondered why the straps around her wrists and ankles were even necessary when the body refused to move. But curiously, goosebumps still crawled up her arms; her skin was still able to feel the chill of the stone basement. She remembered pondering if that was what it was like to be a golem, to have skin that weighed like stone and yet be able to feel the blade when it was cut...

Raelisanne also remembered learning the purpose behind the restraints. Because the nerves of her body were still awake to all the sensations, her muscles would go into uncontrollable convulsions when a burning liquid was injected into her veins and all her nerves felt like it was on fire. It was also said that the binds were to prevent self harm. She could appreciate the logical and practical sense behind each instrument. After decades of honing their skills, of course the Inquisition would have refined the methods of interrogations down to a science.

She could not remember the exact questions that were asked of her so many years ago, only that it had displeased her father. Lord Lyndon Brooks had remarked once that she had a keen mind, exceptional for her youth. She overheard him wondering out loud if she would someday prove to be worthy of the Inquisition. He believed that one of the most valuable decree of the Inquisitors was their relentless pursuit of truth, unhindered by civility or sympathy. It was his way of trying to relate to his strange daughter who seemed to be most curious about unusual things. A part of her younger self too fancied herself following in her fatherâ€™s footsteps. Their unapologetic quest for knowledge had been appealing. And yet, through her own interrogation, the girl of fourteen years came to learn that the infallibility of the Church was just a myth and that the Inquisition had no interest in the truth. Was it at the hands of her own father that she had decided she would aim to become much more?

â€œMiss Reeves, the rest of the equipment has been packed.â€ The breathless voice of her assistant made her turn around. Aurelieaux regarded her carefully, his brows deeply bent with apprehension. The revelation that their main laboratory had been discovered and burglarized had disturbed the Duskwight alchemist greatly. â€œShall Iâ€¦ pack those as well?â€ He glanced to the tools on the table behind her.

â€œNothing must be left behind,â€ Raelisanne said, nodding as she made her way back to her desk. Violet eyes gazed upon the opened drawer there, behind which she knew remained an empty compartment where her magitek tablet used to be. It too was gone, along with the mysterious stone bearing ancient allagan runes. It was an opportunity lost; she could not deny her own disappointment at being unable to complete the final step. To have a chance at eliminating a part of someoneâ€™s legacy that ran in their veins, to alter what had been etched forever into oneâ€™s heritageâ€¦ it was far beyond the meager goals of her fatherâ€™s career ambitions.

But now the entire project had been thwarted. The keystoneâ€™s magic was supposed to enable a rewriting of the memories of anyone they wanted, en masse. It would have far surpassed her own personal research into altering a personâ€™s thoughts and perceptions, which took time and care with each individual subject. Even with all the progress that she had made with Kavirâ€™s preserved blood and eyes, without the keystone, her experiments would have to return to single specimens.

Perhaps it was for the best. The variables would be much easier to predict and counter when dealing with a limited number, compared to a large population. The promise that she had made the Court was ambitious and plausible at best, but they were willing to go forth simply on her calculations and theory without an actual successful field test. She had to admit, she herself was curious at the prospect, and was looking forward to seeing the unpredictable outcome.

As Aurelieaux ushered the last of the boxes carried by laborers out of the laboratory, Raelisanne scanned the empty shelves and the barren cabinets. So many possibilities this place had heldâ€¦ and now they were lost. Her white-gloved hands were splayed out against the smooth wooden grain of the desk, but slowly her fingers curled inward. It was a setback. Any research worth the effort was bound to face such trials, and she had found ways to adapt and revise her course in the past. Even if it took great sacrifices to do so.

â€œGive me what I need and this will stop. You do want to do right by your father, do you not my dear?â€

She could still recall clearly the desperation in his voice. How it trembled with fear, but made hoarse with indignation. Absent was the unwavering composure she usually admired in him; but even while his eyes were wide and frenzied, she could see that it was still driven by his single-minded belief that he was in the right.

Perhaps that had been the moment when his pursuit of truth was marred by his emotions. He was afraid for his own life and his place within the church. What he wanted was to erase the suspicion of heresy from his familyâ€™s name, even if that meant offering up his daughterâ€™s life instead.

A soft snort escaped her nose. He had offered up a sacrifice to readjust the course of his ambitions. Perhaps her methods were not too different from her fatherâ€™s after all. But she would be more than he ever was. He was driven by doubt, jealousy, and fanaticism. Never would such petty emotional fragility cause her to err.

â€œI would do anything for you. Tell me.â€

Raelisanne glanced up as the chandelier and the lanterns on the wall flickered. She pushed off from the desk and made her way to the exit, tucking her hands into her pockets. The final group of laborers were filing in, ready to grab all else that remained. She ignored the questions that echoed from behind her as a few of them gathered around the center desk and pointed at the deep claw marks that marred its polished surface.

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A Legacy in Blood

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