Demons of Ehdisuul

[pyreshadow]

1x1 between myself and @annabel

 

[annabel]

Elmira was riding in her family limousine at around midday when the invasion began. The skies had been a perfect blue, the sun illuminating the lovely countryside in bright, cheerful greens. It was the noble girl's custom to go for daily outings into town along with her maid-in-waiting. Once the limousine had reached its destination, however, the skies suddenly darkened, as though curtains closing and veiling the sun. The townspeople's expressions were one of terror, pointing to the skies in utter panic. Elmira asked her chauffeur to let her out and after a minute of her yelling like a spoiled, stubborn child, the man finally consented.


The skies were covered in spaceships. She stared upwards, wide-eyed, wondering if she were dreaming. It wasn't long until the streets were in chaos, people screaming, running away, and toppling over each other in their panic. The sound of explosions began booming in her ears, though she could hardly see much through the tall buildings and thick, forested hills that surrounded the village. Once in a while, fiery light would flash in the distance, shaking the earth, the chaos in the streets turning up a notch.


Ignoring her chauffeur and maid-in-waiting's begging, the noble girl refused to return in the vehicle. Instead, she headed into the panicked masses, fighting her way through them, deciding to climb to the top of a building to get a better view. She should probably have been more panicked herself, but Elmira was mostly filled with an irresistible curiosity. She entered the town temple and climbed the worn, stone steps to the top, where the huge bell hummed ominously, the earth trembling angrily under her feet.


The moment she looked out past the forests, as if waiting for her arrival, an explosion dropped onto her family's mansion. She tried to scream, but only stared helplessly, tears flowing from her eyes, and sobs constricting her lungs so she could hardly breathe. There was no way any of her family would have survived. As the heavy, dark cloud of smoke hung over the mansion, she saw that it had been utterly destroyed, blocks of its once lovely, white stone no more than a mound of ruins. Other explosions boomed in her ears, mansions and castles all around the villages falling with loud crashes of falling stone. But her eyes were fixed in only one direction, her face pale with disbelief, her multi-colored hair changing to a deep, mournful blue.

 

[pyreshadow]

Something wasn't right. The thought had been plaguing Zareh's mind since he had been abruptly woken from his sleep. Not by anything in particular either, just a gnawing feeling that something was off with the day. It seemed to start off just like any other day, him getting ready rather quickly to go and find some food. His attire was simple enough: tan loose fitting pants with the bottoms tucked in to dark brown laced boots that to up to about mid-shin, a navy blue sleeveless hugging tank that showed a chunk of his midriff, a light hooded blue jacket, and brown fingerless gloves. Armor of any kind was never needed since he -despite sounding cocky- never got caught. It was just something that happened over the years of practice so there was never a need to focus on wearing something that ended up weighing him down. He did, however, openly carry his weapons that were tied to the belts around his waist along with the pouch of tools he occasionally used. Two guns, one on each side of his hip, a long sword tied across his back, and hidden daggers in multiple places. He lived in a bad area so carrying weapons was a fairly common thing; it just so happened that no one really wanted to mess with him any longer.


Which went right back to how the day had gone; getting food was easy as the moment he got to town in the first place he was offered some for helping out an older woman last week. Helping people was just in his nature at this point so it was no surprise that he ended up helping another couple find their missing pet. Everything was going just normal like any other day but that feeling just would not leave. As the day crept along, the feeling got worse until the point where it felt like the hairs on the back of his head were standing. It was rather frustrating and right as he was about to question what might be wrong, it happened. His eyes instantly went up towards the sky as he stared wide-eyed moments before the spaceships could be seen through the darkened clouds. At first there was confusion among the people near him but he knew better than that; his gut was telling him that this was the cause of that feeling he had been having. The first shot fired in a direction of one of the castles, followed swiftly by an onslaught from other ships that were descending into the atmosphere. Pure chaos ensued.


Screams were silenced by the deafening shots from the crafts in the sky, crying mixed with the patter of feet running across the streets. No one knew what way they should run as no matter where they went, the ships were there; hovering, waiting for the right moment to strike. Not once did the ships fire at the towns themselves, which caused Zareh to want to question it. He didn't though. No, there was something far more pressing to worry about right now. He shot off in the opposite direction of where the people were running as fast as his legs could carry him. All the way until he reached the heart of the town where the temple, inn, and a few stores were scattered about. There wasn't much the town could offer considering they were poor but they made do with what they could. Crying caught his attention as he slowed to a stop and turned his gaze to one of the buildings. A young girl was sitting in front of the store, bawling her eyes out and her parents were no where to be seen.


"Hey, hey, sshh." Zareh quickly walked over to her and spoke in a soothing tone, giving her a small smile as he knelt down in front of her. Though she still cried, the hiccuping and sobs quieted enough so she could hear him. "Your parents are around here somewhere, I'm sure. Come on, let's get you out of here so we can find them." Zareh held his arms out to her but at first she didn't budge; it wasn't until a shot was actually fired closer to the town that she screamed and ran into his arms. One of the ships was closer now, close enough to see the Ehdisuul emblem engraved in a dark red that contrasted the mostly white of one of the ships. Why would the Suulians be attacking? This planet didn't have much to offer overall so it didn't really make sense to him. But now wasn't the time to think on it either. He needed to get this girl to her parents and get them both to shelter fast.

 

[annabel]

(Let me know if you feel there's anything I should change! ^^ )


When Elmira felt she could gaze at the ruins no longer, she turned her head. But the view on the other side, only upset her further. The castle. The beautiful castle. It was gone as well. All was lost. Her family, her future, the entire world she had ever known..


She stumbled back down the stone steps, finally collapsing halfway down, sobbing uncontrollably. This couldn't be happening. Could it? Elmira was angry, scared, grieving, confused. It was all too much. Screams from the streets were being slowly drowned out by the increasingly loud sounds of battle resounding in the skies. She had had a sheltered, happy life, but now all her dreams and riches had vanished in a puff of smoke and broken stone. It had to be a nightmare. Had to be.


Elmira didn't remember exiting the temple. She walked out, back onto the streets, shock numbing her mind as she put one step after another, wandering aimlessly among the crowd. She pushed her way threw, got knocked to the ground several times, but kept getting up, her face blank and pale as a ghost. The expressions on the people's faces, as they ran passed her or shoved her around, reflected her own feelings of utter despair and panic.


Elmira didn't know how much time passed when she had found the place her limousine had been. It was no longer there. She looked up at the sky, now watching as her own planet's warships joined the enemy ones, an incomprehensible mix of light, fire, smoke, and cacophony filling her eyes and ears. Just then, one of the Sorrelian ships was shot out of the sky, falling with frightening speed right towards the town. She screamed, but her voice was drowned out by the screams that resonated in unison all around her.


Noticing the crowd of townspeople shoving her in all directions, Elmira knew that she was in a dangerous position. She needed to get out if she was to avoid suffocation or being crushed to death. Sure, chances were she would die anyway. The enemy ships that darkened the sky far outnumbered their own and this was clearly a planned invasion. All the same, Elmira didn't believe in just laying down and waiting to die. No..the shock was beginning to subside a little, slowly being replaced by a strong desire to live.


Her blank, dazed slowly vanished as she bulldozed her way out of the mass of panicked people. Luckily, she wasn't too far from an alleyway and didn't have to shove that much before she arrived in a safe place. There were still people running down the alleyway, but she kept to the sides, avoiding them as best she could. Just then, a deafening boom shook the earth violently and Elmira looked back in horror, gazing in disbelief at the fallen Sorrelian ship, falling in the middle of the town square, crushing the crowd she had just recently escaped.


Terror seized her heart and she ran and ran and ran, as far away from that gruesome accident as she could, as if distance from it could protect her from everything that was happening.

 

[pyreshadow]

It was harder to go back in the direction he had been going than it was to get to the middle of the town. More people were running about, pushing and shoving each other out of the way in their own panic. Zareh stuck close to the sides with the girl in his arms as he made his way to one of the shelters. It wasn't like it was the best given exactly where they were but it should be enough. Hopefully. By the time he got there, there was a crying woman outside the doors; there were a few cuts and scrapes on her but for the most part it seemed like she was fine. Her sobs only got louder when she noticed Zareh, as did the girl's. When he knelt to set the girl down, she ran over to the woman and clung to her. As much as it warmed anyone's heart to see mother and daughter back together, now wasn't the time for such a show.


"Get inside where it's safer." Zareh told the woman about her endless thanks. Once she finally made a move to go back inside, Zareh turned back to look at what was going on around him. The dark sky was made darker with the rising smoke of the buildings getting caught in the crossfire; their own defense was finally getting its act together to try to defend what little bit that hadn't been destroyed. It now became a clash of which ship was superior in getting through the shields of the other ship. As much as Zareh wanted to believe there was a chance, the Suulians had warships. Sorrelians weren't exactly bred for war, let alone having something that could stand up against numerous warships. One or two, sure that was possible. So seeing one of their own already being shot down from the sky came as no surprise. There was nothing that could be done if there were any people still left where the ship was falling to. So he turned his attention to the side where his gut was telling him and ran that way; if he had listened to his instinct earlier in the day than maybe something could have been avoided. What it was he wasn't sure since it was the nobles that controlled the defensive measures. They controlled everything.


Though thinking about it now wouldn't do any good so the thoughts were quickly pushed to the side. More so when the ground violently started to shake, likely because of the ship that had fallen. Zareh stumbled a few times in his run but for the most part stayed upright. Now where was he going? He honestly had no idea but he kept an eye out for people that might have been stuck or hurt somewhere. People reacted differently to these sorts of things and- Zareh's thoughts abruptly stopped when he noticed a little too late the blue-haired woman. There wasn't any time to avoid the collision but he tried to take the brunt of it.


"Ah damn it." The curse left his lips the second they ran right into each other; he stumbled backwards due to the impact and somehow managed to keep his footing. At the same time, he had reached out to take the woman's arm to try to keep her upright. "Sorry! I didn't mean to crash into you like that. Are you all right?" Zareh straightened himself up as he spoke, rolling the shoulder that took the brunt of it. Though as he looked her over it only took a moment for him to realize she was a noble. What was a noble doing in this part of town?


((I figured that might be a fun way to get them together...quite literally xD let me know if it's all right!))

 

[annabel]

(ooc: That's fine with me! ^^ Hope mine is okay too! )


Elmira, noticing the commoner that barged into her, looked up at him in terror, as if he were more frightening than the battle that threatened to crash down on them. He was not only armed but seemed relatively strong, judging by the grip on her arm. Of course, she should have guessed that he was only trying to prevent her from falling over - and there was a gentleness visible in his expression that she had rarely seen in a man. But Elmira had been taught her whole life to fear commoners and to see them as nothing more than uneducated and uncivilized thieves and rapists. And so her first reaction was to jerk her arm away and flee. Except, as she attempted to do so, the ground trembled violently once more, a new swell of screams reaching them from the center of the town. Elmira lost her balance and fell over onto her knees, sobbing, and felt too weak with sorrow to get back up.


Her fear of the commoner was overshadowed by her a sudden, unbearable feeling of despair and just then, it didn't seem to matter anymore that he was potentially dangerous. The truth hit her like a ton of bricks as she sat there, her dress now seeped in the mud from the street. The truth was that she had lost everything and that she was utterly alone. What point was there in running, in surviving? She had no more home and no more future.


Too lost in her own self-pity to care, Elmira didn't move as a mass of townspeople could be heard rushing in their direction, fleeing in panic from another one of their Sorrelian ships. The sky darkened as it fell, blocking out the sun, the massive ship bright with fire and black smoke billowing from all of its sides.

 

[pyreshadow]

There was no answer, nothing but shock and fear glued to the noble's face. It was always the same reaction no matter what the circumstances were it seemed. As much as it was irritating, there wasn't time to actually dwell on it either. The trembling of the ground caused him to let go of her as he stumbled forward to catch himself. He sunk lower in his stance to keep himself grounded and balanced, his eyes quickly scanning the sky. Yet another of their ships were shot down from the sky by the invaders. It was obvious there was no chance for them and there would be even less of a chance of them surviving if they stayed where they were. Zareh took a step backwards when he noticed the frenzied people running their way. Even in the minimal light, the fear etched onto their faces was evident. Only they feared for themselves and no one else. They pushed and shoved at each other trying to make sure they were the ones leading the group away from the fallen ship.


"Hey." Zareh glanced to the noble for a moment, wondering just what she was doing on the ground like that. Was she asking for a death wish? As if this was the very worst thing that could have happened to her. Things could only get worse so maybe she was just itching to have her life put out. Zareh stepped close and grabbed the woman's arm without a care in the world how she might feel about it. He pulled her -albeit a bit roughly since there wasn't another choice- to get her to her feet and out of the way of the crowd. To avoid any sort of death by their own people, he pulled her along to the nearest wall which was just barely out of the way of the crowd. Letting out a small sigh, he ran his free hand through his hair to get it out of his face before sending the noble a small glare. At first he didn't know what to say about it but whatever he had been thinking about was lost. The sirens that had been constantly going off as a warning of the invasion changed its tune; it was faster, deeper, and seemed to reverberate and echo between the buildings. It was the evacuation call, something that rarely if ever went off. That was a sure sign that their home was lost and there was no point in staying here any longer.


"Always causing problems." The statement was more about nobles in general as he came to realize he couldn't just leave her behind like he wanted to. Nobles were cruel in a lot of ways but that didn't mean he had to be like them. "Hey, you need to snap out of whatever you're thinking about. I don't know if you know this but the sirens going off right now are the evacuation warnings. We have to get out of here and fast if we want to make it in time an I really don't feel like hauling you over my shoulder. I will if I have to but I'd rather make this situation at least a fraction easier than what it is right now. So. Can you run?"

 

[annabel]

Elmira didn't have the strength to protest when the commoner yanked at her arm with brutish force. And it was a good thing she didn't fight back. Because he saved her life, pulling her out of the way, at the very last second, from the stampede that rushed by them. This wasn't a moment to nitpick about how rough he was being with a noblewoman like herself. If he hadn't cared, if he had just left her alone, she would have been crushed underneath a mass of stomping feet, eating dirt, like some insignificant, filthy insect.


She looked up when the commoner spoke and Elmira was surprised to see irritation in his face. She had rarely ever been looked at like that. Perhaps only by her mother. She was so used to people being overly polite to her that his expression was almost akin to a slap in the face. It helped erase grief from her mind, bringing her back to the present and awakening her survival instincts. She gazed at him as he spoke, nodding her head, feeling numb, frightened, and as helpless as a child. "I-I can run.." was all Emira answered, the siren blazing urgently in her ears. "I-I'll follow you?" she asked, as she looked around at the chaos before their eyes.


Everyone was running in every direction, knocking each other over, screaming and crying. The city was out of control and the war raging above their head seemed to only have begun. More alien ships were arriving, veiling the sky, blocking out daylight with their monstrous, gigantic size. She reached out a hand, hoping he would take it, hoping he would protect her, guide her out of this hell.

 

[pyreshadow]

Relief couldn't begin to describe how he felt when she finally spoke for the first time. She said she could run and from change of her features she was no longer like a doll. There was fear, worry, but most importantly the will to survive growing. A woman such as her being pampered all day wouldn't know a thing about getting into a bit of trouble. Least of all the kind of trouble they were currently in right now. This was a rude awakening for her and Zareh rather hoped it would open her eyes to a few things. But now wasn't the time to think on it. Tremors and explosions were sounding in the air with every passing second. Between those and the sirens, Zareh wasn't sure which was trying to drown the other out more. The screams and cries of the people were being lost in comparison even though they were still running all around trying to find safety. That was what they needed to focus on and that alone. Not the darkening sky, not the Suulian ships destroying their own. Just finding the escape vessel and leaving.


Taking a small breath, Zareh blinked a couple of times in the darkened area until his eyes adjusted; it wasn't like a normal Sorrelian's eye either as the serum had enhanced his sight for distance and night as well. The enhancement was similar to tapetum lucidum; it almost looked as if his eyes were a completely different color, a pale teal that almost seemed to glow. He stepped to the side, looking around quickly to assess which would be the best way to actually go. Most people were scrambling to the north which meant that ship would be filled too quickly. So their best bet would be to go south, even though part of the way was blocked by one of their fighter ships. It would be easy enough getting around it so it shouldn't be a problem. With the route in mind, he turned to face the noblewoman again and gave her a quick look over. His brow rose when he noticed her hand before he unconsciously rolled his eyes at the display.


"Keep your focus ahead of you and not what's around you. It doesn't matter what else is going on anymore. The only thing that matters is getting to the ship." Zareh spoke as he took her hand to keep a firm but gentle grip on it. "So long as you keep up, we could be at the ship within ten minutes." He added before he gave her a quick nod in the direction that they would be going. Without really waiting for her to put her two cents in, he set off in that direction and kept her hand in his. Of course, this meant his own pace was slowed a bit since he had to worry about two bodies but it was fine. It wouldn't be the first time he'd been trying to escape some kind of disaster while bringing someone else along. "What's your name?" Zareh asked after a few minutes of running through destroyed buildings and around various shattered bits of the ships in the sky. Maybe it was better to just focus on running but Zareh didn't exactly want to keep calling her noblewoman. Right now, there was no such thing as 'class' so she'd just have to get over it. As harsh as that sounded, it needed to be done if she wanted to survive outside of what used to be her paradise.

 

[annabel]

This first interaction with a commoner was not impressing Elmira. He seemed so...disrespectful towards her. If this had been a normal day, without damaged ships crashing into the city and laser beams coloring a sky veiled by enemy warships, well, maybe she would have been upset by his attitude. But there was no time for such trivial emotions as anger. Not now.


Elmira wasn't sure she understood the meaning behind his eye rolling, at first worried that he was about to abandon her there. When he took her hand, she felt a wave of relief wash over her. Regardless of this commoner's attitude, he was her savior and her only ticket to finding safety.


She ran behind him as fast as she could, grateful for his grip on her hand. People were shoving at her and she kept tripping over the litter sprawled everywhere. If it wasn't for his hand holding hers, Elmira would have already lost him.


When he asked her what her name was, Elmira was in no mood to respond. She was already out of breath just by running alongside him. Still, she shouted her name through the wails of panicked citizens and the loud crashes of ships toppling buildings that bombarded her ears. "Elmira!" she breathed. "What's yours?"


Truthfully, she didn't really care in that particular moment, too focused on breathing in and out despite the cramp in her side and her racing heart. But she felt he deserved some civility on her part, considering his decision to save her from this battlefield of a city.

 

[pyreshadow]

It took some time for the little princess to finally answer, although Zareh wasn't sure what the real reasoning was. It could have been she didn't want to give it out to a commoner. Perhaps she was just tired and wanted to just focus on running. Perhaps she wanted to think of a name that wasn't her own just so she could get by. Regardless, when she did answer he was a bit surprised. He glanced over his shoulder to look her over for a moment longer before nodding to show he had heard her. When the question was turned to himself, he wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. He was never one to really give his name out openly to people, whether he knew them or not. It was tempting to just go with his stage name and let it be; especially since he wasn't even sure if she gave her real name or not.


"People call me Namyri." He replied after a moment of dwelling on it, already knowing that she would likely know what the creature was. For all he knew, given his reputation as a 'rogue' in the eyes of the wealthy, she could have very well heard of him in that regard. "But my name is Zareh." He added more quietly right before slowing to a walk and ducking under the rubble of a fallen building. He turned slightly so that he could help the noble through it before making a motion to the nearest building; it was a tall one, made from the most indestructible material their planet could find. Only a couple of dents and scratches were along the walls and the remains of a fallen ship almost surrounded it. There were a couple of other people running towards it and soon they disappeared in the wall; it was almost as though the wall itself rippled and sucked in the person though it was a guise. A hidden mechanism to keep intruders away as the wall scanned the body to make sure it wasn't a hostile.


"That's where the ship is. Let's go." Zareh nodded towards the building before he picked up the pace once again. He didn't go as fast to try to give Elmira's lungs and body a small break even if it wouldn't be a good one. It was only once they neared the wall that he slowed and turned to face her; only a couple drops of sweat dripped down his face from where his hair was wet but otherwise he looked unphased from all the running around. It was just something he was used to, given his profession. "Come on." He added the words more as a emphasis before motioning for her to go first through the barrier.

 

[annabel]

It was difficult to hear him through all the sounds of crumbling buildings, the battle in the sky, and people's screams.  And frankly, Elmira's mind was preoccupied with keeping one foot in front of the other and not falling flat on her face. She thought she heard his name being "Zareh", but the word flew out of her mind the very next moment, especially once they arrived at the spaceport ahead.  Its walls were practically untouched by the war-torn landscape around them, standing majestically in the midst of a city of rubble and broken buildings.  She sighed in relief to see it, her lips curling slightly at the thought of reaching safety.  Elmira nodded at Zareh's words and noticed him slowing down a little.  If her lungs could talk, they might have thanked him, as they were burning with fatigue as well as from the suffocating, dirt- and smoke-filled air. 


"Oh, thank goodness," she mumbled under her breath as they stood in front of it.  She headed inside before Zareh and once in safe territory, Elmira bent over in exhaustion, taking a moment to catch her breath.  Tears rimmed her eyes but she tried to repress her grief and terror-stricken heart.  If she wanted to survive, this wasn't the time to indulge in emotions.  Besides, she didn't want to seem weak in front of the commoner.  She was raised better than that. 


There was a huge spaceship docked on the massive spaceport and a line of people were already embarking it.  The moment Zareh appeared through the wall, she pointed towards the ship in excitement (albeit a little uselessly as it spanned nearly half the spaceport).  "We should hurry!  They probably have limited places!  And I'd like a noble woman's quarters if there's any left," she uttered, sincere in her desire to get a cabin appropriate for her status.  Of course, she did intend to share it with Zareh, even if he was a commoner.


She began running towards the growing line of miserable, fearful faces, trying to fix her hair at the same time.  It had turned to a reddish color, with streaks of white and yellow sometimes flowing through it, indicative of the hope that was now in her heart.  Though her family and friends were gone and her future now inexistant... surely on another, safer planet, people would recognize her status, allowing her to continue a similar lifestyle...    


(Hope it's alright!  As always, let me know if there's anything you'd like me to tweak. ^^ It sounds like we could potentially cut to rp the Suulians point of view so I'll hurry up and get a character ready for that. ^^; )

 

[pyreshadow]

Zareh's first thoughts were to look around as they entered through the barrier and they paused once more so that she could properly catch her breath. Although he turned to her with a raised eyebrow when she actually made a motion with her hand towards the ship. For a moment, he wasn't sure what to do when she mentioned a 'noble's' quarters; did she not realize there wasn't such a thing? It was an escape vessel, it was designed to fit as many people as it could so each room would likely house two beds. He wasn't going to burst her bubble so to speak though. When she started heading towards the ship, he followed after her at a close distance mainly to not get separated. Not that he'd particularly have a problem with being separated but he had a feeling that she would. The thought was what kept him from just slipping into the crowd and disappearing in the first place. There weren't all that many people in line but only after a few moments of waiting did more and more people show up. The wounded got priority to get on the ship first, likely being brought in to the medical bay. It wasn't long after that that everyone else started to once again be called in by the pairs so they could be assigned rooms. Once it was Zareh and Elmira's turn, the soldier glanced down the list in his hand before holding out a card key.


"Room 207, east wing." He spoke quickly as he was trying his hardest to be able to get to as many people as he could. The ground was still shaking from the battle going on so he didn't want to waste any time. 


"Thank you." Zareh was just as quick to speak up and take the card key before setting his hand on Elmira's back. He gave her a gentle push to get her moving into the ship before a scene could actually be started. "Elmira, I don't know if you're aware or not but a 'noble's quarters' doesn't exist here. Your status...it's basically gone as of right now. It's going to be a hard transition for you but I'd suggest you get used to it." He paused so he could hold up the key to show it to her before glancing down the halls. Once he had a hunch on which way to go, he began to guide her once more. "Until we get to safety, I'll keep an eye on you. This key is the key to our room; as in we're sharing. That is something else you'll have to get used to, along with no one waiting on you hand and foot. Those sorts of luxuries don't exist in the real world." Maybe it was a bit harsh to say but Zareh wasn't exactly one to mince words. He just wanted to make sure that she understood what was going to be happening from here on out; she'd be lucky to find someone wherever they ended up that'd be willing to take her under her wing based on her nobility. Which she couldn't exactly prove either.


((picture wasn't cooperating so I just took it out lol. Also, I was going to include my Suulian but I wasn't sure if you wanted to jump right into that or wait until these two got situated first))

 

[annabel]

Elmira was a little offended when the man handed the key to Zareh instead of herself.  She was the noble here, not him.  Although admittedly, she couldn't exactly blame the man for his ignorance.  Not with her clothes dust-stained and her feet bare.  Her beautiful hair was most likely a tangled mess, making her look more homeless than noble.  Regardless, the soldier hadn't even looked up at her, smiled, or greeted her politely.  Isn't that how normal folk were supposed to treat each other, regardless of status?  She decided not to make a scene, however, and kept her mouth shut.  She even forced herself to smile at the rude man.  Elmira imagined that people were more inclined to forget common courtesy in such distressing situations. 


"Thank you," she uttered to the soldier, before allowing Zareh to lead her into the ship. It was only then that she realized that they hadn't been asked about their status...  He must have just assumed that she were a commoner like Zareh.  Perhaps even his wife...!


She was about to head back to speak to the man, determined to find a way to prove her nobility, when Zareh began talking to her.  She just stared at him blankly, registering his words, her eyes suddenly glistening with tears.  She wiped them away hurriedly, hating herself for seeming so weak beside a commoner.  Your status is basically gone as of right now.  The words felt like a punch to the face. 


"Oh...  Of course," Elmira replied, forcing a smile and feeling incredibly dim-witted.  She wasn't sure she quite understood why her status no longer mattered, but he seemed rather sure of himself.   


"And...thank you..."


Although it pained her to admit it, she was grateful that Zareh was staying by her side.  Regardless of how he treated her.  She had never felt so alone, so afraid, and so helpless.  Elmira had lived a sheltered, happy and luxurious lifestyle up until then.  So it felt literally as though her world had turned upside down.  If Zareh was right, and she suspected he was... well then nobody would care ever again that she was once engaged to the Prince.   


She followed him down the ship's hallways, trying to stop more tears from streaking her dirty face.  She looked at the other passengers crossing their paths and soon realized in horror that there wasn't a single noble person aboard.  She was the only one.  That thought iced her spine and she felt her limbs starting to tremble.  Elmira had seen her home blown to bits.  She'd seen the palace collapse into a fiery rubble.  But from the looks of the passengers surrounding her, it seemed as though very few nobles survived the attack at all.  Were all the noble households destroyed?  Had she been targeted?  Her head began pounding with the onslaught of questions that came to mind.   


She bit her lip to prevent it from trembling and felt herself grip Zareh's arm tightly.  Elmira couldn't help it.  She felt as though she might collapse on the ground right then and there.  This was a terrible nightmare and thus far, it didn't look like one from which she would awake. 

 

[pyreshadow]

As much as Zareh kept his focus on where they were going, every now and then he'd glance over the noblewoman. Mainly to see how she was reacting towards his words more than anything. He could tell that she was taking the news hard but there was no sugar coating such a thing. Not in this kind of situation. The sooner she made peace with that fact, the sooner she could actually grow up so to speak. He didn't like the idea of babysitting her but there was also that nagging in the back of his head that told him not to let her be alone. Especially not right now. They had passed a number of people in search of their own rooms and some of which Zareh knew personally. They were not men to be trifled; if they didn't get what they wanted, they took it by force. If Zareh left Elmira alone and they happened to want something from her...well, things wouldn't exactly be pretty. From the look of her, he'd say she didn't know what it was like to even do an ounce of work herself. His thoughts paused when he heard her meek reply, causing him to glance her over for a moment. He only gave her a small nod and kept his focus on following his instincts to where there room was. It was as they neared that he felt her squeeze his arm. With a quick glance her way, he let out an exasperated sigh before shifting slightly. In one fluid motion, he lifted the woman up into his arms and held her in a way that even if she struggled, it wouldn't do her any good. 


"Don't cause any unnecessary problems." Zareh muttered out quietly as he walked the rest of the way to their room. Once he neared, he carefully set the key to the reader so that the door would slide open. It closed automatically behind him and once he neared the bed, he sat Elmira down and stepped away from her.  The room itself wasn't exactly dingy but...okay, well maybe it was. There were two twin sized beds with a nightstand separating them on one side of the room. On the other side was a large desk, a single chair, and what Zareh recognized as an access terminal to the computer system on board. He eyed Elmira once more, wondering what house she was from but decided to not ask. Instead, he walked over and sat himself down on the chair. A monitor and keyboard appeared before him and quickly he began typing in a few commands. The first couple were denied since he didn't have access to it but the third one worked; another screen, one much larger, appeared against the wall itself. It showed a live feed of what was going on outside of the safety of the walls that they were in, in one of the nicer parts of the city they were in. Smoke filled the sky, fire burned the forests surrounding the cities, the city itself was crumbling from all the shots that had been laid upon it. It looked as though only parts of the city were destroyed while the rest had been picked through later. But the odd thing was that the Suulians had stopped firing and the ships lining the skies seemed to be pulling back; all but a few of them at least. Some of the escape vessels were already taking off but the Suulians weren't even concerned with those. Zareh's brows furrowed in slight confusion at that as he leaned back against the chair. Before he could think much on it, an announcement was made stating that they were about to leave as they had reached the capacity they could hold. Lost in thought, his eyes stayed on the larger screen before him almost like he was in a trance watching the fires dance along the bare streets.

"Report." 
​

 
​

"All targets have in our location have been destroyed. Both the Caelesta and the Xaltran have reported that their targets have been destroyed as well." Golden eyes turned to the woman that had been touching the earpiece as she spoke, likely getting confirmation at the time she was saying it. Meiner sat in the captain's chair, keeping a watchful eye not only on the crew but on the screens before her as well. One held the data of her own ship, the shields and weapon powers mostly to make sure things were progressing without overheating her own ship's drive. The other screen had a layout of the planet the Suulian army had surrounded. Any time one of the Sorrelian ships tried to come at them, it showed up as a bright green blip in comparison to the navy blue of the Suulians' ships. A small hum of contentment left her lips as she stood up slowly, placing one hand on her hip as the other lightly tapped against the armrest on the chair. It almost seemed too easy. She had almost been expecting something more but at the same time it made sense that it would have been easy. This planet wasn't one that held much sway when it came to times of war. This planet held more researchers, those that loved to experiment and learn more about certain aspects of science. It was why the Suulians relied on them in the first place and why they were taking them out now.
​

 
​

"Connect me with the Admiral." Mei glanced over to the man in charge of communications, who in turn nodded his head quickly and went about setting up the connection. If anything, their task was now done and that was why none of the ships were firing any longer. Each 'noble' house, one that supposedly held rank on this planet, was destroyed. Any place that could have been used for research or for the manufacturing of the serum was destroyed as well. No evidence was to be left behind of them ever having had business here. Not when it wasn't even needed any longer. 
​

 
​

"The Mythran and the Perajm have both reported that their targets have been destroyed as well, Commander." That announcement meant that they were really done here. Meiner would rather that be the end of it as she wasn't one to really be all right with needless violence. Now all she had to do was get the orders from the Admiral so they could go home. Or wherever they were needed next she supposed. Her home was here after all; these people on the bridge, even the ones working to keep the ship in top condition. Everyone here was her family and she'd do whatever it took to protect them. 
​

 
​

 

[annabel]

"Hey!" Elmira said in surprise as Zareh lifted her into his arms.  Her cheeks reddened in embarrassment. "Put me down!  I'm not five years old!"  If he had heard her, Zareh was completely ignoring her demand.  Damn commoners and their lack of respect, she thought in frustration. But will I ever be treated like a proper lady again? Do commoners not treat their own ladies with the respect befitting our gender? The question couldn't help but form in her mind as she glanced at some of the riffraff that passed her by.  Many of them stared at her inappropriately.  It disgusted her.  She was glad that she had a man with her that could protect her from them.  Still, she frowned unhappily as Zareh carried her into the room.


Elmira went to lie down on one of the stiff, single beds.  Normally, such an ugly room would have made her wrinkle her nose in disgust, but she was feeling too tired to care.  On a regular day, she would have seriously questioned the cleanliness of the bed sheets and thought twice before laying her head on it.  But even if she wasn't so tired, this was hardly the time to be picky.  It didn't seem like anyone would listen if she complained in any case.  Elmira was starting to get the distinct impression that Zareh not only didn't respect her - he didn't like her.  Why he was sticking by her was anyone's guess.


She lay her head on the pillow and closed her eyes a moment, sobs threatening to burst from her chest.  It made it hard to breathe, but she refused to let out the tears.  Elmira didn't want to appear weak, not in front of the first man to ever show her scorn. 


A few minutes later, she opened her eyes to see Zareh in front of the little computer in their room.  She sat up, still holding back tears.  "Why are you being nice to me?" Elmira asked.  She was afraid of the answer but the question slipped out before she could do anything about it.  Because I seem pathetic and helpless? "Y-you don't have to.  Really.  I-I'm old enough to care of myself.  Even if it doesn't seem that way."  She managed a weak smile, curious (yet afraid) of what the commoner would answer.


***


Jay was sitting in the chair beside Mei's, in front of the weapon controls.  Now that they had accomplished their mission, he rested his head on his clasped hands, leaning back in the chair.  "Well done, everybody," he said, smiling at the fellow crew members at the various control systems.  He flashed a little smile at Mei, though he hoped she wouldn't interpret it as a sign of disrespect.  She was looking particularly beautiful that day.  Or was it just that Jay was in a good mood?  The purple-blue color of her skin seemed to shimmer with greater intensity today.  And the gold of her eyes was spellbinding.  


The Admiral arrived on the screen and right away, Jay sat up straight, not wanting to appear like a slacker.  The few times he had met the man, Jit had quickly understood that he wasn't a person to mess with. 


"Commander, what is the status of your mission?  From my side, it looks like things have been handled smoothly.  Am I correct?"  His face was tight with severity, as always.  Yet his permanent frown was as close to a smile at Jit had ever seen it. Some twinkle in the Admiral's eyes made Jit guess that he was in a good mood too.  

 

[pyreshadow]

How long it had actually been since he stared at the monitor he wasn't sure; but when Zareh heard her voice from behind him, a small sigh left his lips. Why couldn't she just go to sleep? What was so hard about that? Slowly he turned around in his chair so he could look her over for a long minute. The silence hung heavy, almost deafening in a way but he didn't let it bother him any. What he wanted to ask her in return was why she was so noisy. "You've got an interesting concept of what 'nice' is if you think I'm being nice to you." Zareh spoke calmly, although there was a hint of annoyance in the depths of his eyes. It wasn't that he wasn't being nice to her but he knew he could have been...well, actually nice instead of playing. The fact that she claimed she could take care of herself caused him to let out a small chuckle as he shook his head. Slowly he stood up, stretching his back briefly before he walked over to her bed. Sitting down on the edge of it, he eyed her in a serious manner before shaking his head.


"You don't know what it's like to live on your own. To be the only person you have to rely on to make sure you get food and shelter for yourself. I bet you were some sort of princess in the eyes of your daddy, weren't you? He made sure to get you whatever you wanted, he made sure there were those that stayed around you to protect you and keep you from getting your nice, expensive clothes wrinkled. You wouldn't last even half a day on your own." Zareh stood up after he spoke his piece, about ready to leave the room and see if any of the ones he knew had made it. But the fact that he might have been a bit too harsh with her wasn't sitting well with him again. Damn his instincts. With a heavy sigh, he turned back to face her while he ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know why I want to help you. The fact is, on a normal basis I would have just left you where I found you. I don't like nobility because they always look down on us common folk. They think we're some kind of disease and that they'd get infected just touching us. I detest your title." Placing one hand on his hip, Zareh glanced towards the monitor that still showed the devastation of their planet. 


"My gut tells me that there's something different about you. I don't know what it is but my gut's never been wrong before. It irritates me to have to babysit you but...in the end I think it'll be worth it." Or at least he hoped it would be. "I don't fake anything though. If you want me to treat you kindly or to show you respect, you'd have to give it in turn. Until you can fend for yourself, I'll keep a watch over you." He turned again, this time heading back towards the chair as he waved his hand to rid the larger monitor. "No more questions. Just get some rest, Elmira. We don't know what's going to happen from here on out so you'd best be prepared for anything." As he sat down in the chair, he pulled up a couple of smaller screens and started typing in some commands so he could try to find out some more information on the attack itself.

The moment that the screen appeared before them with the Admiral on it, the whole room seemed to grow a bit more tense. Breaths were being held and everyone was trying their hardest to appear like they hadn't just been relaxing with the news of their success. The man before them was a scary individual and no one would ever think about crossing him. The only one that didn't seem phased by him at all was Meiner herself; she was used to his demeanor and knew it was just how he was. She could tell that he was pleased, likely due to having already had the reports of the other ships already. Taking a step forward, she gave him a bow of her head out of respect before speaking.
​

 
​

"Yes sir, all targets have been taken care of.  The other ships in my division have reported their success as well, no casualties to speak of. The Sorrelian warships have been taken care of and all that is left are the escape vessels that are currently leaving the atmosphere. What are your orders, Sir?" Mei kept the report simple and direct, as she always did since there wasn't a need to sugarcoat or amplify anything. What she really wanted to know was what they were going to do from here. In a way, she was rather hopeful that they'd be given time before their next mission. She wanted to give her men a break that they deserved for all their hard work. Without them here, it wouldn't have been possible to do as well as they had and so quickly. As much as she wanted that though, if he had something else in mind then she'd follow through without any questions. She'd just make sure that when they were in warp to celebrate with the crew; it might not be the same but it'd still be enjoyable.
​