Fantasy The Five Kingdoms - The Fall of Sarthenfall - Ic

[Xanto]

Clyde Callahan​

"I'll just go to my room," Clyde sadly muttered after releasing Annabel and looking at the ground. It didn't seem like she enjoyed letting people know he was her nephew. The boy sighed and glanced around to see if his father had descended from the upper level yet. His father's voice sounded from the other side of the hall though, which caused Clyde to look over his shoulder. The rebel leader was in someone else's room.

Clyde looked back at Annabel, wiping the tears from his face. The waterworks are done. He thought as a yawn escaped his lips. Besides, it was way passed his bedtime. "Goodnight, Auntie Annabel," The kid respectfully stated before turning and walking over to his room. Snap. The open book in his hands snapped shut before Clyde tucked it under his arm like it was his most treasured bedtime book.

The kid arrived in his room and tossed the book onto his bed. A flurry of emotions soared through him. Did Annabel want to be related to him? Clyde jumped up onto the mattress. He didn't want to let the book out of his sight anymore tonight. What if she didn't like my mom? He lied down, hugging the book in his arms as he slid one leg into the unmade blanket. The rest of his body just remained out of it. This would have to do for the night. He shut his eyes before almost immediately falling asleep.

Blackrose7

Raymond Callahan​

Raymond smiled a bit when his and Azalea's eyes met. Time seemed to stand still until she suddenly pulled him into an aggressive hug, nearly surprising him in the process. His eyes slightly widened as they glanced at her red hair. It had been awhile since someone hugged him with so much enthusiasm. Someone who wasn't Clyde of course. Nonetheless, Raymond hugged the princess back . . a lot more calmly than she had. He laughed a bit at her onion joke, yet still felt a few of her tears drip onto his shoulder. It wasn't hard to tell that she was trying to push for a happier atmosphere despite the heaviness she still felt inside.

Azalea soon pulled away before wiping her cheeks. "Bax preaches . . I just tell the truth," Raymond slightly shrugged at Azalea's speech question. In truth, they probably both pulled it from their mother. That woman's speeches could possibly put Baxter's to shame.

Raymond's gaze followed Azalea's when it dropped to the ground, but immediately moved back up to her face when she began thanking him. He knew she didn't cry most of the time. Well, at least not in front of the rest of them. "Oh shite," Azalea said after realizing Ray's sleeves were wet with her tears. "Don't mind it," Raymond casually pulled his sleeves halfway up his arms without removing his gaze from her. He then nodded at her wanting to keep all of this a secret. If the others knew about any of this . . . especially the whole royals or nothing thing, then they would flip. Not to mention that most of their group members at the moment were emotional wrecks.

His eyes distractedly glanced at the motion in his peripheral vision, noticing her hand rubbing her opposite wrist. The question regarding her random injuries and the broken glass on the floor would probably have to wait.

Not before long, Azalea started talking about Raymond going out of his way to listen to her. His hand moved up, gradually rubbing the back of his own neck. She was telling him things he already knew about her. For example, she didn't take compliments too well nor easily talk about feelings. Ray was glad too though that he ran into the group at the inn. A slight smile crept onto his face as he glanced away and thought about the chewed up map all thanks to that horse he swiped from Lorelthia.

"I mean, there's no other magician I'd rather be thrown in a rebellion with." They looked back at each other almost at the same time. No one had ever said that to him. Well, mainly since circumstances never usually called for it. It was still one of the nicest things anyone's ever told him though.

She continued on . . sort of. Raymond's eyes quickly glanced at the door. Oh no. A grin spread across Azalea's face before she held in a laugh. Then, she accused him of breaking the doorknob! A giggle escaped the princess as she honed her attention back to Raymond. His face was just . . . it looked like he was caught in the act. " . . Nooo," He responded with widened eyes at the same time his body slightly turned away. The guy was obviously lamely hiding the fact that he did break it. "It dropped by itself," He uncomfortably shifted in his seat. Thud. The door knob slid out of his pocket and fell onto the ground. "See?" Ray guiltily smiled with a raised brow.

Now that the more current "secret" was out, the suspect picked up the knob, stood up from the bench, and walked to the door with glass crunching below his shoes. He then bent down so he could try seeing what he could do to fix it. "Il Serpente has been around for a while," Ray's eyes scanned the ground before picking a metal piece up, "The bolt's features are too worn to hold." He stood up looking back at Azalea in the dim room, "We could ram the bench into the door and knock it down, but we might end up waking everyone up." It was probably around midnight by now.

Raymond sighed and moved a hand through his hair as he approached Azalea and bent to her level. "Or, you can sleep on your bed like any other night, and I'll sleep on the bench. Sound good?" He felt the heaviness around his eyes even when he raised a brow, "You gotta rest up. We'll be arriving in Delchistrier tomorrow."

That bench though. Ray eyed the wooden piece of furniture for a few moments. It was probably one of the most decent places to rest on since the ground was covered in glass already. Well, but what if he rolled off? His eyes shifted around the room looking for other furniture he could rest on. . . he could sleep while sitting? Raymond rubbed the back of his neck, already knowing that he would be quite sore the following morning.

Ms. Sparrow

 

[Inheritance]

View attachment 598458
Jeod Swift​

His song ended abruptly as he heard the knock on the door. It was Baxter. Of course. Perhaps telling him his services were no longer needed, or just to scold him on something he had already come to the realization. Still, it was a better look to ignore it and just talk it out with him. With a sigh, he went over and opened the door, then turned and sat back down at his desk, mixing what he would need.

"The strange thing about blood, is that it somehow manages to get everywhere. It seems to want to be everywhere, but never wants to leave. Does that mean it's a conquering or swarming type? It seems that there is never 1 drop of blood. There's always more. And it never wants to leave. I am repeating myself, but it is insane how much blood wants to stick around..." He didn't say much, just continued to mix. He would not address the issue, if Baxter wanted to he could. He stopped for a moment, and lit his pipe. He took a long puff, then released a smoke ring into the air.

"You don't smoke, do you?"

Xanto

 

[Ms. Sparrow]

Azalea Eve Windfore

Azalea had shot to her feet, taking a few steps towards the door to see if she was seeing correctly before she glanced back at Raymond. She had only caught one look at his face, his wide-eyed expression guilty as hell, before she doubled over into a fit of laugher.His efforts to deny his guilt only driving her to laugh harder, bent over on her knees as her body was wracked with laughter. “Oh—oh sure, things just DROP BY THEMSELVES aaaaallllll the time,” she exclaimed sarcastically between laughs, gasping for air as she straightened, her laughs just beginning to die out before the door knob plunked unto the floor as it fell from Raymond’s pocket, sending her into another fit of laughter as she doubled over again.

After a very long moment, once her stomach began to hurt, Azalea’s laughs lessened as she straightened, glancing over where Raymond crouched at the door, talking about the bolt not holding due to its rage, “Well, that’s just rum,” Azalea muttered dryly, her deadpan expression darkening as he mentioned using a bench to break open the door, nodding in agreement as he mentioned it’d likely wake the others up. That was nearly the last thing she wanted to do, she’d caused enough chaos tonight as it was...just thinking about it gave her a headache, made even more brutal by the thought of the lecture Baxter was gonna give her for screaming at him.

Azalea rubbed her temple lightly, peering at Raymond as he straightened up from the door and walked towards her, stopping in front of her and proposing her just sleeping on the bed, and him taking the bench before mentioning she should probably rest up for tomorrow. Ugh. Right. Delchistrier. Aodren. Azalea closed her eyes for a moment and rubbed her temple before processing their current situation.

Azalea opened her eyes and took in Raymond’s features. He looked exhausted to say the least, and to sleep on the bench...Azalea glanced over at the hard wooden piece of furniture and grimaced. Gads, that thing looked rotten to sleep on. Raymond has come in here to comfort her and what did he get for it? Sleeping on a bench. She supposed she should offer to take it but...Errrrrr she didn’t want it either. No, she had to be responsible and just take the b—

“You can sleep with me!” Azalea blurted out before her conscious could stop her, her face reddening to a deep crimson, “Not—I mean—not like THAT, ya know. I mean, I’d be a rotter if I let you sleep on that old shite,” she rambled on, turning away and walking towards the oil lamp as she felt her face inflame some more, “I mean, err, if you want, cause benches are like...uncomfortable and shit, ” Azalea tried to think of something else to say, the silence hanging in the air and ticking by slowly until she finally blurted, “Okay, night!” and quickly flicked off the oil lamp, the room engulfing into darkness, breathing out and letting her face cool down as she sat on the side of the bed, the moonlight streaming in from the porthole allowing her to see just enough to see the laces of her brown, knee-length boots. Quietly, she undid half her laces before she kicked them carelessly across the room, flying up and lightly thudding into the wall opposite of her before falling to the ground.

Azalea stared at the wall across her for a moment, taking a deep, shaky breath as she became more aware of the darkness surrounding her, the silence suffocating. She shuddered before she glanced down and fumbled for the cropped leather vest that went over her white, long sleeved shirt. She undid the three buttons on the vest before she tossed it to her feet, covering some of the glass on the floor. She glanced around again, swallowing at the lack of distraction. It was all she’d undress of herself—with Raymond in the room, keeping her socks, pants, shirts and everything under on. It wasn’t like she was gonna have Raymond see her ankles—just the thought made her redden. Azalea then turned her body, propping her feet up on the bed before she lifted the thin sheet up and slid under, turning her back to the window—where the bench was. Where Raymond was. She couldn’t, in good conscious, face his direction while she slept. It just felt weird and shite, no matter how much she wanted to turn her face to the window. To the light.

Azalea took another deep, shuddering breath, her mind racing. She hadn’t slept in the dark since...since the palace. She’d been using oil lamps. Lots of them. But she wouldn’t tell Raymond she had a phobia of the dark...that was just embarrassing. Her wide eyes darted frantically around the room as her arms slid around her, hugging herself tightly as she took deep breaths. She could do this. She’d survived Soris. What the hell was the dark to her? Azalea closed her eyes and tried to think of things to distract herself. Like...like...being trapped in a room with Raymond.

She couldn’t believe she’d asked him to sleep with her! Gads, she didn’t think she’d ever said anything more stupid. Who was the great idiot now? She was tempted to glance behind her and at the bench—but stopped herself as another thought popped into her mind. What if he slept with his shirt off?! Azalea felt her face burn in the dark, her head sinking down in her pillow as a mischievous grin spread across her face. We—ee—el, maybe ONE sneak peek couldn’t hurt. Azalea hardly let out a breath as she-ever-so-slowly turned her head back, peeking out of the far corner of her eye before Raymond’s head suddenly popped up into her vision as he stood up. Quickly, she turned her head back around. Shit! Did he catch her trying to look?! Was that why he stood up?! But suddenly she felt the mattress press down behind her as Raymond got into bed beside her.

Azalea smiled in the dark, forgetting her fears as her eyes closed, both distracted and comforted by Raymond lying beside her, and so, the Calore Princess drifted off into a deep, much needed sleep.

~~~
Azalea blinked and glanced around, finding herself submerged in darkness... what...what was going on? She took a step into emptiness, jumping back as a loud crunch sounded beneath her feet, along with a sharp stab of pain. The redhead winced and jumped back on one leg, jumping back into the wall. She grabbed her bare ankle and lifted her leg, noting herself in a long, mint-green nightgown as she inspected her foot to see what she’d stepped on. She choked at the sight of a large shard of glass wedges into the bottom of her feet, blood seeping from the cut and dripping from the heel of her foot. Using her free hand, Azalea reached down and slowly pulled the shard from her foot, wincing in pain. The piece of glass plinked unto the apparent wooden floor, and Azalea glanced up, instantly recognizing the familiar surroundings as her gaze moved to the door with the non-existent doorknob, to the glass and broken mirror by the bed, all the way to the porthole window that streamed moonlight unto the...bed. Azalea blinked as she beheld Raymond and..herself, sleeping peacefully together in the bed, suddenly the nights memories came flooding to her and her eyes watered, an ache of loss in her chest forming as she remembered the news about Annabel.

“What is this...?” A smooth, quiet voice said suddenly beside her. Azalea jumped slightly, glancing to her right and at Soris’s tall figure. But he wasn’t looking at her, no, instead, his black eyes were fixated on the bed. On Raymond and her sleeping self. His expression was cold. Azalea swallowed, her hand moving unconsciously to clasp her bare, bruised wrist. The room suddenly felt as if it dropped twenty degrees. Azalea felt a spike of anger that overwhelmed her fear. Who the hell was he—to get into her mind?! And demand things from HER?!

“We—ee—el,” Azalea began a smart tone, though obviously shaky, a challenging look on her face, “when two people love each other very much they—“

Soris’s arm snapped out like as fast a viper, a hand closing around her throat before she was shoved back, her head thwacking hard against the wood wall. Azalea blinked rapidly as colors burst in her vision. “I would suggest,” Soris said, his black eyes narrowed and boring into her, “you not challenge me on this, Miss Azalea.” He said in an ice cold voice, his grip on her neck tightening painfully.

“It’s not—like...the doorknob broke!” Azalea choked out, clawing at his arm, which wasn’t doing much considering he still wore his new, finer black attire with the strange, fine silver stitching. The feeling of silk covered, long fingers around her throat bringing back frightful memories. Soris narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “The Serpente...it’s old,” she choked out, trying to pry his fingers from his throat.

A few seconds more ticked by, Soris’s eyes narrowed before he stepped away and released her neck. Azalea coughed and sputtered, taking a breath of cold, sweet, sweet air. “Ah,” Soris said turning away and folding his hands behind his back in a princely fashion, striding smoothly towards the door, “naturally,” he said quietly, too quietly as his fingers lightly grazed the place the doorknob should’ve been on the door.

Azalea watched him cautiously, rubbing her neck in pain. She swallowed as he approached the bed, glancing between the floor and the bed, and the dozen pieces of glass that stopped her from reaching it. Soris’s black boots crunched across glass as he reached the side of the bed, where she slept, rolled over on her side, her scared cheek facing up. Quietly, he glanced between the sleeping pair with a deathly still expression. After a moment, he reached out, the back of his hand brushing her scars gently, a trace of a dimpled smile on his lips. Azalea scowled from behind him, stepping forward.

“You’ll have to forgive the nightgown, “ Soris murmmered, not taking eyes off the sleeping Azalea, “I find the dress much more accommodating to a lady,” he said as his hand fell back to his side, “it reminds me of our, ah, first meeting,” he said, glancing back at her with his small trace of a smile.

Azalea scowled, “I wish I could forget,” she said, harshly. She couldn’t believe she’d ever...liked this monster.

Soris’s smile fell, his expression becoming coolly pleasant and smooth again as he stepped towards her, rejoining her at her side. Azalea swallowed, saying nothing. “You haven’t actually caught feelings for them, have you?” He murmured.

“I told him!” Azalea snapped angrily, her fists clenching at her side, “I told him, about the royals, about why your alive, and he didn’t care, so why don’t you go shov—“

Crack.

Azalea gasped and grasped her cheek, stumbling back at the force of the slap. She glanced up at Soris, wilting under the cold stare as he stepped closer, “Temper, temper,” he mocked, “don’t let your tongue carry you away, Your Highness. Do not forget this is my illusion,” he said smoothly, unfazed as he stepped closer. “He does not care about your predicament, not until he gets what he really wants,” Soris purred as he gestured to the bed behind him, “but it looks as if he’s nearly there already,” he said, his voice frigid.

“It’s not—“ Azalea began angrily before he pressed a finger against her lips so hard they throbbed.

“Silence. He doesn’t care, not for the monsters like us, don’t you see? He’s using you, Miss Azalea. As they are,” he said in a silky voice, “because they do not understand your darkness. Ours.”

Azalea swallowed as she looked past him and at Raymond, her lips trembling. “I’m not like you,” she whispered. She flinched as Soris then reached out and tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear, forcing her gaze to meet his dead one. His expression held a mocking trace of a smile.

“Your time is ticking, Miss Azalea.” Soris said in his smooth, chipset voice as he turned around, pausing as his black gaze landed on the bed. He stared for a moment before he turned back, his expression odd, looking almost...lost. Confused perhaps?

“What does he have?” He asked, regarding her with his odd expression. For a moment he looked almost...human. Azalea blinked, hearing the unspoken words as her eyes darted from Raymond to Azalea, her jaw clenching in resolve.

“A heart.”

~~~
Azalea jerked awake, her eyes flying open to find herself staring at Raymond—with all the blankets wrapped around her. Azalea froze and cringed before glancing out at window, where sunlight was streaming in, basking the room in a subtle, warm glow. She took a few steady breaths to calm her breaths before she rolled over so that her back was to Raymond again, her face warming slightly. Azalea stared off at the wall a moment, her eyes clouding over as her mind mulled over her all too real dream. Ever since the letter, Soris had entered her dreams again. After months of peace, though unlike usual, it was a much more subtle dream this time, without any throwing up in the morning.

Azalea smirked a bit, wondering and thanking the gods for it—with Raymond in her room and all. It’d been a miracle she’d slept at all—in the dark. She supposed there was a certain...safeness to Raymond she couldn’t quite describe or place. Azalea smiled. Today would be a goo—ooooh, shit.

Delchistrier. Tonight. Tonight, they’d be arriving in the ports of Delchistrier. Dealing with the oh-so-pleasant-Aodren and his subjects. Azalea rolled into her stomach, grimacing into her pillow and fighting the urge to groan in exasperation. Bloody great. And the door was still broken—locking them in. Azalea closed her eyes tightly, willing herself to sleep again, but to no avail.

Today...was gonna be shite.
~~~
Time skip: Next Day — 12 hours before arrival at Delchistrier
Time : 9:57 AM
Weather: Cloudy and hot.

Xanto explosiveKitten
Bakuyoshi
Inheritance Blackrose7 NinjaGirlGamer

 

[Xanto]

Raymond Callahan​

Raymond's eyes widened in innocent shock when Azalea nearly announced that he could sleep with her. “Not—I mean—not like THAT, ya know. I mean, I’d be a rotter if I let you sleep on that old shite,” She rambled as Ray glanced away and moved a hand through his hair with a slight smile on his face. It was funny how it all escaped her like something she didn't really want to say . . but wanted to say? "Thanks. I can settle for the bench," Raymond nodded, unable to imagine how he could share a bed with a princess. Not to mention the probable discomfort Azalea would experience. A short silence lingered between them as Ray waited for Azalea to say anything more. He nearly jumped when she randomly greeted him "night" and shut the light off. "Goodnight," The guy laughed a bit afterward before groggily making his way to the bench.

Raymond loosened his boots then habitually began removing his shirt until two thuds were heard against one of the walls. Right, he was in Azalea's room. His arm slid into the sleeve again before he casually removed his boots and lied down on the bench. In an instant, his eyes snapped shut with the near sensation of a deep sleep floating above him.

This is torture. He thought to himself. Half of Ray's calves were hanging off the bench and lying on his back would naturally let his arms hang off. In other words, they would get cut up by all the glass anyway. A lighter thud sounded and Ray's eyes slowly opened up wondering what else Azalea could have been throwing around at that hour. She just slid under the sheet and turned her back against him though. So, he shut his eyes indifferent to whatever else was happening.

Except for the awful bench. His body uncomfortably adjusted itself with one hand going behind his head and the other simply resting itself on his stomach.

Can't take it anymore. Wet sleeves and the frequent threat of rolling off the bench onto glass were just a couple of the problems that hindered the tired rogue from simply falling asleep. The guy suddenly stood up from his bench not caring anymore about whatever concerned him ten minutes ago. He was too exhausted for any of this. The odd ship steering sleep schedule Ray had didn't help either!

"On second thought, I'll join ya here," Raymond routinely and indifferently removed his shirt, and lied down on the bed. He was relieved that he couldn't feel the sensation of wet sleeves anymore. On that note, he pulled up the blanket all the way to his neck after carelessly placing the shirt somewhere between him and Azalea.

Somewhere in the middle of the night, Raymond woke up to Azalea shivering . . shaking? He assumed she was cold so he folded his share of the blanket over her before wearing his shirt. Thankfully, the sleeves had dried up for the most part by that time.

__________​

Raymond felt a quick movement then another motion in bed. His eyes slowly opened to see what it was- er whom it was. What? He forgot he was sharing Azalea's bed. Anyway, the guy woke up to see Azalea's back. No doubt she was already awake.

Ray quickly shut his eyes though when she rolled onto her stomach, peeking with one eye as she grimaced into her pillow. Was she already that stressed the first thing in the morning? The clever guy smiled a bit. It wouldn't hurt to mess around with her.

"Good morning, sunshine," Raymond slowly shifted onto his back and into a stretch as he looked at the sunlight going through the porthole. It sounded like he was complimenting Azalea, but if she looked at him then she'd realize that he was talking about literal sunshine. Which was exactly what he intended! Azalea didn't do too well with compliments, but a little tease could probably lighten up her morning. Raymond's eyes gazed long enough out the window, giving the right amount of time for Azalea to react and realize. However, the playful guy wasn't done yet.

His body rolled over to the side as he looked at Azalea and smoothly propped his head up with an arm. "Good morning, beautiful," A smirk formed on his face. Hey, he was just telling the truth. All while not recognizing how close his roll brought them to each other. Even if she just woke up, Azalea was . . someone he could see himself waking up next to every-

"You probably need help getting your boots?" Raymond raised a brow prior to glancing at the other side of the room. The random thought snapped him out of the odd sensation. If Azalea tried walking there she'd have to dodge a field of glass landmines. " . . As much as I'd like to stay in bed and compliment you the whole day," He obliviously sat himself up and wore his shoes, "I better get us outta here to check the ship's direction."

No crazy sounds like knocking or yelling ensued after the whole Annabel princess drama sequence the previous night. With that observation, Ray assumed that his trainees kept up a fine job. He walked to the other side of the room, picked up Azalea's boots, and brought them back to her side of the bed. "We can ram a bench, or make noise for help," Ray folded his arms across his chest, "Choice is your's princess."

Ms. Sparrow

 

[Blackrose7]

Annabel gave Clyde a smile before he left, because she didn’t want her nephew to hear what she was going to say next. Also, he needed to go to sleep, since it is passed his bedtime.
Once Clyde had left to go to sleep, Annabel ended up being extremely angry, because everybody knows she is a princess. “Dei cazzo dannazione. Chi ha detto a tutti di quel terrible regio titolo? Perché chiaramente non volevo che tutti lo sapessi. Sapevo cosa sarebbe successo se quel segreto fosse stato scoperto, così ho dovuto nasconderlo per il benessere di tutti. Ma no, non possiamo avere qualcosa di simile nella ribellione, e ora la gente mi dara' fastidio. Fanculo la persona che l'ha fatto, e per conto di Nether. Spero che li puniscano.” said Annabel.
She then stomped her way towards her room, since she wanted to forget that this day had happened to her. When Annabel entered her room, she started to cry from frustration. Because she knew that this wasn’t a good thing, for she didn’t want people to bring up her relationship with the Ezeris’s royal family. As they only brought up bad memories of what Queen Lydia did to her. ‘Why did they have to know about me being a princess? I was fine with how they have been treating me, since I wasn’t getting any attention for that. But now, somebody had to ruin it.’ thought Annabel, who was crying on her pillow once she was on her bed. The crying continued to happen until Annabel fall asleep, since nobody besides her had figured out that her real family had abandoned her.

Annabel’s nightmare:​

Annabel was running away from someone in the void like place, because she did something wrong again. “Annabel, my pathetic daughter of mine. You need to come over here, since you haven’t received your punishment yet,” said Queen Lydia. “LEAVE ME ALONE, YOU WITCH! You aren’t my mom, since you have treated me so badly when I was a maid,” said Annabel. She continued to run away from the queen, but it didn’t last very long. The people in red ended up appearing from the ground, and they were able to grab the poor princess by the legs.
Annabel fell to the floor when that had happened, turned around to see what was happening, and tried to free herself once she noticed what was going on. However, that didn’t work for her, as the people in red had started to pull her through the ground. She ended up screaming from this, because she knew what was going to happen to her. But the people in red had covered her mouth. They were able to get Annabel through the ground, and the poor princess started to fall into a hole with more void. That void hole then ended up showing mirrors of an angel. But the mirrors didn’t stay like that for long, for the mirrors were shattered by the people in red’s scythes. And then it happened, the people in red and Queen Lydia then took out a whip, and started to hit Annabel with it. She screamed in pain, and beg for someone to stop this. But nobody came. “I am so glad that I gave you a way to Rosa and William, since trash like you aren’t worthy to be a princess. The kingdom’s money and the king is mine, and I won’t let you take my power away. Heck, my husband shouldn’t have cried about your death. For you would have caused nothing but trouble for us. You should have stayed as a maid or a leader of that little gang of yours.” said Queen Lydia. This wasn’t the real queen, but what Annabel knew from both the castle's rumors and the royal bloodline book. “I know, but I can’t run away from it.” said Annabel, who was hit by the whip. “Yes, you can. You should run away from this, because nobody in Ezeris would accept you. They would just kill you if they knew who you are, and I would be happy about that.” said Queen Lydia. “Not even your nephew should be with you, since you are just going to drag him into danger.” “SHUT UP! Clyde is the only one who cares about me, because he is my only family left alive. You aren’t even here to tell me that, and even if you weren’t. I would have done this in front of your face. I can take all of the beatings from your whip, and that won’t stop me from trying to kill you. In fact, I have already killed you, thanks to that tall one.” said Annabel. “You are a horrible mom, and I am so glad that Rosa and William took care of me. I would have stabbed you if I was living in the castle, as I would have figured out what you have been doing, thanks to the rumors.”
Annabel had her sword out in the nightmare, because she was going to kill Queen Lydia again. The people in red were trying to protect their queen when they saw what Annabel was doing, but Annabel killed them with a clean slash. This terrified Queen Lydia, since the nightmare was seeing her as a demon. "Run away from me, you son of a bitch. Because now I am coming after you again." said Annabel.
The nightmare continued on like that until she killed Queen Lydia again.

Timeskip:​

Annabel woke up with a grumpy look on her face, since she didn't sleep very well, thanks to the nightmare. 'Gods, I hope that they leave me alone today. Because I am still not happy about what happened yesterday.' thought Annabel. Getting up from her bed, she got out of her room, since Annabel wanted to get some breakfast.
Mention: Xanto

 

[explosiveKitten]

Spoiler: Dream Sequence

“Now, pull it back... feel the tension in the string... breathe, Angie, gods!”
The amused voice rang in her ears as she suddenly let a breath puff out of her chest, and as a consequence, the string slipped out of her fingers and snapping against her fingers. She yelped and dropped the bow, shaking her hand around while Zan chuckled to himself.
“Ow! Gods!” She cried, rubbing her hand, and turning to glare at Zan, who was still snickering, “Hey! Quit laughing at me, you jerk!”
“Hehehe, sorry, sorry... hehehe...” he tried to bring down his chuckling, “Its just, I did that same thing when I first got my hands on that training bow ages ago.”
“You did?” She asked, looking at him before glancing down at the discarded bow and picking it back up. “Did you whack your fingers?”
“No no, tiānshî, I gave myself this scar on my cheek.” He reached up and tapped a little vertical scar on his cheek, which Angie had never noticed before.
“...oh.”
“Hehe.” He chuckled some more, then reached over and grabbed her arm, bringing her closer, “Now come on, try again.”

She swallowed and took the arrow that Zan gave her, slowly, she turned to the tree that she had been aiming at, nocking the arrow and pulling the bowstring back with a little effort.
She was consentrating really hard on the arrow, and aiming, and breathing, when suddenly she was taking particular notice of Zan leaning in close, his breath puffing against her hair and her ear as he whispered tips, his arms circling around her as he guided her hands.
“Breathe... feel the tension in the string.”
Focus! FoCUS DAMNIT! She narrowed her eyes and flared her nostrils in concentration. Feel the string.
“A little to the right.”
A little to the right.
“Breathe, tiānshî.”
Breathe...

She huffed out another breath, then looses the arrow... which flew all the way, to thunk into the middle of a big circle of lichen. Exactly where they had been aiming.
Much to the surprise of Angie, and the elation of Zan. The two immediately cried out in excitement and celebration. The young man grabbed Angie by the waist, lifted her into the air and began to spin her around, laughing and cheering the entire time while Angie howled her success into the trees.

“I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!”
“I DID IT!”
“I KNEW YOU WOULD!”
“WOOOOO!”
“I’M SO PROUD OF YOUUU!”
“YEEEEEEAAAAHH!”

The two soon came to a stop as they continued to hold each other close laughing and chuckling as they did. Soon even that puttered out, leaving the two in each other’s arms, staring deeply into each other’s eyes.
Angie was about to pull away awkwardly when Zan suddenly pulled her closer and buried his face in her hair, like he wanted to confirm that she was actually there.
“Tiānshî... Wô de tiānshî...” he muttered into her hair.
“... You’ve been calling me that word for months, what does it even mean?” She asked, her face resting against his collarbone.
She felt him smile small against her scalp, and a bright red blush crept up her face when he answered her in a soft, sweet voice.
“Angel. My angel.”

Angie approaches Bax after she made her way up from below decks, and watched the man pace back and forth across the planks.
She quirked an eyebrow in his direction, then walked over to him and announced her presence by walking over to him.

“So, I talked to Aurelie yesterday, and she gave me some alarming news about Delchristier, and how things work over there. We’re going to need to set up some serious plans before letting ANYONE off this boat... hey, are you okay?”

Xanto

 

[Xanto]

Baxter Callahan​

Baxter walked into Jeod's room, glancing at the tinkerer who was mixing some kind of fluid together. There was mention of whether blood was the conquering or swarming type. However, the rebellion leader didn't really understand what the other guy was alluding to. Perhaps frequent warfare and bloodshed was the implication? Typically, the goal of these subjects was to drain the life out of a being by letting their blood run dry. It was an idea Baxter never really dwelled on. Instead, he covered it up with justice and service for the people. Baxter received proper knight training in Ezeris before Clyde's existence. Fortunately for him, Ezeris never went to war during his time as a student under royal supervision. However, that didn't stop him from the more local battles that usually arose from gangs versus royals or nobles.

The familiar smell of smoke in the air caused Baxter's eyes to shift again. This time, at a smoke ring in the air that Jeod blew. Bax's head shook when asked about smoking. The smell of it just brought him back to Ezeris's streets.

After a few moments, Baxter faced Jeod and looked him in the eyes. "Randomly pointing guns at anyone's head will not solve anything," He said in his typical blunt manner, "Nox will physically explode if we kill her. Thus, resulting in something not short of a waste." Sure Jeod most probably meant well, but the logical outcomes of the attempted murder were not in their favor, "You may fear her, but she is our proof for Delchistrier."

The sound of silence stayed in the air a bit. No doubt there was some tension since it was Jeod's first time being under-fire by Bax. "The other day you asked me to help you fight. This is your first lesson," Baxter stepped closer to Jeod, making sure to hold his attention, "Substitute 'fight' with 'self-defense'." This rebellion leader knew how it was in Jeod's case after learning he couldn't kill a single Nox vision. "Do not doubt your skill as a tinkerer. That is your strength, one of the group's main assets. Basic self-defense techniques are necessary, but hold your strengths high, for they are other people's weaknesses," The man turned away, "I have a son to check on."

After walking out the room and into his, Baxter silently creaked the door open and got ready for bed. His hand routinely tucked Clyde in as he observed the sleeping kid loosely holding the Ezeris book in his arms. Hopefully one day he'd let go.

Inheritance

_____​

Baxter walked around deck looking for his brother. Where in the world was his younger brother? Raymond's room was empty, and the temporary captains were confused. Was this all some sort of trick? What if Ray fell off the ship? Jumped off? Baxter folded his hands behind his back before unintentionally pacing araound. "So, I talked to Aurelie yesterday, and she gave me some alarming news about Delchristier," A familiar voice mentioned. Baxter looked over to see Angie approaching him. She went on about the continent's way of life and brought up the need for strategy, until finally asking for an update on what occupied his mind for the past hour.

"Raymond. Have you seen him?"

explosiveKitten

 

[Ms. Sparrow]

Azalea Eve Windfore

“Good morning, sunshine,”

Azalea turned her head at the sound of Raymond’s voice, her grimace turning into a grin at the compliment as she turned her head enough to peek out of one eye at Raymond, her brow arched with pleasant amusement before she noticed Raymond wasn’t looking at her, but his head was actually turned toward the porthole, at the sunlight. Azalea scowled at his teasing, her face breaking out into a grin and she let out a laugh, her hand sliding under her pillow and dragging it out from underneath her head before she playfully swung her pillow at Raymond. “Arse,” she said with a chuckle, falling back unto her bed with a grin, hugging her pillow to her chest, her red hair a wild mess of tangles spread out around her, a striking contrast to the white sheets. Raymond then rolled into his side, propping his head on his elbow and gazing down at her with his hazel gaze. Azalea grinned stupidly at him. Gads, he was handsome, even with a beard and tussled, sleep hair. The tussled hair almost added a more roughish charm to him. She suddenly had to fight the urge to ruffle his hair and run her hands through it.


"Good morning, beautiful," Raymond said as a smooth smirk spread across his face.

Azalea snickered as she felt warmth bloom from her neck and and spread to her cheek, “Flatterer,” she responded with a smug smirk, suddenly becoming aware of how close they were, which made her face heat about ten times more, a strange, warm feeling blossoming in her. The sensation was nothing terrifying yet oddly thrilling, butterflies blooming in her stomach.

“You probably need help getting your boots?” Raymond suddenly, out of the blue, asked. What? She thought, her mind in a stupor. Azalea blinked herself out of her daze, her smug smirk fading.

Arching a brow that matched his own, she turned her head and glanced behind her, where her leather boots flopped on their side by the door, cringing a little as she turned back to Raymond, “I probably shouldn’t have thrown them across the room, aye?” she said with a sheepish grin, knowing her feet would be cut to ribbons if she tried to get to them.

" . . As much as I'd like to stay in bed and compliment you the whole day," He said as he sat up, turning his back to her, thankfully not noticing her grin at this, or the way her cheeks warmed. She watched him with a stupid grin as he put his shoes on. Could she get stuck in a room with him more often? Please? Gods? Meredith? Anyone? Someone had to make it happen. She should start choosing ancient rooms more often. "I better get us outta here to check the ship's direction." Raymond said as he finished putting on his shoes.

Azalea let out a mock gasp, pressing a hand to her chest, “What? You mean there’s a war that requires our attention?!” Azalea jested him with fake surprise as he walked across the boots and retrieved her boots. She sat up in her bed as he dropped the boots right next to her. Her waves a tangled mess, Azalea reached over for a black ribbon at her end table, peering up at Raymond as she tied her hair back into a half-assed, loose bun.

"We can ram a bench, or make noise for help," Ray folded his arms across his chest, "Choice is your's princess."

Azalea considered both options as she grabbed one of her boots and slipped her foot into it, lacing it up as she spoke, “We—ee—el I have a feeling either way we do this is gonna end up in a lot of questions,” Azalea said wryly as she finished lacing off the boot with a final, secure tug on her finishing knot, grabbing her other boot and repeating the process before glancing up at Raymond with a grin, “so, we may as well have some fun with it, and break open the door,” she said, an impish glint in her yellow-green gaze. Azalea jumped to her feet, a spunky spring in her step as she walked around the bed and bent her knees, grabbing the edge of the bench as before she backed up, dragging the bench with her as she moved backwards towards the door, moving around the bed and backing up till her back nearly hit the door.

With the bench at the door, Azalea grabbed the bench at the side, waiting for Raymond to come pick it up by the opposite end before hoisting it up, and together, ramming the end of the bench into the door, Azalea letting out a cheery, sported, “Huzzah!” as the door was finally busted open.

((Rushed post lol, but it’s late so, imma sleep))


~~~

Xanto explosiveKitten
Bakuyoshi
Inheritance Blackrose7 NinjaGirlGamer

 

[explosiveKitten]

“Raymond? Well, not since last night.”

Oh? ... Oh yeah. Thats right.

“He...” Angie stopped and cleared her throat to keep herself from giggling like a schoolgirl, “He went into Azalea’s cabin after her little meltdown over Annabel’s royal status. I presume he went in there to coMFort her after the whole ordeal. Perhaps... He’s still in there?”

She bit her lip and trying to keep the snort out of her voice. She was acting like a gossiping teenager, which is embarrassing, but GODS ALMIGHTY. It is about DAMN TIME, okay? The sexual tension between those two was starting to physically hurt.

“Either way, I’m sure he’s fine. He’s a slippery man, he can get himself out of ANY situation.”

A large bang below deck caught her attention, and she looked over at Bax, raised an eyebrow before turning and heading back down below decks to investigate.

What she found was a broken door with a triumphant Azalea and Raymond shouting some kind of victory over the door. Both looked absolutely disheveled and thrown together, but so terribly spunky that Angie didn’t want to ruin their fun.

“Why... why did you break the door? ... Ray, were you in there all night?” Angie just barely managed to keep her voice even as she questioned the situation like Angelo normally would, resisting very hard the urge to tease about the way this situation looked.

“... Your brother is worried about you. You should go talk to him.” She said, biting her lip and suppressing the need to chuckle for only a moment longer before she turned and walked away, biting her thumb to keep herself from snickering.

Ms. Sparrow Xanto

 

[Xanto]

Baxter Callahan​

Baxter raised a brow at Angie's obvious self-restraint from trying to burst out in giggles. Apparently, she hadn't seen Raymond since the previous night when he went into Azalea's room. Her guess was that he was still in there. Baxter furrowed his brows and glanced away. It made sense since he searched high and low for Raymond in addition to sending a few guards to help find him. The rebel leader never bothered to check Azalea's room though.

Wait. Baxter paused his stream of thoughts when he saw Angie bite her lip. She mentioned that Raymond could get himself out of ANY situation. It was a line meant for comfort that instead made Baxter's eyes widen. Hold on- Bang! A loud noise sounded from the lower level, causing Angie and Bax to glance at each other. The redhead went ahead to investigate, while Bax stayed behind. The sound had to do with Raymond no doubt. Typically, Baxter would have stomped toward the commotion, but he instead stayed on deck to keep his assumptions in check.

[Continuation in Raymond's section]

explosiveKitten

Raymond Callahan​

"As you wish," Raymond playfully nodded at Azalea's royal order to break the door open. He took a step back as she sprung to her feet, smiling a bit at the new spirit she managed to accumulate overnight, "You need help with-?" SCREETCH! The bench sounded against the ground as Azalea used her full determination to get the positioning done herself. Raymond's gaze followed her around the room. He supposed it was good for her current momentum, but the guy was ready to help whenever she gave him the sign. When the bench was by the door, Ray picked up the opposite end then helped Azalea ram the bench into the door.

Bang! The door opened up, revealing Ray's smile. "Huzzah!" Azalea yelled. "What a team!" Raymond echoed glancing at the princess. True. The two of them alone managed to escape the general's quarters, steal a massive ship, and escape a locked room. At this point they were almost unstoppable!

Angelo shortly caught Raymond's attention when he asked about the broken door. However, before Ray could respond, Angelo asked if he was in Azalea's room all night. "Yes," He simply replied, leaving the rest of the explanation to Azalea if she bothered.

It didn't take long for the mercenary to bring up Baxter's worry for Ray. "See ya on deck," Ray glanced at Azalea and gave her a small smile before jogging up the stairs.

The rogue easily snatched a fruit on his way to Baxter, who was gazing at the sea on the edge of the upper deck, "Good morning-." "Explain before my mind jumps to conclusions," Baxter blurted as he turned to face his younger brother coming to a stop before him. "What? What do you mean?" Raymond's brows furrowed in confusion. Was he supposed to explain the loud noise or? "Did you sleep with Azalea?" Baxter questioned in a low voice tilting toward Raymond so not many people could hear. The younger Callahan paused, thinking about the past night's narrative for a quick moment. "Yes-," Ray replied at the same lowness of the older Callahan's voice. "You fool!" Bax interrupted and smacked his younger brother upside the head. Ray cringed at the sudden contact. He was still confused to say the least, "Don't you want me to explain?" "I don't want to hear who did what," Baxter raised his voice in a sort of whisper, returning to their low volume discussion. Raymond furrowed his brows after realizing the contradiction with Bax's first statement,"So you don't want me to explain?" Baxter stressfully moved both of his hands through his curly hair before continuing in near silence, "Why would you do what you did to a princess?" " . . to comfort her?" Raymond quietly responded even more confused by his brother's unnecessary stressful vibe. Was he not supposed to comfort royalty? After being stuck with all the princesses it almost seemed impossible not to comfort any one of them. "Watch her comfort turn into nine months of sacrifice," Baxter quickly shot back with furrowed brows and a low voice. "What? Wait, Bax are we talking about the same thing?" Raymond finally took a step back with furrowed brows as he returned the discussion back to a regular volume.

Bax was breathing hard, stressed by the possibility that Clyde could have a cousin within the next year. Until, he paused. Raymond was right. The older brother's blue gaze seemed to calm just as quickly as it got stressed.

Baxter shook his head at the realization and walked passed Ray to fix a rope, "You're stupid." "Excuse me?" The rogue raised a brow wondering why the rebel leader suddenly switched over to insults. "Oblivious," Baxter rephrased, while Ray kinda shrugged in agreement. The concerned older brother finally turned around and bluntly asked in a hushed voice, "Did you have sex with Azalea?" "No!" Raymond's eyes innocently widened before he stumbled back a step prior to lowering his voice again, "Is that what you thought?" "You said you slept with her," Bax replied, matching his brother's volume. "Because I would have died from all the glass scattered around her floor," Raymond quietly shot back trying to clarify the situation as much as possible.

Baxter sighed in relief . . and confusion, " . . Start from the top. Explain." After the whole Audrey and Clyde thing, the older Callahan made it a point to keep his brother from repeating the process again. Not just with nobles, but with anyone else. Imagine how close Bax was to losing it when he learned Ray slept with a princess! "The glass is her business. I accidentally broke the door knob. Other than that, all I did was listen to her problems while sitting on a bench. Before we knew it, it was time to sleep. I couldn't sleep anywhere, but with her in bed. Hence, why we just rammed her door open with the bench," Raymond explained letting the summary all out in one breath before Baxter could interrupt again.

Baxter just blinked in silence though. All the random stuff really did happen to Ray. "Excuse me, we'd like your approval on the route," One of the guards bravely butted in. " . . On it," Raymond glanced at Bax before leaving him for the wheel.

Raymond's nod at the guards seemed to take much of the tension away since they all worried so much about the current route. "Not too bad, Barry," Raymond smiled at the newly trained guard as he lowered his hand from the measurements. "A little off course, but we'll get there tonight," He added after spinning the wheel a few times.

Ms. Sparrow explosiveKitten @whoever else can get post ideas from this

 

[NinjaGirlGamer]

𝑰𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒂 𝑲𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒊𝒏​

It was the early hours for Ivanna when she woke up. She tried not to sleep much, for the nightmares was waiting for her when she closed her eyes. Ivanna sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing the hand she stabbed with glass out of frustration. The blood was dry, the cuts were deep but didn’t hit bone. Most of the night was reflecting, her mind wanders when she is alone. A million thoughts play throughout her mind, like an endless record player. Meditation is the only medicine to block out any negative thoughts. It leaves the mind blank, only the sounds of the environment are heard. It brings peace to the soul, but before peace comes the storm. In Ivanna’s case, that storm has been over her head for the past 13 years.

Lifting up the shirt to see the claw marks of the Tall One. A moment of weakness on her part, she vowed for it to never happen again. Tonight, she got up from her bed, Tonight’s the night. For Ivanna, this was just another day to train, to improve, only this time she had to change the game. Play smarter, work harder, the same routine wasn’t going to cut it. So that early morning, her training was a little more intense. She chose 10 bottles instead of 3, the kicks had more force, the punches had more power. She would work to see improvement, even if it hurts. She didn’t know what to expect tonight, but that’s the beauty isn’t it? Expecting the unknown, and for the new challenge that awaits.

She had just opened the door when she saw another door open and Azalea’s cheery voice echoing down the hallway. Ivanna walked out with no emotion on her face. Not changing her head position, or moving her feet towards anyone. Simply walking up to the upper deck with the sword on her back. Same as before, she walks out to an empty side of the ship to begin her sword training. Straightening up her back, taking the sword from her back then thrusting the sword downwards and lifting it back up. Focus, Again, Focus, and Again, Focus, the only concentration was fixated on her sword.

Are you sure you don’t need any help?

I’m fine, she lifted the heavy wooden logs with some struggle. The strain on her arms clearly

Are you sure?

I’m not weak

I’m promised myself I would be never weak again.
​

Ms. Sparrow Xanto explosiveKitten Blackrose7 Inheritance

(Idk anyone who wants to interact)

 

[Ms. Sparrow]

Azalea Eve Windfore

Azalea waved Raymond off as she watched him loudly jog up the stairs, a grin plastered on her face as she stared off at the stairs for a few extra moments before she blinked her way out of her thoughts, turning back only to realize Angelo was turning away, biting his thumb with a suppressed amused expression. Azalea’s expression widened in realization, “wait, wait! Bloody hold on, it’s not like that—!“ she began to shout after Angelo, pausing as Ivanna breezed down the hall, passing by the princess with a stony, impassive expression. Azalea turned around, opening her mouth to say something smart to Ivanna but instead turned to find James standing in front of her instead, his face serious.

“We need to talk.”
~~~
Hours later, James paced across the deck, the aged assassin commanding the attention of all on board, who stood gathered around him. With his origins from Delchistrier, he had offered to provide insight on his country, or rather, a warning.

“Pust' tvoi slova budut ukrasheny potseluyem Lyumii,” James said firstly, stopping in his place and turning to the gathered group. “It means, simply, ‘May your words be graced by Lumia’s lips,’ In my tongue, it is a blessing, and a farewell, common in the tongue of dvoryane, or nobles, as you would all call it,” he said, his Delchistrierian accent thick and firm in his voice as he scanned the crowd, looking briefly annoyed as his eyes found Azalea, who sat slouching on top of a barrel at the front of the crowd, a bottle of ale in hand, zoning off into space with a bored expression. James turned away with a sigh.

“My country is just as beautiful and dangerous as yours it is just, ah, complicated. It is not so, well, savage and brutish as your country. We handle our problems...discreetly,”

“With assassins,” Azalea chimed in dryly with a snort, smirking smugly as she raised her ale bottle to her lips—before James swiped it from her hand, smacking her lightly alongside the head. “Ow!”

“That sort of speech is what will get you killed,” James lectured, shaking the bottle at a scowling Azalea, “and nobody will ever take you seriously if you show up drunk,” he said before turning away, Azalea flipping him off as he turned his back to her, resuming his pacing.

“Every. Word. Matters!” James snapped to the group, “every step, breath, and word you take will always be evaluated. And the servants? Bah! As far as you are all concerned, there are no servants, ever servant is either a spy, or assassin for a noble, or the king himself. You must not be reckless here,” he said, pivoting a harsh stare on Azalea, whom gave him a wide eyed, mocking innocent look. “The walls have ears, and the aristocracy will undermine you at every turn, and you must believe every compliment and sentence is a lie. YOU must lie,” he continued, moving around the slouching Azalea and smacking her lightly in the back with the blunt of the bottle, her back instantly snapping straight as a reflex.

“Ow! Rotte—“

“The ladies must have manners, and etiquette, and be full of gossip to win the hearts of nobles, and the men must be willing to be charming and mysterious, people should want to approach you, and they will. You will all be the center of attention and gossip for as long as your here. You must be well received, and should always be pleasant and courteous to those that disrespect you, and they will.” James said, folding his hands behind his back, his speech informative and stern as he made his way back to the center of the circle gathered around him, “Trust nobody, but win the respect of my people, and respect our culture, and you will get your army. Aodren is a young, reckless king that is very much an ignorant child still, spoiled to his core. He will not be easy to persuade, and his, ah, cabinet will be the real challenge, no doubt. Respect us, but do not, ever, appear weak.” James said, stopping his pacing and turning towards the group, his face gravely serious.

“Know the moment you have entered Delchistrier, you have entered The Game.”
~~~
Late that night, they arrived in Delchistrier finally, after months spent on sea.

Spoiler: Delchistrier...city

It was odd to see land after so many months, and Azalea marveled at it. As the ship smoothly sailed into the docks of Delchistrier, her yellow-green gaze stared wide-eyed at the beautiful sight. Landscape here was sparse, instead filled with white, gold, and royal blue beautiful curved buildings, all kept to neat perfection. The city seemed to stretch for miles, she couldn’t imagine what the landscape was really like, though the slightly cool air and the smell of summer grass reminded her of Calore. And boy, the Delchistrier Palace that towered like a beacon above the city put Aubinge to near shame. New looking docks lined the waters, guarded heavily by unidentifiable men from their distance, whom pointed them to an open docking area, where the ship gently glided to a stopping point. Around them, even sail boats seemed much more ornate and grand then the Serpente II. Azalea was embarrassed. Almost.

Once they were security docked, the group moved to get off the ship, their belongings packed, most either nervous or eager to leave the ship. Nox trailed behind, looking vaguely bored, and Azalea sauntered unto the docks near the front of the group. They’d taken no more than one step unto the docks when they were met with two guardsmen immediately, their armor colors consisting of gold, white, and red, with the Delchistrier emblem painted beautifully in their ornate armor, their faces masked by detailed, dark grey masks that resembled a human man, each mask of theirs the same, with rather flamboyant, gold painted feathers protruding from their helmets.

Each held out a hand to stop them from moving any further, their hands resting casually on the hilt of their steel sword.

“Halt. Nazovite svoy biznes,” the one on the right barked out sternly, glancing randomly between members of the group, his voice heavily accented, and in most of the groups cases, ineligible. Azalea gave him a puzzled stare, arching a brow. She had no bloody idea what he said. Suddenly the one on the left lightly elbowed his comrade before pointing at the ship behind the group, at the Serpente II.

“T'fu! Oni ne Delchisterian, posmotrite na ikh korabl'!” He exclaimed, sounding amused before both men broke out into snickers. Azalea scowled, feeling as if they were being vaguely insulted somehow as the two guardsmen laughed together. Quickly the two men recovered from their shared snickers, their backs straightening to be more serious as.

“Ah, more refugees. Whom here is the chelovek...ah, man of the group? The...leader?”
The one on the right asked, his gaze glancing towards the men, Jeod, Raymond, and Baxter. Azalea glowered at the two.

“We’re not refugees,” she stated in a forced, too-calm tone, oddly stiff and formal. “We’re the rebellion and royals of Sarthenfall and we need to speak to the Kinb immediately.” She said urgently, more craving for a nice bed than anything else right now.

The two guardsmen stared at her for a moment, their expressions unreadable under their masks before they bursted out into snickers again. “T'fu! Printsessa! Oni nosyat odezhdu cheloveka! Kak budto royalti pribudet na etot korabl'! Khakh!” The one on the left exclaimed, elbowing his friend and sending them both into more snickers, once again leaving Azalea to impatiently glower, crossing her arms and adorned in her snug fitting leather armor.

Azalea gave those nearest to her annoyed glances as the guardsmen stiffened up again and recovered from their doubled over snickering.

“Yeah, yeah, we’ve heard that one before, and I’m the Queen of Delchistrier,” the guardsmen on the right remarked sarcastically, snickering some more before he gestured Azalea, and then Baxter to step forward. “Refugees go in the wagons,” he stated in a more serious voice, jabbing a thumb behind himself. Azalea leaned off to the side a little to peer behind them, squinting to peer through the dark, far off a ways, off to the side and little away from the city gates, where the docks met land, men, women, and children alike were lined up in rows, being pointed over by only a couple guardsmen to large, wooden wagons that seemed as if it could hold over a dozen people, at most. Her brows arched. It made sense some Sarthenfall people would want to flee their country and seek aid in Delchistrier, but where were they going? From the looks of it—it wasn’t into the city.

“Where do the wagons take the refugees?” Azalea asked the guardsmen nearest to her, the one on the left, as she straightened up once more.

“Don’t know, don’t care,” he responded plainly as he extended an arm and gestured for Azalea and Baxter to step forward, “Guess you’ll all find out soon enough. Two of you, step forward at a time. You’ll all be searched and confiscated of all weapons, contraband and items before your guided unto the wagons,” he recited in a monotone voice, as if he’d said it a hundred times over.

Azalea stopped forward, her mind thinking fast as the guardsmen began patting her down—slowly, staring from her shoulders. She had a feeling they’d all be arrested if they found out what she was carrying on her—especially after she demanded to see the King. She gritted her teeth at the excruciating, too slow pat down as he patted her down from her shoulders to her elbows, his hands then moving to pat down her waist, his knees bending lower and lower as his hands traveled down her waist, his head nearly eye level with her knees—when Azalea suddenly grabbed him by the shoulders, bringing her knee up to catch him beneath his chin, and suddenly the guardsmen crumpled at her feet, unconscious. So quick, hard and fast, it had all nearly happened in the span of a blink.

“Oh!” She cried in a surprised, innocent voice, gazing down at the unconscious man with wide eyes, catching the other guardsman’s attention, who was in the middle of searching Baxter, he turned his head towards Azalea, his head swiveling between her dismayed expression and his unconscious comrade. “Sir, I think your man is sick! He just..suddenly collapsed!” She exclaimed in a worried tone as the guardsman left Baxter, approached quickly, bending to kneel down beside his unconscious comrade, shaking him lightly.

“Bernard! Ty v poryadke—“ he began to ask before Azalea grabbed him by both sides of his head and repeated the process she’d done to the first, leaving both guardsmen slumped down unconsciously. It was clear they’d either get arrested for the poison she had on her persona, or shipped off with the other refugees.

Azalea dusted off her leather, gloved hands, “there,” she said airily, “no jail time for us then, aye? Or bloody wagons.” She said, shooting a bemused, cocky glance back at the group as if thoroughly impressed with herself. Azalea turned around then, her gaze averting up, where the Delchistrier castle’s tallest peak stretched towards the sky, “the real question is...how to get to the castle without getting questioned and arrested, yeah? Errr, before they wake up and shite.”

~~~
Time skip: Delchistrier Docks, same day.
Time: 11:23 PM
Weather: Cool, cloudy, and very dark.

Xanto explosiveKitten
Bakuyoshi
Inheritance Blackrose7 NinjaGirlGamer

 

[Bakuyoshi]

"Azalea, you are the greatest id- you know what just. Fine, not that you just committed a Crime that could get everyone here and Sarthenall in trouble. Let's just go with what everyone here says. Honestly remaining more in line like the people would be a step. Or maybe try and explain stuff reasonably, I have the emblem of my family on my person. But that option flew out the window now that this has happened. Fitting in would be my Vote." Cali could only look down at the two guards, giving Azalea a death glare for what just happened. But leaving it be for the moment.

Prisiclla cleared her throat "Honestly how do we fit in? What can we do, we aren't going where the other refugees are going. Either we go straight to the castle or we get caught. I think your options of without being questioned are out of the window given, y'know." She said pointing to the knocked out guards.

"But hey my votes we make for the castle. Any second not going is another chance are sleeping guards could wake up and start alerting people. But hey this is just silly old Priscillas opinion. Not that it matters from a non royal."

Cali looked at Priscilla with a bit of worry, of all the times for her to do that now was the worst time. Only to get a return glance from her adoptive sister that Cali knew not to answer. Sister or not Priscilla could be mean when directly challenged. Especially if she knew she could win. Only looking to the rest of the group for any answers. "I mean whatever fits the groups main ideals."

explosiveKitten Ms. Sparrow Xanto NinjaGirlGamer Inheritance Blackrose7

 

[Inheritance]

Jeod Swift​

He had thought about what Baxter had said, about how his talents as a tinker were what the group needed. It was true, and his regained ability to shoot had begun to mask who he truly was. He was not a violent nor vengeful person, and despite how unnerving Nox was he really wasn't one to do rash actions because of fear. He remembered looking at his firearms, ready to toss them into the waters below... But something in him stopped him. Perhaps it was his own pride that kept him, or perhaps a sane part that told him to keep his main line of defense. Or perhaps it was his own mind, promising to conquer this new found side of him.

Whatever it was, it had kept him from getting rid of the weapons, and now in a clean suit, he was ready to storm the castle of the mad king, a topic he had quite often thought about. Why were they fighting him? He wasn't a good man by any means, but perhaps locking up magic was a good thing. He never needed it, and the lack of magic provided a unique challenge to the world that the tinker quite enjoyed. There would be chaos, and his life before joining the rebellion was a lot more peaceful and carefree. He enjoyed the challenge, and enjoyed the story that he would one day write about- but he still wondered if it was worth it; and despite calming down, he wondered why he allied himself with people like Ivanna.

That woman. How dare she attack him in such a manor. It was barbaric overkill, and though he recognized himself as the party at fault, he stuck to his belief that she took it too far. He had been debating with himself whether or not to keep his vow, and to watch her bleed out on the battlefield. He was not a vengeful or angry person, but he was a pragmatic one. And logic dictated that the world was a lot safer without a psycho like her roaming about. What made her like that? He just didn't get it. He was not a violent person, and the small scuffles that he had been in had been quick and precise. A bottle to the head-not for cruelty, but to end the fight. The threat of a gun? Not to feel powerful, but to avoid a fight and save his own skin. What could drive someone to the violent reaction that Ivanna seemed to always leap to was beyond him.



He jumped out of his thoughts at the question. Now was not the time to reflect, now was the time to act. Looking around at the group with a passive face, he spoke.

"I'm not much for fighting, and our forces will obviously be spending the next eternity as ex members of the being alive club if we attempt a direct assault. I myself am a handy locksmith, and I find that many palace doors are just ripe for unlocking. I recommend a stealth team to get in there and sabotage guards and fortifications, then let the larger bulk in. By stealth team I mean 3 or 4 max."

Ms. Sparrow Xanto explosiveKitten Blackrose7 NinjaGirlGamer Bakuyoshi

 

[explosiveKitten]

Angie stared at the scene in front of her as Azalea attacked the guards in front of them.

Angie, for her part, was looking great. She had spent an age before this whole thing with Aurelie, getting her hair all done up like a proper Aubigian man, involving a lot of tugging and fluffing and... “hair products” that somehow Aurelie just had with her, and she felt ridiculous with the fancy coifed look, but if it sold the image of a “well-off, properly raised young Aubigian man”, she guessed it would have to do.
Not to mention the clothes. Because no, she was not wearing her armor (she hated it) nor was she wearing her usual battletorn and stained shirt-pants combo- oh no, in order to fit in around here, she had opted to put on her “Fancy” clothes. Oh, GODS, she HATED this stuff. Not only did she have to stuff the sides to get it to “fit properly” but she felt so, SO horribly unprotected. She could barely move in this stupid jacket, but would they let her wander around in armor? Probably not. And the usual puffy, stained-yellow shirt that she wore would NOT look good in court. This was the only option.

She wanted to cry when the princess absolutely destroyed those two guards. Great. This would look wonderful when it was reported to the king they were trying to get help from. Brilliant. Amazing.

She watched the conversations unfold, and rubbed her temples as Aurelie clung to her side, breathing hard. They were going to be claiming familial relation (“We’re cousins!”) so Aurelie has an excuse to stick close to Angielo.
“Look!” She exclaimed, hopefully grabbing everyone’s attention, “Whatever we are doing, we’d best start doing it now! We can’t stay in this spot.” She rushed forward and gestured towards the city.
“When we get in there, whatever we’re doing, I want to stress the importance of staying in a group. It doesn’t necessarily have to be the entire group- just make sure that you are not alone and you blend in.”

She sighed and gestured to Aurelie, “I have been informed by Princess Aurelie that the slave trade is A MASSIVE underground business here. If you are alone and unimportant then you will be targeted. If you are unable to defend yourself then I’m afraid that that may be the last we ever see if you. You will be knocked out, sold on the black market for the highest possible price and soon you will wake up a part of the “servant class” as they like to call it.”

“I cannot stress to you how important it is that we stay together during this. Whatever we do, everyone needs to have a partner. Everyone needs to blend in and pretend. Some of you have been taught your whole life how to look important,” She glances over the royalty like Azalea and Aria, “And others not so much.” Her gaze drifted over basically everyone else.

“... I don’t want anyone here to be lost to this place, that’s why I’m telling you now; I know it probably goes without saying, but please. Take cues from the people around you. If everyone is walking with a certain posture, copy it. If they have a certain facial expression, mimic it. Do what you can to fade into the crowd.”

She let her gaze meander over everyone for a moment longer before she hissed, “Now let’s get moving before Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum wake up.”
Ms. Sparrow Xanto Bakuyoshi Blackrose7 NinjaGirlGamer Inheritance

 

[Xanto]

Raymond Callahan and Baxter Callahan​

Ray tilted the ship's wheel as he watched James pace across the deck. The native Delchistrierian man was giving a rundown of his home field. It was something Ray tried his best to pay attention to before raising a brow at the mention of Delchistrier handling their complicated matters in a much more discreet way. This momentarily led Ray's thoughts away from the discussion until he snapped back to reality at the sight of James smacking Azalea alongside her head.

From the sound of things, it didn't seem that they could trust anyone there. Ray kept his gaze focused on James as a thought came to his mind. Saying that the rogue had trust issues would be an understatement. Why did James come to Sarthenfall? He was Delchistrierian. Did that mean the older man could hardly be trusted as well? Alas, Raymond had to give the elder representative the benefit of the doubt. At this point, only James and Aurelie knew the foreign ground best.

Back to the lecture! Every move was being evaluated, everyone was a lie, everything was a lie, they must lie. Ray looked away in slight annoyance at the calm sea beside them. It didn't sound like much of a new life to him. His gaze slowly shifted back to the group. In fact, he had been living it before all the rest of this madness happened. Well, at least in his high class heists. You know, the less gruesome jobs or challenges he was sent to accomplish.

“Trust nobody, but win the respect of my people, and respect our culture, and you will get your army. Aodren is a young, reckless king that is very much an ignorant child still, spoiled to his core. He will not be easy to persuade, and his, ah, cabinet will be the real challenge, no doubt. Respect us, but do not, ever, appear weak,” James explained, his description sounding much more like Ezeris to Raymond as he went on. Although there were many gangs, most of them failed to recognize the underground criminal hierarchy. Gangs fighting for good or the more rookie "evil" ones usually weren't even aware of the illegitimate underground order that sounded much like Delchistrier's formal monarchy.

In some way, it was all different this time around though . . at least for Raymond. He'd like to think that his dark criminal days were over particularly now that he had royals on his team. Well, now that he had anyone on his team. It was now almost a year plus however long he'd been with the rebellion. Just when the guy thought he left his dark past behind, it seemed like the gods themselves were pulling him back into it again. His criminal days were mixing with his current reality. No, it was different this time right? Just drama on the surface? Not as dark?

Wrong. James wasn't the first Delchistrierian that Ray came to know. The rogue met more than a handful of Delchistrierian men who were pulled into Ezeris's criminal life. Despite the fact that they migrated from their own country, those men were proud of their culture. It wasn't unusual to walk into a scene where they were telling stories of their land to enhance their toughness. In fact, it got to the point where Ray could roughly understand the language. Don't ask him to speak it though.

“Know the moment you have entered Delchistrier, you have entered The Game,” James concluded in his usual seriousness. Meanwhile, Ray pretended to occupy himself with the ship's wheel. He didn't want to turn back to that life. The darkness was a strange addiction. He'd been raised to live not only by it, but in it as well. The country would trigger him. It was a test. Surely Raymond would only use his past experiences to help the greater good this time around.

__________​

"Land ho!" One of the guards yelled, sending the message across deck just as a freshly shaved Raymond stepped up onto the main level. "I heard ya!" The rogue smiled at the guard in the crows nest as he swiftly moved to the wheel and turned it accordingly, "About time." It didn't take long for him to start commanding the guards to do this and that for a safe docking experience.

"Raymond," Baxter walked toward his brother. "Hold on, Bax," The guy replied, white-knuckling the wheel as he turned it into position. A plethora of thoughts seemed to be running through Raymond's mind after James's talk, and Baxter noticed it. They didn't really have any other time to discuss other than now.

"Ropes!" Raymond called out shortly before the guards started tying knots around who knew what. Baxter looked around and took a free rope for himself, tying it accordingly, "It's different this time." The rebel leader's intention at this point was to get his message across as quickly as possible. He was worried Ray would have some sort of criminal relapse. "I know," Raymond assured before rapidly turning the wheel back around. Baxter tightened his end of the rope as he looked back at his brother, "You don't have to go back-." "Bax," Raymond interrupted prior to calmly walking over to his brother and stopping before him. "We're here," The younger Callahan nodded guaranteeing that those times were indeed in the past and that the darkness wasn't a part of his present. The ship was safely docked.

“Halt. Nazovite svoy biznes.” Raymond and Baxter turned their heads to catch their guards being halted by Delchistrierian ones. It didn't take long for the brothers to head to the front. Then, the guards spoke in a language they finally all understood. Before Baxter could respond, Azalea gave away their identity opting in for her natural straightforward approach. It was merely laughed at though since most of them looked more like peasants after months of overseas travel.

"Refugees go in the wagons." Baxter's blue gaze shifted to the lines of people trying to enter wagons, until he was ordered to step forward for a pat down. He supposed it wouldn't be that easy to get to see the king right away. The man stepped forward as his mind replayed all his alternate plans.

Raymond eyed the guard patting Azalea down, carefully watching the stranger's hands . . up to the point when Azalea knocked the guard unconscious. His eyes quickly darted around the area seeing if anyone else noticed. Meanwhile, Bax looked at the unconscious man, furrowing his brows at Azalea when the guard wasn't looking. Then, pop! She did it again, leaving both men unconscious.

Baxter's palm flew to his face nearly smacking himself. His back up idea was to show the royal Ezeris bloodline book or even Cali's seal thing. The following idea was to get searched accordingly then have Nox show her claws, thus sending them straight for the castle. True, that plan had flaws. Well, at least it was a plan! The more civilized back up was to call for their battalion leader instead. Then his back up of that back up was to- OH HE GOT NOTHING. Well he had a lot of things, but now it was messed up. Baxter's blue gaze flew back to the two unconscious guards. They'd eventually remember all that went down between them. Now who would believe them if they injured Delchistrierian guards?

Baxter had to come up with a new plan fast. Fortunately, the team was right behind him. They wasted no time in giving suggestions to go off of and even scolding Azalea for him. Now was not his time to give a lecture though since they had more important things at hand. Cali wanted to go to the wagons, Priscilla wanted to go to the castle, Jeod wanted to avoid direct assault and form a stealth team with a follow through, and Angie wanted groups to blend in. Baxter listened to all of them.

The rebel leader was in deep thought when he saw a movement at the side of his eye and shifted his gaze to Raymond, "What are you doing?" The younger Callahan glanced up at his brother with a guard's helmet fastened onto his head before tossing the other one to James, "Cleaning the mess up." "Raymond!" Baxter sort of whisper yelled as his eyes widened in horror thinking the rogue would kill them. One step onto Delchistrierian land and Ray was already going back to his criminal ways!

Raymond stood up, placing the top half of the armor on and adjusting it. "I'll take these guys to the refugee line," He indifferently replied before smoothly sliding the mask on, "If anything happens to them, it's in Delchistrier's hands." The rogue glanced at Baxter reminding him that he was very well experienced in making sure he hardly ever got caught. Slip ups like these were what caused criminals their missions. Besides, if ever the Delchistrierian's did form an alliance with them, it would be best if their guards' well-beings were affected by the kingdom's own wrongdoings. That was better than getting killed or abandoned by a rebel member. Baxter's muscles relaxed at the thought of Raymond expertly cleaning up the mess that occupied his mind.

"By the time James and I get back, I expect a full blown plan from ya," Ray mentioned as soon as he and James were done wearing the armor. Both disguised guards nodded at each other before each slinging a knocked out man's arm around their shoulders and lifting him away.

Bax watched the two walk away then looked back to the rest of the group, "Object only if you have a better plan. Otherwise, follow my instructions."

__________​

"What if they speak?" James asked once they were both out of anyone's line of sight, only to be greeted by silence. Of course the ex-criminal thought about it. If the guards woke up they would be in the wagon or wherever they sent the refugees. The fact that they were grouped with refugees would make it harder to believe them, but their language and experience with other guards may possibly still get them back to their posts. Thus, eventually imprisoning or killing each rebellion member anyway. Another potential slip up.

"Did you get those fools?" A tired voice mumbled over Raymond's shoulder, loud enough so that James could hear as well. Raymond nodded before slightly veering off course toward the water to a space hidden between ships with James following right behind him. "Good . . I had my hands on a nice, loud woman," The guard laughed still in his daze not even realizing the water as it gradually rose from his ankles, "Ya mog by vzyat' yeye dlya sebya. Veselit'sya s ney."

Sync. Slash. "AAAH!" The guard screamed against the clashing sound of high tide waves, completely waking up from his unconsciousness before getting his face dunked halfway into the ocean water and almost drowning. "Drink!" Raymond roughly commanded holding the guy's hair in one hand and the amputated tongue in the other. The struggling man kept coughing as smaller waves kept hitting his face. "Hold your tongue!" Ray felt the man's hand instantly grab his and pry it open. The rogue allowed for the sudden reaction, as a matter of factly taking it easier on the Delchistrierian than he had any person before him.

"You listen to me," Ray ordered still holding the man's hair in one hand and lifting the guy's face up to view his mask, "You will hold your friend's tongue or be blamed for losing it." The guard nodded his head as much as he could without getting any hair pulled off. On cue, James got the unconscious guard into position before the tongueless man did as he was told. Slash. The still unconscious body writhed in the water as James opened its mouth letting the ocean water rinse the blood away just like Ray had so roughly done. Now they both wouldn't speak.

Ray turned back to face the guard in his hands, calmly questioning the terrified man, "Would you rather lose a tongue, or a life?" "Ung! Ung!" The guard squirmed with worry written in his eyes. "Take this as a blessing," Ray mumbled in his ear before ramming the man's head against a ship and knocking him unconscious again. It was good to know that he caught a glint of thankfulness in the guard's eyes before it all. Had these guards laid hands on Azalea in Sarthenfall before the Shades happened . . they would have even been executed.

"We'll head to the active guards in front of the refugee line and expedite these knocked out fools into a wagon. Speak in Delchistrierian. Tell them we found them being self destructive," The experienced rogue casually mentioned as he resumed his path toward the refugee line with James in tow.

Once they reached the front of the line, James did his part of the job and both found themselves easily completing their task.

The two walked back to the group in mere silence. Who knew what the other was even thinking? Ray looked down at the ground with furrowed brows hidden underneath his mask. Years ago he would have thought nothing of cutting off tongues. Now, he felt guilty. "I apologize for pulling you in with me," He began as he looked at James with an apologetic gaze, " . . It was the best way." His eyes then shifted away from the older man again and looked toward the ground they walked on. The guards' masks and names were most likely their only forms of identification since nobody really revealed their face in Delchistrier. Now, their masks were in the rebellion's possession and their names couldn't even be uttered. No identifiable trace was left of those guards and they could never utter a word ratting them out. That's what mattered. Both James and Ray managed to do it both without killing any one of them. Whatever happened to the guards now in the refugee line was what would become of them. Whatever it was, they deserved their own treatments.

__________​

"Those refugees must be falling in line for slave trade," Baxter observed as he shifted his eyes from Angie to Cali, "Refugees are typically the last people on any land to meet a king. While I appreciate your input, our goal is to get to the king or at least a member of his cabinet." "We will go to the castle," His focus then moved to Priscilla prior to Jeod, "Not for direct assault, but negotiation. However, guards will immediately send us back to square one even with formalities. That being said, I agree with a stealth group along with a follow through." Finally, his blue eyes navigated themselves back to Angie, "No one will be alone. We will blend right in front of their faces."

As if on cue, Raymond and James re-entered the scene with their masks down. "Plan is simple. As much as I would like James and Ray to directly bring the whole group in front of the king, I doubt we can do so without getting questioned and caught," Baxter began before noticing the younger Callahan's slightly distant look, "The two guards will take Nox as far into the castle until other guards interfere. Her presence will give at least one cabinet member a warning." He paused for a bit, turning toward Nox. "Your compliance would be to your advantage as well if you ever want to face the Delchistrierian king," His eyes returned to the rest of the group after implying that she would be captured. At this time, the king was probably asleep in his room somewhere in a highly guarded castle he'd never seen. "Bax," Ray finally mentioned grabbing the leader by the shoulder, "This takes time." As far as the Callahan brothers knew, Ray was the only one experienced with breaking into a castle and successfully stealing an Ezeris bloodline book. Little did they know that the Ezeris princess had tried doing so herself only to get caught by a minor trap.

Regardless, the field needed to be surveyed. It was a completely different land. Sure Ray could sneak into the king's quarters. If it was just the rogue fine, but the whole group involved royals, friends, family, a "monster", and a kid. Ray didn't want all of them in danger. Also, the group was looking for an alliance, so little to no casualties had to be accomplished on the "enemy" side either. On top of that, only one and a half people knew Delchistrierian. Raymond was the half that merely understood it.

The brothers looked at each other in a moment of silence. Both almost seemed stumped for ideas.

"Ray, James, Nox go to the castle. You two will scan the area after her detainment," Baxter ordered gesturing at the two disguised men, "Note the library, armory, and king's quarters." "Angelo, Azalea, Priscilla, Jeod midpoint group. Follow the rest of us, then walk midpoint between our temporary base and the castle. Be observant and quiet. Check for escape routes. Meet Ray and James and lead them to our base," The rebel leader gave the full order looking at the appropriate people in the process, "Other half simply follow me to our base. Once we've all recollected, we will exchange our observations and come up with a better plan."

Ms. Sparrow NinjaGirlGamer Bakuyoshi Inheritance explosiveKitten Blackrose7

 

[Blackrose7]

Before they had arrived at Delchistrier, Annabel was making herself look beautiful. For she had heard what James had said towards everybody about his country, and knew how to make herself look presentable in front of the Delchistrierians. Because not only does she have a special outfit for when she is dealing with the nobles. But Annabel knew how to make her hair look fancy, since she used to take care of the Ezeris’s royal family as a maid. This took Annabel awhile for her to be ready and once she was ready. She ended up going up the stairs to find out that two of the Delchistrier’s guards were unconscious on the upper deck. ‘Azalea, please don’t tell me that you knock them unconscious. If you did do that than you have mess up the plan.’ thought Annabel. She didn’t react to what happened, as she was trying to fit in by playing the Delchistrier’s game.
Baxter then told everybody about what he wanted them to do. Even though, Annabel wanted to visit Delchistrier’s library, so she can get some information about the kingdom. “Hm...you don’t mind if some of us went to the library. I would like to learn about Delchistrier’s history, since I actually like their masks.” said Annabel, as she looked at the masks that Raymond and James are wearing.
Xanto

 

[NinjaGirlGamer]

𝑰𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒂 𝑲𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒊𝒏​

LAND HO!

The guard from the upper deck shouted, signaling the sight of land ahead. Ivanna was below deck, polishing her chest piece of black armor when she heard the shout. Making the finishing touches before slipping the armor on, completing her look. Equipping the sheath that goes on her back, followed by her sword. The long thick cloak wraps around covering most of her armor and the large sword. Once finished, she exited her room and made way to the upper deck with the rest.

The sight of Delchistrier was the view Ivanna has never seen before. Sure, she has seen enough places as a traveler to see at least different exteriors, but this was different. However, the way James put the place, was everything that Ivanna was against. This was foreign land, so she needed to be careful of what lays ahead, Expect the unexpected. Ivanna watches the crew dock the vessel on the Delchistrier docks, standing not too far from the walk off point. Looking off to the left to see, wait a second, she frowns at the sight of a shaven Raymond.

Something in her mind pegged her of a familiar face. The walking board was being placed when the rest of the gang was lined up to leave the ship. Honestly, she was glad to be on land, but she still had her eyes on Raymond before looking away. Ivanna was the second to last to leave the ship, being in the back of the group when they were stopped by guards. Ivanna eyes them carefully as they speak in their native tongue and snicker in a fit of jests. It was obvious they were being mocked, silently wishing she could cut off each of their tongues right now.

Soon, they were going to be searched for weapons, Ivanna’s hand under her cloak shifts to her dagger to be ready for anything. That was, until Azalea did the job for her and knocked out the two guards in her usual fashion. This made Ivanna relax and let out of the handle of the dagger. Then, the gang started to lay out plans about what the next course of action is. Personally, Ivanna would move in the shadows, storm the castle underground, and take out any guard in her way all the while hiding her tracks. It was suggested though, they needed to stick together, a slave trade sounded deeply rooted in Delchistrier works. Another reason to hate this place, Ray and James used disguises from the guards. They both went off somewhere, before coming back. Ivanna’s glared at Nox, wondering why she wasn’t retaliating yet, maybe because of the many eyes around? Still, she had to be watched closely.

Ms. Sparrow Xanto explosiveKitten Blackrose7 Bakuyoshi Inheritance

 

[Ms. Sparrow]

Azalea Eve Windfore

It was two hours later when all was said and done had the group finally gotten back together, missing Nox of course, whom had to have seemed to have gone bemusedly with the plan—much to they’re relief. Atlas, the sprawling city of Delchistrier was massive, and though late, seeing candle light and lit lanterns through gold-panned windows wasn’t rare at all. Beautiful, oranate buildings stretched for miles it seemed, making the city feel especially desolate and creepy yet a rare treasure, making their way through the massive marketplace that surely bustled during the day, around extravagant fountains and statues, every hedge or flower at perfection. Azalea felt like she was in the palace already, feeling as if Calore was suddenly incredibly ugly. No wonder these people thought they were all savages. Sarthenfall had nothing in beauty compared to Delchistrier.

As the midpoint group made their way back towards the temporary base, with James and Raymond now in tow, she could help but have to uncanny sensation of being watched, her neck prickling in sensation, though every time she glanced back unto a balcony or darkened alleyway, there was nobody following them at all. Blaming it on her paranoia, the Calore princess tried to shove it past her as the approached the rest of the group, all no doubt eager to here what the others had encountered separately, and for actual beds, naturally. Azalea eyes locked unto Baxter’s group, whom stood waiting outside a more tall building, the moonlight peaking through the clouds casting a shadow on the paved streets, finding herself turning giddy as she read the large, elegantly written sign above the double white doors which read;

Rozovoye Derevo Inn

Ha! A bloody inn! Just what they needed. She hadn’t been to an Inn since she met most of them all originally. Azalea grinned as she stepped up to everyone, the rest of the mid-point group behind by just a step, abruptly the redhead swerved for the door, “Sleep now—talk later,” Azalea said bluntly, her hands wrapping around the curved golden handles of both double doors, stepping back and opening them wide for the group as she took a step in. The interior was nicely decorated with white walls and quartz floors, touched with red drapes over windows, and more that brought out the extravaganza of Delchistrier. Azalea’s eyes immediately locked unto a middle-aged man behind the wooden counter, his black hair thinning with a rather skinny form. His eyes widened in mortification as numbers after numbers of the group filed in. The man waved his hands in a gesture of declination and dismay, shaking his head, “Net net net!” He shouted at them, “Slishkom mnogo lyudey, malo mesta!”

Azalea frowned before James stepped forward, still in guard uniform, his mask over his face. “Vecher. Nam ne nuzhny komnaty dlya vsekh, my voz'mem to, chto u vas yest'.” He said in a stern voice, his Delchistrier accent fitting in perfectly with his familiar surroundings.

The Innkeeper shook his head in exasperation, “U nas yest' odin.” He explained, rubbing the bald spot beginning to form on his scalp.

“Eto bol'shoy?” James asked, glancing back at the group.

“O da! Da, ser, eto nash samyy dorogoy.” He said, a bit too-excited at this. It was not often he was able to sell it. James suddenly clapped him on the back and nodded, almost as if in approval, though she could not see behind his mask.

“My voz'mem eto.”

A few minutes later the group was directed upstairs, a key in James hand as he walked down the long, dark hallway, doors lining the sides, and only stopping at the very end of the hall at the last door before him. James pushes the key into the lock and stepped inside, Azalea stepped in after him, her face falling.

Indeed, the room was large. At the far right, a white sofa, along with a few white matching lounge chairs assorted in front of a coffee table, the sofa pushed against the white walls. Directly across from the seating arrangement were two king sized beds, pushed against the wall. The only beds. Around the room large candles had been lit, giving the room a warm, relaxing feeling with its slightly dimmer lighting. Indeed, the extravagance and beautiful interior became lost on Azalea as she realized their predicament. They would all be stuck in this room tonight.

Azalea tipped her head back and groaned.

~~~
Time skip: Delchistrier Temporary Base — Rozovoye Derevo Inn
Time: 1:23 AM
Weather: Cool, cloudy, and very dark.

Xanto explosiveKitten
Bakuyoshi
Inheritance Blackrose7 NinjaGirlGamer

 

[Xanto]

Raymond Callahan and Baxter Callahan​

Raymond blinked at the furniture arrangement before casually walking into the room and removing his helmet. "We found the rooms you wanted us to find," He tiredly reported as he removed his mask then placed it with the helmet off to the side of the room, "Armory on the edge of the west wing, king's quarter's in the upper tower, and library in the middle of the east wing." His usually tousled hair was almost completely flattened at this point, practically resembling his teenage hairstyle again.

"Midpoint group update?" Baxter walked into the room after his brother. The rebel leader's blue eyes scanned the area around them as if expecting to find some sort of flaw. However, this time he didn't. No cracked walls or faded blankets were in sight. Additionally, the beds were large enough to accommodate somewhere around three people. It was better than expected, especially after inwardly comparing the room to that of an Ezerisian inn's.

Clank. The last of Raymond's armor dropped to the side before he removed his coat and stretched. It was obvious that his body was in pain after all that happened. Just imagine sleeping against a post, on a bench, and suddenly lugging unfamiliar armor around. Ray sleepily yanked one of the many prepped blankets off a bed then smoothly spread it on the ground all in one motion. His body followed in suit, lying on top of the massive blanket.

"Even after the updates we must discuss strategy," Baxter replied, shifting his gaze away from Raymond. There was a brief silence in the room undoubtedly due to exhaustion and the lack of separate beds though. " . . Alright, I'll give my two cents," Ray folded his arms behind his head ready to speed things up to get as much sleep as he could, "I can sneak Angelo and Jeod some armor from the armory. Then, the four of us can gather more intel for the negotiation before exposing any of our royals." That was one option. To Ray, it was the lengthier option. However, he usually came up with a second choice. "Or if ya want a different plan, we can crash the next ball the king throws," Ray looked over at Aurelie and James, "Maybe you two can give us a run down on all ya both know about the king and his cabinet members. That way, we can personally appeal to them and skip more than half the guards."

"When's the next ball?" Baxter questioned after thinking for a few moments. Ray only shrugged though. "James, did you pick up any word about this?" Baxter questioned leaning more toward Ray's second option. As much as the rebel leader would rather take the more secure traditional first option, the second choice didn't sound too bad. Besides they had to move fast this time around. Plus, a ball would help them skip scheduling "unplanned" cabinet run ins and levels of guarded processes to reach the king.

Ms. Sparrow NinjaGirlGamer Inheritance explosiveKitten Blackrose7 Bakuyoshi

 

[explosiveKitten]

Walking through the city was a trip. And not a trip as in a distance trip, more like a psychedelic trip.

Everyone behaved so... snooty, and hoity-footy. Not to metnion the masks. Everybody was wearing them, it was the strangest thing. And they all looked unique and fancy. Whoever was making these things had to be the richest person in this entire godsdamn country.

But no, that wasn’t the weirdes part. That award went to Aurelie herself. It was like she was a different person, gone was the sniveling, terrified little bunny rabbit princess of Aubigine. Instead she was replaced with a stoic faced, passively-judging-you, nose-held-high noble snob. Holy shit, she was acting like an ACTUAL queen of a country! What the hell kind of magic did this place have?!

Angie had to really tap into her training back in the family manor in order to pull this off- Then again, she had been taught to act like a proper lady, not a man. She had to repeatedly remind herself to look up, and not at her feet. Men are allowed to be seen and heard. Young girls like she had been were told to shut up and let the men talk.

This was honestly just... strange.

~~~~~~~~~~

Angie had taken off that stupid stiff coat almost immediately, throwing it onto the nearest chair and collapsing into it, before reaching down and yanking the fancy loafers off her feet and almost aggressively tossing them on the ground.

“A ball?” She asked once the brothers had paused in their conversation, “I’m no good with fancy steps, but if that’s what you want to do... Is it a masquerade? Is that why everyone is wearing those masks?”
“The masks are a tradition here in Delchristier. They are an integral piece of the culture here.” Aurelie said in a matter-of-fact sort of manner. “I’m sure Mister James could tell you that. I believe the patterns are unique to specific families?” She looked at James for confirmation, before suddenly seeming to realize that she had been... confident? And she shrank with a nervous laugh, wringing her dress anxiously.

“... Whatever happens, I don’t see why we can’t just do both of those things.” Angie rolled her shoulders and actually relaxed for the first time since they got here. “Gather as much information as we possibly can before we throw all our chips in to one plan or another.”

Ms. Sparrow NinjaGirlGamer Inheritance @explosiveKitten Blackrose7 Bakuyoshi

 

[Blackrose7]

Annabel was keeping an eye on Clyde during the walk towards their base, since she was thinking of spending some time with her nephew. ‘Hmm...should I talk to Clyde for a bit? I mean he only knew about my reveal as his aunt just recently. No. I shouldn’t do that, since I am just going to make it awkward again. But then again, Clyde is the only one who is alive in my family. AAAHHH.’ thought Annabel. She clearly didn’t know what to do with Clyde, but wants to make him happy.
Once they had found a room at the inn, Annabel walked towards where Clyde was sitting at, and started to poke him on his right arm. ‘That will get his attention, and wait a minute. Did they say that they would expose any of the royals, and what is this about a ball?’ thought Annabel, who had heard what Raymond and Baxter had said. This had made Annabel worry, since she clearly didn’t want them to use her as a part of their plan. Because she still wanted to be normal in the group. “I wouldn’t recommend using me as a part of your plan, since I would rather avoid being involved with the whole royal situation. Not to mention, I would take the royal bloodline book from Clyde if you even think about using me for that reason.” said Annabel, who was glaring at Raymond for even saying that. She then calmed down, as she was going to talk about the ball. “Now about the ball. I think that is a better idea, because who knows what would happen if any of us royals was exposed.” said Annabel. That was only being said to them, because Annabel still didn’t want people to know who she is. For she would rather avoid that than for them to expose her as a royal by force. ‘The ball idea sounds like it would be fun, since I have never got to take part in one. I just had to work there, and keep my mouth shut.’ thought Annabel.
Xanto

 

[NinjaGirlGamer]

𝑰𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒂 𝑲𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒊𝒏​

Delchistrier proved to be a whole other world Ivanna didn’t completely understand. The walk through the crowded streets and the different type of exterior on buildings was like they all just want to another dimension. Ivanna kept herself in the back, her cape covering most of her gear as she wandered straight with the rest. Ivanna could feel that eyes were on her, and from their looks it wasn’t anything of awe. This was nothing new to her.

Some time later the group found themselves at a fairly decent looking inn. Ivanna looked up at the height of the building, she hasn’t been to an inn in what seemed like forever. Hopefully I could get my own room. However that wishful thinking was short lived when she finally got a view of what room the rebellion would be staying in. There were only two beds, and knowing who’s mainly in the group. The royals, Ivanna would end up sleeping on the floor.

She could already feel the uncomfortable wooden floor at her back, but nevertheless said nothing as she stepped into their quarters. Ivanna picked a spot in the corner where her sword would be placed, taking off the sheath then pulling out her large sword. Setting it up against the wall where the handle almost touched the ceiling. Noticing some nicks and scratches along the blade, her fingers felt the slight unevenness. The sword needed an expert blacksmith to get it fixed.

Sitting down against the wall, legs crossed, she watched as Baxter and the others discuss matters of how they would get close to the King. A ball, Ivanna raised her eyebrow at the suggestion, Raymond suggested that they crash the King’s ball. A suggestion Ivanna didn’t like, but it seemed everyone was agreeing to the idea. Of course they all would be on board. Ivanna hasn’t been to a ball since—-she shuts the memory out of her head before it had a chance to come back.

Ivanna would rather stay at the base and watch over nothing but dust than spend hours of boredom with overly optimistic nobles talking about politics and how great their country is. She could already see herself clawing her eyes out at the sheer preppy madness that is Delchistrier. A place that she is growing to hate every second that they are there.

Ms. Sparrow Xanto explosiveKitten Blackrose7 Bakuyoshi Inheritance

 

[Bakuyoshi]

"This, oh wow this is a nice place. I haven't seen anything so gorgeous since, well a friend of me and Prisc-. Oh right we don't talk about him." Cali quickly shut up as Priscilla fired a glare to her. "But uh change of subject is this really a good idea honestly. I'm pretty sure if any of what James has warned about is true, won't this just cause even more issue." She was concerned regarding this plan. Too many things could go wrong. And a good amount of the issues didn't involve Nox, for the first time that monster was not Cali's biggest concern. It was this country itself that frightened her the most now. The people were worse then half of the people in Lorlelthia, and that wasn't including her big list of people to avoid. "I get the feeling our graves won't be home if this plan falls through. But we are in a corner. All we can do is pray to whatever gods we believe in and hope this works."

Though inside she had some doubts about all of this. Soris' letter was eating away at her mind. What if this was doomed from the start? Would allies from these people even be trustworthy. Already Cali had a hatred for these people and was questioning everything and it kept getting worse the more she thought of it

Ms. Sparrow Xanto Blackrose7 NinjaGirlGamer explosiveKitten

 

[Ms. Sparrow]

Azalea Eve Windfore

Azalea stepped into the room as more of the group filed in behind her, glancing around with arched brows before Raymond’s voice caught her attention, her head snapping in his direction, both listening and watching him speak. She smirked faintly to herself, recalling their morning and her rather dangerous thoughts. Azalea frowned some. When she had asked to be stuck in a room with Raymond again...she didn’t think the rest of the group would be tagging along. She shook her head and snorted, walking over to the quartz fireplace, where the seating area with the couch and sofa chairs were set neatly about, plopping into one of the lounge chairs, propping her chin up with a fist as she leaned over into one of the one of the arm rests. Azalea listened on to the conversation, staring at the crackling, raging, red-orange flames in silent thought, until Cali added in her own glum thoughts. Azalea snorted.

“Right, because the Gods have helped us get this far and pish, right?” Azalea muttered loudly, her tone oozing in sarcasm, tired and cranky.

James cut in, “A...ball? Ah! Yes, Delchistrier loves a party, though /Aodren/ throws them far too often, every other night. At least, he was a few years ago. If there was no ball tonight, which we saw at the palace, there was not, then there shall be a ball tomarrow night, indefinitely.” He stated as-a-matter-of-factory, standing across the room by the window, his masked guards helmet tucked under his arm.

“And what can we expect from your sort of balls?” Azalea asked dryly, sitting up some more in her seat as she crossed her legs and turned her head over to the window.

“They are the Centerpiece of The Game. Crashing one will certainly draw the nobility’s attention on you—and the cabinet. It will be at /these/ events that you all must be on your best behavior and act your roles, put on your own masks.” James informed them, leaning back against the wall.

“Literally orrrrr....” Azalea trailed off, grinning. Being a typical smart-ass and earning a narrowed glare from James.

“No! You wish to insult my culture? Nobody here gets a mask—but me. Your all from Sarthenfall—wearing a mask would be an insult to us...and end up with a knife in your throat.”

“We—ee—el now I feel insulted.” Azalea said dryly before paling suddenly, “Wait...they will all have masks and shite?”

“Indeed. Though I believe in Sarthenfall, our normals balls are what your people refer to as masquerade balls, yes? Or masked balls was it?”

Azalea turned away towards the flames, feeling sick all of sudden, drowning out the conversation around her. The last, and first time she had seen masked dancers, was in the pavilion, when she found out ‘Keeper’ was Soris...and had seen the soul-trapped Ana. She closed her eyes and rubbed her now aching temple, trying to shut out the haunting memories.

She had other things she had to friggin take care of first, actually. Azalea slowly stood up, turning around to face the majority of the group, her yellow-green eyes scanned the room in a hunting fashion before finding her target, her eyes narrowing.

Azalea pointed a finger at Annabel, “You.” She said, a hint of ice in her tone. It was time they talked. And with only one room for them all to share—there was little room to run.

Xanto explosiveKitten
Bakuyoshi
Inheritance Blackrose7 NinjaGirlGamer