Fantasy World of Arstider // Closed

[ZombieBaee]

Ash Maidenhair

Ash had been put up for the job of going with Ember to break out the prisoner, he was thrilled for the opportunity to finally prove he was more than Astoria's sidekick but he still couldn't shake the bad feeling he was getting in general. Astoria was pulling away from him and he wasn't angry with her for it, he always truly thought that she needed more people in her life, she was far too sheltered and never allowed herself to be open with people besides him and a few of their friends from home. What he was upset about was that whatever was going on, she was hiding it from him. They told each other everything! Well... he now knew that even wasn't true due to the situation with Fern. Maybe she wasn't the person he thought she was... that was what was hurting the most. Ember questioned him and he looked over at her with a sheepish smile, "Ah am I that transparent? Hah-no. It's okay, I don't really want to talk to Astoria about it until this is all over... I think it's all just too much in general. I'm just feeling a little lost is all, sometimes you really think you know something or someone and it's not right. Then when that goes to shit your brain has to recover, ya know?" Ash was thankful for someone to actually ask and care but honestly he really didn't know how to word his worry.

The others started the distraction and soon he and Ember were off to the cell that housed the prisoner. The man was out cold but seemed to be breathing and was slowly becoming responsive. He took a chance to check in on the others and across the camp he could vaguely see Asher and Astoria. They were close together, standing face to face and the way she was looking at him made something click. That was what she meant when she said a spark. That right there, that look that he had never seen her make in his life. Ash felt an anger rise in his throat but before it was able to take over, thankfully Ember spoke up.

"Right, I'm sure it can." Ash had let himself get distracted and lost sight of the goal right in front of him. He outstreched his hand and some roots moved from the tree they had been hiding behind and into the lock, growing and twisting until the thing shattered and they were able to yank open the cell door. Ash leaned down and shook the man awake. It took a few moments but they were able to get him up and tell him to run back to the town, he was thankful and ran without looking back. Ash stood and gave Ember a thumbs up. "Now let's join the others yeah?"

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Neve Juniper

The whole plan to save the prisoner and scare off the guards went off perfectly. The group got away with four horses, plenty of supplies, and a cart and from then on traveled village to village to learn what they could. Soon Aspen recalled something about a fortune teller, his mother, and a prophecy. They had no other direction to go in, and even Marxine's mother mentioned something about this so called prophecy. After discussing it with the others for nearly a whole night they decided to head back to Inverno, lay low, and find the fortune teller. Of course that was easier said than done. There had been so much tension with the group, more specifically Ash and Asher, and even Astoria! It created a depressing air to the whole group.

It took a few days for them to get back to Inverno, they left the horses and cart in the care of a friendly neighborhood stable hand. From then on they stayed at Aspen's bar. It was quite homey even, though she supposed Aspen’s father had something to do with that. He was always the nice welcoming one of the pair. Though it was nice to be in the bar with Aspen again, it also broke her heart being back here; Neve loved Inverno, she would die for the people. It hurt her that she was confined to the bar and not able to find out what was happening to the kingdom. Who was in charge right now? Every question she had ate up her patience. Still, she promised she wouldn't go out and risk being seen.

After about a week of agonizing torture with everyone living on top of each and not being able to go anywhere. There was a bar, a loft, a small living room and a bedroom. So when Aspen came back home to the bar with news of the fortune teller Neve was ecstatic and eager to join him in his search. Was it a good idea to leave Ash and Asher alone together? Probably not...but, Marxine was there. She'd be able to handle the boys if they got out of control.

"I think this is it." The cottage wasn't too far away on horseback, it was quaint, isolated in the woods, and something you wouldn't find without knowing where it was. "Are you ready for this?" Neve glanced up at Aspen as she dismounted the horse they shared, smiling gently at him. She was worried about Aspen facing this by himself so she was glad he let her join him.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Ember Siegfreid

As much as she was glad hey were leading the search far away from the children Ember felt uncomfortable the whole time. Was it riding horseback for long hours between villages? Was it the constant fear and dread that they would be found and they'd have hurt their loved ones? No, not quite. It was the horrible tension Ash and Asher put off at each other. Out of nowhere Ash started to be very bitter and angry towards Asher, and Asher started doing the same to Ash! Ember truly did her best to settle the tension in the group. Every day she made sure they had a group meal like a family, not like the others where they kind of drifted off from each other. It was what her family used to do and they always had a great time.

Unfortunately the tension didn't break. The group eventually decided to go to Inverno to follow up with the fortune teller who spoke of the prophecy. It put even more strain on the group. The stress of being in the kingdom and being wanted criminals, especially for Neve and Aspen since it was their home. Honestly it was a surprise everyone made it to Inverno alive. To make matters worse, eight people were living in a one bedroom home above a bar. For two people it would have been slightly cramped, eight? Eight was a nightmare. Sleeping on the floor wasn't terrible, not after sleeping in the places and conditions they had to in no man's land. It was everyone on top of each other, Ash and Asher's unspoken conflict, Neve's constant stressing that everyone could see, and the overwhelming worry that Aspen wouldn't find a lead. Still, Ember prayed and hoped that good things would come.

After a week of everyone at each other's throats it finally happened. Good news found them with Aspen's discovery of the location of the fortune teller. Neve was overjoyed and went with Aspen leaving the rest of them at the bar without the Inverno natives. While they were gone Ember finished up all of the cleaning that was left to do and found herself wandering to find Ash. Astoria seemed on Asher's side more often then not and Ember didn't like choosing sides, but she wasn't going to let Ash be by himself all the time. When Ember wasn't cooking or cleaning she was trying her best to cheer him up.

Once Ember the living room she found River by the window making the wind blow the trees in the woods nearby. How bad was it that the so called Queen of Zomer didn't work on her powers? She was too focused on taking care of everyone else. "You're getting better at that. Have you seen Ash around?"

 

[Sir Damien]

River Siegfreid

Traveling was Hell. The group aimlessly went town to town trying to figure out what to do next. Every day was more unpredictable than the last, and the fued between Ash and Asher had to stop. It was over Astoria, wasn't it? It was bothersome that the three never spoke of their feelings but at the same time, it was completely bothersome to the whole group. Also, it was inconsiderate. River was off put by the feud every time one of them opened their mouth and it frustrated River to his core. Luckily he didn't focus on it too much. Practicing his powers and learning how to survive from Marxine. Spending time with her felt like home, as weird as it sounds. She was a strong, confident woman and he admired her. Since he met her she had a personality he was always drawn to, he missed being able to spend time with her. Being on the run wasn't terrible because she was there with him.

In the same sense river felt a cloud of guilt hang over him. Marxine did this alone and River was powerless to save her. It was a guilt that he lived with every day since, and that's one of the reasons he wanted to be king so bad. Though, despite knowing he needed to apologize to her about failing to help her, he didn't have the courage to say anything. Still, he enjoyed being with her. Especially since he couldn't stand anyone else in the bar.

No one was allowed to leave save for Aspen, and River was sure everyone wanted to crawl out of their skin by weeks end. Aspen left with Neve to travel and find the alleged fortune teller, something River wasn't so sure of. A fortune teller from nearly three decades ago that told one fortune would point them in the right direction? It seemed as if River was the only sceptic, so he bit his lip and went along with it. After living in the house for a week, however, he would definitely never want to do this again. Ash and Asher made everything so tense and every little interaction exhausting. Thank the heavens Aspen found the location of the fortune teller.

The next morning Aspen and Neve left to see the teller. Things got worse without Neve. Sure, she had been her fair share of distant, but she always seemed to nip an argument in the bud if it got out of hand. Today he hoped Asher and Ash would stay away from each other. River stood in the window of the apartment and focused on a strong gust, the only way he could properly exercise his powers without drawing attention to the bar. Lay low, that was the tactic for this mission. "Well Queen Ember I'm just not quite sure." Silently he scolded himself for sounding too bitter. "I, uh, I think I seen him by the bar." River let out a long sigh and slid his hand though his shoulder length black hair.

 

[Colt Voltage]

Asher Forrest

Being raised in the guard taught him several principles in life. Asher had nothing but respect, he was a gentleman and that was part of the reason he was so afraid of women outside of his uniform. Astoria was someone he placed on a pedestal, he assured her everyday that she was Astoria Primrose, Queen of Vasna. She was her own person and had accomplishments of her own, she wasn't just Ash's fiance. So, when Ash started to be rude to Astoria, Asher instantly found himself jumping to defend her honor. Just the way Ash looked at them irritated Asher most days. The constant tension between the two didn't help with the stress of traveling throughout no mans land. And, as much as Asher wanted to just be honest with Ash and lay everything out onto the table, he respected Astoria. If she wanted to be the one to tell Ash then he would be silent until she did. Well, as silent as he could be.

Not being able to get away from the others even for a few minutes was killing Asher inside. Growing up he was either working or by himself, he had never had to be in close proximity to this many people for an extended time. The cart, the travel, even Aspen's place. Everyone was cramped and on top of each other. He was especially sure that the royals felt overwhelmed as well, living like this wasn't a common practice that they'd be used to. That's why everything was riding on Aspen finding out about his mother and the fortune teller. They had connections to where the council resided. If the old council's home could be found then maybe they'd have a chance to have a good nights rest and regroup.

Aspen and Neve left right after breakfast, and after Asher wished them safe travels he found himself wandering down to the bar. Neve had basically told everyone to be on their best behavior while they were gone, even telling Asher and Ash to stay away from each other. So he went down to the bar and poured himself a glass of whiskey to stay away form the others. He wasn't supposed to hang around Astoria much, Queen Marxine always seemed busy, so he tried his best to work on his powers. Though, the most he could do was play with fire in the fireplace.

As Asher finished the drink he made the fire disappear and stood from his chair. After he washed his glass he checked twice to make sure the door and the windows were locked and headed upstairs. His brows arched as he found Ember and River in the living room. River had been avoiding Ember since the ceremony. "Oh. Hey. Ember is there anything I can do to help around here?" Cleaning would prevent him from getting into it with Ash, right?

 

[KAYDEN]

Aspen Rift

Being back home was bittersweet, it felt nice to have a bit of normalcy and be able to be around his surroundings again after so long of being away but the situation was still scary. Not only were they being hunted down but now he was being forced to deal with memories that he wasn't quite sure that he was mentally prepared for. He knew he had to do it, and was glad he didn't have to do it alone but it was still worrisome. His tavern wasn't big, the group had been on top of each other for days and tensions were slowly rising. He was thankful that he and Neve were able to get out more often than the others in search of information but after today's mission they would likely be on the move again soon.

The fortune teller was deep in the woods that surrounded the city so it was probable that they would be safe out here, and from the short memory he had of the woman he was fairly sure that she was a family friend and thus wouldn't call the guards on them but how knew how people changed. Plus...right now things must be hard for the people still in Inverno. Neve glanced over at him from his side and he took a deep breath as his feet dropped to the snow covered ground below. "Yeah, I'm ready. Thank you, really." He gave her a small smile before it melted into his usual stoic face and he made the short walk to the cabin door.

Instantly Aspen realized something was wrong, the door was ajar and broken. "Shit." Aspen hissed quietly and motioned for Neve to stay behind him before he took a few steps into the small home. It was destroyed, chairs upturned, books and scrolls everywhere, drawers were pulled open and their contents were spilled over the cobblestone floor. "Fuck, they got here first." That was good and bad, it means they were on the right track to information but it also meant they likely weren't going to be able to find said information... it was likely already gone. Aspen was about ready to turn around and leave before they risked more danger than they already were but his eyes landed on something that sparked a memory in his head. On the wall hung a oil portrait of a woman with long white hair and features similar to his own, there was no doubt in his mind that it was a picture of his mother but upon further examination there was indication that the canvas could be pulled up.

Aspen pulled the frame from the wall and picked at the corner until it peeled up and revealed a small metal key and a folded up piece of parchment that read;
"Aspen, I hope you find this. I know one day they will come looking for me, now that the events that occured have unfolded. I swore to your mother I would protect you and I will continue that vow if found, I will not let them know anything if they take me. They know you are alive, that much is clear... All the information you need is with your mother's private thoughts in your true home. This key will unlock them. Be safe child."

Aspen turned to Neve and held up the parchment and key for her to examine before he leaned his head back against the wall and thought out loud, "Why is it always fucking puzzles."

 

[ZombieBaee]

Ash Maidenhair

The group returned to Inverno once more and found themselves hiding out in Aspen's tavern. It was a small space that required a lot of together time that was not wanted after the crowded conditions they were in during their travel to Inverno in the first place. Tensions were high between himself and Asher, clearly something was going on and despite how many times Ash tried to get Tori to talk to him she would find ways to ignore the conversation. The good news that Aspen brought back from his search had helped lift the moods a little bit but it seemed the moment that he and Neve left that morning, moods sky rocketed. Ash was over it, if they were all going to continue to do this together, they couldn't continue this way. He was done looking stupid and being treated like a moron. He was done being lied to! Why was Tori being like this?

"Astoria stop!" The tall man had followed her down to the bar when she went down to make some tea, "I just want you to tell me what is going on. Stop hiding from me! I'm not stupid!" He followed her around the small kitchen as she tried he best to blow him off but finally he snapped. "Tori!" His voice was much louder than he intended but this was getting ridiculous. "Stop acting like nothing is wrong, did I do something? Is that why you've been running around with him?" The words left his mouth like venom. "Or is it that Fern was right, you never really cared about me. I was just comfortable. I was just there. I get it, truly. You've told me we're not like that I KNOW Astoria. I KNOW. But I guess I assumed you cared enough about me to be HONEST."

Ash let out a curt laugh before shoving a hand through his shoulder length hair and paced across the kitchen. "For gods sake Astoria say SOMETHING."

 

[EclipseRosee]

Astoria Primrose

The group had made the decision to head back to Inverno based on Aspen's words about his past, Astoria supposed that it was as good a lead as any but she had to admit the idea of going back to that place was scary. The last time they were there every single one of them nearly died, they were met with horrifying truths and it was the place her life started to fall apart. Though the last part she could really only blame herself for. This wasn't the person she was, she was brave and noble and strong willed but polite and kind. This woman that she had morphed into was shameful and sneaky, anxious. She hated it... all she wanted to do was to tell Ash but she was so petrified of losing him altogether that her mouth just wouldn't form the words.

Their time together in the tavern was only making things worse. There wasn't a lot of room for them all to share and the place with the most privacy was the downstairs kitchen that was used for the tavern, it was where Astoria found herself hiding from the rising tensions between Ash and Asher most often. It was where now she felt trapped by Ash trying once more to have a conversation with her. "Ash I don't want to do this here, I don't want to talk to you about this when none of us can walk away. Once we are out of here I promise Ash I wi-" His booming voice caused her to jump slightly, the teapot in her hands falling to the floor and shattering with a loud noise as she turned and looked at him wide eyed. Never had he spoken to her like this... to ANYONE.

"Ash I'm not trying to treat you like you're stupid!" Astoria yelled over him as he ranted. His words stung but she knew she deserved them... Slowly she felt herself folding in on herself and tears began to well up. "You know I care about you. Don't say that. Please stop..." Her hands wrapped around her own arms as she hugged herself but it didn't provide any comfort. "Ash I love you but not like that, you know that. You don't love me like that either so why are you so mad!" Astoria sobbed and backed away from him until she was leaning against the counter, staring at him across the room. "It's not like I went out searching for him! He happened, it happened! Fast! Before I knew it, before I could control it I was just in it, deep." She paused and wiped at her eyes. "And I dont want to control it, I want it. Ash I care about you so deeply, you are my family but Asher is-" Astoria swallowed a sob and just shook her head and looked down not really knowing how to explain it, what words to use, Asher just was it.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Marxine Augustine

When they returned to Inverno they used some of Marxine's old tactics to sneak in, hid the horses with a trusted confidant and made their was to Aspen's tavern in the middle of the night. She made sure to be careful to teach everyone along the way how to avoid leaving a trail of any sort. The travel already had everyone feeling rough, it was long and cramped but they were not prepared for how much worse living in the tavern would be. Aspen only had a two room loft space above the small tavern and it seemed like everyone was on top of each other the whole time. Ash and Asher were annoying, Neve was a ball of nerves and River was acting strange towards her... Ember seemed to be the one holding it together the best and trying to keep morale up which Marxine was thankful for but it was only a matter of time before tensions overflowed.

It seemed like that time was today. With Neve and Aspen gone it was like you could suddenly feel the tension in the air, cut it with a knife nearly. Most everyone was upstairs and talking amongst themselves. Marxine was standing at the edge of a window and peeking through the curtains to the road below them as she listened to the conversation. "River is right, Ash went downstairs a few minutes ago." At first Marxine didn't think too much of that fact but soon a yell and shattering porcelain made her turn quickly towards the steep staircase that led downstairs.

"Oh hell." Marxine quickly moved to block the way to the stairs, knowing Asher would be ready to go downstairs in a heartbeat. "Asher, don't do anything stupid. Take a moment to breathe before you go down there." She chuckled nervously and the hair on her arms stood on end as she continued to hear the conversation below get more and more emotional. Marxine had noticed the tension but she never would have imagined this was what was going on. She looked over to River and pleaded with him to help diffuse the situation, she wasn't one with words and such, she was the one to stand back and be ready to knock one of them out if need be.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Neve Juniper

As they walked up the path to the teller's home she could sense something was off, and as soon as Aspen motioned for her to get behind him she obliged and followed him inside. The house was ransacked and it was clear someone was looking for something, though she wasn't quite sure what the thieves were looking for. Suddenly Aspen was picking up a portrait and peeling off the picture of a beautiful white haired woman. Apparently he had found a clue underneath the picture, and it would hopefully lead to the diary.

When Aspen showed Neve the clue she read it over a few times in her head before it clicked. "Your true home...is she referring to the palace?" The more she ran it through in her head the more it made sense. It also seemed almost impossible to get. "You lived there for a long while, maybe the woman knew you'd end up living there?" Neve let a small sigh pass her lips before she pushed the hood of her cloak back and ran a hand through her shoulder length white hair. "That involves somehow sneaking into the palace, and who even knows where it's being kept."

Neve began to pace the floor as she tried her best to think of where such an item would be kept. Dante's room? Her parents room? The attic? Or some hidden area? "If you knew the castle better then I'd bring you along, but I think that it might be a good idea if I go by myself. That way if I get caught at least you guys would be safe." There were some butlers, maids, and guards she was sure she could trust with her life. "I'm sure I can sneak in, search the castle, and sneak out and head straight back to the bar. The fate of the kingdoms ride on this, you need this, so I'll do this."

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Ember Siegfreid

Everything was falling apart. Asher came up after the others went down to the bar, there was shouting from the pair and suddenly a crash. Ember didn't wait for Asher to move, quietly she slipped passed Marxine and directly downstairs. "Asotria, Ash?" Nervously Ember pulled her hair back into a ribbon as she entered the kitchen. "Ash, Astoria. I love you both, you both are amazing people, but we're laying low right now. If we get caught we'll get separated from Neve and Aspen and then we're in real trouble, okay?" Her golden eyes landed on the shattered teapot, a small sigh passing her lips.

"Are you both okay? Watch your step." Quickly she knelt down on the floor and began to pick up the larger pieces of the sharp shattered pieces. The stress of this whole situation was weighing heavily on Ember but she was trying so hard to keep it together for everyone. Once all the large pieces were gathered she walked to the trash to dump them, wincing as one of the pieces sliced open her palm. "Oh, heavens." Ember rose to her feet and moved to the tap before running some water on the bleeding cut. "Astoria will you grab me the first aid kit? I'm sure Aspen has one somewhere around here."

As Ember cleaned the wound she silently prayed that everything could just calm down. Things were out of hand already, the last thing they needed was for things to get worse. They just needed to hold out until Neve and Aspen got back from the fortune teller.

 

[Colt Voltage]

Asher Forrest

Soon enough Marxine was joining them in the room, though he had yet to see Astoria or Ash for quite sometime. For the most part he tried to keep away from Ash but he would usually see Astoria by now. "Right, well I suppose I'll just-" Just as Asher was about to go busy himself in the kitchen he heard the raised voices from downstairs. More specifically, he heard Ash's raised voice and the smashing porcelain. Instantly Asher went to rush down the stairs but was frozen when Marxine stepped in front of him. She used to be his student, now she was his Queen. Marxine had enough respect from him to make him stop and take a deep breath.

Originally he was going to rush in and save Astoria, but deep down he knew Ash was a good guy and never harm her. "Right. I'll be calm. Wouldn't be your number one guard if I was any less, right?" Asher bowed to Marxine before walking down the stairs after Ember. Every step he took his heart pounded in his chest but he promised to go at this with a calm approach. "Astoria? Are you okay?" As Asher quickly moved into the room he noticed blood on the floor, a sobbing Astoria, a seething Ash, and an anxious Ember at the sink. As much as he wanted to begin to ask what happened he had to defuse the situation.

"Here. Everything is going to be okay, just breath my Queen." As much as Asher wanted to hold Astoria in his arms and comfort her he knew that would only make the situation worse, but that didn't stop him from offering her a nearby napkin to dry her tears. This fighting was because of Asher and the guilt was weighing heavily on him. He kept reminding himself that their feelings were mutual though, and if he left her it would only hurt her. That, and he would never yell at her like this.

"Ash, come with me." Asher spoke firmly as a member of the guard would. "Let's take a few minutes to breath, we can address this situation with a more level head shortly." They would get this all out in the open and be honest. Obviously lying and being secretive wasn't working anymore. Asher moved to Ash and put his hand on the back of his shoulder so he could lead him outside the kitchen.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Ash Maidenhair

Ash was taken back by what Astoria had to say... as well as his own actions. He didn't understand how they got to this point. How could this person who he put on a pedestal since they were young children be hiding things from him and how could he be acting like this towards her? Ash wasn't this person but gods nothing had ever hurt him this bad before. Hearing the words from Astoria's lips stung like a thousand bee stings. "Why am I so mad?" He huffed and shook his head, finally looking up at her and scowling slightly. Why was he so mad? This was a different anger than he felt when he found out about Fern proposing to Tori, maybe because in this situation not only did he feel lied to... he felt like he was going to lose someone that matters the most to him. Astoria had been his family and best friend for years and ever since this guard asshole came into the picture she was acting so different.

The stairs began to creak and Ash knew that their outburst must have attracted the attention of the others upstairs. Ember was the first to arrive, instantly beginning to pick up the broken glass that Astoria had dropped at the start of their fight. "Ember be careful, you don't have to get that. I can pick it up in a minute..." He sighed as he watched her busy herself with the task as she spoke. She wasn't wrong, it was stupid to be this loud when any passerby on the street could possibly hear them but he wasn't thinking very clearly. While he zoned out a bit in thought, Ember cut her hand and was moving to the sink as she asked Astoria for the first aid.

Ash was about to throw in the towel on the conversation again, that is until Asher appeared and tried to act all high and mighty. "Oh for fucks sake do not take on that voice with me." He turned to face Asher and something just snapped in that moment. He wasn't sure if it was just the tension from the past week finally coming to and end or if he just really didn't like this fucker. The hand on his shoulder was the catalyst and Ash turned and sent a fist into the side of Asher's face.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Marxine Augustine

Marxine moved slightly to allow Ember past but continued to eye Asher as he spoke, thankfully he seemed to have a good head on his shoulders about the situation downstairs but she was still concerned as he moved past her and made his way downstairs. She was left standing with a small frown as she looked over at River who remained near the window. She decided that going downstairs was not a great idea currently, for starters it was a tiny kitchen and even then the less people trying to diffuse the better. "This isn't exactly how I planned my first month as Queen would go... not that I ever thought I would be one." She chuckled and moved away from the top of the staircase to fall into the loveseat with a groan. "But if I had, I don't think I would have put hiding in a dusty bar while dealing with my head guards relationship problems."

Downstairs she heard a sound she vividly knew as a punch and Marxine quickly sat up on the couch and peered over at the stairs with wide eyes. "You know, I honestly think we should just let them fight. If I know Asher, that would honestly be best at this point. And Ash seems beyond words." Her attention turned to River once again, "I have an idea. How about you bring the ladies back upstairs and I will work on part two of my plan. Gathering the booze."

Marxine jumped up from her spot on the loveseat and headed down the stairs but instead of turning into the kitchen she turned through the door that led to behind the bar and began rummaging through the shelves under the counter. Everything was either brandy or wine that she could easily carry back upstairs so she did so and tossed them in a crate with some mugs before heading back upstairs and dropping the box gently on a table.

 

[EclipseRosee]

Astoria Primrose

Everything escalated quickly and then fell quickly as well, while Tori didn't want to say she was thankful for Ember getting hurt, she kind of was. It allowed them a moment to cool down and escape from the situation at hand. She felt terrible that Ash was hurting but if she was being true with herself, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. This would give everyone time to heal, to rebuild and move on. She should have done this after the first night, she knew that, but this was all she could do now. Ember asked for her to get the first aid kit and Astoria quickly took the opportunity to scurry off out into the hall and over to the bar side of things where she began searching for wherever Aspen stashed his supplies.

In the room behind her Astoria heard a noise that she didn't really recognize and turned to look from where she was crouched as gasped. "A-Ash! Stop it!" She moved to stand but her view was cut off by Marxine moving past the men and joining her behind the bar. "A-Aren't you going to do something?!' It was clear the woman wasn't, as instead she was busying herself with gathering alcohol. Astoria huffed and returned to the shelves, shoved things around as she looked and finally found the first aid box and quickly grabbed it.

Astoria hurried back into the kitchen and joined Ember's side, quickly attending to her hand as she tried to not engage in either of the males in the room. Maybe if she didn't call more attention to them, they would stop?

 

[KAYDEN]

Aspen Rift

"Wait hold on Neve." Aspen could tell she was already coming up with a plan in her head to do this all by herself and while being discreet would be best, Neve was also the one in the most danger when it came to returning to the castle. "I can't let you go alone, someone needs to be there as your back up in case something goes wrong." He looked around the torn apart home and tapped his long fingers against the table a few times before an idea came to mind.

"You're right that you'll be the best at sneaking in but let's get you some dark clothes, I'm sure the old woman had something around here that we could use. Then we can head out, while you're getting inside, I can hide out and be ready to be your getaway driver in the stables incase something goes wrong." Aspen shot her an uneasy smile before he turned and began sifting through the items remaining on the coat rack. There was a large black cloak that would work well to keep her covered but it was nearly three times the womans size.

"You know, we also could just not go at all... tell the others this was a bust and we need a new plan." Aspen spoke as he kept his back turned to her. It was an idea he was quite fond of, he didn't want to do anything that would risk Neve getting hurt of having to see Dante again before she was ready.

 

[Sir Damien]

River Siegfreid

"Yeesh, I hope they don't break the bar. Aspen will kill them." River couldn't help chuckling quietly and looking across the room at Marxine. "You already make a great Queen. Asher was ready to kick some ass before you intervened. But, yeah, dealing with his love life is a pain in the ass. Trials and tribulation of the crown, I suppose." Not that he would know, but thinking that just caused him pain. "Anyways-" As River followed Marxine to the couch he flinched as he heard the noise from downstairs. "That was a punch, wasn't it?" With a heavy sigh he shook his head and ran his large hand through his now shoulder length raven hair.

Then Marxine hashed out her plan and he couldn't help but grin. "See? That's a fine plan. Some of Aspen's booze will chill everyone out. The boys will appreciate it after their brawl." Quickly he followed her down the stairs and into the metaphorical fire in the kitchen. At least it wasn't literally on fire, that was a start. "Ember, Astoria. Let's take a break from the stress and drink some of Aspen's booze." With that said River lead the girls back upstairs to Marxine and the box of alcohol she looted.

---

How long had they been drinking for? It had to be at least two hours. The boys downstairs were duking it out and, honestly, good for them. It felt like all the tension was lifted as they drank their stress away upstairs in the living room. "Where do you think the council lived? In the clouds, underground, or maybe even a lake?" River sat up from where he sat on the loveseat and looked around to the drinking Queens. The fighting downstairs had seemed to quiet down and he just prayed they finally worked out their differences.

"Now Marxine, how do we explain all the missing booze?" He picked up another bottle and filled up everyone's mugs once more.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Neve Juniper

Aspen's reaction to her plan seemed almost hesitant and it confused her. Over the course of the week he was so dedicated to finding this lead! Now that they knew where they needed to go he just wanted to make a new plan? That didn't make any sense to her. "I won't go in there like a barbarian, I promise I'll do my best to be quiet. I'm sure no one will even notice me there." Maybe he was just nervous about getting caught? Neve moved to Aspen's side with a small smile and took the obnoxiously oversized cloak. "I'll wear this if it'll make you believe in me a little more, okay?" She draped the large black cloak over her shoulders.

"Come on my getaway driver, let's head out." Gently her hand wrapped around his and gave it a reassuring squeeze before heading back outside. It was nerve wrecking to go back to the castle but they had far too much riding on this for her to bail out.

--

Once they arrived at the stables of the castle Neve made sure that Aspen and the horse would be hidden. She told him that if she wasn't back by dark to head back to the bar and she'd figure something out. Her worst fear right now was someone finding Aspen and Dante finding out he was here, if Dante found Neve she was sure she'd be able to talk or fight her way out.

So Neve wrapped herself in the giant dark cloak and slipped inside one of the hidden passages that lead inside. The castle hallways seemed to have far more guards than usual and that made sneaking around hard. Through the halls she hid under tables, behind statues, and even jumped in a few rooms to hide. After a few hours she had managed to search her parents room, Aspen's old room that hadn't been touched in ages, she had even searched the attic. As much as she wanted to search the dungeon for the fortune teller there were too many guards, so instead she went to the last place she could think of the diary being. Dante's room.

From what she gathered from eavesdropping on the guards Dante and her parents were in the throne room. That gave her time to run up to Dante's old room and quietly sneak inside. For so many years the room was undisturbed while he was gone, but now that he was back it seemed like he resumed using the room. It hurt her to know that her big brother, who was her idol growing up, turned out like this. The sun was getting low and she felt the sense of urgency to hurry her search, she was afraid of Aspen getting caught.

Neve searched the room from top to bottom and, eventually, she found an older looking locked book in his nightstand. The locked looked like it matched the small metal key Aspen had found with the note and her heart beat with excitement. Once she stood and walked to the door that excitement immediately washed away as the door opened to reveal the one person she wanted to avoid. "Well, I didn't think you'd be stupid enough to actually show up." The only escape route was the door, which he was blocking, and the window. It was the third story, but that was her only option for getting out right now.

"Wait, Neve don't-" Quickly she pulled up her hood and jumped into the glass window and hoped for the best. The air was cold and she used the few seconds she was falling to use her powers to gather a large amount of snow for her to land in. It took her a long second to recover and pull herself from the bloodied snow pile, large shards of glass stuck in her arm from the window. "Fucking..." Thankfully she had held on tight to the diary.

Adrenaline fueled Neve as she ran down to the stables. The sun was officially down as she approached the stables, letting out a long winded sigh as she stopped running. "A-Aspen? We have to go get the others and run." Her wounded arm hugged the book and the other arm held her injured one to try and stop the bleeding.

 

[Colt Voltage]

Asher Forrest

To be frank, Asher couldn't tell you what happened after the fist hit his cheek. Usually Asher could take a good beating, he was like a brick wall and was always the last man standing in any brawl. But for some reason Ash hitting him sent Asher over the edge and he was found with anger, so he found his arm pulling back and smashing into Ash's face. He was thankful that the girls left the room to let him and Ash hash it out. It felt like they were finally able to get rid of the anger and tension they had for the past weeks.

How long had they been throwing punches? All he knew was by the time Asher fell back onto the floor he was pretty beaten up. A swollen eye and cheek, a busted lip, and a few good bruises to his chest. Asher made sure to get a few good hits in, too. For some reason though he felt a huge relief. "I'm sorry Ash. You're a good guy, and you didn't deserve any of this." Asher felt like an asshole, but apologizing was a huge weight off of his shoulders. Asher felt something for Astoria but they started out as a lie, and the thought of that lie always haunting them hurt his heart daily. Truly he wanted to be with her, but he wanted them to be together on good terms. Ash helped him see that.

"I don't know if you'd be willing to bury the hatchet and move on, but I know I sure could use the drink. Let's go upstairs and get a drink, yeah?" Asher stood up to his feet and held out his hand to Ash to help him stand up.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Ash Maidenhair

Ash wasn't sure how long the fighting went on but he knew that with every passing moment he felt better and better. It was like all of the stress was fading away with the pain that was increasing. It was a childish way to go about things but honestly when it was all over and they were both sitting there catching their breaths, he felt so much better about it all. Was he 100% over it? Of course not, but could he carry on like a normal person now? Yes. Now he had bigger things to worry about, like the growing bruise on his jaw and the black eye he was sure to get over night. Asher was the first to speak up and Ash let out a small chuckle. "I'm sorry too, I just got so upset, I don't know how much you guys have talked yet about her past but, Astoria wasn't always as strong as she is today and for a long time I've protected her. It's hard to change that, but I understand. All I want is her to be happy." Ash pushed himself off the floor with Ashers help and sighed. "Just remember that if you ever hurt her, I wasn't fighting seriously here." He chuckled at his pathetic joke before following Asher upstairs where they found the others drinking.

"Okay now that you've filled those, mind getting two more?" Ash took a mug of booze before sitting down on the floor and leaning against the wall. For now he was just leaving everything that happened downstairs alone but he made sure to flash Astoria an apologetic smile before turning to the group to change the conversation.

"I think we could all use a bit of fun, I think us Vesnians should teach you folk about a drinking game we often play at home. Right Tori?"

 

[EclipseRosee]

Astoria Primrose

The entire time the group upstairs was trying to drink and relax, she could hear the chaos downstairs. There were so many times that Astoria felt the need to go down and stop it but the others assured her to just let it happen, let those idiots get it out of their systems. It was hard but thankfully the feeling that came with the harsh liquid helped ease her terrible anxiety. Eventually as River was filling their mugs once more the two men went silent and soon after they came upstairs and joined the others. Upon first glance at their faces nearly made her spring up from her spot on one of the small loveseats but the alcohol kept her down.

"A-Are you two okay?!' Astoria gasped from where she sat but Ash sent her a look that caused her lips to clamp shut. Did them punching each other really help? "Gods men are so dumb." The last part was meant to be internal but made its way out of her mouth. Oh well.

Ash started mentioning that idiotic drinking game, "Oh its so juvenile! We haven't played that since we were first of drinking age and us stupid young royals were spending way too much of our days drunk and bored." She dismissed the idea for a moment but let out a scoff before continuing, "If we play we will need dice. I'm sure Aspen has some right?" Tori pointed up to the shelves where she spotted some cards earlier. "Basically everyone rolls and each number corresponds with how many sips you take. However rolling a six allows you to ask a question to the group that MUST be answered. No exceptions."

 

[KAYDEN]

Aspen Rift

While Neve was sneaking into the castle, Aspen kept himself hidden in the stables and ready to run as soon as they needed to. It felt weird being back here, it felt like danger was lurking around every corner and with every passing minute it got worse. He couldn't help feeling like Neve should be back by now, that something was wrong. Soon enough his fears were proven correct when somewhere outside of the stables he heard a soft thud followed by Neve's voice a while after from somewhere in the stables.

Aspen came out of his hiding space and was met with the image of Neve holding her arm and he winced slightly, "Oh shit! Neve are you okay?" As he spoke he grabbed one of the horses and made his way over to her, gently he took the book and placed it in the satchel around his body before ripping the cleanest part of his cloak that he could find to wrap around her arm. In the distance he could already hear guards yelling to search everywhere. Something must have happened inside but they didn't have the time to talk about it now. "Here finish tying your arm while we move." Aspen hoisted Neve up onto the horse by her waist before hopping on after her and sliding his arms around her and taking the reigns to keep her stable as they took off.

They were nearly to the gate before they were sighted and shot at. There was no way they could run through the town to get back to the bar, not being trailed like this, they would either get caught or lead the guards straight to the others. "Neve we're going to have to take a detour, think you can distract them with some snow so we can shake them off?" Aspen veered into the woods that surrounded the kingdom. Deep in the woods he knew of a small cabin that was nearby the place his adoptive father found his near lifeless body, he only hoped it was still standing.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Marxine Augustine

"I'm just not going to tell him." Marxine shot a grin over at River as she held out her glass for a refill, "I mean honestly, it was just going to waste down there. We were doing him a favor! Now theres less to clean up when this place gets inevitably raided. Honestly I was shocked to find it still standing when we got here." She shrugged and took a sip of her drink before laying back on the chair she was in, her legs over the arm and her head resting on the other. Soon the men from downstairs joined them and Marxine couldn't help but snicker at their bumps and bruises.

"Woah woah. We're just going to glaze over the fact that you two look like shit? Okay then, not my thing I guess." Marxine adjusted in her chair before cocking her head in Tori's direction as she began to explain Ash's comment.

"Up here?" She rolled off the chair without spilling a drop and went over to search the shelves where she found a set of dice in a cup and brought it over to where the group was gathered in the tiny living room. "Okay so just roll them?" Marxine took the cup and dumped it on the table before picking up a dice and rolling it, "Three. Easy." She turned to River and tossed him the die, "Here you go pretty boy.:"

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Neve Juniper

"I'll be fine." Glass shards ranging from small to large were embedded all along her arm and if it wasn't for all the adrenaline she probably wouldn't be standing, but she wasn't going to admit that. As soon as Aspen ripped off the piece of cloak and wrapped her arm she gave a small nod, using her good hand to finish tying a tight knot. The next few moments seemed like they happened in a blink of an eye. Suddenly her and Aspen were on the horse taking off from the stables to the front gates. Arrows landed all around them and the sound of guns firing in the distance filled the air.

"On it!" Though Neve was exhausted from the recent events she turned around and faced all the guards, some were even on horseback and heading towards them. Suddenly a powerful snow storm whipped up behind them as they passed the gates. It was a complete white out with the heavy snow and wind that seemed to circle the entire palace, hoping that it would scare the horses and that the strength of the storm would be too much for the guards.

As they rode through the dark woods Neve made sure to keep up with the storm behind them, terrified that the guards would somehow break through the powerful storm and manage to find them. However when they stopped at the small cabin she finally let up on the storm, letting out a long exhausted sigh as she did. "We have to get back to the others bright and early tomorrow, Inverno's even more dangerous now that they know we're here." Neve slid off of the horse with a small wince and noticed that all of the glass had fallen out of her arm. It didn't make any sense, some of the glass felt like it had been lodged inside of her bone.

Once they were inside of the cabin she untied the piece of cloth around her arm, removed her cloak and looked down at her arm. The small cuts had already fused together and the larger wounds didn't even look like they needed stitches at this point. "They did say council members were immortal right?"

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Ember Siegfreid

When the boys joined Ember initially thought things would be as tense as they were the last few weeks. However, she was pleasantly surprised when they both sat down and joined in. Their faces both looked sore so, after the rules of the game were explained, Ember walked to the window and opened it up. Quickly she plucked a few icicles that hung down from the roof of the building before moving to the kitchen and finding two cloths. With a few quick smacks the ice broke to pieces so she could tie them securely in the cloths.

Ember quickly made her way back to the others. "Here. I hear ice is good for swelling." First she handed Asher one and then she placed the second gently on Ash's face. "Better?" With a sweet smile she moved back to her seat and sat down, just in time to watch Marxine take her drinks. "My turn?" Gently Ember reached out and took the dice before tossing it on the table. "Six." Now she had to ask a question? Prying wasn't her thing, but honestly? There was something she had been curious for a while about.

"Marxine, I know this may be a sore topic with you and don't feel like you have to answer. When you were exiled, what were you exiled for? I knew that a royal had been exiled five years ago but I never knew why." River had started to lock himself away in the library afterwards and she never understood why. Now was her opportunity to find out what happened and what was bad enough to cause him to do that.