Shattered crown: hospital

## Page 1

Part 2 - Chapter 1

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel took his time getting to the hospital as he drew closer to it, and his eyes were glued to the streets. Still, he had kept an ear out for the conversation near him, and Frederick's apology brought an amused smile to his face. "Not a problem. Not for much longer, that is." Even if Frederick could have flown him to their destination, Asbel wasn't sure he would have taken him up on the offer. Trains made him nervous enough, even before one actually tried to kill him, so flying was just about out of the question.

Soon enough, Asbel was within earshot of the hospital, and things weren't sounding good - promising, perhaps, but getting into the hospital wasn't going to be as easy as he had hoped. "Sir, some of us are wounded," Asbel heard Erick say as he came to a stop behind the larger group. The bodyguard's weapon was put away, and he was clearly trying not to antagonize the rather intimidating fellow posted at the door. Said man seemed to have his wits about him, but he also appeared understandably suspicious of the group - especially after Asbel showed up alongside Frederick and Dimitry. Noticing the rise in tension, Erick quickly spoke up again. "We're no threat to you. We have no reason to try to hurt you or your patients, and if we did, we already would have done it."

The man appeared mildly annoyed by this comment. "You can either drop your weapons and send the wounded inside or you can piss off. I've got no reason to take your word for anything."

Asbel stayed silent, waiting for someone else to speak, and the next to try her hand at negotiations was Evelyn. "We can help you guard the place while we're here, and if any of your patients want to take the chance, they can come with us when we leave. We'll get them somewhere safe. Besides, like he said," she motioned to Erick, "if any of us wanted to hurt you, we already would have. It's just a pane of glass between us."

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

The man seemed swayed by her argument, but he still wasn't going to budge anytime soon; he also seemed to have noticed the green stains all over Frederick's clothing. "I can guard this place just fine on my own. It's the bombs I'm worried about. If you've got something for those, come on in. Otherwise, my ultimatum stands."

Evelyn crossed her arms. "Put down the weapons or piss off," she quietly repeated, and the man nodded affirmatively. She looked over her shoulder, both at the other agents and at Asbel and his fellow kidnap victims, or whatever they were. She wasn't entirely sure yet. She was sure Bailee was letting rebels tag along with them, though, which was more than a little worrying. In any case, the way she saw it, they could either keep trying to reason with the man, agree to his terms, or resort to some other - possibly violent - means of entry. Maybe someone had input on the matter.

King of Falcon's Reach - The Great Hall, Hydris, Fairhaven

"And what is this girl's name? The girl - you say she is a guard of some sort? Who is she?" The King inquired, far too calm for his youngest advisor's liking.

"I believe her name is Tula Nikos, Your Highness. She serves the Rojyan Ambassador. The civilian in question does not appear mortally wounded, but the crowd is growing in number and becoming quite turbulent - increasingly so. It is hard to say what might happen if they are left unchecked." The King donned an intensely worried expression, but his advisor came forward with an answer before the King even voiced his question. "It is doubtful they will reach us here, Your Majesty, as we aren't the ones they are after. This is undoubtedly the Rojyan and Grail-El Embassies' problem."

As the King began to relax again, his advisor smiled slightly. "However, if all this unruliness makes His Majesty uneasy, I would be happy to remedy the issue - as a sign of His Majesty's good will toward his allies. I am sure a solution can be reached."

The King nodded, grimly staring forward. "See to it, then."

-Alina Andreyevich-

The young Ambassador's mouth formed an "o" of shock at hearing the King's conversation, having eavesdropped a little on her way to present her report. /What does Tula have to do with anything? Ugh! We NEED to stop her from going on walks if this stuff happens more often!/ She gathered her skirts and her papers and immediately began to head back to her own Embassy, desperate to find Viktor and give Tula a piece of her mind.

--

-Tula Nikos-

She turned and found the crowd-and the Caravaner woman-catching up to her. Tula's eyes starved the city for a quick shortcut to the Embassy and found none. As the crowd hurled insults at both nations, she shouted back in anger that slipped a bit of her secret terror. "How would you like it if Grail-El and Rojya did this to you?!!"
A gas cloud began to form over the crowd, and sent them howling in pain. Tula felt her own eyes prick and, using her jacket collar, she made an attempt to cover her nose and mouth from the gas. Narrowing her eyes to see slightly, she turned to make a speedy getaway.

--

-Usami Sato-

He helped Ryouki off of his sister's shoulders and turned to Evelyn. "Madam, I would like to take in my siblings, please." Usami then called out to Taiyo. "Be careful with these people."
His youngest sibling scoffed in response. "I AM careful. Don't worry about me."
Tsukiko seemed to draw toward her sister and Usami snapped. "You're injured too, come on Bloody Face." The sibling in question groaned, and with a parting squeeze of Taiyo's hand, she went to her brothers and entered the hospital.

--

-Ryouki Sato-

Ryouki, holding his own arm together now, turned briefly and flashed Erick a soft smile before slowly following his siblings inside the building.

The hospital's interior reeked of antiseptic and the white walls made his eyes water from their stark brightness. There were rooms without doors that he could see were filled with injured and ill citizens and rebels alike.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

He didn't really know what was going on, so stayed near the back of the crowd, leaning on his rifle. He watched the people he knew well, Erick, Ryouki and Asbel. He wondered if Erick had matured since the last time he had seen him. He hadn't kept in touch with any of the others very well, but he had avoided Erick, for the lack of the better word. It was something about him that reminded him of Hiram, and the man could be pretty annoying. He seemed more mature, but a situation likely this could make anyone act mature.

He had never understood Ryouki, and they had barely spoken, if they even ever had, he couldn't remember. Asbel hadn't changed much, probably having a shade in your mind would cause all sorts of issues. Chase... What had happened to that little prick? He was the kings son, maybe illegitimate, but the kings son. Might be involved in some way.

Kristen Mernoth - Noble - Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

The doctor yanked on her leg and one of the nurses manipulated the bone, trying to reset it. It hurt, more than breaking it had. Her vision was clouded by the pain, and her teeth dug deep into the leather thong the doctor had placed to stop her from biting of her tongue.

Cima - Assassin - Hydris.

Someone aimed a pistol at one of the guards and fired. Missing by a large margin, but he had done it. In a sort of sick fascination she watched as one of the snipers on the embassy roof blew the man's arm off with a single bullet. The man fell screaming, clutching the stump of his arm.

She turned and chased after Tula who seemed to be trying to get the crowd as angry at her as possible. The gas burned at her throat and eyes, but her adrenaline was pumping hard enough that it was just as distracting as the buzzing of flies.

Jessica Stuart - Ambassador - Embassy.

"Who fired?" She shouted at the commander.

"One of the snipers ma'am, some one in the crowd fired on one of our security troops. The target was not killed, but no longer provides a threat." The officer said calmly.

Jessica paced the room. "This isn't how it was supposed to happen. We were too naive, thinking these people would accept us. I was raised here, I should know better than anyone else, they don't like any one different from them. They always thought they were the only people on this continent, that the other nations had all been swallowed up by the wastes."

"They resent us because we are better than they are, they fear us, and so they hate us. They demand that we lower our prices, their coward king tries to bully us into one sided treaties. I don't know how he treats the Rojyians, probably no better." She continued to rant.

"What are your orders?" The officer asked.

"If the king does not send his police to remove this crowd... In fifteen minutes... Disperse them by any means necessary." Her voice devoid of emotions.

Tula Nikos - Soldier - Hydris

She found her way into a small alley, just a few kilometers away from the Rojya Embassy, but decided to wait out until maybe the crowd died down and stopped looking for her. Her heart raced with emotion and drive and anger and sadness and every other emotion she could think of. Tears pricked at her eyes with stinging pain and her mind immediately planted on the worst conclusion. What if I started that war? An attack from a Rojyan citizen of Anglican descent with a Caravaner weapon...that could definitely provoke the King. Tula lamented her impulsiveness, her inner devil from Poseidon coming out to play, and slumped to the dirty ground of the street in the alley, hugging her knees to her chest.

 Boraci - Crecelle Hospital

Asbel and Dimitry didn't seem like they wanted to drop their defenses to get in, but the Noble woman, Ryouki, and people who looked related to him passively went inside. The guard was not being very flexible. Anyway, those who wished harm didn't need weapons to inflict pain.

"Look," I said. "Can we at least get some basic medical supplies out here?"

Danor Arkaitz - Gunsmith - Hydris, Fairhaven

Danor peeked through her window curtain upon hearing a light but frantic knock at her shop's front door, and standing outside was Estelle: a friend of hers, looking plainly distraught. Danor unlocked and opened the door, and the young woman seemed to be on the brink of tears. "Cedric is... Danor, he's with those idiots in front of the Embassy. I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen!"

Danor sighed, her voice weary but caring. "The worst they'll do is scare him off. You should go home and wait for-"

"Two people have already been killed! I have to get him back before something happens to him!" Danor's eyes widened and she briefly retreated into her shop, returning with a loaded pistol before locking the door behind her and hiding the gun beneath her coat.

"You need to tie that brother of yours to his bed, dearest." She muttered, setting both hands on Estelle's shoulders once the gun was situated. "Lead me to him, okay? I'll get him out of there." The woman nodded and ran toward the Embassy, Danor following close behind.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Erick nearly moved to follow Ryouki out of instinct as he entered the building, but he stopped when he caught the guard's rifle shifting toward him in his peripheral vision. Erick took a step back, and in response to the question of the man who had arrived with Dimitry and Asbel, the guard replied resignedly, "If you're unarmed, you can come in. If not, someone who is can go inside and take what we can spare."

"Thank you," Evelyn added with a sigh of relief, handing her blade and her gun to Erick. With that, the agents carrying the wounded Vallakian man followed suit and entered the building behind her, completely silent. "The rest of you, either come inside or please stay put. Can't have anyone getting lost."

Erick was relieved to see Evelyn go in; he trusted her to get Ryouki out of there if something went wrong. "We'll be out of your hair soon," Erick assured the guard, turning away to look at the situation behind them. The man who had questioned the guard had somehow ended up with green stains all over his shirt, which he had noticed earlier, but now that he was standing still, it almost looked like... Where had he seen that before?

Distant gunshots and screaming broke his concentration, and Asbel spoke up once the worst of the noise settled. "So, has business been good lately? Assuming you haven't changed jobs, that is." Asbel looked and sounded older, but his scars had faded and he seemed calmer, aside from the fact his arm was obviously making him miserable.

Erick gave Asbel a tired look but couldn't help smiling a little. "I haven't."

"Damn."

Erick laughed. "It's, uh... Yeah, it's been good." He hesitated to call that particular business "good", but he knew Asbel was being sarcastic anyway. He glanced between Asbel, Dimitry, and the man they were with. "How did you guys end up back in that theatre?"

??? - King's 3rd Advisor - Castle Halls, Hydris, Fairhaven

The young man raced down the castle hallways, knowing there was no time to lose, and made his way toward the Rojyan Embassy. He decided he was likely to have more luck with them, since their ambassador was a little more lenient, and he nearly ran right into her as he turned a corner. In the blink of an eye, he was bowed at the waist, looking horrified to have nearly made such a grave mistake. "Your Highness, my sincerest apologies. May I request a moment of your time? The King has sent me regarding the 'situation' outside."

-Usami Sato-

His gaze shifted to see Evelyn coming up from behind. "Are there any more injured coming in?" Tsukiko had led Ryouki into one of the other rooms with a nurse whose pink hair showed stark black roots that distracted his brain from the situation. Usami clarified. "I'm just wondering, considering I'll probably have to be the one to patch up my brother's arm..."

--

-Alina Andreyevich-

She shrieked slightly and the reports almost flew out of her hands at the presence of the unknown advisor. Alina stammered a proper response, trying desperately to steel herself. "I'm...I'm not so sure. I-I really need to speak with my guard about this." Her hands quivered. "However...I-if the King insists..."

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

Dimitry had been debating if he should obtain a horse and head back to Hydris and get paid. But Erick asked him a question. Well, maybe not him alone, Asbel and Boraci were included as well.

"I got hired to deal with some rebels, followed Evelyn to the theatre. Then did what I do best." He mimed a pistol shot with his hand to drive his point home.

The distant sound of gunfire worried him, it sounded as if it was getting closer. He could still see the large hulking shapes of the airships lurking near the horizon, trading gunfire.

Cima - Assassin - Hydris.

She did her best to get out of the crowd, since the gas clouds were getting denser, and she didn't want to be anywhere near the crowd when it was dispersed. To make her way through she had to knock several people down, but she reached the edge crowd eventually. More people were joining every minute, and gas canisters were falling from the air to push them back.

She couldn't see Tula, which probably meant she was safe, as safe as anyone could be cconsidering the circumstances. She heard the telltale sound of a sniper rifle, probably against some one who had tried to shoot the gate guards.

Jessica Stuart - Ambassador - Embassy.

How had this happened to her? How had this gone so wrong so quickly? Was it that they had showed too much support for the king and angered the rebels? Or had she not shown enough support and angered the loyalists?

Did it matter? She was the representative of a nation that had industrialized war. Did this pack of fools understand that? No, and so they pushed, on her nerve, on her soldiers, on the relations between Grail-El and Falcon's Reach, on peace it's self. Ten more minutes. That was all the king had before they started shooting, not at isolated people, but at the crowd as a whole.

Boraci (Frederick Dermon) - Batman - Crecelle Hospital, Lynne

I shifted positions, crumpling the lab records by my hip. At least the guard wasn't completely unreasonable. Hopefully that police woman would look out for us 'common folk' as well as Nobles. Which reminded me... Erick was the King's bodyguard. Huh. Hadn't thought about that in awhile.

"That must put you in a unique position," I responded to Erick, my throat growing scratchier as more blood seeped out of my wounds. Stupid wool cloak. Wasn't that handy at compressions.

I debated on revealing my identity. There weren't many other people around. Besides the guard, everyone else looked weary, memories probably wouldn't surface about an insignificant Waste creature from the Second War.

"Asbel and I were both on the train when it blew," I said. "Me on academic business, Asbel on... Whatever he does." It would be odd to have a perfect stranger be on a first name basis with Asbel. Just to be sure, I bared a quick grin. Erick was a bit thick at times.

Alonse - Official Genetics Scientist of the Realm - Castle Labs, Hydris, Fairhaven

Alonse fidgeted with his window shutters, adjusting them for the lowering afternoon sun. It didn't bode well to have an overlit laboratory. As he finished wrestling with them, his heavy wooden door smacked open, letting in two streaks of red hair.

"What...?" was all he could get out before his two children toppled him over onto a counter. "Careful!" he muttered. "Some of this stuff is corrosive."

His daughter, Agnes, rolled her green eyes. "Dad! Aren't you going to ask how we got here?" Her twin brother, Gideon, rubbed his upper arm uncomfortably.

"Yes, yes, but why? School holiday is not for another-"

"Two months!" Agnes blurted out, her curly red hair swishing like a running torch. She was a tall girl, strong, and had a big mouth. Not always positive attributes for a young woman.

"Our term project, Father," Gideon supplied in response to Alonse's bewildered expression. "We're studying with you." Alonse opened his mouth in an 'o,' nodding his head and rubbing his chin.

"And haven't you heard?" Agnes practically screamed, "The Grail Embassy is under attack!"

?? - King's 3rd Advisor - Castle Halls, Hydris, Fairhaven

The man nodded to the flustered Ambassador, calm as could be. "He merely wishes to see the situation resolved as quickly as possible, Your Grace, so that you and everyone in the Grail and Rojyan Embassies remain safe. He has offered to dispatch his guards to remove the crowd - as gently as possible, of course - and requested that I ask Your Highness' permission."

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Erick nodded to Dimitry, arms crossed. "Makes sense. My trip to Lynne actually had nothing to do with any of this, which is what really amazes me; Ryouki and I were just on our way to Braile when all this started." When Boraci spoke up, Erick quirked an eyebrow and caught Asbel stifling a laugh.

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel smiled as he saw Erick's eyes fix on Boraci, his expression more sober than usual. Oooh, he was starting to catch on. Asbel could practically hear the gears in his head starting to spin. To avoid disrupting this delicate process, he stayed quiet, which soon paid off. Erick squinted at Boraci and a knowing smile momentarily flashed across his features. "Five more minutes and I swear I would've gotten it."

"Of course." Asbel nodded in mock agreement, biting his lips. Evelyn had better hurry with those supplies. His arm felt like it was about to fall off and Boraci was beginning to look very unwell. That, and he just wanted to be on the road again as quickly as possible, since the area was still far from safe.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Evelyn noticed one of the rebel kids looking back at her, and her eyebrows raised questioningly as he spoke. "I don't think so, but it's hard to say for sure." She paused, then chimed in again just as she had turned away from him. "I don't know anything about prosthetic limbs, I'll admit, but if there's something I can do to help, let me know. I can come back and lend you a hand once I've brought some medical supplies to the people outside."

## Page 2

-Usami Sato-

He smiled back politely and bowed his head for a moment in thanks. "Thank you, Miss Evelyn. I don't know much about prosthetics either, but I'm a decent enough mechanic as it is." Usami made his way into the paitient ward and say by Ryouki as he was laid to the gurney. His eyes scanned the room for tools.
"Usami..." Ryouki exhaled. "I'm so sorry."
Usami frowned. "Don't be. Just wait until I can find some tools real quick." Usami turned to face a nearby nurse, asking for where a toolkit could be and she led him in the direction of a series of cabinets to go through. He thanked her and scoured the cabinets for a kit and was thankful for finding a beaten up looking green tool set. Once returning to Ryouki's side, he propped the limp prosthetic onto his lap and set to work. Occasionally, Ryouki would jump slightly if Usami hit a weird nerve ending, but held it out. The brothers were silent, with exception to a rare teeth-clenched sound of pain.

--

-Alina Andreyevich-

She steeled herself to proper composure, but felt guilty in following along. Viktor was probably expecting her back at the Embassy by now. "Of course. See me to the King if you will? I should discuss this in detail."

Boraci (Frederick Dermon) - Outside Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

"It's okay," I said. "Gas mask-face over here didn't have a clue either." I kept an eye on the guard. Specifically his gun. "Quite the coincidence we're here." I let that hang in the air for a moment. And then a moment longer. And then I toppled over, grasping with my good arm at Asbel's shoulder.

Must be some nasty infection in the nail. Or, I reasoned, maybe it wasn't that good at being a biological cork. In any case, I was now on the ground, a reasonable height difference for me.

I heard the hospital door open again and hoped it was that police woman with supplies. "No rush," I hacked out.

King's 3rd Advisor - Castle Halls, Hydris, Fairhaven

The man's pleasant expression faded a little, but he was determined to stay professional. "Of course, Your Highness." Evidently, she wasn't going to be as passive in the matter as he had hoped. He should have known better, but it wouldn't make any difference in the end. "Right this way," he added, motioning for the Ambassador to walk the way he had come so as not to turn his back on her.

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Outside Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel felt a breeze by his shoulder after a few silent seconds, and he looked to its source just in time to see Boraci reach for his shoulder, miss, and topple forward. Asbel's reflexes being as bad as they were, he didn't think to try catching him until he had already hit the ground. With perfect timing, just when Asbel had knelt down by Boraci and Erick turned to go find Evelyn, the hospital door opened to reveal the officer, supplies in hand.

Her first reaction was frustration, but it swiftly gave way to concern when she heard Boraci straining to speak. "What happened?"

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Outside Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

"Here," Asbel pointed to the nail in Boraci's back, and Evelyn sat beside him to clearly see the problem. It was then that she noticed the green liquid on the man's clothes was seeping from the deep wound in his back, and since she didn't see any red, the only conclusion she could come to was that it was his blood. She had killed enough Swamp Bats to remember their blood color; was this some kind of shapeshifter?

Without a word, she set down a bag holding the supplies the hospital had been willing to part with and took a moment to plan. Human or no, she figured the basics would be the same. The nail itself was rusted and dirty, so the wound would have to be thoroughly cleaned, meaning she needed painkillers. She didn't know how this bat-person would react to them, so she decided to give him a small amount just to be safe; she didn't want to poison him.

She drew a bottle of pills from the bag, knowing only that a nurse had warily referred to them as "quite potent", and handed two to Asbel, who was knelt closer to Boraci's head. "Have him take one." As Asbel took one of the pills and handed the other to her patient, she addressed the latter. "Sir, I can understand why you might not be fond of hospitals, but could I convince you to make an exception?" Maybe he would respond to scare tactics... "I have no medical experience whatsoever," she added flatly, earning an exasperated look from Asbel.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," he said. "Also, your bedside manner is atrocious."

  Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

When Boraci fell Dimitry crouched down and opened his backpack, looking for the first aid kit. He probably should have kept it in an easy to reach area, since it probably was more important than his hip flask, several wrapped bars of chocolate, a small box with a picture of Tula in it and a little bobble head miniature of the king.

He eventually found it though. "You want me to do it? Or a medical professional?" He asked Boraci.

Jessica Stuart - Ambassador - Embassy, Hydris.

The soldiers had their orders, it was now out of her hands. She sat down and began writing the statement she would send to the council, including her suggestion to declare an embargo on Falcon's Reach and bring the first fleet within fifty miles of the border. Maybe the threat of an army on his doorstep would convince the king that they weren't his vassals.

She would wait until the shooting stopped to began to draft a letter to the king, since he might send his people yet.

Kristen Mernoth - Noble - Cercelle hospital, Lynne.

The cast was in place, finally. And the doctor said that she shouldn't move for a while. Not having any sort of paper to write on she began mentally dictating everything that happened today, focusing especially on the rebel airships, and the fact they fired on a rebel safe house.

Maybe it was an attempt to kill the secret police, or there were different groups at war with each other. Maybe those weren't rebel airships though. They could have been caravaner military airships, of a type previously unknown.

 Boraci (Frederick Dermon) - Wounded Hybrid - Outside Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale Lynne

At least I had had the sense to fall forward. This would buy me some time. Why didn't help matters was that my wounded arm was underneath me. And that the police woman was being blatant, although I guessed from her tone that she knew. You'd have to be blind to not know.

I refused the pill that was offered. "I've never had any type of drugs in my life, so I think I'll go without." The world was becoming fuzzy, and my vision was tunneling. I heard Dimitry kneel next to me as well. I knew I'd have to weigh my options. Get treated in the hospital and risk being imprisoned, or have the Grail-El man have a go and risk making it worse.

"Dimitry," I said. "Do what you can."

Hell, I was disappointed in myself. I thought Asbel would be the first of us outside to be treated. By this time, my vision turned black. My ears and nerve-endings were working just fine, though.

Alonso Fonte - Geneticist - Laboratory, Castle, Hydris Fairhaven

"What?" Alonso exclaimed, wringing his hands. "What are they thinking? Actually, they're probably not thinking at all."

Gideon shifted his feet awkwardly. "Guess it's a good thing Mum lives in Braile." Agnes shot him a look; her brother had always been the mama's boy, and whenever he brought up the living situation, she felt guilty. With Alonso's job, and the twins' boarding school, their mother, Tray, was alone for most of the year.

Agnes had been kicked out of every school in Braile. Fights, detentions, or the teachers would say she was 'too much.' Of course, Gideon wouldn't leave her side, and so they were in Hydris, closer to their father.

"Isn't it about time, though, Dad?" Agnes said. "I mean, we're so different..."

Alonso's dull green eyes sharpened. "Different? You mean us, the Rojyians, and the Grail?" He scoffed. "I thought I taught you better than that. If it's our people, the King should be ashamed and be quick to put a stop to it all." He whisked around and took a seat on a tall wooden stool at the opposite end of the room, staring into a shallow dish of water.

Gideon raised his eyebrows at his sister, and she punched him in the shoulder.

-Alina Andreyevich-

Gathering her skirts, the young princess followed the king's attendant with shifty eyes and quaking fingers around the documents in her hands.

--

-Ryouki Sato-

Usami finished patching up the prosthetic, and Ryouki worked at the joints to make sure everything was connected properly. Not surprisingly, everything was very fluid and almost like when Van Dietrich first applied the prosthetic limb.
"You've gotten better." He congratulated his brother with a smile.
"Thanks," a tinge of pink crossed the younger brother's face. "I haven't worked on a prosthetic before. It's so interesting." Usami's eyes seemed to brighten as he spoke. "I can't believe you have a Van Dietrich prosthetic, he's basically the biggest name in mechanics-" His voice caught and he solemnly began to put the tools away.
Ryouki looked on with concern. "What is it?"
"I didn't think..." Usami exhaled. "I didn't think we'd be reunited like this. What happened to us? What happened to YOU?"
Ryouki laughed softly. "Just because I have a prosthetic made by the most professional professional doesn't make me any different, or a handicap."
Usami's eyes narrowed, not in anger, but in concentration. "No, you are different. I see it in your face. You aren't just older...you've been SCARRED by something, I know it. Brother," Usami placed a hand on the cold metal of Ryouki's shoulder. "I need you to talk to me."
A moment fell like a weight on the two brothers.
Ryouki began. "It started at the King's party, and it ended with the Second War of the Wastes. I met Erick, not long after the thing with Bastien, and well, he went into the Wastes and I...I followed. We got caught up in the war with Alice Beckett and Lucas Oswald, and all the rest in the history books."
Usami was stunned, but managed a question. "Why weren't you in the history books?"
"I'm not like them, I'm no hero." Ryouki laughed. "Even if they asked me, I'd decline. I wasn't really a big deal in that story." He paused and continued. "I lost my arm around the time of the final battle. A Grinning Ghost took a bite of me. It was the Czarina of Rojya who presented me with the prosthetic, applied by the man himself. That was my gift, unlike a large sum of money or a wedding."

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary/semi trained medic - Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

Dimitry nodded to Boraci's request and opened his medical bag, removing bandages, a small scalpel, rubbing alcohol and a lighter.

"I'm going to need to remove the nail and disinfect the wound. This is going to hurt a great deal." He warned before pulling the nail out of the man bat's back, pressing his knee and most of his weight onto a pressure point. "Sorry about this. Need to slow the bleeding and mobilize you as much as I can." Dimitry hissed through teeth clenched in concentration.

Dimitry uncorked the bottle of rubbing alcohol with his teeth and poured some in and around the hole the nail left. Then he pulled some gauze and stuffed it into the wound to help slow the bleeding down.

He got off Boarci's back and took several breaths before turning to quickly nearby secret police officer and said. "Help me lift him, I need to wrap the bandage across his chest."

With the agent's help Dimitry was able to position his "patient" correctly and began wrapping the bandage across Boraci's chest. Once he was done he thanked the officer then offered Boraci his hip flask.

"Drink this, it'll help with the pain. Just a warning, this is not a permanent solution, you're going to need to that looked at by someone with more medical training, that you trust, or we can intimidate or pay to keep quiet."

King's 3rd Advisor - Throne Room, Hydris, Fairhaven

The King was conversing with a member of the secret police when his advisor and the Rojyan Ambassador entered the room, and said officer was promptly dismissed for the sake of privacy. The Advisor bowed and then stepped aside so the Ambassador could take the floor. "Ambassador," the King said quietly, somewhat confused as he acknowledged her with a bow of his head. "I'm assuming this is about the crowd currently gathered outside the Embassy." Before the advisor could even make an attempt to predict the princess' response, gunshots rang out from the direction of the Grail Embassy, and both the King and his advisor froze.

Danor Arkaitz - Gunsmith - Hydris, Fairhaven

Danor was led by the wrist to their destination until she heard the gunshots, at which point she dug her heels into the ground to bring them to a stop. Surprisingly, her friend didn't try to drag her forward; she looked too stunned to move. Danor's expression contorted with worry and she moved to the girl's side. "Don't panic. I'm going to see how things are at the Embassy, and you can go check on your parents. I'll bring your brother back if I can."

"Are you sure?"

Danor raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly at this. "Just because he's a loud-mouthed little cretin doesn't mean I would like to see him shot."

Estelle's already miserable frown intensified. "I didn't mean it like that." Danor shook her head dismissively and started forward, waving over her shoulder before breaking into a run. She dreaded what she would find once she reached the Embassy, but she knew it would crush Estelle if something happened to her sibling, so she didn't see much of a choice.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Outside Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Evelyn followed the mercenary's directions and helped move the patient into a semi-upright position so he could bandage the wound, the gruesome sight of which was almost certainly going to be burned into her retinas for a while. Bailee seemed unfazed, though, and was hovering near them with a concerned expression, seemingly awaiting instruction. "Mr. Bailee, please go back inside and find out how the people we brought are doing - and how long it will be before they can be moved." As expected, he nodded and disappeared through the door without skipping a beat.

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Outside Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel moved back a bit so as not to get in anyone's way, nervously turning the remaining pill over and over between his fingers. He honestly wished Boraci would have taken the painkiller, and he was grateful to Dimitry for getting the job done quickly. "Thank you." He was glad to have had him around; what Evelyn had said about medical experience might not have been entirely true, but Asbel knew firsthand she was much better at killing people with medicine than saving them with it. Evelyn looked to Dimitry and nodded her thanks as well, no doubt just as aware of this fact.

Boraci - Officially Mortified - Glassvale, Lynne

Dimitry was not one to waste time, if nothing else. I clenched my fists and almost gave myself lock-jaw as he extracted the four-inch nail, dousing the hole with alcohol. It felt more like acid had taken the place of my blood. He was unceremonious as he stuffed gauze into my back, but the pain took a sharp turn as I was shifted into a sitting position.

I imagined I looked pretty ridiculous, bandage over cloak and all, but significantly less pale. I heard Dimitry offer me something, probably more alcohol. The police woman sent Asbel inside to check on Ryouki and company. I grasped the flask, downing its contents.

"It's times like these that I miss my tongue," I slurred. "I'll be much better come tonight..." My vision started to return.

## Page 3

Ryouki Sato

Usami was almost to tears by the end of it, his long fingers trembling and Ryouki reached out to grasp his brother's hand inside his cold metal one. "Don't be so distraught...it's over and done."

"It's not that..." Usami blinked rapidly. "you just went through hell on your own. Literal hell. The twins and I were so angry with you for leaving, and now I just-"

"Erick?" Ryouki sat up slightly as a familiar head of brown hair streaked through with green passed by the open window. Usami exhaled and let go of Ryouki's hand. "He sounds like he was really good to you through all of this. Keep him."

"You make it sound like Erick is my pet, not my lover." Ryouki quirked a brow, making his brother laugh slightly.

--

Alina Andreyevich

She curtsied briefly. "Yes, your Majest-" A shriek escaped her lips at the heart-stopping noise of gunshots outside the Embassy. Her words flooded with urgency. "Yes, your Majesty I was meaning to file a report to you about the potential racial conflicts between our nations as well as that concerning Grail-El and hoped that it wouldn't escalate as far as this riot and shooting people and my soldiers getting involved honestly I apologise for any of Tula Nikos's later misdemeanors she really is..." As the young princess began to run short on breath, she steeled herself, purposefully steadying her hands. "Rojya is currently in a crisis far beyond my reach or that of my sister's. I simply ask that we put Tula on suspension for a while and try to work out some form of peace for the time being to hold back rebellions here as well as the coup being staged in Rojya's Parliament. Send her off to Lynne or something..." I feel really bad for putting her under the bus, but what else can I do? She could have started a war...

--

Tula Nikos

Viktor found her in the alley soon enough. He stood above her teary eyed self, and she wasn't able to read his expression. Tula winced, expecting an earfull, but as he yanked her off the ground and walked her to the Rojyan Embassy, he was stone silent.

Gunshots were fired into the crowd, and Tula urged herself to not turn back and see the faces of Falcon's Reach, the burly man and the old woman, sink to the ground.

--

Ryan Petrushkov

The youngest of the siblings that had traveled with them nudged Ryan's shoulder. He towered over where she stood, instantly making the man feel awkward.

"So you're from Rojya, right?" She questioned.

Ryan nodded. "How could you tell?"

"You kind of have that stereotypical accent from there when you speak the common language, like 'vot is it you vont to drink? Vodka? yees very good. I vish to see you dance vith so and sos'" Her high, harshly consonanted voice butchered the impression, but was enough to make Ryan laugh at the tiny girl making herself appear big like him.

"Yees, very good." He responded, imitating the so-called 'stereotypical' accent that Falcon's Reach had come to know of the Rojyan dialect. The girl laughed in return and extended a hand for a handshake. "My name is Taiyo. Who are you?"

"Petrushkov." Ryan grinned as he returned the gesture. "Nice to meet you, Taiyo. You seem to have a rather...crazy family."

Taiyo exhaled, crossing her arms under her chest. "More like dysfunctional, this is the first time I've seen Ryouki since my sister and I were, like, ten."

 Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Crcelle Hospital.

Dimitry nodded at what Boraci had said, though he didn't really understand the last part. Boraci still had green blood, and the fangs, but he looked like a normal human. He didn't asked Boraci about it, since he would be pretty tipsy.

Dimitry turned to Asbel. "So... The only people we are missing are Alice, Lucas, Poppy and two others... Then we would have the old group together. Don't you find this really bizarre? Falcon's Reach is a big place, what are the chances that the majority of us are already here?" This sort of thing worried Dimitry a lot, it stank to much of intervention from the gods.

Cima - Assassin - Hydris.

She spotted the Rojyan woman with another man, who wore a uniform. Another Rojyan officer. Cima ducked into a alley way and pulled the small pad of paper she used to communicate with and quickly scrawled a message on it: Friend of Dimitry, if you are looking for him he is in Lynne, on a contract to assist in the rescue of hostages taken by rebel forces. PS, lay low for a while, the crowd doesn't forget.

She quickly balled the paper up and using the crowd as cover dropped it in Tula's pocket before going in a cobbler's shop, mostly to stay out of Tula and the other guards line of sight.

Leif Regnar - Bodyguard - Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

The doctor had given him something for the pain, but it only took the edge off it as the man dug tweezers in his back, withdrawing the buckshot pellets. He mentally cursed the people of this continent. Why couldn't they use real weapons? Axes, swords and hammers? It wasn't pleasant to have a doctor stitch up a sword wound, but it was better than this.

He clenched his teeth as the man probed even further. "Almost done, just a few left." The doctor said. Leif nodded slightly, as much as the head restraints allowed.

-Tula Nikos-

She felt a hand at her rear pocket for the briefest moment and debated snapping at the offender but saw it was the woman from before with the bayonet knifes. Tula reached in and found the note, but set it aside for later. Considering the iron grip Viktor had on her wrist, she didn't think that now was exactly the time to read a note from a stranger.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

When Erick recognized a pair of voices coming from inside one of the rooms he had rushed by, he backtracked a bit and saw Ryouki and Usami through the window. One patient down, two to go. He was a bit reluctant to enter the room in case they were having a serious conversation, but he deemed it safe when he saw Usami smiling a little. He pushed the door open just enough to step through and smiled tentatively at Ryouki, reading his expression as he spoke. "How'd it go?"

He paused for a second before he thought to clarify why he had been in such a rush. He wanted to explain the situation with Boraci too, but he guessed that should come later - unless Boraci beat him to it. "Things are getting a bit chaotic outside, so Evelyn sent me to check in on everyone."

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Outside Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel chuckled at Boraci's tipsy antics and then thought over Dimitry's question, simultaneously straining his hearing to listen in on the conversation between the rebel girl and the Rojyan soldier. "Of course I do." He grinned at Dimitry, his sense of humor having recovered now that his arm wasn't hurting as much.

"Maybe it's part of some elaborate plan to bring us all back together. The unlikely band of heroes together once again, experiencing countless minor catastrophes and somehow managing to end up in harms way at every-Ow!" He visibly flinched as Evelyn raised the coat sleeve on his injured arm, dabbing at the cuts with a cloth doused in disinfectant. "Do you mind?!"

King of Falcon's Reach - Throne Room, Hydris, Fairhaven

The King remained awestruck for a few seconds after the Princess began speaking, and even after that, he was visibly rattled. "Miss Nikos is to leave for Lynne immediately under the supervision of one of my guards," he began, his voice dangerously quiet, "where she will remain until I decide whether or not to have her arrested. That is the most help you will receive from me regarding this riot - one that could have been easily handled quickly and without such excessive force had it not been for your guard's carelessness."

As the gunshots carried on, the King grew agitated and turned to his advisor. "Who is firing those shots? I want to know exactly what's going on out there and who arranged it!"

The Advisor nodded briskly, casting a quick glance at the Ambassador. "Right away, Your Majesty." It wasn't a mystery to the King's attendant, of course; simple process of elimination answered the King's question. Still, he was lacking details, and details meant everything when it came to such delicate situations.

Jessica Stuart - Ambassador - Embassy.

"Tell the snipers to hold their fire and pull the gate guards back, they are the ones getting shot at." Jessica ordered.

The commander nodded and opened a window then shouted the order in Grailian, the official name for the Caravaner language. The snipers stopped firing at people they saw as threats, the men at the gates backed up, rifles still leveled on the crowd, one was hit by someone in the crowd but the thick armor stopped the bullet from penetrating.

"Fire one more irritant gas barrage. Then ignore them, if they break in let the dogs out." Jessica said, the dogs she spoke of were specifically bred war dogs, mix of Rojyan wolves, Grail-El Rottweilers, and hell hounds.

"Yes ma'am." The commander said.

"Tell Richard to come to my office." She said to her aid.

As she waited the mortar teams started firing gas shells into the crowd, and the mob started to break up in the areas most effected. She wondered what had set the crowd off, it had been a relatively peaceful protest at first, then there had been a scuffle in the back of the mass, then it had become much more violent. Maybe the rebels were trying to incite violence in Hydris, it would make sense, riots and would divert the secret police from more important matters.

Richard walked in, he was officially a full fledged ambassador, but had little experience, Jessica would have him speak to the king about what had occurred, and voice her concerns about rebel activities, and make the official apology to the families of the deceased.

She spoke with him for several minutes before saying. "Take the back entrance, the crowd isn't around there.

 Dimitry Popov- Mercenary - Crecelle Hospital.

"Gods I hope not. Last time I thought I would be showing you lot around some of the more dangerous parts of the wastes, get paid and go home. You know the rest. Maybe this will be the same sort of thing, get hired to deal with some rebels, end up killing the leader of the rebels who can regenerate or some other freak magic ability. Just like last time."

He took a sip from his nearly empty flask. He had always felt more at ease around Asbel and Boraci then the majority of the other members of the old group, maybe since they were both outsiders as he was. "You ever seen Poppy? I was thinking about giving her something, you know, kind of an peace offering. But she sort of vanished."

Richard Baclof - Assistant Ambassador - Hydris Castle.

Jessica had never given him an important assignment before, normally she had him speaking to minor nobles about things that Jessica didn't have time for, such as what they thought about the king, or Grail-El, or if they were interested in trade. He approached entrance to the castle and spoke to one of the guards. "I am an ambassador from Grail-El, I requested an audience with the king."

The guard looked around. "Where's the army you people normally travel with?"

"Currently doing your job." Richard snapped. "Keeping your citizens under control."

"Right. Come on in then. There is some fat fop inside, talk to him and he'll see if the king would see you."

"Thank you." Richard said coolly. The guard opened the door and Richard stepped in. A chubby man in rich red satin sat by a doorway, writing in a small note book. "Who are you?" The man asked.

Richard bowed slightly and said. "I am an Ambassador wishing to speak with the king concerning the situation at the Grail-El embassy."

The man licked his lips and said. "Let me see if he would speak to you." The man stood, opened the door and said. "A Caravaner ambassador would like to speak to you... Very sorry to interrupt, but it is about the unpleasantness at his embassy."

Richard could see the king and a woman he recognized as the ambassador from Rojya.

```
 -Alina Andreyevich-

```

She inhaled to steel her composure. "Like I said, I apologize on my guard's behalf-at least until she arrives for her sentence and could possibly try to make amends herself-" A new voice made her swivel around to find the Caravaner ambassador also in the room. The princess held her tongue and allowed him in warily.

--

-Ryouki Sato-

"My brother is one of the best mechanics I know. The prosthetic is as good as gold." Ryouki grinned and noticed his brother's ears turn a slight red in embarrassment.

--
-Tula Nikos-

When Viktor had led her into her quarters, Tula sank to her knees on the room floor. "I'm sorry..."
Viktor crossed his arms over his chest. "No shit, now you're going to have to get your thoughts together before either Alina comes back from meeting with the King or I'm ordered to take you there myself." His voice was even and steady, not like when he normal gave her an earful with Rojyan swearing thrown in every so often. It scared Tula to her core.
"Viktor..."
"You were reckless, you always are and it typically lands you and me and Ryan into a lot of trouble. Now, you've probably set the entire WORLD at war." Viktor added before he left her in the room. "I have no doubt the King is going to make you pay for it. Maybe Alina can lessen your burden, if she is up to the sympathy."

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Outside Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel sighed and shook his head in response to Dimitry's question, stealing an inquisitive glance at Boraci. Maybe he had had better luck keeping in touch with Miss Yu, but... "I haven't seen or heard from her in a very long while, unfortunately. I have no idea where she is or what she's been up to." Asbel seldom went out of his way to keep in touch with the others, admittedly, but it would have been normal to hear the odd rumor now and then - especially given Poppy's status.

King of Falcon's Reach - Throne Room, Hydris, Fairhaven

The King's chin lifted as another person was announced, and there was a short pause before he replied. "Yes. Yes, send him in." He laced his fingers together with his elbows positioned on the armrests of his throne, his jaw shifting as he struggled not to visibly fidget. When he glimpsed the Ambassador in the doorway, his brow furrowed. Perhaps he knew what was going on. Perhaps he would be truthful about it, perhaps he wouldn't. This whole ordeal was so complicated. "What do you have to say about..." After a second or two, he unlocked his fingers and gestured vaguely to his left. "All this. I'm assuming you have some sort of explanation."

King's 3rd Advisor - Castle Halls, Hydris, Fairhaven

Well, at least the gunshots had stopped. Though, it was honestly a bit foreboding. Had the crowd dispersed, had the gunmen been ordered to cease firing, or were there simply no rioters left to shoot? The Advisor was on his way to the Grail Embassy in search of answers for himself rather than the King; he already had a decent idea of what his story would be when he returned. The King would be happy with a neatly packaged little summary, but the Advisor needed a little bit more to work with if he was to continue performing exceptionally well at his job.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Crecelle Hospital, Hydris, Fairhaven

"Yeah?" Erick looked to Usami with a wide smile, pleasantly surprised. "Getting this taken care of would have been a real nightmare if you hadn't been here. I can't believe how lucky we were to run into each other back there." He started for the door, turning back as he reached the doorway. "I'll be back! I'm gonna go check on the other two people in here and let Evelyn know what's going on."

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Crecelle Hospital.

"Maybe Mr Shrew kidnapped her again. Wouldn't surprise me." He glanced around at the crowd milling around, he had seen several faces in the theater, but they had been shooting at him. Rebels.

Dimitry glanced at Asbel then asked. "What do you know about the rebellion? I've mostly heard the kings official propaganda or hearsay in mercenary bars."

Richard Baclof - Assistant Ambassador - Great Hall, Hydris Castle.

He bowed to the king and nodded to the ambassador from Rojya. Caravaner military intelligence had not confirmed if she elemental abilities, but it would be unlikely she would be in a situation like the Czarina had been in, freezing half the citadel during the assault.

He bowed once more to the king and said. "Yes sir. I do have a report. The crowd gathered about two hours ago. For the first hour it was a relatively peaceful protest, there had been no acts that would warrant retaliation by Grail security forces. Later on in the protest, maybe half an hour ago something agitated the crowd. As of now who or what agitated the crowd is unknown."

He paused and coughed before he continued. "A representative of our staff requested that the crowd disperse. It did not comply and began throwing vegetables, glass bottles and stones at our guards. We responded with irritant gas, totally non-lethal. The crowd became more violent and individuals in the crowd began firing on our soldiers. Our marksmen neutralized active shooters and several persons that were further agitating the crowd."

"We have ordered our troops to hold their fire and retreat into the complex, hopefully this will calm the crowd. If the crowd breaches the outer gate however they will be considered a threat to our interests and according to our laws we will be required to neutralize all threats. We request that you send a group of your police to disperse the mob before things escalate to an unacceptable level. I hope I have explained the situation adequately."

He turned to the Rojyan ambassador. "My superior Jessica Stuart would like to discuss the possibility of trade deals with your nation, when ever convenient for you and your staff."

-Alina Andreyevich-

She listened intently and nodded in response once the conversation turned to her. "Yes, of course. That was something I have been meaning to get around to. Whenever is best for Miss Stuart, I can work with."
Viktor entered the room then, his face pale and more jittery than his usual tired expression. Alina beckoned him with a sly finger and whispered. "Ona v poryadke? Vy yeye nashii?"((Is she alright, did you find her?))
Viktor nodded. "Ona v nashikh krugakh." ((She's in our quarters.))
"Vy ne prinesti yey z'des?" ((You didn't bring her here?))
Viktor shrugged and motioned for her to keep listening and wait.

--

-Usami Sato-
"Th-Thank you..." Usami murmured as Erick left.
Ryouki chuckled as he rose from the hospital bed. "You know, little brother, I think you're the only one who hasn't changed. You're still so humble, so shy."
Usami frowned. "You're definitely more flamboyant. I still remember beating up those bratty upperclassmen who were jealous that you made better marks than they did."
Ryouki laughed and made his way to the door, motioning for Usami to follow.

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Outside Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel winced as Evelyn began bandaging his arm and gave Dimitry a one-shouldered shrug. "I've been hearing about internal conflict among the rebels quite a bit lately. People are splitting off of known groups or forming their own for this reason or that, but most aren't all that confrontational with each other." He looked over his shoulder, toward the ruined town square. "There are exceptions, though. Also, you might not hear much news from Lucan, but things there are bad - lots of strikes and riots." Evelyn kept in close contact with her mother-in-law, who lived in Lucan, and she had begun to receive plenty of alarming letters concerning the state of the rebellion there.

King of Falcon's Reach - Great Hall, Hydris, Fairhaven

The King sank in his seat somewhat as the situation was explained, but he was quick to respond. "That does seem reasonable," he admitted, though he had no intention of letting the matter go. "Unfortunately, the person who agitated the crowd was, in fact, one of Ambassador Andreyevich's soldiers." His tone suggested he meant for this to be some kind of damning evidence, and he glanced between the two ambassadors with a pronounced frown as he awaited a response from one of them.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Soon enough, Erick came to the room where the woman with the broken leg was being treated, and he cautiously made his way inside. There was a cast on her leg and no medical staff in the room, so he assumed her situation wasn't dire, at least. He smiled, chipper as usual but so quiet he was almost mumbling. Nothing burned off excess cheerfulness and energy faster than being in a hospital. "Hi there. How are you feeling?"

King's 3rd Advisor - Grail-El Embassy, Hydris, Fairhaven

Finally, he made it to the Embassy, and he knew just who to look for. He headed straight to Jessica Stuart's office and knocked on the door, unsure of whether or not she would answer or even if she was there.

## Page 4

Boraci (Frederick Dermon) - Bit Tipsy - Glassvale, Lynne

"All I've heard is from the papers," I contributed lamely. I supposed I had been a bit obsessive in my search during the past five years. Which reminded me why I had been on the train in the first place. Fairhaven was the center of it all, with Hydris the capitol.

"Danny was a lot more amiable, of course," I said, smirking a bit when Asbel began to be patched up. "We'd meet up every few weeks for... lunch. Poppy was very selective with her time. However, a couple months ago, they up and vanished." I glanced at Dimitry. "Didn't quite smell like Mr. Shrew, though I am known to be wrong from time to time."

I shifted once more, not used to seeing others above me. The ground was hard, not at all comforting like damp swamp soil.

"How many hours til sundown, miss?" I asked the police woman.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

"Well, that isn't surprising... Its always that quiet ones I think the saying goes. But from a strategic perspective it makes the most sense, Hydris would be almost impossible, secret police crawling all over the place. Lynne is to obvious, Braile is to dependent on the others. Lucan isn't exactly the most populous, or urbanized, easy to hide in the mines." He said in response to Asbel.

"Poppy can take care of herself. Unless she's gone soft in the past four years. If you recall she did shoot me at the ball. But I was being a bit of a jack ass." I told the figure on the ground.

Richard Baclof - Assistant Ambassador - Great Hall, Fairhaven.

Richard swallowed. This was already a delicate political situation, and this? Disaster was the best word. "Well, I do not know what I can to assist. In this situation, but if there is any thing, I am here." He didn't say that there would be a formal investigation by the military intelligence unit, as that would aggravate, and had no real use.

Jessica Stuart - Ambassador - Grail-El embassy.

Someone knocked on her door and she sighed before saying. "Come in." It was the kings advisor, not exactly the first person on her list of must see people. But he was the official the king sent, so she would make do. "What is it? I am still in the process of obtaining the facts necessary for a official report."

Kristen Mernoth - Noble - Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

In response to the man's question Kristen rasped "About as good as I look. But I do appreciate the sentiment. Who are you... Your face is familiar, but I can't place it." She knew she had seen that man before, but it was blurry from the medicine I'm her system, and she had never been good matching faces to names.

-Tsukiko Sato-

Having explored more of the hospital, she fell upon an area where some others that she recognized as hostages and rebels alike tended to a somewhat tipsy-looking man. She pressed herself against the wall to listen in. Faintly, she heard Taiyo's high laugh and the chuckle of a deeper voice from outside the open hospital and tensed. Was that other person a threat? Would he lure her in? That was no voice she recognized, rebel, Ryouki, or otherwise. The present event, however, seemed important. At the mention of riots, she spoke up. "They aren't 'riots.' Our allies in Lucan were calmly protesting. It only became sour when the soldiers decided to use violence against the crowd."

--

-Alina Andreyevich-

The princess's attention shifted to appease the King and after fully in taking information, she harshly whispered to Viktor. "Vyborka Tula. SEYCHAS." ((Bring Tula. NOW.))
He saluted and swiftly made his way out of the throne room with a hint of reluctance.
Alina responded to the King with a cooly polite tone. "This soldier, I have had Viktor come to fetch so she can provide her own testimony."

--
-Ryan Petrushkov-

The young rebel girl told him all about her siblings, at least the ones she had spent the majority of her life with. She kept hilighting how the effeminate older one-Ryouki-wasn't much of a presence in her lifetime. Her bond with the androgynous twin of hers-Tsukiko-was strong as iron, which Ryan found very admirable.
A break in a story of her fond childhood came in a soft question. "What about you, Petya? Is it alright if I call you that by the way?"
"I don't mind." Ryan smiled. "What about me?"
"What's your family like?"
He paused a moment, thinking of not only a cover, but a way to be honest without trying. This girl could be trusted. "My lover, a very important man who is a captain, and a woman who hails from Grecia and has a bit of a wild side. That's my family."
Taiyo smirked. "A man in uniform as well...lucky." She sighed soft and crossed her arms over her chest. "I wish I could find someone good for me, someone special. I'm glad you did, Petya."
Ryan was puzzled at how bitter she seemed to be with the use of those words that should have been somewhat more congratulatory. The man didn't question it, but smiled in response.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Erick gave a small nod. "I don't think we've been introduced, but I'm sure we've seen each other a few times. Erick Bailee, Miss. I'm one of the King's bodyguards." He paused, trying to think of something that might make the situation seem a bit less grim. "Things outside are looking calmer now, so we'll be able to leave once you and the others are able. We'll get you home soon."

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Outside Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Evelyn looked up to answer Boraci's question, trying to ignore Asbel's constant flinching and muffled cursing. "Two hours - maybe less." She then turned her attention to the quieter of the two rebel sisters, who seemed offended by Asbel's choice of words. "When peaceful protests go sour, though, it can change things. Soldiers become easier to provoke and other rebels become quicker to retaliate. I doubt your allies in Lucan meant for things to escalate the way they have, but they're definitely getting worse."

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Outside Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel looked to Dimitry and Boraci again, deciding to keep his nose out of the rebel girls' respective conversations. "Exactly. And, for the most part, the King seems to be treating them as a very low priority; he's too focused on Lynne and Fairhaven to pay much attention to Lucan. Though, I'm not sure how long that will last." He sighed. "As for Poppy, I doubt she's gone soft, but... It's just very strange not to hear a single word from her, isn't it? I don't know. Once we're out of here, I'll make a point to see what I can dig up. You've gone and made me curious."

King's 3rd Advisor - Grail Embassy, Hydris, Fairhaven

The man swiftly opened the door and made his way inside, trying to read the Ambassador's expression. "The King asked me to find out as much as I could about the situation outside the Embassy, but it seems that's taken care of. I have a few facts you might want to add to your report, though: the identity of the person who set the crowd off, for instance."

King of Falcon's Reach - Great Hall, Hydris, Fairhaven

The King gave a numb, stiff nod to the Grail ambassador and then addressed Ambassador Andreyevich, completely unmoved but eager to hear from the soldier in question. "Good. Good. I'm interested to hear her side of this story - how she plans to explain her actions."

 -Tsukiko Sato-

She peeled off the wall, drawing closer to the group and looked at Evelyn. "If this continues, then how are we ever going to make a difference? As we provoke the soldiers and respond more radically, nothing is going to happen other than bloodshed and..." Tsukiko waved a hand to gesture to the injured and I'll. "And THIS, and..." She felt her face heat up in some embarrassment at making an attempt to stay relevant in the conversation. The officer woman was striking and made her feel vulnerable. Tsukiko drew back her point with a shake of her head and redirection to the man being tended to. "Who is this?"

--

-Viktor Starkov-

Upon reaching the room, he found Tula laid out on the bed, tears streaking her eye makeup down her cheeks and a dying cigarette in one hand.
"Clean your face. The Princess needs you in the throne room immediately."
Tula's back arched as she curled up to her knees. She wasn't wearing pants-which made Viktor recoil slightly, and her hair was more of a mess than normal. Tula took a last puff and put it out in Ryan's ashtray that was set on the bedside table. "Do I have to go now?" She whined
"Clean your face." Viktor repeated. "Get yourself dressed and let's go. Be quick about it."
The strung out Tula frowned, flipped him off, and lazily reached for her pants.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Crecelle Hospital.

"Yeah, that would fit with what happened last time the kingdom was threatened, he just wanted to load the entire population into Hydris and wait it out."

Darkness was approaching, reinforcements would be arriving soon. Dimitry glanced at Asbel. "Could your try to explain the concept of Tabaraamon to Evelyn? I wouldn't explain it in a way she could understand."

Jessica Stuart - Ambassador - Grail-El embassy.

"Really?" She asked. "And what does the king want for that information?" Intelligence forces would have the identity of the person who started it soon enough, they were good at that sort of thing. And she wasn't willing to waste an gram of gold on that information.

Kristen Mernoth - Noble - Crecelle Hospital.

"How is Leif? The big vallak man? Is he alright." He asked. She hadn't seen him since the fighting started, and was getting worried about him.

Boraci - Sobering up Quick - Glassvale, Lynne

I gave myself a swift mental kick in the gut. Two hours, or less, was not enough time to get this sorted out. The ash and smoke from the explosions were already turning the sky a dirty gray.

I looked at one of those girls that were with Ryouki. Twins. Dressed a bit strangely. She seem engaged with Evelyn. I tilted my head and narrowed my eyes. Humans were always surprising me.

"His name is Asbel Sutherlin," I supplied. "Resident idiot and lovable scar-face. Oh, and veteran of the Second Wastes War." My stomach growled at this inopportune moment. Or maybe it was just my organs rearranging themselves.

Tsukiko Sato-

Her embarrassment shifted to instant piqued curiosity. "THAT'S the Scarred Soldier?" Tsukiko flushed and extended a hand for a shake but began to draw back slightly. "I-It's an...honour to meet...you...I guess." She exhaled in amazement. "Wow...the books describe you all wrong." The other man who introduced Asbel seemed to recoil in some kind of sensation that made Tsukiko's stomach turn to witness.
"M-My name is Tsukiko Sato I'm nothing special, I'm sorry." With a bow at the waist, she hastily apologized.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

"I don't know yet," he admitted, smiling sheepishly. "I was just about to go find out, though. When I do, I'll come let you know." Erick headed for the door and continued through the hospital at a quickened pace, looking for Leif. When he finally found the right room, he saw from outside that the doctor still seemed to be working on treating the huge injury in the man's back, so he stopped to wait a few seconds while he gathered his thoughts. Maybe there was someone nearby he could ask about Leif's condition, or, if he was lucky, maybe the doctor was close to finishing his work.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Outside Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Evelyn was a little taken aback by the rebel girl's strong words; in all honesty, she was pleasantly surprised. Then again, she guessed she should have expected as much from such a young member of a rebel organization. She couldn't say much without drawing potentially dangerous attention to herself, but she didn't want to see the girl's impassioned attitude simply fizzle out like that. "If you feel so strongly about it, maybe you should let your allies know."

Hearing her question, Evelyn looked to Asbel expectantly, and the batman spoke up for him. While Evelyn had to stifle a laugh at the introduction, Asbel was quite obviously flattered. Tsukiko's reaction to it seemed to make him a bit uncomfortable, though, and he quickly moved to shake her hand. "Neither am I, love. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Outside Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

The growl-y sound from Boraci unnerved Asbel, but he decided against bringing it up for the time being; this whole ordeal had probably caused him to miss a meal or two, so maybe that was all there was to it. He hoped so, anyway. After thinking over Dimitry's request for a few seconds, Asbel eventually thought of a way to word his explanation to Evelyn. "Alright. You've encountered a few ghosts, yes?"

"Yes."

"Imagine the ghost of an incredibly powerful warrior, only much more versatile in the paranormal abilities department and ten times more terrifying. I think that's the basic concept."

Evelyn's eyebrows raised. "Alright." She turned to Dimitry. "And what about this terrifying warrior ghost?"

King's 3rd Advisor - Grail-El Embassy, Hydris, Fairhaven

The Advisor's head tilted slightly to one side. "Nothing substantial. I'm sure he would appreciate it, however, if you continued doing your utmost to assure we don't find ourselves in this regrettable position again." His tone was easygoing - almost casual - but he never broke eye contact with the Ambassador.

## Page 5

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

Dimitry glanced at Asbel. "Thank you. That's a far more elegant explanation than the one I would use."

He turned back to Evelyn. "Well, it's like this. Due to a certain actions I took during the second war of the wastes I call that being a friend. That's the wrong word. He is a colleague of mine, and will be arriving a little bit after night fall."

Dimitry hoped it would only be Tabaraamon, not the entire pack of them, since that would require a great deal more explanation about his religious beliefs.

Jessica Stuart - Ambassador - Grail-El embassy, Hydris.

Jessica met the man's eyes and said. "Of course, you have our full co-operation in this matter. How ever this incident could have  been averted by the deployment of royal police that are better suited to handling riot situations then my security forces." She did not share the advisors tone, just a flat tone that lacked any sort of discernable emotion.

Leif Regnar - Bodyguard - Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

The doctor started wrapping Leif's back in bandages soaked in  anti-bacterial medicine that burned like acid.

The doctor said. "That should do it, don't do anything strenuous, or bend over, or raise your hands over your head. That'll break the scabs before you can heal. Just rest for a while."

He turned to Erick and asked. "What can I do for you?"

Boraci (Frederick Dermon) - 'the batman' according to Evelyn - Glassvale, Lynne

I raised my eyebrows. (God bless those little hairy things.) The young rebel seemed kind of thick. Not Erick-thick, but really? A man with white hair and scars? Who else could it be?

I mustered a chuckle. "'The Scarred Soldier?' Did they give everyone on the team a nickname?" The thought of that old demon coming somehow comforted me a bit. While he wasn't the most cheerful of travelers five years ago, it would make me seem a lot less strange. That is, if I morphed as usual.

I turned to the young rebel, my innards growling once more. "They teach you anything about the war in school?"

School was an interesting concept I had come to appreciate. Humans weren't totally ignorant if they attended, and it gave their parents time away. The only drawback was that there were too many students at the libraries when I wanted to do some more research.

-Tsukiko Sato-

She tucked some hair behind her ear and spoke with the man who addressed her. "My sister and I were out of school by the time everything was finished. Not many names were recorded by then, there were just placeholders. Asbel Sutherlin was the Scarred Soldier, for example. Taiyo was OBSESSED with learning about the war, so I would get books for her whenever I had a chance. She knows more than I do." A moment passed, and then she turned to Asbel. "You knew my brother, right? Ryouki...was he in the War or did you meet him through his beau?"

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Outside Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel saw Evelyn nod to Dimitry, holding back more questions about his so-called colleague. She didn't look thrilled about the idea of Tabaraamon showing up, but Asbel knew she wouldn't protest as long as he didn't cause trouble. "Well, it'll be nice to see how he's been doing." Asbel chimed in, then turned to Tsukiko. He couldn't help but smirk at the mention of "Erick" and "beau" in the same sentence, but he paid her the courtesy of a straight answer instead of poking fun.

"Oh, he was in the war. I didn't get to know him as well as I would have liked, since I was..." How much did this kid know about the situation with Nowaki? He guessed he had better assume it wasn't in the textbooks. "Well, I was a bit distant with the group. Ryouki was often quiet and reserved with all but a few of us, but he handled the journey remarkably well for someone with no experience in the Wastes. He was with us from Hydris all the way to the citadel and back." He flashed the girl a smile before stealing a questioning glance at Boraci, who was still making odd noises.

King's 3rd Advisor - Grail-El Embassy, Hydris, Fairhaven

"Oddly enough, the royal police were minutes away from being sent when your men opened fire. Perhaps we simply need to work a little harder on our communication." The Advisor left his request at that, and just before he turned to leave, he fulfilled his end of the haphazard bargain. "The woman who set off the crowd is named Tula Nikos. She's a soldier under the command of Ambassador Andreyevich." With a small bow, he then headed for the door.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Erick clasped his hands behind him and nodded to Leif. "First of all, thanks for letting us in here with everything that's been going on outside. I'll make sure you're paid for your trouble before we leave. What I wanted to ask you, though, was how long it'll be before the people we brought in here can be safely moved: this man and the noblewoman with the broken leg."

Danor Arkaitz - Gunsmith - Outside Grail-El Embassy, Hydris, Fairhaven

When Danor reached the Embassy, she stopped where she was, frantically scanning the miasma of irritant gas for Estelle's brother. The sight of it all made her stomach turn. Soon enough, though, she spotted him; he nearly ran into her as he fled. She grabbed his shirt sleeve and was nearly dragged from where she stood, but he stopped when he realized the air was clear. She locked eyes with him, obviously disturbed by the scene. "What did you do?"

He shot a defensive glare at her, then began rubbing his bloodshot eyes with his free hand. "Nothing! Things just..." He coughed violently and jerked his arm free of Danor's grasp. "A fight broke out or something, I don't know! What the hell are you doing here?"

She sighed, crossing her arms. "Doing what you should have been: looking after your sister. I came here so she wouldn't have to search for you." At this, the young man's cheeks flushed with shame. "And if I'm honest, I'd rather not stay here any longer than I have to, so will you please go home?" He started to protest a few times but never finished a sentence, and he eventually left for home. Danor stayed put for a short while, not wanting to walk alongside him, and tried to imagine how the situation could have escalated so quickly.

Jessica Stuart - Ambassador - Grail-El embassy, Hydris.

"Thank you." Was all Jessica said as the advisor left. Once he was out of the building she called for her intelligence officer. "Give me all files we have on Tula Nikos. I need to find out everything I can." She ordered. The woman left to look through the files in the basement.

At this point assassination was out of the question, this woman was a body guard of the Rojyan ambassador, and if it became known that she had ordered a hit, well that would result in war.

Tabaraamon - King of nightmares - Farm land, Fairhaven.

"We leave soon. I will met with our leader, the rest of you, your respective areas of the kingdom. I want to be able to fulfill any order we are given." Tabaraamon said.

"What if we are sighted?" One asked.

"Make sure they can not spread rumors of our presence. Do as you see fit."

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

"What was my nickname? Or have they removed my existence from the public memory already?" Dimitry asked, for the most part calm, but he did have some venom in his tone.

At least he didn't have to deal with Erick right now. Or Lucas, that man was so upstanding he could be used as a support column. Why had he agreed to do this, it was stupid, he should be back in Hydris, trying to make up for lost time.

Leif Regnar - Bodyguard - Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

He could overhear the doctor speaking with some one who's voice was familiar, maybe from the theater.

"He needs maybe an hour before he can be moved, though he will probably need to be in a cart, since I doubt he's strong enough to walk. The woman, she'll need crutches,  but that's all." The doctor said.

-Tsukiko Sato-

Tsukiko's eyes widened for a fleeting second. "That's why his..." At the mention of her brother's nature during the war, a subtle smile crossed her grim expression. "That sounds like my brother. He always was the type to hold out. I'll have to talk to him later about that, if he'll even open up to me."

"You're from Grail-El, correct?" She turned to Dimitry and raised her brows questioningly, and mused. "There were a lot of documented Caravaners, but it can be safe to assume you're the leader, Dimitry Popov. I don't know much other than that. Taiyo is probably more well-read on Grail-El in general than me. Sorry you don't have a nickname...technically it was just documentation without names. Asbel, your name wasn't recorded, you were just recorded as a solider with scars on his face and had problems with a...a Mare? No, a Shade was it?" Her expression pinched. "I-I'm sorry if that's prying." She changed the subject. "I pictured you taller, with dark hair. That's how some documents described you." She glanced at Boraci. "You're the Bat Man in the books. There isn't much about you, just pictures. It's so intriguing, I bet. This must be a big reunion for you all..." After a while, Tsukiko felt embarrassed being out of the loop and sort of a fan girl. If anything, Taiyo would have been rambling and jumping in excitement to see the heroes of the Second War.
Her heart would be crushed to find that Ryouki was scarred by it.

--

-Ryouki Sato-

Usami and Ryouki found Erick through the view of another hospital room, and Ryouki's eyes lit up at a familiar large Vallakian, but soon switched to worry and question. /Why is Leif in this hospital? I'm just running into veterans left and right./
"Brother?" Usami questioned.
Ryouki whispered. "See where Tsukiko is." Usami nodded and moved further down the corridor.

Ryouki slipped inside and made an easy grin. "Erick...Leif, it's a surprise to see you here. What happened?"

--

-Tula Nikos-

She begged for Viktor to at least let her put on mascara before appearing before the King.
"Just that. We need to hurry." He said.
Her sanguine, ruddy face felt hot as she was escorted by Viktor into the throne room, where she was met by a discreet death glare from the Czarina's sister.
Once inside, she saluted as strong as she could manage before the King. "G-Good afternoon, Your Majesty."

Boraci - Still Humanish - Glassvale, Lynne

I gave Asbel a weak smile in return to his concerned look. I listened intently as the rebel girl rattled off what she knew about those who participated in the war. When she mentioned the Shade, my mind jumped. I wondered where Nowaki was now, and if Chase was still alive. I'd personally believe it'd be a miracle if that was the case.

I snorted. "'The Bat Man. Huh. Is it that obvious? Might as well call me by my real name: Boraci." I sighed, at once disappointed in my disguise and pleasantly surprised that there were 'pictures' of me in books somewhere. "Where is this Taiyo anyway?" I asked, stretching out my legs. Heaven help us all if I wasn't up to moving soon. Transforming outside of a hospital was not exactly on my bucket-list.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Erick nodded to the doctor, and just as he thanked him again and turned to leave, he heard Ryouki approach and stopped where he was. He smiled in response to the greeting and paused at his question, slightly confused, before his thoughts momentarily drifted to the idea of leaving Lynne. That couldn't come soon enough, as far as he was concerned, but he had a feeling it was going to be a complicated endeavor with all the wounded that would be traveling with them.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Outside Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Evelyn briefly looked toward Asbel when Nowaki was mentioned, but all she saw was a stiff smile before he turned his attention back to the conversation at hand. She had researched the Second War a great deal and participated from a distance, but she and Asbel hardly ever spoke about it. Truth be told, though, she didn't mind hearing about it from these people. They made it sound less like a supernatural disaster and more like an especially rough day at work.

King of Falcon's Reach - Great Hall, Hydris, Fairhaven

The king looked down his nose at Miss Nikos. "As afternoons go, Miss Nikos, this one falls decidedly short of being 'good.'" He paused, his temper visibly rising as his shoulders tensed and his jaw clenched shut. "Several civilians are dead, my Ambassador cannot control her own soldiers, there has been a bombing in Lynne that has effectively brought all railroad transportation to a screeching halt, and now, my dear girl, I have you to deal with as well.

"On a good afternoon, I would have had you arrested without a second thought, but Ambassador Andreyevich has asked me to let you attempt to explain what just happened outside the Grail-El Embassy, so I suggest you start explaining."

 -Tsukiko Sato-

"She is chatting with the Rojyan soldier." Tsukiko exhaled, examining the conversation from a distance. "Her laugh is loud, I could hear it from here. Taiyo is always one for conversation with a stranger, sees the best in everyone."
Usami had found her then and caught his sister's attention. "Usami, how is Ryouki doing?"
"He's up and moving, and overcompensating I guess."
"Overcompensating?"
"Apparently I'm as good a mechanic as the man who installed the arm in the first place."
Tsukiko pouted slightly. "You're too humble."
Her brother scanned the room mentally and turned to Tsukiko. "Who are they?"
"Veterans of the Second War." Tsukiko confirmed. "Dimitry Popov, Boraci, and Asbel Sutherlin."
Usami bowed slightly. "A pleasure..."

--

-Tula Nikos-

"Well..." Tula drawled. "what had happen was..." She exhaled to herself to bring her thoughts together. "I was on a break, taking a harmless walk-"
"HARMLESS?" Alina cut in sharply and was reprimanded by Viktor.
Tula laughed weakly. "I shouldn't go on walks. Anyways, I was bopping around and there was this riot of YOUR CITIZENS outside the Grail-El Embassy shouting slurs with torches and pitchforks. Which. Is. Odd. Now, I happen to be well-conversed with um...a few members of that Embassy," The woman blushed unnoticeably through her ruddy coloured skin. "and I checked in on the commotion, you know, like 'Hey, maybe you shouldn't say those things.' and this little old lady started talking a lot of smack about how this is 'local business' and I should 'stay out of it.'-which I thought about..." Her face began to turn grim as she turned to briefly face the Ambassador. "She got the crowd talking smack about Rojya. About you. About your sister. About the coup." Facing the King, her sour anger turned to remorse gradually. "I-I just got really hot-headed and made empty threats at the old woman. They called me weak, saying I wouldn't do it. I...I tried, with a knife I recieved from someone, but I missed and it landed in a man's shoulder. The blade didn't kill him, b-but sent him down. Look, your Majesty. I...I'm willing to turn MYSELF in if my arrest is really what you want. I own up to this felony out of my own recklessness." Tula hung her head in shame as tears pricked her eyes once again. The thought of her life upon arrest brought back memories of the dungeons and brothels of Grecia, every penance she and her sisters had to pay for their wrongs that all ended in someone's life stolen by the sea.

## Page 6

Richard Baclof - Assistant Ambassador - Great Hall, Hydris.

"Sorry to interrupt, but which members of the embassy are you well conversed with?" He asked, from what he knew none of the staff had any contact with the Rojyan ambassador or her staff other than Jessica or himself. Maybe Cima had been in contact.

He hoped this whole situation could be contained, he doubted that the Rojyan's would leak anything to the press, and he knew his own people wouldn't. But the king or his advisor's? Maybe not.

Dimitry - Mercenary - Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

Dimitry glanced at the man who had just bowed. "You related to Ryouki?" He asked.

He sniffed the air. He could smell the gun smoke, but it mostly smelled of Falcon's Reach weapons. There was a difference in the smell, a small one, but he had smelled enough of it that he could tell. Grail-El smoke was slightly more acidic, and sort of coated the back of the throat.

-Tula Nikos-

Tula held her tongue, pondering for a fleeting second, and came up with a pseudonym. "A-Aksel Vandagriff. He's just a guard, nothing special-"
"It's that man you were with, wasn't it?" Alina cut in and glared at her second in command. "If you're so willing to turn yourself in, you would have nothing to hide, Tula!"
"It's not that I don't, HE does!" The woman retaliated, making Alina flinch. Tula's remorse proceeded her. "It's complicated..."
"We have plenty of time." Alina sharply retorted.
Tula murmured. "Dimitry Popov."
"What?"
A little louder, hardly above a whisper, Tula articulated. "His name is Dimitry Popov."
"I don't think the KING of FALCON'S REACH can hear you!"
"DIMITRY. POPOV." Tula bit each syllable harshly out of spite. Her voice resonated off the walls and upon reaching her, she backed away. Alina's icy wide eyes looks as if she saw a ghost. Viktor's expression was intense, and brewed anger.

--

-Usami Sato-

"We both are." Usami clarified. "He's the eldest of us. Our family used to run a weapon smithing establishment in Braille, and mechanics have been my forte, so thankfully there were some tools in this hospital that could spare his limb."

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Though he was tempted by curiosity to wait for an answer, he didn't want to leave the noblewoman waiting for an update on Leif's condition, so he shot Ryouki another smile before turning to leave. "I'm gonna go let everyone know how things are in here." He waved over his shoulder. "And thanks again, Doc." He easily found his way back to the woman's room, and he began speaking before he'd even entered, hoping to dispel her worries.

"Leif is alright, Miss. It's actually kind of amazing how well he's doing, all things considered. He's resting for now, and we'll all be leaving in about an hour. We'll just, uh... I don't know, we'll find carriages or something. We'll figure it out."

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Outside Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Evelyn nodded thoughtfully to Usami, refraining from appearing too friendly. There were still secret officers around, after all, and she didn't need them spreading rumors. As far as those agents were concerned, she was simply ensuring the rebels made it out of there intact so they could be held for questioning. "This day is full of odd coincidences, isn't it?" As the two agents that had carried Leif inside exited the hospital, having patched up a few cuts and scrapes of their own, Evelyn decided to see if she could shake them off. "Will you be accompanying us back to Fairhaven once the trains are running again?"

They thought about it for a while, then one finally spoke up, sounding bored out of his mind. "We might tag along. Beats staying here to clean up this mess."

Evelyn's eyebrows furrowed. "I'm with you there, but I get the feeling your superiors won't see it that way, as shorthanded as Glassvale is." The two men visibly tensed, and Evelyn returned her attention to Usami and the others while her words (hopefully) sank in.

King of Falcon's Reach - Great Hall, Hydris, Fairhaven

The King's face soon flushed with anger as Tula spoke, and his eyes darted between the two Ambassadors around her, expecting their expressions to mirror the shock and anger in his own. Not entirely satisfied, he looked to Tula again. "It seems to me that you have a few important connections that we might have liked to know about  - a little earlier than this! Dimitry Popov is a very dangerous individual without a speck of loyalty or sentiment for this kingdom - he..."

His attention darted to Alina. "You! Are you telling me you had no idea about this? This woman obviously has an uncontrollable temper, associates with criminals, and you hadn't the slightest inkling? Your poor judge of character has cost me dearly, and it will cost your guard as well. What would you have me do with her now, pray tell? Given everything that's happened today, she may as well be a rebel. A rebel, on the other hand, would have at least had the common sense to flee instead possessing the absolute GALL to present some half-baked explanation and then expect a lightened sentence."

Richard Baclof - Assistant Ambassador - Great Hall, Hydris.

Richard paled at the mention of Dimitry Popov. "He is no friend of our nation either, he is wanted on several charges of murder, association with demonic forces, religious crimes, possession of illegal weaponry, and those are just a few."

He paused. "But I might advise caution. Dimitry Popov is not a stable individual, but he is extraordinarily dangerous. My fear is that any action taken against Ms. Nikos could... What's the best word? Ah yes... Agitate him."

Richard wasn't opposed to putting this woman on trial, insubordination was a serious crime. But he also felt it was his duty to warn them of the possible repercussions. And if the relationship between Ms. Nikos and Mr Popov was of romantic nature that psychopath would raise unholy hell if she received anything much worse than a slap on the wrist. He had read parts of Popov's file, the parts not censored by the military's department of information security. What he read made it seem like the man could singlehandedly bring a nation to its knees.

Kristen Mernoth - Noble - Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

"Okay. Thank you, what happened? After I fell off the table I sort of passed out, all I heard was shooting, and explosions." Kristen asked. She didn't like not knowing, especially about interesting things like battles, they were always the parts of history books that people wanted to read.

"Black Bart - Outlaw - Somewhere, Braile.

A man appeared before the stage coach, wearing a long suit jacket and a top hat atop his head

He pointed a double barreled shotgun at the driver and forced him to halt. "Please throw down your box, sir and madame please I'll need your money or pearls."

The driver reached for his weapon but Bart fired one of the barrels, blowing a chunk out of the driver's seat. "I wouldn't be so rash sir. I only have one more shot, and the next won't be a warning."

Th driver nodded and began to slowly stand up and move to the money box tied to the roof of the coach. He pushed it over the side once it was untied. Bart took his hatchet and broke it open. Bank notes poured out.

The passenger tossed a small bag out the window, the out law opened it, several small jewels, a necklace, and some money.

"Thank you both, you may leave now. Oh, and when you talk to the police would you be so kind as to refer to me by name? Black Bart, is the name." He made a deep bow and swept his arms about theatrically. Then he kicked one of the horse and the coach started bouncing down the road, horses at full gallop.

-Ryouki Sato-

With a fleeting smile at Leif, he turned and caught up to Erick. "What's going on with the others? From the War, I mean...I could hear Boraci and them from where I was getting my arm patched up."

--

-Tula Nikos-

Alina looked about to cry at the King's ranting and Tula immediately went to her defense. "Look, I may not be a citizen of Falcon's Reach, but I know who runs this show and I'll take whatever consequence is necessary. If there's anyone I would take a bullet through the brain for, it's Printsessa Alina. As for Dimitry..." She exhaled. "I didn't...he told me the general but not the specific of what he does." With a pause, she turned to Alina. "Printsessa, I swear that-"
"You shouldn't swear." Alina articulated with venom in her voice and then questioned Richard Baclof. "What do you propose then?"

--

-Usami Sato-

"My sisters and I won't be staying here, that's for sure." Usami replied.
Tsukiko affirmed him with a nod. "Otherwise, I'd say our course is uncertain, so that's a yes." With a soft flush coming to her face, she shyed away. "It'd be interesting to go; I-I've never been to Fairhaven before."
"Now certainly wouldn't be the ideal visiting time." Usami muttered.

Richard Baclof - Assistant Ambassador - Great Hall, Hydris.

Richard frowned slightly. He had come here to explain what had happened at the embassy, not help deal with an insubordinate officer in the Rojyan military that happened to be romantically involved with one of the most dangerous criminals the Grail had ever produced.

He sighed. "I suggest that you decide on your course of action fast, and in secret. As long as he does not know what happens there is no reason for him to try to rescue her, or worse develop a vendetta. If you punish her, make it quick. Or send her to Lynne, where the crowds are much less forgiving." He said everything matter-of-factly, and with little emotion.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

He motioned Asbel over and whispered into the man's ear. "Look, I know what you are doing here. It isn't exactly a secret that you... Dislike the current regime. So when are you going to offer me job? I know that your friends could use all the help they can get."

He was mostly fishing for information at this point, there had been some things he remembered Asbel saying during the long nights and longer days while they were in the Wastes. But a job would be nice.

Black Bart - Outlaw - Small bar, Braille.

"And the prodigal son returns!" The bar tender shouted as Matthew walked in the door. Matthew tipped his hat to the other patrons and took up his stool.

"How much money for these?" He asked the bar tender passing him the bag with the jewelry. The man shook his head. "I won't buy it. They are from a noble family, and after what happened in Lynne the secret police are looking for anyone fencing noble jewelry. I'm not looking for that sort of heat."

Matthew narrowed his eyes and asked. "What happened in Lynne?"

"Some one blew up a train load of nobles. Kidnapped the lot of them. Don't know what happened after that. But I do know that anyone that isn't a noble and has noble jewelry is going to be seen as a rebel."

Matthew sighed. "Got any idea who might buy?"

The bartender laughed. "The rebels might. Some of them dress as nobles for undercover work as they call it. Jewelry might help the disguise. Look Bart, you're a good man, as good as highway men come, so listen. Don't go to the rebels. They are nothing but trouble."

Boraci (Frederick Dermon) - Bruce Wayne - Crecelle Hospital

An ache started to fester at the base of my spine. That's how it usually started; the transformation. I could almost guarantee that it felt as bad as it looked. I had about a half hour until my bones were completely out-grown. For now, I could see my hands were starting to turn to my natural mossy green.

I raised myself to a kneeling position, becoming increasingly agitated. I directed my voice toward Ryouki's short brother.

"I was originally headed to Hydris as well. Maybe we could go together." I had to really make an effort not to cringe as I said that. A whisper tickled my ears. My hearing was coming back: Dimitry job-hunting. I didn't know why I offered to travel with the people; they were practically strangers, but safety in numbers and all that.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Crecelle Hospital

Erick's brow furrowed as he tried to recall the scene in the theatre, though it had passed so quickly it seemed like a blur. "Well... When the rebels' attention was caught by all the bombs falling around us, your bunch of hostages somehow got out of their handcuffs and ran for their weapons. One of them - I guess it must have been Asbel - set off a few smoke bombs to help hide them, and..."

He smiled sheepishly. "Honestly, after that, it was chaos. I was in a separate group of hostages brought from a nearby train station, and when we heard the others fighting, most of us ran. Those of us with weapons grabbed them and joined in. That was when the police arrived, along with a few helpers, and they helped us fight off the rebels. When they tried to get us out of the building, a bomb took a pretty large bite out of the theatre, and it took us a while to locate the remaining hostages before we could leave."

Erick paused and started to apologize for his vague memory of the incident, when Ryouki entered the room. "Oh! Uh, Dimitry seems like he's doing okay, still in the same line of work. Asbel seems a bit calmer than he used to be, and it looks like he might have found himself a girlfriend - pretty sure he's mixed up in this rebel business. Not too sure what Boraci's been up to, but he mentioned passing through here for academic reasons, and he was in pretty bad shape when I left; I think they're taking care of him, though." He looked back to the noblewoman, about to introduce her to Ryouki and vice versa, when he realized he couldn't. "I never caught your name, did I, Miss?"

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Outside Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel nodded to Dimitry, lowering his own voice to a whisper. "That's true. I suppose it must have slipped my mind. I'll offer you a job, but if it's all the same to you, I would rather wait until we can speak in private - or at least somewhere a bit more private than this."

Evelyn feigned a suspicious look at him then but kept silent, instead turning her attention to Boraci. "Can we agree to go to Hydris together, then? You've all gotten caught up in something quite serious, so Hydris is probably the safest place for you. I can arrange for your protection."

As she spoke, Asbel watched Boraci closely, and he began to realize what was happening. If everyone there knew who Boraci was by then, he saw no point in holding his tongue any longer. "Should I hurry Erick along?" His question to Boraci was put casually, but he honestly wasn't sure if it was reasonable to start panicking at that point.

King of Falcon's Reach - Great Hall, Hydris, Fairhaven

The King sighed, his fury having run its course, and momentarily placed a hand over his eyes before he seemed to regain his composure. His voice, however, betrayed exhaustion. "So be it. Popov cannot become involved in this; he's far too unpredictable. That being said, this woman's deeds still cannot go unpunished." He shifted in his seat to sit more uprightly, his weakened voice raising in volume. "Tula Nikos is to be sent to Lynne immediately where she will carry out whatever duties the police there assign her. The journey is to be supervised by two of my own guards. The details are flexible, but the rest is final."

## Page 7

Silas Reid - Botanist and Odd Job Part-Timer - Glassvale » Mirfield, Lynne

Silas ran down the dirt road, kicking up dust toward the city of Glassvale far behind him. Another series of coughs racked his body, burning his parched throat, but he didn’t stop. He hadn’t stopped since he left the theater. He was too close to the Fairhaven border now, too close to die. His eyes was permanently trained on Mirfield, one of the many small towns that marked the ins and outs of the province. It was also the closest to Glassvale.

He could feel the villagers’ gaze honing in on his appearance as he neared. No doubt he looked awful, with his ragged clothes and ash-covered face. He ignored them all, silently damning them for not minding their own business. When he reached the other side of town, two soldiers stepped in his line of sight and barked something he couldn’t quite make out. Blinking in confusion, Silas skidded to a stop and warily appraised these men. It took almost all his willpower to keep himself from collapsing on the spot.

"What’s the hurry, sir?" one of them asked.

"This place is no longer safe," Silas replied, in the most calm and polite tone he could manage. "I just arrived from Glassvale, which, as you can see, was attacked mere hours ago and I, like everyone else, am trying to get as far as possible.”

The two soldiers exchanged a look before the man continued, “I’m sorry, sir, but you can’t leave.”

“What sort of nonsense are you blubbering about?” Silas snapped. It was surprising he even lasted that long.

Apparently unfazed by his outburst, the other soldier answered, “For the moment, travel between provinces is at a temporary halt. At least in Lynne… and until we can get the situation under control. You must understand, sir, what with the trouble in the train stations, Glassvale, Hydris—”

"Hydris?" Silas interrupted. "What’s happened in Hydris?" Had the rebels got there already? Was this kingdom going to burn sooner than he thought? Impossible. Not even the Waste creatures managed to get past there in the war.

The tall one shot a glare at his partner. “That’s none of your concern. Just know that you have to stay until everything is sorted out. Our orders.”

Of course when one of these buffoons finally start doing their job, it’s when it’s against me. Silas smoothed a palm over his face in frustration. If he was that desperate to leave—which he was—he would have to find a break in the border. Or perhaps the soldiers in the town south of here would be more sympathetic towards his plight. He was not going back to a train station.

He stared at the setting sun. Whatever he decided, it would have to wait until morning. It would be dark soon, and there were worse things to fear during the night.

Usami

Usami answered Asbel. "Yes, probably. I assume my brother is with him as well, and I think we'd like to stick with him on the way there. Catch up and see if maybe we're better off on our separate ways."

By then, Taiyo and the Rojyan soldier had arrived as she pulled him over to socialize now that 'everyone was over in a huddle.' Her cheery expression faltered. "What about Ryouki?"

"Nothing." Tsukiko replied sharply.

--

Viktor Starkov

His stoic expression concealed inner panic at the thought of Tula being sent out there and having possibly no way of her or Ryan returning as he and the Princess had planned.

Alina nodded, her back straightening as she collected herself. "Agreed. She'll leave at dawn."

"I can leave right now if you want." Tula muttered.

"Be quiet!" Viktor snapped suddenly-not very loud, but enough to catch the attention of Tula and Alina. Momentarily frazzled, he cleared his throat and went back to stand at attention.

Alina covered his outburst, but her words seemed somewhat frail. "She leaves now then. Viktor?"

"Printsessa?"

"See to it that she doesn't stab anyone in a rage fit at the train station, and that she doesn't decide to take a harmless walk." She turned on her heel to exit the throne room, her heeled shoes quickly clacking against the floor as she stormed out. Viktor heard her voice drip with anger, but caught tears at her eyes as she fled. He tried to reach her before she was out of reach and then went to the King. "Your guards will see Miss Nikos off, yes?"

Alina Andreyevich

She could barely make it to the hallway by the front gates before collapsing in a frustrated, sobbing heap that had intended to happen in her quarters in the Embassy. Alina thrashed her fist against the floor, and promptly whimpered at the red mark it left on her hand. The princess felt pathetic, incompetent, and a waste of space. She didn't know how Genya could handle so much attention, so much pressure. Then again, she was the more outspoken of the two, and definitely more of a person who could get what she wants.

That's how the coup came into the picture.

The thought of being away from the revolution also brought her heart to her stomach. Genya had to keep her head amidst the taking sides and the threat of Parliament sweeping the kingdom out from under her feet. Klaus and Anya were perfectly competent guards-albeit quite buffonish, which comforted her a little bit. There was also still so much that Genya hid from her.

And now, Ryan and Tula would be gone for God knows how long, and all she would have was one person to lean on. Not that Viktor isn't a bad man, he is probably as good as a man can get. Tula, however, was probably the closest thing Alina had to a real sister, a best friend. She was the bad girl best friend who was loyal to the end, but would fall for her own mistakes. Alina didn't know much about this Dimitry Popov, but only that he made Tula happy, even if he was something volatile or even evil.

Tula's been in stuff like this before...she can come back. She will come back, and Ryan too and we can handle all these bad situations if we stick together, right?

Right?

Dimitry Popov  - Out of work Mercenary - Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

Dimitry nodded and responded to Asbel's request for secrecy. "Of course. I was just wondering if you would be interested in discussing terms. I'll also need an explanation, but that can wait as well."

He wasn't stupid enough to start talking seriously about joining the rebellion in front of this many secret police officers. But he always wanted to have some advantage during the beginning of negotiations even when it was someone who could be referred to as a friend.

His advantage here was damning information that could be quickly given to opposing parties. He doubted Asbel would do anything, but if "the scarred solider" pulled anything he didn't like a shout to one of the near by officers would put Asbel in awkward situation, to say the least.

He hoped to be moving soon, the gunfire had subsided, but this was a hospital, who ever won the battle would be coming to collect prisoners. He wasn't in the mood for another fire fight just yet.

Kristen Mernoth - Noble - Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

"Kristen, Kristen Mernoth." Kristen answered Erick's question, distraction evident in her voice. She was mentally archiving what Erick had said so she could record it once she got something suitable to write on, and with. This was the sort of thing all the great historians had lived through, at least that was what their books said.

"And thank you. For telling me." She said, realizing how rude she was being.

Richard Baclof - Assistant Ambassador - Great Hall, Hydris, Fairhaven.

Richard stood silently as the Rojyan ambassador and her staff spoke. Once she had left Richard turned to the king and said. "Do you have anything you wish me to convey to my superior? I am sorry she was unable to attend, but she had large amounts of paper work to fill out regarding the incident."

Cima - Assassin - Hydris, Fairhaven.

Cima walked through the city in an effort to clear her head. She needed to be objective when she made her after action report, and she couldn't be objective in her current state. She was angry and didn't know why, it wasn't about the crowd, or the shooting. No, it was something more complicated than that.

War was coming, no matter what she, or Jessica did about it. Maybe the council didn't didn't want war either, but the people of both Falcon's Reach and Grail-El wanted war. Falcon's Reach wanted to fight its self, and saw as Grial-El as a friend of its enemy. Her nation was built on warfare, it wasn't hard to see. Their embassy looked like a military outpost, the ambassador had been the captain of a military vessel. Their primary export was military hardware.
But the council did want war, at least many members of it did. They argued that it would help their economy, help secure more food, and other, less rational reasons.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Inside Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Erick nodded to Kristen. "No problem. It's nice to meet you, Miss Mernoth, and I'll be back shortly." He bowed slightly before leaving the room, smiling at Ryouki over his shoulder before he turned the corner. Soon enough, he had made his way outside, and it took serious willpower not to acknowledge the secret agents' eyes boring into the side of his head as he spoke to Evelyn. "Ryouki's arm is all fixed, so I think he's just about ready. The woman, Kristen, will be able to walk on crutches, but the Vallakian man, Leif, will need about an hour before he can be moved, and he won't be walking anywhere. We'll have to find a cart or something."

Evelyn pondered this for a few moments. "Several carriages would be needed to move us all - probably too conspicuous. A cart might work. It leaves him vulnerable, but it could be our best option."

Erick crossed his arms and looked to the agents creepily hovering nearby. "You guys must have something that can help us at your 'secret base' or whatever it is. Could you let us borrow a cart?"

They sneered in unison, but only one of them spoke. "It doesn't work that way."

Erick comically sneered back. "I think you'll survive a while without one little wagon. You'll have enough reinforcements soon to more than make up for it."

"The trains probably aren't running yet anyway. You have plenty of time to go find another option."

He laughed, shaking his head in disbelief. "Well-yeah, if I wanna get shot!" Since the agents obviously weren't amused - or showing signs of budging - and Evelyn was becoming visibly annoyed, Erick let the subject drop. It was then that he noticed Boraci's odd behavior and the shifting color of his hands, but he quickly averted his gaze so as not to send him unwanted attention. One thing at a time. "Okay. I'll see what I can find." He eyed the small crowd. "Anyone else feel up to searching with me?"

King of Falcon's Reach - Great Hall, Hydris, Fairhaven

The King looked to Victor and gave a sluggish nod. "Yes. Two guards will accompany her and make sure that she's properly settled." At the Grail-El Ambassador's question, the King thought for an oddly long while before answering. "Any information you received here that she's not yet aware of. That's all."

Danor Arkaitz - Gunsmith - Hydris, Fairhaven

Danor made her way back to the shop, wondering if she should pack her things when she arrived. Leaving would be dangerous, not to mention a pain in the neck, but Fairhaven wasn't safe anymore. Maybe Braile would be a little better; she rarely heard of major conflicts there, and it was a treasure trove for those interested in the sciences. In any case, she was going to have quite a story for her parents next time she wrote them.

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Outside Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel fidgeted a bit, struggling to ignore Erick and the agents, but kept his focus well enough. "Definitely. Your help would be greatly appreciated, and I'll explain as much as I can in due time." He responded to Erick's question with a sheepish smile, feeling a twinge of genuine guilt. "I don't think I would be much help to you. Sorry, Bailee."

Boraci (Frederick Dermon) - Not a Hero - Outside Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

All those 'officials' were driving me crazy. They looked like rats, spiffy rats, but rodents all the same. I ate rodents. And oatmeal, but no one was keeping a catalogue of my food intake. Adrenaline was back in my system, coarsing through my veins, taking away the ring of pain in my back and arm.

I struggled to my legs and raised my uninjured hand. This would be a good time to get away from the group. "I'll assist you," I offered. I quickly lowered my hand into my pocket. It was definitely green now. "Don't worry about Asbel. I'm sure he'll be much more useful here." I cast a knowing look in his and Dimitry's direction before meeting Erick's gaze.

"Better get going before sundown. Can't have Leif walking."

Ryouki Sato

He had joined the rest of his siblings outside the hospital and was greeted by a tight embrace from the youngest of them.

Taiyo smirked. "You go do searching with your boyfriend."

Ryouki laughed, rolling his eyes. "I'll go with you." He responded to Erick soberly, ignoring his sister for a brief moment. Turning back, he ruffled her hair. "How in the hell did Mum let you colour your hair? It was so nice before."

"It isn't nice now?" Taiyo pouted, and her eyes sobered. "My hair...it's a long story. We'll have time for it later, when you're back from finding a way out."

"Alright." Ryouki smiled warmly. "You can let go now."

"No!" She giggled. "Just a bit longer. You're so TALL."

"I get that a lot."

--

Tula Nikos

"Alright, Your Majesty." Tula sighed. "Where's your guards?"

Viktor pinched her arm and she winced as she was forced to hold back from making another smartass remark.

 Cima - Assassin - Hydris, Lynne.

Cima stopped in an allyway and opened the small pouch on her hip, drawing out the syringe and vial of medication. It was a experimental drug, meant to slow down the spread of cancer. She had been told it was inoperable, and radiation treatment was so new she wasn't going to risk it.

She popped the cap off and rammed it into her arm, pushing the plunger down and feeling the slight burning sensation. She hated the cancer, all her skill couldn't stop it. All she could hope for was that she could live long enough for some new method would be invented that might save her.

Richard Baclof - Assistant Ambassador - Grail-El Embassy, Hydris.

Richard bowed to the king and left the castle. Out side of the embassy Falcon's Reach police where picking up the bodies, and others kept curious bystanders away. Grail-El troops stood on the walls of the embassy, weapons pointed to the ground. The tension was almost palpable, the police were not happy about their job, and the security troops were worried about another conflict.

The men at the gate let him through, quickly slamming it shut once he was inside. Several combat dog handlers gripped the leashes as their hounds tugged towards the gate, hackles raised, snarling. Even though they were trained not to attack unless they were attacked, or at their handlers orders Richard hated being near them, they were so unpredictable.

He stepped into Jessica's office. "How did it go?" She asked.

"Well, the reason the crowd became violent was.." He started saying. "Tula Nikos, I know." She cut him off. "One of the kings advisers told me. Said that his security forces were only a few minutes out, which is bull, but he's trying to save face. So what happened?"

"Well, Ms. Nikos is being sent to Lynne, I advised that since she is in a romantic relationship with Dimitry Popov,  I figured that would reduce the chances of that psychopath deciding that the king and Rojyan ambassador had to be killed." He said.

"Don't talk about him like that. Show some respect for the dead." Jessica snapped, tears in her eyes. "How stupid are they? He has been dead for five years."

Richard sighed. "We never found the body, we have confirmed that it is Dimitry Popov, member of the 13th Scout Vanguard, Leader of Assault Jumper team nine. He's also believed to be the second Shepard Of Fire, certain religious artifacts have been stolen and evidence that implicates him have been found. You know it in your head Jessica, he's out there, he's one of the most dangerous criminals currently alive. I just hope he isn't taking sides in the rebellion."

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Crecelle Hospital, Lynne,

Dimitry shook his head at Erick. "Normally I would, but I'm waiting for someone who isn't from around here and might get confused. And violent. You know him, big guy, dresses in black, gigantic two handed sword. Really bad teeth. You know who I'm talking about."

He really hoped Erick knew what he was talking about. He had given about every hint possible that it was Tabaraamon.

He really didn't want Tabaraamon to appear out of nothing like he normally did, it might agitate anyone who hadn't met him. And the shadow born didn't like people threatening him, even though the weapons that these secret police wouldn't kill him before he got them.

He had rolled his dice, he would put his abilities into bringing down the king. Why? Because he wanted in on the plunder, he wanted to loot the royal treasury, pillage noble households. He had no loyalty to either side, he had friends on both. Asbel on one side, Alice on the other. At least he assumed that's where Alice stood.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Outside Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Erick smiled at the exchange between Ryouki and his sister, but Boraci's eagerness to leave and Dimitry's hinting at Tabaraamon paying a visit was more than enough to hurry him along. He nodded to Dimitry. "Pretty sure I do." It was definitely best that Dimitry stay to keep an eye on Tabaraamon; Erick wasn't sure exactly what to expect from him in a situation like this. "Alright! Let's get going. Everyone else, stay out of trouble while we're gone."

As he left the hospital, he turned toward it again and walked backwards as he aimed an accusing finger at the agents. "I'm lookin' at you guys when I say that." Their reaction was barely noticeable, but he'd gotten his meaning across, and that was good enough. He faced forward again and kept walking, slowly at first to make sure Boraci would be able to keep up.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Outside Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Evelyn watched Bailee leave at Dimitry's mention of Tabaraamon - she guessed he was as intimidating as Asbel had made him sound - and thought over a plan to get rid of the agents. The officers seemed to like the idea of following them to Hydris, but that was the last thing she needed. Everyone would be taken in for questioning, and Ryouki's siblings would probably be imprisoned. Ryouki would be arrested as well simply for associating with them, and Bailee would probably punch someone and get himself arrested, possibly costing him his job.

She wanted Bailee to keep his position in the castle; she was still confident he would offer his help to the rebels soon enough, and the appearance of Usami and the twins might just have been the push he needed. If she could get the King's trusted bodyguard to start feeding information to the rebels, they would have a huge advantage.

King of Falcon's Reach - Great Hall, Hydris, Fairhaven

The King nearly stammered at the girl's question, stopping himself at the very last second before motioning for two of the several guards in the room to step forward. One was a tall, stocky man with an observant air about him, while the other, younger guard's manner seemed almost like the perfect stereotype of a dutifully focused, overzealous knight. "Escort Miss Nikos to Glassvale immediately and keep a constant eye on her until she is with the police. She is not to be let out of your sight under any circumstances, and make sure the police understand the situation before you leave. If she tries to escape, you have my permission to do as you see fit to stop her from doing so."

The two guards bowed deeply to the King before making their way toward Tula and heading for the door, the younger of the two guards moving to take her by the arm and tow her along with him before he caught a scolding glare from his associate.

 Boraci (Frederick Dermon) - Cartfinder - Glassvale, Lynne

I smirked when Erick singled out the rodents, but quickly went to business. I kept pace with him and Ryouki.

"Don't slow down for my sake," I said. "I feel like I've just been shot with a barrel-full of adrenaline." The farther away we got from the hospital, the more relaxed I became. Although the sky was dimming, my hearing and smelling slowly enhanced. It clogged my passages with gun powder and rubble. Wood had a more worn smell, however, and there was little of that. Of course, a metal cart might've been easier to find, and more durable. I certainly wouldn't want splinters in my back. The sun began to set, sending out shocking rays of orange, yellow and red. It struggled to pierce the smog. I enjoyed sunsets. I wasn't ever really able to appreciate them fully, as my eyesight began to deteriorate.

After quite a few minutes of walking, I decided to engage Ryouki in conversation. "What have you been doing?" I asked, distracting myself from the aching in my face. By now, my whole body would be green.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

Dimitry looked at the sky then at his watch, then back at the sky. Another fifteen minutes, probably that was all the time he had until Tabaraamon showed up. He glanced at Asbel and asked. "So, you ever have to avoid crowds of fools wishing to thank you for saving their miserable nation?"

Dimitry's mood always got worse during twilight. H didn't know why, maybe it was because when magic was most active. So his dark knife had a greater effect on his personality.

Matthew Barton "Black Bart" - Outlaw - Braile.

He sat by the bar drinking from the bottle of beer in front of him. People were conversing around him, about the rebellion, or how their goat was sick, or their wife was pregnant, or how the only good thing that would come out this rebellion would be that the police wouldn't be around much.

A man sat next to Matthew and said. "You never spoke to me. Don't look at me, the object prodding your side is a .50 caliber deaths hand revolver loaded with high explosive rounds. You do anything I don't like and you'll be sprayed across the bar. Savvy?"

Matthew nodded, he could hear the man's thick caravaner accent, and it made sense, they made up the majority of high end hired guns now a days.

"I want you to find someone for me. A man named Nathan Stone, and tell him that the winter contingency is fully operational. If you don't, I'll hunt you down, and gut you like a fish."

With that the man left. Matthew sat at the bar stunned, he had no idea where he could find this Nathan Stone. He also had no idea why the man had chosen him. He felt in his pocket and found a small coin that hadn't been there. He took it out and examined it, one side was blank and the other had SVT 13 engraved into it.

## Page 8

Tula Nikos

She pretended to swoon-flamboyantly-as the man grabbed her arm. "Oh~, men in uniform! I'm so terribly frightened!"

"Tula!" Viktor growled. "You know your rights!"

"Screw my rights, I'm out of here!" Tula grinned benevolently and kept her grip on the guard who grabbed her. "Get me out of here, and we'll go on a long adventure! I don't have much money, but if I did, I'd buy a big house where all of us could live-" She jolted at the feeling of a pressure point being hit by the more aggressive guard and fell silent and slightly limp.

--

Ryouki Sato

"The question is more 'what have I not been doing?'" Ryouki grinned at his former comrade politely, but his eyes appeared conscerned as his face began to change colour. "After Erick and I returned to Hydris, I found out the hard way that handicaps don't do drag-even when proven capable enough. Sadly, one of my old friends couldn't provide me a position at his club, and I've been trying to get work elsewhere ever since to no avail." His metal hand curved in and out of a fist out of an absent habit carried from when he still was learning how to function with a prosthetic limb.

 Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Outside Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Since she would probably have some time to kill, Evelyn decided to try and start a conversation with the Rojyan soldier. She wasn't very good at small talk, granted, but maybe he had something interesting to say. "Think everyone back at Hydris is having better luck than we are?"

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Outside Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel smirked at Dimitry's question, but his tone was void of humor. "People don't usually approach me. I don't know if it's Nowaki they're afraid of or me, but the most they'll do is stare and whisper. Not to sound bitter, of course; I like my privacy. What about you? What's your experience with the crowds been like since the war?" Knowing Dimitry, he was probably very uninterested in that kind of attention, but Asbel couldn't help being curious. Maybe their situations were similar.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Glassvale, Lynne

Erick stayed quiet as Boraci and Ryouki spoke, but he was paying close attention. It was conversations like this that almost made him hate Hydris, though he wasn't entirely sure why. Sometimes he wondered if it would be better for them to leave, but that wasn't practical, was it? His father always used to talk about going back to his parents' home in Lucan, living in the middle of nowhere, and starting over with a clean slate, but now there were so many other possibilities beyond that.

Before Erick could come to any sort of conclusion, he spotted something promising - as far as his immediate goal went, that is. To his right was a small, (currently) abandoned market, and there were a few wooden carts behind it, though he couldn't tell from there if they were completely empty. Though they looked a bit worn down, he guessed they weren't in much of a position to be picky. He looked to Ryouki and Boraci questioningly, pointing to the carts in question. "Think those would work?"

Ryan Petrushkov-

He opened his mouth to speak but Taiyo interjected. "You came here from Hydris?"
Ryan chuckled. "I certainly didn't come straight here from Ravka, that's certain." His attention directed back to the other woman. "As for my comrades presently in Hydris, I can't be sure. My Ambassador is immensely weighed down from the pressure of angry Falcon's Reach citizens and that of the revolt in our own country. The two others in my group are doing their best, but I'm afraid their best won't be enough."
"Petya, you have such little faith." Taiyo rolled her eyes. "I'm sure Viktor and Tula are doing just fine, and your Princess too."
"I have plenty of faith." Ryan suddenly snapped, but exhaled to steel himself. "But faith alone doesn't ensure her safety."

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

Dimitry laughed. "Yeah, I was popular in the first year or so, not any more and I'm happy about it. Extra loud blanks are expensive and I would have to uncork a couple every time I got mobbed. I think that reduced my popularity with the masses."

He hated mass attention, or most attention, it wasn't good in his line of work. He was not the sort of person to enjoy being a celebrity. Probably the ones that handled it best had been Lucas and Alice, maybe Erick. If Hiram was still alive that man would be basking in fame like a lizard in the sun.

"You ever wonder if we just postponed the inevitable? Maybe the wastes are just a natural part of the world? Like a person, no matter what a doctor does humans die, you can stop disease, but some day it's not going to matter." Dimitry said with a hint of agitation. He had been think about how every thing fit together more and more lately, and while he never doubted that what they did was important he also felt that another few centuries down the line the wastes would try again, and again, and again until it won. Then what? But it didn't matter, he would be dead before that ever happened.

Tabaraamon - Himself - Farm land, Fairhaven.

Tabaraamon looked outside and said. "Its time we go, we've been here too long. Be fast, I won't be able to talk to the boss until you get me the information I need."

The others nodded and the seven stepped out of the barn. Each embraced as was their custom before they took flight. Seven pillars of darkness shot into the air, separating once they were above the clouds.

A farmer had been bringing his cows back from pasture when he saw the black lines shoot upwards from his barn. He ran to where they had been. In the wall was etched something, it looked sort of like letters to some unknown alphabet, but he wasn't sure.

Cima - Assassin - Hydris, Fairhaven

Cima was startled when the shadowed one materialized in front of her, no matter how many time it happened it still scared here. She was trained to be impossible to surprise, but when some one could appear from a different plane of existence it was awful hard to detect them.

"What do you want?" She asked.

"Information." It said.

"About?" She asked.

"Politics. What happened while my master was gone." It said.

"Ah. Well, there was a demonstration at the Grail-El embassy. It was peaceful enough until your masters lady friend went and set off the crowd. The crowd attempted to breach the embassy and was fired on. Currently war is likely if anything else aggravates the king or the council. Last time I heard anything the woman was speaking to the king about her punishment. I do not know what that is." She said tiredly.

She didn't like dealing with the other shadowed ones, Tabaraamon was annoying enough, but these had been asleep for five hundred years or more and had only woken up five years ago. And it was easily evident by how little they spoke.

"Thank you. Good bye." It said before vanishing again. Cima leaned against the wall and sighed. She had better head back to the embassy now, hopefully her actions during the crowd incident was not known.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Outside Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Evelyn's eyes lowered as she listened to the soldier and the rebel; she couldn't confirm or deny their worries, but it was a shame to see the soldier so anxious. "Our king is well aware that Czarina Andreyevich would have his head if anything happened to the Ambassador, and if she is in a safe place, her guards will most likely be in a safe place as well."

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Outside Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel was caught off guard by Dimitry's question, but he welcomed it. He had never had the chance to talk about this sort of thing before, since he had never worked up the courage to bring it up around his old companions, and it didn't seem right to dig up Evelyn's memories of it. "Maybe. I always thought of the Wastes as being something natural - something that just ran its course whenever all the right factors lined up. But I think buying everyone a little extra time was worth the trouble, all things considered."

He smiled a little, his voice becoming slightly uneven. "Even if a doctor's patient dies eventually, a lot of things can happen in a few extra years - I can't imagine what might happen in a few hundred."

 -Ryan Petrushkov-

"Printsessa Alina is under a lot of pressure with both of the coups being staged. It's not physical safety I'm worried about...for now."

--

-Tula Nikos-

She awoke on a moving train with a start as it began to accelerate. As her vision cleared and she spotted the two guards sitting in front of her, she glared and tried to yell, but was silenced by the moral understanding that-wait, there are people on this train. Also the fact that her hands were bound.
Tula kept her anger at a low voice. "Where's Viktor?"
"Back at the palace." The taller of the guards replied curtly.
"You didn't at least wake me to say goodbye?!"
"There isn't any need for pleasantries. You're in exile."
Tula scratched at her fingernails, underneath and over and flicking grime out from underneath. "It's just freaking rude, that's all. So this exile thing, where exactly am I being taken?"
"To a base in Lynne. We'll keep an eye on you the way there and after that, you'll be contained."
"CONTAINED?" She enunciated with a grim smile. "How fun, I get my own prison cell to play in. Just like the old days..."
The younger guard's eyes widened. "Old days?"
"It's a long story about where I come from. You all probably wouldn't know, but there are kingdoms OTHER than Falcon's Reach."
"We are well aware, Miss Nikos. AND we are fed up with the sass."
"Stuffed to the gills?" Tula arched a brow. "Sorry, but I'm, like, the goddess of sass. Put me on Olympus, that's where I should have been 'exiled.'"

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

"That is true, a few years can mean the world to a person. And maybe it won't come back, maybe it was linked to Selene. And she is dead, I am as sure of that as I am that the ocean is indeed wet. And why should we care? We'll be dead anyway. It's not like people live forever." He said jokingly, hoping Tabaraamon didn't decide to show up just then and prove him wrong. Fortunately the shadow did not appear.

He wondered what Tula was doing. Probably dealing with the ambassador, who seemed a bit of a prude. As did Viktor, from the few moments he had been around either of them, and from the things Tula told him about them.

Unknown - Unknown - Agnarok, Grail-El territory.

The woman stood on the roof of a apartment in Agnarok, the Citadel towering above her, the city sprawling in all directions.

In the street below moved a large convoy of wagons, surrounded by internal security troops. She could hear the sound of the two hammer class airships above providing more security for the largest shipment of food going to the massively fortified silos that had recently built at th base of the Citadel.

The convoy was essentially impossible to attack with the resources they had on hand, the security forces were supported by snipers all along the route, reinforcements were moments away. But their goal wasn't to capture the food, it was to destroy it. The key strategic weakness of the Grail-El was their requirement of foreign produced food.

The food was only vulnerable here, as it passed through the city. As it crossed the wastes it was in the cargo hold of a military sand ship, it was offloaded in a military facility, then moved to the large storage bunkers outside the Citadel, where it was guarded by an entire security battalion.

She pulled the string, which traveled down a drain pipe and made a small bell ring next to a man standing over a detonator. An instant later the street heaved upward, she was killed by the shock wave, despite the claims of her employer that it was totally safe.

The force of the explosion ripped the walls that faced the street apart, nearly downed the airships and the debris cloud was visible for miles around. The food convoy had been utterly obliterated, it had been enough to last the city for six months, and had cost the equivalent of nearly a ton of gold.

With in an hour a fast running messenger airship was an it's way to the third fleet stationed off the border of Falcon's Reach to go to readiness level red. Another headed for Hydris to deliver the information to Jessica.

The Wanderers pride and the entire first fleet started preparations for departure, and reserve units were put on alert. The council was waiting on Jessica's response, or the results of the security services report, if it had been an attack by a homegrown terrorist group the response would be very different if it had been a group funded by a foreign power.

Back Bart - Outlaw - Braile.

He was scared, he figured the man who had ordered him to go find someone else was the member of an organized crime syndicate. Nothing else really made sense, why would a paramilitary unit use an unknown citizen of a different nation to pass orders. That would just be stupid.

He would do it of course, but he would be very careful. Maybe if he did it they would let him live, if he ran they would hunt him down, maybe go after his elderly parents, or his sister, innocent lives didn't matter to these criminals.

Boraci - Professional Child Scarer - Glassvale, Lynne

I listened not as intently as I should have when Ryouki replied. I had never quite figured out that character. He seemed to just tag along five years ago, getting a fake arm in recompense. I couldn't see what he and Erick had in common, except for their gender, but I summed it up to not streamlining into the society well enough. I shot a glance at his prosthetic; using what sight I had left. It was a marvel of engineering, to be sure. Could he feel with it?

Erick's voice shook me out of my thoughts. Looked like wood was available after all, thanks to the bombers. Silver linings were important, especially when I began to feel like my limbs were being stretched by individual ropes. I screwed up my face in pain, but nodded.

"Perfect," I said, my raspy voice growing rougher. With the dimming light, my face had totally changed, taking away my human nose, eyes, and ears. The ears were larger, the eyes smaller, the nose spread out. The mouth, hungry and sharp. The first time I had morphed in front of anyone. This was going to be fun.

 -Ryouki Sato-

At the prospect of a successful hunt, Ryouki grinned. "Agreed. Let's get these back to the group."

The man noticed Boraci's features shifting and felt a bit uneasy, but decided not to comment. The human appearance from earlier caught him off guard anyway. The swamp bat Ryouki remembered was surfacing through, which almost rose a laugh to his throat.

This area of Glassvale was eerily quiet, Ryouki noted. There was civilization around, but everyone moved in a slow hush, like zombies stunned by the noise and explosions from before, and sometimes like cockroaches-quickly and silently scuttling to a dark corner.

## Page 9

Olivia - Performer of Vision Circus - Glassvale, Lynne

"You idiot!" Kimmy shouted.

Olivia lowered her hands from her ears, and looked helplessly between her companion and the newly formed crater in the street. She opened her mouth as the former stalked towards her, but Kimmy closed her hands around her collar and gave her a good shake before she could utter a syllable.

"That was for emergencies only! What part of covert operation did you not understand? We were told to be careful, observe without interference. Without interference." She accompanied the last words with another shake.

"Unless it's necessary?" Olivia offered meekly.

"Which it wasn't." Kimmy pushed her away and put her head in her hands. "Oh god. Oh god, oh god, oh god. What if Mister Shrew is watching us right now and saw that we just failed him? We are so fucked."

"Well, I don't think—"

She jabbed a finger at her chest. "Don't you know how much this means to us? Me? Him?" She threw her hands in the air. "Oh, I just had to volunteer, did I? I should have known he would have told me to bring you. I should have just stayed with the circus when they were going to investigate that other matter for themselves."

"Hey, it's not that—"

"Quiet!" She slapped her hand over Olivia's mouth and brought her deeper into the alley they were hiding in. "Someone's coming."

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Outside Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Evelyn's eyes lowered as she thought over the man's response, which caught her a bit off guard. Come to think of it, though, she guessed the idea of being figuratively close to one's employer was unfamiliar territory for her. She couldn't say she would have given a damn if she thought the King or the rebel higher-ups were under pressure, as long as they did their respective jobs and didn't start falling to pieces.

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Outside Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel's gaze drifted from Dimitry and he shook his head with a sarcastic smile. "Hm. Yes, that's a comforting thought." He paused, and his expression twisted into a faint grimace. "Then again, living forever does sound kind of nightmarish. Remind me to be a bit nicer to your 'associate' when he gets here."

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Glassvale, Lynne

"Alright! That wasn't so bad." Erick took a few steps ahead of his companions and turned to face them, occasionally struggling to hide his worry as Boraci's transformation completed. That had to hurt; even if Boraci wasn't making a scene over it, the thought of that was enough to distract him from the task at hand. Boraci seemed to just want their job to be over and done with, though, so he did his best to concentrate.

Erick cleared the two bricks from in front of the cart's wheels and briefly inspected the cart itself to make sure it would hold Leif, since it seemed pretty worn. It would have been nice if they had something to pull it, but he guessed they would have to make do. "Either of you want to ride in the back on our way to the hospital?" He asked, leaning against the cart with a smirk directed at both of them. They had both had a rough day, for sure, but he doubted he could pull both of them at once; Erick had put on some muscle in the past five years, but that didn't change the fact that Boraci may as well have been twice his size. He guessed Ryouki and Boraci could take turns, but the walk back to the hospital wasn't very long, so...

Erick's rambling brain abruptly silenced when he heard something nearby - something loud. Another explosion, maybe? Then again, maybe not. He guessed someone else must have heard it too, though, because he then began to hear voices from the opposite direction, and they didn't sound friendly. He couldn't have anyone following them back to the hospital, so if those voices got too close, the three of them were going to have to take some kind of action. "Well, crap."

Danor Arkaitz - Gunsmith - Hydris, Fairhaven

Danor had nearly made it to her shop, still coming down from the sickening high of death and mayhem, when she saw it. On the roof of a nearby building was a tall figure approaching the edge, its beaked mask lowered to suggest it was staring down on the people below. Even after raising her head and standing still to get a better look, Danor couldn't discern its precise height or build, as the heavy black clothing that covered it from head to toe hid the proportions and shape of the wearer. From the mask alone, though, she knew immediately who it was: the so-called phantom of the rebel cause often known as "Doctor." Not the most creative nickname, but it did the job.

She had never seen it before, and it was rarely spotted in Hydris, but she had heard plenty. Its appearance was frightening enough, but what unsettled Danor the most was the way it moved; its slow, methodical movements were periodically broken up by jerky, unnatural motions of the hands or head, and she couldn't tell if they were deliberate or not. She felt the symbolic significance of it, however, actually seeing this person: a cross between the calculated manner of a doctor and the twitchy, jarring movements of a bird that appeared almost painful when played out on human limbs.

People around her gasped and screamed, some pointed and yelled, some drew weapons or threw rocks, but before she knew it, the loud hiss of a smoke bomb sounded and Doctor was hidden by a smokescreen behind which it made its escape. Danor was in awe; without doing anything at all, it just threw down a smoke bomb and left. Was this meant to be some kind of warning? With wide eyes, Danor rushed back to her shop, fighting a sea of now panicking people moving in all different directions. She dodged and weaved around the crowds, just hoping she wouldn't be trampled, and in those few minutes of chaos, she came to the conclusion she had been struggling against for months: Hydris was no longer - and perhaps never had been - safe.

 Boraci - Swampie - Glassvale, Lynne

I shook my head silently at Erick's frankly ridiculous question, my now-needle teeth piercing my tongue, restraining a groan from escaping my mouth. My back arched as my bones grew and tendons curled. I fell to my knees, coupled with the simultaneous explosion.

As the ground stopped shaking, my bones stopped stretching. My head was close to a muddy puddle and I could tell the transformation was complete. My clothes were no longer baggy, but very tight. And it was a miracle my bandages weren't torn.

"Oh, crap," I heard Erick say, but not in response to the explosion, or my sudden 17 inch growth spurt. There were arguing voices. Now, I could fortunately hear what they were saying. My ears perked up.

"There's a familiar voice, Erick. Something about a circus. Who was that little girl who worked with that Shrew man?"

Elliot Roland - Rebel of the Syndicate - Glassvale, Lynne

Elliot knelt down on the grass as he surveyed the wreckage of the Fair Maid. The rubble still burned on into the night, showing no signs of dousing any time soon, and the soldiers refused to budge from their formation around the area. Reinforcements were beginning to come through by almost all means of transportation. He had to blend in with the dense crowd and sneak along the shadows to get this far.

Even though the trains were searched and declared safe enough to run in record time, he was astonished that that people were still going to them without hesitation, considering that dozens of their fellow citizens were kidnapped from these places that very afternoon and the Central line even blew up. It must have been apart some stupid evacuation plan, which was taking the saying "beggars can't be choosers" to the extreme and made him think the masses and their king were bigger fools than he thought. If he wasn't a rebel, he would have been relieved that they had at least prohibited anyone that wasn't a soldier from traveling in or out of Lynne for obvious reasons. Survivors would have to settle for moving far north or east.

Besides the United People's Army and Wood's Men, he knew someone else was involved in today's incident. Micah had been the first to figure it out, which was why Elliot was sent discern their identity and make sure this new group wouldn't interfere with their plans.

He was interrupted from his investigation when a groan came from the side, not too far from the tracks. "Someone's still here?" he murmured. "Alive?" After checking once again that the soldiers were not coming his way, he walked over and pushed the rocks from his path to find the source. Although the man was a mess, Elliot raised a brow at the fine material he wore. "A noble, then?"

He stood there silently for a moment, debating whether he should leave him behind and let fate run its course, but ended up declaring, "You're a lucky one." He brought his fingers to his lips and whistled, alerting the soldiers of their location. But before he could be spotted, he ran around the corner of a nearby train coach and vanished into the crowd. If whoever found the man was kind enough, he would be taken to Crecelle Hospital to live another day.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Glassvale, Lynne

Erick took a few steps toward Boraci, who had fallen to his knees, and his eyes widened even further when the source of the voices was explained. "Olivia?" How could she have ended up here too? These coincidences were moving far beyond strange; there had to be some bigger reason for all this. Could Mr. Shrew have arranged it all? Would he do something like that?

Erick looked to Ryouki as if for instruction, and his voice lowered almost to a mutter. "She might be in trouble. Maybe I should look for her." Erick knelt next to Boraci. "How long do you need? I was half-serious about you riding in the back of that cart, but if you need a second, you can say so."

Danor Arkaitz - Gunsmith - Hydris, Fairhaven

Danor was thoroughly fed up with Fairhaven for the moment. It was insane - worse than the worst she had heard about Lynne - and she needed to get away from it, if only for a while. The only reason she had moved there to begin with was because it had seemed like such a lively place a few years back, but Braile was grounded, sensible - if nothing else, at least it would have trouble handling her quirks and not the other way around. She locked herself inside her shop when she reached it and packed almost everything up except the weapons. They could be taken care of later. She only thought of one as truly "hers" anyway, and that was the one she was already carrying at her hip.

Her father had sent it with her as one of the many conditions for her leaving Grail-El, and she was glad she had agreed to accept it. When everything above ground was taken care of, she descended a set of stone steps into the basement and began packing things there. Before long, she was ready to go, but when she reached the front door, she paused. There was a group of people talking outside, a little too close for comfort. One of them kept pointing up and to the direction she had come from; was he talking about Doctor?

They were standing in the direction she had planned to take, so she backtracked in order to avoid them. She would take the scenic route if it meant avoiding trouble, and they looked like exactly that. Sure enough, they fell silent as she walked away, and she could have sworn they were staring. Gripping the shoulder strap of her bag until her nails dug into her palm, she maintained a casual pace and prepared to bolt at a moments notice if she heard them following her. She approached the rushing crowds, who were still panicked by Doctor's brief visit, and rushed into the middle of them. If she was surrounded by people, maybe those idiots would leave her alone.

Tabaraamon - "Black Ops" - Crecelle Hospital area, Lynne

Tabaraamon flew through the night, a comet dark against the clouds he flew beneath. One of the others appeared next to him, the one sent to Hydris.

"We must be careful, it appears war is closing in on us. The Grail had an incident with a number of protesters, the crowd was excited by a Rojyan soldier that is a member of their ambassador's personal security detail. It is unknown why, and if it was under orders." The other shadowed one said.

"The Rojyans are not that stupid. The only thing that would cause a major issue is their queen, and she owes the Grail her life." Tabaraamon said.

"Oh, and the soldier in question is Tula. So Dimitry will become involved. Unless you can keep this information away from him." The other hissed.

"Doubtful, you know how good he is. And I'm not about to risk that knife in my chest if I don't tell him the truth." Tabaraamon growled. "We are close, go back to Hydris, report to me in two days, unless something major happens."

"Yes sir." The other said before turning and heading back the way it came.

Tabaraamon gained some height then dropped down at a slight angle, streaking down through the clouds before slamming into the earth near the entrance of what appeared to be a hospital, forming a cloud of dust and expended magic. He stood up and brushed himself off. Several people recoiled from in horror or disgust, others just stood in shock. He thought he saw someone faint, but wasn't sure. Several went for weapons but he raised his hands and his sword materialized in them.

He casually rested the huge blade on his shoulder and sauntered over to where Dimitry was standing.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Cercelle Hospital area, Lynne.

Dimitry nodded. "Yeah, it must be boring, and super depressing. He has never really talked about what he was before he changed, but I'm pretty certain he had a family."

"Well, speak of the devil and he arrives. Gods man you have some of the most dramatic timing." He said as Tabaraamon landed.

The big shadow nodded. "I have the information you normally require, so you want to hear it now? Wait... I know you... Give me a second." He said as he turned to look at Asbel. His eyes narrowed in concentration as he racked his brain for the name.

Under his breath he started muttering. "Lucas, no. Dramon, no. Hiram? No he's dead. Chase? No, Dimitry would have killed him if it was. A.. A... Alice... No, of course not. Asbel! That's the name! How are you doing Asbel? Long time no see." He turned his head slightly to Dimitry and hissed. "That's Asbel right?" Dimitry nodded.

Cima - Assassin - Hydris, Fairhaven

Cima was walking back to the embassy when she heard shouting. 'I hate this city' she thought to herself as she started in that direction.

Smoke, that was what the fuss was about, what cowards these people were, she had expected something like a sand worm bursting from the ground and gobbling someone up. She cracked her neck slightly, and since there wasn't a direct threat she started gathering information. Listening to shouted words, identifying patterns in the crowd.

"Doctor", that was what they were shouting, other than the typical shouts of "run" "help" and other exclamations that normally followed a situation of this sort. The doctor was something of an enigma for the Grail-El intelligence community, since it wasn't certain how many of them there were. Or which side it fought for. This sort of thing, hours after the attack on the embassy and train suggested a rebel connection. She headed back toward the embassy, hopefully there wouldn't be any more incidents before then.

Olivia - Vision Circus Performer - Glassvale, Lynne

"Olivia?" a familiar voice called.

Kimmy looked at her in surprise, her hands falling to her side. "They know you? Argh. Whatever. At this point, saying nothing will make us more suspicious and they might try to follow us. 'The reputation of the circus will not be tarnished by any... misunderstandings.' Just...  do something about this."

"Me? But I—" Olivia bit her lip as she thought of something sensible to say. It had been too long since she'd last seen Erick and the gang, but it wasn't exactly the most desirable of times for a little get-together. Like Kimmy said, Mr. Shrew was counting on them. "Ah, who... is this Olivia you speak of? My name is, uh, Cinnabon. Yeah. Juliet Cinnabon."

"Oh for the love of—look," Kimmy said, addressing the group, "I don't know who you people are, but we don't want any trouble. We're just tourists who have nothing to do with this. Nothing at all. Nothing. So-so just leave us alone and we'll be on our way." As she spoke, Kimmy closed a hand around one of the gadgets around Olivia's belt and rested a finger on its trigger. A harmless device, yet Olivia felt anxious about using it against her old friends. If they actually came into the alley, she would have to find some way to make it up to them.

"Get ready to move," Kimmy whispered, holding an arm out in front of her.

-Ryouki Sato-

The voice of the mysterious and cheerful girl from the circus was almost painfully recognizable. Ryouki smirked and responded with a joking tone. "And what might be your business in Lynne, Miss Cinnabon?"

--

-Viktor Starkov-

For what felt like hours, the princess lay motionless on her bed in the Embassy. Her eyes blankly stared at the ceiling as tears fell.
Breaking the ice, Viktor attempted to be comforting. "Tula yavlayayetsya sil'nim. Ona v poryadke." ((Tula can handle herself out there. She'll be fine.))
No response.
Tula and Ryan were certainly more capable of this sort of thing. Viktor wasn't one to sugarcoat the truth to make one person feel better.
He tried gruffly motivational efforts. "Poluchit sebe ravovesiya. Rabota predstoit sdelat'." ((Get yourself together. There is much more to do.))
Not even a finger moved. Alina was beginning to frighten him now. The crowds outside the Embassies, once a dull noise, now seemed to enflame info a loud roar. He moved in to open the curtains, the light from them seeming to rouse Alina slightly. She sat up on the bed and asked. "Chto eto?" ((What is it?))
For the first time in years, Viktor heard his voice shake. "Eto ad." ((It is Hell.))

A crowd had drawn around the Rojyan Embassy, and they demanded to be let in with shouting and slurs against the country and the shaking of weapons and pitchforks in anger. Alina's face turned stark white.
"Ya ponimayu pochemo Tula poluchil krest." ((Now I see why Tula got so cross.)) Alina whispered.

--

-Tula Nikos-

Upon arriving at the rubble that was once a train station, and once all the other passengers had left, Tula found her opportunity. As she was led off by the two guards, she turned to the younger guard and wrapped her arms around his neck by reaching up and over with her rope bound hands and pulled him close enough for their lips to barely touch. "You know, I meant to tell you this earlier, but you have beautiful eyes, Mister." She sighed, flirtatiously, and kneed him in the groin, sending the man to the ground in the fetal position. The other guard began to try to assault her, but Tula slammed her hands against his cheek and started a kick toward his side. He grabbed her leg and tossed her to the ground with a painful groan as she hit the rubble. He raised his weapon but once Tula caught her breath, she blocked the weapon with her roped hands. The sword cut her palm, but also the rope that bound her wrists together. She leaped up, and sprinted away from the guard, smiling and waving exuberantly as she did so. "Thanks for untying me, Mister! Really appreciate it!"
"GET BACK HERE, MA'AM!"
"Glad to know we're not forgetting our manners! We should have dinner sometime! I'm sure my apparent war criminal BOYFRIEND won't mind!"
As she ran, that thought stung slightly. It was understandable that Dimitry wouldn't give full disclosure of his life to her-he couldn't. Then again, neither did she.
What better time than now to get to know each other, right? Now to only find a way back to Fairhaven in secret to see him and her charge-of course-again.

That is, once she loses the guard.

## Page 10

Olivia - Performer of Vision Circus - Glassvale, Lynne

Ryouki? "We... don't have any... other than sightseeing. Lots and lots of sightseeing," Olivia stuttered. "What's your business here?"

"Don't ask them that!" The two of them turned sharply at the sound of something hitting the pavement behind them, finding a well-dressed, wounded man facedown on the ground and a soldier running towards him. "Shit! Where did they come from?"

"I knew I shouldn't have let him walk on his own," the soldier said once he caught up, his expression stricken.

"That's it," Kimmy cried. "We're getting out of here." She then pushed the button and threw the ball down, filling the nearby vicinity with a cloud of smoke. Before Olivia could react, she felt someone grab her elbow—rather painfully, she might add—and drag her away from the scene.

Boraci - Swamp Bat Hybrid

I huffed, shaking my head at Erick's offer. On the contrary, I felt normal again. All day, every day, I felt incomplete. Night was when I felt the most alive. And now Olivia was going to start my night off with lies.

I stood up, rolling my shoulders, which felt even bulkier because of my thick cloak. My boots were tight and I stretched my legs, walking closer to the alley.

"Look, I know it's you, Olivia. I never forget a voice. Tell your friend to chill and maybe we can help you with your 'job.'" Leif probably needed more time to heal anyway.

Just then, another voice joined the others in the alley, and a kind of smoke bomb went off.

"Really?!"

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Outside Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel's face paled at Tabaraamon's response to the armed civilians nearby, but he made an effort to appear otherwise unfazed. Evelyn was already fuming, glaring daggers at the new arrival, and Asbel wasn't about to throw fuel on that fire by getting upset. He smiled when he was addressed and answered Tabaraamon's question without hesitation, though a little more quietly than usual. "Better than when we last met. And yes, it has been a while. You and Dimitry need to start visiting more often." Obviously, they had more important things to do, but Asbel couldn't help trying to lighten the mood a bit.

Danor Arkaitz - Gunsmith - Hydris, Fairhaven

Danor stifled a gasp when she ran into someone in her haste, and she came close to stumbling as the heavy bag of luggage she was carrying threw her off balance. She turned to apologize but paused just as her mouth opened to speak; the young man had an eye patch. Well, what were the odds? She was hesitant to answer his question, but she generally found people with eye patches quite trustworthy, so she gathered her thoughts and managed to reply calmly. "No, I don't." She shifted where she stood, uncomfortable with standing still in her bustling surroundings.

She started thinking of a way to politely excuse herself for the incident and leave, but quickly remembered that it wasn't just her in danger; Doctor's appearance was definitely a bad omen for the entirety of Hydris. She looked up at the young man, intending to hold his attention. "Listen. This city is in danger, and it would be wise to get yourself and your family out of here. I heard there's already been an attack today on a train station in Lynne, and there's probably about to be another one here, if those damned riots aren't already enough. I'm getting away from this place for a while, and so should you."

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Glassvale, Lynne

Erick rose to his feet, growing more suspicious of Olivia's companion by the second. What were they really doing in a place like this? Before he knew it, though, they had made their haphazard excuses and disappeared behind a wall of smoke. Erick's temptation to roll his eyes and laugh at the whole situation was swept aside when he realized someone had tried to intervene when Olivia's companion drew a weapon(?), and he had somehow ended up flat on his face. "Guys, we've got another problem!"

Erick squinted against the smoke filling the alleyway and ran toward the fallen figure, and the soldier on the other side of the alley soon became visible as well. The stranger had sounded concerned, and Erick was fairly sure he was trying to help, so he looked to him for answers. "What happened? Do you know this person?" Upon closer inspection, the injured man was still breathing, but he looked like he might have gotten caught up in the earlier bombings, and Erick knew there might have been damage he just wasn't seeing.

-Sabriel Zidler/Royal Guard/Glassvale, Lynne-

A duo of strangers appeared then, seeming concerned for poor Evan-still on the ground and groaning.
Sabriel explained. "My partner and I were escorting a...certain person into Glassvale and she escaped, not before kneeing Evan in the-" His words caught as a large swamp...monster...thing...he couldn't tell what it was.
"Evan. Evan. Evan. EVAN!"
The man groaned, looked up and immediately his eyes widened.

The taller of the humans there glanced up and then warmly smiled. "Don't worry, he shouldn't harm you...well, unless you're percieved as a threat."
Evan's eyes narrowed as he struggled to his feet. "S-Same with us. Who are you people? What are you doing with a swamp bat?"

Boraci - Swamp Bat HYBRID (ruuuuddde ;) )- Glassvale, Lynne

The smoke did nothing to impair my spacial reasoning, but it stunk like airy manure. Olivia and her - friend? - disappeared, but Erick, always the good soldier, directed our attention to a pair of mangled men. Bomb, for sure.

I snarled a bit, showing my fangs.

"Have you ever seen a swamp bat that's EIGHT FEET TALL?!" Geez, their minds better have been messed up, or I was going to finish the job the bomb started. Okay, so maybe I wasn't completely fine. A little on edge. Hungry.

Tabaraamon - Shadowed One - Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

Tabaraamon sort of grinned at Asbel's comment. "Well, we would, if I was slightly less conspicuous. Dimitry just looks like a mercenary with a foul disposition and heavy weapons. The both of us? Starts raising eyebrows. Especially when someone sees under the hood. It's good to know you're doing better."

Dimitry nodded. "And well, Grail-El mercenary travelling in the company of supernatural warrior is what my wanted poster back home says."

"Look, I've got some news. Do you want to here it now? Or another time when there are fewer prying ears." Tabaraamon said under his breath.

"Anything that isn't personal you can tell us." Dimitry said.

"There was a large riot outside of the embassy a few hours back. Became violent, several guards were shot at. The shooters were all killed, as were several people that were making it worse. Then there is a increasing amount of anti-Falcon's Reach rhetoric bouncing around the high council, like people saying that there should be an invasion. Including several formerly non-confrontal councilmen and woman." Tabaraamon said. Then he violently changed the subject, he didn't like being the bringer of bad news. "So, what are the odds of seeing you here Asbel?"

Dimitry shifted a little, but didn't say anything, he figured it would be better if Asbel told him about the others. Sometimes the big shadow wouldn't believe things that Dimitry said.

Cima - Assassin - Hydris, Fairhaven.

Cima passed another mob gathered around the Rojyan embassy, and had a momentary flash of hatred toward the rabble, her hand dropped to the pouch on her belt. The pouch that contained a single nerve gas grenade. She stopped herself, she couldn't do that, the wind would carry the poison across the city, killing hundreds of innocents. Why did she even think of that? That wasn't like her. Her aggression was getting worse, and it worried her. It worried her a lot, but probably not enough.

She passed the gate guards who nodded to her but made no other sign that they notice her passing. She sat in her office and began writing her report to Jessica.

Council Military Special Activities oversight committee - government entity - The Citadel, Grail territory.

"Wait wait. You mean that the special activities unit authorized its own missions? That is preposterous! No oversight? They even redacted their own documents! What else have they done!" The council woman shouted in anger.

"Yes ma'am. Third fleet special activities was designed for internal operations, and probably was engineered to avoid oversight committee's. As the first fleet special activities is designed to make it nearly impossible to know the location of any assets, both material and human." The officer said was a nod.

"But it appears that this unit ensured secrecy on all levels, we don't have anything but these operations logs, which may or may not be forgeries. Our committee has asked for additional documents but none of been forthcoming." A councilman said.

"It is mostly because of the difficulty finding the documents. They are filed incorrectly, or the headers are wrong. The documents you have were found under "Training operations" others have been filed as "Logistical support" or "Ruin searches" the documents that the third fleet admiral has are currently trapped by red tape." The officer said tiredness evident in his voice.

"Now we come to the problem of operation A218. An unsanctioned killing of a Falcon's Reach expedition. And the torture of one of it members for information. I thought we were done with torture! It was outlawed twenty years ago! A unit can not kill human beings with out approval from a level nine officer, and if the information we have on this unit is at all correct none of them are even level seven." Another councilman said.

"Or the murder of a overseer? Marcus Stuart? He was killed by a member of this unit. And if you don't remember his daughter is our ambassador. This unit, all its members must be shut down. Put arrest warrants out for everyone. I want them found."

-Ryouki Sato-

The taller and older appearing of the soldiers trembled at Boraci's comment and Ryouki exhaled. "Not all people are exactly well versed on Wastes beings yet, give them a chance."

The younger soldier-Evan, supposedly-looked like he was about to piss himself. Ryouki, keeping a calm composure, began to speak. "Well, basically-"

"Is that a prosthetic arm?" Evan interrupted.

/No shit, Sherlock. FIGHT ME./ Ryouki smiled grimly. "Yes. It is. As I was saying, we were just on our way through Glassvale to someplace safer, as many whom are here seem to be doing." His one seemed to have more bite as his irritation grew. "Now if you sirs may, please be on your way. Whomever this 'certain person' you're looking for is, have fun finding them."
The older guard put a hand to the handle of the sword sheathed at his hip and sent Ryouki's stomach into momentary vertigo at the fear of confrontation. "Convincing, but I assure you kid, I'm not the kind of person who deserves a sugar coated story."
Ryouki flexed his prosthetic hand briefly, and suppressed a smug grin as Evan looked about to faint. "Neither am I. That's all you gave us. So what are you going to do about it?"
Evan pleased to his senior. "L-Let's go find Miss Nikos, Officer Sabriel. W-We have no time for petty stuff l-like this."
The younger guard took off running for the next train and his senior immediately went on after him, scolding Evan along the way.
Ryouki whispered to himself. "Nikos...where have I heard that name before?"

--

-Tula Nikos-

Her pace slowed as she felt a wave of relief upon losing the two soldiers.

And now she was..lost. Definitely lost. There was several tiny shacks around the place and a large run-down building. Everything in the area was in ruins. Tula murmured in awe. "What happened in Glassvale?"
She walked the ruined streets and eyed the citizens of Glassvale with piqued curiosity.

Boraci - GOT MY MOJO ON - Glassvale, Lynne

The guards ran off, obviously unnerved, and, dare I think it, frightened. Maybe I still had it. A groan and irked question coming from a slump I had ignored earlier drew my attention and I walked nearer to the man. Young. Dark hair. Terrible break in the nose. Nosebleeds weren't the most incensing kind of cut, but I couldn't help but flick out my long tongue and taste a sample. Devoid of extra minerals and excessive alcohol or spirits. So, not working class. He also used Fairhaven as an expletive; noble.

I had knelt down to be closer, and I snorted. "You've stumbled into the perhaps most improbable situation you could ever imagine," I responded. "Need a hospital? Because if we don't get moving soon, I can't take responsibility for my actions." Since the transformations had started happening, whenever I was in my original form, the bloodlust was amplified, as if it was stifled the whole day, causing an explosion like a bottle of bubbly beverage at night.

## Page 11

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Outside Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel's posture relaxed as Dimitry and Tabaraamon spoke, taking all eyes off him long enough for him to gather himself. When Tabaraamon pointed out the unlikelihood of their meeting, Asbel's smile widened. "Better than the odds of Boraci, Ryouki, and Erick also being here. They left the hospital on an errand, but they should be back any minute now." His gaze lowered, as did his voice. "It probably doesn't bode well, but it's certainly nice to see you all again."

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Glassvale, Lynne

Erick heard more voices behind him and looked over his shoulder. With the smoke still fairly thick in the alleyway, he couldn't make out the identity of the two silhouettes approaching Ryouki, but he knew their voices well enough. They were some of the King's most trusted guards, and he didn't trust them as far as he could throw them. He kept an eye on their positions in case one of them made a wrong move, and nearly breathed an audible sigh of relief when they finally fled. They were harmless for the most part, but Evan could be a real loose cannon if you caught him in the wrong mood.

Nikos, though... Erick definitely knew that name; Tula Nikos was one of Princess Alina's soldiers. Why in the world would the King's men be taking her to Lynne? As he thought this over, the injured man came to his senses and sat up, pinching his badly bleeding - probably broken - nose shut. Erick offered a hand to help him to his feet, adding to Boraci's explanation. "The rebels have been busy today. Anyway, the hospital's not far from here, but do you think you can walk on your own?" He was worried about Boraci's thirst for blood, but not worried enough to bring it up then and there. Once they were on the road, he was sure they would be able to figure something out.

Danor Arkaitz - Gunsmith - Hydris, Fairhaven

Danor's eyebrows shot up when she caught the excited tone of the stranger's voice, and it made her a little more wary of him. Maybe he just hadn't seen the Doctor yet, because something told her that his reaction would be very different if he had. Offering to carry her bags, though... That was something she couldn't explain. It was very polite, of course, but was this really the time? "Excuse me?"

She paused, her eyes searching the area for a moment before she returned her attention to the young man. "I don't mean to be rude, but why would you ask me that? Don't you have better things to worry about?" It was strange, for sure, but she doubted he was trying to steal from her. For one thing, he would have a hard time escaping with such heavy cargo, and for another: eye patch = trustworthy.

Dimitry Popov and Tabaraamon - Master and Servant - Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

If Tabaraamon had a more normal conventional biology his jaw would have dropped and his eyes would have bugged out. As was he just stood in total silence for several seconds. "Not possible. Simply not possible, the odds. I have better chances of getting a straight flush, twice in a row."

Dimitry sighed. "This is how he gets when stuff strange happens. Which is odd, seeing how old he is. I wonder when we will start moving? It's getting dark, and cowards become braver during the night. I expect an attack soon."

"How is the Bat fellow? Boraci? I bet the extermination of the wastes didn't make him happy." Tabaraamon said all of a sudden.

"Human. Actually, I don't know what he really is. He's human looking, but still has fangs, and green blood. So, unless he has an excellent disguise I have no clue." Dimitry said. He hadn't really thought about that as much as he should have, probably since it made his head hurt.

Unknown - Anarchist - Hydris.

The man picked the tiny crossbow off the table. "What is this thing supposed to do? Shoot pins?"

The woman grabbed it. "Be glad that isn't loaded. A prick of that and you'll be dead with in the week. It doesn't need to do much, just break the skin. Then the sickness does the rest."

"What?" The man asked.

"Sleeping sickness." The woman said with a grim smile.

Matthew Barton - Outlaw - Braille.

Matthew finished his drink and stood up running his hand through his hair. How was he going to find one man?

He went over what he knew. The man who threatened him was a Caravaner, maybe this Nathan Stone was as well. Where could he find information about Caravaners? Their embassy, maybe they could help him find that man. As far as he knew there would be a train to Hydris in a few hours time, a night train that would reach the city by morning. Hopefully they would have answers.

Jessica Stuart - Ambassador - Grail-El embassy, Hydris.

Jessica paced. Dimitry was alive, that should have been obvious to her, his body had never been found, none of his equipment had been recovered either. And there had been reports during the battle of the Citadel of a man armed with a blood blade, which had to be him.

What she couldn't get around her head was what he was doing in Falcon's Reach, could it be that he was a rebel? Or maybe a supporter of the king? Or could he just be here to add to the general chaos.

Then her closet door opened. And she heard a step on the floor behind her, then gasped as the cold steel of a dagger touched her neck.

-Ryouki Sato-

He steadily followed and observed the newfound unconscious man-not after sending a rude gesture in the way of the guards. Moving fallen hair out of his eyes, Ryouki listened intently to the conversation. At the mention of rebels, he tended slightly. The man niw had some very different opinions on the rebellion considering that the only family he had left were so devoted to such.

--

-Ryan Petrushkov-

Ryan eyed the surrounding people-Taiyo had gone back with her family who waited Ryouki's return possibly. Tula's beau was talking with a shadowy looking figure and a man with white hair-which seemed suspicious. Perhaps Viktor was right to be leery of her association with Dimitry? He wasn't sure.

A moment later, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure with familiar untamed brown hair. He bolted up from where he stood and sprinted to catch her as she started moving away from the area, embracing his younger comrade. She staggered back at the contact, and soon enough, he heard her crying on his shoulder.
"Tula, this isn't like you..." Ryan soothed her, rubbing her upper back. "What's the matter? What are you doing here?"
She didn't answer for a while, but then looked up at him. "It's awful. Everyone in Fairhaven is revolting against the Ambassadors. I-I got angry and-" Her words caught and she pulled out of Ryan's arms. "How's my makeup?"
Ryan looked at Dimitry from afar, then at Tula. "It's not too bad. I don't reccomend talking to him now. He appears to be busy."

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

Dimitry slightly glanced to his right. There was a window with slightly mirrored glass and it let him see behind him with out being obvious.

He spotted sudden movement in the direction of the Royjan soldier. Dimitry squinted, female, brown hair. The reflection was distorted, but the new comer was familiar. Then it clicked in his mind. Tula. But why was she here? Sent to assist Ryan? Or had their embassy been overrun and Tula was the only that got out?

Or was this what Tabaraamon meant when he spoke of "personal information" this was going to take some explanation, why he was standing here, drenched in blood among a pack of rebels, police and in conversation with a demon.

He quickly ran his hand through his hair and attempted to make himself more presentable. He used the polished blade of his bayonet to check for anything in his teeth. He was dirty, but that was to be expected, he had been shot at, bombed, ran through a fire storm, had human and what ever Boraci was blood all over his clothing.

Boraci - 'Beast?!' - Glassvale, Lynne

I smirked, after all, Erick could use some snark to balance out his natural helpful self.

"Punished? I guess you could say that. But the rebels aren't just one big entity. The group that abducted us from the wreckage is only a small fraction of the defectors, and they have a couple bullet holes left in 'em." I stretched my wings out of my clothes slits, aggravating my back wound. Underneath the gauze, it was most likely criss-crossing with green, stringy antibodies. One of the perks of these transformations was faster healing. One of the only perks. I studied the noble and the guard, underwhelmed. He obviously didn't get out much.

"I'll bet you the rebels are just getting started." I turned around to fetch the wooden cart. "We going, or what? Leif is still one big sucker." I wondered how things were going. Tabaraamon had probably arrived, as it was now a comfortable grey in the sky, and dark demons appearing generally didn't bode well with anyone. A thought struck me - I hadn't been able to practice my 'echo-messages,' since the only things to hear me would be other bats, and they'd be happy to chew my ears off. Concentrating on the memory of Asbel's voice, I hummed softly to myself, making a sort of buzzing sound. Higher and higher it went, until it became virtually silent, but in tune with his specific frequency.

How's the hospital situation? I asked, half-hoping he imagined someone was in his head. Cruel amusement was all I could manage sometimes.

 Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Glassvale, Lynne

Erick smiled sheepishly at the injured man's question and was all too happy to ignore it after Boraci chimed in, following him to the cart in silence. He thought about asking the noble's name, but he wasn't sure he wanted to open that door until he knew what kind of person he was really dealing with. Erick might have been recognized by then, but if Boraci and Ryouki hadn't, he wasn't about to inadvertently put them on the spot.

Danor Arkaitz - Gunsmith - Hydris, Fairhaven

Danor handed over her belongings with a smile. "Of course. I wouldn't want to hurt your pride as a gentleman." Her attention then turned to the men wading through the crowd toward them. "I'm sorry, but my shop is closed for today. You'll have to come back another time."

At least two of the men rolled their eyes, but one of them spoke up. "Leaving town?"

Danor chuckled and cast a look over her shoulder, toward the embassies. "Yes. After today, that shouldn't be a surprise to anyone."

"Oh, it isn't. After what happened today, just about anyone in your position would be tempted to leave Hydris; especially seeing as how the rebels are probably hurting for weapons right about now."

Danor's soft voice suddenly gained a sharp edge. "What are you trying to say?"

The man's friends grew angry and restless, but he maintained a calm front, glancing to the young man holding Danor's things. "All I'm saying is that if you are supplying the wrong kind of people with weapons - even leaving to fight for them - you can expect some people to take issue with it - people who really care about this kingdom."

Danor placed a hand over her eyes and sighed. "Some of my customers are probably rebels, but a lot of them are loyalists too. Anyone with a bit of common sense would avoid getting too friendly with either of them, and I'm no one's doormat, so don't think you'll get anywhere by threatening me." Danor met eyes with the man. "Now, if you don't mind..." She stepped back a few steps until she was beside the boy holding her bag.

As she turned her back on the men, she heard and saw a sudden flurry of movement; without the slightest hesitation, she grabbed the boy's wrist, hoping he would have the sense to follow her, and fled. She wasn't about to risk a fight in that situation if she didn't have to, and if she and her new friend could just get far enough into the crowds, maybe they could give those idiots the slip.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Outside Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Evelyn, who had been keeping a close eye on Asbel's friendly conversation with Dimitry and the shadow-man, turned her attention to a familiar newcomer when she saw Ryan run off to meet her. She had no idea what Tula Nikos was doing in Lynne, but Evelyn figured she would be a helpful asset if she stayed, so she avoided staring and waited patiently. When her attention returned to the conversation nearby, however, she saw something a bit frightening.

Asbel, previously all smiles, suddenly made an expression like someone had spat in his face and raised a hand to his forehead, breaking eye contact with Dimitry. "Get out of my head, you ass!" His voice was not at all discreet, and Evelyn recoiled at how uncharacteristically loud it was. After realizing what he had done, he sighed and crossed his arms, eyes fixed to the ground. What in the world...? With a flushed face, he shook his head and excused himself. "Sorry about that. Everything's fine," he hissed, his gaze beginning to wander as if he were searching for something or someone.

 Tula Nikos-

As a young man's outburst caught everyone's attention briefly, Tula found her moment and went towards Dimitry steadily after taking in a look at her beau covered in grime and multicolored fluid that she didn't want to question. "Dimitry!" She grinned still, and went over wanting to embrace him, but not get stuck with whatever was staining his clothes on her own-considering how thin the dress shirt under her uniform was, any stain could be embarrassing even if it was water.
"What happened in Lynne? I didn't see you again at all. Everything in Hydris went to total shit and..." Tula pushed back tears with rapid blinking. "It's so good to see you, but it's under the worst circumstances."

-Ryouki Sato-

The nobleman's comment caught Ryouki off guard. He felt his face colour somewhat. "Thank you sir. It was a very, VERY important gift presented to me. Indeed, incredible." Ryouki was never one to boast, and felt the nonleman's staring both flattering and uncomfortable all at once. Smiling to ease his own tension at least, he added. "There was a lot of work put into my prosthetic, I'm glad you noticed it."

## Page 14

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

Dimitry smiled at Tula as she approached. "Tula!" He said as way of greeting, then responding to her question said. "This place also went to total shit, I'm surprised so much is still standing. I'm sorry that I didn't leave a message about my whereabouts, but I didn't want you to worry. I'm so glad to see you, I heard a little about what happened in Hydris, and was so worried about you."

She was fighting to stave off tears, Dimitry had no idea what to do, he wasn't good at comforting people, especially those close to him. Maybe he should ask what was wrong, but that might make it worse. He normally would hold her tight, but didn't want to cover her in the blood and grime that coated his jacket. "What's wrong? I might be able to help." He said, in his most soothing voice.

Tabaraamon - Shadowed One - Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

Tabaraamon watched Asbel's outburst with some interest. Maybe that shade was trying to break back into Asbel's mind. This would be an absurdly bad time for that sort thing.

"Despite your claims of being fine I do not believe you. Especially concerning your history." Tabaraamon said softly. "Now, do you recognize the voice?"

He hoped it was just stress, sleep deprivation and maybe a concussion had caused Asbel's brain to incorrectly process something he heard. If not, he didn't want to think about that right now.

Jessica Stuart - Ambassador - Embassy, Fairhaven.

Jessica tried to calm her breathing, which was hard considering that each breath touched her neck to the cold steel. "What do you want?" She asked quietly, people did not break in embassies to kill an ambassador, they got them when they were in the open. Who ever this was wanted something, and if she cooperated Cima or one of the other guards might show up.

"I want you to sign this." The man behind her hissed before placing a sheet of paper on her desk. She quickly read over the informative parts. It was a transfer order, for what she wasn't sure. She had never seen the designation "T31VS" before, she had never seen a designation like it either, the letters were always either before or after the number, not separated.

And the authorization code wasn't a real code, it was more of a slogan: "Primo Victoria" which didn't ring any bells. The form was a standard transfer order, the type that was used for everything from requesting additional office supplies, to sand ship fuel rods or nerve gas warheads.

The only thing that was abnormal was that it was for the third fleet, which had nothing to do with Falcon's Reach, it was for internal defense.

"And if I don't sign this?" She asked.

"You die." The man said matter of factly.

"And I do sign it?" She asked, guessing the answer.

"You live." The man said.

"I won't sign it. Unless you tell me exactly what it is that is being transferred. If I don't like what you are transferring I won't sign it."

"It's a prisoner transfer, multiple prisoners. Moving them out of a local holding site and to the third fleet." The man said, irritation in his voice.

"What holding site?" She asked, if she could stall this man, she might be able to signal for help, she just needed to figure it out.

"It's covert site, classification is well above you."

"Fine. I will sign it." She lied as she picked up the pen. But instead of writing she stabbed the fountain pen at the man's neck. She twisted her body so the knife would not slit her throat. The man's free hand lashed out, striking her at the center of the rib cage, she gasped out the air that was in her lungs in a puff, and tried to regain her breathe. She did get something useful out of the failed attack. She had a look at the man, and she recognized him.

He had been one of the military intelligence agents who assisted in the investigation of her father's murder by Dimitry. "So, special agent Rankin, what does military intelligence want with this? Military intelligence is under the first fleet, not the third. You're lying about something, and I think it's about this order. What is it really?"

The man sighed. "Nothing, I was the only operative in the area that could bypass your security forces with out question. You are the only person in this country that has the authorization to sign this order. Unless you were to die, then your assistant would be, and I'm quite certain that he is much easier to deal with."

Jessica felt the blood leave her face. She had forgotten about that. She picked up the pen and signed, the paper would be signed if she was alive or dead, so she might as well sign it and save herself a lot of pain.

Rankin snatched the paper and left. Jessica had seen that sort of attack, the open handed strike in the chest, Dimitry had used it during a brawl once, he said that his commander had taught him in scout vanguard. Maybe it was a standard move, she hadn't taken any hand to hand combat training. She would ask Cima about it later.

Tula Nikos

Tula hurriedly wiped away at her eyes. "I'm just...I've cracked under pressure a-and accidentally made a riot worse than it is..." She trailed off and then reached for Dimitry's rough, callused, grimey hands with abandon, holding tight. "Falcon's Reach hates us. The citizens were forming mobs at both Embassies and if there is anything I don't tolerate, it's attacks directed toward me and my loved ones. They demanded that Grail-El's Ambassador and Princess Alina to go back where they came from and that none of us had a place there. It was out of control and I stabbed a guy and then..." The tears came back strong, sending shivers up the woman's spine. "Then, everyone found out about us and I found out about you and I still want to be with you and they exiled me here. I can't go back to Hydris and save Alina from those angry people, or worse: assassination-"

Ryan cut her off, bearing fury at hearing her full disclosure. "Ubiystvo?! CHERT POBERI!  Kak ty mog prakticheski pust' Alina umeret!" He slammed his fist against the wall, startling Tula, and muttered profanities in Rojyan that started coarse but weakened him steadily until he slid to the ground with his head in his hands. ((Assassination?! DAMN YOU! How could you let Alina alone to die!)) One of the girls in the small family she had seen earlier had started to go to Ryan's side, but was held back by someone who seemed to be her brother-younger or older, Tula couldn't tell.

Tula sighed and explained. "He...Ryan sometimes has outbursts like that. It comes and goes, a-and he has a special tonic for it. I-I'm sorry, I'm rambling again, you know how I do that. It's just, I'm really glad to see you, but I'm out of a job. I'm a criminal again. It's devastating after living quite well off for so long."

Boraci - Lalalala - Glassvale, Lynne

"Bit creepy," I interjected, indicating Ryouki's arm with a jerk of my head. "Although you don't have much of a point of reference, do you, Mr. Noble?" I snickered quietly to myself as I picked up a cart handle and started to drag it back down the muddy road.

With my cloak hood down, I could hear Asbel.

/Who're you callin' an asshole, asshole?/ I sent, the chirps feeling good, natural. He'd be mad as hell when we got back, but from now it was all that was distracting me from sucking the pansy stranger dry.

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Outside Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Oops. Asbel looked up at Tabaraamon and considered trying to evade his questions, but that didn't feel right. Besides, given his history and his obvious reaction, it was better to clear the air rather than let Tabaraamon and Evelyn think he had finally flown off the handle. I hope you're pleased with yourself, Boraci, because you nearly gave me a heart attack. "I do. It's not Nowaki or..." Asbel trailed off, his voice growing quieter as he began to lose his nerve.

"Boraci was just using some unconventional methods to communicate, and it's been a long time since I've had to tell the difference between that and having a hitchhiker in my gray matter, so I was startled. That's all it was. I appreciate the concern, though." He smiled, but he was distracted by Tula, Dimitry, and Ryan when the latter began yelling, and his expression became grim.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Glassvale, Lynne

Erick frowned at Boraci's comment, which left a pretty sour taste in his mouth. Speaking of which... "If you're going to need a drink anytime soon, you should probably get it before we're on our way out of Lynne. Everyone's going to be in a big hurry then." Seeing that Boraci seemed able to handle the cart on his own, Erick matched Ryouki's pace and walked alongside him, shooting a smile up at him to see if it bounced back.

Danor Arkaitz - Gunsmith - Hydris, Fairhaven

The boy's question was in the back of Danor's mind as she ran, but she had to think about her answer for a while. Where were they going? "Unless you have a better way of getting to Braile, we're going to the train station, even though they might not even be running at this point."

Wait. Was there a "we" to begin with? It was good of him to come as far as he did, but she had no right to put someone so young in harm's way. After rounding one more corner and making sure they were no longer being pursued, Danor slowed to a stop so the two of them could catch their breath. "I wouldn't hold it against you for letting me go alone from here, you know. I don't think you were expecting any of this when you agreed to help me, were you?"

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 Ryouki Sato

```

As Erick had started to keep with Ryouki's walking pace, he caught the man's smile and returned it, taking the smaller man's hand with intertwined fingers-human ones, since Erick happened to be on that side. The warmth of Erick's palm eased his tightly wound spirits, as Erick always did when they were together. "I think all of us could use a good drink or a smoke or something. Hell, I could write my drag friend Ginger to give us all massages or something." Ryouki exhaled. "Some trip this was, eh sugar?"

 Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

Dimitry listened to Tula's story, it was hard for him to see her this distraught. He had no idea what to do, and when she said. "Then, everyone found out about us and I found out about you" Dimitry felt with chill run up and down his body.

Through his mind flashed every horrendous act he had committed during his time as part of the Third Fleet special activities group. The murders, the torture he had been part of, the gassings, burnings, and executions. And those were only the first things that came to mind, there were the things he did in Falcon's Reach during the years before and after the second war. What had she been told? And why did she still care for him? How could she?

What did matter was she wasn't disgusted or terrified by him. He would tell her everything he could when they were in a more private environment.

He was concerned by Ryan's outburst, though his
non-existent knowledge of the Rojyan language made it impossible to understand what it was about, but if Dimitry was to guess, it was about "abandoning" the ambassador. Though Tula hadn't exactly had much of a choice in the matter from what she had said.

He looked directly into Tula's eyes. "You will get through this. We will get through this. Trust me on this." He released her hands so he could take off his jacket. As he removed it he noticed two bullet holes. The bullets had been deflected by his armored vest, but the fact he hadn't felt them impact was concerning.

Now free of the dirt covered garment he embraced her. "You can cry if you need, it might help if you get it all out." He whispered into her ear.

Kristen Mernoth - Noble - Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

Kristen's leg was trapped in the large mass of plaster and linen. The doctor had instructed her not to move very much, so she hadn't moved. Unless thinking was considered moving, if it was she had might as well have run a marathon. Her mind had finally cleared all the way, until then she had either been in shock, or barely awake, or pumped up full of drugs, or all of the above. Now she realized all the books she had, all her notes, all her research had been lost in the crash.

She would have to start all over again, maybe this would be the place to start. She would write the book after the rebellion ended, and of course she would write it in such a way that would flatter the winning side, that would be the way to make money. She would try to keep it as accurate as possible, she wouldn't lie, of course not. Just leave out certain things, that wouldn't be to bad.

Tabaraamon - Shadowed One - You guessed it, Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

Tabaraamon nodded, he had forgotten that Boraci could do that. "So, what the hell is going on? I mean I understand that Dimitry can screw just about anything up, but for everything to be in this bad of shape he couldn't have done it alone." He said, sort of jokingly.

The level of destruction reminded him of Agnarok post assault, except there were few waste creatures, dead or living here. Maybe it was the rebels, but why would the rebels wreck their own home? Maybe there was a war between the rebels.

Abel seemed like he knew a lot more than he let on, maybe it was th white hair that sort of fooled pooling into thinking he was old and wise.

-Tula Nikos-

She trembled in his arms and struggled to keep her composure. "I have not felt regret like this in so long, Dimitry." Her voice remained as steady as she could allow. Tula pressed herself into him until she could feel his heartbreat-erratic with stress, yet strong and thumping against her own heart which was more like a chaotic humming bird than a beating drum.
The tears didn't take long to subside, but she held on a while longer, relishing the moment in case something decided to ruin it.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

Dimitry held Tula close to his chest, letting her cry into his shoulder. He couldn't think of anything to say, he had never been in a situation like this one. His fall from grace had been somewhat intentional, so he hadn't felt the betrayal she must feel. He could feel the slight weight on his brow as tears tried to force their way through his eyes.

He stood there, willing himself to remain strong for her. When she stopped crying he said. "I will do anything, and everything in my power to help you."

Then in a whisper so quiet it would be impossible for anyone else to hear he said. "I love, you know that. And I won't leave you."

-Tula Nikos-

"Of course I know that." She responded in a similar tone with a shakey laugh. "I love you too, more than anything." Tula began to relax somewhat and turned up her head to smile at Dimitry. "I am so glad at least you were here. I never thought I'd see you again-"

Ryan, seemingly back to his old self, stood and cleared his throat to catch Tula's attention. She turned with a massive eye roll. "Yes?"
"You and I need to find a way back to Hydris as soon as possible."
Tula lingered in Dimitry's arms, pouting at Ryan. "I KNOW. But as you may have heard, I'm exiled. I can't go back to Hydris as long as there are charges on me."
The tall soldier pondered a moment, and then sighed. "I know I am to go, but since the explosion...there isn't any quick way to get back there, really."

Boraci - An Unofficial Mule - To Crecelle Hospital

I chuckled to myself again, hearing Asbel's uncomfortable response to the others outside the hospital. But I hadn't heard anything about Lief, or that noblewoman he was protecting. If he had gone and died on us, well, I would just have to bring him back and kill him again because this cart trip attributed two more bloody members. The guard wasn't so bad, in fact, I was surprised he hadn't said much of anything thus far. But another noble - and one that seemed to have a stick up his rear. That was just asking for trouble.

As we approached the clearing near the entrance of the hospital, I slumped my shoulders, gathered the cloak around my arms, and put up my hood, obscuring my face. Now I'd just look like a freakishly tall man-cloak. A couple new people had joined since we'd left; including that Nikos woman. She seemed like trouble. That made her okay in my book. I set the cart down by the hospital entrance and shuffled back over to Dimitry and Asbel. Oh. And Tabaraamon.

"Anything exciting happen while we were gone?" I asked, my voice dry and teasing.

 Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Outside Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel took a short time to search his memory, which wasn't exactly his strong suit, in order to lay the sequence of events out neatly. "A train was bombed earlier today, and some rebel agents calling themselves 'Wood's Men' brought its living passengers - myself included - back to their hideout in an old theatre near here. We made our escape when the bombs started falling. At least one of them hit the theatre directly, so it was some other group that did it."

Asbel smiled, absently tracing shapes into the dirt with the heel of his shoe. "Dimitry actually came here with the policemen behind me and helped them get the hostages out alive." When Boraci and the others returned, Asbel sighed with relief, though his reply to Boraci's question was intentionally curt. "Define exciting." The policemen - all except Evelyn - seemed alarmed by Boraci, and all seemed to offer at once to go back into the hospital and check on Leif and Kristen. Asbel smirked at this, and his annoyance with Boraci seemed to evaporate at seeing them so anxious. "Did you steal the cart from those two?" Asbel pointed to the bloodied noble and his guard.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Glassvale, Lynne

Erick replied with laughter in his voice, "Yeah, and it looks like we're gonna have to take the long way home. In a way, though, I'm glad it went the way it did. If it hadn't, we might never have found your siblings." Erick's mind began to drift back to Ryouki's parents, his eyes shifting downward, when an opportunity to keep the conversation going snapped him out of his daze.

He looked to the nobleman and his guard, Delaney, as they all neared the hospital. "Where will you two go now? I mean, Glassvale's not exactly safe anymore, but do you have any plans?" Erick looked over everyone outside the hospital to make sure they were all there, and it seemed like they were all okay. He had honestly hoped the secret policemen would be gone by the time they got back, but he guessed that was too much to hope for. He said nothing when he spotted Tula in Dimitry's arms, since he didn't want to ruin a moment or something, but the look on his face made his surprise clear enough.

Danor Arkaitz - Gunsmith - Hydris, Fairhaven

Danor couldn't help laughing as she shook Ezra's hand - at his manners, his intriguing title, and the idea of a corpse in her satchel. It was probably heavy enough, but she hoped it smelled better than that. "Fair enough, Ezra, and thank you for your help. My name's Danor Arkaitz." Danor picked up her bag and held it out to Ezra with a grin, her high spirits more than recovered from the earlier confrontation. "Let's get going! I don't know about you, but I hate walking in the dark."

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Outside Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

Dimitry was about to respond to Tula when Ryan began to discuss his need to return to Hydris. Dimitry hadn't really considered how he or anyone would rapidly move throughout Falcon's Reach once the train system was shut down. Crossing the borders would be easy, just sneak across when no one was looking. But getting anywhere fast would require a horse or one of those new automobiles, and either method would create more problems then they solved.

"If you want to use the trains you should probably get out of Lynne, and those will probably be shut down soon. Actually I think we should all leave Lynne, the rebels are here, so the kings armies will be here soon, and I don't want to be in between them. Sorry I'm not much more help." He said somewhat apologetically.

Tabaraamon-Shadowed One- Outside Crecellle Hospital, Lynne.

Tabaraamon listened to Asbel's description of the days events. Dimitry working with the secret police? That seemed rather odd for him, but then again Dimitry had once said that even those seen as enemies can be manipulated into being useful when the time was right.

He glanced over at Dimitry and Tula tangled up in each other and sighed, it reminded him of his previous life, when he had a woman he loved.

Then Boraci showed up and ruined any sort of good memory that might have been climbing into his mind. There was Erick as well, and his boyfriend. And there were new arrivals, a guard and a nobleman that looked like he would faint at the sight of his own blood. Tabaraamon suppressed an evil grin, maybe he could cause the noble to piss himself. No, that would be cruel, one look at Boraci's mug had probably caused permanent trauma, and getting jumped by a shadow monster in the same day...

Leif Regnar - Bodyguard - Inside Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

Leif had a full torso cast that made it nearly impossible to move. And the plaster had gotten stuck to his chest hair, which was giving him premature shudders at the pain of removing the cast.

The doctor said that he shouldn't move for several days, then after that restrict his movement to the least strenuous activities for at least a month. Then he could get the cast removed. Leif knew that after a month with out exercise he wouldn't be able to lift his hammer with out difficulty. And the hammer was gone, which really got his blood boiling, it had been his father's, and his father before him, through five generations, it had been a gift from some important warlord as a recognition of valor. And he was the one that lost it to a bunch of druidic fools using fire arms.

Illyushin Mosin - Polkovnik of the 13th GD - Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Mosin pocketed the letter and trudged back to the hospital. He left a few minutes earlier in hopes of finding a way to communicate with Rojya about the attack in Falcon's Reach and his well-being but no such luck. Everyone was busy dying, running away or fighting for their lives. Where were the brave men that would go out of their way to help others, no matter the danger?

"At least I can rely on you, Shashka," Mosin said. He rested his hand on the grip and gave her pat.

He saw most of the group he'd traveled with still crowded around the front of the hospital and approached them. "I see you have found your cart. Will you be leaving now or wait out the night?" He wondered how Rojya and Her Majesty would react to the rebel's attack in Falcon's Reach in that time and if they would send military personnel to "assist" with looking for any remaining survivors. "If you will be leaving, may I continue to accompany..."

He stopped when he realized he wasn't talking to strangers at all. "Comrades Ryan Petrushkov and Tula Nikos," he said in a deceptively calm voice, "I hope that Her Majesty is in safe hands since you two... HER PERSONAL GUARDS are here in Glassvale. Does Rojya already know about the attack today? Tell me what is the status of my guards division and the other divisions." After all he'd been through today, this is what broke him. He could be civil no more. The princess was their first and only mission, to protect her for god's sake. They shouldn't be seen without her. Had they been here since the theater and he hadn't noticed?

"Bozhe moi!" He put his anger aside when he saw them. A Swamp Bat and a Shadowed One. In a dangerously close proximity. "Are you seeing those animals?" He drew his sword Shashka. He was a seasoned, high ranking soldier but anything from the Wastes could scare anyone. Even the Tikbalang rats could kill easily. He lived alongside Kyuketsuki but animals like these were different. Had the Wastes invaded the city too?

-Ryan Petrushkov-

At the sight of one of their former military comrades, Ryan was caught off guard-especially with the thinly veiled venom in his words. He looked at Tula, who responded with an irritated glance in turn.
"It's a long story." The responded in exhausted unison.
Ryan explained. "The Princess herself, actually, sent me here on a reconnaissance mission. Tula, however, to be quite frank: fucked up."
"Hey!" Tula interjected.
"Viktor Starkov is still in Hydris with her, and as you know he is more than capable of holding the...the place until I return, since perhaps now that Tula is here, she can carry out the mission of observation."

At his reaction to the Swamp Bat and the Shadowed one, Ryan turned to eye them, and shrugged nonchalantly. "Yes. I am aware of them."
Tula's expression was one of slight wonder at the one in shadows. "They're quite impressive actually."

The brother with the metal arm and what Ryan assumed to be his beau had returned with the Swamp Bat. Taiyo and her sister ran toward him instantly.

--

-Taiyo Sato-

She made a playfully angry expression at her brother and Erick.
Ryouki, somewhat uncomfortable, raised a brow and questioned. "What is it?"
Taiyo poked Erick's chest somewhat hard. "You better be good to him. I know martial arts. My sister fences. Usami can make ANYTHING a weapon. We're onto you-"
Tsukiko held her back. "Don't scare him, Taiyo."
"Isn't that the point?"
Ryouki laughed. "Why are you saying this?"
Taiyo sighed and confessed. "Well, we don't really know where you're headed or whose side your on...so you and Tsukiko and Usami and I probably won't see each other again."
Her eldest brother placed his free hand comfortingly on her shoulder. She shuddered at the contact of the cold metal, but accepted his gesture with ease. "Don't talk that way. I'm sure we won't be separated as long as we were again."

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Crecelle Hospital area, Lynne.

Dimitry glanced at the new comer. 'Arrogant ass' was the the thing that first went through his head. Dimitry turned to Tula and said. "I need to go and speak to an associate of mine. If you need me, well, this place isn't that big."

He nodded to Ryan and the other man. He grabbed his jacket from the ground and readjusted the massive sniper rifle slung across his back.

"How's your back doing?" He asked Boraci, he just hoped the wound hadn't fully closed, if it had the gauze would be sealed inside, where it would eventually dissolve, leaving a hole in the muscle tissue.

In a lower voice he said. "Oh, and the man with the drawn sword refers to you two as animals, just thought you might want to know."

He expected Boraci could have heard it, but Tabaraamon's ears weren't so good, which he made up with his freakish eye sight.

Dimitry wondered who the new comer was, he referred to his 'guards division' which meant little to Dimitry, the guard designation meant that it was an elite unit, but other than that it was beyond Dimitry's knowledge. Who ever he was he seemed like a hundred other mid level officers with an inflated head. Or maybe the man was just having a really bad day and it was showing.

Boraci - Savages, savages... - Glassvale, Lynne

I smirked and shook my head.

"No, it was abandoned. Erick spotted it right before Olivia - that circus girl - randomly appeared with some others. We got landed with his highness and his royal guard." I shrugged and took a gander at the Shadowed One. You'd have thought his wardrobe would change every once in a while. As it happened, though, it stayed the same, and the slumping was obviously having no effect. Exhaling, I straightened up and took down my hood.

As Dimitry passed me to talk to presumably Tabaraamon, he asked me about my back and drew attention to that crazy Royjan man that was on the train earlier.

"The back's feeling better, should be healed by sunrise if I don't fly." I shuffled so that I was facing most of the group, shadows at my back. "And, yes, thank you for reminding me of the over enthusiastic Wastes hunter over there."

I raised my voice as I looked in the direction of the Polkovnik, head tilted.

"Settle down there, Ilyushin, was it? We've met, briefly." I couldn't think of anything else to say, except that Ryouki's siblings were surprisingly unfazed. "Nice sword." I could hear the scutter of rats in the damp corners of the courtyard, but I held back the grumble of my stomach. Conversation first, eat after.

Illyushin Mosin - Polkovnik of the 13th GD - Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Mosin drew his eyebrows together. "You can speak? You... have consciousness then?" He lowered Shashka but still kept her out. The animal knew his name and claimed to have met him, but he didn't remember talking to a Swamp Bat before and he certainly didn't remember giving one his name. The voice did sound a little familiar.

"Fredrick Dermon?" he said hesitantly. He looked around. Everyone else did not seem to mind the presence of those two. Mosin decided to trust their judgement and put Shashka away. He didn't ask how Fredrick had changed into a Swamp Bat or what a Shadowed One was doing here. He thought he was better off not knowing. "Please forgive my behavior. It was a... misunderstanding."

Mosin turned back to Victor and Tula. "A reconnaissance mission? So only you and Tula are here in Glassvale? Wait, do you have a way to contact Rojya right now? It is imperative that we tell headquarters about the situation." His friend would have to take a backseat for now.

## Page 14

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel's attention turned to Illyushin, who arrived at the hospital shortly after Boraci, and lingered warily on him until he put his weapon away. "Good to have you back in one piece." Boraci's reply, meanwhile, took a few seconds to sink in, and one could practically see it click in his brain as his eyes widened and returned to Boraci. "You saw Olivia?" Asbel looked to Tabaraamon with a wicked grin. "How about those odds? Impossibility must be far behind us now. Fate seems more appropriate, don't you think?"

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

The playful threats and Ryouki's words of reassurance put a smile on Erick's face, and although the thought of Ryouki and his siblings parting ways put a knot in his stomach, it was a small comfort to know the three of them were skilled fighters. That is, unless Taiyo was bluffing. "Besides, it doesn't matter what side he's on, does it? We'll still be around if you need us."

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Motioning for the other agents to follow, Evelyn retreated into the hospital and tracked down a doctor, explaining their situation and the need for a stretcher with which to carry Leif outside. "I'll bring the stretcher back, but if you could spare a blanket or two, I'd appreciate it. After that, we'll be out of your hair." The doctor nodded, they discussed the matter of payment for a minute or two, and Evelyn eventually convinced him to settle - for the time being - for the money she had on hand.

Before she began the process of getting Leif out of the hospital, Evelyn retraced her steps toward Kristen's room. She knocked on the door, paused for a moment or two, and made her way inside. "We're about to bring Leif outside, then we'll be on our way." Evelyn nodded to the nearby pair of crutches. "Would you like me to walk you out?" Evelyn planned on addressing the issue of transportation and laying out a plan once she was outside, and she figured the noblewoman might still be a bit unsteady on her feet.

Tsukiko Sato

"But what side are you on?" Taiyo pressed with her words.
"Taiyo, like Erick said, it doesn't matter." Tsukiko reprimanded her with a touch of conscern. She glanced up at her brother, and then at Erick. "I'm sure you both will try. We still have much to catch up on, so don't stray too long if we separate again."

"You talk as if you're about to leave far away right now. Where is your heading?" Ryouki questioned.

"Usami said Hydris, along with several other rebels and neutral parties like that Rojyan soldier over there." Tsukiko nodded over at Ryan.

"He's reaaally cool." Taiyo added. "And also gay, like you!"

"That's...great." Ryouki laughed with some affection.

--

-Tula Nikos-

Tula nodded as Dimitry parted to speak with the Swamp Bat. It irked her slightly that she didn't get to tap into more detail about his past from Dimitry himself, and open up about hers in turn, but there was more pressing issues on the rise. Like the prick of a soldier that required Ryan's and her attention.

"It's really nothing much. Printsessa Alina wanted to investigate the rebel situation after the train station was blown up and wasn't aware that any other soldiers were present in Falcon's Reach." Tula's eyes narrowed. "What about you? Why haven't you informed Headquarters of your whereabouts and activities in Falcon's Reach? Shouldn't you be with the rest of the Recon Division by the Curtain? Shouldn't you be containing the coup? Shouldn't you-"

Ryan cut her off before she could go on a tangent. "Of course we have a means of contacting the Czarina. Viktor has been writing to her about the current state of affairs in Falcon's Reach as we speak-considering the Provod Transmitter has not quite reached this country yet, and writing is all we can do, really."

Illyushin Mosin - Polkovnik of the 13th CGD - Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Containing the coup? "I am here to visit an old foreign friend who helped form the shock troops of my division and I have the papers from our headquarters that approved of my leave. Would you like me to show you the papers, Comrade Tula?" The luggage that contained the papers and most of his belongings burned with the Fair Maid but she didn't know that. He doubted she would call his bluff. "I also tried to find a means of communication when I stepped out but I could find none in the vicinity."

"I only just heard about this coup. Do you mean Her Majesty has been removed from power? How did this happen?" Mosin said with a sharp voice. He left for Falcon's Reach days before the princess had, by zeppelin. It was the fastest way to travel but dangerous to use in the Wastes. Mosin did not have to worry much when it was at its weakest point though. He had the heroes and Grail-El to thank for that. In that time three days had passed. The coup must have started in his absence or the news did not reach him in time when he left. Rojya was a big place.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Out side of Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

Tabaraamon sighed. "It makes more sense then the rest of you all, it's the sort of thing that creep Shrew would be interested in, he probably sent her to look at it

Dimitry turned to Boraci. "That man, do you know him?" Indicating the Rojyan soldier that had recently shown up. Dimitry knew well Tula enough to read her body language, which said she was not happy about the man's arrival, or the cavalier attitude towards her and Ryan.

The sky was darkening quickly and Tabaraamon was slightly more relaxed. It also helped that many of the people that had been wary of his arrival had gone inside to help with the evacuation. Dimitry wasn't about to do that, it meant he would have to surrender his weapons and he wasn't about to do that.

Kirsten Mernoth - Noble - Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

Kristen nodded. "Yes please, I hope the only thing you need to do is catch me if I fall." She shakingly stood up and picked up the crutches, taking nearly a minute to get her balance. She moved painfully slowly, wincing every so often when she put to much weight on her leg. Several times someone moved over to help her, but she waved them off. She wanted to do this on her own, her pride drove her to do it.

-Ryan Petrushkov-

"We aren't sure if those of Parliament's Black Party have been successful, yet. All Captain Starkov, Miss Nikos, Printsessa Alina and I have been able to do was hope while assisting to her in Hydris." Ryan caught Tula's tense position and raised an eyebrow with a glance in her direction, prompting her to loosen up slightly.

As the sky grew darker, Ryan's demeanor changed and he turned to Tula. "If I must get back to Hydris, I should be on my way soon."
Tula's voice softened. "Yes, you should then." Her eyes were downcast and sent a pang of guilt through Ryan. He ruffled her messy hair affectionately. "I promise that Viktor and I will get you back somehow. Just hold fast, and stay loyal." A small glance around the area, he added in a low voice. "I don't have full faith in Dimitry, but I won't tell you I don't trust him either. He's honest around you, and seems to really care. I want you to open up to him at some point."
"I will, I just-"
"You have to. I'll talk to Viktor and maybe try to talk some sense into him. You're not a child, and he should stop treating you like one."
Tula grinned wide. "Thank you." She wrapped her arms around Ryan's middle in a parting embrace and he returned the favour. Upon pulling away, he saluted Movin briefly and made a heading for the train station.

Taiyo fled briefly from her siblings and Ryouki's boyfriend, curious at where Ryan was going despite Tsukiko's protest to "Get back here! We're not finished!"

Taiyo looked up at Ryan, wide-eyed. "What's wrong? You seem sad."
"I-I am sad, a little." Ryan smiled, ironically. "Everyone is sad, lately."
"Well, yeah. There is a tyrant King and your Czarina is in major shit, and a lot of stuff is going on."
"Which is why I'm headed for Hydris now. I need to go back to Viktor and Printsessa Alina."
"What about the mission she gave you?"
"My comrade, Tula Nikos, will be in my place. You can talk to her if you must. I need to get going. Night is approaching, fast."
Taiyo was about to protest, and then smiled softly. "Alright, but don't lose touch, Petya!" She offered him a handshake, and he took it with gratitude.
"I won't, Miss Taiyo." Ryan gave a nod to Tsukiko and Ryouki when the eyes his direction and then the Rojyan soldier began a determined path towards a possibility of the next train.

Boraci - Outside Crecelle Hospital

"'Saw' is a relative term," I responded to Asbel. "But, yeah, she was there." As the sky grew darker, I grew more comfortable and acquainted to my surroundings. Sight was limiting, in my opinion. You could hear so much more. I watched Illyushin carefully lower his weapon, caught up in a conversation with the other Rojyan officers. Strange. A mob in Hydris? This was coming to the King a lot faster than I had originally thought. Dimitry asked me if I knew the guy.

"Not really. Sat next to him on the train. I was a bit different looking then, so I guess I can't blame him." I cocked my head. "I'm going to assume that you don't either."

I could hear the rustling going on in the hospital. Evelyn was doing her job and getting Leif and that noblewoman out of the building. To where, I didn't know. But it looked like I was tagging along for now.

 Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Crecelle Hospital

Evelyn walked alongside the noblewoman in silence, trying to keep a close eye on the state of things ahead of them. After dark, this place was anything but safe, and she didn't want to end up walking into trouble. Kristen seemed to adjust to using her crutches fairly quickly, but she was obviously still having trouble walking. Maybe she could ride in the cart with Leif once they left the hospital, if Evelyn could talk her into it. When they made it outside, Evelyn had the otherwise useless agents grab a bench and bring it closer to the rest of the group so Kristen would be near the others, just to be safe, and offered a hand in case she needed help sitting down without putting too much strain on her leg. "We'll be off soon, but you may as well get comfortable for now."

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Crecelle Hospital

Asbel squinted at Tabaraamon, realizing he made a fair point, and was grateful to him for pointing out the connection. At least something about this day made sense. Boraci's reply sparked a few questions about why Olivia hadn't come back with them, what she was doing there, etc., but Asbel couldn't be bothered to ask any of them. All the talk of politics nearby was wearing him out. He considered giving Dimitry a friendly poke in the ribs about his relationship with the newcomer to their little group, Tula, but something told him that would be overstepping his boundaries a bit.

He fidgeted with the remaining pain pill in his coat pocket, wondering if he should give it back to Evelyn. Probably not, he guessed, since it was sort of lint-y after being in his pocket, and he didn't want some unlucky injured person to end up with a lint-y pill. Besides, maybe it would come in surprisingly handy sometime: sometime before the next time he washed his coat, because he definitely wouldn't remember to empty the pockets first. "Is anyone else hungry?" Asbel asked no one in particular, only just becoming aware of the gnawing discomfort in his gut. "We've missed a few meals, haven't we?"

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Crecelle Hospital

Even though Erick had been rescued, so to speak, from Taiyo's question, he couldn't help considering it. He was going to have to tell them eventually, so it would probably be best to think it over a little beforehand. Maybe the situation wasn't as bad as he thought, though; maybe they would be understanding about it. He raised his hand and gave a small wave when Ryan took his leave, smiling as Taiyo ran after him, when he heard Asbel's question.

His smile widened, and he leaned back a bit in order to clearly see Mr. Sutherlin past the people between them. "Yes and yes. Hey, maybe we can all sit down somewhere later and have a late dinner or something - get to know each other better. I mean, we might as well, right?"

Asbel responded with a smile Erick wasn't quite sure how to read. "We'll see."

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

"Nope, never seen him before in my life." Dimitry said with a shrug. This was becoming a very familiar experience, massive dangers, little or no pay, a good chance of gaining another page of criminal charges, and the same people as well. It was getting rather odd.

Asbel mentioned food, and magically Erick decided to appear. Which reminded Dimitry about his growling stomach. He mentally went over what he packed, which did not include any food since he thought this would be a day trip. "Well, I've got nothing on me to eat. Though if we could find a place open I could cover anyone who needs it." He sighed.

Kristen Mernoth - Noble - Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

"Thank you, for everything. Ms? Sorry, I didn't catch your name. Or if you give it I must have forgotten." She said as she carefully sat down.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw a bizarre group standing in a circle talking to each other. One was Erick, who had come to check on her earlier, then there was a white haired old man, a caravaner and two huge people in cloaks. She didn't recognize anyone but Erick, and both of the cloaked figures were at least as tall as Leif, maybe more. And one of them had a great big sword.

Matthew Barton - Outlaw - Braille.

Matthew packed his few possessions into a old doctors bag. The money was either in the hidden pockets of his duster or in the form of his railway ticket.

His shotgun was also stashed in the bag, while he kept his hatchet strapped to his side, hopefully covered by the jacket. Hopefully the embassy would have information on that Nathan Stone fellow, who ever he was he either had very dangerous friends, or even more dangerous enemies.

He had overheard two of the local guards that a true civil war was on the horizon, not just cowards attacking civilians and small patrols. And from their tone it seemed that they wanted the war to begin. Matthew had to disagree, a civil war would not be good, no matter who won.

-Taiyo Sato-

At the prospect of getting to know more of the people here, Taiyo lit up. "I'm all for it! Dinner sounds great!" She waggled her eyebrows at her brother. "Anata wa yoi mono o tsu-tsu~, Onii-chan." ((You got yourself a good one, Big Brother.))
"Anata dake no mae no kare o bujoku sareta!" He scolded her, face reddening somewhat in embarrassment as she laughed, her sister resisting to join her and Usami rolled his eyes at their antics. ((You were threatening him earlier!))

## Page 15

Boraci - huNGRY - Outside Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

I nodded, almost in sync with Erick. I tilted my head when Ryouki's siblings prattled on in some other language, trying to pick the words apart. This was partly how I learned the common language. My father wasn't with me long, and I was still a pup when I had to fend for myself in the swamps, so I stayed on the fringes of villages, listening to their every day banter.

"Food sounds glorious," I thought out loud. Evelyn was settling down that noblewoman, Kristen, I heard from across the courtyard. I couldn't very well go up and ask her if Leif was ready to be transported yet. She seemed to be eyeing myself and Tabaraamon already. She might have gotten a heart attack in addition to her broken bones. Just as I was about to make a snark-filled comment about what kind of joints would still be open, a scent drifted lazily over into my nose. My ears quivered, and I crouched down, hands slightly in front of my heels. Rodent. Male. Reasonable girth, judging from the his paws' impact on the dirt.

I dashed to my side, claws digging into the ground. The bugger was limp less than a second than when I picked him up. One snap to his neck and voila - dinner. Well, a snack really. I sunk my sizable fangs into its chubby neck, grateful for some nourishment. It wasn't until the rat was nothing but a bone bag that I turned around, aware that others preferred their food cooked. I haltingly stood up and walked backed over to Asbel and Dimitry.

"Rat tail? They're surprisingly chewy." My offer sounded even worse than it had in my head.

  Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Crescent Hubble Blob

Dimitry and Taiyo's agreement was all Erick needed to hear. "That settles it! And if Leif feels up to it by then, maybe we can take our food outdoors somewhere so he can join us without having to move. If not, we can always save him something." As he planned out loud, he heard a brief exchange between the twins. Something in Taiyo's tone struck him as mischievous, but that was all he could pick up. He knew a few phrases of the language here and there, but he doubted he would have been able to glean the twins' meaning even if he had been paying close attention from the beginning.

The sudden movement from Boraci as he pounced gave Erick a bit of a start, and he couldn't quite pull his eyes away as Boraci grabbed himself a snack. Following the question he then posed to Asbel and Dimitry, Erick couldn't help chuckling a bit as he looked away. "Maybe next time," he heard Asbel reply, a smile audible in his tone.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Crested Haunting Pail

Evelyn looked over to Boraci when she caught movement in her peripheral vision, but returned her attention to Kristen once she figured out what he was doing. "Evelyn Luciole," she replied. "And you're welcome. I expect this day must have already been very difficult for you, so it's the least I can do." With that, she turned to the remaining agents. "Are you coming with us?" She hid her impatience as she spoke, knowing she might inadvertently pressure them into tagging along if she came off as too forceful. Secret officers tended to be a bit twitchy in that respect.

They exchanged worried glances, then one eventually spoke. "We'll stay here."

Evelyn smiled. "Wouldn't want to get in trouble with the higher-ups, eh?"

They shook their heads, their expressions grave, and promptly made their exit. Finally.

Evelyn then rose her voice to get everyone's attention, standing just in front of the hospital doors. "I'm going to bring Leif out and then we'll leave, but before I do, I want to explain exactly what we're doing. If you space out or forget the plan and get left behind," Evelyn's gaze lingered on Asbel for a second or two. "we won't be coming back to get you. We'll be heading northwest a short ways to the nearest town over, where there should be a train station in working order. We should be able to catch a train out of here tonight, but if not, we'll find somewhere to sleep and catch the earliest train in the morning." If they were still running by then, that is. "Our goal is to reach Hydris as quickly as possible." With that, Evelyn turned and disappeared through the hospital doors again.

Part 2 - Chapter 2

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Crecelle Hospital area, Lynne.

Dimitry shook his head at Boraci's offer. "Rather not. Doesn't look like it would be worth the work getting any of the meat anyway."

Dimitry saw the injured noble woman was out and about, which was good, since it meant that they would probably be moving soon. He was surprised in his lack of foresight, he should have known something was going to happen and he would need to bring food.

"I wonder how many people we will be taking? There's a bunch of civilians around, I don't want to be in charge of keeping them happy." Dimitry asked no one in particular.

What he wanted to do was speak to Tula, find out exactly what happened. And tell her the truth, and nothing but the truth. He couldn't tell her the whole truth since even he didn't know it. Only Alexi did, and as far as Dimitry knew his old squad leader was dead, taking the truth with him.

SVT13 - Grail-El Covert Unit - Fairhaven's Border with the Wastes.

Two men sat in a abandoned mine, both were Grail, and by the profusion of tattoos on their arms they obviously had been in the military. The fact they were both cleaning automatic rifles also provided amble evidence to the fact that they still were.

"Where do you think Stony is?" One asked.

"No clue. That's why we sent that merch, if we had any idea where he was we would have gone looking." The other said. His voice was raspy, the right half of his face was covered in the scars of a close encounter with to much fire.

"Yeah, but Stony would probably pop that guy we sent. He isn't exactly the most trusting." The first man said.

Another man walked in. "What took you so long?" The burned man said.

"Guards at the gate didn't want to let me pass. So I had to convince them that it was in their better interest to let me past." Rankin said.

"You bribe them?" The burned man asked.

"Sort of the opposite. I wouldn't give them something very valuable if they let me pass. Those new high explosive incendiary rounds to be exact, one for each." He said as he patted the massive pistol on his leg.

"Just hope that they don't report you." The first man said.

"Doesn't matter, I got it signed. We should be able to get it delivered now. I'll take it to the fleet." Rankin said.

"You want one of the bikes?" The burned man asked.

"Yeah, I'm not going to walk. Could you get it ready? I'm going to change." Rankin shouted over his shoulder as he went deeper into the cave.

-Tula Nikos-

Feeling somewhat isolated, she moved in where the rest of the group was and she grinned wide as a dinner was proposed. "Let's get going then! I'm famished, and there are many of you I'm not familiar with yet." Tula glanced around the crowd, seeing a few familiar faces from that celebration where she met Dimitry five years ago, the man with the Van Dietrich prosthetic, the short Falcon's Reach soldier who was Metal-Arm's beau, a white haired young man that was drinking heavily during the 'Never Have I Ever' game. However, she never really spoke much with them, and figured she never would if she declined the offer of a nice break to get to know one another.

Leif Regnar - Bodyguard - Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

Leif grunted in the affirmative, breathing hurt and he didn't want to find out how badly speaking would hurt. His head was in a brace so he wouldn't be able to nod. He also couldn't hear very well, maybe a bomb had left him with temporary deafness.
The movement was not comfortable to say the least, but he kept a passive expression, he refused to show any sort of weakness.

Kristen Mernoth - Noblewoman - Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

Kristen watched the strange group closely, one of the cloaked figures pounced on something, and a short while later offered someone she couldn't see to the Caravaner and white haired man. Kristen thought about approaching the group, but decided against it. She couldn't be sure about her balance on the uneven ground.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

Dimitry was about to respond to Asbel when he saw the stretcher coming out of the building. "Looks like we will be moving soon."
"I expect that her training covers dealing with this sort of thing." He said to Asbel. "I hope never to see this damned city again. Gods, this is a mess." He said as he surveyed the mass of civilians and probable rebels, bomb damaged buildings, and the still burning theater. Where had those airships come from? He asked himself. They were more advanced compared to what he had seen in Falcon's Reach, and the design had almost nothing in common with the Grail's ships.

The few groups he knew of, that had the resources needed for a airship fleet, wouldn't use it for this sort of attack. Which meant either it was an unknown group that attacked, or someone was supplying one of the more violent groups with advanced weapons. And who would do that?

He smiled to Tula as she walked over but didn't say anything.

SVT 13 - Special Activities Unit - Abandoned mine, Fairhaven.

Rankin walked into the mouth of the cave, the burnt man was leaning against the side.

"The bike's ready." He rasped.

"Thanks." Rankin said as he pulled on his gas mask. The vehicle was long, low and made mostly of metal struts. It's official designation was RAV-1 which stood for Rapid Assault Vehicle. But it was better known as Toe Cutter for its poorly designed brake pedal that could remove toes or feet if it the engine seized up when braking. It had been designed to give infantry units mobility greater than Falcon's Reach cavalry forces. The motorcycle was also perfect for courier missions when an airship couldn't be used.

He cranked they dynamo to start the engine. After several cranks the engine roared to life. Rankin got on board, tapped the side of his helmet in way of salute to his commander and drove into the night. He gunned the engine, the roads here were good enough that he could run at full power, and soon he was screaming through the countryside at sixty miles an hour, causing horses to bolt as he blew by.

He had the document Ambassador Stuart had signed, and would deliver it to the fleet just outside the border. He didn't have to worry about fuel, the gauge pointed to  "F" and he had a ten gallon drum in case he had a problem,

 Boraci - Glassvale, Lynne

I shrugged, slurping the tail louder than I probably should have. "Your loss." Tula seemed anxious to get going, but so were the rest of us. I crunched the rat's bones thoughtfully until I saw Evelyn and some hospital staff bring out Leif. Weesh. He looked like he was hit by a train. I laughed a bit to myself until I realized that was actually probably the case. I spit the remaining fur out of my mouth and went to tug the cart over to where Leif was, uh, laying. I made sure to slouch a bit and cover my head, for the sake of the doctor and nurse.

"Lay him down," I said shortly. I hoped they served dinner on the train. A working train, that was.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

As the doctors started lowering Leif into the cart, Evelyn laid the blankets down beneath him and made sure his head didn't get slammed into anything as they laid him down. Once he seemed settled, Evelyn thanked the doctors for their trouble, and as they returned to the hospital, they nearly ran into three patients who were on their way out. One was an elderly man on crutches, his ankle wrapped in bandages. Another, a young man, was limping (presumably due to some sort of injury in his left side), and the last was a young woman at the old man's side who bore a striking resemblance to him, her forehead and right hand heavily bandaged.

They didn't seem to be in awful shape, so Evelyn didn't question them. "Welcome aboard. We'll escort you out of Glassvale, but we'll be going straight to Hydris after that. Will you three be able to handle yourselves from there?" They nodded. "Brilliant." She looked to the more familiar members of the group as she made her way over to Kristen, once again offering a hand in case she needed help standing up. "Time to go! We'll most likely be picking up other survivors along the way, so try to keep a close eye on them. This place will be much more dangerous in the dark and Leif is the only one here who's getting a free ride, so keep your head up and your eyes open."

"Yes, Ma'am!" Erick answered with a grin.

Evelyn resisted the urge to flick him on the nose for that. Instead, she directed her attention to Tabaraamon. "If you're coming with us, could I get you to grab that cart?"

Asbel, meanwhile, seemed more concerned with his conversation with Dimitry. "It is," he replied solemnly. Realizing they were about to start moving, he inched a tiny bit closer to the outside edge of the group, more than ready to leave.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

Dimitry quickly checked over his rifle and adjusted the magnification of his scope. "Well, let's just hope this doesn't get worse. I wouldn't want to have gone to all the trouble we did five years back just for this." He said, hiding his concern behind his gruff tone.

He also did his best to stay out of the center, mostly for the same reason as Asbel. He motioned for Tula to come over. He was worried about her, how she would deal with her fall from grace.

Tabaraamon - Shadowed One - Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

Tabaraamon looked at Evelyn, tilting his head from one side to the other. Then he shrugged and dispersed his sword. It wasn't like he would be more useful elsewhere he thought to himself sarcastically. It was interesting to him, said something about human nature, that they would ask him: a creature older than their nation, to pull a cart.

Then again they were human, and humans were weak.

Kristen Mernoth - Noble - Crecelle Hospital, Lynne.

Kristen walked next to Leif's cart and stood by the wheel. It was strange to see the big man like that, lying there, barely awake, immobilized by a plaster cast. The plaster had also gotten into his beard, something Kristen knew would infuriate him once he woke up all the way.