Succession: Heir to the Empire

Clara

"Why Lord Maul, isn't it obvious? I plan on supporting whomever I think will be the best Emperor of course." She replied, amused with herself.
-------------------------
Brighe/Carlisle/Kegan

Brighe walked into the doorway from the hallway after noticing that Tsuba had left. "So is she ok?" The Elf asked quietly.

"She's fine. She's going to be fine." Carlisle replied as he began to quickly put away medical supplies so he could leave the room.

"Good." Kegan answered for Brighe as he looked down at Rein with a contented smile on his face. "So what was her condition Syrien?"
------------------------
Susanna

"It doesn't matter who has more of a right, as long as Katie is avenged..." Susanna replied before feeling another wave of sadness wash over her as she spoke of Katie's fate. "What needs to be done, Caesar?"

Maul

"I see. And by what standards will you be judging whoever you believe is fit to be Emperor?" Maul asked.

C.C., Syrien, Rein

"Her condition...you will find out, soon enough, Heir Kegan. Let us just say it was a small price to pay for Rein's survival." Syrien answered. He waved his hand as an afterthought, healing what remained of Rein's arrow wound. At that moment Rein began to stir.

"Ow, my head...it feels like a hundred horses are galloping on it..." Rein bemoaned, opening her eyes. The Humage stared around in confusion.

"Where am I? The last thing I remember was..." Rein trailed off. She looked down at her exposed chest, where the arrow had been previously. Rein gasped and immediately covered herself.

"W-Why is my shirt cut up!?" Rein asked, a blushing now covering her face. She sent an accusing glare at Carlisle and Kegan.

"Perverts!"

Clara

"Well Lord Maul, I'm not entirely sure as of now. They'll have to be a strong leader of course, and I believe that traditions should be kept. Other then that though, I really have no idea." She replied.
---------------------------
Carlisle

Carlisle slowly walked out of the room, an aloof yet saddened expression resting on his face. As the Heir arrived at the doorway, he turned around and bowed his head down. "I apologize that I was not as helpful as we would have preferred, Syrien, Kegan." He said before quickly turning around and walking out of the room.

"What's his problem? The girls fine, he should be happy." Brighe said with a bemused expression on her face.

But Kegan ignored his Aunt as he looked down at Rein with a smile on his face, only to quickly look away as it dawned on him that she was exposed. "No it's not like...My this is a horrible ending to our date."

Syrien, Rein, C.C.

"I see my help is no longer needed. I will be on my way, then." C.C. commented. A moment later she vanished in a flash of bright light.

Syrien couldn't help but chuckle himself. "Modesty, I never did understand the concept. Worry not, Rein. I made sure to cast a spell that would not show yourself in front of everyone. Though it has worn off by now, no doubt."

Rein nodded at Syrien, though she still blushed. "Yes, I suppose it is. Well...I guess our second date ought to be better, then." Rein said, looking up at Kegan.

Caesar

"Susanna, there is something you must understand. You wish to have children one day, marry, no? You cannot remain as you, if so. The people you love will always be in danger. 'Tis the fate of a noble, or Empress' wife (if you succeed in becoming that). Your future husband cannot always protect you, or your family. I may not be their either, since I doubt I'll be your husband. One day, you may be caught in a hostage situation, or something of the like. You will need to be able to protect and defend yourself, and your loved ones. I imagine you do not want what happened to Katie to ever happen again." Caesar spoke.

"I can help you gain revenge, become stronger, if you wish. You can help me in avenging your cousin (I believe she was your cousin, yes?). However, you will need to make....sacrifices."

Maul

"I see. Well then, say I became the Emperor, for a moment. Would you support me? Would other nobles of your kind support me? I imagine not, we have not had a non-human Emperor in quite some time." Maul said.

Brighe/Kegan

"Yes, well I should hope that we aren't attacked next time we go out. Wouldn't want it to become a tradition after all." Kegan replied, visibly happier after hearing that Rein wasn't disappointed with him enough to refuse seeing him anymore.

"So, Nephew, I suggest that we leave so that this young lady might have some time to redress herself?" Brighe asked with a smirk on her face.

"Oh yeah, of course." Kegan muttered, his ears turning red.
--------------------------------------
Susanna

Susanna bit her lip as she listened to what Caesar was saying. The truth was she already knew how to protect herself thanks to C.C. . But it would never protect herself from C.C., and who knows if the Mage had made it so there might be negative side-effects that would happen to Susanna from using it.

"Such as?" She asled Caesar in reply, knowing that she would most likely do whatever he suggested.
------------------------------------
Clara

"If you became Emperor....most likely I must admit. My first choice is Tsuba, we go back far you see, but I suppose I can admit that from I've seen so far, you are a close second." Clara replied after pretending to think about the question for a few seconds.

Maul

"I see. Thank you, Lady Clara. You have helped me reach a major decision, then." Maul said.

Syrien, Rein

"I believe I have a simple solution. I am not well versed in advanced healing spells, however I do know a few spells the previous Emperor taught me, in case of an emergency." Syrien said. He snapped his fingers and Rein's torn shirt stitched itself back into place. Rein gave her guardian a greatful look.

"To make up for lost time, you may spend the next hour with Rein, if you wish so. However, Heir Kegan, I must warn you. I will know if you try anything, believe me. I know several spells that cannot be reversed, which will make sure you never have children." Syrien said, in a surprisingly calm voice. Rein chuckled at Syrien's threat.

"Don't worry about him Kegan, he'd never really hurt you. I think."

Caesar

"I can teach you how to fight hand-to-hand, with weapons, maybe even teach you a little magic. I ask for nothing in return. However, I cannot say if you will ever be the same by the time your training is over, and when you gain revenge. In a way, you will be making a deal with the devil, I suppose. You can still refuse, if you wish so." Caesar said.

Susanna

Susanna stood still as she processed what Caesar was saying, feeling sad yet determined as she made up her mind. "I'll do it. For Katie." Susanna added, whispering the last part.
---------------------------------
Brighe/Kegan

"You think? Well that's very reassuring." Kegan said jokingly as he smiled down at the now fully clothed Rein.

"I suppose it's alright if you do become a Eunuch Nephew. The elders will be disappointed somewhat, but they never ordered me to protect those parts of you." Brighe said calmly before smiling to show that she was kidding as well.
---------------------------------
Clara

"Oh really? And that decision would be?" Clara asked with a smile on her face, not expecting Maul to actually tell her what he was talking about.
---------------------------------
Carlisle

"You fool! You stupid stupid-" Carlisle shouted as he seethed with anger and self-contempt as he sat down on his bed, sobbing as though Rein had actually died. "Who knows what that coldhearted girl will force him to do!" He whispered while untying his shoes. As he thrust his hand forward to throw it, Carlisle's hand abruptly stopped as he simply dropped it downon the floor beside the bed.

"It's my fault. If I had been paying more attention to finishing your medical studies instead of fighting I would have known what to do. And Conversely, if you had fought harder and actually killed those rebels instead of attempting to spare them, you would have never have had to deal with the situation in the first place." He reminded himself as he dropped the other shoe on the ground and climbed into bed, exhausted from everything that had happened today.

((So, shall we wrap things up here and move on to the next day and next challenge?))

Caesar

"Good. Shall we shake on it?" Caesar asked, putting his hand out.

Maul

"The decision to eliminate most of the nobles I know who will disapprove of my reign if I should become Emperor. After all, I cannot have them organizing a rebellion against me." Maul said. He stood up from his chair and bowed to those still present, before leaving.

Syrien, Rein

"I believe I will take my leave, then. Good night, Heir Kegan, Rein. I shall see you both in the morning." Syrien said. He bowed to them all before walking out of the room.

"So, what now?" Rein asked Kegan. She swung her legs over the side of the table before gently getting back to her feet.

(I'm up for it.)

Brighe/Kegan

Brighe smiled and walked out of the room, satisfied to see that her Nephew was enjoying himself.

"I don't know really. We saw the most beautiful gardens in the world, went to a great restaurant, then our waiter tried to kill us. Sounds like we've pretty much done everything one can on a first date." Kegan replied before grinning as he reached out his hand to help Rein off the table.

"Why don't head for some place cozy and just relax for now. The Servants shouldn't bother us and I doubt the other Heirs will do anything at this time."
---------------------------------------
Clara

Clara's mouth hanged open for a second in surprise, quickly closing as she regained her composure. "Well that should certainly be an...entertaining thing to see. History being made I suppose."
----------------------------------------
Susanna

"Very well then, we'll shake." Susanna agreed, slightly confused but not showing it as she reached out her hand and clasped onto Caesar's, shaking it up and down slowly.

((Ok. I'll PM AI and let him know we're ready for the next challenge.))

Rein

"Sounds great to me. Though, we haven't done everything." Rein hinted at, a playful smirk on her features. She laughed a second later.

"Just kidding. I don't want Syrien to render you into a bloody pulp, after all."

Caesar

Just an instant, it seemed as if a stream of magic flowed from Caesar into Susanna, via their connected hands. However, the stream disappeared as soon as it came, as if it'd never existed in the first place.

"Good. We can begin your training tomorrow, if you so wish."

((I think I might suggest that we skip forward in time a week.))

A week had passed since the chaos of the assassination attempt and Nebi had fallen into a sort of of a routine as Baruti remained quiet and was rarely seen over that time. He hang out with the dwarf-smith, Gilkas, and trained both in spellcasting and swordsmanship.

In addition to that, the ex-thief bugged C.C. about what had been happening and trying to get her to relax and smile more. She seemed like an alright sort and he hated to see people he cared about depressed. Soon enough, however, Baruti had called people to the throne room for the next challenge and Nebi was heading there now.

"Any idea what the next challenge is?" the human asked Gilkas as they walked down the hallways together.

"No idea. Knowing Baruti, though, it's not going to be easy. That old man, at least I think he's a man, is known for his manipulations. The very fact he's been so quiet throughout this business worries me," the dwarf told Nebi.

"Eh. I'll win again," Nebi said confidently, "Maybe I'll get to cut off Caesar's head."

"I hope so too, lad," the dwarf laughed.

Caesar, Maul, Tsuba

"What's this about cutting off my head?" Caesar asked, coming toward Nebi as he made his way to the throne room himself. Tsuba and Maul made themselves visible as well.

"Be silent, Caesar. We have no time for your games." Maul said harshly. While the week had passed, it seemed the Kalesh had acquired himself a new arm, to replace the one he lost when fighting the previous set of Elders.

"Yes Caesar, no need to go off into some long threat or ramble after Nebi gives his answer. We don't have the time for that." Tsuba added.

C.C, Rein, Syrien

While the other Heirs made their way to the throne room, C.C., Rein, and Syrien were already there, waiting for them.

"May I inquire as to what the challenge may be, Lord Baruti?" Syrien asked.

"Sorry, Caesar. I've just been training so much that the adrenaline takes a while to wear off," Nebi told the Humage with a shrug as they entered the the throne room, "And you happen to be the most dangerous opponent, so I naturally thought of fighting you."

Gilkas chuckled, "Smooth, laddy." His gaze rested on Tsuba and he spat on his hand before pushing back his hair, "Say, you ever been with a dwarven man, milady?"

*

Baruti looked up from his own throne beside the Emperor's throne. He smiled darkly, "Why, we're test Jugements. I feel it's time that we move into the politics and the inner workings of the Empire. I do hope for an execution or two. The previous Emperor was fond of them right here in the the throne room towards the end of his reign."

Kegan

"Well I'm pretty sure she's killed a few before, Gilkas. Is that familiar enough for you?" Kegan asked rhetorically as he walked into the room, and amused grin resting on his face. As the Elf scanned the room he noticed Rein and waved, glad to see that she was here. It had been a good week for the Half-Elf, his relationship with Rein was going wonderfully and so far everything had been mostly peaceful.

His mood was a pleasant one and Kegan was feeling very confident as he stood before Baruti and looked at the challenge manager.
----------------------------
Brighe/Clara

"Well this should certainly be a revealing challenge. We'll be learning quite a bit about the Heirs. Not that most of you probably don't know enough about them by now." Brighe said after hearing Baruti explain what the challenge would be.

"I suppose that's true. Still, it should show some of the Heirs what being Emperor is really all about." Clara commented as she injected herself into the conversation.
-----------------------------
Susanna

Susanna quietly walked into the room, walking past the Heirs as she made her way towards the other spectators. The young Noble looked tired, and she walked with a limp as well, though otherwise Susanna looked fine as she took her place beside Clara.

Caesar, Tsuba, Rein, Syrien, Maul,

"I see. This will help us determine who may be the best choice for Emperor or Empress, no doubt." Syrien said. Rein noticed Kegan and waved back at him.

"Oh yes, I've been with dwarven men before," Tsuba said, ignoring Kegan. "I really do enjoy the squeals of pain they give as I torture them. You lot have surprisingly high voices when being tortured."

Maul ignored the sayings of the rest of the Heirs, and prepared himself for the coming challenge. "Who will go first then, Lord Baruti?"

C.C.

C.C. noticed Susanna's limp as the young girl came toward the spectors of today's challenge. The Mage gave Susanna a concerned look. "Are you ok, Susanna?"

"Stone, she has a cold heart," Gilkas murmured before whispering to Nebi, "You better win, boy. I don't want to live under another psychopath's rule."

"I'll do my best," Nebi told the dwarf as he turned his attention to Baruti.

The Steward smiled a little, "Since you asked, you may take a seat on the throne, Lord Maul. Judge wisely."

Baruti smirked underneath his hood. The power the throne granted someone was addicting. That was why no one ever left the contest alive. The Heirs would kill for the throne. He had seen it before. He would see it again.

"Remember, a drop of blood upon the throne if you wish to have another taste of the Emperor's power."

(Shall I provide the people being judged, or do you want to create your own cases, Magus?)

Susanna/Kegan

"Oh I'm wonderful C.C. . And you?" Susanna asked, a bitter dryness in her tone.

Meanwhile Kegan, satisfied with not having to go first, walked over towards Rein and Syrien. "So how have you two been today?"

((Please, provide the people for me. It'd be more fun. By the way, what does a drop of blood on the Emperor's throne do again?))

Maul

"Very well." Maul said. He walked toward the Emperor's throne and took a seat upon it. The Kalesh felt a rush of...power, of feelings he could not describe. The most powerful men and women in the Gaborian Empire had sat upon this throne, each different than the last. Some were good, others dictators of the worst kind. The power...oh, it was so tempting to take. The urge to kill the other Heirs filled Maul's very being. Blood-lust shone in his eyes, for a moment. All of it could be his, for a simple price. Kill the others, become Emperor, reign with absolute power!

....but, Maul resisted. It took all his years of training in the Order of the Shadows, but he resisted. That power was not his to take, yet. Besides, he would not let the seductive taste of the throne corrupt him, or let it consume him. That was the mistake of many, who let the power of it all go into their heads, let it control them. Maul would not lose himself to it, he vowed that. He was far stronger than that.

"I am ready," Maul said at last.

C.C., Syrien, Rein

"Whether you believe it or not, Susanna, I still care about you. Why are you limping? Does it have to do with Caesar?" C.C. asked, trying to keep Susanna's bitter tone from bothering her. She wanted to let Susanna know the truth, but that could end up killing both Susanna and Katie, and this Mage would not allow that to happen. Even if it meant dealing with her harsh words.

Besides, she should be used to bitterness. After all, considering her life-time was wraught with it...

"I've been great!" Rein beamed.

"As have I, Heir Kegan." Syrien said cooly, again showing little emotion.

(It has the throne react to you and change according to your opinion.)

Baruti nodded and gestured for the guard at the door to lead the next victim in. They led in a savage-looking man that looked to have spent the better part of the night in the torture chamber.

"William Wallace, of the northern province of Gashlan. You are charged with high treason against the Empire and your Emperor's throne," Baruti stated.

"I don't have an Emperor. I never pledged myself to the previous one or his throne," the man deadpanned.

(OOC: Gotta go for a bit. New Years, you know.)

Kegan/Susanna

"Wonderful." Kegan replied with a smile on his face before he turned to see Maul sit down onto the throne. The Kaleesh seemed to be angry and lost in thought at the same time, but unsurprisingly, he resisted Kegan noted mentally as the anger seemed to pass over and leave Maul. But before Kegan could mention and discuss this issue with Syrien and Rein, the first case entered.
-/-/-
"Yes it does, C.C. And I would prefer it if you would please leave yourself out of my business." Susanna snapped, catching Brighe's and Clara's attention.

Maul

Maul studied the brutish man with a neutral expression. "What are the exact charges? And why do you not pledge your loyalty to the Empire?"

C.C, Rein, Syrien

Rein leaned over to Kegan and gave him a quick kiss on the check, surprisingly. The female Humage gave a mischievous smile in response to whatever reaction Kegan would have. Syrien raised a brow, but said nothing of the quick event.

"Well, I'm sorry that I care Susanna." C.C. replied with some anger. She let out a breath, trying to relieve herself of her anger. She had no reason to be angry with Susanna. Indeed, she had every right to be furious at C.C. for what she thought the Mage had done. She just needed to keep that in mind...

"Now there's no need to be rude. What's this argument about?" Nebi whispered curiously, having not heard about it yet.

*

"Sir Wallace here was captured as he led a local rebellion against the Empire in one of the northern provinces, Gashlan," Baruti put in, "He's guilty of sacking the Empire's chief city there after the Emperor died."

"You Gaborians used that town as a base to murder and rape my people. I stand by what I did," Wallace stated.

Susanna/Clara

"It's nothing." Susanna growled as she glared at Nebi, frustrated with the Heir for entering the conversation.

"It certainly doesn't seem like nothing, Susanna. Why don't you tell us what's bothering you." Clara suggested, a fake sympathetic smile on her face as she asked.

"It's none of your concern Clara. Why don't you go off and seduce someone important, isn't that why you're here?" Susanna snapped before standing up to walk away.
----------------------
Kegan

Kegan's cheeks turned a bright red color as he realized what Rein had done. But even with Syrien's threats looming over him, the Half-Elf still looked very pleased.

Maul

"I see. Interesting. Is there any evidence of Sir Wallace's claims?" Maul asked, keeping up his neutral expression. There was no indication about what he would be deciding, yet.

C.C.

C.C. gave a sigh as Susanna stormed away, not pleased at how these events were turning out. She hoped that things would end up working out in the end. With Rhys and Katie still back home, they still had a chance to make sure Caesar did not win in the end. So she hoped....

"Ask anyone in my country that isn't under Empire payroll," Wallace stated flatly, "They will tell you."

"All official records were destroyed during the rebellion's hold on the country, "Baruti put in, "Burned along with Imperial citizens, including women and children."

"I do not regret what I did. I will not rest until Gashlan is free and neither will my people," Wallace said defiantly.

*

Nebi gave C.C. a look as Susanna stormed away. Last he checked, the two were close. What could have happened to create such a falling out?