Succession: Rebellion

Syrien, Rein, Atiya

"Which was?" Syrien asked.

"Hey Atiya," Rein asked, kneeling down next to her daughter. "Would you like to go swimming with your Daddy and I?"

"Of course!" she said, smiling excitedly.

Brighe

Brighe paused in place as she began to think, lying down in the sand. "You know I don't think there was one actually..." She admitted to Syrien.

"I just thought...after the past few years and everything we've all gone through.. That he would be a bit more mature. More...pragmatic, perhaps?" Brighe stated as she looked up at Syrien. "But there he is, still the same young and foolish boy. Going out into the forest for a moment with his sweet heart even though the entire Empire is after him..." Brighe continued on as she turned her gaze again, this time looking at Kegan, Rein, and Atiya wading into the ocean. There was a soft look in the Elf's eyes, almost melancholy, as she watched Atiya laugh.

"I guess I'm just mad that he didn't live up to my expectations..."

Syrien

"I can...agree with you on that, Brighe. Rein hasn't quite become what I thought she would be." Syrien replied. He too gazed over at Rein, Kegan, and Atiya as they waded into the water. He gave a slight smile at the look of joy on Atiya's face.

Brighe

"But you think they would know by now? They have a child now, shouldn't they be acting more like adults?" Brighe asked rhetorically. "I mean, they are young and everything. But they don't have the time to keep acting their age, we don't have the luxury to let them act like that." She added.

Syrien

"Youth is wasted on the young, yes? Well, even if they should act more like adults now, one might argue that they deserve to live out what remains of their childhood. After all, one is only a child once in their life, while they spend the rest of it as an adult." Syrien pointed out.

Rein

"Kegan, can I ask you something?" Rein inquired, watching as Atiya playfully kicked her feet in the water as she was held by her father.

Brighe

"But what if one of them dies because we let them act their age? What if Atiya comes to harm because of their naivete, Syrien?" Brighe asked as she sat up. "I mean, it's not like we're safe now. Things are just going to get harder as Tsuba sends out everything she can to capture not only my Nephew, but Rein, you, me, and Atiya as well."
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Kegan

Kegan looked up at Rein, a smile on his face before he replied. "Sure."

Rein

"Well...before, you proposed to me, right? I was wondering...ah...am I still your...fiance?" Rein asked, looking away. It was a bit of a stupid question to ask, she knew, but she felt she had to know for sure.

Syrien

"You present a good point. However, I will make sure not to let that happen. Now that I am free from Tsuba's influence, I can better teach Rein to defend herself, and teach her more advances forms of magic. Not to mention you have more time to teach Kegan, as well." Syrien said.

Brighe

"I suppose so... We'll have to figure out how to alternate our training for them, so that way Atiya always has someone watching them. And we'll need to be able to pull them apart for a few hours a day. And then we will be traveling as often as we can.... But you are right. This is doable!" Brighe stated, the emotions she was feeling before quickly disappearing as she began to concentrate on scheduling and planning.
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Kegan

Kegan chuckled to himself as he glanced down at Atiya, his hair falling over his face. "Only if you'll take me." He replied.

Rein

"Of course!" Rein immediately replied.

Syrein

"Sounds like a plan, then." Syrien agreed.

Ana stared at the open hand for a moment and then gave a slight shake of her head. She didn't do physical contact. She turned her head to face the barkeeper, giving that side of the tavern a quick scan as she did so. Her senses were on full alert for trouble, though she knew that they would be dulled before the night was over, as drinking tended to do that.

"It's Ana," she said to the stranger. She didn't say anything more, but waited for the other to speak. She had no idea who he was or what he wanted, and so she would watch her words. After all, the wrong remarks to the wrong people could get her killed.

Cyril

"Ah, I see." Cyril replied as he pulled his hand back. There was an odd type of music playing around the Tavern. It was northern, Dwarven, most likely. Being in a Tavern wasn't what the boy thought it would be. There had been no fights, no beautiful woman jumping into his arms, and no merry tunes to be sung. He was disappointed as he looked into the tall mug of ale placed in front of him.

Cyril cleared his throat though as he glanced towards the girl, Ana, her name was. She was pretty, but cold as well. Still if he got her drunk enough, perhaps the lad would have a chance..... At least Cyril hoped so, fool that he was.

"So...Ana. Did you hear about the madness that went down in the mercantile district today?" Cyril asked as he tried to start up some kind of conversation with the girl.
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Kegan

Kegan grinned as he heard Rein's response. "Hear that Atiya? Looks like Mommy and Daddy still have to get married sometime." Kegan commented as he looked back up at Rein, his hair still hanging in around his face.
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Brighe

"Great. We'll start training in....three days. After we're done going through Lyandors." Brighe said, referring to the second of the two large cities near them.

Nix and Gaita
"Choose the wrong man if you wanted manners kid." Nix said plainly. He caught sight of Gaita and waved her over. "My name is Nix Van Goldmire os Lodenima. As for where we are going to go...Well that's normally her decision...." Nix said as Gaita approached him and Nebi.

"I'm guessing that you didn't find him either Nix?" Gaita asked eying Nebi. "Or is Carlisle just smaller in person?" She glared at Nix, apparently not pleased with the stray he picked up. "This charming young woman is Gaita. My partner...." Nix explained. "Who is this?" Gatia asked, tapping an impatient foot and now directing her glare at Nebi.

She nodded her head and picked up her own drink. After eyeing it for a moment, she took a sip of the stuff. Not too bad.

"Yeah, saw it too. That kind of stuff happen around here often?" She took a deeper drink of her ale. This wasn't the way that she usually got information, and she was finding it difficult to be friendly towards Cyril.

Cyril

"I wouldn't know. I'm not a local from this area either." Cyril replied before he took a large gulp of the ale. The taste was ok, if a bit thick. And his throat became extremely warm after it had gone down, which was an odd experience, the boy had to admit. "I'm from the Vislumbrar Province. I'm here because my Father has some...business, here in the Capital." Cyril explained, hoping it would help lighten the mood up a bit.

Rein

"When....when do you think we can do that?" Rein asked nervously. Atiya continued to play in the water, giggling the entire time. She largely ignored what Kegan and Rein were talking about.

"Ah." She took another sip of the ale and then realized that she should probably elaborate on her response.

"What kind of business does your father do?" she asked him as she glanced over at the stranger, noting the hesitation with which he had spoken about it. "If you don't mind me asking, that is."

Kegan

Kegan bit his lip, feeling nervous about the question. "I...don't really know to be honest. You deserve an extravagant ceremony, all of your friends should be there to see you. ...But out here...I think we'd just have to kidnap a Priest and order him to ordain our relatinship in the eyes of the Gods." Kegan stated, chuckling in spite of himself.
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Cyril

Cyril took another large serving out of his mug, feeling a bit nervous as the girl managed to make the conversation a bit more about his life then he would've liked. "This is what you get for trying to talk about yourself and then just being vague.....Mykka naida." Cyril mentally swore at himself.

"Well...my Father is the representative of our Province. He's here because all of the Lords are meeting to discuss the political issues of the Empire.....I guess they probably have a lot to talk about now." Cyril answered.

Interesting.

"That's true. This place is a disaster." She took a sip of the ale before lowering her voice and leaning closer to him, her eyes shifting about for anyone who might be listening in. "What do you think of this 'Tsuba', anyways?"

She wouldn't do anything to him, no matter which way he answered. She had no side in this fight, but she had no desire to create an enemy where she didn't need one, and so had to guard what she said until she knew where he stood.

There was no guarantee that he would answer the question, not if he valued his life, but still she tried.

Rein

"No, no, it's fine. I'd be happy with a simple ceremony. You don't have to go all out." Rein protested, blushing a little. It'd be fine just to have Brighe, Syrien, and Atiya at her wedding when they had it. It was a shame they wouldn't be able to invite Katie, since Rein ahd formed a good friendship with the other servant the past two years. But it was a small loss.

Cyril

Cyril stopped after hearing Ana's question. If he answered truthfully, and she reported him it would mean trouble.... Though most likely she would just stop talking to him. But waht if she was one of the Rebels? What if the Gods had sent her to him so he could find the base, and thus, give them the information they needed.... These thoughts rushed through Cyril's mind quickly.

And then out of the blue, he laughed. "Umm, the Empress? Well from what I've heard she's not a very pleasant person to be around. Though my Father loves her, for whatever reason. I suppose the most truthful thing I could say about the Meri(Swear word) is that she's more of the same for this Empire. More cruelty, more war, more support for the upper class while destroying the lower." Cyril commented before taking a sip out of his mug.

"It's the same iron fist, just with a prettier face."
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Kegan

Kegan smiled softly at Rein, feeling guilty even after she had reassured him. She deserved better. And he couldn't give it to her, not yet, at least. But as Kegan realized that his expression probably gave away his feelings, the Runaway quickly changed the subject for Rein's, and his own, benefit. "Damn I need to get this hair cut a bit. It's everywhere."

Ana smiled inwardly. His answer was guarded, but it was there. He had guts, this Cyril.

"I don't like her much," she muttered and then took a long sip of her drink. "Abuses her power too much, makes things difficult for others."

She straightened up a little. Her gaze was fixed on her mug, which was nearly empty, and then she downed the rest of it. The conversations in the bar that she had been monitoring not long before were little more than background noise now, mixing in with the music.


(To be honest, I don't know anything about drinking, or how much it takes to be drunk, or any of that... I just make stuff up.)

Cyril

Cyril chuckled in amusement as he thought of something that he considered witty, but mostly because he was relieved that Ana wasn't secretly a Soldier or a Loyalist. "Well she is a Narcissist. I can tell you from experience that all of us of Noble birth are." He replied before finishing the rest of his drink. The lad couldn't help but smile at Ana after he finished, chuckling a bit all over again.

Rein

"Really? I like it that way." Rein teased.

"I wanna give Daddy a hair cut!" Atiya interjected, giving a hopeful look to the both of them. Rein smiled at her.

"Oh? Well, I'd have no problems with it. It'd be amusing to see Kegan bald."

Kegan

Kegan's head jerked up as he feigned shock at Rein's teasing. "I will not go bald!" He stated loudly, his voice cracking as personal vanity motivated him. "I meant a few inches, maybe a foot or so. Not an entire razor to my head." Kegan replied as he picked Atiya up out of the water quickly, hoping to take the girl by surprise once again.
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(AI, Hogaki, I'm going to have the other characters skip ahead and act like your characters have already escaped and are out of the Colosseum tunnels, if you don't mind.)
Rhys/Katie

Rhys sighed in frustration as he walked back into the Castle. All three of the Heirs had escaped, and at least seventeen other Prisoners were missing as well. The Empress was not going to be satisfied, not at all. "All because of that Damn Duchesses impulses, combined with the horrible security system.... It was pathetic, really.

The Captain was already figuring out how his report was going to be written as he walked down the halls back to his Quarters. But as he was almost half way there, up on the fourth floor where almost all of the sleeping quarters waited, Rhys heard a familiar voice that caused him to stop and come out of his thoughts.

"...I'm just saying Dualla, if the General learned to stop wetting the bed, you wouldn't have to do his sheets every day. It's not my fault." Katie stated, obviously irritated with who she was speaking with.

"Well what do you suggest we do Katie? Ask General Maybury to wear a Diaper when he goes to sleep? Oh wait, we can't even speak to him because we're Servant. Remember that." The other Maid stated bitterly, spitting at Katie practically.

"Well maybe we could leave a well written note in his room!" Katie shouted in jest as the other Girl walked away. "...She really needs to lighten up a bit..." Katie muttered before turning around, stopping in her tracks as she saw Rhys.

"...I could help you, you know. With speaking to the General and all. He can barely read so I doubt a note will have any effect on him, no matter how well written..." Rhys replied, trying to keep the conversation in good humor. Though it obviously didn't work as Katie's expression became a very serious one.

"Thank you, Captain, but it was all just a joke between Servants." Katie replied before walking past Rhys as quickly as she could without running.

"Katie! I was just trying to help." Rhys shouted as she walked away, talking about more moments then one as he spoke. She didn't reply, unfortunately for the Guard. "Well of course she wouldn't speak to you..." The Captain thought as he turned back around slowly, continuing back to his Room once again.
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Senka

Senka continued to wander the streets of the Capital as she looked for the Heirs, including the one that had just revealed himself this morning. The sun had already set, just a few minutes ago. If the Warrior had bothered to look up and savor the beauty around her, she would have noticed that the sky was green and clear now, and that there were a flock of Birds flying right above her.

Alas, Senka did not and would not look up. She didn't care that the sky was magnificent. She didn't care that some of the Gods were trying to help her on her quest. But if she had cared, if she had stopped for a moment to savor the beauty of the world around her. Senka would have seen that sign from the Gods. She would have seen that right above, the flock of birds were flying in the shape of the sign of the God Apollo. Perhaps if she had looked, she would have made the connection, she would have acted on faith, and she would have caught Heir Carlisle and done at least something right today. If only.
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Savina

She could smell the smoke as it rose up, invading her nostrils and throat. Her eyes were missing, for what reason Savina did not know. The only thing in it's place was pain. She knew that the flames would rise, that they would in time, consume her body. The worst part was that she could do nothing to stop it. Her hands were tied behind her back, keeping her in place as she awaited her grisly fate. She didn't know why this was happening to her, but for some reason, she accepted it. She had accepted it long ago, this much, she was certain about. Still, there was one thing she regretted. Once again, she did not know what it was. She didn't have much time to contemplate these things though. The flames slowly rose. And she died. Once again.

Savina jumped up as she awoke. She had been crying, the girl noted as she sat up. "Chach" She mentally swore as she realized that the palms of her hands were bleeding as well. "So much for getting an early nights sleep....." She lamented before slowly getting out of her bunk.
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Carlisle

Carlisle walked into the room, scanning the meager and bare place before turning around and looking back at the young girl. "How long has she been having visions?" He asked, a desperate and tired look waiting in his eyes. He was so close to leaving this city, to being entirely free. Forever, possibly. But because of the Prophetic young woman out there in the Temple, because of her simple words. He was still here. He was still in danger, only a few kilometers from the Empress herself. And Carlisle was already beginning to doubt his decision. Beginning to wonder if he had made the second biggest mistake of his life.
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Grace

Grace laughed in spite of herself, sounding almost child like as she watched the illusionist before her pretend to float. She could tell there was no magic involved. She would have sensed it. Which is what made the trick all the more amusing to her.

The Amazonian was currently sitting with a group of Seven other delighted and fascinated children. She had started traveling with a caravan nearly four days ago, her destination being the same as theirs, east through the Province of Tarun as the made their way to the city of Bree. She had no idea why she had decided to travel with them. But it was nice, having someone to share her meals with, and to learn new stories from. After three years of traveling alone, it was easy to forget how important these small luxuries were.

Of course, she would have to leave these people eventually. They were headed North after Bree, while she was going to continue East. Five months back she had decided to travel to the Forest of the Elves. She was still fifty days away from her destination as she walked on foot. But alas, she didn't have any knowledge on how to teleport. And besides, this is how her spirit walk should work. At least, that was her excuse to herself. And so the Amazonian clapped as the entertainer flipped a coin around his fingers, making it disappear behind his palm. She didn't know about the troubles going on in the Empire at this point. And to be honest, she didn't care.

Ana gave a small smile back, the expression feeling strange to her lips. “Anybody with power can be that way. Noble birth isn’t a requirement.” She signaled the bartender for a refill. Even if the stranger didn’t pay past the first drink, she had enough money for a few. The only downside to having so many was Cyril. She had become a violent drunk over the years, taking out anyone who was foolish enough to try something on her, but talking to this man was causing her to be loose in manner.

She picked up her refilled mug and took a sip before speaking.

“Are you, then? In love with yourself, I mean.” She looked him over, at the way that he dressed, and then gave a shake of her head. “No, you don’t take good enough care of yourself to be. Besides, getting drunk on alcohol is an activity reserved for those who want to forget about what crappy lives they lead. Narcissists are drunk on themselves and don’t need anything else.”

She smiled again and took another sip of her ale.