The Shadow of Peace (Abeiya and ConfusedShipper123)

((XD Sassy Gay Tahno.))

Phoenix blinked, but continued to stay close to him even when he let her go. She was unsure of how to react to what she had just heard. His father took the blame for the missing shipments and then was... killed? Killed by the Umbran gangs?

Ulric had stolen from them. Did they know him now? Or did he look different? Was Umbra too dangerous a place for him to be?

The news made her go rigid. Her gaze fell to the floor again. "I.. see. Ulric.. we don't have to talk about it any more."

((YOUANDYOURSNEAKYPAGECLAIMS.>:l))

Ulric turned from her, lying down on the bed, staring at the ceiling of the room that was no longer safe.

"I... I just need... some time," he whispered.

"Dad, there's just so much of it. And it's right here, right in front of us, all the time... how can we just let them_"

"Ulric, you do not understand just how far they will go..." the man replied, as he loaded the last shipment onto the cart that was to leave for Ariak in under two hours, just before the sun would pierce the sky, illuminating the city. His father had said that the light was the only thing distinguishing Umbra from the rest of Noia, once. Ulric looked at the shipments on the cart, lining the bottom of the boat in the canal on its way to the ocean. He could barely stand this.

All of those people. Not just Trintje, so small, so young, trembling on the mattress on the floor. He couldn't look at the gondola about to be sent to the larger boat soon docking at the edge of the city. It would pass right by the homes that needed the treatment the most. Certainly, there were many who needed it where the shipment was headed, but here, here was a dire need. And as treacherous as it could be, he could not go on with the ability to meet it.

"Come on, Ulric. We're done here for the night, let's go home," his father said, placing an arm around his shoulders, his tired eyes facing the direction of the path home. The boy knew that the man was correct in his words, but he still felt his abilities overwhelm him. He couldn't just let this go. He had to do something. He had to.
---
"Weapons."

The men and women of Stamatia's sector revealed or removed their weapons, confirming for her the extent of their arms.

"You," she said, pointing to the man with a single knife in his hand. She walked toward him, staring pointedly into his eyes, as he tried to hide his fear, as her own eyes narrowed enough to sharpen his dull, useless blade.

"This is unacceptable," she said, taking the man's wrist before removing the knife from his hand.

"Do you know how long it would take to get this thing to even break skin?" the woman said while jabbing the air just beside the man's stomach.

"Go sharpen this and come back. You're keeping guard tonight."

She feigned a slash toward the man before slipping the handle forcefully into his palm.

As the man ran, she eyed her group of soldiers, the few higher associates permitted into this day's preparation. Some stood straighter than before the mishap in the lower ring, others cowering in spite of an appearance of sharp attention. As if her actions toward the traitor were anything new to them. They all had so far to go; she could only hope her new recruits were faster learners than the rest.

((MWAHAHAHAHAHAAA))

Phoenix nodded and stood up, leaving him alone on his bed. "Alright," she whispered in reply. "I'll... I'll be back, O.K.? I'll be downstairs if you need me."

She quietly exited the room, closing the door behind her. She then made her way to the front desk, where Peris waited. Upon seeing her, Peris said something to the other girl behind the desk, before quickly joining Phoenix.

"Let's go for a little walk," said the redhead, leading the bounty hunter down a corridor.

---

Ares' soldiers were all lined up for inspection. They stood perfectly still, most of them with completely upright and rigid posture.

"Weapons."

In almost complete synchronization, each of the soldiers revealed their weapons. The sound of metal on metal was sharp and clear. "Very nice."

Ares walked down the line, pricking his fingers on a few of the blades to make sure they were sharp enough. "You," he said to a girl brandishing a short, thin sword. She stiffened. "Loosen up, sweetheart. You need to be limber to counteract the enemy." She nodded furiously, before exhaling and taking on a less severe posture. "Good adjustment."

After making his way down the line, he returned to the front and center. "Numbers three, four, seven, nine, and twelve, your weapons need sharpening. You need to be able to sheer the hair off of a horse in one swing. It is not just about the ability to draw blood. It is about conserving energy while doing so. It has to be as easy as cutting paper." The soldiers mentioned left to go do as they were told.

"One, two, and five, make sure that you oil the mechanisms for your hidden weapons. They were a little noisy." They left as well.

"Eight and eleven," he said, addressing the two young Tephran women in front of him. A smile grew across his face. "You are in perfect condition. I commend you, newcomers."

((privatelessonman.<3))

At the conclusion of Stamatia's inspection, to her great dismay, only one of her soldiers remained. A young Sideri man, just taller than the woman before him. She smiled insincerely as she nodded his approval.

"I understand that you've handled the shipments before."

"Yes, Ms. Stamatia."

"This particular shipment is very delicate and must be handled as such. You will be occupied this entire night and through the entire delivery. I'm sending you with the associate soldiers to Elios in order to secure and confirm successful delivery. I understand you have experience with this sort of operation?"

"Absolutely."

"Well, I am trusting you with this responsibility. You will not let me down, correct?"

"Correct."

"Do not let your guard down for a moment. And if you and the crew are ever in danger, never hesitate. You are not first in this mission."

"Understood."
---
The Elosi man, with his cropped yellow hair, carried himself in such a way that the boy had never witnessed a typical Sideri walk. His head held high, his gaze straight ahead, his steps calm and intentional. He would not even gaze upon the young man, as he walked alongside him, hardly offered him a word. The younger kept to himself in response, faithfully keeping watch for any danger, as if the man would ever be threatened. He seemed only like valuable property, like the Umbran telegraphs, a secret device so useful that no other being outside of the 'family' could ever be exposed to it.

The man worked tirelessly, combining chemicals of both synthetic and organic origin as if mixing pigments for a color palette. He had many willing test subjects, from what Ulric could observe, people of all ages, from all the islands, it seemed, though many Ariak and Elosi entered. And every time, the man and his team touched the few Aster and Tephran individuals as if they could not cure or treat the reason they found themselves where they were.

Every time he saw another enter and leave, successfully treated or otherwise, he thought of a small child's face. It had taken him a week, but he had finally plotted the first and best time to do what he would.

That night, a shipment would be delivered throughout the city, to the highest paying Elosis and Ariaks. He had already been assigned to guard them; the circumstances could not have been better.

While he thought of his plans, as he rowed himself and his father to the place of that night's assignment, he could not help but think of a life before this one, where the rarest of joys still lived. Where his siblings could run and laugh and were kept from the fears and struggles that his parents struggled with in their sleeping silence. There had been so much silence since the illness. But restoration would come. Such a hope ignited exhilaration in him as they drew nearer...

Ares smiled at the two newest additions to his sector. "The both of you are to stay with me for the duration of tonight's events. Most of our sector will be dedicated to inner-tier ground security. Our neighbor's from the fourth ring will be handling above ground."

The girls nodded and smiled back at their new leader. One of them had a thin scar running down from her temple across her cheekbone and the other had a thick scar across her throat. They had clearly seen combat many times before. Ares appreciated their fire. But he knew that they were wild. And as much as he loved wild people, they could not effectively fit into his team.

They needed to be tamed. And so he would bring them to the most violent part of delivering a shipment. He would watch as their adrenaline pumped, as their blades ached for blood and as every fiber of their beings longed for the sweet satisfaction of ripping apart an opponent.

And he would force them to sit there and do nothing.

They would learn control.

----

Phoenix followed Peris through the halls of the hostel. Its design was intricate, a trademark of Asteri design. After a while, they arrived at door, which Peris opened.

They traveled down the long staircases to reach the underbelly of the building. Phoenix suspected its altitude lay between the ground of Noia and the top of Umbra.

"Phoenix..." Peris began, "I'm worried about the two of you. Does Mazim need to pull you back from this bounty?"

"Of course not!" Phoenix said, immediately. "Of course not," she repeated, more calmly, "Peris, you cannot tell him about how we came back here this morning. You can't. I have to finish this one. And I can't do it without him."

Peris stared at her for a few moments, "Phoenix if they kill you..."

"Peris it's not going to--"

"You don't know that!" Peris shouted, "You don't know that, Phoenix! You're overconfident and you've never dealt with people like these before! Noia is different now. Umbra is different now! I will not sit here and let it suck the life out of you."

"Peris, it's not--"

"Phoenix, you shut up and let me finish!" Peris' anger flattened Phoenix into silence. "You have to be more careful. If they figure out who either of you are or what you're doing, you will not be the only one who loses, Phoenix. Everyone will lose. All of us. Stop being reckless. And do not under any circumstances cross Ares." Phoenix cringed at his name. "Ares has... You can't mess around with him here, Phoenix."

Ulric slowly peeled himself from the bed, and strained to stretch out the soreness of lying down after the night's battle. Gradually, he brought himself to stand, and peered through the curtains of the hostel room's window, looking out at the elaborate designs of the predominantly Aster district.

The weeks before, he had been assigned to an influential Aster man in the center ring, unsettling him to no end as he noted the attention he received. It was a great relief to see him leave, to deliver his payment to his family. But there was a boat to board and a visit planned for very long. He had thought the bounty hunter would have stayed above ground, where the shadows were at least created by light and the structures which created them were visible.

This was not what he'd expected. When he had seen the men's faces, it had taken him only a small time to note his identity. Safety had never returned to his family since those days. And his three brothers did not know what happened to their father.

He knew he could send them to Aster, to Elios, Ariak, anywhere, far from Noia, from Umbra, if they found those men, turned them in. But the cost would be higher than he ever would have imagined. He sat back down on the bed, taking his head in his hands once more, hunching over into himself, in spite of the obvious painful discomfort of the movement. He would do what he committed himself to, but he saw them again, his own family, the way they had been, the way they were, missing three total with himself tangled again in barbed coils that had already torn them apart. In the next moment, he stood again, wincing, but dragged himself through the door. Phoenix needed to know she was safe, too, whatever he needed to do to make that true.

"I'll be careful, Peris, I promise.." Phoenix said, quietly and gingerly.

"Swear to me! Swear it on Mazim's life!" the other girl said. Her voice had all the potency of a shout, but none of the volume.

"I swear it," Phoenix murmured in surrender.

"Good," Peris said. She pulled a box from a shelf on the wall and shoved it into Phoenix's hands. It would look like they had simply gone to the mail room. "Come on. Let's go."

Phoenix nodded. She was still surprised by Peris' words. She had assumed there was a message for her and Ulric from the Senator. But this was different. Peris was so even-keeled all of the time. Something about the Umbran family had her completely on edge. What were they doing? How extensive were the activities of the gangs?

And Ares?

Peris led her through the weaving halls again, back to the front desk. "You have a nice day now!" Peris said, smiling as the bounty hunter began the trek up the stairs to stow her empty box.

Ulric walked down the hall, fully intent on finding Phoenix, maybe to tell her the rest of the story or perhaps just to thank her for making him feel secure for the first time in ten years. Regardless, he needed to see her again, to promise her that he would do all he'd committed to in the very moment they'd read their contract.

But when he found her on the stairs, reading her face immediately, her discouraged walk, he knew that she'd found her own unfortunate news.

"Is that... from Peris?" he asked, gently.

Phoenix managed a small smile, "Erm, yes. Yes it is. Come open it with me?" she asked. She did not wait for a reply. She simply began the walk up the stairs and down the hall to their room. She opened the door and went inside, dropping the box on the floor.

It fell almost weightlessly, making a small pattering noise upon impact.

What had Umbra done to Ares? Done to Peris? Not knowing was making her head swim. She sat down on her bed, resting her chin on her hands.

Ulric heard the emptiness of the box when it hit the floor, and looked to Phoenix, [strike]usingROLEPLAYMINDREADING[/i] noting her feigned facial expressions.

"Phoenix... is everything alright? Did my uncle send a message, is something wrong?"

Phoenix stared at the empty box, trying to think of how to answer him. Their situation had hardly changed because of what Peris told her, but she felt that now there was more riding on their success.

The fact that Peris knew something that she didn't. The fact that Ares had become even more of a monster; even more of a threat. It set her completely on edge. She felt as though she was going to be sick, but her stomach could find nothing to force up her throat.

"No, the Senator didn't send a message. And I'm not really sure if everything is alright... I don't know." Admitting the next words that came from her mouth hurt her, bruised her pride. They slipped out in a barely audible murmur, quiet with defeat.

"I'm scared."

Ulric would have been shocked at Phoenix's admission of fear, but he found himself too easily identifying with her words. He was terrified, his reserves of strength, of confidence, almost drained, leaving him scarcely capable of returning the comfort his partner had given him.

But he had to. He had just committed to securing for her all that he had promised the very day they had met.

Gently, he laid his hand on her shoulder.

"Me too," he replied, looking straight into her eyes for the first time that day. But we'll get through this. He gently placed his other hand on her other shoulder. No matter what it takes.
---
Blanat stared at the rails, looking at her watch, picking up her pad of paper with the notes she'd taken for the morning's work, the outlines of what she'd supposedly begun to plan. High above the streets, the canals, with the small boats and carriages traveling on in the second and third rings. The men and women wandering, purposeful, but aimless from the high place. But it didn't make any difference, where she and the monorail riders stood. They all had a destination in mind, no matter what they took to get there. And there were many factors determining whether or not they would ever arrive.

Soon, a long, silver car, clear as a window, clean and reflective as a mirror. Her image blended in with the others boarding, anonymous.

Phoenix nodded her understanding, looking back at him. She laid her hands lightly over his. For once, the wall that so characteristically veiled emotion from his eyes seemed to crumble and she could see his sincerity. The determination deeply rooted beneath the fear. And she knew they could get this done together.

---

Peris stared at the clock, watching as the last few seconds of her shift ticked by. In the typical Aster fashion, her replacement arrived precisely at the last second of the hour. "Thanks!" Peris exclaimed, before quickly heading out into the streets. She stood on the curb until she caught the attention of a carriage.

The driver tipped his hat, "Can I help you, Miss?"

"Take me where I need to go."

The older man nodded and extended his hand to help her into the carriage. Peris pulled her jacket closer around her shoulders against the breeze and pulled up her hood. They wove through the streets and eventually Peris could feel the road slope downward beneath them.

She felt the carriage lurch to a stop and climbed out without waiting for the driver's help. "I appreciate it," she said, tossing some coins his way and walking down into the narrow entrance to the the subterranean metropolis.

She took three right turns and one left. Then sure enough, against the wall of one of the tunnels stood a man, hood pulled up the way hers was. He was waiting for her. She was late.

Peris jogged to him.

"Hey," he muttered.

Peris pulled a cigarette out from the box in her bag. "Light me."

The man tipped his head up, a long cigarillo dangling carelessly from his lips. He pulled a lighter out from his well-tailored jacket. "With pleasure." He held up the flame and she moved in to light up. He laughed at her, "Hm. Not up for greetings today, I see, Miss Peris."

"I'm not being paid to be polite, Ares."

((WHA))

Blanat stepped onto the platform, taking the staircase down to the next, and subsequent cases, until she reached the elaborate entrance to her own personal part of Umbra. Her home. Designed to combine all styles of architecture, the best of each, characteristic of every expensive building in each sector and ring of the city. The only thing distinguishing it from the most exquisitely designed homes of Noia was its height; nearly brushing the cavern ceiling in Umbra. It was otherworldly, even to the citizens of Umbra. The only reason it did not look solely Ariak was her request for change. Otherwise, it had been the same, established and sturdy, for as long as Umbra had existed.

It was an honor to live in such a place, regardless of what it represented. And the space had once been able to ease her mind, given her time to clear it from the day's work and further obligations brought on by the family. But soon, far too soon, another room would need occupation, if things went as they seemed to be going.

Traveling in the elevator, she reached a floor where she knew she would be interrupting important business. But she had important business of her own. And so did the man within.

A service girl with stern dark green eyes and light brown hair, a young Tephran-Aster, approached her swiftly.

"Ms. Blanat, is there anything I could help you with?"

"Yes," the woman replied. "I need you to retrieve my husband."

"Ms. Blanat, I believe he is in a meeting right now," she replied.

"Tell him that his family is being threatened and if he does not come to take care of these matters, he will experience great distress."

"Right away, Ms. Blanat."

((WUT. XD Oh, Blanat.))

Ares laughed at the little redhead woman. "You have a point there, Peris, my little pigeon." He slid the neatly folded bills into her hand. Inside them was a slip of paper with a message scrawled in code. It was all ancient Alenian runes and pictographs. "Bring this to our mutual friend. The Brothers' orders."

Peris nodded, dropping her cigarette on the floor and smothering it with her heel. "It will be delivered as we discussed. I'll get it to her before the shipment goes through."

"Good. Don't disappoint us," Ares said. His voice contained a subtle threat. He ruffled her hair and she frowned, but did not pull away. She slipped the paper into the fold of fabric under the thick belt that separated her blouse from her pencil skirt.

"I'll be off, then," Peris said.

"See you soon," Ares said, laughingly. He was always amused by how serious the girl was. But he supposed that was just a part of who she became when she was being professional. Peris was one of Pentemia's best messengers. Her missives always reached their marks.

And yet he intrigued her because she still lived a modest lifestyle despite her expensive fees and numerous clients. It was so unlike an Elosi.

Then again, she never really acts like an Elosi woman. He departed to continue preparing his sector, confident that the message would reach its recipient at the designated time.

((Summary of the post I was going to post and maybe will post maybe maybe but got deleted: Upton concludes a discussion with a rather eerily unemotionally responsive Capo in regards to his apparent recruiting of "half a neighborhood", which is not what Upton expresses that he wants: he wants committed, loyal soldiers, etc, etc. He is then interrupted by the service girl from earlier telling him that his wife would like to speak to him about matters involving "threats and distress". He then proceeds to permit his wife inside of the office, to which she, being metaphorically like a fire, "aggressively" locking his door and pulling down a shade, to which his wife responds in a manner similar to "Whatdaf*qyouneedtohide?!" and he continues to not tell her anything, as she continues to more furiously accuse him of hiding something and questions his suspicious involvement with the soldiers and in the lower ring, etc, etc., until it all culminates to her bein' like "if you don't want to tell me as your wife, then tell me as your associate!" and he's all like "Don't do that to me, woman!" and she was all like "Well, totes obvi whatever goes down here and there matters more to you, asshole!" and he was like "You not gonna play that card with me, grrl," and she was all like "YOU'D BETTER TELL ME WHAT THE *SD89RTYHD9GHER89EWP0R90GD89GJ YOU'RE DOING." and he was all like "Naaooo. I have another meeting in two minutes, so you'd better get ouuut" and she was all like "I HOPE YOU COME HOME TONIGHT" and he was like "what the fd89fhdfighe89r do you mean? "and she was all like...

and then I didn't write this part, but it was supposed to go something like this:))

"If you don't, I won't," she replied, bluntly, before swiftly exiting the man's office. Not even a moment after Blanat's departure, did Upton's final appointment, the last Capo striding in confidently.

---

(soonlytimeskip?)

((Yezz, ve timeskip to shipment now. Russian shipment.))

Ares stood by his new Tephran recruits as the entire harbor prepared for the docking of the ship. He could see evidence of his sentinels around the corners of the warehouses.

A puff of air here or there, breaking the perfect clarity of the air. A small cloud of dust coming from the boot of an armed guard. They were all strategically placed so that these minuscule details could only be seen from Ares' position. He took care to usher his recruits into the niche between two large concrete Tephran warehouses. He followed in behind them.

After signaling all of his other team members and making sure they were all properly placed, he spoke into a thick cuff on his wrist. "The Floor is set."

Stamatia positioned her soldiers strategically, many of them very near the docks for the boat that would soon be arriving. Some were doing the loading of the shipment, and the unloading of Elosi materials to cover up the operation. All the while, she and the other soldiers and associates held back for their apparent inadequacy kept watch for anything out of the ordinary. Holding up the first ring of security would not have been a job she would have chosen, but it was her responsibility for the night, and she would accomplish it to the best of her ability.

As she looked into the distance, at the sea, the boat from Elios approached. It was a large and clean, dark vessel reflecting the few lights emanating from Noia.

The first ring of security would not have been Stamatia's first choice in handling a shipment, but she accepted her assignment wholeheartedly. She had dealt with her traitor and his company swiftly and effectively, piercing him through in front of the team that had come to retrieve him, having the others carry away his body and clean the bloodstain on the ground.

Tonight, she positioned her soldiers on the furthest perimeters of the warehouse and near the docks to protect the ship coming in as well as load them on. The man she'd spoken to earlier would be joining the crew to ensure the proper delivery of the shipment in Elios.

As the Capo scanned the expanse of water just beyond the walls, she spotted the large, dark vessel, separating the seas as it approached the docks. The ship would have blended into the dark ocean if not for the few tall lamps and the reflections of light from the highest Aster structures in the central rings.

"Ready yourselves," she told the men, who nodded, and began their sprint to back up the others on the docks. Stamatia's others remained, sharply attending the streets.

Ares looked out onto the water. He could see the ship's black silhouette up against the satin navy blue of the sky. Its tapestry was somehow unlit by stars, leaving just a smooth dark backdrop to their operation.

Ares spoke into his cuff again, "Landing." The Tephran girls began to lean forward excitedly at the word. He could feel them practically buzzing behind him and he extended his arm in front of them. They ceased motion immediately. "Not so fast."

The ship glided into the harbor almost noiselessly, cutting efficiently through the water with its angular design. Very faintly, Ares could see the outline of the crew walking quickly round the ship and throwing down anchors to stop the swift vessel at the dock.

This was when civilians would begin to notice the presence of something unusual.

((AMON

A

BOAT.))

"What are you doing out so late?" a woman said to a group of young adults still awake and apparently strolling the streets.

"I just got off work," one replied, his eyes convincingly weary.

"We all did," another one chimed in.

"We're on our way home."

The woman assessed them, looking for evidence that they had been in any one of the many workplaces in the vicinity of the warehouse. But the last to have spoken fidgeted, met the eyes of the woman far too well, his dishonesty undeniable.

"I certainly hope so," the woman replied, glaring at them in a way not unlike her supervisor.

"We're on our way now," the third replied for the other two, each of them hastening his or her pace in response.

"Three on the southeast corner," she said, delivering the message to the other guards through the communication device on her wrist. They were young, but formidable. Their uniforms were too clean, their colors too obvious, not faded. Perhaps they were working, but it wasn't in manufacturing.

---

"There's a boat, there's a boat!" a child shouted from a third-story window, standing on his toes to see out into the water.

"Sit down, please," a called to the child from a single chair in the shadows of their current home.

"But it's a huge boat! It looks Elosi! Can we go see it, please?"

"No, Sawyl," another voice added, just a few feet taller than the little boy, but stronger. His skin was a creamier tone than the child's, his hair longer, messier, but he was barely beyond the years which he could be classified as a child. Regardless of his own youth, he took the little boy from the window, picking him up from under his arms and taking the child up more like an infant than a five-year-old. "We can't go out there right now."

"Why not?" the boy said, his eyebrows furrowed in perplexity.

The older child set the boy down, staring into the younger boy's wide eyes.

"That is not a normal boat, Sawyl. It's not even safe to watch the boat."

"But why?"

"Because it's dangerous, Sawyl."

"Why?"

"They can see us too, sometimes. We need to be very careful when we're near or in Noia."

"But_"

"Tsvetan, that's enough. Sawyl, it's time for bed."

The young boy looked at his two siblings on the floor, at least pretending to sleep.

"I'm not tired, Mommy, I want to go see the boat..."

"Sawyl," the woman said, her weary voice taking on a rare, stern tone.

"It's time to sleep. We have a long day tomorrow," she said, taking the boy herself, brushing his dark brown hair from his face. "Come on."

"But Mommy... what if they're on the boat?" he whispered.

The older boy's face darkened with sorrow, as he looked upon his mother's countenance to discern their next response.

"Why don't you go to bed now? We can talk on our way home tomorrow..."
----

((CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP. :l))

Phoenix folded her hands across her stomach, as she laid on bed staring up at the ceiling. She was unsure of what to do. The streets of Noia were quiet with darkness. People heading home from work to the safety of their homes in the second and third rings.

Her heart was still beating faster than normal. Her nerves were raw, practically throbbing. She waited for her cool to return, as though it had simply gotten sick of her and gone on vacation.

She wished it was that simple, that it would just float back to her on a boat when it was sufficiently rested and bestow upon her the gift of her boldness.

((I (CLAP) HOPE (CLAP) YOU (CLAP) COME (CLAP) HOME (CLAP) TO-NIGHT (CLAPCLAP))).

"Phoeniiiix. How you get pragnant from thoughtshare with Blanat?!"

Ulric, even lying down on his back, staring up at that very ceiling when not straining for the last possible moments of sleep, had felt as though he were on the edge of the highest Noian building. Every moment he'd moved, he felt as though he were about to burn up in the air, only to disintegrate on the ground. He could no longer deny his lack of skill in feigning composure. But at least he wasn't alone.

"Phoenix... do you... do you have any idea what we should do?" he whispered, both in doubt but trusting that she had some sort of answer, even if it was that she felt just as clueless as he.

((YO GRANDFATHER'S GONNA BEAT CHO ASS WITH SOME GARLIC IF YOU DON'T GET UPSTAIRS, MAXIMUS.))

Phoenix rolled rather gracefully out of her bed and onto her feet. She walked over to Ulric's bed and st down beside it, resting her chin on the edge of the mattress. She licked her lip in thought, her eyes resting on the wooden floor.. "I don't know, Ulric. I suppose that all we can do at this point is wait for them to find us and bring us into training..."

She looked at him. "And I guess we'll just have to make ourselves scarce until then."

((MAXIMUS.))

Ulric angled himself carefully toward Phoenix on the floor, in order to see her as she spoke to him.

"I suppose we will... how long do you think they'll give us?"

---

Upton knocked upon the door of the abandoned building, keeping watch on the ship as he waited for an answer. The thin wall gave way to the sound of pattering feet, the sound of whispered shouts and demands to lie down, go to sleep.

A woman answered the door.

"What do you want?"

"You weren't supposed to be here until tomorrow night."

"Yorgos is sick, Upton. I figured we may as well arrive here now."

"Sick?"

The woman's face grew distant, her eyes fixed upon the ship and its approaching load.

"I know how you feel about Asters, Tephrans, the way you impose this on everyone..."

"This isn't the night for this, Deirdre, this shipment needs to go as soon as possible with the storms on the Elosi shores..."

"Upton, I won't be silent forever. You know this. You know that_" Her voice grew in desperation and anger, but the man cut her off before it could rise any further, his hand over her mouth.

"I will give you what you asked for. I just didn't expect you so early."

When he released her, her eyes were blazing, a fire of hatred stronger than any he'd ever seen before. She did have power, but he had more; or so he told himself.

The woman looked murderous.

"We'll be here in the morning," she murmured, her tone the foam above boiling liquid, about to burst, the level covering the ability to burn through skin and into flesh.

Upton turned from the building, knowing how easily he could make it collapse.

Phoenix turned so that she was facing him a little more directly. "I figure it will be less than twenty-four hours. Do you hear how quiet it is out there? It's weird. I can't help but think that only people like them could silence a place like this..." She swallowed, "I find it very unsettling." Much like the rest of this place.