The Shadow of Peace (Abeiya and ConfusedShipper123)

((SOMANYFEELS.))

Phoenix laughed quietly at his expression. He looked a little dazed. It was flattering. She still wasn't sure what was going on. It hadn't quite hit her yet that this could compromise the entire mission. She was thinking that maybe it could all work out. Maybe this would just make working together easier. '

It was all too much thinking. She didn't want to start thinking, because she knew deep down that too much thinking would make her skittish. And she would run away from him. So she made herself content with tucking her head under Ulric's chin and laying against him.

For a little while, she let herself be happy.

((MAKEWORKINGEASIER.LOL.<3ohmygoshyesssomanyfeels.<33333333*sniff*:')))

She was so close; he felt her soft dark hair brush against his chin. She was so gentle now, so wonderful, her touch inspiring warmth and not fear, now that he knew her more. He didn't want to think of the implications this could have on their assignment. He would take a risk again and care for her, deeper than he'd ever expected himself to be capable of beyond his family. This was something else, something beyond what he'd experienced before.

Ulric was content to place his arm around her again, holding her close, all the uncertainty of the room slipping through the light that illuminated them now. In the stillness, the present moments seemed to consume him. His partner was beautiful. There was only this room.
---

(timeskiptotheconclusionofleshipment?)

((WHEW. Skip to morning.))

Phoenix awoke with the light from the space between the curtains spilling gently onto her pillow, next to her face. Outside the bird were singing. And she wanted to sing, too. For she found her OTP.

The light poured into the room of the youth hostel in a silently piercing ray. Phoenix's eyes fluttered open, become aware of it. She wasn't quite awake. It would take her more than a few minutes, as usual, to become fully conscious. Her eyes closed again. She could feel a strong arm wrapped firmly around her waist, pulling her back into a body. She softly nuzzled her head against the stalwart chest and then laid still for a few more moments, laying running her hand down the arm that formed a comfortable cage around her body.

It was nice.

Nice? The thought formed slowly in her brain. Nice. Why? Her eyes snapped open, Shit. What did I do?!

She looked down at Ulric's arm and then proceeded to very slowly slide down and out from under it. And when she was free, she crawled to her bed, gathered her clothes and toiletries and then, barely conscious, slunk to the bathroom in shame.

((And a little pre-timeskip, however...))

As the sun began to pierce the clouds, the man waited as the other ranks of the family began to return home. Upton stayed back, taking off to an Elosi store where the shopkeeper nodded with her tired eyes as he entered, proceeding to the back of her shop. The man pulled back the curtains, exposing a stone structure with a lock similar to that of the Saphinia entrance to Umbra. Upton turned the knobs required, turned back the devices in order to open it. Within, was a single crate of the treatment, specifically made.

The deal he'd made was binding. The woman would not keep her mouth shut if he didn't do as he promised. And when he broke them, her wrath would be unleashed. But he needed her, what she could do for him and the family.

When he returned to their makeshift shelter, it was not the woman that greeted him, but her eldest son.

"This it?" he said, glaring him down. He was no threat to the man, but he considered the child. They could probably use him sometime, if he wasn't so resistant to their enterprise. Certainly, however, he could be convinced.

"Yes. Where's your mother?"

"Upstairs. I'll take it."

"I'd prefer that she does."

His eyes were still upon him as he closed the door and turned toward the stairs. There was such a ferocity to the youth; that was beneficial in Umbra.

When it opened again, the woman stood before him. Her crystalline eyes were just as hard as her son's, as she accepted the crate.

"Now. Where is my son?"

"I don't know, Deirdre."

"Don't lie to me, I can tell when you're lying. You know where he is. Do you have him guarding for you?"

"No, of course not, Deirdre, I have honestly not seen him in years. Really."

They were planning to kill him, of course, when he was found. But they'd never found the boy since he'd run. It was quite an impressive feat, in a place like Noia, where the connections were in every alleyway, every closet, every rail car, gondola, glass-paned house, crumbling factory, high-rise in the center of the city.

"Where is he, Upton? Tell me. Or I'll be forced to_"

Upton pressed his hand to her mouth.

"Forced to what, Deirdre? I'm certain you realize the extent of your circumstances. You could be dead right now, Deirdre. The rest of your children could be dead. But they're not."

Slowly, he removed his hand from her and pushed the box toward her.

"We'll be seeing you again in a couple of weeks," he said, and turned away to begin his journey to the world beneath this one.

---

Ulric's face met the light that pierced through the curtains, an awakening ruder than he'd expected. He searched his mind for the memories of the previous night... all he found was Phoenix, beside him, so utterly close to him.

And he saw where she had lain during the night. They had been in his bed. Both of them. He sat up abruptly, shocked by the implications of the lines they had crossed that night.

He wanted not to care again, he was desperate for it not to matter, but it did, it did. This would not go well for them in the rest of their assignment. This was dangerous ground, a treacherous, tiny cord to cross. It was too much, too soon, too close.

But that night... her nearness... it had been so wonderful, so good. But they could never return to the relationship they'd had before that night. The team had changed.

((DEIRDUPTON?!))

Phoenix brushed her teeth, then showered and clothed herself. She wore black, slim cut pants and boots with long thin heels. And no shirt. Because Abbey was too lazy to write her a shirt. Shit. She needs a shirt. And a dark green blouse. It was time to dye her eyes again. Maybe brown this time. Maybe black.

She walked out of the bathroom to rejoin Ulric in the room. She smiled at him, "Good morning."

((LOL.WHONEEDSSHIRTS.NOTPHOENIX.SHEDOESN'TNEEDTHEM.))

Ulric had finished dressing and preparing for the day in the bathroom furthest from their room. He had just re-entered when Phoenix had arrived. He could not resist smiling back at her.

"Good morning," he replied. She was so beautiful. There was no way they could take back last night, no matter how much they might want to in the future; but he wanted this to work, more than anything else right now. It was so early to predict anything. But they simply could not forget it.

Yet today, they would certainly be called out by their Capo. A day was enough to heal in their eyes. Enough to prepare for training, the tests that would come, determining again their fitness for the family.

There was no denying their reality.
---
Blanat lifted the mug of the steaming dark beverage to her lips, looking out on Noia from the fourteenth floor balcony of her hotel room. The morning was crisp; earlier, the sunrise had dipped the tips of every building upon the horizon in gold, had bathed the canals in amber, had tinted the edges of the walls, making them deceptively beautiful, even for what they usually represented.

It was a glorious morning, for all her solitude in the room. But it was worth it, to be so above her former basement home. This was a piece of Noia she hadn't seen since her youth. She wondered which Noia her child would see first: silver monorail-high sunrises and shimmering canals, or the sunless stone streets of Umbra's endless, cavernous nights.

((NOPE.))

Phoenix had covered up the fading purple bruises on her body. She looked good as new and she would act like it. Grin and bare the pain. Her eyes had faded back to amber in the night and it was time to dye them again. Brown this time. Her Ariak heritage might be helpful in the underground.

She locked Ulric in a brief embrace, acknowledging that she knew what they might be getting into and then walked to her bed, rummaging around for her vials. She found a brown one and tilted her head back, dying them a deep mahogany.

She was ready for someone to come get them at any moment. And she would not make it easy. The rest of the gang needed to know that she was a fighter. One that was happy to engage in violence just for the thrill of it.

One that should be feared.

---

Ares had woken up early to clean his blades and sharpen them. He found immense satisfaction in the steady scraping sound of the whet stone against his sword. It was beautiful and soothing. Like a mother's lullaby.

When he was finished he decided that it was time to go play with his new toys.

Ros and Blythe.

((MOTHER'S.LULLABY.THISISARES,KIDS.))

Ulric embraced Phoenix, relieved at her acknowledgement of the shift in their relationship, but steeling himself against the fate they would face today. It wouldn't be long.

He was capable of violence while suppressing his conscience in the midst of committing such actions. But he always came down when he was finished, he always responded as he had in the hospital, in some way,

---

Stamatia personally decided to visit her new recruits to prepare them for their true tests of membership into the family. The streets of Noia were altered in the daylight, but she paid little attention to their structure; she had every part of it memorized.

Inside, her company held the hostel, dressed as guests after their night with the shipment.

One pair of them approached the front desk, where they would tell the woman of their concerns. A hazard in their room. A fire started.

An evacuation made.

From there, she would take the two where they would spend the duration of the week.

((Stamareswhyyy))

The siren made Phoenix jump. She instinctively threw her bag over her shoulder, ready to use it to defend herself. Fire alarm. Just a fire.

She made her way toward the door, looking back to make sure Ulric was following her and then headed swiftly down the stairs. The lobby was chaotic. Sleepy students were ambling this way and that. Others looked panicky, frozen in place. And still more were running to go get things before getting out.

Peris was yelling over the roar. "Out!" she barked, annoyed more than anything else, "The siren means get out! All of you! NOW."

---

Ares walked to the front of his barracks from his Capo's quarters. As expected, his soldiers were all lined up five minutes early. "Very nice," he said, "Very nice."

"I want you all to run your basic drills. Except for you two. You're going into basic training with me."

Blythe nodded. Ros merely smiled with her eyes. "This way."

((Stamaresbecause.xDSTAMARES.x.x' sillystudents))

Ulric stayed near to Phoenix, grabbing her hand in the crowd as they were ushered outside by the command of Peris and the demand of the siren. Soon enough, they were tangled among their young and sleep-deprived fellow guests on the streets just outside.

This fire reported must have been contained quite swiftly, as no evidence seemed to rise out of windows, and there seemed to be no need for hoses...

He felt another hand upon his wrist, and then found Phoenix pulled back as well; both moved with such force by the grasp of one person. She pulled them away from the crowd and out toward the streets.

"I expect you're both ready for your basic training today. We don't take very well to lagging behind."

Stamatia observed the two with her keen eye, the bags beneath their eyes, the ease between them in spite of their hardened facade. She sincerely hoped that nothing compromising had occurred in her absence. Their loyalty had to be to the family first.
---
Upton woke to the silence of his home and the pounding of his head. The room was still dark, his curtains thick and more than sufficient to block out the light. ((TBC))

Phoenix took comfort in the feel of Ulric's hand, walking close to him as they made their way out of the hostel. When she felt the other, less comforting and very unfamiliar hand around her wrist, she resisted as she was pulled back.

She recognized Stamatia's face and immediately let go of Ulric, steeling her eyes against any emotion that might betray the previous night's events.

"Yes, Ma'am."

Stamatia noted something in the eyes of her recruits, knowing automatically that their loyalties would have to be tested, even this very day. She took them to the monorails, watching their faces and those around them as they awaited the arrival of their car.
---
Ulric saw how the Capo sharply assessed himself and his partner. He hardened his expression as well, but doubted his ability to convince the woman of their entirely business-oriented relationship. She might have even noted their closeness the very first night.
---
The room scarcely held any light, save for the atmospheric lamp light from just beyond creating a thin line on the floor. Shoes and a single crumpled paper were the only mess illuminated by that minimal light. The curtains were a dark chocolate shade, as if to keep light out, for all the lack of it in Umbra. The rest of the room was a gradient of natural, warm shades, the walls matching curtains, trim forest green, closet doors the slightest bit metallic. Throw pillows were tasseled with golden strings, the series of blankets covering the bed thick and sunset-tinted.

Evidently, aside from the excess of pillows, there was one other apparently human lump occupying the large mattress.

The massive headache and nausea resulting from the night's drunken sleep seemed impossible to fight off, and some part of the man figured it may gain a certain of permanence. It was an enormous room he attempted to sleep in, with small sofas and a chair, and old, spotless heirlooms on the dresser. He'd never noticed its size, its ever-coordinated decor, until now.

Phoenix crossed her arms and popped her hip until the monorail arrived. She followed Stamatia into the car and supported herself on a pole to keep her balance. She hardly needed it. The monorail was an incredibly smooth ride.

---

The black drapes surrounding Fioro's four-poster bed rippled as he turned in his sleep. The gentle creak of the mattress pulled him into consciousness and he opened his eyes.

It appeared that Elise had snuck away at some point earlier in the morning. Her side of the bed was still warm. He sat up and then got up to brush his teeth, take a shower and get ready to work.

In seventeen minutes, Fioro was in a pressed, pinstriped suit with a broad brimmed hat. The hair underneath was perfected coiffed, as was the hair on his face. He decided he would not phone a serviceperson for coffee. He felt like taking a walk this morning.

Upton slowly removed himself from the bed, sluggishly brushing his teeth and showering until the water grew cold. He still didn't wake entirely with the change in temperature, and dressed as he would on any other day, a sleek black suit. But his eyes gave away his utter exhaustion.
---
The entrance they took to Umbra was a frequented one. The streets were as busy as the monorail at five o'clock in the evening. New soldiers were not surprising in that entrance, and no one paused there due to their demanding occupations.

"We'll be arriving at our destination shortly," Stamatia noted, as she plunged them into the depths of Umbra once again.

((UPTON. Y U NO HAVE LONG FLOWY HAIR? Y U LOOK HUNG OVER? Y U LOOK LIKE CRAP?))

Fioro strolled out through the streets of Umbra, looking around for a coffee shop in the Umbran streets. He usually had to walk a little deeper. On the off chance that a city enforcer ventured down into the streets, there was no reason to immediately alert her or him to the presence of people underground.

He followed alleys down toward the center of Umbra, where its beating heart pulsed softly glowing light in the close darkness. He walked into a coffee shop, where he was greeted by a friendly looking boy, who bowed his head respectfully. "On the house today, Mr. Fioro."

"Thanks, son." He laid a few neatly folded bills on the counter as a tip, while the boy hastily prepared his coffee.

---

Phoenix nodded curtly, matching Stamatia's pace a few strides behind.

---

Ares led Blythe and Ros to a room that contained ten mannequin-like training dummies and a few human shaped targets. "This is where we will be for the next few days," he informed them, "You will eat here, sleep here, train here. And you will not come out until you have learned exactly what I have instructed you to learn the way I have instructed you to learn it. That may seem easy to you now..." he said, looking at how Ros smirked, "But I assure you." He pulled a knife from his sleeve and flung it across the room into the heart of one of the targets.

He didn't even have to look. Ros' expression dropped.

"It will be a true challenge."

((UPTON Y U))

Upton drank one dark cup of coffee, but was more prepared to sleep again. Blanat was a woman of her word; he'd learned that years ago. Every single promise she had made, she had kept. It seemed as though he had not done the same. He started for the place in which he would work for the day, but found than his earlier drive had been replaced with fatigue.
---
Stamatia led them into a training room, quite unlike the dark one they had been in before. This room contained many other soldiers and associates, milling around dressed like lower-ring citizens in an environment resembling the same place.

"Convince them to purchase treatment," she said to each of them, only loud enough for them to hear, before shoving them both toward the masses.

Fioro took his coffee and tipped his hat to the young man who handed it to him. "You have a nice day now, Mr. Fioro."

"You, too, Aiden." He sipped the caramel-colored liquid as he exited the small coffee shop. He could see other commuters from their gang beginning to roam the streets and get ready for work and training. He liked to see the new wave of recruits hard at work.

He wondered what Upton was doing this morning. He made his way down the correct network of streets to Upton's apartment. He wondered if Blanat was home.

The wood on the door made a loud thunking noise when it came in contact with knuckles.

---

Phoenix nodded, "Yes, Ma'am." Her heels clicked quietly on the dark cobblestone streets as she made her way into the crowd and looked for whoever might be weakest first. She needed a warm-up.

She found a man who looked like he might have been an associate. A dealer, maybe a runner. He was almost excessively thin with observant, quickly moving eyes. She fell in step after him and tapped his shoulder, "Hi."

"Not now," he said, looking irritated.

"Hey, hey," Phoenix said, standing in front of him this time and making it harder for him to avoid her, "Wait, man. Listen, I heard about your family. And I'm sorry. And think..." She slipped her hands into her pockets, "I can help you. I want to help you."

---

Ares handed each young woman a knife. Blythe took it and threw it from one palm to the other, testing the weight. Ros rubbed the blade with her thumb. She looked pleased when it drew blood.

"I'm going to start out with what you're comfortable with. Close combat. Go warm up on the dummies. Do not aim to kill quickly."

Upton was inching toward the door when he heard the knock of his brother upon it. Without enthusiasm, he opened it, unable to hide his all-too-obvious state at the door's opening. He tried very hard not to expect anyone in particular, when he finally pulled the door from its frame.

"Fioro. Good morning, brother," he said, as casually as possible.

---
Ulric searched throughout the women and men milling around, searching similarly for individuals with obvious needs. But his mind was not fooled by the acting, and he couldn't stop thinking of the actual district they imitated.

Even so, he approached a woman looking pale, trembling on the ground nearby. He had seen many like her where they had lived. And instead of having to pay, he'd simply given away treatment. He began to approach her.

"Miss?"

He waited for the woman to look up at him, the desperation almost real in her charcoal eyes. Leaning down near her cautiously, he continued to speak.

"I think I can help you..." he began.

"H-How did you know?" the thin man asked, the fear and shame in his eyes nearly convincing her of his predicament. Remorse washed over Phoenix for a moment, but she steeled herself against it. "I've seen you around with your daughter... Noticed how pale she was. I want to help your family, sir. I have treatment. I can sell it to you."

"You would do that?"

"Of course. I.. would just need to get some of the payment up front."

"Y-Yes, of course! Thank you."

---

Fioro's brow wrinkled at his brother's appearance. The lack of sleep was obvious to him, signaled by the groggy voice and contusion-like marks under his eyes. "Good morning, Upton. How... are you feeling?" JUDGINGJUDGINGJUDGING.

---

Blythe's strikes were careful and calculated, but slow. Ros' blows were quick and lethal.

"Stop, stop!" Ares said.

((Abbey. Abbey. Abbey. iioinyf.phoenix Phoenixlol. ^^'))

Ulric needed to look into those eyes as he spoke, but it was nearly unbearable to continue. He knew the associate was acting her attention.

"I can help you obtain treatment..."

The woman suddenly launched into a series of violent coughs, before pausing to catch her breath and look at the young man before her again. She nodded weakly.

"It... it might be... a little expensive... but I'll see what we can do. Do you want to try and purchase it?"

"I... I don't know... Are you sure it's not... too late?"

Ulric closed his eyes briefly, swallowed, before looking at the woman again. This was not real.

But it would be...

"No... no, you... you are a perfect candidate. For the treatment. The most advanced form, even."

"...Really? You... you can get this... for me?"

"Yes. If you would be able to pay partially in advance."
---
QUITYOJUDGIN'BOIII
"I... Honestly, brother, I'm certain you've taken in my current state, and... well, it seems that..."

He turned around before starting back up his stairs, into his bedroom, taking as much time as he possibly could, regardless of the constraints he and his brother had.

When Upton returned, he held in his hand a crumpled piece of paper, inked with loping script.

((Abbey. Abbey. Abbey. iioinyf.phoenix Phoenixlol. ^^'))

Ulric needed to look into those eyes as he spoke, but it was nearly unbearable to continue. He knew the associate was acting her attention.

"I can help you obtain treatment..."

The woman suddenly launched into a series of violent coughs, before pausing to catch her breath and look at the young man before her again. She nodded weakly.

"It... it might be... a little expensive... but I'll see what we can do. Do you want to try and purchase it?"

"I... I don't know... Are you sure it's not... too late?"

Ulric closed his eyes briefly, swallowed, before looking at the woman again. This was not real.

But it would be...

"No... no, you... you are a perfect candidate. For the treatment. The most advanced form, even."

"...Really? You... you can get this... for me?"

"Yes. If you would be able to pay partially in advance."
---
QUITYOJUDGIN'BOIII
"I... Honestly, brother, I'm certain you've taken in my current state, and... well, it seems that..."

He turned around before starting back up his stairs, into his bedroom, taking as much time as he possibly could, regardless of the constraints he and his brother had.

When Upton returned, he held in his hand a crumpled piece of paper, inked with loping script.

Phoenix smiled softly at the man, trying her best to look genuine. "You're very welcome. I'll get that to you soon, alright?"

"Yes."

She walked away from him. She was amazed at how real Stamatia's sector made this all feel.

---

Violet eyes flicked lazily across the pages of a magazine. Pale, agile fingers flipped through the pages, as the woman lay on her back on the velvet swathed, luxurious bed. A cream-colored sheet covered her back and shoulders as she leaned her elbows on a pillow, reading.

There was a knock on the solid oak door. "Come in."

"Ms. Ginevra?"

The woman on the bed sat up, red curling locks falling down across her shoulders and onto her back. Her bare back was to the door and the serviceboy. "Yes?"

There was a pause and then, "Your husband would like to see you in his study."

"Thank you, I will see him." When the door closed, she found her black silk robe and pulled it on tightly. She didn't bother with shoes.

She wondered what it was Aurelius needed to see her about as she walked out of the room and down the hall to his study.

---

Fioro frowned and accepted the note, smoothing the crumpled sheet of paper out between his hands. He recognized the swooping script of Blanat even before he reached the note's conclusion.

He furrowed his brow before looking at Upton. "I'm... sorry to hear this. Listen... If there is anything I can do..."

A man strolled around his desk, pulling books from the shelf and scanning the text with dark, aloof eyes. Yet the worn pages of the volumes did not seem as pressing as the paper upon his dark, sleek desk, oak topped with granite as black as onyx. The news from Elios was positive, but there were far more troubling words upon the page. Refusals of cooperation, betrayals of enormous implications.

The door to his office was made of pure, dark oak with stone knobs and an elaborate lock. His entire home was fortified like an Ariak military base, but aesthetically reflected the most sophisticated architecture of Ariak. When the service boy requested entrance, he slid a tile away from the door to peek through it. His wife and the boy were present.

When the door opened, he nodded toward the boy, and faced his wife, looking elegant even in her simple black silk robe.

"Please come in, Ginevra."
---
"I... I don't know... I... I don't have a lot of money right now... I..."

"Well... that's okay. Whatever you can deposit now will be enough for later. I... I'll bring that treatment to you as soon as possible."

"But... you don't understand..." The woman paused to cough again, leaving her further winded than before.

"I... I don't have anything."

The woman looked utterly sincere. He knew what his next move should have been, that he should have walked away, rescinded his offer.

"I'll see... I'll see what I can do," he said, his voice almost a whisper.

"Thank you... thank you so much."

He walked away, knowing his promise couldn't be kept. This was the way the lower rings had nearly always been. These were the empty words he'd had to say when running became necessary.

This woman would give the Capo a negative report of his abilities, and it would mark him for their next training exercises, for his actual assignments. But in this moment, he couldn't bring himself to do as expected of him.
---
His brother glanced away, toward the coat rack where only a few unused jackets remained. Fewer now, without Blanat's possessions. The entire house seemed abandoned, although he walked in it, although his brother and too many servants remained within.

"I'm... I'm not sure what can be done, brother."

The silk of Ginevra's robe made a subtle hushing sound as she walked into the room. Her quick, padded footsteps made little noise in the high-ceilinged stone room. Its walls angled inward slightly as the room gained altitude. Ginevra smiled at the man behind the desk, "Hello, Aurelius."

She took a seat on his ornate solid oak desk, eyes smiling at him. She crossed her legs, hands resting on her knees, elbows straight. Her expression was playful, but almost feline.

"You wanted to see me?"

---

Phoenix found herself not wanting to approach any more soldiers or associates. She did not trust them. Resented their ability to make her believe and feel false things.

But she plowed on. And approached a haggard-looking woman carrying too many bags.

"Let me help you with those."

---

"Upton," Fioro said, his voice uncharacteristically delicate, "You will be all right. Things will work themselves out. I can take care of things here. You may go to her if you need to."

Upton stared out beyond his front doorway, into the landscape beyond his home, the streets of Umbra not as far away as they looked from the inside. He did not want to stop working, but this event had thrown him even further than his wife's first announcement.

Finding her would not be challenging. The ensuing conversation, however, would definitely prove more challenging.

"I... I will try not to be long. Are you certain that this will be alright?"

---
Ulric strained to find the exit from this room, but he had not realized its enormity when he'd entered. But like the place it resembled so eerily, it could not be left so simply. He saw the people represented by the men and women, children, even, youths, roaming the streets.

One young man passed him by, dressed in his factory's uniform, wearier than some of the oldest men at the highest class of Noia's central ring.

"Excuse me," he began, nearly choking on his words, unable to replace the image of the desperate woman, of a young girl's face, of a bleeding corpse.

---
The man could not keep his gaze from his wife, her figure perfectly accentuated by the spare, silken black robe that she wore. Upon his desk, he consciously practiced restraint in order to keep his concentration on the matters at hand.

"I do. It seems there are a few concerns in the lower rings. On Elios as well, unfortunately. Our shipment arrived without incident, but it seems there was an internal struggle on the journey home..."

His gaze was fixed upon her feline features.

"It was a rather serious offense. What would you recommend we do, Ginevra?"

He didn't resist coming closer to the desk, his face near hers.