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Post by lilywilde on Oct 25, 2016 10:48:07 GMT -6
The girl with the cold blue flower behind her ear sprang from her seat the minute Sol threw the doors open. She had been holding herself back, shaking visibly throughout the entire exchange, but she finally could stand it no longer. "I'm so sorry Amber, I can't just sit here while this happens..." She touched the blue flower lightly before turning away from Amber. Lily planted one foot on the seat she'd previously been occupying, and another on the top of the pew's back before leaping towards the door. There was a flash of white light that suddenly lit up the Basilica, with a trail of white lingering from her position mid-jump as she soared through the air. The mach-two girl landed in the door way, with her back turned to the rest of the basillica, her eyes found Sol as he walked into the rain.
She turned away, uncaring if he stuck around to hear what she had to say or not. She stared back into the basillica and held her arms out. The small girl's gunmetal grey eyes glowering fiercely at the crowd whose eyes were suddenly trained on her.
"The man you seek to demonize has a point!" She shouted growling, "If Aisio saved your life, then that I can accept. I understand how his words might sting. However, he saved mine! I can't sit idly by while you threaten to rip his arm off!"
She paused for only a moment, seeing all of the eyes trained on her, she decided this was as appropriate a time for one of her little speeches as any.
"If you want to get to him, you'll go through me. Think about this though, do you really think that Aisio would want war? I didn't know Aiso, but I know Sol a helluva lot better than you do!" She didn't know if that were true or not, in fact, she probably didn't. She knew very little about the angry young lord, and had only an idea that he'd killed, with no true knowledge of how many. "I don't know anything about politics. I don't know the first thing about who's in the right or the wrong here. I don't even know that much about the kingdoms. However that man laid his life down for mine, and almost lost it so doing. Him, the scion of an ancient noble family, was willing to put it all on the line for a pitiful little girl with no family and no name. That's the kind of person he is. So before you go on about who is whose enemy, who is nobler, and better than who, remember that he's every bit as willing to risk his life to save another. Can you really blame him for being upset at the prospect of war? Every time the kingdoms do battle, only the grimm can claim victory. When man fights man, man's enemy laughs and gathers at his borders." She paused to gauge reactions, before continuing. If nothing else, her talking would let Sol get a little further away. Her aura flared up, basking anyone nearby in a white light that radiated peaceful feelings and, if not for the incredibly high tension, might have even helped to loosen the mood.
"Besides, you can't say that he's wrong can you? He's still alive, he's still here to fight. He still has time to protect however many hundred lives. He still has opportunities to do good in this world. Aisio was noble, and good, and from the sound of it everything a huntress should be, but she's fallen. That's the whole point of all of this right?!"
She took a step back, out of the basillica's doors.
"I'll give him every opportunity I can to succeed where she failed. He saved my life, and I intend to save many more before I eventually fall. I'll fight until my last breath doing what I think is right, and every fiber of my being tells me that this is. If you have a problem with it, I'm right here."
She let her words ring out, and gritted her teeth. Daring the room full of hunters and huntresses to try anything.
The young huntress in training knew that she was in over her head, and didn't for one second think that she stood a chance against half of these people, but that wasn't reason enough for her to ignore the reality and do nothing.
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Post by chrohn on Oct 25, 2016 14:47:55 GMT -6
Whelp, it seems shit has gone down and I'm falling with it, the gambler thought as Lily leaped from her seat to the door.
A few moments prior, Chrohn was furious although it was fairly well hidden at the Ceyla's announcement of war. It wasn't the announcement that bothered him, though he was fairly iffy on the concept of war itself. It was the fact that as Chrohn saw it, Ceyla and the other heads of Legion that were had just admitted (by proxy) to atrocity that was the Siege of Rift, and then scooting that concept under the rug that was 'sorry, I was mislead'. The fact that he was, probably without an honest choice, about to join up with the people, the enemies, who were the cause for him to get back into hunting was a thought that made the blonde feel sick.
And then the lone soldier whose tone Chrohn didn't particularly care for started up. It was upsetting to hear someone debase the dead, if only for what seemed to be self satisfaction. What did that gloomy looking man have to gain, shitting on the feelings of others, Chrohn thought, with a hint of aggravation now visible on his features. That is just a horrible thing to do, he finished before the maid, or rather the person who Chrohn thought was a maid, stood up for her late master. Chrohn would've done it, but his problem was that he had no evidence to stand on, he simply knew the girl as a warrior and nothing else. And once that exchange finished, the man was out the door and Lily was now in front of the door, trying to block it with her tiny frame.
And unexpectedly, he rose and strode towards the cat but still keeping his distance from her, with his slowly rising degree of anger showing in his eyes. "Do you really think it's just about that man, your personal savior or not, explaining to the people that the person we are here today for is dead? Nahnahnah, I think that is far from why people are getting all bent out of shape. We know she's dead, that's why we are here in the first place. I think it's more of the fact that he seems to be pushing her farther into the ground, just to make himself seem better, as he proceeded to bad mouth her and spit on this hallowed ground that is carrying this procession," he sighed as he collected his thoughts.
"If you are going to defend people whose actions are irredeemable simply because they saved you, you might be in the wrong business. You don't know what goes on behind closed doors and neither do I. I, however, do know now that this entire situation that everyone is in, in regards to Legion and Rift happened because people remained loyal to someone they thought was just, when it is apparent now that he using them as a means to an end." Simply because, as Chrohn saw it, that they were used didn't alleviate them of his anger but it was far better to have allies than enemies in an oncoming time of extensive war. "I'm not saying you shouldn't trust him, because I personally don't know the guy," nor do I plan to, he thought," but you should be aware that everyone always has something going on, even if people don't know it. I don't know shit about your ancient scion, but if he is as good as you say he is, he sure as hell isn't living up to the image you seem to have so masterfully painted by his treatment of the dead a few moments ago. By your logic of who's better by basing the criterion off of whether or not they are still living, we are in a world that is doomed no matter what actions we strive to take."
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Post by Ceyla Regenwald on Oct 29, 2016 10:16:13 GMT -6
[googlefont="Playfair+Display"] [attr="class","back"] [attr="class","picback"] [attr="class","queen1"] [attr="class","longlive"]And just this - I will wish
All of your pain and sadness
Fades someday ..
I hope to brush it away
FOR NOW, I’LL SEE YOU OFF
[attr="class","nomistake"]There were no other words to describe how Ceyla was feeling in that moment, nor those that followed. The beating of her heart was nothing short of cruel, slamming against the muscles that kept it in place as if it desired being set free. What would she do there, then, if her heart simply ruptured from her chest? Murmurs filled the Basilica in response to her declaration of war, and she knew without leafing through the sea of attendees before her that some of them had mixed feelings about all this. Her crimson red eyes deviated from the crowd, settling on Alburn with what could only be described as anguish.
What had she done?
Drawing in a caustic breath, the Prime Minister flitted away from the pulpit and returned to her seat at Alburn’s side. Her hand clutched onto his arm like a Krahe intent on mangling its prey, just enough pressure to certainly leave a red imprint of her hand on the young man’s arm. “Al-…I’m scared.” She confided to him with in a whist tone. “Did I…? Was this the...? Right…thing?” She felt a shudder run down her spine, the cold sting running from the nape of her neck all the way down to the scar on her lower back - just above her bottom - where her tail once was. Goosebumps followed, but with a slight jerk she managed to shake them - and the tingling in her spine - away.
She hadn’t bothered to take notice of the applause that followed her exit from the podium. Instead, her eyes fixated on the young man that had taken her place. He looked familiar, but not at the same time. Her memories escaped her in that moment, ultimately bringing her to focus her attention on Alburn instead. As the young man - introducing himself as Solomon Moon - began to speak, Ceyla wrapped her right arm around Alburn’s left and leaned against him, giving his shoulder a gentle, affectionate bite. This wasn’t the first time she had done such a thing, but it was likely - as far as she could recall - the first time she had ever done so in public.
It was a comfort thing of sorts - a small habit she never quite shook off from her lonely days back at the Monastery. With a faint giggle against her love’s shoulder, Ceyla turned her head slightly to focus back on Solomon’s eulogy. A part of her found his desire to speak to the attendees a little…unusual, given he had not known her. Still, she knew that Aisio had touched many lives in the time she served - leading her to figure this young man was likely one of those lucky individuals. Things started off all well and good, a smile plastered to Ceyla’s face as she slowly skimmed the rest of the room.
The flowers sitting near a portrait of Aisio - an arrangement of pink carnations, chrysanthemums, and roses - were the last thing Ceyla’s reminiscing eyes set themselves upon before the tone of Solomon’s speech shifted.
As he spoke to Headmaster Nuada, Ceyla regarded every single word to weasel through the sickening smirk on his face. Her brow began to crease as she stared him down, the beaming smile that once set on her fair features replaced with a contentious scowl. It was then that his identity finally clicked. The eye, the arm, the name - Solomon Daton-Moon, son of Terrel Daton-Moon. She knew of the Moons not because of her terms working within Legion’s government, but from her short tour as a member of the White Fang. The Red-eyed Maiden, the name afforded to her by Legion media in those days, was told of the day Solomon Moon led a campaign in cold blood to avenge his father.
Tinnitus manifested then, the ringing so overwhelming that it blocked out almost everything being said up until Solomon’s attention turned to her. His tone had grown sharp as he spoke to her, but no matter how barbarous the young man wanted to be perceived, the only thing Ceyla saw was a mongrel. She had rose from her seat towards the tail end of his eulogy - if that’s what he wanted to call the sudden tirade that slithered off his tongue - with her hands balled up into tight fists. Her eyes locked on him with no sign of letting him slip out of sight, but she was not prepared for Kim’s sudden interjection.
Before Ceyla even had a chance to move, before she even had an opportunity to confront this young man, Kim was already upon him. The android woman went on a harangue of her own, lashing at the young man for how he had spoken. There was a part of her that wanted to order Kim back, fearing that the situation would be escalated beyond the point of reason. These worries culminated when Kim insisted Solomon remain inside the Basilica - a suggestion she reluctantly had to agree with. Eyes had now shifted to the android and the one-armed Huntsman-to-be, and not all of them had good intentions.
"The Pendragons DID everything better you mean. Past tense you see. And I'm not even convinced of that, because they are all dead, and I am alive. I must be doing something right."
Solomon’s words rang in Ceyla’s mind like nails upon a chalkboard, and they were finally enough to urge her forward. At this time, a young Faunus girl named Lily - something she knew only because the Princess called out to her - left her seat and ran off in the direction the young man and cut those who wished to pursue him off. It was a noble thing to do, but foolish in Ceyla’s eyes. The red orbs set themselves on the feline Faunus as she approached, the grimace on her face seemingly directed at the young girl that stood before her.
"If you want to get to him, you'll go through me. Think about this though, do you really think that Aisio would want war? I didn't know Aiso, but I know Sol a helluva lot better than you do!" The girl challenged. "I don't know anything about politics. I don't know the first thing about who's in the right or the wrong here. I don't even know that much about the kingdoms. However that man laid his life down for mine, and almost lost it so doing.” Ceyla’s expression grew more and more angry as she drew closer, finally standing within a foot of the girl.
"Besides, you can't say that he's wrong can you? He's still alive, he's still here to fight. He still has time to protect however many hundred lives. He still has opportunities to do good in this world. Aisio was noble, and good, and from the sound of it everything a huntress should be, but she's fallen. That's the whole point of all of this right?!" As the girl stepped back, Ceyla stepped forward without so much as a blink of her eyes. "I'll give him every opportunity I can to succeed where she failed. He saved my life, and I intend to save many more before I eventually fall. I'll fight until my last breath doing what I think is right, and every fiber of my being tells me that this is. If you have a problem with it, I'm right here."
Ceyla scoffed, rolling her eyes at the girl. “And what do you know about him, little girl?” She inquired, crossing her arms. “Because I’ll tell you what I know. He is Solomon Daton-Moon, and he is a cold blooded killer - a murderer in all sense of the word. When his father failed his own mission, Solomon set himself and his band of miscreants on a warpath and slaughtered Faunus rebels.” Her eyes shifted to Solomon, who was making his way in the rain, before returning to Lily. “He killed people like you - people like us, Faunus - for no other reason than because he wanted to, Lily. I can empathize with someone that loses their father, but I absolutely cannot empathize with a monster that cornered people like me and slaughtered them like cattle.”
“Did those people deserve to lose their lives, did they deserve to lose their loved ones - their sons and daughters, husbands and wives - all because his father failed? I think not. So before you stand here, defending a murderer like him, you better think long and hard about what you think you know. Otherwise you’re going to stand there before the masses - like you are right now - and make an absolute dolt of yourself.” It was with those last few words that Ceyla’s right hand slowly rose, the back of it aimed square at the side of Lily’s face. As the backhanded slap whipped through the air there was a sound, a slight whirring of energy, before Ceyla pulled back in pain.
Her left hand gripped her right wrist, her teeth crushed together like a pestle grinding against an empty mortar. Her hand, which sought a target in the broad side of Lily’s face, twitched and dripped ruby red blood onto the floor below. Between Ceyla and the feline Faunus stood a slender sword, made manifest through the manipulation of Aura. This was a piece of the Eisenheim Arsenal, the Semblance belonging to Princess Amberleigh Sablier. Eyes quickly shifted to the front of the room, where the Princess stood awkwardly as her sky blue eyes honed in on everyone gathering near the door.
As she sat there, doing her best to absorb the declaration of war that had - in her eyes - been made out of desperation, Amber brought her left hand to her forehead. Balled into a tight first, she pressed the knuckle of her index finger against the bridge of her nose, inhaling slowly as her eyes shifted to the ground. What was even happening? That part of Amber that analyzed things too much, that side of her that always got her into trouble, began to flare. Did anyone else know this was going to happen, or was it completely out of the blue? The thought that anyone else - the thought that Ferr, most of all - knowing the Prime Minister’s intentions rattled the Princess to her core.
If she could have, in that moment Amber would have curled up into a tight ball, but she couldn’t. Instead her eyes followed Prime Minister Regenwald as she returned to her seat, scrutinizing the woman as she grew affectionate with her partner. She almost immediately grew uncomfortable, as if something - a small creeping, crawling insect - had worked its way under her skin. She noticeably shuttered at the feeling, the gentle spasm of her shoulders noted by a few of the attendees that sat around her and her companions in mourning. All she could really do then was sigh, her breath rigid and sweltering as she struggled to ease herself down.
When Solomon approached the pulpit and introduced himself, the Princess’s gaze quickly shifted to Lily. This must have been the young man she had told her about during their shopping trip. A meager smile grew across the Princess’s face as she squeezed Lily’s arm, her eyes then shifting back to the young, one-eyed man as he began his eulogy to the fallen Pendragon. Overall, Amber found the young man’s words to be insightful in their own way - much like Aegle’s not long before. Her curious eyes flickered to the orange haired girl, set not too far from where she and Lily had positioned themselves.
However, as the young Huntsman continued, something started to feel…off. His voice, his overall demeanor, seemed to shift as he targeted the Headmaster - and one of the people closest to Aisio prior to her passing. His treatment of the elderly man caused her stomach to twist like a helix. It was almost painful to watch, and despite the burning desire to stand up and say something in protest, Amber bit down hard on the inside of her cheek - the metallic taste of blood subtly spreading throughout her mouth. What on earth was happening here? It almost felt surreal, perhaps maybe it was a dream.
All she knew was that she didn’t like where this was going. Not one bit.
Solomon’s attention then turned to the Prime Minister, his rhetoric just as - if not more - cruel than what he threw at Ser Ash Nuada. It was one thing, in Amber’s mind, to question the motives of things like war and the like - but so disrespectfully? There was a time and place for everything, and if either of those facets were missing from a given scenario, then it was necessary to approach the situation tactfully. It was this lack of sensitivity that made him the target of several dagger-like stares, not excluding her own. She had to wonder where Lily’s head was in all of this, her eyes slowly drifting in her friend’s direction.
As the young man with the mechanical arm made his way from the podium, Amber’s attention was quickly snatched away from Lily, the blue orbs that were her eyes locking back on him once again. The dirty look he flashed in the two’s direction was met in kind with an icy stare of her own. Amber wanted, more than anything, to reach out and slap the young man across the face. He was clearly someone that needed to be humbled, but who would inevitably do that was a matter all its own. The Princess certainly didn’t want to try to apprehend him herself. When Kim - a mechanical woman she had never met before today - took matters into her own hands, Amber felt all the muscles in her body tighten at once as her heart sank.
Despite how this young man had treated the attendees of the funeral, despite how foul some of the words he spoke during the service had been, Amber saw no admissible reason to quarrel with him. She wanted to stand, to order Kim to stand down and leave Solomon alone - but she couldn’t. Freezing up, all she could do was keep her eyes on the two as they exchanged words. It was hard to choose a side in all this, if such a thing were even necessary, and that in and of itself was a cause for concern. As far as these people were concerned, Solomon Moon had identified himself as an enemy - in league with Aldous Barnett and his men. Her expression contorted as she fought of the sudden desire to cry.
Not here.
Just when the Princess though things couldn’t get any more complicated, she noticed Lily shaking. Her eyes locked on her friend, all Amber could manage was a slight shaking of her head - protesting what she believed was Lily’s next move. "I'm so sorry Amber, I can't just sit here while this happens..." The girl apologized, sprawling from her seat. Amber reached for her, her voice cracking as a result of her throat going dry. “Lily, wait! Don’t!” She pleaded, reaching for her friend as a white flash indicated the activation of her Semblance. In the blink of an eye, Lily stood between the rest of the Basilica and Solomon - though the young man was not distracted from his exit.
Amber’s twisted expression struggled to settle on a frown or a smile, unsure whether or not to be proud of her friend or worry for the girl’s safety as she stood between some of Legion’s most elite. Defending her friend - someone she cared about - was noble in its own right. However, even Lily had to see how foolish she was being right now. What if these men and women did decide to jump on her? Even with her speed, it was hard to entertain the possibility of the girl holding her own against these sorts - and as one worked their way up Legion’s upper echelon, the people she’d be forced to stand against only grew stronger.
From the opposite side, Amber noticed the Prime Minister standing - her red eyes locked on the Faunus girl that stood between them and the door. Just the look was enough to make her blood run cold, having seen it herself through the eyes of another - Sayf al-Din - when her safety was threatened in Setek. Amber started to hyperventilate almost immediately, covering her ears as she shut her eyes tight. She wanted this all to stop. It had to stop, it just had to! In her mind there were flashes - memories of a time she’d rather forget. Her training, first by Sir Cullen, and later by Altimeda. Small, almost unnoticeable, tears began trailing down Amber’s face.
“If you can’t take control of your emotions, the Arsenal will be forced to do it for you.” Cullen’s voice echoed in her mind. “It’s a weapon designed to protect you and those you love. Just ask your father. If not for the Arsenal, your mother would be long gone - and you would never have been born. Now!” - A loud snap echoed in her memory, metallic in origin. It was the Hound, if memory served her right. - “I want you to give it everything you’ve got, alright? Let’s go!”
There was a light ripple in the immediate area surrounding Amber, a soft blue glow emanating from her body as the subtle, salty smell of the ocean started to fill the Basilica. It was almost as if the Princess was in a trance, her hands held tightly together as if praying for something - for anything - to put a stop to all of this. Her eyes opened slowly, fixing on Lily and then the Prime Minister as the latter raised her hand to strike her friend. “Leave her alone!” Amber snapped, her voice echoing though the church before traveling outside. Four weapons - three swords and a spear - were made manifest and hovered in the air above her.
The Eisenheim Arsenal.
Compelled by some unknown force, the smallest of the swords - a slashing weapon - whipped through the air at almost blinding speed. It traveled to the Prime Minister’s left side, lining up with her raised right hand. As the strike came down to Lily’s face, the sword pulsed blue and cut her off - searing through the flesh on her hand and sending her reeling back in pain. The sword stuck into the ground between Ceyla and Lily, dissipating slowly as the former held onto her hand in pain before bursting like glass into oblivion.
Eyes shifted to Amber, who had since jumped out of her seat and ran to Lily’s defense, throwing her arms around the girl and holding onto her tightly. “I won’t let them hurt you, okay? I promise I wont.” She said, pulling her arms from the girl slowly. Turning her back, Amber held out her arms as if presenting herself as a shield. “Enough of this!” She snapped. “This is meant to be a funeral - a celebration of life! We shouldn’t be fighting!” Her brow furrowed as she stared the room down, occasionally looking back to Lily. “I trust my friend here, and I encourage everyone else to do so too.” She added in an almost sheepish tone. “Just please, stop fighting…”
Tears began rolling down her face, perfectly trailing her jawline before meeting at her chin before dripping away like morning dew from a flower. “I have no reason to not believe everything you’ve all had to say - about Aisio, or Solomon, or one another - but I will not stand by and let…this happen here.” Amber cried, her voice shaking as she eyed Ceyla. The Prime Minister’s hand had since healed, but she could feel unwelcome eyes locked on her - eyes of the guards nearby. The Eisenheim Arsenal remained overhead, ready to strike if the Princess found herself in danger. “You need to look at all of this logically, Prime Minister - and all of you.”
She turned her head for a moment, glancing at Lily and then Solomon before her eyes returned to the room. “I heard about your father, Prime Minister Regenwald. It’s a terrible thing to lose someone you love, I know this, because I lost my father too.” She continued, taking a deep breath as the tears finally stopped. “I can guarantee that either of us would have done the exact same thing in Solomon’s shoes. Had I the ability to do so, I would level a kingdom to the ground to avenge my father - and you’re in some ways taking steps to go to war for such things. So why is this case any different? Because they were Faunus? I can’t accept that as fair logic. Not in the slightest!”
Amber prepared herself to speak further, but the sound of clapping cut her off. The sound was sharp, striking in her ears like a wind chime.
Miles away from the sudden commotion, a darkness was beginning to fall over the city. The already adumbral clouds overhead grew darker, as if they intended to literally squeeze the life from whatever light dared to try and squeeze through. While the rain had remained somewhat tolerable for most of the service, it was now becoming cold - biting at the skin like a pit of vipers. This was exactly how the small young woman, seated next to the Cult warrior known as Sayf al-Din, preferred her evenings - especially when tending to matters such as this. The small shuttle carrying them hovered low, just outside the Basilica.
“Are you sure about this, Your Grace?” The man asked, his dry and tired lips splitting underneath the reddened bandages that covered his face. His voice was just barely trembling as he made his inquiry, his worrying eye fixed on the woman just to his right. Her face was covered in a thick black veil, and even though he couldn’t see her face, he knew her eyes were fixated on the massive white structure of the church. The girl remained completely silent, her hands held tightly together as they rested contently in her lap. He wondered if, perhaps, she had not heard him - and found himself struggling to decide whether to speak again.
She hated it when they spoke out of turn, and because of how volatile she could be, it was impossible to know when exactly one’s turn to speak was. It was a waiting game, something akin to cat and mouse or cops and robbers. Sighing, Sayf eased his back against his seat as he let out a tired sigh. Whatever her purpose was for coming here, whatever her purpose was for dragging him along - he knew there was more to it than trying to catch glimpse of the Princess. An eerily black Scroll rested on the small stand to his left, the Scroll she used when conducting business.His eye worryingly settled on the message:
"Amber Sablier is at St. Ivy's Basilica."
Solomon Moon, despite whatever deal he had made with Aldous Barnett, had played into her hand rather well. Sayf had not expected him to be so cooperative, enough so that he almost didn’t bother telling the girl he accompanied about him in the first place. She insisted, however, and when the message finally came through - she jumped at the opportunity to venture out into the unknown. In fact, now that he thought about it, this was likely the first time the young woman had been away from the Cathedral. His deep thought was brought to an end as the girl inhaled sharply, letting out a breath that was mixed with an almost malevolent giggle.
“It’s time, Sayf.” The girl said, slowly rising from her seat. She scuffled past by the man before he even had a chance to respond, her rear almost butting him in the face as she wiggled by. He let out a loud frustrated huff before standing from his seat, turning his back to the girl for a moment as he eyed the cloth-wrapped object resting in the seat behind them. A drawstring was attached at both ends, allowing him to easily carry it over his shoulder. The veil-donning girl, at this time, scooped up the black Scroll and tucked it away in the small purse she carried. He wondered what her plan was, if anything, with the device. All he could do, really, was worry about what was to come.
But what reason did he have to worry?
As they made their way towards the Basilica, the girl took the lead. She was fast, appearing to almost float as they neared the door. Solomon had abruptly exited at this point, and the girl walked by him without so much as a glance, seemingly intent on getting to the church and the service within. Sayf, however, did stop - setting his hand on Solomon’s shoulder in an attempt to stop him. “I’d wait here.” He said, the only feature of his face shown being his own single eye. “Whatever happens between now and when she leaves - there’s a chance it might be on you. Be prepared to flee, if you must.”
She had heard most of the ruckus from outside, her eyes fixed on three key players in particular - a Faunus girl she knew very little about, Legion’s Prime Minister (or more appropriately, assumed new Chairwoman), and the Princess of Rift herself. Amber’s short protest speech had just come to an end at this point in time, prompting the girl to begin clapping. Each time her hands struck one another, it was like a finely crafted whip cracking in the air. The sound was sharp and attention grabbing, enough so that even her own ears rang as a result of it all. Her dress was black and white, the sleeves flaring out towards her wrists. It was an outfit similar to what she referred to as The Manipulator, though it was far more modest and appropriate for the event.
“My, what an interesting group you all have gathered here today.” She announced with a giggle. Her voice was surprisingly soft in tone, but also slightly monotonous with an eerily sinister twist. “I don’t think I’ve ever been to a funeral service where we exposed people and their dirty laundry.” Her eyes flickered between the three nearest the door, then over the rest of the room. “It’s funny how we can point fingers in times of desperation, yet with a simple look in the mirror…” - she looked up towards the Aura swords above them, smirking though such a feature wouldn’t be noticeable through the veil over her face - “We see a lot of…creatures…in familiar faces.”
Her eyes first set on Lily, the Faunus girl. “I feel like I can say with certainty that you’re the least guilty person at this whole event.” She said, her voice almost taunting, before looking back into the room. “The rest of you though? You’re all quite pitiful.” Her hand raised, her finger extended towards Ser Ash first. “You, for example. They want you to run Vytal Academy, of all things? You couldn’t even keep Aisio safe - and she was one person. How on earth do you plan to keep an entire school full of brats safe? I suspect many will die under your direction. But hey, sometimes that’s just how things go, right?”
Her attention then shifted to Kim - the robot. “And you? Well, you’re basically just garbage. You’ve got a few cool tricks up your sleeve, sure, but otherwise I have a feeling you’re basically worthless to these people. You’re a weapon, a means to an end. That’s all.” She snickered, her eyes hovering over to Ferr and Alburn. “And you two - great warriors, you lot are. Can’t even protect the women you care about most - but you want to protect and serve your people in your own ways? Laughable, at best. How many do you think you’ll have to kill to protect, hm? How many are you willing to kill to protect?”
A reddish glow began to emanate from behind her veil, her eyes both glowing a sinister crimson red through the black fabric. These eyes settled on Amber first, her grin twisting slightly as she focused on the Princess. “And let’s be honest with you, dear, most of this is all your fault.” She accused, shaking her head. “If only you hadn’t been so overcome with wanderlust, if only you hadn’t ran away from home. Your father wouldn’t be dead, and this war wouldn’t be happening. Oh man, your father’s death is a story in and of itself. Absolutely fantastic that you’re standing in the same room as the person responsible for that!”
An accusing finger was raised, rigidly pointing at Ceyla. “The Chairwoman knows exactly what I’m talking about, don’t you ma’am?” The girl taunted. “You’re a Faunus, this is true. Common knowledge, but do these people know that you were White Fang?” Silence fell, followed by whispers among the attendees. “Not only were you White Fang, you were rather high up - and when you were tasked with assassinating Barnett, that wicked old fool caught you off guard and struck a deal: help him take Rift, and you’d get a clean slate. You agreed, out of foolishness.” The girl giggled evilly, glancing at the Princess who now stared at Ceyla with tear-filled eyes.
The girl turned to look out the door, smiling apologetically as she eyeballed Solomon near Sayf. “While you all went ahead and tore into him anyway, I thought maybe I could add something a little juicy to the pot. Really get the chaos flowing, you know?” She giggled again. “They call me Saint Ash, you know. I’ve orchestrated this whole thing from afar for so long, but I couldn’t help not getting directly involved. There’s just so much good stuff going on here, you know?” Pulling the Scroll from her purse, she handed it to the small Faunus girl that so diligently defended the man everyone else tried to berate, smiling at her through the shroud. “I am here…” She giggled, the sound of her laugh becoming so much more sinister than it had before.
“...Because he told me the Princess was here. Tell me, do you think my intentions for her are good, Lily?”[newclass=.back]width:500px;padding:10px;background:#fff;margin:0 auto;[/newclass]
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Post by lilywilde on Oct 29, 2016 23:57:13 GMT -6
Lily bristled at Crohn's remarks, the fur on her ears stood on end as she quarreled with him.
"No, I mean, I know he can be a bit prickly at times, but I don't really think he meant what he.." she paused for a moment, her brow furrowing. "No, that's not right either, I do think he meant what he said, I just don't think he meant to say it all. I mean, it's not really my place to guess at motive, but if you knew him you'd know that he's quick to lash out once he's been angered, and well, the idea that he'd be burying his men soon as well as risking his own life in a fight he hadn't even known was coming twenty minutes ago would be reason enough for him to start lashing out." She had hardly noticed Ceyla's approach due to her attention on Crohn. She had registered as less than a blip on her radar, but she had registered none the same. Lily's attention wasn't shifted into her at all until she began speaking.
She listened patiently through the girl's speech, a defiant look in her eyes throughout. She was just beginning to open her mouth to respond when the young leader raised a hand to slap Lily.
Lily's eyes slammed shut, in anticipation of a sharp pain. She could have easily dodged away, her speed was superior to most, but she refused to leave the doorway and give those inside the ability to pursue Sol unmolested. She sharp sting she'd expected never came however. When she opened her eyes once more, a slender sword was between her and the woman who had intended to strike her. Ceyla's hand was dripping blood. She had barely a moment to digest the new situation in front of her when Amber's arm's closed tightly around Lily.
It was true the revelation about Sol's past crimes did spark an ember of doubt in Lily, but she was sure that he had his reasons. She thought back to her own parent's deaths. The rage that had been lit within her still burned to this day. For most of the year after that, she threw herself at every grimm that came her way hoping to wipe the scourge of man from the face of the world. They were drawn to her like a beacon, always trickling in from somewhere. Seeking the source of the misery and anger so that their inhuman hunger might be sated.
She only ran away from them when she could no longer fight. Many of her scars were formed in that first year.
She couldn't blame Sol, and she had no particular tie to the faunus of the world. She happened to be one, and took no special note of that fact. She didn't tie herself to her heritage, because she did not know her heritage. She rarely thought very little of her status as a faunus, unless it was to note that her ears and claws were pretty handy at times. She was touched by Amber's defense of her, but she wished the princess hadn't put herself in harm's way on her behalf. Still, she'd just done exactly the same thing for Sol, so she at least understood where she was coming from. The princess was alike Lily in many ways after all. The princess' call not to fight was wholly in line with how Lily felt. In all honesty, she didn't want to fight at all. She hated fighting other people. However she wouldn't let them say such things about Sol. Her blood was still boiling at the threats made against him. As she pleaded for the fighting to end, she hugged the torn princess from behind, her arms looping around her waist and squeezing gently.
In most cases, physical contact bothered Lily immensely, however, for the fourth time that day Lily and the princess were in contact, and she felt nothing particularly wrong with it. It was merely one friend comforting another.
She listened to the rest of what Amber had to say quietly, only opening her mouth briefly near the end, but once again she was cut off.
Lily's arms detached themselves from Amber's waist as she spun. Her ears tracked the sound to it's source, and she zeroed in on it within an instant. The veiled woman was clapping, but it was the bandaged man near her that drew Lily's attention. She recognized him immediately as the man who'd empowered the grimm serpant in Setek. Her focus was entirely on him, her guise twisted into a stare filled with hate, that is, until she began to speak.
She listened, arms held up in a defensive stance, placing herself between the girl and the rest of the basillica. Her eyes flitted between her and Sol. She wouldn't let them do anything to him, or anyone else present. She might have her differences with those inside, but they were all a better in Lily's eyes than the man, or whatever company he kept.
She waited with bated breath, just waiting for the hammer that was held high above all of their heads to fall. None of the revelations really touched Lily. That Ceyla was a white fang held little significance, because she had only heard of the fang in passing. It was a group she was hardly familiar with. The accusations towards Amber were likely the ones that riled her up the most, but the proverbial hammer finally fell when she casually approached Lily and fished through her purse for a scroll.
Lily's eyes went blank and her face dropped. She looked between Soloman and the mysterious girl her face a mixture of pain, betrayal, and fear. Her hands, for perhaps the first time in the girls memory, were unsteady. The scroll shook in her hands, violently even.
As she held the scroll, hands shaking, face contorted in pain, tears began to streak down her face as she looked between Sol, the Girl, and Sayf. She couldn't draw the connection between them. "S-Sol..." She said, her voice as shaky as her hands were. She looked back to the girl, and saw red. Her claws came out of their own volition, piercing the screen and utterly ruining the small piece of technology.
"I... I don't understand," she lied. She understood perfectly. It was true that all of the people present had things going on in the background. They all had personal lives filled with intrigue and she shouldn't be too surprised that their lives intersected each other in ways that weren't immediately related to her.
"What I do understand," she said, her hands still shaky, "Is that you've just threatened my friend. As if things weren't already bad enough here, you come in and just..." Her mouth twisted into a snarl, her words failed her. Her hand shot out, clawed fingertips seeking the girl's neck. She had every intention of ripping her throat out where she stood. Her eyes were wild, feral, whatever reason she had, whatever she felt, the only emotion that could be seen in the gunmetal grey pools that were her eyes in that moment was rage. She wouldn't let this stranger come in and hurt Amber, or the rest of her friends present at the basilica, it just simply would not happen.
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Post by Ser Ash Nuada on Oct 30, 2016 1:09:57 GMT -6
Ash watched the exchange with a mute frown. Kim had gone forward, acting before thinking and lashing out at Sol. Then everything escalated out of control far too fast. The faunus girl, Lily, darted between Sol and everybody else, Chrohn spoke up against her, and Kim began bristling, preparing to simply charge through Lily towards her target. Ceyla beat her to standing, confronting Lily and exposing Sol's previous crusades and causing Ash's frown to deepen. As the prime minister lifted her hand to strike the faunus the headmaster leaned off his place on the wall with a dark look and began moving towards the quickly growing group. Ceyla swung, and Ash scowled and prepared himself for the sound of flesh striking flesh. Instead what came was a burst of light and her hand being intercepted by a glowing blade. The array of weaponry caused Ash to freeze, gazing at it in awe, his eyes shifting between it and the princess who must have conjured it. The Eisenheim Arsenal, how intriguing. Before he could say anything though, Amber said exactly what he was preparing to say. "This is meant to be a funeral- a celebration of life! We shouldn't be fighting!"
Ash's frown faded as the princess spoke, it slowly turning to a smile unbefitting the situation. She was brave, true, and completely correct in her words. However, before he could say so the clapping started, drawing everybody's attention. Ash's eyes fell upon the bandaged man, his entire demeanor darkening as he pointed an accusing finger towards him and rose his voice aggressively, before the new arrival even finished clapping. "You are not welcome at this service! It is unbefitting for a murderer to attend his victim's funeral." It stood to reason that if he arrived with this new woman, they must be connected in some way. However, he had no reason to say the same thing to her, so instead her turned to her with a glare. Then she began to speak, and her words quenched any doubts that this woman meant harm, or at least to sow discord. He barely reacted to her accusations at him, knowing she was trying to get a rise from him, and more importantly knowing her words were completely wrong. He may have failed Aisio, but he would not do so again. The whole academy was under his protection, all its students, and he would fulfil his duty.
Kim's reaction was much less reserved. The moment the woman began to speak all the anger she had bristling at Sol redirected to her. The accusations to Ash caused her lips to curl into a snarl, her posture shifting into a very aggressive fighting form. Then the woman turned to her. Called her junk, nothing more than a weapon, and the piercing green eyes within the robot's skull turned to slits. Her overheat system cranked suddenly to maximum, all the water on her erupting into a puff of steam and her skin glowing a blistering red. A guttural growl was released from her snarling lips, sounding much like a leopard as she quivered in place. The marble beneath her feet slowly began to blacken from the intense heat now standing atop it, waves of the temperature flowing from her body in stark contrast to the cold air. As she finished, named herself as St. Ash herself and revealing Sol's involvement in her arrival and threatening the princess was the last straw.
Kim's white hot claws flew out, and she was able to restrain herself just long enough for Lily to express her anger before her resolve broke. A primal roar, making her sound like little more than a wild animal, exploded from her lungs and echoed through the small building. The faunus' face was nothing short of primal fury, anger, and a desire to eviscerate this woman who had dared to call her no more than a weapon. The roar lasted for a good few seconds, single feline ear pressed against her head and arms pulled back so as to push her head forward and closer to the newly arrived woman. While this was happening though, Ash rubbed his gloves together and called upon his semblance. "Loud as a gale." He felt his lungs expand, his breathing get louder and knew that even a whisper would carry throughout the room. Kim's roar died down into a deep growl before fading completely, and just before she charged he shouted out his own piece.
"That is quite enough!" His voice was as loud as a raging storm, reverberating across the basilica and rattling the walls in its sheer volume. The shock of it was enough to cause Kim to flinch and turn to him, shaking her from her bloodlust at least temporarily. The old butler stood close to the center of the room, glowering around with no small amount of anger. As his eyes scoured the room, his glare fell on a few people in particular. Kim, Ceyla, Lily, and the newcomer, his face souring even further as his gaze found her. "The princess is correct, we are here to honor Aisio's life, grieve her death. Fighting and spreading anger does nothing more than disgrace not only her memory, but you as well." He looked at Solomon out the door with that, sighing and shaking his head sadly.
The anger in his eyes faded, replaced by resignation and grief, despair and anguish in his old eyes. He looked at the woman with an almost pleading gaze. "Those of you who want only to do those two things, I kindly ask you to leave. I am unarmed, I carry Aisio's weapon as little more than a token and its crystal chamber is empty." He brushed his hand against Flamelash, cringing as he felt the cold, golden metal against his fingers. Looking at Ceyla cradling her hand, Amber with her Eisenheim Arsenal summoned, and Kim still scorching the marble beneath her feet. "I would not ask the same of anybody else. But please, do not participate in continued violence here, or hatemongering. If you can't do that, you have no right to be here to honor the fallen." His sad face steeled slightly, maintaining its grief while still becoming hard and slightly fierce. "And if nobody can do that, then I suppose it would make this service over and all unwelcome. So choose now. If you wish to fight, leave. If you wish to stay, do not fight. This applies to all of you, even you St. Ash." He pointed to the woman in question with little effort, his finger more swinging in her direction than anything.
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Post by Aegle Vitus on Oct 30, 2016 15:15:45 GMT -6
As the tumultuous revelations unfolded around her, Aegle had made her way inconspicuously towards the door. Usually, inconspicuous was something so counter to her nature as to be like fire and ice, but even a girl with orange hair could go unnoticed in a room where everyone else seemed to be losing their mind. Even an orange haired girl carrying a bas-relief. Thinking back later, Aegle wouldn't have been able to say precisely where she had gotten it from. Every action after things truly started going sideways had been governed by little more than instinct and muscle memory, and part of those instincts had evidently decided she required a shield. The particular bas-relief which she had grabbed paled in comparison to the shield which her Oupis came equipped with but, then again, she wouldn't have been able to hold up something that large without her exo-suit's assistance anyway. In its absence, a solid hunk of intricately engraved wood about the size of a coffee table was as good a replacement as she could ask for. Holding it in both hands, for it obviously lacked the sort of hand holds that a proper shield would have possessed, Aegle had just about made it where to Lily and Amber were standing following the former's outburst and the latter's coming to her aid. Aegle didn't know who this Amber person was, or why everyone else seemed to, but she immediately liked the unfamiliar girl for rising to Lily's defense when things had begun spiraling out of control. Her specific feelings about Lily at that moment, following everything that colossal jackass-with-a-sword had said, were somewhat more complicated than she could effective parse in the basilica's presently heated environs. That was really the most convenient thing about running primarily on instinct and impulse, it made decision making in bizarre circumstances much easier. Aegle would probably have some very difficult and confusing decisions to make in the future, but it had been very easy to default to something she knew incredibly well. That was, the act of defending a friend. What exactly Lily's defense of Sol meant to their friendship could be decided after seemingly the entire world stopped wanting to hurt her.
Crooked and incongruously inconspicuous in her ill-fitting suit, Aegle was positioned just a little to the side of Lily and Amber, ready to jump in with her make-shift shield if it looked like things were going to get truly nasty. She hadn't quite been fast enough to safe-guard her from from Ceyla, whom she had come to strongly dislike over the last thirty seconds, primarily for raising a hand to Lily, but Amber had rendered that shortcoming to be a fairly moot point. Had she been in a more fanciful mood, she might have wondered if Amber was capable of summoning tower shields or knuckle plates the way she had summoned her swords. Being that the tenseness of their present circumstances pretty much excluded all fanciful notions, Aegle instead wondered if she could interpose herself between Amber and Lily, and everyone else, if the situation required it. That consideration was swiftly rendered moot as well, though, as the scene unfolding around her took yet another unexpected turn. The emergence of some bandaged guy and some creepy looking lady, whom everyone in the entire world, everyone who wasn't Aegle, seemed to recognize, radically changed the overall tone in the basilica for the billionth time in two minutes. Suddenly, it seemed to Aegle, it was no longer the whole world against her friend and a girl she didn't know, but the whole world, that friend and girl included, against the bandaged and veiled interlopers.
It's at this point which it should probably be mentioned that Aegle was not the most up to date with current events, certainly nowhere near so up to date as everyone else evidently was. Her's was not a mind built for political intrigue or remaining current on faraway crises which unfolded hundreds of miles away from her. She hadn't known what Ceyla was talking about with her declaration of war, nor had she fully understood what the veiled lady was talking about when she began mocking everyone in sight. Like a particularly intelligent dog, Aegle had understood the tone of what those speakers were saying more than the actual words they used, and thus she understood that this veiled lady, Saint Ash as she'd been called, was the new enemy. What struck a particular cord, however, and what would undoubtedly need just as fine a parsing as Lily's previous conduct, was the fact that Sol, the jackass-with-a-sword, was the whole reason this bandaged and veiled pair had shown up. And that the bandaged one was evidently the man who had killed Aisio. Anger was too light a word for what Aegle felt when her mind, far slower than most, finally fit those pieces together. She had freely admitted that she did not know Aisio well, but Aisio had been a good person, and this bandaged jerk looked like something out of a horror movie. No matter what Sol might have said, no matter whether Aisio had made a bad decision in fighting the man who killed her, that man was far more culpable in his death. Gripping the bas-relief as tight as her scarred hands were able, Aegle wondered if she could throw it hard enough to hit the man in the head before he could get out of the way. She was just about to find out too, when Mr. Nuada's voice forced its way into her skull like an unwelcome party guest. Wincing, Aegle was briefly dumbstruck before she wondered, in exasperation, why everyone was still talking. Why hadn't anyone started fighting yet? How had things gotten so far without a punch being thrown? Ceyla had tried, which was not something Aegle would soon forget, but surely someone else must have had the guts to get things rolling. That a fight at a funeral, even with everything which had happened, might be undesirable was not a concept which so much as occurred to Aegle. Not until Mr. Nuada called for piece and passivity, at which point Aegle's lips curled in a disbelieving sneer.
"You can't be serious!" Aegle exclaimed before her brain could intervene. "Y'mean to tell me that we just gotta let this bandaged murderer come in here when we're tryin' to say goodbye!?" with how ridiculous she looked, clutching a bas-relief that hid most of her tiny frame, it was truly impressive that she nearly managed to match the volume of Nuada's instruction.
"Y'just wanna let 'em stay, so long as they ain't gonna fight!?" She had been impressed by Mr. Nuada before, but now she looked upon him with contempt bordering on revulsion. That he could even entertain letting either of these monsters stay was utterly beyond her, and the only possible conclusion she could arrive upon was utter cowardice. Aegle was well used to people smarter than her making decisions she didn't understand, but there didn't appear to be any other reasonable explanation.
"Nuh-uh." She said bluntly, as she stepped between Lily, Amber and the unwanted pair. "They gotta get outa here." she locked eyes with the veiled lady, or at least where she thought the veiled lady's eyes were. "Y'hear me? You ain't welcome." and then, as if she weren't already suitably ridiculous, with her hunched frame and improvised shield, Aegle bristled and added hotly, "Get out before I gotta clobber some manners into you." as if she were the most dangerous thing on the face of the planet.
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Post by Ferr Aesir on Oct 30, 2016 22:16:28 GMT -6
 When Amber summoned her power Ferr would be surprised. Was her emotions running wild? If so than the Knight would know exactly how she felt. At times he would succumb to his own emotions and allow them master control over his body and fate. It was hard to regain control over himself when this happened. Hellish even. Knowing that, Ferr would walk back over to Amber and stand beside her. Not too close to incite any more roaming mutters. He'd look up at the ceiling and closed his eyes. "Aisio. Forgive them for disrespecting this day." There was a long pause in Ferr's mind and body before the winds shifted to a darker and sinister atmosphere. His azure eyes fell down and glared towards the entryway which Sol had passed through. Who was this mysterious figure approaching the attendees. Ferr stood up straight and left his hand lingering on Gungnir. Who was this person? Why did they feel so overwhelming? "My, what an interesting group you all have gathered here today.” Ferr was taken aback by the words as they came out in a casual manner. It was more than disrespect actually. It was almost as if she mocked everyone. Suddenly the stranger began going around the church. Pointing out and calling out every person her blocked gaze fell upon. First Sir Ash, than Kim, the man Alburn and Ferr himself. And while Ferr was angered by Saint Ash's words, he couldn't deny them either. She had a point. A sick and twisted point. He'd failed and would have to kill to save. He wasn't blessed with some sort of All-Saving force. Ferr was born to fight and kill with all his strength. And until he could pass the curse off to a worthy successor, he'd be Odin. A man of war. If Saint Ash had halted there Ferr wouldn't have been too hasty. However Saint Ash continued her verbal assault with Amber as her final target. “And let’s be honest with you, dear, most of this is all your fault.” The words forced Ferr to glare at Ash with slowly burning eyes. "If only you hadn’t been so overcome with wanderlust, if only you hadn’t ran away from home. Your father wouldn’t be dead, and this war wouldn’t be happening. Oh man, your father’s death is a story in and of itself. Absolutely fantastic that you’re standing in the same room as the person responsible for that!” Everything after that was secondary information; the fact Celya was partial responsible for the siege and the revelation Sol was seemingly allied with Ash. What sent Ferr off the deep end was the belittling of Amber. Quickly Ferr unsheathed his sword and pointed it towards the woman. "You...vile and shadowed woman." He began approaching her with anger fueling his steps. He stepped in front of Amber with his aura flaring up. "Don't you dare speak to this woman in such a tone. To me you might be correct. I am still young and inexperienced in many things. I am not very smart or wise or tactical. But I can become a very awful man prone to violence."
As the band of parasol approached the church, the two individuals leading the march halted for a moment as they witnessed someone near the entrance. It appeared to be a young man, and by the looks of it, familiar with military work. The woman and the senior male looked to each other before continuing on their way towards the Basilica. "Do you think we are late, Titania?" The man asked in a rough and weary voice. Under the black umbrella, his grey-silver hair was worn back in a wolf-tail. His face was lightly scarred and darkened around his eyes. His visage itself however was bright thanks to his golden colored eyes that shined like the raging sun. "Perhaps, Fafnir." The woman said with a sigh. Her voice was filled with life and energy. Though it still held a mature aura to it. She wore her golden hair down to the middle of her back. Free of any ties or braiding. Her face was clear of marking, imperfections, and make-up. While they continued their march, with haste now, her bright purple eyes fell upon two new figures. Still they were all strangers to the woman. Though that blessing would be short lived at their current pace. As the two approached the church with their kinsmen they could begin to fill the air stiffen and chill. Even in this great kingdom, seldom did this sort of chill whirl through the alleys and streets. Suddenly the boom of Sir Ash's voice rang up into the street only to disperse into the air. A tired sigh would escape from Fafnir's lips. "I think we should have brought more than ceremonial blades." "You truly are getting older." Titania stated as he walked up to the entry. "My weapon is already inside." A smirk would cross her lips before she lowered her umbrella. "Pardon me." Muttered as she made her way towards the steps. The woman turned to her side in order to slide past the two men standing by. Though perhaps enemies of all inside, Titania did not care much for them. She cared about few things in this world and the status of these two men were not on the list. Yet. What did matter to the woman was the commotion her son was involved in. She could see Ferr standing in front of Amber Sablier wielding his sword while pointing it towards Saint Ash. Placing her parasol under her chin, Titania began thinking her father Fafnir was right. “Huh. We might be late after all.” Her eyes then fell upon the young woman Aegle. To Titania, Aegle was as intimidating as a mouse eating cheese. A third sigh would leave the tall woman's lungs before she prepared to speak by breathing in new air. Clearing her throat, Titana said. "Pathetic." These words seemed to be aimed at nobody. Yet were related to everybody. Upon hearing her voice, Ferr looked to Titna in a state of near-fear. Quickly the tribe leader placed his sword away. However Titania was not yet interested in the young man. First she turned to Aegle to speak. " Little girl. I know not what transpired here. Nor does it matter. However if you think you are able to place fear into anyone than you are mistaken. Sit down and let adults handle things." Only then did her eyes shift to Ferr, who was in caught between standing up properly and holding an attack stance. "Hm. Tarnishing our name again. Odin?" Her words seeped out like venom onto a fresh wound. MADE BY VEL OF GS |
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Post by Solomon Moon on Oct 31, 2016 0:59:11 GMT -6
 had fallen across Solomon's mind as he passed from the enclosed stone of the basilica and out into the open vista of falling rain that pummeled the outer steps. His legs did not seem to carry him so much as they labored to keep him in one spot as the world glided by around him. Slings and barbs fell against his back and bounced off, or simply found purchase in the patch of scar tissue that surrounded and numbed him. He only was distantly aware of Ceyla rising to her feet and casting spears of the meanest sort at what she presumed to be a point of weakness for him, but actually all she was doing was lashing a part of him that had been dead for years. Sure, there was the occasional twinge or spasm, but it was just a matter of force and vibration, for all the nerves there were quite dead. The city unfolded before him, a shining jewel of human accomplishment that rolled endlessly into the distance and rose to the heavens on every side. Backlit windows spanned the horizon, and ascended skyward, each an individual star, twinkling in the night. Unlit portholes spotted the visage like blind eyes, as teeth of concrete and steel yawned before the sky. The air smelled pungent with the scents of dust exhaust and soggy masonry, a musk of the nest of man. The atmosphere hummed and beat with the whisper and whistle of rain, whilst every now and then a voice, or a horn sneaked through. Overhead a sea of seething black clouds harassed the land with a deluge of raindrops as broad as tank-busters. Surely it was an inspiring sight. At least it should have inspired something. But Sol felt nothing. His rage had guttered out in his breast, burning away everything else with it. He'd thought of his men, of his house, of all the blood he'd spilled from the world until everything seemed to be the same shade of gray. He'd thought of Aisio, or the war in RIft, of the wars he'd fought. It had fueled that rage, and it had flared briefly and brightly enough to burn not just him but everyone standing within earshot, but now that it was over, there was nothing. He was a marching husk, an automaton with nothing behind his eye. He felt cold, empty. Trembling fingers pulled a fresh pack of smokes out of his lapel pocket. He'd left them in the packaging to keep the rain out, and he cut it open with the stiletto point of his right index finger. Cyanotic lips pulled a filter free, as a hollow eye swept across the pair that had just arrived. He lit the end of the cigarillo from the vent in the palm of his hand, cupping the gruesome appendage around the dog-ear as he hauled deeply upon the carcinogenic miasma. A whip of smoke lashed at his eye. It stung. He didn't blink. Sayf's hand fell upon Sol's shoulder, his right. The unyielding metal and carbon fiber didn't notice, and Solomon barely did either. His mind was buzzing in a numb fog. An empty gaze fixed upon the solitary eye of the bandaged man, and the scent of wet blood filled Sol's nose as he realized who it was. Recognition was like a spark in the abyss, and it lit up the youth's eye with a malignant light that seemed to infect the rest of his face. "You look like shit." He commented as he turned his right ear towards the commotion that was developing within. He nodded, expression blank, eye unblinking, fixed on Sayf, holding him responsible for every word said, and as the mysterious Saint concluded, that light in Sol's eye seemed to snuff out, and his entire facade was cast back into shadow. "I see..." He said, but his voice was cut off by that of Ser Ash and a what seemed like a hundred others trying to climb over each other to compete. Sol swallowed and offered the second cigarette in his pack to Sayf. " You smoke? You know Barnett? The first thing he ever asked me is what I "DO". I didn't think he'd get it, so I gave him a show, but I never gave him a proper answer." He spoke quietly, his gaze seeming to look a thousand yards into the back of Sayfs orbital socket, as his left hand shoved the pack of smokes into the bandaged man's grasp, " I think you might get it. Barnett thinks that I break things. I destroy them. He's wrong. It would be too wasteful. Too much wasted energy. I just give things a push. See which way things are leaning, and give a bit of encouragement. All you have to do to destroy something is add a little more of something, the right thing, that's already there, and it will tear itself apart." He gave a blind glance back towards the interior of the chapel, a token gesture that used only his missing eye, while the remaining centered upon Sayf. " Conflict. Violence. They are the absolute to which everything aspires. I think you might appreciate that." Sol shook off Sayf's hand, as his eye finally slid away from the elder cultist like a greased eel. He made to walk past the bandaged warrior, slinking around to the man's back as the female head of the Aesir clan pushed past them. Flowing like a snake, gliding so that his direction changed by mere degree until his course was entirely altered, he soundlessly turned on Sayf's back. In a single motion he grasped the wounded warrior from behind by the collar bone, fingers driven into the hollow between clavicle and ribcage, whilst his right hand, middle and fore finger jutting out rigid from a half fist, plunged the razor sharp points of his fingertips upwards into the traitor's spine. Mechanical actuators and artificial muscles unleashed a soundless expression of pin-point strength capable of punching through steel, then with a hiss the apparatus reset, and jabbed again, and again, and again. tag(s): ━ words: 000 ━ notes:Color Code d0b000 made by ira of stf and ww |
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Post by Ceyla Regenwald on Nov 5, 2016 17:31:50 GMT -6
[googlefont="Playfair+Display"] [attr="class","back"] [attr="class","picback"] [attr="class","queen1"] [attr="class","longlive"]And just this - I will wish
All of your pain and sadness
Fades someday ..
I hope to brush it away
FOR NOW, I’LL SEE YOU OFF
[attr="class","nomistake"]Ceyla had never really felt hatred before, but as she stood there - staring at the trio of girls that blocked the rest of the room from the exit - that was the only good word to describe her emotions. There was a sensation - fleeting, at best - that her teeth would soon shatter like fine china under a mallet. Her Aura flared, the violets whipping around like the tongues of a flame. With it came a feeling of immense anxiety, flowing throughout the room and overtaking the ocean scent that emanated from the Princess. The Basilica was her domain now. As her brow furrowed, the ground beneath the group’s feet began to shake violently. Gallows was trying to activate, the small girl known as Aegle within range of the Final Void. Were Ceyla the type to kill another out of nothing but malice, she would have reduced the redhead to nothing but a pulp before the crowd that surrounded them, but she couldn’t. The rumbling of the earth below ceased as she did her best to calm herself, until it cut of abruptly at the sound of the strange young woman making her entrance. Something about her seemed…off. The Prime Minister’s gaze shifted between the girls, the stranger, and the man standing near Solomon. She recognized him by the description provided by Ser Ash - and the sound of the new Headmaster’s voice as the called out the figure only confirmed her suspicions. This was the man that had killed Aisio. Everything around her turned red. Her ears began to ring, drowning out all the sound around her. She hadn’t heard a word of the woman’s harsh words for the crew - including the revelation of her part in the King’s death. She didn’t care. All Ceyla wanted to do was see that man dead. Murmuring quietly to herself, Ceyla held her hands out to the side, as if holding something. A gentle glow from her right hand, and armor quickly formed over her chest, arms, and legs. This was the only chance she’d have, and she knew it. Void Dust was a peculiar thing, allowing people to perform great feats with little effort. The monks back home had taught her, during her brief stay, that those who focused enough Aura could summon objects from afar - so long as they were tangible and a possession of theirs. Ceyla was quick to link this to her armor and sword, though she could feel she had very little left in her to use in combat. This was her chance. “I’m sorry, Ser Ash.” She said in a trance. Her hands tightened, and with another brief murmur a flash of Aura manifested. Willow, her sword, appeared then. It was gold in color, accented in brilliant hues of blue. A weapon fit for a king, it was originally meant for Aldous Barnett before he gifted it to her for her services. Now it would be the weapon to cut down Aisio’s killer and, if whatever higher powers saw fit, remove that serpent of a man’s wretched head from his shoulders. Almost in the blink of an eye, Ceyla used the force of her Semblance to propel herself forward, her eyes locked on Sayf as her intended target. Just as she neared, just as she prepared to deliver a blow, the man disappeared. Solomon’s attack was met with a different mark - the soft flesh beneath Ceyla’s sternum. Though covered by armor, and further protected by her Aura, the punch was more than enough to do serious damage. As the metal buckled under the force of Solomon’s fist, she felt all the air leave her lungs. Whether the crunch that accompanied that initial gasp was cartilage breaking or the metal warping was hard to tell. She fought with every ounce of strength to breathe. As she was sent careening backwards into the air, she gasped loudly before landing on the ground with a heavy thud. It was there she staggered, coughing a mixture of blood and sputum as she writhed in pain.
Amber was at a loss for words. She had expected Ceyla to finally blow her gasket, but the sudden arrival of the strange woman and her companion cut the Prime Minister off. She had grown quite fond of Ser Ash and Aegle in those few seconds, honored to call them both - to some degree - her allies in all this. That said, she knew things were only just beginning. The woman, clad in a dress and black veil, made rounds through the crowd - firing away at everyone in an effort to belittle as many as possible. The revelations were, to some degree, effective. Or so it seemed. Kim was the first to get riled up, seeming to prepare herself to attack. She was cut of by Ser Ash, who used some miraculous trick to cause his voice to boom like a northern storm. The woman continued with Ser Ash, calling into question his ability to run the school. Amber hardly knew these two, so she couldn’t bring herself to believe the words that came out of the interloper’s mouth - but what if she had been right? What if Kim was just being used by these people, what if Ser Ash would just see more people killed? Amber felt her heart drop, and for the first time in several months the Princess felt doubt. She then turned to Alburn and Ferr, the targeting of the latter being the thing that finally set the Princess off. “You leave him alone!” She snarled. The Eisenheim Arsenal turned to the woman, all four falling upon her with the intent to skewer her where she stood. Hoping to distract her, Amber lunged at the girl in an effort to knock her off her feet. She was instead met with a sharp pain, her body slouching against the veiled stranger before she was sent stumbling backwards. The swords conjured by her Semblance fell to the floor, shattering like glass as they struck the pearly white surface. A small black dagger stuck out of her side, her Aura fruitlessly doing its best to repair the sudden wound. Amber stared at it, trying her hardest to tug the dagger from her side. She wanted to scream, but she couldn’t. All she could feel was pain… …And then darkness.
Darcel grinned proudly at the chaos that had suddenly erupted around her. Even though they hadn’t turned on each other just yet, she could feel nothing but antipathy flowing from the people around her. This was exactly what she wanted - exactly what she needed. She shook her head at those who had the balls to speak up against her, almost giggling in the face of such adversity. If she were to fight all of them at once, it was likely she would lose. Agarest would make short work of the three girls standing closest to her - Aegle, Amber, and Lily in that order. She considered letting that power show, but the desire was fleeting. Now wasn’t the time. Under her own volition, Ceyla darted off to attack Sayf. “That’s one.” She giggled evilly, turning to the girls. “Is that three to go?” She paused, glancing at Aegle as her eyes began glowing red once again. “Maybe just two? Or…maybe I just kill all three of you at once?” Her taunt was cut short by Amber suddenly jumping at her - her eyes having set on Lily as the Faunus girl as she seemed to struggle with what was shown on the Scroll. ’Perfect.’ She thought, her attention then setting on the Princess. From within her sleeve she produced a small blade, bracing herself for the violet-haired girl’s impact. The small black blade - forged of Void Dust - drove deep into the Princess’s side. With a quick twist, Darcel snapped the handle off, then pushed her aside. The swords fell around her, breaking apart and fluttering away like flakes of snow as Lily lunged to her. From Darcel’s other sleeve came a twisted black weapon, similar to the one Sayf had used to kill Aisio. It morphed into a whip of sorts, covered in wicked barbs. The smaller girl ducked out of the way, the whip coiling around the Faunus girl’s entire arm. The barbs dug deep, tearing into her flesh. Much like the wound inflicted on Amber, these tears wouldn’t immediately heal through the use of Aura. Unlike the Princess, however, Lily would feel a strange burning sensation as the barbs dug deeper. Void Corruption, which had been inflicted on Ceyla back in Pinnacle, coursed through the Faunus girl’s blood like venom. She would forever be a beacon - for Darcel and for the creatures of Grimm. In the couple seconds all this occurred, Darcel’s eyes focused on Lily’s through the veil. With a gentle flick of her wrist, she sent the young girl flying into the empty pews behind her. Her attention then set on Aegle, though she was cut off by Sayf, who had appeared out of nowhere and grabbed her before disappearing again. Next thing the disoriented girl knew, they were standing directly behind Ser Ash. “S-Sayf, what’s going on?”
"You look like shit."Sayf chuckled at the young Huntsman’s comment, nodding his head in agreement. “I feel like shit.” The older than replied, glancing at him through the reddened cloth covering his face. As the expression on Solomon’s face shifted, as his eye lost that little glint of - in Sayf’s opinion was - what little humanity he had left, the elder Huntsman felt his heart drop for the second time in what was a relatively short amount of time. The most he could muster now, that great warrior, was a discontent sigh. Things were escalating way too far than he had anticipated. You smoke? You know Barnett? The first thing he ever asked me is what I "DO". I didn't think he'd get it, so I gave him a show, but I never gave him a proper answer." The sound of Solomon’s voice scratched at the back of his mind like a cat clawing on a sofa. He hated feeling like he knew where this was going. "I think you might get it.” Those six words sent a sharp chill down Sayf’s spine, but the man kept his composure as if unaffected at all. Sayf nodded, inviting Solomon to continue uninterrupted. “Barnett thinks that I break things. I destroy them. He's wrong. It would be too wasteful. Too much wasted energy. I just give things a push. See which way things are leaning, and give a bit of encouragement. All you have to do to destroy something is add a little more of something, the right thing, that's already there, and it will tear itself apart." Solomon’s words resonated with the man, and the younger Huntsman had been correct - he got it, completely. There was a time where he, too, was looked at as the sort to break things. He was used as a means of an end. Not anymore. The sound of Ceyla Regenwald dashing towards him cut their meeting short, though Solomon had shrugged away the Huntsman’s hand anyway. His eyes narrowed as the Prime Minister drew near, and just as he could feel the static brought on by Solomon’s approaching touch, he vanished into thin air. The woman would take that blow, knocked back several feet before Sayf reappeared and snatched Darcel off her feet. “I’m sorry, Lady Ash.” He whispered before they disappeared again, only to reappear behind Ser Ash Nuada. Sayf’s eyes floated over the room, grabbing the bundled object he carried over his shoulder. “I am not here to fight!” He called out, his eyes settling on Ser Ash as a black portal opened behind them. “I only came to make good on a promise I made to you, Headmaster Nuada.” He shook the object in his hands, freeing it from the cloth. It was a sword, one that was likely familiar to no one other than Ser Ash himself. It measured about five feet in length, showing resemblance to the claymore-like weapons of old. It’s blade glimmered red, a cross-guard hilt forged of gold with a pattern of runes on it. Three notches were set in the hilt, with a single notch having a green crystal set into it. Excalibur, as Sayf had promised the man, was being returned. With all his strength, Sayf stuck the sword into the floor, piercing the white almost a foot deep. His eyes settled back on Nuada before grabbing the man by the shoulder. Darcel took his other arm, waving tauntingly at the group as they took a slow step backwards towards the portal. Ecclesia had manifested into several sharp spikes, pressing against Ser Ash’s back and coiling around to point at his throat - in view of everyone - as they walked back. “Don’t do anything stupid.” He said into the elderly man’s ear. “We don’t want you to die today.” As they passed into the portal, the last thing Sayf’s eyes settled on was Amber’s almost lifeless body. What had he done? [ End Episode ] [[OOC: This round will CONCLUDE Episode 5!]] [newclass=.back]width:500px;padding:10px;background:#fff;margin:0 auto;[/newclass]
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Post by chrohn on Nov 5, 2016 19:29:52 GMT -6
If he'd been prepared for a fight, Chrohn felt he would've joined in the fight, but he wasn't nor did he have his weapons on him, not that they were a requirement for him to fight justly. So here Chrohn was with several acquaintances standing there speechless as the fighting seemingly started to break up, except now there were two fronts to cover from what he could hear and see: Inside and outside; Lily and Ceyla. Honestly, Chrohn had no idea where the princess was, but seeing as how she wasn't in his line of sight he feared the worst. However, that did not leave him time to idle, he had to decide. It seemed the worst of it was outside, and while it did hurt him to leave his friend alone for the time being, there was someone more idealistically more important. He needed Ceyla, not in a romantic, lusting way, but in the sense that he needed her to help him achieve this just act of revenge towards the aggressors of his beloved, though also inherently peaceful kingdom. He needed her power to wage war on the corrupt, something he could never do by himself; something that if attempted on his own, would brand him a traitor.
Chrohn, a mere combat medic with hunting capabilities, charged forward, as people were in the midst of leaving the fight, only a few moments after Ceyla was knocked back. His arrival was aided by the fact that he did not have much to go, before he stood before her, shoving her back with his left hand, a hand that had been primed with the dark nebulous healing aura the moment he realized that had been going on. Immediately after this, he had revealed his semblance for probably the second time on the battlefield, if it was even the first. It was not able to speed him up, or make him phase through walls, but Chrohn was able to see in it what Violet did. It was in that split-subsecond that Chrohn released his semblance, as the surrounding temperature dropped almost 300 degrees Celsius, to form an Absolute Zero Degree Field barrier around him, that was 3 feet in radius, or about six feet in diameter. It would be no understatement to say that this was one of the strongest defensive semblances in the world.
Aura: 100/125
-5 for Healing Aura Use
-20 for Semblance use
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