Dangerous lands

[Syrrus]

Tharja spotted them long before they had spotted her but she didn't seem too interested in climbing down, not even a little. Instead she had hugged her book tighter and frowned with her whole face. Something didn't seem right. Why were they dressed like that? It didn't look natural, then again, nothing there looked very natural. Everyone seemed to be dressed in a strange and unfamiliar fashion, of course Tharja was paranoid enough to know exactly what had happened, the portals which had sent her daughter and others back in time had this time not only sent them through time but through worlds, something she was not prepared for.


Lucina was the first to start, running towards the building so she could get a better look at the witch standing up there, looking so suspicious. "Tharja!" Lucina shouted, waving her arms. She had to come down, she didn't have to respond but she had to come down. It did look like Tharja said something though, a mumble, like always when she felt out of place.


"Bastard Princess..." Was what the witch had mumbled, hugging the book even tighter as she peered down. Cordelia seemed to be there too, together with someone she did not recognize but the way the man acted felt familiar. She was a cleaver girl and a even smarter stalker. He acted like Robin did, the way he watched his surroundings. Her eyes followed his and landed on a man with a strange looking device which was pointing straight at her! With a loud and powerful shout she threw her hand back over her head in a quick gesture, sending something that to the people of Seattle looked like a black painted missile with purple smoke coming from it. It went flying with such force towards the photographer that Tharja miss stepped and went falling backwards. She didn't scream, she never did when things got serious.


Thank Naga for Lucina's fast reflexes, because Cordelia who usually would be on the ball with matters such as this was too far away to get there in time. The princess did something so acrobatic that everyone on the scene either thought that she was a circus performer or a freak. She ran forward, took a few running steps over the pillar in front of her, running up it for what seemed to only be a few seconds and threw herself in the air, far enough to be able to both catch Tharja and land neatly on one foot and one knee.


"Don't touch me!" Tharja shouted with paranoia and pushed herself out of Lucina's surprisingly strong arms, another reason to why most thought her to be a monster and not a performer seeing how small she actually looked.

 

[Sovereign]

Miles knew he couldn't cover the distance in time, he knew that from the get-go. What he could do however, was see at whom she'd thrown the spell at. Eyes trailed over to the target --another photographer. Immediately he knew something was amiss. Two photographers at two sites of disturbance in reality? Not coincidence, someone observed them from a distance. It dawned on him that they needed to move immediately. Turning to Cordelia with no small amount of urgency, he gave her a heads up.


"Cordelia, something is wrong. We need to move back to my apartment, grab supplies, and get out," he said, his tone going from it's normal to something more confident. Miles spoke with the charisma of a commander, someone confident in their abilities and sure of their conclusion. It didn't matter if any of them liked them anymore, it just matter that they heeded his words. Get Lucina and Tharja and meet me at the door of that building," he said, pointing. "I'll be right back."


Waiting for her affirmative, Miles jogged up to the side door of the building. Looking to make sure he wasn't being watched, he pulled his pistol from the holster under his arm and used the grip to bash the lock open. Stepping into the stairwell he sprinted up the stairs to the roof where the faux-photographer took his pictures. Breathing heavily by the time he made it to the top of the twentieth floor, he burst through the door to the roof --pistol raised.


Gone. Dammit.


Miles scoured the roof for anything to go on but found nothing. Cursing his awful luck, he holstered the weapon and ran back down the stairs to where he left them girls. "Alright let's move," he said immediately upon coming into earshot. Without missing a beat, he turned towards the apartment, and hoped they would follow.

 

[Syrrus]

Even though Cordelia was the first to react to Mile's orders, Lucina followed quickly, grabbing on to Tharja who was far too occupied in trying not to look so ashamed to notice what was happening. Running through the street with a half naked women seemed to be rather difficult, it was going to be even more so to try and get her to change attire however. She enjoyed her cloths, the difference in temperature didn't seem to bother her at all, either which was strange indeed. Perhaps it had something to do with Magic.


During their jog back to what seemed to be this man's home, Tharja couldn't help but wonder why her magic didn't seem as powerful as it used to. It didn't only confuse her but scare her as well. Had she lost her touch? Hardly, no, she was certain it had something to do with the universe they had ended up in, in fact she could almost smell the magic in the air and how almost nonexistent it was. "Where am I?" She mumbled, more to herself than any one else. Her eyes feel upon Miles and got awfully narrowed. "Who are you?" She asked, in her usually ' do not trust ' type of voice. The way he acted, the way he talked it was all too familiar, but it couldn't be for Robin had not followed through the portal, in fact... Robin had vanished just before they had appeared.

 

[Sovereign]

Miles stopped at the front door of the apartment, climbing the five stairs up to the elevated stoop before sliding his building key into the lock. A quick glance back over his shoulder confirmed what he already suspected --the other photographer disappeared as well. Quickly, he peeled back the bolt and held the door open for the others to come inside --the door auto-locked when closed. Tharja's question reached his ears then, distrusting, almost accusatory.


"My name is Miles," he said simply, distracted by the need to get upstairs and pack as soon as he could. Adrenaline poured into his blood like oil from a sinking supertanker; it countered the anxiety settling into the pit of his stomach. Fighting foreign wars was one thing, having to deal with your own government --possibly with violence-- did not sit well with him. Making quickly for the stairs, he took the lead and moved cautiously towards his own apartment.


Upon coming to the correct corridor Miles slowed his gait. Creeping towards his door, he felt a tingle run down his spine --the door was open just a crack. Holding up his hand in the universal signal to stop, he turned around and warned the girls. "Stay here, someone is in the apartment," he whispered, hoping they would just comply without questioning him. Sliding his hand beneath his jacket, Miles drew his pistol and pulled back the hammer with his thumb --a round already in the chamber.


Creeping up to his door, he peeked through the crack. Inside, armed men practically ransacked his apartment. They searched all his drawers, his cabinets, all the rooms. Miles could only see two of them, but he heard more in different rooms. They were clad in street clothes, but armed with handguns and submachine guns, the bulge of their kevlar vests showing through their shirts. Good, he could shoot them without killing them; Miles needed a good distraction.


An idea bubbled up from the back of his mind. Shoving his hand into his pocket he retrieved his cellphone and dialed the apartment stationary phone number. When it rang, the interlopers all looked toward the ringing phone... and away from the door --it was go time. Miles shouldered through the door and raised his pistol. Aiming for the most distant target first, he put two rounds in his chest to knock the wind out of him. The weapon reported loudly in the confined space, further surprising the home invaders.


The man nearest the door couldn't bring his weapon around in time to deal with Miles, and the ex-soldier kicked his knee in --the joint bending the wrong way with a sickening snap. The man threw his head back and cried out in pain, exposing his neck just like Miles hoped he would. Drawing his hand back, he clubbed the invader with the grip of the pistol on the side of his neck to disrupt the artery and knock the man unconscious.


Before the man could hit the ground, Miles grabbed him and used him as a shield against the attacker coming out of the kitchen with a handgun. The enemy's weapon sounded twice and Miles' human shield jerked from the gunshot impact. Raising his weapon around the unconscious man, Miles put two shots into the kitchen attacker's chest, knocking him off his feet to leave him gasping for air.


The tactician saw the last man in the bathroom mirror, calculated about where he'd be and put three rounds through the wall. One of them found his back and knocked him forward. Using this window of opportunity, Miles bolted into the bathroom and clubbed him on the back of his head to knock him unconscious. Two down, two left.


The man Miles first shot started to recover as the ex-soldier left the bathroom, and in order to save time Miles hopped the couch and drop-kicked the man in his already bruised --likely broken-- rib cage. Both of them hitting the floor hard, Miles rolled to his stomach and pushed himself up enough to spear-tackle the man and made sure he stayed down. Kicking his weapon away, Miles stomped on his femur until it broke --the sound and the scream made a grotesque chorus of pain.


Finally, Miles returned to the kitchen where the last man writhed. Relieving him of his weapon, he put him in a sleeper hold until he passed into unconsciousness. Good, that seemed to be everybody who entered his home. Now, time aligned itself against them --they needed to be ready to go within half an hour.


The fight couldn't have taken longer than a minute, but rounding up the invaders and binding them took about five minutes. Satisfied that he had a handle on the situation, he poked his head out into the hallway to call the others. "Come on, we have to get ready to move," he said, before heading immediately back in and stripping the attackers of their weapons and gear; radios, weapons, ammunition, phones, cash, he took everything useful and tossed it into a duffel bag.


(If you think this post is bad or unfair, let me know. I'll fix it.)

 

[Syrrus]

All three of the ladies had just been standing there. Lucina's had rested on her family heirloom but she had done nothing, there was no point. It was clear to all of them that Miles could indeed handle himself, perhaps not in a manner which would have been accepted by the Shepherd, but in a manner which would keep them alive, and neither of them needed to feel as if he was going to be a burden. Not that any of them would have admitted him to be one, anyway.


The only one who seemed to notice a pattern was of course Tharja. After being someone's stalker for so long she of course would easily have noticed something wrong, something different or something.. similar. It was clear to her now, no one would prove to it otherwise. It was because of all that information going through her head that her eyes widened. Robin had not felt different or distant because he had been a follower of Grima or Grima himself, no not at all, but because he was this man, a man from a completely different world. Perhaps not the God of destruction that she had come to love since a little girl, but it was almost better like this, bigger like this.


As the fight died out and Miles stood as a winner, no one said a word they simply agreed with what he had said and would follow him where ever he would take them, after all; they didn't know where to go from here. Cordelia took her Lance and little else before hurrying after the man and Lucina. Tharja hugged her book, following him as close as she possibly could. She didn't need more evidence but she wanted it anyway.


"Robin." She said.

 

[Sovereign]

"Robin?" Miles said, looking back at Tharja. He'd been packing a bag full of clothes, gear, and provisions when the witch spoke. "Can Robin really exist? I mean, technically every player of 'Fire Emblem' the game makes their own Robin," he said, considering the ethical implications of a 'created character'. The possibilities fascinated him, was there a universe for every Robin ever made? Or did a select Robin end up coinciding with the 'real' Robin. The tactician was smart, but he couldn't fathom the possibilities on the table.


Looking around he recognized that she was looking at him. "Wait, me? No, I'm not Robin. Well, technically I guess I am. In the 'game' I --the player-- plays as Robin. So I suppose, I could be? I'm not exactly sure how that link to your world actually works," he explained, scratching his chin. Trying to shrug it off, he turned back to his duffel bag and continued to stuff supplies into it.


More clothes, food, weapons, tools, everything one would need to survive a hostile government pursuit. When the bag was packed with enough supplies for all of them, he went back out to the living room and gathered all of the girls. "Alright, I have a vehicle in a parking garage not to far from here. I know that doesn't make any sense to you at all, but it's a means of relatively quick means of transport away from here. Ready?" he asked, shouldering both bags.

 

[Syrrus]

Tharja couldn't help but to grin. Even though Mile's words about a 'game' confused her just as much as it had Lucina and Cordelia, she still managed to map everything out in her head. In his realm they were all from this game, as he called it, which meant that - seeing as he said - he created Robin, hence no one else could be better suited to actually be him, Robin that was.


Tharja started to walk even closer. Both Lucina and Cordelia knew exactly what had happened and what was going to continue happening from this point forward. They had traveled with the mad witch for far too long not to notice a pattern and she was walking through the same patterns again. Miles better had to watch it, unless he wanted to experience the craziness that was Tharja.


Cordelia figured that Miles knew just as little as their Robin had, about Tharja's habits. Even if it had been happening straight to his face, Robin would never seen the reason as to why, he had only found her a bit odd and sometimes slightly creepy. Something everyone felt.


Lucina nodded, she supposed someone had to respond to Miles no matter how strange the things he was talking about sounded. "Yes, I suppose we are. Are you going to summon it?"

 

[Sovereign]

"Not how that works," he said, ushering them out of the apartment and back into the hall. He closed the door behind them, locked it before tying a wire from the doorknob to the door across the hall. The unconscious government operators wouldn't be getting out this door easily, especially without radios, cellphones, house phones, and with broken limbs. Satisfied he'd bought themselves enough time to get out of the city, he went back down to the street.


Heading in the opposite direction this time, Miles took the small party to the parking garage two blocks away. Taking the stairs up to the second floor from the top, he wandered into the rows of parked cars and came to a large black jeep. Hitting the unlock button on the key FOB in his pocket, the lights blinked and the vehicle unlocked. Miles pulled the tailgate open and stashed the large duffel bags into the trunk. Shutting it when he was finished, he opened the back door and gestured the girls inside.


"Alright, jump in," he said. "If one of you want to, you can get in the passenger seat on the other side in front," he added. Once they were inside, he jumped into the driver's seat and inserted his key into the ignition. Turning it until the engine roared to life, he pulled the car out of the space and descended the parking ramp to the street. They needed to be out of the city and headed elsewhere in about twenty minutes, the easiest way took them on the thruway and to the interstate.

 

[Syrrus]

Following the man, all three looked in disgusted as they realized that he himself owned one of those strange bettles that they had seen earlier, in fact it seemed as if everyone had one. They didn't look too appealing, no matter how shiny they wear.


Peering inside, suspecting the innards of the creature to be all sticky and gross Cordelia decided to be the first to get inside, nervously. Strangely enough the thing of which she now sat upon seemed to be leather and not bug parts. What sort of animal was this?! It looked like a machine of some kind, perhaps that had been a better guess of what this had been, instead of a bug.


Lucina followed suit, climbing in the back after removing her sword, making sure to have it in her lap so it wouldn't stop her from sitting down properly, it was rather long after all. Not many had the skill to use a two-hander with only one hand, she wasn't able to do so either; but her dad did.


Last but not least there was Tharja, who was now hugging her book with a strange vision of distaste on her face. "I suppose that would be me..." She mumbled, slowly but surely getting into the passenger seat.

 

[Sovereign]

The drive on the thruway didn't last terribly long, Miles drove over the speed limit and the moment they reached the city limits, he took the next exit and went down the long country roads into the bare, flat countryside. Tall grass, farms, distant mountains, sometimes forests. They drove for hours before finally he pulled off onto a small dirt road that led to a rather well-modernized cabin, albeit isolated.


"This is where we're going to stay for roughly a week. It's my great uncle's old cabin. It will take them a while to find this place if they can find us at all," he explained, sliding the stick shift into park and turning the car off. Removing the seat belt and getting out of the vehicle, he stretched his arms and back and went to the trunk.


Removing all the materials he had from the trunk, he pulled four bottles of water from the bag and cracked the first one open for himself. Taking a long pull, he screwed the cap back on and waited for the girls get out. "Here, have some water," he said, holding the bottles out for them to take. They must have been thirsty after such a long drive, their first time in the car must have been moderately stressful.

 

[Syrrus]

The girl stepped outside, they didn't look too destroyed over their journey, nor as if they cared too much about what just had happened. It had been strange, but seeing as they understood that they had been moving, however not the rules of which caused it to do so, they had found it rather easy to deal with.


The first thing both Cordelia and Lucina did, as they emerged from the car was to remove the cloths that Miles had give them, surely they didn't need it out there. It was obvious that they hadn't changed completely but only covered their own attire up, as much as possible.


"Thank you." Lucina said and took a bottle of water and carefully opening, confused as to why the glass was so soft and easily movable underneath her fingers. Cordelia however shook her head, she was in no need of any refreshment. Tharja was in no need of it either but took it anyway, to use later. "Do I need to chop some wood?" Asked Cordelia, who almost seemed to look forward to it.

 

[Sovereign]

Miles shook his head. "No, we don't need to chop wood here. I'd explain, but it doesn't really matter," he said, taking one of the bags and making for the front door. Unlocking the door with the key under a vase on the porch, he stepped inside. The place looked clean, because Miles kept it clean in case he ever needed to get out of the city. Paranoid, maybe, but apparently completely valid given the situation he found himself in.


Going down into the basement, he found the circuit breaker and turned all the breakers to active. The next step took him to the boiler for the radiators, turning on the gas valve and lighting the pilot light. Soon the house would have all the heat they needed, and electricity for light and other utilities. Going back up the stairs he took the gear duffel bag, and went into the bedroom he claimed as his own. About thirty minutes of organizing and unpacking, Miles went to go find what the others were doing.


"If anyone is looking for a hot bath or shower, there should be enough hot water in the tank now," he offered, thinking they might appreciate the chance to get cleaned up.

 

[Syrrus]

They didn't need to chop wood? They felt that that was a bit odd, did he have a private Fredrick to do it for him? He wasn't magic so he couldn't have the ability to conjure fire, nor any other type of head.


Tharja of course, followed him, close behind. She wouldn't let the young man out of her sight, not even once. Not ever. This was something she had promised herself the first time she had laid her eyes upon Robin, to be by his side at all costs and never leave it, she would even die for him would it be necessary.


With a flick of a switch fire began to burn inside the strange glass bulbs hanging from the walls and roofs with awful decoration. How he had managed to do this without magic made Tharja feel rather confused and perplexed. Perhaps he was more magic than she gave him credit to. She followed him back upstairs, watching the other girls in silence as both of them were discussing how in the world he had already boiled up some water and let it cool long enough to not make it burn ones skin while in use. They agreed, all three in fact to not question anything in this world, ever again, for nothing made much sense.

 

[Sovereign]

"Turn the nob on the tub until the water is at a reasonable temperature, then pull the plunger on top of the faucet. The water will come from the upper faucet then --shower head," he explained, hoping they were smart enough to understand his words. They were all capable, but this technology and possibly this style of plumbing were new to them.


Miles noticed that Tharja stuck relatively close at all times, and due to his experience with the game, he had a feeling he knew what that meant --though he didn't understand it. Why did she stalk him? She was obsessed with Robin, not him. Unless... maybe she equated him to this world's Robin? Oddly enough, given the way the game worked, it seemed to make some amount of sense. Miles decided to wait until he was alone, working on his gear to say anything.


"Tharja," he said without looking up from his work. "Why are you following me?" he asked, wondering if she would answer or take off elsewhere. She'd been stuck to him like glue ever since they got to the house, he didn't believe that she could be very far away now that he was alone and doing his own thing.

 

[Syrrus]

Tharja was hugging her book, standing not too far away, as per the norm. She was watching him in silence and had not expected him to speak to her, Robin usually never noticed her, perhaps Miles would prove better than him, even.


"It is what I do." She said, calmly. "Don't you remember?" She was feeling paranoid already, she often did without fault but now it was worse than ever. Henry was her biggest issue, after meeting him she had learned about his power and after learning about his power she had gotten scared of him. Not knowing where Henry was made her paranoid, maybe he was the reason to why Miles didn't know why she kept herself close?"

 

[Sovereign]

Miles casually set the gear down and turned around to look at the witch. "I do know that's what you do, and technically I do remember because I have seen," he said, sitting down on the edge of the bed; Miles regarded her with a curious gaze, diluted somewhat with concern about her general worldview. Miles made Robin, that didn't mean that he was Robin. He controlled Robin in battle, but the personality was largely out of his hands --right?


"What I am trying to say is, I don't want to disappoint you," he explained, offering a reassuring smile. "I know how you felt --feel-- about Robin, and I may not measure up to him in the same way or even at the same level." Miles always worried about his inferiority to those around him in a social setting. He knew his skills were sharp, his competency high, and his ability's far-reaching; what he could never quite gauge, was his effectivness as a person interacting with another.


A sort of paranoia kept him believing that people who knew the real him, would not like him. Perhaps therein lay his inferiority complex --not in his capabilities, but in his socialization. Miles never quite felt good enough for friends or loved ones, which is why he always chose the solitary officer role of tactician; singular, long and lonely nights alone and away from the others spending time and bonding as a unit.

 

[Syrrus]

Tharja's eyes followed the man as he moved towards the bed. He seemed to try and talk her out of stalking him, just like Robin always did. Pieces was indeed falling into place and she did enjoy it all too much. It was obvious too, the way she smirked at him. However, when he started to talk about disappointing her and that he was not Robin caused the woman to look away, her fringe covering half of her face as it always did. "How dare you tell me things I already know..." She mumbled, frustrated indeed but she would always forgive him, he didn't know better, it was alright. He belonged to her.


She looked over to him again, lowering the book that she had been hugging all to tightly. Perhaps Miles simply didn't like her? Maybe he liked Lucina or even Cordelia more than he liked her? She couldn't remember who he had married Robin too, if he had even done such a thing so perhaps he had no preference, yet. "I can change." She said, as if he instantly would understand what she was talking about. "I can become taller. Red hair, blue hair... I can be a warrior with a sword. Anything you want..." She said and her smirk started to look a lot more evil than it previous had done, it was clear that using dark magic caused Tharja to feel awfully good about herself. "Anything you want... Thehehe..."

 

[Sovereign]

Miles quirked an eyebrow at her. reading her behavior in description panels and watching it in real time made for a completely different experience. On one hand he could understand completely how her persona might come off as a wee bit... disconcerting. However, something about the dark mage made for a sort of endearing --cute-- atmosphere. That she was willing to change and be just about anything to win approval teetered on the line of endearing and creepy, but her overall demeanor just seemed less threatening on her.


It took an added moment to realize that regardless of his identity as decidedly not Robin, she intended to remain fixated on him. Unlike Robin himself, Miles already knew what that entailed and truthfully he wasn't sure how to feel about it. Her comment about 'changing' drove his suspicions home and made him realize he'd come upon quite the circumstance. He decided for now to address every issue as it came up rather than trying to handle it wholesale.


"Tharja," he started cautiously. "You're good as you are, alright? You don't need to change a thing," he said, keeping his demeanor even. She had a twisted side, he knew that. How much of that would spill over into his own moral gray areas though? A difficult pondering indeed. "Look," he said finally. "I'm not going to tell you that you can't follow me around and such, because I already know how that works. What I will say is that I'm having a bit of a rough time, so just... try and be patient alright? I don't know how much any of you know about anything, so I'm just trying to cover all my bases. I'm out of my element, and it's uncomfortable."


He hoped the witch could at least be understanding if nothing else.

 

[Syrrus]

Tharja forgave everything Robin ever said to her that sounded in any way condescending or rude, she always muttered something or rather, or looked extremely down in the dump over it, but she never treated him the same way as she treated everyone else, with a hex or a curse. Patient was not in her way of speaking either, she never saw herself as anything but. It seemed like Miles had a different idea of how she behaved and it indeed frustrated her a little.


"When have I been anything but patient...?" She mumbled to herself, hugging the book even tighter. He said that she didn't have to change, yet it was something she didn't quite believe. Of course she had to change in some way, if not then he'd be all over her already, which he wasn't so something had to be wrong. She knew that nothing was wrong with him, he was perfect... she however was not. She couldn't even get a tan in the desert.


"We are not stupid." She said, peering at him from underneath her fringe. "Just take us to a library, or somewhere teaching the world about your history and civilization. We are hardly infants..." She muttered the last part with slight annoyance, if there was something she hated, it was to be referred to as stupid.

 

[Sovereign]

Miles rubbed his temples, she wasn't quite getting what he tried to say. Conveying it appeared to be more difficult than he thought. Sighing he removed his hands from his head and looked to the dark mage once more.


"I'm not saying you or anyone else is stupid Tharja, I'm saying I'm stupid because I don't quite know to what degree to handle this," he explained. "I know you're not stupid, or helpless, but the situation requires a degree of tact that in turn requires the need for knowledge of the world you now find yourselves. The library is a government facility, and they have surveillance that will find you --especially if they're already scouring the land. The best I can do is the internet, which should be fine but it's kind of... a cesspool sometimes."


The game of course was not perfect, he didn't get to watch any of the characters interact, nor actually get to hear them speak often. He read what was going on, and much of it was left up to interpretation he realized. Miles retained the raw info but the means of processing and understanding it were left skewed.


"I'm sorry, I guess I'm just making a fool of myself." The ex-soldier dug a laptop out of his things and opened it up. Punching in the password he set the device down on a dresser and angled it toward Tharja --already up to the internet. "This is a computer, and the window up on the screen is the internet. It is like a library but allows you to search for anything you want to know in the world, good or bad, disgusting or otherwise. Take it where you'd like but I only have one, so please keep it safe," he explained, allowing her the chance to figure it out for herself.


A pang of self-loathing echoed behind his ribs. Sure enough he found a way to screw up again --he was trying to be considerate, not condescending. How was he supposed to guess what they could and could not understand straight out of the gate? Either way, they felt offended and he felt like an ass.


Miles went back to unpacking.

 

[Syrrus]

Tharja peered down at the strange box of which she was given. He held it carefully between her hand, especially since he had said it meant a lot to him, carrying her book under her arm. This box contained all the information she possibly could need? He looked over at Miles for a very short moment before quickly escaping the room silently. She wouldn't come back from her hide out, where ever it was, until she knew everything that she wanted to know and possibly could know. It was important to her, information made her secured and if this box was as magical as he said, she'd have no problem with it at all.


Lucina and Cordelia was spending their time outside. One of them was exercising, which he always did when she had too much on her hands. There was a reason as to why Cordelia was the best at everything she attempted to do, she always spend the needed time to practice, something that Lucina nor anyone else had any patient to do.


Exercising contained push up and sit ups, something easily handed for someone her size. Without breaking a sweat of course. The perfect Cordelia wouldn't be so perfect if she couldn't handle something so simple. Lucina would keep count and cheer her on from the side, lost in thought. She was worried about her father, but then; a girl with daddy issues such as her would indeed worry about such things.


It wasn't until evening that Tharja showed herself again, carrying the laptop under her arm together with her book. She didn't look as confused as she had done earlier that day, in fact she looked like she was in quite a good amount of control. She placed the computer down on the kitchen table, looking at it with a concentrated face. "I have found Henry." She mumbled, causing Lucina and Cordelia to perk up from where they sat on a chair. "Truly?" Lucina asked, wondering if Tharja spoke truth, how would he have found him.


Turning the pc around she placed a video for them. Moving pictures which confused them to no end. It was indeed showing Henry, but he didn't seem to be somewhere they recognized but in a very bug and green park, talking to crows - like always. He was smiling wide and shooting black, purple and blue fireworks from his fingertips, causing people around him to cheer and clap their hands.

 

[Sovereign]

Miles left the girls to their own devices; Tharja studying the computer, Lucina and Cordelia doing something outside. The tactician instead readied his gear for use once all of it had been unloaded from the bags. Two large military duffels carried a lot more than one might expect --and that didn't include all of the things he already had here in the house. Danger now presented itself as a very real possibility, and Miles intended to be prepared should it ever rear it's ugly head.


Patiently, carefully, the ex-soldier loaded ammunition one shell at a time into each magazine for each weapon. he carefully inspected each round before he put it in --it needed to be in top condition for use in his weapons. A misfire could mean death in a tight situation, and that was unacceptable. When finally he loaded all the magazines, he disassembled each weapon and cleaned it. He counted eight total: the two MP5's he liberated from the government operatives in his apartment, four handguns --three of them which were Beretta M9's, and the last being a USP .45, a Benelli shotgun, and an up to date M4 assault rifle.


All of his work took the majority of the day, and as the sun began to set he was just starting to test all of his non-combat equipment. Radios, grapples, tactical vests, pads, boots, fatigues, helmets --he went though everything he had a use for and packed it into his gear once he made sure it would perform its function. But most of all, he stayed clear of the others; paranoia combined with the near-confrontation from earlier confirmed that as per usual he lacked the wherewithal to casually enjoy the company of others.


It was better to stay here being useful, preparing for whatever came next --and something would come, it always did.

 

[Syrrus]

Lucina got up, taking her sword and placing it where it belong, upon her back. She was once again dressed like she was used to. Refusing to wear the strange cloths that Miles had given her, after all: it only seemed to do the man pain anyhow. "I'll go and find him." She said, nodding as if it was her quest and hers alone.


"I'll come with you." Cordelia added, getting out of her seat. She had spent the majority of the time staring at the strange video, trying to grab Henry out of it. It was difficult to understand how something like that could look so real when it indeed was not.


Lucina frowned. "I can't ask that of you, Cordelia, it's for the best if you stay here with Robin and Tharja." The princess didn't want anyone with her, in case something did go wrong. She figured that Miles was being careful for a reason. It was best to stay cautious and if they were all to go out on this trip, they'd be easier to spot. Cordelia of course, folded her arms and shook her head. "I'll come with you, Tharja can stay here and continue looking for more information about where we can find out friends."


It sounded like a decent plan, Tharja was the only one who wasn't going to leave Miles' side after all. It would be impossible to force her so there was no point in even asking. She simply stood there, hugging her book and waiting for something to happen, impatiently.

 

[Sovereign]

Miles looked up from his work at the sound of commotion outside. Arguing? What could they be going back and forth about? Setting his tings aside, he left the bedroom and made for the front door. Stepping outside into the conversation, he tried to glean a notion of what they were talking about; it turned out to be more difficult than he thought it might be.


"What's going on? Who's going where?" he asked confusedly. Were they going to venture off on their own into a world they didn't understand? The remark Tharja made earlier bit into his mind and he suppressed the urge to try and explain it wasn't a good idea. He knew they weren't stupid, but could he forgive himself if something happened to them because he let them wander off on their own? The government was actively looking for them, and surely would eventually find and capture a few of them.


Miles couldn't be everywhere at once, he knew that, but at the same time he was the best option to take on any sort of outing. naturally that meant Tharja would follow, and Cordelia wouldn't want to be left alone. Dammit, they probably would have to split up or they'd be easy to catch.

 

[Syrrus]

Lucina was not in the mood to explain yet again what she had to do. They were losing daylight and it started to get on her nerves, something the princess of course didn't show. She hardly ever show any kind of emotion towards anyone, no matter the situation. "Please, Robin, I don't have time." She pointed towards the screen of which the video of Henry was still playing, his loud laugh could be heard from miles, he was apparently having fun. Good for him.


Lucina ran out the door, sword on her back and Cordelia perked up in surprise. How dare she just run away like that? They didn't even know where to go! Not that it mattered, they would figure it out, probably. Lucina had her ways of getting things done the way she knew they had to be, after all. Nodding, Cordelia then followed, quickly. She wasn't one to let a friend get captured by anyone. Risen or otherwise.


Tharja was the only one left, standing still in the kitchen, peering at the laptop from which she could hear that horrible, happy laugh that only could belong to one person. She hated Henry, not because he was a bad person, but because he was terrifying. He carried all that magic, the power to snap his fingers and remove a curse and send it back to who ever made it and all he did was joke and laugh? All he did was to smile?! It was unnatural and she hated it.