Fantasy SILVER AND IRON

slim · Jan 12, 2019

The day was already chilly and Gaea’s breath was visible as she awoke to the sound of the bell. Her body was stiff from the cold but she forced herself into some pants and a baggy orange tunic that was neatly lain on the chair.The room was small and bare, save the desk and chair and the bunk bed. Her roommate was stirring and Gaea expected the other girl to rise but she only let out a grumble and stretched enough for her leg to slide out from under the covers and dangle over the side. ”Whatever, she can get punished.” Gaea thought to herself as she rolled her eyes at the girl and slipped out of the room. The halls were mildly bustling with a few children who were either fighting for who got to take a bath first or food in the cafeteria. Gaea slipped into the cafeteria and made her way to the front of the line. Some younger kids let out shouts of protests but were silenced by Gaea’s glare. The servant gave her two boiled eggs, porridge, and some toast with a burnt heart in the middle of it. She made eye contact with the burner in the kitchen and the boy gave her a cheeky grin. She turned quickly on her heel and sat at an empty table and hastily shoved down her food and nd dropped her dishes in a bin before leaving as quickly as she came. She couldn't be late.

When the bell rang again to signal it was 8am, she gave herself a once over before entering the throne room. Three figures were already in the room. Gaea recognized the queen and her brother with ease as well as the guard on the far right.Gaea stood next to her brother and bowed to the queen. She could already feel the pressure on her mind that felt like all her secrets and feelings were ready to spill from her like a fountain. Her goldeneye met the milky-whites of the queen, and she smiled.

“Nice of you to join us. Now, I know you’re wondering why I told you to meet me this morning. You two are my finest and I need only the best on this mission.”

Gaea bristled at the word mission. She always hated the word since she knew it was going to lead to a bunch of bloodshed. Jue rose from her throne and walked over to a glass table with a bunch of figures on it and beckoned for the twins to approach. The queen laid her slender finger on the mountains.

“I’m sure you heard of the rebels having a base. It took a while to find someone who knew their supposed location, but apparently they've been close this entire time. Here, in the ruins.”

“We’ve been to the ruins countless times. There’s no sign of life.” Gaea said quickly, but the queen raised a finger.

“You must search harder. I will not have any symbol of rebellion living right under my nose and getting stronger by the minute. I need you to take your best warriors and try to find them. Blend in, learn more about them. If there are too many, send me a raven and I will send the rest of the army. If you think you can handle it, waste no time bringing them down. Tell your men to get ready, you ride out and noon.”

Gaea and Isaac both bowed.

“We will not fail you, your highness.” They said in unison before turning around and departing. Gaea wanted to say something to her brother but her words failed. They both went back to their barracks to get their soldiers. It was time to strike their enemy once and for all.

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coded by eden
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calypso · Jan 12, 2019

Yysara

When one is crazy in the mind, they often spend their time in the company of others who'd understand. Unfortunately, Yysara hated just about everyone but the Queen and the horses in the stables.

Standing alone in the stables, she had been there since the sun broke over the hills in the far distance. Dressed in black breeches with a white tunic to match, she looked rather casual for the morning. Even her nearly white hair was pulled up into a tight ponytail, the messy streaks of red shifting into view every moment or so. The crimson hue was only present at the tip of her long hair, the fiber long ago stained by the blood of others and herself. No matter how often she scrubbed and washed at it, the color always stayed behind. At some point in the last few months, she had simply given up on scrubbing it free, which meant it became more and more visible. In her own twisted mindset, she had decided it was a warning of sorts. Nearly everyone knew what she did, and how she did it. If one decided it was smart to mess with her, their blood would only stain her hair further. Her black boots scuffed across the ground as she walked through the stables, dragging along a bucket of water. Though stablehands were often found lingering about in the morning, Yysara had made it clear early on in her arrival that she'd be taking care of her own horse. The hands were wise enough to not protest, and soon Yysara was waking up every morning to tend to her 'child.' A white Arabian, it was made for long runs through the day and night.

Once Yysara was positioned in front of his pen, the water was properly poured into his trough. A pleased whinny sounded from the large horses, and Yysara flashed a brief smile towards the creature. In fact, that horse was likely the only thing alive to see the young woman tilt her lips upward. Reaching forward, her soft hands soon found his study neck. Sliding them upward, she began to gently comb his mane to one side as he drank. Hardly a speck of dirt was found on his impeccable white coat, and for good reasons. The quiet morning hours were not only spent feeding the horse, but also grooming. Turning away from the beast for a moment to grab a large brush, her hands began to move in a rhythmic manner over his flank. Hushed by the neighs of the other horses, Yysara could barely be heard as she happily hummed to her steed. She wouldn't be caught dead humming anywhere else, to anyone else. Luckily, everyone was off eating. Hunger was always an issue, but she'd find time to eat later. Snacks were constantly hidden on the woman, after all.

The morning was the only time Yysara could truly have peace of mind. The rest of the day was spent avoiding nearly everyone, while the voices in her head screamed and bugged her. Everyone else in this damn place could lick her shoes, for all she cared about. Self-interest was rampant in the barracks, and she was all too aware of it. Hell, she could be the Queen of 'Only Caring for Thyself.' Was she proud of that title?

Oh, just a little bit.

code by RI.a

shadowz1995 · Jan 12, 2019

"Rise and shine, soldiers! Everyone get up, get dressed, and get some food in you. We have direct orders from Her Majesty! Move!" The gruff, authoritative voice of Isaac cut through the morning silence at the male barracks. Some soldiers woke up with a start while others groaned and slowly stirred from their deep slumbers.

Normally, that would be cause for alarm to any general worth their salt but Isaac had trained these men himself. He knew they would report on time despite their slow start. Otherwise, they would have harsh punishments awaiting them and no one, not even Isaac, desired that. They were allowed certain freedoms if they followed all given orders to the T. Sleeping in for a bit longer was one of them as long as they reported on time.

Isaac walked away from the barracks and headed out into the cool, morning air. His thoughts fell back to the Queen's orders and Gaea. They had information that suggested a rebel base in the old ruins. Gaea was right.... those ruins had been searched time and time again only to come up with absolutely nothing. What made this time any different? It was not his place to ask such questions but being a silencer allowed him to indulge in such luxuries. He would be lying if he said he didn't use his abilities to his advantage whenever he could.

On the topic of mind readers, twin telepathy is a real thing, with or without silver blood in their veins. Something was troubling Gaea. He could feel it and it was only confirmed when they parted ways to gather their men that he noticed the look in her eye. It was for a brief moment, but they locked eyes and he knew there was something she wanted to get off her chest. She just didn't.

Isaac scoffed and shook his head at the thought. She always played her cards close to her chest. Even with him.

The General made his way to the stables to check on his personal mare and caught the sight of one of the resident psychopaths. Isaac suppressed the desire to sigh at what he was about to do. Stability aside, Yysara was incredibly loyal and a valuable asset on the field. Not so much for her combat expertise but in gathering information. An informant and a spy. She might be able to notice hidden details that a man like him wouldn't.

"Ms. Illayrore." he started politely, "Direct orders from the Queen. We are to gather some forces and head down to the ruins. I'm going to need your eyes." That was that. Yysara and Isaac didn't get along and everyone knew that because Yysara didn't get along with anyone. That being said, Isaac did respect her desire for privacy in the morning and merely told her the information she needed to know and her orders. No need for unnecessary conversation that would just loop around to her getting borderline violent and him having to shut her down.....again.... just so she could find another reason to despise the Male general even more.

So, the golden-eyed soldier moved two horses to her left to tend to his own steed. A large grey Shire horse that was a whole head and shoulders above Isaac's own large frame. The large mare was mainly a work horse and not bred for battle or speed like most others. It was built for long distance travel and to endure under harsh conditions and strain. It was a very gentle, mild mannered steed and one whose company he greatly enjoyed. An armored hand reached up to pat the center of her head, which she was all too eager to learn into. "Hey there, sweetheart. We have to ride out together again today. It's going to be a nice trip okay, girl? Promise." Isaac naturally had no idea whether or not the horse could understand him but he liked to believe it did.

He fed the steed several ripe apples before setting about to doing the same thing Yysara was. Grooming and generally enjoying the animal's company. It was funny in a way. The two grooming their horses in the morning was about the best conversation they could have.... which was none at all.

calypso

calypso · Jan 12, 2019

Yysara

shadowz1995 |

Yysara heard Isaac long before he spotted her. An annoyed hiss sounded from the tall woman, her humming ceasing almost instantly. Her lovely morning was already ruined, and she hadn't finished grooming her steed yet. Not to mention it was the General who had approached her in the stables. Anyone else, and they'd instantly be backing away with apologies as Yysara spat out insult after insult. Instead, her hands stilled the brush against the flank of her white horse, her eerie gaze settling on Isaac as he spoke. There wasn't even a frown to grace her features, her lips set into a steady line as she stared. Her ability to not blink when staring someone down was helpful in adding to her overall 'creepy' aura, and she didn't mind one bit. If others saw her as odd and kept away, the more alone time she had. Unfortunately, she could only bite her tongue and give a slight nod to the General as he relayed the commands to her. She'd forgive him for disturbing her just this once if the Queen had ordered it so. Of course, that didn't stop the oozing pit of jealousy in her gut to flare to life as she thought about it a bit more. That brat and his sister, always holding themselves so high...Someone could knock them down a few pegs. Yysara would be more than happy to do so herself, but the Queen seemed fond of the two for some reason. It annoyed her far more than it should, but she just couldn't help it. What made them so good, especially with how annoying they were? Gritting her teeth, there was a loud snap from her stall as she broke the brush she held in her hands. Now with two brushes, she just hissed out to herself and went back to work on grooming her child. That was, until she heard Isaac begin to talk to his own horse.

When Yysara spoke, it was a chilling experience to say in the least. Despite her harsh glares and even harsh words, they were always delivered by the softest voice. The Queen had stolen everything innocent from Yysara, but she couldn't replace the voice that blessed the girl. With her killer demeanor, however, many deemed her softly spoken words to be more creepy than appealing, and she gladly grew to enjoy her own voice. Hence she didn't mind speaking to the General now. "Must you waste my remaining free time by staying in the stables? Surely I'll be forced to listen to you for an ungodly amount of time coming up, but I prefer to brace myself by being alone," she said, her voice floating into his stall. Even with her gentle voice, the tone was obviously. Yysara was more than annoyed with him, indicating her mood for the trip to come. She really didn't like her mornings to be disturbed, especially by someone so annoying. Stepping away from her steed, she walked forward only to poke her head out of the stall and down towards his. She wanted to stare at the General as she spoke to him, to hopefully push her mood further on him.

code by RI.a

Errant Voyager · Jan 13, 2019

Nathaniel Barrett was already up and about and outdoors. He had already checked inventory, at this particular juncture the assigned task was counting out the current stock of beer rations. After all an army marched on its stomach and to the beat of supplies, which meant it was imperative to check on the materials needed to keep the thirst quenched. And beer was far more trustworthy than water, it kept well and of course it added to the morale of the troops.

However the resources available at this juncture to supply was a touch low, so each man would only receive a paltry amount. Nate marked it as such on the ledger and as soon as the Commander arrived, Nathaniel could impart this fact to Griff. Such a lack of a rather important resource would of course warrant the need for ridding more bandits and acquisitions of their contraband. After all, The Rebel should not have such things – when they belonged in the pockets of the squadron, most importantly Nate’s own pocket.

One of the items he wished to acquire from hostile, as of course the bandits and other riff-raff never go quietly (that is what all official reports in the ledger attested to of course.), acquisitions was a new knife. The current knife in his possession had grown rather dull and had become chipped over much use. This was not the only thing he hoped to gain from conquest as more salted meats, cheeses and linens would be beneficial in general, but he hoped to obtain more fanciful materials such as paintings and so forth. Those always held a decent price to them as long as you had a capable fence to trade those goods off to, plus some might be worth keeping as is to display personal bragging wealth. But right now he didn’t feel any urge to keep those to display his wealth, but rather just accumulating as much physical and tangible wealth as possible. The more abstract associations, such as having said paintings, would come later when he could freely establish it without having to worry too much about his own neck.

But of course those matters could wait until he could deliver his report to the Commander and lead to the suggestion of capturing bandits. At the moment he had his ledger sitting within reach upon his lap as he sat upon a stump. Right above this Nathaniel was hard at work at a particular hobby of his, whittling. With his dull, short carving knife in his right hand Nate casually began stroking the blade against a hunk of wood.

This piece of wood had clearly been worked on for some time, as it had a distinctive curvature to it. The oblong outside of the project was complete but it was not nearly hollow enough on the inside yet. Sooner or later Nathaniel would complete his medium sized wooden bowl. But at the moment he still had a lot of wood to chip away at. So he was hard at work at flicking off more pieces to hollow out the future bowl.

It was a solid enough of a way to pass the time.

Bowa · Jan 13, 2019

Mercury

Despite the cold bite in the air this morning, Mercury's daily routine remained the same as it always had throughout the past several years. Come rain or shine, he would be among the first individuals to rise, bright and early so that the usual bustle of a new day didn't disturb him. When everybody was up and vying for them, trying to get in a bath or use the toilet was practically like begging to cause some sort of confrontation anyway. After briskly changing into some old grey breeches, Mercury would take the familiar short stroll to the training grounds where he would use the tip of his boot to draw a starting line in the dirt and begin running laps around the facility. There wasn't a set amount that he did every day, each time he passed his starting point he would add another mark to his imaginary tally and use the positioning of the sun as his timer. Mercury had long ago memorised a specific point in the sun's journey across the sky (depending on the season, of course) that signalled it was time to finish up and would compare the number of laps he managed to do to his record. If it was more than or equal to his record, he would consider it a success, but if it was less than his record he would punish himself. Be that simply not getting a sweet treat with his supper or as extreme as forcing himself to finish his laps plus an extra one, thus making him late to training and having to receive discipline from his superiors for his tardiness.

Fortunately, Mercury had upped his previous total laps by two and was rewarded with the knowledge that he had improved himself. He stood for a couple of minutes leaning against the wall of the training grounds and catching his breath - enjoying the chill of the air on his heated skin. A few beads of sweat trickled down his bare chest and his forehead, the latter of which he wiped away with a swipe of his rough hand as he repeated the same two words over in his head. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. While Mercury may push himself to extremes and past the general person's regular limits, he knew that if he didn't want his body to break he had to at least give it some respite. Once Mercury had stabilised his breathing, he returned to the male barracks and took a quick bath, there were two or three other early-birds in there but luckily most were still asleep. Well, not for much longer. As he was drying himself he heard General Issac rousing the lot of them, having apparently been given direct orders from the Queen. The man himself was someone Mercury found to be rather stoic and dull but undeniably great at his job, he admired Issac's resoluteness and work ethic actually. Obviously, Mercury couldn't set any less of a standard himself so endeavours to keep up with Issac and enjoys learning from their personal sparring sessions. The news Issac brought was what interested him most of all though, the prospect of going on another mission excited him, any opportunity to put his skills into action he would happily seize. Mercury slipped on his usual casual attire - consisting of a white lace up shirt and some black pants - then headed in the direction of the cafeteria to get some much needed fuel.

Being the sweet talker that he his, Mercury was on the good side of one of the cooks and more often than not managed to swindle some extra portions. Today wasn't any different. He got four rashers of bacon, a generous spoonful of scrambled eggs, a bowl of porridge, and two pieces of bread to compliment it. Quite a large serving was needed to provide his body with sufficient energy for the beginning of the day and the nutrients it needed to heal from training and injuries. There didn't appear to be anyone who Mercury wouldn't actually mind sitting with here yet so he chose an empty table in the corner of the cafeteria to eat. He offered a faint smile to people that he recognised yet all of them knew not to come over and bother him. When he wanted to speak to someone he would let them know, otherwise, it was a waste of his time. Pouring a second cup of water from one of the jugs that were set on each table after downing the first, he started to eat his breakfast while occasionally glimpsing up to survey his surroundings. This was one of those seldom moments when you could hear yourself think while in here and it was as much of a tranquil quiet before the storm he was going to get.

FireMaiden · Jan 13, 2019

Persephone Camden
Intetaction: Bowa
Mentioned: N/A

The female barracks were quiet when she rose, hours of restless sleep finally pushing her from the uncomfortable bed she called her own. Early was polite way to describe this time of day, but ungodly was more accurate. And despite years of waking up the same way, at the same time, Persephone would always complain. Perhaps it was because she slept with one eye open, constantly waking at the slightest of unusual sounds, if she were allowed to sleep with a weapon, she would probably do so. But, it's probably for the best. Her bearefeet wanted to retract back under the cover as soon as they grazed the cold floors, but the tantalizing promise of first shower pushed her up, and quietly through the maze of beds and sleeping bodies. On nights she couldn't sleep at all, she would read some of their minds while they slept, enterining herself with their dreams. Sure, it was an invasion of privacy, but that was a right few of them had anyway. Why not exploit it a little?

When she reached the showers, a change of clothes and towel in hand, she was relived that once again, she fund them empty. Putting her back to a wall, but with a clear path to the exit, or a loose towel rack that could be used as weapon, she barn to undress. Goosebumps danced up her body, the air cooler than the barracks, but it was a refreshing alternative to overheating. That didn't mean she wasn't going to take advantage of the unlimited warm water she could take though, and Persephone slipped into the nearest shower. She sighed as the water began to wash over her, leaning her head forward. Yesterday she had taken a good beating during training, and while she still technically did good, the bruises on her torso showed she had acted recklessly, left herself open to many times. It was a disgrace, and she almost didn't hear the end of it from her sparing partner, but his 22nd birthday was drawing near, and, wrll, she didn't know anyone who was older than 21. It worried her some, as those years were getting shorter and shorter, it meets she could be replaced at the Queens whim at any moment. If someone had been in there with her, Persephone's worries would have been made obvious as she washed herself, scrubbing her arms red without realizing.

After she was done, and getting dressed, did other girls begin to enter. Their good morning chatty attitude comming to a halt as they saw the blonde drying off. They knew what she did, what she could do. But that's not the reason they stopped. "Hey Persephone!" One said with a smile, getting to close way to quickly. She was a Swift afterall. "How did you sleep? I could hear you thrashing around all night."

"O-oh," Persephone answered quietly, looking down to avoid eye contact. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bother anyone, I was just having some bad dreams." The girls would all look to each other, but the Swift spoke up again.

"Oh, you weren't bothering anyone, we're just worried, okay? You can always talk to someone if you need to, none of us are gonna be upset with you, I promise." Persephone only smiled, and nodded in response, moving her arms up to cover her chest as she stepped away slightly, making herself look embarrased. The other girls immdeiatly knew the signal, and decided to move on, giving Persephone some space. That persona she put on always annoyed her, but it was vital. Don't let anyone see you a threat, and they won't expect it when you become one. It's one of the many phrases she lived by to keep herself alive, but she hated the fact she had made one so weak. She often found herself in situations where she would rather have made the offending party knock this own teeth out, but instead put crocodile tears and let someone else handle it. God, she hated being a pacifist.

Persephone was dressed before the girls had even gotten into the shower. Black pants a little tighter than what most people had, and a long sleeved white tunic she always left in buttoned to about the middle of her chest. Hey, if her puppy dog eyes didn't work, womanly assets would least least help. However, despite how many times she wore the outfit, something about today was different. She had been issued new boots the day before, knee high, polished black leather. They were nice, but she looked a little weird walking towards the cafeteria to get some breakfast while trying to break them in a bit. That aspect of how people viewed her tended to be the only one she didn't mind, in fact, it maybe even helped that innocent thing she did. Reguardless, she stopped once she was inside, and had joined the line for food.

Porridge, eggs, toast, and burnt meat that she almost didn't even rechonize as bacon. She probably wasn't going to eat much anyway, but they could still have at least tried making it better, I mean come on. She took her tray without a word, turning to walk through the tables trying to find an empty, or at least, mostly empty table. And to her delight, she found one very quickly. Now, she knew a good number of people the Queen had blessed, but she didn't have a single friend among them. That being said, she at least knew this guys name, and one thing about him. Walking around to the opposite side of Mercury, dumb name, and sat down diagonally from him. "Good morning," She said sweetly, "How was your run?"

shadowz1995 · Jan 13, 2019

Yysara caught him as he was coming out of the stall with the huge Shire mare. He placed the bit in the horse's mouth and adjusted the reins appropriately. He led the horse out and over to where Yysara was poking her pale head out just glare at him. Trying to get under his skin with the combination of "creepy" and hateful.... again. Would she never tire of it?

His brow furrowed and his expression changed from its usual deadpan to one of pity. Isaac had grown weary of patronizing and trying to convince the woman to come around to no avail. Both politely and aggressively. Politeness hadnt worked and aggressiveness at least got her to follow orders properly but it wasnt as if Isaac enjoyed resulting to that just to get the blood healer, among others, to listen to him.

So truthfully, it had just gotten to the point where he felt bad for her. So blinded in her own little world and it showed... which he relayed as much, "Yysara. If you had ever learned how to cooperate and respect your allies, you might have been standing in my position. The only difference being that I would have never given you any grief as you consistently feel the need to do to me or my sister.... or anyone really."

He reached up and pat his horses neck before continuing, more to himself than to her at this point because he knew his words fell on deaf ears, as they usually did, "Truly, such a shame. So much potential... wasted." With that, he simply carried on to fit his horse with her saddle and his personal belongings before moving to the mess hall to get some food in him.

He hitched the grey mount outside for the moment and gave her an affectionate rub before heading on in to grab himself a meal. Having the position he did, he was entitled to the good stuff but rarely did he ever indulge in those luxuries. He had the tendency to just grab whatever it was the other soldiers were shoveling down so they wouldn't have the excuse that because he ate better, that was why he won the duels or sparring matches. That excuse had graced his ears more times than he would care to admit.

Luckily, despite the occasional oddball, Isaac got on well with mostly everyone. If not well, then it was at least a mutually respectful, professional relationship. It was only oddities like Yysara that truly gave him any grief and it bugged him to refer to her in such a way but truth was truth and that was the honest truth.

The General grabbed one of the solitary tables and nodded to a few familiar faces. The men tended to leave Isaac to himself during meal times because he wasn't much of a talker in the first place. Truthfully, he just wanted to get this mission over and done with as quickly as possible.

calypso

FireMaiden

Bowa

calypso · Jan 13, 2019

Yysara

shadowz1995 |

Rolling her eyes, Yysara only returned her head into the stable as Isaac passed her by. Out of all the intolerable people in the world, he was the one she was required to listen to. Reaching up to stroke under the chin of her steed, her voice rose up to him once as he began to exit the stable. "You expect me to respect a bumbling idiot with his head too far up his own ass? You need a bit of grief in your life, with everyone licking your boot and what not," she said rather casually, her smile hidden as she stared up at the horse. His opinion mattered little to her, but she still enjoyed a good insult tossed about now and again. Goodness knows everyone needs it, with how far up they were up their own rear-ends. Leaning her head forward, she pressed her forehead of the horse. Whispering softly to the creature, it only came out as murmurs to anyone in the stables.

"Silly, aren't they? So convinced of their own truths in the world, so headstrong...Aren't I the same way? No, no. I don't demand respect, I don't need it," she muttered quietly to the horse, who only gave a soft whinny in reply. Yysara was an odd girl, to say in the least. Her goals always seemed muddled and mixed, and people assumed such different things of her. When talking in a conversation about her, sometimes people are surprised to learn they're speaking of the same person. She claimed to want power higher than both the Generals, yet she relentlessly mocked them for their position over and over. Of course, that begs the question of how Yysara would act if given such a position. It's a scary thought, to say in the least. Perhaps she'd rat out the weak and have them hung by their ankles and drained, or she'd banish them away. Patting the firm cheek of the horse, she finally pulled away with a tiny giggle of her own. Once again, the young woman dipped into silence as she properly geared up the horse. She'd be ready to go when the time came, but it was around the time she needed to get food for herself. "I'll be back soon, pretty boy," she muttered, before slipping from the stall and heading towards mess hall.

Once she entered, hush voices seemed to follow the girl as she went. Her presence was normally unnoticed, but her mood had been soured only a few minutes ago. So instead, she was handing out terribly sharp glares to anyone who looked and muttered her way. A fight in the early morning was a universal dislike, so they kept to themselves as she moved over to snatch up some food. Due to her overall late nature, all she could snatch up was a bowl of soggy oatmeal. Disgust filtered over her features, but she wandered off to find a table of her own. The faster she sucked the gross food down, the faster she could return to the stables.

code by RI.a

Ennuis · Jan 13, 2019

Morning had come and Griff was still in the dark as to why his unit was called back. His men had mixed feelings about it, they enjoyed not having to sleep in shifts and having proper cots, but many of them enjoyed the work they did and hoped to be sent back out in the field soon. Griff, however, thought it was all a mistake. They had to travel far to get back here and would likely be sent to some other far off hot spot, which would waste a lot of time. But more importantly, his boys had just carved out a very specific niche in the ecosystem of the region they were in before the change of orders and he was hoping the citizens there wouldn't forget it in their time away. But worrying about such things were pointless, he was stuck here waiting for new orders and there was nothing he could do to change that. What he could change though was his growing hunger, so he headed off to the mess hall.

Upon arriving at the mess hall, Griff wasted no time by stopping to talk with the other soldiers and instead made a beeline to what he wanted and left. Beer and sausage in hand, and a slight bulge in his vest pocket, he then set off in search of his quartermaster. It was quite possibly his least favorite part of the job, as even when they were launching nonstop raids on hostiles and 'reclaiming' 'stolen' supplies for their own use, Barrett always told him the same thing. Not enough of something that's a total pain in the ass to get their hands on. Of course, this time would probably be worse for reasons that would make most people happy. Fewer hostiles did mean safer lands after all, but it also meant fewer opportunities for his unit to resupply for free. Taking a bite of his sausage, he could tell it was low quality meat, but he knew that would be the case. Standards inevitably have to be lowered when you have an entire army to feed, but Griff was a bit of a strange man and enjoyed it all the same. Something about eating high quality food never sat right with him, so he preferred cheap sausage like this. The beer was watered down, which again was understandable due to the sheer number of men here, but it still had some flavor to it.

As he wandered, he took the chance to see what the other units were like. What he saw was a little confusing, quite a few people here didn't strike him as soldiers, scouts, or anything else with a clear use for military operations. He had to assume some of them were spies, but there was no way for him to know who was one or not. Not that it really mattered to him, he did his job without complaint and always did it well, he had nothing to hide from them or the queen. His reports were always clear and to the point, if he crushed The Rebel out in the woods, he reported just that. Some might argue that the finer details were missing, but the end results were the only part that mattered.

Eventually, Griff found his man hiding out in a lightly wooded area, whittling something out of a chunk of wood. He wasn't exactly pleased by this sight, but technically he didn't have any extra duties right now so it would slide this time. Reaching into his vest, he retrieved another sausage and bit into it before calling out to the boy. "Barrett, what's the word on our supplies? Be honest, how fucked are we? And why don't you write write up your reports and leave them by my bed? You'd save us both a lot of time that way." His voice was stern but not harsh, as it always was when he discussed official business. However, his body language was much less professional as he was leaning against a tree and eating his cheap sausage.

Errant Voyager

Errant Voyager · Jan 13, 2019

"A-ah!" squeaked out Nathaniel as he immediately dropped his make-shift bowl and knife to the grass below and picking up the ledger. Quickly standing at attention and offering a salute, Nathaniel offered the ledger to Commander Griff. Nate knew that the Commander had a, well, the most civil way of putting it would be 'distaste', certain attitude regarding Nathaniel and his penchant of idling with hobbies if no extra duties were assigned. Such activities perhaps increased an in-house bitterness, so to say, among some of the other men. Of course this alone did not stop Nathaniel from taking free time to spend on his hobbies, as usually his peers found other avenues to engage in for entertainment.

Nathaniel curled his lips, and inside his own maw his tongue, around as he tried to think of the best way to explain the situation. But he knew in his heart of hearts that Commander Griff knew when Nate was trying to 'put on' a more appropriate appearance. And Nate knew that and trying to coat the truth of the situation in a more palatable way would be useless and time-wasting for the both of them. Clearing his throat Nathaniel spoke.

"Commander, it is in my professional opinion - namely this is my opinion after many experiences tending to the records of supplies - that we will be fucked harder than a crippled deer that was already shot, with the arrow still in stumbling into a pack of wolves. Sir."

Nate gritted his teeth as he wrung his hands together before speaking in a more animated manner, "These men, are consuming more than what ought to be allotted to them, it is as if they think all these rations spring up out of nowhere. They insist on having full course meals for everything, that they can bathe freely and use up as much water as they please. And they do this without realizing that if you use said resources at such an exaggerated rate, that you must have a way of replenishing resources. Sir."

"And there is not a trace of banditry. This is by far the most disturbing aspect as, well, our men's morale might be high now but as resources dwindle and there are no bandits to pursue Sir..." Nate trailed off as he glanced towards the ledger.

"...Commander, Sir." Nate went on as he casually looked around side to side, "The official records must be allowed to ruminate before being exposed to other lights, sir. It is a matter of precaution for the safety of the official report that I do not just simply drop them to your bedside before they are ready. If you wish for them to be at your bed-side Commander, sir in my most humble opinion I suggest that while this is time consuming, this is the way that best way to record the official accounts."

Ennuis

Ms. Sparrow · Jan 13, 2019

Aelin Camborium

She’d been up long before the sun broke the darkness and lit the sky. It was usually the nightmares that woke her in the early hours of the morning, sometimes visions of a golden-brown blonde hair little girl in poverty, with people she didn’t know, little boys, a cruel woman, people she didn’t recognize. Other times, it was the faces of all those she had killed. And it was after those dreams, where Aelin would wake up and be grateful she was here and not there. Grateful to the Queen.

That morning, she’d trained until she’d nearly passed out, as per usual. She wanted to be the best. Had to be. There was no greater honor to be the Queen’s hand, and she didn’t want to slack.

Afterwards, she dressed into a simple tunic and trousers, throwing on a black cloak before heading out in the dark cover of night, the other four girls in her room sleeping soundly through it all, and stayed with Connor until the sun began to rise, the comfort of his arms warming her. No, nobody knew of her little affair with Connor. Love was a weakness, that much was true, and the less people knew of her, the less advantages they had over here.

And now she lay back in a tree, balancing delicately on the branch of the big oak tree on the edge of the forest, only a small walk from the barracks and such , her head back against the trunk of the tree, and her favorite romantic novel in hand.

The sun peaked through the leaves, warming her fair, pale skin and her hair shine golden in the sunlight. The sound of her silence being broken was abrupt, a scraping sound grating her ears. Aelin, with an irritated huff, tried to focus on back on her novel, but the noise persisted.

Then a voice, much more annoying than the constant loop sounds of wood being chipped, was the sound of Griff’s absolutely dreadful voice. Even still, authority and annoying idiots managed to follow her everywhere she went.

It was hard not to listen, considering how loudly he seemed to speak. Why, oh why, did she have to be disturbed only to listen to him talk about supplies? Aelin slammed her novel shut soundly, turning her head in the direction of his voice.

Or they’re voice. Because the only sound more annoying than Griff’s was Nathan’s, the kiss-ass. They conversed just beyond a couple trees to her right, not noticing her slightly petite figure, and the way it blended into the branch she lay back on.

She felt like she was sitting through a never-ending monologue with Nathan’s response to Griff, and she realized she’d rather slit her own throat then sit through another minute of it. Aelin gave a loud, exasperated groan as she jumped from the tree, landing catlike on her feet, as Nathan finished his report.

Aelin shot the two men an annoyed glance as she walked by them, “Gods, I’d rather hang than listen to you two asshats another second.” She remarked dryly, a bitter, sour note to her tone. She didn’t give them a glance back as she strode for the stables, novel in hand. In truth, Aelin had no issues distracting any higher authority, as long as it wasn’t the Queen, and it was well know. She always did what she was told, and in her mind, it was all that was necessary for what they needed of her, but she wasn’t gonna kiss the boots of someone she could make kiss her own.

Interactions:

Ennuis

Errant Voyager

Ennuis · Jan 14, 2019

Griff couldn't help but feel disappointed by Barrett's reaction. Sure, the boy's job wasn't to fight, but he shouldn't be so easily startled. Griff had tried to fix that problem in him, but it never seemed to take. It'd be a real shame if The Rebel managed to sneak up on him.

When the boy tried to hand the ledger to Griff, he just held the sausage up to remind him his hands were full. "You have this job for a reason, I'm not about to double check every time you give me a report. Now for our issues, you're going to have to make sure the men stop wasting our personal supplies when there's a goddamn mess hall. The usual punishment for betrayal still stands, just because we're in civilization doesn't mean we wont flog them to death. Make sure they know this."

Barrett's reason for not leaving the reports in his room was fair, and he already knew what it was, but it didn't make this any less annoying. "You could at least wait somewhere closer, I have my own work to do."

A faint slamming sound stole Griff's attention. Luckily it quickly proved to be nothing to worry about as it was just some rude woman. It seemed as if she had some grudge towards them, but he had no idea who she was, but she apparently had a death wish and that was something he could help with. "Is that so?" His voice was more casual now, the kind of tone you would use with a friend. "Barrett? Surely we have plenty of rope to spare to help this poor woman, don't we?"

Errant Voyager

Ms. Sparrow

Bowa · Jan 14, 2019

Mercury

It was as Mercury was about a quarter the way through his breakfast (currently chewing on one of the burnt sticks they called bacon here), when his peace was abruptly ended. Glancing up, he connected his deep ocean eyes with that of Persephone, a girl he only knew by name as they hadn't interacted much at all. She was entirely forgettable but he was good with names. The mess hall was gradually starting to fill up so her joining him on his table was a lot better than a ridiculously obnoxious character, he wasn't going to complain when things could be worse. Persephone took a seat diagonal from him and placed her tray down, biding him a good morning and asking about his run. A lot of people who had been here for several years and woke up early knew that Mercury did daily laps around the training grounds, so he didn't read too much into it. Their personalities seemed like complete opposites though, she was shy and not really a people person while he was more charismatic and enjoyed a bit of banter. Nonetheless, he didn't mind some company to pass the time before his orders were relayed to him; she had greeted him in a nice enough manner so he didn't see a reason why not to grant her the same respect.

Swallowing the food that was in his mouth, Mercury offered Persephone a slight smile. "Morning," he uttered as he rested his arms on the wooden table. "My run was pretty great actually, I've always found that a good pump can really make you feel good. It almost makes me look past how horrendous this food can be." Mercury divulged, the corners of his lips tugging upwards a tad more. Out of the corner of his eye, he once again saw General Issac, the man slightly nodded his head towards him in recognition and Mercury did the same in return. Ever the strong, silent type, that was about the normal amount of interaction you got from Issac so Mercury swiftly returned his attention back to Persephone. "What do you think these 'direct orders' the generals have been given by the Queen are going to be?" Mercury queried. "I'm hoping it isn't another dead end search like some of the previous. Frankly, I wouldn't mind getting ambushed with how lacklustre my last few missions have been - either too easy or too boring." He added with a scoff, momentarily shifting his gaze towards his food so he could finish off his eggs.

Interactions: shadowz1995 FireMaiden

Errant Voyager · Jan 14, 2019

"Oh." Nate blinked as he moved his ledger back firmly under his shoulder. It was useful that Griff did not always insist on double-checking, certain numbers were best left for him to check alone. He gave a distinctive nod of affirmation as Griff informed him that just because the locale was different, the practices were to remain the same. Nathaniel was sure the men knew of this, but some of them probably were starting to think such luxuries as not having to sleep in shifts anymore, might've meant that the tone of failure has changed. It did not and he would make sure that the rest of the troops understood that it was business as usual, albeit without any signs of banditry.

"As for the matter of location Commander, Sir, I-" and just as he was about to explain his reasoning for why it shouldn't be all that close to the regular lodging area of Griff, another soldier jumped from a tree. Nathaniel rolled his eyes as he grumbled out something under his breath, to the effect of 'why would they try breaking their own legs'. After all, not every landing sticks their mark.

As Griff once again spoke, in a more off-duty tone, Nate bent down to collect his make-shift bowl and knife. He placed it on-top of the stump, while smiling softly as he procured a length of rope that was sitting next to the stump. He picked it up and began to contort it into shape as he peered towards Griff.

"Absolutely!" declared the quartermaster as he glanced towards the tree and then back to the Commander. "Though I'm not sure how sturdy these trees are." He tilted his head as he glanced towards Aelin, "Buuut considering you probably came from one, it is safe to say that these are sturdy enough. No branches snapped off, which oh - Ah Commander do you remember that one time where the branch just came clean off as soon as we got the rope around the neck?"

Nate continued to shape the noose as he let out a chuckle reflecting on that memory and the subject at hand. "Rope, rope is one of the things we always tend to have enough of. Isn't rope great? It's highly reusable, most everyone has some and you can use it for damn near anything." Nathaniel glanced towards Aelin, while slowly letting the rope dangle between his hands.

"Do you require assistance into it? I'm sure we can accommodate for that, yes Commander?" He once again turned his attention to Griff before staring back at Aelin.

Ms. Sparrow

Ennui

Ms. Sparrow · Jan 14, 2019

Aelin Camborium

She’d barely made it five steps towards the stables, her footfalls silent in the long grass, before Griff’s voice echoed back to her with a rather witty response, making her stop and turn around to face them, looking roughisly amused, though her annoyance shimmered just beneath her mask.

Aelin arched a brow at Nathan’s own witty little monologue, her arms crossing as she leaned her weight unto one hip, looking thoroughly smug and unimpressed. ”I’m impressed,” She said dryly, “You two made a funny!” She clapped slowly, “Is it even possible you two aren’t as boring as I thought?” She contemplated smugly aloud. In truth, she was faintly amused, though still entirely annoyed to have her reading session cut off so abruptly by a couple of bandit killers. The nerve. If they knew who she was, or what she was, she’d be certain they’d think twice before challenging her.

The arrogance of men.

She grinned something terrifying as she said, her voice a sickly sweet, “But I wouldn’t hang myself anywhere near you two morons unless you were hanging right next to me to serve as my last final thoughts.” She quipped back.

Aelin swooped into a mocking bow, smirking, cocky as ever as she straightened, and with a last final, bemused smirk at the two men, she turned in her steps, resuming her trek towards the stables, giving them a vulgar gesture with her finger as she left the scene.

Pricks, she thought to herself, rolling her eyes as she walked, she had half a mind to go back and show them just what she was capable of doing to them. If she didn’t have to keep such a low profile on her ground missions, she’d be certain the whole damn army would know her name. It was one disadvantage of being a spy, she couldn’t draw attention to herself, and it killed her, truly, to have to restrain herself from unleashing hell upon her enemies and not showing the world just how capable she really was.

Better to be feared, than be thought weak.

Ennuis

Errant Voyager

The Suspicious Eye · Jan 14, 2019

Rosalina White

Mood:
Conflicted

Location:
Outside the Dining Hall

Mentions:

shadowz1995

calypso horses

With:
The horses

OOC:
Edited because I messed up in location

Sweat gliding down her cheek Rosalina looked up that the strong steel bar holding up the three hundred and ten pound weights. The weight room was cool as the bright sun had yet to rise. Rosalina was a early riser like every day, she liked to greet the sunrise of a new day after some simple training. A small dribble of blood fell from her nose as to the left of her the same weight floated in the air. Moving in unison with her own movements she counted along with the rhythmic clinking of the heavy plates. "4,997 praise to the Queen...4,998 praise to the Queen... 4,999 praise to the Queen... 5,000 praise to the Queen!" Letting out a mighty bellow she lowered the bar down onto the rack and lifted herself up. Wiping the small trail of blood from her nose she looked over at the floating weight and watched as the weights slid off the floating bar and returned to their respective places. Feeling a wave of relief as the stress on her mind was lowered she got up to place the weights she had be lifting back. Sliding each heavy rung off, she carried them back with ease, plopping them down with a ringing clink of metal on metal. Her eyes clouded as she thought to herself, I increased the weight, but it still wasn't enough, I need to improve if I am to ever be good enough for my Queen. The looming cloud of insecurity began to engulf her, until a shift in the surroundings pulled her form it.

Noticing the softening light of dawn brightening the room she reached for a towel and ran it across her glistening body. Making her way over to the wide windows she opened one up and smiled. Watching the morning come up to greet her she thanked the Queen for blessing her with this new day. She was lucky to have such a beautiful day to wake up to and that was thanks to the Queen. Stretching, her muscles rippled as she pulled down her ruby locks and watched the birds soar across the expansive morning sky. "It really is a beautiful day." Taking in the scenery for a moment more she closed the window and headed out of the training room. As she walked down the halls of her home she could hear some of her, more early bird, siblings groaning as they awoke for the new day. Knowing she didn't have much time, she began to pick up the pace towards the baths. With so many people living in such a place, getting to the baths first was a commodity one not to overlook.

Scraping in with some of the other early risers she settled into the waters and relaxed her muscles. Waving at some of her friendlier siblings as they came and went from the baths, Rosalina sayed, doing up keep with her hair. Running her fingers through the soft waves of crimson hair she kept it long as the queen thought it was beautiful like that. Hearing such a glorious compliment Rosalina couldn't bring herself to cut it, regardless of the hassle. Once she was done she made her way out of the bath, braiding her hair into a long ponytail. Putting on the weighted clothing, as she always did, she made her way out to the mess hall. Feeling refreshed from such a pleasant morning she wondered how she could further improve herself. I think today will be weapon training, the new sequence I made needs work.

Moving down the line she noticed some of the younger siblings staring at her as she stood alongside them. Raising a curious brow she wondered what could possibly be going on, but decided to leave it be as food graced her plate. Looking down at what lay on her plate she realized why the others had been staring. Down on her tray was a small mountain of food, eggs bacon and toast all compiled into this mountain of food, dripping off the sides of her plate. To anyone unfamiliar of Rosalina's diet, it would seem like a shock to require such food. Giving a soft chuckle she raised the tray up above her shoulders, and looked down at the server. "Thanks guys." Giving the onlookers a sharp glance she turned on her heels and made her way to her table. She always sat in the same spot, as it had the best view of her Queen's portrait looking down upon her as she ate. Scooting over some of the others she plopped down and pressed her hands together. Thanking the Queen for her meal, she happily stabbed a fork into the mass of food. Concentrating on her food she didn't listen much to the conversations around her, as her mind was simply on how to burn these calories with her new sequence. I'll have to run after I'm done. I need to gain more speed and accuracy if I'm going to do this right. Maybe I should ask Juliette or Liv for some assistance?

Taking another moment of thought she hear the scraping sound of metal against porciline as she realized her plate was empty. "Oh." Letting out a sigh she shrugged, shame I am still hungry. Standing up she ignored the flabbergasted stares and placed her tray away. Mind solely on the sequence she made her way out of the dining hall and back towards the armory. Going over the sequence in her mind she placed on her armor quickly. Leaving her hands free as she went to run her hands across her braided hair, considering letting it down. This should be fine enough, however once it's perfected I will have to try it while distracted and then try with a blindfold. Finishing with her gloves she flexed her fingers and balled them into a fist. Although it had just been a few hours since she last saw her armor it was nice to be back in it again. The added weight only seemed to invigorate the woman even more.

"My Queen is my goddess. My Blade is my heart. For the Queen, now and forever." Uttering her mantra she took a deep breath and steadied herself.

Opening her calm silver eyes she turned around and made her way to the weapon rack. Grabbing two quivers full of arrows, five greatswords, ten lances, six great axes and an assortment of short swords, battleaxes, rapiers, halberds and glaives. Carrying some of it she used her ability to lift the other half in the air only to pause for a moment, glaning at some of the spare daggers. Picking up two slings holding ten daggers each she placed them across her chest and then carried the weapons out to the open area outside. Stopping a bit surprised at all the others already out she wondered if she should head to one of the more deserted areas to train. She didn't want to show off such a unfinished sequence in front of her siblings, the shame of her failure would be the death of her.

Looking around she noticed the two horses dressed for a mission waiting outside the dining hall. Raising a brow she glanced over at her weapons floating in the air beside her and let out a sigh. Trudging back in she placed the weapons back and instead took four lances and the daggers. If someone's going on a mission I can't take all of these. I suppose I'll try a sub routine instead of the sequence. Wondering if she'll ever get the chance to actually practice the sequence she sighed and scratched her head unsure of what to do now. Most of her subroutines were simple drills, she could obviously sharpen her skills, but it's nothing of a challenge. All dressed up and nothing to do. She could have asked to join the mission, but if she was not asked then it was clear that her skills weren't required for such a task. In a army so large, it's nothing to be upset about, however, it did bother her. I need a sparring partner.

Knowing that most wouldn't want to spar this early in the morning she decided to try a subroutine she'd been studying for a while. Picking up two dual headed battle axes, inspecting them she wondered if she could have a shield crafted that worked in a similar way to the dual bladed axes. I'll have to ask. It would certainly come in handy. Along with grabbing a falchion she set them on her person and made her way out towards the open area. Looking around she went towards the woods, hoping to find somewhere secluded to work. Wondering if there was a place on the grounds to work she stepped forward and decided to change her mind and head towards the horses. While she moves her mind wandered to that mission and why she wasn't chosen. It could have been that I merely missed it. However, it's true that I keep my shown skillset limited. Maybe I should show more of what I'm practicing. Considering it for a moment she shook her head. If it's unready then I shouldn't show such a thing off. She needed to train harder to perfect all she can do and is.To be of better use of to my Queen.

Making her way over she inspected th horses and calmly cooed to them as she stroked their neck. "Where are you two off to? You're both very lucky to get to go on a adventure." Looking over at the packs she started to notice the rations and weapons and went through who it might be. Of course, it's the generals. I wonder what's going on. Relishing the thought of a fight she patted the horses again. "I wonder if I could join in, but I doubt it's part of my current skill set."

Constance Belladonna

Mood:
Relaxed

Location:
The Owlery aka: her bedroom

Mentions:
N/A

With:
N/A

Tags:
N/A

Jolting as her last victim began to stir in their sleep, Constance scurried away back into the dark halls. Making sure to carefully move the brick, holding the door, back into place before anyone noticed. Engulfed in the comfort of darkness Constance looked down at her faintly hands and smiled as she counted her spoils of the evening. Nineteen neatly tied chunks of her sibling hair rested in her hands as a eerie haggard chuckling emanated from the dark hood which housed her mouth. "Heee he he hee, Perfect...testing... specimens" Quickly stuffing the locks of hair into his pocket a loud crack shattered the silence that she was in. "Hurrr..." With a choking sound a splatter of blood landed on the the bedroom door and began to drip long strands down onto the floor, small black and violet chunks of strange items stuck to the door . Twisting her body she began scurrying beside the walls until she stopped at the lose panel of the hallway. Resting her head against the stone she scratched the stone, her nail popping ever so slightly off it's flesh with every rake. Blood trickling out of the dark hood it pitted against the tile. Surprised she began to wipe the blood around the tile smearing it into a strange pattern. Once it was finished she got up and made her way down the halls.

Unlike the others who actually slept normal hours Constance had been up for hours. Her evening started at two in the morning as she snuck into the rooms of her siblings, staring down at their sleeping faces. It was a hobby of her's along with collecting their hair and other parts for her own little collection. Hearing comotion, she took on her shadow identity and bent light around herself as she hugged the wall. Sneaking by some early risers she could feel her blood dribble down her chin and down her neck slowly trailing down her body. Feeling around she found the entrance to her room, a very small wooden door, around five feet in height and three feet in width, worn down with time. Waiting until the earlier risers had passed she slipped through the door and dropped the shadow identity and collapsed against the door. Pulling on her animosi as she called out her loneliness.

A soft squeak came from her left and she looked over to see a bloodied rat staring back at her on one of the stairs. Reaching out she grabbed the bloodied creature and stuffed it into the hole in her hood. Sitting there for a moment, soft crunching could be heard before Constance stood up and began to walk up the stairs. With every step more and more rats seemed to make themselves known as she climbed up the twisting dark spiral up to her room. "Hee he he hee," laughing every several minutes between the crunching and squeaking she finally came to the small dark area she called her room. The rats stopped as she entered the threshold and scurried away quickly. Falling to her knees she crawled across the floor and up onto her bed, the crunching finished and she sat up in her bed and pulled out a sharp dagger from her cloak.

"Fighter...Gross, Gore, Crunching... You're right Knife...I shouldn't waste...Heee he he heee" Reaching a shaky hand up she grabbed one of the dangling dried skulls that she kept above her along with rope ladders reaching to the roof and jars of various...secrets. Stabbing violently at the skull she pulled a piece of it off and climbed over the headboard of her bed to reach her desk.

Dropping the bone into a mortar full of red and black powder she began to grid it with the pestle. Laughing happily as she went she nodded her head. "Silent Slippery Screams...hussh Knife...The taste of flesh is mine alone." Sniffling a bit she continued stirring for three hours, un moving, unblinking as her arm moved in a repetitive unbroken motion. Finally it was done and she arched her back letting out a soft series of moans between a quick incomprehensible whisper, before falling back onto the bed. Rolling over she fell off her bed and clambered over to her desk. Taking a moment she rested her hooded opening over the mortar. Inhaling deeply there was another moan and a soft squeak before Constance began to bob and weave in her seat.

Crawling over the desk around the headboard she plopped back into bed and looked up at the black lining creating a makeshift roof to the tall ceiling and walls indented with perches up above her. Light from the windows that was nearly twenty five feet up from her illuminated the dark wood and various crafted bowls of water and food lining the barristers and falling from the ceiling her own mobile of strange items. Feeling calm she closed her eyes to the rhythmic squeaks and soft breathing against her ear. Time passed in a dreary swirling haze, inhaling the scent of blood and filth a soft grumble hissed out from the dark hood.

Ennuis · Jan 14, 2019

Barrett's enthusiasm usually pleased Griff, but this time he felt a little disappointed. He was probably trying a little too hard, but that's to be expected from someone his age. Luckily, it seemed like the woman hadn't noticed, possibly because she also tries to hard in these types of situations. "I can assure you I'm nowhere as near as boring as you assume. I'm also quite good with a rope, so if you ever change your mind, feel free to find me." He punctuated this with an uncharacteristically friendly smile.

The woman's cockiness was a little odd, she didn't seem like anyone special but there had to be a reason for it. Perhaps she was someone's wife or daughter, that would certainly explain it. Unless of course, she was a silver herself, but ultimately it didn't matter right now. For now he just watched her leave and considered the possibilities before remembering the reason he came out here to begin with and turned back to Barrett.

"We should get back if you have nothing else to report. The men might do something dumb if they realize that we're both gone." They usually knew better than to get too reckless, but if what he said about their overzealous use of supplies, who knows. "Also... Find out who she is, but don't let it get back to her that you're looking. She's a real pain in the ass so I want to keep an eye on her. Got it?" He didn't really have to, he could have easily put one of his men on that duty or even just ignore her, but it didn't feel right to him. It almost felt as if this was his problem and his alone, but he couldn't understand it himself.

Errant Voyager

Ms. Sparrow

Errant Voyager · Jan 15, 2019

Quartermaster Barrett gave a distinctive frown as he kicked at the dirt below while still holding the noose. "...I wish there were some bandits." morosely mumbled out Nathaniel as he once again kicked the dirt below. The boy took the time to tie noose into shape yet not a soul was to go into it! Well at least there would be one ready to hang a poor soul. Nate knew, he had a gut feeling, that some bandit was going to hang from it. Hell he didn't need even the "more honed" instincts to tell that. However there was a more important issue at hand.

Nathaniel gave quick salute, using his hand which held the noose, to Griff as he was giving out his newest set of orders. "Yes, of course Commander, Sir. At this moment I do not have anything to report other than just the supplies dwindling at a rate that they should not be dwindling at and my concerns about how we shall replenish them. I have taken care of counting stock, Commander, Sir." He peered towards the distance that Aelin was walking towards before his eyes peered towards Griff, "Your command is my task, Commander, Sir. I shall identify that woman to the best of my abilities, and provide you with all the details I require about her. I shall do my best to avoid drawing unnecessary attention in that regard, Commander, Sir. And a most excellent idea Commander, Sir. They can be a rather, rowdy lot when left unattended, and without any bandits..." Nathaniel traced off in that dialogue as he offered the noose for Griff to take as Nate retrieved his carving knife, returning it to his side, and claiming his make-shift bowl alongside securing the ledger.

"Well, at least we have a rope prepared yes, Commander, Sir?" remarked the boy quartermaster as he proceeded to head back to main encampment. His orders were clear, and Nate would be sure to follow them efficiently and effectively as always, despite the change of locale.

Ennuis

Ms. Sparrow

FireMaiden · Jan 15, 2019

Persephone Camden
Intetaction: Bowa
Mentioned: shadowz1995

Mercury seemed to be acting like everyone did with her, so that was good. Two peopl, the Generals, we're the only ones who knew about her little double personally act. At least, to her knowledge. So, she have him a little smile, leaning forward a bit as she lightly crossed her arms. Taking a bite of her eggs, she chuckled. "Yeah. Running around that early though would let people get in the shower before me, so nasty food is a trade off I can handle." She didn't actually think the food was terrible, but again, it could be done a lot better. "You know some of the girls like to go up watch you. I think it's a little creepy." That wasn't a lie, some girls did go up and watch him, and she seriously did think it was creepy.

And nobody had time to waste on boys anyhow.

She focused on her food for a few minutes, picking at it lightly while sipping at some water. Persephone found that if she ate too quickly, she would get sick, so she was always careful. With this food at least, when she was out in the field, somehow that cuisine was more agreeable. Anyway, she looked back up at Met yet when he mentioned the assignments. Taking a glance towards Issac, and then back, she shrugged. "I don't know. Hopefully something fun? I might no be going though, I haven't heard anything from General Gaea."

The Suspicious Eye · Jan 15, 2019

Constance Belladonna

Mentions:
Issac

With:
Knife

Tags:
In post

━━━━━━━━━━❦━━━━━━━━━━

Time was a trivial thing, one which Constance cared not. Awakening to the feeling of claws raking against flesh, her body lifted up, arms and head limp, like a puppet being pulled by its string. Head rocking to a upright position she looked down to see the heavy blade still cradled in her left hand as she let out a low and guttural hiss. The constant scraping of claw on flesh continued as her animosi grew as she gnashed her teeth and raised the knife towards her head. "You hungry Knife... hee he he heee." The blade rubbing gently across the top of her cloaked head she nodded, "we will feed..."

Her body slithered like a snake off her bed and landed onto the floor in silence. Coiling to a upright position she glided across the floor and down the stairs. "Taste of flesh...sweet screams pain.." The cold walls compressing against the staircase as she walked further down, the ceiling gradually falling back to its small five foot height. Impossible to traverse for most her age, but a cozy comfort to Constance. Rats danced between her feet with every step until they arrived at the wooden door.

Reaching out her blackened hand she pulled the rusted handle towards her and cracked the door open ever so slightly. Breathing heavily her mouth frothed as she saw one of her siblings long legs walking down the halls. Eyes piercing their flesh, disfiguring their body and devouring their essence as she gagged with glee at the tingling sensation she felt. unblinkingly continuing to stare she watched them pass and waited till she was certain the hall was empty before pulling the door open all the way. "Swift violent silence..." she muttered as she felt the swift and shadow engulf her. Turning around she closed the small door and pulled her hood down close. Crouching down slowly her body twitched and shot down the halls quickly, weaving through the maze like passages she stopped as she was in the kitchen area.

There was a tightness in her throat as the dark embrace of shadow engulfed her. The light bending around her she crouched down and began to sneak her way through the long legs of the enslaved monsters. Each one a murderous creature of filth broken to serve with a smile, but she sees their faces. Twisted and broken with jagged teeth and sharp piercing claws only made to cause pain. The pain in her chest grew and her breathing pittered out as her eyes began to dart around. Soft squeaking perked her ears as she realized she was next to the grill. Grabbing a roll she stuffed it into the dark hole of her hood. "Hush Knife...Flesh is mine..." Resting her blackened hand on the hot stove flesh burning from the heat, as she reached up and grabbed some bacon. Only to collide with a leg of a male kitchen server, losing shadow.

"Gah!! What?! Who are you? How did you get there?" One of the kitchen staffers said as he watched her snatch some bacon.

Looking up at the source of the voice her eyes met his and whisper erupted from her. As their eyes met her visions became reality in his eyes. A blade pierced through the torso of the server with a fiery pain. As the blade was removed with a sickening gush, the calm pittering of blood dripping onto the kitchen floor. Crying a loud wail the server collapsed to the ground, the pain was like fire, but something else was scratching within the wound. Scratching, constant, gnawing pain as if something was trying to get out. Rolling on the floor the server screamed as he clawed at his chest. Suddenly a powerful pounding pushed against his chest. One, the man screamed in agony. Two, large tears rolled down his face. Three, a large clawed hand broke through his chest and went from his throat.

All the while Constance slithered away under the screams and confusion as the server suddenly began screaming bloody murder. "Hrr..." stopping the door was blocked by incoming monsters, taking a few steps back she went towards the serving area. Climbing over she landed on the floor in the dining hall, hearing the soft hushes of the others. Constance looked around and noticed the training man (

shadowz1995 ) quickly called the shadow to bend light around her and did her best to run past him before he caught her.

━━━━━━━━━━❦━━━━━━━━━━

RI.a · Jan 16, 2019

Jamie Bernhard

Location: Mess Hall
Mentions/Interactions: Open!

Harder.

Swift footsteps thumped against the foggy forest floor. Small clouds of vapor disappeared as quickly as they formed against the cool morning air.

Better.

The unblinking eyes of an owl followed the trespasser on its hunting grounds. Silently observing the man on two legs kick against a great oak tree to push himself up on the strong branch, quickly disappearing into the foliage.

Stronger.

Without hesitation, he leaped, twirled and flipped from tree to tree. He flew through the dark dense forest with grace and speed. The thick blanket of mist slowly beginning to rise, telling him that his personal time is up.

Faster.

And with one last leap, he broke through the trees just as the first ray of light danced across the land. For a moment, time seemed to stop. The sweat on his skin sparkled like jewels, his dark eyes focussed on the castle in the distance. Where his Queen ruled. Ah, what he wouldn't do so that every creature would bow with praise for her. But to see that day, he would have to work for it. For her.

And just like that, he began to fall to the ground. Like any other day, he would prepare for her dynasty and cleanse the land of rebels. His arms and legs moved to position, breaking his fall as he rolled. Coming to a dramatic stop with a knee bent. He took a deep breath of the morning air, letting out a long breath of vapor where he was before he stood up silently and stretched; preparing to run back to the barracks and bath before it got too crowded.

Jamie was meticulous during his cleanse, making sure to treat every new cut he got from swinging and running through the sharp branches that morning. The raven-haired boy could have spent hours in there if it weren't a regular routine for him. He could sterilise and even stitch himself without a single flinch now. And once he made sure he was completely dry did he wrap the wounds, even the most shallow of cuts. He couldn't risk scarring his body. He doesn't want to, for the Queen liked his beauty. So he would take care of himself if it pleases her.

Upon returning to the barracks, most of the soldiers were still asleep. The messy lot made Jamie grimace in disgust. One had their sweaty socks hanging over their covers, another had a pile of dirty laundry lazily stuffed under their bed. Eugh. He sat by his own bed, already made and without a single wrinkle on the sheets. Grabbing his boots, he started to shine them. But not a moment later, Isaac's command shot through the entire dorm. Announcing a mission from the Queen. While some of the soldiers sat up in shock and some were groaning, the corner of Jamie's lips pulled up. A rare emotion on the young man. They would be serving their Queen again and he was more than happy to do so... but he'll be stuck next to the dirtiest people he's known and have to call them brothers. But he could do anything for his Queen, right? Oh, how Jamie wished he was sent on another spy mission instead.

The young man entered the mess hall, ignoring familiar faces. It was usual for Jamie to not speak a word amongst them, even up to days. He didn't care for socialising. And that morning wasn't going to be any different. He grabbed the metal tray full of stale food (that was surprisingly packed with protein) and sat at the end of a table, not caring to ask if it was occupied or not.

shadowz1995 · Jan 17, 2019

Isaac was only halfway through his breakfast when the scuffle in the kitchen alerted him. His fork hit the floor along with his patience. There were many things he could tolerate but having his meal interrupted was a very quick way to piss them man off. Isaac shot up from his seat and was prepared to give out orders to every able bodied person in the mess hall until something caught his eye.

The commotion was coming from one of the servers and it looked like he was in an ungodly amount of pain. As if someone was stabbing him and twisting the blade the blade as slow as possible. The general's golden ire swept across the room for anyone who may be responsible but found everyone with the same dumbfounded look.

It was only when a flicker of movement in the shadows caught his attention that his mind instantly came to a conclusion as to who was behind the act of mental terrorism.

The golden-eyed man would certainly feel bad about it, but he had little choice if he wanted to catch the culprit. Normally, he kept his silencing range to just physical contact. It wasn't something you could necessarily turn off. In this case, he pushed the muted range roughly ten feet around him and those nearby certainly felt it. The combination of nausea, fatigue, and isolation that came with being muted touched them and only got worse the longer they stayed in the field. At least, until they were fully silenced and as mortal and powerless as the people who just served their food.

It was in the weakening barrier that the culprits shadowy movement let up, and like a flash of furious lightning, Isaac's hand shot out to his left and came into contact with a very familiar feeling at this point. His fingers clamped down like a vice and he yanked with all his might.

He knew it would strangle her for a moment but that was fine.

The little brat interrupted his breakfast.

In fact....

The arm that gripped Constance's hood dragged her from his feet and upwards like a cloth noose. He pulled up, up, up until the poor girl was held a foot off the ground and staring helplessly into General Isaac's irritated ire. "Constance. How lovely for you to join your siblings for breakfast. You've spared me the trouble of hunting you down." Normally, the general's voice was always rather stone-like and to the point but at this moment, it had a razor's edge to it. "I was originally going to give you this weeks training schedule but since you seem so lively, I'm going put you to the test today."

"Her majesty has given us a mission and this is going to be your first official mission with the army. Isn't that exciting?" he asked in a completely dead voice.

His arm relaxed and he lowered the girl back to the floor, only to turn and start dragging her by the scruff of her cloak out of the cafeteria. He made sure to keep her completely silenced while he dragged her along. "Come. We are getting your supplies together. That's an order."

Isaac caught a glimpse of Rose, which he offered a light salute without stopping.

Everyone in the cafeteria.

The Suspicious Eye

Bowa · Jan 17, 2019

Mercury

Gazing at Persephone over the rim of his cup, Mercury washed down his eggs with some lukewarm water before idly picking at one of the pieces of bread he had to finish off his breakfast. It was a bit stale but he liked to fill himself up in the mornings to prepare himself for the day ahead, eating carbs was the perfect method to do just that. Persephone had returned his soft smile and her posture suggested that she was at least moderately engaged in their conversation, which was a good sign for Mercury. While he didn't know the girl pretty much at all, perhaps getting to know her would be worthwhile, she could be useful in some way. It was something he contemplated whenever he interacted with someone new, their utility and how they could potential be used as a stepping stone to reach his goals. Only time would tell.

As of right now, Persephone seemed quite generic. He didn't blame her for choosing first access to bathing rather than running, most people would do that, and that's why the majority of the army were merely adequate at their jobs. You have to make sacrifices to achieve greatness, after all. Although, when you're a perfectionist like him you can simply have both, he had been doing it for years, you just had to get up early enough and not dally. He slightly furrowed his brow as she mentioned some of the girls liked to watch him run, he didn't really pay attention to anybody except himself when it came to his independent training so it was no wonder he didn't notice. Honestly, Mercury would have to agree with Persephone that it was creepy, he didn't really care for attention in that regard. It was a waste of time and energy, so much so that he couldn't even remember ever swooning over anyone; he was always looking out for number one.

Mercury found himself rather surprised that Persephone hadn't heard anything from General Gaea - was she getting lazy now? She wasn't the nicest of people, however, you could tell she visibly took joy in ordering people around. Truthfully, he wouldn't be shocked if shouting out the Queen's decree in the morning was among her favourite times of the day. He was about to express his confusion when a shrill cry echoed around the mess hall and in the distance one of the servers collapsed to the ground, horrific shrieks of agony bursting from him despite there outwardly appearing as if there was nothing amiss. The commotion garnered practically all of the eyes in the room and a range of expressions from frightened to bewildered. Clearly, this was the work of a whisper, but there being no culprit in sight was a telltale sign that this was more likely a mimic and had now channelled a shadows ability. There was immediately one person who came straight to the forefront of Mercury's mind and that was Constance. He hadn't interacted with the girl as much as he would have liked to, she was widely perceived as particularly creepy and unnerving but more than anything Mercury found her fascinating. What a fucking labyrinth her mind must be, you would surely get lost in there.

Someone who definitely wasn't ready to deal with Constance's unpredictable behaviour was General Issac, this was one of the seldom occasions you could actually notice emotion when you looked at him. The contortion of the faces around him made it apparent that he was silencing the area to attempt to catch the miscreant who was responsible for this. Soon enough, his arm shot out to latch onto what Mercury would rapidly learn was Constance's hood. The mimic became an object of scorn as General Issac had some clearly harsh words with her prior to dragging the small girl out of the hall. It reminded Mercury that he had best get a move on if he was going to be properly prepared for this mission. "I'm heading to the stables, I'll see you around." He disclosed, pushing back his chair as he rose to his feet. "I certainly won't be forgetting your face anytime soon." He commented. A crooked grin curled up his cheek as sprinkled a little bit of his signature charm on the end of their conversation; it never did anybody any harm. Well, that would be a lie but we won't mention that.

With that, Mercury took care of his dirty dishes and then headed in the direction of the stables. His last horse had died only a week ago due to a fatal injury and his new one was a stubborn guy, therefore, he resolved it was wise to spend a small amount of time with him before packing up for the mission.

Interaction: FireMaiden
Mentioned: slim The Suspicious Eye shadowz1995

FireMaiden · Jan 18, 2019

Persephone Camden
Intetaction: Bowa - Open
Mentioned: shadowz1995 The Suspicious Eye calypso

She took a few bits of her porridge, her eyes wandering around the room as she waited for Mercury to reply. Of course, before he could, blood chilling screams erupted from the kitchen. On instinct, she flinched, but her heart began to flutter with excitement. The thrill of the kill, the sounds of agnoy, the rush of pride after a kill would fuel her, constantly bringing her back into reality. Even if this wasn't her's, nor was she even sure it was a kill, the screaming sent a much welcome fire through her veins. Her attention however, would turn to General Isaac. He was not happy. Though honestly was he ever happy?

Anyway, she watched as he stood, joint the crowd of confused and worried people. Cowards all of them, a little screaming, a little blood, it was simple. It was the way the world worked. She watched as the expression on the people's faces changed from worried to nauseated. She knew what he was doing, she had been victim of if a few times. Persephone liked to use telepathy often, and Isaac seemed to think it meant she was reading his mind. Even if she swore on her life she wasn't, he never changed. Regardless, it took all her might not to smile as she watched him grab and lift the little mimic Constance up by the throat.

Nobody here was entirely sane, nor entirely mental stable not even herself, but that little creep took the crazy cake. Well, her and that blood healer. Isaac obviously wasn't having it, his voice showing what his face couldn't. It made her chuckle. When Isaac started dragging Constance out, she turned back to her meal, raising her cup so she could sip on her water. It was nasty when it was warm, but she couldnt do anything about it other than silently complain. When Mercury mentioned he would be leaving, she gave him a nod, a smiling a bit as her eye were cast downwards with his last little comment. Persephone was faking of course, she had heard the rumors about what he would do, or at least, if she was thinking about the right man. Anyway, when he reached the cafeteria door, he would hear her voice loud and clear, despite the fact she was a good 20 feet away. "Bye bye Mercury."

Telepathy was such a nice little trick.

Once again her attention would turn to her half eaten food. She honestly didn't want anymore, but she knew she should finish eating. Persephone had a habit of accidently skipping meals without realising, so when she made it to breakfadt, she always made a note to eat most of it. Spooning more excruciatingly bland mush into her mouth, her eyes would one again wander around the cafeteria.

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