Fantasy The Five Kingdoms - The Fall of Sarthenfall - Ic

[Xanto]

Clyde Callahan and Baxter Callahan​

Hypnosis. Clyde thought to himself understandably nodding at the princess's friendly correction. It didn't take long for the shy looking woman to introduce herself. "Princess Aurelie, huh?" Clyde repeated her title placing a hand on his chin just as he had seen his father do before. For a few moments the boy pondered about the unique name she carried. Maybe it was because she was royal or from a different kingdom, but she was the first Aurelie he has ever met. "Clyde Callahan, your highness," He replied with a big smile knowing that he was fortunate to meet another princess during these times.

An all too familiar voice suddenly caught his attention toward the middle of the field causing the kid to look over and see his father preaching about capture the flag. "That sounds like fun!" Clyde exclaimed shifting his eyes to Aurelie. Her face wasn't expressing the same excitement he was though. Aurelie said her farewell, but kept her manners in check while speaking to the kid. "It's a game, Princess Aurelie. You should have fun," Clyde mentioned before running over to Baxter, "Father!"

Oh no. Baxter thought to himself hearing his son's scream. Now was not the time to deal with a Clyde situation. He had to focus on the matches to make it in time for a logistics meeting later that afternoon. Bax already missed one meeting. Another absence was not acceptable even under his own standards.

The rebellion leader immediately looked over to the boy running toward him with open arms. Fortunately, it looked like his son was just fine. Baxter's serious expression genuinely turned into a smile despite his earlier thoughts. As soon as Clyde reached his father, Bax scooped him up with one arm and carried him with ease. It was good to see his son happy even when they both knew what was really going on outside their walls. Clyde wrapped his arms around his father before squeezing him as hard as he could. For some reason, this new group brought in a load of positive energy for the boy.

"Woah a knight!" Clyde jumped out of his father's arm prior to sprinting at the armored redhead. "Teach me everything you know!" Clyde exclaimed with wide eyes glancing at his father to check if he was excited as well. However, the kid only found his father furrowing his brows at him. Not only did Clyde abruptly "attack" the guy, but also lacked integrating any manners in his question. "Please?" The boy added looking back at the armored guy.

"Clyde, your lessons?" Baxter questioned hinting at Clyde's class break almost being over. Clyde's eyes suddenly widened when the realization hit him. If he wasn't mistaken, the teacher was going to start any minute. "I uh . . ," The boy energetically took off in a sprint toward his schooling tent only looking back to complete his 'negotiation', "Please think about it, sir!"

After that whole occurrence, Baxter's expression snapped back to his norm as he indifferently shifted his attention to the guy in armor. "Nice metal. What is your name?" He asked not having screened the guy before.

SandraDeelightful explosiveKitten

 

[Ms. Sparrow]

Azalea Eve Windfore

Her sisters would’ve loved it. Hale too. In fact, would’ve been walking by now. They were the first to come to mind as she gazed up, letting the light snow flakes drift gently around her. It made her realize just how much on life they missed out on. In Calore all they’re life, and they never thought once about the world around them. Perhaps that was intentional.

She would’ve given...everything for them to be here, safe...alive. Azalea closed her eyes from the sky and shut out the world for a moment.

But she didn’t find peace.

~~

Azalea awoke the next day, grumpy with lack of sleep, along with the rest of the girls. After Keeper’s morbid story the night before, Violet and Azalea had to coerce the girls into sleep. Azalea became even more so when Violet nearly threw a fit after realizing she’d left Kaidan’s watch at the pavilion the night before. Azalea, begrudgingly put on her boots and entered the passage alone, only doing so to skip at least some lessons for the morning.

Descending alone into the silver forest felt different. Everything was muffled, and Azalea’s boot clacks left no echo.

When she reached the pavilion, it stood dark. Keeper was not there. Azalea knocked, lightly, on the arched doorframe.

“Hello?” she said.

With no answer, she quietly stepped onto the dance floor, and nearly had a heart attack when the orchestra burst into a lively jig.

“Shh!” she seethed. “Quiet! Hush!”

The orchestra cut off, except for a violin that screeched a happy solo until it slowed with an embarrassing whine.

Azalea searched the pavilion for a sign of the stupid watch, and as she turned, felt the prickly, uncanny sensation of someone’s eyes on her. She looked up, and let out a cry.

There, on the ceiling like a big, black spider, was Keeper.

Azalea’s heart nearly leaped out of her corset. She stumbled back.

Keeper pushed off from the ceiling and flipped to the ground in a swoop. He landed, catlike, on his feet, and straightened. His cloak settled around him.

Azalea darted for the entrance. Keeper was there in an instant, blocking her way. He smiled a long-dimpled smile.

“My, you startle easily,” he said.

“You—it—on—ceiling…” Azalea choked.

“Oh, do calm down, Miss Azalea.” In a silky movement he brought Azalea’s shaking hand around his arm, smoothing her quaking fingers over his black suitcoat sleeve. “Living in such a small pavilion for so many years makes one, ah, creative. And you, Miss Azalea, I am pleased to see you here. Even if you are here for a gentleman’s watch, and not for me.”

Azalea tried to pull her arm away, but Keeper only smiled, pressed his long fingers over hers, and escorted her to a sofa next to the dessert table.

“Do sit down. You are trembling. It is my fault; I know it. That story last night. I hope you can forgive me for it.”

He produced a cup of streaming tea from nowhere, it seemed, and offered it to her, but Azalea waved it away.

“Where is the watch?” she said bluntly.

“Ah, so quickly to the point. That is bad manners, you know.” He set the teacup on the table, and next to it, lifted the lid from a small platter. The plate held the pocket watch rather then a tiny cake. Azalea reached for it.

Keeper closed the lid with a clink.

“Mr. Keeper,” said Azalea.

Keeper had no hint of a smile as he set the covered plate aside and lifted the lid off a larger tureen.

Azalea gasped. On the platter lay an assortment of odds and ends. A pair of lace gloves, a needle with a scarlet thread, one of Jasmine’s stockings, spoon, Karliah’s pen, all among other things of the siblings’. Azalea was shocked.

“Those are ours!” she said.

“I know,” said Keeper. “I like to keep things.”

“That’s stealing!” said Azalea.

“You must forgive me,” he said. “But I am desperate. I need a favor from you, and your sisters. A great favor indeed, and I don’t believe any of you would help me unless I did something, ah, unconventional. I want to be freed, Miss Azalea.”

Azalea frowned. Keeper was—well, Keeper. Magical and beautiful and part of the ethereal pavilion. She shifted on the velvet sofa, feeling both consternation and guilt.

“I…hadn’t thought of it,” said Azalea.

“I know,” said Keeper. He smiled, but not bitterly. “Perhaps you will now?”

“Oh, honestly,” said Azalea. She stood up and strode to the entrance with a click click click. The familiar hotness had begun to run through her, and she felt she needed a breath of real air. “I can’t believe you would just—just steal! We trusted you!”

“Step out of that entrance,” Keeper called, “and you and your siblings will never be welcome here again.”

Azalea stopped abruptly, freezing in her steps. She glanced back at Keeper to see if he was in earnest. A touch of a smile graced his lips, but his face was deadly serious.

Azalea’s toes curled in her boots. She suddenly hated Keeper. Her eyes flared an angry yellow as she stared at the floor.

“Don’t—” she stammered. She couldn’t manage to meet his eyes.

“We’ve got to keep dancing here, Keeper. It’s all we have. Don’t take it away.”

“Then you will help free me?”

Azalea gripped the side of the arched entrance tightly, wishing to feel some sort of silvery texture beneath her palms. Instead she felt a strange glassy smoothness.

“Fine,” she said, her lips pursed, nails clicking against the post. “For the dancing. And the watch. What do we have to do?”

She felt his presence draw near to her, until she could almost sense his sleekness, and his eyes on her back, despite not hearing his footsteps.

“The Mad King magicked many things,” he said, in his smooth voice. “Your palace. This pavilion. Me. He was fascinated with magic. It was, to him, a science, dealing with force and matter and auras. There are different sorts of magic, too. Some are much stronger than others.

“Miss Azalea, there is an object in your palace that has been magicked so strongly, it keeps me weak. Confined.”

Azalea recalled Keeper raising the gushing, foaming water to the top of the bridge. He had been panting when he stood. Breathless and drawn, taxed almost to illness. Azalea pursed her lips.

“A magic object?” she said. “Here, in our palace?” Her tone carried disbelief.

“Yes.”

“What is it?”

“I do not know. But here is a thought: Until earlier this year, I was hardly more than brick. Something happened to the magic object—it was partially broken. Broken enough that I have my magic back, at least in part.”

Azalea’s brows knit. They hadn’t anything magic. They had the old, dented magic tea set, one of the few remnants of the Mad King. Although—Azalea’s brows knit further—she hadn’t seen that tea set for quite some time.

“I need you to find the magic object, and destroy it,” said Keeper. “Your period of mourning ends in but four months. Surely that is enough time?”

Azalea tapped her toe against the ground, the misty air stifling her.

“We don’t have much magic left” she managed to say. “We could probably find it, if I had all the girls search—”

Keeper took Azalea’s hand from the silver doorframe into both of his, and pressed his lips against it.

~~

Baxter’s voice broke her from her thoughts...again. Azalea blinked. Twice. Where was her mind today? All the memories just came rushing back.

Azalea glanced behind her at Baxter, who barked commands that were exactly the same. No killing people. Though the jist of it was capture the flag, a game she’d never heard of until this very moment, which wasn’t surprising. The castle wasn’t exactly a place the girls could run wild and do what they wanted. At least...not with permission.

Azalea ran her hands through her hair, exhaling heavily as she turned and looked at her fellow team mates. Annabel was an obvious plus—though—Azalea’s brows furrowed—she was wearing a dress. Her gaze traveled to Cale. Scrawny, weak, and definitely not a brave sort. Azalea sighed. They had the chance of winning, though it was on the slimmer side.

Knowing they decidedly needed some strategy, Azalea approached Annabel, gesturing for Cale to come closer so they could get they’re bearings together.
​

Xanto Bakuyoshi Blackrose7​

 

[FrostFire]

Morag 'Aria' MacLaird

Spoiler: Images

Aria chuckled as Ray joked, rolling her eyes. "More of an interest as to where it came from." She retorted, grinning. She wondered if he suspected she was planning on using him as her next human punching bag - or rather, her next sparring partner. She thought not, and either way, she intended on sparring with the fresh meat in the camp as soon as she could get her hands on them, Angie, Ray and Azalea especially, she had always secretly wanted to spar with her cousins, but she knew it would displease her Uncle greatly, just as much as it likely would have pleased her Father, who had always taken great pride in Aria's battles. She really did have the best Father.

Spoiler: Flashback

Spoiler: Image

It was a cold, clear day, not a cloud in the sky with the sun shining down, the ground frozen solid with the cold as it was most of the year. Four people stood in the arena, which sat a little ways away from a medieval looking castle sitting on the edge of a cliff, surrounded by dark green forests and mountains. Two tall figured stood off to the side, one a bulky looking woman with black hair and green eyes wearing shiny, expensive looking silver armour that was partially covered in beautiful patterns that looked very much like ivy dented into the metal, the other was a man, taller than the woman and wearing clothing that looked even more expensive than what the woman wore, still wearing silver metal, but dark green velvet robes alongside it, and a silver crown embedded with dark green stones set into it. His armour and crown also had ivy patterns partially covering each piece; his attire almost certainly labelled him as the King.
"Ethan, are you sure about this...?" The black haired woman asked hesitantly as both looked on at the other two in the arena.
"Nonsense, Meera." King Ethan rumbled in his deep, commanding voice. "My little tigress has been training long enough, it's time she had a real opponent in a real sparring match." He looked fondly at the smallest person in the arena, who was easily half the size of everyone else.
King Ethan and General Meera looked on at the other two, who faced each other. One was a man who looked to be in his mid-twenties, shorter than the King and the General and certainly not as muscly as either, but he was well built, a soldier, one who held a wooden practice sword but wore no armour, and looked incredibly nervous.
His nerves were directed at the one who faced him, but anyone who looked on would laugh at his worry, as the one who faced him was in every respect, a child. A little girl no older than 8, she had long red hair that was pinned tightly to her head, she was very thin but had surprisingly defined muscles for one so young, her clothing was similar to that of the soldiers, a simple tunic and trousers with no armour, and she tightly gripped a wooden sword that was smaller than her opponents but still much too big for her. Despite all this, her little, freckled face was determined, baring her teeth with her little jaw set, eyes glaring at the soldier across from her.

General Meera cleared her throat, stepping forward to glean the attention of the little girl and the nervous soldier. "Now! By order of the King," Her eyes flashed over to King Ethan as she continued. "Neither of you are to hold back. Understood?" The girl nodded eagerly, but the soldier gulped audibly, nodding much less enthusiastically.
"Very well." General Meera Arwein returned to her position next to the King, pausing for a few seconds before barking "Bow." To which both opponents bowed to the other, preparing for battle.
"And begin!" At the General's command, the fight begun.
Instantly, the tiny child uttered a shouted battle cry, screaming as she shot forwards and sprinted full speed towards the wide eyes soldier, the sword raised in both hands. Her opponent managed to compose himself and twisted right, narrowly avoiding the blow, his own swords swinging down to where she had just been, but she had rolled away, already springing to her feet behind him, spinning on her heel and lunging her sword forwards.
It connected with his back, and the soldier hissed in pain, jumping away and turning to face his tiny opponent with a more determined look on his face. He had underestimated her before, held back, but the little girl knew that wouldn't be the case anymore. She readied herself.
He grunted as he lunged at her, their swords connected in wooden thwacking sounds as she staved off his attacks, backing off as he forced her away with his attacks. His wooden sword flashed down, and too late she tried to parry it, the blunt blade connected with her side and she cried out in pain, using the momentum from the blow to jump left, retreating as she held her side with a wince on her face.
They circled each other, and the child composed herself, baring her teeth again. "Rah!" She shouted another cry of defiance as she attacked, feigning right but instead dropping into a roundhouse kick that connected with the soft tissue of his abdomen. "Oof." The wind was half knocked out of her opponent as she spun up on her heel, striking out with her sword, twisting it as the wooden blade connected with his, making the heavy practice swords fly out of his hand, spinning onto the floor with a thump.
Before she could retreat, his fist shot out and connected with her tiny shoulder, making her grunt with pain as her arm instantly went dead and tingly, also making her drop her swords as she jumped away, holding her limp arm with the other.
They circled each other again, the girl shaking her arm until she regained feeling into it, but it was still tingly, sore and numb.
The soldier moved in, his arms raised to his her but she had ducked to the side, twisting around his form and bringing up her knee to connect with his ribs, twisting on her heel and jumping, she grabbed his shoulder and used it to swing up onto him, her legs circling around his neck as she forced herself backwards - the soldier who was already off balance had no choice but to follow the movement as he fell back, the little girl choking him used her legs to expertly twist around so that he didn't land on her, and they both tumbled to the ground. She hissed as her back connected painfully with the frozen hard ground, but didn't release her grip, her muscly legs squeezing his neck as he wheezed, arms scrabbling in the dirt and against her legs but unable to get her to release.
His eyes bugging and his face turning blue, he hit the ground three times with an open palm and straight arm - conceding.
The little girl promptly released him from her death grip, and he gasped for air, scrabbling away as he coughed and sucked in the frozen atmosphere.
Both opponents stood with difficulty, and bowed painfully to each other. The girl still had adrenaline coursing through her veins so she could hardly feel the pain anymore, but her body moved oddly, knowing her injuries were there.
Unable to contain her excitement any longer, the eight year old whooped, arms in the air as she jumped up and down on the spot. "I beat him! I beat him! I beat him!" Her cute, girly voice chanted, almost squealing from elation. General Meera Arwein and King Ethan looked on, Meera's face not hiding how impressed she was at the little eight year old beating a man three times her age and twice her size in combat, and King Ethan's face was the picture of prideful elation as he watched his own pride and joy.
She spun on her heel and half skipped half ran to the King, arms outstretched. "Papa! Papa! I did it, I did it!" She cheered breathlessly, and King Ethan fell to one knee, his own arms open to meet hers as she practically ran into his big hug as he laughed happily.
"My little tigress, I knew you could!" His face was lit up with pride at his daughter, his love and happiness painted plainly there for all to see.
"Papa? When I grow up, I want to be just like you!" She spoke a little quieter, her voice full of conviction as she looked up at him, the admiration and adoration in her eyes matching his.
"You will be, my love. You will be." He smiled down at her, his eyes crinkling as his love for his daughter overflowed.
"Aria, my warrior Princess."

Aria nodded in recognition of his thanks, and uttered her own "Thanks" when he held the tent flap open for her to go first, which she did. The camp was blanketed in a layer of snow, she had always liked snow but growing up in it meant that she wasn't in awe like Azalea seemed to be, although her cousin currently seemed lost in thought. She studied her cousin's far off expression, before turning an amused eyebrow to Raymond.
"Fix what...?" She asked suspiciously, looking around before her eyes landed on the moving obstacle course, one of her favourites to train on. She gasped as she saw what exactly he had broken, realising then that the bruise he had sustained was almost certainly from this.
Sighing, she rubbed her temples, her eyebrows furrowing as she looked like she was about to kick him in the tenders. But after a few seconds of deliberating whether to incapacitate him or not, she just burst out laughing.
"Oh, oh my." She wiped a tear from her eye as she doubled over. "You've been here less than 24 hours and already made quite the reputation for yourself." She cleared her throat and wiped the smile off her face when Baxter began to announce the game's rules. Before Ray went off to his team, she put a hand on his shoulder, holding him in place with her iron grip. "I expect it it be in working order by tomorrow morning." She spoke menacingly, glaring up at him. "If it isn't, I'll make sure you have more to worry about that that little bruise on your shoulder." She paused for a few seconds, and as if by flicking a switch she brightened up and grinned as if she hadn't just been threatening him. "Good luck!" She chirped happily, spinning on her heel as she walked a short distance away and looked for her team. From her reckoning she had Azalea, Cale and Annabel plus a couple from her gang. She knew her cousin well enough, but the others were only acquaintances... Her eyes scanned each one quickly, and she scowled when she saw Annabel was wearing a dress. How impractical. Aria didn't have time to order her to change, but she certainly had time for a few... Choice words towards the other woman; she could only imagine Baxter's discomfort during the screening, and wondered if he had actually made her take the damn thing off. She half hoped he had, as such an ordeal would certainly ward Annabel off from wearing the blasted thing.
Aria would have to tell her off properly once capture the flag was over, dresses were one of Aria's main dislikes, and she had happily banned them when she was overseeing training.

She approached her team, immediately honing in on Annabel. "A dress? I would have thought you to be more sensible, Miss Annabel." Her words were harsh, yet not too unkind. But Aria's annoyance was clear. "By wearing such a thing you have put yourself and the team at a clear disadvantage. Not to mention it will likely be damaged during the game." She sighed, rubbing her temples. Her little berating session was over for now.
"I will be watching over your progress but not participating, discuss your strengths and weaknesses with each other, working out a strategy is important, as is working as a team. Azalea?" She turned to her cousin to allow her to take over, she had no doubt her cousin would be good at capture the flag, it had similarities to hide and seek, a game Aria imagined Azalea had played with her siblings.

Xanto Ms. Sparrow Blackrose7 Bakuyoshi

 

[Bakuyoshi]

"I may not be strong but I am quick on my feet. I do apologize as in direct combat I won't be of much help. But if need be I can act as a distraction. Given some on their team we mostly have to deal with some that could be slower. Not sure about that other Noble. Was her name Aurielle or something? Nevermind that, it could be in our interest to play defense. Or wait and see what their move is. At least that's my idea on our plan." Cale was quick to go with the idea of defense. If what he's heard of Capture the flag is true then it would be best that most of them stay on their side. And once the enemy team was low then they would make the capture. It seemed good in his head. But it was up to his other teammates. He knew most peoples opinion on him and he wanted to prove them wrong. He had no brawn but he had a lot of brain to make up for his lack of strength.

Ms. Sparrow Blackrose7 FrostFire

 

[Blackrose7]

"Hey. This is the dress that I like to go outside with, and it isn't any better with what else I bring with me. I didn't bring any shirt or pants." said Annabel.
Aria doesn't know that she didn't have any time to pack a shirt and pants. It would have been too risky to get them when the Shades are running around killing people. Also, her gifted dress and her maid dress were already in the picnic basket. So it was better to have some clothes than to wear one clothes for the whole trip. "I also got Baxter to not make me change during the screening, so he wants you to do that part for him, Aria." said Annabel.
She was secretly grinning when she said that to Aria, since Annabel played her cards right by using a loophole during the screening. 'I am sensible. Just not in this situation, for my last remaining members in Demonic Velvet and my survival during a Shades invasion is far more important than that.' thought Annabel.

She then looked at Aurelie, since she wanted to know if she knew how to sew. "Um...excuse me, rabbit princess, but do you know how to sew? I am just asking you that, because I don't know if a princess like yourself know how to do that." said Annabel. "I do need someone to make my dress a bit higher as well, since I don't want it to be in the way when I am running."
Annabel had a hard time running in a dress on her way to the rebellion camp, and Daisy kept asking her to cut the damn dress with the scissors. That didn't happen, and Annabel would sometimes fall on her face when a tree branch went through her dress. 'I would rather have someone sew it than to cut this dress off anyway.' thought Annabel.
FrostFire SandraDeelightful

 

[explosiveKitten]

Angie had been staring off into the distance when she was approached by a young boy who seemed fascinated with her armor. Called her a knight.
Hardly a knight, she thought, I’d have to be royal... guard... ohhh, shit. I am a royal guard, OH GODS. I am some kind of knight in shining armor!

She was about to open her mouth and answer the child’s question about teaching him “everything she knew” but then his father- the Baxter, apparently- told the young boy to get back to his lesson. That was enough to make her

“... My name is Angelo.” She introduces, dipping her head as she figured Baxter’s position warranted, “and you are Baxter Callahan. You’re the leader of this rebellion, yes?”

Xanto

 

[Xanto]

Raymond Callahan​

Aria's laughter about Raymond's initial reputation that he managed to establish in less than a full day caught him off guard. His hazel glance promptly returned to the princess cackling at his actions, while his right arm gradually reached up to rub the back of his neck. It wasn't really his intention to break a set up, get a bruise, and nap out of boredom. Well, at least he knew what to expect if he was thrown into all those situations again.

With a couple of lost blinks, the man turned his attention back to Baxter. His nod was slow and understandable while listening to his older brother briefly lecture about capture the flag. Raymond had known about the game from his childhood. This time, it would be a lot more interesting since sparring was involved with a multitude of strangers and skills.

As soon as his brother was done talking, Ray felt the sudden sensation of a metal claw grabbing his shoulder. He immediately turned his head and almost charged at Aria before realizing that it was her. A couple of inches made up the distance between his forehead and her's just as he paused at the realization. See here that by instinct, Raymond was used to fighting rather than running away. His solo journey from the past year trained him for abrupt moments that could have been more dangerous than this simple threat that followed.

It only took a few moments for Aria to randomly threaten him in his face about getting the obstacle course set up before the next day. While this was happening, Raymond subtly moved his head away from her's. Fortunately, the princess was so worked up about the logs that she didn't seem to notice the whole proximity issue. Then, Aria grinned like she was possessed by the most positive spirits of the land prior to immediately walked away. The man gave a look (similar to the gif) momentarily watching her as she left.

Soon enough, he spotted his brother and went over to him. Raymond watched the whole scene between the armored babyface and his nephew unfold before smirking as he approached them. "Angelo, pleasure to meet you. Raymond Callahan," He mentioned arriving just in time for the introduction. The man smiled casually presenting his hand to the armored individual. "Brother, I take it you have a strategy for us?" Ray questioned turning his head toward the rebellion's leader. Growing up in the same household as Baxter, Raymond knew just how much the older Callahan loved his own plans. It was the one thing the Callahan brothers were almost complete opposites in. Raymond improvised as much as Baxter planned. Of course, they would both do so within reason though.

FrostFire explosiveKitten

Baxter Callahan​

"Correct," Baxter simply nodded at Angelo. It didn't take long for his brother to arrive to the group and join in on the introductions as well. A whole day without knowing him. Bax thought to himself glancing at Ray in disapproval before nodding at his question. For some reason, his younger brother was behind on his introductions with this group.

Within a few moments Baxter's gaze moved across the field spotting the opposite team, but pausing when he saw one of the princess's headed his way. "Princess Aurelie, nice of you to join us," The leader smiled a little knowing that she was one who usually kept to herself. It was an observation he picked up from the previous night's dinner interaction. This one lacked confidence and seemed to be the most uncomfortable about the whole situation.

From the looks of it though, his team wasn't too bad. Angelo looked like one who could stand his ground. The redhead had true fighting experience at least from how Baxter evaluated his expression while watching Cale swing his sword all over the place. Next, Aurelie was as silent and shy as a rabbit. In fact, she was so much like a rabbit that she looked even more naive than one. Finally, Raymond. Baxter knew his brother's talents from all the letters they have written back and forth to each other. With all these brief evaluations, Baxter had their winning game plan.

"The strategy is simple," Baxter began waiting for Aurelie to finally reach their team, "Angelo defend the flag, Raymond get their flag, and Aurelie distract from the flags." His cold blue eyes then focused on Aurelie who he was sure would fear the whole game. "Try staying in the middle of the field so that you can easily let out a warning about an intruder. Angelo and Raymond may back you up depending on their situation. Is this all clear?" He asked looking back at the other two guys. The game wasn't just a test of their physical prowess, but also their ability to work as a team and place the mission above themselves. Not to mention how well they followed orders since since they weren't the ones leading battles yet.

explosiveKitten SandraDeelightful

 

[SandraDeelightful]

Princess Aurelie Beauchamp of Aubigine

​

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Clyde," said Aurelie. "And please, just call me Aurelie."

As Clyde mumbled that it was a game, Aurlie muttered: "The only games I know are card games."

She walked slowly, scared for the game. She feared that she would come out covered in cuts and bruises. She didn't know how to play. Any sort of physical activities, apart from strolls through the garden, were prohibited by her mother. Her mother said that such things would make her sweat, and therefore, make her unattractive. For all the criticisms her parents did say that at she was pretty.

As Annabel approached her and asked if she knew how to sew, Aurelie nodded and smiled softly.

"Of course, ma'am, I'd be delighted," Aurelie sad, her voice soft.

She had made her way to Baxter and listen to the plan for the game. She was absolutely terrified. She had no idea what to expect. She felt herself shrink as Baxter told her that she would be the distraction.

"I-in the middle of the field?" Aurelie asked, her voice shaking. She looked absolutely terrified. Her eyes were wide, like a deer who had just been cornered by a hunter. "Out in the open?"

 

[Xanto]

Baxter Callahan and Raymond Callahan​

"In the middle of the field," Baxter firmly replied shifting his blue gaze to Aurelie. Despite the fact that he knew she would object, the whole plan was golden. Aria's team probably wouldn't expect the scared princess to do anything. Thus, serving her right to stand in as a brief distraction. Naturally, he would have Aurelie figure out the essence of that role by herself though.

Besides, anything that momentarily hogged the attackers' attentions would give his brother time to work his "magic". Baxter inwardly groaned at the pun he just created in his head. On a brighter note, his brother actually was a magician. There were probably some hidden tricks up Raymond's sleeve that he could improvise along the way.

"We are moving to a more secluded area," Baxter stated responding to Aurelie's "out in the open" concern. On that note, he indifferently moved past the training set ups expecting his team to follow him. It would be too easy and unrealistic if they held the match in an open field where everyone could easily see opponents and flags. That's why they had separate more obstructed training grounds for matches like these.

"You both ready?" Raymond asked stepping alongside Aurelie and Angelo as they followed the rebellion leader deeper into the forest. Ray's hazel eyes couldn't hide the adrenaline that flowed through his veins even if his facial reaction was rather calm. One of his favorite pastimes was playing games. Now that a challenge was integrated, it made the experience all the more positive to him.

Soon enough, Raymond shifted his line of sight to Aurelie and recalled her trembling voice from a few moments ago. "We are in this together, your highness," He tilted his head toward her almost feeling the fearful energy that radiated from her, "Angelo and I are by your side." As he looked back forward, Raymond gradually moved a hand through his hair feeling a few snow flakes start to cool the top of his head. Summoning Angelo away from the flag would be an easy giveaway for the other team. However in case she needed help, Raymond wanted to let Aurelie know that she wasn't alone. Most likely no one would go out of their way to severely injure the innocent western royal though. It would just be an inhumane crime to do that to someone who looked so pure.

As the group walked farther, Baxter began leading them down a declined plane. Anyone could tell that the northern trees were becoming more present allowing little to no sunlight to touch the snowy ground.

It didn't take long for Baxter to lead his team to the right side of the field infested with thick trees. "This is your half. Your flag is in its spot and lines are drawn," Baxter said before turning around and walking the opposite direction, "Aria and I will be overseeing the whole game, but wait for our go signal." With no time to waste, the leader made his way back up to the top of the hill standing at the ridge for an eagle eye view of the area.


SandraDeelightful explosiveKitten FrostFire

 

[Ms. Sparrow]

Azalea Eve Windfore

Azalea waited for the team to gather before her gaze shifted to her cousin, following an annoyed Aria as she approached them. Azalea arched an eyebrow, tracing Aria’s gaze until it landed on Annabel. The dress.

Azalea internally cringed. Neither her, nor Aria were really ones to not voice their opinions, though more so in Azalea’s case, when she didn’t know when to keep her mouth shut, or didn’t want to. Naturally, as she had predicted, Aria was quick to jump the gun on Annabel. Of course, she too had thought to say something, but judged that Aria’s harsh words were decidedly enough. Internally cringing at her wording, Azalea stayed silent and watched the show unfold.

Annabel took it in stride, and she couldn’t help but arch an eyebrow bemusedly at her answer. Annabel, a gang leader of all things, had a preference attire of dresses. She didn’t have a pair of sensible clothes with her, although she was certain she’d someone would lend her a soldiers uniform, especially for combat.

She didn’t have time to grab any clothes. Just some food. She hadn’t expected to run that night. Not revenge the time to glance back. She couldn’t fight it. How could she? They were unprepared, and so, so stupid. She’d been wearing the same pair of clothes for a week. Feeling dirty and grim was a large understatement, despite the bath the previous night.

But nothing was in comparison to the weariness she felt every day.

She was tired, so tired of running.

Internally signing, Azalea forced herself from her glum thoughts. Sometimes she was herself, other times she wasn’t there entirely, lost in her mind. It was clear Azalea was dealing with things as best she could.

She’d been listening intently to Aria, up until she turned it over to her. Azalea arched a brow in suprise, “Pardon? You’re turning this to me now? I’m not a strategist.” She said bluntly, not bothering to keep the suprise from her tone, but making sure to wipe the nervousness from both her expression and voice.

She’d lead the girls into plenty of situations, but she thought on her emotions for the most part, a flaw she could admit to, she often acted before she thought. Making her incredibly seclusive.

Cale spoke his own strategy first, playing defense. Glancing over at Baxter’s team, she could see it. Despite Aurelie, they had the advantage. Azalea’s lips pursed as she thought of Raymond’s earlier performance with a whip. It would be more difficult then she thought.

Azalea looked over Cale and Annabel. If Annabel were not at a disadvantage with the dress, she’d have picked her to go on the defense, but alas she was not.

Azalea put her hands on her hips in a haughty manner, as she did when whenever she was put into a position of leadership. Directing her attention, “The other team has the advantage, if it wasn’t obvious,” Azalea put bluntly, her spirited tone returning, “Annabel should protect the flag—Cale—“ Azalea furrowed her brows in thought “Mid-field. Come up with a distraction of some sort. Fake an injury or some nonsense.” She said dismissively with a wave of her hand. It wasn’t that she didn’t like the guy. He just needed some spine was all.

Azalea turned and stared after Baxter’s team, which was being led into the denser part of the snow blanketed forest. “I’ll get the flag.” She finished a bit more softly, thoughtfully. She felt doubt creep into her slowly. Glancing back over her shoulder at Aria, “Input? I’m not the strategist here, ya know.” She said with a wry grin, her eyes bright with a familiar fierceness.



FrostFire Blackrose7 Bakuyoshi​

 

[FrostFire]

Morag 'Aria' MacLaird

Spoiler: Images

Aria's lips pressed into a thin line at how much trouble Annabel had turned out to be. Prefer a dress? She must have been mad, because those things were a curse in disguise, and would either kill you slowly, or get you killed.
Deciding to say no more on the matter for now, Aria stayed silent. Words were certainly not her forte but she knew Annabel would discover the hard way during this exercise that dresses were the worst thing someone could wear during combat. She would have to get Annabel some clothes - and now that she thought about it, Azalea and Aurelie needed proper clothing too. Yet another thing to add to her growing list of errands.
Aria was glad when Cale began to focus on the game. His strategy certainly needed ironing out, but it was obvious to her that he was clever, and his suggestion of being a distraction was definitely a solid plan.
She smirked at Azalea's not-so-happy retort at being given the reigns. Aria wasn't one to hand them the answers, they needed to figure it out for themselves, like they would in most battles they were in. Aria said nothing, just smiled as her cousin took control, despite her well hidden nerves.
Azalea's plan was good, and Aria knew her cousin underestimated herself - it was a strategy very similar to what she would have set out, it wasn't perfect of course, but Aria couldn't help but feel a little proud.
She chuckled as Azalea asked for her input, and deliberated for a second. They were indeed at a disadvantage, Annabel wouldn't be much help in that getup but Cale had mentioned his speed, and Aria already knew that Azalea was fast...

"Good. That is a good, solid plan." She begun, nodding happily. "If they get to your flag, the chances of winning will be slight, so you must gain the upper hand early on. Aurelie will likely be providing her own distraction, so there is no need to pay much attention to her. Raymond and Angelo are the threats." She paused again, thinking what Baxter might do or where each of them would be best suited.
"Angelo will likely be protecting the flag, and Ray will likely be coming after ours. You said you were fast?" She looked at Cale before continuing. "Provide a distraction, but when you see Raymond go on the offensive, run for their flag. Your secondary distraction can be an act. Lea should aim to be more stealthy, try to hide, but Cale once you see Raymond try to be as conspicuous as you can. And try not to get caught. If both of you reach the flag, Cale can distract Angelo while Azalea sneaks around them and retrieves the flag without needing to fight." She spoke confidently, decisively.
"If Cale is caught it will be more difficult on Lea, but not impossible. Throwing stones to create noise somewhere else is a good trick that can draw attention if Cale isn't there to draw it for you. If the other team believes that Cale is the one going for the flag, and Azalea and Annabel are protecting our own, we may be able to get the upper hand." She said finally, nodding. That was all they would get from her, the next two times she would leave them to work things out themselves.
"Now, follow me and I will lead you to your half." She stated, gesturing for them to follow as she lead them into the denser part of the forest, where the snow was less a blanket and more patchwork as the trees trapped the icy power above and the floor below them was dry and untouched.
After a short walk, she pointed to their flag, which was lodged halfway up a tree some distance away from where they stood, easy enough to reach but unless one was looking for it they might miss it.
"This is your flag, the other team are that way," she gestured in that direction, "and the lines between your half and theirs are drawn." She finished, smiling, her excitement showing on her face.
"Baxter and I will be watching the whole thing, wait for our signal before you begin... Take these few minutes to go over your plan and make sure everyone is on the same page. Good luck!" She gave the a casual salute and a wink, before spinning on her heel and disappearing back into the forest to make her way up the hill to where Baxter was likely waiting for her.

On the short walk she had time to contemplate her thoughts. Ray's closeness to her didn't bother her in the slightest, and at the time she hadn't payed it a second thought. She was no stranger to being up close and personal with men - of course, she was usually beating them up when she was but still... And in fact, seeing his face that close she realised that his resemblance to Luther was more apparent at a distance; his hair and facial structure were similar, but his eyes were decidedly a different colour, and up close she could see that they were in fact built very differently.
She wasn't quite sure how to feel about it.

Breaking through the trees after a steep uphill climb, she spotted Baxter, and gracefully hopped over to him, nodding and grinning in greeting. "They're all set up!" She lilted, more than looking forward to the game despite only spectating.

Ms. Sparrow Blackrose7 Bakuyoshi Xanto

 

[Bakuyoshi]

Cale was in agreement till he heard him having to deal with Angelo. "I'm sorry but did you say I go and distract Angelo? I mean I'm fast but, I don't think you understand I know how he fights. He can snap any of us in two if he wanted. And as his charge I know he won't budge an inch from his objective unless it was dire. And no I refuse to take advantage of that and fake an injury. I'm willing to play dirty but not to that point. However I do know how to get under his skin. At first I pissed him off three times a day. And well, I have to be one day after shit went down me. That was what annoyed him the most."

Cale could only shudder at the thought of angering Angelo directly. Cale sort of considered Angelo a near sibling in the time they have been travelling. And the thpught of doing anything to anger him just didn't sit well with Cale.

Ms. Sparrow FrostFire Blackrose7

 

[explosiveKitten]

Baxter’s brother I’m assuming. She thought when Raymond approached. She quickly shook his hand like a man before turning to look at Baxter, listening to his instructions well.

Oh, she was excited. Internally, of course. Externally she looked like she didn’t care, but hoooo boy, was she’s excited. Capture the Flag?? OOOOOHHH, that was her kinda game! Running around, hacking and slashing, fighting over territory, OHHHHH, definitely better than poker!

When she finally found her way to the flag, she walked over to it, examining the flag itself before looking at the area around her. Best to get set with her surroundings, ignoring the snow that fell from the sky to settle on her armor, in her hair and on her nose. Which she wiped off pretty quickly because damn that’s cold. She was kind of used to it, due to her traveling- she had to deal with my different climates. Man, going through the western kingdom sucked the most. Metal armor ina desert. Mmmmhm.
... welp, I’m ready, so bring it on.

Xanto SandraDeelightful

 

[Blackrose7]

Annabel was happy that Aurelie was going to make her dress a bit higher once the game was over. 'Good. I don't want my dress to be ruin in the fight, so this is for the best.' thought Annabel.
She went back to Aria's group, and agreed with her on the Azalea's plan, even though they have no idea of how good she was even in a dress. 'They would have asked me to go sneak into the enemy's base by using the trees, but I guess not.' thought Annabel.
Taking her sword out from the scabbard, she went over to her team’s flag to prepare for the match. 'I am so ready for this.' thought Annabel, as she was warming up for the game.
Ms. Sparrow Bakuyoshi Xanto FrostFire
( Don't have that much to say here. )

 

[SandraDeelightful]

Princess Aurelie Beauchamp of Aubigine

​

Aurelie could only nod at Raymond's words, giving him a small smile. She was still absolutely terrified of coming out injured in some way. She felt uncomfortable and out of place and she was certain that playing capture the flag would only make her feel even worse. She just wanted to get this done with as quickly as possible. She drew in a shaky breath.

She couldn't bring herself to say anything. She would simply have to do as she was told. Otherwise, she was sure that she would be seriously injured. This whole situation would be a whole lot worse for Aurelie if she was injured.

 

[Xanto]

Raymond Callahan​

Passing the border would result in a cheat since it served as a head start against the others. So with a huff, the young man walked over to the middle line with Aurelie as he waited for his brother's go signal. Capture the flag was one of his favorite games, but sparring against the group he barely knew was a different story. Injuring any of them was out of the question for him. Azalea was a royal, the inventor needed to stay in tact for crossbow inventing, and Annabel . . . Hm. Ray thought to himself with a slight smirk on his face at an idea that slickly crossed his mind. It didn't take long for him to glance up at the spectators and shoot a ready thumbs up especially at Baxter.

Soon enough, his brother roared the start of the game immediately launching Ray forward into a sprint. His body naturally dodged the trees jumping or ducking every so often whenever it was called for.

SandraDeelightful @ WHOEVER DARE STANDS IN HIS WAY

Baxter Callahan​

Baxter calmly stood at the edge of the ridge in silence with his arms folded across his chest waiting for his fellow spectator to join him. Since he had some time to spare, the leader allowed his eyes to linger across the whole playable perimeter. His glance temporarily paused at each individual on his team knowing that they should at least put up an adequate fight if they followed his simple directions.

From the looks of it, he had assigned everyone to their rightful spots. The annoying fact that he never got a chance to learn about their strengths or weaknesses kept prodding at his mind though. Then again, this was the reality of war. People were assigned to their suited roles; however, certain situations pushed them to adapt roles for survival.

Baxter mentally shrugged the prodding idea away and shifted his gaze upward from the snowy treetops to view the sky just in front of him. Worrying about the simple game was futile compared to what actually lied ahead. He knew that the Shades were a ticking time bomb- Bomb. His thoughts rang with the key word as his eyes widened at a realization. No doubt his brother was assigned as a blacksmith while Cale would assist with inventive weapon plans. If he could get those two minds to work out something together, then the camp's next weaponry development would be . . explosive.

Baxter's mind was running through weaponry ideas until he saw a figure hopping toward him at the side of his eye. Aria. He thought to himself turning toward her with no hint of surprise on his face. Her energy's hereditary. He noted glancing at the more aggressive Azalea from the higher angle he was at. His gaze then moved across the rest of the playing field to check the other players. Fortunately, Aria was there to snap him back to the reality that was in front of him. It seemed like everyone was good to go just as she mentioned. On that note, he faced toward the field suddenly roaring, "LET THE GAME . . BEGIN!"

FrostFire Ms. Sparrow SandraDeelightful Blackrose7 Bakuyoshi explosiveKitten

 

[Ms. Sparrow]

Azalea Eve Windfore

“Sometimes you have to play dirty in life.” said Azalea in response to Cale, “or you won’t have one at all.” She said simply, though her tone was rather icy. She was a competitive sort, her pride demanding she win at least one game. Besides, she thought, eyeing the trees ahead, she wanted to kick Raymond down a notch, remembering the way his comment on her dancing made her blush.

Azalea turned her attention to Aria as she walked off and up the hill before her attention focused back on the path ahead, where her objective waited. The flag that she would get. She tried to remember everything she’d learned from watching the guards train and spar back at the palace days.

Her eyes narrowed on the trees as if they were her enemy, body tense and still, frozen in place as she impatiently waited for the game to start.

And when Baxter uttered the words, she launched.

Uncoiling like a spring, Azalea kept unto action, whorls of green and white rushed through her vision as she raced for her target, remaining alert and wary as she did so, and yet staying behind the thicker trees when she could, concealing herself as much as she could without slowing herself, her footsteps nearly silent all but the slight piff her feet made when her boots hit the snow.

Years of dancing made her graceful, even while she ran one could be reminded of a deer leaping through the snow. She moved swiftly through the trees, slowing to keep her energy though still making fast time. She found herself out of breath far more quickly, she realized, when she found herself panting, her hot breath creating a fog in the cold air with each puff, and it dawned on her she was malnourished. A week of little eating or not eating entirely had taken its toll.

Letting out an angry huff, she only took a brief second to catch her breath, back resting against a tree as she evaluated her surroundings before she forced herself to keep going, throwing her body into full speed again.

Legs pumping behind her, red braid slapping against her spine,she blinked back the fast falling snowflakes as they hit her pale, pink-cheeked freckled face, her bright eyes alight with determination.

Bakuyoshi FrostFire Blackrose7 explosiveKitten SandraDeelightful Xanto​

 

[Bakuyoshi]

"Welp off I go to play distraction! Anabelle you know the drill!" Cale shouted as he took off in the other direction. Not following where Azalea went yet it was a more obvious path. He had no intention of crossing the line yet. That was his plan until from the corner of his eye he saw somebody rush forward. "Lovely, Annabelle you got company!" Cale shouted hoping whoever this figure was would notice him. And that Annabelle would hear him. At the moment he was more concerned of the flag staying safe. If too many crossed the line it would be dangerous to leave their guard alone. And Azalea would get knocked quite a few pegs down when facing Angelo. "Huh that is a nice bonus." Cale thought as he finally reached the border only to see the odd princess. "Well hi there! Hope your not planning on crossing this line. You know how it goes. But hey if you try I'm sorry if I'm rough. I mean nothing by it honest!"

Blackrose7 SandraDeelightful Xanto

 

[Blackrose7]

Annabel was protecting the flag like she was supposed to be until Cale warned her. "Thanks Cale." said Annabel.
She was waiting for the person who is trying to get the flag to appear, because Annabel wasn't going to let them have it when she is around. 'They probably set up the traps around the base by now, so whoever is trying to enter the base is going to have to deal with that as well.' thought Annabel.
Her Demonic Velvet members know how to do traps, as that is one of the ways of how they managed to get to the rebellion base in the first place.
Walking around the flag with her sword in order to find out where the intruder was. Annabel was expecting for Raymond to come out from either the trees or the entrance. "Come on out. You can't hide in the trees, because I will find you." said Annabel.
Raymond can't hide in the trees, since Annabel does use them to sneak up on people.
Bakuyoshi Xanto
( Not sure if Ray is near the base yet, so I am just going to pretend that he is. )

 

[Xanto]

Raymond Callahan​

A familiar voice caught Raymond's attention, prompting him to briefly look over his shoulder while sprinting. It only took a few seconds for him to realize that it sounded like the inventor who he had yet to exchange introductions with. Well if that was the case, there really was no direct need to worry about Aurelie so much. Ray doubted that the guy would throw fists at the quiet princess anyway.

So Annabel's the guard, huh? Raymond thought to himself as he whipped his head back forward. Without warning, his next step felt an odd landscape below his shoe and a sudden chain wrap around his right ankle. "Gah!" His voice rang suddenly getting yanked upside down by the trap set by probably one of Annabel's gang members.

Insane. Raymond's brows were furrowed and arms were folded across his chest as he swung upside down with the tight wrap around his ankle. He didn't expect this to happen at all. The feeling of disappointment in his own abilities soared through his veins. To him, it seemed like there was poor effort exerted into his own game. How could I get distracted by a simple line! Ray thought prior to swaying himself back and forth about three times. With just the right amount of momentum and core force, Raymond performed a quick upside down crunch with the twist of grabbing the chain line above him.

The last thing he wanted to feel was all the blood going to his head. However in reality, all that went to his brain was harsh self-criticism. What was the point of looking anyway? Thoughts ran through Raymond's mind while he used his hands to fully pull himself up the chain line. Didn't even need to look to know who said it. He noted with brows still furrowed as his hands painfully heaved the rest of his body up the line.

Once Ray finally reached the top, he grabbed onto the branch that held his weight and sat on it. With a sigh, he naturally gravitated to more positive thoughts. His eyes scanned the area stopping at a colored flag on his current side of the field. Well, I can kinda see the flag from here. Raymond blinked a couple of times before shifting his gaze down to see if he could spot Annabel. Only the bottom of her dress could be seen walking around the flag. If Annabel walked a bit more toward his direction, maybe then Ray would be spotted.

Without any time to waste, Raymond pulled up the rest of the chain and placed it next to him. He flexed his forearm allowing his hidden blade to pop out under his left wrist. Then, the clever man slid the blade between the sock covering his ankle and the metal wrapped around before slightly pulling the blade up to loosen the chains grip. Ray's idea was to get just enough space for his fingers to do the rest of the work. He flexed a muscle again retracting the hidden blade into his gauntlet. In no time, he slid his fingers in the space and continued to yank the grip looser until his foot was able to go through the trap.

About time. Raymond thought to himself letting the chain drop before climbing down and hopping onto the ground. His foot lifted in the direction of the flag until he paused himself. Sorry Bax, got a better idea.

"Annabel, huh?" Raymond mentioned casually coming out from the trees and walking toward the flag. This scenario was almost reminiscent of the first time they met. "Raymond Callahan. Nice to officially meet you," He smirked as his eyes shifted from Annabel to linger around the open area.

Blackrose7 Bakuyoshi FrostFire

 

[Blackrose7]

Annabel saw Ray coming out from the trees, and she kept a close eye on him. ‘Um...I shouldn't run towards him, because he would probably try to leap over me.’ thought Annabel.
She didn't want to underestimate Raymond’s abilities, since he already showed her how good he is at tree jumping.
“Nice to meet you, Ray, and did you fall for a trap?” said Annabel.
Annabel wanted to know if that happened to Raymond, as she would feel bad for him. ‘I hope he didn't fall for it. Raymond wouldn't have anybody to help him if he was hanging upside down. I also wonder if he will go to the left or to the right, since I will get him even if he tries to fake me out.’ thought Annabel.
Despite not wanting Raymond to get the flag, Annabel honestly wants to tackle him if he tries to use the trees as an escape route.
“I will let you make the first move here, but I am going to let you know,” said Annabel, who pointed their sword at Raymond. “That I am going to get you one way or another.”
Xanto

 

[SandraDeelightful]

Princess Aurelie Beauchamp of Aubigine
​

Aurelie could feel herself shaking from fear, as well as the cold. Her nation was always so hot, and she wasn't used to this weather, she certainly wasn't used to snow. Perhaps if she wasn't in such a place, she would find the snow to be quite beautiful. She was so used to the war climate of Aubigine and she missed it dearly. She had absolutely no idea what she ought to expect from the other team. She was on edge. She had her arms crossed over her chest, and at every tiny sound made her jump and let out a small squeal.

"No," said Aurelie, shaking her head at Cale's words and looking at him wearily. Her voice was small and timid, as it always was. She was absolutely terrified of this whole game. She was scared that she was going to be hurt in any way. She began looking around as though someone or something could sneak up on her at any moment. It was clear that she was completely out of her element. "No intentions whatsoever."

 

[Bakuyoshi]

Cale was honestly shocked at what the girl had said. He heard she was shy, but this took him off guard. And he could really tell some of the issues when he looked at her clothing. "Miss the heat huh? Believe me I think this snow thing is overrated too. I know Azalea will kill me but... I think we may be at this stalemate for a bit. But I gurantee this if we get out of it. I won't hurt you, even if you get on this side I simply have to catch you. And if I get on that side I have to outrun you is all. But I don't believe we met, names Cale. I'm guessing you could say I'm a long way from home. I'm assuming you know how Lorelthia is from here." The secret prince could only help but smile. This girl seemed normal, a little too dang shy but who knows what she had to go through. He knew at first he was silent with Angelo. If Cales silence was the shy kind anyways, Angelo may have had an easier time with this girl if he met her instead. "So where do you come from?"

SandraDeelightful

 

[Xanto]

Raymond Callahan​

Raymond's hazel gaze calmly shifted from the snow-covered treetops to the opposite team's defender. The walking Hood was now asking him if he was a victim of a trap. A trap. At that subtle and unintentional slip up, Raymond knew that there were more traps set by the Demonic Velvet members who were part of Aria's team. Maybe the gang members in Baxter's team set a few traps up in favor of his side as well?

Ray bent his arm up and adjusted his sleeve at her question. He wouldn't have been victimized if it weren't for his curiosity to find out who yelled out the earlier warning. "Got thrown off a bit," The man dropped his arm focusing on the guard before him, "Nothing I can't handle."

It didn't take long for Annabel to determinedly point her sword at Ray with a few courageous words. In which case, he merely glanced at the sword before deciding to briefly play along with her uptight tension. Ray's eyes widened as he lifted his hands up to his sides all in a delayed reaction to her threat. "Easy, Hood," He joked indifferently putting his hands down and pacing off to her left side. Besides, there was no doubt Ray was going to live to see the next match. The whole game was a sparring session. No slaughtering was allowed.

Blackrose7

Baxter Callahan​

Baxter kept a serious expression while he observed the new group running around below him. Well, technically the only ones really running around were Azalea, Raymond, and Cale. Everyone else was simply camping in what Bax assumed to be their own assigned spots. Not once did the spectator's tough gaze move away from the playing field though especially when he looked back at his brother to see that Ray had disappeared.

Baxter scanned the area trying to spot where Raymond "magically teleported" himself to only finding him dangling upside down ten feet in the air a short distance from where Bax last saw him. "Oh, brother," The older Callahan mumbled disappointedly moving his gaze back across the field. Azalea was still in a sprint, while Cale and Aurelie looked like there were about to have tea.

"So far they all look like grunts," Baxter unmercifully uttered with his arms folded across his chest. Soon enough, he decided to check on Raymond again in time to see him climb down a tree and present himself to Annabel. Hopefully the rebellion leader would see some kind of a skillful demonstration soon.

FrostFire Ms. Sparrow explosiveKitten SandraDeelightful Bakuyoshi Blackrose7

 

[Blackrose7]

“I see.” said Annabel, who noticed that Ray was about to make a move. “Well, for one thing, you can’t handle me in the capture the flag.”
Annabel immediately went to the left when she saw what Ray was going to do. ‘Just as what I expected, and he doesn’t see what will happen to him next.’ thought Annabel. The sword was nothing more than a bluff, as what Annabel was planning to do to him will come from out of nowhere.
Annabel made herself look like she would attack Ray with the sword once she got close to him. But she actually roundhouse kick him in the stomach to get him off guard. “I am going easy on you, Ray, and who said that I would use the sword?” said Annabel.
She playfully sticks her tongue out at Raymond, because Annabel was playing a bit dirty here. 'In your face, Ray. I got you real good with that.' thought Annabel.
Putting the sword away in her scabbard, as the fake sword attack idea will not work on Ray anymore.
Xanto