..E m p i r e * o f * O s a n e n.. [O/A]{Ignore Page Count}

[~::*Shinji*::~]

ℛ α c q υ є ℓ....❅.... 𝕮 α и δ є ℓ α я ι α

Underneath my lucid skin
The cold is lost, forgotten

Seeing the large grin and her excitement in regards to seeing the horse from her twin made herself have a light smile in response. It was so nice to hear her voice again, calling her the nickname that they only knew... it almost pained her how much she missed all of it. Quietly as to not disturb their bonding time, Racquel slid off of the large animal, placing the bag that she had brought along on her shoulder, the girl now standing beside Ember. As she watched her, she kept her placid expression and her gentle smile, enjoying the scene before her with her hood still remaining up.

"I figured you would appreciate this... Talyn misses seeing you everyday," she noted. Then, upon further inspection, it was then that she spotted something unfamiliar... on her sister's hand rested wrapped cloth, or more of, an attempt at creating a bandage of sorts, as there was a certain red stain that had been soaked up by it...

Slightly panicked, her eyes grew somewhat wide as she let out a soft gasp.

"Ember...!" Without even asking, she reached out and pulled the hand in question towards her, studying her sister's handiwork, which wasn't much. Two saddened golden orbs met Ember's. "Your hand... what happened...?" Keeping one hand out, it carefully holding Ember's, she began to dig through the parcel at her side and withdrew a small glass bottle and a clean roll of white cloth. She then was busying herself with unwrapping the stained, dirtied one... each movement was fluid and done with extra care, making sure that nothing she did would cause more pain than necessary. Once it was removed, she removed the cap off the glass container and slowly let the liquid ooze out into Ember's injured hand.

Racquel bit her lip and narrowed her eyes, concentrating on her work. "This will sting... I'm sorry," the pale girl apologized, even though she knew that her twin already was aware of such information. When she perceived that there was enough ointment on the cut, she wrapped it with the new bandage, ensuring that it would stay in its place and that it was snug enough to keep the injury from bleeding anymore.

Seeing that it was done, she released her hold on her sister and brought her hands down to her sides once the equipment was back in the cloth bag, glancing over to Ember's so called new "home". It was anything but suitable for someone to live in, as it was obvious that it had been abandoned for years, but she made no mention of it. "Let's go inside..." her eyes locked with Ember's once more, practically a reflection of her own, "I have some things that I want to give you." At the mention of that, her hand gently patted the bag from which she had retrieved the items from earlier.

My mouth is so frozen I can't even speak
You're making it hard for me
All I can do is freeze

[.:Xhang Sen:.]

ɨf you play with fire...

λou're liable to get burned...

•·.·´¯`·.·•✿•·.·´¯`·.·•

"I figured you would appreciate this... Talyn misses seeing you everyday,"

Ember's head lowered at the words of her sister. She was reminded of all the things she abandoned when she fled. Things she left undone. Souls left to suffer...

If she hadn't been so careless and stupid then she wouldn't have had to runaway... well, she didn't have to runaway, but now that she had, there was no going back. They didn't want her, that much was obvious. But, she left all their wrath and expectations to be reverted to... Her eyes lifted to meet her sister's.

"Your hand... what happened...?"

Confused, Ember was about to look down at her hand, but was too late for Racquel had already snatched it and was observing her handiwork... or lack there of. "O-oh! that..." She averted her gaze to the trees around them, embarrassed by her little mishap with the tree earlier, "It's nothing, really... I just..." but before she got a chance to protest her sister was already at work. Ember panicked knowing what was to come, "N-no, really! it's nothing" She tried to pull her hand away but her sister had a firm grip on it.

"This will sting... I'm sorry,"

The garnet haired girl clenched her teeth and winced as she felt the sting of the medicine makes it's away through her hand. She relaxed as the pain subsided when her sister started wrapping it up much better than Ember could ever hope to. She looked at her complete hand with a ting of jealousy. Her sister had always been so skilled with these kind of things. Ember on the other was an obvious klutz. She rubbed her hands gently, before facing her sister again, "Thanks..." She loved the girl stand across from her, but she always felt like such a child whenever she was around. If it were anyone else, that would make extremely irritated, but for some reason... she didn't mind all that much when it was Racquel.

When her sibling mentioned the house and what she brought, Ember blushed again embarrassed by her own lack of hospitality towards her sister who'd come all this way. "Ah, yeah! let's go inside... it'll be, umm... more comfortable..." She responded reluctantly, knowing that it really wouldn't be at all.

She led her horse to the house and tied the reins to a random piece of wood that was sticking out of the ground. Then she opened the door into the little house and walking in first in an attempt to make the place look a little more presentable. She didn't know her sister was going to visit after all. She made her way around and started pulling the curtains away and opening the shutters letting the light of the sun flood the little building. "You can have a seat," she offered, "But I'm afraid I haven't gone food shopping in a while, so I have nothing to eat..."

[Brethil24]

“Kittens, Lizards,
Things with wings and gizzards.
Come to my menagerie,
I’ll find the perfect pet for ye.”

It was a horrible rhyme to say the least, but that didn’t matter a whit to Shaena. After all, it wasn’t witty words that attracted a crowd, but the person who said them, and Shaena was definitely the person to say them. Balanced lightly on an empty crate, she belted out the ditty at full bellow, eyes sparkling with an impish light as she surveyed the crowd. Yes, she’d certainly attracted quite a bit of attention, yet… Yes, it looks like a military man of some sort had just left Lance's place, and he would probably pass right by her stall soon. For a briefest moment Shaena hesitated. It wasn’t that she feared being arrested or anything. Far from it, a good majority of her customers were men of power, which included quite a few military men and nobles seeking an interesting pet of some sort. It was more of the increasing distaste that she was treated with that made her reluctant to attract the attention of someone in the army. It was almost as if they expected her to be the spy that was leaking secrets left and right. Which really made no sense at all seeing how well off she was as a smuggler. But if this man hinted that she might somehow be involved with the turmoil that racked the kingdom… Shaena hopped off her impromptu stage, landing lightly on her feet. Really now, she was starting to get a little paranoid. The man probably only wanted to see Lanzo; he was one of the best blacksmiths in the whole empire. That and Lanzo was a good steady sort. She had a hard time imagining the man dealing with the shady kinds of people who came for her wares.

At her right Shaena could hear Miku arguing with a man over the price of a canary, and the merchant’s grin came back full force. Just two short years ago the girl could barely get through a sentence without stumbling, and now look at her! Bartering as if she were born doing it. The songbird chirped out its cheerful song, and Shaena more then gladly replied, whistling out her own happy tune. She blew it a farewell kiss before turning to the gradually growing crowd.

“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages, welcome to Shaena’s Menagerie! Here we stock only the healthiest, smartest animals in the kingdom. Dead helpful and adorable to boot.” Immediately the assorted pens and cages behind her burst into sound, each animal vying to be taken out and shown off. Shaena was more than happy to oblige. Passing over a hamster that was running in increasingly small circles and a chorus of birds that were singing their lungs out, Shaena reached into a pen full of puppies and pulled out a brown and white splattered dog that frantically wriggled in her grasp. She placed the puppy on the ground where it sat and stared at here with a strangely attentive look. “This three month old puppy here is a mixed breed, though there’s definitely a little sheepdog in her. We’ve already taught her some basic commands. Kel, shake.” The dog stuck out her tiny paw without hesitation and Shaena knelt down to take the offered limb. Immediately the younger members of the crowd oohed and ahhed at the simple trick, and a slightly mischievous look appeared in her eyes. “Now, feel free to take a look at the animals, but please don’t try and pick them up. If you want to touch, please talk to my lovely assistant.” At this Shaena gestured at Miku, who’d finished the transaction by now. For a moment she looked about ready to protest, but then a mob of small children gathered around each demanding she take out different animal. Chuckling happily, Shaena dived into the fray, directing a skeptical father and his enthusiastic offspring in the direction of a very well behaved kitten.

EDIT

[Isnook2]

Andrei Rofocale Sergov
xxxxxxxxI want your obedience.
xxxxxxxxxxxI want your absolute loyalty.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxI want your soul. Relinquish control to me.

Give yourself unto your God. Sacrifice yourself again.
Burn your thoughts, erase your will, To Gods of suffering and tears.

The general had little concern for animal smugglers, so unless she was ferreting weapons and explosives around the town, he could hardly care less if she had some nearly-extinct parrot originating from the neighbouring kingdom. In fact, it would be kind of dandy to give it to a gift to someone if it was such a rare gem. He stifled a grimace at the horrible rhyme, her alluring, patronizing words falling to deaf ears as he walked in the general direction of the store, slowing his strides in part because of the small crowd and ridiculously small children. It was hard to imagine that he was once one of them, some clumsy form of miniature human whose highest priority was to have fun (after his tribe had found enough to eat of course).

Glassy, emotionless eyes flitted over the caged creatures in much the same manner that he had surveyed the smith's store, only this time he did skip over quite a few specimens. They were either common creatures and scarcely worth his attention, or too pathetically dependent and inappropriate. Of course, he did not wish for one himself. Or perhaps he did, but alas he had no time nor devotion to care for any creature which had lost its natural instincts to maintain itself. It would be a gift. Indeed, one of his friend's daughter's birthday was coming up. He could hardly give her a blade nor could he bypass some trinket shop to present her with something... feminine. God knows what's the fashion these days.

He stood by the side for a while, any child curious enough about his uniform was warded away by his unapproachable aura and chilling stare. It was some time before the rigid statue finally moved, a wrist clasped behind the nook of his back as he turned to some of the more intriguing specimens for a second look.

"Shaena." He uttered suddenly, after taking a moment to recall the shopkeeper's name from that jumble of advertisements she had been calling out. "Do you have anything special in stock?"

If she found it appropriate to shove a 'cute' puppy in his face then he was truly wasting time.




Tie hallowed bonds around your hands. xxx
Kneel before this seat of shame,xxx
To Gods as lost,xxx
Gods as blind,xxx
Gods of suffering and pain.xxx

[Brethil24]

Shaena let out a gusty sigh as she directed another persuaded customer to Miku. They were doing rather well today; there were already made several sales and it was barely past noon. The smile that was persistently plastered on her face softened a little as she watched the assorted children dash around, pausing to peer at one animal, then another. She knew very few of them would actually purchase something, but it was rather comforting to see people appreciating animals not for their pedigree, but instead for that strange combination of innocence and cunning animals seemed to posses. Shaena couldn't stop herself from letting out a snort at her slightly poetic musings. 'Yeah right, that's what keeps them coming. I wonder if they'd feel the same if they knew about the less cuddly stuff I have.'

Shaena was startled out of her reverie at the sound of a man calling her name. Turning to greet the whoever it was, her eyes quickly flicked from the insignia decorating his chest to the cold stoic way he looked at her. So, it was the military officer from before. A general from the looks of it. "I suppose that depends on what you mean by special, now doesn't it? If you'd follow me inside please, that's where I keep the rarer specimens." Shaena glanced at Miku, who gave a slight nod before reaching for a parrot who began to recite the beginning of a rather popular poem. She was used to the routine by now, and knew that whenever Shaena gave her that look, a customer wanted to look at the more prestigious set of animals. Not that Miku knew what was inside that room; Shaena believed in informing people on a need to know basis, and as far as she was concerned, this wasn't something her assistant needed to know. Whistling slightly, Shaena pulled a key from one of her many pockets and unlocked the door, holding it open for the general.

The room was dimmer and significantly cooler in comparison to the bright summer day outdoors, and it took a second for one's eyes to adjust. The walls were lined with assorted tanks and cages, with the animals separated into sections depending on species. In the far corner a pen held what looked suspiciously like a set of desert fox kits that looked up curiously before settling down to nap again. Shaena glanced around, taking a moment to recall what animals she had inside the room. The man had addressed her as Shaena, which meant he probably didn't know the extent of her contacts. If she played her cards right, it might not be necessary to pull out her big guns. "Is there anything in particular you're looking for? I'm afraid I don't have anything very big in here but if you're willing to wait, I could make some calls." Her eyes flickered over the tanks, bypassing the fish and pausing briefly at insects before moving on again. Something showy, but not too flashy, and his job would probably mean something low maintenance. Shaena carefully reached into a tank and pulled out a pure white lizard covered with an assortment of spikes, just small enough to fit in the palm of her hand. She held it out to the man to allow his inspection. "Albino thorny devil. About a year old, so he'll get quite a bit bigger. If you leave it with enough food and water, and you shouldn't have a problem. You'll need to keep him warm though."

[~::*Shinji*::~]

ℛ α c q υ є ℓ....❅.... 𝕮 α и δ є ℓ α я ι α

Underneath my lucid skin
The cold is lost, forgotten

Racquel was quick to follow, entering Ember's place and looking around as her sister brightened the place up via natural sunlight. There was practically nothing inside but a few small things here and there, all of it being shabby and nothing that was up to standards of actually being nice... or even use-able. She knew better than to diss her sister's efforts at living on her own, however, somehow managing to find a chair of sorts as her twin offered her to sit down. Positioning herself to get herself comfortable, she placed her belongings on her lap, freeing her hands in order to pull back her hood. It felt good to let her hair out from underneath the fabric, it flowing nicely out in thick layers with two small pigtails resting near the top of her head.

At the mention of not having any food, the pale girl seemed to perk up slightly, facing her sister to get her attention.

"Oh, that's alright," Racquel assured her, "I brought you some, along with some other things."

Noticing a small "table" nearby, she got up and made her way over to it, placing the bag on top, now carefully dispensing the items onto it - food, clothes, medicine... practically everything that she could think of that her sister would need for survival. Even though her parents considered her nonexistent, Racquel wanted the best for her sister, no matter what.

She glanced over at her sister, gesturing for her to look if she wanted in order to explain what she had brought. "I have some clean clothes, food that you like, and extra medicine aside from the ointment and bandages in case you need it. Also..."

Pausing, she walked up to her sister with something in her hand, taking her Ember's once more and placing it in her possession... it was a satchel that if moved around, the sound of metal rubbing against each other could be heard. "This should be enough until the next time we meet so you can live comfortably," Racquel murmured, letting her yellow-orange irises focus on Ember's as she smiled warmly. She then took a step back from her as though to make sure that she would not reject her gifts. "I realize that you already have money in your possession, however..." the small framed girl let herself drift off rather than of finishing the sentence, instead finishing it mentally.

... I can't stop worrying about you.

As her eyes wandered around the small building they were in, she walked over to a window and stared out, looking at nothing in particular as she began to speak once more, the sunlight completely engulfing her lithe frame, making her skin to appear as though it was glowing.

"Ember... how have you been?"

My mouth is so frozen I can't even speak
You're making it hard for me
All I can do is freeze

[Suddenly There Were Ducks]

Achenar Todra - Darkness

Achenar nodded curtly towards the guards. He'd come to know much of the city's personnel in his time as a soldier, but since resigning, it seemed the guards of the gate had been switched out. He didn't recognize either of them. He entered the city with Daiyu, nodding in agreement with her sentiments about the Emperor.

"The important thing is to stand by our new Emperor. We must accept his changes and work with them, not rebel against them. These are trying times... We must live in the present, and move on from the past." He was referring, of course, to the new Emperor's decree on taxes. The increased taxation seemed to be the focal point of many rural uprisings, with some of the lower class citizens complaining or outright refusing to pay.

He cast his gaze over the many vending stands and storefronts of the city's main street. There was plenty to chose from, even for the most picky eater. For someone like Achenar, who ate two helpings of everything put in front of him, the choices were virtually limitless.
"Yes, you're right. I think finding this spy would go a long way toward earning the public's approval." His nose wrinkled slightly. "A spy, in the Empire of Osanen... It's practically unheard of! Is there any greater sign of weakness?"

are you afraid of the dark?

[Isnook2]

Andrei Rofocale Sergov
xxxxxxxxI want your obedience.
xxxxxxxxxxxI want your absolute loyalty.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxI want your soul. Relinquish control to me.

Give yourself unto your God. Sacrifice yourself again.
Burn your thoughts, erase your will, To Gods of suffering and tears.

He had to wonder how eager she was to earn customers if she was going to show him her secret stash just because he had asked for something extraordinary. Perhaps she guessed that he had better things to do than to be reporting such petty smuggling offenses to the local guard, or she was used to getting customers such as himself. His eyes narrowed as he waited for her to open the door, and though it seemed to be out of impatience, he was merely waiting for his eyes to adjust to dimmer light.

Stepping in, he realized that the smell of the creatures was thicker in the air, and he hoped it was not going to cling to his uniform too much. His eyes swept over the animals in their enclosures, his gaze settling on the fox cubs with their ridiculously big ears and their sole wish to sleep the day away. No nocturnal pets. He reminded himself. He ignored the fish and insects, knowing that it would be difficult for a beginner to take care of, let alone a child who might not appreciate such cold-blooded and bizarre beasts. The pale scaly reptile she offered was interesting, but it wasn't suitable as a gift and it seemed near impossible to interact with.

"Too prickly." He stated, offering her little other explanation for rejecting it. There was a hint of a reluctant pause before he continued. "Something softer. Its for a child." Of course, said child would probably be much happier with a simple rabbit or canary, but they were too cheap to be considered a suitable gift. Children of the blessed were only offered the best.




Tie hallowed bonds around your hands. xxx
Kneel before this seat of shame,xxx
To Gods as lost,xxx
Gods as blind,xxx
Gods of suffering and pain.xxx

[Brethil24]

There was nothing explicitly illegal in the dim little room. Most of the animals were just rather hard to get a hold of and and probably wouldn't enjoy being paraded about the dust and chaos outside. So despite the fact that the lizard was rejected, Shaena was relieved to hear that the intended recipient was not the man in front of her, but instead a child, most likely the privileged offspring of a noble or something like that. Children were relatively easy to please when it came to pets, and as long as the animal had an interesting pedigree or ability that could be shown off to friends, the parent would be happy as well. It was too bad the man didn't want to get the lizard as well for himself, but if he'd decided that something a little more exotic was to his taste, then things would really get complicated. After all, she really knew nothing about the man in front of her, and if he wanted something dangerous, she'd have to jump through all sorts of hoops to make sure that neither the customer or her animal would hurt the other. 'Rabid' animals were put down, and Shaena would rather die then let that happen to one of her precious babies.

Still, child was a rather vague term. Boys and girls had very different interests, and presenting the honored son of a prestigious house with a fuzzy bunny, no matter how rare, would not garner a very enthusiastic response. On the other hand, if it was a boy child, the lizard probably wouldn't have been rejected. While most girls detested the scaley section of the animal kingdom, the male half of the population seemed fascinated with them, and Shaena had had her fair share of rambunctious young lads dashing through the many winding streets of the city to dump a common garden lizard in her knowledgeable hands. Yes, something a little cuter definitely wouldn't hurt.

After allowing the lizard to return to it's comfortably heated home, Shaena moved to a section of the room covered with an assortment of birdcages. She passed by a series of brightly colored parrots and picked up a very ornate cage that contained a small bird that was quite plain in comparison. Blue-gray with a cream colored underbelly, the bird cocked it's head inquisitively as it stared at the man in the strange uniform. Shaena whistled out a brief and simple tune that the bird immediately replicated and elaborated on. She allowed him to finish the song speaking to the general: "He's a melanotis, very rare ever since the main breeder of the bird died three years ago. He'll repeat back any song you give him, and with enough training he should be able to sing on verbal command as well. What's more, he's sturdy for a bird his size, so he'll tolerate a bit of petting, very important when it comes to children. Though if the recipient has a tendency of breaking things, I suggest you go with something else. He's sturdy, not unbreakable." She opened the cage's door and inserted her hand, which the little bird hopped onto, before holding him out so the general could perform his own inspection.

[Isnook2]

Andrei Rofocale Sergov
xxxxxxxxI want your obedience.
xxxxxxxxxxxI want your absolute loyalty.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxI want your soul. Relinquish control to me.

Give yourself unto your God. Sacrifice yourself again.
Burn your thoughts, erase your will, To Gods of suffering and tears.

The general's eyes settled on the plain-looking bird, wondering if it held some sort of inherent worth since it wasn't much to look at. As she demonstrated its ability he blinked with mild surprise, but even that emotion was a shallow, short-lived one. He remained as immobile as a statue when she offered it to him, having no wish to touch it, or draw it near him in case it soiled his attire. No detail escaped him however, and in a few seconds he had noted how clear its eyes were, free of discharge or cloudiness. Its beak was in pristine condition, as were its talons; feathers were well-groomed and while lacking in color it made up for it with an innocent sort of shine. It tail did not seem to contain traces of wetness.

"Lifespan and diet?" He questioned softly, looking back to the shopkeeper. On closer inspection, she was a remarkable specimen herself, and seemed to hold a child-like enthusiasm for her trade. Unfortunately, she was like her kind, as foreign to him as another species from Venus. Even as he waited for her reply, his unconscious mind kept track of the time, knowing that he would have to make do with the bird, or come back later.

No... not quite the type suitable for bed... A voice in his skull remarked flippantly. There were some things he couldn't suppress entirely, so while they never made it past his throat, they talked freely in the shadows of his mind.




Tie hallowed bonds around your hands. xxx
Kneel before this seat of shame,xxx
To Gods as lost,xxx
Gods as blind,xxx
Gods of suffering and pain.xxx

[.:Xhang Sen:.]

ɨf you play with fire...

λou're liable to get burned...

•·.·´¯`·.·•✿•·.·´¯`·.·•

Ember was stunned by all that her sister had laid before her on her itty bitty little table. Some even had to be put on the floor. She was about to protest, but before she got the chance Racquel took her hand and filled it with a sack crammed with coins. She was shocked. She barely knew what to think, or what to say.

She looked down at the satchel, almost hurt by the fabric in her hand. She could only imagine the pain that this small bag represented. She squeezed it tightly in her fist, not sure what to do or say al all!

This lack of speech started causing her to get frustrated.

She couldn’t take it!

It a fit, she threw the sack on her chair and the coins flew out and scattered about. She turned away from her sister feeling like… like a helpless child! No. No! She wasn’t! She could do this. She decided a long time ago that she was going to runaway and successfully live her life without the help of her parents. It was bad enough that she had to settle with the money she stole from them originally, but now clothes… food… and medicine!

“I can handle it!”

Her voice was probably louder than she would’ve liked it to be, but she was having trouble controlling her emotions at the moment. She knew that she was getting worked up over nothing and her sister only had her best interests at heart. But… she just couldn’t help it… it just made her mad.

She attempted to take deep breathes in order to calm herself down, but it didn’t seem to be working.

[Dragon_Lord_Akuma]

An officer riding horseback gazed lazily down at the parchment he was fiddling with in his hand that he had received earlier that day, it being instructions on where to find the alleged blacksmith of this empire. He was followed by a small troop of men as he approached a shop of sorts, the horse snorting in protest as he pulled back on the reigns, the command for it to cease moving. Dismounting, the officer seemed less than impressed by the simple setup of this estate, especially seeing that the unusually large man was working outside as opposed to indoors.

Not wasting any time, the officer made his way up to where the blacksmith worked, not even concerned with the fact that he was busy with a task at hand. “Mr. Stone, I presume?” the man drawled, slipping the piece of paper subtly into his pocket. “I’m sorry for… interrupting your work, but I have a message for you from the Emperor himself.”

He knew that saying that would get his attention, as it always did for anyone else, whether or not they appreciated the military’s presence. If it didn’t, then… this man was just ignorant.

“The Emperor requests your presence at his palace, as he is in need of a blacksmith for himself and his army… and has chosen you for this task. You will have twenty-four hours to comply, as this is not merely a choice, but a pre-made decision that will be enforced whether or not you agree.”

Crossing his arms over his chest, he eyed the man as though he had power over him, his tone direct and blunt.

“Is that understood, Mr. Stone?”

(NPCs don't get a frame =p )

[~::*Shinji*::~]

ℛ α c q υ є ℓ....❅.... 𝕮 α и δ є ℓ α я ι α

Underneath my lucid skin
The cold is lost, forgotten

Out of sheer surprise, the girl let out a yelp and jumped, turning around to see the mess that was created from the sudden sound. Then, it being coupled with her sister's booming voice, she took a step back, cringing as though she were about to get hit. Racquel should have expected this sort of reaction from Ember, but that didn't mean that she was used to it or didn't mind it. Angry people always made her scared, as she was never allowed to express that emotion so freely, it being 'improper' for a lady to do so.

Her golden orbs narrowed, them filled with sadness while she stared at her sister's back, seeing her trying to calm herself down. Racquel didn't mean for this to happen. It wasn't that she saw Ember as incapable, she just... wanted to be there for her. The twin that stood facing away from her tended to not like people helping her out or anything of the sort, but that was all Racquel felt she could do in this situation. With the two of them separated from each other, rarely ever getting to even see each other anymore, things were hard for the both of them.

Biting her lip, she silently walked over to where the coins were scattered on the floor, grabbing the small, empty satchel that now rested on the chair and carefully picked up the metal pieces off the floor, one by one as she knelt on the floor to reach them all. Eventually finishing that task, she, instead of trying to give it to Ember, placed it gently on the chair, standing up as she did so and facing her sister. Saying something to her was pointless, as it would only make her more mad, however, her manners kicked in, making her walk up to her sister so she was only a few feet away, close enough to touch her if she so desired.

"Ember..." she whispered, hesitantly reaching a hand out to rest on her shoulder, but thought better of it and brought it back down to her side. "I'm... sorry. I know you can handle it, I just..." she paused, choosing a different path instead. "... Take care of yourself, sister."

Racquel took a step back, hesitating once more as she stared at her twin before turning around and heading out the door. There was nothing else she could do or say to help ease the situation. She just needed to leave.

Reaching Talyn, she could sense the horse's confusion as it looked up at her, knowing that they haven't been there long. The pale girl then patted it lightly on the muzzle in comfort as she began to untie the reigns from the wooden stick so that she could depart. Racquel didn't feel like explaining to the horse what was going on, or why they were leaving... it hurt to see the want for its true owner in the animal's large black eyes.

My mouth is so frozen I can't even speak
You're making it hard for me
All I can do is freeze

[Sothis]

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo๑ ∂ α ι ʏ υ ℓ α ɴ
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxe l e m e n t a l i s t xo f xα ι ʀ

"I agree." Daiyu responded to the man's comment on accepting the Emperor in a honest tone. She rarely spoke politics - it was, after all, considered a man's field - but she knew what she believed was right all the same. "Clinging to the old ways is pointless. The only constant is change itself. Even Osanen cannot remain the same forever." The thought made her a little sad - the Empire she'd known growing up was coming to an abrupt halt. Daiyu was not resistant to change though, not at all. She practically welcomed it with open arms, but the calm tranquil days of her youth held a degree on melancholic nostalgia. Waving politely to a woman who greeted Daiyu in an enthusiastic voice, the black-haired woman turned back to Achenar and nodded. "The greatest empire in the world, reduced to a fearful child because of a lone spy in its midst. If nothing else though, he must be a very good spy, for the Royal Guards certainly are diligent in their patrols."

She was cute off by an enthusiastic 'Daiyuuuu!' and the woman with the parasol deadpanned. There was only one person who that sort of voice belonged to.

"Daiyu!" At six-foot-three, Daiyu's brother Biyu towered over most of Osanen, including his minuscule under-five-foot older sister. He was muscular, and retained no hint of boyishness in his appearance, despite being only sixteen. Effortlessly, he swept Daiyu up, spun her, kissed her cheek, and planted her back on her feet. "I was looking for you, dad needs me to run an errand but I have no idea what he's talking about, he should know I never listen when he tries to explain about the horses. Help me?" Biyu always spoke fast, all of his words exhaled on one breath. Aiming his older sister a charismatic grin, Biyu noticed the man standing beside her. "And who is this?"

Daiyu kept her face steely, reached up to make sure her flower hairpiece was still in place, before sighing deeply. "Biyu, this is Achenar Todra. He's an ex-soldier, so behave. And yes, I will help you with your errand so Father does not skin you alive." She turned to the long-haired man beside her, offering an apologetic smile, "This is my brother Biyu, the trouble-maker. As you can see, he poses no actual threat, and he'd trip over his own feet if he tried to escape anyway." Ignoring Biyu's offended 'Hey!', Daiyu nodded. "I must help my brother with Father's errand. Biyu, what-"

"Are you okay to do this much walking, Daiyu? How is your leg?" Biyu sounded, and was, genuinely concerned. Despite his rabble-rousing, he did genuinely love his family.

"I'm fine. It's just a little sore. See?" She lifted the hem of her Han to show an ugly mottled bruise covered a good part of her leg from the knee down - the product of an aggravated stallion she had to help her father calm down. The only spot of skin unmarred by black-and-blue was a pale green swirl the size of her fist, her odd birthmark. She dropped her dresses hem back into place, and smiled apologetically at Achenar again. "I'm very sorry to cut our discussion short, but Father needs-"

"A new hoof pick. Whatever that is."

"A new hoof pick?" Daiyu's voice was incredulous. "But we just had a new one made last year! What happened to it?"

"It broke."

"It broke? How do you break a hoof pick? You'd have better luck breaking a sword with your bare-" Resisting the urge to grit her teeth, she exhaled in an annoyed puff. "Okay, a new hoof pick. We'll need to see the smith then. I'm sorry Achenar, but we need to head to the smith; unless you're going that way as well, I believe this is good-bye, for now. It was lovely to meet you." She smiled, a kind and honest smile. She meant what she said.

╭__________________________________________________╮
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I've got ∂ α ʀ ҡ ɴ ε s s and ƒ ε α ʀ s to α ρ ρ ε α s ε
my ν σ ι c ε s and α ɴ α ℓ σ ɢ ι ε s
α м в ι т ι σ ɴ s like ʀ ι в в σ ɴ s
worn в ʀ ι ɢ h т on my s ℓ ε ε v ε
╰__________________________________________________╯

[Brethil24]

"He'll live about twelve years, maybe a little longer if you treat him well. Feed him seeds, berries, or chopped fruit if you don't have anything else. I actually have some bird feed I can give you." Shaena popped the bird back in its cage before dashing off to yet another shelf littered with bags. She hummed softly as her fingers skimmed across the shelf, pausing to touch one before rejecting it. Well someone wasn't easy to impress. She probably could have brought out a two headed elephant and he wouldn't have even blinked. At least the bird wasn't out right rejected. Now the only question was what kind of child he was planning on gifting the bird to. Shaena made a mental note to find out more about the general, see if he had any close friends with children. Perhaps one of her contacts in the army? Well, one thing that was sure, she certainly wouldn't be getting anything from the man himself.

Shaena held a small clothbag open for the general to look in. "It's just a basic mixture of seeds and dried fruit that he'll eat. I'd give him about, oh, this much each day," she explained as she pinched her thumb and index finger together in indicate what she was talking about. "That and make sure to change his water every other day. You can use a plate for that." She was just about to launch into the finer points of bird care when she heard a gentle tap on the door. "Excuse me." Shaena plopped the bag on a nearby table and opened the door. It took her a moment to adjust to the sunlight, but despite the spots that temporarily swarmed her vision, the merchant immediately realized that it was Miku who'd knocked, and she was looking very antsy. "Hey Miku. Something the matter?"

"It's Lance. Some government officials have come to see him. They don't look very friendly..." The young girl wrung her hands nervously as Shaena's smile shrunk considerably. Miku and Lance did talk occasionally, and the girl had so few friends that she considered even acquaintances very important to her. That and Shaena rather liked the man with his steadfast personality. She quickly strode towards the smithy, a polite grin plastered on her face. "Do you need any help, Lance?"

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