(PRP) The Formation of the Cabal

[Nyx Queen of Darkness]

Personal notes: There's a threat against some of these soquili, a great threat/darkness coming. Umeko is brought in by Guillotine. The group is lead by Charon who brought in False. Alexi was invited because of his skills/reputation--the same for Ridley. Davina is found by Charon who has since lost Margaery. Charon suggests that Ridley go as protection for False and the baskets she's been blessed with. Johanna is off recruiting.

 

[Nyx Queen of Darkness]

Charon had set aside his feelings of kalona superiority long ago when he'd come to the Kawani lands. It mattered not how pure one's blood was or how brave they were, blood all spilt the same. Recently, he had had to put away his pride to do this. There were some things greater than pride though, much greater.

That was why he had gathered those who were coming to join him here. Their very lives were at stake because of something they had done, someone they'd cross, or because of who they knew. You can't win a war on your own, he'd learned that. There weren't many of them, eight all together would be here tonight with two or three off completing assignments.

He had been surprised to say the least when one of the first mares he had contacted had agreed. He'd spent weeks, months keeping her captive and forgiveness was not her strong suit. She had said there would be plenty of time after they fought together for her to kill him. He guessed that was good enough.  

[Nyx Queen of Darkness]

Ridley Kuzeri's heart was as heavy as always. The loss weighed deeply on her as though it was only yesterday, although it had been years. She could still see his face as he died, as she had failed him.

But there was not time for that kind of musing. She walked the last hour in wary silence, listening for Charon. She had fought against him once before, on different sides but they both of them had a respect for each other that ran deep. They were both soldiers so to speak.

She arrived at the clearing where Charon stood first. No one else seemed to be around yet. She inclined her head to him in a show of deference. "It's been a long time comrade," her voice was gravely as always. But before she could say more, she heard someone else approaching.  

[Nyx Queen of Darkness]

Guillotine's muscles felt heavy after the long journey. She could only imagine how Umeko felt being so small, though she'd learned never to ask the little usidia. Umeko was proud, dauntless about everything and judging her by her size was a grave injustice.

"Thank you," Guillotine spoke again to the little mare. "For coming," she finished. The little mare smiled at her, bright and shining as the sun. Once she'd told her friend (whom she'd met in the woods after being chased by a Cheshire Cat) about what the situation involved, Umeko was adamant about joining. Guillotine, on the other hand, had wished she'd never told her after she'd learned that Umeko was newly pregnant. But Umeko remained unswayed no matter what she said or did to convince her to wait till after the birth at least.  

[Nyx Queen of Darkness]

Umeko had understood why Guillotine had not wanted her to come and it was the very reason that Umeko had made Guillotine promise to keep her secret. If others found out she was pregnant, they'd not want her to come to this meeting. But she had as much reason as anyone to come, maybe even more than most. The things that were involved in this meeting--the soquili, had done her a grave injustice.

They had killed her half brother and father, stolen her basket-mate, and sold her as a foal to someone she had not known. He had not been unkind, but she was no one's property. And pregnant or not, there were soquili who had to pay and she had a sister to find, if she still lived.

But then again, Alma was a bit too cranky to die so easy.  

[Nyx Queen of Darkness]

He watched the hooded mare appear in the clearing, a dainty but mischievous looking mini beside her. The full sized mare must be Guillotine that Ridley had mentioned, an acquaintance of hers. The little mare must be a friend invited by Guillotine. If he had not already seen the fierceness of usidia's he would dismiss her because of her size--but he had seen how valiant they could be and how deadly quick.

He nodded his head to each of them in turn, letting Ridley welcome the guests she had invited.  

[Nyx Queen of Darkness]

Ridley smiled thinly at two of those she'd invited arriving. She bowed her head in deference to them. "Guillotine, I see you've brought a friend. If her heart is as stout as yours she will be a most formidable comrade." Ridley smiles at them both, "This is Charon who has called this meeting to order. He has asked to speak to us and all that will listen about a--" She cut her eyes to Charon and then stilled her words. "I will save the rest of the explanation until everyone is here and we are in a more, concealed place. The information we have is sensitive. There are many, many lives at stake.  

[Nyx Queen of Darkness]

Guillotine pulled her hood tighter about her face, so that most of her visage would be in shadows. "This is Umeko. She has similiar interests as ours. I met her in a very harrowing journey through the woods." The mini had been quite courage when they'd met and it the ordeal had caused them to fast become friends.

"How many others are there?" She asked, wondering exactly how all this was connected. She knew how she was connected, but surely not everyone could have the same connection with the Storybrook Brood as she had. Or could they?

But no, Umeko did not. Well not directly. Morsmordre was her connection. So then it must be a series of connections.  

[Nyx Queen of Darkness]

Umeko looked back and forth between Charon and the mare with long claws on her feet. Guillotine had told her that her name was Ridley Kuzeri, something she called a Ronin. She had been a bodyguard but the one she had protected was gone. Umeko thought of her sister who had always fiercely protected her. And out there somewhere, perhaps she was alive and well. And their mother, was she alive still? Some soft sinking feeling in her heart made her think not. All that was left was Alma, whom she had been unable to find.

If everyone who was to come to this meeting tonight had a similar story then the night would be alive with ghosts. Her brother and her father seemed to linger in her mind, a barely there memory from her childhood. She had not met them, but she had heard of them enough to form an idea of what they had looked like. Alma had not allowed her to forget them.  

[Nyx Queen of Darkness]

Charon considered his words carefully, "We don't know how many will come. Some like you, will bring others we do not know of. There is one out there spreading the word. We're hoping for at least three other than Ridley and I for this first meeting. It's won't be enough to make a move yet, but it'll be enough to start."

He let the words hang, not mentioning what he meant by "enough to start."

This place was not safe enough to discuss things too openly. There were at least three lives that he knew were hanging in the balance. All three were his fault too. But others had stakes in this, others had needs and wants and fears that would resound with what was happening. If they banded together, maybe...  

[Nyx Queen of Darkness]

The snow fell softly as they waited for the others. It reminded her of home, of her friend now long dead and the way she had failed her. She could not fail now. It was more than just honor that drove Ridley now. Sure, she wanted redemption if that was even possible for her, but she wanted to save others from what she had gone through.


She knew more than all the others except for possibly Charon and Johanna. She had been surprised to say the least when Johanna had agreed given her past history with Charon, but there was a much stronger enemy at play here.

There wasn't just one enemy, but an entire network of them all warring against each other and leaving devastation in their wake. And if their plan worked, then perhaps they could turn them all against each other, or at least make it impossible for the bad guys to band together like they were.

The ones they were after, they were not very good with trust.  

[Nyx Queen of Darkness]

Davina Mo Nighean Donn had answered Charon's summons. She had stumbled upon him by mistake while searching for her dear cousin, Margaery Tyrell. She had been surprised to say the least when she had found out that he had known Margaery in Daenarys Targaryen's Khalasaar. The way he had described her had left no doubt in her mind that it was her cousin, but it seemed she was much changed from that night she last saw her in the gardens of Highgarden.

What all had happened to her cousin since she had seen her last? She'd heard tale of some things, about a beast named "Bear". Charon had not told her much, but he had promised that if she came she would find out more from someone who had known Margaery well in the years since she's lost her.

In her heart, she was terrified at what she would learn of her cousin. What pain had she endured? Why had she not ever returned to Highgarden?  

[Nyx Queen of Darkness]

Falsetto Amachi made her way toward the designated meeting place. There was only one reason that she was coming here, and it was for the protection of her two children. Children of her and Margaery's that were as of yet still in their baskets.

Charon had come to her sometime after Margaery left and told her of the danger that was coming. She had known of Bear, she had known the horror of who he was and what he had done. But there was more to it than that, because her children were leverage against the entire Tyrell clan.

Slavers, he'd said and her blood had run cold when he's said that. She could not allow anything to happen to them and she could not do it alone. She had gotten someone she trusted to watch the baskets so that she could come here to figure out how to keep them safe.

She moved into the clearing and nodded to Charon solemnly and then glanced at each of the others. None of these were the cousin of Margaery she'd be told of. It had been the one reason she had almost not come.  

[Nyx Queen of Darkness]

Charon nodded as Falsetto Amachi came into their little area. She was wary as always and he wondered not for the first time what it was that had drawn Margaery and her together. He couldn't even begin to fathom it, but then again his own coupling with someone ill-suited for him was partially the reason they where here today.

He had made terrible choices and now three lives hung in the balance.

Nodding to False, he watched as Davina came next. He hoped that they would be able to get along well enough, he'd not shared with Davina the intimate nature that her cousin had shared with False. That was a discussion best left to them. In the meantime, they'd simply just have to get along if it meant the safety of the small lives involved.  

[Nyx Queen of Darkness]

Oziuhillasven had discovered the treachery of his parents and how his sister was left paying a debt they owed. He could never forgive them for it. Not ever. Out there his sister was being tormented as a slave. He had no idea what she was going through and it bothered him more than he could say.

Charon had promised him answers to some of his questions and a plan to get his sister back. It seemed that Charon somehow knew who was holding her. And when he had asked how, Charon had revealed the nature of his knowing.

He had once been employed by the ones who held her captive. Ozi was still not sure why he had trusted him enough to come knowing that.