Hibou Samples

[Petite Hibou]

SOVAY'S TEST
HIBOU SAMPLES
Petite test
Old Test

[Petite Hibou]

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xxxxxxxxxxxxx 𝓗 A R R I S O N xxxx 𝓘𝓪𝓶𝓮𝓼 xxxx 𝓜 c G E N T Y



The compartment where Harrison had the misfortune to be sitting in was feeling stuffy. The air smelled of bodies and quite recently, vomit. Scrunching his nose he tried to slide around on the box he was sitting on to avoid the collision. He wasn't sure how he'd ended up back in third class. The boat shook and lashed around and made him feel like luggage. And Harrison J. McGenty was no luggage! He'd earned his right of passage back to his good ole' Britain. His ticket was at least second class, maybe not cream of the crop it was still better off than he'd been. Old Fairfax himself offered the young man the ticket and he was sure that he'd of thrown an extra couple of dollars for him to be some what comfortable. Harrison couldn't have planned it better. A couple of years in America really did him wonders. He'd made a good impression on an oil tycoon by the name of Raymon Fairfax. He had more land, and more money than anyone needed so Harrison took it upon himself to buddy up to this man and make sure he got some part of that pie.

Granted, at first the Americas had been rough. They'd been a shock when he first crawled off the boat, beaten and bruised. Honestly he'd been so drunk that night, he was a little fuzzy on who'd tossed him on that ship. He wandered in the gutter for days, literally covered in grime and muck from heaven only knows what. It wasn't until he came across Raymond Fairfax and his Misses with an unfortunate flat tire or some other kind of car problem they couldn't figure out. To be honest, the details of that day were still blurry. He had to of looked like a mental case walking up to them all mangled up. But regardless Harrison, being the absolute gentleman he was naturally offered to help. After giving a hand, the tycoon offered him an opportunity. The door to a new world was opening for him, and he just had to get up and seize it.

Fast forward three years, and he had a decent standing back in America. Not top of the top, but he'd managed to climb that ladder high enough to get envied to those important things. The Fairfax family had became almost a second family to him. Though, he always knew they were different, he'd bonded with Old man Fairfax and a couple of his sons became something others would call 'friends'. But he knew what that meant. The ship jerked and shifted, bumping the Irishman almost onto his feet. Cursing under his breath Harrison pushed himself fully up. As he moved he could feel the boat shifting under him. It wasn’t something he enjoyed, that was for sure. The quicker he was off this boat, the better! As he walked through the compartment his mind drifted as he passed through the crammed room. He had become quite a different person since the last time he was on British soil. He was excited to show off his new skills.

Harrison followed the corridor up onto the middle layer of the ship. The instant improvement in hygiene make Harrision feel a little more at ease. Even though the ship tilted it seemed different, almost less nauseating in second class.

"Ah! " a painting voice from behind exclaimed "Mr. McGenty, isn't it?"

"Yes. How can I-"

Harrision had turned around to see, from the looks of it, a post man. He tapped his hat, and with a nod he passed an envelope into his hands. Harrison looked down at it, puzzled at its contents. On the page there was no sender, just his name scribbled in dainty hand writing. He had to keep himself from smirking while the delivery boy was near. But at the font, he knew exactly what it was. Flipping a few coins to the man who had delivered the message, he hoped that would be enough to dismiss him. To be honest, the mysterious part of it all made this sort of thing fun for him. A good time always waited inside these papers. The delivery man seemed more than pleased with his sum, and had scurried off by the time Harrison looked back at him. Turning the note over, he noticed the unbroken wax seal, even better. A wax seal meant that whomever it was really wanted the contents to be secret.

"Well. No use in keeping her waiting."

Running his finger along the side of the letter the wax seal gave way to the pressure and snapped in half. Harrison folded the envelope back and eagerly read the contents. It seemed his new friend, Madame Fourtier did in fact decide to make a visit across the sea, conveniently the same time he and his band of merry men braved the waters. It seemed she was eager to find some distraction until he finally reached harbor. Harrison was more than eager to be said distraction. The two had met when she came to visit the Fairfax's home in New York. She'd been a guest at one of the Old mans lavish parties. She was some wife of some man or something over in france. He couldn't be sure really. All he knew was that he thanked god for the french. At the end of her letter, there were instructions on where her room was, and her recommended method of entering her chambers.

Like the good boy Harrision was, he followed the directions to a 'T'. Rummaging through his own things to gather a bottle of his favorite wine, he readied himself for the part of an errand boy. Tucking his head into a cap, he was sure it slanted far enough that no one could quite detect him. He knew how this game was played, and unlike with cards, he was always the winner.

By the time he made it from his quarters in second class, all the way to first, it seemed like an eternity had passed. Harrison was never one who liked to wait. So when he knocked at Fourtier's he was already antsy. Rapping at the door one more time, he chimed

"Delivery, Missus."

When the door opened, a robbed brunette was quick to drag him in. When she shut the door behind him, she squealed with joy.

"Mon chéri! It is amazing how quick one can receive a letter on this boat, oui?~" she purred.

Oh man, did he love the french.

When she approached, she placed the bottle in his hand on the table and placed her palm on his chest, leading him backwards with her hand. When the back of his knees tapped the bed, she leaned in close to his ear and whispered

"Come now, laisse se amuser"

In a twist of bodies and sheets, Harrison felt alive. Body against body always gave him relief that nothing else could. Through an exhausted gasp, Harrison sat back against Madame's white sheets. Resting his hands on the back of his head he grinned. She had curled herself out of the bed to retrieve the bottle of wine he'd brought in. Just as she was about to bring him one of two cups she'd retrieved, a knock could be heard from the door. Neither of the two spoke. After another moment whoever was behind the door knocked again. This time, they spoke

"I know your in there you clochard! Don't make me wait, I will convince Felicity leave you behind! " The familiar fierce tone of Vivian Devareaux, the cousin of Felicity Fairfax. Like usual, her tone was stern and easily echoed through the closed door. Harrison shook his head, and let out a laugh.

"Oh hold on, I'm coming Miss. I've just been helping Madame with a few…things..." He winked at Madame Fourtier before jumping to his feet and scrambling to gather his things. Quickly slipping on his various layers, he rushed to the door. Vivian was waiting, with her escort, arms crossed. Whomever she was traveling with didn't seem to give much mind to Harrisons appearance when he finally crawled out of the room. Vivian rolled her eyes, and gestured for him to start off "Shall we go Mr. McGenty? Surely they've been waiting on us for a while now."

"After you, M'Lady..." Harrison bowed slightly at the waist, stretching his arm to the end of the hall. Vivian didn't wait, and when she crossed in front of him, he followed in toe. It seemed his activities had truly passed the time and he'd be getting off this damned boat sooner than later.

[Petite Hibou]

xx⊹« && In the ＤＡＲＫ, I can Hear Your ❤-Beat
petitehibouI tried to find the sound but then ⇣
xxxxxxxxxxPetitexit stopped ↺
petitehiboumadethislalala && I was in darkness
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxSo darkness I became xx So darkness I became
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxSo darkness I became xx So darkness I became
xxx■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
The Stars ◝★ The Moon ☽They have all been Blown Out ↘↘
xxxx (( You Left Me In The Dark )) 《 ＮＯ ＤＡＷＮ ＮＯ ＤＡＹ
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx I'M ALWAYS IN THIS TWILIGHT



Once the evening started, things seemed to progress a lot smoother than Imogene would have imagined. When the General began speaking, the rooms atmosphere changed from that awkward pre-event vibe to a community feeling. There was something people enjoyed about rallying together for a common good, and in this case Turik was that common good. It was interesting to hear the General speak of her uncle. The man who most of these people knew for longer than she had been alive. The general sounder very sincere as she spoke. The phrases she used were very uplifting and Imogene had forgot how flawlessly Céline could speak in social situations. Though she wouldn't admit it, she would actually not mind listening to her speak for a length of time. General Belfast concluded her speech, and almost simultaneously the dinner officially started. Imogene glanced from the table she was sitting at and scanned the table where the Xing guest sat. She watched the various reactions as the food hit the table. She was curious about this group. The General was open to the point that the Emperor was eager to help. And this is who they got. From that point on Imogene had little background information on these foreign soldiers for hire. She was able to sit back and study their faces from the location without too much suspicion. It was easy to brush it off as she was watching their foreign reactions, or seeing what sort of customs they had. But really she searched for something. Something a-miss, even for a foreigner. The General had nicely introduced the group, and she tried to remember their names as the studied the line of them. Daoming Chen, the first of the group to stand. By the looks of it he seemed the youngest, the way he reacted it was clear it was foreign to him, but not in a bad way. In an excited youthful way. He was several years her junior, but she wasn't going to count him out. The youngest were typically fast, and agile.

The two females of the group, she'd heard one of them was skilled with non traditional weapons, though she couldn't remember who or what weapon. Though it would have been a nice thing to have, some diversity of fighting. That added a stronger dynamic to a group, after all. The opposite female of the group she'd been told was a skilled alkahestrist. Again, another advantage to add to the group. so far they seemed to be covered in every aspect of battle. She could see some highlights of why they were asked for.

The other male who was not their leader, seemed to have a lot to say. Or rather- a lot to not say in amestrian. She'd seen him chirp from time to time, but obviously she didn't know a damn bit of what he was muttering. Which oddly...it irritated her. Not to mention it made her nervous. She could assume that this man, Jun, was it? Was skilled in the traditional art of their people, since she had not heard him to have any special skills. But still, an asset to their team as far as skill and depth went. Lastly she scanned over their leader. She didn't know a lot about the man who ran the group, other than their first encounter wasn't exactly favorable. She knew he would be working with her in hopes to secure the city more. The general assigned her to keep charge of the mercenaries and the various assignments they completed in central. Hopefully the first encounter they had would not indicate the rest of the time they were here. A waiter slid another plate in front of her, pulling her out of her mental state and back to the table she sat at.

Staring at the food in front of her, she was almost hesitant to eat. The gown she wore wasn't exactly food appropriate. Imogene wasn't a slob, but she wasn't always the neatest. Rather it be dropping something as she passed it, or bumping into something. She was pretty accident prone, and being in a dress that belonged to Celine, it made her a tad bit nervous. Glancing at Celine, she seemed to be chatting on a personal level with Melborne again. Imogene cleared her throat, and turned her attention to Turik.

"That must have been fun for you."

In between sips of his drink, the Drauchman scoffed, and a snarl flashed on his face.

"The General did say some nice things. The whole community seems to back you, even though you are a grumpy old man. Besides, you've always pegged me as that person who secretly looooves attention. "

He didn't seem like he really wanted to engage. Regardless, she still laughed at herself. She could be quite witty when she tried to be! But before she could press the issue, it seemed enough time had passed that the band the General managed to get to play, began its music. This gave an excuse for several party guests to stop between shoving food in their mouths to get up and dance. A solider, by the name of....well. Imogene couldn't really remember his name. Ryan, Rick- er, she knew it started with an R. But regardless. He was standing at her side, asking her if she wanted to dance. Turik seemed to find this funny, because he chuckled at her misfortune. Plastering a smile on her face, Imogene nodded in agreement. The R-named solider seemed pleased with his triumph. Pulling her from her chair, he lead her to the large open floor. There were a few other guests who glided by their side, but they were virtually alone at this point. Imogene could feel many eyes on them as they turned at twisted around the floor. Trying not to make a face of pain, or embarrassment, the brunette fixed her eyes on R-soliders shoulders. He was chatting to her, eagerly, about something that she hadn't quite caught. She nodded from time to time to make it seem like she was listening. She had decided she was going to call him Ryan.

She continued to daze out for several minutes as they circled the floor. It was actually a strange feeling. With a firm grip, Ryan spun her around several times until she almost felt dizzy. But it was a good dizzy. Feeling out of her mind didn't seem like a bad thing. Ryan twisted and turned, tracing the floor with a lot more elegance than anticipated. The calmness of everything made her feel at peace. Even if it was only short lived. A cracking sound reached her ears that sounded unfamiliar. She made a conscious effort to look down at her feet. Pretending she was watching her own steps to learn the moves. She tried to laugh a bit, to shake off any suspicion of actually working. Slowing the pace down, she was careful to not slow it too slow. She wanted to keep her dance partner from asking any questions beyond superficial ones. The cracking was feint, but it sounded like something crawling in the ceiling right above her...or on the roof. Imogene pulled her dance partner across the floor now, instead of letting him lead. He mumbled something about her being in charge, and seemed to accept being jerked around like a ragdoll. At this time, she was not even focusing on dancing, she was practically prancing on the floor from place to place simply to follow the sounds.

Then a loud howl echoed through the hall.

This time, Imogene stopped. The sound was loud enough for the whole ballroom to hear.

The atmosphere in the room shifted. She was not the only one to hear it. Echoing through the hall again, the Howl reached several of the guests but not everyone at once seemed to notice. The music was still playing loud enough that if anyone who was speaking, or moving in a loud way they would miss it entirely. That was not a typical sound though. Typical things were part of plans, and she couldn't remember any time hearing that noise. The howl reprised itself, and this time it was multiplied by many. They seemed to be in the room, or close to it. Chattering filled the hall as several military personal flashed a gaze from one another. Imogene stopped twirling around on the dance floor and was scanning the room for the cause of the sound. Simultaneously Turik and her caught each others eyes. They locked for a second, as to give a green light to begin. Casually she ended her dance with Ryan and she strolled back to the table. She didn't want to alarm. The sound could have simply been some sort of entertainment scheme that was a surprise. Imogene slowly slid back into her chair, scanning the large space over and over like a watch dog. Reaching over to Turik, she placed a hand on his arm. Again, there was something to be said about solving a problem quietly and stealthily.

BAM

A gunshot?

People had heard that.

The music came to a slow stop now.

A hush fell over the the room. Obviously the howling was not her imagination, and something was going on.

Imogene jutted up from her seat. Imogene stood there, her heart had started to race and everything went slow. Observing the platform where The General had just spoke she wondered what she'd heard just moments ago. Her eyes swept the room, but there was still no sign of what was going on. The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a blade. It was Truik who broke the silence

"We've got to cover, quickly. If we don't things will get suspicious. " His tone was low, the words spoken very clearly.

The old man was right. Turik slowly and deliberately stood from his chair. Looking at Imogene he tilted his head, and gestured in a way she understood. She began to casually walk across the ballroom, gesturing the band to start up again. Raising her hands out, she shouted

"That silly automail! Our guest of honor seemed to let a his new leg slip just the right way to snap a bullet out! " Imogene shook her head with a grin on her face. Those who stood in the crowd only saw cheer on her face. The room's atmosphere seemed to calm a little and accept the story she was feeding them. "Lets continue our night of festivities! "

Imogene reached for Ryan, who reached back at her eagerly. Once she walked to the dance floor the band struck up again with a bit more confidence. She'd given them a story to fall into and it sufficed for the moment. Imogene began to move and twirl again. She spotted Turik at the table playing up her story, chuckling at his "stupidity" he was gesturing a few military members to his side. They acted jovial in their movements, accompanied with smiles and jokingly pats on the back. The Ardere alchemist looked at the table of Xingese for the first time since the general spoke and something in the pit of her stomach turned. She didn't want to think any thoughts against the members, but when did things like that happen in the actual Central command building? Imogene buried the thoughts deep, for now she had to keep up the facade while Turik figured a little bit more out about the little mishap. Perhaps it was just some new solider making a mistake. It did happen from time to time, right? Maybe it was all just a-

CRASH

Another howling sound, and in an instant the surrounding windows crashed with the force of plummeting figures. Lurching from the shards, several figures cloaked in black stood straight up. Shouting, and pointing their weapons, several military members reacted, only to be jerked to their knees. Looking back at the table, the General, as well as Turik were both standing, on alert. It was actually kind of frightening. She'd never seen anyone just JUMP through windows like monkeys.

Imogene cursed under her breath. What are these idiots doing?

The attention of the room was drawn to the center. You could not see the face of the figure no matter what way he turned he was always covered in black. He was pacing the platform, scanning the room. His men were scattered in the area, some dressed in suits as guests. There had not been a thorough check of the guests. This didn't seem to bother the black dressed figure, since his band had a brief advantage of the crowd, Imogene felt the anger rise in her gut, being deceived like that made her want to vomit. There were only members of the military, and those few political figures offered an invitation to this banquet. For others to manage to get in there must have been someone on the inside, feeding information.

"We are here to offer salvation for you and the likes of anyone who shall follow." "

Imogene didn't hesitate, pulling her lighter out, she flicked it open.

The man laughed. "Whats so funny? You wont be laughing when I burn you to ashes." She hissed. How dare he! Grasping the silver piece in her hand she extended her arm forward. Pulling it back again, she blinked. Staring at the lighter in her hand she traced the circles drew on the side. Everything was in order, but the alchemy just wasn't happening. Imogene blinked again. What on earth was going on? Extending her arm again, she tried igniting the flames; nothing. "What's going on?"

The man on the platform lifted his arms wide, making a grand gesture, shouting over the crowd "Do you really think we can be stopped? Being lead by those cursed beings will get you no where. Salvation comes from purification. "

Purification? What was this guy talking about? Imogene's eyes intensified, there was something seriously wrong here. Figures filled the room, now unmasked, they wore a little red sun on each of their lapels. What was this group, and what exactly did they want?

"You are now listening a little better, aren't you Alchemist?" Imogene looked back at the man on the stage. He pulled on his hood, yanking it clear of his face. Under the mask was an older man, hair greying. His face was square and it looked like one of his eyes was the color of milk all the way across. But it was an odd glossy color of milk that made her spine shiver. Taking a step back, Imogene steadied her stance.

"We are the soldiers of sollertis. God has given us the very important task of cleansing this earth."

Just then, one of the other red sunned figures approached him. Kneeling before him, he pulled out a golden object. It looked like four pieces of rectangular glass, with gold at either ends. The contents, Imogene couldn't quite make out from where she was at. Just then the man made a gesture, and the room seemed to shift. The men he was in control of began their initiative. Filing through the crowd, they seemed to be searching for something, but not without a fight from some. People began to fight back, and the battle ensued. What did they expect?

Imogene took this as a time of action, lunging forward she started after the man on the platform. If she couldn't get him with her flames she was going to get him with her fists! The edge of her dress jerked her back.

Pulling tighter, she felt strain again restricting her from moving into battle. Glaring she turned her shoulder, discovering the culprit. Standing behind her was a dark clothed figure. He was grinning, his eyes were narrow, and eyebrows thick. His face sunk in at his cheeks and the scar near his temple made him seem slightly menacing. The scruff on his chin shifted as he started to speak

"Where are you going, cutie pie?"

Adjusting his weight, he took his second foot and placed it directly on the fabric of her dress. He smirked still, feeling smug at his antics. He must have seen her not be able to use her alchemy. Shifting the gun in his hand, he pointed it at her. Imogene scoffed, which seemed to be hilarious to the man because he chuckled at her. In that moment, Imogene lost any sense of guilt in the gown she was wearing. Taking both hands, she gripped the dress at her knees, and quickly jerked upward, toppling the man over on his back. He cursed at her. Ripping the rest of the dress, she threw it at him. Turning on her heel she started again at the figure on the stage. The old man only had two others standing on the platform with him now. The others who were up there had descended, to fight of the others trying to get to the man. Imogene decided this was the perfect time to act! With our without her alchemy she could take on two thugs! Well...hopefully.

Dodging the crowd of scattering people she started for the platform. But just as she was about to reach it, the old man shouted again

"We do not wish to harm those who wish the same as we! The days of the Alchemists are at an end. They will no longer plague the world with their unholy acts! The Soliders of Sollertis open their arms to you and your brothers. So shall you be cleansed. So shall you be free! "

The man lifted the golden relic again "Please Colonel, give us another demonstration. "

Imogene tense. How did he? The man smirked, shifting his eyes "Or what about you Major General? I would love to see your skills in action! Or the Lady General herself! Please, oh wise general! Show us a demonstration of how to freeze the innocents. How to ice over entire families when they step in your path. Or perhaps- " the man paused, and rubbed his chin, like he was a philosophical man musing over a very important thought "Perhaps you could just show us any skill you have? Right in front of the crowd?"

Melborne stood straight, his attention had been on the people around him. He was organizing a way to get those who were not military out of the room, so at this time he was standing in front of a rather large group of people ranging from investors, political members, to members of military family. He shifted in the way he stood. He faced the old man on the stage now, ready for anything he threw at him.

The old man grinned wide. He had ruffled some feathers, that was for sure. He was only calling out alchemist though. The other members of the room didn't even seem to interest him. Imogene took one look back at Melbore, and then in the same second she started off after the old man. Her attempts were noticed, obviously. And several people dashed right back at her. Melborne in the back seemed to take this as his opening to act. But when he tried to, he stood, shocked. The Ardere alchemist clenched her jaw. She hadn't seen Melbornes reaction, she was too busy trying to doge the lackies that were coming after her. All she knew was Melborne didn't act. Which made her beyond pissed off. Jerking one of the lackies by the collar, she hauled them to the side, letting them tumble into another one of the red sun wearing members. Jumping at the old man, she would have grabbed him exactly, if he wouldn't have simply disappeared in a puff of smoke. Several of the, what she could now call, Soldiers of Sollertis had vanished in a puff of smoke along with their leaders. Imogene cursed. Several of the people who started out the party as regular guests were now exposed and were instantly being detained.

Imogene pulled out her lighter again, and instantaneously it flicked on. It still made her stomach turn at the idea that her alchemy just stopped the way it had.

"What happened back there?

"I-I don't know."

"What do you mean, you don't know?"

"Its what I said. It just stopped. My alchemy woudln't work. And it didn't have anything to do with my circles. They are etched in perfectly to create the flame I need. But something just..."

"It stopped it. Something blocked our alchemy, and I bet it was that thing that old man back." Melborne chimed in.

"The questions is why? And how did he know about this?" Imogene clenched her fist. This was not a normal party. It wasn't one of those things that people just got an invitation to just because. This meant that someone somewhere in central had to of given this information to this group. This group of people that had something that could cancel out alchemy. What kind of power was that? Taking someones alchemy made them feel like less of themselves. Like a part of your soul was ripped out. It was not something Imogene liked to experience. Imogene had her arms crossed now, and she shook her head.

"We've got to find that guy. Those bums we got, they have to know something."



♛ BallGown ♛ Journal ♛ Central Command Ballroom ♛ Party Guests
((//will update where & code stuff later!!))

[Petite Hibou]

Araelyn had been sitting in front of these scrolls for hours. She had spent days before that going through them trying to make sense of it. The Elf drew a deep breath and huffed in frustration. She'd lost interest long ago and no matter how she stared, the pages would not change. Placing the scroll to the side she rested her head on the tree directly behind her. It had already been a long day and she hadn't made a bit of progress. The keeper would be searching for her before too long and she would have nothing to show him. She often wondered why he granted her the position of the Keepers First. In the distance she could hear a halla's hooves patting against the ground. Listening, she noticed that they were not settling. Usually they would move around and prance about making a little racket from time to time but not usually so loudly and for so long. Araelyn opened her blue eyes and looked out into the camp, what could be causing the halla to make such a fuss? When they did not settle after another moment past the elf lifted herself to her feet. Rolling the scroll quickly she tucked it on her side and slid her bow over her shoulder. From where she had been sitting there was a decent amount of the forest blocking her view from the pen.

Drawing close to the halla she spotted something out of the ordinary. A dark haired human woman seemed to be gasping and frantic like she'd been running through the forest. Araelyn watched as she stumbled through the last remaining trees into the clearing of the camp. Instantly, Kumal and Seraphina began to warn. They spoke in harsh tongues attempting to intimidate the shem and turn her away. The Dalish usually did not wish to fight unless provoked to do so. If the two elves could get the woman to leave without conflict, then they would. Kumal reached forward grabbing for the humans arm, but she quickly pulled away

"I need to speak to your leader, now," The woman snapped.

Leader?

At this word, Araelyn moved forward. There was no way a human was going to waltz in here and just demand that sort of honor. Approaching the three she wasted no time interjecting,
"The likelyhood of a meeting with our keeper is low." Araelyns' nose wrinkled at the woman. " Whatever you have to say you can speak it now, to me." She stared at her, attempting to looks as impassive as she could.

The human woman seemed briefly stunned, and from what little Araelyn knew of the shem, agitated. Yes, that was it. She could feel it in the air now. She did not often encounter elves who got agitated, it must have been a human thing. Struggling not to scoff at the woman outright, the silver haired elf crossed her arms.

searches his friend’s face as he tries to choose his next words carefully. Marcel seemed to notice and shook his head, raising a hand to stop him but Faris doesn’t heed it,

His narrow face rested calmly in almost a smile. But why? Araelyn could not read the keeper at this moment. The old elf lifted his hand in a traditional way, greeting the woman

"Andaran atish’an, Falon" His tone was sincere and he was not responding the way Araelyn thought he would.

'Welcome, Friend? How could this woman be a friend?!' Araelyn felt her jaw tighten as the Keeper extended his arm to the human woman. He began to lead her deeper into their camp. Following in toe, the silver haired elf crossed her arms as she waited to hear what the Keeper was planning. There had to be something-anything that would explain his actions.

The three reached the center of the Dalish camp where a glowing fire was kept throughout the day. Araelyn did not wait for instructions, she knew what was going to happen next, so she beat it to the punch. The elf removed her bow and sat down. Crossing her legs she waited for the human to do the same. Just as she predicted, The Keeper Faris extended his arm for the human to sit. When she sat, the keeper did not do the same. Waiting, Araelyn looked at the human and pointed at her sword. The human finally seemed to understand and placed her weapons to the side. Nodding, Keeper Faris smiled.

"Now, let us begin. Please, tell us what has happened..."

Araelyn listened, and she was not entirely convinced of it. There had been no signs of darkspawn and the Dalish would have known. But the Keeper? He seemed to be heeding the womans words, but something else was behind his words of comfort. He had given the woman drink and had listened to her tale, but why?

"Araelyn my student, would you please step to my tent and retrieve my map of the eastern cave? We will wait here and our guest will have a moment to recover."

What? Why was he sending her off like this? Araelyn did not protest, but stood very rigidly and almost stomped off. After several minutes, Araelyn returned with the Keepers map. Handing the paper off, she took her place.

"This will be very useful for your trip with our knew friend, Princess Diantha. She has traveled far and while you retrieved this important map, she has agreed to assist us with a very important task. "

Araelyn pressed her lips firmly against one another.

"Keeper, I must object..."
Faris raised his graceful hand to silence her.

"You are the one for this task my pupil. We shall learn so much from the artifacts left behind"

She tried to keep herself from scoffing aloud.

"But at what cost? Should we be so quick to trust this shem who vies for her throne?"

"This shall be her task as much as it is yours, do not be so quick to judge."

The need to protest again, to explain, burned in Araelyn's throat. But she knew this would not make anything different. She could protest until the moon rose but nothing would budge. She would be traveling with this shem rather she liked it or not. The map she had retrieved for the keeper was of a cave close to the camp. It would take them no longer than the rest of the afternoon to get there and back. But they had been there before, hearing tales of it once being elvish and found nothing. How could this be any different?

Araelyn stood. If this was going to happen, she wanted to get it well and over with. "It looks like our Keeper is adamant about getting to that cave. We should be off, to ensure we get back before nightfall."


And so it had begun.

At least It was one of those warm, overcast days that did not make a trip unbearable. The two would have little issue with the elements while traveling. Araelyn sought some solace in that. She did love to be among the trees of the forests all throughout Ferelden. From time to time she would have to travel with their Keeper or other members of their tribe to a city. They would trade for an afternoon, or seek some sort of material that they could not fashion for themselves. But even that was very seldom. No, Araelyn was content among her trees. The elf made sure to stay on the side of the woman named Diantha. She did not trust her to fall behind her, and she was sure the woman felt the same about her. Despite her attempts to feel at ease around the woman, she truly struggled. She had heard stories, warnings even, from other elves who had encountered shem like this only to be ambushed and taken away. Araelyn tried to push those thoughts away and focus on the task at hand. They would follow the path before them and they would be at the cave in no time. But until then, Araelyn wanted to know more about this mysterious shem.

"The Keeper said you were royalty? What would a she-I mean, someone like yourself be doing out here?"


█████████████ #806e94
█████████████ #545454
█████████████ #808094

[Petite Hibou]

hello there this is a spacer
x❝ you've got it all ⋮↺ you lost your mind in the sound;
xxxxxx xx There's so much m o r e x⊰¨ ♕
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxYou can reclaim your crownxxxYou can reclaim your crownxxxYou can reclaim your crown
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxYou can reclaim your crownxxxYou can reclaim your crownxxxYou can reclaim your crown
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxsssxxxxxxxxxxxxx y o u 'r e x i n x c o n t r o l
xxxx████████████████████ ███████▐ ▐
xxxxxxxx ⇣⇣ rid thex ❝ monsters ( i n s i d e ) your head ! !
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxsssxxxxxxxxxxxxxput all your faults to bed ↬ y o u c a n b e K I N G a g a i n


Freya woke up with her mouth dry, and head pounding. The sound of voices coming from each direction, bouncing off walls; Bursting into her head like fireworks. Her room was dark, and up until now, she’d been peacefully sleeping for her standards. She sat up, feeling completely discombobulated. Moments like this made her wish she lived on a deserted island. The morning chatter was her least favorite. Everyone seemed more strung out in the morning. Between getting ready for work, school or being late to something everyone was just in a damn hurry. Freya didn’t like to be rushed. She closed her eyes, and drew in a deep breath. Okay, okay…breath. Breath, Breath. She told herself, trying to regain control of her own thoughts jumbled into the mix. The to-do lists, mistakes, and everything else in-between of her neighbors traipsed through her mind, as she attempted to barrel through them. She took another few breathes. Some people had a habit of meditating, and Freya was one of them. But She always felt like she was reverse meditating. People meditated to find peace, sure, but a lot of them mediated to find a higher place. To feel connected with their own body and mind. Well, Freya had that. She was just connected with everyone else’s mind. Same thing, right? Every morning it seemed to happen like this. Some mornings were better than others, and some worse.

After a few long minutes of finding her inner balance, she was finally able to shield others thoughts. Stretching her legs outright, she grunted a normal morning sound following it up by rolling out of bed. Stretching up, Stretching down, and a couple times over she headed for her closet. The first pair of jeans, and the first top she yanked out did just fine for her. She liked clothes to a certain degree, but things always seemed to get in the way of her fashion life. You know, like hearing the thoughts of annoying fashionista's all the time. It makes one very cautious to what stores you go into. The mental chatter was really taxing on girls in shopping malls so Freya just avoided it all together. It was always really hard to explain to people why she'd get a bloody nose, or why she all of a sudden developed a migraine. The whole 'Because your thinking too much' never sits right with the general public. She'd tried.

Finishing the minimal dressing requirements for a complete outfit, Freya started her way into the kitchen. Usually her mother would ask her if she had done her homework, but since it was the first day of class her questions were extra special. They weren't asked so frequently.

“Hey Fae,” She said as she passed, reaching out, in a typical fashion, brushing her arm. “How did you sleep?” Freya crossed the kitchen to the counter, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

”The army ran in at dawn, leaving nothing but bloodshed and sorrow. “ She had a knack for the dramatics. Her mother had learned to interpret it over the years, depending on what she was talking about. She nodded, either knowing or not knowing what her daughter really had meant. Either way, it didn’t matter. Pressing her lips into a straight line, she brought her cup to her lips and took a sip.

"Well you are going to have an even bigger army if you are late for class again." Her mothers brow rose, watching her child dawdle through the kitchen she knew it was pointless to actually argue with her. Freya had gotten good at saying she was leaving for school, and bowing out at a local park or finding herself somewhere other than the school. But Mrs. Ellsworth had seemed to catch on to her little game, and started to threaten her teenage daughter.

"Its the first day of class!"

"Which means they will be looking extra close to see if you showed up." when she meant "they", she was referring to the government of coarse. They went through the entire explanation process of the group she was going to be involved with. But they waited until the very end to explain to her that she had to actually go to class! If she had known that off the bat, it would have drastically changed her answer to join! Maybe she could convince Alan to teleport them out. The government said she had to go to class. They never said she had to stay in class! Oh yeah. That would be perfect! But first she'd have to find that Alan. Pulling out her phone, she started scanning places she might want to go. She'd find a perfect spot to head to and show Alan the picture and then Poof! If they teleported in the next hour they could adventure and get back before Xander got his feathers in a huff. No one would be the wiser. Perfect-o! With a few options in mind, she slid her phone back in her pocket.

Taking the last swig of her coffee she looked at the empty cup. Last thing on her morning to do list was another cup of coffee. She poured a cup into a travel mug and threw her bag over her shoulder. Coffee was always a necessity, and not just one cup. If you cut open the psychics arm, it would ooze caffeine. Freya took a sip of her new coffee as she started off down the side of bakery. Her mother and her (after school) ran the local bakery. So the way in and out of the apartment above was a staircase on the side of the building. It actually came in handy, since it was easy to sneak in and out of. Freya was actually fond of this staircase.

The next fifteen minutes passed quickly, the time between her coffee rush to getting to her first morning class. Freya reached Staples high in what felt like record time. Looking down at her phone, she realized how early she actually was. Huffing she shoved her phone back in her pocket as she crossed into the courtyard of the school. It always took her a moment before entering this place to actually concentrate and focus herself before going in. With all the thoughts of 500+ students it could be overwhelming from time to time. She didn't always want to know what gossip everyone had. Who had dated who this week and not the next. Or who cheated on their biology test. She just didn't need to know! Taking a few deep breaths, she exhaled any thoughts that filled her mind. Entering the front doors of the school her mind was completely clear and ready. Freya made her way down the stairs, however, it was one particular sight that caught her attention - and she couldn't just ignore it! She could see Quorra, and Xander standing down the hall. As she got closer, she noticed another person with them. This one she didn't recognize! Approaching the group, she realized Xander seemed a bit off. His arm seemed to be covered in...ice?

"I thought you said we couldn't' do that in public? " She paused, realizing that wasn't Xanders gift Freya gaped "Since when can you do that?"

Glancing at Quorra, the healer seemed to be overly serious compared to usual. Then she realized something. The fair haired girl who she didn't know seemed to be really worried. She could hear her thoughts running around like a hamster on a wheel. Freya light up. She must have been the new member! Freya grinned, reaching to pull the girl from the wall

"Oh, no ones going to throw you away, don't worry. Oddly enough you froze the right person! No prison for you! " Which might have sounded odd to anyone passing by. Ice powers, how cool was that?! Why didn't anyone tell her! Or...Did they? Someone could have told her and she just didn't hear them. Regardless, she knew it now! How awesome a gift was that! Hopefully she wasn't a stickler like Xander.



¨♔⊰ × STAPLES HIGH x ¨♔⊰ × QUORRA,XANDER & ??? x ¨♔⊰ × DUDS x ¨♔⊰ ×CURSIOU VIBES AND STRESSED AURAS

[Petite Hibou]

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx PETITE ROSES BEND xxxxxxxxxxxxx TO SNIFF AT MY ANKLES xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx PETITE ROSES BEND xxxxxxxxxxxxx TO SNIFF AT MY ANKLES
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx PETITE ROSES BEND xxxxxxxxxxxxx TO SNIFF AT MY ANKLES xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx PETITE ROSES BEND xxxxxxxxxxxxx TO SNIFF AT MY ANKLES
xxxxxxxxxxTO NOWHERE DECIDED FOR NOW 」❞
xxxxxxx& the dog runs up with the heart in his mouth (deposited pulsing at my feet) ↙↙
xxxxxxx ████ ██ ████ █████ ██ ███ █ ███ █ ███ █ ███ █ ███ █ ███ ██ ███ ██████ █
_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_Ｂｌｏｏｄx ｓｔｉｌｌ x ｕｓｈｅｒｉｎｇx ｆｒｏｍ x ｉｔ'ｓx ｖａｌｖｅｓ ♣



"you speak of this to no one, you understand me boy?"

The sheepish figure nodded as he pulled away from the Duke. In his hands was a piece of parchment, which Risley folded like so, and placed in his lapel. His eyes scanned downward across the lawn for any surrounding people. Today was the day that the Princess of Coren arrived, and things needed to go just so. The brunette would insure that nothing would get in the way, unless it was him. He had made necessary preparations these last few years to keep the name of Rochester clear. The kingdom would not dare speak ill of the family, unless they would like to deal with him which would lead towards their demise. The advisor began to walk to the castle where the king and queen would be sitting in court. His eyes saw no one aside the boy he'd just spoke to, turning out the gates of the gardens, Risley followed his path, turning opposite wise to one of the many doors of the castle. As he passed through the doors, he crossed his arms behind his back, crossing one over the other in an astute manor.

His eyes scanned downward, for he looked down on nearly every one on gods earth, aside the king of coarse, but that was different. This world was about playing the cards that the lord set in front of you, and if you did not have the cards you wished, then it was your duty to change that. Unless you know, you weren't of status, then you should know your place. The world needed chamber pot cleaners and town drunks. Risley walked down one of the long corridors of the castle, his eyes scanning everything, it was all very much the same, yet different in every way. Risley had been back in court for a fort night, and he'd learned of much changes during his absence. The advisor was trusted by the King, which was at times a fault of the man, but Risley followed orders near all the time. He was known for more casualties than needed, but the king wanted things done and Risey knew the best and quickest ways to get them done. Granted, Risley knew how the wanted this world, and he was not afraid to work on his own progress, in time that was. He was no fool, he'd met more than one man who'd lost their tongues or worse for a simple slip of words. Risey knew how to play the court game, and it also helped being close to the King.

Progressing into the thrown room, Lord Fairfax lifted his head slightly higher as the doors opened to announce his presences. Gestures and comments were quietly made as he crossed the large room to where the King and Queen sat perched on their perches. Risley grinned, from to ear to ear as he swept into a deep bow. Standing back up to a normal straight stature, Risley reached for the Kings hand with a shake as the king grinned. The adisor bowed his head again, and kissed his ring, showing the respect that he was suppose to show towards the man supposedly graced by god. But Risley knew better. The man grinned in a jovial manor as he lifted his hands

"Your highness, I am blessed to be home in the glorious kingdom of Alton at such a miraculous time" .

The king nodded, grinning at the idea of being told his kingdom was fantastic and that it was going to become even grander at this time.

"We are glad to have you back in our presecnce Lord Fairfax, and my son will need your guidance in the next weeks of his life. "

Risley nodded as thought he knew exactly where the king was coming from, and generally so, he did. The eldest Rochester was not hard to read, much like a book. The advisor smiled, and bowed towards the queen as well, kissing her hand. Stepping away from the royals he noticed the Princess. He bowed to her as well

"Your highness, I am glad to see you've been well in my absence"

The youngest of the Rochester siblings gave a smug look, and pulled her hand from his grasp as he leaned to kiss it. The King laughed, booming through the room.

"It seems my daughter has felt forsaken by your absence advisor."

Yes, that was it. Not the fact that none of your children of court have manner worth that of a pig.
The advisor felt his jaw tense as his face resisted the urge to scowl. Scowling in front of court would have been a bad moment, especially now. Not today, not on this day. There was to be false cheerful moods and glorious praises to god. How sickening . The man bowed again before the king before stepping out of his gaze.

"Ah yes m'lord-" The brunette smiled towards Jane as he continued "Do not worry child, you and your siblings alike will receive my utmost attention, all of you, especially our dear prince on this day, are so near my heart. "

The king looked pleased, the poor sap. The princess though, refused to acknowledge his false modesty. Perhaps these children learned skills worth something these last few years. Granted if they had all learned to be deceitful and cunning he would have an even harder time changing them to a state of normalcy.

He could not believe that only one of the Rochester children had arrived, only one. Not even the b*****d. Again, the scowl wished it's ugly head at his skin. Risley took his place near those of his status, which was a mock to him. He was above this, these pawns of the kind. He would bide his time though. His eyes scanned the room again, there were many members of court that he no longer knew by name or face. This made the man realize he'd been gone longer than he'd anticipated. Though, it was more than necessarily. One last scan across the room, and Risley felt antsy. He was not to be in one place for too long today. He was anxious, and not for the arrival of the princess. He had is own agenda that reflected his work abroad.

There was no fear in Risley's eyes when he spoke with royalty, nor with the king himself. He felt his more at home at court now, there was nothing but ambition in this room. Each man stood, sons and even daughters of their own wishing by chance the royal family would take eye of their child in any way possible. Despite the arrangement between the Prince, fathers still pushed their daughters into his path, for people like that believed nothing was final until their was an heir. The court itself was well aware of this fact, thought Risley couldn't be sure the Prince was. Sure the prince was handsome in his own ways, but titles, that was what mattered. With the Princesses, it was near the same story, aside the potential sovereign power of coarse, but equally, a high status for a female. It was the highest they could acquire aside from queen. Joanna, Ithaca, and Jane alike were lucky they had a title, for if they had been his daughters, a right path to the nunnery would be sufficient enough. But alas, he was not able to command such drastic changes, even as advisor.

[Petite Hibou]

xxxxx

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TO BE D O W Nxxxxx⋮xxxxxＩ' V E L E A R N E D A L L M Y L E S S O N S B E F O R E N O Wxxxxx⋮xxxxx B O R N TO B E D O W N
_____И вы просто не получите его Держите это первоклассный
B O R N Ｉ T O B E D O O W N xxxxx⋮xxxxxＩT H I N K I ' V E S A I D T H I S B E F O R E N O Wxxxxx⋮xxxxxB O R N TO B E D O W N W H A T G O O D IS C O N F I D E N C E?
____ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪█(x↪↪; Вы знаете Ты такой жалкий


xxxxxxxxx┋❞L O C A T I O N: Central Command Training grounds x ＭＯＯＤ: Reved up xＯＵＴＦＩＴ:NINJA MODE. jk. x W I T H : Trainees xJ O U R N A L ♔





The Drauchman turned Amestrian solider stood upright, wiping his brow. His entire body ached more than usual. They had been running drills for hours now, and Turik Petrov was not one to just watch. He was a hands on instructor. And this sort of thing was exactly his specialty. It had been nearly four weeks since the mysterious attack on central command. Little information had been gathered about the sons of solertis beyond what little they already knew. This did not stop central command from taking preemptive measures. They began immediately and in the last three weeks they had began cross training all of the alchemists in the ranks. Turik, being a non alchemist, was the leader of these lessons. Along with several of the missionaries, and mainly major Spires. The Brigadier General had attempted to help him in the beginning, but he was a major player in the face of central command. So as more and more questions appeared, the Brigadier General missed more and more lessons. Soon he realized it would be better if he stepped away. In his stay the Lieutenant Colonel attempted to give his services. But Petrov found the man to be far too obnoxious for his taste; so within only a few short hours, he was replaced with Major Marek Spires. Which from then on seemed to fit with Turik just fine. Between the Major, Himself, and a large help from the Mercenary Vincent Li, the three managed to get a proper class up and running.

Turik had been sparing with a second year alchemist, who had no real skill beyond his alchemy. It was easy to evade his movements, even sill recovering from his injuries. The sandy haired solider was easy to gauge. His movements were slow, and he was clumsy with his follow ups. Turik easily evaded him, and the solider stumbled forward with his useless momentum. As he recovered, he tried to wheel around and kick Turik in the side. The drauchman evaded him for a second time, jolting his elbow down hard on the neck of the boy. He gasped, hitting the ground.

”Too slow…” Turik instructed, again.

The boy propped himself up on his elbows, panting. ”Enough! I surrender.

Turik nodded, reaching his hand down; he helped pull the boy to his feet. Patting him on the back he began his evaluation ”You would have been dead in the first five minutes of battle. You need to be lighter on your feet. Move with purpose, don’t just move; it isn’t alchemy. You aren’t going to miraculously become better with an addition to your circle. “

The boy hung on every word the Drauchman said. And Turik wasn’t often one to be boastful, but it made him feel pretty damn good. Patting the boy on his shoulder again he added "iIdti, we are done here for today. "

Turik was finished with his first afternoon group of training. Pulling a towel across his face, he wiped off the combination of dirt, and sweat. Letting out a jovial sigh, he rested the towel on his shoulder as the next group of trainees entreated the training area. His face lit up at their sight. It was time for the High ranking alchemists to spar. They would train together, to allow each of them to realize where the others were as far as hand to hand combat. It had been only a few sessions where members like Melborne, Belfast, and Braxton had met to battle. They had initially started off with the others, but soon realized even with their lack of ability, they were still higher ranking military members with a skill past that of the average alchemist solider. A few other ranking alchemist filed in with The lady general and co., and Turik could feel his excitement grow again. Despite his middle age, he was not about stop now. He hadn't felt this good in…well, ages! Everyone had treated him like he was breaking this entire last month that this was just what he needed. As Imogene passed him, he rested his hands on his waist, and bellowed

"Rebenok! I am most excited to see you fall today!"

The Ardere alchemist sneered at him. He knew she was not eager for this lesson. She had complained all through breakfast about it. A laugh from his stomach filled the air. He was truly excited. Imogene just waved him off. She was able to do little hand to hand, and Petrov knew this. She was only an object of his joking today. But the thing he really wanted to accomplish today was to battle against The Lady General. Which is exactly what he was going to do. This session would include Vincent, Mei, and Ziyi. The Drauchman was more than pleased with these Xingese visitors at this point. Ziyi had shown much promise in the eyes of Petrov. She used a Xingese skill of healing which seemed oddly similar to alchemy. But healing was a far better skill! Mei was a talented warrior too, quick and nimble. But she had a skill for teaching. A softness that was subtle when she instructed. And their leader Vincent Li had shown some of his skill off today, rather it was most, or just some of his skill; it still impressed Turik. He could see in his tactical style of fighting why his band of mercenaries followed him so willingly. He was very much a leader.

The new group of trainees settled into the area. It was a bit smaller than the last, so it would mean more training for this in it. Turik lifted his arm up, to start giving direction to the groups.

" We shall start with Basic Drills. The fasters you block, the quicker we will progress. " He started to pace now, eyeing the alchemists. "No use of Alchemy will be tolerated. If you so much as attempt to transmutate-" Petrov stopped, crossing his arms behind his back, his face became stern and hollow "You will wish you hadn't. These Sons of Solertis will show you no mercy. Expect little from me." Turning on his heel, he faced the group head on now. He was not going to pretend like this was just some false sessions that had no real purpose. It was quite an important thing, and these Alchemist needed to truly take it serious.

"Now! We shall begging, Za?"

He began pointing, assigning a soldier to each alchemist. As he pointed to each person, they lined up on opposing lines, facing each other.

"Melborn, Mei... " Passing them, he continued, nodding at the next few groups "Spires, you partner with Xander over there, he could use the practice." , Gesturing for the two to file in line, he continued

"Li, Braxton. Ziyi, Price. And last but not least-" He stopped directly in front of The Lady General. "Belfast, Petrov."

He tried to contain his sheer excitement. It had been ages since Celine and he had battled, yet alone a fair battle. She would really have her work cut out for her, not being able to freeze him to the ground, or Freeze him to his gun or freeze him…oh well, You got it.

"If you wish to surrender. You will yield to your opponent, and you will step down in rank. The last three alchemists standing, and the Last soldiers standing will finish the lesson off."

Raising his hand in the air again, he readied the troops.

"Idti!"

And just like that they were off. The soldiers he had assembled were the best of the best. They took their combat skills very seriously and he could bet victory in each of their cases. He was eager to see how each alchemist faired to these battle ready soldiers. Each spar would end with another Alchemist retreating and before long they would all dread the next session. The first session they had was not calculated accordingly. But since then, Turik spent the proper time calculating each apponent just so. Each alchemist was analyzed and they were matched with appoints that would challenge their fighting skills. This is how one grew stronger. This is how ranks grew in power. He knew this from his training at fort Briggs. They would often spar. They would spar weekly for various things, mainly to show order in the ranks. But here, in the warmth of Amestrian rules, Turik had to lighten the rules. Most of the spars today had ended voluntarily, not with blood. They had ended on the accord of an alchemist or a soldier wielding it to be over. There was part of Turik that wanted to see a real battle in this group. A real blood and grit exposed battle. Filled with trick and sly actions, he was eager to see just how it turned out. This particular group was not one to back down as easily as they had earlier in the day.

TRANSLATE
idti Go

rebenok: Child

[Petite Hibou]

xxxxxxxxxxxhellotherei'maspacefillerhellospacefillerlalalallaxKxExSxAxRxA x.x FxAxIxRxBxUxRxN ♕
xxxxxxxxxxxhellomeeerrrslil'paceherelalalilbit'therlilei'maspacefillerxxxxxxxxxxxxxhellotherei'maspacefillerhellospacr"THE TEMPTRESS"



Even from where she stood she could easily spot the two heroes in the distance. They had just been abandoned by the rest of their team and Kesara was getting restless. The two heroes were yapping about something dancing around each other in an awkward exchange. As the two heroes walked she easily kept her distance by blending with the large crowds directly behind them. While the two yammered on about whatever boring people talked about, Kesara tried to entertain herself. After ages and ages of pain staking undercover work she watched Wyatt rush off, leaving Sybil standing alone like a little fool. It was time for her to act. Twisting her palm up, a small seedling from her pocket began to sprout.

"Oh my darlings, how beautiful you will grow." She cooed.

The little seedlings had once been part of a plant in her apartment and observed everything. It rested for months in a warm bed of soil, feeding on every little angry feeling any pathetic person passing through had ever felt. Nothing made a person more angry than being strapped down to a bed, about to get drained and disposed of. Kesara found it comforting, the little sprout. It had grown so well and she was excited to see what it could do! She could feel the vibrations pulsing through her hand as it waited for its commands. It would grow oh so big, and do some amazing damage. Not many things beat the magnificent feeling of creating chaos. Bringing the plant close to her lips, the villainess gave it a light kiss. Its little leaves reached up the night sky like it was waking up from a long slumber.

"Now go." Like magic, the sprout burst into hundreds of seeds and began to disperse near by. Cracks instantly erupted where they had been placed. Fading back into the crowd, Kesara crossed behind Sybil. Strategically dropping seeds north, east, west, and south of the heroine. The more distance she covered, the more backup she would have. Only seconds after hitting the ground the seeds sprang up. Keeping her distance from the psychic, she knew she wouldn't have long until she was on her radar. Crossing through crowds Kesara had put enough distance between her and Sybil to begin. The others would have been placed in the park where the rest of the heroes were. Kesara lifted her right hand, and snapped her fingers. The little seedlings seemed to spark to life, growing exponentially without warning. From the little sprouts huge vines lurched from the ground. Snapping her hands again they began to move. One close to her thrashed about knocking down the near by light post, sending it crashing down, mere feet from the now scrambling and screaming crowds. The raven haired woman smirked, resting her hands on her hips.

In the distance she watched Sybil react to the panic. The area where the hero had been standing was infested with vines. Admits the sea of green Kesara watched Sybil racing to push people out of the way and clear the crowds. But through the shrieks and yelling Kesara waited. A few more screaming people and heroic shoving, Sybil finally caught glimpse of her and realized what was going on. But to be honest, It wasn't like Kesara had a very stealthy ability. Who else could manipulate those gorgeous plants like she could? Not a damn other person she'd ever met! Sybil stuck her fingers to her head and after a moment she gasped. Sending a psychic blast through the vines, she cleared a path for her to cross through.

"Stop right there!" Sybils voice echoed through the frantic crowd.

Rolling her eyes, the villainess pursed her lips "Aw look, they sent Miss goody two shoes herself. You should really get some sort of award for how by the book you play. I mean even the way you talk, A+ effort. "

"I don't know what kind of game your playing at, but you better leave these people alone."

Sybil's tone could be described as heroic, but Kesara just thought of it as annoying. This brunette b***h was getting in her way, and now it was time for her to really have some fun. She wasn't quite ready to leave, and schitzo over there couldn't make her leave. Kesara grinned at the predictable reaction of her heroine counterpart. "And what, are you going to make me? You can't even get that moping hero you sidekick for to notice you, how can you expect to keep me interested in a fight long enough to actually beat me?"

"I'm so not in the mood for this today. "

Music to her ears."What, don't you like my little garden? I've put so much work into it~" The vines near her danced in the air at the sound of her voice. They knew when their mama was near, and she loved to tell them exactly what to do. Wielding the vines to cross in front of her, she began creating a wall between her and Sybil. While her babies created coverage Kesara dashed off again.

For the first time ever Kesara became aware of how fast the hero could run. The psychic had managed to blast through her barricade and was running up fast. Still going, Kesara had a revelation. There was no outrunning the psychic! She would have to be much more crafty than that. Making a sharp right, the temptress yanked as many stuffed animals as she could from a nearby tent to the ground. Over her shoulder, she could see Sybil slow down to fumble through the toys. This allowed Kesara to get the upper hand again. Through the maze of gaming tents Kesara dashed to the first ride she spotted. A tea cup spinning ride was still in full working order, spinning around and around in the midst of the chaos. Next to it was a large oak, old and strong. Kesara squealed and made her way to the cups. Crawling into a red painted cup she crouched down. After spinning around for a couple of seconds she stuck her head up. Scanning the area she could finally spot Sybil running around the corner. She hadn't been spot yet, and it would be the perfect time to act! Kesara stood. The machine spun her around behind the hero. Jerking her arms down she wielded the large oak branch to bend and twist. She watched the hero zig zag and dodge her attack. Sybil jumped up and grabbed the branch, swinging back and forward she leapt into the nearest tea cup. Kesara pushed the branches and tried to whack Sybils back to the ground. Sybil struggled to get into the cup, and when Kesara finally allowed her to finish climbing in she went in for the kill. Lifting her arms up, the branches followed her command, snapping down into the heroines torso it shoved her out of the ride. From where Kesara twirled around, she could see the psychic coughing. When the heroine was in her sight, Kesara hurdled over the side of the tea cup. Touching down on the ground she looked over her shoulder and sneered.

"Come and get me little b***h."

She made a dash towards the nearest game station. From the front of the table Kesara dropped down and rolled until she reached the other side. Standing back up she waited until Sybil had made her way to the opposite side. Pressing her hands on the table, she met the brunettes gaze "Did you know that most carnival games are rigged for you to loose?" Kesara mocked in her head. She could see the girls face twist. Oh yes. She was starting to realize what was going on.

Images of the villains and other various juicy tid bits must have been flashing through her freaky little mind because she watched her expression change again. But now Kesara was feeling something different. A memory flashed through her mind that she'd been suppressing for quite some time. The image of her weeping Abuela swam through her consciousness. They flowed into the face of her little sister and a grave. Kesara jerked her head from side to side trying to pull the psychic out. She was starting to over stay her welcome. Kesara had secrets she'd like to keep buried and the psychic was going to pay for invading that part of her brain. Darting to the other side of the table, the two matched paces. Slamming her hands on the table, she grinned

"You think your the only one with some tricks up her sleeves? "

Sybil had stopped and was watching her from the other side of the table.

"I mean, if your going to play in my past, how about we start bringing yours out for your examination. How about you tell me about those siblings you abandoned? "

Kesara became aware of the shift in the air now. It felt thicker, even tenser? From where she stood she could see stuffed toys starting to levitate.

"What? Don't like people butting in? I mean you did ditch them for money and all, I just figured you'd be over it by now." Kesara knew she was hitting a soft spot. "We're a lot more like each other than than you think doll face~ "

In an instant, Sybil lunged over the table crashing into her. She felt a hard jolt in her back as she was forced to the ground. Gasping, she tried to pull away from the heroine. The brunette had her pinned down and Kesara watched her rear back and things went black for a split second. Pain. Her face burned, and Kesara squirmed to get free. Sybil went in for another punch. Twisting and jerking she felt her face burn again. Black. Kesara choked. In a haze, she reached up and held onto Sybil's arms, trying to toss her over. Clenching her fingers Kesara released any bit of poison she could manage. Still foggy she could see Sybil stagger back and scream. Nothing she'd managed to get onto her would last for much longer so she knew she needed to move. Blinking, she drug herself under the table. While Sybil composed herself Kesara stood at the opposite end. Resting her hands on the structure, she steadied herself as the dark spots finally disappeared. Looking down, she closed her eyes and took another deep breath. That b***h. She would need to get anther manicure that was for sure. And since that was the case, she was going to make it worth it. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted the game set up on the table. How fun! Two water pistols were bolted into the table that she hand't noticed before now. Wheeling the water gun around, she took a shot at Sybil, drenching her from head to toe. The heroine grumbled, and rubbed her face revealing a nice shiner on her eye.

"Man, it looks like someone kicked your a** already today. Maybe, just Maybe I'll go easy on you."

"Not a chance."

Kesara found it amusing, this sudden wildness that was coming from a usual calm Sybil. Early on during project Alpha Kesara could remember her stomach turning at the overwhelming goodness that oozed out in the human form of Sybil Beckett. But this? Oh, Kesara felt a surge of pride that she managed to bring this primal instinct out in the perfect little rule follower. Kesara rested her hands on her hips, and watched as the heroine readied herself once more. Sinking low, the psychic twisted her foot on the ground, wielding a wave of psychic energy to hold in the air. It suspended gravel, dust, and whatever other rubbish that was on the park ground. Kesara could feel everything around her just hanging in the air. When her lips parted to release air, she nearly choked on the ick everywhere. She watched, as Sybils face shifted, and her eyes narrowed. "I'll give you thirty seconds to turn around and change your mind, because if not, I'm going to take you down and you will not be getting up".

The Heroine lowered even more, a stance that made Kesara do a little wiggle. Her hips hurt just watching her crouch down like that! Damn, she must have done hours of yoga to practically drop it like its hot. Strutting forward, Kesara effortlessly flipped her hair over her shoulder as she approached the brunette "Look who decided to be a big girl today."

Kesara knew she didn't have it in her. Her threats only energized her. God. What she could do with that power! What a waste it was on such goody two shoes like her. Kesara inched her way closer and closer to the heroine. Who, in a weak attempt to still scare her, shifted her foot forward sending a small psychic blast in her direction. The blast felt almost like a warm breeze, carrying her hair up into the air for only a split second.

The dark skinned vixen let out almost a cackle. "Oh stop that darling, you know as well as I do you won't harm me past a few scrapes and bruises. Killing just ins't your thing." Running her hand across her lip, where she could feel a small slit from their earlier encounter she grinned wide. "But I've got to hand it to you doll. You've shown me something today thats more than interesting~"

No sooner did she say that, she realized something. That look in the heroines eyes, it stared at her with some serious anger. It made Kesara giddy. She could get drunk on the idiocy of people. Her little plant had been working wonders, and obviously the psychic was cracking to be getting so physical. Extending both her arms palm up, Kesara beckoned for her plants without a word. The vines slid across the ground and began to wrap around her arms creating a twisted mass of vines. Lifting her arms up two vines shot like bullets and wrapped themselves around Sybils ankles. The psychic shouted as Kesara jerked her arms in, dragging her across the dirt. The villainess tightened the vines, they scraped along the ground pulling tighter at Sybils ankles. Pulling the heroine closer, Kesara lifted, dangling her in the air. Now she was cursing, and her arms failed about. Kesara laughed.

"Not so tough now, are we? Well. I think you could use another ride in the tea cups."

[Petite Hibou]

When the elf gestured for them to start, Elodie followed her into her tent. The two did not chat, why would they? She sat down, and the two sat across from each other on the rolled out mat. Desta broke the silence by explaining her modifications to the ritual. The ritual that she'd already experienced once was now different and obviously more painful. Perhaps she was not as strong a mage as her Arlo was? Elodie still believed her request was a reasonable one, and Desta had not refused.

"Wait, what? No one said anything about a scar..." Desta had not heard her protests. She was gathering some stuff together that Elodie hadn't been paying attention to.

The elf was quick to start. Elodie had imagined she would have more questions, have concerns, something? But that was not the case. Elodie was hesitant when Desta reached for her, and spoke. She could feel her stomach turning at the thought. She could not recall a single scar on her whole body, even as a child she managed to keep from breaking or harming herself in any way. She just sat, waiting for her to tell her what to do.

"Give me your unmarked palm"

Elodie hesitated, and as she was about to ask what for she felt the sharp pain of the daggers blade run across her right palm which Desta now held. She winced, but not at the pain. The cut was quick, clean, and oddly didn't hurt a lot. It was when Desta squeezed just slightly, causing her blood to ooze and drip into the bowl below. She bit her lip. Was she right to ask her to do this? What if she didn't know...A cold feeling rushed over her palm as Desta ran her fingerips down the cut. Then it felt immediately different, when she touched her hand it was like fire that didn't burn. The elf lifted her hand and the cut was gone. Elodie clenched her hand together, amazed at the speed. She watched the elf do the same, cut her own palm, and mix the blood into the bowl. She wondered briefly, what sort of ethical line this danced on. Was this technically blood magic?

"I will have you place mine first." Desta explained, preparing the bowl further. The mixture of their blood swirled around and it made Elodie uneasy still. The elf did not look up, she only continued with her task. Elodie watched as she dipped her finger into the blood, taking it with her dainty finger and created a design on her skin.

."Take the dagger and dip the tip into our blood. Then begin cutting over what I have drew."

Elodie swallowed the lump in her throat that had been forming since she sat down. This elf was dead serious. She was really going to go through with this! The woman watched as the elf held out her arm and instructed her what to do with the dagger. Grabbing the weapon from the table she glanced at the table with the spell on it. Her eyes scanned the words, mouthing them to herself. She was surprised, they were familiar to her.

She had seen those words before. Well, most of them. They were doing the exactly same ritual as Arlo had done, these words she read from the page were not correct. Arlo knew much, and was always speaking in different tongues to her. When they were preparing for the ritual he made sure she understood what she was doing. She understood the meaning of the words of the enchantment, these words told her that the path she was taking she needed to be certain. That if she was the path would show itself to her. These words, he often wrote to consolidate her when she was feeling down. Over the years he shortened them from their original meaning, instead of the text being Be certain in need, and the path will emerge he would tell her 'Be certain in me, and we shall travel the path together '. It was so silly to see it now, the original words that once meant so much to her. At that time she did not realize that Arlo would become her everything. He would become her everything and the world would rip it from her in a moment. With the dagger in hand, she looked to Desta and questioned

"The phrase there, Its not quite right it is something about being certain, that the path will emerge." She pointed to the scribbles on the table with her non-maimed hand. ""Lah...lath sulevin, lath araval ena, I'm sure of it."

Elodie gave a soft, airy sigh, wondering if this was just a chase for nothing. The ritual had been done once and what if she could not do it again? Elodie hesitated, looking at the blade in her hand. Sitting up on her knees she reached for Destas arm. The spell circle would be activated when she cut, and there would be no going back. Elodie held the dagger in her hand, right above the spot where she was intended to cut. Drawing in a deep breath she steadied herself enough before pushing the dagger into her flesh. She felt her face squish up, she had never cut anyone before for any reason. Pulling the blade through the entire circle she felt her stomach turn again. She did not know how they did this stuff. How they hurt people when needed. She finished cutting the circle and watched the blood ooze even more. Sitting back, she passed the dagger to Desta.

Apparently it was her turn now.

She drew in a deep breath and stuck her own finger in the mixture. The warm liquid stuck to her, and turning on her hip she pulled her leg forward. Yanking her shoe off, she pulled the hem of her skirt up to reveal a tattoo on her upper thigh. She did not look at Desta, she could not meet her gaze. She traced the existing tattoo with the blood mixture, covering it in red blood. She finally looked up at Desta

"When I was young, they assured me this was the best place for the tattoo. It was supposed to be a plump enough part of the body to not hurt too bad. I admit, I forgot the pain soon after the ritual, since our family healer did her best. "

She was calm until this moment. She had felt alright with everything until this very moment, perhaps it was because Desta hadn't told her when she cut her the first time. She had no time to worry then. But now? She wasn't so sure she wasn't going to throw up all over Destas tent. She was practically shaking when she passed the dagger to Desta.

"If your ready... " she tried to keep her voice from cracking as she spoke.

She watched the elf dip the weapon in the blood mixture and she clenched the hem of her dress tighter. The elf showed no emotion as she pushed the blade into her skin. Elodie winced, her whole body tensing up at the pain. Why did they have to do this today? The tattoo would have been an easier feat! There was a certain recklessness that came with being herself. A certain cherishment of freedom, a vibrancy that Elodie naturally exuded. She remembers being loud and carefree, twirling through her families estate that smelled like fresh flowers. She remembers when she wasn't being pulled around by an organization she didn't even understand. She hated being this herald that everyone was calling her. It was hard for her. Doing this ritual was like locking herself down to this organization even more. It wasn't like Desta and her were close and she was sure once the breech was closed she wouldn't be seeing her again. But they were about to do something that would make them dependent on each other. She watched Desta finish the outline and she pulled the dagger lose. From that point, Elodie grabbed the paper and set it between them.

"Remember, the words towards the middle, they must be altered slightly. Lets continue so we can stop bleeding all over your sleeping mat..."

Elodie began to speak the words on the paper. She chanted the spell and as she ended the words she felt her leg pulsing. The spell circle reacted, and from where she sat she watched the circle glow, the same was happening on Desta. Another pulse ran through her body and this time she felt it all the way down to her toes. There was an overwhelming feeling of exhaustion that rushed over her as the ritual concluded. She wondered if this was normal? Perhaps the magic inside her gave her some extra stamina that she had never realized before? Elodie reached for some cloth Desta had put out, and she tied a few pieces together to fit around her leg. Tightening it, she pulled her shoe back on and adjusted her dress back to its rightful place. Looking at Desta she watched her for a moment, she just realized that she'd never seen her without her cloak on. It somehow made her seem a bit more normal, almost friendlier.

"Hey, thanks. It should feel pretty amazing for you for a while. I've been told Arlo spent days just blasting things apart because he felt such a surge of energy. You'll have to let me know how it goes. "

Pushing her hands down on the ground she stood upright and started to walk towards the opening of her tent.

"Again, thanks. And if you think of anything you need let me know, okay? I really owe you one. " Pushing the flap of Destas tent out of her way she exited the tent.

The second she was in the cold she heard the voice of the seeker "Where have you been! We have been looking for you everywhere! There is much to be done and you are just wasting time doing maker only knows what!" Cassandra sneered at her, her eyes still boiled with rage.

What was this chicks problem? Elodie crossed her arms, but did not protest. The seeker rested her and on her shoulder and began to lead her back to the Chantry. Ugh, the cold, dark Chantry. Elodie yearned for the white colorful buildings of Val Royeaux. Everything was just so bright and colorful there. Even on the darkest and rainiest of days the world seemed brighter there. This was the last place she wanted to be, even still. She had already briefed the council on the happenings in the hinterlands and they all still looked at her like she had been withholding information, or that she was plotting something terrible. She found solace in speaking with Josephine, it made her feel like she was at home even if just for a moment. The second time she spoke with her even Leliana joined in and the three spent at least a half hour speaking of nothing but familiar things to Elodie. She was grateful for that, she really was.

After the ritual she felt drained. She should have waited and let Desta heal her leg. She had wanted to get out of there so quickly that now she stood at the council table trying to keep from making faces. With both hands on the table, she could feel the room looking at her even more than they had been. All this experience in one room she could tell they knew something was different. Her eyes averted others and she stared mainly at the tower pieces on the table. The chatter around her didn't go on for long before Josephine announced that they would continue at another time as it was getting late.

Elodie quickly left the Chantry, eager to get back to the hut they had assigned her. At least there no one would bother her. She had woke up there, and she remembered it had been by the Potion makers hut, but beyond that...she was not sure where it was.

"Hey! Princess, you look like you could use a drink! Why don't you come join us?"

She glanced to her side to see Varric lifting a cup at her, gesturing for her to come over. He sat in front of a fire joined by Beckett and a few other Inquisiton members. He handed her a glass, filled with a brown-ish liquid. She took the cup and sat in front of the fire. Her parents had told her for years the dangers of drink. Her brothers and father would drink ale at supper and her mother sipped wine on special occasions but they pounded the idea into her head that alcohol was an un-lady like activity. So, she just hadn't. Looking at the liquid in the cup she swirled it around again before putting the mug to her lips. The lukewarm liquid hit her tongue and she choked, lifting her hand to cover her mouth. This stuff was disgusting! How could anyone drink it!? From both sides she could hear laughing. Beckett even tried to hide the fact he was laughing at her expense. Varrics booming laugh filled the campsite and he patted her on the shoulder

"You should have told me you didn't drink this stuff! We would have deluded it down! " He laughed again, lifting his new cup into the air. The others followed suit as Varric toasted "To a wonderful new friendship for the princess and the ale!"

Elodie smirked back, lifting her own cup a little in the air. When the others put their cups to her lips she did the same and took another sip. This time she managed to swallow the nasty stuff which caused the group to hoot and holler even more at her apparent success. She just smiled, oddly at ease. Perhaps the ale was really that effective?

[Petite Hibou]

It seems that the ruckuss between the Templars and Mages was much closer to the Refugees than one had thought. From where they stood in the hinterlands it took them less than a half hour to reach the Crossroads. And this was at the speed of the Herald, which moved like an old woman. Beckett and the others stood idly by while the Herald approached mother Giselle. He could hear bits and pieces of it, but when Elodie finished speaking she briefed the group on the situation in the hinterlands. Many innocents were getting stuck between the Templar and Mages and many of them were in need of herbs, blankets, and food according to the Mother and few inquisition forces were stationed in the area. It seemed that the Herald agreed with the mother and they sent letter via raven back to Leiliana and Cassandra to get reinforcements to the area. The Herald announced to the group that they would remedy as many of the issues to stabilize the area as they could. Food and herbs were easy enough to acquire and the Herald seemed to have some list in her her mind of what to do next. Beckett had stayed silent, he only watched and listened as the woman stumbled through diplomatic issues. After setting certain goals up with Mother Giselle and other soldiers stationed at the crossroads they were ready to venture into the wilderness and start on their own to-do lists. Beckett dreaded grunt work, but he saw the necessity in it. They needed to let people know that the inquisition was back and they were there to help. This was an easy way to let villagers know. So off they went.

They had acquired a decent amount of herbs before Elodie finally chimed in.

"One of the men at the crossroads said he needed ram meat? How easy is that to obtain?"

"It depends herald, are you going to catch it yourself? " The woman glance at him, a little confused. He tried not to show the irritation in his face, but he could feel his eyebrows betraying him. His face rested in a glare.

"For us, it should be easy. Each of us could get a few, we'd just have to find an efficient way to lug it back to camp. Perhaps a few of the inquisition members could help us carry it back to save some time. "

Within the span of a few days, the crossroads had been stabilized enough to move on. On the third morning of the group being there a letter was sent. In the letter Leliana wrote that they were to find the horse master in the area and that Cullen would be sending troops. So without any more delay they set out to the north in search of his farm. Even though a few days prior they'd stopped a scuffle with the mages and templars the area was still alive with the sounds of their fighting everywhere around them. They continued walking, careful not to draw attention to themselves.

Beckett felt like he was babysitting again. The whole idea of accompanying the Herald out here was getting exhausting. They'd been out in the hinterlands for three days now. Each night when they went back to camp none of them seemed to speak much. Varric would speak over the fire adding some stories and trying to keep the mood light, but neither Desta or Elodie opted to speak most of the time. He was always surprised when Varric could pick up on a conversation that would make the Herald speak. She seemed indifferent to their mission. She was there, moving through the motions. Becketts opinion hadn't changed of her. She was just becoming more useless on their journey. They could have easily had Desta put her hood back on and masqueraded as the Herald. Why did she need to actually be there? The fourth morning of their adventure Elodie had seen some herbs that she'd recognized as Elfroot. He did have to hand it to her on that front, she was good at spotting supplies when the rest of them had missed it. She mentioned once that it was her attention to detail, another Orlesian trait, she claimed. He didn't have much love or Orlais either, but that was a story for another time. The Herald had spotted supplies near camp and before the rest of them had been ready to move she volunteered to go on her own. The items were all within seeing distance of the camp so no one objected.

Eventually he walked closer to where she was gathering herbs. She'd started a nice pile and seemed to actually be focused on it. She spotted him, but said nothing. He did not know what her goal was, but he still did not entirely trust her. He watched as she yanked another herb from the ground. She tossed it into the pile, took a few steps to her right, and began tugging on the next one. This herb seemed to be a little more stubborn though. He watched as she firmly stuck both her hands on it and started to tug, nothing. She released it and took a huff, obviously frustrated. He tried not to laugh at her from where he stood. Crossing the small pond near the camp he drew closer to her as she put both hands back on the herb. He asked her if she needed some help, in which she promptly stated no. He watched again as she tugged one more time. She yanked with all her might and in a split second the Herb yielded and she slipped backwards. Hitting the ground behind her with a thud this time Beckett laughed.

"If you would have let me help you, It would not have came to that" He chuckled again, as he reached to help her up.

She grumbled at him, not agreeing or disagreeing with him. When he extended his hand to her, she reached up and he clasped his hand into hers. Pulling her upward, he felt a sharp pain pulse through his arm. A burst of flame ignited between the two of them and Beckett howled in pain.

"Makers Breath!" He gasped, jerking his arm from her. Wincing, he cursed aloud. Shouting back to camp, he focused back on his arm, which was now fully red and beginning to blister. "Dammit..." His teeth clenched together. How on earth had this happened?

He could not remember the last time he'd been in so much pain. A would from battle was one thing, but a burn was new territory for him. He cursed again, clutching his arm. How had she? Since when was she? Cursing again, he didn't even look back at the Herald. He could hear her apologizing and fussing over him, but he wanted to see her even less than usual. He moved towards the camp. Entering camp, he growled

"Potions! Someone bring me some healing Potions, QUICKLY."

What a ******** fool he was, leaving the campsite without any supplies. Even though he had figured he'd be right there...not twelve feet away from the camp. The inquisition troops all began scattering around. Varric approached him and his eyes grew wide "How did you manage that? I didn't see you stick your hand in the firepit? His usual humorous tone still apparent, but Beckett was not in the mood.

"Ask the Herald." He winced again, his arm still felt like it was on fire even though the blast was long gone. He wanted to pull off his own arm, the entire spot from his elbow down was blotchy and red. "Is no one here trained to heal wounds?! Maker curse you all!" he bellowed.