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Legend of Lunaria Captain
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 Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 9:53 pm
xxxxxThe ancient branches bend under the weight of the bodies as they are secured with finality. It is hard to see the figure, or figures-- whoever is responsible. They work quickly, almost invisibly. Their aim is to have never been there at all. With some muttered words and an item cast at the bark, the ancient tree is set alight. It is the blossoms which catch first, their unopened buds searing to ash and crumbling into the flames. Then twisted branches, turning black licked by the tongues of fire. Eventually, the heat of the blaze is enough to burn the trunk, to reach into the ancient tree and ruin it from the inside out, so that it may never recover.
xxxxxThe sacred tree is destroyed. Who is responsible? The Legionnaires, who wish to reaffirm their undying loyalty to their Emperor? Perhaps it is the Noble Retainers, who desire to see real change affected over Lunaria, because they are sick of the useless and ineffective rule of the missing Emperor. Regardless of who hung the trio of Noble Retainers-- for that is who they were-- up on those branches, they burned along with the tree, and their bones mix with the ashes of the once-sacred Cherry Tree.
xxxxxThe violence on Cherry Tree Hill is a beacon, a signal that the lands are churning underneath, heaving under the burden of bloodshed and brawls, plots and kidnappings, a hatred which had long lain dormant.
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 9:54 pm
Rules
❀ You may be only be in one thread at one time.
❀ You must actively converse with the other characters.
❀ Please do not be exclusive; this is a time for all characters to interact.
❀ This will go in stages. Right now it is Stage One.
❀ If you have any questions, please quote me in the main thread.
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Legend of Lunaria Captain
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Legend of Lunaria Captain
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 9:55 pm
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Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 1:18 am
The day started with an unusual air. It was one of those moments that as soon as her feet touched the floor from waking, she knew it was the wrong side of the bed. Everything seemed awkward and disjointed thereafter, like the sun had risen off schedule and thrown every other plan down a slope to tumble haphazardly into a jumble of being a dollar short and a minute late. SiMa Li was deeply gripped by discontent and, thinking it was merely a byproduct of her energy being off kilter, she had quickly dressed and set off for a walk, reasoning fresh air would do her well.
Except, the air wasn't all that fresh and even the sun seemed to shine a mercurial light through a lingering haze. Something about the thickness of the air kept drawing her forward, beckoning out of the lower class living quarters and towards the more peaceful stretch of the land. Li was so baffled by the strange heat that gave her chills that she didn't realize exactly what it was until the first flake of ash flit in front of her wide, amethyst eyes. Her spine stiffened and her skin went cold, distinctly aware that something was burning but also knowing that there wasn't enough out there to burn enough of to merit ash -- nothing except -- !
Disbelieving enough that she couldn't panic, even as the scent of burned flora and flesh reached her nose, even as she saw the skeletal remains of the tree on the hill, black against the backdrop of the smoke-heavy hillside like brittle bones reaching skyward, she held a stubborn refusal of accepting that the cherry tree could possibly be gone. Covering her nose as she made her way up the hill, her vision partially obscured by her own doing as if to make one last ditch attempt at denying the reality she was about to face, she crested the once vibrant vantage point and saw only death.
The beautiful rich bark that she used to trace her fingers over was peeled, charred and completely broken in some areas, gouged as the ashes fell and were whisked off to the sky. Sunset petals were absent on the slender, gnarled branches, but worse than that was what the remaining boughs did bear: the grisly threads of something vaguely the size of a Lunarian and smelling certainly of one that had once walked amongst her peers. Not only had the tree been used as a sacrifice to the crime, but the evidence remained, albeit very little.
Li felt suddenly and violently sick as she stood there, head tilted back to stare with eyes wide despite the acrid air, hand cover her mouth both from disbelief and to keep herself from being ill. She had fought, she had hurt and been hurt; she'd seen her fellow Legionnaire kill her fellow kin, but this? This was a statement. This threw away the whole reason of fighting, the whole self-righteous foolishness that had started the war. This drew a line to wordlessly say that there were only two sides; this made it clear that the rest of her people were deteriorating into a war machine. This sent a message that it was no longer the future of Lunaria and her children being fought over, but a vindication of a superior side.
Li rested both trembling hands over his mouth, lilac eyes watering against the blistering heat that wafted off the dead, and soundlessly shed tears. There was no asking 'who did this,' because it didn't matter anymore. The vague, distant idea of right and wrong had been cast aside and only a war would break that mentality. In that moment, with the first tear clinging to her wavering lashes, she had no idea what was being fought for anymore.
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Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 1:26 am
Bao's legs stretched out underneath her as she sprinted up the hill, her breathing heavy and muscles aching. She had been running all the way from her family's estate. The news of the burning had traveled like the wind, fast and nearly invisible. The whispers had seemed so loud yet the hidden fear and anger had coursed through everyone that she knew. The three that had been hung and burned like garbage had been noble retainers. Her father had known them and while Bao had only really met one of them, it was for all three that she mourned.
Upon reaching the the top, the point where all the ash of burned tree and bodies lay, Bao fell to her knees. She had never been so overcome with sorrow and anger. It was rare for her to feel this way. She did not know what to make of these emotions. The wind swirled upon the hill causing the ash to lift up into the air. The smell of it all filled her nose. She hacked as it entered her lungs. Oh how sickening that she had inhaled that. She knew before long her father would be here too. He would want to pay his respects. Mother would, of course, stay home with her brother and sister. It was safer at their estate.
Bao looked up to the sky as she let herself sit on the backs of her legs. Tears formed in her eyes and she let them fall freely. Now was not the time to care about appearances. There were more important things to concentrate on now. The question that was surely on the mind of everyone left Bao's lips, "Why?" It was a whisper that held the weight of all her emotion in it. She was the not the first and certainly would not be the last. The sacred tree was gone along with the lives of three that had fought for change.
This was beyond any violence she had seen or heard since the war started. This was a statement. It had to be the Legionnaires that had done this. No one who fought for the nobles would do such a despicable thing. Bao held onto that. It was her strength in the face of such careless violence. In her mind, there was no other answer as to who could have done it. Now it was a matter of singling out the specific ones that were involved in this horrific crime.
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Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 1:46 am
 Cais felt the tips of his nails digging deeply into his palms, though he was numb to any pain they brought. His usual curious eyes were dipped into a searing sharpness as he stared, standing motionless against the smouldering scene before him. It was a dull sensation, something overlaying his senses settling over his deep rooted fury. Something strange. Something unexplained.
Something sickening.
The fighter felt his stomach lurch as his eyes darted across the charred bodies. A growl rumbled up from deep inside of him, though his throat was less forthright with words. Anything he could say felt trapped under that dulling sensation that came with coming so close to death. Clearing his throat he managed to to move only slightly closer, ignoring the gathering Lunarians. The sight of the once beautiful and sacred cherry tree gnarled and twisted from some sadistic purpose sent his brain whirling, every voice within him screaming for action, vengeance, something. And yet he couldn't bring his eyes apart from it, couldn't move his hands to the ready...
They didn't deserve this. A reasonable thought rang out as his eyes passed over the bodies of his fallen bodies. Cais swallowed deeply, staring past them to the cracked and blackened tree trunk. Lunaria didn't deserve this. Squeaking tightly, he felt his teeth clench as he finally tore his eyes away from the sight, breathing in as deeply as he could.
In the coming crowd he heard the gasps and shock, sending the souring vibrations over him. This was cold and calculated, not only an attack against the opposing side, but a clear and deliberate sign of violence. It wasn't just the fact that three Nobles had been strung up on the tree like ornaments, but that the fire had been ignited over the symbol of the land which had stood like a totem of peace watching over the entire city.
"Barbarians." He muttered angrily before casting a forlorn glance at it's remains. Though the war had been going on for a long while, it's purpose was never as brightly painted as this. Moving back into the crowd Cais remained steadfast, crossing his hands over themselves in a sign of reverence.
Nothing was going to be the same now.
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Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 12:55 pm
The soft whisper of why carried on the wind to her ears, prompting Li to pull out of her borderline breakdown to see a dark-skinned Lunarian female, her colors bright against the dismal backdrop of the crime scene. Drawing in a wavering breath, she picked her way across the ash-strewn hill and kneeled next to Bao, putting an arm around her shoulders, her free hand lighting on the other woman's arm. Li was never very well versed at comforting and showing empathy, but the magnitude of what had happened called for an effort to be made. She gave the perfect stranger a gentle squeeze, her own lashes still heavy with the tears she was trying not to shed. There was no shame in it, but it wasn't the time for her to mourn, not yet.
Gently rubbing Bao's shoulder, another voice caught her attention amongst the murmurs, one she recognized. Li flit her bright eyes towards Cais, the single word she caught from his lips jarring her. He was right. Whoever did this was truly a barbaric type, but so too were those who would wail and do nothing of the situation. "Cais," she murmured thickly, giving Bao a brief glance of heartache before removing herself from the woman and standing. "Cais, help me..." And with a sharp breath drawn in filled with burned wood and flesh, the Legionnaire made her way to the precarious remains of the tree, looking up at it with a grim expression. Putting her hands on the once grand trunk, she tested the strength of it: it was weak, still falling apart in some places as the embers continued to do their work, but it could support her weight.
Heedless to the char that clung to her hands, she put her slipper-clad feed on the trunk and made her way up the base of it, her lithe form easily maneuvering over the blackened remains. Li was cautious, testing each foot-hold before she took her step, eventually crawling over the heaviest branch that yet supported the grisly remains, praying to Lunaria to not let it fall, not until she'd done what she had to. Heedless yet still to the black remains of tree and Lunarian, she carefully rested on her ankles and pulled out a small knife from her belt, leaning over to the furthest of the charred remains and beginning to saw through what remained of the thread-bare rope. "Someone help me get them down!"
They were Noble Retainers, yes, but they were Lunarians. They were someone's friend, someone's son, maybe someone's husband and father. They deserved to not be gawked at, to be given rest beneath the barren boughs.
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Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 2:11 pm
The world around him was growing colder as he sank deeper into himself, staring at the scene with unwavering determination - but what good was that truly doing? Tugging his attention away his view finally moved from the tree back to the gathered Lunarians. A paleness flooded over him at the look of their despair.
A few words wafted over what felt like the coldest breeze Cais had ever felt. It was meek, but a distinct word that Cais wondered all the same. Why. Managing to find his legs he moved towards the sound, as if drawn to it. From where he was he could see Bao on the ground, though stopped moving out of uncertainty. What could he do to help her? Comfort her? Clenching his teeth he looked away, eyes closing tight as if to hide his own shame of indecision. "I'm sorry." Seemed to be the only words of comfort his mouth could form.
Suddenly the words jolted him from every other sense, even cutting through the numbing emotion hanging over him. Cais, help me... His eyes shot open and frantically he searched for the source, finally resting his gaze towards Li. "You, I-" he felt ashamed that his mouth wasn't agreeing with him yet, though his body did propel itself forward at the call. Casting Bao a solemn glance he trotted over to the tree, staring up at Li.
He felt a need to say "careful", but held his tongue. She was clearly adept at climbing trees even given the diliapitated condition of this one. Shaking his head clear of any doubt his face hardened again with a grimace as he looked back to the bodies swinging as the tree moved under Li's weight. My brothers. He thought while a poisoning anger welled up from within. Cais swallowed back the forming tidal wave of words, he would address them later.
"I'll help." He said with strained words, positioning himself under the bodies. "I'll catch him.." Slowly his words were getting back to normal as purpose washed down back into him as he held his arms out. He was not about to let the rest of their bodies fall and shatter, truly they deserved better. With eyes at attention, he waited.
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Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 2:50 pm
Bao's vision was blurring from her tears. She didn't care one bit what anyone else thought of her display of emotion. It was too much for her to take. Living in a home that constantly saw noble retainers come and go, hearing about some that were killed, seeing the injuries they gained from battle, none of that prepared her for this. She agreed wholeheartedly with whomever had said they were barbarians. Yes, those that committed this atrocity were barbarians without a shred of good in them.
Bao flinched when a fair-haired Lunarian put an arm around her. She needed to pull it together. It was meant to be a comfort. She took the comfort with much gratitude. She looked up at Li with a sincere smile free of any form of flirting that usually filled her smiles. "Thank you," she whispered to the stranger that had shown her kindness. A smile was also given to to the male that had said sorry, Cais. It did nothing to soothe the pain she felt but it was better than nothing. Is this what it took for the fighting to stop or would it just escalate from here.
She was so deep in thought that Bao had not noticed what Li was doing. It was after Cais said something that she looked up. She watched with wide eyes at what they were doing. Yes, the bodies needed to be taken down. They needed to be made ready for their burial in the ocean. What was left of the bodies anyways. She took a deep breath and pushed her emotions aside. You can do this Bao. You are stronger than this.
Bao moved up next to Cais and called up to Li, "I'll help too." Instead of staying on the ground, she moved to get up to where Li was. There was one body she recognized, a man that had remained loyal to her father. She had seen him quite often in their estate. He had been a trusted man. She blinked back the tears as she made her way to his hanging body. "I'll take care of him." Emotions made it almost impossible to get the words out. She knew that as soon as father saw this, he would be furious.
He wasn't hanging so much as stuck on a charred branch. The rope that held him had been burned through. Carefully, so as not to break the remains of his body, she picked him up. This was not a body but a Lunarian and she would continue to consider him that way. Bao was not disgusted by touching the remains. She looked around before jumping off into a clear area and landed in a crouch. Gently, she lay the body down. Tears began to form in her eyes again. "We'll give you the proper death rites," she said to him as if he could hear her.
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Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 4:02 pm
Li cast Cais a grateful smile, trusting that the Lunarian she'd met by nearly taking his head off with her boat would be trustworthy to his word. With the furthest hanging body removed of its rope, she held onto the charred, frayed ends as well as she could, using what strength she had to lower the body as slowly as possible to Cais. It was a dirty job, embracing the dead, but someone had to be there to see them as well thought-of and accept their demise with an open heart. The Legionnaire could not distinguish any recognizable features in the remains, wondering if they were any that she had fought before, been hurt by, perhaps even bought produce from. She would fight in the war, she knew she would shed blood, but this atrocity went so beyond her ability to comprehend that she could only feel a vile, poisonous anger towards whoever had done such an inhumane thing. Legion or Noble, she prayed with a vengeful heart that the perpetrators would be caught and handled -- or failing that, suffer a similar fate.
"Easy," she murmured as the first body was lowered to Cais, releasing the rope once it was secure. Casting her amethyst eyes to Bao, she almost asked the girl to stop before she saw the effort that was being made. The way the brightly colored femme handled the most inward body was tender, affectionate - familiar. With a pang in her heart, she scooted back down the branch, covered in ash, soot and Lunaria-knew-what-else as she began to work at the second rope. Offering another glance towards Bao, she murmured her words soft and heartfelt. "I am so sorry for your loss, my Lady. I pray for the peace of you and yours."
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Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 4:19 pm
Huang had per chance came to visit the Cherry tree hill on the small hope that what he heard of its going on, was not accurate. He shielded his eyes from the smoke and ash that carried through the air, a rotting smell of death and despair with it. If he hadn't been so accustomed to such a deliberate act of violence, the crime would be heinous to the Assassin.
He didn't go any closer to the scene though, surveying the area around him instead. The culprits, whoever they we're, had achieved their goal in this endeavor. Attention had been brought, the message ahd been sent and the people's reactions we're the same. It was like...watching a bad play, play out. The characters we're here, now it was time to see how the climax built.
He watched though as a familiar head of cream hair and bright purple ehe's clambered in the burnt tree and realeased the three bodies. Li.
He headed over quickly and ignored the two other lunarians. Not out of rudeness but because their arm's we're heavy with helping get the bodies down and he didn't want to break their concentration. He faintly recognized Cais but didn't act on the urge to kill the other Lunarian, no Li was his focus.
"SiMa Li." He looked up at the tree branches, his hooded and guarded. "Come down before you hurt yourself Lady Li. You've done enough." He hated to see her up there, the only Lunarian who still held neutrality. In Huang's mind, this was when he would be disappointing in her eye's, He didn't think of releasing the bodies as he didn't believe in the afterlives and traditions for them. "Li come down." He held his hands out for the last body that she released, catching it and laying it on the ground before reaching up for her. She didn't need to be here.
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Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 4:44 pm
Stifling a gag out of respect, Cais took the body in both arms, setting it gently down on the earth underneath him, kneeling so as to place him as softly as possible. A darkened gaze fell over the Lunarian as he glanced back up into the gnarled mess, watching with an unreadable expression as Bao began to take another one. It was cruel, seeing that sadness ignite in her eyes as she took him with care, that pang of recognition still visible in her eyes.
With a muttered curse he stood again, staring down at the body he had taken with a sharp gaze. There was nothing familiar about him, but deep inside Cais could feel it, that bond between them - now cut short with such a vicious blow. Arms covered in char, face painted with smoke; Cais did very little but stare, ignoring anything else. Anger was but a word to him, what he was feeling was something more... something equally as vicious and cruel with vengeance to light it's path.
Too soon was he going to let it out, but until then he stood silently, even turning a blind eye to a familiar voice as it crept over his ears. I'll deal with you later. His thoughts remained focused only to the matter at hand.
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Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 5:41 pm
Ling-Gui watched the Lunarians from nearby, and he wondered if he should remain a ghost (that he had been for awhile) or to solemnly take part. The corpse were being carefully removed by compassionate Lunarians. It wasn't within him to ignore the dead, for he was their writer, their compensation, their personal poet, and their forgiver. From his curtain of bangs, he could recognize the golden girl from the lake and several others aiding the fallen trio. He didn't want to dampen the spirits of the current Lunarians any further so he subtly removed the "Death" tag from his hat and slipped it into the hems of his attire. Hesitantly, he approached the Lunarians at work, his hands hanging limply at his sides with little comment to offer. If he was to say anything at all, he should say something appropriate or at least, functional to the equation.
For some odd reason, he felt rather impartial about the whole affair, but he didn't want to appear ignorant or cruel. To be frank, it was an odd position to be in, and Ling-Gui felt victimized by it, to his own choosing.
"The dead don't care, you know," he commented loudly, squatting by a lowered body. He gazed at the girl beside it, and doubted. "In any case, they must be dealt with, and there must be customary preparations to ensure that though they have not died honorably, they will be buried in a well-fitted manner."
He paused and lowered his voice.
"Unless you lot planned to have them cremated, which is a noble deed also. I speak not out of morbid degree, but a compassionate one, for whoever it was that felt they deserved this was nowhere a benevolent Lunarian. Perhaps an ill variable."
It was a sorry scene and he wasn't at much of an ease.
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Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 6:01 pm
"Thank you, Cais," she murmured to the Nobleman, grateful that he had aided in the gruesome task without complaint. It said a lot of one's character, she felt, to see who was willing to put everything aside and do the necessary dirty work. The manner in which he handled the charred Lunarian, in how he searched for familiarity -- she couldn't help but wonder, albeit briefly, if he had taken a side in the war. It hadn't ever really occurred to her to question such things of those she'd met through random happenstance.
The sound of her name made her sit up straight, the crumbling branch whining under the abrupt motion. Blinking at the stoic Assassin, she couldn't stop the small smile that flit over her features, the ache in her chest at seeing a familiar, trusted face in the mess being an intense comfort. "Lord Lee, I--" but she was commanded once again and, as he was both her superior and one she respected unconditionally, she would not argue. Waiting while he put the body aside, she hesitated only a fraction of a second before leaning over the charred remains of the tree and meeting his reach, accepting his aid. "I'm sorry, I'm filthy--" she murmured quietly as she was brought out of the precarious position, trying not to touch him other than the hands that helped her down.
Once on the ground, she looked at Huang with a sense of anxiety, as if his presence might offer answers for all the questions that hung unspoken in the air. Of course, it was a foolish notion, and while she was grateful for the Legionnaire's presence, she felt almost weakened by it -- as if she didn't have to be the leader now. Biting the inside of her lip, she ducked her head and hid herself behind the wall of Huang's body, pressing the heel of her soot-covered hand beneath her eye to catch another errant tear. It still wasn't the appropriate time to mourn. "It's good to see you, m'Lord," she spoke softly to the Fighter, "it always seems that each horrific time in one's life is shouldered without a friend. I'm glad --" she sucked in a breath to steady herself against an impending sniffle, "-- that is not the case."
When an unfamiliar voice spoke up, she flicked her amethyst eyes towards the speaker, not at all recognizing the strange Lunarian with a curtain of bangs. Though his words seemed crass, she understood where he was coming from. "I've no plans, thoughtful Lord." Li couldn't speak for the rest of the gathered, but she felt he ought to be addressed for his consideration. "Not for their burial, I imagine -- that would fall to who remains behind." She let a moment pass, offering up a quiet prayer before again glancing to Huang, even as she spoke to the other. "There is little benevolence in war, but I -- I believe there is no excusable means for this desecration." And Lunaria willing, it wouldn't be a game of pointing fingers. She knew it wouldn't be the case, but she was trying to be optimistic through the burned flesh and ashen background.
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Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 6:34 pm
A simple nod was his only response to Li, though he may have said more had she not been in certain company. Despite his inability to act on his normal instincts, he could only give a dirty look towards the familiar assassin before looking away again, taking a step back from the smell of burned flesh and charred ash. The words of Li and the assassin mixed and Cais released a near inaudible snort, though he kept any other thoughts in his head.
The sound of crunching through twigs demanded his attention as he turned back to figure of a light skinned Lunarian. Another snort found it's way through his nostrils as the Fighter turned to greet him with narrowed eyes. "Does that really matter? Whether they care or not?" His words had a dark edge to them, that matched his expression while he glanced at the remains. "They must be buried, but I don't think that's for us to really decide how." He said, crossing his dirtied arms over each other. "The families have to be contacted." He said, turning a gaze back towards Bao before looking back over his fallen Noble comrades.
An accusatory look graced over Huang while a softer, more mild gaze finally rested back to Li. "It's not excusable, and it won't go unpunished." Cais said, his voice inflicting to a deep, threatening pitch.
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