Welcome to Gaia! ::

Selia nodded, opening the gates of the palace and thinking of which room that would suit everyone's needs. The conference room a few floors up would work well. She opened the dining hall doors and lit the candles above their heads, held by enchantments from decades earlier. "Welcome, make yourselves at home." She said, then guided Lady and the others upstairs to the room. Opening the door, she stepped aside to let Lady see inside. "Will this work?" Selia asked, eyebrows raised.

Valerie looked puzzled, but didn't question anyone. Selia hadn't seen Sebastian, Boothe, and herself join the group yet. They stopped walking outside of a large door that Selia opened. Lilyann and Marcus stayed downstairs, accommodating their guests.

Selia looked at Sebastian, her face emotionless only for the sake of feeling the need to be a true leader and not allowing emotions to show at that time. She stood at the opposite end of the table, eyes never leaving Lady until Donnie spoke for silent woman referred to as Wise. Her eyes narrowed as they talked of the war, and of the creatures that had taken Valik. Selia's jaw was hard set and clenched, fists just as tight. Her knuckles popped from the tension. "Well. That adds a whole new aspect that no one was looking at.." Selia spoke through her teeth, anger building in her chest. There was some sort of connection, and she could not make it click. "Valerie, there are maps behind you. Could you get them and spread them out, please?" Valerie nodded, working quickly, pardoning herself when needed. It took all of 10 seconds, her speed increased with anxious thoughts. "Now, we need to focus on one thing at a time. And Lady, with all respect, please address our friend as his name rather than 'Young Wolf'." Selia paused to breathe, knowing the next words would cause distress in everyone. "We can't focus on finding Valik right now." She whispered, not being able to keep a steady voice at a higher volume. "He is in danger, yes, and we all want him back. But there are too many innocent people in this area. One or two of us and take off tonight and circle the valley to search for him, but we can't make that a priority right now." Her hands were shaking with nerves and anxiety. She looked at Boothe, her eyes glazed. "Boothe, if you need to go, go."

Valerie looked up at Selia, seeing a new light around her. She had grown into a leader in a matter of days, and now, she was being faced with the choices of saving a comrade, someone who had probably saved her life, and between people who had once wanted her dead. Valerie stayed quiet, shifting her weight from time to time, her gaze shifting. The only emotion she had shown was a gasp at the news of the possible demons. So that's what the fog was... Her mind was racing around the different Underworldly creatures that could survive for a span of time in this realm. Their makeup was entirely different from that of an Earthly creature. Thoughts continued to rush through her mind, making it hard to concentrate on anything that followed the initial click that happened as Selia spoke.

Selia didn't show any change of emotion as Boothe snapped at her. It was difficult, yes, but it was for the greater good. She would gladly give him any supplies to leave and search for his brother, even join him if needed. She looked up to Lady when she spoke and took a deep breath. That was a difficult question. "I honestly have no idea. I've never been to war as a leader. But, with the maps, we can see that the army is strongest at these points." Selia brushed her fingers across the western and eastern sides of the valley, where the swirling mass was darkest. "We could either take those points head on, or go inward through the mountain and hope that we can collapse their sources and reinforcements. There are passages underground, but I'm not certain of their safety." She looked up, hoping that what she was saying made sense.

Valerie started listening again, aware of Selia's worry about her military placement. "Maybe, we could do both. Our military is smaller than the others, yes, but we could send ordinary troops to attack the outskirts that you showed were strong, while higher ranking members like us go through the tunnels. Then it's an all around ambush rather than one set of points at a time." Her voice was clear, and she looked around at the others, looking for comments or other ideas.


Marcus and Lilyann sat down the hall, talking quietly. "Mom, we can't pretend things are okay with any of us.." Marcus was whispering through clenched teeth, frustrated as his mother tried to soothe him about the aftermath of the coming war. "Marcus. I know we lost your father in the last war, and that I spat this same speech at you, but you can't think the worst." Lilyann's face softened, worry in her eyes as she held her sons chin to keep his eyes locked with his. "All we can do now is hope that things turn out all right." Lilyann knew, though, that things would be far from okay. Her mind had expanded into a visionary trance, showing her own future but not those around her. What she saw was enough to scare her into thinking the others would have similar fates ahead of them.

Selia nodded in approval, happy to know that someone who understood this was able to take charge and make the choices. "The tunnels lead out at the base of the mountain, actually. Right inside the last yards of the treeline. There is one that goes into the middle of the valley, but that isn't really a reasonable option right now." Selia looked at Sebastian, wondering what he had told Boothe. He was still livid, it was blatantly showing on his face and in his posture. Selia knew she crossed a line, but what else could she do? Send out a group of people to find Valik while everyone else was slaughtered? Her jaw hardened again, holding back emotions. This was a time of war, a time of seriousness. It needed to stay that way.

Valerie shook her head quietly, not saying much. "When do we leave?" She asked, looking at Wise, Lady, and Selia for the answer. It was evening now, closer to midnight than sunset. She could feel Boothe's anger, and wanted to talk to him, but not to calm him down.

Selia's head snapped up at the mention of Emerald City, as did Valerie's. "Oh, really? We leave at dawn, then. I'll tell the others. Plan as you will, my army will be instructed to also follow suit with your own. You are more than welcome to any of the rooms here. Please make yourselves comfortable." Selia's voice was harder than earlier, an icy edge showing more than she intended, and with that, she left the room to go down to the dining hall once again. Lilyann was sitting at the end of the hall, dozing as she sat against the wall, and Marcus stood at the stairs, looking frustrated. "What's the plan?" He asked shortly, not looking at Selia. "We leave at dawn." Selia said, her eyes never leaving Marcus. Stop acting so childish... She was already on the edge of exploding, and to have Marcus be petty over their past. She brushed past him and went downstairs to the dining hall. Men sat at the tables, drinking mead and sharpening swords, chatting idly. "Ahem." Selia cleared her throat and stood on top of a table. "We are leaving at dawn. More orders will be given by your respectable leaders. Get a good nights rest, make yourselves comfortable. All the rooms here are available to you as needed." The soldiers all nodded, some saying a soft thank you, and they continued their work.

Valerie felt rage at the Dark Elves. Of course those bastards are in on this... Her teeth ground together as she kept from an outburst. She turned to Lady. "Is everyone still needed?"

Selia gasped when Sebastian hugged her, unsure of how to react. She wrapped her arms around him as well, holding him tight and repressed sobs. "I did, too." She was able to say, burying her face in his shoulder.

Valerie followed Boothe, knocking on the door frame of the room he took. "Boothe. We need to talk." Her voice was serious, more so than ever. If Valik really was taken to the Underworld with those girls she heard of earlier, there wasn't time to waste. If Boothe was able to make mental contact, it may have been broken off by now due to distance, or more likely the difference of realms.

Marcus heard Sebastian call for Selia, his voice echoing up the stair well. So that must be him.. Marcus thought, growing more bitter as he paced. Finally, he stooped to pick up his mother and went to an empty room, dumping her on the bed and leaving right after.

Valerie's eyebrows raised, curious to see that Boothe's reaction was to get drunk. Especially at a time like this. "If we leave now, we can go search for Valik. I have an idea of where he may be." Her words were loud enough to carry across the room, but quiet enough to keep this private. Her shoulder leaned against the wooden door frame, weight pressing it down. She may be small, but she was compact and surprisingly heavy. Something kicked in her stomach, making her tense up. Bruises had blossomed around her body, tender and sore, making her wince when her weight shifted and the door frame, or when she made sudden movements. One in particular worried her, more red than purple blue like the rest of them, but past that, there was only minor damages. Her scalp had merely torn in one place, chunks of hair causing the bleeding elsewhere.

Selia smiled at Sebastian's compliment. "Thank you. And yes, that might be the best idea anyone's had tonight." Her eyes stayed low, afraid if she looked up she wouldn't be able to look away. "You're more than welcome to any of the rooms, of course." The dining hall had started to empty by then, soldiers going to wander to a bedroom or out to the stables. Cups littered the tables and floors, but Selia didn't mind. This place was always a wreck, though now it seemed like it was caused by friendlier actions.She moved past Sebastian, careful to not seem like she was walking away from him, and headed for the stairwell.