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 Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2009 2:01 pm
The aggravation only grew as she watched him completely avoid her for a few minutes, but it was more out of nervousness than anger; soon enough, he'd gotten settled, and she could hear his soft but scathing words.
She fought the urge to flinch. No, no, she wouldn't- she had nothing to feel ashamed for. She already took the brunt of this regret. In fact, she bore it even now. But who was he to heap it onto her?
"You never asked. We were young, then. Young and... in love." She turned her face away, and her hands instinctively gripped tighter against her upper arms. Though she feigned nonchalance, her knuckles were nearly turning white from the nervous habit- she did not dare let go of her arms, lest she fling something, anything within reach at the wall, just to vent this poisonous frustration that swam through her veins. For once, she was glad that she wasn't seated in a chair- leaning against the wall, she couldn't just slump, like she was so tempted to do in times like these.
"Too young? Nonsense. Far younger members of our army had learned the burden of parenthood. Compared to our youngest, I was ancient when I had them." Ayra looked away again, thinking of the young blond thief who had become a father at a young age- most people would be frightened to think that such a young boy would even look at a woman, let alone sire children!
She returned his fierce glare, trying to hide the shaking in her body. Was it from fury? Fear? She didn't know, anymore.
"Trust? I kept nothing from you, and Holyn won't return! Damn it all, it won't happen- my former husband is dead!"
Her voice tapered off into a hoarse screech, and she took a few moments to calm herself. She could feel her pulse pounding in her temples, felt something within her stir.
Her temper was on a hair trigger, her nerves raw and ragged. Would he push her further?
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Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2009 9:25 pm
xxxxx"If you're worried about surviving, xxxxxxxyou can worry about it after you're dead!"
"The wyvern riders of Bern sit atop the heap of all other forces on the continent!" xxxxx "You will see our power soon!"
The castle came closer and closer, as if gliding across the land. Minutes later, the small white wyvern Mihira rode swooshed down on the Guard's courtyard, almost knocking its rider off as it landed. But being flung off may have even been more of a convenience than a pain, in this case. Mihira quickly jumped from her wyvern's back, and darted into the castle, almost knocking over several of her fellow castle guards as she ran. She knew where her commander's office was, and her path led her straight to it. However, in her rushed state, she wasn't thinking right, and simply flung the office door open and ran inside. "C-commander Vaida, I-"
"What the HELL?!"
Mihira screamed, and fell backwards, as the closest thing to Vaida was thrown at her, and hit her in the head. She groaned a little, as she slowly got back up on her feet. She should have known better. "F-forgive me, Ma'am..!"
Vaida scowled at Mihira. She knew the weakling had potential, but she did not like being interrupted. ESPECIALLY when she was perfecting her meatball recipe even further than it was! Vaida was even thinking up a special Christmas version. And then some rookie comes barging in on her business! Infuriating! "Don't ever come in here without knocking! Next time, it will be more than just a bump on the head!" Vaida looked back at her papers, then right back at Mihira. "What are you even doing here?! You're supposed to be out scouting! You better have something to report, if you're back!"
"Yes... Yes, Ma'am! I do!" Mihira gulped, trying to stay strong, despite her commander's overwhelming attitude. "You see, I um..." Mihira hesitated a moment, as she thought up a quick way to cover up the fact that she crossed the border. Noticing her commander's newly raised eyebrow quickened the process. "I hadn't seen anything the entire time, until I saw a tiny black dot, and so.. I.. went closer to investigate, and I could see that it was a female raven laguz." She gulped again. "She suddenly took off, s-so I followed from a safe distance, and she crossed the border into Sentria. I... watched as she then took refuge into a tall and menacing looking tower. It could be the intruder!"
Vaida stared blankly, then sighed. "Well, that's an interesting story. Now all I need to know is how much of it wasn't complete bullshit."
Mihira suddenly felt her face become cold and crinkly in the form of a mixture of guilt and fear. She couldn't get herself to say anything in response.
"First off" Vaida started. "there's no way you could tell if it was a crow or a hawk. Brown feathers would easily appear black from a distance. But you seemed to know right off the back that it was, in fact, a crow!" She put her left hand on her hip, as she lifted her right, and extended two fingers. "Secondly, unless the girl had a chest the size of mine, which is HIGHLY unlikely, there's no way you could tell the gender without being close up." Vaida placed her right hand down on her hips to join the left. "See, this makes me think you're hiding something, which makes me really pissed off, because I DON'T like being lied to! Now tell me your real story before your wyvern is given a challenge to find its master's missing corpse."
The scout shuddered, as she heard her commander's order. "Y...Yes, S- I mean Ma'am! I.. I uh..." Mihira gave up. She couldn't think of anything that would allow her to go around the truth, and now she was half guessing on if her commander was being sarcastic or not. She wouldn't really do that... would she? Mihira's imagination got the better of her, so she decided to just come clean. "I crossed the border!" She shrieked, as she shut her eyes tight. "I got lost, and the next thing I knew, I was in Sentria! My wyvern was tired, so we landed next to a sand dune to rest, while I checked the map! Then this crow woman comes up on the other side of the dune, and I was able to get a good look at her! Then she suddenly flew off, and I followed her and saw her enter the tower I mentioned! She didn't see me! I swear! But I know it's her, because the hair was the same kind the intruder had! Wavy black hair! It was the one we're looking for! I know it! We must tell the crew..." Mihira stopped trembling, and peaked up back at her captain, hoping she wasn't about to die.
Vaida blinked. This girl had a voice after all. She was almost yelling. "See, now that wasn't hard, was it? I honestly don't care if you break a few rules! Just be honest with me, and I can cover for you. If you're not, you're as good as gone." Vaida sighed, but was also a little gidddy. This story she was given was true, and was the first lead they had. The Guard was succeeding. "But anyway, you did good. I'll inform the abuser of the Morse code Vice Captain right now." She moved passed Mihira, to set off on her way, then stopped. "Don't worry. You may have broken orders, but you got results. That's all I care about. I take all responsibility regardless." She then set off, and was soon out of sight. "AND GET THE HELL OUT OF MY OFFICE!"
A few time-skipped minutes later, she was once again at the door of Rath's office. She took the liberty of seeing herself in again, as well. "Hey nomad... I think we got something."
 W y v e r n L o r d V a i d a*
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Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 6:57 pm
Rath disregarded all outside distraction. A highly important document sat in front of him, staring up from the desk. Rath eyed the document carefully and held a readied quill in his right hand. This had to be done precisely. Getting another copy of this document would take weeks. He carefully moved the quill over, making special care to not let it drip. Closer and closer, until finally he reached where it needed to be. Then the quill started to work, and the ink came out the way it was wanted, gliding gracefully across the page. Soon enough, Rath only needed to write one more word. He re-inked his quill, and lowered it to write. But then a behemoth suddenly burst into the room, and started him. After he recovered, he looked down at the document to see a long, ugly, scratchy line of ink, across half of the page. The document was ruined.
Rath didn't looked up, when Vaida addressed him. He simply remained seated, closed his eyes and held back his eye twitching as much as possible. Wouldn't you know she would pick the one moment where he had to focus on just one thing. "What... do you want?" He said, trying not to make it a scowl. He ignored the quill pen in his hand that was now broken in half.
*And oh, look at that, the whole story was told again! Thank goodness for time skips.
After the story, Rath had even more reason to be angry. However, his main state of mind was that of perplexity. He could ignore the issue about crossing the border, with this news. Things were getting far more complicated the further they dug. "There's not many laguz around here, let alone ravens. While this may help find the identity of the kidnapper, we can for certain say that the one your scout saw was the the same person we're after..." Rath sighed. "Still, Sentria... this is problematic. We cannot send a force of troops into another country so freely and do as we wish..." The nomad's eyes jumped from one place to another, as a thought came to him. "... ...Entry upon another means is needed."
Rath glanced over to the door and called for one of the guards. When he entered, he was addressed by his Vice Captain. "Find Alihi an have her return. Also, have Tibarn report back here on his findings. If he refuses, tell him we may have a lead on the identity." The guard then affirmed his acknowledgment of the orders and departed. The Vice Captain looked back at the Captain of the Guard. "...We will wait for them." He then looked back down, and grew an expression of contemplation. "...I sense things are beginning to unfold, which will have a much bigger affect than can now be seen..."
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Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 7:35 pm
♦ ◄ALIHI► ♦
————————————
As soon as she saw the guard approaching her, Alihi was up on her feet, her heart beating with excitement and nervousness. News on their situation had arrived. But was it good... or bad? The guard gave her no answers, instead telling her to hurry along, and that the others were waiting for her.
Others? She couldn't help but mentally question who the "others" were, but she didn't dare linger on it. Besides, it's not like she could; one name occupied her thoughts, canceling out anything else that dared to hold her attention. Her cloak billowed behind her as she moved, heading back to Rath's office. The tactician tried to think of something, anything to slow down the rapid beating of her heart, but the name still repeated.
Amara... Amara... Amara...
She wrapped her knuckles against the door, if only for formality. Barging in seemed rude to her, even if she knew Rath (sort of). "It's Alihi..." She announced aloud, turning the door handle slowly and stepping into the room. A small, weak smile was on her face as she turned to Vaida and gave her a nod of greeting before turning to Rath.
"... Would I be correct to assume that we have some new information?"
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Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 11:17 am
Rath glanced up at Alihi, as she opened the door and stepped in. Her instincts were correct, like usual. "...We believe we know where your daughter may be." Rath rose his head up, and lowered his hands from in front of his face, losing the contemplating appearance. "Or at the very least... we know where the kidnapper has gone."
He took the time to explain to her the basic overview of what happened. Mihira, Sentria, and tower were the key words. "However... this is where our help will have to stop." The Vice Captain stood up and paused a moment. "...At least in appearances." He paced a little, then turned away toward the wall, and held his hands behind his back. "After all... we cannot stop an independent person and whoever follows her."
The nomad paused again, then glanced back at Alihi, without turning his body. "If you wish to go, gather up a group of individuals and meet at the city gates when ready. They must be willing to go rogue. All ties that will lead to Learania must be kept hidden. Your guides will be waiting." Rath paused for yet another moment, but spoke before Alihi had a chance to reply. "Say nothing. Go now, before I am no longer able to turn a blind eye. ...Your daughter is waiting for you."
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Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 12:01 pm
♦ ◄ALIHI► ♦
————————————
Amara was in Sentria, in some mysterious tower.
Alihi could have wept with joy right then and there. Amara was alive... she knew it. The kidnapper wouldn't just take a child and kill her right away! There was some reason behind all of this, and Alihi was determined to find out what it was. Her hand clenched tightly into a fist, a look of determination clear on her face. Finally, she could save her daughter. It seemed so long since that awful night... Amara was gone for far too long. The idea of her child being so far away from her never settled well in her stomach.
Her whole being screamed for revenge.
The tactician nodded slowly. She'd have to detach herself from Learania... it'd be hard, since she was known for her tactical skills in Learania, but she'd do it. Even if it took disguising herself completely and damaging her body until she was barely recognizable as Alihi Kaua, she'd do it. She'd do anything to get Amara back in her arms, no matter how insane or deadly the acts were. There was no other option, no other path for Alihi to take; she had to save Amara. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she didn't.
"...Your daughter is waiting for you."
For the first time since the party, she smiled brightly. "... Right." She exited the office and ran as fast as she could, heading for the city of Eyris.
Alihi could only hope that at least someone would be willing to follow her...
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Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 12:32 pm
xxxxx"If you're worried about surviving, xxxxxxxyou can worry about it after you're dead!"
"The wyvern riders of Bern sit atop the heap of all other forces on the continent!" xxxxx "You will see our power soon!"
Vaida said and did nothing to the tactician aside from acknowledging her presence. She just stood there and listened to the nomad speak. His choices always surprised her. One minute things were following the rule book, then the next things were going sneakily. In any case, this new plan delighted her and she wanted in on it. This crow would pay for making a mockery of the Guard, for sure.
She watched the tactician as she hurried out of the room, then chuckled lightly. "Well, well! An undercover mission! Things sure are picking up. You must think there's something big going on, to allow this." Her smile grew and her face held a sense of deviousness to it. "I guess I better get Mihira ready and get to the city gates then, eh?"
W y v e r n L o r d V a i d a*
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Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 12:50 pm
Rath sat down at his desk again, after Alihi left the room. Perhaps he just didn't want her to see his face, when he basically told her it was okay to temporarily become an outlaw and intrude upon foreign soil. At least, that's how it looked. In reality, it was just a mother trying to save her daughter. The way of the world is truly cruel.
Looking up at Vaida, he noticed that she seemed a little too anxious. It seems she mistook what he said when he said 'guards', as in the plural form. "No. While it is necessary for Mihira to go, to show where the tower is, I need you here." He could see her expression was less than satisfied with this response. "If you were to go, you would have to give up your position. ...You wouldn't want that, would you?" Hopefully this would calm her.
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Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 1:35 pm
xxxxx"If you're worried about surviving, xxxxxxxyou can worry about it after you're dead!"
"The wyvern riders of Bern sit atop the heap of all other forces on the continent!" xxxxx "You will see our power soon!"
Now this was infuriating. Not having her meatballs served at the party had been accepted. Having the Guard treated as insignificant by one intruder had been accepted. Having some rookie barge into her office and interrupt her recipe making had been accepted... begrudgingly. But this was plain infuriating! Vaida just could not catch a break these last few days.
"NO?!" It was a good thing the nomad added that part to the end, or else he'd be seeking a new office that hadn't been utterly destroyed. Instead, Vaida just growled under her breathe. No, she didn't want to give up her position, and she knew she had to obey her orders. Still, it really pissed her off that she wouldn't get the chance to smack that crow around herself.
"Pheh! You always know just how to manipulate things, don't you? Well I'm sure you know that they need more than just a scout, a concerned mother, and a bumbling group of who knows what!" Vaida came close to his desk and pounded her right fist down upon it. "So who do you suggest to lead them through that desert, if not me? Huh?! It has to be somebody from the Guard! A person who can ensure things don't go badly!"
W y v e r n L o r d V a i d a*
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Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 2:36 pm
Rath made no reaction to the Guard Commander's fit. He did notice that there were now cracks on his desk from where she hit it, though. ...From now on, perhaps he would see people somewhere where his possessions wouldn't be demolished. "You are correct..." He stoically said. He then walked over to the door and quietly gave one of the guards there an order, then went back and sat down at his desk again. "Which is why I already have the perfect candidate in order. I've sent one of the guards to bring that person here, just now. They should be back in a few-" The door flung open. "What be dah meanin' eh dis, nomad?!" Came a seemingly more than agitated voice from the figure that nearly knocked the door if its hinges.
"I be comin' down deh hall 'ere an all eh sudden, some guard be tryin' tah pull me in! Says ya callin' me. Well whateveh it is, ya can forget it! Da last time I listened to ya, ya swindled me intah joinin' dis Guard against me will!" She pointed aggressively at Vaida, who she hadn't yet acknowledged was even in the room. "Do ya know what it's like havin' tah deal with dis woman every day?! Ya lucky I don't knock ya from dat chair!""...It seems our candidate has arrived earlier than expected." Rath said, as he glared slightly at the guard who did nothing to stop her from barging in. "In any case, I'm glad you're here. You see, I am in need of your service." "HA!" Deborah scoffed. "Why would I do anyting for you? Forget it! I'm leavin'!" She turned and moved toward the door."Fine... then I suppose you aren't interested in leaving the guard, after all." Rath purposely let slip. Deborah stopped in her tracks, and turned around, with a more than suspicious look on her face. "There's a group of people that will soon be arriving at the city gates. They intend to go to Sentria and locate the stolen child, from yesterday. I want you to guide them through the desert. Mihira will also go, as she is the only one who knows where the tower they seek is." He paused "You are the only one I know who can do that without much inconvenience." He stood and walked to the front of his desk. "If you do this... ...Your service to the Guard will be suspended. You will be free to go wherever you wish. ...do we have a deal?" Deborah listened intently, but showed no sign of acceptance. That is, until she heard the last part. "I don' know anyting about dis tower, or whatever you've found, and I could care less about dese oter people's problems..." She folded her arms, and sighed, as she gave in. She knew she couldn't really trust Rath. He never lied to her, but he was able to lead her where he wanted. Still, this chance was too good. "...But ya got a deal." she raised her hand, but then took it back for a moment. "If ya don't come through wit ya promise, though, I WILL knock ya outta da highest window!" She added, as she brought her hand back out, and shook to confirm the deal. "I'll be at da gate when I get ready. Don't call me back here again!" She then left, disregarding the open door. Rath smiled softly. "..Satisfied, Vaida? Somebody from the Guard is going. One who matches all qualifications." He looked at her, and noticed that she was still trying to register would had just happened. He motioned for a guard to come in. "...I believe she is indeed satisfied. See her back to where she came from." He ordered, as he once more made his way to his chair and sat down. The guard took Vaida by the arms and led her out and shut the door behind him. Rath let out a big sigh, and pulled the next paper in front of him. It was torn. He looked up at the stack of papers to see that when Vaida had punched his desk, she has torn the entire stack of documents. "... ...Guard. No disturbances. I'm... ...going to take a nap." He then mumbled to himself. "...A really long one."
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