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silentbreeze90 Vice Captain
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 Posted: Sun Aug 25, 2013 3:03 pm
Aℓℓετε Mαяιαηεℓα διο  Allete sat comfortably on her sorrel, watching with interest the dancing impatience of her sister’s Silverbell, a sure sign that Ky was bored of the pace they had resigned themselves to. Of course, her active sister was chafing at the pace; Allete had expected that. Ky had never been one to sit still in one place when she could be moving, playing sports, fighting, etc. She was probably going insane as they walked their horses on the clogged, dirt road leading to Bernay. She felt bad for her sister, really she did, but she wasn’t quite sure she approved of her way of releasing her pent up energy. She hadn’t quite expected that it would be channeled into her role of newlywed husband.
She was such a doting husband. Allete loved her sister, yes, but she had never been too comfortable with public displays of affection. She could deal with the gestures of court, polite cheek kissing, hugs, handshakes, and the like, but intimate gestures had always somewhat confused her, perhaps because she had never found someone she really cared for in that way. Of course, the boys in Cambria had courted her, and she had flirted lightly, knowing what was expected of her, but she had always kept in mind the fact that she would be ruling the country and none of the boys had the knowledge or inner strength to support her. They could never truly be partners, and she had been certain they knew that she was unlikely to accept their suits. She had never even kissed a boy before. This ruse was pushing her tolerance to the limit while also honing the benignly smiling countenance she would certainly need in the future. Well, she’d let Ky have her fun. Allete could deal with it for three days if it got them into the city without trouble.
Three days of doting newlyweds later, they were finally standing in front of the gates. Travellers were required to dismount, present their papers, and provide a reason for entering the city to the guards stationed at the gate. The long and arduous process explained the three-day line they’d been forced to wait in. As they neared the gate, Allete removed both her own and Ky’s papers, hanging onto them possessively with a playful “As if I’d trust these to a forgetful guy like you.”
“I would take offense, but it is not that I am forgetful, my dear. Only that my mind is filled with thoughts of you.”
Allete barely kept herself from rolling her eyes at the excessively cheesy line, and played instead the embarrassed wife waving away compliments, “Oh, you! Don’t think that complimenting me is going to make me forget how you nearly forgot our wedding papers after the ceremony!”
At that point, they had reached the gate and one of the guards chortled merrily at Allete’s mock scolding, slapping Ky heavily on the back with a commiserative, “She’ll never let you hear the end of that one, mate! Why the Misses at home was just saying this morning…” the man rambled on about his wife’s twenty year old grievance with him, as he accepted their papers, checking to see that everything was in order.
Allete raised a brow as he finally finished, “Well I must say that speaking as a woman, your wife is undoubtedly correct and you are a lucky man to have kept her so long.” She grinned as the guard chortled again.
“Oh, undoubtedly, and she’s certain to remind me of it at least twice a day.” In a good mood from their joking, the guard affably asked the reason for their visit, winking broadly as they told him of their recent marriage and their thoughts of establishing a home for themselves in Bernay. A big city would have more opportunity for work; perhaps when they’d saved a tidy sum, they could even think about having children and settling themselves in the country. “Everything seems in order here, go on in. Since you’re new to the city here, I suggest looking for a simple job at first; the better jobs will require characters, and a simple job done well will be the best way for you to make your way to bigger and better things.”
They passed through with smiles and effusive thanks for the suggestion, taking their first steps into the capitol of Zurin.
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Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 3:37 pm
Kyla Alessandra Dio Bernay was a bustling city, the likes of which Ky could barely remember of her own home capitol, Airiving. One could objectively know of Bernay as a trade hub, but to see, hear, and breathe it firsthand was an almost overwhelming experience. The introduction to such populace was gradual, as slowed access to the city had hinted at the volume of workers and visitors within, but the surrounding forests prevented any sweeping vistas from afar - Ky spared a moment to remember to find a high building within the city, and, if she ever had the chance, to some day take a look at the city from the nearby ridges in the west.
Once inside the gates, a wide, open, bricked ingress provided some space between the city wall and the streets and buildings within. Stables stretched along one side, and a government and information building occupied the other. Ky was momentarily surprised that there were no children selling flowers or cups of refreshment, or callers advertising the comforts of inns, or job openings. She soon noticed signs posting the illegality of such in the immediate area, and appreciated the added mobility it gave to what would otherwise certainly be a most congested square.
They picked up a general city map from the information post, and led their horses across the bricked plaza, toward the city centre. On one of the streets leading from the northern entrance, they passed a stall offering to personalize city maps with marking various businesses or special locations according to one's needs or interests, and looked through massive postings for rooms to let. Choosing three that seemed of reasonable cost and construction, they next went to see each, and settled on a small third-storey apartment in a busy sector of mixed businesses and residences, with multiple access points to front and back streets and the roofs. There were hitching posts along the street, and a small stable for communal use of the residents. They tended to their mounts quickly and thoroughly, thanked their new landlord, put their larger packs in their new rooms, and set out to re-establish communication with Rebecca and Kieve.
While Allete could scry ahead from time to time on their journey to get a sense for their surroundings, they had chosen the Zurin National Library and Museum of Industry as their first meeting place, as it was unlikely to have moved since Rebecca had seen it last, many years ago, and offered a clear pre-structured organization upon which they might lay any manner of code. To all the world a young couple, new to the city and eager to visit a popular tourist destination, Allete and Ky entered the massive structure, complimented its architecture in tones likely to be repeated by visitors daily, and strolled by exhibits and displays. Ky found that she didn't have to do much to play her part, as she truly enjoyed the artistic presentations and clever workings.
They found the message from Rebecca and Kieve just where they had been told to look, and replaced it with a coded response: "message received, in the city and well, see you at the meeting, four bells past noon." The first note had described the location of a little cafe where they were to meet, one week after receipt of their response, at the hour of their choice. The method of the approach at such a meeting was part of the spy-craft they had practiced back in Cambria. Now they had one week to establish a loose cover-occupation, and begin collecting intelligence.
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silentbreeze90 Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2013 3:12 pm
Aℓℓετε Mαяιαηεℓα διο Although she played her part as awe-struck tourist without flaw, she found it difficult to truly immerse herself in it. Excitement and anxiety over the potential of the city to provide much needed answers prevented her from establishing more than a convincing façade. Now if, on the other hand, they had been in the Greater National Library of Zurin, where books on politics and history were kept along with copies of important documents detailing treaties and trade agreements between Zurin and the other countries of Ardmalyn, then her eyes might truly shine with excitement and awe.
With their lodgings set, their belongings safely locked away, and their message sent at the Museum of Industry, Allete was free to begin her preparations for the next step in gathering information. She would have to forge a character reference for herself from a notable scholar if she wanted to insert herself into the Greater National Library. They were not likely to accept any but the most highly recommended men and women for such an important task. As for Ky, well Ky obviously couldn’t work in a library, she would probably go insane in the reserved atmosphere with its stifled silences and quiet movements. No, Ky would have to go elsewhere. Rebecca and Kieve would attempt to suss out the truth from the side of the leaders and nobles of Zurin; Allete and Ky were responsible for discovering the thoughts of the educated or semi-educated masses in the city. Perhaps Ky could find a job in the stables among the wealthier merchants or the guard barracks. That would probably require a second character reference, but from a different source entirely. They would have to pick two different people, each equally unlikely to return to the city before the twins were ready to either leave or announce their presence, and each someone they were likely to have met along their road.
As they left the museum, Allete split up with Ky, agreeing to meet up again around supper time to regroup, and gossiping as she shopped for fresh vegetables and meat for their evening meal. She would attempt to find people they could forge references from, while Ky searched for a suitable venue for her undercover work. Allete’s had been easy to decide, but without knowledge of the city in its present state and the popular places now, it had been impossible to plan more than a general idea for where Ky should work.
A couple hours later, Allete had managed to scrounge up two names: a somewhat eccentric and hermit-like scholar who was still of good repute, and a merchant prince who had only recently left on a prolonged trading mission to Roanin. She’d also picked up quite a few pieces of juicy gossip on certain nobles' less legal pastimes which she would convey to Rebecca and Kieve when they met, and found the loveliest, cheap vegetables in an old farmer’s stand. Everything seemed to be moving along nicely. As she wrote character letters for herself and Ky in between cooking their evening meal, she hoped that her sister would manage to find a good place. Hopefully, tomorrow they could get comfortably established in their new jobs and start exercising the spycraft they’d been taught.
The next week passed quickly, the letters passing muster and landing them the jobs they needed for their research. Although they hadn’t been working long, Allete was already concerned about what she had overheard; or rather, she was concerned about what she hadn’t overheard. A trading city like Bernay was likely to get faster and more reliable news than other cities, and yet they had heard nothing of a Symian conspiracy to assassinate the royal family of Roanin. Of course, it had been 12 years ago, and even the most sensational news often fades into obscurity in that time. Still there should have been signs: old documents passing temporary trading bands on Symian until the assassins were caught, mutual defense clauses with neighbours, and new lines of succession drafted in the case that the same thing, or something similar, might occur. But there was nothing, nothing at all. Beyond that, she’d heard a few whispered conversations, mostly questions and conjecture, about what had happened to the Roanian government to cause their sudden refusal to treat with the Symians. All in all, she was beginning to think that the nobles in Zurin hadn’t bothered to tell their people anything. Any answers would have to be pried loose by Rebecca and Kieve.
Finally, the day of their meeting arrived. Maybe now they might get some answers.
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Posted: Sun May 18, 2014 9:20 pm
Kyla Alessandra Dio Taking an indirect route, doubling back, moving quickly but soon strolling along, dallying to look in shop windows – the work of years, practice turned art, the two sisters walked with the skill of experienced agents. Moving from one expression to the next seamlessly, always playing the role. Attentive to the point of hyper-sensitivity, fully aware of many aspects of the surrounding area, and marking the changes as people moved around, they continued on. No one sensed anything amiss about Ky and Allete on their way through town. Not drawing attention overtly, the pair also managed to project a subtle air of disengaged purpose. They were faces on the street, neither striking nor energetic enough to merit even a clear memory of their passing.
Convinced that no one was following, and that none they had seen at the beginning of their journey were somehow present at its end, Ky and Allete finally entered a small eatery, half-full of patrons, and took a seat next to a couple being served a delicious platter of smoked pork and mushroom sandwiches. That couple, of course, was Kieve and Rebecca, and as Ky took a seat with her back to Kieve, Allete sat across from her just slightly to the side, so that she could see Rebecca’s face across the way behind her.
Menus, water glasses, and faces tilting with smiles or pensive curiosity disrupted any attempt for a nosy neighbour to lift the conversation from their lips from any one vantage point. They kept up all appearances of amiable lunchtime chatter, while in truth divulging the results of the past week’s research efforts. Contributing cheery commentary on the food and other frivolities when the servers or exiting patrons passed near, the real conference passed as an exchange in undertones and reading each other’s lips.
Ky and Allete gave their new address and Rebecca and Kieve shared theirs, though neither pair would visit the other there unless an emergency created the necessity. Kieve muttered to Ky while Rebecca mouthed the words for Allete’s benefit. The two took turns leading the summary. “We’ve begun to reconnect with a few old faces from court, and introduce ourselves to some recognizable names though we’ve no personal past. Some of the more cunning have hinted that they suspect some connection with us to the missing princesses, but we’ve held off until now to confirm their suspicions. We’ll begin this week by affirming our connection to the House of Dio, but I’d like to work on discerning loyalties and allegiances for a few more weeks before sharing any direct information about the ‘missing princesses’ and the fact that we are in direct or indirect communication. Some of the Roanin nobles would speak about the assassination in hushed tones, but others were clearly too frightened to share any kind of opinion. Almost all of our old allies and new connections from outside nations share a blanket lack of information. So far we have only three credible sources, two of which agree, but conflict with the third. Lady Rosaline of Kent, one of the northern Roanin provinces, is cousin to Samuel, one of my archers over a decade ago. Then there’s Dirk Rochefort, an earl with holdings just west of Canton, here in Zurin. The two of them both suspect Symian of the assassinations and have done some work over the years to turn up more information. They cite the uniforms, weaponry, and fighting style of elite, Naime-trained specialists, but have failed to discover anything definitive on current or past Symian officials, or any records of payment, planning, or coercion. This is mostly the same superficial information we had when fleeing the capital twelve years ago, but we’re hoping to get them in a room together and combine forces to pursue their leads with unified resources. We also have a new chance to approach some noble Symian businessmen who just got into town yesterday. The approach will be a delicate thing. Then, there’s our third source: Christahn Z’Onor – thirty-six years old, comes from a prominent family in the desert of Assiru, their wealth and standing grown from caravans and river trade, but he’s been establishing his own roots in Zurin for the past twenty years. I highly suspect him of affiliation with a spy network, but I can’t yet be certain of which one, his current loyalties, and what offers of alliance he might welcome. Z’Onor has suggested that the royal coup was entirely internal, or that mercenaries were hired out from Naime by a separate power.” This news was very grave indeed. Still, no one among the four betrayed a reaction. ”We have yet to suss out Z’Onor’s sources and motivations. We have yet to collect any substantial proof. From any of the three. It’s a start to the investigation, and it’s a start to finding allies. There’s a lot of work ahead.”
Ky had found work with an inter-city courier service and shared this information with Kieve and Rebecca. Communing with servants and doormen, stablehands and housewives, flirting and flattering and joking, she sought gossip and public opinion with determination. “It’s actually almost stupefying how so many deaths of prominent public figures and families could remain a complete blank for over a decade and not lead to more public demand for truth and explanation. Most of the city hasn’t even made a direct connection between the regicide and the cease-trade. Some assume that the upheaval left us with a malfunctioning economy, inexperienced workers stepping into roles for which they were unfit, or that someone’s dealing preferential treatment to another foreign power for a personal agenda. No one seems to know what’s going on with politics and trade between Roanin and Symian. There’s quite a bit of scorn for our homeland, with aspersions of nationalist, xenophobic, pretentious money-men refusing reasonable diplomatic proposals. A few emigrants from our capital shared the story of the assassinations and believe the attackers to be Symian, but Symian citizens vehemently deny the possibility, and other households just see the current civil unrest and can’t begin to untangle the initial causation. With no official sanctions acknowledged, a significant chunk of history has been completely obscured by heresay and mystery.” It was a distinctly odd sensation to speak dark words in low tones, sharply incongruent with the bright smile on her face and a fond look at her engaging ‘wife.’ Their server approached to fill their water glasses and Ky’s voice rose to match the tone set by her expression. “Sure the price of red dye has been increasing, but if that’s the colour you want for your bows, we’ll manage it. You’re worth it, sweetie.” The worker retreated and Ky continued, “Allete has been digging through the archives of news agents, political correspondence, and any meeting transcripts at the Library.” She took a bite from her plate to let her sister continue their recounting.
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silentbreeze90 Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2014 3:43 pm
Aℓℓετε Mαяιαηεℓα διο Allete listened closely to the news Rebecca and Kieve imparted; there wasn’t much, as she had mostly expected, in fact the three sources they had were more than she had anticipated after she and Ky had come up with such an overwhelming blank in information, especially since they held opposing views. Two sources believing the Symians were behind the bloody coup, and one basically saying the Symians were framed. It was impossible to tell who was correct; even the fact that there were two who believed the Symians had done it against the one who believed they were framed wasn’t truly indicative of anything since Rosaline’s cousin had probably influenced her thinking, even if she’d been trying to remain objective. So there wasn’t truly a majority one way or the other. Still, the idea that the coup had been internal was a troubling one, especially considering Allete’s desire to return and fix all the problems the councillors had created during her absence. It meant there would be even more trouble on the home front than they had originally anticipated-
At that point, Ky finished speaking, and Allete took up their end of the narrative. “I’ve gotten a job as a legal aide; I have access to all the libraries’ restricted sections as well as hearing all the gossip from the court system. There have been no indications whatsoever of any legal action taken against and Symians. So far my searches through the records have resulted in nothing from that time period, neither judicial action against Symian nor any legislature geared toward increasing safety or drawing new lines of succession. I must say it’s been rather concerning. It’s almost as if the whole thing never happened. To add to the mystery, none of the judges and lawyers know anything; you’d think that they would have gotten a greater number of civil suits against Symians if there were any suspicions of what their people had the capacity to do, a bias against them brought on by fear if nothing else, but there are now and never have been any intimations of such a thing. In short, there haven’t even been any suspicions raised against the Symians among those who frequent the judicial system.”
There was a short silence when she’d finished. As she’d spoken, she’d let her concern creep into her voice, trying to impart the severity of the situation to the other pair though her face remained the excited newlywed planning a grand new outfit. She saw Kieve twitch, as if he wanted to turn around and comfort her but didn’t dare. Kieve always was a bit of a worrier, and he’d had to work to master spycraft. He was just too honest and his natural instincts as a healer were to comfort those in need. Nevertheless, he controlled himself and Allete adjusted her tone as she continued.
“Considering this blanket lack of public knowledge, I want you two to be absolutely sure of your sources before revealing anything to them. I also suggest that you hold off on confirming your identities and your connection to us until you’ve formed a stronger network among those in power. Just in case.” At a raised eyebrow from Rebecca, Allete leavened her warning with a tiny shrug, “I do trust you to know what you’re doing and if you think it’s safe enough, you may of course do as you please, I only suggest that we may have even more reason for caution than we had originally believed.”
Rebecca seemed satisfied with that and Allete wondered if they would heed her message of caution. Well, the two of them were well able to care for themselves and they understood the dangers they were in. She had to leave them to what they did best among the nobles while she and Ky did what they could among the general public.
Soon enough, Rebecca and Kieve took their leave, while Allete and Ky lingered over their meal, talking of trivialities and playing their parts as newlyweds out for a rare weekend lunch treat.
In the following weeks, they continued their meetings, each time in a different shop, with little progress towards their goal. Rebecca and Kieve cautiously revealed their association to the House of Dio without committing to actually knowing where the princesses were and still found little more than speculation and rumor. They could find not a single shred of solid proof to any of the claims they heard. Equally unable to uncover any secrets, Allete and Ky found that the blanket ignorance and disinterest among the general populace held firm against their prying.
It was a thoroughly aggravating few weeks and Allete was beginning to seriously consider targeted scrying when an emergency note showed up in the room they’d rented. There were only four words on the scrap of paper, “Urgent news. Dinner Doreen’s” but the note was unmistakeably from Rebecca and Kieve. There were subtle signs of the two on it, the carefully scripted letters were in Rebecca’s hand and the light scent of herbs was Kieve’s trademark, one of the side effects of the medicines he always carried with him.
The note must have arrived mid-morning,; Allete and Ky noticed it as they returned to their little abode for lunch and their daily tag up to see if anything new had popped up that they could use to glean further information. Allete was afire with anticipation as she went back to work, unable to leave on such short notice. To make matters worse, the evening rush was longer and busier than usual and Allete was forced to remain to help out to keep her cover as a newlywed trying to save up as much money as possible to start a family.
By the time she made it out of the courthouse with a sigh of relief, Ky was waiting outside, practically quivering with excitement and bouncing with impatience. With a quick nod, they were on their way, each more alert and wary of their surroundings than usual, slipping out of the way of potential accidents and easily circumventing any road blocks. As they grew close, they noticed a commotion up ahead of them. A commotion directly in front of the restaurant where Rebecca and Kieve were waiting. With unspoken agreement, they turned into the first building with roof access, taking to the roofs as they completed their journey and came to rest across the street from Doreen’s.
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Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 4:22 pm
Kyla Alessandra Dio
Peering down from the rooftop, Allete and Ky took in the commotion below. A cart was stopped diagonally in the street, and a mother stood beside its tilted corner, trying to calm her two screaming children while their father spoke to merchant wagons on either side, apologizing for the hold up and assuring them that a passing courier had been sent to the nearest carpenter’s for a spare wheel and a quick-fix man. Their donkey stood placidly in his harness, unconcerned by the delay. Rebecca and Kieve were quickly spotted near the entrance to Doreen’s, part of a small crowd of onlookers observing the accident.
Just then a shopkeeper noticed that the donkey had decided to happily help himself to some cabbages from his grocer’s stall within reach. He cursed loudly with a series of expletives that Ky thought rather excessive for a few heads of cabbages. The father approached the irate man with trepidation, as a young man with a cart wheel and a box of tools stepped out from between onlookers. Ky saw Kieve slip smoothly to the mother’s side with a gentle smile of understanding that offered help. He knelt to address the children and produced something from the pockets of his cloak. When the children smiled and accepted the small gift, Kieve gestured to the cobblestones. Ky saw that he encouraged them to draw with pieces of coloured chalk and joined with a white piece of his own. The mother smiled with relief and gratitude that her children were peaceful and occupied, and she turned to help her husband, taking the donkey’s halter so that he might greet and assist the quick-fix man from the carpenter’s.
The new wheel was attached in minutes, the grocer reimbursed, traffic resumed its usual flow, and the crowd dispersed. Kieve and Rebecca had gone inside to order dinner, but Allete and Ky paused on their perch. There was a chance that the “accident” had been just that, but far more likely was the event that Rebecca and Kieve were its unseen cause. Among the children’s colourful drawings, Kieve’s white pictures were unremarkable, simple and childlike, but Allete sharpened her sight with a touch of magic to see them clearly.
A stick-person with three legs and no arms stood next to a triangle with a clockwise spiral inside. The message read: do not approach, being followed, three tails spotted. The number of points around the spiral indicated the number of followers, where a circle would have indicated two and just the three-legged man would mean one. Three legs showed that Kieve and Rebecca were together, and had noticed a tail. No arms warded them off, where the presence of arms would have asked that they approach with caution, and arms as well as a box around the stick-man would request an attack. Allete relayed the message to Ky, who gasped in dismay. They double-checked their surroundings for watchers, and remained in hiding. This new situation could be dangerous, but at the same time Ky began to feel a glimmer of excitement for new possibilities – with new variables came new sources of information.
After a length of time that somehow seemed both interminable and impossibly fast, Kieve and Rebecca emerged from the restaurant. Ky and Allete had agreed with each other not to interfere, but they would learn as much as they could from a safe distance. While waiting they had marked one suspicious loiterer who remained on the street, and the second tail was decent but not sly enough as he emerged from the restaurant as well. Walking down the street, a typical couple to the casual observer, Kieve and Rebecca were nearly around the next corner when a brief flash of movement revealed their third stalker.
Keeping to the rooftops, bodies tight with nerves, the sisters followed. Sharp attention discovered no additional watchers, and they moved stealthily and quickly.
They had run for several blocks before it happened – two men darted out from an alley ahead and all three tails converged from behind. The fight was furious but brief, and it took extraordinary force of mind to keep Ky from lunging in to help. It was immediately apparent that the attackers were aiming to subdue and capture, not kill. Meanwhile, it was impossible to determine whether Rebecca and Kieve “lost” on purpose, or were fully forced to submit. Either way, the result was the same, and Kieve and Rebecca were pulled into the sub-level apartment of a seemingly abandonded building.
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silentbreeze90 Vice Captain
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Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2014 12:45 pm
Aℓℓετε Mαяιαηεℓα διο Allete hesitated feeling indecision warring in her body though she knew there was no time for it. What were she and Ky to do? If they went in, they'd be disobeying the explicit orders their mentors had given them, moving in close enough to see the assailants would also be close enough to to be discovered by a perceptive guard. Well, that seemed unlikely with the lack of professionalism she'd seen in the group, but their mentors would almost certainly spot them and have something to say to them the next time they had the chance.
And yet, they needed to know what was happening in that building. If only she had thought to explore the neighborhood more and at least entered all the buildings; then she could scry without trouble. She could still scry, but she would only be able to see Kieve and Rebecca, not their surroundings, and certainly not their assailants. Scrying was a passive magic that could only view the places where the caster herself had stood. Nor could Allete focus her scrying on the assailants, despite having seen them before. It was only through a property of the law of contamination of magic that she could scry anything at all. Unless there was a natural connection (like that of blood between herself and Ky) or she consciously made a connection (like the connection she had forged with Catrin and Kieve through long years of working concerted magic), she could only scry those things she had "contaminated" with her presence recently. Pretty soon, she wouldn't even be able to scry Cambria anymore (with Catrin being the only exception) .
Even as she lamented her lack of forethought and planning, she made a split-second decision and motioned with a dip of her head that they were to sneak in. Not that Ky had needed that simple signal, she had probably been plotting her entrance to the building as soon as the kerfuffle began.
With Ky leading, and Allete carefully casting spells for improved night vision (for both of them to see in the ever-darkening gloom) and silence (she hadn't been trained in sneaking around silently, even if her sister had), the twins made their way as quickly as they dared, hoping not to miss too much conversation.
As they drew closer, the flickering of candlelight and the shouts of aggravation drew them to one room, a mostly empty, medium-sized room that may once have been some long-moved-away family's living room. The vacated apartment was empty of nearly all furniture with only two chairs which looked newly bought to decorate the dank, mold-ridden room.
Kieve and Rebecca sat tied to the chairs with their agitated captors loosely spread in a circle around them. The two seemed mostly unharmed, Kieve taking the brunt of the attack with a bloody lip and a slightly purpling eye, and Rebecca completely unmarked but faking terror.
"Where are they?" Good Allete and Ky probably hadn't missed too much. The main assailant was flailing his arms around as he shouted. "We know you have some way o' contactin' the brats; where've you been hidin' 'em all these years?"
Oddly enough, it was Kieve who seemed to lead the reply instead of Rebecca. "I'm sure I have no idea of whom you're speaking. I don't know of any.... brats," Kieve's face was guileless through it twisted on the final word, and Allete could almost imagine the thoughts running through his head at being forced to use that particular word. He never had liked that word, claiming that all children were angelic at heart; then again, when they were with him, even the unruliest of children tended toward obedience, so maybe he had a point.
The man who had asked the question glared through the holes of his black mask and spat his question again, "Where's the twin princesses?" As Kieve opened his mouth to speak again, the man interrupted him "And don't you try pretendin' you don't know nothin' about them. We know you've been sneakin' around with Kent and Rochefort diggin' up dirt on the big to-do wi' the House of Dio."
"We are loyal subjects of Roanin, what is so strange about trying to discover the cause of our leaders' deaths-?"
The masked man cut him off with an abrupt gesture, "Stop dilly-dallying and tell us the truth awready!! If you don't, We'll start hurtin' your girlfriend here to make you talk!" So the kidnappers had "threatened" Rebecca to get them in here, which meant the two (or at least Rebecca) had come willingly.
Kieve gave the man an opaque look, examining him head to toe and then back up. He then looked at straight at Rebecca, an ironic smile, one brow raised as he tried to imagine them doing anything to her. "Oh, we can't have that, now can we?" by now it was obvious he was holding in a laugh, and Allete couldn't help shaking her head at Kieve. That man was having way too much fun. She could practically feel the steam blowing out of their assailant's ears. Kieve's next words, though, finally relaxed the man "I'll just have to tell you the truth-"
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Posted: Sun Aug 31, 2014 8:40 pm
Kyla Alessandra Dio
“-We’re in it for the money. There’s obviously going to be a reward and high honour for whoever discovers the heirs. It’s even likely that they themselves are unaware of their true identity, given their age at the time of that terrible massacre.” Kieve appealed to what their captor might believe, as monetary motivation seemed something to which he might relate.
Rebecca chimed in, “And what young woman wouldn’t swoon at the surprise that she had a castle, crown, and kingdom by birth? Maybe something from a dream as a child. And be immediately grateful and amicable to the one who brought her and her sister’s right to light?”
“It is a loyal thing to do,” Kieve affected mock indignation, appearing somewhat prideful and insisting on partial truthfulness earlier, while admitting to the more believable, ulterior motivation “it’s just, why shouldn’t we stir up a chance to be the first to find them?”
Their captor mulled this over, appearing to accept this “truth” much easier, though obviously still frustrated that he was no closer to finding the girls himself.
Kieve could feel the muted presence of Allete’s magic, shielding her somewhere behind the walls. He assumed (correctly) that Ky would be right alongside her.
“We can’t have been what brought you here to Bernay,” Kieve played up their unimportance with complete confidence, “are we close? Are the girls somewhere in Zurin?” he continued, with stupid eagerness. So many thoughts and hopes coloured the tone of each word – make them lose interest in us personally, throw them off the trail with disbelief that the girls are actually in Zurin, what do they know, do they have a valid lead in Bernay? He tried to prod for more information on their search operation, while revealing nothing of the truth of his own, and discrediting any connection or lead they might seem to provide.
The man merely grunted and paced the room muttering to himself, Rebecca and Kieve clearly seen as a disappointment, to be disregarded and his work begun anew. Suddenly, the clomping of boots came down the stairs, and five new faces entered the room. Rebecca and Kieve tensed.
The man at the lead stepped in with authority, and at once his presence commanded attention from the room. At the same time, Kieve felt his gut clench, as he realized they numbered a magic user in their group. He felt Allete’s magic fade and disperse as if someone outside merely passed nearby while working some small spell.
“Captain! I – ”
“-So you actually got them, Jakes. I almost didn’t believe it. I have squads set up throughout the city, and of all the possibilities, yours brings them in.”
“Yes sir!” The man’s facial expression seemed to war between pride in the accomplishment, and the affront to his presumed competence. “But they – ”
“Who tied them up? This is appalling. Chris,” he beckoned one of his own men, “see that both the woman and this man are properly restrained. A child could escape these knots blindfolded.”
As the one presumably named Chris stepped forward to correct their bindings, Kieve narrowed the presence of magic to a tall mustachioed man of slender build. The man was staring straight at him, and as Kieve’s lips firmed into a grim line, the newcomer mage’s twitched in a smirk of acknowledgement.
There would be no straight fighting or easy magicking out of this situation; with more men who moved and carried their arms like they knew their business, and a decent mage in their midst, Rebecca and Kieve were well and truly outnumbered.
They still didn’t give off the air of a band who favoured torture, but maintaining cover while fishing for information would prove a harder task than initially wagered.
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silentbreeze90 Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2014 7:47 pm
Allετε Mαяιαηεlα διο  Allete felt the presence of an unknown mage coming nearer moments before the clomp of boots could be heard from the hallway. She grabbed her sister’s sleeve signaling that she was removing the magics giving them clear eyesight and silence. With no further warning, she removed the magic cloaking them and “threw” it with an extra wisp of magic, moving it parallel to the street before allowing it to dissipate to simulate the movements of a minor work being performed on the move outside the building. Now she was glad that she’d chosen to enter the building. She might be unable to move for fear of being heard, but at least she could still see and hear what was going on. If they’d been scrying from across the street, they would have no way of seeing into the building without the mage noticing. A quick check of her shields ensured that not a single mote of magic power shone from her to allow the enemy mage to track her, and she could turn her attention back to the tableau unfolding before her. Squinting her eyes without her magic to allow her to see details clearly, she found that the circumstances had quickly shifted out of their favor.
Rebecca and Kieve would still have little trouble removing their bindings, regardless of how well they were tied, but the professional soldiers and the new mage would make any fight a loud and bloody one. They would all get out alive, but there would be injuries and the ruckus would certainly draw inquiries, and possibly reinforcements. Besides, Allete would be discovered as soon as she took a single step from this spot; she’d never find a way to sneak up on these professionals to kill them quietly. She was also holding quite tightly to Ky’s shirt, hopefully holding her in place. The mage’s abilities were an unknown, but as long as Allete held onto Ky, her shields could cover both of them, hiding them from his magics.
“Parker!” without any other explanation, the mage responded to the captain’s request. That was a bad sign for the captives as it meant the group had worked together many times in the past. There would be fewer mistakes made from lack of coordination.
“We’ve caught ourselves some prime captives. The man is a mage. Impossible to say for sure, of course, but from the looks of his clothes, I’d say he’s a healer or an herb-witch.”
The captain nodded in response and gestured to Chris “Take care of it.”
The man saluted before grabbing a pouch from his belt, and Allete could see Kieve tense. Allete had the feeling that whatever was in that bag would push the odds from bad to worse. She was not disappointed.
Chris carefully grabbed a handful of the white powder in his pouch and threw a generous amount over Kieve, causing him to cough as he breathed in the fine grains. Abruptly, Allete felt Kieve disappear to her magical senses, becoming a magical null as he was cut off from the power around him. She could also hear him grumbling through the coughing fit. “Really... unnecessary… nothing useful anyways… could’ve just asked…”
The captain smiled cynically at Kieve’s grumbling, responding with a sarcastic reply. “Oh, yes. I could have asked and got the same pack of lies I’m sure you shared with Jakes here. No. I think this way is far better.”
Kieve scowled at the man but made no further move to protest. Obviously these men were taking no chances that their prizes would escape them.
“Now then,” the captain said when it became obvious that Kieve had no intention of rising to the bait, “Let’s escort our guests back home. I’d like to have them safe and sound before we continue any further questioning. Move out!”
((OOC: btw, I decided to put all the peons’ speech in grey, the mage in blue, and the captain in green to hopefully make it a bit easier to find the places where they’re speaking at a glance instead of having to search through the text.))
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Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2015 8:17 pm
Kyla Alessandra Dio
Frozen in darkness, they remained as still as possible, controlling the quiet, shallow release of their breaths, willing even their heartbeats to slow. Kieve and Rebecca were borne out of the room in their restraints. Ky shifted positions with aching care and just saw the corner of a non-descript carriage at an alley entrance to the building. Luckily or not, most of the company went out together with their captives, leaving only Jakes and one of his henchmen in the run-down apartment.
Ky and Allete waited as long as they dared, and extricated themselves as quietly as possible, unnoticed by the two leftovers. On the street once more, they managed to exit the building without any noticeable attention, and took to rooftops once more. Although it could be difficult to match the speed of a carriage, the evening traffic filled the streets with those returning from dinner and long work days, slowing their passage somewhat. Such a bulky target made their progress easier to track, but this Captain’s unit proved more cunning, sending two of its members to the roofs as well, to scout ahead and look out for a tail. Following from street level might make general camouflage simpler, but if they were to travel any considerable distance, their rooftop spotters would likely notice their persisting presence, and they might be slowed by foot-traffic as the carriage rolled ahead.
Keeping out of sight from street and fellow rooftop folk required precision timing, and creative use of chimneys, ledges, railings, rain-collectors, laundry lines, and various decorative ornamentations. At the same time, running the uneven slopes and moving from building to building was an involved exercise itself. Applying all their years of training to this high-stakes game of shadow chase was both invigorating and deadly serious. By the time the carriage pulled to a stop outside a gray stone building in a quieter district, and the enemy scouts rejoined their group, Ky was gritting her teeth in impatience and worry, blood boiling with the fire of justice and loyalty.
“Good. This should be it. They were good, but they still haven’t spotted us.” She wasn’t quite out of breath, but her muscles felt hot and limber. Ky took her scabbard in hand and gripped the hilt with her right hand. “Let’s surprise them when they open the carriage and take back Kieve and Rebecca!”
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silentbreeze90 Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2015 9:58 am
Allετε Mαяιαηεlα διο
“Can’t… Breathe…” Allete was not particularly out of shape, but she was nowhere near as fit as her active sister. Studying magic, diplomacy, and the history of Roanin did not leave much time for climbing trees, houses, and roofs. While Ky had always trained her body, honing it into a physical weapon, Allete’s strengths lay in her mental abilities. She could just barely manage to fight off a single enemy attacker, but was best advised to keep her magic energy full so she could hide behind a particularly well-devised shield until help arrived. Climbing up and down and all across roofs while trying to remain hidden from enemies, both magical and not, was not something she was well equipped for.
Finally her breathing slowed and she actually understood what her sister had said. Placing her hand on her sister’s to prevent her draw, she shook her head slowly, “No. We can’t. I’m sorry, Ky; I want to save them right now as well, but we can’t afford to draw any more attention to them. We know they can take care of themselves, so they’re not in any particular danger at the moment, and if we save them now, it will just prove that they know something and everyone will be hunting for them.” Torn, she stared at the carriage below, wishing she could give in just this once to her emotions as her sister could. But no. Their mission was too important to run in blindly and Rebecca and Kieve wouldn’t thank them for their rashness. “Besides, if we fought here and now, with the original guards and the ones coming out now,” she gestured to a group of ten archers coming out of the fortified building to meet the returning group, spreading now around the carriage with bows pointed outward , “We’d never make it. Kieve has no weapons and my magic would only be minimally useful in this situation. I’d have to blast each one individually, and that’s assuming their mage doesn’t have anything up his sleeves.”
She turned away from the scene to look into her sister’s anguished eyes. “We’ll wait. We won’t abandon them here… but we can’t save them either. Not yet. There will come a time when the guards are less watchful and that’s when we’ll strike. Rebecca and Kieve are certainly able to take care of themselves until then.” She was repeating herself, and knew it was as much to convince herself as her sister. Rebecca could certainly take care of herself, but she was actually really worried for Kieve. How would he fare without his magic?
At that moment, their mentors were quickly ushered from the carriage and into the house, but not so quickly that Allete missed the quickly signed Leave from Kieve. Not that she was planning to obey, but it was one more reason not to save them just this minute. On the rare occasion Kieve became truly angry, it was best not to be anywhere nearby.
Grabbing her sister’s sleeve, she pulled her away from the scene as the heavy doors shut behind the last guard. “Come on. We have to find somewhere within line of sight that’s letting out rooms.”
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Posted: Mon May 25, 2015 8:16 am
Kyla Alessandra Dio There were times when something in her sister's voice brought Ky to attention. Even without a special tone, Allete's words rung with reason and sensibility. A continuing need to protest pulled at Ky from the scene below, wanting to reverse their position, but in reality, as Allete laid out her logic, Ky recognized that she had managed to think more steps ahead in this emotional situation. The responsible, calculating, well-judged – and loyal – course of action was to wait and watch. Commence heavy reconnaissance.
She went quietly with her sister, understanding the pain in her voice, and sharing it in her eyes. Though her movements were unresisting, she could not release the tension from her muscles.
They had a difficult time finding quarters in the area. It was fairly settled, and many homes and businesses in the quiet community seemed to have maintained their ownership over the years. Building frustration had Ky suggesting offhand that they scrap the search and just find some corner on a rooftop. At last acknowledging her hunger and needing the boost in energy, Ky asked Allete if they could duck into a small bakery to pick up something quick to eat as they continued. At the counter, a small sign advertised one room to let on the floor above. The sisters made eye contact and assumed their roles.
“Good evening Missus,” Ky greeted the rosy-cheeked woman by the shelves.
“Good evenin’ sir and miss.” She returned. “Mrs. Hershel,” she introduced herself with a smile, “and what might I help you folks with?”
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silentbreeze90 Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2015 1:08 pm
Allετε Mαяιαηεlα διο
“My name is Kyle Nash, and this is my lovely wife, Mary. We were just looking for a room to rent when we were stricken by hunger and drawn to your shop by the heavenly scent wafting from the door, Mrs. Hershel.”
The plump little baker, her graying hair tied up in a no-nonsense bun that would keep it from falling into her wares, gave Ky an obviously fake glare, her lips twitching up as she tried to hide her smile, “None of that false flattery of yours, you young rapscallion. I’m far too old to be falling for your pretty words.” Her face softened then as she acknowledged the kindness of the compliments, “But maybe I can do something for both your ills.”
Allete joined the conversation then, as they fabricated a story of having been evicted from their former home with nary a warning and for no reason other than that a higher paying tenant was interested in the spot. They were looking for a small temporary lodging in this area, so close to their employers, until they could find a slightly larger place to settle down and have children. The kindly baker tsked and tittered at the story and offered them the upstairs room, “a bit on the small side, but perfect for a nice, quiet couple such as yourselves who are trying to earn a foothold before moving to bigger and better things,” assuring them they would never receive the same treatment from her for as long as they were interested in staying.
They haggled amiably about the cost, finally settling on a price satisfactory to both parties, with an additional promise of free breakfast every morning and 50% off any leftover bread at the end of the day.
Stevan Hollside had finally remembered where he’d seen that face before. Rebecca Sarran had been a Captain of the Archers’ East Unit in Airiving just before the sudden destruction of the Royal House of Corvin, and had been a good friend to the missing twins’ parents before their deaths. She had disappeared along with the twins in the melee that followed, and had been presumed dead during the many long years since. But now, now she had surfaced again. And with her had been a young girl with brown hair and brown eyes who was the right age to be one of the missing princesses when she was known to be single and childless at the time of her disappearance.
Stevan could put together the pieces better than most, and he’d informed his employers (and their disgusting dogs) of his information and the last place she’d been heading. He had already received a bonus and a promotion from this useful information, but what he really wanted, what he’d been promised if he could deliver the twins, was to be apprenticed to his sponsor’s personal spymaster with the chance to take over that exalted position. Now that Rebecca and the mage who had been talking with courtiers and drumming up support for the twins were in his grasp, his dream was within reach, even closer than expected. He’d seen one of the twins and he would take her back to Airiving to be used by the council, in chains if necessary.
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Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2015 1:29 pm
Kyla Alessandra Dio
One at the door, one at the window, they sat in a strained silence, drowning in their predicament.
Last night they had gone out once more to run some basic surveillance, and then returned to their new apartment to force some rest into their night. At the building, the guard schedule seemed well-structured, and while not an impregnable fortress armed to the teeth, they were more than adequately defended. Those on duty were alert and well-trained. Getting inside – or escaping – would not be an easy venture. Ky and Allete took turns sleeping and looking out their window to what they could see of the compound some distance away. Left to her natural tendencies, Ky might have spiralled into uncontrolled worry and frustration, but training in meditation and knowing the importance of cool-thinking helped the nighttime settle her muscles and reinforce a calm focus.
That morning, somewhat refreshed, they had begun a more extensive reconnaissance, but at their first meeting, Allete had returned ashen-faced with grave knowledge. Through a window, she had recognized one of the men inside, and he was no known friend to their cause. Worse, he had recognized Rebecca, and surely remembered Allete as well. They had spent some time together sharing mundane stories on the river barge at Torrin’s Bend Crossing. Their once piece of good luck rested in that Ky had crossed on a different boat with Kieve.
Rebecca and Kieve could handle this man’s knowledge in several different ways. While he certainly strongly suspected that Rebecca’s “daughter” on the river barge was one of the royal twins, there was room for a sliver of doubt. Of course, either way, he would be looking to capture and talk to her. If a princess indeed, they would not know if she was the elder or younger twin. They would have no proof that a second twin was still alive, or necessarily nearby. For Rebecca and Kieve their cards were not a strong hand by any means, but there was still room to play them to the best of their ability. The best advantage of all – neither Allete nor Ky were trapped, and their current location was unknown.
All of this left Allete and Ky in a quandary. How would they free Kieve and Rebecca? And, could they afford the risk? Should they attempt to pass a message somehow? One of them might slip inside to communicate with their team and plan further. A coordinated escape would surely run better than something one-sided. Ky could barely entertain the thought, but it danced among the other possibilities – they could leave Rebecca and Kieve to their own devices, and try to make progress of their own. This of course, was no plan at all. Surely they could find a way to help their dearest family, their treasured mentors, and most trusted allies. They had to.
They had shared their reconnaissance, and absorbed the situation, brooding in silence for a moment. They had some serious planning to do.
“We couldn’t see much inside, so we have to find a way to get closer and know more. From your scrying we know that they’re still being held together – somewhere in there – but that could change. So. How do we get to Becca and Kieve? And, whether we find out everything before or after we get them back, we need to know everything about who these new players are, what motivates them, and who they report to.”
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silentbreeze90 Vice Captain
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Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2015 6:09 pm
Allετε Mαяιαηεlα διο
In silence, unable to speak through her frustration, Allete considered the question Ky had rhetorically posed. They couldn’t get inside to their mentors; they didn’t even know where their mentors were in the forbidding stone structure which was not merely a single guard tower, but built like a miniature castle. Though not large enough to warrant the word fortress (it was in the middle of the city after all), the building was still much larger, much better fortified, and certainly far better guarded than the average stone mansion. There would be no entrance into that building without getting themselves captured.
Then there was magic. Idly, she played with the idea of using magic to scry again and putting in enough power to actually discover where Rebecca and Kieve were, but no. That was far too dangerous. She;d light herself up like a beacon for any mage in the city to find. She’d risked scrying in the morning to make sure their mentors had not been injured overnight, but Kieve hadn’t regained enough of his magic to establish a shielded connection with her, and Ky had seen the mage Parker running back towards the building just in time to warn her to quickly cut her spell off and prevent their discovery. Her spell had likely set off an alarm spell the mage had set to watch over the pair.
And that mage! He was the only thing stopping her from setting a quick spell of invisibility, or rather of a temporary inability to be noticed, on herself and Ky and exploring the be-damned building.
She consciously relaxed her jaw as she realized she had been gritting her teeth. She couldn’t afford so overt an expression of anger, not on the path on which she was headed. Besides, there was always a way if she could only twist her way of thinking. Alright. So she and Ky couldn’t get in to the building.
But…
There were always people coming out. She and Ky needed to know where their mentors were. They also needed to know who was after them and what their pursuers wanted from them. Perhaps they could kill two birds with one stone. And she knew just what to use as the stone. Or rather who.
Stevan Hollside was beside himself with anger. The nerve of those dogs! They’d only managed to capture Rebecca and the unknown mage because of him, and yet they’d forbidden him – Forbidden! HIM! – to talk to the prisoners. Not only that, but those mongrels had the nerve to refuse him entry to the interview which had lasted late into the night! They'd looked down their long noses at him, the mere spy and cited the delicacy and secrecy of the matter. As if Stevan hadn’t been the one who had brought the pair to the attention of those useless mutts!
He grumbled as he stomped out of the dreary stone building he’d been holed up in with those disgustingly useless whelps, turning into the first pub he in sight. He wouldn’t drink much, really, but he needed something slightly stronger than tea to remove the bitter taste of their rejection from his mouth.
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