Welcome to Gaia! ::

Remi arrived at the appointed place, swathed in his cloak against the winter chill and with Beau at his heel. It had been a good while since his encounter with Soi and a few days since he'd last seen Cori, and he still had the lean look of an underfed stray about him. Work had not been any easier to come by, though he'd not yet been by the Swan as Soi had mentioned. His last foray into organized military activity had been... unfortunate, so he was somewhat reluctant to dive back in so soon. Still, it would not do for Beau to go hungry.

He'd been looking forward to this meeting since the place and time was established a couple of days ago- the mercenary was eager to see what happened with the precocious Cori and the unapologetic Soi in the same place. It would be interesting to know what the lad made of the wild woman, and what Soi made of the young resurrectionist.

He'd acquired another small companion in the last few days. An unusually clever dun mouse which, as Remi leaned back against the wall, watching passersby with wary green eyes, clambered out of the pocket of his new shirt (courtesy of Soi) and onto his shoulder, watching the world with a more curious aire than his bearer. Remi'd mentally been calling the wee thing Peu, which in his native tongue meant "not much." That, and it rhymed with Beau, which was idiotic but amused him faintly.

Hopefully Cori wouldn't be late. Wouldn't do to make a poor impression... Granted, he half-expected Soi to turn up drunk, so perhaps he should be more concerned about the impression Soi would be making... eh, well. Cori was a sturdy lad, he'd be alright.

((The training yard can't be seen from passerby traffic <3 Tis what makes it so perfect for them.))

Soibhan eyed the newcomer from the shadows beneath the eaves bordering the training yard of the Swan. Though she trusted Remi's capabilities in a fight and valued his friendship, she tended to withhold that trust when it came to someone other than herself, Rajani, or Desmond recruiting a person for the group. There was a very real chance that someday, the wrong person would be told of their little unsanctioned meetings and trainings and the lot of them would wind up in chains for treason.

The newcomer was interesting. A man, but she was questioning that a bit. She'd seen plenty of woman trying to pass as men since coming to Sunderland and it was getting easier for her to spot them. But she would keep her tongue; they were hiding for a reason, and she had no right to out them.

A black lump of fur and gangly legs stirred at her feet and she looked down to find her guardian awakening from his impromptu nap. The young fawn slept quite a bit, as any baby animal did. It amused her; for some reason she hadn't thought a baby guardian would be the same as a baby animal. They were...spirits....or close to it, and she hadn't expected them to act as real animals in regards to sleep. But apparently all growing things, magical or otherwise, needed a lot of sleep as they grew. And growing Bael was.

Pushing off from the wall, she strode towards the pair, Bael jumping to his feet to rush past her, right towards Beau. She tried not to frown, but didn't say anything aloud to him.

Get back here, ye wee scamp.

He gleefully and infuriatingly ignored her, much like he'd down ever since she'd brought him back the night Vexation stole him for a little stroll around Palisade.

"Remi! Nice te see ye again, friend."

Shady Maru


Ashtiel Arykosa


The woman in question materialized from the shadows, the makings of a dark guardian bounding forward on spindly legs. Corinne raised an eyebrow as the woman approached, and looked her up and down while she greeted Remi. She hadn't been expecting much, unsure exactly what to expect, but she was still surprised. The woman was young, tall and lean with a thick, foreign accent and a wild look about her. Of all things, it was the hair that surprised Corinne the most; it was short and tousled, unlike anything Corinne had ever seen on a woman. It made her wonder; did this woman ever try to pass for a man, or did she express herself freely? Even for Corinne, a woman who posed as a man, the notion was a strange one. She could scarcely imagine.

Verena peered at the group through her emerald mask, her deep green eyes inquisitive. The mask had been the same one Corinne had worn to the Masque last winter, when Gwyn had first made his presence known, when Sunderland was thrust into panic and, well...a world where organizations like the Splinter Cell were necessary. Verena had bothered Corinne about the mask all evening, nibbling at the feathers and attempting to tear it from Corinne's face. Agitated, Corinne finally complied, shoving the mask at Verena by the end of the night. Verena had worn it proudly since, which both amused and annoyed Corinne, but she let Verena do as she pleased.

Beau was thrilled with the company, leaping from person to person, tongue lolling out of his mouth. Although she had already met the dog, Corinne regarded him warily; she only knew the animal and his owner so well. While Verena stepped forward to greet the other animals present, Corinne hung back, glancing from Remi to the woman, as still and silent as a shadow. The woman hadn't addressed Corinne, or introduced herself, and she wasn't particularly fond of interrupting in order to announce her presence.

ooc Sorry I'm so slow! Schedule has been insanely busy since school started. Also, Ash, is the Swan described in any of your past RPs? Just so I have a better sense of what we're working with.

Remi noted the look in Soi's eye and tilted his head in interest and a touch of concern, but schooled his expression and stepped aside so that she could greet Cori. "Things do change all too quickly, sometimes," he said, and it sounded like the voice of experience.

He was distracted though, watching as Beau, tail wagging all the while, chased the fawn a few turns 'round the yard, then allowed himself to be chased in turn. Finally out of breath, the hound spun 'round to "catch" Bael, then playfully and gently play-bit at the fawn's neck the way he would fool around with another dog. Beau then rolled over sending snow scattering with all four large paws flailing in the air, allowing the fawn to "win." He was a sweet idiot, was Beau.

Ah, an assertive rabbit. The other chosen reminded her of such, ready for flight in an instant, but brash enough to get right to the point of the matter. And the hesitation before the handshake nudged her belief a little more towards the person before her being a woman. Men never hesitated at a handshake. It was ingrained so deeply into them that it was an almost automatic gesture, whether the man was commoner or gentleman.

"Cori," she repeated, golden eyes glinting. "So, Remi's mentioned some things, eh? If ye doona mind, I'd like te hear why ye wanna know more. We cannae go blabbin' things around te jus' everyone," she said, glancing at Remi with a grin. She trusted his judgement, yes, but she needed to hear the girl's convictions from her own mouth.

Shady Maru


Ashtiel Arykosa


Corinne sighed inwardly. Great, an interview. She wasn't good at these sort of things, and while she should have expected this turn, she had hoped the evening would have been spent listening, and then at the end, she could have given a simple yes or no answer, before departing. Alas, luck was not on her side.

So now she was left to ponder, staring down at Soibhan - the other woman was a good few inches shorter than Corinne, though she presented herself in a way that suggested she was a head taller. Why did she want to know more? "I'm...intrigued." Well, there was that. But she had a feeling Soibhan required a bit more. She'd need to share...and ignore the bad taste it would leave in her mouth. She hated sharing. So inhaling deeply through her nose, she spoke before she could change her mind. "There's no denying a war brews, and while fending for myself has served me well thus far, I realize I need to adapt. Survival has always been my first priority. I had considered the Queen's army, but when I met Remi the other night, he presented another option: your Splinter Cell. I figured I could give it a chance, as let's face it, the Queen...doesn't exactly seem to be of the right mind."

She'd been at the ball last year with Verena. She'd witnessed the Queen's illness, her imposing guardian, and the strange man at her side. She'd been suspicious then, and nothing had changed since. "I keep to myself, but I'm discreet, I can fight, and I don't scare easy." She finished, crossing her arms over her chest. She glanced briefly at Remi, and then back at Soibhan, waiting.

Remi's eyebrows shot up behind the lock of hair that seemed always ready to escape the loose tie he kept it in. "What... the horse?" he asked, eyes a bit wide in incredulity and a hint of alarm. "The horse that was bound and determined to kill me, had his stall not kept him from it? That horse?"

Hearing the change in Remi's tone, Beau skidded to a stop and looked, ears perked, towards the conversing humans. This unfortunately left him distracted and ungarded should Bael decide to send him sprawling.

Meanwhile, Remi scratched the back of his neck uncertainly. "I'm not sure about that, Soi. I was hardly more than a boy last time I sat a horse, and Lochlan is... not small."

"Ha! Rem, ye gonna le' tha' snarky beastie ge' the better o' ye?" Soibhan said with a wide smile, teasing him. "I willnae le' him ea' ye, I promise."

Bael abruptly decided that Verena was more intriguing just than and pranced over to her, his neck stiff as he assessed the larger doe. He skirted around her, eyeing her up and down with a excited flicks of his fluffy black tail. He began pawing at the ground and turning in circles, trying to coax her into playing.


"Mounted combat can be wonderfully effective fer fightin'. It sounds awkward, bu' the gait is easy te ge' used te, an' the rider is safer than they would be on the ground, closer te the jaws o' the wolves."