Nikita Machari's Story

Kyle gave a weary smile when Tallyho reached out to him. That was all he wanted. He didn't expect to be best friends right away, if at all. He attempted to wipe his sweaty palms with the similarly sweaty cravat tie and stuffed it in a pocket. Then he too moved toward her. For a time he debated whether to kiss her hand like he did with Dae or shake it. Eventually he wiped his sweaty hands again and shook hers. She might not be comfortable with a more intimate gesture, and there was also Dorian to consider. The April warrior knew he could be no threat to a relationship between two of his teachers, and they also knew his weaknesses. His peers, they were a different story. Besides, he didn't want to give Dorian a reason to be upset with him, especially after all the mess he already submitted him to. "Thank you."

After the announcement party, they finally seemed to have a reprieve, and Kyle took full advantage of it. He set himself personal goals to resolve all the issues he caused during the fiasco, but he doubted his success in meeting those goals. The group seemed more splintered than before and weird things were happening that spooked him, but he refused to give up. One of his few virtues, determination.

That determination also helped him in other ways. He found multiple exits to the palace and escaped all the fake people for hours at a time, either in the city proper or the garden. The garden was an excellent forum for him to strengthen his skills, and actually interact with 'real' people. People that didn't pretend to like you because you were famous. Truthfully, he hated being famous.

Nikita discovered the problem soon enough when she found Haru passed out drunk. She knew he had a smoking problem, but she didn't remember a drinking problem. Biting her lip, she realized that perhaps the recent pressure pushed him to drink. She called for assistance to carry him to his room, because she was both shorter and lighter than Haru, and knew she couldn't hold him on her own.

A week later, the man himself knocked on her door and asked her to come to a meeting during lunch. Hastened by both concern for his health and curiosity, she was happy to oblige. She prepared for the meeting as much as possible, well before the appointed time. When she heard the message, she forced herself to hold her tongue. She wasn't Haru's mother to harangue him about the stupidity of going in front of government agents and enemies by himself, but it did validate her concern for his health.

"The problem is, I don't think we can trust either of these parties we're now tangled up in. Amber and his supernatural warriors destroyed the Academy, yet didn't physically harm our warriors when they were weak and logically would be in his best interest." She grimaced against how cold she sounded. "And the government agents here pretty much tied our hands with their demands of accompaniment. If anything happens to the accompanying party, we'll get the blame, and end up back in the dungeon." She shuddered at the word. "Honestly, I think it's in OUR best interest to target Amber directly, not even this book whether it exists or not. Chasing the book should draw the threat away from major cities and reduce civilian casualties at least. That doesn't resolve the issue of nosy government officials though." Crossing her arms over her chest, she dropped her head and frowned. It sounded like they were damned if they do, damned if they don't.

Lillian hummed a soft, pleased sound as Kit chuckled and complied readily enough to her 'shut up and hold me' decision without further complaints. They stayed like that for some time. Silent, and star-gazing.

...

Lillian was aloof much over the passing week. She was here or there, and could be found easily enough. She humored whoever came near to talk with her, but was often more free-of-feather during conversations - leaving others behind, or not quite sure what she'd mentioned something about, or maybe was answering for another. Before moving on again, breezily to the next thing that caught her fancy or attention.

She came without complaint to the meeting around lunch-time from Haru's knock at the door in the early morning hours. Curling up her feet, she sat comfortably in the soft, antique cushioned chairs, easy and content and silent. She observed Haru, with pursed limps, as the guardians came in one by one, greeting them all and apologizing if he had disturbed their sleep. The One Above he was nervous, and Lillian expected this was what this meeting was about after not seeing the February guardian much of the week except for meals.

It was not long before everything was explained, after everyone had settled and Haru had stretched and closed the curtains shut tight. It went from Amber, to a Great Divide, to the Book of Truth. Nikita jumped first to respond, to Haru questioning their next move. Demanding they head after Amber now and ignore all this confusing talk, and she could agree it was odd, about this Great Divide or Book. It held promise, that plan of action, of course, and yet after Kit spoke out with more information regarding the Great Divide, not so much the book, and the fact that were the warriors truly ready for that kind of campaign - they'd only been taught to kill and defend themselves against cyclopean, doing the same against people (and a couple that had been their mentors for three years) was a different problem entirely. And Amber was an actor, or a believer of the dramatic arts, and so... Oh!

Lillian was always what could be termed a silent processor, and often held back her opinions to the very end. But it could be seen clearing by her narrowed eyes and furrowed brow, she was thinking, hard, about what Haru said. Without another speaking up, yet, she offered her humming opinion in a soft but sharp voice, "I will not repeat what Nikita and Kit have already mentioned, because it is a waste of breath and information we all now know, but..." She paused, thoughtfully; waving her hands absently as she spoke and thought of how to put what she wanted to say into proper words. "I see this Amber as something of an actor, or a playright perhaps? He's far too dramatic, too unpredictable, however... If this is a true trap, and he's attempting to lead us wrong by giving us the information of a Great Divide and a Book of Truth, why bother? We're in the best trap possibly staying here, having grown soft from such fine comfort."

"I do not think the warriors, or ourselves for that matter, are quite ready for any campaigns out of the blue. Whether or not we go directly after these orphans, or to this Great Divide and Book of Truth. Training has slacked for many... Granted, getting on the move again, adding a routine of training as we go, may help this issue, but we'd have company to deal with along the way? Oh, and of course... Going after people is far different than going after cyclopean. We've never asked the warriors to do that..." She paused, this time sparing a short glance at Ryou. His 'children' and some of the warrior's own mentors were on the orphans side now, if... She continued, "For now, I think my vote is going to this Great Divide, and this Book of Truth. Even if it is a useless endeavor, and I do not doubt we very well meet the orphans sometime soon anyway. It'll better for everyone, even with TRK additions, to get out of the politics directly, and strengthen their abilities again without worrying of keeping everything tongue in cheek."

---

Falke froze, and held his breath as he tried not to wince. Morgan had suddenly stepped forward, as if to impose a waltz on him anyway, despite not seeming the least bit offended that he'd declined her earlier offer. Instead she'd placed both hands framing his face, displacing errant hair that had been purposefully styled by Mildred's mini-Army, and brushed his lashes down with gentle fingers; observing his blind eyes, blearily attempting to focus down at her own brimming with curiosity, sightful eyes. He barely managed not to gasp at the sudden onrush of information, new and old memories, and the aching resemblance of his own face seen by another's eyes; and carefully held his own mind in check, as best as he was able, not wishing to burden her with his own chaotic emotion and thought landscape.

It was then she asked a question, curious, and still full of endearing excitement for the world around her, "How blind are you?"

It was something he very well would have thought as a exceedingly rude insult from his days, Goddess above, a long, to long, far to long to be honest he felt like, time ago on Earth. Then he'd thought he would never allow his tragedy of birth to shape his personality or hopes for the coming years, and had merely accepted it as it was, that he was blind and would forever be, so why bother anymore with it? He'd thought then he had the confidence and strength to live out the days as normally as he was able too, tolerating more than a few babying reactions from his dearest mother and the you poor fellow from passerby's on the straight. He'd only need to rely on those silly 'sunglasses' and his seeing-eye dog, Otter, they were his faithful, forever friends. Hah. Now? Oh, now... God, not Goddess thank you very much, he'd grown up in this crazy-ass world called Aires, more than he'd expected apparently. He didn't even think his blindness as something to survive with barely, now it was easy, powers and gifts, huh - how blind was he anymore?

Falke finally spoke up, after a moment had passed, seemingly letting her take her time in observation before responding, "It's all relative I guess, I've lived with it for so long and I'm just used to it. But... It's like standing waist deep in a rushing river and trying to catch a million tiny floating leaves as they race past you. Some of them I can catch, like a quick moving shadow at times. Most of them I can't, because I don't know they're even there until they brush past me." It was then, his own hands rose, grasping softly as much as his rough, and calloused hands would allow, her own far smaller and smoother hands. He gave them a gentle squeeze, as he pulled them away from his face. "Thanks for asking, not many do."

...

It had been a week since the party, and a week since he'd been around or even talked with another month warrior, guardian (including his own), or Academy trio member. After the recent fiasco in that other room, and his own snap at Xabier and the others; Falke had needed the breather. And under his own choice, and plain to purposefully avoid the lot, it was remarkable that he'd even managed it at all. Powers or not, be dammed. It had been the chance at some blessed silence, and freedom from others' thoughts and emotions crowding into his own head.

He definitely felt better for it, even with the limited human contact he'd allowed himself was around Princess Morgan wandering through the gardens and small chatting about his blindness or some wonderful flower, or the occasional willing knight he'd spare with in-between spare moments, or one of the palace maids - one whom had recently patched him up for the fourth time that week, mentally cursing that he needed to be more careful with sharp, pointy objects, even if it was training. Speaking of which, fei...

Falke hissed softly to himself. Shifting his makeshift position, from laying down on his back on one of the many stone benches within the palace's garden, to raise his hand and forearm upward awkwardly in an attempt to allow the pull of gravity to lessen the amount of blood (and likewise, muted pain) going past his most recent stabbed addition he'd gained the past morning. It matched the other three, similar marks or slashes, over the past week from his own self-training or sparring with a willing night. It was pinks, for stupid mistakes, to be honest he should've just dealt with this one like the others - but so close to the 'funny' bone, that was definitely not so funny, he didn't feel yet of ignoring it all completely. A quiet, lackluster snooze seemed most appropriate...

Before he could, a distant mental presence made itself known to him. It was clear that it wasn't Morgan's bright personality, or the maid coming back to clean or scold him mentally more, and it wasn't common for Trent or the knights' to be wandering the Garden; it must be one of his own group. Falke sighed. So much for getting comfortable... He abrutly swung his feet down, sitting on the bench and more than ready to shove himself upright, and stopped to 'listen' again to determine the direction they were heading in order to avoid them. Oh... He grunted softly to himself, a frown perched on his lips suddenly, not so much because of the steady throb of his wrapped arm, but because the presence made herself better known to him as she drew closer.

It was Tallyho. Who for the most part had excepted his disappearance and obvious avoidance of the group. Who had given him the space and time alone he'd needed and wanted, without needlessly hunting after him (honestly with his abilities, he could keep doing that trick for weeks if it came down to it). Who figured out other relations, without stressing out their own. Who now, apparently had decided it was time to find him... It was a minor glimmer purpose, a gut-feeling he more so felt, because it wasn't like she was calling for him in her mind trying to get his attention, but she was coming - trying to find him. Humph...

It was a reluctantly made decision, because being on his own and his mind-load eased from not being around everyone of their sorry show of a group was an intoxicating concept he was certain for him. But he still hesitantly paused his planned escape, in order to stay put, sitting on that lonely stone bench as Tallyho drew closer. It had been a week, maybe it was time...

Tallyho strolled up with confidence singing on the very edges of the mental activity he felt from such a short distance away, perching a foot on the opposite stone bench he sat on. Falke waited with a weary, but hardly expectant gaze. “Well hello stranger,” Tallyho's voice was amused, but unceremonious, and not prying him for an answer. She already knew, and knew him far to well by now, he was certain. And that respectful knowledge of why he'd chosen to remain separate for a week, had now curled a wispy smile, one of her rare one's she chose to often show to him because he couldn't see it he'd gleaned, across her mouth. Falke responded eventually, almost hesitant in it as if unsure if it was the right place for doing so, but offered a sheepish grin in turn anyway. One part apologetic, and the other thankful - for the distance she'd given him.

She continued, and he listened silently, “I would have tried to tell you about this in my head, but I figured it’d be best to tell you in person. I was walking around town this morning and I heard a rumor that my caravan has camp outside of the walls. I wanted to go visit today but I didn’t want to go alone.” Falke was an attentive listener, but a faint, questioning eye-brow raised after she finished. For such an opportunity for Tallyho to allow anyone of her closer acquaintances to come with her to visit possible family or old friends of the caravan, he was surprised she'd come to him first. Despite him pushing everyone away and keeping to himself for more than a week, she did not question his actions but accepted them, and the first thing she offered was to go on an 'adventure'. Goddess above, he was put far more at ease with her gesture, that he eased the unsure tension from his frame slowly.

“They’re pleasant people, I promise.” After she'd finished, it was only then that Falke responded verbally, and even then it was more of a snort, or lackluster giggle to be honest. Not amusement per say at Tallyho's offer to escape the confining walls of the castle, which after relying on only a selected few minds to 'borrow' to help him move and 'see' had left him playing a successful mouse won game of cat-and-mouse in the space the grand castle provided (he had not been keen to go out of the boundaries he set himself); but more so, because of her need to assure him they were pleasant people. He knew that was probably so, after Tallyho came from them? Despite being a little rough around the edges at times, sometimes drastically, she was pleasant to be around. So, it could be inferred she came from a pleasant enough people, and Lillian, as distant as she ways, was not half bad either most days.

He looked amused, ruefully raising a hand to ruffle his hair with the hand of his forearm, in absence remembrance of the need to sort-of, potentially keep it more elevated than hanging down if he could, when he responded with shrug. "I guess I did not have anything else planned," Except still avoiding others of the group, Falke reminded himself silently as he paused, with a fruitless, bleary glance around at the fine greenery surrounding them both in the depths of the garden. Noting that no one had the chance to sneak up, as Tallyho had been talking, and 'distracting' him. Before looking back with a weary glance, as if preparing himself to swallow an exceedingly bitter concoction. And it would be tantalizing bitter, after a week of being 'free' of it all.

"Sure, why not, all though..." Falke's cheeks flushed unnaturally pale for a brief moment, as he let his constraints go. He could always sense the others of their group now even out in a bustling crowd. All those people and their thoughts zooming past as little more than background white-noise chatter. Except there's, and Tallyho's was no exception. Hers just bubbled up, and he could reach down and pull each one like every fear and hope she had was meant for him. There was a clear ringing in his ears, it sounded like she was singing; even as he had barely touched her mind, enough to only be able to follow her far more efficiently and borrow her eyes' as the need arouse. But it hurt for a moment, and he felt like he was drowning, until the feeling ebbed slowly, then abruptly... She wasn't so distance anymore, but her mind and his weren't accidentally colliding or synchronizing either.

"Try not to be too loud in here, if possible." Falke finished verbally, as easy as it would have been mentally he did not feel the need to be loud and drag about his briefly 'vacationed' powers anymore than he had too; as the color returned to his cheek, and the wince he'd been unknowingly holding faded. The same sheepish grin cautiously wormed it's way back on his mouth, still part apologetic and another part thankful at the same time, as he tilted his head towards her. A gentle gesture that he would be ready to follow her lead whenever she was ready to go...

---

“When we’re on the road we won’t have the numbers or protection we might have when stationary, but on the other hand - I worry that we may be cornered if we remain in the RK…”

Lillian nodded in mute agreement to Haru's words, watching him cautiously as he bit his knuckles while listening to the other guardian's additions. The guardian of February, himself, was split down the middle it seemed. Stuck down going after this Book, and more than possibly coming back empty handed or worse for wear definitely, or staying with the RK until Amber came again to meet them in such a setting there would be far less drinking involved. He was needing the other guardians to support one way or another, and decide together as a plan. And while Lillian leaned certainly to leaving the RK and deal with the politics of official 'baby-sitters' as rolling punches, she couldn't quite hinge all her eggs in that basket either. It was something of a pickle? Yes.

Kit then spoke up, echoing her own earlier comment about the warriors' needing a refresher course at the very least, but brought up more elephants into the room, “I agree. The warriors do need plenty of training. Though, it's not their physical state I’m worried about. They bicker so often that I fear they won't make it out the door without an incident occurring. Who's to say something hasn't happened already? If we are to go on this journey, which I still say we should, can we actually rely on the warriors? I'm just not sure if Amber is our greatest concern. Even the politics of the Rose Kingdom pale in comparison to a team that cannot function, cliché though it sounds. I wish I could say that my bringing this up means I have a solution, but that's not the case. I'm not sure what to do about them. One more problem on an ever growing list, I’m afraid.”

Lillian's dark blues narrowed abruptly as she observed the November warrior beside her after he'd finished, with an air of polite listening, but a minor flick of disinterest lingered. Without an idea, besides training she'd suggested, of making sure the warrior's behaved and did as they needed to get done without an incident occurring as Kit so eloquently put; she didn't feel the need to log his words further into her mind, because it was something she already knew, and others knew as well. She pursed her lips, as she glanced back to Haru, and let her gaze flicker over to the two so far silent guardians, Ryou and Ondine, and Nikita too, who stood firmly on the other side than her own and Kit's leanings towards going out of the RK.

Lillian hummed softly, hiding her bitterness well under gentle and thoughtful tones of her musical accent, "Whatever our decision ends up being, it will be a cautious road we take. This time, we are the immortal ones, and the warriors... Not so much." She finished, absently her hand had risen rubbing a spot of an old scar on her chest underneath her fair, but well endowed to be honest, 'bed-sheet' material of the pale yellow dress she wore. While no one had ever told her truthfully, Lillian knew well enough she was one of the first (if not the first) guardian in the second age, protecting the original month warriors to make up for their sins, to have been killed, again, in action. It was a frustrating and different feeling now, for a callous seeming individual as herself, to know that she was stuck with immortality now and the warriors were fragile of body, and mind, and spirit. It would be an interesting 'adventure' whatever way they took...

Their choices so far seemed to be chasing after phantoms and myths, or hiding out and waiting until the hammer blow came down on them, since her suggestion to go after this apparent copycat warrior was shot down by everyone who had yet spoken. Nikita wrinkled her nose, she just couldn't stand either of those choices. The rate of failure was too high. There was no solid proof of this book or Great Escape and just waiting around for their enemy to strike was a 100% bad idea.

Ve Marie was a major city, which she knew had a higher population than Ryou's Academy could ever hold. She wasn't there for the actual attack; and since the only people she took on her ship from the ruins were the warriors and guardians and only four of Ryou's other students, she assumed the rest were dead. That itself was enough to make her wary of him. He wiped out over 100 young lives just to get to the warriors in the first place. How much of the city would he burn to reach them again?

In frustration, she raked her thin, callused fingers through dark hair. "We can't stay in the city," the small sailor woman finally said. "I may be getting soft in my old age, but the cost of innocent lives is much too high to risk staying." She stood up and started pacing the back of the room, unable to remain still. "We can't stay, but we don't have any proof of this book."

Kyle was also frustrated but for a different reason. He was one of those people chasing Falke during the week, but the other blond boy always ran away from him. What did he do wrong? Why didn't he want to talk to him?

With a grunt, he released another arrow and struck his target for the day with a satisfying thump. His accuracy was definitely getting better. Now he just needed that accuracy when facing a moving target. Unfortunately, Kyle didn't have many willing partners to help with his training regime, but that wasn't what he wanted to talk to Falke about. He grumbled under his breath and went to retrieve his arrows. Afterward he went back to his room and put it away.

On his bed stand that checklist mocked him. Kyle covered it up and ordered a fish sandwich from the kitchen. Because he didn't want to deal with any extra attention from the royals and nobles, he slipped back out in the garden to eat. While he was out there, he noticed two blond heads near a bench. Falke and Tallyho!

Uh oh! Nikita stopped her pacing and dropped her hands to her sides. She still didn't trust Amber, but sharp-edged words from Ryou in particular were a bigger problem, or another in their ever-growing list. The shorter woman glanced at Kit, the first to make that observation. She nodded to Haru's seemingly abrupt stop in the discussion, accepting she was outvoted, and then immediately turned her attention to Haru and Ryou. A few moments after they both left, she followed. She had been worried about them all week and wouldn't stop now.

She found them both, obviously agitated and sitting on Ryou's bed. Uh oh! She thought again as Ryou snapped out, "What do you want?" Haru responded like he was expecting trouble, which as far as she was concerned, was a pretty fair assessment. Ryou didn't have Kyle's temper problems, which is another reason to be concerned for him. He must be worn down as much as Haru. For a little while, she debated simply walking away down the hall back to her own room, but she decided to stay for as much curiosity as emotional support for the two men. She didn't enter the room completely though. She leaned against the door and announced her presence to be fair. "I'm just here in case I have to play referee."

Kyle started when Tallyho called back to him. He didn't think she could have seen him, but she was obviously more attentive to her environment then he was. He stiffly swallowed the latest bite of his sandwich, but nodded whether she could see him or not, and scrambled to his feet. "Um...Do you like fish?" He cautiously asked both Falke and Tallyho. He didn't really expect that his one sandwich was enough for all three of them but thought it polite to offer. If neither one said anything about it, he would finish the sandwich as quickly as possible.

As it was, he still had to scramble to keep up, and probably wasn't as good at hiding as Tallyho. Falke seemed to be keeping his feet better than Kyle, and another question he wanted to ask the September warrior popped into his head. How did he do it?

While they weaved through the alleyways and marketplace, Kyle kept most of his thoughts to himself. After they arrived and the Sun People finished their initial cautious observations, they surrounded Tallyho and he heard her crying, but he couldn't get through the press of curly blond heads and bodies. An ache started inside his own chest, and he fell down to a rough bench. This is her family. Her family. Her home. She's the only one of all of the month warriors who could go home if she wanted. Home. Family. Kyle covered his face, as a rush of memories from his own home and family threatened to swallow him alive. Dammit! Haru was more right than he realized when he told Tallyho to open up; those words weren't just for Tallyho. Kyle has been keeping many things to himself too, but what could telling everyone about his family do?

“I just hope we can protect them.”

Lillian gave a short nod in Kit’s direction, despite him not catching absorbed in his ring as it was. Her dark-blue eyes glanced idly in an uneasy grace towards the still silent Ondine and Ryou, both doing their own impressions of ‘hell hath no fury of-‘, her lips mildly parted as if too finally ask the other two guardian’s thoughts on the matter. But she’d needed not…

“Fuck it,”

She didn’t bother to hide the flinch that followed Ryou’s first, anger-driven words; nor hide the wariness settling into tense shoulders sitting in a chair beside him. She clasped her spasmed fingers in a tight, interlocking brace, and merely, pursed her lips in quiet, thoughtfulness. Turning to watch him and his flitting golden eyes focusing on everything except those around him. Her own gaze was equally sharp, not cold or careless or maddened reason, but clearly tactful in her appraisal of the situation at hand, as she continued to listen to the march guardian’s seething words and trembling tone.

“We’ve always been running after myths and legends. I say we go. Let’s not tell anyone about the book – make up some bullshit story about looking for clues to where Oblivion is or whatever. Waiting isn’t doing us any good and it’s… As good a chance as any.”

“Right, well it seems that the majority of us would prefer going after the book then. I’ll contact the council… Let them know that we are going to be doing some investigation on Oblivion. Worst case scenario they send us with Trent and his men. Depending on what they say, be prepared to leave between a week and a month from now. Hopefully sooner than later. If any of you have any changes of heart or additional input we can reconvene…”

Ryou was gone well before Haru had finished officially closing the meeting, and clearly needed to alone, however justified his anger might have been placed, he didn’t need to be followed, or coddled, or hugged, or frankly talked to about whatever was going on between himself and Haru – until he regained his emotions in check, and could be civil. But it didn’t seem to be that short of day, as Haru headed for the door shortly afterward, leaving little doubt in her mind that he was off to confront his right-hand man for whatever had transgressed between the two of them.

Nikita too followed hot on their heels, likely to play the mother hen in control of the situation, and be a referee - which Lillian found rather unnecessary in any case. The two ‘boys’ could handle their own problems on their own, and she certainly wouldn’t be buddying up to either of them for the next fair stretch of time like their odd trio of friendship usually allowed for, thank you very much, she was wise enough to give them the space they required to ‘fix’ their relationship. The still, awkwardly silent mind you (because Lillian was generally surprised when she didn’t have anything to say), furious and nervous at the same time, Ondine eventually left the room too.

Leaving herself, and Kit alone… Lillian glanced his direction as if to ask his thoughts on what had all transpired, and oh, she couldn’t stand it anymore. She laughed: While it was given that her breezy, musical accent played such an event to be high, bright, and joyously merry. The idle frustration, situational whimsicalness, and a general weariness with the world around her made themselves known easily enough in her tone. It left little to the imagination that this laugh wasn’t meant to be for ‘fun’.

“Oh… Oh…” She moaned softly, as the laughter from her throat died as abruptly as it had come. Pressing the palms of her hands against her eyes briefly to cull the appearance of genuine tears at their corners, before fanning herself and the cheery redness flushing at her cheeks. “I hate the say this,” Lillian paused, with a soft sigh on her lips, as she rose from her seat, barely contained within her usual cool exterior again. “They’re not much different than our Lordships at times. Hmm?” A sly smile flittered across her lips momentarily, as she grabbed his shoulder in a gentle squeeze.

“I’ll see you at dinner then?” She mused, as she gracefully departed the room without giving the other guardian much time to answer, or acknowledge that she’d allowed herself a real laugh the first time in centuries. Off to the gardens, or some high window in a forgotten corner of the castle. To wait. And... Watch.