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Shadows of The Forgotten » Arcs » Blackpond Ball

All posts related to the party.

As written by: Mr_Doomed, Seerow, Essence, Blackbird26, Sibrand, Trickster, nibblesnbits


39 pieces and 21 characters involved, written by 7 different authors.

Character Portrait: Ess
Ess

2 places involved




So begins...

Blackpond Ball


BlackpondSetting: Blackpond


There was just something about Lamya. Everyone who knew her hated her in some way or another for some reason, but at the same time, if you knew her well enough, you had to have a certain amount of respect for the woman. From the way that she moved around Valcrest to the way that she influenced the people around her. It was almost like she knew the people of Valcrest as well as she knew herself. Or maybe it was because she knew her self better than everyone else in Valcrest. She at least knew what she believed in. But what did she believe in? Whatever it was that she did believe in, it allowed her to host a party for all the important people of Valcrest, despite the fact that they probably all dislike her in some way.
Rita sat at the top of the stairs asking herself some of these questions as she watched Lamya talking castle workers around the ballroom to set up for the party which was less than twelve hours away. From the distance the smells from the kitchen attested to the hard work going on in there. Around her, people busily bringing out the finest carpets and decorations for the finest ball that Valcrest have seen in several hundred years. Not even the great balls of Newhaven, before the false king, were anything in comparison to what this was going to be. If historians didn’t write about this party, Rita was going to be shocked. Especially so, since Rita believed that Lamya had a few ulterior motives to this ball, which was yet another reason why Rita was surprised that people were actually going to show up to this thing.
With Rita deep in her thoughts, she almost forgot that she was supposed to be keeping an eye on people to make sure that no shady dealings were going on in the arrangement of the party. The instant that she realized this, she shot up and stood guard. She couldn’t actually help how absent minded she was lately. The thought of what Lamya had said to her more than a month ago was still on her mind. Lamya could tell too. Every once in a while, while Rita would be doing things around the castle in the past month, Lamya would walk up to her and ask her if everything was all right. Rita would say that she was fine, but she knew that Lamya knew better. It just really bothered her to know that there was someone even above Lamya in all of this and that she couldn’t do anything about the predicament. She was stuck in her position, serving a king who doesn’t deserve the throne; one who is just a puppet to Lamya, who herself was just a puppet to an unknown leader.
It would make sense that the leader of an organization which likes keeping its secrets would want to be hidden by the cover of shadows while others took what seemed to be the leading role. Would Lamya ever let herself be under control of someone else? Would she even be able to be tamed? Her wild chaotic nature seemed to say otherwise, but it could always just be a show
 a very deadly one. What is an assassin but deadly? Suicidal? Maybe not so much. Rita had heard of what she had done in that random house in the woods just a couple of days back. How she had stabbed clean through herself with a blade. The only reason she knew this was because she was told about it after she arrived back home. Despite what the new leader of the White Shadows did to save Lamya, she still had a scar from what she had done. She had asked Rita to bring her a healthy body and preferably one without any scars on them.

Flashback- A couple of days ago
Rita simply nodded to Lamya at the request and walked off to satisfy her duty. It was late in the day and she really didn’t want to be doing any of these pointless duties, especially since she was due to be in her room in ten minutes for a discussion with one of her generals about pointless battle plans for pointless battles which would, needless to say, never happen. It wasn’t much fun being a commander of an army that sat around collecting fat, but then again, nearly three years of peace was a nice thing as well. It could be said that a commander that does their job right isn’t doing their job at all. That is definitely how Rita felt on occasion. The meeting would probably only last about ten minutes and then she would be able to say that she was finished with her duties for the day. With this task that she had been set out on, however, she could be at it for a while longer than she wished. No early nights where she would get to sit at a bar or other establishment and just enjoy the rest of the day with her fellow bar mates.
She walked down the corridors, looking around for a person who fit the description. The sad thing about Blackpond, however, was you weren’t really a citizen until you had a scar of some sort. It didn’t matter if it was from a simple fall off a tree or if it was from something more serious. You would have to be locked up in the castle all your life to be perfectly saved from any scaring. That was why Rick liked to take the maids
 then she got an idea.
She started a walking her way to the king’s room. A walk that always reminded her of her dear friend Hastings. It was so terrible to walk in and see his dying body there and know that there was nothing that she could do. She cleared her head before walking through the door. That is when she heard Rick in the room.
“You are going to jump out that window by the time I get back or you will wish that you were dead.”
Rick walked out of the room. He looked over at Rita with a large, sadistic smile across his face. Rita just sneered back at him and said, “or you will wish you were dead? That’s your best threat?”
“Hey, it works.” He said and continued walking down the hall to wherever he was going.
Rita walked into the kings room, expecting to find a woman who was half beaten already. The only reason that she wouldn’t be beaten would be because she was ‘fresh meat’. Luckily for Rita, she was. This just meant that she was sparing one less maid’s life. At least, she would be for now. It would only be a matter of time Rick got himself a new toy.
“Oh, thank you! Thank you! You’ve come to save me.” The maid said from the bed. It was clear that she had the idea that Rita was there to save her. That wasn’t exactly the case. It was a shame that she couldn’t bring herself to break the news to her. The maid ran up to her and got down on her knees right in front of Rita. I’ve heard of the things that Rick does to us in here. He locks us away in here and does those terrible things until he drives us mad enough to kill ourselves. I knew someone would come to my rescue, I just knew it.”
Rita didn’t say anything. She just grabbed the woman’s arm and picked her up from off the floor then started walking back to Rita. The woman kept going on about how it was her luckiest day, since she had been locked away. That was probably true.
When she made it back to Lamya, she saw exactly what she expected to see. There was another one of the assassins there. One that she rarely saw unless there was some sort of issue regarding health. It was absolutely clear what was going to happen. The man with no name walked up to the maid and quickly offed her, right in front of Rita. Now the maid would not have to suffer through the unspeakable pains that would have occurred to her in Rick’s room. The assassin’s eyes glowed a bright gold and then he placed his hand over top of Lamya’s scar. In a matter of seconds, the scar was gone. All it took was the life of the young maid to do that. To fix a scar.


Reality
“Rita.” Lamya’s voice called from the bottom of the stairs. “Could I see you for just a brief moment?”
“Are we talking about people taking weapons at the door? If so, I’ve already got that settled.” Rita asked.
Lamya looked shocked. “No! Don’t do that. There’s no fun if there’s no weapons. That’s not what I want to talk about though. Come!”
Rita, with a slight hesitation did as she was asked of and walked down the stairs. She didn’t know what she should ever expect with Lamya and despite knowing her for three years; she still wasn’t used to it.
“What is it Lamya.”
“Not here.” Lamya quickly shushed her. She looked around a bit and then motioned to the next room where everyone had cleared out of since it was ready for the party.
They walked into the room, decorated in almost entirely green and white. Even the waxes of the candles on the chandeliers were green. The tables where the food and drinks would be placed were green and even the instruments that the string quartet would be playing were green. It was rather impressive as well. The room had been decorated with several emerald encrusted armour plates.
“Are you ready yet?” Rita asked, sounding rather frustrated with the whole ordeal. All she could smell off of Lamya was trouble.
“Hold on.” Lamya said as one by one, thirteen men appeared from nowhere in the room. She only recognized a couple.
“Hello Rick, Lazarus, Sandere
 and the rest of you.” Then she chuckled a bit. “This is it? This is the Shadow’s Conflict?”
“Looks can be deceiving.” Rick smiled.
“That’s for sure. If I saw you on the road, I’d think you were a respectable man.” Rita said with a sliding chuckle.
Rick looked like he was about to draw his sword, but the eyes of one of the assassin’s flashed green for a moment and he almost instantly calmed. He wasn’t sure what had just happened to calm him so quickly, but she wasn’t exactly sure she wanted to know. “If you are planning to assassinate me, could you do it somewhere that will make less of a mess? There’s going to be guests in this room for in less than 12 hours.”
“We aren’t going to kill you yet. You are still yet useful to us. In fact, that is why I wanted to speak to you.” Lamya said in a most peculiar tone that almost sounded relaxed and normal. “You see, our boss will be here tonight to join the party. He would like nothing more than to see a number of people who will be attending the party dead. Several of them being us. Others include people from Newhaven as well. The killing of these people would bring about a full out war in Valcrest that you, as well as I know will not be winnable.”
The idea was concerning to Rita. She believed what Lamya was saying. If Lamya was crazy enough to do the things that she did, the person in charge of her would have to be insane enough to start a war that would bring Blackpond to its knees. There was no surprise there. What Lamya said next was a surprise. “I want to see peace just as much as everyone else
” Then it made sense, “Of course, that isn’t saying much lately. Regardless, I’d like to see something else other than the typical battle. Those get boring. That is why I need you to help me from stopping this man from killing anyone.”
“And How will I be able to tell who he is.”
“I’ll tell you what he looks like”


Newhaven
“The carriage is
 uhhh, Ms. Page?”
Ella was in one of the many rooms of the castle practicing for the next time that Evin arrived for a practice session. When the stable boy walked in to tell her that the horse and carriage was ready to set out for Blackpond, she was reciting the creation story while balancing on a small side table and swinging a sword, all while wearing her ball gown. It must have been a weird sight. Ella stopped what she was doing when she finally realized the stable boy and jumped off the table. She sat herself down on the chair and put her shoes back on.
“Tell me something. How is it that you were allowed anywhere near me? Security has been much higher the past couple of months you know and now that I’m going to the ball, I’m sure something like this, from a security standpoint, is absolutely deplorable.” Ella asked as she put her second shoe on. The boy remained silent, and for good reason too. The kid wasn’t supposed to be there, but what bragging rights there would be for the rest of the stable boys when he said he got to speak to the queen. How very much more interesting it would be when he told them what they witnessed her doing. “It’s fine. I know you aren’t supposed to be here and I won’t tell anyone. Just don’t do it again, because I will remember your face. Thank you.” The boy started to leave. “Wait!”
The boy stopped dead in his tracks. He turned around, with a bit of fear in his face, but as well, there was also the slightest bit of excitement. It was as if there was a sparkle in his eyes, not one of enlightenment. Rather, it was one that can only be described as the sighting of a spirit. Something that she could remember seeing in herself every now and again when she was younger. She still had something similar—gumption—it just wasn’t the same. She missed that same sort of spirit. There was only a few things that could bring her to that sort of spirit. It wasn’t something that she could share with people. No one would ever approve. Ella couldn’t afford to not have approval. Then again, she needed to tell someone.
“Come here kid.” The kid followed the order. “When I do this, you have to promise me that you will not go around telling people what you walked in on me doing. Promise?” The boy nodded. “Good.”
Ella walked right up to the boy. Because of the shoes she was wearing, she seemed unusually tall and towered over this little boy. She leaned down as best she could until she was right in his face. Then she grabbed the kid’s chin and twisted his head slightly so she could kiss the kid on the cheek. “Now there will be a good story to tell your friends. Get out of here before someone see’s you.”
The kid still didn’t say anything. He was in too much shock to even know what to do. With that, he smiled a wide smile and ran out of the room. There was no doubt he was going off to tell as many people as he could of what had happened to him.
With that, she was done with her practicing and ready to leave for the ball. She walked into the next room which she had dedicated to her own personal armoury. It was a small room. Almost just a walk in closet, but it was filled with several weapons that were perfect for a queen. Not all of these weapons were made for her however. There had been weapons made for several different occasions and instances for several different queens among many different reigns. She grabbed two different weapons. One was a small clip in her hair. It was meant to be decorative, but underneath the plume of hair, there was a considerable amount of blade to be found. It was nothing too good; just a simple poking weapon. It would do. The other one was a sword which was found under all her cloathing. She had her dress made specifically so that there would be a fold over a part of her hoop skirt that was not covered in fabric. All she had to do was move the flap and reach down her skirt for the holstered sword. She took the sword she wanted to use and then slipped it down the flap.
Now she was ready to go. She folded the flap back to its spot and walked out of the armoury, out of the next room and into the halls. Waiting there was Conrad. He wasn’t dressed in any of his usual guard uniform. Instead, he was dressed in his finest dress cloth. “What’s this?” Ella asked.
Conrad placed himself in the ground and stood tall. “I’m going to the ball.”
Ella was still a little confused. Enough so that she had to stifle a little laugh. “I think they’re only letting good looking people in.”
“I’m good looking and I know you think I am too so don’t even try to lie.”
Ella blushed. “Well I guess that’s true.”
“Anyways, I was looking for someone else to go the ball with. There are a lot of noble girls from Newhaven who seem to be going, but none of them are the Queen
 I mean, none of them are Ella.”
“Yeah, yeah. Come along.”

------

In Newhaven Market, several things were taking place. Most of them were common day occurrences such as candid conversations, crafty conversations, conversations that just don’t make sense. There were many a new deals going down and many an old. Books, clothing, shoes, food and many other miscellaneous things were being sold. The typical thieves were out doing their thievery and the swindlers their swindling. Out of all the typical things that were going on however, there was one thing going on that could not be described in any other way but peculiar. Anyone who was to witness the whole thing take place wouldn’t exactly describe it as anything but regular, but to those involved, much more was going on.
The Queen had left for Blackpond a few hours ago. It was exactly where Alexander wanted to be in the next couple of hours as well. He just needed to be assured that when he walked in the ball, he would be ready. He wanted to be gone a couple of hours ago, shadowing the Queen. He didn’t really mind, but he was really hoping to get into the thing on time.
“You’ve already delayed me over two hours, Wyatt. I need to be at that party so just let me know that I have my people and where they are.” Alexander said in annoyance, lighting up another cigarette. The twelfth he’d had that day.
“I give you money, and you give me nothing in return and then I give you people. How do I expect to get something in return?” Wyatt said.
Alexander flicked the ash off his cigarette. “I gave the money back because I couldn’t find a large enough groups of swords for hire for my liking. Now, I’ve given you back that money, in case you don’t remember. Now I’m looking for swords for hire from you and I will guarantee you that you will be able to get your influence back in Blackpond Castle. This is the deal.”
“And if I don’t get any influence back?”
“I’ll guarantee you that you won’t. Now where will I find them?”
“They are all in the market right now.”
“In the market right now? Are you kidding me? Have you looked around you,” Alexander flicked his cigarette in the direction we wanted to bring Wyatt’s attention to. “I swear that person over there is a White Knight.”
Before Alexander could finish his sentence, the people that Wyatt had found him were there with them. “We’re fine.”
Blackpond was the kingdom of foes to those that dwelled in Newhaven. Though politics would have them believe the cities were rivals, the people knew already the truth. These forces, once brethren, were enemies and acted more bitter towards another then any could guess. The senseless violence they inflicted on the other, the tireless churning of soldiers to the front lines. How long would this cycle continue?

The Blade was afraid to enter here, the lands were known but they were always approached before with violence in mind. Of course everyone from Newhaven who was invited to the party speculated trouble, or at least those that have been part of the recent struggles. Those poor souls swept up in the sickness of Valcrest. No one with their grudges about them could truly believe that Blackpond was now making amends. That they had forgotten themselves released their pride and decided to offer a kinship. It was too sudden, and without warrant. There were things at work here all over the land that darkened the earth and corrupted the air.

Questions without answers, he was right back where he left three years before. Worse still he was in a more troublesome predicament now then back then. Mageria was pacified, his Enlightenment was a doomsday clock that would either kill him, or send him on a rampage like no one has ever witnessed. The majority of those he counted as his allies were gone. The Salamanders will killed. Blake, Morrigan, and Chandos were dead. Crys was no longer the Wolf Pack leader, and he had no idea what became of Alexander. Who could the Blade hope to call upon?

The pathway of Blackpond was familiar, and the town militia was quick to let him pass. Though the peasants looked away, he could catch glimpses of their fearfulness. He was their monster, a beast from Newhaven back from the dead. An Immortal fiend that slaughtered all in its path, if they had any idea what Grim had seen or endured. Still they kept their distance, and guardsmen grasped the hilts of their weapons firmly at his approach. Their only comfort in the eyes of death, yet they knew nothing. The Blade had no desire to kill, he was a soldier, and Enlightened. He could fit nowhere else, not even in his home was he anything more than a warrior.

The air was frigid, and the trek through the snow had numbed his feet. Puffs of white fell from him and though he refused to shiver he could feel the creeping cold deaden all feeling. Even once inside the well traversed ways of Blackpond, he couldn’t avoid the crunching of snow and ice beneath his feet. In a way it soothed his spirits, but he had to keep keen. The cold could make one sluggish or devoid of strength if not careful, and tonight would prove to be a most fascinating if not challenging night. Grim would need every advantage available to pierce the veil he believed was cast here.

Right up the steps he ventured, and looked to the greeters. Though he bore armor enough to protect his upper torso, they seemed apathetic. The long hilt of the Giant’s Knife drew their eyes only for a moment but they ignored it afterwards. It was then that he regretted not coming in full armor, but was thankful to keep his weapon all the same.

In through the grand archways he stepped and the warmth rushed into his lungs immediately. The heat of the room rushed over him and his hands burned a little as they warmed. The noise hit the Blade next, the chatter and music that wafted through the air. Sweet smells that were mixes of drink and desserts offered freely by smiles and bright eyes. There was jocularity and to Grim it was foreboding. All the effort put in to please the guests was nice, but it felt superficial. Perhaps it was the Black Knight within Grim that spoke, but he didn’t care for all the pleasantries. Then again maybe he was just more warrior then he liked to believe. He wasn’t unfamiliar with socializing, he just was nervous doing so within the home of people that tried to have him killed, and furthermore invited by those same people.

Grim made no moves to greet anyone, some of the guests were uneasy at his entering, but he paid it little heed. What was strange though was that the servants didn’t seem wary of who he was at all. They were calm not a jitter among them. With all this in mind, Grim took to a corner of the grand room. Perching himself against a wall and watched the activity going on about him.

“Who knows,” he said aloud to himself.

“Could be Blackpond wants the same thing you do. No harm in hearing them out.”
“I don’t believe pets are allowed to this function, Miss..”

Essence’s sweet smile twisted to something darker, brows narrowing in a fake confusion. “Tala is not a PET. This wolf is MY escort, so it would be wise of you to show some manners. She is not known for her... patience...” Before Ess could even finish her sentence the wolf pushed forward, head low with lips parted in a silent snarl, blue sapphires catching the reflection of flames from the torchlight. The Guard moved for his weapon causing Tala to spit and growl with disapproval.

“Now now...we are here to have fun. There’s no need to lose limbs.” Ess turned towards Ali with a wink. “Bit early for that, don’t you think?” Clearing her throat, Ess whistled, causing the wolf to pause and turn around to reside by Ess’ side. “She’s had a bath and been brushed so I’m sure she’ll fit in just fine.” Ess sang before gently placing the palm of her hand against the Guard’s chest, pushing him aside as she moved forward, smiling at how she wasn’t even asked to relinquish any weapons. Leaning in to whisper towards Ali, she snickered. “She definitely smells better than that guy..”


Ess’ heels clicked in a dainty, soft echo, yet was loud enough to draw attention as she stepped into the room. Dressed from head to toe she was clad in several layers of burgundy silks, so it appeared there were many parts to her gown. Actually there were two. The outer layer was like a jacket with sleeves that flared out in a triangular, cone pattern along her wrists but only just past her fingertips so she didn’t feel restricted in her movement. There was no trim, no pattern; instead embroidered along her hood, sleeves and folds of material that dragged along the floor were black and gold vines which she had added herself. The dress was tied with black lace in a criss cross pattern over her corset that was attached to the underlayer of her dress; a blackish red that complimented her pale skin in a drastic contrast. The neckline was low enough to activate a man’s imagination while still keeping her modest enough to almost pass for a ‘Lady’. Violet eyes flickered, catching the torchlight burning from the walls and ceiling, her fingers slowly pushed back her hood to reveal her familiar painted, porcelain features, shrouded beneath a massive array of curls. She had pulled back most of those twists so that they draped down her back and off her shoulders, leaving only a few to tickle along her temples, several tiny braids tied into one and clipped up in a loop along the middle of her nest of curls. When she turned her head to look around, the light gleamed off her metallic hair clip which was shaped into a fan that looked oddly as if the ends were razor sharp. Hidden along her thighs and beneath her arms on her hourglass curves, were several of her tiny daggers. She kept something small concealed within her corset and her relic dagger was snug along the small of her back beneath the outer layer of fabric. The silks hung loose enough to not show the defined edges of her weapons but still clinging enough to her shape to catch lingering eyes.

People were just starting to file in; very few already ahead of her who seemed to congregate along several extravagant tables of breads, cheeses, and fruits. Tala was many paces ahead of Ess, sniffing curiously along the floor and slinking beneath the drapes of table cloth to hide beneath the table as if to wait for someone to drop some food. “Tala!” Ess whispered in annoyance, eyeing a basket of grapes in disappointment as she shook her head and moved away from them, a distrustful doubt hung in the light of her eyes. Clicking her heel against the floor caught Tala’s attention so she poked her head out from under the table, startling a woman in blue who backed away nervously, staring wide eyed down at the wolf. Ess approached the woman from behind and smiled. “No, Tala. You don’t know what kind of bugs could be in that bread. That cheese wheel...” Ess trailed off, rolling her eyes in fake disgust so that the woman dropped the piece of cheese she was holding, giving Ess a displeased glare. Still, watching Tala as she backed away from the both of them the wolf gobbled up the food upon the floor. Ess chuckled. “Don’t say I never gave you anything...” She whispered in amusement, quirking a brow as a servant girl wandered over towards her with a platter of goblets filled with some sort of wine. “Drink, Miss?” Ess sighed, taking the glass without thinking yet staring into the cup as if expecting something to jump out of it. For the moment she just held it, whistling for Tala to her side before moving away from the table and towards one of two staircases in the room. Lazily she stretched her arms across the banister, leaning into the railing with a sigh, gazing up the many steps. “Wonder what’s upstairs...” Ess breathed, quirking a brow at Tala who placed one paw on the first step, pausing to sniff at the air.
Irvin’s eyes widened as they arrived at the ballroom, he had never even imagined anything as fancy in his life. It made him feel awkward with himself, as if he simply couldn’t hope to ever fit into such a fancy and neat environment, but at the same time he was excited with the possibilities. Oddly enough the guards didn’t check the guests for weapons and simply let them through not caring much to even verify their identities. Although one of them seemed to be watching Jake a little more intently than one would expect. After a while of trying to ignore the man’s glances, the boy nudged Jake and mumbled. “Do you know him?”
Jake smirked slightly, acting as if he hadn’t noticed the guard, even though he knew exactly what Irvin was referring to. “Sort of. I’m sure he doesn’t recognize me yet though.”
“Where would he recognize you from?” Irvin asked, a bit apprehensive as he looked at Jake.
“My dad was Guard Captain here, Irv. That man’s father was under his command, we played together when we were children. He probably finds me familiar, but I doubt he’ll be able to place me.”
“Hm... Why am I starting to think it’s probably a bad idea to be here?” Irvin mumbled, glancing nervously at the guards.
“Because it probably is. We went over that, but you insisted you wanted to come so... Relax, alright?” Jake snickered. “Look around, see any pretty girls you like?”
“A few... I guess...” The boy replied, scratching the back of his head awkwardly and giving a dismissive shrug.
“Good, then you should try and socialize.... You’ll draw much more attention to yourself if you’re clinging to me through this whole thing.” Jake spoke casually, letting his eyes wander through the room and watching as more and more people began to arrive forming a small crowd of well-dressed people in the ballroom. Irvin nodded quietly, finding the idea of going around a room full of strangers like that a bit intimidating overall. He’d been locked up with pretty much the same group of people for over a year, and it was not as if he was any good at the ‘socializing’ thing before that. “Hm...” He mumbled.
Jake snickered nodding towards a group of teenagers across the room from them. “Look, I think that girl over there was smiling at you...” He stated, indicating a girl with light brown hair and green eyes, who seemed to be just around the boy’s age. “...You should introduce yourself, hm?”
“I... I don’t know... She’s with friends and all... Think I’m going to go see what’s there to eat around here.” He muttered, quickly rushing his way towards the food. “Oh, hey, look; Apples!” He exclaimed in a fake over-excited tone.
Jake simply shook his head, keeping his eyes open and scanning the room for familiar faces, quietly wondering what the night would bring.

Ali had distracted herself from Ess and Tala while listening in on some people’s idle chat and was now standing near one of the food tables examining a glass of wine someone had offered her. There was nothing wrong with the wine except that Ali was simply not much fond of it overall, she would much rather just drink water, so she caught herself wondering whether or not to try it. She didn’t have to think much on it, fortunately, because someone collided with her arm while talking past in a clumsy haste. Ali didn’t see who it had been right away, however; she was far too intrigued by the lack of spatter from the glass she dropped, staring in a mix of shock an awe at her feet were the wine had dropped to the ground frozen solid.
“I am so very sorry.” A boy mumbled awkwardly. “I wasn’t paying attention to where I was...”
“Did you do that?” Ali cut him off, eyes still watching the frozen chunk of red liquid.
“Uhm... Yeah...” He replied, sounding a bit confused by her reaction.
“That’s impressive.” She stated, turning to face the blond teenager with curious eyes. “What is your name?”
“My name... uh...” The boy paused staring blankly as if trying to do impossible math in his head and not trying to do something as basic as giving his name. “Hm...”
“Is it Boris?” Ali asked with a chuckle, shaking her head dismissively before the kid had a chance to reply. “No, no... You don’t look like a Boris... Bob? No? Jim? Lionel?”
“Irvin.” The boy mumbled, in a tone that mixed amusement and annoyance. “Irvin Grant.”
“Irvin.” She repeated. “I’m Allison.” She said offering the boy a hand in greeting. “You look a bit too young and uncomfortable to be here by yourself, Irvin.”
“You can call me Irv... And I’m here with friends. Not sure why I’ve come... I’m pretty sure this is going to be quite boring.” He said, rolling his eyes.
“Free food, right?” Ali played.
Irvin chuckled softly, seeming a little less uncomfortable. “You aren’t from around here, are you?” He asked curiously, staring into the woman’s eyes as if trying to read a map. “You’re too... Friendly... To be from Blackpond. Newhaven?”
“Hm... Is that so? Are people here generally hostile? I can do hostile too if I have to, but I don’t think that would be necessary here... And I tend to be a somewhat accurate judge of character.” She smiled shaking her head playfully. “Not from Newhaven, bless the Twins. Care to venture another guess?”
Irvin snickered. “Depends... What do I get if I guess correctly?”
“What do you want?” Ali inquired, raising an eyebrow at the boy in a slightly suspicious expression.
“Hm...” Irvin mumbled. “A kiss?”
Ali frowned for a moment, not sure if she should be amused or insulted by the boy’s request, but finally nodding in agreement. “Alright... Fair enough, but you only get one guess. And by ‘where I’m from’, I mean where I was born.”
“Only one guess? Can I ask questions then?” The boy inquired. “And what if I guess wrong?”
“No, no questions. And, if you lose... Well... I’ll think of something.”
“No questions... hmph... Alright, fine... Let’s see...” Irvin mumbled, going into thought for a good long while staring at Ali intently as if waiting for the answer to appear written on her somewhere. Finally he fixed his gaze at one particular spot and stared for an unsettling long while.
“Hey boy, how long are you planning to stare at my chest for?”
Irvin snorted a laugh. “You were born in the ruins... In the plains...” He said finally. “Your necklace.” He pointed out the simply carved wooden bird hanging from her neck as if that explained his whole reasoning.
“What about it?” Ali asked, raising an eyebrow.
“The Blackhurst sigil was a bird, families that descend from there tend to use bird symbols in their crests... But I take it, as you don’t seem to know that, I’ve guessed it wrong.”
“Of course...” Ali mumbled, seeming to not be paying attention to Irvin anymore, but gone into deep thinking for a few moments. “I... Have to go find someone...” She spoke, starting to walk past the boy, but stopping abruptly to address the boy over her shoulder. “Oh, you lose... I wasn’t born in any ruins... So now you owe me a favor, Irvin.”
Irv chuckled. “Hm... Well; win some lose some, I guess.”
The adrenaline, the rush of pain and the taste of blood. The sixteen years old boy felt all of these things as he crawled across the sand, desperately grasping for his lost sword. The gaping wound across his back felt like a thousand knives piercing through his spine, but somehow he kept on crawling, no matter the pain. This was the life he had come to accept. The life of a slave, but not any kind of slave; A dying one. A gladiator tossed into a ring made of sand, tears, sweat and most importantly of all, blood. All of this to please a crowd of sick men and women who lives boring and meaningless lives but seeks the thrill of battle and death. The boy had been one of them a long time ago when he first sat in the crowd next to his mother and their master as the slaves they were back then; Servants.

The crowd screamed ”Kill, kill, kill!” as the boy reached for his sword. Suddenly a man stomped on his hand and broke it. The boy let out a scream but was met with a swift kick in the face. Rolling away from his sword and the man who had kicked him, he felt how his open wound was filled with sand. The increasing pain almost made him numb. However, he used his last ounce of strength and pulled himself up and stood before the other gladiator. The man was tall and looked like a behemoth of flesh and muscles, and his face shrouded by a beast-like helmet with horns. In his hands he held a massive battle axe from which blood dripped fast. The boy’s blood. The chains used to keep this monster in check was attached to the behemoths nipples which had been tossed over his shoulders. He snorted and roared while he was getting ready to charge down his opponent. Holding the battle axe in one hand, ready to strike, the monster charged at the boy.

Although the boy’s strength was all depleted, he mustered his courage and leaped right at the giant’s legs. As the axe came crashing down, he rolled between the gladiators legs and quickly got up on his feet again. Without even glancing back at the snorting monster behind him, he rushed towards his sword. Just as he reached it, he could almost feel the behemoths breath in the back of his neck. The boy rolled, pulled up the sword, turned and slashed with his weapon towards the giant with one knee in the sand. The sword cut deeply into the belly of the beast and he fell to his knees in front of the young boy. The gladiator rose with the sword in his left hand and in one swift attack, the beasts throat was cut open. Blood poured out onto his chest and he let out one last snort before falling forward, dead.

The arena was quiet for a good solid minute before the crowd exploded in cheers and applause. This kid had entered the arena with five other young recruits to face one of the fiercest gladiators known to the arena and he had succeeded where the others had failed; He slew the beast. A single tear of mixed feelings of pain and joy trailed down the face of the young gladiator named Sif Aeducen as he watched the crowd scream for more death. This arena would be his life and his death and somehow, deep inside, he was content with this fate.


========================

The cold air filled his lungs and the wind caressed his scarred face that was partially shrouded by his hood as his horse stopped in front of a large city. For a good hour or so he had been riding south across the hills and the lowlands, aiming to reach the city in the horizon before the morning. He knew that there was always jobs for a mercenary, wherever he might be, but there was still a question that lingered deep in his mind; What sort of jobs would this city offer him?

He passed through the gates and made his way over to the public stables nearby. The steward was a greasy and social individual who quickly offered to take his horse in. The mercenary didn’t say a word. Instead, he gave the steward a small bag of coins and the reins to his horse. It was not like he couldn’t buy a new horse or rent a new one if this one got stolen. He had learned to not get attached to animals and items, aside from a few selective exceptions. However from the looks of how the city’s condition was in, he might have to go somewhere else to get better quality on the horse, or for just about anything store bought. Not the best first impression to make on a newly arrived traveler.

As he was walking through the dark city, he noticed that some people looked his way, but otherwise he didn’t bring too much attention to himself. The city could give a certain secluded feeling and for that, he was grateful. He could socialize with others and even find it interesting, but most of the time it just tires him. He is far better off with his own thoughts.
However, before passing a corner he heard a small gang of boys and girls talk about all sorts of things, but the one topic that caught his attention was about the party in the castle tonight.

”Perfect,” the mercenary thought as he turned into a side street and started to make his way towards the city center to find the castle. It didn’t take long for him to reach the center of the city and soon thereafter also the castle. He had seen bigger and more decorated ones, but it would absolutely make it into the category of castles in this mercenary’s honest opinion, even though it looked broken for most parts. Before approaching the entrance, the stranger stood in the shadows, watching people walk in. There was a large man and his almost larger sword, a girl with her wolf to a pet and two interesting individuals; A boy and a young man with what looked like jet black hair. He saw a lot of people going in and out of course, but those were the ones that stood out the most while he was looking.

Time was up and he was started to freeze while standing still, so the mercenary finally made the choice to move in on the entrance. As he approached, he took out his weapons and made them ready to be turned over, but to his utter surprise they let him pass through with his weapons. This was not a good sign, not good at all; Whenever guards would let armed people pass through otherwise heavily guarded places, something was going to happen. Something requiring people to be armed, but for what purpose was beyond him. He had just arrived here. He put the Daito and the Wakizashi, his two Katana, back in their place hanging from his waist and entered the castle. The warmth filled his lungs and found its way through his cold armor to warm his cloths and body as well when he stepped into what seemed to be a large ballroom. People were talking in groups, servants walking between them, serving drinks while others stood at the food tables, enjoying themselves.

Realizing that he had gone without food for at least a day or two, the mercenary pushed aside his suspicions of an ambush for the moment as he slowly moved between the crowds of people, making his way to the closest food table. Just as he reached it he noticed the young boy from before and a woman with blond hair leaving him at the table.

”Hm... Well; win some lose some, I guess,” he let out a sigh. ”Indeed,” the mercenary known as Sif Vryn’ Aeducen replied slowly to the boy as he grabbed a nearby green apple and took a bite.
"I wouldn't if I were you, not yet at least... "

He had espied from afar a peculiar guest, who happened to have a familiar companion with her. Though the illusionist was alien in his mind, Tala was not. Mageria had kept the canine beside her during their battle within Newhaven's walls. Such strange obedience from a wolf kept an impression in the Black Knight's memory. To find the creature here doting with another subject meant that Mageria's reach had extended to the party as well, or at least that is what he believed. That the woman downed in the deep red was a familiar of the Raven's Nest, and that she was here for the same reason as himself. So he opted to catch up to the drifter, and met her by the stair railing.

"If there is something to hide, it is already accounted for or guarded."

The Blade was a tall broad man, great in stature to most, and he moved with militant determination. Each step seemed purposeful and his gaze was offset only by his lack of mirth. Battle hardened in both spirit and presence. Of course even past his reflecting emerald orbs and taut jaw, one could note the marks placed into his skin. If one couldn't guess by the small cut scars that touched his brow and chin, then the rent in his nose would surely betray him. For Grim was a soldier, and misplaced in the world of the socialites.

Of course, the plating that covered his chest already confirmed any suspicions. The metal was obsidian in color and appeared overdo for a reforging, nicks and impressions were wrought into the hide and its edges began to see wear. On its surface though slightly faded was embellished a crescent moon, the mark of the night goddess.

Furthermore the long hilt that jutted out behind his dark hair was just further condemning evidence. Though most were likely armed, it seemed they opted to hide their weaponry. The broadsword that sat against his back was far from subtle. It was a large great weapon, and to those who knew, it was called the Giant's Knife. A sword forged in Newhaven.

Beneath all the weaponry and armor wasn't anything fascinating. An ebony shirt ran down his arms with ebony pants to match. Wrapping dyed black was woven over his hands and forearms, and the boots he brought were typical of Black Knight attire. To say that they had anything like color would be a silly notion indeed, unless one cared to pick out the various shades of night. Grim wasn't here for pleasantries. Although he had no desire to fight, he was only entering the city of Blackpond one way, armed.


Tala was the first to respond to the man’s words, turning towards him she placed herself firmly between Ess and the towering soul. Lowering her head, her lips parted to show her teeth as she stepped one paw forward to sniff curiously at the space between herself and the man’s leg. She was silent for a moment before Tala was rattled by a violent and sudden sneeze, the wolf giving a firm grunt, sitting on her hind quarters to stare up at the figure before her.
Essence quirked a brow, a half smile curling her lips, her gaze the only thing turning away from the stairs. Glancing between the wolf and the stranger she nodded, a quiet chuckle escaping when the wolf sneezed. Ess seemed satisfied by Tala’s reaction and as if they were suddenly having a private conversation, Tala leaned her head back to look at Ess, her massive tongue lolling out the side of her mouth comically.

“Everyone has something to hide and even if they try to hide whatever it is....” Ess snickered. “They get sloppy. Sometimes...even the most detailed individuals leave a clue..”

Pushing off the banister she casually smoothed out her gown and slowly approached the man with a slight nod of her head. Violet eyes flashed with a subtle flicker of silver light while they trailed the figure from head to toe, another chuckle lingering in the air as she noted his blade upon his back. “Guess whoever is throwing this fancy gathering doesn’t care if we come armed.” She paused shaking her head at herself. “Although, I doubt by the looks of you, they’d have much of a chance disarming you.” Clearing her throat, she used the pause to mull over if she would introduce herself or use an alias. Keeping her smile, she winked playfully up at the man, “I’m Essence...” She decided. “Did you get the same invitation as the rest of us?”

Tala huffed a peculiar bark causing Ess to sigh, giving a small curtsy in the wolf’s direction. “And this is Tala.” She sang, the wolf’s tail wagging slightly from where she still sat. Ess let her eyes wander over the figure again before they trailed back up the winding stairwell. It didn’t sit well with her that so far she only saw one way in or out of the room directly; the front entrance. Resting a hand along the small of her back, she relaxed a bit when she felt the familiar blade beneath her gown. It was almost like a safety blanket and between that and Tala, it was what she needed to not feel so naked even beneath the lengths of her gown. Idle fingers still clasped the goblet in her other hand which she rose to her lips as if to take a sip but lowered it, sneering at it’s contents as if it carried a foul odor.


At first he became wary of Tala. Watching the wolf with an intent reserved for the battle-line. Marking each movement, and refusing to stand down. At the surface something like nervousness or fear could be noted. An easy assumption would be that Grim had a fear of the canine before him. Those who truly understood his Enlightenment knew that he feared something far more sinister. A nip could potentially be enough to send him into a full blown rage with how strange his powers were acting. It would be far too unsightly to go berserk at the party. Plus, he would be unable to ascertain what motives Blackpond had for throwing this party if he was blinded by rage.
As it happened a sneeze broke the ice and though Grim found the ordeal unpleasant. He decided it a fair compromise, no one got hurt this way. As Tala eased so too did the Blade, and though the two were not anything like allies, there was peace between them for now.

"I've no doubt there's something to be found. It's just too early to ogle the pathways just yet."

The emerald patterns met the violet orbs. Color was caught within and mirrored idly, both reflective but at the same time searching almost passively they seemed to hunt boring patiently in. If they had discovered anything those pools of malachite would not tell they were deep but almost emotionless. Anything caught before them was analyzed, but not pierced. By look alone he seemed almost able to absorb the world about him, but dared not for losing even the slightest detail.

"Aye', my weapon and my armor without fuss. A precaution for them more then anything. Stranger still that they would allow it."

After the introductions he became hesitant. Mulling the words over his tongue and choosing how best to approach a response. After all he had entered conversation on a feeling and very little else. Yes it was true he had seen Tala before, but this individual could truly be anyone and working for anybody else. Trust was hard to come by, yet the name was familiar. This women had been among the Raven's Nest.

"Pleasure," he nodded toward Tala.
"I am Sir Grim Pondus, the Blade of the Black Knights and many other tittles of ill repute. Your name is not foreign to me, and I am glad at last to give it a face lady Essence. I trust we are working toward the same goal here at any rate. By chance did the Captain send you?"


Staring across her glass, tiny curls danced across its rim. Her gaze went from automatic and calculated to a tantalizing softness, her lips pursing to form a subtle whistle to draw Tala to her side. Ess thought she caught something in the man’s eyes and her body was rigid in a mirrored copy of what she was realizing more and more each day was a perfect illusion of herself. The moment she heard his name, an honest smile broke through. Where many would withdraw or shift uncomfortably, Ess took a respectable step forward, violet eyes glittering like stars as they captured the firelight in such a way, it multiplied infinitely. It just wasn’t in her nature to pull away from the unknown or look at someone with a predefined opinion based on rumors; and she had heard it all. She couldn’t help the curiosity that was stirring inside, her mind toppling with questions and wonders but she held her tongue politely, nodding in acceptance.

“Pondus...I’d be lying if I were to say I have only heard of you in passing. You know me from the camp then.” She determined, remembering how she never saw Grim during his stay at the Nest but was more like a ghost guarding its borders. Something changed in her voice as she continued, “I am here for my own reasons, as well as the Captains’...although..” Ess paused, placing the goblet down upon the railing, balancing it upon its edges perfectly. “..It is not possible to know of course all her reasons. I wouldn’t call it..she sent me...more like she allowed me to come along, but far from alone it seems.” Essence lightly stepped around Grim, so small in comparison to the man she was. She hovered inches from him, giving the impression to those from a distance that she was captivated by him; which wasn’t completely a lie. Yet her intentions were far from a simple burlesque of sorts, even though she fell into it without even noticing. “I have a feeling tonight has something in store for us all. To me...this seems like a pretty good illusion to the opposite of what BlackPond is. Course, that is my opinion some may say.” Ess relaxed her shoulders from perfect posture to a casual slough. “I would say it’s safe to assume we have a similar path, Sir.”


The two seemed more different then Grim cared to guess. Fortune would place them against a common foe, but in their mannerisms it appeared as night and day. Grim was stoic on the surface and a bit reclusive by nature. Essence appeared well fitting among people, the way she moved with such ease around such a being like him.

If she was afraid of the Raging Demon, she hid it well. It brought relief to the Blade, for Essence behaved as Mageria often did giving no special treatment or appearing nervous in their chatter. In fact the reactions were almost completely opposite what they might have been. As Essence drew near, he appeared to fall back. Closeness wasn’t something Grim afforded toward much of anyone. While he didn’t wish to be rude, he couldn’t help but lean away just slightly.

“Y-yes, from the Raven’s Nest
”

He took a step back and found the stair railing to his back. Immediately he froze, and his hands fidgeted at his sides, despite the stony expression on his face. The best of guesses would assume he was flustered, and with the lady’s actions it was believable. Essence wouldn’t know, but the truth was the conversation had steered into bitter subjects.

Loyalty, honor, and the will of Newhaven, he was torn between these ideals. To say he even belonged among the Black Knights was questionable. To say he belonged anywhere above ground was even harder to determine.

The Raven’s Nest was a good home to Mageria, but for Grim it was just what remained of his bitterness. The Captain had migrated from the walls of Newhaven, and for what? So far to sit out in the forests of Valcrest and remain stagnant. Even if she had sent Essence here he couldn’t deny that of all the things one could do to the Black Knight, damaging her reputation was the worse. Though the good Captain would never admit to it, the sting of betrayal still affected her.

“I’m afraid Lady Essence, I was not sent here to aid you. My reasons for being here I confess are entirely selfish. I haven’t spoken with Mageria for some time now.”

Clearing his throat he glanced over his shoulder. Taking note of others just arriving to the party. The noise level was beginning to heighten and the warmth was increasing steadily. When he had finished his quick survey he returned his attention to the violet eyes before him.

“Same path? No
. I’m afraid not. I am eager to see what is truly happening around here.” He paused, and shook his head. He was here for any reason he wanted really, but ultimately he desired answers. Time was going to run out for Grim, and he hoped to set everything on the right path before then.

“
 To be honest, I’m not sure what I hope to accomplish here.”


Like all men Ess encountered, habitually she tested them, playing her boundaries and how they reacted. However subtle her actions were, it was enough for her to read into and important enough to leave her with some sort of assumption that could be well justified. Most men she encountered were only after one thing and usually she could draw it out with a simple look or flirtatious mannerism, yet she wasn’t seeing any of the normal reactions or signs she was use to receiving. Grim was polite and appeared a bit hesitant of sorts, which she assumed as she caught him stepping up against the banister. Casually she backed away, her smile fading a bit. Ess couldn’t be sure if it had something to do with the man’s enlightenment she had heard stories about or if it was something deeper. She respected the space and happily pushed more air between the two, leaning in a mirrored position against the opposite railing.

“My apologies, I thought you and the Captain were...close? If I’ve overstepped...” Ess’ eyes shifted a bit awkwardly. “From what I understood is that she thought you were..no longer in this world and now here you are. It’s just.. If someone I cared for suddenly was no longer ‘dead’, I’d be all over them afraid they’d disappear. I assumed you would have spoken with her.” Ess’ gaze dropped, keeping most of her thoughts still to herself. Shaking her head she pulled a few loose curls along her neck, absently twirling her fingers through them and following along their natural shape. Her gaze trailed upwards once again to catch Grim glancing at the other patrons arriving across the room, her eyes catching Ali passing through a crowd. “I’ve come with friends...and apparently meeting up with more, so I was told. Already the best party I’ve ever been to.” She winked, pushing aside stray dark memories from the last time she attended a party in BlackPond. Those had never been by choice and always she was simply something to look at and never to be heard.

Quirking a brow at Grim’s words on what his agenda may be, she nodded. “This city...” Ess scowled, not finishing the thought and continued forward instead. “..Yes, what is apparently happening here...seems like a facade to what I’ve grown accustomed to..to what I was brought up here to endure and promote...so I’m not sure if anything revealed will be all too surprising for me. But then again, I have been known to be wrong before. Many of my reasons are also selfish, so I can understand to a point what you mean. I’m here to...give back, in many ways. Perhaps to chase down those dark shadows that have chased me for so long. See, I am from here. Not originally, mind you, but well..you get the idea.”

A devilish smile formed along crimson lips, her eyes reacting in an almost menacing manner, but still she kept her voice gentle and steady as she spoke. “I only know what I wish to accomplish and I am afraid it may cause some sort of a mess in the end.” Ess let out an exaggerated sigh. “Even..if I did promise to be more of ‘eyes and ears..’ Not sure how long that will last.” She shrugged, reaching along her waist to retrieve a small flask and slowly took a sip, politely offering it to Grim. “I refuse to drink what they are serving us...could be poisoned for all I know.”

Ess hadn’t noticed when Tala began to wander, not until she heard a startled shriek from a servant girl and caught the silver wolf pushing her way through the crowd, disappearing like a ghost. Such independent determination Tala had. It was a wonder she listened to Ess at all some days, but she was her own spirit after all. She knew someone of importance must have caught the wolf’s attention and that she would be lost if she didn’t follow soon. Essence groaned, “Bloody wolf...” Rolling her eyes she moved to follow but not before she politely bowed in Grim’s direction. “I’m sure I’ll bump into you again and if I find out anything, I’ll...be willing to share if you’ll do the same?”


A shadow appeared over his kindly guest, and it saddened his heart to see it. To most it would be as nothing, a subtle flicker in expanses of violet or a twinge just at the corners of pale crimson. Grim and Mageria were among those that knew and could identify. It was the mark of hardships unspeakable, and it was recognized only by others who wore its mark. Like an imperfection on the soul just hidden away. The mind that reeled, the heart that burned, all locked away kept secret to those ignorant of pain. Essence had seen the darkness and it had surely left its impression upon her.

Grim said nothing, what could he hope to accomplish with words anyway? He understood in that moment why she was among Mageria. How his Captain had grown to trust her. She would have made an excellent addition to their ranks, was a shame that the the knights were more or less disbanded. At least they were from his perspective.

Grim remained as kindly as he could, but was off put for much more conversation. Instead of answering he reverted, pulling back his thoughts to collect himself. Slowly gathering together all the pieces he had obtained through their meeting. Placing his own beliefs on just what would be transpiring through the duration of their party. Guessing at what end awaited the day's twilight. Where would he be when night fell, and what will have become of everything within the next dawn's arrival?

"I see..."

Was all the Black Knight muttered back. Even as the vibrant lady gave her partings and ventured among the others he seemed to be hung up on his own personal inquiries. Though many other interesting guests were now making their presence known, he was retreating back to a corner. Ever wary of any secrets that could be spotted before the host showed themselves.
It would have been an odd sight, she assumed; a redhead, all dressed up in a party dress, standing in front of an abandoned building as if hypnotized by it. In the back of her mind Crys believed that the only reason people were keeping their distance was because they must have thought she was insane or something of the sorts, but she didn't find any reason why she should care. The place still felt to her like it held something of hers hostage, a piece of her she lost long ago. It reminded of one night that changed everything, not just for her, but for the whole land whether they knew it or not. The night her father died, yes, but also the night they brought Theron into the Pack, the night the Newhaven Inn had burned... The night that started it all. To each of those involved in those events, there was a painful reminder somewhere, to Crys it was this building. Nowadays she didn't know what it looked like, she had never gone in there after it was rebuilt and she wouldn't go inside now to see if it had changed. She remembered the day she gave permission to rebuild it very clearly... She also remembered the moment she was informed the Wolves had abandoned it. She remembered hating Sean with all her heart for the stupidity of it all. The Wolfpack had never abandoned anything that was rightly theirs before, her mother would not have allowed her people to be pushed out of any city like this. Neither would she. She wouldn't allow anything more to be taken from them even if it was this place. Sean didn't seem to think these things mattered though, and oddly enough that bothered her more than the fact he had taken the clan from her; as if she could let that go if only he was doing a better job of it.

“If you’re looking to get a drink... This ain’t the place to be looking, Miss... I can help you find one though, if you don’t mind the company.”

Crys snickered softly at the voice that broke her out of her thinking, at first she wondered if the man was playing, but then she realized he hadn't quite recognized her. “Are you so drunk already that you don’t know a friend when you see one, Shaykh?” She turned to face the man with a playful smile crossing her features. “Don’t tell me you’re here for the party also?”

“I’ll be damned...” Dastan muttered out. “Red... Watcha doing standing in the middle of the streets like this? It’s dangerous around these parts.”

“Reminiscing.” Crys stated simply. “I thought I would run into Ali around here somewhere, but it seems I missed her. And I’m not too worried about it being dangerous, Dastan. I may look all fancy but I can still put up a fight.” She chuckled at the man. “Did you dress up for the party too?”

“Hm... I bathed... And found a clean shirt.... and stuff...” Dastan mumbled, a little annoyed. “I’m good looking enough without putting on a costume.”

“I believe you.” Crys stated, clearly holding back laughter.

“What?” Dastan asked, sounding a bit annoyed by her amusement.

“I still think you need a wife or something... Because at this point in life you’re not going to learn to take care of yourself without some nagging... Indrani spoiled you.”

“Miss Rivers... Are you trying to seduce me?” Dastan snickered. “What is there to reminisce about in this old building?”

“I’m worried about you, Dastan, that’s what FRIENDS do, you know.” Crys replied, a frown crossing her features as she answered. “My father died here, that’s one thing.” She explained, reaching out to take Dastan’s arm and starting to lead him away from the abandoned Inn. “I haven’t been here much since then.”
“I see...” Dastan mumbled, a momentary seriousness crossing his tone. “Well, if you’re worried are you willing to find me a wife then, Red? ‘Cause I sure as hell ain’t doing a good job of it.”
“I can tell... If your best line ‘I can help you find a place to drink’ you sure do need some help.” Crys played, nudging the mercenary with her elbow as they walked. “I’m serious though...”
“Aye... I know... I know... Need to grow up someday... It doesn’t have to be today though, right? I mean there’s a party today and growing up would just ruin that for me.”
Crys sighed softly. “Hey, maybe you’ll find a wife at the party... If you can come up with better lines”
“Hey... I've got great lines I’ll have you know!” Dastan protested, frowning slightly at her. “I’m not looking for a wife though, thank you very much. I could easily find one within my own clan if that was the case.”
“If there was any woman in your clan you wanted to marry, it would have been done by now, no?” Crys teased. “I doubt any of them would say no to you.”
Dastan snickered. “Riiight... Weell... Maybe I’m waiting for someone who will, hm? Still, I’m not the kind of guy to let himself get tied up... Not for more than one night at least.” He gave a little shrug, casually leading Crys in the general direction of the castle. “I don’t see any woman in Blackpond being able to change that.”
“Alright friend, if you say.” Crys smiled, patting Dastan in the shoulder reassuringly, choosing to not push the subject anymore. “You think there’ll be apples at this party? I’d kill for some apples.”
“Still?” Dastan laughs.
“Mhm. Well... Shadow has apples, but they’re his, I wouldn't dare take them.”
“Shadow is with you? So that means you talked to Jake.”
“You knew Jake had Shadow?” Crys inquired, a slightly severe tone in her voice.
“Well, not exactly... He passed by the desert a little while back looking for you, and he had Shadow with him.”
“Hm... I see.” Crys muttered, falling into a cold silence.
Dastan chuckled, playfully waving his hand in front of her eyes. “No you don’t.” He teased, trying to get a laugh.
Crys grabbed his wrist and pulled his hand down, seemingly irritated by the gesture. “Don’t do that.” She told him in a tone of warning, going silent as they crossed the streets towards the castle gates.

Arriving in the ballroom was a bit of a shock to Crys at first, she knew it would be and that was why she was somewhat clinging to Dastan on the way over. Her time with the Crimson had not been enough to make Crys forget why she disliked parties; the number of people, the excitement mixed with apprehension, the unintelligible noise of conversation, it all took some level of getting used to for her. It was somewhat like diving into extremely cold water. In the background of all the voices however, there was music playing and Crys distracted herself with making out the notes played by the musicians she assumed were on the other side of the large hall. Slowly she let go of Dastan’s arm, feeling a bit more secure in her surroundings, making out some familiar people that had already arrived, Jake and Ali among them and slowly she began to wander around the room, easily avoiding bumping into other party guests, taking notice of one particular presence that seemed to stand out amongst the crowd. She could tell Dastan was following after her in a somewhat protective manner, but she ignored him; a cheerful smile spreading across her features as she heard a few mixed expressions of surprise, annoyance, and fear announcing her friend’s presence. The assassin’s reaction was far from the usual ones however. As she was found first by Tala and met by a cold nose to the hand, Crys greeted the animal with a nearly comical level of joy. “Tala!” She exclaimed, crouching in the middle of the ballroom to scratch behind the wolf’s ears, drawing an insane amount of attention to herself, but in the moment not caring. “What’re you doing in this snobby place?” She inquired in a soft tone. “Not willing to let Ess party without you, huh? Smart girl.” She chuckled, patting the wolf gently before standing up straight and smiling at a confused Dastan. “What, you’ve never seen a wolf before?”
“No. And I’ll admit that a castle is not a place where I’d expect to find one.” The mercenary replied, keeping a respectful distance from the animal and holding back a small flinch as Tala started sniffing at the legs of his pants. “How’d she even get in here? Pets aren’t usually allowed into balls like this.”
“Dastan... Tala is NOT a pet. Wolves are not pets.” Crys scolded, snickering as the wolf emitted a low growl as if in agreement. “See, you don’t want offend her, now do you?”
“Apologies... I misspoke, obviously. Still, she must have come with someone, no?” Dastan inquired, looking around as if waiting for someone to come around and claim the animal.
“Oh, yes. She’s around here.” Crys confirmed with a nod. “Interesting woman... You know, takes a special person to form a bond with a wolf like this. They don’t connect with just anyone. I can’t deny I’m somewhat envious.” She smiled softly. “Just a little bit.”

----------------

Irvin was just about to turn away from the tables, but a voice caught his ears and stopped him in his tracks. ”Indeed.” The boy turned to face the man who had spoken with a curious look in his eyes, giving the man a brief look from head to toe before stating. “You’re not from around here.” he gave the man another look before shrugging and taking an apple himself, but instead of biting into it, he simply tossed it around from one hand to the other and then back playfully. “Well, welcome to Valcrest. What brings you to ‘lovely’ Blackpond? Aside from the free food, of course.” He snickered, finally taking a bite of the fruit in his hands.
“Oh, hey, look; Apples!”

The mockery of Irv’s excitement managed to match the sincerity of Darren’s as his eyes lit up at the sound of his friend’s discovery. He gave the impression he was distracted since he wasted no time in inspecting the apples for bruises and such but he still managed to keep one eye on Irvin at all times. He casually grabbed a couple apples, one in each hand and stared at them with an uncertain curiosity, sniffing at them in an odd animalistic manner. For a moment an image flashed across his eyes but was quickly disregarded since it was nothing significant, just visions of those picking and loading the apples. Almost like a puppy he followed Jake, muttering to himself about the apples.

Darren was dressed simply in a black, silk shirt, tunic, pants and leather boots, the lacing in his shirt in white. He made sure to trim his goatee and even his curls so they didn’t linger too much in his eyes. Yes it wasn’t anything fancy but it was enough to compliment his physique, the tips of black flames managing to still peek out from his low collar along his neck and collarbone. He had a sweet yet handsome allure to him; a musky scent of pine freshly burned lingered in his hair and clothes. He couldn’t help the looks he was already receiving by a couple lovely ladies, returning their glances with winks and smiles that sent them giggling among themselves. Maybe it was the innocence of the dimples or perhaps the deep blues mixed with violet stirring behind a dim glow of his eyes. There was something he didn’t quite grasp that attracted the attention of those he wasn’t even aiming for; always had been.

“Do you think these are good enough to eat? Would the host poison the food you think?” His brows furrowed in annoyance at his own paranoia as he offered an apple to Jake. Darren’s ears perked up at the sound of soft shrieks of surprise, almost falling over as a wolf pushed its way past him and towards a redheaded woman. He was silent, acting as if he didn’t notice Crys and simply smiled noting the fact that one of Jake’s redheads had arrived, his gaze trailing the crowd around him in awe to see if he would recognize any others.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Essence was politely slinking between folks, muttering apologies as she tracked her wolf through the crowd. At times she was only catching the tip of her tail wagging only to vanish as Ess turned past a woman with an extravagant yet very puffy dress. Internally she cringed, noting how obnoxious that woman’s gown was and how uncomfortable it must be. ‘What was she thinking?’ She thought. The people parted slinking away from Tala out of instinct and fear, leaving her easy to spot beside a familiar woman giving love and attention to her furry companion.

“There you are, Tal-....Oh,Crys? Wonderful to see you again.” Ess gasped with a gentle smile, pausing to look between Tala, Crys and a man standing not too far behind them. “Ali is probably looking for you; she is...’keeping an eye’ on me.” Ess snickered, playfully winking at the tall gentleman behind Crys. “Apparently, I wasn’t allowed to come here alone...and miss Tala here didn’t think Ali was enough apparently. She bloody followed me all the way here.” She sighed, crossing her arms, still holding the flask between her fingertips. “Spirited this one is...
Jacob was keeping a close eye on the party at first, but his attention was snatched away completely when Crys arrived; his eyes immediately drawn to her the moment she entered the ballroom, a shocked and dazed expression spreading across his features as if it was the first time he had ever seen a woman in his life. Compared to some other party guests, Crys was dressed simple; a long dark brown velvet dress, details and sleeves adorned with a transparent lace of a darker shade of brown mixed with dark red in a pattern, the transparent material extending just a bit past her fingertips. Jake wasn’t used to seeing her dressed up like this, he couldn’t help but stare at her in absolute awe for a few moments; she looked so beautiful it actually hurt.
The little conversation they had the day before was less than friendly, and she made sure to steer it as far away from personal matters as possible; it was tense and awkward and left Jake with a lingering and painful feeling of hopelessness. A great part of him was almost convinced she would never forgive him. Seeing her there hit him harder than he thought it would, especially considering the fact that she was there with Dastan. He stood there, eyes following her movements as if he was in a trance until Darren’s voice caught his attention, and he shook his head, turning to face the boy accepting the apple he was being offered and carelessly taking a bite of the fruit. “Poisoning all the guests would be just too simple, I don’t think that’s how they’d do it. Tastes normal, and I feel fine... Let me know if you start to feel sick though.” He played with a little smirk.

--------------------------------------

Crys smiled in response to Ess’ arrival before she even properly reached her; a small chuckle escaping her lips as she was greeted by the woman. “Speak of the devil...” She whispered in amusement. “Hello, Ess, always a pleasure. Ali is keeping an eye on you, huh? And who’s keeping an eye on her?” Crys asked, amusement clear in her tone as she heard Dastan force a small cough to catch her attention. Crys shook her head and turned to the man with a raised eyebrow. “Are you coming down with something, Dastan? I’m sure you’re not expecting me to introduce you since you are a grown man perfectly capable of speaking for himself and all.” She teased. Not giving Dastan the opportunity to reply she gave a playful bow as if to excuse herself. “I should go find Ali before the kid gets herself into some trouble. I’ll leave you two to get acquainted, I’m sure it’ll be interesting.” She smiled gently at Ess as she gave Tala one final scratch behind the ears. “I’m sure we’ll find each other again amongst the guests soon.” As she turn to walk away she added over her shoulder. “You be careful with that one.”
Dastan snickered softly at the comment. “Come on now, don’t scare the lady, I can be good.”
Crys stopped and shook her head, unable to hold back a small giggle. “I wasn’t talking to her, silly.” She told him, still chuckling softly as she moved amongst the small crowd of people.

Dastan scratched his head a bit taken aback by the warning, amusement in his eyes as he stepped forth and took a rather exaggerated and comical bow. “Ello there, miss... I’m Dastan and you are... Lovely.” He said with a playful smirk, standing up straight and offering a handshake. “I have to say, for what Crys says of you I’m intrigued; pretty, interesting and comes with a warning... My type of girl.”

---------------------------------------

Luckas was quiet on the way over to the city, Sam had once or twice asked him if he was feeling alright, to which he simply nodded to reassure her, but didn’t exactly answer. His head still ached a little from his little episode. He wondered if Lena knew he would be having these stupid visions... He wouldn’t doubt that she did. That wasn’t exactly what was bothering him though... It was more like an inexplicable annoying sensation in the pit of his stomach.
“Is this about the healer?” Sam asked calmly as they automatically stopped by the entrance of the party, expecting to be searched, but realizing that security in this place just didn’t seem to give much importance to people possibly carrying dangerous items. “I hear the party is for her death.”
“I wasn’t aware.” Luckas mumbled in response. “They should give me a medal if they’re so pleased with my work.”
“Luckas... What’s bothering you?” She insisted.
“I’m not sure.” He replied, with a shrug. “Some weird gut feeling... I’m sure it’ll go away.” He mumbled, eyes wandering around the room immediately spotting and then quickly darting away from the familiar figure of a woman dressed in red; glancing towards Sam to see the woman opening glaring at her. “Oh.” He muttered under his breath. “Right.”
A small chuckle reached his ears and he turned to see Wyatt staring intently at his expression with an amused grin. “Oh yes... This party will be memorable.”
“Shut up, Amb-”
“Hush. It’s Wyatt, remember?”
“What kind of a stupid name is Wyatt?” Luckas muttered.
“Quit your bickering, will you? It’s a party.” Sam interrupted, a calm tone in her voice as she turned to Luckas. “Lukey, no need to be so tense, hm? Everything is fine.” She assured him, reaching out to briefly run her fingers through his hair. “Now, the two of you should go on and explore. I’m sure there are some interesting individuals scattered around here.”
Luckas winced slightly at her affectionate gesture, but didn’t have the courage to pull away from her so openly, instead he nodded his agreement, although a bit unsure. “Are you sure, Sammy?”
“Of course I am.” She confirmed. “Go on.”
Luckas’ eyes narrowed slightly as if trying to see through the woman for a moment before he nodded once again and turned away to wander amongst the crowds, after a few steps he felt he was being followed and sighed as laughter reached his ears. “Do you really believe everything is fine? I mean really, you’re just ridiculously obvious Lukey.”
“Why wouldn’t everything be fine? And I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Wyatt chuckled softly, shaking his head, strands of copper colored hair falling over the boy’s blue eyes. “We entered this room, and it took you less than a minute to find her amongst the party guests. If I noticed, be sure that so did Sammy, and you know... You just may learn the hard way that when a woman says ‘it’s fine’, that’s a clear sign that you should be very worried; hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, my friend. And let’s face it, you seem to have a soft spot for crazy. I feel bad for you, honest.” He stated, a short moment passing before the boy exploded into a fit of giggles, playfully skipping around Luckas as he walked. “No, sorry... That was a lie... I’m going to love watching this whole thing blow up in your face. But hey... I’m not judging, she is very pretty. Sure the trouble is worth it.”
“Can we change the subject now? And quit giggling, if you want to be a guy, stop acting so girly.”
“Hey... I’m girly, but I bet I can get any girl in this party to dance with me. How about you, hm?”
“I don’t dance.”
“Booo....” Wyatt chuckled, pushing Luckas away as if he was contagious. “Party pooper...” The redhead boy suddenly stood in a more composed stance and smiled, tilting his head to the side as if in a look of pity. “You seriously need to live a little. Let’s make a deal, hm? Ask one girl, or woman, you seem to like older women, right? Any female in this party for a dance, and if she accepts I will owe you a favor.”
“Hm... Any favor I want?” Luckas asked, a smirk crossing his features.
“Any favor you want.”
“Rules?”
“Can’t be Sammy... Or your Lady, although I’m sure you wouldn’t have the balls to ask her either way. You can’t mention the bet, and you only have one chance. So... Deal?”
“Hmph... Okay deal.”
Wyatt nodded in acceptance a playful grin. “Oh, but if you can’t get a dance... You’ll owe me a favor.”
“Seems fair.” Luckas nodded in acceptance, following the boy’s blue eyes as they searched the ballroom. “Are you looking for someone?”
“Hm, well, he’s not here... That’s such a pity.”
“Who...?” Luckas cut himself off as he caught a familiar grin cross the redhead boy’s expression. “Ugh, not the Beast Boy... Gross. And you’re a boy, remember?.”
“Hey, it’s always flattering to have an admirer!” Wyatt protested with a playful frown.
Luckas shook his head. “I’m almost thinking it is a shame he’s not here. That would have been amusing, but then... So would stabbing him in the eyes with a fork. And I prefer the latter.”
“Noo... Not the eyes. He’s got such pretty eyes.” The boy whined, stomping his foot and pouting.
“Let’s compromise; you let me yank them out and I let you keep them. How’s that?”
“Hm... Does that apply to any other bits or just the eyes?”
“Wha-... Oh... Okay, we’re done talking now.” Luckas muttered, turning away and starting to walk in the opposite direction. “You heard Sammy... Explore.”
“Lovely... Exploring is my second favorite thing!”

----------------------------------

Sam’s eyes were scanning the room for any interesting activity, registering a few people here and there she thought it would be interesting to meet, but most of her attention was divided between Luckas and the redhead woman from the Raven’s encampment, small flickers of yellow light sparkling beneath the green of her irises. It was barely noticeable, but it was there; a spark of anger. She began to move along the ballroom, politely nodding to some other guests whose glances she caught along the way, a pleasant smile crossing her expression but not really reaching her eyes. She avoided the woman for the moment, giving herself time to observe as she spoke to a man who Sam imagined was a mercenary from the desert, judging by his attire and casual demeanor. There she stood for a few moments, listening to idle chat by other party guests and examining the woman’s behavior as she interacted with the man.
Darren snickered, shaking his head in amusement as Jacob took the apple and instantly bit into it. He stared at the man, as if unsure if the effects would indeed be instantaneous or slow and after a few more moments he shrugged, turning to glance back at where he left Irvin. He was about to bite into the apple when he noticed a familiar face he’d seen in passing back at the Nest, engage in brief conversation with his friend. Darren’s eyes sparkled as he watched to see how Irv reacted to the attention of a pretty girl, smiling when he seemed to make it through without violence or offense. He wasn’t sure though, as the woman did end up moving on, but it seemed like he did alright. Turning back towards Jake he glanced past him to get a better look at the wolf. “Hey...do you know who brought the wolf? I’ve seen her in camp hanging around some of the guard.”
~~~
Ess’ eyes flickered in a few shades of purple before settling back to their dull violet, a warm smile following Crys as she left her alone with the man who had introduced himself as Dastan. Tala had started to follow the woman until Ess cleared her throat rather loudly causing the wolf to turn to look up at her. “Taaala...Stand at attention.” She commanded in a gentle request of sorts, the wolf turning to sniff at the mercenary before sitting on her haunches beside Essence, releasing an exasperated huff. Tala yawned, a high pitched whine lazily escalating into a bark as she fidgeted and stared off into the crowd, ignoring both Ess and Dastan. Something caught her attention, causing the hairs to rise along her neck, yet she fell silent and remained still at her friend’s request.

“Well...since I seem to be in an honest mood today...” Ess began, extending her hand to firmly grip Dastan’s in a handshake. “..Talon actually...not Lovely.” She snickered. “..Essence Talon...or Ess if you like” Even though the bruises were barely noticeable along her neck, Ess had used her enlightenment to hide the fact she had been in any sort of brawl. It wasn't enough to drain her of any strength, but simple, something she didn't even need focus to hold. Still, she knew they were there and her fingers lingered along her collarbone as if to hide what was already hidden. Still holding the flask in her hand she took another sip before politely offering the liquor to her new acquaintance. “Your kind of girl, huh? How many fall into that category, hmm? How can you be so quick to assume anything with someone you’ve only just met? Appearances are very deceiving you know...” Ess couldn’t help a playful smirk as she looked over the man slowly, her eyes drinking in the details so it appeared she couldn’t take her eyes off him when she was putting the details to memory for her own reasons. Not that she didn’t find him attractive, she just had other intentions behind her stares. “You should listen to Crys though. Most men who get that kind of warning regret not listening.” She teased, biting at her bottom lip. Absently she began to sway at a stringed melody from across the room, unaware that she was hypnotized by the beat. “Dastan....” She whispered, liking the way his name rolled off her tongue. “Are you here for the pretty faces or did you have another agenda for complying to the voices in your head?”

Ess’ smile faltered for a mere second as she thought she caught a familiar figure out from the corner of her eye. Casually she glanced around the room, not seeing what she could have sworn she saw slinking behind the crowd that was accumulating more and more. Some were even now beginning to dance; extravagant and obnoxious dresses twirling about so carelessly she thought the men would get lost in the folds of material that dragged along the floor. Not wanting to appear distracted she pushed her attention back to Dastan, again catching a trail of familiar dark eyes. Now she felt like she was dreaming; like she was reading a page straight from her own journal as the feeling of being watched started to creep as shivers along her bare skin. Her smile grew in unison with a biting, twisty ache growing in her belly. ‘Perfect..’ Ess thought. ‘Just bloody perfect. Who else is going to show up at this damn party...'
Dastan smiled gently, bowing in a nearly sarcastic act of politeness as Ess shook his hand. “Very nice to meet you miss Talon.” He spoke softly, his smile changing slightly into a smirk as she offered him her flask. “What is there no booze in this party or are you just picky with you liquor?” He asked with amusement in his tone, accepting the flask and curiously sniffing it’s contents before taking a sip and returning it. “How many fall into that category, I suppose depends on context... I tend to be picky, but only for certain things... And while I have only just met you, Miss Essence, I’ve known Crys for about ten years and I have only heard her refer to anyone as ‘interesting’ exactly twice before. And she tends to be right, sooo.... I guess I’ll take my chances with you. I may regret it later, but then... We have a saying in my clan, you know... A man without regrets... Needs to drink a lot more.” He said, winking playfully. “Aye... We all have our own little reason to do things, but me I have a reputation to keep. Twins forbid people start saying that I’ve declined invitation to a party... I can’t have that. No.” Casually the mercenary followed the woman’s gaze as she glanced around the room, his eyes catching Jake staring at them with a rather odd expression on his face, the man looking away almost immediately. It was rather strange, and Dastan wondered what that was about. Shrugging it off, he turned his attention back to his new acquaintance. “What about you, Miss Essence... What is your agenda?”

.....................

Jake had lost Crys in the crowd the moment he turned his attention to Darren, his eyes glancing around the room here and there in a casual search for the woman as he chewed on the apple he’d been given. He wasn’t sure why exactly he felt the need to keep her under his watch, when he knew she probably wouldn’t want to speak to him. Of all the places and moments to pressure her for a talk, ‘here and now’ were not the most suited ones; Jake knew that well, but for some reason he continued to seek her out regardless. After scanning the ballroom a few times, Jake stopped to follow Darren’s gaze as he asked about the wolf, his eyes widening momentarily as he spotted the animal in the company of Dastan and yet another redhead who he immediately recognized. Holding back a wince Jake looked away, running one hand through his hair and scratching at the back of his head. “I don’t know...” He mumbled, forcing a shrug and avoiding the general direction of the woman and the wolf. His eyes catching a familiar figure enter the party, he realized he would possibly have more trouble getting Irvin to behave than he imagine once the boy realized the Alpha had attended.

.................

“I still say this is a mistake.” Ryan muttered out, unable to keep silent any longer.
“Well, then you shouldn’t have come, should you?” Sean replied calmly.
“I shouldn’t, but I promi-...” Ryan cut himself off as he realized he talked a bit too much.
“You promised what?” Sean asked, stopping at castle doors and offering his sword to one of the guards, his eyes however watching the guilty expression on the other man’s face. “What did you promise?”
“Katie cornered me and made me promise to, you know... Protect you.” Ryan mumbled, a look of pure embarrassment in his eyes as he held the Alpha’s gaze. “Your sister can be.... Very persuasive, Sean.”
Sean snorted, turning as he realize the soldier would not take his weapon, indicating that giving it up would not be necessary. Sean attached his sheathed sword back to his belt and gave a dismissive shrug to the oddity of it all as they proceeded into the ballroom. Sean immediately noticed a few glances from some young ladies as he walked past, a smile slowly spreading across his features at the attention. A familiar voice lured his attention away however as it sounded in his ears, a calm and disdainful tone.
“Funny. Just moments ago the guards told a friend of mine that no pets are allowed in this function, and yet... The King invited his. Now, that’s just not fair, is it?”
“Allison...” Sean greeted, reaching for Ryan’s arm as the man instinctively gripped his sword. “Not here.” He scolded. “Every faction known to Valcrest is represented here tonight, do we really want it to be remembered that we were the firsts to draw a weapon?” Ryan groaned still gripping the hilt of his sword tightly, Sean glared at him severely. “Go get something to drink, enjoy the fact that tonight you can... Just don’t murder anyone. I’ll be fine, won’t I?” He turned to Ali questioningly.
“Perfectly fine.” She replied, a fake innocent smile crossing her lips. “If I planned on hurting the Alpha, believe me, I wouldn’t have bothered announcing myself.”
Ryan released his sword, green eyes glaring at the blond woman as if he meant to burn a hole right through her. “Fine.” He muttered, moving towards the foods and drinks. “Traitor.” He muttered in Ali’s direction as he passed.
“He’s delightful, isn’t he?” Ali chuckled. “Are you making him your next Second?”
“The current Second is very much alive and well, thank you very much. So I don’t think I have any need to consider a new one.”
“Give it time.” Ali smirked. “How many have you gone through so far? That has to be a record, huh?”
Sean smirked. “Maybe, but enough about me... How’s your hand? Any better?”
“I was lucky, if the hand wielding the blade that slashed me was just a bit more skilled, I’d probably be unable to fire a bow ever again. As is though, I should be fully recovered soon enough.” She retorted.
“Oh well... Win some lose some, right? I guess I should do better next time.” He replied with a slight shrug, casually nodding towards a young girl who smiled at him as she walked past. The girl didn’t seem to be older than eighteen, about his sister’s age, and it made him momentarily question what he would do if he ever caught Katie smiling that way at someone like him. He’d probably have to kill the guy just in case. “It’s impressive how looks can be deceiving, isn’t it?” He mumbled. “No one would guess just from looking at either one of us... The things we’ve done, and are yet to do. Any man in this room who doesn’t know you too well may be foolish to take you for an innocent young lady, isn’t it so?”
“Just as much as any young lady in this room who doesn’t know you might take you for a charming and respectable young man, Sean... The difference between us, and the sadness of it all, is that even those closest to you won’t actually know you well enough to know who you really, truly are. And then I wonder... Is there anyone left you haven’t lied to or betrayed?” Ali shook her head, giving a slight bow, not bothering to conceal the mockery and contempt burning in her eyes as she turned away from the Alpha. “Enjoy the party while you can. The other people you backstabbed may not be as civil as me.”

.............................

Chaos. Absolute and complete chaos. That was what the White Shadows' encampment was turning into, and in an astonishingly rapid progression. Apparently it wasn't just the enlightened within the clan; a considerable number of people had been experiencing odd and sometimes even dangerous symptoms for weeks now, a sudden and inexplicable increase in the severity of those symptoms causing them to turn to the healers for help, or answers. Answers were something the Shadows didn't have to give this time around. Like many ailments, it was important to know where this was coming from, what could be causing it, and the healers had failed to find anything that was common to all of those affected, except the fact they all possessed a magical gift. The possibility that magic in itself was making those people ill read to Annie like a horrible end of the world prophecy, and her mind was constantly and hopelessly searching for any indication, anything, that showed it couldn't be true.

With all that was happening, the simple task of walking from her tent to where she had originally planned on going took hours longer than usual, and by the time she reached her intended destination she was hoping the person she had gone to see hadn't just up and left as people quite frequently did once they felt it was safe to stand. Gladly, it didn't seem to be this case with this particular patient; as Annie peeked into the tent where she had last seen the man the night before, she found him sitting there. Slowly stepping inside she looked around the tent and noted signs of a recently cleaned up mess consistent with what she had been told of the man's awakening. "Grim Pondus..." She called, taking a seat on a small wooden stool that had been left there by a previous healer. "My mother had nice things to say about you." She stated, a gentle smile crossing her features. "However, I don't believe we have ever met. My name is Annie Turner, I am... In charge of the White Shadows, currently. Considering what you have gone through, I'll understand if you prefer to be left alone, but may we speak?" She asked, her dark brown eyes examining the man with a mix of concern and curiosity. "Have you been offered any water? Or tea maybe?"

It was difficult to look his small visitor in the eyes, it was trying to escape the brooding nature that clung to the corners of the tent hiding where the flicker of candlelight couldn’t reach. There was less comfort even with the company of the White Shadows, and Annie’s kindness did little more then get a mild reaction from the Blade. He seemed to be lost, his eyes glassy and far from the little room where he idled. When at last he opted to respond he couldn’t meet her gaze fully, his tone drawn back into his throat.

“
 You must be very brave young Turner, and the White Rose is generous in her words.”

His head lifted from its lull catching the Shadow with his full attention. A frown had worked its way into face and though it remained constant his watchfulness seemed shaky. Often he would glance aside or pull back to consider, thinking. Minutes were spent in silence while he pulled back into the conversation.

“Your formality is wasted. I hold no office, it’s just myself. It is entirely unnecessary we both know what I am.”

Quietly he looked to see if the doorway held any additional forms. He found himself curious to see Annie had entered alone. Especially after the ruckus he had already caused.

“Speak healer, but do not hope.”

Annie was patient with letting the man answer in his own time, her eyes persistently fixed on him despite his reluctance to look at her, a small sigh leaving her as she nodded in response to his words, pulling the bag she carried across her shoulder and fetching a flask of water inside of it. "Please drink, Pondus." The girl asked in a gentle tone, simply placing the flask on the ground before the man as she continued speaking. "Unfortunately I am obligated to go through some formalities before I speak of the more... Particular, reasons that brought me here in person. Since the healers who were in charge of your care didn’t quite get around to it.” She heaved a small sigh and paused for a few moments, fiddling with a loose thread hanging from the sleeves of her robes before speaking further. “First of all, I am required to inform you that anything you tell any healer in this camp is protected by the laws of the clan and will never be disclosed. Second, I must ask about your friend; the young woman you were brought here with. There was nothing we could do for her, as you probably already have been informed, and I would like to know if it is alright to bury her in our grounds... You can see her, if you would like to, of course.” The girl offered as an afterthought.

Once another silent moment had passed, Annie’s expression shifted to one of concern and a bit of weariness as she leaned into her knees, her voice lowering as if by instinct. “As for why I said I’ve come in person... I need to know something, and this is really, really, important... I need to know if your enlightenment has been manifesting itself differently in any way in the past months, or if you have been experiencing other odd symptoms... headaches, insomnia, and bleeds have been the most common as of late.”

Greedily he snatched the flask devouring its contents without restrain. Droplets of liquid began rolling down his chin, and he gasped after draining the flask. The water seemed to help steady the Blade, returning him to some sort of solidity. He appeared more alert, and sat up straighter once his breathing steadied.

“Nothing you could
”
He echoed the White Shadow’s words carefully. It appeared he was the only one who made it. Twice he averted death, and twice someone had paid in his stead. For a moment pain wracked his face but was forced under control.

“I
 I couldn’t see her now.. And yes, please. Put that poor soul to rest. She has more than earned the right to peace.”

The silence appeared for the moment. Closing about them like a shroud, the Blade was to his thoughts and if he had to guess so was Annie. There was much to consider, things were in motion now that were irrevocable. So much more was pressing in both their lives, greater threats and purposes. Yet here they sat, Grim in his self-pity, and Annie in her caring nature. Grim wasn’t sure what to make of her honestly, he hardly knew the White Rose, how could he even guess what her daughter was like.

Then there was a question. Like lightning it struck, and his head snapped to attention. His eyes boring down the healer who pulled tighter to herself. He was almost panicked at how to reply, indeed his powers had been acting strange but he had always believed it to be merely part of a change within him. If others were suffering odd effects from their enlightenment, then perhaps there was hope after all. He spoke somewhat excitedly, losing his courage from pressing the words through his lips. Almost wheezing the syllables as though hushing some scandal between his teeth, yet quick to speak as though the gossip were irresistible.

“I had heard that Enlightenments can grow or modify, but that it was rare. Three years before, I began to lose control. In my time away I attempted to find a solution to no avail. Here within my homeland my rage boils over, and I lose my restraints. It has become amplified, and sensitive, reacting outside of its former boundaries. I feel the anger taking over, and in time it will spiral out of my control. It won’t be a year before I’m no longer Grim Pondus
”

“It shall be done.” Annie stated simply in response to Grim’s words on his friend, not lingering on the subject any further than it was necessary as to not to intrude on the man’s grief; her head lowering for a moment in a whispered prayer, her voice soft enough not to reach the man sitting right before her or really disturb the lingering silence in any significant way. Once the last of her inaudible words was cast into the winds Annie lifted her head, her focus now on Grim’s description of how his enlightenment had been manifesting itself, her expression shutting down into a preoccupied frown as she listened. She was silent still for a few moments, contemplating on what to say, on what was safe to say in a moment when she was so unsure of everything. In the end, she settled for being as honest in voicing her concerns as possible. In the end the news of this would spread way sooner than anyone would like, no matter how cautious she decided to be, and she knew she needed people to be conscious of what was happening.

“Three years ago, the very same day you and your men fought Blackpond in these grounds, my mother answered the call of a young healer who had the gift of seeing into the future... She had visions at random moments in time, and that day she had a vision that greatly disturbed her. She spoke to my mother alone and showed what she had seen. Whatever it was, it was not spoken of again once they left that tent, no one knows what happened between the two, but the woman fell ill that night and less than a week from having the vision, she died. My mother left us, with no explanation, days after being rescued from the dungeons. About a month ago she returned, she was... Clearly not in the best of states, but when asked about she would brush it off blaming it on the poor living conditions she endured while away... The past month she traveled across the land, meeting with people here and there... While she was here, she was incessantly seeking something in our archives. Two nights ago... She... died, due to the side effects of her enlightenment. Ever since, more and more enlightened have come to us; some with generic symptoms such as headaches and nosebleeds that have been gradually increasing over the past few months to critical levels... Others are experiencing dangerous changes in their enlightenment. One of our healers, Isaac, has been kept under sedation since last night because if he is as much as barely conscious everything around him starts to catch fire. Alistair, an empath, claims that his ability to sense others is completely gone. I have myself been experiencing severe migraines, they haven’t yet become debilitating, but with the nature of my ability I can guess that eventually this will prevent me from helping others. This... Ailment... Whatever it is... It seems to be getting worse and spreading fast. There haven’t many deaths yet, but I am safe to say that, however it manifests, it will eventually become fatal for those afflicted.”

She stopped speaking to take a long breath. As if on command the aching in her head abruptly returned, the burning pain spreading to her eyes and turning the sight of the man before her into a shapeless smudge before fading; just as quickly as it came it ended, the only indication that it had actually occurred was the lingering blurriness that caused the young healer to quietly rub her eyes and blink a few times to put everything back in focus. “Unfortunately, we are short on answers at the moment, and I am almost certain panic will spread before we have a chance to obtain them. With all our studies... How magic functions in itself is still an uncertainty, something that affects magical abilities this way... It’s unheard of, and we are greatly unprepared. There are herbs that have been helpful with some of the symptoms, but in time they cease to work. I assume you have tried those already, no?” She inquired.

If the Blade was shocked or surprised he hid it well. His face was stone, and he seemed more concerned with reading Annie’s expressions then he did listening. Of course, he heard everything and in short it caused much confusion and even more questions. Valcrest was a beautiful land, but it was a land that seemed to be made of secrets.
He couldn’t help but feel the workings of some unforeseen hand. A power or force that hid itself beyond their sight working against them, always preparing the next nasty step of their plans. Perhaps that kind of thought brought all the complexities to simple terms. If there was someone to blame then it made their course of action easy, and Grim decided he could believe such, if it meant staying steady for a while longer.
“I’ve tried any number of herbs, but you already guess their success. It strikes me as impossible to impact Enlightenments on such a large scale. If I recall there is little in the natural world that can even influence our gifts. Hmmm
”
He paused and found he possessed no answers for the young healer, at least not ones that made any sense. To what end would killing the Enlightened served? In terms of battle he believed one could weaken an opponent’s capabilities. Controlling the spread of such a curse would be next to impossible though or at least to his knowledge. It nagged on him, to what end could such a curse serve?
“Have any from Blackpond been noted with this problem? Such a thing would be a powerful weapon beyond a doubt. The Wolves are far too proud to abandon their traditions, and the desert folk I doubt have the capability. So that leaves only Blackpond or Newhaven with such a power unless
.”
Grim cleared his thoughts on the matter and remembered the events of the past four years or so. The strange happenings within Newhaven, and its doppelganger lord that ruled. The events transpired that remained unanswered or unconcluded.
“Do you suppose another artifact was uncovered? The whereabouts of the dagger was never discovered. Yet there are certainly other artifacts, I’ve personally encountered a scythe with some kind of enchantment upon it.”
He stopped all his wondering now expired. There would be nothing concrete shared between them and he knew this. Everything he offered was conjecture, and he doubted Annie would leave anything out that was of importance. It was then he realized his own rudeness.
“I.. I am truly sorry lady Turner. I didn’t know about the White Rose, but
 She was truly very brave. The world is poorer for her absence. If there is anything I can do, please count me among your humble servants.”

“Blackpond... Mother was to speak to their King, but... something changed her mind and she returned without having seen him. We have kept distance from the city ever since their soldiers attacked us three years ago, some... Some of the city folk were led to believe we had allied with Newhaven and our relations became less than friendly for a while then non-existent ever since. I do know that the people in charge of the city are mostly enlightened themselves and surely their lives as just as much at risk. Some amongst my people have been whispering that the Gods have been angered by the war and this is their punishment, I have no doubts they won’t be the only ones to think so...” She smiled a bit shaken by the thought. “I read somewhere when I was a child, that the end of times begins in the hearts of men, with the death of hope... And I thought to myself, that even with everything it has endured, Valcrest had never lost an ounce of hope. Lately though, whenever I look around I see it falter and I think, with all I have seen in my short years of life, I've finally found a sight I can refer to as ‘frightening’.”

Annie fell into a short silence, her expression giving away the fact she was making a small effort to collect her thoughts and maintain her usual calm exterior. At the end of that silence her voice came out a bit more steady. “Jake had been trying to get a hold of that dagger. If I’m not mistaken, he tracked it to the hands of the Blackpond king, the news came to me through Mageria before Jake visited, so it was some time ago. For what I understood, the man didn't know what he had, and I can’t say for sure that he still has it, but I know Jake hasn't given up the search for it. He can be quite stubborn that one.” The girl smiled, a hint of amusement crossing her dark eyes as she looked at the man. “I appreciate your kindness, sir. I am sure not all would see my mother’s death as a loss, in fact I've been told the party about to be held in Blackpond is in celebration of her death. I’m sure some would question my sanity for attending, but then... They were so nice to invite me, it would be insulting not to accept. Don’t you agree?” The girl asked, her tone soft as ever although a tone of bitterness was noticeable underneath if one was observant enough. “In light of current events, there is one thing I would like to ask of you, Pondus...” Annie once again reached into her bag, from it she pulled the book Sean had left her and offered it to the man. “I don’t know if you are aware of what exactly this is. I can’t honestly say that I am, entirely, but it seems as some extensive rule breaking has brought it to my hands. Ella Page, for some reason, believed it was fitting to let the Alpha of the Wolfpack have this, he in turn passed it along to me... And I would like you to have it. If there is one thing we seem to agree on, Sean and I, is that the ones writing the history of this Land were never the ones truly living it. I don’t know where this book will end up, if in a hundred or a thousand years it will be discovered and read by someone who only knows the facts that were chosen as real, but I feel it is fitting that we at least attempt to show Valcrest as we see it, from the inside. And you are one of the people I know have seen things most people can’t imagine, and I believe that people would greatly benefit from knowing the realities of the world, even if reality is often not as pretty as history would tell us."

"I see..."
He carefully to the book into his hands. Wistfully looking over its cover touching it with care. It was strange for a simple thing to hold so great a presence but it felt somewhat mystic. It was nothing more then a glorified journal, but it held the contents of three important figures within. He looked to it with curiosity and saw in its bindings great potential. To think that perhaps one day this book would be marked with the ancient histories of the land, or more importantly the truth. Looking up to Annie he found a sense of dread emerge from all the promise.

Such important pieces of knowledge were to be stored away for safekeeping. For Grim this meant there was a threat of losing such things. Could it be that dread had indeed found its way into the heart of Valcrest, that for the sake of preservation they were to fill this book. Perhaps it was nothing but a fleeting childish fear. Yet he couldn't shake the importance of it.

"Ella to the Wolves? Surely this book must be blessed to defy such boundaries. I will take it with care, and see that it is passed as it was given. Who knows, perhaps it will at last shed some light in the minds of Valcrest."

He took a moment to consider how to approach his next question. It was true that he trusted the White Shadows, and had found himself indebted to them. The news of Blackpond's party was fairly widespread, but as a Black Knight he couldn't help but feel distrust in their actions. At the same time he understood the neutrality that the healers had to keep, and to act hostile even if it is toward Blackpond could set some distrust between himself and the White Shadows. Still, he had to take action even if his loyalty could be questioned, Newhaven was still his home.

"A party in Blackpond for the White Rose? M'lady it doesn't require a keen mind to see such a facade. They have held no love as you said for the White Shadows. Why would they go to such troubles now?"

For Grim to be skeptical should come as no surprise. Blackpond has been his enemy for as long as he wore armor. Twice he has repelled them from his home, and drove them from the city of Newhaven. They were his opposition, and though he vied for peace, he couldn't help but feel hate for its people. A contradiction but what was to be expected? He was part of the wars.


“What are you thinking about?” Alistair’s voice pierced through Annie’s thinking as they crossed the gates of Blackpond. “You have been very quiet for the entire trip here.
“I’ve been thinking... About the future and what it may bring. And that is a very distracting subject, isn’t it? I’m sorry if I haven’t been the best of companies so far.”
“No need to apologize, I’m just worried that your brain will overheat or something like that, you’ve been acting introspective and concerned for quite a while.”
“And you have been acting twitchy and nervous because of it, I assume, since you can’t tell what I’m feeling anymore.” Annie smiled kindly at her friend. “I know how that must be frustrating for you, but I’m fine. At least for now.” She assured him.

Heads turned and eyes followed the young healer and her friend as they roamed the city streets, it was clearly a shock to see a White Shadow in Blackpond when they hadn't dared enter the city in the past three years. Ever since the city army made its attack on the healers’ encampment. Annie couldn't help but think of how strange it was to be there now after everything. As they reached the castle and joined the crowds heading for the party Annie noticed that they didn't blend in any more than in the city, the girl’s robes standing out amongst the fancy and colorful dresses. Spotting someone familiar Annie opened a smile and made her way amongst the guest until she reached the dark clad figure, both of the standing out much more while standing next to each other; the girl dressed all in white and the boy in full black. “Luckas.” She whispered, startling the young man. “What’re you staring at?” She asked, following the boy’s gaze to the leader of the Crimson Shadows and the woman he was speaking to.
Luckas winced as Annie called his name, the girl catching him off guard as his attention was caught up in staying out of sight. Reluctantly he let his attention be drawn away from the scene he had been watching and fall on the young healer. “Are you stalking me now?” He asked, raising an eyebrow playfully, his eye moving past Annie to catch Alistair’s disapproving gaze. “I see you brought a bodyguard, that’s clever of you, the city is dangerous after all. Me? You know me, I always find something interesting to stare at.” He snickered.

ValcrestSetting: Valcrest


The life of the party had finally been kindled for people of all sorts had already gathered in the middle of the ballroom, some dancing while others discussed matters of no importance to this mercenary. Taking another bite from the green apple, Sif heard the words spoken by the youngster, but his eyes were fixated at something far more interesting; Amongst the many nobles and dressed ladies in the crowd, there was a red haired woman, petting a wolf. He felt the urge to go up and speak with her or at least take out the pelt inside one of his bags, but he restrained himself as the boy spoke once more.

”Well, welcome to Valcrest. What brings you to ‘lovely’ Blackpond? Aside from the free food, of course.” Sif finally shifted his attention back at the boy and that’s when it hit him; What was a young kid like him doing at a place like this anyway? Was he here with a relative? An older friend or was he simple looking for a ‘target’ for a chance at some coins? Maybe all of them or maybe none of the options. ”I come here seeking what every man or woman without a purpose seeks; An opportunity.” Sif continued to bite in on the apple and looked for the red haired woman again, but she was gone in the midst of the crowd. ”Tell me, why is a youngster like yourself at a party such as this, if you don’t mind me asking?” The mercenary tried to be polite, but that wasn’t his strong side.

Irvin seemed amused at this stranger, discretely following his gaze to the woman with the wolf. He thought he'd seen that wolf before at the Nest, and he knew the redhead was the one Jake had been speaking to the day before. As the man addressed him Irvin fixed his blue eyes on him, amusement clear in his expression. "Blackpond is an odd place for an honorable man to find opportunities, but then... Depends if you are an honorable man... On what lines you're willing to cross for said opportunity, but others may be better at telling you about these things than me. I take it you've not been in Valcrest long, so I'm going to tell you something you need to know; it's a small land, too small to move without stepping on someone's toes, too small for you to expect conversations not to be overheard, too small to think that someone you wrong will never cross your path again... Small enough that should you give your name to anyone in this party, it will be known across the land by tomorrow night. Try it if you think I'm joking." He dared the man playfully. At the question of why he was there Irvin shrugged dismissively. "I'm here because well... I wanted to see if the rest of the castle was as comfortable as the dungeons." He smirked slightly, although his tone was unmistakably bitter. "Of course, even the dungeons are more comfortable than living out in the city and by throwing this party our beloved king is really just spitting in the faces of his subjects... The funny thing is... They're excited for it, because it's something pretty they can distract themselves with to forget how miserable their lives are. That... That is a pretty funny thing to look at. I wouldn't dare miss it. And no, I am not here by myself, as I suspect you are wondering... Don't think I can't do just fine on my own though."

Sif was close to finishing his apple as he looked over at the boy next to him. This boy was of a peculiar sort and he seemed older than his appearance gave away. However, Sif was pretty sure he was just as young as the mercenary could guess and that he had just been through some though times. Either way, it wasn’t Sif’s concern. His one and only concern was to find a way to get a well payed job where his abilities and experience would be best put to use. Whether that be for a noble or a malevolent cause, he couldn’t care less. There was limits to what he would do, but more often than not he’d preform any cruel act that he been payed to do. Fortune finds the ones who seize opportunities and sticks by them until they are no longer useful.

The boy spoke of the king and the this city which was called ’Blackpond’. He didn’t really have anything good to say about it and accused the king for spitting his people in the face and how miserable everything was. Sif just found it all just pathetic; If the people were really being treated like that, a revolution would have been born from their anger and mistreatment. Unless they were too weak to fight back, but that was an excuse an individual like Sif would never accept. He figured the boy was more or less speaking from his own experience. He finished his apple and put what was left of it on the nearby table.

”Stepping on toes are one of my specialities.” Sif gave the boy a small smile before he rose from leaning on the table, ”And my name is of no importance, what I’ll do here is.” And with that, Sif left the boy at the table to seek new people or wait for whatever would happen here to begin.

"Whatever you say, sir." Irvin shrugged at the man as he began to walk away, not really sure what to make of him at all. Or maybe he didn't care enough to take conclusions on the outsider as he had no intention to see the man, or even return to Blackpond, again after this. Finishing off his apple the boy slowly made his way away from the tables to find Jake and Darren again.

BlackpondSetting: Blackpond


“What is there no booze in this party or are you just picky with you liquor?”

Ess accepted the flask back, casually tucking it back at her side, a sly grin on her lips. “Maybe it was just a test. I wonder...how many people would drink from a strangers flask? Never the less, I’m glad I didn’t spike it.” Slowly she winked at him, taking a few steps closer but suddenly turning to kneel beside Tala. Mumbling a few commands into the wolf’s ear, she barked and took off in what seemed like a random direction, Ess discreetly letting her gaze follow as she forced her smile wider. Standing back to her feet she was now standing inches from the mercenary. “Clan..?” Ess asked with a sweet yet fake look of ignorance. “Don’t think I really have an agenda...yet. Well, except that I will try to enjoy myself a little bit. All things considered.” Lifting both eyebrows she let her smile fade, her gaze lingering across the man’s chest and trailing down his arms. Ever so slightly, she let her fingertips trail up along to the man’s shoulder before she let her lavender stare reach his deep browns. “Do you dance, Dastan?” She whispered with a tantalizing grace, casually her eyes passed along his neck and a genuine smile returned when she noticed a discolored imperfection along his throat. “I like your scar...adds a certain kind of 
.charm.”

Essence hid her internal hammerings very well, noting the familiar dark figure in the crowd and even though her blood boiled in annoyance, many ideas of violence crossing her eyes, she still smiled and appeared carefree. She would ignore him. Pretend he wasn’t even there, yet all the while keeping tabs. It was true though, she needed to let herself have some fun and she didn’t think it would hurt to be a little extra friendly towards her new acquaintance. Little by little she was picking up little hints and details to what kind of man he was. It was something new to her, this making friends thing, but she figured at the very least whatever alliances she could gain she was the better for it.
Dastan chuckled softly, his dark eyes sparkling in amusement as Essence mentioned not having spiked the contents of the flask. “Well, now you know my secret... I’m a very, very, trusty man... It would be extremely easy for a pretty lady such as yourself to take advantage of me... Crys herself has said I should not be left unattended.” He said in a not very convincing innocent tone. “If you do ever feel like poisoning me in the future though, sweetness... At least grant me one last request, hm? I’d like to assure that I die a happy man.” He stated, giving the woman a playful wink. “Aye, my clan... I am the proud leader of the Crimson Shadows, and the last living member of the royal family of Brightvale, but don’t let the title fool you into thinking I am in any way a responsible man.” He said, a slightly mischievous grin crossing his features. “Although the fact that I’ve come here tonight should speak for itself.” The man snickered softly, amusement still in his eyes.

Although Dastan was his usually casual self, playful and relaxed in his demeanor, he was ever so observant of his company. While nearly everything about Essence was alluring, there was also something about the woman that kept the man respectful, at least as much as he was capable of. It was somewhat clear to him, despite all subtlety, that the woman already knew this game all too well. “Do I dance? Hm, well... I guess you could say that I do, although where I’m from we tend to do it in a less.... uh... orderly fashion than what I’m seeing around here.” Dastan said, scratching his chin thoughtfully as he took a moment to watch some of the dancing couples, the mention of his scar drawing his focus back to Ess as he seemed to flinch for just a moment before nodding. “It is a good reminder to watch out for jealous boyfriends.” He spoke with a smile that made it unclear whether he was joking or not. “Hopefully that’s not something I need to worry about at the moment, or is it?”

--------------------------------------------------------

Irvin caught up with Jake and Darren still chewing on some apple, a playful smile crossing his expression as he nudged Jake. “Spotted any interesting redheads, Killer? You do look like you need to... Unwind, if you know what I mean.”
“Anyone older than five years old would know what you mean, Irvin.” Jake replied, his eyes narrowing slightly as he glanced off into the crowd. “And yes, one or two. I think my chances of... unwinding are around zero or less though. I do have great chances of being punched in the face, but then.... Considering where we are, I say we all do.”
Irvin chuckled softly. “Hey, I wouldn’t mind if a pretty woman punched me in the face. Which reminds me, speaking of face punching... Is that Rita lady around here? I should chat her up. She was pretty.”
Jake chuckled, shaking his head in amusement at the boy. “I haven’t seen her, Irv, but you shouldn’t assume that just because a woman sleeps on your bed and then hits you in the face you have any chance with her. Trust me, I’ve made that mistake once.”
The boy chuckled. “Well, maybe you’re not as charming as I am.” He played, still laughing for a few moments until his eyes caught someone in the crowd and sparkled with rage. “He’s here. You didn’t tell me he was going to be here!” The boy muttered out.
Jake flinched for a second at Irvin’s reaction, but immediately caught him by the arm as he tried to move in Sean’s direction. “No. Not yet and certainly not here! We have a deal. Getting yourself killed is not a part of it.”
Irvin groaned, trying to struggle for a moment against Jake’s hold, but eventually settling down. “You didn’t say he was going to be here.”
“I didn’t know.” Jake sighed. “And could you please stop freezing my hand? See, I’m rather attached to it.”
Irvin frowned, glancing down to notice that Jake’s fingers were turning to a blue-ish tone around his wrist. “Sorry.” He snorted.
Jake sighed, releasing the boy’s arm. “I get it that you really want him dead. I do. But you just have to set it aside for now so we can maybe make it through this party alive. Starting something here and now would just be suicidal, way too suicidal even for my standards."
"I'll try... I can't promise." Irvin mumbled in response.
Some would find it crazy, others, just plain stupid. Leaving a woman all alone in the most dangerous place inhabited in Valcrest while she was being threatened by an insanely rich, insane woman. Most people would like to stay with that threatened person no matter what if they were supposed to protect them. The only thing was that Evin had already sent her to the party. She was one of the first of the guests to arrive. Evin had nothing to worry about. If there were Wolves at the party, Evin suspected that they would be a little cautious before making their move. It would just seem too easy.
The reason that Evin left was because he wanted to go wait for Crystal. He didn’t want to waste time at a stupid and annoying party that was bound to be filled with hellish thoughts and hellish people who would be willing to act on those thoughts. He didn’t want to wait for Crystal there. It wouldn’t be nearly as fun as waiting all alone with his own thoughts would be. Of course, he wasn’t going to allow his presence to be known to Crystal right away. He wasn’t even sure if she would visit where he was waiting for her, but he expected that she might be compelled to go just for nostalgia’s sake.
He perched himself on the top of a roof near the building he was waiting at. It was the building that he recalled as the place that Crystal’s father died. What a great man he was, and to think that he would be killed so heartlessly, by Perry of all people. In that moment, the fate of the Wolfpack and the rest of Valcrest was sealed. Without that moment, it would be very unclear to foretell the events that transpired after. There would be far less motivation to go looking for the False King. Theron might not have been as motivated to join the Wolfpack and the Wolves might have actually gone into a regression as they might have been too afraid to re-enter Newhaven for a while without some sort of excuse. It was a sad thought, but not even Dani would have had the courage to face off against Newhaven without merit. From experience, Evin knew how much of a threat Newhaven was to the Wolves. With the state that Newhaven was in at the moment however, the Wolfpack could easily take down the entire infrastructure of the city if they wished to and after that, Blackpond would probably easily do the rest if they really wanted to.
Perched just out of sight, Evin watched as Crystal walked up to the old Wolfpack Inn. Just as he had expected. The attraction to places with bitter histories always seemed to be too much for most people in Valcrest to handle. She stood there, probably having similar thoughts to Evin’s about that night and how things changed because of it. About her life the way it is was now and finally, about her father. The great man with a million great and insightful thoughts.
He forgot the reason he had been waiting for Crystal in the first place. His thoughts of Bastian had distracted him for a moment. Obviously that moment was just one brief moment too long. He saw Dastan walk up behind him just as he was about to exit from his perch. While it wasn’t the worst thing in the world that Dastan was there, he rather he had a chance to talk to Crystal in private. Crystal to him was his confidant. She was someone who he could share anything with. That absolute trust in her and her decisions is what allowed her to talk openly to her. It didn’t matter if it was a negative or a positive; she would listen and would only tell those who needed to know as to the matters which he discussed with her. It was much like the constant trust that everyone could have in Time. No matter how much someone could attempt to change things, Time would continue, unwrinkled and pure. Nothing could contaminate the trust that people had in mind. Dastan, to Evin was more like water. He couldn’t exactly do go on without him, but is easy to contaminate. He didn’t want to discuss anything with Dastan nearby.
He continued to watch Crystal and Dastan until the two of them were gone. For about ten minutes after, he got off from his perch and made his way to the party.
At the entrance to the castle, there were six guards right at the door to welcome him in. On each side of the wide path that lead to the door, there were about five or six guards at attention. To any untrained eye, that would be all that anyone would see. This was a mistake. At the lowest windows and the lower two towers that protected the entrance, there were several men trying their best to be out of sight while still being ready to shoot their crossbows at anyone who even tried to enter. Even harder for the eye to catch, several hundred feet, directly above him at the top of the castle were just more archers ready to air their crossbows directly down on anyone who would try something funny. Finally, there were the true shadows of this party. Those were the shadows of what he could only imagine were the group that was known as the Shadow’s Conflict. Ten people who believed that they could hide themselves in plain sight. They were very skilled in the art of blending. Behind the stationary guards, in with some of the groups enjoying fresh air before entering the party, there was even one that was so perfectly still that only the blinking of his eyes is what tipped Evin off to the fact that he was standing there. The most deadly part about these assassins was that he knew that the moment they decided to come into the party, they will not be recognizable at all. People who were this skilled at blending in, that the moment they blended into the party, it would be nearly impossible to discern them from a regular guest. Evin was certain that they would bring him a good show when the actual party got started.
Evin gave a quick wave to the one who had blinked to let the rest know that he meant business and he wasn’t going to allow himself to be tricked by any simple mind game that they would plan to dish out at this party. He would be cautious, as they were capable of almost killing Crystal, but he wanted to show them that he had gained the first edge on them and not the other way around like they had expected would happen. He instantly saw the heads of the nine other assassins look his way when this happened. Evin then looked at each individual one of them. He placed his finger on his temple and tapped it a couple of times in a gesture of knowledge. Evin instantly regretted this decision. The assassins didn’t do anything, but he knew that by being so cocky, he was putting a huge target on his back.
He continued his walk down the path until he reached the six guards that were there to welcome him in. Shaking one of their hands, he spoke, “I’m so happy to have been invited to this party. I know you didn’t do it personally, but I’m still glad and would like to show my appreciation. Now I understand that there are no weapons checks here as I’ve seen a couple before me who weren’t even checked for weapons. You guys are so considerate, you know that. Thank you.”
Little did any of the guards know, but while shaking the man’s hand, he had grabbed the guard’s war axe as well as the holster for said weapon from right off his body.
This is when he moved himself into the party. It was the most beautiful of ballrooms
 filled with hundreds of people. “Oh what fun!” Evin sarcastically exclaimed as he dipped himself into the fountain of madness that was going to be this party.

------

Alexander stood himself just in sight of the castle. His hired swords, the ones he had left, were walking their way along the road just ahead of him. He was a little nervous to go to this thing, but he knew it had to be done. If he wanted to bring Blackpond back to its former glory and possibly put a peaceful ending to this war, then he would. Damn it Grim, he thought as he continued thinking about the possibilities if everything was to work out.
“Hey, Alexander, what’s up?” One of the hired swords said, seeing that Alexander was sitting still.
Alexander jumped out of his thought to respond. “Oh, yes nothing. Just thinking.” He started walking again. “Now men. The odds are that the entrance to the Ball will be heavily fortified. Don’t act suspicious as you walk through the guards. Just act as if you are like any other party guest, but carrying a sword out in the open. When you get to the door, they will probably ask you to relinquish your weapons. At this point, it will be pretty easy to force our way into the door. After that, we target the red-head. I created it, so I will destroy it. The Shadow’s Conflict will suffocate under our feet as we re-take control of Blackpond.”
The two men and woman nodded in unison and fell into silence as they got close to the door. Alexander looked at every guard individually as he walked up the path. The whole idea of acting nonchalant about things wasn’t really working out for him. For the first time in over twenty years, the idea of fighting made him nervous. His heart pounded ten times faster until he reached the door, where six guards were there to welcome him. His heart stopped and he found it nearly impossible to catch his breath. It was like the feeling that he felt when he heard the sound of war drums out in the distance. At this moment, the hired swords looked just about ready to draw their weapons to attempt what Alexander only imagined would be a historic moment. Something that, whether it worked out or not didn’t really matter. Historians would still have some interesting things to write about. In a moment where everyone who is anyone in Valcrest sat themselves in one room for festivities, a small revolt was under way.
Alexander reached for his sword, but was stopped when one of the guards said. “What are you’s doing? This is an open invitation party. You can enter you know.”
The four looked around at each other with confused eyes. There was something wrong here. Why would anyone ever allow so many angry people into one room with swords when there was just so much conflict in Valcrest? The four revolutionaries passed through the doors and into the Ballroom. It was just as Alexander remembered, just with more people.
“Ok men, we will keep a low profile from now until we find the right opportunity. Know our enemies, they already know that we’re here and what we are here for so there is no need for surprise. Enjoy the night for now and we will attack when opportunity arises.”

-----

The instant that Ella’s parade made it within a mile of Blackpond, the news had already made it around that the Queen of Newhaven was actually personally visiting Blackpond. This was the first time that royalty had visited Blackpond personally since her father, from what she could remember. It was very important to the city of Blackpond. Despite the fact that these people were her enemy, she understood the needs of the people. When something exciting happened to them that didn’t involve a public maiming or some random rape, it brought joy to the citizens. The city’s dark and menacing demeanour brightened up for a change as the parade followed through.
“Dominic!” Ella called from her closed carriage.
The carriage continued on at the same pace and in a couple of seconds, then the door opened. The large White Knight took a few quick steps until he jumped into the moving compartment. Dominic, had to crouch as to not hit the roof, his head barely fitting as he sat down. The behemoth of a man then said, “What do you need?”
“I have a request for you Dominic. While you may not agree with it, I want you to wear this.” She hunched over to reach down to the floor and grab a handle. “Could you please move your feet?” She asked. When Dominic moved his feet, she opened the small compartment under the floor.
Dominic looked at what was in the compartment and just shook his head. “I don’t think that this is a good idea. If the council finds out, and trust me, they will—”
“I don’t really care what they think of it. I actually want them to know. I want the council and Blackpond to know that my loyalties are still strong, despite what it may seem.”
“There are other, more subtle ways to do this m’lady.” Dominic frowned.
“Just put it on.”

The trumpeters serenaded the party goes with their melody to signify the entrance of the Queen. Each note a beautiful representation of the delicate, yet demanding nature of Newhaven’s flower. Then the promenade; the grand march into the room was what made Ella the most important person in the room. It was true too. She was the attention to everyone’s eyes.
Ella’s had on a champagne pink, A-line dress with a flared skirt, puffed out by heaps of crinoline. The same crinoline material was used to accentuate the sweetheart neckline. The main focus of the dress was the rose however. It was a real pink rose with leaves still attached to create a slight green accent. It was placed right between her skirt and the corset, which had a seem down the middle and curved around her waist so the skirt came up further around the sides. She was absolutely stunning and clearly the best dressed as well, but when you are one of the best off people in Valcrest, it was simple to look better than other people in the room.
Behind her was something that put an aura of pure shock around the people who had come from Newhaven to the party. A black Knight stood tall and proud, seemingly there to protect the Queen with all the dishonor that came with the attire.
“Ella!” A voice echoed from the top of the staircase. “Pleasant for you to join.” It was the woman. The red haired woman who had visited the Castle from Blackpond the weeks before winter. “Now we can start our party.” The woman was accompanied by four other people right behind her. One of them was definitely working with something as his eyes began to glow. A fire started to build right around him. Then, a glow from a second person. This person wasn’t as visible as the other four who accompanied this woman. The glow of this person’s eyes came from an unlit balcony just above the woman and the four men. The fire moved from the man to the door behind Ella. It let out a large amount of heat, enough that the medal doors that Ella had just entered through started to melt. When the fire was gone, they could see that the fire melted the metal to create an airtight seal around the door. “My name is Lamya, and I’m your host for the evening.” Two of the other men’s eyes lit up, and again the balcony man’s eyes lit up as well. Water moved in every which direction to every exit in the entire ballroom. Then an incredible cool air blasted through the room, cooling the water right down until every entrance was covered in a layer of ice so thick that it would be impossible to break through. “As you can all tell, this is a historic night with so many figureheads of Valcrest in one room. I don’t even know how things are supposed to work out. With the amounts of conflict between all these figureheads, I can’t exactly tell how long it will take for things to get out of hand. Well, we are probably stuck here all night with the ice storm blocking us in and all. Enjoy the evening. Carry on.” She said with a smile before walking up the stairs into the balcony area above to blend with the crowds.
That moment after she stopped talking was when the commotion started. The festivities of the party that seemed to have been happening before from Ella’s point of view all stopped. There was a quiet but panicked chatter that buzzed through the room.
“Dominic, get the string quartet to continue with the music. I’m not going to let Blackpond ruin what should be a perfectly good evening. We can’t get out yet, but we might as well enjoy the time that we’re stuck here. Conrad, come with me.”
Dominic went off and Ella walked to the center of the room with Conrad. She placed her one hand on his shoulder and the other in his other hand. When the quartet started playing again, she danced. She hoped that this would calm the crowd down a little.

ValcrestSetting: Valcrest


Mageria shook her head at Ella's entrance. While she appreciated the show of support of the Black Guard, the girl never did learn the art of subtlety. She was there in a simple outfit of wide pants and high collared shirt, all in black of course. With the scars on her face there wasn't much point in trying for anything approaching beauty, but she did think that she managed to carry herself well. Sham was there as well, in a long split overdress over a pair of slim pants. Both were outfits that they could fight in and both carried as many concealed weapons as the could fit under their cloths. Not that they expected anyone else here to be any different.

"Sham, see what you can find, all right?" Mageria murmured over her shoulder. Sham nodded and disappeared into the crowd. Mageria moved off to the side and wound her way through the crowd. She had seen Grim off in the corner and she snorted softly to herself as she walked up, leaning one shoulder against the wall near him.

"You hate parties. And dancing. And just about anything else that's going to happen here."

BlackpondSetting: Blackpond


“Well, now you know my secret... I’m a very, very, trusty man...

“Now...that doesn’t seem fair, does it? For me to know a secret about you but you don’t get to learn any of mine?” Essence shrugged. “Sadly, I don’t trust men easily. Although, I’m sure if you were to keep a close eye on me, I’d reveal one or two tonight.” She giggled, her smile fading slightly when he addressed her as ‘Pretty Lady’, a flash of light passing over her pupils in a thoughtful pose. The words caused that internal wave of anger and spite to roll down her neck and along her shoulders in an intensity so fierce yet so brief she still reached for the muscle as if it truly ached. The term ’Sweetness just brought the smile back, her soul pulling from tensed to composed at the familiar nickname. Only one other person had ever called her that, and even though it was something she used often and carelessly in comparison to now, it stirred something she didn’t understand in her when it was spoken. It was just a nickname and Dastan seemed to use it as freely as she had once. A few months ago, if a man had addressed her as such, she may have reacted violently. She wouldn’t have cared if it was insane and made no sense, because simply it meant something different to her than it may to most. For a moment she stared before snapping out of deep thought, yet still she caught every word as Dastan spoke. “Responsibility is overrated but a necessary evil.” She joked, her eyes catching an entertainer of sorts off towards the stairwell appear, holding what appeared to be bucket of hot embers and coals in one hand and a staff in the other. He stood tall and oddly still as if waiting for something and that was when she heard the commotion.

“Ella!”

The amount of time it took Ess’ thought process to accept the very idea of the NewHaven Queen attending a party at Blackpond and how this could end badly, was the exact amount of time it took for the display of fire and ice to begin. Ess was in awe, her attention naturally drawn to the fire in an innocent, childlike delight and then her expression suddenly shut by a chilling wind that forced her eyes closed for a moment. When she opened them she realized that any other possible exit she had internally noted was now sealed like a tomb. Her discomfort was noted by how she had to suddenly keep busy, starting with adjusting her gown and hair as if to put every strand back in place. “...Well...I guess there are worse people to be trapped inside a room with..” She half heartily joked, glancing at Dastan. “And to think you were worried about jealous boyfriends...”

Clearing her throat, she began to walk back towards the stairwell; the ‘entertainer’ still standing idle and surprisingly calm before he dipped the ends of the staff into the bucket so that they lit up in bright flames. “Not boyfriends, Dastan...” Blowing a kiss towards the man she muttered something about going off to dance, heels clicking and skipping beats as she quickened her pace towards the figure who began spinning the staff before him so fast that the flames blurred into a fiery circle that seemed to melt together. That was when he paused and by slight of hand, the staff became two. Alternating staffs into the air in a weightless fashion, the man would casually catch them, rotating them along his wrists in a large figure eight. The skill level seemed boundless as the tricks increased in speed and complexity that caused Ess to bounce in excitement as she watched. A small crowd had encircled herself and the performer, as she was closer than most, unwary by the flames.

“I can do that...” She stated boldly, catching what appeared to be two morning-stars hanging lazily out of the bucket, unfinished chain links touching the floor.

“So you think?” The man laughed, eyeing Ess’ long dress in disbelief but stepped back, not losing pace as he nodded towards the bucket of fire. “I will never object to a lovely woman wanting to embarrass herself...adds a certain beauty to the shame..”

Ess’ eyes narrowed, but she kept smiling as her fingers fumbled along the lace of her gown, slowly peeling off the outer layer of her dress like a jacket to reveal bare arms, mini daggers along her sides, and her relic favorite along the small of her back. Without really looking she asked the closest person to her in a sweet tone, draping the piece of her gown over the individual’s arm, “Excuse me...please hold this for me...” Now she was free to move her arms and torso a bit more comfortably, her gown still just touching the floor but lighter and less confined to move now. It wasn’t long before she had the man’s speed matched, yet her approach differed much from his as the fiery morning-stars disappeared into an orange blaze in shapes and flowers. Her entire body flowed with the barrel like tricks, arching far backwards so that the flames did not touch her face, still mere inches from her curls. Spinning in gradual circles around the man as he continued as well, they toyed with one another in their fiery play, threatening to burn the other but never losing control. Now, she was dancing.

ValcrestSetting: Valcrest


He didn’t look to Mageria immediately, though he had known she was there.

“When I was a boy, I was taught that Newhaven was the mightiest empire in all of Valcrest. That it was by the guidance of the gods that we were destined to rule these lands in an endless expanse of peace. That Newhaven was unassailable and by the power of its knights, no harm could ever come to its citizens. That was before the first invasion


My parents
 I don’t even remember their names. Two unmarked graves among the honored dead and yet Blake and my Salamanders paid for their sins. I was born in bloodshed and didn’t even know it till it tried to have me killed.

When I had grown some I became the squire to the White Knights. My swordsmanship was under way to become worthy of their ranks, the elite of Newhaven. Then my Enlightenment activated, and three up and coming knights were killed by a child. For the next four years I was kept under lock and key. Iron doors and chains that were bolted to the wall, as though I were some animal and not a child of fourteen years.

Thank the twins for Krander and an outsider that had recently become the Black Knight captain. For without their intervention I would have died in the pit. Krander, whom in his cleverness recognized my ailment as not being possession but an Enlightenment. The new captain even offered an opening among her ranks to take me in.”

There was a bittersweet smile that had found itself on the Blade. Remembering was a difficult thing, and reflecting even harder. There was much pain even since the beginning of their journey, but still he found a great love in his past. For he understood nothing better, sure there were no child-hood trips to fishing holes or cakes or even late nights spent with lovers to recall. For him there was little twinges of kindness so small that many would consider them pointless but he remembered, and cherished them.

“I was trained to kill Wolves, it is my purpose and the excuse used set me loose. Ironically for all their blood I’ve spilled they’re the only ones in all of Valcrest who don’t fear me. They’re proud and brave for assassins.

Now here I stand, and look where we are. I am not Black Knight, or Salamander, or even Raven. Just a man with a sword in the middle of an obvious trap waiting for who knows what. Hoping to make a difference in this damned place before there’s nothing left.”

He shifted uncomfortably, he had learned of many dangers over the past few days. The knowledge of the haywire Enlightenments came to the forefront. Annie had voiced her concerns, and while Grim was fortunate to have lasted this long, he understood it was a matter of time.

“It seems to be getting worse and spreading fast. There haven’t been many deaths yet, but I am safe to say that, however it manifests, it will eventually become fatal for those afflicted.”

“I think I came here for the fight, I wasn’t really sure until now
 What about yourself? You owe nothing to Newhaven, and you’ve no personal stake that I know of with Blackpond. What would call you from the camp and put your life in jeopardy?"

BlackpondSetting: Blackpond


"Don't stand in a blizzard and complain about the snow, Grim." Mageria's tone was sharp. "There's a place for you with the Ravens. There has always been a place for you, if you'd just accept it. You regret the lives you took? Look around. Nearly everybody in this room has waded through a river of blood to get here. It's who and what we are. Some of us have taken lives, some of us have ordered others to their deaths. Either drown in guilt or try and be worthy of your legacy"

"As for me being here?" Mageria shrugged. "It's who I am as well. The nobles of Newhaven were the ones who exiled me. The people still need my help. The Black have always stood for the people, not the nobility. I have the same duties I always have. It's just a bit more difficult these days. "
Sam was carefully watching the guests, a few in particular, but her attention was almost immediately snatched by the entrance of the Newhaven Queen... Well, not the Queen herself, but the man in black armor she had brought along with her. A smile spread through the woman’s features as she caught some whispered protests and comments to the man’s presence.
“Seems the Queen has got a bigger pair than most men in her Council.” An amused voice spoke behind the woman.
“Oh, yes, that seems to be the case, Mr. Wyatt, but she is definitely not any less arrogant. So, have you explored?” Sam replied, eyes still following the Black Knight.
“So I have... We’ve got a lot of interesting folks here... Ravens and Wolfies of all kinds... And a couple of White Shadows... Look, one of them is talking to Lukey right now.” Wyatt pointed out with a chuckle. “Friendly folk these healers, aren’t they?”
“You obviously haven’t met many of them.” Sam scoffed, only glancing slightly towards the girl in white robes, annoyed by the friendly tone she was taking with Luckas. The healers wouldn’t be a problem for long, Sam knew what was coming to them, but the sight of one still had a way of getting under her skin.
“Well, Miss Turner over there is the only person here, aside from Luckas, not carrying a weapon of some sort, but unlike Lukey, her ability is far from being able to save her little pacifist ass if things get ugly. Her friend, though, the cute guy with the judgy look on his face, is carrying a sword. Oh, I saw Lizzy and Addy and they brought a toy!”
Sam flinched slightly and turned to face the redhead boy with a disapproving frown. “What?”
“I saw Lizzy dragging around a kid in Newhaven’s Guard uniform.”
Sam groaned, rubbing her eyes in annoyance. “What the hell were they thinking? Go tell Adam to get rid of him.”
“Yes, Milady.”

”Ella!”

The excited voice echoed across the ballroom and seemed to immediately interrupt all conversations. Sam watched as the redhead woman who she knew had visited the manor a few days back spoke about how historical the night was and meanwhile all the exits were being sealed tight. “Oh well, I guess something like this was to be expected.” She whispered, her eyes following the redhead woman, Lamya, until she vanished in a crowd. “A night to remember, that’s for sure.”

----------------------------

Annie stayed by Luckas even though his attention was gone from their conversation completely, once again focused on a woman with curly red hair; the fact that all the exits had been sealed shut was lost, or unimportant, to him. Annie followed the young man’s gaze and watched as the woman approached an entertainer, joining the man in his fireplay, her form circling the man in a dance of sorts. The healer was momentarily caught up in watching the performance of the two, a fascinated and nearly childish look in her eyes. It was a bit of a mistake on her part, apparently, to let her attention stray from Luke, because a few minutes into the ‘fire dance’ she heard an angered snort and a mumble from the man, followed by the man with the flaming staff losing his hold on the instrument and cursing loudly as one of the fiery ends of the staff ignited one of the legs of his pants before dropping to the ground. As two of the guests ran over to help put out the small fire Annie turned to Luckas with a raised eyebrow. “What was that about?”
“I don’t know what you mean.” Luckas stated, trying to conceal a satisfied smirk, as he eyed the scene.
“I know you did it, Luke.” Annie stated simply. Her tone less than severe; she knew that Luckas had done a lot worse for much less than... whatever issue this was, so she wasn’t hoping to scold him, but simply make some sense of it.
“So what if I did? Why can’t I have some fiery fun of my own, hm? I don’t see why I shouldn’t. Absolutely no reason.” Luckas muttered, red sparkling in his eyes as he glared in the direction of the redhead woman and turned away, crossing his arms over his chest.
Annie stared at Luckas for a few seconds not quite grasping what his problem was; as she recalled he always liked fire. “You sound... Spiteful... That’s an unusual tone for you.” She pointed out.
Luckas snorted once again, sounding as if he was holding back impolite words. “Tell me... If I give up something, is it completely ridiculous to not want anyone else to have it?”
Annie flinched, her expression showing a bit of surprise to the question. “Depends on the ‘something’. If it’s something along the lines of, say, a toy... Then probably. If it’s something a bit more... Significant, then maybe not.”
“It’s... Not a toy.” He replied simply.
“Then... I’d say it’s understandable that you feel this way although... Considering what you may do, probably unwise to act on it.”
“Unwise sounds about right.” Luckas muttered. Shaking his head and letting out a small snicker, his tone changed to a more amused one as he turned to fully face the healer. “This may turn out to be a very long night for me.”
“Probably for all of us.” Annie chuckled. “At least you’ll be entertained, somewhat. Would be a problem if you got bored.”
Luckas chuckled. “Oh, either way it’s going to be a problem for someone.” He stated in a soft, almost innocent, tone. “Tell me something... Do you dance?”
“Huh?” Annie mumbled, once again confused by the sudden change of topic. “Do I... Dance...?”
“Yes, you know... Like the silly fancy people are doing.” Luckas nodded his head indicating the dancing people in the center of the ballroom.
“I... Suppose... So...” She mumbled.
Luckas chuckled. “Why are you looking so baffled? I can do normal people stuff, gee...” He shook his head in amusement, hesitantly holding out his hand.
“Really, Luckas?” Annie asked, still in disbelief.
“Yes, really.” He replied. “Unless you’d rather not.”
“Hmmmkay then... Why not.” The girl stated, slightly amused by the whole thing.

It was very subtle, the call, but it was forceful enough to cause Luckas to immediately withdraw his hand before Annie had the chance to reach it. It wasn’t painful, just a feeling of pressure within his mind. “Sorry, I...” He sighed, forcing an apologetic smile. “I feel something tugging at the end of my leash. Suppose it’s best if I go.”
“I guess so...” Annie smiled. “You do owe me a dance now though.”
“Heh, yes Milady.” Luckas snickered, giving a overly pompous bow before turning away. “See ya around, princess.”

---------------------------------------

Crys was walking around the crowd trying to catch up to Ali, but the moment Ella arrived all attention went into the young Queen. Through outraged, and excited, murmurs the assassin discovered that the man in armor Ella had brought was clad in Black, causing tension and in some ways fear to spread through the ballroom. In the commotion that followed the girl’s arrival she lost track of Ali, but noticed Evin amongst the crowd. Before she made a move towards her friend, however, she felt a hand lightly graze her shoulder. She knew who it was before the man spoke, her right hand clenching into a tight fist and then relaxing. “I’m disappointed. I thought I’d have broken fingers before I had to chance to lift a hand.”
“Trust me Sean, the day I attack you... I won’t aim for broken fingers.” Crys stated calmly, turning to face the man. “So, is it true that we’re stuck here?”
“For what I can tell, yes. All exits completely blocked.” Sean confirmed. “Not how I’m used to partying.”
“Have you brought people with you?” Crys asked, a light hum underneath her voice as one part of her mind accompanied the music being played.
“Only one, and only because Franklin insisted.” Sean replied. “I see that Evin is here, and Ali, and Jake... Your fans never leave your side, it seems.”
“Funny of you to say that, I haven’t spoken to any of them yet today. I wasn’t even sure Evin would be here.” Crys smirked, her expression suddenly shifting as a serious tone came to her voice. “Order your man to stand back before I’m forced to break his fingers.” She warned.
Sean quickly spotted Ryan attempting to approach them and motioned for him to stand back. “You shouldn’t blame him. Everyone is waiting for you and me to jump at each other’s throats. I can’t say I’m not tempted to do so either.” He stated. “You know... It’s an historical night, like the redhead said... People will remember this for years to come... Why not give them one more thing to talk about? Take my hand. Or do you still not dance with people?”
Crys hesitated for a moment. There was no doubt she could handle Sean if he decided to make himself a threat, that wasn’t the problem, it was the prospect of closeness with this person who she absolutely despised some days, and simply pitied on others. Sean did have a point in his questioning; she had only danced with Jake a couple of times, and in one occasion with her father, agreeing to this would give a strange meaning to ‘keep your enemies close’. Still, she couldn’t help but feel that they were standing on opposite sides of a scale now. No matter which one of the two was the first to fall, everything else would crumble around it. After everything, they were the only two people in that room who could possibly understand what it was to be in that position. All things considered, they had been dancing all along, why not make it official? Slowly she raised her hand and let it rest upon his. “Don’t worry, it’s been a long time since I’ve thought of you as a person, Sean.” She replied a serious note to her voice despite its softness. This wasn’t a friendly gesture, but then again it wasn’t aggressive. It was simply a moment apart of everything else they had lived in the past three years; as if by simply moving to the dance floor the two also managed to also remove themselves from this particular moment in time and their particular place in the world. It was actually a rather liberating feeling.

As they moved amongst other dancing figures in the room, Sean stopped in a spot a little separated from the rest. Turning to face Crys, he released her hand and took a bow, a smirk crossing his features as the woman immediately mirrored his gesture, down to the amused look in her eyes, as if every act of civility between the two was nothing more than some sick private joke. Standing up straight, Sean took her hand in his once more, his other hand resting on her side, respectfully above her waist. It was an odd thing to act this gentle with a woman he had once kicked around on the ground, someone he had taken pleasure in watching bleed out... The contrast between this moment in the present and the undeniable violence of the past seemed spin in circles inside his mind as Crys lightly placed one hand on his shoulder and they began to move together to the music. After a while he spoke, softly so that only she could hear him. “You know this was never about you and me.”
“Does it matter now what it was really about? We started it, you and me. I’m the traitor, you’re the impostor... This is what we’ve become. There is no turning back Sean. And if my death or yours could change the past, trust me, I would have seen to it long ago.”
“You’re saying we can’t kill each other. So what now, we live in war for the rest of our lives? The shattered reflection of a broken land... How tragic.” Sean snickered through his bitterness.
“I’m not saying we can’t kill each other. I’m saying it won’t matter. Do you still think you did the right thing to try and kill me, hm?” Crys asked, amusement in her tone.
“I did what I believed was right at the time. What I believed was necessary.”
“Not all of it was necessary. Ali told me, how you handled my funeral so Evin wouldn’t have to deal with it, how you tried to comfort her through her moments of grief... Those weren’t necessary gestures Sean, that was pure cruelty on your part. One would think trying to kill me, twice, would be the highest offense on the book, but no... I can understand that if I’m logical about it. You’re not the first to want the Alpha dead. Toying with people I care about, that I can’t understand, or forgive.”
“You stood over Lionel’s dead body, handed my thirteen year old brother a sword and told him to challenge you. Are you really going to preach to me about toying with people in their grief?”
“That was not my finest moment, but I was trying to teach the boy to think before acting out in anger... It’s not too late for him to be the first in his family to learn. I wish him luck. I remember when you were just an angry boy like him.”
“Don’t act like you care about my family.”
“I loved your father like an uncle, Sean. Lionel was my brother, YOU were my brother. The only reason you pulled off what you did was because I trusted you. You like to talk about doing what you felt was necessary, but you never seem to consider what you just carelessly threw away in the process.” Crys sighed softly. “I feel for you. In many ways you’re still that same angry boy, and for that I can’t bring myself to fully hate you.”
“I don’t hate you.” Sean stated simply. “I never really have.”
“And yet here we are. Do you realize now why my mother never revealed the truth, Sean? It was for the same reason that Newhaven would hire us and then set off the Black Knights on us. Because sometimes the illusion of hate is needed to keep the peace.”
“She should have had more faith in her people. We were always the ones responsible for keeping all the little illusions alive. We were the ones who knew everyone’s dirty little secrets, we never expected to be living a lie ourselves for so long. It’s easy to say this was all my doing, but give your mother some credit... Because I wasn’t the only one to feel betrayed by her lies.”
“She never told because to her it didn’t, and it shouldn’t, matter. It was in the past, where it belonged. Some things are better off dead and buried. She didn’t do it to protect herself, if she cared for what others would think she wouldn’t have married my father in the first place... Or even allow me to graduate, because we all know these decisions we highly frowned upon. Maybe it’s a foolish thing to expect that over twenty years of loyalty would count for something in the end.”
“You take this too personally, Crys. It may have been personal for me, but it wasn’t for them. They put their lives on someone’s hands and they want that person to be flawless... Your mother was the closest thing they had to perfect and you were born in her shadow, great things were expected of you and you didn’t immediately live up to everyone’s expectations... The higher the pedestal the nastier the fall, it has always been this way. Even now, people see you as some great leader when in reality, and we both know this, you’ve done nothing to justify that. It’s just simply expected of you.”
“You and I clearly have different views on what makes a great leader, Sean. Otherwise you’d see that in my own way I’ve done plenty; including keeping you alive for the sake of not destroying those around you. A time may come when I just don’t have choice anymore, but until that day comes, brother...” She smirked, bowing slightly as they ended their dance. “We continue to dance.”
Ess was light on her feet, her movements fluid so that it appeared effortless as she managed to avoid the flames. Still, she pondered over how the chains weren’t long nor light enough so her control was not as extensive as she would have liked. There was just so much more she could do and she began to create images in her mind of what the ideal pieces to use, in defense or for simple amusement, would look like and how to improve on the simple mechanics. Essence was, by no means a blacksmith, nor did she have any idea of how to go about the ideas in her head but it was something that temporarily cleared her mind of all other ailments and for a moment she forgot her dark stalker in the shadows. For a moment. Although, she couldn’t be sure it wasn’t an accident from the fire wielder’s cocky attitude that had burned him and not by some other ‘means’. Either way, she couldn’t hide the amused smile that stretched to her violet orbs. Even when she almost clocked the man in the side of the head with one of the flaming spikes and was given somewhat shocked and accusing glances from the patrons that rushed to put out the flames; still she smiled.

It had been a long time since she partook in any fire dancing, especially for her own amusement. The last time had been here in Blackpond, but as a tool in her attempt to cheer up her childhood friend. Ess had managed to sneak out many times to be with Blue Eyes, especially after his father had passed away. She understood, like many, what loss of family was like and made sure to be there to support him in the harsh reality of it all. Every smile she managed to steal from him made her appreciate the skill even if she kept it to herself mostly. For whatever reason, she didn’t care who saw her tonight and yet she purposely wanted a certain pair of eyes to see. She wondered if she could be truly seen or simply distracted in the facade. Beautiful and disheartening all at the same time. Just like she had mentioned to Dastan earlier, if someone were to pay enough attention, they may indeed discover a secret or two about her.

Ess didn’t pause more than a second until the music ended and in that time she spun so that flames, gown, and curls trailed in unison a scale of red shades that collided into what appeared to be one giant flame. Still she saw the man grumble at her side as he was doused in water, his pant leg shredded and burnt up to his knee and minor burns puffing to a head as the blisters were quick to form. Those who were not watching the flames appeared to be collecting themselves towards the center of the room where most were finding dance partners and trying to flow along to the melody. Many seemed stiff and fake; no feeling behind the dance. It wasn’t suppose to be so emotionless, the steps. They were meant to be a guide, no more, and the rest was left up to their story teller how it would play out. At least, that was how Ess was taught. It had been one of the few things she appreciated from her captivity as a child.

When Ess spotted Crys dancing with a figure not familiar to her, she didn’t pay it much mind. Then there were the whispers and murmurs that she only caught bits and pieces of but it was enough to slow her pace so she could get a better look. Did they realize their movements alone were enough to tell their story? Drawn together yet pushing to be apart with a curious tension that seemed to linger over their shoulders like a fog. It seemed familiar but distant. Heavy and light. Hands did not stray by either partner, but she couldn’t tell if it was respect or distaste. Maybe a hint of both? She saw something hidden behind the sparkle in their eyes but she wasn’t sure what it was until she heard the man’s name whispered. Fletcher.. Quirking a brows she knew she recognized the name but it all came clear as the murmurs continued. Alpha..
Her brows narrowed, her entertained smile fading to a cold yet curious ambitious sneer.

‘Interesting play....’ She thought, suddenly noticing the Captain out of of the corner of her eye off in the corner chatting with Pondus. It was a bit of a relief to see the Captain had made it to the party. The more allies the better. Where was she, but locked together with friends and foes in some sort of parlay waiting to erupt. What could the hostess she merely caught glimpses of, be planning? It seemed like neither Crys nor the current Alpha would make a move to initiate violence and even parted ways without so much as a scratch. Ess was sure Mageria had noticed the Alpha as well and wondered if she could show such restraint with someone disliked immensely to the point that all one could see was red. She figured it would be like acting; nothing she didn’t already know. Maybe they were trained to cool their anger when appropriate but who was to really say when it would be? It was an interesting gathering thus far, to say the least and this was just frosting on the cake. Captain guard, royalty, clan leaders of assassins and their members; it was a wonder who else of note was there.

Ess released a small sigh, dropping the morning-stars back into the bucket and approached a young man she had draped that piece of her gown upon, giving him her sweetest smile. “Thanks kid...er, Young Sir.” She corrected a bit awkwardly as she stared up into his blue eyes, smiling at the loose curls he shook from out his stare. Casually she took the jacket of her gown back, her fingers innocently brushing past his as she hung the material in folds over her forearm. Her smile dwindled some as she quirked a brow at the boy curiously. “Uh...you ok, hun?”

Darren had wandered away from Jake and Irvin, partially trying to find where the wolf suddenly bolted off to and partially after the redheaded woman who seemed to be it’s ‘companion’. Or maybe it was the other way around; it was a bit confusing the way they interacted and it was fascinating to see something so wild and yet that tame. It was a total surprise to have her suddenly turn about and hand him a piece of random clothing, his eyes widening in a bit of shock and embarrassment as if he should turn away. His shock could also be attributed to the lack of visions he received from the garment, bringing him to conclude it was something new to the woman since the fragments were pretty useless and didn’t make much sense. At least, more so than usual. As he watched her though he couldn’t take his eyes off her but it wasn’t in any way provocative to him, more in a way certain things just stood out as if he’d seen her before. The deep red curls of her hair were mostly responsible, but then again, there were many women out there with red curly hair. Then, there was also the scar that trailed down from her left eye and down her cheek. He was silent, absently glancing about for his companions that he’d left behind, his mind shifting back to the images from his father’s journal.

“Yea...fine..” Darren smiled with a confirmed nod, still staring a bit. Whatever pieces of his puzzle he was trying to piece together in his mind, he kept to himself...for the most part. “You didn’t seem comfortable with what you were doing...I mean...you made that...” He paused, motioning towards the grumbling fool on the ground behind her to gesture what had just taken place. “...look easy, but still you seemed like you had to improvise. Too heavy for you?” He asked quirking a brow. “Maybe the chains should be longer..give you more leeway.” He suggested with a shrug, running his fingers through his hair. “You from around here? Just haven’t...seen you in the city before...well not that it’s a small place per se..” Darren stated curiously as he thought knowingly, ‘Another...redhead...’

Essence chuckled, nodding up at the man. “Good eye....I was thinking of ways to improve the model but...” She shrugged as if pushing the thought aside. “That wasn’t the point of it all.” She stated, a puzzled expression crossing her features. “I...lived here for a time, but no...not from here.” Ess answered simply, rolling her shoulders to stretch her muscles a bit. Quickly back tracking on the subject to avoid the current she asked, “Are you a blacksmith? Or do you play? Just curious to how you know what I was concerned about over there..Mr...?”

“Darren...” He cleared his throat, purposely leaving out his last name, especially while in the city. Darren couldn’t be sure who knew his father and with his luck he was pretty sure most were either patrons or allies with the man. He did pay attention to the woman saying she was not from these parts, but merely a visitor of sorts maybe. “No, not a blacksmith...but yes I have played with fire here and there. How many times have you been burned before you got the hang of it...Miss...?”

Ess smiled as she began to walk in the direction of where she saw the Wolf pack Alpha meld into the crowd. It wasn’t that she was trying to be rude when she didn’t give her name but more that her mind was a bit preoccupied with following her current target of interest even if this boy before her seemed somewhat intriguing. Ess caught herself double taking the figure, staring back longer than she meant to as if she just noticed a detail she had previously missed. The blue of his eyes seemed to emanate a subtle purple hue; something she was not use to seeing which she chalked up to the kid probably having some sort of enlightenment. Raising her hand up slowly she let it hover before the man’s eyes and sighed, making sure he could see the blister forming on her fingertips before she retracted her hand. “I still get burned. We can’t play with fire and expect anything different, right? Things won’t always go as expected, so we improvise. Even if it’s something we don’t expect because if it’s expected or not, I think it hurts all the same. It’ll heal....just like the others and at least this one won’t leave a scar. But in the meantime, just like all the rest, we hide the wound...” Ess winked, triggering her ‘Mirage’ so that the blister suddenly disappeared as if it were never there.

As she walked away, Darren’s expression melted to one of pure confusion. He was dumbfounded. “Why do I have the feeling that was some cryptic woman chatter that I probably don’t want to even know about..?” He muttered to himself with a shiver, thinking she sounded a bit bitter and matter of fact like. He knew that sign well, feeling it was best to not pursue and question the woman further. Darren had been on the receiving line of that before. Turning to find Irv watching him with a curious expression, Darren snickered. “Now there my friend...is an example of the unpredictability of a redhead. A ticking time bomb. One second she appears ok, a smile on her face and the next she’s metaphorical and sounding like she’ll bite someone’s head off. Don’t even think about it man.”

~~~~
Tala had been slinking underneath chairs, tables; lurking behind tapestries and even trotted beneath one woman’s dress that was so wide she looked like a barrel that had exploded. The woman cursed the wolf with an annoyed shriek, complaining aloud, “Who let this animal in here?! Should be kept under control.” She snorted. Tala ignored her, nose stuck to the ground as she searched, catching sight of her ‘prey’ just as he seemed to walk away from another guest. Trotting forward, the wolf meandered past a few patrons, finagling her furry form in twists and turns trying not to bump into anything but it was difficult with the dancing figures. As she weaved out of the center of the room, she brushed by a woman in white. Tala slowed her pace into patient and calculated steps, head low to the floor and hackles raised before she froze, ears perking to attention as she stood behind Luckas. Casually sniffing the back of his pant leg she sneezed, a subtle whine mingled with a deep, throaty growl slowly growing louder before silencing again when her body suddenly lurched forward in some sort of gag like reflex. Sitting back on her haunches the wolf seemed to fall into a small fit of dry heaves, as if she were trying to wretch a hairball but nothing ever came. After a moment it passed and still the man’s back was turned to her in which she responded with a growl like bark that came and went in short bursts. It could almost be mistaken for words, if the wolf could talk. Tala then proceeded to walk through the man’s legs practically tipping him over as she pushed herself past to sit in front of him and stare defiantly up at Luckas, waiting to be acknowledged.
Mageria snorted a dry laugh. "It has indeed been a long couple of months, old friend." She tilted her head to the side and smiled mischievously. "Although if I've managed to fool you, that means that the nobles of Newhaven haven't a clue what's going on. As it should be." She leaned in closer. "Yes, they exiled me and mine. But what makes you think that I've actually left?" It was true, really. The number of Raven's in the Nest was about half of what it should be, if every Guard had followed her off into the wilderness. While the uninformed might think that the missing members had deserted her, they were actually still patrolling Newhaven. They rotated out every couple of weeks or so, in order to keep from being too noticeable. And they were getting a few recruits, young men and women who had heard who was in the area and come looking for training.

"I've even got a maid or two working for me. That's why I'm here, really. She wasn't able to stop anything, but she got word to me that Ella was on her way. What else could I do but show up?" She pushed away from the wall with one shoulder. "Now, I do believe I have some greetings to make, if you care to join me." Her eyes flashed a deep blue with her amusement. "We all know that this is going to go up in mass chaos soon or later. Why not enjoy it up till then?"

She wove her way through the crowd with ease, noting her silent amusement that for once people weren't scrabling to get out of her way. When the rest of the crowd happened to be know for being just as blood thirsty and psychotic, she was just a face in the crowd. She spotted her target as she swirled out of a dance and stepped up, for once her smile warm and welcoming.

"Hello, Ella. You're looking well."

ValcrestSetting: Valcrest


The party was starting to bustle with excitement again. The whole threat of not being able to leave started to pass around as people began to realize that there was no reason to worry about it. Even the party goers who were known for their panic-happy tirades were calmed by the crowds which acted as their camomile. It was a feeling that put Ella at ease. Despite her careless disposition, she had been in fear of what would happen far before she even arrived at the party. It was probably the reason she tried to convince Dominic into his old, shiny black suit. It acted as a mental buffer to anyone who wanted to try anything dramatic. There was only one person in the entire party that she knew had a taste for the dramatic and she knew that it probably wouldn’t be long. Evin wasn’t going to be trusted to keep the peace for just one night when there were so many different important people in one room.
Regardless of what was going to happen, she had to keep her composure. As a figurehead of Newhaven, she had no other choice, no matter how she felt inside.
“This isn’t going to end well.” Conrad whispered in her ear as their dancing feet slowly marched around the dance floor with rhythmic precision. “We all knew it wasn’t going to go well from the start, but now that there is no escape, we may have to start creating a strategic barrier.”
“And ruin the flow of the party? I don’t want history to write about the coward Queen who, in times of trouble, hid herself behind a pathetic barricade. I only imagine that it will all be embellished into something terrible too. I wouldn’t enjoy that.” Ella retorted.
Conrad stopped dancing, grabbing Ella by both of her arms. “You really are a fool Ella. Who cares what people think about you in the history books? The only thing that matters is that your lineage carries on until you have a child?”
“You are just as foolish Conrad. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and say that you actually care about my lineage—”
“That’s not fair!” Conrad interrupted.
Ella slipped her arm out of Conrad’s grip and gently placed her hand over his lips. “I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt, as much as I think otherwise. What do I care if my lineage takes on this job? It isn’t as fun as it may look. I’d much rather be a maid or merchant. Something that doesn’t require me to know every issue in the damned city of Newahven.” She looked around her to see if anyone was listening in. “I love you Conrad, but I just can’t do it. No matter how much you care about my lineage .”
That was all she had to say. Conrad stopped talking and walked off. Ella felt bad for what she did. Just the way that Conrad walked off was enough to tell her that she had said things that maybe she shouldn’t have. A part of her died inside to see him so distraught, but she wasn’t going to let anything ruin this Ball for her. She couldn’t help but feel bad while looking towards Conrad, so she turned around and

“Hello, Ella. You're looking well.”
“Shit!” Ella exclaimed. “Mageria. I don’t know why, but I’m surprised to see you. I mean, I expected you to be at the party—that wasn’t the surprise—it was just, just that you were right behind me.” Ella decided to stop talking as she felt she was just rambling on. Moving her hand to rub the back of her neck, she smiled and recomposed herself. “Well, uh, thanks! You look good yourself. I actually brought an armour set for you as well, but it’s in the carriage outside and
 well we can’t get ourselves out there anymore. Besides enjoying what will probably be the last few hours of this false peace that has plagued the land for the past three years, what is it that you are after by attending this party?”

-----

Within the maze of partygoers, there was one man who found himself lost, not within the ball, but within his own mind. This man was so deep in his mind, that he actually didn’t even notice the whole display of fire that was going on right around him. Alexander’s great strategic mind was too deep into the works of how exactly he would want to take care of things around the ballroom. There were some very good strategic vantage points that would allow for him to take care of a considerable amount of people, even if he was to be outnumbered. There were so many opportunities, but knowing exactly how and where to execute them would be the issue. If he could somehow draw the entirety of his enemy onto the dance floor, he would be able to run up the main staircase for a perfect bottleneck. That wouldn’t be enough. He would need to find a way to create a barrier on the first flight of stairs and then find a way to get the second flight blocked off as well. Actually, maybe that wasn’t a good idea. It could be risky to give them a chance for a two pronged attack, as the second flight of stairs split off in two directions.
That gave Alexander a perfect idea. He would surround them from either side of the balcony, but again, that wouldn’t be enough. He had to factor in that they were all communicating, all the time without saying a word. All they had to do was think, and the others would know exactly what they were doing. From there, whenever it seemed like the power of the Conflict was getting to be too much, he would split them off into small groups. Communication through enlightenment would get muddled at that point. It would also give him a chance to take on Lamya alone. The abomination that she was to him. It was such a disappointment to know that he had created her. She was the biggest concern as she would, needless to say, screw everything up if she was kept alive.

When he was finished with his strategic thoughts, he went over to one of the tables with all the food and whatnot on it. He knocked on it a couple of times to see how thick it was, and then compared it to the width of the staircase. It would do. He grabbed a drink from the table and downed it. At this point, he didn’t care. He was going to do whatever he wanted with these last couple of hours.
Walking down around on the floor, he met eyes with the great beast himself. He walked over to the man, who towered over him with a big smile on his face. “Grim! I didn’t expect to see you here.”
Mageria snorted softly. "You gave your followers the slip. When they couldn't keep up, they got in contact with me and told me what was going on." She shrugged slightly. "I thought it sounded like something that you couldn't be talked out of, so I decided to come along. My people who were in Newhaven couldn't pull out without being obvious.... Oh, I'm sorry." Mageria widened her eyes innocently. "Did I manage to give people the idea that me and mine actually left Newhaven? Sorry about that." She laughed musically.

"And honestly, I don't think that anything is going to happen here. There's far too many people who are armed to the teeth. It'd be a blood bath. Far more likely that we'll be threatened or someone will try and rearrange our minds or someone will be drug off to a dark corner and someone else will copy them and take their place...... Of maybe that while all the major players are here, everything we hold dear is going to be threatened." She sighed deeply, her shoulders moving with the breath. "But I doubt anybody's going to try and kill most of us. It just wouldn't be appropriate."

BlackpondSetting: Blackpond


Balls were not all they had been made out to be. There were loud eruptions and the occasional Oooh and Ahh over someone who entered with a name or rank, the low growl of people’s private conversations and of course the music and dancing. The room was a whirl of colorful dresses and men leading ladies across the floor to the beat of the music, and everyone seemed to be getting along perfectly well. Sweet, comforting, and yet boring as hell. Why Ella would even want to come to one of these was beyond her reasoning. Orders were orders and Ari had followed in secret for the time being to keep an eye on her. Ari stifled another yawn as she rose from her place on the wall, her ball gown swaying over legs as she made her way across the hall. It, like the one she had worn for her induction into the Pack, was also white. The dress was constricting to her hips before flaring out across a floral pattern that split the dress into two parts. The gap was pushed out by white chiffon, the edges of the silk cloth embroidered with silver threads that swirled out. White flowers wound into her hair and draped off her shoulder and a small silver circlet dipped between her brows in a twisted leaf pattern. Unlike most, Ari had also chosen small touch of paint to circle her eyes in a silver mask that was painted on and left her golden hair free to dip back along her waist. This wasn’t exactly her idea of a gown but if Sean had left it for her to wear, then she would. She figured that he would have perhaps the greatest expertise in these situations after all. The Wolf she had gotten it from was pretty adamant that she wear it too.

Absently she rubbed the palms of her hands, little pieces of earth still stuck to them. Ari had no clue that Ella was actually going to the ball and her little run had placed Ella out of eye sight and out of earshot. Ari did the only thing she could think of. It was back into the white wolf, running along the shadows and earth to get to Blackpond as fast as she could. Of course she had forgotten the gown so it was a miracle that one of the Wolves had been waiting outside of the palace gates to greet her with one. Surprisingly the guards had no questions when he escorted her inside, only to vanish once she was safely inside the ball room. Her hands and feet still ached from the mad sprint against time and somehow she was managing to catch her breath underneath the sweltering heat of the dress, and it didn’t help that she was trying to move freely about. The dress was big.

Her green eyes sparkled as she passed by and through the general chatter that came with the whole dancing thing, catching bits and pieces of it. Most of it was general and proper greetings, however, she occasionally stumbled upon the hushed, yet heated conversations of people who would have preferred to have nothing to do with other. These were the conversations that caught her ears, and sometimes even drew her eyes. Her body stopped, the graceful movement of her procession stopped as she caught sight of a women she knew. Dressed from head to toe in black, Ari was damn sure that it had been the woman who was there for the archery competition, who had set up. Ari licked her lips nervously, unable to pull her eyes from the women as she struggled to put a name to the face.

“Staring is rude,” a voice whispered behind her as a hand gently touched her elbow. Ari drew her gaze away to the face she had hoped to never see again. Kirsten smiled down at her gently; his black coat and pants gave his eyes a special glint as he took a small step back.

“Well, I will give you this, you do dress up nice,” he smirked as his eyes roamed up and down the length of the dress.

“Kirsten? What are you doing here?” she hissed quietly, trying to take a step back as well. He was having none of it and he pulled her forward to him as he took her arm forcefully and led her across the hall.

“I’ll explain later,” he growled, pulling her with him.

“I’ll scream.”

“Lower your voice Ari, people are staring.”

It wasn’t until then that she realized that his words rung true and she quietly let him lead her across the floor. Ari bit her lip nervously, her green eyes tingeing gold as Kirsten came to a stop and gently turned towards her.

“Do you trust me?”

“Trust you?!” Ari wanted to laugh, but all that came was a strangled squeak.

“Tonight I am neither your enemy nor a Hunter,” Kirsten soothed quietly, genuine concern flickering over his handsome features, his brow furrowing. Ari realized that he had taken her question as a sign of fear but before she could protest he again took her hand, his eyes burning red as a wall rose between them and the crowd. A moment later the wall was gone as well as the odd couple that had stood there only moments before. Only a few guests saw it fizzle, most of them coming to the conclusion that they really had had too much to drink that night and politely placed their glasses down.

Kirsten felt Ari shiver behind him the moment they vanished behind the tapestry. He couldn’t tell if it was because she hadn’t realized what was going on yet or if it was because he had dipped into her childhood memories to make the wall appear. It left most victims shaken; after all, he had to flip through her memories to locate the fear. It was an invasion, and according to Eric it was like having a dark presence make you watch the memories you hated most while flipping through them like cards. To him however, memories ran like a silver thread through his fingers; fragile when put through too much but strong and smooth though a gentle touch. He smiled as he couldn’t help but compare himself to a seamstress. Thread was easy to work with if you knew how, as were the memories and fears of people.

“Kirsten,” Ari whispered behind him in the dark.

“Hush, were almost there.”

He wasn’t lying, for a few moments later his hands closed onto a door knob and gave it a small twist. A door creaked open and he quickly pulled her inside. The Night Hunters rose, Eric being the first to move forward to pull the girl to her feet. Ari carefully stood, brushing down the wrinkles in the dress as she looked from Kirsten to Eric and then even to Lichen.

“Took you long enough,” Eric grinned, looking towards Kirsten with amusement as Kirsten laughed.

“She was so pretty I didn’t know what I was looking for. It was only the wolf in her threads that gave her away, that and the description of the dress” he motioned to the silver threads on the dress and he watched as she blushed, “Anyways, I do believe, however, that it’s time for you to change.”

“Wha—”

“The person who got you all this was not a Wolf, in fact Sean has no idea that you are here. It was one of the younger recruit’s ideas.”

Kirsten smiled softly as she shook her head gently, nodding toward Lichen who carefully laid a different dress on the table. Ari was resisting, he could see a bead of sweat on Eric’s forehead as he tried to work with the suspicion they placed there. It was very true that Sean did have no idea she was here, but the dress was from a Wolf. Finally she blinked and nodded. Her hands scooped up the dress and ran off to change out of it, leaving them alone as Kirsten grinned. It was no longer the smile of a concerned man, but the triumphant grin of a wolf who knows he’s got the rabbit trapped at the end of a ravine.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

When next Ari found herself immersed in the swirl of colors she was hanging onto the arm of Eric. They were caught in the middle of the dance, her face washed fresh and her eyes bright with laughter as he spun her. The new dress moved like water across her skin and the corset let her breathe with ease. The white material fell loosely around her hips and flared as she spun, the golden accents of the string lacing across her chest drawing the gaze of a few people. Her golden hair was spiraled and braided atop her head, her slender neck and collarbone shimmering slightly as Eric pulled her from the dance floor, his own eyes bright as he bowed.

“That was truly magnificent,” he smiled, taking her hand into his before bending to press his lips to the back of it. Her cheeks were hot from dancing and her breath was short as he thanked her again and moved off. Ari smiled and moved to press her back against the coolness of the wall, her fingers moving to touch her heart. She became a wall flower again; content to watch the dancers as she caught a glimpse of Sean out on the floor dancing, Ella talking to the women she still couldn’t name, and she could have sworn that for a moment she had seen Essence out there too. Ari smiled and shook her head gently, obviously she needed air. Carefully pushing herself away from the wall, she began walking toward one of the many windows, turning her back on the whirl of color and organized confusion.
"Alexander?"

Though he was glad to see another among his allies, he could not hide the surprise that came over him. Alexander was part of the Salamanders, and while it was noted he hadn't perished, his whereabouts were unknown. Grim had spent no time in attempting to gather together survivors. There were far more pressing matters then bothering about trying to reclaim a lost cause. He was glad to see Alex was among the party goers.

The former Salamander looked as worn as ever. Alex was after all far older and more wearied then even Grim, an old warhorse one might call him. Yet this man had a determination about him, a mission he was dedicated to. Hard working and tough as could be, but clever and wise in his time. Alexander had made an excellent Salamander and an even greater friend. Strange to see him here, but then anyone who had a stake in Valcrest was here this night.

Grim nodded politely and returned a smile. He was curious to Alex's activities but refrained from asking. Though kindly, the man before him was known to keep tight lipped on the past. Not to mention there could have been any number of eavesdroppers and there were far too many here with some kind of plan. Besides, there was something else digging at the back of Grim's mind.

"Alexander, I don't wish to sound hurried or strange. You've been an ally to my cause, and have served well under the green banner. There is something I wish to entrust you with... It may seem strange but hear me out."

Grim's hand shot up to keep from being interrupted. Morrigan was the one that nursed Alexander back to health, through her actions did the Salamanders acquire such a man. She is gone, and he didn't wish to dwell upon it. The wound was still fresh enough to tear at the Blade, and he didn't wish to bring it up. Lest he distract himself with pains he could not ease yet. Instead he wished to share with Alexander something special, something almost sacred in his own eyes.

Grim fidgeted a bit but eventually drew fourth a book that had been carefully hidden away behind his armor. He held it with care and treated the small bindings as delicately as possible. Catching the gaze of Alex's eye he spoke with a hushed tone. Imbuing the object with further proof of its importance, speaking distantly and with some sense of urgency. Lest other's intervene and try to claim the artifact for themselves.

"This book has seen the hands of Wolf, and White Shadow, and my own. A memoir, a diary perhaps, a journal of reality passed from foe or friend that truth may be recorded in its pages and passed along to the next. I had thought to give it to Mageria when I deemed appropriate. Yet... I can think of no man who holds more truths about this land then you. Having seen Valcrest change over a much greater length of time.

I wish to give this to you, that you might fill it with your words Alexander. Perhaps some day one will look back upon this and know the meaning of it."

He offered up the treasure to his old ally. Saying nothing more on the matter, but knowing full well he had put Alex on the spot. Grim had done all he could for the book, it was time for another hand to take it up. Perhaps fate decreed to have this meeting, and strike the Blade with the need to pass it to the hands whom had much to say.
Luckas was set on not turning around as he noticed the sound of a wolf walking after him, growls and whines trying to get his attention. He stubbornly resisted, as best as he could in this situation, to pay any attention to Tala. The last thing he needed was to be asked for explanations for the wolf chasing after him. It was only when the wolf nearly tripped him and sat right in his way that he acknowledged her presence, a bit annoyed by the amused laughter of some people who had been watching the whole scene. “Go away, Tala... What do you want from me?” He muttered, walking around the wolf and trying to find Sam in the crowded room. He could hear that Tala was still following after him, occasional growls and barks reaching his ears almost sounding like unintelligible bits of dialogue. It was adorable, and it obviously drew a lot of unwanted attention, both of which just served the purpose of annoying Luckas further. He had almost forgotten the fact that he was supposed to find Sam, and that’s when he felt a gentle, yet firm, grip on his shoulder. “I was looking for you. How did the exploring go?”
Luckas winced slightly at the touch on his shoulder, as he was not expecting it, and turned to face Sam giving a light shrug. “It’s actually pretty boring here, if the exits weren’t sealed I’d go home.”
Sam snickered, her bright eyes shining a faint yellow underneath their dark green. “And where would that be exactly, love?” She asked him, her gaze now falling past him to the wolf, but saying nothing.
“That... Is for me to know.” Luckas answered, smirking as if he was trying to be playful, even though he was actually being quite serious. He could hear a low growl coming from the wolf beside him slowly rising to a menacing snarl. Luckas looked back to the wolf with a questioning and intrigued look, Tala was baring her teeth, hairs raised along her neck, her blue eyes fixed on Sam. “You two know each other, Sammy?”
“I suppose... Your Beast Speaker friend must not have gotten a good impression of me.” Sam replied, her eyes cold as she looked upon the animal. “Friend of yours, Lukey?”
“I’m honestly not sure, Sam.” Luckas muttered in response. “Especially right now... It’s complicated.”
“How many of these ‘complicated’ friendships of yours will I be forced to deal with, love?”
“I don’t know...... How many have you counted so far?” Lukas asked playfully, but his smile faltered under her annoyed gaze. “Come on, Sammy... Don’t be like this. I really don’t know why she’s chasing me around.”
“Whatever, Luckas... Just... Do something for me, will you? Try and find out as much as you can about the king, just be discreet about it... Having to save your ass won’t make my evening more enjoyable.”
“Well, you can always delegate... I’m sure Amb-..uhm... Wyatt, wouldn’t mind that task. Although I kind of fear for my ass if that happens to be the case.”
“I think it would be wise of you... To fear once in a while... Love.” Sam whispered, giving a slight mocking bow towards Tala and walking to rejoin the crowds.
Luckas watched the woman leave with a concerned frown, glancing at Tala with an annoyed look in his dark eyes, a small trace of amusement in his tone. “Great... See what you did? Now I have yet another pissed off woman to deal with.” He mumbled; the wolf responding with a huffed bark as if amused by him. “So not funny. Bad wolf.” He muttered in response, walking off again; shooting occasional annoyed glares at the ever pursuing animal.

==========================================================

Jake had been watching the fire dancing display with an expression of childish amusement on his face when he felt a nudge and Irvin pointed out to him the fact he had momentarily let his attention slip away from Crys and what she was doing. What little joy there was in the man’s expression immediately shut down as he caught sight of her on the dance floor... With Sean...
“Are you still sure you don’t want to kill him now?” Irvin whispered to him.
Rhetorical as the question was, Jake couldn’t help but let it sink in. It was ironic how being in such an obvious trap provided some people with a safe haven to do as they pleased. When everyone was so mindful of their actions and unwilling to make any sudden moves, it acted like a shield. “I know he’ll get what’s rightfully his some day. Probably a lot sooner than he thinks. I’m in no hurry to see it happen.” He replied, his eyes following Crys’ movements as if in a trance.

[Flashback - Wolfpack Camp, approximately 6 years ago]

“This is stupid. I feel stupid.” Jake muttered under his breath.
“What did you say, Jakey? Jesse asked, an amused tone in her voice.
“Nothing
” The boy mumbled. “I just don’t see the point.”
“Well, Jakey, girls like boys who know how to dance.” Jess stated.
“I don’t even like girls!” Jake protested. “What do I care if they like me?”
Jessica giggled softly at Jake’s protests. “Yes, but one day you’ll feel different Jakey. And the sooner you start learning something the better you’ll be at it when you need it. Just like sword fighting.” She said. “Come on, now
 It’s not so bad.”
“Sword fighting is fun.” Jake muttered, dragging his feet around the living room as he walked to the center. “This is just
 Lame.”

. . .

Jake chuckled to himself as the conversation between he and his sister played out in his head; his eyes watching the figures moving around the campfire, dancing and laughing without a care. To him that was just the most amazing thing about the Wolfpack; they could, in certain moments, dance and laugh without a care. In these moments it was hard to see them as cold blooded killers and much easier to just see them as just a big happy family. It was in rare occasions that the Pack would have a party or celebration that involved the whole camp; mainly the Alpha’s birthday, a graduation, or a wedding celebration. This was the second, as well as the latter, and both celebrations were mashed together into one huge party.

“What are you smiling about?”
Jake raised an eyebrow as he turned to look at Crys. “How do you know I’m smiling?”
“Why wouldn’t you be? You’re finally free of me.” She chuckled softly before he had the chance to protest. “Oh, I meant as an instructor, don’t be silly now.”
“Yes, I’m a full grown Wolf now. Exciting.” He replied in a soft tone.
“Yes, does that mean you are actually going to go through with it?” She asked, a bit of concern in her voice. “You don’t have to kill them.”
“I want to.” He replied immediately. “I need to see them pay
 I can’t
 I need
 To end it
 This is just the only way I know how.”
“Maybe you should have more patience and learn another way, but
 That’s not my decision to make.” She sighed, changing the subject. “You didn’t answer me though; what were you smiling about?”
“I was just enjoying the party, in my own way.” He stated, with a brief nod of head.
“From a distance?” Crys snickered. “I see how that is
 Are you scared the girls will want you to dance with them?”
“I’m not afraid of girls, or dancing.” Jake shrugged slightly. “How about you?”
“What about me?” Crys asked, leaning on the opposite side of the tree he was leaning against.
“Why aren’t you out there with the others?” He asked.
“Well, I’m here with you. Can’t be in two places at the same time, now can I?” She asked absently.
“Fair enough
” Jake chuckled softly. “And
 What if I was over there with everyone else? That would solve the dilemma, now, wouldn’t it?”
“Suppose so.” Crys mumbled.
“Well
” Jake stated, pushing himself away from the tree trunk and stretching lazily before holding one hand out to her. “If that’s the case then
 Would you like to dance?”
“I don’t dance.” Crys stated casually.
“I’ve seen you dance.” Jake replied. “Come on, I’m holding out my hand
” He chuckled. “I promise it won’t hurt.”
“I don’t dance with others
 I don’t like to.” Crys replied.
“Why are you so afraid of people all the time?” Jake asked. “What is the absolute worst that can happen if we dance?” He paused a little bit to give her time to think then insisted. “I’m just going to stand here offering you my hand until you take it.” He informed. “Please hurry though, my arm is getting tired.”

Crys finally laughed and gave in, finding his hand rather easily and letting him lead her towards the music. “I really hate you sometimes.” She muttered, although amusement was clear in her tone.
“No, you don’t
 Because you know you’d never have any fun without me.” He answered, leading her hand towards his shoulder and placing his own casually upon her hip.
“Great, now I’m boring.” She complained, giving him a fake frown as if she was insulted.
“You are many things, and some of them are less pleasant than others, but boring is not one of them, that’s for sure.” Jake chuckled.
“Nice save there, mister.” She snickered, patting his shoulder playfully.
“Why, thank you. I try.” Jake replied, a rather satisfied smile crossing his features as she placed her right hand in his and they began moving to the music being played; the music was not entirely slow, but rather just soft enough.
“People are staring aren’t they?” Crys asked, a tone between amusement and annoyance in her voice.
“You are the Alpha’s daughter; people are just going to keep track of your movements wherever you are.” Jake stated simply. “You really should be more used to it.”
“Hm.” Crys mumbled.
“Hey
” Jake called, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. “Just forget them... It’s as simple as that.”

Crys let out a slightly bitter chuckle, but didn’t answer directly. She kept quiet for a few moments before speaking again. “Do you think I’m afraid of people?” She asked.
“I don’t know, Crys
 You are certainly afraid of something though.” Jake answered calmly. “I just think you don’t have to be.”
“Aren’t we all afraid of something, Jakey?” She retorted. “Why should I be any different than everyone else? I’m just as human as the rest, you know.”
“A little too much at times, but yes
 You are.” He replied. “But
 What I mean is that you don’t have to be afraid now, because I’m here, and if the stares bother you, well
 There’s an easy fix for that, you know.”
“Right, because vanishing in the middle of the camp won’t draw any attention at all.” Crys replied, pure amusement in her voice.
Jake leaned forward and snickered softly into her ear as he whispered. “What makes you think we haven’t already?” He gave a light shrug. “I can’t make the rest of the world disappear for you, but I can do this
 So just
 Forget them.”


[Reality - Blackpond Castle, present time]

Before Jake could really think about it, he had mumbled something to Irvin along the lines of ‘stay close to Darren’ and began to wander off heading in the general direction of the dancing figures as they parted ways.

==========================================================

Sean stepped away from Crys still mulling over some of the things they’d spoken. The day would come when they would have to face one another, that was an undeniable fact. The consequences would be tragic, that was also true. There was nothing that could be done to change that and they knew it; so why were they still dancing around the matter? He wasn’t exactly sure what was keeping him from making a move against the former Alpha, but he felt as if he was waiting for something to tell him the day had arrived. Distracted with these thoughts Sean failed to notice another presence of, some, importance as he made his way through the party guests, some of them still staring at him due to his little display of... Whatever it was he and Crys were trying to prove; he wasn’t sure of that either. It was only when he felt someone grab his shoulder and a voice call to him that he realized the woman was there, her voice causing him to cringe and reach for the hilt of his sword immediately.
“Tell me boy... What kind of an assassin are you? Have you even noticed that the woman I’ve asked you to kill is in this very room?”
Sean turned around to face Ebony with absolute rage in his eyes, grabbing her wrist and pushing her hand away from him as if it was something that was absolutely vile and also caught on fire; taking notice that the woman had, at least, eight hired goons at her back, who probably thought they were being inconspicuous, when in reality they were failing miserably at being discreet. He hated, hated, being pressured and his already intense dislike for the woman grew to seriously dangerous levels at her words. “If you think it’s that simple, why don’t you go and do it, ma’am?”
“I paid...”
“You paid for a professional hit. Which by no one’s definition consists of committing an assassination in an area filled of guards and other possible hostile individuals and absolutely no way out.” Sean interrupted. “Nowhere in the contract does it say that you own me or has the right to give me any orders either, so I suggest you change your tone.” He stated, pacing towards the woman with a menacing look in his eyes. “Now.”
“Well, excuse me, kid, if I’m not convinced you’ll follow through, considering my history with your kind.”
“I will fulfill the contract. Even if you were to, say, suffer an unfortunate accident, I would still fulfill the contract. Don’t worry... Not about that at least.” He told the woman. “Worry about how much you seem to unnecessarily test my patience, because I swear to all the Gods, you insufferable hag... If you ever touch me or question my integrity again I’ll forget that you are a thing with lady parts... And I will cut off your hands and shove them so far down your throat you’ll never be able subject anyone to another one of your streams of verbal diarrhea ever again.” Sean’s tone was smooth and calm on the surface, but a hint of an angered growl was noticeable underneath as he advanced another step towards the woman. One of the hired mercenaries stepping forth to stand in his way as if trying to somehow justify what he was being paid for. The man was bit larger than Sean and about ten years older as well. The years he had over the assassins bringing an unmistakable air of arrogance to his eyes as he placed one hand on Sean’s chest to push him back; huge mistake. Sean’s reaction was immediate. The moment the man’s hand touched his shirt, Sean grabbed the man by his middle finger, bending it backward and consequently twisting his arm in a way that forced him to turn around to avoid it being dislocated, the pain causing his knees to give in slightly. AS the man turned away from him, Sean reached for his belt and pulled a dagger, pressing it firmly against the man’s throat. “This is a celebration... And we wouldn’t want to cause a commotion so if you scream, or as much as yelp, I will silence you... You understand me?” He muttered, not waiting for any kind of response and proceeding to kick his left knee in, the sickening sound of bone crackin drown out by music and conversation as Sean let go of both the dagger and the man. The man didn’t make a sound at the pain and simply dropped down, two of his buddies rushing to help him up. With an annoyed grunt Sean spun around, pointing a blade toward the eye of a mercenary who had tried to sneak up on him from behind, the weapon partially concealed underneath the assassin’s sleeve. “Are we through now?” He asked. “Because if we’re not, I guarantee you pal... You’ll all be following your employer around with matching eye patches.”
The mercenary backed down and Sean lowered the blade, tucking it into a sheathe in the back of his belt. “Good.” He stated, pushing past the man as addressing Ebony over his shoulder. “You’ll know when it’s done, until then... Do us both a favor and stay out of my sight.”

The woman replied, but Sean didn’t bother listening and simply kept walking away. His complete annoyance making it difficult for him to focus on where he was going and who was on his path, which caused him to collide with someone rather forcefully in his haste to get away from the old hag. Sean stumbled only slightly upon impact, his hand automatically gripping the woman he nearly ran over by her arm to keep her from falling. “I’m sorry... I wasn’t paying attention... You alright?” He asked, releasing his hold on the redhead once assured that she had regained her balance.

===========================================================================

Sam parted ways with Luckas and once again scanned the ballroom. All of the people she planned on maybe bumping into were engaged in conversations... All but one... And so she quietly made her way to the girl in white robes. Annie. It would probably be a quick encounter, there was little to be discussed with a healer. It would still be entertaining however. Approaching the girl from behind, Sam called in a soft tone. “You... Are Annie Turner. Aren’t you?”

Annie smiled in amusement even before turning to face the woman who addressed her, Luckas’ words coming to mind at the sound of the woman’s voice; ‘I feel something tugging at the end of my leash’. They hadn’t met before, and yet something in the woman’s tone gave her away, the tone of someone who never asks a question they don’t already know the answer to. “Aren’t I?” She asked, her tone nearing mockery, but lingering in amusement. “You know who I am. I know who you are.” She stated. “We are both far more perceptive than this conversation has led on so far, so perhaps we should start acting as such, no? Instead of wasting time with silly games. So, might I ask... Milady... How may I be of assistance on this fine evening?”

Sam laughed softly, seemingly delighted by the respectful and yet bluntly aggressive tone of Annie’s replies; no one had ever made her out so easily before. “I am almost absolutely certain that it is not in your best interest to assist me in any way, Miss Anne. I do however have some curiosity pertaining the Myths... If you could spare a few moments of your time of course.” The woman smiled kindly; her green eyes lit up in cheerful curiosity as she stared at Annie. “There are things I always thought to myself, I’d love to ask your mother about, but unfortunately we never had the opportunity to discuss before she... Passed...” The woman trailed off, visibly fake embarrassment in her tone. “I am certain you can handle my simple questions however.”

Annie’s dark eyes glared at the woman with an intensity much similar to her mother’s, it was the look of someone not to be messed around with. It was menacing and nearly dangerous. Not something anyone was used to seeing in the, usually cheerful, young healer. “My mother lacked the time for many, many, things... Miss Samantha. Her passing was a rather unexpected and premature one, as I am sure you know. Please, I would be more than glad to shed some light on your view of the Twins. Ask whatever questions you wish.”

Sam nodded in a playful show of respect, not surprised that the girl already knew her name somehow. “Please, do call me Sam. And I am sure you would be glad to enlighten my views. My questions are simple ones though, as I said... I would simply like some answers as to your clan’s views on the Myths... Specifically... I would like to know what makes you believe in them when you know there is more to the stories than what the public is told.” Sam stated, her tone becoming slightly colder and almost accusing. “What makes you think the Blackhurst Elders had the authority to decide what is true and what is not? What makes their judgement so much better than everyone elses to the point of your clan basing your entire belief system on their view of what happened despite knowing there is more to the story than that? Please... Miss Annie... Do explain to me how do you allow the apprentices taught by your healers to be fed those lies.”

Annie snickered softly, shaking her head in an uncharacteristically condescending way. “Sam... I believe in the Twins and what they represent, regardless of whether they did in fact exist in this plane of existence or not. The veracity of the Myths, in the sense which you speak of at least, is irrelevant to our faith. We teach our apprentices faith, and acceptance. We don’t tell them the Myths are fact nor do we coerce them to blindly believe in anything. The White Shadows is a clan of healers, scholars, and pacifists... We are not a cult. We do not raise sheep, Miss Sam. Any other clarifications you would like me to make?”

Sam laughed. “You do not raise sheep? Did you honestly, truthfully, just uttered those words? Tell me something, Annie... Do you teach your recruits about the parts of the Myths that speak of Terra and her ‘supposed’ origins? Do you speak of Hell to them and all the dreadful things the first Children did to make its existence necessary? Do you tell them of the fact there are several accounts of people gaining enlightened gifts upon entering Valcrest borders and how any records of these accounts were buried by the Elders the moment they were discovered because if they were made public they would cause people to severely question the exactitude of the Myths and the Elders’ own conclusions as to what truly happened between Terra and Life; conclusions that were never really based on any sort of actual proof?”

“There are no actual studies on how magic behaves outside of Valcrest or how outside magic interacts with the Land’s magical source, Sam. Those accounts are proof of nothing, except that there is magic outside the land and that it behaves differently here; which is something we have already established thousands of years ago. Those occurrences were all studied and documented... The records were not buried; they were destroyed along with the City. It is easy to twist words and actions when the entire civilization involved in the actual events has been nearly annihilated. Isn’t it? As for our students... They have access to every bit of written and told history, no matter how obscure, and they are encouraged to take their own conclusions; to have faith in what feels real to them. As long as it harms no one.” Annie’s tone was calm and collected but the look in her eyes remained cold and nearly contemptuous. “I encourage their faith, as I encourage yours... As long as it harms no one, of course.”

“What do you tell them, Annie, when they speak of how the Goddess has personally put you on this world to guide them? Are you going to tell me you also encourage them to worship your existence?”

“I tell them... We are all put on this world with a purpose. On my own personal experience, those who demand or accept worship are those who are the least worthy of praise.” Annie replied simply. “Wouldn’t you say?”

Sam chuckled. “Humility is the only illusion greater than peace; that is my only say on this particular matter. You won’t accept worship because of all the responsibility that comes with it, I think though... If anyone deserves worship is the leader of the White Shadows. Your level of foolishness and patronizing arrogance are match to that of the Gods themselves.”

Annie smiled a bit more truthfully at Sam’s words and gave a playful shrug at the woman’s offenses. “Well, Miss Samantha... If it means so much to you, you have my permission to worship me. After all, I wouldn’t want to deny anyone of their beliefs. I am a faithful individual, as I am sure you are as well.”

Sam’s eyes hardened slightly at Annie’s words but her tone and overall demeanor never left their apparent tranquility as she gave the teenager a half bow for the insult. “You are a... Fascinating individual... Annie Turner. It is a pity that my faith and your cannot coexist.”

Annie gave Sam an intrigued look at those words, and almost innocent expression taking over her features as she nodded in acceptance to her statement. “It is a pity indeed...” She opened a half smile, amusement taking over her eyes, causing the dark brown to sparkle a faint golden light. “I trust the Twins will protect and guide whatever lost sheep you may leave along the way.” Taking a surprisingly sincere bow of respect Annie turned to walk away from the older woman. “Until we meet again, Mistress.”

Sam smirked behind the girl’s back as she walked away; amusement in her eyes, mixed with a slightly predatorial glare as they followed the healer across the room. “Sooner rather than later... Healer.” She mumbled to herself.
Essence knew the general direction of where she’d last seen the Alpha in the ever moving crowd, yet she found herself momentarily distracted as she caught the distant barks of her furry companion from the other side of the dance floor. Coming to a halt she clicked her heels in thought, not even paying attention to the small crowd of people that passed briskly past her, her image appearing small and almost insignificant until it parted again and left her momentarily alone. Her expression was empty, violet orbs darting furiously through the many forms as she tried to pinpoint Tala. In a way, she appeared ‘lost’ in the manner she stood idle and as the thought of moving forward crossed her mind she didn’t even get a chance to turn before someone rammed into her with such purpose she indeed almost lost her balance if not for the firm grip on her arm. The coat of her gown had slipped to the floor at the small collision, her hand instantly covering the man’s and gripping over his fingers, her instincts at the ready. Yet, as her eyes reached his, a sweet smile took over, hiding her delighted surprise and the devilish idea of breaking his hand for touching her but she wasn’t stupid; it was just a natural thought that she quickly brushed aside.

“Oh...nice reflexes...” Ess giggled, shrugging off the apology. “No harm done. Hm, good grip too.” She winked, letting her fingers loosen and trace his fingers along her arm. “How...fortuitous...” Ess sang, shyly pulling her gaze from his. “You’re the Wolfpack Alpha...” She quickly stated, something in her tone that was a mix of interest and distaste, but she remained polite, honestly more curious than anything as it was clearly not her place to say or do anything in Mageria’s name. Again, she was here as a set of eyes and ears, not to pick fights with another’s foe especially when she knew next to nothing about the individual. “I’m sorry, how rude of me...My name is Essence. What is a good looking man like yourself doing here without a lovely woman on your arm? Maybe that’s what had you in such haste? It’s...usually a woman that sends a man in earnest in the opposite direction... ” Quirking a brow she stared at him, the violet of her orbs intensifying into a myst like glow passing across her irises like a fog. “I doubt it was Miss Rivers that sent you this way.” She added, matter of factly. “I just mean, you don’t seem like the type to run, even if it is something you fear.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Darren watched Jake wander off from the corner of his eye, noting he went in the same direction as the redhead and chuckled, leaning over towards Irvin. “Hey...I thought you liked girls...” He teased, nodding towards the Alpha. “You keep staring...hey, come now, lets get your mind off whatever that is and onto something more pleasant..” Casually he rested one hand on Irv’s shoulder and slowly turned him towards a group of girls chatting away over their wine glasses, catching one or two pairs of eyes and flashing a debonair smile. “Smile Irv...see that cute, blond one? She keeps looking at you...why don’t you go say hi? I’ll be right behind ya.” Darren gave Irvin a little shove and then crossed his arms to watch, turning abruptly when he thought he caught the wolf he had been searching for following a dark haired individual. He didn’t seen the man’s face as both disappeared in the crowd causing Darren to snort in annoyance. It was then Darren saw a group of men following an older looking woman around in an awkward circular wall-like shield. The scene caught him as odd because although the room was filled with many people who most likely disliked each other and were well armed, none had an entourage at their heels.

“Ah, young Hearst...not surprised to see you here...” A woman’s voice came from behind the men who slowly parted to the sides, backs to the older woman as they watched the perimeter. “Where’s your father? Still in prison? Pity....him and I have some old ‘business’ to discuss.”

Darren cringed when the woman came into view, making it hard to force a smile when she smiled a decaying smile. Even more so when she called out to him by name and asked for his father. Darren bowed in a polite fashion but really it was to avoid looking at the crone, the idea coming to mind that she looked like a walking corpse, especially with the eyepatch that smelled of rot. “I don’t know how my father is doing..” He answered simply. “Anything I can help with?” Darren asked curiously as he stood up straight, towering over the decrepit, hag before him.

Ebony snorted. “You have no authority in your father’s line of work...which I hear he runs pretty well from the prisons within this very city. Word....gets around.”

Darren shrugged, “Maybe I don’t have any direct authority, no.” His brows narrowed as his smile suddenly faded away, his gaze curious with a hint of disgust. “His business dealings never interested or sat well with me. Who are you to know of my father?”

“I know plenty of your father. We were longtime business partners, him and I. I was there the day you were born Darren. I was there when all of them were born.”

Darren’s eyes flashed a sharp blue, a subtle groan escaping him. “Who the hell are you and what the hell are you talking about?”

“Oh, you mean you don’t recognize me, Darren? It’s Aunty Ebony...don’t you remember?” The woman spat. “I remember you. One of the many screaming hells I had to do away with. Lucky for you, you were one of the few who got to live past the afterbirth. Which brings me back to this business deal of mine and Ashers’. You. Usually I send the little harlots off to the dumpster if not to their usual interested parties, but for some reason your father wanted to keep you.” Ebony rolled her eyes, shrugging as if truly confuse to why Asher would do such a thing. “Maybe because you were the first son he ever had..”

Darren’s eyes went wide, a swirling, nauseated sensation filling his stomach. Darren wasn’t one to get angry and not easily, but what concerned him more in that instant was why this woman he couldn’t remember acted as if she knew him. There was no rhyme or reason to her mocking and cruel words except that she was deliberately trying to get a rise out of him. His first instinct was to reach out to her. To hell with her riddle chatter, he could use his enlightenment and find out whatever it was she was going on about. Stepping forward, two of the mercenaries instantly blocked his path, not giving Darren an inch towards Ebony. “You....are not human...” Darren whispered, staring past the men in utter awe as Ebony spoke. “I have....sisters? My own father...sold his own blood? I was bought?”

Ebony chuckled a condescending choking sound that emanated from her haggard appearance. “Say hi to your father for me when you see him again...” The woman whispered, her smile somewhat innocent yet causing shivers to travel down Darren’s back. “Tell him he should remember what happens when he tries to screw me over. I promised I’d start with him, and destroy him from the bottom up.” Ebony sneered, motioning for some of the men to follow as she turned to leave, a feeling accomplishment making her cocky but not foolish. She pointed to two of the men who stayed behind to continue to block the boy as he began to sweat. “Make sure he doesn’t follow..”
The lights, the drinks, the sound of the music unable to calm the rapid beating of hearts couldn’t distract from the tight tension that had her on edge. Ari itched. It wasn’t the fabric of the dress or the hot humid climate that her body had decided to take, it was her enlightenment. Something seemed wrong, out of place and it made her jumpy. Her green eyes were streaked with silver, her nose crinkled at the smell of the alcohol in her hands, her ears catching the soft whispers of those across the hall, her eyes scanning the windows, the doors, the dresses. Everything screamed threat and Ari shifted uncomfortably. Wolf was begging to be let out, to rip, tear, and defend and she had half a mind to do so. After all, she might have been the only one unarmed on the entire premises. However that wouldn’t have been pleasant. Somehow she managed to hold the wolf in check; perhaps it was the image of a girl running across the floor only to tear into a black wolf, or maybe it was the horror of being naked in front of everyone after the fact. Either way, it would have been funny in a couple hundred years to everyone else except her.

Ari took a sip of the drink, her fingers trembling as she then set the glass down. It was supposed to be calming, yet all it did was set her teeth on edge. Something smelled wrong. Ari turned her eyes back onto the crowd, locating her two targets quickly. Ella looked relatively safe; she did have a guard with her. Sean was talking to some girl and he seemed pretty safe too. Keeping an eye out was making her head hurt. Her first duty was toward the Alpha, she would lay her life down to protect him, and it wasn’t just because he had adopted a snot-nosed brat and turned her into this. He had become someone she considered a friend. Ella, on the other hand, was her new charge. If anything happened to her, Ari considered it a failure on her first mission, and wouldn’t Sean just love to gloat over that. And yet, Ella had been so open with someone she saw as just a maid, had listened. Most people didn’t listen to her. Then there were the other’s Ari had to keep an eye on. Dastan, Crys, Ali, Ess, Luckas; any one of them could blow her cover and expose her secrecy to those she didn’t want to know who, or where she was.

Her tongue ran over her lips and she let her hand fall to her side only to be pushed up by a wet nose and onto a head. She felt it rest on fur. Tala whined, her paw tugging into the hem of Ari’s dress and carefully, Ari knelt to the ground. Her eyes became level with that of the wolf and Ari smiled as Tala appeared to do the same, her knowing eyes bright but curious. They remembered each other, even outside wolf form, which was clear in the way that Ari could gently press her face into the shoulder, her face hidden in the musky scent of the wilderness.

“Tala girl. You remember,” she breathed, her fingers gently combing through the fur. The wolf seemed to let her pull everything back together and the anxiety slowly withdrew. As Ari pulled away Tala wagged once and then made her way back into the horde, her nose working the air in front of her as she scampered off, leaving Ari once again alone in the big room. Ari sighed and stood again, her dress moving like water across her knees. It was time to go, let someone else watch for awhile.

Ari cut her way through the crowd, passing many other people, her eyes locked on the way she came in.

“Ari!”

Ari groaned and turned her head, her eyes locking onto the face of Sesh. He waved and gently took her arm, pulling her back away from the doors and into the mob. His snow colored hair caught the light, his eyes dark as he smiled.

“I never thought I would see you here,” he grinned like a puppy, his entire ensemble black again, including the dagger he toyed with at his hip.

“I never thought you would go back to Kirsten,” she mused, her fingers picking at the grapes he had offered her from the food table.

“He is a devil to break from. You know the strength of Blood Moon.”

“Yes, but I really need to get out of here,” she sighed, shifting uncomfortably at the fact that now all of Kirsten’s men knew her attachments and abilities.

“You can’t, not yet anyway,” he smiled as she groaned his eyes bright with mischief, “Perhaps you could try sneaking out the windows up there. But you’d have use your enlightenment.”

“Excellent, then I will.”
He watched as she dropped under the table, a moment later, a small bird fluttering up from under it. It chirped and then flew up and as he looked around no one seemed to be any the wiser.

Ari was airborne. The tips of her wings glowed the same silver as her eyes and her small body drifted up above the palace, her wings tipping and tilting along the air. Her sharp eyes scanned the roofs, her beak clacking as her suspicion was proven wrong. She then dove down toward the ball. The windows above the dance floor, higher than anyone could climb, were slightly open to let in air and Ari had no problem swooping into the ball room. She landed on the grandest chandelier, her wings flapping as her head cocked. There seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary, just bright flowers swaying on the ground and the chatter of those she couldn’t understand. Her talons closed and flexed, watching as some of the glitter balls fell from the light and shattered against the ground. Her body hopped and fluttered, the lamp swinging as the hanging strained and groaned with the extra weight. A couple of people had looked up and were pointing. Ari leapt to another side, her head cocking as she looked toward Sesh. He had his eyes closed and was leaning in a corner, his arms crossed and his brow furrowed in concentration and worry. She laughed. As only a bird could, the laughter rose as a small chirping and flapping of wings. The lamp fell and Ari with it.


People dove out of the way, the music stopping as it came shattering on the ground. Glitter balls flew and popped loose, rolling under heels and along the ground as the candles on the lamp broke or went out and fell onto a small falcon. Sesh opened his eyes, moving away from the wall as his connection broke with the guard. People were screaming, whispering, some even had actually touched their weapons and he shook his head as he looked upon the mess that lay before him. He shook his head, wondering what could have caused the fall when he caught sight of a small flash of silver. He casually moved over towards the mass of brownish feathers, his body bending to gently scoop the bird up. Its head lolled in his hands and his thumbs gently stroked its breast, watching as the wings fluttered in response.

“It’s okay!” someone called but Sesh didn’t need to turn back to know that he was talking about the situation and not the bird. He moved away from the open pit, moving past people he didn’t care much about now, his attention was fixated on the bird. He looked up apologetically at a redhead and what he thought might be the Alpha, having walked between them. He carried the bird away, reaching the other end of the hall where there was water. He dropped a palm full on top of the bird’s beak, watching as it fluttered up to life in his hands, making a strangled chirping noise. Silver eyes stared at him, and Sesh smiled.

“Ari, you little devil,” he whispered, his grin reaching his eyes. His fingers stroked over her feathers, pulling his fingers away as she snapped at them.

“Getting you dressed is going to be hard now, you know that?” he smirked as she stared at him, cocking her head as her body began to melt. “Now? Ari, my dear, you are full of surprises.”

He carefully placed her on the ground watching as she chose, at the last moment to become a black wolf. She shook out her pelt, nudging him in his leg as she sniffed him with a small whine. Her tongue lolled from her mouth as she sat.

“Your dress is currently in the arms of a very confused guard. Don’t worry I will get it back and come up with something, but for now, you better just stay.”


Ari growled, the pun obviously intended as Sesh smirked and left her alone in the corner. She clacked her teeth and stood, walking forward along the crowd to see the extent of her little adventure. It wasn’t pretty, that was sure and Ari’s nose wrinkled as she caught a very good whiff of Sean. She sneezed and turned her head back over her shoulder to catch sight of him, his eyes appearing to glower at her. Just in case she shrugged, turned away, and melted back into the mass of people, all whispering and whining. She hadn’t meant to, but at least this had given her a chance to escape the itchy vulnerable human form. Her tail wagged as she cut her way around, crawling between the red head, Ess, and Sean. There she lay, her eyes looking up at him for a moment and then at the girl. Neither one took notice of her nor neither smelled like anything but suspicion. Well, that was good. They were not in imamate danger, not in the slightest. She wormed her way out of view, some people stepping back as she made her way to try and find Ella, drawn on by the smell of flowers and pink.

It wasn’t long until she saw the queen, her Black Knight and her clearly in conversation. Their whispers hushed and rushed. Ari scented the air around the two, back on her belly against the wall. When she was sure there was no danger to either of them, well, except random falling candles, she smiled. Good. Everything seemed to be alright and she no longer felt anxious. It was interesting how her fears had come to rest with the chaos that was happening around her. Ari smiled, being a small black wolf was cunning and relaxing. Slowly Ari dropped to her stomach, backing away as she caught sight of Sesh waving towards her, a white dress in his arms. The mess was already being taken care of, a speaker quickly answering questions and explaining what could have happened. Ari was honestly quite amazed with how well they were handling the fear and suspicion, almost as if—

“Get under the table and pull this back on, then tie it once you get back up, hurry. People are starting to mill about again,” he warned, as Ari grabbed the dress in her teeth, pulling it with her under the table and sliding into it still in wolf form. Granted it was awkward and tight, but it was better than trying to slide it on under the table. The shift was quick and she rolled from under the table. As she stood and quickly tied the knot in her dress, she whirled, her body colliding against someone as her bare feet tripped on the hem of the dress. Her hand caught herself on his build, his arm gripping hers as she slowly straightened herself out.

“Sorry!” she whispered, her green eyes locking onto a pair of dark brown ones. Her hand was pale in comparison to his tan skin, and her face blanched as she recognized the desert man and it was truly the last person she wanted to see here.
“Dancing with Sean... What are you trying to do to me, hm?”
Crys stopped in her tracks at the familiar whisper behind her back, her body tensing entirely and gradually relaxing as she held back her first instinctive reaction and calmly turned to face Jake. “What, if I may ask, would I be doing to you... Jacob?” She asked, her tone cold with a fake tone of curiosity. “Or rather, what could I possibly do to you that you don’t absolutely deserve?”
Jake flinched at her words, a sigh escaping him, his voice faltering. “Fair point... I just...”
“Don’t. Whatever this is, we’re not getting into it here.” Crys cut him off with a severe look in her eyes. “This is not the time or the place.”
“You do realize this hurts me, don’t you? He asked in a whisper.
“Yes. Yes, Jake... I do. This... Isn’t about you and me though. It’s just a matter of, trying to keep the peace... So find a way to deal. I know I have.”
“Trying to keep the peace... You know, I don’t think that phrase was ever uttered during peaceful times. The lengths we're all willing to go to fool ourselves...” Jake chuckled bitterly, raising his hands in a defensive manner. “I know... Not here. Not now. I won’t make a scene or anything don’t worry.” He played, heaving a deep sigh. “I just... Wanted to see you... I always want to see you.”
Crys closed her eyes for a moment, shaking her head and falling into silence for a few seconds, once her eyes opened again, her tone changed to one of warning. “Go back to your friends, Jakey.”

Jake frowned slightly at Crys’ words, eyes darting around the room looking for Darren and Irvin. He spotted Irv first, awkwardly approaching a group of girls, not too far from him he saw Darren, a woman walking away from him leaving two men who were obviously hired mercenaries behind with the boy. He didn’t have to look to know that Crys had walked away the moment he put his focus on Darren, so he didn’t bother looking back and simply started to calmly make his way to him and his... ‘companions’. Things didn’t look friendly between them and if someone was planning on messing with the boy, they’d be messing with him too. Moving around so that he reached the two mercenaries from behind Jake addressed the man in a calm yet firm tone of voice, right hand resting upon the hilt of his sword. “Gentlemen... Do you have some sort of... Issue... With my friend here?”

---------------------------------------------

Irvin wasn’t all too sure about going to talk to the girl Darren pointed out to him, but before he could say a word of protest the older boy had sent him on his way. Irvin wasn’t going to admit it, but he wasn’t too good in talking to girls around his age. There weren’t many of them around in the prisons and before that he was far too concerned with survival to think about socializing. Now that he was thinking about it, he has no idea how to go about actually doing it. The girl Darren had showed was in fact watching his approach with discreet glances and shy, yet welcoming, smiles. The boy was trying hard to keep his focus on what he wanted to do, he’d gone over it again and again in his head: ’Smile, say hi, don’t be weird.’, it seemed simple enough, but for some reason actually following through with the plan was a whole other story. Suddenly Irvin felt as if he had forgotten basic human behavior and he simply stood before the girl in silence, looking a bit as if he was about to throw up. The girl smile at him sweetly, amusement clear in her expression as her friends started to giggle around her. After a few seconds of patiently waiting for the boy to speak the girl let out a chuckle and greeted. “Hi.”
Irvin winced slightly, realizing his brain had momentarily shut down on him, forcing a small cough he tried unsuccessfully to swallow down the knot caught in his throat, his voice sounding a bit weak. “Hey... I... Uh... Hi... I’m Irvin.”
“Irvin, nice to meet you, I’m Joslin.” She said, sounding pleased that he was finally speaking, even if barely.
Irvin smiled back nervously, discreetly wiping his sweaty palms at the hem of his shirt. In his awkwardness the boy began to look around, eyes searching his surroundings for his friends, Darren wasn’t far, but Irv didn’t like the looks of his company and for what he could tell, neither did Jake. The girl was still talking, it seemed, but the boy’s attention was momentarily caught up in whatever was happening with his friends and he began to slowly wander off mumbling an apology.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

“You’re the Wolfpack Alpha...”

Never, to Sean’s experience, had that sentence been followed by a pleasant exchange of any sort and he was momentarily taken by surprise at the fact that this woman, whom he had nearly ran over, not only knew who he was, but was acting so pleasant. She mentioned Crys’ name, and yet there was no hostility in her tone... He would have been more comfortable if she slapped him in the face. It would just spare him the trouble of trying to figure out what her deal was exactly. His little flinch prevented him from paying full attention to the woman’s introduction, but as soon as he composed himself he realized why her name seemed so familiar... He’d read it twice before. He didn’t think the name was common enough for this to be a coincidence. “Essence? Are you the same Essence whose name is carved on a table in the Newhaven Inn? You know, I should make you pay me for vandalizing my establishment, Essence... But then it would probably ungentlemanly of me to demand compensation from a lady for such a small act, even if said act inflicted damage to my property.” Sean’s tone made it unclear whether or not he was joking about the table, his eyes playful although his voice was undeniably serious. Opening an amused smile the Alpha shook his head slightly. “Maybe I’m not interested in the type of woman who would find it acceptable to cling to a man’s arm for an entire evening pretending not to be incredibly bored. Or maybe I just can’t find a lady who won’t refer to me as ‘the Wolfpack’s Alpha’.” He stated, his smile growing more amused as he added. “It’s Sean by the way, miss Talon, in case that little detail is not a part of the many things being gossiped about my person. It’s been nice meeting you so far, let’s see how long that lasts, shall we?”

------------------------------------------

Luckas didn’t need to look too long to find the king, the man looked perfectly normal and respectable from a distance... They all did... but Luckas could see something else, something familiar in the man’s eyes; something that made him momentarily forget the nature of his task. He didn’t need to get to close, just wait for a moment where the he could see the man’s eyes, moving to a more quiet corner, where he was unlikely to be bothered he looked into the eyes of King Rick, and waited for the world around him to melt away.

"Do you smell that?" Lamya asked Simon, who had already noticed what was going on.
"Of course I do. Don't take me for a fool."
"I only take you for what-" Lamya said before Simon cut her completely out of the conversation along with the rest of the assassins.
All but Rick and Simon were now connected through mind. There was an extra visitor, however. He was so well hidden that only Simon and, surprisingly, Lamya were able to detect. Not even Rick, who seemed to be the person who was under attack could tell. There was a person within the chaos that was after the King's mind. Simon wouldn't let this happen.
Simon was still thrown off a little. The mental barriers that he had created to protect the people within his mind were top notch. No one should have been able to break through them from the time that he made it into the party. Regardless, before he even tried to evict this invader from Rick's mind, he was going to have to put up some mental barriers for his own safety. His mind was going to be like the mountains in the south of Valcrest. He created a huge wall protecting his mind from the attacker and then he went it.
"Leave now, or forever wish you had."

Luckas was surprised, that to say the least. He didn't expect to find anything interesting in the King, he only wanted a peek into the man's memories for the hell of it; he wasn't expecting to find someone else already there, he certainly wasn't expecting to find a link with several other people, and it made him wonder if there was in fact something interesting enough in this guy's mind that he needed someone to protect it. Luckas wandered from where he was standing until he could feel himself leaning against something solid; a wall or pillar, he wasn't quite certain. The other telepath's presence was sensed at first as a slight pressure against his attempts, it had now gotten a bit more forceful to the point where he could feel it physically as if someone was holding his head and slowly squeezing. It was a challenge though, and it was one interesting enough to take on. The fact that using his ability this way made it impossible to see his surroundings was slightly troubling if it were discovered he was the one trying to prey on the King's mind, but it was a risk worth taking; if anything turned out too badly he trusted Sammy to have his back. Having heard the guy's warning Luckas didn't answer in any way for a few moments, breathing slowly to keep his focus as he tried to assess the situation; the guy was good and it was somewhat intriguing how he managed to maintain such secure links with more than one person at a time, when Luckas had been repeatedly taught it was dangerous and nearly impossible to pull of successfully. This was going to be fun.

"Do you know what they say, mate, that when you run into a wild predator you try and make yourself as insignificant as possible and hope it goes away? You should have done that. I was going to be in and out pretty quick, but now you made this into a good challenge, so why not? Make me regret my intrusion."

Luckas dared the guy to push him out, waiting to see what his move would be, slowly looking for a crack in the armor, a vulnerable spot he could exploit. It could take him time, but if it was there he would find it and once he did, this would be over quite quickly.

People always seemed to think that the mind was a safe place. The only safe place. It was a place that the user only had control of. They thought that if there was something wrong with their mind, it was only their fault. Anyone with that dogma was completely wrong. Simon looked at the mind as something he could make impressions on. He could seep his way deep into the psyche and just put thoughts there. In the place where people feel safe, he could bring them into a whole new world. He could bring them somewhere where they feel completely vulnerable. Vulnerable... that was his first step.
"Call me arrogant, but now that Lena's dead, I'm probably one of the strongest enlightened Mind out there. If you think of yourself as such a predator, prove to me that there is something to be afraid of?"
With his last warning, he started attacking the intruder's mind. The first thing he looked for was a name. The next were a few of the simple images, the ones that he didn't protect. These were images that didn't matter too much for him. When it came to the chain of command of memories, these were at the bottom rung. Mostly full of dead bodies or him toying around with people's minds. Nothing too special.
"You're name's Luckas, now, is it? Interesting life you've lead Luckas." He said, attempting to distract Luke while he tried to creep deeper into his mind.


Weak, this was weak... Sure this guy could do better than this if he was bold enough to compare himself to Lena. The woman had tortured him in ways no one else had ever managed, even in death she still tortured him in the back of his mind... That kind of respect was hard to obtain. "Oh, I don't want to scare you off, friend... Where's the fun in that, hm? So you know my name and you've seen some of my playthings... There's nothing there I'm particularly secretive about. You haven't done better than the healer's dead carcass, oh Great mind!" Luckas mocked the man openly, always keeping his defenses just one step ahead of his advances while he was still only grazing the surface. Either way, Luckas had very little to protect anyway; and most of what could actually hurt him was so deeply buried he could barely reach it himself. "Talk is cheap Simon... I'm sure you can do better now... I feel sorry for you and your king if you can't." He provoked, the pressure building in his temples, but this time he pushed back, making sure the man didn't go any further even though there was nothing particularly meaningful at his reach just yet; simply to show that he could. "You don't want to be going there friend... That's bad for your health." He warned playfully, challenging Simon to push him further. If there was something he'd learned from the healer was that his mind was the one place he could control completely if he concentrated... Maybe not to the point of trapping someone inside, but surely enough to drive them to confusion if they wandered deep enough. He hadn't actually tried that before aside from training and he knew it would take its toll on him, but it was well worth the effort if it worked.

The man had some audacity to think that he could push Simon completely out of his mind that easily. In fact, it was rather pathetic to think that. He knew, however that if you push someone, you better be prepared to get pushed back ten times harder. He hoped Luckas didn't discover this little piece of life experience. With a little amount of thought, he pinpointed exactly where he wanted to attack this person's mind from. He focused his thought into the sharpness of a needle and then quickly trusted himself into Luckas' mind for his second round of attack. With, again, little thought, he focused his thought as big as he could, so it would expand as far out as possible through the mind of Luckas.
"Get out of our head!"
With just that thought, he brought Luckas back into reality. He was back on the wall he was standing on. The people around him were interacting and the music was playing. Everything would seem to be normal.


Luckas frowned slightly as he looked at his surroundings, for a split second he almost believed the man had succeeded to push him out, but then he realized that something felt off... Or rather, what was off was what he didn't feel. There was no pain, no blurriness in his sight, he didn't feel faint... Everything was absolutely normal, as it should be, and that was wrong. So Luckas smiled, an overly sweet smile, as he began to pace around the ballroom... His eyes wandering around and noticing a few more known faces amongst the crowd, but some people he knew to be there were missing from the scene, probably because Simon wouldn't know to place them. Still, it was impressive that he could so easily create and illusion inside Luke's mind when he was usually immune to such things. He took his time to appreciate the small details of the scene, before slowly starting to tweak it here and there... Some notes of the music failing as if the people playing occasionally forgot what they were doing, people's faces blurring beyond recognition as Luke passed them, color beginning to fade as if the room was turning into a black and white portrait... Until all the faces were blank, and the bright and beautiful colors had faded, and everything was blank noise in the background... The only thing standing out in the room being the site of a man with brown hair and brown eyes. A face Luckas didn't know until then, but now he could link to a name. "The was nicely played, mate... I almost bought it... Maybe if I wasn't so inclined to doubt reality as it is..." As he spoke everything else disappeared in the room, but the man and himself. He had let Simon in just enough to play with what the man was seeing. "I said this wasn't a place you'd like to be friend... One last chance to yield? Hm... No, I don't think so. I should teach you something instead..." At those words fire lit up the once darkened room, just a small circle around Simon so that he could see something, but not the whole room, Luke standing in the dark, just beyond the reach of the light. In the darkness there was movement, followed by growls and snarls as if hungry animals were lurking just a step beyond the fire; eyes would appear here and there, sparkling in the dark, the growls occasionally becoming louder and more vicious as if whatever creatures lurking there were growing impatient and unleashing violent attacks on one another. "For an illusion to have the proper effect, you should consider all the little details that make it believable... Not just plant an image and wait for the victim's mind to fill in the blanks with what should be there, as most telepaths tend to do... Control the environment... The sounds and smells... The feels... Like this fire; you can smell it... You can feel its warmth... And if I hadn't been here speaking I bet you would eventually believe that putting it out would lead to a terrible fate, hm? Who knows, maybe you will, but I'd like to think you are better than that... Shall we try it?" Luckas asked, a slight giggle echoing through the empty room as the fire suddenly faded and everything fell dark.

Simon didn't need a lot of time, he just needed deeper. That was all he was after from the illusion that he made. He didn't want to take the time or energy to create complete realism. In that split second that Luke believed he was back into reality as he perceived it, Simon had managed to get deeper into Luke's mind than even Luke knew about. Being this deep, it allowed him to almost guarantee that he will believe almost anything that he wanted Luke to believe. All he needed to do was create a couple of thoughts and plant a few more seeds.
During this entire time, Luke had been playing his own set of mind games. The room had grown dark and now there was a fire. He was about to walk out of the ring of fire surrounding him when Luke started talking to him. He went along his rant about how weak my illusions were, despite the fact that his illusion of a fire was far less complex than an entire room filled with people and things, with music playing and everything else going. Making a fire was far less complex, especially when there was the possibility of a distraction by the noises being made from beyond the darkness.
When the light went out, that was when he was attacked. The noises that came from the darkness came and surrounded him. Nothing was all too painful, he just had an uncomfortable feeling as if someone had shoved him in a cramped broom closet with no possibility for escape. What this Luckas had planned out was working to some degree, but not as he had planned it to. Simon closed his eyes and gave into the monsters, giving Luckas what he wanted. Quickly, he was ripped apart, limb from limb, until the monsters grew tired and left. They then turned their attention to Luckas on the other end of the darkness. Behind him was a wall of fire, so he couldn't move away from the monsters coming towards him. With the light behind him, Luckas would be able to see every detail of each monsters he had created. Each one disappeared one after another until only one was left. This one wasn't one that Luke had created.
It had a long white and slimy body, with enormous blue veins. There were tons of scars around what was supposed to be a face, but nothing was there. There was only one large mouth. It held itself up with two long and lanky legs, which only had enough strength to hold up it's middle. It's lack of head and tail dragged across the floor. It's center was the most interesting part. This is what made the creature look so peculiar. It had muscles that all lead to the legs which would contract and flex after every movement. This made it appear as if the creature was in fact inside out.
When it got close enough, it towered over Luke; it's body spewing out clear sticky liquids strait from the skin. It didn't do anything. It just stood right over him like it was knew he was there despite not having any eyes. Slowly, Luke's skin peeled from his body as if he were an orange getting picked away at from a guy who bites their fingernails often. When it had all fallen off, the monster opened in wide mouth and regurgitated Simon's skin onto Luke's body. It folded nicely over top and seemed to seal in as if it were air tight.
"Reality is only how your mind interprets the world around it. Right now, this is your reality."


Luckas was remarkably calm and still considering what he was faced with... This monster Simon had created was in no way as frightening as the thing he ran into in the woods not too long ago, however, and that thought alone made Luke simply stand looking up at the beast towering over him with mild curiosity, seemingly unfazed but what seemed to going on with his own body, simply staring at the monster as if questioning what it was supposed to be doing. Through the whole thing he was so motionless and still one could certainly question whether he even understood what was going on around it, maybe he was in some sort of shock, it surely did seem that way. "This... Is... MY... Reality..." He mumbled softly, the words were the only thing that seemed to cause a reaction as he slowly looked down at his hands. "Hmph..." He scoffed, spreading his arms wide open and slowly pacing back into the warmth of the flames until they swallowed him whole, the smell of burning skin and flesh filling the air, his sight blinded by bright red-orange flames as he felt the agonizing pain of burning alive; it was intense pain, but it felt somewhat comforting to Luckas, even familiar for some odd reason, it made him feel at peace. "Reality... Is only one figment of our imagination... But not just any illusion can be real. For it to be real, it has to be something my mind is capable of accepting. Let's be honest now... You will not make me accept any form of 'reality', no matter how many you try, and in the end, we are nothing but a couple of fools trying to make eachother laugh at old jokes. You can keep digging deeper, and deeper, and deeper into my mind if you like... I welcome you to... Go for it... But the last person who tried didn't live to tell any secrets, and I didn't have to put in an effort, but... Hey you're welcome, now you get to call yourself the strongest enlightened mind or whatever; although it would sound a lot more impressive if you had been the one to beat the healer instead of just sitting on your ass and waiting for her to drop... As is, I believe that at most you could drag me with you when you finally exhaust yourself from all the fun we're having, but what do I care? Sooner, later... What does it matter?" As he spoke the fire expanded to such extent that all it could be seen was flame and nothing more, as if the world itself was burning to the ground and there would be absolutely nothing left when the fire died.

The fire burned for what seemed like full hours, when it vanished both men were standing in the middle of the ballroom, completely unharmed and back to the ridiculously normal scenario Simon had first created, exactly as he had created it in the first place. "Now tell me, are you in my mind or am I in yours? Maybe we're now playing in your King's head; if so, how much of this do you think he can bear before becoming... Irreversibly damaged? Oh well... Maybe we're dead and this is hell: Fated to play stupid tricks for each other through all eternity..." Luckas laughed at the idea. "Can you honestly still tell one from the other without a doubt at this point friend? Because I tell you... Sooner or later lines begin to blur." Admittedly, Luckas was in no way done playing yet, but he wasn't going to be stupid about it either and he had, in his little fiery trick, pushed the fight back to the King, not dwelling too deep into the man's mind but just enough to maybe get something out of this little game.

Simon knew it. Luckas' plan was to take the battle into the Rick's mind. There really wasn't an option for Simon, he had to oblige, but he was happy to oblige. He would much rather exhaust Rick's mind rather than his own. He also knew Rick's mind better than Luckas did and it meant that he had a home advantage of sorts. He didn't care much for Rick anyways. So what if he went crazy in the process? He wasn't going to survive for much longer anyways, not if everything went as planned and they most likely were. With an entire city against him, things wouldn't look to good.
"You want to take the battle to the King? Fine. He will go insane and we will bring Blackpond to a new low together. Hey, maybe the people will finally decide to do something about it too. Maybe Blackpond will be brought back to its former glory. Maybe you'll be doing Blackpond a service. I'm willing to take the risk if it means I can have some more fun with you."
In this moment, he started walking around the crowd, as if he was supposed to blend in. It was nearly impossible to blend into someone's mind as they could easily change their point of view to wherever they wanted in order to find what they are looking for, regardless, he wanted a moment where he couldn't be seen. From there, he changed his appearance and just acted like the rest of the people. He then changed half of the people in the ballroom into replicas of Simon. The other half into replicas of Luckas. Along with that, there were about ten people who were both Simon and Luckas at the same time. Simon chose to be himself, the easier option.
"So Luckas." Simon's voice echoed through the room as if he were some omnipotent being. "From digging through your mind, I see something very interesting." Slowly, the appearance of every single body in the room started changing. "You knew someone very important to Valcrest. It looks like this person actually tried to help you... what a failure that was." The faces flashed to become recognizable. "Too bad Lena isn't around anymore to help you out with your problem. I take it, from what you said earlier that you were at least partially responsible for her death. That's no surprised; you are one sick fuck."
The Lena's walked around the room, just as if they were regular people, talking to one another in different, mindless conversation. Only the ten, that were once the Simon and Luckas combination stopped what they were doing to look directly at Luckas.
Simon's voice again boomed through the room "Too bad she will never be able to help you with whatever it was that she was helping you with."


Luckas watched with mild amusement in his expression as the figures around the ballroom changed their appearance as if the party was suddenly constituted of far less irritating Ambers. He snorted a laugh at Simon's little speech about Lena his dark eyes scanning the 'Lena clones' as if considering all the fun and violent ways he could tear them apart. "Yes, that's such a pity. I'll never be a functioning member of society. Aaaw..." He snickered, pacing around the room and noting with amusement that woman's copies were still watching him at all times. "Just like in real life!" He giggled softly. "Oh, what fun. You know... Funny of you to call me sick, considering where we are... Considering where you've been all your life mate, and who you hang around with... The King, the psychotic redhead I had some stabby fun with the other day... That dude that likes to play with dead things... Do you ever wonder just how fond of corpses that dude really is? I mean, how do you suppose he plays when no one's watching, or at least he assumes no one's watching, because you never know... You can't ever know, can you?" He whispered the last words, a grin spreading across his features. "You're all a cheery little group, huh? In other circumstances I almost think I'd like the lot of you, but... Nah... You are, as a group, too hypocritical and stupid for my liking, and the redhead's talk of chaos alone almost bored me for a life time. I was almost relieved when she stabbed me, really. I guess some women are better with their mouths shut, are they not?" He smiled, staring at the Lena clones as if asking them the question. "Stupid, stupid, stupid little words and promises... and lies..." He sighed. "They're all just full of it, ain't that right? So tell me friend, what's the point of the King anyway? Or you? You're all just little puppets are you not? Dancing to some random tune... just like the rest... Just like everyone else... And acting as if your existence makes a difference... As if the pathetic little town matters... Fuck Blackpond... Fuck the king... Fuck you and your Gods..." He muttered, putting a firm grip on the throat of one of the clones, squeezing, nails sinking into flesh as the figure's face changed from Lena's to his own, to Simon's, to several other guests of the party, until the figure turned to Sam, and then back to Lena as it dropped lifeless to the ground. Luckas laughed loudly spreading his arms wide, to face the remaining clones. "Who's next now?" He asked, more and more laughter escaping him growing louder and louder to a point where he was almost certain he wasn't only laughing in his head anymore. Slowly he composed himself, still chuckling here and there as he spoke. "You are all dead, you just don't know it yet... And it's freaking hilarious."

"You talk of my friends being boring or freaks, but then look at yourself. I've been standing here, pretty much begging you to play along, but all you can bother to do is stand here and act like you are so much more interesting than anyone else in this world. I bet you are as interesting as the typical person, with the same old problems and same feelings as every other human being. You love, you hate, you try to relive past experiences. You can be convinced to do or not do things by people you deemed important in your life. Then there's the fact that you probably feel alone. Are you really alone? No man's alone. The very fact of life is that human's are social creatures and crave some sort of social attention. That is the reason solitary confinement in dungeons can be enough to drive men insane."
"The only thing that makes you different is that you've killed a whole lot of people whom you don't find particularly interesting. What does that gain you? Does that gain you anything more than I gain from doing what I do or anyone else does for that matter? No, you are a pretty boring guy as well, with a pretty boring imagination. I mean... wow... you can imagine a fire and some monsters which can only be seen and heard and nothing more. Then you go around and kill people just for the sake of killing people. How imaginative and creative of you. You know there are more people in Blackpond prison for what you do than there are people at this party? Than on top of that, there is probably three times more who still haven't been caught. That is in Blackpond alone."
"What you have done bores me. Why you do it bores me even more. You are just an angsty young man who hates something about themselves or about others and loves to take it out on the world. I believe most intellectuals would call it an existential crisis and believe me everyone goes through it. You are boring."
He stopped talking, letting the ideas sink in. Honestly however, Simon knew that these ideas would not sink in at all. Luke didn't want to listen. He just wanted to continue on with what he was continuing on in.
In the mean time, while Simon was killing time shooting the shit with Luke, he was tapping into the memories that he knew Luke couldn't help but share. The things that have happened to him recently that he couldn't help but think about. There were two things. One thing that popped out more than anything was a conversation with Lena. She looked very terrible, probably very close to her death. He couldn't hear anything going on in the conversation, but it went on until Luckas freaked out and next thing he saw was Lena... dead.
The other memory was a recent conversation that he had with a woman who had red hair like Lamya. The woman had a lot of interesting things to say. It was something that he would keep with him to talk with Lamya about later. He knew that Lamya would find something interesting to do with it. So he kept the fact that he found it a secret.
What he wasn't going to keep a secret was the one with Lena. He recreated the memory, but what he did was make sure that Luckas could see it from the outside. He wanted to make sure that Luckas could see every single emotion that both him and Lena had. He wanted to make sure that he could see Lena's dead body so far away, but be sure that he wouldn't be able to go over to touch it. Then, when the whole thing was over, he'd let it happen again. He'd let the entire conversation go. The conversation could not be heard, just like when Simon had first seen it. To make it a little more believable, however, he would let only a murmur be heard by the two of them.
With each repetition, the memory became more clear as well. Things would be a little sharper and each time, Luckas would seem to remember a little more about how he had killed the old hag until he saw the whole murder take place as Simon imagined that it happened.


Luckas snickered softly. He had heard Simon's whole speech at least fifty times before, and hey, maybe it was true and he was just like all the others, but really what would ever change for him if he chose to believe that? Nothing. It was just a waste of energy. "You know, out of all the nonsense you just spat out at me... 'Friends' is the most nonsensical word of all. You have no friends, no one gives a shit if you die, you are expendable, replaceable, the only reason you lived past age 12 is because you proved useful, isn't that a fact? If you stop being useful tomorrow I'm pretty sure your... heh... 'Friends' will stab you in the back, probably just because why not." His tone was calm and casual, and almost bored even. He was starting to care less and less for playing with Simon now... But of course he wasn't going to just leave, even if he just sat there until the King completely lost what little sanity he had, he wasn't going to be the one to cave, it just wasn't in him to do such a thing. "I think this is one of the most amusing things about human behavior though, isn't it? We all think we matter so damn much. Like you right now saying I bore you as if somehow that mattered to me. As if the fact that I failed to make you interested would keep me up at night forever. It's like I said... Everything you and I are doing here is pointless. It doesn't matter. Because you are as meaningless to me as I am to you. I don't disagree with that, I do the things I do for myself... I do what I do because I enjoy it, and I kill who I kill because that's what satisfies me the most. That's what I gain; gratification. Why else would I bother killing for?Money? Power? That's just useless, I don't need it. I'm just an ordinary guy after all."

When the Lena memory began forming itself, Luckas blinked, seeming a bit confused at first, but then understanding what he was watching himself do. His only reaction was a slightly annoyed snort, deciding to turn his attention to Rick for a little while, choosing to ignore Simon and his silly little attempts to affect him, because he knew that the longer they played in there, the weaker the man's mind would get. He got some flashes of what the King liked to do in his spare time, which actually started to make him seem a bit more interesting to him than Simon... Maybe not someone he would bother playing with either, but just someone he'd enjoy seeing gone. He was probably not the only one, but then he wasn't concerned with Blackpond and its people and whatever consequences there may be. That wouldn't matter for long anyway. And then something odd happened; Luckas saw another flash of the ballroom, but this time all the faces had changed to someone else who wasn't him, or Simon, or Lena... It was the blind girl he often saw on Jake's mind; Crys. When the flash faded, the Lena memory was still repeating itself. Luckas shook his head, amusement spreading across his face. "Entertaining..." He mumbled under his breath. "Are you done?" He asked simply. "You know, I read that when Time's daughter went to hell, her punishment was to relive the same moment in time indefinitely, supposedly so that she would learn the importance of all the time she took from others... Are you trying to create some form of hell for me now? Hm? You're doing a poor job of it, if that's the case." He stated simply, with a mild shrug. "You talk plenty, but you still haven't made me leave, or wish I had, like you said you would. So either I don't bore you as much as you claim, or you simply can't do it."

Simon was through with the silly little games. It was very obvious to him that Luckas wanted to take this to the next level. He wanted to see some of the serious stuff. Luckas only really knew the blackness of the world. Luckas would look at the rose with his frigged black eyes and see the distorted blur of a bleeding heart.
"You kill for something better than anyone else does? For no reason at all? If it was for no reason, you wouldn't kill only the low lives of society who cheat and are dishonest. You would kill the honest priest, the innocent child and even the homeless man who is after nothing else but a bit of change to make it to the next day. You'd kill the noble nobleman, who would like nothing more than to just live his life and no one else's. No, from the memories I've seen from you, you only go after the low lives... and Lena, but those were for selfish reasons I'm sure."
Simon then did it. He pulled the trigger on the crossbow. He quickly siphoned through all the memories that Rick had. It didn't take long for him to figure out what he wanted to keep and what he wanted to get rid of. The only memories he chose to keep were those of Rick's sexual desires and also those of anything related to the Shadow's Conflict. In reality, if he wanted to create the perfect weapon in any of the Shadow's Conflict, the members were so comfortable with him looking through their brain that he would be able to remove all memories from them except those related to the Conflict. Their only desire would be to serve the conflict and they would be almost superhuman. What was the fun in that? Someone with a personality to pick through was always far more interesting.
"I don't know about you, but my friends will find usefulness in me until I'm dead. There is no way that they will ever kill me, so I have nothing to fear. Even if I was to betray them, the redhead whom you'd met the other day would find use enough in me. She would defiantly never kill me directly. I have nothing to worry about."
With that, he let all of Rick's sexual memories and fantasies all come to fruition within the scope of the ballroom. Now that this was all Rick could think of, a vision of the real ballroom as seen by Rick could be seen. All the real people in the ballroom could all also be seen. Soon, the scene of the ballroom changed to accompass Rick's real desires. A version of him instantly started to violate every single person in the room. Man, woman or animal in every imaginable way possible. "This is what you wanted to see?"


Luckas sighed softly, a tone of impatience breaking through his tone. "You are what, five, six years older than me, Simon? Don't tell me you are so... um... naive, as to believe there are such things as unselfish reasons to do anything. Regardless, I never said I kill for no reason. I said I kill for me. For my own reasons. That these particular people give me the most satisfaction... If you were as good in what you do as you say... You would be able to say exactly why after all the time we've spent together, but your reading of my..." Luckas paused, releasing his next word amongst a chuckle. "...Emotions... Is just as superficial as your view on human nature seems to be. Nonetheless... I've killed my share of innocents, you have to diversify to find the most suited prey, I've killed good men, women, children, and a bunny rabbit or two, but the low lives... The scum... They are more satisfying to break, because they are usually as arrogant as they are weak. It's a pretty fun combination for me... I like to watch them struggle even when there's no hope. It is as much a personal preference as it is a service to society in a way, even if society doesn't seem to agree with me most times." Luckas paced calmly through the ballroom as the scene began to shift again, a bothered expression crossing his features at what it portrayed, he snorted an shook his head in aggravation. This was actually exactly what Luckas wanted to see, although he didn't feel he needed to see much of it. Still, it served the same purpose. "Hmph, yes, that is in fact all I needed to see. I much appreciate it." He muttered, continuing his constant pacing through the scene, a mild look of annoyance in his eyes. "Now are you done?" He added.

Simon looked around the room, truly disgusted by what he was seeing. It was just... deplorable, but knowing Rick, he understood. It wasn't like he didn't know what would happen behind closed doors in the castle. If anyone knew, better than anyone, it would be him. Simon just ignored what he was looking at and focused on Luke. Luke's gaze made him appear unaffected. "You are really sick, you know that?" Simon said. "But I understand. It all has to do with your past; your brother; the 'special' therapy that Lena would give you. Oh, but you are nothing like your brother though. Am I right? You only go after the ones like him." Pointing to the Rick that was sitting at his throne, cherishing all these moments he was having in his mind. "Too bad you couldn't maintain any humanity while you were at it. Instead, you look at the memories that have affected your life and suppress them until they became nothing to you. That is why you can't remember anything Luke and that is why Lena could never help you. You didn't have any humanity left for her to dig into. You only kept the things that made you less human. If you wanted to become an individual, then you did it pretty well. I bet your brother wasn't even as twisted as you were. Hard to think isn't it? Well, enjoy killing Rick now." With that, Simon cut his connection to Rick's and Luke's minds and fell back into reality.

ValcrestSetting: Valcrest


There was a long pause in conversation as Alexander looked at the book he was given. It was a journal, filled with many tales of truths, that he could only imagine, was never intended to be seen by the likes of him. This was a book that held the true story of Valcrest. He was sure, however, that there were some secrets that weren’t even in this book. These secrets that just could not be told out of either pride or out of some belief that there are some secrets that have to be kept, much like the beliefs of the White Shadows. It was a belief that he didn’t hold.
“You are right. I do have a lot to say. I just have so little time to write it.” He said, pulling out a cigar and a pen with an inkwell from inside his coat jacket. He lit the cigar and opened the book. All the while, he fumbled around with the inkwell, attempting not to drop it. He put the cigar in his mouth, “Treating myself”, he said and opened the book. “Don’t worry. I’m still able to talk. Talking while writing was never an issue for me.”
He continued. “There is going to be change in Valcrest, whether I succeed in my attempts to take Blackpond back or not. I know, it isn’t really your battle to be fighting, but if you wanted to help, I would be pleased to see that. However, it sort of is in your best interests to help me. The Salamanders were after peace through force. This is exactly what I seek from this battle. I’ve lived through enough war for a lifetime and it is time that Valcrest saw some cha—”
“My fellow subject, guests and figureheads
”

-----

Ella simply bowed her head in agreement to what Mageria had to say to her. Despite the fact that Mageria was a good friend of hers, she could easily been seen as a threat if she was to do something wrong in her presence. She had admitted, in an almost threatening way that she had spies in Newhaven and she was sure that they knew far more than even she did. Mageria was that type of person
 probably the reason why she got along so well with Evin; when they got together that is.
She brushed her hands back and forth across her dress a couple of times, letting it flow as much as the skirt could allow, then she realised she was still looking down at the floor from her earlier bow. Lifting her head, she said with gusto, “I really hope something will happen. There’s a great need for change and when else will people have opportunities to make these changes? Instead of acting fake around each other, why don’t we all let our true colours show?” She was going to say more, but The King decided to grace everyone with his presence which reminded her of a drunk.
“My Fellow subjects, guests, and figureheads
”

-----

Evin had his doubts about this party. Everyone was just wandering around and acting as if everyone loved each other. Then there were the people who had to go out of their way to avoid people. Evin was actually being one of those people. He avoided everyone, except Jen, who was around one of the tables, talking to some of the councilmen of Newhaven who had come with their wives. He observed from the floral arrangement that was placed just to the left of the staircase. He didn’t really care about anything else, but where she was. It wasn’t a good idea, as it made him vulnerable, especially when he was in a place that was as secluded as possible in a room like that. All he could do was observe and do it with whim and a bashful smile. His couldn’t even feel the floor, he was so distracted. Quickly his eyes were distracted by a slippery young woman.
She was in a rather elegant, yet simple dress that showed her off very well. To any young men, they’d be lucky to find themselves with her. The dress or her elegance wasn’t what gave her away though. It was her demeanour that caught him as peculiar. Something he had found familiar too many times. She was in a bind. She was avoiding something. After a few minutes of observation, it wasn’t too hard to see that she was avoiding Sean for sure, but there were other people that she was avoiding too. Sean was the most present of those fears, however. It wasn’t the fear of death. If she was afraid of Sean for his vindictive nature towards those he didn’t like, she wouldn’t be there. It was when he realized that she was avoiding Ella or Mageria as well that he knew exactly who she was. The young recruit that he had heard Sean had taken in.
Sean was smart. To take in a new, unknown member to the Wolfpack and then send them out to act as an in on the Newhaven politic was incredibly smart. It made Evin wonder how experienced this woman was. Quickly, she made her move. It was an instant. Her dress disappeared and she started to fly up towards the top of the ballroom, up onto a chandelier.
“My fellow subjects, guests, figurehead
 welcome—” Before another word could be said, the entire chandelier that Sean’s recruit was perched on fell, interrupting Rick’s speech.
So much for thinking she may be skilled Evin thought as he watched the poor little bird-girl get picked up by an unknown man. He wasn’t a Wolf, unless Sean had decided to take in a second recruit, in which case, he took back what he had thought about Sean’s intelligence. He followed her until she went under a table; under the same table that Jen was near. This didn’t look good to Evin and he started towards Jen to prevent any assassinations from taking place.
“Welcome!” Rick repeated, getting the attention back from everyone in the room. Rick continued to speak, but Evin didn’t pay much attention. He was more focused on the young assassin, who now seemed to hold less intent on Jen and started talking to Dastin.
“Hey you!” Evin called out to one of the women that Jen was talking to. She had a purse, which she could see had a writing utensle in it. “Could you write me a note on this handkerchief?” He threw it from out of his breast pocket and handed it to her. “Write: ‘If you dare touch Ella or Jen today, I’ll be sure that today will also be the last day the Wolfpack ever threatens anyone’s lives in Valcrest.’ Thanks.”
He grabbed the ‘kerchief from the woman, balled it up and threw it towards Sean and began to mill around with Jen and her new friends.

-----

Looking around the room got her nowhere. Rita knew that using her enlightenment in such a hectic space wouldn’t really do much for her either. When Rick finally got his speech off the ground, she knew it would be a perfect opportunity. Almost every face was now looking at him and it gave her a clear view of each individual face in the crowd. The only one that she was interested in was the man with the scars and the eye patch.
“Have you found him yet?” The sadistic grin could be heard from the voice of Lamya behind her.
“Not yet.”
“Well I have.”
“Good for you
 Oh I found him.” She said.
Lamya walked around in front of her, blocking her view of the man. “He’ll probably make his move after the speech.”
“How do you know?”

-----

Alexander finished his writing and looked up at Rick, who was giving his speech to the crowd. It was nothing really of interest. It was merely just a bullshit speech about how he was happy to see everyone there and how things were beginning to look better for Blackpond. Then he started going on about how this party marked the good that was to come. He knew that if there was ever a sign that he should make his move, it would be when he finished the speech. Suddenly, however, the speech stopped, mid-sentence. It was as if he was thrown into some sort of trance. Now was his chance.
“Now’s your chance Grim. FOR BLACKPOND!” He yelled, drawing his sword and charging at the king.
The hired swords took that as their cue and went on the charge. Two of them grabbed the tables that they could and headed for the staircase. The other grabbed a woman from the crowds and charged as well.
“Secure the Queen.” He heard one of Ella’s guards yell.
As he ran towards Rick, he was intersected, just as he planned, by nearly all of the Shadow’s conflict; all except for four. One was Simon, the mute, and the others were Lamya and Lazarus who were, of course, getting Rick to safety. This was enough of a distraction to allow his hired men to create the barricade on the staircase like he had planned. Alex didn’t bother to get tied up with the Conflict and ran straight up to the barrier where he would make his stand.
“Come and meet your fate. The Conflict ends now!”

BlackpondSetting: Blackpond


Ess quirked a brow, playfully biting her lip as the Alpha mentioned her having left her named carved into the table back at the Inn; the night of the Xypher incident. “Hmm, my apologies...it was an act...simply done subconsciously while I had been preoccupied with thoughts elsewhere. I wouldn’t want you to have some sort of notion of me, because of something so small, so..” Essence dipped her head slightly, her fingers sliding along her waist as if checking for a coin purse, pausing in a momentary daze appearing as if she forgot what she was looking for. A teasing smile confirmed quite the opposite when she reached into her corset to retrieve a small pouch jingling with coin. “..This should cover it..” She whispered, dropping the pouch in his hand. “I can assure you, if I was the one on your arm, I doubt I’d be bored, but if I was you’d know by the amount of trouble I may start.” Ess giggled, drawing in a sharp breath when the Alpha mentioned her last name. “Alright..Sean. Funny how rumors are, they tend to be correct but lacking detail which is just another reason I like to meet the subject of said rumors and decide for myself. Tell me...If you know my name from your table at the Inn, tell me how you know my last name. I only carved Ess into the wood. Why would someone so insignificant like myself be known to you? Unless...” Ess was cut off, speaking to downplay herself as much as possible as she was momentarily distracted by a balled up handkerchief lightly bouncing off the Alpha’s shoulder. Glancing around to see if she could find the source of the flying object, something brushed between herself and Sean but when she looked to see what it had been, assuming Tala, a black blur simply disappeared into the crowd. That was when she noticed a dark-haired woman’s gaze upon her. Ess froze a moment, startled to realize she was being watched by the woman from Luckas’ memory; the one she drew for him and who had visited the camp. To say Ess was intrigued was an understatement. It was more like a trance which her curiosity had taken a firm hold of her so that she politely excused herself from Sean with a promise to return shortly and began to walk in the direction of the woman.

Sam had been watching, waiting. If there was one thing she believed was truly valuable it was an opportunity; a chance, because in life there were only so many of those to go around and she wouldn’t dare waste a single one. Especially not one that presented itself to her this way... So willingly. Almost like a gift. It was difficult to keep a politely curious expression as the woman she’d been watching from a small distance caught sight of her and excused herself from the Wolfpack’s Alpha. The man was another of the few people who peaked Sam’s interest, but the right opportunity to approach him hadn’t presented itself yet, unlike his female companion.

Once it was absolutely clear that the woman’s intention was to approach her, Sam moved from where she was standing and started calmly pacing in the redhead’s direction giving her a friendly nod as if greeting a long time acquaintance. “It was just about time... You know, I’ve been meaning to have a word with you.” She said to the woman in a tone of curiosity, her green eyes examining the woman standing before her in a more thorough assessment, her amusement fading momentarily from her features, quickly replaced by a polite smile. “Lukey has a point, you really are a pretty lady.”

The idea of being watched was no longer a paranoia but more of a validation when the familiar woman who caught Ess’ gaze moved to meet her. Ess had been relying on that little bit of time that it took to reach the figure, to ponder what she was going to exactly say to the woman from Luckas’ memory. It worked out when she spoke first while at the same time catching Essence off guard at the woman’s knowledge of her. “I take it, Luckas discovered I wasn’t lying when I told him I had heard of you searching for him.” She stated simply with a sigh, bowing her head slightly. “I’m surprised he mentioned me at all, honestly. You are quite gracious with the pleasantries but I fear I don’t compare much to you, now that we are side by side.” Ess’ eyes glossed over, violet hues burying any trace of their silver decor. She smiled sweetly to push aside any uncomfortable feelings that may have been lingering at the idea of this stranger knowing much of anything about her. It was an awkward disadvantage but this was also something Essence was use to and considering the past couple days, she braced herself, awaiting whatever else would lay in wait. “Luckas..” She quickly rushed over the name as she continued, “..he must be thrilled to know you are alive. I’m happy for him..”

Sam let out a small chuckle at the mention of Luckas being told about her, she wasn’t sure he would get the message, but she wasn’t surprised to know he didn’t believe it. “Oh, good, so he was told about me. I was wondering if he would get the message, not all were pleasant in your camp. Although, can’t blame your Captain for my troubles... She was actually quite nice... Not what I expected I’ll admit.” Sam let her gaze wander from her company to quietly scan the room as if searching for something before she snickered. “Oh, well... Truth be told... Luckas didn’t mention you to me. No. He has been as of late trying to pretend you don’t exist, and even if he is lousy as it... He hasn’t mentioned you once, not directly. I have been, as you know, looking for him for a very long time though... I’ve learned some things about his life in the process. More so in the past couple of days than in the last few years combined.” Sam’s green eyes once again scanned the woman standing before her and she nodded dismissively. “I’m not one for comparisons, miss... I’m sorry, I am yet to learn your name... Or should I just call you Lady?” She paused for a second as if the idea of using the nickname made her awkward. “I guess not... but either way... I would say beauty is in the eye of beholder, so I’m not inclined to disagree with Luckas if that is what he sees. Besides, I know him more than well enough to know he doesn’t usually take an interest on anyone unless they are... Special... Somehow.” The woman’s eyes darkened momentarily at the word ‘special’, but otherwise her tone remained friendly, and curious... If anything she was genuinely curious. “I wouldn’t describe Luckas as thrilled at the moment... Confused surely, angry I would guess, but not exactly thrilled, at least not yet. I can’t blame him, our... Separation... Was a rather traumatic event for us both. Nice that you are happy for him. I’m glad he has such a good friend.”

Ess nodded attentively as she half listened while the woman spoke. “Funny thing with expectations...were you disappointed? I admit, the boys mean well but they can be a bit extreme when strangers come strolling into a camp unexpectedly.” She shrugged off Sam’s comment on not being mentioned, her eyes narrowing briefly as her smile grew wider. “I wish him luck in wherever his path leads him.” Essence purposely didn’t respond at the insinuation of Sam knowing as much as she did without Luckas’ knowledge. ‘The Stalker has a Stalker..’ She thought in amusement to herself. “...Sam.... correct? Essence...”

“My fellow subjects, guests, figurehead
 welcome—”

Ess crossed her arms lazily and glanced over Sam’s shoulder, pursing her lips she let out a shrill whistle that resonated in a quick tune. Letting her gaze fall back to the dark haired woman before her, she continued as if she hadn’t paused, acting as if she didn’t hear a distant series of barks and a small crash amidst the the clammer of people. Ess didn't even pay attention to the source of the crash, which was the chandelier that had momentarily interrupted the King's speech. “ Special is an interesting choice of words, but I don’t find it quite fitting for myself. Sadly, it doesn’t seem to matter much as Luckas made it quite clear that he doesn’t want me around. However, I am not one to break my word or lie so when I say I am his friend, that hasn’t and won’t change even with what traumatic experience he may be dealing with. Times like these, we need to hold onto what opportunities present themselves; twisted and serene alike.” Clearing her throat she quirked a brow, a curious and slightly condescending tone creeping into her sweet tone briefly before dissipating back to her gentle allure. “So, I assume it’s safe to believe you’ll help Luckas through whatever ails him, especially since you had been searching for him for so long.”

“Disappointed? Not quite the term I’d use. I mean, I do understand... I can be very, very, territorial, in my own way. I didn’t mind the way I was halted on my way in, and like I said, your Captain was quite nice, considering her history with... Matt...” Sam stopped to clear her throat, a small, very faint, spark of anger crossing her eyes. “I was bothered by one person in particular though, who was very hostile, not only towards me, but also towards Luckas, and that bothered me very much. I’m not, in any way easily angered, but I do hope I never see this man again. I don’t like people who talk too much of things they know nothing of.” The woman took a deep breath to push back the annoyance that had reached her voice as she spoke, shaking her head as if trying to physically push it all aside. “Doesn’t sound much like Luckas... To make anything clear. He’s rarely sure of anything, that boy... I’m sure, sooner or later he’ll turn up again. I’m curious though, Essence... What interest you have in Lukey? Don’t get me wrong, just... I’m sure you are well aware of that fact people don’t tend to warm up to him, and he’s a complicated boy. He sees something in you, and that’s why he comes back, if it’s still there he’ll keep coming back... That’s in his nature, but you... What do you see?” Sam went silent, leaving the question in the air for a few seconds before running her fingers through the strands of her hair, and letting out a small chuckle. “Hey, maybe it’s none of my business anymore after all this time, but I always have been... Insanely protective of my boys... And Lukey is still quite innocent in some ways. I worry for what messes he may get himself into.” Raising an eyebrow as if honestly confused by the question of whether she would help Luckas, Sam replied; her stance changing slightly to a more serious one. “Of course I’ll help him... With anything he needs.”

“Matt...” Ess whispered with a hint of sympathy. She only knew bits and pieces from what Luckas had mentioned of his brother to her, it didn’t seem like his brother’s end was unjustified or that Luckas held any ill will towards the Captain for taking Matthew’s life. Yet, she couldn’t imagine how difficult a situation like that must be for someone to still care and love someone that many only knew as a monster. “I can’t imagine how you could be so resolved around the person responsible for his death, no matter the reasoning. Please accept my.... sincere...condolences..” Ess didn’t know if she could understand, which was more the reasoning behind her inability to imagine how this woman felt. While she did honestly mean what she said, a subtle, sickening feeling was crawling from her stomach and up her throat. Swallowing hard, she tilted her head in curiosity. “I’m sure Luckas’ curiosity will bring him around again, but I just may not realize it. I understand and accept your protective nature over him as you do have somewhat of a claim upon him, which I respect.” Ess’ body shifted, unfolding her arms so that she appeared to be in more of defensive stance, yet her fingers were well away from any of her blades. “You’re right though, what I ‘See’ in him, if you don’t already know yourself, is not your business,...respectively. However, I will say this. Anyone who has the primal urge to do what he does and go against that instinct, has more to them than they let on. Even to himself, it seems. That and I enjoyed..his company...not that it really matters now.” Waving her hand dismissively she took a step back. “I feel you want to know if I am a threat to him. A natural thing to wonder. Have you come to any conclusions yet?”

“Responsibility has many levels, Essence... If I was to start blaming people for Matty, then I’d probably have a huge list on my hands, that would at some point include myself as well, it’s best to just leave it alone.” Sam stated, simply nodding and not addressing the offer of condolences, her gaze lowering for a brief moment before finding Ess’ eyes again. “I have to appreciate your Captain for her honesty, however brutal it may have been at that particular moment... Not many would look someone in the eyes and admit to killing someone they cared for... I certainly would not.” A smile crossed the woman’s expression again at Ess’ replies to her questioning, amusement crossing her eyes in the form of a faint yellow spark of light. “I apologize if this is considered... an intrusion of sorts... I don’t mean to pry, exactly.” The woman’s eyes once again scanned the room, and her smile changed slightly as she seemed to have spotted a familiar face, but she made no mention of it and continued to speak. “Threat is not the term, I think. I do have my concerns for Luckas though. He is young and rather impressionable still... If I have my facts straight, and if not please do say so, but Lukey was still a boy when the two of you met, no? Fourteen or fifteen, if my math is correct... About as long ago as he’s known that healer... The one who died... The one who used his faulty memories as an excuse to run experiments on him... I’m sure you see my point in asking these things. I know he has killed for you at least once before.... I just wonder what kind of influence you may be on him.”

“I apologize if this is considered... an intrusion of sorts... I don’t mean to pry, exactly.”

Essence brushed a stray curl behind her ear, holding back a snicker at Sam’s polite tip toeing as she pushed her questioning further. Ess looked away as if pretending to ponder the answer before focusing back on the woman’s green eyes. “No..I bet you don’t mean to intrude..” She stated with a bit of sarcasm. Listening as the woman continued, she straightened and shifted her stance once again as if she was uncomfortable at the sudden facts of herself that the woman was regurgitating. The reality of it was more annoyance than anything which she hide away, an innocent look of wonder taking over her expression instead. “Funny...for someone who seems to know so much about me, you didn’t even know my name. I find it quite interesting that you know so much as if you been keeping an eye on Luckas, especially if he hasn’t mentioned me to you. I wonder though, if that was the case, what makes now of all times the opportune moment to make yourself known to him?” Pausing to let the rhetorical question linger in the air, she let out a tired sigh. Essence didn’t feel she needed to answer the woman’s questions, especially since she didn’t talk about that encounter with anyone besides Luckas himself. It was definitely not common knowledge. Instead she focused on a detail Sam mentioned about Luckas’ faulty memories, a devilish sneer crossing her lips as her eyes darkened before flickering with a silverish glow. “Fake memories.....and since you are here before me, does that happen to include the one of your death? Huh...No...that didn’t come up around Lena..” Ess trailed off as if she was just remembering something important yet she neglected to revisit the conversation. “Lena, I only met briefly so I am actually ignorant to what you speak of. That’s quite alright though, especially since Luckas and I hadn’t known each other that long, I don’t expect to know everything. Luckas is a bright, young man. I’m sure he came make his own decisions and come to his own conclusions so if anything or anyone makes an impression upon him, that’s his choice...”

Ess’ attention was momentarily distracted as she heard another crash and a series of short barks. She couldn’t hold back her amusement, yet she knew she needed to restrain her furry friend from causing a scene. Bringing her fingers to her lips, in one single breath, she released a lower whistle, calling Tala back to her. Essence didn’t see Tala, but instead felt her as she appeared by her side, a wet nose brushing against her hand. The wolf’s growl was low enough to be heard only as a rumble, yet she could feel the severity of it with the vibrations along her fingertips. Glancing down she smiled at her, gently patting her head. “Shhh...easy, be polite now.” She whispered towards the wolf before pulling her attention back to Sam. “So...you seem to know plenty about me, at least where Luckas is concerned, so why ask questions you already know the answer to?”

"Welcome!" The king continued on with his speech, a faded buzzing of background noise since her attention was more focused with the woman before her.

Sam arched an eyebrow, an intrigued expression on her face as she repeated Ess’ words. “Fake... Memories...? Who told you that now? I guess that explains though, how you knew my face... My death... Did he show you? Not all of it was fake, no... But if you want details, ask him when you see him. I have nothing to say about that... To you. I will say this... I wasn’t really planning to just show up, I wanted him to come find me, ask questions first, because I didn’t want to shock him that way, but instead he showed up completely out of his mind so I had to change my plans. See... Something... Really upset him.” Sam’s tone was losing its gentleness along the conversation, not that it mattered anyway, she was well aware that it wasn’t really convincing anyone. At the wolf’s arrival Sam tensed, only slightly, a look of annoyance crossing her green eyes and fading as she continued on as if she hadn’t noticed the animal at all. “Why do people ask questions, Essence? Usually because there is something they are looking to learn from another, no? If I wanted facts, which yes, I know plenty about... I could simply ask Lukey about them, but what I’m looking to learn here is something a bit more subjective than that. I am... Taking my conclusions. As I’m sure you’ve drawn your own by now.”

“Did I misunderstand you? Only a few moments ago you mentioned Lena and..” Ess scratched the base of her neck as she quoted Sam’s words, as if unsure of herself but knowing what had been said. “...The one who used his faulty memories as an excuse to run experiments on him..” Even if I took that out of context, you confirmed seconds ago that there were false memories, as well when you asked who told me this, when it was you; twice now. How I found out, was simply...unintentional on either our parts.” Ess shrugged, stifling a fake yawn as she kept the details of how exactly she saw the false memory of Sam’s death, to herself. “I tried to ask him questions when I saw him clearly distraught but since he refused to answer them, guess I may never know.” Falling silent she simply nodded, quietly scratching Tala behind the ears, a bit of her smile returning. Ess was indeed drawing some conclusions of her own but they were still far from complete. The reasoning behind Luckas’ outburst and attempt at pushing Ess away from him was starting to make a bit more sense as she began gathering a couple theories in her mind. Either direction her mind went when contemplating the woman before her just ended in that sickening feeling that continued to creep up on her. It really seemed to her that this woman’s true motive of questioning was indeed far from what she was presenting and it was a tactic Ess knew more than most; a game she felt hell bent on not losing.

“Well, unless there’s something else of ernest that interests you, if you’ll excuse me, I have other acquaintances to visit with. I don’t wish to be rude, but there are some matters that need.. attending to...” ..Like a stiff drink... Ess thought to herself. Casually she slid her hand along her lower back, nail tapping gently along the hilt of her dagger as if to verify it was still there before she moved to turn from the woman, giving a polite nod. Tala didn’t move to follow at first, simply sitting on her haunches to stare at Sam, intent on not losing sight of her it seemed. Ess heard the wolf’s growl echo from behind her into a snarl causing her to snap her attention back, snapping her fingers for Tala to fall in at her side. Tala ignored Ess at first before slowly standing and taking careful steps around Sam to follow without taking her sapphire blues off the figure.

Essence tensed with each step, her eyes catching the King of Blackpond continuing with his speech, still only catching bits and pieces. 'Definitely need a drink...' She thought, making her way back towards Sean. On the way she passed by Dastan but after a few steps she turned around, not caring that he appeared to be engaged in conversation with a woman, and reached around him to snatch away a glass he was holding and down the liquor with a surprising haste. Handing back the empty glass she winked, muttering an apology for her rudeness. "...Don't look at me like that...I'll owe you something vintage and worth the impolite intrusion.." Continuing on she took a double take at the woman who had been talking to Dastan, pretty sure she recognized the blond from the distressed encounter the night of the Xypher encounter but she didn't say a word, only smiled, not thinking anything of it as she nodded and continued on.

"My apologies again, Sean, something came up.." Ess began, gently reaching out to lightly tap the man on his shoulder, just as she heard a raspy voice mutter cold and condescendingly behind her.

"Now I think I understand....Looks like you are still very good at what you do, Pigeon." Ebony began behind her. "All dressed up, still trying to be something you're not. No matter. You can try to scrub shit clean but it's still...shit. Once a whore...always a whore.."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`


Darren was confused and deeply sickened by the Ebony's words as he tried to piece the puzzle together. He kept thinking of the journal and how badly he wished he could read it. The boy really had no idea what he was getting into as he tried to walk around the two men blocking his path.

“Nice try, Pal...but you aren’t going anywhere...”

“Awe, come now, Guy...I don’t have any issues with you....I doubt the woman is paying you enough to receive a beating for her pathetic troubles, so why not just skip the brutish attempt and let me pass..” Darren stated, crossing her arms nonchalantly.

“Gentlemen... Do you have some sort of... Issue... With my friend here?”
Darren smirked at the sound of Jake’s voice, announcing his presence behind the men, distracting one of them enough so he turned around to answer Jacob. “Hey, Buddie, this really isn’t any of your busin-”

”For Blackpond!”

Darren didn’t delay at the sudden cry followed by the clamor of armor and the metal of swords ringing out as a blockade of men held a line by the stairwell. Now with only one pair of eyes directly on him, the other mercenary left at the attention of Jake, he leapt forward, kicking out at the man’s knee cap with a sharp crack. It caught Darren as odd for mercenaries on the job to not be wearing much of anything for armor even if they were trying to fit in with the party decor. Nevertheless, the man only groaned at the pain, moving to swing his fists immediately at Darren’s face which he bounced in and out of range comically, avoiding every attempt with ease and amusement. Darren hadn’t carried in any weapons and wasn’t the least bit intimidated when he was cursed at, his opponent unsheathing his sword and releasing a flurry of lunges and attacks. Darren sidestepped, spinning so he was beside the man’s extended arms where they fought for control of the sword. Back and forth they tugged and twisted to gain control before finally Darren let go, the sword slicing through his shirt to just miss his torso and deliver a punch to the face followed by a series of snapping motions along the mercenary’s neck. Pinching off blood supply at the nape of his neck to his brain caused the man to stumble, dropping his sword before falling to his knees to receive a roundhouse to the side of his head.

“Man...I never get to have anything nice...” He muttered, complaining about his now ruined dress shirt.
Adam had left Lizzy to play with her new toy. Even though he was less than pleased with her for dragging the boy this far, he knew it would be completely pointless to try and argue about it. So he wandered around the ballroom by himself idly observing the dancing couples and chatting groups, registering some suspicious behavior here and there, but not really making much of it; unless he had direct orders, he couldn’t care less for what other did with their time. In the middle of his quiet observation, the man was beyond startled by a rather forceful hand firmly gripping his... Behind... and an unknown voice speaking out in amusement. “Hello there, pretty, wanna dance?”
Adam responded by immediately turning on this stranger and pinning him against the nearest wall, his eyes meeting a familiar blue gaze as the redhead teenager who had ‘assaulted’ him snickered. “I love it when you play rough, Addy.” The man didn’t need anything else to recognize the assailant and he released the boy, snorting angrily and turning as if to walk away. “Wait, wait, wait... Adam, wait uuuup.” The boy called with laughter in his tone, literally skipping after Adam as he tried to get away. “I have a message for you... Hey... Stop... Hey... Adam... She’s here.”
The words halted Adam immediately and he turned around frantically looking about as if he even knew who it was he was searching for.
“Heh, thought that’d get your attention. Now you know very well Lizzy shouldn’t be bringing souvenirs from Newhaven. I already passed that message on to her. So your orders are to lose the kid... And do it discreetly... Nod if you understand me hun.”
Adam nodded giving up the search for the unfamiliar face of his Mistress and turning to face the boy. “Fine.” He muttered, leading the way to where he had last seen his sister and her new acquaintance.

----------------------------------------------

“That’s not fair...”
“I’m just passing the message along, Lizzy, do you want to disobey? Be my guest.”
“Fine, I’ll keep tabs on the boy, you go find Addy for me, okay?”
“Sounds like a plan.”


Ali opened her eyes, blue specks of light still flickering along her irises as she let her gaze fall to the teenage boy in guard’s uniform. Sean didn’t know his brother was there, that much she knew, and for what the boy’s companions were whispering, it seemed like no one else would either if they went through with what they were planning. She hoped that kid knew how to fend for himself, because those people didn’t seem like they were kidding around. Almost as if on cue at that thought a familiar and unfriendly voice spoke beside her, sounding a bit tipsy. “Don’t think we finished our talk.”
“I don’t think we ever started talking, Ryan, and I also think you are a bit drunk, but hopefully not drunk enough to be stupid... As much as it would be entertaining to watch people’s faces if I pushed you down from this balcony... That would draw a bit of unwanted attention to us both.”
“You think you’re so great because Dani trusted you... Pfft...”
“Dani took a long time to trust me, I’ll have you know, and I earned whatever amount of trust it was...” Ali stated calmly, leaning against the edge of the balcony where she had settled to watch the people below, not turning to face the man. “Don’t try to repeat Sean’s bullshit as if you knew me or what I’ve been through to get here, Ryan... Actually the best part of being exiled is that I don’t have to give a shit about Sean’s opinions anymore... Or move a finger to help that idiot brother of his.” She stated pointing Donovan out on the crowd. “You, on the other hand, better move... I have a feeling the kid’s disappearance would make the Alpha rather pissy.”

Ali waited for the Wolf to rush down to the lower level before moving herself; sure she didn’t have to help, but she had nothing against Donovan and finding who were those people he was with could be a good idea. While Ryan was making his way to snatch Donovan away from the woman that seemed to be dragging him around somewhere more quiet, Ali found the blond man that had been keeping them company just moments ago. She noticed that both of them, as well as the redhead boy that had later joined them, were wearing fully black clothing and it gave the impression they were on uniform; even though the clothes themselves were not the same, and she remembered AJ wearing similarly black clothes. Maybe it was unrelated; a lot of people wore black clothing, but something just didn’t seem right with those people, and Ali felt that regardless of whether they had anything to do with her former friend, it was important to know a bit more. Slowly she made her way after the two men, more trying to see how long it would take for them to notice the fact she was stalking them and not simply trying to cross the crowded ballroom.

The redhead boy didn’t seem to notice her, or maybe he didn’t care, but the blond man tensed slightly as he walked, and she was absolutely sure he was keeping track of her movements as well. She acted as though she didn’t notice the change however and keep following; the distance between them getting shorter every couple of steps until she reached them and grabbed the blond by his wrist, calling out to him as if he were a friend. “Hey, stranger!”
The man reacted extremely fast to the contact spinning around to push Ali away, lunging at her as if he wanted to rip her head right off. It took Ali all of her restraint to not react the way she was trained to and shrink down as if trying to take cover from a blow that never came; presumably because the redhead boy quickly stepped in between the two. “Easy now, Adam... That’s no way to treat a lady.” The kid half-scolded slowly pushing the taller man back a step. “I think he likes you, you two know each other?” he asked, making sure his friend was calm and turning to face Ali with a childish curiosity in his eyes.
Ali shook her head, a very convincing freaked out look in her eyes. “No, I... Mistook your friend for somebody else... I apologize.” She explained, raising her eyes to the man who was openly glaring at her over the boy’s head and directing her apology at him before turning back to his friend. “And I surely don’t want to find out how your friend acts with people he doesn’t like then.”
“I’m sorry if Adam startled you miss... He’s a little bit jumpy right now, that’s all.” He smiled a bit reassuringly. “It’s my fault, I like to play tricks on him and I might have overdone it.” Taking a polite bow the young man extended his hand in greeting. “I’m Wyatt, by the way.”
Ali was listening to the younger man, but her attention was mostly on his companion as the man had not stopped staring at her in annoyance as if she had spat in his face instead of simply trying to draw his attention and she was rather amused by the overreaction. “Wyatt... What a lovely name. I’m Allison.”
“Allison, that... Is a pretty pendant you have...” Wyatt asked, reaching for the wooden bird hanging from a string necklace over the woman’s chest, his index finger lightly grazing her skin in the process. “Did you make this?”
Ali wasn’t unaware of this boy was doing, and in other circumstances some fingers would be broken at this point, but she only reacted by quietly retreating a step and smiling politely. “Yes, I made it myself. It is quite simple, but I think it serves its purpose. Do you... Like birds?”

As she spoke those words a small commotion took place as a chandelier dropped down, Ali could see that the object had fallen, ironically, under the weight of a bird that had perched itself on it. Ali followed with the corner of her eyes as man rescued the animal, and she continued to observe long enough to watch the bird change into a wolf and the man walk away. Ali smirked at the scene and wondered if the Alpha knew what his new pups were off doing. Donovan, she was sure, was not meant to be here, what about the girl? Sean was biting off more than he could chew with that one.

Wyatt’s answer came as soon as Ali’s attention was back on him, which made it very clear he had been watching to see what she was so interested in. “I like many things... Maybe one day we’ll discuss them in detail somewhere more private.”
“You... Are very forward, sir.” Ali stated, her tone lingering somewhere between annoyance and amusement.
“I’ve been told.” Wyatt chuckled. “Is that a bad thing? Would it be preferable to hide my intentions, whatever they may be, behind mindless chatter? I feel that’s a bit dishonest.”
“You can learn quite a bit from mindless chatter, perhaps that intimidates you in some way?” Ali asked curiously. “Honesty now seems like a very subjective term. Personally I think that if attempt to control how people perceive you, you are not truly being honest, but that’s just my opinion.”
The boy snickered, amused by her words. “And now who is being forward, huh?”
“Perhaps I’m only being honest, Wyatt... It’s a bad habit of mine.”
“Perhaps, but then... I don’t know what your intentions are yet... Miss Blake.”
Ali’s eyes narrowed slightly although she made sure to keep a curious demeanor as she noted. “I don’t recall mentioning my family name... So perhaps you are less honest about your intentions that you say you are.”
“Perhaps we’re both being dishonest in some ways, or maybe... I’m just trying to keep you interested. Mystery is always a good thing.” Wyatt replied with a playful smirk. “It’s been nice, but we should be moving along before my friend here gets too antsy... We’ll meet again, I bet.”
“Oh, I look forward to it, sir... And your friend too.” She extended her gaze to Adam and gave the man a friendly nod, holding back amusement as he simply snorted in response and started to walk away. Ali wasn’t as good at reading people as some were, not like Bastian once was or like Jake could be at times, but... She could just tell... Something about her had bothered this Adam guy; bothered him in some deeper level for some reason. She wondered what it could be, and she wondered who they were. The younger boy had a slightly psychotic note to his speech, he hid it fairly well, but it was still there, and how did he know her last name? No one, aside from people she considered friends, was ever given her family name. She was curious, confused, and very suspicious of these people, but there was little time to dwell on it however... Bigger things were being set motion as she distracted herself with her new acquaintances and it all became very clear when a man shouted launching a strike against the king.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Hey, Buddie, this really isn’t any of your busin-”

“For Blackpond!”


Jake stood with arms crossed, unfazed by the commotion started by Alexander and his little group and just as unmoved by Darren’s attack on the other mercenary, the man standing right before him turned his attention momentarily to his colleague, and Jake could have taken him out there, but he’d rather not injure a man for simply doing his job. “Look... Buddie...” Jake started, acting as though there wasn’t a fight happening between the other two men. “You got a job to do, I get it, you’re being paid and all, but I doubt you’re being paid enough for what I’ll do to you. So maybe this here is the best time to back off.”
The man turned his attention back to Jake at his words, a look of amusement and disbelief plastered on his face as if he didn’t think Jake could possibly be serious. “Is this the part where I thank you for sparing me, boy?”
“That would be the polite thing to do, but as I feel you won’t be doing the polite thing, this is probably the part where you fail to hit me and ends up seriously injured. Too bad, pal... You seem like a decent guy, probably just trying to support your family, and I’d rather not leave you incapacitated and unable to provide for several weeks, but hey... suit yourself.” Jake spoke in a calm, matter-of-factly, almost bored, tone that made him sound like an arrogant prick, but he was being truthful; he didn’t see a point or purpose in hurting this guy, but he knew that he was going to, because guys like this didn’t back away from confrontation. It was a pride thing, Jake knew it well. He saw it coming as the man started to laugh, shaking his head in amusement, his laughter cut short as he sung his fist at Jake in one swift and forceful blow; it was a good effort, but it just wasn’t fast enough, not to mention ridiculously predictable. Jake ducked under the man’s fist and blocked another incoming blow with his open palm as he straightened himself up, pushing the man’s fist away from his face and hitting him back with an open palm almost in a mocking fashion. At this point he wasn’t bothering with trying to dissuade the man, but actually outright taunting him. “Last chance to walk away, mate... Take it while I’m feeling generous.”

The mercenary didn’t laugh this time, the man was angered by the provocation, the mockery was enough to make this personal for him, his fighting showed in its recklessness and fury, while Jake’s movements were calculated and nearly mechanical, quickly he avoided the man’s advances and breached the man’s defenses landing two precise blows to the man’s face; the first to the nose, the second to the jaw, which were followed by a forceful kick to the stomach which left him on his knees on the ground gasping for air. Jake kneeled as if he was going to check if the man was alright, but that wasn’t his intention in the slightest, and the moment he touched the mercenary the man fell unconscious, face down, to the floor, a glimpse of a dark needle disappearing underneath Jake’s sleeve as he stood up straight, pulling on the dark grey cuff of his jacket.

Darren had knocked out the other mercenary just as Jake looked up from the knocked out man at his feet; a look of utter annoyance slowly melting from his expression. Catching the boy’s complaint about his ruined shirt was enough to put a look of amusement back to Jake’s blue eyes and he laughed lightly. “Better it’d be the shirt than you, huh?” He teased, poking Darren where the sword would have slashed him. “What is the deal with these guys anyway?” He asked, his eyes absently looking around to the confusion Alexander had started, but not much caring to get involved. Not yet at least. As Irvin approached them looking a little bit disappointed to see that the mercenaries were taken care of, Jake gave the boy a nod. “Kid... Go check the ice on the doors... See if there’s something you can do about it.”
“Alright, but... I’m not sure if it’ll work.” Irvin replied, eyes scanning the frozen doors of the room one by one.
“Just go check it out and come right back, try to keep as far from this mess as possible, alright?”
“Okay, sounds easy enough.” Irvin stated, making off and half disappearing into the crowd as he made a way to one of the doors.

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Dastan was having fun at this party, surprisingly so. The music was fancier than he was used to and so were most of the guests, but the booze was of great quality and here and there he’d find something pretty to look at, and here and there... He’d get rewarded for his glances. After getting a few dances with some considerably attractive ladies and starting to get a little too tipsy to be charming in any respectable way, he approached one of the tables to get some food and maybe water for a change... Or maybe just the food... He wasn’t drunk to a point where he couldn’t afford to get any drunker quite yet. Just as he had finished pouring himself another drink he felt something collide into him, a hand grasping his arm for support. The man turned to see himself face to face with a little blond girl as she whispered an apology. Dastan snickered softly, his eyes scanning the girl from head to toe. He didn’t know her, or at least he didn’t think they’d met before but he thought he caught something in her eyes that told him otherwise... She seemed to know who he was. Either that or she was mistaking him for someone else. “No need to be apologizing now, miss... Takes a lot more than a little bump to knock me down.” He stated playfully, still looking over this girl as if searching for something he’d missed. “Do we know each other somehow? Or are you always this nervous-looking when you randomly grab strange men?” He asked with a curious look in his eyes. Just as he finished that sentence his attention was momentarily snatched by someone passing by and grabbing the drink out of his hand. By the time he managed to register what was happening he was being handed back his empty glass. "...Don't look at me like that...I'll owe you something vintage and worth the impolite intrusion.." Dastan scratched the back of his head in confusion as he watched Essence walk away, amusement slowly sinking in as he shook his head at the woman. “Great, that's the second redhead who owes me a drink." He whispered under his breath with a chuckle.

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Sean couldn’t help his complete amusement as Essence dropped a pouch of coin onto his hand as compensation for the table. He had been playing, obviously, and didn’t actually expect the woman to pay him for such a small thing; the one thing the Pack was not lacking was resources, but still he accepted the pay without as much as a hint of hesitation, weighing the pouch in his hand quietly and thinking that this was a bit more than enough for one little table. As he opened his mouth to speak however, his attention was caught by something soft hitting his shoulder, the man snatching a soft handkerchief before it had a chance to hit the ground. Unfolding the cloth Sean eyes narrowed as he read for only a second before he lifted his head to look around. As he turned his attention to his company once again, Essence was walking away, he thought he heard the woman say something about being right back, but he could barely catch her words. He kept one eyes on the woman curiously as he saw her approach a dark haired lady in a dark green dress. They both seemed way too polite with each other to be friendly, and it was an interesting interaction to watch, even if he couldn’t hear what was being said between them. Once again Sean turned his attention to the handkerchief and reread its message: ‘If you dare touch Ella or Jen today, I’ll be sure that today will also be the last day the Wolfpack ever threatens anyone’s lives in Valcrest.’

Sean knew very well who that message had come from and after reading it a couple of times more he couldn’t help a small fit of laughter. “Alright, Evin, I won’t touch them.” He mumbled under his breath, moving away from where he’d been waiting it didn’t take him too long to find Ryan. It wasn’t surprising that the man was hanging around him, what was surprising however was who was standing next to him. Sean frowned at the sight of Donovan, in guards uniform, in Blackpond, what the hell was that kid thinking? As he approached the two, Doni opened his mouth to speak, but Sean silenced him with a gesture. “I don’t want to hear it, Doni. You blew your cover completely by coming here tonight, do you know how many people in this room know your face? When the party ends, no matter how it ends, I want you to go straight back to camp.”
“What about Ari? You can’t leave her without backup.”
“Oh, I’ll take care of that kid, don’t you worry.” Sean muttered out, an annoyed snort escaping him as he handed Ryan the handkerchief. “This woman, Jen, I want you to care of it tonight, do you understand me? No bargaining, no taking prisoners, no nothing; Bana is not the target here and I don’t care about him right now, I just want this over and done with by morning.”

“I understand.” Ryan stated, taking the handkerchief into his pocket and bowing his head slightly. “Consider it done.” The man replied before wandering off into the crowd to tend to his task.
“Sean...” Donovan mumbled.
“Not here, we’ve already talked way too much. Just stay out of trouble and we’ll talk at home.” Sean replied turning away from the boy and looking around to see that Ess was still busy with the black haired woman.

Sean hung around the place where he was previously standing and watched with a hint of amusement in his eyes as the two women parted ways; that was not a friendly conversation, he could feel the tension as far as he was standing, and he was curious as to what could be the issue between his new acquaintance and that stranger. The man was soon distracted from that thought however as he spotted a silver wolf trotting after Essence on her way back to where he was standing. The young Alpha honestly seemed amazed by the sight as if he was a child; he had never even heard of a wolf following a human this way before. The forest wolves usually stayed away from people as much as possible, it was rare to even see one from afar. “Remarkable.” The man mumbled to himself as Ess reached him and the wolf started to sniff the hem of his pants curiously. His eyes only leaving the animal as the wolf tensed and emitted a low growl the somehow didn’t seem directed at him. It was clear that it was not the moment he spotted the woman approaching because his reaction was almost exactly the same; he tensed, and growled under his breath wondering what hell that bitch could possibly want this time.

"Now I think I understand....Looks like you are still very good at what you do, Pigeon."

Sean arched an eyebrow at the woman as she was addressing Essence. He wasn’t surprised that they knew one another; the old hag did try to order a hit on the woman, and it had become apparent to him by some people missing from her little guard detail that the woman had been involved in at least one more confrontation since the moment Sean last spotted her.

"All dressed up, still trying to be something you're not. No matter. You can try to scrub shit clean but it's still...shit. Once a whore...always a whore.."

Sean sighed softly, his clenched fist shivering slightly making it somewhat clear that he was really forcing himself to stand still and not immediately pull out a dagger and stab the woman’s face until it turned into something easier on the eyes. The only thing keeping him from doing so, in fact, was the realization that if he was... displeased... by this woman’s presence, it was nothing compared to his companion. “Well... Miss Talon... You were wondering how I knew your name... There you have it.” Sean spoke softly, his eyes glaring at the old had with nothing but pure contempt.

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Luckas felt the visions of Rick and his filth fade from his mind slowly, and he was glad. The man’s sickness would have revolted him much more if he hadn’t seen worse when he went after Jasper. It was not doubt Rick was equally sick, but Luke wasn’t fully in Rick’s mind, so if he had ever involved children in his depravities, it wasn’t clear, unlike Jasper... And that was the reason that guy was still number one; Luckas would never consider all the punishment he gave that son of a bitch to be enough. His black eyes immediately sought out the King amongst the crowd to see him be dragged away from the center of a huge commotion. It seemed their little playtime had caused Luke and Simon both to miss a bit of the action. From the corner where he had posted himself to watch Rick, Luckas’ eyes took in the sight of men moving on a half-organized attack against the Blackpond people, his mind slowly starting to register the situation. A fight had broken out, all exits were sealed, it wouldn’t be long until that turned into something incredibly ugly. Luke pushed himself away from the wall that had been supporting him through his conversation with Simon, looking around he felt a mix of relief and disappointment as he realized Tala was no longer following his footsteps; the wolf was a distraction, and in many ways an annoyance, but now Luckas felt somewhat alone without her. His eyes quickly scanned the ballroom again, spotting familiar faces one by one until they spotted the redhead woman from Jake’s memories... Crys. Luke’s eyes narrowed slightly and he started to pace towards the woman, but was halted by a familiar voice in his ear. “Another redhead, love? I’m starting to think you’ve got a fixation.”
Luckas snickered at the comment, but he couldn’t help but notice Sam’s tone was again that dangerously sweet one from before. “No, no fixation... Least not this time.” He replied turning to face the woman, his eyes searching her expression for any signs of aggravation, but finding none. Was he that bad at reading emotions was she that good at hiding them? “Are you upset?” He asked, his tone genuinely confused.
“Do I seem upset, Lukey?” Sam asked, raising an eyebrow questioningly at him. The woman didn’t seem to mind all the ruckus of fighting and shouting going in the background, nor did she seem concerned with being trapped in that room. In fact, Sam couldn’t possibly seem more calm and serene amongst all the chaos.
“I’m not sure, Sammy. If I knew, I wouldn’t need to ask.” Luckas replied, giving her a look of clear annoyance.
Sam smiled softly, reaching out and ruffling his hair playfully as if he were a little boy. “I know... And if you knew I was mocking you, you wouldn’t feel the need to explain that. I guess that’s just part of your charm though, hm?”
“I wouldn’t know about that. I don’t consider myself charming... Why would I?”
Sam snickered, shaking her head in silent disbelief. “Why would you, indeed.”
“Are you mocking me now?” He asked, sounding a bit confused by the whole conversation. Gladly he didn’t have to think about it for much longer as the loud redhead boy version of Amber appeared, bouncing towards them. “Heeeelllooooo!” The boy giggled. “Ain’t this a fun party!?”
Sam turned to redhead boys with pleased smile. “Ah, Mr. Wyatt... Is Lizzy’s little issue taken care of?”
“No, not exactly... Seems the boy wasn’t just a silly little Newhaven guard, we had to let him go, but... I don’t think he even remembers how he got here... You know Lizzy; she likes her men young and confused.”
Sam sighed softly and shook her head in disapproval. “Remind Adam of the conditions I’ve imposed on him and what happens if he can’t keep her in check.”
“Yes, Mistress.” Wyatt’s reply was short and respectful, and very uncharacteristic in its seriousness. Something in Sam’s words or tone had caused that reaction, and Luckas wasn’t exactly sure of what it was.
“Tell Adam to try and unlock the doors somehow, tell Lizzy to provide cover; she’ll know what to do.”
Wyatt bowed at the order and made off quickly to pass the orders along. Luckas had previously questioned the reason why Sammy kept Amber so close amongst all the others when she was so erratic, but Sam’s presence alone seemed to make the little psycho into an obedient and adoring puppy. It was really something interesting and frightening to see.
“Lukey... Are you still afraid of the dark?” Sam asked softly, her hand reaching for his in a firm grip.
“Uncomfortable maybe, but not afraid.” Luckas replied, unsure of what the woman was intending with the questioning and the hand holding. It all become very clear, metaphorically speaking at least, when a gust of wind crossed the ballroom, extinguishing every single flame in its path and engulfing the party and its guest in absolute darkness. As soon as everything went dark, Luckas felt himself being led by the hand, firmly, by Sam as if the woman knew exactly where to go, ignoring all the sounds of the disoriented party guests. “Don’t worry, Lukey.” She stated calmly.
For Blackpond!!

Mageria didn't even think, upon hearing the cry and distinctive sound of a sword being freed of it's sheath. She simply grabbed Ella by one arm and all but flung her towards the nearest wall. Somethings, it seemed, simply couldn't be erased by a change of job titles. She didn't draw any of her weapons, but instead stood in a ready guard stance between the woman to whom she had given her loyalty and whatever danger it was.

"So Majesty, how's the Council been lately? Still upset or have they calmed down any?" She sounded almost bored, but she was almost hyper sensitive to what was going on around her.
“Well... Miss Talon... You were wondering how I knew your name... There you have it.”

Essence had her eyes on Sean, noting how his expression had shifted from innocent awe, quickly melting to something beyond disgust. Violet eyes brightened and flashed dangerously, something she couldn’t control as the light momentarily bled out from her sockets, appearing as if they held fuses burning to two mini, internal bombs. Tiny, blue veins accentuated the eerie light below her eyelids, her skin actually taking the illusion of a similar delicate and fragile decor of stone cracking under pressure as it spread. Her fingers appeared discreetly along her corset to slowly retrieve a small, purple vile she hid in her hand as she crossed her arms lazily. Blinking a few times, the glow emanating from her orbs dissipated, accompanied by a sly smile through grinding teeth. “Fucking bitch...I guess I was too kind to you when last we chatted...” She snarled, somehow her tone still remaining sweet. “I should have taken both of your haggard eyes...”

Ebony chuckled, staring at Ess whose back was still facing her and her mercenary entourage. “Oh, I’d be willing to forget that minor...transgression, little Birdie...if you give up that dagger of mine and come along quietly. It could be like...” Ebony sighed, pausing as if she were reminiscing about the good ol’ days. “...be like old times. Remember how much fun we had?” The old woman added with a mocking sarcasm. “Well....I remember how much fun I had....” She sneered.

Still holding the small vile, Ess turned slowly to face the group behind her, raising her hand to absently scratch the back of her head, the end of the vile nicked to spill its contents all along the fan like blade that was tight among the braids, nestled in her curls. Lazily she let the vile drop behind her, simultaneously as one of her braids fell loose, the barrette swinging in an almost hypnotizing fashion so that the razor edges were now coated with the sap like ooze.

“Riiight....because standing by and making money while children were raped and tortured was just SO MUCH FUN.... Children Ebony... It wasn’t a secret what kind of Mistress you were...”

“I ran a respectable business!” The woman hissed. “That is, until you tried to have me killed...and not to mention what you did to my brother...”

“At least...when I put a hit on someone..I have the balls to do it MYSELF.......Mistress...” Essence snapped, noting how Tala began to circle the group while staying just out of arm's reach; white foam dripping in bubbling clumps to the floor.

“Oh, we can see what a great job you did, aye Pigeon..” Ebony retorted with a wink from her good eye.

“Lucky for you, I was only a child and -” Ess inhaled sharply, her hands resting along her waist as if she were hugging herself, a chill creeping up her spine as a blond, green eyed man about her age stepped forward.

“Aw, now Beautiful, I seem to remember you had mastered quite a few...talents for one so young..” The man stated in a complementary tone, bowing his head slightly.

“Joffrey...” Essence breathed, nails tracing the outline of her throwing daggers tucked along her curves. “Finally...came out of hiding...”

The man smiled, nodding casually at Ess’ comment. “Well, after the rumors I heard about Vincent..and then recently with the..disappearance of Jasper...could you really blame me?”

“Vincent...Vincent....” Ess tapped her chin thoughtfully and shrugged. “Not sure who you mean..” She lied, not hiding a mischievous sneer crossing her lips. “Oh come now, how many times did you cut your tongue from all that boot licking? Although I think you may have enjoyed it. But, sadly, I can’t take all the credit there...” Essence bit her lip, glancing back at Sean as if to verify he was still there.

Joffrey chuckled, “I doubt you’d forget Vince, Pigeon..besides I saw you...but no worries..” He raised his fingers to his lips as if he was meaning to keep a secret. “You mean...you weren’t responsible for Jasper? How interesting...” Joffrey began. “I may have enjoyed it, but not as much as I enjoyed you. So, since we are admitting things...I also seem to remember how much you liked it...”

“Tsk tsk..” Ess nodded as if she were agreeing with Joffrey’s words, but her attention was directed towards Sean in an unspoken agreement of sorts before turning back to the group. Firmly she stated, “Smart men...know how to treat a Lady... Maybe I’d play nice, if you got on your knees for me...

Ebony thought she was being sneaky, foolishly assuming Ess was distracted as she motioned for three of the men to go for Ess. Tala didn’t even let the first mercenary unsheathed his blade more than an inch before her teeth were piercing through flesh, followed by a girlish scream from the back of the group. The sound of blood gurgling and bones breaking, and the man was down in seconds. Essence’s head was already in full swing, long braids snapping outwards in a whip like motion, the sharp edges of her barrette slicing through empty air and then Joffrey’s cheek twice before the man was able to dodge. Another nearby man-for-hire felt the blade slice below his chin, spilling his blood in messy spurts so that it freckled across Ess’ porcelain skin, yet enough left in the man to not end him. It wasn’t meant to, nor needed once the poison began its work in paralyzing both individuals. Ess needed some leverage, even though she was able to move somewhat easily, the excessive folds of her gown constricting her movements enough to make the oncoming advances a little tricky.

“Ebony!” Essence screamed aloud, not caring that her voice echoed to blend with the chaos that was beginning to spread throughout the room. She was done with this woman and she would be damned if she let this fateful opportunity slip through her fingers. Another figure drew his sword, moving with the others to hold a circle surrounding Ebony. Ess released two of her finger sized daggers into the man whose throat she had cut, aiming for his hands to penetrate through his palms so that he dropped whatever weapons he held. One dagger went clean through, while the other only made it half way so that the man moved to use it to attack despite his anger and fury at the pain. It made it easier to block, Ess’ relic blade pushing back against the larger man for only a few seconds. Tala leapt from the side to rip through the man’s arm, hanging on until he stumbled backwards.

“Get your bloody wolf off me!” The mercenary barked from her feet, attempting to scurry backwards but his movement was slowing between the poison and blood loss which was also noted by the rapid, pale discoloration of his skin.

“She’s not mine....more like I am HERS...” Ess retorted in amusement, yet a look of concern crossed her eyes. It wouldn’t be long now for the poison to work it’s magic. A sudden breeze sent a chill up her legs, making her realize that somewhere along the way she had torn her gown, a clean slit just pausing along her naked thigh. Somewhere around that time it began to dawn on her that there were fewer mercenaries standing and more upon the floor than she could take credit for. Both Ebony and Joffrey had managed to slip away in the hustle but not without Tala already hot on their heels.

Catching Sean out of her peripherals she sighed, staring down at her dress, she slid her dagger along the tear to rip it in a horizontal fashion. Essence looked up to see a familiar dark, curly haired boy rolling to his feet, the image blackening as everything went dark followed by sporadic panic that echoed against the walls. With a sigh, Ess blinked, trying to make her eyes adjust. “Oh, this will not do...not at all..Uh, Sean, you still there? Would you be a gentleman and help a lady out? I can’t run in this thing..” Ess eyes flickered in their familiar glow; a violet beacon that quickly toned down but was enough to give her a glimpse of the man’s expression that sent giggles bouncing down her shoulders.
~~~~~~~~~

Darren snorted, holding back a chuckle when Jake poked at his side, playfully whining still about the shirt. His attention was more distracted so that it appeared he had to put effort into the jest as opposed to his normal, comical self. Quirking a brow he quickly glanced from Jake to the second fallen body, lightly tugging on his goatee in thought. “What the hell did you stick em’ with?” He asked curiously, his attention already wandering through his surroundings in pursuit of where the woman had disappeared into the crowd. “You’re from BlackPond, Jake...The name Ebony sound familiar? We don’t have time to get into it now, but let's just say I discovered she’s an old associate of my father’s...and more of a reason to finish much needed research.” Darren sighed, his expression momentarily blank before shifting to one of loss. He moved in one direction and stopped, turned around glancing in the direction of random shouts of guests as they moved to avoid the staircase. People began to push back; either from choice or by force. If they wanted to be apart of the battle or avoid it all together, Darren knew many wouldn’t be given much of choice as things began to escalate.

Turning abruptly away from the staircase, Darren began pressing through the crowd until he managed to pick out the small group of men encircling Ebony. In all honesty they stood out. It wasn’t hard to spot them as many began to push towards the blocked exits, against every corner and wall within the room. He didn’t need to turn around to know Jake was still within earshot as he spoke, “Hey...think I found who came here with that wolf...that...Redhead with no name..” Darren flashed a curious smile before it slipped away. He quickened his pace, zigzagging his way towards Ebony, determined to finish their conversation. Casually he kept his distance, coincidentally circling the group in the opposite direction of Tala so that they passed each other, only looking at each other long enough to acknowledge each other’s presence.

Only mere seconds went by before he witnessed the wolf take someone down with a graceful ease Darren felt only the female sex, no matter the species, carried alone. She was silent and deadly, and she wouldn’t have been noticed by others if not for the piercing scream of the man whose throat she had clamped down upon, silver fur stained in a sticky crimson. Darren saw a tall, fairly large man wearing a black, large brimmed hat with single red feather hanging off the front, approach Tala from behind. Raising a small ax over the wolf, the man was distracted with the blood feud so he didn’t notice Darren as he approached. “Aye Guy, nice...Hat.” The man hadn’t turned his head even half way when Darren’s fist collided with the side of his cheek. “You’re wearing it all wrong man...” He joked, popping the hat off the man’s head and catching it. “What the hell is this?” Darren laughed, plucking the feather from the hat and stomping it on the ground, his fingers crunching along the flexible brim to create a narrow, slanted point. The hat fit snug just above his ears, curling higher on his left along his temples compared to the right and just dipped low enough to cast a shadow over one eye.

“Thanks, Guy. I know it wasn’t suiting yo-” Darren took the first swing like a champ, barely budging even though his jaw was screaming. Stretching his jaw, he heard a pop, a subtle snort of amusement escaping him. Dropping low he swung his leg to bring the large man down, a smile spreading when the man lept out of the way, sending a series of low and high kicks in a fluid blur. Darren countered with several more kicks, dodging a boot to the face and the man paused to look at him curiously and nodded as if satisfied before attacking again. Forearms crossed before one another’s faces, mirroring each move as if they were dancing and couldn’t decide who would lead. A few moments passed and they shoved each other backwards unable to get in a proper hit and stared into one another’s eyes. Tipping his new hat, Darren winked before leaping forward into the air so his boots used the man’s torso and shoulders as steps to flip backwards while his heel connected with the man’s jaw twice. Hunched over in a small daze, Darren took the opportunity to repeat the move but instead of flipping again he locked his legs around the man’s throat and brought him down to the ground as Darren fell himself, putting pressure along several points at once so that the man’s eyes rolled up in his head and he passed out. He gave an extra squeeze before releasing and pushing the man away and somersaulting back to his feet just as the lights went out and he was encased in darkness. It didn’t matter that he couldn’t be seen, Darren adjusted his new hat in a fashion he thought suited him and stood as still as a statue, listening to the sudden shrieks echo around him.
Ella almost couldn’t help but snicker a little when the fighting broke out. He heard a guard call out to protect the queen, but lucky for them, the head of the Black Knights was there before all of them. It was probably just instinct, but Ella wasn’t too happy with it all. The fighting wasn’t directed at her, that much was obvious. The whole thing, however, did seem a little odd. Ella was aware of the secret organization that was under control of Blackpond, but she had no idea who these rebels were who were trying to gain back control. How was it that they knew about this secret organization? Maybe the whole situation in Blackpond was more messed up then she had even imagined.
“The council is fine, for now. Xypher has been sentenced to death for his treason and the council seems far less cluttered with backroom deals and the likes now that he’s behind bars. There are a few councilmen lobbying for his release, but there is no way that they have anything to offer me that I can’t get in more honest of ways. As for their feelings towards you, well I don’t want to sound rude, but they’ve nearly forgotten about you. This little stunt was partially to remind them that you are still around and still have a presence because you are far too clouded in secrecy to do the work yourself.” Ella smiled, shrugging off the comment as if she had directed it at herself. “Honestly, the council doesn’t hate you as much as you may think. Xypher had a lot of control in the council and now that he’s gone, the power struggles have caused Xypher’s hold on the councilmen to be nearly nonexistent.”
Ella looked around at the carnage that was occurring all round her. New fights had started to break out. It wouldn’t be long until everything went downhill.
Then the lights went out. All in one sweeping fashion as if every fire in the place had been snuffed at once. The room was completely engulfed by the shadows. Every ten seconds or so, bouts of fire would flash, momentarily brightening the entire room as the battle at the top of the stairs continued. It was a spectacle at best in Ella’s eyes. She, instead, focused her attention on reading what the room looked like when the fire would light the room. The first thing she noticed was how the strobes of light would make things appear to be in one place one second and another the next time the lights flashed as if they were teleporting. Getting a read on how exactly the crowds were moving, she took the chance to slip away from Mageria


-----

Dominic felt fine seeing that Ella had managed to find herself protected by Mageria when the fight broke out. His mindset changed a little, however, when the lights went out. It was almost a gut reaction. Find Ella as quickly as possible and move her from where she is, whether Mageria liked it or not. Ella was safe with Mageria, but the change in lighting could have very well meant that there was someone cutting the lights out in order to sneak past Mageria. He wasn’t going to let this happen. The moment the first burst of light from the fire went off, he ran. Every time the light came back, he saw people in different places. He had seen this before.
He called it the flicker effect. When lights flash quickly, he knew that he would see images and when the lights came back on a second time, anticipate them to be in the same place as before, but because the people had moved in-between flickers, his anticipation of where people were going to be was off.
It didn’t matter, despite smashing up against a couple of people; he quickly made it to Ella’s side, right near Mageria. The lights went up, giving Dominic a chance to see exactly where Ella was. When the lights went back down, he ran to grab for her arm. Grabbing hold, he ran with her, not caring too much if she could keep up. With each flash, the person who could have possibly been following Ella would see Dominic and Ella running in a different spot. Eventually, after about ten more flashes of light, he stopped, hoping that it would have been enough flickers to adequately lose any possible assailants. Looking behind him to see how Ella was his biggest shock. He realized that he had been dragging Mageria around the entire time and now Ella was alone in the dark, crowded room without proper protection. Without even thinking of apologizing, he said, “we need to find her.”

-----


 and go do something that she only just recently realized would be the right thing for her to do. Not many would agree with her, but she knew that what she was going to do, had to be done in order to bring some sort of peace to what was only a mess of people who didn’t understand the predicament that they were in. She didn’t even fully understand it, but she didn’t expect that much of herself. It would be way too grandiose of her to think like that. She hunched over to keep herself as small and as low profile as possible so none of her guards or Mageria would see her. There was only one face she was looking for in the crowds of people and that was Sean’s. Soon enough, she caught a glimpse of him when yet another flash of fire engulfed the room.
“You, Sean, are the cause of all things that are wrong in Valcrest right now.” She said, very boldly and blatantly. “Since you can’t do us the favor of offing yourself
” Ella slipped the dagger out of her corset. Without a moment of hesitation, she went in to cut a hole in Sean’s gut.

-----

Evin tried to follow the mania around him. It was hard to catch everything, but he instinctually grabbed for Jen the moment it all started. Especially as it started so close to her. The table that they were standing at just so happened to be one of the tables that was used to barricade the stairs and the woman that had been taken just so happened to be one of the ones that Jen had been speaking to. After he got her out of the way however, he calmed down a little. The fighting was in no way directed at either of them, so he had little to worry about. This would inevitably be the spark to ignite the fire though and that worried him just a little.
“Well aren’t you rough?” Jen said playfully.
Evin sighed, “Do you really have to go there? When have I ever been rough?”
“You were just now.”
“So you will judge me on a onetime thing when we’ve known each other for much longer?” Evin asked.
“We didn’t know each other long at all. What was it, a month or so? Do I really know the real Evin Bana, because sometimes I believe I don’t know your whole story.”
Evin just looked at her with amusement and said. “You know me well.”
“You’re telling me that I know everything about a man who I only knew for a month and who spent his entire life as an assassin? I’d be rather disappointed if I didn’t know everything about you. Besides, what’s the fun in that?” She stepped a little closer.
“I wish I knew everything about you. It’s been too long.”
The conversation was cut short when the light died. It blacked out completely, leaving Evin unaware of his surroundings. There was too much commotion in the initial screaming and clattered reactions for Evin to really pick up on his surroundings. He just let the whole thing engulf him as he stood in the same spot, not really sure how to react. His senses were failing him dramatically and it wasn’t a fun thought. Although Evin didn’t join in on the panic, he did feel unsettled. Rustling around with one of his hidden knives before finally getting his thoughts back together. H knew Jen was safe. He could hear her breathing. The fact that he wasn’t dead yet, made Evin realize that he was probably pretty safe as well. As fire began to ignite around the room, his thoughts led him to what the source of the entire thing was.
Before Evin had a chance to walk around to see what was happening, he dived out of the way as he saw the man who had been walking around in the Black Knight’s armour was dragging Mageria along behind him. It was curious, but not what he was looking for.
As he looked around, he caught a glimpse of the one person he was actually excited to see at the party. If anyone would be able to read the dynamic of the party better than he could, it would be her.
“Crystal
 uh, Crys! I have to say, for someone who doesn’t like parties all that much, I’m having a pretty good time.”

-----

When Simon came to, he was completely confused. Everything indicated that he was no longer in Rick’s mind in terms of how he felt seemed to tell him that he was in fact no longer there. But then there was the scene that he was thrown into. The room he leapt back into was nothing like the room that he had been in before he met Luckas. Before, people were enjoying the party, but now a fight had Broken out. What if he was still in Rick’s mind? What if he had been fooled into thinking that he had left when really, Luckas was continuing to manipulate his reality. There was only one way that he would know for certain.
Knowing Luckas as intimately as Simon did, he knew that Luckas would never let himself die, even if it was just in the world of imagination. If he could kill Luckas, he would know for certain he wasn’t still stuck somewhere within the mind.

-----

Everything about the attack was against logic. It was unconventional and sloppy. From what he knew from the Conflict’s tactics, it was even unconventional for them. They would each come in one at a time to attack. None of them were using Rick’s teleport
 but Alexander didn’t actually see Rick anywhere around either way. It was almost as if they were purposely trying to make it easy for them. Something was off. They weren’t even using any of their enlightenments. It was all wrong.
Alexander continued to defend the barricade, which was such a pointless endeavour. What were they playing at that they didn’t just break through the barrier. Then he realized it. There were only four assassins that weren’t present to battle. Simon, Rick, Vorso and Lamya. Rita was also someone who wasn’t yet present in the battle. This was something that he hoped continued for a long while. Sadly, he knew that there wasn’t a chance in Hell that she would ever stay out of it for long. Maybe she was waiting for the strategic advantage to pop up to join, or maybe it was the fact that she would want to see one or two of the Conflict drop dead before she joined, but what did he know. For all he knew, she could be completely subservient to them.
The thing about the four of the Conflict that weren’t joining in automatically made him know that he was already at an advantage.
Before he could fully process things, the lights all went out. He knew that it wasn’t the doing of Jacy as the fighting completely stopped for a moment. It was obvious that everyone was taking a moment to readjust to the new conditions before the started fighting again. The few moments of silence, without fighting lasted an eternity. It took such a length of time that Alexander actually found himself getting bored. It wasn’t until he saw a flash of light and felt a charring heat wave crawl across his skin that he realized the fight was back on. Alexander reacted quickly to this, ducking below the red blaze that flew across his head. He knew that Vorso was getting himself involved now that the elemental users were using their enlightenment. That would mean that the rest of them would be using their enlightenments soon enough as well, which was only frightening.
There was one thing that he was happy for though. Without Rick or Simon in the battle, he knew that they could not secretly communicate with one another or teleport where ever they want. This made the battling far easier, which made Alexander think that he would take a new approach to the battle. Taking a head on approach to the attack would work out far better this time. Hopefully better than last time at least.
“We will hold the barricade for a few moments longer; let them get close to us. When there is a significant amount of these bastards near the barricade, the one of you’s with a ranged weapon run up to the top and wait for us to force them back down to the ballroom floor for you to start picking them off.”
All were in consensus, but none of them did anything or said a word. It was the silent agreement of the warrior; the bold ignorance that aided them in constant vigil, resilience and honor. They all fought for War, Peace and Life and prayed to Death that they’d be given her blessing.
Alexander continued to wave his sword gracefully towards his combatants. It was enough to ward them off, every once in a while, he ducked in cover from another fire ball. With each fire ball, the enemy got closer, until they could put their plan into action.
The one ran to the top balcony area in the dark. There was no way that they would be able to tell that he had gone up as the shadows concealed him. This was the moment. The true fighting would occur now. Lazurus stretched his arms out past the barricade and dropped something on Alexander’s side, then he turned around and ran away from the battle. What he had dropped looked a lot like a seed. It was small and didn’t make a noise when it hit the ground. It just trickled behind Alexander and his warriors. Alexander didn’t think much of it, he just followed through with his plan. The Conflict was right at his doorstep and he needed to do it now or he would never have the chance to do it. Alexander lifted his leg, but before he could continue, he heard a yell. He could smell it before he could see it. A stench of a thousand deaths. It was a stench he knew well, but a stench that stung the nose with a million different pungent feel. The seed had grown into a human body, rotten and bloody with the blood of both itself and Alexander’s mercenary. It only took a moment, but he was dead.
“Fuck it!” He yelled, kicking the barricade over and on top of the assassins. He didn’t take a moment, he ran down the stairs. On the way down, he saw Sachi stuck under one of the tables, with a broken arm. He didn’t stop moving, but he plunged his sword into his sorry assassin ass.
When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he felt a sort of reunion. Surrounded by the surviving Conflict, and Lazurus’ dead doppelganger.
“It’s great to be back.”

-----

Rick’s fixations had grown immediately as he snapped out of his trance.
“Oh boy, glad you can join us!” Lamya said.
“Where is she? I need to find her! She’s the woman I’d like to see the most of.” Rick blared.
“Even better, you’ve gone crazy. Go find that girl, and maybe that dagger while you’re at it.” Lamya fund pure joy out of Rick’s mind being haunted by his inner most demons. Simon had really managed to do a number on him.
“Yeah, yeah, the dagger. But first the girl!” Rick said in anticipation, pushing Lamya, who whooped in laughter as she fell.
Rick continued looking around the room for the red head he was after. That absolutely gorgeous woman who had the real look for him. It was something of utter rareness to find this and to think that he could have it. She had to be in the room. Jake was in the room. Where was she?

That wasn’t her
 her death would be worth it though. Then there she was. There she was. There she was. The utter trueness of sex appeal right in front of her. With a dagger drawn, swished it through the air. He swished it through the air. “Leave us. Leave us man. Just leave.” He looked at the man who was standing with the redheaded blind girl. “Are you, are you leaving? Are you leaving?”
When the strobbing effect started, Mageria had dropped back half a pace, closing her eyes to avoid being dazzled out of instinct.
"The Council's forgotten about me huh? Maybe I'll have to come back and visit then. Like, when we get out of this bloody mess?" She neatly kicked a nearby combatant in the gut when he swung towards them, taking him out of the fight without killing him. She was about to say something else when Dominic landed beside her and took up a flanking position. Evidently he also decided that they weren't safe enough where they were, and went to grab Ella and take her to a more secure position. At least that's what Mageria assumed was supposed to happen; however he made the mistake of grabbing her arm instead and pulling her away. Mageria actually restrained herself from gutting the man by the barest of margins and only because she knew who he was. She didn't even bother with responding when he finally realize his mistake, mostly because she had been occupied with twisting around to try and keep Ella in sight. Years of battlefields had served her well; that and knowing what crazy idea was most likely to slip into her liege's head next.

"This way." She grunted, slipping between the individual fighters like a fish through water. She was headed, not to where Ella had been, but to where she was most likely to be headed. Which would be the Alpha of the Wolfpack, Sean. And there the little lunatic was, headed towards the man and slipping a small dagger out of her sleeve.

"Majesty!" Mageria just knew she was really going to regret this. With one hand she reached out and firmly grabbed the back of Ella's gown, pulling her backwards and out of the way. "Not the time or the place!" Mageria spun slightly, placing herself between the two of them. Times like this she really missed her old armor. There was a roughly equal chance that either of them was going to do their best to gut her in the next instant.
It only took a moment for Ella to realize it, but something was pushing her backwards. She stumbled back, nearly tripping, but not quite. She felt a bit of pressure on her stomach as well. It was just her hand hitting her on the way back though. It knocked the wind out of her, but she caught it back quickly enough to realize who it was.
It seemed that Mageria had caught her just in time to save the life of the rat bastard Sean, a man who truly didn’t deserve it. The excuse that “it wasn’t the time or place” was just a load of horse manure. Ella and Mageria both knew it. The party had gone to shit already. It was only matter of time before the rest of the fight came to her and Sean and Mageria. She didn’t really care if she was the spark. It had to be done.
Ella looked up at Mageria. She was very close to her. They were so close that the two of them would have to take an effort to look at each other from anywhere below the bust. Ella attempted to let out a word, but nothing happened. Her look said it all, but when she couldn’t speak, it made her a little more panicky than anything. That’s when she noticed the pain. An agonizing pain that forced her to cringe and collapse to the floor. She grabbed at her stomach, where the pain was emanating and she caught another pain in her hand. Something had cut her when she tried to grab at the pain. It took less than a second to realize what had happened.
Letting out an earth-shattering scream, she bellowed in a manic inflection. Tears started falling from her face as she realized that she had no chance in hell at this point. There was so much blood on what was once a beautiful dress.
She finally managed to get a breath. “Why? Why couldn’t you just let me kill him? At least, when I was killed, my death would ha—”
Her voice was cut short by a single breath, expelling what was left of her sentence. Her skin quickly turned an ashen grey and she went limp. The Queen of Newhaven was dead.

Where did the Queens and Kings of old go when they died? Did they go to the same place as everyone else or did they go to a special place? They had to go somewhere. Whether they were more important than common folk or not was something that was beyond intellect or wisdom. If the children of gods went to Hell, it would probably dictate that Kings and Queens, people who were less important than the sons and daughters of the Twins, were also only deserving of a regular afterlife. What a droll thought, living a regular afterlife. The kind of life that should only be fit for a commoner. The things that the common man did were far from the grandeurs that a King and Queen took part in.
For one Royal, the common afterlife would be a handsome reward. The only logical thing was that Ella would as well live that droll afterlife. She would revert back to the world that she once knew, the common life: the one life she always wished on herself. The only difference was that now, it would be after her living life. For once, she would feel normal again, like the little orphan girl who imagined a magical world beyond her knowledge. The life of the Queen killed that for her. It would be great to be back.

ValcrestSetting: Valcrest


Sean was a little torn between venting his frustrations on the surrounding hired thugs, or keeping his attention on the words exchanged between his new acquaintance, Ebony and the man she was with. He had done his research on the woman and her ‘business’, but there was a difference between knowing some things and hearing them first hand. Sean couldn’t quite understand how Dani could actually accept a contract from someone like Ebony, and the more he thought it through the more he felt the little bit of respect he had left for the woman start to rapidly decrease. The conversation managed to distract Sean into standing perfectly still, his eyes registering the movement around him as if politely awaiting a physical altercation to take place; it didn’t take a great amount of perception to understand that that’s what was about to happen there.

"Smart men...know how to treat a Lady...Maybe I’d play nice, if you got on your knees for me..."

There was a subtle, very subtle hint in Ess’ words, but it was more than enough of a hint for Sean to catch and as the woman finished speaking the assassin immediately got down on one knee, feeling something possibly very sharp pass through the spot where his head was just a split second ago; blood spatter hitting the ground moments after. Things went messy and violent after that, and while Sean was somewhat eager to take down a mercenary or two, he suddenly found himself freezing in place as he felt something brush against his shoulder as he got back on his feet, as if someone was walking past him; only he couldn’t see anyone there. In the small moment it took Sean’s mind to process what he already knew was happening, he saw a man go down, and then another, both seeming untouched except for one small dark little metal needle poking out from their necks; Sean wouldn’t have seen it if he wasn’t looking for it, his eyes instinctively searching for someone he knew wasn’t able to see. This was curious, to say the least. In his stupor Sean had absently moved to get out of the way of two men fighting, noting that one of them seemed a bit familiar, but he wasn’t quite sure where he’d seen the guy before.

Oddly enough; the lights going off were the thing that caused Sean to snap to attention as if he’d been startled awake. His hand reaching for a weapon instinctively as all the fire in the room went out at once.

“Uh, Sean, you still there? Would you be a gentleman and help a lady out? I can’t run in this thing..”

A flicker of violet light caught the Alpha’s eye as he turned to Ess with a slightly questioning look, unsure if he should laugh at or not at her request. He couldn’t help but feel amused. “I’m pretty sure helping a woman you barely know out of clothing in the dark is far from any definition of ‘gentleman’, but then... For the most part so am I.” He replied, not hiding his amusement at the situation. His attention wandered from the woman however, momentarily as the lights flickered back on, then off again, then on again, as if sudden bursts of flame were exploding all around the ballroom, Sean started looking around, examining the movement of the crowd as if expecting for something particular to happen; he had a bad feeling about this and it became clear why when he heard a familiar voice speak just behind his back, causing him to turn away from Essence, his grip tightening around the hilt of his still sheathed dagger. Struck a little by surprise by the last person he would expect to actually manage such a thing. The fact that Ella was actually attacking him there and then caused him to momentarily flinch, but not enough to actually catch him off guard.

What happened next was as unexpected as it was confusing. Sean expected Ella to attack him, but something held her back; or rather someone. Mageria didn’t seem to be too far behind the escaped Queen and pulled her back before she could reach the Alpha. It seem like that would be the end of it, but no... It wasn’t... Not for Sean anyway. Ella turned to face Mageria, and Sean couldn’t hear what she said, but he slowly realized what was happening; the woman’s face went pale. and it was noticeable even in the flickering lights, and then she went limp... It was so quick that Sean had to check that even though he had drawn his blade on an instinct; it was clear of any blood. The Queen hadn’t been touched by his blade, but Sean knew that wouldn’t matter. Funny how sometimes no matter how much you try to avoid something, if it’s meant to be, it’ll simply happen to you anyway.

For a moment, it could have been just a second or a full minute, Sean simply stood paralyzed but once that moment passed he looked at Mageria, slowly lifting his clean knife to where she could see it. “Been a pleasure, Miss Essence.” He spoke calmly, not bothering to waste the one moment he had for words on the former Black Knight in any way; sheathing his knife and taking the opportunity to make himself disappear the moment the lights flickered out again. He had to find a way back home as fast as possible. He wasn’t sure what had just happened there, but he was absolutely sure it was going to cause him trouble no matter what.