Lakeshore

"So, it is not one, but two new leaders crowned this day. My, this is an interesting time indeed. We live in a generation of opportunity my friends. An opportunity to put petty squabbles between which element is greater aside, and focus on becoming a peaceful land again. But I cannot work towards this peace if I have opposition in the court. My first block is you, Watermaster Arno Dracil." The Lord of the Water tribe stated his small opening speech of the current party in question, who was chained in front of him. The man glowered at the blue eyed leader, wearing not but a jacket to cover the back portion of his tattoo.

"I did nothing wrong! Only tried to focus the Fire Tribe's attention on something else!" The man shouted. "Need I remind you it was on yo-"

"Silence Blasphemer. I am a servant of my Ancestor's creed. Sirona would frown on me if I ever did that deed." The Water Chieftain wagged his finger tauntingly, "Arno Dracil, you are stripped of your title and will be placed under house arrest until a time where we can properly put you on a private trial, and eventually, execution." He turned his trident upside down to have the guards escort the blithering man out of the empty courtroom.

"Lord Zianro, shall we continue with the more immediate business? That of finding you a bride worthy of producing an heir to further solidify your hold on the throne?" One of his advisors sitting on a smaller chair on a rug on the right hand side of the large courtroom stated.

"Oh the ever aching pursuit of a girl willing to roll in hay with a Dragon. I do not wish for any marriage of mine to be just politics. I save politics for those I don't like. That includes the Fire Tribe and the power hungry general of theirs. At any rate, if it's to lighten my mood old man, fine, we shall go through your list of potentials across the inter-tribal country of ours." With that Zianro Azura leaned back on his throne in boredom. He wished he was outside to visiting his people. But it seemed being a leader and being a warrior were two different things.

"What I need is a kindred spirit of some kind." he thought.

Zianro relaxed on the shore of the lake, Shirtless and alone. Feeling rather happy at his current state of contentment. He knew a breath of fresh air would clear his mind. He needed to be out and about more often. Whether it was out in public in his old soldier's garb or in the clothing he was in. He had to play the political game the tribe's inner workings had set for him.

It was then he heard a raven's call as it landed right next to him with a letter in it's beak. Zianro's brow furrowed as he took the letter and opened it and began to read it. Zianro then narrowed his eyes as he read through it all. "Nightfall?! Alone?! General Zaheed, my Old Archrival before I took the role of leader, you're playing a dangerous game. I wonder which of you two is the more insane now due to this. Your brother, or you, for your current deed?" he thought bitterly as the wheels turned in his head. He had to find a way to stop the war on both ends, as he knew fire would be after Earth and Water. And earth was not so keen on water or fire at the moment. He was caught in the middle of a battle triumvirate.

Tossing the letter to the side, he watched the Raven feast upon it before leaving him. Putting on his Jacket, the Wandering River Dragon hurried to the outskirts of the city, all in an effort to head off Zaheed so that way he wouldn't go directly into the city, and be in a quiet area to actually discuss with him, or fight him. Either way, it should prove fun. He had his swords on him just in case Zaheed was luring him to a trap.

He sat on a meadow a few miles beyond Lakeshore, silently waiting. As soon as he heard hoofbeats he got up on his feet and said in a clear voice, "That is far enough, my Archrival. You're a long way out from your home, and your timing is....confusing. I had not expected to see you until the next time your armies came at me. I recieved your letter. What is this about?"

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Bellistrad Indorial

The burning sensation in his arms told Bellistrad that his strength was failing him. The timing couldn't have been worse either, as he was currently hanging from a branch almost twenty feet off the ground. He would probably never try to climb a tree in order to get a look at his surroundings without having a sure way down again. The blue haired man had been on his way down when one of the limbs broke off under his weight. He had nearly been able to grab onto one of the lower branches before falling to his death. He still tried to scramble his way up onto the branch but his arms were too tired to move him any more upwards, he would either fall and die or somehow be saved.

He did not know how often the path beneath him was used. It was one of the roads in between the Fire and Water tribes, as he was travelling towards the latter on his current journey. He wished to take a break from being a fugitive in his own land of the Fire Tribe so decided to move into their enemies midst. Granted if anyone found out he used to be a member of the fire tribe while in the Land of Water he could be killed on the spot but he thought it safer than those you might recognize him.

Hope reached Bellistrad's ears as hoof beats came from below. A lone rider was coming on a horse along the road. Bellistrad timed his drop to coincide with the rider being directly below him. As the rider came by underneath Bellistrad landed directly on top of him, possibly knocking the rider off of his horse as Bellistrad rolled over onto the ground and landed hard on his side. Not the most graceful of landings but he survived the fall, and that was importnat.

Adjusting his clothing quickly as well as his pack that was still strapped to his back Bellistrad wiped dust off of himself and took a look at the rider who he had fallen on. To his amazement it was Zaheed, someone who actually knew him and wanted to kill him for his betrayal. Smiling innocently, Bellistrad inched his way down the road. "Oh, sorry about that. I just uh, had gotten into a pinch....bye!" Bellistrad made a trail of dust behind him as he ran for the Water Tribe with most haste, at least that was until he heard a voice from the woods. He did not recognize this one, but it did not matter to him, whoever it was probably was with Zaheed and would kill him as well.

He sprinted down the road not stopping, his lungs only able to function because of the adrenaline in his system. The entire time he was running he scolded himself for picking the least friendly person to land on. Oh well, at least soon he would be able to reside with some comfort in the Water Tribe. Upon arriving at the tribe Bellistrad slowed and caught his breath, almost dying of exhaustion. Being a somewhat well known person to the commoners of almost every tribe in the area besides the Fire Tribe, Bellistrad's arrival was marked by several people who he had aided through tough times come to greet him and offer him food or comfort from his run.

The few people he had aided with his spiritual guidance were nice people and often could be found in the same place, their home tribe. Some asked what was the matter, and why he had arrived in such a rush. He ignored their questions, saying "I will tell you another time, when I am rested." Usually he would stay with the first person who offered him a spot in their house hold, and this time was no different. Almost immediately he had a place to sleep and the warm hospitality of his fellow humans.

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Bellistrad Indorial

The burning sensation in his arms told Bellistrad that his strength was failing him. The timing couldn't have been worse either, as he was currently hanging from a branch almost twenty feet off the ground. He would probably never try to climb a tree in order to get a look at his surroundings without having a sure way down again. The blue haired man had been on his way down when one of the limbs broke off under his weight. He had nearly been able to grab onto one of the lower branches before falling to his death. He still tried to scramble his way up onto the branch but his arms were too tired to move him any more upwards, he would either fall and die or somehow be saved.

He did not know how often the path beneath him was used. It was one of the roads in between the Fire and Water tribes, as he was travelling towards the latter on his current journey. He wished to take a break from being a fugitive in his own land of the Fire Tribe so decided to move into their enemies midst. Granted if anyone found out he used to be a member of the fire tribe while in the Land of Water he could be killed on the spot but he thought it safer than those you might recognize him.

Hope reached Bellistrad's ears as hoof beats came from below. A lone rider was coming on a horse along the road. Bellistrad timed his drop to coincide with the rider being directly below him. As the rider came by underneath Bellistrad landed directly on top of him, possibly knocking the rider off of his horse as Bellistrad rolled over onto the ground and landed hard on his side. Not the most graceful of landings but he survived the fall, and that was importnat.

Adjusting his clothing quickly as well as his pack that was still strapped to his back Bellistrad wiped dust off of himself and took a look at the rider who he had fallen on. To his amazement it was Zaheed, someone who actually knew him and wanted to kill him for his betrayal. Smiling innocently, Bellistrad inched his way down the road. "Oh, sorry about that. I just uh, had gotten into a pinch....bye!" Bellistrad made a trail of dust behind him as he ran for the Water Tribe with most haste, at least that was until he heard a voice from the woods. He did not recognize this one, but it did not matter to him, whoever it was probably was with Zaheed and would kill him as well.

He sprinted down the road not stopping, his lungs only able to function because of the adrenaline in his system. The entire time he was running he scolded himself for picking the least friendly person to land on. Oh well, at least soon he would be able to reside with some comfort in the Water Tribe. Upon arriving at the tribe Bellistrad slowed and caught his breath, almost dying of exhaustion. Being a somewhat well known person to the commoners of almost every tribe in the area besides the Fire Tribe, Bellistrad's arrival was marked by several people who he had aided through tough times come to greet him and offer him food or comfort from his run.

The few people he had aided with his spiritual guidance were nice people and often could be found in the same place, their home tribe. Some asked what was the matter, and why he had arrived in such a rush. He ignored their questions, saying "I will tell you another time, when I am rested." Usually he would stay with the first person who offered him a spot in their house hold, and this time was no different. Almost immediately he had a place to sleep and the warm hospitality of his fellow humans.

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Bellistrad Indorial

The burning sensation in his arms told Bellistrad that his strength was failing him. The timing couldn't have been worse either, as he was currently hanging from a branch almost twenty feet off the ground. He would probably never try to climb a tree in order to get a look at his surroundings without having a sure way down again. The blue haired man had been on his way down when one of the limbs broke off under his weight. He had nearly been able to grab onto one of the lower branches before falling to his death. He still tried to scramble his way up onto the branch but his arms were too tired to move him any more upwards, he would either fall and die or somehow be saved.

He did not know how often the path beneath him was used. It was one of the roads in between the Fire and Water tribes, as he was travelling towards the latter on his current journey. He wished to take a break from being a fugitive in his own land of the Fire Tribe so decided to move into their enemies midst. Granted if anyone found out he used to be a member of the fire tribe while in the Land of Water he could be killed on the spot but he thought it safer than those you might recognize him.

Hope reached Bellistrad's ears as hoof beats came from below. A lone rider was coming on a horse along the road. Bellistrad timed his drop to coincide with the rider being directly below him. As the rider came by underneath Bellistrad landed directly on top of him, possibly knocking the rider off of his horse as Bellistrad rolled over onto the ground and landed hard on his side. Not the most graceful of landings but he survived the fall, and that was importnat.

Adjusting his clothing quickly as well as his pack that was still strapped to his back Bellistrad wiped dust off of himself and took a look at the rider who he had fallen on. To his amazement it was Zaheed, someone who actually knew him and wanted to kill him for his betrayal. Smiling innocently, Bellistrad inched his way down the road. "Oh, sorry about that. I just uh, had gotten into a pinch....bye!" Bellistrad made a trail of dust behind him as he ran for the Water Tribe with most haste, at least that was until he heard a voice from the woods. He did not recognize this one, but it did not matter to him, whoever it was probably was with Zaheed and would kill him as well.

He sprinted down the road not stopping, his lungs only able to function because of the adrenaline in his system. The entire time he was running he scolded himself for picking the least friendly person to land on. Oh well, at least soon he would be able to reside with some comfort in the Water Tribe. Upon arriving at the tribe Bellistrad slowed and caught his breath, almost dying of exhaustion. Being a somewhat well known person to the commoners of almost every tribe in the area besides the Fire Tribe, Bellistrad's arrival was marked by several people who he had aided through tough times come to greet him and offer him food or comfort from his run.

The few people he had aided with his spiritual guidance were nice people and often could be found in the same place, their home tribe. Some asked what was the matter, and why he had arrived in such a rush. He ignored their questions, saying "I will tell you another time, when I am rested." Usually he would stay with the first person who offered him a spot in their house hold, and this time was no different. Almost immediately he had a place to sleep and the warm hospitality of his fellow humans.

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Bellistrad Indorial

The burning sensation in his arms told Bellistrad that his strength was failing him. The timing couldn't have been worse either, as he was currently hanging from a branch almost twenty feet off the ground. He would probably never try to climb a tree in order to get a look at his surroundings without having a sure way down again. The blue haired man had been on his way down when one of the limbs broke off under his weight. He had nearly been able to grab onto one of the lower branches before falling to his death. He still tried to scramble his way up onto the branch but his arms were too tired to move him any more upwards, he would either fall and die or somehow be saved.

He did not know how often the path beneath him was used. It was one of the roads in between the Fire and Water tribes, as he was travelling towards the latter on his current journey. He wished to take a break from being a fugitive in his own land of the Fire Tribe so decided to move into their enemies midst. Granted if anyone found out he used to be a member of the fire tribe while in the Land of Water he could be killed on the spot but he thought it safer than those you might recognize him.

Hope reached Bellistrad's ears as hoof beats came from below. A lone rider was coming on a horse along the road. Bellistrad timed his drop to coincide with the rider being directly below him. As the rider came by underneath Bellistrad landed directly on top of him, possibly knocking the rider off of his horse as Bellistrad rolled over onto the ground and landed hard on his side. Not the most graceful of landings but he survived the fall, and that was importnat.

Adjusting his clothing quickly as well as his pack that was still strapped to his back Bellistrad wiped dust off of himself and took a look at the rider who he had fallen on. To his amazement it was Zaheed, someone who actually knew him and wanted to kill him for his betrayal. Smiling innocently, Bellistrad inched his way down the road. "Oh, sorry about that. I just uh, had gotten into a pinch....bye!" Bellistrad made a trail of dust behind him as he ran for the Water Tribe with most haste, at least that was until he heard a voice from the woods. He did not recognize this one, but it did not matter to him, whoever it was probably was with Zaheed and would kill him as well.

He sprinted down the road not stopping, his lungs only able to function because of the adrenaline in his system. The entire time he was running he scolded himself for picking the least friendly person to land on. Oh well, at least soon he would be able to reside with some comfort in the Water Tribe. Upon arriving at the tribe Bellistrad slowed and caught his breath, almost dying of exhaustion. Being a somewhat well known person to the commoners of almost every tribe in the area besides the Fire Tribe, Bellistrad's arrival was marked by several people who he had aided through tough times come to greet him and offer him food or comfort from his run.

The few people he had aided with his spiritual guidance were nice people and often could be found in the same place, their home tribe. Some asked what was the matter, and why he had arrived in such a rush. He ignored their questions, saying "I will tell you another time, when I am rested." Usually he would stay with the first person who offered him a spot in their house hold, and this time was no different. Almost immediately he had a place to sleep and the warm hospitality of his fellow humans.

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It was a typical morning in Lakeshore, the sun slowly rising from the horizon, coloring the sea blood red with hints or orange. It was the best part of the day, when Lakeshore were the most beautiful city of the land - according to it citizens at least. Eirene was one of them as well, it was her favorite part of the day, minus the birds twittering. It was so loud it made her ears hurt, not surprising though since birds were just monsters with feathers and wings.

As the sun rose Eirene went out from her family house, the earlier you got out of bed the more time you had to do other things. And Eirene had always plenty to do, or at least try to do. But before she started with all of that she usually strolled around the city, just letting the surrounding sink into her memory and soul. You never knew when the city could fall to pieces with the ongoing war, even though the war didn't exactly take place outside the city it could get there if the Fire tribe grew stronger. Not that Eirene bothered her mind with it, she had no clue what was going on with the war like most non soldiers, she just knew that there was a war.

Around her the city started to wake up, people started to let their windows open wide and others started to prepare their stores for when people would start to visit them. If Eirene would describe this time of the day it was just one word that fitted it - magical. Even though she walked around the streets by herself she didn't feel lonely because of the spirit of the city, it was something hard to describe if you had never experienced it. It just filled her heart with lightness. Sometimes when she walked around the streets she met with people that would start to talk with her, people that could share a pieces of their life with her even though she had no clue who they were. But today she saw someone she knew it was, everyone knew who he was.

Zianro Azura, the tribe's leader.

Eirene stopped for a split second and watched him, wondering what he was doing outside at this time of the day. Not that she pondered over it that much, he could just be strolling around like she was because of the beauty of the city. After the short moment of staring at him Eirene walked over to him, seizing the moment. It was not every day when you could just stroll over to the tribe’s leader and find him alone, perhaps he was busy, but it was not something Eirene did even consider. She just walked over to him, "Good morning Lord Azura, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name's Eirene of the deSoleh family, perhaps you know of my father he works as an advisor. I'm sorry if I'm bothering you but I was going to ask you one thing..." Eirene's gaze which had been lowered for the whole conversation, showing that he was of higher status than her, but now she looked up at him for the first time "I was wondering what happens to the corpses of the people that dies in our prisons, do you just throw them out? I would like to examine them. I'm a scholar, I used to work under Master Elidyr."

Eirene had never met the man before, not talked to him or anything and even despite that she just spat out the question without thinking. Mainly because she had not thought about it long enough, that perhaps others wouldn't think of it as lightly as she did. To her it was all in the sake of finding out the truth, to other's it could probably be declared as crazy.

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It was pleasuring to see their leader listen to someone like her, it made Eirene quite happy. Not only did he listen but responded as well. It had gone better than she had dared to hope, she had thought he perhaps had been going somewhere - they seemed to always have something to do over at the palace. At least it was enough to keep her father away from home most of the time. Even though Eirene listened carefully to what Zianro responded she just nodded excitedly, she had not understood that he had just given her a compliment. She sure found the whole sentence but especially the word lovely odd, and it was only when she thought of it that she adverted her eyes from him and blushed since she had realized what he had actually said.

She lowered her head in respect for him, "Thank you." She didn't agree with him, but she wasn't going to argue with their leader about something like that. She wasn't going to argue with him at all. But to call someone who walked over and ask about corpses lovely, well perhaps they had different views on it all but not even Eirene herself could see the lovely part in it.

As he declared what they did to the dead bodies Eirene listened even more intensely, nodding as he spoke. She could understand why they would do such a thing, if the dead carried diseases it could become a disaster. Plagues was hard to stop when they had bloomed out, as the thought was brought to mind Eirene couldn't help but think that such a study could be interesting as well, but it wouldn't lead to anything. Diseases wasn't something you could actually see, you could just see the signs. Still, she would probably find herself writing down theories about it when she had time over.

To her surprise her request got accepted, Zianro said that she would get to examine one of the bodies - even one in good condition. As first she though that perhaps he was joking, that he wasn't being serious but as he continued to talk she happily clasped her hands in excitement, smiling. If her father had seen this he would probably scold her for asking such a question, or even thinking the thought, but he didn't know of it. And the whole experiment had been an success.

"Anyway Eirene. We can further discuss this at the palace? We can discuss your studies there and what you wish to know whilst visiting the prisons."

Hearing her first name did throw her off guard, blushing slightly again. But she soon collected herself again and smiled, "That would be delightful, thank you for inviting me. I won't take up too much of your time, I promise."

Zianro smirked silently. "On the contrary, I think this will put some flavor in a possibly dull day. The daily political bickering of the advisors gets greatly tedious at times." He stated, gesturing her to follow him as he headed towards the prisons.

They were located under an adjacent building in the palace, and Zianro walked towards said building knowing the more healthier corpses fit for examination would be there. "So, Miss Eirene, or do you wish Lady deSoleh? My question is, why do you study corpses. Rather macabre and strange don't you think?" He asked as he walked into the building and looked at several bodies. "Hm, well, you can tell which ones are more healthier I presume, since they're closer to the exit it means they're not infected with anything life threatening. Though, more often then not, my Right hand often throws his bounties in pieces."

He rubbed his head in slight worry. "At times I wonder what the bandits do to file him up so."

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"So, then the leader is caught, whilst his subordinates run with their tails between their legs!" Na'ari says to the off duty city guards. "I'm telling you, banditry shows there's bad apples in the mercenaries at times." He drank from a tankard and breathed. "Ah, now I return to Zianro with the report, what am I to tell him? 'They will return in six weeks reorganized and pissed off.'?"

"Aw come on Na'ari, I think your overworked. Ask for a vacation!" Shouted one guard.

"Yeah, like go to the Air Tribal lands for a time, I hear the silver haired lasses are very great."

Na'ari rolled his eyes. "I can't take vacations damn it." He said with a chuckle. "Who'd be here to pick up any messes those mercenaries or advisors make?" This was a sarcastic, trick question. One many are familiar with. It is a question that is a precursor to him getting a bit worked up.

"Na'ari? Heh, If I ask him why slice up bandits the way he does he will simply say it's his nature. He doesn't like the death department much either. I can think of a few good ways of getting under his skin at mentioning it." He stated when he heard Eirene ask the question. He then listened to her explain her studies and why.

He found her an intriguing young woman. He even gave a smirk when she said he probably knew what was inside a human body. "When you're a warrior, you see a lot of body parts." he thought slightly bitterly but he kept it to himself. "That is a few fascinating theories. I bet Na'ari would have a fun time trying to explain where the soul is to try and say that's where our concious mind resided. But on the whole, your studies sound rather intriguing." He flashed a small grin to look at least friendly to the strange woman of his tribe.

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"Na'ari? Heh, If I ask him why slice up bandits the way he does he will simply say it's his nature. He doesn't like the death department much either. I can think of a few good ways of getting under his skin at mentioning it."

Eirene raised her eyebrows silently as she glanced at Zianro, the man named Na'ari which he was speaking off sounded like a strange person - as if she was the one to judge. But to be against death or fear it, dislike it, and not be against such violence causing other's to die. He sounded rather interesting, she would like to question him on how he can be against death but be completely fine with murder and apparently extremely violent ones. He seemed to be a very conflicted person, interesting indeed.

To hear their leader speak so much of his Right hand, or Na'ari, did indeed make Eirene wonder who that man was. Not because she would seek him out, but since his name was mentioned i what felt like every sentence she got very curious about him. So she would probably ask her father if he knew who this person could be. Not that she thought that it was something she needed to know or could be counted as some sort of necessary knowledge she would need in the future. But it was mainly because she was curious after listening to the small descriptions.

"I think the soul is placed in the chest, I could imagine it to be something that can't be seen by the naked eye which is a bit sad. I think it would be extremely pretty if we could see it, or look different depending on the person. But that is just what I believe, I would like to find out though," As she finished her sentence she noticed his smile, it was flattering. Not only did he take time to listen to her theories but he didn't even say anything negative about them - sure he could be thinking it, which was not something she would ever know about. But even if he was downgrading her on the inside she didn't care, it was what he showed she appreciated. So she smiled back at him, "There isn't many that would consider my studies intriguing, most would consider them crazy. People fear ghosts and spirits, but I don't."

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To hear that their leader believed in ghosts took Eirene by surprise, she had always imagined that all warriors avoided such things. Wouldn't that scare them away from wanting to kill people in order to protect themselves from being haunted by the souls of those they had slain? Either way it was an interesting thought he had, about ghost being like dreams. Not that it convinced Eirene that ghosts was something that existed, she couldn't allow herself to think such thoughts since that would lead her to fear her own research in the end. Being too scared of the consequences instead of driven to find the answers.

As she stood and pondered over the things he had said about dreams, what kind of dreams she had a guard entered. She just glanced at them shortly as they talked about things she probably shouldn't listen to. So she didn't, instead she focused her attention on the body in front of her, restraining herself from touching it. Because she wasn't sure if she was allowed to do it, or if it was right of her to even wanting to do it.

"My Right Hand wishes to give me his report on his recent campaign against a few rogue bandits. If you wish to follow me, you may but you may find him boring."

Once again the man had struck her by surprise, that he now offered her to meet that Right Hand and listen to what he had to say felt like an incredible honor. So she lowered her head with a smile, "That would be an honor, Lord Azura."

As he left the room she followed him from a distance, not wanting to bother him. And sure, hearing about some bandits wasn't her prioritize and probably not something she would felt like doing if this was any other day or hour. But her curiosity on what kind of man that Na'ari was, rather than the report alone, made her come along.

When the two men started to talk to each other she observed the new one closely, simply because it was the reason for her to go there. Even if she had been interested in the topic she didn't exactly know what she could say that would be relevant either, and neither was it appropriate for someone like her to invite herself in the conversation and intrude. So she just stood and observed it from a small distance.

"There is no need for your yells, no one will hear you from where we are, Vinicius, or can I still call you Zotar?" Came a voice in the shadows as Zianro slowly emerged from it. "You know who I am, and by consequence where you are and how you got here. But if you're willing to hear me out I can explain the one question remaining out of the four, Why. Why, why is such a complicated word. Whys are existent everywhere, like why did our forefathers come to Imos if to escape persecution alone. Why do our four sides argue, and so on. But we are focusing on why you are here."

Zianro pushed himself from the wall and looked at Vinicius with sorry eyes. "The answer I will speak is the truth no matter how hard you deny it. If you refuse to listen then so be it, but it will make your stay a lot more uncomfortable." He stated calmly. "Someone within your family wanted what you had, and now lost. Someone with hungry ambition, he came to me with promises of leaving me alone if I did this favor for him."

Zianro kept a straight face. "But what I didn't expect, according to my spies, was that he would fly off the handle immediately and blame that red headed vixen. Who knows what he'll do to her-ah ah ah. Watch your temper or another load of water will drench you." He sighed. "If you want what is yours back, you need only ask and we will conspire to rid of our mutual problem, and hopefully achieve a peace between us. So what do you say...Zotar? Will your stay be comfortable, or uncomfortable? Either way doesn't matter to me as I will have what I want in the end. Now make a choice." He took several steps backwards to listen to his reply.

Reshar continued to travel through the deep parts of the forest as he entered Lakeshore. The scouts and boarder guards were nothing to laugh at for the average member of the earth tribe. The land had many streams running through the land giving the water tribe perfect locations to set up defenses. Though Reshar knew the land through his countless visits to all parts of Imos his earth sense whispered to him of places of earth that had been dried out. Possibly due to training or battles. So he adjusted accordingly shifting his direction and slowed his pace as he began dropping seeds and making the plants grow at an alarming rate.

Reshar figured there was no harm in planting some poisonous berries for any tribesman of Lakeshore. Though this was not needed for his infiltration, the thought of it killing a few water tribesman as they did their rounds could come in handy. So he patiently skirted along one of the rivers keeping out of view while planting the seeds. He so far had been undetected due too the fact he slept within the trees which kept him warm and out of sight so he had no need for a fire to give away his position.

He decided, like any other sane person, he would cross the border come nightfall.He now had to decide whether he should try to get by without raising any alarms or kill the guards at their posts and leave corpses behind and let the Lakeshore tribe get frantic of the possibility of an intruder. But for now he would rest. He had three targets to dispose of here in Lakeshore. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day.

Despite all the drama elsewhere, the mood in the tavern was pleasant. A warm and inviting fire was crackling in its fireplace, casting dancing illuminations of yellow and orange upon the walls, furniture and people. Music and laughter sounded where men had gathered for the evening; drinking, conversing and gambling. To Toru's right a young chap with dark hair was chatting up the youthful barmaid; to his right a group of three men and a rather gruff looking woman seemed to be caught up in an intense game of cards. It surely wasn't the fanciest of bars, but it had the kind of lively atmosphere Toru loved. It showed in the way he smiled as he gave his companion an unintentionally hard 'pat' on the back.

"Drink up, lad. There ain't nothing like a good drink after a long ride!" as if to emphasize his words, the giant took a few large gulps of his mead before setting down his cup with a thud. Due to the force of his actions, a small amount of it managed to splash onto the table – yet Toru payed it no mind. Instead he gave the cloaked figure next to him a hearty grin; earning a slight glare in response.

"You shouldn't be so noisy, old man. We don't want everyone's attention, do we?" his companion hissed quietly, cautiously taking a sip from their own, considerably smaller cup.

A loud chuckle rumbled in the giant's chest as he took another large gulp of his mead. "Don't ya' worry, kiddo. See, everyone's loud here, ain't they? So we'll stand out more if we cower like cornered field mice, ya' know? Just relax, Lulu."

Both were cloaked, though only Lu Feng had pulled his hood down far enough to shroud their eyes from view. He did under no circumstances wish to be recognized by anyone – even if the probability was awfully low. Even so, it was bad enough that he'd let himself be convinced to follow his friend into Lakeshore. It was easy for Toru to tell him to calm down, but in a place Lu Feng had so many horrible memories tied to – this was definitely easier said than done. He was already a jumpy person without the added stress of facing his childhood terrors. Toru too, was hooded, but that for the sole reason of keeping his peculiar animal ears a secret. It wouldn't do to cause a commotion, after all. Especially not if they were planning to make some business in this town.

"That's a stupid claim, even coming from you," Lu Feng countered wryly, "just finish up so we can go get some sleep. We've got a lot to do tomorrow..." the black haired youth trailed off as a conversation a bit further away caught his attention.

"Have you heard?" said one of the dark haired youth to the barmaid, "there are rumors three people were killed tonight," as though he were trying to make the situation sound even more dramatic than it already was. Before he continued, the boy leaned closer to the barmaid and lowered his voice – though Lu Feng could still make out what he was saying by reading his lips, "by an assassin."

The barmaid of course looked horrified, clasping her freckled hands over her pink lips as she gazed at the boy with her blue doe eyes. "Really?" she asked, a silver of doubt in her voice. "That's horrible! Oh goodness, how shall I dare leave-" whatever she said next completely bypassed Lu Feng, as he'd already lost interest in what they were saying. So now they've got assassins running havoc, eh? I suppose hellholes will always be hellholes, no matter how many years pass. His lips curled into a slight, bitter smile. Somehow, he found the situation rather amusing.

Reshar was rather pleased with the all the happenings going on around him. There seemed to be quite a few people getting arrested instead of him, which was just a bonus. He had slowed his breathing and closed his eyes as he let his mind become one with the earth as he used his tremorsense to feel the chaos of everyone running all over the place. there had a couple close calls of people near the alley way but he had "collapsed on the otherside of the trash retainers as if he had stumbled and simply fallen asleep. He went over the list in his head of the people of the other tribes. He doubted he would be able to get his cloak and poisons anytime so he would have to head back to Shadowfen and resupply. Not really a problem and was sometimes the case on a job.

He had business there as well so he decided to give it a little more time and if he wasn't a suspect he would fill his drunken role little longer before leaving the tribe. If he was suspected it would be very amusing and difficult to find any proof or connection to any of the murders. How could a drunk silently and skillfully kill a skilled soldier anyways, or sneak up on a careful merchant.

He layed there and conintued breathing as if he was asleep as he "felt" and waited.

It was cold, it was dark and at first, Lu Feng had no idea what was going on. A soft groan escaped the black haired youth’s lips as his eyes fluttered open. His throat felt as though it were on fire and the wound in his side hurt terribly. In fact, his entire body felt awfully sore. He coughed rawly, trying to hoist himself into a sitting position to make it easier to breath, yet found it rather difficult as his hands were tightly bound at his front. Instead he felt a pair of bony hands grab him under his shoulders and sit him up — something which startled Lu Feng. He hadn’t noticed the other person until then, yet once he thought about it, it made sense. It was probably the same person who’d tended to and bandaged his wounds. He tried to turn his head to get a better look at the man, yet instead suddenly felt something press against his lips. As he opened his mouth to protest, he could feel cool water sipper down his throat. Lu Feng swallowed eagerly, for his throat felt awfully dry. Yet Lu Feng was perhaps too greedy, as he soon found himself coughing heftily. The water bottle was withdrawn as those bony hands pounded his back. His airways were freed, but not without causing half of the water he’d had in his mouth to splatter all over his clothes.

”Got to drink carefully, boy. Don’t want you to die before you’ve even been given a trial,” the elderly man said with a small smile. For the first time since he’d woken up, Lu Feng managed to get a good look at him. He was fairly average in height, with a bald head and a gaunt but kind face. His eyes, a beautiful blue hue, matched the strange tattoos on his head, forehead and the back of his hands perfectly. It seemed like Lu Feng was being tended to by a village priest and healer.

A slight frown creased his forehead. ”T-tria…” suddenly all the memories from earlier came flowing back. Guards. They’d been hunting for whatever reason. He’d been stabbed. He fell…he fainted? So it seemed. Lu Feng’s entire body tensed and despite the pain it caused, he tried to move away from the man, ultimately bumping into the cold stone wall. Since he was already close to the corner of the cell, that had been the only possible outcome — yet Lu Feng had still been too groggy and upset to notice. He scowled discontentedly, glaring daggers at the priest as the old man tried to reach out a helping hand towards him.

”Don’t touch me!” Lu Feng warned venomously, causing the slightly surprised elder to withdraw his hand. ”What is this?! Why am I here?! Let me go. I haven’t done anything so you have no reason to keep me here. Ask-” and there he cut himself off. Where is Toru, even? Did they just go after me, or did they detain him also? Stupid tiger, always absent when he’s needed the most.

”You’ve got to calm down, child. Working yourself up over all this isn’t good for your health,” the old man answered mildly, smiling at him just slightly. It annoyed Lu Feng that he seemed to completely ignore his questions. ”You’ll be interrogated in a while. For now, try to rest for a bit. Your body needs it,” said the priest as he gathered his belongings and got up. He waited briefly for Lu Feng to say something, yet the exile kept his mouth clamped, gazing sulkily at the wall. Being treated like a prisoner certainly was not his cup of tea. In fact, he could feel a small level of panic rise within him. This dungeon cell reminded him of- stop it, moron. Dwelling on the past won’t get you anywhere.

The creaking sound caused by the opening of the cell alerted Lu Feng to Zianro’s arrival. He glanced up, his eyes narrowed into a slight frown. Seeing the leader of the water tribe caused his stomach to turn. A heap of bad memories welled up inside him, yet he pushed it all back. He couldn’t allow himself to show weakness in a situation as important as this one. Lu Feng had no idea what this all was about, but he had the feeling if he said something wrong, he may lose his had in the process. It wasn’t exactly a risk he was willing to take. Or was it? He wasn’t sure. Overcome by a sense of hopelessness, he wasn’t sure what to do or think.

"The blood manipulator. There is no way in all of Imos you're the perpetrator I want, yet, as I remember, you were exiled for your ability, Crimson Wolf.”

The crystal manipulator, Lu Feng corrected the man in his head, yet kept his thoughts to himself. If Ziarno didn’t know what his abilities were, he may as well keep it that way. Should a battle between them ever arise, he’d have an advantage over the town chief.

”Why did you dare to come back here at the wrong place at the wrong time? Why did the guards, upon recognizing you thought you'd serve as a scapegoat for my wrath if they found nothing? Are you even aware of what's going on?”

”How the hell am I supposed to know?” Lu Feng replied wryly, shooting the water tribe leader a glare. Sighing, he tried to stifle a yawn, feeling extra grumpy due to how tired he was. If they hadn’t disturbed his sleep to begin with, this wouldn’t have been a problem. ”It’s not my problem you’re guards are so eager to please, they’ll detain anyone without proof,” his voice was bitter and filled with resentment, ”I always did hate the sheepish behavior of the water tribe people…” he knew he wasn't answering any of Ziarno's questions. Quite frankly, he felt like most of them were none of his business. Yet he supposed one was a question he could answer.

Lu Feng's lips curled into a slight smile. "You've got your hands full with an assassin, haven't you?"

Reshar had been laying in the alleyway for some time now. He figured he could feign a chance of waking up and work his way to the bar and find out what is the status of the search is going. And if it is there is word that it is calming down then he will find his way of the town and make his way back home so he could gather his supplies for the next jobs.

He entered, with an unimpressive stumble as he fell to the ground and his half empty bottle rolled away from him on the floor, spilling some of it's contents as it spun.

"Nooo," hollered with a heavy slur as he crawled along the floor to stop it from losing any put a smile on his face when someone had stopped it's journey along the floor and picked it up. "Ah thanks you, sir" he slurred his appreciation as the man sniffed the contents and pulled his nose away after getting a whiff of the strong alcohol. The man handed it back and looked at the messy and equally smelly Reshar and left the drunk holding the bottle as if it was a baby. Most of the people couldn't stomach looking at the disgusting display and went back to their topics as they tried to avoid contact with Reshar.

Reshar made his way to an occupied table and as he feigned having trouble sitting down he asked if he could sit with them. He nearly collapsed on the table which caused some of the drinks to spill slightly. With indignation the man and woman left without talking but sent withering stares his way. He left his head on the messy table and just laid still.

"Sir," came a deep voice, either the owner or some hired muscle, but Reshar didn't even bother to answer. "You are going to have to leave this establ-" he started to say as Reshare pulled out a small pouch and gave it to him.

"I want the strongest thing they have, you can keep the rest of that if you let me drink in peace." he stated as he held the pouch over the man's hand waiting for his answer. About 3 seconds passed as the man extended hand out and Reshar dropped it in the hand and let him go. It didn't matter whether they brought the strongest drink not. I was now a customer and someone just got a bonus.

The bottle was dropped at the table as Reshar continued to leave his head on the table and listen to the story of the Lakeshore. It had seemed people were still being apprehended and thrown into jail, so Reshar figured he would wait it out here in his "drunken" stupor. They seemed to be arresting foreigners specifically.

'What a paranoid leader," Reshar thought to himself as he finally grabbed the new bottle and lifted his head to see what was brought. A decent brand, but not very strong. Either the person had a horrible stock of alcohol, or they had just ripped him off. Either way they were in a good mood, most likely, and Reshar was now playing the dupe on the stage of this tavern.

Reshar had been awake for the last hour and according to those around him he had only been asleep for an hour. It would have to do. It was no good for assassins to get comfortable and complacent. Death was rather fickle and spontaneous so those in business of dealing death tended to be wary of such habits.re

The streets were filled with stories of those that had been killed and but none were as talked about as the noble daughter that Reshar had killed last night. More so than the daughter but it seemed the whole family was quite the topic over all. Whispers about the father and his children. Reshar went over the information in his head and compared it to what he was hearing. All the way scanning the room casually for guards.

He stumbled to his feet and shambled slowly and deliberately over to the tavern owner.

" 'cuse me," Reshar slurred. "I, ... - "he held his head in mock pain and let his head wobble slightly. Is - is there anything nice and hot and ready to eat? I feel as if my stomach is full of nothing but what I drink and very soon i'll be heading -" he paused as he looked for the restroom, -"there ... to relive myself of that, and will become even hu-hungrier."

The owner, though repulsed by Reshar, smiled warmly and with his professionalism at stake nodded.
"But of course, sir, we have some freshly boar that is cooking as we speak. Why I wouldn't be surprised if the smell started seeping out of the kitchen." The owner was already aware of this drunks purchase of the expensive alcohol. It was not uncommon for people to throw their money away on their vices, and the owner was more than willing to accept their generosity.

"Why is it so loud, in here?" Reshar asked. "It was very loud last night as well. Is there some sort of festival or something going on?" Reshar couldn't let his 'character' remain oblivious to the situation that he himself caused, so he decided to find out what the common knowledge was and current situation is. Barkeeps, and tavern wenches were great sources of information. Almost as good as traveling bards, but no tavernwench or bard were insight so...

Apparently there were advisers that had been spotted leaving early as well as people spotting siblings of the girl that Reshar killed meeting with the one charge. The owner talked about siblings a bit, at least whatever was common knowledge, and Reshar drank in the facts wondering what was going on in there. Perhaps an apology to the siblings, but then where was the father. Reshar liked rumors but he preferred facts.

"I'm gonna be at - at the table," he cut in. The owner was a chatterbox it seemed. Probably proud of his information network. "Have the food brought to me as soon as possible. I have ten coins extra. Every minute that goes buy i reduce this bonus by one coin." And with that Reshar stumbled back towards the table as he heard the owner dash to the back, probably to check on the boar.

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The first thing Eden did as soon as him and his sister left the palace was obviously scold her for not acting like a lady of noble birth should. In his opinion she should had learnt that by now and if she continued this act of hers she would just embarrass her family. His family. Eden didn't want that, to be known for something other than being great in every way possible. Which was the image the deSoleh family strived after.

The second thing he had done was go home to tell his wife and kids of the glad news that brightened their presence in these dark times. The expression on his wife's face had been just like he had imagined, she looked so happy that he himself hadn't been able to conceal his true emotions. Of course their children hadn't understood what it all meant but they looked glad anyway while Eden had swung Yvette around the room in his arms. How horrible it might sound but it was as if they all had forgotten about the loss of Embla. They were all too busy being happy for Eden's success. It wasn't until after the happiness had settled down that Eden once more came to think of it, his thoughts got once more clouded by dark thoughts. Which this time was mostly directed towards himself for being so happy about something so terrible.

With these thoughts swirling around his mind he left his house, he couldn't stand himself at the moment. He even despised himself slightly for it. And when being in a bad mood there was one place he always returned to, mainly because it was one of his oldest friends that owned it but also because he did have an habit to drink away his problems.

Inside the inn, which was crowded as always, he placed himself at his usual table and it didn't take long before his friend came to greet him. They talked a little about this and that at first, avoiding the heavy topics even though they both knew what had happened. But it was like neither of them actually wanted to approach it, so they both felt like it was for the best to just leave it be.

"Guess who's going to take place in the palace for the deSoleh family now," It was after a few drinks that the sentence just happened to pop out of Eden's mouth and even though he in a sober state would probably slice himself for pieces for it he now didn't even care. He just felt like bragging about his new position, without even mentioning Embla or his father.

"You?"

"Damn right! I am! I'm the new adviser to our great leader, me, Eden deSoleh! I'm going to be the greatest adviser alive!" While talking Eden was violently gesticulating, he wasn't acting like his usual self at all. If Eden had a drinking problem? Yeah. But he would never admit it, he just pointed out others flaws while refusing to look at his own.

"How did you get that position? I thought your father was going to cling to it until the day he died? He isn't dead right?" In a mumble the owner mostly added to himself, "At least that's what you've been complaining about for the last couple of years."

Eden just shrugged, he hadn't been told the reason. He just knew that his father had resigned and to be precise at first he was too happy to even think about it and now he was too drunk to even care about it. "Who cares? I just know that it was my freaky little sister who by some unknown reason is all buddy-buddy with Azura now. I don't know how she did it and I don’t think I want to know either, if I knew I would probably be too ashamed to even leave my house."

For the first time in that conversation the owner showed some sort of surprisement, "You mean to tell me that Eirene has been able to even meet the leader?"

Once again Eden just shrugged, not amused by the direction the conversation was taking. He wanted to talk about himself and only himself. "Yes, I don't know how. Who cares?"

"Well, I guess she took the news about her only sister pretty bad? How is she doing?"

Eden was losing patient with the man and let out a loud sigh, "No, she seems fine. I don't know! Ask yourself! She's probably in that disgusting basement of hers doing her 'research' like always."

"Goodness me you haven't been fed in awhile. Maybe some food is what you'll need to get a coherent response from you." Zianro stated as he left the cell again and ordered his guards to make sure plenty of food was given to his prisoner. It would not do him good if Zotar wasn't alive and healthy to take on Zaheed if he decided to leave his company,with the girl.

---

Na'ari walked into the bar, since he had returned to townhe had found that there was a tense chill in the air. He didn't know what to think of it. So he ordered a drink and watched the area, wondering if something was going to turn up. It did in the form of Eden DeSoleh entering, beaming at first and then he began to order drinks. It seemed he endured some loss then gain in his productive life. His eyebrows twitched as he heard him mention Zianro and then his sister.

The conversation he was having seemed to be turning away from what he wanted so he listened in. He felt his hand twitched at how drunk that Eden was at saying his assumption of Eirene. Had he not been Eirene's brother, Na'ari would've killed him, but that would stain him as the Lord's Right Hand. But he had a feeling that wasn't the only reason his hand twitched. No. Na'ari felt there was another individual in the bar, one who might be dangerous...foreign even. His mind went on the alert.

Reshar was having quite a good time in the bar. It had gotten quite lively as it seems a brother of the young woman he murdered seemed to be trying to celebrate his rise in the political world. Reshar was pleased that his food arrived just in time for the "show". He listened in and was rather interested in this sister and her "experiments".

'Eirene', Reshar thought to himself as he kept his eyes mostly fixed on his food as he pretended to still be suffering from a hangover from the night before. Of course his constitution held strong, and he downed some alcohol as if that would wash away his pain. It was weird how drunkards continued to drink regardless of their ailments. Reshar continued to scan the crowd as he swayed slightly and slumped forward. There were more people coming in and it was annoying to have to keep track of all of them. There are two kinds of people in bars. Talkative and silent. Reshar took note of both types in the tavern and began to cross reference his experiences and scanned the crowd casually as called out for another ale.

"Another ale here please, I'm starting to remember my headache again!" he sounded annoyed and obnoxious which was standard he used this time to look at everyone's reaction to see if anything seemed out of place, and of course he through in a slight drunken sway in the performance as well.

Reshar watched the owner's face scrunch slightly before he got up to grab a bottle. Apparently he enjoyed talking about Eirene for some reason but the promise of coin was always the greatest of words to businessmen.

'Basement' he thought. 'I wonder if i should take a look before I go,' he thought as he went back to his food.'Disgusting experiments' could be anything and putting my curiousities above the mission is not my way. Though his thoughts were along those lines he was curious about this Eirene, who seemed to fascinate the owner and others in the tavern. He recalled the name and her discription. She had not been out last night, but the additional information on her was quite scarce, just rumors and such.

Reshar finished his food and slid his plate away as he finished off his first ale just as the second one was placed on the table. He held on to the bottle and pretended to glare at everyone as he explored their reactions to him once more as he mulled over the thought of searching for this woman while he rested his head on the table and let his eyes drift from face to face randomly as he pulled his drink closer as if to protect it from thieves.

Reshar looked through the man talking to the bartender and focused when he started to speak and read his lips before taking a bite of his food and looking around again.

'Security?' Reshar thought to himself. The odds of him being in here were probably thirty percent. Making his rounds and such. 'This tribe is rather cautious,' he bemused in his mind as he took another bite. 'Atleast after a crisis. Had they been like this from the beginning it would have been quite harder to get it accomplished'.

It amused Reshar slightly that this man (Na'ari), bothered having this guy protected. Reshar got up uneasily after finishing his food and drink and staggered towards the door.

"Well thanks for yo-your hosssspitality," Reshar slurred. "I'm going to go looook f-for my friend because heee... did NOT show up for our little escape from the ladies of the house, last night. He was supposed to split the bill too" He stumbled out the door and paused and made a theatric about deciding which way to go. Reshar knew where the house was already, but perhaps he would take a peek at this basement. He was drunk after all. Nothing odd about a drunk getting lost or even being curious about a story he heard in a bar. At least his cover should hold up still. After the peek he'd leave lakeshore and and then make his move on the next targets for the next tribe.

Reshar turned in the opposite direction so he wouldn't arouse suspicion and he'd just make his way back to the "basement" casually, as he looked around for something he could use as a weapon along the way.

'By the Goddess, this is a joke, right?', Reshar thought thimself as he realized the person that he planned on avoiding was following him. Going back to the information in his head; this man, Eden deSoleh, did live in this direction. Good news is his cover waqsn't blown. Bad news the man had someone walking a distance behind making sure Eden didn't hurt himself. Physically or Politically.

Reshar wasn't worried about the wobbling Eden. Reshar's mind was more focused on the sober individual that was being annoyingly observant. After a few moments of wobbling went by Reshar let out sigh.

'That meat was good too,' Reshar thought. Without another second he dashed awkwardly to an 'alley' between houses and got to his knees and with his back turned to Eden and the other person, Reshar shoved two fingers down his throat and withing seconds caused himself to puke up his breakfast. Reshar let his gag reflex take over as he did it again and puked more out giving Eden and his chaperone a chance to walk passed him