Board 8 > Labyrinth of Ishiene, Topic 3 [CYOA/Forum Game] [ITD8]

(+) Yeah! (+)

C.

A does seem to be the "safest" route but has very little to gain from. B, well, is where the bulk of the Fairy forcees are located. That coupled with Blue wing, yeah screw that. Very risky, but very high rewards if we succeed.
---

JeffreyRaze posted...

Aster's been a lot of fun so far

thanks! I had a lot of fun writing the table scenes. tried to do a good job of giving every character at least one "distinct" moment. hopefully I can build on these traits later. managing a large cast like this is difficult but I have ideas in my head of how I plan to do it moving forward.
---

'Waiting For Starlight' , a portrait of Blue Wing
---

haha my guy is such a dork

let's go with C. Reclaim the Silver City of Arland

I like the idea of B (Short is a bro, liberating his people would be sweet, also we could meet Pearl and the others) but seems too risky for reasons others stated
---

(PK2K examines 'Waiting For Starlight')

[A portrait of a wacky fairy. Loves having her portrait taken apparently.]

For some reason I imagined her with long hair
---

this is the picture I drew of her during ITD7



hard to tell how long her hair is due to stylistic choices, with it blending into the darkness around her
---

I will vote B in the spirit of Macina

because why not?
---

[Above and Below]

When Lady Mocol and the Spade began arguing, it was all Blackwater could do to hide his amusement.
But, no, he had an image and a reputation to uphold.
Thankfully, no one was looking at him right at that moment as he was smiling to himself.
Daven Blackwater was the Necromancer in the room.
When people looked at him they expected to be met with a gold stare and a creepy glare.
He was nearing forty years old and already had a dash of gray in his hair.
With his magic or some simply Frantish dye he could've easily fixed that.
But, honestly, he cultivated. That, too, was part of his image.
As amusing as this would he couldn't break a smile right at this moment.
Well, no one was looking. He could smile a little bit.

Unlike Mr. Rainn seated over there, Blackwater was actually pretty well informed.
And unlike the Sen of Northern Rock, Blackwater knew a lot about what went on in Esland.
Even though the Blackwater clan lived North of the mountain, they had eyes to the south.
Martin Spade had a very interesting history, a very amusing background.
Blackwater knew all about this.
Devan heard rumors about how he'd gone to several marriage meetings but never found a partner.
Now, granted, some rumors were no more than base gossip.
However, it was clear that the man was still unmarried and didn't seem to even be engaged.
It was highly unusual for a noble son of his standing.
But with his cold personality it made a bit more sense.
What was most interesting, however, was the dynamic in this very room.
At this very table.
Blackwater, very clearly, remembered hearing a very particular rumor.
It had always stuck with him because of how much it had amused him at the time.
This same Martin Spade who always had trouble with women had gone to the Mocol Estate.
And Lady Mocol was one of the potential matches that his parents had hoped to make for him.
However, Martin had not come back with the hand of Macina Mocol.
Instead, he came back with only a black eye.
Nobody knew exactly what happened.
But Blackwater wished he had been there to see it.
Definitely he would have laughed out loud then.

The very annoying Rutherford Hayes stood up and told a little anecdote to cool down the room.
Blackwater barely paid attention to what they were talking about.
Instead, he was thinking about Liona Brezwicz. She said "Martin" often, never Mr. Spade.
He wondered if they knew each other as well.
Was Liona one of the many young ladies of the court who had turned Mr. Spade down?
Their relationship certainly did not seem friendly, but they did seem familiar.
Then again Martin was cold to everyone. It was hard to tell.

"Gods," Blackwater was thinking. He glared at Rutherford.
"Did I really waste my talents saving the life of this guy?"
"He's ruining my fun by trying to help these two get along."
"My own good will has come back to bite me in the ass once more."

But there was no helping it.
Rutherford had that kind of nature. He was going to try and resolve the tension in the room.
And it looked as if he had succeeded.
And Devan Blackwater, despite his posturing, had that kind of nature as well.
When he found a Knight in a ditch, badly burned, bleeding to death...
Devan could not resist the temptation to save the life of that man.
So, from that point, Rutherford Hayes had been his friend.
Or something like that.

Blackwater preferred to think of himself as someone who didn't have friends.

That made him seem much more cool and mysterious.
The way a Necromancer should be.

"That was something my brother was always a natural at."
"For me," Devan Blackwater was thinking, "I have to work hard to maintain this image."
---

The table calmed down and began discussing the strategic matters at hand.
Devan, finding it difficult to pay attention, leaned close to Hayes and whispered to him.
It was clear that Hayes was actually trying to participate in the discussion.
For that reason he probably found it annoying to have the man beside him keep tugging on his sleeve.
And for Devan to keep making remarks that divided his attention.
However, this only amused Devan further.
Especially since no one else in the room seemed to notice what he was doing.

"Rutherford. Hey. Ruthe."
"Shh. I'm trying to-"
"Do you think you could take him?"
"Take-... What? Who?"
"Sen of Northern Rock."
"Can I what-?"
"Could you take him? What about arm wrestling?"
"I don't know. Maybe?"
"... Hm. How about in a fight?"
"Devan, please-"
"Hey Ruthe."
"..."
"Ruthe."
"... What now?"
"Between Lady Brezwicz and Lady Mocol-"
"Please don't."
"-who do you think is cuter?"
"They are both too young."
"You think?"
"For me. And for you, for that matter."
"Who do you fancy, then?"
"..."
"Ruthe. Who do you-"
"Shh!"
"..."
"..."
"Ruthe."
"Be quie-"
"I can't, now. You have to tell me."
"Tell you what?"
"Tell me who you fancy, then I'll be quiet."
"You will not."
"... No, probably not."
"This is important, you know?"
"Eh."
"Devan, really. These are large matters."
"Large matters. So large."
"It's not funny."
"You're smiling."
"I am not smiling."
"You're laughing just a little bit. Someone will notice."
"This is not a joke."
"Then why are you laughing?"
"..."
"Matters so large. They invited a kid from Undercity who doesn't even know why he's here."
"Don't bring the kid into-"
"Large matters. Truly large."
"Devan, don't be like that."
"Who do you think is dumber? Sen from Nothern Rock? Or me, for coming here?"
"I think you're being very immature right now."
"Oh, I know that."
"Good, then-"
"You're not gonna ask why? Why Sen?"
"It's-"
"It's because he's dumb, right? Admit it. You were thinking it too."
"... Jeez. I didn't even question it."
"Ha. I made you think something bad."
"You are a terrible person."
"Saved your life, though. Annoying Frantish bastard."
"... Hmph."
"I bet it's Jessie Lawlier, isn't it?"
"You what? You bet, what?"
"She's the one you fancy."
"You are so delusional, Necromancer."
"Oh, so that's not it?"
"You know nothing about me. You don't know who I fancy."
"I know you. I so know you. I saved your life."
"Saved my life. Yeah, you saved my life. Enough with-"
"You know she is missing a leg, right?"
---

"Shut up."
"No, really. I saw it when she entered the room."
"..."
"Fake leg."
"I said shh. I'm trying to listen."
"What, you didn't know? You fancied her and you didn't know?"
"Everyone already knows, you idiot."
"Yeah, I figured that was probably your thing."
"You're sick."
"Me? Sick? You're the one who-"
"Devan, be quiet. I won't warn you again."
"... Hm."

Devan got the feeling that Rutherford was probably being serious at this point.
He decided to sit back and soak in the conversation the others were having.
They had apparently decided against traveling through the portal to Sea-Quartz.
While it was the most sure tactical victory there also did not seem to be much reason to go there.
"It would be a symbolic victory, and nothing else," Y said.
He tried to sound cool, but his head hung low. "I understand that."

Dalamar put his hand on the arm of the Neonite and gave him reassurance.
"Your people will know salvation some day. Now is just not the right time."

As for going to Catharsis, well.
Kennedy Erensworth seemed quite enthusiastic about it.
However, there weren't many others here who even felt remotely comfortable.
There was an obvious elephant in the room, and people weren't even afraid to say it.
"If we go to Catharsis we're sure to face the Unstoppable Blue Wing," Martin Spade said.
"Honestly, I do not believe I am prepared for that. I don't think anyone here is."
There was no objections from anyone here. Well, nobody voiced them.
Blackwater guessed there were probably a few hotblooded people here who thought they could go.
Stupid assholes who believed they would be the ones to go and stop Blue Wing.
And, of course, they'd all get killed like idiots if they really went there.

"Forming an alliance with the Demonic Forces could prove problematic,"
Reggie reminded them all. "There are still Angels which patrol the region."

"I would not dictate my policy based on the will of a foreign power," Lana reminded him.

"No, of course not," Reggie agreed. "Still..."
"It might be better not to involve ourselves with Demons."
"In the long run it would just make us more enemies."

The sensible option, then, was the remaining one.
A campaign to Arland, past Vera's Cape and to the Silver City.
"We could even sail out of High Point," Aster reminded them.
"It would be a shorter journey than leaving from Haven and going around Catharsis."
They could assault the Fairy forces occupying this region.
This would have drastic consequences on a global scale, especially if the attack succeeded.
"This is an enemy who is already fighting a war on two fronts," Martin explained.
"They aren't prepared to divide their attention a third way. Especially not in Arland."
"And if we can coordinate our efforts with the forces there..."

"We can, I assure you," Aster told him. "I know it may be hard to believe,"
"But I speak the truth when I say that the Silver Prince is here in Esland."

"Hard to believe," Blackwater put his feet up on the table, "Cause it's bullshit."
He didn't actually care one way or the other. He just wanted to antagonize someone.
It would be funny if Aster got worked up over such a stupid accusation.
"What proof do you have?"

"Proof?" Aster inquired. "What, like with me? Right now?"

"Whatever," Blackwater said. He didn't get the reaction he wanted.
---

"Perhaps Mr. Blackwater would be more happy if you gave us the full story,"
Liona said to Aster as delicately as possible. She was polite, that was true.
However... Devan sensed it. She felt the same way.
She was not the type to simply accept something as true just because some guy said it.
She also wanted some kind of proof.

"To be honest I do not know much, but I know that it is true."
Aster looked desperate to convince the people here that he was not lying.
He probably cared whether or not people thought he was a liar.
Blackwater, if he had a choice, would rather have it so people didn't know if they could trust him.
That would make it much easier to mess with people.
However, Aster seemed to care about his reputation and honesty.
That probably meant he was telling the truth.
"I heard that the Priestess-.. Um, Alura. She had been engaged to the Silver Prince for some time."
"He came here in order to marry her and then something happened."
"His body double had been continuing to fight in Arland on his behalf,"
"But they decided it was better if he hide out here rather than returning to war."
"In the event that something bad happened. You know, like-"

"Like losing the war," Martin observed. "He was waiting for something."
Martin thought about it carefully for a while. "But what...?"

Of course this was something Martin Spade of all people would not understand.
Blackwater thought about telling him but he wasn't sure which way was funnier.
Macina broke the conversation by changing the subject quickly.
"We should go and meet with him as soon as possible, then."
"If losing the war is a possibility in his mind it means we should not waste time."

"I couldn't agree more," Martin said to her, already losing his previous train of thought.
The idea of planning a battle was more exciting to him than figuring out the love life of a prince.

"We shall make preparations to travel south by convoy, then," Lana Lake announced.
"But I think in the meantime everyone should rest and decide whether they can commit fully to this quest."
"It may be that if we ride south from here you won't return home for some time."

"My Queen," Macina asked. "Do you think it is a good idea for you to go as well?"
Lady Mocol, it seemed, was thinking the same thing as the Silver Prince.
Was it really a good idea for Lana Lake to go off to war?
If she got herself killed before producing an heir, the Lake dynasty would be gone forever.
However...

Blackwater looked at the Queen again.
He couldn't bring himself to think it.
Not even in his own head.

"I've been in war before," Lana replied. "I was on Catharsis as well."

That was something Blackwater did not know.
He was regarding Lana Lake with a different sort of respect at that moment.
She had actually gotten out of that place alive? Few had.
That was essentially ground zero for the invasion.

"In any event," the Queen went on, "before we part ways I'd like to formally introduce everyone."
"My top advisors will very likely be coordinating the efforts of the campaign as we move forward."
"And I think it would be best that you understand each of their roles in my administration."
---

Blackwater tugged on the sleeve of the man sitting beside him.
"Ruthe."
"Leave me alone."
"What do you think are the qualifications of being a top advisor?"
"Shh."
"Do you think I could become one?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"You can't."
"So you must know what the qualifications are."
"Devan, please-"
"Okay, okay. One more question."
"..."
"One more question, alright?"
"Go. Ask it. Just be quiet."
"Do you think the Queen is cool?"
"... She is kind of cool, yeah."
"I think so too."
"That's surprising, coming from-"
"Shh, Ruthe. They're trying to talk."

He laughed internally to himself at the expression that Rutherford made after being shushed.
Setting that up had taken quite a bit of effort. But he was proud of the fruits it had born.
The fruits of amusement.

Liona Brezwicz, the Sworn Sword of the Queen, was pretty well known to all here.
And even for those who had not known her before the meeting, well,
She was after all the one who had done a great deal of the talking.
Apparently she served the role as some kind of strategist. Whatever that meant.
It seemed like they had guys like Martin Spade to deal with strategy.
Maybe Brezwicz handled some other kind of strategy?
Like tactics for things that happened off of the battlefield?
Blackwater didn't know anything about that, or if it was a real thing.

Lawlier stood up and took a long drink from the flask in front of her.
It seemed pretty cool at first, but then Blackwater was pretty sure she was just drinking water.
It would have been much more cool if she was drinking rum or something.
"I'm Jessie Lawlier," she told them all. "I'm... um... not really that good at public speaking, so..."
She wobbled unsteadily and fell back into her chair.
Once again, it would have been a lot more cool if she was actually drunk or something.

Dalamar briefly rose and put his hand into the air.
"Name is Dalamar, I oversee the research and development of crown projects."
"I worked closely with the Iron Knight of Frantz while planning the recent expedition into Ishiene's Labyrinth."
"And I hope that we can accomplish great things as well, if we all work together."

Blackwater was sort of thinking that mission had been a complete failure.
However, he at least had the social grace not to say it out loud.

Lana Lake extended her arm to the right, for some reason.
Her fingers were pointed in a specific way.
She was, after all, directing their attention to a certain place.
"And this is-"

"HOLY SHIT!" Blackwater jumped out of his chair. He nearly fell on the floor.
"What the hell is that thing?!" He grabbed for the wand at his belt but his fingers were numb.
"How-How long has it been here?!" Shit. Shit. He couldn't get it free.
It was stuck. The stupid clip was stuck. He was spending so much time here.
Casually, just chatting with his best friend, cracking jokes. Trying to act cool.
And all the while that monster had been sitting across the table and he didn't even see her!
And because of that, he wasn't ready.

Unable to draw his wand, he raised his hand and spread his fingers wide.
Magical words which had been burned into the folds of his brain arose.
They were inflamed. He felt them resounding against his skull.
And once he recalled them, they were one with him.
And once he spoke them, they would become one with the world.
He would shape the world to his will.

Such was the spirit of magic.
---

"Wait!" multiple people seemed to cry out at once.

Blackwater felt the shadow rising in his palm.
It would be so easy to tear this room apart.
There might be some collateral damage but it was better than the alternative.

The creature before him had gray hair, but with black and neon green streaks running across.
Her eyes were cracked and splintered, almost like the eyes of a Demon.
But there was a glimmer in them, a magical little sparkle that belied her true nature.
And then, there, on her cheeks, she wore the signature blush of the Fairy race.
Without a doubt... there was a fucking Fairy in this room.
And he was going to destroy it.

"Eruptio!" His hand swelled with light.
That was needed.
Light was needed in order to cast a strong shadow.
And where you held a strong light, you could-

CLANG!

Sen of Northern Rock was standing on the table, in front of him.
The Knight's gauntlet extended and his hand opened.
Then, with a grabbing motion, he closed Devan Blackwater's palm inside of his own hand.
There was a CRUNCH sound as his fingers were crushed.
Devan hissed in pain and tried to fall back.
Rutherford stood, hoping to try and steady him,
But the Knight of Northern Rock instinctively kicked the Frantish Knight away from the table.
He fell on top of Blackwater.
Together, the two hit the stone floor, with the heavier and larger Knight on top.
There was a brief moment where the wind had been knocked out of him.
Then he went to suck in a breath and.

CLANG!

The sound of heavy armor as Sen's hand went over Blackwater's mouth.
No breath could be found. No air, at least not in through his mouth.
He sucked in air through his nose, his eyes darting around the room.
Was this some kind of set up?!

No... It was just...

No words could escape his lips. Therefore, he couldn't try to cast another spell.

"I think the Queen asked you to wait," Sen told him. "Sir."

"Gah.... Ow." Rutherford stood back up. He leaned on the table to support himself.
"Kid's got strong instincts. Knocked me on my ass. Pardon my language."
"I'm just a bit... frazzled..."

His instincts were strong indeed.
Sen must have sensed that Blackwater was just about to destroy that entire half of the room.
It's likely he moved not to defend the Fairy, but, rather, to defend himself.
Actually... no. There really wasn't much to it.
Nothing beyond the simple reasoning that Sen had given.

Queen Lana had ordered Blackwater to wait.
And, therefore, Sen had executed that order.
It was his duty as a Knight to make sure Blackwater waited.
That kind of guy was the most frightening of all.
He only needed to be pointed at a goal in order to achieve it, with no reservations.
A man of pure instinct.

Blackwater struggled for a moment and finally he was let free.
"S-.. Sorry. I was just alarmed."

The Fairy smiled at him. "You are strong. Fast. Well, there are faster men than you, it seems."
"We're probably all lucky for that, aren't we? I sensed a strong reverberation of magical energy."

Liona glared at Devan Blackwater at that moment.
"You meant to put the Queen in danger with that incantation?"

"I just... I..." Blackwater looked around the room.
Honestly, from the looks of it, he wasn't the only one surprised to see the Fairy.
There were others in the room who hadn't noticed her right away, either.
"I was caught off guard, okay? I acted without thinking."
I'm not as cool as I try to act. Did they want him to say it out loud?! Jeez.
---

"Sorry, but," Rainn sheepishly interjected into the conversation.
"Is this supposed to be a surprise? She introduced herself earlier."
"Sunday, wasn't it?" Rainn asked.

"Yes, my name is Sunday," she said. "And I did, but-..."

"I didn't hear it either," Macina Mocol admitted. "Actually, I hadn't noticed her until. Well."

Aster Crawford was standing as well.
That man had also jumped out of his seat.
He'd nearly ripped off his glasses and he hadn't put them back on yet.
He must not have seen her right away, either.
Because he certainly would have had the same reaction earlier.
Aster Crawford was staring at her in complete wonder.
"You... you're a Fairy.... aren't you?"

"The, um, colorful half of me. Yeah," Sunday joked. She saw no one was laughing.
"I'm half a Fairy. Half... Demon..." she said at last.

"Unbelievable!" Aster exclaimed. "Fascinating."
"I have never seen anything like this before in my life."

"Mr. Crawford, please," Lana politely checked him. "Need I remind you, Sunday is my Friend."
"She is not some creature in a zoo."

"No, Yes. I... I'm sorry. I understand." Aster continued to stare on in wonder.
"My Queen, I did not know you had such a Friend."

"Consider it a recent development," Liona told him.
Blackwater could not tell if Liona sounded pleased about that or not.
Rather, it was very matter-of-fact. She was good at concealing her intentions.

"Regardless," Lana said. "Sunday here has never been to the World of Love."
"She is not like the other Fairies here who came from that place. But she has met with them."
"Treated with them. Spoke with them. In a way, she is our most valuable source of intelligence."
"Because... Sunday knows a great deal about the Fairies. Like no one else here."
"And I can trust her to give me good advice."

You can trust her?
How can you trust her?
How do you know that you can trust her?
Those kinds of thoughts were filling the room at that moment.

Rutherford looked at him for a moment.
Blackwater had to ask. "Did you see her?"
"Earlier, yeah," Rutherford replied. "I thought I'd keep quiet about it, though."
Rutherford was probably thinking something like this;
If the presence of Sunday was never brought up, that meant she was supposed to stay a secret.
The fact that her presence was publicly revealed meant that Lana always intended for everyone to know about her.
That meant Lana wasn't secretly being controlled by the Fairy or something like that.
If she had shown any indication of such, Rutherford had been planning on bringing it up again later in private.
"So what do you think?" Rutherford asked him.

Devan thought about it for a moment.
"I honestly have no idea what to think," he said.

[Chapter End]

No 'Choice' for this branch, but I'd like each person to assign their character to an advisor.

Liona Brezwicz

Jessie Lawlier

Dalamar

Sunday

The groups do not need to be perfectly balanced. You can assign characters to advisors based on what role you think they will be filling. However, ultimately, the roles will be dynamically decided based upon which characters they get to aide them. Basically, each advisor will simply be given a task that uses the strengths of the characters who join them.

If a player does not assign their character by tomorrow I'll simply decide based on who needs more characters to support them.
---

Okay, here is what I'm seeing for sure right now:

Martin- Strategist
Sen- Loyal Knight
Rutherford- Knight
Blackwater- Excitable Necromancer
Y- Being from another world (Maybe best with Dolomar since they know each other better)
Macina- Keen Eyes (Possibly a Scout)
Rainn- Unknown Variable
Aster- Knowledgeable
Erensworth- Geographical Knowledge
Reggie- Politician

I think I got all the player characters.

Decision: Assigning Martin to Jessie Lawlier
---

bonus question

who do you fancy
---

I know that each Advisor's role is still up in the air until the teams are set but how I viewed em was something like

Jessie: Charger. Gonna help the charge against bulk of the enemy forces
Liona: Strategist
Dalamar: Researcher / Knowledge guy / Support (probably figures shit out / finds solutions faster when weird stuff happens)
Sunday: Infiltrator or something like that

My view on each person placement for different reasons at a glance (I'd probably have to look at each more closely though)?

Martin: Liona or Jessie (moreso to Liona what with strategy and all). He also seems to fit well with her given their personalities

Sen: Jessie

Rutherford: Jessie. Although he'd probably be best paired with Blackwater

Blackwater: Jessie Sunday or Dolomar (probably best paired with Rutherford for wherever they go) his quick reactions could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on what goes down

Y: Sunday or Dolomar (in terms of skillset and how I think each Advisor will operate he'd probably be better with how I view Sunday's job but would get along better with Dolomar. He did meet with Sunday too though so yeah)

Macina: Sunday or Liona

Rainn: Jessie although I think he could go anywhere excluding Liona (although if my view of Jessie as a charge / frontal assault then having some golems would be neat for that)

Aster: Dolomar or Sunday

Erensworth: Liona

Reggie: Dunno although he seems charismatic
---

I can't imagine Aster would pass up the chance to observe a (half) fairy up close. Aster'll go with Sunday, even if it's not necessarily optimal.
---

Assigning Erensworth to Liona.
---

JeffreyRaze posted...

I can't imagine Aster would pass up the chance to observe a (half) fairy up close. Aster'll go with Sunday, even if it's not necessarily optimal.

do you want to get a POV chapter

because this is how you get a POV chapter
---

Rainn will go with Sunday

because it was hilarious to see Blackwater completely flip out (the thought still makes him giggle, even though he knows he probably could have died there)

also he kinda fancies her
---

Macina will accompany Sunday because why not?
---

Liona Brezwicz
Kennedy Erensworth

Jessie Lawlier
Martin Spade

Dalamar


Sunday
Aster Crawford
Rainn of Undercity
Macina Mocol
---

Haha
---

Also, I fancy Liona Brezwicz
---

Liona ftw!
---

Blackwater will go with Jessie.

Bonus Question: Jessie!
---

I was looking through some ITD7 materials.

if anyone is curious, here is Elita Brezwicz:




these are the two pictures I did of her from the first topic. didn't draw her again after that. Elita is the aunt of Liona Brezwicz. they were mentioned as looking pretty similar so I guess I can save myself the trouble of drawing Liona by saying she just looks similar.

as for Jess, here was my drawing of her:


and pk2k drew her as well... don't ask why she's holding a guitar.


I don't pretend to understand the mind of pk2k
---

speaking of awesome ITD7 materials and Jess, here is the battle where she loses her leg
https://pastebin.com/P7tgrmQN

Setsuna here is the one who goes on to become the Iron Knight and end the war between Northern Rock and Esland. it's no stretch to say that his friendship with Jess literally ended the war. man I really loved ITD7. what's also awesome about this battle is they are fighting multiple enemies each about as strong (or stronger) as Kaguya from this story. so yeah, not very great odds for the heroes to succeed.
---

(If I remember correctly ITD7 had a Meta powered Idol and he really liked the idea of using the power of music.)
---

Sen will assign himself to Jessie Lawlier

I have no comment on the bonus question =)
---

Liona Brezwicz
Kennedy Erensworth


Jessie Lawlier
Martin Spade
Sen of Northern Rock
Devan Blackwater

Dalamar


Sunday
Aster Crawford
Rainn of Undercity
Macina Mocol

Unassigned
Reginald Bartlesby
Rutherford Hayes
Y
---

for the record my current plan is to stick Reggie with Liona, and put Hayes and Y on Dalamar if the players don't pitch in to say otherwise.
---

I have no idea where I want Reginald. At first I wanted to put him with Liona to schmooze, but that seemed too cynical, so I was gonna put him with whoever had the least amount of followers to make them feel better. But he also might want to go to whoever had the most...

so yeah do whatever
---

I guess I'll send Y to Dalamar then due to current composition. Seems my guys tend to help out that little guy anyway

MariaTaylor posted...

bonus question

who do you fancy

Blue W-

I mean pass
---

I didn't really picture him shmoozing but then again I envisioned him as being one of the older characters. for the record these are the ages I had in mind while writing so far.

Kennedy Erensworth: Early 40
Rutherford Hayes: Early 40
Devan Blackwater: Early 40
Reggie: Late30-40?

^ Older group of males, with Reggie being the youngest among this group.

Jessie Lawlier: 35
Aster Crawford: 33
Y: Equivalent of about 30?
Sen of Northern Rock: 29
Dalamar: 26

^ Competent group, experienced but still fairly young

Rainn of Undercity: 25
Liona Brezwicz: 23
Martin Spade: 22
Macina Mocol: 21

^ Young Group, talented but less experienced. Liona being a weird exception since she is also very experienced despite being younger than, for example, Rainn (who has no experience despite being near the competent age range).

Queen Lana is in the same age range as the Competent Group but I'd have to check some text from ITD7 to figure out her exact age. I can't remember if she's younger or older than Jessie, but I do remember Jessie's exact age (it's easy because she was 15 when she first came to Esland, then 25 in ITD7, and 35 here. 10 year time skips make everything easy!)

As for Sunday... yeah, her age is weird. It was discussed previously in this game so I don't need to go into more detail. She's apparently very old but she didn't spend a lot of time in this Dimension, so it's hard to say exactly what that means. Basically she will continue to be a big ???
---

It's always well-advised for royalty and politicians to get in good with people more powerful than them.
---

Pirateking2000 posted...

I guess I'll send Y to Dalamar then due to current composition. Seems my guys tend to help out that little guy anyway

you don't have to feel obligated to do that. if Dalamar doesn't get assigned anyone he will still get a role and get his own chapter anyway. just pair up with whoever you want.

Pirateking2000 posted...

Blue W-

my man

NFUN posted...

It's always well-advised for royalty and politicians to get in good with people more powerful than them.

this is true. either way pairing them up will be really good here because I picture Reggie as having commanded forces during the Disputed Kingdom period, against the rebellion. with Erensworth and Reginald as her sub commanders this will make Liona's naval force pretty strong (Erensworth in particular is gonna be good for Navy because his expertise is in maps)
---

rutherford to dalamar
---

Bonus question: Jessie
---

[Unquantifiable]

To say that Aster woke up early would be an understatement.
It was more like he had barely been able to get to sleep at all.
He remembered being up all night tossing and turning in anticipation.
He remembered his eyes closing at a certain point,
But his rest was brief.
And he woke up a puddle of restlessness.
Ready for the day to begin.
Only waiting for the sunrise to catch up.

Finally light shone through the crack between where his curtain only touched the bottom of the window frame.
He rose from bed and knew it would happen today.
Today was the day that would change the rest of his life forever.

Aster Crawford went to his mirror and checked his appearance.
There was a water basin nearby.
He used it to splash water on his face and wet his hair.
Then he looked himself seriously in the eyes.
"The truth is hard to accept sometimes," he told himself.
"But whether we accept it or not... the truth remains the truth."
His hand rose and he closed it to a fist.
He touched his fist against the mirror.
That was real. He could feel it. He couldn't forget it.

Ser Hayes and the Neonite would be staying here with Dalamar to prepare a "special project."
In any other season, in any other year, Aster would have killed to be assigned to such a task.
However, in this case, he had specially requested permission to do otherwise.
He had even been presumptuous enough to go and see the Queen directly.
That was because, above all else, there was one thing Aster Crawford wanted to study most of all.
His face began to grow hot just thinking about her. The rhythm of his heart increased.
Could it be? Had he found it at last?
That thing everyone always talked about...?
That thing which was so impossible to quantify?
"But you'll know it as soon as you feel it," Aster muttered to himself.
Of course he was referring to DARKNESS.
The power which had infected all of the Fairies since long ago.
It had turned the World of Love into a dead dimension filled with hate.
That was what he wanted to study up close.
A power so great that it could transform even energy itself into different types.

Now he was standing outside of the door to the bedchamber of a certain person.
Tap. Tap tap. Tap tap taptaptaptaptaptaptaptap.
He began rapping against the door quickly.
No longer could he hold back his anticipation.
No longer could he-

"WHAT?" Rainn shouted, flinging the door open.
He slumped through the open door frame, his clothes halfway pulled on.
The young man looked as if he had still been asleep. "Ugh..."
Rainn rubbed his eyes. "Sorry. What... what do you want...?"

"Oh, were you still sleeping?" Aster inquired. "Sorry, kid."
"I thought we agreed to meet first thing in the morning."

Rainn poked his head out of the door fully and looked up and down the hall.
"I didn't mean literally the first thing, from the moment the sun rises," Rainn grumbled.
Though, in a way, he was lucky that it had happened this way.
He had actually forgotten about making such plans as a result of, well, going out drinking with Sen.
The night before, most of it had been a blur. Was Aster even there?
Or had they made plans earlier in the night?
Whatever the reason, Rainn, honestly, was just glad most of the palace was still asleep.
He could imagine the embarrassment otherwise.
Standing out here half in the half, hall naked, and with people all around to see him.
So, yeah, luckily, it wasn't like that. The place was empty.
"Give me a second," Rainn implored. He closed the door on Aster and left him out there in the hall.
---

Aster spent the time dancing on the balls of his toes impatiently.
Finally, after a few minutes (not just a second!), the younger man appeared out in the hall.
Fully, completely, he was dressed in what Aster guessed must be the traveling clothes of the North.
Well, he'd be stripping those off soon enough. Their journey was to a place far warmer.
The scarf and cloak, certainly, wouldn't be needed.

"You shouldn't drink so much, you know," Aster lectured him,
"The night before traveling. You'll get sick riding on your horse."

"Oh, so you were there," Rainn observed.

"Hm." Aster didn't say anything to that.
Acting responsible had always been a curse.
It seemed the person most likely to remember the night was also the most likely to be forgotten.
At least by those who were all having fun with each other.
"In any event," Aster went on, "Do you remember our plans?"

"Mm, let's see.." Rainn pretended like he was trying to remember.
Obviously this was a mere ploy.
If he did this for long enough, Aster would just tell him.
But it would seem as if Rainn actually knew and that Aster was just being impatient.

Knowing all of this, Aster knew he didn't have time for that kind of social fencing.
Best to just cut right to the heart of it.
"We'll go meet with Lady Mocol and escort her to the convoy."
"From there we should begin loading our things, and..."
Aster felt himself almost giggling with glee. "Our Primary Advisor should be meeting us there."

"Something tells me no one else is going to be up this early," Rainn grumbled.

"That's fine, there's plenty we can do to kill time," Aster observed.
"Why they have a wonderful library here. Shall we go and see if Lady Mocol wishes to join us."

Rainn couldn't imagine that she would.
"You know, actually, I've got a better idea."
He ripped off his scarf and threw it off a nearby balcony.
Damn it was hot out here. He'd put the thing on out of pure habit.
But he quickly realized it wasn't going to be needed.
The further south they went, the more he'd be in need of new clothes.
"Why don't you show me around the city? I need to find some traveling supplies."

"You'll..." Aster glanced over the balcony, to where the scarf had fallen below.
"I assume you'll be wanting some clothes?" he said in a dry voice.

Aster himself wasn't entirely familiar with Esland at Lake.
He was, after all, here from High Point.
But being a man of intellect it wasn't too hard to find his way around the city.
Why, all he had to do was stop and ask around until he found a guide!
Granted, Rainn was probably left feeling like he could have just done that himself.
Still, it was a jolly good time.
The two were able to bond over their mutual discussions of various subject matter.
Aster was doing most of the talking but that was probably fine.
This was probably because Rainn was just very interested in hearing what he had to say.

"-so even though such a transfer is theoretically possible, you'll lose about 30% of the converted energy as heat,"
Aster was just finishing up an explanation on the magic of Esoteric Conversion.
"Well. Ha ha. That assumes perfectly control and manipulation of all formula involved."
Aster smiled a cocky smile. "I'm sure we both know that such mastery of the arcane arts is rare indeed."
---

"Oh, I'm sure," Rainn said. "Hey, what do you think about this place?"
He stopped outside of a rather run down looking shop.
In fact, this didn't seem to be a tailor at all.
Rather, it was the kind of place that people came to dump clothes they didn't want.
The woman who owned this store would then resell the clothes at a cheaper price.
It was mainly for people who didn't have the money to buy fitted clothes,
but they weren't so poor that they were literally wearing peasants' rags.

"I think we'll find something that suits you well," Aster said politely.

They went inside and Rainn began to try on various different outfits.
Aster sat nearby, observing much more quietly for the most part.
He had expended a lot of energy this morning. Talked up quite a storm.
Though it had been a fascinating discussion.
Well, at least, from his point of view it had been one.
Rainn was probably exhausted too... for completely different reasons.

"By the way, Rainn, were you able to contact your Elders?" Aster inquired.
"You mentioned wanting to send word to Undercity. I wondered if you'd been able to."
"Getting in touch in such a short amount of time must have been difficult."
It had only been three days since Rainn arrived in the city,
That was the same day that the first Council had been held.

A few of the members had met since then but it was mostly only the Top Advisors and Queen Lana.
And, well, those who were specifically called upon for specialized bits of advice or tasks.
Aster, unfortunately, had not been called on again.
It was a shame because he would have truly liked to see that Sunday creature once more.

"It'll all work itself out," Rainn said.
That kind of non answer seemed very suspicious.
But Aster was honestly too distracted by his own thoughts to even notice.

After that they realized they had actually wasted quite a bit of time.
Though Rainn was looking a bit more fashionable now, in a sort of low way.
He certainly wasn't going to draw more attention than Reginald Bartlesby or a Knight in full plate.
But he at least looked like he might actually belong in the same room as other members of an important Council.

Aster wanted to go and meet with Lady Mocol immediately, but the kid had other plans.
"Oh, there's one place we gotta go first. Just one quick stop," Rainn insisted.
Crawford knew it probably would not be all that quick.
But, at the same time, it had been his idea to pair up with Rainn to make the morning go by more eventfully.
He had made his bed. Now he needed to lay in it.

Well, no, he'd been laying in bed restlessly for too long.
That was just an expression. What he needed to do was follow this kid around.
Keep his mind occupied until he could meet with Her again.
Lest she consume his thoughts completely and ruin him.

They headed together to the training yard, where apparently the men and women of the vanguard had been meeting.
Unlike Aster and his ilk, these people probably felt like they needed to prepare for something.
Battle, or whatever. Whatever those sorts of folks were always getting into.
Anyway to keep their bodies sharp and their swords fit they would meet early in the morning and run drills.
Today, however, a lot of the work involved breaking down their equipment and preparing it for travel.

"Do you think they do this often?" Aster inquired as they moved through the opening pillars.
"Year round?" Aster was imagining that it was hard work to exercise every day.
He'd rather read books. At this point, Aster realized why they were actually here.
---

"Huh? Um, I dunno." Rainn did not even know how to respond to such a question.
He glanced around the room, searching for someone. "Hey, I'm gonna-"

"Yes, yes," Aster said. "I know."

"Do you want-" Rainn was quickly cut off again.

"I'd rather just stand here and enjoy the sunlight," Aster told him.
He crossed his arms and leaned against the pillar, standing in the shade.

Rainn went off by himself to meet with Sen of Northern Rock.
To be frank, Aster had no problem with Sen in particular.
However, Sen had threatened to kick his ass the night before over what was, really, nothing.
For that reason, Aster didn't much feel like going to talk to him this morning.
Oddly enough, when he looked that way, Sen waved at him as if nothing had happened.
Truly he was that kind of mindless guy. Probably didn't even remember the event.

There were straw bales set up around the courtyard.
Some of them for seating, others stacked up to be used as archery targets.
There were also some practice dummies set up and weighted bags for training in arms.
Jessie Lawlier, who would command these forces, was seated at the far end of the courtyard.
She was wearing a one piece tunic that covered her thighs but not her knees.
Here in the open courtyard, the direct sunlight was shining down on them all gathered there.
Lawlier's right leg was a soft pale tone, the color of skin. Her left leg was close, but not quite.
A pale imitation. A prosthetic leg. There was a cane leaning on the bale nearby to her.
She'd probably use that to help with her balance if she meant to get up and walk around.
Did she come here to train as well?
Honestly, Aster had no idea if she even still fought or not.
Supposedly she had been a fighter when she was younger, though.
A Hero or something along those lines.

Some of the soldiers and knights here, shirtless, were battering away at the training aides.
Others were moving armor and weapons, and other gear, through the courtyard.
Aster supposed they'd be taking it to the convoy.
Martin Spade was with this group and he seemed to be pestering them about something.
"I'm telling you," Martin insisted. "It'll go faster overall if we move everything out into the Courtyard first."
"We can organize the boxes out here and then load them onto the wagons."
"If we start throwing boxes into the wagon now we'll have to unload them again later to-"
His voice trailed off as he followed the men outside.
They didn't seem to be listening to him much.
Then, Aster noticed something perhaps a bit unusual.

Jesslie Lawlier reached out her hand and grabbed one of the head porter's who was walking by.
The man stopped, turning to look down at her.
"We'll do as Martin says," Lawlier told him in a soft voice.
Aster was surprised he could hear her from across the courtyard.
But maybe he was reading her lips subconsciously.
He had a tendency to do that sometimes.
He could imagine what her voice probably sounded like.
"Bring everything out here. Tell the men to stop drilling. We'll need room to sort the supplies."
"Actually, I'll tell them to help you all." Jessie thought for a moment. "It'll go faster with more hands."

The Head Porter left her and went outside, presumably to yell at the other workers.
It was better that way. He'd be able to use language he shouldn't use in front of a noble lady.
Well, then again, such thoughts were often misguided and pointless.
Aster had found through study and real world experience most people used pretty foul language.
It all depended on when the mood suited them.
Anyone could curse when they were in a bad mood.
Whether they were born in the dirt or born in a palace.
---

Jess got up to go and begin talking to the groups of Knights and Soldiers.
Rather than addressing all of them at once she made the rounds.
It was slow going but she found a way to speak to each of them individually and quietly.
Aster remembered how quiet she had been at the meeting, as well.
This must have just been her personality type.

Around this time, Aster heard the sound of metal armor to his left.
He glanced at the door frame and saw Ser Rutherford Hayes coming this way.
Aster was pretty sure that Hayes had not been assigned to the vanguard.
But he must have come here for something else. Perhaps to see someone?

"Ah-.. Ahem. Lady Lawlier," Rutherford called out.
He thumped his way over there, wearing loud and heavy metal boots.
His full armor was not on. That would not be suitable for travel.
But for some reason he wore certain fixtures like these.
Aster decided to quietly watch them and read their conversation.

"Mr. Hayes. Oh, sorry. Ser Hayes." Jessie laughed at herself. "Excuse me."

"It's nothing at all," Hayes told her.

Jess nodded. "They call you the Gentle Knight, don't they?"

Hayes looked quiet embarrassed. "Well, I-... I do know how to fight, you know,"
"I-... I'm not a coward or anything, if that's what you're thinking."
He sounded much less cool right now than when Sen had called him Beastmaster yesterday.

Aster wondered what the difference was. He tried to quantify it.

"Oh, no. I didn't mean it like that." Jess shifted her posture slightly, leaning on her cane.
"I thought it was kind of cool, actually. Too many people try to start fights over, you know,"
"Something that really isn't worth fighting over."

"I couldn't agree more," Rutherford told her. "Um... Hm."
"Well, i-in any even I came here to see Mr. Blackwater."
"Have you seen him about?"

That same Blackwater, Devan Blackwater, had actually come up behind Hayes at just that moment.
He put his hand on the bigger man's shoulder and leaned against him. "My, my. Ser Hayes."
"What brings you to a place such as this so early in the morning?"
"Is there perhaps a person you wanted to see?"

"Oh," Jess looked a bit surprised. It was likely that Blackwater did not come to train with the soldiers often.
Such was not really the way of the magically inclined. "It looks as though he's right here."

"Y-Yes. It seems he... is..." Hayes observed.

"Well, I'll leave you two to it, then," Jess told him. "I'm gonna help them sort supplies."

"Oh, maybe I should-" Hayes voice trailed off.
She didn't seem to have heard him as she was departing.
"What do you think?" He turned back to Blackwater. "Should I stay and help?"
"I suppose you all will need some help, won't you?"

"Who me?" Blackwater stretched out. "I don't plan on doing any work."
"Go help whoever the hell you want to help."

"..." Rutherford stared at him for a few moments. "S-So..."

"Come to see me off, did you?" Blackwater goaded him.

"Yes, something like that." Hayes looked evasive.
"Well, I figured you might miss me on the road if he didn't see each other again for a while."
"We'll likely be stationed on different ships as well."
"This might be our last chance to, you know, for a while, to-"

"Oh, enough with the act," Blackwater seemed grumpy.
"We both know why you really came here. You just wanted to make funny eyes at Ms. Hero over there."
---

"My eyes?" Hayes asked. "What was wrong with my eyes?"

What had been wrong with his eyes?
Aster hadn't been able to see it from this angle.
But the conversation seemed like it was starting to get interesting.

"Stop staring at her while I'm talking to you," Devan chided the Knight. "It's rude."
"Plus you're going to look like a total creep."

"Come on, don't be like that." Hayes smiled at his friend. "Let's make it a proper goodbye."
"I really will miss you. We're friends, aren't we?"

"Stop saying things like that," Blackwater insisted. "You'll ruin my image."

"Let's have it then," Hayes moved toward the other man.
He opened his arms, extending them in some kind of gesture that Aster didn't recognize.
"Blackwater and Hayes. Saying goodbye at last."

"What is this? Don't touch me!" Devan pleaded. "You'd better not-"

"I won't let you escape without at least a goodbye hug, my friend," Rutherford tried to grab the other man.

Aster was sure that Devan Blackwater would try to escape.
But, actually, he glanced around quickly.
It seemed like he was checking to see if anyone else was paying attention.
Then, reluctantly, he leaned in and returned the hug with a lazy one armed hug.
"I'll be fine, you know," Devan bragged. "You won't have to worry about me."

"Yeah, just try not to blow up your own allies," Rutherford told him.
"And I'm being serious. That shit from the other day? Something like that will not fly again."

"Relax," Devan replied. "You worry too much."
"Just go and work on your little secret experiment or whatever."
"We'll be waiting for you in High Point to set sail."

"Devan, you-" Rutherford began, but he was cut off.

"Actually, you lazy sod," Blackwater grabbed him. "Lady Lawlier, excuse me!"
"My idiot friend here isn't good for much except lifting heavy things."
"I'd like to submit him as my replacement to help with moving boxes."
"I assume this will be fine," Devan went on. "I should be excused on account of not giving a shit."

Aster found himself smiling at the antics of the Necromancer.
That one tried to put up a cool persona, but underneath he was really-

"Hey," Rainn said, grabbing Aster by the arm. "Let's go."
"I don't want to hang out here all day. Jeez. We've wasted enough time this morning."

Aster shook his head and allowed himself to be dragged off.
From where he was standing, Rainn had wasted much of his time.
But it was probably fine.
Lady Mocol likely had many other things to take care of.
It would be rude of Aster to arrive there and expect her to drop everything.
It wasn't as if she would want to depart first thing in the morning.

When they arrived, Lady Mocol was sitting outside.
There was a small courtyard in this wing of the palace, with an open ceiling.
She was in the shade, curled up by herself with some kind of book.
Strangely, she was already well dressed in her traveling clothes.
All of her things were packed and set up outside of her room.
She smiled at the two as they arrived, but, Aster got the feeling she wasn't happy to see them.
"Oh, there you two are. At last." Macina narrowed her eyes. "I was wondering if maybe you'd forgotten me."
---

"Oh. Um. No. We-" Aster stumbled over his own words.

"Forgive me," Rainn smoothly interjected. "Mr. Crawford had some business to attend to early this morning."

"No, I didn't-" Aster tried to break in.

"I hope you weren't waiting on us for too long," Rainn went on.

"Eh, I've almost finished this book." Macina told him.
"But I suppose there's time for us to go to the library."
"I can grab another one. I'll need something to read on the journey."

"Yes, I-" Aster was cut off again.

"The Library sounds like a great idea," Rainn replied.
"Just this morning I believe I had a thought of going there."
"Aster, was that you or I who had that thought? I think it was me."

Why had the man's personality changed so much, so instantly?
Just what the hell was going on here?
And why did Aster feel like he was somehow the bad guy...?

Macina forced the two to carry her things as punishment.
Aster had never been good at this sort of thing but he silently accepted it.
After all, he should have gone to see Lady Mocol first thing this morning.
It was true that he had let Rainn get him distracted.
Perhaps it was wrong of him to assume that she wouldn't be up first thing in the morning, just as he had been.
Yes, in fact, thinking about it, that was probably not very kind of him.
What kind of image did he have in his head?
That she was the kind of person who would sleep in and be unprepared?
On the first day of their journey?
Aster's eyes drifted to Rainn.
The inexperience of this kid was going to cause problems if it hadn't already.
But he did have a simple, low kind of charm that helped him stay out of trouble himself.
What that meant was...

"He's going to cause trouble but I'll be the one to get punished..." Aster muttered to himself.

"Hm? What was that?" Rainn asked him.

Aster looked ahead, to Lady Mocol.
Then he looked back at Rainn.
"Tell me, Rainn, how did you do that earlier?" Aster asked.

"Do what?" Rainn seemed confused.

"You-... We, we did something that probably upset her," Aster explained.
"Well, upsetting other people is easy. Um, that's not what I mean."

"Oh, you mean, the part where I got out of trouble?" Rainn asked.

"Yes, that's the part." Aster told him. "That part I-... I do not know how to do."

"Well," Rainn thought about it for a moment. "You kinda have to have a talent for it, honestly."
"And lots of experience. I was raised by my mom, with two sisters. I was also a bad kid."
"Got in trouble a lot, but I was good at talking my way out of it."

"Do you think she likes you?" Aster inquired.

"Sure, I try to be friendly," Rainn replied. "Stay on people's good side and they'll like you."

Aster didn't understand. He made it sound easy. But it wasn't really that easy.
"Say if I wanted to learn how to make someone like me, in, perhaps, the next hour,"
Aster inquired, "What would you suggest?"

"Come up with a better plan," Rainn answered, half jokingly.
But, Aster realized, that was the truth of it.
He wouldn't become an expert at it so quickly.
It had taken him four years of study to learn Esoteric Conversion.
Was he going to master the art of making people like him in four minutes?
"What are you worried about? Lady Mocol? Eh, she's not the kind to hold a grudge."
"I'll make sure she goes easy on you," Rainn said. "We're all in this together, right?"
---

Why did Aster feel like he was the one being placated, now?
After all, Rainn had been the one to get him in trouble in the first place.
However, his eyes drifted ahead. He was looking at Lady Mocol again.
Well, honestly, he hadn't even been thinking about whether she'd continue to be upset with him.
That was probably part of his problem. He ignored other people.
Didn't think about what would happen, especially not in the future.
But there was a person he was thinking about, yes. A different person.
Aster rubbed his face, massaging his cheeks and then running his finger across his lips.
At that moment he felt very absent-minded.
"What am I going to do about Sunday?" he asked. His mouth felt dry.

"Hm? Oh, her." Rainn thought about it. "Hey, she's friends with the Queen, isn't she?"
"I think we can trust her. You don't have to be scared of her, man."

Rainn just didn't get it.
Nobody did.

Aster felt his heart sink.

Nobody understood him.

He barely even had the energy to pay attention when they stopped at the library.
He should have tried to pick out a book to read as well, but he was distracted.
Lady Mocol even asked him if there was anything he'd recommend.
"Who cares?" Aster replied. "All of these books are the same."
"Introduction, rising action, climax, denouement. If you've read one you've read them all."

She gave him a weird look and went to search through the reference materials.
At least Rainn seemed to be having fun.
More fun than he was having this morning.
Aster realized that was probably his fault too.

The least he could do was help to carry Macina's things the rest of the way.
Eventually they got to their wagon and quickly loaded everything on to it.
Aster hadn't brought much here with him up north, so there wasn't much to bring back.
Rainn, having traveled over the mountains, was the same.
It was only Lady Mocol who had several bags and cases worth of things.
Their wagon was much smaller, not really meant to travel with the other caravans.
That's because they didn't have military supplies or other things to transport across the country.
No, in their case, they were a lone and singular unit.
Not a branch of military strength. But... something else.

Aster sat down on the step leading up into the wagon, by himself.
Rainn went over to Macina to bug her about her sword, asking to see it.
He was wondering if she had formally been trained. Of course she had, she said.
Aster himself began to wonder just what Rainn even did. He didn't seem to be a knight or a soldier.
Nor was he interested in any of the lectures that Aster had given on different types of magic.
And he certainly wasn't a politician or anything like that.

As Crawford sat there pondering about it, someone came and took the seat beside him without warning.
He glanced to his right and saw the signature gray hair with neon green and black.
He saw the blush of her cheeks, persistent, even in this kind of weather.
It certainly wasn't cold enough for a human to begin blushing like that.
As soon as that thought entered Aster's head, he started to feel like he was missing something.
Then, all at once, his attention was snapped back into the moment.

Her fractured eyes seemed to turn and shift.
Almost like an adjusting lens.
Well, no, technically, that's exactly what it was.
In any event, she spoke. "You look very intent. Do you study people as well?"

The way she talked was not how he would expect.
She sounded like a normal girl. Not like a Fairy should sound.
There was no otherworldly, ancient, wise, demigod undertone to her speech.
Aster sat there for a moment and didn't say anything.
---

"Are you shy?" Sunday asked.

"No," Aster said. Just misunderstood.

"I'm afraid of you, you know," Sunday told him.
For some reason, though, she didn't seem afraid.
Was a person who was afraid really admit that?
Whatever else she was, she was definitely strange.

"Afraid? Of me?" Aster was a bit perplexed.
Honestly he'd been pretty anxious about meeting her.
This all seemed so overwhelming. Did she feel the same way, perhaps?

"You want to study me, don't you?" Sunday asked. "Run weird experiments on me, and..."

"The Queen said I shouldn't do that," Aster observed.
Well, no, that wasn't the right thing to say in this situation.
He tried to think of what the right thing to say was.
But he didn't know.
He didn't know that he should tell her that he didn't want to do that kind of thing.
Because, honestly, he did.

"That's why I'm afraid," Sunday told him. "You don't think of me as-... A person."

"It's not like that," Aster said. Was she going to say Human?
Well she wasn't Human. Why would he think of her as a Human?
If she wasn't one, then he shouldn't think of her as one.

"I know you don't mean to think that way. You probably don't even realize you're doing it,"
Sunday told him. "But it still hurts my feelings. And it makes me afraid."
"Sometimes, you know, children don't obey their parents."

"This is true," Aster responded. What was she getting at.

Sunday sighed. Apparently he was not supposed to have interjected there.
How could he have known what was the right time to talk?
Either way, she continued. "I worry that you might not listen to the Queen."
"And I don't... want you to do anything weird."

"Oh, now I understand," Aster suddenly sat up straight. He had figured something out.
"You're telling me this because you're reaffirming that you don't want me to study you, correct?"
"It will make you feel better if someone tells me again, or even better if you tell me directly yourself."

"No, I think you're going to do it anyway," Sunday told him frankly.
"But I want you to know that it makes me uncomfortable."

Aster frowned. Well, why did she have to tell him that?
Telling him that would make it strange, and make him feel less comfortable about doing it.
He-.... Oh. Then Aster realized that was exactly the reason why she told him.
She was actually very smart. She had somehow outmaneuvered him.
Well, when it came to emotions, it was probably easy to run circles around him.
"Tell me something, are you able to mute your presence?" Aster inquired.

"Begun already, have you?" Sunday asked him.

"The DARKNESS," Aster went on. "I don't feel it inside of you."
"At least... I don't think I do. You don't feel... evil?"

Sunday let out a sigh. She began kicking her feet.
"I have a Fairy's blood in me. Magical blood."
"Nobody ever said anything about me being infected with DARKNESS."

"So..." Aster raised an eyebrow. "You're not?"
---

She shook her head.

But that couldn't be true.
After all, his heart was still racing.
And he felt something strange when he looked into her eyes.
No, definitely, he was having some sort of reaction to her.
It was not a normal reaction you'd have just by looking at a person.
Aster tried to quantify it, but he was having difficulty.
After all, this kind of thing couldn't be quantified.
But at the very least he should have had the common sense to know it when it happened.


[Chapter End]

So I was planning a longer than average chapter with three major parts. I only covered the first part that I intended. And the chapter was already getting super long. Whoops. I'll combine the other two parts into one chapter for the next part, that should be easy. It will be the last set up chapter. Then we'll get into the rising action.

3. What kind of Development Project will Dalamar work on?
A. Something to protect the Ships.
B. Something to aide the Siege.
C. A Secret Weapon to Defeat a Boss
---