Assension of Darkness

[Aldrea945]

Marcina laughed, hugging Elistra back before stepping back.  "It's always good to see a friendly face.  Maybe we can catch that drink later."
 
Rachel smiled, bowing politely and smiling.  "Tis good to see you all again.  Happy travels I hope?"

Escanda cleared her throat, smiling.  "It's nice to see you Horace, Elistra.  I called you here for help, even if you ARE late.  You've seen the carnage those murderers have wrought, correct?"  She'd always been a bit... estranged from her nephew.  He lived a deal away, and Elistra was much the same.  It wasn't that she didn't love them as family, she just couldn't be around them often enough to truely know them.
 

[serpington]

riku watched the procedings quietly, from the two late members walking to their conversation with the queen. fidling around with the insides of his sleave, every now and then pulling a small chunk of bread out and quickly putting it in his mouth when he thought no one was looking, but not sure of anyone behind him.
 
 after a little while he grew bored and pulled a little bettle  shaped cape clasp and held it in his hand, feeling the slight vibraion as he examined it with his hand, feeling what he could do to it.

[Kaya]

Elizabeth stood and begun finger combing her tail. if she did not do that at least onece a day.. it would end being a snarly mess later... it was more out of habit than necesaty. she glanced up when an odd bunch walked in.. but quickly went back to combing her tail. it was nice when people did not think you were paying any mind to their conversations.

[Chrono Blackwyng]

"We had issues with getting directions..." Elistra cut him off as he was about to continue, by laughing and leaning against a column in the room.

"You were stammering the entire time, of course I had to step in and do it fo-" "You started chatting her up the moment you got the directions!" Elistra was now showing a near-perfect example of Horace's stammering as she looked at Marcina. "I-I... but she... I didn't... I'm sorry Marci, it just happens, I'm still waiting for you, please forgive me!!"

[Aldrea945]

Marcina tapped Elistra's rump, smiling.  "Don't worry, I know you."
 
Escanda pinched the bridge of her nose.  'Every.  Time.'  She growled.  "That's enough you two.  Marcina, stand in line.  Elistra, Keep your habits to yourself while I'm telling you WHY I called you here.  Now.  I assume you know what's happened recently.  I want you two to help stop the killers.  We have a small group set up already.  Do you understand this, or do I have to pin your ears to the wall and THEN tell you?"  She loved her family, really she did, but there was a line for everything.
 
Danny smiled as Marcina stepped in beside her.  Only five people in the whole of the world could get her mother's pantaloons in a bunch, and her cousins were at the top.

[Chrono Blackwyng]

Elistra jumped at the tap, and her stammering turned into absolute silence. Horace gestured towards Elistra, and the dragoness snapped out of the hormone-based spell to join her charge.

"The lords above and below know of these murders, but the description of their demises hardly sound like it was an assassin's work. They believe that a certain book, discovered around a year before the deaths occurred, is the more likely culprit for these deaths. They did not provide more information, as it would violate their direct intervention treaty between each other."

Elistra coughed to draw attention to herself, then tried to be as serious as possible, despite having thoughts of her and Marcina running through her mind. "It could also be a group of assassins, but then the change in the state of the corpse could mean that our targets are either getting bored, or the deaths are starting to take a toll on their sanity."

[Kaya]

it took scarlet quite a while to get going, little problems started poping up every chance they could. Her left shoe was missing, the ties for her gear were as well. quite a few of her favorite knives were mising. she sighed when she saw a little dool on the floor under her chair. she knew who had hidden all of her stuff. She was going to miss him just as much as he would her. Scarlet should have known that little Andrew was listening to her and Lucinda. He always did that.

she walked through the halls calling for him to come out and stopped when she heard giggling "Andrew, honey, what did you do with NaNa's things? those are not toys you know." she lifted the lid to a large chest and a small male lion cub was sitting in the bottom messing around with the knives and the string. He had her shoe on.

Andrew looked up smiling sadly. "i dont want you to go though. you are never here for me to play with anymore." he started sniffling then began to cry. "y-you are... y-you a-are a-always gone. we n-never g-get to p-play!"  Scarlet scoped him up and held him close.

"Nana's just been really busy lately. Miss Lucy (lucinda.) has me working very hard. you know i have to work." she wiped his  nose with a small hankie. " i will play with you as soon as i get back. I promice."


he stopped crying at that and rubbed his eyes. "y-you d-do?"

Scarlet nods. "yes of course i will silly. then we can play the throwing game. thats still your favorite right?" Andrew nods then starts squerming. scarlet sets him down and he hugs her leg. " I'm going to count till you get back. that way i know how many times i get to beat you in the throwing game." he smiles and runs off leaving Scarlet's things scattered but all there.

She quickly fixed everything and sighed. she adored that little kid. to bad his mother died a few raids ago. one of the villagers got a lucky stab with their skinning knife... Scarlet quickly started off towards the palace woods to await for elizabeths arrival.

~~~~~~~~~~

Elizabeth smiled slightly to herself. she hardly knew why but she just felt like doing so.

[serpington]

*riku grew bored and a little iritable watching the others, deciding that it was time to find smething more constructive, or destructive, to do* your grace, if you have n further need of me at the moment i'd like to get some rest, i hadn't gotten much on my hastened ride here from my place in lord tyrel's holdfast. *he kept his voice calm, slowly flexing his hands while keeping them hidden behind his back in a semi-formal stance, hoping he would be aloud to leave*

[Aldrea945]

Escanda smiled and nodded.  "Good observation.  You'll be excellent in the feild."  She turned to the group.  "You may all stay here to rest for the night.  Tomorrow you may leave to start your journey."
 
Rachel bowed lightly, quickly retreating to her room.  It'd be a long fight to win, and she wanted to make sure she was in fact prepared.  She bit her lip as she walked.  'They mustn't come here.  They won't."

[Chrono Blackwyng]

Elistra quickly picked up on the idea, and went right towards Marcina. "So will I be waiting at the tavern for you, or do I have the privilege of my mare in shining armor escorting me there?"

Horace let out a sigh at Elistra's attempts at flirting. "I will get us a traveler's carriage... the rest of you enjoy yourselves." He announced before giving his Aunt a bow and leaving the room.

[Aldrea945]

Marcina smirked.  "Maybe my damsel in distress would prefer a little something befor the carriage gets here."  She winked.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rachel sat on her bed, feeling the embroidery of the gown in her hands.  It'd once been her mother's, a beautiful purple satin and black silk day gown.  Many of her gowns had once been her mother's.  Every one brought up memories of being with the woman.  Ballet lessons, reading, curling up on Escanda's bed when she'd had a bad dream...  She sighed.  No point dwelling on the idea.  Her mother would be fine, and she'd see her through the mirror.  No worries.

[Chrono Blackwyng]

Elistra wraps her arms around Marcina, brushing her snout against Marcina's muzzle. "You could tell me if you're coming with us on our investigation. In fact, if we didn't have this investigation going on, I was g-going... t-to propose." She let out a chuckle as a sigh. "I swear, if I didn't pick up Horace's stammering..."

Horace went to his home, which was what one would expect of a person who was blood related to royalty. His estate was more like a place of worship, made of stone and stained glass. He went to the side and went to an overhang that held a rather large metal-frame carriage. He looked at all of the wheels, noting the vines wrapped around the spokes. He unsheathed his scimitar and went to work cutting down all the vines and dragging the cart out.

He took out the bars, then started to focus his mind, light forming between the bars and reins forming onto an equine body. Eventually a unicorn comes into existance, and silently awaits for Horace to get onto the carriage before heading back to the castle though Horace made sure to travel along paths that were known only to the Royal Family, to prevent the chance of drawing attention to the unusual creature drawing the carriage.

[serpington]

*riku bowed and turned to leave, eating another peice of bread on the way. he walked out into the streets and quickly vanished into the crowds and moving through the streets to the small inn he was staying in. heading up to the small room that he had been given dispite the inn being only half full at the time. he didn't mind though, it ment he had privacy to practice his 'art'.

 *pulling back his sleeves he examined the chains secured around his forearms, both of them suddenly vibrating as smaller chains formed and moved along his arms, matching the skeletal structure under his skin and seeming to attatch itself to his hands as he flexed his fingers*

[Aldrea945]

Marcina led Elistra out to the garden, smiling.  "Darling, I'll be going with the group.  Protection."  When Elistra's other statement sunk in, Marcina went a rather dark shade of red.  "Really?  You'd be willing to do that with me?"
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rachel looked up as the door opened.  "May I talk to you Rachel?" Escanda said, stepping into view.  She'd let her hair down, brushing mid back.  Rachel smiled.
 
"You know you're always welcome Mother.  You own the palace," Rachel said, patting beside her.  She'd already taken her armor off, dressed now in simple trousers and a loose shirt.  A pair of boots lay nearby.  Even without the armor, she had an air of power to her.
 
Escanda sat beside her, sighing.  "Dear, are you sure this is what you want to do?  You can always back out.  No one would blame you."
 
Rachel nodded.  "I'm sure.  I can't stay home my whole life and just look out the window every now and again.  I need to use my training."  She looked down at the dress, taking a deep breath, only looking up when Escanda wrapped her in a hug.  Tears fell against her hair.
 
"I don't want you to get hurt, do you hear me?  Not a single scratch.  Promise me," Escanda said, her voice muffled in Rachel's hair.  Rachel hugged her back, fighting tears as well. 
 
"I promise.  I will be careful."  She curled close to Escanda.  She'd fought the thoughts of really leaving for several months out of mind before, but everything was rushing back now.  Her mother's scent had comforted her so much as a cub.  If she went, that comfort would be gone in times of need.

[Chrono Blackwyng]

Elistra's hands ventured further down, her voice regaining confidence from Marcina's reply. "Marci, I've talked and flirted with enough women to fill every bed in the barracks, castle, and inn. Half of them were not interested in other women, less than half of that were interested in me." She gave the horse a gentle kiss, the chain-mail chinking as Elistra moved her body closer. "So, my mare in shining armor, you've bested this dragon with love and confidence. All this dragon wants to know is-" She reaches into her cleavage to pull out two sterling silver rings. "-Can I be the princess you came to rescue as well?"
Horace parked the carriage on the side of the palace, then gave the unicorn a farewell petting before heading inside. He had arrived at his cousin's room just as she and Auntie finished talking. He had heard his aunt not wanting to get Rachel to get hurt, and leaned his head in. "Auntie, Cousin Rachel, the carriage is here..."