The Honor Guard

[Xavier Akafur]

[OOC thread is over in the usual place, and has the precursor to this post]

The hare that had opened the door glanced out into the street, his moments slow and deliberate as he leaned out the door and looked from one side of the street to the other. There were several people watching the exchange, but when they caught his gaze they lowered their own and went about their business. He then looked over his shoulder at the other three people standing in the dimly lit room behind him, lounging about and looking back at him as if they also hadn't a clue what was going on. The guard captain in front of him stood his ground, patiently waiting for the lapine to answer his earlier question. After the rough-looking leader started scratching behind his ears and looking at the men, however, the captain clearly became anxious and looked around slowly. The silence was dragging on.

"Well?" He prodded, clearly unnerved by the lack of response. Some of the guards behind him shifted their weight, though none of them spoke.

"Eh...well, you said it was by royal decree? Doesn't sound like we have much of a choice." The hare finally replied, his large ears being swept back by a casual brush of his paws across his head. "You need anything else or are ya just standin' around for fun?" He inquired. The captain bristled slightly, but he knew who this man was. Wyren Derignior, possibly one of the best sword fighters this side of the central sea, and captain of the infamous Honor Guard. There was a reason the king had asked for this particular group of ruffians and no other. They were known for getting things done, by any means necessary, and had yet to fail any job they were handed... so long as you could get them to accept it. Currently, if rumors were true, they were working odd jobs for the various local crime rings, and a few side jobs for the merchants around town.

Point is, Wyren is not somebody you particularly wanted to wake up on a bad day, particularly if you valued keeping your head attached. However, the lapine before him appeared to be rather sluggish and nonchalant, just blearily looking about still. "Sir-"

"We'll be there in an hour." The hare cut him off just as he began to urge for haste. Wyren looked him in the eye with his single visible one, his brow narrowing slightly. "I'm sure the king understands that expecting haste on Serpent's Slumber is... well, unlikely." With that the door shuts abruptly, and with a suddenness that makes the captain jump slightly as the previously sluggish hare moved so quickly that he hardly registered the motion. He chewed his tongue for a short second before turning on his heel and marching his men back the way they had come from. If those vagabonds weren't present in an hour he would surely have to return, with a lot more weapons and men in tow.

[Goblin Cat 😸]

 A dramatic groan carried from somewhere above the two – the reptilian responsible resting above on one of the ceiling's beams. “They call it Serpent's Slumber for a reason,” he called, voice less than thrilled about all the noise. It wasn't clear if he'd had too much food or was simply hung over, but it seemed to be a miracle in itself that the creature managed to keep himself balanced where he was as he rolled over to see what was going on... Or rather what was causing such a racket. His body was draped casually on the ceiling beam, a single leg dangling down as he propped himself up on his elbows to watch the exchange curiously, “Honestly,” he continued, “How is a serpent supposed to slumber with people banging down the damned door demanding our company elsewhere? Don't they know how much fun we were having the night before?” Now he rolled his eyes, only having gotten about half of what was going on.

[Jacob Hail]

Vex sat up with a groan, looking over the table she was spewn across. She had drank a conciderable amount the night before, and could remember slight visions of her drunkenly dancing on the table, but with the banging on the door and just thinking in general hurt her pounding head. She didnt bother to try and listen in at the conversation Wyren was having, instead sliding off the table and reaching for her spell book that lay scattered  underneath. "Of all the days to be pounding at the door it had'ta be this one." The fox grumbled, righting an over turned bench before flipping open her book with a pained sigh. She held up her hand and mumbled a few words, her fingertips glowing a faint yellow as she pressed them to her head. With her headache starting to recede, she focused more at who was at the door, turning just intime to watch them leave. "Shouldnt people know NOT ta give us jobs until AFTER Serpents Rest was over? I always thought that was a given."

[Xavier Akafur]

Wyren, despite his calmer demeanor, looked no more comfortable with the situation. His fur wad disheveled and the white shirt he was wearing was not in the best of conditions, ripped along one arm and stained by unknown brown fluids in a few spots, presumably the remnants of some type of ale. With the door closed he stretched an arm above his head and yawned slowly, clearly not in a rush. He held that pose for a moment, before relaxing back down into almost a slouch, then opened his single eye and looked about the room.



"Mmm, well.... looks like we've been summoned in front of the king." His voice had an almost sarcastic inflection to it as he stripped off his dirty shirt and walked across the common room to a door in the back. Outwardly he was hung over, but internally he was curious to meet the man. He had heard good things, mostly, but had never met any members of the nobility of the city. He was more intrigued to judge the man's character than about this stolen gemstone. Slipping the hidden dagger from his belt he dropped it unceremoniously onto an end-table near his bunk, replacing it with the much more fearsome, rapier and pistol laden belt that was hung absently on a closet doorknob. He pulled a shirt from a shelf in that same closet, and grabbed his well-worn coat from the bed and headed for the door. As the coat came off he heard a soft yelp and looked back at the bed to see a suddenly uncovered and fully nude mouse pulling at the covers. The hare paused a moment as if he was going to say something, but he couldn't remember her name, and simply shrugged and continued on his way out. "Don't wait around for me." He said as he closed the door. Not that he wouldn't mind a refresher course, but truly he wasn't sure how long this audience would last.

He paused as he re-entered the common room. "Do any of you remember a mouse last night?" He questioned quietly, looking from one to the other.

[Goblin Cat 😸]

 “A king, eh?” Rigor said aloud, now rolling unceremoniously off of the beam he was resting on, and swinging downward to land not so gracefully onto his feet. He stumbled slightly, then righted himself, and couldn't help but mirror Wyren, though he was a bit more of a show off about it, grunting and making noise at the peak of his stretch. Unlike the rabbit, he did not need to prepare. Rarely did he ever. Being the creature that he was, he simply wandered as he was. At the mention of the mouse, his ears perked, and he grinned, that taffy purple tongue of his running along his maw, “No, but it sounds delicious...”

[Jacob Hail]

Vex followed after Sandor, walking over to her bed and opening her trunk as well. She dug out the same robes she always wore, easily slipping into them before adjusting her steel plate over her chest. "Thank god I was too drunk ta remember anything that went on un this room last night. And no eating guests Rigor, I dont wanna have'ta clean off blood from the floors." Opening her book back up, the vixen pulled her hood over her head and went back into the main area, sitting back down. "Alright, who needs some headache and injury relief." She said, settling her gaze on Richard. "Im especially talkin ta you."

[Xavier Akafur]

Wyren rolled his shoulders at the look Rickard cast about the room, glancing to the rest of them. He hadn't responded to the earlier jibes, fully expecting them in the first place. "I suspect sleep may be a long way off, if my instincts about this are correct." He made a simple motion with his paw, gesturing for the trio to follow him out into the street as he opened the door to the ramshackle tavern. A few of the more curious city folk were still standing around or peeking from nearby windows, but most of the commotion had died down.


"Rick, I don't suppose you kept tabs on any high profile types who were in town last night?" The hare questioned absently. Normally he would no have been surprised if the lion had such a list, but it seemed like he had been more invested in drinking and fighting. It was a rotten day for business. The streets were quiet, most sensible denizens taking the day off and resting. The exception were the snake oil peddlers, trying to haggle a bit of hang-over cure for some honest coin. Their business would be good today, and the few scattered voices echoed in the sparsely populated streets.

The city streets widened and became more grandoise as they approached the castle, the sprawling markets and side alleys turning into main thoroughfares and elegant architecture. Guards became less of a rarity and more of a mainstay in the passing crowd, one posted up every few corners, presumably to keep the riff-raff from causing trouble here in the richer districts. The men and women in question gave the group wary glances, but either they had been warned in advance or the reputation of the Honor Guard as a whole kept them from stepping in the way of the group, though several visibly tightened their grip on their weapons. Wyren didn't seem to pay them any mind, taking easy, long strides up the slow incline towards the castle itself. Banners and streamers of various colors still hung in the windows and across the streets, and the atmosphere, while lazy, was still generally cheery this far up the social ladder. "Remind me to buy us a tavern up here, eh?" The hare spoke over his shoulder.

[Goblin Cat 😸]

 “Oh boo, neither of you are fun.” The lizard replied waving a claw at the two. With that, he retrieved a cloak from where everyone else was grabbing one – he probably hadn't worn one in, but it wouldn't matter if he just borrowed one, so to speak. He threw it over himself, leaving the cowl down. If he were going to the king's palace, he may as well wear some article of clothing, if only to make it seem as if he were some kind of civilized. “Things with the king never go quickly, I'll assume,” he responded, both to the hare and lion with a bored tone. He wasn't in a rush to get back to sleep, but he did have other things to do. He always did.

 
Rigor followed behind Wyren as instructed, but was clearly amused with the remnants of the Festival of Serpents. It was almost hard to resist the urge to pick pockets what with how sluggish some of the folk were moving, but somehow he managed – probably because there were bigger things at hand – and more guards when they got into the fancier districts. He kept an ear pointed to Rick , waiting for an answer as he eyed other people, occasionally making impish faces at them to get them skittering in another direction.

 
When the finally approached the castle, Rigor merely stared. In all his wandering, he never really rubbed elbows with royalty so the display, even if off-beat due to the festival, was still impressive, though he wouldn't visibly show it. Instead he merely answered the hare, “Only if you remind me to keep my hands to myself... I'm sure even the guards've got a pretty coin purse on 'em.”

[Jacob Hail]

Vex simply looked back up at the lion, almost as if to challange his gaze with a rasied eyebrow. She was about to say something witty in return when Wyren ordered them all to gollow him outside, deciding to save her comment for later and simply nudge him with her shoulder with a small grin before tucking her book in her robes and heading out.

The vixen didnt really pay any attention to any civilians on the streets, mainly keeping her head lowered but still peeking out from under her hood. She never really liked going into the royal districts. After her falling out with the church, she never really felt comfortable here, always avoiding coming here unless absolutely necessary. Even now as she glanced up at the castle she could see the churchs bell tower rising up above the roofs in the corner of her eye. "You wanna get a tavern up 'ere? What, do you enjoy the condescending looks everybody gives us?" She says with a small laugh.

[Xavier Akafur]

Wyren smirked at his companion's comments, but he kept his eyes forward. He gave Rickard a nod, trusting that the surprisingly clever lion would indeed remember anything pertinent should it be needed. He had an uncanny ability for detail, which is probably why he excelled at battle tactics.


"To be honest, Vex, I don't even notice anymore." He replied to the vixen, looking over his shoulder with his unmasked eye and with a smile on his face. Wyren got dirty looks no matter where he went, the ratty-looking hare always seemed a bit too suspicious. He had always assumed it was the eyepatch, people probably thought him a marauder of some sort.


The hare fell silent as they neared the gates to the castle itself, his expression darkening. Luckily he was in the lead, so the group behind him could not see his face. This was the first time in the last several years that he had managed to get tangled up with nobles. The Honor Guard were mercenaries, sure, but they primarily worked for small-timers. Arguably that was because that was simply the way they worked, but in truth Wyren had actively been avoiding taking jobs from anyone with a tie in to the kingdom itself. Being around them always left him with a sickening feeling, and a paranoia that they may discover his past identity. No doubt knowing that their friend was responsible for the death of an entire kingdom would sour his relationship with these three, whom he had come to value as his new family. The swordsman's mouth twisted into a slow grimace before he caught himself and fought the thoughts away. They were far from his home in Sheogora. Even if the king knew of the events there, there was no way he would recognize Wyren. It was baseless paranoia.... or at least that's what he kept trying to tell himself.

The gates were suddenly behind them, and the hare found himself walking through well-lit corridors with high windows and intricate masonry of white marble. He took a slow, deep breath to steady himself, his shoulders heaving visibly but silently.

"Rigor, hands to yourself, mate."

[Jacob Hail]

Vex still kept her hood up as they walked through the gates, but peered up from under it to watch Wyren. He always became jumpy around royalty, but she couldnt really blame him could she? She knew of his past, well, somewhat, what ever feverish ramblings she was able to pick up on, but she knew enough to know it was bad. And being around the nobles sure brought him out of his element. As they walked through the gates, the vixen laid a paw on the hares shoulder, giving him a knowing but sympathetic look. "It'll be fine." She whispered, before turning her gaze back to the ground. She had her own reasons for not liking the castle, and the less people recognized her the better. She just hoped the head bishop wasnt around.

[Goblin Cat 😸]

 The chameleon clasped his hands behind his back, tail coiling in a knot around his wrists as if he were attempting to imprison himself with makeshift manacles on Wyren's word. It seemed a bit sardonic, especially what with the grin he was wearing, but his eyes didn't remove themselves from their surroundings. The sights alone were enough to excite Rigor, and it showed with how he straightened up, that grin growing ever broader as they delved deeper into the corridors. His posture, now proud, seemed almost mocking of Sandor's and only served to make him stand out. It was clear that the creature did not belong, if not because of the way he squirmed, fingers curling around his tail almost impulsively as if he could hardly be bothered to behave.

[Xavier Akafur]

The hare felt the paw, and smiled absently at the vixen's reassurance, his thoughts clearly elsewhere until that point of contact brought him back to their current situation. "Thank you." he replied, quietly, so that the other two would be hard pressed to hear.

It was shortly after that the group entered the throne room, the door being pushed open ahead of them with a mild creak by two guards. Wyren briefly wondered if that was their sole duty on a daily basis, and how boring such a job must be. His attention was swiftly snatched back to the situation at hand as they entered the formal chamber, giant stone pillars accenting the walkway leading directly up to the ornate throne upon a raised dais. Surrounding the throne itself was a host of individuals, whom one would be correct in assuming were court nobles. Their voices produced a low murmuring in the room as they talked amongst each-other. By the tone, the conversations were tense. Why they were here, the hare was uncertain.


The king himself stood before the throne, hands clasped before himself as he patiently waited for the group to approach. The room seemed unguarded at first, but careful observation would note that guards lurked around the edges of the room, and some of the large stone pillars even had slits cut into the backsides of them. Wyren had no doubt there were loaded crossbows behind those darkened murder-holes, trained on each of them.


The king, a figure Wyren had never personally seen, was an imposingly tall panther. His dress was a formal red-velvet cloak that lightly touched the ground behind him. Beneath this he wore a suit of highly polished steel armor, an ornate gold-handled broadsword strapped to his hip. The crown sat on his head, canted slightly to one side. The panther looked over the group with a neutral expression, then simply smiled. A solitary man at the foot of the dais cleared his throat. "The Honor Guard, sir." He announced, at which the murmuring of voices quieted and all eyes turned forward.


The king's smile continued as he spoke, his voice appropriately regal and commanding. "Ah, we meet at last. Third time is the charm I suppose." He looked squarely at Wyren at that comment, to which the hare shrugged. "Might've been a much higher number if you didn't send a host of palace guards to our doorstep." he didn't look at the others, because he had not told them of any of the previous requests the king had made to meet them. He had hoped to keep that matter to himself, but now it was out there. Still, he doubted any of his friends would mind much.



The king just shrugged. "I did not mean any offense-"


"I heard your emerald was stolen?" The hare continued brazenly, interrupting whatever the panther was going to say. Several of the gathered nobles gave him dirty looks for speaking in such an informal manner to the sovereign, and the king himself looked surprised at the interruption. He paused a moment and regarded the hare, his expression curious.

"Wyren, I presume? You would do well to remember where you are." He waved a paw at those gathered. "Leave us. We have matters to discuss that do not involve any of you." On command, several guards appeared seemingly out of nowhere behind the group of nobles and began ushering them out of the room, using a small door to the side of the chamber. Soon, the throne room was silent save for the low click of the door latching. there was a pause as the King watched them leave, then he turned back to the group. "-Though I do apologize for the guards. I knew you would not take the invitation seriously otherwise, as history has shown."

[Goblin Cat 😸]

 Rigor continued to watch the engagement curiously, those golden eyes only moving to rest on whomever was speaking. He was not oblivious to the dirty looks that were being issued at the group, and much like the child he was, he couldn't help but return them to the group of nobles as the conversation continued. He poked out his tongue, licking the edges of his maw hungrily at the opposing group, perhaps being a little lewd. It was hard to tell, really, with Rigor. Anything he did seemed to be an unspoken jeer, especially around authority.

 
He was further encouraged when the king began to usher them out – of course, now the chameleon withdrew one of his hands from his tail, giving a little wave to the others, sure to wiggle all of his fingers with a grin. They must have been very special to be entertained by the king alone. Again, his eyes fell upon the panther, and he finally spoke, “Well it's good to know you'd give us a choice, then.”

 

[Jacob Hail]

Vex continued to look at the ground, even as the King and Wyren spoke. Her ears shifted under her hood though as she listened, only looking up once all the nobles had gone. "I didnt really mind' tha guards, but I just wish the theives picked 'a better day to do it besides serpents rest." Th fox let out a small yawn, covering her mouth as she did so. "Of all the days they had to choose it was this one."