Arc frantically wriggled when Hector reached down and hoisted him up by the collar. It was then that he noticed Ari was a little ways away, also watching intently. As careful as he had been moving through the streets, Hector had not noticed either one of them follow him. He was grateful they had not been Auditores, or he would have already been a dead man.

"Why are you following me around, Shorty? Actually, hold off on answering that. Hey, you," Hector whispered, indicating Ari. She was vaguely amused by the fact that he still did not know her name.

"What are we doing here?" she asked.

Hector pointed over his shoulder toward the keep. "I'm gonna bet the Auditores have thrown most of the important people into the dungeon. What I need is for you to get a quick look inside and tell me about how many there are in there."

Ari gave him a sceptical look. "You want me to waltz through the centre of the Auditores' new stronghold just to take a head count?"

"I don't think I stuttered."

"And how do you propose I get in there? In case you haven't noticed, there aren't exactly only a few of them between here and there."

"Shorty and I are going to create a distraction," Hector said, beaming with pride. He had spent at least 15 seconds devising that plan, and it was one of his masterpieces.

"Oh, really?"

"That's why you're getting paid the big money," Hector replied. "And in particular, I want you to look for a regal looking woman...red hair, blue eyes, probably with a baby. Let me know if you see her."

Ari had reservations about the whole proposition, but the situation could have easily been worse. Before she had the chance to voice any further questions, Hector raised Archibald to eye level and said, "Are you ready?"

Arc fidgeted. "Um...so you're not going to eat me?"

"Good."

With that, Hector hurled the squirrel into the middle of the courtyard. Arc slammed straight into an Auditore soldier and rebounded onto the ground. Arc blinked several times, as did the Auditores who had been privy to the attack of an unexpected, flying squirrel. Hector glared at Ari.

"What are you waiting for? Go, go!"

Hector dashed down the alley in the opposite direction with his axe at the ready, prepared to circle around and leap into the fray as soon as the novelty of raining squirrels wore off on the Auditores.

---

Aurelia di Medichi quietly shushed her baby son, who was, understandably, unhappy. Aurelia was not too happy herself. What had come as a surprise assault by Auditore forces that night turned quickly into a steamrolling. Within hours, she and a number of other Gallian residents had been imprisoned in the castle keep. Her primary concern had been the fate of her husband, Hector. From the pieces of fragmented stories she had been able to fit together from those who had been at the walls, Hector was nowhere to be found throughout the length of the battle. This was beyond explanation; it was his duty to be there, and Hector conventionally would not be one to miss a battle for all the world. His total absence was worrying, but it also explained why the Gallian had been crushed so severely. With no general to guide them, the defenders had no tactical director and were easily outmatched.

Aurelia pulled away some strands of her red hair from in front of her eyes when she had been deposited in a cell along with a youth that was part fox, part rabbit, and part bear. His tardy reaction to the slamming of the cell door made her wonder if something had happened to him. She approached the youth and touched him on his shoulder. Initially, he did not respond.

"Are you hurt?" she asked softly. Slowly, almost mechanically, the youth turned to her with his red eyes pouring into her blue irises. Admittedly, she was disturbed by nearly everything about him now, but she could not have imagined that it was to her detriment to ask.

'If it's not a two-faced fool, it's a loud one.' the female fox thought as she moved as soon as the human had, her eyes glancing every possible entrance and exit to the keep in the distance, the sound of iron and the stench of blood still present but it was not like either would effect her train of thought or mindset, not after the long sprawl of years doing contracts. Maybe if she was still an adolescent that would present a problem, but that was then and this was the now and there really was nothing quite like the time of the present afterall. She smirked at the thought as she lowered her head behind a statue commemorating some worthless human achievement, she didn't pay attention to it enough... but she didn't exactly care to either as her emerald eyes kept at level-- narrowed and analytical at anything she could see; her ears perked and ready for anything beyond typical thresholds of noise. 'Give it all or give nothing.' The fox had her bow firmly gripped in her hands as Hector charged into the fray with the axe he had on hand, she spun from cover of a statue and fired an arrow in the throat of a Auditore soldier as the aged noble proceeded to make some of the soldiers precisely soil themselves as he went forward with his axe.

"Hm... he definitely knows what he is doing, heh." Ari muttered before moving from her position to get closer to the keep itself, expecting it to not be unlike a opt she had done for the Auditore as irony would of had it several years back, of which she didn't remember much beyond killing a bunch of humans and a marked target-- which whoever it was probably still didn't realize Auditore had anything to do with. She chuckled in her thought process of recalling such a memory as she kept her footing and kept to the darkness as silently as possible. 'Remember every step, every previous encounter and polish upon it.' she thought instinctively as she slung her bow over her shoulder and retrieved a small concealable crossbow from her gear as she prepared to enter close quarters combat, especially in a small space. 'Remember, it's all about a head count over a body count. But that doesn't mean you don't have to hesitate to kill as many humans as possible.' she told herself as she moved inward-- a soldier running out, due to her guile and the darkness-- not noticing the female fox who looked inside the buildings doors that just opened and gathering as much of a glimpse as she could before backing down against a low wall.

'Plenty of guards watching the main door as expected, stupid though. I think I'll make my way through the service entrance.' she assured herself as she moved deeper into the shadows again to do just that.

It didn't take more than a few moments before she moved around the exterior of the keep to find a service entrance-- guarded by two guards with pikes at their side. 'If I kill them, it won't be long before they know someone is in the castle that shouldn't be. But if I play my cards right, it can extend my time greatly.' the thought came across Ari's mind as she moved her free hand to her belt-- retrieving some secondary weapons? A blade of somesort, perhaps and if it was just like clockwork the female fox fired her small arms crossbow into the throat of one of the guards, the human's throat surely drowning in it's own gore in seconds-- it of course alerted the other guard who would of screamed in fear if Ari had not thrown the blade she had drawn right into his throat. As both guards slumped to their feet the only thing present would of been Ari's smirk... that almost seemed like that of personal gratification as she reloaded the crossbow and began to move the bodies into the near bushes. The next step would be to enter the keep and get to the real work.

"Heh, seems all too easy." she muttered.

It was going to be a bloodstained hell when she was done.

     Ale's stroll to the keep of Gallia went highly uninterrupted. Whenever an Auditore guard or patrol would come his way, he would simply flash them a small slip of paper which bore the symbol of a Royal Messenger and they would allow him to pass.He could, however, feel that someone or something was following him. Glancing over his shoulder proved pointless, as he never caught sight of anything when he did so. His white fur stood on end as he looked forward again to see the glowing child standing before him. It was pointing to a spot on the Gallian keep's wall. The fox stepped toward the wall, next to the florescent child. The small boy or girl, Ale couldn't seem to figure out which, gave a giggle and faded away before the fox's eyes. The wall was of worked stone, no flaws or nicks to be seen. What had the child been pointing at? Thinking that it was possible that there may have been a secret passage, Ale pressed hard on the stone. It didn't budge and inch. Removing his hand from the brickwork he noticed a thin gray film on his hand, like part of the wall had decided to leave it's home and join the fox.

     Making a note of this, Ale brushed his hand over the stone, causing more of the gray matter to wisp away. This revealed the word "del" carved into the stone. Seeing this, the fox continued to brush away more of the disguise, and soon wished that he hadn't. There, carved into the edifice was a name. "Alerolus del Rosa" His own name. Reflexively, Ale reached out and touched the stone, a wave of nausea washing over him, the light around him fading as he screamed silently within his own mind.

While Hector- accompanied by Ari and Arc- had elected to do some reconnaissance of the castle, Alexis had decided that, for the time being she would remain with Taltae as he sought his friend Meirin. For all that his knee injury wasn't serious, Alexis suspected that he would be glad of a companion with the skills of a Wisp if things took a turn for the worse. What she would do next depended on what they found when they reached Meirin's home- or whatever might be left of it. If Meirin and his family were alive and safe, then Taltae would probably either want to help them escape Gallia, or- since the Auditores would likely have little interest in slaying civilians now the town was theirs- want to leave safe in the knowledge that his friends were unharmed. With that in mind Alexis would help get them to safety if required or, if that proved unnecessary, make her way to the castle and assist Hector, whom she was certain would be far more likely to need her help before the night was done. Not that she expected Hector to be captured- he'd either die fighting or find a means of escape and try again. Hector was a ranking officer after all, and he didn't gain the rank purely courtesy of his blood and birth. Whatever he might lack in subtlety, give the man a battle and he was in his element. A fact which made Alexis certain that the castle would continue to have a troubled night, since Hector would likely employ rather forthright methods on his own part, while leaving the covert parts to others.

Alexis mused on other things as she and Taltae continued their journey through the darkened streets. So far they had managed to stay out of the way of the occupying forces. And should the Auditore forces happen upon them, they would probably pay them little heed. After all, with his knee Taltae could do a magnificent impression of a civilian wounded by the missiles that had fallen during the battle, and Royal Messengers were even less likely to draw attention- or most messengers anyway. As well as trying to unlock more of Artimia's memories, Alexis had been brooding over something else. Most Royal Messengers- for the past 200 years anyway- wore the common crest of the Messengers and the sigil of whatever Noble Family's domain they happened to be working in. Which meant it was highly unusual for Artimia to have been wearing the sigil of the Royal Family. Whatever reasoning might have lain behind that, it was an extraordinarily gutsy move to wear the sigil- a move that was compounded by the letter still in Alexis' pocket, sealed with the Royal Seal. Someone had to have written the letter and someone would be waiting to receive it. And someone else had known about it and wanted it to never reach its destination. That gave Alexis three who's to find. She could, of course, open the letter and find out the contents, but that didn't appeal to her sense of honour. If she found the recipient of the letter- or the sender- it would speak volumes for her character if the seal remained unbroken.

There was though, another possible source of information, though one no less problematic than the letter itself. The Wisp who had assassinated Artimia was amongst their company- and though they were separated for the moment, she knew his plans after tonight thanks to his prior remark at the Old Crowe. Whether he intended to travel to the old capital to collect payment or for other reasons, Alexis couldn't say, but she knew that he and his fellow-Wisp had been hired by someone. As awkward as it was, Alexis might just have to reveal to Ale her true nature,in the hopes of gleaning an insight as to the nature of whomever had hired him. Outside of that, she had few clues save the gradual unlocking of Artimia's memories. The fact that Artimia was wearing the Royal Sigil though, and that the Wisp who had assassinated her was heading to the old capital was just a little too coincidental for Alexis' liking. Perhaps she should see if he cared for company- besides the vulpine mercenary- on his journey. Whatever happened tonight, Alexis was certain that things were going to be very different tomorrow...      

      Ale awoke in front of the wall made of skulls, a wave of fear and dread emanating from a newly formed stone door. Against his better judgment, the fox approached the door and pushed on it. The door was heavy and there was little to give the fox significant traction in order to open the giant gate. However, with great effort, he managed to open it enough so that he could slip through. He paused, taking time to catch his breath and rest. When he looked up he saw a seen from a nightmare. All those that he was currently traveling with, Hector, Arc, Ari, Taltae, the Royal Messenger, and several others that he hadn't met, yet seemed familiar, all lied dead around a statue in the center of the Castellum del Rosarius' courtyard.

      The statue swayed back and forth in a blur. All Ale could make out was a figure chained to the statue's chest. The corpse of Magnus. Upon seeing this, the scene behind the edifice cracked and shattered, sending a tidal wave of blood and bone gushing forth at him. The wall of skull laughed maddeningly, driving the fox to the brink of insanity. And then he was standing before the wall once more. He fell to his knees, drenched in a cold sweat. His mind a jumble of madness and fear.

The service entrance lead into the servants crawl of the castle, the kitchen and other such areas were ahead after the initial hallway the female fox had moved into quietly and without notice. There were no guards in this specific hallway, but she imagined there would be some degree of them in the mess hall after the kitchen unless everyone was on duty and the likelihood of that was sparse. Her emerald eyes kept focused as she moved forward; the door would lead to the kitchen and the next would lead into the mess hall and afterward she still had plenty to maneuver until she got to the stockades of the building, the dungeons. 'Well, here goes the fun stuff then.' she had thought as she crouched down to look through the keyhole of the door before her, to get a good real place of who was in the kitchen before her.

Through a few moments of observation the female fox could make out a figure, a cook, maybe? It was hard to tell in full from the limited view from the keyhole she was peering from, she took a light breath from her position before she moved her hand to lightly grip the door as the cook went over to a counter-- his back facing her. A smirk lightly went across her lips as she opened the door as stealthily and carefully as "humanly" possible. As the path was open she moved, albeit quietly to the rear of the cook, her thoughts went back and forth how to take the cook out without notice, though she couldn't really think for minutes on end so she acted with her weapons sheathed she grabbed the cook by his neck with her forearm and clenching his neck down. The human had struggled and spun-- but she kept her grip as the human couldn't breathe and with her back against his now, she made herself a hard target to exactly struggle with. It wasn't long before the human lost consciousness from the lack of air flow, in which Ari lessened her grip and moved the unconscious cook to a supply closet in the kitchen and using a key next to it-- locked it.

"...he'll be out for awhile, lucky for him I am feeling sympathy since all he does is make sure the rations are edible." she muttered under her breath as she took notice to the next door-- to see if anyone was in the mess hall and if she was right and there were.... this run would take longer then she would like and stealth would probably be out the door like a bat out of hell.

The first hit had given him a headache, the sheer impact of the second blurred the world.  "I was holding the wrong end."  He was still clutching his device though and suddenly looked panicked for a moment then relaxed.  The soldier looked down at what had hit him to see the squirrel grinning toothily at him before slurring out, "And now here's something you'll REALLY like!"   The squirrel seemed to blur momentarily in the soldier's eyes, the man blinked thinking his vision was off due to being hit by the hundred pound flying furball but then a pink hue joined in on the visual spectacle and then a flash.   Recovering the bystanders realized the boy was gone.

When someone tapped Rudolf on his shoulder, he was not entirely surprised. He turned and looked calmly at the palatial servant standing before him.

"Your Grace," puffed the servant, "your father insists you return to the palace at once. Your presence is needed."

It was not quite what Rudolf had expected, but then, he was not really certain of what to expect.

---

Hector lifted another Auditore soldier bodily and slammed him against the cobbles so hard that the back of the soldier's breastplate shattered. By now, the commotion was beginning to get the attention of the guards who were keeping watch from the front doors of the Castellum del Gallia. He glanced around quickly to find Arccy, but he must have run away or something, because he was nowhere to be found. Again, Hector did not find himself shedding any tears over this loss; that was the sort of thing that happened in situations of mortal danger. Cowards ran and good men died. All the lamentations in the world could not resurrect the dead, so there was no use in them.

The sound of something zipping around Hector's head like an angry hornet made him realise the gravity of the situation. The Auditores were firing crossbows at him. In the night, their accuracy was bound to be rotten, but he knew it only took one lucky arrow to make the difference between living and dying. The sound of bells ringing from the castle made him groan. He could not believe they were calling out the guard for one man; how the Auditores had triumphed over the Gallians was a riddle to him if this was how they conducted themselves. Hector legged it, clearing out of the courtyard and into the alleys. He rounded the corner of the churchyard, hurried past the merchants' quarters, down the avenue of the cunning artificers, and came to a stop near where the school of alchemists was. Given that the Auditores were raising all kinds of alarms, the distraction was certainly working as planned; Ari was going to find Auditores clearing out of the castle soon enough. The problem was that they would all be looking for Hector, and there were but so many places to hide from dozens of searching eyes. Hector pulled open the doors to the alchemists' school and shut them after entering. He paused to take in the regal grandeur of the architecture, which rivalled that of the Castellum del Gallia. Maybe those alchemists were onto something; surely some pretty pence had been spent to build an edifice like this.

While the Auditores were not quite around the school yet, Hector figured he did not have the time to spend marvelling at architecture. He jogged down to where the laboratories were, willing his tired body to keep going. When he came to the labs, he took a sweeping look around the place and figured that there had to be enough chemicals in here to make something hilarious happen. He was no alchemist--he was fortunate just to be literate--but enough trial and error would surely conjure up something that would get him out of there in a pinch if needed.

---

Rudolf hated the idea, but he had no choice. Thus it was that he was being put into a coach with a bodyguard. The head of the Sforza family had, for whatever enigmatic reasons, picked Rudolf to carry the goodwill banner of the Sforzas to Venetzia. Appointment to a diplomatic mission was a great honour, and one that Rudolf accepted with relish, but the pomp of travelling was a nuisance. The task was largely a simple one: negotiate an agreement with Frederick del Auditore on a buffer zone where Sforza and Auditore soil abutted one another. As the coach began clacking along under the blanket of moonlit clouds, Rudolf shuddered. He wished he was being sent off to negotiate with the Florentines. The Auditores were so...tolerant. They had an open society that propounded the value of a good pair of hands, be they human or not. Rudolf abhorred the anthros. They were second class in his eyes. He counted himself lucky that he was not being sent to conduct diplomacy with the Medichis. Those madmen had unleashed the real terror upon Azgarde: the Shifters. They were abominations. He bit his thumb, a habit he had when getting worked up, and glanced sideways out of the coach. His eyes narrowed with a kind of feline quality to them when he looked out at the moon. Quickly, he turned back to his papers and began reading them again. It would not do to lose composure over something so remote. Even so, he twitched every now and again. Those Shifters...wretched, tainted Chimeras...they oughtn't to be permitted to exist. They were a blight upon this world, and he was dreading crossing paths with one in Venetzia, which seemed like a distinct possibility.

Rudolf shuddered again. The coach rattled on in the dark.

       As the two revolutionists entered the underworks of Rosarius, they were greeted with the sounds of celebration. Despite all the strife and hardship these people had suffered, they were happy. Happy because they still had a place to live. Happy because they had food to eat. But mainly, they were happy that their revolutionary leader, a man who went by the name Sicarius, provided for them so well. Lance and Lezare approached a booth, manned by a short Raccoon man. He was passing out drinks to those celebrating, fully immersed in the spirit of the moment.

       Lezare grabbed two glasses from the merchant and handed one of them to his friend. "Here, drink up and be merry." said the boy with a smile on his face, "If you looked any more sour you'd turn into a grape and be made into wine!" Lezare laughed heartily, his own joke amusing him. Lance took the glass, eying his companion with annoyance. He took a sip and a look of confusion warped his face.

       "Lezare... This is water." said the teen in disbelief.

       "I know. We're underage." he said with a smile, turning to face the crowd and join in the festivities, "For God King Sicarius!" The merry refugees cried out in merriment at the mention of their leader. Sicarius, a name risen to godhood in the eyes of those who followed him.

______________________________________________________________

        Ale took a moment to collect his thoughts, the wave of nausea slowly subsiding. What had that meant? He saw the corpses of those he had traveled with, among others. But what disturbed him the most was the sight of Magnus. Ale felt his stomach wrench as he threw up alongside the keep wall. Cleaning himself up, he regathered his wits and proceeded to the Castellum del Gallia's main gate.

        However, no sooner had he arrived, than he heard the ringing of the castle alarms. He cursed under his breath and hid in a nearby alcove. However, only a few guardsmen rushed out from the keep. Many remained inside, drawing a question to the fox's mind. Why had the alarm been triggered? This wasn't an adequate number of soldiers to call for an alarm. In the fox's mind, that could only mean that the bulk of the Auditore forces were either combating something within the castle, had left, or were otherwise occupied. None of these options seemed to be preferable to him.

       After the guards had passed, Ale slid through the gate and into the castle grounds. He was immediately greeted by the sight of a great statue commemorating the battle between the late High King Oustvichre del Rosa and his brother Flavian del Rosa atop the walls of Gallia. The statue was quite a sight to behold, but Ale didn't have time to stop and admire the craftsmanship. Sidling along the wall he was closest to, he edged his way to the guard niche containing the portcullis crank. A guard stood by it, looking out a small arrow slit that was used by messengers to ask for entry into the keep. Ale wasted no time running behind the man and jamming his dagger into a soft spot in between the soldier's armored plates. The man nearly screamed out a plea for help, but Ale quickly wrapped his cloak around the man's mouth, silencing him. When Ale was sure the man was dead he propped him up against the wall, making it appear as though he had simply fallen asleep. Ale doubted that this would work, given the circumstances, but hoped that it would at least by him some time before the guard was discovered. Rolling the sleeve that covered the bracelet that he had retrieved from his home, he aimed his arm at the rope holding the portcullis in place and a small flame burst out of the bracelet and burned through the rope. The gate fell and Ale entered the building.

________________________________________________________________

        Fredrick stood from his throne, spreading his arms wide. "My dearest, Sheryl." he started, "I never doubted your victory. And as such, I would very much like to reward you. Perhaps the two of us should retire to my quarters so that we might discuss your reward in private?" It was less an offer and more of a command.

       However, Sheryl did not flinch, keeping a stoic expression at all times. Volke on the other hand, was growing impatient, a scowl threatening to shatter his resolve. "It would be an honor, Your Majesty." responded the woman. Volke nearly panicked, a wave of shock at the statement washing over him. Sheryl continued, "However, I have several duties to attend to, and must ask that my reward be discussed at a later date." Volke nearly let out a sigh of relief upon hearing these words.

       The Auditore Primarch, however, was not impressed. He took on a scowling expression, one that he often bore when speaking to the common populace as well as foreign diplomats. He seated himself back on his throne and brushed his hand through his short golden locks before resting his chin on his fist. "That is a shame." he said, pausing for a moment, "In regards to your duty, General, I would like you to greet a foreign dignitary that is currently in route to this city. That is all. You may leave my presence." His gaze went through them and out into the halls of the castle, through the double doors of the castle and out into the streets of the city. His city. A slight grin cracked his features as the two soldiers left.

"It doesn't matter if the glass is half full, or half empty...it's still
water." The short feline muttered as he slumped over and stared
longingly at the cup filled with such an undesirable liquid. His white
tail swaying back and forth slowly as he continually muttered to
himself. "Festivities are to be had, as such good drinks should be
readily available, right? Or at least a price that I can afford."
Sipping from the glass he sat up and rolled the glass between his hands.
"Though height does seem to be an issue. I could go out and dance with
the rest, but I would rather not be stepped on..again. Sitting around
here isn't going to get anything done!." He chugged the rest of the
glass with a vigor found mostly in raging alcoholics, hopped down from
his seat, and headed out into the festivities. At best he stood at
around four feet tall, mostly soft white fur (his nose, and tips of his
ears and tail being black), stunning bright green eyes, and a special
love for liquor.

       After the great and raucous applause caused by Lezare's toast, he gulped down his water in one swig. Lance responded by sighing and drinking his own. "You're to easily excited, you oaf." said the younger of the two boys, "One of these days, on some battlefield, that attitude of yours is going to get you killed."

      "And it will be your attitude that kills me." replied the merry rebel. Waving for his friend to follow him, Lezare strode into the crowd, a great smile on his face. People were dancing in one of the crossings within the tunnels. "What do you say we dance, eh?" Lezare asked with a mischievous grin.

      Lance glared at his companion. "No." he answered simply, "No way am I going to dance with you."

      Lezare responded by curling his lips in a large frown and shining a large pair of 'puppy eyes' at his friend. "Why don't you play with me anymore?" He asked, faking tears. Lance stared at him with disbelief and annoyance, wondering how he had ever become friends with such a person. "I'm going back outside." he said as he turned to leave. However, before he could take more than two steps, he tripped over something and tumbled to the ground. Lezare broke into a fit of laughter at his friend's clumsiness.

      "Stop laughing, moron." he shouted, looking to see what he had tripped on. In his wake sat a small cat, collecting himself after Lance had stumbled over him. "I knew that was going to happen... I just knew it!" grumbled the cat. The diminutive creature stood up and pointed at the boy. "What did you do that for?" the cat accused Lance.

      "Look, it was an accident." replied the boy, "You're so short you should know better than to walk through a crowd."

      The cat looked like he was about to reply before Lezare interrupted, bending down to look at the small fur. "Aw, look at him." cooed the older boy, "Can we keep him, Lance? Pleeeease?" He looked at Lezare and then back to the cat. "You look like you could use a stiff drink! How about we go somewhere nice, eh?" he said, brushing a single golden lock away from his face.

"No you can not keep me! And you, that was a piss poor apology. Though since your beverage of choice is more favorable than the one that has been lain before me I shall forgive you, for now." Dusting himself off and picking up the few things he had dropped on the ground he continued talking quietly to himself "I mean seriously? Am I THAT hard to miss? I mean I could understand if he was blind, but they seem to dodge me with more grace than that lumbering oaf of a boy. Alas must we live in a day and age where the very thought of looking down has become a fleeting memory in the minds of the youth? Sad times indeed." He let out a small chuckle as he followed he boys, his clubbed walking stick tapping the ground with every almost otherwise silent footstep. "If I am to drink with individuals such as yourselves, I would like to ask your names. Mine as it is, is Reivant Mir. I would say pleasure to meet you, but you have already fallen on me, which equates to a not so pleasurable meeting."

      Lance stopped in his tracks, tilting his head, as to see the small cat. "Then why are you following us?" he asked coldly. Lezare gave him a punch to the shoulder and knelt down so that he was at eye level with Mir. "My name is Lezare, and my surly friend here is Lance. We're-""Nobody he should know." interrupted Lance. Lezare stood back up, staring at his obnoxious friend. "I shall reiterate. If I die, it will be that attitude of yours that does it." he said, shooting the boy a glare.

      Mir looked at the two with impatience. "Yes,yes, now if you don't mind, I was offered a 'stiff drink'." hurried the cat. Lezare grinned at the diminutive figure. "Well, we're here." said the blonde tressed boy as he pointed to a small flat that had been adapted into an orphanage. Lance was already at the door and strolling in. Lezare motioned for the cat to follow as he made his way to the building.

Ari couldn't believe her luck as the mess hall turned up... empty. This alerting the foxes mind but easing it all at the same time. 'They must be elsewhere....' the female thought as she moved into the aforementioned room, albeit carefully, even if there were none in there-- she need not to tread such overconfidence and arrogance. That got Sophr killed six months ago when that acquaintance of hers was assigned a very iffy charter. She didn't like it then and she was not about to make his mistake here and give a human a lay and eventually after-- a rug. She shivered at the thought as she kept her footing. If her assumptions were right, it would not take long for her to get to the stockades-- the dungeons of this keep.

'I hope that human lord out there didn't expect me to be in and out as quick as a speeding arrow.'

She smirked as she made it out of the room, using what recollection she had of the last keep she had sneaked into and hoped the layout was not too offset from the one she currently was in. A look; if for a moment; of doubt was present in her eyes, but the fox did not run on such things. If it had turned out to be different she would figure it out in stride eventually. In any event, she was glad to be out of the mess hall and into the darker halls that decorated the keeps construction.

It was only a matter of patience and eventuality at this point for her goal.

Reivant thought to himself looking over the building. "An orphanage would not be a place I would think to have booze. Really is an odd and sad day and age we live in." His white and black tail swishing around behind him. Nevertheless he continued onward into the place he had been directed, less now for the alcohol and more for the children. "Still would like that drink though." He said quietly to himself scratching his soft white ear. He passed through the threshold of the building, he began looking around for anything that might suggest fowl intentions of the others. "Though with the way things seem to play out I don't anything serious will come of this, better to keep my guard up and thought a fool. Than to be a fool and miss something or someone that might need something from me." He was always talking to himself, more out of habit that anything else. It was just his way of thinking, plus it always comforted him to hear his own words, even if they where just inaudible whispers.

        There were many small children running around the building, gleefully ignorant of their own problems. Lance and Lezare had lived here for a long time, having been orphaned themselves when the noble families had finally decided to evacuate the city. When the two boy's parents had protested against leaving the poor to rot within the city's depths, they had been slain where they stood as an example to those who would stand up against the nobility. Lance grit his teeth, remembering the shocked look on everyone's faces when it happened. He had been three years of age, but the memory was vivid in his mind with him now at the age of twenty-five. What had made it worse, was that the nobles had left the city long before issuing an evacuation order. It was as if they had simply come up with the evacuation in order to pull as many craftsmen and artisans as they could from the crumbling city.

       Lezare strode into the room where Lance had set up a table with two chairs. He reached into a large woven basket in a corner of the room and produced a bottle. Sicarius had set the drinking age among the ranks of the resistance to thirty, wishing to stem the tide of overindulgence. It had proven to be a clever ploy, as many of his soldiers were young and prone to drink, making them clumsy on the battlefield. However, for all their respect for the God King, Lance and Lezare had broken this rule on many occasions. Lezare set the bottle upon the table and produced two glasses, the label on the bottle reading 'Ocinius Heartwine'. "You'll have to sit this one out, Lancy-poo. We've only got two cups, anyway." informed the older boy, waving to the younger.

      Mir sat across from Lezare as the young rebel poured the wine into the two glasses. Lezare took a sip of his own glass, grinning as he did. Heartwine was well known for it's exquisite flavor and brewing process, as well as its exorbitant price. One bottle could cost more than fifty gold pieces. It was likely stolen.

Mir sat and stared down into the liquid and moved his nose to just above the glass and breathed deep of its glorious bouquet. He almost lovingly swirled the glass around before taking a sip, holding in his mouth enjoying every fragment of flavor it had to offer. "There is a very specific reason this is one of my favorite drinks. Alcohol I mean." He said slowly taking another sip. "It is a separator of sorts." Smiling he held the glass up watching a glimmer of light shift through the ripples. "It lets you see someones true colors. How they are on the inside with all inhibitions dropped. Granted it is not absolute." Taking another small drink he continued. "Though seldom is in this time. If your lucky you may also get a sense of the person who made it. The richness and care put into a single bottle, as if it was made to be a one of a kind treasure enjoyed among those cared most for." He sat starring at the glass again for a moment, almost as if he was looking for an answer to some unasked question.

"How many are here." Taking another sip, trying to extend the pleasure for as long as he was capable. "Children I mean." Looking up to Lezare with his almost glowing green eyes.

       Lezare stopped at the question, a sorrowful frown taking hold of his effeminate face. He put down his glass, glancing out the window at the growing festivities. "There are far to many for my liking." he said in a somber tone, "And far to few make it to a shelter. Lance and I-""Shut up, Lezare!" shouted the other boy, "That's none of his god damn business!" After his episode, Lance stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Lezare made no motion to stop him, simply staring at the door his friend had left through. After a moment, he reached for his glass and took another sip. "Far to few make it out there."

      Lance rushed out of the building, shoving bystanders away, tears welling up in his eyes. He remembered the times before he, Lezare, and his little brother, Cage, had found the orphanage. He remembered how Cage had gotten sick and, without anyone to take care of them, the two year old boy had died. He looked at the bracer around his wrist, and at the brown gem in its center. Cage's final gift to his older brother. Lance wept.

"Well if it is his wish for whatever that episode was to stay unknown, I will not ask anything about it. Though I will say his anger seems justified on at least some level, and I would suggest taming it may be in his best interest." Taking the last drink from the glass he looked down into the empty glass. "Or else he may become much like this glass. Empty, wanting to be filled with something, an open vessel for anger and rage." A sigh escaped his small body, and his tail curled around to rest on his lap. "But sorrow only begets sorrow, shall we discuss something of a more joyful persuasion?" He said with a small laugh.

"Since the festivities are going on out there, there is no reason the children should be left out of the loop." He said with a smile. "For the ones who have made it here to not know of sadness even for just one day would be a blessing." Hopping down from his seat, looking up at the other. "It might even get your friend to feel better, if only for a moment. So what do you say?" Looking up at the other almost like a child begging for candy and waiting for an answer.

       Lezare grinned at the small cat. "I like your attitude." he complimented, "Why not. They could use a good time." He stopped himself, thinking about what he had just said. "And by that, I mean a party... or something of the fashion." Lezare looked down at his wrist, at his bracer, the twin of Lance's. A smile crept across his face. He stood from the table, downing the last of the liquid in his glass. But as soon as he had stood up, the festivities quieted outside. The boy took a step toward the window to see what was going on, and in the distance, he saw the God King himself standing atop a scaffold."Looks like we may have to wait a bit."

      Sicarius stood atop the wooden platform, garbed in a suit of armor that his followers had made for him. It was exquisite in detail and functionality. A fitting garb for such a noble man, the citizens had said. Sicarius, however, didn't like how much it made him stand out. He held out a hand for silence, the arranged rebels and refugees quieting instantly. "My people!" started the rebel leader, "I come bearing grim tidings on this day of celebration!" He looked over his followers, knowing that they listened wholeheartedly. "It has come to my... our attention that the great city of Gallia... has fallen into Auditore hands!" he continued, "They may have been our enemies, but the people of this once great city deserve our respect, for they fought to the end! My people! I raise a toast in the name of those glorious men who died defending their beliefs!" He raised a hand and the crowd cheered with thunderous applause. Sicarius looked over his subjects, knowing that the woulf fight and die for him, and this saddened him.

It was nearly dawn when Rudolf awoke. He rubbed his eyes and shifted to stretch his limbs. The coach had a brief rest stop by a small pond so that the Sforzas could freshen up and then they proceeded into the city of Venetzia. Rudolf caught the eye of his bodyguards. They were looking about suspiciously, wondering why there were bells pealing mournfully this early in the morning. Venetzia was traditionally a big hub of activity; today, however, the conurbation seemed melancholy and withdrawn. The only people present were Auditore troops, and they were casting unfriendly stares at the Sforzas. Naturally, Rudolf knew why and saw no reason to dwell on it further. The coach rattled to a stop in front of the castle. Standing outside, stone-faced, was Sheryl di Invidia. Rudolf gave her a dispassionate look when he stepped out and approached her.

"The primarch patronises me, surely. I come to negotiate a generous deal, and I am greeted by furry vermin," Rudolf said aloud, not exactly looking at Sheryl.

"Primarch del Auditore will see you now," Sheryl said, ignoring his remark. Rudolf's eyes flitted to the young man standing beside her. Volke was bristling with indignation at the comment Rudolf had made to her. Rudolf pinched the bridge of his nose and snickered to himself. Sheryl turned on her heel and led the way into the castle. Volke, still by her side, whispered, "Why do you let him...?"

"Quiet," she hissed. Volke burned inside. Sheryl pulled open the throne room doors and loudly proclaimed, "Primarch del Auditore, Rudolf von Sforza calls upon you!"

Rudolf yawned. Fredrick was grimacing at him already. This was going to go over well.

"So, what does the House of Sforza seek by sending its little terror?" Fredrick asked.

"Fredrick, old boy, have you no grasp of what the word 'diplomacy' even is? We start by exchanging insincere salutations of goodwill first. We proceed to disagreeable wrangling thence," Rudolf said dryly.

"Hah! I have no need for your tongue, boy! There is nothing you have to offer to me of any interest. Everyone knows the Sforzas are not nearly as powerful as they have pretended to be."

"Whereas the House of Auditore mindlessly throws away its soldiers trying to lay claim to the edge of civilisation. I believe your dear Sheryl was in Gallia only recently, was she not? I am admittedly surprised to see her back so soon. I suppose the Medichis gave her furry bottom a whipping."

"You're wrong, boy. Gallia is now Auditore territory."

Rudolf was amused at how easy it was to elicit information from Fredrick simply by pricking his pride.

"Oh, of course," Rudolf said, feigning a backpedalling of his previous comment. "I'm sure whipping her bottom is something you yourself would rather do."

Frederick smirked. Volke, standing outside the throne room, clenched a fist. Rudolf looked around the room theatrically.

"I'd sent her a letter only yesterday, I believe. I told her that several members of the Auditore family were being lined up for the slaughterhouse. I suppose I was right, if the sorrow of Venetzia is anything to judge by."

Fredrick's smirk faded. He shifted in his throne and questioned, "And how did you come to know anything of what might be happening in the Auditore family?"

"Ah, and this is how negotiations start, old boy."

        Fredrick snapped his fingers once and one of his several bunny maids entered the room bearing a tray. The tray bore a total of four tea cups and a large pitcher. Pouring the brownish liquid into each cup and offering it to all of those assembled. Rudolf simply stared in disgust. "You allow the rodents to serve you?" said the capricious youth, "How distasteful." The bunny did not react, having been conditioned for such comments. After the others had taken a cup, the girl left the room.

       Fredrick drank from the small cup before crushing it in his hand, his patience wearing thin. "Am I to assume that you have come here for a reason? Or did you simply wish to insult my staff?" The Auditore Primarch leaned back, taking a more comfortable position upon his throne. The edge of his mouth twitched, threatening to bear a smile. However, if he had been trying to hide some form of pleasure at the circumstances, it was far to obvious. "But where are my manners?" he continued, taking on his usual political scowl, "You have only just arrived and have not had time to take in the sights of Venetzia. General Invidia."

      The rabbit general tensed as her name was called, offering a salute in return. "Yes, your highness?"

      "Show the good ambassador our fair capitol, would you." he commanded, placing his fingers together in front of him as he leaned back upon his throne.

      "I do not believe that is necessary, old boy." quipped the Sforza delegate, an edge to his words.

      Fredrick stared at the boy, his expression unchanging. "You would do well not to refuse the hospitality of a king, boy." said the Auditore Primarch with a cold edge.

“King? And who might that be? You are not
an inheritor of the throne in the Palatine Forum,” Rudolf observed. “Old boy, I
strongly suggest you focus on the reason for my presence. If you value the
lives of all those in the Auditore lineage—including your own—you will cease
your tiresome prattle and, for a change of pace, listen to someone other than
yourself.”

 

Fredrick’s glare sharpened. “You’re playing
a dangerous game.”

 

Rudolf looked kindly at the Auditore
primarch. “Aren’t we all? Why, you may be beating senseless the Medichis in the
sticks while your family is systematically destroyed by a turncoat under your
nose right now. If you don’t believe that is a problem, I should be happy to
resume chastising you for surrounding yourself with furry mutants, for you
would have demonstrated your inability to discuss anything rationally.”

 

“And what do the Sforzas stand to gain from
disclosing such information? If I am not mistaken, it is your family that has
long engaged in the kind of cloak and dagger treachery that you speak of.”

 

“I am grievously wounded by the
insinuation,” Rudolf said coolly, not meaning a word of it. “The past is the
crutch of those weak of spirit and mind.”

 

Fredrick was about to bark at the youth
with the toxic personality, but Rudolf waved a hand histrionically and added, “As
it seems, I perhaps may stand to do well in accepting your hospitality and tour
Venetzia. However, if General Invidia is to follow me, I would insist her
lieutenant accompany me as well. Not all of us are inclined to seek pleasures
of the fur.”

 

Sheryl looked at Volke, who in turn looked
at Fredrick. Fredrick stroked his chin for a moment. It was a little like
passing a hot potato—a hot potato with a caustic mouth.

OOC: Sorry for my delay, I haven't had time lately to do much of anything on here. Things are slowing down now so I'll make a quick IC to get my character rolling again and give Gem something to play on! Again sorry for the wait.

IC:

Taltae came walking out of Meiren's shop rejoining with Alexis who waited patiently outside. "Anything?" she asked showing concern. Taltae just shook his head, and began walking down the street. His knee wasn't acting up as much now as it had earlier, but a limp in his walk was noticeable. "I looked all over the place. There is absolutely no sign of Meiren or anything." Taltaed said looking back at Alexis, "His wife and child are gone, and his underground hideaway is completely deserted." "Perhaps he just fled. It was pretty chaotic around here, maybe he got out before the city was completely overrun?" "Maybe, but the gates fell pretty fast. I had only just left when I ran into you, and by then there was no escape." Taltae stopped and looked around the vacant street. Far off in the distance were Auditore soldiers, two of them, standing off to the side of a upper class Medichi house silhouetted against the dark sky. It was too dark for Taltae to make out the design and shape of the structure, but he knew the area wasn't for the poor. "It would be best if we avoid going that way." Taltae turned to face Alexis, "I'm worried that Meiren was captured by the Auditores. He was pretty outspoken about them around these parts, but I'm not sure if anything he said warrants his capture. I could just be jumping at shadows, but him missing definitely puts me on edge. In any case there's really nothing more I can do here. Well then what do you suggest we do next? Shall we see if our little team has got what they came for?"

"If I know Hector," Alexis answered, "he'll have the whole castle stirred up by now- or most of it anyway. I don't know if he'll have got what he came for, but we ought to at least see if we can help our team get out alive- again". Taltae didn't look especially thrilled with this news, "you mean we could end up having to flee from enemy soldiers a second time?" he asked in an incredulous tone. Before Alexis could answer, shouting and the clinking, rasping sounds of armoured people rushing somewhere reached their ears. "I'd say it's a very distinct possibility," Alexis commented wryly. "What would you suggest?" Taltae said as the sounds got louder. Alexis thought quickly. "Hide over here," she said as she darted towards the rubble of a house that seemed to have taken one of the heavier hits during the siege. Taltae followed suite and they watched from amongst the debris as a detachment of Auditore soldiers rushed past, evidently pursuing or searching for something.

Once their footsteps had faded as they rounded a corner, Alexis whispered to Taltae, "now I suggest we go in exactly the opposite direction they went. True that may well take us towards more soldiers, but we'll keep low and to the shadows. That should enable us to make it to the castle- or near enough- without detection and give us a chance to see what's what before rushing in- since I don't doubt rushing in figured in some part of Hector's plan". Taltae nodded a reply, apparently content enough with the part about keeping low and to the shadows to forgo questioning the wisdom of heading towards the castle, and they set off. As they approached, a chaotic scene presented itself to their eyes: Soldiers were running everywhere, orders were being shouted at a hectic pace and over all this alarms were sounding constantly. Pausing a moment to take in the scene, Alexis murmured under her breath, "never the stealthy approach, hmm Hector? What have you done here?"  

OOC: This maybe the shortest post I've written in this RP!

      Fredrick leaned forward, dissecting the situation. "Very well. Sheryl and Volke shall accompany you." ordered the Auditore Primarch, waving them away, "You may leave my presence." Sheryl stood by the throne room's doors, holding one of them open. Volke was less than thrilled, but felt better alongside his commander than leaving her alone with such swine. He stepped toward the boy he was commanded to escort, and motioned toward the door. "If you would follow us, sir." he offered, a slight edge hidden in his otherwise gracious tone.

      The Auditore Primarch sensed this, but said nothing. A smile threatened to creep across his face, finding the thought of it amusing. He stood from his throne, his height towering over those assembled. He strode to a hallway to the left of his throne, not saying a word, the idea of drawing this conversation out further no longer interesting him.

__________________________________________________________________

      The corridors of the castle were dead silent, most of the soldiers occupied with other things. Ale couldn't quite understand why he felt a need to help Hector find his family, but none the less, he found himself making his way to the castle's undercroft and the dungeons, a place that he would never find himself otherwise. A guard stood by the dungeon gate, eying the fox, suspiciously. "What are you doing down here?" asked the guard. Ale stepped forth and produced a slip of paper bearing the Royal Messengers. The guard looked at him, incredulously. "Nice try, but I'm not buying it." The guard drew his blade, taking a slash at Ale, who backpedaled just in time.

'Like a ghost.'

The thought from the female fox was not inaccurate or off in the slightest, the quiet and often trapped crawl of the often empty halls was perfect with Ari's clever mastery of stealth which at no shock had been in development since the girl was young in the alleys of the alienages of the human cities-- crawling through each low window, climbing into every rafter, bumping into the gullible crowd to make away with their coin... all so she and her kin could live another day on their poverty stricken lifestyle and desensitized culture. A smirk, not of happiness but of remembrance of youth came across her face as a sudden disruption somewhere nearby caused her ears to twitched, footsteps? discovery of a corpse? perhaps even just clumsiness? It was hard to assume as she kept moving as she always did-- quiet, unnerved and above all: careful.

It was then; out of her eyes corner, she saw a human soldier in what she recalled as one of the dungeon posts on this floor, she knew there were several ways in and many to get less worry from... but the noble of which sired a charter for her sword was impatient and she knew every single minute she lay in thought, in calculation, in wait; would be another minute they could find a corpse and be on high alert and she would not be captured by a human soldier. That thought came up again and it caused her to quiver in effect. She shook her head afterward to get her paces, that guard would be nothing and no one in an instant. She would make sure of it. She drew her crossbow and primed it accordingly as she with her other hand gripped some loose stone from the wall to her back and tossed it hard and quickly to the parallel side of the hallway, it hitting a piece of metal-- a shield placed upon the wall. The loud noise arose suspicion from the guard who approached, although carefully, to the source of the noise.

"Caeson?" the guard spoke aloud, perhaps assuming the noise was another guard; one he knew by name.

It didn't matter.

He repeated the query again as he approached, the female fox narrowed her eyes as she saw the guard turn to glance at that shield, she could only bless the darkness at this rate. 'I would be a little less sloppy if they had only lit more torches.' the thought rose an arrogant smirk as she fired the crossbow-- into his neck, right below where a helmet could be and right above where any guard of the neck could be-- right in the narrows. As the guard was caught offguard and began to cough and all sorts of such Ari would only sheath her crossbow and went forward pressing her hands to his mouth before he could make more of a mess-- him surely suffocating on his own blood through such a movement and began to move the body into the darkness, though it wouldn't delay much time-- the blood he had sputtered all over the walls and even the floor was apparent and even a darkened torch could only do so much. She knew it went from a headcount to a withdrawal at this point. At this point she wouldn't of minded Ale's help, not that she knew much of his ability-- but he was still another body.

She took a light breath as she made for the stairwell going down into the dungeons below...

She kept her wits, all the same.

      Ale shifted, knocking the guard's blade aside as he drew his scimitar. The guardsman reacted quickly, raising his shield to block thrown dagger. The guard rushed forward with his shield, trying to pin the fox against the wall. Ale turned on his heel, ducking to the side and under the man's attack. He spun to deliver and a stab to an open spot in the man's armor, but the guard parried the blade with his bracer, dropping his shield in the process. Sliding his blade over his bracer, the guard made a stabbing motion. Ale let the blade slip between his arm and side, latching onto the flat of the blade. Ale yanked on the blade trying to disarm his opponent, but the guard reacted by letting go of his blade and slamming his head into the fox's. Ale reeled back, dropping down and sweeping a kick to the guard's legs. The guard backpedaled out of the way, his back pressing against the wall behind him. The guard took on a surprised look as the wall gave way behind him and he fell through it.

      Ale looked on with similar confusion, pushing on the wall himself. It didn't budge, seeming to have locked itself in place. Shaking off the thought, he moved for the prison gate. He pulled on the bars, the door unmoving, still locked. The only key had gone with the guard. Ale cursed under his breath as he ran off to search for another entrance.

The little brown rabbit stared at Aurelia for a time, then
at her baby.  She couldn’t tell if he was
simply not going to reply or if he was still thinking about something.  The boy shakily stood finally, dusting his
simple faded reddish shirt off and looking at the guard again, “Why did they
imprison us?  Have we committed a crime?”

 

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

 

“Two weeks…  TWO WEEKS
kiddo, rats been here over half a month living off us.  Ain’t no help in a fight, talks too much,
eats more’n his share, doesn’t even earn that.” 
The room was dimly lit but enough that a table with two men sitting at
it could be identified.  The speaker was
an aging canine of some sort, past his prime but still bearing the spark of
life in his aging brown eyes.

“It won’t be much longer, Rob, I made a promise
remember?  The last time I saw John I was
still so furious I wouldn’t speak to him. 
It’s all I can do to help his widow… 
Athena deserves at least that.” 
The other man was younger, perhaps in his thirties.  He was a yellowish rabbit, wearing a white
overcoat and blue shirt that augmented his blue eyes.  He took a sip of some brownish drink in a
small glass and winced.

The older man let out a laugh that ended in a cough, “Still
can’t hold the drink can ya, Tobsie.  No
matter how long it gets ya still look a snot-nosed brat ta me.  Bad as lil’fangy, ya both cain’t hold the
liquor at all.”  The old dog took a shot
and put it down without any reaction. 
His face softened though, “I know like anyone ya owe Ol’ Johnny.  Ya owe his lady cuz ya owed him.  But you can’t let that boy ride on your ship
without putting in his dues.”

The rabbit sighed and slowly stood up, “He wants
something.  I dunno why, but lately he’s
been getting buggier about things. 
Things he shouldn’t know about.”

Robert raised a gray furred eyebrow, “To do with that
psiowhatsit?”

Tobias sighed, “Psiochronetic.  And kind of...   He’s been asking about cloning.”

The old dog’s brow furrowed, “Conjure you need to get him
off this ship then, less he ‘tends to help with matters on that.”  The rabbit nodded and turned to leave.  “That outfit looks so gay.”  The dog snorted.

The rabbit stopped at looked back coyly, but before he could
smart off Robert finished his thought, “It fits you.”   Tobias chuckled a bit and left the room and
the dog to his drinking, heading back down the clean white corridor and into
the mess hall. 

 

It was large, much larger than the one on the ship he’d
grown up on, even this late there was still a small assortment of people
hanging around.   The lead engineer, a
quirky little halfbreed, sat smirking at any female crew member walking by.  But the rabbit had another task that wasn’t
policing his adopted nephew’s mating habits. 
He headed for another table with two very unique people at it.  First, a deer with no antler’s and small
fang-like teeth sat holding his chin on his hands sat engrossed with what a
very familiar looking squirrel was saying. 
His hair was completely different and he seemed a bit taller, his once
long blond hair was cut short and looked as if he’d just woken up.  “Then Hector, that big oafish guy, manages to
sneak all the way across the war-torn city to some tannery.   Me? 
I’m thinking what the heck?  Why’s
he always punching things if he could pull this up?  Then some edge decides to take a bite outta
my coat and BOOM, right on his daft old head.” 
He yelped leaping up and mimicking a fall.   The deer giggled, and odd reaction
considering he looked well past being capable of giggling.  He smiled, “He fell head first onto a human
on a level 3 world that already thought you were insane?  How’d you manage to live through THAT ONE?”

The rabbit rolled his eyes and cleared his throat
loudly.  Both of them looked up, the
Cervoid still resting his head on his hands and the squirrel in the middle of
getting ready to send himself flying to further, demonstrate, his story.

“Hey bunny, how’s Drinky the Dippy Doggy?”  The deer said trying not to laugh.  The squirrel grinned ear to ear, “Ha.  Drinky. 
Because he drinks... a lot.”  
Tobias smirked, “He wants us to throw Arccy off, again.”  The Cervoid’s face soured, “Crabby old
dork.  Oh well, he can’t do it, it’s not
his ship, unless YOU’RE going to throw him off.”    Tobias looked down, “Actually…  It’s your ship Kieran.  Isn’t it, Arc.”

The squirrel cocked his head to one side, “It is?  I dunno, why would I know?”  The deer looked pale, shakily standing up,
“W, whoa… whoa.  Toby?  What do you mean, mine?  Wherever it is we’re going I can’t get us
back.”   Toby seemed to ignore Kieran for
a moment and looked directly at the squirrel, “You’ve been riddling me with
questions on cloning.  There really is
only one reason to do that and you and I both know it’s the reason you’ve been
hanging around.  Now spill, what do you
know.”

For the first time since he’d know him the squirrel’s face
fell, he turned to Kieran and looked down, “Sorry, I can’t tell anymore stories,
but I promise I’ll have more next time.” 
Arc reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper,
turning it over in his hand.

“Don’t suppose that’s the first verse to the song that ends
time.”  Another voice chimed in,
belonging to the halfbreed from before. 
He look around the same age as the deer, possibly a little younger.  It was hard to tell due to have physical
features of two distinct races.  He
looked mostly human save for, visibly at least, a rather short canine looking
nose and large flopped down canine ears. 
He smirked and leaned forward on the table to make sure they couldn’t
ignore him.  Tobias shook his head, “Done
chasing tail, Corky?”   The young man brushed some of his brown hair
aside, “I don’t have to chase, they just come.” 
He smiled at his own rather lewd pun.

“Can, we get back to you leaving, bunny, and why.  And possibly how to stop you.”  The Cervoid said trying to ignore the hybrid
and still looking rather shaky.

Tobias closed his eyes and sighed.  “I believe Arc came here to subtly guide us somewhere.  But only I really need to go there.  So he’s going to take me there.  The rest of you will continue doing what we
do best.”

All three of them stared at the rabbit in wide-eyed
disbelief.  The first speaking up was
Kieran, his voice cracking, “Wait!  No,
no way, you are NOT leaving on some weird timey whimey goose chase with this
guy.  I’ve heard the trouble he gets into
all day!”

The halfbreed popped off second, “B.S., you said we’re in
this together now, and suddenly you wanna go play lonewolf with the Sibken?  And for #$%@s sake Kieran stop making your
voice crack like that, you’re almost thirty now.”

Finally Arccy handed the piece of paper to Tobias, “No no,
just… well, that.  It’s there, don’t
worry.   No rush, we can go it slowly.”  The rabbit shook his head, “Not this time, let’s
go, Arccy.”  He handed the paper off to
Kieran who was still looking rather unnerved stately bluntly, “This is where we’ll
be.  But by the time you get there we’ll
probably either be back on this ship or dead.” 
He turned to the squirrel and held a hand out, “Move it Kinnear, this is
no time for messing around.”

The squirrel scratched his head, taking the rabbit’s hand
and inspecting it, “But if we’re going to the same point anyway, why does it
matter when we leave?”

Tobias narrowed his eyes, “Because I’ll know we screwed
around and he’s too important to me.  Now
GO.”   The squirrel shrugged he shoulders
and closed his eyes, “Well then,  guess
we should be off”.  The rabbit blink
stating, “wait but don’t you need the…” 
But as they started their initial fading the Deer suddenly leapt forward
and grabbed unto the Rabbit’s waist, silencing him just after cramming the
paper into the Halfbreed’s chest moments before all three of them fell into the
pinkish hue.   They’d vanished, leaving
the smarmy engineer looking shocked and holding the piece of paper, which he
absent mindedly opened and read.  His
brown eyes widened as he translated the numbers out, “Wait, this is…”

 

 

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

 

Hector scanned a final time, ensuring no soldiers present to
distract from him conjuring up his festivities. 
But as he started toward a workbench an odd sense of Déjà vu came over
him.  What was it?  Oh right, that voice.   The
man wrinkled his nose hearing that irritating yelp above him, he WAS ready this
time taking a quick step backward and thrusting has hand upward just a pile of
fur hit it.  Hector lowered his arm slowly,
not at all happy to see a grinning Arccy looking at him.  The squirrel was on his back, head looking at
the man upside-down, he smiled and chattered out, “Hiya again Mister ‘Ector!  Miss me?”

 

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

 

Ale rounded a corner heading for the second wall of the
prison when something made his ear tingle, instinct.   It was in front of him?  He quickly spun to his right on one heel and
launched him back several yards at lightning speed just a flash of light
ignited where he’d just been.  A short
little man seemed to fall to his knees and started gasping for breath.  He looked very much like a deer, but for some
reason had no antlers at all.  A second
glance showed he has some odd clothing resembling a green T-shirt,  tan shorts… and fangs?  Indeed the man seemed to have two fang-like
teeth.   One of Ale’s first thoughts ran
to how he spoke without cutting his lower lip but the man didn’t look in too
good of shape to talk.  He guessed the
strange person was around his mid twenties, just not especially tall, it was a
little hard to gauge with him being on his knees.

 

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

 

Ari slid to a stop at the first step, something odd catching
her eye.  A flash of pinkish light below
her around the stairwell bend.  She froze
hearing something on the stairs, it was too late to run whoever it was would be
in sight in less than a second.  Before
the though finished an ornately dressed yellow hare came into view.  The deep blue outfit under a rather eccentric
white mantle posed against his bright yellow fur color was very striking, if
not out of place.  It seemed the sort of
flashy attire a knight would wear to a royal event.  Not what one would wear coming up from a
dungeon.   He looked at her, again there
was something very disarming in those blue eyes.   “My name is Tobias Droegemeier, and I have
no idea where I am.”

“My name is Tobias Droegemeier, and I have no idea where I am.” came the voice of the hare who seemed as out of place as a fur in a royal court. Though if there was a royal court he would probably fit right in. The female fox took a step back and raised a brow, before speaking in response. "Exiting the dungeons of this castle by the looks of it." she replied, still not sure where to place the hare. "That would mean you are entering them. I'm not sure either of us knows what they're doing." the rabbit replied, calmly but still at odds with his new location. The female fox kept her eyes on him, trying to place him, he was older but how he was free from the dungeons was beyond her understanding. She spoke again to his comment, "A nice assumption, but I'm actually here to help those in the cages below as per.. contract." she almost hesitated for the latter piece of the sentence, but she felt oddly comfortable with the rabbit, Tobias he had called himself. Ari still couldn't place him, if he had escaped surely more would be in tow-- guards, even.

"Where I'm from the only time contracts are required to free people from cages, are when those people should BE in cages." he responded, interestingly. "...perhaps, but war is weird like this." she spoke, although apathetically. "You didn't tell me if they belong on the cages or not, Miss....?" Tobias replied in which she nodded. "Ariyana Gnaeus, and as for the belonging-- I believe they are civilian nobles, not that it's my place to debate 'belonging'." she replied politely as she kept her senses about her. Tobias' next response was particularly interesting. "I was a civilian noble once. And I'm looking for one. Perhaps the dungeon IS the place to start"

"...an interesting response considering you were walking away from the said location." she smirked.

"Paths can be changed. right?" he replied, evading the fact he came from the dungeons. Ari although still unsure, took this companion as someone that was at least of use as a shield. She didn't understand it, but she acknowledged it with a nod, "Indeed. I hope you can put up with the guards down there with ease then." she kept her smirk as her thoughts came across her mind, 'This is convenient, strange and weird-- but I won't toss a gift aside. But I will still keep my wits about me.'

       As the deer wretched all over the floor for a reason that Ale didn't care to know, the white fox strode up and slammed a foot down on the odd creature's back, drawing a sharp grunt out of him. After pinning him to the ground, the assassin drew his scimitar and placed it against the deer's neck. "Who the hell are you and what was that light?" interrogated the fox in a low tone.

       "No one! I'm no one! Certainly no one worth killing!" answered the deer, causing Ale to wince with every word. He was tempted to simply end the creature's life then and there, but a thought came to his mind. Magnus would frown on killing an innocent bystander... thought the fox, sheathing his blade. He removed his foot from the deer's back and grabbed hold of the back of his shirt, pulling him up. Ale sighed as the deer predictably tried to run, only to fall on his face as the assassin tripped him up. The arctic fox picked him up once more and slammed him against the wall. "One more time... Who are you?" questioned the fox with a little more edge in his voice than before.

       "Kieran Baxter!" shouted the deer in response. Ale sighed heavily, that not being quite the answer he was looking for.

       Ale looked at the deer, trying to size him up. He didn't look threatening, or even aware of his location. "Ok, Kieran... I'm going to let go... And you aren't going to run away. Understand?" The deer shook his head vigorously. Ale released him, and the deer's face met stone once more as the fox tripped him up in yet another escape attempt. How did you do it, Magnus? How? thought the fox as he picked Kieran up once more.

(OOC: Oh man...a lot has happened since I was last here. I'd still like to join, but the pages of story are kinda daunting me. My computer just HAD to go and die...I've been out of the loop for 2 weeks...and I just got it back. I don't know if I'll have time to read everything.)

If only for a moment, Hector considered asking Arc what he was doing in the alchemists' school. However, he was positive that would elicit a meaningless response. Instead, he roughly prodded the squirrel in the forehead and asked, "Do you know anything about gunpowder?"

Arc wriggled in Hector's grasp. "Think you can put me down first?"

Hector rolled his eyes and set the squirrel on the table. Arccy leaned over and peered at Hector's concoction before scratching his head. "What did you put in this, anyway? It doesn't look like gunpowder to me."

"Uh, I don't know...a little of this, a little of that," Hector admitted. "I threw in some gunpowder...some of this stuff, some of this yellow here, and a little of the orange...oh, and some of this stuff."

Arccy snatched the silvery material from Hector's hand and turned away from the Medichi noble, apparently to study it. Hector frowned as footsteps became audible within the school's main hallway.

"Damn," he said, reaching for his axe. "I'd have hoped we'd've had more time."

"Mister 'Ector, I gots an idea, but I need you to keep the bad guys busy while I get some water," Arccy said grinning. Hector looked over his shoulder at him. He had no idea that what Arccy was holding - indeed, the material Hector himself had thrown into his own haphazard mixture - was potassium.

---

Aurelia hesitated before saying, "No. We haven't done anything wrong. It's...very complicated. Adults are having a disagreement right now, that's all." She was not sure if the youth was well beyond needing a juvenile explanation or if he would be able to process even this much. She rather wished he would not look at her like that, though.

---

As he disappeared from Fredrick's sight with Sheryl and Volke, Rudolf quietly whispered to his companions, "Have you ever heard the story of Julio della Florentine?"

"No," Sheryl said with a straight face as she approached the exit of the castle.

Rudolf allowed Sheryl and Volke to open the doors for him. He stepped out into the morning air and smiled. He chattered away as they departed for a different part of Venetzia. "It is a splendid tale of pride, conviction, and courage. Long ago, a young man, Julio della Florentine, found himself needing to skip town. He was guilty of association with some of the more radical elements of the Florentine family, but the reactionary faction of the Florentines were wielding the power in that house. However, Julio was head and shoulders above the rest of the Florentine family in everything: intelligence, shrewdness, eloquence, drive...he had every talent he might ever need at a desperate time for the Florentines, who had suffered significant political setbacks at the time.

"Julio was a politician's politician, able to charm anyone and everyone. He aligned himself with ambitious, rich men of lesser nobility and spread his name by expending lavish sums on an unhappy public. He worked with his hands with peons in the fields and spread surreptitious messages of how the Florentines basically wanted to keep the peasants miserable. At the same time, there were strange 'disappearances' among the more conservative Florentine faction that made some heads turn. If only to soak the prospects for all they were worth, Julio won military glory in several campaigns. His story of cunning victories was spread throughout the length and breadth of Azgarde.

"The love that commoners had for him was matched only by the contempt his family held for him. Concerned for his honour, Julio skipped town again, but this time, peasants went with him. Naturally, this was odd to the Florentines, who could not perceive what was happening, but the next winter, Julio returned at the head of an army - not of peasants, but of professionally trained soldiers. He issued an ultimatum to the corrupt Florentine patriarch: stop the oppression or suffer the consequences. The Florentine patriarch was an insufferable sort, the kind of man who lived a sedentary life of disgusting vices. He was corpulent, he was crude, he was violent, and easily most sickeningly, he bedded his harem of hare slaves. Every night was spent committing depraved acts, in a variety of manners proscribed by people of class, with young rabbit women unable to do anything but lie down and suffer with stone faces as the Florentine patriarch satisfied his own animalistic lust. Those females whom he impregnated, he had killed."

Volke's eyes widened a little and turned to Rudolf. The Sforza youth caught that.

"And when the Florentine patriarch refused to yield, Julio was given no choice but to declare war on his own family. He did it out of conviction, a conviction that there is an absolute moral good in this world that cannot be moved, denied, or destroyed. Naturally, Julio conquered and reigned supreme over the Florentines, leading them well. But it took someone with a will to put his foot down and object to the wickedness of the Florentine patriarch and his insatiable, vile habits. One must admire the courage of anyone who stood and rejected such an overlord, however uncertain the outcome might have been at the time."

Rudolf allowed Sheryl and Volke a moment to digest the obvious lesson, then remarked, "But I've been speaking too long. Why is Venetzia so dour at this hour - as if I did not know?"