Aurelia shooed Taltae and Ari onward while the Auditore soldiers pounded upstairs and yelled for them to halt. Alexis interposed herself between the soldiers and Aurelia, not entirely certain that this was the sort of thing Artimia would have done, but this was an emergency. For only a moment, the soldiers hesitated, but found nothing especially threatening about the two women.
The guards drew near, only to be surprised when Alexis's fist struck home under his chin and sent him floundering backward into a wall. Aurelia turned and looked at Alexis with a mixture of surprise and approbation; Artimia did not look the part of a fighter. Acutely aware of this same fact, Alexis looked at Aurelia and said, "We must run." Aurelia turned and was about to flee when a noise from somewhere within the castle made her stop. Distinct voices could be heard downstairs. She stopped and looked over her shoulder. Although the noblewoman perceived that the initial shock of Alexis knocking away one of the soldiers had worn off, her ears told her that Hector was in the vicinity somewhere. Alexis shook her and said, "Come!"
"Wait," Aurelia said weakly as she started moving, "I hear my husband. He's somewhere close by."
Alexis nearly tripped as her reaction of stopping banged into her instinct to run. If Hector were indeed near...
"I guess I should be thankful," Hector rejoined. That was when a shout from somewhere upstairs made him look around; he had nearly forgotten he was not in charge of the keep at the moment. He looked at Ale and asked, "What's been the situation here?"
"Stuff has been going down, tin man; serious stuff. We set a few prisoners free here and there, but they've run off somewhere. I plan to do the same very soon, so the less talking we do here, the better."
Arc said, "The walls would be a long climb, and there are soldiers looking for us out there. If there's another way out, that's much better."
"If the prisoners are free, then I think we're in the best possible situation at the moment," Hector said slowly. A thought was germinating in his head, but it needed time to bear fruit.
"Exactly. So let's get out of here," Ale said, demonstrating his fervent wish to vacate the premises. "Which way?"
"Er, there's a passage that would take us to the city walls if we go upstairs. That'll put us by the city gates. I don't think that most Auditores would know of that, since it's pretty carefully hidden. But...wait."
"What?" Ale snapped, nearly exploding.
"Were there people shouting upstairs?"
"Who cares?"
"Doesn't that mean someone was having an argument? The sort of thing you get like when a prisoner is escaping from a guard?"
To call Ale's countenance condescending would have been grossly inadequate. Hector scratched his head and furthered, "Either way, we're going upstairs."
A footman ran around and opened the carriage for Rudolf, who stepped into the street and immediately retreated toward the door. Volke shuffled out awkwardly, holding Sheryl's body, which elicited a suspicious stare from the footman. He followed Rudolf and watched in awe as the door opened, revealing a vast inner courtyard around a magnificent villa. Rudolf pressed onward to the house without comment, but Volke was awed by the grandeur of the palatial estate's fine garden and marbled portico. Never in his life had he seen such opulence; he almost wondered if people like the Sforzas breathed the same air as he did.
As if bidden only by Rudolf's presence, the doors to the inner villa opened. Rudolf entered first, nodding to the host of servants awaiting his entrance, who gave him respectful salutations. Volke, on the other hand, received blank or hostile stares from the servants. Rudolf, seeing this, clapped his hands together and commanded, "Back to your duties." At once, the servants dispersed, leaving the three alone. He turned and continued up a large staircase that split and wound around to a second storey. Volke hurried to follow, burdened as he was with Sheryl. For not the first time since this trip had begun, he questioned the wisdom of knocking out the bunny. Rudolf did not look back at him but addressed him.
"Would you like me to stay with you?"
"For what?"
The Sforza youth stopped outside a set of white double doors with elaborate, baroque designs on the wood and placed his hand on the handle. "For meeting the head of the household."
|Infleci|
"You're weird." she blinked, before going back to his previous question. "..and why would I go and turn you in?" Caeca wasn't really comprehending the fact the boy was just another mouth for other furs as much as he was a pointless waste of life to humans. However, Caeca's naivety wasn't so beneath her for her to not have some sense of the sort... she just did not have any at the given moment.
|Gallia|
Ari groaned, "Oh, in the name of the winds... do you humans ever think? No, of course not."
Ale shrugged, turning toward the large double doors. "Not the stealthiest way out, but I suppose with that rusty barrel you call armor, maybe that's for the best." He then turned to Tobias and Kieran, looking at the wounded deer. "We're going to need to get him to a doctor quickly. Hey rust-bucket, care to lend a hand? You know... the gentle kind that doesn't crush everything it touches?" He then noticed the small boy clinging to the older rabbit. Something seemed wrong about the boy, almost like there was something else there, aside from the boy himself. However, shaking away the notion, he turned back to Arc, and without warning, picked the boy up and sat him on his shoulder. "Well, let's get this over with."
____________________________________________________________________________
Volke nodded, not wanting to face this alone, and Rudolf had seemed to be the closest thing he had to a friend right now. He would trust him. They entered the grand hall, in the midst of some large banquet or another. People talked and danced to the songs of minstrels and bards, while others drank and conversed merrily. It was a way of life that Volke resented, but in some ways, envied. He had never seen such balls or celebrations in Venetzia, and almost wished that he might have been born a Sforza nobleman. However, the thought was shaken from his head as soon as he looked down at the unconscious hare. If he had been born a nobleman, he might not have met her, and maybe she wouldn't have gotten into this situation. His mind was a jumble of regrets and determination, all spiraling around the one key figure that was Sheryl Invidia.
At the end of the hall, sitting upon a jeweled throne was a thin man with short grey hair, He was reading a book titled, "The Strangler in the Deeps", and old story about a god that had been trapped beneath the ocean and its hunger to return to the surface and devour the souls of the living. He only lowered the tome when the three were upon the steps up to his throne. He stared at them with a fox-faced grin. "Why, hello there. I trust your visit to the Auditore Primarch was... informative?" he said before glancing in the direction of the two former Auditore soldiers, "You bring me gifts. How considerate, my boy."
___________________________________________________________________________
The first of the assassins produced a hidden blade from his sleeve, jabbing it toward an open slot in the arm of Sicarius' armor. However, the god king side stepped and slashed into the cloaked figure's outstretched arm, not severing it, but causing a fair bit of damage. The man backed off, receiving a strong kick to his stomach.
The other attacker noted the bow, moving in closer to take advantage, but found wood colliding with his face unexpectedly.
_____________________________________________________________________________
"I do have something in the back. Let me go get that for you." And with that, he stood up and left the room, wandering into the back of the tavern. He rummaged about in the back until he found a dusty old bottle. Looking at it, he shrugged and returned to his seat, along with another glass. "I don't know what it's called, old boy, but it's sure to wash your troubles away. At least for a time." He poured two glasses of the browned liquid and pushed one toward the fox, taking a sip from his own.
Aurelia found her convictions again and moved of her own volition, hurrying down the narrow passage. Ari's words had brought her back to reality.
"Go, go, go!"
She shuttled down the passage as fast as she could, surpassing Taltae and grabbing the door handle at the end. She pushed it open and was greeted by a fresh breeze on her face. She hurried out onto the battlements of the city, only stopping when exhaustion finally caught up with her.
Hector looked down at Ale and then at Toby and Kieran. "Uh, and where are we taking them? There probably isn't a doctor around here for miles."
"Then we're travelling miles. What's it to you?"
"Something tells me you're not going to be working quite as hard as me at this," Hector muttered. He eyed Toby and said, "I guess I'm carrying you."
Even as the rabbit opened his mouth, Hector lifted him, slung him over his shoulder like a blanket, and looked at Ale. "Any debts I may have been in with you are gonna be considered repaid now."
"Whatever, tin can. Where would you even be without me?"
"Not in this situation, that's certain. What about him?" Hector said, pointing at Robert.
"He can find his own doctor. Let's go."
In the interests of expediency, Rudolf gestured to his travelling companions and said, "Two former soldiers from the Auditore Primarch's army, specifically. They defected because...ah, but where are my manners? This is not my story to tell. Suffice to say that Venetzia is all that one might have expected it to be. At your leisure, we may discuss the details in less jocular surroundings, but for now, I should permit the soldier here to recount his tale."
With that, Rudolf turned his head to face Volke and gave him a look of encouragement. Volke felt more than a bit out of place in this luxury palace, holding Sheryl's yielding form. The head of the Sforza family gave Volke his undivided attention and was clearly waiting. He could not find the words.
"It began with a daring flight from Venetzia, a man and the...ahem, maiden he loves, saving her from a grim fate at the hands - and other parts - of Fredrick Auditore," Rudolf offered by way of an introduction. "Take it away, old boy."
OOC: Just letting you know I'm not dead! I'm a bit behind as I stand! I'll be back shortly though!^^
OOC: Vacation + crap + deaths + more deaths = I'm still here... just barely. Also ponies.
The rabbit sneered and suddenly swung his legs down and broke loose from the man. He landed with the thud upright on flat feet, shaking off a twinge of pain from his arm hitting the soldier's shoulder armor. He took in a breath slowly watching Joey carefully as he spoke, "Not to seem ungrateful, sir, but Kieran is the one with the injured leg... among other things. I can still move under my own power." He gave the fox another glare seeing him with the squirrel, but this glare wasn't the same as before. There wasn't vengeance this time, in fact he looked almost sad.
Hector blinked a few times and shrugged, scooping up Kieran and flopping the complaining cervine on his shoulder muttering, "One less thing to carry."
Arccy snickered and clung to the fox's shoulder, "Looks like my team about got wiped, maybe we need to level up some more."
IC:
"...Yeah well...Yerweirdtoo." As if the retort really would mean anything. There was an awkward silence. "And...uh...well...nobody really ever really wants me around. And uh...I DIDkindastealthatbread..." However, if she had been going to turn him in, she would have probably done so by now. The coati emerged from the closet. "Not that I couldn't get away. Nobody can catch me for long!" He was boasting again, he realized, but, frankly, he didn't really care.
TBC
Ale slid within the double doors of the keep. The immediate area was empty, which was odd, but the sounds of rushed foot steps were audible in the distance. "What in the blazes is going on with these morons?" inquired the fox, "This is the first time I've EVER seen such a sloppy guard detail." He shook his head and continued through the shadows with the over excited squirrel atop his head, prodding him every so often.
____________________________________________________________________________
Volke looked at Rudolf nervously, fumbling with his words. "Yes... Um... We have fled from... Venetzia? Sheryl and I did... You highness?"
The Sforza nobleman's eye opened slightly at the name. "As in Sheryl Invidia? Rudolf, my boy, you have been busy." he said, grinning at the young man, "But where are my manners? You and you friend are welcome here for the time being. In fact," He continued with a sly grin, staring at Rudolf, making the boy almost uncomfortable. "Why don't you stay in Ruddie's quarters. He seems to have taken a shine to you, after all, and he's all to far short of friends."
Volke looked back at the somewhat shocked and perplexed expression, then back to the Sforza leader. "You're all to kind, your highness, but I do not wish to impose."
"That is a discussion best had with the one who brought you here, is it not?" stated the man, lifting his book up once more, "And just for the record, you may call me King Bradley Sforza. Although, I suppose you would know me better as the Crystal Librarian. A rather prudish title, I must admit, but seemingly fitting."
______________________________________________________________________
The streets of Infleci were crammed with people in the ever active markets of the town. People from various parts of the world gathered to buy and sell ware. One man in particular, seemed to just be ambling about, dressed in a turban under the scorching hot sun. Others looked at him, seeing the turban as a strange article of clothing, not unheard of on some of the furs that wandered the plains, but on a human in the middle of a town like Infleci, it was more than a little odd.
His clothes were also out of contest in the somewhat clay-built town. However, all of this attention was wasted on him, as he didn't even acknowledge it. He was far to focused on a stall bearing cooking meats. His stomach growled as he stared in awe. "Hey, buddy... You going to buy something?" questioned the stall keeper impatiently. The man snapped to attention, scratching the stubble on his chin before looking once more at the freshly cooked food. He reached into one of his sleeves and produced a small bag. It was empty, containing nothing more than a small ball of lint. The man's gut rumbled once more, nearly causing him to cry.
"If I had to guess why, it's because this general they've got is no disciplinarian. It's a wonder they took Gallia at all with such sloppy command," Hector said, looking down briefly at Robert before chugging toward the keep. "Alright, upstairs we go, after the idiots pass by."
Ale purposefully stopped and let Hector take the lead. It never occurred to the Medichi nobleman that this was an insult. He simply ascended the stairs slowly, peeking around corners to ensure that no Auditore detail was awaiting them. Satisfied, he began briskly walking up the corridor that Aurelia, Alexis, Ari, and Taltae had passed through on their way to the exit only just moments ago.
Rudolf looked the other way when Bradley made his suggestion. The degree of his generosity did not conventionally extend that far, even for people whom he liked, and those were far and few in between as it stood. Nevertheless, it would have been impertinent to object then and there. Rudolf beckoned a servant over and commanded, "Have a spare bed brought up to my room at once to accommodate our guest."
"Rudy, my boy, I know it has not escaped your notice that we have, in fact, two guests," Bradley said, almost chiding the youth. Rudolph blanched.
"Perish the thought that I should keep a furry creature of the inferior sex in my chambers," he said, attempting to appear bewildered.
"And yet without question, you brought them here. Just as surely, I expect you shall find a place for her as well."
"Of course," Rudolf answered. He bowed and then looked to Volke, saying quietly, "Come."
Volke, still trying to stay abreast of events, did a half-bow and shuffled hastily after Rudolf. "Um, Ambassador..."
"There's hardly any need for the formalities. I am not acting in any diplomatic capacity right now."
"Oh, um, right. Rudy..."
"We'll also have none of these familiarities. Rudolf will suffice."
"Yes, right...Rudolf, I'm sorry if I'm being a burden to you. You don't have to keep me as a lodger."
"My...liege sees fit to have things done otherwise." Volke thought it strange that Rudolf, obviously a Sforza like Bradley, would not refer to him by the nature of his blood relation and instead by his political authority.
"However, Sheryl will have to find somewhere else to go. She may stay among the servants."
"The servants?"
"I hear no complaints from her on the matter," Rudolf commented tersely.
Volke looked down at Sheryl, only to look up when Rudolf stopped outside a door. The Sforza youth folded his arms and gave the soldier an inquiring look. "So then, old boy, whither do you go hence? The road to many opportunities has been opened to you. Have you come up with a plan for you, or for her?"
As Aurelia regained her composure and made for the exit Alexis followed, always just a pace behind, to serve as rear-guard and keep at bay any soldiers who might try to follow them. She was relieved that Aurelia had chosen to run away from, rather than towards, the danger. Although Hector might be close by and searching for Aurelia within the castle, Hector was also- when it came down to it- a trained and experienced soldier who could take care of himself in a fight. Moreover, Alexis reasoned, he had specifically sent others into the castle ahead of him and even Hector would realise that, with events having gone as they had, those others would attempt to release Aurelia and make a strategic withdrawal before doing so became impossible. That being the case, Hector would probably see fit to do the same thing soon enough.
As Aurelia paused, fatigue catching up to her, Alexis came alongside her. "We have to keep going," she said in Artimia's voice, "we need to get out of Gallia before we can rest. Just a little further and we'll be safe". Aurelia looked back at her, exertion written in her features. "I can't keep running forever," she said, "and I have my baby to think about too". Alexis kept Artimia's reassuring smile in place whilst inwardly she gritted her teeth. Aurelia had a point. She could offer the noblewoman a shoulder to lean on and half-carry her, but that would compromise Alexis's own ability to fight and leave Aurelia with only one arm to hold her baby with if she leaned on Alexis. Out of the question if she was going to have to run any distance. Alexis sighed to herself. There was another option, but she wasn't fond of it and Aurelia would probably like it even less. She had to suggest it though. "If you need a hand ma'am," she said respectfully, "You can lean on me while one of us carries your child. I know it isn't satisfactory," she added hastily as she saw the expression that crossed Aurelia's face, "but we need you to be able to move and we need your child to be secure while you do. And I don't know how secure your child is going to be if you're leaning on me and holding him with only one arm".
Castellum Del Gallia:
Ale moved into the castle, stepping past the honorary statue of Hector, scoffing to himself at the exaggerated proportions. The others followed close behind, the man himself clunking about raucously. With every step the nobleman took, the fox had to choke down a flinch. There were more rushed footsteps from further within the keep, leading the assassin to believe that the others had possibly been caught and were fighting off what consisted of the current guard.
Sure enough, once he reached the top of the stairs, there stood four archers, aiming at something far down the corridor. They hadn't yet noticed the group sneaking up behind them. With a silent movement, Ale dropped a sickle and chain from inside one of his sleeves and began to swing it slowly, building up momentum. The jingle of the chain caught the attention of one of the guards, but by then it was far to late. The sickle dug into the man's head and flung him into his fellows, before The full mass of the nobleman slammed into them with his axe. Two of them were cleft in twain, the axe cutting into the gut of another, and the last screaming as his ribs gave way from the sheer weight of it.
It was then that the six guards who had previously been stationed at the gate were now aware of the newcomers. Hector raised his weapon, on the verge of charging in. However, Ale grabbed his shoulder and pushed him back. "Let me show you how it's done, tin man." The fox lifted his arm up, pointing forth the hand that bore the bracelet that Magnus had worn. "Oh, mighty Mana! Send forth the flames of destruction!" A small ember formed at the tip of his fingers before launching out and using the stone corridor as a funnel. The soldiers could have sworn they saw a fanged face appear within the flames before they were swept away and turned to ash. The fox lowered his hand and grinned back at the nobleman, significantly proud of himself. However, the signs of fatigue were obvious on his face. He looked older somehow. But the way was clear.
"You seem to have quite the flare for the dramatic, seeing as Daemonis Cyrstallini do not require verbal keys." stated Hector with a scoff.
"Yeah? Well you try doing something like that and not feel great afterword." shrugged the fox with a grin, "Anyway, let's get out of here."
_______________________________________________________________
Castellum Del Ocinius:
The words struck him like a war-hammer to the head. It was obvious to him what he needed to do in order to keep her from ending her own life, while keeping her safe from Fredrick. "I... I must kill Fredrick Auditore and place Sheryl upon the throne." he stated with a heavy heart. This response was met with a raised eyebrow from the Sforza ambassador.
"And just how do you plan to do that, old boy?" questioned Rudolf with a cold level tone. In his mind, he was already developing schemes for a way to use this knowledge to his advantage.
"I'll do what every soldier does best, sir. I'll go to war." Volke's voice was no longer the shaky, unsure tone that it had once been. The whether seemed to punctuate his determination as a lightning bolt arced from the sky as a storm began to roll in.
Aurelia considered her options and then shook her head. "Keep going. We're almost there."
Alexis accepted the answer. It probably was for the best to continue without one burdening the other. Very soon, Aurelia and Alexis were the last to emerge into the sunlight atop the city walls. A slight breeze was a welcome change from the narrow, indeed nearly claustrophobic, passageway. Ari and Taltae were awaiting them, with the former looking around cautiously. Scattered pockets of Auditore soldiers were patrolling the streets.
"I don't see the big guy from before," Taltae said, mostly concerned about Meiran.
"You're right. This isn't a safe place for us to be," Ari concluded. "We must move."
"To where?" Aurelia asked, surprised by the idea.
"Somewhere that is out of their sight," Ari said matter-of-factly. Alexis took a quick look back, seeing no signs of imminent pursuit. Much as she wished to see Hector, she knew that Ari was right; it was too dangerous to remain in plain view in Gallia.
"There are stairs to the street level in that tower?" Ari asked, looking at Aurelia and pointing to a nearby tower built into the wall. Aurelia nodded. Without further discussion, Ari headed to the tower, followed by the others. When the four had emerged on the street, their gateway was open, thanks in no small part to the previous night's combat: a sizable portion of the wall had been knocked down to its very foundation near the gate. Ari took a look around to ensure that there were no soldiers in the vicinity, and then hopped dexterously over the rubble and into the fields beyond Gallia.
Aurelia took a look back as she emerged into the open field.
Rudolf smiled sweetly at Volke's naivete. Only in a backward society like the Auditore culture could one entertain the notion of the strongest coming to power. It was a very unrefined manner of thinking, and one that took for granted the obvious flaw in logic that those who already were in charge also already were the strongest. No one would ever accuse an Auditore of being the smartest man in the room, certainly.
"Ah, of course," the Sforza youth said slowly. "The renegade lieutenant versus the entirety of the Auditore war machine. You will go down in history as having an enduring love about which bards will eternally sing, but that is predicated on you going down. One man does not make a difference, particularly a dead man."
Volke lowered his head. "I shall have to find resources...there must be people who would be willing to see Fredrick ousted and Sheryl take his place. People who are on the inside but don't like the orders they're getting."
Rudolf pushed open the door. "You're thinking too byzantine, old boy. If it is allies you seek, look no further than the bounteous generosity of the Kingdom of Sforza."
"You mean King Bradley would do that for me?" Volke asked before looking inside the room. Rudolf's bedchamber was massive. A huge four-post bed with a canopy dominated one side of the room. On the other side, a table had sets of papers laid out in an orderly fashion. A tapestry of the crimson Sforza emblem hung on the wall above this table. A tray of crystallised fruits sat near the door. A couch was on the far end of the room. On the far wall above the couch, a long parchment extended for almost the full length of the wall. Volke squinted and observed it was a family tree of the Sforza line.
"Did you make that?" he asked.
"Yes; genealogy is a hobby of mine," Rudolf answered. Volke continued to marvel at the luxury in which Rudolf clearly lived. A huge mirror hung on the near wall, opposite the fruit tray. Strangely enough, the only window in the room was a narrow slit in the wall near the bed. Volke's eyes found themselves drawn back to the Sforza family tree. The composition was obviously done with a very meticulous mind. As he scanned the length of the tree, though, the lieutenant noticed something missing toward the end; someone was not a part of the tree.
"I don't see your name here, Rudolf..."
"The way out is through here," Hector said, pulling open the secret passage leading to the city walls.
"Great. I thought we'd never get out of this place," Ale responded, ducking into the passageway and running, albeit more slowly than usual, for the exit. Hector brought up the rear once Arc, Toby, and Joseph had entered, and closed the passage entrance. The nobleman wondered aloud, "Where did you get that Demon Crystal from?"
"It was...a parting gift from someone," Ale answered, aiming to be as opaque as possible. Hector did not immediately respond. Arc was now peppering Ale with questions about the properties of the crystal, curious about its powers. Most of the squirrel's questions defied Hector's understanding entirely, and so he poked Kieran in the leg.
"How are you holding up, Smiley?"
Kieran only moaned in response, wanting to get off this merry-go-round called life.
"Good. What about you, hare?"
Toby, still limping ahead, looked over his shoulder and gave Hector a slightly puzzled look. "As well as one might expect, given the circumstances."
"You don't seem like the sort who belongs in this kingdom. Perhaps you drifted through a vortex gate?"
This gave Toby something to consider. "A vortex gate? I wouldn't call it that."
"Artefacts come into our world through vortex gates. Their origin is something I know little of, but it is enough to say that holes in existence are floating about, and foreign things pass through. More of them have been popping up. Some doomsayers like to think this omen brings the nearing end," Hector said, smiling wryly.
"Pack of morons, the lot of 'em," Ale harrumphed from ahead.
Toby looked at Joey, who twitched. Hector was taken aback when Joey asked, "What are the artefacts?"
There was something all too disconcerting about those eyes of his. Hector called, "You want to answer him, fox boy?"
"Later," Ale said with a grunt, heaving open the door at the end of the passageway. "Right now, we're getting outta this dump."
OOC: Ah, good, good. I was waiting to move from Gallia before making another post. Now that we've done so I can begin work on retooling my character some! Expect a post maybe this week (gotta get some school work done first)!
(OOC: Still here...still have writer's block/waiting for Mike)
OOC: If everyone is still for keeping this going, I can try adding a post to get things moving again ^_^
OOC: Yeah, I was mainly waiting for someone else to post. Anything would help.
OOC: I got nothing... I could do softcore *muzzled*
(OOC: I still have nothing. May have to pull out of this for now. (Not giving up on it completely, but...I was finding it hard to keep up with it))
OOC: Let's see if what I've come up with can get things moving again, hopefully this post will give someone something to go on!
IC: As she emerged into the open fields through the partially-demolished wall of Gallia, Alexis stayed close to Aurelia. Now that they had helped her and her infant son escape, it would be bad luck indeed to have something happen to them. Besides, even if she was wearing Artimia's shape at present, Alexis was still kin to Aurelia and Hector and they were some of the few family members she had that she would willingly risk her life for. Or for that matter, some of the few who would willingly do the same for her. In light of that, Alexis was determined to do everything within her power to insure that Aurelia and her son stayed alive. Where Hector was concerned she had few worries- what those she was with had accomplished (mostly) by speed and stealth, Hector could- and very probably would- manage by brute force, fighting skill and beligerent refusal to surrender to anyone. Despite the night they had been through, there was little doubt in Alexis's mind that she would see Hector again soon.
That thought however, brought another one to mind: When Hector rejoined them that would spell the end of the present strange alliance she was part of. What would happen then? She guessed that Hector would probably take his wife and child to somewhere safe and perhaps at the same time send word to the rest of the Medichi family about the fall of Gallia. Ale, she knew, intended to set out towards the old Royal Capital. In all probablility she would head that way too- the mystery of Artimia and her employers needed looking into. If Taltae was willing to come she would be glad of his company- he knew she was a Shifter and, better yet, as a well-travelled individual he'd probably have a pretty good idea what roads to take and which to avoid. Revealing the truth of her identity to Ale was something she was reluctant to do- but she knew that was partly because she had inherited some of Artimia's feelings towards him and partly the general reluctance any Shifter would feel about revealing their nature to another. But if Ale were to know the truth- know that she wasn't his mark from the previous evening- then he would probably wish her no harm. As a Wisp he had probably worked with Shifters before, and would treat her as a fellow-Wisp and a co-worker. Probably. If Taltae wished to take his leave, she would wish him well wherever his travels took him.
Alexis smiled one of Artimia's charming smiles as a thought came to her. Before the party split up and went their separate ways, she had a bottle of liquor to buy for Taltae. After all, unless anything suddenly went wrong just now, they'd made it alive out of Gallia for the second time- and she'd promised him a bottle of something once that was achieved. Alexis risked another quick glance back to Gallia, hoping that Hector wouldn't be too long in escaping...
