Chevaleresse

Justine slipped her mask off and set it down by the table, gently. She had to admit, she had her own misgivings. Her gut impulse at this point was to oppose Orchid, of course, but times like this demanded a rational consideration. She yearned to help Stella, to embrace the beautiful dream that they both seemed to ultimately share. The idea of near-openly allying with a royal family, even one of the fairest, seemed contrary to their purpose. And, there was no guarantee that this plan would actually work. Lizaveta spoke, and it sparked an idea in her. "Scarlet, those same tyrants rule by fear. But. . . who would fear a king who cannot even guard a single jewel from a band of thieves? Even if the thoughts of bringing the gods back to Purgus are flights of romantic fancy, it would hurt their legitimacy. This could be the sort of quest we need to really start making a difference."

Isobel's look quickly turned into a foray into the water to recover the errant projectile, which turned out to be a woman in a maid's uniform. She had silver hair, and clinked faintly when she was finally returned to shore, probably because of the sheer number of knives she had on her person. "That's right! I don't know what's gotten into you, but don't ever come back here again if that's how you're going to act towards Lady Remilia all of a sudden! And you, I don't know how you got in here, but you're leaving, now." A woman with a long red braid and a green outfit somehow straddling the line between traditional feminine and military dress had exited the mansion the normal way, walking towards the gates with a brisk stride. Being dragged behind her was a very confused-looking girl that had been stuffed into another maid uniform, this one fitted much more poorly and - somehow - stretched overtop of her original outfit. "That's weird. I thought the maid was supposed to be the tough one, and it was the guard's job to keep things looking pretty." Chen leaned towards the maid curiously. The woman seemed to be regaining consciousness - or hadn't been knocked out at all, it was hard to tell - as she coughed, and began to sit up. The gates creaked as one side opened up, and the other maid(?) was firmly placed outside them. The guard slipped out after her, pushing the gates back shut and moving towards one side. "I don't know why you guys are out here, but Remilia isn't really accepting visitors right now. Plus, some of you are human, and the Scarlet Devil Mansion isn't exactly the best place for most humans. Especially ones that go crazy and try to 'hunt' the lady of the mansion." She gave a pointed look to the silver-haired woman. "So you should probably clear out." She frowned for a moment. "Wait, are you Outsiders?"

Scarlet heals Zoe Walker.

Kusuke shrugged. "If it comes to it, I can just send them back. The distortions might interfere with it, but it shouldn't be too much of an issue." He stepped towards the exit, trying to brace himself and focus on his own internal sense of time before stepping out into the tumult that was this strange world. After a brief moment to adjust to it again, he moved up to the skinnier of the two men. "Would you mind coming with me for a sec? I want to ask you some questions in here. Nothing bad, but I think it might help us find Godot."

"I just wanted to see what was in your little fairy hut. Though there's no fairies around." Gwyn dropped down for a moment, helping the mage gather her books up. "I don't think I've seen any of them lately, it's like they're hiding. But I'm sure they'll turn up! I have fun stuff to tell them."

"Oppenheimer had a human prisoner kept in this room," Rhian responded curtly, ignoring the dragon's defensiveness. "Can you let us in, or am I kicking this door down?" Her glance back at the stranger let her see Chin's continuing discomfort. There wasn't much she was capable of doing about the emotional aspect of it, seething as she was, but there was something else that could be addressed. "Would also help if you could get this girl something to wear other than the rags that bastard gave her." She sounded somewhat calmer, at least for the moment, talking about helping her out.

"And you're a blubbering mess because some asshole Wing Commander might be hurt?" Rhian lashed out irritably. "Get it together," she said, as if she hadn't already begun to lose control of her own emotions. "We still have a mission to finish, you can cry afterwards." She stalked toward Kerr for a few steps before realizing she still had to wait for their guide. "Where is this room at? I want to get this over with already."

"There's nothing wrong with preferring tea ceremonies and flower gardens to blood and death." Perhaps somewhat incongruously, the girl was slowly falling into sword forms, slowly flowing from one to another. She was restless herself, even if she was reprimanding the other youkai for his own. "The ultimate aim of martial arts is not having to use them."

Justine was quiet once more for a few moments, considering what she could say. It evaded the rather more grounded question of how she could eat with her mask still on. They were still trying to maintain cover, after all, even if she felt guilty for continuing to conceal her face at a time like this. "Queen Stella. . . " she began slowly, still not quite certain of how to address the woman. "There is no shame in grief, and no need to justify it besides. Even if the marriage was arranged, it is only natural to be sad at the breaking of a union meant to be eternal. There is opportunity to rebuild a new happiness in the void it leaves, but it is only human to weep for what stood there once, no matter how flawed."

"They're fine. Except for the one named Grayson, that bastard Oppenheimer decided he was sick of him, apparently. The rest left with Hati, far as I know." She frowned for a moment. Had they just left Chin behind? "Looked ragged to me, but alive. And annoying, in some cases." That scholar had been far too chippy for his own good; it was a miracle he was alive after being around someone like the General for that long.

Rhian continued to try to breathe, to not take the emotions that swelled up out on the person in front of her. It had nothing to do with her, and the girl had certainly suffered enough already. Not to mention that Ceridwen was already having some kind of panic attack for some reason; could she really not get it together for one moment? What did she care, anyway, it's not like she had any reason to be any more concerned about this commander than anyone else. Unless. . . A memory came to mind, of the conversation just before Johanna had introduced herself and the Guard's mission. "One of the Dragon Knights' greatest blacksmiths!" "What's your name?" she asked, somewhat abruptly. "It's getting weird just calling you 'bird girl' in my head." Focus on her first. Get her safe and secured (and in such a way that she wouldn't hurt anyone else,) then find the prisoner. If he was alive, then an extra five minutes wouldn't kill him. If he was dead, it wouldn't matter.

Gwyn ambled about the castle grounds for a bit. They weren't sure what to make of the whole Lancelot situation, though Rosanne's explanation made a certain amount of sense. Gwyn, despite not really knowing the man well, missed Arthur alongside the the actual Round Table, but she also couldn't imagine hurting people just because he was upset. Fortunately, a small curiosity offered itself as a distraction. Blodeuyn's little hut was a little like what a fairy house might look like, and Gwyn's small stature meant they had no issues fitting inside. He slipped in without making any noise - not particularly intentionally - which brought her right into Blodeuyn's path, nearly colliding with the mage. "Hi!"

"Hopefully not. Big powerful youkai like that are no good for business." Yoriie was concerned, and that made Megumi concerned. "And so are crop failures." She eyed Kietasenshi for a moment. The sword wasn't quite sure how she felt about the ghostly warrior. One would think the two would make a perfect pair, but the other youkai was far too bloodthirsty for her tastes. "Maybe some forest witch messed up a curse. Or got one right, I suppose."

Rhian's fists clenched hard enough that the creak of the leather in her gauntlets was audible. A wing commander with a fatherly look, getting on in age, with hair that looked like hers. She forced herself back for a moment, trying to focus on the girl in front of her. There was a weird toxic birdperson that needed her help, needed out of this godawful dungeon. She took a deep breath, exhaling through her teeth. It might not be him, and whoever it was might not even be here. "Where is he?" Rhian said, the sudden note of hostility in her voice seemingly surprising even her. She took another short breath in an attempt to calm herself. "You can tell us more on the way out," she continued, trying to force the anger out of her voice. "You don't need to be in this place for a minute longer." Almost thankfully, the unsteadiness of the girl as she stood struck Rhian. "Will you be able to walk?" It wasn't him. It couldn't be him. If it was. . . Rhian wasn't sure if she could control herself.

"Get you patched up and fed, hopefully." Poor thing had been down here for who knew how long, not to mention whatever that bastard had put her through before that point. "After that. . . I don't know. I'm just a soldier. Maybe we'll catch up with the rest of the laguz." She eyed the bird woman for a moment. "Is there any way to deal with that poison? Not everyone outside is walking around in a steel can and I don't want anyone to keel over dead because you tripped or some shit."

"It's a vulnerary. There's a medicinal powder inside, either swallow it or put it on a wound." She tried to ignore Ceridwen vomiting behind her; if she paid it too much mind, Rhian would be joining her. Unfortunately, the next step still required that she turn around. "Give me that for a sec." She reached out and took the newly acquired halberd for a second, hefting it in a grip that seemed at least vaguely familiar. She turned back to face the laguz and aimed it for a moment. "Hold still." She struck at the place where the chains were mounted to the wall, aiming to break the girl free from her bindings.

"By the Runes. . . "The place was somehow more horrible than she had imagined. She barely avoided retching; it was one thing to smell death in the heat of battle, but the reek of old corpses and filth striking in a wave was something else entirely. She almost thanked the powers that be for the woman's voice sounding from the back of the dungeon. "We're not with that bastard Oppenheimer. You might be happy to hear that what remains of his face is decorating the throne room floor right now." She moved closer, slowly but deliberately, checking the key ring for one that matched the manacles on the laguz. "Ceridwen, she needs a healer as soon as possible. Especially judging by the rest of the occupants here." Rhian fished in her pouch for her own vulnerary, and held it out to the woman. "I'm assuming human medicine works on. . . animal people, I guess." She wasn't that familiar with them. She'd heard the rumors, of course, but that had been a long time ago, and she hadn't been in much of a position to pay them a lot of heed at the time.

Rhian jumped just enough to be noticeable on figuring out what was in the vials. Nasty stuff, that, and it can't have been easy to procure. Why the hell did a Calissian general have something like this? Where had he heard of it, and who on earth would be willing to cultivate the stuff? Her nose wrinkled further on discovery of the remains of some poor bastard that had run afoul of the stuff - or, as was more likely judging by where he was found, deliberately exposed to the stuff. It was almost a pity Oppenheimer was dead; death alone didn't seem to be enough punishment for someone willing to do something like this. "Captain Levenheit, there are more spores back here. We should probably lock this up until we can dispose of 'em." She gestured toward Ceridwen as she began to walk out of the room. "I'm checking the dungeons." She didn't wait for Ceridwen to start moving, but she didn't exactly try to outpace the dragon knight, either.

Rhian searched the room alongside Ceridwen, though she wasn't as keen on the idea as the dragon knight seemed to be. "Logical place to start would be the dungeons," she commented, sounding more distracted than anything else. She didn't slow down her search despite the comment; while she believed the man would have gone for the simple route after his clear refusal to accept the idea that he might be defeated, it was also just like someone like Oppenheimer to squirrel the prisoner away in some damp passage, to be produced on demand with dramatic flair. "Let's head there next," she added after pausing and sniffing the air. Couldn't be too careful when flesh-eating spores were in the mix.

Justine, for once, was quiet, pacing back and forth. This was normally a time where she would find pen and paper, but for now she had no place to write and feel secure in doing so. Part of her yearned to go to Stella and comfort her, but it might be. . . untoward. She felt guilty about what had gone through her head after hearing that her king was dead. It was indecent, to even briefly think of it as an opportunity. Lost in thoughts as she was, it took a moment to process that Reiko had asked a question. "..huh? Oh. I'm not certain. Phoenix will have a plan, I'm sure." She considered the question for a moment. "We are trying to prevent outright war. The first thing to do would be to find out Gul's motivations for this, but the second would be to watch for the vultures. The scavengers that will benefit should conflict break out. The true blame may lie with them."

Rhian slowly stood up with a coughing fit after her immediately threatening injuries were tended to. After she pushed herself up to her feet, she spat a wad of bloody spittle onto Oppenheimer's corpse before turning her attention to Johanna - and Ceridwen. "I'll help." She was sure that Ceridwen wasn't too keen on her presence, but quite frankly she didn't care. "I promise not to hurt anyone too badly." She was telling the truth; a small part of her motivation was ensuring that Naomi didn't get put on interrogation duty. Rhian wouldn't put it past the girl to fry anyone who gave her the wrong answers.

Chen hopped up into the air, beginning to drift over the lake and towards the gates. The air was damp, the mist cool but not quite cold. The air remained thick with fairies, but unlike earlier they seemed to be more concerned with going about their business, whatever business fairies had, rather than slowing the party down. Aside from one moment where a fairy thought it might be amusing to try and nick a canister of Dust from Rory - which fairly quickly ended as both fairy and a small portion of the substance within went up in a puff of flame as the magically-charged being made contact with the stuff - the trip over was uneventful. Chen landed on the far shore, guiding the party back to the ground and then towards the gate. "I still don't see her. Lady Ran said that she should-" "JAAAAOOOOOOOOO!" "Oh." The gate guard was not immediately apparent, but a loud crash followed the warcry, and following the crash was a streak of gray exiting one of the walls at high speed. Said streak of gray sailed into the lake with a rather anticlimactic "ploop," before something of a darker color landed on the ground before the party at a slightly more leisurely pace, accompanied by a knife or three that all landed point-down nearby. The nature of the object was quickly made apparent; it looked quite similar to the artifact they'd confiscated from Marisa, but with an extra portion that made it look like it might sit on someone's head. "Lady Yukari said that the seal from earlier should be easy to duplicate once the first one was cast." She launched into another overly-technical explanation of thankfully much shorter duration in Walmond's direction.

"Then you'll die a moron." I5, pray to Critzalcoatl and shoot Milich

"I can tell you one thing, Oppenheimer: you're not going to die quickly." I9

"Sakuya's is Remilia's servant. Kind of like me, except not as cool." The party broke out onto an actual path through the forest after a moment, while Chen continued to speak. "She says she's human, but Lady Ran says she talks about humans like she isn't one, and Lady Yukari just smiles." It wasn't long before the path split; a worn signpost in Japanese indicated that going back along the road they were currently on would take them right back to Muenzuka. Going right would take them to a place just labeled "Village" in an archaic form of Japanese, while the other sign appeared to have been scratched out at some point, with a vague indicator that the area was dangerous in place of the proper name of the place. Chen, of course, lead the party along the left path, either not knowing or not caring about the warnings. "She does this thing where she's all like, 'WRYYYYYYY-" Chen leapt forward ahead of the party, doing an odd pose with her torso bent backward, her knees bent, and her hands clawed upward, before nearly falling over backwards and righting herself. "-and then a bunch of knives and stuff appear all over the place." The air was beginning to get a bit cooler as they progressed further along the road, and the nature of the haze seemed to change; it got a bit lighter, and was a decidedly less unsettling mix of colors. The reason for this was made apparent as the trees seemed to suddenly open up, revealing what Chen informed them was the aptly-named "Misty Lake." Fairies flitted about the lake, concentrated around the edge but spread across the entire thing. The path continued around the lake, but appeared fairly overgrown except for where it wrapped around the structure occupying the opposite side: a large, old, and foreboding-looking mansion that rose up out of vine-laden brick walls surrounding it. An equally aged, but still sturdy-looking wrought iron gate allowed passage into the property. "Huh, I wonder where the gate guard is?"