Fire Emblem On The Forums: Ashes (IC)

[Zetaark]

"Oh? I wasn't aware you were able to appraise things as well. That makes some things convenient," Ecquis says, taking the gauntlet back, looking it over. "It's possible that it could be useful to the group in some way, but I am curious as to how much it's worth. Follow me, if we're lucky, an old friend of mine should be around," Ecquis remarks with a grin as he takes Cherry through the marketplace. Eventually, they come across a shop named "Anna Clara-ly The Best Choice".

 

"She actually kept the name the same. I guess it's convenient for me but still. No matter," Ecquis shrugs as he takes Cherry into the shop.

 

"Anna! Are you around?"

[Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~]

"I know righ'? My magic is super goo' for all kindsa stuff! Praise me more!" 

 

As the two enter the shop, a man comes out to greet them. "Hello, hello! Welcome to Anna Clara-ly the Best Choice!" He is wearing a red robe decorated with blue frills on the tips. In fact, the whole shop is covered with red and blue, giving it a bit of a tacky vibe. However, the things on sale looked anything but bad: form appetising fruits to well crafted wooden compartments everything seemed well made and/or appetising. "Anna isn't here right now, she will be busy all day in preparation for tomorrow's party. How can I help you?"

[Chevaleresse]

"Of course. Though, Terrin, shouldn't you know how to conduct yourself here already?" She wasn't entirely convinced she needed etiquette lessons, but meeting the man sounded interesting, so the girl didn't raise an issue. "Unless the rules have somehow changed from when you were here last." She idly wondered what their dueling customs were. Hopefully the variety that wasn't restricted to melee combat; she could defend herself with a knife, but not to the level that she would be confident in fighting a trained swordsman or similar.

[Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~]

"Well Terrin, Feri and I were going to the library now to study just that. How about we both go our own ways, and meet again tomorrow?"

[Marcello]

"Sounds like a plan, between us we might just not offend an entire nation." The mage said with confidence, before heading out, no doubt with the archer in tow, and walking along a winding street. "It's true I know how to handle myself day to day, and indeed even in important situations but... It's been a while. And I was hardly that well liked when I did live here, so I think a refersher is best, don't you? We don't get a second chance at this, after all." He mused to Hoshiko.

[Zetaark]

"Good to see that this place still has its unique theme I suppose," Ecquis muses before replying to the man. "Ah, I came here hoping that she could look over something for me. We're old friends and I figured she could give it a good look to see it's worth."

[Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~]

"Well, she isn't around but if you want I can take a look at it. She trusts me with the store, so I'm sure she would trust me with this!"

[Zetaark]

"I suppose," Ecquis remarks, showing the gauntlet to the man. "You wouldn't happen to know where she's gone to prepare would you? If not, then when she comes back let her know that Ecquis came by to see her."

[Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~]

"She went to her sister's mansion, won't be back until later tonight but I'll be sure to pass her the message." Gently, the man takes the gauntlet from Ecquis and places it on the table. He shuffled through his drawer until he finds what he is looking for: a tiny little telescopic piece that he holds to his eye. "Let's see here." He inspects the gauntlet thoroughly, every once in a while giving a soft hmmm. As he passes over from the individual fingers and on to back of the gauntlet itself his face changes to one of surprise. "It... It couldn't be... Give me a second." He leaves for a moment and comes back with a large tome. He flips quickly through the pages, each one with portraits of different people. He finally arrives at one and he gasps. The page at which he stops has a picture of a dark skinned woman violet eyes and black hair, clad in golden armor, all too familiar to Ecquis. After all this is the perfect image of the ghost he saw in the desert.  "It is. IT IS! This is a historical find, this gauntlet belong to Hania, Royal Guard of the Prophet! Where did you find this?" 

[Zetaark]

"I came across it in the desert before we got here," Ecquis said, neglecting to mention the details of why they were in the desert or the ghost that appeared to him, which was apparently this Hania person. "Could you tell me more about Hania by any chance?"

[Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~]

"Of course, I am not sure how much you know about Caelum history so let me give you the basics of it." He flipped back a few pages on the tome to show the picture of a purple haired man, with red eyes and wearing a crown. "Long ago, when the whole continent was still ruled by the Kingdom of Dragao, surged a great prophet. Wise, beautiful and strong he rose up in what is today Natarjah speaking of his vision: the Goddess had told him the truth. That it was okay for a man to lay with a man, and for a woman to lay with a woman. That it was okay for marriage to be between more than one person, that politics should be decided by elected people, and not by lineage and family alone. This did not sit well with the Queen of Dragao at the time, and she declared him a traitor. But the Prophet had many followers and soon they wanted independence. She rode to Natarjah herself, on wyvern back with thousands of troops. But they never go through the city, and died to a desert plague. Not a single arrow had to be shot from a Caelum bow. The Queen's heir met with the Prophet and together they declared Caelum and independent nation, even if many other of Dragao's Kings would later on come to contest this." 

 

"Ya know mister you aren' a very good storytelle'. I'm fallin' asleep over here."

 

The store clerk held back a cough and cleared his throat. "What was I saying. Well, the original prophet had a man as a husband and a woman as a wife. This is how we go our model for Sol and Lua, based on his original marriage. However, it is widely known that he had several lovers. The most famous of which was Hania, one of his sworn knights. One day Natarjah was attacked by a great demon, destroying walls that hadn't fallen even to Dragao weaponry. The Prophet prayed to the Goddess for an answer and she bestowed upon him three golden weapons. With these weapons he went out to fight the demon, alone. He sealed the demon deep under the city where it supposedly is still chained. After the fight, Hania left her post to find her lover. She'd spend days, weeks, months out in the desert. People would go out to try and bring her back but she would refuse. Neither the Prophet nor Hania came back from the desert. The discovery of her gauntlet belongs in a museum." The man thought for a second, counting numbers on his fingers. "I'll give you 2000. No, 2,500 golden pieces for this."

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Hmmm, tough crowd. Guess l'll go all on my lonesome then. l'll have a party of my own. No l won't. l hate parties. The warrior thought to herself. She was certainly not feeling up to a party. She wanted some time to herself or at least, herself and a few folks she was more familiar with. However she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder.


She jolted, almost crying out however she managed to keep quiet. She quickly figured out who it was by the voice. She felt a shiver down her spine as the fiery mage whispered in her ear. She... wasn't sure why. The experience made her heart race ever so slightly, her pulse quicken. lt was exciting. 

"Well good ta know l'll have myself some company, thought l was gonna be on my own there for a bit." Meredith tried to keep as quiet as she could. She wasn't really much good at this kinda thing though. Or, perhaps she was. ln battle loud and proud was the name of the game. But, outside of it, she never was quite sure how to conduct herself. She felt like she did not oft speak for leisure. She honestly wasn't really that familiar with the folks of her unit, she never made time to talk to them. She only really had talked at any length to Serene, the newest member of this ragtag band of misfits. She confided in her things the others had no idea about. ln part she was relieved she'd not have to explain her scars and burns to any one on this trip of hers. That'd make the relaxing a lot harder.

 

"Well, then, let's not wait around here then~ Relaxation awaits."

*** ((just gonna skip dere)) ***

Meredith didn't wait around, quickly diving into the warm water. She'd been waiting for this ever since that bloody sandstorm. All her aches were about to melt away. She sank in, letting all of the water envelope her, a warm like no other. She felt at home in the water. "Ahhhh, that hits the spot.~ Come on in Firecracker, the water's fine~"

[Chevaleresse]

"The Goddess will keep us on the right path, I'm sure of it. Although I can't expect her to do all the work." She thought for a moment about Terrin's statement. "Why don't they like you anyway? Were they intimidated by one who was touched so by the Goddess herself?" . . . She sounded dead serious. Hoshiko idly wondered why the man hadn't taken a religious name, but figured that she was about to get some sort of explanation for it.

[Zetaark]

"Hmm, that's quite the knowledge. I'll keep it in mind, but I'll hold onto it for a little longer before I make a final decision," Ecquis remarks. Perhaps the item could be put to use in other ways that could prove more beneficial. For now though, he was content to consider all options before making a final decision.

[Marcello]

"Ah right, that..." Terrin mused, before furrowing his brow a bit. "I didn't used to be very nice." The mage responded, simply. "I have a very large family, most of whom are a lot older than me and I couldn't relate with. There is one particular sister- one of my oldest -who I really always fought with. I always had... disagreements with some of the officials involved in the church, and that same sister ended up becoming one such official and rising through the ranks. Lots of people don't take kindly to those who question priests and templars, especially some bratty rich kid with an attitude problem. And then there's the fact I always tried to stand up for my little brother..." Terrin just sighed as he recounted things, before shrugging. "I forge my own path, and it's a different path to what many would perhaps like." He finished, smiling a bit at the archer.

[Chevaleresse]

Hoshiko nodded, looking forward for a moment. "I can understand that. I. . . can't say I forge my own path, because I have let the Goddess guide it. But not everyone believes in that, or me. On my way to join the Children, I had more than one priest chase me out of a temple, calling me a heretic or a madwoman. The priests aren't always right, and some of them stray from the paths the Goddess sets before them." She briefly wondered what the priest traveling with them thought. She'd have to make an effort to talk to Mayanna later. "People like me are here for when they go too far," Hoshiko said, somewhat threateningly, before she changed to a somewhat less intimidating topic. "What's your brother like, then, if you were attacked for standing up for him?"

[Marcello]

"He was... different. Didn't care about anyone or anything. Not even himself, really. Just a hunger, a dark hunger for knowledge. And a twisted enjoyment and excitement surrounding death. He was the youngest of all 23 of us. As the second youngest, I wanted to be there for him, be a friend. I understood what it was like to be shunned." Terrin just frowned a bit. "He went down a very dark path, though. Nothing satisfied his hunger for knowledge. But he was brilliant, truly brilliant. One day we found a dead wyvern. He weaved his dark magicks together and brought it back from the dead. Then stole a Silver Axe from his father- A woodsman who had recieved the axe as a gift our mother -and flew away. I loathe to think where he is now. Best case scenario is he works with bandits, and worst case is something far darker..."  He sighed, before looking down at the ground, realising he'd really dampened the mood even more.

[Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~]

"Ecquis two thousan' five hundre' gold is like.... Five thousand loafsa bread! More than tha' are you sure you are gonna turn this down?" 

[Aurorix]

"Excuse me, Mayanna was is? I was hoping you could answer a couple of questions for me." Mercer spoke walking up to the blue haired cleric.  "Back when I found you and everyone else within the sandstorm you were eerily quick to raise the notion of my death. I know my introduction may not have been the most... tactful, but even so, jumping so far as to instantly place me as an enemy seems a bit rash don't you think? I was hoping you could answer what pushed you to do so?"

[Sutoratosu]

 

The cleric turned from her current station, seeming to have almost been in....conversation with someone? As to who or what she'd been doing, simply standing there however, was anyone's guess, as she looked Mercer up and down. Finally though, she answered...

"We had spent the past few weeks trying to evade encounters with the Dragao army whenever we can, and we'd already gotten into several messes with enemy commanders hounding us at checkpoints." the priest said, voice rather bluntly "With how you came up to us, with your axe brandished and your cryptic little riddles regarding whether we'd like to die right then and there and have our corpses left to be swallowed by the desert storms, well.... just what was I to think you were, good sir? Besides an opportunistic bandit, or some agent of the king sent to personally pursue us?"

"Given how you chose to.... introduce yourself, I suppose I couldn't help but let a bit of my enmity for that Cloudbreaker Whore we'd just gotten done with bleed onto you. In all honesty however, even if that commander had been from any other house, with how things were set up, I was fully expecting you to try something, and had no intention of letting you do it. In that moment, as far as I could see it, it was your life or potentially that of one of my companions... and the decision was no contest for me; we had already put down more than a few rabid dogs who attacked us, just within that very hour... one more would have made no difference."

"Buuuuuut..." she sighed "You did hold true to your word and got us to the city safely... so in hindsight, perhaps I do owe you an apology now. I am sorry that the circumstances you found us in twisted our first meeting to potentially....ugly ends, and that I called for you death under the incorrect inference that you bore us ill will. Please understand, my job in this party may be to heal, but I prefer to prevent my companions wounds altogether whenever possible... and the easiest way to do that is often to bring attention to 'would-be' threats they haven't spotted yet, before said threats stop being merely 'would-be'. You however, obviously turned out to not be one of those...so again, I am sorry, Mercer."

[Zetaark]

"I didn't say I was turning it down. All I said was that I would think about the offer," Ecquis remarks before moving closer and whispering something to Cherry's ear so the shopkeeper wouldn't hear. "Also keep in mind what this thing is. An item like this could prove useful to us down the line. Alternatively, suppose that this was presented to one of the museums here directly, or perhaps even to the senators as a gift at tomorrow's meeting. Imagine their reaction to having a national relic presented to them, and imagine what they might be willing to do for it? Understand?'

[Aurorix]

"There is no need to apologize. It is as you said, the circumstances of our meeting would have anyone be on guard." Mercer responded thinking back to his reaction after getting a clear view of Meredith. At first he couldn't make her out that well through the dusty storm, but once he came closer he noticed her blood soaked armor. Needless to say first impressions on both sides weren't the greatest.  "I'm more impressed as to how you pushed the army to set up check points on your way over here. Just what did you all do to gather their attention like that? Forgive me for saying, but all of you don't really seem to pose much of a threat. You are all able fighters I'm not questioning that, but I doubt a group of your size poses that much threat to a whole kingdom. Maybe if these talks you came here for go well, then sure you got the backing of the Caelum army. However, you all must have done something to get their attention beforehand."

[Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~]

"Oooooooooh! I getcha. Tha's smar'!"  She grinned. "You're like a genius sometimes!" 

[Sutoratosu]

Maya paused, for a few moments, thinking over the question. Before long however, she finally responds with

"Well, going so far as to say we caused checkpoints to be established is a bit much I think- we probably just... agitated the ones already in place as a result of the war. As you say, our group is small enough that on the surface, we post little threat, nowhere near large or imposing enough at this moment to warrant devoting entire battalions to be moved from their postings for the sole reason of checking every travelling band.

She chuckled, ever so slightly, "Though truth be told, we.... may have killed a few previous checkpoint commanders who tried to stop us, and a few other officers of high prestige on our way over here... so that also may have rustled a few feathers. I certainly wouldn't put it past that pig of king or his harlot holy woman of a bride to start getting frustrated and specifically installing chokes along major roads simply to spite us. But as you say, if things go well here, and we get the support we need, such actions would be entirely warranted. But... by then, it could well be the beginning of 'too little, too late' for the king..."

[Zetaark]

"That's how this business works," Ecquis whispers before thanking the shopkeeper and leaving with the gauntlet safely secured. Seeing that Clara was elsewhere at the moment, Ecquis thought a bit about how he wanted to spend his time. "So Cherry, now that's done, is there anything you planned on doing?"