Fire Emblem On Forums: Mortal Transgressions (IC)

[Aurorix]

Baldur felt kinda... bad watching Liz trying to help. She definitely needs to gain some strength and stop being cooped up all the time Once he closed the door his grip from the dancer ceased. He wasn't at all surprised by everyone's reactions but he knew what he was getting into when he did that. He didn't seemed fazed either when the blade was pointed at his throat.  "First of all Justine, your actions not only put yourself at risk but EVERYONE in virtuous. Just opening the door without second thought is not only reckless but also asking for a blade in the gut. Second, Kane I wouldn't have to this if you just stopped her in the first place. Third, you do realize that we are the enemy to most governing bodies right? If you knew that a queen was waiting outside the door why in the hell would you open it? I fully expect with most rulers of the world they bring an army with them as well. What we should be doing is figuring out why in the hell she's here and whether or not everyone's in danger BEFORE we start charging outside. I don't care what any of you think of me. As long as no one ends up dead right now I'm alright with any outcome." He groans. She did say she was the queen of Ceda. In her defense she's probably one of the best rulers the wandering onto their door step. His glare looks towards Crimson, "Crimson, since you did bring them I have but one question for you. I just want a short 'Yes' or 'No', would you trust that woman with your life?"

[Twinwolf]

Cecily took a deeeep breath. In, and out, in, out. Don't punch the asshole. Don't punch the asshole. For the first time, he actually had a point, but she wasn't about to take his side when he was such a colossal shit about it. So she just put on her mask - she kept it on her person most times. There are more pressing concerns.

 

"Deciding to just ignore me. Classy. That's not going to stop me - we are going to have a chat after this." She was making an effort to keep her composure; she had quite a bit of self control, but Baldur was straining it significantly. 

[Chevaleresse]

"Listen to yourself. That is Stella, Queen of Ceda, one of the kindest and most compassionate people in Purgus - foreign concepts to you, I know. She appears on a doorstep bereft of all her royal entourage but a single guard, knowing who we are but not bringing the hammer of justice down upon us. What hostile motive could she possibly have, what bizarre scheme lands her at our doorstep like this?" She huffed, waving her sword about in a manner that might've seemed threatening if viewed from afar; a theatrical flourish, if an angry-looking one. "If she meant us harm, we would have awoken to fire and steel, not answered a knock at the door." 

[Shauntaro]

"Hm..?"

 

Shin was about to move his half made guitar back to his room when he heard a loud commotion coming from the front door area. It wasn't long until he realized that people were arguing about there potentially being intruders or an army of sorts coming for the base. Shin hastily ran up to his room, dons his "pile of leaves" mask and wrapped himself up in his green cape before silently sneaking out the back door to see if the situation really was as dire as they feared.

 

Edited June 5, 2019 by Shauntaro

[Aurorix]

"You're missing the point here Justine. What if she was planning on us letting our guard down before she attacked. Your hasty actions could have led to you opening the door and then immediately being attacked." The Butler said taking his mask from underneath his jacket and putting it on.  "What I'm trying to get through your thick skull is to at least THINK before you act. Not everyone are as they seem and some are quite okay with shoving a dagger in your back. Having unwavering trust in someone like that is only going to get you killed someday. Even if she is the Queen of Ceda, never let your guard down."

[ElfCollaborator]

 

"As much as I hate to admit it, he's got a point. I don't like this whole situation. I don't know all the facts and I've been blindsided today too many times; maybe she's not the Queen, maybe she's got an ambush or maybe she's got a whole load of other things ready to bite us in the backside the moment we look away. As it is, I'm debating taking my stuff and getting out of here. Justine, normally I'm inclined to trust you but....I think there's something more going on here and I'm not sure I can trust your judgement here, You neither, Baldur and Lizaveta. Especially you, Baldur; you're not our boss and getting yourself into more hot water isn't going to help you or us."

She turns to Kane.

 

"Your call. Are we trusting the Queen of Ceda?

[rokubiraijuu]

Ferdiad had had the serendipitous misfortune to have been in the very back room of the kitchen when the knock on the door came. He had heard it, and alarm had flashed through him for a moment, but seeing that Kane had gotten up to answer it, he had returned, worried, to his task of washing the pots and dishes used for breakfast, hoping that Kane would manage whoever had arrived well enough and would sound an alarm if he could not.

 

There was no alarm, so Ferdiad assumed that all would be well, though a knot in his stomach remained. He missed the voices at the door, separated from them by more space and walls than the others. In fact, as all the commotion is going on up front — the tension, the wariness, the infighting — he is wiping down the modest counters before hanging the washcloth up to dry. Only then does he emerge and make his way to join everyone else; seeing as the dining space is almost wholly empty now, it must be quite something. Amused, he wonders if a traveling circus had c—

7 hours ago, ElfCollaborator said:

 

"Your call. Are we trusting the Queen of Ceda?

The earlier knot in his stomach returns, this time at full force, and the smile he'd been wearing vanishes as he approaches the others, looking from one to another as his expression turns to distress, his face pale.

 

"The... Queen of Ceda?" His voice sounds small even to his own ears. Is that who's at the door? A sudden wave of nausea hits him, a brew of potent emotions he can't begin to try and decipher. "Is... is that...?"

[RedMageCole]

Kane looks almost like he's about to blurt out 'the WHAT?' in response to Justine out of alarm, but manages to cool himself down and begin thinking. As Arthur still kept his forehead firmly planted on the wall, Kane still thought to himself amidst all of the chaos; there were a couple of tiny droplets of sweat on his forehead, but he managed to remain calm throughout all of this... until Baldur called him out, causing him to open one eye that looked not happy.

 

"Don't push it, Baldur."

 

In response to Baldur, Arthur just muttered an annoyed 'yes'. Kane, after his small outburst, went back to thinking to himself.

 

In the meantime, Simeon was just staring rather dumbfounded at the whole thing, wondering if this was the kind of thing that happened on a daily basis. Mim's comment, however, made him give a chuckle.

 

"Well, that's certainly one thing to worry about... ye sure it's not big enough? Alright, next time I'll see what I can do, I can't be the one to judge yer limits after all."

 

As Shin goes through the back, he'll find... absolutely nothing, save for the horses and Myrdwyn.

 

Kane takes a deep breath and opens his eyes, clearly done with thinking. He takes a short glance at Ferdiad in a brief moment of interest, then looks to everyone else.

 

"Alright, quiet down, everyone. Dragon, you and I can both talk with Orchid later, I'd rather you not do it alone. As for my opinion... we really don't have a choice if that is Queen Stella; if we displease her, she is fully allowed to barge in when she likes with a full army with no consequences to her actions, we are a criminal team, after all. Everyone, masks on and get ready to use codenames. To you who haven't found your masks yet, now's the time to go digging and be quick about it. We'll be entering negotiations and we don't want to anger her, even if that task is difficult... one more thing; Queen Stella clearly does not want to make herself known yet, she is wearing desert garb but she's making sure her face is covered, so no comments about that. Minstrel, that goes for you; tone down the flirting just a little bit for now... don't keep it entirely off though; charm might be a key in getting out of this safely as long as you use it sparingly."

 

A short knock on the door. Kane sighs, grabs his phoenix wing-like mask and slips it on and goes to the door, looking over at everyone, mouthing 'masks on' as he looks to the door and speaks up.

 

"Give us a minute, please. We'll be out shortly."

 

The voices ring out again.

 

"Okay..."

"Very well, but no funny business!"

[Shauntaro]

Through the back door there was no sign of any impending army, there was no sign of an ambush or danger. Well, none that he could see anyway. Before he had any potential chance to be seen he quickly returns into the base and rejoins the rest.


"..I-I took a look from behind the base and there.. doesn't seem to be any one else aside from those two.."

He then briefly turns to Kane.


"Phoenix, I don't see any sign of ambush from the back of the base o-or anywhere else, ..as a heads up."

[rokubiraijuu]

His head is spinning. He only hears half of Kane's instructions. Masks...? Mask. Codenames... He's bad at remembering those, so he'll just stay quiet during the negotiation. It's probably for the best, in case his voice gives him away. He feels a sickening tightness in the pit of his stomach that he recognizes; it's like when he's extremely concerned for someone's well-being, but worse. As though it's hard for him to breathe, and dizziness is closing in on his skull.

 

As Kane calls through the door, he hears her voice muffled through the wood. Weary, gentle... it's her. There's no one else that sounds like her. He feels like it's the middle of a battlefield, but there's no enemies to fight and there's nowhere for him to run. Shin's arrival and report goes unnoticed. Behind the metallic visage of his mask, Ferdiad feels his own breath, shallow and hot with dread.

[RedMageCole]

Kane gives a nod to Shin.

 

"Very good, Ficus... alright everyone, be on your guard. If you feel diplomacy isn't your strong suit, don't feel like you have to talk, but for now, everyone stay here."

 

After eyeballing everyone and making sure everyone has their masks, Kane turns the doorknob and opens up. The two people are still standing there.

 

"...Excuse me for the wait... please come in. But know that we won't put up with any funny business either."

 

"Of course, of course. You have my honor as a knight; it is just the two of us, and nothing more."

 

The man enters, but the woman stays completely still.

 

"...zzz..."

 

Her snoring is very soft and quiet, but apparent. The man sighs, gently shaking the woman awake. Without another word between them besides a slight gasp from the woman, the two head inside. Kane closes the door behind them. Almost immediately, the woman finds the nearest couch, and sits down in it.

 

"...Can... I take this off now, Sir Albert...? It's kind of hot..."

 

Albert looks quite shocked.

 

"Shh! Don't just throw out our names like that! Urgh... Just please, let me speak!"

 

The woman doesn't respond. She seems preoccupied with getting cozy on the couch. Arthur, at this point, has gotten off the wall and looked to Albert.

 

"...I told Stella not to follow me."

 

Kane looks at Arthur once more, this time with some confusion. Albert clears his throat.

 

"Yes, well, Queen Stella was worried about you and wanted to see more of Virtuous. Don't worry, she hasn't done anything rash, she has just sent the two of us, messengers from her court. You see... Queen Stella of Ceda has come to ask for an explanation of who you all exactly are. Now, I personally believe you are all criminals, but Queen Stella believes otherwise, so I'd like you all to try to convince me you aren't. Your actions have been rather questionable, yet... Queen Stella has noticed you don't seem to do anything harmful to Ceda. What exactly is your gain here?"

[rokubiraijuu]

Opening the door, hearing the sound of that soft snoring coming from the woman standing there, Ferdiad's throat tightens up. He never meant to hear that again; he was never meant to hear that again. And as she passes by, she's completely unaware. He watches her sit down on the couch, fighting the urge to arrange the pillows about her, to ask her what flavor of tea she would like. It's not his place anymore, he has to remind himself.

 

He remains in the back of the group, staying silent. Arms folded behind his back — a habit he still can't fight. How does Arthur know Her Majesty? He had guessed, from his speech, his clothing, his bearing, that he was a nobleman of some kind, but of what kind to so concern the queen that she would come to see Virtuous on his behalf?

 

Hearing a knight of Ceda condemn them as criminals pierces his chest like a dagger, but he remains still and quiet, trying not to draw any attention to himself.

[Chevaleresse]

Justine smiled beneath her mask - one put on with reluctance - at the question. That infernal butler might not actually ruin her chance, after all. 

 

"I'm glad you asked. Some, yes, call us criminals, thieves, brigands or even murderers. And it's true; some of our activities might not be strictly within the established law and order of the land. Denying this would only be the most baldfaced of deceptions, and it pains my heart to conceal any more than I absolutely must before Your Grace. I assure you, though, we are no common bandits, preying on the innocent to grow fat off of the labor of others. Nay, we are the furthest thing from it.  We stand for the downtrodden, those tread upon by those placed above them, by the grim times that have befallen us all. We seek nothing more than to prevent the seven kingdoms from being consumed by the fires of war, to punish the evil and save the innocent, and to create a world in which all can live in peace and prosperity."

[RedMageCole]

Halfway through the speech, it seemed that the woman dozed off for a little while, but still seemed to be listening... somehow. Kane gave a little smirk to Justine, as Albert mulled over Justine's words.

 

"Hmmgh... Yes, I cannot deny that Queen Stella does share the same ideals, if that's the case... you're the leader, then?"

 

"That'd be me, but Minstrel is one of our most eloquent talkers, and indeed encompassed all of our core values. We do not abide by the law, yes. But at the same time, there are some things that have to be done going against the norm for the greater good. Recently, we broke into a prison for the sake of freeing the prisoners within; all death row prisoners who were falsely imprisoned. One of which-"

 

"-was Arthur, right...? He told me the whole story..."

 

Albert gave a quick sigh as he looked back to Queen Stella, before looking back to the group.

 

"Yes, my queen, you did hear the whole story, that's-"

 

...

 

An awkward pause as Albert seems to realize what isn't right in the room. He looks back to Queen Stella, currently sitting on the Virtuous couch having replaced the hooded woman, moving to try to block the group's view of her and clears his throat pretty loudly. Arthur gives a small groan and goes back to resting his forehead on the wall.

 

"..."

 

Albert clears his throat really loudly and makes a gesture as if pulling up a hood.

 

"...Oh... Oh, right."

 

As if she didn't just realize what she did, Queen Stella slowly puts her hood back up.

 

"There we go..."

 

Albert sighs deeply and puts a hand on his face.

[Zetaark]

Fey had remained mostly silent after all the recent happenings, and was watching the whole ordeal take place. Though, when the matter of this Queen Stella and her failed disguise came up, she couldn't help but make a comment.

 

"Yeah, maybe its just me, but I think at this point any pretense of hiding identities one way or another has just gone up in smoke."

[ElfCollaborator]

Lenore, her face now concealed by a featureless, white, porcelain mask after Kane's order to mask up, simply stares between Albert, the Queen and the others.

A smirk is very concealed behind her mask, however.

 

"So. What is it you want with our group? Shall we get it over with so your....companion....can rest?"

[RedMageCole]

Albert looks nervously to all of you.

 

"Urgh... I can't believe this! All this work we put in, and it gets completely blown! Let it be known that I still do not trust any of you! So do not dare to touch the Queen, or you'll all taste my sword!"

 

Albert draws his sword, and Stella yawns from behind him.

 

"...Albert... you do know... they have Arthur with them, right...?"

 

Arthur looks at Albert with mild annoyance, and in response, he quietly sheathes his sword without a word.

 

"V-very well! Why don't... you do the talking then, my queen?"

 

Another yawn as Stella sits up a little bit more (but not nearly enough to call her 'sitting up'), giving a little smile to everyone.

 

"Of course... you see, I've been wanting peace among Purgus... it's upsetting seeing all of these kingdoms in turmoil while my own does... not the best admittedly, but I'd like to think it's doing well... but as of late, I... I had a realization. A realization of a way that... we can figure out what's going on. Why the world fell so far from its roots so long ago, when everyone prospered and peace among the kingdoms was solidified... but it's dangerous, and something I can't do..."

 

"...If... if you're all interested... I'd like to bring you to my castle. I'll make sure you're all protected, and I'll keep you all a secret, so nobody knows of your location or an alliance. That... would be bad for both of us, I realize... and I know it's... probably a little dangerous trusting you all..." Albert scoffs. "...but you saved Arthur... you saved Arthur, and Arthur was the calmest and sweetest he's ever been in forever, fawning over Snowbird and Minstrel and talking about Orchi-"

 

"Stella!" Arthur says in a tone not unlike someone addressing their embarrassing mother in front of all of their friends.

 

"It's true, though... you were so much happier than you were living at the castle-"

 

"-town! The castle town, yes, I did live an unhappy life near the castle, but-"

 

"...why would a prince live in a town...? Did Ruslan mistreat you that much?"

 

...

 

An awkward pause.

 

 

 

 

 

"Fuck."

 

Stella gives a small, sleepy giggle.

[Zetaark]

Fey couldn't help but giggle upon hearing Stella's description of Crimson before raising an eye as the statement continues. And though he tries to get her to stop, she naturally says a bit too much, which is enough to tip Fey off a bit. But before dealing with that matter, there was something she had to ask. 

 

"Hey...Albert was it? Does this sort of thing happen a lot?" she asks, gesturing to the current state of affairs.

[RedMageCole]

Albert looks to Fey, a bit off-put by being addressed directly, but regardless leaning in to whisper, making sure Stella was too busy preoccupied with giggling at Arthur's sudden swearing.

 

"Er... Of course, don't tell her I said it, but... y-yes, admittedly it does happen a bit... er, but she does know how to keep a secret! Did the young Prince Arthur not tell you that he was the prince of Ria?... Well, no, I kind of understand why... he was on the run, and King Ruslan never posted his name or pictures... but he didn't tell her to keep his identity secret, he wasn't expecting us..."

[Zetaark]

"Given that he never outright said anything to the group, and given his reaction now, I'm guessing that he wasn't expecting her to drop that bomb out of the blue like this," Fey whispers back. "And don't worry, your words stay with me." 

[rokubiraijuu]

Seeing the hood come off, Ferdiad averts his eyes, turning his head slightly so he's not looking at the rest of the crowd. The sense of unease grows, mixed with a cocktail of elation at seeing Queen Stella still doing well and even bittersweet amusement. The strength of the emotion makes the backs of his eyes burn, and he's thankful, for once, for the mask. All that, however, dissipates in a rapid rise of panic when Stella offers to invite them all to her castle.

 

For only a moment, he deliberates what to do, then decides that he can't simply go along with this without coming a little bit clean about the reality of the situation. Taking just a step forward, still trying to keep attention off himself, he gently nudges Kane, leaning close to whisper for only him to hear.

 

"Phoenix... may I... speak with you? Privately, please. It's urgent."

 

He makes to move toward the kitchen and the back of the house where they'll be out of earshot.

[RedMageCole]

"Very good, very good... Of course I mean nothing in bad faith, just sometimes it gets a bit exhausting, that's all..."

 

Kane looks... rather surprised at Arthur being the prince, but decides to keep quiet about it as he notices Ferdiad's request. Kane gives him a nod.

 

"Of course... Excuse me for a moment, Queen Stella, I will be deliberating your offer, but feel free to hear out the opinions of my teammates."

 

As Kane moved to the kitchen, he passed by Justine, giving her a small pat on the shoulder and a whisper.

 

"Keep her occupied and talking, will you?"

 

He moved to the kitchen to Ferdiad, his expression growing a bit concerned.

 

"Is everything alright?" Kane speaks with his voice down.

[ElfCollaborator]

Lenore lifts an eyebrow behind her mask. Her eyes are on Arthur.

She figured it'd be something like that. Hiding his identity, barely any intel on him, trying to keep distant from everyone else; Lenore figured he was either a noble on the run or a con like her trying to hide his identity from prying eyes, and there was no way he was a con. At least, a good one. She just hadn't pegged him as a literal prince.

 

".....you know, for an organisation that really wants to take on the nobility, we seem to have an awful lot of them here. Maybe you're not alone in wanting a change in the system, milady."

[Zetaark]

"No I get it. You can care about people and still find them exhausting in some way. But since you're sticking in there, it just shows that you care. Though honestly this was the last group I was expecting to come by but life is weird sometimes," Fey remarks with an amused shrug.

[rokubiraijuu]

Ferdiad doesn't immediately answer, but the look on his face says it all. The Queen of Ceda in their foyer, a prince of Ria as one of their members. Ferdiad hardly knows what to think, and his expression reflects the distress. He's pale, and can't seem to stop shifting and fidgeting now that he's out of public sight.

 

"I must be honest with you before you make a final decision on Her Majesty's offer. I'm afraid I can't go with you all if you choose to accept. The castle grounds, even the crown city — I cannot step foot there." His tone is gentle but evidently tense, almost shaking with anxiety. "It is within your right to accept regardless, and this may in fact be an excellent opportunity for Virtuous, but I cannot accompany you."