Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

[Termite]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

That frown from Ria spoke plenty on how she felt, and Alex knew they all needed to talk about her brother's request. But that would come later. And in private. Considering both Akorvick's position and his reputation within Ochre Alex didn't want to spread any rumors or gossip that would hurt his image.

When it came time to leave the small sign of affection from Aes was accepted, but the lack of any further teasing had the dragoness lingering a little longer than usual. The extra bit of playfulness had become such a part of their relationship that Alex usually expected at least something from her lover every time they met and parted. To go unmolested was a rarity, and when Aes chose to be a bit more serious it usually left Alex wondering why. Was she disappointed? Was she hoping to see the dragon turn that oh so interesting shade of red once again? Or did she simply accept that Alex wasn't in that sort of mood?

Whatever the reason Alex still made her goodbyes, and soon enough she was off to search for Roko. Following the innkeeper's instructions led her through the town, and she found that most of the homes were somewhat simple compared to what she'd come to know back in the Hidden Village. They weren't entirely unfamiliar, her time with her family and as a mercenary had brought her to other little towns that looked exactly like this, and as she walked she started recalling her past. The trials she faced when she set out on her own, her struggle to find somebody to teach her how to fight, the battles she fought against bandits and orcs and the mercs who tried to crush the Legion, it all brought her back to that point where she met Roko and found him somewhat... well, insulting. Heh. Never would have guessed I'd end up sleeping with him, anyway. It was a strange time, peaceful in its chaos, relaxing as she trained to exhaustion almost every single day, and it kept her distracted until she finally found the plot of land she'd been looking for.

The house itself was typical Crolian fair, thick wood with a heavy shutter to keep the winter out and the heat within, and though everyone had a garden this one was tended with care. A bounty of fruits and veggies lay waiting, not quite ready to be picked just yet, give it a day or two, and the herbs held not only the usual seasons that Alex had come to know but also a number of medicines that would prove useful to any and everyone. A few more plants lay at strategic positions, a couple of flowers the dragon had eventually learned would keep some of the more annoying pests at bay, and those that weren't bothered by flowers would then face the woman that came from just around the corner.

At first sight the woman looked like the typical Crolian housewife, the rough dress she wore showing some bit of personal flair as she tended to her garden, and when Alex spotted the bronze ring her guess was confirmed. It made her wonder if Roko had actually settled down and taken a wife, but after giving it some thought Alex decided that if he had then it most likely wouldn't be this woman. She had the look of someone who'd had a number of children, and even if Roko was as randy as ever not even he would have sired that many.

Any further thoughts were interrupted when the gardener finally noticed her guest, and as she gradually worked her way from happy and humming to shocked and awed Alex gave her a preemptive bow. It wasn't anything grand, mostly a nod of the head followed by a slight bend of the waist, but it should hopefully put the woman at some ease. When she finally found her voice and asked her question Alex answered with a bit of quiet respect to show she meant absolutely no harm. "Yes, ma'am. I'm looking for a man named Roko. I was told he lived here. Is he in?"

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

Spoiler

Alexandra Alistar: HP = 80, PP = 64, EP = 88, Status = Fine

The woman looked relieved briefly, but then a slight smirk cross her features as Alex revealed what she was here for. "Hah, I shoulda known with you so armed!" she said with a brief bark of laughter, "though, I've never seen one so... Grand as you coming to visit him. That bonehead Dan sent yah didn't he? I'll have to go and talk to him again, he keeps giving people lookin' fer that Roko my address by mistake. He's at nineteen, not seventeen! A messenger carrying his severance pay tried to foist his money on me not even a week ago, and even if I wouldn't mind the coin I'm not about to take a soldier's pay from 'im, 'specially when he's a neighbor." She looked Alex up and down twice, a curious and slightly impish smile on her face, before she spoke in a motherly tone; "I'd be careful 'round him if I were you. Not that you don't look like you can take care of yourself, that Roko's been a bit of a scandal at times!"

The house that she spoke of was right nearby, in plain sight. The garden there was much smaller, but seemed made entirely of herbs. The house itself was also built mostly of stone with an oak door and two windows with wooden shutters, and there was a bit of smoke billowing up from the chimney.

 

[Termite]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

For a moment Alex felt like scowling, but she held it in simply because she didn't want the woman getting all sorts of nervous once more. Instead she crossed her arms over her chest, and when she was told about Roko's severance and the rather lazy messenger she merely shook her head and wondered if maybe she needed to have a word with Dan. An armored dragon should have more of an impact, right?

But that wasn't the end of it, and the lady gave Alex a once over before giving a slightly coy look and a friendly warning about her scandalous neighbor. At that the dragoness could only let out a laugh, and she did before shifting her weight and balancing on one leg to let her hip jut out just a tiny bit. "He used to be my commander, so I know all about his wily ways. But thank you for the warning." At that she bowed once again, her head dipping a little lower this time while a coy little smile remained on her lips, and unless the woman had anything more to add Alex would take her leave.

It would only take a few steps to make it to Roko's place. The stone house looked a little out of place amid against the mostly wood or composite homes that were built, but given the winter climate and stone's ability to retain a fair amount of heat it would help cut the need for firewood to stay warm. And if it was built properly it would stand for quite some time. Alex just wondered if Roko managed to have a stonemason build the thing for him. If he did then he was a little better off than she would have guessed given how long he'd gone missing.

But Will's warning started to whisper in the back of her mind, and as Alex approached she lost the smile she'd been wearing. Unless he revealed himself she would eventually make it to his door, and there she tapped a finger against her crossed arms. The fact that she didn't know what to expect left her hesitating, and once she realized she let out an annoying huff before straightening herself and raising her knuckles. She paused for another half-second, but then she simply gave a single solemn knock. Even if her expectations could never take shape the memory of the past was still strong, that single knock was an exact replica of the one she gave before he welcomed her into his quarters those many years ago. She barely recognized it herself, and as she waited she wondered if he would.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

Spoiler

Alexandra Alistar: HP = 80, PP = 64, EP = 88, Status = Fine

After Alex's response to her warning, it was the woman's turn to laugh, and she did so with a hearty bark like one who took their humor when and where they could get it. "Hah! I shoulda figured, someone like you. Well, good travels stranger!" she said, and with as that as a goodbye she gave a slight curtsy in return for Alex's bow and made to return to her business.

It wouldn't take long for Alex to reach Roko's door, but when she paused in front of it after no one came forth to meet her the wait before she could see the man she had come here to find would stretch. Her sharp ears detected movement within, the soft shuffling with the occasional scrape of someone moving about in no great hurry. Those sounds ended when she finally gave that single, solemn knock, the insides of the small stone house going silent for a moment before a voice that had changed with time but was still all too familiar called; "Just a moment!"

The sounds within moved with haste now, but the dragging scrapes would grow more pronounced as the figure within approached the oaken door, and several audible clunks would sound before whoever was within finally reached the door. They too hesitated for a moment before the copper handle began to spin, and with a soft gasp and a subtle creak the door was pulled open, and Commander Roko stood before her. He had to look up at her still, and for an instant it was clear that he didn't recognize her, but unlike Alex's brother recognition dawned far more quickly on the face of the man who had introduced Alex to intimacy. The scarred face.

Roko had been maimed. The angry white lines on his face, wounds long healed but still leaving their mark upon his features, were a minor thing, easy to overlook. But the ones who had captured him had taken more than a measure of his good looks. The sleeve of his right arm, his sword arm, was neatly rolled up to the elbow, and nothing extended beneath it. What was more, he stood with a noticeable lean now, his body tilted slightly away from his right leg, and with the way that the knee of it was bent it was clear that they had made sure that Roko wouldn't ever walk properly again in addition to taking his ability to hold a sword and shield at the same time. That damaged leg had, over time, forced his back to bend slightly for balance, and the once proud and broad shouldered soldier now stood with a slight hunch that Alex could see him trying to hide but that the physics of his body demanded he retain.

Other changes were present to accompany the fairly drastic physical ones resulting from how he'd been crippled, ones no doubt at least partially caused by those wounds. While he wasn't fat or flabby, the lean muscle he had once sported was largely gone, leaving him wiry but no longer the proud representation of the Crolian ideal that he had once been. His hair had been chopped short and was less cared for than it had been when last she'd seen him, the dark brown locks now simply combed straight and away from his eyes while showing numerous signs of developing gray. Formerly clean shaven, long dark stubble now stood out on the flesh of his chin and neck. His dark brown eyes were a bit dimmer than Alex might remember, but when he came to recognize her the spark of emotion that her presence ignited showed that he still had some of his old spirit left.

For several long moments he stood as still as a statue in his doorway, staring at Alex with wide eyes, but then a grin widened across his features that looked from the lines around his eyes and mouth as if it were an expression that the once jovial and cocky soldier wore far too seldomly. "Did you get taller?" he asked, and in his voice at least Alex could hear a stronger remnant of the man that Roko had once been than was evident in what had been left of his body. Beneath the recognition and the simple joy of seeing an old comrade at arms was something deeper, some stronger spark of emotion than could be born of simple camaraderie. "Come in," he continued without waiting for an answer, shuffling aside so that Alex could walk past him, never once taking his eyes off of Alex.

 

[Termite]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

Alex knew the sound of someone dragging themselves forward. She'd heard it many a time before, even from herself back when her body was exhausted from training or a battle had been so fierce that her body simply wouldn't cooperate with her anymore. But to hear it approaching after hearing Roko's voice only made that small warning from Will that much stronger, and just before he opened his door she tried to strengthen her nerve to keep her emotions in check. She was finally going to meet him after all these years, and she didn't want him to see pity after all this time...

But she couldn't. Once that door opened she found her ex-lover standing before her, and her eyes couldn't help but focus on each and everyone one of his visible injuries. The scars she could overlook. He wasn't the first soldier to have them, and he surely wouldn't be the last, but his missing arm caught her attention and dragged it there. It was a shocking statement, one that would have broken any professional soldier, and from there Alex caught how he stooped even when he tried to hold himself tall. That brought her attention down to his injured leg, the one that obviously caused that scuffing sound she'd heard before he opened his door, and as she saw how it all seemed to reduce him she couldn't keep herself contained.

Her expression cracked, pity over his injuries leading to anger leading to shame. Roko had been crippled in such a way to leave him less than the man he was. He'd never recover, not completely, and Alex could feel a rage starting to boil within her. She wanted to find the men that did this. She wanted to rip their arms from their very sockets, to see and hear and feel their cries of agony as she raised those severed arms and turned them into nothing more than ash. She couldn't believe those bastards in the Red Crows could be so damned cruel, and in that moment she would have paid back all that pain and suffering if she'd only been given the chance.

With her emotions running high she was doing her best to keep them contained, but if anyone were looking they would notice the signs of her distress. The hand that carried her sword would clench for a moment before slowly relaxing, her jaw looked hard and set, and the tip of her tail swiped back and forth in complete irritation. It was hard keeping herself in check, but when Roko smiled up at her and asked Alex his question that tension started to ease. Her jaw finally relaxed, and shortly after a small smirk started to spread. Even if he'd been maimed some bit of his confidence and playfulness still remained, and seeing just that small proof of his strength helped her gain her focus. He may be scarred, he may be maimed both physically and beyond, but this man was still Roko, and she wanted to see him no matter what.

A moment later he bid her enter, and as Alex did she bent down a bit just to fit through the doorway. "I'm not sure the horns count, but they do get in the way." It was for show if nothing else, something to help set her in a more playful mood considering all the negativity she'd felt just seconds earlier, and once inside she would rise to her full height. Most homes and buildings didn't really give her that much trouble wherever she went, but sometimes those doorways were just begging to catch her by surprise.

Of course now that she was inside she simply had to take a look around and see how he was living, and if Roko offered her a seat she would gladly take it. Her shield and sword would be placed nearby, she had absolutely no wish to feel them digging into her back while she relaxed, and once she was comfortable she would look to her host and wonder what to say. Even if he'd broken the ice she was still recovering from seeing him in the flesh once more, and unless he spoke up she would simply sit and study him. In her mind Roko had been killed once before, and in a way she felt like he'd been resurrected. There really wasn't much for her to say at the moment.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

Spoiler

Alexandra Alistar: HP = 80, PP = 64, EP = 88, Status = Fine

There was only one person in the world that Roko was looking at in that moment, and though they had been away from each other for years he still knew Alex well enough to recognize the angry reactions that went through her. The progression of her expressions would have been impossible to mistake on their own, his still sharp gaze following the path from pity to anger to shame, and the way that her eyes lingered on his lost limb before traveling to his crippled leg; all of it was plainly visible to Roko on Alex's face. And it strained him, made the smile that he gave just a little bit thinner at first. It didn't change anything else about his reaction to her appearance at his door, however, and when she responded to his light hearted question more or less in kind his smile became more genuine for a moment as he offered a slight chuckle and in turn replied; "Ahhh, I suppose it's a bit like hair then."

Once he'd stepped aside to let her in and Alex had stooped her way into Roko's home, the shortest and most simple way to describe it was... Lived in. There was a fireplace and an open area that dominated much of the right side of the house as one entered, a wooden rocking chair set before the flame and a small table pushed against the wall with signs that food and drink had been spilled upon it and hastily cleaned on it often enough. Over the fireplace was a mantle, also built of stone, and on it sat a simple brass clock that ticked quietly, a plaque with a handful of medals including the symbol of the violet heart which signified honorable discharge due to injuries taken in the line of duty. Hanging on a display plaque over the mantle was Roko's sword, still in good condition despite having once suffered regular use and then a period in which it likely saw no use at all. Directly to the left of the front door was a line of pegs on the wall, a pair of coats and a heavy cloak meant for the colder days to come hanging upon some and a few other pegs empty, no doubt for the winter garb of guests. Directly across from the door was a small bed, obviously made for one, with blankets of linen and fur covering it, one of the few things resembling finery that Alex could see besides objects that she recognized.

Only a few feet to the side of the bed stood the house's back door, a wooden bucket and a rack for shoes sitting on the floor to the right of the door as Alex looked at it showing two pairs of mud crusted boots and one clean set. The far right corner of the room was mostly dominated by a kitchen, a wooden counter taking up much of the far and right walls with cabinets over and under them, and a decently sized wooden table sitting next to it that fit nicely into the corner created by it. There were only three simple chairs with a minimum of cloth padding to make the bare wood comfortable to sit in, leaving much of the table appear unused, but marks upon it suggested that what wasn't used by people was used for something else. Most of the counter was bare at that point, but a pot had the string of a teabag hanging over its open top, suggesting that Roko had been preparing for a drink before Alex had come knocking. Other than that, there was a chest and a mannequin holding his old mail and shield, both on the nearer right corner of the room near a window and the fireplace. The rafters of the house were exposed, but they seemed to be in good enough condition. The floor was made of hard wood rather than stone, and other than the areas directly around the fireplace, the doors, and the kitchen it was covered in a simple wool rug, while the skin of a white bear that Roko had slain before being crippled stood on the floor.

He had had it back when he and Alex had served together, a trophy born of necessity given that they had unfortunately stumbled upon the beast while on patrol for a job that took them far North. It had been a mother, protecting a den with a trio of cubs, and before they'd even known it was there the beast had surged from its snow covered home and gored one man's face. It had not been an easy fight after that by any account that Alex had heard, but a desperate one, for they could not leave one of their own to the predator and thus couldn't simply get away from the den. Roko had been the one to finally bring it down, though it had never been a situation that he had taken any great pride in, for upon discovering the reason for the bear's ire he had been the one to slay the mewling cubs as well, sparing them from death by starvation without their mother to raise them. It had been with irony that he carried the mother's skin, once calling it a "reminder of how unfair the world could be" in his own words, though once he had also jokingly suggested that he might one day make a hooded cape out of it, like some of the barbarian warriors they had fought on that very same campaign.

"Take a seat, I was just making some tea," he said quietly as he shut the door behind her. His lost arm flexed slightly, as if he'd intended to do something with his missing right hand, and the lack of response by the lost limb briefly caused Roko to frown while Alex was left to guess what the intended gesture might have been. He walked back to the counter while Alex set her shield and sword down at the table and took the offered seat, and as he finished pouring in a bit more water into the teapot he said; "Hope you don't mind honeyberry and mint. It's about all we've got out here. How've you been?" He seemed to realize just how lame that question was given the context of their reunion, letting out a light bark of self deprecating laughter, before adding; "Heh, sorry... Bit of a loaded question there."

He strolled over to the lightly crackling fire, the low flames warming the room slightly without consuming too much of Roko's stock of firewood, and set the pot into the iron holder over the fire before somewhat awkwardly stuffing another log into the fire and then tossing in a handful of dried pine needles for kindling. "I heard about you leaving the Legion after I... Got back. What have you been doing since? You seem to be doing pretty well for yourself." He stood over the pot for a few seconds, making sure that it had settled properly in its holder, before turning back to Alex and limping to the table to join her, gingerly lowering himself into a chair beside her and placing a hand palm down on the table. His expression and his tone were light, but if Alex chose to look into the man's eyes she would see something going on behind them, something more than the playful attitude that he'd been going for.

 

[Termite]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

There were a number of things to consider as Alex's eyes wandered about the house, but once she'd seen everything she decided to focus on the man himself. Everything he had on display was a sign of his past, a symbol for the man he used to be, but even if this Roko still contained the man she felt she knew so well there was no denying the simple fact that he changed. She could see it, especially when the ghost of his arm pointlessly rose into the air. The scowl he revealed showed he was frustrated. At his lost arm, at himself, at life in general, Alex may never know, but for him to frown so easily meant that in same way he was angry with the man he had been forced to become.

This left Alex swallowing her own frown as she was welcomed inside, and once she had her seat she simply sat there and watched Roko play host. Despite his crippling injuries he moved well enough, and despite that little mishap at his door he proved quite capable with just the one arm. It was slow and grueling, his hobbled gait and maiming leaving him having to struggle that much harder to simply prepare tea and get a fire going, but the fact that he could manage meant that he was adjusting. And that was a sign of growth. Even when reduced to this shell of his former self he refused to simply give in to whatever torture left him like this, and if he had that much fight in him then maybe she didn't need to worry about him as much as she thought.

So when he gave his self-deprecating laugh at his loaded question Alex simply waved his apology away as if it were nothing. "No worries. And the tea sounds just fine." When asked what she'd been doing since she left she gave it some thought, and by the time Roko returned and sat beside her she figured she might as well start from the beginning. "Once I left I simply wandered around for a bit. I trained, I took the odd job, just another sword for hire. I ended up doing a lot of escort, and after a bit I felt I finally perfected myself enough to face my brother and sister. But while I was in Badaria I heard a rumor about this secret little village that held every inhuman race you could find. And then I heard that a pair of dragonkin had been spotted there. That ended up being a wash, but I liked the place enough to stay. It was nice not having every human judging you once your back was turned. Heh, you should have seen me. You know how I do just about everything in my armor? Imagine me playing farmer like that." Her smile brightened as she let him picture that, and though she was making light of herself she was perfectly comfortable doing so.

"But then the aliens Arrived." Her smile vanished then, and given the subject it was perfectly understandable. "They caught us completely off guard and threw enough soldiers at us to drown us under gray flesh. I fought as best I could, but I ended up retreating and only managed to bring three people with me. Fortunately one of them was one of the village's Matriarchs, and she led us to an enclave belonging to the Summer Court. While I was there I managed to walk into a strategy meeting, and I eventually ended up with a force of 80 or so to retake our home."

To be continued...

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

Spoiler

Alexandra Alistar: HP = 80, PP = 64, EP = 88, Status = Fine

Logs

Spoiler

<Tassadar003> Roko broke into a grin at the image of Alex clad in her armor while working at simple menial tasks, for once in a purely non military setting. They were often forced to do rather menial work in the Legion, the simple necessities of a group on the march meaning that the soldiers had to perform a number of minor duties in addition to fighting, but the civilian nature of it was at least amusing in a different manner. The man's grin vanished as soon as Alex mentioned the Arrival, however, and in its place rose an especially grim frown. When she had finished, his expression briefly became a grimace, and Roko quickly said; "Faeries eh? I guess in a situation like that... I was in Therion when... It... Happened. It wasn't pretty, but I was lucky enough to be at the right part of town that... Well, I got out alright. Lot of people didn't. How bad was it in Badaria? I've heard stories, but never from anyone that was there." He cocked agrin for a half second, "and of course, you finally come out of your shell and give up the lone wolf stuff when I'm not there to see it."

<Termite> "I'm not entirely sure. I know the government itself collapsed, and the Necropolis was practically abandoned. It's also pretty dangerous to go wandering around on your own. Then again Acheron is proving to be quite the surprise. I've heard they send out scouting parties and kill squads to deal with any aliens mucking about in out of the way villages." At Roko's grin she returned her own. "It wasn't all lone wolf. Remember, I'm part dragon. I was destined for more than grunt work. You should have given me a few men. I took 80 fighters and managed to exterminate nearly 300 aliens. Summer was so grateful they made me a Knight." At that she displayed the Signet Ring proudly. Of course there was another ring he would have probably noticed by now, and if he were looking for a time to ask about it then that was it.

<Tassadar003> Roko's frown shifted, became a bit more thoughtful, and he replied; "Well... That's a whole lotta news that I'm not sure how to take. I guess it's good that we don't gotta worry about the Badarian's coming North in force again. Still... I'm not sure if squads of armed demons wandering around is all that comforting. I can't even imagine how that's working in Badaria of all places. At least someone's dealing with it I suppose." The soldier let out a light bark of laughter at Alex's remark about giving her a few men to lead. "Well, I thought about it once or twice, but... Never really got the chance." His eyebrows raised as she announced her knighthood and displayed her gifted signet ring, but there was no missing the other, less ornate band on the dragon's ring finger. "A knight eh?" he replied lightly, but in that he sounded somewhat distracted. For a moment hewent silent, but then he glanced back up at Alex's face searchingly before saying; "So a title... And a husband?" Though Roko tried hard to keep his tone light, there was no hiding the swell of emotion he tried to suppress.

<Termite> And there it was. Alex knew she was going to need to say something about this, it was one reason for her coming alone, but the emotions he held beneath the surface cut into her. "Mate is more appropriate since we didn't have a religious wedding, but basically. And..." This next part would probably be the hardest. "I'm not sure if she'd prefer husband..." From there she remained silent and waited to see and hear how Roko would take that.

<Tassadar003> The slightest hint of dourness came over Roko, well disguised given the source but... Roko was still Roko, and he had never been the best at hiding his emotions. Even so, he actually quirked an eyebrow when Alex revealed the gender of her Mate, to which Roko would smirk slightly and say; "A woman eh? I imagine that's been odd to a few people down South." He didn't actually seem distressed in any more significant manner by her choice, and it helped lighten the mood a bit, though there was still a bit of hurt, of lost hope in the man's eyes. "How long have you, ahhh, been together? Is she here too?"

<Termite> And there it was. With the way he'd been looking at her and the way he reacted to the possibility of a husband Alex had guessed that Roko may have been holding onto some hope of reuniting, and once her answer was out that hope simply died. But then he went and surprised her by not being all that bothered by his choice. Of course he still didn't know the entire story. "She is. Right now she's waiting back at the Inn with my daughter." Now how would he react?

<Tassadar003> That revelation was the first that really left Roko outright shocked, though again it didn't seem to worsen the sting of his fallen hope at least. For a few moments he sat stock still, but then he said; "A daughter? How... But.... By her? Or...." He trailed off, confused, and for some reason actually quite deeply worried.

<Termite> Well, the shock was a little more welcome than the disappointment, but Alex wasn't quite sure how to react to that. "By her." If he looked like he was going to start asking more questions she would raise her hand and calmly motion him to calm down. "Let me tell you about her. All right... First off, let me say she's inhuman. That explains the how. Second, she has a bit of a checkered past. More checkered than mine. Third, she isn't quite what anyone would expect. I guess the best way to describe her is a Fallen Angel who still has a heart."

<Tassadar003> Roko did indeed look as if he had more questions after that, though her confirmation of who had fathered her child left Roko sporting a look of relief mired at least slightly in disappointment. He would nod and keep his silence when she held up a hand for such, however, letting Alex explain as she liked. The series of revelations that followed regarding Aescila seemed to unsettle Roko slightly, especially when Alex offered her simplistic explanation regarding her Mate's origins. "A... Fallen angel?" he asked quietly, his voice somewhat guarded but nonetheless incredulous. "That's.... Whoo... I'm not sure what to say to that," he finished lamely.

<Termite> "It's complicated. There's more to her than that, but it's something she doesn't like to talk about. If you meet her please don't bring it up."

<Tassadar003> "Alright..." Roko said, and then fell silent for another few moments. It seemed as if he just needed a moment to digest that bit of news, and in that moment the kettle began to boil. He wordlessly rose, walking over to the kettle and gingerly grabbing it to carry it back to the table, placing it on a thick cloth pad that had been present earlier. Then he went to get cups and placements, needing to carefully carry a wide rimmed tray to the table, before returning to his seat to pour the hot tea. "So... You're married, or... Mated, I guess," he began without looking at Alex, unable to fully disguise the hint of bitterness in his voice. Then he looked up, however, and though he didn't manage to smile he did at least suppress that somewhat misplaced emotion. "You come in looking like something out of a fairy tail... But it's good to see you again, at the very least. Good to hear you've been doing alright. You have been doing alright, yes?"

<Termite> "Yes. Very well... Just not by typical standards, I guess..." This time it was her attempt to make things a little lighter, and whether it succeeded or failed she remained quiet but obviously wanted to say something. A low hum drifted out before she finally looked up to her ex. "Mind if I say something?"

<Tassadar003> Roko took a moment, but then nodded slightly and took a sip of tea. "Go ahead. We're friends, aren't we?"

<Termite> Though she smiled the fact that she didn't answer his question probably said something. "Do you know why I left?"

<Tassadar003> "I.... No. I had guesses, but... No." He paused momentarily, looking her in the eye, and then somewhat faintly said; "Why did you leave?" There was a lot of something in his question, but what that something was wasn't entirely clear.

<Termite> "I... I thought you were dead..." It was also time for Alex to get a little emotional, but while she held back some she didn't try to hide it. "I convinced myself you'd been killed, and it tore me apart. I couldn't stay and be reminded of a lost love..." Her hand came out and settled on the table, and if Roko's was still there hers would be sitting incredibly close without actually touching, almost as if it were asking to take that last step closer.

<Tassadar003> Roko sat stock still in his seat as Alex explained why she had left the Legion, his eyes slowly widening as he set his jaw. Not even the motion of her hand moved his gaze from her eyes, and as she offered her own hint of emotion the man seemed to stiffen slightly. Was it hope in his eyes? Or fear? Or something else? When she had finished, however, his hand slowly released his cup and slid the last few inches to brush over her fingers, and if she didn't pull away then Roko's one remaining hand would gently slide over her own. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice trembling and barely above a mumble. "I'm so, so sorry... I never... I wish it hadn't turned out the way it did." He looked down as his voice lowered to a grumble in a vain effort to hide the way that it was shaking, and Alex got the distinct impression that there was a lot more emotion going on than her former lover was willing to let show.

"I didn't... I mean, I had.... Well," he stumbled over his words for a moment before looking back up at her face, briefly going silent until he finally said; "I wish I hadn't... Hadn't left you like that. I've been thinking about it, ever since... Sometimes, it feels like I was just using you, taking... Taking advantage. Like I... Didn't do right by you. I'm...Sorry."

<Termite> Her hand gave his a gentle and loving squeeze, and a chuckle sounded from the dragoness, one that was both light and melancholic. "I worried about that sometimes, but then I stopped. You did a lot for me, Commander Roko, maybe even saved me from myself. It means the most to me, and I won't ever forget that."

<Tassadar003> Those words brought a smile back to Roko's face, and this time it was one more earnest and heartfelt than Alex had ever seen from the man. "Well," he said softly, "at least... I managed some good, before..." He trailed off, his voice fading and his smile melting as he once again directed his gaze down. "Its.... Its been... Hard," he said softly, his voice starting to crack as he blinked a bit more than was needed.

<Termite> "I know." There was that gentle squeeze once again. "I met Will in Therion. He said it was bad. If you don't want to you don't have to, but I'm willing to listen."

<Tassadar003> His hand tightened over hers, glad for the comfort of her touch, and his eyes closed slowly as he tilted his head down. For a few seconds he stood in utter silence, simply breathing, but then Roko rose his head to reclaim a fraction of its fall and began in a voice that broke repeatedly; "It was... Hard. First being there, and then... And then after." He paused again, but then continued; "When they... Found me, I was... Well, they'd taken my arm. They'd... They'd chopped up my leg. They tried to stitch it all together, but... I couldn't be a soldier anymore." He opened his eyes, and a few tears streamed down his cheeks despite his obvious efforts to keep them back.

"I could barely walk. I... Well, I couldn't do anything. They had to let me go, send me off... With a pension. I used to come here, when I was little... Had family here. They were dead, but this plot was still in our name, and empty except for the rats. It was... All I had left to do. Tend a garden and... Wait."

<Termite> "Wait for what?"

<Tassadar003> Answering that question took Roko a minute, and when he finally managed it, he first rose his head again to look at her. His eyes were full of deep shame, of pain, and of crushing, helpless despair. "Wait... To die. I guess," he mumbled softly, and then his hand began to release Alex's slowly as he again tried to retreat, his chin dropping and his teary eyes closing.

<Termite> When she heard that answer Alex didn't let that hand retreat. If anything her grip tightened, and while her eyes held a few tears of their own they held a strength behind them that said she needed more. That she demanded more. She wouldn't accept that answer, and she would wait until he found another.

<Tassadar003> For several moments Roko would remain silent, an occasional tear slowly sliding down his cheeks, but he stopped trying to pull away from her. Eventually, however, rather than offer some other answer he sought to explain, mumbling; "I came here... We did so much, back in the Legion, but so much of it was so... Petty. Pointless. Nobles squabbling while good people paid the real price. Occasionally taking down a few bandits, or a monster... But all of it was so... Transient. I was starting to feel like I was just... Just drifting. But then, when I got out... When I came here, and the things from above and the orcs attacked... And I was so... So fucking powerless," his voice rose above a mumble as he swore, fiery and helpless fury letting him momentarily rise above the despair that seemed to have claimed him, but it was only for a moment.

"For the first time, there was something important... To fight for. And I couldn't. I couldn't... Do anything to help. I had no money, couldn't fight, couldn't even... Help rebuild, or do.. Anything that matters. Anything to help." Roko slowly shook his head, and managed to look back up at Alex again, his eyes starting to clear. "I came here... To wait. To die. My family, my parents... My brother and sister were all in Geneva when the Invasion hit. They're gone. My home... Is gone. Rubble. All I've got left to my name is in this room, and.. Even with what I grow and my pension, I can barely support myself. I have no wife, no children... No woman will even look at me for more than a second any more without... Without..."

He had to pause a moment, but eventually Roko managed to conquer enough of his feeble self pity to continue; "It's the pity... That's the worst. From the others, at least. Every time they look at me... I see it. They treat me like I'm less than a man.... And I am. I really am." He paused and looked down for a moment again, and then slowly finished; "So... Now all that's left for me to do... Is wait. I've got a bit of work around the house. I helped advise on building the wall. I've got the herb garden. I'm busy enough... But I'm alone, and that's... Not going to change."

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

Spoiler

Alexandra Alistar: HP = 80, PP = 64, EP = 88, Status = Fine

Logs

Spoiler

Termite
For a few long seconds Alex just didn't know how to reply. She wanted to argue, wanted to give him something to strive for, to give him some reason to live, but she simply couldn't think of one. And she couldn't lie. She could, but to do so would be a betrayal of her word, and she simply couldn't smudge her Honor.

But something did eventually come to mind. "I guess you know how I felt..." It was time for her to sound a little morose, and though it wasn't anywhere near as bad as Roko her head did dip and there was a hint of shame that could be heard in her voice. "It wasn't pity, but you know how my siblings treated me. When they finally took that last step and left I just wanted to curl up and die." She paused for a moment, not really knowing where exactly she was going with this, but she couldn't stop herself. "Sometimes... Sometimes I felt like that back when I first joined the Legion..."

Then she saw where she was heading, and her entire demeanor changed. Her grip tightened, firm without crushing her ex's fingers, and the steel in her eyes and in her voice said she knew exactly what she wanted now. "You saved me from that, Roko, and despite that look I gave you I still see you as that pillar of strength and compassion. I don't care about this broken body because I know there's more to you than that. So please tell me how I can help you. I want to save you just like you saved me because I can't go home thinking you'd just sit here and wait for some bandit or orc to split you open without at least some kind of fight!"

Tassadar
Roko's eyes slowly tilted back upwards as Alex's slid down, his attention focused and his moment of despair and shame broken as his grip lightly tightened on her hand. Her own soon returned it as the dragoness realized what she was going for, and as steel ringed in her voice she held her former lover frozen before her. For a few moments her passionate outburst was met by silence, and then Roko, who had straightened just slightly as she spoke, whose morose expression and teary eyes had become more like what she remembered, more like what she knew he ought to be, simply deflated. "I... Don't know," he said quietly, helplessly, "I really... Honestly don't know, Alex." Then he simply snorted, smiling mirthlessly, and added; "And... It wouldn't be without a fight. I'm not... That far gone. Not yet." He gave her hand a squeeze, fighting to maintain that reassuring smile as best he could, and this time at least he succeeded.

Termite
She didn't know how much of it was truth and how much was effort, but seeing Roko hold that smile helped Alex to relax from the near panic she felt herself falling into. A moment later she let out a somewhat heavy sigh. "That's better." After that she simply sat there and stared while trying to find some way to drag them both out of this odd funk. "I... want you to meet Aes." And all she could come up with was a shot in the dark. "Meet the entire family, I guess, but especially her."

Tassadar
And then, just like that, it was almost back to a regular conversation, free of the crushing emotional weight of what they'd just gone through. "Your... Wife?" he asked, seemingly unsure of which word to use since husband wasn't appropriate. "Just how much weirdness can I expect?" he asked lightly, his smile and tone briefly growing humorous, which contrasted oddly with the wetness remaining on his cheeks and the slight redness around his eyes.

Termite
"I'm... not really sure... She seems normal enough when people first meet her, but if she takes a liking to you... well... she is technically a succubus..."

Tassadar
"Uhhhh.... Not exactly what I meant," he replied, "but... Thanks for the warning I guess. Should it... Be here, or should I be getting my coat on and getting the fancier cane out of the cabinet?"

Termite
"Oh." And somehow Aes managed to make Alex blush without even being there. "Either is fine. If you want to walk they're over at the inn. I can tell you about the recent addition on the way." Otherwise she'd just end up showing her if Ria chose to tag along.

Tassadar
"Alright," Roko said, and then simply hauled himself to his feet, leaving his mostly ignored teacup behind. He limped over to a cabinet and opened it, retrieving a heavy wooden rod that looked to have been hand sculpted with great care, its head carved to resemble a roaring dragon's maw. The man moved a bit more quickly with that bit of assistance, and trudged over to the door and awkwardly got into one of the coats hanging on the wall. The sleeve for his lost arm was already folded, and when he was dressed and buttoned he turned back to Alex and said; "Well... Times a wasting, private!"

Termite
Alex couldn't help but chuckle at the cane. "That is fancy." A moment later she offered a salute as she was addressed, and with a "Sir, yessir!" They were on their way.

Being true to her word the dragoness started giving Roko a quick run down of her family. "I already told you about Aes, her full name's Aescila by the way, so let me tell you about my daughter. Her name is Angelle, and she's a bit... confusing..." She wasn't sure how far to go with her daughter's makeup. Considering what she was it wouldn't be all that hard to figure out where the demon component came from. Hell, Alex was actually surprised Ria hadn't asked about that. "I'll just say she's unique, and even though she's only two she's practically an adult thanks to all the magic she contains. And for fair warning her wings may start talking to you. Just roll with it."

Tassadar
And out the door they went, down the dirt roads of Ochre, Roko having left in the simple slippers he'd been wearing when she had arrived rather than donning his boots. The going was slow, giving Alex ample time to talk, and with everyone busy preparing the defense of the town against the upcoming attack nobody bothered them. "Confusing eh?" he replied, "I can only imagine, what with her... Pedigree." The various added warnings simply caused Roko to frown softly, but he nodded and said; "That's the kind of weirdness I was asking about earlier... I think I can handle it though. Not like I haven't dealt with strange folk before." Which was true enough. While it was hardly as common as it might be for Alex given her own race and where she chose to live, they had on occasion had to deal with less than natural clientele or opponents. One of the most harrying battles they'd ever been a part of had involved a faerie hit squad targeting a mortal nobleman for reasons they'd never actually discovered. They'd lost a third of their company, and the noble had been killed anyway. Needless to say, it hadn't been a good time, but at least that hadn't seemingly colored Roko's opinion of the supernatural entirely.

Termite
"Well, there's a little more." This would probably throw him for a loop. "I have a second daughter. With another woman."

Tassadar
Roko almost stumbled, but managed to catch himself on his cane and continue walking as if nothing had happened. "You... Wanna run that by me again?" he asked dryly, but before Alex could respond he smirked and added; "Is she as strange as the firstborn?"

Termite
Alex was blushing again, only this time in embarrassment, but she made herself stand straight with her head held high. "No. As far as I can tell, at least. She was only born yesterday. But I think the halves that made her are a little more agreeable. Half me, half oni."

Tassadar
"Oni.... Oni.... Wait.... Isn't that..." This time Roko did stop, and not because of a stumble of surprise. And he was scowling. "Alright.... I need to say this plainly.... How in the blazes did you end up in bed with a demon-blooded orc?"

Termite
Alex stopped when he did, but she didn't turn to address him directly. "When I was in Therion I ended up facing the First Knight of Winter in the Arena. Someone interfered with the safety measures, and I ended up killing him. Aes was blamed since she was a Fallen, and after investigating I learned that some faeries were behind the whole thing. They decided to kidnap my daughter, and when we went to take her back the oni threw herself into the line of fire to save my girl's life. I wanted to repay her, and..."

Tassadar
For a few seconds Roko just stared at Alex as and after she explained in short what had happened to get her into bed with Ria. And then, simple as that, he started taking steps forward again. "Well... Alright then," he replied simply. His voice was slightly wan at that point, but then he pressed onwards; "So.... Born yesterday? And you just kept on the road? Most women wouldn't be able to stand again for a week."

Termite
"I'm not most women." Pause. "And having an angel at my side didn't hurt." She wondered if Roko had heard about Dingroria. Or Akorvick for that matter. "Say, you wouldn't happen to know about the dragon that lives in the tower, would you?"

Tassadar
At that Roko simply nodded and smiled, "that you aren't." When she went on to ask her questions as they reached the turn that would take them back to Ochre's main street, however, he frowned slightly. "Yeah, of course. Everybody does. Only time I've ever seen him up close was just a few days after he'd shown up though. Name's... Akorvick. He moved in with Mirabel after the first orc raids, been chasing them off since. He actually came asking about... Well, you, though not by name, when he found out where I'd served." He glanced sideways at Alex, "why?"

Termite
"Huh." Well, that was odd. Akorvick actually inquired about her. She considered simply ignoreing Roko's question, but it felt somewhat rude to do that then ask him for more. "That..." At this she looked over toward the tower. "...is my brother." She gave him time to let that sink in, and once he calmed enough she spoke once more. "What did he ask about?"

Tassadar
And then Roko stopped dead in his tracks so fast that he wobbled forward, his face suddenly going ashen as his eyes shot wide open. "That.... What?" he said suddenly in utter incredulity, "that was... Son of a bitch!" His voice rose as Roko swore, "I... Let that piece of shit into my house!?" He seemed mortified, but when Alex asked her question he calmly responded with; "He was asking after you.... Your name to start, but then whether you were still alive, still in the area... A few things I thought were strange at the time, stuff about... How well you were getting along. I.... I let slip about us."

Termite
Alex stayed quiet for for a while, but after a while she continued. "How'd he react?"

Tassadar
"He... He didn't. Not really. Just kind of stared at me for a minute. Alex... I'm sorry! I had no idea!"

Termite
"It's fine." It would probably surprise him how easily she said that. "I met him just a few minutes ago. He didn't know who I was until I called him 'brother'." And she was going to leave it at that. There were things she noticed about him, the way he reacted to her and what he learned in that short meeting, and though she still held a large grievance things between them were going to get complicated. No reason to drag Roko into it.

Tassadar
It would take Roko a moment to get moving again, and when he did he was silent for a long time as he trailed along beside Alex. They got to the main road, with the last tavern on Ochre within sight, before he spoke again. "Is there anything else I'll need to know before I meet your... New family?"

Termite
Alex had to give that question some thought. "Angelle may look like an adult, but she's still quite young. And she's never seen anyone who's been injured like you have. And you may have seen the oni before. She's been here a few times."

Tassadar
"The tomb robber?" Roko asked skeptically, "alright." And then they were in front of the door to the inn, and Roko left it to Alex to go in first.

Termite
"That's the one." Now that they were there a bit of anxiety was trying to raise its head. Alex suppressed it as best she could, but even then it simply slunk in a dark corner, waiting for its chance to strike. But it wasn't enough to keep her from stepping in, and once she did she took a second to see what everyone was doing. "I'm back, and I've brought someone with me."

Tassadar
Stepping into the tavern, Alex found things much as she'd left them, though her company had moved from the bar to a table set up like a booth. Angelle was holding Anowyn now, while Ria had her back to the door and she and Aes were both leaned together, seemingly in the throes of a quiet conversation. That ended as soon as the door opened and Alex made her announcement, with Ria straightening and turning around while Aes peaked out from around her, being on the inside of the bench facing the door. Roko limped in after her, his ornate cane clunking audibly against the floor, and his gaze swept over the otherwise empty room before settling on the only occupied table.

The reactions of her companions were mixed. Ria's was the simplest, save of course for the sleeping bundle of Anowyn, in that she only looked surprised. Angelle looked interested at first, but upon actually getting a look at Roko her visage slowly twisted into horror over the course of a few moments before she successfully managed to mask it with a slight frown. Aescila, however, had a variety of reactions, and the first of which was buried so quickly that it might not have existed at all; fear. Then surprise, and then finally she adopted a welcoming smile.

There was a flicker of minor magic from her Mate before the demon-turned-angel simply stood up and walked through the table (and a slightly disturbed Ria) to stand out in front of the booth. “Ahhh, hello there!” she said, slightly shifting her wings as her form re solidified. Roko looked marginally disturbed by this, but managed to hide it. “You must be Roko!” Aes continued as she strolled forward in her usual sultry strut, the appeal of which few beings alive could hope to ignore entirely but that the presently somewhat disgruntled man seemed to manage to well enough. “I am,” he said, holding tightly to his cane. “I'd offer to shake your hand, but... I'd need to be sitting first,” he said, meaning for it to come off as a joke but sounding far too gruff for it.

“That's quite alright,” she replied lightly, and then directed a searching gaze in Alex's direction for a moment, seemingly looking for something before deciding without any need for input on the half-dragon's part. “Come! Sit! We've room enough for you, though I think we might need to shift around a bit. Some of us do take up quite a bit of space!” she continued as she gestured towards the table, causing Ria to let out a grunt of mock reproach for the jab at her size. “Alright then,” he said, and unless Alex prompted him to stop he approached the table. When he arrived, however, he seemed unsure of where to actually sit down, and a moment later simply said; “I'll have Dan pull up a chair. Need to have a word with him about my address anyway.” He started limping towards the bar, but Alex could stop him if she so desired.

Termite
Well... Well. Angelle's reaction was something. Alex had to wonder how Roko would take that. But it was nothing compared to that one moment of fear she saw from Aes. It brought up all those times when Aes said she would be fine if Alex left her for someone else, and it let Alex realize one thing. Aes was scared of Roko. She feared she would never live up to him, and that she would be left behind the moment he and Alex reconnected. It left the dragoness raising her eye at her Mate. If Aes still couldn't figure out that Alex wasn't going to simply give her up then that woman was a damned fool.

Thankfully her family hid their expressions in their own way, but when Aes chose to simply walk though everything to greet the man she disturbed everyone in the process. That was a new little trick she was pulling out, and why she chose to show off now was beyond the dragon's comprehension. But she was welcoming, and unlike everyone else she hadn't reacted with that same mix of surprise and pity that he must have seen a thousand times by now.

A few moments later he was welcomed to their table, and a few after that he decided he would need a chair. It made sense, and once he was settled in Alex would sit on the end of the booth so she could be close. When he mentioned Dan and his address Alex couldn't hold back a smile. "May as well warn him that he'll get an earful from your neighbor. She said she's tired of playing middleman. She also warned me that you were quite the scandalous man."

Tassadar
“I expected you to take longer,” Aes would whisper lightly while Roko was away, a slight upturn of her lip hinting at what might have kept Alex longer. As he limped further away, however, her expression became more serious, and she quietly demanded; “How bad was he?”

"Yeah well.... Cora does that, and for once Dan deserves it," was Roko's simple reply, and after a quiet conversation with the nearby bartender he came back in said man's company, who had a chair for him. Once Roko had slowly settled onto the bare wood, he leaned forward with his hand on his cane and said; "So... I think I've heard of all of you." Aes had taken a seat next to Ria, leaving Alex to make Angelle scoot over so that she could sit next to Roko as he sat next to the table.

“How many of you know who I am?” he asked, to which Ria shrugged without speaking while Angelle and Aescila nodded. Anowyn burped in her sleep. “Well, for you then.... I'm Roko. Formerly commander Roko.” He leaned back, let his cane settle against his chest, and reached out his remaining hand to Ria. The oni glanced at the hand, then at Roko's scarred face, before taking it awkwardly and replying; “I'm Dingroria. Ria for short.”

That introduction made, he shifted slightly to turn to Aescila. “And you are.... Aescila?” he said, to which she simply half nodded and half bowed. “And you're.... Angelle, right? The first daughter? And that's... Actually, I don't think you told me the little one's name.” Then he glanced at Alex, Angelle having offered the barest of nods to confirm her name, and gave her a questioning look.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

Spoiler

Alexandra Alistar: HP = 80, PP = 64, EP = 88, Status = Fine

Logs

Spoiler

Termite
This time Aes was met with a flat look once she gave her little quip, but when she turned to his condition Alex looked a little more somber. "He's hurting. It's tearing him apart. I want to help him, but I don't know how."

When it came time to sit she let Roko introduce himself to Dingroria. It was awkward seeing her react, but any further thoughts were interrupted when he asked about the youngest. "This one is Anowyn." She gave the baby a gentle stroke of the head. "She kinda surprised me with the horns. I never showed any sign of having them."

Tassadar
Alex's flat look was met with an almost chidishly impish grin, but when things turned sober the dark angel responded appropriately. Aes nodded slowly, “I... Don't know either.” She glanced at Roko's back while he was talking to the bartender, “sex... Well, I think you fucking him would help one thing, but not the real issue. His... I almost wish I hadn't just used my feather.” Having expended the special magical feather that angels were able to create, Aes wouldn't be able to do it again for a while, months at the very least. Even that would have been a long shot, as even the most powerful magic had trouble restoring lost limbs when they were freshly lost. Roko would never have had the money to pay for such treatment, and with so much time past his body had grown used to the damage, making repairing it all the harder.

When the subject turned to the youngest one at the table, Anowyn nuzzled into Alex's touch in her sleep and made a quiet coo, prompting Roko to smile in the same helplessly dopey manner that Alex had when first seeing little Bielah bouncing in Abariel's arms. “So many A names,” he remarked dryly, though for the next few moments he simply sat watching Anowyn with a slight smile before looking back to Alex. “So.... This is the family eh? You've done.... Strangely well for yourself? I guess it's to be expected, though... I can't help but miss the days when a ten foot tall red giant and two women with wings sitting in a bar in Ochre was only the beginning of a bad joke. A little bit.”

Termite
With talk of spending an angel feather to try and fix Roko's wounds Alex gave him a more analytical look. "If we wanted to fix something it would need to be the leg. But I'm afraid we'd have to torture him and tear it apart to put it back together..." Alex was no true healer, but Creshnibon's lessons were extensive. She understood how sever injuries could settle, and she was sure she'd need to mutilate him once more in order to put all the muscles and tendons back in their proper place.

Tassadar
"We would," Aes replied severely. "But... We don't have a feather. Or the kind of coin needed to buy one."

Termite
For a while Alex remained silent and simply watched Roko speak with Dan. But just before they returned she spoke up. "You really think we could manage that if we had one?"

Tassadar
Aescila's only response was; "Not with just us. I'm no surgeon."

Termite
But it was possible. It was something Alex could do. It may bankrupt her, but she could find some way to give Roko back some semblance of his old life. Even if he was still missing an arm being able to walk tall without a cane would probably do wonders.

It was something to think about, and Alex filed that away once Roko returned. The mention of the A names had Alex smirking. "It's a bit of an odd tradition. Father loves the letter, and for some reason I just kept it going." She enjoyed that dopey smile, and it got her thinking of him as a father. She had no doubt that he would do well with a child of his own, but she let that thought pass when she realized he just wasn't ready for one at the moment. Of course the mention that this meeting used to be a bad joke waiting to happen felt somewhat strange. "What's the punchline?"

Tassadar
"Beats me. Was I ever a comedian?" he replied, but then Ria smirked and offered; "And then all they asked for were tea and directions?" He simply glanced at Ria with a dry smirk, something replicated by Aes while Angelle simply looked confused. "Hey, at least I tried!" the oni remarked with a shrug, "I get it though.... Wandering around with a dragon, an angel, and a.... Uhm... Angelle, was pretty odd for me too, and that's not even counting all the faeries and such that have been around half the time too."

Termite
"Eh, I'm used to it. We've got all that and more down in the Hidden Village. You should come visit, sometime, Roko."

Tassadar
"Mmmmm, Badaria? Appreciate the offer, but... I don't think I'll be able to make that trip any time soon," he remarked without letting any trace of the despair she had seen earlier become visible at all.

Termite
"Hm... You heading to Will's wedding?"

Tassadar
At that Roko frowned, and he let out a sigh. "I'd like to, but... I don't think so. Don't have the money for a ride, or I would. What about you?" He glanced at her, "you saw him, how's he doing? Not too soft at being put on guard duty or whipped by his wife I hope?"

Termite
"He's doing pretty well. Never really saw him as an officer, but he proved me wrong. And play nice. They're really cute together. He even had her blushing up a storm."

Tassadar
That made Roko chuckle, "well, glad to hear he's doing alright. Will's a good man, too many of those are getting killed off these days." Then his expression went dour again, and he grimaced. "You've been in Badaria.... How much d'you know about what's going on up here? Or in Ochre specifically?"

Termite
"Will filled me in on some of it. Dan told me about Ochre specifically. I'm kind of tempted to stick around and see what you'll be facing."

Tassadar
At that Roko fell silent for a few moments, his lips thin and his expression to vague to pinpoint. "Did Dan tell you who got hired to help defend the place?"

Termite
"No, but now that you asked I won't be surprised if you say the Legion."

Tassadar
Roko grunted slightly, a thin smile appearing on his face as some strange and discomforting glint appeared in his eyes. "I wish," he replied, "then I'd probably get my pensions on time. No... Last I heard, the Legion was way up North, holding off some warlord trying to rally the clanless. No..... The Red Crows are in town."

Termite
At that Alex became real quiet. Startlingly so. It was hard to see, but for anyone who looked they would see a storm brewing. "Did you happen to recognize anyone? I wouldn't mind entertaining an old acquaintance of yours."

Tassadar
"Didn't go near enough to check," Roko replied calmly. Aes reached out a hand and placed it over Alex's wrist, trying to quell the storm she saw brewing, but then Roko quietly continued; "I wouldn't want that anyway. Right now they're the only organized military force in town. They got the militia's shit together, helped make sure this place was still standing long enough to build that wall. You being who you are.... It'd cause a lot of trouble if you picked off one of them and started cuttin on him." Alex felt Angelle shivering next to her, felt her closing in around herself and Anowyn, but just then the bartender came over with a platter and simply plopped it on the table. It was covered in small glasses filled with amber liquid, enough for a mouthful at most, with one for each of them. "Shots. On the house," he said simply when Roko opened his mouth and Aes reached for her pocket. He grabbed one himself, and with a sigh Roko took one as well, "you might as well. There's no arguing with Dan when he's trying to be nice."

Termite
For a few moments Alex simply sat there with a rather intense look in her eye. It took a moment for her to react to what Roko said, but once the shots were placed on the table and Dan and Roko both had one each the dragoness took a deep breath and let it out in a very long sigh. A small wave of heat washed off of her as she did, and once she fully exhaled she took one herself. "Thank you."

Ria, Aescila, and eventually Angelle took up a small glass each, the amber fluid that they were set to drink once Ria gave her a significant glance. Aes gave Alex's arm a light pet, brushing her fingers up to the back of her palm in a comforting gesture, and then held her hand much like Roko had earlier. "Cheers," the man said, raising the glass lightly in a toast before downing it. Dan, Ria, and Aes did so more or less at the same time while Angelle momentarily hesitated, and when she downed hers she ended up spluttering and stuck her elongated tongue out while waving at it, her eyes watering. When she took her own shot, Alex was treated to a liquor that burned in her mouth and all the way down, and not just with the alcohol in it. "Ack! Really, Dan? Cinnamon brandy? Where do you even get this kinda stuff?" Roko said, blanching slightly. He had always preferred sweet things, his favored drinks being wine or mead, and the sheer harshness of the stuff was uncomfortably biting.

The dumpy bartender simply shrugged, and leaned over to collect the glasses for a return to the tray. "Beats me! Hey, it's free! And I wanted to get rid of the rest of the bottle!" he said, clapping a hand on Roko's shoulder and then walking away while the soldier shook his head. Letting out a soft sigh, Roko said; "So... What brings you lot here anyway? Are all of you just tagging along with Alex here? Speaking.... Are you just here to see me, or did you know your brother had moved in too?"

Angelle and Aes let that one pass, but Ria, who was blushing slightly from the alcohol, said; "I've got business here besides that... Yeah." Roko turned to her and frowned, "are you really gonna try another run on that door? As I heard it, last time you crawled into town you were pretty close to dead, and only the decency of a few folk had them take your money and patch you up instead of take your money and leave you to die outside the wall. Is whatever you're getting really worth that happening again?" Ria scowled darkly, and though she glanced briefly at Alex she quickly diverted her gaze back to Roko and replied; "It's not just about the money."

 

[Termite]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

If there reactions were anything to go by then everyone would see that Alex and Roko shared the same tastes when it came to alcohol. She hesitated to inspect the liquor a little more closely, but that was the barest of seconds and led to her downing her shot just as everyone had finished. As it slid down her throat and burned all the way down the dragoness flinched, and after a short grimace she slammed her glass on the table while making sure she didn't accidentally break anything. When Dan offered his excuse Alex gave him a shot back. "I can see why..." At that her hand rose behind Angelle and gave the strange girl a reassuring backrub as a small apology for the bad taste. "Could you get us some water?"

With Dan on his way to hopefully bring relief Roko turned back to the group and asked why they all were here and whether Alex knew about Akorvick or not. Ria was the first to answer, and that pulled a second question out of the man. Alex chose to stay quiet for a bit, the degree to which Ria had been beaten a bit of an insight, but it was the oni's answer that caught her attention. The giant said there was more to this than just money, and this had the dragoness wondering what else was involved since Ria had only mentioned the contract and her desire to keep her honor. Perhaps she would go into a little more detail if asked, but Alex wasn't going to press that question. This may be something better left discussed in private.

But the woman still had a question to answer, so she would when it looked like her massive companion was done. "Originally I was passing through Therion to head into Father's lands. That's when I met Will, and that's when I heard about you. At that point I thought I'd come visit after I'd seen Mother and Father and had a chance to show them their grandchild. But when I hit the Arena I met Ria, and I overheard her talking about a dragon. I asked her about it, and when she described him I figured out that he was my brother. Considering how we parted I didn't like thinking that you and he were in the same town, so I decided to take a detour."

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

Spoiler

Alexandra Alistar: HP = 80, PP = 64, EP = 88, Status = Fine

"Sure, sure" Dan said as he retrieved the glasses and Alex requested a glass of water, Angelle offering her mother an appreciative look. He would be back a moment later with a pitcher full of ice water and a set of glasses for the lot of them, which Angelle promptly took one of and filled, holding the handle of the pitcher with the end of her tail so that she didn't need to put down Anowyn. She then guzzled half of the glass in one go before setting her glass down and holding her head and blinking rapidly, a pained expression appearing on her face. The water was extremely cold, cold enough that it would make Alex's teeth ache if she swished it around to be rid of the taste of the liquor she'd just taken a shot of, and if she drank too much too quickly she would be subjected to the same ill that Angelle had apparently suffered and earn a brief but painful headache.

When Alex answered Roko's question following his brief exchange with Ria, he frowned but nodded in understanding. Her explanation was simple enough, after all. "He's West, right? Your dad's land? I guess it's lucky you got here when you did... If things keep getting worse, this place might not be standing in a few months' time." Shaking his head, Roko continued; "So, how long you think you're gonna be around? I know she's got... Plans," he gestured with his head towards Ria, "but what about you? How long are you planning on sticking around?"

 

[Termite]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

Alex wasted no time in getting her own glass, the only pause she took was allowing Angelle to take hers first since she seemed the worst off of the bunch, but the moment she started to wash out he mouth her teeth began to protest. It forced the dragon to pause, and after a bit she swallowed her mouthful and took another. One would have expected her to start grimacing just as her daughter had, but one of the perks of being a dragon was that all important inner flame. It let her heat the ice water the moment it entered her mouth, and though the burn was kept low it was enough to keep herself from freezing herself from the inside out.

When Roko asked about Aureus's holdings she nodded in agreement, but the mention that this place may not be standing in a couple of months brought a slight frown to her face. But she kept her silence, and when he asked how long she planned on staying within Ochre she leaned back and crossed her arms. "I'm not sure." Her head tilted in thought as she continued. "I have unfinished business with my brother, but given the impending attack I don't want to injure him too severely. I may just have to put that on hold for now. And then there's Will's wedding to consider. He said he would hold it in about a month, and if I left to head out to Father's land it'll probably take longer. And I don't want to miss it. And if I do end up staying here for a bit you may find some appreciative beast of a woman willing to take you there."

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

Spoiler

Alexandra Alistar: HP = 80, PP = 64, EP = 88, Status = Fine

"Going to get some payback?" Roko asked stoically, and from his tone it was readily evident that he would approve if the answer was yes. He would leave it at that unless Alex's response merited further response, however, and instead smirked and said; "A beast of a woman eh? Is that what you're going by now? I can think of a few ways that that's appropriate at least." Aes offered a slightly quirked eyebrow at his ending joke, "indeed~ You know that I can just teleport us back to Therion when we're ready to leave, right? It'd save us a good bit of time for not having to walk back, and we could get to Will's wedding from anywhere. Makes things much easier." Roko looked a bit amazed at that, and actually slightly hopeful, though he would glance in Alex's direction questioningly following Aescila's addition to her offer.

 

[Termite]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

Yep, more logs

Spoiler

Termite
Though she engaged it herself Alex was left blushing all the while when Roko offered his little joke. "I'd considered that, but I may end up staying here, anyway. Roko and I have seen what organized orcs can do, and I don't like the sound of an actual force marching this way."


Tassadar
"Mmmmm, fair enough," Aes said, "the offer is still open, obviously. And I'm sure we'll find something to do while we're here to take up our time." It was much more subtle than the dark angel's usual suggestive jabs, but the direction of her statement was plain nonetheless, and Roko and Ria both seemingly caught on, giving raised eyebrows at Alex. That left Angelle lost once more, but thankfully Anowyn awoke at that point and began to squirm, prompting the elder sister to begin rocking the babe back and forth comfortingly as she squirmed in her arms, stretching. "Well, we should know how far away they are soon enough," Roko added with a sigh, getting back to a more serious subject. "And their numbers and composition. Its mostly been raiders, clanless or small groups, but this one.... The only scout that came back said they were a lot more than we've handled up until this point."

At that Ria cleared her throat, and once Alex was looking in her direction she frowned for a moment while searching for the words for what she wanted to say. Finally, she said; “Anowyn isn't staying here if there are orc raiders on the way.” The oni's tone broached no argument on the subject, but she was more or less totally calm as she continued; “I won't take the chance of her being caught in the crossfire, and if they overrun the place... She'd be inducted. Raised like one of them. I don't care what happens to me, but.... That won't happen if I have anything to say about it, and if it means I have to walk back to Therion myself, I'll do it.” She nodded towards Angelle, who looked deeply uncomfortable, and added; “I don't mean any offense, but I don't think she should be here either. She's not ready for war, and if I have to walk people out I'd be happy to look after her for you until it's over. Same goes for you,” she nodded to Roko, “if you want to be elsewhere when they show up, there's no shame in it. I don't think they'd hurt you purposefully if they are clansmen, but there's no guarantee of that.”

Roko would consider that offer for a moment before shaking his head calmly, “this is my home. I'm not leaving just because it's in danger.” Ria simply nodded, and then looked to Alex for her response to the oni's decision regarding their daughter.


Termite
Alex listened calmly as the conversation took a very serious turn, and once Ria had finished she perched her chin within her palms and thought it over. "I have to agree. Neither of them should be exposed to this kind of danger." And that was the honest truth. Angelle wasn't ready for anything this severe, and Anowyn was hers, not some invading green-skinned bastards. No one was going to steal that child from under her nose.


Tassadar
Ria nodded, relieved as Alex simply agreed to her suggestion. Angelle looked as if she were tempted to protest but didn't quite know how to go about it, but then Aes said; "Why not take them home?"


Termite
Well, that was definitely something to consider. "Doesn't sound like a bad idea, but that can wait for a bit." Then Alex turned back toward Ria. "If we do that then we'll bring you along so you can meet the people we'll be leaving them with."


Tassadar
"Alright," Ria replied, "if they're safe there, I'll come back too." Roko seemed surprised by that, and the oni continued; "I'd rather not see another town taken, especially one this close to Therion. The road we took here is remote and not often traveled. It'd be an easy avenue for them to take if they thought they could hit Therion without going past the Academy first."


Termite
Alex hadn't even considered that. Ochre was looking to be a rather strategically important location. It made her wonder if Therion would like to know about this little back route to their door. But a message could probably serve that purpose, and they really did need to know what kind of force they would be facing before one could be sent. "Don't be surprised. Just because she's a criminal doesn't mean her heart isn't in the right place."


Tassadar
Ria and Roko both rolled their eyes, and it was the man who replied; "Yeah, like that's ever been enough to damn someone for me. How many times have we had to work with... Less than virtuous men, eh? It's really... I'm surprised she'd risk her life and worse for some hodunk little town full of people who... Haven't been the kindest to her, is all. It's impressive."


Termite
"Doesn't seem all that far from risking her life for some halfbreed she met only a few hours earlier."


Tassadar
"Mmmmm," Roko made a thoughtful murmur and brushed his palm over his chin. For a few moments silence reigned, but eventually Angelle would quietly pipe up and say; "Are you.... Going to fight here? If the... Orcs come?" The question was directed at Aes, not at Alex, and the dark angel actually looked surprised. "Yes... Of course. If your mother is, I will be," she said, but Angelle frowned. "You shouldn't," was all she seemed able to say, leaving Aes look surprised and confused.


Termite
Alex didn't know how to take that. And she didn't know if she should pursue it. There was no telling where Angelle's thoughts were coming from, but after a small silence the dragoness figured she would ask anyway. "Why not?"


Tassadar
It took Angelle the better part of a minute to answer Alex, even though the whole table was now staring at her as she rocked Anowyn back and forth and tickled the little half-oni's nose with the tip of her tail, causing her to try and grab the appendage while giggling in complete contrast to the dire mood that had suddenly overtaken them. "Because.... They're mortal," she said somewhat helplessly, "we... We aren't supposed to. It's not fair." Aescila seemed to understand that, at least, and had a quick reply; "It's alright honey. You're right that we aren't supposed to, but in this case the rules can be.... Bent. I'm protecting your mother. We're allowed to protect the people we love, and our oaths, even if it technically means interfering where we shouldn't. So long as we don't do it too often."


Termite
Oh, this was something different. Alex hadn't considered that there may actually be some other reason for it, and it made her wonder. Was this related to their status as angels? Did Angelle have these same rules guiding her path even though she had so many other components within her makeup? Did that also mean that she had it even rougher since there were different rules that a dragon had to obey? And then she had Necro constantly whispering into her ear. Would Angelle be allowed to do anything on her own?

It was something to worry about, but right now Alex had more immediate concerns. "How serious is this rule you two are talking about?"


Tassadar
"Pretty serious," Aes replied, and this time she was serious. "Intervention serious. Not something that I want to deal with, but not something we'll have to worry about so long as I don't go too overboard."


Termite
"Would it be safer if I asked you to simply act in defense?"


Tassadar
"I will be," she said simply, "I'm not about to fly off and go blow them up before they get here, much as I might like to."


Termite
That was definitely something Alex was considering. A flyby strafing just to shock them before they arrived. She wondered if Akorvick was thinking the same thing, or if maybe he was taking a more proactive approach than that. But that also brought up something else. "I guess that means I'll have to make sure I'm somewhere close when they get here. Any other restrictions I should know about?"


Tassadar
"It's... Not looked kindly upon for immortals to meddle in mortal affairs," Aes replied, "It'll be put up with, but.... It's kind of a gray area. It's easiest under contract with mortals, like when your kin or mine get summoned, but in situations like this your brother might be able to argue that he's defending his domain, and you'd be defending your kin. We'll have to tread lightly."


Termite
"Hm... I thought the Courts still saw my kind as mortal?"


Tassadar
"That's another gray area. Technically you... Aren't, but having human blood makes it easier to argue. Dragons in general are also a lot more involved with mortals than most, so there's that. I don't think we'll get into trouble, but I at least need to be careful about it."


Termite
For a moment she remained quiet. "It's starting to sound like we'll need to speak with my brother..."


Tassadar
"Won't we have to do that anyway?" she asked dryly, "you needing to kick his teeth in and all."


Termite
"True, but I meant more in the immediate sense."


Tassadar
"Yeah.... At least about how to deal with the orcs. It might behoove us to coordinate on that."


Termite
A little more silence rang out as Alex appeared to be thinking things over. But after a while she gave a heavy sigh and started to rise. "Can't see any reason to put it off, then."


Tassadar
Aescila, Ria, and Roko all adopted a surprised look at her desire to have done with it immediately, but her Mate rose a moment after she did. "Right..... I've got a bit of work to do today still," Roko said, leaning on his cane and rising to his feet as well. "Lemme know how it turns out, yeah? And don't be a stranger," he said, offering Alex his hand to shake and then doing the same to Ria, Angelle, and finally Aes. The man started slumping off, leaving Ria to clear her throat awkwardly and say; "So... Want us to wait here?"


Termite
Alex took his hand gladly. "I will. And I won't." That sounded a bit confusing, and she waited to see if he understood what he meant. When Ria asked whether they should all wait Alex only considered it for a moment. "It's up to you. I'll let him know you have misgivings about spending the night within the tower if you'd rather stay." And if Ria chose that then she'd motion Angelle to hand Anowyn over to her father.


Tassadar
Roko understood, nodding before heading off. "See you later then." Then it was Ria who took a moment to consider things before nodding, "I'd... Really rather not. I wouldn't be comfortable." Angelle handed Anowyn over and rose to stand with them, readying to follow without even asking. "I won't wander off anywhere, promise," Ria said reassuringly, grinning as she bounced Anowyn in her arms.


Termite
"Understood." Alex considered telling Ria that she may need the oni to sit down and speak with Akorvick at some point, but for now that could be avoided. The woman was having a tough day as it was, and she probably deserved some time alone to bond with Anowyn and let her head clear. "I'll send word if I need you for anything." Hopefully a warning wouldn't be too much of a hassle, and unless there was anything else Alex was ready to go.


Tassadar
"Alright. Good luck.... I guess," she said, and then it was indeed time to go. Aescila and Angelle followed her out, letting Alex lead the way towards the base of the tower. That required little in the way of directions, at least, and within a few minutes they were approaching the square base of the structure. It was surrounded by tents with the familiar standard of the black banner with a red crow on it, its wings extended and its beak open as it unleashed a cry into the air, and though the numerous tents didn't block her way she did need to lead her family through them. Some of those tents were occupied, the expected eclectic makeup of the mercenary organization showing as many of the men at arms displayed a variety of weapons and armor styles. Most of them ignored Alex and her group besides a glance and a double take at their sheer oddness, but a few looked with undisguised interest at one or another member, gawking openly at whoever caught their eye. The door was right up ahead, however, and the knocker on it waited to be used to signal their presence to whoever waited within the tower.


Termite
Walking through the camp was an interesting little experience. Roko's history with the Crows left Alex on a bit of an edge as they approached, and though the mix of men and weapon didn't look all that different from what she'd come to know in the Legion the fact that these soldiers were associated with the bastards that had crippled her ex left a very sour note in the back of the dragon's throat. The thought that someone here had actually tortured him only made that taste even worse, so when a few of the men started taking an interest in the women that walked among them she simply glowered with her head forward. Then only time she didn't was when any of them took a rather intense interest in Angelle. That unlucky fool would get a full glare with a clear intent behind it, and unless they tried to press their luck then she would walk by and try to focus on the tower's entrance. Once she arrived she found the knocker, and after giving it a stare for a couple of seconds she simply took it and slammed it twice to get the attention of whoever sat on the other side.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

Spoiler

Alexandra Alistar: HP = 80, PP = 64, EP = 88, Status = Probably kinda pissed off.

Rolls

Spoiler

Perception: Success.

Alex and her family are allowed in.
Four golems try to grab her suddenly, but they are not sneak attacks thanks to her Insight.
Dodge: 16d10 + 8 = 89
Attacks: On really good rolls (all but the first over 100 on less dice than she had) all four manage to grab her.

Two golems grab Angelle too.

Ye mage lady activates their shock collars. She has to make 4 Reflexes checks with her magic bonus to avoid being Stunned. Each one gets progressively harder.
Reflexes: Passes the first one, fails the second on a bad roll, passes the third, fails the fourth. Alex is Stunned for two rounds. Angelle fails both and is also Stunned for two rounds.

The mage then casts Dispel Magic on Alex in an effort to remove a thing that isn't there.
Casting: Success.
Resistance: Doesn't matter.

Two try to grab Aes. She sees it coming and blows up one of them.

Akorvick then Leap Glomps her.
Dodge: 132
Attack: 203
Grapple: Akorvick wins. Aes is put into a submission hold.

Only a handful of the gauntlet of men that Alex and her family had to walk through lingered, but of those at least two earned her more dire glare as they focused on Angelle rather than her or Aes, one a human with a bald head but a dirty blond beard that had been braided and adorned with various decorations, and the other an elven girl with short black hair and a jagged scar across both eyes who looked barely past the age at which it might be proper for one to even consider such activities. The man noticed her scathing glare after a moment and simply smirked at her, but the elf noticed it immediately and simply ignored it.

Once they arrived at the tower door and Alex had delivered a knock to signal their presence, the trio were made to wait a minute under the occasional glances of the Red Crows before the door was pulled open and they were confronted, perhaps to Alex's surprise, by a face made entirely out of finely carved marble. "Hello," the figure said in a plainly artificial but nonetheless pleasant voice. It was obviously some sort of programmed construct, and though the humanoid figure was clad in a fine suit its stone features were nonetheless highly uncanny when they moved like a thing truly alive. "Ahhhh! You are expected! Please, wait here a moment! I will fetch my master!" it continued, and then promptly shut the door.

Alex and co were left to wait another four of five minutes, a handful of the mercenaries lounging around chuckling at the abrupt nature of the golem's response but otherwise starting to largely ignore them. A sudden sense of trepidation would settle over Alex as she was made to wait, more than simple nervousness at another confrontation with her brother, and Aes seemed nervous as well. Eventually, the door was pulled open again, and the same statue stepped aside to reveal the mage that Alex had met on the wall earlier. She gave them a grimace that was only a halfway decent attempt at a welcoming smile, "hello... Sorry about the wait, I was delayed. Busy, upstairs. Please, come in."

She took a largely unnecessary step back, leaving more room for Alex to lead the way inside past the strange golem. The tower itself was well decorated but not lavishly so, many of the items of art, sculpture, and even armored suits looking more like collected items than those set up by design. The unusually eclectic collection of decorative items gave the place a lived in look, but the moderately sized chamber was obviously not a place where people were meant to gather and stay for long, being merely a greeting room. The stairs leading up were over on the left, starting there and then branching in either direction to a second floor balcony with lines of steps leading up branching off and doors leading into different rooms along its length. Other than those stairs there was nothing more than a large set of doors on the right and a pair of smaller doors directly across from the room.

"Come this way.... Akorvick is waiting," she said as she turned and started towards the stairs, leaving Alex, Aes, and Angelle to follow while the golem in a suit closed the door. They made it about halfway across the room before the double doors on the right, some twenty feet away, were violently slammed open and Akorvick came forth like a roaring titan. He was in his transformed state, only this time he was even larger than before, his wings almost striking the lightstones hanging from the ceiling that was some thirty to forty feet above them as he simply charged them down with smoke billowing from his nose. Before Alex could react, however, her insight flared and instinct put her into motion, pushing her to the side as the animated butler simply tried to grab her from behind. Her early warning allowed Alex to avoid it, but unfortunately it wasn't the only one, as more similar constructs sprang from the suits of armor and statuary decorating the sides of the room. As soon as one caught her she found three more sets of hands grabbing her, holding her in place, and Angelle had been grabbed by two more while completely stunned and terrified.

"Crioxis!" the elderly mage cried suddenly, breaking the illusion of being startled by Akorvick's charge by calling out what must have been a command word, because electricity suddenly surged through her body from the golems grabbing her. The half-dragon's body seized immediately, and even though she shoved off the first wave there were four of the golems holding her, and her muscles were left spasming by the constant shocks in short order. It was only a brief burst, but enough to leave Alex momentarily helpless, and Angelle didn't even fair as well as she did. Aes, in the meantime, had been jumped by two only for the first to be blasted to bits and the second to be evaded. Akorvick went straight for her, however, and while she might have been granted great power and skill by absorbing Dina's essence she hadn't had time to prepare herself while Akorvick obviously had.

He grabbed her in one hand, his fingers closing around her waist, and then simply slammed her against the wall hard enough to send cracks running through the stone. Aes was stunned by the blow, but only for a second, and the dark angel began to glow with power even as Akorvick's head reared back. His mouth opened, and then spikes along his back began to glow red hot while heat suddenly filled the room, emanating from his inhuman maw as he prepared to simply incinerate Alex'x Mate while she was left helplessly stunned by the shocks running through her body.

The mage, in the meantime, approached her in rapid steps and placed both hands on the sides of Alex's head, one of the golems grabbing her by the horns to keep her still while she began to work a spell of her own. Alex could feel the magic emanating from her now, the spells kept passive and the distance she'd maintained making them difficult to detect in the magic suffused air of her heavily enchanted tower. The spell she worked surged not through her body, however, but directly into her mind, and while Alex might have tried to resist it she would quickly realized what the woman's aim was; She wasn't trying to do anything to Alex's mind directly. She was trying to dispel an enchantment already placed upon it, one that would direct her behavior according to the wishes of another.

Naturally, she found nothing, and when she did the older woman opened her eyes in alarm. She locked eyes with Alex in what was probably the most deeply apologetic and horrified look that Alex had seen in her life. She spun on her feet instantly, releasing Alex, and urgently shouted; "Stop! Stop! There's nothing!" That caught Aes and Akorvick just as the two looked about ready to unleash something that might obliterate the other, and thankfully the highly advantaged dragonkin was the first to stop. His mouth closed, the glow of his spikes receding and, at least according to the gasp of air that Aes drew in, loosened his grip considerably.

"There's nothing!" she repeated quickly, "no enchantment! No scars from brainwashing! No enthrallment! Nothing!" Akorvick stared at her for a moment, his inhuman visage impossible to read, but then he glanced back at Aes and simply set her down gingerly. The fallen angel stumbled, but narrowly managed to keep from falling to her knees as she sucked in breath. Angelle looked terrified, pained, and confused, and with a gesture and another command word the young hybrid was gently lowered to a seated position on the floor and then released by the golems, who then stepped away and stood at attention. "I'm sorry!" the mage said earnestly, finally addressing Alex directly, "we thought that..."

A grunt from Akorvick silenced her, and she stepped back after directing the golems holding Alex gently released her and stepped away. The electricity that had shocked her had hurt enough to stun her, to keep her from thinking straight, but it hadn't apparently been the sort of magical lightning that was strong enough to do any real damage to her, and she shook off its effects fully after only a few seconds. Her brother stared down at her for a few moments and then began to change again, reducing himself back to his humanoid form. Then he stood and stared at her, his arms at his side and his face twisted into a frown.

"Well," he said quietly, "I... Suppose this merits... A bit of an apology." Aes, in the meantime, limped over to Alex, ignoring Akorvick and his accomplice, and said; "Are you alright?" She seemed furious in a way that Alex hadn't seen in a long time, but once she was sure that Alex was alright she immediately went to their daughter and repeated that question. Angelle seemed lost, dazed, but after a moment managed a nod, and didn't seem any worse for wear than Alex for their sudden but shortlived ordeal. The mage went to stand beside Akorvick, frowning and looking deeply uncomfortable, but her brother ignored everyone in the room other than Alex.

 

[Termite]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

Alex was pissed. She never expected to be broadsided like that, not when she was invited to stay at the tower by someone who held draconic blood, but even with her Insight suddenly flaring in alarm she simply couldn't avoid all the hands that shot out and sought to bring her down. It left her ill prepared for the shocks that brought her to her knees, and though she weathered some it still left her stunned and relatively helpless as the pressed her advantage. It left her mind muddled as the woman thrust her magics into the dragoness's mind, her consciousness able to process what was happening but unable to do a damn thing about the constructs holding her down and leaving her exposed.

It may have ended in nothing, the magess realizing the grave mistake she made and ending every bit of aggression with the most sincerely apologetic and horrified look Alex had ever seen, but through it all the floored dragon had seen everything. Aes had been attacked. Her Mate had been slammed against a wall and nearly crushed in her brother's grip, and though her angel was quick to recover Akorvick had an advantage that very nearly turned her into ash and would have likely blown the wall of the tower out into the town. Thankfully he backed down, his intended flame receding as he gently released Aes, and with that he backed away and reverted to his original self.

And that was the only reason Alex wasn't blowing him through a wall. He attacked Aes. His accomplice attacked Angelle. They both violated every rule of conduct imaginable.

That left Alex silently seething as she was released, and though she managed to recover easily enough Aes was not so lucky. She'd been hurt. The nearly shattered wall said as much as well as the slight gasp she made as Akorvick released her. But she was far more mobile, and she was able to approach Alex while the dragoness was busy dragging herself off the floor. When asked if she was okay Alex nodded, but before Aes could leave Alex grabbed her Mate and started gathering whatever energy she could. She wasn't sure how the shocks would affect her, but she channeled the single healing spell she knew into her love and hopefully eased some of the physical pain before the angel stepped away to check on their daughter.

In a weird sense that helped to calm some of the dragon's fury, so when she finally turned toward her 'host' she was simply clenching her teeth as her fists clenched. "Then apologize." Her voice was strained as it fought to get past her rigid jaw, and that was all the response she would give that moment. That hesitant little statement of his was anything but the apology he said was due, and Alex wasn't going to do anything else until he corrected that little mistake.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

Spoiler

Alexandra Alistar: HP = 80, PP = 64, EP = 86/88, Status = Probably kinda pissed off.

When she channeled a bit of magic into her Mate's body to heal some of what her brother had done in the process of slamming her against a wall, Alex's actions surprised Aes more than anything else. Though she had learned from Creshnibon as well as could be expected, Alex's magical skills were not exactly the best, and though the warmth spreading through her lover's body eased some of the pain and likely lessened the bruising she would be sporting later, it was at best a minor boon. Aescila appreciated the gesture regardless, however, displaying a brief but thin smile and a nod of thanks as Alex's spell allowed her to stand a little straighter. She could have easily done better easily, but that simple fact was left unsaid as she moved to Angelle.

That left Alex confronting her brother, however, and even if her healing of her Mate had taken some of the edge off of her anger it still left her quite visibly seething. Akorvick tilted his head slightly, gazing at her in a manner not unlike an animal gazing at something that intrigued it. For several moments he kept his silence, but eventually her brother quite earnestly said; "I apologize for attacking your... Mate, and for compromising the honor of another by convincing them to contain you while I did so." He paused, but then added; "I thought it necessary, however. I can offer an explanation if you care for one."

 

[Termite]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

"I do not." It took a while for Alex to get those words out, but once she did the general animosity she'd been showing had receded enough to be manageable. She wondered how he would react to the demand for the apology, and though it wasn't exactly a surprise the fact that he so easily acquiesced did wonders to help calm her nerves. That left her crossing her arms across her chest as she continued. "Her reaction said enough. But I am severely disappointed." But a bit of an edge was coming back to her voice. "I'm not the pathetic little runt that ran off. I've been training to settle my past. I've fought battles that would have left others running. I struggled to claim the damned birthright Father left in each of our bloods! And you thought I was her pet? You thought I would let some random woman conquer me? Especially after what happened just before I left?!" Her aura flared a moment later, Alex taking a step toward her kin as her Pride rose and bolstered the indignation she'd been feeling. "I will not simply bow to another!" She stood there letting the force of her will wash over everyone. "But maybe this isn't enough." A moment later the intensity of her power doubled. "Maybe she could still overwhelm me with her presence alone." And then it doubled again. By this point her mind would be a fortress, and unless the mage could muster enough power to enchant herself heavily she would never be able to even peek within the dragon let alone overcome her.

"But perhaps you'd like to see something a little more your speed." In that instant Alex exploded. All the energy she pulled into her Pride suddenly shifted to the flame that burned within her body, and though she tried to contain it as best she could that flame simply consumed her without a second thought. But a moment later that flame passed, and just as she had been within Therion's Arena Alex stood as a true dragon. She was still dwarfed by the sheer mass of her brother, but there was no denying the sheer power that her body now contained. It was a drastic change, even more drastic than his own, and the fact that she didn't look the least bit bothered by this transformation meant she could go even further if she so desired.

For a moment she lingered in that state, her nostrils flaring and letting out jets of smoke when she gave a deep breath, but a moment later she simply collapsed back into her normal state and stood strong as if nothing had ever happened. She simply examined Akorvick and measured his response, but after a while she spoke once again. "But perhaps you can't see past the scared little girl you knew. So think of me as this." At that her hand rose, her fist displaying itself so she could call attention to the formal ring she wore on her finger. "I am Alexandra Alistar, dragon-born and Knight Errant to the Fae Court of Summer." She was starting to get down to business now, and she let her title settle for a bit before continuing. "I am free to act as I see fit, and despite the rather dubious welcomings I've received I have reason to protect this little town. As such I felt it best to discuss my involvement with Ochre's defense force. Any objections?"

Spoiler

Using Dragon's Pride at X = 5, then X = 10, then X = 20. Following that by dropping that buff for Draconic Transformation at X = 20. Gotta show off, now.

Doubt the stats will mean anything at this point, but it does bring up a question concerning Dragon's Pride. It gives +2X to Resistance, then +2X more for defensive Resistance checks. How does that work with the aptitude Soul's Strength? Would each component of the Resistance check receive the buff?

(Basically would the defensive part of Dragon's Pride be +5X Resist or +6X Resist)

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Vengeance or Reconciliation? (Termite)

Spoiler

Alexandra Alistar: HP = 80, PP = 64, EP = 31/88, Status = Yup, kinda pissed off.

Alex's refusal to listen to any explanation left Akorvick staring silently at her, neither judgement nor anger on his face. He seemed oddly cold at that point as he examined her, and that expression went unchanged as she started to speak with steadily rising volume. Though his magus companion would take a step back, Akorvick would stand his ground as her power flared suddenly, filling the room with warmth only for it to intensify violently. His face gave a single tick, a frown briefly appearing just as she described Aescila as some random woman, but other than that her brother simply displayed no reaction whatsoever. He simply watched and frowned, a wall against which she could vent as he displayed something that she had never seen on him before earlier that day, a near perfect poker face that gave no hints at what he might be thinking as he Pride flared not once but twice, doubling each time. Few beings on Donevrion could handle the kind of power that Alex was exerting at that point for any length of time, and fewer still could hope to overwhelm the nearly indestructible fortress that her power made of her, the normally unobtrusive exertion of her energies leaving her glowing and exuding fiery heat.

Akorvick offered another brief tilt of his head as Alex began her much more dramatic transformation, shifting the energy she had put into her pride into a transformation that briefly left her burning before him before she emerged from the flame in a draconic form very different from his own. Though her transformation didn't even give her the height to tower over him in his normal form without stretching her neck a bit, the physical power that her draconic form offered was still apparent enough that even one without the skill to sense her spiritual emanations would be unable to miss it. Akorvick surely couldn't have, but Alex's brother stood with his expression unchanged as he slowly swept his eyes over her draconic form during the brief time in which Alex assumed it.

He straightened his head again when she returned to her normal form, and even as she delivered her final confident declaration and displayed the faerie signet ring on her right hand. That too passed by without any visible reaction, no amazement or fear or intimidation, nor any sign that her brother had done anything other than acknowledge her title with the very slightest of nods. It was perhaps frustrating, but unless she expressed such in some manner her brother would offer no response to her impressive display after Alex had simply moved on to the real purpose for her visit. "No," he said simply, his voice actually somewhat distant, and after a moment of silence he continued; "Even if I wished to.... I don't think that I... That we can refuse your help at this point."

Spoiler

Answered that elsewhere.