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Semi Genre-Savvy Overlord
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What, no ghost rider (horse riding variant) or the headless horseman?Blinded said:
Halkegenia Online Thread 11: Eh, she'll get the familiar eventually . . .
- Thread starter Triggerhappy
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Triggerhappy
Stick with Trigger and You'll Make it Through
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Halkegenia Online v2.0 – Chapter 11 – Part 2
Even after all that she had been through in just the past night's time, Sakuya still did not permit herself to rest just yet. There was so much to do and such a small window to do it.
A perimeter had to be set up around the city and patrols arranged to catch any fleeing conspirators. That was a job for Zolf and Morgiana. Strategic stockpiles had to be checked for signs of tampering and their guards doubled, already being Handld by Thinker and Eugene. Damage had to be managed, both the real scars to the city and wounded reputations of the Fae and their backers. And the ugly rumors had to be nipped in the bud before they could spread and the rot could set in. The Last two were left for her.
The Sylph Forces training at Champ de Mars had been fully sortied to assist the Capital Garrison and Sakuya's own guards now stood prominently at attention around the perimeter of the room, even more determined after Ephi's betrayal to show their diligence.
Sakuya was on her last leg, emotionally, mentally, and physically spent, but she dove in anyways, anything to let her forget about the past night, to move beyond it. To convince Alicia and her subordinates that she was alright. Even bickering with the Nobility was welcome, for a while at least.
Opinion ranged the gamut from the Duke de la Valliere, still staunchly supportive, to Count Woestte, showing open anger at how a mess had been made of a profitable evening with Lord Rute, to the outraged cries of the opposition eager for their pound of flesh from the hide of the Fae and the Crown. She wondered idly just how many of the last group might know something more of the events that had transpired. Only time would tell, she hoped.
"Troubles?"
Sakuya blinked out of a daze to realize that her mind had wondered in the company of the Duke de la Valliere. Eyes shinning from beneath thick, blonde eyebrows, with only a hint of gray at the roots of his hair. Reaching later middle age, the Duke was nonetheless as vital yet as his wife. It was an observation that Sakuya had found herself making while in the company of many of Tristain's aristocracy, General Gramont, and Count Woestte as well. Better nutrition and a life free of backbreaking labor would account for a lot, but she'd begun to suspect that magic was coming into play somewhere along the line.
The Valliere Patriarch had already done the Fae a great service, he and the Duchess lending their political and military support to the joint ventures to secure Tristain's borders against outside aggression. If there was anyone here who she could trust as much as she did Henrietta and Queen Marianne, it was the Duke and the Duchess.
"How could I not be troubled after what I've learned about last night?" She'd gotten the whole story from Alicia on the way back.
The fireworks, the fires, the utter disruption of the Gala. It wouldn't be possible to diffuse all of the blame. They were going to take a painful hit for this, especially when news of Sigurd and Ephi became public knowledge, and she saw no way that it wouldn't. Not just one Faerie but three. So much for being above suspicion. "It's all going to be a perfect mess, isn't it?" She concluded. "I just wonder if things will be okay."
The Duke gave her a look of almost grandfatherly concern, sighing heavily. They'd ended up in the corner of the ballroom, watching events unfold, stepping in wherever they were needed to quell a dispute. They'd reached a lull in the traffic coming and going, the soldiers and guards were executing their orders and would report back, most of the Nobility would still be digesting what had happened last night, plotting their next moves, whether friend or foe.
"Do not let it weigh too heavily on your shoulders. The burden will crush you if you do not take care." The Duke looked on melancholic for a moment. "You are a newcomer to this land, but this Kingdom has weathered tumultuous times often in the past. Now is no different."
"The Kingdom, maybe." Sakuya said. Henrietta had been kind enough to read some of Halkegenia's histories for her, part of an exchange they had made one evening not too long ago. Tristain's history was as filled with conflict as the Duke claimed, rivaling that of Europe during a similar time, indeed, the war with Reconquista marked the end of an unusually long period of relative peace. "But you can't tell me that power hasn't changed hands times over." And that was what she feared, the Kingdom had existed before they'd arrived after all, it could happily go on existing if they ceased.
A moment of silence. "No . . . I suppose not. But it is a start. Allow yourself the luxury of the assumption that the Kingdom will still be here tomorrow and fret not until you see for yourself. There is plenty else to be concerned with in the mean time."
"Worry about what I can do, you mean?" Sakuya asked. "I only wish that were enough."
Hearing it said by someone else, it gave her permission of a sorts to give in, just a little. It was a reminder that somewhere in her head, Yamada Sakura the grad student was still spinning around hysterically as she tried to come to terms with the fact that thousands of people were depending on her.
"It will be." The Duke asserted. "Between you and the other Lords, the Vallieres, the La Ramees, the Woesttes, and the Crown. Or there will be heaven and damnation to pay when we fail. You alone have already done a great deal, Lady Sakuya."
"Only made myself visible." Sakuya said humbly.
"And that is half the battle." The Duke de la Valliere said, slamming one massive hand against his thigh. "You can't be blind to how the nobility see you."
"Yes, I know, as a Faerie Lord." Sakuya almost spat. She knew that the Duke meant it to be flattering, but how could she feel flattered? Leading felt more like a curse.
The Duke shook his head slowly. "As the Faerie Lord. It's in your bearing, the way you speak and to whom." He said with a certain emphasis that left Sakuya very surprised. "Make no mistake, they view the likes of Lord Mortimer and Lord Thinker as high Nobility as well, but you, they see as something very close to Fae Royalty. You could not have missed this."
Sakuya looked away. She hadn't, or rather, she'd noticed it without thinking much of the implications, what would come of it given time. It had started out of convenience, and continued to grow as she dealt with the Nobility on their own terms. It had become assumed, something that she accounted for when speaking with Barons, and Counts, and Dukes, that she would be treated as a peer.
"No." She admitted. "No, I haven't. But I'm not, not really, anyways."
Silence again stretched as they stood side by side, the Duke seemingly taking care as he crafted his response. Delicately, so delicately, speaking with decades of decorum. "I think you'll find that it's a role that suits you, Sakuya. Even more so when you find the right person to carry the load with you."
Feeling tired, Sakuya smiled wanly. "I can't keep burdening Alicia with my troubles, it feels selfish enough as it is." It wouldn't be right. Alicia had to be burning out too, that was always like her, not showing it until she finally crashed.
The Duke frowned imperceptibly. "That wasn't . . ."
"If I might ask, where is the Duchess right now?" Sakuya surveyed the room, but she couldn't see a sign of the familiar head of pink hair. Perhaps the Duchess was once more taking a more active role, asserting her old authority as a Captain of the Knights.
The Duke's expression darkened as he brought both hands to rest on his cain. "I'm afraid. That there was an incident last night involving our youngest daughter."
"Oh?" Sakuya felt a chill run down her spine as she understood the unspoken implication. "Oh." She said again, flatly.
"Quite." The Duke said softly under his breath. "She was performing services to the crown when she ran afoul of some of the Conspirators and was badly injured along with once of Lady Alicia's people."
"Are they . . ."
"Both still live." The Duke assured her quickly. "Our daughter received only minor injuries, but she has suffered another collapse from exhaustion. The Duchess refuses to leave her side. Louise is expected to make a fully recovery. Though it was a very near thing for the Faerie with her. I heard that the healers were unsure if she would make it through the night."
"I am sorry again for the danger that your family has suffered because of our neglect." Sakuya bowed her head sincerely. "Though, shouldn't you also see to your daughter at a time like this?" She knew it wouldn't necessarily match the mores of the time, if Halkegenia was as much like the amalgam of late medieval and early modern Europe it resembled, but she'd been surprised before. And, there was a world of difference between reading of how people were expected to act, and seeing it for herself.
"This is no more your fault than it is the fault of the Crown. Though I assure you there will be people who see it that way. As for Louise," The Duke let out a long, low breath, closing his eyes. "That is exactly what I am doing now." He gestured around them tp the bickering nobility. "There are men in this room who think of nothing but themselves, even now, what they can gain from this disaster, or what they can salvage of their own fortunes. I think how this might endanger my daughters." He looked over to Sakuya and she was struck by how pained he looked beneath those thick eyebrows. "Neither my wife nor I want our daughters to experience the tumultuous times I mentioned. They should remain to them, always, in the records of history."
"I think I understand." She said softly. Reahing out, she placed both of her hands atop the Duke's own, squeezing softly, feeling the rough skin, scarred by years of fighting and hunting. "Then at least let me wish her a swift recovery."
A small nod of gratitude from the Duke. "And the same for your Lord Mortimer." The blonde Noblemen cocked his head. "I gather you haven't payed your respects yet?"
"To Mortimer?" Sakuya wondered, and then shook her head hesitantly. "N-no, the physicians said he needed rest, and there was so much else to do . . ."
"Sakuya-san!"
It was the Undine Lord's Lieutenant, Yulier, wondering closer on her circuit of the ballroom perimeter. She looked slightly less disheveled then the rest of them, having traded off shifts with Thinker through the night, sparing herself time to eat and get a little rest. Now she seemed to be making others do the same, tapping Lord Zolf on the shoulder as he finished briefing a trio of his guards, the threat assassins vanishing in puffs of Darkness Magic to take up watch. If only they'd thought to have all of them on hand the night before instead of just the two accompanying Zolf.
'It might have pushed the standoff over the edge.' Sakuya thought darkly. The Local mages were tolerant of Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire magic, and regarded Puca music spells with a mix of amusement and dismay, but even with the Church's ruling, suspicions still surrounded the more exotic [<Magic Types]> especially those that did what was impossible for Halkegenian magic to duplicate.
"Yulier-san." Sakuya regarded the other woman politely. The silver haired Undine had found time in the night to change into something more functional, the pseudo martial uniform of the Orlein City Watch.
"Forgive me for interrupting, but I thought it best that everyone try and get some rest now." Yulier said. "Thinker and I can manage now that Lady Zia and Lord Rute have returned."
Sleep, sleep sounded good right now, but Sakuya was reluctant until a heavy hand planted itself on her shoulder.
"The Lady of Sylvain graciously accepts, Miss Yulier." The Duke said in a voice that brooked no argument. He would get none from her, she supposed. This was bound to take days, she needed to pace herself and rest when she could. Giving Yulier a small nod and a whisper of thanks, she departed, at first for no place in particularly, simply seeking a quiet place to sit down, or perhaps a vacant room to sleep. Not her own, after last night she wanted to distance herself from the reminders for now.
But before that. The Duke may have been right. There was someone she needed to see, if only for her own peace of mind.
She didn't actually know where Mortimer had taken, but asking around eventually got her to a servant who could furnish his location, in the guest apartments on the third floor, not at all far from where Sakuya herself had been staying. When she arrived, Sakuya as mildly surprised to see a pair of Cait Grapplers standing opposite the Salamanders guards at the door.
The Guards challenged her, at first she thought it was out of habit, but then realized that they were thoroughly appraising her with their full arsenal of detection magic. Given last night, she couldn't blame them at all for suspecting everyone.
Satisfied, the Salamanders stepped aside, opening the doors for her. Taking a breath, Sakuya felt like she was about to set foot in the Dragon's den. For all of that, the first step proved remarkably easy. Then the doors shut behind her and she was left with only her own breathing and the faint sound of leaves rustling in the tree outside the windows.
The apartments were like her own with a small sitting room serving as the entry to a bedroom and attached washroom. The second set of double doors leading to the bedroom had been left open to encourage a breeze, carrying with it the heavy scents of healing salves and disinfectant ointments. Treading softly, Lydia looked up as she entered the room, and then Alicia sitting beside the bed.
"Lady Sakuya." Lydia greeted, seemingly unsure of quite what to make of her presenting herself like this.
"Finally decided to stop by, eh Sakuya-chan?" Alicia whispered kindly.
"Alicia? What are you doing here?" Sakuya wondered. Though the absence of General Eugene was easy enough to determine. With Mortimer unable to lead, the Salamanders would be looking to his brother to organize them in the interim.
"What's does it look like?" Alicia asked. "I'm paying my respects to the guy who helped save my best friend."
Hearing it like that brought home more what had happened last night. Gathering her courage, Sakuya asked the only question that mattered. "How is he?"
The Salamand and Cait looked to each other and then back to Sakuya.
"Well, he hasn't woken up since they brought him here." Alicia offered, voice trailing as if uncertain. "But the healers said that he should be fine if we wait."
"My Lord pushed himself very hard last night." Lydia said as she rose to retrieve a bowl of water and a hand cloth. "Flying all the way to the Capital after being injured, and journeying with the assault force. He did far too much and now his body is needs time to recover." The Salamander swordswoman stopped to give Sakuya a meaningful, almost accusatory look before coming to sit beside Alicia.
Only then, following behind Lydia, did Sakuya get a clear look at the form laying propped up in bed.
"See, Sakuya-chan. He's not a bad person." Alicia whispered.
Her first thought upon seeing him was that this was not Lord Mortimer. Without the cold glare, without the enforced state of non expression or the overbearing stance, the years seemed to melt away until all that was left was a pale youth, barely old enough to be called a man. Pale, almost sickly it seemed. Neck and gauze bandages covering his upper chest peeked out from the collar his nightgown while arms were laying to either side showing more gauntness then she would have expected in a player avatar.
'He hasn't been eating well.' She realized, looking at the way the skin hung. Unlike the dark rings beneath his eyes, that couldn't have been the result of just last night.
'Why didn't I notice it before?' She wondered, how fragile he really was. But she knew the answer. She'd wanted an enemy, something to lash out at, and Mortimer had made himself an easy target. Guilt became the predominant emotion as Sakuya took a seat beside her oldest remaining friend.
"You should have seen him last night." Alicia went on as Lydia quietly worked, wiping away the sweat and checking bandages. "He went totally Sherlock Holmes on the conspiracy to find where they'd taken you and Shirishi-chan, and . . ."
"And?" Sakuya asked.
"He was scarred to death for you." Lydia said without looked up. "He thought that if anything happened to you, it would be his doing."
Sakuya's eyes widened and then narrowed again. "His fault? No, Ephi and Sigurd were my responsibility. I'm the only one who put myself in danger." She laughed softly. "I really am such a horrible judge of character, aren't I?"
"Sakuya-chan." Alicia urged gently.
"I can't really say." Lydia decided coldly, putting the bowl and towel back at Mortimer's bed side. "I imagine that My Lord will say it's both your faults for letting this happen and . . . " The silver haired salamander breathed softly. " . . . That your portion of the fault doesn't matter."
"Is that how it is?" Sakuya wondered, watching the faint rise and fall of the sleeping Mortimer's chest.
"That's how it is." Lydia agreed. Then, expression softening minutely, she went on. "But please, don't take that as reason to judge him too harshly." Lydia raised her own right hand to Mortimer's forehead. Sakuya noted the bandaged, and the pungent smell of burn ointments. "I know he's difficult. He may seem callous to you, even cruel. But Mortimer has always done right by the Salamanders, in that other world and in this one." She bit her lip. "It's just, I think, if he let it show that he cared . . . he'd go mad. Can you imagine how that must feel?" Lydia looked up sadly.
Having all the weight sitting on her shoulders, laying awake at night second guessing herself, locking her doubts deep within her chest where they would never come out. Sakuya squeezed her eyes shut. "A little." She said in a small voice, swallowing. "I've been unkind to him, haven't I?"
Alicia chuckled. "Maybe just a little." Pinching her finger together. "But I get why he rubs you the wrong way. I just prefer to think he doesn't know how to deal with women."
"Maybe you're right." Sakuya looked back down at Mortimer, and then half smiled. He really did look so much like a kid when he was sleeping. "I'll have to apologize I suppose. When he wakes up . . . Lydia-san?"
"Hmm?" The swordswoman looked up from her work.
"Would it be alright, if I stayed her for a while", Sakuya asked, "In case he wakes up." She felt her cheeks warming as she realized how it sounded. "I just . . . don't want to leave things unsettled."
"Stay as long as you please." Lydia replied. "But, I'd think you'd want to rest while you can."
"Only for a while." Sakuya persisted. Just a little while. The time would be good for her, to think, to reflect, to try and come up with some way to put right the rift they'd managed to create between themselves when they should have been trying to trust.
They'd relented, Alicia, and Lydia both, neither saying a word to her as she retreated to be alone with her own thoughts, not even noticing when Alicia was called away, or when Lydia went to get more bandages. It ran circles in her head as she tried to think of what to say, how to be diplomatic about what had happened, and how to put aside her wounded pride. In the end, she had made the same mistakes as Mortimer.
She didn't even notice, having come to rest, her own exhaustion catching up with her. As long as she'd been moving, she'd been able to stay awake, but now, her body demanded sleep.
'How do I make up for this?' She wondered, feeling her eyes growing leaden.
'How do I trust you?' She gave that young face a curious look before closing her eyes one last time, head nodding forward.
'How do I earn your trust?'
She didn't mean to, the breeze just felt so good, soothing her like a lullaby as its rustled the trees outside. Darkness caught up to Sakuya, sinking forward in her chair until her head and shoulders were resting atop the bed.
The room was silent for a time save for their shared breathing. Then a faint stirring, bleary eyes opening to look about, as if still half in the world of dreams. Mortimer's eyes trailed slowly from the window, up to the ceiling, and then down, down to the source of noise and the pressure resting against his left arm.
He stopped, blinking as he licked dry lips, hand untangling itself to reach out feebly, to prove that what he was seeing wasn't a mirage. Fingers slipped through dark green hair and then softly touched the side of her face and the bandage that still covered the cuts to her cheek. Still, sleeping, peaceful . . . beautiful . . . As he drifted back into Darkness.
Even after all that she had been through in just the past night's time, Sakuya still did not permit herself to rest just yet. There was so much to do and such a small window to do it.
A perimeter had to be set up around the city and patrols arranged to catch any fleeing conspirators. That was a job for Zolf and Morgiana. Strategic stockpiles had to be checked for signs of tampering and their guards doubled, already being Handld by Thinker and Eugene. Damage had to be managed, both the real scars to the city and wounded reputations of the Fae and their backers. And the ugly rumors had to be nipped in the bud before they could spread and the rot could set in. The Last two were left for her.
The Sylph Forces training at Champ de Mars had been fully sortied to assist the Capital Garrison and Sakuya's own guards now stood prominently at attention around the perimeter of the room, even more determined after Ephi's betrayal to show their diligence.
Sakuya was on her last leg, emotionally, mentally, and physically spent, but she dove in anyways, anything to let her forget about the past night, to move beyond it. To convince Alicia and her subordinates that she was alright. Even bickering with the Nobility was welcome, for a while at least.
Opinion ranged the gamut from the Duke de la Valliere, still staunchly supportive, to Count Woestte, showing open anger at how a mess had been made of a profitable evening with Lord Rute, to the outraged cries of the opposition eager for their pound of flesh from the hide of the Fae and the Crown. She wondered idly just how many of the last group might know something more of the events that had transpired. Only time would tell, she hoped.
"Troubles?"
Sakuya blinked out of a daze to realize that her mind had wondered in the company of the Duke de la Valliere. Eyes shinning from beneath thick, blonde eyebrows, with only a hint of gray at the roots of his hair. Reaching later middle age, the Duke was nonetheless as vital yet as his wife. It was an observation that Sakuya had found herself making while in the company of many of Tristain's aristocracy, General Gramont, and Count Woestte as well. Better nutrition and a life free of backbreaking labor would account for a lot, but she'd begun to suspect that magic was coming into play somewhere along the line.
The Valliere Patriarch had already done the Fae a great service, he and the Duchess lending their political and military support to the joint ventures to secure Tristain's borders against outside aggression. If there was anyone here who she could trust as much as she did Henrietta and Queen Marianne, it was the Duke and the Duchess.
"How could I not be troubled after what I've learned about last night?" She'd gotten the whole story from Alicia on the way back.
The fireworks, the fires, the utter disruption of the Gala. It wouldn't be possible to diffuse all of the blame. They were going to take a painful hit for this, especially when news of Sigurd and Ephi became public knowledge, and she saw no way that it wouldn't. Not just one Faerie but three. So much for being above suspicion. "It's all going to be a perfect mess, isn't it?" She concluded. "I just wonder if things will be okay."
The Duke gave her a look of almost grandfatherly concern, sighing heavily. They'd ended up in the corner of the ballroom, watching events unfold, stepping in wherever they were needed to quell a dispute. They'd reached a lull in the traffic coming and going, the soldiers and guards were executing their orders and would report back, most of the Nobility would still be digesting what had happened last night, plotting their next moves, whether friend or foe.
"Do not let it weigh too heavily on your shoulders. The burden will crush you if you do not take care." The Duke looked on melancholic for a moment. "You are a newcomer to this land, but this Kingdom has weathered tumultuous times often in the past. Now is no different."
"The Kingdom, maybe." Sakuya said. Henrietta had been kind enough to read some of Halkegenia's histories for her, part of an exchange they had made one evening not too long ago. Tristain's history was as filled with conflict as the Duke claimed, rivaling that of Europe during a similar time, indeed, the war with Reconquista marked the end of an unusually long period of relative peace. "But you can't tell me that power hasn't changed hands times over." And that was what she feared, the Kingdom had existed before they'd arrived after all, it could happily go on existing if they ceased.
A moment of silence. "No . . . I suppose not. But it is a start. Allow yourself the luxury of the assumption that the Kingdom will still be here tomorrow and fret not until you see for yourself. There is plenty else to be concerned with in the mean time."
"Worry about what I can do, you mean?" Sakuya asked. "I only wish that were enough."
Hearing it said by someone else, it gave her permission of a sorts to give in, just a little. It was a reminder that somewhere in her head, Yamada Sakura the grad student was still spinning around hysterically as she tried to come to terms with the fact that thousands of people were depending on her.
"It will be." The Duke asserted. "Between you and the other Lords, the Vallieres, the La Ramees, the Woesttes, and the Crown. Or there will be heaven and damnation to pay when we fail. You alone have already done a great deal, Lady Sakuya."
"Only made myself visible." Sakuya said humbly.
"And that is half the battle." The Duke de la Valliere said, slamming one massive hand against his thigh. "You can't be blind to how the nobility see you."
"Yes, I know, as a Faerie Lord." Sakuya almost spat. She knew that the Duke meant it to be flattering, but how could she feel flattered? Leading felt more like a curse.
The Duke shook his head slowly. "As the Faerie Lord. It's in your bearing, the way you speak and to whom." He said with a certain emphasis that left Sakuya very surprised. "Make no mistake, they view the likes of Lord Mortimer and Lord Thinker as high Nobility as well, but you, they see as something very close to Fae Royalty. You could not have missed this."
Sakuya looked away. She hadn't, or rather, she'd noticed it without thinking much of the implications, what would come of it given time. It had started out of convenience, and continued to grow as she dealt with the Nobility on their own terms. It had become assumed, something that she accounted for when speaking with Barons, and Counts, and Dukes, that she would be treated as a peer.
"No." She admitted. "No, I haven't. But I'm not, not really, anyways."
Silence again stretched as they stood side by side, the Duke seemingly taking care as he crafted his response. Delicately, so delicately, speaking with decades of decorum. "I think you'll find that it's a role that suits you, Sakuya. Even more so when you find the right person to carry the load with you."
Feeling tired, Sakuya smiled wanly. "I can't keep burdening Alicia with my troubles, it feels selfish enough as it is." It wouldn't be right. Alicia had to be burning out too, that was always like her, not showing it until she finally crashed.
The Duke frowned imperceptibly. "That wasn't . . ."
"If I might ask, where is the Duchess right now?" Sakuya surveyed the room, but she couldn't see a sign of the familiar head of pink hair. Perhaps the Duchess was once more taking a more active role, asserting her old authority as a Captain of the Knights.
The Duke's expression darkened as he brought both hands to rest on his cain. "I'm afraid. That there was an incident last night involving our youngest daughter."
"Oh?" Sakuya felt a chill run down her spine as she understood the unspoken implication. "Oh." She said again, flatly.
"Quite." The Duke said softly under his breath. "She was performing services to the crown when she ran afoul of some of the Conspirators and was badly injured along with once of Lady Alicia's people."
"Are they . . ."
"Both still live." The Duke assured her quickly. "Our daughter received only minor injuries, but she has suffered another collapse from exhaustion. The Duchess refuses to leave her side. Louise is expected to make a fully recovery. Though it was a very near thing for the Faerie with her. I heard that the healers were unsure if she would make it through the night."
"I am sorry again for the danger that your family has suffered because of our neglect." Sakuya bowed her head sincerely. "Though, shouldn't you also see to your daughter at a time like this?" She knew it wouldn't necessarily match the mores of the time, if Halkegenia was as much like the amalgam of late medieval and early modern Europe it resembled, but she'd been surprised before. And, there was a world of difference between reading of how people were expected to act, and seeing it for herself.
"This is no more your fault than it is the fault of the Crown. Though I assure you there will be people who see it that way. As for Louise," The Duke let out a long, low breath, closing his eyes. "That is exactly what I am doing now." He gestured around them tp the bickering nobility. "There are men in this room who think of nothing but themselves, even now, what they can gain from this disaster, or what they can salvage of their own fortunes. I think how this might endanger my daughters." He looked over to Sakuya and she was struck by how pained he looked beneath those thick eyebrows. "Neither my wife nor I want our daughters to experience the tumultuous times I mentioned. They should remain to them, always, in the records of history."
"I think I understand." She said softly. Reahing out, she placed both of her hands atop the Duke's own, squeezing softly, feeling the rough skin, scarred by years of fighting and hunting. "Then at least let me wish her a swift recovery."
A small nod of gratitude from the Duke. "And the same for your Lord Mortimer." The blonde Noblemen cocked his head. "I gather you haven't payed your respects yet?"
"To Mortimer?" Sakuya wondered, and then shook her head hesitantly. "N-no, the physicians said he needed rest, and there was so much else to do . . ."
"Sakuya-san!"
It was the Undine Lord's Lieutenant, Yulier, wondering closer on her circuit of the ballroom perimeter. She looked slightly less disheveled then the rest of them, having traded off shifts with Thinker through the night, sparing herself time to eat and get a little rest. Now she seemed to be making others do the same, tapping Lord Zolf on the shoulder as he finished briefing a trio of his guards, the threat assassins vanishing in puffs of Darkness Magic to take up watch. If only they'd thought to have all of them on hand the night before instead of just the two accompanying Zolf.
'It might have pushed the standoff over the edge.' Sakuya thought darkly. The Local mages were tolerant of Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire magic, and regarded Puca music spells with a mix of amusement and dismay, but even with the Church's ruling, suspicions still surrounded the more exotic [<Magic Types]> especially those that did what was impossible for Halkegenian magic to duplicate.
"Yulier-san." Sakuya regarded the other woman politely. The silver haired Undine had found time in the night to change into something more functional, the pseudo martial uniform of the Orlein City Watch.
"Forgive me for interrupting, but I thought it best that everyone try and get some rest now." Yulier said. "Thinker and I can manage now that Lady Zia and Lord Rute have returned."
Sleep, sleep sounded good right now, but Sakuya was reluctant until a heavy hand planted itself on her shoulder.
"The Lady of Sylvain graciously accepts, Miss Yulier." The Duke said in a voice that brooked no argument. He would get none from her, she supposed. This was bound to take days, she needed to pace herself and rest when she could. Giving Yulier a small nod and a whisper of thanks, she departed, at first for no place in particularly, simply seeking a quiet place to sit down, or perhaps a vacant room to sleep. Not her own, after last night she wanted to distance herself from the reminders for now.
But before that. The Duke may have been right. There was someone she needed to see, if only for her own peace of mind.
She didn't actually know where Mortimer had taken, but asking around eventually got her to a servant who could furnish his location, in the guest apartments on the third floor, not at all far from where Sakuya herself had been staying. When she arrived, Sakuya as mildly surprised to see a pair of Cait Grapplers standing opposite the Salamanders guards at the door.
The Guards challenged her, at first she thought it was out of habit, but then realized that they were thoroughly appraising her with their full arsenal of detection magic. Given last night, she couldn't blame them at all for suspecting everyone.
Satisfied, the Salamanders stepped aside, opening the doors for her. Taking a breath, Sakuya felt like she was about to set foot in the Dragon's den. For all of that, the first step proved remarkably easy. Then the doors shut behind her and she was left with only her own breathing and the faint sound of leaves rustling in the tree outside the windows.
The apartments were like her own with a small sitting room serving as the entry to a bedroom and attached washroom. The second set of double doors leading to the bedroom had been left open to encourage a breeze, carrying with it the heavy scents of healing salves and disinfectant ointments. Treading softly, Lydia looked up as she entered the room, and then Alicia sitting beside the bed.
"Lady Sakuya." Lydia greeted, seemingly unsure of quite what to make of her presenting herself like this.
"Finally decided to stop by, eh Sakuya-chan?" Alicia whispered kindly.
"Alicia? What are you doing here?" Sakuya wondered. Though the absence of General Eugene was easy enough to determine. With Mortimer unable to lead, the Salamanders would be looking to his brother to organize them in the interim.
"What's does it look like?" Alicia asked. "I'm paying my respects to the guy who helped save my best friend."
Hearing it like that brought home more what had happened last night. Gathering her courage, Sakuya asked the only question that mattered. "How is he?"
The Salamand and Cait looked to each other and then back to Sakuya.
"Well, he hasn't woken up since they brought him here." Alicia offered, voice trailing as if uncertain. "But the healers said that he should be fine if we wait."
"My Lord pushed himself very hard last night." Lydia said as she rose to retrieve a bowl of water and a hand cloth. "Flying all the way to the Capital after being injured, and journeying with the assault force. He did far too much and now his body is needs time to recover." The Salamander swordswoman stopped to give Sakuya a meaningful, almost accusatory look before coming to sit beside Alicia.
Only then, following behind Lydia, did Sakuya get a clear look at the form laying propped up in bed.
"See, Sakuya-chan. He's not a bad person." Alicia whispered.
Her first thought upon seeing him was that this was not Lord Mortimer. Without the cold glare, without the enforced state of non expression or the overbearing stance, the years seemed to melt away until all that was left was a pale youth, barely old enough to be called a man. Pale, almost sickly it seemed. Neck and gauze bandages covering his upper chest peeked out from the collar his nightgown while arms were laying to either side showing more gauntness then she would have expected in a player avatar.
'He hasn't been eating well.' She realized, looking at the way the skin hung. Unlike the dark rings beneath his eyes, that couldn't have been the result of just last night.
'Why didn't I notice it before?' She wondered, how fragile he really was. But she knew the answer. She'd wanted an enemy, something to lash out at, and Mortimer had made himself an easy target. Guilt became the predominant emotion as Sakuya took a seat beside her oldest remaining friend.
"You should have seen him last night." Alicia went on as Lydia quietly worked, wiping away the sweat and checking bandages. "He went totally Sherlock Holmes on the conspiracy to find where they'd taken you and Shirishi-chan, and . . ."
"And?" Sakuya asked.
"He was scarred to death for you." Lydia said without looked up. "He thought that if anything happened to you, it would be his doing."
Sakuya's eyes widened and then narrowed again. "His fault? No, Ephi and Sigurd were my responsibility. I'm the only one who put myself in danger." She laughed softly. "I really am such a horrible judge of character, aren't I?"
"Sakuya-chan." Alicia urged gently.
"I can't really say." Lydia decided coldly, putting the bowl and towel back at Mortimer's bed side. "I imagine that My Lord will say it's both your faults for letting this happen and . . . " The silver haired salamander breathed softly. " . . . That your portion of the fault doesn't matter."
"Is that how it is?" Sakuya wondered, watching the faint rise and fall of the sleeping Mortimer's chest.
"That's how it is." Lydia agreed. Then, expression softening minutely, she went on. "But please, don't take that as reason to judge him too harshly." Lydia raised her own right hand to Mortimer's forehead. Sakuya noted the bandaged, and the pungent smell of burn ointments. "I know he's difficult. He may seem callous to you, even cruel. But Mortimer has always done right by the Salamanders, in that other world and in this one." She bit her lip. "It's just, I think, if he let it show that he cared . . . he'd go mad. Can you imagine how that must feel?" Lydia looked up sadly.
Having all the weight sitting on her shoulders, laying awake at night second guessing herself, locking her doubts deep within her chest where they would never come out. Sakuya squeezed her eyes shut. "A little." She said in a small voice, swallowing. "I've been unkind to him, haven't I?"
Alicia chuckled. "Maybe just a little." Pinching her finger together. "But I get why he rubs you the wrong way. I just prefer to think he doesn't know how to deal with women."
"Maybe you're right." Sakuya looked back down at Mortimer, and then half smiled. He really did look so much like a kid when he was sleeping. "I'll have to apologize I suppose. When he wakes up . . . Lydia-san?"
"Hmm?" The swordswoman looked up from her work.
"Would it be alright, if I stayed her for a while", Sakuya asked, "In case he wakes up." She felt her cheeks warming as she realized how it sounded. "I just . . . don't want to leave things unsettled."
"Stay as long as you please." Lydia replied. "But, I'd think you'd want to rest while you can."
"Only for a while." Sakuya persisted. Just a little while. The time would be good for her, to think, to reflect, to try and come up with some way to put right the rift they'd managed to create between themselves when they should have been trying to trust.
They'd relented, Alicia, and Lydia both, neither saying a word to her as she retreated to be alone with her own thoughts, not even noticing when Alicia was called away, or when Lydia went to get more bandages. It ran circles in her head as she tried to think of what to say, how to be diplomatic about what had happened, and how to put aside her wounded pride. In the end, she had made the same mistakes as Mortimer.
She didn't even notice, having come to rest, her own exhaustion catching up with her. As long as she'd been moving, she'd been able to stay awake, but now, her body demanded sleep.
'How do I make up for this?' She wondered, feeling her eyes growing leaden.
'How do I trust you?' She gave that young face a curious look before closing her eyes one last time, head nodding forward.
'How do I earn your trust?'
She didn't mean to, the breeze just felt so good, soothing her like a lullaby as its rustled the trees outside. Darkness caught up to Sakuya, sinking forward in her chair until her head and shoulders were resting atop the bed.
The room was silent for a time save for their shared breathing. Then a faint stirring, bleary eyes opening to look about, as if still half in the world of dreams. Mortimer's eyes trailed slowly from the window, up to the ceiling, and then down, down to the source of noise and the pressure resting against his left arm.
He stopped, blinking as he licked dry lips, hand untangling itself to reach out feebly, to prove that what he was seeing wasn't a mirage. Fingers slipped through dark green hair and then softly touched the side of her face and the bandage that still covered the cuts to her cheek. Still, sleeping, peaceful . . . beautiful . . . As he drifted back into Darkness.
InfiniteFreedom
Benign hackers unite.
Very sweet.
revanninja
Lost on the Road of Life
Mort own up man do not let sakuya slip through you will regret it for the rest of your life!
Also I feel sorry for Lydia she is in love with the idiot yet she is helping him get sakuya.....I say she needs Klein time
Also I feel sorry for Lydia she is in love with the idiot yet she is helping him get sakuya.....I say she needs Klein time
Blinded
I'm... impressed I suppose.
- The Opposition are divided into groups: Those who didn't know and would try to distant themselves as soon as the full details comes out (at least for now) and those who pretend they don't know, staying behind either to hide their involvement and feeling secure that their role is not going to be revealed or are buying time for their families and allies to make a run for it.Triggerhappy said:
- It's not that strange a thing either. Sakuya is based on Arrun, the so called faery capital, and also has the strongest base among faeries outside of her own faction (which is one of the two largest). That coupled with what Duke mentioned makes her more of a Faery Duchess than the Faery Countess her position makes her.
I think Sakuya should resign from her position as Lady of Sylphs and runs for Lady of Arrun.
- The "right" person... I do remember Karin and some other nobles musing over how Mortimer and Sakuya cover each other's flaws and shortcoming and make a "Good Couple"... it seems the Duke also shares this sentiment (along with the rest of us
). A pity Sakuya's almost as dense as Mortimer some times....- YAY!! Who says a good sorta-romantic moment needs actual dialogs?
Next morning Sakuya and Mortimer woke up to chime-like telltale of a dozen recording crystal finishing their recording and a grinning Alicia high-fiving with Morgiana.
- TYPO and stuff:
- "Louise is expected to make a full
yrecovery" - "...the
threatthree assassins vanishing in puffs..." - The Salamander and Cait looked to each other and then back to Sakuya.
- Would it be alright, if I stayed here for a while
- The Duke's expression darkened as he brought both hands to rest on his
caincane
Dirtnap
Kanmusu Affecionado
To be fair, Sakuya is far to busy to think about anything other than her own people though. Certainly not enough time to think about that irritatingly rougishly handsome Mortimer.Blinded said:-
The "right" person... I do remember Karin and some other nobles musing over how Mortimer and Sakuya cover each other's flaws and shortcoming and make a "Good Couple"... it seems the Duke also shares this sentiment (along with the rest of us
- YAY!! WHo says a good sorta-romantic moment needs actual dialogs?
Next morning Sakuya and Mortimer woke up to chime-like telltale of a dozen recording crystal finishing their recording and a grinning Alicia high-fiving with Morgiana.
revanninja
Lost on the Road of Life
Until he does the stupid and kisses her.Dirtnap said:
Then even though she is PISSED at him she cant get him out of her head and then well ......Profit!
Dirtnap
Kanmusu Affecionado
Shortly before Mortier is dumped in a vat of Water Spirit enhanced super-cooled liquid by the Mad King Joseph.Barricade said:
Sakuya: "I love you!"
Mortimer: "I know."
FSSHHHH!
Triggerhappy
Stick with Trigger and You'll Make it Through
- Location
- SoCal
Yeah, there was supposed to be a Louise POV part as well, but Mortimer/Sakuya/Duke the Duke ended up dominating tonight, going to try and do it tmrw night.
Triggerhappy said:
Duke, we know you love your daughters very much, but blowing up the countryside is NOT going to help.
Dirtnap
Kanmusu Affecionado
Sure it is. Less places for those damnned Reconquistadors to hide.Mashadarof402 said:
Duke, we know you love your daughters very much, but blowing up the countryside is NOT going to help.
an NPC
Section 2, Combat Cyborg
Hyuuga's packing some serious forward firepower there.LGear said:Not sure if that's enough of a reward, but it's all I can find.
Blinded
I'm... impressed I suppose.
When combined might of Sylphs, Salamanders, Spriggans and Cait Siths, along with a troop of Lord Rute's personal guard armed with shovels and pushing carts who had somehow sneaked in, arrived at Hallowinfied battlegrounds they beheld an strange sight:licalier said:
The Black Swordsman waving his Dual Decider around wildly while cackling like a man possessed as he hacked through ranks of Jack-O-Lanterns, devouring their chocolate meat even as he cut them down.
Overhead Asuna and her Knights of Blood were gutting the last of flying headless Horsemen, spilling their sweet innards on the ground like a rainbow-colored rain.
But as bizarre as this sight was, it was nothing compared to storm of tiny glowing wings that was the Pixie swarm and Yui, the recently minted Maeve and honorary Pixie.
Sakuya of Sylph fell to her knees right next to Alicia as despair took hold of them "My... my chocolate dream...
"Mortimer for his part was not sure what was this fuss all about. He never liked chocolate and was an entirely too serious a person to even allow himself to be involved in his brother's tomfooleries but he knew something and that was Sakuya was not happy and THAT was important to him.
Lord of Salamanders was about to raise his hand and order the combined army to join in when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Thinker-san?"
Lord of Undines smiled tiredly as he looked at the sight before him "They did that in SAO too. In fact that's probably how they expected something like that to happen in Halloween. You shouldn't get in their way you know... if it's anything like back in Aincard they are in CHoco-frenzy right now."
Mortimer raised an skeptical eyebrow and looked back at the chaotic mess in front of him...There... a flash of light bloomed as the elderly Nishida-san smashed through a couple of floating pumpkins lanterns with a manic grin on his face....it seemed like his fellow lord had a point after all.
But then there was Sakuya... "But how do I GET some chocolate out of this?"
"Same as I do" replied Thinker "look for the right moment, I reckon when KoBs land to recharge their wings. Kirito-kun would most likely stop to talk with Asuna-kun. then we dive in fast!!!"
Mortimer grunted in acknowledgment as he signaled the combined forces to be ready for his command... Maybe he was not all that fond of chocolate but his pride as an strategist and a boyfriend didn't allow him to fail here and he WOULD succeed!!
And so grand battle of Halloween started and to the victors went the spoils... and stomach ache and sugar-rush.
However nobody noticed the horror the youngest Kirigaya had unwittingly unleashed... the Pixies tasted Chocolate that night and the world was never the same.
Blinded
I'm... impressed I suppose.
Nope.licalier said:
To everyone's dismay (well, except for honorary pixies, and SAO bunch of course) from then on oftentimes the Chocolate Hunters returned empty-handed with teary eyes and woeful tales of cloud of pixies eating everything before anyone could so much as smell Chocolate.
Interestingly enough half the time the said hunters smelled strongly of chocolate, showed symptoms of sugar-rush and somehow their pockets was filled with sweets.
EDIT: Ah!! found it ( Blue-steel wiki was kinda useless but unsurprisingly it was STILL better than FoZ's):
EDIT2: Is that what they call "getting Ninja-ed"?
Firepower? They're daughter vessels, about to break formation and go their separate ways undoubtedly if one were to pay attention to their heading.an NPC said:
Exsequens
I Ent Dead!
- Location
- Back in the Toaster.
*Reads newest chapter.*
Excellent, all according to plan for now, now all we need is the conveniently placed rose garden and a book on poetry, with confusion from Bishop as she wonders what did Mort want something of Shakespeare's for.
Excellent, all according to plan for now, now all we need is the conveniently placed rose garden and a book on poetry, with confusion from Bishop as she wonders what did Mort want something of Shakespeare's for.
Yes, very much so, Infel, I guess that heavy artillery mass does go somewhere.an NPC said:
Dirtnap
Kanmusu Affecionado
Well Hyuga was a Battleship after all. It makes sense that she's packing the big guns. *is shot*Exsequens said:
wkz
Probably on the other side of the world from you
Mmmmmmm... too sweet, and bitter. For balance's sake, [<Sugar]> stat value will be reduced from 99 to 75. [<Coco]> will be reduced from 45 to 10.Barricade said:
...
...
But before that... *munches on another chocolate bar*
(You guys really seem to post at the rate of nuclear annihilation... it took DAYS for me to catch up...)