Fire Emblem On Forums: Mortal Transgressions (IC)

[RedMageCole]

Simeon looked curiously toward Justine.

 

"Of course, young lass... Justine, ye said? What can I forge for ye?"

[Chevaleresse]

"Well, I need something to replace my old sword. It wasn't a special blade, just a bit of steel between myself - and the honor of many a fair maiden - and my foes. Still, I was fond of it, but it was sadly lost in a debacle a few towns ago involving the town guard and a man who seemed to be very unappreciative of my being a better dancer than he was." She smiled at the thought of the incident; Cecily had been practically tearing her hair out over it, but everyone had escaped unscathed (except for perhaps that man's pride) and she'd enjoyed herself... probably more than I should have.

"So, I find myself in need of a new blade. But! Not just any blade. I need a blade that will help me weave my own thread through the myriad tapestries of fate. A blade that sings through the air, a weapon to protect the weak, strengthen the hearts of the meek, and bring justice upon those we seek."  Justine's voice rose as she spoke. "A sword worthy to be wielded under the name of Virtuous, a tool to free the land from the accursed tyranny it has suffered beneath for so many long years. A breaker of shackles and a slayer of tyrants, delicate as the finest porcelain yet stronger than the most rugged mountain. A legendary weapon that will leave it's mark upon history for ages to come." Abruptly, it was as if Justine physically fell down from the heights her thoughts seemed to have fled to for a moment, and she coughed, blushing slightly.

"Ahem. Or, just, you know, a sword." She glanced aside awkwardly, avoiding eye contact for a moment. "My last one was a rapier, they tend to work better for my style of fighting." 

[Zetaark]

Seeing that Mim was finished with her business and has joined back with everyone, Fey heads over to stick with her.

 

"Hey Mim. Well, I guess its Snowbird in public now, but whatever. I take it you've finished up with Crimson?" she asks before she takes a good look at him, or more specifically, how he was acting.

 

"Oho? You look all out of sorts. What happened to you I wonder?" Fey asks in a teasing tone, looking between him and Mim for any sort of explanation.

[RedMageCole]

Simeon seemed to start going into concentration, trying to picture a blade that fit her description. He thought to himself for a bit, before opening his eyes and giving a nod shortly after her insistence on having just a sword.

 

"Nay, I think I have something in mind just for ye. Once we get back to base and I get my supplies set up, I'll try te have somethin' that'll fit yer expectations. It may not be the fanciest thing in the world, but I'd like te think I'd have somethin' good for ye."

 

---

 

Arthur tries to play it cool once arriving outside, but Fey quickly changes that, and suddenly Arthur pulls his coat up just a tad to hide his face ever so slightly, trying to keep his usual gruff face... and not doing the best of jobs.

 

"N...nothing."

[Swordstar]

Mim smiled up at Fey, seemingly perfectly innocent in all of this.

 

"Oh nothing~ I just had a few questions for him, and he was very sweet and answered them for me! I just wasn't sure how much he wanted to share with other people so I asked him in private."

[Zetaark]

"Nothing is it? Alright, I understand," Fey says in a sarcastic tone before looking at the two again.

 

"Well at the very least I can tell that nothing bad happened, so that's good. Well, nothing bad physically anyways. A certain someone's mental state might have gotten shaken up earlier, but I won't pry into that. Yet," Fey finishes with a laugh.

[Chevaleresse]

"O-Oh, you do?" Justine couldn't have hidden her surprise if she tried. She hadn't quite meant to go off like that, but she wasn't the type to defy inspiration when it struck. She recovered quickly, however, giving a quick bob of her head that almost became a sort of small curtsy in thanks. "Well, then, I anticipate seeing your craftsmanship, master blacksmith. And. . . I'm not so concerned about it being 'fancy.' Steel is much like a heart; it can be dressed up however you want, but the true value of it is that it is strong and pure." 

[RedMageCole]

"Heh, don't mention it." Simeon gives a short, gruff laugh. "Wise words indeed... ye sound like a blacksmith yerself. But I've had plenty of fancy orders in me lifetime, and I don't deteriorate the quality of the weapon in the slightest when makin' it. The key is stylizing the hilt; not the handle, ye want to keep that nice and comfortable while still firm enough to grasp, but the hilt is just the part that holds the blade and handle together; ye can stylize that. As well as the hand guard; always on one side, never both, but otherwise it can have a little bit of expression as long as it don't inhibit the guard's ability to block; ye never want it to extend toward the blade, or else it'll inhibit yer swing. The blade is tricky but manageable; ye can engrave a little bit of artistic expression on it as long as ye're careful while forging it, but always on the flat end, never the edges; the edges are either smooth or serrated and always sharp, nothin' more..." Simeon pauses and gives yet another laugh, this one a bit more from the heart. "Now look at me, goin' on and talkin' yer ear off!"

[Chevaleresse]

Justine gave her own laugh in return.

"Well, if nothing else, turnabout is fair play. Even if it bothered me, I wouldn't have much room to complain about that. Though, in my defense, talking ears off was half of my job before I joined Virtuous." She chuckled again. "But no, it's always good to hear someone speaking about a craft they both know and enjoy. I can't say that forging weapons is a talent I've mastered, but that doesn't seem to be case with you." She paused a moment, then added in a slightly more serious tone: "Thank you, though, I really do appreciate your helping me with this." 

[Blasbo]

Hrm....so that's how it's going to be for the moment, then? Fine enough...normally she'd be okay with being in her own little corner and waiting for everyone to get on with it, but...well, to be honest, it would feel wrong of her not to check on her. The mousy girl with the glasses--Lizaveta, or something like that. So, glancing over everyone until she finds the girl, she walks over to her and glances off to the side for a moment before speaking, her tone slightly softer and more sympathetic than usual.

"...Lizaveta, right? ...Are...you okay? That seemed like a pretty bad hit the bastard gave you."

[RedMageCole]

"Good te see someone who knows their way around talkin'. Jules never was much of a talker, which is why I'm a lil' worried about him taking over the shop... but the kid's gotta learn somehow. But I do agree... one's passion should never be ignored, and it's always good to listen. It ain't a problem, though. I'll do what I can to help out, and after today, I think ye all could use anythin' I can manage to lift yer spirits." Simeon gives a yawn and a stretch. "Bit tired, but once I get set up I'll probably be up all night... that's how it usually tends to be for me when working on late night orders, anyway."

[Powder Miner]

Lizaveta looked up at Reiko, and then down a bit.

"The punch wasn't the worst part of it, really. Mim helped out with that and, well, I'm only a tiny bit bruised now."

 

She sighed.

"I guess the worst part is how it... I'm not that much longer in Virtuous than you guys; I joined just before this operation, and... it's been a lot and I'm not sure what to think, with someone like Baldur being like he is in Virtuous. I'm not planning on leaving or anything, but... he was a very unpleasant surprise. ...wouldn't call him virtuous."

[Blasbo]

She glances towards the ground more than a little awkwardly for a moment, trying to parse exactly what she wants to say before she looks back up at Lizaveta.

"Well...I'm glad you're more or less okay now, physically speaking."

"He doesn't seem like he fits with your whole 'lovable rogue' shtick to me either. Piece of shit, thinking he can slap around someone smaller than him as he pleases...he tries to touch me and he'll be needing a new hand. ...Um, anyways, you don't...you shouldn't have to deal with someone like him. A more competent leader than Phoenix or whoever the fuck would have screened for behavior like that before Baldur got anywhere near representing his group in the first place. And if he doesn't make him shape up, well...I'm planning on leaving when Simeon is done with my new sword anyways. You don't have to follow me, but if it takes that long to get a lid on his behavior..."

[Powder Miner]

Lizaveta shrugged just a little helplessly.

"I can't just leave and do nothing, Reiko. I... I can't. I have to see this through, I have to. If I were to just... wander around and not fulfill my ideology, which is the reason I'm here, I really don't know what else I'd be doing at that point. And there's nobody else doing what Virtuous is, not like they are at least. Whether they have Baldur or not, Virtuous is my only real chance to see that those who oppress pay for it and maybe to see that those who are oppressed, the peasantry, get to have a society that stops oppressing them. Or at least start on that, anyway. I can't abandon that path -- it's righteous, it's the course of history, and it's what I live for."

 

Plus, at this point, leaving would be an extremely difficult proposition for Lizaveta anyway, but she didn't mention that.

[Blasbo]

There's a bit of a long pause as Reiko just stares at the floor for a few moments in silence. 

"I...think I understand that. I don't know about the ideology thing...I mean, I literally don't know, not...you know. My point is. I do understand having something that you just...have to see through. That's what I'm doing right now, actually...it's a long story and if you don't already know something about it then I don't really know if you want it on your mind. But...even if my fate is to die trying then I have to go through with it. And I deeply understand wanting to make people pay for their sins. What you're fighting for is a noble thing."

"So...if that's the case, and he refuses to shape up after so long, then maybe we could just kick him out. The important thing would be that we don't have to deal with him being a shithead anymore."

[Shauntaro]

With his headache subsiding, Shin silently follows behind the rest of the gang as Kane had ordered earlier. Clutching his chest as he moved.

"I.. I'll try to sort myself out when we get home.. No point in staying here."

[Powder Miner]

"Yeah. ...yeah. Yeah.

"Maybe I should explain to you what exactly my ideology is, the Manifesto of the Peasantry, um, I'm probably going to try explaining it to everyone in Virtuous at some point, but-"

"It's... nice to have some solidarity. Thank you for that."

[Blasbo]

She's quiet for another few seconds, seeming to soften just a little bit further before she speaks again.

"It's...it's nothing, really. Don't mention it. And I'd love to hear about your, um...'Manifesto' whenever you've got time."

[Powder Miner]

That seemed to get Lizaveta fairly excited.

"Eheh, well, that probably won't be right this moment, but, wow, I'm going to have to explain a lot! I've studied a lot about the world, and this manifesto is really precious to me, so I know a lot about it. There's a lot of details and stuff like that, it's a pretty complete thing, but I'm sure I'll be able to convince!"

[Blasbo]

"Well, so long as you don't catch me out hunting something then it's not like I'll be very busy otherwise. So, um...yeah. Whenever you're ready to talk about it feel free to come and find me."

[RedMageCole]

As you all reach the outdoors, soon enough you can all see a few horses furiously trotting far away from the prison, and afterwards comes Kane pulling a cart, having removed his mask; it's bigger than the previous cart and still covered as to not show the inside of it. He gets to work reattaching the horses from the previous cart onto the new cart and leads them over to the group, nodding to everyone.

 

"That should give you all enough room to hop into the back and then some. I'll be driving at the front, but try to keep the ruckus to a minimum."

 

Simeon clears his throat as he moves up to the front with Kane, untying his bandana to reveal a small amount of hair and tying it over his face.

 

"Eh, allow me, Kane. Ye can stay in the front with me, but I'll drive so ye can keep an eye on things, I've ridden plenty of horses."

 

Just as Kane's about to agree, another horse whinnying can be heard as a familiar guard to some of you rides up.

 

"Boss! You made it out, just like I knew you would! Come on, let's get out of here!"

 

Simeon slowly shakes his head as he heads on up to the front of the wagon.

 

"Sorry, Jules. I'm probably a wanted criminal, so I'm gonna be workin' with Virtuous. I'm gonna need ye to run the shop for a while, alright? I'll be back in the future if I can clear me name, but ye were due to inherit it anyway... 'Ey, don't look so panicked, ye'll be fine. Ye just lack nerve, ye're a fine blacksmith otherwise and ye'll do fine addressing the customers. Just take it slowly, alright?"

 

Jules fiddles with his hands for a while, before nodding and turning his horse around.

 

"Alright... You were always a free spirit, Boss. I'll do my best... just try not to be gone too long, okay!? And you'll have to promise to tell me all about your time working with these guys; they're on the news all the time at this point, you know!? Good luck!"

 

Jules starts taking off, as Simeon waves to him.

 

"Thank ye..." Simeon lowers his hand, and looks just a tad bit sad, but shakes his head and looks confidently on forward.

[RedMageCole]

From the small windows that you can peer through in your wagon, you can see that night has fallen. You hear much of nothing outside besides the occasional chatter between Kane and Simeon. Thankfully, Virtuous knows that the road will be pretty much nothing compared to the walk they had. It seems you also get across the border just fine; no checks or stops occur.

 

...

 

Just as you were starting to forget that you were moving, the wagon suddenly halts. Kane opens the door to the back of the wagon, giving you all a smirk.

 

“Sorry for the wait. Ready to check out your new home, prisoners?”

 

…

 

As you all pile out, the prisoners may realize that Kane’s idea of a home was what looked to be like a rather decrepit house, yet a sizable one at that. It looked to be at one point very poorly out of shape and clearly looked to be abandoned previously, even if the current members tried their best at cleaning it. Kane quietly looks over the house, before looking back at you all.

 

“Well, it’s not much, but it’s the best we got. Besides, abandoned places are normal in Ceda, so it doesn’t stand out nearly as much as long as we don’t go graffiti some kind of Virtuous logo on the front door.”

 

Kane went to show the prisoners around; besides the fact that it was extremely run down, it still had all the basic necessities of a home with an occasional touch to try and make it look somewhat presentable; a living room with comfortable seating and a nice little potted tree in the corner, a dining room that Virtuous members knew to be generally more like a meeting area, though it was missing some chairs now with all the newcomers, a kitchen that was modestly stocked, and upstairs…

 

“Sorry to say, Virtuous, but a few of you are gonna have to bunk up... All of the bedrooms are full and there's a bit of a gender imbalance... one of you can move into my room, if you'd like Ferdiad, I'd like you to join me. Then Crimson and Simeon will need to share a room with one of you..." Crimson looks rather appalled. Simeon shakes his head.

 

"Don't worry about me, I'll just take the couch. I don't want anyone to wake up because of my late night work.

 

Kane nods. Crimson looks as if he's wondering whether the cons of sleeping on a couch outweigh the cons of sharing a room.

 

"Then that should free up room for two of the girls of the ex-prisoners to room together, one to bunk with Lenore and one to bunk with Lizaveta. Don’t squabble about who gets who, alright? If you start fighting, I’ll relinquish your luxury of choice in a heartbeat. But I know you can all be better than that." Kane says through somewhat gritted teeth. "...Just go ahead and choose, you can always see about changing later. I’ll have dinner ready in about an hour, and I’ll prepare some bedding for the rooms afterwards.”

 

Down the line, there's Kane's room, Ferdiad's room, Baldur's room, Shin's room, Justine and Cecily's room, Lenore's room, and Lizaveta's room. All rooms are about the size of a small hotel room. Kane began to move downstairs. Simeon gives a yawn before starting to head downstairs, leaving you all to your own devices.

 

"Well, I'd better go see how comfy that couch is...

 

Crimson stands looking very awkward and somewhat annoyed.

 

"...Must I share a room...?"

[Swordstar]

The hideout wasn't the fanciest, but it was enough. Sharing rooms was going to be fine, Mim was used to that. But Crimson seemed upset about it, so she smiled up at him.

 

"Oh come on Crimson. You'll be fine. You should try rooming with Shin! He's plenty nice, I promise! And... I wouldn't mind rooming with Fey, but I would also be good with rooming with Liz if you want to room with someone else, Fey!"

[Zetaark]

"I don't have any problems sharing a room with you Mim, though if you want to bunk with Liz, then I can bunk with Tabitha I suppose" Fey says in an amused voice as she looks over their current accommodations. "I wonder if this place is better than the boat. Here's hoping the thing is still properly docked," Fey remarks, thinking about her prior accommodations before the prison fiasco.

[RedMageCole]

Arthur looks very unhappy with the idea of sharing a room with Shin. However, clearly trying to contain burning rage, he slowly turns to Shin.

 

"...Let me see the state of your room."