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Aurorix

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Chapter 1: A Test From the Future King

Year 1527: 6th of Second Heat

 

It is quite the humid morning down in Candlelight, the streets have a very mellow flow of people just trying to make ends meet. You had received a letter the previous day requesting your presence at House Moss' estate from none other than Nicolos himself. The folks whisper around you, it seems that word travels fast around Candlelight. As you reach the Moss estate a servant welcomes you in before showing you the way to the meeting room. The people in the room all look familiar, you've definitely seen each other around. Whether it be from slight glances or small talk around the barracks. A Mahogany table stands in the center of the room which seems to have a hand engraved pattern along it's edge, there's a map of Tameloc laid flat in the center. There's a single seat for everyone invited as well as a separate table to the side. The table holds a platter of chopped fruit, a glass pitcher filled to the brim with iced water and finally cups, small plates and forks. "Feel free to help yourself, we'll begin once all arrive." The servant bows before heading back to the courtyard.

 

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Nicolos stands in the back center of the room, arms crossed waiting for all to arrive. The golden blade of his fiery Excalibur rests firmly on his back. It seems he was here earlier before all involved. As you enter you can see him sizing you up from. You can't really tell if his assertions were good or bad either. Once everyone seemed to have settled into their seats he clears his throat signaling he's about to begin.

 

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"Well then, now that everyone is here let's not waste anymore time. First of all, thank you all for coming on such short notice. The reason I've gathered you all here today is because I have a special request for all of you. That is I would like each of you to fight alongside me in the future battles to come." Nicolos pulls out a small piece of paper, it seems to be a list of some sort with many items crossed out,  "This is the list of people who have shown their skill, potential and trustworthiness. I've determined you all the be the cream of the crop. To be honest, this was Bernard Moss' idea. He recommended that I have a dependable group alongside me now that I've placed a target on my head for every assassin to claim. However, there's just one thing I have to see before I can make it official."  

 

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He places his finger on the south eastern board between the Marshlands and the Curselands.  "A scouting party has informed me about a small swarm of feral cursed crossing the boarder and making their way further inland into Tameloc. With their current trajectory they'll be heading straight for a fishing village near the southern coast. We CANNOT allow more innocent people succumb to the curse and let another village be wiped off the map. Therefore, we're going to intercept them before they make it to the village. Once we're certain they no longer pose a threat we'll head for the fishing village ourselves and rest up. Supposedly Lancelot The Black was sighted there as well, if we're lucky maybe we'll run into him and convince him to join our side. Having a Knight of the Round Table won't only boost moral but the people's trust in us as well. Though I'm getting a bit sidetracked here."

 

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"The point of this is to see our group's synergy. Our own personal feats and accomplishments mean nothing if we can't work together to accomplish our goals. That is why I wish to see with my own eyes if we as a group are truly compatible. Granted this is assuming you all accept, I won't force anyone into this. But I ask you, not as your commander, not as your future king, but as a comrade in arms to fight alongside each other as one!"

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Usually, Juliett touted punctuality as one of her better traits. But today, finding herself as the first person walking into the room ( of a manse so grandiose for such a backwater town that it was more than a little overwhelming ), she somewhat wished she was more okay with being... 'fashionably late'. Great Spirits, did that guy just have to stand there and stare at her as she walked in? Okay, not just a guy. Nicolos. The one leading this whole uprising. The man responsible for the whole reason she was here. Still, he could... say something. She tries to make her smile of greeting not look nervous. She probably doesn't succeed, since all she gets is a stony appraisal in return. Pleasant man.

 

It's no less uncomfortable as she makes her way to a reasonably far side of the table and sets down her belongings, trying to take her time getting settled so she could pretend she had something to focus on rather than sitting in tense silence. Probably best to wait until others get here before checking out the food table. 

 

When the rest of the group begins to trickle in, it's a relief. Even more so when Nicolos starts addressing them finally so she has something to pay attention to; she'd started to wonder if he was just going to stand there staring at them all day.

 

... Not that she likes what she hears. In fact, she likes it less and less the more he goes on. Some of the color drains from her face at the sound of their first 'mission'. Putting down a swarm of Cursed? Like a pack of sick dogs. Suddenly, the fruit on her plate no longer looks appetizing. But she knows better than to say anything; this is just... the norm, here. Stomach tight, she misses the rest of his speech, something something about accomplishments and comrades. The upward lilt of his voice at the end is her only indication that a response is expected of her, and she manages to look up and nod, but says nothing.

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Ari hadn't exactly been... invited to the meeting. Or invited anywhere really. No, he had simply heard people being invited to some big thing up at the manor with some man named Nicolos and everyone in the town seemed really excited so he decided to tag along. It had been easy enough sneaking past the guards. A little bit of magic and they were seeing what he wanted them to. Namely a shimmering patch of sunlight, simply a trick of their eyes! He'd learned that one early on, since it was a favorite of any fae looking to play a prank on an unsuspecting human. Even now, the air shimmered around him, and a patch of fruit he'd managed to sneak away. Still, it seemed about time. Sneaking up to the man, the half-fae dropped his illusion with a blast of fire.

 

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"Fancy human with flaming sword

let not these here words be ignored.

Companions three, here you do seek,

with them alone, your future bleak.

Place your hope in a lone young fae

And know that he will save the day!"

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Owena has to admit...it's a very refreshing change to be residing here for the time being. Yes, there's still the occasional racist shithead roaming around, but the fact that it's only occasional rather than the norm, rather than an expected occurrence and a fact of life...even that much is rather like a breath of fresh air to her. Given her normal standard of interaction with humanity, she'd honestly been surprised in the initial weeks to find she didn't have to wear the hood nearly as often as she thought she would. Of course, given that she'd already pledged her services to the insurgent would-be king, she didn't have very high hopes that it would all be peaceful for very long...and her suspicions were, if not confirmed, greatly heightened as she received summons from the House of Moss--or, to be more precise, Nicolos himself. Still...she had offered her services for the very purpose of helping to end the war faster, had she not? So it's only natural that she'd make her way there.

 

She takes a seat as she enters, leaning back in her chair and gazing unblinkingly right back at him as he sizes her up. It doesn't bother her much--she's been sized up before, and for much more unsavory intent at that, so this much is nothing.

 

She nods a little as he talks about his recruitment process, 'cream of the crop' or whatever--charmed, she's sure. She's not surprised when there's a catch, though--she's sure that Nicolos doesn't mean it in that way, given that this little test is being imposed on every member of the team alike, but the fact remains that for her people there's always been a catch. And the prospect of 'taking care of' a group of feral cursed does raise an eyebrow--she's heard about the condition, to be sure, and she's heard what the assholes of the Winelands have to say about them, but she's not exactly a learned scholar on the subject of the cursed.

 

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"...Right. Indulge me, please, I'll be the first to admit there's much I don't know about the Cursed as there aren't many where I come from--if the Curse has progressed into a 'feral' state, is there really no way to help them beyond...this, anymore?"

 

She'd like to ignore the half-fae barging in and giving everyone an impromptu slam poetry session--she really would. It's Nicolos' call in the first place and it wouldn't bother her much if this weren't an important meeting. But she still cant help a twinge of annoyance finding its way into her expression...good grief.

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Nicolos felt a strange presence in the room just a little bit before Ari's big show, so it wasn't surprising for him to draw his golden blade and swing towards the source. Luckily, he stopped the blade at the lad's neck before making any cuts. If this Half-Fae really wanted to end his life why didn't he actually try and hit him. He glared at the lad before ultimately ignoring him, turning his attention towards Owena. He still kept his blade at the lad's neck however.

 

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"Unfortunately, death is the only mercy we can give someone at that point. If there was a cure I'd be the first to administer it, however, It's been difficult to find a cure for the afflicted let alone people who have gone feral. Once you're bit or slashed or doused in a feral's dark magic it's curse seeps into your body. It's like a plague only it's a bit more forceful about it. Thats not to say there has been no progress. An elixir has been made to stop the initial spread of the curse in one's body. This stop's one from becoming cursed at all but the components for said elixir are rare and it must be given within the first 24 hours after being bit. Many people here in Candlelight can tell you it's fight or be killed when dealing with the feral. I for one don't want to see that village and it's people not only die but get added to the mass of that swarm. Since the knights of the kingdom don't want to bother with protecting those who need it, rather they protect the nobles and line their pockets with gold. Therefore, it falls to us to protect these people, since no one else will."

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Ari pouted. His whole big show and he was being ignored? Well not ignored, but a sword at his throat was hardly the welcome he was expecting. Or, well, hoping for might be more accurate. But still! He would not be deterred. After all, he had to beat Gwyn, and what better story was there than joining with some rebel against the queen? This would be great. Taking a few careful steps back, Ari flourished, conjuring a few dancing blue, red and green flames that danced around the man's golden sword.

 

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"Words from magical beings should not be ignored. Prophecies and warnings are not to be ignored. And I'm sure you've heard stories of what happens if you scorn a Fae's gift. For I am offering the gift of my assistance. But if you wish to be a fool, then carry on. I'm sure my magic would be appreciated elsewhere after all~"

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Momentary alarm flashes across Juliett's face at the half-fae's sudden appearance, but she settles down a few seconds later when it becomes fairly clear that there isn't going to be a sudden outbreak of violence in this very room.

 

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Just fae being fae.

 

The gnarly discomfort in her stomach returns as the conversation shifts back to Cursed and Nicolos addresses the dragonborn's question. Arms tensing, Juliett remains seated quietly for another moment, halfway through Nicolos' words about how the Curse is transmitted and a tested but uncommon cure...

 

Unobtrusively as she can, she gets up from the chair and makes her way back over to the food table, distractedly plucking some more grapes onto her plate though she has little intention of eating them.

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"Look, I'm only going to say this once. Leave. This is no place for some trivial jests and wastes of time." Seems that Nico was not amused in the slightest by the half fae's banter. He had half a mind to throw the lad out himself. 

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"Hmm... A shame. I thought someone brave enough to rebel would be smart enough to know you need all the help you can get, especially someone as talented as me. I got in without anyone noticing after all. Still. I guess it wasn't brave enough to rebel, more like dumb enough to rebel. Ahhhhhh well. Hey, look out."

 

A flash of flame and Ari was just a shimmering patch of sunlight again, this time away from Nicolos. Instead, he popped up by Juliette and her grape getting.

 

"Ooo, grapes, good choice. Oh though, you've been quiet. Wonder what you think of your big guy's plan up there. Clearly not the biggest fan. Is it the target or the group size? Or both! You should tell him to let me join though. It'll be more interesting with me around, promise!"

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The humidity a telltale sign of rain. Grey clouds amass, a thick blanket to choke the sun's light. Water would soon crash from the sky, scattering about the land as discarded shattered azure gems. But little did the people know this storm was manufactured... a twisting of nature's intentions for an otherwise unremarkable day. A magic woven by words of a passing legend... a story whispered in the dark of night to frighten children into behaving. Told around campfires as ghost tales. A tale of a lover scorned and doomed to exile. Darker versions claimed a demon that murdered young woman in search of eternal youth, other accounts a wise gentle soothsayer. Twisted and tangled were all the legends, which were true, which merely fiction? No one could say. Well, other then the subject of them herself perhaps.

A blue stone in the palm of hand covered in darkness glinted with a power unknown, words spoken over it that invoked the wilds to beck at their command. "Cry mother sky... mourn the loss of another child of the world that has gone unnoticed. Shed tears that sate the thirst of the land, bolts of grief that sow new life from old. Storm with your sorrow! Succumb to the feeling and black out the sky! Remember their lost spirit, remember the injustice that was a life cut short. Whether to battle, The Curse, sickness, hunger... remember the sins unspoken, the cruelties that no one witnessed. Mother Nature unleash that which festers within your heart. Dearest Mother find Catharsis."

 

Immediately the sky swelled with that darkness... the grey clouds suddenly laced with black grief and sparks of Mother's Fury. Underneath passed one of her children. One of her favored few. One who sought out a new would be lord. Purpose was instilled in her footfalls. The first time she'd been in civil parts of the world in... Centuaries. lt felt strange... alien. The flagstone underneath her bare feet was like the rock of her home and yet not so. The grasses different... even the dirt roads. Humanity was such an interesting entity. All these feelings reminded her why she found such interest in their tales. Why the legends of humanity, their stories, had been the one thing that forever connected her to such beings. She smiled to herself... knowing that she was one of their fables. She continued towards her goal, The Estate of one House Moss. Words on the wind told her a meeting of destiny was to take place there. That fates would interwine. That this was her chance to be in the heart of a tale that was about to be woven on the loom of history. Her chance to place in that tapestry a single spider's strand.

 

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"Oh what tangled webs l shall weave. The mischief l shall sow. l shall feel the pulse of a story as it's written this time. l shall see how it feels to be one of the main cast actively."

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She grits her teeth and stays silent for a few moments as Nicolos explains the reality of the situation to her. ...Unfortunate. But if there truly is no other way.

"...I think I understand. I don't particularly like it, but as long as that's how it has to be..."

....It seems the half-fae isn't going to be ignored. Lovely. He's persistent, at the very least. With a small sigh of annoyance, she turns her attention to him briefly.

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"Look. I understand wanting to do your part. That's why we're all here. But I'm sure there are other ways of applying to join up that won't get on the recruiter's nerves. You barge into the house of a man with a target painted on his head by the wealthy and powerful chucking fire about without giving so much as your name and expect a hero's welcome? If you'd really thought this through for a damned moment you would have at least changed your approach."

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Sucking in a breath, she jumps slightly at the fae's sudden appearance, nearly dropping her plate.

 

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"Uhh...."

 

Wow, this was a lot.

 

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Slowly regaining her bearings, she takes a step back just to get some space. "Yeah... interesting." That was definitely accurate. She shrugs, keeping her expression and tone neutral. "I'll do what needs to be done. I don't think anyone likes killing people... And uh, I definitely— don't... have the authority for that."

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What had she done to be liked? Juliett blinks— she's pretty sure that what she'd said hadn't exactly painted a marquis sign on her head soliciting friendship.

 

And should she even be introducing herself to someone who wasn't asked to be here? ... Not how today was supposed to go.

 

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"... Juliett," she replies tentatively. And then remembers her manners. "It's nice to meet you, Ari. This... is a pretty important meeting, though, so..." She trails off, not sure how to discourage his intrusive behavior without hurting his feelings.

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Galen is pensive as he makes his way to the Moss estate. A direct invitation to a meeting with Nicolos himself was much more than he had expected at this point, but at the same time, who was he to scorn the opportunity? The sooner he found himself in the future king's good graces, the sooner he could start securing a path towards his own goals. And the sooner he did that, the closer he would be to finally discovering a cure.

 

Nicolos is a little taller than he expected, he notes, as Galen takes his place among the rest at the table. Some of them were already present; A half-dragon, what seemed to be a normal woman, and several others. What an odd bunch they were. He has little time to think more on it, as Nicolos is beginning his speech . . .

 

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"I assume," Galen begins, just after the half-dragon asked her question,  "you understand the possible reservations that I would have about this sort of test, correct? 'Feral cursed threat removal' is a bit low on my list of skills, I'll be honest with you." He tries, in vain, to keep the hint of sarcasm from his tone. Oh well.

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The swelling rage of Mother Nature could no longer been ignored within the wall of humble House Moss. Her cracks of thunder broke the darkened sky and her thundering cry shattered any silence there was to be had. The mother mourned the loss of yet another unnamed child, she wept in the memory of one that would never be remembered by another but her. The child who'd rest in an unmarked grave would be able to rest as at least one remembered the injustice, the shattering of the precious gift their mother had given them. The commonfolk try and scatter and avoid being caught within Mother's Grief. While the day had threatened rain the people were hardly prepared for such a quick onset. Almost as if this storm was incited by unnatural cause, lt tore through the streets of Candlelight. Glances of the commonfolk feel upon a figure that had arrived in town on the edge of this dark storm... an Accursed Woman. Flashes of fear could be seen on the faces of the scurrying townsfolk. Superstitions they may be, but it was hard to not let them slip in a time fear was already rampant. When a Cursed blew into town wrapped in a cloak made of a raging storm... you just fled indoors.

She couldn't help but smile as she saw this. Humanity never quite changed it seemed. She couldn't blame them... after all, it's hard to light a candle and easier to just curse the dark instead. Her purpose didn't slow however, she continued to the estate all the easier to spot when the town's bustle died down. Though she couldn't directly control Mother's roiling grief the world conspired to tell the omen of The Witch's passing.

Thunder and lightning cracked the sky as the door to the meeting room flew open.

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The Accursed smiled, it had seemed she found the correct place... the sight from her vision. She'd been here once before in a hazy dream. "Ah, where the spider's thread so leads, to the summit of fate." she said seemingly only to herself as if no others existed as if her thoughts spilled aloud into the world. "Where the spider meets the maneless lion, the one given a sword of golden flames but no crown to wreath his head. As after all a sword of silver ice was also conjured forth. Two souls deemed worthy therefore a clash to decide who is of true worth. The Silver Fox, The one who committed one of the darkest sins, patricide. The Maneless Lion, the man with oh so much to prove to earn the wreath that he believes already belongs. Lastly the Obsidian Spider. She who's web has seen the world. She offers a single strand, a peace offering to the Maneless Lion."

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"Muhuhu~ But does the Lion accept?"

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Nicolos just glares at the fae boy and only wonders why the servants haven't dragged him out by now. 

 

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"Yes Galen, I know about your feelings for the feral. However, if you wish to be part of this group you must learn to set aside those feelings and focus on protecting those in now. Which is why I chose this as the tes-" His words were cut off when the door to the meeting room slammed open and another uninvited guest makes their appearance.

 

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"What... The... Bloody... Fuck..." The man had no words. What was this woman every going on about?  "Look, I don't know what you people don't understand about INVITATION ONLY! If I wanted to hear your rhyme spewing shtick I would've called for either you. UGH! Where are the servants anyways!? I get the kid sneaking in, but you just waltzing through the door is something else... Gods, are there any more obnoxious jesters I should know about who are wanting to barge in? "

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A slight smile played across the witch's lips, an interesting man this one was. Frustration seemed a powerful deterrent to fear she wasn't sure the other he referred to but she hardly cared. This was already proving to be worth the journey from a land far away, from her home of the Knifewood. She continued casually into the room wandering over to the table filled with fruit. Perhaps just to make a point she took a bite from a the largest apple there before she continued to speak. As casual as the witch was being that only served to increase the aura around her, to make her all the more unnerving a presence. "Your servants preferred their chances with the storm then with myself. l'd not expect them back any time soon."  given the speed of their retreat she'd not be surprised if they fled town. She'd not seen humans turn tail so fast in quite some time, lt was an impressive display of cowardice. 

"Besides, l do have an invitation. l invited myself on a whim, a chance viewing of fate. Certainly looks like you could use some better allies if your loyal servants are so quick to bolt." The Accursed took great amusement in that statement, twisting that knife. She held a few more certainly given the state of madness this meeting seemed to be even before she'd arrived. "Though if you think my offer a jest l suppose l could offer my services to a certain princess. But that'd hardly be as fun... l prefer a good underdog story."

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"WHAT THE F—"

 

She only just manages to cut off the shout of alarm at the sudden clap of lightning and the... lady's bombastic entrance, coloring in embarrassment at being startled. Had someone sent out an joke invitation so that half the people in town knew to storm this meeting? Suddenly, being accosted by a half-fae was kind of tame by comparison.

 

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"........."

 

There really isn't anything to be said as the woman goes on. What do you even say to something like that?

 

Even so, she can't help a soft snrk at Nicolos' outburst of frustration. Hopefully, there wouldn't be any more loud intrusions. She'd roped Iba into that fence pretty tightly, right...?

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Galen hesitantly opens his mouth. "I don't mean to interrupt whatever... this... is, but... who exactly are you? I can't say I've ever heard of any 'Obsidian Spider' before. Are you a Cursed as well? Perhaps one with a penchant for theatrics?"

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"Okay first of all, these aren't MY servants. I wanted it to be some place hidden outside of town, but NOOOOOOOO. Bernard said having a couple of chairs in the woods wouldn't be fitting, he said it needed to be more 'official'."   The man put air quotes over the last word of the sentence,  "I bet we'd have less interruptions if we did it my way. Where is that oaf anyways? He said he'd come in a bit late due to paper work but sheesh." On queue the clank of armor came down from the hallway, getting louder and louder until...

 

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"Sorry, I was handed the wrong papers this morning and..." A man in green armor came into the room hold what seemed to be a piece of toast with red jam on it. He takes a look around the room noticing a little half fae boy which he'd never seen in his life harrassing the pegasus rider, Sir Galen and the Dragonborn lady seeming quite annoyed and... Brinda.... He looks up over at Nicolos.

 

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"..." The mage raises his eyebrow at the man, eyes sharp as blades.

 

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He take a bite of his jammed bread and slowly chews it as he backs out of the room.

 

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"Useless..." He glares back at Brinda

 

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"Look if you want to serve the princess, go right ahead. Right now you seem more of a bane than a boon to have."

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"l'm unsure l can manage to do any more damage then you already seem to be doing yourselves." The witch wasn't exactly expecting a rebel force to be the most together but this was certainly more of an incoherent mess then she bargained for. She'd have answered the question about who she was but that time had seemingly passed. The witch just retired to seeing where all this went. lt was fascinating in much the same way as watching a ship you knew was going to crash coming in from shore

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"Yes, that was Sir Moss and yes this meeting has turned into a circus." Nicolos gripped the bridge of his nose in frustration

 

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"Look, I don't know who you two are but if you think you can just barge in here, disrupt this meeting with your shenanigans and expect to be welcomed in with open arms you live in quite the fantasy. Give me one good reason why I should consider EITHER of you. Why am I even humoring them at this point? Well at least this meeting couldn't get any worse from here..."  

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This whole time her part in the ensuing debacle has just been to begin rubbing at her temple, the intensity at which she does so steadily increasing as time goes on. What a wreck. What a fucking wreck. She would think a noble house would have....any security, but evidently a clown can just come and go as he pleases in this house. She wishes she had more to contribute to this, but...what can you contribute to a situation like this?

 

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"...I'm sorry, I must have missed the part of the invitation that mentioned this was gonna be during a fucking open house night. Do you just not know where a recruiter is? Or is there something about you that means you don't have to talk to one like everybody else? You want to lend your hand to the cause, make sure another fucking Pendragon doesn't get to keep fucking the country over for the nobility's profit? Good. All for it. Get in line."

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