rokubiraijuu

"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. "........." 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...?

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. "... 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.

Sucking in a breath, she jumps slightly at the fae's sudden appearance, nearly dropping her plate. "Uhh...." Wow, this was a lot. 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."

At last, they're breaching the prison's interior. From here on, the situation would only grow more dire. With the obstacles in front of them and the safety of his allies on his mind, Ferdiad rides forward in the wake of Cecily's attack. "Have at you!" D23, attack Fighter D.

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. 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.

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.

C25.

"Of course, I'll do my best, but don't put your expectations too high, all right?"

C26.

F27, attack Nomad.

"Ah, Minstrel! Good of you to join me. If you'd stay back just a little... I don't want to cause you harm unintentionally." Attack Fencer A.

Kane M29 attack Fencer B. "I will not allow you to stand in our way!" Attack Fencer A.

This time Fallon's strike hits true, and the soldier crumples to the ground, knocked out cold. Setting her sights on the mage, Johanna takes advantage of the chaos to make an attack of her own. There is something odd about this one, though; aside from the fact that it's strange laguz are even here in the first place, much less in such numbers, this one seems to be only a child, possibly no more than nine or ten years old. It doesn't feel right to be fighting them, even in nonlethal combat. But for her youth, the girl appears no less determined to get the best of them. AB20 and attack Scholar 1. The flat of her axe connects, drawing a sharp yelp from the girl, whose blast of dark magic flies off in another direction. Cheat Sheet:

With every step towards the prison looming in the distance, Ferdiad's confidence seems to regrow. By the time they catch sight of the first guards patrolling just beyond the tree line, he's returned to the self-assurance of the previous skirmish. A clear objective in front of him; those he needs to protect behind. This is better, and though it's not enough to completely silence the worries whispering at the back of his mind, it's enough to put something else in higher priority. "Virtuous, behind me!" he calls, pulling himself up into Bradwr's saddle and taking up his lance. "I'll draw the attention of the swordsman; cover me." L27 and Hold.

Sneaking into the trees, Rhian brings down the swordsman, who wasn't watching his flanks, with a clean shot. Cheat Sheet:

One more fireball collides with the already-injured archer, and he's knocked out, unconscious. Despite Fallon's precision, the laguz wielding the spear in front of him is more wily than he'd thought. She manages to slide just out of the way, and the orb of dark magic grazes by her harmlessly. "Fallon!" Johanna seems surprised that the dark mage flubbed the strike. Even though the circumstances are still dangerous, she can't help a faint light of amusement behind her eyes. "Did the book spine slip in your hands?" AD17 and Iron Axe Soldier 2. Running in, Johanna lands a solid blow with the flat of her axe on the soldier's helmet. The strike stuns her enough that her jab in retaliation misses completely. [ ENEMY PHASE ] Soldier 2 to AF18 and attack Dulcibella. Targeting a familiar adversary, the soldier strikes out at Dulcibella, landing a solid hit. Scholar 1 to AB19 and attack Argos. At the same moment, another laguz that had previously been hiding in the trees emerges, and with a surprisingly young-sounding "yaahh!" of exclamation, lobs a ball of dark magic at Argos. Myrmidon 4 to AC20 and attack Naomi. Engaging Naomi in the brush, a swordsman thinks he can best her, but she manages to use the cover of the trees to block his attack and sneak in a counterstrike. Fighter 1 to AB23. Turn 8 Argos recovers 5 HP. Cheat Sheet:

He listens to her with quiet patience, but doesn't say anything in return. After gazing distantly down at the floorboards of the wagon behind her for a few moments, he only nods. Thankfully, perhaps, Shin interrupts them, freeing him from a need to answer. He looks at the offered bread and politely shakes his head, holding up a hand in refusal. "My thanks, but I couldn't stomach it right now." "Ah, I meant to compliment your bowmanship in the skirmish earlier. That pegasus knight in particular. You don't seem like a soldier, but you must have had fine training."

The sudden shift into severity catches him off guard. But the more she talks and he can see the hard conviction and cold fire in her eyes, the more he realizes just how invested she is. So, this is why she had joined Virtuous, then? To enact justice on the Perusian elite? He has little direct experience with Perus, but he can't deny that, from what little he has seen, many of them are, in fact, as corrupt as she says. Even so... "... Yes, of course. I won't deny that some of them do." His agreement lacks much muster behind it, though. "... So, you detest the Perusians?"

One on one? The thought was nice, but... Ferdiad offers her a cursory smile, anyway, to show that he's grateful for the thought. "You're very kind, but there's nothing to be done about it." He'd realized a long time ago that seldom did words of consolation have the desired effect on the whirlwind of worries occupying his mind. "I keep thinking about the possibilities and all the ways this might result in something even worse than it had been before. I'm afraid I do this with just about everything." He shakes his head, not wanting to say too much. "What are your thoughts about this mission, then? I'm curious to hear, if you wish to share."

Dulci's arrow pings off the spearman's armor, denting it somewhat. Cheat Sheet:

Startled out of his reverie by the sound of another, Ferdiad looks up, surprised to see the Lizaveta joining him by the window. He musters up a smile, grateful for the interruption from his thoughts, though it's somewhat chagrined at being singled out so prominently. "That obvious?" He gives a weak chuckle. "I do not feel... right, speaking up about it to Kane in front of everyone." He glances to Baldur, as though to reference his conversation with their leader at the moment. It seems like he'd managed to deflate Kane's enthusiasm somewhat, and the thought makes Ferdiad feel guilty, as though he had been part of it. "But don't worry. I'll do what needs to be done and protect you all, no matter what comes."

Quiet since they loaded into the wagon, Ferdiad has been sitting up near the front, mostly looking out of the window at the hills passing by. He listens to Kane's explanation, unable to help the worries that stream in like water through a sieve. How is Kane certain that the ones they'll be freeing are innocent? What if innocent, unassociated people are harmed in collateral damage from what will almost assuredly be a violent prison break mission? What are the ramifications of freeing prisoners of other countries? Will killing the guards and freeing some prisoners truly shut down the prison? What's stopping the authorities from simply putting new, even crueler guards in and making the situation even worse for those still there? He's only paying half-attention to Baldur when he speaks up. He doesn't want to question Kane, not in front of everyone. It's poor for team morale, and anyway Kane is always so sure in his beliefs of what is right and wrong, what should and shouldn't be done in the name of justice, that he hasn't the heart to pour cold water on him, so to speak. His fingers drum restlessly against the open windowsill.

Ferdiad shakes his head at Mink's words, pursing his lips. "I'm not sure I'm all right with... either. If people are committing crimes or acting wrongly, then it's in the realm of the law to punish them accordingly. Of course, I understand full well that it doesn't often turn out quite right, but somehow..." He trails off, not yet willing to commit to a stance when he's not even sure where he's going with the thought. For better or worse, Kane interrupts his mulling. "I could never do that," he says, looking at the other man, slightly taken aback. "Fall back, and refuse to protect my allies all because of my own uncertainties? I'd never forgive myself." He doesn't pursue it further as Jus... — Justine? Is that her name? — joins them, left only to his thoughts. Is it so easy as recognizing that he had agreed to this and thinking no further on it? He certainly hopes so.

The castle of Opus. It's still hard to believe. As Cassidy is working the lock, Beatrix can't help but look around worriedly. She'd been tailing near the back of the group, looking left and right, uncharacteristically quiet and swathed in an air of palpable nervousness. But then the door swings open and Cassidy says something about enemy soldiers and now isn't the time for worrying. "Whoa, Cassidy, wait up for me!" F23.

"Of course not." Grabbing another crate, he heads with Kane off towards the trees. "My sympathies for those poor sods," he says as they're walking. "They happened to be in a bad place at a bad time. They didn't deserve to die so that we could make off with their wagon."