Fire Emblem On The Forums: Ashes (IC)

[InnocentSerenity]

Luka zipped through the streets, accidentally hitting the shoulders of random passerbys. Luckily, he didn’t need to catch anyone’s attention by jumping a few feet into the air. Whether or not he could actually do that, Luka wasn’t entirely unwilling to try.

After avoiding hitting a third shoulder on his way to the college, Luka saw a familiar shade of blue, moving with an equally familiar shade of brown. “Oh, Saff-” Luka stopped himself, careful not to accidentally get anyone’s attention. Realizing his mistake, he tried to catch her attention with a different name. “Sapphire, hey!” Skidding his shoes on the hard floor of the street, Luka came to a stop beside the two.

“Listen, we need to talk.” Luka leaned in, making sure only Terrin and Saffron could hear him. “I’d say you best cover those regal red eyes of yours, because the king’s in town for some politics. We need to buy you something to cover your face, before someone tells him you’re here.”

[Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~]

"Hello Luka, what's the hurry?" She said confused as Luka first approached. She leaned in, and her eyes widened as she heard the news. "Roswell is here... We should leave and fast." 

 

"Where is he going?" Asked Keagan calmly, he overheard the conversation without needing to lean in. 

 

"You can't be serious about this Keagan." Saffron protested. Whatever Keagan had in mind she knew exactly what it was. "Don't you understand how dangerous it is!?"

 

 

"Luka." He ignored her protests though, and continued. "Do you know where he is headed?"

 

 

[InnocentSerenity]

Luka looked at Keagan, staring down at him with his cold eyes. He demanded a location from him, and seeing the princess's reaction to it only made him feel uneasy about telling him.

Luka kept his arm down, quivering as he wanted to point in the direction of the College. “Why's Saffron scared?” Luka wasn’t happy just giving him the information like that. His voice was rough as he heard the Knight ignore the protests of the one in charge around here. He shot a glance towards Saffron. "If you're going to ignore her like that, tell me why."

[Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~]

"I'm scared of who could come with Roswell. The soldiers around him are too strong for us to fight, and if anything goes wrong... I'm not sure we'd make it out alive."

 

"There won't be another chance like this one to see what he is doing Saffron. I want to understand why he is here, what he intends to do." Keagan looked straight at Saffron and added with a sharp and dangerous edge to his voice. "You can't stay afraid of wyverns and Roswell forever Saffron. You need to grow up, and we need to face our dangers." Saffron's response was silence, as she glared back at Keagan with an angry look. Only her eyes showed this emotion though, her face seemed to be calm as it usually was. 

[Sutoratosu]

"Hm..." She was silent, for a little while. 500... a bit high, but... then again, if they went to any other stalls around here and tried to buy literally anything else, they'd probably see the same type of markups regardless. There truly was something going on, something worth knowing about; the signs were simply too strange to ignore. Regardless, after examining it a bit longer, Maya finally reached into her sleeve and retrieved a modest coin bag, putting it down right on the counter. 500... exactly the amount she had kept separate since the journey began for emergency supplies... but then again, with two heal orbs and a good deal more first aid provided by Samuel than she'd expected... perhaps it wasn't as necessary as she once thought. 

     Besides, if anything this could serve to prevent the need for medical care at all, in certain situations. Not an investment she really thought she'd be making, but one that in the end, seemed justifiable to her.

 

 "what staff?" she said in confirmation of the terms, nodding before lowering her voice to the point where only she and the merchant could hear, even with the two standing right behind her, "what's going on around here that's got everyone so... on edge though?"

[Chevaleresse]

Hoshiko's mouth fell open for a moment. He just. . . ran off. She looked back and forth between the woman and where Luka had gone. And then did it again. And then did it one more time, before turning bright red and whirling on her heel to face the woman. "I'm s-sorry, I don't have any money on me!" She then spun about once again, nearly falling over (the rapid bowing had made her a bit lightheaded) as she sprinted off in the direction the dancer had left.

[InnocentSerenity]

Luka stared towards Keagan for a good amount of time. The man was intent on learning more about the king’s next move, despite the wishes of the princess. She was right, though. Making it out alive when in the presence of the King's closest soldiers would be no easy feat

“King Roswell is having a discussion on support of the war effort with Harmon Flamewalker.” Luka pointed in the direction of the Mages College, his eyes looking down at the street floor. “The meeting will be public for anyone that wishes to come. Held in the Glass Dome near the Mages College.”

 

“And as much as you want to help ease her out of that fear, Keagan.” Luka looked at Saffron’s eyes, the look reminding him of how he’d look at people. Devoid of outward emotion, but hiding her own feelings. Certainly looked familiar to him. “We can’t risk her life, or the lives of too many of us.” Luka looked over his shoulder, remembering his lack of anything for combat.

“I’ll go on my own.” Luka gave a rather confident smile. "I'm fast on my feet, and no one will expect anything shady from an ordinary Dancer."

[Stalkerkain]

"Hm, maybe I shouldn't have been so concerned for you after all. Besides, that lady was just trying to do her job," Rosalvya said, as she half-halfheartedly scolded Klaren. Her mind was elsewhere, hoping that the others won't find themselves in trouble. "Though, I wonder if we still have the luxury of being so casual, with all the commotion that's going around. Let's be quick about what we have to buy, and keep an eye out for Ecquis and Mayanna. I'd also like to visit a blacksmith, if time allows for it."

[Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~]

Keagan crossed his arms, and looked at Luka eventually exhaling. "I have personal beef with the king, which is why I would like to see him myself. But I think protecting Saffron is the priority. I will stay with her, Luka you and Terrin head there."

 

"This is just crazy..." Saffron muttered looking at the ground. "Please be careful. The man is dangerous and very well informed."

 

---

 

He took the money and weighted it lightly in his hand, and then pockets it. He let the staff slide slowly towards Mayanna. "The King's visit today isn't about the draft, he needs Hearthlight's craftsmen." The man balled his hands into a fist, clearly angered by it. "He wants us to simply craft for the army, and has no intentions on paying us back. So we are all hiding our stock; as a form of protest no one can buy anything from us. No one can see what we have while the King and the damn capital trash is about. But... I am desperate for funds. My daughter is in college, and if I can't make ends meet she won't get an honest life." He backs up from the counter ending the conversation there. "If there is anything you need make sure to tell me. I love the Fiery Goddess like a good man should and will gladly help someone from the church."

[Marcello]

Terrin frowned at Keagan. "I mean this as respectfully as possible, sir Keagan." He began, before folding his arms and glancing over to Saffron briefly to reassure himself of what he was going to say, and then looked back at the knight. "You seem rather worked up and hot-headed about the King being here. I'm not entirely certain the wisest course of action is to just leave literally the most important person in this entire war alone with you, when you're liable to run off and do something stupid." He said, firmly, before his tone softened up as he began to address Saffron. "I hope you don't mind, but I think I'm going to insist on staying alongside you, milady." He smiled a bit once more, before looking back at Luka, purposefully ensuring his gaze entirely avoided Keagan. "You don't mind checking things out on your own, do you?"

[Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~]

"It's Saffron..." Saffron corrected Terrin, it was her only answer as she seemed to have given up on the whole matter. 

 

"I'm insulted that you'd think I wouldn't protect Saffron. I'm more dedicated to this anyone else, I will protect her with my life regardless of my beef with Roswell."

[Bfroger6]

"O-oh, I get it, I get it, Lily. We gotta be super serious now that the big bad has arrived at the city." He clenches his fists, feigning utter melodrama as he extends them to the sky. "We shall make with haste then!" He says in as deep a voice as he could muster, but then turns to Rosalyva, winks at her, and runs off towards where he remembered the market to be.

 

"Last one to get there is a Teri when he tries to hit something with his magic~"

Edited March 31, 2017 by Bfroger6

[Stalkerkain]

Rosalvya let out a small sigh. Perhaps she was overreacting a little. "A head start won't help you, Klaren," she grinned, as she ran after Klaren. She overtook Klaren with relative ease, but didn't run too far ahead of him to avoid losing him in the crowd. She ducked and weaved past the citizens, bewildered by the two figures dashing through the city. Eventually, the streets began to blend into the market, with stalls lining the sides. She slowed down to a halt and waited for Klaren to catch up, as well as catch her breath.

 

"Klaren, about earlier..." she paused. "Sorry if I sounded uptight back there. I guess I'm just a little high-strung right now because of all that's going on. I just have a bad feeling about something. I just hope that I'm wrong."

[InnocentSerenity]

“Saffron, I have no plans on getting myself killed like this.” Luka’s eyes narrowed as he looked away from the princess. The dancer shook his head, putting a big grin back on his face, his eyes still not looking towards the princess’s eyes. “Or my name isn’t Luka.” Luka grabbed Saffron’s hands, closing his eyes as he tried to give a reassuring smile. And yet, he still couldn’t look her in the eye.

“And you.” Luka’s expression turned serious as he turned to Keagan. “I don’t care how much you love you have for Saffron, I don't want to hear you say that.” Luka raised himself onto his toes, leaning in closer to the Knight. “Any casualty, be it me, Klaren, Feri, Dash, anyone among us, would only bring the princess grief beyond imagination, so you are forbidden from forfeiting your life to protect Saffron. If you should pass on, it’ll be years later, when you’re old and grey.” Luka backed away, posture straight as an arrow. “I hope I made myself clear.”

Luka looked back towards the Thunder Mage at his side. “Go at it alone, huh?”  Luka was in the middle of nodding his head before catching a glimpse of pink in the corner of his eye. The Archer girl had been running after him, his speed leaving her in the dust before he got there. “Does she want to come with?” Luka spoke loud enough that he’d hope Hoshiko would be able to hear him.

[Bfroger6]

Klaren gave it his all, but in the end, he fell behind Rosalyva. Way behind.

 

When she turned to wait for Klaren, she would see him running (more like, thrudging as the limits of his strength) towards her from the distance, panting, kinda sweaty, but happy. "Aaaaah, you...you're just too fast, phewie-!" He stops, thankful to be able to catch his breath, as he leans on his knees with his hands. But they were there, at the market! All they needed to do now was find that super golden thread.

 

"It's okay, Lily. I bet we all feel on edge now that the king is here. Some of us are just better at handling the pressure, obviously~teehee!" He giggles innocently, shaking his head and wiping the sweat off with his sleeve. "Let's find that thread super fast so we can get back to everyone and see how they're doing, then, okie~?" He adds as he starts browsing the nearby stalls.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

"Hmmm, Dancing Queen is right you know... if not being a touch over-dramatic." the familiar voice of this unit's commander came from the distance. How she managed to get there without anyone noticing... her secret. She placed the butt of the javelin she was carrying to the ground, kicking up a bit of dust.

 

"You're not much use ta her if you're dead. So, don't be reckless and don't be willin' to lay your life on the line. Even as a last resort. These things happen, but let's not be willin' ta rush off to find 'em alright? I respect your resolve, believe me, I do. I'd say much the same in your shoes I imagine. However, I'm not in your shoes right now. I'm in mine. And from where I'm standin', we need all of us. The things we are doin' aren't going ta be easy, and this is where it begins. Besides this is my unit, so you'll follow my lead." clearly the last part was a joke by her teasing tone. She looked about at the folks that were here at the moment. Saffron, Keagan, Dancing Queen, Thunder Blunder, and little hero. 

 

"As for the business with Roswell... I'll be honest, I'm not fond of stayin' here, but I suppose information is a powerful tool. We're going to have to lay low though. You two aren't exactly... able to be out and about as you'll probably be recognized. Me to a lesser degree... "The Undying" isn't extremely well known amongst the military at this point maybe but I'm sure some would still know who I am. Either way I'm stickin' with you two. Hopefully, you don't mind the extra company~"

[Chevaleresse]

Hoshiko, as typical, made a dramatic entrance. The atypical part was that it wasn't accompanied by any of her usual shouting, mostly just panting that led up to a choked-off Yukihanan expletive and a high-pitched yet muffled squawk. She'd run back to the group at full tilt, and in her haste failed an athletics check attempted and failed to stop on the stones of the road, leading to a forward tumble. She slammed straight into Luka, who would, in all likelihood, slam directly into Keagan; what happened after that point was anyone's guess. 

[InnocentSerenity]

Luka watched the girl run up to the group, suppressing a mocking laugh as the girl came bumbling in their direction. You know, I thought great heroes usually looked more graceful than thi- Luka held his thought as Hoshiko tumbled onto him, falling onto Keagan.

Luka winced as he hit the floor, his left arm between him and Hoshiko. As he tried to shuffle himself out of the mess, Luka felt his arm graze against something interesting. “Darn, I thought I disappointed men. You should drink more milk.” Luka spoke out loud, not realizing Hoshiko could easily hear his opinion on her lack of her feminine assets. Pushing the girl off of him, he slid off to the side, dropping the girl back on top of Keagan. Dumb archer.

Getting onto his two feet, Luka patted down his clothes, getting the dust on the ground off of his nice clothes. “So in case you didn’t hear, I'm heading to the Glass Dome to catch a glimpse of what’s going on with the King and you're coming with me.” Ya got nothing better to do, anyway. 

Edited April 1, 2017 by InnocentSerenity

[Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~]

"Thank you Luka." Saffron smiled a little as she held his hands let go.

 

"Why do I feel like I'm being scolded by all of the maids in the castle at once..." Keagan muttered, and was about to start his response. "I will fight and protect Saffron for as lon-" His speech cut off mid way with an oomph, as Hoshiko and Luka crashed into him. Without proper posture on the ground or his armor he was unable to stand upright and fell over along with them. Keagan's face was the ultimate pinnacle of disgruntlement but he didn't say anything, he simply waited for the other soldiers toget off him. 

 

But Saffron found it hilarious, and broke out into a laughing fit over the whole scene. She wiped tears from her eyes as she regained her composure. "Thank you, all of you. All of you always know how to make everything easier. I believe in both Luka and Hoshiko for this mission, and I trust Terrin and Meredith to keep me safe. And of course you as well Keagan. You've kept my alive up until now, we will continue protecting each other until this is over."

 

---

 

Rosalyva and Klaren made it through the market fast but not without complains. People shouted back at them, complaining of the dangers of running through the crowd and damages to merchandise they were carrying. Luckily, they stopped near the clothing section! It was smaller than the weapon's district of the city; in comparison there were only a tailors in the whole city in comparison to the hundreds of smiths, blacksmiths, staff smiths and other types of smiths. One particular store had it's door wide open with an extravagant looking man inside, dancing as he organized his store.

 

"W-wait up!" Radburn called out from afar. He caught up to them, and crouched down hands on his knees, head down panting hard. "The great.." pant "...Radburn..." pant "... Has a lot..." pant pant "...Of great features but..." pant "... Long distance running is NOT one of them."

 

[Chevaleresse]

Hoshiko squawked again as Luka's hand strayed places it had no right to be. She was ready to forgive him (perhaps after a lecture) as a merciful hero was ought to do, until his comment. 

 "Disappointing me- You pig, you groped me and then you COMPLAINED ABOUT IT!??!" She hadn't stood up at this point, so poor Keagan likely got an undeserved earful. Made worse when she popped to her feet while standing in place, planting them firmly on the Knight's chest. "Idiot! Lech! Pervert! IDIOT!" The inflamed archer punctuated each word with a fist swung at Luka, and after the last, they picked up speed, becoming less individual punches and more of a blurred flurry; at this transition, she stopped saying actual words and transitioned to a cry of "OraoraoraoraORAORAORAORAORAORAAAAAA!"

[Stalkerkain]

"There's a store that might have what you're looking for," she said as she pointed to the man dancing without a care. "Excuse me, I was wondering if you carried any golden thread-"

 

She was about to ask, when she started to hear Radburn's exasperated breaths as he raggedly caught up to them. She gave him a strange look, before she laughed at his disheveled appearance. "If that's all that takes to wind the great Radburn, then we have to start improving your stamina," she said smugly, hiding the fact that she had plenty of time to catch her breath. "Anyways, you have good timing, as we were going to do some shopping for Klaren. Is there anything you wanted to pick as well while we're in the city, Radburn?"

[InnocentSerenity]

Sometimes Luka forgot why he’d always say sarcastic remarks in his mind. Surely if he made them out loud, they wouldn’t cause any serious problems. He’d just keep going and everyone would get a good laugh. Then this happens, and Luka remembers. An onslaught of comical punches made it easy to remember. It was certainly a Miracle that the boy hadn’t lost consciousness as he fell onto the ground again. As much as he wanted to yell a curse in her direction, Luka knew better. 

Getting back into a standing position was a task, but Luka was able to get up. "Sorry." Luka turned around in the direction of the college. “C’mon, let’s get going.” Luka tried to lead the girl to their destination. “Now, be a good hero and help the Dancer walk.” Luka leaned a bit as he walked, acting as if the exchange never happened.

“You do deserve it sometimes, Luka."

At least they didn't punch people...

[Marcello]

"And I'm insulted that you think I would just risk things by taking your wo-" Terrin bagan as he scowled at Keagan, but was quickly interrupted by Saffron's laughing. He just shook his head and smiled, noticing Hoshiko's onslaught against Luka, which caused the mage to begin laughing as well. He cleared his throat and looked back at Keagan, this time smiling, before quietly speaking to the knight. "I'm sure we can carry on talking about this another time. For now, I do suppose we have a city to enjoy."

"You'll be joining us, boss? Maybe you and her high-" He started speaking to Meredith, before shaking his head, still not used to speaking of someone of Saffron's standing so casually, but he was nontheless making an effort to correct himself. "Maybe you and Saffron will be able to learn a thing or two about using lances from a REAL pro." He playfully taunted.

[Bfroger6]

"Oh hey you're the guy with the wooden sword!" Klaren chirped when he saw Radburn, but his attention quickly waned and he was back on track towards the golden thread as if nothing new had happened. "Teehee~well let's go, let's go!" He rushed over to the store and greeted the man inside. But it wasn't a regular greeting. Nono, Klaren greeted the man by attempting to mimic his dance.

 

"What're we dancing to~?" He asked happily as he shook those hips.

[Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~]

"I think I am find. Although a new sheathe for my great weapon would be a nice buy!" 

 

As Klaren enters the shop the man makes a loud 'hmmm' sound, as he looks at Klaren quizzically turning his head. "Why hello there you cutie. We are dancing to the song of life, to the song of love and happiness! Today is a very special day, how can I help you on this wonderful wonderful day?" He does a twirl on one leg, holding the other one up high. His legs are thin like a ballerina's and he is as flexible as any dancer. He put a finger under his chin as he looks at Klaren awaiting a response. 

 

---

 

Hoshiko and Luka walked Northwards, getting ever closer to the humongous tower. But as they went further north the crowd seemed to thicken. Soon, they were struggling to stay together as people huddled up in conversation or walking in groups. They were all funneling to a large building that was now in sight as they cleared a few buildings. This large building was built circularly, like an arena. It went up three stories, but from the middle of the arena a glass structure stretched up six stories high. It made a chimney to the sky from which smoke was leaving to join the clouds. As people entered, soldiers with fancy and glinting armor oversaw the whole process. Clearly soldiers from the capital, their weapons were finely crafted and looked deadly. But more deadly than any other weapons were the sword and the gaze of the sickly looking man.

 

 

He stood up high on a platform gazing at each person individually. The sword in his hand looked sharp enough to slice through rock yet it didn't lose any of it's simple beauty. No fancy guard, or gold or gems, but it glinted beautifully. The man's gaze turned on Hoshiko and Luka; piercing them as if analyzing and reading their minds. He pointed his sword in their direction and shouted. "Drop your weapons, no weapons allowed near the King's presence!" A moment later, a man behind Hoshiko and Luka shrieked, dropping a sword and running away. The sickly looking man pointed at it and one of the soldiers went to retrieve the weapon and ignoring the fleeing man. Duties resumed in moments, as more and more people entered the Glass Dome to find a seat.