Trenliyan Ke'Mentari (or, A Journey into the Eye)

[Aryienne]

Ary's brow furrowed as her gaze swept over Repth. She took a step towards him, stopping as Tren deliberately walked into her path.

Tren raised a brow at the low growl emenating from Aryienne's chest, his gaze bored as it rested on her. She scowled up at him, but relented sulkily.

"Pouting does not become you, my dear. Come, let us go back to Pandaemonium and we can discuss my strategy, hmm?" he touched a finger to her cheek gently. "Your legion is well, and I have not had you to myself for quite some time."

He watched as indecision flitted across Aryienne's face, and her glance rapidly took in the members of Symphony. Then her shoulders stiffened, and her chin tilted defiantly as she looked at him.

"My Lord, I will see them safely home and then you may monopolize as much of my time as you wish," her voice, while low, remained firm.

Tren grinned, pleased with her response. He ruffled her hair, to her obvious annoyance.

"Let us go then. After you Arianna,"

Aryienne scowled again at him and snatched the scroll he held out to her. She snapped it open, with an irritated glance at everyone else and activated it, surrounding herself in a soft glow as she faded.

[LadyVizelle]

Opalia met Isceroth's gaze before he hung his head and frowned; it was not his fault for the events that had occured, but she knew he would blame himself. She moved forward and craned her head so that she could catch his eyes, speaking to him in Atreian in return.

"Isceroth, oui haath'd dyga pmysa vun fryd duug bmyla rana dutyo. Ed ec so cdippunh yprunnehk hydina eh nakyntc du ymm dryd ec cyha, hydinym yht ymdukadran hunsym vun yh Amouc dryd haynmo kud sa gemmat. Pid E ys ymnekrd fedr dryd, ev ed sayhc E ryja dygah uha csymm cdab dufynt aynhehk draen dnicd. Bmayca, tu hud funno, yht E femm pa eh luhdyld." {1} Opalia gave Isceroth a sincere smile before turning to face the others. She spoke more hesitantly to them, more formally.

"Dear Asmodians, please let me thank you all. Although you may not see it this way, I am indebted to you.." She looked to Repth, Trenliyan and back at Isceroth, namely. "And I want to thank you for your tried patience in my company, as I am aware it must not be easy to accept my presence. Lastly, I want to say forthrightly that I have enjoyed meeting all of you, and I assure you on my honor as a Daeva and follower of Aion... I have nothing but respect for each of you. I would never dare lay a foul hand against you." She looked to each of them, regarding their faces before finishing. "Please be well and careful and safe, and perhaps we may meet again in the future. Walk in Shadows, as you would say." Opalia gave a polite smile and a curtsy before throwing Isceroth one last look in farewell, then chanted her return as her body was enveloped in bright bluish white light.



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{1} [Atreian]: "Isceroth, you needn't take blame for what took place here today. It is my stubborn abhorring nature in regards to all that is sane, natural and altogether normal for an Elyos that nearly got me killed. But I am alright with that, if it means I have taken one small step toward earning their trust. Please, do not worry, and I will be in contact. "

[Repth Atrios]

Repth stood, nodding to Isceroth. He was still slightly uneven on his feet, but they held his weight without too much complaint. He secured his hauberk properly now and pulled his shield onto his back, hanging his mace from his belt. It had been a long day, and a nice long bath in the springs near the Iollu site would be heavenly.

The cleric turned to the rest of the group, making sure they were all fit to stand and to travel without injury, and then back to his brother, with an apologetic look on his face. "Cun'no 'puid dryd... teh'd sayh du pa du'u lycr'im 'puid fryd zic' rybbahat. Fyc y haf aqban'hla 'h ymm dryd,"{1} he said, thumbing his nose and pushing his glasses properly into place.

Turning to the rest of the legion, he spoke in Asmodian. "Well, now that we seem to have accomplished our goal, I suppose it's homeward bound for us. Lady Aryienne, at your word..."


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{1}[Atreian]"Sorry 'bout that... din't mean to be too cash'ul 'bout what jus' happened. Was a new exper'nce 'n all that."

[Isceroth]

Isceroth stood still for a little while longer. He then acknowledged, simply by looking behind him at the two siblings that had just emerged from their grandfather's office, that what they had come here to do was done. It should not have been so complicated to arrive here, and he silently reprimanded himself for his foolishness.

He strode forward and away from the artifact, looking up to the entrance above the Divine Fortress from which they came. Then he looked over his shoulder to his legion, and the Elyos behind him. "Using our return spells may be prudent. It is the safest alternative. Otherwise, I've scrolls on my person."

He too would use his return scroll, but he didn't quite feel right leaving without a word to the Elyos. He turned to Opalia, speaking to her in Atreian and bowing his head, feeling disgraced. "E cruimth'd ryja ly'mmat oui rana... E bid oui eh tyhkan mega y hyeja vuum. E's cu'nno..."{1}


{1} Atreian - "I shouldn't have called you here... I put you in danger like a naive fool. I'm sorry..."

[Vitania]

Despite the fact that she was still trembling from the healing, Vitania drew to her feet but hovered near Repth, her eyes glued to him. She nodded when he spoke the kind words of thanks, but rather absently. Her focus was on trying to pick up any other major injuries preemptively, heart still pounding, ready to jump into action. She must have looked a little scary as she stood over him; facing him full on, eyes glued to his face without blinking, her body trembling.

******

Daeje watched Aryienne return, giving her a swift exam to be sure nothing was out of order. He turned to Isceroth to see what their orders were to move out.

[Aryienne]

Tren eyed Isceroth's arm silently, his gaze taking in the room in a quick sweep. He leaned against the doorframe to watch, keeping his stance relaxed in an effort to not alarm Aryienne who was still behind him and unable to see what was happening. A small smile crossed his face as he listened to the mutterings behind him and the irritated exhale of breath. He wouldn't have been surprised if she had told him to get out of her way, but she remained quiet.

Once Isceroth and Repth lasped again into their giberish, Tren stepped fully into the room moving behind his desk. As he sat, he pulled a sheet of paper from a drawer and began scribing a letter. He hardly noticed as Aryienne took up a position behind him, leaning against the wall. Tren pressed a disk set into the top of his desk as he folded the paper, sealing it with a bit of wax.

"Take this to Star Officer Alegin. Tell her I expect her to rendezvous with me within the week in Morheim," he said as a scout appeared in the doorway.

"Yes, General,"

Once the scout left, Tren turned his gaze to Isceroth.

"Whenever you are ready to leave Lord Atrios,"

[Isceroth]

Isceroth grunted at Repth's comment, caught a little off guard by the upbeat tone of it, considering that he was still feeling tense. He lowered his arm to let Ary and her kin through, bringing his hand to the bridge of his nose and rubbing it gently.

"Oar, ev po "aqledeh'" o'sayh "clyno yc cred.""{1}

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{1}[Hickish Atreian] Yeh, if by "excitin'" y'mean "scary as shit."

[Repth Atrios]

And then finally, the pain stopped. The familiar sensation of death began to creep up on the Cleric's fading consciousness, blackness pressing in on the sides of his vision as his eyes slowly slipped closed. The woman worked quickly, and soon enough there was a jolt in Repth's mind, akin to a slap accross the face as his heart beginning to beat again brought fresh oxygen to his brain.

Slowly, as he regained his sight Repth looked down to see Vitania panting slightly, but otherwise looking no worse for the wear. His eyes scanned his bare chest looking for any further injury (noticing the small singe mark and that she had uncovered his scar --unnaturally red and bright as always-- with a slight frown) but he seemed quite alright for the moment. He did his best to sit up fully, but didn't quite have the strength to do so for the moment.

"Thank you, miss Vitania," he said, with a weak smile. "I'm not sure I could have done that to myself. You've been a great help."

The cleric focused on his own body for a moment, taking stock of the damage that still needed to be repaired. There was no longer any critical injury, and he would be fine to mend the rest in a few minutes. Burns on his palms from earlier, deep bruising in his ribcage and abdominal musculature, and slight swelling in his neck and shoulders seemed to be the only remaining issues. Not too bad.

Having caught his breath, Repth sat up and pulled his chainmail closed across his chest with a slight grimace. He'd be alright, he was sure of that now. He glanced up to Isceroth, and nodded.

"Fa'am, dryd fyc aqledeh'!"{1} he said, with a chuckle.

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{1}[Atreian] "Well, that was excitin'!"

[Vitania]

When Repth's heart stopped, Vitania burst into action. She conjured up a fast spell that would do mild recovery work over a course of time before focusing on unleashing a much stronger healing spell. Her fingers shook as the Aether pulsed from her hands straining to control it. She barely noticed how hot her hands were getting against the bare skin of his chest. All she saw in her mind's eye was the threads of muscle threading back together, the currents of Aether working to make the bonds.

Her eyes darted to Repth's face, impassive and dead, and she nearly stopped the healing midway out of sheer panic. But Isceroth was waiting, watching. And she owed Repth this.

After the hole was mended to her best abilities, a small spark trickled from the back of her neck, into her arm, and into the hand over his heart. That spark was hopefully enough to get his heart going again. After another moment, she lifted her hands, looking at the little char mark left there on his skin.

[LadyVizelle]

((Wow, you all posted really fast >_< I have to run right now but I'll post something quickly, and give a more detailed post later.))

Opalia looked around at the room, taking in the blank walls and dim lighting that was surprisingly comforting to her. She wandered to a spot in the corner, away from the rest of the group. She did not want to impose on anyone or cause anyone discomfort by being too close.

She watched with bated breath as Vitania knelt before Repth. A glow emitted from her hands spreading over his chest and Opalia knew instantly her charge; she was to mend Repth's heart. Her eyes widened when she noticed his chest fall, and for several long seconds, it did not rise again.

[Repth Atrios]

Repth gritted his teeth and did his best to avoid making any noise that sounded too much like a complaint. The searing in his chest was beyond unbearable, but he forced himself to ignore the urge to twist out of the way. Vitania was doing what she needed to do, and he would have to stay strong or risk ruining her concentration.

He could feel her energy pouring into his chest, and his body fighting her. Steeling his mind, he let go, and allowed her to do as she intended- his heart flickered weakly in protest, and then stopped entirely.

[Isceroth]

Isceroth looked to Ary the moment she opened the door, extending an arm to halt her in her path. He understood the implications of the healing that Vitania had to perform upon his brother, and wanted absolutely nothing to break her concentration. Though his demeanor seemed deceptively calm, Isceroth was holding his breath.

He stood perfectly still, watching Repth, and waiting to see the results of Vitania's healing. The moment from when aether stopped pouring from her finger tips seemed to last an eternity. The only indication of Isceroth's wariness was a fast, solitary blink.

[Aryienne]

Ary flinched as Tren exploded. His temper was not entirely new to her and it still made her nervous. Her father had inherited it to the dismay of his children and wife. As the red eyes leveled on her, she stiffened her posture, her head dipping in acknowledgement of his words, an amused grin crossing her features.

"I do not think you realize what you have gotten yourself into with the two of us as your heirs, my lord. You have managed to pick the two black abexes of the family,"

Tren regarded Kynn, absorbing what he said. Then his gaze moved back to her as the red glow faded.

"I have also choosen the only two with honor and who regularly show their obedience to justice, duty and family. And family has nothing to do with blood most times, girl. Neither does "noble". From what I have observed, your actions make you both more noble than that Brax holding my title. Let us see how your companions fare, shall we? I will speak with Lady Tyridian if you think it will help Kynn. Though I used to have my own contacts in the courts. You will find me quite able to take care of myself and you both. There are 80 soldiers here who are my personal garrison. Once your father is taken care of, they will be given the choice to do as they please, though I expect you two will spend more time in my manor than I will. The Eye has grown on me,"

With that he strode to the door and pulled it open, stepping through and observing the group within the other room.

[Vitania]

((*Pumps a fist at being able to touch Repth’s sexy chest*))

The moment her hands tentatively touched Repth’s chest, Vitania shivered with the information she was getting from his overwhelmed body. It was pretty bad. And even though he was resting, it wasn’t getting any better. She knew this was all caused because she hadn’t been fast enough to keep up with the healing the group had desperately needed. A little stone of guilt settled uncomfortably in her belly at that. So when she listened to his calmly worded assessment, how the result of her actions could save his life or end with his conditionally permanent demise, she trembled, but nodded, resolute.

Then his quietly murmured set of instructions shook her to her core. During her time volunteering to heal during the fight for fortresses, she had seen guts spilled out of gouges in the sides of fallen warriors, seen arms and legs half torn or hacked off, seen people’s faces set aflame. These were all things a cleric had to get used to dealing with. These were superficial. But the heart… To stop such a crucial organ in order to repair the tiny hole that she could feel in Repth’s right atrium was a terrifying prospect. It was akin to instant death. In fact, it technically was death. Vitania’s hands shook as she began to lurch away from him.

Then the stone in her belly nudged a little, and she stopped herself.

Vitania took a deep breath and forced her mind into that strange clarity a fighter has right before dealing a death blow. She half noticed Repth take the Hasia sprig and close his eyes. Her concentration focused on removing the chain armor covering his chest, using the action to try and practice stilling her shaking hands. Her heart raced incessantly. Somewhere off in the corner of her thoughts she wondered if Isceroth was perceptive enough to understand what was about to happen to his brother.

Vitania settled her hands in the places she felt would best give her contact with Repth’s heart, which ended up being the same places he’d originally settled them. It was beating even more irregularly now, and frantically, trying to make up for the blood that was enriched with oxygen mixing with the blood without it.

“Repth… I’m going to stop it.” She was surprised that her voice was coming out calm and coherent. “Three…” Straddling so close to the line between life and death was a lesson she no doubt would carry with her for the rest of her life. “Two…” The Aether gathered around her, a flow of energy that would unleash in a burst that would have to be strong enough to disrupt the signals his brain sent to the heart, yet gentle enough not to cause it to be destroyed. “One.” Vitania let the Aether release from her hands into Repth’s chest, at first as a flood, but she quickly staunched it into a controlled stream. Her eyes flicked to Repth’s face, waiting to see if his heart responded, or if he fell unconscious.

[Relic Huldru]

The sudden burst of anger coming from his great grandfather did not surprise Kynn in the least. Both his mother and the man who, in his mind, will always remain his real father were very level headed and calm. Kynn's own temper had to have come from somewhere. After all, he himself had been ready to confront and attempt to end the existence of Jevyn.

Two things, though, did surprise Kynn. First, that there may be other brothers and sisters of his out there somewhere. Not too long ago, he was the only living member of his family, sitting in a tavern drinking away his memories. Now, he had brothers and sisters, a great grandfather, and ... a ... a title?

Try as he may, the shocked expression was unable to be kept from his face as Tren made known his intentions for Ary and himself. After a moment, he cleared his throat and spoke softly.

"Sir ... now ... I ain't really earned much of a page as far as bein' no one's heir n' all. I mean ta say, all I know how ta be is honest n' fair, n' ta do just what gotta get done, n' ta keep safe those I care about. Don't rightly know "how" ta be a noble ... but if it's wha' ya want, I'll be for it."

He stood straight and tall, not allowing his nervousness to show. A thought came to him.

"N' something just struck my brain. From wha' I know, that Grael skirt is back, n' she always had a soft spot yer Arianna here. Also turns out she be pretty well liked in th'Court. Maybe make yer petition ta her. M'sure she can get it pushed through quicker n' ... pretty fast."