Children Of Infinity (IC)

[Atlannia]

Jyn smiled and wrapped Alfenn in a massive and tight hug, "I'm so glad you're okay too! " She spoke as she bear hugged her friend, though this was a much warmer hug than even she was usaully capable of giving. She was so relieved after the battle, and something about being near Alfenn made her so happy. "Are you alright? Did they hurt you?" She asked, not letting go of Alf. She didn't want to let him go now. And... she was experiencing feeling she didn't even knew she had for him. She wanted to tell him, to describe each and every one. Tell him... but her mouth refused to move.

"I-I-I'm fine!" Alfenn gasped breathlessly, chalking up the tightness in his chest to the strength of Jynna's hug. Instead of trying to defensively protect his ribs or wriggle free like he normally would Alfenn wrapped his own arms around her shoulders and pulled Jynna closer, inhaling slowly to try and slow down his rapidly hammering heart. "I'm really fine," he repeated in a soothing tone. "I only lost a little energy from my shields, I think I took more damage from the fall than the actual fighting. Being this close to her again only drew Alfenn's mind back to their abortive "training session" earlier that night. Although they had both jumped away as though electrocuted neither seemed willing to move now. With a start Alfenn realised suddenly that that training session could have been the last moment together they ever had. One of us could have died back there, or both of us. As Jynna's head came to rest lightly on his shoulder the hand he had thrown around her clenched into a fist. What if this is the last moment we ever have together? What if there's more enemies lurking outside!? Dozens of them! Hundreds even! As irrational as the thoughts were Alfenn couldn't stop them bouncing around in his head and escalating steadily until, swallowing determinedly he reached a conclusion. Pulling himself away slightly so that he could look at her face to face. Alfenn cleared his throat.

"Listen Jynna I..uh..." Alfenn trailed off awkwardly, trying not to turn red. "What I'm trying to say is...what am I trying to say? uh...Well I really like talking to you and just being around you and...um...Argh! This isn't working!" Alfenn shook his head and stared into Jynna's eyes almost urgently. "Look you can hit me or react however you want after but I'll never forgive myself if I don't do this now because I just realised I might not get another chance to," With that he leaned forwards, closed his eyes and kissed her firmly.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

The black-haired half-giant woman stood perfectly still in the back of the cavern as Elsis and Shanath watched over her from a moderate distance, no longer bearing their weapons but still clad in their armor and ready to act at a moment's notice, be it to keep the woman from harming anyone, which was highly unlikely, or to keep anyone from harming the woman, which was far more likely. After all, she was a heathen, or at least had been with two heathen warriors, but at the same time, she was a non-combatant, and according to the laws of the Apostolic Council, non-combatants of Lawless Orders were not to be harmed by the knights who served Aradain.

However, when Orion stepped past them, they did nothing to halt him. He did not seem to bear the intent to threaten her life, after all, and furthermore, Shanath at least recognized the additional sigil he bore in his uniform. She knew that those with such a sign did not strive to kill their opponents, which she respected. Thus, Orion's path to the half-giant was unimpeded, and as he approached her and greeted her, she looked down at him, her reddish orange eyes displaying a mixture of fear and scorn.

"Does it look like I am okay?" She said, her voice laced with both venomous sarcasm and sour regret, and yet, it was significantly softer than what one would expect from such a creature. "If you wanted me to speak to you, then you will be sorely disappointed. If you want to show mercy, kill me already. Your people did not seem to hesitate to do the same to them." She pointed weakly at the two heathen corpses sprawled on the ground and then looked away from Orion. "Ignorant monsters..." She muttered under her breath.

Elsewhere in the cave, Arcander was still next to the unconscious Aressa, one knee on the ground and one elbow resting in the other as he watched over her, idly flicking red hairs out of her face now and then as he waited for her to awaken, though he had the feeling that it would be a while until that happened. Even with that in mind, however, he was content to watch over her until everyone else felt recovered enough to make the trip back to the resort with the half-giant in tow. This had not been the first emergency they had faced together, and certainly not the first time one of them had fallen unconscious and had to be cared for by the other, but even then, he couldn't help feeling concerned. They had indeed gone through a lot together, but that only strengthened their bonds.

Alas, he was soon called away from there, as Cyranis finally strode into the chamber that housed the dragon skull and looked around.

"Professor, where were you?" Ignikalos asked her, popping up next to her.

"You kids were all fine so I was making a simpler exit." She shrugged, and Ignialos noticed that parts of her void black robe were drenched in water for some reason. Remembering what his elders had told him about her, he immediately knew why. "Now then. Rep-" She paused, noticing a couple of students making out in the background. She chuckled, shaking her head but opting not to interrupt their little moment. Not directly, at least. "Representatives of Group A-23!" She called forcefully, and nigh immediately, Arcander rose from his position next to Aressa and stood in front of Sapphira, snapping to attention. She, however, regarded him with a raised eyebrow. After a moment, he spoke.

"My fellow guide Alistar fell unconscious due to overexerting herself during the battle, I'm afraid. The only conscious aspirants here are Eleasir of Group A-36 and myself." He explained quickly, to which Cyranis nodded.

"I understand. You'll do just fine." She said. "Status report?"

Arcander paused for a moment, ordering the thoughts in his head. "Eleasir, Alistar and I took the students on a trek through the woods as a group activity, but at one point the floor gave in and dropped us in this cavern. Alistar began exploring and was the first to engage the enemy in combat. Two experienced warriors, as well as the half-giant lady over there. They appeared to be either guarding or trying to do something to the dragon skull. We stopped them, but not without some effort." He explained. Cyranis nodded at this. Simple and straightforward, though she suspected there was far more to the situation than what Arcander knew. Naturally, none of the students would be able to help her decipher the enigma, and the ones who were to deal with the half-giant were the authorities of this Cathedral, not the staff of the Academy, which made her frown for a moment as she was immersed in thought.

Meanwhile, after addressing Cyranis, Ignikalos walked past the others to make sure that his classmates were alright. Thankfully, none of the A-36 Group seemed to have suffered much, though he could notice the indomitable Elsis was very exhausted. He could not continue his analysis, however, as he was soon interrupted by Shanath, who moved to stand in front of him and clasped his hand with both hands, piercing emerald eyes staring into his own ratty slits. "I am very thankful that you were able to bring Miss Cyranis here, Malganis. I knew I could trust you." She smiled. He blushed.

"Oh, er, well, it was nothing. We didn't even arrive on time to help, so there's no need to thank me." He said, idly scratching his head. Shanath, however, shook her head at this response.

"But you did everything I asked, and you did it well. I thank you very much for that, Malganis." She said. At this, he smiled.

"You're wel-" He started, but was interrupted.

"Malganis." Came the voice of Professor Cyranis. "You are to head back to the Ocean Gazer resort, inform Professor Alaris of the situation and instruct him to contact the local authorities for assistance and information on how to proceed under their jurisdiction. After that, you are to return here immediately. Any questions?"

Ignikalos almost, almost groaned, but held himself back, knowing that it was most certainly a good idea. He merely gave a nod in the professor's direction, and a wave to Shanath and his other classmates, before darting away once again.

With that done, Cyranis turned back to Arcander.

"Now, these students" At this point she gestured towards the new arrivals, most of which were gathered around Ritz for some reason. "were delayed by certain unfortunate circumstances, as you know. As such, they missed the opening ceremonies and were without group for a while. We have resolved to put them in your group. You may already know each other, but it can't hurt to introduce yourselves once again to make sure. Is everything clear?" The professor explained, and Arcander shook his head. She had explained it pretty clearly.

"Very well. Now if you will excuse me, I have to continue working on that exit." She said. With that, she clasped her hands in front of her and began chanting softly as she turned around and walked away. Arcander faintly heard the words "Thalassian Cannon" coming from the other chamber.

After this conversation with Cyranis, Arcander walked over to the students gathered around Ritz. "She's perfectly fine." He said with a kind tone. "Ellyn and I both worked our healing magic on her already. More than likely, she is simply resting in order to recover the energy spent during the battle, like many others. Ritz in particular relies on her energy to fight, so I would advise not to disturb her." He explained, glancing at Ritz for a moment before looking back at the students. "Anyway, I'm Arcander Brightshield, your new guide."

[Pyrade]

Orion
Orion felt relief pass over him when the aspirants made no move to stop him from approaching the giant. After his preliminary question he listened patiently to her scornful reply, saying nothing and showing no resent to her words.
Peace requires patience and understanding. Empathy fosters more friendships than force.
He thought to himself before he heard a commotion behind him. A first glance showed nothing unusual, until he noticed the . . . Romantic gesture occurring in the cavern.
Near death experiences can cause romance? Well . . . That's somewhat unnerving . . .
He thought again before he turned back to the half-giant.
"Well, we're talking, so my foolish question worked in an odd, roundabout way."
He said warmly. He didn't want to upset her by seeming to make light of the deaths, quite frankly he didn't think he could. It disturbed him as to how easily his colleagues donned the mantle of the executioner. He just wish he had his homeworld's armour and that the half-giant knew about the Radiant Palm. Although he doubted many people did. Their chapter wasn't large, known by other knights of other orders sure, but to non-combatants? Likely not.
"I know . . . It is unnerving . . . Borderline disturbing for me as well. I understand if what I have to say doesn't help at all, but I'm not here to interrogate or do anything of the sort."
He said gently, seating himself on the floor a bit away from the half-giant. Behind him he heard Ms. Cyranis addressing the others and explaining their situation and why there had been a delay. There was also an instruction to introduce themselves, but Orion figured he was a little busy at the moment, they'd find out who he was later.
"They are not exactly my people. I am from a different world, where we learn quite different values it seems. . ."
He said cringing slightly when he recalled the heathen's corpse.
"Chief amongst which are mercy and forgiveness. I don't know if you know of the Radiant Palm. But that was my order. Well, it would have been, but there was a recent switch in homes which landed me here."
He spoke to her in a soft voice that was loud enough for her to clearly hear, but had absolutely no hardness to it. It was his way, and the way he had been since he could talk. Orion had never raised his voice, or spoken malevolently, from his point of view, one person shouted, then the other shouted back and all they did was shout and shout, he didn't enjoy being shouted at. Sarcasm featured occasionally, more for humour than harm, but that was about the extent of his verbal abuse.
"Anyway, to take out the long history lesson and make an equally long story short, I'm here to check that you're not injured, and if there might be a chance that you'd change your mind about us not talking? I'd just like to make some peace without anymore weapons being drawn."
He said cautiously, hoping he hadn't found some unseen social mine to tread on. He knew it would be hard for her to accept what he said as truth, especially seeing as he wore the schools armour, but he had to try at least.
She's a non-combatant . . . But she may have been aiding the heathens. In which case they might not leave her be.
He thought, worried about how the Phantom Blade would react to this situation. He would rather the half-giant just be left alone to her life, but there was also the worry of if that had been her family that had been slaughtered.

[New Jordslag]

Hel Red

Just after he had quite politely, in his opinion, asking the tired lady on the floor what had happened, he had been shoved aside by some hothead- Wasn't her name Kyr?- seeking to heal the lady. Hel toppled backwards. He got up quickly, brushing dust off him. "Excuse you." He snarled. But he didn't leave, as he normally would have done. No, instead he stayed, amusedly watching Kyr trying to heal the unwounded lady. He let out the slightest of smirks.

Just then, however, a man approached from behind. He explained that he and a person named Ellen had already healed the lady on the floor, and that it was best to stop bothering her. Then he introduced himself as Arcander Brightshield, their new Guide. At this, Hel turned towards the man, then nodded. "I am Red. Good to meet you."

Gaia Leaf

How could she let this happen? She had been so excited at the prospect of traveling to a battlefield, that she had completely lost track of Red. Where could he be in this place, anyway? "When I find that Numbskull, I shall rip him apart!" Leaf growled. She kept on stomping through the place, looking for him. Weird, normally she could find him rather quickly...

Then she walked a bit further. Amidst a clump of people, there stood Red- and a man stood right behind him, talking. Could he be in trouble?! Before she could get over there, however, the man introduced himself. "Anyway, I am Arcander Brightshield, your new Guide." Much to her surprise, the normally quiet Red began speaking back, introducing himself to the man. Leaf paused instead of fully walking over there. How would this turn out?

[The Starlight]

She nodded to Ritz, trusting that to convey her meaning. She looked down at Ritz, and then, realizing her own tiredness, plopped down beside her fellow student, letting out a breath and concentrating on her bleeding nose, forced to use her magic with no handkerchiefs. She closed her eyes when it ceased, mentally scoffing as the new arrivals came and the healers among them rushed to Ritz. As if A-23's guides and students would have left one of their own to lie on the ground injured. Still, they meant no harm, Ellyn was just feeling irritable due to her splitting headache. Using healing magic would only make it worse, so she would just have to ride it out.

"Hello there. I'm Ellyn, with a y. Ellyn Tarembor. Nice to meet you all, and welcome to A-23," she said, eyes closed, hearing that they were to join them.

[Esternial]

Rarely did Ritz get this much attention. She could go days without being spoken to, and after two decades of that lifestyle she had grown accustomed to it - even comfortable. To say she was annoyed was perhaps a bit of a strong term. Ritz rarely experienced negative emotions, emotions most people knew all too well. That is to say, she did prefer if they all spoke to her another time. Kyr in particular seemed a bit too...passionate. It wasn't a bad trait, but in the aftermath of such a battle it was mentally tiring to have to explain things several times in close succession.

"I'm fine. Don't worry" She replied with a weak smile. Her voice had regained its old vigour, though for most people Ritz spoke very softly in the first place. There was still a tremble in her limbs as she moved them, but Ritz hoped tightening her muscles as they restored themselves would aid in their recovery. The process had sped up greatly thanks to Ellyn's and Arcander's help, and the pain had already dulled to a mere numbness, something she was no stranger to after a long but satisfying run through her family's gardens. She had enough focus to replenish her body with energy, and now turned to Ellyn to return the favour. Stretching just far enough, she touched the warrior-healer's hand and passed on the warmth from deep within her body, flowing into Ellyn's body through mere skin contact and enveloping her in a soothing aura. Far too weak to be visible to the naked eye, but strong enough to make the large and inhospitable cave feel like a quiet grove where just enough sun flowed in through the foliage to warm one's body and soul.

[Ularn]

RISING to her feet with a slightly embarrassed expression, Kyrissa gave Ritz an apologetic smile before replying to Arcander. "I didn't realise. Kyrissa Kerembor," she answereed a little sheepishly with both explanation and introduction, fiercely aware that she might have ruined her first impressions with her Aspirant and many of her peers by being blatantly unable to diagnose a plain and simple combat fatigue. She tried her best to ignore Red and his satisfied smirk.
One or two of the others Kyr knew from before but without formal introduction. As with Ritz, she had overheard Ellyn's name at the banquet and admired her appearance like many of the other girls. No-one else she had yet seen from the Academy seemed to embrace styling to nearly the same level as was common on Amazla. There were hardly any facial piercings, fewer tattoos and so far she hadn't seen a single other person with dyed skin, never mind some of the more severe body modifications even some Amazlans thought at tad extreme. The looks Kyr received just walking around in the sea of plainness made her feel a little self conscious, yet she was also growing steadily more aware of the more subtle differences through which people did express themselves. Their clothes were more colourful than the typical sand-bleached yellows, reds and greys of the Tor and fitted far more elegantly than the robes she was used to. Even those completely impractical flowing hairstyles had their own sort of individual grace.
It was those sorts of differences that made Kyr take note of Ellyn, Ritz and some of the other girls like Vyna, and one of the two lovers at the cave's edge, whose faces were obscured from Kyr by the girl's own blonde cascade. She had a rough idea of what was going on there. Kyr had once been slightly perturbed on the day she realised the date of her own conception had to have fallen pretty close to the same time Mother had broken the Siege of Iasdrigar. Deliberately, she ceased pursuing that line of thought any further.
Still pointedly avoiding Hel's grin, she looked instead at the other faces for any sign of similar derision or possibly recognition of her family name. Many Kerembors had been through the Silver Hand Academy before her, to the point that she suspected Gin was actually on first name terms with a few of the faculty.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

The half-giant woman merely continued glaring daggers at Orion as he spoke, the color of her eyes causing them to resemble burning embers. However, as she listened to his words, her glare softened and she looked away once again, slumping slightly against the wall now that the girl with coral red hair was no longer pointing her energy broadsword at her. Hearing Orion's words, the woman realized that he was not a dangerous enemy.

Just a terribly ignorant one.

"If your goal for talking to me is to ensure that peace is ensured, then you may as well leave now, child. There is nothing I can do to disturb your peace. My friends died protecting the relic. Their weapons are out of my reach and even if I could call them to me I would not know how to use them. I possess no offensive magic to speak of and no martial training or battle experrience, and I lack the means of calling for help." The woman said as she slowly but steadily slit down the wall to eventually sit on the floor of the cave, her thick shroud covering her entire legs and feet. "My name, if that is what you wanted, is Silum. That is all I will tell you. Your peace is made; your allies have won. Your kings will take me and bound me to a cage for knowing and professing truths that they cannot fathom. So it has been, for thousands of years." She proclaimed.

At this point, Elsis, who had been standing nearby while Shanath spoke to Malganis, snorted at the heathen's claims. "Thousands of years? You delusional death worshippers haven't been around for more than a millenium!" She argued, decidedly more forceful towards Silum than Orion was. The half-giant, however, said and did nothing about it, merely closing her eyes.

Meanwhile, back at the entrance of the dragon skull chamber, Arcander was just being polite to the new recruits as they introduced themselves. First he looked at Hel, returning the nod. "Red, huh? That's a good name, I suppose. Gives you ample opportunities for a decent joke." He said, chuckling for a moment. "Nice to meet you as well. I do hope you'll enjoy the Academy." He added afterwards, before turning to the other recruit who had introduced herself, a girl by the name of Kyrissa. As he turned to her, however, the tall aspirant paused and did a double take, blinking. He was young, and had never before met someone with a face quite like Kyrissa's. It was all red, with bits and pieces of metal here and there, certainly not what he had expected to see when he turned around. At least, he told himself idly as he moved out of his surprise, her skin wasn't blue. He briefly thought, amused, of the utter uproar that someone like that would have caused by walking through the streets of Nova Gaelia, where the Azure Plague had struck a long time ago, but he simply shrugged off the thought.

"Ah, sorry. I had never quite seen someone who looked like this before. I hope you won't take offense to it." He said after a moment, and while his choice of words might not have been the most tactful, it was clear by his voice that he was being polite and sincere. "Anyway, Kyrissa, is it? That's a pretty name, I like it. Would you mind at all if I called you Kyri?" He inquired, oblivious to the girl's opinion on that specific nickname.

[Pyrade]

The half-giant woman merely continued glaring daggers at Orion as he spoke, the color of her eyes causing them to resemble burning embers. However, as she listened to his words, her glare softened and she looked away once again, slumping slightly against the wall now that the girl with coral red hair was no longer pointing her energy broadsword at her. Hearing Orion's words, the woman realized that he was not a dangerous enemy.

Just a terribly ignorant one.

"If your goal for talking to me is to ensure that peace is ensured, then you may as well leave now, child. There is nothing I can do to disturb your peace. My friends died protecting the relic. Their weapons are out of my reach and even if I could call them to me I would not know how to use them. I possess no offensive magic to speak of and no martial training or battle experience, and I lack the means of calling for help." The woman said as she slowly but steadily slit down the wall to eventually sit on the floor of the cave, her thick shroud covering her entire legs and feet. "My name, if that is what you wanted, is Silum. That is all I will tell you. Your peace is made; your allies have won. Your kings will take me and bound me to a cage for knowing and professing truths that they cannot fathom. So it has been, for thousands of years." She proclaimed.

At this point, Elsis, who had been standing nearby while Shanath spoke to Malganis, snorted at the heathen's claims. "Thousands of years? You delusional death worshippers haven't been around for more than a millenium!" She argued, decidedly more forceful towards Silum than Orion was. The half-giant, however, said and did nothing about it, merely closing her eyes.

Orion sighed heavily as the giant spoke, this was going to be an odd discussion indeed.
"Peace is harmony, what you describe is complacency."
He said in response to her exposition about her state of helplessness,
"On Telcaron, where I am from, you would be considered a most dangerous and worthy adversary in Mahilich."
He said with a wry chuckle, imagining how Silum would quite easily have dealt with any of his sparring partners. Then Orion cringed as Elsis began to speak venomous words.
For the love of Ultier how damn well different can your order be?! We're founded on the same principles!
He thought to himself, not frustrated as much as pleading with the universe to make Elsis stop somehow.
He stood up and looked to girl with fiery red hair, a pleading look in his eyes,
"The danger has already passed. You have no need for such hostility. There has already been too much."
He said gently, gesturing to the fallen heathens. With that said, he returned to sitting on the cave floor and turned to Silum.
"Well, Silum, as far as I know, the laws of the Apostolic Council state that Lawless Non-combatants are to be left well enough alone. So I don't think there will be any cages or bindings for you. Is there a name for your particular beliefs?"
He continued. Honestly he was hating being only a student right now. It was saddening, just how pathetically little he could do for Silum besides what he was doing now, trying to show her they weren't all out to get her.
One day, one day I will don the golden armour
He thought while he waited for Silum's reply, hoping there would be one.

[Ularn]

THIS time When Kyrissa smiled it was without any of the humiliation she had felt moments before as Aspirant Arcander fumbled his way through his perceived faux pas. "It's alright; I'm kind of getting used to it. Until I got here, I didn't realise that skin-dye and tattoos werent really things off of Amazla," she conceded.
Arcander continued, "Anyway, Kyrissa is it?"
Kyr nodded.
"That's a pretty name; I like it. Would you mind at all if I called you 'Kyri'?"
Arcander was not what she had expected from an Aspirant, Kyr decided. He seemed sort of haphazard in his manner. Still, he was being friendly, or at least making an effort to be welcoming and it was drawing attention away from her own error of moments ago so she responded in kind. "Honestly, if anything I'd rather you just went with 'Kyr'. What about you?" she asked offhandedly with a smirk, "Do we all get to call you 'Arc'?"
Still aware of the dragon skull, two bodies, a prisoner the size of a megazelle and the detritus of battle still around them, Kyr felt like this was the wrong setting for her, the late arrival to a battle already concluded, to go into a long winded explanation of exactly why Arcander's choice of nickname set her teeth so fiercely on edge. It seemed strange enough just having the conversation as it was. 'Kyri' was the name her aunts chirped when they wanted her to set the table or wash the dishes or any of a number of other household chores requiring her to play the role of the little girl. Even Mother seemed to grimace when she heard it. Chores were what the little cousins were for; after meals, the daughter of Nianja Kerembor was expected to take a kneel on a cushion at the edge of the table that always sat in the middle of the ger and listen silently while the grownups - Mother, aunts, uncles and older cousins - talked over smoked veinaroot and tiny cups of java. It was hoped she might learn something from their discussions, which ranged from mundane news pertaining to caring for the desert - droughts, migrations of various herds and whatnot - to politics both on and off-world, which was far more interesting, if less penetrable to a young Kyrissa, to the war stories which were the best topic of all. Several times Kyr had managed to stay up well past her bedtime as the adults got caught up In a lively debate about the strategies and attributes of various generals from throughout the last half-millennia.
It was during one such talk, when the veina was burning low in the pipe, that Kyr had been allowed to hold Gin for the first time. Mother told her to fetch him from their own tent to settle an argument over whether Aurelius Alistar had been justified pulling back his vanguard at Herevore. The sword had given a noncommittal response that satisfied everyone but pleased no one and the matter was forgotten with the sobriety of morning. Only Kyr remembered. Kyr and Gin.
Kyr had absorbed a great deal from those talks.

[Charmera]

Jyn smiled and wrapped Alfenn in a massive and tight hug, "I'm so glad you're okay too! " She spoke as she bear hugged her friend, though this was a much warmer hug than even she was usaully capable of giving. She was so relieved after the battle, and something about being near Alfenn made her so happy. "Are you alright? Did they hurt you?" She asked, not letting go of Alf. She didn't want to let him go now. And... she was experiencing feeling she didn't even knew she had for him. She wanted to tell him, to describe each and every one. Tell him... but her mouth refused to move.

"I-I-I'm fine!" Alfenn gasped breathlessly, chalking up the tightness in his chest to the strength of Jynna's hug. Instead of trying to defensively protect his ribs or wriggle free like he normally would Alfenn wrapped his own arms around her shoulders and pulled Jynna closer, inhaling slowly to try and slow down his rapidly hammering heart. "I'm really fine," he repeated in a soothing tone. "I only lost a little energy from my shields, I think I took more damage from the fall than the actual fighting. Being this close to her again only drew Alfenn's mind back to their abortive "training session" earlier that night. Although they had both jumped away as though electrocuted neither seemed willing to move now. With a start Alfenn realised suddenly that that training session could have been the last moment together they ever had. One of us could have died back there, or both of us. As Jynna's head came to rest lightly on his shoulder the hand he had thrown around her clenched into a fist. What if this is the last moment we ever have together? What if there's more enemies lurking outside!? Dozens of them! Hundreds even! As irrational as the thoughts were Alfenn couldn't stop them bouncing around in his head and escalating steadily until, swallowing determinedly he reached a conclusion. Pulling himself away slightly so that he could look at her face to face. Alfenn cleared his throat.

"Listen Jynna I..uh..." Alfenn trailed off awkwardly, trying not to turn red. "What I'm trying to say is...what am I trying to say? uh...Well I really like talking to you and just being around you and...um...Argh! This isn't working!" Alfenn shook his head and stared into Jynna's eyes almost urgently. "Look you can hit me or react however you want after but I'll never forgive myself if I don't do this now because I just realised I might not get another chance to," With that he leaned forwards, closed his eyes and kissed her firmly.

"W-" Jyn was taken aback by the kiss. Even given all the signs, she was not fully aware of what was going to happen and the nature of the feelings the person in her arms was feeling. She relaxed her grip suddenly. Then she melted into the kiss, giving into passion as both their souls and hearts danced in that single moment. Passions aligned as they kissed. Jyn's heartrate had skyrocketed higher than during the duel even, perhaps some unused adrenalin still pumping in her blood helped fuel her passion, life or death scenarios being a good way to inflame emotion.

She then broke off the kiss softly, and smiled at Alfenn, her previous concern mellowing out into a harmonious and warm smile as their shared embrace warmed her very being. She paused, not liking the silence but not quite sure what to say, just that something needed to be said to spare poor Alfenn from feeling that this was something only he shared, though it was unlikely after that kiss. "Alfenn- I-I..." She stammered. Then steeled herself, placing a hand on his cheek. "I've been feeling... different, when around you. You're smart and witty. I love being around you and I think... I think we should... be together." She spoke. "The thought of loosing you made me realize... you mean more to me than I thought. And I want to be with you." She paused again. "Have I made it clear that I want to go out with you yet?"

The half-giant woman merely continued glaring daggers at Orion as he spoke, the color of her eyes causing them to resemble burning embers. However, as she listened to his words, her glare softened and she looked away once again, slumping slightly against the wall now that the girl with coral red hair was no longer pointing her energy broadsword at her. Hearing Orion's words, the woman realized that he was not a dangerous enemy.

Just a terribly ignorant one.

"If your goal for talking to me is to ensure that peace is ensured, then you may as well leave now, child. There is nothing I can do to disturb your peace. My friends died protecting the relic. Their weapons are out of my reach and even if I could call them to me I would not know how to use them. I possess no offensive magic to speak of and no martial training or battle experrience, and I lack the means of calling for help." The woman said as she slowly but steadily slit down the wall to eventually sit on the floor of the cave, her thick shroud covering her entire legs and feet. "My name, if that is what you wanted, is Silum. That is all I will tell you. Your peace is made; your allies have won. Your kings will take me and bound me to a cage for knowing and professing truths that they cannot fathom. So it has been, for thousands of years." She proclaimed.

At this point, Elsis, who had been standing nearby while Shanath spoke to Malganis, snorted at the heathen's claims. "Thousands of years? You delusional death worshippers haven't been around for more than a millenium!" She argued, decidedly more forceful towards Silum than Orion was. The half-giant, however, said and did nothing about it, merely closing her eyes.

"El... Elisis?" Spoke a voice from nearby, a likely very, very familiar voice from the past of the Valiant Fang member. One that she would have known for as long as that voice had existed. It was filled with concern, and it wavered slightly. The voice seemed to pause for almost an eternity, the owner of it not entirely sure if the expression she would see on the other side of Elisis' head would be one she wanted to see. She expected rage. Likely even hatred.

"I've been looking for you." Juna paused, she then stood up strait. Showing weakness might be a fatal mistake now. Though she knew Juna would never go that far, it might kill something else if she seemed weak. She inhaled. "I've been looking for you... and... I realize I might be the last person in the known universe you'd want to see..." She spoke. "And. Before anything else. Before you even turn around. I want to say... Im sorry."

"So... So sorry for the things I said. And... everything really." She spoke. Then mentally braced for the wave she expected to come from her sister. She had said it. Likely not all that needed to be said. "I... wish I could have been a more worthy little sister to you."

[Zarkenis Ultima]

"We are not on Telcaron, boy." Silum stated as she listened to Orion's words, her eyes still closed as she sat with her back against the wall of the cave. Her voice had softened significantly since the first time she had spoken, and now the only emotion that could be found inside of it was none. Her voice carried naught but apathy at this point. "You are very naive, aren't you?" She asked afterwards. Strangely, there was a h int of amusement as she spoke those words, though it died down quickly, and it never showed through her face to begin with. "Let us assume those rules are real and they will be respected. Your beloved apostles will take and destroy the relic. Your knights will continue to butcher my brethren, or die at their hands because they decided to stand up for their beliefs. And on and on goes everything. Your knight saved the world from destruction, but he never saved its people."

Meanwhile, after hearing the comment Orion made towards her, Elsis gave a cold shrug an turned away from him and the heathen half-giant, thinking that she had much better stuff to do than argue with some hippie foreigner boy about whether or not dragon-worshippers deserved hostility. However, as she was about to wander away and go back to the rest of his group, she heard a voice behind her, a voice that she had been dying to hear, a voice that she had been trying to forget. The voice seemed to waver slightly, trembling with uncertainty, but that small, insignificant detail was lost on Elsis, lost in the wake of all the memories and emotions unearthed by the sound of that voice, that soft voice that Elsis knew could never have belonged to anyone at all in the Known Universe and beyond that was not her little sister.

Evidently, Juna had these things present as well, 'these things' being all of the things they said to each other before. Had it really only been six cycles ago? To Elsis, it felt like an eternity, as if the wounds that caused a gap to form between the Salasanger sisters had not festered for days, but years.

But either way, the vortex of emotions awakened by Juna's voice and apology was nearly overwhelming. Above everything else, Elsis was confused. How, she wondered, was she supposed to feel? Angry? Juna did say so many horrible things to her, after all! But then, she had also said so many terrible, terrible things to her little sister that she dearly regretted, so, was that what she was supposed to feel? Regret? Sorrow? Or perhaps simply joy at being able to see her sister once more when she thought that they would not meet again for a very long time, a long time that may have caused the gap to become an unpassable ravine? She was confused. She didn't know. She was not equipped to deal with this situation, she had never dealt with emotions very well, had never been very intelligent with how she handled them.

So, for now, she suppressed them, even though they were tearing at her.

"I... I need some air." The girl said tersely, keeping her gaze firmly on the ground as she turned around and walked away, never bringing up her eyes to look at her sister. However, just before she was about to walk past her, her hand shot up and gripped Juna's wrist, therefore dragging her along to the other chamber of the cavern. Juna would undoubtedly notice that the grip Elsis kept on her was very forceful, notice that her hand was very tense. Elsis stopped walking once they were in the other chamber, out of earshot. Cyranis was nowhere to be found, having probably left after creating a ramp that led out of the cavern using her magic, so the sisters were alone, and Elsis let go of Juna's hand, but after that she simply waited as if she wanted Juna to say something else, and didn't say anything or turn around. She couldn't. Not yet.

Elsewhere, Arcander nodded at Kyrissa. "Very well, Kyr it is then. And yes, of course, you're free to call me Arc, that's what everyone calls me to begin with." He said with a small chuckle. "I myself recognize that it's a bit of a hassle to say 'Arcander' all the time, so Arc should be fine; just remember to refer to me as Brightshield in front of the Academy's staff. Aside from that, there should be no problem. Even she calls me that." He continued, pointing at the red-haired unconscious girl in armor that was sitting against the wall of the cavern further into the chamber, resting. "She's your other guide, Aressa Alistar. If you heard what I told Professor Cyranis, you'll know she overexerted herself fighting. She should wake up by the time we're back at the resort, though; you'll have plenty of time to get acquainted with her then." He explained, before turning back to Kyrissa, with a slightly amused smile. "And before I forget, don't call her Ari. She doesn't like it."

[Ularn]

"ALISTAR, as in Aurelius Alistar?"
A few people looked around in confusion trying to pinpoint the source of the speaker less voice until they saw Kyr looking at the sword at her hip, whose power lines flickered as Gin's voice seemed to come from the air itself. It was an exuberant baritone overlaid with the faintest trace of static as though feeding through an extremely primitive anologue speaker system. Kyr was sure that was an affectation of Gin's rather than a limit of his hardware, probably intended to make people more at ease by not sounding completely organic. She smiled bashfully and twisted her waist slightly to present her Kerembor family blade to the audience.
"Of course!" Gin remarked mirthfully, "She still has those eyes. My apologies for interrupting, Master Brightshield. I don't make it a habit but running into the progeny of old friends is one of those few pleasures we old warswords ever really find out of combat."
He fell silent once more and his power lines faded out in a manner suggestive of resting. Kyr paused politely for a second, wondering how Gin could tell anything about Aressa's eyes when they were closed, before saying, "Gin's my sword. Well, my mother's. She loaned him out to help me at the Academy." She hoped the explanation gave away as little as possible about the totality of Nianja Kerembor's concerns about her daughter. Gin seemed to have distracted successfully from her calamity of an arrival though, so she took the opportunity to change the subject, nodding towards the half-giantess, "So what do we do now? What happens to her, Arc?"

[Pyrade]

"You are very naive, aren't you?"
Silum said, which drew a chuckle from Orion.
"I get that a lot. But you would be surprised."
He said with a sigh before he stood up.
"Where we stand in the face of adversity is where our feet truly are. Despite what it may seem at other times. You claim that your cause is righteous, as I claim of mine. And here we stand, neither willing to budge on that. It's this logic that causes the fighting. And it is fighting that causes animosity and depravity. The entire exercise is futile in itself, for both sides and yet we go on."
He said with an odd smile that portrayed very little that a smile usually should.
"'All I can do is open my hands in friendship to those who have fallen, and hope enough will take it so we might have peace.' Naïve and idealistic you would say yes? But if realism leads to war, is idealism not the solution?"
He replied before shaking his head and turning around,
"But I tire you with my presence. I hope you find whatever freedom you were looking for."
He said with a smile and a wave before he returned to the general group. He approached Kyrissa and Arcander with a smile that spoke of wear and fatigue.
"Well, that was . . . Cheering."
He said as he arrived at the group, following his words with a sigh. He had arrived just in time to hear the warning about Ari and the AI sword speak its peace. Upon hearing Kyr ask about the half-giantess he shook his head.
"She believes the order will cage her for simply being with the heretics . . . As a non-combatant she should be left well enough alone."
He said and gestured to the corpses of the heretics,
"Our violence only reinforces what she has been told."
He looked to Arcander and held out a hand with a more cheerful smile,
"I am Orion Kaladran. Pleasure to meet you."

[Elysian Kentarchy]

Rache grinds his teeth finally connecting the dots. "Dragon worshippers." He growls his training taking over as he restrains one of his hands from reaching for his sword. "Those who worship the dragons are allies of the dragons. They must die. All of them. There must be no mercy for those who are willing to worship those who tried to doom us all. Such a thing is the death of us all." The voices of his old drill instructors scream in his head as Rache struggles to keep his composure up as he grounds his teeth more. "The dragons are the enemy! Say it with me: the dragons are the enemy! He then thinks. "I could really use some meditation right now." He thinks this as he starts to lose the battle to maintain his composure.

[Ularn]

ORION'S speech prompted Kyrissa to bite her lip. Perhaps an order of pacifists like the Radiant Palm would interpret the laws that way. She favoured a much stricter interpretation of the rules. Noncombatants could not be harmed; that didn't mean they had to be left alone. Left up to her, she would have taken the giantess back to Cathedral Arcadia as a prisoner and found out what she knew and then possibly discuss letting her go.
For one thing was certain in Kyr's mind; the fact that she was found in a cave with dragon skull and two Lawless knights guaranteed Silum knew something. No dragon worshipper just found themselves this far into Lawful space without intending some sort of harm against the Apostolic Orders. Whatever had been going on here, it was in the interests of the Phantom Blade to find out, and Kyr personally would rather learn it themselves than hand the half-giantess over to the Gladians and maybe receive whatever portion of that knowledge they chose to share between orders.
Kyr thought all that but held her silence, acutely aware that she was a student on her first fully enrolled day. Orion could be commended for his zeal, perhaps, but Kyr knew that the decision should be left to the teachers - these who had the wisdom and the experience to make the correct decision - not a rabble barely into their third decade or even their third cycle of training.
Rache's wild-eyed tirade forced Kyr's tongue in the end. Aghast that anyone from an Apostolic Order could even contemplate - let alone suggest out loud - the violation of the Laws in such a manner, the reed-skinned girl found herself standing between absolute pacifism and horrific bloodlust and pressed into defence of the only sensible middle ground. "No!" she shrieked, rounding on Rache with one hand gripping Gin in his holster as instinctively as she once had her old sword while facing down a goliath serreptile, "We don't harm noncombatants. But we don't have to let her go, either. We should take her as prisoner, for the Phantom Blade. The order can find out what she knows; what order she's from, how they got here, what in Aradain's name they were doing in this cave.
"After that, then we should let others decide what to do with her. It's not a decision that we should be allowed to make." She had started facing Rache with white-hot anguish in her eyes but by the time Kyr had finished her pleading she had met the gaze of everyone watching. Her expression had softened and her hands were not longer grasping at her weapon or twitching at the aether. Instead she held them out in front of her, partially clenched on thin air as she silently begged that everyone else would see reason.

[Pyrade]

ORION'S speech prompted Kyrissa to bite her lip. Perhaps an order of pacifists like the Radiant Palm would interpret the laws that way. She favoured a much stricter interpretation of the rules. Noncombatants could not be harmed; that didn't mean they had to be left alone. Left up to her, she would have taken the giantess back to Cathedral Arcadia as a prisoner and found out what she knew and then possibly discuss letting her go.
For one thing was certain in Kyr's mind; the fact that she was found in a cave with dragon skull and two Lawless knights guaranteed Silum knew something. No dragon worshipper just found themselves this far into Lawful space without intending some sort of harm against the Apostolic Orders. Whatever had been going on here, it was in the interests of the Phantom Blade to find out, and Kyr personally would rather learn it themselves than hand the half-giantess over to the Gladians and maybe receive whatever portion of that knowledge they chose to share between orders.
Kyr thought all that but held her silence, acutely aware that she was a student on her first fully enrolled day. Orion could be commended for his zeal, perhaps, but Kyr knew that the decision should be left to the teachers - these who had the wisdom and the experience to make the correct decision - not a rabble barely into their third decade or even their third cycle of training.
Rache's wild-eyed tirade forced Kyr's tongue in the end. Aghast that anyone from an Apostolic Order could even contemplate - let alone suggest out loud - the violation of the Laws in such a manner, the reed-skinned girl found herself standing between absolute pacifism and horrific bloodlust and pressed into defence of the only sensible middle ground. "No!" she shrieked, rounding on Rache with one hand gripping Gin in his holster as instinctively as she once had her old sword while facing down a goliath serreptile, "We don't harm noncombatants. But we don't have to let her go, either. We should take her as prisoner, for the Phantom Blade. The order can find out what she knows; what order she's from, how they got here, what in Aradain's name they were doing in this cave.
"After that, then we should let others decide what to do with her. It's not a decision that we should be allowed to make." She had started facing Rache with white-hot anguish in her eyes but by the time Kyr had finished her pleading she had met the gaze of everyone watching. Her expression had softened and her hands were not longer grasping at her weapon or twitching at the aether. Instead she held them out in front of her, partially clenched on thin air as she silently begged that everyone else would see reason.

Orion tilted his head and listened to Kyrissa curiously. He found it strange that she thought it necessary to imprison the non-combatant when they apparently weren't going to harm her.
At least she isn't preaching bloody murder
He thought to himself, avoiding any sort of response to Rache's outburst. Orion sighed and shrugged,
"This is not my homeworld, and I have no authority here. So the decision is not mine. She said there was a relic they were protecting. It is likely the reason they are here."
He said, sharing what he had learnt from Silum during their talk.
"She is worried the Order will destroy it, so it is likely harmful. . . If you really want information you don't have to imprison people. And the dead can't testify."
He said gesturing to the heretics. With a shrug he dropped the subject,
"I imagine we're going to have many debates about conflicting beliefs."
He said smiling to Kyrissa,
"We were on the same shuttle, but my name is Orion Kaladran, from Telcaron, home of the Radiant Palm. I look forward to our discussions, perhaps with less frustration for you though."
He said with a chuckle.

[Charmera]

"We are not on Telcaron, boy." Silum stated as she listened to Orion's words, her eyes still closed as she sat with her back against the wall of the cave. Her voice had softened significantly since the first time she had spoken, and now the only emotion that could be found inside of it was none. Her voice carried naught but apathy at this point. "You are very naive, aren't you?" She asked afterwards. Strangely, there was a h int of amusement as she spoke those words, though it died down quickly, and it never showed through her face to begin with. "Let us assume those rules are real and they will be respected. Your beloved apostles will take and destroy the relic. Your knights will continue to butcher my brethren, or die at their hands because they decided to stand up for their beliefs. And on and on goes everything. Your knight saved the world from destruction, but he never saved its people."

Meanwhile, after hearing the comment Orion made towards her, Elsis gave a cold shrug an turned away from him and the heathen half-giant, thinking that she had much better stuff to do than argue with some hippie foreigner boy about whether or not dragon-worshippers deserved hostility. However, as she was about to wander away and go back to the rest of his group, she heard a voice behind her, a voice that she had been dying to hear, a voice that she had been trying to forget. The voice seemed to waver slightly, trembling with uncertainty, but that small, insignificant detail was lost on Elsis, lost in the wake of all the memories and emotions unearthed by the sound of that voice, that soft voice that Elsis knew could never have belonged to anyone at all in the Known Universe and beyond that was not her little sister.

Evidently, Juna had these things present as well, 'these things' being all of the things they said to each other before. Had it really only been six cycles ago? To Elsis, it felt like an eternity, as if the wounds that caused a gap to form between the Salasanger sisters had not festered for days, but years.

But either way, the vortex of emotions awakened by Juna's voice and apology was nearly overwhelming. Above everything else, Elsis was confused. How, she wondered, was she supposed to feel? Angry? Juna did say so many horrible things to her, after all! But then, she had also said so many terrible, terrible things to her little sister that she dearly regretted, so, was that what she was supposed to feel? Regret? Sorrow? Or perhaps simply joy at being able to see her sister once more when she thought that they would not meet again for a very long time, a long time that may have caused the gap to become an unpassable ravine? She was confused. She didn't know. She was not equipped to deal with this situation, she had never dealt with emotions very well, had never been very intelligent with how she handled them.

So, for now, she suppressed them, even though they were tearing at her.

"I... I need some air." The girl said tersely, keeping her gaze firmly on the ground as she turned around and walked away, never bringing up her eyes to look at her sister. However, just before she was about to walk past her, her hand shot up and gripped Juna's wrist, therefore dragging her along to the other chamber of the cavern. Juna would undoubtedly notice that the grip Elsis kept on her was very forceful, notice that her hand was very tense. Elsis stopped walking once they were in the other chamber, out of earshot. Cyranis was nowhere to be found, having probably left after creating a ramp that led out of the cavern using her magic, so the sisters were alone, and Elsis let go of Juna's hand, but after that she simply waited as if she wanted Juna to say something else, and didn't say anything or turn around. She couldn't. Not yet.

Juna paused. She looked around suddenly. She had not expected... this reaction. Whatever it was. Her sister was always pretty direct most of the time, so not knowing what Elsis was thinking at least in broad strokes was something Juna was not used to. "Erm..." She paused. Then looked from left to right. "I'm not... sure..." She paused. Then sighed. "If you were still enraged like you were before, I would know.' she replied simply. She felt like her sister wanted to her something. Something specific. "So. If you want. We could... be sisters again? Go back to the way things were before." She replied. Then another pause. "I... I need you Elsis. You're all I have. Mom and Dad don't care whether I live or die, I have no friends to speak of. I'd... be long dead without your help. I couldn't have survived without you. I'd be nothing without you." She then paused, sighing. She looked around the room and then mutter the last part, clear enough for her sister to hear her. "I am nothing without you."

[The Starlight]

-snip-

"Our violence?" Ellyn spoke indignantly from the floor. "If you didn't know, our aspirant was attacked, not the other way around. They were skilled warriors, with high-powered shield generators. Several of us had some very close scrapes with death, myself included, and you all saw Ritz. I am no bloodthirsty warrior, but today, in this cave, I was fighting for my life. They were trying to kill us, and so we defended ourselves and fought back. I fought because I had to. So next time, don't judge us please," Ellyn finished softly, gripping her head as her headache worsened. She looked up to Orion. "Sorry for the rant, I've got a terrible headache. Magical side-affects and all that." Ellyn said, closing her eyes once more.

Then Ritz touched her hand and the headache faded away. "That feels rather nice. Thanks, Ritz," she murmured, curling up despite of the rocks. "I feel like I could go to sleep. I think I will.." she said, curling up in a small ball and swiftly falling asleep.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

After his lighthearted warning, Arcander was quite surprised to suddenly hear a voice that he was well aware belonged to none of the students currently present, nor to the half-giant prisoner at the far end of the cave. Faced with this situation, his first instinct was to draw forth Stormbringer in order to fend off the owner of the voice, should it belong to any potential threat. However, he suppressed this instinct and waited, having a hunch that whoever had spoken bore no ill intent, guiding himself by the lack of hostility in his voice. Indeed, soon enough, the voice spoke once again, and as he listened, he looked down at Kyrissa's hip, where the sword hung, the voice emanating from its hilt. At that moment, a look of realization spread across Arcander's face, as he understood that the sword she had was special, one of the few weapons in the Known Universe that had an AI of its own. Naturally, as he was not of the Phantom Blade, he did not know much of the Kerembors, and thus did not recognize the blade, but he had heard enough tales of such swords to know that he was in the presence of one. The tension left his muscles, and he relaxed, regarding Kyrissa with a nod and a smile after she explained Gin's presence.

The question that came afterwards, however, was a bit trickier. He had a very good idea of what was going to happen, and why, and it was something that was, in his opinion, quite fair, but he also knew that, being amidst the many passionate warriors that the recruits were, heated discussions were likely to appear. He thought about all of this, but as he did, he noticed one of the new arrivals approaching, introducing himself as Orion Kaladran and holding out a hand for him to shake. With a gentle smile, Arcander nodded at him and shook his hand.

What followed, however, wasn't pretty. One of the other new arrivals, Rache, went on a small rant about how dragon worshippers were all meant to die and such, a sentiment that, though not entirely noble, was shared by many among the Phantom Blade and other Orders affiliated with the Apostolic Council despite the laws set up to protect non-combatants. The sentiment had become especially widespread with the recent activities of the heathen hosts, after all, and there were many Orders who thought of dragon worshippers as less than the rest of the Redemit, sadly.

Believing that the discussion had gone far enough, he decided to step in. "Recruits, calm down." He said in a calm, but commanding tone of voice, not quite intending to scold them but still wishing to make sure that they would understand he was serious and listen. "Professor Cyrnis sent Malganis to contact a teacher who would in turn contact Gladia's authorities. The law of the Council is second to none, naturally, but the second most important law is the law of the land, and so, Gladia's authorities will decide what to do with the half-giant prisoner, so long as it does not pose a direct threat to her person, which would go against Apostolic Law. If there is information to be acquired, then the knights of Gladia will do a far better job at discovering it than we students could, and if there is anything to share, they are bound by law to share it with representatives of other Orders, not with us." He explained.

"But, regardless of what happens, I will see that no harm is brought to her while she remains in our custody." He stated at last.

---

Meanwhile, outside of the cavern, Elsis stood with her back to Juna still, listening to her sister continue with her apology, pleading to go back to those good days they had before, those days that weren't exactly happy and yet were so much better than the miserable day after their dreadful quarrel. And, in all honesty, Elsis wanted nothing more than to say yes, all she wanted was to accept her sister's plea and... be her sister once more. To leave all that poisonous rancor and all those painful insults behind and embrace their bonds once again. But... she couldn't. She simply couldn't, not yet. Something held her back as she continued to listen. But finally, her little sister's words got through to her, and her bottled up emotions roared violently at her, demanding to be released immediately.

And since she had never known how to handle them... she released them all at once.

From Juna's perspective, her sister had stood completely still during her speech, showing no sign that she was even listening. But then, all of the sudden, she turned around, her fists balled up at her sides as she looked firmly at the ground. Elsis then took a deep breath, and finally looked up to stare at her sister's face. Her expression, which had miraclously remained cold and stoic until then, turned into one of pained rage as soon as her eyes met Juna's, and the younger Salasanger saw her sister moving towards her while simultaneously rearing up her fist as if she was about to hit her. Juna closed her eyes and braced herself, both physically and mentally, for the impact that she thought was about to come.

It was, thus, very unexpected to feel Elsis surround her with her arms instead.

"You... you... IDIOT!" Elsis cried with a voice trembling with sheer emotional turmoil, her confused head dealing with it the only way it could think of. "I hate you! I really hate you!" She continued, hugging her little sister even more tightly, the clawing of her trembling hands likely making the other girl uncomfortable. The rage was all but gone from the face of the elder Salasanger, and now there was only pain. "I-I knew that you'd come back to me crying l-like you always do! Y-you should have thought about it before saying all that stuff to me, you pighead!" She rebuked with a faltering voice, blatantly ignorant of the fact that the only one crying here was her, her crystalline tears drenching and staining the clothes covering her younger sister's shoulder as they flowed fort from Elsis' eyes, the floodgates keeping her emotions in check now open and unable to close themselves once again. Her embrace tightened once again, by this point likely making Juna very uncomfortable, though Elsis wasn't planning on letting go anytime soon.

"I hate you... my little sister..."

[Charmera]

After his lighthearted warning, Arcander was quite surprised to suddenly hear a voice that he was well aware belonged to none of the students currently present, nor to the half-giant prisoner at the far end of the cave. Faced with this situation, his first instinct was to draw forth Stormbringer in order to fend off the owner of the voice, should it belong to any potential threat. However, he suppressed this instinct and waited, having a hunch that whoever had spoken bore no ill intent, guiding himself by the lack of hostility in his voice. Indeed, soon enough, the voice spoke once again, and as he listened, he looked down at Kyrissa's hip, where the sword hung, the voice emanating from its hilt. At that moment, a look of realization spread across Arcander's face, as he understood that the sword she had was special, one of the few weapons in the Known Universe that had an AI of its own. Naturally, as he was not of the Phantom Blade, he did not know much of the Kerembors, and thus did not recognize the blade, but he had heard enough tales of such swords to know that he was in the presence of one. The tension left his muscles, and he relaxed, regarding Kyrissa with a nod and a smile after she explained Gin's presence.

The question that came afterwards, however, was a bit trickier. He had a very good idea of what was going to happen, and why, and it was something that was, in his opinion, quite fair, but he also knew that, being amidst the many passionate warriors that the recruits were, heated discussions were likely to appear. He thought about all of this, but as he did, he noticed one of the new arrivals approaching, introducing himself as Orion Kaladran and holding out a hand for him to shake. With a gentle smile, Arcander nodded at him and shook his hand.

What followed, however, wasn't pretty. One of the other new arrivals, Rache, went on a small rant about how dragon worshippers were all meant to die and such, a sentiment that, though not entirely noble, was shared by many among the Phantom Blade and other Orders affiliated with the Apostolic Council despite the laws set up to protect non-combatants. The sentiment had become especially widespread with the recent activities of the heathen hosts, after all, and there were many Orders who thought of dragon worshippers as less than the rest of the Redemit, sadly.

Believing that the discussion had gone far enough, he decided to step in. "Recruits, calm down." He said in a calm, but commanding tone of voice, not quite intending to scold them but still wishing to make sure that they would understand he was serious and listen. "Professor Cyrnis sent Malganis to contact a teacher who would in turn contact Gladia's authorities. The law of the Council is second to none, naturally, but the second most important law is the law of the land, and so, Gladia's authorities will decide what to do with the half-giant prisoner, so long as it does not pose a direct threat to her person, which would go against Apostolic Law. If there is information to be acquired, then the knights of Gladia will do a far better job at discovering it than we students could, and if there is anything to share, they are bound by law to share it with representatives of other Orders, not with us." He explained.

"But, regardless of what happens, I will see that no harm is brought to her while she remains in our custody." He stated at last.

---

Meanwhile, outside of the cavern, Elsis stood with her back to Juna still, listening to her sister continue with her apology, pleading to go back to those good days they had before, those days that weren't exactly happy and yet were so much better than the miserable day after their dreadful quarrel. And, in all honesty, Elsis wanted nothing more than to say yes, all she wanted was to accept her sister's plea and... be her sister once more. To leave all that poisonous rancor and all those painful insults behind and embrace their bonds once again. But... she couldn't. She simply couldn't, not yet. Something held her back as she continued to listen. But finally, her little sister's words got through to her, and her bottled up emotions roared violently at her, demanding to be released immediately.

And since she had never known how to handle them... she released them all at once.

From Juna's perspective, her sister had stood completely still during her speech, showing no sign that she was even listening. But then, all of the sudden, she turned around, her fists balled up at her sides as she looked firmly at the ground. Elsis then took a deep breath, and finally looked up to stare at her sister's face. Her expression, which had miraclously remained cold and stoic until then, turned into one of pained rage as soon as her eyes met Juna's, and the younger Salasanger saw her sister moving towards her while simultaneously rearing up her fist as if she was about to hit her. Juna closed her eyes and braced herself, both physically and mentally, for the impact that she thought was about to come.

It was, thus, very unexpected to feel Elsis surround her with her arms instead.

"You... you... IDIOT!" Elsis cried with a voice trembling with sheer emotional turmoil, her confused head dealing with it the only way it could think of. "I hate you! I really hate you!" She continued, hugging her little sister even more tightly, the clawing of her trembling hands likely making the other girl uncomfortable. The rage was all but gone from the face of the elder Salasanger, and now there was only pain. "I-I knew that you'd come back to me crying l-like you always do! Y-you should have thought about it before saying all that stuff to me, you pighead!" She rebuked with a faltering voice, blatantly ignorant of the fact that the only one crying here was her, her crystalline tears drenching and staining the clothes covering her younger sister's shoulder as they flowed fort from Elsis' eyes, the floodgates keeping her emotions in check now open and unable to close themselves once again. Her embrace tightened once again, by this point likely making Juna very uncomfortable, though Elsis wasn't planning on letting go anytime soon.

"I hate you... my little sister..."

Juna's eyes had widened as she was about to be punched, bracing herself for the beating she would earn. She was far too used to this scenario. And it usually ended with her writing in pain or fending off her attackers. Though there was no honour in beating opponents considered weak, the Valiant Fang members she knew weren't exactly opposed to doing so if they felt her presence offended them or annoyed them.

But then she felt an embrace around herself. She sighed slightly, or more exhaled. Having held her breath. She sighed. She was surprisingly calm and collected. She had gotten out her tears and fears and pain. "I hate you too big sister. I hate you so much." She joked, trying to inject some joviality into the situation. She then frowned at her big sisters question. "And... I'm... not really sure. Once I started I couldn't really stop." She spoke. "It's hard... Being your sister sometimes. But that doesn't mean I don't think your the best sister in the known universe." She was actually begining to tear up slightly herself.

[Pyrade]

Orion
Orion stayed silent for the most part, waiting for the exchange of words to pass.
Next time I should be . . . Less overt about my ways. It causes unnecessary conflict . . .
He thought to himself as Arcander brought an end to the discussion. Orion was glad to hear that the half-giant would come to no harm while she was under the custody of Silver Hand Academy. At least she would be okay until the local law enforcement came to collect her. He looked at Ellyn with an apologetic look,
"I am sorry, I meant no offense. Violence is necessary, especially in such situations, what I meant to say was that it seems unnecessary from her perspective. Irrational I know, but such is the emotions of anyone Redemit or otherwise."
He said and returned his attention to Arcander,
"So what shall we do now?"
He asked curiously, wondering if they would have to return to the resort so soon after the second group had arrived.

[Elysian Kentarchy]

A red skin girl shrieks at him. "No!" She reaches for her weapon and continues "We don't harm noncombatants. But we don't have to let her go, either. We should take her as prisoner, for the Phantom Blade. The order can find out what she knows; what order she's from, how they got here, what in Aradain's name they were doing in this cave. "After that, then we should let others decide what to do with her. It's not a decision that we should be allowed to make."

"Do you honestly believe why you are saying?" Rache asks bluntly. "Or are you posturing to appear honourable, as many others do, to try to appear as a saint? Do you follow the Law word for word or do you only use it when it suits you? But I agree taking her in to be interrogated is a sound idea. Then she can be used to find the people you would view as combatants."

Rache grounds his teeth when he receives the order to calm. The voices in his head are clear with their orders though: "KILL THE HALF GIANT!" They command him to do so.

Rache tries to find a place to center himself and his memory goes back to the last time he was in the Chief Archivist', the head of his Order, office. "Rache when you go out there your discipline will be tested. Thus you must remember to stay calm. If you can't do it yourself I want you to use this." He hands him a long case. "You are to represent our Order in all things. So go forth and do well. Remember our views will frequently find conflict but to wage war against everything concerning the dragons we must be willing to do what is neccessary. You are the proud heir to Olderen, and thus a descendant of one of the Order of Rememberers founders if you are to risk bringing dishonour to that name then there is only one solution."

Coming back to the present he reaches into his pocket and wraps his fingers around the cold metal of the object but he doesn't pull it out. "I won't give in." He thinks letting go of the object. He takes several deep breaths and visibly calms down. "I apologize for my reaction." He says in his normal polite voice. "I have been taught all my life that Dragon Worshipers and dragons are the enemy and that they must be fought with serenity. But seeing one up close for the first time... it drove me mad. I am sincerely sorry." He politely bows. "But that doesn't mean I view my words in my outburst wrong. Therefore the only sensible approach is to strike maybe not now but eventually." He looks at the red skinned girl and bows politely again. "While my comment concerning your honour was certainly... out of order... I will say my view point will not change without evidence. I have met people who put forward arguments similar to yours in different contexts and I listened to them, I believed that what they said was right, I believed that they had honour. But then I saw them violate the Law in terrible ways so I was called to cast judgement upon them, I had to kill my best friend because he did something so dishonorable that it required his death. Despite that he was a good person and he claimed honour but his crime, the murder of his infant brother and mother and other unspeakable things he did to them, revealed that it was a lie, that his honour was a deception, that honour was just the cover he used to shield his depravity from the gaze of others, and he wouldn't be the last I have seen of this. So people claiming to be honorable will need to prove such and to me defending someone who worships those who tried to kill us all is an indicator of dishonor." He sighs and he does look sad for saying this. "Needless to say I am looking forward to seeing if you are someone with honour or someone is a liar and uses it as a shield for their actions. Are you someone depraved or are you someone that I could could say has true honour?" He sighs again and looks at the ceiling. "I do not claim to be someone with honour. I am just someone who is honest and runs by a strict code, people without principle are animals and I would sooner die than become an animal. THAT is why I regret my outburst. I do not regret what I view as a sensible opinion that others should share." He sighs. "Maybe someday you will share my point of view, that death is the only option for people who are threats like this half giant."

[Saleon]

Kal had rested enough. Rather he had finished resting a long time ago, but, due to not knowing anyone yet, he stayed in the back and avoided conversation.

What made him end his silent contemplation, we're the erratic ramblings of one of the new knights, a man named Rache. He was violent to say the least. Whatever calm She might have had disappeared, with the presence of dragon worshippers. Kal understood the hate, as many lawful orders fought deagons, but he didn't quite agree with the continued notion of hate.

He stood up, dusted off the dust on his legs, and walked toward Rache. He began speaking, "I disagree sir. In fact I find your sayings to be far from the correct path. a knight Is to follow a path of chivalry. A path which entails kindness to enemies, mercy, respect, and to never attack first. This lady has not caused any reason for grievance, nor can she. She is not brandishing a weapon, and she is frightened out of her wits. You are attacking her, and not her attacking you."

Rache then regained his composure. Not because of Kal, he could tell, His rambling seemed involuntary. He had . That didn't stop her irrational arguments. Trust was an issue when it came to dealing with dragon worshippers. This incident was one of many, though handled better than usual. No blood, only broken trusts. Something which is more permanent and affects more people.

Kal put his fingers to his face and inhaled air. When he was disappointed by the taste, he flicked it to the ground and snuffed out the flameless fire. All that was left of it was smokeless smoke. "You handled that better than others, while my order was particularly lawless we hated dragon worshippers just as well. I've seen more innocent blood spilt then what was spilt today. calm yourself faster, and keep up your will, or I wI'll not stand by," he resigned.

[Atlannia]

"W-" Jyn was taken aback by the kiss. Even given all the signs, she was not fully aware of what was going to happen and the nature of the feelings the person in her arms was feeling. She relaxed her grip suddenly. Then she melted into the kiss, giving into passion as both their souls and hearts danced in that single moment. Passions aligned as they kissed. Jyn's heartrate had skyrocketed higher than during the duel even, perhaps some unused adrenalin still pumping in her blood helped fuel her passion, life or death scenarios being a good way to inflame emotion.

She then broke off the kiss softly, and smiled at Alfenn, her previous concern mellowing out into a harmonious and warm smile as their shared embrace warmed her very being. She paused, not liking the silence but not quite sure what to say, just that something needed to be said to spare poor Alfenn from feeling that this was something only he shared, though it was unlikely after that kiss. "Alfenn- I-I..." She stammered. Then steeled herself, placing a hand on his cheek. "I've been feeling... different, when around you. You're smart and witty. I love being around you and I think... I think we should... be together." She spoke. "The thought of loosing you made me realize... you mean more to me than I thought. And I want to be with you." She paused again. "Have I made it clear that I want to go out with you yet?"

"I think even I've got the gist of it a this point," said Alfenn, feeling his cheeks heat up and the corners begin to pull up almost involuntarily into wide, dopey grin. "And I feel the same way...ermm, I suppose that was obvious wasn't it," He realised he was babbling and after taking a step back raised a fist in front of his mouth and coughed into it. "In any case, I'm glad we're on the same page," He glanced over towards the small gathering around the half giant woman, keeping an ear on the ongoing argument. "It looks like we might be here for a while yet, why don't we sit down?" Alfenn gestured vaguely at the ground and then leaned into the wall behind them, sinking down into a sitting position. It was strange to see how many different opinions the group had on how to handle the prisoner. Alfenn knew if she had been captured by Black Cup knights likely the only debate would have been whether or not any intelligence that could be extracted her would be worth the trouble and expense of hauling her back to the capital and imprisoning her or if they should simply cut her throat there. Although the Black Cups were bound by the same rules as any lawful order they were remote enough that no one would make any remark if prisoners were consistently reported as "killed in escape attempt" Alfenn decided to keep his thoughts to himself, reigning in that sort of renegade behaviour would be an important priority once he had control pf the order. Maybe the top priority he mused, his eyes drifting onto the still form of the warrior that had fallen onto his sword and the crimson pool slowly spreading out from the deceptively small wound on his chest.