Map & Compass, Pt 2 - IC


Anthea had been pleasantly surprised by the message she received this morning. Some weird man, with a skin that reminded her of a newborn pig and a jawline that you could butcher said piglet with, had brought her an invitation to attend some lectures in the academy. One of these was even on her topic of interest! She was quick to find Justine in an attempt to drag her along. After all, in the odd case that Justine was indeed monitoring her, this was the type of stuff she'd need her to see! That, and having a 'servant' along would probably come in handy at some point. 'I wonder if I can get her to write down notes for me. That'd be neat.'

Although Anthea was eager to go to the Academy, the program only started in the afternoon, so she figured she'd read this morning's news during a relatively relaxed breakfast. For a moment, she wondered why the city was on partial lockdown, and why in the world these Beaureve's thought that a lockdown was exactly what they needed to start an impromptu party. Maybe their friends kept making the excuse that they had business out of town, which they couldn't use under the current conditions? She even wondered why prince Thibault had been off the radar for quite a while, and debated if she should try meeting him at some point, so that she could add him to the list of 'met' half-siblings; a list that was still far shorter than her list of 'unmet' siblings. These things were quickly forgotten when a carriage came to pick them up and drop them off at the Academy's gates.

Anthea was more than a little surprised that the kid from before was also there, but figured she'd better not question it. Instead, she vaguely recalled the kid had been looking for a book when she last met her, and figured she'd be nice enough to show some interest. “So, did you manage to find the book you were after?” As for the other person, Anthea had no clue who it was, but she looked like nobility (possible a half-sibling), so Anthea figured she'd introduce herself (and tease Justine while she was t it). “I”m Anthea Ferreira, and this is my assistant, Justine Ferra. It's nice to meet you miss..?” As the conversation was going on, Anthea showed her invitation to the man in uniform, telling them Justine was with her.
 
Justine Ferra
Interacting with : Elvario, Flame, Hecatty
Mentions :
Location : Montacier, Academy

Justine was having a relaxing morning after what happened yesterday mostly by Anthea keeps on embarrassing her. If anything, she didn't really have anything to do, really. It didn't take long until Anthea found her and showed her something interesting about the city's Academy lectures. Curiosity got the better of her since she did want to go to that academy to listen to these lectures at the Montacier's Academy. It made her remember her time at the Capital's Academy, and felt a bit nostalgic about it. ’Hopefully Anthea doesn't try to embarrass me at these lectures. It makes me somewhat miss the lectures at the Royal Academy at the Capital.’ She thought with a definite annoyance of the whole thing. However, she did want to see what these lectures were about in the invitation anyway. Nonetheless, it would be interesting since lectures are lectures, and she listened to them and took notes on it. Whenever possible, even though she was a bit of a pain in the ass when going to the Royal Academy.

In the back of Justine's mind, she felt like there was something off, but she's usually like that herself. She made sure she had breakfast, which was lovely and read the morning news. It made some sense to lock down the city, going in and out, but the incident at Sunderlake shocked her a bit much. If anything, the fact her sister wasn't at Sunderlake gave her a sigh of relief since she was on a different task in the Templar Knights. She didn't really know exactly where her little sister was but somewhere else was for sure. When the carriage came to pick Anthea and her up and dropped them at the Academy's Gates. If anything, it felt as if these lectures would be a bit much even for her understanding of such things as Clockworkers. However, she would like to take notes on those types of things.

Justine had a slight smile on her face when looking at the Academy of Montacier while looking at the Academy's Entrance. It would be an interesting time at this academy to listen to those lectures on certain subjects that felt a bit mundane for people to learn. Nonetheless, it made her remind herself of the Royal Academy in the Capital City, which was much bigger and had more interactions with people of all walks of life. However, she was a bit of a bitch towards the commoners who went there. The one thing that made her get a big smile and waved towards Winona since she liked seeing Winona. She did hear what Antha had said. "Hi, Winona, it's nice to see you again! And yeah, what Anthea asked, have you found what you were looking for?" She questioned curiously towards Winona. As for the second person in question made her gasp and feel like she knew her, mostly by the rapier she carried. Mostly, she met someone from the Noble House of Aubel at Royal Academy in the Capital, which was her senior. However, Justine started to blush heavily when Anthea introduced them. "C-Can you, please stop that, Anthea? I'm more of your bodyguard and assistant. You definitely look familiar, Miss Aubel. A bit funny seeing you again, after what feels like a lifetime." She spoke with familiarity towards Erica. However, she couldn't quite remember the woman's name because she was mostly interested in dealing with her own thing at the Royal Academy over anything else. However, she was definitely blushing and had to look of not trying to look cute by having a grimace on her face. It is hard for her not to be blushing by Anthea's constant teasing, all because she didn't read that contract. At least, Anthea did show the invitation to the man in uniform. This was like, very interesting to her, like the world is small compared to most things if she meets someone from the Royal Academy after all these years, as well, these lectures are hopefully good. 'Guess its a good thing. I am more interested in how Miss Aubel is here and not at her home. Even though the Noble House of Ferra is more interested in their prestige than anything. Hopefully, everything will come out Rosey compared to my demeanor throughout the Royal Academy... Should've not been much of a bitch... Ugh, should've had my defenses up against anymore teasing by Anthea... Underprepared I was." She thought with a definite feeling of annoyance at Anthea's constantly teasing her. It was obvious as the day she's not really enjoying that, but she's stuck with Anthea, as long as this contract is a thing, even though she wouldn't want to take an easy way out. Better to stick with it, even with the constant teasing that Anthea is doing to her.
 
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Willow Howst
Interacting with: @Jess Incognito @Sketching101
Location: Montacier, Academy

Willow had been out of commission soon after she had gotten a couple of clothes from the district, quickly excusing herself to go back to the hideout. It wasn't that she didn't want to hang out more outside, but Jacques still had a broken arm that needed to be tended to. She wasn't as skilled of a healer as she wanted to be. With that excuse, she hurried to the hideout and spent time to completely heal Jacques's broken arm. In truth, however, Willow wanted to take the time to continue her questions about the templar girl who looked eerily like Elodie and surely Jacques knew something.

However, Jacques knew very little about 'Elle'. He told her what he knew - that Elle was just a survivor in some Aepian battle and the prince-general had picked her up and took her back around three years ago. After that, she became his squire despite having next to no training, but it wasn't a surprise. Thibault's squad were made up of people with similar stories. Survivors of sorts. He then went on to tell them that he never really spoke with Elle in a personal manner but he hasn't heard of anything about where Elle really came from at all. It certainly wasn't the response Willow wanted, but it's what she got. At least the ex-Templar apologized for it and would tell her if he remembers anything else. She doubted it would happen but the sentiment is appreciated.

She exchanged this information with Theo as soon as he got back. The news about some academy opening up usually wouldn't pique Willow's interest, but hearing the itinerary certainly did. Not only was a Templar under Thibault was there, Sonya Kristoff was too. She was well known for her teachings about abjuration and transmutation and Willow had honestly wanted to study under her, even for a little bit. So when Arturo came back with an invitation - which he doesn't remember getting which was somewhat worrying - Willow had eagerly wanted to go alongside Theo. Besides, there wasn't much else they can do. As the city went into lockdown and Thibault apparently missing, they would have to continue to lay low and hope nothing bad would happen.

They arrived at the academy and Willow adjusted the gloves she wore. They weren't her old ones, which irked her a bit, but it will have to do. Someone came in on a carriage and out came four people. They had gotten to the guards first and Willow anxiously fiddled with her left glove. "You know... Theo and I never really got 'formal 'education. You should guide us." She snickered, nudging Arturo's side with an elbow.

Jacques Lumoise
Interacting with: @Flame @ItariChan @Elvario
Location: Monracier, Beaureve Mansion

Jacques had endured a lengthy questioning by Willow during their time in the warehouse. Whereas Willow had managed to get answers from him (about Elle, of all people), he never found out why this information was needed. He never expected for the young girl to have any connections as he thought that whatever family she had left was massacred in the revolt she was found in. Perhaps Willow had gotten the wrong person. Or perhaps Elle was actually an Ithyan with a family to come back to.

There was no dwelling in these thoughts seeing as they would only be answered once Willow (and possibly Theo, the two were as close as siblings and he spotted them talking in hushed tones) felt comfortable doing it. Nevertheless, they had other problems to deal with.

One of them being the lockdown. He had no doubt that there would be a sweep of the city soon and they would get discovered. As much as Jacques hated to admit it, he would be a known figure to look for in the group. They'd put him straight to the block if they had the chance. If he leaked any of the information he knew, the Templars would pay for it.

The Beaureve family was apparently hosting an open party during all of this. An odd time to choose, but something that Jacques figured they can play to their advantage. They were always at odds with the Templars despite being such an influential family. This also meant that they might be able to aid them in getting out of the city.

It seems that Revan had people to look for in there and Sasha tagged along because of that. It wasn't really all that big for Jacques, maybe having them around would help him in finding someone who could smuggle them out of the city. As they entered the area, he turned to Revan and Sasha. "Should we stick together or-?" He gestured towards the party. Jacques would have been fine either way, seeing merits in both sticking together and splitting up.
 
After the events that had transpired the day before, Winona had felt that her quest was reaching a dead end. Even she couldn’t think of a way to proceed after receiving the skillet from the blacksmith. Yet, this morning her confidence returned thanks to the message she’d received from Mr. Inspector. Another day, another piece of paper to follow. However, this piece of paper was special; akin to guidance from a friend. Even if she hadn’t seen Sylvie for a while now, her words still echoed through Winona’s mind whenever she went over the attached note. A road shared is a friend made. A phrase that was starting to take somewhat of a physical form.

Upon entering the carriage that’d come to pick her up, as instructed, she realized she and Sylvie weren’t the only ones ‘sharing a road’. It seemed fate would have her run into familiar faces. The lady she recognized from the train ride, and the two from the Black Cat. Given the company she was in, Winona bowed towards Anthea before taking her seat in the carriage. Though, it remained a mystery to her as to why she’d been picked up by a carriage meant for royalty. Furthermore, if that were the case, then-

Winona’s eyes darted towards Erica for a moment before proceeding to awkwardly glance around the carriage. She didn’t want to stare at anyone, but there wasn’t exactly a whole lot of ‘looking space’ to go around. If Anthea was royalty, and Justine was her assistant, then was the lady next to her royalty as well, or also part of Anthea’s following? Ugh, why was this political stuff so complicated?!

Luckily, Winona’s internal attempts to make sense of her self-made confusion were brought to a grinding halt by Anthea’s question, and Justine showing her interest in the subject as well. “Not really, but-! but I did get this note to show me the way,” she explained excitedly, then her expression shifted to a slightly more puzzled one, “it’s a weird place to go, though... who has lunch so late, it’s crazy!”

After the carriage had fulfilled its job of dropping off the group at the Academy’s doorstep – or ‘gatestep’ – Winona came face-to-face with a rather confusing predicament. The man in uniform was making the assumption she was here for some kind of lectures. Now, that obviously wasn’t true. The only tutoring she’d ever need came from her own household. Not that she was allowed to study elsewhere even if she wanted to. Regardless, this was a rather sticky situation. The invitation she’d received didn’t mention the academy’s library. Was she not supposed to go there then? But what about her quest? As Winona handed over the invitation to the man she couldn’t shake off her internal conflict. Her quest was immensely important, but was she really going to disregard Sylvie’s ‘guidance’ for it? If she did, would she even be able to find her way around this place?

Location: Montacier, Academy entrance
Mentions: @Flame
Interactions: @Elvario @Holy R. Enigma
 
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Cansu was on a case. A important one. Using her excellent skills at tailing people from the shadows, or rather, the fact that she was tiny and could fly, she'd been tailing some suspicious individuals and listening in on their conversation, which lead her to a clear conclusion. There was a very high chance that someone from Morphi would show up to the Beaureve's mansion, and where there were members of Morphi, there were slaves to set free and allies to recruit.

Now that she on her way to her destination, the oddly timed 'party' that she was highly suspecting to be an attempt to enslave half the city, she was suddenly distracted by an oddly familiar sight. It was the beastman she'd been looking for! For a short moment, she was pretty happy, and wanted to fly over to greet him. However, he was with people she didn't know... and people she didn't know were people she didn't trust. Maybe she should just sent a splash of water at them? She quickly decided against that option.

Instead, she figured she'd merely stalk them for a bit, from a safe enough distance. (Stealth roll of 15.) With some luck, she'd be able to figure out what they were up too, and if the beastman was still open to be recruited to her cause, or if he'd been swayed into joining the dark side. After all, his companions didn't look all that trustworthy to Cansu...
 
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Before, Fa Leng had simply felt civilized, refreshed by cleanliness and good food, drink and good company. Now though, with Montacier sealed off and Prince Thibault found again, he was intrigued. A freelancer by nature, the draconic denizen had done most of his work on the highways and wildness that existed still in pockets of Enia, whether as courier or escort, but on occasion, he had done his fair share of city sleuthing too, and such news, such rumors, certainly stoked his curiosity. It was imperative then, that he showed up at House Beaureve, to enjoy the feast if not to get a look at the once-lost Prince. And if he were to show up to the party…

…well, he certainly couldn’t show up like a snob, no?

For the occasion, Fa Leng had polished his four horns until they were just short of sparkling, and his nails, though as sharp and savage as always, sparkled darkly as well. He had exchanged his usual utility kilt for one with a rust-red-and-black plaid design accompanied by a black, leather bag to hold his valuables. A dark green cloak, collar lined with tawny feathers, was draped over his shoulders and pinned to place with a brass ornament. His sandals, though still the tough leathers that had been with Fa Leng through mountains and swamps, were given some new life too. A Montacier shoeshiner had, with brush and oils, breathed new life into these old shoes, and though he still couldn’t say that he would be the most incandescently fashionable individual at the party, Fa Leng was confident that he wasn’t the most poorly dressed either.

“Adryen,” Fa Leng called, four arms bursting out the sides of his cloak to give the man a quick hug. “Glad to see you've no hangover. Word of Revan has not graced these ears, but certainly he'll come. Jolly fellows always enjoy fancy parties, mm. Food will grow cold though. I’ll catch you inside, yes?”

He tilted his head sideways, towards the other that had arrived.

“And Temperance. Striking as always. If the work is acceptable, a professional colleague is pleasure.”
@Sketching101 @Reanimator Spuds
 
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Erica Aubel
Montacier Academy
Erica had already planned to pay the academy a visit before to do her own research, but with the acquisition of an invitation, it seemed her plans for the day had all but been decided... So be it, then, she would attend! Though, the line-up of topics wasn't of any particular interest to her outside of the one for transmutation and medicine. Maybe the lecture wouldn't be over the same type of magic she used, but perhaps she could skip the later lectures and see if she couldn't strike up a dialogue with the lecturer... Sonya Kristoff? She'd have to keep that in mind... For now she supposed it wouldn't hurt to attend the lectures before that one, as much as she had no interest in clockworkers or magickfuel, she didn't want to be so impolite as to skip out on all the presentations, no mater how uninterested she might be in them. She had been sent an invitation, after all. She wasted no time getting ready and getting out the door to attend these lectures.

As she stepped out of the driverless carriage, now at the entrance to the school, it came to her attention there were a few others here attending the lectures... but of course, she couldn't have been so thickheaded as to believe she'd be the only one attending a lecture of all things. Aside from Winona, however, she didn't recognize anybody else here... though she felt she ought to know the name Ferreira somehow. Perhaps another princess? She certainly looked the part, what with a servant following closely behind. Her life from this point on (if she could help it) would not be dictated by who she was related to, however, so she put that identifier out of her mind and addressed Anthea as politely as she would anyone else. "Erica Aubel. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Ferreira.", she responded cheerfully, with a small bow. Her... bodyguard now, was it? Was quick to pipe up and correct Anthea, though her offering of a greeting with the mention that she looked familiar was puzzling... Perhaps their meeting had been brief and long ago? She couldn't say, as she had no recollection of this woman, though it seemed she knew Erica to some extent, a thought that without knowing what she knew put her at some level of unease that she was not reticent to show. Instead, without any show of that inner spike of turmoil, she quickly addressed the body guard as well. "Alas, I have no recollection of ever having met you... Might you be thinking of my brother? We do look a lot alike, and I have certainly been confused for those who know him a surprising number of times as of late...", she laughed, shaking her head. "I'd understand the confusion, matters of nobility being as they are, I am not as well-known as he... I'm sure you understand. That aside, it is still nice to meet you all the same.", she finished her greeting, being sure to make a decent attempt at quashing that suspicion in the process, before handing in her invitation as well and walking on ahead of the groups as they began to chat amongst themselves... she was eager to not receive any further questioning by "ghosts of her past" as it were... today was supposed to be a day of learning, not stress... How ever could she put the matters of this lockdown and her involvement in that case out of her mind with individuals who recognized her crawling out of the woodworks every which way? She sighed and shook her head. "Fate truly piles on the misfortunes, does it not?", she muttered to herself as she made her way to the first scheduled lecture.

Interacted: @Holy R. Enigma, @Elvario
Mentioned: N/A

Revan
Beaureve Mansion
Naturally, Revan had come separately from the others at the table who had received their invites, instead tagging along with the prison escapees who he'd managed to smuggle away on the safehouse. Revan himself didn't know much of the Beaureves, but upon informing those at the safehouse it had come to his attention that they were opposed to the Templars, who this group were also against. Enemy of their enemy and all that... It seemed they wanted to tag along, which was fine by him. He was more personally interested in finding more allies to take up sword (or claw in his case) against the Capo of this town, who would be making her arrival soon. His skin crawled at the thought of facing her down alone, but if this group found a way around the templars to get out of town through the Beaureves... that might just be what he'd have to do. But he'd cross that bridge when he came to it. For now, he was interested in what assistance the Beaureves, or more importantly, Fa Leng might provide... he hadn't had a chance to more properly continue their dialogue. Something about tonight made him feel uneasy though, and he couldn't exactly place why.

Getting properly dressed-up was an impossibility for someone of his size, not that he desired to wear anything other than his own tribe's clothes. As for the others... it seemed they'd procured clothes other than the ones they'd seized from the dead bandits, but he had a feeling they'd still be sticking out like a sore thumb. Still, he had to roll with it. At Jacques's question, he gave a firm nod. "I think it's for the best... you're still wanted individuals, and while the Beaureves may not be allies with the Templars as you say, I still think it is wise to act with caution... If anything goes wrong, I would very much like to be able to watch your back, for what you have done for me.", he admitted, as he explained his reasoning. "And anyway, you two are my plus ones, whatever that means. I think they would expect us to stay somewhat close anyway...", he shrugged, and then lead the group on to the entrance, checking in with his little group and walking on in. "Now, if I were a big, scaly, four-armed man, where would I be...", he mused to himself, as he surveyed the crowd. Surely finding his target would not be that difficult, would it? Nor would finding himself be, as he, too, stood above a fair number of the partygoers (and was very obviously not dressed for the occasion).

Interacted: @ItariChan, @Polaris North
Mentioned: @ERode
 
ARTURO LEONE

Upon unfolding the mysterious paper in his pocket that morning, Arturo felt at first a flutter of flattery and excitement at having been specially invited to a lecture. He felt quite like his old self.

And then he remembered his circumstances and dread replaced the feeling. By noon, they still hadn't figured where the note had come from or how it made its way into his possession, let alone to what the scrawled note on the back referred. But they had at least resolved to attend the lecture, though he was still somewhat worse for wear from the previous night's capers and had had to run off to acquire more appropriate attire for the Academy than the rugged clothes of a dead rogue.

It was too interesting to pass up. That Laframboise would be presenting on the Sunderlake Clockworkers, it was quite the coincidence. The mystery of that horrifying Priestess lingered in his mind.

"Looks like the right place," said Theo from behind him. He only nodded in agreement, looking up at the distantly familiar gates of the Academy. Willow lightheartedly prodded him onwards - he was glad for the company. This whole thing made him nervous. A carriage drew up in front of them as they stood by whilst Art gathered his resolve.

After the four women ahead of them were granted entrance, Arturo held the invitation reverently before him for the guards to see. With no issue or question they were waived on. He didn't know what he'd expected, but was relieved to be inside the gates, feeling now more than ever the weight of their fugitive status.

"I don't think it's likely anyone here would recognize us," he said in a low voice, walking slowly through the arcade as the Academy's tower grew over them. "We've really no business being here as far as anyone knows." He chuckled a bit at the statement - being invited to an academic lecture just days after escaping prison. It was unusual, to be certain.
 
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Sasha had immediately volunteered to tag along with Revan. She wasn't the fondest of fancy parties, but it sounded better than going to the academy. On the way, she bought a newspaper and flipped through it. It wasn't terrible surprising that they hadn't given details of the events from the prison but for some reason they had kept their escape a secret. Maybe they didn't want to seem incompetent. Or maybe they just wanted to give as few details as possible. It was a bit disappointing. Sasha had always wanted a wanted poster of herself. It was a good thing though that they wouldn't have to worry about being recognized as escapees.

Sasha looked around the party venue as they approached. They were horrible under dressed. The other party guests stared and whispered under their breaths. Especially at Revan. Well, mostly at Revan. It was hard not to notice and stare the large wolf man, even if he had been appropriately dressed. She looked around and pointed out someone matching Revan's description, "Is it that big, scaley four-armed man?" she asked him.
 
Temperance
That night proceeded with a few more drinks and banter, something Temperance cared little for. It was all for a good cause though as the Beaureve family was immensely wealthy. They would pay well. The next day, she gathered her belongings in a rucksack, tied it off, and strapped her manacles, and grapples all shined and maintained to her belt. The weight was a comforting feeling for her. It was what she was familiar with. It was what she knew. As she approached the Manor, she quickly spotted Fa Leng. Her companion for this mission was the large scaled denizen whom greeted her with respect. This was a far cry to her usual comrades. She nodded her head.

"It would be foolish to foul the relationship of a business partner." She did her best to act polite, even if it was merely at face value. She held no ill will against him. She held no will toward him at all.

She made her way into the mansion, picking up the sight of another behemoth of a denizen in Revan, the suspicious beast-man who spoke so fondly of freedom not far off. She wondered what his intent was. He seemed be followed by a muscular woman and a more well dressed older gentleman. Yes, Beaureve asked of them, but more companions wasn't her ideal. If they made it in, so be it. If there was money to be made there, it would be a more intriguing option but as of now, the Beaureve Manor had far deeper coffers. "Fa Leng, I believe it best to not keep Adryen waiting for too long. I'll be heading inside."

Interacts: @ERode @Sketching101
Mentions: @Flame @Polaris North @ItariChan
 
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Montacier, Academy - 13:22
June 16th, 1532
Mentions: N\A
Interactions: @Polaris North, @Jess Incognito, @Hecatty, @Flame, @Holy R. Enigma, @Elvario

The man at the gates carefully looked through the invitation before finally lifting his head and handing it back to Anthea. A clipboard appeared out of thin air in front of him, and a floating pen drew a crude checkmark in a box, then disappeared again. “Welcome, Princess Ferreira, and he distinguished guest,” he said. “The reception has just started. You can find the guest lecturers and fellow attendees down the hall in the main lecture hall, in the same direction Lady Aubel is headed.” The man pointed to Erica, who had already gone through the gates.

The halls were wide and tall, if a bit narrower than the halls of the Royal Academy. Although, when the alumni of Montacier Academy and those of the Royal Academy talked of their schools, students from Montacier Academy would often brag about the commodiousness of their lecture halls. If the lecture halls’ scale was similarly limited, that would be a laughable brag.

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Inside the main lecture hall was “outside”. The doors led into a stone platform with well kept grass and flowers growing on it. Where there should be walls, were stairs, and skies, and trees, as far as the eye could see. There were another set of stairs leading down, beyond the platform, where the guests were enjoying their drinks and discussing. Each of the lecturers was down there, each of them talking to a few people. Dupont and Laframboise were standing together, with the latter regaling the guests with tales of his accomplishments in the Templar ranks. Sonya Kristoff was trying to answer questions of some nobles about how Ithyan society functioned, to their genuine amusement. Méndez and Gutiérrez were surrounded mostly by students, and a few professors. While Méndez was trying to answer the questions of some of the professors, Gutiérrez was discussing other professors with the students.

“Oh, don’t worry too much. Worst case scenario, they find us out, but it’s not like they can send us back to Sunderlake,” Theo said with a grin. He seemed to be about to go on before he noticed the youngest mage in front of the gates. He quietly muttered to himself, “The cook’s apprentice…?”


Montacier, Beaureve Mansion - 21:02
June 15th, 1532
Mentions/Relevant: @Flame, @ItariChan, @Polaris North, @Elvario
Interactions: @ERode, @Reanimator Spuds, @Flame

After Temperance and Fa Leng made their way into the house, the chattering from the outside ceased with the closing of the front doors, and instead, only a singular, echoing voice could be heard through the halls. Further from the entrance was the grand hall, with the lord of the house, Pablo Beaureve standing at the balcony above the hall, flanked by a young woman, looking to be in her late teens. “--and so, after this long, horrible ordeal, we welcome our city’s pride and joy back into the family,” the man announced, gesturing to his right. A towering figure with two large horns and long, straight hair stepped forward next to Pablo. Many of the younger members of the crowd seemed to be confused, but most people recognized the prince. “My dear son, Prince Addrick Beaureve.” There was a brief silence before someone abruptly started clapping quite enthusiastically. Quickly, the rest of the room followed suit. “Please, enjoy the libations. Tonight, we drink to our Prince’s safe return.” The man lifted his drink, then disappeared to the back of the balcony. The large man and the young woman shared a quick hug before following their father to the back of the room.

Before long, Adryen found the two sellswords. “Ah, there you are,” he exclaimed, clapping Temperance and Fa Leng both on the back. “You caught father’s address, I take it? Addrick should be joining us here soon. In the meantime, I’d like to introduce you to some people.” He gestured to the tall, white haired man standing behind him. “Victor, this is Fa Leng and Temperance. They’ll be working with the family soon, I gather.”

The man that Adryen addressed turned to the two being introduced to him and gave a small nod, his eyes seeming to study them for perhaps an uncomfortable moment of silence, before he extended a gloved hand to Fa Leng, and then Temperance, giving each a firm handshake. "Victor Clérisseau," he stated curtly, "A friend of the Beaureves is as good as a friend of mine," he added, with a short smile, something that looked strange on his previously grim-looking face. He certainly didn't seem to be here just to enjoy himself, whoever he was.

Dialogue, history, and character written by @Flame
 
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Sasha had followed the others into the house. Though Revan had confirmed the four armed man had been the person they were looking for, they hadn't had the chance to talk to him before everyone moved inside. She recognized the young woman on the balcony from the clothes store. When Addrick appeared, she realized that she may have gotten herself into a sticky situation. She quickly moved behind Revan, hiding herself from Addrick's vision until he left. With so many people in the room it was unlikely he would see her but she didn't want to take any chances. Of all the prisoners in their party, Sasha had interacted with Addrick the least so he might not recognize her. But things could become complicated if they got too involved and he saw Willow or Omen, who he had kidnapped back at the prison. "I think we should leave." She told Revan. "Addrick is bad news and probably hates at least half of our party. Theo threw soup at him and then Addrick threw him in a pit. And I may have also tried to pick pocket the girl standing next to him yesterday." In hindsight, it had been a bad idea. But that was true of most of the things that Sasha did.

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@Flame @Sketching101
 


Anthea was a bit surprised by how Justine replied. With how odd the contract had been, Anthea hadn't been able to make up her mind on just what Justine was meant to do, but this reply gave her one neat enough indication of what the possiblities were. 'How nice, Justine doesn't deny being an assistant. I should figure out how to abuse that.'

As for Winona, Anthea didn't quite get it. After all, she'd been so excited about the lectures that she hadn't spotted anything as plain as 'lunch' being an included event. Now that her attention was drawn to it, she had to admit it was a bit odd. “It'd be more appropriate to call it an afternoon tea, but I don't think that's what you want to focus on. The lecturers are the main event, after all.” Anthea recalled Winona's mention of Nito. “Does that note suggest you to ask if one of the lecturers knows more about grandmaster Nito?”

Erica was a different story. She was cheerful enough, but her rely to Justine was a bit odd. For as far as Anthea knew, most people wouldn't mistake two people of different genders all that easily. Then again, it wasn't of much concern to her, and Erica didn't seem that eager to keep talking either.

As for the others that entered around the same time as her... Were Anthea to have actively wanted to find Arturo, rather than having used finding him as an excuse to take a few days off, she might've recognized him when he entered the area not that long after she did, but alas, it was not meant to be.

When Anthea entered the lecture hall, she was fairly surprised by how things were set-up, to the point where she pointed it out to Justine. “This looks more like a casual outdoors meet-up than the preparation for some tough lectures.” What she gathered from Laframboise's tales from a distance didn't exactly inspire any courage. He might be a fellow Templar and even a fellow Clockworker researcher of sorts, but right now it sounded like he was merely busy inflating his own ego. Anyhow, with the professors being overrun by people trying to get their attention, Anthea figured she'd see if she could spot anyone else that looked familiar while waiting for the actual lectures to start.
 
Cansu Arethusa


Interactions:
Temperance Lindal @Reanimator Spuds

Cansu had managed to follow Revan's group unnoticed, but her attempt at entering the mansion in an equally inconspicuous way had made her lose track of him and his companions. As a result, she was fluttering around the oversized mansion, trying not to attract too much attention. She was getting more and more annoyed by just about everything going on, but she remained vigilant while looking for either Revan or the Morphi member she'd been tracking.

Rather than finding one of those two, she found another problem. It was the fairy-napper. She'd recognize that scar-faced woman from miles away. What was worse, was that she was talking with some important looking people. Were they conjuring up another plan to enslave people? Cansu wouldn't let that happen. Almost instinctively, she sent a Water Bolt at Temperance. The sudden flare of emotions she felt at seeing the fairy-napper that had once encaged her made it her most powerful Water Bolt ever (Water Bolt roll of 23).

The realization that this action would likely cause herself a lot more trouble than her target only got to arise right after the act itself. Sadly enough, she took a relatively long to realize her mistake, and wasn't able to flutter off as quickly or smoothly as she'd like to (Acrobatics roll of 7).
 
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Temperance

It was now the usual dance of formalities that usually encompassed the whole of signing a new contract. They would invite them in, offer them a place to eat and talk before finally asking them to hunt down something powerful. It was all superficial in the end, but for one who drifted from job to job, it was no more or less exciting than the actual hunt itself. Not long after, the family stood atop the stairwell, and they were introduced to the imposing figure of the Prince Addrick. She lowered her head briefly out of feigned respect.

"We will make the most of this opportunity"

It was then that she was met with Victor Clérisseau, a man with a similar grim expression as her own. His name differed from the others.
What was his relationship with them? Simply a family friend? More than likely their relationship was more based around whatever benefits they provided one another. She had a feeling he was looking forward to discussing business sooner, much like herself. He started by shaking Fa Leng's hand and soon followed with her own. "Indeed. I-" She was cut off by a powerful force slamming into her, pushing her on top of Victor.

She clenched her teeth in annoyance and anger, as the water dripped from her hair, weighing her bangs down in front of her eyes. She flipped her head back, and looked around. She had encountered quite a few conjurers of water. She looked around, hoping to find the source. She scanned the halls. No one. It was possible to escape without being seen, but there was only a split second. Then she remembered something, and her eyes took to the air. Temperance unhooked one of her bolas. "Apologies for the commotion." Sure enough, there was the small figure flying. She wound up her capture tool and sent it flying, but her foot slipped on the wet stone floor, causing her to lose her focus, and sent the bolas wrapping around a nearby pillar. She clicked her teeth, and turned away. The small faerie seemed to realize that she wouldn't be capable of much more.

"In the end, They did little harm. It was merely a distraction. I'm sorry for the trouble."

If they cared enough to have her track down her escaped assailant, then she would.

Interacts: Cansu @Elvario Victor @Sketching101
 
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I2SKXHb.png

So that was the Prince.

Fa Leng raised a flute of something bubbly and alcoholic in toast towards the returned royalty, though certainly such a fine drink was worthy of celebrating all on its own. He could admire the horned man’s size, if nothing else; certainly, he only tangentially knew who Addrick was. His eyes swept around, snagging that familiar combination of black hair and furry ears, but before Fa Leng could do more than wave, Adryen ushered them away for introductions. Unfortunate. He settled for an audible slap of his tail against the floor, hoping the sound would draw Revan’s attention.

Tragically, Victor didn’t bring much added diversity between Temperance and himself, the white-haired man standing with the same calculating, taciturn attitude that Temperance displayed. Fa Leng sipped at his drink while the man did his staring, and the handshake he gave was firm to the point of almost being uncomfortable. A trusted friend to supervise a ragtag gang of mercenaries? Sounded about right. A smile was good though, great even. “Introduction robbed, but a pleasure no matter.”

Any more conversation was disrupted by a bolt of liquid slamming into Temperance with such force the woman was sent pressed against Victor. One yellowed eye flickered over her drenched face, but her skin wasn’t melting off her bones nor bubbling up into horrendous boils, and even if she was half-dying, Fa Leng moved in front Adryen instead, his wide frame and four outstretched arms enough to hide the man from the view of whatever magic-weaving sniper had snuck in amongst the guests. His other eye flicked out as well, catching the movement of a blue...huh.

The draconic denizen leaned back for a better look. He hadn’t seen a denizen so small before.

Temperance’s bola cracked against a pillar, the winged girl continued to fly away, and after a couple more moments, it seemed like no real harm was done, beyond the ruination of the bounty hunter’s outfit. It didn’t look like she was interested in retaliation, and after a beat, Fa Leng chuckled in his low, gravelly voice.

“Lover spurned? You impress, Temperance.”

Slowly, his lower arms folded themselves over his chest again, and he gave Adryen some space. Never hurt to make a good impression, though if they were going to be recruited to this manhunt, Fa Leng was expecting some pay.

@Sketching101 @Reanimator Spuds @Elvario @Flame
 
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Erica Aubel
Academy Lecture Hall
So her intuition had indeed been correct. Miss Ferreira was, in fact, a princess. Something about most of the princess and princesses made that somewhat easy to distinguish... perhaps an air about them? If She had to guess, Erica assumed that air probably followed her as well, troublingly so. What more could she do to avoid recognition? Well, maybe these lectures would shed some further light on her answer. She supposed she wouldn't know for sure though until the lecture had been finished.

She made her way to the lecture hall, which was indeed as grand as she had anticipated, though, she could argue the merits of both halls she had now set foot in. For now though, the accommodations of this one were quite pleasing. Despite the chattering of the students and professors, the air about this place could be described as "peaceful", and she found herself lagging a bit behind the other invitees to take in the atmosphere as they spoke with each other. She herself found a seat in a shady place and meditated on where further she could take her magic... Indeed, she had not even cast a single spell since even before the train incident. Though, here and now wasn't the place to work her magic... perhaps later she would get some practice in, or maybe work with the speaker on the transmutation lecture after this was all over. Kristoff, was it?

Revan
Beaureve Mansion​
While Sasha had managed to point out his draconic acquaintance, they seemed to vanish into the house before the group could make their way over. He rectified that by following, cutting a path through the gathering partygoers who seemed eager to get out of the way of such a large man. Sasha and their other friend tailed behind, he hoped. Once he'd gotten inside properly, he looked around again once more, his ears twitching at the sound of Fa Leng's tail against the floor as his eyes quickly followed the sound. "Ahah, there we are!", he exclaimed, and readied to make his way over, before he heard the sound of Sasha's voice behind him. "Addrick?", he repeated, giving Sasha a confused look, then following her line of sight to the man she was referring to. "Oh, I see... there's some bad blood between you, then?", he asked, scratching the back of his head. "Pardon me for asking then, but... you did know we were visiting the Beaureve mansion, right? If you had problems with them or their family, then why did you come?", he asked, looking genuinely confused. "Well, we are already here, and I myself don't have any bones to pick with them that I know of...", he explained. "If you wish to leave, then go ahead, I won't blame you for wanting to avoid him, but, I do have some business here. That guy over there would definitely be a big help in taking down the person I'm going after. She's seriously tough, and will probably have a lot of help. Muscle like that will go a LONG way. Not... that I'm not confident in my own abilities, but...", he sighed, he was reticent to admit that that woman alone had made a fool out of him and captured him single-handedly years ago... he couldn't fathom how difficult it would be to face her and a swarm of his ex-partners.

"I don't mean to be harsh, but... the time has come to choose, I guess. You can follow me further in, or turn back now if you want, but I know where I'm going...", he announced, before turning once more to head towards Fa Leng and the group he was standing with. On approach, he caught sight of what appeared to be a bounty-hunter... the sight of such an individual put a sour taste in his mouth, and if he were in his more primal form, his hackles would have surely rose. Of course, he didn't recognize her, but the gear she was sporting was more than enough to remind him of the capture and trade of his kin. He took a deep breath and shook the blood-boiling thoughts off... he was not about to ruin things over the sight of one person... he had to control his temper.

Before he could make any introductions, however, a bolt of... something wet slammed into the bounty-hunter from behind, sending her face-first into the chest of the stranger that'd been introducing himself when Revan arrived. He looked around for a moment, puzzled as to where the shot of liquid could have came from, and spied a... fairy? That quickly made itself scarce. There was something familiar about that fairy, but he couldn't put a finger on it... Well, no point trying to track it down right now, he was right before his goal, and he wasn't about to make a fool of himself chasing a fairy down. Instead, he made to introduce himself, once more extending a hand for Fa Leng to shake, and notably ignoring the chain-sporting individual at his side. "Great to see you again! Even you are a bit more spiffed-up than the last time we met, I might say! I'm feeling a little underdressed!", he chuckled and shook his head. While the clothes he pretty much exclusively wore DID look nice on him, perhaps they were a little exotic for an event like this... and the lacking of a shirt had caught more than one set of eyes... though after years here in Montacier, he had become somewhat accustomed to such looks, they were especially notable in an event like this.

With the bounty-hunter off the Silver-haired man standing next to the man who'd invited him (Addrick's brother, he now knew) his attention turned to the two of them to greet them both. While he was cordial with Adryen, doling out another handshake and nod, the stare of the stranger to his side caught him of-guard. "It's nice to meet you, my name's Revan.", he managed, holding out his hand to the stranger. Victor shook it with a grip that was surprising for a hand smaller than his own, and definitely didn't make him feel comfortable... that, and the way it felt like he was being seen through. His words of response to the Beastman, however, were the most discomforting thing about the whole greeting. "I know.", he answered firmly, looking him right in the eyes. No further elaboration that Adryen had told him so (which he might have assumed) just the two words, and that look. Like he really knew... suddenly, the good feelings he'd had about coming to this party and reuniting with Fa Leng were doused, that warm, happy feeling replaced with something ice cold. Fear and suspicion. Had he met this man before? Who was he? He did his best to not seem as obviously uncomfortable as he was as he broke eye-contact with the Silver-haired man.

Interacted with: @ItariChan, @Polaris North, @ERode
Mentioned: @Reanimator Spuds, @Elvario

Victor Clérisseau
Beaureve Mansion
Shortly after the greeting between himself and Fa Leng and Temperance, Victor's gaze shifted past them to someone approaching in the crowd behind them, another smile creeping up on his face for reasons only he knew, before Temperance was hit with a bolt of water and sent reeling into him. He was surprisingly quick to react, catching Temperance by the shoulders before she even collided fully with him, and pushing her back to her feet as he looked up at the source of the shot, seeming to catch sight of the fairy before anyone else had. He watched Temperance try to fire back at the fairy before it went back into hiding, and agreed with her assessment. "Indeed, a minor annoyance. I wouldn't have individuals of your caliber waste your time tracking down a bothersome insect. If it becomes a further nuisance, I'll have it taken care of.", he said with confidence, looking over to Adryen, as if to confirm that he needed only give the word. It was then that Revan arrived, and gave his greeting, to which Victor gave his own, though his greeting to Revan was notably different than the one he had gave Fa Leng and Temperance, not even bothering to give his name as he gave the man a short reply and a cold stare. Whatever he had meant by his greeting, it'd obviously made Revan clam up, something Victor seemed to be well aware of, and had no intention of further elaborating upon.

Interacted with: @ERode, @Reanimator Spuds
Mentioned: @Elvario
 
Willow Howst
Interacting with: @Jess Incognito @Sketching101 @Hecatty
Location: Montacier, Academy

Willow couldn't help but let out a light chuckle. "You have to admit, our little escape needed a lot of luck." She mumbled back with a small shrug. If she were to hazard a guess, if they were recognized, they might as well just eliminate them immediately. Normally this would warrant a bit more nervousness from a normal person, but Willow decided not to dwell on that. They'll burn that bridge when they get there. For now, their priority was soaking up as much knowledge as they can while they were here.

She tilted her head at one of the mages that didn't enter with the rest of the crowd. In fact, she looked like she was a bit conflicted as she passed on the note. Theo muttered something under his breath as he caught sight of the same person she looked at. Willow gave him a small nudge. "Someone you know?" She questioned.

Once they were inside and through the guards, Willow couldn't shake off the feeling of wanting to help. She was well aware how it felt like to be lost in an unfamiliar place. Willow scratched the back of her neck before turning and approaching Winona. She gave her a small wave. "Hey... you doing alright? You look a little... uh, confused?" She asked, hoping that she wasn't coming off as aggressive or rude.


Jacques Lumoise
Interacting with: @Flame @ItariChan @Elvario
Location: Monracier, Beaureve Mansion

Jacques gave him a small nod, crossed his arms behind his back and followed Revan and Sasha while keeping a lookout for anyone familiar or keeping an ear out for any useful information. There wasn't much being thrown around in the party and he was a bit disappointed. Then everything ceased as the lord of the house called their attention and Prince Addrick was presented. So he managed to escape in the chaos as well, hm? Jacques didn't handle the non-polymorph prisoners very much but he knew that the prince had every resource to get out of the prison if he tried. Such was the way of money.

"So you were the ones that the prince had an altercation with back then." Jacques muttered when Sasha had informed them of their current standing with Addrick. He had heard stories about something happening in the cafeteria shortly after the arrival of the new prisoners. Jacques couldn't say that he was particularly surprised. "I can explain my situation, if it comes to that. I've never had any negative interactions with the prince... if any at all."

No matter what Sasha's choice, it seemed like Revan was very much eager to reunite with the person of interest. And personally, Jacques still did want to get out of the city as fast as possible. Though with how everything seemed to be going, they might end up exposed rather than hidden.

He turned to Sasha with a tilt of his head. "We can still speak with the lord of the house, provided we can avoid Addrick as much as possible. That's likely what I'll be doing, hopefully he isn't planning on retiring from the party." Jacques said, eyes flickering to the announcer then back to Sasha. "And you?"
 
Justine Ferra
Interacting with : Anthea Elvario
Location : Montacier, Academy

It took her a bit of time to realize, the guard to the Academy allowed them through, which made her feel a bit embarrassed in not realizing that. In the back of her mind, she was a bit frustrated about that, but what Erica had said made her feel a bit likely like she probably did have it wrong or something. Probably did mean Eric over Erica, but who knows with her memory since she was pretty much getting into arguments at the Royal Academy over anything. ’Ugh, guess I shouldn’t have assumed on her. But whatever. Hopefully, these lectures will be interesting enough nonetheless.’ She thought with a slight annoyance on her face. However, she was definitely happy with Winona’s response since she smiled even though her face was still slightly annoyed on other things. It was primarily because she felt like Anthea thought something that will make her life miserable. She did overhear Anthea talking to Winona about asking one of the lectures about Nito.

Justine stayed with the group when she entered the Lecture hall and blinked at the entire situation. It was odd, but then Anthea pointed out the obvious, and it was outside of all things. ” Guess so, but it feels a bit odd that it's outside of all things.” She spoke with a bit of a confused tone to her voice. It was mostly because it was outside of all things and felt a bit like a meet up than a lecture. One clear thought popped in her head, which caused her to raise her hood since she wouldn’t want to deal with rain at a time like this. It was a bit odd, but she felt a bit more comfortable with the hood up than down. ’Feel much better, but I have a feeling Anthea will embarrass me again… I wonder when the lecturers will be ready to start the lectures.” She thought, trying to think about certain things, but she was blushing slightly at the reason for Anthea teasing her again. It was a bit annoying, but she’ll have to deal with it as long as this contract lasts.

A while passes, which she decided to look around the lecture hall for any other people of interest. She noticed that Erica was staring directly at one of the other lecturers, and she smiles at Erica and looks towards the other people in the lecture hall, which was waiting for these lectures to start. Winona was here, and some others as well. All she does was wave at the others, in terms of the boy, the man, and another girl who was here. ’Its nice they are here to also listen to the lecturers. I wonder if there is anything about them I could ask, but that can wait..’ She thought with an interesting look at the others in the room that followed them in any way. However, she wasn’t really interested in talking to them right now since it would be better to be quiet. If anything, all she wanted to do was listen and write things down right now because she can only take so much from Anthea embarrassing her. She sighed slightly since she wanted to be quiet for all the people to start the lecture since she was interested in what it all means and nonetheless.
 
Despite being too unsure to confidently enter the daunting gate before her, Winona eventually mustered up the courage. Aided by the note clutched within her hand, representing the guidance of her friend. If Sylvie hadn’t been the sender of the note, she’d likely have turned back and abandoned this uncertain path. However, even if the path didn't lead anywhere, she could always follow Anthea's advice and 'interrogate' the lecturers. Still, even with the guidance of two separate people, the young mage’s first step through the gate felt heavy. Burdened by the feeling that crossing this barrier would mean the end of her quest if her decision wasn’t the right one.

Yet, once she pushed through and the main lecture hall presented itself to her all doubt faded away. The breeze flowing through the area carrying with it an air of adventure. For all the people present, she felt like she was the only one taking in the sight. Finding herself muttering the occasional “Wow..” as she wandered around the stone platform.

After taking in most of the surrounding décor, there was one more place to look. She’d purposely saved it for last. As it was the most likely location to hide away secrets. After placing down her backpack on the grass, and setting her staff neatly against it, she sat down on her knees near the edge of the stone platform. Then she set her hands down in front. Winona felt the edge of the platform press against her skin as she pushed against it. Unsurprisingly, the stone platform didn’t budge. Yet, this was exactly what she’d hoped for. Now convinced of the structural soundness, she was about to put herself in danger by hanging herself over the edge when-

“Hey, you doing alright?”

A voice! Leaning in further over the edge, Winona peered into the depths below. “Hello?”

It took Winona a few moments of waiting for the depths to answer before situational awareness kicked in. Prompting her to look behind her. From her kneeled position she was first met with the sight of legs. Once she adjusted her gaze upwards, it became clear that this unknown lady was likely the one who’d addressed her. Not the depths below. Bummer...

“Confused? No, I’m alright! I thought I heard something down there, but I think it was you?” She explained, blissfully unaware that her explanation would be befitting of a confused person.

Location: Montacier, Academy
Mentions: @Elvario
Interactions: @Polaris North
 
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