Tales of the Loerom Guardians

Kisku grinned when Nabi confirmed her presumption. "I knew it!" She punched Nabi's shoulder lightly as she started giggling. "A merchant," she began to say to him, "Gave it to me and said it was from Alistaire." She grabbed the locket out of Nabi's hand, smiling to herself slightly, trying to calm her giddiness. She gripped it hard in her hand, her hopes that the Guardians were alive was reinvigorated. With determination she looked at Nabi, she said to him, "I'm not sure why they had to be secretive, but I know there's a reason behind it. We have to keep this a secret. We need to find them, as soon as possible. I know they want us to look for them, at least, I think they do anyhow. Plus, you know how they are with the king, they have never lied to him before unless there was a reason behind it. Maybe that's why they haven't returned.." She paused, thinking a little bit more about all the possible explanations behind their disappearance. "I honestly wish they would tell us these things." She finally said starting to get a little irritated by the entire situation.
 
Nabi massaged his shoulder. "A merchant?" he asked, scowling. This could just be a red herring or even a trap. He didn't trust the Guardians to be quite so helpful; why all of the smoke and mirrors? It wasn't as though the Guardians-in-training were at risk of revealing anything to anyone; Kisku didn't have many connections, and Nabi himself...

He frowned, a thought crossing his mind. Perhaps this was related to Alexandre's message after all. I have connections to the Sidhe; could they be responsible for the whole mess? King knows my father's people scheme enough to warrant distrust. But the Cat Sidhe don't like intrigue like this. It's too complicated. Much better to get everything out in the open and have a proper fight. Either way, he'd have to meet his brother to gain any information. But Alexandre was his least favorite brother, prone to tricks and foolishness. He liked to play with his food, as people often said in Loerom. But still... "I guess I should tell you, then, since we're not likely to get much more information," he began reluctantly. "My brother told me to meet him at sunset, so he should be here soon. I didn't want to drag you into the mess of Sidhe politics, but it's possible my father's people are involved. And..." He shrugged. "You have to meet them to understand, but Daoine Sidhe are awfully slippery and hard to deal with. They're also very dangerous. So while my brother is here, don't eat or drink anything, don't make any promises, don't ask any questions, and don't accept anything. Or you could get pulled into a deadly obligation."

He turned to face the door. "Do you have anything you want me to ask him? I can deal with his wordplay, but with your emotional control..." He laughed softly, lifting his hands to let her know it was a joke. "We may not get another chance to find this information."
 
Sidhe politics? What is he talking about? "Your brother?" She queried as her brows furrowed. Ah, could it have been the one at the meeting? Kisku watched as Nabi headed to the door and she had the urge to hit him again on the shoulder, probably with more power unlike last time. "I'm not that emotional Nabi, only with certain people do I get like that." She huffed as she went over to the door while pushing him out the way. "If I have any questions, I'll ask him. I'll keep my mouth shut when I need to." She pushed the door open forcefully, and took a step outside.

Loerom was quiet, a few chatters here and there but the marketplace had finally died down. It was completely empty and the local bars have started to open up, the music filling the alleyways and a few stragglers have already made there way in. Kisku closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, finally calm from today's excitement. Ha, excitement? Guardians disappearing, abandoning their duty, secret hidden messages; if any of the civilians from the royal kingdoms heard this, there would be chaos. Enemies would dare now attack, rival kingdoms would go to war, and for the Royals? Sadly, their heads would be staked in front of the gates. Everyone would want a revolution and would push all the blame for the high rise of crime to the ones who rule them. She shook the thoughts out of her head, but they're not dead. They're very much alive.

Kisku opened up her eyes and gasped in surprise of the figure that stood before her. "Ah, hello!" She hesitantly blurted out to the Sidhe. How long has he been standing there? She wondered as she slowly took a step back, reaching a arm out to grab Nabi and to push him in front of her. She really couldn't handle awkward situations like this at all.
 
Nabi sighed as Kisku pushed in front of him. No matter what she says, she really is kind of hasty. But he could usually deal with the diplomatic end of things; thankfully, she had a fair amount of power, from what he'd seen, more than enough to augment his particular branch of power, which was all about trickery and hiding until a good opportunity presented itself.

As he followed Kisku out of the door, a light flare of power startled him. His head turned, almost of its own volition, to see his brother appearing in front of here, the remnants of his don't-look-here fading. He couldn't have been there for too long, as he was sure the king would have kept him in the castle for some time at least. As Kisku pushed him in front of her, he saw his brother's lips quirk upwards. <i>Idiot. He's never quite gotten the serious look down.</i> <b>"Alexandre Valois,"</b> he said smoothly, dropping into the low bow accorded to an aristocrat by a disinherited brother. <b>"I received your message, and regret I was unable to respond."</b> He straightened, head slightly tilted, and waited.

<b>"Étienne,"</b> his brother said as means of recognition, dipping his head. <b>"It's been far too long since we spoke at length, but I am afraid I must make this brief; Father insisted that I return to Lorienne before the night was over. Loerom isn't exactly safe for us right now."</b> He paused, glancing at Kisku. <b>"And you too, my lady. The elder Guardians' situation is not exactly as we reported it to the King, as you may have found. Last night, I was informed barely after sunset that the Guardians would not be coming; in their stead, the Cats volunteered to deal with it. However--"</b> Nabi caught a glint of anger in his brother's eyes. <b>"However, I apparently lack the security clearance to know the true reasons behind their absence. Father wishes to speak to you about the situation; he will be waiting for you and the lady."</b> He indicated Kisku with a nod. <b>"Any questions?"</b>

Nabi shook his head, then turned with a quirked eyebrow to Kisku. It shouldn't do any harm to ask now, as Alexandre didn't seem to be in the mood for his usual trickery. <i>But something about this is off. Cat's instincts-- I smell a rat. Father's up to something.</i>
 
Kisku slightly hid in the shadow of Nabi, eying the other Sidhe in front of him. Alexandre, is his name? She listened intently to how they conversed with each other. She made a wry face, disliking the entire direction where it was heading. She kept her tongue though, and nodded when Alexandre acknowledged her. She never interacted any other Sidhe besides Nabi, and considering how their conservation went between the two, she knew that Nabi has been treating her with true closeness despite if he made it apparent or not. They were brothers, and yet neither seem happy to be in one's presence. Nabi acted like he was speaking to a Royal Adviser or the King, instead of his own kind. Is this how an aristocratic family interacts with one another?

Spurring the thoughts from her mind, when Alexandre spoke to her, she realized both of them were now waiting on her response. "Oh," She stammered out, and instantly she bit her lip. The locket was still in her hand, their only proof the Guardians were alive. Instinctively, she crossed her arms behind her back, making sure Alexandre didn't notice it earlier. She looked away, off into the distance where the sun was now setting. The Guardians didn't aid the Sidhe. Why is that? Is this why they were secretive about everything? She looked into the eyes of Alexandre, trying to search for an answer though there was none. "We will be there." She continued to stare at Alexandre, though she knew that he knew nothing. Holding onto the locket tighter, confident that making the journey to the Royal Sidhe Kingdom of Lorienne will give her answers enough or hopefully another clue to where the Guardians have gone to.
 
Nabi bowed again as Kisku answered to Alexandre's request, a little belatedly hiding the locket. <i>He wouldn't have noticed earlier, and even if he did, he can't mention it because of etiquette. Though it might not be such a good idea to actually meet Father...</i> <b>"I concur,"</b> he said by way of answer. <b>"Many thanks for delivering this message, Alexandre. May tangled paths straighten before you."</b> While he wouldn't speak the Sidhe language because it would be rude to Kisku, he still had to obey conversational conventions. As a child, he'd been forced to memorize hundreds of conversational templates and idioms, all of which were fundamental to conversation in most parts of Sidhe.

His brother nodded curtly. <b>"May the stars light the way for you, Brother, and the Lady Kisku as well."</b> With a slight bow and a swell of power, he dissolved into a cloud of what seemed to be pollen, or perhaps only dust. Nabi's nose itched, and he resisted the urge to sneeze. As a child, his lack of resistance to allergy had been a surprising fault. <i>What an unpleasant mode of transportation.</i>

He turned to Kisku, ready to speak freely now that his brother was gone. <b>"I don't like it,"</b> he said abruptly. <b>"My father has never been helpful, and he would never give us information like that free of charge. He's got a dog in this fight, and he thinks I'm foolish enough to believe him."</b> He steepled his fingers, thinking. The Sidhe were essentially their only lead at this point, though. <b>"Kisku, what do you think? It's not like we have much of a choice..."</b>

Of course, he supposed the Cat's Court was an option. He was technically related to the current King, though only through one side of the family, so they wouldn't be harmed, and he'd spent years there, so he knew it well. But the Cats weren't friendly towards outsiders, and Kisku was just that. It was really more of a last resort.
 
Bowing her head as a farewell to Alexandre, she was in awe as he dissipated into the cloud. Amazing. Kisku was always envious of those who dealt with magic, though her strength was something to be amazed of, the idea of magic and someone able to control it has always profound her.

Turning toward Nabi as he spoke to her, she smiled a bit. He had every right to worry as much as he did now and though she didn't understand the relationship between his father and him, it was obvious to tell they weren't on good terms. She brought the locket to her neck once again, and hinged it back around as she sighed. They couldn't very well stay here anymore, Loerom was no longer their home, they were pretty much being thrown out. All they had left was this locket and meeting with Nabi's father. She shook her head, and tugged at Nabi's arm as she eyed him gravely.

"We have to go. I know you're worried but we can't wait anymore." She hesitated, before quietly starting again, "I know we're not the strongest and we might be falling into some type of trap but I promise I won't let anything happen to you. I'll protect you Nabi." Her grip tightened on him, "Besides, you're my only friend and my partner, I can't let anything happen to you!" There. I said it. She flushed a bit after that, a tad embarrassed as she realized her voice increased in volume.

"Kisku!" Breaking a serious moment as always, Szar was running towards the both of them, waving his large arms in the air. "There you are! What did the knights have to tell you?" Kisku instantly let go of Nabi's arm, and felt her face getting red even more. She glanced at Nabi, and quickly ran down the steps towards Szar. Maybe, it was a bad idea. I shouldn't have said that! Frowning, and deep in thought she quickened her steps.
 
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