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jancisstuff · 8 years ago

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The Dark Crystal - Awakening

*The impenetrable barrier of darkness hummed quietly at the door. Denz had kicked Astrelle in the chest and had pushed past anyone who had tried to stop him within his path, covering his escape. However, the De'bayles could sense that Denz was no longer retreating further than being outside. Nuarmac still blinked, his long beard frizzled from the commotion of his nephew's hasty flight.*

Armont 's weight shifted quickly as he leaned over to fetch his halberd from the pillar that it leaned against. "Grab your arms, all of you!" He demanded with a shout as he too began his quick sprint up the stairs to make chase after his brother. Jancis recovered from being pushed out of the way, losing her grip on Nuarmac's arm and hand. "Denz!" Not waiting for a plan, Jancis tries to follow, confronted by the barrier. Eyes staring at it a minute in her rush, her hand reaches out to feel at it, trying to see how powerful the barrier was and if she could convert it to another form.

Guillemont releases his grip on the older man, turning towards the aetherial barrier. He steps towards it, silently wiping his mouth. Suddenly, he turns and throws a heavy gauntleted punch at the man's gut. "You old fool!" Watching in some stunned fear; fear that her giving Denz this object had done this, Carina thinned her lips as a wave of determination came over her. Watching as the scene around here seemed to dissolve into chaos, the woman grabbed out her axe. Approaching Astrelle, she offered the woman a hand up to help her, "we have to save him from himself sister, if he cannot do it on his own..." she leers back over toward Nuarmac, who had just been punched so it seems. Astrelle reaches to rub at where Denz had kicked her, a scowl now adorning her features. As she recovered, her eyes widened at Guillemont's sudden aggression towards Nuarmac. She looks then to Carina, giving a firm nod and taking the offered hand to pull herself up before unholstering her long gun and clicking back the hammer. "Guillemont," she grunted as she stood, "enough." *Guillemont's strike was met unopposed, the old man doubling over the plated fist with a hoarse gasp. His vision was blurry with the tears of pain and the fading impression of his controlling nightmares. Blinking through it, he grimaced up at the headstrong cousin, more than willing to strike back before seething through his teeth.* "Save your strength, -boy-... I am not the enemy here." *He stepped away from the knight, shambling over to the barrier with a hand on his stomach, cane now serving more as a crutch. He watched as Armont 's spear flecked off measly scales from the powerful shield, placing a hand on it.* "This was... not meant to lock us in. I can feel a protective desire upon this aether, and it is certainly more potent than I would first guess." *He turned back to the younger adults, eyeing them carefully.* "If we are done placing blame, I shall open the path. If we are swift, we can stop Denz before he is overwhelmed. Otherwise..." *He sighs, closing his eyes.* "He will not be immediately lost, but I doubt he will remain idle while the darkness continues to gnaw away at him. Detain him, and we shall continue."

Guillemont turns his head to the side, spitting on the ground. His expression is mostly blank, but there is a fire behind his eyes. Walking closer to the barrier, he draws his zweihander. "Open the path then." Armont looked back towards his uncle as he thrust the bottom of his spear into the ground in anger. "Release us Uncle! I wish to not wait another moment within this basement!" He shouted once more.

Stepping forward toward the shield behind Armont , Carina readied her weapon tightly within her grasp. "It is easy to fall into chaos. It is harder, to remain balanced when fear chokes you. We must set aside our fear and anger to help Denz. Later, can we weep over the emotions that overcame us. Steel yourselves," she remarks out in a sort of eerie calm. There was a soft click as Astrelle's gun unlatched from her belt, her hand going back into her pouch to click on the siphon orb hidden within. With a flick of her wrist, it was once again attached and a soft, blue glow emanated from within her coat. She calmly walked beside her family and Jancis. She gave a simple, firm nod to Nuarmac and reached out a gloved hand to pat his shoulder. "We are ready," she muttered. "Detain." The word was hard on Jancis' throat as she repeated it. Her hair and eyes were still torn by the dream walk she had experienced, anger and concern still there in striving calming collecting breaths. "Wounds will heal after he is safe." *Nuarmac back standing up straighter, sucking in a light breath as he collected himself. Back to his full height, only slightly shorter than Armont did the Spiritual Leader of the De'bayles slam the tip of his cane into the ground. White aether gathered at the head, before a beam shot out to the dark barrier. The shield look unaffected, Nuarmac's face growing more and more strained as he focused greater amounts of aether into the attack. With a final roar, he grasped the staff with both hands and struck the shield with enough strength to shatter the barrier. The dark shells shatter like glass, falling to the ground before dissipating into wisps of smoke. The uncle fell to a knee, pointing his cane towards the entrance.* "GO!" *Before she could leave the room however, his cane halted Jancis momentarily.*

Armont quickly dashed forward as soon as the barrier had dropped. Not stepping once on the stairs, Armont would brace against the wall before him before shooting up to the doorway above. "Denz!" He yelled out in a dead sprint for the houses front door. "Do not think you can run from me!" reaches for her helm that she had attached to her waist for the time being. Fixing it on over her head properly, she swiftly made haste through the exit behind Armont . Guillemont runs through the door after the others, cautious not to poke them in the back with his sword in his closer pursuit. Astrelle shot a glance over Nuarmac, her cerulean gaze flicking over to Jancis. She hummed a quiet note before moving forward behind her twin, skipping every other step with a bound of her long legs. She chose to remain nearest Guillemont as they exited, her gloved hands tightly gripping her gun. The sight of the cane coming before her, clearly leaning forward, made the conjurer shuffle, mouth agape with surprise as the others rush through. Looking up at the elder, she listens quietly, hands closing around the parcel he gifts her. Touching his arm, she stays only long enough to squeeze and try to catch up, crystal tight on her chest as she ran. *Outside, the snow fell with a purpose, blanketing the horizon and almost hiding the fallen elezen in the yard. Denz's hair had fallen from it's ponytail, hands clutching at his head painfully. The sensation of his family closing on him stirred him from his forced meditation, letting out a panicked gasp.* "Gah! No! Stay back!" *He rose to his feet weakly, taking a half step before stumbling back to the ground, face turned back towards the family.* "D-don't..." *Through the snows, black and red aether began to swirl around him.*

Armont pursed his lips as he came to a halt after bursting through the door. With eyes locked onto his brother, even after hearing his plea Armont would give no quarter. "Stay yourself brother!" He shouted yet again, his feet now dug into snow as he motioned down for a jump. With one large stride forward, the mans own body soared through the air just ilms over the snow with polearm out. He did not aim to strike his down with blade or point, but rather knock him down or out with the center pole of his weapon.

Guillemont holds his sword between the horns of the blade and the guard, the tip pointed behind him. "Denz, just... Stay calm. We're going to take care of this. Take care of you." He takes a few cautious steps towards his sibling, muttering a quiet spell under his breath. A thin veil of aether covers him and the party, hopefully protecting them from harm to some degree. Standing back some as she watched Armont lunge toward his brother, Carina trekked around the duo toward the other side of Denz in hopes of blocking the easy exit. For now, she would let Armont face him. Carina did not wish to overpower the youngest brother in force, as the idea was not to hurt him. Though often times, things do not always work out as most would hope. Astrelle kept behind her twin, gloved fingers cradling the metallic sphere as she kept her eyes on Armont and Denz. She rolled a shoulder idly, watching with keen eyes. Jancis made it to the doorway, hearing Guillemont's clear words and also followed them herself. She kept her hands together on her chest, cradling the crystal in her flowing sleeves and arms and stayed by the door, trying to echo the calm. *The poleaxe swing was met solidly by a wall of dark aether, preventing the weapon from reaching Denz. The wall dispersed, the knight-errant stumbling backwards to his feet, lulling backwards from Armont , eyes wide in fear.* "I can hear them... Screaming in defiance. Daggers in my back... Falling. So much falling. They won't leave... I... " *He let out a strained yell, hands going back to his head. His tattoo pulsed with dark aether, wisps flitting into the air over his eyes. As he spoke out, his words distorted, the overlap of disembodied voices covering his own.* "I... am become... Darkness." *The shadowy aether plumed up around Denz, causing him to disappear within this pillar of darkness.*

Armont continued to point the tip of his halberd out towards the pillar of darkness as it consumed his brother. "Jancis, do you have anything to negate this shield that he has conjured?" He questioned, though stayed focused on the large shard of ice that he was forming at his weapons point. "I wish to attempt to break it, though I do not wish to kill my own blood in the process if found successful." Guillemont continues his slow approach towards his brother. "Keep control, Denz. You're stronger than this." He reaches out with his free hand as he draws near the pillar of darkness. "Lower the barrier, Denz. Lower it so we can finish what we started." Astrelle's siphon seemed to be picking up fragments of aether, the soft glow beginning to shift between various shades of red. She frowned as Guillemont moved forward, a thumb sliding across the metallic surface of the orb to flick it off; it wasn't meant to hold dark aether. Her gun raised at the barrier in preparation.

"I can try." Jancis' words came with action as she walked closer. It took a lot to simply walk over, trying to echo the calming. "Denz. We are all here for you." Her aether reached out. "Remember the water, it is much the same as this to move, no?" Her staff hit the snow, making a trail and sensing how deep and how high the pillar went, aether seeking across the barrier. "I will try to reach out." She was honest in her tactic, looking for a means for the wind aether to split through. *As soon as everyone drew closer to the pillar, it began to disappear, the column shortening and drawing closer to the ground. Once it reached the top of the knight’s head did it start to swirl around the rest of his body. His eyes were no longer painted with fear. Instead, they were a calculated calm, behind pupils stained red and swirling with their own energy. The smoke dissipated from his lower body, revealing a harsh raiment of armor, one that Denz had never worn before. His head turned slightly, before flexing his fingers up to his face.* “We can… feel… smell…” *An intake of breath came through his nose, the disembodied voices over Denz’s own now louder. His red eyes went over those gathered, one by one. Except Jancis* “And we see the last flickers of light for this damned family… I will disma-” *He let out a gasp, his face contorting through several different emotions: pain, frustration, panic, before settling on rage, his arm flicking out as he stepped away from Armont and Guillemont.* “WHERE IS SHE?! Where is the bitch that would have us excised?! You can’t hide her! We want her drowning in her own blood!” *His outstretched hand coalesced more aether, solidifying into the shape of a greatsword, taking up the weapon and pointing it at the two brother’s.* “Come! Show us how you fight for her, and your family!*

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Grunting out some within the metals of her helm, Carina yelled out toward her brother, allowing for the smallest wisps of aether to lace into her words as she at least /tried/ to see if her charmspeak might have any impact. "Denz! Try to find yourself within the all the pain! You must try brother! This not you!" she shrieked out. Armont was swiftly brought to a knee as he took aim as the top spike of his spear acted as the sights to this weapon he had in store. The snows around the end of Armont s weapon began swirling, forming a much larger spike of ice. Within moments of build up, his spears munition would begin coursing with a light blue aether before shooting out from his halberd, the kick back being enough to cause Armont to slide back in the snow some feet. "It shall not pierce armor, but act as enough force to knock him back! Act quickly brothers and sisters!" Guillemont shifts his grip on the sword, entering a guard with the point held between him and his younger brother. "There will be no blood tonight, brother! Control yourself!" He calls out, knowing full well the futility of his efforts.

As the shield lowered and revealed the now armored Denz, Astrelle's lips twitched uneasily. She began to move to the left, her finger sliding along the trigger guard of her gun while she stepped out from behind the two brothers to look at the youngest, a steely stare set upon him. She waited to see what would happen first, her weapon held at the ready. Jancis' eyes were solid, staying put, hearing the 'fake' voice that brought her such a nightmare. The thing she wanted to do more than confine to a crystal. And she also realized what small advantage she had for the moment behing unseen. Staying quiet, her eyes shifted about the packed snow for spots, traps. If she could wear down this form and subdue it leaving her love intact underneath. To find an opening to do as the uncle bid.

*The controlled Denz whipped his greatsword over his head with ease, winding up his sword to strike. Before he his sword fall though, several dark figures in Denz's silouette rushed out from him, each one swinging downward for a De'bayle. The one that went for Astrelle however was a feint, and suddenly, Denz was no longer in front of Jancis, but instead Astrelle, his armored hand going for her throat to attempt to raise her off the ground.* "Your siblings command such power... What toys do you play with at the heels of your superiors?" *In the unlikely event she could not react after his monologue, he would then follow up by stabbing into his stomach with his darkened greatsword.*

Astrelle's eyes widened as she felt the armored hand wrap around her throat, beginning to lift her off her feet. She stared down at her youngest in fear before her mind kicked back into action; hand still wrapped around the orb, she flicked it back on and quickly pointed her barrel towards the snow. "Toys I can actually control," she gurgled through the constricting air passage before her gun fired off her a blast of wind aether, hopefully shooting her from Denz -- or, at the least, knocking him onto his feet. She would, of course, take the second before it fired to place her foot against his chest in a hard kick to retaliate for earlier. Grudges and all.

Armont grunted as he looked to the shadow that held the arching blade before him. Bringing up his spear swiftly in retaliation, Armont gritted his teeth as he pushed metal against metal as his spearhead met the greatsword, locking in struggle. "The vessel of a thousand plus years of darkness, released at once..." He muttered out, pushing the shadows weapon back with all his might. Guillemont raises his sword, the phantom's weapon skating across his own and locking at the horns of the zweihander. The elezen releases his right hand from the weapon, drawing the arming sword at his hip and slashing it across the abdomen of the apparition. "Away with you!" He bellows. Jancis watches each split, staff arm coming up though none come for her, confirming her feeling. She was nearly invisible! For now. Seeing the change and the call, she moves towards Astrelle, taking a step back once she feels what is about to happen from the orb. *Denz would be blown back with a pained grunt, his defenses lowered in his showboating. Stumbling back from the kick, his voices growled in a rising chorus, sword held over his head before falling, sending a shock wave towards Astrelle, before turning on Carina. He leapt high into the air, winding his upper body sideways to strike horizontally for the hyur with immense force. The apparition Guillemont struck shuddered from the strike of his sword, the abdomen leaking aether. Whatever form it took, it could be disrupted. The bleeding shade hopped back, sending out a small bolt of dark aether, before dashing behind the blast with it's own uppercut. The silhouette parried by Armont went to strike for his shoulder, a hand reaching out for his helmet.*

Cleaving at the phantom in one great sweep, Carina was met with the figures darkened blade. Carina forced herself forward into it as her boots dug into the snow beneath her. "Damn it all... wh-" shoving the figure back with the force of her body. Snapping her attention back toward the actual Denz, the ferocious expression of her helm hid the shock as the watched the man leap and strike toward her. Moving her axe to act as some sort of shield from the oncoming hit, the sheer force behind it was enough to toss the woman off her feet and tumbling into the snow behind her. Off to the side, Joseph watched in fury as the youngest De'bayle attacked his Hyur, charging forward to ram his sharpened horns into the leg of the man was he was planted.

Astrelle fell back onto her feet, doubling over as she clutched at her throat, dropping the orb into the flurry of snow upon the ground. She staggered, catching a glimpse of Denz as he sailed through the air towards Carina - though she raised her gun to fire a true shot at her youngest sibling, the shock wave sent her flying backward and onto her back. She grunted in pain, rolling over to push herself back to her feet and reclaim her gun.

Guillemont sidesteps the bolt of aether, extending both blades in front of him and twirling as he does so - aiming a spinning strike with both weapons at the charging shade. Armont quickly rolled off to the side from the shades striking advance. Once at the shades side, Armont 's hands moved to choke the spear in hand, thrusting the point of it towards the shades ribs if able. Jancis tries to keep up, the flying form and other combat. The aether shades were far more powerful than she anticipated, watching Guillemont deal more than one blow at the creature. Realizing time was short, too far from Carina. She murmurs, an orb of water forming and flinging for Denz in the cold blizzard. She didn't know if he would expect it, or sense her aether. But the distraction needed. *Denz's strike against Carina came with a boisterous laugh.* "Ahahaha! Yes! Unleash your beast! We've want to cl-" *He let out a shout of pain as the behemoth's small form punctured his leg, sending his left foot back with the force and nearly making him trip. He rights himself, his other foot coming up to punt Joseph away. He raised his greatsword over his head to strike down for Carina.* "You'll have t-" *SPLASH! The knight's head gets drenched by the water orb Jancis threw, his sword swinging down to blindly let loose an aetherial slash in Jancis' general direction. The shade getting struck by Guillemont's weapons fell to a heap, dissipating as the real Denz's face twitched. He turned back towards Guillemont, face filling up with numerous emotions as he rushed for the knight, manically laughing.* "Spoil the surprise! There's more than -one- monster here!" *His blade swung horizontally to crash into Guillemont's side.*

*Armont 's shade was thoroughly skewered, the dark hand grasping at the shaft to try and pull it free, Denz's maniacal face once more faltering with pain.* Armont thrust forward once his spear was set in place. With a steady step forward the Elezen would heave the man up further onto his spear, lifting him into the air as he sunk the end of his polearm into the ground vertically. Gravity can take this one. The slash was loose, Jancis skirting off to the far side of it as the snow melted in its wake. She missed the flinch at her angle, worried more once again for Guillemont. "It is not my choice to imprison. You should be torn asunder and absorbed by Hydaelyn, back into the lifestream as it should have been centuries past." Her voice calls out in the snow. Quiet afterwards as she tries to circle around to another open part of the dilapidated field. Exhaling out a shaky breath as Denz's attention was redirected, Carina reached a clawed gauntlet out to latch back onto her axe. Pushing herself up to her feet, Carina moved over toward Joseph to see how he was, the creature mostly just huffing out angrily after being kicked. Guillemont fails to react in time, his brother's massive blade impacting heavily into his side. He digs his feet in to the snow, barely managing to stay on them. "A monster I may be, but I will not raise my blade against my brother!" He drops both weapons, trying to wrap the arm of the side that was struck around his brother's blade to immobilize it, and throwing a punch at the man's face with his other hand.

Astrelle rushes forward, bending low enough to scoop up her gun and siphon. She clips them back together and raises the barrel of her musket towards Denz once more. She waited for Guillemont's action and, when her twin reacted only in kindness, she sneered and released a shot of aether--now heavily drawing from Armont 's--to attempt freezing her youngest brother's shoulder in place. *The execution from Armont stunned the dark-filled Denz, even after his blade made solid contact with Guillemont. This gave his brother plenty of time to land his strike, and Astrelle's aetherial shot to encompass his shoulder. Denz stumbled back, his hands letting go of his sword as his various voices let out another rising shout. The sword left Guillemont's side, reappearing in Denz's hand.* "NO! WE WILL NOT RETURN TO THAT PRISON!" *The dark aether swelled around Denz one final time, before gathering into his sword, which stabbed into the ground and expunged a great shock wave of dark aether, weapons and silhouettes of past ancestors striking outward from within the wave in defiance in a display of unhinged power.*

Managing to be just barely within said shock wave as she helped her beast back up on his feet and brushed him off, Carina was sent blasting back. Thwacking against a nearby pillar, the woman sat against it motionlessly for the moment. Guillemont pulls the shield off of his back, holding it in front of his face and charging forward through the wave hoping that he would be able to push through it and tackle his brother. Armont looked to his brother as the wave began coursing out to the group. Retreat from an AOE was never one of Armont 's favorites, nor was it the DRG way of life. Time to tank that shit. Stepping forward towards it to jump into the air, Armont would dodge the attack. Astrelle watched Denz as he /unleash/ed a shock wave once more. Her orb quickly picked up as she aimed it towards Armont , judging his next move. She took a step back as the shock wave quickly closed distance before aiming her barrel down to the ground. She hopped with a grunt before releasing the wind aether from her musket, pulling at a contraption near the butt of her musket to up the power of the propulsion mechanism. She would sail over the shock wave, landing uneasily on her knees. Jancis braced herself for the aether wave, stones building in front of her to take the brunt of the punishment before pushing through, trying to get closer, Guillemont's protective aether leaving it easier to speak, hoping to draw the attention of the consuming dark aether, "You are the only monster here. My love has harbored you for far too long." *The swords, daggers, and spears cut where they could through on Guillemont, the aetherial blast striking his core and leaving him weakened in a different way other than physical. That did not halt the shield charge, however, and Denz, behind the shock wave of aether, was still recovering. The charge knocked him from his feet, catching a glimspe of the two De'bayles leap over his attack. Groaning, Denz roll onto his knees, head turning towards where Jancis' voice was, though he still couldn't see her, her voice muffled as well and hard to discern.* "You won't... get him... back..." *He bowed his head, the dark greatsword disappearing and reforming above Denz's head to promptly descend for his neck. Or back. It was a large sword.*

Snow kicked up as Jancis' worked to close the distance between them, going to push him out of the way of the falling blade, to push in him onto his back. Her free hand went for his shoulder, hoping to push Denz onto his back, her hand holding the crystal out to push against his forehead. It would hurt, the blade was sure to hit somewhere on possibly both of them, her eyes serious and form stiff to take the impact. She had to get the aim right, she had to. Astrelle's still pushing herself back to her feet, yo, so she can't do much in time except for look up and watch.

*Denz's face became one of pure shock as his vision was filled with Jancis' tackle, the hate and rage and darkness seeming to drift from his face even as his head struck the snow. The greatsword plummeted down, but instead of cleaving his neck, her tackle readjusted his body to where the greatsword cut deep into his left side, as well as Jancis' own right side, blood spilling from Denz's side as the aether was expended, and unable to resist the crystal being put against his forehead. Denz's face took on a look of momentary panic and pain, before staring endlessly into the sky. The ancient darkness swelled around Jancis' palm, burning like wind to her skin as it flowed into the crystal within her palm. It was like a dam being opened, except a thin sheet of ice blocked the river from flowing. Was the greatsword stabbing through her side into the earth going to prevent her from tipping this river into it's rightful prison?*

Tears burst into her eyes, blurring her vision in the cold. Her free left hand came up to help with her aim, planting on Denz's face to anchor her right hand, to keep it in place, to not be misled. Her voice cried out at the multiple sides of pain, pitched and high before it morphed into a thicker defiant call trying to block out the searing and gashing. The call caused a flash of aether on her form, the weak spell trying to mend the damage as it happened, to slow it down, to buy time. *The presence, healing, and defiance from the woman seemed to strike a chord in the nearly lost elezen, as that thinly veiled impediment broke between vessel and prison, the dark aether beginning to diminish around Jancis hand and into the crystal. The sword that had impaled both of them was next to disappear suddenly, letting free the blood from its massive cuts. Then the armor followed suit, disappearing and returning him to his former clothing. The dark aether could not cry out in hatred,in mourning or defeat, a silent end to this foul legacy as it continued to siphon into the crystal. The door to the manor had remained open, leaving Nuarmac's entrance rather quiet. He moved past Guillemont and Astrelle without a word or notice, striding over to Jancis. He placed his hand over her's, ensuring the dark aether was properly tunneled into the crystal, before pushing aside her hand to take up the crystal himself. Staring at it harshly, his voice came out with a slight shake.*

"You took away my daughter's future... Now, I've sealed yours." *He looked back towards the others.* "It is done. Gather up the wounded and bring them out of the cold. They shall recuperate here." *With that, Nuarmac moved back into the manor.* *Armont would move for Carina once her heard Denz was no longer in danger, picking her up to bring her back inside behind his Uncle.* Jancis resisted the movement at first, so focused she was on not losing Denz that her hand gave the older man part of a hard time before her strength waned. She barely made out his words, speaking only enough to try and close Denz's large wound, hand deep red in the effort.

Guillemont crouches down over the wounded pair, dropping his shield into the snow beside them. "Alright, let's uh... Let's get you inside." Carefully, he hoists Denz over his shoulders, one arm holding his brother's legs and the other holding his arms - the brunt of the weight being held on his upper back as he hunches forwards. "Gods, you're heavier than uh... Than I remember." He carries his limp brother back to his uncle's home, noting the blood in the snow behind him. "We'll uh... We'll have to get that patched up..."

Astrelle moves forward, watching Guillemont pick up the youngest sibling. She frowns with some concern before striding over to Jancis and looking over her side with a cursory glance. "Come," she muttered needlessly, carefully grabbing the woman beneath the arm and slowly hoisting her up above her shoulder to begin walking her towards the manor behind Guillemont and Denz. "Denzel would never forgive me if I left you out here.." Jancis, barely conscious gives in to the simple pain of just being moved after such exhaustion of traveling, dreaming walking, and wounds. "Th-" Overcome, even though Astrelle had endured so much of the same this night, the words of gratitude end aburptly with a stifled breath and giving into unconsciousness.

Guillemont collects his armaments, sheathing his swords. Still somewhat weakened from taking the hit from the wave of dark aether, he stumbles slightly as he trudges through the snow in to the distance.

Denz De'bayle @darkknightsbread Armont De'bayle @halone-from-the-otherside Guillemont De'bayle @ishgardianknightblogging Carina De'bayle @carina-debayle Astrelle De'bayle Jancis Milburga Nuarmac De'bayle @darkknightsbread

Jun 14 2017

#Denz De'bayle #Armont De'bayle #Guillemont De'bayle #Carina De'bayle #Astrelle De'bayle #Jancis Milburga #Nuarmac De'bayle

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carina-debayle · 8 years ago

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The Hunt for Air Crystals: Trouble with Goblins

Log Date: 5/19/17

OOC Note: The text in these logs are strictly for the readers enjoyment. Anyone using the knowledge displayed within this text without the participants knowledge risks the potential of blacklisting from future communication and roleplay. Please do not meta-game!

Tags: @halone-from-the-otherside

Approaching the cave entrance after having stopped by Quarry Mill for extra supplies, Armont and I scanned the outside of said cave before slowly entering. We had a goal in mind: finding a specific catalyst for Hestia’s medication. It would not cure her, nor might it even give her any sort of lasting relief, but as a mother it was all I could do to make my baby’s life better...

"The should be the right one, if I studied the geography here correctly... not that I do not know the Shroud geography of course!" Carina scoffed out, squinting down at her map before eventually tugging out her reading spectacles to look over it better.

Following just behind his wife and off to the right, Armont would soon slow his pace as his wife's did. As she pulled out the map, the taller Elezen would lean over to peer down at the map, his eye darting from its landmarks to his wife's face. He had this horrid feeling that his wife was not good with directions, moreso reading a map, but he had to hold some faith in her. "How far in rests the crystals we need for Hestia?" He asked as a thunder and lightning crackled behind them, though the cave remained somewhat silent for the moment.

Grimacing with every strike, but managing to keep her cool with the loud sounds, Carina let out a few deep breathes. "Crystals are typically found deep within these caverns. We will have to venture in rather deep. Though the crystals aren't too uncommon, we simply need them is cluster is all," she nods, beginning to march forward. "At least there isn't a lot of beast tribe activity around here... outside of Goblin camps but, they typically keep to themselves," she waves a dismissive hand.

The man nodded as he pulled the spear from his back to use as a walking stick. Once the two had reached a certain point within the cave, he'd bring his free hand up to unfasten the eyepatch to take it off. Tucking it away with a few blinks as the deep glowing crimson began looking forward, he'd nod towards her. "Aye. With any luck this will be a simple walk in and out." He pursed his lips in thought. "Carina, dear, what color of crystal are we looking for?"

"This particular cluster is a wind one, so green," Carina murmurs out, rolling her map and storing it away into her satchel. Occasionally kicking a few rocks beneath her boots, the woman glances around with a blink at the dark walls, Joseph wandering at her feet. After a few moments of the cavern darkening, she tugged out a small lantern, dropping a small fire shard within it as it combusted into a flame. "At least the thunder is harder to hear he-" as if on queue, a thundering crash was heard that echoed throughout the cave. Startling the poor Hyur, Carina dropped her lantern as it rolled away from her some, squatting down as she covered her head, "ah! Ah..." she mumbles out to herself, her face scrunched up some as she waited a moment to compose herself. Breathing in and out, she eventually stood back up to her feet and marched over to snatch back up the lit lantern. "That was far too close to be thunder..." she says out in almost a whisper, beginning to quickly walk back toward the entrance of the cave. In their venturing deeper, the duo had passed some other tunnels, choosing to keep a straight path. Once at the 'entrance' Carina was taken aback to find the entrance sealed shut with stone, "wha... what happened?!"

Armont De'bayle blinked as he watched his wife drop the lantern, staggering himself some as his hands moved out to stabilize himself in a readied manner. Once the woman leaned forward to pick up the lantern, he would hold a hand out for it. Soon mounting it on the end of his lance as he held it out forward, his gaze would soon narrow as it met the stone entrance. "Perhaps the 'thunder' that we had heard was the work of the goblins that you speak of, and this boulder is the result of that boom." He sighed while reaching out to graze his hand against the coarse rock. "Shall we venture down another path or can you split this rock with your axe?"

"I fear I did not bring my axe with me, as I had many other tools to carry with me in order to mine for this crystal, and it was would have been too much to carry even for me. Seems we will have to seek out another path," she grumbles out, poking a finger to her glasses to slide them farther up the bridge of her nose. "Goblins..." she glances down at the rocks, noticing their broken form. "These do appear to have been caused by explosives... no frying from thunder," sighing, Carina ran a hand through her messy hair with a huff, "well, we have two other tunnels we can venture down... however, we may not be alone. So we should more than likely proceed with caution. If there truly are Goblins in here, they are more than likely treasure hunting."

"If they view us as beings who hold treasure, the only treasure they will find is a spear erupting through their chests." Armont huffed out while turning to point the lantern towards one of the other routes. "Does this look promising to you?" Armont asked, his crimson eye flickering down the narrows as it's vision cut through the dark. If the woman looked to him, she would notice the red eyes slit had grown from the exposure to darkness, allowing him to see better than most in it.

"Mmm..." the woman thinned her lips out, her eyes looking between the three paths, "well... there is no best way, but one way will lead to what we came for and our potential exit. Whether we find unwanted visitors is to be seen..." Stepping forward, the Hyurs smaller footsteps echoed around them as they began down the darkened tunnel, her stare occasionally turning to look toward Armont’s crimson eye.

"Should we check if there is any moving air then if we are to progress down this path? If the air is still, it likely does not have an exit." Armont stated, but continued down the path next to his wife. "Another... Another question on the crystals. Do they, glow?" He questioned silently and softly over to her.

"It depends on how strong their aether is," she mumbles out, reaching to tug her glove off and lick two of her fingers. Reaching a hand up she felt for air. "Large clusters tend to glow, however depending on how small it is, it might not, or it might be very faint… I feel a light breeze, this seems like it could be the right way... or it might lead into a more open cavern. We will have to see," she nods, her eyes lingering back onto her husband, "I am sure we will noticed though, if we see the crystals."

Nodding towards his wife, the man would continue on next to her. Bringing a hand to be placed onto her shoulder, his spear arm extended out further to light the path ahead of them, though this was done moreso for her, as he could see further than the light portrayed. "Aye. Tis the boon we get for walking in the dark and looking for glowing clusters."

"I would certainly say that is more on the lucky side," she laughed, "more lucky than the current situation we're in..." smiling up to the man, Carina stops short as her foot stepped on something. Glancing down, she spotted a long metal wire, "huh..." lifting her foot, a loud snap was heard as a swoop net came swinging down, snatching Carina up with it. "Ahhh!" she shrieked out as the net lifted her up toward the slightly widened ceiling of the tunnel they were travelling down.

"Pshhhh shkoooh, simple Uplander. Toungeflaps give away your location," came the echoing voice of an obvious intruder. Waddling up on a higher perch, a single Goblin was waving their long feet about in a shake. "Psssshhhk, tall one, leave your metalcovers and your small-lander will be released."

Looking up as his wife was suddenly casted up violently to the ceiling, Armont would shake his head after listening to the Goblin. "Nay, mine armor shall stay on I am afraid." He boldly stated before his eye erupted with red aetherflow. Soon lightning himself, the man would leap up in attempts to not only cut the wire with the tip of his lance, but catch her with his free arm in the same breath.

"Northlander don't!!--psshhhkkk" the Goblin wanders back as Armont swiftly jumped up, the net snapping from the blade of his spear. Carina let out a grunt as her husband tugged her into his arms, having already been making her own efforts to escape the binds. Falling from her, both her dagger and spectacles clanked against the stone beneath them, one not surviving the fall. "Pshhhkkk, we will get armour tall-one! Skooooohhhh!"

Armont grunted towards the goblin as he gracefully landed with wife in arm. Placing her down with a peck on the cheek, he'd lean down further to hand her the knife that fell. "You should watch your step my lady." He taunted in a playful tone as he handed her over the lantern to hold. "They look to my armor for scrap I assume, yes? That is what Goblins need most in their lair."

Gritting her teeth some, Carina took the dagger back, shoving it into its sheath at her back. "It is a bit dark I fear... but I certainly will be far more cautious now," looking up, the Goblin appeared to be nowhere in sight. "Mmm... Goblins, well yes they like junk as much as they like treasure. They would probably melt it down to use it build their machinery- AH!" crouching down, Carina scooped up her broken spectacles, "weh... just my luck," she whined out pathetically.

Joseph lingered in the darkness a bit behind them, without Carina's direct orders, he felt no inclination to act much unless absolutely necessary.

"A-are you going to be able to continue on without those?" It wasn't like she was going to need them in the dark to read anyway... Beginning to walk forward some to scout out the area ahead, Armont shook his head some as he turned to look back to his wife. "Do you think they would be willing to trade?"

"It will be fine," she sighs out dishearteningly, "I will just have to get them repaired now. A trade? Hmm..." poking the broken glass out of her spectacles, Carina held onto the bent frames. "Perhaps. They have little desire to kill, as much as they do collecting junk. If we make it worth their while, I am sure we can get out without any more issues."

"Aye, I see no reason to kill something that seems to not wish to kill us as much as just wanting metal. Should we... yell out for them? Ask for a trade?" He said to his wife as she mourned over her glasses.

Raising the bent frames up to her face, Carina waved them some, "how about we lure them out?" she smirked.

Moving farther into the tunnel, and making sure to take extra care as to watch her step, Carina and Armont eventually entered into a wider cavern. Within the cavern were some softly glowing green crystals, littering the walls, "ah!" Carina spoke out some, tossing the spectacles to Armont, "lure them out with these and..." she looked up, the sound of thunder far more prominent though the caverns small ceiling opening. "They are more than likely in here, and they will probably not leave us alone. I am going to mine for the clusters, see what you are able to do!"

Armont caught the bent glasses with a hand. Nodding in agreement with his wife, he'd venture out into the center of the cavern to shout. "We are here for a few good lumps of the green crystals that glow about these paths. If you wish to trade metal for rock, I would be more than willing to part with some of our metal in exchange." He said loudly, turning to speak once more. "You all have likely melted down poor metals once before, but what if I offered you Ishgardian Steel?"

"Psshhhh khkooooohhh..." the heavy sound of muffled breath could be heard in some mass as a few dozen different Goblins came out from within the shadows, "northlander metal? Psshh, what trade, what want?" the groups of Goblins waddle some, their floppy feet slapping against the stone loudly.

Armont had a certain glimmer in his eyes at their curiosity. Soon tossing over the glasses which were made from the same metal as an initial gift of friendliness, he'd motion over to where his wife stood to point at the glowing rock that she was mining out. Tossing one over to them as well, he'd return back to the middle with a content expression. "There is no need to cause harm, when we could make a deal and avoid any bloodshed. I have more metal than that, as you can clearly see, so what say you? A few large clusters for a bit of mine armor?"

Murmuring amongst one another, a single Goblin stepped forth. One far more ornate than the others, "Pshhhkkk, Kobblepot Steamflappers does not trust northlander! Take tall-one, take metal shell!" they ordered out. Bolting forward, the group of Goblins ignored the spectacles Armont tossed out toward them, rushing forward toward the man with wired rope in hand to tie the man up.

The man was swift to react towards their advance as he began to unbuckle the shoulder plate on his right shoulder, he'd hand it over to one of them with a smirk, the shoulder plate taking the place of the wire. "One more advance and you lose a business partner. You wish for treasures and metals? Who says this needs to be the last trip we take out into these mines?" He questioned, ensuring his tone was firm as he spoke to them.

Halting their movements with a skid, the Goblins panicked between one another. "Northlander would kill! Would kill, ruthless tall-one! Pshhhh!" they cried out, snatching up Armont’s shoulder plate, "all metal! All metal!"

"And yet I stand without weapon drawn unless in the defense of mine own partner. Would you wish to stand by your false words any more, or do you wish to trade?" His words sounded more impatient, perhaps a tactic to be used to pressure them into understanding or following through with the deal.

"No trust Northlander! Like to deceive! Think they are better than Kobblepot! Pshhhh Shkkooooofff...." the leader cursed out, "want tall ones metal! We not care of small one!"

"I offer my shoulderpad for the time being. The armor I wear -may- be offered if you pull your allies back while we discuss. Is that not fare? Or shall we continue with what we are doing while I either deal with you lot or we continue on?"

Grumbling out, the leader turned back toward his gang, mumbling in hish tones, as the others scattered into the darkness, "quickly Northlander, we have not much time to waste, pshhhh."

Armont would walk up to the leader of the group, though leaving enough room to react if there were any ill-willed movements made against him. Extending the hand out that held yet another glowing shard from the cave, he'd look back up to the head. "How much of this do you possess?"

Letting out a muffled breath, the leader wiggled his overly weighted head up toward Armont, "as much as we need North lander, pshhhhkkk small one mined much while you stood, refusing to give metal!" he scoffed, motioning a shovel toward where Carina was.

Shoving the last of her cluster into her satchel, the woman was swiftly cornered by Goblins, "shiiii...hello! I do not have anything... of any spectacular value one me," she offered out cheesed smile, one of the Goblins shoving a gun to her face, "o-oh that's not necessary!" she laughed out nervously. Once securely her pack, she brought a hand out to her mouth, "Armont! I think it's about time we left!" Ducking down, Carina swiped a leg out toward the beastman, attempting to knock it off it's large dangly feet and snatch its gun from its grimey hands. Letting off a shot that managed to barely miss the Hyur, Carina yelped some as the Goblin hopped up and onto her head, them all following in a sort of strange dogpile. "Gahhh, come on!"

Armont De'bayle sighed heavily as he lightened his body with haste. In a split second's notice, he'd jolt forward with great speed, snatching his shoulder plate from the Goblins hands before attempting to knock him out with it if able. "Perhaps we should, aye!"

Motioning its hands away, the Goblin yelled out, "no! No taking back! North lander give this metal to us!" though it was far too late, as the shoulder pad was snatched from its hands. Choosing to retreat into the darkness, the Goblin whistled out for its partners, "bring small lander and her tools!" the leader ordered out.

Struggling from under the weight of at least three or four other Goblins, Carina managed to slide her way from under them, bolting in the direction of Armont with an arm stretched out. "Arrgg--grab my hand!" she cried out, the Goblins all hopping forward once more to latch onto her legs.

Armont De'bayle reached out to take her hand tightly as it was extended out. Soon the woman would feel her body lighten against Armont’s touch as the man attempted to rip her back towards him, though with not enough force to do any damage to her and only knock off what goblins were tethered to her. "Come! We move swiftly!" He shouted.

Being tugged into him, the woman's cheek smacked into his armour somewhat harshly, though not enough to injure her despite the force, thankfully. Grumbling some, she rubbed a hand to her stinging cheek before motioning a pointed finger back, "Armont! Is the ceiling to high for you to-" she stopped. Joseph! Right, where was he again. Standing by the damn entrance, "Jo! You could have done something!" she yelled out, the Goblins rushing forward toward them. Looking back to his Hyur with an annoyed stare, the beast finally made his move forward, rushing between the pair to poke his horns out toward the oncoming Goblins, making them skid on their path.

Armont De'bayle knew that the little purple blob of shit was going to stab him for this, but he quickly leaned down to grasp onto Joseph tightly along with Carina. Taking a crouching pose for a brief moment, his eye would flare dangerously as he dumped aeromancy into the trio before leaping out of the cave. Soaring a bit higher than needed, the three would soon touch ground with the top of the cave lightly, Armont quickly dropping Joseph to avoid any wrath, and watching him for anything coming.

Letting out a loud shriek as the trio launched into the air, her hands desperately holding to her satchel and to her husband's arm, Carina found herself a bit on the more frazzled side as they landed. "I-I will never get used to that..." she murmured out, her hair messier than usual as the cries of upset Goblins could be heard from the top opening. Growling out in anger, Joseph huffed out as he walked away from Armont, moving away from the group to find an edge that would lead back toward the original entrance.

"Well my lady, twas not the outcome I foresaw, but it is one I will take nonetheless." His eyes looked saddened as they drifted back to the hole. Taking the shoulder pad he had pressed against his chest tightly, he'd toss it back into the cave they jumped out of. He was silent for a moment, but under closer inspection, Carina would notice that he hand a clenched fist held tightly against his chest. With it, was a smile. "...So the world will know the might of Ishgardian Steel..." He mumbled to himself, a glimmer in his eye as he said it.

Offering her husband a plain, unamused expression, the woman shook her head, "I hardly think the Goblins will put it to good use dear. Let us head home, I have the clusters for Hestia’s medicine," she smiled, brushing off her outfit. "Oh an Armont."

"Hm?" He questioned, looking to his wife with a pleased expression himself.

"I took a test earlier today, a special mix of alchemic properties that- er, well, anyways..." the woman moved over to him, tapping her knuckle to his gauntlet, "it's official! I'd say you're going to be a Papa, but you already are," she offered him an endearing smile.

Halting his motions as he heeded her words and heeded them well, the woman would soon find her husband upon her. Wrapping his arms under and around her arms, he'd scoop her up into a strong hug as he held her in the air. He was speechless, extremely happy with their family.

Laughing out happily as the man rather easily snatched her up into a hug, Carina wrapped her arms to the man's neck as she pressed a kiss to his cheek. Feet dangling in a rather silly fashion, Carina patted a hand to Armont’s head, "let us head home, we've had enough adventure for one night! Though it was exciting, perhaps we should go adventure hunting more often?"

"Aye, we certainly have a weapon to finish. Just the two of us."

#Journal #Armont De'bayle

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darkknightsbread-blog · 8 years ago

Text

Reunion of the Wanderer

Denz sought a remedy for a problem of his, seeking far and wide for a solution. Finding himself in the deepest recesses of Limsa’s housing districts, Denz is stopped by a familiar presence, one he had not sensed in years...

The wayward De'bayle prowled the streets of the Mist, going off rumours and directions given to him by half-inebriated Lominsians about where he could acquire some… “special goods.” Following his haphazard directions, he found himself in a back alley in the housing district, facing down a robed figure. Denz narrowed his eyes, calling out “The locks flourish once more.” The man bowed, reaching into his pocket while cackling. “Aaaah, a soul in need of succor. Fear not, for -this- is all that you need.” The older man withdrew a potion, Denz sucking in a breath and closing the distance swiftly. “Finally…” Reaching out to grasp the neck of the vial in his hand, his empty reaching for a gil pouch before he froze. A feeling, nearly fleeting in it’s presence, brushed upon his mind. A softer presence, one who reflected that of his mother in many ways, but still remained apart from her. His voice came out breathless. “Astr-…” His voice faded as he dropped the vial, liquid spraying out as it shattered and the man yelled out! “MY HAIR GROWTH POTION!” Denz pushed past him, indirectly dropping his decoy gil pouch on the ground as he rushed off in the direction of the mental beacon, colliding with alleys and stone walls as he struggled to make his way towards it. Towards his long-departed sister.

Within the lobby Astrelle De’bayle stood, eyes staring unfocused at the door that would lead her up to her apartment. The three at the front desk all looked at her strangely, brows raised as she continued to stare straight at the door, long fingers already curled around the handle. Something at the back of her mind nagged and begged for her attention - something familiar and all-at-once distant; a presence she had not felt in many, many cycles. The nearby Roegadyn Mender took charge, slowly leaning in and tapping a fat finger to the woman’s shoulder. “Ye alrigh’ lass?” she croaked uncertainly, tossing a glance back at her fellow co workers. They all shrugged and urged her to continue to pester the woman who seemed unaffected by the poke. Again the finger came and Astrelle turned on her heel, rounding on the Roegadyn with a flat expression. They stared then, long into each other’s eyes in complete silence before the Elezen female raised a finger up to her lips, hushing the Roegadyn before she speak up again. “Go,” she murmured in a low, commanding tone, pushing past the Mender and to the doors leading outside, flinging them open as she stepped into open streets of the Mist and turned cerulean eyes along the road to scan warily; but excitedly.

Denz came barreling down the path towards the apartment building, seeing the doors open and that signature light that came off a person who also bore their tattoo. Denz failed to let his eyes break away from the figure, trying to garner her appearance before colliding face first into a street lamp pole. His visioned lit up with a loud clang and a yelp, before blurring as Denz stumbled to the ground in pain. Yep… That was her brother alright.

The moment Astrelle set her eyes upon his glowing form, she knew– it was a brother of hers. The corners of her mouth tugged into a small smile; strained but happy, she squinted to determine which it was before the figure ran face-first into the pole and collapsed to the ground. “Denz,” she sighed, striding over to the man with a quick but measured step. As she arrived over his body, she examined him in silence before extending a helpful hand for him to grasp. “Hello, Denz.”

Denz held his gloved hands to his eyes with a groan, feeling her draw closer, blinking harshly in her direction to better ascertain her form. At first glance, Denz didn’t appear all that different. His hair was still poorly styled and fell in a short cut over his head, the same boyish look he had so many years ago, but closer inspection would show he had actually grown significantly in size. Getting to a knee, and taking a hit that should’ve knocked most people out, his endurance was reinforced by the built frame he now had. Blearily taking the hand, his fingers were no longer the soft, piano-playing, book-reading articles he once hand, pulling himself up without relying on her. He was taller than her now. He actually looked like a respectable young man, and the scar that was covered half his cheek had shrunk to only a reminding of that dark day. His forehead was red with growing pain, but he shook it off as he looked upon the woman with clearer eyes. “A-Astrelle…” Those eyes quickly misted with water, looking over her sporadically. “Wh-what are you doing here?”

A quiet grunt escapes Astrelle as the man pulls himself up by her hand, the woman’s weight shifting slightly to counteract the pull. “I..” she began, looking over his features with fascination; a soft noise escaped her, catching in her throat as she fully began to realize the reality of the situation and how real the man in front of her was. “..I am glad to see your head is still just as thick,” she managed to speak finally while forcing a chuckle out, her emotions flooding from her wordlessly in quiet tears. She herself looked different; it seemed that the recent years had been unkind to her. Deep lines along her mouth and dark bags beneath her eyes betrayed the lack of sleep she was allotted, and a faint scar ran along the sigil on her forehead - one that would be unfamiliar to any within the family. She gave him a wry smile and folded her arms beneath her modest bosom.

Denz blinks away his own tears, rolling his discomfort from his shoulders as he let out a struggled laugh as well. “A-aheh, well… The Dragonsong War does that to you.” He raises his eyebrows. “How long have you been back? Have you heard….” Denz tilted his head, curious to see what she knew about… everything.

Deep cerulean eyes studied him for a long silence, the tears fading as her face set into a scrutinizing look. “..nearly a moon,” she replies, raising a hand to wipe at her cheeks. Using the flannel wrapped around her waist to dry her hand. “I have no news of Ishgard, if you mean to ask me. I know only of the ins-and-outs of Vylbrand fishing market.” She sets him with a studious gaze, her jaw set firmly. “Is there news I should be made aware of?”

Denz lets out a gasp, hands coming out to his sides. “W-Is there?!” His own fingerless gloves come up to his face, rubbing away the tears that were still present. “By Halone, sister, th-” He paused, the title strange on his lips, but he tilted his head, continuing. “There… is so much I wish to tell you. Would… would show you-” He gestures upward to his tattoo, before holding out a hand hastily. “B-but it would mean more to simply have you see everything yourself!” He turns, placing a hand on his chin in thought before beginning to pace. “There’s Ishgard, the War, Jancis…” He turns back around. “A-ah, and of course, seeing Armont and Guillemont as well.” He gestures out to her. “His own journeys ended not too many months ago, and he has since reconvened with us, and Armont…” Denz trails off, letting out a breath with wide eyes. “We’ve… all been through much, hardly recognizable if not for the sigil emblazoned on our heads.”

Astrelle nods, giving Denz a long once-over. “I had noticed,” she remarks, her voice hitching slightly as the tears threaten to flow from her eyes once more in a mixture of pride and shame. Gulping down her emotions, though they may still be picked up on by the man. “It seems there is much to fill me in on,” she sighs, brushing a long hair from her view. “I am glad that Armont and Guillemont are well; I, too, have stories to tell.. though I am surprised to see you here of all places.” Her brow furrows. “Pray, tell me at least what brought you here, brother. We can get up-to-speed soon, but.. /why/ are you in the Mists?”

Denz opened his mouth to speak, before all that came out was a strained throat noise in hesitation. “A-eh….” He looks to the side, before his hand started running along his scar. “I… was looking for a certain… remedy to a problem of mine.” He blinks, realizing his poor wording. “I-I mean, hair growth! On my /head/! I lost… most of it recently and…” He sighed, hanging his upper body for a moment. “I just… wanted to consider all my options.”

The woman fixed Denz with a long, calculating stare before a single brow lifted. Her eyes flicked to examine the short, boyish cut of his hair; her lips twist into an uncertain frown. “A hat,” she suggests in a matter-o-fact tone. The frown dissipates and turns upward, an endearing smile forming now. “..though it is nice to see it has not changed much, Denz.” Giving a small sigh, she moves to wrap her arms around the man in a brief hug, careful not to hit herself against the sturdier or pointier parts of his armor. “I have an apartment if you wish to come in. I had been about to enter when I ..” she brings a hand to her forehead, allowing a long digit to rest on the mark there.

Denz sucks in a breath as she wrapped her around around him, before the plated shoulder pads and parts of his sleeve clinked to wrap around her as well. It was an honest hug, tight and emotional as Denz had always given, before letting her go. “I… would be honored to join you.“ He gestures an arm out, allowing her to take the lead.

Astrelle leads them silently through the lobby and up to the final floor, the door just before the end of the hall where she stops. Digging into her pocket for a set of keys, she unlocks the door and steps inside, ushering her brother in. "It is sparse,” she admits with a sigh, looking around the nearly empty apartment – room, more like. “It has served my needs while I am here. Sit where you care to.” She moves to the center where the lone Doman set-up is placed, kneeling before it with a forlorn look. Swiping auburn hair and tucking it behind a long ear, she sets Denz with a tired smile. “Would you care for water, Denzel?”

Denz walked in, taking the word sparse lightly until seeing just how little his sister had to work with, stopping with a throat noise and looking about. “By Halone, Astrelle…” He saunters in slowly, head swiveling as if expecting to find something more. “I thought -I- was living a minimalist life, before…” He sees her sit down, following suit and unraveling his sheathed greatsword from his back, laying it against the ground as he lowered himself to a sitting position. “Water is…” He tilts his head with an endearing smile. “Wonderful.”

The woman’s lips twitch but she manages to keep her expression calm; it seems her lack of decoration and furniture does bother her just a bit. “It is good for thinking,” she shrugs, leaning over to take a large jug from the table and pour it into one of the two cups she has. She leans further to place it on Denz’s end, pouring one for herself and settling back with legs folded beneath her. “It is good to see you again.”

Denz settles in politely, leaning against one leg as she poured his water. He nodded his thanks once it was filled, taking it into his hands to sip upon it. He smiles as the container left his lips. “You as well… The last time we saw each other is not a fond memory, and I’ve prayed for years now that that might change.” He clears his throat, setting his water on the table. “But, I am an open book. What would ask of you me?”

Astrelle’s brother’s upfront nature isn’t unfamiliar, though she does seem to flinch at his mention of their last meeting. Her eyes avert from him, peering at the only thing adorning her walls as she takes a long swig of water. “There is much I feel I should ask,” she admits, hesitant in her speech. After a long moment of consideration, she trains her eyes back on him. “What of Ishgard?”

Denz lets out a humored scoff, widening his eyes for a brief moment. “WELL…” He clears his throat. “The Dragonsong War is over. ” He let that statement stick for a moment, eager to see how she would react.

“Over?” Astrelle repeats. It would appear that she is awaiting his confirmation, her hands placing the cup down gingerly though they quickly find their way back to it, fingers wrapping around securely in search of something to hold; blue eyes widening in surprise. “Surely you jest, Denzel.”

The youngest De'bayle’s eye twitches ever so slightly at the use of his full name, but he breaks through it with a smile. “‘Twas not but a year and a half ago did Ishgard open it’s gates to the Eorzeans. After their triumphs against their numerous primals and the Warrior of Light spearheading the efforts, Nidhogg drew his final breath upon the Steps of Faith.” He placed a hand on his chest. “I was on the bridge, fighting with the armies. We couldn’t see the battle but we saw the intense flares of aether, the shouting and cursing of the dread wyrm, and then… A beautiful discharge of energy, and the glowing silhouette of Nidhogg drifting heavensward.” Denz’s eyes grew bright telling the story, clutching his fingers into a fist before looking back at Astrelle. “A thousand years, sister… and now we’re free.”

Astrelle listens with intent, her ocean-blue eyes fixed on Denz as he recounts the events that seem so farfetched to Astrelle. If those emotions were felt through their connection, it would be the only way of discerning a proper reaction; she gives a simple nod as he finishes, taking another sip of her water and placing the cup gently in her lap. “That is good,” remarks her low, calm voice. “I am glad to hear that Ishgard will now know peace. I assume the Archbishop has begun to change the policies then, if the draconians are no longer a threat.”

Denz holds up a hand. “E-er…” He rubs the back of his neck. “There… is more change than you would imagine.” He sucks in a breath, returning his gaze to his sister. “The Archbishop died a traitor, seeking to use aether and power beyond his means. The Warrior of Light was forced to slay him and our Most Holy Heavens Ward.” Denz grit his teeth at this, before losing his stress. “The… clergy as a whole was brought into question. There have been many secrets kept from us, the greatest of them being that /we/ began this war. Our first sin, stealing the eyes of Nidhogg’s consort and enraging the dragon into an endless frenzy that would only end with every ishgardian burned.” He holds out his arms. “The Vault is practically empty, our people have been losing their faith, yet throughout all of it, our Knight-Captain Aymeric sought to lead the forefront of change. The High Houses and the minor nobility now make up the House of Nobles, and the most notable of the low-born, the merchants, Brumesmen and caretakers make up the House of Commons that now dictates our republic.” Denz halts his explanation, give Astrelle a moment to soak that all in.

“It seems,” Astrelle sighs as she leans forward, placing her half-empty cup onto the small table, “that I have missed much.” The faint lines around her mouth deepen as she purses her lips in thought, eyes closing as she absorbs the information. It was good that she spent so long from home, it seems, as though it is a shock to her, it is nothing that she cannot process. Allowing herself a few moments to register his words, she gives a small nod. “I did not ever think there would be a day when the low-born would have voice in Ishgard.” She sucks in a breath and releases, fingers tapping idly against her halfslops. “That everyone should have voice is good; perhaps the future will allow Ishgard to transgress for their sins. The War..- ah, what I mean to ask is if there are any dragons left?”

Denz nods his head. “… We actually did not end this war alone. Yet again thanks to the Eorzean Warrior of Light, Nidhogg was brought low by the combined strength of the Warrior and his own kin, Hraesveglr. We… have peace with the dragons, those that are not tempered to Nidhogg’s rage, at least.” He chuckles, leaning back to look at the ceiling. “I’ve actually worked for those dragons, and while they’re stubborn in their ways, they were ready for peace as well.” Denz looks back down at her. “So, aye, there’re plenty of dragons remaining, though since we’ve achieved peace, they must also recuperate from their own losses.”

“The dragons fought against Nidhogg?” This information ushers a raise of her brow, keen eyes studiously peering over her younger brother. “And you say you’ve worked for these dragons as well, Denz? Truly I have been gone for too long, it seems.” She shakes her head in disbelief, grasping her cup of water and raising it to her lips - halfway up though, she halts its advance and opens her mouth to speak. “You fought in the Dragonsong War, brother. You’ve worked under /dragons/, those that we warred against for many, many turns. The Archbishop is dead for treason, as well as the Heavens Ward, and yet- you sought an elixir for hair-growth /here/, in the Mists?” A small, light-hearted laugh escapes her. “I am glad you survived.. as well as the others– Armont and Guillemont. Where are they?”

Denz’s head seemed to shrink further and further into his shoulders as his sister spoke, as if he expected her to begin berating him, before she started laughing, his ears perking up slightly and letting out a laugh at the ridiculousness of her statement, despite how sadly true it was. “Hahah… Armont is… home. Er-” Denz holds up his hands, closing an eye with a guilty look. “Armont and I… had to resign the house to the city, so… Our home is locked away.” He gives her a sad smile. “Despite all that, I truly do not believe we will ever have it back, lest Armont wishes it for sentimental reasons. We’ve made our homes here, with the people we’ve chosen to be with.” Denz’s eyes cast to the side. “Like Armont’s hyur wife.”

Astrelle’s soft laugh dies out at his new information and her face falls flat. “The home is gone.” It isn’t repeated as a question, rather stated in a low, disbelieving tone. “All this change in Ishgard and we are to leave it behind, then? Perhaps I was too hasty in my return.” She finishes the rest of her water and places the empty cup firmly on the table, adjusting her position to combat the numbness creeping into her legs. She freezes at the last statement and slowly cocks her head to the side, her long auburn hair falling to her shoulder. “Armont is bonded.. with a /hyur/? Not a noble then, I assume, but Ishgardian?”

Denz lets out a nervous chuckle, adjusting his own seating as he held up a hand. “If anything, sister, you heralded in the change we would all soon face before anyone of us had the bravery to.” He smirks, shaking his head. “And… no, she is no ishgardian. No noble. Hardly Eorzean. Quite the opposite of what you would expect Armont to find in a woman…” Denz looks to the side.“ I… also am with a hyur, myself. N-not bonded, not yet, but..” Denz goes back to rubbing his scar in embarrassment.

The woman takes her brother’s words with a flat expression, her unamused expression hiding the scowl that threatens to plaster itself on her face. “Do not mock my decision, Denzel,” she retorts in an even voice, “You know the reasons as to my departure.” She huffs through her nostrils and straightens her head, humming a pensive note at his admittance. “So Armont has taken a betrothed that is not of Ishgardian blood? And you, dear Denz.. how interesting. I am to assume that she is the 'Jancis’ you mentioned earlier?”

Denz holds up his arms. “It wasn’t a mock!” His tone gets higher pitched as it oft did when arguing with his siblings. “I was commending you on frontiering the change we would all inevitably face!” He clenches his hands, gesturing his arms out in a self-calming gesture, before looking back up at her. “Aye. I think you will come to enjoy her, should you wish to meet. She is… much like mother.” Denz stretches his mouth. “Aaaah, not to say -that- is what I love about her, but…Mother was always so warm and caring, even to those outside the family. Jancis… she emulates that perfectly, and she proves that I can still strive to be a better person.” He clears his throat, looking back to the door. “We, for the most part, all live within the Shroud, among the various housing districts in the Lavender Beds. Guillemont as well.”

Astrelle curls her lips into a small dismissive smile. “Of course,” she remarks, nodding sagely at the sight of his frustration. Her features softened and the wry tone in her voice drops at the mention of Mother, her chest rising in a deep breath. “Then I am glad you have found some peace with this Hyur. I can only hope Armont has found the same with his Eorzean woman.. what of Guillemont?” No sooner does the question leave her mouth, does she seem to rethink it and teeter her head about gently. “Ah..perhaps not,” she admits with a sheepish look, setting a considering look at the jug of water. Deciding against a refill, she again speaks up. “The Shroud.. does it remind you of Coerthas /before/? It must in some way,” she muses, mostly to herself, before stretching an arm above her head. “As you can see, I’ve had a brief sojourn here in Limsa. It has treated me well enough, but.. it seems that we are destined to bring together the family. I have been gone for too long, Denz … I wish to see familiar faces once again.”

Denz allows her to think to herself, before he is addressed once more. “There will be familiar and unfamiliar faces unlike to greet you, but I assure you they are all family.” stands up, hand going for the hilt of his greatsword. “If hesitation ever halts your pace, just know there is someone you would not dare miss meeting… But I will keep their identity a surprise for now.” He loops his sheath band around his shoulder, tilting his head. “'Tis a long journey from here to the Shroud. Dare I ask if you would like an escort?”

Astrelle lofts a brow at the obscured identity; a surprise? She nearly gave a derisive snort but refrained, finding it too impolite even for herself. “An escort?” To that she did laugh, pushing herself to her feet. “Brother.. I have guided my own path for nearly ten Summers - I need no escort; I will, however, accept my family to walk alongside.” She offers him a soft smile, moving up to gently pat his arm before nodding to the door.

Denz tilted his head. “As I suspected.” He looked around the room once more. “Er… Have you no additional clothing or travelling supplies to bring with you?” He backpedaled slowly to the door, though would halt upon her answer.

Astrelle glances down to herself, frowning at her own attire. Clearing her throat, she reaches up to scratch at the back of her neck - something, it seems, that Guillemont and her share in their motions. “Ah..” She turns on her heel and makes for her bed, falling to her knees and digging underneath it to procure a small, brown linen bag. “I am ready,” she announces; the bag would contain only a folded, most certainly wrinkled dress, a hairbrush, a pair of boots, and a small dagger.

“… Riiiight.” Denz sounded wholly unconvinced, and more than anything, shocked that his sister made it as she did. Shouldering his blade once more, he lead her out of the near-empty room and out towards the docks for a Shroud-bound boat.

#denz de'bayle #astrelle de'bayle

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