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Post by Elvander on Jan 28, 2020 5:15:13 GMT
Ari was lazing in her barracks after weeks of insanity following the massacre. So much had happened, and there was much she was unsettled by. But she was finally taking a break. She laid on her bed, curled up with Luna, her eyes half open as she watched soldiers file by on duty.
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Post by Val on Jan 28, 2020 23:27:38 GMT
Destrian slipped into the barracks like a shadow, the gears in his head turning as he headed for Ari's room. Entering, he held the door open long enough for Jinx to slink inside before shutting it. Jinx made her way toward Luna, having grown oddly fond of her wolf counterpart. But while the panther appeared relaxed as she peered over the edge of the bed, Destrian seemed anything but. He ran a hand through his jet black hair and leaned against the wall, heaving a sigh, "I think I've done something stupid," he muttered.
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Post by Elvander on Jan 29, 2020 3:53:54 GMT
Ari smiled lazily when Destrian entered. It would be good to have a moment together. "Up, Jinx," Ari patted the bed, inviting the panther to hop up and join their cuddle pile. Luna raised her head sleepily, flicked an ear, then settled back in with a huff. When Destrian made his admission, Ari felt her body tense slightly, but she made no move to get up just yet. "Tell me what you did," she prompted him.
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Post by Val on Jan 29, 2020 5:17:31 GMT
Destrian remained across the room, appearing hesitant. He had never wanted to get involved, but now it felt impossible to turn back. Perhaps it was selfish to drag Ari into his conspiracies, but he'd grown accustomed to sharing everything with her. Well, almost everything. Jinx hopped nimbly onto the bed and made herself comfortable, drawing her tongue over Luna's ear as though the wolf needed a bit of grooming. Eventually, Destrian relented, "I made Eve tell me about her...past self," Of course, he'd kept Ari up to date about the prisoner he'd been tasked to brainwash all this time, "She's the Queen of Nethilor, Ari."
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Post by Elvander on Jan 29, 2020 17:44:40 GMT
Ari gently ran her hand into Jinx's fur as she climbed up, and Luna let out a sigh of contentment. She listened to Destrian, and felt a wave of shock roll through her at the confession. "But how?" She blurted out. Surely, Eve was just delusional, saying whatever she could do get deliverance. "How could she be? The queen died, Destrian. You know she's probably just confused, her mind has been broken. Right?" she didn't want it to be true. If Eve truly was the queen... Alister had doomed them all to war.
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Post by Val on Jan 29, 2020 22:04:22 GMT
"She would never lie to me," Destrian insisted, "I believe her. She said that Bram made them believe she was dead." His eyes darkened. His growing vendetta against the mage was becoming obvious. He moved forward finally, joining the group on the edge of the bed, "I don't what to do. I shouldn't have gotten involved but- if it's true- Alister's decisions are going to tear this kingdom apart." He hunched forward, shoulders tense, "What reason do we have to fight for a kingdom rooted in lies and corruption?"
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Post by Elvander on Jan 29, 2020 22:54:07 GMT
Ari knew it had been a weak hope to believe Eve was lying. Destrian had broken her down to thoroughly she wouldn't dare. She gently pressed her toes against Destrian's thigh, the only part of him she could reach given the fact that she was covered by two large predators. "I saw Bram, at the wedding. He didn't do much to help, he just watched it fall apart. I heard a rumor going around that a woman broke his heart, and that's why he's become the way he is now." She shook her head, dismayed. "I- I suspect that Yasmin's death was not entirely accidental either."
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Post by Val on Jan 29, 2020 23:54:24 GMT
Destrian narrowed his eyes, glaring at the floor. A broken heart was no reason to abuse your power. And he had a strong feeling that Bram was up to much more sinister things, as he'd been spending far more time in the dungeons recently. He reached for her pressing toes, squeezing her foot for comfort, "Nethilor will come for us. Tjadmir will come for us. Raevaryn will be surrounded by enemies before we know it," he muttered. It angered him that his life, now at relative peace, was going to be uprooted. And if it was discovered that he and Ari knew the kingdom's darkest secrets, he feared that they would be in grave danger. He needed to protect them...
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Post by Elvander on Jan 30, 2020 1:40:22 GMT
"What does it mean for us, Destrian?" Ari murmured, taking comfort in his touch. As she thought about the predicament, she could begin to see the problems, and the precariousness. "If they were going to kill you if you knew, would they have even let you at her?" But there was another question here. Were they willing to support a kingdom so shrouded in horrible affairs? She eyed Destrian with trusting, wide brown eyes. Ari wasn't scared of anything. In fact, before Destrian, she wouldn't have cared about this at all. But he had changed her, made her care about her life, his, and the honor of a person.
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Post by Val on Jan 30, 2020 3:07:57 GMT
Destrian knew he had been chosen for the job because he'd been callous, apathetic, and willing. That is, until he met Ari. He'd changed drastically and begun to develop a moral code along with his will to live. Unfortunate circumstances had led him down a dark path, but he'd never been an evil person. He turned to gaze down at her with endlessly dark eyes, "It means we have to be careful. We have to protect ourselves." A strange look entered his eyes, as though his mind had drifted elsewhere, to an unpleasant place. He needed to be prepared for the worst, even if that meant revisiting his long forgotten past. He leaned down to kiss her suddenly, but when he pulled away he appeared on edge, "There's something I need to do. Trust me?"
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Post by Elvander on Jan 30, 2020 19:05:09 GMT
She kissed him back, but felt unnerved by his expression. What was he up to? “Of course I trust you. But can’t I know, can’t I help?” Ari murmured, not wanting to be parted from him. If things were going to go the way she thought they were, they’d have to be ready to disappear at a moments notice. “What about the Nethilor Queen? Do we just leave her here?”
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Post by Val on Jan 31, 2020 0:05:27 GMT
Destrian sighed, looking torn as he rose from the bed, "Eve will remain as she is until we make a plan," he decided, knowing that the tortured soul would not fare well if she was suddenly uprooted from her life of imprisonment. "No one knows that we know. We have time to figure this out. I will explain everything when I return. I just...have to do this on my own." He couldn't explain- not yet. He wasn't sure what would happen once he dug up the past. But he was about to find out. He opened the door and Jinx began to follow, "I will return by morning," he promised, slipping out the door and closing it before the panther could cross the threshold. Even his loyal shadow could not accompany him this time.
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