The Count of Monte Caido

Bastien had been in prison before in his life, though not very often. Only overnight stays usually, often for things very similar to his current crime. Questioning a power when it was forbidden, standing out in a crowd against followers (though really, all he had done was ask some simple questions. Was Zariah's rule so pathetic they couldn't even face some swear words and queries?). Just like the times before, he felt no shame whatsoever over his 'crime'. He was rather sure he would not be in here for long. There didn't seem to be many people happy about Zariah's rule and a tyrant could only rule for so long with a minority of followers. He was sure she would be overthrown and then of course, everyone's top priority would be making sure he was freed. So with a clear conscience and a confidence it would work out, he laid on the bench in his cell, hands behind his head and legs spread out. It was strangely quiet in the jail, probably because no one else had been arrested yet; there was a kind of pride in being the first that made him smirk. With his only real concerns when he would eat and if Rexanna would worry, he yawned and considered trying to have a nap. Bastien Start by admitting from cradle to tomb Isn't that long a stay Life is a cabaret, old chum It's only a cabaret, old chum

Roana I am more than just a piece in their game Someone had been watching his little fiasco in the temple with the enlistment form though. Quietly observing. And as soon as he was hauled away, they disappeared. But not for long. A cloaked figure arrived at the jail. Considering it only housed one rather pathetic prisoner, and Zariah only had so many lackeys, the slipped in and found Bastien's cell with haste. When they faced towards the snoozing Ascended from outside the bars, then their identity was revealed as no other than Roana Steadman, her face certainly unmistakable by now. When she saw him laying there sleeping though, she sighed and rolled her eyes. Of course. "Bastien. Wake up and get over here. We need to talk and I've not much time." she hissed at him, bidding him over with a hand wave.

Bastien lifted his head at the sound of a voice, raising his eyebrows as he took in Roana stood in a rather myserious cloak. At first he assumed she had to be here for a rescue and bounded up from the bench quite quickly, but then as he got closer she didn't bring out any keys or fiddle with the door, and he geared himself for disappointment. "What is it you have come to say to me?" He asked, his voice carefully neutral. Not knowing if Roana was on his side or Zariah's, he didn't want to give too much of himself away at first. Given she had clearly sneaked in and seemed shifty, it was likely she was here for him...but..he couldn't trust just anyone, not now. Bastien Start by admitting from cradle to tomb Isn't that long a stay Life is a cabaret, old chum It's only a cabaret, old chum

Roana I am more than just a piece in their game Roana watched him as he rose, face still frozen in a serious expression. While visitors might be allowed, she didn't want to give away what few strings she might have to pull Zariah with by being implicated with a prisoner. "To help. But you must follow my instruction." she said in a low tone, glancing at the way out again. One way in, one way out. Quite the prison. Zariah had leared well in her time guarding the one in Noethaven. "Zariah is a distant cousin of mine, so I will try to pull strings to end her nonsense. But I need people to not make scenes, as you did at the sign up." she said seriously. "It gives her things to use against us, reasons for acting as she does. For this to work you need to set aside your pride and quietly comply. Understand?" she said, watching him with a hardened expression. "I will do everything I can to get you out, but I need you to work with me on this. Got it?"

Bastien nodded at Roana's words. While he didn't know if he actually would follow her instructions, he wanted to hear them. She had to be someone competent given she had gotten into the jail seemingly unseen; he would give her his full attention. As it turned out her instructions were easy enough to follow, especially given he was in a cell, though he did laugh a little and shake his head. "In my home, that would hardly count as a scene. A mere wiggle of the rules, maybe." But that was by the by. "But--alright. I promise you, if I get out of here I shall be a model citizen of this new regime. I will not even shit unless Zariah gives me permission." And he did actually mean it. While he usually was not so willing to immediately bend to rules, now he had someone to care about outside. Bastien Start by admitting from cradle to tomb Isn't that long a stay Life is a cabaret, old chum It's only a cabaret, old chum

Roana I am more than just a piece in their game ”What does or doesn’t constitute a scene in your homeland frankly doesn’t matter Bastien.” Roana said plainly, though not unkindly. ”Zariah will use any and all insubordination to strengthen her hold on this place and endanger those you care about” she said. But that he would make sure he behaved upon release was good to hear. She sighed a bit, clearly relieved with his agreeance. ”She won’t hold you terribly long. Appeal to her, play subservience, and you’ll be out in no time. The resistance appreciates your cooperation” But that wasn’t only here to make sure Bastien minded his manners. ”I also have a…odd request. A god has sent me on a quest and I need to collect a series of materials, one of which is ascended blood.” she said, showing the needle and vial she had brought. ”May I take some of yours to accomplish this? In return, I can look after whoever you’ve got waiting on you out here. Just tell me who they are.” she said.

Bastien was sure how long he stayed in the jail would have far more to do with Rexanna's willpower than Zariah's mercy, but said nothing. He didn't need to show all his cards, not even to an ally. "I wish I had your optimism." Was all he said, with a sad little smirk. He thought Roana might leave at this point, but she continued to speak, with a bizarre request that made him tilt his head. "Um. I...must admit I am not in the habit of giving out my blood. What God is it? And...why do you need it?" He wouldn't necessarily object, but he wanted to know a little more about what he was contributing towards. Bastien Start by admitting from cradle to tomb Isn't that long a stay Life is a cabaret, old chum It's only a cabaret, old chum

Roana I am more than just a piece in their game ”Sometimes optimism is all we have to go off of.” KiadaRoana said with a light shrug of her shoulders. She knew this from experience. Not to say she was so optimistic that it blinded her from reality, her realistic sensibilities usually being at the forefront of her behavior. But she had to be optimistic for now. She didn’t fault him his reaction either. It was an absolutely fair response to a very fair request. ”The god is Ludo, so of course they were very specific and a bit…macabre, considering they are a death god and all.” she said. The next part was more difficult to work around, but she could answer and be more or less honest about it. ”It is for a special ring of protection. Ascended have enhance abilities so I presume that is why they wanted it to make it. Or to simply make my life difficult. Maybe a bit of both.” she said.

Ludo... The only God Bastien had no experience of. He supposed it was better than having his blood requested for Safrin (in that case he would have had no choice but to refuse) but he could not know the intentions or attitude of this divine being, what it might intend to do with the harvest. "Hmm...well. You have been brave to come here." Making a decision, Bastien rolled up the sleeve of his shirt and held his arm out through the bars. "So this is not so much of a price to pay, as long as you do not take it all, yes? I do think I still need some of it." With this said, he looked off in the other direction as she prepped the needle, never having been good with them. Bastien Start by admitting from cradle to tomb Isn't that long a stay Life is a cabaret, old chum It's only a cabaret, old chum

Roana I am more than just a piece in their game To her surprise he seemed quickly put at ease by her odd request and its explanation. But she was thankful, not wanting to have to find another Ascended to tackle and wrestle to get this ingredient from. It seemed more fitting to be using a slight bit of trickery and truth bending to obtain it anyways, given the tricky nature of the god asking for it. ”Thank you Bastien, I will only take what is needed to fill this vial.” she said. It wasn’t terribly large, but certainly more than enough to accomplish what Ludo needed. Roana worked quickly but carefully, inserting the needle into a vein to extract the…blood she supposed. But it didn’t look like any blood she had ever seen. It was clear and…almost shiny. Were she not under a time constraint she would have stopped to stare at it. As it was, she had to repeat the process a few times to get a vial full of the stuff. She then tightly stoppered the vial and placed it into a small bag made of a thick material to guard it from sunlight. ”Done. Thank you, Bastien. Is there someone you need me to protect for the duration of your stay?” she asked, pocketing the bag away.

The sensation of his blood being taken was not an overly pleasant one, reminded him of a much too long mosquito bite, but he got through it by making faces over Roana's shoulder at the corridor behind her. Before long she had taken the vial away, and he took his arm back, pressing his palm over the hole left by the needle, where fluid dripped. "Protect..? Ah..I would ask for the protection of my dear Rexanna, but...I think she is more than capable of protecting herself. Perhaps..make sure that Ronin comes out of this alive. He tends to be foolishly brave, and I am sure he is not happy with this new arrangment. I care for him, so I would rather he not kill himself being an idiot." He thought for a moment more, then shook his head. "There is no one else." Bastien Start by admitting from cradle to tomb Isn't that long a stay Life is a cabaret, old chum It's only a cabaret, old chum