trouble in the air, you can smell it
Wessex Theskyra
the Wraith
General of the Hollowed Grounds

Age: 47 | Height: 5'8'' | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 61 - Dext: 60 - Endr: 61 - Luck: 58 - Int: 2
LOKI - Mythical - Dragon (Energy Blast)
Played by: Astor Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,156 | Total: 4,350
MP: 0
#1
I write sins, not tragedies
She imagines word might have spread already - at least about some things, so Wessex doesn’t waste time by asking Isla to meet. It isn’t meant to be presumptuous or rude, it’s just… well, she knows where the Remedy can be found and there’s no point in wasting any time.

If knocks can be ominous, these three land as heavily on the door as the beats of a tell-tale heart. Her face is not quite stretched into a gruesome mask, but there’s no mistaking that the demigod once again bears bad news. And apologies. And more bad news. Is this the beginning of their family’s fall? It’s hard to see it from down here and oh, that whiff of hope when she’d landed the notebook has faded into but a memory. Other than the Grim Reaper she’s carrying around like a backpack, however, Wessex looks to be completely healthy.

“Hi, Isla,” she begins. “We’ve got problems.”
WESSEX
Isla Lockwood
the Remedy
Medic

Age: 32 | Height: 5'7 | Race: Ancient | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 4 - Strg: 26 - Dext: 26 - Endr: 28 - Luck: 26 - Int:
Played by: Honey Offline
Change author:
Posts: 2,225 | Total: 16,320
MP: 3061
#2
Isla

Word does travel fast, but honestly, so much has happened that Isla isn't really sure what she's missed at this point. So when Wessex asks to meet she's absolutely ready for it, already having cleared as much of her schedule as she can given the nature of her job. "Hi," she greets as the Wraith enters the infirmary, the steadfast knocks having echoed through the ward like a deal knoll.

Setting down the patient files she'd been perusing, Isla gestures for the other woman to take a seat in the empty waiting area. There's no point going to her office - it won't make much of a difference where the bad news comes. "We certainly do," she agrees. "Do you have an itemised list? Or shall I make one?"
I'll take a bruise, I know you're worth it
When you hit me, hit me hard
Wessex Theskyra
the Wraith
General of the Hollowed Grounds

Age: 47 | Height: 5'8'' | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 61 - Dext: 60 - Endr: 61 - Luck: 58 - Int: 2
LOKI - Mythical - Dragon (Energy Blast)
Played by: Astor Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,156 | Total: 4,350
MP: 0
#3
I write sins, not tragedies
In addition to bearing bad news, Wessex is expecting to get a lot of shit from the Overseer - deservedly so. They’re supposed to be a team, and Wessex hasn’t been acting like a team player with her as much as she should be. “I’ve kind of got one already,” she mumbles ruefully, taking out the Knowtbook as she sits and laying it on the arm of the chair next to her.

Then an extremely uncathartic exhale as she leans forward, choosing to look somewhere on the ground instead. “We’ve had… an inordinate amount of deaths lately. Adam was killed by a Sea Panther, Bastien was eaten by a landshark. I don’t know where Pet is. Gideon came to the Grounds and murdered Sam, who gave back at least as good as he got, or the barrier kicked in, because Gideon was found dead too. But that… triggered Edy and Amun, who found Sam. I should have stopped them, but.. they went to Stormbreak. With Nate, who was already kind of riled up from our encounter with Ronin and Remi while looking for the Flowerbirth God. I went too, at the last minute.”

Wessex should have stopped them because she’s the General and more powerful than them. She could have, physically, at least. And she knew something like what had happened was a possibility, but she let them go anyway.
WESSEX
Isla Lockwood
the Remedy
Medic

Age: 32 | Height: 5'7 | Race: Ancient | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 4 - Strg: 26 - Dext: 26 - Endr: 28 - Luck: 26 - Int:
Played by: Honey Offline
Change author:
Posts: 2,225 | Total: 16,320
MP: 3061
#4
Isla

"Ah, of course," Isla says as Wessex produces the Knowtbook, easing herself down to sit opposite the Wraith and brace herself for the aforementioned trouble. When it comes, though, gods if it doesn't hit like a freight train (or it would if Isla knew what one of those was). She hadn't known Adam - not particularly well, anyway, but it still stings a bit. And Bastien, that one hurts more; she had liked him, flamboyant and eccentric and bright in all the ways that reminded her that they were still human.

But gods, it's Sam that really sticks the knife in. Hardened by battle and having seen the worst of war, Isla doesn't bawl or sob, but the fluid that she quickly swipes from her cheek may as well have been a scream. "Oh gods," she whispers - and there's more. "Edrei and Amun...? And Nate, too?" She's shaking her head now, uncomprehending.

"Why didn't you stop them?" she asks, unable to help herself. "Stormbreak is... I didn't even know we could go there. What did they do?" Did they start the war, is what she means, unaware as of yet of the Wraith's contribution.
I'll take a bruise, I know you're worth it
When you hit me, hit me hard
Wessex Theskyra
the Wraith
General of the Hollowed Grounds

Age: 47 | Height: 5'8'' | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 61 - Dext: 60 - Endr: 61 - Luck: 58 - Int: 2
LOKI - Mythical - Dragon (Energy Blast)
Played by: Astor Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,156 | Total: 4,350
MP: 0
#5
I write sins, not tragedies
“Edrei… and Nate. Amun managed to realize he was in over his head. Nate will, in theory, come back because he’s strong enough to be immortal. When we - demigods - reach a certain point, we can only be killed by a specific thing. Or a god. Nate’s didn’t happen.” Not that it’s any consolation, in any shape or form, and she isn’t trying to tell that part of the story like it’s a silver lining.

As for why she didn’t stop them… well, she's given it some introspective thought over the past day or so, but a slight gnawing at her bottom lip betrays the lack of a solid answer. “I’m not sure. Probably because I did think the Order needed to be destroyed and I’m tired of them picking us off, one by one. And I’m tired of holding back and walking on eggshells around two assholes who basically run Caido because they’re untouchable. And… I’m not our race’s mother. Edy has done nothing I’ve asked since she’s returned. Part of me thinks it was a suicide, cause she wasn’t really happy as an Ascended.” A bitter laugh erupts, falling like jagged stars to the floor. She still doesn’t look up. They all knew what was at stake and Wessex had told them for years to train, to do literally anything to help themselves. She was tired that night. She didn’t have it in her to fight.

“Maybe I should have let them go on their own. I don’t know, I went because I first thought they’d be reckless idiots. And then when Ronin killed Edy, and it was me and Nate left, it got personal. And then when Ronin killed Nate because he knows that hitting me will hurt him more… I was determined to take something down with me.” So here it is, the big reveal, and she has no idea where the two of them will be once she tells the rest of the story.
WESSEX
Isla Lockwood
the Remedy
Medic

Age: 32 | Height: 5'7 | Race: Ancient | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 4 - Strg: 26 - Dext: 26 - Endr: 28 - Luck: 26 - Int:
Played by: Honey Offline
Change author:
Posts: 2,225 | Total: 16,320
MP: 3061
#6
Isla

It's a feeble positive, but it's a positive nonetheless, that Amun is alright, and Isla forces herself to feel it if for no other reason than to not dwell on the worst parts of the tale. "You came back," she says, as if to reiterate those good points. "And Nate will come back. We can recover from this." It's almost like she's talking to herself, the medic glancing back up at Wessex only once she's regained her composure.

"I mean this without malice, and I say it only because I have to, but gods, what a stupid thing to do," she whispers, riding out the words on a sigh. "You wouldn't have been able to stop Edy even if you'd been on good terms, though." More tears sting in her eyes. "I hope she went down fighting, at least. That would have been her style."

Still, Isla assumes that this is the end of the story, but when Wessex leaves it hanging again, her pebble blues grow wide. "...What did you do?" she wants to know, feeling the prickle of something like panic try to creep up her spine, only for calm and logic to squash it back down.
I'll take a bruise, I know you're worth it
When you hit me, hit me hard
Wessex Theskyra
the Wraith
General of the Hollowed Grounds

Age: 47 | Height: 5'8'' | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 61 - Dext: 60 - Endr: 61 - Luck: 58 - Int: 2
LOKI - Mythical - Dragon (Energy Blast)
Played by: Astor Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,156 | Total: 4,350
MP: 0
#7
I write sins, not tragedies
“I know it was,” Wessex agrees, finally able to look at Isla. “And even it if was with malice, I’d deserve it.” There’s a flicker of a smile at the edge of her lips at the Remedy’s wish, and that, at least, she can confirm. “Edy shifted into a dragon when they got there and launched herselt at the Order’s tower. I think she knocked a whole floor and a half off the thing before Ronin got her. And she exploded as she fell. Out with a literal bang.” Which, she supposes, is indeed how the Rapacious would have wanted to go.

It’s too bad the Wraith doesn’t know about the dragon piss. It’s the only thing that could have made the story better.

As for what she did? There’s no other way but say it straight. “I… started a fire and it burned the Tower to the ground. Potentially ended the Order. When the Tower collapsed, it buried Nate’s body in the rubble. He’s now lying in Trinity Temple.”
WESSEX
Isla Lockwood
the Remedy
Medic

Age: 32 | Height: 5'7 | Race: Ancient | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 4 - Strg: 26 - Dext: 26 - Endr: 28 - Luck: 26 - Int:
Played by: Honey Offline
Change author:
Posts: 2,225 | Total: 16,320
MP: 3061
#8
Isla

"Well, were I still able to get drunk, I can't guarantee that I wouldn't mean it with malice after a bottle of wine or two," Isla admits, though she does manage a smile back at the Wraith. At least they are on the same page, as bloodied as that page might be. And as Wessex tells the tale of Edrei's demise, she's smiling hard enough to show a flash of fangs, even as tears prick in her eyes. "Gods, how incredible," she says, wiping at her cheeks.

"We ought to erect a statue in her honour. She'd probably enjoy it if her, uh... assets were on show. And functional, should anyone wish to show their appreciation." Sniffing and settling back in her seat again, Isla braces herself for the next and then in the Wraith's story.

And it's a big'un, even for all the others that came before. "Fuck," Isla says, eloquent as always. "Fuck. Wessex, does Sunjata know about this? We need to get Nate out of there. I don't... I mean, after tearing down the Tower, they could be doing anything to him."
I'll take a bruise, I know you're worth it
When you hit me, hit me hard
Wessex Theskyra
the Wraith
General of the Hollowed Grounds

Age: 47 | Height: 5'8'' | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 61 - Dext: 60 - Endr: 61 - Luck: 58 - Int: 2
LOKI - Mythical - Dragon (Energy Blast)
Played by: Astor Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,156 | Total: 4,350
MP: 0
#9
I write sins, not tragedies
“Amun’s good with metal. It isn’t beyond the realm of possibility.” Frivolous and petty, maybe, but sometimes that’s exactly what people need, if they can’t drink their worries away. She’s not sure the VlamVloed has enough alcohol, however, to help them stave off the totality of what happened and the potential consequences.

One of the things Wessex is ridiculously good at by now is dropping bombs like this on other people. It’s a nasty side effect of being a demigod of the persecuted and honestly, they all ought to stop calling her the Wraith and start calling her the Harbinger, or something equally grim. “Sunjata was my first stop after the Voice,” she confirms, running a hand through her hair and sitting back a little bit.

“I’m not sure how to get him back. The Voice said that she can return his consciousness, even if they destroy his body. So, there’s that, I guess. I’m wondering if we - or you, or whoever - ought to say that he’s dead for good. I’m not sure they’d know just how strong he was.”  All is fair in love and war, it's just a matter of how far they're willing to go to get their brother back. Lying is likely to be only the first step.
WESSEX
Isla Lockwood
the Remedy
Medic

Age: 32 | Height: 5'7 | Race: Ancient | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 4 - Strg: 26 - Dext: 26 - Endr: 28 - Luck: 26 - Int:
Played by: Honey Offline
Change author:
Posts: 2,225 | Total: 16,320
MP: 3061
#10
Isla

"I will be sure to have a word with him. It seems like official Grounds business if I ever heard of any," Isla says with a wry smile, inhaling needlessly and letting it out again, as if the catharsis might come regardless of whether she has any requirement to breathe. The demi-goddess rakes a hand through her hair and Isla settles with her hands in her lap, making sure there's no further chaos to come before letting herself absorb the situation and the consequences that will spider from it.

Sunjata knows, at least, and although she is of the opinion that they need to do whatever they can to get Nate back, including lying, cheating and stealing if necessary, perhaps there are steps they might take before it comes to that. "Surely they wouldn't keep him from Sunjata," she says, her brow furrowing. "Not if he goes and asks. It's not as though he's asking for the world. What need have they to keep him?"
I'll take a bruise, I know you're worth it
When you hit me, hit me hard
Wessex Theskyra
the Wraith
General of the Hollowed Grounds

Age: 47 | Height: 5'8'' | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 61 - Dext: 60 - Endr: 61 - Luck: 58 - Int: 2
LOKI - Mythical - Dragon (Energy Blast)
Played by: Astor Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,156 | Total: 4,350
MP: 0
#11
I write sins, not tragedies
“I don’t think if they would. My hunch is not,” Wessex confesses, spreading her hands wide, palms up. “Sunjata carried Edy, Nate, and Amun there. I’m not sure they’d be inclined to play nice with him, especially for that.” There’s a brief pause, and she shakes her head. No, he’d made his position known well enough, shown his proverbial face. Even if he didn’t strike a single blow, he still brought Ascended to Stormbreak’s door.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if they tried to use Nate as a bargaining chip.” For various things - or for her, maybe. They’ll just have to wait and see, and that’s the second worst part of all of this. They have less than they did before this whole thing started, they’re on their back heels, and all they have is a damn book to rely on.

Wessex sighs wordlessly and needlessly. “I’m sorry, Isla. I really, really am. I - don’t even know how to go about putting us in a good position again.”
WESSEX
Isla Lockwood
the Remedy
Medic

Age: 32 | Height: 5'7 | Race: Ancient | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 4 - Strg: 26 - Dext: 26 - Endr: 28 - Luck: 26 - Int:
Played by: Honey Offline
Change author:
Posts: 2,225 | Total: 16,320
MP: 3061
#12
Isla

Isla bites the inside of her cheek at that, huffing out a needless breath and nodding her understanding. "Mm, I can imagine that they wouldn't feel so charitable after that," she agrees, even if they include some of the people she's closest to. "And you are probably right, in terms of a bargaining chip. I... well. I will meet with Sunjata, and perhaps he can open the negotiations. Once we know what they want, I suppose that's a step forward..."

Wessex has no idea what to do and, quite frankly, neither does Isla - but she's one for solutions rather than for dwelling, and so she gazes up at the Wraith and nods - neither condemnation nor blanket forgiveness, but acceptance that there's work to do for both of them. "From a political perspective, I can handle things," she says. "Approaching Stormbreak, this situation with Sunjata, and so on. But... what would you want, if they had attacked the Grounds and killed civilians? That might be a good place to start."
I'll take a bruise, I know you're worth it
When you hit me, hit me hard
Wessex Theskyra
the Wraith
General of the Hollowed Grounds

Age: 47 | Height: 5'8'' | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 61 - Dext: 60 - Endr: 61 - Luck: 58 - Int: 2
LOKI - Mythical - Dragon (Energy Blast)
Played by: Astor Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,156 | Total: 4,350
MP: 0
#13
I write sins, not tragedies
Then it’s a good thing Wessex isn’t asking for forgiveness; she is sorry for the way things turned out, but she ultimately doesn’t think she did much wrong. And that’s where she’s stuck, when it comes to pondering through what Isla asks of her.

Nodding to indicate that she’s heard and is actively listening, her head falls to her knuckles, elbows to her knees, and her eyebrows knit together like blonde, angry caterpillars. For far longer than she’d like, the Wraith is silent, and when she pulls up, it’s with a look of disappointment. “I can think of several things, I suppose. They might want me, or perhaps for you to punish me... Mostly I'm finding it hard to put myself in their place." The demigod is far too entrenched in her defense. The roar of indignancy is almost second nature.

"What I keep coming back to is that the people are an excuse to forget that the real target was the Order, an organization that actively sought the extermination of our race. They killed Ascended and non-Ascended alike. There are still bodies in boxes in the Draig if they want evidence of Cian and Gideon’s evil deeds. And this never would have happened if it weren't for them.” Now there's a difference in saying this and that she regrets her actions, she is. What Wessex is slowly realizing is that she wants Stormbreak - or whoever - to admit their part in this.

She shrugs. “Maybe that makes callous and evil too. But I tried to get people away in the beginning, that’s the whole reason I was there, at first. I didn’t even engage until after Edy was dead. And with the fire, I tried to give the people time to get out." Holding a hand up, the demigod tries to head off what is sure to be more frustration from the Remedy. “I know that doesn’t help you at all when you have to deal with this. But it’s not like they - we - went there to hurt innocent people. It just happened. They pushed us too far and got a taste of their own medicine."
WESSEX
Isla Lockwood
the Remedy
Medic

Age: 32 | Height: 5'7 | Race: Ancient | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 4 - Strg: 26 - Dext: 26 - Endr: 28 - Luck: 26 - Int:
Played by: Honey Offline
Change author:
Posts: 2,225 | Total: 16,320
MP: 3061
#14
Isla

Isla gives the Wraith all the time she needs, though she does consider reaching out to put a hand on her arm as the time draws on; her fingers have just brushed against the other woman's shirt when Wessex glances up. And while what she has to say isn't the shining beacon of direction that would be as welcome as it is impossible, it does open some pathways in Isla's mind.

"I wonder," she says quietly, "if a conversation is possible, now that Cian and Gideon are dead. I have never had the displeasure of meeting either man, but it sounds as though they were very much the instigators in an already problematic organisation."

And then, because this is all bullshit, Isla huffs out a long breath, utters a single, solitary, "fuck," and slouches back into her seat again. "I suppose the first step is to open communication with Stormbreak. I'll meet with Sunjata first, and then I'll start the process. In the meantime... thank you, for telling me. I know all of this isn't ideal, but we'll get through it. I believe we will, anyway."

Smiling to herself, Isla glances up to the Wraith. "If you do decide to lead a bunch of rogue Ascended on the Citadel or anywhere else again, though, might I suggest letting me know? Not just from a political perspective - I'm not a fighter, but I can help."
I'll take a bruise, I know you're worth it
When you hit me, hit me hard


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)


RPG-D