The Price of Peace (Completed)

[Frost]

((You said the word 'intricate' in two posts! ))

[Frost]

Jezebel sat at a large chair and sighed, people everywhere were looking at her from where they were sitting, Jezebel poked at her Roasted Chicken and wondered why on earth would humans set fire to farmyard animals and then eat them.

Suddenly, a small child wandered past and stared at her, Jezebel stared back, causing the child to shuffle away.
How very disrespectful.
Shelrair rushed over to her and sat beside her, leaving Trale sitting by himself in astonishment.
"JEZZIE!" She yelled happily and hugged her,
"...Shelrair? Why do you eat animals?" She asked blankly.
Shelrair stopped hugging her and sat back down in her OWN seat for a change.
"Because animals taste nice!" Shelrair smiled, she took Jezebel's fork of her plate and put a few pieces of the chicken onto it,
"Here, open up"
Jezebel stared, "What?"
"Open up!"
Jezebel blinked. "Open up what?"
"Your vagina silly!"

((Jokes.))

"Your mouth silly!"
Jezebel obliged.
Shelrair put the fork into her mouth.
"Now chew," Shelrair ordered before taking out the fork.
As soon as Jezebel did, her eyes widened for a moment,
"Does all Earthbound food taste like this?"
"As long as you prepare it properly," Shelrair replied.

Vivian tapped at his glass, grasping everyone's attention.
"Hello again my friends, and thank you for joining us once again, this time, it's to introduce you to my friends and helpers in this cause, my second-in-command, Trale Hemari," Vivian announced.

Trale stood and bowed his head, claps sounded from the room.
"My brother, Asmoday Waurd!"

Asmoday didn't stand, but he did nod his head, an eerie silence was heard this time, before a few people clapped, encouraging the others.

"My friendly assistant, and Trale's wife, Shelrair Hemari!"
Shelrair jumped up and waved to everybody happily, causing her applause to be considerably louder than those of the others.

"And finally, my Vanguard, Jezebel!"

Jezebel hardly moved when he mentioned her name, she looked around, people still staring, Jezebel blinked, not yet knowing the feeling of loneliness or self-confidence, but she knew from the faces of everyone sitting in this room...that they feared her.
Even when they realised the awkward silence and began clapping, their faces were still the same, their eyes, Jezebel noticed, depicted everything in a human, she could see to their core of their soul just by looking at them, but she knew, everyone would have the same, afraid eyes.

Even with a human appearance...I am feared. Jezebel noted.
What's this feeling? She asked herself as a cold sensation swept over here, Will this be one of many? I feel...
Jezebel shook the feeling away and buried it deep within her archival soul.
Shelrair's cold fingernails rested on Jezebel's knee, chilling her,
"Don't worry...Jezebel, soon, we will no longer be resented, we will be eternally acknowledged," Shelrair told her darkly, her voice changing from happy and high to serious and cold.

Jezebel looked to her in suspicion,
...Was that a threat to me? No...It was a threat to someone else...it meant...Something will make us acknowledged and never be forgotten, with her expression in her voice, it doesn't sound like a humorous ruse, this was inevitable...whatever it is, I haven't experienced it yet...
She browsed through her demonic mind, looking through her collections, trying to find something that matched that of her Resurrector.

Jezebel scratched her head and wondered about the meaning of Shelrair's words, but like the sadness she had experienced, she threw the experience into her Archives.img100.imageshack.usimg100.imageshack.us

[Farrelei]

The hair on Kyou's neck raised as the door jolted.
His eyes narrowed, but then relaxed as Kitharis entered.
Kyou sighed and quickly walked up to him, "Kitharis... I have to ask you something important. I want you to forget the shopping for now."
His voice was stiff and serious, as usual, but this time, it was almost a demanding voice.

[Silverlining]

((Something Farr said at school today...
"Kyou fell into Kitharis's arms. Never before had he needed a man so much, especially one who was skilled at killing."

....

Score!))

Kitharis looked at Kyou in surprise, wondering what Kyou wanted. He placed the groceries by the door, and looked back up at Kyou.
"What exactly do you have in mind?"

((Just so you know, Kitharis is more concerned with money than little boys....

With money, Kitharis can have MANY little children!))

[Farrelei]

"Kitharis... I have to ask you to be a temporary bodyguard... I can't stay cooped up in here forever."
Kyou scratched at an invisible itch on his arm to relieve the awkwardness of the situation for a moment, "...I'll pay you handsomely."

Savannah walked in a direct path from the entrance all the way to the Library Desk in the Right Wing.
She approached.
"Sa~Van~Nah Ser~Wood~~~~!"
"Huh?" Savannah was startled suddenly.
She looked around but saw no-one at the desk.
"I am the ghost of the ImmESTRIAL Libraries~~!"
"..."
"SAV-"
Savannah spun around and kicked the woman in the shin.
"...That wasn't very nice."
The woman had intensely curly hair and was somewhat old, maybe in her late 40-50s.
A pile of books lay at her feet and she stroked her shin like a dying pet.
Savannah shocked even herself, "...Sorry."
"I know. Now pick up these books."
Savannah, slightly confused, obliged, and retrived the books at the womans feet.
"Good flower. Now put them on the desk there," she ordered as she maneuvered her way behind the desk until she was properly standing right in front of Savannah.
"Um..."
"Oh, hello. Welcome to the Imperial Library Right Wing Desk. May I help you?" The same woman asked.
"...I... I was wondering if you maybe had-"
"My, aren't we jittery? This isn't like you, Savannah."
"You know my name?"
"Not until you tell me, what am I, a mind reader!?"
"...But-"
"Oh, that reminds me, you have some overdues, so I can't lend you that book you had on hold yet, sorry, hun."
"A book I had on loan?"
"Hmm? Oh, want me to check for you?"
"...Yes please."
"'Course."
Savannah stood completely baffled at the desk. She couldn't remember this lady either, but obviously this eccentric piece of work had known her... Or at least, the old Savannah.
Minutes passed and she returned.
"Here we go. This wasn on hold for Savannah Serwood."
Savannah outstretched her hand to grab the book, which came flying down with surprising speed, creating a rather loud noise as it connected with her palm.
"Argh!" Savannah winced,
"I toldya, NO more books for you until you return me those overdues. Says here they were s'posed to be in 5 months ago! I haven't seen ya in the meantime, so I thought... Maybe you were dead!"
Savannah didn't move.
The woman stopped smiling.
"About those books, after the War... I-"
"Not another one, darnit! So many books destroyed in the war... So much history! You have no idea how much this costs the Empire!!"
Savannah blinked.
"FINE YOU CAN TAKE THE BOOK!" This woman was so loud it was embarassing. "You know the drill."
The woman put a blank pad of paper in front of her and handed a nib and ink over it.
Savannah blinked.
"What? Never been here before?" The woman asked, "Alright then, here's how it works. You gotta log your stuff, so first put your name and position, Palace Quad, Room Association and Secretary and/or Papersman. Next the title, author and ID number. You sign there and I sign next to yours, you catch my drift?"
...No.
Savannah painfully obliged.

[Silverlining]

((Money... Kitharis felt a shiver of delight as the thought crossed his mind... ))

Body-guard, eh? Well, it's always good to keep one's hand in...

"Mmm... I see. I will protect you to the very limits of my abilities, as long as this contract will last."

I wonder how much danger he is in... Will my contract be proportionate to the dangers of this job? Ah, it is not my place to worry about these things...

"So when do you wish to leave?"

[Farrelei]

"Immediately. It's urgent. Get anything you will need for combat and defensive purposes," Kyou ordered, feeling more comfortable within the familiar role of leader.
After Kitharis had returned, his anxiety had softened and his usually calm demeanour gradually taken back over.
"Oh, and... I can't guarantee your pay. And I have no idea what will happen out there. Just thought I'd let you know we're extremely vulnerable."

[Silverlining]

"Always good to know..."

Kitharis nodded, ran upstairs, and quickly began to change. He pulled on leathers.

Buckled on his harness. Slid knives in to sheaths. Holstered his handgun. Sheathed his sword.

He clipped some pouches on to the harness, and then, almost reverently, picked up a pouch filled with his gold pieces, in with wool so they would not scratch or clink, and slid then in to an inner pocket. Over this, he put on a long, loose, light grey jacket, and buttoned it up. He swung his dark cloak on, and then began to head back down stairs.

((Modified. Sorry, I really, REALLY hate doing a sequence like that D'

[Farrelei]

Kyou blinked.
"Subtle."

As they left the house, Kyou waited for Kitharis to lock the door.
He didn't. It hadn't occurred to Kyou that maybe he didn't actually have a proper lock on those doors, and that just maybe he wasn't really that safe there.
Nevertheless, Kyou was outside for the first time in about a week. It felt good, but his mind was set on other things.
Where do I go first? Serenfas? It could still be dangerous...
He knew there was the connection he felt as he passed the Chapel the week before, but he wasn't sure of who it belonged to.
If it's one of Vivian's, I'll just be playing into their hands...
Damnit...
"Kitharis... Let's... Head this direction."
Completely changing his mind, Kyou pointed in the direction of neither Serenfas, nor the Chapel, but to the source of immense concentrated energy his spirit beast had noticed just earlier.

[Silverlining]

He seems rather nervous... Are we already heading in to danger?

Kitharis nodded, then, as they moved away, looked back at the house. Every thing was hidden, but he still wondered about leaving it unlocked... The locks there wouldn't really hold out against someone trying hard to get in...

I wonder if The Sire remembers me trying to get us to move to a different safe-house...

"When exactly are we going to stop moving for the day?"

[Frost]

People continued their eating, a man, wearing a black trench-coat approached Vivian from behind,
"Sir," He whispered.
"Mmm?" Vivian replied back, his eyes partially closed as he continued to eat, hardly acknowledging the man.
"We've spotted two men rushing about the city," The man whispered to Vivian,
"Wow? Really? In Central?" Vivian replied sarcastically.

"They...They are ominous, sir, and you told us to report anything suspicious," He answered back.
Vivian sighed and wiped his face with a napkin, "Fine, follow them, you and the other Provocateurs better not be wasting my time, or I fear that I may reconsider your contracts."
The man blinked and nodded, "Of course, sir, sorry for disturbing you," The Man said before leaving.

((Provocateurs are Descendants that are trained to assassinate and track various people that Vivian wants dead or monitored.))

[Frost]

((They also replace the Dawn Team in SotA))

[Silverlining]

((Awesome :'D))

[Farrelei]

((Interesting. I was going to ask you if I could use a Descendant NPC for something but a Provocateur might work as well. We'll talk at school.
Also...

The Price of Of Peace is now the longest-running roleplay on the site.
Congratulations

Anyway Frost can you please post with Violet and/or Siberius? .w.))

Kyou shook his head, "Who knows?"
Kyou preferred to plan out his routes when wandering the streets, however this case was different.
The immediate action required and also the lack of time he had to actually determine what the source of power was and where exactly it came from had thrown his usually planning tactics out of hand, especially as anxiety bit at his heels for the first time in a while.
He kept checking back for Kitharis every now and then, making sure he was always behind him. He wasn't as comforting as his usual guards, but he hated to think about what was going on with them right now.
They were getting closer as they weeded their way through the streets of Central.

[Frost]

Siberius jumped as Violet suddenly came up behind him,
"Whatcha' reading?" She asked curiously, peering over his shoulder at the book he was reading, labeled Mystics and Majesties.
"Just a few History books, stuff like that," He told her, before closing the book shut,
"History huh? It never really appealed to me," Violet replied.

An awkward silence arose between the two.

"...So...." Violet spoke,
Damn. What should I say?
...I love you sounds good.
What the hell? Heck no!
"...Do you like my outfit?" She asked, giving a light spin of her new Maidservants Uniform.

"Yeah, it looks really good on you, so you're definitely going to work in the Palace now, huh?" Siberius asked,
"Well, once I get enough money, I was thinking that I'd travel the World, y'know?"
"Yeah, that sounds great, I've always wanted to do that."
"...I was thinking, it would be good if you could come along too..." Violet stuttered.

Siberius just stared, Of course I wouldn't! What a ridiculous thing to say in the first place!
"Yeah, that sounds fun, I'll look forward to it."
Violet smiled brightly, "Besides, I need someone to save me from Forest Muggers."
Siberius and Violet laughed, Siberius forgetting about the request Violet had just asked her and the ordeal with Savannah, and Violet forgot about all the sadness she too had experienced.

Suddenly, a violent crack of thunder ripped through the clouded skies, startling the two, but soon after they began laughing again.