Lazarus: Land Of The Elements

Haseo looked around after hearing mew talking and saw her in the corner. He can easily tell she was saddened and was hiding something. he walked over to her slowly and got down to her level. He then showed her the fire amulet.

"I'm sorry if my questions and voice sounded a little... harsh. But I have a feeling that a certain captain would like to know as well. He doesn't really seem like the type who would be nice to kids like you. But I do need to tell you something.... I've just became the sit in king of the fire kingdom."

He then showed her the fire amulet. "All of the kings of Lazarus have a special amulet with a crest on it symbolizing that they're the respective king of their kingdom. I can assure you that whoever was going after you will try again once we get back to the capital...." He then smiled at Mew as he was talking.

"As king of the fire kingdom, I can offer you a safe haven while we try to find your parents or guardians. You probably won't be able to find any better place to hide then the Fire Kings Palace." He gave her a wink as a sign to reassure her.

"Now, I'm sure that your pretty hungry. but I haven't been here in a while so I need to go out and get some food and a few other things. I'll be right back!"

As he left he locked the door behind him to slow down anyone wanting to break in....

His family's estate was really close to his cabin. The huari estate was not only where Haseo's family lived, but it was used as a main Headquaters for the Huari rangers. Old General Huari established the Huari rangers around his family and welcomed those who where highly skilled who wanted to join up after the group was organized. The estate was used not only as a main base, but as a training ground as well. He got to the main grounds where he met with the guards.

"Captain Haseo! welcome back."

"Thank you. It's good to be back, but it's going to be short. I need to get a few things and be on my way..." He said to the guards and made his way past them. He made his way into the family library and looked through a bunch of old letters and papers until he found the ones he was looking for. " Ah, here we go! just one more stop and we'll be on our way....."
He stopped by the kitchen's pantry and got some dried beef and fish as a snack. He started to walk back towards the entrance past the guards when he realized something. Why am I walking when I can just use the fire elements? Haseo concentrated on his target and where he wanted to go. in an instant he was enveloped in a column of blazing fire and the next he was gone.

The guards where caught off guard when they saw this and had started to rush to where Haseo was.
"Stand down! No need to panic." came a booming voice. A bearded man dressed in lightweight crimson armor and a cape walked out of the gates.

"But Sir! Captain...."

"Like I said, there's no need to be alarmed. Can't you tell when the captain's in a hurry?" The man looked up into the sky, smiling and proud.
"He has some very important things to attend to right now. But in the meantime you two need to get back to your posts!"

Haseo reappeared right front of his cabins door.
"NICE! Can't believe that worked!" he said as he unlocked the door and walked in.
"Okay I'm back, and I have some dried fish and beef. but we also need to get going. didn't think we would be gone for this long..." He gave Mew some dried fish and beef as he knelt down in front of her.
"But before we go, Are you still deciding on staying nameless? I will grantee you that regardless you will be protected. It will just make things a little bit easier with finding where you need to go.... but regardless you have a place where you'll be safe."

 

Mew nodded her head once but otherwise remained silent. She stepped forward, looking at the floor and took Haseo's hand. Her stomach audibly grumbled but she said nothing at all.

She felt like she was being rude, but the men had been clear in their rules. It didn't make sense that this man would be a king. He had no horses or crown, he didn't wear any fancy clothes or surrounded by virtuous knights. But he was kind, and seemed intent on keeping her safe. If she stuck with him then it would make it easier for the Men of Sands to find her.

"To the castle," she said in feigned excitement.

 

Haseo was a little shocked, but he also knew it could take some time before he could earn her trust. He picked her up and smiled.

"Well, not just yet. everyone doesn't know that I'm the temporary king. I need to go see someone first and show him a couple things so that he'll believe me."
He held onto Mew as he got ready to think about his next target, the crimson flame.
"So in the meantime, what name do you want to be called by? And this might seem scary, but trust me it won't be." He winked at her as they disappeared in a coloumn of flames and appeared in the crimson flame. after talking to the inn keeper he found out that he'd told the captain that they headed to the housing district.

"okay thank you. Hold on, we're heading to my family's place. hopefully he figures that we'll be there." And with that he appeared at the Huari clan's home just on the edge of the housing district. The house wasn't terribly big, but it wasn't as small as any of the regular capital city houses ether. It did have some land to it because it was one of the city's older homes. It's been in the family for generations and it's mainly been used when there was business that required the Huari's to come to the capital.

"Okay, make yourself at home! it might be a while...."

 

Shunsui made his way towards the Huari Estate walking at little more than a casual gait. Looking over at the clock tower he noticed it was starting to get late. Sakurako is going to be pissed. I'll have to apologize for being late. Finally donning the Haori and proclaiming his station he arrived at the Estate of the Ranger he had met at the Crimson Flame. "Time to get down to business," he muttered to himself. He had yet to finish the conversation that he had started with the Ranger and had questions about the girl. He wanted to make sure she was safe and that no harm was going to come to her any longer.

He stepped up to the entrance to the estate and was greeted by the guards who almost became hostile. One look at his Haori told them his authority within the City confines however. "I am on official business. I need to speak with Ranger Haseo. Inform him that the Guard Captain has come."

With that one of the guards left to go get the Ranger. Shunsui had little knowledge about what had transpired. What he did know, is that for some reason his grasp on the Fire Element had become noticeably stronger within the recent hours since the King's Disappearance.

 

Shizukesa caught Lain looking at her before the disguised woman left with a man.
How nice, a newlywed couple. That girl looks nervous. Familiar, too. Oh well.
Dismissing the thought, she stepped back into her room. Cinder was sheathing his blades, standing them up against the wall. She walked to the table and sat down across from Cinder. He had crossed his arms and looked like he was trying to sleep.
"Before you go to sleep, you should wash up."
Cinder didn't react.
"They have a new worker here who takes care of the springs, making sure the minerals are properly balanced. It will help your skin heal if you go in there."
Cinder opened his eyes, glancing at her.
"We'll have to unwrap those bandages later, though."
Cinder rolled his eyes, annoyed by the fact the bandages were wasted.
"You were the one who became hasty and started did that to yourself. You have only yourself to blame."
Cinder sighed, annoyed with the truth.
"I will let you use the springs first, alone. This room came with its own private portion of the springs, so you won't need to worry anyone else being there."
Knowing that there would be no point in arguing, Cinder stood up from the chair.
"Go through that door right there, the one next to the bath room. That is would be the be best way of getting there."
Cinder walked to the door that had towels to each side of it and slid it open, seeing a stone porch with a steaming hot bath, wood benches and buckets. All fenced in with a nice, tall fence of dark wood. Cinder began to feel more willing to wash off here. To complete the scene, an old, grizzled man in brown and blue clothes crouched by the springs, sniffing and touching a cup of water. His face had a large scar across his face where his eyes used to be. Upon seeing the man Cinder lost his willing feeling and slowly slid the door shut.
"Is something wrong?"
Shizukesa stood up and walked to the door, opening and wondering what bothered the man. When she saw him, she realized his role.
"Ah, I see. So you must be the new caretaker of the minerals!"
"That, I am, miss. Don't you worry, I'll be out of your hair in a moment, just testing the water to be sure it is right."
The mineral man ran his fingers through the water sample. When he was done with his test, he threw the contents of the cup over his shoulder past the fence.
"Good to go! Now if you will excuse me."
The man, though blind, seemed to know his way around without needing to feel his surroundings. Only when he came to the door leading to the room, did he feel for the edge, slowly bringing himself through. Once again, he confidently walked through the room, carefully stepping into the hall. Then he paused before shutting the door.
"If you don't mind, I'll have something for your fire friend, miss. I think it would suit him well."
He shut the door behind him, leaving the two adults alone. Both wondered the "something" was.
How did he know so much without eyes?
Shizukesa came out of thought first, and pushed Cinder into the springs area.
"Time for you to wash up. Enjoy!"
Cinder gave a slight growl of annoyance and began undressing, getting out of his black shirt and trousers, removing the heart-plate armor piece he kept beneath his clothes. His coat had a heat plate armor piece, but it was mostly for looks and used as something to help keep his red coat closed. The one beneath his clothing was the main piece of protection, protecting his heart from a direct blow. Once entirely stripped, he slowly sank himself the hot water.
Never been in one of these before.
With his heavily scarred body submerged in the water, he tried to relax. A rather difficult task, since he was used to not relaxing in his spartan lifestyle. He stayed in there for some time, slowly loosening up.

Eventually, there was a knock at the door while Shizukesa wrote a note at the desk.
That must the mineral man with that "something" he mentioned.
Getting up from the desk, she opened the door, seeing the mineral man. He hauled a large, unwieldy device and a leather bag that was filled with what appeared to be spikes.
"Oh, hello."
"Here it is, miss. Your friend looks like he could use this. I no longer have any use for it, but he should be able to use it."
"Tell me, what is this?"
"I call it the 'Pyledriver', like how it is written on the side." He pointed at the engraved text on the side. "It launches a spike into the ground before exploding and loosening the ground. Good for a user of earth magic."
"How could you tell...?"
The man lowered his voice.
"I used to be quite an expert back in my day, and I can sense fellow earth users as well, even if other elements cover them. But after losing my eyes and taste for violence, a peaceful life like this felt more suitable. I wanted to give this tool to someone I felt could really use it, and when I heard your voice earlier, talking to your friend the fire-using earth man, I knew anyone the water priestess would trust would be suitable."
"I see. Thank you for considering him as the new keeper of this tool. Could I take a look?"
"Just as soon as I can set it down, miss. I haven't carried this around for a long time."
"Oh, set it down right there."
She pointed next to the table, and the mineral man placed it there.
"How does it work?"
"Well, I slip a spike into it, like this:" The mineral man slipped as spike in as he spoke. "And after pulling back this part, I can pull the trigger to fire. Of course, it is best to push it against something, or be really close when you do. Don't worry, that's a dummy spike for practice loading it, so you can try it."
"So that is how it is done..." Shizukesa looked at it, and pushed the trigger. But with a BOOM, the spike launched from the tool, flying by her, and flew through the wall, out of sight. Shizukesa fell backwards, covered by the dirty smoke of the blast. The mineral man was mildly surprised. Cinder, who was nearly asleep in the spring, jolted from the sound, but figured that it must have been the near-sleep BOOM that he sometimes heard before returning to a near-sleep state.
Must be nothing.
"Well, I that was the wrong dummy spike. Misread the marking on the spike... again."
"I... think that you are right in that."
"I'll leave these papers here on the desk before I take my leave. They are plans for making more spikes."
He hurriedly placed the papers and began to get out of the door.
"Uh, you can pay for the damages, right? Thank you, Miss! Oh, and maybe you should wash up. You're a little black all over."
The mineral man left before Shizukesa could protest paying for the repairs.

Meanwhile, a certain spike launched by a particular water priestess flew through the walls and into Lain and Rhiner's room, splitting a table and shattering a pitcher of beer.

OOT: I got too carried away here. Long story short, Cinder is bathing, Old man gives weapon to Shiz, and Shiz launches it prematurely. Oh, and the Pyledriver:

Spoiler: quiksketch

Fugly.

 

"You like it?" Angela meekly asked. "Yes, it's wonderful. Especially after a day like today" Bardra sighed as he sipped more of his tea.
"That bad huh? What made this outing so stressful"?" Angela asked Bardra trying to help him vent
"Ah, you wouldn't want to here it.... Well let's just say Nobles and generals.... they are nothing alike yet the same" He cryptically ended his statement while still drinking tea.
"No I want to hear it!" Angela insisted and Bardra gave up detouring the girl. He began recalling the events leaving out details such as the missing queen and a fight for succession.
"Now how about we talk about something else, your studies perhaps?" Bardra took the opportunity to turn the tables Angela
"Nononono we don't have to talk about that, lets see, uh would you like more tea?" Angela's face had a desperate smile as she didn't think he would ask her such a question. As if a savoir a knock at the door came.
"Lord Bardra, your presence at the Throne room is requested at once!" the courier at the door stated
"WHAT? I had just left the damn castle, can they not keep it together for more than an hour?!" angered Bardra shouted at the man
"These are simply my orders sir, if you would follow me" He bowed and wait for Bardra to follow. Grumbling Bardra grabbed his glaive and headed out.
"I still want to hear your studies Angela" he said as closing the door causing Angela to jump

Bardra and the courier had arrived at the castle gate, however this time no fuss was made by the guards. Hmmm this isn't right, first a large fuss now not a word, has the makings of an ambush if I'd never seen one.... As Bardra walked to the castle he gathered earth around himself creating thick, dark armor completely encasing himself. The courier surprised by the feat stared in awe at the sight. He removed the helmet to show a stern face to the courier as if to dare him to ask why. The pair then made it into the thrown room, where the generals and noble all stood speechless.
"Can you not do your basic duties now?! Or have I gotten on your nerves enough with a single meeting to warrant this ambush-" Before Bardra could finished he realized what the others in the throne room had seen, he too then became quiet.

 

Aurora appeared in front of all the Nobles and Guards in the Throne Room in The Earth Kingdom. When they saw her they gave her wide eyed looks. She smiled a little bit. “My guess is everyone is always going to give me that look.”


She sighed after that. “I’m looking for General Bardra. I really need to speak with him. It’s very important that I speak with him.”


One of the Nobles gave a courier a message to send to General Bardra.

--

When Aurora saw General Bardra she smiled wider. “Hello, General Bardra. It’s nice to see you.”


She looked around the room. She noticed that there were too many people in the room. She really needed to speak with Bardra privately. “General Bardra, is there anywhere that we can go privately to talk?”

--

“What do you like to do for fun when you’re bored or have down time,” Elena asked. They never really get too much downtime like they are having right now. They were waiting for Aurora to return.


“I normally play with my daughter, go out on walks in the villages, and read,” Yuri responded.


“I normally just write to my brother or write in my journal. My brother never responses to my letters though,” Calista responded. She glared over at Zael. He gave her a small smile. She then looked over at Yuri. “It must be fun being a father.”


“It’s very fun. My daughter is a good girl when she wants to be. She has her moments though. She can be really bad around people that she doesn’t like.”

“I normally fight for fun when I’m bored. All of the guards in my castle except for a select few have fought me. It must be hard on you to raise your daughter alone,” Zael responded thoughtfully. Everyone had attended her funeral. That was the only other time they had all gotten together.


“Actually I’ve been alright raising her on my own. It’s hard sometimes when I think about my wife,” Yuri responded.

Elena rolled her eyes at Zael’s answer. She should have known that’s what he would say. “I normally plant flowers in my garden. I also like drawing as well. It helps me calm down when I’m angry.”

While everyone was talking Amelia was looking around. She normally wandered around when her father wasn’t paying attention. Amelia looked under one of the couches and found something. “Daddy?”

“Yes, baby,” Yuri asked.

Amelia pointed under the couch.

Yuri got on his hands and knees pulled whatever she saw out. His eyes widened.

 

Mew felt herself starting to shriek in terror as the fire consumed her body. The heat went down her throat and it shriveled her voice. Her world spun before suddenly getting steady again. When Haseo let her down she staggered around for a while before falling to her hands and knees and vomiting up some small bits of food.

"Only until the Sands find me," she said wiping her mouth.
---------------------------------------

If Gale was put off by Gideon's actions she didn't show it. She followed him to the throne room and back to Nero. "So how shall I best serve you, My King," she asked him with a small pirouette and a wink. There was emphasis on the word serve.
---------------------------------------

 

Gideon slowly approached the throne and when he was standing right in front of it, he stopped for a moment. Even though it was a simple matter to sit down on his new throne, the symbolism of such an act gave him pause. It seemed as though once he sat down on it, he really would be the king of the Air Kingdom-- or at least it would finally feel more real to him. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath in and out, then he finally sat down gracefully on his new throne, now looking out at Gale, Nero and Zayne. He turned his attention to Gale first, since she asked him a question. He wasn't entirely sure why she emphasized the word "serve" so much in her question, so he just brushed it off and replied.
"The people of this land should know-- no, they deserve to know everything that has happened. I want you to arrange my first public appearance as king tomorrow morning; I will explain the situation to them personally. Naturally, it would be quite helpful if you were there at my side to ease their concerns during this transition of power."
He gave her a wry smile.
"Though I'm sure you would have found your way there anyhow. Unless my assumptions are completely off-base, in which case, you'll have to forgive me for jumping to conclusions."

He then turned to Nero.
"Master..."
Even now, he was hesitant to give orders to his teacher. Nero sensed this and spoke up with a smile.
"I am at your service, your majesty. Simply tell me what needs to be done and it shall be.
Gideon nodded and continued, sounding much more confident this time.
"Lord Nero, I want you to bolster our kingdom's defenses in any way you can. Tell the captains to run more drills, tell the recruits to bring in more soldiers, shore up our defenses and make sure that our siege weapons are in working order. Prepare as if we could be at war tomorrow."
Nero seemed only a little surprised at this and nodded.
"Ahh, so you have reached the same conclusion that I have, after all."
"I believe so. Aurora would not have taken King Yuri away from his throne unless she had good reason to. Not only that, she made it very clear that she was only looking for a temporary king when she chose me. When we spoke in private, she mentioned the other three rulers as well. Why would she need to gather the four most powerful element-wielders in the land?"
Nero had a grim look on his face.
"The most obvious conclusion is that she is gathering allies, an elite team of the most powerful elementalists the kingdoms have to offer, in order to do battle against an unknown enemy. It must be something that presents a grave threat to all four kingdoms, otherwise she would not have risked destabilizing the elements by taking the four rulers away from their thrones. It almost seems as though she has been driven to the point of desperation...and if there is a force out there capable of such a thing, we should be very concerned indeed."
"Exactly. We have to prepare for the possibility that whatever Aurora might be planning, it may not succeed, or they may need more assistance than they realized. If that is the case, the Air Kingdom must be ready for battle."
Nero bowed deeply.
"You have learned well, my magnificent student. You are wise beyond your years and your foresight is quite commendable."
With a flourish, he returned to his usual self.
"Then it shall be done! The Air Kingdom's forces will shine like never before. My brilliance will light the path to victory, should any foes dare come to our doorstep!"

When Nero left the castle, Gideon looked to Zayne.
"Lord Zayne, will you continue on your journey outside our borders? If so, know that my resources are freely available to you. Simply tell me what you need and I will see to it that the proper arrangements are made."

 

Zayne looked at King Gideon with a frown on his face. Clearly still upset about his own niece not trusting him. He sighed. “My orders come from my niece. She has sent me to the borders to gather information. I do have some information I can offer you.”


Zayne crossed his arms over his chest. “Aurora knows that the whole country is going to be attacked soon. Therefore that is the reason she took the Kings and Queens of each land. For her reasoning I’m not very certain. ”


Zayne put his hand on his chin trying to think about Aurora told him. “Aurora did tell me that the other country that is planning the attack is called Verbena. What she does know is that they do not have any control over the elements. My guess is that they want our power. They want Lazarus to fall. It seems that they are also after Aurora as well.”


Zayne was now worried about his niece being down in the human realm. He knew that she was not safe. “What I do know about Verbena is that they have assassins roaming around the Kingdoms. My sister in law, Aurora’s mother, was killed by one of them. Also my brother, Akemi, Aurora’s father, and her sister were murdered as well.”

OOT: My next post will include why Yuri's eyes widened.

 

“Hello, General Bardra. It’s nice to see you.” a strange woman to break the silence.
“General Bardra, is there anywhere that we can go privately to talk?” she said after turning her head looking at the council. Bardra felt uneasy as he had no idea who this woman was or how she got the council to summon him.
"My my it takes alot to surprise this old man, tell me girl who are you and how exactly did you get this council to do your biding? They are quite a stubborn group even for me to handle but you seem to have them under control" he paused then addressed the woman's question "As for a private talk, I'm sure someplace could be found. But why go through the trouble of bringing me here hmmm?" Still weary of this girl Bardra readied his grip on is glaive and took a step

 

Aurora laughed a little bit and then smiled. “It must be that they are in shock that a woman appeared in front of them without warning. It was as if it was magic. I’m used to looks everywhere I go. I asked them nicely to do what I commanded. As for who I am…I’m Aurora. I’m the Ruler of Lazarus.”


She studied him for a few seconds. “If you attack me I will have to kill you, General Bardra.”


Aurora raised the amulet around her neck. It turned green. Her voice turned stone cold. “I will even use your own element against you.”

--

Yuri looked at the items in his hand. One was a notebook full of Aurora’s dreams. She had named it the Death Dreams Notebook. Most of them were about her death. The other two documents were about Aurora’s successor and a suicide note. Yuri’s body started to tremble. He didn’t know if he was angry with is cousin or scared. Yuri was the most shocked about the suicide note.

“Hey man, what’s wrong,” Zael asked him raising an eyebrow at him.


“Amelia found some information,” Yuri responded.

“Like what,” Zael asked.

“Aurora has a notebook about the dreams she has. She has a document about who will be the next ruler. The last time is a suicide note…,” Yuri responded his voice shaking.

Zael, Calista, and Elena looked at him. They went quiet. They didn’t know what to make of the items Amelia found.

OOT: Showing how human my Ruler can be since she is a 16 year old girl.

 

Aurora laughed a little bit and then smiled. “It must be that they are in shock that a woman appeared in front of them without warning. It was as if it was magic. I’m used to looks everywhere I go. I asked them nicely to do what I commanded. As for who I am…I’m Aurora. I’m the Ruler of Lazarus.”
She studied him for a few seconds. “If you attack me I will have to kill you, General Bardra.”
Aurora raised the amulet around her neck. It turned green. Her voice turned stone cold. “I will even use your own element against you.”
Bardra mood ligthened and began to laugh at how wrong he had been "Ahahahahaha. So you are our Ruler forgive me, but I had not paid much attention to kingdom as a whole so I hadn't know. Seems the nobles know when they are vastly out classed" Still laugh Bardra then cleared this throat "As for fighting Lady Aurora, while it would be a honor and great fun for this old man to fight such an opponent, I carry my Demonlord Crusher when I believe i would need it, that and it makes for an elegant cane don't you think?" He loosened his grip on his glaive till it touched the ground acting as a walking stick rather than a weapon,
"Come, come I'm sure we can find a spot in the castle without ear if we must stay here. I would rather be at home drinking tea my self, Would you like tea Aurora?" He asked with a smile on his face

 

Aurora’s smile returned and she laughed again. “I think that’s a good reason. I don’t want you to hurt yourself, Uncle. That would break my heart.”


Aurora then looked around and still noticed a lot of the nobles watching them. She was starting to get uncomfortable being stared at. “To be quite honest, Uncle Bardra, I don’t come down to the human realm that often. The only times I do is if I need to discuss something important. Like what I need to tell you now. Is it alright if we go to your home? I think it will be more private than here in the Kingdom. Also I decline the offer of the tea. Thank you for asking.”

--

Aurora’s powers wanted to be released, but she couldn’t release them. She didn’t want to risk getting herself sick again. She knew she was still not well. She was at a loss. “I know if I release my power I will pass out before I get a chance to talk to Uncle Bardra. I also know if I don’t release it I may still get sick. I hate my powers. I hate that it’s eating away at my body.”

OOT: I will be writing more with the others in my next post. I still haven't figured out there reactions. I'm just tired.

 

Since her best friend decided to ABANDON her. Lucille quietly made her way back to the castle... And got lost several times. "Ugh... Stupid cities... Always a damn maze." Finally she made her way back. The guards just kinda chuckled and let her through, not really caring where she had been. "I am back..." She daintily collapsed onto a chair.

 

Still luaghing Barda spoke "Ah fear not Aurora, I am as durable as the earth itself" Bardra then began to think on her words.
Uncle? I have no nieces, hell I barely remember having a blood brother an sister before being kidnapped.... Let see they much older than myself, if there where alive the would be 90 or more. And with my age I'd be great uncl if not grandpa. But Uncle bardra sounds nice yes. Bardra was in the middle of thinking when Aurora then spoke

"Angela will be disappointed, but I understand child. Come to my humble abode then, and you might be able to indulge a few of my own questions along the way" Bardra said leading the way home. "Oh and do stay in the castle, council. I believe we may have something to discuss later"

As they walked Bardra studied Aurora.The girl is pale, almost sickly even. Something is taxing her, I've seen wounded try to lie too many times pass this off. But I'll leave that for a later question, something is bugging me....
"Aurora" Bardra paused "How exactly am I your uncle? most of my family either disappeared once i returned 60 years ago or is long dead. I doubt a ninety year old cot or crone would sire one as you as yourself"

OoT: you can have them arrive at the house or still walk for a bit

 

"Consider it done, My King," Gale said with a warm smile that seemed at odds with her earlier actions. In truth, she wasn't that upset with her sudden cousin's decision. It made sense to give the stewardship to someone actually involved with the day to day planning. She'd wait until her little uncle got back and then beat the crown from his head. That had been the plan since she had been little and saw the disappointment on her father's face.

"If you'll excuse me, I have some preparations to make," She told Giddy and left the room.
---------------------------------------------------------------

Lain had been having a nice dream for once. It wasn't about the Verbena tempering or her vague recollections of living on the street. It was a nice sunny day, a few months after her youngest sister had been born and the family had gone to have a picnic. It was just a wonderful time until the whole scene eroded with a loud bang of thunder. The sunny sky became dark with roiling green clouds fed by hundreds of thousands of smokestacks belching contaminants. Rain began to fall that burned whatever it touched. Lain woke up screaming as her body was melted into a puddle of goo.

Rhiner was up as the window shattered and wood split. He had to cover his ears as Lain shot up shrieking into his ear right beside him. It took her a few moments to get her bearings back but she got herself under control.

"What in the name of the Gods?" She asked in irritation as she looked at the damage to the room. She was up on her feet with sword in hand stalking to the broken window. Looking out over the hot spring area she attempted to figure out just who the hell did this. "There's no way I'm paying for this. Hear that you bastard! Show yourself and face justice!"

"Cover yourself," Rhiner tossed her cloak to her but Lain ignored it. So instead he picked it up and draped it over her shoulders, the fabric mostly covered her body. He had already gotten dressed in his leather armor and clothing. A long knife in one hand was his only apparent weapon. He stood next to Lain but off to one side just in case there was a follow up attack.

 

“I can see that you are, Uncle Bardra,” Aurora responded.


She followed him as they walked towards his home. “I will answer any question you have. Tea is not really my thing, but I will try to drink it. I don’t want to offend your housekeeper.”


Aurora noticed that Bardra was staring at her. She started to blush a little bit. “Actually we aren’t related. I just look up to you as if you were my Uncle. I have deep respect for you, Uncle Bardra.”

--

“Are you telling me that Aurora was planning to commit suicide,” Calista asked. Her face contorted with worry. She knew how it felt to be depressed, but she never let her mind wander that far. She knew that her brother would not be able to handle her death. They lost their parents ten years ago.

Yuri began to read the note. He looked over Aurora’s words carefully. He looked at Calista. “Yes, it seems that way. She said that she was too over stressed. She couldn’t handle being the Ruler. She felt depressed because she didn’t think she was doing a good enough job.”

Yuri looked at the note again. He read more of what Aurora said. “I know I’m not good enough for this position. I know that Lazarus would be better without me. I wonder though…would Lazarus fall without their Ruler?”


Yuri put the note back where he found it. He couldn’t read it anymore.

Elena looked at Yuri. She could see the pain in his eyes. “Well the bright side is that Aurora changed her mind. She is still alive. That would have been a selfish thing for her to do. Aurora really seems to be an attention seeker as well as a brat.”

Zael went over to Elena and punched her in the arm. He was tired of her completely. “That is really insensitive of you to say. You realize that she is mainly on her own. No one else lives in this realm, but the Ruler. As Aurora explained to us her immediate family is gone. Yuri even told us that his father was tough on her. You really think she’s an attention seeker?”

Elena grabbed the arm that Zael punched. She glared at him. “Yes, she is. She wanted us to find that note.”

“It wouldn’t have been hidden if she wanted us to find it. She would have left it out in the open. I think being on her own for so long is affecting my cousin,” Yuri responded with anger in his tone. He never thought someone could be like that. “Thank you for defending my cousin, Zael.”


“No problem,” Zael responded. “Elena completely deserved that.”

Yuri looked at the document for her successor. He was curious as to who was going to be the next Ruler after Aurora passes away. His eyes widened when he saw that it was Amelia. “I have many questions for my cousin when she gets back.”

 

OOT: Innkeeper headed your way, @The_Lullabye

Upon hearing the explosion, the innkeeper rushed to Shizukesa's room, throwing open the door.
"Are you alright!?"
"I am! Just a minor accident."
Shizukesa glanced at the hole the launched spike left in its wake. The innkeeper saw the Pyledriver and realized what had happened.
"...I see. So HE gave it to you and messed up by having a live round in there. I'll go survey the damage before having a talk with HIM and making a damage estimate. I'll leave the bill for you later."
Greatly annoyed, the shopkeeper shut door to check the damages. Shizukesa, covered in the soot from the blast, slowly got up. Surveying the room, the soot from the Pyledriver seemed to only get on her, leaving the room clean.
"How bothersome. Oh well, I guess this does work out."
She sensed no deaths, so her mind was at ease. Undressing, she took the after-bath robes and stepped into the private spring area. Cinder, unaware of Shizukesa's presence, remained in the spring, only his head remaining above the steaming water. Kneeling down and setting aside the robes on the smooth sandstone, Shizukesa tapped on Cinder's temple, making him jerk.
"Don't worry. Right now would probably be the best time to take off those bandages."
Carefully, she undid the bandages, mindfully avoiding the bloodied stains on the bandages. Once Cinder's face was unbound, she tossed the bandages aside.
"Why would you take off the bandages?"
"Well, this is just a theory and a rumor, but I have heard that earth users are able to subconsciously manipulate minerals and use it to heal themselves when normal medicine won't work. And, I came here for something else..."
"What was it?"
"That explosion? Oh, nothing major. But that was not what I wanted to talk about."
"Then what?"
Still unaware of Shizukesa's undressed state, his eyes remained closed as he relaxed in the spring. Standing up, she walked to the other side of the small spring, stepping in gingerly and settling into in comfortably. Cinder, waiting for a response, wondered what took her so long. At that moment, he felt a foot touch his calf. Before he even opened his eyes, he realized what had happened. Shizukesa was now sharing the spring with him, much to his surprise. Her attractive body was censored from his sight by the abundant steam from the springs.
"What!? You!? I thought a priestess was supposed to avoid this kind of behavior!?"
"This was one of my visions as well, being with you and having family. Twelve children, a nice white house in the forest, everything peaceful..."
"Whoa! Wait! How do you know those are our kids!? And that many is ridiculous!"
Shizukesa thought it over for a moment.Then she began scoot closer as she answered Cinder.
"Well, maybe I was only seeing double for the children. But they did look like ours, and I am quite certain that we were together with our family. It's not too early to start a family, you know."
She continued getting dangerously close to him, the censoring steam almost rendered useless now.
"And my visions always come true."
"GYAAH!"
Cinder thrust his palm out, splashing a wave of steaming water against Shizukesa while pressing against her sternum and pushing back Shizukesa. At the same time, he hauled himself out of the springs under the cover of the disturbed water's steam as Shizukesa tried to regain her balance in the water and deal with the water that had been splashed on her face. Wrapping around the after-bath robe, he accusingly looked at her before remembering he wasn't going to look at her.
"That explains the single bed! Well, not going to let that vision work out!"
Storming away and dripping, Cinder threw open their room's door, grabbing a towel to dry off.
Ridiculous! How could I possibly be a father? And one that sticks around for that many children, too!