[PLOT][ORP] Danger in the Forest: Prelude to War (Part 1)

[Wolfs Heart]

Genesis paused to think about the words of the squirrel-y fae child, it seemed like they were in the right place if this child was talking about the same cave that they were seeking. At least the child seemed innocent enough about thinking why they might be there.

Genesis heard the call from Hania and her thoughts were cut off as she remembered the pre-arranged signal. That wasn't a good sign, she wondered if something had happened with the other group... Genesis looked at her peers, they would need to lose the fae, it seemed all too likely to Genesis that the curious child would follow them and they needed to get back fast. She feigned a dramatic yawn and stretched... "I fear I am exhausted from our trek through the forest and we still must complete the return trip, shall we head home?" Genesis started going back the way they had come, dragging her feet as if she was fatigued.  

[Guardian_Iris]

(( ATTN ALL SQUIRES:

You must reply to Hania's post to wrap this ORP and count it as completed. The mission was a failure; however a few active squires did gather some information. This mission was intended to fail, so don't fret. Squires will be given the opportunity to report their findings in their Knight Training class which will be set up shortly. The purpose of this RP was to introduce them to the cave and their opposition. We needed to light a fire within, so they'd have the passion and drive required to return and not fail again. We also took note of which squires took initiative, which decisions they made and how they interacted with their fellow Pae.

ATTN PARTICIPATING PAE'IL (non squires):

This was simply an information delivering RP. I apologize for the derailment that occurred early on, but that has been dealt with. We have kept a list of all participating Pae, how they reacted and what they did. We had a few key points we were looking for in order to promote our first round of Hallowed Pae'il. This is not the only qualifying RP for that consideration, so don't feel discouraged if you didn't get much attention or opportunity for action. You can post a parting reply, or considered this RP closed for logging purposes. ))  

[Seiana_ZI]

They really needed to get out of this situation.

They were currently walking away from where they needed to be. They needed to go back to the cave with the other Squires, but instead they were moving to exit the forest with these heretics--and people hanging out with heretics--all because they needed to hold a stupid ruse. At some point, Nephi knew they would either need to find an excuse or simply slip away. While Nephi thought just disappearing into the bush would be easier, that was complicated by the fact that Eligor seemed to know one of the heretics, and if they were familiar with each other, that might have been Eligor's in for understanding how the heretics work, and a heretic that perhaps found them more sympathetic than the others. They couldn't afford to make him suspicious in their attempts to join back with their team--

What was that sound?

Suddenly distracted from his mental ramblings of the hour, Nephi's eyes lifted to look behind him, attempting to understand where the sound of the mockingbird was coming from. It might not have been as familiar to him as it was to the other Squires, but it didn't take long for him to understand the exact intent behind the very specific pattern of sound. It may have sounded like a normal mockingbird, but he knew better.

This mission was a bust. To some extent, that had already been true for Nephi, considering they were heading away from the scene, but he had gathered some intel that the Guardians would hopefully find useful. They likely had plenty of information on odd Fae now, as well as an "Earthmother" and a "Rais" and an odd fae claiming she was protecting a dragon with ... dragonfly wings?

He had to think fast, though. They needed to get out of here. When he was certain the others were not looking, he jabbed Eligor in the side and jerked his head towards the trees.

"I think we should go ahead," offered Nephi, still active in the lie. "We know the general direction and it's rather hard to miss a giant lake. We're just sidetracking these poor people."

Ignatius glanced behind him at the squire, quirking a brow at the fact he seemed to suddenly want to get away in such a hurry. Still, he couldn't necessarily blame him. After that sensation in the forest and that ... fae just randomly ... stepping through reality ... he kind of wanted out of there as quickly as possible too, before some reality-skipping portal came around and grabbed him too.

Of course, it was also possible that the reality-skipping would be badass. What would be on the other side? While in most circumstances, Ignatius would probably think of the wonders of other universes, the impending sense of doom still present made his mind focus on not only how odd the whole situation was, but the fact that other realities could have so many different problems within them, or different rules, different things, maybe even a bizarre, twisted version of him doing tings he would never actually do...

Ignatius shivered.

Yeah, he couldn't blame the demon teen for wanting to just ... go ahead. Maybe they should get moving a bit faster.

"Yeah, lake should be that way," offered Ignatius, pointing in the direction they were headed. They were heading by the lake to get to wherever they were going, anyway...  

[Teigra]

She got here first? Lailah stopped short of asking why she should care that some kid was staking a claim to the discovery. Discovery of what? That was what they were here to find out afterall...if the kid knew something useful...

Though, Lailah was starting to doubt that the kid knew anything with all this dancing around, and if she did, the teen angel wasn't sure she had the patience to draw it out of her before she lost what little composure she had left on this mission. A mixture of panic and relief washed over her as the mockingbird's call sounded, sharp and shrill in her ears. While she felt a moment's relief at the realization that she could stop trying to get information out of the kid, the wave of anxiety that followed was nearly overwhelming. Her chest felt tight, and her golden eyes darted towards her compatriots swiftly, searching their faces for their own reactions. No...if the mission was being called off before they met their objective...they...they'd...f-failed...

The mere thought was painful for the teen Squire. Failure was never an option, especially where the Guardians were considered. It was unacceptable. Her breathing sped up, catching in her throat as it threatened to close in anxiety. No...the other group...they must have failed their assignment...otherwise, they'd still have time to complete the mission. It had to be done...they were so close. So close...they couldn't fail...

The Light is my guide.

The growing panic ceased, holding steady as her Knightly training was triggered by the adrenaline rush, creeds drilled into her head since birth, absolute truths to live by, streaming silently through her head as she struggled to regain control of her anxiety.

I shall be a shining beacon, guiding the Isle from darkness, protecting it from those who wish to destroy it.

Silent, fist clenching discretely at her thigh, Lailah continued running through the mantras, suddenly grateful that Genesis had responded first and drawn attention to herself for the moment. Lailah still needed to compose herself. What to do? The mission was a failure, they'd failed, they...but, they'd been ordered to retreat.

For now.

And above all else, I will trust in the Guardians and obey, for I am their soldier, their tool, and the means by which they shall save us all.

Clinging to her final thought, Lailah took a deep breath, held it, then let it out slowly, in a controlled fashion. This was not failure. This was a momentary, tactical retreat. Not great, but better; easier to accept. Hiding how shaken she'd felt with the threat of failure hanging over her head just a moment ago, Lailah put on the best face she could, praying the child had been paying more attention to Genesis than to herself. Best to go along with the earthy-colored angel, since it seemed as decent a plan as any at the moment to make their exit. Lailah's mind was blank; no other ideas coming from there right now.

"Oy, you need to exercise more," she shot back at the other teen. Her tone would have seemed harsh to the Fae child, but for the other Squire, whom she'd trained and lived and fought beside, she would be able to tell that this was not what Lailah sounded like when she was being genuinely sharp. "But fine," she rolled her eyes for effect, waving her hand at Genesis. "We'll get going before you get any more tired. I'm not carrying you back this time," she drawled, putting effort into the act not only to make the escape, but to cover for her earlier momentary panic. Guardians...what if she'd done something stupid?

 

[Doof]

Katya's blood ran cold at the sound of Hania's signal. Certainly, a part of her was relieved that this 'scouting mission' was over, but she knew that they hadn't gotten everything they came for. Not that she was particularly surprised; Hania was a wise teacher even if he was one of her least favorite ones, and it had become fairly obvious to Katya right from the start that any secrecy about their objective had been blown wide open. The only prudent thing to do would be to back away, since they were in effect an unwelcome force encroaching on a hostile location, and only true espionage would be of any further use here if confrontation was to be avoided.

Part her felt like she wanted to crawl into a hole and hide. She didn't feel like she'd done anything wrong, but as a group, the squires had failed their objective, and as part of the group, she felt like she had to own her share of the responsibility. And yet she also felt disgust that someone, somewhere might have blabbed about their mission, compromising its secrecy, or if not that, someone had failed to inform them that the cave and its dangerous contents had somehow become common knowledge amongst the heretics.

The red demon waited until the strange Fae child was much further away before she hopped out of her tree and silently glided down towards Dante, landing with a heavy beating of wings and causing some dead leaves at their feet to swirl around. Though she kept her bow at the ready, she returned her arrow to her quiver and laid a hand on the other Pae's shoulder. "We should move, and regroup." Without waiting for a response, she added, "This was never going to be a reconnaissance mission. Too many knew of this place before we even got here."  

[Menelie]

[reserved for dante post
/cries because of schedule]  

[Teigra]

The signal was startling, but the demon hid any outwards reaction to it and remained collected. Picking up on Nephi's cue, Eligor nodded solemnly and turned to the remaining Pae'il. "I believe this is a sound plan. We should be able to find it from here."

"You're sure?" Faroth countered, frowning. "I mean, it's on the way, basically."

"Oh no, no, we've caused you enough trouble today." Eligor shook his head, then stepped back to bow to the company as a whole. "It was a pleasure to meet you all, nonetheless. Perhaps, under more normal circumstances, we might meet again, yes?" Then to the dappled Faun, he added, "And of course, a pleasure to see you again, Faroth. Travel well." With that, he offered his arm to Alethea and nodded to Nephi. "Let's go and leave these fine people to their own journey home."

Faroth shrugged, resigned at last to give up. "Alright, if you're sure. You take care as well," he nodded in farewell before turning back to Earthmother and Ignatius. He already seemed in a better mood after putting some distance between them and the source of the ill feelings. "Looks like we're in the clear." He tilted his head at the shetani questioningly. "You heading home now too?" He half-smiled. "Not sure what to expect when you get there, depending on how Kane and Mikasi sorted out. I'm almost tempted to come and find out myself, but uh..." He glanced towards Earthmother, as well as ahead where the Fauny Princesses had disappeared. He felt obliged to make sure that they all made it back to Laisidhiel safely. "I think I'll head for home first as well. Maybe find out what happened with those two later. Hey, tell Texas and Vangelis I said 'hey', alright? Promise, I'll make a proper visit someday soon." With a grin, he bid his friend farewell, then turned to attend to the elderly Faunness...if she needed it, of course.