Light and Dark. Opposites. Enemies. Locked in a constant struggle for supremacy. These long, long years, the Darkness has all but won. Mankind feels it. The taint, the dread, the sense of despair...

But all is not lost. Though mankind lives in a world of darkness, light remains. And foremost of that light...are the hopeful.

This is a story of fighting fear...

The Town of Domremy, Louisiana: December 18, 2016, Sunday, 3:04 PM

Domremy wasn't a particularly big town. In fact, it was rather tiny. Not very exciting either. There was nothing much to do. The Factory (she didn't bother learning the name of the company it belonged to, to her and most everyone in Domremy it was just The Factory.) dominated the sleepy town with its presence, and the swamps weren't a good place to hang out unless you wanted to meet alligators.

She rather liked Domremy. It was normally peaceful, the people for the majority were nice, and it was close enough to New Orleans that she could ride her motorcycle to college there everyday.

Of course, the Enemy didn't like peace all that much.

The Enemy was stirring, she could feel it. Darkspawn emerged with alarming frequency these days. Tainted Places were multiplying...and there was a bloody Cataphract in Saint Damian's Hospital now. Great.

Annelise Wattson resisted the urge to pace, tried to focus on the thick legal book that she had brought with as she waited for everyone to assemble.

Elise was sitting inside a medium sized studio type apartment, on a mattress that she had long ago smuggled in here.

The apartment was obviously not in use. The walls were a bare, gray stone, there was no electricity, the only light source being the weak rays of the afternoon sun shining from the windows.

It was barely furnished, with mattresses, a portable stove, a bookshelf, and a crate on which a laptop sat.

Not the most glamorous of headquarters, but she'd take it.

The incomplete, abandoned apartment building sat in the middle of town, closed off to the public (not a problem for her to sneak into, but gave great privacy), across the street from the monument of Jeanne D'Arc and beyond that, Saint Damian's Hospital.

Elise herself was a tall, athletic young woman of twenty four, long blonde hair tied into a ponytail, green eyes behind her reading glasses. She fidgeted slightly, impatient.

They couldn't keep doing things like this. For the past few years, she and a small handful of Hopeful in Domremy had protected the city as individuals. Sure, they helped each other when needed, but they were never an actual team. But now....with the Enemy acting strangely, and the appearance of something infinitely more dangerous than the average Darkspawn. They had to come together.

Which was why Elise had invited them, all of them, to gather here today. First reaching out to the Princesses she knew (Madamoiselle Belrose was the easiest to cantact.), they had then tracked every new Blossomed in the town.

The meeting was at three thirty and Elise was already anxious.

She had gotten her cousin to babysit Mimi for the afternoon, but she didn't want to be gone long.

Besides that, the thought of facing another Cataphract was....

"Sacrè bleu! The mission, Elise! Remember! No fear!" She muttered to herself aloud. It was dumb, but it kept her from worrying.

She shook her head. Now was not the time to worry. It was the time to wait....

Meanwhile, Quinn Yuukihana, as he was going about his business would feel...something.

An urge to go to the abandoned apartment for some odd reason. Almost like a voice, nudging him along.

You have a choice. It seemed to say.

I'm offering you something. A chance. To help people.

Are you going to take it?

There were a few rules to being a superpowered magical being in a world where people possessed by the dark could call together hit men to kill you while meeting in a fairly open place. Rule one, always scout beforehand, which was simple enough with his Elusive charm active, casually stalking through shadows to ensure that no one was going to turn the meeting into a bloodbath. The second was that as soon as it wasn't needed, drop the hero identity and become normal again.

Some of the other Noblity within the city were just way to relaxed despite knowing the stakes that were against them. Sure some of his associates could just punch away any threat to them if it came down to it, but Adrian was far from a powerhouse unless one counted mental strength. So instead he would simply do all he could. "Good to see you," he reached into his pocket and quickly tossed a small piece of jade at Elise, waiting to see what reaction it would have to her. Seeing that she didn't start cursing or burning at its touch he relaxed a bit and walked over. "You set up the meeting right?" he offered a hand to her, hiding a small fart noise button he had attached to his palm. A nice and quaint prank to lighten the mood after he had thrown something at her to start the meeting. "Good to meet you."

Elise's Apartment

"Ipso!" A voice like bells cried as a polynesian girl walked into the princess's apartment, Loke Dela Cruz-Kinipela was tall and thin, her face marred by a nightmarish scar which seemed a mockery of a smile, this was only made worse by her abnormally sharp teeth.

The scarred girl walked over to her companion, even barefoot, Loke was a few inches taller than Elise, she walked over and hugged the older princess, giving her a kiss on the cheek before taking a step back. "Aloha! I got your message but I was dealing with something! How's Mimi?" Judging from the fact that Loke's legs were covered in mud and she had a few cuts, it seemed as if she'd just come from the swamp...A dangerous place yes, but Loke's sanity was questionable enough for her to think it was a good idea.

She turned to Adrian, "Who are you-who is he? Is he someone new? Are you someone new? Another warrior? Hello! I'm Loke! Can he fly? Please tell me you can fly!" She said it all in about a second, hugging him. Her side was warm and wet as she stepped back and looked at the two of them. "Can I get a first aid kit?" She lifted up her shirt to reveal a deep gash in her side, almost looking like a deep sword cut. "The '"Tamawo'' was stronger than it looked!" Tamawo being one of Loke's dozen nicknames for the Enemy's beasts. She also seemed strangely happy with her wound.

edited 28th Aug '17 11:51:54 PM by TroyandHawk

Domremy, Streets

A young person was walking through the streets, groceries in hand, dressed in a hoodie, skirt and boots. Waving hello to all the people they knew, and stopping to chat every now and then. He looked down into his bag to make sure everything was still there, looking down for all the ingredients for gumbo. His maternal grandmother's recipe of course.

And then he heard it. A voice. Quinn Yuukihana didn't recognize the voice, and yet it still felt familiar to him... Almost... Proper that it should speak to him. He looked around to see where it was coming from, as any sane person would. After all, hearing voices in your head is rather insane. However, he found no one. "A chance? Who are you... What are you talking about?"

An alleyway beside the apartment.

A young man stared at the sky, a small black device pressed to his eye. After a good minute of staring, he glances down and puts pencil to a small notepad. Then back to scanning the sky. 'Another empty day .... Hmmm ... another quiet day ...'

He removed his eye from the eyepiece and pulled a small piece of paper from his pocket. 3:30. He checked his watch. 3:04. Plenty of time, plenty of time. Although, getting their early would prove useful. A whole group of curious people in one place... He nodded to himself.

After popping the monocular back around his neck, he pats his pants, checking his pockets. 'Monocular, check. Notepad, check. Sustenance, check. All accounted for.' He strides around the corner and inside the building. He stops for a moment before the apartment door. 'Ok, simple entrance. Positive reactions. Hel-' He stopped dead in the doorway, staring wide eyed at Loke's wound. "Oh. Oh dear."

The Apartment

A minivan with tinted windows pulled up at the end of the street. The engine switched off, and out stepped a lanky man in a suit with slicked-back black hair. He strode to the back of the minivan, unlocked the back door and extracted a wheelchair. Wheeling it to the passenger seat, he gingerly helped a young woman out of the car and into her chair.

"Are you sure you don't want me to be there?" he said. "Or at least take you to the door?"

The woman, long blonde hair worn in a half-updo, was Amélie Belrose — one of the longest active Princesses in Domremy, and probably one of the more elusive. She carried a small rabbit plushy in her lap. Amélie looked at the man and gently smiled.

"There are some secrets a girl would like to keep to herself," she said.

The man frowned.

"I'll ... I'll head back to the city, then," he said. "They'll want the company van back."

The man took off and let Amélie wheel herself down the street to the front of an abandoned apartment block. She looked up at the aged, boarded-up building and shivered. Yes, something would have to be done about this. Amélie entered, counting door numbers, and arrived sooner than she'd thought. Small mercies. The elevator had no chance of working.

Three others had already arrived and left the door open, so Amélie invited herself in with a knock and entered quietly.

"You'll get sick holed up in here, Annelise," she said. "And Loke's wounds will be infected."

edited 29th Aug '17 12:27:16 AM by opnerf

Apartment meeting

Vanessa had her tentacles slowly open the window as she sneaked in from the top floor of the apartment building before slipping inside and changing back into her normal form. First impressions were important and it would be both fun and highly enlightening to see what kind of reactions she got from having not used the front door. Before she started walking she quickly felt around her pockets before pulling out her glasses and securing them in place.

Vanessa pulled out her phone and used the Princess app (bleh, let's hope no one ever catches me using this thing, they'll think I'm five or something.) to review information on the phenomenon she had so recently started being exposed to as well as information about the other courts so that she could get an idea of who and what exactly she would be dealing with. As she descended she began humming a jaunty tune and just generally not taking any effort to hid her presence anymore.

Arriving in short order in the room with the others, she raised a hand in greeting. "Yo." She said, not taking her eyes off her phone yet as she prepared a memo app to take notes with. "Can we hurry this up? I've got so many finals to study for this week it isn't even funny. Oh, and so many labs." She rolled her eyes in irritation. "Point is, our get together is cutting into study time."

The Apartment

Elise had barely gotten back into her law book when something came flying at her from nowhere.

With reflexes trained from eleven years of combat experience, Elise reflexively caught the thing before it smacked her in the face.

Jade. She almost snorted. Just her luck, the first one to arrive would be someone as paranoid as she is.

She raised her eyes from the book and looked at the young man who threw the rock at her.

"Let me guess. Spade."

She took a second to stare at his outstretched hand, pondering whether to shake or not....until Loke arrived in her usual loud manner.

Elise liked Loke, she did. But she could be much sometimes.

"Bonjour, Loke. I'm glad you can make it. Mimi is fine, Guinevere is taking care of her. Were you in the swamps? In this infernal cold?" She greeted, tightening her university jacket.

Then, she noticed that Loke was wounded. Yet again.

"Of course you'd get in a scrap today of all days..." Elise grumbled, but there was an undercurrent of affection there.

She stood up and walked over to the book case, taking her first aid kit.

"Sit, and stay still while I clean and dress this, sœur."

As she did so, two more Hopeful arrived. She acknowledged the other young man with a nod and a "Don't worry, she does this all the time."

She glanced up at Amèlie and smiled slightly. Out of everyone here, she would understand the most just how bad the situation was now.

"Madamoiselle Amèlie, you came. Merci. ....This place provides easy surveillance."

She continued to treat Loke's wounds even as Vanessa made her dramatic entrance.

Elise promptly gave her the dryest, most unimpressed look she could give.

"I do not wish to waste your time, but...well, I'll try to make it quick."

"We are still missing three people that I have invited. There is one more Noble active in Domremy, but I doubt she'll show....as she is a Stormite, and a fanatic at that."

A sigh.

"For those of you who do not know, my name is Annelise Wattson. Elise is fine. I am a Champion of Swords, and I have been fighting for eleven years. I called you here....because I have a favor to ask of all of you."

Quinn

My, what a curious one. The voice seemed almost amused.

You might as well call me Spade. Hmm, how do I put this? Do you want to be a superhero? Then, go to the abandoned apartment. Something interesting is happening.

Then again, you may walk away. I dob't expect you to believe me at a drop of the hat. Go or not. It's your choice and always has been, my dear Quinn~!

Quinn

Quinn thought for a time before nodding. "Hey might as well. Let's listen to the weird voices in my head, great idea! Well it's not like i can't defend myself if it turns out to be some weird mugging ambush..."

With this mumbling, Quinn started to make his way to the abandoned apartment, running a slight bit.

Abandoned Apartment

"Why the heck did the voice tell me to come here of all places?" Quinn questioned as he explored the building, before finally hearing voices. "I swear if this turns out to be a murder party..." He peeked through the door a bit, staring at the odd collection of people. There was the girl in the wheel chair who looked so very out of place that it was hilarious, the girl with... Was that a wound? It looked incredibly serious... And then... The oddest part of all was the girl who had climbed through the window with... Tentacles of all things. Quinn was so engrossed with all of this that he didn't notice how much he was leaning against the door, and when it opened too far, he came crashing to the ground. How the others would react to this sudden feminine looking person falling flat on their face after eavesdropping can only be guessed at...

Apartment

Loke smiled, "Well, I was in What's-it-called, right? The part that got sucked into the swamp during the Hurricane? Just felt I needed to check it out." She smiled, "It was great! The monster put up a wonderful fight! It almost got my kidney too!" ...Typical Loke. Walk a mile, bleeding and barefoot through aligator infested swampland and still happy she was injured. "That's good. If Mimi ever wants to spend the week with me and Uncle Kekoa, just say the word!" She took off her shirt, frowning at the stain "This was my favorite shirt..." She posted. It had a horrific scene of gore under the words Cannibal Corpse.

She waved cheerfully as Amiele rolled in. Loke liked her spirit and would have hugged her if not for Elise's firm belief on her sitting still while she was stitched shut. She did the same to Squid before quietly listening.

"Is it true that a Storm caused Hurricane Katrina?" She asked, before the door flew open. Loke abruptly stood up, hissing in pain as she glared at the newcomer before sitting down, "Aloha!" She said cheerfully, no trace of pain in her voice.

edited 29th Aug '17 12:57:59 PM by TroyandHawk

A dry smile comes to his face as Elise responds. 'Well, that's ... slightly comforting... If you need any help, I'm well practised in treating wounds.' He walks around Loke, looking for any other scrapes or bruises, then sighs and shakes his head. 'But out brawling out in the swamps .... You're one tough cookie, at the very least.'

He notices Adrian at the side and gives him a large smile. 'Good to see you here. 'As Amélie enters, he gives her a smile and a small wave in greeting. Looks like I was right about our curious group, he thinks. Then Vanessa arrives through the window. Warren blinks, a little surprised. 'Wow, did the front door break that quickly? I didn't know that was possible!' he mutters not quietly enough. After a moment, he leans back on the wall and surveys the room, tapping his fingers against his side. I guess that means Tsubaki and Liz aren't here yet, he thinks.

'So, about this 'favour' you wante-' Quinn crashes to the ground. 'Huh ... what's going on here, eh?' He attempts to maintain composure, but a bead of sweat runs down his face.

Domremy, Monument of Jeanne D'arc

Alissandra frowned. She had been standing in front of the monument for a good ten minutes. Across, the rundown apartment can be seen. The paper said to meet there but it looked abandoned and being a lone young girl of only eighteen miles away from her home, she had misgivings. Surely, it was pertaining to some other building but it looked to be the only one that matched the descriptions.

She was surprised to have received a letter addressed to her a few days prior. It was quite lucky of her to be in France when it came but if anything, that made the letter far more dubious. It knew she was there and it clearly was addressed to her which should be expected of the Hopeful and the Darkness, alike.

She shrugged off the thought. Just as she was about to walk towards the building, she saw people coming into the apartment, mere seconds or minutes within each other. She pretended to be studying the statue of the Maiden of Orleans as a van stopped in front of the building and went as it unloaded its passenger.

She felt stupid and indecisive.They probably already know I'm here, she thought to herself, standing around looking like an idiot. Alissandra resigned with a sigh. Seeing as people would go out of their way to explore a rundown apartment such as the one before her, it must be the place she was told to go.

As Alissandra climbed the creaking stairs, she could hear many voices. At last, she was finally at the door which she gave a tentative push. The door opened to reveal an assortment of people, all very young. She felt old for a moment until she remembered that she was just as old as them now. One curious boy was lying flat on the floor - for what reason, she could barely tell. She rushed to him, kneeling beside him to give him a hand. "Are you okay?" she asked.

edited 29th Aug '17 6:59:51 AM by DemKimochis

The Apartment

Amélie smiled warmly.

"Bonsoir, Annelise. It has been some time. It is stuffy at home and one can only spend so much time spying from the tower," Amélie said. She wheeled forward and directed her gentle smile in Warren's direction. "And good evening, everyone."

Quinn came crashing through the door, and behind her followed Alissandra, neither of them faces Amélie recognized.

"We have some fresh faces, it seems. Good evening. You'll both want filling in, I expect, but first—"

Amélie made her way to the window and pushed open a gap in the dusty blinds, upsetting a dust cloud that caused her to cough. She peered across the street with narrow eyes. Saint Damian's Hospital lay across the way; a place she normally visited every week for physical therapy sessions but which had now become very uncomfortable. She glanced aside at Elise.

"The Cataphract hasn't made a move yet, has it?" she said.

edited 29th Aug '17 7:13:24 AM by opnerf

The Apartment

"The Stormites may usually be fanatical, but they are not the enemy. I do not wish to believe The Hopeful are responsible for such a disaster." Elise told Loke, gently treating her wounds.

She smiled reservedly at Warren, then nodded. "Merci. I am not so used to treating wounds, so may I ask you to help me?"

Then, at Amèlie's question, she narrowed her eyes.

"Non. It has not moved, as far as I know. It's just...there. I do not think it has fed itself, either. Roi is scouting inside as we speak...." she replied, mentioning her Shikigami.

She looked at Warren again. "My favor is...well, let us wait for everyone, but it concerns the creature in the hospital."

And then someone uninvited burst into the room and reflexively, Elise moved. She stood up and stepped forward.

"Fuoco."

A burst of flame erupted where she stood, and when it receded, Elise was clad in her Regalia.◊

"Who are you?! This place has been charmed and consecrated, no one can come here uninvited. I do not know of another Hopeful in Domremy! State your Court!" She demanded at Quinn, burning green eyes glaring at him warily.

She noticed Alissandra (a new find) behind the intruder and gestured for her to move to their side.

"They do not feel like Darkspawn, yet how could they have bypassed the wards so easily...." she muttered to herself, half a mind to summon her sword.

Monument of Jeanne d'Arc: Late Late Late!

Another arrival soon began her approach on a pink bicycle, one that Elise would be quite familiar with. Blonde hair, pink and white clothing that fit school regulations, and strikingly red eyes that anyone who was currently in high school would recognize easily meant only one thing. It was Tsubaki Ankou, a princess with a year and a half under her belt already, and a senior currently attending St. Raphael, the local high school. The bike she was on looked to be a relatively new one she got after her last one trashed in a fight with Darkspawn not too long ago, though Tsu just claimed to her parents that it accidentally rolled off into a ditch and got beaten up beyond use in the process. As soon as she got to the Monument of Jeanne d'Arc, she stopped her bike, put out her kickstand, and rushed into the building while taking off her helmet.

"Sorry I'm late, Elise!", she said as soon as she got to the others, panting and trying to catch her breath, "Had to convince my parents to let me go out by myself today...wait, who's the new person?" She noticed the new arrival, Quinn, unsure why the hell a person who hadn't even Blossomed was here.

edited 29th Aug '17 8:15:59 AM by TheHailStormer

Domremy, Apartment

The tall, bespectacled blonde's sudden outburst took Alissandra by surprise; she almost froze in fear. The woman who had just shouted at her now stood intimidatingly in her Regalia. Only it wasn't her that she was shouting at, she realized, but rather the boy on the floor as the wary woman gestured towards Alissandra.

She jumped away from the man, taking in all that the woman had said. Such an elementary mistake! and she felt her heart drop. She was this close to dying the moment she arrived and she didn't even know it. Instinctively, she reached for her fountain pen in the pocket of her jacket, pressed the button and unscrewed it.

Alissandra felt her hair grow longer, braiding itself. Her jacket was replaced by a long red coat and stylized pauldrons weighed on her shoulders. A puffy white ruff peeked from her chest. The pen in her hand grew longer and sharper as well, a rounded handguard covering her fist. Flowers and vines crept up onto the handguard and solidified into steel. With shaky legs, she stood up slowly. Eyes wildly glaring at the man.

edited 29th Aug '17 9:03:48 AM by DemKimochis

The Apartment

Amélie frowned.

"How troubling."

The Cataphract was biding its time. As long as it believed no Nobles knew about it, though, perhaps they had an advantage. Amélie had temporarily ceased her regular visits for this reason. Best not upset a delicate situation with her continued presence.

The news that one of their guests was uninvited unsettled Amélie, but she remained calm.

"This is not one of yours?" she said.

Amélie wheeled forward, but she didn't transform.

"You'll have to forgive us but we can't be too careful with intruders, especially ones who have bypassed all of our precautions," Amélie said. "Annelise, would you like to hand our guest that piece of jade?"

"Maybe before going into full blown war mode just throw a the piece of jade I handed you at someone, pretty sure the nastys can get a sense of it when we just throw out our magic like that," there was nothing to directly confirm the theory, but Adrian wasn't the kind to throw caution to the wind. Which was why he had gone through the extra effort of ending his own transformation about a block away instead of arriving as his much sexier alter ego.

He walked over to the Quinn and reached into his pocket, sprinkling Jade dust down onto the fallen man and waited for a moment before reaching out a hand. "Here, that was a nasty spill and no doubt you have some questions for us," he turned to look at the others. "Lets put the cutlery away until after we figure out whats going on."

Apartment

The knowledge that this was a hospital filled her with dread. Loke never liked hospitals, especially since Uncle Kekoa's monthly check-ups had basically been turned into an hour where she was repeatedly told 'it's too late, we can't save them.' Hospitals also made her wear shoes, not as important an issue but still a pet peeve of Loke's.

Unlike the others, Loke seemed excited at the new boy. "He might be able to fly! Think about it Ipso, he waltzed right throught your wards but your wards are awesome! This must mean he's being dragged around by a queen!" She gave Quinn a friendly smile, that would unintentionally make him think of a shark. She glanced at Allisandra, an approving look on her face.

"Hey Tsu, have you heard about the manananggal in the hospital?" She asked. manananggal was Loke's name for the type of Dark Being known as a Cradlesnatcher. It wasn't a perfect fit with the myths she had learned growing up, but it was close enough that Loke had labeled it that.

edited 29th Aug '17 9:37:10 PM by TroyandHawk

"GOD-FUCKING-DAMN IT!"

Most times, Elizabeth Underwood knew better than to curse in public. Most times, however, she didn't lose track of time working in the garage to the point where she risked being late to the very important Princess meeting.

"What the hell was I thinking?!?" Liz yelled, turning the corner and entering the building. "I knew I had to make this, and I spent so much time fixing the wiring that I nearly miss it? I should have set an alarm!"

She skidded to a halt as she saw the person on the floor, managing not to crash into them. "Aw crap, what did I just miss?!?"

Abandoned Apartment

Quinn merely stared around the room, his green eyes wide with shock. Finally, he managed to at least pick himself up off the ground and dusted off his skirt and hoodie. "Ummmm... Hi? What the hell is going on here?" Quinn said with a hint of fear in his voice. "Knew this would be a murder party... Course I didn't expect people to bursting into flames... Uh... My name is Quinn. I'm a college student. Some... Voice told me to come here. Out of curiosity, does the term Spade mean anything to you people? I mean sure I've played cards a lot with my theatre buddies, and sometimes with my friend Gwen, so I know spades are a thing here but why would someone name themselves after a card suit..." Quinn gasped a bit in excitement as he thought of an idea. "Holy crap are you guys spies!?"

"Uh why are you sprinkling jade on me?"

edited 29th Aug '17 8:54:01 PM by SolusLupus

The Apartment

Amélie smiled invitingly.

"Oh, it's just a pretty color that matches your eyes, is all," she said.

Amélie threw Annelise and Alissandra a knowing look.

"She has potential. Given it was the Queen of Spades, I've a feeling she was fooled here with an incomplete picture. Well, then ... "

Amélie wheeled forward. She grabbed the rabbit plushy in her lap by its two front paws and held it upright. Its head shuddered and, once free of Amélie's grip, it spun and danced in Amélie's lap free of any influence.

"How would you like to be a magical girl?" [1]

edited 29th Aug '17 9:39:32 PM by opnerf

Apartment

Vanessa threw a glare at Amélie recognizing the reference. "You're a monster." She commented, recognizing the reference. She let out a sigh. "Look, there are easier ways to find information rather than threatening people with weapons or pouring jade on them."

Vanessa walked over and sat down across from Quinn, pulling up the application on her phone and pulling up the entry on the Queen of Spades and shoving it towards him. "Read up, there's your patron. She's apparently taken quite the interest in you if she wants to force a blossoming rather than let it happen naturally." Vanessa leaned back on her hands. "So, any more information you might like to share?"

edited 29th Aug '17 9:53:08 PM by guyshane

The Apartment

Elise was on edge the entire time, clenching her fist so hard that it would have hurt if she wasn't transformed.

She only relaxed when the jade did nothing and the strange girl started speaking.

Letting out a sigh, both of frustration and a little shame at getting spooked, Annelise released her transformation.

Running a hand over her hair, she grumbled to herself.

"Of course it's the Queen of Spades. Of course."

Still, Amèlie and Vanessa brought up a fair point. A Queen herself nudged this one. That spoke volumes on her potential.

"Je suis désolé." She apologized to the girl. "Forgive me, I was rash. The situation is...complicated."

She left the explanation to Amèlie. The other Princess was much more of a people person than she was. Elise was fine in the battlefield, but long explanations was something hard for her.

She also noted that the girl had mentioned a friend named Gwen. She resolved to remember that.

Looking at the Room, Elise noticed that everyone she had invited had arrived.

Sighing, she turned to look at the other Hopeful.

"I suppose I should get to the point of this meeting, then. You might have noticed, these past two months, the Enemy is acting strangely. Tainted places have been multiplying. Darkspawn are getting bolder. Just this month, we rescued 14 people who were dragged into the Dark World. 14! That's unprecedented in Domremy. Last year, it was only three! The year before, just two."

She looked down.

"Worst of it is, there's a Cataphract in Saint Damian's. I know most of you have never seen one before. They're rare. In eleven years, I've only fought Cataphractoi thrice. Nasty things, let me tell you, infinitely more dangerous than your average Darkspawn."

"....The Dreamlands are closed. I haven't had contact with my Queen for half a year. The most we've got is the new girl getting contacted (she gestured at Quinn), and I doubt it was for long."

"My point is, we've been fine being solo acts up til now, but what if it isn't enough? What then?"

She let out another sigh.

"So, you're suggesting that the Darkness is planning something here in Doeremy, and we all need to band together to face it? Am I hearing this all correctly, Elise?", Tsubaki asked.

She had seen a bit of Elise's point. The fact that the Queen of Swords hasn't contacted her or any other Swords Court Noble she knew was troubling enough, but the possibility of the Darkness finding some way to wipe them all out and take over the town was even worse, especially now that they knew a Cataphract was at play. She couldn't let this happen, not when her parents, big sister, and big brother would get caught in the crossfire.

edited 29th Aug '17 10:25:01 PM by TheHailStormer