Who needs sleep anyway? (Sosa&Valsert 24th GT)

[Sosa]

After a quick meal, Sosa arrived at her quarters in the Barracks.
She had decided she would be safer here than in the palace, and she had never liked her quarters there anyway.

This room resembled Sosa in many ways. It was well organized, unadorned, comfortable and though it had a kind of no-nonsense atmosphere, it was cosy.
The room was L-shaped. In one part there was a bed with drapes and covered with furs a chest at the foot-end.
In the other a chair and desk and two comfortable chairs flanking the fireplace, a small table near one of the chairs.
On the wall above the fireplace hung crossed swords, a soft rug was on the floor, and a closet was on the side near the desk.

She lighted the fire in the fireplace and the oil-lamp with a small spell. The only one she ever used for luxury, it just saved so much time...


The she pulled out her boots, undid her armour and, in her tunic and breeches opened a drawer and took out a bottle of wine and a glass.

There was much to be done tonight. She took a sip, and started to write letters to her Guards who were supposed to be on the various islands. They would be sent through the Dort embassy (of course) so she did not worry too much that they would fall into the wrong hands, though she did choose her words with care...

When she was finished, she put her feet up the desk, and started to think about a way to keep an eye on Silk....

[Grant]

Thump!

It might have been an isolated sound...maybe a door slamming or a clumsy soldier tripping nearby...so many harmless possibilities, so many simple, humble explanations. Having written her dispatches...and there were many...Sosa placed the mark at very, very late...a time when usually nothing stirred in the Barracks buildings just off the Citadel. But just as the first sound ended, another came, perhaps louder this time...

THUMP!

Accompanied by the sound of...Growwwwwl, a strange, monotonous growling that filled the hallway just beyond Sosa's door, a sound not unlike the howling of a bear...and near, too...on this very level of the barracks building and so very close at hand.

[valsert]

The barracks of the Purple Guard were never completely silent nor empty, but it was home. However it was not to the common quarters that Valsert walked this night. It felt like everyone he passed was staring at him, although he could not blame the strange looks he was getting. There had been no time to clean up from the riots. His wounds would likely scar for life due to the lack of a proper healer, but according to the standing joke among his peers “Ladies are attracted to old wounds, like flies are to fresh ones”. He doubted the saying was true but having little experience with love, he could not say for sure.

Even in the headquarters of the Purple, Val felt uneasy. He half expected a barrage of zipping daggers to come flying at any moment. This reminded him of another saying of the PG that was “war builds bonds stronger then iron”. This saying he DID have experience with, and even now he wished that he had not sent Tiek to escort Layton to the healers to see after his wounds. Not that he would withhold help from him, not in the least. Those men had performed outstandingly today, and he would do everything he could to keep them taken care of. All in all however, it was a comfort to have Adams at his side.

“When we arrive at her quarters, you will stand post outside the door. This is not to prevent interruption, as much as to provide early warning if someone should arrive.” He said to adams as they neared the door.

Standing in front of the door, Val raised his hand intending to knock softly upon it. He was already putting his career on the line by disturbing his commander, a woman who honestly he did not know well enough to interrupt so late.

[Sosa]

OOC: Since I don't expect Valsert to growl, I'll first handle that and then come back for a cup of tea with Valsert.. (I hope....)


IC:

Sosa was no fool, or she would not have lived long enough to become what she was. She was not afraid either. But then above all else she was not stupid.

So hearing the noise, she instantly realised it was no door, no drunken guard and no lost puppy. She stood in silence for a moment and dismissed the light of the lamps with a single gesture, leaving only the light of the fire to see by.
It was an automatic gesture, so when she would open the door, she would not be too blinded to see in the dark, and stand out like a target ready to shoot.

She grabbed Justice, who casually hung over the chair she had been sitting on. (some people would argue this was no way to treat such a sacred gift from the gods, but then she would shrug and reply that the gods had given her a sword, not an ornamental vase, and that she would treat a sword like any other sword)

Silently she walked over to the door, and listened again...then she opened it, just a crack and stood back, trying to peek through the crack.

[Grant]

The curious sound continued, a grinding grooooowwl that clearly came from the chamber a few doors down from Sosa's. Valsert heard it as he approached, the sounds of his footfalls stomping upon the thick, sturdy, wooden boards of the floor and interrupted by loud thuds that came from the same direction. Knocking upon the Commander's door, she quickly answered.

THUMP!

Sosa opened the door to find Valsert...private Forell...standing before her, having only just arrived a moment before. several clearly battle-weary guardsmen were with him, and he himself was a very horrible vision of battle, as both his forearms had been wounded, the left with a deep gash that ran the length of the top and the right wounded with a number of curious pierces just below the elbow. What stood out far more noticeably than this was the cut upon his right cheek, a cut that had opened his cheek, and while a make-shift bandage had helped the wound from being too grisly in it's early stage, it was clear that he would earn a very prominent scare from the injury.

Thump thump. GROOOOOWWL thump.

[Sosa]

"Valsert! Thank the gods you are alive! Though just barely I guess.." She laid her hand on his shoulder, carefully, just to let him know she was really glad he made it back.

The growling reminded her of why she had opened the door in the first place, and she motioned in the direction of the strange grumbling.

"Do you hear that too? It seems to come from inside the barracks. I thought I'd go and have a look."

She stepped away from the door, leaving it open behind her "Why don't you wait for me here, and I'll see what I can do about those wounds when I get back. Take a seat, keep warm and you will be alright I think."

[valsert]

"Yes commander, thank you Ma'am. It is good to make it back" Val said, trying to hold onto his patents a little longer. There was much to be told, and who knows how long for the telling.

Steping asside, he allowed the hot little elf out...err I meen the Commander of the purple guard out of her chambers.

"Adams, secure this door if you would sir, I can not allow the commander to proceed alone in this. It is likly nothing more then Sargent pipper snoring again" he jested, altho all preasent knew exactly where the sargents quarters were located.

Leaving Adams behind, Valsert followd his commander.

[Sosa]

Sosa looked at Valsert, admiration in her eyes, but also a cold assessment; can he make it, is he strong enough, because we both know this is no snoring.

She nodded at the guards and motioned for Valsert to follow her.
When they were out of sight of the other guards, she turned and placed both her hands on his shoulders (she had to stand on tip-toes to be able to do that, but she managed)

Illuminatus, great god of the Light, this man has fought for you, for the truth, for the Light. He has vowed to keep the people of the Citadel safe, and has nearly died doing so. TOnight we face yet another, though unknown danger, and even though he is badly injured, without hesitation he takes his sword and is ready to fight once again.
Great master of the Light, bless this man, your servant, and grant him the strength of body and mind he will need so desperately this night

She prayed in silence, hoping Illuminatus would hear her, and restore some of Valserts strength.


Then she turned to the direction of the strange sound and said:
"Well, shall we go? I am rather curious are you not?"

[Grant]

Advancing upon the room two doors down, Sosa and Valsert came upon the room that housed the Lord Chancellor, the gentleman having been housed within only marks before according to rumors and reports received by the Commander. She had not seen him take up residence, but oh, she had heard about it, the Purple Guardsmen running around as if the moon were falling upon them at every moment. Hector's very nature inspired the worst kind of haste in people, but it did indeed inspire haste of a kind...and with him held within the barracks themselves, at least his safety from the more sinister elements of the city was assured. Sadly, it did not protect the Lord Chancellor from the Purple Guards themselves, and typical for the rather cantankerous man, he had already enraged more than a few of them in his first mark of residence.

From behind his door came several more thumps, and then another long, monotonous, eery howl.

Thump. Thump thump.

ROOOOOOOOWWWWL....

[valsert]

It was the first time that Valsert had ever been blessed. It was not that he was not a believer in the gods, yet in his youth he was never allowed out of the stable yard of his tavern home…and in adulthood he simply had never had the time to visit the churches, what with fighting evil front and center and all.

Even if this blessing were a curse, Val would not have moved from the embrace. It had been seldom to never that he had been this close to a beautiful woman, much less one that held his respect as strongly as the Commander. Oh he knew it was simple fantasy to have even a glimmer of attraction to Sosa, she was commander of the PG after all, and he simply a fighter among its ranks.

This did not stop him from enjoying the moment with her however, and although he did not know if it was simply his long silent emotions or truly the eyes of Illuminatus upon them, his heart felt lighter as if the hardships of the past were forgotten and his soul prepared for those to come.

“Aye, Commander. It sounds like a dog to me, however after today’s fight I do not discount this as a simple nor a good thing.”

[Sosa]

A hound.... Sosa pondered, before she realised the noise came from the rooms of the Lord Chancellor.

Gods, what IS that noise?

For just a flicker, she imagined a Hellhound in Hectors rooms, trying to devour the Chancellor. In her mind the beast did not have a chance against the sharp tongue of Hector, and a wolfish grin spread on her face.

She glanced back at Valsert. "Well, there is only one way to find out...Are you ready?"
And with a quick prayer she drew her sword, and kicked in the door.

[Grant]

Valsert was not accustomed to the sensation, but he knew it was there...a sense of confidence and...perhaps invulnerability that washed over him, an impression that gave the aches of his wounds disappear. He knew they were there...he could feel the abuse to his arms and the biting pierce to his cheek...but they no longer burdened him as the Commander kicked in the door, one of the many officer's quarters up on the higher floor of the Guard Barracks within the Outer Curtain of the Citadel Fortress itself.

Peering within, Sosa and Valsert were confronted with a vision of...Hector. Typical for the man, he still wore the same garments he had on earlier during their meeting with Erwin, though his shirt had been pulled free from his trousers and his hair was quite disheveled and there was not a spot upon him not covered in wrinkle. Even as they watched, Hector threw his rather minor weight into the chest of drawers he was attempting to move, it's wooden feet scraping along the wooden floor to produce the sounds they had heard.

Grrrrroooooooowwl!

Rising up, the Lord Chancellor of the Seven Isles turned and considered the two guardsmen at his door. Sosa could tell from the look in his face that he was in a mood.

"I can't SLEEP in this Fucking Barracks! The furniture was arranged by a BLIND MAN, and the walls are DRAFTY, and there must be...damn...STRAWBERRIES! You wouldn't BELIEVE the nightmares this place gives me!" he shouted, the little man...Valsert only placed him at maybe five foot six, at best, and perhaps just into his forties...instantly a font of profanity and spite. "...and I've got nowhere to put these damned TRUNKS!" added the Chancellor, kicking one un-booted foot...he wore only stockings over his feet...into one of several trunks that contained Imperial documents he had removed from his office earlier in the day. Naturally, he had not considered upon his state of undress, banging his foot upon the heavy, steel-reinforced trunk brutally.

Sure enough, every piece of furniture in his room...from his bed to his desk to the half dozen trunks containing official documents...had been moved, or was in the process of shifting. Pacing a few steps, Hector turned his clearly enraged gaze upon Valsert. "And just...WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT, sergeant?!?"

[Sosa]

Mixed emotions fought to control the small Paladin:
Anger for being worried and dragged out here in the middle of the night.
mirth at the ridiculous sight presented.
Annoyance for all that had upset her life, embodied by Hector.

What won in the end was annoyance, but not at being pushed around, or at Hector pushing things around.

"Lord Chancellor! I will not have you speak to the Sergeant in this manner! Will you please remember you are in the Barracks, and you will follow the rules here. In this place the Sergeant outranks you, and you will treat him with the appropriate respect.
And, as it happens, Sergeant Forrell has just returned from a mission in which he took some damage, all to protect the Empire."

It was a strange sight, the small warrior, breathing fire to the (also not very tall) Mighty Lord Chancellor, dressed in his shirt and socks, divided by a kicked-in door...

abruptly she turned and whistled.
When two soldiers arrived she pointed at Hectors rooms
"Please, would you assist the Lord Chancellor moving his furniture. That way he will be able to keep his toes in one piece.
Also be so kind as to replace the door. It met with an accident I am afraid"
With a meaningful look at her boots she turned and looked at Valsert

"Sergeant, we have to get you patched up, please follow me!"

[Grant]

"Oh, so you're just gonna...SILENCE me then, are ya?" shot back the cranky man. "I didn't want to be here, did I? No, I slept in an INN last night, and I was happy! So maybe I don't give a FLIP what you won't allow..." Hector's tirade paused for a moment as he actually noticed Valsert for a moment, his eyes blinking. Injured? Oh yes. The riots. I'm sure that'll be where the Secretary springs his trap.

Instantly Hector fell silent as he concentrated on the ramifications of the riot and what it would mean tomorrow. If the Purple Guard were called to account for the riot, they wouldn't stand. Not without the Caesar to back them. So this is how it'll end, isn't it? I shouldn't have moved into the barracks. Something tells me I'll be moving again very, very shortly.

Instantly, Hector's rage changed. It wasn't gone...the Lord Chancellor's rage was never far, of course...but now he was focused upon something very specific, a real possibility that would need addressed. "Commander, bring the healer here. I need to hear the Sergeant's report. I think you've been had, and I need to figure out how to respond."

[valsert]

Valsert had kept his mouth shut while watching the power struggle unfold between Sosa and Hector. Altho had his commander not spoken in his defense, he likely would have. Yet once Hector had somewhat calmed himself Val was relieved that he had not spoken.

“Yes Commander Sosa, may we please send for a healer? This report is delivered at the cost of lives, and thru work of treachery. I can not risk any “accidents” preventing its telling.”

After taking a momen to look more closely at Hector, Val spoke to him.

“I am not exactly sure who you are sir, but if the Commander has no issues with your hearing my report, then I do not. In fact ALL should know the truth of what has come to pass, to prevent rumor.

Commander, may we return to your own quarters? So these men may get to work?”

[Sosa]

"May the light burn me!" Sosa muttered. She moved over to Valsert, ready to support him might he stumble (or faint), but not wanting to support him when it was not necessary.

"We will go to my rooms now"She gave Hector the 'trainee look', which meant he was to come too...now.


In her rooms she waved Valsert to one of the comfortable chairs in front of the fire, and lit the lanterns again. The fire burned bright and hot.
"My lord Chancellor, if you would be so kind as to get the flask of wine from the cupboard, I think we all can use a glass.."

The she went to the chest by the bed, moving quickly, silently and smoothly, everything under control, and got a small sack.
With it she returned to Valsert.
"I do not think we will need a healer, any serious injury would have killed you by now, so between my herbs and Illuminatus' blessing, you will be alright."

She examined his wounds, put some salve on some and a bandage around others, prodded his ribs, felt his legs and arms and asked him to move his head and eyes.
When she was satisfied with his condition she sat down on a cushion beside the fireplace, leaving the other chair for Hector and said:

"Now, Sergeant, if you would be so kind to give the Lord Chancellor and myself your report, which, as you pointed out correctly, is urgent."
She sipped her wine and sat listening, her full attention on Valsert and his report.

[Grant]

Having discarded his coat, Hector followed along looking much as he had during his and Sosa's first introduction: a humble woolen shirt that was imperfectly tucked into wrinkled trousers that were, in themselves, imperfectly tucked into scuffed and worn boots. At least he was clean, smelling of soap and faint pipe tobacco.

Wine, huh? thought the Lord Chancellor of the Seven Isles. To Valsert, the man was the de-facto Caesar of the Empire. A placed officer, his position had been confirmed by the Furst in what was ultimately a very expected decision. He convened the Advisory Council, the body of national leaders that ultimately ruled the Seven Isles, and as such, he represented the absolute authority on international matters.

To Sosa, however, he was a foul-mouthed pain in the ass that was already proving to be a very tiresome neighbor. Even as he collected the wine, his eyes washed over the other contents of her cupboard in hopes to find something perhaps stronger. Hector Anzilo was not known to be a great drinker, but when he did drink, it was unusual to find him with much less than brandy. Despite this, he brought back the wine and served it out with practiced hands, offering no comment at all to either the Commander or the Sergeant.

[valsert]

The entire situation seemed as strange as dreams….no, more strange. At least his dreams were consistent. A dark dragon chasing him night after night, thru a burning desert as he ran alone…eternal, but this was a strange night. It was not that his mind was foggy from the equally strange days work, nor his wounds. No this was different.

Valast had met very few people of power in his life and those he had met or worked for as a guard, had always been simply a duty. The difference of today however was that he was treated not as a tool of the empire, but as a person. The Commander had stood up for him to a very powerful man, but even if it had been a common servant it would not have changed the new respect he had for Sosa. He had always respected her authority and her past deeds, but today she had joined the ranks of the few people who had earned the respect of his spirit, something that only two others had done. Captain Gilfrey, whose body lay in rest in some back water forgotten forest on the edge of no where….Captain Ulder, whose body was surly lost to the whim of the cities gangs.

She is stronger then the others and bathed in the light….she can break this curse he thought as Sosa checked his wounds.

He did not really believe there was a curse over him, although there was a time that he would have. Now he knew the truth at the root if it though. It was not he who brought death to his commanders, but he who is drawn to people of honor and light. It is the darkness that they fight which is to blame.

None of this removed the guilt of his survival from his spirit however. At least this time he was not the only one to survive.

Valsert shook his head a bit to clear it from his haunting memories of the covens attack on the city, and instead focused on the latest survival of today…..

By the time Sosa was done with him, his mind had organized the days events. The telling was certainly not short, as he went into great detail in it, but it was an exciting tale none the less.

As he finished the story, he withdrew his pockmarked sword and the dagger from the ambush, and placed them across his lap.

“It is with great regret that I report that only 4 of those who marched today returned with me. I do not know if any others managed. At first, I placed all blame on the city guard. Had they not rung those damn bells then it would have turned out different. Yet the ambush by another gang…and their knowledge of this assassin who attacked, lead me to believe that the city guards incompetence was not the only factor in this tragedy.

Have you ever seen a blade like this Commander?”

Holding the dagger up for Sosa, Valsert took a close look at it himself, having not had the chance sooner.

[Guest]

It was late and as they approached the curtain Cyren felt relieved that she would shortly be in the barracks washing off the filth that had touched her. Getting off the horse she started for the barracks and stops short, turns and salutes the Lieutenant.

After the Lieutenant returns her salute Cyren takes off in a sprint for her room. On her way to her room she gets a basin with water. As she enters she strips off every stitch of clothing and proceeds to try and free herself of the sick feeling within her. A full mark later she is clean but the feeling is still with her. Going over in her mind what Lieutenant Barnus said about reporting what went on in the fog she felt compelled to find the only one with whom she can tell this to, Commander Sosa.

Making her way to the Commanders room she goes over in her mind what did happen so as to get it straight. Bracing herself for whatever wrath may befall her for approaching the Commanders room so late, she gives a firm knock and waits.

[Grant]

The weapon was a throwing knife, and while it was not uncommon...they could be found at any weapon dealer or pawn shop...finding a person skilled to use such blades would be rare. Silk had carried them, as had Erwin, as had Manyana, the bulk of her Scouts utilizing such easily concealed, swift weapons.

Hector offered no comment or observation as yet, but it was instantly clear from Sosa's casual glance that he was deep in thought regarding what the riots could mean going forward. His eyes began shifting off to nowhere in particular as he considered, and his expression slowly began to darken and grow more...despondent.

It was then that Cyren's knock came, the Private having arrived to add to the already grim scene that Valsert had begun.

[Sosa]

As Sosa sat, and drank, and listened with full attention to Valserts story her face darkened with every new sentence he spoke.

All the blood drained from her face as he accounted the horrors they had faced.

Guilt swept over her like a huge wave, how could she have let things go so horribly wrong? she should have foreseen this, all those people dead, their blood on her hands, their lives wasted for nothing!
Than anger battled with the despair. Someone would pay for this! Somewhere there was someone even more responsible then she was! The person who had unleashed the hounds, who had rung the damned bell, who had put the City Guards against her guards. And by the Gods, would he pay for their blood with his own !

She had to clench her fists and her teeth to keep her anger inside, or she would start throwing things, and one broken desk was quite enough for one week...

She inhaled slowly, to get her calm back and said softly
"We cannot imagine the horrors you faced today. And you will never know how grieved I am at your pain, and at the loss of all this lives.
But we will get our revenge! And even more important, we will continue to do our jobs, and we will protect the Empire, and keep it for the new Caesar!"

Her eyes shone with pain, and rage and a strange determination.


Then a knock on the door startled them. instinctively, Sosa grabbed for her sword, then realised that anyone with evil intentions probably would not knock...
She stood and opened the door.

[Guest]

Cyren came to attention and saluted the commander.

"Forgive my intrusion commander I am Private Cyren Muir. Lieutenant Barnus told me to report to you immediately upon our arrival back here. I was with Captain Ulder when.... when he was killed."

Cyren's eyes filled instantly with tears and was unable to go on. She stood waiting for a reply from the commander.

[valsert]

Valsert was on his feet the moment the door opened. Mixed emotions of surprise, joy and pain battled within him, rendering him speechless for a moment…but not long.

“C…Cyren! How..what? Where…” He would have looked like a fool, stammering his words this way, had the days events not been such a huge drain of mental and physical strength to all of them.

“I mean….Its wonderful that you made it! I feared you all lost in the riot. Commander Sosa, Cyren is the reason I live today to carry my report to you. Her skills with the bow are what saved me against the hounds…as I told you before…

“Cyren. Who..” Val paused a moment to clear his voice “did…anyone else make it out with you?”

[valsert]

It took a moment for the shock to wear off but once it had, Valsert moved to allow Cyren into the room.

"My apoligies Cyren..please forgive my rudness. Please...please take my seat and rest a moment before you tell us your report. Are you hurt? There is a healers kit which may be of use if you are."

Val's own wounds felt much better after the attention of Sosa, so he went to sit across the room, alowing the nearest chairs form Cyren and the Commander.

[Grant]

There was one healer within the compound at that mark. Thankfully, he was capable and assiduous...a sharp, razor-thin little man with a close-cropped beard and a battered, worn bag...and soundlessly he entered to inspect and administer to the wounds within, sparing no notice at all when he took out a long, curved barb and inspected Valsert's arms and check for potential sewing. He didn't seem satisfied that the arms would need it...the gashes were not large...but the cheek, now...the cheek would need stitching immediately lest it heal up crooked. With that in mind, the healer finished examining and binding both Cyren's and Valsert's wounds before he pulled up a short stool near the Sergeant and turned a few long strands of silk in boiling water he had prepared and brought for such a use.

Hector, meanwhile, had fallen silent. It was a damned debacle, and it would end poorly. And it isn't over yet, he reminded himself. He didn't want to look at any of the Purple Guardsman in the room, Commander, Sergeant, or Private alike, for they would see it in his eyes and know it on his face the moment he turned to them. That was not a wise thing to do. Captain Synkaaros walked right into a trap...and you're all left holding the pieces. If he died, then he's the one who got off lucky...

Closing his eyes, Hector imagined what he might do to turn the trap to their advantage. An idea came to him, but he was unwilling to share it. Instead, he mentally prepared himself to move yet again, perhaps tomorrow while he was at the Reception. He would spent the rest of tonight and much of tomorrow destroying documents, and when the time came, there would be precious left that he would have to move. This place won't be safe anymore, either, thought Hector. Then he began listing all the places to which he might relocate, trying to envision some type of safe-house for his well-being. Dammit, I need a bodyguard who will still have a JOB tomorrow, he thought, grimacing at the horrible moment soon to come in which the Purple Guard were made to turn in their tabards.