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Post by Clair Feldsky on May 29, 2011 15:11:40 GMT -6
Am I sane? ... I'm beginning to question that myself. Clair thought to herself as she watched the girl's reaction. Well, at least she knows the right questions to ask about a job.
She seemed mostly excited and eager, but there was a hint of insecurity about her. Never-the-less, she plunged directly in, not willing to let an opportunity to escape. Now if only she was willing to take on a job like Bern.
"Well, Katelyn...." C'mon, Clair. Pull yourself together. You know what you're doing here. "My name is Clair Feldsky, and I'm an independent Falcoknight." Her face almost leapt into a smile when she said that, but she controlled herself. It was great to finally have achieved the goal she'd had as she set out from Illia the first time, even if she wasn't officially included in the ranks of Illia's forces.
"I'm part of a troop of soldiers who are heading to Bern to put a stop to the uprisings there, and I was looking for recruits. It... will probably get messy, but it's a long way to Bern as an army marches, and I can provide training on the way there."
Clair's face carried a hint of curiosity, as she waited for the squire's reaction.
"I know what it's like to be new to on the battlefield, and you can count on me not throwing you to the wolves." Hopefully, that last bit would help provide a little bit of security which would otherwise be lacking.
The Falcoknight suddenly became more assertive. She could deal with laying out facts as well as any of the pros.
"The work would mostly involve scouting for the force, but everyone in Richter's army may be called on to fight, should things turn harsh." How many squires were in this class, anyway? Squires wouldn't cost as much as a full knight, but even the funds supplied to her wouldn't last forever. As Clair started calculating potential costs, she started to realize what Terry had meant about gold disappearing fast. Even so, she thought the first set of funds would let her get away with hiring about 15 to 18 squires. Maybe twenty. But then, she really couldn't say how much gold she'd have in backpay coming from Richter. Richter's second officer grinned as she had a thought. If she ever left, and demanded he pay up, she'd probably bankrupt him for the prices she'd expect. Not that she could see that happening for a good long while.
Actually, word about Richter had spread a long way by now. That he'd taken on the Prophet, fought his men out of a trap at 3-to-1 odds. He'd been known before, due to the high reputation of his mercenary family, but now his name sparked recognition in the eyes of mercenaries and citizens alike.
"Still interested?" Clair had had a similar opportunity presented to her, and had come out of it really well. Katelyn, and the other squires would have to weigh the decision for themselves. Not the easiest thing to do when they had yet to experience the life of a pegasus knight.
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Katelyn
The "Before" years
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Posts: 13
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Post by Katelyn on May 31, 2011 11:50:37 GMT -6
Katelyn looked at Claire for a moment, before it dawned for her. She was being hired, by a knight, and not just any knight, a Falcoknight. "It will be an honor to serve you, uhm, Dame Feldsky." She curtsied once more.
She partially regretted asking for the information about the job, maybe she'd expect something out of her. "Scouting is probably the only use I might have, but I promise, I'll do good, and well, try to learn other necessities, I mean, scouting would mean, I and Equus flying a bit ahead, to see what's ahead, and report. If anything else happens, I'll improvise, cause when in doubt... Improvise, or at least that is what I was told."
That's right, I can do it, I know I can do it, this is what I've been practicing for, no bandit or rebel will be able to beat me, and Dame Feldsky won't throw us into the fray and just, let us die, or use us as somekind of meatshield! She thought, a grin appearing on her face, as she tried to encourage herself with the thought.
"I'm in." She said, sounding a lot more confident than a moment before. Then she turned to head towards the barrack,and after a few steps she ended up turning 180 degrees on the spot, "ehm, I forgot to ask, when might we be leaving?" An insecure chuckle escaping her.
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Post by Clair Feldsky on May 31, 2011 15:24:31 GMT -6
OoC: Edited so that I could wrap up the rest of the business in one post, and we could get down to the army quicker.
Dame Feldsky.... That feels weird... but is technically appropriate.... Clair mulled over her thoughts on the title as she stood there. It felt weird because of how close their ages were.
So the girl was hired. She seemed a bit talkative to Clair, but she seemed at least as gung ho as the Falcoknight had been when she'd started. That was a good sign. One squire would not be enough though.
"Don't be worried. You'll do fine."
Clair then watched as Katelyn started to walk away, without any idea of where they were going. She was probably going to pack, actually, but that wouldn't help her get where Clair needed her to be. It wasn't long before the girl realized this and turned around.
There was a faint smile on Clair's face as she spoke. "I'd like to leave in three hours. Be down at the city gate stables and ready to leave by that time. I'm going to go and find the other squires."
Turning on her heels, Clair marched away into the main building. She... well, she didn't know where the squires were, but they couldn't be hard to find. She just had to go where the pegasus knights congregated, and they'd probably be there watching, learning, and acting like pegasus knights. Or trying to. Either the mess hall, or the stables then.
The halls that the young falcoknight marched through felt the same, and yet very different from Arphen's halls. The training grounds, and the stone halls of the spire in Edessa both had an air of strength about them, but it was different. Arphen had felt strong and secure. A place where someone would always be looking out for you. It had showed her the way to become talented, dedicated, and strong. Edessa felt far more disciplined, or at least the Spire did. It felt strong in a way that made it seem that anyone or anything that came against it would be crushed, yet it wasn't oppressive. Merely firm. At least to Clair.
The chatter of voices ahead echoed out through the already murmuring halls, but these seemed excited. A whole group of them. It wasn't long before the sources of the voices came into view. It was a group of young girls wearing the light armor, and uniforms of pegasus knights. Clair was ready to bet that she'd found her squires. Especially when a few of them started asking about how they were going to get a job. Most especially when one of them could be heard bragging about how she'd be the best flyer Illia had seen since the snows fell. It seemed like there was always at least one loudmouth in the group.
"So you're looking for a job?" Clair raised her voice a bit as she approached the group, using her killer lance like a walking stick. They didn't even appear to have heard her. The Falcoknight frowned at their inattention.
"Hey! Squires! Quiet down!" She yelled as she practically walked right into the middle of them. That got their attention. Who was this wild blond-haired girl that was yelling at them? She wasn't one of the squires from their class? Maybe she was a pegasus knight? Oooh! Maybe she has work to offer!
"Thankyou." Clair said, allowing the barest touch of annoyance to creep through her words. She looked around and saw 13 girls, about a year or so younger than herself, surrounding her. The Falcoknight had to look up at a few of them, though not by much.... Most were only about an inch or two taller than she was.
"Now, is this all of your class?"
There was a chorus of "yes's", "no's", and "Katelyns" which came forth as the answer. Clair shook her head, gaining their attention again.
"I've already hired Katelyn. I'm hiring scouts to take down to a troop, and I need anyone I can get. Come with me. I'll train you, pay you, and contract you." That was the long and short of it. They needed jobs, and squires were out of luck at times like this, where no one wanted to skimp on the escorts they hired.
One young squire stepped forward, a skeptical look on her face. It didn't help that she was one of the tall ones. "You sound pretty desperate. How do we know you're training is any good? Or your work will even pay off. Where's this army going?"
Clair collected herself and half-scowled at the girl who spoke. They were good questions, but they were annoying to Clair, and not very tactful. Slowly, she leveled her eyes on the squire, and shifted her weight to on leg, leaning slightly on her lance. The squire, much to Clair's chagrin, did not look impressed.
"Not as desperate as all of you....I'm Clair Feldsky, independant falcoknight, and also the second in command of the force we're traveling to." That brought the reaction that Clair was looking for.
"You're welcome to come along, and judge for yourself whether my training is "any good", Squire," Clair commented, amused at the now nervous expression on the girls face. "But if you come, you'll have to be trained to fight. We're going to Bern"
It was about another hour of questioning and answers before Clair managed to get away. They were all convinced to come, some moreso than others. She'd given them the same directions and instructions that she'd given to Katelyn, but now she was left with more time. It would probably be smart to head back to the inn early, and start packing, she realized, so that's what she did. There were packages to pack up. The armor and extra clothes she'd gotten had been delivered, and she'd just finished up, when there was a knock at the door.
OoC: Didn't seem to flow in one post, so I'm gonna double here, unless I get delayed until after Kate posts....
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Post by Clair Feldsky on Jun 2, 2011 20:44:23 GMT -6
Clair opened the door, and found one of the cleaning maids from the kitchen at her door. She quirked an eyebrow, as she wondered what this could be about. "Yes?" The maid gave a brief curtsy before explaining why she was there. "Excuse me, Miss, but there's a woman downstairs who's been in here drinking her self silly for three days straight. The innkeep thought that you should talk with her. Maybe help her somehow."Clair gave a bit of thought to this idea. Why was this her problem? Of course, the answer was she was an officer. Achievers always get stuck with other people's problems. That was why they were achievers. "Why does the innkeeper care? That's good business for him." The maid lowered her voice to just above a conspiritorial whisper for the next part. "I think she used to be a pegasus knight, Ma'am. Discharged recently. She mumbles about it from time to time... I don't think the inkeep wants to see her career end so early."Clair thought about it. If she could recruit another knight, then that would help in the future, but why had she been discharged? Was she a troublemaker? Had she broken some of the rules? Could Clair afford to bring someone like her aboard? Could she afford not to? "I'll head downstairs and see what I can do." As Clair locked up her room, wondered what she was getting herself into. It wasn't hard to spot the woman, once the Falcoknight made it to the common room. She was sitting in the back corner, by herself, and looked in her mid to late twenties. There were a pair of scars running across her face, one partially hidden by her golden-blond hair. "Scram, Kid.... Unless you've got something to drink.... Or do you like pestering those who've seen their chances come and go?" was the only greeting that Clair received on approaching: Clair still wasn't wearing her armor. Everything about the woman, her voice, her posture, her demeanor... Everything felt like a bitter, defeated wreck. It sounded like she'd just given up. That didn't make Clair feel any better about the greeting, though. She had to bite her tongue to keep from snapping back something that would probably have ruined any and all chances of helping the woman, or making anything useful out of this. "You were a pegasus knight." Clair's statement hung in the air for a moment, before the woman grumbled something under her breath, and replied heavily. "I was. Delia Collins... pegasus knight of Illia. I never had the brightest record... but I was. Then some pompous,... drunk,... fool of an upstart starts calling you stripe-face, and you punch him good. Right in the nose.... I'm sure he's still recovering from that one." The woman gave a short chuckle in her quiet, lower than average voice. "Then you find out how bloody well connected the bugger is, and you get a dishonorable discharge for assaulting a civilian.... Oh this can't be happening. Bartender! Hurry up with that whiskey!" She didn't sound like the most professional soldier, but Clair wasn't in a position to be picky. Besides... Something just felt wrong to her about "clipping a pegasus knight's wings". They belonged in the sky. Not trapped on the ground. "You want to fly again? You pull yourself together, and you can fly for me." The woman snapped her head up at that, something lighting within them. She looked like she was almost ready to leap at the chance, but then pulled back, still bitter and cautious. "They took my armor and pegasus from me... not fair... Who are you?" She seemed to doubt Clair. Clair would too, in her position. She was aware that she still looked like a rookie. Never the less, the Falcoknight was going to answer proudly. "Commander Clair Feldsky. Falcoknight. Delia, I need riders. If you will fly for me, then I'll get you your pegasus and equipment back." Recognition sparked in her eyes as she listened. Maybe she'd heard of the young Falcoknight who'd been promoted the night before. The older woman looked skeptical, but she also had nowhere else to place her hope. "A young Commander, eh? ...Feldsky. I have no idea how you'll go about getting Sarna, and my gear back, but if you do, I'll follow you until you release me, or I die.... Being stuck on the ground is worse than death.""Go. Be down at the stable gates in an hour, and be ready to get your armor back on, and take flight right away." "An hour! Bu- Thankyou! I'll be there."Clair headed upstairs, and finished bundling everything as quickly as she could, before retrieving Corona, and strapping the things she was taking onto his harness. There was one more stop to make. The Spire. There, she made use of the Seal of Illia again, forcing one of the head store house managers to take her to retrieve Delia's equipment and to have the pegasus, Sarna, fitted up for duty again. Looks like she'd been set aside to put on sale. No need for that, Clair could put her to perfectly good use. Now leading to pegasi, Clair arived at the gates, and passed off Sarna the excited pegasus knight. As Delia started strapping on the her armor, the falco noticed that the squires were arriving. (Delia in her armor) "Remember, Delia. Sarna, and your gear was released to me. Not you. I don't want to regret recruiting you." With that quick warning, Clair turned to deal with the arrivals of the others. "Ready to go?"
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Katelyn
The "Before" years
[M:0]
Posts: 13
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Post by Katelyn on Jun 4, 2011 16:13:48 GMT -6
Katelyn made way towards the barracks in a rather nervous pace, a bit, already before she arrived at the barrack the first hour of the limit of three had passed. The young squire paced back and forth in her room, trying to account for any supplies she would need, and clothes. There was a difference in climate between Bern and Ilia, but deciding she had no other choice than to use the common light armor of the Pegasus Knight, and somehow survive.
As she paced back and forth, the clock signaled the passing of another hour. Deciding she would just improvise, and grab whatever looked useful. Rapidly she picked up the pouch of vulnaries, and grabbed the slim lance, and rushed out of the barracks, and onto the streets of Edessa.
As she made way towards the gate in a rather decent pace, she noticed other people following her towards the gate. Hmpf, I'll beat those slow pokes to the gate any day. Halfway towards the gate she made an 180 degrees turn. "I forgot Equus!"
Her cheeks blossoming red as she passed her giggling classmates, she made way towards the stables as quickly as she could manage. Occasionally tripping on her lance, by the time she got out of the stable together with Equus, her hair would be filled with strands of hay, as Equus, wasn't rather happy about being rushed out of the stables without finishing his food.
By the time she arrived at the gate, most of her class had already arrived, and even some other woman. Red cheeked, and panting, she dropped to the ground, still holding the reins to Equus, her chest heaving as she looked around, trying to hide her presence, from both Claire and the chuckles from her classmates.
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Post by Clair Feldsky on Jun 4, 2011 21:13:42 GMT -6
Despite her attempts to slip in unnoticed, Clair spotted Katelyn finally arriving. She was just barely late.... Just like Clair had been for her first training match with Richter, on her second day.... Some of the parallels were somewhat startling, but then, Clair was looking for them. She had to remember to not expect things to play out the same way. Let them roll out on their own, and make their own stories.
Delia stepped up closer, and whispered down into Clair's ear. "Squires? Your company is made up of a class of squires?" The woman sounded shocked and disgusted. She recovered quick from all that gratitude. She probably thought that this was some sort of power grab on Clair's part. Or irresponsible at the least.
"I was a squire when I started, and I'm fine." Clair turned and whispered back to Delia. "Besides, if you're so concerned, then you can help me train them." Actually, Clair wasn't sure how much she trusted the scarred woman yet, so she wouldn't necessarily be training them any. Never the less, it backed the older woman off a bit.
"Squires, Let's go over this one more time. I'm Clair Feldsky. I'll be your Commander for the duration of this contract. Yesterday, a force of soldiers led by Commander Richter Abend headed south towards the border. I have to rejoin him, and you're coming with me. Now mount up." The few murmurs of the squires who were familiar with Richter's name quieted as they turned, and with varying degrees of success, mounted their pegasi. Clair and Delia sprang into the saddle almost quick enough for the others to have missed it. Well, Delia sprang. With Corona's size, Clair had to climb up him, almost like a miniature mountain.
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Katelyn
The "Before" years
[M:0]
Posts: 13
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Post by Katelyn on Jun 5, 2011 16:52:10 GMT -6
Katelyn gave a start, the name Richter passing from mouth to mouth between the squires before they mounted. She eyed those mounting for a few moments, then drifting into her own thoughts, which were filled with her own expectations for this job. Ranging from nightmarish battles, to her less likely heroic accomplishments.
Returning to reality she noticed that she was one of the few who hadn't managed to mount their pegasus. Swiftly she climbed up onto the saddle without much trouble, though still being one of the last once, she had managed it at quite some speed, though Equus were still rather annoyed, and gave a quick shake of his head, nearly shaking the reins out of Katelyn's hands. Though she managed to calm him. Katelyn stretched forward towards his the fiery stallions ear, as she used the foolproof way of stopping the occasional tempter tantrums. "You'll have as much hay as we can find when we come back, and you'll have a long break, and I'll even give you a few carrots with whatever salary I might get. " She whispered, quietly stroking his mane.
Katelyn slid the pouch of vulnaries into the small saddle pouch by her right tight, where she could reach it if it became necessary. With that done, she made way towards Claire, reining in just behind her.
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Post by Clair Feldsky on Jun 5, 2011 21:42:06 GMT -6
Once they were all mounted up, there wasn't much else to do. Corona tossed his head, showing his impatience to be off, and powering his way through the skies. Clair was very nearly as impatient as her pegasus. She was glad she'd stayed and earned recognition as a Falcoknight. It had been more of a confirmation for her though. One thing it had given her was the chance to hire these girls out though, and gather a group of... scouts if nothing else. She held the responsibility for these young lives, now. She didn't intend to fail them. She'd learn from her friend, Marle's, account of her first mission....
Looking back for a moment to the rest of the group, she uttered two simple words.
"Let's go."
Corona's wings surged upwards as he threw himself into the air, before he brought them down with enough force to kick small dust storms up to either side of him. The Falcoknight hung on as they rose through the air, until eventually they found a steady current of air blowing southwest. It was cold, but then, everything in Illia was cold. This stream of wind would remain steady, Clair knew. She'd experienced it all the way from Sacae to Edessa in varying degrees.
Now it would carry them to her Commander. Back to Richter.... She felt her heart patter a little bit faster. She hoped he'd at least try and be excited for her, when she told him about her test. How had he been getting by? Things had to have been a little rough with a new staff officer, and she being gone. He'd be alright though. Nothing ever fazed Richter. She hoped things hadn't gotten too dull in her absence.
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