The Law of the Battle [PM to join]

[Deleted]

Lillianne raised an eyebrow, half smiling in guarded amusement at the boy's explanation. A place to sleep. In a bandit fortress crewed by the most organized and well-trained bandits she had ever known to exist, not that she had spent her life studying the tactics of outlaws or anything of the sort. Selena's departure worried her - an already untrustworthy companion devolving even further into psychopathic stupidity - but other than keeping an ear out for potential betrayal, Lilly cared little. She had bigger issues to worry about than some halfwitted fool's ego.

There was a puzzle here for her to decipher, she knew it, but there was no obvious key to fit the lock. Hell, no one had bothered even defining the puzzle's parameters, much less discussing win conditions with her in any detail, so this was to be as much a test of her ability to figure out what the question was as a hunt for an actual answer. That was fine. Lilly liked challenges, and this situation was certainly anything but simple; all the better for her to exercise her hobby!

The issue, put simply, was that she did not have the leisure to play guessing games when the lives of her little group, as well as the captives they had freed, depended on her not doing anything too stupid. If they gave the remaining outlaws time to actually prepare the innards of the fortress, to trap it or rally for a proper defense at vital chokepoints, there would likely be casualties. That they had been so successful so far was less due to brilliant tactics on anyone's part as a result of her calculated aggression, harrying and driving the brigands before them to disrupt their ability to dig in. If she grew too complacent, if even one of these gambits failed too severely, the whole thing might come crashing down around her ears.

The sinking feeling that either decision she might make here could have dire consequences was not lost on the mage as she pondered how to react to the young man. There was more to him than he was admitting - that was plain as day. That was not some sort of psychoanalytical wizardry available only to the most brilliant archsages of yore; the signs were plastered everywhere on his face, in his tone, in the basics of the situation. Not even a fool could miss them. The question, then, was... what? Was it if he could be considered trustworthy? Was it the nature of his secret? Was it the impact of his secret? Everyone had the rights to keep facets of themselves private from a world full of prying eyes; Lillianne el Ryerde knew that all too well herself, having left details of her past vague to even the people who now trusted her with their lives. Certainly, there was no intrinsic need to know everything about the boy.

No, the problem was that she could not only worry about her own well-being; a bad enough decision could cost the lives of too many people. So - what, then? The question was... if they could trust the boy, despite knowing that he was hiding something from them, despite the curious wings? He was not just a simple child, though, of that she was certain; Lilly did not interfere with Alicia's approach, secretly taken aback by the warmer side of the dedicated Etrurian knight, but disapproved. Sort of. It was hard to fault Alicia for trying to be friendly to a child, and she... could be wrong about this. Maybe. if a bloody Etrurian could act like a decent human being - well, the alternative here was Selena, and that was no option at all.

Lillianne crossed her arms thoughtfully as she slouched somewhat onto the balls of her feet, her eyes appraising, but not cold. If there was something to be gained from this situation, what was it? Was there enough more to the boy that making an ally of him could be a powerful asset indeed? Was he just a lunatic with strapped-on false wings, but a child ill deserving of harshness nonetheless? While there was something odd to him, she had sensed no ill will, no hostile intent - if he was a bandit he was fresh, perhaps not yet tainted, perhaps still saveable before turning on them. A yellow brick road to nowhere, a an incessant stream of ifs and ands and buts.

In the end, Lilly found that she already knew the answer to the question she had spent so long finding.

"...I will trust you, though I suspect there is more to you than meets the eye." Solemn, measured - Lillianne's words were as much a declaration to herself as meant to impart anything to Aeros, reminding herself that there could very well be serious consequences to her decision, but that she would accept them whatever they might be. A moment of silence, and she broke into a smile, uncrossing her arms while recoiling from her heels to a more balanced position, leaning into Aeros with a conspiratorial smile. "Don't mind Selena - she got out of the angry side of bed this morning. Alley Cat here only eats children on Tuesdays and maybe Thursdays, so if you keep your wits about you you'll be fine!" That it was a Thursday was not at all relevant to her words, of course.

Her act of being a horrible person accomplished for the day and her mood somewhat restored by the universal fact of Alicia's impending stumbling retort - it was SO FUN she couldn't help herself but bait Ally, er Alicia, every so often - Lilly stood up straight, making a token effort to appear somewhat presentable, or at least less of the class clown, with a slight bow. Curtseying was NOT going to goddamn happen. "I'm Lillianne, but standing on titles isn't really my thing - Lilly works fine." Still smiling, she placed a hand on Aeros' shoulder, consciously choosing the hand that had not recently been on fire, though she doubted anyone would notice. "And what of you? You have a name, right? Unless you want me to make up a nickname for you." She paused as if struck by sudden inspiration, an impish smile overtaking her lips as she studiously avoided glancing at Alicia out of the corner of her eye. "Or if I was to assault the limits of good taste and originality, we could let Alicia do it..."

[Selena]

She had expected an attempt at deception from whatever was in the shadow. So when the...boy(?)...stepped out and began stuttering and stumbling over his words, meekly eying the three of them and acting...well...like a civilian would, it did serve to sting. She had been aggressive because of the situation they were in, and because of the...primal fear of shadowy inhuman figures she now had acquired, thanks to her work. Lilly, she was expecting a biting retort from, but no such thing came, at least not directly.

Alicia, for her part, practically ignored the knight as well, aiming to comfort and put the boy at ease. Now that she could actually see him, and not a shadow outlined by some odd light, she found herself pitying the boy as well. He seemed...well, terrified, and it was with a twinge of guilt that she realized she hadn't exactly helped that. If she'd wanted to instill fear into the citizenry, she could have gotten stationed at Castle Laus. She wanted the enemy to fear her, not the people she had sworn to serve. She had reacted out of fear and surprise, and nearly attacked someone who had done nothing wrong. What if he had just been a farmer with a torch? Would she have reacted so harshly?

[blue]"Lilly is right."[/blue] She spoke up to nobody in particular, before turning to look at the younger boy. [blue]"I apologize for my...rudeness earlier. With the creatures in this landscape, someone of your...physical appearance startled me. Never the less, your identity or looks aside, Lycia is not a land of tyranny. Your offer to help is...brave...but without any weapons or armaments, you would just be placing yourself in more danger."[/blue] Her tone was no longer hostile, and may even have been bordering on slightly friendly. She still didn't trust him, not with so many questions left unanswered, but she would not allow him to be harmed simply for being different...not if he didn't mean any harm to them or the people they were protecting.

And it seemed impossible to consider this timid child posing a real threat to anyone. She turned to Lilly for a moment. [blue]"I apologize for my last comment. It was inappropriate. You were just trying to resolve the situation, and I was not thinking clearly. Thank you for stopping me before I did something foolish."[/blue]

She'd had the best of intentions, but she'd acted without considering what was really happening. She'd been so used to fighting monsters that she forgot how complicated and varied humans could be. It wasn't slaying monsters now, these were all people. They didn't exist only to kill, they had real human motivations and emotions. Perhaps all of her 'monster slaying' had taken a bigger tole on her then she thought...

[Aeros]

So...it came down to introductions. It usually did, although for some reason never this quickly; maybe it was just an attempt to ease the tension or something of that nature, but if that were the case, it worked well enough. Aeros made sure to pay attention: Alicia was the most heavily armored, Lillianne was the mage--and apparent leader, which made her doubly important--and it seemed that Selena was the one who had attacked him at first. He still wasn't sure if he could rely on the last of them, but as the introductions went around, she seemed to soften a little. After the names went around (and Lillianne threatened to assign him a nickname), the manakete made an effort to smile and said, "I'm Aeros, so I don't really need a nickname. And I probably...don't need to worry too much about being eaten." Things were going pretty well so far; even...Selena? Even Selena was loosening up a bit, which meant he didn't have to worry too much about being stabbed, since the other two appeared even less inclined to attack him.

The manakete self-consciously folded his wings in when Selena mentioned them; regardless of whether they were inclined to accept him as harmless or not, he knew from experience that the difference made people uncomfortable. And he was reminded that the label 'harmless' made him less of a candidate for anything important. He could probably come up with some way to help that would allow him a chance to be useful, but for now he needed to know what there was to do. He directed "So what else is left to do? I didn't meet anyone else on the way in, and it looks like everything is done here...and who are those people in the other room?" Things had certainly evolved from trying to find a place to sleep, but there was no way the manakete would complain. After his last...encounter with humans, or at least combatant humans, it was nice to have something that could qualify as...company, maybe? True, he had found benefactors in several of the towns he had visited, but he had purposely wandered into dull, out-of-the-way places, taking both factors as positives; less chance of his identity spreading, less chance of danger, greater chance of being welcomed despite staying distant.

Being in a group and having a collective goal was a different thing, however, and he could tell that it suited him a little better. Maybe there were a few more Richters and Crowleys in the world after all...although Lillianne might be a bit more of a Tuatara, but that wasn't exactly a problem either.

[Alicia]

Alicia shook her head, her smile growing slightly forced at Lilliane's words; she began her own angry retort, before her eyes fell on Aeros once more. Her grin turned mischievous, and she turned to the Lycian mage briefly, beaming sweetly, before kneeling down next to the boy. "Don't mind the grumpy old hag over there," she said in a whisper loud enough to be heard across the hall. "She's just mad I'm cuter than her." She winked at Aeros happily; perhaps she was getting too carried away, but she had always had trouble keeping her cold persona up around children.

The Etrurian rose to her feet slowly, careful to avoid any sudden movements with her heavy armor on, mindful of sprains. That probably wouldn't be a good idea in such a dangerous situation, and besides, she could just hear the endless stream of teasing from Lilliane if that should ever happen in her presence. She wasn't quite sure which was worse, but either was enough cause to make her shiver. She smiled warmly at Aeros' question. "We could definitely use the help from someone as brave as you, but please stay close, okay? I'll keep you safe from bandits."

Alicia moved to the wall, taking up her weapon once more before turning to Lilliane. "I'll keep you safe," she repeated one last time, closing her eyes as she breathed in deeply, shutting away her emotions; they had no place on a battlefield, and were not befitting of a knight of the church. She left Allie behind, turning her attention to the situation at hand. "I don't believe we should linger for much longer, Lilliane. We can't afford to give them time to prepare for our coming, not with our numbers."

[Deleted]

Didn't need to worry too much about being eaten, hmm? That was curious wording, furthering her conviction that he was hiding something. Perhaps there was much more to him than there appeared, instrength or... something else. She wasn't really sure. It was possible he was a mage who had learned some form of biological alteration, or perhaps some lost art of shapeshifting... or a horrible nightmare demon moonlighting as a human who would eat them as soon as they turned to leave. Lillianne mentally shrugged, figuring that she was already too far down this path to second-guess herself now. Whether or not it was a good plan, she could not show weakness now, not with a group as fractured as theirs. Better to move on and make the best of things.

Without missing a beat, while studiously ignoring Alicia's choice commentary outside of a sideways glare that would have impaled the Etrurian troublemaker to the wall had the metaphorical daggers in her gaze been literal, the mage continued under the assumption that Aeros had been referring to the prisoners. "The people in the jail have been kidnapped by the bandits living here over the past six months or so. No one particularly rich, but community figures all." She shrugged halfheartedly, expressing her feelings on the matter succinctly. "Just another puzzle with an answer locked within these walls. I figured they wouldn't mind a couple of big damn heroes letting them out - if they have the slightest hint of common sense, they're either staying put or making their way to our reserves now." "Reserves" was a nice way of describing the meagre remnants of their scattered force, but that wasn't particularly important!

"As for what we do now?" There was an amused tinge to her words, but a firmness that belied any chance of mistaking her tone for mocking or joking. She took a step back, feeling the uneven stone of the wall behind her, as one hand ignited in a mass of seething flame that painted the alcove in dusky orange hues. "-We cut off the head. There is an animating intelligence to these beasts that is entirely out of the ordinary, and I intend to pry answers from the swine who would attempt to bring a countryside to its knees solely for their own benefit." The smile was gone, her eyes hard as her words took a diamond edge; whether or not this had been a political exercise or genuine do-gooding at the start, Lillianne el Ryerde knew that she was too invested in the mystery to even consider cutting her losses here, much less admitting defeat. "If I must bring these walls crashing down around them, so be it."

Her fingers twitched for a moment before closing around the fire, disintegrating the magical energy harmlessly in a small plume of smoke that leaked out of the clenched fist. "...Well said, Alicia." Staring at her hand for a moment, Lillianne breathed out quietly, focusing on the task at hand, before opening the fist and dropping the now-empty hand to her side. "The longer we wait, the more likely these rats are to escape their sinking ship. I am - loosely familiar with this architecture," which was technically true given that she had been forced to suffer through too many lectures on castle and fortress design at the Academy, and had thus been dragged kicking and screaming into learning some of the basic tenets commonly used across Lycia as well as some local idiosyncrasies. She smiled, only pausing to add a few more words - "And I've a few ideas of where to strike," before whirling and striding back down the corpse-ridden hallway in the direction they had originally been headed.

The journey was mercifully short; her premonition that the bandits they had just slain had been the last remaining pawns to defend the king proved accurate as they came to a great pair of doors. The workmanship and care taken in them was a clear departure from their smaller, ill-kempt counterparts throughout the fortress - they were far from ornate, but handsome and sturdy... and barred shut. There was no need to eavesdrop to hear a dulled cacophony of sound within, hustle and turmoil that suggested frenetic activity. Whether for escape or counterattack was irrelevant. "The strategy room, I believe. It is time to behead the hydra." Lilly sighed, her composure cracking slightly in frustration. "...Just as soon as I remember where I put that portable battering ram. I don't think throwing exploding spitballs is going to do a lot of good here."

Maybe Alicia would volunteer to run headfirst into it and give her some quality entertainment at the Etrurian's inevitable failure, Lilly optimistically thought.

[Aeros]

Aeros had no idea how to react to Alcia's initial joke, but he knew how he wanted to react to her promise of safety; even so, he made sure to roll his eyes after the two women had turned their backs.

It was a good thing, too, because Lilliane seemed well informed--why would she not be, actually?--and had answers to both of his questions. Apparently they had come with a larger force, if the manakete understood the term "reserves" properly, but they didn't seem to be doing anything at the moment, and now the main group needed to take down the leader of these bandits. Aeros had to agree with bringing him--or her, whatever--the justice.

And, of course, he could probably help bringing the walls down if it was necessary. He really, really didn't want things to progress that far, of course, but he could do it.

The two fighters decided it was time to finish...whatever it was that they had started, and Aeros followed them into the fortress. Just as the manakete had observed when he first came in (however short the journey), Lilliane's small force had taken care of most of the enemies, leaving a trail of corpses along the way that all of them studiously ignored. It coudln't be easy, of course; soon enough, they found a door that looked like it belonged in a fortress, making it look...out of place for some reason. Aeros had to agree with Lilliane: these bandits seemed more organized and better supplied than the ones he had seen, which could mean trouble awaited when they got through the door.

Emphasis on when, because regardless of what Lilliane thought, she had a personal battering ram as of his entrance. He wasn't going to go into his true form for a pair of doors, but he didn't need to; the day he needed his dragon form for a door would be...horrible. And he could show these two that he didn't need anyone to "keep him safe."

Regardless, he didn't have room anyway, so the manakete began drawing energy from his dragonstone. When he had enough, he walked forward toward the doors, picked a spot, and rammed it, making sure to avoid the metal bar.

The doors creaked, splintered a little at the impact, and...did little else, while the manakete realed backward with a grunt, wings flaring out to make sure he kept his balance.

Surprised and more than a little embarassed, Aeros frowned and studied the doors; it really should have done more than that. What were these made of? The crossbar probably helped, but it was just wood, like any number of trees he could knock down...of course, trees typically weren't designed to withstand dragon-level impacts, while this door might well have been.

But it had splintered a bit, so maybe...

Making sure to ignore the other two--he didn't want to mess up again, and he had a point to make--he approached the doors again, this time placing one hand on each side of the divide and pushing.

The result was slow, and that was irritating; there was a result, and that was satisfying, and the manakete smiled tightly to himself as the doors began to give way, the crossbar bending slightly...

[Alicia]

Alicia nodded briskly; her eyes swept over the hallway one last time, ensuring none of the bandits were getting up before following behind Aeros and Lilly. She breathed deeply as her eyes fell on their newest companion once more; that someone so young had to seek shelter in a bandit stronghold for a bit of sleep tore at her thoughts constantly, disrupting her concentration. She sighed; try as she might, she could not help but feel compassion for him, and regret at a world that could be so cruel as to leave a child homeless. Was it truly correct for the church to do nothing to help? She had been taught for so long that the knights should remain impassive, uncaring of the matters of mortals, their eyes turned solely to the divine duties handed down to them. And yet, time and time again, she had gone behind her superior's eyes to offer comfort to homeless children in her civilian attire, children in the same situation she had been in before, children who had not been blessed by Elimine as she had been.

But...now was not the time for such thoughts. She roused herself, her senses alert, striving to catch a glimpse of a trap, the glimmer of a sword behind a corner, the scuttling of boots upon the cold stone surface. By the time they got to the gate, she could feel the day begin to take its toll on her; she had gone on fighting since the morning at Lilliane's side, and could feel the beginnings of weariness creeping across her body and her resolve. Still, time was of the essence, and their incredibly irritating and somewhat charismatic leader was right; if they did not bring out the tactical mastermind behind this group's actions, the bandits would rally and bring terror to the countryside. No, best to end this now.

She stared at the reinforced door with unease, unsure of how to proceed. "Lilliane...is there no other way inside this room? We...cannot force these gates open." She paused, thinking furiously; of course there would be no other way into the room, as that would have made the gates, and by extension, the fortress' design pointless. And she doubted there was an object they could use as an improvised ram either; at least, not one that they could lift...should they look for an alternative? A thought struck her, and was quickly dismissed. She was sure Lilliane wouldn't appreciate being used as a battering ram, in any case. Perhaps she should suggest it, however; make sure all their options were made clear to her companions. The corners of her lips quirked upwards into a smile; at least, it would elicit some response out of the mage, and poking fun at the Lycian was enjoyable for some unfathomable reason.

"Well, liaison, perhaps we could-" The remainder of her words died away as the doors creaked, and she turned sharply, looking at Aeros as he reeled back. Had...had he just rammed the doors? No, that could not be possible; the wood was even splintered, as though a heavy object had been slammed into it, and yet...and yet, Aeros was the only one standing nearby. Her eyes sought out Lilliane's, questioning, her previous jest forgotten as she pursed her lips in thought. She had seen magic before; every knight of the church had to have at least a passing understanding of what could hurt her, of what to expect. "Wind magic?" She said softly, unsure, mostly to herself, yet hoping the woman at her side could clear up the confusion. And yet, Lilliane had not cast any spell, or at least, she had not seen her do so. Was Aeros a mage?

Her eyes widened as the winged boy simply pushed into the doors, and they began to give way, metal and wood creaking ominously in an horrifying cacophony as they struggled and failed to resist his strength. "What...what is that power?" She asked to nobody in particular, shocked enough for her voice to depart from its usual monotone once more. Rumors...had reached Etruria, of ancient monsters and shadows that stalked the night once more. Was he one of them? And yet, she still felt no malice from the boy, she thought, shaking her head; whatever he was, her instincts told her that he was no enemy. She pursed her lips, moving to the front slowly as the doors gave way. Whatever Aeros' secret was...bandits were behind that gate, and those, she understood, and would cleanse from Elibe, in Saint Elimine's name.

[Deleted]

Lilly was more than a little surprised that it was the boy who stepped up to ram the doors rather than Alicia, having expected the walking tin can to showcase some good old fashioned Etrurian unreasonableness and do it herself.

She was more surprised when he actually managed to dent the doors.

It took a significant degree of her reserves of willpower to not react openly when, rather than giving up, the young man simply redoubled his efforts - and began literally tearing the reinforced doors apart. One of her eyebrows raised regardless of her best efforts, the dumbfounded mage settling for crossing her arms in an attempt to keep herself busy doing something rather than panicking or... cheering for him. Loudly.

What the hell was the proper way to react a situation like that, anyways? Run around screaming? Take it as par for the course? Burn the witch? Lilly snorted as she shrugged at Alicia's dazed question, slightly amused by the irony of how she was much closer to a witch than either of the others; any proper witch-burning crusade would have to start with her. Why couldn't anything today go as planned? A quick little jaunt into a run-down bandit encampment for gold and glory had turned into a pitched battle against an extraordinarily-trained army with better coordination than most militias, every bloody one of her plans so far had run into unexpected difficulties due to bandit ambushes or unforseen opportunities, and now they were "protecting" a goddamn child who could bench press a wagon full of oxen.

At least Alicia hadn't been too bad about not every single plan working flawlessly. So there was that.

Okay. So. Take control of the situation. A situation involving a boy with more strength than any man who was also apparently not human and reticent to discuss his nature. Easy. Nevermind that there were probably five hundred Druids right inside the door casting bloody Apocalypse. Chuckling quietly at a joke that was not in the least funny as she broke the cross to bring one hand to her temple, gently caressing it in hopes of calming the building headache, Lillianne spoke up, responding to Alicia's final question without actually addressing her. "...If anyone else cares to reveal latent superpowers or superhero identities, this would be a good time. Alicia? Saint Elimine reincarnated? I would think I would remember if I was the Empress of all Elibe and also the Archsage, but I suppose it's... possible that I just... forgot. Temporarily."

Pausing dramatically for a moment as if waiting for the legendary tome Forblaze to materialize before her, Lilly continued, with the quiet amusement of her previous tone having evaporated in an instant. "The nature of his power is irrelevant for the time being, Alicia. I, for one, am willing to trust his intentions and respect his privacy for now." Not that she wasn't already plotting to interrogate the young man later when the opportunity presented itself; she was willing to trust him, but curiosity was not an easy foe to silence. "...Thank you, Aeros. It appears that you may not need quite as much protection as I had assumed, but I will stand by my earlier sentiments. It would be an honor to stand at your side in the coming combat."

Did it have something to do with the wings? Try as she might, Lilly could not connect the dots to come up with a single, factual conclusion. There were possibilities, tantalizing and confusing, but little within her realm of experience, or even study, that had equipped her to answer the question.

The mage was used to having to work to find answers, though, and that was a subject she was well equipped for. Later. For now, they had to capitalize on the unexpected stroke of luck; it was highly unlikely that the foes within would have expected this, much less have adequately prepared for said development. "Are both of you ready? Our moment of truth arrives."

[Aeros]

Push...push...push. It was giving way, little by little, but Aeros was becoming tired quickly; this was nothing like every other time he had knocked something down. Then he had been in full form, able to bring his full strength to bear, while now...now he was...

He could not just stop. His dragonstone started glowing brightly as he drew more power from it, enforcing his muscles, skin, whatever else he could, just trying to force open the stupid door. The crossbar began to creak more loudly, the door slowly giving way. The manakete felt a surge of feral satisfaction...

...until he noticed his right arm deforming and felt his original concerns melting away, replaced by a ferocious dedication to the task at hand. He braced himself for a final push, ready to tear into-nononononono.

With a gasp, Aeros staggered back, cradling the morphing arm with his eyes squeezed shut. He would not lose control here, he would not lose control here. The offending arm started to ache as he concentrated on abating the transformation, flaring painfully before subsiding; when he opened his eyes and reexamined the arm, it looked like it always did. He wasn't sure he wanted to look at the other two now--hopefully, they hadn't asked him any questions...right--or explain anything, so he studied the door again, still short of breath from the exertion. It was basically in ruins while still being intact; the crossbar had given him some serious trouble, while the door itself was in tatters. There was no way he would put as much energy into finishing the job as he had to get to this point...

"...Can you...get it the rest of the way?" He felt like sagging against the wall for a moment, but resisted; they were probably going to need him in a moment, and he wanted to be ready. "I can finish it if...we have a moment."

[Erica Winters]

((OoC: After writing a long apology to Lilly and Alicia I also apologise to the other members of this topic, for my unexplained absence. There was no reason and I apologise, but I’m here to see it through, I hope you all still want me. I will be working off of Lilly’s earlier statement, the idle members of this topic had been dispatched to clear out the rest of the fortress, and Erica alone now walks the hallways.))

Erica made her way through the charred ruins of the old battle worn fortress. One foot softly padded in front of the other as her long platted hair waved gently from side to side in rhythm with her steps. A series of slow clops accompanied her as her loyal friend Kiki walked patiently behind her, her own wings folded as she manoeuvred steadily through the slender corridors. She had a light expression on her face, now that she was alone her once willing and determined battle face had been softened, to a calm and regretful one. He slender lance, droplets of blood spread across the blade, scraped against the cold stone floor behind her. A soft sigh escaped her weak ruby lips. Violence, fighting, bloodshed and the irrelevance of it all flooded her mind. These bandits, so many lives lost, because of her and her allies. Was this the price they must pay for their crimes? Death? Erica promised to protect the town, and she made a promise to herself and her husband. She will keep it, no matter the cost. A determined composure re-presented itself in Erica. She wasn’t going to fail anyone, especially not herself.

She increased the pace of her walking and gestured Kiki to trot behind her. Her lance extended, she continued her analysis of the building, ensuring the extermination of any remaining bandits. She let not her usual conflicting thoughts flood her mind. She had a job to do, and it would be done. Her eyes darted around as she spun her lance around before sliding it away. No signs of threats. She could only hope that the rest of her allies were safe. If Alicia was harmed… or even any of the others. She wasn’t going to let that happen.

“Kiki, let’s return to the others!”

She approached her steed and skilfully hoped into the air. Her long plat arced as she soared onto the back of Kiki. The Pegasus stood on its hind legs, a loud neigh echoing throughout the ruined fort. Kiki set off in a trot further into the fortress. Before long Erica had come to a halt. She listened around, swearing on her life she could hear the mutters of others. Cautiously, she slid off her steed and gestured for her to stay. She tip-toed carefully towards the corner. Her face could only smile as she heard the voice of her comrades, and that of others two! Thank goodness! Everyone was safe! Everyone was well! With a smile on her face she stepped out of the corner, waiting to greet everyone.

Her smile cut. A face of slight worry and dismay as she noticed the distinct lack of her allies. Two remained, as well as two others. No, she couldn’t doubt them. She forced a determind expression back to her face and approached the others that remained.

“Lillianne, Alicia. The fort is secure. The remaining bandits have been dealt with and I see no signs of more enemies. Or that of our allies…”

Her sentence became grim towards the end as she looked regretfully towards the floor, unsure of what has happened. They were all so young and innocent… That blonde girl, the dark magic user, and the knights too! She prayed softly for their safety.

After a moment she rose her head and noticed the presence of another boy. A young boy. Her eyes widened as she saw him, long scaley wings extended from his back. She was speechless, such a young innocent looking boy but... with wings?! What could this mean? He didn't seem dangerous but, Erica would lie if she said she hadn't felt nervous. She had heard stories about monsters appearing across the continents. Was this? No! Erica mentally scolded herself and bowed softly.

"P-please forgive me. I apologize to meet under such circumstances. I am Erica Winters, but you may feel free to call me Erica."

[Deleted]

Curious.

She watched in silence as the young man seemed to struggle with - himself as much as the door, shamefully ignorant to the truth of Aeros' situation but gradually realizing there was more to his power than had first appeared to be the case. A weakness to it as well, the need for - control? Lillianne remained motionless, but her mind was racing; what was the nature of his inhuman power such that even he could not control it?

For that matter, what was the nature of his failure to do so? If it was a form of magic, such as shapeshifting, was the power simply too much for him to handle without experience - linked to his... apparent age, most likely. Assuming he was... actually as young as he appeared. Lilly raised a hand to her mouth in silent surprise as she realized that, too, might well have been a naive judgement; if he could control his form such that sprouting a scaled arm was doable, certainly he could counter the apparent effects of aging. But if not shapeshifting... what? Was his true form something else, and this humanoid body merely a - shell? Surprise melted away in the endless tide of building curiosity as she thoughtfully stroked her chin, considering the possibilities.

Something to speak with Aeros about later, anyways.

He seemed spent by his exertions, something she could certainly understand after having seen such an impossible feat. Or, perhaps, the struggle against himself, something she could not quite fathom in as literal sense as he seemed to. Something else to drag out of him later. Another moment of silence, before Lillianne consciously broke it with a single sharp clap, accompanied by two more in metered succession as well as a smile as she forced herself to keep her composure in a situation that was anything but normal. "Impressive. Thank you, Aeros. I'll take over from here."

-And there was Erica, carrier of both sort-of-decent tidings and surprise that served as a reminder to Lillianne that she could not simply stand there all day being impressed by what Aeros had accomplished. Nodding in acknowledgement of Erica's report, Lilly reviewed her options for actually fulfilling her offer, staring thoughtfully at the door, carefully massaging her still-sore right shoulder while addressing the rest of the group.

"...Survivors should be regrouping by the gates along with the hostages." Survivors. Such an ugly word; it the taste curdled in her mouth even as the sound leapt from her tongue. Another reminder of the cruelty of war, knowing that it was possible any one of the all-too-human faces she had led here might not leave the fortress alive. "Strategy is so much easier on a theoretical level," Lilly muttered in tones so soft that they barely even reached her ears before perking up once more.

"Welcome back, Erica. It is reassuring to have your lance." She smiled in amusement. "-And the woman attached to it." A joke, but one that failed to amuse its maker. Would she eventually see people as pawns if she kept up this path - be willing to sacrifice the few to save the many, sending people to their deaths without even the benefit of blissful ignorance?

Well, she wasn't likely to finish opening the door by hand, and Lilly suspected that knocking would be... suboptimal at best by this point. Leaving the previous subject behind as completely as the speed at which she had done so, the mage stepped towards the door, still steadying her shoulder with her free arm as the magical energy within began to ignite in sound and fury, a series of concentric triangles of light springing to life around the arm.

While they had begun with little in common other than a general shape and size, haphazardly rotated this way and that, as the flow intensified the entire array began to coalesce into a coherent form, the silvery triangles slowly rotating into identical alignments around the axis as malleable forms crystallized into similar sizes. "Back off, Aeros," she grunted, focusing more on trying not to explode her arm than hurting anyone's feelings. This was about the limit of what she could do with her current level of skill, but even as she focused Lilly could not help but detest her inability to do more; she had envisioned so much more with her magic than was within her grasp now, from runic configurations to general principles that made sense in theory but had proven inordinately difficult to actually realize.

Sydonai. Andras. Ahriman. Each of the three a critical node of the array, amplification and limiter alike - but imperfect, more a desperate hackjob conjured after hours of attempting to maximize spell amplification than a flawless design that would turn a Fire spell into Forblaze itself. THAT particular plan was going to have to, uh, wait a little bit longer.

Grasping fingers lightly touched the battered wood, tracing the network of cracks and splinters from Aeros's efforts. Even with effectively multiple Fire uses unleashed at once, the door was far beyond Lilly's ability to simply casually sunder. Her only real option was finding a place sufficiently weakened to fall before the shockwave, because - well, the memories of trying this particular spell variation in the forest were all too familiar, and her arm still bloody hurt from it.

"...When I fire." The words came out through gritted teeth, the magical energy she was gathering rapidly overcoming the makeshift sealing array... and her willpower. "Please be ready to follow me in." When. Not if. Lillianne refused to accept failure. Not now. Not after all this. Aeros had poured his heart into bringing the door down, clearly strained himself well beyond his limits in his attempts, and she was not willing to meet his strength of will with weakness of her own.

"Fire in the hole."

A torrent of arcane energy erupted forth in a brilliant flash of gold, all three Fire spells disintegrating into raw force simultaneously, the tide of magic loosely following the collapsing magical barriers even as they cracked and shattered in its wake. Even having braced herself as best she could, Lillianne was completely unprepared for the wave of heat and raw force as the reverbrations shook her arm and singed the hair on her arm, jerking her shoulder back with enough force that she could not be entirely sure it wasn't broken.

That had been the recoil.

The actual blast impacted the battered door like the fist of an angry god, a rapidly-disintegrating mass of sheer force that barely held together long enough to simply brush away much of the longsuffering wood like so much tinder.

Lillianne droppped to her knees, blinded and deafened by the reaction that had come close to consuming her arm and body alike, only dully aware of the violent throbbing tinge in her arm that reminded her she was still alive. And still in possession of an arm, though the functional bit was - sort of questionable.

Well.

THAT was something she probably should have planned out better, and also something that was probably the single most useless approach to combat-focused magic she had ever considered. Quite nearly blowing up her arm, after significant charge time, in order to finish breaking an already-severely-battered door. And the explosion fell apart quite nearly as quickly as it came out, she half-consciously noted, just because the whole shaped charge idea wasn't already so busily proving itself well beyond her grasp.

On the bright side, the quick disintegration of the firy blast into force had ensured there was very little actual smoke to obscure her view, showcasing a fairly accurate - if a little blurry for some reason - panorama of the activity inside.

On the bright side, the people inside seemed to have been about as ready for her as she had been for all that. Lillianne stared blankly at the four individuals within, having trouble focusing but noting with a certain degree of grim satisfaction that they looked about as shellshocked as her. The realization spurred her back into mobility, pulling Lilly from her daydreams into a slightly disoriented push to drag herself upright and through the fresh hole into the room beyond, ignoring the ringing in her ears in favor of trying to catch what was going on within.

For their part, the denizens of the heart of the fortress seemed to be recovering much more quickly than she; a colossal hulk of a man strode forwards, a knight clad in blood-red armor, as one hefting an axe stepped forwards on his right and a nondescript robed man lurked to the left. Behind the trio, someone she could get little more than a blurry glimpse of was facing away, slipping through a hole in the floor before he was gone entirely.

A trap door?

Before she could worry about that too much, a deep, baritone voice rang through the room, seemingly filling the space to overflowing. "Welcome, honored guests." Arrogant, but absolutely self-assured; there was a tinge of sarcasm, of venom hanging from his words that lent them a more dire vibe. The man himself was impressive, clearly encased in armor he was used to - a veteran, not some fool bandit traipsing around in a stolen shell. "You've certainly caused us a lot of trouble, but that ends here. We will begin anew elsewhere, but first..."[/u] The knight slammed the butt of his spear into the floor with a resounding bang, smiling cruelly at her involuntary start. "-There are rats to exterminate. Still, imagine my surprise to find a pearl amongst the proverbial swine. To think that you should deliver yourself so graciously! Unfortunately - your bloom must wilt, little Lilly, that we might seed this field anew."[/u]

Okaaaaaaay that was probably not a good sign. "Uh, guys? Could... use some help here."

[OOC: the explosion thing is from her perspective. It wasn't actually all that big or impressive - the hole is ~4 feet across tops and the wood was already seriously weakened. Three fire tome uses YOINK. She's nnnnowhere close to being able to do as much with Fire as she'd like to be able to but EXPLOSIONS and pretty descriptions dawg.]

[Alicia]

Alicia stared at the ruined door in awe, her eyes wide; her mind tried to deny what she had seen, and yet, there was just no way to blind herself to the truth. For the blessings of Elimine often come when thou least expect them, in the hour of greatest and true need. The words of the scripture rang in her mind, and she looked at the young boy, a small smile on her face. Whatever the source of his power, he had done nothing but try his best to help. She walked over to his side. "Do not worry, Aeros. We will find a way to do the rest. Your help was invaluable, and truly a blessing." She spoke, her tone warm once more. "Rest now, and recover. I...imagine that was not easy."

The Etrurian turned to face Lilliane, her expression questioning, about to ask the mage for her demolition expertise before stopping herself. Her eyes lit up as she caught sight of Erica; relief and happiness flooded her as she noticed both the knight and her companion were safe. She brought her hand up to wave to the two, her expression filled with joy, before she caught herself. What was she doing? Her arm remained in the air, half-raised for an instant before she hesitantly pulled it back down, struggling with herself. What was wrong with her? Why did she feel so happy? This was...a battlefield. Even beyond that; all throughout these battles, she seemed to have forgotten the tenets of her order. She was a knight of Etruria. A knight should not rely on anything but her faith. The words of the priests were very clear; bonds with others would only slow her down, bind her and leave her unable to fulfill her duty. No good could come from bonds with foreigners. Then...why did she feel so worried over their safety, so concerned for their well-being? Why did it matter to her whether they lived or died? Why...why did she feel more at home with them than she had ever felt among her fellow knights? No. This ended now.

Alicia shook her head, her eyes growing guarded, her expression steely. "It is good to see you well, Erica." Her voice shook slightly with effort as she struggled to control herself. "Kiki, as well." She turned stiffly, her movements choppy and tense as she faced Lilliane. "I am ready, liaison. Let us end this." She spoke precisely, stepping back as she noticed the beginnings of a spell weaving itself around the mage's arm. Her eyes followed the lights, and she felt worry stab at her heart; was this safe for Lilliane? Her expression, her tone, they spoke of deep stress and screamed danger. Her concern for the Lycian's safety grew for a moment longer, before she quashed it ruthlessly. No. Her only concern was the extermination of the bandit army.

She closed her eyes as the fire spell burst down the battered door, turning her head away slightly from the flash, the smell of burning wood and superheated air assaulting her. Her eyes focused on the knight before her. This, she could understand. On this, she had no struggle, no conflicting thoughts, no meddlesome emotions to stand in the way of her duty. "Rats to exterminate, indeed. Your journeys end here, blood dealer. In the name of the holy church of Elimine, prepare to be judged!" There were no doubts. She gave herself in to combat as she charged forward, advancing to face the knight, her spear already thrusting at the arm that held his weapon. No more questioning. No more doubts. She was Alicia, a knight of the church, and she would not be swayed from her duty.

[Aeros]

"P-please forgive me. I apologize to meet under such circumstances. I am Erica Winters, but you may feel free to call me Erica."

Aeros stared blankly at the new-arrival as she introduced herself, more out of general fatigue than...well, anything else, plus feeling a little overwhelmed as Alicia came over to thank him as well. When he finally realized that the newer woman was introducing herself, he straightened up hurriedly and replied, "Aeros. Nice to meet you," with as little awkwardness as he could manage. Erica. Erica. He was going to remember that, too. "So are you...you're with them, right?" It was no good, he'd have to lean against the wall, and so he did, still trying to keep his eyes in the general vicinity of his new...friend? Ally for now, probably. "How long have you...?"

"Back off, Aeros."

He hadn't' heard that one before, and hadn't been expecting to hear it after his little display. Seeing what Lillianne was doing, however, convinced him that it was fully justified.

Magic. And like none he had ever seen...granted, he hadn't seen too many mages. Plenty of magicians, but only a few mages, and none of them had fired like this. The runes dancing around her arm were almost entrancing, different again than anything he had seen before...even when he could feel that they were only holding something back. Something he didn't want to be on the receiving end of.

The manakete edged along the wall in a general 'away from the mage' direction.

"Fire in the hole.

And he was just in time, too.

As the wood shattered, Aeros reflexively jerked an arm in front of his face--his left, fortunately--and squeezed his eyes shut, because as tough as the rest of his body was, the thought of digging splinters out of his eyes and mouth was fairly unpleasant. He needn't have worried, though, as only a few chips flew his way, mostly dropping well before reaching his face.

Only when he was sure that the shockwave had passed, though, did he look at the result, which was...disappointing, and his face showed it.

He was starting to hate that door, and looked forward to the day when he could break it down with his bare hands. It had stood up to his assault and, now, had only barely suffered from the magical one; a small entryway, barely his size, had been blown in one section of it, with Lillianne splayed out on the ground. Aeros immediately felt guilty on seeing her condition. If he had just held out a little longer, even by letting his transformation finish...

Well, she was getting up, so now she needed him. The tiredness would fade no matter what, anyway.

But he had to be ready; he wouldn't take any chances now.

His dragonstone glowed slightly as he followed the other three into the final room.

"Welcome, honored guests!"[/u]

Aeros was starting to question if there was a guidebook somewhere for greeting opponents, because everywhere he went, everyone he fought for or with, spoke with more class than he ever managed. He mostly ignored the speech that followed, more interested in what he could use in the room; it was slightly smaller than he had expected, meaning that transforming completely was...less of an option than usual. He would need to fight as he was, then, and probably find something to throw. The man in the robes was either a mage or really, really stupid, so he needed to go first. Lillianne wouldn't have any trouble with her, and maybe Erica wouldn't either, but Alicia and he wouldn't take any spells well.

Then Alicia charged the man in the center, jolting the manakete out of any attempts to plan.

At that point, he panicked slightly. Which enemy should he target? He wouldn't be able to get to the mage in time to attack, and Alicia was already headed to the knight...

...Well, it was obvious. He charged the axeman, wings tucked in, trying to close the distance before any magic went his way.

[Erica Winters]

Erica forced her somewhat saddened expression into one of strictness, seriousness and obedience. Now was not the time for sorrowful thoughts, on the tragedy and necessity of fighting. She had decided on this before she entered, and promised her loyalty till the fight was over. Erica sighed with relief, so the survivors should be in safety? Survivors….The problem with the phrase was that it simultaneously suggested a lack of itself. If there were survivors it meant there had to be those who died… Bandit or innocent, ally or enemy, was death a fair punishment? Erica immediately shook of her re-occuring thoughts and turned back to Alicia with a soft smile, bowing politely in return to her greeting. Kiki snorted her nose and mildly extended part of her wings in response. She had promised to fight with Alicia and protect everyone, and she was going to fulfil her promise. She turned back to Lilly as she made a playful joke, allowing Erica to loosen her expression and release a pleasantly amused smile. She bowed her head softly.

“As promised, till the end!”

She meant it. She promised the people of this town to rid them of these bandits, and she promised herself to her team till that task was completed. She the nturned her attention back to the younger boy and smiled warmly. He seemed polite and quite sweet. She couldn’t help but wonder, what a young boy like him was doing on a battlefield… Could he fight? Regardless of what she saw, he is still a child. Erica wasn’t so sure how she felt about fighting with him, he could get hurt! She nodded in agreement at his question. Whether he’s here to help or not he at least knew what they were doing. Erica would just have to make sure no harm came to Aeros. She silently promised herself. She had dealt with the dozens of others that appeared against plan. Sadly she cannot say the same for bandits but, none of her allies will die!

Erica was surprised when she heard an abrupt change in tone from Lilly, telling Aeros to “back off”. She curiously turned her head to the woman, seeing reason in her words as she prepared to attack. Erica wasn’t sure what was happening given her absence but, it seemed pretty explanatory. The only way to go forward was through that door, and if it meant blowing it off the hinges then so be it. Erica herself took a step back and gently rested a hand on Kiki, allowing herself to observe Lilly.

Erica was in admittedly slight awe as she watched the magic unfold. Erica wasn’t entirely sure of Lilly’s level of magic skill, she had just met her. As well as this she herself had never really seen mages in action before. The way the magic gathered, shaped, formed and charged was almost beyond belief. As she observed she couldn’t help but wonder how it worked, how it was done, how hard was it, how much of a strain did it put on the body? Maybe she could learn more about this in her travels… In the meantime she was busy being impressed with Lilly, while trying to maintain focus.

She nodded in a response to Lilly who, busy working her magic, probably didn’t even notice. Erica prepared herself to fight, to charge in on take on whatever lay behind that door. She held her lance tightly and widened her stance. She may have to fight on foot for this depending on the size of the room behind that door. No matter, her skills on land wielding lance were currently sharper than those in air.

“Be ready kiki…”

She spoke back to her Pegasus without actually turning. Erica raised her hand ever so slightly to cover her eyes from the small flash created from Lillianne’s attack. An aroma of charred wood quickly overwhelming the air. Lilly seemed at first stunned by her own flash but Erica, Alicia and Aeros wasted no time springing into the room ready for battle. The three charged through the door and presented themselves to the four fighters on the other side. Just as Lilly had entered the room a loud clopping echoed, before busting down a little more space in what remained of the charred door. Kiki trotted in and stood behind Erica, her wings extended almost threateningly. It was now or never, Erica had to fight. She couldn’t have regrets, she could not hold back. Treating your adversary with respect is striking soft in battle. For everyone, they had to strike at full force! No more regrets!

Erica stepped back slightly as she observed the fighters. They were all so threatening, and large. The robed figures were too suspicious, magic users perhaps? Erica had never fought magic before, she couldn’t tell! Without knowing the weapon, how can she fight? She gulped, her figures were threatening, everyone would have to fight at their best… They couldn’t afford to underestimate these people, they were more than just bandits. What really frightened Erica however, was the fourth figure who seemed to slip into the floor. Her eyes widened as the baritone voice boomed through the room. She gulped taking a side step, or two. The voice was arrogant, and self-assured, with a venomous ring to it. Where was it coming from?

Immediately her attention returned to the remaining three enemies as the knight slammed the butt of the spear. Pay attention! Erica mentally scolded herself. Concentrate! This isn’t like any training, I can’t afford to lose! Her expression hardened as Alicia spoke up, and she regained control of herself. Tightening her grip on the lance she arced it towards the floor.

“To fulfil my promises, I won’t fail!”

Alicia charged forward, targeting the knight. She was probably the best rival for a knight, strength against strength, Alicia would have to prevail. All of Erica’s questioned and un-easiness about the boy momentarily vanished as she watched him split to the axe man. However he would fight, it would be with the axeman. Erica had no time to think, whether Lilly would be able to fight directly after her previous attack on the door was irrelevant. Erica was stuck with the magic user… She had no time to gulp, to stop, or to worry. Cutting off the three was the best way, she couldn’t let him interrupt. With her lance held horizontally, the blade pointed east, she charged at the robed man. Kiki flapped her wings, rising into the available sky space of the room and soaring towards the mage from above. Erica attempted to close the distance, swinging her lance in a horizontal arc at the robed man.

(I’m assuming this room is large, given the amount of enemies and boss-battle setting, as well as the tough ass door that was in the way. Surely it’s tall enough for Kiki to fly, even a little over head.)

[Deleted]

[IF YOU HAVE A BATTLE THEME FOR YOUR CHARACTER, LET'S HEAR IT!]
Lilly's Theme
Boss Battle Theme 1

Rampant leftover magical energy and fear alike flowed through her body, leaving her aching arms tingling with - anticipation, or perhaps foreboding. Perhaps both. The knight's speech had been of little value in itself, just another idiot who liked to hear himself speak, something she had definitely never heard of in all her politicial adventures, but his little flower joke set off every warning bell in her body. He knew who she was; not simply an educated guess, much less a vague idea of "that wannabe hero lady causing trouble," but the truth of her history.

And he was ready to use it.

Being used as ammunition in familial debates or political bickering was nothing new, but so far she had little experience with being used to hurt her family, her country; Lilly had been sent off to the academy partially to keep her out of trouble, but never used as a weapon against her own kin. The idea of being held for ransom, or worse for political leverage - and who would dare stir up the hornet's nest in Lycia by so boldly attacking another state? Ryerde was no powerhouse, but nothing inspired other Lycian states to respond to threats to another so much as a threat to themselves, even an indirect one. Was it a simple, impromptu ransom plan, or something more dire? The knight had seemed surprised to see her, so whatever their plan had originally been had likely not included her, but the simple fact that they were willing to do so did not bode well. There were undertones here that she did not like one bit.

"If you knew anything of me, swine," she spat out with pride and loathing alike tinging her words, "You would better than to antagonize a Ryerden magus. You play with forces beyond your comprehension, and they will consume you whole."

Indignation rang in her words, unbridled pride for her country's mage academy. It was not as large or famous as Laus's, much less Etruria's legendary academies, but - it had forged her into who she was today, given her countless opportunities outside of her previous life as a Marquess's sheltered daughter, and given her the power to take her destiny into her own hands. One arm raised, Lilly slipped out of her jacket in a single fluid motion, wrapping the sleeves around her waist in practiced ease rather than letting it fall to the floor.

"Those who play with fire get burned!"

Completely caught in the moment, the mongrels to each side of the knight faded out of her perception, worthless creatures that she trusted the others to take care of. The knight - he was hers, and she would extract the information she wanted from his molten corpse if need be. Fire sprang to life in her left palm, a silent stream of heat and light waiting to be formed, but Alicia's charge was a wake-up call of sorts, one that reminded Lilly she was not alone. "You and me, Alicia."

...But she was still pissed as hell and twice as ornery. "Don't hold me back." Following the Etrurian knight in, Lillianne launched a low-arcing fireball, capitalizing on the relatively small size of the room to launch it nearly directly at him at higher speed.

[OOC: Room is... big enough for them to fight, but somewhat cluttered with the defunct strategy table, chairs lying about, a number of (mostly) open (and empty) crates in the back. Cloaked person is actually female, and a Shaman with Nosferatu. Axe user is male and a Fighter with a Steel Axe. Knight is a... knight... and male, with a Steel Lance and Javelins. Assume they're the equivalent of 3-5 levels above you.

All of them are professional soldiers - none of them will spill any useful information, though the Fighter has a sarcastic streak, the Shaman is permanently mute due to a previous severe throat injury, and the Knight is a bit of a complete asshat. I will assume control of the Fighter for now, leaving the other two to whoever wants to take them though if someone wanted to do Fighter I'll switch to Shaman next turn! AND YEAH THE FIGHTER POST IS RIDICULOUSLY SHORT. I'll write more for future ones, but - and this goers for EVERYONE - don't worry about ballooning up post size, even just two lines is fine if you really don't feel like writing more. It's hard to get a lot out of characters when you don't know them exactly, but feel free to add some (mostly outward) quirks if it helps you get in character, play with their speech, whatever you want! Just experiment and find out what works for you without worrying about post size or "matching" anyone else.]

"Killing kids..." The red-haired Fighter sighed, apparently unenthusiastic with the prospect. Or perhaps the entire fight. Hard to tell. "Whatever. Your damn fault for getting involved in crap you shouldn't have, boy." Hefting his axe, he met Aeros's charge head on, bringing the large blade around with contemptuous ease in a wide horizontal arc. "Blame fate, not me."