Edward Zobek
Sage
Posts: 46
Profession: Viscount of Ligure
Affiliation: Knights Radiant
Affinity: Light
Profile: Edward Zobek
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Post by Edward Zobek on Sept 9, 2014 18:36:53 GMT -6
Edward was caught off guard by the unknown force that assailed him from behind. The push almost knocked him to the ground, but the old knight caught himself by balancing his weight against his walking stick. Goodness! It looked like even in the far corners of the world people managed to be too busy to watch where they were going. And Edward had thought they only a plague of bigger cities. Just what could have someone in such a hurry in a sleeping mining town such as this?
“So sorry sir, are you alright?”
The Etrurian knight turned to see a middle aged man standing behind him. He struck a strong figure, what with his tall frame, his sharp jaw, and his thick, royal blue hair. Aside from the harried expression on his face, he looked very in control, as if any sort of surprise was not a normal thing for him. It was trusting feeling, but Edward knew better than to go off of first impressions. Etruria was full of men who spoke niceties while clamping down on your arm with their teeth, and while Lycia may not be filled with such men, there was no reason for him to let down his guard.
“I’m fine, thank you,” said Edward, brushing off his cloak. He nodded to the younger man, his face assuring him that no harm had been done. “You should watch where you’re going. Rarely is there ever a reason to be in such a hurry.” The Etrurian shook his head, then quickly put away the parchment he had drawn from his satchel. “Well, for your punishment, would you mind telling me the location of the Adel household? I’m looking for a Mr. Monroe.”
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Nora
Archer
Posts: 48
Profession: Pain in Edward's A$$
Affiliation: The Etrurian Throne
Affinity: Light
Profile: Link
OoC Alias: Charlie
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Post by Nora on Sept 10, 2014 12:06:29 GMT -6
The navy haired man silently cursed himself, embarrassed at his foolishness, but the older gentleman took the collision with stride and surprising grace. Granted, he still had nearly hit the floor thanks to the rush Monroe was in, but it wasn’t like the elderly gentleman knew what Monroe was rushing about for. In fact, Monroe could swear he wasn’t from the village, was he? He’d been here long enough to know who was who, so passersby tended to stand out, especially at this man’s age.
Monroe nodded obediently at the older man’s suggestion, the Etrurian’s years of military schooling and action having instilled a severe respect for his elders. But before Monroe could apologize again and bid the man a good day, the gentleman slipped a piece of parchment into his satchel, beginning to ask a question. Well, Monroe supposed he had a moment to help the traveler find what he was looking fo-
“...the location of the Adel household?” Wait, had Monroe heard that right? The gentleman might have meant the Adders, Monroe thought, knowing they had a decent amount of travelers pass through their home. Surely this traveler had misspoke- “I’m looking for a Mr. Monroe.”
Monroe blinked, still processing that the older gentleman was looking for him. He didn’t have any trips planned to Pharae until next month, so surely this didn’t have to do with his modest hunting business. Monroe wracked his brain, trying to remember if he had ever met the man before, but the former military man drew a complete blank. His chest tightened involuntarily as he briefly considered the man might be looking for Nora. There hadn’t been a direct threat on her life in years, and if there was, surely the Knight’s Radiant would have informed him well in advance that they needed to leave the village.
So why was this man asking for him?
“Um,” Monroe audibly stammered for a moment, realizing he needed to end this pregnant pause. If this man was here for Nora, surely Monroe would be able to deal with the threat on his own. “Ah, it seems Elimine set your path today, sir.” He gave a small bow – mostly an acknowledging bow of his head, really – before continuing. “I’m Monroe Adel. Apologies for my surprise, but I wasn’t expecting any visitors.” He paused, not really sure how to continue, but he needed to know why the man was here to best gauge how to react. Not many people traveled to Wilderose seeking out one of its inhabitants so specifically.
“Might I ask what you need from me, sir?”
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Sept 11, 2014 14:25:14 GMT -6
The forest was beginning to thin out once more. At long last he would be out of the woods. Still he was weary and needed pause. Taking a break he later Nora against a missy tree and sat himself on a large head shaped stone. He found the resemblance he saw humorous. Oh nature the way you act at times makes one wonder why it is always so vengeful. He produced from his pack some jerky he had saved for later. Biting into it he discovered it was salty as the sea and tough as his boots. To him it was some good jerky. It has been what? Four hours now?
He finished off his jerky and watched Nora, she ought to regain her consciousness soon. He needs to get to that town before then so she does not put up a fight. Then another worry occurred to him, pursuers. Some could be very persistent. At least he left no markings on the trail since getting her. He was always conscious of that. He swore up and down he could walk atop a foot of snow but he had not gotten the chance to prove it. Hmm. That necklace fits the girl to a t. As if she was born to wear it. Looking up at the sky he watched for the sun to peak out beyond the foliage above. Wow it was getting late now. If he wants a place to say he should get moving. Picking Nora up he could hear a slight groaning from her. She was waking up. He began to double his pace fearing he would not make it before she woke.
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Post by Luke Pendragon on Sept 13, 2014 12:59:16 GMT -6
It had seemed fate had a different plan for Luke than the young lad had for himself. He hadn't imagined that he would be doing something quite like this, at least not yet. It was something that would definitely be a welcoming experience that was sure and who knows, it could even prove to be more fruitful than Luke had expected. Only time would tell but Luke was certain that he wasn't going to regret this decision, though some might say that it was a hasty one but Luke put some thought to it. This would probably mean it would be quite some time before he saw his home again.
Being a young lad new to adventuring and the outside world, Luke had decided to ask Edward Zobek if he could accompany the older man on in his travels. Much to Luke's surprise the man had allowed it though Luke knew it was going to be all fun and games. Wherever and whatever Edward had planned Luke had to be prepared for anything. Luke was willing of course, he had much to learn and knew that Mr. Zobek would be a fine mentor to learn under. There was a lot to see out there.
Their first destination was that of a small mining town though Luke wasn't exactly sure why they were going there besides the fact that Edward has business to take care of. Luke wasn't the type to pry as he understood that if Edward wanted to tell him more about it than he would. The boy didn't want to start off causing tension between them just because he was being a bit nosy. This did mean that Luke was going to be traveling on a ship which wasn't something that he did all that often so he was a bit excited for that despite the sailor's protest of Edward coming aboard.
Luke had spent their weeklong trip doing pretty much the opposite of what Edward was doing. The boy was being social and learning things about sailing, something that he had always been curious about. Though he felt like some of the sailors took advantage of his good nature and made him do their own work but Luke didn't mind. Being a boy growing up on the farm Luke almost always had to do something so this was nothing compared to that. Besides, Luke kind of liked to work as it was better than waiting around doing nothing.
Whenever Edward had come out of his room for anything was always nice. Luke would often watch his sparring matches with the deckhands and take some notes. Every once in a while the boy would test out his skills against a deckhand whenever they had their sparring matches. While Luke surely didn't have the experience and skill of Edward he surprised a few of the deckhands with his own abilities. It was an enjoyable experience but just like all good things, it had to come to an end eventually.
The hike towards the town was a peaceful one though Luke had gotten separated from Edward. It was nothing serious of course, just some travelers that needed assistance fixing their wagon. Luke knowing just how much of a pain that was offered to help the people and insisted that Edward keep moving forward, promising to be quick about this. It took Luke a bit longer than he had expected but once he had finished fixing the wagon he made his way in the direction that Edward had went, hoping to catch up with the man quickly as Luke didn't want to end up too far behind.
As Luke came upon the town he noticed Edward and a man speaking to one another. Perhaps Edward knew who this man was? Regardless, Luke continued making his way toward Edward finally catching up to the man. "Mr. Zobek!" Luke would call out as he finally reached the older man. "Sorry if I took too long. Is everything alright?" The young lad would ask as he then took a moment to catch his breath. He hoped he wasn't interrupting anything important but he couldn't help but be curious as to who this other person was.
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Edward Zobek
Sage
Posts: 46
Profession: Viscount of Ligure
Affiliation: Knights Radiant
Affinity: Light
Profile: Edward Zobek
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Post by Edward Zobek on Sept 13, 2014 22:35:27 GMT -6
"Oh, well then," said Edward, a light amount of pleasant surprise entering his eyes as the polite man revealed himself to be Monroe Adel. Of course he was. Why wouldn't the first person he meets in this town, the person that almost bowls him over, be the exact person he was looking for? It made nothing but sense. "That makes things easier." The old knight paused, rubbing his beard as he thought of just how to bring up the subject at hand. Sure, he could come right out and say that he was Edward Zobek, Grand Master of the Knights Radiant and Viscount of Ligure, and that he had come to retrieve Princess Eleanora, but typically in operations as sensitive as this one blunt honesty was not an effective means of a communication. Edward was not a suspicious person, but he knew full well that this man could very well not be Monroe, and the last thing he needed was to go talking about a lost Etrurian princess to a complete stranger.
"Mr. Zobek! Sorry if I took too long. Is everything alright?"
Upon hearing his name called, the old knight's attention was pulled away from the soldierly, middle-aged man to a younger, blonde haired boy named Luke, Edward's latest traveling companion. It seemed he was just catching up after stopping to help some passerby with a broken wagon. Edward felt a small pang of guilt as he watched Luke approach, having not stopped himself, but the Knight Radiant had been and was still eager to begin his business in this town, considering the gravity of the task at hand.
But yes, Luke. After meeting the bright eyed adventurer miles down the road from Laus, it had been requested of Edward that he allow the Lycian to accompany him on his journey. Edward had seen no reason to turn away the swordsman, appreciating the presence of a traveling companion to ease the loneliness of his travels, but the knight had kept a few things close to his vest, namely his destination and the purpose of his trip. It wasn't that Edward suspected the boy, no not at all. In fact, from their discussions, the old knight had gathered that young Pendragon was an upstanding young man of kind and stout heart, clearly evidenced by his willingness to help random strangers with their wagons. But Edward's plans were unfortunately a bit too sensitive in nature to be divulged, even to boy as nice as Luke. The Lycian fortunately hadn't pressed Edward with questions, which the knight had appreciated. Perhaps if the boy kept up the good work, and proved himself trustworthy, the Etrurian would grant him more insight into the current goings on.
"Everything is quite alright, Luke," said Edward with a dignified nod of his head. By the way he talked, you wouldn't think he had been an inch away from kissing the dirt road only moments ago, but that was Edward for you. Always the model of propriety. "I was just asking Mr. Monroe here for directions, but as it turns out he can help me find what I'm looking for. I hope you managed to get that wagon fixed."
"Anyways, Mr. Adel, I'm here to retrieve a package from you, one of considerable worth," Edward stated nonchalantly, his eyes slowly migrating back towards the middle aged man. He reached into his satchel and pulled out a scroll, a different one this time, then handed it to Monroe. The scroll was rolled up and sealed with wax, and on the seal could be seen the secret symbol of the Knight's Radiant. If one unfurled the parchment, they would see a simple symbol of three squares arranged in a triangular fashion with a circle placed in between them. The symbol meant nothing in and of itself, but it had been drawn up by Monroe before being passed on to Edward through the Knight Radiant that had originally discovered the village as a form of verification. The old knight shot Monroe a knowing glance, as if to say that if he didn't know what was in this scroll, he was a liar and a scoundrel and clearly not Mr. Monroe Adel. "Would you mind letting me see it?"
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Nora
Archer
Posts: 48
Profession: Pain in Edward's A$$
Affiliation: The Etrurian Throne
Affinity: Light
Profile: Link
OoC Alias: Charlie
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Post by Nora on Sept 14, 2014 15:11:49 GMT -6
Monroe listened politely as the man – a Mr. Zobek, it seemed – greeted the young man who had just caught up to him. Luke looked to be about Nora’s age, but judging by the blade on his belt he was traveling as protection or something of the sort for Mr. Zobek. Strange considering Luke was a good deal shorter than Mr. Zobek, but Monroe wouldn’t judge the young man’s ability with a sword based on his size. Monroe had known plenty of men shorter than he during his service who managed just fine with their blades.
But Monroe was still more interested in who this Mr. Zobek was. The name sounded familiar to Monroe, but he couldn’t quite place where he might have heard it before. There were a myriad of old names he knew from Etruria, but many of those had been heard by the former advisor in passing, so it was hard for Monroe to try and remember exactly where he’d heard the name before. The way the man held himself screamed military, too, which made Monroe’s inability to recall where he’d heard the name even more.
Once Mr. Zobek shifted his attention back to Monroe, the blue haired man made eye contact, crossing his arms as the older man continued. Monroe’s stomach dropped almost instantly as he took the scroll from Mr. Zobek, running his thumb over the seal he recognized as that of the Knights Radiant. Though he didn’t need to unfurl the scroll to know what was inside, Monroe did anyways, seeing the simple drawing Munroe had made all those years ago. It didn’t mean anything to him then, but seeing it now brought one resounding thought to mind:
This was the Grandmaster of the Knight’s Radiant, and it was time.
Returning Mr. Zobek’s gaze – though Monroe’s look was notably more somber now – the navy-haired man rolled the scroll back up and handed it back to the gentleman. Lips pursed, he considered how to reply since there were foreign ears around them. Monroe had no intention of being blunt, but considering Mr. Zobek had just asked to meet Nora and she had run off not long ago, he had to tell the man something. In fact, maybe they’d even help find the wayward girl.
“Of course, Mr. Zobek, was it?” Monroe gave a sharp nod of his head, adjusting the small pack on his shoulder. “I’m in possession of the package, but at the moment my hands are tied. My niece and I had a disagreement earlier, so she’s run off. I really must find her before I can procure it for you.” Monroe paused, hoping Mr. Zobek would understand what he was getting at. “She’s a bit of a firebrand, but it’s just her and I out here, so you must understand how important it is that I find her. She’s all I have.”
----
”Eleanora, honey, you must wake up, we’ve little time to move.”
Gentle hands lightly shook Nora’s shoulders, causing the young girl to groan as her hands shot to rub the sleep from her eyes. As she blinked a few times, Nora realized it was still very dark outside, her mother still in her nightgown as she tried to wake her daughter. She didn’t think her lessons started until after dawn, so why was Mother waking her up so soon?
“Mommy, I’m tired, can I sleep a little longer?”
“Not now, darling, we don’t have time. Sit up and I’ll help you with your coat,” Nora’s mother replied, her usually strong voice quavering. Nora sat up; she was a perceptive child, so she could tell something was bothering her usually resolute mother. While Nora obeyed her mother and stretched her arms out, she wanted to know what was happening.
“Mommy, what’s going on?” Nora asked while her mother hastily shoved her arms through her coat, pulling off the young girl’s covers and slipping on a pair of slippers on her feet as well. “Where’s Daddy?”
“We’ll be meeting your Father on the way, but for now, we’ll going to find your brothers,” her mother deflected, taking the child’s hands into her own and urging her out of bed. “Now come on, up up!” With that, Nora slipped out of bed, her feet hitting the floor as her mom pulled her towards Nora’s bedroom door and into the hallway.
The castle halls were abuzz with life despite it being the early hours of the morning, maids and soldiers mobbing through the normally stagnant paths. Nora’s eyes widened as her mother urged her forward, and she stumbled over herself, unable to keep up with her mother’s quick and wide strides. “Mommy, slow down!” Nora pleaded, but her mother did not comply, almost moving faster.
After turning a few corners, Nora recognized they were in the wing her brothers’ rooms were in, but it didn’t look like they would need to go further to find them. Both of her brothers were awake and dressed, but the more interesting sight was the King, their father, fully armored whilst standing in between them. Nora was confused. They were at home, so why was he dressed like that?
Nora didn’t have too long to stand around, as her mother pulled her over to her father, releasing Nora’s hand to embrace the King, who wrapped his arms around her in return. Nora hated being ignored, though, so she tugged at her mother’s nightgown, brow furrowed and gaze unrelenting. “Mom, what’s going on?”
Her older brother Nicholas grabbed Nora’s shoulder, pulling her away from their parents. “Nora, let Mother and Father alone.”
She flashed an angry stare at him before beginning to yell. “I want to know what’s going on, tell me Nick!”
Nora’s mother broke away from their father, quickly scooping Nora up from the ground. “Eleanora, hush, there’s no reason to fret. We’re just going away for a little while, we’ll be back soon.”
“Is Daddy coming with us?” Nora instantly asked, though her mother ignored her as she and her two sons began to move away from their father. “Momma, where is Daddy going?” Nora desperately looked over her mother’s shoulder to her father, who wore a sad smile for just a moment before turning to move towards the other end of the hall.
“Nora, please, be quiet.” Her other brother Geoffrey pleaded, but Nora was already in a frenzy. She fought against her mother’s tight grip, no longer asking questions, simply calling for her father.
“Daddy, please,” Nora sobbed loudly, “DADDY!”
Nora groaned, her body feeling like dead weight as she tried to wake herself. Even though she found it hard to move herself, she was certainly being moved by someone as she was being carried. A loud cough tore at her throat, nearly causing her to dry heave as she woke from her dream. Blinking, the world slipped back in focus to remind her that she not only was in the forest, but that she was being carried through it quickly by none other than Ephraim.
Her demeanor instantly shifted from waking to a hot fever, her body flailing against her captor. “Put me down this instant!” She screamed, trying to pry herself out of his strong arms. Despite all of her squirming and writhing, though, she couldn’t free her from Ephraim’s arms. She could feel tears forming at the corners of her eyes again – she hated that she was so quick to cry during stressful situations – but she kept fighting against him nonetheless, her hands pushing against his chest as she kept yelling.
“Let go of me, you freak!”
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 14, 2014 15:45:27 GMT -6
To Ephraim's dismay the girl woke before he reached a hiding place. Not only that but because he was forced to carry her princess style in his hurry she was growing more and more difficult to carry. Nora began making her requests. Ephraim initially ignored her not desiring to get her going further but then she started to push at his chest and crying. Why did she have to cry!? He was not good with lady tears. "Stop fighting!" Ephraim finally shouted at her. "I told you I'm taking you back to your family."
His grip on the girl was weakening more and more as they got closer to town and her screaming was going to attract attention. He would need to deal with her soon. Looking to his left he saw an abandoned building on the outskirts of the town and made for it. "I'll answer all your questions and let you vent in a moment so stop screaming alright?"
It was not a very effective argument and likely did little to make the situation better but perhaps his calm and talkative demeanor would help? It had once or twice before... not likely now though. "By the way, welcome back to the land of the living, I got a little scared with how long you were out. I'm a bit relieved." He offered up a genuine smile but he doubted Nora even saw it.
Keep calm and do this job. This is an important one and Captain will let you be the head of the next major operation. This is graduation so don't screw it up. He made it to the building unnoticed. He may not be very religious but he certainly thanked the powers that be for it. "Hold on, this won't feel very good!" Ephraim tossed Nora through a busted out window and onto an old bed that had been next to it before quickly jumping in after her, over her, and somersaulting into a standing position. He was always one for theatrics after all.
"Okay, now ask me anything you want!" Ephraim grinned preparing for whatever may come. Inside his blood ran cold never enjoying a woman's wrath and expecting to get hit.
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Post by Luke Pendragon on Sept 15, 2014 13:36:09 GMT -6
According to Mr. Zobek everything was alright which was pleasing to hear. Would be a terrible turn of events if they ended up going to the wrong town. What if they had gotten aboard the wrong boat and ended up somewhere completely opposite to where they wanted to go. While that would be terrible Luke couldn't help but imagine that he would laugh at something like that. Luke would watch and listen to the two men, both whom looked like experienced fighters to Luke. To what extent Luke was a bit unsure though he figured out of the three of them Mr. Zobek was the most experienced.
"Glad to hear it sir! And yea I managed to fix the wagon. Those people should be on their way to wherever it is that they were going quickly now," Luke would say, replying to Mr. Zobek. He wasn't sure why but Luke felt like he was missing something going on, like there was something more going on between this interaction than he was aware of. While he had no idea what it was he was sure there was something. Again, Luke wasn't one to pry so he would let it go for now.
If it was something Mr. Zobek wanted to tell Luke then he was sure that the man would tell him. The way the two were talking to each other made Luke a bit suspicious and the boy was beginning to become even more curious as he listened. The man's niece was missing? Well they should go a find her right? Seemed like a pretty easy conclusion to come to if you asked Luke but again he didn't see the whole picture. Luke would wait patiently for whatever their next course of action will be. He was a bit excited as he had never been to this part of Lyica before.
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Edward Zobek
Sage
Posts: 46
Profession: Viscount of Ligure
Affiliation: Knights Radiant
Affinity: Light
Profile: Edward Zobek
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Post by Edward Zobek on Sept 16, 2014 22:45:20 GMT -6
Edward tried nodding at Luke as a sign of his acknowledgement of the boy's actions, but the old knight was too busy keeping his mouth from falling agape at Monroe's response to his question previous to show Luke any real approval. It was a shame, too, because Edward really was proud of the boy.
"Run...off?"
The Etrurian took pause, his eyes widening as he stared back at the navy haired man. All pretenses of propriety and secrecy had given way to a gut feeling of shock and horror, and the only thing Edward could manage for the next few seconds was a couple of quick blinks. In saying "My niece" he was obviously referring to the princess, so was he honestly saying that the princess was gone? He'd let her run away? He obviously knew how important Eleanora was, so how could he have been so careless? How could she have been so careless? The old knight could feel his surprise give way to anger. Perhaps he had been wrong not to retrieve her earlier. He had been stupid to allow one man to entertain his fantasy of protecting such an important human being alone. How had they even managed to stay secret this long with such reckless behavior? Today of all days!
Edward shook his head and took a deep breath, resuming his normal, dignified poise. No, getting upset about this would help no one. While Eleanora might not be Sir Adel's real daughter, she probably felt as such to the loyal retainer by now. Edward was a father, he had a daughter, so knew how terrible Monroe probably felt standing here. The navy haired man was clearly flustered at Eleanora's disappearance, and he was being as up front and honest about it as the situation allowed, and for that Edward respected him immensely. They'd just have find Eleanora quickly and bring her back safely.
"Alright," said Edward, his eyes flitting over to his younger traveling companion. As was his modus operandi, he immediately began to take charge. "Here's what we'll do. Luke, you head back down to the docks and make sure Mr. Adel's niece does not get on a boat. Not even for a moment. By her own will or no, it does not matter, I don't want her leaving this town." The old man gestured towards Luke with pinched fingers, looking him straight in the eyes. Yes, it was a bit of a walk, but it was a necessary precaution, so the knight hoped he was properly imparting the importance of this duty. He turned his gaze back to the older man. "Mr. Adel, you will need to describe for my young friend here Eleanora's appearance, because you are going to help me find her. I need to know every place you think she might be." Edward used this particular phrasing on purpose, Monroe help him rather than he help Monroe, to emphasize that the princess was no longer only Monroe's responsibility. She was an Etrurian national treasure.
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Nora
Archer
Posts: 48
Profession: Pain in Edward's A$$
Affiliation: The Etrurian Throne
Affinity: Light
Profile: Link
OoC Alias: Charlie
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Post by Nora on Sept 17, 2014 21:34:21 GMT -6
The moment he finished speaking, Monroe could tell Mr. Zobek was upset with what the he had shared. A frown took over the navy-haired man’s features; while what he had admitted was humiliating, the soldier was not a liar. Considering Nora’s importance to Etruria, Monroe couldn’t, in good conscience, cover up the fact that she was missing, no matter how embarrassing it was to admit his failings so freely to the grandmaster. Nora was not the easiest young woman to raise, especially with all of the threats against the Etrurian nobility still very apparent even after seven years. Monroe hoped that Mr. Zobek would recognize that.
Still, with all of the challenges surrounding taking care of and raising Nora, Monroe truly did feel responsible for her, and in a way, he loved her like a father. Monroe had never had a chance to settle down and raise a family as he wanted. He spent many of the years he could have used searching for a wife instead advising and attending to the Etrurian royals. And given that Nora had lost her family in the Prophet’s coup, he felt a responsibility to give her most stable and safe life that he could. Granted, like today it didn’t always work as planned, but he still did his best to provide what he could for her.
If Mr. Zobek was angry, he did not decide to take it out on Monroe – at least for now. Instead, he launched into a full plan for how they would go about finding Nora. Monroe nodded, though he thought sending Luke to the docks was a bit much. Monroe used to send Jon to the docks to look for Nora when she’d run off, but now Nora only had a few places she’d run off to when she was angry, and she always came back after an hour or so on her own. How much time had passed now?
When the grandmaster addressed Monroe, he gave a swift military nod. He decided it was best not to question Mr Zobek’s judgment, considering the two of them would still be looking for Nora. Having another pair of feet to cover ground would be helpful, all things considered. “Apologies we had to meet under these circumstances Luke,” Monroe started, wracking his brain for what Nora had left the house looking like earlier. “Nora is short, but she has magenta hair that she usually pulls back in a ponytail. Um,” he paused, wracking his brain for more.
“She has dark blue eyes, and she was wearing a sleeveless navy shirt with a hood this morning, with a yellowish-gold design on the front. I think she was wearing a yellow armband on her left arm too, and she should have her hunting gear and a bow with her; we were supposed to go hunting this morning.” Monroe furrowed his brow as he admitted this, reminded of how upset she had been when he’d cancelled their trip. Now he regretted it, considering it would have likely been their last trip out together.
Monroe looked over to the grandmaster, giving another nod. “She doesn’t usually go far, not more than a half an hours walk into the woods. I’d say our best bet is to start there, on our usual hunting path.” Monroe was anxious to get moving again, but, like a good soldier, he would wait for Mr. Zobek to approve of his suggestion before leading the way to the woods. -----
“What are you talking about?! Get your hands off of me!! Monroe!! Somebody, please!!”
Nora felt her voice growing hoarse but she kept yelling, not listening to Ephraim as he shouted at her to quiet down. Did he say he was trying to bring her back to her family?! It sounded like he was trying to reason with her, but Nora wouldn’t have any of it. All she wanted right now was to be out of Ephraim’s arms and back on her feet, running back to her little room in her and Monroe’s house in Wilderose.
But despite everything Nora tried to do to break free of Ephraim’s hold, the girl was just too weak to do so. Sure, she was putting up a fight, but not enough of one to truly break the man’s hold on her. Regardless, Nora kept squirming and struggling against him. Her yelling finally subsided to strained grunts mixed with the occasional sob, but her mind was racing. Where was Monroe? Why hadn’t he come to find her yet? Was he so mad at her for running away this time that he wouldn’t come after her?
The pink-haired girl hadn’t noticed that they had gotten closer to another town, so she was surprised when Ephraim tossed her onto the bed in the small, mostly boarded up building. “Ahh!” Nora screamed as she hit the bed with thump, the old hay mattress expelling a cloud of dust. Nora covered her face, coughing as she inhaled a lungful of dust, her eyes watering even more. Another thump sounded, though this time against the old wood floorboards.
“Okay, now ask me anything you want!” Nora kept coughing, but she uncovered her face, blinking and looking at Ephraim in disbelief. Her mouth agape, she huffed.
“What?!” Nora coughed again, wiping the tears out of her eyes as she sat up. She stood from the bed, launching herself at Ephraim, using all of her strength to push his chest. “You’re an idiot, you know that?! You’re kidnapping me from my family! I don’t want to ask you anything, I just want to go home!” Nora threw her hands out to push Ephraim again, a whole slew of emotion rushing through her along with another bout of sobs breaking through her lips. The only door out of this place was boarded up, and the window they'd come in through was too high for her to climb out of quickly enough to get away from Ephraim, so taking out her anger on him would just have to do for now.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 18, 2014 14:57:26 GMT -6
Nora was sent into a coughing fit from all the dust and for that matter Ephraim had to succumb to it too. Waving the dust away from himself he noticed the window had a slight drop from it. Didn't look like it from the outside but whatever. Better to hide in.
Nora acted as he expected her to. She came at him and started pushing and hitting him in the chest. He stepped back from the initial blow but stopped himself after and let her continue. "Just let it all out." Her hits did not hurt too much but the sheer number of them was beginning to accumulate in the same spot and yes, that did begin to hurt.
"I don't know what kind of life you are building there in Wilderose but your father hired me to take you back to him in Etruria. He wants you back desperately too. He's offering enough money to build a Manowar." Ephraim catches her wrists gently but firmly trying not to hurt her. "So if you would stop fighting me he desperately wants to see you again." Ephraim ensured his voice was sympathetic in nature. "Also, I'm going to bet you're smart and can find a way out of an unpleasant situation upon getting back. You certainly aren't getting away from me." Ephraim teased Nora lightly despite the implications and distress he would be inflicting upon her.
Ephraim was waiting on Nora to tire herself out and with all the fighting and crying and shouting that would not take very long he assumed.
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Post by Luke Pendragon on Sept 22, 2014 15:17:16 GMT -6
Luke began to wonder if the girl did this often though maybe not as it seemed her disappearance was quite concerning for both of the older men. Luke wanted to ask some questions but again he kept them to himself. Later he would definitely have a plethora of questions for Edward to answer later but now was probably a definite time not to be asking many questions. Luke stood at attention when he was addressed by Edward as if he was a soldier in an army being addressed by a commanding officer. It was pretty obvious that they were in a serious situation here.
"Yes sir!" Luke would exclaim after hearing the orders of Sir Zobek. So he would be heading back to the docks huh? Well that wouldn't be such a bad hike….or er run seeing how important this was. Judging by the seriousness coming from Edward, Luke would be better off running as fast a Pegasus could fly to not miss the girl. Luke would then turn his attention to Mr. Monroe, awaiting to hear the description of the girl. The boy nodded his head as he listened to the description of Nora, it sounded like she would be simple enough to spot.
"Alright I'll get moving! I'll make sure that she doesn't slip past, you can count on me," And with that the boy was gone, trucking it as fast as he could back toward the dock. Maybe he managed to pass by the wagon they could give him a ride. He couldn't depend on that so he would have to move his legs as fast as he could. If the girl was headed in that direction she would probably be leagues ahead of him by now and that wouldn’t end all that well for Luke if she was.
Maybe she would have issues getting on a boat just like Luke and Edward did. The sailors, if they were still there would surely help Luke as they did seem to leave off on good terms. Hopefully that would be the case. He wondered why the two men were so worried though, of course you'd want to locate your family soon but it seemed much more dire than that. Whatever their reasoning was behind it Luke was sure it was a good one. Luke did wonder however as to why the girl ran off in the first place.
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Solomon
Manakete
The best way to befriend a hungry dragon is to give him food.
Posts: 39
Profession: Dragon
Affinity: Light
Dragon Element: Ice
OoC Alias: Elias
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Post by Solomon on Sept 22, 2014 19:23:39 GMT -6
Mr. Zobek seemed to have a very good idea of what he was doing, which sure as heck beat Solomon's plan of walking around and doing nothing plan that he had before. Well he had been looking for his parents, but he hadn't had any luck on that, just a lot of "oh look a kid where are your parents" and "nope never seen thems", it was enough to make even a optimistic and idealistic young dragon feel a bit hopeless. Meanwhile Mr. Zobek very clearly had a plan, a place he was going, and Solomon liked that man, so that was enough to convince the dragon to hang around with him for now. He had been traveling with Mr. Zobek since Tuscana, where he told him to refer to him as 'grandpa' which he did, but it always made him a bit embarrassed when it came out. Not a bad embarrassed, but it was a nice feeling, kinda like they were family even if it was just pretend. A pretend family was better than no family.
They traveled to Laus together, and they met a Mr. Pendragon. He was younger than Mr. Zobek, but he was a nice person so Solomon liked him too. Solomon liked nice people, and he was eager to trust folk even if that was just him being silly because he was so young. He hadn't had much time to talk to Mr. Pendragon, or maybe they did, Solomon forgot such short periods of time were so much longer for humans. The travelled from Laus and got on a ship. The people on the ship didn't want them to get on, but we wouldn't have any of that nuh-uh! They got on the ship anyways once Mr. Zobek flashed some shiny, humans liked shinies, he did too. Gold, is what they called it, it was yellowy like corn but had a glossy looked and was smushed into little tiny coins. They used it to trade with each other, Solomon had seen it on his travels, back in Arcadia no one traded like that though. They traded things like chickens, or pots, or fancy carpets, or songs, and a lot of the time people just gave things to each other.
They took a ship to some place, he's been on a ship before back when he went to the western islands, but it was still just as fun! It didn't take as long, and before he knew it, it was over. Aw. He spent most of the time just sort of... watching people. He liked to watch people, humans were so interesting. They were all so different from each other, there were old ones like Mr. Zobek and young ones like Mr. Pendragon. Some had brown hair, some had blue, some he red and some even had white like his. Some spoke with deep booming voices, while others were high and light, some were chubby and some were skinny. Of course dragons varied from dragon to dragon as well, but he's never seen even half as many dragons as he's seen humans. He's seen hundreds of humans now, and each one was different, it was interesting.
After a short time, they arrived in this little town. Solomon actually had been there before, he passed through it on his way to Tuscana, where he met Mr. Zobek. It was kind of funny, he was going in the opposite direction then he started. His parents hadn't been here when he was in the town, but there was a forest nearby that had lots of animals. He liked forests, but they were... kinda spooky. Like a big monster was always ready to gobble you up when you're walking through it. He got that feeling a lot when he was alone, so hopefully he wouldn't be feeling that way anymore with Mr. Zobek and Mr. Pendragon around. The town had a name... uh... shoot what was it? It was something, he didn't remember. The names some places had were long and silly, humans named things silly things sometimes.
One the way to the town, Mr. Pendragon stopped to help some people with their wagon. That was a nice thing to do, Solomon wished he could have helped. He was just a human child to these people though, if he did anything too... remarkable... They'd kill him. It sort of scared him, thinking that at any time these nice people he knew would kill him if they knew he was a dragon, but he tried not to think about it. Mr. Zobek didn't stop either, and he decided he should stay near him. Or, at least that was his thought process at the time. Eventually when they reached... Wild... Erm... Wildflower. It was a flower. The town, when they arrived at the town, Solomon had ventured away from his protective Mr. Zobek bubble. Mr. Zobek had business to attend to, it seemed, so Solomon decided to explore the town instead. It was a lot like the last time he was here, which spoke to the dragon he hadn't been here that long ago which was good. It meant the things he knew about it was still good, unlike sometimes when he came back to a place and it was abandoned or on fire or something.
He had ventured out into the woods, to see if he could find any animals. He couldn't, bummer. He crossed his arms with a small frown as he looked around. It was like all the animal were afraid or spooked or something, he wasn't a hunter or anything but usually he was able to catch a deer or so when searched the woods. Only this time he couldn't notice any animals. It looked like SOMETHING had been here, with all the broken twigs and footprints on the ground. Maybe some hunters came and gobbled them all up? Or maybe... it was monsters? Ooh, the thought sent a chill down his spine. Maybe he should go back to town and find Mr. Zobek. Or maybe he should go in deeper to see if he can find anything? He had his heart set on some deer meat, and he wasn't too happy about disappointing himself.
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Edward Zobek
Sage
Posts: 46
Profession: Viscount of Ligure
Affiliation: Knights Radiant
Affinity: Light
Profile: Edward Zobek
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Post by Edward Zobek on Sept 23, 2014 18:49:50 GMT -6
Edward watched Luke's back for a quick moment as the latter ran off. He was a smart boy, and Monroe's description had been detailed. If Nora did make it down to the docks, then Luke would no doubt find her. So, satisfied with his plan of action, the old knight turned his attention back to Monroe.
"Then to the forest we go," Edward replied with a curt nod. "I won't second guess you." He motioned for Monroe to take the lead. Sure, he may out-title, outrank, out-experience, and out-age the younger man, but the older Etrurian knew none of that made him the right person to be leading the search right now. Sir Adel was more educated in the local landscape; the town, the forest, and the like; and was far more familiar with Princess Eleonora's behavior, personality, and temperament than Edward was. With him at the helm, Edward hoped this debacle would be little more than a bump in the road, so the navy-haired man better be right when he said Eleonora wasn't far.
It was then that Edward noticed that a certain snowy-haired child was missing. The old knight could have sworn that Solomon had continued on with him when Luke had stopped to help the traveling couple with their wagon, but even if he hadn't, with Luke's earlier arrival Solomon should be here right about now. The Etrurian glanced around, his head looking about here and there, but he couldn't seem to spot the missing child. He let out a short, semi-frustrated sigh. That child. He'd been by himself for so long that he had such a terrible habit of wandering off alone. But right now Princess Eleonora was first priority, so if Edward and Monroe didn't run into him while looking for her, or he didn't bump into Luke down at the docks, they'd just have to find him later. The old knight wasn't terribly worried. The boy had taken care of himself for months in the bandit-ridden Lycian countryside, and no matter where he made off to, he'd always seemed to find his way back.
"So when you say that 'she doesn’t usually go far', do you mean to imply that this is regular behavior for her?"
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Nora
Archer
Posts: 48
Profession: Pain in Edward's A$$
Affiliation: The Etrurian Throne
Affinity: Light
Profile: Link
OoC Alias: Charlie
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Post by Nora on Sept 24, 2014 12:07:43 GMT -6
As soon as Edward gave his verbal seal of approval on the plan, Monroe waved for the older man to follow as he began to walk quickly in the direction of the forest path. He was quiet for a few moments as he ran through all of the possible places Nora could have gotten off to, making sure that the forest was the most likely. She only went to the fields when she was off with the Greene’s son, whose name Monroe didn’t recall, and if she had tried to go to the markets, someone would have told him by now. No, she was definitely in the woods, and he knew the favorite hunting spot she likely would have gone to.
Guiding the grandmaster towards the woods, Monroe gave a hesitant nod as Mr. Zobek inquired about Nora’s tendency to abscond from his watchful eye. Any way he could audibly answer the question would sound irresponsible, but considering once of the most important leaders to the underground Etrurian loyalists was asking, Monroe still didn’t feel right trying to alter the truth.
“She’s a teenager,” the blue-haired man stated in a very matter-of-fact way. Since they were moving away from the market and, as such, away from the crowds, Monroe felt comfortable speaking a bit more freely regarding Nora being, well, not his niece, but he still tried to “She wants to meet new people, explore, be her own person, but she can’t because… well…” because of who she is Monroe finished in his head, fairly certain Edward would understand. It hurt Monroe to see Nora so upset with him when he told her she couldn’t do the things that others her age could, but Monroe knew Nora couldn’t see her importance in the grand scheme of things any longer. To Nora, Etruria was nearly half a lifetime ago, but to Monroe, it was still surprisingly fresh in his mind.
The walk to the forest path didn’t take long, so as soon as Monroe spotted it he pointed it out. It was a small dent in the “wall” of trees that denoted the start of the forest, but Monroe knew where it would lead. “There,” Monroe said, “if we follow that, we should be at the spot in about twenty minute’s time.”
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Nora’s small fists unleashed a flurry of attempted punches and slaps at Ephraim. She was so mad at herself for getting captured, mad at Ephraim for kidnapping her, mad at Monroe for not coming after her sooner. All of this was channeled into her flailing, her last ‘attempt’ to come out on top in this less than ideal situation.
Of course, the princess couldn’t overcome the young man, but she wouldn’t stop trying. So exhausted, upset, and anxious, Nora kept at it as Ephraim explained himself, catching her wrists and mentioning how he was looking to return her to her father. Just those words brought her struggles against his hold on her slowly to a halt. He certainly sounded sincere when he said that, but Nora knew it couldn’t be true. She might have only been eleven at the time, but she wasn’t stupid. She knew what had happened to her father.
“My dad died when I was 11,” Nora spat, her words laced with anger. “I don’t know who told you that, or who hired you, but they lied!” She snatched her wrists from his hands, but she didn’t go back to hitting him, instead stomping off to the opposite corner of the room and sitting down on the bed with her legs crossed and spinning to face away from Ephraim. She knew quite well that she couldn’t get away – at least right now – so she was stuck here. Her hands and lower lip shook as her chest gave way to more quiet sobs.
“Monroe’s gonna come get me, you’ll see,” Nora mumbled, though loudly enough that it would be audible by Ephraim in the small and mostly silent cabin. She knew she wasn’t intimidating in the slightest, so she figured using Monroe’s past profession would be her only shot. “He was a soldier, he used to fight in wars, you know!” She raised her voice, casting a narrow-eyed glance back at Ephraim before crossing her arms and looking down. She noticed that she was wearing a necklace now – it was pretty and strangely familiar, but she didn’t want to think about it right now. She just wanted to sulk.
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