Unfashionably Late

[Lucas Nardovino]

Ymiden 12th, Arc 719

Lucas looked at the path up to the house with a sigh, his clothes were once again worn and messy from the seasons he had spent down in the Wardens base. After recieving the original letter from Faith offering a warning about someone called Ellasin and a group called the Coven the ex-con had gone into hiding in the vast cave system beneath the lake. He was more than ashamed of doing so, leaving his sister to fight a war like that was like the old Lucas. Today he hoped to rectify that mistake.

Beginning the walk along the path he noted the amount of Knights that guarded the approach, he'd never seen so many for one person. His sister must have been something truly special beyond what he could comprehend. There was so much he wanted to learn about her, if only he'd not left her so quiockly after they had met. Stopping and smiling pleasantly as two guards approached the warden introduced himself. "I am Lucas Nardovino, Faith's brother and I am here to visit my sister." Spreading his arms and turning around he showed he was carrying no weapons, allowing the two kniights to further search him upon request.

Following the two of them the rest of the way they aspporached the house, it had a large tower attatched too it and was far bigger than anything he had ever lived in. Lucas was happy to see that his sister was doing so well, better than him at least. Stopping at the door he allowed the lightning knight to knock, apparently they would prefer to check his story before letting him see her. Standing clear he allowed the knights to do their thing, there was no reason not too after all.

Looking at his rteflection in a window Lucas attempted to rub some dirt from his cheek but to no avail it was as if it had stained his skin. Sighing he tucked in his scruffy shirt and straigtened his worn out jacket doing his best to look presentable. Even if Faith had already seen him battered almost beyond recognition in the Order the man wanted to look the best he could manage.

"This place is like a bloody fortress." He mumbled under his breath as he looked around at the plethora of guards stationed around the house. Stretching his neck Lucas watched the door, waiting to be let inside.

[Faith Augustin]

"Lucas?" Faith's voice came from behind the Lightning Knights who were determinedly questioning him. Of course, being who she was, he couldn't see her because everyone was taller than her. So, she jumped and waved a hand - just in sight of him. "He's my brother, please let him in." The Lightning Knights were more than prepared to keep him there for the next few hours, but Faith's quiet voice meant that they parted ways. Though, Faith had a female biqaj with her and a Lightning Knight. "Lucas!" Faith moved and hugged her brother, then held on to his shoulders and looked at him. "How are you?" Looking at him, she frowned. Yet, it wasn't the dirt on his face or the state of his clothes which bothered her. "You look hungry. Come, eat?"

If he let her, Faith led her brother through the well-appointed house and she took him into the kitchen. There were a few things very evident. First, there were a lot of people here. Faith looked tense - much more than he'd ever seen her - certainly more than even in the circus. If he noticed such things, she looked tired too. But she smiled and pulled him into the house. "It's madness here. Come in, the kitchen's quiet." Once they got there, Faith started putting food on plates and in bowls, putting it in front of her brother rather as though he had the appetite of six or seven people. Eventually, she stopped and let him choose what he wanted to eat from the feast she'd put in front of him.

"How are you?" Faith asked, worry on her face. "You.. Lucas, things here are difficult." Sighing slightly, she gestured around. "We were attacked. In the middle of the night. Hundreds of undead. They killed my friend. It transpires. Well.. we're at war, and I'm trying to cure the plague, fight a necromancer, and her armies, exploring ... Lucas I..." Faith lifted her eyes and looked at the man she didn't know, the brother she didn't know. Why was it, then, that her eyes filled with tears? She didn't understand.

"Immortals, Lucas, I'm sorry." She'd just - a few breaks ago, returned from a place which had made her live all her fears. Her dead daughter wasn't dead but no one ~ Immortal or mortal ~ knew where she was and Faith felt emotions flood over her like a wave. "I'm trying.. so hard, to hold it all together. But it's so big. So big." Pushing her fingers together until the pads turned white, Faith breathed in and then lifted her gaze to him. "I need to make sure you're protected. To.. umm. . well, there's places to show you." Faith lifted a shaking hand to move her hair back from her face. "How are you? You didn't say. How are you?"

[Lucas Nardovino]

The voice of the petite woman seemed to travel strangely well, or perhaps it was the silence that surrounded him as the Knights looked him up and down. He wondered if any of them recognised him from the past, although with the amount of time he'd spent locked away even if they had encountered one another he doubted they'd remember. Smiling as his sister approached though Lucas staggered slightly under the strength of her embrace. "Hello." He said with what breath remained in his lungs.

"I'm okay..." The woman seemed flustered and busy, like her mind was running at double time as she cut him off and invited him in to eat. Happily he followed the medic inside allowing himself to be lead through the house, his hand comfortably in his sisters as he was sat down at a chair in the kitchen away from the commotion that seemed to be the rest of the house. Watching her quietly he noticed the tenseness in her movements, even the way she rushed to fill bowls and plates screamed testimony to how stressed she was.

Then she spoke again and the ex-con looked on in concern as once again she asked the same question only to continue without a moment for him to speak. Leaving the food where she placed it the warden listened allowing Faith a moment to speak to empty her head of all the thoughts that seemed to be rushing around up there. Finally she seemed to settle down apologising and being overwhelmed by her emotions and as she did Lucas stood and moved over too her.

Noticing her hands and how she pressed the finger pads together he would take them if allowed, stopping her from doing the action as he looked into her eyes. "Faith, Sister, there is no need to apologise to me." He smiled reasuringly at her, answering her question about how he was with body language alone. Squeezing her hand gently he offered a look of sympathy for her position. "It sounds like you've been through something truly horrific and haven't paused to think about even you."

Maybe it wasn't his place, he was nothing but a stranger after all but he lead her over to the table and gestured to a chair. "Please, sit, take a moment and catch your breath." Assuming she sat he would squat down to her level and continue to look at her with genuine concern in his eyes. "When was the last time you just sat down and took a moment for yourself, you don't look like you've slept in days?" Placing a hand on the table to steady himself the ex-con let out a soft sigh. "You're worried about me and I'm worried about you, look at us, we're like a pair of nervous Nellies."

Lucas let out a hearty chuckle and again squeezed Faith's hand. "I'm sorry I have been gone for so long, I should have seen you sooner." Taking a deep breath he continued. "I'm not proud of what I did when I got your letter warning me, I did what the old me would have done and I hid like a coward, I should never have left you so soon after we met." Now was his turn to get emotional as he wiped a tear from his own cheek. "But don't worry about me, take a moment to think about you, please."

[Faith Augustin]

Lucas led her over to a seat and, obediently, she sat down. He spoke, there was a tear on his cheek and that set her anxiety racing. He was upset, and she needed to look after him. That was what she did, after all, she looked after people. He squatted down to look at her and Faith met his gaze. Her head was reeling and, somehow, she focused on that tear from her brother. "I.. well, I sleep. Padraig makes me sleep. He gets this worried look and just looks sad if I don't, so I do." She bit her lip to stop herself talking, because by all the Immortals she was running off at the mouth. So, she lapsed into silence and listened to him. He'd gone and hid? Faith looked somewhat surprised at that, but then she supposed, it wasn't his fight and come to that they barely knew each other. She smiled as reassuringly as she could, "Don't worry, Lucas, it's fine." Squeezing his hand back, she spoke with earnest honesty. "You're here, now, and that's what's important." It was entirely true, as far as she was concerned.

Breathing in, she motioned for him to sit opposite her, keeping hold of his hand. Then, she spoke. "It's ... enormous. We're at war. I've been to see the Induk of the Lake, enlisted help from ... all over the place. It's so much, Lucas. There's a place. A place I can take us, where we can talk without anyone overhearing. Would you like to go there?" She considered, then. Her brother was a warden too - she recognised it somehow, as he would her she knew. Maybe it was something the diris did, or maybe it was inherent. "Or we can both go to the ark? Shall we do that?"

Whatever he wanted to do, first, she did as he suggested and sat a while. "I don't know where to start. Lucas, it's important that you know. It's not safe here. By being my brother, you're a target, there's no doubt. And there are bad people out there." Faith knew that he knew that, but still. He wasn't prepared - there were really bad people out there. Not anything like he knew, she was sure of it. As bad as the people he knew were, these were ... "It's a worldwide organization of necromancers. Very influential, very powerful." Faith looked at her brother and when she spoke, she was entirely serious.

"Hiding might be the most sensible thing you could have done, honestly. You're welcome, by all the Immortals, you're welcome to join us, but I'd be lying to you if I said anything other than how dangerous it is." Her silver eyes were flecked with red as she gazed on him. Faith was always an earnest, serious young woman and in this moment she was beyond anything she normally was. She had gone into full-on serious. "If you don't want to be involved, it's just better that you're not and you distance yourself as much as possible. But, as I said, if you want to help?" Faith held on to his hand, tightly. "Then I'd be delighted." She left the ball in his court, though; if he wanted to be involved then she'd suggest again that they go to the Warden HQ, the Ark, and there they could talk. But, if he didn't want to then the less he knew the better - it kept him ~ and everyone else ~ safer.

[Lucas Nardovino]

"At least your are sleeping." He believed her although it didn't look like she was getting any rest at all to him. Doing as she offered he took the seat opposite her at the table, keeping hold of her hand as he loaded some of the food onto his plate. Listening as he did he made note of how she worded it, more than just some kind of small danger she was serious when she called this a war. From what he had seen outside he had no reason to doubt the seriousness of what she was saying.

At the mention of the Ark Lucas shook his head, as he chewed on some of the bread he had just loaded into his mouth. Covering his mouth as he spoke the ex-con responded. "Not the Ark, I have seen enough of that place for the last couple of seasons to go stir crazy." Swallowing heavily he took a moment to think about her offer, looking at hsi sister with a warm smile. "So perhaps this other place would be suitable although if it is easier the Ark works too." Still as he shoveled down the food, thankful for it in truth he continued to listen.

She told him how he wasn't safe and how she didn't expect anything of him and he stiffled a nervous laugh. "If you think I am about to let my sister go off and fight an army of undead without me then you're kidding yourself." Pushing the plate to the side he looked into her eyes, silvery like his own but with flecks of red unlike anything he'd seen before. "I've done my hiding over the arcs, more than I should have and now its my time for me to do anything I can for you."

Clearing his throat the warden once again attempted to get the dirt off his face as he noticed it reflected in a piece of cutlery on the table. "I am not sure how much I can really offer you but if there is anything I can do I would welcome the opportunity to assist you Faith." Leaning against the edge of the table he nodded. "So what next, I'm ready when you are?"

[Faith Augustin]

He didn't want to go back to the Ark, and Faith couldn't really blame him. Anywhere was awful after a while, after all. So, they chatted and Faith smiled softly at his words. "Thank you Lucas. I ... more than you know, I'm grateful." Faith ran her hand through her hair and she looked at her brother for a moment. There was no doubting that, if he went down this road, it would be dangerous. She didn't want him to be in any danger. It was the last thing she wanted, in truth. But he ate - and he had a strong, healthy appetite for which Faith was grateful.

She was torn, in truth. Between wanting to protect her brother and knowing that he was an adult man, capable of making his own choices. That feeling of being torn only lasted for a moment, though, and she smiled. "You want to help? Lucas, I promise you, there are jobs for everyone." That was very true. "But before anything happened, she wanted to be clear. "We have armour you can have. It's made.. well, I learned how to make it. It's as good as leather, but it's as thin as cotton pyjamas. And a proper weapon, too, come to that. We'll get you one, yes?" Faith looked at him and frowned.

Then, her face cleared and she smiled. "Come on then, I'll show you." And indeed she did. She took him into the room next door, where there was a wall without shelves or decoration, and she drew a door. With a drop of blood, it became a doorway they could both step through. Once they had, it was into Zuudaria. Down the winding path where Faith, casually, pointed to a small plot of land with two open graves next to each other, side by side. "Those are for me and Padraig." If she was at all bothered about knowing where her grave was, she certainly didn't seem it.

Then, into the Mausoleum and, she led him into the War Room. It was so organised in there that there was little doubt that it was anyone other than hers. Lucas might be surprised at the number of people - both alive and dead - who were here. The place was bustling with souls. However, the War Room was quiet and Faith looked at Lucas with a smile. "I have been made the General of Famula's army," she said. No point beating around the bush here. "With command of just about half a million mortals and about five thousand wisps, with another fifteen or twenty thousand ghosts. We are seeking to utterly destroy the organisation known as the Coven, a necromantic group run by a Lich called Ellasin."

Then, she gave him a slightly quirky grin. It was a lot to take in. "We've got straight up fighting, subterfuge, following intelligence, sabotage, you name it brother mine." Faith gestured around with a mixture of pride and terror on her face. "And we can get started."

[Octopie]

Unlocking Your Rewards!

Faith

Poor Faith is really at her breaking point here isn't she? Yet she still won't quite lean on anyone, it was the little details in in her mannerism that really brought this thread to life. It's a pity it ended rather abruptly.

Points

15

Can be use for magic? Yes or No

Knowledge

Skill
NA

Non
NA

Loot

NA

Wealth

NA

Renown

NA

Injuries

NA

Lucas

A sweet big brother, but is it bravery or foolish to jump into a war? He notices much, and you wove that in naturally with the dialogue. It would have been nice to see a bit more of this thread, but overall good job!

Points

15

Can be use for magic? Yes or No

Knowledge

Skill
NA

Non
Na

Loot

NA

Wealth

NA

Renown

NA

Injuries

NA

Skill Level: Appropriate