isleofavalon | The Big Chris Catch-All

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The Big Chris Catch-All

🧙 WHO: Chris, Miltia-members and new recruits, the Anti-Yuber Taskforce, and Kratos
⚔️️ WHAT: Chris' various side-projects are coming to a head as she whips the militia into shape, tightens the net on finding Yuber, and has a talk that's been a few months in coming with Kratos.
🕒 WHEN: All across September
🗺️ WHERE: Red Springs training grounds for militia meet-up, her and Rinea's house for the Anti-Yuber Taskforce and Kratos threads
⚠️ WARNINGS: Murder-talk in the Yuber thread, parental abandonment in the Kratos thread.

Militia Meeting (Red Springs, OPEN)

Work on the volunteer militia proposed not long after Chris arrived has been proceeding well the last few months. They have capable soldiers to act as instructors, a small group of recruits from the local Avalonian population Chris hopes will grow in the coming months, and training time and space at the Red Springs, for training both martial and magical. It's time once again for the weekly meeting, so Chris rides out to oversee. After a short social period while everyone arrives, she claps her hands to get everyone's attention.

"All right, it's time to get down to business. You were all assigned instructors last week to meet with, so find your group and get to work. If you're not sure, one of us can help sort you out. My group, meet at the stables and we'll continue our riding practice from last week. Get to it."

Of course, as the militia's overall leader, Chris can also be found later on touring the other groups, assisting where she can, or being updated by one of the other instructors about their progress. If you're hoping for some personal tutoring, she can possibly help you with that as well.

Near the end, as things are beginning to wind down however, she can be found on a bench watching the last few groups wrap up with a satisfied smile on her face. There's a bottle of water in her hand and a towel on her lap; being in heavy armour all day is tiring work, even for a veteran. If you're already finished for the day and need to talk to her, now would be a useful time to do so.

[There's a general purpose Mingle log to cover any interactions people might want to do during the lead-up to the meeting, and characters who have signed on as instructors can post their own toplevels in the comments if so desired.]

Anti-Yuber Taskforce Meeting (Chris' house, closed to Nash, Elza, Geddoe)

It's been about two months since Chris brought her team together and set them on their various tasks. Now, with Arthur in better health after the attack on his life in Celliwig, it's time to see where they stand in catching their dangerous, elusive quarry. In the time that Geddoe and Elza have been tracking down their respective leads, Chris has continued Nash's sword training and found it useful on her end as well due to his employment of dual blades. She'll need all the brushing up she can get if they're going to be taking on Yuber again in the immediate future...and she suspects that's likely why Nash approached her in the first place.

She puts a call out to her allies for this venture to meet at her and Rinea's house just after supper. Rinea retires to her shed to work on some alchemy-relatd business to give Chris and her allies time to talk, so they gather around the dining room table so they can better discuss matters.

"Thank you all for coming. I know it's been sometime and we've not all been in the same room together before, but I believe we all know each other." Chris leans forward, lacing her fingers together. "Elza, why don't we start with you. What leads on our quarry have your investigations turned up?" Hopefully enough to determine an area they can use as a hunting ground for the demon. Then it's just a matter of springing the trap.

Coffee Confessional (Closed to Kratos)

The invitation comes from Chris, asking Kratos to join her at her house. She respects the man, both in terms of martial skill and for his clear experience as a veteran knight, and she's thankful that she convinced him not to draw blades against her back in Celliwig, but...there's been a matter hanging over her interactions with him that's made things...difficult. It's not his fault, she knows, and he is a connection she does not wish to lose, so once her schedule allows, she finally bites the bullet and sends the invitation. Time to clear the air.

She lets him in when he arrives. "Thank you for coming Kratos. I have some coffee brewing, if you'd like. Shall we adjourn to the kitchen while we wait?" She offers. There is a small kitchen table in there, where she and Rinea usually eat together since the dining room is meant for larger gatherings.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Rinea looks WILDLY out of place at the training grounds. She's not wearing a dress for once, but her outfit still has all manner of frills and lace and Things You Don't Fight To The Death In. And pretty sure that's a parasol folded up behind her table set up at the edge of the grounds?? Sure, okay. Live your truth I guess.

But yes: between that and the sign helpfully labeled Potions and Alchemy Augmentation, it's clear Rinea is not here to train, but to provide her services. Should you come near Rinea will pipe up, a little nervously:]

Good day! Thank you for your hard work. [Do you look sweaty? Here, have a handkerchief.] Would you care for a First Aid potion? Or perhaps you have a weapon you'd like to permanently upgrade?

[ The last they had spoken was when they had been running through the hall of mirrors. It seems she is considerably less shaken than she had been then... as anyone would be, without some fae-reflection taunting them.

Somnus approaches her, allowing his greatsword to hover beside him. ]

Maiden. [ He greets, giving her a cordial nod of his head. ] What other augmented potions have you?

Oh! Good sir! [Rinea brightens considerably at Somnus's appearance. She's also a little embarrassed-- she didn't exactly show him her best face back then, and was so rattled she hardly managed to thank him for escorting her out. Well-- hopefully she can make it up to him!!]

While I have only First Aid potions with me today--used for transporting wounded allies to healers-- please, tell me of any requests you may have. I would be very grateful to brew you potions to the best of my abilities.

[She watches his sword floating with a bit of wonder. ahh, his grasp on kinetic magic is much better than hers... and maybe an edge-sharpening potion would be interesting to work on...]

Ah-- and as for augmentation, alchemy can be used to permanently affix magical properties to objects. If you would like one of your magical attributes adhered to one of your belongings, such as elemental damage upon a weapon, or kinetic speed or gravity upon a pair of boots... I would be very happy to assist in the process.

[ He appears to consider what she offers, and nods once after. ] Elemental augmentation would be useful. [ Pots that keep themselves watered for their plants comes to mind, but he makes a note to bring such a request up later, as it has nothing to do with battle. Instead--

Somnus regards her with an even look. ]

Autumn has dawned; beyond it, winter awaits. Potions that function as repellents of the dead... can you brew such things?

Repelling the dead... [Rinea tilts her head, thinking on what she's read. It might be tricky, but...]

Yes, I should be able to craft something with that effect. But, it would depend on the type of dead you are looking to ward against. [Different forms probably have different weaknesses...] May I ask what form you are most concerned about? Spirits, perhaps, or something more akin to the Terrors roaming the Land of Rot?

[ He considers the difference between general spirits and these Terrors. Avalon has a wide variety of fantastical creatures, it seems. ] A general warding potion for spirits of the dead out to suffice, no? But should your supplies be limited, I bid you to focus on concoctions to repel the Terrors.

Very well. I shall gladly do as you ask! [She beams, happy to have a new task to pursue. Hopefully she can make something worthwhile, as thanks!

...]

...Um, and while I have you here in kinder circumstances. [Rinea fiddles with her sleeve, abashed.] ...by what name would you care to be referred to, sir?

[oh god she never properly introduced herself. oh god]

[ With the matter of warding potions settled, his stance appears to become more casual, if it can be called that. His head dips in what could be a nod towards her. ] You may call me Somnus.

[ A pause, and then as if manners are but an afterthought: ] And thyself? Have you a name after your title?

[ That title being "Empress". That's what her reflection called her, in any case. ]

[It takes Rinea a moment to recall what title, exactly, he is referring to-- and then she blanches.]

--Rinea, if you please! Lady Rinea. [Her reply is hasty, overeager to avoid being called Empress in any fashion.] In truth, "Maiden" is just fine as well. It is my utmost pleasure to meet you properly, sir Somnus.

[Considering he continued to address her as Maiden even after the mirror fiasco, she probably didn't have to worry that much... ah, well. Augh. Recover, recover!!!] If you are here as part of the militia, we may be able to meet quite regularly. I'm very happy to have the chance!

[ Somnus is… not part of the militia. He just so happens to be within the training grounds that all seem to use.

He does, however, give her a distinct, questioning look when she mentions being part of it herself. ] You train with them?

[Chris covers one-handed swordplay, heavy armour use, mounted combat, and leadership and command skills.]

Of course Kratos had come over when Chris had asked him to, though he was feeling just a bit uneasy about the talk they were about to have. He was sure that it was going to veer into uncomfortable territory for him, but that was something that he was willing to tolerate. He respects her, and if this is what it takes to keep her trust, then so be it.

"Of course," he says, giving her a small nod when she suggests they head to the kitchen. He'll follow her in and take a seat, waiting quietly for her to bring up whatever it is she wants to talk to him about.

She leads Kratos into the kitchen, and bades him take a seat. The coffee has finished brewing so she pours it into two mugs and sets them on the table. There's cream and sugar, if Kratos wishes, though Chris doesn't reach for any. Instead, she stares down at her mug for a moment in thought.

"You remember that it happened after that vision you had. The hot springs in Celliwig." She begins finally. "I won't pretend or ask to know everything, but...there was a familiar feeling to it. Old memories stirred up." She finally takes a drink, setting the cup back down before she resumes.

"My mother's name was also Anna."

He does prefer his coffee sweeter, but he isn't really in the mood for it given the circumstances. He takes a sip of his coffee while he waits patiently for Chris to speak, setting his cup down once she finishes. 'Was', past tense. He has at least a bit of a better idea of what's been eating at Chris lately.

"I see. For you to be bothered by it this much, I can only assume that there must be more similarities between our situations than just a name."

He doesn't want to just outright ask if she's passed away, but that's the assumption he's running with.

Chris nods, still staring at the cup. "There are." She replies, before continuing. "Kratos, I'm going to ask you something, and it's going to be of a deeply personal nature. You're under no obligation to answer." She looks up, her expression not hard exactly, but...serious. But her eyes betray a yearning for understanding. "Why did you do it? What did you tell yourself you were doing, when you...you stepped away. From your Anna and Lloyd."

She saw his pain clear enough when he saw what he thought was his family in the pool. It hurt him even now to know he'd separated from them...probably forever. And yet he'd done it all the same. Maybe if she knows his answer, it will help her understand her own father's more.

He'd raised his cup to take another sip of coffee, but had gotten pretty quickly distracted from it when Chris asked him that question. It takes a moment before he realizes that he's just holding up a mug and doing nothing with it, and he finally lowers it while shaking his head a bit.

"...You seem to be under the impression that I left them, that isn't quite the case. I feel that I should explain the situation more clearly before I answer that question, would you permit me to do that? Fair warning, it is not a short story."

Chris grimaces. She'd misjudged Kratos, projecting her own insecurities onto him. "I apologize. It was unbecoming to assume like that." She replies. "But yes, please. I have nothing but time today." She knew this was likely to be a heavy encounter and had planned her day around it accordingly.

"No offence taken."

He gets it, what little she'd learned of his past had surely sounded sketchy. He takes a sip of his coffee before setting the cup aside and crossing his hands on the table. Time to figure out how to condense four thousand years worth of history into a couple hours? Maybe he wouldn't have to go quite that far? Man, this was going to be tricky. Might as well just start with the worst part and work his way back from there.

"My wife, Anna, is deceased. For a long time, I'd thought that Lloyd had died as well."

Hence why he reacted the way that he had at the pool. Seeing one's dead wife suddenly alive again is a pretty jarring experience.

"This... may sound like I'm veering off track, but I promise it's related. Where I come from, we have small gems known as Exsphere, and their purpose is to enhance the abilities of the user. When equipped alone, an Exsphere can be dangerous to the user, so something called a Key Crest made from a special ore needs to be used along with it. Attempting to remove an Exsphere that lacks a Key Crest causes the host's mana to deteriorate, and they then transform into a vicious, mindless monster.

"Exspheres are made by using a human life, and are grown on their body. There were ranches where these horrible experiments were preformed on countless people. By the time I'd met Anna, she'd been used as an experiment and had grown an Exsphere, but as we lacked a Key Crest we were unable to remove it. She happened to be a unique experiment who was meant to produce some sore of special Exsphere, so after I took her from the ranch, we were pursued endlessly. So, we traveled, not able to stay in one place for very long, even after our son was born. It was hectic, but we had a few good years. I can honestly say that they were the best years of my life.

"Eventually, though, our pursuers did catch up to us. They removed Anna's Exsphere, and she transformed into a monster."

And here he pauses, because the best way to deal with reliving trauma is to drink coffee.

Kratos was right, it was a long story. And a lot to take in as well...at first these "Exspheres" sound like Runes, albeit slightly more complicated to use. But she quickly comes to understand there is a great difference. Chris' expression changes as Kratos talks, from interest, to surprise, and finally...sadness.

"And...the transformation is not reversible, is it." She says sadly, not really asking a question, since her guest's expression is answer to that it enough, then reaches out and places a hand on Kratos' arm as an offer of support. "I'm sorry, Kratos. I truly am. I understand your sorrow at the pool now." No wonder he'd been so upset. Not because of what he'd stepped away from like what Chris had believed, but because of what had been taken from him.

"And Lloyd?" She asks finally.

Kratos's expression remains unchanged, though he does briefly place his hand over Chris' in acknowledgement of her support. He doesn't mean to upset her, he really doesn't want to, but he feels that she deserves to know the truth. And perhaps being more open about his past will be good for him somehow?

"After Anna transformed, after she lost control of herself, she attacked us. This was on top of our pursuers attacking as well. At one point she was able to regain control of herself for just a moment, and... as you guessed, her condition was irreversible. She asked me to kill her, and I hesitated. It was just long enough for her to lose control again and attack Lloyd. I had a pet at the time, who tried to protect him, but they were both knocked over the edge of a cliff. In the end I did kill Anna, but I was delayed further by our pursuers. Somehow they'd lost the Exsphere that they'd taken from Anna, so they weren't done with me yet. I killed most of them, the others fled, and I was finally able to descend the cliff. All I found at the bottom was blood, no sign of Anna's body or my pet, and all I found of Lloyd was... he'd dropped a shoe. That was all. I'd foolishly assumed that they must have been eaten by the monsters that roam the woods, that there was no way Lloyd could have survived. It would be fourteen years before I found out that he'd not only survived, but the dwarf who had found him had raised him into an incredible young man. He was fine, I hadn't completely failed."

He'd only mostly failed, it's fine. Also he probably looks pretty goddamn young for a guy that has a son in his late teens, but that's fine too. Everything's fine, Chris.

So he was a victim of tragic circumstances. There are...similarities with her father, but in the end, Kratos was taken from his family, while Wyatt chose to leave his. She nods, smiling in relief that Lloyd was alive and well, even if he'd grown up never knowing his father. Now it's her turn to share.

"I wonder if my father ever made that offer to my mother...to leave everything behind and travel together together, all three of us. But I suspect he likely never did, because I think Mother would have agreed to go with him if he had. I truly don't think she knew..." Did Wyatt consider that a mercy, that their Anna would live out the rest of her life, short as it ended up being, not knowing what became of her husband? When her eyes closed for the last time was she expecting to see him...wherever it was she went?

"I was told for years that my father had died bravely in battle against our enemies. I made my peace with that." She admits. "Becoming a knight was not entirely about my father, though there were many who assumed that it was the sole reason I followed in his footsteps. The truth is I wanted it for myself, and I turned out to be good at it. Being a knight came easy to me. But I'd be lying if I'd said he wasn't part of it at all. And so I moved on with my life. But then...during a mission in the Grasslands that went wrong, terribly wrong, I found his breastplate in the village of one of the Grassland Clans. Someone had even gone to the trouble of cleaning and maintaining it. A war trophy, I assumed. And when I came home, I discovered a messenger had been by in my absence, with a delivery he'd been told to make. The Lightfellow family seal, which had gone missing with my father, just dropped back into my lap after years."

She laughs ruefully. "Do you want to know the sad truth of it? I almost envy Lloyd. Because you wouldn't have left him if you hadn't been victims of misfortune. But my father...my father chose to leave us. His armour was no trophy being kept by the warrior who'd killed him. It was a keepsake he'd kept with him in his new life. The latest of many such lives. After all that time, he had been so close...and I'd never even known. Not then, at least."

She sighs, then straightens up, squaring her shoulders. "So...there it is. I must ask your forgiveness once again, Kratos. I only recently found out I was the child of an immortal, and...I still struggle to come to terms with what that means. And I fear I projected too much of myself onto you and did you a great disservice in doing so."

Speaking of immortals...she has noticed that Kratos seems remarkably...well-preserved to have a son as old as Lloyd must be. She'd assumed he was older than her, but...not by that much. Unless he and his Anna were very young when they first met, it's possible, but...well, that's not her business to pry. She's already asked Kratos to share a great deal today, and to push him for more now would be uncouth.

Kratos had done a good job of keeping his expression neutral all this time, but upon hearing that he actually had so much more in common with Chris' father than he'd originally assumed, he can't help but look a bit guilty. How had Lloyd felt after discovering that his father was not only alive, but immortal? This coming after Kratos had spent so much time and effort trying to convince Lloyd that they were enemies, and then that Lloyd would have to kill Kratos in order to literally save the world? Even if what had happened hadn't ended in Kratos' death, he'd still intended to die, and ultimately leave Lloyd.

Y'know, like a shitty dad.

"As I said, I take no offence, especially after taking all of that into consideration. Chris..."

He hesitates before continuing, reaching for his cup again only to fidget with it a bit awkwardly. He should probably just leave it alone, but it's incredibly rare that he gets the opportunity to discuss these things with someone who has a similar family situation to his own.

"...Do you think it selfish for a person like your father, someone who has been alive for an unnaturally long time, to start a family? I apologize if this seems like an odd question, you don't have to answer if it's uncomfortable."

Chris does catch that look of guilt, but doesn't press. It's clear enough that even though Kratos' situation is different enough from Wyatt's, it's still affecting him to a degree. She takes a moment to ponder his question.

"To be honest, I've been rolling that question around in my head over and over for months now." She says finally, with a sigh. "And I'm no closer to an answer. I know that by immortal standards he was still quite young; not even a century old yet, according to...someone who knew him." No need to air Geddoe's secrets as well, even if bearing the True Lightning Rune means little here. "And I don't think he set out to woo my mother or fall in love with her, if one can truly plan such a thing. He was a guest of my grandparents when he met Mother, and...well, even then he was a man of more years than his appearance would have suggested, with no home to return to. I think..." She runs a hand through her hair. "I think he was lonely, and we humans are creatures that instinctively seek connection with others. And he found that with Mother. He could have left, once he knew she was with child. Disappeared into the night, traveled far away from Zexen and found a new name and identity, but...he did not. He stayed, and raised me for what time he thought was safe. I don't know if he did that more for mine and Mother's sake or his own. A brief feeling of normalcy." She rubs the back of her right hand as she says this, where the pattern of the True Fire Rune lies visible.

"I suppose in the end, all I can say is that it's not something I could choose for myself, but...then again, we don't get to choose, do we?" She looks back up at Kratos. "Mortal or immortal. And I am...very much the latter, now." Like father, like daughter.

"A brief feeling of normalcy, yes..."

That's exactly what his time with his Anna and Lloyd had felt like, especially after he'd lost them. Such a small period of his agonizingly long life had impacted him so greatly, he can't imagine why Chris' father would choose to leave his family behind and give that all up. But then Kratos had been alive for much longer than him, perhaps her father was still trying to come to terms with his immortality and didn't know how to handle not aging while everyone around him was? Who knows. It doesn't seem like Chris is likely to get an answer any time soon, and Kratos doesn't know how much it would help to offer his perspective on it just yet.

He doesn't necessarily wish to dwell on the past right now, so he lets himself be distracted from his thoughts by zeroing in on the next thing Chris says.

"...I see. How long have you been like this? Is it something you inherited from your father, or did it come about by other means?"

He has a feeling that it may have something to do with that pattern on her hand that she'd been rubbing at, but he doesn't want to assume. Either way, he finds it deeply troubling that Chris is also cursed with an unnaturally long life, which maybe isn't the healthiest way to look at it? He has baggage, man, don't mind him.

"Not long. Less than a year, really. My father's immortality was granted to him by a power he carried. He intended to pass that power to me, but I had already claimed a power of my own by the time he could have done so."

Chris taps the back of her hand, the image of the True Fire Rune, with the finger of her other hand, proving Kratos' suspicions correct. "This is a True Rune, one of twenty-seven runes that govern the fundamental forces of nature in my world. My father bore the True Rune of Water; I bear the True Rune of Fire. When a True Rune chooses someone to bear it, one of the benefits confers is immortality, for as long as the True Rune is bound to them." She shifts in her seat. "War had come to our lands, and it was only a matter of time before Zexen came under threat from a nation it had no chance of defeating on its own. The True Fire Rune once belonged to a hero who drove that nation out decades before. My father was one of that hero's companions, and my investigations into his past led me to the sanctum where the True Fire Rune had been sealed. I claimed its power and its hero's title to unite the peoples of our lands so we could recreate the original Flame Champion's success." At the time, it had seemed the obvious choice; Geddoe had demonstrated a distinct lack of interest in trying to claim the True Fire Rune, and whatever resolve had led the Hugo of the world the Geddoe here was from to claim it instead of her failed him in Chris' world. Taking the True Fire Rune was the best possible way to unite Zexen and Grassland against Harmonian aggression, by becoming a symbol both sides could rally behind. Zexen's Silver Maiden and the legacy of the Flame Champion. At the time, the thought of immortality had been something of an abstraction, a lesser concern in the face of far more pressing concerns.

"My father had intended for me to take the True Water Rune from him, but as one person cannot hold more than one True Rune, I suppose my own plans got in the way. The True Water Rune was passed to another instead." Chris stares into her almost-empty cup. "We had...a moment, before he passed. That's all." Barely any time at all, really.

"It's been hard to wrestle with the fact that now I know he is truly gone, I never really knew him at all. I think he regretted that." She thinks. It's a telling choice of words. "Well, I suppose if that's what I wish to believe, there's no one to tell me I'm wrong, so I suppose it's as good a truth as any."

The events of the last few months had barely made Elza bat an eye unlike the majority of residents. No, she had enough of her own demons to keep her company than to worry about the situation playing out in this world. She had instead kept herself on task hunting her target. What she had learnt trailing her target over the last two months had been interesting.

When the call had come, the gunner had been the last one to arrive. Elza was never late, but she was every bit of cautious. She had scouted the area, watched those who lived in the area go about their day, and more importantly kept a close eye on what her companions had been doing in the leadup to her arrival.

Chris was seated at the table serious over the matter at hand. While the knight spoke, Elza's gaze shifted to Nash then over to Geddoe before it once again fell on her client.

"There we go getting straight down to business without so much of an offer of a drink for parched lips," Elza smoothly murmured with a smile when the attention drifted to her. A hand carelessly raised up to brush aside her long bangs from her eyes. "He seems to be rather fond of reading, as of late."

It wasn't what Chris was wanting to hear, Elza was sure, but that didn't stop the gunner because where was the fun in that? She at least had found that rather interesting personally which was the secondary reason she brought it up first.

Geddoe was, as usual, leaning against a wall instead of sitting at the table like a normal person. His last encounter with Elza had ended, thankfully, rather peacefully, so even if his deepest instincts wanted to warn him against being in a closed room with someone of her caliber (heh), he managed to push that instinct aside and worry about more present issues - like how to conceal his ongoing attempts at bargaining with Yuber to keep him quiet. He was certain Chris wouldn't take it well if she found out now. Best to help Elza analyze the report instead.

"Reading," he repeated, likewise curious. "The library, I take it? I wonder if he's looking for information on the cataclysm."

"Maybe he's looking for romance novels. He must lead a lonely life, you know. We're having a party and not inviting him."

Nash's words and his body language are both overcasual, elbow draped over a chair propped sideways. Underneath his usual posture, though, he's nervous. Worried about Yuber, on the one hand, and also how this meeting is going to go. If this is a party, it's an unusual guest list.

He continues, a little more seriously. "And I didn't take him for the type to research."

"Nor did I." Chris replies with a nod towards Nash. She ignores Elza's japes about the lack of food or drink. "But it's unusual...and helpful. My thanks, Elza." She nods towards the gunner this time. "There are several libraries around the city; if Yuber's been to any of them, someone will have seen him. We can find out which ones he frequents the most and use that as our next step. We'll each take one and ask around." She doesn't have to remind them to do so discreetly, to minimize the chance that word might leak back to Yuber about people looking for him. A True Rune bearer, a spy, and a fugitive; discretion is their watchword.

"Moving on then...Geddoe." Chris looks towards the mercenary. "Your turn. What have you turned up? Any possible victims?"

Elza watched the room as they all mulled over the piece of information and offered. It was interesting to watch how each of them displayed themselves, from the caution Geddoe blatantly screamed to the far too casual stance Nash took. Smiling subtly to herself, Elza felt similar to the cat who ate the canary with the air in the room.

How quaint.

When Chris spoke, her gaze slid over to regards the other woman. She had, of course, seen which ones he had frequented during her mission, but simply gave a slight nod in return. The other information she had could wait. After her last encounter with Sparky, she was interested to see how he handles himself. Elza hasn't forgotten that slyness about him.

There would always be some level of slyness in anything Geddoe said, though in the presence of two people he knew... "well," by some consideration, he was a bit more straightforward. "It's extremely hard to say," he admitted. "I've been lurking around the seedy underbelly for the most part, out of familiarity, and while murders among criminals are so commonplace as to be boring..." A pause, a sigh. "There's a couple folks on edge, a little jittery that there might be some new player after their blood. They're quick to blame known enemies, but there's always this undercurrent of wondering if it might be someone or something new."

He nodded easily toward Nash, though Chris would also be very familiar with weapons and their marks. "The occasional sword cut that seems a little too expert for a clumsy thug. That sort of thing. No one really has any true inkling, but there are hints." He raised a gloved finger in warning. "None of these victims are innocent of their own crimes. I'd be concerned bringing it to the local knights, in case their reaction is 'well, good riddance then.' It might backfire on us."

Nash raises his eyebrows in a "who, me?" expression. Geddoe's never seen him fight with a sword. But, he knows a lot of people who had, so it wouldn't be difficult for Geddoe to run into that part of Nash's reputation. There's no real point in denying it, except to be extra super difficult. Which is tempting, but—

He runs a hand through his hair.

"You can tell sometimes from the wounds if a swordsman is holding the blade left-handed. With two swords, you get cuts from both directions. Not very many people can do that." It takes years of training, especially if you aren't an immortal demon.

"But it would be easy to disguise. And Yuber didn't always fight with two swords, right?"

Not in the Dunan war, according to the Temple's records.

Chris shakes her head. "Not according to some of the Fire Bringer who'd fought in Dunan and Toran." She replies, looking towards Nash, arms folding over her chest. "Back then, he favoured heavy armour and a single heavy blade not unlike my own. I can only assume his Grasslands attire was Luc or Albert's idea of trying to keep him as inconspicuous as possible." She raises a hand to her chin. "Yuber doesn't strike me as the type to bother with disguising his kills. We find those marks Nash mentioned, we find his victims."

She does look back at Geddoe. "Murder is murder, regardless of the victim. If these knights are willing to sit back and allow vigilante justice to be carried out like this, they're not worth the oaths they swore." It isn't even as though these murders are being carried out as acts of justice, and Geddoe knows that. "Besides, we already have King Arthur's official sanction to act on this matter. No risk of anything "backfiring"."

She looks back down at the map. It's time to start setting up a plan. "Elza, these libraries you mentioned watching Yuber go to...which ones did he frequent the most? And which was the last one you saw him at?"

Listening quietly where she sat, the information that followed was one she paid part attention to. Instead she took this time to quietly observe those seated and standing around the table. This was, after all, her first time seeing all three of them together like this. The language they used and the fact that the information was freely given, regardless of it any was held back, gave an air of familiarity...comradery... between them. That was unmistakable. She felt her mind drifting slightly wondering how he would have been around that kid in similar situations. Given how serious she knew he could be, it would have been an interesting thing to be a spectator of.

The typical knightly sanctimonious reply from Chris did draw out of her thoughts while a subtle smile formed. Chris was probably the only one in this room who cared about such types of people losing their lives.

When the questions were asked of her, Elza casually leaned forward to point at one location on the map. "Here," then dragging her finger over to a second location, she added, "And here." Leaning back, she brushed the blonde bangs away from her eyes. "The second library is the one I saw him at last, however."

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The Big Chris Catch-All

Militia Mingle Thread

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Anti-Yuber Taskforce Meeting

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