SunfallE

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][quote name='Desbreko'][color=#4B0082]Heheh. Remember that AIM conversation we had, oh, four or five months ago, Beth? The one where I laughed maniacally and said I had thought of a great prank? And that it didn't matter that I told you because you still wouldn't see it coming? Well, I'm patient in my plotting and today it paid off. :smirk:[/color][/QUOTE][IMG]http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/3192/sigh2ar0.gif[/IMG] *is dead a thousand times over*[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Words fail me at this moment, seriously, they do, other than perhaps... [SIZE="3"][B]I know it was you Des![/B] [/SIZE] >_< You horrible tease! Bah! [IMG]http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/3192/sigh2ar0.gif[/IMG][/FONT][/COLOR]

"You really need to lighten up Lucia," Ruby chastised her as she methodically began to make a sweep of the mansion. "I mean, come on! Like it mattered that he had your Crystal Communicator for a few minutes." Lucia ignored Ruby in favor of initiating the scans, her movements betraying her irritation over Ruby bringing the matter up again. And when Ruby started to speak again, she cut her off, a real hint of anger coming forth in her voice. "Don't start Ruby, just don't. I know you mean well, but seriously, I do not want to be a Shinigami!" She snarled a bit. "And yet I was given no choice, to either accept or to lose everything that I've worked for. You know how it is. Refusal comes with a price." Ruby hung her head a bit, of course she knew, though for her it was not the same. She was not required to accept if asked to be someone's familiar, but with so few of her kind remaining, she had chosen to accept it, to help guarantee the survival of her race. And even if Lucia was prone to brooding, it didn't change the fact that she liked working with her. "I'm sorry, it's just that I hate how that still makes you unhappy, even though you still have your work. Shinigami are eternal...." Lucia sighed. "I know, but still, I would rather hand it over to someone like Nathan. Let someone like him get the data in the field while I stick to what I know best." She smiled a little sadly, "I'm a scientist Ruby, my talent lies in research and writing the programs as well as perfecting the technology of the Crystal Communicator. I feel like my talents are being wasted here." She finished with a sigh. She ignored the bodies of the dead vampire girls strewn about in the mansion as her and Ruby continued the sweep. Even if it would have been better to scan things immediately, it was still picking up a lot of information that would be useful. In her line of reasoning, just about all data was useful. Ruby is right, I need to let it go. And yet she could not, she had spent so much time developing the technology in the first place. More time than she had spent being a Shinigami, a lot more. "I'm sorry Lucia," Ruby finally said as they finished the main sweep and then moved to where the encounter with the Count had been. Or rather took the route to it, entering the chamber where their fight with the summoned creatures had occurred. Both of them came to a halt at the entrance to the large room, their eyes widening in surprise before they took to the air, avoiding the ground as Lucia started to scan the room. "What in the world happened here?" Ruby finally managed. "It's ... it's ...." She fell silent as even she was at a loss for words to describe what she was looking at. "I have no idea, I mean...." Lucia grimaced a bit at the sight of the fallen vampires in the room. The first one was rather simple, the damage to his chest indicating that a small weapon had been used to tear him up inside. Probably to get to the little sac Nathan had shown them earlier, the one that encased their souls. But the other? "If I was a human," Ruby swallowed. "I'd be puking all over the place right now. What the hell did he do to ... it." Lucia just shook her head, after all, never in her entire time as a Shinigami had she seen something so horrible. She couldn't even tell if it was a woman or a man. The person in question was literally cut into ribbons–literally. And the blood splatters from what had been done? It only added to the mystery instead of solving it. Humans had a name for blood splatters and analyzing them to help determine the cause of death or the potential nature of the weapon involved. But this? "This makes no sense!" Lucia exclaimed as some of the data for the blood splatters came back immediately. "How is this even possible! How could he move that fast!" "What do you mean Lucia?" Ruby asked her, curious as to just how fast she was actually referring to. "There are different types of blood splatters Ruby, low, medium and high velocity impact. It usually helps to indicate what type of weapon was involved. The pattern, location and nature of the splatter can also help to determine how they died, standing, lying down, et cetera." She took a deep breath. "If this data is accurate ... the speed at which this happened was unreal, even for a Shinigami." Lucia shook her head again. "I'm going to have to run the data again, this just can't be accurate." She opened up a separate file and ran the scan again, careful to avoid dropping to the floor, even though death was her business, the idea of actually touching any of the ribbons of flesh made her want to cringe a bit. "Are you done yet Lucia?" Ruby whined a bit. "I'm ready to go and finish up with the Count's personal chamber." She purposely left out the bit on how even she was uneasy by what they had found. Lucia turned and looked at Ruby and nodded, "Yes we can go now." It was easy to do now that the Count was gone and both of them simply ghosted through the wall and into the final room, where they had finally put an end to the Count. Lucia certainly didn't have a problem leaving the mess behind. I wonder if I should use the purifying flames to clean that up? She dismissed the thought as she moved to do the final scans, eager to be finished and out of that place. Later, once she had reviewed the data a bit more, she would hunt Nathan down and see if she couldn't get him to answer some questions for her.

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][CENTER][IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/alecialeanna-chronicle.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/alexanderedward-chronicle.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Though the day at the Eshe Rehema Medical Center had started out calm and collected, as the day went by, things rapidly became more busy. It first it made no sense, until the rumor that there was fighting going on down in New Czenoble between the group known as the Underdogs and an RPG gunship, the [I]Vigilant[/I] made it's way into the city. And in a rather predictable manner, many citizens were panicking over the news, resulting in more accidents than usual, filling up the medical center rather quickly. "[B]Oh for the love of![/B]" Alecia was exasperated as she took a tiny short break in one of the separate rooms just for staff. "[B]What are people thinking? Panicking like that solves nothing![/B]" There was no one else in there as she paced a bit instead of sitting down at one of the many tables for either having tea, coffee or a bite to eat. Something that normally she did, have a cup of tea that is. But at the moment she was more worried about whether or not there was any truth to the rumors, after all Alexander was in New Czenoble.[I] As soon as my shift is over, I'm going to head over to the RPG headquarters.[/I] Decided she started to head for the where the stuff was for making tea, only to stop and turn when one of the nurses came into the room and called her name. "[B]What is it?[/B]" She asked her, alarmed by the serious look on the woman's face. "[B]It's your husband Lady Almagest, he was just brought in.[/B]" She caught Alecia's arm as she started to hurry past her. "[B]Wait! I was told it's not serious and to tell you that the rest of your work has been handed over to someone else.[/B]" She gave Alecia a kind smile after telling her what room he was in. "[B]Now get going, and no running in the halls![/B]" Alecia nodded and left, doing her best to be quick and yet not outright run. A million thoughts were running through her mind as she wondered what in the world had happened and how he ended up in High Czenoble. From what he had told her the other day, he was not expecting to get back until much later that evening. A few minutes later and she was in the room where Alexander was sitting on the bed while someone tended to his head and the doctor checking him out turned to face Alecia. "[B]There you are Lady Almagest.[/B]" He nodded and then started to explain after Alecia reluctantly stopped to give him her attention. "[B]We're not sure what happened, though it looks like someone struck him from behind and left him lying in the street. Other than some bruising and clear indications that he's suffering from a concussion, I'd say he's fine. Now normally, I'd recommend that he spend the night, but with all the chaos right now, we're a bit strained at the moment and I'd rather send him home since you can keep an eye on him.[/B]" "[B]Of course, I can do that.[/B]" Alecia replied and then took the detailed note the doctor had written up for her with his diagnosis and findings. She glanced at it briefly before putting it in her pocket. "[B]I understand that his superior officer Jonathan Grants is coming over to get a statement, once he's done you can head for home. If you need anything just let me know.[/B]" "[B]Thank you,[/B]" Alecia said. "[B]I will.[/B]" Then once the doctor had left and the nurse who had been putting something on the bump on Alexander's head stopped and handed Alecia the little vial of the salve along with the rest of the notes as to what he could take for pain, Alecia closed the door behind them and went over to sit next to Alexander, taking his hands in hers. "[B]What happened?[/B]" She asked, at the same time the door opened after a very brief knock. It was Jonathan Grants. He closed the door behind him and came over. He had a grim look on his face. "[B]If you could give us a moment please Alecia? I need to talk to Alexander.[/B]" But to Alecia's surprise Alexander held her hands fast. "[B]There's no need for my wife to leave, she stays.[/B]" His tone was unusually firm, making Alecia wonder what in the world was going on. "[B]Then I'll get straight to the point, what happened? How did you end up lying on the streets of High Czenoble when you were suppose to be on assignment in New Czenoble.[/B]" "[B]I was, I left on the first train this morning, arriving shortly after dawn, around seven to eight am I would imagine. I got something to eat and then headed to the slums to check on the leads I had, but I never made it and you know why sir.[/B]" Jonathan frowned a bit before responding. "[B]I can only assume you refer to the arrival of the [I]Vigilant[/I].[/B]" "[B]What else? I deviated from my intended assignment to see what was going on, to understand why they were issuing a warning for people to clear the area around the Shot Tower.[/B]" Alexander grimaced a bit in pain and then continued. [B]"Perhaps you can tell me sir, why the hell they used lethal force first, breaking from standard procedure![/B]" "[B]Ah yes, that.[/B]" Jonathan ignored Alecia's look of horror. "[B]A word of advice Alexander, considering what's going to be announced, you would do best to keep that to yourself.[/B]" "[B]Are you out of your mind? I can't lie about something like that![/B]" He winced again, reaching up with his right hand to grasp his forehead. "[B]You don't know what it was like sir, they killed all those people, they didn't even try to use the water guns to get them to disperse.[/B]" "[B]I mean it Alexander, drop it. Trust me on this.[/B]" Alexander just let go of his forehead and looked away. "[B]How did you get back? And more importantly, who attacked you?"[/B] "[B]I don't know, all I remember is the [I]Vigilant[/I] opening fire on the people and attempting to get clear and then I woke up here in High Czenoble.[/B]" "[B]That's it?[/B]" Alexander nodded. "[B]I know there's more, but it's a blank. The only thing I kind of remember is that it seemed like I was being carried by someone and there were some voices, but other than something about the [I]Vigilant[/I] being defeated and helping with organizing forces that are gathering in Brigit Town and other cities that's about it.[/B]" "[B]Are you certain that you don't remember?[/B]" Jonathan gave him a knowing look, something that Alecia found utterly confusing. "[B]Yes, I really don't remember.[/B]" "[B]Retrograde amnesia,[/B]" Alecia spoke up, startling both of them. "[B]It was in the notes the doctor gave me, it's not uncommon to have a loss of one's memories that were formed shortly before being injured.[/B]" "[B]How do you get them back?[/B]" Grants asked her. Alecia shrugged, "[B]There is no way to get them back, some people eventually remember and some don't.[/B]" She stood up. "[B]If you have further questions I suggest you finish up, I'm taking Alexander home to get some much needed rest.[/B]" Grants sighed a bit. "[B]Only one thing, and that's to advise you to say nothing about what you told me Alexander, don't go telling people you saw the [I]Vigilant[/I] break from procedure. And definitely don't mention anything about it going down. Please trust me on this.[/B]" He nodded to both of them and left. Alecia went over and sat back down next to Alexander, pulling him close into an embrace. "[B]What kind of trouble did you stumble into love?[/B]" She pulled back and kissed him lightly on the lips. "[B]How about I tell you when we get home? I'd like to get out of these dirty clothes and get cleaned up.[/B]" He winced a bit. "[B]And then settle into a comfortable chair. My head feels like it's going to fall off.[/B]" Alecia let go as he stood up and then took his arm in hers. "[B]I have something I need to tell you as well.[/B]" "[B]Oh? And what would that be?[/B]" He asked as they went outside and got into the carriage that was waiting for them. She smiled and motioned for him to lean over a bit so she could whisper in his ear, smiling broadly at his astonished expression when she was done. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][quote name='Adam']I always tell my guy friends this: Valentine's Day is about letting the girl in your life have a nice story to tell her friends when they talk about what their boyfriends did for them and then ask her what her boyfriend did for her. Adam[/QUOTE]You are one hundred percent correct. :catgirl: Though I love the day even when I'm not dating. Since my family tends to give each other little gifts as a way to keep in touch since we're all grown up and living separate lives now. We use a lot of holidays in this manner, that and because it's fun. But this year, I'm not sure what I'll be doing, my boyfriend hasn't told me yet since it's suppose to be a surprise. I do know that I'll be giving out cards and little gifts to my family and friends though. That's a given.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]William was expecting objections to the decisions he had made recently so it was no surprise to him when he was contacted by the current Representatives of the New Alliance, demanding an immediate response. Something that once he was ready, he answered from onboard the [I] Astera,[/I] among those of the Resistance that he knew he could trust. It was one thing to back the New Alliance, and yet another to blindly allow them to command those he had been entrusted to lead by Erica Kendrick. He would not let her hard work go to waste by being too trusting. He did not bother to disguise himself or rather it was not necessary since he had done that a while ago. Perhaps it was paranoia, to be so secretive about his true looks and identity, but with so much at stake, he was unwilling to take that risk. He paused to tuck his long silver blonde hair back out of his face after sitting down in the command chair for the bridge and then opened the transmission, smiling at the Representatives. ?[B]What can I do for you?[/B]? He inquired politely, even though he already knew what they were contacting him about. ?[B]We have a concern,[/B]? The oldest of the group spoke up, his expression one of disapproval. ?[B]Why did you send Commander Landers and the fleet to sector four?[/B]? ?[B]Why? We discussed this already, our attempts to get sectors four and three to break off from the Versilan Empire have not been successful.[/B]? Williams kept his on expression neutral, since he knew why they were objecting, or at the very least he thought he did. ?[B]Discussion and approval for such a move are not the same thing.[/B]? His voice was cold, dispassionate and hinted at a stubbornness that William did not like. ?[B]Approval? Surely you jest.[/B]? William answered just as coldly. ?[B]The Resistance agreed to back you in your bid to separate from the High Council and the rest of the Versilan Empire. We did not promise blind obedience to your orders. I told you that Commander Landers would be heading to sector four once the repairs to the[I] Liberator[/I] were complete.[/B]? He waited while the four whispered among themselves for a moment and then finally turned back to address him once again. ?[B]You are correct, and though we disagree, it?s already done so there?s no reason to continue the discussion at this point. We can only hope you won?t regret that decision.[/B]? [I]Kiva needs to find out which one of them is a traitor,[/I] William thought as he faced the group.[I] At this rate, we?re going to lose the war and all they care about is?[/I] he thrust the thoughts aside, he didn?t have time for it at the moment. ?[B]You?re disagreement is foolish, the High Council has already secured sectors seven, eight and twelve, bringing them back into the Versilan Empire. If we don?t get sectors four and three and soon, we will lose this war.[/B]? He shook his head. ?[B]My information indicates that the Imperial fleet is heading back to sector one to regroup and then head for sector nine. Our position is precarious. We have to have those sectors to serve as a buffer between us and the Imperial fleet.[/B]? ?[B]They won?t do us much good if we have to take them by force! How likely are they to defend the borders if they don?t even agree with us?[/B]? One of the other Representatives objected. ?[B]It will buy us much needed time.[/B]? Williams pointed out patiently. ?[B]For what? Do you have something up your sleeve that you?re not telling us about? It?s not like you?re being forthcoming on whatever you?ve got set up in the City Center. We have a right to know just what you are doing and why.[/B]? William resisted the urge to smile. [I]So that?s what this is about, they want to know about Darren Anderson and the equipment with the transmission on it. [/I]It could mean only one thing for them to mention that since it was not the only thing he was doing that he had not told them the details. It was the only thing they had formally brought up though, telling him that it was likely that the traitor he was sure was in their midst had managed to find out who was being held there.[I] I?d better move him or else he?ll end up dead, and the data on the equipment deleted. [/I] ?[B]My apologies, if that bothers you I will have everything moved to a different location immediately.[/B]? A statement that seemed to annoy the one who objected as her mouth was set in a hard straight line. ?[B]You have your secrets and this is one of mine. There will be no discussion on this, that is my final word on the matter.[/B]? He didn?t even wait for the meeting to end, bringing the built in terminal in his chair online and sending out the command to one of his most trusted agents, all it took was a single code. One that he would know what was for, William was always prepared for things like this. By the time the meeting was done, he would have the equipment, Darren and Mike moved to one of the Battleships in the area manned by those few who were utterly trustworthy. William had been planning to send it elsewhere, but he would manage.[I] I should have done that to begin with instead of setting things up in the City Center.[/I] He had not expected the traitor to find out so quickly. ?[B]Very well William, though we do not agree with that either, as you said, you did not agreed to back us blindly.[/B]? He nodded. ?[B]I think we can all agree that we?ve gotten enough of that from the High Council over the centuries. It?s going to take a lot of work to undo that sort of mentality.[/B]? The others laughed a bit nervously at that statement. ?[B]Somewhere down the line we will need to draw the line on proper procedure,[/B]? the woman who had objected finally relented a bit. ?[B]It makes us look foolish when something happens that we did not approve of.[/B]? William just smiled a tiny bit. ?[B]In time, in time. Now if you?ll excuse me, like you I have a lot of work to be done, even if we did take out the [I]Intrepid[/I], we have a long way to go if we are going to finally stop the High Council.[/B]? He waited for mummers of agreement before ending the transmission. The moment the connection was cut he immediately moved to check on the progress of the equipment and Darren and Mike. [I]It?s a good thing I decided to handle this myself,[/I] he thought as he contacted his agent. [I]If I had let someone else handle it, Darren would already be dead.[/I] [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Interesting bit on Adrian and Astera there, no wonder he can't teach Alex. He's not bonded to a fairy like Adrian, heh. I was figuring it was something like that, sort of. Not necessarily a bonding but rather that it required fairy magic somehow. :p Anyway, I'll be posting sometime over the weekend, I think you all will find it rather interesting. I know Lucia is going... [B]O_O[/B] And that's the only hint you'll get. Hehe![/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][quote name='Shy'][size=1]AWith the help of the potions Alecia uses as treatment I imagine that she will be mobile with help of a wheelchair soon, maybe in the next day or so. She has a long way to go with her recovery, but she can move around with assistance and probably return to Rosengard in a few days. The accident was never meant to remove Morphia from the story. I like writing Morphia a lot, and I'm very eager to see you take over for her full-time, Cyriel. If anything I think the accident makes her a more sympathetic character and adds some more tension to Henry/Morphia/Bavaria. -Shy[/size] :whoops:[/QUOTE]That's fine by me, like I said I left it vague on purpose since I wasn't sure what you had in mind. :p So if you want it to be quick, I'm fine with it. After all, that would be the magi technology side of what is in those injections. Making such a quick recovery possible. That and Morphia's not my character so it wouldn't be fair for me to make such a decision for her as far as the timing goes.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][quote name='Cyriel']Is there a time to how long it will take for her to recover? How quickly do the injections allow the body to heal?[/QUOTE]I deliberately left that vague since I wasn't sure what kind of time frame you were looking at as far as Morphia being in the hospital. Just as I left the nature of the breaks in her bones vague as well. The idea is that depending on the type of break, how young the patient is, etc. It can take anywhere from a few weeks to over a month. Followed up by some physical therapy of course. However, that's open to what you feel would work best. I don't see it happening in less than a week, but that's just me. The good thing is other than some potential scarring [again, depends on the type of break] she'll be able to be a Chimera Jockey again once she's fully healed. If that doesn't work we can always hammer out the details for something else.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Just a quick note on the injections that Alecia gave to Morphia. They weren't like getting a regular shot, they were more like what is often done for someone who suffers from arthritis. Where one gets a shot of Cortisone that is put directly into the joint area. The idea here is that the special solution, via a trained potionist, is given where the actual break is located. Which is why Alecia was referring to it being painful. Anyway, I wanted to clear that up since when she's telling her it will help her bones heal properly and be strong enough for activity once she heals, she means it, the special potion is designed to do just that, work with the bones as they heal. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][CENTER][IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/alecialeanna-chronicle.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/morphiaavatar.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/ladybavariaavatar.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] So far her morning had been fairly uneventful as she checked in with the various patients, making sure that each one was being properly attended to. Potionists often fit in-between the nurses and the doctors of the medical establishments they worked in. Their training focusing more on the different applications of the miraculous mixtures from magi technology and regular medicines, making seemingly impossible things possible. And today would be no exception since it seemed that she had a new patient on her list. One who had been severely injured in the Chimera Cup yesterday. Though Alecia didn?t really know Morphia Markham, she did at least know that she was Lady Bavaria?s half sister and that she often visited Rosengard since she knew Leonhart. Though Alecia herself had never really talked with or did much with her personally. Which was a good thing since she was going to be starting her treatments that would aid the healing of the broken legs and left arm that she had gotten from being trampled by the other Chimera?s when she had fallen on the track. Alecia remembered the accident since it had been one of the first or rather the first serious accident that day. ?[B]Good morning Lady Markham.[/B]? Alecia couldn?t help but notice all the flowers and even letters that were carefully placed in the room. With an eye to being in place so the patient could easily see them and the letters so Morphia could reach them with her right arm if she so wished. The nurse who had been checking the splints immobilizing both her legs and her left arm was just passing by as Alecia came in. ?[B]It?s nice to see that someone cared enough to send so many flowers and letters,[/B]? She said to Alecia, ?[B]Even if we have no idea who the sender is. Most of them were signed with only the single letter A.[/B]? Alecia just smiled and then turned to focus her attention back on Morphia who was watching her as she came around to the side of her bed. ?[B]So how are you feeling?[/B]? Alecia kept it simple since she had that slightly dazed and odd look that came from one?s pupils being dilated from so much pain medication. ?[B]I feel terrible Alecia.[/B]? She finally managed. ?[B]I figured as much. Well I won?t lie to you,[/B]? Alecia told her. ?[B]Now that the doctors got your legs and arm in place so the bones can start healing, I?m going to be putting you on some potions that will be very unpleasant.[/B]? Alecia paused to pull up a high chair that let her sit down and yet still be up higher than the bed. ?[B]I understand you are versed with Chimera creation and as such you must be familiar with the practice of immobilizing an injured beast so that a special mixture can be given that will speed up the healing process when a wing is broken.[/B]? She waited for Morphia to give her the tiniest of nods. ?[B]This is similar, it will not only work with your body to help the bones heal quicker but to help ensure that they will be more than strong enough to support strenuous activity in the future. We will be offsetting it by keeping you on painkilling potions as well, but it won?t be enough to totally counter the effect.[/B]? ?[B]Just get it over with.[/B]? Morphia finally replied. ?[B]Very well then, I?ll start with your first set of injections for today.[/B]? Alecia got up and set her small case that she had with her on the small table in the room just for the process, carefully measuring out the set of injections before heading back to the bed. ?[B]If it makes you feel any better, this will be the worse one, as time goes by it will get less and less painful with each time.[/B]? Morphia just grimaced and said nothing while Alecia did what was necessary, following it up with another set of painkillers and a powerful sedative. In about ten to fifteen minutes she would be asleep. Alecia squeezed her shoulder reassuringly, careful to avoid the bruises she had gotten before gathering her things to leave the room just as Lady Bavaria was returning. ?[B]She needs to be allowed to rest.[/B]? Alecia stopped her before she had taken no more than a few steps in. Lady Bavaria was turning to leave as requested when she stopped at the site of one of the bunches of flowers in the room, a set of wildflowers. She took one step towards them and then halted when Alecia steered her out of the room. ?[B]Now please. She just received her first set of treatments to ensure that her bones heal properly and I won?t have that disturbed since she needs complete and total rest without distraction for several hours at least.[/B]? ?[B]Of course,[/B]? Lady Bavaria apologized and then left the room as requested, waiting for Alecia to close the door behind her before speaking up again. ?[B]How long before someone can keep her company again?[/B]? ?[B]Give it six hours, the painkillers and the sedative I just gave her won?t wear off before then. You can always wait in the lounge until then or even go and get some rest yourself.[/B]? Alecia suggested, noting how tired Lady Bavaria seemed. ?[B]There?s no point, no one wants me there and Morphia needs me here.[/B]? She said tiredly, making it clear that she had gotten little to no sleep since Lady Bavaria was never one to comment on whether or not she was welcome at Rosengard, even if it was true. Alecia hesitated and then spoke, looking eye to eye with her. ?[B]I can?t exactly offer you a room at my place since you?ve already made it clear how you feel about Dame Anna and Henry and the two of them are staying there at the moment.[/B]? Lady Bavaria straightened as if she had said nothing. ?[B]I would hardly expect you to.[/B]? She said with a hint of frost in her voice. ?[B]Though I have no intention of barring either you or Alexander from Rosengard again. The disagreement is not of your making.[/B]? She finished formally. ?[B]But Grandmother,[/B]? Alecia said as she steered her to the waiting area and one of the comfortable sofas that was off by itself. ?[B]Putting Henry aside, the great grandchildren want you around.[/B]? She smiled almost sadly. ?[B]Don?t you understand? Given time there are those who can and will accept you. And family honor or not, I have to accept Henry because Grandfather did. And because I believe it is what he would have wanted.[/B]? She sat down in the small plush chair that was at an angle and yet facing the sofa that Lady Bavaria had sat down on. Alecia moved forward so she was close enough to keep their conversation private. ?[B]I accept him because I believe that it is honorable to own up to one?s mistakes and illegitimacy is a sin on the parent not the child. None of us choose who our parents are.[/B]? She paused when Lady Bavaria started to get that cold and distant look. ?[B]That?s besides the point though, what I?m trying to say is so long as we can simply agree to disagree, I think we?ll get along fine. I believe as a diplomat you would call that a compromise.[/B]? She smiled at the tiny little half grin that broke out on Bavaria?s tired face. ?[B]I can agree to that.[/B]" Alecia smiled and stood back up. "[B]I know you can keep a secret Grandmother and though I was not intending to tell anyone before Alexander.[/B]" She paused and leaned over a bit. "[B]You're going to be a great Grandmother again,[/B]" She paused as Bavaria's eyes widened slightly upon realizing what she was saying. "[B]I'm sure that your newest great grandchild will be glad to have you around.[/B]" And with that final parting statement, Alecia left to go and get back to work.[/FONT][/COLOR]

Lucia didn't get a chance to talk to Adrian, not that she was planning on it when it was clear he wasn't up to it. They hadn't even made it back to the city and he was already out. Something that was surprising since he was not one to trust others even if the chances of her losing her grip and him falling off Ruby were pretty slim. Especially when he made it easy by simply leaning forward so he was resting face first on Ruby?s back. It was easy to hold him in place. Getting him into his apartment in the human world was a simple matter as well. No one could see them unless they wished it and it was an easy matter for her to cloak his presence as well. Between her and Alex they got him off of Ruby?s back once they landed on the roof where he lived and then followed Astera as she casually opened the doors with a touch. Something that in his state was probably better since he didn?t need to waste the energy needed to simply ghost through the walls. Neither one of them had been in his apartment before and though it was furnished plainly, it was surprising to Lucia at how open and airy it was. Her and Alex simply situated Adrian on his bed, ignoring his sleepy groan of protest before heading outside, pausing only to talk briefly with Astera. "I know he says he doesn't need anyone to look after him, but contact us just the same if you need anything.? Lucia looked back inside the apartment through the open door and then back at Astera. "Even if you have defensive magic, don't put yourself at risk, just put them to sleep and we'll come immediately to deal with any problems." Astera just smirked. "I know what to do." She gave each of them a nod and a parting word of thanks before flying back into the apartment, the door closing and locking behind her. "Are you sure it's wise to leave him alone in that state?" Alex asked as Lucia started to leave. "It's not, at least not with out Astera around. She can deal with any humans long enough for us to get here if needed." Lucia turned to leave and stopped. "Feel free to stick around if you want, I have business that I need to attend to." And with that she took off, with Ruby calming sitting on her shoulder as she flew through the walls of the building and headed back to the mansion at top speed. "What are you doing Lucia!" Ruby complained. "Why are we going back there?" Lucia started to answer and then stopped when she realized that Nathan was still there along with Isen who must have joined him while she and Alex along with Ruby and Nall had taken Adrian and Astera back to his place. It was only common courtesy to come in and land, facing him to see what was going on. Oddly, he seemed to merely be spending a moment with Isen who was curled up along his shoulder nuzzling his ear while he alternated between stroking her fur in short and long little strokes. Then as if realizing that she was there Isen hopped down to calmly sit on the stone bench just behind Nathan. "So what brings you back here?" Nathan inquired politely, eying the Crystal Communicator that Lucia was already holding in her left hand. "I intend to scan for any residual traces of what the Count did to–" Lucia blinked and then frowned in irritation when she realized that Nathan was standing on the short stone wall that ran along the path to the mansion, casually holding her Crystal communicator as he looked it over. He had moved so quickly that she hadn't even felt him take it from her. "So?" Nathan drew the word out, looking amused. "How exactly does this thing work?" Lucia gave him a flat stare and moved to take it back instead of answering him only to grunt in surprise when Nathan seemed to vanish and then reappear standing on the other low stone wall running along the path. "You didn't answer my question." He chided her, obviously holding the laughter in. He tossed the Crystal Communicator carelessly up into the air, neatly catching it when it came back down, looking directly at the surface where Lucia always seemed to be reading something. He frowned ever so slightly. "I seem to have broken it." Lucia folded her arms and sighed. "It's not broken. It won't work for you since you are not keyed to it. It will not respond to your spiritual energy as it is keyed to only work for mine." Lucia hopped down and calmly walked across the walkway and extended her left hand once she was a few feet from where Nathan was standing up higher. "So would you please give it back? It's useless to you and I have data on it that is important." Nathan grinned, "Not yet. You still didn't answer my question." "If you want me to tell you that, then come bother me another time, I need to get the scans before all of the residual traces of what the Count did fades." Lucia folded her arms across her chest. "I don't have time to properly explain it to you right now." She did her best to keep her irritation in since she didn't understand how he could move so quickly and she was not completely healed from the minor injuries she had gotten. There was no point in wasting her energy in a game of chase that she couldn't win. Nathan gave her a measuring look, a half grin, and then with a negligent flip of his right hand, he tossed the Crystal Communicator to her. Lucia caught it with ease and stalked off to the Mansion, too irritated to say anything else, ignoring the fact that Nathan was likely still laughing at her as she left. A moment later, she and Ruby were inside the building and in just a few more moments as she started her scans, she had already dismissed Nathan from her thoughts in order to concentrate on what she was doing.

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][CENTER][IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/alecialeanna-chronicle.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Alecia stifled a yawn as she left her home to head for work, feeling oddly alone without Alexander around to keep her company. But all she had was a vague memory of him bending over the bed to kiss her goodbye on the cheek before he left earlier that morning to catch one of the earliest trains to New Czenoble. It wasn't until later when she woke up to realize that he was gone that she even remembered since she had fallen back asleep. The day was looking to be promising though, it was already bright and clear and the crisp morning air was doing wonders to help her wake up. Alecia looked down the street towards where Rosengard was located, smiling at the memory of going to check on Fauntleroy and seeing his guilty start upon realizing that she had come to check on him. But other than to make sure he was doing alright she had let him stay. So long as he was healing nicely and there wasn't any excessive bleeding, she figured it was better to leave him there since he had already been comfortably situated in his bed. "[B]Good morning Lady Almagest.[/B]" Alecia smiled at the train attendant who was guiding people into the waiting train cars. "[B]Good morning.[/B]" Alecia replied. "[B]I trust you saw Alexander earlier this morning?[/B]" "[B]Yes I did, he was looking well.[/B]" "[B]Thank you.[/B]" She finished as she stepped into the first car. "[B]Take care of yourself.[/B]" "[B]Thank you Lady Almagest, you do the same.[/B]" And with that he closed the door behind her, securing it for the train which was about to depart. Alecia just found a seat and enjoyed the view of the city as it took her to her stop, thinking that by now Alexander was probably already in New Czenoble.[I] I hope he finishes up quickly so he can come home before it gets too late.[/I] Though if he had to stay longer, the Royal Police Guard would see to his lodging and failing that he could always stay with his family if necessary. As she got of the train and headed down the street towards the Eshe Rehema Medical Center Alecia hoped that wouldn't be necessary for him to do that, if only because she was hoping to get a positive result from the test she was going to take and if that were the case, she'd want to tell him immediately. She smiled at the thought as she entered the Eshe Rehema, and then headed for her office to pick up a few things before going to one of the labs to get what she needed. It didn't take her long to get ready though for some odd reason she felt secretive about it. She didn't understand why until she realized it was because if the test was positive, she wanted Alexander to be the first person to know and not someone else. It was likely that Macey had guessed, but guessing and being right was not the same thing. A few minutes later and she had her answer, causing her to smile broadly. [I]So I am![/I] [I]Of all times for Alexander to be in New Czenoble![/I] She took a couple of deep breathes to steady herself and attempt to calm down. It wasn't easy when more than anything she wanted to go and find Alexander. Instead she focused on cleaning up and putting the supplies away, getting her emotions under control so she could head out to get her work done. Once she had done so, she headed for the main desk to get the reports on any new patients as well as the summary of those who had been under someone else's care while she had been off for the Wake and for the Chimera Cup. After a cheerful good morning to the staff, with the reports in hand she left to start her rounds.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][quote name='Whoa, Mann'][SIZE="1"][COLOR="hotPink"]However... alot of the mods can be meanies sometimes. Us regular members try to ignore their ignorance, and sometimes even leave.. Sometimes they can't see that they're in no way helping anyone... I hope I don't get in trouble for a bit of the truth, here. :] But, here is not the case. So, everyone be happy. Resolved and adjourned, yes?[/COLOR][/SIZE][/QUOTE]Hmmm... Just to be clear... I wasn't moving for a dismissal of the concern, only owning up for how my original comment came across the wrong way. By all means, if we are doing something that a member feels is too strict or overreacting, etc. Then this is the best place to bring up that concern. Since like my own comment, sometimes we don't realize we are being to harsh or strict. I don't mind someone pointing out that I sound like some Fascist. Because it's easy to be misunderstood or to make a point only to later realize that you got it all wrong. And if people feel like we are coming across that way, the only way we'll find out is if someone says something. ^_~[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]I'm more than happy to own up to sounding like a jerk since I can see how my comment was taken the wrong way. In fact once I'm done here I'm going to go and edit it out since upon reflection I can see how it's not clear. For starters, there is absolutely nothing wrong with coming back and pointing out what seems to be a fallacy in someone's statement in order to get clarification, like what Nerdsy did over indifference's statement. That is not what I meant about arguing with staff. What I was referring to was the request to not use caps since online that's the same as yelling, and the request to relax. Coming back and posting [I]I did nothing[/I] after those requests, with no explanation or attempt to say hey, you didn't understand what I meant, is, in my opinion. Meaningless arguing. Not like the other where it clarified what indifference meant. I don't consider that arguing. I'm sorry if I was not clear and I appreciate you pointing out how my statement came across in a harsh manner. Especially since that was not my intent. ^_~[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]I have nothing to say really, because like indifference, I find the topic boring. Not that it isn't fascinating, but rather because I can't seem to manage to find someone to talk with on it who doesn't take offense when I don't agree with how they see it. And in the end, the actual topic isn't interesting enough to me to put the energy into debating it in a calm manner. The last time I tried, I got told by one of my more religious relatives that my [I]'lack of faith'[/I] was going to result in my going to hell for even considering evolution. :rolleyes:[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][CENTER][IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/alecialeanna-chronicle.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/alexanderedward-chronicle.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Alecia couldn't help but think about what Macey had just said: [I]-"When was the last time you had that time of the month?"-[/I] It tugged at her memory and then she had to wonder, considering the other things as well. The fatigue, the headaches... among other things. [I]It can't be... can it?[/I] She shook her head as she smiled at Alexander who was pining a little deal of white daisy's to her dress near the collar. [I]I can always run a test... in fact I'll do that tomorrow.[/I] And with that she put it out of mind. "[B]There you go love.[/B]" He smiled at her when he was done, taking her arm as he lead her back to where the others were. "[B]I don't know why you love daisy's though. Wouldn't you like some roses?[/B]" "[B]No, daisy's are such cheerful things. I never grow tired of looking at them.[/B]" She smiled again as they made their way back to where the others were, passing through the part that belonged to the Dynast's. They were almost to the other side when Primas Generous, who had been near the front, drink in hand while observing the races turned around to perhaps get a refill for his now empty glass. Both Alexander and Alecia managed to halt just short of literally running into the Dynast heir. "[B]Your Highness.[/B]" Alecia said with a small bow of her head, expecting him to simply move on, after all, unlike other members of her family she had no reason or political connections that would give him a reason to even talk to them. So she couldn't hide her surprise when he did. "[B]It's Alexander isn't it?"[/B] "[B]Yes your Highness.[/B]" "[B]No need to be so formal, we're on the same page here.[/B]" "[B]Your Highness?[/B]" Alexander was confused as to what he was talking about. "[B]The Underdogs, those cowardly fools who attempted to destroy Rosengard, I have been charged with ferreting them out so naturally I am aware of your involvement in helping to save Rosengard and her inhabitants from being killed.[/B]" He gave Alexander a measuring glance. "[B]Just as I'm aware that your name is now on the list of Guard members who are hunting down the missing potionists and doctors.[/B]" "[B]Right![/B]" "[B]I trust you have everything you need to carry out your investigation?[/B]" Primas asked him. Alexander nodded. "[B]I do. I'll be heading down to New Czenoble to follow up on some leads tomorrow.[/B]" "[B]Excellent.[/B]" Primas startled both of them by warmly grasping Alexander shoulder briefly. "[B]Keep up the good work. We'll bring those fools to justice.[/B]" And with a polite node to Alecia he moved to go and refill his drink. Both Alexander and Alecia moved to rejoin the others who were paying attention to of all things a chimera? And Victoria Ann was practically hugging the thing while it was nuzzling her in return in an affectionate manner? The sight was so startling that for a moment Alecia completely forgot about the fact that she needed to take a test and that she wished Alexander didn't need to travel to New Ceznoble for work. [I]What is going on?[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]I have a question or rather confusion about the plot. It was indicated that one of the heirs was thinking Bavaria would make a fine Queen, but that makes no sense to me. I mean royalty married to produce heirs so why would he consider a woman who is apparently barren? Unless he's not aware of this? Though I would imagine hiding the fact that she produced no children for Leonhart would have been impossible and highly gossiped about among the wealthy. Anyway, that's something that I've been curious about since that post. So what exactly is the deal? [B]EDIT:[/B] And to be clear, I thought she was barren because of this post here: [URL="http://www.otakuboards.com/showpost.php?p=797720&postcount=32"][U]post[/U][/URL][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]It looks like Victoria Ann has a new pet! :p I suspect that Lucy and her are going to become inseparable. Which brings up another question... just how smart are the Chimera's? I would imagine that they are intelligent to a degree. Would they be protective of their handlers? Personally I think the races would be more interesting if they were. Also... Shy! Post! I have the feeling that someone is going to [spoiler]die[/spoiler] when the next bit of drama happens. I could be wrong, but I'll be surprised if I'm not. XP[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][CENTER][IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/alecialeanna-chronicle.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/alexanderedward-chronicle.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/fauntleroy-chronicle.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/charlesavatar.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Alecia had figured that Fauntleroy was eager to get out of the Eshe Rehema Medical Center but of all things she had not expected to see him, with his left arm in a sling, along with Charles helping him to down the corridor in an attempt to leave the hospital. [I]That little...[/I] "[B]Fauntleroy Almagest![/B]" She called out in ringing tones, causing him to cringe and turn to look at her, his look one of guilt and chagrin over having actually been caught. She glared first at Fauntleroy and then at Charles who looked guilty as well, he opened his mouth to explain but she hushed him. "[B]I don't want to hear excuses from either one of you. I checked your chart this morning uncle and you are not scheduled to be released before tomorrow morning at the earliest.[/B]" She moved to direct them back to his room. "[B]I'm not trying to escape Alecia dear, I'm merely heading over to the Chimera Races to keep up with my interests in that affair.[/B]" He gave her what he probably thought was a pleading look. "[B]Can't I at least attend the races? Charles was kind enough to offer to keep an eye on me.[/B]" "[B]I what?[/B]" Charles said in confusion before quickly hushing up, causing Alecia to roll her eyes at the obvious lie. "[B]There you are Alecia,[/B]" It was Alexander. "[B]And here I thought you would be here a little longer uncle. Good to see you up and about.[/B]" "[B]He's not up and about.[/B]" Alecia said flatly, her eyes narrowing. "[B]He's heading back to his room where he belongs.[/B]" "[B]Alexander, don't you think getting out for a little bit would help?[/B]" Fauntleroy asked him, causing Alexander to wonder what was going on. "[B]Maybe it's not a bad idea.[/B]" Alexander finally agreed, hastily explaining when Alecia shot a glance at him as well. "[B]We're going there ourselves and if you feel he could handle a short time there, it would be good for him, don't you think?[/B]" Alecia looked at the three of them and then sighed at their hopeful expressions, especially Fauntleroy's. With a sigh she gave in. "[B]Fine, wait here while I go and make the arrangements, and you,[/B]" She glared at Fauntleroy, "[B]Go and sit down and stay put.[/B]" She took off down the corridor to head for the main desk for the patients in that section of the hospital. As soon as she was gone Fauntleroy started to take off again only to have Alexander shake his head. "[B]Don't make me stop you as well. There's no way I'm going to tell Alecia that I stood by and simply let you take off.[/B]" "[B]I suppose you're right,[/B]" Fauntleroy agreed as he went over to take a seat. "[B]Go and make the arrangements for a carriage Charles.[/B]" "[B]Uh... Sure.[/B]" Charles hastily took off down the corridor towards the main entrance to the Eshe Rehema. "[B]I don't suppose I could convince you to tell her I don't need to come back?[/B]" Fauntleroy looked oddly hopeful. Alexander just laughed. "[B]Are you kidding? I don't know anything about potionism and there's no way I'm going to try and tell Alecia how to do her job.[/B]" He grinned at Fauntleroy, "[B]You're just going to have to accept her fussing over you for a few days. After all, I understand that you're lucky the bullet didn't hit you lower. Just as I understand her quick treatment kept the blood loss down. Otherwise, you wouldn't even have the strength to attempt to escape.[/B]" What Fauntleroy would have said next was lost as both of them noticed that Alecia was returning, pushing along what appeared to be an elaborate chair on wheels. Something that had Fauntleroy groaning out loud a bit as she approached them.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][quote name='2008DigitalBoy'][COLOR="DarkOrange"]And man, I can't believe I'm still hearring crap about that sig I used! It was a quote from a video that made me laugh nonstop for 5 minutes, I just thought others would find it funny![/COLOR][/QUOTE]Well I can't believe you thought it was funny so I'd say we're about even. ^_~ But that's besides the point other than people's ideas of cluttered, or to big or whatever in regards to signatures is quite different. Which is what I was getting at.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][quote name='2008DigitalBoy'][COLOR="DarkOrange"]Actually, I've found a lot of the sigs lately to be hideously big, in fact, I always thought yours was one of the perpetrators, rach, no offense. Having a full size banner and text and a quote and a little other notation - at that point the thing tends to be huge. And let's not even talk about some other ones (Allamorph and Vicky come to mind) haha. I try to keep mine as small as possible, not exceeding 5-6 lines of text when I don't use a banner, and when I use a banner I restrict it to 2-3 lines of text. I think if eveyone can work in moderation like that, it won't be a problem to increase banner size a little.[/COLOR][/QUOTE]That's because you're neurotic DB. lol Seriously though, when it comes to total signature size I tend to look for stuff that is so long it fills the entire page at about 1024 x 768 resolution that is. Then I'll consider it too big and edit it for the person in question. Otherwise, in my opinion a banner and 5-6 lines of text isn't unreasonable, especially when the person uses the smallest setting for the text, you know like a certain [I]someone[/I] you just mentioned as on offender. :p And yes I fall in the same category as well. Not everyone likes smaller signatures like you do. You tend to go for questionable content instead of too much space. I'd much rather see you insert a banner as well instead of what you had in there last time really. Anyway... In the end I guess it's just a matter of demand since I don't see 10px as a huge deal, provided it's not constantly changed to accommodate 10 more and then 10 more since that would add up after all while and be rather tacky looking. XP [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]I decided to darken it up a bit to make it more menacing... though if you don't like I can always edit that for you. Anyway... [IMG]http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/9480/thehousepq6.jpg[/IMG][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Sorry to bother you Des... but it seems that OB is broken again as the same issue with posts not showing up has cropped up again. XP I don't mind posting again and deleting the duplicate, but I figured I'd mention that it's been doing it again the past couple of days.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][quote name='Sandy']PS. Doesn't anyone really want to try to solve the riddle on the landmark?[/QUOTE] I have no idea really, plus only Gadget and Vincent and Fonty have seen it so my character and I'm sure others, aren't even thinking about the clue. Plus it sounds like we need more to even know what it's referring to. I've been expecting more to come up really since the only one I would imagine has a clue is you and Shy. :p I have been thinking about it though, there just hasn't been an opportunity to actually insert it into a post. Alecia and Alexander don't even know it exists after all.[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE="1"]Yeah, I suspected that was the case, but I just wanted to make absolutely sure. I imagine that Harriet may have let Alecia in on Daedalus' condition, probably working with her on the serum he's being administered, so that in the event she passes away before her husband, there's still someone around who can make it. Daedalus will be doing his best to try and hide the extent of it, but stress seems to cause it to worsen, and it seems his life is getting more and more stressful. Hope this is OK with you too Beth.[/SIZE][/QUOTE]Actually, I kind of figured that Alecia already knew, considering what you posted. Having someone else know how to make the medicine, especially someone who would not turn around and leak it to the press would be essential. [/FONT][/COLOR]