James

[font=franklin gothic medium]Since people are saying their goodnights, my post now takes place very early in the following morning. Hopefully this is okay.[/font]

[center][img] http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/audrey-avatar.jpg[/img] [img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/princessaugustine-avatar.jpg[/img] [/center] When morning broke, Audrey could hear the occasional whistle of a bird somewhere above them. The sounds wound their way through the small rectangular portals above their heads. The thin beams of sunlight were warm and Audrey longed to feel the sun all over her skin. Pepper had been awake for most of the night. Sometimes she curled into a ball and rocked back and forth. Other times she spoke to herself in hushed tones. And sometimes she simply stood at the bars with her face between them. It was as though, if she concentrated hard enough, the bars would widen and allow her to walk through. It had only been half a day and one night, but Audrey felt as though she had been locked away forever. Her stomach constantly protested and dragged her mind back to thoughts of food and how desperately hungry she was. They had fed the prisoners no lunch or dinner the day before and, in fact, Audrey hadn't seen a single guard or officer in the dungeon since she'd been thrown into the cell. It wasn't long, however, before Audrey heard noises outside. She hadn't seen it, but she assumed that there were many more cells outside the narrow hallway. Sometimes she heard rattles and the clinks of chains, but now, she heard a series of footsteps. The large, iron door at the end of the hall opened. Audrey was surprised by what she saw. Several Guard officers entered the hallway and, behind them, Audrey saw none other than Princess Augustine. Augustine looked flustered. She was wearing an elaborate headdress that looked appropriate for some kind of official event. She seemed highly distracted and snapped at the officers occasionally. As she strode past the cell, she stopped suddenly and glared down at Audrey. Audrey felt pathetic. She was sitting on the cold concrete floor in a dirty, torn grey prison uniform. Her hair was matted and dirty and her arms and legs were slightly bruised. She instinctively looked away. 'You there. Look at me,' barked Augustine. There was no doubt she was talking to Audrey. Audrey reluctantly turned her head and looked up at the princess. Her eyes were cold and sharp. She was beautiful and her clothes were extravagant. Audrey felt almost guilty that she could only think about food, despite being confronted by a member of the royal family (which, at one time in her life, would have thoroughly excited her). 'I'm sure I've seen you before,' said Augustine sharply. 'Give me your name.' Audrey raised her hand to her forehead weakly. 'I'm Audrey. Audrey Bertrand.' Several officers behind Augustine murmured amongst themselves. Augustine hushed them. 'Bertrand? Why is that name familiar?' 'We have never met, Your Majesty,' said Audrey hastily. Augustine frowned. 'Well,' she huffed, 'I [i]suppose[/i] I'm either stupid or forgetful, is that what you're saying? I told you I've heard of your name before and I'm sure I've seen your face. Don't play games with me.' Audrey looked at the floor. Something about the sheer presence of Augustine made both herself and Pepper cringe. She seemed to dominate the entire dungeon when she spoke. One of the officers leaned forward and whispered in her ear. Her eyes widened and she clicked her fingers. 'Aha! Yes! Bertrand! You were Vincent Achard's assistant, weren't you?' Audrey nodded weakly. 'I see. Sorry state of affairs with Achard,' she murmured. 'Might have been useful, if only I'd recognized he was a traitor before Gaul got to him.' 'He was not a traitor!' cried Audrey suddenly. 'He served the Guard loyally. But when he saw what the Guard are prepared to do to keep order...' She coughed violently and grasped her chest. Augustine rubbed her chin thoughtfully. Her nails were long and perfectly manicured. 'And what of you? Why are you even here?' When Audrey stopped coughing, she took a deep breath. 'I was with him at the time. We were in Muldova having drinks. We did nothing wrong.' 'Well, I'm sure it's fair to say that you are sympathetic to the rebellion,' remarked Augustine thoughtfully. 'After all, you fled to Muldova rather than return to High Czenoble.' Audrey held her head in her hands as tears began to stream down her face. 'I don't know what I want!' she cried. 'All I've ever done is try to serve others and now I'm here in this horrible place. Why are they doing it to us?' Augustine chuckled. 'Oh, my dear, you have no concept of how the world works, do you? There are many powerful people in this country and they all want power. And I happen to be one of them. Today will be the day and I will know for sure.' Audrey could not believe that Augustine was happy to stand there talking about her plans for power, despite the obvious suffering right in front of her eyes. 'In any case,' remarked Augustine finally, 'I am always interested in those who can help me.' And with that, she said no more. Augustine strode out of the dungeon followed by the entourage of guards. 'She seemed interested in you,' said Pepper sarcastically. 'Lucky you! Maybe she'll pay us regular visits. Tell her to bring in a pie next time, won't you?' Audrey scowled. 'I have no idea what her problem is, but she knows who I am. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.' 'Maybe she'll give you a pardon,' joked Pepper. Audrey rolled her eyes. 'I don't think so. She doesn't seem the type to pardon prisoners.'

[font=franklin gothic medium]The nads will never die. Only Desbreko has the right to re-name them, I'm afraid. So his killer nads will live on. He's a dodgy character, that Desbreko.[/font]

[quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Arial]You, sir, have balls of amazing win. [/FONT][/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]Well, his nads [i]are[/i] famous (or infamous, depending on your perspective).[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Our real focus is for fans to create content that they can share with each other. I mean, we have built the world's largest anime fan art community and all of the elements that go along with it. I don't think you will ever see anime video on our network, unless some specific deal is struck with a distributor. The main issue, I think, is copyright violation. A lot of sites garner huge visitor numbers because they freely violate copyright and distribute material without the publisher's consent. We are really not interested in doing that. So for the time being, I think you'll find that our network will remain dedicated to all things related to anime fandom. If we ever do something like this in future, as I said, it will likely come down to some sort of specific deal with a publisher.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I think the point was that, if there is a rebellion occurring in New Czenoble, people would have to wonder what would happen to the factories there. I do think that's a legitimate point. Although I'm sure the Underdogs don't necessarily want to destroy the whole economy or anything. At this stage I don't think anyone will leave during the RPG. I do think, however, that people are just starting to refer to their future plans, given that the RPG will finish in only a few days' time. I'm sure just about everyone has lots of unfinished business in Czenovia yet! :catgirl:[/font]

[center][img] http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/audrey-avatar.jpg[/img] [/center] Audrey had been in the cell for several hours. She was tired, but couldn’t sleep. Her arms had been shackled together with heavy steel cuffs and her wrists still bore the deep marks. The only benefit to her situation was that she shared the cell with another woman – a woman much younger than her. Her name was Pepper (presumably it was some sort of code name; she had overheard a guard mention that the woman as a member of the Underdogs). Audrey guessed her to be around nineteen or twenty. She had short, cropped hair with a small pink butterfly pin in one corner. It was odd, given the contrast against her grey prison uniform. Although Pepper was quiet, Audrey enjoyed the company of another human being. After what she had seen earlier in the day, she could not bear to be left alone. Upon being arrested, the Guard officers had blindfolded her and it was only when she arrived at the cell that they lifted the blindfold. She had no idea where she was or how far away she was from civilization. The only hint of the outside world was a small gap in the bricks above her head, which permitted a small stream of sunlight to filter through. Pepper sat in the corner of the cell and leaned up against the metal bars, which separated the cell from a narrow hallway. Occasionally she eyed Audrey suspiciously, as though she knew that she’d worked for the Guard. This made Audrey uneasy, but at least it allowed her mind to focus on something other than death. ‘So, why’re you in here, then?’ Pepper’s stare didn’t falter. Her sudden desire to talk made little sense to Audrey, but perhaps Pepper, too, was happy to finally have some company. ‘I was arrested in Muldova,’ replied Audrey, her voice echoing around the cell’s empty walls. Pepper raised an eyebrow. ‘Arrested doing what?’ ‘Nothing. Just talking.’ Audrey suddenly felt slightly offended by Pepper’s questioning. She had just been through a severe and lengthy questioning session by the Guard before she had been incarcerated; she did not need to be harassed by a cellmate. Pepper finally looked away from Audrey and traced the edges of a brick with her fingertip. ‘Just talking, eh? Yeah, that’s what the bastards do when they can’t arrest you for anything else. Either that, or they pretend you made up something, like a threat or a plan.’ For a while, Pepper said nothing more. She continued tracing the brick as though it fascinated her. ‘What about you? What did you do?’ asked Audrey weakly. She was starting to feel hungry. Her stomach hurt. She had to talk to avoid thinking about the pain. A mischievous grin spread across Pepper’s face, but she did not look Audrey in the eye. ‘I’m a real bad girl,’ she said slowly. ‘They caught me right here, above ground.’ She looked up at the ceiling. ‘Caught me on my way in, actually. I’d already found my way past a few of their so-called Elite Guard.’ ‘I don’t understand. How did you get past the Guard?’ Pepper laughed to herself. ‘Don’t you know that the ‘dogs try to recruit those with significant knowledge of alchemy? It’s not just those they kidnapped; they’ve been recruiting alchemy students, too. I was studying forgery. Was pretty good at it, too. Knew how to fashion keys and all manner of things without much trouble.’ ‘Ah.’ Audrey straightened up against the harsh brick wall. Her wrists were still sore and red. ‘So you were trying to break in here? Why?’ Pepper’s smile disappeared suddenly. ‘To kill the King,’ she said coldly. Audrey’s eyes widened. ‘What? Why would the King have been here, of all places?’ Pepper shook her head and laughed again. ‘Have you no idea where you are?’ ‘No,’ replied Audrey. She had never seen where they took her, so how could she possibly know? ‘Just think,’ said Pepper, ‘where do you think is the most secure place in all of Czenovia?’ Audrey considered the question for a moment. She could only think of one reasonable answer, but it made no sense. ‘The Mirror Palace, I suppose.’ The words sounded ridiculous as she uttered them and it embarrassed her slightly. She suddenly felt highly naïve. Pepper, however, nodded vigorously. ‘Of course,’ she said with a clap of her hands. ‘The Mirror Palace. I thought everyone knew that the dungeons here were the worst in the world. Clearly you’ve been living under a rock!’ Admittedly, Audrey did feel foolish. It made perfect sense. The King had the country’s greatest security and it made sense that traitors would be brought directly to his dungeons. ‘Actually, there are already dozens of people here at least,’ continued Pepper. ‘My brother was brought here too, at the same time as me.’ As she spoke these words, Pepper’s head fell. She slid down the bars and held her face in her hands. ‘What happened?’ asked Audrey. Pepper sniffed and looked up at her. ‘He’s gone,’ she said softly. ‘An officer told me a few days ago. They got him. He’s gone.’ Pepper put her face in her hands again and sobbed. Even the sound of her sobbing was shallow and tired. It sounded as though the simple act of crying required so much effort. Perhaps, thought Audrey, she had been doing a lot of it here. ‘They told me I would be here for the rest of my life,’ said Audrey. ‘But my friend was not so lucky.’ ‘Oh, believe me,’ cried Pepper, ‘your friend is better off this way. Staying in this cell for the rest of your life will drive you mad. Better to be dead than here.’ Audrey wanted to say something to ease Pepper’s grief, but in reality, she was probably right.

[font=franklin gothic medium]Also, as I said to Shy at one point, many businesses that are run from High Czenoble have their key factories and warehouses in New Czenoble. If New Czenoble is taken by the Underdogs, I'd be wondering what impact this would have on the family businesses. At the very least, the Underdogs might enforce better conditions for staff (which would put costs up significantly). At the very worst...they might totally shut down the companies that they view as taking advantage of the common workers. So a few Almagests might have to start thinking about either alternative incomes, or moving their business away from New Czenoble.[/font]

[quote name='Aaryanna_Mom']Truthfully, I wouldn't say that Catherine hates her, it's more like she's disappointed in her. Though initially she was quite angry, she is now simply waiting for things to calm back down. But in the end, the only problem she has is one: she considers Dame Anna a close friend and two: she feels like Bavaria is allowing her sense of family honor to override what Leonhart would have wished for. Her disapproval is really more like a teacher seeing a promising student failing and being disappointed in that failure. Oh and she will do as Daedalus asked, she will not be agreeable to selling Magitech.[/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]Yeah I think that is fair enough. I was pretty much generalizing in my earlier comment. Having said that, I can see Lady Bavaria's point in one major area: her husband's mistress is essentially living in their house. I don't think anyone would support or condone that, especially if they were in Bavaria's situation. Mostly I'm just playing devil's advocate, because I don't view Bavaria as a two dimensional character who is simply "the bitch". I think that she has some reasonable motivations that are not necessarily shameful or dishonorable. Of course, she has probably handled things poorly. On the other hand, I don't know how rational I'd be if my partner's mistress were living in the house and relying on the family's money for years! :catgirl: (Seriously, I am very fond of Dame Anna... I just ponder this sort of stuff regularly, haha).[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Also, I imagine most media coverage will relate to the rebellion, which could threaten to spill over into High Czenoble (at least, that would be a main fear I guess). If Bavaria assumes Leonhart is dead, well...that does change things. However, I also have to assume that she did love him. If that is true, then she may not necessary shack up with someone else so quickly, despite being a pain in the butt. Although everyone hates her, she does have some legitimate points.[/font]

[center][img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/gustave-avatar.gif[/img] [img] http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/maceyellen-chronicle.jpg[/img] [/center] Macey woke with a start. The world lazily blurred into existence before her. A young man’s face was near hers. His long hair was tied back, but wisps of vivid blond fell beside his face and almost tickled her nose. His eyes were large and bright, full of mischief. And his smile was genuine and seemed to envelope her. His voice was deep and warm. ‘How are you feeling?’ Macey pushed herself up slightly. She was lying on an elaborate four poster bed. For a brief, wonderful moment, she had forgotten the last half hour. Now as she regained consciousness, she remembered the anonymous letter. Tears began to stream down her cheeks. Gustave brushed a tear from her face with his hand. His eyes were serious. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said finally. Macey sniffed and brushed her cheeks with the backs of her hands. ‘Why are you sorry? He was your cousin. We were already divorced…’ ‘You were divorced, but don’t doubt for a second that he loved you. That never left him.’ Macey did not want to hear that Vincent loved her. Tears streamed down her face with even more intensity than before. ‘I know, but I can’t hear that right now. I just- I could never have expected this…’ The note was sitting on the bed side table. Gustave picked it up and read over it. It did not contain any identifiable marks; it was as anonymous as a letter could get. The only thing that Gustave really noticed was the quality of the paper; it was thick and high-grade. It would have to have come from within High Czenoble, he thought. ‘This country is on the verge of tearing itself apart,’ said Gustave quietly. ‘Have you thought about your future here?’ ‘What do you mean?’ ‘I mean,’ Gustave put the note back on the bed side table, ‘have you given any thought to whether or not you will stay here? This is not my home and soon, I will return to Le Monde. But what will you do? I would not forgive myself if you came to harm. I have lost my cousin and that was more than I have ever been willing to lose.’ Macey moved across and sat on the side of the bed and looked at Gustave. ‘I don’t know what I’m going to do,’ she said quietly. ‘Before I make a decision I need to go back to Rosengard and talk to Eva and the others. I need to know what their plans are.’ Gustave nodded. ‘Understandable. There is no rush to get home right now, though. Why don’t we have dinner and a ride around the lake before I take you back to Rosengard? It might help to clear your mind.’

[quote name='Sandy']On the other hand, we don't have an eternity to wait for them to get properly acquainted, nor do we need to. If we want to, Primas can surely make Bavaria his queen with a snap of his fingers. It would be just like in the "good old days", when the marrying couple barely met before their wedding day. ;D[/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]Also I somehow can't imagine Bavaria being above a wedding of convenience. :catgirl:[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I think seeing Lady Bavaria as Queen would be incredibly weird. And I'm sure she'd be an interesting ruler - at least, for the time the Dynasts have remaining![/font]

[quote name='Raiha'][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]? But I'm wondering how soon she'd find out, that and if the same people would tell her about Audrey's imprisonment, because she'd feel almost obligated to rescue her or at least speak for her. Maybe she and Gustave can stage a prison break! HAH![/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]Funny you mention that. I'd like to look at ways for this to become a catalyst to introduce Audrey to other characters in a meaningful way. I figure her connection with Vincent will help with this. I have no idea how they will find out, perhaps some of you have suggestions.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]A few points about my latest post: [list] [*]The vagrant deliberately followed Vincent and Audrey to Muldova. [*]The Chimaera Stable is deliberately empty, so that their discussion can be heard. [*]The vagrant is, in fact, an officer of the Guard (thus the gold watch, which a vagrant would otherwise not possess). [*]Vincent did not see them coming; he was shot in the back of the head. Audrey witnessed this. [*]Audrey will be arrested. [/list] I hope that this post does not break any rules or interfere with anything. I wanted to show the extent, at least partly, of Rosier's cruelty. Unfortunately Vincent was one of the best ways to show it. If any of this post [i]does[/i] interfere with Shy/Sandy's plans, please let me know. I hope it all makes sense.[/font]

[center][img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/vincentavatar.jpg[/img] [img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/audrey-avatar.jpg[/img] [/center] The train station was suitably crowded, although Vincent was surprised that most of the activity was still around the city's center. Apparently most New Czenobles had decided to either take to the streets, or hide at home until they felt it was safe. The train station seemed to be mostly crowded with people who were returning home to High Czenoble; perhaps, thought Vincent, they did not want the crowds to turn on them next. Vincent and Audrey ran to Platform One, which was the main platform running to High Czenoble. It was so full that people were almost fall off onto the tracks. 'I don't like the look of this,' said Audrey under her breath. 'Looks like the next train is still almost half an hour away.' Vincent looked around and saw that the second platform was almost empty. A large sign above it said: [b]MULDOVA LINE. NEXT ARRIVAL, 5 MINUTES.[/b] He pointed excitedly. 'Audrey, look! The next train to Muldova arrives soon! Maybe we should go there instead? We can get out of this hell hole and find another way back to High Czenoble.' Audrey looked somewhat unconvinced, but eventually she nodded in agreement. 'If nothing else, we can at least rest for a few hours and contact our families. Perhaps from there you can have a steamcar sent to pick us up?' Vincent knew that as Assistant Commander this would be possible. However, he no longer wanted anything to do with the Royal Police Guard. What he had seen that afternoon had burned into his memory and he could think of nothing else. 'I don't know,' he admitted, 'but I'm sure we'll think of something.' They sat at the end of a long carriage, as the steam train roared away from New Czenoble. Both Vincent and Audrey felt a tangible sense of relief. 'Thank god it's over,' said Audrey quietly. Her brow was still moist and she dabbed it with a handkerchief Vincent had lent her. Vincent looked out the window. The deep grays and blacks of the city were giving way to green countryside, as they sped away from the city. 'I think,' said Vincent as he ran a hand through his hair, 'that it has only just begun.' For a moment the pair were silent. Vincent examined the carriage with great interest. For the most part, it seemed that the entire train was empty. Vincent noticed, though, that there was one other occupant in their carriage. He was sitting at the other end and looked frail and dirty; his clothes were ragged and his hair matted. He looked like a vagrant who had wanted a free ride. Vincent didn't think he had a home to return to. Seeing a vagrant on a train in High Czenoble was nothing new, but there was something odd about this man. Vincent had noticed him standing on the Muldova platform quite near himself and Audrey. At the time, Vincent had thought nothing of it - but he somehow had the feeling that the man had only decided to board the train at the last minute, when he saw Vincent and Audrey board. Vincent had half expected the man to ask for Crownes, but he didn't. He simply sat there and stared at the floor. Maybe he was drunk, thought Vincent. And yet, something was odd. Whenever Vincent looked away, he was certain that he could feel the man's stare. But when he looked directly at the man, there he was, staring at his shoes again. It was understandable, perhaps, that Vincent felt paranoid at the moment. 'When we get to Muldova, I'm going to have a long hot bath,' mused Audrey. She seemed to be brightening up now that the immediate threat was behind them. The quietness of the journey and the beautiful scenery distracted her from the horrors they had witnessed only an hour before. Vincent didn't look at Audrey as he spoke. He continued to eye the old man. 'Do you think you'll return to Anova?' 'Possibly,' replied Audrey with a sigh. 'I don't know. I can't be sure of anything right now. If they close the border...I may never get out.' 'I will sign a pass for you to leave,' said Vincent. 'It'll be my final thanks to you for all you've done to help me.' Audrey raised an eyebrow. 'Final thanks? Aren't you getting out too?' 'Oh, yes, I think so,' said Vincent. 'But before I do, I am going to resign from the Guard. Once I've done that, who knows. Perhaps it will be safe in High Czenoble. I've built a life there...and I don't want to go back to Anova without Gadget.' A tear rolled down Vincent's cheek as he sat there silently. Audrey knew he was not a man who cried - or at least, she had never seen his emotions - but she did not blame him at this moment. 'I'm sure Gadget will return to you,' said Audrey softly. 'He loves you, doesn't he?' Vincent smiled and nodded weakly. 'Yes, I think so. I hope so.' 'He may be young, but he's a smart kid,' said Audrey. 'Don't forget that he lived in New Czenoble for years. I'm sure he'll find a way out in no time.' Vincent was eternally thankful for Audrey's small-talk, despite what she thought of his relationship with Gadget. Vincent closed his eyes. Audrey did the same. Soon, they were both fast asleep. Audrey leaned on Vincent's shoulder and dreamed of home. [b]"ATTENTION PASSENGERS, THIS IS THE FINAL STOP. PLEASE DISEMBARK."[/b] Vincent woke with a start. He checked his watch. They had been traveling for a couple of hours and now, finally, they had reached Muldova. It was certainly further away than he'd first thought by looking at it from the air. He woke Audrey and the pair disembarked the train and walked through the train station. Muldova was nothing like either High or New Czenoble. Vincent smiled. Cobblestone lanes divided short, squat buildings, which were all decorated with elaborate signs. The architecture was closer to what Vincent had been used to in Anova; it was old and provincial, a far cry from the enormous cities that punctuated Mt. Grail. It was late afternoon and the sun was no longer at its highest. Vincent and Audrey were exhausted. 'I think,' said Audrey with a playful grin, 'that we need to visit the nearest pub. You promised me some ale, I believe.' Vincent laughed. 'Yeah, you got me there. Well, there's a pub right across the street from the station. How about it?' Audrey winked. 'We'll start here and work our way down to the nearest hotel.' The Chimaera Stable was a quaint little pub, full of old-fashioned wooden furniture. There were very few customers on the premises that day, which was probably not odd, Vincent thought, given the time of day. Now that Vincent considered it, he realized that he had seen hardly any people on the streets outside the station either. He assumed that he was simply used to big cities - anything else would surely seem like a deserted backwater compared to High Czenoble. 'Looks like we have the place all to ourselves,' murmured Audrey. She was right. Now that Vincent thought about it, the entire pub was empty, save for the elderly husband and wife who ran it. As the husband cleaned glasses behind the bar, his wife hobbled over to the pair with a small notepad in hand. 'What'll it be?' she muttered. 'Two glasses of Muldovan Ale, please,' replied Audrey brightly. The woman muttered something else inaudible and walked away. 'What a little ray of sunshine,' squeaked Audrey sarcastically. Vincent laughed. His laugh echoed throughout the empty room. And then, he noticed something strange. The old woman and her husband were nowhere to be seen - the bar was empty. And, sitting a few tables away from them, in a large wooden booth by the wall, was the old vagrant from the train. Vincent put his head in his hands. 'What's the matter?' asked Audrey. 'I don't know,' said Vincent under his breath. 'Something is wrong. I don't feel comfortable here. Maybe we should go straight to a hotel after our drinks?' Audrey nodded. 'Of course. I just thought we could have a drink and distract ourselves a little...' 'I know, it's fine,' said Vincent. 'I just don't want to stay out any longer. I'm so tired.' Finally, the old woman returned with two tall glasses sitting atop a silver tray. 'Here you go,' she murmured as she placed the glasses on the table. Audrey took a strong swig of ale. 'Just like I remember it!' she exclaimed. 'It's so smooth, isn't it?' Vincent sipped his. The taste almost made him forget his discomfort. 'It's excellent,' he said with a hint of a smile. Both Audrey and Vincent chatted over their ale and soon, they had become absorbed in discussion. As Audrey licked her lips and downed the last mouthful of ale, they both heard the squeal of a chair being moved across the floor. They looked up and saw the old vagrant standing up. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve and looked over at them. 'Who's that?' asked Audrey quietly. 'He was on the train,' said Vincent slowly. 'He was in New Czenoble.' 'What?' The old man approached them and pulled up a chair at their table. 'I'm sorry,' he said, his voice weak and fragile. 'I couldn't help but come over here. I recognize you.' He pointed to Vincent. This did not surprise Vincent. People often commented on his status - those in New Czenoble were especially familiar with his face, which had adorned several posters put up all over the city by the Underdogs. 'They say you're loyal to Gaul Rosier,' continued the old man, 'but I think you really want to help us be free.' Vincent and Audrey exchanged surprised glances. 'Are you a member of the Underdogs?' asked Vincent. 'You can tell me.' The old man chuckled loudly. 'Do not fear, the Underdogs are well known in Muldova. And they're widely supported, too. Look at this.' He reached into his tattered jacket and produced a small badge. It had the familiar wolf's head symbol emblazoned on the front. 'I see,' said Vincent. 'I'm going to wear it proudly when New Czenoble is liberated,' croaked the old man. Audrey grinned. 'Didn't Gaul tell you the Underdogs had limited support? Hah! If only he knew. Nobody outside High Czenoble likes him or the Guard.' The old man nodded and grinned. 'You're supporters, are you?' he asked again. Audrey smiled widely and raised her empty ale glass. 'Of course! Why do you think we're here? We fled the Vigilant. We aren't members, but after seeing what the Guard did today, we definitely sympathize.' The old man clasped his hands together. 'Good on you! I'm so happy to hear it. I hear the Vigilant got shot down.' 'Really? That's good news,' replied Audrey. 'Don't you think, Vincent?' Vincent nodded slowly. 'I hope it didn't kill too many people. We were lucky to make it out alive.' 'What will you do now?' asked the old man, turning to Vincent. 'What do you mean?' 'Well,' he croaked, 'you're now an unofficial Underdog supporter, aren't you? I'd think that would clash with your Guard responsibilities quite a bit!' He choked and coughed as he laughed. 'I guess so,' said Vincent. 'I think things need to change. I'm not sure what I'll do - I might go home to Anova. Or I might stay here and see if I can offer any help.' 'That's the spirit,' exclaimed the old man, 'Underdogs Forever!' Vincent and Audrey raised their empty glasses again and laughed. The old man smiled and pulled back one of his sleeves. Underneath was a large, golden watch. He examined it closely. 'Oh, almost time to go,' he muttered. Vincent glared at the old man's wrist. How was it possible that a simple vagrant had such an expensive-looking watch? Audrey had apparently noticed it too, as her eyes widened. She grinned. 'Where'd you get the watch?' The old man ignored her. 'Hey, mister, did you hear me?' The old man did not look up. A smile spread across his face. Finally, he looked up at the ceiling. Vincent and Audrey looked up too and then they heard it; the sound of heavy thumping all around them. It sounded like dozens of heavy boots hitting the wooden floor. 'Vincent, do you know what the penalty for treason is?' The old man was now grinning from ear to ear. His teeth were vividly white. 'What are you talking about?' cried Vincent. 'What's happening? What is that noise?' The old man ignored him. 'The punishment, I believe, is death by firing squad. Although they may not wait for that. It might be quick and easy, if you're lucky.' Vincent stood up quickly, his chair tumbling over and hitting the floor with a thud. Audrey did the same, her eyes wide with fright. 'What the hell is going on?!' he screamed, as the thundering of many boots became louder. 'It's too late, Vincent. They're coming for you. We always knew you'd do it.' Vincent grabbed the old man by his collar and shook him violently. 'What are you talking about? If you don't tell me, so help me, I will tear you apart!' The old man laughed loudly. 'And her,' he spat, 'she'll be re-educated, I'm sure. She'll be sent away. Nobody will hear from her again.' Vincent shoved the old man hard and he went sprawling backwards into a nearby table. His mouth was bleeding. 'Almost here!' he cried out loud. 'It's almost over! They'll wipe your name from the history books, Vincent Achard. You will cease to have existed!' Tears streamed down Audrey's face. She could not move; she seemed physically frozen. 'We were wrong,' she cried through her tears, 'they are everywhere. I'm sorry, Vincent. I'm so sorry!' Vincent opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly the room went dark. He slipped into a cool black sleep. He was sure he felt his mother sitting by his bed, dabbing his forehead with a damp cloth. He knew that when he woke up, she'd have a big warm hug waiting for him.

[font=franklin gothic medium]You're going to have to skip me, this time. I can't use the Internet in Windows right now, which makes it difficult to put something together (I do all my graphics work in Windows rather than OS X). Hopefully I'll be able to join in again soon when everything is running properly.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Your post was excellent, Malkav. The Underdogs are now one big step closer to taking New Czenoble! :catgirl:[/font]

[center][img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/vincentavatar.jpg[/img] [img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/audrey-avatar.jpg[/img] [/center] It seemed like they had been in the underground car park forever. When the steamcar finally found its way onto the street, the entire city seemed to explode with noise. High above, Vincent could hear the deep whirring of steam-powered machine guns. Shortly after the guns began to fire on the crowd, trails of black smoke emerged from all over the city; there were people returning fire everywhere. Vincent could hardly believe it. Clearly, the Underdogs had planned for a confrontation and even worse, they had come prepared for victory. Audrey was facing the rear window of the car, her eyes glued to the Vigilant, which hovered noisily overhead. The steamcar was traveling away from the square, but the surrounding chaos made it slow going. 'I can't believe it,' said Audrey vacantly. 'They're actually doing it. They're [i]finally[/i] doing it. All those things we did, Vincent...all that hard work...we were devoting our careers to murderers.' Vincent swallowed hard. He knew Audrey was right. Here he was, the Assistant Commander of the Royal Police Guard, stuck in the back of an official steamcar, trying to escape from one of his own vessels. It was firing indiscriminately on the square, but for now their car seemed to be far enough to be safe. He suddenly felt violently ill and wanted to vomit. He had known Gaul was a tyrant, but he had become so comfortable with his job and his lifestyle that he had failed to see the bigger picture. [i]Why didn't I just go back to Anova when I had the chance?![/i] he thought. The issue at hand was clearly to escape the city. But what would he do afterwards? He felt an overwhelming sense of homesickness. Le Monde was nothing like this - Anovans didn't know of this horror, he thought. He began thinking of his sickly mother, who had had not seen in months. What would she think of him? Her son, working for a cruel dictatorship. More than anything, he now suddenly felt that he had failed everyone. He'd lost Gadget, his mother was ill and he'd been more than happy to bring his assistant to New Czenoble when she probably didn't really need to accompany him. 'We're not going to get out in time if we stay in the car,' said Audrey. She had now turned around in the seat and put her glasses on. She seemed to have calmed down remarkably quickly - Vincent knew that she was only calm because she was trying to plan their escape; it distracted her from the horror occurring around them. Audrey looked at her watch. 'There's a train coming in ten minutes or so,' she said quickly. 'If we could just get one block away, we can make it. The track running through the center of the city is underground, which means we won't have to pass by that ship. It could get us out of here.' Vincent nodded, although he knew the train would be incredibly busy. Still, they stood no chance while they were couped up in a car that was barely moving. Apparently the driver had heard them; the window dividing them slid down. 'Hey! I'm not leaving this car! You'd have to be crazy to go out there!' Vincent and Audrey looked at each other. 'You don't have to go with us,' said Vincent, 'but please...you can't stay here. You have to find a way out!' The window promptly slid back up. The driver was clearly too scared to move; he certainly wouldn't want to follow them to the train station. 'Okay,' breathed Vincent, 'we have to just do this. Are you ready?' Audrey was visibly shaken, but she nodded resolutely. 'Let's go.'

[quote name='Shy'][size=1]Your Audrey avatar has the wrong dimensions. [center][IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/audrey-avatar.jpg[/IMG][/center] There you go. The main page of the RPG has been updated to include her avatar as well. -Shy[/size][/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]Yeah, that's why I ended up removing it earlier. I figured I'd just make a replacement later on, but this is a pleasant surprise. Your version is actually framed a [i]lot[/i] better anyway. ~_^ Thanks much! I'm looking forward to developing her a bit further, now that everyone knows what she looks like.[/font] :catgirl:

[font=franklin gothic medium]Hm...maybe PM me with your idea, Malkav. My intention is that the crowd of Underdogs will take down the Vigilant (given the size of the ship). The Underdogs (in Rach's post) have already begun engaging it. Maybe Jack can deliver the final blow. Edit: Actually, don't worry about the PM. You can write what you want, but yeah, it'd be good if it were a "final blow". I'm sure the crowds will go crazy when Jack sinks it! Heheh.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]All hell is about to break loose in New Czenoble, for those who are going to be in the area. :catgirl: [b]Edit:[/b] Well, looks like things have started. As you can see, the RPG gunship Vigilant has begun firing on the crowd in New Czenoble. Many members of the crowd are also Underdogs and they have brought their own weapons - they are firing back. My next post is going to include a couple of major events, including the downing of the Vigilant. This symbolic win by the Underdogs is going to strengthen them and it's going to scare the hell out of the leaders in High Czenoble. I am mentioning this here because I've discussed it with Shy/Rach/Raiha and I wanted everyone to be aware of what I'm planning just in case (I know most of you aren't in New Czenoble, but there may be references to this in High Czenoble). Also, just for detail's sake... the RPG in High Czenoble will be going into spin initially. They will deny firing at the crowd as a first resort and they will initially deny the downing of the gunship. The Underdogs, though, will provide proof to the citizens of High Czenoble soon enough. Edit: Here's the imagery for Audrey. I found an image that really suited my idea of her. [center] [img]http://img118.imageshack.us/img118/7754/audreybertrandbt2.jpg[/img][/center][/font]

[center][img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/vincentavatar.jpg[/img] [img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/audrey-avatar.jpg[/img] [/center] Vincent packed his things quickly. Audrey did the same, without finishing her breakfast. As the pair stuffed their clothes into suitcases, they felt a heavy rumble through the floor. And, overhead, they heard a deep burble of large steam engines. Audrey and Vincent looked at each other. Audrey’s voice shook as she spoke; she had to yell to be heard over the roaring of the engines. ‘What was that?!’ Vincent didn’t have to see the airship to know what it was. ‘RPG Gunship!’ he cried over the noise. Audrey’s eyes widened. She grabbed her suitcase and followed Vincent out of the hotel room. They both rushed down the stairs until finally, they came upon an underground parking garage. Several steamcars were queued up at the street entrance; everyone was trying to leave at once. Vincent’s steamcar was idling nearby. The driver had raised its diplomatic flags. Audrey seemed relieved. ‘If they know who you are, we’ll be able to get out!’ she panted. Vincent shook his head. ‘No, we can’t have those flags up! If the Underdogs see, we’ll be the number one target.’ He ran over to the steamcar and tore the flags from its hood. The driver was already sitting inside the car; he simply nodded, immediately understanding his mistake. Both Vincent and Audrey dived into the rear of the car along with their bags. The steamcar then waited in line with the other vehicles, which were slowly making their way out onto the main street. The streets were apparently now crowded with people, carriages and steamcars. Vincent climbed forward in the car and looked out one of the side windows. The giant Underdogs banner was still visible and at the base of the Shot Tower, he could see a large group of people forming. In his estimation there were about two or three hundred people at the base of the tower. Several were holding up Underdogs banners. The Gunship was now hovering low over the crowd. Some people were covering their ears due to the deafening engines. This was, by far, one of the largest airships in Czenovia’s arsenal. Vincent never thought he’d see the day when it would be used for crowd control. Suddenly the engines went quieter – the ship was moving into a stationary hover. A voice pierced the air over a loudspeaker, emanating from the airship above. [B]CITIZENS OF NEW CZENOBLE, YOU ARE HEREBY ORDERED TO RETURN TO YOUR HOMES OR YOUR PLACES OF EMPLOYMENT IMMEDIATELY, BY ORDER OF HIS MAJESTY THE KING. THIS IS FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY. WE WILL ALLOW TEN MINUTES FOR YOU TO CLEAR THE CITY SQUARE.[/B] As the voice reverberated around the city, Vincent noticed that only a few people seemed to be paying attention to the warning. Mostly, it seemed that people with children were trying to move them away from the square. Other than that, though, most adults were crowding around the Shot Tower. Underdogs banners were being unfurled from nowhere; the speed with which the situation had intensified was startling. ‘We’re not going to be able to get out in time!’ cried Audrey. ‘Maybe we should run.’ Vincent looked back at her. Her eyes were wide with fright. ‘We can’t panic, Audrey,’ he said calmly. ‘I’m sure they won’t do anything. They’re just trying to create some order before this gets dangerous. The most they’ll do is use a water cannon or something.’ Audrey rolled her eyes. ‘Vincent!’ she cried. ‘You are the Assistant Commander! You know what Gaul Rosier is capable of. Do you think he’ll stop at the use of water cannons?’ ‘Look, I know Gaul is a tyrant…but I’ve never known him to authorize the use of force on a crowd of civilians like that. Even he isn’t that cruel,’ replied Vincent. Audrey struck the rear seat with her first. ‘I know you haven’t been in the job for more than a few months, but trust me when I tell you, he is [i]very[/i] capable of doing some horrible things.’ It wasn’t like Audrey to panic or to throw wild accusations around. But Vincent couldn’t believe his ears. In any case, they now only had five minutes. Their car wouldn’t get far in the traffic within that time. And it was too late to run. In five minutes, they’d see Gaul Rosier’s brand of crowd control in action.

[font=franklin gothic medium]Quick point for Raiha: Lazarus is a large, Chocobo-like Chimaera. He's all-white in colour, except for some black feathers around his face and through his wings. He doesn't quite have the cute look of a Chocobo though - he's a bit more sleek and elegant (his head/face is hawk-like, I'd say). Also I would have made the section with Gustave longer, but this time I needed to focus on Audrey/Vincent. Their discussion is significant (for Vincent, anyway)... Other than that... the revolution has started. ~_^ [/font]

[center][img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/vincentavatar.jpg[/img] [/center] Vincent’s night had ended as though it were a holiday. They had arrived at New Czenoble in the evening and their steamcar had taken them to a hotel near New Czenoble’s Aerodrome. The hotel, as it happened, looked out onto the center of the city – where its spiral of buildings and streets merged at the foot of the Shot Tower. As soon as they’d stepped out of the steamcar, Audrey had encouraged Vincent to go out for a drink. Vincent was pleasantly surprised; he found much of New Czenoble to be laid-back. The air was calm and the citizens were mostly quite friendly. Although the city had its share of slums, much of it was rather like High Czenoble – except much busier and significantly more crowded. That night Vincent and Audrey had both reached the edge of blind drunkenness and, together, they’d worked their way back to the hotel. Vincent had ended up sharing more with Audrey than with anyone in recent memory; he’d told her about Gadget and about his increasing doubts over Gaul Rosier’s leadership. Audrey, predictably enough, had agreed with all of his sentiments. When morning came, the pair sat by the window and ate breakfast. ‘I feel horrible,’ said Vincent, his mouth full of bacon. Audrey laughed. ‘Why on earth do you feel horrible?’ ‘It’s the first day of our arrival and we’re already hung over. What does that say about our professionalism? Besides…I haven’t achieved anything. I’ve lost Gadget.’ Vincent’s vague smile faded as the words escaped. Audrey cocked her head. ‘You remember what we talked about last night, right?’ Vincent nodded slowly. ‘Yeah. You told me that there were reports from onlookers that someone was following the Starks out of the Circuit.’ ‘Yes,’ said Audrey, ‘a young blonde man. Coincidence?’ Audrey stabbed a sausage with her fork. ‘I don’t believe it,’ replied Vincent. ‘It makes no sense. The Starks are dangerous killers. Why would anyone run off with them – especially Gadget, who is as timid as a mouse?’ Audrey shrugged. ‘People do strange things when they’re under pressure, I guess.’ ‘If it’s true though,’ Audrey continued, ‘it says a lot about how he views you.’ Vincent knew that Audrey had a point, but he didn’t want to concede it. ‘Not necessarily. Maybe they forced him. Besides, he’s young and ignorant of the larger world; who knows what they told him.’ Audrey dabbed her lips with a serviette. ‘True,’ she said, ‘but nevertheless, you’d think he’d either struggle or run in the opposite direction. The Guard were everywhere; he would have been protected.’ Vincent raised an eyebrow. ‘Why are you so cynical?’ Audrey delicately propped her egg and toast together. ‘Cynical? Don’t you remember our long talk last night? I thought you said you had doubts from the beginning. Besides, you’re in your forties…you’re handsome…and you’re successful. Anyone would want you. Why settle for someone who flees from you at the first opportunity?’ Vincent put his cutlery down. ‘Even if that is all true, it doesn’t change the way I feel about Gadget. He helped me to realize that there’s life after divorce, as cliché as that sounds.’ Audrey smiled warmly at Vincent. ‘Sorry, I don’t want to trivialize how you feel. You’re right. I just have a tendency to play devil’s advocate, especially with friends.’ ‘Ah! So I’m your friend now?’ The room filled with laughter. ‘Getting drunk with my boss changes things,’ said Audrey as she bit into her toast. When the pair finished breakfast, they chatted for a little while longer. But their chat was cut short when Audrey began staring out the window vacantly. From where he was sitting, Vincent couldn’t quite see what she was looking at. He began to worry; her expression was one of sudden shock. ‘Audrey! What’s the matter?’ cried Vincent. ‘Oh…I think you should stand over here and see for yourself,’ she said quietly. Vincent stood up and walked around behind her chair. And there, he saw it: [center][img]http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/9922/underdogsej6.jpg[/img] [size=8]UNDERDOGS FOREVER[/size][/center] A giant banner had been unfurled from the top of the Shot Tower. It rolled all the way down, almost to street level. ‘Vincent,’ said Audrey quietly, ‘I don’t think we should stay long.’ [center][img] http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/gustave-avatar.gif[/img][img] http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/maceyellen-chronicle.jpg[/img][/center] Gustave’s summer house was very unlike Rosengard. Macey could not help but notice the differences. The house was smaller and had an eastern flavour – or at least what Macey imagined to be eastern, as she had never been to the east continent. It was nestled into the foot of Mt. Grail, west of New Czenoble. It sat on a small lake, which was bordered by Czenovian fur trees. Gustave took Macey’s arm and led her beyond the front gates, into the gardens. His face had lost some color and he didn’t exude the enthusiasm of the prior day. ‘What’s the matter?’ asked Macey earnestly. ‘You don’t look so good.’ ‘My Chimaera,’ replied Gustave. ‘The one that almost took out our stand yesterday?’ Gustave nodded slowly. ‘His name is Lazarus. He’s badly injured. I brought a vet with me but he’s perplexed; nobody knows what to do. Lazarus is my greatest Chimaera.’ ‘I may be able to help,’ piped up Macey. ‘I am not a vet, but I might be able to offer some assistance. Can you show me to Lazarus?’ Gustave’s tone changed slightly. A little spring seemed to return to his step. ‘Oh, really? Well, if it’s not too much trouble. I have a stable behind the house, near the lake. Lazarus is in there right now. I’ll take you to him.’