To Enlist or Not to Enlist? [open]

[Deleted]

Ilta sat on the upper end of the mountain, looking down upon the training grounds. Her long hair is tied back. She wears a simple brown tunic, black pants, and brown boots. This wasn’t the first time she contemplated joining the guard here. She was a decent blacksmith, and falling back into some kind of routine would be nice. She couldn’t really make much sense of what she was here to begin with, so why not dedicate herself to serving Teair Nova? It was a good a purpose as any. Still, she had no clue what kind of person Noku Noru was.  There was something strange about dedicating oneself to a king that one knew nothing about.  Alex had said this was the beginning of the Rose Guard, so did she really wish to support a crown that would allow that to flourish. On the other hand, even Alex's knowledge about this world was wrong.  What was this place?  What was her part in it?  Did she even care to take part in Fate's original plan for her?

She continues watching the soldiers practice. Or she could take up the sword. She’d get more steady pay for essentially doing the same thing she had been doing: resolving problems around this kingdom. She really ought to make some kind of decision on this instead of awkwardly watching them. Surely someone must have noticed her by now.

[Deleted]

”Well are you going or not?”

The voice came from up in the tree, suddenly a young red head swung into view. Her long hair cascading down in a red curtain that almost brushed the ground. She hung upside down on the branch with a large smile on her face. An oversized linen shirt much too thin for the winter season hung loosely on her form, it was tucked into some oversized breeches that were held up by a length of vine with her daggers strung onto it. Her feet were bare, and wiggled in the breeze. From her angle, Aria was well hidden from view of the soldiers below, but plain to the girl.

”I will go with you if you’d like? Moral support and what not…”

Aria flipped off the branch with acrobatic ease. She unlaced the vines strung with daggers and held it out to the girl.

”Take the daggers for time being, they will more than prove your worth as a smith…that is if you’re going for that. I don’t want to assume. “

[Deleted]

Ilta up to the tree to see Alex. She kind of wonders how long she’s been sitting in the tree, watching her. “You know, this world is vast. It is entirely possibly the two of us would never run into each other. However, we’ve randomly met once at the Springs, once on an expedition to the woods, we were both at the ball, and now here. So are you following me or are we destined to keep meeting?” She wonders if Alex would admit that this is all kind of creepy now.

She turns her attention back to the soldiers below. “Moral support… yeah… Alex, we hardly know each other. I thought we already established we don’t have the trust thing down exactly either.”

She waves the daggers out of her face. “No. Keep them. I don’t feel like owing anyone anything. Besides, I’ve yet to make any life-altering decisions yet.”

[Deleted]

Aria shrugged with a goofy grin, she often wondered the chances of running into people that she met randomly over and over again. Yet it would seem that was her fate, to keep running into people. She just learned after eight years to roll with it.

”I’ve stopped asking that question years ago….I never get a clear answer and what answers I do get are downright frustrating. But to answer the first question, no I am not fallowing you. I rarely track two legger’s unless I have need of them or they are a part of my pack. I am afraid that we are likely to keep running into each other, it’s just how things happen sometimes”

It was fair obvious Aria was quite use to situations like this, she just learned to accept them. It was just a head ache to try to figure out. The answers would come on their own in due time. She looked at the girl with a strange twinkle in her eye.

”Trust is a funny thing; however I don’t need to know you, to know that you are lost. Otherwise you would not be standing on the edge of this camp.”

Aria shrugged when the woman refused her daggers; but she did not place them back around her.

”I’m not giving them, merely if you need proof of your skills to make things go smoother, when and if you make your decision, you’re more than welcome to borrow. It comes without strings attached to it. I assume you thought this of a way to rope you into accepting my offer….Yes I gave you the offer to fallow me before, but the choice is yours to make. It’s one I would not force on a person….Now what is making you so hesitant?”

[Deleted]

“Two-legger?” Ilta repeats. “You know, I used to be able to take the form of a wolf. That’s been… This world is strange, and it doesn’t appear I can anymore. As for packs, I’d say I might be the more feral of us two, if I am going to be honest. You are very… puppy-like.” Puppies, they were always bouncing. Always concerned with everything one was doing.

“Lost… No, I know exactly how to get back to my place,” Ilta says, trying to brush off that comment with a joke. She didn’t much want to admit that bit.

Ilta stands up as soon as Alex mentions hesitation. “No, don’t worry about it. But you’re right, I shouldn’t be hesitating.” She looks back towards Alex, “Alright, I’m headed down there. I’d say farewell, but I get the feeling that if you don’t follow me down there, then we will still end up meeting again.” She starts to walk down the mountain and into the training grounds.

[Deleted]

Aria arched a brow when Ilta informed her she use to be able to turn into a wolf. Perhaps she’d be able to help with that later. Aria let out a whoop of laughter when she described her as puppy like, tis a curse she would always bear. Her eyes glittered with mirth, being puppy like was not the worst thing you could be.

”Puppies are adorable though, can’t be upset around a puppy! However you’re not the only one to say that…At least I’m house trained…so out of curiosity do your clothes change with you.”

At that last part Aria became very serious, she genuinely wanted to know…But alas the girl seemed to have suddenly made up her mind.

”WAIT UP I’m coming!”

Aria jumped back up into the tree and removed her clothing and hid away her daggers in a hallow of a tree. As an afterthought she also took the amulet off around her neck and tucked it away with her clothes. Just to be safe she closed the hollow with her magic before changing her form. With a few cracking of bones and such Aria took the form of a blood red barn owl. One with a white snowy ghost like face, and a white belly. She took flight and found a perch on Iltas shoulder.

[Deleted]

Ilta shakes her head and laughs a little as Alex tells her that she is house-trained. “No, my clothes never transformed with me. Transforming cloth as well as flesh was never a trick that I learnt how to do. However, it made navigating woods better. I could also turn into a crow if I wanted to fly. I think flying will be something I miss.”

Ilta turns around as Alex yells that she is also going. “I thought as much.” However, she quickly turns away as Alex starts undressing. She was either transforming, propositioning her, or acting crazy. “You know, I normally have to buy women drinks before they tear off their clothes for me.” She nods as the barn owl perches on her shoulder. “Alright, because I won’t look strange with this red owl on my shoulder. Let’s go, I guess.”

She walks around the practice fields and towards the buildings. Opening a door, she asks whomever is inside, “Is this where I sign on? Or who do I talk to about that?” Honestly, she didn’t know much of the process that went behind this.

[Deleted]

It was not until Séanait awoke with a pounding headache and found herself in a room with four men as naked as herself that she was willing to admit to having a problem. The last week had not been her best. Each night had been spent drinking herself into oblivion and had ended with her in bed with a man or two. Four, though, that was not a good sign.

Standing, Séanait froze as she felt pain where there should be none. She closed her eyes as silent tears of shame and rage trickled down her cheeks. Had she really sunk so low as to do that? She couldn't remember. Maybe she had, maybe she'd not been able to say no. It didn't matter really, all that mattered was that she had sunk so low.

Tears still trickling down her cheeks, Séanait went to get her dress so that she could dress and leave before any of the men could leave. Her shame gave way to anger as she saw that it had been torn and ripped beyond repair. It was unfortunate that one of the four men some then, and it was even more unfortunate that his first words were, "Hey bitch, give me a kiss."

In Werraland, there were few worse things to call a woman than "bitch". Men had been killed over using the term, and multigenerational feuds started. In Séanait's own country the term was almost as offensive. Shamed and furious with herself, Séanait attacked the man with all her strength. They were both still drunk from the night before, but Séanait was more awake and had rage to fuel her. The man lost.

A few minutes later, Séanait stopped hitting the corpse. She sat down hard, breathing raggardly and sobbing with rage. The man, who she didn't know, was unrecognizable, his entire face smashed in and pulped from the use of a broken chair. Séanait sat weeping, covered in blood and despairing.

She didn't know how long she sat there, but eventually she ceased and began to think more clearly. The other men would wake sooner or later, and, if they knew the man she had just killed, they wouldn't be happy. She needed to leave now, and she needed to take anything of hers with her.

Quickly, Séanait washed the blood and other bodily fluids off her body, dressed in the clothes of one of the men and gathered her ruined dress and a small belt knife she had bought to go with it. Then she left for her accommodation.

---

An hour later, Séanait had bathed, changed into her own clothes, and disposed of the others as thoroughly as she could. She still felt dirty and ashamed, but at least she could console herself with the fact that the men she had woken up next to had looked the type to seek revenge instead of going to the authorities.

Now, though, she needed to work out a way to stop herself from doing anything like that ever again. She knew the cause well enough - boredom, loneliness and being a stranger in a strange land - but the solution escaped her for a long while. Eventually, though, it came to her. Civilians were foreign to her now, even in her own land: soldiers were her family and people now. Soldiers, therefore, should offer her some kind of stability in this world, some kind of anchor and reality check.

And so it was that Séanait found herself walking up to the training grounds, dressed for war and carrying her marching pack. With determined strides she made her way to what she had been told was the recruitment office and found...Ilta, of all people. And Ilta had An owl on her shoulder!

"Ilta! Nice bird!"

[Roland]

Roland was standing on the training ground still wearing his long black coat. Unlike before what little of him could be seen unclothed looked dirty except for where beads of sweat had washed away some of the dirt. He was leaning against his white oak staff and was overseeing some of the others practice.

Roland came here fairly regular to practice with the sword and staff, being a powerful mage was all well and good, but he'd run into his fair share of opponents who could close in too fast to blast or where he'd just used up his magical reserves. Roland's scratches the back of his curly mussed hair, but suddenly freezes and looks over at the group who was walking towards the training ground.

Oh, there was someone I wanted to see. He realizes as he takes a deep breath. The embarrassment he had made of himself at the Mary still bugged him a bit, but then again this was part of the job. He could do the job. Roland walks over to the two girls and the...Owl? Something was off about the bird, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. A summon? Or maybe a shapeshifter? Or maybe just a magic owl... He couldn't quite identify what it was and decided not to dwell on it.

For those who could sense magic, it rolled off Roland as he was not only using it recently, but it was an integral part of his life and who he was, his parentage also played he roll in it he often imagined. "Welcome to the castle training ground, I was hoping to see you at some point...umm...Ilta wasn't it?" He asks as he looks at the woman who had aided during the attempted assassination of the king.

He extends his hand a greets. "My name is Roland, I am a member of the royal and city guard. I also moonlight as a backup mage for the court." He introduces himself, looking at her with faintly glowing amethyst eyes.

[Garrett Blade]

" Alright, that is it for the day! Return to the barracks! " Garrett shouted to the new recruits that had signed up just last week. The small group of misfits shouting back 'Yes Sir!' before scrambling to the farthest building in the court yard. Which left Garrett, The Captain of the Royal Guard alone in the middle of the open Training Ground field. His head shaking in a disappointed fashion before turning to see a group formed at the mouth of the Training Ground.

One of the bodies he knew was Roland, One of Noku's personal soldiers whom came down often to the grounds to practice. However, the two individuals with him he did not know. More recruits perhaps? Garrett thought quietly to himself, until his only good eye caught sight of the small familiar bird perched on the horned female's shoulder. Seriously? Garrett blinked some what amazed and yet fascinated at how fast Aria managed to make 'friends' in a matter of days.

" Aria…" Garrett mumbled, taking a deep breath and then moving towards the small group. The maroon cloak he was wearing blew back behind him as he walked, exposing the man's armor and the 'Captain' seal on the glossed iron chest plate. As he got closer, his eye didn't leave Aria as he seemed to scowl the entire way over.

When he was close enough to sense Roland's manna production he halted, his blue eye now locked on Roland. A smirk forming on such stern features. " Roland distracted away from his training? Now I've seen it all." Garrett chuckled, though now some what regretting it sense he didn't know much about Roland's humor…Or anything much about him at all to be honest… Too late to take it back now....

" Excuse my intrusion, I am Garrett Blade, Captain of the Royal Guard. What brings you out here?" He asks looking between the three, doing his best to ignore Aria for a moment knowing good and well; her bird form wouldn't last long… Now that she knew he was here…

[Deleted]

Aria was comfortable perched on the girls shoulder, her large blue green eyes half lidded as they travelled down to the barracks. Another female ran up, Aria remembered her from the dance….as soon as she was complimented Arias feathers puffed out a bit as she lifted one talon and preened herself. The picture of a proud owl. Another being arrived, yet another one seeming to know Ilta…well wasn’t she miss popular. The owl regarded him for only a short while, a small hoot coming from her throat. Really she was the perfect picture of an owl whom was use to humans coming to and fro.

But soon the one she was expecting finally appeared, she heard him before she saw him. His voice was unmistakable, odd to hear him loud….she couldn’t recall if she had ever heard him raise his voice. When he walked towards him Aria chortled. Her large round eyes fixated on the new comer whom was staring her down…that was until he finally reached them…and suddenly decided to look anywhere but her.

She waited until he was done his introduction and then flitted over to his shoulder. She nipped at his ear, probably slightly harder than necessary, but thats what he deserved for telling bad jokes. With a satisfied look on her face she settled down. His shoulders hand more room anyways, plus she had planned this. Ilta arriving with her, and with the possibility of her joining the military would allow her to flit about the barracks as she pleased. That and her being friendly with humans like Garrett wouldn’t seem all that odd.

[Deleted]

Ilta looked at the owl and back at Shy. “Don’t compliment her. It’ll go straight to her head.” Noticing the marching pack and outfit, it seemed that she was not the only one looking to enlist. “I take it the promise of steady pay was enticing to you too.”

I was hoping to see you… Ilta had heard variations of those words for awhile now. She had realized one thing about herself that she hadn’t known before. While she enjoyed the bragging rights that foiling an assassination attempt gave her initially, she absolutely hated being in the limelight. Currently, the ball had been the talk of the town, particularly the assassination attempt. With her involvement, this meant people occasionally stopped her to pester her lately about it. She tried not to make a face as the guard from the ball greeted her. Shaking his hand, “Yeah, that’s me. I was hoping to join the guard, however that worked.”

She could see guard captain scowling at her or maybe Alex the owl from across the room. Resisting the urge to ask the owl what she had down to solicit that reaction, she acts as if she hadn’t noticed it all. However, the captain seems to be in better spirits upon reaching them. Lucky for her the guard captain appeared and knew nothing about her. This made everything substantially more tolerable. “Joining the guard,” she answers him.

[Deleted]

Séanait shook her head at Ilta's suggestion that it was the pay that attracted her, while stretching out a gloved finger to give the owl a bit of a scratch on the head. It was a beautiful bird and obviously intelligent, so hopefully it was tame enough to scratch. At least she had some good leather and mail between her finger and the owl's beak.

"Nah, the pay's nice, but I'm after the life. Being a civilian doesn't agree with me."

Roland walked up then, and Séanait stiffened slightly, before relaxing again as she controlled her fear of the mage. It wasn't that she was afraid he might remember her yelling and waving her knife around at the Ball, it was her fear of magic that made her tense up. Fortunately, though, he ignored her completely and focused on Ilta.

While Ilta talked with Roland, Séanait let her eyes wander over the grounds. She immediately spotted a scowling, one eyed man striding towards him. His cloak billowed and exposed the symbol of his rank on his glossy breastplate. Séanait recognized it immediately, having worked out the ranks of the guards almost as soon as she had arrived, and came to attention as best she could, burdened with arms and kit as she was. The shift caused her some slight pain, but it didn't show. That would be a sign of weakness.

The owl abandoned Ilta and went over to the captain as he arrived and asked what had brought them there. Ilta didn't seem to mind and replied that she was here to join the guard. Séanait nodded at this and gave her own answer in her usual voice, which straddles the line between masculinity and femininity.

"Same here, sir."

[Roland]

Roland doesn't notice that Ilta was made uncomfortable and nods his head. "That trick with the ground was pretty interesting, how did yo-" He cuts off a few moments after mentioning she wants to join the guards. "Oh, you want to join up?" He replies and thinks for a moment when he suddenly hears Garrett's voice. The captain of the royal guards didn't interact with Roland much despite technically being his boss.

Though when Garrett comments on how odd it was for Roland to be pulled away from his training Roland shrugs. "We were wrapping up anyways, and with people like that assassin running around it is hardly the time to be sloppy." He says in a slightly bitter tone. Roland was still a bit irritated about his failure to protect the king, but he took a deep breath and let it clear his mind.

When the owl hops over to Garrett's shoulder he frowns and looks at the bird. "That thing is magical by the way Garrett." Informs the captain and looks closer at the owl trying to figure out what was up with the bird. Then he turns his attention to Séanait and squints a bit as if trying to recall something, but soon gives up and turns back to Garrett.

"Well I am not in charge of this kinda thing, but if they want to work with the guard we could certainly use the help." He points out as he glances bitterly over his shoulder at the new recruits.

[Garrett Blade]

Of all the demi-goddess Garrett has ever come across, Aria was certainly the most troublesome. He had prepared for her to transform and lunge herself bare nude like she always did. He watched as she extended her wings and for a moment he held his breath; but she didn't transform?! She actually stayed in her animal...Bird form? Maybe once she would behave- THERE IT WAS! The sharp pinch of her beach nipping at the lobe of his ear. Garrett's face lit up as he almost yelled out, but instead jerked his head to the side and gritted his teeth. A low groan emitting through the spaces of his teeth as he gradually turned his head to face the white face red owl.

" Hello to you too..." Garrett sighed, lightly rubbing the side of his ear where she had nipped. Why the hell?! Garrett thought, his attention turning to Roland as he mentioned about this little 'innocent' bird wasn't normal. A magical thing indeed.... Garrett glanced over at Roland as he shrugged the shoulder Aria was perched up and down. " Yes... I know. " Garrett sighed, his shoulder relaxed and his attention turned to Ilta and Seanait. A brow raised when they both asked to become enlisted into the guard.

" Oh? Wonderful to hear. If you haven't already registered in at the first barrack then that is where you need to go next. If you have already signed in, then you are talking to the right person." Garrett smirked, placing both his hands behind his back in a military stance.