It was a cold winter's day when Caius of House Nuëmenoïr rode into Vertholt. The wiry youth drew his cloak tighter around him and urged the chocolate brown horse beneath him on through the streets. His scars itched, but he didn't bother scratching at them, which would have required him removing the thick, fur lined gloves he wore for warmth. Wickan nickered, his breath puffing out in thick clouds of steam as his rider turned him towards the tall castle at the heart of the city. Caius let Wickan guide himself, idly maintaining course as his mind wandered. He thought of home, and his brother, Garulf, and wondered what they were doing right now. Was Cathryn at the Bullrun? Or was she off serving the country in some backwater? He sorely missed his cousin, if only for her humor and ability to tolerate his sour moods. Garulf, his little brother, was a different matter. He was less nostalgic there. In truth, he wasn't ready for that conversation yet, but he knew he could not avoid it forever.

Caius refused to let the stable boys take Wickan's reins, if only for their safety, and guided him into the castle stable himself. When his horse had been placed in a roomy stall, he removed a cinnamon stick and a bit of dried apple from a pouch on his saddlebags, and fed them to the large beast while stroking Wickan's muzzle. "I'll be back for you in a bit, my friend." He murmured, patting Wickan's neck before leaving. Once inside the castle, he made his way to the wing known to house the Order of the Sun and its students. Ever since his discovery in the Wastelands, Caius had needed to know more about this power. What did it mean? What else could he do? Was it a fluke? Who could say? All Caius knew was that something had happened to him in the Wastelands, and that it was magical in origin. Caius had to know, and the Order of the Sun was his best bet.

He found himself standing outside the castle wing that the Order called home, and straightened out his jerkin before stepping inside. His eyepatch would normally have been hidden behind his bangs, but today he had tied back his long hair in a loose knot, trying to look as professional as possible. He was looking for a teacher, or a priest, anyone who might give him a moment of their time. After all, if he asked and someone didn't know, they might know someone who DID have he answer he sought.

The sound of multiple hooves crunching in the snow resounded in near empty streets as the twins rode to the last place they heard their dear cousin had gone. Cat sat in her saddle, silent as the area surrounding her; snowflakes flurried and stuck to her brunette locks. It was odd for Azoth not to hear his sister make some sort of remark. Her silence was definitely unnerving. It had to only be because of one reason, he was sure it was because of the person they were searching for.

"Cat.. You know he doesn't blame you for what happened. You tried your best to find him." Cathlyn's emerald eyes flickered towards her fraternal twin, a grunt in response towards his remark. The male's quirked into a lopsided frown, letting out a slow breath of air before pulling his winter cloak closer to his person.

Bill gave a snort, tossing her head from side to side, causing her rider to loosen his hold on the reigns. Soon enough, his sister finally broke her silence, as she pulled her own mount to a stop, "We're here. Let's go see if he's still here."

Handing the reigns over to the stableboy the two siblings entered the great tower of mages. In all honesty, Cathlyn would have never see herself within the Halls of the Circle. She didn't need to before now.

Passing through the entryway, Cathlyn tapped the toe of her leather boots, freeing the snow and continued on, searching for either her cousin, or someone who could point them to him. Azoth trailed behind her, a tall, silent shadow as his plated boots clacked upon the floor.

Caius was having his usual luck, his search going nowhere. No one in the tower had the time, patience, information, or magical combination of the three to assist him, and so he was left to his own devices. In the end, he fell back on old tactics. Assuming a place of learning and knowledge had a library, he went in search of such a place. It wasn't nearly as difficult to find as someone to answer his questions, and once he had sweet talked his way past the people at the front desk, he strolled the unrestricted sections of books, looking for references to unusual abilities and powers that didn't suit the Order's guidelines for what made someone "Gifted". When he had assembled a small collection of books, he found someplace out of the way to sit back and read.

As he opened the first book, he stopped to appreciate that this was the first time in almost two years that he had found himself in such a comfortable setting, one so familiar and inviting. The library reminded him of the one their father maintained at home, the books he would spend hours pouring over and studying. Caius smiled slightly and focused on the pages before him, skimming through and stopping every few moments to linger over something he thought was relevant to his search for answers. After a while, he began taking constant notes in his journal, copying entire paragraphs word for word so he could study this information later, and roll the ideas around in his mind.

Two books in, he glanced up, saw two people in the corridor outside the library, and then looked back down at the book. With a start, he realized that he recognized those two. He marked the page and hopped up from his chair, rushing over to where Cat and Azoth stood with a loud cry of "Cousins!" He threw his arms around them both, pulling them in for a good hug. It'd been so long since he'd seen family, people he'd know his whole life. It felt good. "How have you been? How's Garulf?" He asked, his tone dropping a bit as he touched on a sore subject. He and his younger brother had never been very close, and their final parting had been...unpleasant, to say the least. "How in Novalia's name did you find me?"

Cathlyn nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt the arms of Caius wrap about her, his shout most definitely catching her off guard. Her right arm reached out towards Azoth, catching onto the wolf's fur cloak wrapped about him to keep from toppling over. Azoth, on the other hand, had no difficulty holding both the weight of his twin and cousin, a deep chuckle resonating in his throat as he clapped Caius upon the back.

"Great to see you as well, cousin. Have you gotten taller? Last time I saw you, you were the same height as Cat!" Cathlyn gave Azoth a glare, her gauntlet covered hand clenching into a fist as she mumbled for him to 'shut the hell up'. It wasn't her fault Azoth got all the height.

"At least I'm not a bumbling giant. Besides, I'm prettier than you'll ever be." She then turned her focus towards Caius, unable to hide the guilt upon her face fast enough, but she knew better than to apologize for what had happened on that hunt years ago. Instead, she gave a soft sigh and hugged the boy tightly.

"It's been too long, Caius. Azo and I have been busy with those that still turn against the crown, but we're alive. Safe. Hell, nothing could get me anyways." A smirk rose to the woman's lips as she released Caius from her arms and placed her hands on either shoulder. "You look good."

Azoth remained a silent sentinel, a smile stretching the triangular tattoos decorating his cheeks. His sister was doing better than he thought she would, what with her silent treatment just minutes before. He was happy they finally found the boy. "We don't know how your brother is doing, but we're sure he's probably going through the same business training we all had to take part in."

Cat nodded in agreement, finally dropping her arms to her sides, "as for finding you, it wasn't easy. It seemed as if you disappeared, but asking around seemed to do the trick. Also.." The Lady Cathlyn turned her gauntlet fist into a tight ball before giving Caius a slug to the arm, "that's for not letting me know you were just going to up and leave, you horseface."

Caius's journey had been good for him, in more ways than one. He'd left the Nuëmenoïr estate a scrawny, awkward boy still having trouble walking in a straight line without both good eyes. Now he seemed to move with all his old confidence and surety. His build was sturdier now, muscle added to pad out what had once been all skin and bones. "I'm sorry Cat, I didn't mean to just up and leave but...well, things got tense. You and Azoth were already here in the capital for your Military Commission, so I thought a letter would work just fine." Travelling along the edge of the Wastelands had exposed the boy to some much needed sun, and now his skin was darker in tone than that of his cousins. "I have so much to tell you both, it was quite the adventure!" He grinned, leading them back tot he sequestered little corner of the library he had laid claim to, pushing the books aside on the table so they could all sit.

Despite the inauspicious start to his journey, Caius had made a marvelous time of it. He told them about how, the first night, he'd been too afraid of the wilds to sleep, imagining a wolf or Sabercat behind every bush. He'd stayed up the first night just cleaning Wickan's saddle and sharpening the cutlass his father had given him before he left. The second night, he'd stayed in an inn along the road, and had counted himself grateful for that, because for the next three days he'd had to ride through, and camp in, constant pouring rain. "I swear, it was like the gods themselves were pissing on me for all the horrid things I'd said to Garulf." He'd rolled in to Three-Forks at the end of that wretched start, resupplied, kicked around town for a few days, then headed off again. "I almost got robbed, TWICE just going from Forks to Southpeak. Travel's apparently gotten pretty ugly down there: Every cart or horseman I passed was armed for the worst."

He was still trying to decide whether or not he should tell them, whether they needed to know about about this strange ability he had developed or if it was better to leave them int he dark. On the one hand, Cat and Azoth were the closest thing to elder siblings he had. He looked up to them and respected their opinions. He didn't want to hide something like this from them, in fact, his first instinct was to say something immediately. He second guessed that instinct through, and wondered about the consequences. Cat was a bit of a blabbermouth. If he told her this, then he could t least expect the entire family to know by the time he returned to Bulgate. That might be too big of a problem, but if the wrong people heard about it, trouble could quickly follow. He decided he couldn't keep it a secret from the Twins, so he lowered his voice and leaned in a little closer. "Can I trust you two to keep a secret? To not repeat the next bit of this conversation unless telling someone might save my life?" It was an odd twist, but Caius knew secrets were dangerous things. He'd rather let a secret be known to save his life, then let a friend wallow over the choice they made when he died from his own stubborn nature.

Earlier that day~

It was early still, few aside from stationed guards and the serving mean and women were awake yet, but he was, he always was. Habit he supposed. This morning would be like any other morning of this week,early morning training of the selected (at random) members of the Shadow Guard held at the Barracks. He rubbed his gloved hands together, rubbing the loose soil of earth upon them for better grip, his eyes flicked up to watch as the selected two dozen men did the same before taking up their practice steel and shield. "Put on your helms." He ordered softly, but loud enough for at least a few of them to hear which they then passed along. Some of them had done this before and knew ahead of time what was about to happen and were already not just their armour but padding as well. Some were raw recruits, eager to see what the Lightning Lord would have in store for them.

"Mi'lord." One chimed, leaving the group to approach. "Are we to split into groups now?" The young man was eager to start, and to impress. His blue eyes flicked to meet the man's brown and he offered a man a small smile.

"You're new, aren't you?" The young man nodded and straightened his posture offering the king's salute at his Commander's response. "Well then lad, get back with the others. We've already separated into groups. Follow the other's led. Learn, adapt and whatever you do, don't try to showboat." Puzzled, the new recruit scuttled back to the others and Mallach turned to a weapon rack and took up a sword of his own choosing, as usually opting to not use the weapon that lay sheathed upon his hip. He tested this swords weight, balance and density quickly giving those facing his back a small show as he whirled the blade around his frame, flipping it from one hand to another and so forth before turning to face the twenty four young men and women gathered before him on this early, chilly morning.

He watched them all for roughly thirty seconds in silence, their breath lingering in the air as they exhaled. For many, he saw fear and excitement in their eyes, for those whom had done this before, their eyes spoke different. Determination, that's all he saw in them. "Right, your goal this morning is simple. Work as a unite and disarm and detain your opponent. For the sake of this exercise that'll be me. In your mind's eye you will see not your superior officer, but an intruder whom has only one thing on his mind, killing the King." Murmurs from those a bit more new began, Mallach rose a fist upward and they silenced all but immediately. "To murder your King and his family. To add a little spice to this chilly event, let me say that the one whom strikes me first, in what could be considered a killing blow will not only receive my personal admiration, but the rest of the day off. Paid.

"Now, let us begin." 

---

Fifteen minutes passed and all but three were lying on the flats of their backs either suffering from freshly broken noses or just unconscious states. The three remaining had managed to do exactly what Mallach had wanted, break his wooden blade and actually 'killed' him. Not by trying to one up him, but by working as a unite and attacking as one, the young recruit being the one whom landed the killing blow. Which he was now rambling an apology for. "It's fine, really." Mallach mused, removing his hand from above his eye to see a pool of freshly spilled red blood, more of which was now leaking into his left eye. "One doesn't play with sword, sharp or otherwise and not expect to see their life blood every now'n then. Make sure these lot get tended to and then go get yerselves some hot food and drink and enjoy the day off. Ye'all've earned it."

---

Wiping the blood from his face again, he made sure he'd gone the right way, that boy had clocked him pretty good and he was more than a little dizzy. He though he was hiding it quite well though, even though on occasion he was staggering a little to the right and then left before walking in a semi straight line. What better excuse to come visit his Daughter than to have her patch up his scratch (more like deep cut, but hey it's just a flesh wound, hardly worth any concern). 

Slipping in through the main doors to this section of the castle his vision dropped to his mud and snow caked boots which he groaned at. "Gods damnit all.." He groaned, he had once been battered back with a broom because he brought a mess from the outside in. Though in that case, Wind had just shat and well.. He stepped in it. He then covered his mouth a moment later realizing what he'd just said and made a face. 


He really hoped no one had heard him say that.

Fresh from her studies, Mhairyn Dirson found herself in the far corners of the library, browsing the dustless sections on semi-banned books or journals -- however, this would prove to be incorrect, as she was aimlessly wandering between the tall stacks appearing to search for something, while in all honestly, it was just a front for Mollandir, her protector, to pursue his hidden interest...if she had found something to read while he was in a dark corner reading his books on...whatever it was he was reading (she didn't care to catch the title), the better for her. She was supposed to be studying anyway, but now was not the time. The pair would eventually leave, Aryn with an old tome on herblore in tow.

As they exited, Mollandir paused, casting a look to the young man fervently writing in his journal, and carried on, as though nothing had happened. Old habits, the former Seeker mused as he moved to open the door for his charge. He followed the white-clad child (she would forever be a child to him, the first and the last) down the hall, nodding curtly as he passed the siblings as both pairs rounded the corner -- he may be silent, but he was courteous, and that pair specifically was important, even if Mhairyn didn't really notice, with her nose buried in the book. The moments passed with Mollandir keeping pace with the girl's slow, teeth-gritting gait; how she managed to not run into the thick columns supporting the apartments above, he did not know.

"Mhairyn," he said suddenly, his low, gruff voice breaking the companionable silence. They had rounded the last corner on their way to the main entry, where the main stairs to their apartment held their ornate and commanding presence, and the former Seeker had spotted a sight most dire -- his employer, the girl's father, looking dazed and muttering to himself as he ground his boots into the soft carpets that decorated the grand hall. The Seeker's voice was too low to carry all the way to Mallach, especially in his preoccupied state, and it would be a poor idea indeed if they both just walked on by while he succumbed to whatever ailment brought him here.

Aryn frowned from behind her book, but made no move to correct him other than the overly exaggerated frustrated sigh; no matter how many times she tried, and she had tried many over the past few years, the man refused to call her as she asked -- she had relented, had she not? So why couldn't he? I hope not all men are this way, she thought to herself. Both him and my--"Father?!"

She had glanced up from the pages in her book briefly as she made to angle herself across the expanse of the hall and climb the stairs beyond to retire to her cozy fire until the bell for dinner, but instead was met with her father's bloody visage. Aryn dropped the book and trotted over, too preoccupied to hear his blaspheme. Immediately she began the fussing, while her protector (or her other father as she sometimes thought of him) busied himself with the less glamorous duties his job entailed.

Her lips were still quirked into a frown as Caius gave his reasoning; Cathlyn clearly still sore over the fact that her cousin didn't even think to have let her know he entertained the thought of leaving. But she couldn't stay upset forever. He was family, and she couldn't bear to lose another member fate decided to take away from her. But Caius was alive in the here and now.

The twins followed after the young lad, taking their seats around the table the boy had set up for research. Azoth took a glance at some of the spines of the books, catching snippets of words dealing with magic and sorcery. Instantly his curiosity was piqued, but he kept his lips shut as Caius told his tale upon the road.

Cathlyn lounged within the chair closest to her cousin, her right let crossing over her left knee as she lazily leaned back in her seat. It was hard to think of Cathlyn as a Noble with the way she sat herself. But High Noble she was. It wasn't that she was already bored with listening, for she wasn't, as smirks and small chuckles left her lips at appropriate times. It was just how she showed that she was at ease, even if it was unladylike of her. Oh, how her mother would be furious.

When Caius told the twins of his journey through the southern half of Akatokiyami, both couldn't help the frown upon their faces. The area, they knew too well, on the boarders of their family's land. Out of habit since receiving her Eiphyre weapon, Cat ran the pointed claw of her digit along the grain of the table as her frown furrowed her brow. "It seems the bandits have found something of value down there. They defile Nuëmalle's forest with their presence." Cat grew quiet for a few seconds before speaking more, "how were the herds before you left Bulgate?" It worried Cathlyn greatly, what with how a few years prior to now, she took on a group with her troop. She didn't like it one bit, nor did Azoth as he watched his sister's movements.

The duo's gaze shifted once Caius spoke up once more, asking them for secrecy. Cathlyn instantly sat up, fists clenching,"What is it? Are you in trouble? I can get Lord Dirson to hire a guard to keep you safe, or have him let me take time away to keep watch."

"Cat... Let him speak." Azoth's hand had found itself upon his twin's shoulder, as if it would keep her from darting off to search for Mallach. How ironic he was nearby. "We can keep a secret, Cai. It's the least we could do since we're practically siblings. May I ask, does this secret explain the reasons why you're here in the Order of the Sun and researching magic?"

Caius frowned at Cat's question, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, I didn't see the herds before I left. I heard the breeders were having a hard time getting their best horses to do the deed, but other than that, nothing." He didn't even want to begin to speculate on why the bandits were getting so active in the south. His best guess was the economic decline of Southpeak, which had once carried the bulk of responsibility for protecting that region. They couldn't afford the sheer number of guardsmen that duty required anymore, which meant the bandits had no one deterring their criminal ways. Caius had been resourceful and clever enough to avoid the worst of it; Most folks weren't so lucky. As Cathlyn jumped to action, Caius leaned back in his chair, holding up his hands and trying to stave off her protective nature. Azoth, however, proved to be more effective at calming his admittedly overzealous twin, and Caius cast him a quick grin. Cat was quick to action, Azoth was observant. "Hit the nail on the head, cousin." He said, nodding at Azoth.

"It'd be easier to show you rather than tell." He said, bringing his left hand up over his eyepatch and closing his right eye. He focused for a moment, reaching down inside himself to grasp the emotions he'd felt that day in the Wastelands. Fear, desperation, need, raw feelings that had triggered a transformation in Caius, one that he'd still yet to find an explanation for. He felt an odd tingling at the base of his skull, which spread then coalesced behind his eyepatch. Pulling the patch away, he couldn't help but smile wickedly at the way his cousins grimaced at the prospect of seeing that empty socket...except it wasn't empty. The scars around the socket were still there, but where an empty hole should have been, there was instead a construct of gleaming green light: a ghostly eyeball, perfectly fitted to the gaping hole. "Well? Pretty cool, right?" He said, studying them both. They appeared as normal, but overlaid with their physical appearance was a whitish blue aura that radiated from within. Raising both hands and wiggling his fingers at them, he croaked "Now I can see into your very souls!"

Dizzy, oh yes. He was that, also his head hurt. Not just because of the gash, no no. His head was pounding, the sound of a nail hitting the floor would cause him to recoil he'd wager right now. So, as his little girl came toward him with her rushed, but still rather dainty steps you can imagine he heard her approach. Squinting up toward her, one eye closed he surely showed signs of pain, however when realizing it was her that pain subsided, slightly and a smile beamed upon his features. 

"There's my little Princess!" He said softly but clearly excited, opening his arms up looking for a hug. "How're yee, well I hope?" He took a step toward her, staggered a little but didn't fall, no as if he hadn't nearly keeled over he was standing straight up again as she got within an arm's reach and not once did the smile fade. 

"Sorry I've not come sooner. Your uncle keeps me very busy."

[short post is short! D:]

"You're bleeding," Aryn exclaimed as her father nearly collapsed into her arms; fortunately he righted himself, otherwise there would have been a massive heap of limbs on the floor in the grand entry."What happened?" She chose to ignore the other comments that made her often uncomfortable -- everyone had treated her like she was made of glass since the moment she had set foot into the tower, and her father's coddling petnames had not alleviated that in the slightest. She had asked him to stop several times, and usually he obliged, but this must have been a serious head wound if he couldn't recall such a simple task for the simple daughter she was trying to be.

"M-Mollandir, can you help hold him?" she asked as the Seeker approached, her delicate frame nearly buckling under Mallach's bulk. Eventually, the trio were righted with no lack of grunting and elbows, and well on their way to a more private locale; calmly, Mhairyn would question her father about his whereabouts and actions as she tried to discern what had happened, her dainty face contorted into a grimace of extreme discomfort – it wasn't easy carrying the weight of a wounded man on her narrow shoulders...metaphorically or literally speaking.

As they neared the library, which was between them and their destination of a private courtyard (Mhairyn had adamantly protested the stairs leading up to her apartments), the demeanor of the two Gifted individuals shifted drastically. While they both had been under physical strain, the wound upon Mallach's head wasn't serious, though as a head wound it sure did bleed a lot – the hand of the king had a thick skull, after all; it'd take more than a good thwack to knock him off his heels. Mollandir noticed it first, the subtle charging in the air that occurs when a natural user of magic begins to draw on his power, and instantly put up his guard. They may have been within the tower, where magic is wont to occur, but this was too close – worst case: someone was trying to kill Mallach Dirson; best, most likely case: an apprentice was about to blow something up.

"Mhairyn," he muttered, withdrawing his support from Mallach's lumbering frame. "You feel that?"

She nodded, the hairs rising on the back of her neck. Mhairyn was green, barely out on her own, but the charge was definitely not something she was used to feeling; for a Gifted, the powers were taught and molded in a very controlled environment, and there was always a sort of apprehension to them. This particular shift she felt from behind her position...did not bode well. She had no experience with the other half of her kind, those whose powers didn't come to bear quite as early as most, and the emotions that Caius was drawing upon to activate his gift frightened her beyond her natural sensitivity (that sensitivity had in fact manifested a power of its own fairly early on in her childhood). "What...what do I do?" she asked quickly below her breath, to not cause alarm to her father; only those who had access to their powers could feel the charges of others, and Mallach would likely not understand the reason for the whispering. Though in his dazed state, he was certainly more perceptible to his daughter's emotions imposing upon him, regardless of her efforts to keep them in check and reduce the amount of physical contact.

"Stay. Here," the former Seeker growled as he turned on his heel to investigate the source of the Power. As a Seeker, he was more sensitive to the usages of Power than any of the other Gifted he had worked with, and as he was serving the Order, they had proved their worth time and time again. Even though he was out of practice, the proximity between him and the source left no doubt that it was in the Library. As he stalked down the hallway, he made sure he had access to his weapon, the blade sheathed at his side. If it was to be a battle, which he hoped not, he would be prepared. Outside the doors, the man leaned against the wall and took a breath, steeling himself for what may happen.

note – trying to explain Power in an actual RP is much easier than trying to just define it

Azoth returned his cousin’s grin with a nod of his head before returning to silence. Both Nuëmenoïr siblings grimaced indeed as Caius removed the eyepatch from his face, but each had a different reasoning. The eldest of the two was squeamish, amusingly so, when it came to wounds and holes that shouldn’t be where they were. It also reminded the male of when he saw Caius when he returned from the hunt the next morning, caked mud and blood everywhere, an even bloodier wound where Caius’s eye should have been. Even thinking about it caused the man to get queasy, he shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Cathlyn’s grimace was due to her failure of protecting her young family member. It was a grimace towards herself if anything. She couldn't stand to see the hole in her cousin’s cranium; it took every little bit of willpower to keep from looking away from him.


The grimaces instantly morphed into awe as the twins were bathed in a faint green glow. Silence grew heavy as they stared, dumbfounded. That silence was quickly broken by Caius, Azoth visibly shifting in his seat, “I don’t know how I feel about that, having you peer into my soul, Cai. But I’m sure the Gods gave you that for a reason. I now understand why you’re here.”


Cat, on the other hand, was still awestruck, her frame leaning forward until her chest was pressed into the edge of the table. “To think that someone in our family could learn how to use magic, gods above. What does it do other than ‘look into our souls?” A million and one questions ran through the woman’s mind, and she hoped to get every one of them answered. “Does it hurt?”


As much as Azoth thought Caius’s new found ability was amazing, he couldn’t stare at it anymore, knowing that that glowing shape was just covering the gaping hole, so he diverted his gaze away from the table. “It is a good decision to keep that power hidden. Who knows just who would want to use your power.”

Snickering with laughter, Caius slid his eyepatch back over the Ghostly Eye, cutting the flow of power and allowing the structure to dissipate. "Aye, I wanted to know more about it. I don't think it's magic like what the gifted use, but something else entirely. I found a few research notes, some un-classified Seeker reports, and there are references to cases like mine: Individuals under extreme duress, who showed no prior affinity for The Gift, spontaneously generated strange abilities that seemed magical in origin." He felt a little light headed, as he always did when he used the odd power. "So far, it doesn't do much for me." He spoke lightly, as if it were merely an unusual parlor trick. "When I say I'm looking into your souls, what I mean is I'm seeing what I presume is the very Essence of life. You two, the people here in the castle, Wickan and other animals, even trees and plants seem to have it. Most of it just shows up as a white, flickering flame." He took a long drink from the waterskin at his side, refreshing his mind with cool hydration after the brief use of his ability.

"Mostly, it helps correct my vision. I can shoot almost as accurately with this eye as I did before the accident." He said, knowing referring to the event would make Cat uncomfortable, but finding it necessary to give a proper comparison. "And, strangely enough, it lets me differentiate between people with the Gift, people bonded to Eiphyre weapons, and others like myself, who have their own unique abilities. Each of those people glows with a different color from the rest of the world. For instance, you two have Eiphyre on you. You both had an aura of bluish white light within you when I opened my Ghost Eye. That librarian over there," He said, nodding in the appropriate direction, "is gifted. She glowed red. My natural abilities show up as green for some reason." He didn't understand the fullest breadth of his ability, but the idea that someone might try to "use" it for evil made Caius laugh softly.

"I dunno, Azo, I doubt it would be very useful to anyone else." He was skeptical, but an unsettling thought did occur to him. He morphed it into a joke, winking at Cat as he spoke the words: "I mean, what's the worst that could happen? Commander Dirson comes running along to force me to use my power to out people with abilities?" It seemed an unlikely scenario. From what Caius had been able to gather, his condition wasn't just rare, it was damn near unheard of. A few isolated cases popped up every year, but it was so uncommon and seemingly random that no one had put much effort into looking at WHY it happened. Caius didn't have the answer, but he was intrigued by the possibilities. Were these powers rigid, restricted to a single form? Or were they, perhaps, more fluid? Time and experimentation would tell. "I just want to keep it under wraps so no one goes off making a fuss back home. Gods only know what Da'd say."

All this fussing over him. He didn't get it, well he did I mean c'mon he was him. But all this concern and troubled expressions it was unneeded. "Oi." He began as Aryn and her Seeker (ex seeker) companion decided to help right him. "That's enough of that.. HEY NOW!! Watch what'yer doing there mister, hands off the goodies." He staggered in this grip of theirs his eyes focused (well he thought so anyways) and a finger came up and poked Molliander square in the nose. "I'm watch'n yee mister..

"Now c'mon!" He declared suddenly. "I'm quite alright, so you dozen can stop manhandling me. Yer fuck'n hands are cold!" He pointed forward, to what he thought was to battle as fear was starting to well in him, which always had the opposite effect for him, or at least it did this time. He was rather excited rather than piss'n his drawers. "You seven follow me, the rest keep Mr. Moody ass in check, he's be up to no good!"

And with that, he charged. Possibly knocking Aryn for a loop and then thoroughly tripping over his own two feet and crashed headline upon the floor in a seemingly drunken stupor. Pity really, he ain't had a drop of rum in weeks.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}

i have terrible penmanship D:
clicking on the image should make it bigger
hit me up on skype/text if you have ?s - if you dont have my cell, refer here and whoever has my number can give it to you (only if you're a part of this thread)

"Father!" Aryn admonished, utterly appalled at his language here, of all places; one simply didn't swear however truncated, in the halls of Anul. "Watch your language," she whispered, wishing she didn't need to remind him that the halls had eyes and ears. Inwardly, she sighed, knowing that no matter how hard she tried, she wouldn't get him to cooperate and behave, even at the best of times... perhaps she should enlist her uncle to help in the reformation, Ulric Wolfthorne was a pious man. And oh, how she wished she could remain unfettered by her father's childish antics (even under the duress of a minor head trauma) as Mollandir appeared to be, even with Mallach's attempt to poke him in the eye - the Seeker had the good sense to just incline his head backward and avoid the contact all together.

After the seeker had left the Dirson family in the middle of the hall, Mallach had decided to follow suit, and in doing so, narrowly avoided an elbow to the face - the force in which her father had turned had knocked her off balance, keeping her safely out of his way while he tumbled to the ground. Her face burned with embarrassment, which quickly steeled itself into a hardness for what she was deciding to do. She focused on herself first, using the hardened edge of her frustration to solidify her resolve and thought, calm. She reached toward Mallach's face, drawing upon the Power within her delicate frame to exert her will of emotion - calm - over his. "Forgive me," she whispered, feeling wrong about what she was doing, but knowing it was necessary.

Mollandir was not impervious to Mhairyn's plight, though he had far more pressing matters to attend; he was here first, and while he was no longer of use to the Order, he still felt compelled to act upon the forces present in the library. The brusque man stalked through the doors, moving almost like a predator on the scent of his prey, hand resting in a threatening position on the hilt of his blade. He strode powerfully, the barest hint of a limp on his left side, as his eyes scanned the tables and shelves, searching beyond the tomes to the individual radiating the Power he felt. It called to him, beckoned him with the faintest of whisperings: I am here, I am here, but had thus far evaded sight.

His ears happened upon it first, the giggling of one excited by a new skill... excited and maybe proud. Mollandir turned on his heel and stalked toward the sounds of conversation, his face setting into a scowl as he prepared to scold a student (in his mind he knew this to be false, but who else could it be?) for misusing his powers. What he saw sent the barest hints of surprise flitting across his features. The boy, he noted, who had been quietly studying as he and Mhairyn had left the library several minutes earlier, with the pair they had passed earlier... the one Mallach fancied and her brother, according to the girl (once this was over, and the world was safe from harm, perhaps he could coax the story from Mhairyn).

Instead, he quashed the silly notion, vaguely aware that his charge was drawing on her Power (to heal, he hoped, though he wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't the case - only disappointed), and strode forward, speaking up in his gruff, gravelly voice: "The entire Order knows, Boy." He came to a stop before the trio, standing square and making a show of resting his hands on the blade at his hip. "You are... fortunate I was close, though I expect more are storming this way as we wait. I am Mollandir, former Seeker, resident of the Tower. You have an unnatural Power." It wasn't a question, though it was worded as one, and he continued after catching his breath. "You are hereby a ward of the Order, by yar will or not." Normally, this statement was met with a degree of resistance, and Mollandir expected it, but the boy had come here of his own volition, he had admitted as much, and so was hoping for no altercation. "You will learn to control it under the tutelage of those above."

He meant the Gifted on the floors above the library, and had even inclined his head slightly to indicate such. Of course, it could have been taken the other way, but Mollandir wasn't one for tact.

Cathlyn's face, although awed by this talent Caius had, remained set into a frown. Azoth did have a point. Someone could try to take her most beloved cousin away and never see him again. He was too naïve, too fragile (despite the loss of his eye) to even be thrown into the ranks of the army. He would lose everything if he did; his hope vanished, dreams crushed. No. She couldn't let anyone take him. Her brow furrowed deeper as Caius gave her a wink, the mention of her love interest being the reason for the loss of her cousin settling in her stomach like a stone of despair. Her teeth clenched as she fought to interject Caius, but her resolve wore thin.

At the last of his joke, Cat threw her gauntlet hand against the table top, a violent smack of Eiphyre on wood causing Azoth to flinch in his seat as his twin rose out of hers, her small frame ridged. "That is exactly what can happen! Your ability could help tremendously for the King's army and could easily have your life claimed if you 'find out' the wrong person!"

Cathlyn stepped away from the table, clawed digits carving out four lines across the tabletop out of anger, the what ifs causing a cacophony in her mind. Azoth remained seated, lips firmly shut and eyes staring at the marks Cat left upon the table. He wouldn't be able to overpower her if things became ugly, her seeming unnatural strength too much for him to try and reign in. His dark eyes flickered to Caius, watching him before speaking his own insight. "Caius, you must be careful as to whom you share this ability with. You may not think it's of any significance, but there are many rats who are always looking for something to steal."

Azoth turned his gaze back to the engraved tabletop once more, speaking in a haunted whisper, "Cat and I can't lose another. You've replaced the hole Lilli left behind, and if that hole is revealed once more I can't say that Cathlyn will recover, I won't be able to recover. So be careful."

That warning came too late, however, as a masculine voice rose from behind the twins. The woman's body stiffened, stopping her pacing in mid-step. She could feel the hair upon her neck rising, as if her hackles were bristling. All those fears she had just tapped into were already showing their face in the realm of the living. Her frown set itself into a glare, lips stretched in a grimace of hate at whoever delivered those unwanted words. Upon seeing the change of body language from his sister, Azoth quickly rose from his seat, his eyes lying upon the form of Mollandir. Instantly, the man's heart sank as he moved to stop his sister from advancing towards the Seeker.

"I don't give two shits as to who you are," the female snarled after the Seeker before her finished his speech, "and like hell he's going to be apprehended!"

Azoth's hand reached out to latch onto his twin's arm, hoping to keep her in check. It was going to be difficult, however this scene went down. He could already feel the pent up strength Cathlyn was trying to hold back. "Cat." the single syllable was more than enough for the warning her gave her, he just silently prayed that nothing terrible would happen.

Caius saw the man coming before Azo or Cat. At first, he was merely watching the fellow from the corner of his eye. As the former seeker drew closer to the group, however, and the scowl on his face became evident and difficult to miss, Caius realized that he might have indeed made a dreadful mistake in activating his powers within the confines of the tower. He quickly and surreptitiously began stowing away his journal, for it contained all the notes he had taken while he'd been at the library, and was of too great a personal value to be left behind. He opened his mouth to warn the twins, but before he could speak, the scowling warrior made his demands. Cat, naturally, flew right off the handle, despite Azoth's attempts at holding her back. This was, however, good from Caius's point of view. He seriously doubted the Seeker would be brazen enough to draw his sword against the two children of the Heads of the Nuëmenoïr family, and while Caius himself might not have that same protection, he could still benefit from it. He had noticed an alternative exit on his way in to the library, a door way set in the wall maybe half a dozen meters behind him. It was his best chance for escape.

Without warning, Caius snatched up a double-handful of books and papers and flung them straight into Mollandir's face as he rose rapidly from his seat, then kicked it aside and turned to sprint towards the exit. "I'll find you later, Cousins, I promise!" He shouted over his shoulder. Being fleet of foot and fairly agile, the young Nuëmenoïr quickly put a meter of distance between himself and the Seeker, and then kept going. He'd left his bow and cutlass with Wickan, and if he wanted to escape, he'd have to get back to the stables. Weaving through the book shelves, Caius took a leap over a student kneeling to reach for a book closer to the ground, then kept sprinting. The doorway was in sight, he could see an open hall beyond. If he could just get through, he could lose the Seeker in the castle itself. Caius was a swift runner, faster than a man in armor carrying around a honking huge sword, that was for sure!

Mod Note
THIS THREAD IS NOW CLOSED!!

For the duration of this thread, this will be treated as a random encounter thread, as such I will be responding as the npcs creating new situations for those involved. As such I ask everyone refrain from post for npcs aside from your own. Additionally I will be making these posts from my Mallach Dirson account for ease and general haste. Each one will start as a mod post and will be later split into my character. 

I will begin shortly, thank you.

"What in the world?!" Screamed the young student as the one-eyed man leapt over his form, he turned his gaze to follow Caius and then back from which he came. He had sensed a power a moment before, and then a ruckus.. Was it this man? Why was he running? "Hey stop! Someone stop him!" He screamed, pushing his small form to his feet and attempted to run after Caius, but to what end? He was but a child after all and his legs could not keep up.

Not that they had to.

As luck would have it a rather foul tempered, near middle aged, redhead woman was in the middle of eating her strawberry dessert something she had been in long need of when she and her guest for breakfast, who found it most odd she dine on a dessert for said occasion felt a sudden stir.  He had risen so quickly, that he had toppled the dessert upon the floor with a splat, leaving only sadness in it's wake. What followed directly after was not important, what was is that the red haired woman was approaching from the side of the library Caius was fleeing from and upon spotting him, lifted her left hand and cast out her energy with skilled ease. 

Blue tendrils of energy would wrap itself tightly upon the sprinting teen and would then further tighten so that he would be well in surely hogtied from shoulders to feet. "You best be worth my time, boy." She growled as she approached him, a terrible angry aura seemingly flickering about her very soul.

Meanwhile, the downed High-Commander and daughter would find themselves being ran by, by half a dozen armed men and women, two of which stopped realizing whom it was was lying bleeding upon the floor.  The eldest of the pair, only notable by the wrinkles and dust of silver in his beard knelt down next to the man and looked hard at the member of the White Order and with the most gentle of voices one could imagine for such a frightful sight asked. "My lady, is Lord Dirson alright? What happened?" Meanwhile, the brother and sister would find themselves suddenly out numbered as four armed soldiers burst into the room, and quickly surrounded them, along with the retired Seeker whom soon took flight after the unnaturally gifted boy. All four shouting and demanding answers, not to mention for them to remove their weapons from their person. And quickly.

SPOILER: Click to show

As I was posting before Frox she requested I make Mollandir give chase. Given the circumstances it only made sense.

---

Not sure as to what was going on, Mallach simply lay there in a head puddle of his own blood. Numbness had taken him and the taste of copper filled his mouth. What in the hells happened to me? He thought, more than a little dazed and confused. The only thing he was sure of, was he was lying on the floor and bleeding.. And that he'd bitten his tongue.

Today was just simply not his day. To make matters worse when he would become aware that he had been seen in such a state, he'd further die of embarrassment. 

[My bit was so short D:]

The older man wondered where the world had gone wrong. Very rarely, he was met with this kind of resistance when it came to taking his wards to the Tower; usually, it was an overly attached parent who failed to see reason. Most parents had been overjoyed with the realization that their child was going to live amongst Anul's disciples, though with the appropriate amount of sadness, and had become proud of their child's new place in life. It was a very high honor for one to be taken. It had only been two years since his last attempt at Seeking, surely the world could not have changed so much that he would be insulted and threatened, no longer respected but treated with hostility.

"It is not your place to decide," Mollandir said simply, casting a glance in Cathlyn's direction. "Contain yourself, Milady." The glance proved fatal indeed, as the boy took his chance to cause a distraction and run, calling back to his cousins over his shoulder – were the boy able to evade capture, which was unlikely within the Tower, he had inadvertently sealed his own fate by claiming relation (familial ties were often strong, Mollandir had observed, and the woman's actions had definitely cemented the fact that they were related). Without a word, Mollandir gave chase, grimacing slightly as he took off from his injured leg; he closed the distance quickly, which to say was in a timely manner, as the enflamed Justicar had made the attempt to contain Caius, who wasn't going anywhere.

Inwardly, Mollandir groaned, though his face remained in its eternal scowl, as he approached, unaffected by the angry aura the woman emanated.

Meanwhile, Aryn had removed her hand from her father's face as the nearest guards – noted by their purple cloaks – rushed by, her own face still a mask of serenity, allowing the emotion to rule her for the time being. She was not surprised by their sudden appearance, as they had always been in the halls, but she had thought them for ceremony only...she had never seen them in action before. She watched them pass, aware of the two stopping to investigate, but her eyes fixated themselves toward the library, where Mollandir had disappeared into. She hadn't felt a draw of Power from him, but then again, she wasn't trained to feel them, and soon the serenity upon her ashen face shifted to worry.

"I do not know," she said quietly, redirecting her blurry gaze to her father's face in an attempt to hide the tears from the guards. "He is fine," she stated much more calmly than she felt. "I..." she started, then trailed off, unsure of how to proceed. Instead, she once again reached toward her father's face, drawing upon the Power within to at least staunch the renewed flow of blood from the laceration upon his forehead. "We are fine," she demurred quietly. "You may proceed if you wish."

Anger enveloped Cathlyn, her vision turning into a crimson hue before her brother snapped her back to reality with the call of her name, his tone void of his usual compassion. Before her was not the man she had just previously confronted, but now a contingent of soldiers. Her teeth gritted, raising her arms above her head as her twin did the same.

"I assure you that we do not have our weapons on our person. We left them back at the stables, with our horses." was Azoth's reply towards those demanding for their weapons. His body was lax, face clear of any aggression in hopes of turning this into a reasonable discussion. "We don't wish to cause further trouble, so if you would, explain the reasons why we are to be treated like criminals? We only live to serve our King." 

Cathlyn Nuëmenoïr couldn't have cared less for the reasoning as to why she was being treated this way, the clenching of her jaw evident to that as the anger danced within her eyes like a violent flame. Her own family was at risk, and here she was, being treated as if she were in the wrong for protecting those dear to her. She didn't care if it was for a good cause. Her cousin was being taken away from her just after she had reunited with him. She couldn't stand the thought of losing contact with him once again, even though she would easily be able to see him in the Towers of Anul. More so than if he were back in Bulgate in fact. But the rationality of the thought was lost to Cat as the single thought of Caius being locked away remained on repeat in her mind, her eyes welling with hot, angry tears. 

She tried to think of a possibility of getting out of this situation, of getting Caius free from the mages, but only one rose to the forefront. Through clenched teeth, Cathlyn turned her glare to the soldier bearing the mark of captain, and spoke her demand with a clipped tone, "I wish to speak with Mallach Dirson at once." 

And with that, both twin refrained from speech, waiting with their arms held up in surrender.

Caius had been so close to freedom the young horselord could have tasted it. If only he'd not gone down that row of shelves. If only, he lamented, he had elected another path, or tried to circumvent the Seeker and go out through the front like a crazy person, he might have made it. All of this was, of course, irrelevant. Idle, last moment musings aside, the moment Caius felt his feet sweep out from under him as he was bound up in the red headed woman's magical snare, he realized he was doomed. How stupid had he been? Really? Showing off his power like that in the library? He may as well have walked into the nearest chantry and set the altar on fire! It would have had pretty much the same effect! No, instead, he got to crack his head nice and hard against the cobbled floor, unconscious a mere moment after his body hit the ground. Though the wound was superficial, it was a head wound, and bled freely, as head wounds are wont to do. Caius groaned softly, but otherwise remained silent.

"Tsk."  Well wasn't this a mess thought the scarlet haired woman as she not only reached the bleeding youth, but was now glaring down upon his figure. "Oi, wake up. Don't you dare pass out on me after ruining my dessert." She fumed as her long delicate looking fingers slipped into Caius' hair and grabbed a handful of it and jerk his face off the floor so the pair could look one another in the eye as she knelt next to him. "What are you doing tearing through this most holy of halls for boy? Don't you know where you are? Show some respect." 


Meanwhile, the four purple cloaked guards stood before the siblings not moving an inch and holding their ground as they were trained to. With a nod from the one whom appeared to be in charge, they began to circle the pair as they spoke, making what the guards took as demands. The one whom did the nodding responding in a soft but stern voice. "The King, nor Lord Dirson have any authority here. Although the latter is just near the main entry point of this building." The man was young, but clearly confident and was not in the mood for games. "While we may share the palace grounds with your King and his followers, you find yourself upon holy ground, and under the protection and rule of the Order of Light. You two are but guests in our halls and it is us who will be asking the questions, now you.

"On that note, what is going on here? Why the cause for this ruckus?" He crossed his arms then, his weapon not yet drawn while his three companions certainly drew their steel.  "If your words of peace and true, you will answer quickly and honestly and everything will go smoothly. You both have my word."


The pair of guards whom had stopped to aid Ayrn kept their tongues from wagging and patiently waited and watched as she tended to her father. The elder of the pair nodded to his companion whom did as the Gifted one suggested and took flight to join her four comrades. "Are you sure mi'lady?" He asked once they were alone, well as alone as two people could be with an unconscious man on the floor. "While I lack your abilities, I've seen my share of injuries and can help carry your Lord Father if need be." She was young and perhaps not experienced, but it was hard pressed to not know she was daughter to the King's right hand man, let alone the King's niece. 

---

Feeling the touch of his daughter's gift filled him with warmth and a sense that everything was going to be alright. While he could do little than groan at the moment, his lips curved into a smile and the slightest bit of colour slowly began to return to his ashen face. 


[really not much to do with a k.o'd man XD]

Mhairyn didn't respond to the guard who had remained behind, as she was focusing on the healing; her head began to ach as she continued and she winced, sighing as though she had been at it all day. She was far from exhausted, though her arts took a toll on the body, and the greater the wound to heal, the more of it she took upon herself...her father had a thick skull and he had taken a massive whack, and while his wound was healing, albeit slowly, and his ache disappeared, also slowly, she had taken the pain from the blow.

Her head started to throb and her vision blurred, and she removed her hands from her father's face, crying out softly as she rubbed her temple where the pain was concentrated. "Sit...sit him up," she whispered, rolling off her knees and swaying softly as she made an attempt to stand.

Mollandir's expression remained unchanging as he looked down at the bleeding boy. He waited patiently for his turn to speak, allowing the Justicar the opportunity to have the first questions and answers, as she had done all the hard work. He was patient, he could wait, though it was likely that he wouldn't have a chance if her mood didn't die down.

Before Cathlyn could even think about uttering foul words, the tall male at her side quickly spoke up, possibly saving them from becoming locked up within some cell. "Ser, we were just here looking for our cousin. We did find him here in this library and we conversed. How it came to be like this, I'm not quite sure."

Cat momentarily held her breath at Azoth's slight lie, fully expecting him to keep to the whole truth like he normally did, but she retained that heated glare towards the young man before her, hoping not to tip off the lie to the guards "I was just protecting my cousin from what I thought was a threat. You too would protect your family if someone threatened them, no? Now, bring Mallach here. I wish to speak to him. I don't care if he has jurisdiction here or not."

Again, Azoth quickly pitched in with more words before his sister could, "forgive us for not stating who we were until now. We are the Nuëmenoïr twins, Cathlyn, Tatiana of the Empire," Azoth gave a tilt of his head towards his sister, arms still raised above his head, "and I am Azoth." Mayhaps the introduction would help in their favor and leave them with a warning? At the vary least, the lad hoped it would help explain that the armed forces were dealing with a woman who was like a ticking time bomb, ready to explode at any second. "And as my sister has so rudely asked twice before, please may we see Lord Dirson; I believe it would settle down this tense atmosphere quite considerably"

Caius's head rolled limply on his shoulders as the red-headed harpy grabbed him by the hair and jerked him upright. His one good eye had rolled back into his head, and blood oozed from a long gash just above his left temple, where his head had smacked into the ground. He was vaguely aware that someone was chastising him, but words were difficult to make out in the haze of what was no doubt a fairly unfortunate concussion. A faint groan escaped the young Horse Lord's lips, but otherwise he said and did nothing. No amount of physical violence against him was going to snap the boy out of it, though maybe the evil witch could consider less abusive tactics. Blood from the wound in his head dripped onto the evil Hag and the floor below, further desecrating this 'sacred hall'. If he were conscious, he might have asked what the hell the psychotic female was doing eating dessert in a library full of precious books, scrolls, and knowledge. Instead, he managed to very quietly mumble: "Cat...did you get the name of the heifer that just ran me over?" His voice tapered off into a slurred groan, then silence again as he resumed he precious unconscious state.

"Why you little.." Bold were the choice of words from the dazed and confused Caius, well possibly stupid but we'd let onlookers decide that themselves. Regardless as they slipped from the bleeding youth's lips, her eyes seemed to sparkle with a shine of malice. However such was cooled and dismissed by the approach of an elder wearing long weaving white robes, whom did naught but touch her shoulder.

"Cease that behavior this instant young lady." Seemingly flinching she did as she was bid and laid Caius down upon the floor and retreated a few steps backward. The elder man with his long wavy gray hair and beard to match huffed and glanced at the retired seeker, bowing his head to the man with the utmost respect. He then knelt next to the boy and placed a soft, warm hand upon the bleeding flesh and with a voice one might imagine belonged to that of the messengers of the gods spoke. "Be at ease young one, you'll be good as new in a moment." A soft white began to shine around his hand and Caius would soon feel the Gifted's power of healing flowing into him, much like a cool wind breeze on a hot summer's day. "Tell me what happened here, Seeker."


The guards, now joined by the 5th member lowered their drawn weapons a half inch, but kept their stance all the same. They would not be taken so easily surprised and would be able to fend off the siblings assault were they to make one, albeit with some lost ground on their own part perhaps but they'd make the Horse Lords pay for every inch were they to make such a motion. However when they insisted to be brought to Mallach, or rather Mallach be brought to them yet again the one whom had done the speaking thus far simply sighed and shook his head a little. "The Lord Dirson is already here, in the tower." He gestured from whence they came. "He staggered in a few moments before this upset occurred with a head wound and collapsed. One of the Order of White is tending to his injury now, if you wish we can take you to see him but I do not believe he'll be of us aid to your cause." He moved aside slightly and gestured toward the path in which would take the pair to the man. 

"Right this way if you'd please."

As the white lady continued her healing the elder guard watched painfully as she took her father's pain into herself. It'd not been the first time he'd seen such a feat, but it didn't make it any less of an ordeal to watch. As she cried out, he reached for her but stopped suddenly as she spoke. Nodding, he did as the Gifted one ordered and slipped his arms under Mallach's frame to help him sit up. "C'mon ole boy, don't you have better things to do rather than lying on the floor taking a nap?" He jested in an attempt to lighten the mood, his eyes flicking back to Aryn. "Are you okay mi'lady? Shall I fetch someone to bring you something?"

---

Mallach groaned as his senses began to return to him. He didn't hear his daughter's cry, or at least it didn't register to his lulling senses but the first thing his eyes happened to catch sight off was her, upon her knees looking pained and possibly troubled. "Mhairyn?" The name sounded dry, as dry as his throat had suddenly become. He couldn't explain why, but whenever he was healed by the tough of one  as Gifted as her his mouth always felt like he'd swallowed a sheep whole afterward.  "Wh-" His gaze turned to the man holding him and his face suddenly turned to stone, his eyes sharpening. 

"What's going on?" His gaze snapped back to his daughter and then around her to not see the Seeker present. "Where's that Seeker?" So many questions, all of which seemed to start with a w. Expect one which followed next. "And why am I upon the floor?"

Vertigo caught up with Mhairyn as she made her attempt to stand, and her hand reached out behind her as she backed slowly, reaching for the wall; as it made contact, she slid down it slowly as her knees threatened to give out. Her head ached and throbbed, and while it was nothing compared to what her father had gone through (he had been subjected to several concussions in his lifetime, she was sure), this was her first and it was unbearable – the eggs she had eaten for breakfast threatened to reveal themselves to the kind guard and her questioning father as the nausea wracked her stomach.

She remained silent, unable to speak, as her father began righting himself; hopefully, the guard would send someone to fetch a pitcher of water, or get some himself, for the King's Man, if he did not ask for it himself. "Give me a moment," she whispered, eyes closed beneath her hands, as she sank into a sitting position; her Power was substantial, but she had never had to both use her own gift and then immediately use the ones taught to her – both had the capacity to wear her down individually, and together they had almost knocked her flat. Perhaps Mollandir was right, she was not ready to leave the castle yet.



Mollandir, already standing tall and proud as he waited patiently for his chance to speak, stood at full attention as the man in White approached. "My lord," he said reverently, tucking his chin to his chest and bending slightly at the waist. "The boy fled after showing his gifts in the Library. I preformed my duty as sworn, and while taking him in as a ward he attempted to flee." He lowered his voice slightly, unsure of what would happen when the boy regained his mental faculties. "There was much fear in the air as he displayed his gift, which is most unusual for our members, hence the fervent mobilization...he appeared to be of the mind that we are going to imprison him, as were the pair still in the library claiming to be relations." He lowered his voice further, speaking only so the Justicar and the Elder could hear without strain. "I fear he may have been contacted elsewhere."

Bold words, indeed, for very few members of the Order knew of what the Seeker spoke. "I pray we are not too late."

Cat felt herself being tugged in two directions; one way was towards her beloved, the other in the area her cousin fled. How could she chose between the two men she held close to her heart? The decision of whom to go after left the woman's brow creased as she mulled it over. The whole ordeal was about her cousin, yet she felt Mallach could help in the situation. It seemed like minutes ticked by as she fought with herself, starting when she felt a hand clap onto her shoulder. Her head swiveled and followed the length of the arm to her brother, he giving her a small smile before nodding once in the direction of where Mallach was said to be. "Go on, I'll wait for Caius." 

The Lady Cathlyn nodded in return as she placed a hand over Azoth's before exiting the library, booted feet clacking upon the floor as she went off in search of the Lord. Of course, it wouldn't take her long to find the trio within the grandeur hall she and Azoth had traveled down just moments before. "Mallach." Her voice rose, albeit shaky with raw emotion as she made her way towards the three. "Mallach, I need your help. My cousin, Caius, he's in trouble and I-" Her voice trailed off once she caught sight of the girl sitting upon the floor, eyes averting to her own feet as she gave a slight bow of her head out of respect towards the King's niece, "Lady Dirson, are you alright? I apologize for the intrusion." Now the woman felt riddled with guilt, bringing her own drama to another while his daughter was quite noticeably not feeling well.

---

Meanwhile, Azoth remained within the library, arms crossed over his chest in a loose manner as he directed whoever was left to watch him, "Now that my sister is gone, may I go to see if my cousin is alright. I heard a nasty ruckus further in the library and fear for his health."

Caius seemed to twitch slightly in response to the touch. The warmth flooding through the wound seemed relieve the pain as the gash mended and bruised tissue rejuvenated. The young lad groaned as his brain seemed to suddenly flip back into the 'on' position, and his eye snapped open. He jerked upright, then halted mid rise as a sudden weary grogginess ceased over him. He blanched and caught himself on his elbows, chest heaving as he blinked (winked?) and tried to clear the grogginess from his head. He missed most of what the Retired Seeker and the Elder said, struggling to sit upright and glaring resentfully at the group around him. After a moment of regaining his senses, Caius spoke up: "No one contacted me, thank you very much, and I ran because I don't want to be anyone's 'ward'." He groaned as his head throbbed and he turned his loathing gaze onto the Red Haired Woman. "Aside from being forced to work and cooperate with individuals who value knowledge so little they'd eat a damn cake in a room full of easily damaged books, I don't particularly like the idea of being leashed to some dour, self-righteous prick wherever I go." Caius did not like the situation he was in. He did not appreciate being taken into custody for no reason.

The young man reached into his pocket and began wiping away the blood smearing his face and matting his hair. He'd need a damn bath after this, and in the middle of winter that was going to be a bitch and a half. "What right do you people have to detain me, anyways? I'm not some hedge-mage rogue your overzealous Seekers somehow missed! I am a Horse-Lord of House Nuëmenoïr! If whatever my ability is had been the power you people are here to manage, you would have found it when I was a child." He straightened up and grunted, eyes fluttering as his brain seemed to throb. "Speaking of horses! Mine is the stable, with my bow and blade. You people better leave him be, he's meaner than I am."