Thracian Empire

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Nikos knowing that Isadore was Mihael's brother took the boy off guard for a minute. He lowered his gaze and nodded sadly. "Yeah... I... I couldn't believe that he did that... the rest of us didn't see it coming at all and we didn't manage to stop him in time... I'm really sorry. And now he's killing even more people..." Mihael clenched his fists tightly at his sides. "I don't know why he did it... or why he's doing this now..."

Antony glared at Isadore, the impact of the slap infuriating him. He pushed the drunk away from him, crossing his arms. "That's enough! You can't even speak properly when you're in this state! You are the one who sounds like a plebeian! What kind of governor are you!?"

"Cato..." Sascha looked at his friend, feeling very thankful for his support. He didn't know how easy it would be for him to stop drinking, though. Cato needed a lot of rest and that was time where Sascha would be alone with his thoughts. He sighed. "I don't know what else to do." Meilyr's death had left him feeling defeated.

"You shouldn't give Emmett all the credit! This soup wouldn't be the same if you hadn't been involved!" Ronan didn't want Mihael to just pass over his compliments like that; he wanted his brother to actually feel good about his accomplishment. "I think you should definitely cook more. Emmett knows a lot but he'll be really busy, so I'll help you whenever you want!" Ronan would definitely prefer helping Mihael over Emmett helping the boy. He ate a couple more spoonfuls of soup.

"Oh that's awesome!" Calyx grinned, clearly quite pleased by Pavel's idea. "Everyone will understand what that means, I'm sure of it."

Emmett nodded. "I think that's a great idea. People should respond strongly and want to know what we're all about." He knew that Pavel would definitely get the job done, as well. Talking to him had been the right choice. "All right. Today we'll go into town and get the supplies you need to do this. You'll need to make three posters for us to hold, plus extra ones to put up."

"After that, I can take you to that town hall place," Calyx added. He remembered seeing a building that could be it on his outings.

Isadore ground his teeth as he listened to Antony insult him. He didn't even care about his headache anymore. "Do not dare speak to me in such a way!" His chair flew back as he shot up to his full height. Looking down slightly at the man, Isadore fixed a furious glare on him. "How people saw me yesterday means nothing! If they doubt my power for even a moment, I can have them all killed! I could even kill them with my own hands if I so pleased!!" Isadore yelled. He lowered his voice and sounded more dangerous. "And being my adviser does not necessarily exempt you from that."

Cato was completely out cold when Sascha entered his room. He had no sense of how late it had gotten to be, and didn't even feel his friend shaking him at first. After a moment he became a little more aware and realized that someone was speaking. Cato wanted so badly to stay asleep, but he recalled that it must have been Sascha talking to him. He groaned softly and tried to force his eyes open. His entire body felt so heavy. "Sascha...? Cato said when he was finally looking at the guy. He didn't really move, though. "Is... something wrong...? Oh... what... what time is it...?" When he spoke, Cato didn't sound like he was totally there yet.

Mihael smiled at Ronan's enthusiasm about the soup. "Aww... yeah, I guess that's true! Well, I'm just really glad that you like it so much... it definitely makes me want to try to cook more." He looked even happier when Ronan offered to cook with him. "Oh... I'd really like that a lot... I think it'd be fun to learn to cook with you... I remember when you made me breakfast when I was with you and it was really good."

"Yeah, I think that'll definitely get lots of attention," Caimbrie agreed. She hoped it wouldn't get them the wrong kind of attention, but they really needed people to hear what they had to say so it would be worth the risk.

"Great," Pavel replied, looking around the room. He was pleasantly surprised that everyone liked his idea so much. He nodded at Emmett. "Okay, that'll be no problem." Calyx offered to take him to the town hall to see the crest and Pavel thanked him for it. He was pretty excited to get to work; it was finally time to start taking action against Isadore, however small.

It wasn't long before they had the necessary supplies. After Calyx took him to the town hall, Pavel set off to work. Because of his injuries, he didn't go out with them but he was pretty sure the posters would get attention.

The situation in Raunati had been becoming increasingly horrible and Glenn's death was enough to drive his siblings out of what had once been a great city. Isla still wasn't sure where they were going to go, but staying there wasn't an option, not after what the governor had done to her brother.

The town they arrived in was a bit of a dump, but they'd been traveling for a while and Isla figured it was as good a time as any to get some rest and supplies. Upon arriving, she noticed some very intriguing posters. What caught her interest even more, however, was one of the people holding them.

She gestured for her sisters to follow her and made her way over to him. "Emmett? What are you doing here? And these posters..."

Antony drew in a breath when Isadore threatened him, but didn't back down. Isadore often made empty threats against him and Antony knew well that it would only disadvantage Isadore to harm him. "You are missing the point entirely, but what else could I expect from someone as stupid as you have proven yourself to be!? You made a mockery of every single person in attendance and that reflects poorly on the entire province! Having political power means nothing if you don't use it effectively! You didn't present yourself as a powerful leader, you presented yourself as less than a plebeian!"

Sascha was concerned by how long it took Cato to wake up. When finally became responsive, he seemed as if he'd only been sleeping for a couple of hours in spite of how long ago he'd gone to bed. "It's almost noon," Sascha replied. "Are you feeling sick or something? I don't want to drag you out of bed if you are..." It was the only explanation for how out of it Cato seemed.

Seeing Mihael become even happier made Ronan smile widely. "I've had a lot of practice making breakfast. I used to make it for you when you were really little too!" Ronan thought back fondly to those mornings. "So I can help you get a lot of practice too and you'll be able to make food maybe even better than mine!" Talking so much didn't make his sore throat feel any better and he had to stop to cough. "I guess that'll be after I'm better..."

After Pavel had finished the posters, Emmett led the way outside to the town plaza. The three held up their posters and it wasn't long before they started getting attention from the townspeople. Emmett had just finished speaking to a couple of people when three familiar faces approached him.

"Oh... hello, Isla. And Acacia and Bailey too," he greeted them with a small smile. With Mihael now there, Emmett had discovered that the rumours about Glenn were true. He had thought of the man's family from time to time and hoped they all right. They looked to be fine, at least. "It's... a bit of a long story, but we've formed a resistance in this town against the new governor."

Acacia definitely hadn't expected to see Emmett in that town, but it was nice to see a familiar face. Hearing him mention a resistance really caught her attention, though. "A... resistance?" Isadore deserved all the resisting he could get in her opinion, but she knew all too well what happened to people who resisted. The governor was merciless.

Bailey, on the other hand, was happy to hear what Emmett was doing. "That's so great! Carystos needs to fight back!"

"It's not great at all if the governor finds out!" Acacia looked first at her sister, and then Emmett. She didn't think he realized the danger.

"Silence!!" Isadore yelled, pounding his fist on his desk. He then quickly went around it in order to get closer to Antony. When he was close enough, he slapped his uncle hard in the face. "You need to learn your place! You have absolutely no right to tell me what to do, because you are nothing compared to me! Nothing! All of you are! Leave my office at once!"

"Noon...?" Cato's thoughts were becoming a bit clearer and he remembered that he and Sascha had been making plans. "No, no... I'm fine. I, um... took a while... getting to sleep last night. It's okay... I'll wake up more soon..." It was difficult, but he forced himself to push back his blankets and slowly sit up. Cato gave Sascha a small smile to show him that he was okay. "So... what was it... we were going to do...?" He couldn't quite recall.

"Aww... you did? I bet it was great... you were so good to me... and you still are." Mihael thought it was really sweet that Ronan had taken such good care of him. He wished he could remember those days because they sounded nice. He nodded enthusiastically at what Ronan said. "I think that'll be a lot of fun! But yeah, definitely after you're better... you need to get a lot of rest for now."

When it seemed like a disagreement could break out, Isla shot an irritable glance over her shoulder at her younger siblings. She then turned her attention back to Emmett. "A resistance, huh? Is it taking off at all or is it just you and those two kids I saw with posters so far?" She understood Acacia's reservations, but if the resistance was actually going somewhere, it was worth considering.

When Isadore slapped Antony, the man was momentarily stunned. The shock quickly gave way to anger and Antony forcefully shoved Isadore back against his desk. "I'm nothing compared to you?" he repeated, glaring at the governor. "Without me, you wouldn't even be in the position you're in now! I taught you everything you know!"

"I see..." Sascha didn't seem convinced that Cato's only problem was that he'd had trouble falling asleep, but Cato was already getting up so Sascha supposed he couldn't feel too horrible. Cato had apparently forgotten what they were going to be doing, which was surprising. Sascha remembered his friend having a good memory. "We were going to go find the theatre," he explained. "Are you sure you're up for it, though? If you're not feeling well, we can take it easy."

Ronan smiled at Mihael's gratefulness to him and ate another spoonful of soup. He was just glad that he could do so much for the boy. "Yup, I'll get lots of rest and then we can do all sorts of things. We'll get to spend time together without you getting in trouble, too!" It always made him sad to only be able to spend the afternoon with Mihael, and then have to worry that someone got mad at him for being gone.

Emmett smiled at Bailey's enthusiasm, but Acacia didn't seem so happy. He was well aware that there was some truth to what she was saying, though. Isla spoke to him, so he turned his attention to her. "Oh, no, we're just part of the resistance. Over all, there's..." Emmett paused for a moment. "Eight of us. Isadore's brother just joined, actually." Besides saving Mihael from an awful environment, bringing him to the resistance was also a good idea because of his status.

The shove took Isadore by surprise and he hit the desk behind him hard. That, along with what Antony dared to say, only made the governor blind with rage. "You scum!!" Isadore lunged forward and drove his elbow into his uncle's midsection. "I was born to be governor and nothing could change that!! I owe you nothing!"

"Oh, the theatre, of course..." Cato recalled the conversation now. He hoped it wasn't too far away; he was exhausted. "No... I can do it. I'm a little tired, but we're just walking..." It took a bit of effort for Cato to get himself out of bed, but he tried to make it look easier.

Once they were ready, the two left Cato's house and headed toward the centre of town. The most active area would be most likely to have a theatre. As they approached the plaza, Cato was feeling quite tired. Staying at the same speed as Sascha was getting more difficult, but he worked hard to keep up so it wouldn't be obvious.

Mihael smiled, nodding enthusiastically. "Yeah, we can spend as much time as we want together now." It had always been frustrating to get scolded for 'wandering around like a plebeian' or something ridiculous like that, but Theodore had always been fine with him going out. It made him sad to know how much resentment Ronan had for Theodore, especially now that Theodore would never be able to make amends with the man. "Father never got upset with me for leaving to see you, though..."

Isla listened to Emmett, considering what he was saying. Eight people wasn't very many, but it seemed that this resistance had just formed. It could get huge for all anyone knew. "The emperor's not doing anything, so I guess someone has to." She raised an eyebrow at the last thing he said. "His brother? So this is getting really serious. Are you based here? We're going to be staying here for a bit and I wouldn't mind learning more about this resistance." Like Acacia, she wasn't willing to commit to anything yet, but she was definitely curious.

Being called scum by Isadore infuriated Antony, but before he had a chance to respond, Isadore's elbow had been driven into his midsection. It took him a moment to catch his breath and when he did, he grabbed Isadore by the front of his shirt and jerked him forward. Glaring into the governor's eyes, he spoke through gritted teeth. "You were not born to be the governor; I am the one who allowed you this position by letting Theodore think you were his son. I am the only reason you are in this position." Antony was taking care to keep his voice low so as not to be overheard, but his eyes burned with anger and he had an iron grip on Isadore's shirt.

Sascha wasn't sure if Cato was actually up to going, but his friend managed to get up and ready so all Sascha could do is hope he wasn't pushing himself too hard.

Cato seemed to be having some difficulty keeping up, but they made it to the plaza. "All right... I think from here, we follow this street..." He pointed off. "How are you doing?" He couldn't shake how out of it Cato had seemed that morning from his mind.

Ronan nodded. He was definitely looking forward to that more than anything. What Mihael then said about Theodore was good to hear, since Ronan still had mixed feelings about the man and was often concerned in the past about what it was like living with him. Theodore was still a liar to Ronan, but from the way Mihael spoke about him, it might not have been too bad. "That's really good... I'm glad he gave you that much freedom." Ronan didn't know how much to talk about Theodore, seeing as he had just died and his brother was probably still sad about it. "I still wish I could have gone and visited you so you didn't have to go through so much trouble..."

Emmett could see that the talk of this resistance has gotten Isla's interest somewhat, and it was clear from Bailey's face that she was very excited about the whole thing. Acacia still looked a little unsure, so Emmett didn't want to make them feel pressured. "Yeah, we're based in this town. At the inn, actually, so when you're staying here you could easily talk to us anytime."

This did sound interesting, but Acacia still didn't know what to think. The first big move the resistance made could get them executed, though just talking to them couldn't hurt. "I guess learning more and talking would be okay..."

"Yeah, of course!" Bailey said with a smile. "Isla, we really need to meet these people!"

Isadore was struggling against Antony's grip until the man spoke. His whole body tensed in anger and he fixed a furious glare on his uncle. "I am Theodore's son!!" he yelled in Antony's face, just before forcing his knee into the man's stomach. While Antony was recovering, Isadore pushed him into the wall and held him there. "You are not my father and you never will be! Never!! Do you hear me?!"

Cato had been spacing out a little when Sascha spoke at first. "Hm? Oh... I'm fine..." He then realized that his friend had mentioned the street. "I think... we should follow this street."

After walking along that street for a while, it became apparent that they weren't going the right way. Cato had really been counting on it, since he didn't know how much further he could go. Before long, his breathing was getting heavy and he couldn't keep up with Sascha at all. "Sa... Sascha... I think... I think we went... the wrong way..." Cato managed to say between breaths.

Mihael nodded at Ronan's comment about Theodore giving him a lot of freedom. "He just wanted me to be happy... that was always important to him." It was still hard to think about Theodore, but talking about him made Mihael feel like he was keeping the man's memory alive. He shook his head at what Ronan said. "No, it's okay... it wasn't any trouble and I was just glad to spend time with you... we had a lot of good talks."

"At the inn? That's convenient." Even Acacia seemed willing to speak with the resistance members before making any decisions about them, so Isla nodded at Bailey. "Yeah, okay. We can head there now. Thanks... and good luck with your demonstration," she said to Emmett.

With that, she led the others to the inn and after booking a room, she said, "I don't know how effective they're going to be, but at least they're doing something." It was more than anyone with power seemed to be doing in Raunati.

Pavel was in the kitchen mashing up vegetables when the three girls entered and he paused to look up at them. He hoped that they'd been recruited by the others, but he didn't get his hopes up; odds were they just wanted a place to stay. As much as he wanted his posters to be effective, he didn't know how much good they'd do.

Antony narrowed his eyes when Isadore insisted that Theodore was his father. "He is--" Isadore interrupted him with a knee to the stomach and soon had him pinned against the wall. "I am your father! You would not be alive to say such things to me if I weren't! He had nothing to do with it! Now, unhand me!"

Sascha realized that they'd gone the wrong way just as Cato said it. While it was a bit irritating to realize that they'd gone the wrong way, Sascha was more concerned by Cato and that fact was written all over his face. "Yeah, we'll have to turn around, but I think we should find somewhere to sit down for a while first. You're really out of breath..." He couldn't think of any good reason why a young, reasonably healthy person would have that kind of problem and that was scaring him a bit.

Ronan smiled. "We really did... even though we couldn't talk all the time, it still made me so happy," he said. Their talks really were the highlight of any day they happened. "I still remember when we first met again... I feel like my life has changed so much since then. For the better, of course!"

"All right, thanks. It was good to see you," Emmett said as the three girls walked away. He didn't want to force them to do anything, but he really hoped they would decide that the resistance was worth joining.

"True..." Acacia replied when they were inside the inn. "But it doesn't seem like they're prepared at all. Sure they have the governor's brother, but that's it." She caught sight of a guy in the kitchen who was looking at them with an unimpressed expression. "What's his problem?" The guy seemed like he was probably part of the resistance, so he should have been happy to see new people arriving at the inn. Acacia walked over to the kitchen. "So, you're part of this resistance?" she asked Pavel, her arms folded. "What do you think you can even do?"

"No!!" Isadore grabbed onto Antony tightly and, after pulling him away from the wall, practically threw him into a book shelf. "Shut your filthy mouth! You have no right to say that!! None at all! Just shut up... shut up!! Right now!!" He could barely handle thinking of his father, even when it wasn't like this. What sanity Isadore had been able to keep was slipping away from all this and he just wanted to scream.

Cato was glad to stop walking and tried to catch his breath, but his lungs felt like they couldn't handle it just yet. Sascha looked pretty upset and Cato hated what he was doing to his friend. "Yeah... I'd like to... sit down... if that's..." He stumbled as he started walking toward a short stone wall nearby. His legs were just so tired. When Cato reached it, he tried to sit carefully and ended up slumping down more than anything, which didn't feel good in his back. He winced. "Sorry to... hold things up..."

Mihael smiled as Ronan spoke, nodding in agreement. "Mine too... all of this would have been a lot harder without you." It was hard to believe that Mihael had been reunited with Ronan so recently; it felt like they'd been together for years. "It's like... hmm... it's like I can't even imagine my life without knowing you now."

Isla nodded grimly. Acacia was right; eight people wasn't many in the grand scheme of things and if the closest thing to a powerful figure they had on their side was the governor's teenage brother then that left a lot to be desired. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see." Acacia then seemed disturbed by a kid in the kitchen. He didn't look happy, but beyond that he wasn't doing anything so Isla didn't see what the issue was. Before she could say anything, Acacia had already approached the boy.

"Uh. Hello to you too." Pavel didn't look thrilled with the way this girl was approaching him, but when she mentioned the resistance he knew he had to answer her questions. He couldn't risk turning anyone away. "I think we can do more by trying to resist than we could by just sitting around doing nothing. It's not like we're promising miracles, but this asshole is the most hated guy in the empire right now." As he spoke, he tried to shift the partially mashed vegetables out of view; he was aware of how strange what he was doing would look. "It's useless if everyone just sits in their house thinking about how much they hate him, but if we can get people together we have a better chance of getting something accomplished." Pavel wasn't completely convinced that they'd be successful, but even he could see the value in trying.

Antony hit the bookshelf and was barely able to steady himself. He shot a glare at Isadore and opened his mouth to retort to the boy shouting at him, but decided against it. While their personal relationship was terrible, their political relationship was ideal and Isadore was emotional enough to ruin it. It was irritating that Isadore wouldn't listen to what he was saying and it was infuriating to hear him speaking of Theodore the way he was. Even with his brother dead, Antony wasn't able to escape his shadow.

Wordlessly, he pulled himself to his feet and left the office with a pained gait, not even bothering to close the door behind him.

Sascha only grew more concerned as he watched Cato sit down. Sascha sat next to him and shook his head. "Don't be sorry. I'm just worried about you. Does this happen a lot?" He wasn't sure that either response would be reassuring. If Cato had these problems often, something was obviously wrong. If this was something that had just cropped up, it could only get worse.

A huge smile came to Ronan's face at the last thing Mihael said. Over the years of being separated from his brother, Ronan had been concerned that when he found him again, things would be different. However, it turned out that they weren't at all. "I can't imagine my life without you either!" He was just so happy that he hugged the boy again. "This is how it should be... we're together again!"

The vegetables had caught Acacia's eye and they seemed a bit strange to her, but she focused instead on what Pavel was saying. The way he talked didn't sound like he had a problem with her or her sisters at least, so she calmed down a little. "Well... I guess that makes sense. But the governor's still the one with the most power here. What will you do if..." The topic Acacia had reached without realizing it was a difficult one. "...he decides to strike you down?"

Isadore watched as Antony left the room and then slammed the door behind him. He went back to his desk and sat down, but couldn't focus on his work at all. That encounter had gotten him so worked up and brought back thoughts and feelings he didn't want. Isadore pulled his hands through his hair angrily, hating how unhealthy and thin it felt. On top of everything, his head felt even worse than when he had woken up and he felt sick. Suddenly, he swept the papers off his desk in frustration and rose from his seat. Isadore couldn't do this and he just wanted to be in bed, so he went to his bedroom, completely forgetting that it wasn't his place to be alone anymore now that he was married.

Cato glanced at Sascha. "Umm..." The question was harder to answer than it should have been. It had been a very long time since he had walked this much, so he didn't know much about what physical exertion did to his body. "Well... I get tired sometimes..." Cato coughed a bit. "But... I don't think... it's ever... been this hard to... breathe..."

Mihael hugged Ronan back, holding onto his brother for as long as possible. He couldn't believe the turn his life had taken; he'd gone from being trapped in the mansion with no hope of things getting better to being saved and reunited with Emmett and Ronan. "We are... for a while, I felt like I'd never see you again... I thought I wouldn't be able to get away from the mansion... now we just have to help Carystos." Mihael wasn't sure how, but he was hopeful.

Pavel froze when Acacia questioned him. All he could think of was what Isadore had done to Elis. He knew that the governor would have no qualms with striking any of them down. "At the rate he's going, he could do that anyway, couldn't he?" He shrugged, trying not to think about his own experience with Isadore. "He could decide to raze this whole town for some reason, or any other town. At least this way, we're not just sitting ducks."

The resistance group's demonstration had caught the attention of one of Isadore's patrolmen in the town. He wasn't sure what the posters represented, but any potential disturbance was worth investigating. He approached Emmett, trying to appear more interested than bothered. "Excuse me; I can't figure out what these posters mean. What's this all about?"

Ophelia was already in Isadore's room when he entered. She was wondering how his hangover was treating him. "Good morning," she greeted him, an expression of mock concern on her face. "How are you feeling? You partied hard yesterday."

Sascha wasn't liking what he was hearing at all; there was clearly something very wrong with his friend. "Okay... well, we can sit here until you feel better and then I think we should probably head back to your house so you can get some rest." He really didn't want to risk anything serious happening to Cato.

Thinking about poor Mihael living in that horrible mansion made Ronan want to shudder. Although Emmett's recent behaviour made him a bit concerned, Ronan owed the man a lot for saving his brother. "Now that you're here, I'll never let you go again," he said with a smile. "So I'm gonna do everything I can to help Carystos and make it a better place for you!"

Acacia's gaze shifted down. She didn't really want to admit it, but Pavel was right. "Well... yeah, I guess..." As she looked up at him again, she decided to change the subject. "Anyway, is this resistance full of kids or something?" Besides Emmett, the only members that Acacia had seen were kids, which was just a little strange.

Emmett had just finished checking in with Caimbrie and Calyx when a man approached him. He seemed like any other person Emmett had talked to that day, so he was happy to talk to him. "We're starting a resistance movement because we feel that Carystos shouldn't have to go on like this. The governor is going to burn it to the ground," Emmett explained. "I'm not saying you need to come join us right now. I just want people to feel like the situation isn't hopeless and think about what we could do if we banded together."

Isadore's face fell when he saw who was in his room. He recalled that it wasn't really 'his' anymore, and his mood only worsened. However, he knew he really had to control his anger around Ophelia. That wasn't too difficult now that fear was involved. "I... am fine," Isadore replied, not looking at his wife at all. He went over to the bed and sat down. As much as he wanted to leave, he really needed to lie down and he didn't know how Ophelia would react. "I just need a break right now."

"Um, all right..." It was a little hard for Cato to believe that he could only walk that short distance before his body, including his chest, felt like lead. He had known it was bad, but it was worse than he had expected. "I won't... need to rest here... very long... I don't want... to make you... make you sit around... all day..."

As soon as Cato felt better, the two started on their way. They went more slowly this time to keep Cato from getting worn out and he was able to make it the whole way home. However, he was exhausted. Cato immediately sat down in a soft chair once they were inside. "I... I'm sorry... we... never found the theatre..." He suddenly felt that he was feeling nauseous, and instead of going away, it quickly intensified. Cato forced himself up from the chair and vomited into the nearest bucket.

Mihael beamed at Ronan's assuring words. Thinking about the mansion and everything that had happened there was still painful, but as long as he didn't have to sit alone and dwell on it, he felt like he could cope with the situation to some degree. "Thanks, Ronan... I know you'll do your best. I think everyone will!"

Pavel was glad for the change in subject. "Well, no. There are some adults too. And it's not like we're a bunch of five year olds." He didn't really see what their ages had to do with anything; they were all resisting Isadore regardless of how many years they'd been alive.

"I see..." The man pretended to mull over what Emmett was telling him, but in reality he was planning to report back to Carystos as soon as possible. "You're doing good work; I'll have to think about this further. Thank you." With that, he excused himself with plans to head directly to Raunati. The governor had to know about this.

"It's kind of early for a break, isn't it?" Ophelia tilted her head. "I guess you really can't handle your alcohol. I don't think you can handle your hair either; it looks like it's already falling out." Ophelia approached Isadore and starting running her fingers through his hair, aware of how much it would irritate him.

Sascha made sure to maintain a slow pace and was glad that Cato mostly seemed all right on the way back to the house. The whole situation was concerning him.

Sascha watched Cato sit down and shook his head at his apology. "Don't be sorry about that. Your health is the priorit--" At that moment, Cato suddenly started vomiting. Sascha knew that there was no simple reason for it; if Cato had been feeling sick to his stomach the whole day, he presumably wouldn't have decided to go out. The only explanation was that the exertion of walking had made him nauseous. It hadn't been extremely hot and they'd been walking at a leisurely pace, so it was becoming apparent that something was seriously wrong with his friend. "Cato... when was the last time you saw a doctor?"

Nothing made Ronan happier than seeing Mihael so happy. So much had happened to the boy lately and Ronan couldn't stand to think back to the state he was in when Emmett first brought him to the inn. Just getting him out of that mansion was the best thing they could have done for him. "Of course! Everyone's working so hard... I know we can do it." Ronan remembered his soup again and grabbed the bowl, but could immediately tell that it was a little cold. "Oops, I got a little distracted..." He ate some of it anyway. "But it's even good not hot!"

"I didn't say that. If this resistance was just a group of teenagers and a butler, I don't think people would take it as seriously," Acacia replied. It was entirely possible that it wouldn't be taken seriously no matter who was in it, though.

Emmett nodded and watched the man walk off. They'd done pretty well that day, and from the way people had reacted, it seemed like the resistance could gain more support in the future.

Isadore kept an eye on Ophelia as she approached, and flinched when her hand came close. Fortunately there was no pain, but what she said made him bristle with anger. He grabbed his hair and pulled it away from her hand. "No, it's not..." Isadore argued, but he couldn't sound quite as angry as he wanted. He was at Ophelia's mercy. "And... I can handle alcohol fine, I... I am not pathetic."

Cato had felt nauseous before, so this wasn't too shocking for him. However, he realized that it was probably very alarming for Sascha, since he had just had so many problems with the walk. "It... wasn't that long ago..." Cato looked down at the floor. He hated having to lie to his friend. "Please, don't worry... I probably just ate something a little too old... I'll feel better after some rest..." He was feeling really unwell and all he wanted to do was go back to bed.

Ronan's optimism was reassuring to Mihael; he knew more than anything that when Ronan said he was going to do something, he meant it. Ronan then ate some more soup and apparently it had gone cold. Mihael couldn't help but laugh a little. "Aww, well I'm glad you still like it when it's like that but, um... I could go heat it up for you?"

"Well, it's not," Pavel replied flatly. "And it definitely won't be once we start getting more people to join. I think it says more about the state of this province than anything that it took 'a group of teenagers and a butler' to start doing anything."

Ophelia's hand followed Isadore's hair and she gave it a tug that was seemingly intended to be playful, but the force behind it was anything but. "I don't know... people who can handle alcohol fine don't pass out and end up all gross and hungover the next day. It's okay to admit it."

Sascha didn't look convinced by Cato's explanation. "I don't know about that... when I made breakfast, I used the food I picked up yesterday. But yeah, you should definitely get some rest today and see how you're feeling after that." If Cato's condition hadn't changed in a day, Sascha was prepared to insist that he see a doctor. "And if you need anything, you can just tell me, okay?"

Ronan shook his head. "No, no, it's okay! It's not really that cold." He ate some more of the soup and smiled at his brother. "I don't mind at all. It's still perfect! Oh... I talked to you so long. You didn't have other things you had to do, did you?" Ronan loved talking to his brother, but he didn't want to be the reason for Mihael not completing his duties.

Things had gone well for Emmett, Caimbrie, and Calyx and they had been out for quite a while, so they decided to stop for the day. Emmett headed to his room and Calyx started going to his, but noticed that Pavel was talking to a girl in the kitchen.

Acacia sighed. There had been many before this group that tried to start something, and she knew exactly how it ended. "Fine, whatever. If you think you actually can start something, then go for it."

"Wow Pavel, you must be the only guy I know that can pick up a chick while mashing up vegetables," Calyx teased. He hadn't heard any of the conversation at all and didn't know how tense it was.

Isadore winced as Ophelia pulled on his hair. Not only did it hurt, he didn't want any more damage being done to what was left of it. He didn't risk pulling away again. "No, there is nothing to admit!" Isadore really didn't want to deal with this right now. He had far too much on his mind. "Just... just let go and leave me alone!"

Cato could see that Sascha didn't feel any better after hearing what he had to say. He didn't like the thought of seeing a doctor, so he hoped that he would start feeling better soon. "Okay... I'll do that. I'm sorry to worry you..."

After Cato's stomach had settled a little, he went to bed and lay awake for a while, thinking about what had happened. He had caused his friend so much stress and he wondered if it would be better for him to just tell Sascha about the sedatives. Cato never really thought or cared about the affect they were having on him, but now that his friend was involved, he had to think about it. He sighed. It was just so pathetic that he had become this way, and he was too ashamed to talk about it.

Cato took the jar of sedatives from his nightstand. He just wanted to stop thinking about all this and sleep, and actually be well rested for a change. In the past, he had increased the dosage several times and it usually made him feel good, so he probably just had to do that again. Cato took out the new dosage and could see that it looked like a lot, but he had always handled it in the past just fine. He was looking forward to the relief. Shortly after ingesting all of it, Cato's breathing became weak and everything quickly became very hazy. He swayed and flopped over onto his pillow, heavily sedated.

Mihael smiled when Ronan said the soup was still good. The man was always so kind to him. "I'm glad you like it so much! And hmm, no... I don't think I have anything else to do, at least not that I can remember... so I can stay with you until you need to rest... but um, you shouldn't just try to stay awake for me because I know you're sick and everything."

"We're going for it," Pavel replied. He didn't like how skeptical this girl seemed; he really needed to feel like they stood a chance of taking Isadore down. Calyx came in then and commented on him picking up chicks. He eyed Acacia and shook his head. "Yeah, there's nothing like that going on here. What about you? Did you manage to pick up anyone at all? ...for the resistance, obviously."

Ophelia tugged Isadore's hair again, harder this time. "You forgot to say please. Come on, you're the governor! You must know how to talk to people by now. Hee hee, especially when you drunk. That's when I really like listening to you talk."

"No, it's okay. You can't help what your body's doing," Sascha assured his friend. He watched Cato go to his room and hoped he'd feel better after resting.

After a few hours, Sascha was considering making some dinner. He decided that he should probably wake Cato to see if he was feeling hungry at all. The guy could obviously use a nutritious meal. Plus, Sascha was antsy to see if he was doing any better.

He went into his friend's room and gave his shoulder a shake. "Hey, Cato? Cato...?"

Ronan thought it was just too sweet that his brother was being so considerate. "I'm a little sleepy, I guess..." He hadn't actually realized how tired he was. "It's made me so happy to talk to you, but I guess I should rest soon..."

Acacia looked from Pavel to Calyx with an unimpressed expression. She had nothing to say to either of them, so she turned away and went to find her sisters' room.

Calyx raised an eyebrow at Acacia and then turned his attention to his friend again. "A lot of people thought it was a really good idea, but nobody really committed and joined. Maybe they'll show up later, since they know where we are."

However, although a few people came to talk, it turned out that nobody showed up to join. Word spread quickly though, and soon most people in town knew of a small resistance movement gathering in the town inn. Emmett wondered just how far news would spread; even if it made it to the capital, he doubted they'd be able to tell. Acacia insisted they'd be crushed, but the resistance was only in a small town and they hadn't even done anything yet. Dealing with them would just be a waste of time for Isadore.

"There, we're here... are you doing okay?" Cerys glanced back at Valin as they entered the small town outside of the capital of Carystos. They hadn't stayed in Thracia long after they left Sascha and were mostly just checking out whatever town or city they spotted, like this one. Cerys had tried to keep the pace slow though, since Valin had been a little stressed. She didn't see the inn anywhere nearby and wondered if it was in a difficult location, so she decided to ask and save them the time and trouble. "Excuse me," Cerys said to the girl that happened to be next to them. "Do you know where we could find an inn in this town?"

Isadore gritted his teeth when he felt the sharp pain from Ophelia pulling his hair again. "There is nothing wrong with the way I speak!" His anger and frustration were coming through clearly, but he stopped himself from glaring at her. Isadore knew he had to be careful around Ophelia, or he'd really regret it. He just wanted her to leave so he could bury his face in his pillow and possibly start a bottle of wine later. He sighed. "Please... leave me alone. What must I do to make you go away?"

Cato was sleeping so heavily that he didn't even feel the shake, but he started to hear a distant sound. He felt no need to find out what it was, and it didn't seem like he could open his eyes if he tried. The noise was becoming more insistent though, so he had to put in the effort to take a look. "Hmmm...?" Cato's voice was weak. "Who's... sss... wassat... sssound?" His eyes slowly began closing again, but he managed to keep them open a crack. "... Sa.... Sascha. Sssascha... why'd you... Saschaaa..." Cato's breathing could barely be seen or heard. One of his hands came out from under his blankets and reached in the general direction of Sascha, but it only tried to grasp the air a few times before resting limply. He couldn't focus his eyes on his friend at all.

Mihael smiled upon hearing how happy he'd made Ronan and nodded in agreement. "It made me really happy too... but you should definitely get some rest so you can start feeling better. Um, if you need anything, you can just tell me." With that, he took the soup bowl to wash it and let Ronan get some much needed rest.

Pavel shrugged at Calyx. "Yeah, I expected as much... no one's really confident enough in this to commit." He sighed. "I hope you're right though..."

Thanks to the patrolman Emmett had spoken with, news of the resistance reached Raunati in no time. Antony was infuriated by the news, but from the sound of it, the resistance was quite small and not a significant threat to Isadore's position in its current state. Taking serious action against them would be a waste of resources, so for the time being he opted to send a spy to monitor the situation.

Sophia arrived at the town Antony had sent her to as early as possible. It was necessary to nip the resistance in the bud, of course, but it was even more important to gather information about them to prevent other movements from developing in the future. The inn wasn't in an obvious spot, but she'd been told its approximate location.

Valin nodded at Cerys' question. "I'm okay," he replied. His tone sounded tired, though. Things had been rough since Meilyr's death, but traveling with Cerys was a pleasant distraction. Valin was extremely grateful to have found her again, even if he was sometimes terrified that he'd somehow drive her away. He didn't see an inn, but Cerys asked someone about it.

Sophia looked at the two, wondering if they were looking for the resistance movement. They were supposed to be based in this town's inn. She gave them a smile. "Oh, it's just over this way. I'm heading there myself," she said, taking care to speak in a slightly higher pitch than she usually did. She wanted to come off as younger than she was so she'd seem harmless. "Are you here to join the resistance movement too? We can go together."

"That's no way to talk to your wife," Ophelia said, an exaggerated wounded expression on her face. She took Isadore's hand into her own, sending a light shock through his body. It wasn't significant, but it was a warning of what could happen. "I'll leave if you kiss me good bye." She knew that would send Isadore into a tizzy.

Cato taking a long time to wake up was the first sign that something was wrong. He'd only been sleeping for a couple of hours; Sascha didn't think he should be that difficult to wake up. Even more alarming was the fact that Sascha hadn't been able to hear him breathing. When Cato finally did wake up, he seemed completely disoriented and wasn't even able to open his eyes. It seemed like he could hardly speak or move.

Sascha felt like his own heart had stopped. The only explanations he could come up with for this were ones he didn't want to face. If Cato's organs were failing, he could die. "Cato... no... dammit--" Sascha shook his head, mentally cursing at himself for just standing there frozen to the spot the way he was; Cato needed immediate medical attention. Sascha wasn't comfortable leaving him alone, but this was beyond anything he could fix. "I'm sorry, Cato... I'll be right back."

As he rushed through the streets to find a doctor, he wished he'd never taken Cato to find the theatre in the first place. Obviously the activity had triggered something in his body. By the time he found the doctor, his heart was like lead in his chest and he felt like he could vomit. His own voice sounded alien to him as he explained the situation to the woman. He almost dreaded returning to Cato's house with her; he was afraid they'd walk in on Cato's dead body.

The entire trip back simultaneously seemed too short and too long. Fortunately, Cato was still alive when the arrived but that fact didn't offer Sascha much comfort; Cato didn't seem like he had much longer. The doctor told Sascha to stay in the living room as she went into the bedroom to try and help Cato. Sascha tried to sit still on the couch, but ended up pacing the floor; waiting for news on his friend's condition was torture.

Cerys was glad to hear that this girl would help them find the inn; she knew that Valin could really use the rest and she was a bit tired herself. The girl then mentioned something unexpected. "Resistance movement?" Cerys supposed it wasn't really that surprising. It hadn't taken long for news to spread about Isadore's reign of terror, so it was only natural that people would start rising up. Cerys definitely understood that feeling after what had happened in Daradae. "I actually didn't know that was happening here. We just need a place to rest, but I wouldn't mind checking it out. Thanks!"

Isadore stiffened as the electricity went through him. He knew that it definitely wasn't as bad as it could be, but he knew by the look on her face and the tone of her voice that she was in the mood to do much worse. Isadore started trying to pull away, but stopped and widened her eyes at what she said. "W-what...? No... there is no need of this!" There was no way he was going to put his face that close to hers, so he tried to pull himself free again, more frantically this time. "The... governor should not deal with such... with such foolishness!"

Cato watched Sascha go but didn't really take in exactly what was going on. He was too tired to move, so he just lay in his bed the way his friend had left him and felt himself starting to drift off again.

The doctor arrived after some time and immediately went to work trying to determine exactly what was wrong with Cato. At first glance, it was clear that the problem was serious, but she didn't know if organ failure was quite what she was looking at. The more the doctor examined Cato, the more she knew that she had seen this type of reaction before. The bottle of medicine that she found next to his bed confirmed her suspicions. An incredibly large amount of the drug seemed to be in his system, more than what could be taken by mistake.

"I am almost certain that I know what is wrong with him," the doctor said as she entered the living room. She knew that Sascha wouldn't want to hear this. She showed him the bottle of medicine. "I found this bottle of sedative medication next to his bed. He seems to have consumed a dangerous amount of this drug quite recently..."

Judging by this woman's reaction, the resistance movement wasn't particularly well known outside of this town. Sophia was glad to hear that; the fact that it was still relatively small and insignificant would make her job easier. She doubted they'd be able to make a big move before she was able to report back to Raunati. "Oh, yeah, I just heard about it. There's apparently a group of people trying to form a resistance against the governor and I really want to join their cause. Anyway, the inn is just this way." She began leading them toward the building.

Valin looked to Cerys. He liked the idea of the resistance movement and wouldn't mind becoming a part of it. "I hope this is for real..."

When they arrived, Sophia wasted no time in approaching the first person she saw and asking them if they knew anything about how she could join the resistance.

Ophelia laughed at Isadore's reaction. "Well, the governor's going to have to deal with it eventually if he wants an heir so his family can keep running Carystos," she taunted. "So you might as well get used to it." She sent another jolt through him.

It felt like an eternity had passed by the time the doctor emerged. What she said was enough to make his heart stop. He stared at her in numb shock as he tried to process it. The only reason anyone would take that much of any kind of medicine was if they were trying to kill themselves.

Sascha hardly realized what he was doing as he sharply turned and made his way into Cato's room. Logically, he knew there was nothing he could do, but he had to see his friend. "Cato... Cato? Can you hear me?"

Cerys was pretty interested by the sound of this resistance. Judging by what she had heard about Isadore, Carystos really needed to fight back. She smiled and nodded encouragingly at Valin before following Sophia to the inn.

Emmett had been asking the innkeeper if anyone had dropped in to ask about the resistance when a girl entered with Cerys and Valin in tow. He was definitely a bit surprised to those two and gave them a smile, but before he could say anything, the other girl spoke to him. "Oh, there's no process or anything. We take anyone who's willing to stand up against the governor," Emmett explained. He was quite pleased that someone had actually decided to join, and he probably had Calyx or Caimbrie to thank for it.

Cerys definitely wasn't expecting to see Emmett, and he looked a bit different than before. It was good to see that he seemed all right after that last encounter with the Massalians. She got her and Valin an inn room while Sophia spoke to Emmett. There would be time later to speak more to either of them. "Let's go, I'm beat."

As they started to head down the hall, another two were coming the other way. Ronan still wasn't feeling the greatest, but he was happy to be spending some time with his brother. At first he almost didn't realize that he knew the people walking toward him, and he had to do a double take. "Valin?" Ronan smiled. "It's really been a while! How are things?"

Isadore winced as he felt another jolt, and then looked at Ophelia warily. Just thinking about continuing his bloodline with her filled him with dread. He'd be getting that bottle of wine sooner rather than later. He knew how cruel she could get, and she wouldn't hesitate to go that far. Unfortunately, the only way out of the current situation was to give her what she wanted. He didn't have much other choice. "If... it will make you leave me alone..." Hesitantly, Isadore moved closer to Ophelia. He still wasn't feeling brave enough to get that close, so he lifted her hand and gently kissed it instead. Isadore hoped it would be enough.

The doctor knew this must have been hard for Sascha to take in, but she wasn't expecting him to rush off like that. She tried to warn him as he went by to not cause Cato any stress and to let him rest as much as possible.

Cato was a bit concerned that some stranger had just taken his medicine away and he had no idea why she had been examining him so much either. He felt so confused and nothing made any sense; it was all happening too quickly. Sascha then entered the room again and started saying something, but Cato couldn't really focus on it. He just stared at his friend in silence for a moment, his eyelids slowly falling. They were getting really heavy. "Mmm... g'night...." Cato mumbled.

Sophia was pleased that she was lucky enough to someone who knew about the resistance right away. "Oh, that's good," she replied with a smile. "So who do I have to tell that I'd like to join?" She wasn't one hundred percent certain who the leader was, as the patrolman had noticed a few people with posters.

Valin started a bit at the sight of Emmett; he felt like the guy would probably hold his association with Silas against him. Luckily, Cerys checked them in and started heading toward their rooms. Valin followed her and was surprised when Ronan addressed him. He hadn't been expecting to see him at all. He avoided eye contact with Mihael for the same reason he'd felt strange around Emmett and smiled at his former roommate. "Ronan... I'm glad that you made it out of there okay. I was worried." His face fell at Ronan's question. "Things... have been better." He bit his lip. "How are you?"

Mihael's face lit up when he saw Cerys and he hurried over to greet her with a hug. "Cerys! You're okay! I'm so glad to see you again! What have you been up to?" He'd wondered what had happened to everyone after the group was split up. Sascha wasn't with her, though, which made Mihael a bit concerned. "Um... have you seen Sascha since the... that night?"

Ophelia giggled when Isadore kissed her hand. "Aww, you're so innocent..." She made a motion like she was going to leave but then without warning, she grabbed Isadore by the front of his shirt and kissed him on the mouth deeply, biting his lip hard enough to draw blood before finally pulling away. She didn't particularly care about the kiss itself, but she knew Isadore would be totally shocked by that.

Cato's lack of responsiveness was concerning. Sascha watched his eyes start to close and all he could do was tear up. He felt as helpless as he'd been with Meilyr. The only thought running through his head was that Cato was going to die. Sascha wished he'd been paying more attention; he could have prevented this. "I'm so sorry, Cato..."

He then remembered that the doctor was still out there so he wiped his eyes and tried to pull himself together. Maybe it wasn't as bad as it looked. He returned to the living room. "I'm sorry... I was... surprised to hear that," he tried to explain. "Is... he going to be okay?"

Emmett gave the girl a small smile. "I guess that would be me. I kind of got this resistance started. We're always looking for new members, so we'd be happy to have you." Their numbers were far too small to start anything, so it was great that it seemed like there was some interest. "Oh, I'm Emmett, by the way."

Ronan was a little concerned by Valin's response, but it wasn't like the guy was ever totally happy anyway. It seemed to change depending on the day. "I'm doing great now that little Mihael is here with me!" He chose to just ignore the time before his brother had arrived. "We've been living here in this inn and he made me soup and everything. What have you been up to, anyway?"

Cerys hadn't been expecting to see Mihael, and smiled as he rushed over to her. She knew what was coming. "Of course I'm okay! It's really good to see that you're doing well, too." The last time she had seen Mihael, they had been trying to rescue him and she never got to see if he made it out all right, but apparently he did. "I've been traveling, mostly. Sascha actually used to be with us, actually, and Meilyr too..." Cerys' expression became more serious. "Things... didn't go so well."

Isadore felt immensely relieved when Ophelia looked as if she was going to leave, but then she suddenly grabbed him. He immediately began to panic and his instincts told him to get away as fast as he could, but before he could do anything, Ophelia's lips were on his. Isadore's eyes shot open wide and he almost felt like he could faint from the shock of it all. His heart felt like it was going to explode as she bit his lip and he tasted the blood, but he didn't dare struggle out of fear of how far she would go. After what seemed like far too long she stopped, and Isadore immediately backed away as quickly as he could. "P-please... please stop... what must I do...?" He backed into the closed door and started feeling for the doorknob, but didn't take his eyes off Ophelia. Isadore didn't know how he was going to survive spending the rest of his life with this woman if the first day was this traumatic.

Cato didn't really notice that Sascha was talking to him anymore. He was just too tired to keep his eyes open anymore, so he let them close as he drifted off to sleep again.

The doctor could tell that Sascha was devastated. "Well, it's a bit difficult to tell... it's possible that the worst hasn't come yet, or maybe he has already passed it. I would be inclined to say that we are seeing the worst effects now, but..." She shook her head. "I'm sorry, but only time can tell for certain."