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.

Calyx sat in silence as Mihael healed him, enjoying what relief his friend could offer. All he wanted to do was curl up in his bed and not move for a long time. He murmured his gratitude to Mihael a few times, able to speak a little better than before. However, Calyx was still feeling quite sick and out of it, and was looking down too much to see how upset Mihael had become.

Cato had been resting in his room most of the day; he'd had trouble sleeping the night before and was tired all morning. With Sascha gone, he hadn't had anyone to talk to and although he was used to that, it was nice to have company. With the help of his cane, Cato got up from his bed. His legs would probably benefit from stretching out and perhaps he could find a way to help out around the inn.

Cato ended up wandering toward the inn lobby, where he saw Mihael and Calyx. He frowned upon seeing the blood on Calyx's clothes and moved closer, only to find that Mihael was crying. "Mihael?" Cato went to the boy's side, his concern clear on his face. "What happened? Is... is everything okay?" Obviously something bad had happened; Cato rarely saw Mihael so upset.

"Well, I know that he's... been through a lot lately," Emmett replied, choosing not to elaborate. "But that's not any excuse to do something like this. I can see why you would be frustrated..." Emmett wondered if Calyx's side of the story would make Valin seem like aggressive one, but it would be hard for the boy to sound like the victim if he really had ambushed the man. "I would like for you two to talk this out too, but only when you're both feeling up to it."

Nikos turned around to look at Caimbrie, his expression peaceful. "It's okay, Caimbrie, everything's okay." He gave her a gentle smile. "That's silly, why would I drink? I was just thinking about how much we have to be happy about. People waste so much time being miserable over things that don't even matter!" There was something unsettling about his smile, as if it was concealing something.

Cerys nodded in agreement, still staring at Isadore. Seeing him almost made her think that the governor of Daradae that had recently been dismissed wasn't so bad. She had to smile when Sascha made fun of Isadore's mistake. "Hey, you never know. Maybe he has a new law where everyone has to get their furniture coated in gold... our beds at the inn are next." Cerys too noticed the rain, but it didn't surprise her, given how the clouds had looked that day. "They really didn't pick the best day for a public speech."

Isadore continued to read along in an almost mechanical fashion. He didn't notice Antony fuming and didn't care what the man thought anyway. Nobody could stop Isadore from giving the speech however he wanted to.

Isadore had made it a third of the way through when a raindrop suddenly plopped onto the sheet, causing him to stop. The ink under it immediately began to smudge, and he held out a hand to feel for more rain. He heaved a heavy sigh as he confirmed that it had indeed begun to rain. Isadore decided to keep reading though, as his paper was still quite intact. However, it wasn't long before the rain intensified. The skies opened and released a downpour, soaking the crowd and unfortunately for Isadore, his paper as well. The words became completely illegible, forcing him to stop in the middle of the sentence he had started. Everyone just watched him silence, waiting for him to finish. Isadore had felt tired and unwell before the speech started, and now he was soaking wet as well. Frustrated, he crumpled the soggy sheet in his hands and allowed it to drop at his feet. He knew everyone was expecting him to improvise and give some sort of conclusion or closing statement at the very least, but he was done. He had had more than enough of standing in the cold rain while these worthless peasants stared at him as if he owed them something.

Turning toward his guards, Isadore pulled his small bottle of wine out of the inside pocket of his coat. He proceeded to open it and drink its contents; the alcohol was the only thing that could make him feel any better at this point. "Shall we go?" Isadore asked before finishing off the wine.

Mihael smiled weakly when Calyx expressed gratitude. He was glad that his friend didn't seem to be hurt as badly as it had looked at first glance, but it was obvious the fight had been rather intense and the feelings of worry had hardly eased at all. Mihael was just completely overwhelmed with everything that had been going on. By the time he'd done all the healing he could, he had tears streaming down his face.

He didn't even notice Cato arrive until the man addressed him. He sniffled, turning his head to look at the man. "Cato... Calyx and Valin got into a fight and... they were both really hurt," he replied, shakily indicating the blood on Calyx's clothes. The other boy seemed too out of it to mind Mihael discussing the situation. "I... I thought... I thought... his injuries were really, really bad..." He swallowed, trying not to fully break down.

Valin seemed at ease when Emmett expressed understanding toward him. It was nice to not be dismissed or blamed. He looked significantly more stressed when Emmett said that he and Calyx would have to talk about this, as he'd prefer to avoid the boy altogether. "I tried to talk to him before things got this bad," he insisted. "He won't listen. He hates me and doesn't care about anything I say."

"Uhh..." Caimbrie blinked, feeling like she was dreaming. Nikos' entire countenance had changed in a matter of seconds. She knew she wasn't imagining things. "That's not what you were doing a minute ago?" she prompted. "You seemed, uh... stressed." For lack of a better term.

Sascha pulled a slight face at what Cerys said. "But the beds there are comfortable--wait, never mind. Why he'd plate with with gold makes perfect sense." As far as Sascha was concerned, Isadore hated anything good. He nodded in agreement when she said they hadn't picked the best day for a speech; as if to prove her point, the rain started coming down hard. Before too long, Sascha started shivering, mentally kicking himself for not dressing more warmly. Apparently, he wasn't the only one frustrated by the weather. Isadore gave up on the speech pretty quickly after the rain started coming down and pulled out a bottle of wine, casually taking a swig from it like it was nothing. Sascha's eyebrows shot up and he looked directly at Cerys. She knew as well as he did how Isadore had felt about alcohol not too long ago; Sascha had gotten some bruises to prove it. "Who the hell is this...?"

Dias felt like he was wasting his time standing around and watching this stupid speech. He'd thought it would be more interesting or perhaps even informative, but it was a jumbled mess. When the rain started, he swore under his breath. He already wasn't feeling well and now he'd have to walk back to the facility in the rain. It wasn't extremely far away, but Dias was already feeling fatigued. He turned to leave, but had to stop and do a double take when the governor started drinking. That was all he needed to know about the government of this province. He sighed irritably and started trying to make his way through the crowd to get the hell out of there.

If Isadore hadn't been late, perhaps he would have been able to get through the speech before the rain had started. Antony was prepared to let him know that as soon as they were back in the mansion, but then Isadore did something that took Antony's mind off that entirely. Antony didn't even know how he'd smuggled the wine there to begin with, but he didn't care. Isadore had ended the pathetic excuse of a speech on the most embarrassing note possible. No one was going to take him seriously after seeing that and he certainly wasn't going to earn any public favour if the people knew how little respect he had for them. Antony clenched his teeth, watching as Isadore left with the guards. He briefly considered addressing the crowd, but there was nothing he could say to salvage this. He turned abruptly and left, catching up to Isadore. He forced his way through the guards. "Just what do you think you were doing?" he hissed in Isadore's ear, eyes blazing with fury.

Cato listened intently to what Mihael had to say, examining Calyx when the boy indicated him. It was pretty clear that he had been in a fight and he wondered how Valin was doing, both physically and emotionally. The fight had apparently had a big impact on Mihael, as he seemed to be in a very fragile state. "So that's what happened... Mihael, just breathe, okay?" Cato knew the pain of worrying about a dear friend all too well; when things were getting bad in Basilei, he had shed plenty of tears wondering if Sascha was safe. He gently patted Mihael's shoulder. "I know this is really hard to see... but I'm sure you've done all you can and all he needs is some rest. It'll be okay."

Emmett had a feeling that Valin might not be so thrilled about the idea of talking to Calyx. He hoped that if they could have a civil conversation then they would see that there was no reason to fight, but that could be expecting too much. "Well, I'm going to see if he decides to cooperate at all. Maybe if I'm there with you two to mediate, he won't be like that," Emmett suggested. As the group leader, fixing this problem was his responsibility. "You shouldn't stay angry at each other forever."

Nikos laughed a little too loudly. "What are you talking about? A minute ago I wasn't even in here!" His smile never faltered, it only grew. "I should be asking you what's wrong. You're the one who seems stressed!"

Cerys wrapped her arms around herself to try to keep warm in the rain, but with the way it was soaking through her clothes, there wasn't much she could do. She kept her eyes on Isadore though, as he seemed equally as unprepared for the rain. Suddenly, to the shock and disgust of nearly every person in the crowd, the governor started drinking. "What..." Cerys didn't even know what to say. She looked at Sascha, her expression one of utter disbelief. "That can't be... that can't be Isadore! He'd pummel this guy!"

Isadore simply walked off with his guards, ignoring the loud cries of the restless and enraged crowd. They couldn't do anything to him, and he was more interested in getting back to the mansion so he could crawl back into bed. Of course, Antony couldn't let him do that peacefully. He didn't even look at the man when he spoke. "You are not to question the governor!" Isadore snapped. "Those peasants were hardly worth my time. They should have been honoured to merely be in my presence!"

Mihael listened as Cato spoke, glancing at Calyx again before nodding and drawing in a breath. Hearing that Cato seemed to think that Calyx was going to be fine was reassuring, as it meant that the wounds didn't look too horrible to the man. Mihael removed his glasses briefly to wipe his eyes before looking back at Cato. "Yeah, you're right... I... I think it's actually mostly just his tongue and his arm," he said. "He just... had so much blood coming from his mouth when he came in... I thought it was... something so much worse..." His voice broke and he wiped his eyes again. "Um, sorry... I was just really worried..."

Valin didn't seem convinced by what Emmett was saying, but he grudgingly had to admit that he had a point. "I guess... that makes sense." Keeping this up was a waste of his time and energy. Still, he'd rather just not deal with Calyx anymore. "I don't know..." His tone was one of defeat. "I didn't even expect to run into him at all today... I was trying to stay away from him." He knew that he had to emphasize that much, as he wanted to make sure that their leader knew he wasn't the one attacking people for no reason.

Caimbrie was completely baffled by what Nikos was saying. It wasn't like he'd just magically appeared in the room; she'd watched him come in all in a tizzy. "No, you were definitely here... you rushed in like you'd seen a monster or something!" She tilted her head, frowning. "Is this... I don't know, some kind of joke or something...?" If it was, she didn't really get it.

"Yeah, no kidding," Sascha agreed, his teeth chattering very slightly. He was surprised by how chilled he was, but he supposed it was a cold rain. "I definitely have proof of that." He shrugged. "I guess we'll have an interesting story to report back... but if Isadore is this out of it, then it makes me wonder about a lot of things." If this was how he usually was, he didn't seem capable of much to Sascha.

The rain didn't let up as Dias made his way back to the facility. By the time he got back, he was soaked and feeling even worse than he had been before. He couldn't wait to get into some dry clothes and lie down. He knocked on Howell's door. "Delivery." He was sure he looked as miserable as he felt, but he didn't really care.

Antony couldn't believe Isadore. He wasn't particularly fond of the riffraff himself, but he knew that they needed to be appeased from time to time. "How are you so incompetent? You have been taught everything you need to know to govern effectively, and yet you choose to make this display!"

Cato could feel how much Mihael cared about his friend, and how much it hurt him to see him like this. "You don't need to apologize... I understand. It must have been really scary for you..." Seeing the boy crying almost made Cato tear up himself. He imagined how upset and worried he would be if Sascha was brought in in such a state. Cato pulled Mihael into a gentle hug using his free hand. "It's okay to be worried... that's natural when you care about someone. But you don't have to deal with it alone... I can help with anything you need."

Emmett could tell that Valin wasn't too impressed with his idea, which was a bit frustrating. There really wasn't room for senseless fighting between members in the resistance and he didn't know how to stop them if they had no desire to try to come to an understanding. "I understand that, and I'm sure he's the last person you want to see about now, but we can't function as a group if people won't deal with issues like this," Emmett replied. It came out sounding a bit impatient; the stress he was feeling was starting to show in his voice.

Nikos just laughed again, crossing the room to go look out the window for a moment before looking at Caimbrie again. "What kind of a joke would this be? A pretty bad one, I would think... there's no punchline!" He seemed quite amused by that. "Maybe you should lay down for a bit, Caimbrie. You're not making any sense."

Cerys saw that some of the crowd was leaving with expressions varying between confusion and anger, while others stayed back, yelling after the governor and his guards. They had every right to be outraged, as far as she was concerned. "Oh, I remember how he felt about your drinking, don't worry." She didn't know how should could forget. "If he's drinking in this situation, then I can only imagine how much he drinks on his own... how can he call himself a governor!" At least this outcome of the speech gave them even more useful information than if Isadore had just given a speech.

Howell spent most of the time Dias was gone relaxing in his room. The sound of the rain was soothing, and he was quite enjoying it until he remembered that he had sent Dias out into it. The man wouldn't melt, he supposed, but the weather did seem quite unpleasant. When Dias arrived, Howell answered the door with his usual smile, which soon faded a little when he saw the state the man was in. Not only was he soaked, he just didn't look like he felt well at all.

"Ah, you have my gratitude," Howell said as he accepted the purchases. They were exactly what he'd asked for, but he couldn't help but feel kind of bad for sending Dias out in that weather. "Why I must say, I am impressed! I never expected you to have an eye for detail! Out of the generosity of my heart, I will reward you for this success by giving you the rest of the day to yourself. Is that not wonderful!"

Isadore shot Antony a look of disdain. "You dare insult me?" He didn't know how his uncle could have the nerve to say such things, but he did it quite frequently. "I have this entire province under my complete control! What some plebeians think matters not; I own this province, therefore I own them! And I own you!" There was a threat in his tone.

Mihael could tell that Cato really understood how he felt seeing what had happened to Calyx and he found it comforting to know that he wasn't alone. When Cato hugged him, Mihael gently returned it, bearing Cato's condition in mind, and let himself weep freely for a few moments. Getting it all out made him feel better and he drew in a breath, lifting his head and offering Cato a shaky smile. The man was so patient and reassuring. "Thank you, Cato... I'm so glad you came down here." He glanced at Calyx. "I think... you were right; all he needs now is to get some rest." He gently took Calyx's arm. "Um... can you please hold his other arm while we go up the stairs so he can balance better?" He didn't want to make Cato do something that would cause him pain, but this was rather light and Mihael was immensely grateful to have the help.

Valin clenched his jaw as Emmett spoke, keenly aware of the change in his tone. The man was getting angry with him and Valin didn't want to deal with it at all. He was in so much pain and on top of that, he was starting to feel as if nobody at the inn liked him at all; first Calyx, then Nikos and now Emmett were all upset with him. All Valin wanted to do was disappear. He opened his mouth to reply to Emmett, but the words failed to come out. He didn't even know what he was intending to say in the first place, or why he should even bother. He averted his gaze and shook his head, staring down at his knees.

"What...?" Following Nikos' train of thought was proving to be impossible. Caimbrie had never been more confused than she was right now. "I'm fine. You're the one who's not making any sense at all! I don't understand..." She wasn't sure if she was concerned or frustrated or both; all she knew was that something wasn't right with Nikos.

"He definitely made a show of how much he hated it," Sascha replied, recalling all the missions Isadore had screwed up by insisting on freaking out at the rogue. He nodded in agreement with what she said next. "I can't imagine he gets a hell of a lot of governing done." He glanced around at the dispersing crowd. "Well, anyway, I guess there's nothing else to see here. We might as well head back." It would be nice to get out of the cold rain and put on a change of clothes.

Howell seemed happy with what Dias had selected, which was enough of a relief for Dias to let the usual insult slide. He'd been half expecting to be told he'd made a tasteless choice and being sent back into the city to make an exchange the next day or something. Howell then gave him the day off, which Dias had been intending on taking anyway, as he really didn't feel up to doing anything else. Still, he thanked the noble, not wanting to get Howell going about his attitude. "I think I need a break after seeing the governor's speech..." He was still in disbelief and felt the need to tell someone what he'd seen, even if that someone was Howell.

Antony heaved an impatient sigh when his words set Isadore off. By now, he was accustomed to everything that came out of his mouth setting the governor off. He hadn't expected the boy to be so touchy. "It was hardly an insult," he retorted. "I was making an observation, the same one that everyone in attendance today probably made. It is not about what plebeians think, it is about you continuing to make a mockery of this province! Not even the peasantry of Scythia would be able to take you seriously!" What Isadore said next was infuriating, as Antony was the whole reason Isadore was in control of the province in the first place. He started to tell him exactly what he thought about it, but stopped abruptly, bitterly recalling the condition of his face.

Cato held Mihael as the boy cried, knowing how much he needed it. Crying on Sascha's shoulder had made him feel so much better and he wanted Mihael to feel that kind of relief. "It was no problem at all... I'm just happy to help," Cato replied, returning Mihael's smile. He looked at Calyx as well, wondering if he was able to walk on his own. The boy seemed very dazed, which was odd considering his injuries didn't seem severe enough to cause it. "Oh, I can definitely do that. It would be safer with two of us." He took Calyx's other arm and started to help him toward the stairs. It probably wouldn't be too hard on Cato, since he could still use his cane.

Calyx was glad to have help getting to his room, that was where he wanted to go anyway. However, the guy that had just arrived had grabbed his injured arm in a bad spot, causing him to wince. "Sascha... that hurt..." he mumbled.

Cato gave Calyx a bit of a confused look before apologizing and shifting his grip. The three moved up the stairs quite slowly as a result of both Calyx and Cato's conditions. When they reached Calyx's room, the boy was able to get to his bed and flop on top of it. "He'll probably be thinking a lot more clearly after he gets some sleep," Cato said as they left the room. "Hopefully that will the last of the fighting..."

Emmett realized after he spoke that he sounded a bit harsh, so he prepared to tone it down a bit when Valin replied. However, the other man never spoke. He apparently didn't even want to look at Emmett, and Emmett hadn't been expecting a response like that at all. "Um, Valin...?" Apparently he had been really offended. Emmett sighed; he had come to help, but all he had ended up doing was making things worse. "Look... I'm sorry, okay?"

Caimbrie was being very persistent, and Nikos was getting tired of dealing with it. He didn't have to deal with it if he didn't want to. "You sound like you need to calm down, Caimbrie. You must've had a bad day," he replied. "I think I could use something to eat. I could make you something too, if you'd like!"

"Yeah, I guess that's all we're going to hear... besides some angry people," Cerys agreed. "Let's go." The two made their way back to town, walking through the pouring rain all the way. By the time they arrived at the inn, their clothes were completely soaked and water was dripping from them. Before she did anything else, Cerys wanted to change her clothes, so she headed to the room she shared with Valin. Before going in, however, she was a bit concerned to hear Emmett's voice through the closed door. Cerys didn't want to interrupt something important, so she waited outside.

Howell was inspecting his vase, expecting Dias to be eager to leave, when the man brought up something sort of interesting instead. "Oh, the governor gave a speech today? I picked a good day to send you shopping, it seems!" The way Dias seemed to feel about the speech seemed unusual, though. "What was it about?"

"A mockery?" Isadore repeated, indignant. He couldn't count how many times he had heard Antony say that. Isadore continued, yelling right in Antony's face. "Do people mock me as I burn them alive? No, they tremble in fear!! The entire province does, as well as others! They are powerless against me! Powerless!!" A few of the guards glanced at Isadore, unable to ignore how excessively loud he was.

Mihael smiled when Cato agreed to help, thanking the man as they started to make their way toward the stairs with Calyx in tow. While he knew about Calyx's problems with recognizing people, he didn't really understand why Calyx referred to Cato as Sascha of all people. He wasn't aware the two were acquainted. By the time Calyx made it to his bed, Mihael was feeling a lot better about his condition. He hadn't had any problems getting up the stairs beyond what was to be expected.

He followed Cato of the room, nodding emphatically at the last thing the man said. "Yeah... they both looked really bad when they came in... I don't even understand why they would want to fight." He furrowed his brow. "I've never even seen them talk before..."

Valin didn't understand why Emmett wouldn't just leave him alone. When the man addressed him, he was half expecting him to be even angrier. Instead, Emmett tried to apologize. Valin appreciated it, but wasn't feeling up to talking at all and couldn't bring himself to say anything back. He almost felt like his jaw was locked. All he could do was briefly glance up at Emmett. The look on his face was one of total exhaustion.

"My day was fine," Caimbrie insisted, shaking her head. "You seemed like you were having a bad day until a few minutes ago..." Nikos abruptly changed the subject. Caimbrie didn't know what was going on with him, but at least he was starting to sound more like himself. "Yeah... let's go make some food," she said, throwing her hands up in defeat. Maybe Nikos would feel like explaining later.

By the time he and Cerys reached the inn, Sascha was chilled to the bone. He couldn't wait to dry off and warm up. He followed Cerys up the stairs, starting to make his way down the hall. Her not entering her room right away gave him pause, though; he had to wonder if something was going on.

Dias rolled his eyes; nothing about this day made it good for shopping, as far as he was concerned. "It wasn't really about anything. He was just reading off a paper, and not well at that. When it started to rain he just gave up midsentence and started drinking." He sighed, shaking his head. He'd expected the man Perrine was working under to be a lot different, to say the least.

Antony bristled as Isadore yelled at him. Exactly how angry he felt about this was visible all over his battered face. "None of that matters when you are little more than a clown when you appear in public!" he shot back. "People may fear your magic, but they do not respect you." It was getting to be embarrassing to be associated with Isadore, as far as Antony was concerned.

It seemed that Mihael didn't know anything about the problems between Calyx and Valin, which would have made the whole situation even more shocking to him, Cato supposed. "Actually, they have talked before... and it wasn't good," Cato replied, frowning. "Apparently, the other night, Calyx was drunk and being loud, which woke up Valin... they ended up yelling and insulting each other. The next morning I walked in on a heated argument between them in the kitchen. They definitely got off on the wrong foot..."

Emmett would have almost felt better if Valin gotten angry with him rather than given him silence. If apologizing didn't get a response, nothing would. Apparently all there was to do at this point was get Ronan to heal him before Emmett managed to make him even more upset. That seemed to be all he could do lately, starting with Mihael and everyone else who had seen him bring that soldier in. Frustrated, Emmett left Valin's room without another word.

In the hall, Cerys was about to tell Sascha what she was doing when the door suddenly opened. Emmett stepped out with a rather uncharacteristic expression. Something was definitely wrong and apparently it had to do with Valin. Cerys quickly went inside, where she found her friend sitting on his bed. "Valin? Is something-" She stopped abruptly upon noticing the blood on his face. There was quite a bit of it and it looked it had probably come from his nose. Cerys crossed the room for a closer look. "Are you okay? What... what happened?"

"Yay! Now that's the spirit, Caimbrie!" Nikos gave her a smile before heading to the door. "I think we might have enough ingredients to make cake, actually. It's been a while since I've had some of that!" He headed toward the kitchen, continuing on about the different flavours they could make.

Howell couldn't believe what he was hearing, and was unable to hold back his laughter. "Oh my, that is certainly... something! Are you certain this was the governor you were seeing and not a street performer?" Apparently the leaders in the empire were much more lax than those in Massalia.

Isadore ground his teeth together. Antony was shamelessly insulting him, the governor; the man never knew his place and Isadore was beyond tired of it. "Silence!! I will tolerate this no longer!" He glanced at a couple of guards next to him. "You! Take this filth back to the mansion out of my sight!"

Mihael was surprised to hear what Cato was telling him. He hadn't realized that there'd been so much strife between Calyx and Valin. It was also alarming just how often Calyx had been getting drunk; it was clear that his drinking was the cause of this unusually aggressive behaviour. "Oh... I didn't realize they'd been arguing a lot..." He fiddled with his hair, frowning as he did so. "Calyx isn't usually like that at all... um, well, I guess he likes to get drunk a lot, but he's not a vicious person at all..."

Valin let out a breath when Emmett left the room, but before he could allow himself to relax, the door opened again. He tensed, but was quick to ease up when he realized that Cerys was back. After everything that had happened that day, he was extremely glad to see her. She was the only one who didn't hate him and he was grateful for it. He looked to her. "I... went out for a walk and Calyx started a fight with me out of nowhere. I don't know why he did it." His voice was weak and the look in his eyes was one of defeat. All he'd managed to do was make everyone angry.

Sascha had been about to go to his room when he saw Emmett leave Valin's. He wasn't excited to speak with the man, but he had to pass on what he'd found out and wanted to get it out of the way. He approached Emmett and found that he had to force himself to look the butler in the eye. "The speech was... interesting. Do you have time to listen to what we heard?"

Caimbrie was still pretty unsettled by what she'd seen in the room, but she tried to push it out of her mind for now, as Nikos obviously had no intention of explaining it. Thinking about it now would just drive her nuts. The prospect of cake was exciting, at least. "Cake? Really? That would be awesome right about now." She followed Nikos to the kitchen and started looking for the ingredients they'd need.

Dias sighed again. "No... it was definitely the governor. Unfortunately..." He trailed off suddenly, finding that he was feeling a bit light headed. He put his hand against the door frame to keep himself steady, taking a moment to recollect himself. Luckily, the worst of the sudden spell passed quickly. "So if that's all..." He turned to leave, eagerly anticipating the relief of getting out of his wet clothes and into his warm bed.

"What--" Antony didn't get a chance to question Isadore. The guards did as they were told and took Antony by the arms like a criminal, escorting him to the mansion via a separate route from Isadore. Antony clenched his jaw tightly, seething with anger at the indignity of it all the entire way there. Upon arriving, he was quick to push the guards away from him and storm off to his room. He fully intended to address this the next time Isadore called on him.

Cato felt bad that he had made Mihael kind of sad, but it was probably better that he knew that his friend had been behaving strangely. He could tell how much Mihael cared about Calyx; he was quick to defend him after what he had done. "I believe you, Mihael. People make mistakes... it sounds like he drinks a little too much, though. Maybe getting into a fight like this will make him rethink his drinking habits." It was a bit concerning that Calyx had a lifestyle like that at such a young age.

Cerys couldn't believe what she was hearing. When she left that morning, the last thing she would have ever expected to happen was Valin getting involved in a fight. He had been through enough lately and he really needed that day to rest and collect himself, but apparently that brat just couldn't leave him alone. "What?! Why that little... why can't he just mind his own business?" Cerys was not pleased with Calyx at all, but she knew she had to reign it in for the moment. Making sure that Valin was okay was more important. "Are you hurt badly? Do you need me to get you anything?"

Emmett turned to go get Ronan after leaving Valin's room, not aware of Sascha's presence before the man spoke from behind him. He stopped immediately upon hearing his voice and drew in a deep breath. Emmett was not in the mood to deal with Sascha at all, but he wanted to know what was going on in the city. After putting on a more neutral expression, he turned to face Sascha. "I'm not too busy... what did he say?" Emmett had to make an effort to make sure he didn't sound annoyed with Sascha.

Howell kind of wished he had been there to see this strange governor in action. Before he could comment further, though, Dias suddenly looked very unwell and Howell wondered just how much of an effect the weather had had on him. It didn't seem normal at all. "A moment, bellhop! Your behaviour concerns me. If you have caused my items to be contaminated with some sort of disease, I believe I should know about it!"

Isadore watched the guards take Antony away briefly, and then looked ahead again as if the man had never been there. His uncle was infuriating; he always severely underestimated just how much power the governor had over him and Isadore wasn't afraid to remind him. When they arrived at the mansion, Isadore went straight to his room, ignoring the paperwork that was building up in his office. All he wanted was to change into dry clothes and go to bed for the rest of the day.

Mihael smiled when Cato let him know he believed what the boy was saying about Calyx; he really didn't want anyone getting the impression that his friend was a mean, violent person. His expression grew solemn at the next thing Cato said. "Yeah, he does drink a lot... especially lately... it makes me worry sometimes. Maybe you're right though... he's going to wake up in a lot of pain and maybe when I tell him what happened, he'll realize he should... um, slow down."

After the way Nikos had reacted after happening upon the fight, Valin had been worrying that there was a chance that Cerys might think he was at fault. The fact that she was immediately angry with Calyx without a second thought made him feel better; even if everyone else thought he was a terrible person, he still had Cerys. She then asked Valin if he was hurt badly and he shrugged. "Nothing's broken, I don't think... but... but he hit me really hard in the head and I think something's wrong with my wrist." He showed her how swollen it was getting. "I'm just so glad you're back... everyone else is mad at me for this." In actuality, Nikos and Emmett were the only ones who had even reacted to it.

Sascha noticed that Emmett seemed a little stressed and had to wonder what he'd been doing in Valin's room. He wasn't about to waste his time asking the man, though; he just wanted to tell him what he had to say and then get away from him. His gaze faltered momentarily; few things were worse than staring into the eyes of his parents' killer. "He didn't say much of anything," Sascha replied. "He was just reading some generic bullshit and screwing it all up at that. When it started raining, he gave up completely, pulled out a bottle of wine and hit the road. It made me think that he's not in much of a state to govern, so he might not be the only one in charge there."

Dias groaned when Howell addressed him, thinking the noble was going to ask him for something else. However, he actually addressed Dias' condition. Dias really didn't want to let this guy know how poor his health was; Howell seemed to judge him enough as it was. The next thing he said all but confirmed it. Hearing it irritated Dias. "I didn't 'contaminate' anything," he snapped. "I'm just cold and tired."

Cato had to sympathize with Mihael. Not long ago he had worried about Sascha's drinking, which happened more often than was healthy, and to make it worse, he did it alone at night when Cato couldn't make sure he was all right. "I know how you feel, Mihael... I have a friend who used to drink too much, too. It can be really difficult sometimes... but at least if he's in pain, he probably won't even feel like drinking."

Cerys frowned when Valin spoke about his injuries; getting hit in the head could be serious. At least it didn't sound like was having any trouble remembering the incident, though. She looked even more concerned upon seeing his swollen wrist. "Oh, that doesn't look good at all... you should definitely have some ice." Valin's nose wasn't looking good either, especially with the dried blood on his face. "They're mad? There's more reason to be worried than anything... don't worry, I'm sure they won't stay that way long. They probably don't know the whole story." Cerys found a cloth nearby and soaked it in the bucket of water in their room. "Here," she said, passing it to him.

Emmett couldn't say he had been expecting to hear that about Isadore. It almost took his mind off of what had happened with Valin and the discomfort of dealing with Sascha. "...Really? I knew he had changed but that's much more extreme than I expected... interesting." The alcohol was especially surprising, knowing Isadore's previous opinion of it. After the last thing Sascha said, Emmett immediately had an idea of what was going on. "Very interesting. I agree, someone else is behind this too, and that doesn't surprise me. I know of someone who would be more than happy to take charge."

"Very well... if you insist." Howell supposed that could have been all it was, though the man looked a bit pale. "I suppose you should get some rest then, bellhop. You may have a busy day tomorrow! We shall see." If the weather was still bad or cold, then Dias would be staying inside.

"Really...?" Mihael listened as Cato told him about his friend. It took him a moment, but he realized that Cato was probably talking about Sascha. Cerys had told Mihael that Sascha's drinking was the reason she'd had to give up and leave him in Thracia. Apparently, it had been a problem for Cato too. Cato using the past tense gave Mihael some hope for Calyx. "Oh... I'm sorry you had to deal with that. I'm really glad your friend stopped, though. Maybe Calyx can too... the fight probably wouldn't have happened if he'd been sober today."

Valin nodded, wincing as he did so. His head was in horrible pain. "They're mad... I tried to tell them what happened, but they wouldn't--" He shrugged helplessly. He was really upset about the situation and it made everything else that was bothering him seem magnified. Cerys' reassurance calmed him down a bit, though, and he gave her a small, grateful smile, thanking her when she handed him the cloth. He held it to his nose for several moments before using it to clean the blood from his face. "That feels a lot better..."

"It was pretty shocking," Sascha agreed. If he hadn't known better, he would have had a hard time believing the person giving the speech was Isadore. He raised an eyebrow at what Emmett said next. The fact that there was apparently someone who would be eager to take control was interesting; it was becoming obvious that things in Raunati were even more complicated than they'd originally thought. "Is that so? Would they be in a position to take advantage of this situation?" As much as Sascha couldn't stand the sight of Emmett, Carystos' political situation was the group's main priority, so this conversation was important.

Dias sighed, not looking forward to having a busy day at all. "All right," was all he said, not wanting to invite further commentary. "Enjoy your... vase." With that, he turned and made his way back to his room, wasting no time stripping out of his cold, wet clothing and changing into something dry. He then got into bed and wrapped his blankets around himself like a cocoon. His shivers soon subsided and it wasn't long before he dozed off.

Cato nodded. It sounded like Calyx wasn't actually a particularly bad person, but he was prone to making some bad decisions. "Yeah, I think you're right. Just talking about it with him could make a big difference too... when he's feeling a bit better." He recalled that the boy had a mouth injury.

"It's okay. Don't worry about the others, just take it easy for now," Cerys said gently, watching as Valin cleaned himself up. His nose didn't look good and he was being careful around it. "I'll stay here as long as you want me to."

Emmett didn't think it was wise to reveal his suspicions at this point. It seemed like it could be dangerous. "Maybe. We'll have to keep an eye on things as they develop." He glanced down the hall to where he had been headed before Sascha stopped him. Valin was in need of healing and the shorter Emmett's conversations with Sascha could be, the better. "Thanks for the information. Now, if you'll excuse me..." Emmett continued down the hallway.

A few days passed and things at the inn were mercifully quiet. Valin and Calyx were busy recovering and everyone else more or less went about their business. Emmett, however, was becoming more stressed by the day. There was the issue of resolving the conflicts within the group that threatened to tear it apart, and on top of that, they needed a plan. So far, all they had done was advertise and kidnap a soldier, who Emmett hadn't even seen for the past couple of days. The interrogation had gone nowhere and he couldn't stand to go through it again with Sascha sitting only several feet behind him.

It was a somewhat cloudy afternoon, but Emmett chose to spend it outside. He hoped he would be able to clear his head that way, but it wasn't working. After wandering to the market and back, he found himself pacing around in the general vicinity of the inn. His mind had drifted to the possibility of the governor's soldiers coming after the kidnapped soldier, and how entirely unprepared the entire group was for combat. It seemed to him that the group was unprepared for many things, and as the leader, Emmett had to find a way to fix that.

Emmett's 'maybe' was a bit disappointing to Sascha; he'd been hoping that the butler had thought of something more definitive. Still, even the slightest possibility of having something to go on was better than nothing. He was relieved when Emmett went on his way without further discussion and wasted no time heading to his room to change into dry clothes. By evening, he was feeling a bit fatigued and ended up going to bed early.

Over the next few days, his condition gradually worsened until he woke up late one morning with a scratchy throat and stuffy head. A harsh coughing fit snapped him out of his grogginess, and it was followed by a rapid succession of sneezes. "Ugh..." As if he needed yet another reason to hate Isadore, standing around in the rain that day had apparently done a number on his immune system.

Cheyenne hadn't been in Carystos since the disaster that was Isadore's wedding. Even outside of Raunati, the atmosphere was tense and full of anxiety. It was hard for her to believe that this was the same province Theodore had governed; she'd visited countless times then and the mood had never been like this. Isadore was destroying everything his family had worked for and it was the last thing she'd ever expected from him.

Liani glanced at her and pointed north. The bodyguard had returned from Basilei a while ago and though she hadn't been able to communicate to the Vandevieres where she had been or what she'd been doing, they were just glad to see her safe.

Cheyenne looked to where Liani was pointing. The large building seemed to be what she was looking for. She adjusted her woolen beret and started walking in that direction. Though she had heard that this town wasn't as heavily guarded as some of the larger ones, she had dressed down to avoid standing out.

As the two approached the inn, Cheyenne spotted a familiar figure pacing around outside. She tensed. The Castellanos' butler was the last person she'd expected to see. Based on what she'd seen of the man during their travels, she couldn't imagine him supporting Isadore's reign of terror, but with both Theodore and Mihael presumably dead, it was possible that he didn't have much of a choice.

It soon occurred to her that he wouldn't know what her business there was unless she told him. With that in mind, she walked up to him. "Emmett... I must admit that I am surprised to see you here. Have you... heard the rumours about this inn?" If he was at all familiar with the resistance movement, he would know exactly what she meant.

Cato had woken up around dawn that morning, though not of his own volition. His sleep had been improving lately, but there were still off days and he found he had become a very light sleeper. He spent the rest of the morning gently shifting into more comfortable positions, unable to drift off again. At some point late in the morning, Cato suddenly heard some loud coughing. He slowly sat up.

"Sascha...?" he asked after his friend had gotten over his sneezing fit. "Oh no... are you feeling okay?" Cato had watched and helped Sascha through many colds and flus, so it wasn't hard to tell when the next one was starting up.

Emmett had been so lost in thought that he hadn't noticed when Cheyenne and Liani approached, and nearly jumped when the former addressed him. He blinked at her; with Carystos as dangerous as it was, it was the last place he would expect to see her.

"I... could say the same to you," Emmett finally said, glancing between the two women. Cheyenne then brought up the inn, and he glanced back at it. He had to wonder if it would be wise to reveal his position. It was hard to picture Cheyenne working on Isadore's side, but he didn't want to endanger the people he was responsible for. "...Yes, I have heard about what's going on here. I'm surprised you heard about it outside of Carystos." Emmett adjusted his glasses. "It seems they've taken on an awfully risky task, don't you think?"

As Sascha's sneezes started to subside, he heard Cato addressing him from his own bed. "Yeah, I'm fine." The words came out in a raspy whisper. He sighed and cleared his throat before trying again, but only succeeded in triggering another coughing fit. "It's just a cold, I think." His voice was a bit stronger this time, but it still sounded strained and like he was on the brink of losing it. "I hope I didn't wake you up." He knew his friend needed as much rest as he could get.

Cheyenne followed Emmett's gaze. Though the butler didn't say it directly, he had confirmed what Cheyenne had been hoping to find out. "In Chorasmii, it is simply a rumour," she replied, then nodded at the last thing Emmett said. "If this is true... it is, indeed, a great risk."

She elected not to say anything further to him and let herself into the inn. Liani followed behind her, keeping an eye on Emmett over her shoulder as she did so.

There were a few people milling about the inn, but one boy in particular caught Cheyenne's eye. Mihael was a very unexpected sight; as far as everyone else knew, he was dead. He'd disappeared from the mansion, leaving behind bloodstained sheets.

She was quick to return outside to where Emmett was before anyone had a chance to acknowledge her. Mihael's presence had given her a bit of insight into what Emmett was doing there. It had been obvious to her on their missions that the boy was high on Emmett's list of priorities. That coupled with the fact that he was unaccompanied by soldiers suggested that he wasn't there on government business. "In Chorasmii, the rumours of a budding resistance movement were a relief," she ventured quietly. Liani took a small step forward, locking eyes with Emmett. "If Isadore isn't stopped... what will become of the empire?"

Cato frowned as Sascha struggled to speak clearly. It seemed like it was going to be a nasty cold, which wasn't surprising. Whenever his friend became sick, it was rarely mild.

"Don't worry, I was awake..." Cato assured Sascha. "I guess being out in the rain must have really gotten to you..." He couldn't help but be reminded of the many times very similar situations had unfolded. Cato had always gladly taken it upon himself to look after Sascha, but recently the roles had been switched. "Would you like some water?" He started to get out of bed before getting Sascha's answer.

Emmett studied Cheyenne as she spoke, trying to determine her intentions. It didn't seem like there was any cause for alarm as of yet, so he silently allowed her to go to the inn. Emmett thought about following just in case, but the look he was getting from Liani made him think again.

Cheyenne was back before long, and had changed her tone. It seemed she had suddenly decided to reveal her reason for coming and her support for the resistance. Emmett glanced at Liani, and then looked back at Cheyenne. He decided to go with his gut feeling.

"I had been wondering how far word had spread. You have no idea how good it is to hear that you're on our side..." Emmett had lowered his voice and took a few quick glances nearby to make sure nobody was listening in. "That's my concern too. Nobody else wants to try and he won't stop until he's burned everything to the ground. Carystos is only the beginning. That's why I knew I had to start a resistance movement."

Sascha felt a bit better knowing that he hadn't woken Cato. His expression became sheepish when Cato attributed his illness to standing around in the rain. While it was the conclusion he'd reached as well, it was embarrassing to have such a shoddy immune system even as an adult. "Seems like it," he admitted.

Cato offered to get him water and didn't give Sascha a chance to respond. He didn't like the thought of making the injured man look after him when all he had was a little cold, but Cato was obviously eager to help. Sascha knew that treating him like an invalid would only make his friend feel down on himself. "Yeah, it might help. Thanks, Cato--" Another harsh coughing fit interrupted him. "I appreciate it."

What Emmett said was what Cheyenne had been hoping to hear. He was part of the resistance movement she wanted to support. She was about to ask him who was in charge when he revealed the rather surprising answer. It was the last thing she would have expected from Theodore's seemingly mild mannered butler. "You started all of this?" Realizing how that must have sounded, she quickly added, "Forgive me. It's not that I believe you to be incapable. It's just as you said before--resisting a leader like Isadore is an extraordinary risk. It's impressive that you are willing to do such a thing."

If Emmett had started the resistance movement, Cheyenne's assumptions about what had brought him there were a bit off. There was one unanswered question that she had to wonder about. "I saw Isadore's brother inside the inn. If you started this movement... then surely you must know that he is presumed dead? His room in the mansion was found completely vacant... his bed was full of blood."

Cato reached for his cane and, with its help, got to his feet. "It's no problem," he replied. "Hopefully it'll soothe your throat a little..." After carefully stretching his back a little, Cato headed for the door.

The trip wasn't particularly fast as the stairs still slowed him, but Cato returned as soon as he could with a large glass of water. "Here, this should last a while," he said, handing the glass to Sascha. Cato then took a seat on his own bed. "It seems like this came on quite suddenly... do you still get sick like this often?"

Emmett wasn't too surprised that Cheyenne hadn't expected that he was behind the resistance movement. The fact that a resistance movement even existed was shocking enough. "Someone has to be willing, or else nothing will change."

What Cheyenne said next caught Emmett off guard. He hadn't thought that much about the aftermath of Mihael leaving the mansion in such a way, but it made sense that he was presumed dead. His gaze shifted toward the ground; he recalled the grisly scene all too well and the dread that had come over him upon seeing Mihael, seemingly lifeless in his bed.

"Yes..." Emmett looked up at Cheyenne again. As unpleasant as it would be to talk about it, it was best that she know about the suffering that Isadore's cruelty had caused his own brother. "I was the first to see that scene. Mihael... Isadore had made him a prisoner in his own home. Executions were taking place around him every day. His life had become so miserable that he was driven to attempt suicide... which was how I found him when I broke into the mansion one night. I brought him here to safety."

Sascha was grateful for Cato's help. He knew that the stairs still posed some difficulties for his friend, but there had been a time in the recent past when they would have been an almost insurmountable obstacle. To see such an improvement was truly incredible, especially knowing how much Cato had to overcome to get to this point.

His friend returned with the water and Sascha thanked him with a small smile. His cough hadn't eased at all while Cato was downstairs and each spell made his throat hurt more. He eagerly took a long sip, enjoying the relief the cold water offered. "I definitely think this will help." Cato then inquired about his general health. While he didn't get sick quite as easily as he had when he was a child, it was still more frequent than he would have liked. Frequent enough for Meilyr to make fun of him for it, at least. His last cold had only been a few months prior, back at the Castellanos' mansion. "Well... I don't think I'd say I get sick often..." He glanced to the side. "Just every once in a while. I haven't been sick since I was detained in the mansion."

Cheyenne was absolutely horrified by what Emmett told her. She'd always known Mihael to be extremely good natured; it was hard to believe that he would try to commit suicide. However, it was obvious from Emmett's mannerisms that he was telling the truth. It also explained the blood. "That is..." She shook her head sadly. "I do not even have the words. At least you were able to reach him in time..." After the shock had worn off, her expression became one of anger. "Isadore has lost every shred of humanity he ever had in him. No one is exempt from his cruelty--of he treats his citizens and even his own family with such disregard, I dread to think what he would do to his enemies." Elis was still clear in her mind.

"My father does not support him in any capacity," she continued. "However, to openly oppose him would invite war, which would only cause further harm to those in this province who deserve it the least." She met Emmett's gaze with steely determination behind her own eyes. When she spoke again, her voice was very low. "That is why I am here. Your resistance movement is this province's only hope. On behalf of Chorasmii, I wish to offer you full financial backing."

Sascha was only sounding more and more hoarse, and Cato hoped he wouldn't end up losing his voice entirely. At least it seemed that nothing big was coming up soon for the resistance, so Sascha would have time to rest. "Oh, that's good to hear..." Cato replied after Sascha said that things were getting better. The last part of what he said took a moment to sink in. His eyes widened a little. "Wait... detained? And by mansion... you must mean the governor's mansion?" He knew that Sascha had assisted the governor's son with some missions, but being detained sounded quite serious.

As Emmett listened to Cheyenne, he could feel how genuinely disgusted she was by Isadore's actions. If there had been any doubt before about where her loyalties were, there certainly wasn't anymore. He nodded in agreement; the thought of Isadore going to battle against whatever he perceived to be enemies was terrifying knowing he burned his own citizens alive.

"Good..." Emmett said nearly under his breath when Cheyenne confirmed that the governor of Chorasmii opposed Isadore as well. He listened intently as she dropped her voice, feeling anticipation well up as she spoke. He had an idea of where this was going, but when Cheyenne revealed her offer, Emmett couldn't help but be a bit surprised.

"Full... full financial backing?" he repeated. Some reinforcements from Chorasmii was all he had been expecting. A relieved smile came to his face. "Cheyenne... that's just incredible. I don't know how I could even begin to thank you... this completely changes everything." Emmett's expression became more serious. "For now all I can do is give you my word that I will do everything in my power to stop Isadore."

Sascha had been a bit too fever addled to choose his words carefully. 'Detained' indicated that what Sascha had been doing for Theodore wasn't exactly voluntary. "Yeah... I was detained there after I tried to mug the governor's son. He looked rich as hell and I had no idea who he was." He paused to cough. "...The governor was having some issues with another country at the time so instead of imprisoning me, he had me helping out on the missions to deal with them." Sascha knew it was probably hard for Cato to imagine him actually living as a rogue.

Cheyenne had to smile when she saw Emmett's reaction to her offer. After hearing that Emmett was so involved in the resistance movement, Liani eased off, knowing that he didn't pose any threat to Cheyenne.

"The end of Isadore's tyranny is all the thanks we could ever need," Cheyenne replied. "In particular, the fact that he aligned with Massalia troubles me, especially given their history with the empire and his own previous encounters with... his wife." During the missions, Ophelia had made it clear that she had no love for Carystos or the empire. "I am not sure what it means, but... I cannot see it boding well for the rest of us, whatever the case may be."

Cato couldn't help but feel a little relieved listening to Sascha; the situation hadn't been as serious as it had originally sounded. However, the way he talked about mugging someone so casually was a somewhat unpleasant reminder for Cato of the harsh life Sascha had been forced into for so many years. "Ah, so that's what happened... that's like community service, I suppose." He managed a small smile. "And... staying here with everyone means that you won't have to mug people anymore." Knowing that Sascha's days of being a rogue were over was a help.

Emmett nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I feel the same way. He gained an ally external to the empire... and turned down a powerful internal ally." Isadore had never had a problem with being engaged to Cheyenne before, so Emmett hadn't been expecting the sudden change. "I wonder if the Massalians see him like the tyrant we see... perhaps my Massalian connections here will be able to look into it."