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.

Mihael smiled when Calyx assured him an apology wasn't necessary. He supposed he was a lot more tightly wound than usual because of everything that was going on. "Okay," he agreed to go look for food with his friend. "Um... I'm actually not sure what there is besides any fruit from yesterday, but I'm sure there's something good."

The two made their way to the kitchen where Matteo was waiting for them as if he'd been expecting them. Mihael just blinked but Matteo walked over to Calyx and wordlessly offered him a plate of food. He knew by now that it could help with the hangover.

"Whoa... he kinda read your mind," Mihael said, tilting his head at the two.

Sascha sniffled and nodded. "That's... exactly what he said he wanted," he said. His own voice almost sounded alien to him, but he continued, "I got stuck for a while... think I'm finally doing what he wanted me to... and it's all because of you." He gave Cato a watery smile.

"I could go for some fruit, I guess," Calyx replied as he started toward the kitchen. Before long they arrived, where Matteo was unsurprisingly waiting. Calyx grinned upon seeing the plate of food and accepted it. "Heh, you're the best, Matteo. What would I do without you?" Calyx was kind of feeling up to eating, so he took a bite of the toast.

Calyx was used to this sort of thing, but Mihael definitely wasn't. "Sometimes I really do wonder if he's a psychic. I'll start walking down the street and bam, he'll appear around the corner like he knew exactly where I was going to be." He shrugged. "Or maybe I'm just predictable."

"Sascha..." Cato couldn't help but let out a few tears. He was just so happy that his friend hadn't thrown his life away; Meilyr clearly didn't want that for him and he had so much ahead of him. "I... I can't take all the credit... you had to make the decision to change. And Meilyr would be really happy that you did... I know I am." He wiped his eyes and looked at Sascha with a small smile. "And... I'm proud, too."

Matteo had known that Calyx would need the food and the boy's reaction to receiving it pleased him. He nodded to acknowledge it, noticeably staring at Calyx's black eye for a moment before wandering off to find something to eat himself.

"Wow... he's really on top of things!" Mihael had known that Matteo was always with Calyx, but it practically seemed like the strange man had completely synchronized his life with the boy's. He laughed at the next thing Calyx said, shaking his head. "No, I wouldn't say you're predictable. Actually, I think you can be really unpredictable sometimes."

Cato was crying too and even though it wasn't surprising, it made Sascha feel like he wasn't alone with his feelings. He wiped his eyes as Cato spoke. He was almost overwhelmed with emotion. It was unusual for him, but he couldn't help it. He was devastated that he'd never see Meilyr again, but it meant so much for him to know that he'd managed to make both Meilyr and Cato proud. They'd both had so much faith in him and he was finally starting to show that it wasn't misplaced. "Cato... thanks. I'm glad I could make you proud... Meilyr... said the same thing." He sniffed, wiping at his eyes again. "You two have helped me through so much, so I'm not going to let either of you down." Sascha looked to Meilyr's tombstone before looking back to Cato. He'd never felt more determined.

Calyx nodded. "He really is," he said before taking another bite of toast. Even though he had had a lot of experience with Matteo, there were still sometimes even he was taken by surprise. Calyx smiled at the next thing Mihael said. "I am, aren't I? My parents have used that word more than once, but they managed to make it sound like a horrible thing." He rolled his eyes. "But they could make happiness sound like a disease."

Cato's smile only grew as he listened to Sascha. "I'm sure you won't. You've already overcome so much as it is... and you've helped me do the same." Seeing the determined expression on his friend's face made him feel more determined himself. After looking at the grave in silence for a moment, the two realized it was getting to be time to go back. Cato whispered a 'thank you' to Meilyr's headstone just before they started heading out of the graveyard.

The following week was one of the best Cato had had in a long time. His mind felt less weighed down and he could tell that Sascha felt the same way. The two were able to get out and explore the city a little, and then return home to try out a few new recipes. Cato was feeling less fatigued and just better in general, so he was able to really enjoy both activities.

One morning, Cato was sitting at the table with Sascha after having just finished breakfast. "Your breakfasts are always delicious, Sascha," Cato praised his friend with a smile. "I always see the way you make it, but... there must be something you're doing to these eggs to make them so-"

The sound of the front door opening made Cato freeze. In three and a half years, not a single unexpected visitor had arrived and even if they had, they wouldn't have just barged in. Cato looked to Sascha, deeply concerned. He didn't know what he would do if someone was breaking in to steal. There wasn't much to take, but their money was fairly limited.

Mihael pulled a slight face when Calyx mentioned the way his parents spoke. "Well, I don't think it's a bad thing," he said with a smile. "I think it's great because you can always have something interesting to do or tell people about..." It was true that some of Calyx's exploits were concerning, but he was certainly never dull.

Having the leave the graveyard meant having to truly say good bye to Meilyr. It was painful, but Sascha felt like he could finally do it. He knew Meilyr would want him to get out and live and that's what Sascha was doing now. He murmured a good bye as he left. He intended to return with another letter in the future and hopefully he would have even better news for his friend.

The next week flew by. Sascha felt like a huge burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He was happy to see Cato feeling so much better and the two spent a lot of time together. Sascha was even beginning to enjoy cooking, even if the occasions that he failed were a bit frustrating and embarrassing.

The one thing he had no trouble with by now was breakfast, largely because he didn't prepare anything complex. Apparently, Cato really enjoyed the way he made it and he shrugged at his friend's praise. "I'm really glad you like them so much, but I can't think of anything special I do..."

As he was thinking, people suddenly entered the house. It wasn't as if either of them were expecting company, so Sascha shot to his feet and glared at the sight of them. "Who the hell are you?"

"I could ask you guys the same question," one of the men replied, crossing his arms. He looked flabbergasted. "What are you doing in my house!?"

"Your house?" Sascha cast a puzzled glance at Cato. "It's been like this for years--"

"What?! I didn't know anything about this!" The man looked between the two of them. "Who the hell told you you could be here!?"

It made Calyx feel good to know that Mihael thought that way about him. He grinned. "Well, I've always been good at entertaining," he said, somewhat proud. "I just hate being bored, so I avoid it as much as I can. Even this small town has some pretty good drinks, all I had to do was try them. Maybe you'll get to try some, too." It was hard to picture his friend drunk, so he was really hoping it would happen when they went to the bar together.

Cato froze in his seat when the visitors came in to sight, afraid of what they wanted with him and Sascha. When the man spoke, though, his intentions became very clear, and it was the last thing Cato wanted to hear. His eyes widened and he could feel his heart sinking. "No..." he said softly.

Sascha was obviously confused about the situation, so Cato knew this argument could get ugly. "Sascha..." He tried to speak more loudly. "Um... I never told you, but... back then, I just walked into this house. It kind of seemed like it still belonged to someone, but they never showed up, so..." Cato gave the man who apparently owned the house an apologetic look. He never wanted to cause any trouble, he just wanted a place to live.

"What!?" The other man was infuriated by this. "You thought you could just claim somebody else's house for years!? Are you crazy, or just stupid?" If these people had damaged the place, they'd be the ones paying.

Mihael smiled, nodding in agreement when Calyx said he'd always been good at entertaining. "Yeah, you are... the best events were always the ones you were at," he replied. He didn't want to think about formal events too much though, as it would remind him of the poisoning. He laughed lightly at the next thing Calyx said, shrugging his shoulders. "Maybe I will... um, I don't think I really liked the taste of alcohol, but the effects were pretty fun. I don't know what I did, exactly, but I know I had a good time with Emmett."

Sascha blinked and turned his attention to Cato when his friend explained how he'd come to live in the house. He was a bit dumbfounded at first, but knowing how desperate Cato's situation had been at the time made it easier for Sascha to understand. He knew he would have given anything to find somewhere to live when he was on the streets of Basilei.

Before he could respond to Cato, the other man cut in and Sascha didn't like anything he had to say. "No, he's not stupid," he began, narrowing his eyes. "He's the smart one in this situation because he took advantage of you being too stupid to lock your door when you planned on being gone for years."

The other man seemed unmoved by Cato's apologetic look. "Well, it may have seemed like no one lived here, but we do, so you guys are gonna have to get out of here and get out of here fast."

"Heh, good to know I could liven up those snoozefests." Calyx finished off a piece of toast. The best parts of any of those events were probably getting to hang out with Mihael and the food. He couldn't help but smile when his friend described his experience with alcohol. "Oh, the taste is nothing when you get used to it. You don't even notice it after you drink enough anyway, because there's more important stuff going on by that point!" Mihael mentioned drinking with Emmett, which made sense seeing as the man was much older. "Ah, so he shared his experience with you? A good way to learn."

The guy turned his attention to Sascha when he threw his insult back at him. "Hey, we were sure we locked it! Either way, not stealing someone's house is just common decency! We didn't pay good money for this place so that some lazy hobos could claim it as their own!"

The thought of living on the streets was horrifying to Cato. He knew there was no way he could handle it, so he started to become desperate. "W-wait! We can't leave, I... I won't make it on the streets. I've been seriously wounded and crippled, and this place has been the reason I survived..." He looked pleadingly at the man. "I'm really sorry for just taking your house like this... but can't we make a deal? We can pay rent and... and do whatever you want." He had to do something for both himself and Sascha.

Mihael wasn't sure that he'd ever get used to the taste of alcohol, but he did remember it seeming less and less noticeable as the night progressed. "I guess that makes sense... I don't think I really tasted much of anything after it kicked in..." He blinked and shook his head at the next thing Calyx said. "No, we were both drinking for the first time. Um... I guess Emmett never had a chance to before, or just wasn't very interested."

The man was starting to really get on Sascha's nerves. "An unlocked, empty house would look abandoned to anyone, especially after years had passed," he responded. As much as he wanted to tell the man what he was really thinking, he knew that trying to be somewhat civil would better work to their advantage. "'Stealing' a house isn't anyone would do if they had any other choice. Besides, he did you a favour by living here. If someone wanted to rob the place while you were gone, it would have been easy enough to walk in and do it." While there hadn't been much left behind, Sascha had run into a few seemingly valuable objects while cleaning.

"Look... that's awful and I'm really sorry that happened to you," the guy replied, clearly a bit uncomfortable with the whole situation, "but there's no room for four people in this little house and we don't have anywhere else to go. There's no way in hell we're going back to Carystos with that lunatic in charge."

Calyx was kind of surprised to hear that Emmett had only drank for the first time recently. From what he recalled, the guy was something like ten years older than him and Mihael. "Huh, that's really weird. I guess you don't see many butlers leaving the mansions they work in to go to bars. Ugh, I don't think I would be able to stand a restrictive job like that. It would be like having to sit through lessons all the time." His lessons were interesting sometimes, but Calyx could usually think of better things he could be doing.

The man let out an annoyed sigh. He supposed that Sascha had a point, but it wasn't really much consolation. "Sure, but you could have easily sold off our stuff for some cash! Or you could have gone and broken something! You'll be paying if you did, you know."

Cato frowned as he listened to the other man speak. It seemed he was pretty firm about him and Sascha leaving the house, and Cato became more distraught as he realized that they were actually going to have to live on the streets. "But..." He tried to protest, but there was nothing he could say. However, he noticed something odd about the last thing the man had said. "Wait... lunatic? What do you mean? Carystos is a peaceful place... did something happen?"

Mihael shook his head. "Nah, Emmett stayed in the mansion a lot... well, actually, we went out and did stuff sometimes, but we didn't go to any bars. Um... I guess that's obvious." Butlers didn't generally take young children or teenagers out to get drunk, after all. He laughed a bit at the next thing Calyx said. "I don't know... at least butlers get to move around stuff. I always liked helping Emmett out and it was more fun than doing lessons for sure." Mihael often enjoyed learning, but he found it difficult to listen to the teacher for such a long time and he didn't enjoy written work very much. "...oh, I guess that might have been because I was with Emmett though, and not because of the job... so you might be right."

Sascha rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, nothing has been taken or broken. You can look around for yourself." He decided to refrain from pointing out that, once again, locking the door would have prevented anything from getting taken or stolen anyway.

"Carystos was a peaceful place," the man corrected Cato, sighing heavily. "We've been working there for the past few years, but after the governor was killed and his son took over, the place went to hell in no time flat."

Sascha heard what the man was saying and looked toward him. "The governor was killed?" he repeated with a frown. It was a bit saddening to hear; Theodore had treated Sascha fairly well, all things considered and it was clear that he was a good governor. "When did that happen?"

"Not that long ago. I'm surprised you haven't heard about it," the man replied. He'd expected it to be big news in Thracia, since Carystos was one of the most important provinces in the empire. "Anyway, his son succeeded him and he's completely ruining the province. He executes people by burning them alive for even the slightest offences and his taxes are outrageous. It's getting so people can't even afford to eat."

Sascha's brow furrowed in concern. He'd known that Isadore wasn't the best person, but this sounded too extreme even for him. "Shit... no one's tried to do anything about him?"

The man shook his head. "The emperor isn't gonna do anything until it affects him," he said bitterly. "The only thing I know of in Carystos is this resistance movement in the town we just left, but I don't think they're gonna do too much. As far as I can tell, it's mostly a bunch of kids and their base is an inn. They were trying to attract recruits one day and that's when I knew it was time to get out of there. I didn't want to be there when the governor found out about that."

Sascha couldn't blame the guy for wanting to leave in that situation, but he was intrigued by the resistance movement. It didn't sound like they were big yet, but what they needed was people. The way Isadore was governing the province disgusted Sascha; he was everything a leader shouldn't be. "Are they still recruiting?"

"They're always recruiting, as far as I know... wait, you're not planning on--?" The man looked between Sascha and Cato. Someone choosing to go to Carystos under these circumstances seemed crazy to him.

Sascha just shrugged, looking at Cato. He knew his friend would have strong feelings about the situation, but he didn't know if he'd feel up to joining a resistance movement. However, it sounded like they would have somewhere to live while working against Isadore. Sascha thought it sounded optimal.

Calyx had recalled Mihael mentioning sometimes before about going places with Emmett, but it was never that far. His friend was lucky that he had a parent who was happy to allow that sort of thing. Calyx was a little confused when Mihael said about how much fun he'd had moving things around with Emmett; that didn't exactly sound like a good time to him. "Well... I guess you don't get assignments to do on your own time from moving stuff around, so that's something." Calyx had to smile. Mihael really thought a lot of the butler. "Hey, maybe you should have taken him to your lessons. He could have livened them up a little!"

The man Sascha was talking to seemed to feel a little better when Sascha reassured him that everything was intact, but he was definitely going to look around.

Cato listened to the other man talk about the state of Carystos, his shock clearly visible when he heard that the governor was killed. He had always had the feeling that Carystos was the last place to have something like that happen. Cato gasped rather loudly at the news that people were actually being burned alive; he couldn't believe that something like that was happening. The horror those poor people were experiencing was no doubt unbearable.

The only good part of it all was that there seemed to be a resistance movement. Someone had to stop that terror and it was a relief to know that at least someone was trying, even if it wasn't a big group yet. At least they weren't just running away. "The people of Carystos... no, nobody should have to deal with something like this. If the emperor won't do anything, then someone needs to take a stand." Cato looked to Sascha. He knew what his friend was thinking. They had just heard of this resistance, but it sounded like they were more than accepting of new members. "I would much rather be supporting a cause like that than wandering the streets, thinking about what the people in Carystos are going through."

"That's true," Mihael agreed. "When you're a butler, you just have to do your tasks and then you're done... well, until something gets messed up again, I guess... but you definitely don't have to do assignments. I sometimes forgot about them..." He looked amused by what Calyx said next. "That would have been much better for sure... and I think Emmett would have liked to hear some of the lessons, actually." Even though Emmett had never been taught to read, Mihael knew he was still very smart. "Oh, you could have taken Matteo... I wonder what your teacher would have thought."

Sascha was proud of Cato's response. He wouldn't have blamed his friend if he hadn't felt up to heading to a dangerous province to resist the governor, but as soon as his friend had heard what was happening there, the passion Sascha had always admired in him became apparent. None of the terrible things Cato had been through had been enough to extinguish it. "He's right. Someone has to do something, even if they start off as just a few people in an inn." He looked back to the man. "What town is the resistance based in?"

The man told them the name of the town. He wasn't sure that they should go there, but he supposed they couldn't stay in Thracia without a house and they both sounded pretty determined. "We got a ride here with a merchant. He's picking up some things to deliver to that town from the blacksmith. You should be able to catch him if you hurry."

Sascha nodded and thanked the man before looking to Cato. "Well, I guess we should gather up what we need and head out." Luckily, they didn't have too much to take with them.

"Maybe he could have helped you remember your assignments, too," Calyx said with an amused grin. He had to laugh at the next thing Mihael said. "Now that would have been something! I think the teacher would have been the one learning something for a change. I bet this guy has all the world's secrets tucked away in his brain somewhere, you just have to find them." He flashed Matteo a smile before starting on the other piece of toast.

Sascha seemed to feel the same way, which made Cato's resolve even stronger. It was a relief to hear that they could catch a ride to that town, since the walk there would have probably been difficult. "Right," he said to Sascha, before taking what would be his last good look around the place he had been living in for so long. It had served him well, but Cato was ready to put that part of his life behind him. "I'm ready to do this."

Cato went quickly to his room and grabbed what he had for clothing. He also made sure to pick up the most important thing in there, which was the box of letters he had kept. Now that Sascha was there, he no longer needed to read them to think of him, but they still meant the world to him. That was more or less everything Cato owned, so he went to join Sascha. After thanking the man for the information and apologizing to both of them for taking their house, he headed outside with Sascha in search of the merchant.

Thankfully, the merchant was still with the blacksmith and was in the process of packing up his cargo for transport. When Cato and Sascha approached and asked for a ride, the man warned them that it could be a bit tight, but the two were travelling lightly enough that they would be able to fit.

It wasn't the most comfortable ride for Cato, and the occasional bumps they passed over were quite hard on his back. After a few hours of travelling, the carriage finally stopped, much to Cato's relief. He made sure to thank the merchant before stepping out and stretching. He winced a little. "It's been a very long time since I've ridden in a carriage... it will take some getting used to." He looked around, trying to find a building that looked like an inn or a sign pointing to it. "Hm, it must be a fairly big building if they're using it as a base..."

Mihael shrugged good naturedly. "Emmett probably would have been a lot better at them than me if he had been taught all the stuff he needed to do them," he replied. He grinned, looking thoughtful when he heard what Calyx said about Matteo. "That might actually be true... he probably just keeps them to himself because... um, well, I think that would be the responsible thing to do... probably."

Matteo just glanced at the two, his expression so ambivalent that they could very well be right about him.

Sascha was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to get a ride. Things seldom went this smoothly for him, but he certainly wasn't going to complain about it. He was carrying most of what they had brought with them, but it wasn't much so it was easy enough for him to situate it in the carriage.

They didn't run into any trouble on the ride, but Sascha knew it must have been rather painful for his friend. He spoke with Cato during the ride in an attempt to distract him.

Mercifully, it didn't take them long to arrive in Carystos. This was apparently the town the resistance was based in, but the inn wasn't immediately visible. Cato spoke up about the ride and Sascha nodded. "It was a bit rough... we'll find the inn soon and then you can get some rest."

It took them a little while but they finally found the inn. Sascha gave Cato a reassuring glance before the two walked in, as he knew his friend really needed a break.

Mihael looked up when he heard the door open, his mouth agape when he saw Sascha walk in with a man he didn't recognize. After what Cerys had told him, he hadn't been expecting to see Sascha at all and certainly not sober. "Sascha... hi, what are you doing here? How are you?"

Sascha was equally surprised to see Mihael, but given what he'd heard from the men about how Isadore was behaving lately, he was glad the kid wasn't still in the mansion. "I'm fine, and we're here to join the resistance."

Mihael was pleased to hear that the resistance would be gaining two new members and he shifted his gaze to Sascha's friend. His brow furrowed as he saw that the man appeared to be in pain. "Um... are you okay? Do you need healing or anything?"

Sascha had almost forgotten about Mihael's healing abilities. He knew Cato could probably use the relief the boy could afford him, so he turned his attention to the other boy in the room. He had a pretty severe looking black eye. He immediately assumed it was the result of some kind of resistance activity and decided it was best to see what he and Cato were getting into before talking to whoever was in charge. He introduced himself and after the typical small talk was made, he asked, "How did you get hurt?"

Calyx took another bite of his toast and nodded. "You know, I wouldn't be surprised..." He looked back at Matteo, but couldn't keep a straight face.

Cato walked along with Sascha in search of the inn, trying his best to keep up, but his pace was a little slow. He was very thankful for the cane; any strain taken off his back at all at this point was a help. When they finally reached the door of the inn, Cato gave Sascha a small smile. He was ready to at least find somewhere to sit down.

The pain and talking to Sascha had distracted him for most of the trip there, so Cato was only just finding himself becoming a little nervous as he walked through the door. He didn't know what kinds of people would be in this resistance or what they were looking for in potential members. It was possible they wouldn't even want a cripple joining them. Cato felt a little relief upon being met at the door by two young men who seemed to be reasonably friendly. Another man was there as well, but he didn't seem to take much interest in what was going on. One of the boys even knew Sascha, which was a good sign. To Cato's surprise, the boy immediately turned his attention to him.

"Oh, um..." Cato had been fairly hunched and he knew it must have been obvious that he was injured. The fear at the back of his mind of being rejected disappeared when he saw that the boy's first reaction upon seeing his state was to help. He wondered exactly what he meant by 'healing'. "I'm... kind of sore. I really appreciate the offer... but when you say healing, do you mean you can actually...?" If the boy meant light magic, Cato knew that was quite rare.

Calyx wasn't sure why Mihael knew one of the men who entered the inn, but it was good to hear that the resistance was getting some new members. The guy Mihael called Sascha seemed to take an interest in Calyx's black eye. "Oh, this?" he asked, pointing to his eye. "That guy at the bar last night just couldn't handle a kid half his size beating him in a drinking contest. What a poor sport."

Mihael nodded. He had a feeling he knew what Cato was trying to ask. "Oh, right... I have light magic. Um... I don't know if I'll be able to heal you completely, but I'll at least be able to relieve some of the pain." He eyed the cane, but made sure he didn't stare at it, as he knew that was impolite. "Um, it might be easier if you sit down... I bet you came a long way to get here." Cerys had told him that Sascha had been in Thracia, so maybe this guy had too.

Once Cato was situated, Mihael proceeded to cast the healing spell. "Hmm... does that feel any better?" he asked with a smile. "Oh, I'm sorry... I didn't even introduce myself. I'm Mihael... what's your name?"

Sascha's expectations of Calyx having suffered his black eye for a noble caused were crushed as soon as the kid opened his mouth. Sascha raised an unimpressed eyebrow. He knew this kid's type well enough. "Of course," he said flatly. "So... who do we talk to about joining this resistance?" He tried to ignore the fact that Matteo was staring intently at him as he waited for Calyx's answer.

Cato's eyes widened a little when Mihael confirmed his suspicions about his abilities. He had heard that it was an amazing power. However, when the boy spoke of completely healing him, Cato could only give him a small smile. The power was great, but Cato knew that his wounds were far too extensive. "Oh, that would be nice..." he said to the suggestion of sitting down. It wouldn't be as good as lying down, but any rest was good.

Once Cato was sitting, he watched as Mihael began the spell. Gradually, he started to feel some relief and when the boy finished casting, Cato's pain had been noticeably reduced. He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. The magic was probably the most effective pain relief he'd tried and it almost seemed to have a calming effect. Cato opened his eyes and smiled, nodding. "That really helped... thank you so much, Mihael. My name is Cato... it's really nice to meet you." It was sweet of the boy to want to help him so much only after just meeting him. "That power you have is wonderful... I hope you haven't had to use it much here, though." Cato had noticed that the other boy was injured and he had heard about how violent Carystos had become.

Sascha's reaction didn't sit well with Calyx at all; the man wasn't acknowledging what he said in the least. The smirk that had come to his face as he told his story quickly faded. "...Talk to Emmett. His room's down the hall," Calyx responded, nodding toward the hallway entrance. He didn't really care that his directions were vague.

Mihael returned Cato's smile, looking very pleased when the man told him the healing had helped. "I'm glad it did some good," he replied. He nodded at Cato's introduction, his smiler growing wider. "It's really nice to meet you, too, Cato... I think everyone will be really glad to have both of you here!"

His expression became thoughtful when Cato started talking about his ability and he realized that most of the healing he'd had to do had been completely unrelated to resistance activity. "Um... well, I've had to use it a little bit," he admitted, "but not because of the resistance. My friend over there got his black eye in the bar... "

Calyx didn't seem thrilled with Sascha's response to him, but Sascha hadn't come here to listen to a kid brag about his drunken exploits.

His blood ran cold when Calyx directed him to a person named Emmett. Mihael was there, so it seemed highly unlikely it was another Emmett. It was tempting to leave and find somewhere else to stay, but he wasn't about to let his ex-friend stop him and Cato from joining the resistance. He inhaled and nodded. "Thanks," he said before disappearing down the hall.

Calyx's instructions had been vague, but Sascha hadn't asked for clarification in hopes of 'accidentally' finding the wrong room and getting the chance to talk to someone else instead. Sascha was never that lucky though; the first door he knocked on was Emmett's.

Cato really appreciated the warm welcome; it made up for how unpleasant the ride had been. From what Mihael said next, it seemed that the resistance had been fortunate enough not too have many dangerous encounters. "Oh, it's good to hear that you've all been relatively safe..." Cato glanced at Calyx and saw that Sascha was gone. He wasn't too concerned, though. "We just heard about the state of Carystos today... I couldn't believe it. It sounds like you're lucky to be okay. What you're all doing is just so brave, though... it's really admirable."

Calyx didn't say anything in return and took a seat after Sascha walked away. His food was kind of cold by now, so he just nibbled at his toast.

Emmett had been chatting with Ronan when he heard someone knock on the door. He hadn't been expecting anyone but it wasn't particularly surprising, given his position. Nothing could have prepared him for who he saw when he opened the door. Emmett was speechless for a moment, and took a small step backward. He just blinked at the man in front of him. "Sascha... I... didn't expect to see you." Sascha had made it quite clear before just how he felt about Emmett. "What brings you here?" He could only hope the answer didn't involve strangulation.

Mihael nodded in agreement; he was glad that no one had been severely hurt yet and he hoped it would stay that way. "Yeah, definitely..." He grew solemn when Cato mentioned what he'd heard about Carystos. "It's so bad here now... it was never like this when--um, before. Oh, where are you from...? And how do you know Sascha?" Isadore's reign of terror had been going on for a while, so it was a bit surprising that Cato hadn't heard of it.

His expression lightened when Cato said that the resistance's work was admirable. "Um... I think that's because my friend Emmett--the leader--is really brave and everything... he's the one who organized this whole thing," he explained proudly. "You'll probably get to meet him soon."

Sascha narrowed his eyes when Emmett opened the door. Seeing the man's face was enough to enrage him after what he'd found out. Inhaling to calm himself, he decided to get down to business so he could get this over with as quickly as possible. "I definitely wasn't expecting you either," he said coldly, "but I'm here along with another person to join this resistance movement I heard is based here." He didn't particularly want to have to work with Emmett again, but at least with an inn this large, he could keep his distance.

Cato saw how Mihael's expression changed when he talked about the state of Carystos; he hoped the boy wasn't a victim. "Oh, I'm an old friend of Sascha's. I live in Thracia so I hadn't seen him in a while..." Cato supposed that without the house, he couldn't say that he lived anywhere anymore. He didn't want to be reminded of that fact. Mihael seemed to have become happier at least, and Cato couldn't help but smile. He was obviously very proud of this friend of his. "I guess he must be pretty brave to start up something like this... I'm looking forward to meeting him. Did you help him put all this together?" Cato didn't think it was something somebody could do alone.

Sascha was obviously still quite upset with Emmett, but his intentions didn't seem bad. At least not at the moment. Emmett didn't know how much he could trust the man after that incident, but he supposed that Sascha wouldn't be asking to join the resistance unless he really wanted to. Otherwise, he would probably avoid Emmett as much as possible. "Well... we can always use more members. We would be happy to have you two." Emmett didn't sound particularly happy or unhappy; he was trying to keep the exchange professional. He had to wonder who Sascha would have brought with him, but he knew he'd find out soon enough. "You'll need to check in here at the inn for a room, which you'll be able to use as long as the resistance group is here."

"Oh, I see," Mihael replied with a nod. He didn't know much about Sascha, but after what Cerys had told him, Mihael was glad to see that he'd reunited with an old friend. "I guess this isn't common news in Thracia... well, I think everyone will be glad that you guys came and joined us." He shook his head in response to Cato's next question, shifting uncomfortably. "Oh... um, no, I didn't. I was still in Raunati when he started the resistance up... he actually came and got me out of there." He smiled. "I'm really grateful to him for that... he risked going there with everything that's going on for me. He's just that kind of person."

Sascha nodded in response to Emmett saying the group was happy to have him and Cato. "Hopefully we'll be of some use," he replied, then nodded again when Emmett gave him the information about the rooms. "Thanks," he said curtly, turning to leave rather abruptly as he had nothing else to say to Emmett. He started back in the direction he'd come from with the intention of getting a room for him and Cato. He knew his friend could definitely stand to lay down after their trip.

Cato hoped that the rest of resistance was as accepting as Mihael. He felt comfortable talking to the boy, like he wasn't being judged at all. "Hopefully I'll get to meet then all soon." Mihael then described how he ended up joining the resistance, making the capital city sound like a death trap, which was probably accurate. "Oh... you were actually there?" Cato didn't think he wanted to make Mihael talk about any details. It really was impressive that this Emmett person would do all that, though. "I see what you meant when you said he was brave... he must have been putting himself in a lot of danger. He sounds like a real friend," Cato said with a smile. "It's good to hear that someone like that is in charge."

"Just ask me if you have any questions..." Sascha was already walking away before Emmett could finish the sentence. He sighed and closed the door. Emmett had never imagined that Sascha of all people would join the group. It would probably be best to avoid the man in general, even if he had cooled down a bit.

"Emmett?" Ronan spoke up. "You were saying you had an idea for our next move?" He had been left in suspense, and he didn't think it would do any good for Emmett to dwell on what had happened with Sascha anyway.

Emmett realized he had been spacing out a little. "Right." He took a seat on his bed. "During our investigation of the nearby towns, one group found something that I think is worth looking into..."

Cerys had been awake for a little while and was enjoying resting in bed until she realized how hungry she was. She got up and made herself look more presentable before heading out of the room and down the hall. Someone up ahead was standing in front of Emmett's room, and the other man started to walk away when the two finished speaking. Cerys knew she recognized the voice and features, but she never imagined for a moment that she would see that man in this town. Though she didn't know if she even wanted to see him, Cerys walked closer. "Sascha? What are you doing here?" She didn't exactly sound pleased to see him, but she was more surprised than angry at the moment.

Mihael nodded in response to Cato's question and gave the man a grateful smile when he didn't press for any details about Mihael's time in Raunati. "Yeah... it was really dangerous for him to go there..." Even moreso given that he'd had to enter the mansion, Mihael knew, "but he still risked it... he's so selfless and always thinking thinking about other people... he's been like that as long as I've known him--and we've been friends for a really long time--so I know that he's the best leader we could have." He was glad to hear that Cato seemed confident in Emmett already. "You'll probably get to meet him soon... I think we're going to have a meeting later... well, a lot later, so you'll get time to settle in and rest first."

Sascha heard Emmett talking as he walked off, but he didn't bother to so much as look back over his shoulder. A familiar voice soon caught his attention and he soon found himself looking at another person he'd never expected to see again.

""Cerys..." Shame flooded him as he recalled how he'd behaved toward Cerys when he'd been drinking. Some of the details were fuzzy or even missing, but he knew that he'd been unforgivably rude toward her when she'd reached out to help him. "I'm here to join the resistance movement. Is that why you're here too?" It wouldn't surprise him.

He knew that he couldn't act like nothing had happened between them. He'd already faced so much since Cato had helped him stop drinking, so running away from this situation wasn't an option. "You know... I don't blame you if you're not happy to see me here. I was an asshole to you back in Thracia. You don't have to forgive me, but I want to tell you that I'm sorry. You deserved a lot better for going out of your way to try and help me."