paixaorpg | Interim [Active, Open]

Entry tags:

Interim [Active, Open]

Character(s): Rasler, not!Basch, and possibly others?
Content: They're on their way to meet with Celes and co.
Setting: Train from Muspelheim to Central.
Time: Still afternoonish
Warnings: None

On some level, Rasler knew he was being rash. It was foolish to rush headlong into the heart of an unfamiliar city, foolish to be so open with what little information he had over these journals, all of it foolish. The coordinates General Chere had sent him, which he was now following without a second thought, could easily be leading him into a trap. He knew that. He simply didn't care.

What bothered him more than anything were Balthier's words, which he couldn't put out of his mind. He already knew, intellectually, that Nabudis was gone, but the rest he couldn't seem to reconcile. It was one thing to be rumored dead, but another entirely to be rumored dead for two years. And in the meantime, if that man were to be believed, King Raminas had been slain, Dalmasca overrun and subsequently freed, and Ashe had become queen...

Two years. He couldn't possibly have missed two years. Who did Balthier think he was?

But the news, and an offer to meet, had both come once he had already boarded the train to his meeting with the General and her contact, and there was still to honor his original commitment. Perhaps some of the answers about this "world between worlds" would double as answers for his other, more pressing questions.

For now, though, he waited, as the train sped along toward their destination. It was a poor time to have to do so, but he had no choice. He had been silent since receiving the news, his face cold but otherwise held carefully level. Whatever the circumstances, as a Prince of Nabradia, he still had his role to uphold, and uphold it he would.

But damned if he wasn't going to get to the bottom of this.

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Gabranth was likewise silent, not out of a wish to not interrupt Rasler's thoughts, but by the fact that things had all of a sudden gotten more risky than he could have expected. While it was one thing to get Rasler to believe him his brother in truth, the sky pirate and his companion would be harder to fool. The pair had been at his brother's side atop the Pharos at least if not since his liberation from the dungeons of Nalbina, and between the sharpness of the viera's ears and the ties the pirate had to both Dr. Cid and the Empire he would doubtless have a harder time fooling their ears.

True, his lie of being not long after Nabudis would provide some aid, but even that was a risky thing. And should Rasler hear of who had had a hand in the demise of his father, it could spell his end - he doubted the last heir of the house of Nabradia would take kindly to one of the Empire, even should that one be an honorless hound such as himself. But that blade could also be used on the pirate - and with any luck that would provide enough of an advantage should they meet in person.

The next thing to catch Rasler's attention was the slowing of the train, diverting his gaze toward the front of the car; at the announcement that they'd reached Paixao Central Station, he stood and moved toward the door, with only a quick glance over his shoulder to signal Basch to follow. Finally, the destination General Celes had given him. His current impatience, if absent from his expression, was clearer in his step as he disembarked.

A cursory glance around the platform as he progressed further into it, though, showed him neither the General nor her contact - who was her contact? He should have asked before, but now there was little he could do for it. Perhaps they'd beaten them here. Very well, then, they could wait... again.

Kefka looked around sourly. They should be here by now! They should have been there five minutes ago! They should have been there the second he had arrived! He gave an angry huff and scowled at everyone who walked past, wishing he could torch them until they were nothing more than a smoldering, smoking scorch mark on the floor, but, sadly, there were too many witnesses. Sadder, since he was expecting company, he couldn't just torch the entire place and watch the witnesses burn. And that would have been such fun, too.

He noticed the arrival of what looked to be two knights with a degree of interest. Normally he would have paid them no mind, grouping them with the same mindless, flammable fools as everyone else who didn't interest him. These two, however, he recognized from the conversation. So they were coming along, hm? Maybe he'd have a few more toys to manipulate. Brawn would be very useful as a human shield. Slightly less brawn could be a back up.

Although Gabranth had no real idea of who they were supposed to meeting out here, having missed the announcement on the journals and the arrangements therein, nonetheless it was relatively easy to assume that whoever there were to meet had not arrived yet. After all, had he or she been here no doubt Rasler would have headed to meet them. The fact that he had not therefore was likely to mean they had yet to wait.

Perhaps it was a good thing, even - he would have more time to remind himself of his brother was like to say and do.

Vala was in a friendly mood today. Granted, she was usually friendly, but lately she had become BORED. She was unused to staying in one place for any great length of time. Before she joined SG-1, she'd always traveled from place to place, relying on her wits to keep her alive. Then, as part of the Stargate Program, she had lived on Earth, but constantly traveled to other worlds as necessary to further the campaign against the Ori. It wasn't that she completely hated Paixao, but it had a limited number of places to go, and she had already visited quite a few of them. Now all she could really do was meet new people and learn about the places they had come from. If nothing else, she could at least imagine what it would be like to go to all those other worlds.

The Central Station was a good place for that, since everyone came and went through there. People seemed to use it as a meeting place much of the time, which meant they were already sitting around waiting for other people to arrive and didn't have anything to do in the meantime. Vala had already picked out a likely-looking bunch who had just arrived on one of the trains. They were obviously waiting for someone, as evidenced by their continual glancing around... It was either that or they were total newcomers to the city and just amazed at everything. Either way, she expected they wouldn't mind a bit of friendly conversation. Not to mention, the two of them were pretty cute - prime candidates for a bit of harmless flirting.

She trotted over cheerfully, a wide smile plastered across her face as she greeted them. "Why hello there! What brings two handsome men like you to a place like this?"

For a moment, Rasler thought he saw, through the crowd, someone he recognized from his earlier network conversation with the General (her contact, possibly?), but he'd scarcely taken a step in the man's direction before the dark-haired woman stopped him. To be perfectly honest, he wasn't in any mood for casual conversation at the moment, but he stifled his annoyance before it had a chance to surface. There was still neither call nor excuse for rudeness.

"A meeting of some urgency," he explained, politely but succinctly. A second later, though, as an afterthought, he added, "Do you by chance know a General Chere?"

Ah, so they were the ones from before! Well, wasn't this just perfect? He just had to wait for the rat and the brat to arrive and then they could move on. Until then he could see how much he could toy with these people. They looked like they might be fun pawns, and one couldn't have too many pawns, especially in an unfamiliar place.

"General Chere, you said?" Kefka asked, casually walking up to them, "I'm waiting on her too." He grinned widely. "Kefka, general and court mage of the Gestahlian Empire."

Handsome, was it? There was no reason that one such as he could deserve such a term. Mayhaps his brother would better fit under that term, but not him. His honor was too stained for such a thing. Naturally, he knew better than to actually admit to that in such present company, choosing instead to largely ignore the question at hand.

"It is as my lord says. We seek General Chere."

This... court mage, though - something about him just didn't set well, for some reason and not simply because he claimed to belong to an Empire as well. For now, he'd simply give him the benefit of the doubt and keep a watchful eye on him.

Though Vala had already moved ahead, Locke had stopped for a moment to look around and get a better idea of just what kind of area this was. Or rather, the kind of people that came here - and so far, he saw nothing out of the ordinary for this kind of place. He turned to Vala to make a comment about this, and only just then noticed that she wasn't there anymore.

Must've already gone on without him, he thought. No biggie. He looked around for her, found her a moment later - and then saw a certain someone else nearby that made his whole body tingle with hatred and dread.

He couldn't help himself. "You scum, what are you doing here?!" he suddenly cried out at the very sight of the green-garbed figure that he'd grown to hate over the past year or so. His hand automatically reached down for his knife, though that would have helped little if Kefka were here for a fight...

Vala wasn't completely surprised that they were military... or at least had something to do with a military person. The young man and his companion both had an air of nobility around them. Or at least they had that polite chivalry usually common to nobility.

"I'm afraid that I have not met her thus far," she informed them, making an effort to sound more polite and formal. "But as a representative of Earth's Stargate Command, I would be most interested in meeting other military personnel stranded here, to share intelligence on the unusual workings of this city and the mysterious circumstances surrounding all who have been brought here against their will."

She hadn't been paying much attention to the new person who had joined them, except to note that he had some awful fashion taste and the same basic goal as the other two. Maybe he WAS a general, but if that was the uniform, his army deserved to be shot.

He became far more interesting when Locke took notice of him, however. The reaction was surprising, considering her companion's usual easygoing nature. Whoever this Kefka was, he was obviously NOT a friend of Locke's! "I take it you know each other?" she said slowly, wondering exactly how much of a problem this was going to be.

Rasler acknowledged both Vala and Kefka with a brief nod of his head, although regarding the latter a hint more oddly for his... eccentric appearance. Set within the context of him being a mage, the flamboyant style made slightly more sense, but only slightly. "Prince Rasler of Nabradia," he introduced himself simply. "With me is Captain Ronsenburg of Dalmasca."

Vala's sudden change in manner surprised him a bit, but her train of thought was very nearly the same as his own. He was curious what exactly Earth's Stargate Command consisted of, but it wasn't immediately pertinent. "I agree, though as of yet I have little to share," he replied. "What do you mean by 'myst-'"

But his question was interrupted by Locke's enraged exclamation; it took him a second to realize whom it was directed at. Perhaps the man had come looking for a fight, but Rasler assumed that as a general, Kefka would have the restraint not to let it escalate to that, especially not in a crowded public area such as this.

Of course, he didn't know Kefka very well.

Oh my! Now who did we have here? The rest of his company was forgotten as Kefka's attention shifted to Locke. "Aww... If it isn't the little thief, another rat to scurry out from underneath the floorboards! Poor little Returner, all out of sorts... You'll never guess who we're waiting for!"

That was it... This was just too hilarious! Unable to contain himself, Kefka let out a short cackle. He couldn't wait until the thief laid eyes on the brat! Oh, the pain that would dance in his eyes, it would be spectacular! His hopes dashed, his fear rising, the poor little Returner at his mercy! Beautiful! Absolutely beautiful!

His grin turned deadly as he looked Locke directly in the eyes. "And guess who's not under any protection? Hee-hee... And guess what happens to pathetic little resistance members that dare oppose the Empire?" Kefka asked, his voice growing in intensity but decreasing in volume. He would enjoy being the thief's executioner.

Late was something Celes did not appreciate being. She expected of of her soldiers what she expected of herself in regards to punctuality. That she should be delayed in her arrival to the rendezvous had been somewhat distressing, considering the company she was expecting. Her walk had been brisk, boots clicking passionately over the ground as she raced against time, against the withered mind of her former teacher.

"I would assume you, my dear Court Mage," the general spoke coolly, intense blue eyes locked upon the back of Kefka's dirty-blonde head, "or have you forgotten that I sorely dislike guessing games?"

Her cloak billowed about her as she came to a halt a few steps away from the group, her gaze remaining locked upon the singlemost dangerous individual present within her mind. No chains were needed to control the beast, if one knew how to do so. That Celes had to reprimand her former teacher, her predecessor, no longer disturbed her. That Gestahl should keep him as a pet did.

To Setzer, late was not only acceptable it was sometimes actually preferable. After all, it made for a much more dramatic ending to arrive at the end of the first act. That way when the curtain closed for the scene change people would be left wondering who the dashing stranger was and which side of the action he belonged to. The scene he seemed to have walked into was not one of those. If this were a play, he'd have claimed it to have been badly written - his entrance and that of the lady General should have come a line or two sooner. But this wasn't a play and late in this case wasn't particularly appropriate. Which meant he just have to deal with what he had.

It was nice seeing another familiar face though. And with any luck another that recognized him.

"I must admit that I prefer my games of chance to be the sort that a man can walk away from with at least some sense of dignity, if a little lighter in the pocket." Or the just simply the kind that can be walked away from period, but he wasn't going to mention that just now.

If Kefka's actions were anything like what was generally considered acceptable behavior within the Empire he claimed to belong than Gabranth wanted absolutely none of it. This was, or seemed to be, insanity at its best. Or worst, should one choose to put it that way. Yet, there was still a chance that it was but one person who acted in such a way - while Dr. Cid had been mad, he had still only been one man.

But that still didn't keep his hand from moving towards his sword even as the newest set of arrivals appeared. It wouldn't hurt to be on the safe side in a situation like this - this 'Court Mage' seemed dangerous enough to warrant such.

The corner of Locke's mouth twitched. He stood there tense, wondering what Kefka was on about this time. He cast a quick glance at the others, wondering if they were friend or foe - he recognized none of them, at least not until he saw the silver-haired gambler arrive. He felt a little jolt of recognition and surprise upon seeing Setzer, as it had been so long since Locke had seen him - had seen any of his friends, for that matter. Too bad the situation wasn't a bit more favorable at the moment, though--

And there his thoughts slammed to a halt as he saw her.

"Celes?" he said, almost sputtering out her name. It had to have been her, he felt like he couldn't mistake her for anybody else...but the way she was acting around Kefka seemed a bit...odd, he supposed.

Vala maintained her smile, although she casually moved her hand to rest on her zat'nik'tel, in case Kefka decided to become a problem. She wasn't really expecting violence out in the open, but his comments to Locke had sounded like a threat, and she didn't take kindly to threats, especially when they involved people she liked.

"More happy reunions?" she commented as people continued to arrive on the scene. Locke appeared to know at least one of them. She wasn't sure what to make of his reaction, though. Celes could be friend or foe as far as Vala could tell. She seemed to be on good terms with Kefka, though, and that wasn't earning her points with Vala.

Interestingly, Kefka's taunts struck a rawer nerve in Rasler than in their intended target. From his perspective, barely a day had passed since his homeland had been utterly obliterated for daring to oppose a like Empire. Belatedly, he realized his persistent anger had at last crossed over into his expression, but he made no effort to mitigate it; his already overtaxed self-control was hard-pressed even to keep his hand off the hilt of his own sword.

That nearly everyone else present seemed at the ready for an armed standoff, on the other hand, still failed to register as much of a problem. At this point, he was as likely as anyone to join it.

The fortunate approach of the two newest additions only momentarily stole his attention from the others, although finally seeing the General whom he'd come here to meet in the first place was something of a relief. Now that she was here, perhaps they could stop hurling threats and get on with their original purpose. "General Chere," he said tersely in acknowledgment, with a brief nod in her direction; only after this did he appear to notice the white-haired man who'd accompanied her. "Is this the man you spoke of?" he added.

Damn. If only he had been given just a little more time he could've gotten rid of that thorn in his side once and for all. And now the other Returner was here as well. Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn it all!

But then the thief's look--oh, his look!--made it all worth it. The great General Chere didn't know anyone by the name of "Locke." She didn't have any clue who this little thief was. And the very thought of the trauma the fool was going to go through, the pain he was going to feel, how crushed he was going to be...!

He grinned wildly, deciding to feed the despair further. "You should be lucky that you're getting a break," Kefka mocked, "And that's General Celes, to you!"

Setzer would have commented on any number of things - the fact that he had no idea what the armored man had mentioned about 'the man Celes had spoken' of, the fact that he wouldn't exactly call it 'happy' reunion, the fact that he and Locke should get together to discuss things at some later point - if it hadn't been for one thing. The fact that Celes had, to all appearances disappeared, and without seeming to cast anything like a Vanish spell.

Which left them without her in the presence of Kefka. Not good. Not good at all.

Maybe the others could be persuaded into helping out if things ran astray, he thought as his hands moved to the pocket of the coat that held his cards. Why oh why had the world decided to land him in a situation where the odds were against him and he couldn't simply fly away?

She'd vanished? That was more than a little strange. He'd yet to hear of any who could vanish out of sight, not even with the powers of the gods on there side. Was she then gone for truth, gone back to whatever world she'd hailed from? Or was there something else at work here.

In either case though, he doubted all was well - the 'court mage' seemed to have at least one enemy amongst the people assembled already. And while it was hardly his place to fight anyone he knew not, it was his (or rather his brother's) duty to protect Rasler, so he let his hand fall to his sword, waiting to see what would happen next.

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Interim [Active, Open]

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