Prepare for the #LodanRespawn2024 Existing characters may choose to be displace from/have memories of different timelines, thereby allowing returning members the option to retcon their whole character. These changes are the result of the "Unnatural Fog" plot device that is running between now and the Respawn. The plot is simple: no matter where your character is, that place is shrouded in a thick fog that suspends time, but not thoughts or memories, so even if they're repeating the same day over and over again, they continue to remember, so each time feels like a new day. For those retconning OCs; this is where new versions of themselves have the opportunity to replace the old versions. Official lore and tree updates will be announced asap
Skye straitened his uniform top and knocked on the door of the Manor. He hadn't needed to come, personally, but after the events of the other day, he wanted to ensure Cait's safety. Even with her former training in blades, she'd still been a victim of some villainy. There was also the plus that he would get to spend more time with her as they walked to the barracks. The downside was that he had to deal with the Barron, who still hadn’t warmed up to him. Ever since the death of his wife, the man had been nothing but cold to him, and it had to be more than what had happened. Hadn’t he proved he was willing to do whatever was needed to protect Cait?
He sighed, straitened his top again, and waited to be received. Ready for whatever the old man had to say to him this time.
Post by Caitlin Cockfoster on Sept 18, 2014 2:11:05 GMT
The butler was the first to answer the door. He examined the officer and then stood aside to allow him in. "May I ask the nature of your business?" He prompted the man, shutting the door quietly behind him and leading the way to the receiving room. Maria, having heard the door arranged some tea on a tray and brought it in. After hearing the commander out as to his reason for calling on the estate, the butler replied "Very well," bowed, and exited to retrieve the master of the house. Maria, having listened to the commanders reply, hustled upstairs without being prompted to find the lady Caitlin and let her know she had a caller and should make herself presentable.
"Please, do have a seat, commander Skye," The baron addressed him when he entered the room. "Tea?" he offered perfunctory. Despite his manners, nothing he said was voiced with any warmth. If not for the intention to swing a blade in Caitlin's direction, he might have forgiven the man for his presence here. After all, he had brought her home alive after they'd received a letter threatening her death. None-the-less, out of the frying pan and into the fire would benefit noone. Spilling black blood from a baronesses veins would be a sorry favor indeed should his daughter fail to perform better than he at crossing blades. Perhaps he would go easy on her, since she was a lady. Perhaps, the baron was hoping.
Who was he kidding, her time was limited, it had been growing shorter and shorter for years now, since her twentieth birthday. If not for sir Cohen's untimely death she'd have been married off and the matter settled by now. The baron gave a silent sigh. Time was not of the essence, he needed to deal with this suitor buisness - again - before her antics or association with the law got her found out.
She sat her glass down next to the decanter and leaned back. This was nice... like falling into a vat of marshmallow fluff. Calm, muffled, the rest of the world blocked out by the closed door to his cabin, and here they were safe inside. Safe from reality, safe from their own complicated lives. Safe from duty. Safe from context. Just. Safe. --Caitlin
Skye sat, though he did not do so comfortably. He'd been hoping the Baron was out, but his hopes were dashed. "Tea would be fine," he said, even though he was not a tea drinker. He found the stuff a bit vile, to be honest, but he'd sip at it if it made the upper class man more comfortable.
The silence continued as the two of them pretended not to be even the slightest bit interested in the other. Finally, Skye couldn't take it anymore and spoke, just as Maria was bringing the tea tray. "Have you received any more threatening letters?" he asked, watching the maid set the tray down.
Post by Caitlin Cockfoster on Sept 18, 2014 3:23:43 GMT
The baron stiffened and looked at Maria after she placed the tray down, despite her bored facade, he assumed she was eating up every detail. "Do go and fetch my daughter, let her know there is a caller here to see her." Secretly he hoped she'd feign illness.
"Yes sir," the maid curtsied and left the room. Leaning forward in his chair he lifted a cup and saucer and took a sip before answering.
"No, and I hope none ever do come. How is the search going for this criminal? It unnerves me that he's out there, and Cailin is so difficult to keep indoors, pardon my honesty." he hadn't meant to say that last bit out loud. "I used to send her out with a handmaid you understand, but either she was bribing the girl, or slipping past her because it did little good. I released her from my employment of course." He was referring to Ikuze Storm but the joke was on him, since she was never his employee to begin with. She was Caitlin's and did as Caitlin asked her to do.
"I hope you do not intend to make this a habit commander, popping by unannounced and calling on my daughter? You do understand how this looks don't you? And she will be receiving suitors soon who may think it unorthodox for her to be running about unchaperoned with a man of your stature. You're no cousin of hers nor a young lad." He drank another sip, mulled it over then continued in what could almost be considered a polite threat. "Unless you wish to be perceived as competing for her hand I would suggest you find someone else for your sparring partner." With his opinions out on the table, the man lifted his cup once more and enjoyed a satisfying drink.
Upstairs Caitlin was in a flurry trying to get herself ready. She'd been up all night with her sticky finger friends and snuck in through her window at dawn. Now, she'd overslept and when the knock came at her door a second time she flung it wide and rushed Maria inside. "I could use some help," she said, handing the tiny hat with its three rows of birdcage lace and pearls to the cook. "Here are some pins, put this on me will you, oh and lace up the back?" Maria nodded and got straight to work sorting her out.
She sat her glass down next to the decanter and leaned back. This was nice... like falling into a vat of marshmallow fluff. Calm, muffled, the rest of the world blocked out by the closed door to his cabin, and here they were safe inside. Safe from reality, safe from their own complicated lives. Safe from duty. Safe from context. Just. Safe. --Caitlin
Skye watched the maid depart and turned his attention back to the Baron. He made no move for the tea that was sitting between them, not until the Baron had retrieved a cup and tasted it. He wouldn't be the first one to touch the blasted stuff. "The search for the criminal continues. He is a most cleaver adversary, but he underestimates us. That will be his downfall. I don't intend to let him hurt anyone again, least of all, your daughter."
Then it was back to silence again, more minutes ticked by, only this time it was the Baron who broke the silence, and his words stirred a flame inside of Skye. These upper class types had always been so smug, even to those only a class below them. It was inappropriate for Faolan to visit? Skye took a sip of his vile drink, if only to stem the anger that was building. The last time he'd felt this way he'd slugged that PR goon they'd stuck on him. It was his final statement that pushed him over the edge.
"Unless you wish to be perceived as competing for her hand I would suggest you find someone else for your sparring partner."
Skye didn't think, he just reacted, "Well then Baron, you leave me with little in the way of options here. With the choices you have laid out, the only thing I can do is to play your little game. So, sign me up. I won't lose her to some fop." he glared, on the verge of crushing the tea cup. His tone was less then polite, along with his glare, but he wasn't about to back down this time. Not unless it was Cait telling him. In the end he cared little about what the Baron thought.
Last Edit: Sept 18, 2014 4:40:33 GMT by Faolan Skye
Post by Caitlin Cockfoster on Sept 18, 2014 6:23:23 GMT
He hadn't even considered that. All this time he'd assumed the uptight (heh, looks who's calling who uptight) commander in his studded uniform was all caught up in the glory and honor of his civic duty. Now the baron saw the man in a new light, one that terrified him worse than before. Commander Skye had a personal, vested interest in his daughter, a strong enough vested interest to make a recklessly passionate statement about not losing her to some fop. Losing her, like he already had her? The baron slammed down his tea cup and jumped to his feet.
"I don't recall you asking permission to court my daughter, sir, do you mean to tell me you are already involved with her?" What was Caitlin up to? Did she think this was a game? Trading her life, her family for some sport with the Andersweltler hating man?
He waited for the commanders reply, barely keeping his calm, with exception to the outburst of slamming the tea. Caitlin was tip toeing down the stairs so she didn't rustle her dress or mess up her hair. Quietly she approached the door to the parlor and was about to knock when the sound of china slamming against the surface came through the muffled door. Caitlin pressed her ear against it and listened to her fathers angry question. Shocked she covered her mouth and her mind raced at what could have provoked that kind of direct question. Worse, what would Skye say in reply? She kept quiet in the hall so she could hear it.
She sat her glass down next to the decanter and leaned back. This was nice... like falling into a vat of marshmallow fluff. Calm, muffled, the rest of the world blocked out by the closed door to his cabin, and here they were safe inside. Safe from reality, safe from their own complicated lives. Safe from duty. Safe from context. Just. Safe. --Caitlin
Skye smiled, his statement may have come from a place of anger, but now he had an oportunity, and he realized the old man had just fallen into his own trap. Faolan may not have been the brightest student, and he may not have come from a highly estemed family, but he had his only kind of intelligence, the kind earned on a battlefield. "No, Sir, I am not, at the moment, involved with your daughter. Not in the way you think. I would like to. And given your very kind offer to toss my hat into the ring for her hand, I accept your permission now." he paused to take a sip of the tea, forcing himself to not cringe at the taste. He wanted to watch the Baron squirm. The man was caught in his own high class morals, he couldn't go back on his offer, even if he hadn't meant it as that.
"Let me add, however, that Caitlin is quite capable of finding her own match. I would rather win her heart than be given her hand by someone, and if she wants nothing to do with me, well, then you have nothing to worry about." he knew he wasn't going to win any points with the man, not with the look of horror the Baron had adopted, so best to be straitforward. If anything, Skye's involvement in this would keep Cait from running again. Too bad the Baron didn't see it that way.
Post by Caitlin Cockfoster on Sept 18, 2014 22:33:59 GMT
The butler spotted Miss Caitlin eavesdropping and gave a disapproving frown. Like when she was littler, Caitlin blushed guiltily and backed away from the door. The man always had a way of catching her breaking rules, some things never changed. The man approached the door and gave a graceful knock. The baron within deigned not to answer it until he got his last word in with Skye.
"Very well, I admire your sympathy for the girls heart, if nothing else, but I assure you; no matter what you do to try and win her over, she will not chose you, and neither would I." She couldn't chose him, not a man of the military, sworn to root out all Andersweltlers cloaked in prominent positions exactly like herself. But the baron worried, she may not be the most innocent young lady of the ton, but she was innocent of the malicious aspirations people would impose on her if they ever discovered she was an Andersweltler bound to inherit a title. She didn't ask for that, she had been just a baby, this was no scheme of hers and he never wanted to hear anyone insinuate otherwise.
"You may let her in now," He raised his voice to be heard through the door. A beat later it swung open soundlessly and miss Caitlin Cockfoster entered the room. She wore the decorative hat on her head and was dressed in an ornate bodice, sparkling with tiny glass beads sewn all over the front two panels. Her collar was square cut and dressed with lace, same as the sleeves. Her skirt was not quite full around, as the front panel was left open (generally for a complimentary colored skirt to show layered beneath). The top skirt was of a thick burgundy crushed velvet, but there was no underskirt, instead she wore tan riding breeches tucked into medium brown leather boots. She was overdressed for sparing, but the layers could come off once they reached their destination. After the rumors of her attempted murder and muddy return home circulated, she felt the need to be seen in public as a much more striking personage, and hoped the embarrassing other image would fade away from the gossip mongers tongue.
"Sorry to interrupt, I'm ready when you are," she said politely.
She sat her glass down next to the decanter and leaned back. This was nice... like falling into a vat of marshmallow fluff. Calm, muffled, the rest of the world blocked out by the closed door to his cabin, and here they were safe inside. Safe from reality, safe from their own complicated lives. Safe from duty. Safe from context. Just. Safe. --Caitlin
Skye stood and nodded to the Baron before the butler could open the door, "I am not the threat you think I am, Sir, you would do well to reconsider, for both your sakes." he straightened his uniform and turned to greet Cait as she entered. She looked rather stunning today, especially for a fencing session. Still, the Baron's words echoed in his head. She would not choose him, and neither would he. The man had to be wrong, Skye had gone too far, and now he was fully invested. From the moment he'd decided to save her life, he knew, and now he couldn't get her out of his head. What would he do if the Baron did manage to marry her off. Then there was also that boy, Levi. If only he could go back to be uninterested again, but it was much too late for that.
"You look lovely," he smiled widely and took her hand, kissing the back of it gently like a gentleman. He gave a glance in the Baron's direction as well. Let the man have his accessions as to who Skye really was. It was sickening the way these men of stature gave their daughters hands as if they were a simple possession to be bartered. "We should be going. Baron, thank you for the tea, it was lovely." he lied.
Post by Caitlin Cockfoster on Sept 18, 2014 23:41:42 GMT
Commander Skye, ever the gentleman, took her hand. He bent at the waist and placed a kiss on the back of it, but his eyes weren't on her, they were sifting to her father symbolically. This show wasn't staged for herself and it was a curious thing she was witnessing. A knot began to coil in her gut and her pulse quickened. This wreaked of a familiar stench, the smell of her fathers scheming to marry her off. The dream came back again, the same one she awoke from in the alleyway of the hovel. Should she tell them?
Perhaps but now was not the time, she could try convincing her father she didn't need to marry a greedy or a stupid man to protect their family, though she didn't know what alternative she could get away with either, just that she believed there was another way. "We should be going. Baron, thank you for the tea, it was lovely." Caitlin nodded all too happy to escape whatever conversation was taking place in this room moments earlier.
"Yes, of course, it is kind of you to escort me to our sparring exercises." She threw that in there to try and quail some of her fathers ill humor. Regardless of whether or not it helped, she quickly dragged Faolan to the door and rushed them outside through the gates. Once they were on the sidewalk she slowed her pace and became more contemplative. It was finally catching up to her that this man, this crusader who carried the weight of the whole city on his shoulders, just threw his hat in the pool for marriage. A marriage to her.
The moment they left, Baron Marquel signaled for the butler.
"I have a message I need delivered to the Morgan estate." The butler seemed astonished at the request but covered his surprise quickly. The house of Morgan was in ruins, their fortune squandered by the younger son, their reputations spoiled and the once good name tarnished. The Morgans had nothing to do with the barony these days. "Tell them I would welcome his lordship and his sons this evening for a bit of sport, brandy, and cigars." He would take advantage of their visit to size up the unmarried heirs to the broken estate, and see if either would make a good match for Caitlin.
She sat her glass down next to the decanter and leaned back. This was nice... like falling into a vat of marshmallow fluff. Calm, muffled, the rest of the world blocked out by the closed door to his cabin, and here they were safe inside. Safe from reality, safe from their own complicated lives. Safe from duty. Safe from context. Just. Safe. --Caitlin
Once they were clear of the estate, his shoulders slumped a bit, and he gave a look once over his shoulder, "I'm afraid I may have just done something...impulsive." he said as they walked, his hand finding hers as he slowed and turned to face her. He looked into her blue eyes and almost fell into them. It had been impulsive, but he didn't regret the decission at all. He did know that he couldn't start this with a lie or hide the fact of what he'd just done. Not from her. She should know.
"Your father all but told me I shouldn't come around anymore as it might be seen as inappropriate by your suitors. I may have disagreed by tossing my hat in the ring. I really couldn't stand the idea of him marrying you off to some upper crust fop. Probably wasn't the best way to go about it, but, well, what's done is done. I just wanted to let you know. I don't want you to think I'm trying to force anything. If you were going to choose me, or were even interested, I don't want it to be by winning some stupid contest."
He let out a deep breath. He'd said what needed to be said. At best she wouldn't storm away in disgust. He wasn't expecting her to kiss him for it or anything. At least she no knew what her father was up to.
Post by Caitlin Cockfoster on Sept 19, 2014 0:47:01 GMT
His hand was on hers again and they slowed to a stop, swinging in to face each other. The words that he said next hardly came as a surprise. Sure she was still shocked he would involve himself in this matchmaking circus, but the fact that the baron was orchestrating another circus was what she already suspected to be the case. Caitlin thought about all the times she and the commander had crossed paths. He had been there at her mothers death, he'd been there to witness the first time Will ever kissed her, and right after she'd spurned the commander too. Even still, he'd agreed to her proposal to free Rava in exchange for them spending time together, and he'd protected her when they were taken hostage after their glider date. He came when to her aid when she'd needed him in the hovel, even swallowing his uneasiness around the witch doctor for the chance that it might heal her. That same day he'd kissed her.
She took way too long to realize something. The commander cared about her, not just liked to be seen with her in public, or wanted to get on a noblemans good side (if anything that kind of thinking would have backfired). "Don't worry, no one forces me to do anything I don't want to," She smiled gently at him. "And I appreciate you standing up against the "fops" back there in the parlor, I've been meaning to have a talk with my father about them anyway..." She blinked, and realized that she'd been staring. He was watching her so intently that she couldn't help but to gaze back.
Caitlin forced herself to turn sideways and continue their walking. "So I s'pose this means we'll be spending time together on official dates from now on?" She asked conversationally.
She sat her glass down next to the decanter and leaned back. This was nice... like falling into a vat of marshmallow fluff. Calm, muffled, the rest of the world blocked out by the closed door to his cabin, and here they were safe inside. Safe from reality, safe from their own complicated lives. Safe from duty. Safe from context. Just. Safe. --Caitlin
Well, better results than expected. She actually seemed happy with the whole situation, and that caused him to relax, in turn. "I think I learned that about you a long time ago." he responsed about her not being forced to do anything. "But I couldn't let your father shut me out."
They continued to walk. Now that all of that was out in the open, he noticed how nice of a day it was. The sky was clear, the air was nice a crisp, and the birds were singing in their spots atop the lamp posts. It made him once again consider the impending threat. Alistair would be off on his mission shortly, but what would he find. Would the peace of Lodan be shattered again, and could the EIRAL afford to stem the tide on their own. He wasn't so sure anymore that they could stand against Sveden without help from the Anders.
"Official dates?" he gave a chuckle, "Nothing quite like a date with a blade then. Unless you want to try soaring over the trees again. No, I do have a surprise for you though."
Post by Caitlin Cockfoster on Sept 19, 2014 2:21:19 GMT
"A surprise, really?" Well that was unexpected. She grinned, shedding the shock at this mornings revelation. It had begun, her fathers hunt, his efforts renewed. She supposed the time had passed for mourning her late betrothed Sir. Cohen. He'd died in October of 1888, nearly a full year had come and gone, her own mothers death had eclipsed his. She held no love for the dead man, but she did pity him. Who would her father replace him with? Not Skye by the tone of his voice back in the parlor... but suddenly she wondered what it would be like if it was Skye. How would they move past the inevitable truth. Living that close to him, how many months before he noticed her blood ran black? what accident or tale tell sign would give her away? and would their nuptials and the emotions he carried for her now be strong enough to bind them together? Which honor would best him, the honor to his work or to his wife?
I think we should pass on the sailing for today, besides I'm curious now what surprise you have in store?"
She sat her glass down next to the decanter and leaned back. This was nice... like falling into a vat of marshmallow fluff. Calm, muffled, the rest of the world blocked out by the closed door to his cabin, and here they were safe inside. Safe from reality, safe from their own complicated lives. Safe from duty. Safe from context. Just. Safe. --Caitlin
He smiled that smile one gets when they are plotting something. Like a kid waiting on some prank to unfold. "Well it wouldn't be a surprise if I told you, now would it." It wasn't really much of a surprise, truth be told, just a twist on the traditional swordsmanship training she was used to. If anything, he was a man who tended to break from the expected path.
He could see the Barracks in the distance, but he had no need to rush. In fact, the longer they had together, the better. "So what ever happened to the blue haired girl you used to run around with. The one your father thought he was employing?" he grinned, revealing a truth he'd figured out a while back.
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