"Your brother was awarded an important status after our last mission four months ago. If you ask me, that's hardly a reason to kidnap him. There are more important individuals to kidnap if the idea was to stir up another accusation toward Meche."

Jazdia clicked her tongue, trying to sound as casual to complement her matter-of-fact way of speaking.

"Or maybe the answer lies in the simplest explanation. That Stritzel lusted after your brother. I have seen the woman herself approaching him during our last Banquet in Rascade. How he touched him and how she tried to embrace him. The eyes that hunger for intimate affection. The widespread rumor about her seemed to be consistent with that thought, apparently, not that it makes it less repulsive."

Well this just made less and less sense, and Cedar had a **LOT** of explaining to do, when they got him back.

Mr "Only wants to feed the birds" had MORE THAN ONE woman out here with eyes on him, and he DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING!? This business about "Important positions" didn't make any sense at all so they spaced it-- He was just their stupid older brother-- (who apparently could knock down a whole damn town-- ANOTHER thing he hadn't said a damn thing to them about! Oh, but he was GONNA! He was going to sing like one of those birds he feeds when they were through with him!) But really now, if this woman was that hot and heavy for him, all she needed to do was ask! They'd have arranged THAT meeting! Sure as shit, HE wasn't going to without some kind of nose-twisting, the way he acted!

... Maybe that's why she hired thugs?...

They looked at each other in confusion, then furrowed their brows. Wanting him was all fine and dandy, but zapping him in the middle of the night, then holding him hostage just because she wanted some fun was just uncalled for, and un-neighborly!

"Wait-- Lemme git dis straight---- She WAN' OUR BRUDDER... FER DAT!?"
"Lissen lady-- Ain't nuttin' wrong wit' want'n a lil fun-- But 'at lady think she kin just haul off, an STEAL OUR BRUDDER--"
"Instead just ASKIN' US-- We'd a helped a ladeh out!--"
Rose once more body-checked her sister, then cut her off.
"--SHE GOT 'NUDDER THANG COMMIN'! We gunna kick 'er ass!"

Rose glared at Lily a moment, asserting wordlessly that this was NOT the time to be making jokes about their brother's love life, or rather, "Complete Lack There Of", and was serious business.
"Asides-- What dis' Delvin' Fella get outta it nohow?" asked Rose, with her sister losing the battle to keep the cheeky commentary bottled in right behind.
"Dun tell us he da kind as likes tuh watch!"

Location: North of the crossroads, 6 km from Stritzel's Estate, Western Kindeance.

---

"Jonas Delving? The patriarch himself?" Veronica's brows rose high towards her hairline at Jazdia's words. Crossing her arms, one foot began to tap out a slow idle rhythm. "That could be a particularly troublesome x-factor to deal with." That might have been somewhat understating it; for surely, the head of the Delving family would be an exceptional mage and a master of his family's signature craft. She raised a single brow further at the mention of an "informant" but didn't comment on it. She had some idea what Jazdia might mean.

The two female "bears" spoke up now, clearly distraught over what they'd heard about Cedar, who it turned out was their brother, it seems. Their concerned words were met in answer by Jazdia, and Veronica had to withhold a grimace at the mention of Stritzel's twisted tastes. Of sure, intellectually, she had some comprehension of how Cedar and his sisters came about, but that sort of pairing was... unnatural. She realized that was probably a little rich coming from her, but the idea of bedroom "activities" in general raised her hackles, never mind with a bear. She didn't hold Cedar and his sister's origins against them, but... Ugh.

"I'm not sure if the idea that this is ultimately some petty act of obsessive fetish indulgence makes this situation better or worse." One hand rose to briefly pinch the bridge of her nose. "That Jonas Delving is involved, however, assures us that this is surely nothing as... 'benign' as you girls are perhaps imagining. Your brother is in very real danger, not a romantic misadventure."

"Haa, that would be very amusing if it's true." Jazdia let out an exasperated sigh before adding. "I think he is there for more important matters. Maybe to directly aid the rebels? Or To kill us perhaps?"

"I'm not sure if the idea that this is ultimately some petty act of obsessive fetish indulgence makes this situation better or worse." There comes Veronica, raising her hand to briefly pinch the bridge of her nose. "That Jonas Delving is involved, however, assures us that this is surely nothing as... 'benign' as you girls are perhaps imagining. Your brother is in very real danger, not a romantic misadventure."

Jazdia nodded and glanced at everyone present. "Indeed. His involvement makes this mission more complicated. I also personally believe it's not a mere coincidence. Either he expected us, or whatever they do now to Cedar is a very important matter it requires the mastermind himself to supervise it in person. The fact that he is the patriarch of a very influential clan also means we have to be proportional with our actions."

Location: North of the crossroads, 6 km from Stritzel's Estate, Western Kindeance.

---

Veronica nodded Jazdia's way, addressing the larger group. "Whatever the case, we should decide a plan of action now." She glanced at Rose and Lily. "I'm sure we'd all agree -at least in principle, the longer we wait, the more chance there is that something goes awry. Either Cedar perishes under his captors' nonexistent tender 'mercies', or perhaps the enemy becomes alerted to our approach or receives additional reinforcements."

Looking up at the sky, she frowned at the moon. "That's why, no matter what we decide, I believe we should attack before sunlight arrives. Not just for expediency, but because it is specifically advantageous to at least myself and Evan as far as maximizing our combat potential. We will have the advantage of the cover of darkness, which will eliminate much of the difficulty of crossing the open fields of our future battlefield unseen, and we will be far more likely to gain the element of surprise upon an exhausted shift that are yet to switch out for day guards."

One gloved hand rising to pinch her chin in thought, Veronica nodded to herself. "At our potential travel speed, we could cross the distance in an hour or so. I say we awaken three hours before dawn." She raised her other hand, counting off on her fingers. "One hour for travel. One hour to scope out the premises on arrival and hammer out any fine details of our plan. And one hour to conduct our assault. Hopefully, we don't need anywhere close to that much time, but being prepared never hurts. We could always make it four hours, if we need extra time to pick up camp and attend to other potentially extended preparations."

"Whatever the grace period we allow ourselves, best to keep as many of us in top shape as possible. Anyone that needs sleep should get as much as possible, with as few of our slumbers being interrupted for watch shifts as viable. For my own part, I can take all the night watch shifts. I don't need sleep," At that, she finally paused. She had other ideas whirling through her mind, but getting the basics of a timetable out of the way first should do. One thing at a time. "Any objections? Suggestions?"

When Jazdia counted how many people were on this team, someone interrupted. It was one of Antigone's subordinates, who for the entire duration of this meeting, seemed rather anxious to speak up.

"Can we get the guard duty as well? So we can stay here. You know, someone has to watch over your wagon or supplies."

His friend, Charles quickly added. "Don't get us wrong, we wanted to help, but I think our job's finished already after Miss Veronica reported our findings." the man tried to square his shoulder, though the vibration in his voice showed both anxiety and weariness.
"Besides, dealing with someone like Delving is a bad business and we want no part in it. Gotta say it now rather than feeling sorry later."



Jazdia paid the duo apprentices no heed when they spoke up about their concern. However, if one asked her, their reasoning was understandable enough.

But, she would rather let those who fancied themselves as the protector of the law do their judgment about their reluctance. With one hand holding the lantern, she studied the map, engrossing herself with remembering the important points Veronica mentioned.

"A question if you will, Veronica," she said without looking back at her. 'What is the closest distance your team managed to get to when spying on the compound?

---

Athena turned to look at Charles and Farris as Veronica was giving the report. They nodded at the parts where they encountered difficulty in completing their mission, as to confirm their failures. That was bothersome. But it did lead credence to Stritzel being very prepared for a confrontation. Under normal circumstances, being as close to Meche as she was, it could be argued she was protecting her place of residence. But there were too many red flags to ignore about how she went about with it. And then there was Delving. Athena knew of the King’s rocky relationship with that noble house. Especially since they had power within the navy, and their heir was the admiral. If Stritzel was working with Delving, and she was going to fortify her manor with barely any occupants, something was off.

“I don’t suppose you were able to actually count how many guards the manor had?” asked Athena.

“Eh, no, not really.” replied Charles, “With Lady Veronica unable to peak inside, and the walls getting in the way…”

“No, Veronica was able to infiltrate the manor," interrupted Farris, "How else did we know it was mostly empty? It was her scry attempt that failed. Besides, we were also spending a bit of time trying to get the geolocator operational.”

“Yeah, I suppose. We worked on the locator while Lady Veronica did her thing.” replied Charles, “At least we can confidently say that any guards the place does have hasn’t changed since we started scouting. They haven’t any reinforcements. You know, from outside the manor.”

“Yet”

Athena nodded, as her ears twitched towards the conversation between Jazdia and Veronica. Charles and Farris noticed, too, as the bear twins were also asking questions. Some planning had begun, and it was now best to focus their attention back to Veronica. After a bit of confirming the involvement of Jonas, and the motivations of Stritzel, a plan of action was starting.

“Under the cover of the night sounds ideal.” affirmed Solomon. For the entire debrief, he stood silently listening, “and though I might not appear the best suited for it, I can accompany Veronica throughout the night. She is right, everyone needs their sleep, and I do not wish for anyone to require Thernous insomnia pills. Speaking of, Erwin needs the sleep most of all.”

After Charles and Farris spoke up, Athena replied, “Really? As much as we want to avoid calling it, we need to lay siege to the mansion. We could use your help.”

“They do bring up a good point.” said Solomon, “We should not bring the carriage, it is too large and creates too much noise. Having someone keep watch over it is not a terrible idea. If we take the horses, it will be hard to move it. Our window is small if everyone is to sleep and be ready come before dawn. We don’t have any more time to reposition, nor do we have time to delay another day.”

“Fine then, I trust you guys enough to know what you’re doing.” said Athena.

"Ah, two birds with one stone. It would be that another old timer like myself would show up unannounced." he said with a bit of a chuckle before his demeanor changed a bit, and he looked far more serious, "the barrier is not much of a problem if we can get inside it. Same with the anti-scrying. The twins can sniff him out, the other objective with the traitors is to figure out why Patriarch of the Jonas family is here, find the foreign agents from Meche, and take as many of those with status prisoner for interrogation, after that we will see. If we can get as much information out of them as we can before continuing the plan, the more reasons and weapons we will have against those causing turmoil in Meche."

Thernous took a hand and rolled his shoulders back, as he smiled, "I will stay back unless needed, if one of the two mages comes I can hold one off for a while, but I have no intention in fighting again. I will gladly do the dirty work after, but age in humans is something fickle. Besides that, we have a well-versed team. Many of which use older styles and techniques, we are varied. For the most part, Lady Blackwater, do you have any areas of contention that might have a lesser travelled route into the area, somewhere say a small team of those with a bit of subversive motivation can move through? We have someone who is a partial aeromancer with us, and if she uses her abilities right, we can suppress a lot of noise from a group of individuals moving silently. Besides that, most of us have light footsteps, while here I've been listening, and most of our elvan complement is rather light on their feet, and you as well Lady Blackwater. But honestly... keeping it silent until we can get a good stronghold might be best. Give those whom are not light on their feet a moment to catch up, so that you can all find and secure the bear, and clean the house afterwords with traitors and those who work for traitors."

He was more or less thinking out loud at that moment with how things would go, his eyes were looking the direction of the house instead of at anyone, but he looked back at them. "Lady Blackwater, would there be any areas such as that, relatively small, likely going to be for servants, and material to be moved through. At this hour, there would only be a few in that area, in the morning there will be quite a bit more with the host arranged before us. I believe Delvings might expedite our plans, with him being there, night might be the better time to strike. If we wait too long, even in the wee hours of the morning it will be too dangerous as they prepare for morning rituals."

Location: North of the crossroads, 6 km from Stritzel's Estate, Western Kindeance.

---

As disappointed as she was to lose any amount of manpower right now, Veronica nodded in understanding with the Antigone members' concerns. She had honestly predicted something like this would be the case. The two had always felt almost like... a "loan" in a sense, even from the start. They were there to plant the geolocator, and since that failed -or rather, regardless that it had, their job was over. That they were willing to stick around to even guard the cart in the absence of the majority of the team was also perhaps them going above and beyond, and she would take what she could get. "I've no objections," she smiled without judgement.

At Solomon's support for the timing of their attack and offer to aid in the night watch, Veronica nodded gratefully.

At Lord Thernous's questions, Veronica paused, giving the matter some thought, her brow pinching lightly in consideration. "Getting close to the outer wall isn't really the issue, Lord Thernous, especially not under the cover of night," she finally replied. "It's what comes beyond that point that is concerning." She smiled. "You bring up an interesting proposition regardless. I had my own thoughts on how we should approach, and a two-pronged pincer attack seems ideal. If we could get a portion of our forces into the manor proper unseen, then we could attack from behind, as the second half of the team collapses upon them from outside simultaneously at a predetermined signal. Ideally, we should control the manor first, before the enemy has any chance to retreat into and use it as a last line of defense."

At the latter question, Veronica slowly shook her head with a frown. "Not to my knowledge, no. I scaled the wall entirely in my past infiltration. Not to mention, servant entrances are only useful if there's somewhere for them to reasonably be coming and going. Stritzel, however, has set up in nearabout the 'middle of nowhere', as they say. There would be no purpose to such amenities except to be security threats."

---

Perking up at Jazdia's question, her gaze turned to bore into the elf's still turned back. "When my team approached the compound, I chose to play it safe. Evan, though his firepower is laudable, conveyed that his experience in subterfuge is nonexistent. I elected to never bring him closer than the forested areas outside the outer wall. Similarly with the members of Antigone, so that they could set up the geolocator undisturbed." Rubbing her chin, she added, "For my own part, I infiltrated the manor personally. That's how I managed to confirm it was empty as well as identify the existence and location of a subterranean layer."

"I see." Jazdia finally turned and lowered the lantern. "If you say the anti-scrying barrier was similar to what Asevor employed in Fanghorn, then my theory says our power can work just fine inside the barrier itself. It's a curtain, a veil-type magic jammer. Have you determined how wide the area it covered?"

Veronica grimaced. It was an expression of familiar annoyance at facing an at least half-competent foe. "It stretches far, very far, all the way to the outer wall. If it's as easily dealt with as getting inside it... that would be incredibly fortunate. I hope your assessment is correct. Penetrating the outer walls is honestly the easiest part of this mission. If we can get that far and be unhindered past that point? This is sounding a lot less dicey than I was concerned it'd be." Not that she'd allow herself to feel relieved for even a moment until the job was done, of course. This was just the best-case scenario, mere wishful thinking until proven otherwise. Shinobi instincts screamed incessantly that it sounded too good to be true, habitual paranoia rattling in the back of her skull.

"If you say it's easy, then the security has to be very minimal there if not nonexistent. Why would they concentrate their security in the inner wall? Lack of manpower? I believe that's the only sensible explanation."

Veronica slowly nodded at that, resisting the impulse to worry at her lower lip with her fangs. "That does sound sensible... Though, I cannot confidently give exact numbers, as there was no reasonable opportunity to check the basement level for reserves."

It was the moment Jazdia finally showed an expression that indicated weariness. "I will withhold my input about how we infiltrate the compound until we get there. But here is my take on the timing. I agree that resting is important."

Jazdia flipped open her pocket watch and announced. "It's 8:45 now. If we sleep now, we will have enough rest to assault the compound at 4 in the morning. That will be my suggestion for this entire planning. Also, I want to make it clear that if the old intel about Stritzel provided supply assistance via underground tunnels is to be trusted, it means once we go loud, there is a chance that she might escape with Cedar through the tunnel. Or use the time between the first attack and our incursion to barricade herself with our poor bear. What's my plan to counter this will wait until I get a closer look at the facility."

Veronica nodded firmly, a grim but determined expression crossing her lips. "They won't escape, not with Cedar. My Sight will hunt them to the ends of the earth before they do." Her lip curled up into the beginnings of a repressed snarl, before smoothing out into placidity, one hand instead clenching. "As long as they leave the safety of their precious, warded lair, there's nowhere Stritzel can hide."

Sucking in a slow, quiet breath through her nose, she steadied and blew out the embers of her temper. Tilting her head, she recalled what Jazdia's wonderful eyes were capable of and chuckled mirthfully. "I suppose I'll leave handling the escape tunnels to your all-seeing gaze," she teased with a small grin, eyes crinkling. "And if you miss? I can always clean up after," she added cheekily, nodding to herself. "Hah... 4 in the morning then. Sounds good to me."

Evan knew enough about the time notation that 8:45 PM for him was... an incredibly early time to be sleeping. Usually he slept at around 3 to 4 AM to avoid sunlight, but at least he'd had a week to readjust.

He took his coonskin cap off to reveal his self-barbed unkempt hair, his scarf to reveal the rest of his face, lowered his long coat down to his elbows, and opened his cassock halfway down the chest area. Veronica, Charles and Farris would be aware of this 'ritual' Evan did in most nights and would have even jokingly referred to it as 'snake-like'.
Evan's body and clothes suddenly turned white as snow, then his hand reached for his neck and started pulling out a thin layer of elastic ice that enveloped his entire being.
One could deduce this was how he stayed clean without access to water.

All the while, there was a question lingering in Evan's mind. This trip so far had been a banquet of new experiences, most of them frankly an affront to his peaceful, scheduled life; but there's soon to be one new experience that only made him sad when he thought of it.
"What is it like to kill another person?" Evan asked within earshot of most in the camp. If asked if he has or hasn't killed a person before, he would shake his head.

Three seconds to take all of it off. It lumped into an icy ball hovering beside his hand, then vanished into nothing but a few specks of dust.
He then replaced the icy membrane that surrounded his being, a near-invisible armor that could deflect the claws of wolves. He fixed his clothes, then picked up his coonskin cap and scarf, and did the same process on a smaller scale.

Jazdia's blue eyes darted at the pale man with a coonskin cap. Another eccentric fellow asked an unusual question. Not sure if he was serious or not, or if it was a philosophical question or a literal one.

But it somehow made Jazdia remember her training as a Varenheim Sentinel. Where she was conditioned to be as remorseless as possible when taking lives, betraying all the teachings and instinctual life-preservation that had been hard-wired into her species' very being since their time of inception.

Ah, how nostalgic.

"It's awful," she said. "It's like being torn apart and judged. No matter how you justify it, your mind will keep telling you there should be another way. It will be an endless battle between your conscience and your logic. Do not walk down that path if you are not ready."

Varya Chandrar

Varya was impressed that Veronica said that they needed no sleep, that is a power as useful as it is dangerous. His earthing spell significantly reduced the amount of sleep he needed, useful for long night watches, but to go without sleep entirely was something beyond his comprehension. He struggled to maintain his sanity during such times, what strain on the psyche would one have staying awake 24 hours? He shuddered to think about it and decided it was not something worth pondering for long. Either way, it spoke volumes of Veronica's potential for magic manipulation and stamina.

As the conversation carried one, Varya asked a question to everyone who could hear, not knowing who to address in particular. "Who is this Jonas Delving and what does he look like? Considering we are to capture him alive, I don't want to kill him by accident."

Evan then shed some of his clothing and turned white, enveloping himself in ice and shedding it like a cocoon, revealing a sparkling veil that made him look like a glittering butterfly. It was beautiful and mesmerizing. He then spoke, barely audible. "What is it like to kill another person?" What an odd question to ask, and so out of the blue. Still, this man of white had fascinated Varya, and he found it only proper to answer his question. Varya spoke in a monotone voice. "That depends. I take great joy in killing evil and wicked people, I feel like I've made the world a better place. I don't like killing people who aren't evil or who have not wronged me. It's such a needless waste of life, and I feel great sadness within me when I witness such deaths."

Varya was liking that plans were starting to coalesce, though nothing would be finalized until they got the lay of the land which they were to attack. Varya was eager to prove himself on the battlefield, and to see what everyone else could do as well when swords were drawn and fell deeds were to be done.

"Paps taugh' us not tuh kills peoples-- Purdy much." Ventured Lily; her eyes engrossed and her ears forward watching Evan performing his "nightly ritual."
"Only ifn' 'ere aint no odder way-- er fer insuff'rble assholes as wont learn." chimed Rose, her gaze fixing in the same location half a second after her sister.
"Same thang-- realleh.."
"Mmm..Hmm.."

The two just stared, ears forward, -- very attentive.

('dya thank he gunna take i' all off?')
('Onleh one way tuh fin' out---')
(chuckle)

She'd be damned, it's Veronica! Edgy there was a good team member to have, considering the past experience. Yvonne certainly knew some companies that'll offer a fortune for such a perfect scout, not to mention how good a fighter the black-clad woman was. Yvonne waved back as the group gather, explaining the condition of the fortified mansion. It's a rather sizeable compound, so either they'll be up against a small army or the security was more porous than a leaky sieve. Considering that Edgy there managed to scout all the way through the inner wall, it's probably the latter.

Sparky will make short work of those people. But that's not the biggest problem they had...

"We probably should be prepared for another mage fight, yeah? Whoever set up that scrying barrier probably have relation to Asevor, unless such things are commonly traded between wizards." She shrugged, not really in the know about arcane matter. She knew enough to work with friendly ones, and how to best kill hostile ones. Anything else wasn't important.

"Killing people? Ain't got any special feeling to it. Do the deed and move on. But getting to that point is either exciting or excruciating with little inbetween." A proper fight with one's life on the line was exciting, but on the other hand there'll be skirmishes and/or assaulting entrenched position where it was plain miserable the entire time. Yvonne didn't kill for fun, it's a bit of the other way around - what she finds fun tend to ends up with people dying. Small distinction, but an important one.

Louise went to her Lord to give him his portion, nursed her old lord and smiled at him. Lord Thernous took the portion and nodded, "go to Erwin, and feed him as well." he said before looking back at the conversation. Despite doing the stuff, she was still listening the briefing.

Afterward. She then retreated to Erwin along with a small pot size portion to be shared together while listening the briefing. Erwin looked over at the woman and smiled a bit, he slowly just sat down and looked at the bowl, "how did you heat that?" he asked as he looked around for a fire, he held the reigns of his horse as he smiled to him. He rested his hand against the leather as he just smiled at her. "No matter... it's already made, I assume some form of pottage?"

"It's a stew with a thick flavorful sauce. Sorted the ingredients and made it for a larger group. The bears helped me the trick with the heated stones.

Are you feeling well?" Louise replied.

"Just a tad bit tired, but that is good... but the smell is still something that can give us away my love." he whispered quietly pecking her lips, as he took the bowl. He relaxed and held a hand up towards her as he shook his head for a moment, "hopefully nothing can smell us that far away, they would need a bloodhound, or something like those bears to do so."

"Don't worry darling. Sylphy and I handled it. The smell wouldn't spread outside our camp." She replied and winked at him followed up with a scoop of stew into her mouth.

"That's good love..." he said as he smiled at her and he just watched her eat, not really understanding what she meant by that, or who Sylphy was, he assumed someone else in the group. The two continue listening the briefing together.

---

So that was that, the plan to head out in the morning was finalized. Four hours past midnight, well before dawn, but would still give everyone time to sleep and rest. Some needed it most Solomon observed. Erwin was the first for obvious reasons. Jazdia also looked like she could use the rest. He wasn’t sure about the scouting party, but if they had been up all day, then rest was warranted for them as well. However, something about the pale man looked as though he would be fine for several hours more, not that is mattered. He should still sleep if he was going to join the party instead of staying back with the two Antigone men.

The pale man posed a question, and one by one people started answering it. For some, the question might have been the first time people reflected on what it was they were tasked to do. For other’s it wasn’t a pleasant conversation. But it did open the eyes of many on what killing truly meant to them.

“Death is inevitable.” said Solomon, “Those who die early are usually those who put themselves into that risk. One does not go out into the world, wage war, or even give life without even a twinge of knowing that their might soon end. So what it’s like to kill a person, it can be heart wrenching. Nothing is safe despite everything you do. It can also be a relief. The raw emotion cannot truly be felt until you find yourself with the choice to kill. To me, death is a stepping stone. If I am the one to nudge anyone onto that stone, so be it. I don’t plan for it to truly end.”

Solomon bowed his head to the pale man before he walked away to another spot in the camp where he intended to help keep watch. The details of the invasion would be finalized en route by the sounds of it. It would take an hour to travel to the mansion, so there would be plenty of time. Right now, it would be best to get everyone to sleep.

“I never really killed someone before.” said Athena. Her arm was wrapped around her spear, leaning against it with her hand under her chin. “I’ve been in plenty of battles, and I have seen people be killed. Yet, I’ve never been the one to do it. I don’t think I’d feel any different had I killed. I have wounded others and have not felt guilty about it. They have always come to attack me or those around me. No. I think that if I do to protect my allies and my kingdom, then there shouldn't be any guilt. My duty done."

Jazdia was quite surprised several people in this group bothered to answer the question with such earnest manners. She thought they would scoff or at the very least joke about it like hardened mercenaries would. The lack of callousness didn't bother her, but it was still an amusing sight to see.

Returning to Veronica to address her plan B, Jazdia made it very clear that she did not share her optimism. "If Stritzel managed to escape with that bear and hide inside the tunnels-- that God knows how extensive it may be, I would not involve myself in that pursuit. It's not about finding Stritzel, it's how to reach her that matters. It would take days, perhaps a full week. And if my calendar is correct, Fredricus would declare war tomorrow."

Jazdia strode toward the carriage to fetch her bedroll, letting words of war and declaration linger so everyone knew their priority. She was perfectly aware of how cold her sentence was, and It would probably hurt the twins. But if they choose to tag along, they should know that reality and sympathy don't always go hand in hand.

"Looking at the map, what Veronica and Thernous proposed seemed sound and I would plan it similarly. But my plan would focus more on speed. For that, I am willing to bet on the chance that even if Stritzel and Jonas are expecting us, our intention to rescue Cedar is something outside of their calculation.

And for that, they will see us as enforcers, hell-bent on arresting or taking them down on Fredricus's behalf. Such posturing would draw them out, giving off the illusion that retreating and hiding into the tunnel is no longer an option. They will need all hands on deck to destroy us, because if they let us live and control the manor, it would be a matter of time until more reinforcement arrives to overrun the compound and likely their underground complex as well. There is a reason why they need all of that effort to hide themselves, and if killing us means they could extend their subterfuge for months or more, they would take the bait."

After tossing her bedroll aside, Jazdia moved back to the map and pointed at the outer courtyard. "We will make this area our battlefield. when the battle raged, the second team would infiltrate from the side. Whether it will be from the west or the east, would depend on where the entrance to their basement is located, I will update the situation periodically.

Jazdia placed a bronze polished trinket on top of the map and eyed Veronica, Yvonne, and Solomon alternately. "Stritzel had seen my face, and assuming we agree on this plan, I will nominate myself in the group that initiates the chaos. The rest is up to you to discuss."

Lowered herself to pick her bedroll again, Jazdia then warned.

"Remember, the real countdown will begin soon. We might only have one chance, and if it fails, we move on with our schedule. Any question?"

Location: North of the crossroads, 6 km from Stritzel's Estate, Western Kindeance.

---

Veronica could admit to genuine surprise at the question Evan abruptly proposed to the group while performing his nightly rituals; there was a certain dissonace with how casually it was asked despite the content of it. Brows rising, Veronica eyed the group in turn, as several answered the strange question. Their opinions seemed to run the majority of stances, as much indifference present as disgust with even a bit of enjoyment in the mix.

Considering her own stance on that matter, something she had thought about at length in the past, Veronica's lips pursed tightly, but she slipped on a casual smile a moment later. "A strangely heavy question, but as you can see, the answer is quite subjective. Every person assigns their own meaning to the taking of life; it's nearly impossible to understand what it will be like until you do." Tilting her head, the pale woman crossed her arms. She considered holding back her own stance but finally shrugged her shoulders. "These days, I can't say killing bothers me. I could concoct situations in which I consider it distasteful, of course, but as a fundamental concept, you could say I see no difference between killing a human and killing a rat. If they are an obstacle or a target, that's just how it is. I'd be a poor assassin to allow myself to be burdened by guilt for doing my job."

Of course, she was aware this was far from a "normal" perspective on death, and she'd even tried to change her stance in the past. But it was futile. This was part of the curse of being a vampire; anyone that wasn't a vampire was, at best... a pet. That was the kind of emotional attachment she was limited to. A vampire instinctively considered anyone else prey and lesser, no matter how much they might be ignorant of the fact or try to lie to themselves otherwise. Of course, she could grow attached to people, care about them, love them... but that only went so far. For a human, a beloved pet was something you could cherish, that you would cry over, but rare is the pet you might truly equate equal value to as another human. You do not expect your pets to outlive you, and so your love is limited further, if only to lighten the burden you must carry once they are gone. You love and spoil them while they remain, but you cannot help but always remember somewhere that your time together is limited. The only way to go further... was to find someone to turn, to make one of your own, another vampire... and true family.

Veronica did not say any of that, however. It was enough to justify her callousness as that of extensive assassin training; that was something explainable, distasteful yet understandable. She doubted anyone would be enthused to realize the only one here she equated more emotional connection to than a beloved pet was Solomon, and only because his lack of blood meant her bloodthirst wasn't even subconsciously attracted to him. If anyone was aware of the reasoning behind her answer, regardless, she'd expect it to be Solomon, but she doubted it concerned him.

Shaking her mind from that track of thought, Veronica nodded at Yvonne's words. "Yes, in light of the unnerving similarities in the barrier over the complex, I am expecting at least one mage of significant skill to be present. If not Jonas Delving, then whoever was responsible for capturing Cedar in the first place."

Listening to Jadia's proposed adjustments, she did her best to simulate the proposed series of events in her mind, before slowly nodding. "So, what you're saying is for the the outside team to attack first instead, draw out Jonas and Stritzel into open combat and then have the seconf team infiltrate and close ranks behind them after they are already drawn out and there's no risk of them counter-flanking us?"

Glancing at the map as well, Veronica frowned. "Normally, I would advise against making a plan that counts on the enemy's emotions to succeed, but Jonas and Stritzel's reputations are such that they make an exception." She nodded again. "I wouldn't have suggested such a strategy myself, but I don't disagree with your assessment." She inclined her chin in acknowledgement of Jazdia nominating herself for the initiator assault team. "I have no particular objections; this plan will suffice. for my part, I shall naturally go with the infiltration team. I've done so before, and I can lead them directly to the basement entrance."

Reaching down, she scooped up her backpack and slid one strap over her left shoulder. Glancing to Solomon, she nodded. "Unless you have any objections, I'll be posting myself atop the hill over there," she said, pointing at the spot Jazdia had parked herself prior to wait for the recon team's arrival. "I'll periodically change positions throughout the night, I think, but I'll be sure to stay near enough to reach the campsite in moments if something untoward occurs."

Evan stared at them wide-eyed, absorbing their thoughts on the matter of killing, and he nodded at each one to give them thanks after they spoke. Most of them expressed indifference or even glee as long as the killing lined up with duty or the greater good, so it was Jazdia's answer that really stuck with him, who expressed a blanket guilt over taking life.
There was some merit to be had with the answer of the woman wearing a red brigandine, even though he felt like her answer raised his eyebrow. The thrill of being in a fight, he's felt it before.
Veronica and the tall cloaked man's answers... were odd. About as odd as their existences and non-beating hearts.

Even if he could find solace with the greater good, Evan believed he was not ready, either. Humans were not wild animals, they did not rely solely on primal instinct. They could be reasoned with, dissuaded from their causes...
He would avoid shedding blood when he could.

There was the thing about the plan again... Indeed, he had thought the safest way was to somehow flush them out of the place where they'd have the upper hand, but there didn't seem to be a way to achieve that. Fighting in their own turf seemed so risky too, but they couldn't be allowed to turtle up there like Veronica said.
If Jazdia's psychoanalysis was right, that they'd flush themselves out... then it would be a lot easier.

Regardless, only one position really suited Evan here.
He eyed the map and summoned atop his hand an ice replica of Jazdia's bronze polished trinket. It hovered towards the map and placed itself beside Jazdia's trinket, at the open courtyard.
As Veronica said, laudable firepower... nonexistent experience in subterfuge.

The ice trinket wasn't cold to the touch, and didn't threaten to melt itself over time either.

Varya Chandrar

Varya spoke up. "I wish to join the infiltration team. I know how to minimize my presence and move silently. Also, I think we should keep a close eye on the underground entrance for signs of reinforcments when the fighting starts, that way we know when to make our move."