Hero

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Nadeline sat at the bar, head in her hands. Her drink was right in front of her, finished, but she didn't feel any better than she did before. Arguably, she felt even worse. She let out a long sigh in time for the bartender to swoop in. He lightly tapped her head, grinning as she looked up."Lookin' worse for wear, love. Boyfriend troubles?" His voice was somewhat peppy but somehow comforting. "Don't you worry now, love, ol' Taru will take care of ye. Let me refill that glass of yours, then we'll talk."

She wanted to protest but found herself either too lazy or just not caring. She ruffled her hair in agitation, though she caught the slightest hint of a giggle. Not the normal kind either, the one that often mocked whoever received it. The blonde haired princess looked to her left and found the source. Sitting next to her was a rather handsome and rather shirtless man smirking lightly at her. He was not the one giggling though, that honor was to the woman sitting on his lap. Her shirt was so tight her breasts were practically begging to be freed of the shirt, and Nadeline would not have been surprised if they popped out. The woman would hop off of him in a moment. "Let me just powder my nose, I'll be right back, Kaleb." She spoke in a very sultry and sexy voice, lightly kissing him.

Kaleb would nod at her and watch her go, obviously enjoying the view. His brown eyes would linger on her for a moment, and would flicker onto Nadeline. He raised an eyebrow at her, at which point Nadeline would go back to looking at the bar. She heard the sound of the seat scraping against the floor though paid no mind to it--until she noticed that he had gotten right behind her, placing both hands on either side of her. Nadeline looked back at him, clearly disinterested and annoyed. "May I help you with something?" She asked curtly.

"I was just about to ask you the same thing, angel." His voice reminded her a lot of those playboys. "Why don't you show me a smile? That face of yours is too pretty to be so sad."

Was he hitting on her? Had he no shame? "Leave me alone." She snapped, turning back to the bar. He removed his hands and would place them under her seat, and he would spin her so that she was facing him. This little trick did not amuse her at all. "What do you want?" She asked, annoyed.

"Aw, don't be like that, all I want to do is make you smile." He told her, getting up close and personal. He reeked of cigars--how she hated that smell. "Don't be so cold, what's a guy to do when he sees some pretty thing like you so sad?"

"Don't bother. I'm engaged." He raised an eyebrow again, and without breaking eye contact he would lift up her left hand. He rubbed his thumb over her ring finger, insinuating the obvious. Did he think she was lying? "He hasn't gotten me a ring yet." She muttered.

Kaleb would smirk slightly, leaning in. She stared right at him, obviously annoyed, though she would let out a gasp of surprise as he would suddenly put both his hands on her bottom, effectively lifting her off her seat. "I kinda like that expression. Real cute." He told her.

"Do you mind!?" She smacked both his hands repeatedly. "Release me at once!"

"Wha? Bossy, ain'tcha? I bet you're a noble from Archadia, eh? Must be nice." He murmured, leaning in.

She couldn't believe the nerve of him, he was going to kiss her! He almost did too, if only because Nadeline was so shocked that he had the audacity to do such a thing when he was here with some other girl. Why in the world would anyone fall for these sorts of tricks? At this point, she had enough; a sharp slap to the face would halt Kaleb's advance, and a prompt shove would get him off of her. Some people let out a few quiet laughs, having been watching the situation. At that point Taru had returned with her drink, somewhat confused. She would grab the glass and dunk it over Kaleb's head, earning some hollers and cheers.

"What are you doing, you bitch?!" A voice screeched, and before Nadeline could react she was spun around and promptly smacked. It seemed that Kaleb's little tramp had returned, rather unpleased.

Nadeline's eyes were wide, but those blues would narrow dangerously. That was it. She had enough of everyone.

---

At Jaakuna's suggestion, Grant couldn't help but scoff a little. In Balfonheim the rowdiest pirates took up their place in the White Cap. While he was right in them being able to find information, no doubt there'd be lingering eyes. He was a man of class, the riffraff of the place just didn't mesh well with him. Of course, considering the circumstances he would oblige and follow, though for some reason as they got closer he was pretty sure he knew which was the bar. A whole lot of noise was coming from the place, the sound of glass breaking and chairs being thrown rather prominent. He wanted to say he was surprised, but really, he wasn't. Not even when a man came flying out the door and landed right in front of them.

Emiri let out a slight gasp. "Oh my...what is happening in there?"

Grant knelt down next to the man. "What is going on in there?"

"Bar fight, what else?" The man groaned, rubbing his head. "Although...it's usually a drunk guy that starts them. Blonde haired chick is sober, still. Damn it, why couldn't Kaleb just keep his hands to himself...?"

Grant rolled his eyes, though a thought occurred to him. Not that he would accuse her, but starting a bar fight seemed right up Savayna's alley. He gave Jaakuna a shrug. "Emiri, stay right here, alright?" He told her. The brunette would nod, eyeing the place rather cautiously as Grant would head in. Sure enough people were as rowdy as ever, though he did note that a group had huddled in the center. A few people were trying to get everyone to calm down, but to no avail. Grant shook his head and pushed through the crowd, eventually coming through to the center, but he would find quite the surprise there.

Namely said surprise being Nadeline fighting some brown haired man.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

There was no getting through to Wesley. Nadeline could sit there and argue her point and reiterate that what he did was wrong, but he wasn't budging and quite frankly neither was she. She threw her arms up in the air, and promptly marched out. More like stomped, really; the heels of her boots clacked loudly against the ground, threatening to break either the shoe or the ground beneath her. She didn't care where she went, all she knew was that she could not stand to even breathe the same air as Wesley right now. The princess marched right out of the hideout and didn't bother explaining herself or saying anything to anyone as she left. She wanted to hit something--someone. Without thinking, she would go to the White Cap Wench's Bar. She needed a damn drink.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Nadeline looked at Wesley incredulously. "I could care less about that woman." She stated. "What I DO care about is the fact that my fiance thinks it's alright to keep the truth from me!" And there it was, whatever little hold she had over her temper had cracked. She basically yelled at him, but the worst part was that she wasn't done. Not yet. "This is about you not trusting me, this is about the fact that despite agreeing to give up my entire life for you, you'd prefer to lie to me to protect some sort of honor that you have! THAT is what this is about! Why would I care about Levi?! At the very least SHE has never LIED to me!"

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

For just a moment, Nadeline let out a small gasp and stayed quiet. Unfortunately for Wesley, the silence would not linger, and the princess came back as angry as ever. "Do NOT turn this around on me." Nadeline warned him, her voice dangerous and wavering. "I would never keep a secret like that from anyone, especially not you. The entire concept of marriage relies around trust in one another, something you so CLEARLY lack. I trust you wholeheartedly but it would seem that the feeling isn't as mutual as I would have thought!"

---

"What is Balfonheim like?" Emiri asked curiously, making sure to stuff some flowers into her pockets so she wouldn't need to take the entire basket with her.

"It's actually been a very long time since I have been here." Grant confessed to her. "Though as a port, many ships come through here carrying merchants and supplies. Also a magnet for some pirates...nothing to worry about, though." He explained, lightly patting her head.

"I don't need protection." She declared, puffing out her cheeks. "I can handle myself!"

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

The princess couldn't believe what she was hearing. So keeping secrets was alright so long as it was a promise to someone? Didn't he understand that all secrets would bring is more deceit and trouble? She felt downright insulted at his justification. He may as well have lied to her face about the entire thing. "That's the thing about secrets, Wesley. They always find a way to come out no matter how hard one tries to hide it." She informed him. "Instead of hearing it from you I got to hear it from that--that woman. You kept Jaakuna's secret from me and he ended up leaving the group. You kept Emiri's secret from me and now she's lost all her memories. You don't understand, do you? The more you try to hide it--regardless of your intentions--it doesn't cover the fact that you basically kept the truth from me." She huffed, clearly agitated. "Of course none of this matters, does it? You'll continue to uphold your corrupted honor...you may as well lie to me!"

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Grant was somewhat surprised, albeit he felt guiltier now more than ever. Perhaps for some strange reason he wanted to be blamed for it. Still, he wasn't going to refuse it, and he did feel ever so slightly better. As Jaakuna concluded his response to Grant, he would leave him. The prince turned, following him from a distance and simply watched him. Emiri would look up as Jaakuna walked back into the dining room and she would visibly brighten up. Even then, she had eyes only for him. He was glad, and at the same time, his guilt crushed him even more. If he hadn't lost her in the desert, Jaakuna wouldn't be suffering right now, would he?

"Jaakuna." Emiri would say his name for no particular reason, and once she had said it she went back to lacing the flowers together. Once she had her rhythm she had picked up the pace. Grant admitted himself impressed as he watched her fingers carefully intertwine each stem with the other. She continued humming quietly, her concentration so intense you wouldn't think it would be on something so trivial as linking flowers together.

---

What was it with everyone suddenly keeping secrets? What was wrong with everyone? No, Nadeline didn't really care about anyone else. The fact was that her fiance had kept yet another secret from her, and she didn't like it, not one bit. Of course he didn't want her to find out from Levi, she didn't like being kept in the dark, especially if it was for someone so close to her! Nadeline was deathly silent as he spoke, having to resist every urge in her body not to outright start screaming at him. She was furious before, and now she finally got the chance to let it out. "Why in the world wouldn't you say anything?!" Nadeline exclaimed, clearly distressed. "Am I so unimportant I don't deserve to know? This...this is serious, Wesley!" She threw her arms in the air, exasperated. "It's like no one understands the consequences of keeping these secrets! Now Emiri's wandering around gods know where without so much as a shred of identity! How many other secrets do you plan on keeping from me?"

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

"That's the question, isn't it?" Grant replied with a shake of the head, taking back the paper and tucking it into one of the pockets he had inside his coat. "The obvious answer is that all the names crossed off are...deceased. Though Lord Andre is alive, I daresay that his condition may not be the best. Vlyn may not have wanted to say anything...even if she is slowly regaining her memories, now may not be the best time to break it to her." He let out a long sigh, ruffling his hair. "There was also something else I wanted to discuss in private. I'd rather get it out in the open, if you don't mind." Grant looked Jaakuna right in the eye. "No doubt everyone else will think so, but...you blame me for what happened to her, don't you?"

Meanwhile Emiri hummed quietly to herself, lacing together the flowers. At the point she was in, a thin line of flowers had been put together, though it could hardly be called a wreath. She worked on one section at a time, concentrating intently. If she could get her memory back, she knew Jaakuna would smile again. A real one, not like those fake ones he's given. That was her goal.

---

Another enemy, was it? Nadeline couldn't help but cluck her tongue at that. Her temper had simmered down somewhat, but she had to admit that she was not happy at all at the moment. She forced herself to stay silent and remain out of the conversation, or else she was more than sure that she may just explode in someone's face without really meaning too. Her hand tousled her locks for a moment, showing her annoyance. No, she just couldn't hold it in anymore. "Now that we're here and relatively safe, I want to know something." Nadeline rather loudly announced, looking at Wesley. "Were you aware of Emiri's 'problem' that Levi mentioned?"

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

As they would sit, Jaakuna seemed like he had something to say. Emiri would place the basket on the table and begin picking out a few of the flowers. As she did, she would notice a letter inside. She would dig it out, noticing it was addressed to Grant. She put it to the side, deciding that she would let Jaakuna speak. She didn't really understand what he was saying but she didn't want to be rude by not paying attention. Still, it was difficult not to get disinterested, and so she would start on the wreath as instructed by Karolina, looking up every so often. Grant on the other hand was very interested in what Jaakuna had to say. He hadn't heard of anything like that, though he was slightly disappointed when he revealed that he hadn't completed it. Then again, Jaakuna was bound very much so to his emotions, so it should be no surprise.

"Thank you for informing us. I just wish we could have had some kind of warning...you up and left without saying anything--nearly gave her a panic attack." Grant would tell Jaakuna, looking at Emiri. It was then that he noticed the letter with his name on it. "Emiri, what is this?"

"I don't know." She replied, focusing on the flowers. "It was in the basket."

The prince took the letter, raising an eyebrow. This was Vlyn's writing, as always. They had just seen one another, why didn't he just tell him anything? He shook his head as he opened it, and as he started to pull it out, the first line immediately caught his attention: Rozarrian Army Branch Anther Casualties. He nearly stuffed the letter back inside, but much like Jaakuna had told his reason for doing what he needed to do, this was something Grant needed to find out. He looked first at Emiri, who had managed to link together a few flowers; no doubt she would finish momentarily. He then looked at Jaakuna, and without realizing that he had taken in a deep breath, he pulled it out. This was just one of many, and more importantly, contained the names of those who had perished in Anther.

Idine, Darryl
Ikki, Joesph
Iniabi, Andre - incapacitated
Iniabi, Justine
Inirio, Cole

He didn't like how Justine's name was crossed out. If this was the list, it meant that she was dead. Lord Andre seemed to be alive, albeit badly injured. He would fold the paper and put it back in the envelope. Emiri hadn't even bothered looking at him, she was concentrating so hard on making the wreath. Grant exhaled slightly, looking at Jaakuna. "Mind if I ask you something?" He would say outloud, though he would gesture towards the hallway and shake his head at Emiri, signaling that he didn't want her to hear what he was about to tell him. He would stand and walk out, and once Jaakuna hopefully followed, he would hand him the envelope. "This is just a part of a list I had gone to investigate when we split up in Stigma." He would tell him quietly.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Grant would nod in agreement to Jaakuna's reply to his question. He thought it would just be best if they all stuck together, things had a tendency to go well whenever they stuck together. When they were separated, well...he would rather not think about that, really. As he would stand, Jaakuna would let Emiri know that she could stay here in Stigma with Karolina. That much managed to surprise him; he was so sure he would never want to let her out of his sight. While he wanted to ask Jaakuna what his reasoning was, he remained quiet for now. Perhaps it would be for the best, at the very least she was safe here.

The brunette seemed slightly confused at Jaakuna's question. "Stay here? But..." She frowned at Jaakuna.

"Now, now, absence makes the heart grow fonder, but I do think she will be terribly lonely without you." Karolina speak as she stood up, getting to her feet. "She may be home but it will be as if she were surrounded by strangers." She told Jaakuna, having been informed of her memory loss. "Vlyn, do you have the...?" The viera perked up and would jump out of his seat, reaching behind Reia's desk and pulling out a small basket. It was filled with blue, violet and pink flowers--forget-me-nots, to be exact. "Listen here, Emiri my sweet, make yourself a wreath--you have to do this yourself, alright? Make yourself a wreath of these, sprinkle some of the Dream Powder, and I promise that the recovery process will be much quicker." She would instruct her as Vlyn would hand Emiri the basket.

"That settles that, then." Grant grinned at Jaakuna as Emiri examined the basket curiously. "Let's get going, then."

---

A cold chill ran up Nadeline's spine as the boom was heard. What in the world was that? Just as Nadeline considered inquiring about it, a sort of darkness began to cover the room. She actually found herself more curious than frightened, and Wesley ended up grabbing her hand. Good thing he did, too, as another few seconds and she may have gotten caught in it. Pushing herself to keep up with Wesley, she would look back and notice the hue to it. There was something very sinister about this, but she didn't know what it was. Withdrawing her rapier with her free hand, she pointed it behind her as it glowed. "Holy!" She called, shooting off her spell. The brilliant light seemed to have pierced through it for about a few seconds before the darkness would eclipse it.

Nadeline would sheath her blade and run faster at this point.

---

What Roman wanted to do was slam his face onto his desk. What he did was simply shake his head very, very slowly. No good deed goes unpunished, it would seem. "Grandfather, I would ask that you continue with the new judges. As for the Pharos a team will be sent out to investigate...though no doubt by the time they're dispatched there may just not be anything to investigate." He would note rather dryly, raising an eyebrow. "What is happening to Ivalice, Grandfather? Truly she is in turmoil...is it her destiny to fall into darkness?"

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

To nearly everyone's surprise, Lorenzo would actually raise his hand in response to Jaakuna's question. "You may or may not remember, but a time ago our eldest brother murdered our father. Despite two eye witness accounts we could not bring him to justice. After asking around the vine, I found Lola and had her investigate. She was the one that found proof...and because of her, Roland was persecuted and properly punished for his crimes."

Grant had no idea of any of this. So he owed his brother getting punished to Lola of all people? He had no idea how to feel about that. He looked at his sister, who would offer a shrug. "Last I heard you took a job to kidnap a girl. The pot cannot call the kettle black. No harm, no foul. Satisfied?" She asked Jaakuna, crossing her arms. Emiri raised her eyebrows, though she said nothing. Oh no. Grant thought, shooting a look at Reia. "More importantly I need to know who has the nerve to go ahead and blow up one of my cities. If you will excuse me, I need to endure another lecture from my Council accusing me of being too irresponsible for not being clairvoyant enough to have seen this coming.' She stated, standing up.

"I'll join you, see if I can alleviate some of that blame game they like to play." Lorenzo stated, hopping off her desk from where he had been sitting. "Ladies. Gents. Jaakuna--I bid thee farewell until next time." He winked at Jaakuna as he would follow Reia out. "Any further questions can be answered by Karolina and Vlyn. Take care." He would tell Jaakuna as he and Reia exited her office.

Grant let out a long sigh, looking at Jaakuna. "What do you want to do now? I'd like to think Wesley and the ladies have finished their business in Balfomheim...if you are ready we can meet up. Only if you want to."

---

Nadeline remained completely silent, her mind being elsewhere. Now that Wesley was done, they needed to get going back. She didn't want to admit it but she had to wonder if Jaakuna had come back or not. She certainly hoped so, and when she saw him she was going to hit him. She just couldn't believe everything that had happened. What was next? How could things get any worse, really? The princess was clearly unhappy and would remain tight lipped.

---

Of course all this had to happen while he was in office, right?

Roman wasn't happy. He hadn't been happy since he took the throne, but today he was really unhappy. The fact that he had waken up to such news didn't help any of course. All fingers were pointing at Archadia; rumor had it even Dalmasca wasn't diminishing the rumors. And of course, that also meant that everyone was blaming him. Fantastic. The normally nonchalant Roman was visibly annoyed. Not distraught, not angry, just plain annoyed. He was slightly surprised Vincent hadn't come down just to mock him, but the gods had an odd sense of humor, because instead his grandfather decided to show up.

"Quite honestly I am surprised that Reia hasn't come knocking at our door with a declaration of war already." He would admit, pushing the report away as if just seeing it pissed him off. "Levi's disappearance is...actually I am not that surprised she is nowhere to be found. I need new judges and I will be putting that into your department as Head Judge." He said, rubbing his temples. "The timing couldn't have been more perfect. I have to wonder who exactly is the mastermind behind all this."