Hero

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

The cluster of Elementals was pretty inconvenient. Last he recalled, they usually traveled on their own, indifferent to anything around them with the exception of spells. They could probably just walk right through them with little issue. Of course, that was too easy for Savayna, who declared them a threat and went running in. He missed Nadeline in that moment; she would have confirmed his thoughts, most likely. At the presence of Savayna's magicks, the Storm Elementals became crazed--much too late for him to stop anyone at that point.

Lorenzo watched Savayna's charge, a frown on his face. "Yeah...punching the equivalent of pure lightning doesn't seem like a smart idea," He said, scratching his cheek.

Now you want to be sensible?! The thought crossed Grant's mind as he unloaded several bullets onto the stray Storm Elemental off to the side with the intention of keeping them all grouped up. Holding his hand out, he would crush something in the air, a Darkja spell erupting from the ground. It didn't finish the job, but it did manage to hit them all. One elemental decided to give him its full attention, to which he beckoned towards it. As he charged a single bullet, it flew right through the elemental, the monster exploding, shooting lightning all around it. Grant felt himself get yanked back before a bolt had struck the very place he was just standing.

He looked back at Lorenzo, who was more focused on the group. "As they say, only in the worst weathers do the elementals come out to play," He said. "Use your distance to your advantage, they're pretty selfish so they'll try to take you out even as they're dying."

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Came Lorenzo's long, rather drawn out response. Grant watched as his older brother wailed helplessly, whisked away by the current without putting up a fight. He groaned out loud, shaking his head at Savayna. Did she really have to go that far? He let out a sigh, the glyph on his hand glowing as he summoned Zeromus. He pointed to Lorenzo, and his Esper would obey.

It was rather comical to watch Zeromus follow the river, only pausing to scoop up Lorenzo. The man clung to the claw that saved him as Zeromus floated back, putting Lorenzo down gently. He shivered madly, drenched from head to toe. "Grant would like me to say, 'We should at least try to get moving. I'd like to make it back before sunset'. That is all," Zeromus would voice Grant's thoughts, and as he finished, he would fade away.

"N-N-now I'm really c-c-cold..." Lorenzo whimpered.

Grant sighed once again, unbuckling his cloak. He swiftly bundled it onto Lorenzo, patting his older brother slightly. He looked up at the rain that showed no signs of stopping, though he resigned to it. He still had his longcoat, so he figured he could bear it better than Lorenzo could. Taking out a spare hair tie he had in his pocket, he would swiftly wrap his hair into a long, low braid. As Lorenzo would chuckle, he rolled his eyes, walking ahead.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Lorenzo scowled at Savayna--s scowl that would make Grant proud--as he refused to budge, shuffling awkwardly as Grant walked. Now that he really looked at Savayna, he did notice that she was certainly handling the colder temperature with relative ease. Ice Queen gets matching required secondary powers, huh. "Well us normal people prefer the beautiful sun and all it's warm glory! Besides, the cold is only good for snow but beyond that point, it's just mother nature telling us all to go die. That and the cold might make Grant even more sick!" He would inform her rather boldly.

For the first time, Grant was actually glad he couldn't talk, because Lorenzo was just plain wrong on practically everything he had just said. For a moment he wanted to tell Lorenzo off, but honestly, despite his idiocy, Lorenzo had his heart in the right place. He shook his head at him, though he would unclasp the cloak, letting Lorenzo get better coverage. Lorenzo rewarded him with a tight hug, grinning at him. Instead of rebuking him like he usually did, Grant simply smiled back.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Grant couldn't quite hide his grin, particularly loving her mischeviousness. His grin would fade as he realized Lorenzo would practically push himself under Grant's cloak. Grant scowled at Lorenzo as he whimpered, attempting to give his younger brother a pleading look. Unfortunately for Lorenzo, Grant had no sympathy for him.

"Oh come on! I'm freezing here! The rain is really cold!" Lorenzo whined, snuggling against a very unhappy Grant.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

How did he know it would be the more difficult of the two seasons? Either way, he would secure his cloak around him, daintily pulling his hood over his head. He tucked in his hair into the hood, making sure every single strand of hair was protected safely. He let out a sigh of relief as he would follow Savayna, though he noticed Lorenzo's snickering as they walked. "Want to protect that beautiful, lustrous hair? A little water never hurt anyone! Bring it!" He hollered, his arms in the air as he charged forward.

The dark haired prince rolled his eyes, simply watching Lorenzo as they would walk. The clouds hung overhead, though not a drop fell on them. Lorenzo grinned at the pair, as if saying that he was right. Grant simply pointed at the rather dark cloud ahead as they walked; the rain was visible from their position, and was the way to go to boot. The blonde haired man froze for a moment as Savayna and Grant would simply keep walking. "Sheesh, does it always rain that hard?" He asked, sneaking under part of Grant's cloak, much to his brother's annoyance.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

They were late.

Grant figured he should have gone straight to the gate, but knowing how Lorenzo was, instead he went straight to the garage. Now, despite his goofiness, Lorenzo was usually punctual. He was usually responsible (well, most of the time) and as a father made sure to set a good example for his daughter. Grant was usually the lazier one; while Lorenzo was often the first to rise and shine, Grant was usually the one getting dragged out of bed. So in a way, the two brothers balanced one another out, each one of their weaknesses covered by the other one's strengths.

Now, if only Grant could get Lorenzo out of that chair.

Despite his waving, knocking on tables, and everything short of grabbing Lorenzo by his collar, Grant's visual warnings were ignored. He would've resorted to just dragging him out, but Lorenzo wouldn't budge, insisting that he was nearly complete. Ever the perfectionist; though Grant kept looking up at the clock. One minute. Two minutes. Three minutes. They were late--and Savayna had little tolerance for being kept waiting.

"Keep your panties unbunched, I've done what I have to," Lorenzo told him as the unfinished collar would be placed on a soft scarf. He would gently wrap it, securing it in a backpack, and he would finally deem himself ready. The pair finally left, Grant pulling on Lorenzo the entire time, but even as he tried to rush, they ended up arriving five minutes late. "Ready to go, Savanna?" Lorenzo cheerfully greeted Savayna, ignoring Grant's annoyed look.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

"Sounds like a plan, I'll make it easier and just prebuild what I can here, that way I can just pop in the magicite, fine-tune, then Grant can grace us with his wangst and other depressing commentary that he so loves to give," Lorenzo agreed with Savayna's statement, outright ignoring her annoyed deposition. "Hopefully it's still Dry when we set out, but I know better than to hope for something good when the world insists on crapping all over your fun. So be ready for either or! I'm going to get started. As he finished talking, he would immediately begin to scrounge around the garage, pulling tools from different places and spare metal sheets whenever he could get his hands on them. Settling on an empty workstation, he would pin the blueprint in front of him, flexing the metal and occasionally giving it a glance.

Grant knew better than to disturb Lorenzo when he was in 'the zone'. He honestly wished he could help him, but he figured it was best to just leave it to him. Grant was pretty sure he was alright on his own supplies, considering he hadn't used too many of them on the Paramina Rift, but securing a cloak in case of the rains was a higher priority for him. Not that he would ever admit it, but he disliked the rain at that moment.

He would take his leave, heading to his room, though along the path he spotted a sulky Keiran. Was this truly how everyone else saw him? Grant would make a mental note to stop being so sullen as he would approach the man. Keiran looked at him, his expression dark at first, though he would cheer up considerably. Perhaps all this time, his smiles were fabricated. A pity, really. "Heading out, are we?" Keiran asked him, his hands in his pockets. "You look like you're in a hurry, so I figured as much."

Once he had a way to communicate, he would be sure to ask Keiran just how he was able to read him. The man grinned, thumb across his nose as he leaned back against the wall. "Yeah...I was thinking of disappearing for a while. Not that anyone here would miss me, but it's been fun chatting with you at least. I know I was annoying, but at least you listened." Disappearing? "Not that I'm gonna go off myself, but I'm sure the moment Mr. Ascended spots me, he's going to make sure he cleanses me properly. To tell you the truth...I don't really feel like dying. Not yet."

He wanted to think Keiran had turned over a new leaf, but there was something particular about his behavior. Keiran winked at him. "Don't give me that look! You'll see me again. I'll pop up when you least expect it," He said, patting Grant's shoulder as he would walk away.

Least expect it? What is he up to?Grant couldn't help but narrow his eyes, a piercing glare at the back of Keiran's head. There hasn't been any commotion, so Emiri must be fine. But...if he really is up to something, why would he tell me? Does he not think me a threat? Or is he just that confident?

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Lorenzo would wag his finger at Savayna as she would approach the vehicles, putting his hand on her shoulder and effectively stopping her in her tracks. "You know that Sonosis Magicite is super finicky, don't you? It'll also get quickly used the moment it hits the air. The Speartongues are usually at the entrance of the Caverns near Ozmone Plains, but if we park a magicite-using vehicle--literally every machine in here--the Sonosis Magicite will likely get absorbed into the engine. They're super fragile, if anything, I need to bring the materials with me to craft the device right then and there. Otherwise we'll just end up wasting our time."

Grant had never heard of such a thing, though he was vaguely aware that natural magicite was...delicate. He nodded in agreement. Lorenzo grinned. "It's not far, we can just walk!"

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Reia exhaled slowly as she would sit up properly. She had more to say, but the deed was done. There was the temptation to compare the two--gods, how Cassandra reminded her of her younger self--and she had so many other ideas she could have thrown in, but sufficient to say, getting a child on the verge of tears wasn't too much of an accomplishment. Reia braced herself for the backlash, but nothing came. The girl was quiet--a striking contrast to her usual self--and Isabelle would apologize in her stead. Soon after, the woman would admit that Cassandra had a difficult time after her father's death. She would go on to apologize and blame herself.

"We are not judged by the events that come to pass, instead we are judged by how we react to it. To which I can assure you that I failed spectacularly," Reia would confide in Isabelle. "Admittedly, there is some sympathy. I let my youngest brother nearly fall far more than he should have. I wonder, if I had been stronger, perhaps I could have handled it better. I was promoted to parent and neglected him, letting him drown in his own sorrow. He's better now, though it would be to his friends."

She stopped to laugh, her hand to her forehead. "To think that my own council's dismissal of me has reached this far...how the mighty have fallen. But before I can gracefully bow out of my position, I must lay the groundwork for my brother. He will not succeed me only to clean up my mess; I'll do that myself. In other words...we cannot change what has passed, instead we need to focus on what we can do now, and move forward. Dalmasca lost a piece of herself the day he died...but I meant it when I said Wesley will lead her to prosper. I truly do."

---

It wasn't that Lorenzo hadn't heard of the device, but last he heard, it was...less than fruitful. He examined the blueprint closely, his eyes flickering from there to his brother. So he really couldn't talk at all. It was somewhat sweet how Savayna had gone out of her way to get this for him. Of course, her brashness covered it up, but still, it was sweet. He looked at Grant, who seemed resigned to simply follow Savayna's lead. Lorenzo chuckled to himself, but he would nod, momentarily tucking the blueprint away in his pocket. "Sonosis...around here, the closest place would probably be the Zertinan Caverns," He said as he would try to think. "It's not technically a mine, but the many of the Speartongues that inhabit it can produce Sonosis Magicites through the magicks they use. So grab one, kill it, slice it open, and bam!"

Grant wrinkled his nose in disgust, the idea of having to slice open a monster one he wasn't the biggest fan of. Lorenzo laughed at him, slapping his back. "Come now! Your lady went through all this just to hear your nagging voice! Gotta put in the legwork! Tell you what, we can all go together! It'll be me getting to know my future baby sister!" He laughed.

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Why the hell did he have to get dragged into this? Grant scoffed, though he and Lorenzo both seemed to react the same way as Cassandra would finish her rant. Reia leaned back in her seat, a chuckle escaping her. Her blue eyes were narrowed rather dangerously, a shine that sparkled like a spider catching its prey in its web. Grant nervously let Savayna drag him away, knowing all too well what that look meant. Lorenzo almost protested Savayna's grip, if only in some feeble attempt to try to salvage whatever little respect the two countries had. But it was too late, oh, Reia was glad to know she didn't need to have her kiddie gloves on.

She rested her chin on the palm of her hand, eyeing Cassandra for a moment. "I have to say I'm disappointed. The grandma card? Really? As if I don't get enough of that elsewhere. But you went the safe way--until you decided to drag my family name into it. But I'll admit, I won't do the same out of respect for the rest of your family, as your father did great things while he was alive and your brother will take Dalmasca to prosperity, I'm sure. I'm going to focus on the little girl in front of me and the future I see, the little girl so desperate for attention that she would do whatever it takes to get some and keep it. 'Oh boohoo'! You're thinking, you can do whatever you want. You're young, you're beautiful! And then what? You'll marry some aristocrat at the suggestion of your council, a man who will have zero interest in you.

'So what'? It'll be fine for a few years, at least until you're ready to give him heirs. And you'll try, oh you will, but as the days pass you'll realize that you can't give him what he wants. At this point you're clearly the only one invested in the relationship, as you'll find the day you walk into your home to find him with another woman. Now let's see, you'll still have that craving for attention, so you'll tell everyone that you left him. But you know the truth. One after another, a string of failed marriages, and soon people start to see that clearly the common denominator is you. You'll fall from disgrace, a drunkard if you're lucky, though if the gods will it you'll get hooked on some very powerful drug, as the younger nobility tends to do. Your beautiful sister-in-law will try to reach out to you, only for you to steal her jewels to get yourself enough money for the next hit.

Unfortunately, you'll get caught. Your sentence is spared only due to your brother's kindness, though even he will turn his back on you. Everyone you know and love will look down upon you with pity. And one day, you'll look into the mirror and realize your mistakes. You'll see that faded beauty you desperately try to cling to, you'll assure yourself that you need no one else...but there's still that craving for attention. In the end, you'll be alone with a bottle, hanging from the ceiling. Or perhaps you'll overdose. Either way, you die alone, unwanted, unneeded." Reia faked a sad face to Cassandra.

Meanwhile, Lorenzo let himself get wordlessly dragged away. He wondered where they were going, but wasn't sure if he should ask. Wesley and Nadeline had driven him into an unappreciated trap, but he couldn't quite hold that annoyance against them. He only prayed that Cassandra wouldn't go declaring war or some other ridiculous form of petty revenge. Grant hadn't said a word--maybe he still wasn't feeling well. He did catch his brother's eye, giving him an apologetic smile. Looking at Savayna, Lorenzo decided he might as well ask. "Where we headed?" He asked. "Somewhere I can get a drink, hopefully?"

---

The pair sat in a comfortable silence, simply enjoying one another's company. Nadeline's wandering eyes were enjoying the view, occasionally stopping to glance at Wesley. He seemed much more at peace now; she was happy she could give him this much solace. He held her hand in his, and as much as she wanted to stay that way, she knew it wouldn't last. Eventually, they would probably have to return to quell the storm that was Cassandra, although she was sure things would turn out fine.

Letting out a sigh, she would slightly turn to Wesley, a smile on her face. "I suppose I haven't entirely been too truthful myself, if I am truly to bear your child," She admitted, though she would quickly move on, lest he get the wrong idea. "For now--until I know for sure--I'll continue on with everyone. It will be some time until I'll know, but if the case should prove true, then I'll listen to you and Father, and stay." The reluctance in her voice was clear.

---

Taking his hand in hers, Emiri wasn’t quite able to hide her anxiety. Shaking her head, she would instead throw herself onto him, hugging him tightly. The truth was that the trip was only half her worries--she wasn’t sure how or why she had suddenly changed so much in the matter of maybe a few hours. Everything was making her more worried than usual, but at the very least, they can set aside one problem. And if he really is there, then…

“I think I’d sleep better if you were with me,” Emiri admitted, looking up at him. She didn’t have to crane her neck anymore, which was nice. “Let’s go to another room.”