The feeling of being high up in the sky and the wonderful sight of Alola was almost enough to make Mina ignore the arms wrapped around her. Almost. Mina had never been one to deny things about herself, and she wasn't about to start now. Miss Anabel was attractive and Mina had always appreciated the feminine physique. Her lips pursed of their own accord as she thought about it, but she wasn't given enough time. They landed at Heahea City far too soon.
Mina hopped off quickly and surveyed the surrounding area. A few locals smiled and waved at her, and she gave her own lazy greeting back. "It seems qui-" Her attention quickly fell on Anabel, who seemed a bit off. She was by her side, a stabling hand held out should the officer need it. "Are you okay? Do you need to rest for a bit?"
She didn't know if they could rest. The city may be quiet and peaceful now, but there was still the threat of the Ultra Beasts. They could return at any moment, and she wasn't sure if she could fight them on her own.
The chamber is cold and damp, the careful steps of its inhabitants echoing against its stone brick walls. A low and rusty chandelier hangs above a sturdy mahogany table, bathing the yellowed map of Alona in a warm orange glow. Looming above the paper is a young woman, the hood of her robe pulled down - unlike her three other companions - to allow her features to shine. Any who even glances in her direction can easily determine who she is. In the safety of their chosen meeting room, hidden deep within the labyrinthian tunnels that run within the Stormholme Castle, Princess Naeva of Sagewick has no need to hide her identity.
"You are certain of their identities?" she asks as she looks up from the map, five different markers placed on specific locations.
The taller of her three companions nods and steps forward. He pulls off his hood and reveals the face of a middle-aged man, his face marred by scars gathered from years of service for the Sagewick military. He is Ser Tiborr, retired general of the Black Army. "Yes, Princess. We have already contacted those we have identified." He points a gloved finger towards the markers on the map as he enumerates the Listeners their Circle has uncovered. "Ser Melchior's identity as the Sagewick Listener has never been secret to us, and we have already informed them of your intentions. We have sent a message to them, and are certain they will arrive momentarily.
"Similarly, a message has also been sent to Miss Lila Suda," he pauses then and nods towards the other presence in the room. They step forward and remove the hood to reveal hair the colour of a roaring fire and a spark of youthful ferocity shining in their eyes. Ulrid, Wildeshore-born, is a trader that has made their mark in the halls of Stormholme Castle as both Ser Tiborr's trusted spy and Princess Naeva's childhood friend. "I shall be meeting with the Blade Dancer soon. I will inform the Circle of any developments." Without waiting for any more, they slink to the shadows and disappear, possibly to head to the meeting they'd mentioned.
Ser Tiborr nods, and continues to the three other markers left on the map. "Messages have been sent to the other three Listeners. The Knight of Shdowpine has proved difficult to contact, but we are certain that during the last incident at the Borderlands, our scouts were able to send the letter across. Whether she accepts and meets Pyrite at Veilroad at noon is to be determined," The fourth member of the Circle is absent, already stationed at the area where ze would meet with the Shdowpine Listener. Ser Tiborr continues on, "The Captain is as difficult to find as the Erihollow Listener, but luckily for us, ze was the one to contact us. It seems that the Captain has taken it upon Hirself to hunt down the Erihollow Listener and will contact us soon. As for the Woodwyn Listener," and at that, Ser Tiborr scowls, "Wish has uncovered his identity."
The figure that had been staying back for the entirety of the meeting takes this as her opportunity to give her input. In a fluorish, her hood is off to reveal light green hair and intricate runes covering every inch of her brown skin. "His name's Selwyn. Small fellow, but a damn good healer," Wish relates with a dark chuckle, "And we all know what Woodwyn does to its good healers. He's in there, somewhere. Been killing myself tryna comb him out, but it ain't easy." She doesn't wait for Ser Tiborr or Princess Naeva to speak. "Yeah, I know. Try harder. You got it." She trudges away with a playful role of her eyes, and soon the chamber falls back to silence.
"And for Mallowater and Havenborough?" Princess Naeva finds herself asking, to which Ser Tiborr answers with a shake of his head. Princess Naeva breathes a sigh, churning over the information she's been presented with. It's been two weeks since the first attack and the Leviathans have since been suspiciously quiet. There are reports of the gargantuan creatures looming and lurking in the south, but other than being intimidating, they have done nothing. In a way, Naeva is thankful. Their silence has allowed her and her Circle to seek out the Listeners, and that has certainly proved challenging. She only hopes that she's right with assembling these Listeners; after all, a somewhat prophetic dream is not much to go on.
The day is nearing noon as Ulrid waits in the docks of Old Haven, a bustling pier town located to the west of Stormholme Hold. Their journey to the town is short and swift, due to the close proximity, and they arrive well before any ship of importance has docked. The message to the Blade Dancer had been, like all the other messages, a call of urgency. Ulrid waits by the docks, sans the robe and dressed in Wildeshore finery, flanked from both sides by heavily armoured guards bearing the Sagewick insignia.
The Veilroad is set in the middle of a thick forest that sits in the Borderlands known for its beautiful scenery. The area is full of Mirrorwoods, a special kind of flora with leaves that resemble tiny mirrors. Their presence in the Veilroad proves it to be quite the experience to traverse, due to its allure and the inherent danger it possesses. One could, after all, easily fall for the illusions provided by the mysterious trees. The Veilroad had been set as a way to carefully cross the forest, and has been used as a no-man's land in the Sagewick-Shdowpine war. Pyrite, the hood of hir robes still pulled up, sits comfortable by the side of the road, watching and waiting. Some refugees have passed hir, but no sign of the Shdowpine Listener still.
Wish pens another letter and ties it to the claw of her favoured crow. The bird returns to her every day, the letters she has sent delivered. She can only hope that it has found its recipient well. Her horse is set for another journey to Woodwyn's desolate plains, to search for any of the hidden villages, and she prepares for another failure. The journey to Woodwyn would take her all day, and she just hopes that her crow fares better in the hunt than her.
The Captain is a strange sight to see at the edges of the marsh. Hir clothes are brightly coloured, unlike the drab grey the people of Erihollow favour. The mask on hir face today has lips curled up in a bright smile, but none know if the face underneath shares the gesture. And so ze waits, silent and unmovable. Ze knows, for some reason ze does, that the Listener can be found here. Ze knows he only has to wait, and so ze does.
Hello, folks. This thread has been quiet. What are your thoughts on starting this Wednesday even if we still don't have Listeners from Mallowater and Havenborough?
Anyway, I originally dropped by to say that I have a wrist injury and I can't use my phone much. Hopefully this thread doesn't die and we can start soon.
@Hippo AF The Sagewick Listener role went to Elian, but it wasn't an easy choice. Would you be okay with remaking him to play the Listener for another country?
@13org Always great finding new amazing artists. Thanks, friend!