Lately It's So Quiet [Closed]

[Kari Muffin]

News travels fast. Right? Well, Xiven had always been the last one to know. She had heard from one of the servants about the battle. She sat in her office with a rather confused look on her face as she tried to connect the dots.

Everything had been quiet for a while. She hadn't heard news of the battle. She hadn't hear news of anything. The feline's tail bristled at the thought. Was Shinrai going to win? Were they going to have a new Queen again? Or....

Maybe she should check?

The feline's ears pulled back as she peered out of her office. Maybe she should go find Heilyn? That would probably be the best plan. Slipping out of her office she hoped.... she hoped that nothing horrible happened. Maybe she should check on children before she went looking for Heilyn.

Unaware of what had happened, the feline made her way down the hallway.

[The Jenn]

As soon as a battle for Queenship had been announced, Lior knew he only had one of two options if he didn't want to interfere in this hideous mess between family... which he didn't. He could either run, risking that he wouldn't be far enough away from the fight before someone died and would be drawn back in his trance-like state like a zombie. In front of the entire Court.

Oh Hills, no. Anything but that. It was a haunted coward's worst nightmare.

Instead he had gone to hide in his and Rhi's room and had taken a strong sleeping drink. If he was only dozing, the cloak would wake him up. If he was medicated or dead to the world... he was safe to remain unconscious. The cursed ability wouldn't trigger. He wouldn't go to watch the death, or feel in any way guilted into resurrecting one or the other. That would be best. Wouldn't it?

It would have to be. That was his last hazy thought at he passed out on Rhi's bed.

[Nathalia]

Bernard's eyebrows met in complete confusion at Se's awkward silence, and then his incredibly bizarre statement. His mind? What was going on?

He turned to look and saw Ignatius and Dre approaching, no one else. Was this another thing their mad Queen was able to see that no one else was? He turned back at the sound of hooves and boots moving again, letting his arms drop to his sides in extreme frustration as the two Equines simply left him standing there.

Oh Hills, this didn't bode well at all.

Ignatius made his way forward and Bernard turned to him with a hollow look. His eye focused on the Mouse Bull's face as he searched for, and found, a bit of sanity in this mess. He returned the bow with an incline of his head, unable to force his back to do anything more today. "Ignatius. Yes...he seems to, but I worry..." He glanced back at the distant retreating forms of the monstrous Human and the calmly smiling King.

"Hills on fire, Ignatius, what is this? Yes, yes I would like an explanation, thank all that there is one forthcoming. Please, follow me, we'll use my office on this floor. Thank you." He gestured with the cane the direction, knowing that the couple could outwalk him easily and that Dre may wish to sit down. She would know the office he spoke of at least. He could just meet them there...

Damn his leg!

He moved as quickly as he could, initiating his Heart's pain ability as he did so in order to ignore his complaining muscles. He really shouldn't have humored his sons with magical demonstrations yesterday...yet he would never take it back, as much as he should.

And now his mind was wandering. Hills, if only he could leave. Sometimes he really wished it, even if he knew he never would. This Court owned him. And it would until he was dismissed.

Or until it killed him.


((OOC: I'm out of this thread. We can either do a fic/response fic with Bernard, or a quick separate thread, both are fine <3))

[Satra]

Heilyn continued racing. She was beginning to sweat, bits of lose hair sticking to her face. She could feel her lungs protesting. She had full focus now. Her already serious case of paranoia had worsened over the years, making her occasional panic attacks worse. This was different. This wasn't just something that affected her, and she just couldn't throw Seth at it and go back to doing paperwork and chasing children.

Xiven first. Xiven was the closest. She had to double back, making up for her mistake. She'd kick herself for that later. If she was going to get people out of the Court by nightfall, she couldn't afford to make anymore. She rounded the corner to the corridor where Xiven's room was.

"Xiven!" she was able to get out before she put her hands on her knees, gasping for air. After a bit she caught her breath. Now that she was still the sweat had a chance to collect and bead down her face, "Take the children and get to Seth. He'll find somewhere outside of the court for you to go for now until things are fixed here," Heilyn stared at Xiven with wide eyes as she panted.

[Kari Muffin]

Xiven stared blankly at Heilyn. She had no idea what was going on, and why she was panicking so badly. It took a minute of her watching the woman pant for it to click.

So Shinrai had lost? Something in her heart fell.

"Heilyn I'm not leaving. This is my Court. This is my Pride. Take my children and Rhi's children and go, but I will not leave." She said firmly to her King. She gave the woman a small week smile as she offered her a hand. "It might seem stupid to you, but leaving this place would show that I'm a coward, and I don't want to disgrace my suit. I will wait here."

She hoped she was making the right decision. She wasn't all that powerful, in fact her King could easily outshine her in battle. But she had at least a bit of confidence in herself.

"And... most of all, find my mother before she gets herself into anything."

[Satra]

Heilyn should not have been angry at her Queen. She was below the woman in Rank, but not only that, she was her King, not Shinrai's... And yet, it didn't stop her from wanting to slap the woman and call her an insolent brat. The sharpness in her voice expressed this.

"Xiven, this goes beyond you being seen as a coward. We are currently under the control of a madman, Xiven. At the very least get your children out of here. Come back if you must, but at least get my grandchildren out. Seth will need your help keeping all those children under control," she paused, gears turned, "Peaches... she can wait. I need to you help me with Sekhmet. Peaches is the least likely to do something stupid and she's better at hiding.

Don't argue with me on this, Xiven. We need to get as many people out of here as soon as possible. Discussions can happen later when the children are safe and away from this place."

[Kari Muffin]

Xiven raised an eyebrow at the woman. She could practically see the anger and panic coming off of her. So they were under the reign of a madman. That was fantastic. It didn't mean she was going to run away with her tail between her legs. She had to set an example.

"I said we would get the children out. But I have no intention of leaving my home Heilyn." She paused. "I will help you evacuate, and I will help you make arrangements to get out but even under the reign of a madman I have no intention of abandoning my responsibilities or my Suit. You think I'm going to watch in abject horror as the name of the Hearts is disgraced? What would running away from this make me? What sort of example would I set for my children?"

"Let's go get the children. They should be in their room." She said as her tail fluffed up in agitation.

[Satra]

Heilyn blinked at Xiven. She was so concerned with protecting someone she considered family that she'd almost forgotten the political implications of every action.

"You're right. You need to be careful when you come back. I have seen what he is capable of. Just grab the kids and we'll go up to my room now. Seth should have enough money to take care of any needs they might have while away. Now let's go," she growled. She knew there was no way he could have been there, but Heilyn couldn't help but look over her shoulder for Perseus. "We'll have to run. Bernard is currently talking with him to buy us as much time as possible." It went without saying that she was terrified for the man.

[Satra]

Heilyn followed Xiven to her children's room. When she entered behind the woman she looked over her grandchildren then shifted down into her Bipedal form for the sake of Fluffy. She nodded at Xiven. She knew she'd already upset Xiven to some extent, she didn't want to do so further by taking charge of her children.

~~

Tegan just stared at the door after her mother left. So Shinrai was dead, was he? She felt a pang of something she'd never felt before. She didn't know how to react, so she just stood there with a confused and shocked expression on her face, staring at the door.

She liked him, for as little as she interacted with him. She would miss his indifference and the attitude she found so amusing. She turned and went to hurry and pack the things she couldn't live without. It wasn't much. Just the Jar of Teeth she bought from the store in the Capitol. She put that in her favorite messenger bag then looked expectantly at her Father. What were they going to do now?

[seraaches]

(( Heyla, everyone. This thread seems to have leaped from it's original purpose so with Nat's permission, i kindly invite you to open your own threads for reactions. Thank you. ))