Major Thread Fortuna Vitrea Est

[Izakis]

Izakis took a graceful pose, ready to dance and fight alike when the two more beasts had arrived. As quickly then, she relaxed, seeing and hearing as they were allies. But while adrenaline and sense of meaningful tasks gave her strength and bravery, hearing that she was to return to the backstage took all the air from her. She took her cloth strip and wrapped it loosely around her chest, now feeling almost upset. She was however a civilian, one that had no idea how to fight or to do acts of investigation. She only knew one trade so far... but this little escapade made her want more.

She was sulked, but so was the vixen, albeit for vastly different reasons it seemed. "No need to beat yourself down dear. We did our best, and at least ssssecured the chandelier from crushing the crowd... that's ssssomething we can at least ssssee as our win! And our contribtion to this all." She was saying so with a warm, honest smile. There wasn't much of her usual seductive charm in it, just a genuine praise.

But then she somewhat meekly stopped Liza putting scaled paw onto her shoulder. "Thank you for the discussion and insights. Also for letting us help... Uhm... Just wanted to ask you a question before I leave." She stopped for a second, looking down onto her lower paws. "Would a useless beast, but one with honest will and heart in the right place be welcomed among your ranks?" Her blue stripes got greener again, while she asked the question with shyness that she had not felt in years.

@Kal Goldtail @Liza Fairpaw

 

[FinnianBrightfur]

“Aaah it’s all done now,” she said with a friendly shake to Finn’s shoulders; it very much wasn’t, deep down, but she was hardly about to tell him how much she’d feared for his safety in public. “You’re in one piece and that’s all that matters, isn’t it?”

Finn's torso waggled loosely as Cricket shook him, and a muted smile broke out through the gloom. He shot a friendly glance back to the gecko, and his tail picked up a timid wag. Gates, he was glad she wasn't mad with him! "Yeah, well... Alwyn took the brunt of it. I owe him."

"Kit, whatever you did, I am not after that. Good you see your mistakes and what harm you did."

The foxkit bristled ever so slightly as Minerva interjected... goodness she was officious! Finn was doing his best to not lose his temper with her -- she was an authority figure, and Finn's parents did their best to teach him to be respectful. But then Cricket threw in her two pence, and Finn had to cover his muzzle to hide the smile.

"I think ye be having far more pressing matters ter attend to," Jeshal replied to Minerva, whether she would be listening or not at this point considering the situation. "It be mentioning nothing of an immersive corpse rain experience on me ticket."

Corpses shouldn't interject, ever! Finn started as he caught the body out of the corner of his eye, moments before it crsahed onto the stage. The fox let out a gasp, and almost started to run towards the scene before remembering he wasn't on the Hide anymore. Cricket, Jesh, and Minerva were temporarily forgotten. He looked around to see if he could find Mr. Barrett -- was he even here? Gates, Finn didn't know what to do by himself...

“Finnian, there you are, time to get back to the formation, though we can carry some of the food and sweets for you. There has been something of a disturbance, and we need to make sure that you are safe. Be a good lad and come with us until we make sure everything is all right, would you? If you do, maybe we can let you see some of our larger swords at the barracks later, maybe even hold them, once the Lieutenant has finished his business.”

Finn nearly lept out of his fur as the stoat knelt down infront of him moments later. He knew he'd be in... ...well. Mild trouble for this little stunt, doubly so now that there was a dead body on stage. But now that Finn was with another working beast, he felt he could work up the courage to go and help. "O-oh! Oh hey, we should go over'n check on him!" he said, brush floofing out behind him as he readied for action, the embarrassment of the Slups inferno quickly forgotten. "Where's Theo, does he have his kit with him?"

 

[Jeshal the Ironclaw]

Quietly losing patience with the stickly vixen, Jeshal's smile thinned, his gaze fierce. He knew he would not intimidate her, Forest knows what she had seen in her life; the stare was simply there for anyone who knew of him to read.

"I can go regardless, miss. Ye be no Fogey nor Smudgie and there be no violence or threat ter be handling fer one such as your very capable self. Ye should be commended for being such an eager member o' society. My experience, Bully always sorely lacked beasts what cared. Our current discussion merely concerns a misjudgement of focus. I thank ye for keeping an eye on our fair citizens, but I suggest ye cast your attentions ter the beasts pushing and shoving their ways out afore they break toes. Or would ye rather I speak to the MinoWar and tell them ye be spending your salary haranguing hungry younglings?"

He gestured to Cricket and Finn, the latter of which was now being addressed by a Stoatie and curiously encouraged to come along. What importance was the young fox to the Guard? It seemed a lot of care for a simple recruit.

@Minerva @Cricket @FinnianBrightfur @Alwyn Ryalor (as Oscar)​

 

[Kal Goldtail]

@Izakis @Liza Fairpaw

There was a vvisible tension that raised in Kal as the discussion with other Smudgies happened, but she relaxed slightly as they seemingly were left off the hook. Everyone seemed so... Calm, all things considered, it boggled her a lot. That being said, with watchful eye of Liza and the escort, she couldn't hope for a sneaky exit necessarily, and that meant risk - or occasion - to see her family up close. She was lost in thought when words directed towards her reached her. "Oh, um, yeah, coulda' been worse." She sighed. "I don't think I've caught your name, to be fair?" Kal added to hopefully appear more alive and less miserable. She didn't dare to look down after the body at all, and so her imagination was running wild as to how the poor beast looked now. The question directed at Liza was an interesting one, but Kal had no idea what kind of tricks could be up th4e sleeve of her temporary companion, so she only spared a slight rise of brow in intrigue.

 

[Talinn Ryalor]

Talinn’s eyes narrowed as the waitress vixen responded with her name, and he took a fresh look at her. She was, in many ways, the spitting image of his wife when she was younger, and the Fyadoran name, while not the most uncommon, was extremely unusual to be found all the way over in Tookumberry before the combined efforts of both Westisle and the Imperium had finally exorcised the sea routes of pirates between the two. Perhaps it was a coincidence-these things did happen-but he was reminded of a moment of what Vaelora had said. There were not four, but five. She could not possibly have meant-

“Miss Brewer, if I could have a moment of your-” he began, before being interrupted by his wife, who came up and put a paw on his shoulder. Ah, maybe she was there to have some cake and join in the ce-

Apparently not.

Talinn had to refrain from wincing at the comment of his wife about younger vixens, not entirely uncalled for, but not exactly fair either given the circumstances. Still, though, he was surprised that she extended one of her takedowns to the innocent, if not exactly high society material, waitress, claiming that she was not good enough for Alwyn. His eyebrows raised at that comment-not good enough for her son, given her own history and the fact that the least they could do for Alwyn is let him choose his own partner, especially with what they eventually planned to tell him.

He glanced over at his son on the stage as he thought of his firstborn, and he had to refrain from choking up. It hurt that they were at such a distance, but he had no idea how to even begin repairing that relationship-he was going to figure it out with Dusk first.

I know you hate me for what I did, but I did it to protect you and your siblings, and Alexei did strike first and hard. I had no choice. Please forgive me one day, Alwyn.

Turning his attention back to the waitress, he could see that Dusk’s words had cut her deeply, the vixen attempting to hide her forming tears and he felt a strong, almost paternal need to comfort her. He looked up hard at his wife, beginning to speak in defense of the young Ms. Brewer, his voice more than a little irritated and even hard as he delivered a rare reprimand to her, rarer still in that it was public.

“My dearest wife, say what you will about me and my intentions, incorrect as they are, but the poor girl was just doing her job. There was no cause to say such towards a hardworking server, it is unbecoming of our House and family. As for Alwyn, did I myself not disregard rank and follow my heart instead when I-”

He was interrupted as the corpse fell from the chandelier and landed smack dab on the stage, to the shock of the entire crowd, except for him and his Mistcloaks, one of which he had sent to the stage when the chandelier had first swung and informed him of the situation. It looks like they were trying to retrieve the body-and failed. What’s worse, the corpse fell directly next to Alwyn, Daniil, and the young singer on the stage, and he could see his son spring into action as Daniil attempted to calm the singer down.

He did not have much time, however, to reflect on this, as Fairpaws and the Songfox began to panic, and Kaii, more levelheaded, moved to protect Ms. Brewer, who cowered behind him, from fear of the assassin's corpse, and in a way likely from his wife as well. Dusk once again spoke, claiming it was part of the performance, but he much doubted that. Feeling the need to assert authority to regain control of the situation, he raised his voice authoritatively.

“Calm yourself, Mr. Fairpaws, I am sure that my wife is correct, but even if she were not, these sort of things happen from time to time. A worker who unfortunately fell while making adjustments, perhaps. If there is more to the story, I am sure my son Alwyn, the Unsmudgables, and the good beasts of MAUL will figure it out and move to handle any potential threats and secure our safety, not to mention, we are quite safe under the protection of my own Mistcloaks.”

He nodded his head towards the four elite foxes in their shifting gray camouflaged cloaks and brigandine armor, all equipped with large Auldarnian steel knives in their sheathes, and special, powerful crossbows modified to fire rapidly while still retaining most of their power. As if to reinforce the point, he finally took a bite of the slice of cake, noting that it was quite delicious.

“Now, dearest, as I was saying before the unfortunate interruption, I think that Ms. Brewer deserves something of an apology, and then we can perhaps tell her of the valor of our heroes of Urk.”

@Kaii Nashirou @Dusk Rainblade @SwifttailTheFox @Silvertongue Songfox

 

[Alwyn Ryalor]

Alwyn’s worst suspicions were confirmed, but it matched his expectations and thus did not unsettle him much, and it was not like he did not have experience in these matters handling protection for the Brudenells for some time and of course for the Empress herself, if under the direction of more seasoned Guardsbeasts. He was also not surprised that they came, again, for his father-he was the epitome of what they would consider a species traitor along with Amélie herself. What surprised him was that his mother had actually taken an active interest in protecting him-something had happened twelve years ago, and he did not know the details nor was anyone keen on telling him such-but relations between them had been frosty at best. And, just as inexplicably, upon his father’s return from Urk, it seemed to be warming up.

I don’t know what in the ‘Gates is going on there.

He took a moment to look towards his father, now accompanied by his mother, and...Fairpaws, the beast who helped to rescue both him and Finnian? Along with a few other beasts. They were guarded by his father’s beasts, but there were only four of them, and while they were skilled, he did not like that they were in the open, in a crowd of unfamiliar beasts, with assassins about-especially because as he had been trained and found out, they mostly worked in pairs, and the Supremacists were likely still up to something. He was about to look at his formation to see if Finnian was still properly secured, but then the Minister of Niceties himself showed up, with some stoat reporter from the Smelt who looked vaguely familiar.

Kilaris, for his part, took the black squirrel down more than a few pegs with his harsh retort, and insisted on continuing things as usual. Well, that was not unexpected from what he heard of the beast, and for how important this party was for his public image. Admitting defeat would be politically suicidal-but for now, Alwyn did give much of a damn, only glad that he did not answer to him.

I should offer to assist in his protection, but I was not even supposed to be here and only have so many beasts and he already has declined his own-

His thoughts were interrupted as Caden called forth to him to remind him of the prophecy that he had relayed to him, appearing from seemingly nowhere with a small fox-a kit?- in his arms, next to Daniil. What even?

Destiny or not, the validity of those prophecies from my father being from the Kitsune or not, I already wanted off this damn stage minutes ago. I came here to tell my mother and father something, not because I love the arts, and now I have to not only do that, but secure them and argue with them about leaving or at least moving to a more secure location. I have to be more direct with Daniil, now, and not in a language this damn Minister can likely understand.

“Danīru-san, omae no hogoka ni aru mono o tairetsu ni modose, kore wa meireida! Caden-dono ni mo kuru yō ni tsutaetekudasai! Koko de okotteiru koto wa sukide wa arimasen.” He barked to his cousin sharply in Southern Fyadoran, making it clear that it was no longer optional to come with him.

Daniil, bring that one under your protection into the formation this is an order! Tell Caden (honorific implying he is at the same level of experience/authority in this matter as Alwyn) to come too! I don't like what's going on here.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spotting Oscar, Theo moved to his partner, relieved to see Finnian there, catching the tail end of his question. He took a look towards the stage, seeing Alwyn barking commands in an unfamiliar language at his cousin, the new Guardsbeast Daniil. The pine marten’s anxiety intensified. They needed to go and soon, if Finnian was not back there in time….

“I am here, Finnian,” he said, calmly, but with a hint of urgency in his voice. “Unfortunately, I do not think there is much anyone can do for the beast except to pray. A fall from that height, how landed…” He shook his head. “...I can handle many things, but not that, and I do not suspect any doctor could either.

Oscar nodded in agreement.

“Theo is right, Finnian, and it is a little dangerous and it looks like Lieutenant Alwyn will be returning soon. I tell you what, you grab what you want right now, and we can all pretend this never happened so that you will not get in trouble. Isn’t that right, Theo?”

“Absolutely!”

@FinnianBrightfur @Cricket @Minerva @Jeshal the Ironclaw @Daniil Ryalor

 

[Sean Wicke]

Sean threw the curtain separating the box from the hall wide toward Tanya, crimson flying toward her seemingly an omen of another crimson soon to decorate the hall. He'd misjudged her location since her roll, however, and he lost precious time maneuvering to swing at her with the hook, one slash going wide. This time he was wise to her dagger, his free paw going out to sweep at it as he found his footing and came at her once more, iron hook aimed right for her eyes. He might well keep his promise to make it quick, but it certainly wouldn't be pretty.

~~~

Marianna simply smiled mischievously as Iva seemed to embrace her feminine side. "Well, as the song says, "'Femmes Just Wanna Frolic'," the vixen quipped, her eyes scanning the crowd. "Hmm... I've always enjoyed seizing onto some unsuspecting todd, pretending that we've met before, and seeing how long it can go before he admits he doesn't remember me. The ones who try to go along with it and cover for not recognizing me at all are simply the best. Perhaps..."

She scanned the crowd, dismissing the knot around the Minister of Innovation entirely. They certainly didn't need that sort of attention. "Oh," her eyes landed on a weathered-looking fox with a prosthetic limb near the buffet. "Now that seems like an amusing specimen." She looked to Iva, inquiring, "Shall we go in together? We'll reference a steamy tryst in Marquistry Cape if pressed; otherwise, it's simply ad lib."

~~~

Daniil winced as Alwyn barked commands at him in their native tongue as Caden rejoined them. "Hai," he responded automatically, putting his arm around Asta and pulling her into the group as gently as he could manage. "I'm sorry Asta," he murmured, "I'll get you clear of this as soon as possible. I'll keep you safe, I promise it." It was a bodyguard's promise, one made with the awareness that the only way it could be broken was at the cost of one's own life.

~~~

Dusk winced at the honestly quite deserved rebuke from her husband. As much as she made a point of not deigning to denigrate those beneath their notice, this had been a marked departure from that ethos, and one entirely unearned by the poor girl. The heartbreak on the young vixen's face was enough to nearly rip out Dusk's own heart, guilt clawing at her for the cruel words. I need to keep her away from the family, she reminded herself. She can't get involved - and heavens forbid, don't let Alwyn ever see her. That boy would chase anything female in a heartbeat; a pretty, innocent young thing like Mina Rose would be to him like seer's sage to a cat's nose. She was not ready to have that sort of intervention with her son yet, and certainly couldn't imagine how to definitively ward him off of Mina Rose without giving up the whole game. Well, then again, she is supposed to be his cousin.

Dusk took a deep breath, fixing her gaze on Mina Rose. That in itself was a colossal effort. Dusk had never seen much of herself in her other two daughters; Ameliya had inherited a certain plainness of the face that, based on the portraits in Storm's Peak, ran recessive in the Ryalor bloodline. Her saving grace was that her fashion tended toward the dowdy and her manner toward the hysterical, which in trifecta was actually enough to make her sympathetic rather than simply pathetic. As for Anastasia, well, she was some other creature entirely. The only reflection Dusk saw of herself in that girl was akin to spotting one's own image in a glacier as it cascaded down upon one's own head: distorted into a sinister, deadly beauty best beheld at great distance. Mina Rose, though... There was a softness about the girl, an earnestness that begged for the same in all treatment toward her. Perhaps she was a bit dull, but then again, she'd been raised in Tookumberry, a place that seemed to be created by the gods for the purpose of dullness. That was why Dusk had picked it; dullness, she'd believed at the time, would mean safety for the girl.

And look how that worked out.

She swallowed as Talinn not-so-subtly coerced her to apologize to the girl. She really should; she hated the sight of those tears in her daughter's eyes, didn't want to see that hurt in them any longer. She could hear Thistle's voice in her ear, the hedgehog asking what she would do to make amends. Dusk inhaled deeply, steeling herself. I'm so sorry, Mina, love.

"You're right," she allowed. "That was beneath me. I know perfectly well that your tastes run much richer, dear husband. As for Alwyn, well, one look at the girl certainly tells me we've nothing to worry about there. His usual sort looks more the temptress and less the tempest-tossed." She gestured to the young vixen condescendingly. "Even he would think twice before taking on such a charity case."

It had the intended effect, and Dusk hated herself for it immediately. The vixen's eyes widened in shock, the unearned pain there apparent as, unknown to the girl, her own mother drove a dagger into both their hearts. Unable to muffle the sobs that broke free, she turned and ran from the group, running blindly toward the stairs to the balcony levels in desperate search of privacy. Everything in Dusk wanted to run after the girl, to hold and comfort her, to explain, to apologize honestly, to be a mother to her for once in her life. Instead, she had to keep up the act, sniffing as if an unpleasant odor had just departed. "Just as well," she stated, feigning indifference. "Take it from me, dear husband, that one was only angling for a wealthy match. Best to put that kind out early; otherwise they dig in like a burr, and you've ten times the trouble in removing them."