The First Step Ahead, [For Shadow]

[Mercra]

"Lord, do you believe this meeting is wise?"

Mercra's attention was brought back into the carriage transporting himself and his servant, Slyph. He had been gazing out the window for the better part of their journey, marking their transition from the lands of Noctis to the lands of Noresh. The High Lord's stare caused Slyph to wring his hands, wondering if he had no spoken inappropriately to the High Lord.

"Wise? Wisdom has nothing to do with this. It is necessary."

That answer serving to suffice for his servant's questions, Mercra turned back to staring out the window. They were passing farmlands, with men, women, and children all working to prepare the next year's crops. It seemed as though life was getting on fine without digging up the past. Yet, this trip was to do precisely that. Mercra sighed, retreating into himself.

Slyph nodded to his master's reply, reaching under his seat and drawing out a pile of parchment. He also uncorked an inkwell and started to sharpen a quill. The carriage hit a bump, sending black ink flying all over the parchment, servant, and seat. Slyph's embarrassment was only compounded by the chuckle that came from the other side of the carriage.

"That is precisely why we do not do such things on carriage rides, Slyph." The High Lord waved his hand, erasing the traces of black goop from his servant and seat. "You will have to do those reports over again, though."

"Yes sir, terribly sorry, Lord."

"No need to be sorry," the elf scolded. "You were attempting to do your work at any available means. Such industry should be commended. Take this trip to enjoy some time off, not reading from reports and dealing with paperwork. You are here as a personal servant to me, but it will be up to our hosts to provide nearly everything for us, if they are hospitable."

"Why are we traveling in this way, Lord?"

Mercra smiled. "It is easier, I need not harm myself trying to circumvent the Aethal Keep's magics against teleportation, and it gives our runner a chance to arrive with the notice of our arrival. At least, I hope so. It would be considerably rude of us to just show up on their doorstep..."

The elf shrugged, indicating that it was no real concern of his. "Besides, this gives me a chance to remind myself why I am continuing this struggle. Far too many times I thought I shall give up, ignore what I know, merely sit back and let the world turn as it may. This, this gives me a chance to see the people, not just of my land, but of the Realm entire, so that I may remind myself of my crusade."

The carriage rolled to a stop in front of the gates of the Aethal Keep. Slyph stood, placing the ink-stained papers on the carriage seat and opening the door. Climbing out first, he stood as a footman to his Lord and master, Mercra of Noctis. The Aethal Keep loomed in front of them, the gates parted a bit, guards flanking the gates, with their host awaiting them.

[MidnightShadow]

The runner wasn't even necessary. Before the carriage had arrived at the gates, men had spotted it on the horizon and alerted the new Stewardess of Noresh. As the carriage pulled up the shapeshifter drew away from the battlements upon which she stood, her eyebrows arched delicately in mild amusement. So news had already travelled to Noctis, then, that Rahina and Aherne and had mysteriously vanished and left the keep not to Rahina's son Sidril, but to her adoptive daughter and any she chose to to ascend as second- and third-in-commands? Of course, Mercra would not let things be. No, he would come visit one of his dear arch-nemeses and either stir up more shit than was necessary, or - and heaven forbid this, for it as one of those things the High Lord did not ever do - make peace. After all, would it be wise to start a war? Not likely, but then, Mercra did things that were highly unlikely.

Sighing, Shadow dismounted the stairs with ease, a troupe of extra men following her. Of course they knew about her issues with Mercra - they had witnessed it themselves, when she had gone to Rahina's ball and left the wounds in open sight. But Noresh gave her strength, especially the Keep itself. Grabbing one man by the arm, she upturned her visage so that she could view his face. Almost everyone save perhaps Fay and her son were taller than she was. She murmured something into his ear and the man ran off, towards the gates. Meanwhile, Shadow and her followers retreated into the Keep.

The guard paused before the High Lord and his servant. He bowed low, a sign of respect towards the other. "My Lady Shadow welcomes you to the Keep. She has requested that you accompany her inside. I will act as your guide. You two shall have a private room, where you may speak freely. If you would please follow me, Master Mercra, I would willingly lead you to your destination." The formalities were only in place because they had to be. Mercra would have to follow the guard regardless if he actually wished to fulfill his goals today. Saluting, the guard turned and marched smartly through the gates. They were wide open now to admit the tiny entourage. Another boy appeared, this one quite young, and approached the High Lord. "Sir, woulda like yer horses stabled? Or are ya gonna be leavin' soon? We kin water 'n feed 'em, if ya'd like."


Shadow stood within the small chamber. A long table had been brought in with three chairs, one for herself, one for Mercra, and one for his servant. She, of course, would not have anyone accompany her inside the room, but there would be six guards, three on either side, posted outside the door. Although she should not have been doing it, the Stewardess helped one of the maids lay out food. It was an assortment of cheeses, breads, butter, and various meats - simple foods. This was done partly because Shadow was not particularly interested in offering Mercra an exquisite meal, and partly because she hardly expected him to stay longer than he absolutely must. White wine was poured into three glasses. Hearing footsteps echoing down the halls, Shadow dismissed the maid and seated herself at one end of the table. Her fingers drummed against the polished wood steadily as she waited. As always, the shapeshifter was laden with weapons: eight daggers and her bastard sword. She felt more than confident that she could defend herself against anything her adversary might try to pull in this supposed meeting.

[Mercra]

Mercra brought his eyes from the top of the Aethal Keep and down to the guard who had addressed him. Mercra could not stop the look of incredulity that briefly crossed his features upon hearing the words 'my lady Shadow.' It seemed odd that the person in Noresh with whom he had the most antagonistic relationship should be the one to meet with him, especially considering the nature of his business. He bowed, for it was all he could upon finding himself without a voice, and offered to follow the guard.

As they walked, the elf kept his eyes on the heels of their preceding guide. What in the planes could the High Ladies have been thinking, having him meet with Shadow? The two of them had fought, had vowed to continue in a cycle that would end when one of them perished. She had scarred him, he had repaid her in kind, but then received another of his own. Perhaps the High Ladies were using this as a chance for these two to finally mend their ways and see each other as equals?

Mercra was about to scoff away the thought when a small stableboy approached them. Slyph immediately stepped forward to put a barrier between the urchin and his master, but the elf's hand shot out and quickly halted the servant's movements. Mercra, who was forced out of his thoughts by the movement, smiled at the boy.

"That would be most appreciated, boy, thanks be to you. Slyph, give the boy a silver piece for his troubles on our account."

The half-elf servant blinked, but then nodded and duly gave the boy the money, sending him on his way. The elf paused for a moment to wait for his servant, causing the guide to stall as well. Ordinarily, Mercra would not have agreed to such a thing, but since there was suddenly the introduction of his and Shadow's...complicated...relationship, these talks would take much longer than expected.

As they entered the Keep proper and made their way through to the parlor, Mercra failed to take in the splendor of the building and focused instead on what he was going to say. Already, he was arse-deep in rival territory, having to conduct himself in the most careful of manners in order to avoid upsetting the delicate peace which had been established due to Kamui's actions. Now, he would have to be even more civil and submissive, especially when some of the topics came around. He was especially vunerable now.

Entering the parlor, Mercra bowed to their guide and departed from his path. He finally took the chance to look around. The only living thing in the room, himself besides, drew his attention immediately. A small meal had been prepared for the three of them, but on the other side of the table was Shadow herself, dressed to the neck in weaponry. Mercra, himself, had come unarmed, and had not planned on using any of his magics within the Keep's walls. Another decided disadvantage which left the High Lord particularly distressed at his situation.

"Lady Shadow," Mercra said with a deep bow, his servant following suit accordingly. "It is a pleasure to be in your presence once again." His voice contained almost no emotion, as though he had given control to another, someone far from their current situation.

"Might I ask what Rahina and Aherne are so occupied with that they put the two of us in the same room and expect us to talk of matters of great import?"

[MidnightShadow]

The moment the doors opened, Shadow was on her feet, her hands against the table, her emerald eyes surveying Mercra and his servant. She wondered if he was afraid of her, or if even could be afraid of her. That thought vanished, however, when he opened his mouth. Despite the weight of the situation, and the fact that she too was distressed, although for different reasons, a wolfish grin spread across her lips. A flicker of emotion counter to that which she exhibited flickered through her eyes. She wasn't happy knowing that both Aherne and Rahina had gone missing, but she did take pleasure in his displeasure.

"You haven't heard the news? Well you see, Mercra," Shadow replied, walking from her place, around the table, placing more space between them. The expression had faded from her lips, transforming into a sombre one. She finally paused to stare intently at him. "Aherne and Rahina have decided to... leave. Both of them. We have sought them out a number of times, but they do not wish to return at this time. Therefore, I have been appointed Noresh's current High Lady. I prefer the title 'Stewardess', however - I find it more befitting of someone like me, who is as likely to take the faction to war needlessly as I am to bring it to glory." What she had said was only partially a lie. Whether he saw through it or not was of no concern to her - he would likely learn the truth eventually, anyway. It was not wise, however, to speak of their disappearances as openly as she perhaps could have.

The shapeshifter returned to her seat, motioning for Mercra to take his seat as well, along with her extra guest. "It is a pleasure to see you again, especially now that we have the same footing. A pleasure indeed." Shadow paused, drumming her fingers against the table. "Please, help yourself to the food." The drumming of her fingers ceased as she looked quizzically at her adversary, arching one slender eyebrow. "Matters of great import? Do explain."

There was an air of arrogance to her, more so than the past few times that they had met. There was also a certain smugness, though she had managed to, for the most part, keep it at bay. If ever she had wanted to get back at him, her opportunity had finally come. She, of course, would not start an all-out war with him - civility would go a much longer way - but she didn't have to fear that she would be plunging Noresh into something she hadn't meant to. Now she was in control and she had hardly lingered on that fact, as if to give Mercra as little time as possible to absorb the shock of that notion. The Stewardess waited patiently, staring at him intently, analyzing. Wh at could he possibly have to discuss with her?

[Mercra]

Mercra could not contain the emotions that hit his heart when he heard the noise that both Aherne and Rahina had left to parts unknown, and that all attempts to contact them had failed to return them home. His eyebrows arched in surprise as his eyes widened, and there was a definite disappointed scowl that appeared across his lips. This was not pleasant news at all, especially not considering the things he had come here to discuss.

"Slyph, do make yourself useful and assist with the food and drink." Mercra did his best to cover his shock by ordering his servant around, and the half-elf nodded to his master. Circling the table, he began to cut bread, pick fruit, and other tasks which had been rendered meaningless by the Aethal Keep's staff.

Sitting across from the new High Lady, no, Stewardess, as she preferred, Mercra could not help but clench his hands tightly together. They had never been on good terms, and now they were on equal footing. Mercra had not come here to start a war; in fact, quite the opposite. Shadow could push him, and he would have to relent in order to acheive his goals. Aherne or Rahina would at least give a little, not that they were fools, but they had the knowledge that Mercra could push them as well in some future point. Shadow had every reason to push him here based not on their future, but on their past.

To start the meeting off on some familiar ground, Mercra smirked. "It seems that giving life back to the High Lady did not seem to fair as well for you as we had hoped, did it Shadow? She's as good to you now as she was when she was in the ground."

"Fortunately, though," he started, deciding to use his jab as a segue into his first topic of discussion. "Now, she probably won't be as easy for Kamui to get a hold of. I have heard rumors that he is still alive somewhere within the Noresh grounds. One of my subjects acquired this knowledge from Sidril, so I know the source to be reliable. Now, what is to be seen is whether the little...scamp...saw fit to tell all of you."

As he finished speaking, Slyph set a plate of food in front of him. Mercra took the opportunity to enjoy some of what Noresh had prepared for him, and also gave Shadow a chance to respond. He was listening, truly, but he was also thinking about what he had just learned, and what implications this might have over the conversations he and Shadow were to have later.

[MidnightShadow]

Shadow watched Mercra with patience, inside all of her emotions wrung around pure and unbridled smugness. For once she'd made the man stop in his tracks and, for once, she felt as if she finally had the upperhand against him. True, it didn't matter one way or the other if she did or not as she still would have pitted herself against him, even if the odds had been so stacked against her that it was inevitable that she should perish the moment she set foot in front of him, but it was nice to know that she did. That smugness, however, turned to seething fury as he made a verbal jab at her. Any and all of the water in the room rose for five seconds, hovering in the air in the shape it had held just a moment before. Then, without notice, it dropped back into its respective containers with a slosh; wine spilled onto the table but she didn't seem to notice. There was an extended period of silence before Shadow finally spoke.

"Yes, I suppose so," she replied quietly, finding her thumb quite interesting. For once it wasn't dirty. "About as useful to me as you happen to be Mercra. What a pity, that." Her voice was cutting, her eyes now fixated on him. Although she would have liked to continue insulting him back and forth, that would be counterproductive to this particular meeting, as Mercra carried his jibe through with relevant information. She stared at him quizzically.

"And this is important, why?" For Shadow, the threat of Kamui wasn't really a threat. What was he going to do? Turn Rahina into his puppet? What faith others seemed to lack in the High Lady Shadow more than made up for. "He told us all, yes, and we all proposed to discuss it. And did." The meeting hadn't gone over as well as planned - Fay had been enraged, for one and some, Shadow especially, had remained indifferent to Kamui's apparent 'threat'; others, like Aherne and Rahina, had been afraid. Even now, with Mercra seeing it as an important issue, she wasn't feeling terror. "Where exactly are you going with this, Mercra? If you want to hunt him down be my guest. Quite frankly, I don't consider him a threat. Necromancy or not, one has to use it in order for it to be a threat. I have yet to hear of reports saying any necromancy being used within Noresh's borders." She would have liked to have waved her hand and tell him to move on - she'd been there, done that, and would have preferred to deal with the threat when it came up, if it ever did - but she refrained from doing so. No need to make this harder on all of them than was needed. Besides... He might come up with something valid. Eventually.

[Mercra]

Mercra's razor thin smile appeared across his lips as he saw the water rise from its glasses before falling back into place. His eyes fell to the wine that ha splashed onto the table, and, before he could really think, he snapped his fingers. Slyph, taking the cue, immediately produced a cloth and rounded his master, meaning to take care of the offensive stain before it truly set in. As the servant dutifully followed silent orders, the master looked at his counterpart on the other side of the table.

His eyebrows hiked up in surprise when he heard that he would be allowed to hunt Kamui down, even though he was within Noresh's borders. He would, of course, mobilize the posse immediately, but they would be with orders not to harm any of Noresh's citizens. It was odd, though, that the Stewardess of the High Rulership would not even think to invoke such a provision.

Oh, my dear Shadow, how you have let your predecessors down in so short a time. the elf though with that wry grin still splashed on his face. He coughed, running a hand through his hair. He took the time to resume a more casual and relaxed posture, including returning his face to the dispassionate mask he usually wore. It would wear thin to have someone smirking at you nearly constantly, and this next topic was sensitive.

"There is also a very interesting matter which has come to my attention. Two of my subordinates have brought it to my attention that woman using an alias appeared within my lands, assaulted some of my citizens using magic, and then fled, leaving behind a token."

He snapped his fingers again, and Slyph immediately straightened his posture. The half-elf nodded and produced a folded cloth, setting it on the table in front of the Stewardess.

"The dagger contained therein was dropped by the woman. She was an elf, with blue hair, that could wield the wind. I am not sure if someone matching that description has passed through here recently. I tried using magic to locate her, but something powerful blocked my divination magics. Something that powerful only rests within the hubs of power: Here, and the Noctis Main Hall. I have reason to suspect that, at least for the time being, she was within these walls."

Mercra watched the cloth containing Malina's dagger intently, waiting to Shadow's reaction to it, and gauge her veracity by that reaction. "Lady Southwind seemed to know of no one by that description owning a dagger such as this, but I doubt that the chief healer of the Noresh contingent could be so ignorant of passing tourists."

He was pretty convinced that Fay had been lying to him, or at the very least trying to cover something up. Whatever that something was, he wanted to see if Shadow stuck to the story. If so, his concern for this woman would grow from minor nuissance to possible threat, and he would step up his efforts to locate, as well as retrieve information, from her.