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----Kalace----

The brilliantly lit streets of Lieth's capital city, Kalace, were covered in a shiny luster from Closed shops and startlingly silent streets, apart from the occasional convertible. Bright lamplights and neon signs illuminated the blackened city with a plethora of color. Tall and mighty skyscrapers seemed to rest.

 

The nights were in preparation - although they remained a silent whisper today, overnight they would transform to an even more bustling noisy city than usual. Kalace was the epicenter of discovery and science, and although not everyone would "agree" with fact, the truth stood that Kalace was at the peak of world interest when it came to new findings or revolutionary technology.

 

Within the night, Sol perched atop a rooftop of a building, scouting out the area. A lopsided neon lit sign read "Whirlpool Bank" on a building whose window had been busted. Sol's eyes lit up emerald green in the night, and he scaled the building downwards.

 

Sol walked through the broken glass, stepping over the broken down machinery and security protocols, which had been tactfully destroyed beforehand. He slid open the broken door to the back room reading "employee only", where a main control panel was. The door collapsed immediately. Reaching in his pocket, Sol crouched and held over a card to the front panel of the control board, and a holographic image, which displayed the balance of "29,342,322 Rupees." A menu displayed, titled Whirlpool Circuit with "Withdraw" "Deposit" "Other "Generate Contract" and "Advanced Options {Administrator Privileges Required}".

 

"This was way too easy." Sol mumbled to himself, reaching for the holographic menu. A sudden sting shot up Sol's side, and a blistering sound shot through the silent night.

 

"FREEZE! Don't move!" A heavily armored, plump cop shot Seth with a stun gun. Behind him, a frail looking, skinny cop ran behind him. They wore bulky helmets and Magic-resistant vest, boots and gloves.

 

"Jeez, the hell was that for?" Sol grumbled. He staggered upon getting up, clutching his leg.

 

"Don't play with me! We saw you march in here!" the fat cop said. The skinny cop nodded vigorously.

 

"With this?" Sol flashed them the card. "Yeah, I did it to give the money back! I saw the guy who did it - beat him on the way here. I'll show you whe-"

 

"Likely story! We here it all the time! Don't we, Bruce?" The skinny cop nodded in agreement "Yeah, Prune, yeah!" Prune turned back around to Sol, poking his rifle in Sol's face. "Do I look dopey to you? Huh?"

 

Sol jammed his hands in his pockets. "Look! Look at the name on this card." Sol held up the card, then exclaimed "I'm not him. I'm Sol! You have DNA scanners? Check it!" He lifted his forearm.

 

Prune clicked a small button on a camera on his jacket. The camera scanned Sol's skin, then the card, and displayed a large "X" on its display.

 

Prune looked to Bruce, baffled at the result. "Well..." he croaked out, before Bruce said "Well, what do we do now, Prune?" Prune replied "What we do every day! Keep people from taking over the world! Let's dig around for some clues. There has to be a lead around here!"

 

Sol looked to the idiot cops, dumbfounded. "Ugh, these idiots. All the cameras in the world... even at a time like this." He chuckled a little, deposited the money, and then walked away, as the two men scrambled across the Bank's building. Police activity had been heightened in preparation for tourists, travelers, and representatives throughout Sectilis. Something about a big "archaeological discovery" had surfaced, and now the world was called to find out what was up.

 

But, that was a story for another day for Sol, strolling through the streets and pushing those thoughts from his mind. All he really wanted was some good food right now.

Edited January 4, 20178 yr by Clouded Sun

-Iris-

 

Iris smiled, and pulled away from Zion, with a simple smile. "Sure, I'm gonna go down to the lobby, see you later." Iris smirked, and leaned up to kiss Zion's cheek once more, before she turned on her heel, and walked away from the Goddess, and Witch. She stopped a moment and threw a look over her shoulder, at the Witch. "You two have fun, don't do anything I wouldn't do." Iris smiled, and continued her walk away from them.

 

She made her way down to the lobby to see the crowd, she walked up next to Sol, and smirked, looking to Elise. "So, Sol, did you and her have a thing? She seems like your type. All loud, and boisterous to your quiet, and thoughtful." Iris said, with a raised brow, before she turned her eyes to the casket, and frowned a bit.

-Eclaire-

 

She sat up groggily. "Sorry." She rubbed her eyes,slowly waking up.

 

-Zion-

Smiling, she nodded. "O-okay."

She ducked into the bathroom to clean up quickly, deciding to not waste time.

Amara stopped in her tracks at Hanz bowing to her and Garok. She searched her memory for a match to his face, but came up with nothing. Then the mysterious gentleman went to talk with someone in a gathering that Jarod had stumbled into. She crossed her arms and watched, wondering if this was part of Jarod's visions. The mention of a useless Valkyrie made Amara a little curious. Was this in reference to Zion or another Valkyrie? Jarod hadn't mentioned more, but his visions only told him certain details.

Garok nudged Amara, jerking his thumb towards the dining hall. The Gunslinger thought a moment, then shook her head, giving the Gin a "just a sec" finger raise. Garok rolled his eyes, but stay put. He had his doubts about Jarod's premonitions, but at least there was usually something to make up for it.

-Sol, Lobby of Nox Poetis-

 

The hotel lobby was rather active within the daytime of Corbenik. Many people, often with some sort of earpiece or hi tech holographic-projector glasses hurriedly stepped in and out of the lobby, chilled out on the lush sofas while flirting, painting their nails, or just relaxing. 

 

In the middle of the banter with Elise and Dalian, a man tapped on Dalian's head and said "Ah, sorry". Curious to see where the sound was coming from, a man with a cane, and a woman behind him. "Ah, hello." Sol said to the man, before the booming echo of Corvus  rang across the lobby.  "Hey, Corvus! Yuna!" He shouted, beckoning them towards him and walking forth, until a deafening BOOM! rang outside of Nox Poetis. Sol nearly jumped out of his skin by the sound, but when he looked through the glass doors, he knew.

 

It was none other than Hanz.

 

"Pfft, show off!" he snorted beneath his breath, as Hanz approached as if nothing happened, with a nonchalant "Greetings!" and of course, a tip of the hat.

 

His bombardment of questions came after, to which Sol answered "Not sure about the others" Sol shrugged, then swinging around towards the man and his aide, Sol asked "And you are...?"

~Corvus and Yuna~

 

~Lobby of Nox Poetis~

 

Corvus and Yuna were startled when a loud noise rang outside of the hotel. "The hell was that?!" He asked. Yuna looks at the glass doors and realized that it was Hanz. She sighs and turned her head until she saw a casket, frowning as she knows what was the casket for.

Jarod was well aware that Sol's question was directed to him, but disliked letting on sense it gave people bad habits when talking with other blind people. He waited a few seconds before reacting.

"Oh, are you speaking to me?" He asked Sol, feigning confusion. "I am very sorry, but with so many people and only relying on my ears, I couldn't tell who you were talking to."

He took a step back from Dilain, aiming another apologetic nod towards the young lady.

"My name is Jarod Mattradon and I heard of a funeral. First of all, my condolences. Second, there is something about your voice that I recognized. What is your name, if you don't mind me asking?"

Taken aback by Jarod's seeming displeasure, Sol realized the man wasn't as sharp in sight.

 

Damn... He must've been blind.

 

Back at home, Sol was told that he couldn't see either when he was young. Even so, he couldn't really understand what it was like... But for some reason, he had a burning sensation within the back of his mind... A feeling of knowing.

 

"Eh, sorry about that, Jarod. I'm Solace." He paused, taking a moment to ponder whether or not he should delve deeper into the subject of his eyes. He'd rather not. "My voice sounds... Familiar?Sorry, but have we met?" He asked, furrowing his brow.

Jarod mulled over what Sol had said. He was having difficulty placing the boy's voice. It was sometimes difficult to determine a voice he heard long ago or one from a vision. But the name did strike a bell.

"Solace you say?" He said in a thoughtful tone. "Yes....my father spoke of you once. He had been researching the...procedure done on you in your youth. We were looking for solutions to my own problem, but not enough information survived."

He lapsed into silence for a moment before smiling again.

"Anyway, that's the past. It is a pleasure to actually meet you, Solace. I'm afraid I have no idea if we've met before. My mind is not what it once was. But, it seems fate makes up for it."

- Hanz Arstor - Socializing -

 

Hanz stood there, amused at Jarod's conversation with Sol. Seems like Jarod was really blind, Sol would notice Hanz stepping up and waving his hands in front of Jarod, to really conclude his suspicions, he smirked and shrugged as they proved correct. 

 

Though the talk about the procedure was very interesting indeed, had Sol suffered some sort of procedure that gave him his eyes? Oh the wonders of science!. "Hmm." Was all you could hear from Hanz, until he broke off and decided to leave Sol and Jarod speaking with each other.

 

He went straight to Amara and her Giant friend, "Greetings" Hanz spoke with a polite tone while making a gesture with his hand. "So what brings you three to this humble establishment?" Hanz asked them, curious. His expression that of a polite gentleman, until something else was said. He'd figure he'd try to be as polite as possible to these new acquaintances.

 

"Something tells me you guys aren't here to stay the night in..."

-Iris-

 

Iris let out an annoyed groan, as she stretched, before she walked up next to Hanz, and the people he had approached. "You know, did ever once occur to you to act normal? I know you're a badass and all, but you do seem to draw an unnecessary amount of attention on yourself by doing stuff like... I dont know, jumping off a building." She pointed out, before playing with one of the charms on her bracelet. She examined the people Hanz had approached, a Giant, and a Valkyrie. "You know, really regretting not showering with Zion, would have been so much more fun." Iris said, mostly to herself.

- Hanz Arstor - Socializing -

 

Hanz turned his head to face Iris as she spoke, questioning his actions, especially the mans of which he got down from the building, Hanz nonchalantly shrugged and with a lazy smile. "I had to get down somehow" He spoke, with a small chuckle at the end.

Edited January 29, 20178 yr by Scrapmaster

-Zion and Eclaire-

 

After being ambushed in the shower by Eclaite, who merely was making sure Zion showered properly ("Chasing after girls without washing properly only will be bad.") Zion's arms would soon wrap around Iris' waist.

"It would have." She promised. "Mm. This is nice."

 

Eclaire just leaned against the wall, now dressed in a more casual pants and shirt combo, though kept the combat boots.

-Iris - Banter-

 

Iris smirked, and chuckled a bit. "I suppose you did. Just saying, you draw attention, especially for someone with a bounty on their he-" Iris stopped talking once she felt Zion's arms around her waist, she smirked a bit, and squeezed Zion's hands in her own. "Head..." Iris finished he previous thought, before she focused on Zion, looking over her shoulder at the Goddess. "It is. Glad you're here now though." Iris said to Zion.

-Zion- Giddy~

 

Zion giggled lightly. "Feels nice to be wanted." She said, just hugging. "And hugs are nice." She rested against Iris, just enjoying the contact. Iris felt nice...Zion hoped she stayed...

 

Eclaire just started looking around for the others.

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

Remembrance

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

"Uh, yeah..." Sol swore he'd never seen Jarod in his life. Well, at least while he had eyes. Maybe Jarod was mistaking him for someone else. Confused, Sol just simply scratched the back of his head. Hanz passed by with a short wave towards Jarod, figuring out the man's condition.

 

A quick glance at Yuna grasped the solemnity in her eyes. Sol wished he could say something - anything - but his breath holed up like it was burrowed in his chest.

 

Elise, with her hand on her hip towards Sol and then Yuna, she began "So this guy must be yours." Holding her hand to her heart, she spoke "My condolences. I'm Elise" she spoke with a matter-at-hand tone "You don't look like you're from Kalace... or Lieth for that matter. If there's anything special you'd like done for him, we can do it. Or we can bury him. It's your choice."

 

Sol looked to Elise. She'd been supportive since the day they first met, carrying his weight, leading him down a better path. He gave a small smile... But he knew the times weren't like when they were kids.

 

Apologizing to Jarod, Sol said "We came with some... weight... from Kalace." He explained.

~Yuna and Corvus~

 

Yuna nods to Elise. "I'm Yuna. Actually, I'm from Rinde." She said. She looks at Elise, tears started to fall down on her cheek. "We can bury him..." Corvus looks at the casket sadly. What's more is that Yuna is younger than Corvus and the others. And she's all alone... Corvus can at least comfort her for now.

Fiora

 

Now free to stand up and move around, Fiora took a moment to stretch before looking around. It seemed like most people had already left the room. She'd never been in this area before, and she was worried about getting lost. She took a moment to decide her next course of action, then walked over to Eclaire. She seems to be the best person to ask... "Um, excuse me... Do you know where I can get food around here? I never really had to leave Kalace before," she asked in a quiet tone. She had no clue if anyone else in the group knew the area, but she figured that it wouldn't hurt to try asking around.

 

 

Rose

 

Rose finished her morning sketches, then went down to the lobby to find the others. It looked like Sol was speaking with a few people who weren't a part of the group; the others seemed to be pairing up and sticking close to each other. She noticed the casket as well. Looks like they did get to work on helping him get a proper burial...

- The Witch of the Wilds - Nox Poetis -

 

After not answering her little question due to said person, Iris, emerging from the bathroom, and then showering, Zion was hugged once more by Iris, so Lucia made use of the shower herself. Following this and drying herself, The Witch got herself dressed in her usual attire, sans her hat, as she still had that in her hand when she waltzed up to Eclaire, who seemed to be looking around. "Lost something, Clary? Or is there someone you need to see~?" She quizzed the hybrid, said person did fascinate Lucia, not to the level of Zion yet worthy of her attention nonetheless.

 

 

- Isaac Wilhelm - Nox Poetis -

 

Isaac went unnoticed by those in the reception area, who all seemed to be very focused on their own interactions and of course the deceased individual in the casket, giving their respects to the dead. He was a little surprised being the ostentatious cyborg he was, though perhaps the casual nature of his wandering inside allowed him to be dismissed? More likely that the Ronin Trio was more the subject of interest, plus the casket.

 

Being ignored wasn't something he liked however, so Isaac wandered closer to the gathering of people and commented: "Cyborg wanders into a Hotel and no one bats an eye. That's a first I gotta say...who's dead?"

----------------
Grounded
----------------

Sol heard an abrupt shout from one of the people who walked into the lobby. He turned, assuming it was just some passerby, but then he looked up towards the mountain of a man. What's more, was that part of his body was totally covered in electronics. He looked like a robotic bodybuilder.

Sol replied "Um... Didn't notice ya there," with a slight nonchalance about his voice.

He was kinda hard not to notice.

Almost silently, Rose also entered the scene. Sol turned and waved, mouthing the word "Morning" to her as he turned.

"Who's dead?" Isaac asked, another unaware of the situation. Sol explained "It's, uh... Complicated."

At Yuna's response, Elise nodded and turned to Sol. She jerked her head towards Yuna, then called to the men standing by the casket "Alright boys! Get a move on!" They shifted, then heaved the casket up, exiting the hotel through an alternate route. Elise headed towards the front entrance.

Sol looked towards Corvus, who laid his hand on Yuna's shoulder. His dampened look... It was totally different than when he'd seen at the café. Maybe a bit shy, but estatic. Out of his element. But supportive nonetheless.

Sol didn't quite know how to approach Yuna. Corvus is definitely the one right for the job, he tried to convince himself. I'm not a leader. He thought. With one small push, he told Yuna "Yeah, sorry." Sol couldn't find better words, but the moment they slipped out, he knew he couldn't take them back.

He turned again, then to the rest, he said "No use hanging around here. If you feel like coming, let's head off." To Jarod, Sol said "Hey, Jarod! We'll touch base later." Sol headed towards the limo, glancing at Yuna as if he were paranoid at her presence. He tried to mask the guilt, just a little. He waved off the cyborg Issac, as well, although not even Elise took note of him.

The group was led to three limousines, white and adorned with wreath-like curtains on the side. Once everyone was in, the limos drove off to a nearby cemetery. Grass patches were lined within a concrete path. Cherry blossom trees grew along the perimeter of the cemetery, while graves were lined in rows, each with its own holographic tablet. In a slideshow manner, the name, picture, and dates of the dead were scribed. Some had a special message from families included in the slideshow.

"Right here!" Elise told the driver of the first vehicle, pointing out the window. The driver parked in a nearby lot, and the others followed suit behind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCJXpc02hAw

The spot was elegant - secluded almost, with perhaps three other graves in the vicinity. Behind it was a lake, glistening and untouched. The natural beauty seemed a touch away from reality from the cities. Sol merely wondered - what was beneath the ground, beneath the roots, that was so different from life above. Was it like this? Natural? Still? Calm? Tranquil? Sol closed his eyes, taking the fresh breath of air inside. He lost so much, even before the fall of Kalace. He hated losing everything — that's why he ran. But again, everything just seemed to follow him. The people he left behind, the bonds he'd broken to keep his heart safe; they weren't gone. They were replaced, with new bonds he couldn't shake loose. Were they shackles? They felt like a huge, guilty weight.

But the more he swam in the lake of these new bonds, the more he thought of his old ones. Was the sacrifice worth the sorrow? Would he ever be forgiven if he turned back?

Beneath the grass was a place of solace. Underneath burden. Underneath loss. It was a quiet patch of forgiveness, away from everything - from Kalace, from Corbenik.... From Sectilis.

-------

Elise was handed a tablet by one of the men. She walked to the resting spot, touching and typing a few things on the screen and tapping a "Confirm" button. She laid the tablet down, then a light beam shown from it, carving out a rectangular space in the grass. The spot disappeared, and beneath it lay a stone platform just barely below the ground that rose. The men hoisted the casket on it, then the platform sunk again into the ground. Elise looked to Yuna, and asked "Is there anything else you'd like to say to him, Yuna?"

Edited February 5, 20178 yr by Clouded Sun

~Yuna and Corvus~

 

~Nox Poetis~

 

Yuna watched the men taking her Father's casket to the font entrance. She faced Sol and said. "It's alright..." Corvus placed his hand on her shoulder. "C'mon.." he frowned as he takes Yuna to the Limo and goes inside with her.

 

~Funeral~

 

Yuna and Corvus follow the others as Corvus looks at some of the graves and was sad when he saw His brother's grave. Yuna looks at Elise and nodded to her. She then goes, taking a deep breath and begin her farewell speech. "Papa... I wanted to say... thank You for caring me..." she gets a rose, a white rose. "You were caring, sweet, and kind father. I'm glad I had you as a father and..." she started to sobs quietly as she continued. "It's really hard for me to see you go away..." she gets on her knees and continue sobbing.

{Nox Poetis; Hotel}

Amara again reassured herself that she didn't know Hanz. He was certainly a friendly chap.

"Just passing through, most likely." She answered politely.

She wasn't much for small talk, but it was sometimes necessary. Or so Jer kept saying.

"And you?" Amara asked Hanz.

Garok gave Hanz the stink eye, but said nothing. Jarod was about to continue his conversation with Sol, but the call to the funeral came out.

"I hope so." He replied to Sol. "It was my pleasure meeting you, Solace. Once again, you have my condolences."

Jarod stepped back out of the way of the procession, digesting what the meeting with Sol meant.

-Eclaire-

 

Clary frowned. She tugged Fiora behind her. "I don't." She said, placing herself between Lucia and Fiora. "And I have lost nothing. Though I found something, but I'd prefer if you stayed away. Your hunger isn't wanted near her." She said protectively, eyeing the Witch. "Zion can sate your hunger, if Iris lets you." She stayed level with her, eyes boring into Lucia's...not once looking down.

--------

Vow

--------

 

"Yuna..." Sol spoke, softly yet with the willingness to be heard. He wanted to give the girl something — anything. He touched her shoulder with his fingertips, then crouched down with her, eyes fixated on the slideshow. "It's hard to lose your family, huh? I got a bunch of shit that happened to me, too. Sometimes, I wish it all went away..."

 

Sol shifted to face Yuna. "But, you know, I'm still thinking about em. All you gotta do is carry them inside." Silence. Then, "I know an idiot who gave everything for me. If there's anything I can do for you..." He hesitated.

 

He looked to Corvus, dropping his eyes for a moment. "If you'd like", he spoke "we can head back."

-Iris - Nox Poetis-

 

Iris broke from her quiet moment with Zion once she realized the group was leaving for the funeral. She pulled away from Zion, and made her way out with the rest of the group, assuming Zion followed her out to the three white limos that were waiting for them. 'Fancy, perfect for Hat-Boy, and all his flair, and elegance.' She thought, and chuckled a bit, as a smile came to her lips.

 

-Funeral-

 

Iris frowned as she watched Yuna. 'I've never lost anything... Well, nothing like this.' Iris' mind raced, she narrowed her eyes, and looked to Sol, who was attempting to comfort the girl who had lost her father. "It's probably best if we do head back Sol." Iris chimed in. "This is obviously hard for her, the sooner she's allowed to leave, the sooner she can forget, and move on." Iris told him, a slight glare on her face.

 

She wasn't angry, but she didn't want to watch Yuna suffer for nothing. She had spoken, it was time for her to move on. She didn't know why she cared so much, she supposed it was because of the trauma they had gone through upon meeting. Situations like that seemed to make one grow fonder of others involved, despite all logic of them being complete strangers, and having no reason to care for one another.

- Hanz Arstor - Socializing -

 

"Leisuring" Hanz replied back to Amara, clearly the girl was no fan of small talk, she did seem like quite the serious, straightforward, no bullshit woman. As for her friend, the giant man who was giving Hanz the stink eye, an expression he was definitely no stranger to. Hanz simply replied back with a smug smile back at him. As he saw everyone leaving. "May we meet again, Im sure we can talk more then." Hanz said keeping the smile as he walked away to follow the others to the limousines. 

 

Materializing a wine bottle, one he had 'borrowed' from the kitchen as he took a glass and went inside one of the limos. Even though the mood was depressed and somber, Hanz still looked stylish. Dropping his smile to better fit in with everyone as they rode to the funeral. 

 

- Hanz Arstor - The Funeral -

 

Hanz attended in the Funeral, sure. But he was very detached from everyone, keeping silent and keeping his distance from most. While everyone was expressing sympathy for Yuna, hell, Hanz would have offered her his condolences as well. But this was just so similar to an earlier experience in his life. He stood silent with a serious expression, as this reminded him of losing his parents.

 

"Its not that easy." Hanz spoke after iris, whose statement did hold some truth, Yuna would have to move on. Hearing Sol speak to her as well. "Let her choose what to do." Hanz spoke, his voice holding a calm, yet sad tone. "i've been through the same. i know how it feels, its alright if you want some time to Mourn." Hanz spoke, trying to be reasonable. 

 

"I'l be here till the end of this, if anyone needs me." Hanz spoke. Without taking his eyes off the casket for even a second. 

 

He did notice some priests making some prayers in the background, this disgusted him to no end. Hell. It downright pissed him off, but he didn't show it. 'Yes, Pray to your gods...the gods that allowed the city and countless civilians to be attacked and die, the same gods who let their own servants die.' Hanz thought. Taking a deep breath.