Beck and Call 
Ash 10th, 120th Year, A.o.S.
What Rickter expected to hear from the Daizokura had been completely shattered, only by the mere simple truth she had spoken as her words sunk in. While not even he was a man made of stone, the wolf's frail sense of wounded pride remained only dismal at best. Because what the Iron Queen had to say was true, and in that regard, Rickter had literally nothing to offer. It took but a moment for him to realize there was no real malice in her tone, just a verifiable statement she made from her observations alone. And just as he started to reason with himself on the matter, the cold room itself turned dark the moment he'd drawn in another breath. With a single snap of her fingers, Sahfri's snap of the fingers wavered the light within the room, before the soft violet-blue glow of the torches and braziers held slowly returned.
The wolf became surrounded. Innately his body turned rigid at the sight of the numbers surrounding him, noticing that each and every soldier present, was one of Sahfri's own personal bodyguards at best. The black armor, the house symbol, there was no doubt in his mind that these were her loyal subjects. The warriors who'd sworn their life to their Queen and house, and cast aside their lives for the sole purpose of serving both. What struck Rickter as even more intriguing was how different many of them look, for not all were simply Avialae or Siltori for that matter. Orkhan, humans, hell even several Lycan-formed Rathari were discernable within the group. All these eyes surrounding him, even if they weren't fixed on Rickter alone, were more than enough to get under his skin.
In watching her men stand and salute, Rickter's eyes locked onto the Daizokura warily. She had reached into the jar now, taking the gem inside, and with a whisper, extracted it from the container as the flames flickered once more. It felt as though the very air in that room, while still cold, stirred with a faint resonance the wolf hadn't quite picked up before. The power that this woman alone had to possess began to alarm Rickter, as he could not help but bite his lip once he watched the ghoul croak. Its corporeal form turned to nothing but ash moments after, the only thing left now was the two in the room, and her entourage that watched the Queen and the wolf.
But her Grace clearly had no ill intent here, otherwise, she wouldn't have bothered speaking with him. Something else was afoot here, and it was something he'd find out soon. The Iron Queen continued on the concept of nothing, and sure enough, he was seemingly much like what she'd compared him as. A blank canvas. He may have been nothing but he wasn't necessarily that way, he simply needed to decide what to fill the canvas with firsthand. Funny. Somehow he pictured the canvas as his life in this scenario, and how much of what he'd already been through paled in comparison, to what it was he'd be going through if he went through with this decision. He had a very lofty choice to make, and it was one he contemplated heavily as he watched Sahfri continue.
The gemstone she'd taken glistened and emitted an unusual ethereal mist, the white stone then held up as it gravitated from her grasp. The wolf's blue eyes followed the steady trajectory of its path intimately, until it hovered within his vicinity at the level of his core. This stone... What he'd just seen had to no doubt be what remained of that man's soul, taken and remade into a secondary form with a new purpose. It didn't feel right for him to be offered such a thing, for what right did a simple man like him to hold onto the life of another? No. He realized he had started to look at this wrong, that the man's whose life was now in this gem, renounced the fact his life was his own, to begin with. It was his choice as to whether he drank whatever vile substance turned him into a monster, therefore he had clearly chosen the wrong cause when the attempt on Talon was made.
Sahfri then spoke of change. A concept not entirely foreign to Rickter anymore, given his current situation he was in now. Even now, in fact, he could feel that he stood on the precipice of change. This decision that lingered before him... It was not one for the faint of heart, and that much he was certain about. The way Sahfri spoke of her enemy made him shudder, as he could only see the reason for the statement she'd made on their attack. It had to be a statement, after all, they had to have known it was doomed otherwise. As closely guarded as the prince usually is, and as hardy and fair as the people of Kalzasi were; the people that made this threat were certainly bold indeed. Thus the stipulations of her choice were well received, making it clear to Rickter that this was not something to take lightly.
Though he had already known that from the beginning, hence his reason for uncertainty in the first place. Somebody like him, someone who didn't really have a place in the world... under normal circumstances, they'd be willing to accept this proposal in a heartbeat. Rickter on the other hand, who didn't have a place of his own, grew to accept that idea early on... only to find that others were willing to change it for him. There was no denying it, because what Sahfri saw in her son Talon... Rickter also saw it in the eyes of another. One who he'd protect no matter the cost, all because of a single night out in the fog. Already his hands shook before he clenched them into fists, his jaw clenched as Sahfri made it clear what his purpose would be. He just wouldn't become a guard dog. He'd become a warrior, hell even a weapon, that would smite down the enemies of House Novalys.
It made sense to him now, what his purpose would be if he chose, and somehow he was actually okay with it. Where there were those who brought about light within the world, there were those like Sahfri that also braved the dark. Such was the way, and the cost, to protect what mattered most in the world.
Telion had taken to stand closer to one of the windows found within the corridor, when the doors to the laboratory opened to reveal Aoren stepping out. Needless to say, her expression had been one of concern, especially when she noticed how worked up the Captain visibly was. Yet it was always the small moments that mattered, and when the Avialae noticed her still lingering, the light smile he gave her was returned with a faint smile of her own. "He is on his own. Zedros be with him." Were his words to the bard, as her eyes returned once more to the world outside the window.
"He'll be fine." She murmured lowly with a slight aversion to her eyes. "Ricky's one who takes things as they come." Telion gradually turned to where she faced Aoren again, with an elbow still resting on the stone frame beneath the window. "He may not think of himself much, but he doesn't realize how capable he really is." Her words were warm and endearing like before, and just sharing what insight she had on him seemed to lift her spirit.
"When we first met, he was letting a few assholes beat him senseless. It wasn't until my friend and I got involved, that he actually fought back against them." She pointed out with her head hung back, silently praying not just to Zedros but Vicis as well. "He may not believe in himself, but I do, and when the time comes he'll know what to do." It was then she looked back once more, smiling a little wider to Aoren, albeit a smile that was both hopeful and nervous for her companion.
His decision did not come easily. To sacrifice what little he already had was a steep price, and yet to Rickter, it was a price worth paying if it meant protecting others. In his heart... No. In every fiber of his being he knew, without power, he would not be able to conquer the shadows. In this cruel world where the weak were viciously culled, the meager scrambling for scraps, and the good struggled ceaselessly to bring about peace in the world... There were those who accepted the path laid out before them, becoming the ones who would brave the long night set before them.
So why should Rickter be any different? These soldiers, were warriors of the long night, the dividing line between light and darkness; between good and true evil. If this was where his place was destined to be, then to hell with whatever stipulations awaited him. The wolf felt it in his very blood when he reluctantly reached out though, within the chill plaguing his body there was something else, almost an innate fire that burned through his very veins just then. It was as though yet again something about him, demanded to reach out and take that power being gifted to him.
But he had not forgotten what it would cost, and most certainly what it would cost him in turn, should he fail to live up to the task before him. Failure wasn't an option for the wolf, and from this point forward there would be no turning back. Thus with his hand hovering mid-air between him and the stone, he glanced up at the Iron Queen before clenching his jaw; and then grasping the stone within the confines of his left hand. His heart dropped then and his mind raced. The surface of the stone felt cold and wet to the touch, and the ghostly mist surrounding it began to permeate his skin. Oddly enough he expected there to be a reaction when he did accept it, nonetheless, with the gemstone in hand Rickter looked to Sahfri with a newfound look of determination.
The wolf became surrounded. Innately his body turned rigid at the sight of the numbers surrounding him, noticing that each and every soldier present, was one of Sahfri's own personal bodyguards at best. The black armor, the house symbol, there was no doubt in his mind that these were her loyal subjects. The warriors who'd sworn their life to their Queen and house, and cast aside their lives for the sole purpose of serving both. What struck Rickter as even more intriguing was how different many of them look, for not all were simply Avialae or Siltori for that matter. Orkhan, humans, hell even several Lycan-formed Rathari were discernable within the group. All these eyes surrounding him, even if they weren't fixed on Rickter alone, were more than enough to get under his skin.
In watching her men stand and salute, Rickter's eyes locked onto the Daizokura warily. She had reached into the jar now, taking the gem inside, and with a whisper, extracted it from the container as the flames flickered once more. It felt as though the very air in that room, while still cold, stirred with a faint resonance the wolf hadn't quite picked up before. The power that this woman alone had to possess began to alarm Rickter, as he could not help but bite his lip once he watched the ghoul croak. Its corporeal form turned to nothing but ash moments after, the only thing left now was the two in the room, and her entourage that watched the Queen and the wolf.
But her Grace clearly had no ill intent here, otherwise, she wouldn't have bothered speaking with him. Something else was afoot here, and it was something he'd find out soon. The Iron Queen continued on the concept of nothing, and sure enough, he was seemingly much like what she'd compared him as. A blank canvas. He may have been nothing but he wasn't necessarily that way, he simply needed to decide what to fill the canvas with firsthand. Funny. Somehow he pictured the canvas as his life in this scenario, and how much of what he'd already been through paled in comparison, to what it was he'd be going through if he went through with this decision. He had a very lofty choice to make, and it was one he contemplated heavily as he watched Sahfri continue.
The gemstone she'd taken glistened and emitted an unusual ethereal mist, the white stone then held up as it gravitated from her grasp. The wolf's blue eyes followed the steady trajectory of its path intimately, until it hovered within his vicinity at the level of his core. This stone... What he'd just seen had to no doubt be what remained of that man's soul, taken and remade into a secondary form with a new purpose. It didn't feel right for him to be offered such a thing, for what right did a simple man like him to hold onto the life of another? No. He realized he had started to look at this wrong, that the man's whose life was now in this gem, renounced the fact his life was his own, to begin with. It was his choice as to whether he drank whatever vile substance turned him into a monster, therefore he had clearly chosen the wrong cause when the attempt on Talon was made.
Sahfri then spoke of change. A concept not entirely foreign to Rickter anymore, given his current situation he was in now. Even now, in fact, he could feel that he stood on the precipice of change. This decision that lingered before him... It was not one for the faint of heart, and that much he was certain about. The way Sahfri spoke of her enemy made him shudder, as he could only see the reason for the statement she'd made on their attack. It had to be a statement, after all, they had to have known it was doomed otherwise. As closely guarded as the prince usually is, and as hardy and fair as the people of Kalzasi were; the people that made this threat were certainly bold indeed. Thus the stipulations of her choice were well received, making it clear to Rickter that this was not something to take lightly.
Though he had already known that from the beginning, hence his reason for uncertainty in the first place. Somebody like him, someone who didn't really have a place in the world... under normal circumstances, they'd be willing to accept this proposal in a heartbeat. Rickter on the other hand, who didn't have a place of his own, grew to accept that idea early on... only to find that others were willing to change it for him. There was no denying it, because what Sahfri saw in her son Talon... Rickter also saw it in the eyes of another. One who he'd protect no matter the cost, all because of a single night out in the fog. Already his hands shook before he clenched them into fists, his jaw clenched as Sahfri made it clear what his purpose would be. He just wouldn't become a guard dog. He'd become a warrior, hell even a weapon, that would smite down the enemies of House Novalys.
It made sense to him now, what his purpose would be if he chose, and somehow he was actually okay with it. Where there were those who brought about light within the world, there were those like Sahfri that also braved the dark. Such was the way, and the cost, to protect what mattered most in the world.
---
Telion had taken to stand closer to one of the windows found within the corridor, when the doors to the laboratory opened to reveal Aoren stepping out. Needless to say, her expression had been one of concern, especially when she noticed how worked up the Captain visibly was. Yet it was always the small moments that mattered, and when the Avialae noticed her still lingering, the light smile he gave her was returned with a faint smile of her own. "He is on his own. Zedros be with him." Were his words to the bard, as her eyes returned once more to the world outside the window.
"He'll be fine." She murmured lowly with a slight aversion to her eyes. "Ricky's one who takes things as they come." Telion gradually turned to where she faced Aoren again, with an elbow still resting on the stone frame beneath the window. "He may not think of himself much, but he doesn't realize how capable he really is." Her words were warm and endearing like before, and just sharing what insight she had on him seemed to lift her spirit.
"When we first met, he was letting a few assholes beat him senseless. It wasn't until my friend and I got involved, that he actually fought back against them." She pointed out with her head hung back, silently praying not just to Zedros but Vicis as well. "He may not believe in himself, but I do, and when the time comes he'll know what to do." It was then she looked back once more, smiling a little wider to Aoren, albeit a smile that was both hopeful and nervous for her companion.
---
His decision did not come easily. To sacrifice what little he already had was a steep price, and yet to Rickter, it was a price worth paying if it meant protecting others. In his heart... No. In every fiber of his being he knew, without power, he would not be able to conquer the shadows. In this cruel world where the weak were viciously culled, the meager scrambling for scraps, and the good struggled ceaselessly to bring about peace in the world... There were those who accepted the path laid out before them, becoming the ones who would brave the long night set before them.
So why should Rickter be any different? These soldiers, were warriors of the long night, the dividing line between light and darkness; between good and true evil. If this was where his place was destined to be, then to hell with whatever stipulations awaited him. The wolf felt it in his very blood when he reluctantly reached out though, within the chill plaguing his body there was something else, almost an innate fire that burned through his very veins just then. It was as though yet again something about him, demanded to reach out and take that power being gifted to him.
But he had not forgotten what it would cost, and most certainly what it would cost him in turn, should he fail to live up to the task before him. Failure wasn't an option for the wolf, and from this point forward there would be no turning back. Thus with his hand hovering mid-air between him and the stone, he glanced up at the Iron Queen before clenching his jaw; and then grasping the stone within the confines of his left hand. His heart dropped then and his mind raced. The surface of the stone felt cold and wet to the touch, and the ghostly mist surrounding it began to permeate his skin. Oddly enough he expected there to be a reaction when he did accept it, nonetheless, with the gemstone in hand Rickter looked to Sahfri with a newfound look of determination.
"Every side attacks you when you don't pick sides."
