• Closed • [Augustin Residence] Loose Ends. (Faith, Lyn)

[Nir'wei]

12th of Ashan, 719.

The time had come. The moment he'd dreaded. Honestly, he'd put it off because he genuinely believed he could solve the problem himself; perhaps it would resolve itself, even. Lynessa knew who it was, anyway. Or he hoped that she did. That should have been an end to the problem... but... but he couldn't just let what happened on that day fade into obscurity. Someone else had to know, someone he trusted. Xithyria was a good candidate, that much was absolutely certain, but what good could he do, as a Guardian, as a low-ranking soldier? Could even he be the traitor? His mind immediately screamed no; the knight was absolutely rigid in his core beliefs, to an absolutely insane degree. Then again, that could be precisely what he wanted everyone to believe. He simply couldn't be certain. Vald was no better. The man was a drunkard half the time and a fool the rest of it. He couldn't be trusted as far as he could be thrown.

That only left one person, really, that he could turn to. Faith. She'd met Ilaren, for Karem's sake... and if there was anyone in the world he could trust with this information, it was her. The last person in the world to betray anyone, even her worst enemy. She'd already asked about the Ring of Fire in their earlier meetings and he'd pushed her away, out of embarrassment, out of uncertainty. Out of fear of what it could mean, for himself, for her. How to bring it up now, then? "Just say it," Greyhide sighed as he padded along beside him, shaking out his fur. "She'll understand, you know she will. Say it, explain it, leave no detail out." It was obvious what he meant by that, too. Lynessa. She was... she was dangerous, now. Not a traitor, no; it'd be unfair to dismiss her so easily, considering the sacrifice she'd made for the information, but... but she was now a ticking time bomb. At any point she could be asked to do unspeakable things in his name. What if she was in the same room as Ilaren? Lightning Knight high command? Hell, what if she was in the same room as Faith?

His pace picked up a little more, but he'd already been at a brisk trot; now he was bordering a full-out run towards Faith's house, Greyhide padding shortly behind, panting softly from exertion. The morning suns were still touching the horizon. Morning dew still hung on the grass and dripped from the trees, cold enough to chill but the weather had improved considerably since Cylus' icy grip had softened. They were no longer buried under snow and ice, at least. No more pulling icicles from his hair. As usual, he'd thrown on nothing but a very creased shirt and some trousers which were already slipping from around his waist, but he'd at least taken the time to find clean clothes this time, and splash some water on his face. In fact, this might have been the closest passing for clean he'd ever made before, at least with her. He muttered a silent prayer that she'd still be inside when he marched up the steps and started banging on the door. "Faith? FAITH? We... we need to talk, please! It's important!" Greyhide added his own voice to the cacophony and threw his head back, barking at the upper floors. "Faith, are you home? Please be home... oh please..."

[Faith Augustin]

"Oh! You're so clever! Come to me!" Faith said, holding out her hands to Madison who toddled over to her mother and plonked down on Faith's lap. Faith, and Noah, both clapped at this and Madison gave a toothy grin. "No-no," she said ~ her name for her twin brother and, true enough, Noah stood and almost sauntered over. He wasn't toddling at all, Faith thought, and he sat down on Faith's other leg as she and Madison both clapped for him. "So, then, you two," Faith said, kissing first one, then the other, on the head. "Shall we read a book? Or shall we sing a song?"

It was something that they did often, Faith always tried to give them choices, get them used to choosing and then, as always, they spoke at the same moment. "Book!" Noah said, pointing a small digit at his sister. Madison pointed at Noah and, in the same second said, "Song!". They found this a most funny situation and descended into giggles which seemed to come from their tummies. Grinning at the pair of them, Faith did a great show of choosing whose choice she was going to pick, her finger pointing to one, then the other, then back again as she apparently thought about this. "SONG!"

The three of them started to giggle and then, there was a knock on the door. No, that wasn't true, it was a banging on the door, and Faith scooped the children up in her arms and made her way out.

Before she got there, however, the door was answered by woman in her mid-thirties, with blonde hair and perfect make-up. Padraig's grandfather's girlfriend ~ less than half said grandfather's age and rather prone to....

'NIR'WEI! Oh, it's you, you beautiful creature!' Katie (otherwise known as the glittermonster) said. She'd never met Nir'wei, but she'd heard of him and that was enough. 'Oh, you must be. Oh, you look just like our little doll says. Look at you, you gorgeous creature. Let Katie see you properly!' With no regard for personal space, the woman first cupped his face in her hands, then pinched his cheek. '"Faith speaks so highly of you!'

"Hello, Nir'wei," Faith said, from the corridor. She was holding the twins in her arms. "Come on in. Katie, would you mind taking the children?" Whether Faith did that to be helpful to Nir'wei, or to distract Katie from the cheek pinching would remain a mystery, but as the twins reached out their arms with cries of 'Kay!', Faith turned to Nir'wei. "Come in," she said, her silver eyes regarding him.

Into the living room they went, while Katie took the children off. One of the Velduris wolves stayed with Faith and Nir'wei, as did Cosmo the dog, while the other went with the children. As soon as the door was closed, Faith turned to Nir'wei and asked, apparently calmly. "What's wrong? Has something happened?"

[Lynessa]

Lynessa stood by Lake Lovalus, her feet dipped into the shallow edges as she looked into the water. Her diri flickered to life and flew across its surface. For once, the young woman wasn’t clad in armor or armed to the teeth. All she wore was a flowy white dress, the silver chains of her order, and Stormsister strapped to her calf. People stared at her as they passed, perhaps wondering what a girl was doing staring off into nothing.

She had been spending an incredible amount of time by the lake these days. The water seemed to offer more comfort ever since she was bound to Iselya – which wasn’t entirely surprising she supposed. A part of her hoped that if she sat by the lake as much as she could, at some point perhaps she could learn more about the power that hid underneath it. Not much luck for that, unfortunately.

At least today she had a more legitimate reason to be by the water. To find the woman named Faith Augustin. Dealing with the Flameborns had delayed this particular task of hers. Early last season she had been gathering more solid evidence regarding the traitor’s involvement, but all that had to be halted when she was called to Storm’s Edge – the matter certainly seemed more pressing at the time. Also the fact that she was a bit worried whether or not the information provided to her might be a trick of Faldrun’s.

No matter. She would rather see for herself whether the information was accurate or not. After all, what she had learned from investigating Clara Wrenbrook supported the vision that was given to her. Just as she dried her feet and slipped them into her flats, her eyes caught the form a familiar figure. A particular Lightning Knight initiate.

She waved at the man, but he seemed too distracted to notice. Somehow, the world had thrown her together with Nir’wei ever since their first encounter at the Azurewind and he had proved to be a good ally. Much to her surprise, he headed for the massive lakeside house – the very one she was about to visit. Which he quickly enter, like he was a familiar guest.

Interesting…

Lynessa quickly followed his footsteps and paused in front of the door. Everything she had learned about the woman named Faith had been good things, marvelous things even… After taking a deep breath, she knocked.

[Oracle]

Modbomb

The knock sounded as Lynessa’s knuckles tapped on the door.

“Hello little priestess.”

The masculine voice rang out within the Thunder Priestess’s mind, the flame shaped mark on her wrist stung as if hot wax had been pressed to it. The voice was chillingly familiar and would be a burning reminder of the deal she had made with a particular god.

Faldrun.

“Running to my cousin’s champion for help?” Faldrun asked with an audible sneer. The Immortal with those burning eyes was nowhere to be seen, but his voice spoke to Lynessa all the same.

“I doubt you realized what our deal would entail, perhaps next time you will be wise enough to negotiate far better terms.” He laughed, his voice sharp and biting within the confines of the Thunder Priestesss’s consciousness.

“But now you are bound to me, and I to you. Until our bargain is concluded, there is no thought you can hide from me, no dream that I cannot step into.”

Faldrun’s voice crackled like flames as he continued, revealing one last horrifying truth to the young woman.

“In a word my dear you are perfect; a perfect spy who can never ever escape me.” The voice of Faldrun began to grow more distant as if he was departing from her mind for the moment.

“I look forward to working together.” The Immortal added with an unspoken, incredibly satisfied smile.

With those last words the painful burning from the mark on her arm vanished as if Faldrun’s attention had been taken elsewhere. For the moment Lynessa was alone within her own head, allowing the woman time to realize the trouble that she was in.

She had made a deal with a god; an entity known for manipulation and destruction. A creature who was her utter enemy, and now they were inexorably tied together. As she had set no specific terms in their agreement, Faldrun could keep his new spy bound to him for as long as he had a use for her. Perhaps then one day he would call in that favor, granting the woman her freedom.

But until then, she was the most perfectly placed spy he could have imagined. A trusted Thunder Priestess who had been showed favor by Ilaren. She was trusted by the Immortal and by her fellow sisters. Now that trust would be turned into a weapon.


When the door was opened, Faith and Nir might notice a faint fiery glow still clinging to the mark on Lynessa’s arm, which would fade away within a split trill. Perhaps it was nothing, or maybe it was something that deserved investigation. Either way, the situation had become a dangerous one for the priestess. Should she come clean or bury her deepest sin?

Plot notes

Lynessa: From now on, any time Lynessa tries to tell anyone about her deal with Faldrun, the mark on her arm will begin to burn painfully. The more she fights to tell the truth, the more pain will be inflicted upon her. It will become so agonizing that it will feel as if molten oil is being poured across her hand and wrist. If she resist further she will begin to see hallucinations of flames erupting across her arms and beginning to burn her alive.

No actual damage will be done to her, but the psychological damage will be great. She will also be compelled to lie about her bargain, should she lie, the pain will instantly vanish to be replaced with a relaxing cool sensation.

Note

This is a one off mod post. The thread may continue with the original posting order.

[Nir'wei]

Honestly, as he grew more and more nervous that he'd already arrived too late, his mind wound itself in little circles, wondering exactly how he was going to end up bringing the subject forward. What he would even do, faced with Lyn in a one-on-one. Though he had his brief, fleeting moments of competence, he really didn't do well with confrontations, physical or verbal. It was one of the many reasons he'd held onto the knowledge for so long, so much longer than he should have. How to even bring it up? How to even discuss it, to make anyone understand the danger standing in plain sight, the... the darkness of it all.

By the time the door opened, he almost flung himself forward, beginning a loud call of "FAI--" and stopping short when he realised the woman in front of him was decidedly not his sister-in-heart. Certainly as friendly though. Perhaps a little too friendly, given the fact that he'd never seen her before in his life, and she was getting decidedly far too handsy. "I... huh?" Even Greyhide was caught up in the confusion, left sitting on his hindquarters and staring blankly with neither a bark nor a whine. Fat lot of good he was, guard dog my arse! "Hey, hey! Look with your eyes, not with your hands!" He didn't mean to be rude, but honestly, he had boundaries! Though pulling away just seemed to make her pinch harder, so he was forced to wait until Faith rescued him, his ineffective hand-flapping doing little to distract the unknown guest until she was saddled with the two toddlers.

"Faith, thank Karem... you need to tell me who that is later, but right now, you and I need to talk." Greyhide followed suit inside and sat at the door, eyeing the other Velduris wolf briefly before padding over and nuzzling it. "It's not what's happened, it's what happened... a few seasons ago." Actually, quite a lot of seasons ago. "Ymiden, last arc. Before I knew you were back, before any of it, but I should have told you, I'm sorry. I just, I didn't even know how to explain." He still didn't. All his words jumbled together as they flooded from his mouth like a waterfall. "Back in the Order, when you, or well, when I mentioned the Ring, and then... we were going to talk about it, but I couldn't, because, well, I couldn't, but. But I'm ready. We need to talk. And then we need to go to Il--"

Greyhide's ears perked at the same moment Nir's head suddenly rose. Knocking at the door. "Someone's here." Now could not be a worse time for interruptions! "It... it's waited too long already Faith, this is important. This is..." he paused, looking around the room, half helpless, half nervous, nearly terrified if he was entirely honest. "This is dangerous." As much good Lyn had done, as much as he'd seen her do already, there was no excusing what he'd seen, no redeeming it. She'd taken a deal with the literal devil and she hadn't even hesitated. She'd burn for it, but if that were the case, it'd be a sad day, a loss, but that wasn't it. They'd all burn for it. Everyone. Ilaren. Karem. Faith.

His wolf rose, unseen, and padded across the living room to lick at Nir's hand. "Hey. Hey, listen. It's okay, alright? Just calm down, breathe a little." Reflexively he curled fingers around the wolf's skull and stroked it slowly, grooming it for comfort. It was such a silly gesture, but the wolf's presence had never failed to ease his stress in dire straits, and by Karem he needed it now, if ever. Deep breaths. Calm, simple thoughts, helping to soften the ripples of his mind, back to a still lake, calm on the surface.

"Sorry." He'd never been so jumpy before. Perhaps it was the lack of sleep. The nightmares of burning men and talking flames. "Mind if I take a seat somewhere? Catch my... just try and settle my thoughts. Sorry. Ahh... sorry."

[Faith Augustin]

Katie, who had been entirely undeterred by Nir'wei's batting at her, had ignored his words utterly and who simply beamed in delight at him, was quick to take the children. Nir'wei and Faith made their way into the lounge and Faith sat and listened to him as he spoke. At first, he was rambling and talking about how he should have told her something before. Faith shook her head, looking at him with as calm an expression as she could. "It's fine. It's fine, Nir'wei. We're here now. Tell me now." He was obviously upset, very concerned, and Faith took hold of his hands. It was about the Ring, they needed to talk and then to get to Ilaren, she assumed from the first sound out of his mouth. But then, mid-word, there was a knock on the door.

And it sent Nir'wei into melt down. More than that, though, he said something guaranteed to make her react. It was dangerous? Faith nodded her head. "Sit there," she said, calmly. Then, she moved to the door to the living room. Alissa, her body guard, was already on her way and so Nir'wei heard the conversation. "Whoever is at the door, there's some danger. I'd like you nearby. Can you get the door, and get the children somewhere safe. Please, Katie." Alissa asked Faith what she wanted to do, in terms of who was there, and Faith considered it. "Give us time. But bring them in. " At which, Faith closed the door again, and turned back to her friend. She walked over to Nir'wei and sat next to him, taking his hand into hers.

"Katie is as good a swordswoman as me. Alissa is better. There are all sorts of protections here and we will not hesitate to act if there is any danger. So. Breathe, be calm, and tell me it. From beginning to end." She smiled, encouragingly at him. "It's about the Ring, you'll tell me and then we'll go to Ilaren. No problem." No problem at all, she thought to herself. But, if it was this important, then they'd make it happen. So, she smiled encouragingly at him and said no more, willing him to speak.

Meanwhile, Lynessa would find the door being opened by a biqaj woman. Tall and muscular, she gave the Thunder Priestess a once-over, glancing at her and then she raised an eyebrow. "Hello," she said, in a friendly enough manner. With her there was a wolf, pure white with deep golden amber eyes. It was a puppy, still, but was behaving. "Are you here to see Faith or Padraig?" There was no invitation to come inside from this woman, simply a calm appraisal and asking of a question. Alissa stood, quite casually. While she wasn't wearing a sword on her hip, there was one in a belt which hung on the wall. Swirling biqaj eyes regarded Lyn and she asked, "are they expecting you?" Once there was an answer, she would nod and smile, then open the door to invite Lyn in.

Inside, Faith lifted her hand and put it on Nir'wei's cheek. "Don't you worry, brother-of-my-heart," she said softly. "We'll overcome this together." And they would. He told her of the woman, and Faith nodded. "Then, we should help her before she becomes a danger"

The house was meticulously clean and cared for. There was an air of comfort in the place, deep cushions, soft armchairs, things like that. Alissa would bring Lynessa to a door, tap it twice and then, let her in. At which point, Faith stood and smiled. Running Nir'wei's description through her mind, Faith considered that the Immortals were, once again, having a chuckle. "Hello," she said, softly. "I believe you two know each other? I'm Faith." Silver eyes regarded Lynessa as she spoke. "How can I help?"

[Nir'wei]

She probably shouldn't have taken his hands. He squeezed them hard, just short of digging his nails in, with the grip of a man hanging from a ledge. Even calming his breathing and relaxing his mind didn't loose that hold. Not until she pulled away and he was left sitting while she sorted out the door. Thank Karem for bodyguards, though really it didn't matter how good Alissa was with a sword, she wasn't enough in his opinion. All he could do was squirm, unable to be soothed even by the downy softness of the sofa's plush pillows until Faith returned once more and he gripped her hands even more fervently than before. How could she be so calm and collected at a time like this? Oh, right. He hadn't told her yet.

"The Ring, yes. The Ring." His eyelids fluttered shut for a moment as he sucked in a deep breath. Even as calm as he tried to make it, he still shuddered as he pulled his head back and sat as straight as he could. "Last arc, Ymiden. They attacked the market, Azurewind Market. It... I was just doing a bit of shopping, and it all..." He'd been turned the other way when it'd happened, but he'd seen it all the same. Standing in the smoldering remains of a marketplace as the crowds of men, women, children, screamed and burned before him. They'd been the reason for his survival. Cushioning the blow was a callous way to put it, but it wasn't inaccurate. The bodies had melted together until there was no way to tell how many there were. Just... black lumps and the smell of cooked flesh. Death, he'd only seen once before. Three young women, mutilated on the streets of Rynmere for saying the wrong thing to the wrong person at a banquet. He'd thought he'd seen it all. How horribly wrong he'd been.

Perhaps by not talking about it, by not facing what had happened, he'd been shielding himself all this time from the true, cold reality of what he'd seen that day. Why tears snaked down his cheeks as he drew another ragged breath and looked away. "They were gone, it all... all gone, and, and it, I..." He never saw Greyhide until the wolf jumped between them both and pressed its head under his chin. He wrapped both hands tight around the wolf, crushing it in a hug, and for the first time ever, he whispered a quiet prayer, not to Karem, or Ilaren, or Moseke, or the Fates. "Sev snẹyä tä ohunkohun skepek, gbà bọsẹyẹ eo skepek... gbà bọsẹyẹ eo skepek, mum..."

He didn't hear Greyhide's response, if there were any, but for a time there were only tears. For the nameless lost in the market, countless, ageless dead in the most horrible way. For Vabina's owner, dead before their eyes. Strangely enough, even for the nameless woman that called him wolf-brother. He didn't know how long he could have gone. The rest of the day, at least. Longer, probably. An arc, longer, all of it. Corked up inside, all these feelings, all this fear and loss and hurt had festered like an illness. Like a rot. Why couldn't he just stop being such a burden to everyone around him, so weak, so spineless, some spiteful little part of himself asked with acid in its breath. Faith had gone through enough, she shouldn't have to deal with his shit on top of it. Suck it up and tell her what you wanted her to hear!

He sniffled suddenly and sat up again, vaguely aware of the scampering of little paws in the back of his skull as he rubbed away tears that continued to smear his cheeks and chin with wet tracks. Another shuddering sigh at least feigned the sense of control. And he began again. "They attacked, they killed, they... had red hair, but one spoke to me in Xanthean, she, she called me brother, and I... we... when they were dead, we moved on." Another breath. "The bank, they were there. But inside there was a leader, a woman with fire, and she fought, and she... and then he... Faith, he was here." A third swallow. "In the city. He was here. Faldrun."

There was no pause, no moment to let this all sink in. Now that he was talking, stopping would result in just more tears, more weakness. "He was behind it all, not just them, him, all of it. He said, he said there was a traitor, that they were serving someone else, but they were his, he knew it all. Someone inside the Lightning Knights, or the Thunder Priestesses was behind it all." That alone should have been enough to warrant extreme danger. "There's more," he added breathlessly. "He offered, he, he taunted us with knowledge by offering, trying to offer a deal." There should have been anger in his voice. There had been, on that day. Courage where courage was needed. But this was the aftermath, the leftovers of soul. Tired, and scared, and cold. "I didn't take it, but one of the knights did."

It'd taken far, far too long to reach this moment, but now that it was there, a hidden fount of strength pushed him over the finish line. His red, raw eyes even managed to lift as far as Faith's own. Watery, but firm. "She took a deal with Faldrun, a favour. Any favour, at any time. Faith, she's a walking bomb." Somehow his voice grew more frantic still. "She's the only one that knows the true identity of the traitor and we have to bring down every scrap of their hold on this city before they can do any more harm, we need her for that, but... she's as much a pawn for Faldrun now as anyone else, and we need to stop her before Faldrun completes whatever sick plan he has ready." Now came for the worst news. "I... I didn't catch her name, but I remember her face. Brown hair, brown eyes... thin, somewhere around six and a half feet, I think, small nose and a round chin. I'd remember her in a crowd, I-I think. We just need to, to..."

Greyhide whined softly and licked at Nir's chin. "He took so much, Faith. So much. And he laughed, and taunted us, as if it was all just a game. He can't have you too. Don't let him take you."

[Lynessa]

“Hello little priestess.”

The familiar voice made a shiver travel down her spine before she even felt the pain flaring on her inner wrist. She would never forget that voice, not while she still breathed. It had been a while since Lynessa felt anything from the brand, but it seemed like Faldrun wanted to give her a stark reminder. She nearly stumbled as she thought back, What do you want? Somehow she knew that she could send her thoughts to him, communicate somehow.

Her confusion was soon answered. “But now you are bound to me, and I to you. Until our bargain is concluded, there is no thought you can hide from me, no dream that I cannot step into.” Her body tensed as she felt his words rang with truth. The blood in her veins turned to ice as her heart thundered. No. No. You can’t do this. The deal was only for a favor. Not that it mattered to him. The Eternal Flame continued taunting her smugly, knowing that she was helpless against him.

All her strength suddenly left her as she took in what Faldrun was saying. He had tricked her and now he could use her however he wanted. Perhaps this was what he meant to do all along, to bind her to him. Lynessa had tried convincing herself that whatever the immortal would ask… Whatever it was it would be insignificant. The young woman was a nobody, a low-ranking spy. If it came to it, whatever she did would be easily thwarted by her people.

But this… By Ilaren’s thunder, she wasn’t ready to deal with this.

The hazel-eyed priestess straightened just as the door was opened as she was greeted by a woman. Lynessa was used to putting on a mask and so it wasn’t all difficult to return the smile. Her entire being was slowly calming down, fortunately, because she could feel that Faldrun had truly left her for the moment. Clearly, the universe wasn’t allowing her much time to process all this. “Yes, I am looking for Faith. Although, I am definitely not expected, I sort of made a spontaneous decision to come here.”

Lynessa had no problem making an appointment or rescheduling her visit – after all from what she had heard, Faith Augustin was a busy lady. But fortunately that was not the case. She was quickly escorted into the house. They stopped in front of the door and she could hear voices talking behind it, sharp and muffled – nothing she could make out. Her gut churned uncomfortably and she didn’t like it. And then the door swung open, revealing a pale woman with flaming eyes and dark hair. "How can I help?" she asked.

“Yes, actually… I have something to tell you. From what I’ve heard, you might be interested in what I have learned about the Ring,” Lynessa explained, deciding that it was best for her to just get to the point. It was then that her gaze slid over to Nir’wei as his tense mannerism, suddenly curious at what had upset him so. “And yes, I do know Nir’wei. Am I interrupting something? I can come back later.”

[Faith Augustin]

First things first and before anything, Faith was Nir'wei's friend and, as such, she wrapped her arms around him and did her best to comfort him when he got so emotional. She hated to see him so upset, but she didn't ask him to stop, question what was the matter. He had these emotions and, like all emotions, they needed an out. So, she kept her arms around him and just let him let out the emotions he was feeling. The two of them had been friends far too long for anything else to be what she did there. So, she comforted him and she waited for him to be able to continue. What he had described at Azurewind Market must have been truly awful, and she knew Nir'wei well enoug to surmise that he had been holding on to this since it had happened. He did that, he let things fester and that then ended up like this. Poor Nir'wei, Faith thought, and she just looked at Greyhide and gave a soft smile.

When Nir'wei was finished, spent from the emotions which threatened to overwhelm him, he lifted his head and began to speak, once again. Her face darkened at his words. Faldrun. Faith considered it, further. "One of his followers tried to kill Padraig and I in Vhalar. At the circus." Ilaren had been there, too, and the man had been quickly dispatched, Faith assured him, but still. The Immortal of Turmoil was getting more bold, there was no doubt. Still, right now she had to just focus on what Nir'wei was saying and that was what she did.

One of the Knights, a female who Nir'wei would recognise, took the deal Faldrun offered? Faith sighed, shaking her head slightly. Then, the woman who had taken this deal was the only one who knew the name of the traitor? Well, that was just about typical, Famula's champion considered. Nothing was ever straightforward, it was the way of life, for them both. But at the last words, Nir'wei spoke, Faith shook her head. "He won't. We'll see this through, together. Totally, one hundred percent, together. Alright?" She gave a slight smile. "I'm not going anywhere. We'll see it through."

Then, Allissa let in the woman.

The woman who matched Nir'wei's description and Faith breathed in slightly as she sent a silent prayer to Famula, Vri, Moseke and Ymiden; thanking them all for the reminder that irony existed. Alive and well and currently in her living room, that was where irony was. Still, this woman was a Lightning Knight and, judging from Nir'wei had said, she was in a very high pressure situation. She'd made a decision which Faith really wished she hadn't, but Faith was marked by Ymiden for a reason; she wasn't quick to jump to conclusions about people and she accepted that everyone made mistakes.

And the woman's introduction made Faith feel much more inclined to believe that she was far from the bad guy here; but that being said Faith still knew that ~ especially where Faldrun was involved ~ there was no being too careful. "Very much, I would like to know what you know about the Ring." Faith said. One glance at Nir'wei was enough to tell her that this was the woman in question and so Faith held out her hand to Lynessa. As she did, offering to shake hands, Faith used the 'Know the Master' ability from her Zuuda mark. This, Faith figured, would allow her to know whether the Lightning Knight in front of her was a woman who made a bad choice, or a bad woman who made a choice. The difference there, of course, would determine the difference in her response here.

Off Topic

Sorry for short post, but the outcome of this power will determine a lot. Power Faith is using is:
A Zuuda with this ability can see the lines of service that bind an individual. A powerful ability, the Zuuda must observe someone, concentrate on them for at least two bits at Favored, one bit at Adored and at Exalted, the Zuuda need only concentrate for a few trill (seconds), and use this ability. Know the Master will bring the face or the sigil of who or what the individual serves in their heart. Often a Zuuda never has to ask who someone works for, they can see the truth of their service and devotion within their soul. If the individual only serves themselves or serves nothing in particular, this ability only imparts a cold sense of emptiness.
Thanks!

[Nir'wei]

Strange, to think this was what he'd always needed, even if he didn't really understand it until that moment. Despite being surrounded at all times by voices, opening up to Greyhide felt no different than talking to himself; talking with Archailist was, for all intensive purposes, literally talking to himself. Letting everything out to another person was like finally getting confirmation that he wasn't insane, that this wasn't all something made up or irrational. It should have made him feel worse, some small part of his mind told him with a suspiciously high-pitched voice. Except now that he could finally see the threat for what it was, they could fight it. "It must irk him, how problematic you are for him." Perhaps it wasn't paranoid thinking at all to wonder if all this was something aimed at taking down Faith, not just Ilaren or senior members of the Knights. "The really... the really worrying thing isn't just that, though." Something about this all stank rotten. "All of this was so cold and calculating. He killed all those people just to make sure we'd be there at the right moment at the end, to make sure that when he offered the deal we'd be pushed to accepting it regardless of the cost." The Faldrun he'd heard from stories was always wild, reckless, and needlessly violent; the personification of rage. Had he always been so sly and devious just under the surface? He'd smiled at them both, standing over the corpse of his own follower, as he lamented how useful she'd been.

His voice still felt shaky and he didn't think he could stand unaided at that moment, but there was at least something resembling clarity in his tone as he closed his eyes and swallowed. Yes. Together. "I'm sorry I didn't bring this to you sooner... it's... well, it's been a long couple of seasons." Karem, that felt like the biggest understatement of the season, but it felt as true as anything. Honestly, sat there with the wolf on his lap, lamenting his own silly follies, he didn't even become aware of Lynessa's entrance until the door audibly clicked shut.

It wasn't his first time seeing her after the Azurewind Market attack, but it was the first time seeing her so close to Faith, and that put him on edge much more than ever before. She must have seen it from the way she looked at him and he nearly opened his mouth to say something, but the way that Faith looked at him made the words die on his tongue. She knew. She understood. Was it respect for her that let them carry on before him even though it felt like, at any moment, she could make a swipe for Faith's neck and none of them would be able to move fast enough to stop her? Or fear that the knife could so swiftly turn towards him as well?

Greyhide eyed her suspiciously as he eased down from his place on Nir's lap and did his best to 'casually' walk close to her, sitting just a few steps away near to the doorway, but the wolf was every bit as tense as him, lips on the edge of curling back into an outright snarl. Her actions on that day had impacted the wolf a hell of a lot more. Something about standing up for what you believed in. Strange, to think how much the wolf often showed intense belief in personal sacrifice, though more and more it seemed like those rules only applied when he was being sacrificed. For anyone else to do it, especially Nir'wei, would be utterly selfish and needless, of course.