As you are (Backdated to the 2nd)

[heretic_hamlet]

Who: Ramza, Fortuna, Mukuro, and Yu
Where: Near the southeast gate
When: August 2nd, dawn
Summary: Zeloph has offered a chance to talk things through. Ramza isn't going to make the same mistakes twice; he's going to listen, he's going in with allies, and he's not going to be taken for a fool.
Warnings: Potential plot spoilers.

There was a chill in his bones and a gnawing somewhere in the pit of his stomach. But for once- if only thanks to his company- he was sure that miasma and touch-starvation wasn't to blame for it. That wasn't to say there wasn't a rotten air lingering above them in light the day's affairs... and it was an all too familar one, at that. And the entire affair stank of it.

It wasn't as though he feared getting attacked or caught off-guard, either- especially not with allies such as these at his sides. Yu had the air of an impeccable mediator, and he'd long since come to know Fortuna's prowess with machines and battle alike. Mukuro was more of an unknown to him, and for a moment he had his doubts... but who was he to turn down someone else who sought only to know the truth of their lot? She was even-- Gods help her!-- a soldier in her own right.

Yet there they were, praying their skills would be happily wasted in a peaceful parley.

But it would be for the best. Ramza never wished to see his own sword draw blood, however meager the amount or source, but he would be damned if ever he once again cut short a just plea at the neck.

When the gates finally came into view, Ramza laboriously checked his watch, and cast a glance behind to his companions.

"Soft, now... but sharp eyes all around."

Comments

[dead_eyed_wolf]

Troll! An explanation! She shook her head quickly. They certainly did not have anything like trolls in her world.

"The Awakening?" Mukuro rolled the name around a bit, and ended up shaking her head again. "I've never heard of it. We had... uh, we had The Tragedy, but... that's not..." Oh, her sister's petty games. "It's probably... very different," she finished, voice stilted. Not really a conversational topic she should be bringing up right before they walk into battle together.

[shadowsgambit]

"Yeah, I don't think that sounds the same, either. The Awakening was when magic showed up all of a sudden. I never paid much attention in history class, so I couldn't tell you much more than that. Just that a lot of things changed all at once."

If it's like any other violent changes in life, she could imagine, at least. She knows on a more personal level what it's like to have your definition of "normal" turned inside out without warning.

[dead_eyed_wolf]

Magic? Well, it wasn't any more unbelievable than anything else she'd heard about recently. It did explain a lot, too. She did smile then, small and hesitant as it was.

"Definitely not the same. There's no such thing as magic, where I'm from." If only.

[shadowsgambit]

"Apparently that's the same with most worlds. And it gets weirder. I thought Earth was always either one way or the other, but even people I've seen summon spirits don't know what a troll is."

This stuff was confusing. It belonged in the realm of a sci-fi writer, not someone like her.

[dead_eyed_wolf]

Of course nothing was ever simple here. She'd never really had a mind for theoretical physics or anything like that, and trying to wrap her head around the concepts of the sprawling multiple universes and timelines... ugh.

"Anyway," she sighed, "all... this..." She gestured vaguely at Fortuna's drones. "These are weapons?"

[shadowsgambit]

"The drones?" She glances back at them. "Sort of, yeah. They have weapons. The flying one's meant for support and they can both be used for scouting. But yeah, I mainly use them as weapons."

Kind of hard to imagine those things being stealthy sometimes, but they pulled it off somehow.

[dead_eyed_wolf]

"Good."

Mukuro glanced towards the drones again. They definitely had some kind of ranged weapons, and that was extremely fortunate. She was confident in close quarters, if she had to be, but having at least some kind of ranged firepower made her feel a bit more at ease.

She turned back to Fortuna, giving a firm nod. "Thanks. It... it was nice to meet you." She stumbled on the niceties of conversation, almost forgetting how to gracefully exit. It'd been so long.

[shadowsgambit]

"Yeah, likewise. Hope we won't have to show off our skills too much."

And with any luck, she'll be able to help them avoid that. She gives Mukuro a confident smile.