Outside the bar - Peyton

[Csilla Angelis]

Something was wrong. It had to be. Csilla was still running around the festival but she noticed that Spade wasn't at the tea cups, Shula wasn't at the ticket booth and in general... it felt off. Csilla swore to Hades as she stopped in her tracks for a moment. She needed to know what was happening, for goodness' sake! The festival was her responsibility. And yet, no one had said anything to her. Was she useless? Something goes wrong and no one could even follow the guidelines. Csilla gritted her teeth. She'd get some answers, somehow. Her feet began to move again to finish her last loop of food area before she went on a hunt. As she walked past the bar, she heard a woman scream. Her eyes opened in alarm as she followed the source of the noise to Peyton. Her eyes widened more. Pregnant woman. On the ground. Screaming in pain. Liquid in the grass. “Great Hera...” Csilla breathed. The young woman was in labor. Whatever problem Csilla had sensed before was flown at the window of her mind as she kneeled down next to Peyton. “Miss, I'm Major Csilla Angelis. I'm going to help you!”

She pulled off her jacket, rolling it into a makeshift-pillow so Peyton could lie her head back. One hand latched onto Peyton's as she went through another contraction. The other hand grabbed her cellphone from her pocket, dialing the first aid station at the festival. “It's Major Angelis! I've got a woman in labor over by the bar!” “We're not equipped for that!” “Of course not! But get over here with some blankets and as many supplies as you have. A stretcher, if you've got it! And get a call out to Central Hospital and have them send an ambulance over!” She didn't wait for the young man on the other side to respond, she hung up the phone. If the kid knew what was good for him, he'd be there in moments. Csilla grimaced a little. He wasn't sure the woman would last until the ambulance arrived. Her contractions seemed pretty close together. However, Csilla needed some kind of blanket or something before she could be sure. She wasn't going to expose a lady's netherbits to the entire world! And as Csilla waited for the blankets, she could only hope that she would actually be able to HELP. Goodness knows, she'd never delivered a baby before.



{Pey, I have NO idea if Peyton was wearing a skirt or pants or something, so I left it open until you tell me, hahaaha.}

[Iris]

"Common sense is it not?" SOMEONE WITH SENSE! There was a man in sunglasses and shades on the ride. Not like she was one to judge, but Iris got an odd feeling in the pit of her stomach. It wasn't good or bad, but simply there. An unfamiliar feeling gnawed at her insides, but she distracted herself with Marcelina.. for the time.

“I have heard about last year's events, it is a saddening thing. So far this festival has been quite good, though I haven't walked around much.”

"Yeah.." Iris said, paying only half attention as a woman with some body guards walked past the lines and started onto the ride. "Ma'am! You can't just-" And then she was on the man with the hat. One of her bodyguards looked like he was about the hurl and the other looked faint. Iris' reaction was one of horror and confusion. What- had- just.. happened? Stunned, she turned to look at Marcelina, wondering if she's seen it. Unlikely and to make matters worse, Iris probably looked so rude to just pay no mind to her friend. “Are you working this all day? It'd be nice to have a friend to walk around with.” After what had just happened? Gladly.

"Just let me finish this round and then I'll close for a fifteen minute break. I think it's break time." Her hand moved and she rubbed the back of her neck, before watching the people on the ride. This might be a problem. Iris sighed and looked at Marcelina with a grimace. "Hold on a second. I'll be right back."

She hopped over the gate and made her way a good fifteen feet to the ride, then another five to the group of people and the poor traumatized man on the ground of the ride. "Madam, I know this may be foreign land to you, but I have to ask you don't harass my customers." Her arms crossed beneath her chest with magenta eyes staring daggers. "Law suits on assault aren't exactly the best policy. Now kindly, go wait in line, like everyone else or I'm going to call security." She shrugged her shoulders and offered a hand to the stranger who was likely disoriented. "Or get the hell off my ride. Either works for me."

[Axel Belial]

Axel watched as spade ran. Right time to do his stuff yo! Looking to the Teacups consol that spade had been in control off he smirked. Well a computer was a computer. Clicking his fingers and pulling up a stool he sat down and his fingers flew over the dash like a whirlwind. Soon he had internet on this thing and cttv footage. Flicking out his phone and dialing spades number he barely gave the man time to answer before talking.

"Yo man I hacked myself into the system and first things first. Good job on the bomb yo now it won't just blow up after the clock hits zero yo! But it's still hot as fuck yo so um keep it cool...but don't move it...I'm googling bomb disarming for you now yo."

He hummed as the search engine gave him a million answers. "Oro...A walkthrough...brilliant yo! Right Old man you need to empty the water from the right pot and put it into the left...Right then yo! Now using your forceps remove the detonators from the sticks to the lower left of the bomb. quickly as you can but be careful she is a fussy bitch yo. Then you want to burn off the chips with your lazer...but only chips 3, 4,5, 7 and 8 before the timer hits 0 then cut all the red wires yo and your done." He grinned brightly. All in a days work he taught triumphantly until clear confusion was heard down the phone. Looking at his guide he couldn't help but laugh. "Whoops never mind that a walkthrough for a ds game yo!" He laughed loudly down the phone. As his eyes glanced round the cctv.

"Anyway quick run through on the park. The cretan queen is bickering with the ex king... Oh and there's a woman giving birth outside the bar yo...." With a quick hack into the annoucing system he grind as the large speaker suddenly blared his voice across the park. "IF there is a doctor...or a nurse...or even someone who know how to fucking deliver a baby yoh lease move your ass to the bar as the is a woman in labor...also please keep it outside the bar yo i don't want baby birth mank over my shit yo...thank you!" He grinned as he ended the annoucment which now echoed rounded the entire fair grounds. Patting himself on the back his good dead done he carried on with trying to find out information on this man.

[Shula Brighton]

The sinking feeling that consumed Shula's insides was competing with the woman's driving need to get help and maintain panic. Last time panic broke out at this damned fair, people needlessly died in their terror on top of everything else going on. People were trampled to dead trying to run from the fires and explosions. Human instinct was to run from danger, and in crowded, gated off places, that only spelled disaster. Sure, there were emergency exits, and people always looked at emergency exit plan that were always calm and ideal like that's how it would go down, but it never was. Why else were people in the exit posters always so calm and happy?

The crowds were pouring in, choking the fairgrounds. They were so happy, and everyone was having a good time- none of them knew that kind of danger they were really in. Last time there was a festival bombs had gone off all over the place, the fires had spread, rides had gone out of control.... If Shula could help it, she'd try to help stop it. No, she didn't know how to dismantle a bomb, but right now if she could find Hans and pull him aside, she could at least help get something going and maybe, just maybe, help keep hundreds of people from dying on national television.

Shula shot a quick prayer to Ishvalla to guide her feet as she went, ducking and weaving through the masses. You'd think Hans would be a little easier to find as the man doubled for a tree. She was running away from the launchpad, trying to move through the fair to find the man. Spade would be heading toward the launch area. He'd know what to do, and if he didn't, someone could hum a few bars so he could fake it. And Alisa had gone off like a shot to catch the bastard. Shula would find Hans. She'd find him, pull him to the side and alert him about the situation that, hopefully by then, would be under control. People didn't have to die.

A pair of laughing kids went tearing past her, nearly making the tiny General fall on her face so she didn't plow into them. People bumped into her, even gave her a few choice looks as she tried to push her way under and through them. They were amassing in lines, crowding for shows and demonstations, waiting to get their food; who the hell was this tiny woman trying to cut through them all to get somewhere in an awfully big hurry? People hardly heard her plead for them to excuse her as she pushed against them, desperately searching. The fairground announcement TVs weren't following Hans or the other leaders, but where he was, reporters were sure to be, right? This was being broadcast afterall, or at least, it would be. Ohh, the press would have a field day if things ended this afternoon.... explodily.


((OOC: My post doesn't involve anyone because it isn't meant to. Shula is looking for Hans. Until she does, DO NOT include her in your post. If you're looking for Shula, wait until after she finds Hans. Do not post to her, find her, spot her, phone her, anything her yet unless I say so. Kay? <3))

[Qin Shi Xun]

Shenanigans. That was the only word for it, the only word that could describe this situation with any sort of accuracy. From body guards falling on their face to a sudden departure of all that was right in the world... Qin was confused. Confused about oh so much. As he watched it was like he was half detached from what was going on, like watching a video of his life go by. Oddly it felt... Good. All the stresses that had been building up, all the responsibilities that had fallen on his shoulders... All the sins he had chosen to commit. Everything seemed to vanish if only for a little while and he felt the oddest sensation of freedom. Of floating atop the clouds and just... Existing. Yes thats what he craved, thats what he needed. Just time alone with only his thoughts and the wind for company. Its what he had wanted as a child, its what he wanted as an adult... It was what he had always wanted. To live a life of solitude, devoted to learning and existing. But fate, luck or what ever you had to call it would have none of that. His was a life of strife and warfare, a life to full of action and not enough contemplation. It was sad honestly, but in the end a man had no control over their fate, only the circumstances that surrounded it.

Then suddenly it all came crashing in, all the pain, all the choices he had made up until this point, and for the briefest of seconds his eyes closed in what amounted to shock. What... Had that been all about? He shook him self eyes wandering back to the people who where around them and was astounded to see that most had in fact left him. Maybe he had lost track of time? Maybe he was going insane? With slightly wild eyes he took in his two countrymen and looked about for the others that had, for him at least, been there but moments before. "It seems i drifted off..." He payed no attention to what was happening around him and only gave a passing glance at both Lian and Wei before wandering off into the crowed. Something... Something was wrong. But what? He could taste it in the air... Qin glanced behind him, his eyes settling yet again on Lian and with quick measured strides he made his way to her. What had he been doing? Wandering off when one of his closest friends was hurt? What had he been doing? Thinking?

Here he was lost in thoughts when someone he cared for was on the ground in front of him. He took to his knees beside her, one arm lifting her head up off the ground, the other checking her pulse. "Wei... Someone go get help!" He looked around his eyes searching frantically. "Please someone! Find some sort of help!" He reached into his pocket looking for his phone... And his fingers brushed against a piece of paper that had not been their before.

I know. Meet me after the fireworks, or I'll tell Hans and Gavin.

He looked at it, wondering where it had come from... Then it came to him in a flash... Rachel... Rachel had hugged him... She was the only one who could have put it on his person... And she knew, but what was worse was that she HAD to be the one who had attacked his friend... It must have been some sort of ploy to get him under her thumb. It seemed she was not as empty minded as he had thought. Still he had other things to worry about, other things to deal with right then. He thrust it back into his pocket and fished out his phone and quickly called the emergency number he had been given when he arrived in Amestris. "Need help, fair grounds... Someone hurt." His Amestrian was thick and he wasn;t sure if anyone understood him... But what he did know was that Rachel... Queen of Creta had much to answer for with that thought and knowing there was next to nothing he could do for Lian he moved away, leaving his guards to deal with his best friend as she died. He had an appointment to keep.

((Its shit i know but best i can do))

[Rosaleen Quinn]

Note: I'M GOING TO APOLOGIZE NOW FOR THE CRAPPyNESS THAT IS THIS. THAT IS ALL.

What would he choose? She honestly had no idea what it was that she would want to do with him. Roller coasters were a liiiiittle bit terrifying since she couldn't use her alkahestry in time to keep up with the fast pass of the cars. The Ferris Wheels height was lost to her as the view was... there at least for him. But in reality, were they really here for the rides? Sure, technically they were here for the Fallacy and their showcase, but aside from that, they were there for each other. She could tell that he hadn't necessarily thought about things that were just fun to do in a long time, and... it was sort of funny, but it brought her some comfort to know that she could tell when he needed a break. It meant that she could really help him as opposed to just blundering around in the dark, pardon the potential joke.

As his hand touched her face, she tilted her head into that warmth for it was a comfort amidst the frenzy of the festival, and the one solid rock she could depend on. A touching... his thumb. It made her smile as she "stared" up at him with the affection clear as day, sensing as he drew close, giggling as she returned that little kiss of his. Now what in the world was on his mind hm? No, she knew her king better than that. Chuckling quietly to herself, she followed after him, "Now I have to wonder where you are taking me..." She mused quietly, doing her best to not really glance around since otherwise.... it might hurt her mind. It was a comfort though to feel his fingers between her own.

The sound of the crowd died down a little bit as a small clicking reaching her ears. Metal on metal.... perhaps fabric? The space became more enclosed which allowed her to be able to sense it better, her brows knitting together as she wasn't quite sure. A booth? There was a chair enough for maybe two.... then a screen.... a button? Gods it was so hard to tell what was what in this festival!! She heard his patting and sat down beside him, cocking her head to the side, glancing down towards her palm as she could feel him begin to trace letters out. Photo... of... OH IT WAS A PHOTO BOOTH! Her features immediately lit up as she barely read that smile of his that she loved so dear. "Of course!" She leaned in a little bit, her body relaxing as her cheek touched his, the smile one that her father would have told her he hadn't seen since before she lost her sight. There were so many of those now, and it was all because of one person. That person was sitting beside her.

Her other hand found his as she gave a gentle squeeze, thinking of when they first met at her bar when he came to tell her that she was to return to active duty. She giggled which lit her face up more in a bright smile, the second flash going off at that moment. Her head leaned a little more against him, just barely touching his shoulder as she thought of how he had given her back her life. A third flash. Yes..... he was her life. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she squeezed his hands again, the happiest she had ever been in her life. The last flash went off.

[Sal]

Though the temptation to gently take hold of the girl's hand was strong, Sal thought better of it. If he made things too awkward, mostly for Herr Schwarz, he wasn't sure if the festival would be as enjoyable as he had planned for it to be. Nyx's appearance had been a pleasant surprise, but there was nothing worse than scaring someone's father or making him uncomfortable while around the couple (which was in itself something that made the youth blush, as Nyx was his first girlfriend). At least, that was another piece of advice that Sec had given him once upon a time. Speaking of, the towering man had strolled along rather passively with the exception of a few polite gestures. That was normal, as between the two of them, Sal did most of the PR, leaving Sec to deal with things he was unsure of or things that required much more grace and delicate wording. He was the boy's mentor of sorts, and quite a good one at that.

As the quartet approached the booth that marked the entrance to the ride, Nyx asked a pink-haired lady for four tickets. Surprisingly enough, Marcie was with her, and following Sec's example, Sal gave the woman a wink and a subtle gesture often described as "deuces". He had guessed that his Quartermaster would be there, but the odds of them encountering each other had been slim. Hopefully they'd have a chance to talk at a later time, but in the event things took a turn for the worst, it might be beneficial not to draw too much attention to their affiliation. After thanking the other woman for the tickets, the chimera trailed behind Nyx, picking the spot next to her. His mount was the one that most children tended to aim for - the single dragon amongst nothing but horses and the occasional carriage. Its scales had been painted orange with a sky blue trim; the saddle was a deep red, the accessories painted with a metallic gold. Its neck was stretched majestically, its chin kept slightly downward. The only comical features on this beast were its small wings, which were likely only there for decoration to begin with.

"I'm a little nervous," he admitted modestly, turning to face Nyx as he whipped his leg across the seat, "I've never been on one of these before." Shifting to make himself as comfortable as possible in the typically uncomfortable seat, his tail wrapped itself around the dragon's, its tip wiggling in accordance with Sal's mood. Even his ears had slanted downward. Those bits of body language were one of the disadvantages of having cat DNA, he'd decided, as they were uncontrollable and much more clear than normal human body language. Of course, there was nothing he could do other than trust that Nyx wouldn't judge him for something as trivial as being nervous about riding a carousel. Sensing motion from behind, the pirate glanced back to find Sec squeezing himself into one of the coaches. There was no way he'd have been able to fit on the small horses, but it didn't make the sight and less, well, funny. With a serious expression on his face (as usual), the man gave his captain a reassuring nod.

Just as he thought he'd be able to let the stress slowly evaporate from his system, the sound of rapidly moving feet caused his ears to perk up, and his eyes flitted to the rather off-putting scene happening by the contraption. Nyx's father had been assaulted by a woman that had cleared the barriers to the ride (wasn't that illegal or something?) and slammed her face against his. He wasn't really sure if it was something he was supposed to be seeing, and would have fallen off of the dragon if his tail hadn't acted as a way for him to keep his balance. He had half a mind to get up and do something, as the atmosphere's crazy state was highly uncomfortable for him, but decided against it for the time being. Fortunately, the young woman with pink hair had stepped in, leaving Marcelina behind to witness it all. Leaning toward Nyx, he struggled to find the right words to use to phrase his question.

"I- Uh, who is that lady?"

[Alisa Donnikova]

The phone was ringing. But thats all the fucking phone was doing was FUCKING RINGING. "God dammit Spade answer your fucking phone!" She barked into it as she went tearing through the festival, her eyes remaining peeled for some goddamn sign of these saboteurs. Shinku wouldn't have left that list lightly, so there was obviously some sort of reason. Why would he do it though? It completely went against everything that he tried to claim that Spade did. So why had he done it?! Ohhhh it was INFURIATING!! She was practically at the point of just shooting people now for her nerves, and patience were basically shot at this point. If someone didn't end up fucking dead it would be some goddamn miracle.

"Wei... Someone go get help!" "Please someone! Find some sort of help!" Her teeth ground together at the sound of that language, that language that belonged to half of her birthright. God how she wanted to cast out that part of her right now and refuse its existence. Honing in on it, she could see where people were startling and forming a hole. Oh she would help alright, right after she made sure that none of them fucking moved! "Need help, fair grounds... Someone hurt." Panting heavily, she burst into the midst of them, glancing down at the girl laying unconscious on the ground with the two men right by her. One, she recognized to be the new Emperor of Xing. Yeah, she had vaguely paid some attention to the news recently. "Here. I can offer you some help." She answered as she crouched down next to the girl. Her breathing was erratic at best, weak and heavily drawn. Well fuck. So it was illness. Rising quickly, she started to approach the Emperor but the other man stopped her, offering her some goofy-ass kind of grin. Who the fuck-- "I gotta speak-"

"I'm sure you do, but I am a guard of sort to him. Sorry, can you tell whats wrong?" He asked, her brown eyes scanning over his poofy hair with a grimace. He had to be one of them too, right? She beckoned for him to lean closer, which the oaf did, her hand immediately grabbing his wrist in an iron grip. "I know exactly what the fuck is going on here. What, you poisoning your own people now? You want her to live, you play along. Got it? Consider this an informal arrest." She hissed into his ear, feeling how he had tensed up at her grip and words. Oh she was so fucking sick of this fucking festival and things were barely done. The man turned back to his king and whispered something, not that she particularly cared whatever it was that he said. EMT's suddenly appeared, a nearby crowd member standing by him and pointing, saying something hurriedly. Alisa approached the head as the others went to kneel by the girl, leaning close to his ear. "We need to keep an eye on these three, keep them close. They are under suspicions of terrorism and sabotage." The man stared blankly at her, "And just who-" She hissed as her body snapped about so she was practically nose to nose with him, doing all she could to not completely bare her teeth at him. "All you need to fucking know buddy is I'm here on Spades behalf. And if not his, then Shula's. And if not her's, then as the fucking law. Do I make myself perfectly fucking clear?" She snapped, finally getting a reaction out of him. He clearly was not ever going to be her friend, but she was beyond caring.

He turned away from her and went to Emperor, "We'll take good care of her sir. Can you tell us anything about what happened?" Alisa stood off from them and dialed Shula's number, having gotten it back when she had been smashed and hurting. When they had first actually spoken. "Come on Shu... please pick up...." She exhaled roughly in frustration, running a hand through her hair while glancing back towards the poofy haired guard that was staring at her. Yeah.... She probably shouldn't visit Xing anytime soon.

[Guest]

It was rather relaxing to be traveling again with his emperor and one of his most favorite of people. It was also a bit of a relief to see that they were both well for the moment, despite what was boiling about beneath... the... Wei slowed a little in his step as he stared at Lian a little longer, his guard beginning to come down. He realized very quickly that something was not right with her, that she wasn't as bouncy and normal as usual. "I'm fine- I think- Oh no- I don't." He walked up next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Hey... why don't we slow down? Maybe you-" Suddenly she buckled and tumbled forward, startling the clan leader as he gazed down at her. Crouching down, he was glad that he hadn't smoked his pipe around her, worried that maybe that would have influenced whatever was clearly wrong with her.

"My lord..." "Wei... Someone go get help!" He nodded even as he heard her whisper, [i]"I can't- I need to go." He knew better than to try and move her, so while his king began to call for aid around them. "Here. I can offer you some help." Who... A woman came striding out of the crowd, her brown hair and black clothes distinctive amidst the more jolly outfits that people had donned for the occasion. Blinking, he was a little bit wary for reasons he couldn't quite explain... Perhaps it was the murderous aura coming off of her in waves.... He let her check Lian, and from her grimace it wasn't good at all. He was really very worried about his little friend! She had seemed fine moments ago! What could have struck her so and crippled her? The woman was moving to speak with Qin, Wei moved to intercept her with a gentle sort of smile. Oh.... she didn't smile back... "I gotta speak-"

"I'm sure you do, but I am a guard of sort to him. Sorry, can you tell whats wrong?" He offered apologetically, appearing as calm and normal as he could. It was good that he had learned to keep his cool under stressful circumstances. When the woman beckoned him closer, he felt some hesitance to since she erm... didn't really seem like a "help" type of person... But he did it anyways. Instantly he felt an iron grasp on his wrist that made him stiffen in surprise, his brows raising as he almost opened his mouth to speak except for the hissing in his ear. "I know exactly what the fuck is going on here. What, you poisoning your own people now? You want her to live, you play along. Got it? Consider this an informal arrest." Shit. His lips tightened into a thin line as he took a calming breath. The happy wizard had just left the building people. "Fine." He whispered at her before stepping away once he was able to, walking over to his Emperor with a rather dark expression for him. Wei seriously doubted that the Emperor, much less anyone, had seen him like this in a very long time.

What an unfortunate turn of events... in all sense and seriousness of that word. He leaned close to Qin's ear, "She knows my lord." That was all he really got to say as emergency medical help appeared and began to tend to Lian, Wei Zhao glancing back down to his young friend with some sadness in his eyes. He truly hoped that she would be alright for she had always been so full of life. "She's placed us under arrest, but she does not appear to be a military official. What are your orders sire?" He asked Qin very quietly, glancing over to the EMT that approached the two of them. "We'll take good care of her sir. Can you tell us anything about what happened?" Wei Zhao remained quiet for the moment since it was the Emperor that the man had addressed, not him. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled slowly and glanced off in the distance towards where his fireworks had been planted, clasping his hands behind his back. Well.... so much for the festival.... hm? At least let his fireworks blind and dazzle them all, let his creations do what they were made to do.

[Guest]

He had stiffened so harshly at the slightest touch she gave him, her crimson eyes searching his face for more than just that discomfort from him. Was he really that uncomfortable with her? Did he know? He hadn't figured it out had he? Because that would be highly unfortunate, and completely ruin her day. The last thing she wanted to do was have to go get interrogated by the police or some such. It was just boring and COMPLETELY uncalled for. No... no he just seemed not very used to human contact and socializing it would seem. How sad. "Sure". It was so quiet! How did he expect her to hear that with so many other voices about! Ohhhh what an odd little man she had found! "Lead the way, I'll be right behind you." Smiling brightly to him, she led him away to the carnival booth, winding through the crowd. "Don't worry so much Aaron, you're doing fine." She had a feeling he might not understand what she meant, but she could take a few guesses as to why he was so uncomfortable.

He had very soft hands, which implied he didn't do a lot of manual labor. Probably a man who stays indoors, which could be continued by doing work on the computer. Or maybe file work, but even nowadays that was being done more with technology than not. Hmm.... and if he handled files... wouldn't there be more paper cuts or some such on his hands? Or perhaps he was a man that cared about his hands, one could never be sure in modern society. It only took them a few moments to find their way to the booth, Selina waving to the man that stood behind it. Oh. An informant at that. She knew from a little bow that he gave her and his expression. He knew her face. Good! Possibly, unless it was from another group that wanted her and her brother gone. Because then it wasn't so good. "Hi! How much for two?" She asked as she pulled out her wallet, ignoring how he stared at her outfit. Yes, she realized she didn't quite look like her normal self right now, but that was the point. Oi.... He relayed the price and she handed off the appropriate bills to get them five shots each, picking up one of the little cork rifles and testing it in her hands.

"If you shoot and knock it over, then its yours! Enjoy." The man said brightly before moving off to the side, Selina taking this moment to glance over at Aaron. "Well, Aaron? Shall we begin?" She giggled and took aim at a little stuffed panda bear, firing off the cork so it hit in its forehead. The force at that spot knocked it backwards so that it fell over, the man setting aside her price and clearing more room on the pedestals of prizes laid out before them. She grinned and giggled again as she glanced back at her new "friend" so to speak, waiting to fire again so she could see how he'd do.

[Roarke Moray]

Roarke was almost entirely sure he didn't like that Spade Aeries fellow. He was kind of a dick. Roarke could understand the urgency of a bomb on the Creig ship, easily. That was a big problem. Yet the man had no respect for his fellow soldiers in arms, allies in the battle against super evil. Roarke had picked the man up and felt the urge to throw him across the festival, but settled for tossing him towards The Fallacy. He watched as Spade found the bomb and then as Dunstan arrived on scene to successfully remove it. Ah. Take that, Mr. Pricky-Spade. Badass people to the rescue. Roarke had watched Toss call Gavin, his paws curling a little into the ground. This coming to Amestris for a show was a terrible idea. Better they all just pack up and go back to Carraig. Now it was just a matter if Toss was going to go through with the launch. And knowing Toss, it was definitely going to happen. Toss was kind of bat-shit crazy like that. Even If Gavin forbade it, it would still go down. All Roarke could do is what he had been doing all day... stand by and watch. And hopefully make sure nothing went terribly wrong. Because otherwise someone WOULD be getting their face ripped off.

[Guest]

Alright, so it wasn't just some little thing. If it had possibly been a ride malfunctioning that would warrant some concern, but this was very serious. Her subordinate barely seemed to be holding it together, it was as if she were a wire too tightly wound and was about to explode any second. If it was this bad why hadn't--"There's a detonator in the teacups for a bomb somewhere here. Lisbeth's mind almost completely froze up at that single word. Bomb. There was a bomb here? Her features darkened as she listened, "The guy...Aerugese intelligence guy, said it belongs to Spade. It's bullshit. But...I can't think straight right now. This is not the time for lone heroism, Lisbeth, it's why I came to you. We need to find Ms. Brighton. She most likely knows more about it, Spade is the conduit of this information. We have to go."

She didn't immediately answer, she couldn't although time had just become a very precious commodity. Priority was to disarm the bomb and evacuate civilians. Did the Chancellor know? She raised her eyes and glanced to the crowd that was moving around them, grimacing at their current options. Her blue eyes locked back onto Jocelyn, "We cannot act blindly, lest we inadvertently create hysteria." She paused as her brows furrowed, "You said there was an Aerugese informant? Part of his aim is to create chaos and shake us of our nerve, its what he wants. We cannot let him succeed at both of these things." She rubbed Jocelyn's arm reassuringly as she took a breath and seemed calmer herself. She was trying to think miles a minute, calculating what her father might do if this were to happen in his gangs building. She began to walk with long strides backed by purpose, heading towards the launch pad of the Fallacy. "Alright, is this informant being searched for? If he isn't, that must happen. Where is Spade and has he been notified of these events?" She did glance behind them towards the ferris wheel as she remembered the reports of the events that happened at the last Festival. Whoever was doing this wouldn't target the same thing twice, would they? No... the main event had to be it.

She paused in her step and turned back to Jocelyn, "Have you seen Shula? Where was she last? Has the Chancellor been notified? If she already knows of this then she may be searching for the Chancellor. With all of the dignitaries here and the civilians, our priority has to be evacuation if the bomb isn't already being tended to." Her steps resumed as she ran through a mental checklist of all the militants that were here. Who would be.... Iris. Switching her direction, she power walked through the masses that flowed about them towards the tinkling music and bobbing horses. The Head of Defense would be amongst the first to be spoken to aside from the Chancellor, for she would know all of the best procedures for how to handle this situation. It was a form of attack, granted a very underhanded and subtle attack. As the Merry-Go-Round came into view, she put on a smile and touched Jocelyn's arm, leaning close to her ear, "I know it may be hard, but try to appear relaxed. If we seem tense, it may cause people to wonder. We do not want to create panic."

She straightened and glanced about, noticing all of the people that were there. The new Queen of Creta with a guard and her butler, Aurel and his entourage (that she pointedly ignored), and another girl she didn't recognize. But amidst them, she saw her goal: Iris. She bowed to the Cretan Queen and her guard, turning her focus to Iris with her smile still steady. Touching her shoulder, she leaned close to her ear, "May we speak in private for a moment please Lieutenant Colonel?" She asked in a low murmur so only she could hear, not particularly caring about international decorum. They had a crisis to divert and diffuse. Quickly.

(( *Note: I apologize if this is wrong somehow or messes something up. ><;; I can fix it if its extremely wrong! ))

[Marcelina H. de León]

Marcelina was glad to hear that Iris was going to walk the festival with her before the special show later in the day. Not that it seemed like it would be that much later before the event was meant to take place. Marcelina was pleasantly surprised to see Sec and Cap'n Sal move forward to ride the merry-go-round, although Marcelina didn't recognize the rest of their party. The two men had gestured to her in greeting and she responded with two fingers on the brim of her hat as she titled her head downwards slightly. A subtle bow to her pirate companions, but nothing to cause any stir.

She waited patiently for Iris to finish her time at the merry-go-round. She was beginning to wonder how soon that would be when things got interesting. She watched slightly amused as Iris hopped over the fence to her ride, berating some woman who had hopped over to kiss a man. What odd people were here in Central City. She remained by the entrance of the merry-go-round, calmly telling those people in line that they would have their turn shortly, after a disturbance was handled. No need for screaming kids to run onto the ride demnding their turn while Iris was dealing with some kind of hooligan.

[Nyx]

Pink. It was a pink horse, or rather, a white horse with a bright pink mane and tail and a pink "saddle," and it was just SO PINK. Hmm... It was also right next to the dragon, which Sal seemed to be getting on, and was behind the trusty coach Aurel had sat in. The three were followed up from behind by the giant butler guy, and Nyx laughed as he attempted to enter the carriage, ducking down like one of those fold-able fences, except he looked like a person, not a fence. That'd be weird. Anywho, Nyx grinned a bright and cheery grin as she went around and around and around. The carousel was always her favorite ride, simply because they looked pretty, and had that nice twinkly music. As the ride started, she heard Sal speak. He'd never been on a Merry-go-Round before? "Me either. But it seemed fun, so I bet it'll be as fun as it looks, right?~" To be honest, she was a bit nervous herself; despite the amount of things she HAD been on, a fairground ride wasn't among them. Turning to look at the lady in charge of the ride, she saw her pull a lever, and stared at the ground as she started moving in a circle, bobbing up and down.

She glanced back at Sal, who seemed to also be enjoying himself, and then back at Invidia-guy, who, for the most part, could have been playing poker with the face he seemed to permanently wear. Looking ahead, at Aurel, he looked like he was also having fu- and then the queen of Creta tackled him off the ride!? Well that was interesting. Nyx watched as she grabbed Aurel and kissed him- eeewww, grooooss!- before the ride stopped and the pink-haired woman ran over, informing the queen of her MADNESS.

Sal glanced at Nyx, clearly as surprised as she was, as she couldn't help but crack a small smile as she stifled her giggles. Poor Aurel must be mentally traumatized... But for now, it was still kinda funny to watch. "That would be the queen of Creta, Sal..." And she was indeed a crazy queen, so it seemed...

(~(THIS POST IS ALL OF THE SUCKAGE. BUT. IT EXISTS. o_o FINALLY.)~)

[Aurelius Schwartz]

Sanity was a bit far as he settled down on the hard plastic riddled with children's greasy fingerprints. Wincing inside, he put a foot up on the gold railing and closed his eyes for just a moment to collect himself before it started. That moment was his downfall.

"Ma'am! You can't just-" Thrown to attention at the pink-haired girl's voice, Aurelius sat up just in time to register a very familiar shape moving towards him at seemingly lightning speeds. His cheeks were grasped in a vice, his mismatched eyes widened behind the shades obscuring his view. Before he could take a breath, an aroma of mint and cotton candy assailed him, lips pressed against his, forcing them open. Her tongue roamed, her hands venturing to smooth the wrinkles down his back. At complete mercy, he was frozen in stasis, allowing this--allowing such brevity to befall him. Sardonically pleasing, he found his human side amid the fray, gasping and defenseless while the monster in him laughed. Perhaps Nyx wasn't the one off guard; it was himself. Sweet disgust sifted through him despite the expected pleasure that usually accompanied a kiss. He went to pull away in the exact moment Rachel freed him, already causing him to lose balance. But it wasn't that; it was a little push against his chest that flung him off the pastel seat, landing him unceremoniously on the floor of the ride. His tail bone smarted, jolts of shock racing through his body. Once more, he could not find the muscles to move, staring through the ridicule at the Queen of Creta. No expression was possible to divulge.

"YOUR FACE! BAAA HA HA HA! YOUR FACE! I WANT THAT FACE PAINTED ONTO THE SIDE OF A VAN! I WANT THAT TO BE CRETA'S NATIONAL FLAG! HA HA HA HA HA HA! PLEASE TELL ME SOMEONE GOT THAT ON CAMERA! MWAH HA HA HA HA HA!"

An inaudible hiss managed past his lips as he remembered to breathe, skin itching. The tangy taste of high glucose corn syrup sloshed around his taste buds like glue, stunting any ability to communicate. Air burned, his eyelids fathomed wide, everything blank like a fresh canvas just moments before taken to the brush. He twitched when he heard footsteps, barely able to turn his head to see who it was this time. A horrid growl escaped him, nails biting into the palms of his hands. He couldn't...

"Madam, I know this may be foreign land to you, but I have to ask you don't harass my customers." He looked up, eyes dully focused on the pink-haired girl he had voiced his correlation with earlier who had nearly prevented this assault, but was moments too late. Why would she have had to? Was he so defenseless as to be susceptible to something of this degree? "Law suits on assault aren't exactly the best policy. Now kindly, go wait in line, like everyone else or I'm going to call security." His sunglasses were readjusted on his face, hat settled back into place. He looked on in mild amusement, lips still damp, but already curling into a smirk. She reached out a hand to help him to his feet. He took it and stood above Rachel Ascot, towering over her crumpled laughter. "Or get the hell off my ride. Either works for me."

"Perhaps you should listen to reason," Aurelius cooed, his eyes slits of darkness as a vicious laughter poured out of his voice. "Or perhaps that is beyond your control?" His eyes flitted to the two men on the sidelines beyond the gate. One looked like he wanted to kill him and the other looked about ready to have a heart attack. "Returning to your pets would be most wise; they might get jealous." He brushed himself off and let go of the pink-haired girl's hand with an oddly sweet smile. "Thank you," he said, "Please continue the ride without delay." His eyes ventured sideways to Sal and Nyx before returning to her. "There are those whose first ride is this one."

A woman approached, looking to be in the higher ranks of the Amestrian military. She whispered something into the ear of the girl, seemingly urgent. Ah, so it had begun? Excellent.

[Rachel Ascot]

Franklin's eyes narrowed hatefully. Attention. Rachel was being regarded, and Aurelius looked ready to pounce on her and tear her limb from limb. The guy was growling, fucking growling! She needed to get out of there, but why wasn't she?! The bouncer leapt across the boundaries too, making sure he was within tackling distance of everyone; Rachel, Aurelius, the pink-haired woman, even the kids. All of them. If any of them made a wrong move, he'd snap their neck.

Rachel didn't get the urgency of the situation so much. She got herself to her feet, still stifling giggles.

"Madam, I know this may be foreign land to you, but I have to ask you don't harass my customers." Rachel looked to the woman who addressed her, a grin from ear to ear on her own features and stern reprimand on the other's. "Law suits on assault aren't exactly the best policy. Now kindly, go wait in line, like everyone else or I'm going to call security. Or get the hell off my ride. Either works for me." Rachel simply nodded politely.

"It's fine, we're friends of friends, sort of an inside joke within our circle." When she paused, the only thing anyone could hear was Aurelius' growl of barely controlled rage. "I'll be out of your hair in just a moment." She said, simply lying through her teeth to comfort the staff-woman. Aurelius was certainly no friend of Creta's for now, but Rachel could only wonder what he was even doing here. Drachma had fairs, and Aurelius was not the kind really enjoy them. Those two kids might be there for fun, but Aurelius was here on business, and Rachel didn't take long to decipher what business. Qin needed to choose his friends better.

"Perhaps you should listen to reason," came a voice that was filled with as much laughter as malice. The Queen just grinned with an equal amount of malice and laughter right back. "Or perhaps that is beyond your control?" Rachel had to look at Franklin to make sure his hands didn't immediately leap to Aurelius' throat.

"Awww, but it's so much fun to be a bad girl." She taunted a little, innocently curling her hair around her finger. "Don't tell me you didn't enjoy it, you'll break my heart."

"Returning to your pets would be most wise; they might get jealous." Franklin let out a very loud, angry snarl.

"I guess; they'll want to kiss you too, I'm guessing." Rachel joked back, and Franklin's teeth ground together with a force to crush diamonds. She nodded back to the pink-haired woman and a new arrival who bowed to her, and she winked to Aurelius. "Well, I'll be seeing you. Work on your kissing, and make sure that Qin knows how much of a dumbass he is." And with that, Rachel walked away, Franklin and Elastor in tow. That last barb was made to irritate Aurelius more than anything else; just to plant the fact that she knew what was going on in his head, that she had his number and if possible force him to constantly have her in the back of his mind, never able to deal with her, always niggling and irritating. Just Rachel's cup of tea. When she was out of earshot, she looked to Elastor.

"Aurel being here makes things a little more complicated. Change of plan." She began explaining at rapid speed. "I need to know if Qin's in cahoots with Aurel, if Aurel's using him without Qin knowing it, or if Aurel benefits from this by coincidence and really has nothing to do with it. Whatever the case, I need you to go find Hans. I want to be on him the moment I get an answer from Qin, and besides, whatever the bombing is for it's not what Aurel wants. He's after Hans, I think, but I can't work out what for. Just make sure he's fine." She ordered, dismissing Elastor away. "Don't worry about me, I've got Franklin here." Franklin looked to Elastor, but resisted the temptation to taunt him about being chosen to protect the queen over the royal guard.

They kept on walking, just Rachel and Franklin, club owner and bouncer, queen and bodyguard, now their pace filled with purpose. They walked...
... and walked...

... and walked...



... and walked...



... until...

"Well, where the hell is he?" Rachel asked, losing patience by the second. "We've been walking around for hours, and he's nowhere in sight!" Franklin sighed a little.

"Rachel, it's been five minutes." He corrected her wearily. Rachel gritted her teeth a little.

"Five minutes is too long." She seethed, looking to her bodyguard. "That rocket could go off any minute now and we need to... to..." She peered at Franklin's chest. "Why is your shirt blue?"

"Elastor threw your cotton candy at me." He explained. Rachel growled a little.

"I need some, too! I'm going take that out of his wages." She said, beginning to text Elastor. Franklin kept scanning the crowd.

"Well, what do we do if we don't find Qin?" He asked, unsure of Rachel's plan. Rachel bit her lip in thought.

"... I really want to tell Hans the whole story. Qin shouldn't get away with this." She admitted, not looking up from her text. "But I can't say what'd happen if Hans and Gavin knew. Qin went behind the backs of his people, and if conflict broke out, then that'd cause even more carnage than is currently going on. I need more time to plan out what's going to happen. I need to get this under my control, and I just can't think right now." She finally finished her text, and sent it to Elastor's phone.

You owe me 4.50 deutsche marks, you cotton-candy wasting bastard.

"I'll just tell him that Aurelius is here, that should buy me a little more time to work out just what in the hell's going on." Rachel explained. Franklin raised an eyebrow to his queen.

"So he's involved?"

"My gut says so, my brain says otherwise. I can't really say right now." She said. "It's something I keep going back and forth on; why else would he be here, but what does he get out of sabotaging that launch? Still, that's not the important bit." She smiled to Franklin. "The important bit is that he's here. He makes for a damn good scapegoat, and I could always revise my story the next time I see Hans if he really isn't involved." Franklin's lip thinned in concern.

"Are you sure you want to be entangled in all of this?" He asked. "This is thin ice; you could be making some enemies." Rachel didn't respond for a second, taking a moment to scan the crowd once more, still searching for the Emperor.

"It's never a bad idea to know things you shouldn't." She answered, a smirk on her face. "I wouldn't be doing this if I was worried about it blowing up in my face. Besides, if the ice cracks, I've got you and Elastor to catch me." Franklin huffed a little at the royal guard's name, but simply nodded in agreement.

"Fair enough. It's just my job to worry." Franklin replied, and the two disappeared into the crowds once more, pace still with purpose.

[Guest]

There were people around her. Muffled voices could barely reach her. Her body was losing energy and she could see blurs. Panicked people filled her dull eyes. She couldn't really feel anymore? Or had the burning become a part of her. She could only breathe and just barely. Muscles twitched in defiant spurts but nothing more than a finger or toe. Her breath was barely a sputter. "I-I'm sorry... I'm so.. weak.." She could barely manage.

She was on her back, staring at the world. A brown haired woman was shouting angrily, but it was only in a sort of under-water way. Her vision frayed and morphed.. a hallucination at first. She managed only a light laugh in her last minute, a light smile in her face. "[color=jade]Please.. just.. smile..arkness took her over. A coldness swept her body, she could feel a sort of moment of breathlessness and pain. HE was there though, that man she remembered from the pain. A song hushed her moments as they flashed. [color=jade]"Will they have melon bread in the afterlife?" Then.. there was nothing.

[Lian unconscious and dying]

[Elastor Ito]

He was going to have a heart attack. He was going to have a heart attack and die. Cardiac arrest. It was only a matter of time. His knuckles were aching, his sword hand shaking, his teeth making his gums bleed (nearly). He felt his breaths, once amused, were now huffs of nervousness. Franklin hoped the gate and looked about ready to pounce and kill. Cat stalking a mouse. Ela planted his feet, stood his ground. She had this. Somehow--somehow she had this. Queen Rachel of Creta in all her lateness was dancing around one of the most dangerous men in the world as if he were a sprinkler and her a kid eternally stuck in summer. He shook his head and blinked unbelievably at the scene, trying to maintain a state of calmness. It was hard--so incredibly hard that the tension washed out to other places, like his hands for instance. He couldn't hear what exactly was being said, but he vaguely allowed himself to decipher what their lips were mouthing in Cretan.

"Returning to your pets would be most wise; they might get jealous." Oh. Oh, that was why Franklin was...cracking diamonds over there. Ela let out a long, agitated breath, prying his hand like stone from his hilt. Slowly, he shifted his weight to his other foot and pushed himself forward. If that bastard died tonight, how much would be resolved. If he acted now, could he slay him and end all this nonsense?

"I guess; they'll want to kiss you too, I'm guessing," Rachel's lips formed. Ela dropped his sword. He proceeded to stare at it on the ground for long enough to miss what came next. Change of plan. He'd kill the Queen instead. By the time he stifled his sudden killing intent, Franklin and Rachel were looking at him like 'let's gooo'. Quickly, he bent to retrieve his sword, tucking it back in his belt and following after them silently. "Aurel being here makes things a little more complicated. Change of plan." Ah, so he wasn't the only one who was changing their plan. Ela scoffed, trying not to look like he wasn't about to strangle her for his own safety. Franklin was giving him the I-know-what-you're-thinking-so-stop-before-I-murder-you look. Bastard. Ela threw the cotton candy at him and crossed his arms, hoping it made his shirt sticky. There were those he wanted to kill and those he would actually kill. It was an art to know the difference. Clearly Franklin hadn't mastered it yet. "I need to know if Qin's in cahoots with Aurel, if Aurel's using him without Qin knowing it, or if Aurel benefits from this by coincidence and really has nothing to do with it." The redhead shrugged. Did it really matter why the King of RIOTE was here? It would be better just to kill him in cold blood, then they wouldn't have to worry about the why of it. "Whatever the case, I need you to go find Hans. I want to be on him the moment I get an answer from Qin, and besides, whatever the bombing is for it's not what Aurel wants. He's after Hans, I think, but I can't work out what for. Just make sure he's fine." Wait, she was only looking at him. He blinked at her in succession, half glancing over at Franklin. "Don't worry about me, I've got Franklin here."

...

"Politics isn't part of my job description," he muttered under his breath. She was ordering her guard away with only a bouncer for protection. It was a death wish. Not that he was necessarily complaining, but it would mean he fail in his job by obeying a direct order. A controversy at best was a way to describe this request. At a loss, he watched them go wordlessly, unable to reply with confirmation of his own. He couldn't condone himself for it, however, it was the most unusual order he had yet. Make sure the Chancellor of another country was intact? Not kill the supreme overlord of RIOTE? It made no sense. In fact, it was ridiculous. She was conjuring something--something that may or may not reflect her actions today at the carousel. Ela cursed under his breath and turned tail in the direction of one of the park's hills. From there, he'd at least be able to see where to start looking.

Grass parting to his boots, he scanned the brushes of purpling clouds overhead with matching eyes. When he was at a satisfactory height, he beheld the festival, glancing through the twinkling lights and laughter. Somewhere in the mess, Rachel and Franklin were plotting, Csilla was stressing, Hans was...doing whatever the Chancellor did. Where could he possibly be? What an impossibly request. Sighing in disdain, the Royal Guard without a subject left the hill to wander about aimlessly in pursuit of the impractical. Still, he would complete the order, regardless, no matter what; it was his meaning--the only meaning with which he was able to move forward.

Blurs of people moved around him. Children with balloons. The smell of cinnamon and pretzels. Words, cheer, passed him by. Hands holding, gripping, pulling, leading, asking. He ignored it all as if it were just background, passing by an absent trashcan in the streets of London. All nonsense--all just blurbs of noise. Irritating to an extent, but rather trying in others. In the buzz of voices, Ela heard a name--a very familiar name. "Csilla Angelis." He turned and looked just as he was passing the bar, and caught sight of a round woman writhing on the ground. He stopped, unable to gauge the conflict, but able to note that Csilla had been the bearer of her own name. “It's Major Angelis! I've got a woman in labor over by the bar!” Leave now. Disappear and pretend you didn't see. The redhead looked every which way to see who was around him and who had caught sight of him. He could meld into the crowd and continue pursuing his mission or... He looked at the urgency written all over Csi's face. There were some things... He felt himself moving towards the situation before he made that decision, dropping to his knees before he could even think further about it. ...some things that didn't deserve thought.

Wait a second. HE CHOSE THIS. Kind of, but... WHAT WAS HE DOING?! He had no idea how to help, why he was here, or what he could possibly do that would be of worth in this kind of... "Of course not! But get over here with some blankets and as many supplies as you have. A stretcher, if you've got it! And get a call out to Central Hospital and have them send an ambulance over!” He was going to choke on his own soul. Everything in this moment denied who he was as person.

"What can I do?" He took off his coat, draping it over the ailing woman, and then looking back at Csilla slightly bewildered. "I don't even..." Okay shut up. Talking more would only hinder the process. Bare arms handed to the biting winter air, Ela was now only in a black muscle shirt, completely exposed.

[Iris]

Iris wasn't sure WHAT to make of this damn situation. Something about the woman just really pissed her off. Like really, what kind of immature woman would simply assault someone who was clearly not her friend. The hatred that was in the man's eyes could nearly knock her on her ass. Only one phrase could match it "If looks could kill." That seemed pretty accurate. However for now, she was simply glowering at the woman before her. It seemed people around her really lacked some sense. Either that or they thought she was stupid. "It's fine, we're friends of friends, sort of an inside joke within our circle."

"Perhaps you should listen to reason."

"Yup.. I can speak Cretan, too..." She sighed in an agitated voice. Was there really a need to switch languages? It seemed too exhausting. At least she could tune them out, while her eyes stared daggers at the woman. This day was just.. exhausting.

Finally, she retreated and Iris turned to the man. He seemed okay enough, which was a good sign. "Thank you. Please continue the ride without delay. There are those whose first ride is this one." His smile was.. oddly charming. Strange how something so simple felt uncommon to the man. She wondered if he felt like this often. Were there a lot of people who did this kind of stuff to him? Was that why he wore a disguise? Her blood boiled for a moment. God, people were so immature.

She grinned at him, and waved it off. "Look, it's no problem." Her voice was agitated, though not at him. "I'm just surprised some people still live in preschool." As he pointed, her eyes followed him. There were two kids, not much younger than herself(maybe several years), sitting on animals of their choices. After a nod, she checked the man over once again, to make sure he was alright, and then walked back to her little control room. If her hatred could take form, things would have been burning, but luckily things were slowly calming.

AND THINGS KEPT HAPPENING! What was WITH today? Iris wanted to go have fun too, but- There was a woman and just instinct told Iris she would have to wait. Her eyes were apologetic to Marcelina, while Lisbeth approached. "May we speak in private for a moment please Lieutenant Colonel?" Who was she to say no? Obviously by the way she was addressed, it was something massively important and so, Iris nodded. A finger rose to Marcelina and the pink -haired militant meandered away from her booth again. "Yeah...? What's the problem?" (Incidentally, she left the ride going when she left).

[Aaron H]

She said something, but he could barely hear her, which n its own way was a good thing. It wasn't as if she didn't have a nice voice or anything, but Aaron just wasn't good with women, at all. He constantly reminded himself of this and though it was an inward thought, he could almost feel his social awkwardness sift into the air outside him. God, he felt like he would regret this. He wasn't even the greatest shot... he was meant for observing, really.

Through the crowd, they weaved. His eyes were locked on her shoes, oddly enough. At least it wasn't on something more perverse, in fact. No, he'd already gotten in trouble for being a pervert-even though he hadn't meant to be-. God, the queen really knew how to mess with him. He was grateful, though. After all, he wasn't being lynched for it, like most people probably would.

They reached the booth and Aaron found Selina fumbling through her wallet for some amount of cash. That made him feel even more awkward, after all, what kind of man makes a woman pay for him? Well, it wasn't like he had twisted her arm and he hadn't MADE her do anything. Oh well, what was owed was paid, there wasn't going back now. Instructions were simple, hit something and knock it over.. He could manage that.. right? Her first shot was spot on and again he caught himself thinking. Wasn't it strange that they were 'having fun' by shooting small furry stuffed creatures in the head... wasn't that tell-tale signs of a serial killer? Bah, he was over thinking things again.

She handed the gun to him and expected him to take a turn. Aaron rolled up his sleeves for no real reason and put the toy in an aiming posture. After taking a deep breath, he pulled the trigger and shot a toy on the ear, which of course was a rabbit so.. it wiggled a bit and budged, but didn't fall. His cheeks were red, as he felt extremely awkward, being upshowed by this stranger. He handed her the gun back and laughed nervously. "Sorry, I don't have much of an aim."

[Qin Shi Xun]

What... What was he doing? Was he so heartless thaT he would leave one of his oldest friends to die alone? Was that right? was that just? Qin let his feet bring him to a stop, that was both sudden and unexpected. He was supposed to be a man that cared for his people, yet how could he ven start to claim that when he would leave someone for whom he cared alone as she drifted off into the creators embrace? He was weak. That was the only way he could describe him self. One would think he would have become accustomed to death, with his years of serving in the military, oddly that didn't seem to be the case. What he had saw, if only briefly had scarred him, it had forced his eyes away... It had over powered him. He was weak and yet he had the audacity to claim to be Emperor. "What am i doing?" His voice sounded tired and strained even to his own ears with an undercurrent as hard and brittle as iron. With a deep breath he found his center, the place that no other could see nor hear and focused on the fire that was at the very center of his being. His life force. His essence. With that focus came a clarity, he could see all his doubts, all his fears, and all his uncertainty.

Clear your mind son, and feed everything to the flames.

Qin gazed on his demons and with his mind he did battle. He fought his doubts with thoughts of hope, he slew his fears with his feelings of love, and his uncertainty was put to the sword by renewed determination. It was an inner battle that seemed to take years, but only moments passed in the outside world, but in those moments he consigned his self pity to the flames and watched as he was reborn from the ashes. Yes he had done this before, and yes he would do it again. But what mattered then was that he had found his center, he had found the strength to carry on in the face of adversity.

Clear your mind, and watch with renewed clarity.

He could hear his fathers voice as if he was standing right there with him. Was he watching him? Guiding him just as he had done in life? Qin didn't know, but right then he could feel that mans presence, he could feel his strength added to his own. He would have smiled, but his lips wouldn't move from the frown that creased his otherwise calm and distant features.

“Clear your mind my son, feed all your doubts, concerns and thoughts into the flame.”

Qin moved then, back the way he came, and unlike before he stood and walked as an emperor should. His Very presence commanding looks of slight awe at those around him and the very air seemed to buzz with the force of his personality. It was as if he was the harbinger of a storm and the whole world knew. But it was no normal storm he foretold, no what he brought with him was a storm of fire and blood.

"Clear your mind, and see as no one has ever seen before. See the world through the eyes of the Dragon, through the eyes of the creator."

Qins mind was empty of all thought, of all distractions and he saw the world as it really was. As controlled chaos. He could see the consequences of his and others actions unfolding about them. He could see the threads of fate that tied all of them together. He could see or thought he could see the infinite cosmic dance that unfolded about him. It was beautiful. It was ugly. It was.

"Clear your mind and see the beauty that is."

He was there, at the place that might hold the last moments of his friends life. With out a would he appeared, with out a word he was on his knees, with out a word he took her hand in his. "I-I'm sorry... I'm so.. weak.." Tears came to his eyes, yes she was a beauty. Even in the thoughts of death she put the stars to shame. Even as she lay there dying all she cared for was those around her, all she wanted was to see others happy and content. Please.. just.. smile." He did it for her, he did it for her well being. He smiled, tears still leaking from the corners of his eyes. Lian..." His voice was soft, loving and he was careful to mask the pain he felt. "Will they have melon bread in the afterlife?" "yes... Yes it does... More then you could ever eat." He wept openly as her voice drifted up to his ears and he bowed his head over her his mouth pressing to hers for the second and last time. He breathed her last breath and as she drifted off he spoke. "Rest well my princess, you where to kind for this world of ours... To kind by far for this evil world we live in." He sat like that, head bowed tears freely falling and soft sobs escaping him for minutes on end, the world passing him by with him not caring nor noticing anything that was happening. With a deep breath he rose, his tear stained face turning toward those men of his gathered around him before scooping the dead woman into his arms holding her as one would do a babe. "Find who did this, find who did this and bring them to me then gather our people" The Emperor of Xing stood there, dressed as humble as anyone with tear stained cheeks yet never before had he commanded with such power. Never before had he stood before anyone with such loss weighing him down.

"Hehe~ Yeahhhh I'm fine Mr Emperor Man.. Hahaha The floor is really comfy you know?"

He could hear her voice... He could see the first time they had met. But everything had changed from that day long ago She wasn't fine but everything would be when he was done. Are you watching me now Lian? Are you laughing at me for being such a fool?

He would never feed these memories to the flame.

Even in death she only cared for those she left behind.

[Captain Kelly Tián-Yé]

Hrm. For a festival there was hardly anything for Kelly to do. He roamed aimlessly, awaiting something interesting to happen, something befitting of his awesome disguise. Sadly, there was nothing. So he ambled over to watch the silly people scrambling to remove a bomb from a spaceship, quite a fun thing indeed. Seems they'd been tipped off; it was a stupid plan anyways, far too many variables and too much not taken into account. He watched from a distance, and as they victoriously removed the device, he inwardly chuckled, not audibly of course, at Kamogaya's failed plot. Ah well, all's well that ends well. So he headed away, off to go find Qin; that, at the least, was something to do. So he walked around for just a bit more. Eventually, he spotted the man, standing a distance off, though he only saw his head through the bustling crowd. But as people shifted, he saw Qin move towards a figure, a figure laying on the ground. He took off his mask and squinted to get a better look, and was petrified at what he saw. Qin was crying, kneeling by the figure. And the figure was... It was...

Lian

His eyes widened in alarm. What had happened to the girl!? Why hadn't he been there when it did, was a much better question... He didn't even realize what he was doing, his hat falling limply from his head as he shouldered people out of the way, deadset on reaching the pair, the two being the only things he saw. "Qin! Lian!" It came as a surprise to hear how strangled his own voice was, cracking and higher-pitched than he was used to, as he fell upon them with worry and concern. Reaching his destination as Qin picked Lian up into his arms, he reached out for her, grasping her hand. "Lian! Lian?" He pressed his shaking hand to her wrist, then to her throat, checking in vain for signs of life; if she had a pulse left at all, it was weak, at best. Fading... "No, no, no, Lian... You can't... Lian..." Words struggled to happen, but for someone who spoke perhaps a bit too much most times, he could barely speak at all, let alone form comprehensive sentences. He looked to Qin, still crying nearby, as he felt his own eyes dampen and cloud with salty, bittersweet droplets. "Qin... She... What happened...?"

His first thought was a heart attack. The silent killer, cardiac arrest... But from what he knew, Lian didn't have any heart problems, none he was aware of anyways. The only other real idea he had as to what could have happened was poison. From what, though? Anything was a possibility. Could've been food poisoning, from really badly prepared food, could've been an assassin, for all he knew. But he had people who could find out what it was, or if it even was poison. He reached for his phone, quickly dialing a number. "Captain Kelly Tian-Ye speaking. Send as many men as we have available in nearby areas to the festival in Central City, Amestris; I want them to sweep the area, undercover, and locate any possible source of poisoned food, if any." "It could be a few hours, sir." "That... That's fine, just make sure they get here, I want this looked into..." He looked at his friend again, little Lian, who looked almost like she was peacefully asleep in Qin's arms.

He'd seen people die before; he'd been in the military for years, longer than Qin, or many others for that matter. He should have twice, maybe thrice the experience all of them had. Eleven years of active service, in a field where death is not just seen far too much, but often death close to you, the death of your men in arms. It shouldn't affect a man so hardened to the cruel and bitter world at all, but nonetheless, he wept. It was different; he gave a solemn moment of silence, out of respect, for a fallen man of his rank, slain on duty. That man had died doing his job, he died knowing there was a chance he could die, and he died a hero's death, hopefully. But Lian... She was completely innocent, in every way, and shouldn't have to die, not so young... "It... It isn't fair, it's not right... he whispered, more to himself than anyone else. "Twenty-two... She's going to die at twenty-two years old... When I was twenty-two, I was being an idiot, doing stupid things... Yet here I am, almost twenty-two years later. Why couldn't she be the one to enjoy that privilege instead...?" He clenched his shillelagh tightly in his hand, striking it hard against the ground as he was wracked with a wave of tears. "I'm sure she's got a lot more for the world than a badgery old man like me, why is she the one to die, when I'm not? I just... I can't..." It was futile to question fate; it did as it so was fit to do, and he was in no position to argue with the whimsical nature of destiny.

He turned to the emperor again, wiping tears from his eyes. "I can't say I'll ever like festivals after today, Qin..." It was a simple statement, and it was all he could say, as he drifted to silence after, offering no more words. He'd trade anything... Anything at all... Just to see her precious smile one more time... "Life is cruel."

[Csilla Angelis]

"What can I do? I don't even..." Csilla's head whipped to the side as Elastor came down onto the ground beside her, his jacket covering Peyton. She could have almost sobbed in relief, but she resisted that urge (and the urge to throw herself on him in a bone-crushing hug) and settled for a grateful smile. She grimaced slightly as she look at Elastor's coat covering Peyton. His coat was going to get ruined very quickly. She felt bad about it, but shook it off as she decided she would buy him a new one. She took a steadying breath and gestured her hand to Peyton. “Miss, this is Elastor. He's going to hold your hand during the contractions, okay? I'm going to try and get you ready.”

She rearranged the coat so that it covered Peyton's legs and blushing a little at the idea, Csilla had to literally drag Peyton's pants off of her legs. They were wet and completely unhelpful, due to the whole “water breaking” situation that had occurred earlier. Once that was done, Csilla helped Peyton to situtate her legs, feet flat on the ground and legs bent. She watched as another contraction took Peyton and saw her grip Elastor's hand until her knuckles were white. As soon as the contraction passed, Csilla took a glance under the coat-blanket. Her eyes widened and she quietly swore to Artemis, followed by a silent plead to Artemis and Hecate. This was going to go down as the fastest labor ever. She swore she could see something coming out of there. A rumble of clanking metal and a couple of shouts signaled the arrival of the first aid crew. “Get some blankets ready, this baby is coming.” The two aides, both men who looked abnormally pale began gathering blankets. Csilla looked up over the coat and down at Peyton. She gave her a small smile. “Peyton, I've never done this before, but it looks like your baby wants to be born now. So when I tell you to push, you do it. Okay?”

Csilla pushed back the sleeves of her jacket and situated herself better onto her knees. She reached her hands down and into the mess, getting ready to lead the head out. Csilla could tell that a contraction was coming again and so she said, “Peyton, push!” She heard Peyton react to the pressure of birthing, but all Csilla could focus on was as a head came more into view. Csilla repeated this action with Peyton several more times gently helping the baby out. She gasped as the baby slipped into her arms, umbilical cord and all. She reached a hand back, snapping “Give me something sharp.” One of the aides responded by kneeling down next to her, looking a little more colored. He shifted in and cut the umbilical cord as Csilla held the little treasure, who had already begun wailing. The aide managed to smile. “Should keep the mother on the ground for a little longer, I think the placenta will come out shortly.” When she gave him a puzzling look he murmured, “Father of two.”

Csilla looked down at the newborn infant, wrinkled and terribly messy. She was given a small wetnap by the other soldier and she gently cleaned up the baby as best she could. She could hear sirens in the distance, meaning that the ambulance was close. Soon professionals would be here to take over. In the meantime, she was sure Peyton wanted to make her newborn. She looked at Elastor. “Can you help her sit up, please?” After Elastor had boosted Peyton up, Csilla walked on her knees to Peyton, holding the blanket-wrapped bundle. “You have a little girl, Peyton.” She let Peyton take her newborn daughter from Csilla's arms and Csilla's gaze shifted from the baby and her mother to Elastor. Her eyes were filled with tears and a soft smile and come across her face. She wasn't sure she would've been able to stay so calm if he had not been there. They had just helped a woman give birth at the Central City Festival. Now, that had to be a first. And quite a milestone for the unofficial relationship.

[Spade Aeries]

"Sorry, man, but I'll be the judge of that."

"It was a figure of speech, buddy, chill." The tinkerer sighed. There was only one way to stay sane, and he was treading the precipice. Shoved aside by a lard of girth, Spade held up both hands to avoid being taken out by the other man's sheer size. A simple 'excuse me' would have certainly sufficed, but alas! Gentleman like himself were a dying breed. He pushed up his sunglasses and peered after the guy under UV protection to assess the man's assessment (because he totally could do that; he was Spade Aeries).

"Because, to me anyway, that bomb looks just as primed to go off as my dick when a hot chick's about."

"So we have time then?" Spade shook his head at his terrible joke, wondering which of his wrongs warranted the sort of punishment that involved having such a crude sense of humor in a dire circumstance such as this. A sidelong glance at his tattoo was like a smack in the face. God. He needed help. And a drink. Fast. Luckily, however, the large boulder of a man did not hear him, for his face was buried somewhere in Spade's handiwork.

"Ah! See, that's where you've gone wrong."

"I know. That whole being born thing..." Jade eyes quirked over top the rims of his aviators, squinting at whatever the fuck the guy was pointing at. It looked like intestines all twisted around each other in some weird maze that kind of didn't have any sort of end or beginning and they were just kinda falling all over each other and stuff and seriously Spade had no qualifications to be there. He disarmed, what, three bombs or something in his career? Two of them he had help, so he was kinda sorta just guessing and hoping that he wasn't about to kill half of Central. Though, don't get him wrong, he did know a fairly decent amount of tricks that bombers had up their sleeves just not...

"...it's meant to go off at a specific time. It's lucky you didn't cut anything important, or we wouldn't be here."

Spade grinned like a fool, felt like a fool, and decided right then that he'd never dive head first into hell again without a floaty of some kind. Buoys worked too. This guy kinda looked like one tbh. "Yeah, I'm better at cutting credit cards. Should really get a shredder though. What's the damage?"

"Whoever put this in has got friends who know what they're doing. He's good. ...But I'm way better!" OHGOD!? Spade took a couple steps backward, getting his head out of danger of the meat cleaver. Fuck, the guy was batshit! He took a deep breath and hardened his eyes, staring straight into the fiery pits. Please don't fucking kill us.

SLAM. Spade felt the Ishvallan wince somewhere nearby and practically could smell the clear stench of rage boiling up under his strangely pale skin (despite the fact that he was on the phone with someone and totally had no idea what was happening). The Xingese General pretended not to notice, and instead proceeded to pat the obtuse man on the back with a crooked Spade smile. JOBWELLDONE. Then the hissing started. Sounded like the dashboard was turning into a cobra--a pissed cobra. Fuck, what the? Spade's blood ran cold for just a moment, looking to the mechanic for some light shedding, hoping that they weren't about to all explode. "Knew it. It's a pressurised gas bomb." A WHA? He covered his nose, looking like a little boy that smelled tobacco for the first time. Luckily, the man began to explain exactly what entailed. Spade nodded in attention and almost felt like taking notes. When all was said and done: "A present from Carraig to Amestris. Put it on your mantlepiece." he wasn't sure how to react. All out of gags, he stared blankly after the man, completely and utterly useless. Regardless, feeling such a way after spending the entire evening about to have a breakdown was nothing short of a relief. Instead of coming at him with a professional a-typical response, Spade simply took the bomb, and said thank you. He'd give it back for analyzation later, but for now, it really was going on his mantlepiece.

Oh, he had a voicemail! While the savior of the festival went about speaking to the Ishvallan, Spade whipped out his iPhone, pressed a few 'buttons', and proceeded to-- "Spade, we gotta problem. Dude's trying to frame you. I swear he is. Had a dossier claiming this was you, and probably a fake detonator in your booth." What. "But there was a PDA with names and numbers of Xingese people. I'm guessing that they are the ones behind it. I lost the guy. I gave the dossier and PDA to Shula in your booth, I'm out looking for them now. What do you want me to do?" She hung up. Spade stared at his phone as if it were an alien with five eyes. Then he blinked his own and turned to face the cheer. This was a warning--a challenge. He wanted Spade to think he had the upper hand--he wanted the bomb to be disarmed. There was no way this would have gone so smoothly. Not when twists like these were planted to put him on edge. The Xingese were involved. A list of names? Suspicion would be raised. They'd call him a spy. Chills scurried up his spine as realization hit him hard. He'd have no choice but to cahoot with the 'enemy'--join forces with the foe. Go back home. Spade Aeries would be known as a spy all along, having had planned this from the get-go. All those years. Wasted. In light of Kamogaya's plan. He grit his teeth together, no! He wouldn't let him figuratively blow up all of this he built for himself. This life. What was it anyway? His phone was ringing, dialing the only one he could in times like these. Little did he notice, but a tiny blip on his screen also signified that Axel was on call waiting.

"Shu," he breathed when she finally picked up. He paused for a moment to collect himself. "The bomb is deactivated. Report to Hans, maybe tell Csilla? They should be made aware right away...as for...the perpetrator, I'm in trouble, aren't I."

[Shula Brighton]

Overall it could be concluded that festivals were something to be avoided unless they were those little festivals the Ishvallans had for holidays and weddings since those never seemed to go bad like this. Typically they danced, prayed, made offerings, and then danced some more depending on what the occasion was, pr prayed more for the same reasons. The Amestrian festival? They just needed to ban that shit and just let the traveling circus handle it. They were insured for disasters, and typically the elephants and dancing bears were harmless.

Shula ran through the crowds, ducking and weaving as she frantically tried to find the Chancellor. She didn't know if anyone had called him or told him anything or not, but so far, that's what she was doing. But fuck where WAS he?! He was only twelve feet tall, how could anyone MISS him?? Shula stopped, panting, mind and heart racing. She needed to catch her breath and think for a moment; the coined term 'dog of the military' was cute and all, but thankfully, she was a lot smarter than Lassie. So rather than chasing her tail, Shula stopped in the midst of her frantic run and moved aside to think about where he'd likely be and to notice that her phone was buzzing. Everything was right now.

Cheeks flushed, Shula took a moment to look at the things Alisa had shoved into her tiny hands. The PDA and dossier gave names she didn't understand, blocky Xingese characters listing side by side, one after another. Her mind was reeling. Alisa said there was a detonator with a Spade on it and she smelled bullshit; Shula agreed, even if she hadn't had time to say so. Why the hell would Spade attack his own country and then put his moniker on the device? That was like posting Twitter updates that you'd planned and just had robbed the bank and took a picture of yourself with the money. Spade could be a doofus, but that partied across the lines of stupidity.

"So lets go save the fucking day."

No kidding. After this Shula was thinking a vacation was in order for them. Hell, all three of them at this point. Burning red eyes scanned the dossier once more. This... would definitely point out that Xing was involved, and it wasn't exactly a secret among the higher-ups that Spade was the rightful Emperor of Xing. That... wouldn't look good. She didn't know any of Spade's enemies; he didn't exactly bring them up at dinner or in bed, and generally current problems were more critical than ones that had been dealt with already. Fingers trembling, she looked again at the documents she had. They were heavy, like lead ore, and very, very dangerous; that much she knew. But they were given to Alisa who'd given them to her, and someone was trying to make Spade look bad...

The jacket unzipped slightly as the folder was crammed inside and the PDA stashed and zipped up. Shula would look all that over, later, where and when it was safe. She'd sit with Spade and Alisa and pick it apart and-- her phone was still buzzing, or buzzing again. And she still needed to find Hans when it hit her: the main event was coming up. The launch where the bomb Spade was handling.. what where... Hans.. would... Her right eye twitched. She could have screamed if she hand't noticed her phone was still trying to vibrate hard enough to change molecular density and become transient as to escape her other pocket.

"Shu," Spade breathed, sounding like she was feeling. Shula held her breath, waiting for Spade to catch his. "The bomb is deactivated. Report to Hans, maybe tell Csilla? They should be made aware right away...as for...the perpetrator, I'm in trouble, aren't I." Her stomach knotted in resolve, something in her burning from a fire that originated deep, moved toward that file, and back into her soul far hotter.

There was an ancient legend in Ishvallan history that in the desert lived the Chuvash Dragon named Věri Şělen. It was a great and powerful serpent that could have one or many heads, and left a fiery trail when it took flight. It burned with the fire of Ishvalla, and made his people fierce. All her life, Shula had compared her mother to such a beast, often fearing her fanged wrath for anyone who dared tell Amira that she would have to yield to anything she disagreed with. And for all of Shula's life, she'd seen herself and generally been seen as more like her gentle father... except in moment like this, when that ancient fire was burning and the great desert snake was pissed.

"No," came the firm reply. There was no wiggle-room in her tone. Many people didn't speak Ishvallan, and fewer understood the off-dialect Shula spoke; even some words she knew Spade didn't always know. But better to switch than be overheard. "Sāthina, nobody will touch you. Not if Alisa and I have anything to say about it." Alisa owed no allegiance to Amestris, but for Spade, Shula knew Alisa would fight and kill to defend him, just as she would. She would keep the documents herself and stand in even Hans' way if it meant protecting her Maṅgētara. She had sold her soul to have more time, and he'd risked his life to take on the Devil to free her; nothing would stop the little fire-eyed woman from doing the same.

Shula ducked around a person and started her run again, this time heading toward the launch area. "I'll update Hans; don't say anything about what I have to anyone. I'll make sure nothing I say causes a panic." She paused again, puffing as she got closer. She would protect Spade no matter what. "Sakuya... I love you." She swallowed hard, waiting a moment before hanging up. Alisa was calling, too.

"Alisa!" she puffed, not waiting. "Spade just updated me! I've got Hans in sight... And you're right, I smell a rat in this shit! I'm letting Hans know, but let's wait to look these over first." She paused to give Alisa a moment before hanging up, running up to Hans. This was it. Quite possibly the boldest move in her career. "Chancellor." Shula waited, catching her breath, though her expression spoke of urgency. "If I may have a moment of your time, in private, Sir?" She pulled her phone back out, shooting a hurried text message to Csilla.

See me ASAP. URGENT.

She was quiet as Hans excused himself, Shula taking a moment to look at the impressive space-ship. Looked cooler than the one Buck Rogers piloted, for sure. Quickly, she turned her back to the shiny red plane, her voice lowering as as stepped up on her toes to speak directly into Hans' lowered ear. "Chancellor, there's been a breach in security." Her voice was still firm but quiet, and those words were enough to send anyone in their line of work into high alert. "There had been a bomb on the ship; the situation has been neutralized, though." Neutralized usually meant the issue was taken care of and someone was either dead or in custody; right now that was at least half-right.

"It's safe now, and we're keeping it quiet to not cause a panic. I have people investigating it now and giving me details as we find them." She pulled away from Hans, her expression far more steely than people who knew her were used to seeing. She'd filled in Hans, but on what he needed to know; no mention of the Xingese, a fake Major, the documents she had on her person, and most importantly, Spade. She now stood quiet, waiting for any further instruction from Hans.

[Sponsored content]