Not So Triumphant Return

[Ashla]

Closed to Tobias Stalt. Thread title by Tobias.


Exhausted as she was, she had to keep going. Seven months pregnant? Had to keep going. Even though she starved for pears, she had to keep going. There was a new recruit to her organization P.A.L E.

Ashla had stepped into the Citadel after a brisk walk through a chilly rainfall. Surprisingly, it wasn't as busy as usual. Few people came in and out of doors, despite the constant chattering she heard. Some monks even were lazily leaning against the pillars. Once he saw Ashla walk through, one drowsy monk quickly rose and came over to her, "Here at random, or are you meeting someone?"

Ashla pulled her wet hood down and explained, "I'm meeting a new recruit for PALE. He never gave me a name, did you see him drop by?"

The monk nodded, "A young man said he came here to join that very group! I sent him over to wait a-" His gaze went down to Ashla's stomach. Immediately, the Icebreaker sighed.

"Yes, I know I'm pregnant. Thanks."


~~~

Ashla came up to an oak door where her new recruit would be waiting behind. Ashla was extremely worried for her child, even now pulling one hand protectively over her swollen stomach, but she needed as many members as possible to achieve her goals. The young woman turned to nob to the door, her dark cloak very well hiding her body, and entered.

[Tobias Stalt]

Perched on one of the ornately carved outcroppings that lined the fringes of this particular room, a man clad in dark robes puffed long and thoughtfully at a handcrafted cobb pipe. A plume of murky white smoke swirled mystically toward the ceiling in front of him, though his face remained hidden in impregnable shadow. Welts of rainwater amassed at the edges of his dark cloak and slid like tears to the floor. "Don't worry," his voice seemed amused, "I've not been waiting long."

Another long draw from the pipe offered a moment of mutual silence before he nestled his arm neatly in his lap. Smoke roiled from his nostrils and out from the shadows of his hood like a sleeping dragon before he rose quietly and extinguished the weak flame in his pipe. Tucking it neatly away, he reached deftly up to remove his hood. "It's nice to see you again, Princess."

The smirk on his youthful face would be familiar to Ashla; once upon a time, she had strangled this man and whipped him around- and that had probably been the only time he hadn't liked it. Tobias had fallen off the face of Althanas, but it seemed that slipping back into Corone unnoticed had been far less a feat. "You've been busy, I see."

Unlike most people, Tobias' commentary on her pregnancy did not center around doting on her and worrying over the child. His thin smile offered genuine congratulations. Where his words did not. She had called for allies in a fight against all things dark and wrong, and this meeting was business. He played with a long knife absently, running a finger dangerously along the edge of the pale shimmering blade.

On the floor, a twisting blue and gray pattern silently told an ancient tale of the sea. Glancing down at the glyphs that were neatly etched beneath his feet, Tobias slowly made his way toward Ashla. "This room is an interesting one," he remarked. "The citadel is firmly rooted in the ancient histories of Radasanth, and most of the rooms tell a story."

His gaze rose to meet hers when he came within several footsteps distance. "This one is a twist on an ancient creation myth, wherein all life began with the sea." His smile became warm and he stowed Calm away at his hip, and the metal softly sighed. His arms fell open and to his side, showing he meant her no harm.

"I know our last meeting was... less than wonderful," he told her, "last couple of meetings, at that."

[Ashla]

The young woman's eyes widened when she saw him, eyes constantly fading between ice and dead blue. "T-T-Tobia-a-s..."

She just stood there, black boots right on shallow waters. Her arms fell to her sides, the Icebreaker was speechless.

Then, her eyes narrowed, finally fixated on their natural blue. Whatever words he said, they were all unbearable echoes to her elf ears. She saw him toy with that blade. When he came up to her, he assumed a more natural look though, words still falling on deaf ears.

Tobias Stalt had been one of the ranks of the Order of the Crimson Hand. He joined them in their danty little camp out in Eiskalt, which they happily shredded to pieces. Several times after they'd met. Whatever the circumstances they meet in, Ashla simply could not get past what this man had done to her homeland.

So she stood there. Pregnancy fueled the uncontrollable hormones which pushed her into rage, her eyes slowly turning back to that shade of ice. This jerk poisoned my country!

"Tobias Stalt," Ashla started calmy, "WHAT IN THE THAYNE'S TORTURE CHAMBERS ARE YOU DOING HERE, YOU..."

Okay, that wasn't so calm... some Fallieni curses could be heard in there too.

[Tobias Stalt]

"I see you're classy as every, m'lady," he muttered as her rage buffeted his face. A hand slipped over his features as if a deluge of spittle had washed over him, and the youth could not be altogether certain that had not been the case. Everything royalty generally boasted, Ashla Rose Icebreaker defied. Still, Tobias practiced a learned decorum, though he remained prone to instances of sarcasm. It was a guilty pleasure.

The young woman seemed so disinterested in the lesson he offered, though Tobias took his own words to heart. Althanas had been shaped since time was counted by stories. The tellers changed, tones shifted, and facts were jumbled. The gift of truth was a burden only to the next generation. In the end, the myths remained. Golden flames wreathed his pupils as his gaze danced across the woman, ever risen in her choler. The waves that decorated the room seemed to swell behind her, as though the heat melting Ash's inborn ice distorted the air like a desert.

"You must not have been paying close attention," he chided softly, sure not to let his voice rise to match hers. Tobias was a man of boundless patience. "You came here, to a location that you designated, for a meeting that you called." His hands drove the message home subtly with minute gestures that implicated the duchess of Eiskalt. "The only information you lacked was my name, add now you have it. We have a common enemy, Icebreaker, try to see past the myopic worldview that comes with seething hatred. It does not become you."

He turned from her slowly, following the blue and white foamy murals toward the ceiling, where they coalesced into a pinnacle shape not unlike the crown of the world. Tiny black dots flecked the outlying edges of the radiant golden brown image, and while squinting, Tobias was able to discern that they were rudimentary stick figure renditions of the human body. These paintings were probably not quite so old as they were meant to look, but it was evident that they had been ripped from the pages of History.

"I did not come here to fight you," he said with a dull hint of finality in his voice. "I came here to find a woman who shared my passion for seeing good done by those who deserve it." He sagged into a relaxed stance, messy brown locks displaced as he shook his head slowly. "Vendettas and bloodshed serve only to perpetuate the evil hold on Althanas." It was an ironic statement from the lips of Tobias, yet any man who lived a full life could attest that ironies are what define us all.

"All life is precious," he told her as he turned, a somber look in his pain-stricken eyes. He had no tears left to offer over his past mistakes. Instead, Tobias brought the promise of future deeds and valor to a woman who had only an idea in infancy. He could see the struggle in the young Icebreaker as his words brushed over her, and he half expected a violent response.

With a soft sigh, Tobias began to peel open his cloak.

[Ashla]

Above her, stick figures danced. Below her, waters raged. It was like the tears of the stick figures was what this sea was made of, raging in a mass destruction meant for bitter revenge.

All the Icebreaker could do though was sigh.

Ashla wondered what her and Tobias' common enemy was. Did he defy the people he came from? Whatever he faced, quite obviously it was something she defied too. She crossed her arms when he said he didn't want to fight her. At that familiar feeling of a certain someone kicking her insides, Ashla couldn't help but take advantage of it...

Still with a look that look that glared, the half-elf took a step back in the apparent, massive map the three people stayed in. She wasn't paying attention to the setting around her though, she was only glaring at Tobias Stalt.

She realized this was one fight she couldn't get her way with. That was that.

"Want coffee?"

[Tobias Stalt]

"Coffee," he laughed, slight humor in his voice seeped through cracks of disbelief. Of all the times that Ashla and Tobias spoke, the exchanges had been brief and teemed with emotions. The Lady of Eiskalt had suffered much at the behest of the Crimson Hand, and Tobias understood that pain all too well. The very thought of civility breaking through brought a lighter look to the boy's trademarked grim visage. His smile seemed so foreign. "Aye," he granted, "coffee would be delightful."

Tobias knew better than to offer the courteous hand for Ashla to take; he guessed that she might rip his throat out at even the slightest of kind gestures, though his vicious outlook on her might have been unjustly gained. Instead, he proffered his hand in a wide, sweeping gesture that rested finally on the door. "Shall we?"

Her icy eyes watched him in a way that always sent shivers down his spine. Tobias had known from the very beginning that their "friendship" was anything but. There was nothing new about such relationships in Tobias' experience. For the brief instant her eyes had glistened a gentler blue, Tobias saw something of a kinder innocence in the woman that railed against the injustices that had besieged her lifestyle. There was something admirable in that glance, free from disdain, that stole a sigh from him.

His golden gaze moved back toward Ashla, and he offered a gentle smile. He was met with frost. As the young man turned away, he muttered to himself. "We could use the warmth."

The corridor that received them was vast, slate walls that stretched for seemingly miles housed intricate mazes of hallways. Each hall led to a different antechamber. Tapestries depicting scenes from Radasanth's rich history and the time before the War of the Tap, from the Age of Heroes, and from time forgotten lined the twisting walkway. Tobias stared up in mute appreciation as he took all the scenes to heart. "You have to give it to them," he remarked. "The Ai'Brone are a scholarly lot."

Their walk ended shortly after at a café built into the foundations of the Citadel itself. Concessions were a marketable commodity at any sporting event, after all. Tobias pulled out a chair and offered her a seat. "Ladies first," he smirked.

[Ashla]

Ashla only glared at Tobias, but took the seat he offered. As she sat down, she writhed at the thought of coffee. She wasn't even in the mood for apple cider right now either... for some reason, she desired hot cocoa.

She still found her free hand on her stomach a lot. Already the overprotective kind of mother, the odd realization crossed her mind. Since she and Julius Tabor left paths to protect each other from chances of the Crimson Hand sniping them out, Ashla had only been out for herself. Since she found out she was pregnant, that table violently turned. As the leader of an uprising group, Ashla still maintained regular roles like handling initiations and handing out missions, but she took time to slow down for her child. Her mind was always preoccupied with the baby, she completely changed her fighting style to lessen chances of anything happening to it. In the dark, all alone, Ashla didn't look out for assassins because of herself. She was looking out for trouble for her child.

Feeling a bit "meh" and still snappy with Tobias, Ashla watched every single move he made. Usually, Ashla would have wanted to doze off while having coffee, but her group had a... suspicious... member attempting to join. Yes, Tobias had left the Order of the Crimson Hand a while ago, but Ashla just felt naturally endangered around him... and it wasn't just about her anymore.

Ashla found herself tugging at her necklace. Her eyes spoke nothing but a frozen lack of emotion, but turmoil was gushing around her head like water on a shaking boat. The way she tugged at her necklace, it spoke of her lack of trust. Slight circles under her eyes, clammy skin. She simply did not trust this man.

She didn't touch her steaming coffee. She only stared her semi-enemy, reluctant ally, down.

[Tobias Stalt]

As the woman sat herself down, Tobias silently frowned. It seemed that Ashla Icebreaker was a stubborn lass, though time allegedly healed all wounds. He took a seat adjacent to her and made a muffled comment in the serving girl's ear. Bright brown eyes lit up in shock and her face blossomed into a furious shade of pink. She hurried off to collect his drink, and the rogue turned his gaze on the Eiskaltian maiden. "If I wanted you dead, Icebreaker, you'd be painted on the wall of the citadel already. Relax." Seconds passed in shaky silence as a flagon of ale plopped on the table in front of him and Tobias paid the young lady with a soft smile. She did not meet his eyes.

"I came because of this," he told her flatly as he plucked a rolled up sheet of parchment from his belongings and slid it across the table. "Word travels fast, far and wide, when you make a spectacle of it. I think that's what drew me in, though." Tobias took a sip of the drink that still frothed and gulped it down eagerly. "-coffee," he whispered conspiratorially.

As he set the drink down, he laid his hands out on the table. The wood shook under his touch, but the room was empty aside from them and their server. "You have ambition, Lady Ashla, but lack insight. Your enemies are many and their eyes are everywhere. What you require is an... outsider's eyes."

The soldier drew a coin from his pocket and held it out toward the waitress as she passed by again. She gasped. "Gold?" she stammered, "oh, sir, this is too much."

"Piss on that," he grinned, "you don't have to act modest with me." He threw her a wink, and she hurried away. "Ah," he said, then turned back to Ashla. "Where was I? Right. An outsider's eyes..." he let his voice trail and watched the quiet woman intently.

[Ashla]

Ashla's eyes narrowed, What I need to an outsider who isn't a perverted jerk...

She placed her chin on her knuckles, elbow on the table. "You think I don't know I have enemies?" She questioned the former Crimson Hand agent, "I'm simply enemy prone." A short chuckle - very short - chuckle escaped her. Feeling her arm falling asleep, she lifted her head and arm and finally took her coffee. At the feeling of blood rushing back to her upper arm, it felt weird lifting her mug. However, the cup made it to her lips just fine. After taking a sip (and grimacing) she set the cup down and continued, "But outside eyes? You mean a spy or something? PALE has spies initiating. We have those..." If anything, Ashla wanted nothing to do with this man. Especially after she saw that poor waitress. However, even though P.A.L.E. did have spies, she knew all too well it was a good idea to hear him out. It was the one thing that kept her from leaving the table -

- Well... she also was suddenly in the mood for a big, fat, juicy stake. With spicy sauce... What's wrong with me?? I hate spicy food! But... it sounds scrumptious.

When the waitress passed by again, this time avoiding Tobias, Ashla waved the young girl over. She only seemed about as old as Ashla was, she could completely understand her. The blond seemed warry, "Yes?"

Ashla gave her a warm smile, "Hey, do you guys serve stake?"

She chuckled, "Y-Yeah..."

Ashla whispered to her, "I'll take it. And sorry about Mr. Jerkface across the table from me."

She smiled, "I-it's oka-ay... Coming up!" And she walked away. Ashla glared at Tobias again, You jerk... what else do you got for me?

[Tobias Stalt]

"You're not a subtle woman, are you?" he drawled with his mug dangling from one finger. Amber liquid threatened to splatter across the table, but never did. "You must fancy the prospect of having enemies so glorious." He chuckled with a knowing smirk. "Ah, I remember when I was like that..." Playing word and mind games with this woman was not the proper approach. He needed to move at her level.

Tobias placed the drink on the table. "But we're not here to slide around thinly veiled insults. I'm not a spy, Icebreaker, I'm a strategist. And you're very lacking in strategy." He dropped the fact so casually that it almost seemed insignificant. "For all the qualities about me you don't like, you have to realize that a man with two arms can't function without a head."

He watched the girl bring back Ashla's steak and then turned his gaze toward the duchess again. As the blonde haired server walked away, he spoke. "I asked what time she got off today," he mentioned casually, "I don't know what goes on in your mind, but not everything I say is poisonous." Tobias laughed, "and I wasn't about to ask you to dinner. I have some tact." The girl was well out of earshot when he said this, so as not to embarrass her. "But that's neither here nor there."

He lifted his mug again and took a leisurely sip. "Look, all hostilities aside, I came because I wanted to help. You want to see peace. We have a common goal. Sure, you don't like me. I'm not overly fond of you. This whole thing has nothing to do with us, and it doesn't require us to kiss or even be friends." He lifted his right hand, which held a long knife that he had drawn at some point without even a sound. The tip pointed toward her, but it never crossed the distance between them.

"All I ask for you to do is stop being pompous so that we can associate. That scowl is hardly a good look for business."