Smoke < p l o t > [open to plot players]

[Jazz]

-- Fire in Corus plot. If not already, sign up at above link. Eh, current timeline - that means, no Diplomacy characters here. (they would have just landed in the Islands --

Lysander Alevi had a day off.

As wonderful and amazing as it was, he wasn't off having fun or jolling with his friends. Instead, he was strolling through central Corus, deep in thought. Things weren't going well. One of his trainees, Kirra Okunote, had gone to the Yamani Islands on a peacekeeping trip, and alrady sabotage had been discoeverd. he didn't have a good feeling about this. Many of the most important people had been on that ship - the Champion, the Knight Commander. Kirra and Lady Sapphire were there too. And his soldiers instinct told him that it wasn't going to go as planned. He sighed, digging his hands into his pockets. It wasn't his job. He had to just hope for the best.

Criminal activity, on the bright side, bandits and such, hadn't been such a problem - indeed, that was why he was on this break in the first time. It was a relief to just have a break from it all. He'd given the rest of Ghostwind off, too. Mithros knows they deserved it. So, hopefully, the day would be pleasant and uneventful. It had been thus far, but Lysander knew - you shouldn't make assumptions. Besides, he had a knack for trouble, and he knew it. It was a shame, really. No such thing as a free day.

He turned into one of the main streets, smiling. His spirits lifted slightly, now that he'd come to somewhat of a conclusion. He had a day off, so he might as well enjoy it. Sander slowed down his wide strides, to think about his destination. Camaria was off gallavanting 'round the world.. the Copper Isles, this time. Elaine was still working. He could visit the market stalls, mayhap. The Equinox was approaching, the townspeople had already started to decorate the marketplace for the festivities. That would be fun, indeed. He decided to just wander around, see what happened. Because something always happened.

[Alli]

Alli's eyes looked to the sky for the third time in a matter of minutes. Something wasn't quite right about the city; it felt strange to her now. Although, growing up on a farm, cities always felt that way to her. This time, however, she felt it even more so than usual. She wished that she could just leave, although that wasn't an option at the moment. On an errand for her father, Alexandra was unable to just leave the city, as her instincts commanded her to do just then.

And besides, she'd have to walk back across town to fetch her mare, Cota, from where she was stabled to even attempt going home. Slightly frustrated, she ran a hand through her long blond waves, which were left down for once. Normally, her mid-back length curls were too much of a hassle to bother with leaving down. She'd thought about getting it cut before, but she always stopped herself before even reaching for shears.

Rounding a corner onto a main street, she glanced at the faces of other people wandering the streets. None of them seemed as antsy as her, and for a moment she felt like an idiot. If no one else suspected anything, then there wasn't anything to worry about.

Having been lost in her thoughts, Alli wasn't watching where she was walking, and while rounding another corner, onto an even busier street, she collided with a young man. She looked up at him, angry with herself, and tried to apologize. "Ah, I'm sorry, milord, I wasn't watching where the street..." She stumbled over her words, making herself even more frustrated.

"I'm sorry," she said again, somewhat flustered.

[Luca]

Despite a fairly good vocabulary (surprising when his lack of formal education was considered, and undoubtedly due to his pompous imbecile of a linguistically-gifted brother), there were not any words that could accurately describe how annoyed Luca was with existence at this moment in time. Admittedly, it had never been all too difficult to set off his temper. But he was more than just merely, temporarily annoyed. He was much more than slightly disgruntled with the general state of affairs in Tortall- and extremely displeased with the attitude so many nobles seemed to have to their 'social inferiors'. Social inferiors his...no, he didn't need to resort to swearing. That would just prove himself a stereotypical 'dirty, illiterate, incomprehensible pig of a lowlife' that he had apparently been born to be. Admittedly, Luca was largely illiterate and had been wearing this shirt for three days in a row, but that was because he didn't have all too many shirts to swap with. And the only lowlife he knew where those airheaded, arrogant, drunken conservatives who were far too in love with their titles to pay attention to anything else and spewed language which was only exceeded in profanity by sailors facing a kraken. Honestly. If those idiots at the bar last night gained a brain cell, it would be lonely.

As had already been established, it took little to spark Luca's wildfire of a temper, and it had certainly been more than sparked. He strode across the busy street, a dark glower on his handsome features, which only served to make him look marginally more intimidating than he did usually. More than a few shoppers went out of their way to escape the path of the rugged, scowling metalworker-in-training, who stood at least a head taller than most of them, and a handspan broader in the shoulder. But he didn't care- he was annoyed, Mithros be damned, and he was going to make damn sure those ponces that sat there counting their piles of pretty gold knew it.

Before he could stop himself, a ball of fire was flickering in his palm- his Gift responding to the sudden flare in his anger. It didn't burn, it didn't even tickle- all he felt was a warmth, and a slight abating of his temper. Fire had always calmed him, had always had an affinity for Luca, and he certainly reciprocated the feeling.

Crackle. Pop. Crackle. Crackle.

The flames in his hand made calming, familiar sounds. As Luca turned the corner, his other hand shielding the fire which he couldn't bring himself to call back, yet (even though he knew shouldn't be playing with his magic in public- 'It's potential harming, yadda yadda yadda), he caught sight of a man and a pretty blonde girl, who had apparently just collided. The fire in his hand dimmed a little, and Luca slinked back into anonymity.

[Jazz]

Lysander frowned. He had the feeling that he needed to be somewhere, although the feeling wasn't much more than a vague instinct. He just could put his finger on it. You over analyze too much, he told himself. He should just enjoy the fresh air, maybe meet someone. Sander was a city boy himself, born and bred in lower Corus. He got far too little time off, indeed. The longer he spent here, the more her realized that he missed it. He loved the Riders with all his heart, but every soldier gets homesickness. It was sort of funny, for want of a better word, that he technically lived in Corus, but could miss seeing his family for weeks. He smiled grimly. He knew it when he chose this life. He wasn't one to complain.

"Ah, I'm sorry, milord, I wasn't watching where the street... I'm sorry."

If Sander had been paying the least bit of attention - which he wasn't, contrary to his original objective of looking around the market place - he mights have avoided collision with the girl. He looked down at her, surprised. Like most people, she was shorter than him, obviously still very young - not yet past her teens, with blonde locks with curl that could have rivalled that of his sisters'.

He smiled in true Lysanders fashion, almost laughing in response to being called 'milord'. He was used to it by now, but it was a bit strange when he was just readjusting to his environment. "No need to apologize, miss," he said cheerfully, "It happens to everyone." He grinned at her, winking. It was true, indeed. Sander especially had a knack for walking straight into people. "Are you quite alright?"

[Alli]

"No need to apologize, miss. It happens to everyone. Are you quite alright?"

Alli looked up into his face, and tried to come up with words. Sure, she was all right, but how do you tell a noble that all is well without somehow offending them? She lifted her hands and moved them in small circles, trying to think of something. But then she remembered that he might not be a noble.

"I'm fine," she told him, not trying to smother her country accent. Her 'scholarly voice,' as she called her speech when without an accent, was saved for heated arguments and debates. This conversation was nowhere near an argument.

"I have a habit of daydreaming," she told him, fussing with the ends of some of her hair. A sudden sigh escaped her lips, and she put her hands in the air again. "I'm sorry, where are my manners? I didn't ask if you were all right, or your name."

She held out an hand, one that was slightly tanned and dirt-covered, for him to shake. "My name is Alexandra Sorte. Alli, for short. Who might you be?" Her sage eyes showed interest as she waited for his reply.

[sirriwolfe]

Celes walked around the city, learning her way around fairly quickly. She had always been a bit amazed at how people could live so close together. She stopped to look at the wares that one street vender was selling, while keeping an eye on what was happening around her.

She watched a bit amused, she knew that it would have to happen to somebody, as two people collided. She knew that the one who had just turned the corner, thought that she was the one to blame, at least that's what Celes guessed from her voice.

She listened to them talk, and introduce themselves, the girl, who had been the one who had turned the corner's name was Alexandra Sorte, though she did supply a nickname. Celes ran a finger along the scar on her face, beginning by her right eye, and going down to her chin, as she filed all of this information away along with the face of the person. Her face turned so that she could see the two of them talking, her brown eyes only resting in one stop for a few seconds, not wanting anything to get by her notice.

((Sorry about the shortness. I'm supposed to be doing homework, and if I was caught online, I might get in trouble, so, yeah, that's my excuse.))

[Jazz]

[Sorry for the delay. And the absolute tininess.]

Lysander grinned at the young lady in front of him. She reminded him almost too strongly of Cam. Her mannerisms, in any case. Her accent and language was entirely different, but they way she talked (save for Camaria's use of overly-long words) was alike. As was the way she talked with her hands, an the way she searched for words made him smile. He shook her offered hand, his grip strongt and firm. Sander was a confident man, and it showed in the way he conducted himself.

"I am Lysander Alevi, miss," he said, bowing. "Pleased to meet you, miss Alexandra." There was Lysander. Always Mr. Polite. He had the itching feeling in the back of his mind that he was being watched, although it wasn't very strong. He discarded the thought, though. He didn't have any feeling of trouble. "And I'm quite alright too, thank you for your concerns."

[Aster]

Namonai Okunote traveled the streets of Corus. With her was a sack filled with a meager amount of supplies and of course the daggers that she carried on her at all times. It was all she had. That and what was left of her hope.

Outfitted in stolen male's garb from earlier that day, the young Yamani surveyed her surroundings, which were foreign to her. If one was not looking closely, they would assume that she was a boy. Her short hair and the lack of curves due to her thick clothing certainly gave that impression. Namonai was not there to stand out though. No, she was dressed for survival.

Her gaze jerked to a passing horse and cart, which she barely escaped being trampled by. She cursed in her native language, her knowledge of Tortallan being so small, and gripped her hands which had begun to shake. The horse was large, but terriblly bony, and certainly not the kind of animal one would expect someone like Namonai Okunote to fear. She did, though, and probably always would. Horses had always terrified the girl, even back when she still lived on the Yamani Islands. It was strange, seeing how she had never had a traumatic experience with a horse. Her fear was just there. And upon her return to Tortall, the young woman soon discovered with much disgust that the country was overrun with the beastly monsters.

Namoi had only ever visited Corus once before, and that had been months ago. Plus, she had not been alone like she was here. She felt vulnerable and doomed. The city was new, and it was a maze of streets and dead ends. Where could she go?

Finally getting herself somewhat under control, she began to finger the handle of a dagger that was concealed under her sleeves. Namoi considered her options which were few. There was always stealing. That at least was not new to the girl, but she had been hoping on leaving her criminal past behind when she reached Corus. And now it looked as if it had caught up with her once again.

This was certainly a problem.

She expelled a deep breath. Namonai wanted - no, desperately needed some money. Fast.

That's when she saw them. Standing in the street was a young man and woman. They seemed to be deep in conversation, which suited Namoi's needs perfectly. The one looked to be noble, which was even better. Of course, had Namoi spent more time in Tortall, she would have known that the young man worked for the king. Even so, it probably would not have stopped her next action, which was easing her way through the crowd to get closer to the two. Now all she had to do was wait for the right time.

[Wayne]

Set fire to Corus? Simple, Garrett thought with a grin. He picked his way through a maze in hidden backalleys and streets, stopping at a worn down part of the city, where the houses were still made of nonfireproof materials. He had a slight swagger to his walk, thanks to the after-effect of consuming a bit too much alcohol. He wasn't totally drunk, just a little bit tipsy.

Garrett tried to light a match and failed, swearing loudly afterwards. He hit the next match which lit in a small orange blaze. He flicked it in a corner and continued lighting matches, just in case the first match had managed to burn itself out. A small blaze had started and began growing and Garr silently slipped away, back to the inner parts of the city. His small blaze was nothing, since it wasn't created with the Gift and could be put out simply. But if enough time were given to it, it would grow, making it harder to put out. And since this was a more abandoned part of the city, it would definitely grow for a long while before anyone paid attention to it.

Garrett walked swiftly back to his closed smithy, his heart pounding from the rush of adrenaline. Why was he doing this? To tell the truth, Garr still held a grudge against the nobles of Tortall. A small rumor had been spread through the world of the rogues of a fire that was to take place today, to burn down Corus. He jumped at this chance. Who would suspect him?

He wandered out from his smithy towards the center of Corus to make himself less of a suspect, all while watching towards the direction where the fire had been lit: waiting for the spread of the fire, and the destruction of Corus.

[Luca]

Luca could smell smoke in the air, making it's way through his lungs. For most, this would be uncomfortable, perhaps leading to some sort of respiratory problem- but for Luca, who loved fire more than anything else in the world, it had the same effect that the smell of candy had on a hyperactive toddler. Most people would not have even picked up the smoke in the air- it couldn't possibly be a big, fire, no, but then Luca could pick out a fire miles away. Oh, Mithros, how he loved fire. As if in a trance, he began walking, still in the shadows, his mind completely unaware of anything but the smoke, and his Gift leading the way to his destination. It wasn't far. Rounding the corner of the street, he was confronted with the beautiful sight of red and orange, a small fire, just a lit bundle of matches really at the side of the road. Nothing particularly dangerous...if this were the fire that was supposed to burn down Tortall, then it wasn't doing the job.

Of course, whenever Luca thought about fire, it appeared, and out of control, too. His Gift wasn't trained, and was liable to manifest itself in extreme outbursts. Like now...his mind wasn't capable of rational thought right now, but bystanders who had already been successfully beating out the fire backed away in horror as the flames skyrocketed, catching light onto the nearest building.

[Alli]

"I am Lysander Alevi, miss. Pleased to meet you, miss Alexandra. And I'm quite alright too, thank you for your concerns."

Alli smiled as he shook her hand. By the way he gripped her hand, she knew that he wasn't someone who was timid. Not timid in the least. In fact, he reminded her somewhat of a cousin...one whose charm and confidence rivaled that of Lysander. Although he was no Damien, she would certainly get along with him well, there was no question of that. In fact, Alli tended to get along with most, until they happened to commit an act that was seriously against her moral standards. Then there was no way she would even attempt to be friendly.

Realizing he'd used her proper name, she raised an eyebrow at him. "Alli," she told him with a grin. "Alexandra is the loyal and obedient daughter my parents know. I'm not always that girl..."

Her voice trailed off and her eyes left Lysander to scan the sky again. Something still wasn't right, and the ominous feeling she had wasn't leaving, or even becoming less important. She sighed and looked back at Lysander, commanding herself to stop worrying. "May I ask what you do for a living, Lysander? If you'd rather not say, I can understand. I have some friends whose professions aren't the most respected."

A slight breeze picked up and blew a few curls into her eyes. Alli pushed them back with an annoyed expression. Maybe she should have left her hair up...

[Wayne]

//OoC: Didn't want to double post...//

Meredith bowed her head once more before the statue of the Mother Goddess in an act of respect. She backed out the door slowly, still with her head bowed, and making sure that she didn't turn her back to the statue. She whispered a final prayer as she exited the temple and turned to walk home.

A light breeze was blowing over the quiet city; the crowds had long died down. Only a few people wandered in the streets as Meredith took her own leave. She took her usual road, a hidden road so as not to wander through the big throngs of the day. Oh, how she hated noise! Of course, she had stayed at the temple later today and the crowds were gone, but Meredith was accustomed to walking her own beaten, worn-down path.

She turned a corner and stopped, shocked, at the sight of a red-orange flare glowing at the end of the road she just turned onto. It was close by and there was no way someone could not be able to tell that was a fire. Smoke was filling the path and clouded her vision from seeing a lone man by the fire. If she had seen him, she wouldn't have fled as she did.

Unfortunately, Meredith didn't see him, and she turned towards the main roads. She ran through the streets, meaning to tell someone about the fire. The best place would be on one of the main roads leading to the center of the city. Better yet, the very center of the city itself. "Fire! Fire! A building's on fire over there! Someone has to come with me to help put it out."

---

Garrett took in a deep breath as he watched the fire swell up briefly above the horizon, only to disappear once more only a little bit under the horizon. No way... The fire couldn't have grown that fast. Someone must have helped it with the Gift or added some fuel. It wasn't a big deal though; Garrett really didn't care how the fire started up, as long as the fire managed to burn Corus down. Burn, burn, burn...

A few daggers were strapped to his belt, as well as a sword. Being a blacksmith as he was, the sword and daggers were homemade and he never went anywhere without at least one of them. Garr reached for them now as a red-haired lady ran through the streets screaming. Quite unappropriate, he thought, but her words caught his attention first.

"Fire! Fire! A building's on fire over there! Someone has to come with me to help put it out."

He froze, for she had pointed towards where he had lit the fire. He said nothing, hoping that someone else would respond so that the woman would not have to question him personally.

[sirriwolfe]

Celes walked away from the stall where she had been standing, and continued on her way. She shook her head, she could smell smoke, but as she had been feeling a bit off, ignored it, think that it was her imagination.

"Fire! Fire! A building's on fire over there! Someone has to come with me to help put it out."

Celes' head snapped up, apparently, it hadn't been her imagination. She ran towards the voice, and the scent of smoke. She didn't know how much she would be able to do, as she was a Shang, which meant that there was no way that she had the Gift.

When she was closer to the person who had called out, she answered, "I'll help you put it out!" She looked around, searching for any merchant stalls that had buckets. She scanned for Bazhir stalls, as they generally had buckets hanging around, and most of the buckets would have water in them.

[Jazz]

[By god, I'm gone two days and everyone replies]

"Alli. Alexandra is the loyal and obedient daughter my parents know. I'm not always that girl..."

Lysander smiled. He knew many people who said almost exactly the same thing. If he ever had children, he'd make sure to give it a name with a handy shortcut. "Of course," he said, but her knew her attention was gone. She seemed to be nervy. Perhaps he wasn't the only person that felt something was up. Something was wrong, he could feel it in the air. He followed her gaze upwards, wondering.

"May I ask what you do for a living, Lysander? If you'd rather not say, I can understand. I have some friends whose professions aren't the most respected."

He looked at the girl - Alli - again, tilting his head. The nonchalant way in which she spoke said that she dealt with rogues on a daily basis. Sander had no problem with that, but it was amusing that she'd consider he was one himself. "I'm with the Queen's Riders," he explained, smiling. "May I ask your profession, Alli?"

But there was no time for his new acquaintance to answer. A woman ran into the street, alerting them to a fire. I knew it. He turned towards the woman, his eyes catching the signs of smoke. "Have you magic, miss?" he asked. "Come on, we'll need all the help we can get," he called to Alexandra. Then, letting natural leadership skills take over, her ran towards the building.

He took one look at the crowd that was gathering, and took a deep breath. "Bucket chain!" he yelled. "You know the drill. get in the chain!" His voice was heard over the din. He was a commander after all. Corus inhabitants knew what to do, for the most part. No-one wanted the fire to catch onto ther houses. Most quickly got the idea, but buckets and water were slow in coming. We need a mage! Bucket chain! You, fetch the Lord Provost, and you, alert the palace!"

[Wayne]

Meredith panted from her running, listening to what the rest of the citizens had to say.

"Have you magic, miss? Come on, we'll need all the help we can get."

[blue]"Yes, I have the Gift,"[/blue] Meredith replied, her voice cracked. She followed the man towards the blazing building that refused to be put out.

"Bucket chain! You know the drill. get in the chain! We need a mage! Bucket chain! You, fetch the Lord Provost, and you, alert the palace!"

Meredith let loose her own blue magic and probed around the fire as the others dumped load after load of water. The Gift. Someone was backing the fire. Who? She expended a bit of her Gift to try to push the opposing magic away, not thnking to try and sense who it was first. Oh, Great Goddess, keep this city safe, she prayed fervently in her head while trying to keep her Gift in check. Wayne, where are you when I need you most?

The heat around here was too much. She was sweating through her aquamarine colored dress, both from the unbearable heat and her use of magic. Meredith made a soft sound and pushed much more of her magic in her effort to knkock out the opposing force. Her head was dizzy, but she was still on her feet.