Fable - Ask Reforge the Bonds that were Broken

[Lexi Quinzell]

Commander Alexandria Quinzell of the Order of the White Raven let out a deep but quiet sigh into the mug of cider she was currently nursing. It was directed at the man who sat opposite her, though he seemed completely oblivious to the slowly rising irritation of his Commander. Between them was a map he was using as a prop to run through with her in agonising detail every part of their journey home to Evora. Lexi didn't have many rules when her men were relaxing in between jobs, but the top one of the small list she did have was that nobody disturbed her whilst her mug was full. Someone clearly hadn't informed the youngster in front of her.

“If, Commander, you might let me make another suggestion –“

- Heaven have mercy on me –

“If we take the Portal Stone instead of crossing the Sayve river on foot then we could shave another three days off of our journey time back home. It would bring us out over here,” he tapped the map over the position where the Portal Stone that lived in the Taagi Baara Steppes, which was as he said only a few days ride to the White Ravens headquarters. Of course, all of these suggestions Lexi had already considered and discarded, which was the reason for her increasing temper.

“And another thing –“

Lexi’s grip stiffened on the mug.

“That is enough, Alwen,” the Commanders eye drifted from her steely focus on her drink to the man who sat next to her. Unlike young Alwen, Kain knew exactly when his Commander was about to do something she might deeply regret in the morning. It was why he was her number two. “The Commander has considered all of these points, of course, but we are picking up some scrolls at the river crossing from a trader from Elbion.” The young man’s face suddenly became one of horror as he realised his error at seeking to lecture the Commander on something she was already aware of.

“I-I didn’t…”

“It is quite alright Alwen,” Lexi fixed her one eye on the young lad as she brought the cup to her lips at long last. “I have this open policy for a reason. Go, enjoy your evening.” The boy scrambled to his feet, taking the map with him and hurried off to join the cadets who were occupying the majority of the space at the bar itself. A jeer went up among them as their friend re-entered the fold. Her keen eye picked out more than a few bags of coin being passed around and it caused her lip to curl faintly at the corner: clearly his friends also knew their Commander’s temper better.

Finally, she took a sip of the cool cider.

The tavern they had chosen to stop in was a large one even for the road and could more aptly be described as a mead hall. Even though she had 50 men in here with her they didn’t seem to take the place over with their mere presence, even with the majority gathered in one place. It was easy to spot the Templar Order dedicated to the myths and things that went bump in the night even the other Chapters didn’t want to handle, for every one of them wore the blinding white cloak with the emblem of the White Raven blazing on the back. Lexi included. Though whereas her fellows emblem was a black outline of a Raven, Lexi’s was coloured in gold and it was clasped about her person with a golden cord that looped across her chest and under her arm, held in place with golden talon clasps. She sat further away from the group, favouring the quiet of a booth near the hearth than the company of the cadets.

It was nice to see everyone enjoying themselves, and her position offered her full view of their merriment. The monster they had just dispatched had been a minor one but most of the men in this room were Greenies. They had handled themselves well and Lexi was proud of them. She had put a lump of her own coin behind the bar and the group were steadily making their way through it now.

She had just been thinking how she too might be able to enjoy the evening when the door to the bar opened.

 

[Elris Cedrasca]

Elris Cedrasca strode into the door confidently, at least for a man dripping head-to-toe in black ichor. Behind him skipped his partner, Fala. She was a small unsuspecting woman who carried two wickedly curved blades and possessed a bandolier of vials containing assorted colourful liquids across her torso. Fala was also a mute, which explained why the two managed to get on famously. Jokes aside, he enjoyed her company and the two had created a rough language of silent gestures, nods and the odd facial expression. Today, however, he was ignoring her. A group of them had been sent to deal with an undead treant nest which had caused havoc across the Allirian reach. While they had managed to subdue and destroy the beasts with minimal effort, Fala had seen fit to detonate one of the corpses - in her words 'to make tree dead' - which had resulted in Elris getting soaked.

As they made their way through the tavern, Elris slowly clocked on to the presence of fellow templars seated all over the tavern and groaned internally. He had only been elevated to commander within the last year and was acutely aware of his junior status amongst within the templars. His rise to power had been swift and sudden, having gained particular renown for developing a sunlight-mimicking potion that many orders had since adopted. Yet, that said, the Black Rose was, for all intents and purposes, disintegrating and their ranks had been split in two. His position was tenuous.

Overall, he held no particular distrust or distaste for those of the White Raven. While he didn't particularly enjoy magic, he did recognize the benefits of its use and would not condemn those who used it for good. Furthermore, the two orders rarely crossed paths. His own Black Rose dealt solely with the undead, whereas the White Raven was more of a miscellaneous bunch - dealing with peculiarities and myths. Historically, a couple of powerful liches had rallied the two orders together, but in recent decades no such event had arisen. Regardless, with the Alliance having turned their back on his own order, perhaps it wouldn't hurt extending an olive branch and enjoying new companions.

After a moment of discussion with the innkeeper, Elris was ushered to the back of the tavern and doused himself with several buckets of fragranced water. Afterwards, suitably washed of gunk, he took a seat several stools away from the White Raven commander. "Good to put a face to a name. Commander Quinzell, I presume? So, might I ask what brings you to this neck of the woods?" His tone was flat, he was a painfully average individual and wasn't particularly skilled with people.

 

[Skuld Zajac]

Skuld had kept to an easy pace on the directions from Elris. Meeting at a tavern was not uncommon for armored folk, at least it wasn't so long as only a few where in company. Her idea of a few however was nothing like what she saw while entering the tavern. Her own armor seemed almost lacking from the full plate she had formally worn as a pledged templar. The white cloaks and raven gave her a fair idea of who she was dealing with however.

The triangles under her eyes painted a clear picture for those that knew of the former Black Rose Templar, Skuld Zajac. Her hair was pulled back into a tightly braided bun, eyes sharp and moving across the gathering. As she entered, the zweihander she carried made a sharp thunk noise as she walked, the scabbard digging into the floor as she approached Elris. The wafting scent of something most certainly not road grit was about him, making her smile and laugh.

"Get into a tussle with a flower patch?" She asked, eyes moving to the subject of his words. Her smile grew at recognizing the woman however, her eyes narrowing as she drummed up the name from the depths of her memories. A damned good fighter, and equally good leader. "Alexandria...Quinzo-zell." She corrected herself with a nod, before taking a seat at Elris's table and setting the sword against her shoulder.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

"What the fuck are the Black Roses doing here?" Lexi had to agree with Kain's muttering as she tracked the man across the room from her. She didn't recognise him which meant he was worth even less of her time and attention than someone she did know from another Chapter so she returned to her drink in silence. The Commander was determined she was going to enjoy at least one in relative peace and so help her God. Kain seemed to catch on to her mood and quietly excused himself to unearth the information his leader would want to know, moving with as much stealth as a white shadow could. Unlike Lexi he had a guilded tongue that could wrangle secrets from people in a much more pleasant way than how she used her fists to get the same information. As the Rose parted for the back rooms, Kain returned.

"Elris Cedrasca, the new Commander of the Black Roses. That's his partner," Kain was too good to nod obviously to the mute woman and instead he picked up his mug and tapped twice to signal two o'clock in the room. Lexi said nothing. The last Commander of the Black Roses had won her respect at the battle of the Allies Keep when she had held the shield wall that had trapped the spirit so that another Commander - Saul - could vanquish it. It had taken balls and Lexi admired that especially in a fellow woman.

"Incoming."

Maybe, if I just keep my head do-

Good to put a face to a name....

Lexi shut her eye and downed the remainder of her pint in one long draught, slamming the mug down on the table with a bit more force than probably necessary. He wouldn't know what she had been about to say to him because the ex Commander of the Black Roses chose that moment to come waltzing in. A deep sigh.

"Skuld," she inclined her head with respect and she found it hard not to answer the other woman's grin. Her face brought back good memories. "I hear you've given your mantel to a pup," her eye moved from the woman to the man who sat a few stools away from her. It would be hard not to see the dislike on her features. Skuld had been a great leader and from what she had seen so far she was disinclined to think the man would fill even half a boot.

 

[Elris Cedrasca]

The disappointment washed over him. He wasn't fussed, nor did he care really. His peers had elected him and, while he had been strongly against it, that was the only thing that had mattered. Thankfully, for him at least, Skuld had chosen the perfect time to walk into the tavern - and not by chance either. Elris wasn't a devious man, but the past year fighting a war had taught him one thing. Friends were everything. It was his hope that Skuld and the White Roses would get on famously. If the Black Roses could improve their relations with other orders it would provide the foundation needed for his cause to gain legitimacy. That said, he also wanted Skuld's help in killing a particularly gruesome boneyard that had reared its ugly head. He shuddered.

He smiled, ordered another flagon of mead and strode over to greet Skuld. In recent weeks he'd learned to enjoy her company and he was proud to serve alongside her. "Yeah, turns out Fala here got the numbers wrong. Was an entire nest of undead treants, so there was a lot of weeding to do." He smiled slightly, then shot daggers back at his partner. He was still annoyed that she had caused him to get soaked and he wouldn't be letting that one slide until a few more drinks had been bought for him. Fala smiled cheekily back at him, then nudged her way into a game of cards with some of the White Ravens.

She was a cheat. A darn good one. He didn't approve, but by heavens was he impressed when she played. He thought best, partly out of spite, to neglect to mention that to Lexi. Instead, his hand moved in two subtle gestures, both of which were lost in the swaying of his arms as he moved. But Fala clocked on - 'clean em' - he had motioned to her. With that done, he held out the spare flagon towards Skuld. "I'd drink up if I were you, Fala's got a tab open, so we need to drink her dry."

 

[Skuld Zajac]

"Didn't give anyone anything. Left it for them to pick up, and this one is a better fit than who I left it to." Skuld sighed, leaning back into her chair and not remembering the riding being so rough back then. "Hmm, treants. Quickest way of dealing with them is just lighting a torch and sticking it to them." Her eyes drifted over to his compatriot before eyeing the mug and accepting it.

"So long as it is paid for, I do need a drink after the road. Thanks." She nodded, taking a small sip before looking back to Lexi. "What have you lot been up to over the past year? Still killing the strange and dangerous?"

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

Lexi put her hand up to catch the attention of the woman at the bar and motioned for another drink to be brought over. A sweet girl but with more than enough spunk to capture Lexi's interest and vice versa. She was one of the reasons she liked this tavern and made sure they stopped when passing through. As the woman walked over and set the fresh cider in front of her, she gave the Commander a smile that was pure sin and walked away. Damn but she wanted to enjoy this evening with her instead of play the role of Commander.

When Elris ignored her comment she settled back hoping that this meant she had successfully made him not want to talk to her. It was a skill. Kain would debate the matter and tell her it was a sign her years in the Chapter had hindered her basic human abilities to care about people. Kain was wrong. Lexi enjoyed nothing more than solitude, quiet, and her drink. Actually in this case also her thoughts. It was disappointing to hear Skuld had left but she couldn't blame her, it was tough going and the price of Commandership even more so. She would, however, reserved judgement on the Whelp.

She raised the mug to her lips and took a long swig, glancing outside at the darkening skies to determine when the girl would get off her shift, before her illusions were broken.

At least they were broken by Skuld.

With restraint she put her mug back down and fixed the woman with her one good eye.

"Aye, someone has to do the work the rest of you are too chicken to do," it was an old joke and there was no hint of malice in it despite her rough exterior. "We were just dealing with an Ahriman - a death spirit - a few leagues away. Bloody Loot Runners keep churning things up they shouldn't with their games. I see retirement didn't suit you if you're back on the road."

 

[Elris Cedrasca]

Elris sat quietly with the group. He knew he was not particularly welcomed, nor wanted by the fellow commander - but he did not care. Skuld was here and he was more than happy to sit idly while the two of them chatted.

Instead, his gaze shifted towards his companion Fala. She worked curiously, a mute who somehow commanded the focus and attention of whoever was around her at the time. She could work a crowd, silently, and would have them eating out of her palm in moments. He smiled wryly, as he watched her sat amongst these hardened and toughened White Raven members.

A few cards passed, a few hands dealt. Yet Fala was up at the table. In the time it had taken for him to welcome Skuld, get a drink, and return to Skuld's side, Fala had managed to coax one of the order's members, a fellow by Alwin as he later found out, to bet the actual shirt off his back. He sighed, she won. Fala, in true Fala fashion, put the top on over her robes and armour as if to gloat to the man.

He sighed, he was going to have to reign her in. "If you'll both excuse me..."

 

[Skuld Zajac]

A smirk appeared as Lexi made the lighthearted jab. "Ah, but were we all less sane." Her own mug came up as she listened to what her group had dealt with. A swig of her drink silenced what would have been a chuckle to her comment about the loot runners stirring up trouble. Was a common thing anymore from what little she had heard in her sedentary lifestyle.

Person's hunting through mazes and agitated monsters for the chance to gain some magical item of repute. Seemed a touch mad in her opinion, but she had formerly hunted down undead and necromancers for a living imbibing alchemical potions of questionable origin.

"Anyone with magic items tends to stir up trouble. Especially when offering it up to idiots." Skuld commented, swirling her mug before looking back for the last part of her words.

"I chose to come back rather than be forced back into service by a former student." Skuld huffed, leaning back in her chair with a frown as she watched Elris walk off, giving him a nod. "Seem's the fool has been hunting retired templars and others to press into service."

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

It was Kain who leaned in and murmured in her ear about the game and Alwin's terrible hand. The Commander merely snorted - she had no qualms with her cadets learning the hard way not to get fleeced. Literally of the shirt off his back in this case. It seemed, however, the other Commander did mind as he excused himself to go and see to his right hand. Kain made an excuse and left too.

Alone, Lexi cut straight to the point with Skuld.

"You know my offer made last year still stands, you would be a welcome member of the White Ravens," her words were firm and she sought the other woman's gaze. "I know his position is not sturdy and from the reports we've been getting the Black Roses are heading for another internal war with all the political shit that comes with it. Jump ship, Skuld. Even if it's not to the White Ravens," it was her honest advice but then Lexi wasn't one for politics. Her gruff nature with other commanders was simply to keep her Chapter out of the bickering. She looked now to Elris dealing with the woman he had first arrived with before back to the woman opposite.

"If you would like to live out your retirement in peace and not be bothered, I can offer you a home in Evora."

 

[Skuld Zajac]

"I appreciate the offer, and am honored by it. However, even with my strongest feeling of wanting to wander again, I won't betray the promise I made to my husband." Skuld spoke softly, but leveled her gaze to the other woman. "And I may be in his company, but I am not reinstated. That being said, I'll ride this boat to the bottom if that is what it takes. As the former commander, I would rather see the Black Rose's break and shatter than let it spread dissent among the Templar orders." Her words were still soft, but her hand tightened around her mug.

"Goldwater will not keep his influence to the Black Rose's for long. As I was his teacher, I am responsible for his actions." Skuld took a drink before setting the mug on the table. She was resolute in her goal, and would not sway. "Even if it means his head."

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

"Aye, I can respect that. Even if it is a loss to the White Ravens not to have ya," Lexi smiled then, a genuine one. It softened her features out and made her look about five years younger. Sighing she picked her mug up and then scooted along the bench so that she was sat at the same table as the woman rather than talking across. Lifting slightly off the bench she rummaged in her pocket and then produced her pipe and a match.

"I value your opinion Skuld, what do you honestly think of Elris? Is he worth the time of day?" It would never be said that Lexi minced her words and made them pretty. She struck the match and carefully lit her pipe, taking a long draw before blowing it to the side so it wouldn't bother her friend.

 

[Elris Cedrasca]

Fala giggled to herself quietly. Another successful hand, another shirt claimed. In the moments it had taken for Elris to traverse the length of the Tavern, she had stolen several more shirts and, to add insult to injury, taken to wearing each one on top of each other. She smiled at Elris as he approached, beckoning the man to join her.

"Fala. As much as I would love to join you here." A lie. Elris didn't mind cards, in fact, he was quite good, he just knew she was a better cheat than he was a player. "Perhaps you should take a seat with me."

One of the White Ravens chimed up in response. "Fala here's a blast, she was just telling us the joke with the four nuns and the bard."

Elris paused, considering the man. Then turned to consider Fala. He'd heard the joke, he'd heard the joke many times. The issue here was how Fala was able to communicate such a joke to them - being mute and all.

He sighed. The girl was a complete mystery, it didn't bear thinking about. With that, he collected another round of drinks and made his way back to Lexi and Skuld's table.

 

[Skuld Zajac]

The mug came up to her mouth as Lexi spoke, a sly smile appearing on Skuld's face as she spoke before taking a sip. "Loss for everyone honestly. Excluding yours, seems everyone got soft." She hissed before taking a sip. The examination however made her eyes narrow a bit to the man that had accidentally called her out of retirement in a way that Skuld could pull off. What her opinion of him currently was had yet formed anything more than a surface study.

She had seen both good qualities, and bad. But none were without fault, and Skuld above all understood that dynamic.

"Better than a fresh faced recruit. Still fresh to commanding, and being cut from the collective order's has removed him from any chance of formal training currently. So long as he keeps on with how he has, he could very well turn out well. Less direct than I was, but still decent if a bit...stiff. Like a nobles collar." She informed the woman before Elris brought his compatriot back with him.

"Never have to sleep outside if you keep winning, huh?" Skuld nodded to Fala.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

"Aye, everyone seems to be a politician now not a Templar," Lexi mulled over what Skuld had to say whilst she chewed on her pipe. Not everyone had a formal training in Commanding so that didn't bother her too much, it was the stiffness that would probably irk her most of all. Still, as long as he could do her job so she didn't suddenly have an influx of requests to deal with the undead she could probably at least tolerate him. High praise indeed. She quietly watched as he spoke to his companion who was sitting around a table with some of her Greens. She caught one of their gazes and quirked a brow but when all the other girl did was shrug she returned her attention instead back to enjoying her pipe. Her cadets could handle themselves.

"You needn't worry about them," Lexi turned her eye to Elris before blowing out a perfectly formed smoke room towards the ceiling. "They need to learn." She tapped her pipe against the table and then left it there to finish off her ale. "Quite the coincidence you being in the neighbourhood at the same time," she kept her tone casual as was her look but there was an unease that was caused by the way she threw her arm across the back of the booth and rested her ankle across her thigh. "How are you coping with all the politics as a new Commander?"

 

[Elris Cedrasca]

"It's not them I'm worried about if any of them catch Fala cheating... She can get a bit defensive when someone accuses her." He sighed as he spoke, remembering the tavern she'd almost set alight simply so she could keep her winnings and escape. She'd promised to avoid using flames again as a distraction, but Elris knew better than to believe her. Regardless, he followed Lexi's advice and sat down with another round of drinks.

"I called Skuld in to assist with a Boneyard, don't suppose you fancy to join?" He grinned, for once. He was eager to begin his mission with Skuld and knew the opponent would be far from a pushover.

His grin was shortlived as he heard her question. Elris let an uncomfortable silence fall over them, then swigged several mouthfuls of his mead before answering her. "It's a distraction from being able to serve the world. My oath was to deliver the world from the scourges of the undead, not the scourges of humanity." He sighed, suddenly looking twice his age as he stared off into the distance.

"Any advice, from one commander to another?"

 

[Skuld Zajac]

"Eugh." Skuld spat at the mention of politics. She had a strong distaste for them, preferring the simpler method of simply earning the right to speak your mind. Experience bred knowledge, and wisdom. The best thing was always to listen to the white haired person in a job that typically killed the young and fit.

"Sometimes people need a hard lesson." Skuld began with a smirk, raising the mug to her mouth before pausing. "Sometimes a person is the hard lesson." Punctuating the words with a drink as Elris returned in the wake of Lexi's words.

Elris spoke at length, getting a small snort from Skuld at the mention of people being more an issue than the undead. Was always a worry in their line of work. Peasant's or simply misguided or misinformed folk that thought they knew better because they heard something somewhere but could nay recall where.

"Humanity can be a far more dangerous scourge than any beast. After all, with beasts you just have to worry about the plain dangers." She clicked her tongue with a smirk. "Humans get creative. Put aught in your food or drink. Slip into your room by night. All the fun stuff."

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

Lexi couldn't help but agree with her old friend. In the White Ravens it just so happened that Lexi was often that lesson. It was amazing how quickly men stepped in line when a woman was able to pick them up and throw them like they weighed no more than a loaf of bread. She took a puff on her pipe.

Skulds advice was probably better for the Black Rose's than anything she could give him in ways of advice. Her hard working in keeping her Chapter out of politics had lessened the risks from humans to below average for her position. Nobody wanted her robes.

"When other Commanders approach you about teaming up shoot them down," her voice was blunt. "Separate your people as much as you can from the other Chapters and stand on your own two feet. Friendship is seen as weakness, it's respect you need when you're commanding not a mate to go to the pub with. Once you start down the road of being pally with everyone that's when you get sucked in to the arguments and you can't do your job."

 

[Elris Cedrasca]

Elris shuddered as Skuld spoke, doing a shot of a murky liquid whilst listening intently. He appreciated her company and knew he had much to learn from the woman, so always tried to do his best to remember her words and heed her warnings.

Sneak into your rooms at night.

He clicked his tongue. Remembering the excursion he had taken to find Skuld, guilt washed over him as he reminisced on how Goldwater's men had managed to track him to Skuld's farm. To this day, he was not sure how they had tracked him, to this day he still felt bad darkening her door.

He ignored the first comment from Lexi but listened to the rest of her words and found himself visibly relaxing. He was not pally with his chapter, nor did he engage with frivolities. Respect was how he had found himself where he was today and now she had validated it. He breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.

"Don't suppose you've seen an increase in mutants near your fancy library have you?" He chewed each word in that sentence. Goldwater had been ramping up and testing some new potions on civilians, turning them into maddened beasts that were mighty hard to put down. Rumour has it they'd moved further out into the Reach, inadvertently bringing themselves closer to Lexi's domain.

 

[Saul Talith]

The door to the tavern opened and two Templar dressed in full plate stepped inside.

Neither of them wore an insignia that directly correlated to any known Order, but instead their upper right chest was adorned with a mark that seemed a mixture of half a dozen sigils in their own right. They took a post on either side of the door, their hands falling to the hilt of their swords. Odd buckler like shields were attached to their off arms.

"You guys seriously need to stop that." A voice rang out from behind the door, Saul Talith stepping through in armor that looked far more worn and battle hardened than that of the two guards.

He glanced at the men with a frown, his hand running through his hair as visible stress crossed over his features. "I'm no bloody King and I don't need you running ahead of me in some weird way of protection."

A sigh escaped the Lord Commanders voice, his head shaking as neither of the Guards responded from behind their helmets. He'd had trouble with this ever since the new recruits had graduated. They thought he needed to be guarded, that he didn't have the ability to protect himself. It was perhaps one of the most annoying things out of all this

His head shook, and finally he turned around and walked towards the other Templars.

"Apologies." Saul said with a frown. "I'm afraid I've made a bit of a scene."

All he seemed to do nowadays.

 

[Skuld Zajac]

The word Lexi spoke were a bit bitter but truthful no less. Involving other orders tended to become a bogged down mess of red tape and bureaucratic dilemmas of affording peace without actually solving some problems. The Black Rose group had been one of the fringe members, though they had answered the call when the Lord Commander had summoned.

Even if it had technically been the last act in Skuld's templar life.

The mention of mutants made her eyes narrow to Elris however. A silent question as the door was opened with two men stepping inside, Skuld leaning back in her chair to watch them with an amused smile on her face.

Green horns. It was easy to tell the fresh faces out from the old bones in a number of ways. The armor, attitude, and most importantly, how they entered a tavern. Someone she had not thought to see again entered, and a warm smile appeared on her features that only Lexi had been privy to previously.

"Lord Commander, been a minute eh?" Skuld called over, raising her mug to him before taking a drink. She wasn't wearing the winged armor as she had done before, but the damned triangles under her eyes were always a dead giveaway of the former Black Rose commander.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

Elris' question halted Lexi's hand as she raised the mug to her lips. There had indeed been a few more mutant outbreaks getting closer to her turf. The river that separated her from the Reach was keeping their city safe but soon she had a feeling they would find a way across and spread like a plague across the steppes. The question was how on Earth he knew about it and what his relationship was to the creatures. Very slowly she set her drink back down and twisted at the waist so that she was facing him with her good eye and the threat of what was under the eye patch.

"Now, what do you know about--" she didn't get much further when the commotion at the door caught her attention along with a soft whistle from Kain. "Gods fucking damnit," she ran a hand down her face. This was getting to be too much of a coincidence that not one but two other Chapter Commanders were in the same Tavern on some wayward road in the arse end of fucking nowhere. Lexi wasn't buying it anymore.

"And Saul. You avoid Saul at all costs most importantly," Lexi muttered under her breath, another piece of advice for Elris.

 

[Elris Cedrasca]

Her reaction told him everything. He knew his enemies had been extending farther into the reach, yet he hadn't received confirmed reports they'd dared venture into Lexi's territory. He sighed, Goldwater was either growing in strength or getting desperate - either was bad news for him and his order.

His eyes narrowed as he saw Saul enter and a look of genuine confusion and shock displayed on his face. Elris found himself gritting his teeth and a rictus snarl briefly flashed towards the Lord Commander, before it quickly came under raps.

"Oh trust me, I've learnt that that the hard way." He whispered back towards Lexi. No doubt, she would suspect he set her up. To an extent, he had. He had guessed she might venture to this tavern, it had been convenience and confidence that caused an undead outbreak nearby - yet Saul was a wildcard. Elris had not accounted for his arrival.

He paused, muttering again to Lexi. "I know a few tricks for beating the mutants, although no doubt you and your order have figured most of them out - we'll talk later regardless." He cursed himself inwardly. He had no doubt Lexi wouldn't appreciate the fact he'd bound the two of them to a chat later, but his words were said. There was no retracting them now.

"Greetings, Lord Commander" His words held a small amount of venom. Elris had gained a certain disdain for the templar alliance and the man before him was the embodiment of the institute. That said, Skuld respected him and so he would at least be civil.

 

[Saul Talith]

"Ah negativity. I've missed that smell." He offered Skuld a respectful nod and smile.

The two of them went back some time. They had fought together and explored the ruins of Herath. The memories were not gone, and it was still a shame to him that she had left the Order. He knew why, and respected it, but there was still regret.

The Lord Commanders then slowly glanced at the other two.

He did not know either of them personally, but it was easy enough to put faces to names. Spy networks saw that more information reached him than he really would have liked. It got to be too much at times. Neither of them appeared too happy to see him, but that was to be expected.

Undoing the sword on his belt Saul placed the weapon against the side of the table and then sat himself down. "Sometimes it's good to be reminded not everyone will run into a burning building for you."

Placing his helmet down on the table he looked at Lexi, and then to Elris.

"So what are you guys talking about?" Saul asked with a smile.

 

[Skuld Zajac]

"Loads to go around. At least from those not licking boots." Skuld teased him with a nod to the pair he left by the door. Being freelance was certainly a refreshing perspective when dealing with the man. And she was enjoying the lack of possible blow back from being so casual with him. Respectively, eyeing the two by the door before returning to watching the scene before her.

She kept from letting herself chuckle at the back and forth. Apparently some things had indeed changed while she had been out of the proverbial game of Templar for retirement.

"This, that, and the other thing." Skuld offered to the trio before effectively removing herself from the conversation by taking another drink. Wasn't exactly her river to fjord, but she could at least advise as a well known, and liked party.