Until You Are Dead [Invite]

[Llyr Lunette]

Not a soul could miss the sighting, and most were too shocked to do much of anything but gawk. The pathetic yet somehow heroic form of the city's lead muse, battered from head to toe and most certainly still bleeding from the gash on his right side that he kept agitating, dragging the equally battered body of the masked boy.

No one questioned what was going on because everyone knew that Llyr Lunette, no matter how questionably powerful, would never do such a thing without a horrifically good reason. Everyone knew that hurting Llyr was beyond difficult considering his status. Everyone was utterly terrified. The word spread through the city like a wildfire and many were rushing to the square just to catch a glimpse. While peace wasn't exactly common in the city like it used to be, no one was prepared for such a bloody violent sight.

"You there, with the brown hair," Llyr called to a nearby young man. With a heft the muse threw Kieve in the dead center of Smashing Dynamics, a circle of people forming a safe distance away. "I need you to be my runner. Go to the Sanctuary and ask for Miss Selah. Tell her that the masked man has what he wanted and she needs to rush here right away. She will understand what that means."

For a long moment after Llyr had finished what he was asking the man stared in wonder, as if to make absolutely certain that he heard everything he needed to hear. After he was sure he gave an unsteady nod and a squeaked 'yeah' before running off as fast as his legs could carry him. Even if the man despised Llyr and feared "Lady Grim" he could not refuse this request. The head muse's tone was probably enough to alert anyone else with any doubts that what was happening could impact the entire city.

Taking a deep breath, the man scanned the crowd with his startlingly calm blue eyes. The Sea. "You'll all want to leave now. I have shown everyone here something very important, but you must go. Spread the word that I am here with this bastard boy. Bring to me the strongest warriors in the city. Find other muses. Find the other Elegies. Whatever you do, do it away from this place now." The commanding strength coming from Llyr felt beyond his power.

Just beneath the surface his physical exhaustion was threatening to overcome him. As much as the lack of magic was urging Llyr to just slit Kieve's throat he worried he would not be able to regain his magic that way. He needed to be as rational as possible and all he could hope was that some others arrived soon who could help him. Preferably before he bled out, Llyr thought as he placed a shaking hand to his bleeding wound.

[Amabilis Hemlocke]

Everything about today had been ominous to Hemlocke. It could have been just a simple little thing that Kieve wanted, some narcotics, some poison, anything, but to bring a sleeping Gale to his doorstep and claim that she would not waken unless brought to a specific time at a specific place was atrocious. One of the lowest things Kieve had done to Hem, and Hem had known him long enough. This was only a sign that there was much more to Kieve than Hem could possibly understand. Gale was sleeping on his bed, all the while Hemlocke was preparing for Kieve's "show".

Hemlocke was pacing back and forth through his house gathering things and placing them in his satchel. Thoughts were rampant at how Kieve had acted before he left. Something was not right at all and it only added on to Hem's premonition about how odd this day had felt. Dawn had only barely shown over the horizon when Kieve brought Gale to him, and since then, Hem has been worried about what is to come. What is he planning? Where is this going to take place? Surely it won't be outside of Symphony. The monsters would tear Gale and I asunder. Unless... Does he plan to take us out? He could take monsters easily, I've seen it. But...

[/color] Hem stopped what he was doing at the horrid thought.

That's when things had become significantly more ominous.

A low rumbling came from behind him. He walked to his front door, opened it, and the look on his face was terrifying. Hemlocke was almost completely frowning. A burst of light came from the Percussion District; a light so bright that even from far away at the top of the Natural Refrain and during midday he could still see the energy. This must have been the sign Kieve was talking about. From what Hem gathered, it was located near where the apartment complex of Percussion had met the square. He shook his head in regret. Why does this have to happen to Gale? He turned from the just outside the doorway, and leaned down to see her upper half on his bed. She looked so peaceful. Hemlocke did not want to bring her to said energy flash, but Kieve had done something to her, and she had to be cured. He walked back inside to not organize the remainder of his supplies, but instead to throw them all in his satchel. "No time to sort what I need. I'll bring what I can and figure it out then." He ended up with two and a half satchels full all three slung over his shoulders. The last piece of equipment he had was hidden in a small safe disguised as a vat with poison in it. "Corrosive. DO NOT TOUCH" is what the vat said. He opened the side of it where an odd box shaped object with a circle design on the top of it. "Long time no see. I haven't played you in forever. It was Hemlocke's Celestial Harp. One of the creepiest sounding instruments he had, albeit one of his favorites. It was cut down to a smaller size for transportation, but a quick Pitch Shift fixes that.

The last thing Hemlocke needed was Gale. He walked into the room, ducking under the doorway. His smile was at it's regular, crooked and slightly showing his teeth, but behind the facade was a face of worry. Despair. Fear. He picked the girl up, positioned her on his back in piggyback form, then set out for the Percussion District.

All along the way rumors flew by as Tones fled in the opposite direction that Hemlocke was headed. "Llyr is down!" they said. "Someone help him!" they cried. It worried Hemlocke even more that Llyr Lunette was even mentioned. He was the top Muse. The leader of his group. Pieces began to fall in place. All of the concoctions Hem made for Kieve, thoughts of going into Miasma. It was clear to Hemlocke. Kieve somehow managed a monster into the city. This was his show. Hem's pace quickened as he resettled Gale on his back. This cannot be good.[/color]

Upon arrival to the square, there were only two things. Kieve was one, who seemed to be unconscious, while the other was a blue haired man holding himself in blood. Hemlocke was startled at the lack of monsters, but when he caught glimpse of the crimson against the white and blue of the other man, he sprang into action. Jogging carefully to the man as not to upset Gale, he towered over him looking at the blood around him.

Hemlocke shook his head "That looks a bit rough there." He gently laid Gale down nearby away from the blood spill, then came back to the man. Without hesitating, or asking permission for that matter, Hem tore the sides of Llyr's shirt off and began to apply a tourniquet to his side. "This is going to apply pressure to stop blood flow. I'm going to pull it tight, so it might hurt." As "hurt" slipped through Hemlocke's smile, he tugged on both ends of the straps completing the tourniquet. "Now drink this," Hemlocke said as he handed one of his restoration potions to the man. While holding out the bottle, he realized who he had just medicated. It was Llyr Lunette himself. Hemlocke's head cocked backwards in slight shock, at the realization. "Llyr Lunette? The citizens are speaking words of you. I regret to say that seeing you in such a condition has confirmed such rumors. May I ask: What has happened between you and--" Hemlocke turned to Kieve's unresponsive body. "--you and that man?". Hemlocke referred to him as so in fear of being associated with Kieve, thus translated as a villain.

First impressions are important. Llyr's impression was fine, he had shown his strength. Hem just hoped his own first impression was decent enough for the Tier 1 Muse.

[/blockquote][/justify][/size]

[Llyr Lunette]

Since his duties were done for the moment it was much harder to hold things together. Without immediate tasks before him Llyr's entire being ached all the more. Eyes blurring in and out, chest heaving, and hands shaking. The only thing that the muse could really focus on though was the fact that people were seeing him in such a pitiful state and he could do nothing about it.

The man looked back to the masked boy's figure, almost expecting him to jump up and attack. Just as he felt he would collapse from weariness he looked up to see someone coming nearer who he didn't recognize at first. All Llyr could focus on was whom the person arriving set on the ground. Gale. "Rough may be an understatement for this situation," Llyr replied to the grinning man, most likely in a more pointed way than he had intended.

"Why do you have--" The man was cut off as pain crashed like lightning through his body. There was no warning as his shirt was torn, which didn't bother him considering how weary he was, but even with warning he couldn't prepare himself for the pain that the treatment caused. Before he could even draw a breath the man who was treating him offered him something and insisted he drink it. There was no questioning it and there was no refusing.

Llyr took the potion and quickly drank it, utterly ignoring any taste thanks to the complete mental barrage of other problems. It was only after he was done with the potion that Llyr realized the other man spoke his name. Perhaps in the moment the man didn't even realize who it was he was treating, but Llyr wasn't sure it would have helped had he known. Most people were too intimidated when they were around Llyr to speak so much of anything.

"That beast of a boy," Llyr started. It probably wouldn't have been a good idea to just plainly state that his magic was stolen thanks to that particular young man, but Llyr would need all the help that he could get in this situation. "I need all of the help I can get, as you may have already noticed because something very awful has happened." Llyr felt heavy just thinking about what he was about to say, still in disbelief himself

Before he could utter anything his eyes kept wandering to the still form of Gale though. Seeing her like that made his heart ache and he had to know what was going on. "My magic has been stolen by him. I have called for Astraea and we will find a way to resolve this issue somehow." Even though he was explaining something else he couldn't stop his worry for Gale from monopolizing his mind.

"What happened to her and why do you have her?" The man asked as he went to be by her side. Llyr thought he would be fine enough to handle himself now that he had received at least some treatment, but he was incorrect. The potion clearly hadn't had time to take effect, as Llyr collapsed the instant he moved to be by Gale.

[Astraea Selah]

From the moment she heard the news, Astraea swore he heart would stop. First instinct was the write the man off as insane, or just think he was some kind of liar, but the words bared heavily on her. The Elegy wasn't sure anyone but Llyr, who supposedly sent the messenger, would know to say such words. 'The masked boy has what he wants. If this is true it could prove beyond dire

[/color].

The only thing that Astraea grabbed as she was rushing out of the Sanctuary was her not often used spear. The woman wasn't even sure she would dare use anything but magic in this particular case, yet having the weapon felt to be a comfort. It would also put her on even ground with the masked man, as he too used a spear. Still the woman hoped it wouldn't come down to her having to fight him somehow.

There must have been ways to solve things without needing to fight, Astraea thought, but which ways those might be were entirely beyond her. Beyond Llyr as well she imagined since he so quickly sent a messenger to find her. Running through the city towards the square was somewhat of an odd sensation to Astraea though because whispers of fear hate and contempt for her were entirely replaced with whispers of Llyr.

It terrified the Elegy when she heard one person say he looked as if he was on his death bed. Once Astraea actually arrived at the square it didn't look terribly far off from what everyone was whispering about. Seeing Llyr's blood all down his shirt and on the ground was all too surreal for the Elegy. No one ever imagined a Muse of the highest tier could get so utterly beaten.

As the woman drew nearer it was clear that someone was treating him, but just moments later he came crashing to the ground. Most likely he was more exhausted than anyone could have imagined and Astraea knew why. Being without magic would be like being without air in Symphony. "Lunette!" She rushed over and got to her knees beside him.

The Elegy offered herself as support to help the man up and quickly looked to the other man that was there. Besides Llyr and the gray haired one there were two others unconscious, one that Astraea expected and one that she did not. "Miss Devlin," Astraea breathed. "What is going on? What happened to her?"

Astraea knew that Gale Devlin somehow caught the attention of Thief Heart, but she knew not why. Earlier when the masked boy had told her that he was holding Gale in a safe location she didn't really believe him fully, but it was hard not to think he had done something atrocious when she was looking directly at the poor unconscious girl.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size][/justify]

[Amabilis Hemlocke]

It felt good to actually be helping someone for once, even if he had screamed in pain while Hemlocke applied the tourniquet. He stood back up over Llyr and watched over him before turning back to look at Kieve. It was bothering him, Kieve being unconscious. He was a remarkably tough man, and whatever had happened must have put a serious toll on Kieve. Llyr drank the potion, as Hemlocke heard, and once he was done, Llyr spoke of Kieve, calling him a "beast", which worried Hemlocke even more. Kieve was in pain, and Hemlocke was going to help him.

That is, until Llyr began to speak again, saying something horrible had happened. It stopped Hem in his tracks, where he turned back around to Llyr. His magic had been stolen?? Hemlocke took the information by surprise and turned back to the laying Kieve. Helping him was out of the question now. He would be branded a villain if he restored Kieve, which sounded much less than pleasant to Hemlocke at the moment. He was torn. Help a friend, or keep things calm as they were? Hemlocke's mind began to race again like before, until his train of though was broken by The Sea.

He was making his way over to Gale, asking what had happened to her. Hemlocke snapped too, remembering he had yet to introduce himself and explain why he was there and what Gale was doing with him. It must have been very awkward for Hemlocke of all people, as odd as he is, to be carrying Gale into the city on his back. As he turned to begin his explanation, Mr. Lunette had collapsed right near Gale. Hemlocke took a step forward, his hand reaching out when he heard a voice in the distance.

Hemlocke sneered to himself when he saw the woman coming. It was Lady Grim, the woman who defied science and plausibility. Hemlocke, like most tones, disagreed with Astraea Selah. The sheer thought of bringing someone back to life made Hemlocke cringe some. Not even his medicine could do such a thing, and for her only to be doing so to "protect" the city that she could not protect with her own two hands. She was despicable in his eyes. Nonetheless, she was present, and cooperation seemed imminent.

Lady Grim repeated Llyr Lunette's question regarding Gale. She also asked about what had happened. Hemlocke explained without much excitement, "I arrived not too long ago, with Gale Devlin. Upon my arrival, Mister Lunette was collapsed on the ground, covered in his own blood. I applied a tourniquet and gave him one of my concoctions to help his wound. He had taken an adverse effect to the potion and just collapsed not long ago." His head turned to Kieve on the ground. "As for him, he has not moved since our arrival." Hemlocke became slightly more worried when he realized what he had said just now. Kieve wasn't moving, but now that the Head Elegy had arrived, if Hemlocke did anything to help Kieve, it would spell his own death. She was obviously here on the side of the two Muses.

Hemlocke turned his head back to the three on the ground. "I apologize, my name is Amabilis Hemlocke. You may call me Hemlocke. I brought the young Miss Devlin here from my home in the Soprano District. I am a Tonic in said district, and no harm has come to Gale. I swear that none ever will. She has been unconscious this whole time."

Hemlocke was torn once again. It seemed very suspicious that he randomly came with Gale, not to mention she had been under this whole time. He wanted to tell them that Kieve brought Gale to him, but the words could not escape his smile. Too much information might have revealed the relationship between Hemlocke and Kieve, which was unwanted given the current circumstances.

Hemlocke shook it off and asked Lady Grim, with a less than pleased tone, "What do you know of all of this?"

[/blockquote]

[Llyr Lunette]

It was beyond disgraceful to have fallen in front of someone else, let alone in the square just as he had. Llyr wanted to do something about it somehow but he knew there was nothing that could be done. It wasn't as if people really respected him as much as they feared him most of the time anyway. Maybe if they could see him in a pitiful state they might see him as more human.

Llyr looked up to watch the other man offer a hand slowly before Astraea's voice signaled her intrusion. The muse imagined it would have been distasteful for anyone to touch him more than they were required to, so he took Astraea's help up when she offered it. Many others hated her for what she had done with the help of her fellow Elegies and Llyr couldn't imagine the man standing before them would be any different.

Though he most certainly wouldn't vocalize it, Llyr was getting a very sour feeling about the other man as he began to speak. Hemlocke was what he informed them to call him. Everything that the grinning man said struck the lead muse as particularly bland and flat. The thought that perhaps he could have been hiding something slipped through Llyr's mind.

Even though he was normally very good at calling out those things he couldn't trust his judgement in this case. It could have been that his mind was utterly fogged over with pain or the lack of his magic, so Llyr remained silent about the matters for the moment. If it continued to nag at him he could always call Hemlocke out about it later. And he was certain he could let the matter drop until he heard the way that Hemlocke asked Astraea what she knew of things.

To anyone it should have been clear, as Astraea being an Elegy meant she heard about anything that happened in the Sanctuary and city. If the woman hadn't known about what happened with one of her own muses it would have been more than concerning to Llyr, but he tried to write it off like normal citizens wouldn't understand that. Llyr didn't want this to turn away from the real matter that everyone needed to be attending to.

Feeling stronger by the moment, Llyr pulled away from Astraea and took a few unsteady steps closer to Gale. Hemlocke said no harm had come to her and he looked to be telling the truth, but if he was then Llyr couldn't imagine why she would be unconscious. Taking a deep breath, Llyr lowered to his knees gently. Carefully, Llyr pressed a hand to Gale's neck to check for a normal pulse. It was only a bit slower than it should have been, but still it unsettled Llyr.

"I wouldn't recommend speaking so harshly to Miss Selah. She knows all that goes on with her muses and it is rare she doesn't hear of what is happening in the city. Certainly this all concerns her more than it does anyone else, as she will be the one taking the most scorn for 'allowing it to happen'." Llyr tried to speak as objectively as he could, but he could feel a certain defensiveness in the way he was standing up for Astraea.

The emotion was a bit confusing to Llyr since he counted himself among the scorning masses for so long. He wondered briefly if he was beginning to cultivate new feelings for the woman. If it was they case they would not serve him well, so he best throw them aside. "If anyone should be spoken to in a harsh manner at this time," Llyr started, looking to Hemlocke, "I believe it should be you. Arriving so quickly from Soprano is something in itself, but arriving with an unconscious muse on your back is something else entirely."

Llyr pushed a strand of hair from Gale's face before he stood back up and turned to Hemlocke. "Two of the highest ranking individuals in the city have asked you what happened to this young muse and you have not yet offered me a valid reason why she would be unconscious and in your care. I doubt you blanketing 'I'm a tonic' over the wound will cure it in this case."

After a very short pause, Llyr continued, "I suggest you chose some words of explanation this time, and make them good unless you want to suffer the repercussions."

[Amabilis Hemlocke]

Llyr's verbal attack hit Hemlocke rather hard. He reared his head back and turned it slightly, looking at the blue haired man from the corner of his hidden eye. As much as he hated to do so, he apologized to Astraea. "Forgive me. I was out of my place." His head turned back to Kieve and he let out a long sigh. "I suppose you are right about me. I should not have used such a tone with someone upon only meeting them. If anything, I should know that just as much as I should be the one being spoken to harshly." He turned back to Astraea, "I should not have let simple rumors cloud my judgement of you. If what Llyr speaks is the truth, then we'll see if you bear the most burden... Which I fear you do not."

"I do owe you another apology, Astraea. I have in fact hidden some information from you both to help preserve my own name. Everything I have stated beforehand is nothing but the truth. The one thing I've kept hidden..." Hemlocke stopped and once again turned to Kieve, only so often because he knew at any point, Kieve was to leap to his feet wide awake. Hemlocke did not want to be caught off guard when that happened. "The only thing I've kept from you is the fact that Kieve and I have worked together... That is, he has been one of my customers for a while now. He has always had a slight interest in Gale, and as a duty I have sworn to myself, I refused to let him harm her." Hemlocke's shoulders sank and head turned down. "He's used her as incentive for me to come here today."

"Sadly. He had taken some of my sedatives and tampered with it. He gave it to Gale and brought her to my house, claiming that if I did not bring her here, then she would never wake from her slumber. I could not allow that." Hem turned to Llyr, looking him dead in the eye. "That is why I came from the Soprano District as fast as I did. To make sure that Kieve had kept his end of the bargain; to make sure that he woke Gale up." Hemlocke looked down at Gale. The sight of her lying there broke his heart, and filled him with slight rage towards Kieve for doing what he has done. He turned his gaze back to Llyr. "So, Llyr. That "beast" has the solution to both of our problems. He has your magic, and he has the ability to wake Gale from her slumber. I assure you that as soon as Gale wakes, I will retreat with her back to my home and be no more of a random annoyance to you both." He then turned his head to Astraea. "As for you, Miss Selah. I apologize a second time, but as the leader of Symphony, know this: This is not entirely your fault. If anyone gives you trouble for this, tell them that the Ghost of Soprano had helped this... this..." Hemlocke turned his gaze back again to Kieve and pointed at his still body. He had no words and at first disagreed with Llyr on calling him a beast, but the more the term was used, the more fitting it became. "... This beast."

Finally turning back to the two officials, Hemlocke spoke, in one of the softest tones he has for as long as he could remember, "That," he looked at Llyr "Llyr Lunette," then turning his head to Astraea, "Astraea Selah, is the entirety of the truth, on my name and life. I am only here to assure Gale's safety."

[Astraea Selah]

A sensation washed over Astraea in a way she didn't feel like it had since she was young. The thought came up that she might take the time to figure the sensation out, but it was better for her if she didn't. Somewhat nervously the woman pulled her hair over one shoulder and ran her fingers through it after Llyr had pushed away and begun to speak. It made her heart skip a beat hearing what it was the man was actually saying.

People hated Astraea and she was so used to it, but Llyr was actually sticking up for her. She was prepared to shrug off the way that Hemlocke had spoken to her if it meant she could get to the real issue that needed to be handled, but there Llyr was actually saying such things... In a moment she realized she had tangled her fingers in her hair in her anxious thoughts, so she forced her hands to her side as Llyr scolded Hemlocke.

The things that the muse was saying were things she was going to want to speak of, but it seemed he really had things handled on his own. The Sea was always known for having a superior emotional grasp on matters, yet Astraea swore she heard his emotions slipping beyond his usual control over them just a little. Hearing his threat towards Hemlocke made the Elegy shiver a little and she knew that he was being deadly serious.

'Is he alright without...' Astraea started thinking silently, turning her attention to Hemlocke once he began to respond to the scoldings. Even though he was apologizing she wasn't sure if it was really all that sincere. As an Elegy she hadn't once heard an apology that was sincere and she wasn't holding her breath on it now anyway. Had she actually heard a sorry that was to the core true as can be she wasn't even sure she would know how to handle it. It probably wouldn't end up meaning anything to her.

Shortly after the apology was uttered something else was that disturbed Astraea. Kieve. Just hearing that Hemlocke knew the boy's name, something that Llyr had not, affirmed that they did have dealings of some sort. It wasn't what either of them needed to hear, but it confirmed that things were being hidden that both of them needed to know. Astraea wanted to say something the instant she heard that Kieve had given Hemlocke Gale, but she held her tongue so that the man could finish speaking.

The truth of the matter was that Astraea wasn't sure what she should be most upset over any longer. It was true that the masked boy- Kieve- having Llyr's power was quite troubling, but Gale being in such danger as she was also troubled her. Though he said that Kieve would wake Gale, Astraea had her doubts about it. To the Elegy it didn't make sense that Kieve would want Gale there to wake her. There were many things that the woman still didn't understand about it all.

Hemlocke was just finishing speaking, but Astraea felt more confused than ever. "There's no reason for either of us to trust you after what you have told us, but the fact that you would say such things does speak to me. It does not however contain my upset at these matters. As far as I had heard we only knew this masked boy as Thief Heart and nothing more. You knowing his name proves you had business together and that isn't something I am ready to forgive."

"As for the blame, I cannot control what people think of me," Astraea started, bitterly adding, "But that is quite obvious at this point." It took her a moment to push aside those thoughts. "If this masked boy really will wake Gale then I cannot permit you to just run off with her. To make amends for working with the boy and to prove that you actually wish the best for Gale I'd suggest you lend what fighting skills you can should he turn violent."

"Considering the state Llyr was in I assume that he won't become violent. He just will be."

[Kieve Viho]

Kieve felt like he had been swimming for hours. There was a slight foggy feeling in his head where it almost felt like waves were gently moving him to and fro, just as one would feel after spending too long in the ocean. Beyond his spinning head he could feel his arms and legs aching like he really had been swimming non-stop until he drowned of tire. The thought wandered into his head that he might be dead before he pushed it away in disgust.

Thief Heart couldn't die because a certain tribe leading bastard hadn't died yet. After that man was dead by Kieve's hands was the only time he could accept himself dying. Thinking of his father reminded Kieve what it was he last remembered doing, which was battling Llyr for his magic. A shiver of pleasure ran down the man's spine as he recalled the way it felt clutching Llyr by the throat.

Even if his entire body was in pain from the encounter he knew he had what he wanted from Llyr, but then he remembered just how he had lost control of it. That thought made him question where he was once more, and wonder why it was he felt so foggy. Slowly it became a little clearer and sounds drifted to his ears. Voices. As they came into focus he could pick away who it was speaking.

'Hemlocke is speaking. And oh it appears that he actually brought my darling Gale. What a pleasant thing to wake up to,' Kieve thought, slowly taking mental account of each body part he could feel. The damage from Llyr's strikes on him were still there, which meant that Hemlocke hadn't tried to heal him out of pity. That at least surprised Kieve because after working with the man he really thought there would have been a soft spot there.

It was far too easy to manipulate people and Kieve imagined if Hemlocke had been alone he would have healed Kieve. Especially considering the threat hanging over Gale. But Hemlocke wasn't alone and the people that were with him were quite influential indeed. Llyr being there didn't cause Kieve and issue since he was without magic now, but Astraea was a bother. The Elegy did seem to have powers that could be a trouble, but Kieve had yet to deal with such things.

At any rate the young man knew he couldn't just jump right up and barrel into the situation without any priming. Kieve's wounds were still enough to keep him from fighting to his full power, so he would have to remedy that situation before he could do anything else. Lucky for him he had just the right magic to handle that, so it just came down to how to best use it. With Llyr's magic in his system he had more than enough power to handle healing all of his wounds, but his limited experience actually using his stolen healing magic had him somewhat doubtful.

'I can't waste all this time thinking without doing anything. Soon these foolish people might actually resolve their issues and realize I'm the real threat,' Kieve thought tensely. Taking that into account he opened his eyes and began to breath very slowly and steadily. Since he wasn't from Symphony he didn't need to create music to actually cast his magic so he just began to pool it where he felt the most pain and once he had enough of it in the right place he could just...

For a moment he lit up with the activation of his healing magic and directly after it he pushed himself up from the ground. All of his aches had subsided and suddenly stealing that healing magic was the second best thing he had ever done. "Are you all done fighting over me yet?" Kieve asked with a sick grin on his face.

[Llyr Lunette]

For face value it could be said his scolding had accomplished what he wanted it to, but it wasn't comforting to hear. Llyr's feelings towards the way that Astraea was viewed were stronger than the way he felt about how he was viewed, which was still a nagging presence at the back of his head. It threatened to consume all of Llyr's thoughts until he heard what Hemlocke actually had to say.

Suddenly things weren't so much about Astraea's feelings as they were about Llyr containing himself. After what had just happened with Kieve his nerves were frayed and his patience was running thin, so it became that much harder to refrain from going on the attack. Even without his magic the muse could still punch Hemlocke in the face pretty damned well. Despite his deep desire to, Llyr didn't punch the man.

The muse waited in silence so he could hear it all, knowing that most of it was lost on him now. Certainly didn't help that he felt like he couldn't trust a single thing that Hemlocke did now. Even if the man claimed that he was there only to take care of Gale, the fact remained that it was Hemlocke himself who supplied Kieve's means for putting her under in the first place.

'That probably doesn't even really bother him,' Llyr thought with a distasteful feeling in the pit of his gut. The more he thought about it the more Llyr thought that what Hemlocke was doing wasn't Gale so much as it was for himself. As if there was some kind of guilt he was trying to cover up by protecting Gale. No matter what the case was though, Llyr could not trust Hemlocke to leave with Gale no matter what he said.

Astraea replied to Hemlocke rather well though, which was good considering how ready Llyr was to continue scolding in a much less productive manner. The Elegy seemed more than ready to voice everything that Llyr wanted to so he continued to remain silent, giving him the opportunity to try to calm down a little more. Llyr had a harder time bringing all of his emotions under his control in that moment more than he ever had before.

Once Astraea was finished, Llyr took a breath and uttered, "Everything that Astraea said I agree with completely. Considering what you said we have no valid reason to trust you to take Gale. It was by your own hand, through your own creations, that she is the way she is and you said as much yourself. It does not matter that the boy was the one to tamper with it because it was you who supplied him in the first place."

There was more for him to say, but Llyr felt himself falter. The insecurities he felt without his magic were starting to take him from what he thinking mid-thought. "We cannot allow him to run free with my magic," Llyr muttered softly, more to himself than anyone else. Just as he felt he was about to scream out of the frustration of his situation, Llyr saw a flare of magic from the corner of his eye.

No longer could the muse contain the absolute dread he was feeling from translating into facial expressions. Looking over to Kieve rising, completely healed, felt like the battle was already over. The sick grin on the boy's face and the way he asked what he did implied he already knew that he had the upper hand. As much as Llyr wanted to rally and defeat the boy as he knew he could before, he also knew he was no longer a muse.

Without his magic he was more helpless than he had ever been before and that weakness carried over into every other aspect of his thoughts. "Bastard..." Was all that Llyr could mutter in his complete shock. It then occurred to the man that a full leveled healing spell like that wasn't just something he could steal from any random healer in the city.

Someone important had died so Kieve could have that magic and Llyr had a sinking feeling he knew exactly who that someone was.

[Amabilis Hemlocke]

Hemlocke's explanation was obviously not enough to gain the trust of the two officials before him. The Elegy had said his words spoke to him and the information that he had given proved to be the truth, or at least he had hoped they believed it. She was, however, not going to forgive Hemlocke for working with him. He felt a mix of emotions when she said this: some sad, some angry. He had no clue what this man was going to use his materials for, but he did in fact supply Kieve with the things he asked for.

Then she demanded a damper on his plans. He was not allowed to take Gale to safety. He was instead supposed to fight Kieve to prove he only wanted Gale's safety. Hemlocke became torn yet again, over fighting for Gale. No matter how much he disliked her, she was the highest and most powerful person in the city. I pained him to say it, "Very well, if it puts Gale's life in safety, I shall fight against Kieve..." His voice trailed off at the fear of confronting Kieve.

It is fact, that this is something that Hemlocke had wanted to do for a very long time. He had felt somewhat used by Kieve now, and after he had used and attacked Gale numerous times, the fuel to perform said confrontation had become more and more abundant. The thing is, Hemlocke cannot fight worth anything, and has always been intimidated by Kieve and his strength. Much more now that he has Llyr's magic. He turned to Kieve again, as Llyr continued his scolding.

He was right though. They were both right. Hemlocke had made a grave mistake, which in turn put Gale in danger. His fist clenched within his sleeve as both of their words rang in his head. Shortly after, glowing from the still body of Kieve interrupted the ringing voices. Hem looked up quickly as Kieve stood, completely fine. Hemlocke was struck in awe at how well he had healed himself. It seemed... familiar, that glowing light. Hemlocke shook the thought from his head as Kieve grinned his remark to the group.

Hemlocke took a gulp before speaking. "Kieve. I've arrived with Gale. I've upheld my end of the deal; now you must hold up yours." Hemlocke paused for a moment. "I've agreed to help Miss Selah. I do this not in spite, but for Gale's safety. I apologize, Kieve, but after what you've done to her... I cannot allow any more harm to come her way." He turned he head back to Llyr and Astraea, nodded, then turned back to Kieve. "Now please, wake Gale up, so that she may retreat before things become worse, as I assume you plan to make them, Thief Heart." Hemlocke's tone was harsh as his other name slipped his own grin. It felt good to stand up to Kieve, but no matter how good it was, there was still fear within Hemlocke at what he was about to face.

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[Kieve Viho]

Kieve looked over everyone before him in mild disgust. If it weren't for his 'keeping up the dangerous man' thing he probably wouldn't have been smiling the way he was. Between Llyr's little plotting and Hemlocke's plans to actually fight him, Kieve almost felt like slapping some sense into people. It was pretty hilarious that any of them felt like the had a chance against him now that he had forbidden magic though. The young man supposed he could give them an a for effort.

Llyr couldn't do much of anything but call him names since he jumped up though. It was just like Royal Blue to be full of words and not actions. That was how Kieve felt during their first meeting though and things hadn't changed much since then. 'The only bad news is that looked like a flare of recognition in his eyes. Maybe it's time for that little secret to get out.'

If the secret got out he supposed it wouldn't be too terrible. The young man's eyes flicked over to Gale though. Were it not for his mask the look of worry might be detected. "Not a very kind name Llyr," Kieve finally replied, a little distracted sounding still. Hemlocke being there naturally meant that Gale would be there since the man was too terrified she'd sleep forever, but it still struck Kieve weirdly. He still didn't understand why Hemlocke was so protective of the girl.

But speaking of him, Kieve thought, he was blabbering on about something. Turning his full attention to the silver-haired man he let out a sigh. Of course he was speaking of the 'deal' that Kieve had made with him, but actually hearing him stand up and say he was going to fight was a little surprising. "I did not expect you to stand against me dear friend, but I suppose I begrudgingly give you respect for getting over a dash of your cowardice. I'll try not to startle you any more though, lest you piss yourself," The young man waved in dismissal.

There was the matter of Gale though. She was still slumbering and could be for some time, but when she would wake wasn't actually up to Kieve. The truth was that he hadn't tampered with Hemlocke's materials at all and she would indeed wake of her own accord some time soon. Kieve just wanted her there so that when she did wake she could see what he achieved. Would she love him then? Girls were such work, Kieve thought with a shake of his head.

"Anyway, besides your pathetic-- I mean respectable attempt at bravery I suppose I should tend to this darling girl now, shouldn't I?" Kieve smirked slightly as he stepped closer to her. Llyr was somewhat close as well and he couldn't help but wonder if the muse was going to stop him. Between him and Astraea there was a little doubt that he'd be allowed to go near the girl at all, but if they knew what was good for them they wouldn't bother so much as moving to stop him. Oh it did feel quite exquisite to have the strongest magic in the situation.

Unless of course Astraea had something better, but Kieve had never heard of Elegies having astounding magic beyond the requiem. There was the chance that he could be taken off guard by her and if that was the case he would deal with it when it crossed him, but for now he had Gale to attend to. Once he was by her side he reached down and gently wrapped his hands around the back of her head. Since he couldn't wake her he might as well have a little fun and piss everyone off at the same time, he thought with a wry little grin.

That was when Kieve laid a kiss upon her lips, quite enjoying himself despite everyone else being there. After his deed was done he straightened himself, stood, and looked back to everyone. "It would appear love's true kiss didn't work. Seems Gale will have to wait," Kieve said with a slight laugh. Not allowing anyone time enough to get close he began to draw magic into his hands and fired off what Llyr often called a Cavatina shot, one for Astraea, one for Llyr, and one for Hemlocke. The young man could understand why Llyr struggled with it though because casting those spells in rapid succession made him feel as if he had just run a marathon.

[Astraea Selah]

Astraea was thankful that Llyr seemed to agree wholeheartedly with her because it could get rather uncomfortable when certain leaders didn't agree. The last thing that they needed in this situation was to be wanting and giving different commands, Astraea thought as she pulled all of her hair over one shoulder nervously. Her apprehension was made a little less overwhelming when Hemlocke agreed to fight against Kieve. Even if it was a little less than enthusiastic.

"It's a relief to hear that you'll..." The woman started, trailing off when something caught her attention from the corner of her eye. It was as if he had come from a nightmare somehow and Astraea almost lost her breath when she looked to him. To say that she was horrified to discover Kieve had healing magic would have been a huge understatement, as if things weren't completely unbalanced as they were.

There wasn't time for Astraea to be alarmed though since her magic took a particular focus to command. It had been so long since she had actually needed it for anything but the Requiem, but mostly she was fearful she would not be able to command it like she was expected to. The Four Mages were once told that they must keep their magic a secret unless it was a life or death situation. Kieve having forbidden magic seemed to qualify, even if there were no magic stealers in those times.

She was preparing to cast magic against Kieve when something that Hemlocke said stopped her. There was still the matter of waking Gale and supposedly the little masked bastard was the only one who could do such a thing. She scowled inwardly at herself for the vulgar way she was thinking. Even if Kieve was a horrible person she wasn't the type to use such words to describe people.

No matter how terrible he was though, Astraea could not risk Gale's safety at this point. The woman drew a long breath in and allowed the magic to relax, knowing if she continued to hold it tense in her hands she'd end up using it. Something about Kieve alarmed her in a way no other threat to the city had before. Of course monsters invading was frightening, so was seeing the crystal shattered, but Kieve was beyond unpredictable.

The thing that was most terrifying about Kieve didn't seem to be that he was in control of Llyr's magic, but rather his mind. Something in him was twisted in such a way that he believed himself entitled. There was nothing quite as dangerous as someone with warped beliefs because they would go to any lengths to get what they deserved. Still on edge, Astraea watched Kieve as he made his way over to the slumbering Gale. Watching him lean in and then actually kiss the girl made her uncharacteristically furious.

Fists at her side, shaking slightly with her anger, Astraea wanted so desperately just to strike Kieve down. The way he poked fun at the situation served no purpose other than to further agitate everyone and as much as Astraea wanted to not let it bother her she couldn't. "This isn't a game!" Astraea shouted, drawing all of her magic tightly again. As she shouted Kieve began his strike with a spell that she was surprised he could cast so quickly.

Llyr didn't have magic to defend himself and Hemlocke didn't seem like the fighting type so she quickly devised a way to protect them all. Luckily for her the magic that The Four Mages commanded was made to protect others, but it of course came at a price. The woman rallied and quickly threw out her magic to encompass Llyr and Hemlocke. A barrier spell was one of her best to use, but as Kieve's magic struck it all of the power he cast out was redirected to Astraea. Though it was dulled through her magic it was still strong enough to make her cry out in pain.

"A-Are you two alright?" She asked as the barrier flickered out of existence. As far as she could tell she had cast the spell fast enough, but she was now somewhat foggy from the pain she was feeling.

[Llyr Lunette]

Even though he was supposed to be a pillar of strength within the city, Llyr could feel his mind fraying at the edges. There was so much he needed to handle and he knew he would have been able to handle it all before, but suddenly he didn't know how he would have done it. Certainly it was positive that Hemlocke was willing to join in their battle against Kieve, but the young man woke too fast! Llyr bit his lip and tried to get through the chaos in his head for some answers. 'If you cannot hold it together now you do not deserve to be called a muse. Especially if you do not get back that magic...'

All while Llyr continued to try to get control over his thoughts he heard Hemlocke speaking. The words weren't all processing right, but he was catching on to certain things. All the words were being directed towards Kieve. Gale was a subject. The fight they were about to fight. Llyr slowly brought a hand to his head, almost feeling as if he could prevent the unsettling swimming effect if he only held on. To others he might even look like a lost child. That thought made him all the more insecure, which wasn't something he was used to feeling.

Once Kieve began to move though Llyr could feel himself snapping things into place. Though he could not claim to be up to the standard that he would normally hold himself to he lowered his hand and held eagle attention on the masked boy. Each step was etched into Llyr's mind as the little disaster drew closer to Gale. It was not what the man wanted to see and even if Hemlocke said that Kieve was the only one who could wake Gale, Llyr still had his reserves. The man would not stop being protective of Gale.

For that reason it drove Llyr to the brink when Kieve leaned over and kissed Gale. The way the boy could play such games with Gale's life lit an anger in Llyr that was unrivaled by anything he had ever felt before. When Enya died there was so much pressure to find a muse and Gale was so strong to take the position. It hurt all the more to see the child who had lost so many pieces of herself pretending things would all just work out because she knew how to handle an obligation.

Llyr was entirely prepared to do something outside of his powers when Kieve launched his attack. Seeing his magic misused was just more fuel for Llyr's fury. The man wanted terribly to do something to stop it, but at least Kieve seemed able to cast out the magic without letting it spiral out of control. While the fact didn't make it easier it at least meant that anyone still daring to enter the square wouldn't get hurt unless Kieve had the nerve to actually target them. Somehow even though Kieve was utterly depraved it didn't seem like it would be something he'd do.

All Llyr could do for the moment was make an attempt to dive out of the way of the strike. Astraea casting a barrier wasn't something the muse expected. Once the barrier began to flicker out of existence Llyr looked to the Elegy in awe. There were many rumors about what types of magic The Four Mages had under their power, but Llyr didn't believe any of them. Llyr didn't expect Astraea to take damage from the barrier, but it seemed it wasn't a typical shield so much as something to redirect whatever energy it couldn't block.

"A-Astraea," Llyr muttered, looking to her with no idea what he could say. It was one of the few times he would utter her first name aloud, mainly because he was too scattered to think of what else he could possibly say to her. The muse shot a look over to Hemlocke before rushing to the Elegy's side. "We are fine. Do not worry for us Miss Selah. That spell was impressive but you shouldn't cast anymore," Llyr spoke in an oddly nurturing voice. Certainly he never expected to speak in such a way to such a hated woman.

"Hemlocke. You are alright are you not?" The muse looked up and over to the gray haired man. He was beginning to have reserves about him being there and finally decided to say, "Perhaps you should run."

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[Amabilis Hemlocke]

Kieve had awoken rather quickly and him being as awake as he was worried Hemlocke greatly. Not too much time ago, the man was dead unconscious on the ground, but the glowing spell he had cast; that familiar glow that keeps replaying in Hemlocke's head, it worried him to no end that he had such power to restore himself. Hemlocke had known Kieve for a while now and only just now had learned he knew healing magic. It made this whole ordeal seem for naught if he were able to heal himself no matter what was dealt to him.

However, when Kieve mentioned Gale and that he was going to tend to her that moment, Hemlocke's heart felt somewhat at ease. Gale was going to wake up, Hem would warn her to leave, she would be safe, and then Hemlocke would continue from there. His plans were torn apart when he saw what the masked beast had done. Hemlocke's fists tightened themselves so fast, that Hemlocke himself was somewhat hurt by their reaction. Kieve set the tier one Muse down and remarked on true love's kiss, and that sent Hemlocke into a slight fury. "You son of a--" Hemlocke's sharp tongue was interrupted by Kieve's new stolen spell. He ducked, and thought to himself that it seemed useless to do so, since he was so tall. Even cowered over in defense, Hemlocke was still a large target, so being hit was going to be easy.

It was not until after an awkward noise had rung that Hemlocke looked up from under his arms. When he came to, he witnessed the Head Elegy in a casting stance coupled with a fading barrier around the three conscious protagonists. He returned back to his normal height, instantly grabbing for things in one of his many satchels. Astraea asked if her counterparts were okay, and while concentrated on his bag, Hemlocke nodded. However, he was silent until The Sea suggested he take his leave. Hemlocke pulled two flasks from one satchel, one red, one silver. His hidden gaze was locked on their rival, and without a second glance in her direction, rolled the red flask to Astraea.

Now was not the time for formalities. "Drink it, Astraea." Hemlocke then began to violently shake the silver fluid in the second flask. It began to cry a loud hissing noise, when Hemlocke spoke over his concoction. "Llyr. I apologize for sounding so short to you, but I am not moving from this square until Gale is awake and safe." Hemlocke was still locked on Thief Heart, "As for you, you son of a bitch." Hemlocke had never taken this tone with Kieve before. He was terrified before, but now that he had something worth fighting for, the fear had dissipated. "Don't you dare lay another finger on Gale or you'll severely regret it!" Hemlocke's voice became louder as the final words of his last sentence had escaped his own grin. With the same amount of force, the hissing flask was sent flying in Kieve's direction. It was a hallucinogen that Hemlocke stumbled upon while testing combinations, whose effects made those succumbed to it feel as if they were being pricked and cut upon the skin, depending on the target's tolerance, they could possibly hallucinate themselves bleeding.

It worried Hemlocke about Kieve being as strong as he was. The hallucinogens he had packed for the fight may not have any effect, but Gale's life was at stake. There was no time to ponder, so as soon as the silver flask shattered on the ground around Kieve, he began to shake a second flask, this one blue. Grey smoke filled around the area the flask had landed, and the hissing noise became louder, all Hemlocke could do now was warn the others as he prepared his next potion. "Astraea, Llyr. Do NOT go near these clouds."

Hemlocke anticipated Kieve's next move, as the fog he threw had become dense. Hemlocke stared into the cloud watching for any sign of the hallucinogen to have taken effect.

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