Exploring The Datsan

[Nox]

Nox had turned to start his walk but Lucas said something, Nox could have sworn it was an apology. Something he didn't expect, nor thought warrented. Lucas had every right to not like him. He lived with his girlfriend. His girlfriend was Nox's partner and best friend. Nox knew his mouth was probably what got him in trouble more often than not. But he couldn't exactly change things, he was who he was and there was no stopping the way he thought about a pretty girl, and Nox had no intention of changing that, watching his mouth maybe, but it wasn't going to go away and definitely not overnight.

Nox shrugged, "No big deal, Lucas."
He turned around and grinned, "You confuse me more than most women do."
He laughed, "One minute you are okay she can move in to your house, I'll even help. Then you are pretty bent out of shape at the mere thought that Aria might go out someplace with me when all we plan on doing is working. I understand if I was bringing her out here without you to say have fun. Now I wouldn't mind throwing a few snow balls around in jest with her, showing her how to live and not be so uptight all the time."


"Look, I get it. You come out here to spend time with her, that's good, but don't do it because of me. No matter the words that may come out of my mouth, Aria is not on my list to try to bed. That time has long since past my friend. She is like a sister to me,"
Nox grinned.

Lucas raised an eyebrow and smirked. "I confuse you....okay."
He shrugged. "Well, I guess I get that. It's not exactly a situation I've been in before. And I trust her. And you. You've given me no reason not to. So there's that. So. Good then."
He looked off to Aria. "So...what are we doing here? What's she looking for?"


"Honestly, I have no idea. She told Borovsky that she was looking for insight into Ascendancy, a way inside his head. Maybe leverage I guess, knowing what happened here. But she really looking for a reason to solidly say she has no merit to kill the Ascendancy. To cement in her own head, that Ascendancy is a god, he's powerful, but he's not evil."
At least he was pretty sure that was the real reason she was here.

Lucas jaw dropped and his brow furrowed. "Say what now? Kill The Ascendancy?"
He turned back to look at Aria. "Are you crazy? Is she?"
The awe his voice was clear. "He's...the Ascendancy. You can't..."
He shook his head, looking like he was trying to understand. "What...why?"
More words looked like the tried to come out and failed. Lucas started walking to Aria.

Nox caught up to Lucas and grabbed his arm, "Leave her be, we can talk. She won't change her mind, Lucas. It's not hers to change."


Lucas turned to him, eyebrows drawn down. For a moment it looked like he would challenge him. But he turned to watch Aria, for all the world looking like someone had told him Aria had just a few days to live. "What is wrong with you people? She'll die."


"Why the hell do you thinks she hasn't done it yet?"
Nox took a deep breath, "Aria has had this mission longer than I have known her. When she went to the Vatican to get a book on Ijiraq, she came back knowing what she was. Knowing she'd been lied to her entire life. AND she came back with a mission from our leader on high. Directly from him. It was the only way she saw to survive another day. Taking a suicide mission because it was the only way to walk out of the Vatican alive. Aria does nothing but survive, Lucas. Nothing."


He looked out at her as she walked the ruins, touching and sensing everything, completely ignoring their conversation. "Aria knows it's a suicide mission. She's reaching out, trying to find away around killing Ascendancy, but one day, Borovsky will push her hand, and she'll have to try. She knows she'll die if she tries. But she has to try, find away to kill him, or at least appear to. Aria researches every possible encounter of gods we've seen in the Atharim. She's gone back in all her journals, and every other recorded one she can find. She's looking for a way out. She doesn't want to do this. Yet she does, and she lives everyday, so if you go over there and you cry about it. If you make a big deal out of her life, and you change the way she's living her life, with fear that the next day she'll die, I swear to god..."
Nox cut off before the words left his mouth, he meant it with all his heart, he would kill the man if he made Aria fear for her life, made her dance with death worrying every second that she'd die. She knows it, she feels it, she lives it. She doesn't need him making her pity her life.

Nox saw the square of Lucas' jaw tighten and the anger that flashed in his eyes. There was no fear there. Instead there was fury. He glared at Nox, then slowly shook his head. Then he walked away without another word.

Well that could have gone better. But Nox was seriously in a bad place right now, he was glad Lucas walked away. Nox turned and started his walk, a weave of fire and air floating around him, he wanted to throw the fireball so badly, he wanted to watch his anger burn. He wasn't mad at Lucas, and Lucas had every right to hit him, he half expected it. He probably deserved it. Their lives sucked! It just plain did, and there was nothing any of them could do about it. You dealt with it, you lived your life the best you could with what you had. And he and Aria both had death sentences hanging over their head, and that was something Lucas was never going to understand.

[Ascendancy]

Nikolai was not unreasonable. He didn't expect an immediate transition from Sarkovo to Aginskoye; however, his immense displeasure at the lack of smooth logistics greatly darkened his already dour mood. Patience sustained him, and he eventually found himself in route to the former location of Aginsky datsan.

He hated helicopters. Cutting across the sky should be left to the birds in his mind. Airplanes he tolerated better, his own in particular, when work and living spaces distracted him from the truth of being airborne. In a helicopter there was no mistaking exactly where he was. A thin sheet of metal, held together with mere rivets, held aloft by rotors churning thin blades was all keeping them from plummeting to the ground. At least a plane had the potential to glide.

Helicopter was the only option, he was told by their captain. Even then the likelihood of finding a safe place to land was narrow. Thus when offered a meal to eat in route, Nikolai declined. He kept a protein bar in one pocket in case his time at the datsan was extended, but the way his stomach churned now, he doubted he'd be able to eat for a while.

Gripping the power of the universe did not help either. The enhancement of sight, sound and smell was not worth the benefits. There was nothing to see, besides blankets of white angleing up and down mountainsides.

"There's some strange obstruction ahead, Ascendancy."
The captain's voice spoke through the headset he wore. "Command can't tell what it is. It's organic. Maybe a dense flock of fowl or birds."


Nikolai reflexively looked out the window, immediately regretting it. "Is it a problem?"


"No sir, we'll divert course and come toward the target location from the other direction. There will be a few minutes' delay."


Great. Nikolai nodded, "Do what we need."
The aircraft plunged closer to the earth, sweeping across the tops of densely packed forest. Nikolai imagined they were otherwise a rather small dark dot moving against the top of a dark horizon.

The remainder of the flight swept their trajectory far and around whatever organic image had shown up in satellite views. True to the captain's plan, they approached from the opposite side of the old datsan, opposite from the village associated with it. That was fine in his mind. The villagers may have trouble spotting their helicopter on a day with the weather as it was today, but Nikolai preferred not taking a chance flying too close to the village. He thought then of the time that he folded the air in front of a mirror, rendering himself invisible, but the illusion broke when he moved. He hadn't worked with it since, but the reminder waited in the back of his mind to advance that power. Invisiblity, whether of a man or a helicopter, would be quite useful. No matter, nobody of importance would be there anyway, but occasionally reporters liked to try and dig up old bones from his past. Today he would be the one to dig up the graves of decades hence.... literally.

It seemed a satellite had finally come into range just minutes before their final approach. The countour of the area was not conducive to a safe landing, despite the small size of the aircraft. A suitable spot was located some distance away. He would need traverse treed areas then climb a hill through the snow no less. First, they had to land.

"You can land in the snow, right Captain?"
Nikolai asked. They seemed to be hovering a while.

"Yes sir. I am well trained in such maneuvers. We are trying to estimate the snow depth. It could be half a meter or it could be three."


Nikolai peered out the window. The loose layer of powder sprayed all around them on the winds of the turbine blades. The powder caught in the rays of sun, sparkling like glassy dust.

The need was a good question. "Let's find out,"
he responded. So close to the ground, yet so far.

He seized his powers and crafted wide blankets of Flame. When they pressed into the snow, steam and sizzle erupted like water thrown on hot rocks. The square of Flame pressed farther, pooling the snow into a lake of water that eventually evaporated away into nothingness. Less than half a meter of snow, then. Solid earth waited beneath.

"Land now,"
he ordered into the headset as he zipped up his coat, tugged on high-tech gloves, and checked both water and sunglasses were present. The glare of the sun on the snow would be blinding. He'd rather not deal with a headache for the return trip.

In short order, he was on dry earth, surrounded by the quickly refreezing walls of snow around their impromptu landing pad. The Captain held his emotions in check well, but the co-pilot was looking around them with some sense of awe. There was only room in the small helicopter for one member of the barrier preator to accompany him. That individual was well used to such spectacles. As he would be when Nikolai adapted the hot press of Flame to generate a walking trail some meters ahead of him as they hiked toward the dead datsan. He had little interest in tredging, exhaustingly, through the snow. He well recalled, despite forty years, the ache in his legs from such long walks across the snow pack. The monks were unaware of the benefits of snow shoes it seemed, but neither were they impressed with Nikolai's dry trails criss-crossing the grounds wherever he tred. It ruined the solemnity of the snow surface, they said. Nikolai agreed at first, but the charm of the snow did not last his first winter. By his last, he did as he wished.

It would be difficult to find the gravesites of forty years of dead men. They'd be scattered on the hill leading down and away from the ruins of the datsan. In his mind those ruins were fresh. Wood still smouldering and paint still dripping. But they would be nothing but stone, charred and blackened, by now. The foundations of the monastery were all he expected to see.

His smooth path crested the hill a few paces in front of himself, but when he topped it, the site itself was laid out before him. He stood still for a few moments, contemplating the view. Remembering the scene as it once existed.

In the summer, a flowering tree stood over a stone path leading to the open grassy space. Sitting in which he learned how to pick up butterflies with his index finger without harming their delicate legs. Straight ahead had once been a wide square with carvings of seats hewn from the fallen logs of dead trees. He sat with his Dharma teacher, reciting the principles of the Vinaya statues.

But here, beneath the ground on which he stood, he would find the scattered remains of his attackers. The people responsible for the decimation of such a holy place. Truly, the blame was to be laid at their bones of their feet, not the will of Nikolai Brandon. Responding to the cold emotion, the power threatened to crush him, but by will of mind, he denied it the opportunity.

He built his fortune on the means by which to delve beneath the surface of the earth, seeking inconsistences in the composition of the sediment, locating the crude basis of oil and shale. Likely, he assumed, he could use similar methods to find lumps of bone or perhaps, more specifically, the tiny metal necklace he sought. Thus, back turned to the major areas of the datsan foundation, he sent dozens of complex delves of such sensitivity into the ground and from the epicenter of his location, they exploded into the subterranean world.

The Barrier preator agent took up residence some distance away, watching the hills for signs of life. They did not expect to encounter anything more than wild beast out here. Nikolai was rarely alone, such was the sacrifice to keep his dominion secure.



<small>((ooc: At this point, we are unaware you guys are around. Figured you're out of sight. Makes it more fun.))</small>

[Nox]

Nox wandered around the perimeter of the datsan. It wasn't so much as a wander as he was looking for anything out of the ordinary, anything that could pose harm to either Aria or Lucas. Aria had been so absorbed in what she was doing she hadn't even noticed their conversation and surely it had to be giving off strong vibes, he may have been wrapped in the power but she knew him well enough to know if Lucas was pissed, he was likely doing or saying something to make it happen. Nox chuckled to himself. Though maybe they were still on the same page, though Nox was bound to hear it from Aria, she hadn't told Lucas yet, but it wasn't a secret anymore, nothing like her killing someone because she enjoyed it - no matter what the report said.

It was sudden and it was massive, far stronger than anyone he had ever felt before. A great meancing presence, but it was not something Nox could pin point. It wasn't a run, but Nox didn't walk back to Aria. He wasn't far from them and he knew there was no signal up here in the mountains. Off the grid really meant off the grid up here.

Nox motioned for Lucas when Lucas finally looked his direction. Nox stopped in front of Aria and took her hands. He knew it shock her into paying attention. "We've a situation. Someone far stronger and far more powerful than I have ever met is using his power somewhere near by. I can't pin point it."
There really was only one person who could be that powerful, and here at the same time. Nox didn't want to say it, for fear it would actually be true. But Lucas' fear might actually happen today. Nox wasn't a praying man, but he whispered a pray of safety, one his mother had whispered every time his dad had gone out hunting. It was Aria's choice to make if it were the Ascendancy that was here, since they weren't covered in weaves of air, Nox was fairly certain they weren't aware of them. They had an advantage...

((And just as a reminder Nox is holding the power, so Nik should be able to sense him as he nears.))

[Aria]

Aria was lost in a world of darkness and pain. Death was like that. And many deaths, so sudden, so close together. But it explained nothing, only that whatever happened had been sudden, had been catastrophic, and dozens of people lost their lives. There was nothing of the Ascendancy in these things, nothing that said there was malice on his part. For her it was all a one sided battle.

Her world rocked when Nox touched her hands. She blinked up at him and he spoke, there was no humor, no normal fun layer, it was serious and it took her moments to register what was going on. What he'd said. Aria whispered, "Ascendancy."


There were three options, the first was to try and kill Ascendancy. That would result in all their lives. Aria looked to Lucas and knew that his life was not an option. He was here because of her. The second would be to just walk away. That was no fun, it wasn't really an option, with their backs to Ascendancy there was no telling what he would do if he found out they were Atharim. They'd be dead again more than likely. The third option was to reveal themselves, talk to the Ascendancy, be truthful and honest and pray he didn't smite right there.

All three options could result in death, but only the last was truly an option for Aria. Aria removed the gun from the back of her snow suit she laid it on top of a piece of charred wall. She held out her hand to Nox and without asking he handed his piece over as well. "There is no weapon that will get us out of here alive. Do not be stupid Nox."
He only grinned at her, but Aria knew he understood.

Aria turned to Lucas, "This could go very badly. You can stay here or you can come with us. But the choice is yours to make."
Aria didn't wait for Lucas to answer, she turned around taking a deep breath of the cold air and headed in the direction of the one person Aria could feel.

[Lucas]

Lucas walked away from Nox, fists and jaw clenched. He had been this close to hitting Nox in the face, just to wipe away that smirk that always seemed to be there. It never seemed to fail. Just as they seemed to resolve things, Nox once again threw a monkey wrench into it. He just seemed to just rub him the wrong way. Oil and water. The guy was just....

No. No, he told himself. This isn't about Nox. This isn't what you're really angry about, what you're avoiding. Nox is a dick. Period. But he's not what's got you going. Aria. God, Aria, what are you stuck in? What are you gonna do? The Ascendancy? Killing him would be like...he really wasn't sure what that was like. The Ascendancy lived in an entirely other realm, was just....there. Ruling. Like the sun, constant in the sky. How do you kill the sun?

She's going to die. Those people she works for have sent her to die. Rage boiled in him despite the sharp knife of the wind that cut at his exposed face.

He saw her wandering, so little, so tiny and shook his head. What could he do? He couldn't just do nothing. Maybe she could leave. Hide. He would go with her. It was stupid, but what else was there to do?

Lucas wasn't really looking anywhere when he saw Nox. Unconsciously, his fists clenched. It would feel really good to hit that guy. Nox motioned for him and Lucas smiled grimly. Yeah, really good. He started walking. But Nox was walking toward Aria and seemed to startle her, as much with his touch as with his words.

Lucas' sense of dread got stronger. He trudged more quickly through the snow and only caught the tail end of Aria's words to Nox. Then she turned to him and gave him warning, leaving him a choice. What the hell? Before she got two steps away he grabbed her by the arm and turned her around to face him. "Stop! Don't just warn me something's dangerous and then walk away like I'm just gonna let you go by yourself! We're here together. I chose to be here. So we will do this together. Now tell me!"
He hadn't realized that he was yelling at her until his words stopped and all that remained was the deafening silence.

[Aria]

Lucas grabbed her arm and turned her around. He yelled at her. Aria tried not let his emotions consume her. She wrapped the emptiness around her and stared up at him with nothing in her eyes. Her voice was distant and cold, "Tell you what? Tell you that Ascendancy could be over that rise. Tell you that we can all die in the next few minutes. Tell you I have a mission to kill the very man who could be over that rise. Tell you I have a choice to make. And I made it to keep you safe. What do you want me to tell you? Talking to this power Nox feels is the only way out. Running and hiding will result in death, trying to carry out my mission results in death. This. Is. The. Only. Way."


The look of shock in his blue eyes was unmistakable. They flicked to the rise then back to her. His jaw clenched and unclenched as a storm of emotion churned in his gaze. He let go of her but gently touched her cheek. His eyes were glassy. "I don't want anything to happen to you,"
he said softly. He held her gaze, smiling sadly. Then he looked to the ridge again and resolve seemed to fill him. "I'm going with you."
With that, he headed in the direction she had been going, as if he would get there first.

Aria caught up with Lucas and took his arm and slowed him down. "Let Nox go first."
She wouldn't let either of them stand between her and Ascendancy, but Nox was better equipped to know what was coming at them if they caught Ascendancy off guard. But really he should feel Nox coming much sooner than he or his party sees them. And thankfully anything that marked them Atharim was carefully hidden under layers of clothes until the appropriate time to reveal themselves.

Near weaponless Aria followed Nox towards the menacing power that he could feel, the man she could feel idly watched, a guard of some sort. And the only weapon she had, had a mind of his own. Nox was empty, Lucas was lanced with fear and determination. Aria wrapped herself in the bubble of emptiness to keep her self steady, this was where it all could end.


Edited by Aria, Apr 9 2015, 08:55 AM.

[Ascendancy]

The powers coursing through the soil below branched a thousandfold from their epicenter, like the ever-reaching splits of tree roots. On one hand, the sensations that vibrated back to their source echoed loud in his mind. He was more accustomed to delving miles beneath the surface; still and silent as the grave while doing so to decipher the undulations throughout the underworld. However, these forces splayed their fingers through loose soil mere meters underfoot. The vibrations thrummed hard in his mind to be so close, but the distinctions were less obvious. The crude sludge that was the basis for oil was like holding silk in his hands compared to the sandpaper of slabbed stone sandwiching it in place. The difference between bone and dirt was much harder to sense, but after a few minutes, twelve distinct pockets of the remains hovered like crumbling stars across the ceiling of hell.

Now that each grave was located, he took the study of each in turn to seek for the presence of hard metal - gold, if he recalled correctly. He was on the second of twelve such investigations when a ripple of power pricked the foundations of his focus.

He paused the work, and tilted his cheek toward the hill that lifted behind him like the crest of a mountainous throne.

"Someone is coming,"
he said, voice calm, in warning to his agent. "An ascendant,"
he added, "with active power."
Although the specific directionality was difficult to pinpoint until the man actually used his power, Nikolai gestured generally up the hill. From the corner of one eye he saw Simon immediately spring into action. He had a firearm in hand in the span of a second and moved efficiently to place himself between Nikolai and the unknown assailants where he waited until they revealed themselves.

With a sigh, although slightly curious one at that, Nikolai paused his work to turn and face those whom had stumbled upon this coincidental encounter. He drew further upon the power that thrummed through his body in preparation - there was room to draw more, but with what he already held, he could bring the mountain down upon them if he so desired.

Three individuals crested the rise. From behind the shades of sunglasses attuned to snow-glare, he deciphered the identity of the ascendant from among the two men, before shifting his gaze to the woman. For their sakes, none were obviously armed and none approached with the speed or intent to threaten, but Nikolai had not survived twenty-five years of Atharim attacks by assuming every encounter was innocent. Still, it was impossible for anyone to have known he would be upon the ruins of this old datsan that day. There was no explanation but coincidence, yet what brought three people out to ancient ruins in the middle of winter? Especially ancient ruins that doubled as the lost graveyard of the Atharim.

The ascendant was a boy in every sense of the word. From his peacocked posturing to the youthfulness of his face, the foolishness of holding onto his meager power as he approached a literal supernova of energy by comparison spoke to his lack of wisdom. Unfortunately, foolishness alone was not enough to warrant a death sentence.

"Do not kill them yet, Simon,"
he spoke to the agent whom stood in full defensive mode, firearm aimed. Nikolai raised his voice, amplifying it on the silvery wings of power as it rode over snow and wind. Yet simultaneously, cords of Flame and Firmament silently stretched around him, crawling across the surface of the snow as they formed the press which would sizzle it into steam in moments. "Make not a move, especially those of you who have powers at your fingertips, and state your business in this wretched place if you wish to walk out of it today."
His voice was orderly, but beneath the enforcement of his tone was the pressure of compliance demanded only by those of regal bearing. Before the command was finished, the press of power had fully sublimed the frozen snow into sheer steam. The white of which quickly evaporated into the air and dispersed on the breeze. The ground beneath was frozen, but dry for a wide perimeter around him and Simon that also encapsulated the three newcomers with sure footing.

Nikolai gestured wide around them. "Try anything interpreted as a threat and a storm of military force will rain immediate death upon you."
Thus was his warning delivered. Standing on the graves of his dead enemies, he was little inclined toward trust, but he was not a monster. He would give them a chance.

In his warning, he implied the presence of greater forces just out of sight, perhaps not in an outright lie, but it was reasonable to assume the Ascendancy would travel with heavy security. But more accurately, they would be crushed by fire so hot the ashes of their bodies would pile pure white and disappear in the snows of this hillside. By the whim of his own hand they would cease to exist. Yet not without provocation.

"Speak your answer, and if you can, stand down your powers, son."
If he could not, the volatility of such lack of control did not bode well for his immediate future.

[Nox]

The power they approached could only be Ascendancy. Nox didn't think there was anyone else alive who could reach the level of power he felt. He knew his power was useless, but it was their only defense, and Nox would not go down without a fight.

They crested the rise and saw two men. Both watching as they approached, one armed the other was clearly Ascendancy himself. Nox watched the threads of power work around him like they were the tentacles of some ancient monster, he grinned at the thought because according to the Atharim he was a monster. Ironic really.

Nox looked to Aria, this was her game, she walked a step or two past where Nox had stopped, the ground beneath their feet now clear of snow. It was a small comfort, but it was clearly a display of power. Aria nodded and Nox sighed as he dropped the power. He didn't like it, but he wasn't a threat. There was nothing that he could do against Ascendancy anyway.

The power he held, Nox couldn't imagine the feeling, the intoxication of that much power, he never pulled on it much, he was afraid of himself, Atharim teaching at its best. But he didn't think he'd ever be that strong, that much power. Nox knew he would drown in the power, it would encompass him and then there would be nothing left. Yet Ascendancy wielded the power so easily, amplifying his voice, and the fire that melted the snow at the same time. Nox smiled inside, it WAS possible to hold more than one weave at a time, oh the possibilities if he survived this encounter. So many possibilities! Thoughts and ideas scrambled for purchase inside Nox's head. He had to push them away, focus on the matter at hand, playing would come after work, so much fun to have when he got home.


Edited by Nox, Apr 10 2015, 07:36 AM.

[Aria]

Aria smiled at the Ascendancy's claim of military force but she didn't say anything, there was no one for many miles, and she would know if more approached short of an army of gods holding the power.

Nox dropped his power and she could once again feel him, he was in awe of Ascendnacy. Though none of it showed. She could feel him ready to grab his power, coiled and ready but unarmed. Aria didn't turn around but she was sure that he was not grinning. He was not a stupid man, no matter his outward appearance, he was more than happy to let Aria take the lead. It was her mission afterall.

Aria nodded her head towards Lucas. "This is Lucas. He's an innocent and loyal memeber of the CCD. He is a tattoo artist and a student by trade, he is no threat. He is here only at my request to spend time alone on an impromptu vacation. I did not expect to meet the man himself in the flesh so soon or I wouldn't have asked him to come."
Lucas could get angry at her words, but she wanted him out of this dealings, she wished he would not be so protective of her, that he'd learn to let her do her job and stay out of it, but he was here, and now his life hung in the balance just like her's and Nox's.

"I am Aria Piccolo and this is Nox Durante."
She held her hand to indicate Nox. "I'm sure you are already aware which one is a godling. Nox is here to watch my back. He is my friend."
The next few words were likely to get her and Nox killed and possible even Lucas. "I am here to research ... well you. My handler wanted action. This was my next move to keep myself alive a little longer. Seems that may not be the case now."
Aria gave a small laugh at the irony of it. "I came to see what I could feel here, what I could find out about what had happened that might sway my mission one way or the other."


Aria pulled her gloves off and tucked them in the pockets in her coat. The orobourous still neatly hidden beneath her sleeves until the approrpiate time. "We have no intentions of harming you this day."
Aria paused, "Or any other day for that matter."
It was a decision that had been looming far too long, to kill Ascendancy meant to hunt gods, and hunting gods meant hunting Nox and Aurora, not to mention everyone else that she'd ever met, "Nox is not the only godling whom I've met, we have one of them in common actually. Commander Michael Vellas saved me once. We have an understanding of sorts. He knows what I am and I still live despite his pure hatred of my kind."
It had been touch and go the last time she'd spoke with Michael, tracking him to his house, talking to him in his living room. It had been an adventure unto itself. Aria smiled, "For which I do not blame him. Being hunted is never pleasant."

[Lucas]

Lucas walked with Aria, Nox out in front. Truth be told, Lucas was ok with that. If someone was gonna get hit, he'd rather it be Nox than Aria. Not because he and the man had a strained relationship- well not totally because of that. Mostly because between the two of them, he'd rather Aria get away safe. It was dickish of him, he was sure. But in a life or death situation, pretense didn't last long. He knew that all too well.

They crested the rise and there stood two men, one with weapon drawn. But it was not him that drew the eye. Standing in a center of rapidly clearing ground, visible through clouds of steam, was him. Fear roiled inside him, but he stood his ground. He would not leave Aria to this alone.

Mentally, he felt as if he'd flipped a coin. He was ok with whatever happened. As long as he was with Aria. Aria began to speak, explaining their presence. Her words were...enigmatic. Only bits and pieces made sense. He hoped that The Ascendancy understood her, though. It was clear that she was rejecting her 'assignment', though what that meant for her, he had a hunch, and it was not good. Still, she spoke forthrightly and laid it all out. It took courage.

Lucas had nothing to add. No. He did. Resolve hardened and he stepped closer to Aria and put his arm around her. He tried to send her feelings of love and admiration. Whatever happened to her happened to them. And he was ok with that. No matter what, she'd know that he loved her and was by her side.

No matter the consequence..