[Ministry of War] All work and no play (Alexis)

[Larien Gil'dae]

17th brightening in the Month of Kalendryas, Winter
Era I of the Celestine Mandate, Era XV Post Fractum

With soft, measured steps, Larien made her way through the Imperial Forum, her pale emerald eyes flashing as they scanned across her surroundings, taking in every miniscule detail with a calm curiosity. It was her second time within that part of the empire's capital and it could very well possibly be her last -- so it was that she didn't wish to miss a thing. True, the young elven woman had never held any measure of love for Prime as a city -- it was far too noisy and big after all -- but that did not mean she could not enjoy exploring a new locale all the same. The barest of smiles quirking the corner of the elfess's mouth upwards, Larien continued in her search for the Imperial Ministry of War for alas, her trip to the Forum on that particular brightening was one of business rather than pleasure.

Unlike the messy appearance she had presented during her meeting with the Regent -- quite against her will, of course -- the elven maiden had taken great care in the preparation for her possible meeting with the Imperial Minister of War, a certain Alexis Sapienta -- a gentleman whose acquaintance she had yet to have the pleasure of making, though hopefully that was an error that could be remedied before the brightening's end.

Her long auburn hair had been left loose on that particular occasion to tumble down her back in a scented waterfall that wisped about her features, framing the young woman's angular face in shades of gold, brown, and red while a gown of ivory velvet was laced snugly upon her lithe frame. Golden embroidery in a curling elvish design danced along the square neckline and down the skirts that had been split in front to reveal a similarly embroidered chemise beneath. The sleeves, instead of being full and draping like the style on a few of her other gowns, were instead cut close to the maiden's delicate wrists. The gentle curve of her neck had been left bare on that brightening -- an odd occurrence since the elfess was rarely seen without her gold and silver pendant that depicted the crest of her House -- for Larien had felt that adding another glimmering decoration to her wardrobe would have quickly toppled the elegant ensemble into the dangerous realm of the gaudy. The soft scent of honeysuckle and aster trailing after the young woman as she made her way towards the Ministry, Larien continued to glide along the walk in her slippered feet until her graceful movements finally came to a halt.

Standing on either side of a rather heavy looking oak door were two guards dressed in glimmering chainmail and wielding halberds of the particularly dangerous looking variety -- definitely two individuals one did not want to cross. Recognizing the location from the hastily murmured directions she had received from a passing stranger, the young woman slowly approached the door as she attempted to make her smile as warm and inviting as possible, though she knew her nervousness was most likely showing. "Serale," Larien lilted softly as she drew out her visa, holding it forth for the guards to inspect. "I am Larien Gil'dae, cousin to Arwen Calairiel Gil'dae, whom I believe sent a letter to the Imperial Minister... I do not currently have an appointment to speak with him, though I would like to schedule one at the Minister's earliest possible convenience. Is he free on this brightening?"

Within a few moments, once her information seemed to check out, the young elven woman was shown inside where she had to receive verification again, though the second time from a secretary. They were obviously not lax about their security. "Serale, my name is Larien Gil'dae, cousin to Arwen Calairiel Gil'dae. I believe the Imperial Minister has been expecting me?"

OOCI didn't know how far you wanted me to take it, so I'll just stop there to be safe. Thanks, hun :)

[Alexis Sapientia]

The name of Gil'dae was a famous one within the realm, particularly in this location where one with that very famous surname once had lawful authority to command all military forces within the Empire in the Empress' name. It was therefore not a surprise to see another female bearing this name make her way here, to speak with the current occupant.

Two Alyssans in full dress guarded the anteroom, where an officer of Provost rank sat busy on a desk, while a marine cencoris sorted out letters from one big leather bag into several smaller ones. Two navits sat on a couch close by, one busy tying rope on the end of another similar bag, while another stood ready to carry out the other. Another naval officer sat on a larger and more prominent desk close to where double doors remained locked, himself, busy propping his head up with his left hand, while the other wrote. Having granted her entry, so did an Alyssan knock twice, enter, and beckon her in.

"Lady Larien Gil'dae, late of Silrosia, Your Imperial Excellency."

Once granted entry, one could see that a few bookshelves lined the room. On one side was a set of couches with a coffee table between them, a place for a more informal and relaxed venue. The small cupboard next to it against the wall was a place where a few glasses and drinks could be retrieved and had. Similarly, on the left, there was a simple large table with several chairs around it where one could spread out to do research, open different maps, or have a gathering of a handful of senior officers. On the back wall were two windows, staggered wide, and between them a large map displaying the Empire, with several different colored pins and notes hanging from it. From the room, a faint scent of vanilla and cinnamon eminated, and it had a very calming effect. In the back corner sat a chair, unused for the most part, except it seemed as a storage location, for upon it was hung a black leather greatcoat. Double-doors by the side opened up to the conference room of the Imperial War Council, with a table sufficient to comfortably sit fifteen, a diorama of the Empire and its seas at center stage. The Imperial Standard was at the head of the table, and surrounding it, the standards of the differing provinces and entities that constituted the Aelyrian Empire. Always staffed, this was where everyone kept track of who was doing what, and where. This was where the future of the defense of the Empire was to be planned, and so long as Someone held the mantle of leadership, they were there to ensure, as the Articles declared, the "...guarantee of the sovereignty of Aelyria, the defense of its territorial integrity and the imperial order."

She would find a blonde-brown mop of hair being held up by a pair of hands, his body dressed otherwise in a black uniform. He didn't appear to have taken heed just yet, and only looked up at the last minute, in an expression that was comprised the look of disorientation, puzzlement, and a smile of surprise.

"Salvaluti, Lady Gil'dae. I'm Alexis Sapientia, Imperial Minister of War. What brings you to the Imperial Capital?"

[Larien Gil'dae]

As Larien's pale green eyes alighted upon the form of the Minister of War, the young woman couldn't help but smile with a soft expression of amusement. He wasn't quite what she had been expecting... not that that was necessarily a bad thing -- of course not. It was just... surprising. Where she had expected a hard individual, forged into cold steel by duty and time, she instead saw a man gentle in demeanor and... kind, at least from what she could immediately assess about his person. "Serale and Vedui," she lilted politely with a shallow curtsy, that same small smile playing around her eyes. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, m'lord, though please, call me Larien." Smoothing her pale hands over the ivory velvet of her skirts, the young woman stepped farther into the office, her slippered feet shushing softly upon the floor. "Unfortunately... it is a rather troubling matter that brings me to the capital... a matter that I'm sure has been pressing on your mind as of late."

Her easy smile died almost immediately upon her lips, crumbling like a wilted flower as her eerily light green eyes sparked with a deep note of sadness. "The troubles with the Orcs... my family wishes to help in any way that we can, no matter how small. I have already spoken with His Excellency and presented him with the quaint band of men and women we could spare, numbering only 8... but it was the best we could do, m'lord. It would have been my cousin Motito's wish that we support this realm in any way that we possibly could."

No longer did Larien smile sadly at the mention of her cousin, not after she had learned the delightful secret that he wasn't in fact deceased -- a secret she shared with only a few others. "I won't be able to journey to the Sherian Province myself, no matter how much I might wish to, but... if there is any other way I can help, anything at all I can do, please... tell me." There was a sincerity to Larien's voice and manner, almost fierce in nature as she took another step closer to Alexis. "Despite my heritage, I am a loyal servant to this land. It would be my honor to serve... Milo... and Aelyria."

[Alexis Sapientia]

A long silence greeted that () as Alexis leaned back against his desk, arms crossed as he studied the female before him. Pale green eyes, lithe form and with a grace so beloved of the Silrosian elves...there was just something about them, truly, that intrigued him. Something about their very proud and ancient culture that gave one a heritage so rich and unique that it couldn't quite compare to the delights of the Eternal and Imperial City.

"Milady Larien," said him smoothly in a manner and form that would have done any seasoned Imperial courtier proud, "...would that we have more citizens like you, this Empire could truly consider itself well-blessed. Alas, we find that this is not so, but soon getting there." Motioning her over to the couch by the side, so did he then take a seat across her, setting right boot-heel atop his left knee, arms steady on the sides of the lounging chair. "May I offer you anything?"

"Your loyalty to Regent and Realm is...truly, heartwarming. Eight souls would not make a material significance on the field of battle, though those with rare skills could tilt the balance, I agree," observed Alexis somewhat absent-mindedly, rubbing his chin with his right hand.

"Special operations, as it were."

Pursing his lips as he did so, so did he set his ceruleans upon hers.

"Tell me, if you please, what are your interests? If we were to give you the opportunity to serve wherever you wish, how and where would you find yourself?"

Her self-restriction to being outside the Sherian wasn't lost on him, however, and as he studied her countenance, for the strangest reason, he found himself liking her very much, indeed.

Just the sort of individual the Empire needed these brightenings, she was.

[Larien Gil'dae]

Larien's expression turned from quiet thoughtfulness to brilliantly glowing delight in a matter of mere moments at Alexis's unexpected compliment, for indeed, she took his words as the greatest of compliments. "Thank you, m'lord," she murmured in her melodious lilt before moving off to the side with the Minister, her velvet skirts draping in a soft curtain of fabric about her lithe frame as she settled herself gracefully on the edge of the couch. "The eight I have brought include the Quicksilver Guard, the personal guards of my family -- three longswordsmen and two bowmen. They are all trained in the longsword, longbow, and the art of Zinn'ka, though obviously their proficiencies fluctuate based upon their focus. The other three are more specialized... our House caster who is a Master Mystic, our House Healer, and finally our House..." Larien's voice trailed off softly as she flashed Alexis a brief smile. "Assassin."

Shaking her long auburn hair from her face, she continued to regard the man across from her with her pale emerald eyes, her lips pursing softly at his next words. "Special operations, m'lord?" Not being of a militaristic mind despite her family -- the Gil'daes were one of the most militaristically focused Houses of the Combine, after all -- the meaning of the phrase was a little lost upon the elfess. "Milo has been kind enough to give them all lodgings within the palace until such a time as a purpose has been found for them. You can meet with them at any time, if it would please you, to better determine where they would be the most help."

"Tell me, if you please, what are your interests? If we were to give you the opportunity to serve wherever you wish, how and where would you find yourself?"

Those words caused the young woman to pause. Blinking slowly once, twice, and finally a third time, Larien hmmmed softly beneath her breath as she finally relaxed back against the couch. Crossing her delicate ankles beneath the ivory velvet of her gown, the young woman touched her fingers to the necklace bearing the crest of her family where it had settled upon her chest. Stroking its cool surface with a fingertip, she pondered Alexis's question quietly for a few long moments before finally answering. "With this news of the Veil having barred me and my family from our home, I admit I feel it is my duty to help establish a new... base of operations as it were. I hope, the gods willing, to be spending most of the winter in both Centripax and Enamoria, setting up a new home for my cousins and myself away from the forests of Syl'rosya that are currently lost to us. As for interests..." the young woman paused once more, her eerily light green eyes flashing as the wheels of her brain whirred speedily. What exactly were her interests? "I have always thought myself to be fairly skilled with dealing with people, and I fancy that I am a good judge of character." There the elfess smiled kindly towards the other. "For example, I feel without a doubt that you are a good man -- a good man like Milo. This realm is blessed to have such men as yourselves in positions of power... as opposed to what it could be."

"But as for my actual interests... my only interest is to be of service to the empire, in whatever way that might be."

[Alexis Sapientia]

The Imperial Minister of War continued to contemplate as he gazed idly into space, taking into consideration all that had unfolded. Not much use sending them to the Sherian, as it was already overflowing with legionaries...he could use them somewheere else, yes...hadn't he heard something to that effect? up north, as he recalled.

He managed a shy smile at the compliment, looking down as he did so in abject humility, with a silent nod to her words, prophetic as they were, as opposed to what it could be. With that he agreed most wholeheartedly.

"Perhaps there is something you could do for us," said he tentatively, biting his lower lip, "...if you are willing, that is."

Standing up, so did he venture to the map of the Empire he had by the wall.

"This discussion is now covered as a state secret, and may not be divulged further without permission from myself or the Regent. I am in need of someone to take a look at what has happened in Archadoon," began he, with a somewhat dramatic flair, but a deadly serious tone.

"Not a civilian, not a soldier, but close to it. Someone to take a quick look, and report back."

[Larien Gil'dae]

"Anything, m'lord," Larien murmured passionately, in her gentle naivety not quite realizing the sort of trouble such a proclamation might get her into. To promise one's services blindly was never the best of paths, nor the smartest. But sometimes, in her haste to do what she felt was right, the young woman would often fail to see the bigger picture.

As Alexis stood, the young woman followed him with her eyes, not rising from her seat until she was beckoned to do so... otherwise she might be stalking the Minister of War all about his office. How unseemly. But her pale emerald eyes shone with an odd inner light as they grazed his compact form before flitting towards the map he approached. His sudden change in tone intrigued her. A state secret? Her curiosity growing by the second, Larien scooted to the edge of her seat, an intensity passing over her delicate features as she continued to regard the other.

"Archadoon? What has happened in Archadoon?"

OOCEnh >.< sorry for the length and the long wait! I'm a bad elfy

[Alexis Sapientia]

"That's a very good question," mentioned Alexis, beckoning her to sit down yet again, as he handed her a crimson leather folio embossed with the seal of the Imperial Ministry of War.

"Here, take a good read."

Secrets : To: The Ministry of War From: His Military Legate to the Governor of the United Arium Directorate Vincent A Stefan Reference: Certain Civil War in Archadoon It has come to my attention that a group of armed men tried to enter the city of Archadoon to examine the lack of imperial responses coming from the city. By now word has probably reach you regarding the events of the fire, the peoples temperament and the deaths of the men on the docks of the city. I do so wish those deaths had not happened as, in truth the situation is almost out of my hands because of them. When I had learned of Archadoon's situation I Feared that such a hatred of the imperial army would arise so I sent, a group there to investigate. A group not officiated directly with us. I sent the Raven's Wing. A Mercenary group that had at one time, existed within Archadoon's walls. I sent them without the Ministry knowledge simply because I was uncertain if the plan would work and so thought such information was only important if it did. I see now that was a mistake. I was going to send a response containing the good fortune we had achieved in obtaining the peoples trust when..this happened. My plan was to have the peaple slowly introduced back into the army folds. Yet, instead a armed group showed up and the inevitable High tension broke. The results of which are as you have seen. They are willing to fight to the death now, as they have nothing more to loose. Only the land itself holds meaning to them now. Everything else was claimed by the fire. I send this message now to try to correct this problem. I beg you, do not send more men. These barbarians are only doing what they where payed by the peaple to do. The peaple themselves are now ready to die then fall under the imperial rule. It's all a mess and I have a plan that believe could help all. The Raven's Wing work for me. They follow my orders, So in effect the Imperial army still has control of the providence, just thew outside means. I do not ask that you let things stay this way forever, but right now they hate the imperial rule. To force it on them now will create a civil war the likes of which have not been seen for may years....possibly era's. Use the Raven's Wing. Let them keep track of the city and see that all does not become chaos...or see the city burn. That is the peoples wish and if they so ask. The barbarians will carry it out, as will the Raven's Wing.

"Several sailors and marines have died trying to answer the same questions whose answers I now seek, and I dare not send any further men or women from the Legions or Classis."