[Jaedaxian Winter Gala] The Darkness Behind the Night (Closed-Bladewyn & Thracyn)

[Heartbreaker]

OOC: Continued from this thread....

The small room they found themselves in contained about ten people…all of which, as soon as their eyes adjusted to the darkness, were from the party. Unfortunately, Cassandra seemed to be missing as well as any of the others Bladewyn called for, including Rowan. However, Thracyn seemed to be with her and that was a good thing.

The dark conversation that took place outside the cell was cause for worry. It seemed as though they were bait for someone…but who?

Off in the corner, a middle-aged man coughed slightly and spoke up regarding his thoughts.

“ Who are they and what are they waiting for? Anyone have any ideas? I don’t much like the thought of being a piece of meat meant to lure someone here.”

Thracyn would recognize the man as another guard from the Protectorate but one that he wasn’t all that familiar with. What he had spoken however was pretty close to how most in the room felt.

But what could they do?

[Thracyn Caldor]

Thracyn shook his head in an unconscious effort to clear it from all the thoughts whirling around inside while he got his bearings. Whatever had brought them all here had needed them alive and had seperated them from some of the other partygoers, inculding Cassandra, for some unfathomable reason. The young sergeant was intensely curious as to what that reason could be, as it appeared the others taken had all been part of Cassandra's party when they had arrived together at the Gala. Thracyn was sure that had some significance, but he could not figure out how or what, and as he waited for Bladewyn's reply, comforted that he at least knew someone else here, the older man's voice broke through the gloom.

" Who are they and what are they waiting for? Anyone have any ideas? I don’t much like the thought of being a piece of meat meant to lure someone here."

He recognized the man's voice as familiar, from the Protectorat, but not someone he knew by name, though the boon of having another guard here in the cell was a needed boon to the Medonian's spirits. It was a needed one, as the mood of the cell was dark and understandably so, while Thracyn spoke.

"Whoever they are and whenever they're coming back, we have to be ready. I know I'm not lying down and waiting to die, anyone else who feels the same way had better listen up. We need to search this cell, top to bottom, for anything useful. We need someone watching the door, and someone, or ones, willing to take the chance and jump whoever comes through the door if nothing else is an option. I'll volunteer for the door party if the rest of you agree. Worst comes to worst, those of us at the door batter a way through for at least some of you to get out and come back with help. Any other ideas?"

He paused and waited for anyone else to speak up before putting his plan, as it were, into motion.

[Bladewyn]

Well, at least she had one familiar face. How many of them had been locked up like this? Was Rowan safe, perhaps in another room next door? Bladewyn strained to listen to the conversation outside to gain some insight into what was really going on. No more words were spoken out there; instead, a fellow captive spoke up.

She nodded in silent agreement, though it was doubtful that anyone would be able to see the movement. Was the room she sat in filled with a special collection of guests? She couldn't think of any reason that anyone would want to kidnap her, Thracyn, and eight others from the ball. If anyone had wanted to harm Bladewyn herself, they could have very easily snagged her on a dark street corner on her way home from work. Were they the leftovers, then? The unwanted captives, while the real targets of this mass-kidnapping sat in another darker room? What if Rowan was among them?

Her thoughts began to turn panicky, and she was glad that Thracyn was there to speak his level-headed thoughts aloud. "I agree with Thracyn," she said, still softly so as not to arouse the attention of the men who guarded the door. "Come on, let's get searching." On her hands and knees in her lovely dress, Bladewyn began to feel on the floor and walls for something, anything to help them in their escape plan.

[Heartbreaker]

It was a good plan…sorta. Would have been better if the other people in the cell didn’t react to it in almost abject horror.

“ Are you mad? If we just sit still and be quiet, they won’t hurt us.”

“ If we start making a lot of noise, they will just get more angry.”

Those were just a few of the comments that came their direction. Luckily enough though, the other guard spoke up in defense of the plan.

“ Listen, no matter what, we can’t just sit here. At least if we do something, we are rolling over and playing dead. You have my support.”

The others still weren’t convinced and thus, really didn’t help much. Not much could be expected out of them though…they weren’t soldiers…just common folk it seemed. Odd considering the mighty Jaedaxian spirit. Seemed as though they were stuck with the only seven people in Jaedaxia that -didn’t- have it.

Bladewyn searched her immediate area and came up with only a hefty bottle of what was probably wine. Whomever had turned the rooms into makeshift cells had seemingly forgotten to take a few things out. As well, Thracyn came across some that resembled a iron rod…weighty but not -too- heavy.

Their finds came not a moment to soon…for shortly after, something sounded outside the door. It opened…and a figure began entering the cell….leaving Bladewyn and Thracyn with a choice. The hallway was dark…leaving the identity of the person a mystery….almost as much of a mystery as the situation itself.

[Bladewyn]

Bladewyn was glad that the other man spoke up in Thracyn's defense. Sure, they risked the guards' wrath if they tried to escape, but it was better than sitting zip-lipped like animals awaiting slaughter... or whatever lay in store for them. The seven others could condemn themselves to stubborn silence if they wanted to, but Bladewyn was going to try her hardest to fight her way out of this mess.

When her hand came upon the bottle of wine, she picked it up. It was full, and would do well for a few things. Hitting someone across the head... setting something on fire... having a drink, at least, if things didn't go as planned.

"A wine bottle. What did you find?" she whispered to Thracyn and their new friend.

As soon as she heard the door opening, however, she fell as silent as the seven who had chosen not to help. She quietly stepped so that her back was against the wall with the door. She or Thracyn could easily hit whoever this was over the head with their makeshift weapons, but what if the stranger was here to help? What if it was Rowan, Cassandra, or another one of their friends from the ball?

As much as Bladewyn wanted to fight her way out, she didn't want to make a mess of things if it turned out that a helpful soul had found them. In the meantime, she kept mum, hoping that the stranger would say or do something indicating which side he or she was on.

[Thracyn Caldor]

Thracyn turned and nodded in thanks to Bladewyn as she voiced her support for his plan, sketchy though it undoubtedly was. The reactions of the other prisoners, however, left something altogther to be desired. Surely noone was naive enough to think they'd be knocked out and drug to some undisclosed location, only to be released when they played nice and showed how cooperative they were willing to be? He knew the others in the room, excepting the other guard, in all likelihood had no experience in literally fighting for thier survivial, though this only served to highlight Bladewyn's quick agreement in his mind. Was the young woman exceptionally brave or was she experienced in fighting things in the dark as well? Thracyn was suddenly curious about her, but he tamped it down quickly as he shook his head in disgust at the rest of the prisoners and went about his search. At least there were three of them all told, he consoled himself, while he hoped the other seven would at least stay out of the way.

The iron rod was a somewhat comforting find for the young Medonian, though he realized it's heft could probably not be relied upon to do serious damage. It was a start though, and as the older guard and Bladewyn likewise sang out with their finds, Thracyn spoke quietly in response to the young woman's whisper.

"Iron bar. Heavy enough to hurt, I suppose, but nothing special. So we've got a bottle of wine and a crowbar. It's a start, at least."

He laced his voice with an optimism he did not entirely feel and as he tested his grip on the bar the door to the cell swung open and he backed up reflexively, giving himself the best opportunity to strike if an opening presented itself. The figure was almost invisible, save as an outline against the darkness ofhte corridor behind, and as Thracyn raised his arm to strike something stilled his blow and he opened his mouth to speak while lowering his 'weapon'.

"Who goes there?" he said softly, hoping Bladewyn and the other guard were watching his back while he tried to find out just who this was. The thought that this might be Cassandra ran through his mind hopefully while he waited for the shadowy figure's reply, in whatever form it might take.

[Heartbreaker]

The figure that came through the door was soon joined by another…but before they could jump into action, two voices that the pair would recognize spoke into the darkness.

“Thracyn, I swear…You hit me with that thing and I will never dance with you ever again.”

Ah yes…sweet Cassandra….but that wasn’t the only familiar presence.

“Bladewyn, do I even want to ask what you are doing with that wine bottle?”

Rowan…

Suddenly, a small light appeared, allowing the group to see the faces of the two that had come to apparently rescue them. Both had changed into clothing more suitable for battle then dancing and wore serious looks on their faces. After assuring that everyone was okay, Rowan spoke up and took change.

“ It’s not going to be easy to get you guys out of here. It will be only a matter of time before they realize that we are here. I’m not sure -how- they knew who to take to get our attention, but they did it rather well. We have some…special abilities…that will allow us to get you all out of here in one piece, but you need to remain quiet and do whatever we say, when we say it. There may not be time to explain our directions…but its important that you do exactly what we ask.”

“Any questions?”

[Bladewyn]

Bladewyn didn't recognize Cassandra's voice, but something in the woman's tone made her loosen her grip on her bottle. The voice that followed had a much larger effect on her. Bladewyn had been prepared to bash a would-be attacker over the head, heart racing and hand shaking... A familiar and very welcome presence was unexpected, but much preferred. Her nerves forced a shaky laugh out of her, and she gazed upon his candlelit face with a smile on her lips. She didn't know whether it would be awkward to embrace him, and in front of all these strangers... but she was saved having to make the decision by the man in question taking charge of the group.

She was ready to follow Rowan out, and hopefully the rest would be too. She said nothing, only nodding and helping the others in the room to their feet. She contemplated leaving the winebottle, but then again... perhaps they could all have a celebratory drink when they were out of this mess.

[Thracyn Caldor]

Thracyn's grip on the metal bar relaxed as he belatedly recognized Cassandra as one of the two figures and the ghost of a smirk played across his lips at the girl's implicit threat. He shook his head and watched as Bladewyn seemed to recognize the other person, a man who the young Medonian thought had been in Cassandra's party when they had arrived at the Gala, and the light the two shared revealed that they had, at some indeterminate point, changed clothes. The pair looked more ready to fight than dance now, and Thracyn could only hope they had some idea about how to get all the prisoners out of this mess which had somehow sprung up on what was supposed to have been a pleasureable darkening.

He listened intently as the male outlined the basic plan and he nodded once in terse agreement at the man's words. It seemed like a sound enough plan, though he found himself wondering just what special abilities the man could be referring to. Indeed, Cassandra had been an enigma ever since Thracyn had met her, though one wrapped in a suitably appealing package, and the sergeant thought that now he might begin to get some inkling as to what the secret was that the blonde woman was so eager to protect.

At the man's last words Thracyn grunted softly but was then silent. Of course he had questions, many of them in point of fact, but he knew now wasn't the time to stand around jawing, especially when the answers he most wanted were likely to be revealed as the darkneing progressed. For the nonce he simply nodded in the negative then turned around to sweep the rest of the prisoners with his eyes, hopefully bringing them up to their feet.

"Lead the way," he said simply, flashing Cassandra a quick smile before setting his mind to the arduous task before him.

[Crimson]

OOC:

Thracyn,

I believe Bladewyn is currently semi-retired. Could you please PM me a short summary and some goals you had in mind for this thread? I understand that this thread could provide some unique character-development Thank you!

CRIM