Arabesque Retreat [Cadets]

As the train steadily chugged on, it would seem as if the dusty expanse of the wasteland was endless. There was nothing here save for the sea of sand that surrounded all that inhabited the area and the numerous relics of five years prior before the Eternal Divide. Regardless, the staff running the armored locomotive rarely interacted with any of the new occupants if at all. On the other hand, the civilians from the earlier train kept to themselves as well, still shaken by what just transpired, and yet still grateful for their get-away.

Shura was nowhere to be seen, but can be reasonably presumed to be near the working staff at the train's leading cab. In the second car, Serenity was seating near the Cadets, like in the previous train, with a vacant and bored eye through the window as she watched every cloud in the sky drift slowly by while regularly checking her phone from time to time. Meanwhile, Maria was just sound asleep in her bed, unresponsive to the soft rumbling of the train.

The monotony of the trip would finally be broken as the train began to approach a series of plateaus and what appeared to be a canyon nearby. The loudspeaker situated on the ceiling began to blare out. "We are now approaching Domiona Station on Platform 7. Non-Warden personnel are to disembark on this stop. I repeat. We are now approaching Domiona Station on Platform 7. Non-Warden personnel are to disembark on this stop."

It wouldn't take very long for the train to enter the city that harbored their next stop. Out from the windows, the sight of Arabesque and modern buildings began to greet them. But such establishments weren't alone, people dotted the city as they went about their daily lives. And it wasn't just humans, as Serenity warned the Cadets, there were demons milling about without visibly causing trouble at the least. The train has yet to reach its destination, but there was time for its occupants to gaze on the foreign sight...

It was amazing how peaceful people looked while they were sleeping. Not that Isaac was any kind of creeper, per se, watching people sleep wasn't really his thing. But he found the sight refreshing. It was like a silent reminder that even with all the violence and danger and lies and destruction, they were all just flesh and bone. They had basic needs and basic bodies, even those of them who were augmented by experiments or granted powers of Persona.

Isaac was seated cross-legged on the bunk opposite Maria, working once again on his whittling. He was leaning against the wall, with one of the small pillows between his back and the hard surface. As the knife flicked shavings onto the cloth on his lap, he looked outside. More sand and barren land, he thought, just as Serenity had said. Part of him wondered off-handedly how Susan was fairing. He hadn't spoken to Susan since her terse response at the end of the fight, when they had been rescued, not even while he had gone through the small group of passengers from their train inspecting injuries.

Now, after a long train ride, he was enjoying the silent company of the other demon weapon user. "You're enjoying her company an awful lot lately. And you're going on a date with her when you get back to Endymion, aren't you?" Azazel's voice weedled in a soft murmur. He hadn't heard the sword talk much during their voyage so far. They were likely upset at having been left in the cargo hold with the other weapons before on the previous train. It was a mistake that Isaac would not make again, and the weapon now leaned against the wall, glinting in the harsh light filtering in through the window.

"Shut up, you old crow." Isaac replied faintly with a small laugh, trying not to wake the sleeping girl. "There's nothing wrong with a little R&R with your team mates." He explained with a shake of his head, but couldn't keep from glancing at Maria.

"Romance is an unnecessary distraction. You should be focused on your training. You can't even properly control our size yet." Gadreel's voice chided harshly. "Though I must applaud you for your focus during that altercation. It was prudent of you to follow that young woman's orders. She is sharp as a whip, that one."

Isaac simply shook his head and pointed the knife blade at his weapon in a mockery of a threat. "If my father had listened to that from you, you'd be sitting on a shelf somewhere with no one to swing you around." He grinned before making a few more small chips in the wood. The shape had become much more defined, and he was beginning to deepen the grooves to sharpen the details of the piece. He wished he had some lacquer. He hadn't expected to get so far on this during the train ride. It had been longer than he'd expected.

the overhead intercom announced their arrival then, and Isaac raised an eyebrow and looked out the window. Before long, they were barreling into the desert city, nestled in a canyon of all things. It was an impressive place, he had to admit, and the way the demons mulled about the city gave him pause. His eyes narrowed and a vague worry settled in the pit of his stomach. The demons weren't just controlled by the demionans. They were milling about almost as though they were citizens, which was an entirely different thing. There were implications there that piqued and baffled him. So...did that mean demons could be reasoned with? Does that mean they could be made peace with? Why then had they not tried that in Endymion? If peace with demon kind was an option, it would change everything. He allowed himself to be lost in thought for a few moments, considering, before shaking his head. He was a fighter for Endymion, a soldier, not a thinker. It wasn't his job to think about those things. Not really. Still...

His eyes traveled to Maria. Quietly, he put his whittling things away in the pouch of his belt neatly rolled, and moved off his cot to kneel beside her. He put a hand on her shoulder, and lightly cajoled her from sleep. "Hey, Maria, we're here. Domiona. You're gonna want to see this."

"Kiss her, maybe she'll wake up." Azazel's fatherly voice echoed slightly. Isaac ignored the jab, his focus staying on Maria.

Gozai had taken the chance to sit down on board the train, after having reloaded his firearm and inspecting his gear. And it had not been long after that when he'd dozed off, his body leaning against a wall as his head hung, breaths slow and deep. Much of his sleep would seem restful to any on-lookers, at first any ways. But it was shortly before the notice of arrival that one could see him visibly twitching in his sleep, with an occasional groan or moan coming from him, as though the albino was distressed over something.

The nightmarish visions assaulted his psyche, sights of death, pain, loss. Fr just a moment, it felt as though he couldn't breathe. Thankfully relief came with the intercom blaring to life, startling Gozai from his sleep with a loud gasp. He would pant quite heavily as his senses came back into synch with reality. Eyes blinking rapidly would reveal how the whites had taken on something of a pinkish-red coloration, to a somewhat off-putting effect in combination with the deeper red of his irises. He would look around at the others present briefly, before groaning again, hand coming up to grab his sore neck. "My- My apologies, it seems I'd dozed off at some point." He'd speak, his voice hoarse as the dryness of his mouth made itself known to both himself, and probably anyone in earshot.

He would look out the window, his expression twisting into an ugly grimace at the sight of the demons, just going about among the humans. Disgusting. What else was disgusting was when he just briefly saw his own reflection from the window. "Good God, I look awful..." He'd lament, before standing up a little clumsily, his joints feeling a bit stiff. His hand would rise to his face, gently massaging his closed eyelids.

It had been a very quiet train ride with few exceptions, understandably so. Most people were stricken terrified or occupied with their duties. Susan had reached a very tumultuous sense of calm in that silence, brushing her weapon and organizing her briefcase with the blankest of expressions. She had been unsure how to take the past 30 minutes of catastrophe. Initially she had been horrified that she would die until she found it deep in herself that... she did not want to, and formulated a plan of action to give herself something to work toward. A distraction of sorts but a beneficial one. The difference between falling to your death and skydiving was that one individual had a plan and had been prepared and the other had not. What she was uncertain of is if she was still terrified that no matter the premise she could never be safe. Or if she had been annoyed or angry at the event. And if that anger had stemmed from the situation at hand or her recent predisposition, she found herself very hateful and spiteful recently for reasons she did not know and it concerned her. It was "normal" so she had been told to be inexplicably angry after living through a traumatic event but that was the problem. Inexplicably. She had no reason to be so angry even despite her best efforts to curtail it. It was upsetting. And amidst all these subtle, uncontrollable feelings the businesswoman was lost. She would deal with it as she always did and pack those away for another day, they had no place in today's dealings.

The static-drenched announcement was both a blessing and an omen, setting the short woman once again toward something she could work toward after her moments of calm but also a stern warning that her alone time had come to an abrupt halt. Susan slowly stood from her seated position, gathering her things and recalling all her pertinent information that she gleaned before their journey was so rudely interrupted. As she stepped foot from the train car among the much more skittish civilians Susan was met once more with a blast of dry, hot air and a peculiar sight. That being the demons among other people. But she was unfettered, at least on the outside. This changed nothing from Endymion other than that anyone with any inkling of stupidity could challenge them but she was not worried in the least. With everyone possessing such power it was a gamble to start something you did not know you could finish. Besides, Shura would be escorting them. This she was already aware of.

Susan took a deep breath and audibly sighed, making her first and most important act once in Domiona. She chucked her suit coat in the bin with a twitch of her eyebrow. The blasted coat was riddled with bullet holes, she couldn't wear it in that state and it was beyond repair. Annoyance. There we go, that wasn't so difficult after all. She felt annoyed from this encounter dashing her expectations and transforming what could have been a simple diplomatic exchange into a running gun fight, making her life more difficult than it was. She'd try her best not to let it show beyond that moment. It was time to set herself toward their objective. She would await the others around the Princess before speaking out herself. Even in social dealings it was best to have some sort of plan.


The short woman was determined to get this right the first time. First impressions were everything and there may likely not be a second for a very long time. Of course, she hid that she learned most of this from an SCA rulebook she had found online. That was bookmarked. It was not very relevant.

I don't mean to profile but uh...:

It was noise that woke her. Maria stared vacantly at the metallic ceiling above her. It took a while for her to even notice Isaac was there, everything was still hurting everywhere. She slowly sat up in the cot and looked out at the nearby window. She listlessly stared at the sight in front of her. People and demons coexisting with each other, or at least what it seemed. A quiet moment passed, then another. She finally had a flash of barely contained smoldering anger in her eyes, as if itching to break out of the glass and start slaughtering every single one of these monsters.

But she reined herself in, this was a mission, not a killing spree that she was in right now. She knew that she would do no one favors if she lost herself in the frenzy of her own hatred and prejudice. Instead the Cadet tiredly turned towards Isaac's direction. What Isaac would notice was that there was something on Maria's face and in her eye, there was something spreading and pulsating on her skin...


She reached for the coffin that was nestling near her bed and began to rummage inside for what appeared to be a self-injecting syringe that was drawn out. With a pop of its cap and a simple stab into her artery, Maria would've expected relief to come. It did, but it was minimal to what she expected and caused her to furrow her brows together. It was slow acting more than usual and it unnerved her, but not enough to not begin preparing for the departure in spite of these signs. She began to slowly get to her bearings as she put on her habit drawn from her coffin before roughly beginning to open the sliding door to the car where the rest of the Cadets were. It was going to be interesting how to explain any of this to everyone else...



Serenity would heave a sigh with the announcement. It was a nice reprieve while it still lasted over the shifting sands and inside the air-conditioned innards of the train. But having to meet that man still soured her day. It was nice that Domiona acted as quickly as they could on so short notice, yet none of that good luck from escaping the jaws of demise would make her feel any better for what will come up soon, neither did Gozai's state. Concern was audible as he finally awoke, "No, it's fine, I know you're all tired and you deserve that nap. But, are you alright, Cadet? You sounded like you didn't have a good dream... Here, have some water. They've been handing it out during the trip."

She handed a bottle of water towards him and let him have it before listening to what Susan had to say. Honestly, this woman impressed her with such professionalism. Her intellect was shown in that lecture with Professor Hugo and her leadership was more or less on the level of competency. This Cadet was someone to keep an eye on in regards to where she'll end up. Though all of this talk about royal conduct and all that felt a bit more stuffy than she was used to usually. "Spot on. Though we don't need to mind that much etiquette for him. Just give him as much respect as you would in any modern professional setting."

Just as she said this, the door would open and in came Maria. The Princess would be smiling right now to see Maria was awake, if it wasn't for the state she seemed to be in. This was something she hasn't seen before, in any Forgotten. Just as Serenity got up from her seat, Maria motioned her to stop. "Just... my condition, acting up... Your Highness. I took my medication... I'll be... fine."

"You don't look like you are, Cadet. We need to get you situated. I'll see if I can ask Shura to have you rest in an infirmary." The Princess bluntly told her as the worry knit on her brow and as she pursed her lips. She tried to think of anything to explain what was happening with her. Surely it had nothing to do with the banditry, none of them ever managed to attack her. Was it her Demon Weapon from that night? This required a detailed analysis at the problem, but Domiona was not the place for it. And when Maria began to protest, Serenity adamantly shook her head. "This is non-negotiable. I'm not going to force yourself like this to work. Nor do I want to make it any worse. Do you understand, Maria?"

There was still a fire in the Cadet's eyes as if saying that she can still make it all work and without forcing everyone to have to stop and care for her. But even with all that, Maria knew it was a bit of a fool's errand to continue otherwise. She hung her head in defeat. "I do... I'm sorry... for all of this... inconvenience."


She slowly nodded before leaning against the wall, waiting for the train to stop. But before it did, the door on the other side would slide again showing Shura's entry. He almost had to nod down his head to avoid hitting the ceiling as he exited through the narrow path to enter the car everyone else was at. The Warden nodded at the group, but seemed to notice Maria's condition. "We'll be arriving soon. Your Father will be there waiting for you at the station's entrance. Is she going to be alright?"

"She'll need rest at an infirmary. If my recollection is correct, you have one inside the central bureau building where Dad and the Wardens work. Can Maria rest there?" She asked as she gave a worried glance towards the Cadet who quietly kept to herself and tried to hide the growing mark on her face. To her credit, however, it was slowly starting to fade away, slowly being the key word here.

He nodded and began breaking open his cellphone for a few calls to himself, the words leaving his lips could be heard to include "Cadet" and "infirmary". It would go on as the Warden continued to take on a few more orders. The call would just end as the train entered what appeared to be an underground tunnel and eventually stopping inside an underground train station. It didn't seem all that different from Endymion's, save for the presence of some demons inside. But Shura would patiently lead them through, causing a clear path to form as every Dominion citizen gave what appeared to be a kind of deference for his status and perhaps his own inherent prowess.


The sun would pierce down from the sky when they arrived to the surface and past the gates to finally enter the city itself. It was remarkably dry, but not uncomfortably warm yet. Mostly due to the various public fans whirling at strategic places to provide some measure of cooling for those close enough and the streets weren't remarkably flooded with activity. The area had the makings of a city you would find in the Middle East, complete with modern buildings accompanied by hardy car models dating back a couple of decades ago and the dirt ground that was tread over with tire marks. There were even some street stalls of people and of demons selling their wares.

They team wouldn't have long to savor the sight as an entourage led by one man began to approach the group with a cigarette in his lips. Shura would bow in greeting as they got closer and closer. The leading man hastened his pace before finally standing before the very Princess, herself, who was busy looking glum at his arrival. His expression didn't betray any worry. But the hesitation and concern was radiant in his body gestures, especially with the cigarette that neared the end of its life. But finally he began to smile awkwardly as he didn't seem to see anything wrong while taking the cigarette out of his mouth before dropping and stepping on it.


"Just Maria, Dad. She says she'll be fine and needs some rest. And I intend to agree with that assessment, for now." Serenity replied without so much of a smile. She was direct, not even deeming to try to waste any time. It was almost cold, even. But that response didn't so much faze him, except when his awkward grin turned bleak. He never deigned to say a word to it except to agree with a nod. 'It'll be vacant for her, she's welcome to stay as long as she needs. It's the least I can do for the people who kept my daughter safe."

He turned to address the rest of the Cadets. "I know all of you were only doing your job, but you have my thanks as a Father. Domiona knows me as their King, but you may know me as Sebastian."

Pain was the only word Isaac had to describe how he felt watching Maria deal with whatever it was that afflicted her. The look on her face, in her eyes, the dark shapes that spiderwebbed up her harms and cheek. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do about it, but he wanted to do something. But a shared pride prevented him from doing anything drastic. She was right, they were on a mission, and they couldn't just sit aside, as much as it seemed like she still needed rest.

He eyed the medicine. "really? because I can think of about a dozen words to describe how you look right now, and fine doesn't make that list." His voice was unusually stern, his eyes were tight and his mouth was drawn in a hard line. But he relented, helping her in anyway he could, and gathering his own affects. Despite the heat, he slipped the coat of his uniform back on over his torso, strapping the harness for his large weapon over his back, and followed Maria from the cabin, letting her lean on him if she needed.

When they exited the cabin, Isaac rose an eyebrow at the group assembled there. They were all looking at Susan no...mrs. Groves, as though she had just said something important, but Isaac had missed whatever it was. Hopefully it was intel he could live without. He relaxed a little, when the Princess acknowledged Maria's condition, offering her to rest - no more like ordering. Good. Maria was listening to reason. It was one of the things he was growing to like about the blue-haired girl. That she could follow orders despite her feelings. It was something his mother had always stressed about working on the force, and something Isaac tried to emulate as well. But, as he hadn't been directly spoken to, he kept silent. It was mission time, and they were in foreign territory. It was time to remain alert, things like concern and chatting could wait.

As the disembarked the train, Isaac looked around, fingers twitching as he eyed the demons and humans alike for any signs of foul play. He hadn't really expected to find them, but his role here was watchdog, and he'd play the tune.

What did surprise him, however, was when the king walked right up to them in a suit and cigarette. Somehow, Isaac had expected...well, more of a king. Though it made sense with how Isla didn't really reek of "queen" either. A modern world's modern royalty, as it were. Still, he said nothing, merely giving the king a small, courtly smile and a respectful incline of the head and shoulders. A modern bow for a modern king.

As Maria moved off toward the infirmary, Isaac moved to catch her elbow. "Rest Easy. This mission will be a piece of cake and we'll be back before you know it." He gave her a sincere parting grin. He wanted to make sure she wasn't worried as she rested. She'd done so well, it wouldn't do to dwell on things she couldn't help with now.

Falling into step behind the other cadets, covering the rear with his hands in his pockets and moving at a casual pace, Isaac would follow the others where ever they were led.

Adapt and overcome, it seems that the people of Domiona had taken that lesson to heart. In the harshness of the sand they had taken to building their city and conducting themselves much like how Saudi Arabia pre-Divide. You can't very much argue with what works, can you? Given better circumstances... Susan would like to explore just a bit. Gabriel would love a souvenir from one of the stands, anything foreign that held some sort of meaning even if it was hokey. Like a good luck charm. He was into that sort of thing. But she would be ill afforded time to do so. In the case that she would she paid careful attention to what was surrounding her and planned to make full use of any time that was afforded her.

Despite more light-hearted approaches they were not in any good mindset or standing to do this. The tension among them was palpable. Kurosoko, given his misgivings, was at least making strong attempts and Fairweather was in good behavior on alert. Maria, however, was not in any condition to undertake this endeavor. It was not heat exhaustion. Susan didn't know what this was but whatever it was it wasn't good. But... if she took her medication and was assured a spot to rest (surprisingly the most difficult step) then there was little else anyone could do. It was as her own Suppressants were. Take your medicine and ride out whatever happens next, nothing else could be done. She appeared less worried about her friend's condition as a result, it was being handled and everything that could be done had been already.

As for her original assumption of the etiquette of the situation... a "yes but..." was not a yes which meant she was wrong. Susan frowned. She would need to adjust her expectations.
"I see. Thank you, ma'am." And just as Princess Serenity had hinted at the King of Dominia approached with his own following. Casually smoking a cigarette and asking them to call him by his first name.
...Susan was now completely at a loss at how to deal with this. When Her Highness had said less formal Susan expected to treat this as meeting with a CEO. The short woman blanched and did not respond immediately.

Okay, so we have established that everything I have learned on the train ride was a waste of time. I can't just call him Sebastian, that would be more than rude. Let's see, I can do this... when a king addresses you you must respond as succinctly as... I don't often do... I can't call him "sir" right away either because that is insulting to his own request.

While her inner workings were firing on all cylinders out in the real world Susan was staring as she attempted to process this unique situation. But eventually she did speak.
"Thank you M-Mr. Sebastian, we are happy to fulfill that responsibility. I am Cadet Susan Groves. ......It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, s-sir." Oh goody, her nerves were bringing her stutter out. Because that was confidence inspiring. She had nearly spoken for the Princess as well but took an extended pause to prevent herself from doing so. So she introduced herself as he did which is what she assumed what was expected of her and everyone else. She would not do so for everyone else and risk admonishing behavior in front of His Majesty. The cogs in her head began to grind as she expected the worst from this lapse in social judgement and complete loss of control on how this situation would play out.

Applicable Character Strengths:

"Nightmares, your highness. Or well, I suppose memories coming back to haunt me would be a better descriptor." He'd explain, still continuing to stroke his eyelids. "It has happened before. I'm guessing that seeing the..." The words seemed to get caught in his throat for a moment. "Unfortunate situation of the world outside the cities borders served to remind me off... Things I'd rather forget." The said, his hand lowered, eyes opening as he turned to give the princess a bloodshot gaze, before reaching for the offered bottle.

"Thank you, your highness." Gozai would say, managing to give the other something akin to a small smile, before opening the bottle and taking a much needed sip. Sweet, sweet, wonderful water. A small sigh of satisfaction left his lips as he sat back down for the moment. For the time he'd watch and listen. Susan had some good pointers, which Gozai was sure to try and keep in mind. And then there was Maria, who'd entered just now and... The albino found himself staring. The hell had happened to her? He didn't voice this question, but he couldn't exactly just push the thought out of his mind.

Again, he merely watched and listened to Maria and the princess in their back and forth regarding the former's capacity to up and about. Shura would come in, and ropped a small tidbit of info that went against his expectations: The king would be there to meet them. Great. So much for being presentable at first meeting. Even if he put some eye drops in now, it'd still take closer to at least 30 minutes for the effects to start. Great, just friggin' great.

He shifted forward on his seat, pulling pulling out the pouch he had kep on the back of his belt, opening it to produce a small plastic bottle, unscrewing the cap to reveal the dropper on the tip, before tilting his head back.  He'd shift his position slightly so the others wouldn't necessarily need to have a direct view as he pried his eyelids open with the index finger and thumb on one hand while using the other to administer a pair of drops first into one eye, and then into the other. Both times were followed by a small hiss from the young man, and quite rapid blinking. Well, that's all he could do for now.

____________________________________________


Actually meeting the king was... Well, it was a lot of thing. But up front on the list of thoughts and emotions that moment had evoked was... Underwhelming. Not that he'd been expecting any massive fanfar or celebrations, but this was about as mundane as... Anything. Perhaps his views on royalty were... Misguided. Or perhaps they simply did not wish to draw any unnecessary attention. But after that he found himself... Uncertain. How should he address this man. Susanhad said one thing, the princess had said not to mind etiquette too much, and now the king had just asked them to address him by what Gozai assumed was his first name? So many mixed signals, and he couldn't really get a read on this man.

So instead he opted to wait while Susan introduced herself, and gave Jackie a chance to do so as well if the senior Cadet wished to do so. He would give a small bow, before speaking. "Pleased to make your acquaintance Mr. Sebastian-" Thank you Susan for setting an example. "-I'm Gozai Kurosuko. It's an honor and a privilege to be here." All that sweet talk would probably come of a whole lot better if his eyes weren't still horribly bloodshot at the moment.

"Pleasure is all mine, Cadets. We don't get that many visitors in the city. I'm sure you have a good idea why by now." The King cracked a grim smile towards Susan and Gozai before taking a single glance around where the demons and the general population busied themselves in their daily activities around the Cadets and the Wardens. As much as the King kept order and harmony inside Domiona, the outside was an entirely different beast on its own. Not everyone agreed with his rule and that was inevitable on its own. He began to address Serenity while noticing the haggardness and the marks pulsating on Maria's face. "I can see Maria is... under the weather. We can take her with us right now to the car. After such an ordeal, I can imagine you all want to enjoy yourselves a little to see what Domiona has to offer before getting down to business. I'll have Shura escort you all before leading you back to the central bureau. He doesn't like to talk much, I'm afraid. But, I can assure your safety as long as he's around."

"No, we'll be going with you into the bureau. We still need to discuss about the agreements signed last year, it'll take too long if we hold it off now. We're expected back tonight and Maria might need my supervision should her condition worsen." Serenity interjected, she was not one to be turned down. Not after seeing what she just saw on that train. There was something about that Cadet's condition that unnerved her. But in the first place, she really wasn't here to play around and just get the job done.  

"Shura, take her coffin. Take the van to the infirmary wing." Her request was not denied as Sebastian ordered the Warden. The man in uniform immediately moved to carry the coffin for the Cadet. She was loathed to part with it, but lacked the energy to do so. But before being led away, she noticed Isaac giving her reassurance. As much as it hurt, she gave a barely concealed painful grin at him.

SQ Gained:

Maria then began to depart with the Warden, leaving behind the royals and their retainers. But they won't be alone. Sebastian began to gesture the Cadets and the Princess towards the path behind him that both Shura and Maria were taking. "Our ride's near the van they're both taking. The sun's going to get stronger in a few minutes. If you don't want to burn up, we'll want to hurry."


The desert city life was rife with activity. Dusty, sure. It was bustling with personality, but there was always an eye out trained on the retinue as they walked past the streets and the shop stalls. Cadets would notice it didn't seem all that different from your average city, if it were a little more rambunctious. There were fights breaking out here and there. But, the presence of Wardens cut every one of them prematurely as they scurried away out of sight and out of mind. They innately knew causing problems for the group was quite out of the question, if they even had any kind of sense for self-preservation.


Relief was inevitable once the air conditioning from the car spewed out into the roomy interior. The King and Serenity alone were riding a car with just the Cadets and a Warden handling the vehicle. The rest followed in another car, as a matter of course. But, between daughter and father, there was little exchange. Only an uncomfortable silence reigned in the majority of the time spent inside the car. Until, a marbled building came into view as the stopping point for the entourage. It was considerably big, but also intimidating on its own from its sheer size.

Yet, it's interior was evidently more inviting as it was significantly cooler. There was a degree of sophistication that was not found outside anywhere in the city. Humans and demons came scurrying about from time to time laden with paperwork in and out of the lobby that the guests would finally retire in for the remaining daylight. But out of all of them, there were two that stood out as if waiting on them. One appeared to be in an attire of green with some amounts of pockets and a cross necklace. The other looked like to be a boy with horns and a tail of demonic origin.


"I'll need to have a word with Serenity alone in my office to hash out our business. But if any of you Cadets need anything, talk to Andrea and T.A.G. They'll get you what you need." The King supplied as he began to light another cigarette. All that riding and no smoking got him feeling too antsy for his liking. Just before he would lead Serenity upstairs, he gave a wordless stern look towards the duo Wardens that waited on them. He didn't need to say anything else to them, at this point they should know what's expected.

Where on the other hand, Serenity supplied an assuring smile to her Cadets. "I promise I won't take long. It's been a long day, so take this time to relax. Okay?"

And with that, both King and Princess trailed up the stairs, leaving Cadets and Wardens alone in the lobby with an office dispenser in the corner.

Isaac watched Maria go with concern evident in his eyes, directing his attention back to the others as they followed. Having heard the others introduce themselves, he added swiftly, once they were seated in the vehicle. "Sorry I didn't introduce myself before, Sebastian. I'm Isaac Fairweather, Third Class. It's a pleasure." He would actually lean forward to offer a firm handshake to the king. He wanted respectfully informal, Isaac could deliver there. The pleasant smile dropped into a more passive expression as the car drove though. No one said anything, and the tension between the king and the princess wasn't the only tension present there. The silence gave him time to think about a few things, namely Maria, and the condition she'd been afflicted with, and their rendezvous scheduled for later on down the road. Tonight was out of the question now. Perhaps the next night, after she'd recovered a bit more, they'd go see their movie.

For now, though, they just needed to get through this and get home. It didn't look like he'd be able to get souvenirs for Tam or the others, but maybe a field trip to Domiona was in order? later on down the road when the tracks were fixed, perhaps. perhaps. If the train derails happened often, there was no way he was bringing the kids on them. No chance in this or any other hell.

The reached the beureu building, which was big and inviting in it's own ways. Isaac found himself peering around with an impressed expression, and favoring the two less-than-enthused looking wardens with a casual smile. "Just call if you need us to bust anyone up." Isaac said with a wink to Serenity as she left with her father. It was a joke of course, this was the safest place she could be, but she seemed to be dreading this encounter, and he thought some off-handed humor might give her some encouragement. They really were there, it wasn't a lie. Even if it wasn't for busting people up.

Now, left with the other cadets and the wardens, he looked around the group. "Well, we're here, we're relaxing, and we haven't eaten since early this morning. How's the Pizza here in Domiona? Any good?" Isaac flashed a smile at the wardens as he placed the question.

"Yes Your Majesty. It is unbearably hot, I cannot fathom how you survive the summer." She delivered it deadpan as always, but it was casual commentary. It was obvious enough why Domiona would hold a bad reputation... but not just the demons living among humans. That was the most egregious part but the city was littered with thugs and petty crooks, not to mention the psychos outside its walls. The demons couldn't even be considered a problem more than a lifestyle but if she were to be honest the culture, while intriguing, was rife with scum. ...though every place had its own problems and she would have still enjoyed exploring its exotic scenery. However she and Princess Serenity would agree on one part: they were here to accomplish a task and it was irresponsible to spend that time sight-seeing, especially with Maria in her condition. That would just be insensitive. She'd find herself... you know, Susan was no longer certain of how she felt. Horrified might have fit the description but she was equally angry at Fairweather taking advantage of the situation enough to try to casually bump shoulders with the King of this city like he was another man on the street. She slowly closed her eyes and let out a long, quiet breath that lasted for nearly 20 seconds. The stress headache was a fresh new experience throbbing within her skull as they mad the decision to move.
"Yes sir..." she responded evenly, doing as suggested.

The car ride was kept in silence, a toxic silence that permeated into her brain despite keeping her distance from everyone as much as humanly possible in a single van. The quiet was deafening and piercing, between the unspoken argument between the royalty present, the still alertenss of the Warden handling the road, Maria's own sense of pain on the ride over and the country bumpkin playing Cadet that she couldn't stand Susan contemplated throwing herself from the car and rolling into oncoming traffic to finally end her suffering. But that was in her wildest fantasies. She felt if she didn't get any sort of respite in the next few minutes she would self-destruct. Mentally checking-out wasn't working anymore.

The capitol building was a sight for sore eyes and as soon as they could step foot from the car Susan was able to gain one-arm's distance from everyone and stop gripping her briefcase in anticipation of some petty miscreant feeling brave, finally a little bit of breathing room. Its interior left more to be desired, being more chaotic than she had expected. Least of all, the Wardens they were presented with. One of them was a demon. Or a human with demonic features. That was curious enough but not enough to draw suspicion or make her wary. Honestly she was scientifically intrigued, was this a demon in human form or a cross breed? Could demons breed with humans? That poked holes in her dimensional theory.
"Thank you sir, it is appreciated." Susan did not want to mince words while more important matters were at hand. It seems as if they would be on standby in the lobby for the time being, the Princess departing with her father. Before she could open her mouth it hung agape for a moment before staring daggers into the back of the head of their resident moron.
Yes of course, because we're a group of bruisers with no purpose other than to beat things bloody. That's the Cadet creed.
...of course she didn't say any of that, just vexed and rubbed her temple. This was a very poor impression they were giving off, a group of undisciplined, disrespectful thugs that do as they pleased. She brought a hand to rub her temple with.
"Please take all the time you need, Your Highness. We will be at your beck and call." She announced. Susan did not envy the Princess. She understood how tense these negotiations would be. But that was none of her business.

Susan kept an eye on Kurosoko now that they were alone with the other Wardens, he held problems in this area she was aware. The short woman let out a long sigh once royalty was out of sight and proceeded to the dispenser to take in some sorely needed water. That should help her headache some. Hopefully. But mostly being out of the city and back in her house for the rest of the week, truly the only cure. As much as she loathed needing to interact with others at the moment, Susan had had a plan to mitigate this entire faux pas through what she did well: networking. She could intercept Fairweather before he gave the impression they were all idiots or wallflowers that wouldn't stop him and make this diplomatic exchange more beneficial to Endymion. The Princess had said she had wanted to see the demonic summoning devices for herself. She could arrange that with a little professionalism.

"Your training must be quite impressive and unique, Andrea, Tag, in order to handle things as you do in Domiona. With constant threat at all times of day and the prevalence of street fighting I've seen you seem to have things under control enough for your sovereign to walk out in the open. Suffice to say that's quite a feat." Susan reached into her pocket and produced a few business cards for the two of them.


It was casual enough, if focused on work as it should be. And though she would normally loathe to appear so unprofessional when on a task, especially for royalty, the shorter woman was still very stressed and now she needed to speak to people and play the political game. And so she'd let herself slip a tiny bit.
"This may be... a little off topic, but do either of you happen to smoke, by chance?"

Straight to the bureau? He didn't really mind, since he was under the assumption that it meant getting out of the heat. The car ride was fairly uneventful, even if one didn't need much attention to ntoice that gozai was very much trying to keep himself distracted, staring at some point just in front of himself constantly, as though to keep his view away from the windows. The corner of his eyes would twitch every now and then, the expression of calm on his face quite clearly being a forced one. His hand would lower down onto his thigh as he sat, gently tapping with his fingernail on one of the screws that kept the handle of his revolver together, each tap causing a small "ting" to reverberate through the metal frame of the firearm.

Once there, the albino would walk alongside the rest of the group inside. His hand had remained on his thigh, thumb hooking into his pocket while his finger continued to tap at the revolver, albeit at a slower, much more erratic pace. But entering the building, finally brought the tapping to a halt. Red eyes swept across the room, admiring the interior design, and the air conditioning. Sweet, sweet air conditioning. "Well, this seems quite.. interesting. Will admit I was not expecting this kind of interior design, given the outside architecture." He would note aloud, though not really addressing anyone. What brightness might have been on his expression vanished quickly however, at the sight of the demons.

Yes, they were doing paperwork but that really didn't make a demon any less... Demon-y in his eyes. "Keep cool Gozai, keep cool." He neded to convince himself. The demon killing would come later. Elsewhere. Not here. Not where he couldn't afford to let his true colors show.

The king would introduce them to... Some of the Wardens? The hell is that? Some kind of sick half-breed? He swallowed, somewhat loudly, the only sign of the utter sense of disgust that he couldn't quite suppress. Or maybe it was jus a demon that had unusually human-like features... Gozai, after pondering on that for a brief moment, could not come to decide which was worse. But princess Serenity would begin taking her leave, apparently to deal with the paper work that they were here for in the first place. "Very well your highness." Was all he would say to that, offering a bow, while trying to ignore Isaac. He could appreciate the other's enthusiasm, at least if that enthusiasm was directed at what he assumed it was directed at, but there was a time and place for everyone. And this wasn't it.

So with the royalty out of the picture for the moment, his attention turned to the wardens. To his surprise, Susan turned out quite chatty. Interesting. Still, he had something he wished to say, so he'd wait fro a moment to get a word in. "Well, this isn't exactly priority, or even really important, but can I ask if there happens to be any sunscreen on hand that I could use?" He would ask, keeping his tone as polite as he could muster, given how one of the recipients was a demon, but his voice was a little sheepish, hoping it wouldn't draw the ire of the senior Cadet.

"Yeah, yeah, boss. We hear ya'. You two go on ahead and have your diplomatic arguments. We'll handle the guests here by our lonesome." The young woman assured with a lackadaisical wave as the King and Princess scaled up the stairs. When they disappeared through distance, she regarded the Cadets with a hint of curiosity in her eye. This wasn't a job that Andrea really liked signing up for, being some kind of glorified babysitter-host person while the big adults droned on big adult shit. She really couldn't be assed to have the patience for that boring crap. But when Cadets were coming, one really couldn't pass up the chance to talk to the literal enforcers of a dystopian society. Hell, when it was only that Julius guy coming around, that ass looked too stuck-up for her tastes. Wouldn't want to cause a diplomatic incident involving a grenade to face, right?

"Oh, right! You guys had to fight off those backward hicks from the sands. Thanks for that, by the way. Yeah, we got some good shit. Thick, sloppy, and greasy, just the way any artery-clogging American would love. Hell, we even got a kebab pizza out of pig demon sausages if you're into that kind of thing. It ain't a bad bite if you can ignore the after-taste. Papa Djinn goes pretty heavy with that tzatziki sauce, but the goat cheese makes it worth it." Andrea began to chatter on as a sinister smile began to spread on her face. It was always a rise to list off how there were people willing to feast on demon flesh and how barbaric it must've looked from their perspective. It's always led to some really amusing reactions. But she really wasn't kidding. It was hard enough to get any water in this Godforsaken shithole. Food was going to be a problem unless you were willing to be liberal about your choices... and sometimes your morals. "Hell, T.A.G. here goes through several boxes at once. Ya' know how it is being a growing boy and all. Sometimes you have to admire his stupid metabolism. Ain't that right, kiddo? Hell, go hit up the Papa over the phone for delivery. We can put it on Shura's tab as always."

Just as she was starting to get into her brand of fun, here comes the absolute anti-thesis of her existence. Hot damn, this lady. She was every bit of fuggin' boring and orderly. Probably has some long stick up her ass about being prim and proper. If Andrea was a betting woman, and she is, she'd probably thumb her nose at the likes of them. Which is fine and dandy cause the enmity is mutual. For the moment though, she did pocket that business card. It's probably gonna be ruined by the wash anyway when she forgets to empty them. Her expression soured lightly when she heard about Julius, but didn't really bother to say anything. Not like she wanted to talk too much about the King of the Boy Scouts. "Yeah, I do. I could use a real good smoke. You offerin'? Cause I could go on and on about how we do things here. But for the less interested, you can just sum it up by swinging your metaphorical dick around. If someone starts shit, we come in to tell them to knock it off. Else we knock their teeth out or worse. Demons and humans, simple as that. We patrol and stuff, kinda like every other cops do. Except we use trains and sand buggies, even outside of the city. We do gauntlets around our training grounds to keep fit and tight. You know what I mean?"


It took a while, but finally she could talk about the less boring crap and into the real shit. Dealing with the paperwork that followed cracking a few demon skulls always was too mind-numbing for her tastes. But getting under the skin of some prissy Cadets who enjoyed the fat of the land and probably would cry over a broken nail? Absolutely priceless.

"Can always count on us, King! We'll be waiting for ya'!" The demon-human hybrid piped up and waved wildly after Andrea's own form of farewell to the two royals. He was remarkably bubbly. Rather, he was more fidgety to the point that it looked almost as if he wanted to jump across the room and bounce off the walls. But most of all, he seemed to have curiosity the same with her fellow Warden. His smile was beaming and even laden with ravenous desire from the mere mention of the restaurant. But it became annoyed indignation. "Wha-- No! You do it! I always run out to carryout because you kept saying it'd tick off Shura less if we didn't add to delivery or tipped less. Bet you want me to go pick it up because we got guests!"

He pouted with arms crossed and his tail whipping to the side in displeasure at this. Not that he was against making the call, the receiver from the restaurant was always a bit of an ass and he talked like a damn sloth to the point you might want to blow your own brains out. But, the pizza was really good, at least. Though was it worth it? That was a question for another time. At least, when he began pulling out what looked like a small bag of pretzels from his vest and began nibbling on one after ripping it open. He'd allow Andrea to take lead of this small talk while he began to eat because you can't be a host on an empty stomach. Hell, that question the Warden gave out was even killer. Shame there wasn't any popcorn around right now, but these would have to do.

T.A.G. even held out an open bag of his snacks while munching on one. "Y' guys wan' one?"

Not many surprises there. Lax rulers, lax troops. The Wardens seemed as if they were a group of childish punks instead of a proper police force but with how operations were conducted it followed. They relied on a presence of intimidation over all things which made sense given the environment. When everyone had access to some kind of weapon you had to be the most well-trained or the most skilled and appearances were everything on both sides. The Cadets were the Knights of the City, they had to uphold justice and be favorable in the public eye because of their situation. Not everyone could hold this power and they were a volunteer force, if they had a sour image the Psyche Terrorists would outnumber them and they couldn't enforce order. The Wardens did not have this problem. Everyone had access to some Potential, so the strongest made the rules which meant ensuring they were strongest and that rules were followed. It made sense enough, and that despite their crass demeanor the Wardens should not be underestimated. They may likely be stronger than themselves if that were the case, because the Wardens were the cream of the crop and not just "whoever may be available". Susan didn't enjoy this behavior but... it was a fact and it seemed to be effective. When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

"We should be the ones that are thankful, for your assistance that is. Though it was a simple enough task. I was more in danger of running out of ammunition than anything else," she remarked dryly. The bandits weren't organized, that was their downfall. 8 times of 10 a disorganized larger force lost to a smaller one with the advantage. Force multipliers in action.
"I'll pass on your offer, thank you. I don't want to have a reaction." It would follow that in the desert you needed to be resourceful enough to survive in such a harsh climate. However, Susan found the act of eating demons disgusting. Demonic presence has been known to warp and mutate flora and fauna, it had only been 5 years but the businesswoman would wager that long exposure to demons in the food supply would lead to some sort of cancer. Besides, she knew much more about her Suppressants now. It contained supernatural material. If she happened to introduce more of that into her system there was no telling if she could maintain control of Seshat. It would be unwise.

Very odd how the demons were treated as equals and how quick they were to adopt this, though that may just be the Wardens with their comrade. Such a thing would be unheard of back home. Susan eyed Tag with curiosity, wondering on how to broach the elephant in the room. But there were things to discuss.


A little sarcastic but Susan needed some way to decompress. She only happened to smoke under times of extreme stress. Or when she was drinking. But she had never managed to actually quit for more than a year at a time, only manage it, but never more than a pack in a month in a very bad month unlike some habitual nicotine fiends. This was a good a time as any and she only had the expectations of her team to manage and quite frankly? There wasn't a lot of gas left in her tank to care what they thought about her bad habit. She smirked for a second at Andrea's comment. Dystopian nightmare indeed. Throwing rocks in glass houses she was, coming from a Mad Max extra.
"It is not entirely different, we have similar ways to train although things become different in the city. Not everyone has access to these abilities and the demonic threat is much less prevalent, our aggressors are who we deem Psyche Terrorists. Those with Potential who seek to undermine the city and take it for themselves. They and us mostly have access to a different sort of power that you may equate to psychic abilities, not many can reliably use demons for their cause. But they can be anyone, so the majority of our work is investigative and clandestine. It's not an ever-present threat but a hidden one, so we maintain vigilance and need to rely more on strategic pushes than overwhelming power with our smaller force, and an array of civilian and police awareness. It does happen to be rather difficult when your enemy is unknown, they tend to hide their identities to escape the law and they've formed coalitions. Our enemy is organized, not just any thug with a lack of care for the rest of the city's inhabitants. It takes much more tactical thinking to counter them but we do well enough."

Honestly? Susan did not consider the desert bandits much of a threat. They were able to reliably deal with them suffering minimal injuries. If she were more brazen she would have said as much, but they were guests here. She didn't believe she divulged anything that was secret, just what the people of Endymion could gather and their methods which anyone could glean. If they had wanted to learn this information they could simply take a train ride and engage their brains. The petty squabbling was ignored and the offer rejected. Susan was not eating pizza and she was not eating at all. She would eat when she knew the food wouldn't kill her.
"I'll pass, thank you. But Officer Kurosoko does desperately need sunscreen for obvious reasons. He isn't... environmentally acclimated," she would sound out. Susan couldn't imagine having not skin pigmentation in this sun. He would be as red as a boiled lobster when they eventually left.
"My curiosity is getting the better of me, I'm sorry, but I must admit it would be unheard of to have a demon on the Cadet force within Endymion. Tag, is it? I don't mean to be rude, but I am very interested in hearing about your background." It would be good to know if demons could be reasoned with, or if he was a hybrid as she'd suspected him of being. It may be something they would need to watch for. A demi-human could be incredibly problematic if they could operate in the demons best interests during the daytime.