Good Intentions

Good Intentions
Date of Scene:	09 January 2013
Location:	Western Continent - Baron Plains
Synopsis:	Seeking a brief escape from the turmoil and incompetence of Baron, Morrighan finds that her time alone is not to be so peaceful.
Cast of Characters:	Morrighan Alazne, Makenshi

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Morrighan Alazne has posed:
It has been a couple of days since the nonsense of the Dwarf Woodlands had passed and frankly, Morrighan has not been in any sort of good mood ever since.

Why?

Well there were several reasons really. One, that fool Baigan has been nothing but irritating and awkward recently! Two, that imbecile Glayffe was STILL in charge of engineering despite how faulty his 'upgrades' were shown to be! Three, apparently another one of their dark knights disappeared from the battlefield. Not that she cared all THAT much about this. Four, Those fiends of Golbez's were nothing but annoying and irrelevant! And five, Golbez himself did nothing but sit in his chambers and play that damned organ! How did things get done around here!?

Needless to say, the dark elf desperately needed a break from all of this, lest her head explode. And so with this thought in mind, Morrighan had found herself out in the Baron Plains today, simply laying back on a grassy hill overlooking the rest of the plains. Her eyes her closed, but it didn't seem like she was actually asleep.

"...Is competence too much to ask for?" She mumbled lightly to herself, eyes briefly opening, and then closing again with a deep sigh.

Thankfully no one could bother here here.

...Right?

Makenshi has posed:
All of these things were sadly true. The reports that had been collected on the military might of Baron were puzzling, considering how handily they had dominated their neighbors in the past. Perhaps it could be attributed to their sole ownership of the skies, after all if there is no one to oppose you, you cannot but be the best. However, that did not explain why that had not been overrun from the ground when their troops seemed so... incompetent.

Crux had been tasked with shedding some light on this mystery and she had gone about her job with the usual thoroughness and stealth that her masters had created her for. Alas, her findings served only to create more questions, prompting the White Cloud himself to intervene and observe with his own eyes. At least, until that man had shown himself...

It was still a great mystery how the Black Wind roamed free. The enchantment placed upon him should have been permanent, his slumber undisturbed until the horror of Chaos was put to rest. But now... now he was unleashed, his terrible powers turned to anger and revenge for a past sin that existed only in his broken mind. He was a force of destruction and every where he went, Chaos thrived. If he could not be stopped soon, the situation might become dire.

However, there was still time and as usual Kaze was skilled at finding ways to disappear. There was another matter that concerned the swordsman at present.

Crux's small form zips lightly through the clouds overhead, her golden wings carrying her quietly overhead as she follows the object of her attention. Even without the dark elf's distracted state of mind, the little doll was extremely adept at remaining unseen. Like a flying pink ninja, she watches patiently, waiting for the moment to present itself. That moment is now.

Out here, alone in the wilderness, her master will have all the privacy and time he requires. With a soft chirp in her gibberish language, the fair whirls about and speeds off into the horizon to deliver her report.

A few minutes later, the skies begin to grow dark as thick white mist engulfs the plains...

Morrighan Alazne has posed:
Morrighan initially doesn't budge when the mist rolled in. Her eyes were closed after all. But after several moments, another sigh escaped from her and she sat up, opening her eyes finally. The sight that greeted the elven woman caused her to frown in profound confusion. "....."

Silence reigned for several moments as Morrighan slowly turned her head, observing the mist. It was very familiar. Eerily familiar in fact. Wasn't this the same mist that had fallen upon the battlefield at the dwarf woodlands days ago?

...Oh great.

Immediately, she stood up, head whipping around as she tried to spot the culprit behind this ominous mist. "What is the meaning of this? Who is doing this!?"

Nope. She still had no idea that jerk in white was the one behind the mist.

Too bad.

Makenshi has posed:
Her cries are met with nothing but the oppressive silence and the soft gusting of a gentle breeze, though whether this is the cause or merely a symptom of the strange change in weather is unclear. The Mist continues to roll in, obscuring the ability to make out the distant shapes of trees or the edge of the horizon or even the city itself until the world is colored only by the swirling wisps of white and gray.

Suddenly, the cold touch of metal was upon her shoulder, the quiet broken by a subtle clink as the many bottles amid the leather bandolier of her unannounced visitor shift slightly with his movements. A white blade tipped with black embossing protrudes several inches past her face, easily coming into her field of view without the need to turn about to discover what the object touching her might be.

Still, Makenshi does not answer her questions. He merely stands with his sword outstretched threateningly against her neck, watching quietly to see how the elf reacts. Would she be able to impress him? He doubted it.

Morrighan Alazne has posed:
Of course, there was no response. Just silence and wind. It was no help whatsoever that this mist was making it quite hard to see anything beyond a couple feet. Ugh! This was supposed to be a relaxing day! Why did this have to happen NOW?

And then there it was.

A sword. Angled right against her neck. It was long enough to be able to see the rest of the blade without even turning her head. "....." Someone was behind her. Someone so silent that she couldn't even detect them at all.

The dark elf remained frozen, eyes wide as she tried to figure out SOME way of escaping this situation. A sword meant that they were likely a physical fighter. She and physical fighters did not mix whatsoever. But then, it was not like she had to win. If she could create an opening to escape...

...No, that was too risky.

She needed to approach this from a different angle. "...Whoever you are; if you were going to kill me, you would have done it by now." Morrighan spoke, keeping her tone calm. No point in panicking now. Either she got out or she didn't. Simple. "With that thought in mind; what exactly do you want from me?"

She entertained the thought of subtly casting an offensive spell...But that was also too risky. It would seem that talking was the only 'safe' option for now.

How troublesome.

Makenshi has posed:
The face of the man behind her remained impassive underneath the metal mask that hid his features, though his head did tilt slightly at her response. Thoughtful, controlled, unimpulsive. He had watched her scuffle with the mutant and collected enough information from Baron itself to know that she was not skilled at physical combat. Rather than try to bluff, she was playing the cards she had been dealt. Interesting.

The sword does not waver from her neck as Makenshi silently contemplates this reaction. He could come right out and tell her exactly why he was here but there was still an opportunity to learn more about her character before he decided her fate.

After a long pregnant pause, his soft voice cuts through the chill Mists, the mask adding a hollow timbre to it.

"Information."

Morrighan Alazne has posed:
Aha.

Information. Of course it would have been something like that now. She knew that Baron had enemies, and she knew that she had her own fair share of enemies, but none with a sword like this...

It didn't help that she couldn't place his voice either. Maybe if that mask was off. But then, that would have ruined the point of having it in the first place. Thus, her mysterious assailant's identity would continue to remain a mystery. "...How devious. Catching me alone where no one can help me."

Despite the situation, Morrighan couldn't help but smirk wryly at the position she was being put in at the moment. He probably knew that she wasn't much of a fighter either. This was planned, wasn't it?

"And just what sort of 'information' does this mysterious swordsman want from me?"

Makenshi has posed:
"The kind that will decide if you live or die."

The statement is delivered matter-of-factually, without the subtle undertones of a threat meant to cow her into cooperation or a playful hint of sarcasm to punctuate the predicament she was in. It was the truth, plain and simple.

After providing this answer, the voice goes silent again for a moment, as if the owner were gathering his thoughts. The cold steel blade remains firmly in place though it is not resting on her shoulder for support despite its rather impressive size. To hold such a weight away from one's body for so long, he must be incredibly strong.

"Why do you serve Baron?"

Morrighan Alazne has posed:
Whether she lived or died? Seriously now?

Morrighan's eyes narrowed at that answer, but she remained still. After all, that sword had not budged much in the time they had been talking. By now, any normal person would have shifted the weight or rested the weapon onto her shoulder or something. But not him...

She shuddered to think of how strong this man must be. Or rather, she would have shuddered if her life wasn't currently in danger. But then again, this sort of thing was becoming alarmingly, and increasingly common for her.

And then came the question.

Why did she serve Baron? ...That was a very good question. One that the healer had recently begun to ponder herself, in the wake of all the utter nonsense that continued to assail her in recent days. "What sort of information is that?"

Indeed, the dark elf was rather confused by the question. But nevertheless, she began to answer. "I merely happened to be passing through the city when I was recognized for my talents. I was offered a position among them and I had little reason to refuse."

A simple enough answer. But it would seem like that wasn't it just yet.

"The work is, or rather; it was simple, and the compensation was agreeable. ...But recently, it has been nothing but irritation and incompetence assailing me on all sides..." Shrugging her shoulder, the side where the sword wasn't pointed, Morrighan then went on to ask. "Anything else?"

Makenshi has posed:
Makenshi closed his eyes in return at her answer, giving a soft exasperated sigh. So she was a mercenary then. That was both relieving and disappointing at the same time. Sell-swords were an odd sort, usually driven by greed or a thrist for violence, though some were merely those who happened to enjoy the wandering life. Which was she, he wondered.

The curiosity was fleeting, however; if she was not someone who's death would greatly harm the nation of Baron then he had little interest in her. Certainly, her wit and perceptiveness would aid them, but as he had already witnessed it would not be enough to make her a threat. People like her could be replaced.

Still, she was respected enough to consort with the likes of Baigan who, while an idiot, was still a powerful force of Chaos. Knowingly or not, she was promoting the doom that would one day consume everything. He could end that problem right here and now but there are those who would know it was him. He couldn't afford that risk just yet.

"You speak of your power to heal." His mind drifted back to the battle with Kaze where she had foolishly interrupted a battle that she had no stake in and knew nothing about. Her interference might very well be the reason the Black Wind was still roaming free. Had she once again been unwitting in her promotion of Chaos? Had she perceived him as the greater threat and sought to aid that which opposed him blindly? Or was there a darker purpose behind those actions.

"In the forest. Why did you interfere?"

Morrighan Alazne has posed:
"Why did I help that man, you mean?" Morrighan mused, looking upwards slightly, despite the blade at her neck. Why indeed? Perhaps it was just what she was taught as a healer. Or maybe she was unwittingly promoting this so-called chaos...

"...I am not sure. He was no the enemy, and he was wounded. So I healed him. Such things are my job now." Saying that, Morrighan shook her head. "If I saw that you were hurt, I likely would have done the same. It is simply a healer's job to heal. No more, no less."

And that really did seem to be the long and short of the matter for the dark elf. Or at least what she believed in any case.

But wait a moment. How did he know about the forest? "...Hold on. Why /do/ you know about that? Are you that insufferable man in white!?"

Makenshi has posed:
After what he had witnessed of her behavior thus far, being called insufferable by the elf was quite an amusing irony, though he doubt she would be appreciate that being pointed out. She was much like the other Gaudium Lords in that way, selfish and quick to find fault in others while conveniently ignoring her own.

That she had taken up the path of a healer was rather strange in light of these facts, healing was rarely something one did for personal profit; though there was always money to be made in the suffering of others if one were unscrupulous enough. Perhaps she merely enjoyed the prestige. A shame the she had taken the darker path, there is much good that could have come of her talents. And could still, he muses.

"Acting in defense of others is... admirable. But every choice has consequences. Be sure that you are aware of what they might be."

The sword lifts from her neck slowly and floats around to hover in front of Morrighan, apparently moving of its own accord as it gently pinwheels through the air. It pauses there for a moment, pointing straight up at the overcast sky as if the hand of a clock striking twelve. And then it explodes into motion, whirling past her head in a flash so fast that only a streak of white touches her vision.

A powerful gust of wind ruffles the mage's hair as the blade wisks by and the air is filled with a shower of snow-white strands as they are parted from her bangs. The magical sword clinks metallicly as it settles against Makenshi's belt once more, his arms crossed and his expression dismissive should she turn in time to see it before he vanishes into the Mists. A final warning is tossed out, his voice echoing within the fog.

"The next time you interfere I will take more than your dignity."

Morrighan Alazne has posed:
Huh.

Well this is strange. That sword was...moving on it's own? Perhaps not such a strange sight if one really put some thought into the matter. But regardless, it was not something one saw every day. And thus, it made her a fair bit nervous. "Consequences? Just what manner of consequences could you be-"

She didn't get to finish that question as that sword flashed right by her. With a yelp of surprise, Morrighan fell back into the grass, landing right on her behind. For a moment there, she was sure that she just got cut, but...

...There was nothing. Other than maybe a few lost strands of hair. Inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. It took a couple moments for the mage to gather herself enough to begin talking again. "Wh-What? Excuse me!?" She demanded, turning her head to glare at the white swordsman. "I will have you know that your threats mean-"

He was gone. In fact, all she managed to catch was a brief glimpse of that INFURIATING look! But nothing more.

"- ...Nothing...?"

Well just wonderful! He couldn't even stay around long enough to hear her!? How utterly maddening! "You will get what is coming to you one day or another! You hear me!?" It was highly likely that Morrighan was just yelling to the empty winds, but alas...

"Hmph! So much for peace and quiet..." With that, the healer stood back up and brushed herself off. Afterwards, she examined her slightly damaged hair. "How dare he? Cutting my hair like that!?"

And so the dark elf made her way down the hill and through the plains, intent to return to Baron Castle.

Peace was nothing but a fleeting dream now, wasn't it?