A Treaty Forged

[milicia]

She paused as she looked down at the hovering brush for a moment, at last grasping the end for a small shake. "You know just what to say there Zeke. Thank you."

As Don burst into the room she held silent, waiting for Don to catch his breath to speak. For him to be so out of breath meant he rushed here, and she wondered if he'd come back with a response for her question.

[Donovan Siroaki]

Making his way over to his bed, he sits on the edge of it as he catches his breath and clears his throat. Glancing at Milicia and Zeke, he put his sunglasses back on above his brow and resumes his usual slack demeanor. "I've still got a lot of things to think about, and I'm still not entirely sure why I'm fighting in this war, but..." he pauses as his eyes pan over to Zeke. "I've got someone worth protecting, and I sure as hell ain't gonna let the weight of this duty fall on his shoulders alone. If your cool with it Zeke, I say we tackle this next battle together, just like we've always done!"

As he finished his response, he could feel an odd lightness about himself, a kind of relief that came from his realization. Don did in fact know why he was fighting in this war now, but he wasn't quite ready to announce it to anyone, not quite yet, as he still had to get a feel for his new outlook before he decided to jump right into it.

His attention focusing on Milicia, he slides his sunglasses down over his eyes and grins at her. "So, what's the plan Queen Lunestise?"

[milicia]

Milicia beamed with happiness to hear Donovan's response. She understood that Don only bothered with her efforts to be with Zeke, but to her it felt like he had accepted her efforts too. "Thank you so much, both of you. I can't ever repay you for what you've done already for us all."

"As I'm sure you both know, we have decided to strike at Ketulunanox next. Considering our position and what info I gained from Onyx, it will be the hardest place for the Sumata to gather reinforcements quickly. This being coupled with the Sumata having returned from the journey to Earth means that we have a chance to deal with King Xisa. The man is a heartless savage and no doubt a loyal to Trucido."

"Of course the very fact that all the Sumata are back is why I needed to talk to you both so badly. My generals have informed me they will most likely try to retaliate against the Twilight Kingdom. I'm afraid of what might happen if I leave the kingdom undefended, and I don't know the Heroes well enough to ask them to watch over it, so I'm afraid I must return to watch over it." She stretched her arms out as if to embrace Don and Zeke. "So I ask you brave souls to lead my men, and the Ignisians against Xisa and his forces. Will you accept this task?"

[Zeke Omoihake]

Zeke looked to Don with a sarcastic smirk on his face. "Just remember I'm not the Robin to your Batman. I'll be there to save your ass too Don."

The news caused Zeke to only pause for a moment before he responded. "I told you that I was still with you Milicia. You protect your people back home, and we'll make sure this Xisa gets what's coming to him. After all, it's what a hero has to do." Zeke struck a faux heroic pose while his brush quickly brought a general's helmet into existence on top of his head. "Don't you even worry about us. Do we look like the kinds of guys who would go down so easily?" His silly grin remained, stretching ear to ear.

[Donovan Siroaki]

"Hey, I'm not that dark and brooding," Don replies to Zeke's quip about the masked heroes. Though enjoying Zeke enthusiasm, Don thought that maybe they needed to reevaluate this view of hero vs. villain that they initially had.

"I agree with Zeke in that this Xïsa guy sounds in need of a good ass-whopping, but I don't think we should look at this thing in such a black and white way. I understand that Trucido is, beyond any doubt, bad as bad can be, but the rest of these Sumata people need to be dealt with in a case by case manner. As we've seen with Onyx, regardless of how much of a prideful bastard he was, he did have a righteous motive for teaming up with Trucido. I think we need to do some research before we just start going to town on each of these nations, wouldn't you agree?"

[Zeke Omoihake]

Zeke chuckled a bit. "I just meant you don't have to worry about me so much Don. We're partners after all."

"And yeah, I guess we hafta worry a bit about the Sumata that way. I wouldn't really want to go through the Onyx thing all over again. Still, this Xisa sounds like a bad guy if there ever was one. One of the older generals said this guy killed a whole city of his own people; just because. That's nuts." He lowered his head, shaking it in disgust a little.

[Donovan Siroaki]

"Whatever he did, it's warrant enough to kill his ass; of that we can be sure. But we need to know exactly what this guy can do before we decide to but heads with him. Milicia, what can you tell us about Xïsa? What's he look like, what're his powers, what's his fighting style? Anything helps, so don't skip any details."

[milicia]

Milicia's head lowered. "I'm sorry Donovan, I know little of Xisa or his powers. I've never seen the man in combat before, but I do know this; his strength comes from the moon. I don't know in what way, but my advice to you and the men you lead would be to be very careful around a full or new moon."

"And trust me, you'll know the man when you see him. I call him a barbarian in the truest sense of the word. He will announce his arrival and attack forcefully. He is a prideful man." She moved up to Zeke and Donovan, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. "I have faith in you both." The warmth of her words were reflected in her smile.

"My Queen, it is time we left. We've kept your escorts waiting long enough." The guard poked out from the door, urging her along.

"Very well. I take my leave now boys. Don't worry, the commanders will take care of all the planning and preparations. I know you'll all do spectacular." She pivoted and left the room, hanging by the doorway for only a moment before exiting. At least, I hope you'll all do spectacular. The uncertainty loomed over her already, and she almost wanted to tell her men to cancel the trip, staying here to battle at their sides. But experience and age were stronger persuaders, and with a last wave goodbye she departed the room, ready to go back home.

[Donovan Siroaki]

Watching as Milicia gives them a final wave, Don runs his hand back and forth through his hair, and turn his attention to Zeke.

"Guess we best get ourselves ready for this. This is gonna be one hell of a fight, and were gonna have to try and focus on, not only ourselves, but all the men under our command. You think were ready for this kind of responsibility, not that we have much of a choice in the matter now, huh?" quips Don with a awkward smile on his face.

[Zeke Omoihake]

"You bet it will be Don, but we're going to beat this guy and whoever he brings out to this thing. Besides, the rest of the army is totally behind us. It's not like we'll be commanding every regiment. More like we'll be the pinnacles of power that'll inspire everyone. Maybe through out a good speech or something, although having to follow Milicia or Queen Lunestise is a tough act to follow." Zeke flipped the hair out of his eyes and shot Don a huge grin. "Maybe you handle the speeches to get their blood boiling and I'll do the heart warming stuff." The statement coming off as more of a joke than anything.

As Zeke could feel his body getting a bit woozy, he decided it was best to get a bit more rest. Tucking under the covers he looked over at Don and smiled once more. "I'm glad you decided to stay Don. I mean that. You're my best friend." With that he turned over and closed his eyes, trying to avoid thinking about the intense road that still laid ahead of him.