Return of the Dämmerung Royal Ball (Open to all)

[Brea Cao-Wei]

Brea was as sharp as the swords that he carried at his waist. Throughout the entire verbal battle between Benjamin and Seigmand, he had been mingled amongst the crowd observing, his hand gently caressing the hilt of his red blade. When things seemed to be winding down, and Benjamin made his final ultimatum, Brea took a step from the crowd, the Undian Crest openly on display on his headband. He took up his position beside Benjamin and said nothing, he was not a talker when it came to politics nor threats, he was no good at such verbal prattle.

Then again, he wasn't here to talk to people for Benjamin.

[Andy Jammer]

Andy lead Jasmine out to the balcony, the same one he used a year or so back to leap out and escape the party. He wasn't though escaping this time, once the balcony doors were shut he turned to Jasmine and sighed.

"Okay...about a year ago, before we left for Earth...I learned some things, about me, from Griever. I had meant to tell you, but everything rushed so quickly I didn't have time."

He paused, where to start...

"I always wondered...why me. Why did Profeta see me in her visions of all people on Earth, it turned out that answer was she didn't have visions of a boy from Earth.

...she had visions of a boy who was born here, in Allorum."

[Seigmand Dezmar]

"Indeed the words of a man who knows less of battle than he does of politics. Our forces will clash, if that is your wish Mr. Kirix-Unda. However, if you think victory will lend credence to your ideals than you have much to learn. Perhaps come this time next year you will be more willing to listen." With a smirk Seigmand turned away sharply from his enemy-to-be and took a couple steps before he paused, bringing his finger to his lip as if he'd just recalled something.

"Tell me, do your men excel more in naval combat or martial combat? After all, when I do come to your blockade I would hate to kill them without giving them a chance to demonstrate their skill." Seigmand twisted his head back towards Benjamin, revealing an expression of playful cruelty.

[Benjamin Kírix-Unda]

This struck a nerve. Benjamin narrowed his eyes and bit his lip to keep himself from yelling out some sort of obscene wording.

Instead he looked over at Seigmand and spoke calmly and in a language that was not very well know, a language that fostered in the 'Wild Unda' millions of years ago and is mostly lost to the minds of man.

"Even if you do survive. Even if the new Roccian government implodes tomorrow. Unda will still be around, it will still prosper and that..." he went back to the language they were previously speaking in, "That will be the biggest middle finger that you can possibly imagine."

He grinned, turned around and walked away. Motioning for Brea to follow him, he needed to find Alexander and they all needed to speak right away.

"King Frexton, I'd hate to interrupt you right now but as soon as you're able, I need to speak to you."

[alexanderthegreat]

Alexander heard not the exact words but picked up on the air of aggression between Benjamin and Seigmand from afar. He saw Benjamin coming out of his peripherals shortly afterwards but deliberately made no eye contact in foolish hopes that Benjamin would just decide to walk past him or turn in another direction. That was when he spoke to the king.

D'ooooohhhhhh...

Alexander quickly grabbed a glass of red wine off a tray that'd hovered by him in a servant's hands and turned to face Benjamin with an intriguing look as he said, "Of course, I'll just..."

He looked back to Vash, Zeke, and Alex and he bit his lip in thought. After a brief pause he said to the three men, "You three sort this out, I'll be but a moment..."

And with that he turned back to Benjamin, all ears.

"There, taken care of for now. What did you need?"

[Brea Cao-Wei]

"Farewell, Mr. Dezmar." Brea said with a short inclination of the head, deliberately omitting the title of King. With that he took a step back before turning and following Benjamin, one hand now casually placed against the hilt of his red blade, his other hand prepared to reach for the other in a split second.

[Benjamin Kírix-Unda]

"Brea, I need to get a message to Roxa and you're going to need to deliver it." He said as they stepped into an empty room, there were a couple suits of armor and a small light emitting from fire that crackled to the side of them, "Tell him I'm going to hand the King of Roccia right to him, but he's got to be there. That King has more power than the average soldier."

"Alexander," he shifted his eyes to the young king, "You said you would stand by my side, right? Well this is your moment, Brea will need a ride. I need a ship with Santo-Luce titles, as long as Roccia believes Santo-Luce to be neutral no harm will come of it. Can you do this?"

He shifted over to the fire and stared into it for a moment before speaking, "I will send word to dispatch the 1st and 3rd Fleet, we'll squeeze the entire coastal area but one place. Leaving it the only logical area for Siegmand to land. We'll have a small ship stalking Siegmand's ship to warn us of any sudden change."

"This must be done now."

[glitters]

Ah yes, this balcony. Jasmine remembered trying to follow Andy off this balcony...
And her landing wasn't nearly as graceful as his.

She shook her thoughts away from it and smiled up at him intently as he spoke, not entirely sure where he was going with this but all the same took it in slowly.
And it took a few moments for her to fully register what he was saying...

"From...Allorum?" her head tilted to the side again and a quizzical look in her eyes showed, "you mean...it was you, right? She means...you mean...you are from here? But how if you came from..."

She had to pause and recollect it from her memory before saying slowly, "Ca...li..for-ni-a?"

[Seigmand Dezmar]

With his foe and his escort taking their leave Seigmand too went about his business. It had been a productive conversation, and if nothing else had saved him from an unpleasant surprise when he'd make his way back to Roccia. As he puzzled over the wealth of information his hand traced lines through his hair, something to give him focus as he sat in silence.

Benjamin Kirix-Unda, what am I to do with you? Even were I to kill you now no doubt another would take up your plan. A martyr is far too dangerous. Perhaps a counterattack? No, I know too little about how much of his force he's sending to Roccia, if he hasn't already sent them. What is it he would expect me to do?

As he slipped further and further into his own thoughts, he couldn't help but feel a nagging impulse compel him towards a dozen different actions at once. It was taking him longer than usual to think out his plans.

"Perhaps a day or two will suffice." He muttered, finding a better focus as he talked aloud to himself. "He'd want me to rush back home, and I dare say planting the fear of a head-on assault should buy me a little time. Time to plan. Time to gather." It was enough for now. Enough to ease his mind. He contemplated his return to Roccia, and chuckled to himself.

It's a shame really. Were it anywhere else but the ocean it would almost be worth it to take the fight to him. I just wish I could see his face when I slip past his men without a trace.

[alexanderthegreat]

Judging by the bits and pieces he'd heard earlier Alexander wasn't sure if he really wanted to have this conversation with Benjamin, this he knew as he followed the man with Brea to a private room.

'Oh boy. Privacy, great. Usually a sign this is something serious...' Alexander thought as the door closed and Benjamin started delegating orders to his captain...regarding the king of Roccia...

'Ohhhh boy...' Now Alexander fought against allowing a disgusted or shocked look on his face, trying to force a smile instead but it came off as more of an uncomfortable twisting of his lip which he tried to hide behind the lip of his wine glass. Now they were discussing Santo-Luce being involved (and yet pretending to not be) and the Undian navy moving in on Seigmand...

'Ohhhh crap.'

Alexander stared at Benjamin for a very long, silent, and awkward moment. A very long one. They were apparently attempting to take down Seigmand Dezmar, which was not only crazy itself but even moreso a shock and, as much as he hated to admit it, a devastating bit of news to know of. Despite Alexander's mixed feelings about the man there were those few instances where he strongly remembered a couple of times where Seigmand had been insightful, a bit of a douche, and maybe even unintentionally consoling at points all when Alexander had needed it the most. When it came down to it, regardless of how much of an ass Dezmar was, Alexander felt that he almost owed his life to the Roccian king.

Now wasn't the time to let emotional ties interrupt business at hand, but Alexander had more of a legitimate concern about this plan of Benjamin's that wasn't him aiding the attack on his 'friend'. That concern being it was Seigmand, the man who fooled the entire Sumata group with Trucido being the biggest fool of them all. He was the same man who was always at least four books ahead of the page you were on, and his kingdom was already prepared for a witch attack!
Not to mention what would go through Seigmand's mind should the word get to him (which Alexander was sure it would) that Alexander had had a hand in aiding Benjamin? Even if he wasn't the one directly doing anything, he was still an accomplice. It wasn't that Alexander was worried about betraying a potential friend, it was about his worry of f***ing with Seigmand to begin with.

These thoughts going through Alexander's head already made him want to faint and for a moment he actually did go quite pale (or moreso than he already was) and just hoping it would add colour to his cheeks he then downed the entire glass of wine he'd held in his hand.

"If I may..." Alexander finally spoke, and very quietly so that it was probably very obvious he had a major concern, "wwhhhyy....Roccia, anyway? Specifically, I mean. I mean..."

He shook his head. Try it again.

"Obviously we had this discussion that some people just aren't fit to be leaders in this world but uh..." Alexander now waved the empty glass around as though it emphasized his thoughts aloud, "w-well if the people of Roccia aren't happy with Dezmar to an extent such as this, why don't we have a meeting with him and a respresentative? Isn't that what we should be doing first? Is talking about this before we send in a whole battalion or something to usurp him?"

He wasn't trying to turn his back on Benjamin, either. He just wanted to find a better way out of this...

[Andy Jammer]

"I was raised in Earth, but born here on Allorum." he explained. "Profeta and Kevin found me in Tuono, after my father was killed they found me and took me in, for nearly about a year. Until Trucido came, in a haste to hide me away they put me in the portal to Earth to be raised by an orphanage."

He sighed, now came the hard part.

"All these events, my father dying, Profeta and Kevin sending me to Earth...that was roughly around 500 Allorum years ago."

[Benjamin Kírix-Unda]

"Alexander, I had no fudging clue Seigmand was back. FOOL."

"Alexander, I'm not invading countries for the hell of it..." He said while shaking his head. Benjamin was aware Seigmand was a excellent tactician, but the person who was currently on the field? Was arguably better.

Benjamin and his forces would do all they could to delay Seigmands abilities to make any such order, the longer he stayed from command the faster his country would fall. The government of Roccia was already degrading at a rapid pace from the rebellion and Unda was simply there to speed up the pace.

"Remember what we spoke of? We can't simply look the other way just because our enemy is a little bigger than what we'd like. Our words would be blunt and laughable in the face of the world."

He crossed his arms and frowned, "What are you nervous of? The capitol is under siege, we've taken an entire fleet without a single dent in any of the warship's hulls."

Talking to both sides was useless for more than one reason. This wasn't like Vuoto who had more than one side fighting for power (many sides which no one liked, may I add). Roccia in contrast is one unified rebellion against tyranny and that was a type rebellion that could not simply 'talk it out'.

"If you wish to place mediator on this situation than fine, but the rebellion is already under way. Roccia will be gone within the next coming months."

[alexanderthegreat]

There was clearly no changing Benjamin's mind. Alexander wasn't sure if he was just that smart or that stupid, though. It was hard with the lack of experience he had to tell for sure.

"Gone and replaced, isn't that right? With new order, something that will be better for the people and the world as a whole?" Alexander's thoughts were very empty as he threw out what he figured Benjamin wanted to hear. He never once thought that should he say 'yes' to helping Benjamin that the first bit of business that came about was this. Again, he feared not betraying Seigmand but Seigmand himself.

"...And what of the king afterwards? Dezmar will be of no use. The plan is what? He show up and be exiled? Locked out of his own kingdom?" Alexander shrugged, throwing suggestions openly and trying to understand it fully better. He wanted to know about everything, and he was very good at asking questions. VERY good at asking questions.

"What shall be done with him, then? Who takes his place?" he stopped himself in the middle of it, realizing how he'd been skipping ahead a little. He paused and looked at Benjamin with soft eyes as he suddenly threw in, "I apologize--I'm in. Santo-Luce is with you."

[Benjamin Kírix-Unda]

"With any luck we can bring Siegmand to answer for his crimes. Give him to the new government to be judged for his actions..." Benjamin mumbled, he was no optimist on catching him - alive, that is.

Shaking his head Benjamin aimed to clear some of Alexander's worries, "Roxa aims to capture the throne. He's already conquered the heart of the people and he wishes to bring down the rule the suppresses them. Roxa is a good man, he was a Saint in the fight against Duo and he aided me in winning the Undian Civil War. I'd vouch for him any day, there's no one else I'd rather see sitting on the throne."

Benjamin nodded to himself. Roxa was viscous in battle and had more connections with people and groups than a spiders has webs. He'd be a worthy opponent to Seigmand while a great ally to Benjamin and the world.

He looked over at Alexander. Alexander knew Seigmand better than most people and there was some part of him that feared the man.

"To fear Seigmand is to give him power. Men like him thrive on fear, but once they loose it, what are they? Someone with magical powers? Well there are plenty of those people around. Someone who is of astounding intelligence? Again, the world is filled with them."

He paused before speaking, "I do not fear Seigmand for I do not fear death. I've looked it in the eyes many times and it's always let me be. I won't let fear keep me from doing the right thing, unlike the other royals who sit out there."

"It's not a matter building a better world. It's a matter of doing what is right."

[glitters]

Jasmine was quiet for a long moment as Andy's story sunk in. Sure, it made enough sense that if he were to have been born in Allorum that he'd been sent away to Earth. It was a little crazy but it made enough sense, knowing that Andy never really had known a family and all. Yet that last part?

"Five hundred years?" She repeated slowly, an eyebrow raised, "sir, you're clearly joking with me."

Because it was obvious that Andy, in front of her, in full flesh and bone, wasn't 500 years old. He'd be a decayed corpse if that were the case.