Of All the... [Open/Justice]

[Jakob Klein]

Jakob walked into the inn, tired and frustrated, thinking of the last month. After the interrogation of the 'delegates', he had worked the information out that they had been guards to the missing Prince of the Desert Province. Seeking to use this heir to gain influence for Crystal in Olivae, Jakob and Rustlan had set out to follow the Prince's trail. The youth's trail had vanished in town, captured and sold as a slave, no doubt.

From there they had followed the trail of the slavers who they believed had captured him, hoping to catch them and find out who the buyer had been. But the slavers had seen their green-grey mottled cloaks, and had fled. They had chased the group across the countryside, and into the forest. That had been their failing, as the Ranger's trained in woods such as that, and were far better suited to tracking in the forest, and had almost caught up with the slavers, when they jumped the boarder and into Diamond Kingdom.

The Rangers didn't have jurisdiction in the Diamond Kingdom, so they had to turn back. Now, weeks later, they had finally worked out the paperwork to allow them to enter the Diamond Kingdom on an extra-territorial license. They would be able to detain their targets only with the local authorities permission, and getting those criminals back across the boarder would be even tougher. They would have to get the information they needed while staying in country.

But in the meantime, the trail had gone cold, and now they were grasping at straws. Jakob sat down at the bar, noticing that the few patrons who were present were wearing surprisingly light clothing, considering the season. Rustlan, who had come in behind him, noticed the same. While waiting for the bartender, Jakob commented under his breath. "Pretty light clothing for winter, don't you think?" Rustlan blinked, but didn't look around, instead checking his memory of the room, like he was trained.

"Yes. but they live in the cold all year, so it may be they're used to it." Jakob nodded almost imperceptibly. "Yes, but it's winter, even residents should be in warmer clothing than this. I suspect this inn houses poorer citizens. Keep a hand on your coin-purse, thieves will be more frequent here." Jakob wondered if this inn happened to stock coffee...although it was more common in Olivae, where the Desert Province had a greater influence.

Justice

[Justice]

Justice walks into the "bar" of the inn; when he does, several men who apparently sit there quite often shout "Hey!" quite loudly. Justice smiles and lists off several unimportant names, waving lightly as he looks at the newcomers. Justice walks over to where the two are seated, all the while examining every minute detail he can about the pair.

"Hello there, and welcome the Savage Inn. My name is Justice, and I am the temporary head of this establishment. Feel free to help yourselves to the bar, however, we have no alcoholic beverages here. May I ask what memebers of the Crystal Rangers are doing in a place like this? In this weather, no doubt." Justice says, not even trying to impress the rangers with his deductive skills..

Justice awaits a reply while grabbing a couple of menus from the rack near them, wondering if the two had noticed the sign on the door stating that the place is not yet open and that the grand opening will be in several weeks..

[Jakob Klein]

In fact, the Rangers had not noticed the sign, as the inclement weather outside had knocked the sign down and had covered it in snow, so that it could not be seen. Jakob turned to Justice, nodding in greeting. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Justice." Jakob followed Justice to the offered seat, taking one of the offered menus, Rustlan following behind. The Rangers shared a glance when Justice commented on their affiliation, and As they were seated, Jakob smiled politely at his host.

"We're here on state business. Or rather, we're in the country on state business. We're in your establishment because, well, as you pointed out, the weather outside isn't exactly conducive to travel. Speaking of the weather, we have a companion who is still outside, but your doorway, half-frozen over as it was, was too small for her to fit through. Do you have a place for larger pokemon to stay? We'd be willing to pay, of course."

Jakob made as though having an thought, then pulled lightly at the hem of his cloak. "You've got a good eye; I must say I'm surprised you recognize us as Crystal Rangers. That title is usually unrecognized outside of our own country. If you don't mind my asking, where have you learned of us?" Jakob eyed this man closely, looking for a hint at who he might be, although he gave away none of it, instead looking mildly curious. Next to him, Rustlan's face was similarly curious, although he was frowning as though thinking about something, as was his usual state of being.

[Justice]

Justice listens to the young man as he speaks, and, despite the small task requested of him, the purple-haired prince begins thinking of every single possible place for a large Pokemon to stay, while, at the same time, imagining all the possible reasons for Rangers to be here on state business. They..could they be..searching for me? It wouldn't be the first time someone came after me..clueless of my appearance.. Justice thinks, now beginning to worry. After a moment or so of contemplation, Justice begins to speak.

"State business? Something to do with royalty, perhaps? Being here keeps me on the lower end of news reception, but I still hear things." Justice says, regretting hinting at not getting out much. "And, about your companion, there is a back entrance that leads to a small ballroom that I have been preparing for several weeks for the grand opening. She can stay in there if you'd like, I could have a place for her to sleep out there as quickly as possible. I'm sorry I don't have better arrangements, but I'm still getting things ready, but of course, I couldn't keep my doors closed in this weather. I can take you and your companion there now of after we eat, that is up to you."

Now, Justice must answer the last question. Justice hinted at his gaining new information from those in the inn, but that wouldn't explain his knowing the Ranger's attire. Justice wonders what to say, afraid to reveal any more implicating information, yet not at all wishing to lie.. Justice begins to speak, not almost regretting saying his name.

"Well, you see, I actually spent some time in Crystal when I was younger. One day, I was doing some business at the palace, and I asked the ki-- someone about the apparel such as yours, and they explained to me the reason for your attire." Justice says, his eyes revealing nothing but interest in what the reply would be. Justice looks for any identifying shows of emotion as he looks at the Rangers, searching for signs that his full identity has been revealed to them..

[Stryker]

As the conversation between the humans continued below, a small light green glow faded in on the roof, enveloping and hiding a distinctly scyther looking human sleeping soundly. As the light faded out, the boy slept in the recently fallen snow, as it snowed ever so lightly around him. In a breath, he sneezed, as his body was getting colder as seconds went by, he woke up wearily. Why is it so cold? Where am I again? he thought as he crawled closer to the edge on his stomach, careful to not get noticed. No wonder. It's snowing and I'm in the middle of a weird city. How much time went by, I don't know. Feels like only a day. Must be more. he thought as he looked around the building he was on. With his light clothing, he shivered again in the cold weather. I need to get in shelter. But what about the humans? No. In this weather I'll freeze, I'm terrible in the cold. he thought, remembering that he was a scyther. Or was supposed to be. I don't like this. he thought shivering again.
Stryker jumped off the roof at the moment no human were passing by. Conveniently for me. he thought as he landed near the front door, beside a large absol. "Well there isn't a disaster happening, besides me appearing on the night of a moon phase. " he muttered under his misty breath as he peeked in the half opened door. He pondered if he should go in, find a nice human to help him warm up for the night. He finally decided to go in a completely unfamiliar and strange building, to try and find someone to help him. He passed a room and into another strange room with a familiar human when he peeked inside cautiously. "Um....J-Justice? C-can you h-help me for a b-bit if you're n-not busy?" he muttered, trying to ignore the other humans inside. He was covered in a light layer of snow from the bit of sleeping on the roof, and some of the snow stuck to his clothing from the roof snow he was on. He was a pitiful sight. 

[Jakob Klein]

As the human dropped from the rooftops, Destiny looked up. Her senses told her this human was not a human, and that this human was tied to an upcoming disaster. She didn't know what yet, and she wasn't even certain about when, apart from there was still a fair amount of time left. But she hoped it would be a small one; She had seen death and destruction for this lifetime...

Inside, Jakob and Rustlan continued to talk with the innkeeper. Rustlan noticed how the man chose his words carefully, and was reminded of when Jakob had spoken with the 'delegates' before they had turned out to be robbers. It was a respectful tone, friendly, but without the neighborly tone most innkeepers had. He almost spoke up about it, but Jakob ran with it, and was speaking before he could finish the thought.

"Royalty? Well, you could say that. But it IS state business, and we really can't discuss it." Jakob smiled knowingly, as though letting the man in on a small secret, the kind most innkeepers would receive from merchants when they passed through: good to know, but not all that useful unless you were involved somehow. Jakob hoped the man would be misled by the phrasing, because while Jakob spoke the truth, he was not discussing the Diamond Kingdom Royalty.

"Thank you the back room will do nicely. I'm sorry, I didn't realize the inn wasn't actually open. Please forgive our intrusion, you must be busy preparing." The Rangers looked around, recognizing the half-done look of the place was, in fact, because it was only half-done. "Yes I think we should go now; It's far too cold to make Destiny wait on us. Especially because we'll have to wait for the food to be cooked anyway." Jakob stood up, Rustlan behind him, ready to follow the innkeeper to the room, as Justice answered the question of how he knew they were Rangers.

But before they could respond, In came a man with green hair and clothing, who was not dressed for the weather, and honestly looked quite pitiful. He looked at the innkeeper with a certain amount of confusion before calling the man 'Justice'. Rustlan was not well versed in the etiquette of nobility, but he was familiar with the names of the Royal families of all 3 kingdoms. He turned to look at the purple-haired man, his eyes lit up with the moment of realization. He almost asked if his suspicion was correct, before the Ranger training of secrecy kicked in.

Jakob's own actions were much more muted, although with his attention to detail, Justice would likely see the lights come on in his eyes as well. Jakob didn't turn, however, instead stepping forward to help the snow-covered half-frozen man who had come in behind them.

Why are you out in this weather with so little clothing? You must be freezing! Here, my cloak is wool, it will warm you up." Jakob turned to Justice, waiting a moment to see what the innkeeper does. If Justice does not respond quickly, Jakob will take charge, ordering warm food and a bed for the man.

Now that his cloak is removed, Jakob's zweihander, the massive blade hidden underneath using his pack to hide the bulge before, is now clearly visible for any to see. It is plain, little more than a sheet of metal with a handle and an edge, but it is well maintained.

[Justice]

TAGS: Jakob Klein Stryker
WORDS: 1126
NOTES:First time using this table

Justice listens to the Ranger speak, and his heart leaps a bit. So it is royalty..what could they possibly be here for..should I ask? No..Their speech patterns..they haven't discovered who I am..they couldn't have..unless.. What do I do.. Justice thinks, his mind reaching for answers. Justice manages to look normal, he manages to hold himself; he can't see any signs that they already know who he is, and he hasn't said anything to give himself away, so he has no reason to mess that up. Justice continues speaking, his face seemlessly passing into the conversation.

"Of course, we'll head out now. Although, the food will take quite a bit, as I'm the chef as well." Justice says, smiling brightly as he grabs a his key and a coat that seems a bit too big for him. "So, Destiny, is she--" Justice says before seeing the figure that has now walked through the door, uttering the forgotten prince's name. Justice drops his key as he stands in shock for a moment, trying to figure out exactly what has happened.

That man..who is he? My name..how does he know it? Justice thinks, a faint flash of negative emotion flying over his face. Justice scans his mind, thinking of anyone and everyone that has even heard his name whispered, and none of them look li--. Justice notices it, it both of the ranger's eyes. All that work..and to think..this..this..idiot ruins it. Justice thinks, his face showing anger and despair more and more before he realizes the facts, and his entire face changes.

With a gasp Justice begins to speak, not worrying for a moment about the Rangers who may or may not be ready to attack him. Justice doesn't even notice the weapon that is now showing on the Ranger's body. "You..it can't be. How are you here? And..what happened to you?" Justice says, not even trying to hide his emotions.

Of course, at first, the key dropping at the beginning, and the show of emotion was most definitely not because of the appearance of an acquaintance, but it's a good thing Justice made it seem that way, otherwise, he might be panicking on right next to Stryker at the moment.

Justice helps Stryker up, eyeing the rangers unnoticeably, knowing that his entire existence might be in danger. Regardless, for whatever reason, Justice doesn't care; at the moment, the forgotten prince cares about little more than helping the bug that is no longer such.

"Here, I'll take you to the parlor." Justice says, trying to conceal the many emotions in his voice. Justice leads Stryker into the parlor, bearing his weight for him, pulling up a chair next to the fireplace, and carefully setting the boy in it.

"What on earth were you doing out there! And how did you get here?" Justice says, a dominant tone he rarely uses sounding in his voice.

Justice stops for a moment to think. He puts his hand up next to his face, forcing himself to lay his emotions aside; long enough for him to assess his situation. Justice ponders what to do; with Stryker here in such a strange form, and with the Rangers having full knowledge of who Justice is, the purple-haired boy is having a hard time deciding what his next course of action should be.

Finally, after several seconds of thought, Justice has the next set of choices ready. He calms his face from beneath his hand as he raises himself and turns to the Rangers. "I'm sorry for my overly expressive show of emotion..this is a friend of mine, he just..well, he doesn't live here and he is definitely not accustomed to the cold. Forgive me, please, give him these and I'll take your companion out to the ballroom, and then I'll bring you all some food, okay?" Justice says as he reaches into a cabinet and grabs some blankets and turns back to hand them to the rangers.

Justice walks over to where his key was left, grabbing it before slipping out of the dorr before closing it. Justice notices the very large Pokemon standing in wait. "You, you are Destiny, correct? Please, follow me, I will show you to the back entrance so that you may stay warm." Justice says with a smile much smaller than before. As he walks in front of the creature, Justice thinks about the many possibilities. Stryker..how much do you remember..and..how much will you say? Justice says, remembering everything he and Stryker had spoken of. Justice is relieved to remember that they hadn't spoken of rebellion, and nothing of Camellia came up, but that doesn't ease Justice spirits..

Justice arrives at the back entrance and he unlocks the double doors, opening them to reveal a ballroom. The only defining factor in the room is the stage, the fountain, and the tree. The stage holds several parts that appear musical in some form or another, however, the parts don't seem to be assembled correctly..The fountain is silver, and it streams for water with that in and of itself seems to glow a light lavender. And, on the opposite side of the ballroom stands a tree with leaves made of crystals that appear fragile and yet eternal.

Justice looks at Destiny as he motions for her to enter. "If you get cold, there are several tarps that are large enough for you on the stage, just please be careful with the equipment. Now, I must be off, I need to attend to your masters, if you need anything...roar?" Justice says, unfamiliar with the sound the creature makes..

Justice quickly runs through the ballroom and into hallway that leads straight through the inn. He stops at his room to grab his back which holds his egg, and Grace seems keen to follow, however, Justice quickly runs back toward the front, not wanting the Rangers to get suspicious, worrying about Stryker's health.

Justice looks in his bag as he arrives in the kitchen, and he pulls out a book with a faded picture of a boy with lavender hair on the cover. Justice looks in the front and memorizes a recipe before placing the book back in his bag. In about ten minutes, Justice has about ten bowls of food ready and prepared and he takes four of them out along with 'silverware' and napkins and he hands them to the Rangers and he carefully places a plate in next to Stryker.

"There, Enjoy..How are you feeling?" Justice says, looking at Stryker, hoping that he is okay. Justice breathes out a deep sigh of relief as he looks at the Rangers, hoping for signs that he isn't in any sort of trouble, but of course his sweaty face doesn't help a thing..

[Stryker]

Stryker looked away, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." he said letting the man help warm him up with the cloak. He looked, unsure of what to do at Justice, whom looked very angry and scared for whatever reason. Have I done something wrong? he thought, trying to sift through his broken memories, finding nothing. He shrank a bit from Justice's glare, not knowing what he did wrong and afraid Justice might kick him out, back in the freezing cold outside. But when the man he had just called Justice approached, he looked away, yet letting him help to get warmer. 
Stryker glared straight into Justice's eyes, not liking the dominating tone and was about to smack him. But he realised the tone was worried, and he sighed. "I don't know." he whispered almost unaudibly. He had no memories, was cold and confused. Disoriented. Sitting in the silence, he stared into the fireplace with clouded eyes. Almost like he was about to cry, yet the saddness was deep, not pouring over. He snuggled in the warmth of the blankets, glad at least he was getting warm. He look at Justice, giving a 'how do you think I'm doing?' glance as he looked down at the plate full of food, wondering how to eat it. How can I return the favor? he thought, still trying to retrieve his memories, yet stopped in vain. "How can I thank you? I have nothing." he said sadly looking at Justice with an amount of gratitude. Oblivious to Justice's crisis.

[Jakob Klein]

Jakob watched as the Renegade Prince moved to his friend's aide, while still seeing to it that Destiny was let in the back, and providing food for everyone present. He was clearly disturbed by his friend's arrival and sorry state, but Jakob suspected he was also worried about the revelation of his own identity. He was foolish to give someone his real name, if he wished to hide. Clearly, Diamond's spies are not so effective as they are reputed... Jakob took the offered plate, and thanked the man. Either the man was very good at hiding his true feelings, or he was not the monster the stories made him out to be...but it was too early to make any decisions.

"I'm sorry, but I didn't catch your name? Justice said you're not used to the cold weather this far north." Jakob motioned at himself and Rustlan, "We're from down south in Crystal, so we can sympathize. If you don't mind my asking, where are you from?" Jakob asked, not knowing that the poor pokemon wasn't sure of the answer himself.

[Justice]

TAGS: Stryker, Jakob Klein, Open
WORDS: ###
NOTES: I be changing up the tables!

Justice looks at Stryker as he tries to thank him. Justice gives Stryker a look that instantly tells him that the purple haired prince doesn't need any form of thanks. Justice watches the rangers closely, searching for any signs of ill will. What am I doing..If I die I die..Why must I think the way I do? Justice thinks as he listens to the Ranger ask his question before hearing Stryker's answer, and his partially accurate description of his home.

Justice thinks about what to do next..He doesn't understand in the slightest how Stryker is the way he is, and he can't think of a reasonable explanation. Of course, when is magic ever reasonable? Justice thinks about the rangers and what he should say...What he should do about them. It is obvious that he hasn't earned the two's trust just yet, and he has no way of concealing his identity, so what can he do now?

Justice convinces himself to stop thinking about how to trick the Rangers, and begins focusing on proving that he is one that can be trusted. Justice looks into the blue haired Ranger's eyes as he begins to speak.

"Well now..it seems my secret is out, Stryker seems to have made sure of that" Justice says, patting the green haired boy on the head playfully while smiling. "Now then, I would ask what you plan to do with my information..but I'm not going to worry about that now..if you plan on turning me into your authorities, which seem to be melding in with my own, I'm sure I will hear about it soon enough.

No..Instead..I wish to tell you that I'm not the man my dearest sister makes me out to be, however, whether you believe me or not, it up to you. You may ask your own questions if you have any, and I swear I will answer them honestly, besides, it appears you have your own way of getting the truth out of people if necessary" Justice says, glancing at the Ranger's sword, thinking about the methods he has heard of revolving the Crystal Rangers.

"Now then, before you ask your own question, I have just one for the both of you. 'Do you believe..in magic?'" Justice says, not truly knowing why he is being so open..with people like these..And, above all that, Justice is actually smiling as he watches the three. A true sincere smile is covering Justice face despite what has just happened. Maybe he truly is going crazy..

[Stryker]

Stryker looked at Justice, still wanting to repay him in anyway at all. He sighed, looking down as he listened to blue haired man speak. "Name? My name is Stryker. I live somewhere no humans usually go. It's deep in the forest, and in a giant tree." he said slowly, eyes shut, trying to remember. He stared at the plate of food on the side, wondering how to eat it. He was only a little bit hungry,so he took a little bit from the plate, chewing it a bit. His eyes lit up, for the food was great, almost better than what he usually had, whatever it was. 
Hearing Justice say something about his secret getting out, he looked with confused eyes. "What do you mean? What did I do?" he said, scared of what he had done to his friend. What did I do? What did I do? What is he talking about? he thought, his head starting to hurt from thinking too much about his own forgotten life. He felt Justice pat his head, and looked to see him smiling. He distantly heard Justice go on, about many more things Stryker doesn't know. It seems that I'm left in the dark again.... he thought as he looked at the humans. He shrank a bit from the blade of metal, his scyther instincts tensing him up. Relax, they won't hurt you, will they? he told himself unsure if he was telling the truth. 
Hearing Justice ask the rangers about if they believed in magic, he shivered a far memory recalling of his curse. He looked worriedly at Justice, wondering if he was alright, having his secret gotten out. He wanted to ask if Justice was alright, but he didn't because he was afraid of saying something that he would regret. 
Stryker's uncertainty, fear and guilt created a very depressing atmosphere like that of seeing a sad lost child. 

[Jakob Klein]

Jakob's eyebrows raised when Justice gave up the ruse, and asked what they planned to do with the knowledge. Jakob shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. "Well, to be honest, I hadn't got that far. I was just trying to get out of here without you figuring out that I knew. But I guess that one's out the window. I will say this, you needn't fear us trying to arrest you or anything, we're only in diamond on an extra-territorial lisence; we couldn't legally arrest you if we wanted to. But I don't have any plans letting you off that easy. You're a wanted criminal..." Jakob leaned forward, deciding to see what could happen.

"Now, we are members of the Crystal Rangers. So, we are interested in the well being of Crystal. As you pointed out, Crystal and Diamond have recently...shared interests. But that doesn't mean It's going to stay that way, so I'm interested in what is useful for Crystal. Right now, the look of things is our best bet is to tell the authorities know where to find you. But you used to be fairly influential, and you did manage to escape the inescapable prison. Perhaps you could explain why it would be in Crystal's best interest to not tell your sister where to find you?" Jakob glanced at Stryker before turning back to Justice.

"Listen, I don't know if you're the monster the stories claim or you've simply been framed, although I would like to figure that out before to long, but right now I have another matter on my plate, and so I don't have the luxury of figuring you out." As Jakob spoke, Rustlan nodded his sentiment at the comment of shared interests and that not necessarily being set in stone, but differed to the higher ranked Ranger, taking the part of the pupil to heart.

Then Justice asked if they believed in magic. Jakob frowned at that, his upbringing screaming no, but his memories of Destiny on the day they met contradicting this. Internally, Jakob warred with himself. Magic was not impossible, as proven by the witches the Templars were always hunting. But then how did you explain it? It was beyond their understanding, and frequently defied logic and reason. So was it merely parlor tricks, or was there more to the world that was beyond understanding? Was it merely science that wasn't understood yet, like the discovery of bronze, where the two metals experienced gestalt when combined? Jakob, confused by his own thoughts, decided to give a tentative yes, just to here what the Rogue Prince had to say, but before he could, Rustlan spoke up.

"Yes, I do. What does magic have to do with you?

[Justice]

TAGS: Mod, Stryker, Jakob Klein
WORDS: ###
NOTES: Playing a genious is hard..wah..

Justice smiles as the ranger begins to speak. He is happy to learn that he truly wasn't the object of the Ranger's presence, however, he still has to contemplate what they are here for. And Extra-territorial license..ha..to think.. Justice thinks as he tries to solve the true purpose for the Ranger's being here.

Justice, as he usually does, thinks about the options. He tries using the knowledge he has heard lately, the recent news, but nothing comes to his head. He thinks about the little things the people of the inn have spoken to him about, and none of it stands out. Justice, with a sigh, begins going through his catalogue once again. Everything, from faces to appearances, and speech patterns, Justice remembers them all. From more than two weeks ago, Justice brings up in his mind every conversation he has heard over that time into his mind and sifts through them carefully. Placing names and faces to words and phrases, Justice slowly narrows down the options with his own speculation.

I see.. Justice thinks as he gets his solution before the Ranger begins speaking about the wellbeing of his home country. Justice doesn't even have to think about how to answer the Ranger as he speaks of his wish for what Justice could do for Crystal, as that was what Justice was expecting anyway.

Justice notices the frown on the blue haired Ranger's face at the mention of magic, and Justice thinks about the lack of general magical belief in Crystal. Despite the existence of witches and Pokemon who could grant blessings, most of the people of the technological country that is Crystal believe that the witches are just using smoke and mirrors to their advantage, and that the Pokemon must be giving others their blood or some strange excuse like that, so it is not all that strange when it becomes obvious that the boy with the strange hair is struggling with an answer.

Justice is slightly surprised to hear the other Ranger speak, as it was the blue haired one that was the most vocal. Regardless, Justice is glad that he uttered the answer the lost prince was seeking. Justice turns to look at the Rangers, as he sits down in a chair opposite of them, one that he can see both Stryker and the Rangers from. As he sits, he begins to speak.

"Well, first of all, I'll tell you that the lost heir of a kingdom of sand isn't going to be found here if that is who you search for, for the buyer of his being is not of this land." Justice says, his eyes cold, filled with a disdain for slavery..

"Anyway, about your..homeland." Justice says, choosing his words carefully, not wishing to offend. "I would say that the people of your kingdom aren't all that happy with the binding two kingdoms, especially in the unequal way it is at the moment. Well, I would dare to say that Camellia truly wants nothing more than power. Love, patriotism, wellbeing of the people--those may all seem like things she strives for, but I can assure you that she cares for none of it.

Camellia cares about none but herself, and she will do anything to preserve her own being, and her own power. Not only that, but she strives for more and more influence and control, which, I beg to say, is the entire reason for her wish to join with the nation. Of course, I'm not entirely sure if all of that has been completely settled or not, but I'm sure you both are, and I do hope that you can at least partially feel that the entire thing doesn't seem all that sincere, yes?

Beyond that, if you wish to know exactly how it is I believe what I do, the reasons behind why I am not the monster people think me would explain it. You see..when I was born, I was born on one of the rarest celestial phenomena of our calendar, and, as you may or may not know, such births are what decide royal standing. However, my sister was born just minutes after the time of Destiny was over, and I was the only chosen child.

As a result of this, I was chosen to become king when the time was right, and I trained and trained, never realizing just how much my own sister had grown to resent me.. Then, on the day it was my time to walk through the great Egg Cave, my own sister took the egg that would have been my own, and claimed it to be hers, and with that, along with some.."persuasion" from my sister, I lost all claims to the throne.

Eventually, I was used by my sister as a sort of bargaining chip, as a diplomat, as a representative, most likely as a ploy to make it seem like I was being treated correctly, but one day, I was accused of crimes that many know sent me to prison. And for most, that is where my story ended. But of course..here I am. Obviously, I escaped from the prison and I ended up here. And..I now plan to one day lead a triumph of justice against my sister who I personally believe will eventually corrupt our kingdom.

Now then, the both of you can argue the correctness of choosing people for the throne by means as we do, and you can both argue that I was wrong to escape from prison. You can argue that a rebellion is the wrong way to go about things, but my point is that my sister is not the good queen that she makes herself out to be. Of course, you can believe that my own actions make me no better. But I assure you that if I had become king, the actions of my sister would not be the actions I would have taken.

Now..you may ponder that..but..about magic.. The reason I asked you about your belief or disbelief on the matter, is that I know exactly what your culture feels toward magic, yet the fact that you have a being with such magic potential as your own traveling partner screams that you both must know something of the matter. If I am right, then you both know that magic is just as real as night and day, and if either of you have researched other cultures, you must have realized that the creatures you all think of as legends and beings of great power are regarded as Gods in the cultures of your rival nations.

Now, I have said all that to tell you, that the beings of which I speak, are very active in the affairs of men. Whether you believe them to be deistic or not, and whether you believe in their magical abilities or not matters little as long as you realize that each of them has an incredible influence on our societies. Now then, for all of that, I have another point to make.

The "active" that I speak of in the "affairs" of men, has become a living breathing part of the royalty you serve. More specifically, I have done research and found that the deities, or legends of our cultures, have the ability to breed with humans. During such times, beings of immense power are created. I have discovered that one of your Musketeers is such a being. I have also discovered that your "King's" royal advisor is such a being, and so are several of the "Templars" he uses so commonly to fight the very magic he himself weilds.

Now, you may make what you may from what I have said, as I am done with my rambling. But please, I beg of you, the both of you, consider my words, and don't heed them lightly." Justice says, his words true, yet many of them piercing his own heart..

[Stryker]

Stryker listened to the humans talk, catching the blue haired man's eye. Probably because Justice is a good person. he thought in response to Jakob comment about Crystals best interest. He stayed quiet, unsure of what to do, afraid of what else that could go wrong because of him. He felt confused and disoriented throughout Justice's explanation about this Camellia's intentions for both the kingdoms. He looked down on his hands, clenching them and releasing. No memories, unused to this body. What is my purpose here? he thought focusing on his hands. His anger was rubbed when he heard of this great Egg Cave. A part of his former self cried out within him, angered about the eggs left alone, without their mothers or fathers to take care of them. Eggs wouldn't be put in a cave without their parents... he thought a shadow passing his face. He ignored the rest of Justice's rambling, not a care for what humans with a corrupt leader. It does not concern me. It does not concern me. What does it have to do for a lost pokemon like me? Even those two humans would doubt me. Justice seems to know me enough. But it is not the time and place to ask questions about my life now is it? he thought, trying to calm himself in this strange place. 
And of course the legendaries exist. How would the world run without them? he thought, and resumed to tune out details that did not concern him. 
Somewhere far in the building, Stryker heard a tiny chirp, barely audible, calling for someone. He understood her, and he smiled softly to himself. Togepi wants to have some fun. he thought, wondering why Justice hadn't brought it out. He didn't think it was weird that he understood a pokemon, he thought humans could probably do it too. 
"Seems Justice trusts you two to a degree. Perhaps I'll let you two in on a secret. I'm supposed to be a scyther. Well, Justice knew that already, didn't he?" he muttered, looking at the doorway that led to Justice's room. He saw the small round shell of togepi's egg, as it waddled over straight towards Stryker. He smiled and stayed still, not wanting to frighten the little one. "Justice, togepi is hungry. You shouldn't have left her all alone." he said softly, waiting for the togepi to come closer so that they could play, sitting as still as he could possibly be.

[Jakob Klein]

Jakob felt his eyebrows raise as Justice began speaking at great length of his own back story. His own version of it, it seamed, where his sister had betrayed him and thrown him aside for the sake of power. Jakob was unsure if he believed this, but many of the facts were verifiable, if they went to the right people. What surprised him even more was when Justice began speaking of the Legendaries.

Were they gods? That seemed preposterous, but then again, if one assumed magic was real, then were gods so hard to believe in? Jacob felt his brow furrow once again as he thought deeply on the matter, his mind still unsure where he stood. But then Justice started naming people and positions filled by these...half-breeds. Including the Royal Advisor himself! Jakob almost laughed at that idea, but managed to hold it inside. Again, some of those were things that could be looked into.

"Well, you've been very forthcoming with us. Thank you for that. I would have expected less information, more 'what I could tell you' from someone trying to explain why he shouldn't be turned in. But I see you're trying to convince us of who you are, rather than what you are. So here's what I'm thinking. You're clearly good at collecting information. A lot of what you've said sounds verifiable, if somewhat implausible." Jakob grabbed a parchment and began writing a cypher, making it up as he went, making sure to include exactly half of the tricks (the easier ones) that the rangers used in their personal communications, all altered so as to be useless for determining the Ranger's own code. Handing it to Justice, he explained it; "This is a cypher. If you were a diplomat, I imagine you know how to use one. You will send any information you find that might be of use to the Rangers to the address at the bottom, as well as your current address, if it's changed since your last letter. In return, your sister will not here of your location.

The reason we want your location is a double safety net; for you, it's a safety net because if things go wrong and you stop sending us messages, we know where to start looking for you. On the other hand, if you give us bad information or otherwise try to do us wrong, we know where to start looking for you. Don't bother putting the wrong address on them, either; we'll have someone come and check at irregular intervals. He'll be in disguise, so you'll never spot him."

Having explained this, Jakob sat back and waited a second, giving Justice a chance to warn him if his food was poisoned, before finally digging into the delicious smelling meal, although making a point to not eat very much, just in case. As he ate, Stryker spoke up, explaining that he was a scyther who was now a human for some unknown reason, and telling Justice that Togepi was hungry. Jakob tilted his head at that. He had not heard of a Togepi before, and he thought he was well verse in the different Pokemon species. He decided that the young man was more ill than he appeared, though he did note the strange egg-like pokemon waddling over to the young man. Jakob turned to Rustlan (Lion) to see what the youth thought of the young 'scyther's story.

As the humans talked, Destiny listened from her room, her supernatural hearing working on more than just disasters. She smiled to herself as Rustlan answered for Jakob about magic, and then the throneless king explained just where his thrown had gone to. Then she heard another noise; that of a child, asking for love and food. Getting up, Destiny quickly followed the sound till she arrived in the room where the men were sat, eating, and Togepi was waddling across the room. Destiny mentally thanked Arceus she was small enough to fit through doorways that weren't frozen half-shut. The tiny egg pokemon was adorable as it ran to it's...friend? bit brother? The emotions in the air were hard to decypher...it wasn't her strong point, unfortunately. She was quiet visible, being rather tall as pokemon go, but she remained silent, and stayed back, not wanting to frighten the little one.

OOC: ♠spade♠, I'm putting this here, just to make sure you are aware of this thread. I imagine you'll be wanting your ranger back, now that you're back ;)