Of All the... [Open/Justice]

[Rustlan (Lion)]

RUSTLAN (LION);; Of All The...

Rustlan listened to the long story that Justice seemed to be able to hand to them on a silver platter and to be honest Rustlan was a little unimpressed with the information. Not with how much the man knew, but with how he had handed it out so easily. How did he know he could trust the secret service of a Kingdom (Providence) that could potentially be resentful toward the Diamond Kingdom, or aren't possibly on a mission to get back their own honor. Who knows, perhaps it had crossed Rustlan's mind from time to time. But Rustlan watched the man with green hair, who had come in from the cold just after them, with a blank expression. Trying to keep his emotions and thoughts to himself. He had been too revealing already with his recognition of Justice. He wasn't going to allow himself to slip up again. 

When Jakob told Justice (essentially forcing him) to send them letters of information about whatever he could come up with, the first thought that came into his mind was that they probably wouldn't be there to receive the letters. They were on a mission. Something seemed to nag at the back of his mind. He continued to stare at the human with green hair. Something about him bothered Rustlan. Something really nagged at his thoughts. 

The way he seemed to not know how to eat or the fact that he just suddenly started talking about… Not being human? Well… As weird as that sounded to Rustlan, the way he was acting made sense. Though… He could just… Not be alright too. He could be putting the first story in his head that he could think of with not remembering who he was. Rustlan could relate to that for he couldn't remember anything about his past before being found on the beach by his mentor. He had made up stories so many times. But this was different. Something just really bothered… Then he looked up to see Jakob eating the food in front of him. He was cautious to watch both the green haired person and his leader in case either of them got sick from the food. 

If anything Rustlan was a very cautious person. Even more so then he needed to be as a ranger. But even so… After a few moments he finally took a bite from the meal in front of him and almost melted right then and there. However, the only obvious move that the young ranger made to suggest his liking of the food was a short pause before the spoon came out of his mouth and went back into the bowl to get another bite. Then at the corner of his warm brown eye he noticed Jakob give him a knowing/questioning look. Subtly he sent a look right back at him the suggested he had no idea how to respond. This night was just getting more and more interesting and Rustlan decided that he didn't like the Diamond Kingdom all that much and missed the warmer terrains of the Crystal Kingdom despite the weird diplomats this man seemed to suggest they had.

[Justice]

TAGS: Jakob Klein Stryker Rustlan (Lion)
WORDS: :I
NOTES: Justice the beggar.. Guess what guys! The food was poisonous! Everyone dies!

Justice smiles happily as he realizes his case has been effectively made; of course, the smile on Justice's face is one of complacency, rather than one of prideful victory. Justice looks at Jakob as he writes out what appears to be a cypher of sorts. So..the boy wants a deal? Justice says as he looks at the paper, memorizing the sheet before throwing it in the fire. Justice looks to the boy as he speaks of a safety net, and he wonders if he really should be trusting the people under the new authority of Camellia..he wonders if what he's indulged in the two will actually be safe as they say..Regardless, Justice has few options but to comply, and he's glad that things are going the way he expected them to.

Justice smiles as Stryker explains his origins, knowing that what Justice said about magic could only be either verified or thought false by the strange boy's statement. Of course, Justice knows that the statement is true, but the fact that the truth has come from two sources, in Justice's mind, aids his cause.

Justice looks at Grace as she waddles into the room. Grace hops up onto the chair arm and stares Stryker in the face before clapping playfully when she realizes who it is she is staring at. "Togepriii" She chirps at Stryker, sending a swift star above his head which dispells into a beautiful, refreshing yet warming cloud of golden sparkles. Grace once again hops down, ready to run to Justice as she notices the giant creature with the enormous wings. "Toge..pri.." She coos as she stares at the beautiful creature. Grace quickly waddles over toward the create, floating into the air, ready to get on the dark deity's back as Justice quickly grabs her to prevent her from landing right on the creatures face, something Grace miscalculated..

Justice takes some of his food, particularly the bread and hand feeds Grace some as he speaks to the rangers.

"You Rangers seem trustworthy enough..and I promise to send you any pertinant information that might be of importance to you, but I have another request of you, if you don't mind my asking: You see..running this business as the only employee at the moment, it takes up quite a bit of my time, and, if you haven't noticed, I am completely and utterly unprepared for combat. Recently, however, the need for such skills has become necessary, as a string of robberies has made itself known to Fraer, and we are soon to be in the middle of its wake. What I ask, is that you send one, and only one, of your rangers here to the Savage Inn, for nothing more than to protect the people within it.

They wouldn't need to identify themselves as rangers, and they could rotate frequently, and that ranger could the the informant I tell my information, and the informant that gives me my own. Please, this inn is completely defenseless, and, because I don't charge fees for boarding and rooms to those that can't afford it, when this place is actually running, I won't have the funds to even consider paying for a guard. Anyway, if you accept those terms, I'll say to you that I have several blueprints to some inventions that even Crystal hasn't thought of yet, and I would be happy to share them with the Rangers if you would accept my terms. Also, this is Grace, my partner..I received her from the same forest this Scyther comes from; and, may I ask your names?"

Justice asks as he shows the two Grace before glancing at Stryker and then back at the Rangers. He awaits a response as he holds Grace still and pets her carefully, not wishing to make her sick from too much motion after eating.. As he does this, Justice feels an intense pain at the back of his head, as if something behind his consciousness is dying to get out..and it is trying with all of it's might..

[Stryker]

Stryker smirked and shot the two rangers a sideways glance when he felt that they believed him to be insane. He looked at Togepi as she hopped up and greeted him...again? And sent a swift star over his head, refreshing him and warming him up even more. "Hello again? I'm sorry but I can't remember much. Everything is muffled, dulled and thrown into the wind. But thank you. I feel much better." he said quietly, thanking with a soft smile before watching her waddle over to the large winged absol. He giggled as Grace tried to play around on the absol, innocently as Justice picked her up and fed her bread. He looked at the absol and smiled, "Why don't you come inside?" he asked her, for she looked quite quiet and alone. I wonder why everyone is acting weird. Is something going on that I'm not realizing? Something? he thought, wondering why everyone was acting odd. It feels a bit tense here. Maybe it was the conversation they were all having without me. Not that I could say anything. Oh well. In due time it will revel itself, perhaps... he thought devouring the food off his plate until nothing remained besides the plate and other inedible things. 

[Jakob Klein]

Jakob listened as the rogue prince accepted the terms, and asked that a ranger be stationed there for the people's protection. Jakob considered the request, thinking of what would be required. As he had discussed with Rustlan on the road weeks before, the Ranger Corps was not numerous. They had only 52 active members, soon to be 53, given the newly created 'Foreign Fife' as it was referred to. Sending someone here to guard, even if they were changed out periodically, would require leaving part of Crystal unguarded. It would not be a good plan, without great reason. In actuality, Jakob had had no intentions of sending someone to check up on the lost prince anyway; he'd merely said that to keep the man from betraying them. But this was the land of mercenaries, was it not?

"I understand the need for protection, but I'm not sure the Corps can provide it, given your position outside of our boarders; we are a group that is made up of a select few specialists, and don't have the manpower to send someone outside of their own patrol area for the extended periods actually guarding your inn would require.
"However, I do think something can be arranged. As you proved a second ago, you have an excellent skill for collecting information. The Corps would possibly be willing to pay you for the information, as well as keep your secret. That money could be spent hiring a guard yourself. I'm afraid I can't negotiate the price, or even guarantee that you're paid at all; you'll have to do that with our central intelligence through the address I gave you. When I next contact them I'll inform them of your need for protection as well as the cypher from before." Jakob tried to be congenial, knowing that what he offered was not what the man wanted. But it was the best he could do. Having a rebel prince for an ally would be worth the effort, if they could just afford the effort he needed.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. My name is Jakob." the Ranger held out a hand to shake with/ "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Jakob watched as the small 'Togepi' floated towards Destiny before Justice caught her like a mother hen, the man's demeanor completely changing. Interesting. Jakob nodded his head in acknowledgement of Destiny, who similarly nodded back at the others, before padding over to the side, out of the way, and sitting down, her wings folded back so as to look like spikes of fur. What is a little one such as that doing here? Perhaps this man is the guardian I had heard of? He certainly has Dialga's Mark on him; Once again I am forced to watch, not to interfere. Destiny thought to herself, her single visible eye a mixture of interest and melancholy.

OOC: What Destiny speaks of is a mark of interest. Any deities who look at Justice can instantly tell that Dialga has plans for him, and harming (or helping) Justice without the god of time's permission could lead to trouble with him. Aside from Demigods, no others would be able to see this mark, as it's not really magical in nature, simply supernatural. <-- totally made this up on the spot because it sounded cool.

[Rustlan (Lion)]

RUSTLAN (LION);; Of All The...

Rustlan almost slammed his head against the table. But he stared into his soup instead. To him this conversation was going no where. All this talk of needing protection and making deals. Sure that was the job of the Ranger. But Jakob had a lot more right to follow the conversation then he did. But… Of course, his sudden carelessness could have something to do with the fact that his head was beginning to hurt. He glanced up at the green haired man as he spoke to the little pokemon that was in Justice's arms. He didn't know what it was, but it was kind of cute. Everything around him became tuned out as he watched it. Something about it made his head pound suddenly out of no where. He kept the pain off his face and looked back down at his food. No wince. No sign of pain what-so-ever. Rustlan didn't work that way.

Then Justice asked him about their names. He heard Jakob's voice, but it was suddenly very far away. Something flashed in the back of his mind. Waters. A storm. He blinked his eyes quickly and slowly stood from his place at the table. He realized that everyone was looking at him at that moment, wondering why he was standing with his food half finished and it being his own turn to mention his name. "oh… Um… I'm Rustlan. I apologize. I'm just… I'm going to get some fresh air." And with out waiting for a response he stepped out the door into the cold wind and snow. He held his now thumping head with both hands. He could see his own breath, which just didn't seem natural. Not to him. Maybe to the people of Diamond. But he had always been fascinated by the cold. Not right now though. Right now he was in pain and he couldn't help but move away from the inn he had been in. He lifted his hood over his head and began to take a walk down the street, but he didn't get very far.

A couple blocks down he became unbalanced by the wind. It felt like something hit him from the back and he tripped onto the ground. Suddenly images and screams began to flash in his mind. What was going on? They were all of a great storm. A storm that terrified him. The darkness and the blowing snow around him was causing these images to flash through him mind. He wasn't sure why they were appearing now. They hadn't appeared the entire road here. He fell into the snow and couldn't get himself back up. His breathing became irregular and his body began to shiver uncontrollably. "J… Jakob…" He breathed softly. Flashed of a man's face flooding his mind.

[Justice]

TAGS: Jakob Klein, Stryker, Rustlan (Lion)
WORDS: :I
NOTES: Cray cray..everything..Cray cray..

Justice smiles at Jakob as he explains that Justice's proposition wouldn't be possible. At least Patriotism isn't dead.. Justice thinks as he shakes Jakob's hand. That sounds very reasonable. Thank you for your understanding, and it's a pleasure to have met both of you." Justice says, looking down at Grace as she squirms, obviously wanting Justice to know something. Justice nods to his companion, knowing what she wants.

Justice looks to Jakob with eyes of care, ones just like the eyes that watched Grace eat. "I think it would be best if we check on your friend." Justice says, trying to conceal Grace's markings which are now glowing brightly.

Justice walks out of the in and follows the most fresh set of footprints, taking into account the varied step that Rustlan seems to have been taking. Justice turns a corner after a minute or so of walking and his eyes look at Rustlan who is now on the ground, apparently in great turmoil. "Rustlan! Are you alright?" Justice says, carefully placing his hand on his shoulder while turning his body to face Rustlan's front. "What's happened to--" Justice tries saying before he stumbles back, getting to his feet as quickly as possible.

Justice body seems to sway back and forth along with his vision and he uses the wall on his side to hold his weight. What..what is happening to..me Justice thinks as his vision fades slowly. Prii! Prii prii!" Grace Chirps, trying to get Justice attention, trying to get him to help Rustlan rather than playing around as she assumes he is.

Why..what is.. Justice thinks to himself, his mind blazing with pain as he tries to focus on Rustlan. "Jakob..help..your partner.." Justice says, his body slouching down on the wall until he is sitting on the icy ground. Justice feels his entire body become filled with darkness as he begins laughing loudly and almost insanely. Anyone listening would think that Justice had gone completely mad. Anyone looking at him would see that his eyes had changed from purple to bright red color, and anyone looking at Grace would see that she herself is cringing from the intense pain and suffering the Justice she knows is going through.

Why? What has happened to me? I need to help the ranger! And just as the normal Justice is ready to break through, the one that the rangers and Stryker can see takes over. I need to help the ranger..and I can't even control my body..Of all the.. Justice thinks, struggling to remain conscious within his own body.

Muahahahahaha! What perfect timing! the new Justice thinks, raising the boy's body up, leaving Grace on the ground, cringing. "Of all the.." Justice says, looking at Rustlan, not even attempting to appear concerned.

[Stryker]

Wrongness. Rustlan seemed to be hiding his pain, distant pain. Grace noticed as well. What's happening? Stryker thought, looking at the absol. Did I start this? he thought, guilt welding up within him. Watching everyone leave, he waited, looking at the absol. "Something bad is going to happen." he muttered, hurrying to catch up with the group, not looking back at Destiny. He looks to Grace, in pain. Wrongness. Justice is in pain. he thought, knowing this how they both seem to be in great pain. Justice's eyes have changed color, now an evil, malevolent red. Looking right at the distressed human on the group. 
Take matter into your hands. a voice told him within. I will. he told it, his left hand open, grabbing for his sword. Materializing from the air, the sound of steel ringing. "Face me." he said, glaring at the dark, evil Justice. The cold didn't bother him, the need to defend beings in need. Right now, he needed to distract Justice, lead him away where he would do the most damage to those nearby. He needed to protect Grace, those rangers, and perhaps people around. I will not let him hurt anyone here. If it has to be me, then let it be. I refuse to be powerless. he thought, glaring into Justice's eyes with fierce determination. Just need to get him away from here. That's all I need.

[Jakob Klein]

Jakob watched as Rustlan excused himself and returned to the outside weather, shivering at the thought of following him. He was glad the coat was so thick, or his trip thus far would have been miserable. But then Justice looked pointedly in Rustlan's direction, saying that they should follow after him.

Jakob went to say no, he trusted his partner, but something made him pause. A sort of...hunch...that something wasn't right. Jakob's eyes darted to Destiny, who merely stared back, her eyes unwavering, though empathetic as always. If only he could speak with her...no matter, Jakob decided to trust his gut, and followed Justice, his mind clouded with confusion. questioned raised he didn't know the answers to circling his head.

When they got outside, Jakob rushed to Rustlan's side, seeing the young man had fallen. But then Jakob fell back. What was this? some sort of witchcraft? Were they being attacked? Before Jakob could do anything, however, Stryker rushed and held a sword to Justice's neck, while the man grinned maliciously back. Something was wrong here. Something was very wrong...Jakob drew his sword in defense, but didn't attack. He had no clue who was friend or foe right now, so he waited to react to an threat that showed itself...