(Untitled)

[marrymarajade]

Characters:  Ben (marrymarajade ), Paladin (mythgravenblade ), Reed (heretic_hamlet ), and Rain (notpissedoff )
Date/Time: April 29
Location: The Fourth Floor
Rating: PG-13? I'll edit it as needed.
Summary: These four are each shown something.

Comments

(1/2)

[heretic_hamlet]

"----, wait!"

It was nothing like the last memory he'd seen upon the fourth floor; the sun was shining as Reed stepped out onto the rough-hewn stairs of that tall, cobbled wall, the air both warm and clear. Clear of snow; of blood; of the bustle of battle or even any sounds at all other than the wind and the voice behind him. When he turned about- his usual attire replaced by a proper suit of armor- it was a girl in a red dress there to greet him... her hair and eyes so close in shade to his own it was uncanny. And all the same, they were eyes his gaze found difficult to meet.

"...I'm sorry, ----." The static, again... so this was to remain a mystery, was it? The girl pressed on, undaunted and stern... odd, given she seemed the younger of the two, but her fondness was transparent. "Did you think to leave without so much as a word?" Her words only had Reed turn away once more, a heavy sigh leaving his chest as he stared at the masonry below. "I...I've never been good at good-byes."

But such words, it seemed were enough for the girl. Like him, her eyes trailed down to the ground, her tone defeated as her hands wrung together. "...You won't be coming back, will you."

A few silent, expectant seconds passed, alongside a quiet rushing of wind. Reed finally spoke once again, though his answer never came.

"....Delita lives, ----."

The girl was much quicker to shift her thoughts. "What? But how?"

"He helped them kidnap the princess." Their former thoughtfulness was replaced by speed and an almost disturbing clarity of thought. "Helped who?"

Reed finally brought himself to face her once again. "At first I thought it Duke G------a - that Delita had sided with him to spite us. But now I fear he may be working with people far more dangerous still. ...It is they who wanted to thwart the plot to assassinate Princess Ovelia."

Their eyes finally made contact once again. Voices lowered all around, the girl speaking softly. "Is it true that D------g planned her abduction...?"

Reed's fingers clenched. He stared off a thousand yards, caught in a miserable crossroads between sorrow and confusion. "It is. I am sure he had his reasons, but I cannot see them for the blood."

They both waited. The girl struggled with her words- cautious, hopeful- before they finally met her lips. "...Then Tietra-?"

"-did not share her brother's luck," Reed spoke with a slow, numb shake of his head. She hung her head, miserable whispering caught between her cupped hands. But Reed couldn't stay quieted."Listen to me, ----. I know not who guides Delita's actions, only that they are to be feared. I know not what evil lies at the end of this plot."

"And Delita serves these people?"

He shook his head. That far-off gaze returned as his sight turned inwards. "I cannot be sure. I am sure only that Delita has his reasons as well. If only I could know them."

Again, the girl seemed to peel back the curtains of his plot with her words. "You mean to fight them, don't you." And, again, Reed could give no answer. This time, however, she broke the silence. "I'm coming with you."

(2/2)

[heretic_hamlet]

And, this time, it was Reed left fighting disbelief- "Are you mad? That's out of the question!" "I want to help you prove the truth of your words!" -and the girl left undaunted. Yet he remained firm. "No. Not like this."

For a moment, she seemed to back down... but when she spoke, her resilience was replaced by painful sincerity. "...I would not want my daughter to meet the same fate Tietra has."

Even Reed was left answering from his heart, his demeanor long since worn away. "----, please..."

But a voice from afar put the both of them on their guard once again. "----- Beoulve, if I am not mistaken."

Approaching the wall was a small phalanx of knights- at its front, a man in elegant robes. And if his stature didn't tell enough, his trappings of a clergyman told the rest, and his words and tone soon turned austere.

"Ah, but I have you at a disadvantage. I am Confessor Zalmour Lucianada of the Holy Office of Inquisition. I come to bring you before the Office on charges of the murder of Cardinal Delacroix and suspicion of heresy." His troupe fanned out at his sides even as he pontificated. "You will come with us. Should you resist, you admit your guilt, and will be executed as a heretic!"

Such words should have frightened him; in the end, though, they only steeled him. The clamor of familiar footsteps behind him only solidified his certainty. "If I go with you, I only prolong my death!"

The girl shouted to him- "You must run, -----! Quickly!" But with the wall at their backs and the Church's men at their fronts, there was only one way through.

"Then your choice is made!" The man spoke with austerity, a sweep of his arm calling his knight protectors into action. "Put this heretic to the sword!"

And as the men moved in, the world quickly faded back to snowy white.

Re: (2/2)

[heretic_hamlet]

Reed was left stunned even after the image had lifted; leave it to the fourth floor to rub salt into the wounds that lingered from his first trip. Even now-- even then, whenever 'then' could have been-- he couldn't escape the loss of Tietra on that cold, snowy night, nor the scorn of the brother that survived her. And even in his own 'remembered' face, he could see the time that had passed.

And, apparently, he'd been busy. Heresy. Murder. Even Reed had to admit that he did not have the look of an innocent man when confronted; in what twisted plots had he surrounded himself? Yet, even in the onslaught of questions he was faced with, one rose fast to the top.

That girl. Who was she?

Even through the loss of memory he could feel the gravity of seeing her tugging at his heart... A deep guilt at having not seen her sooner; and a deeper guilt still, perhaps, at having ever forgotten.

"What was I..." Reed murmured, staring low into the distance. These revelations always left him with more questions than answers.

Re: (2/2)

[mythgravenblade]

...What was this?

It was impossible to follow precisely what they discussed--so many blurred names, and ones he'd recognize not in any case--but it was clear some sort of deep intrigue was involved, and clearly one that endangered Reed's life. Probably as well the life of his compatriots, and this other woman--this woman barely out of girlhood. Who was she? Dear to Reed, very, very dear, but beyond that...

And then came the other man, the "Confessor" and his troops, and the joke of justice they offered turned his face to an expression of contempt. Even if Reed hadn't looked cornered--perhaps he had killed this Cardinal Delacroix--"There is an explanation," Paladin said, at the end.

Re: (2/2)

[marrymarajade]

If he'd thought about it, Ben probably would have assumed that these memories would be less confusing than the ones that had been broadcast over the radios.

When every aspect of the memory was unfamiliar, of course, showing the added sights and smells didn't help all that much.

He looked sympathetically at Reed. It had been a little hard to watch even for him, and it had nothing to do with him. Paladin had said what he was thinking already.

Re: (2/2)

[notpissedoff]

It seemed as though Reed had been involved in something quite complicated - abduction, assassination plots, heresy and murder... and he seemed to have had a great deal of inside information. Had he also been a spy, perhaps? The thought flickered only briefly in Rain's mind before he dismissed it; it made little difference, here.

The young woman who had borne some resemblance to Reed... a relative? Possibly... a sister? They'd clearly been close, and Rain had felt a twinge of something he couldn't quite identify when she'd insisted on going with him. Regret, perhaps, or longing.

He said nothing when the memory came to an end. He glanced briefly over at Reed - the man appeared somewhat stunned - then looked down. It hadn't been a pleasant memory, but he saw nothing horrible in it. Maybe Reed had killed this Cardinal person, maybe he hadn't. It was no concern of Rain's, and the possibility of it being the case didn't make him think any less of Reed. The man may have had a perfectly good reason.