forum 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕠𝕟𝕘 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝔻𝕒𝕞𝕟𝕖𝕕 (Closed rp, 6/6!)

Started March 07, 2023 by @ScotchTapeWorm group

tune

Franklyn listened carefully, filing away the information and working towards synthesizing solutions. The General's emotion and passion for the freedom of his people was touching, but Franklyn admired that the man knew how to do what must be done to secure that.
He could trust these people, and wanted them to be able to trust him. He gave a small smile at the General's praise, though internally, he didn't believe it. He hadn't handled it well, he'd passed out and people had gotten hurt, what was his point in being here if he couldn't help, how dare he sit here amongst these heroes and think he belonged…
He was pulled back to the moment by the General ordering secrecy and a sweep for spies. That was unusual, and it made him nervous. The women were all highly competent, but he could help with this.
The machinist rolled up his sleeve, where several objects that looked like bracelets were clamped around his arms. He tapped one, and it detached, the clamps turning into articulated legs. He set it, legs down, on the table, and the little metal disk clattered down off the table, moving like some armored spider or crab, and skittered out the tent flap. He pulled another, which followed the first one. They began circling the tent, as he rolled his sleeves back down.
"They'll make sure we're left alone." He said quietly, to no one in particular.

Calix watched and listened the man intently, not holding back the stare she'd taken off of Franklyn. She watched him place a blue flag down, then he paused. He'd seemed a little worn out lately- it was hard for Calix to imagine being a general, but it sounded (and looked) like it took some energy.

General Levisay continued and the thought was dismissed from the front of the soldier's mind. Four weeks, she thought. As he continued, Calix made sure she'd remember this information. She usually did, and was proud of her ability to recall small details and orders given ahead of time. She liked to think this made up for her lack in forethought.

The woman nodded at the order and poked her head and shoulders out of the tent. She glanced at the two. "The General dismisses you," she said before returning inside as Franklyn released his machinery. Calix steps aside for the little things to exit.

"Sir, if now is an appropriate time to ask, what "forces" are we merging with?" She took a seat at the table. "Who are they?" she asked, wanting to make sure she understands each aspect of Levisay's explanation.

Levisay took the opportunity as everyone attended to their tasks to take a breath.
He had precious few opportunities to do that now. Everyone was being pushed to their extremes and cracks would begin to show. The more people he surrounded himself with the more likely they'd be able to pick up for him if he were to fail or falter.
The general continued to absently study the map, thinking of what they were going to do, how to say it, how to make them understand.

Then, one by one, just like before, everyone came trickling back in. A bit of the tension in the generals shoulders relaxed, the perimeter was safe. One less thing to worry about.
Franklyn rolled up his sleeve, and Kerrim looked over curiously at the number of bracelets there. He took off two, and placed them on the table. With just a few taps, they turned into spider like automatons, and skittered off. Levisay frowned slightly, bending over and picking one up before it could skitter away.

He turned it over in his hands, then released it, letting it go. Levisay still had trouble wrapping his brain around Franklyn's work. It all seemed like magic to him, temperamental, strange, and fantastical magic. But the machinist insisted that it wasn't. Kerrim shook his head, watching the crab-like machine leave the tent, he couldn't deny these things had their uses. "They'll make sure we're left alone." Franklyn said quietly.

Levisay gave a half-hearted nod. He trusted that much, but perhaps he needed to brush up on his own reading. If he didn't understand it, he couldn't use it to its full ability.

Calix returned after a few moments and as the guards footsteps grew faint, asked a question. "Sir, if now is an appropriate time to ask, what "forces" are we merging with?" She took a seat at the table. "Who are they?"

The general nodded at the maps again.
"We're not the only forces on the move, soldier. Keeping our army grouped together would be too taxing for the whole and make it all too easy for us to be pinned to one spot. If we were backed against a corner we'd be slaughtered."

"We'll be joining with the other groups…" Kerrim hesitated briefly, his hand freezing halfway before finally grabbing a little yellow flag. "Like I said, we're expecting two to three more large-scale battles. However, we will only be there for one." He placed the flag at an empty spot, and he made a so-so motion with his hand.

Before any questions could be asked, Levisay raised his hand for silence.
"All of you are some of my best people. There are no others that I could trust so completely with my life and my plans. I know each of you would lay down your life without hesitation for either this cause or the ones you love. And I'm going to have to ask you to trust me."

"The army is a diversion. We're gathering out forces as a show of strength, maybe intimidation, but mostly a distraction. We won't be with them. We'll be at the capital." And then he waited for questions.

Luan had returned and was listening to the general, a brutal smile on her face.

"Our job in the capital is to. . . remove the king from his throne, yes? All you need for that is me." she chuckles darkly.

There was a violent gleam in her eyes that the people in the tent only see when she's thinking of ways to end the king's life, and the king's supporters.

Franklyn's mind began racing immediately, running various scenarios. "It's not just that, is it…" He looked up at the General. Luan was right, the Shadows were competent. There was something else at play.
"And even if it was," he said quietly, "you're underestimating the security in that place." He looked over at Luan, not wanting to anger her, but his voice full of honesty.
He looked back down at the map, thinking. His family would likely be sucked into the diversion, which would behoove him to make this as quick as possible. Whatever the objective is…

Luan turns to look at Franklyn and chuckles.

"I have an informant. Trust me when I say, I can get in and out easily." she replies. "And even if you're right, there's a reason why I'm the leader of the Shadows."

Everyone knew the story: the old leader had pissed her off one too many times, and had ended up very dead. Brutally dead.

Which is part of the reason why the General liked her. She had proven herself to be competent, if a little headstrong at times.

Franklyn looked at her for a long time, his expression unreadable, before turning back to the General.
Luan was wrong, regardless of who her informant was, but telling the group how he knew that or why he was so sure of it would have forced him to tell them more than he was ready to, about himself. About his past. And he didn't want to do that just to tell Luan she didn't know what she was talking about.

He would if it meant saving her life later, though.

Calix, again, payed close attention to Levisay's words. Until then, it didn't immediately occur to her that their forces could be pinned. She swore to herself to remember that.

"We are all here for a reason." Calix locked eyes with Luan, across from her. "I am sure we will all have something to contribute. It won't just be you and the Shadows, so we can all bring that tyrant's reign to an end, collectively," she added, trying to sound diplomatic. Again, she didn't know the woman very well. She was… confident. As was Alastair, but she wasn't nearly as sure about her ability to slaughter the king- at least not singlehandedly.