Moratorium [Silv/Lilac - Closed]

"Goddammit...just do what she says!" Claes grunted as she held her injured side. It had started bleeding again and she seemed to be in no condition to fight. "We need to call reinforcements. Free alchemists can't lurk around. Come on!"

The man was struggling against the binds and eventually broke free, causing the girl to shriek and Claes to mutter under her breath. She grabbed Goibniu by the hand and with the little skill she could muster, she drew out a chain of Cartic marks to snatch the girl away from the man.

Claes then pulled out a large dark crystal from her pocket and mumbled.

"I was only supposed to use this in emergencies, but this is definitely one for now."

Shattering it on the ground, the group would feel a strange blue void engulf them and they'd warp into an open abandoned area near the waters. With the boats around and closed warehouses it became apparent they were at the docks. Claes grunted and dropped to her knees.

There wasn't much they couldn't do, so Goibniu merely looked at the man again, before he was grabbed by Claes, and took out a strange crystal. "What do you plan to-" But before he could say anything, he, alongside Claes and the stray, were transported into another location.

The sound of seagulls clued him in that they were close to the sea. Looking around, he saw docks and boats, showing him that they were at the port. The man was nowhere to be seen, and Claes did nothing but get down on the floor, mostly in pain.

He made a sigh of relied as the danger was over. For now. "Saints alive, that was a close call." He saide, before seeing the wound in his chest. "Darn, I'll have to get this checked soon." And then he turned to the stray. "What happened earlier? Who was that man?"

Seeing both Claes collapse and the own injury she had given Goibniu, the masked girl flinched and clasped her hands together.

"I-I'm so sorry you both got hurt because of me," she murmured. "I--if you go, I can heal you and--"

"Oh, save it, you Walpurgis saumensch!" Claes spat as she got and tugged on the binds of the Cartic chain. "If you don't recall correctly, you attacked us first! Now, you better tell us who you are and what just happened back there or I swear to god you're going to be living with the ratway prisons and never see the light of day!"

Claes snatched off the mask of the cloaked mage's face, making the girl squeak.

"N-no, wait! Please!"

Out from the mask fell tufts of dark violet bangs. Two bright blue eyes stared in horror as she realized her identity had been exposed. Claes' eyes widened.

"Liseran...Veiller?"

The girl turned her face to the side.

"Hello, Claes," Liseran muttered.

Goibniu looked at the stray with suspiciousness when she offered to heal their wounds, but before he could say anything, Claes was already on her case about what happened earlier. "You will have to comply, you already caused enough trouble as it is." He said, his tone sounding harsh.

And then, everything turned in it's head.

Claes unmasked the mysterious stray, and it turns out to be none other than...

"M-M-Madame Dormirse?" He blurted out, completely confused. "What are you doing here? What is going on?"

Goibniu wasn't the only one confused. Claes just gawked dumbfounded. Liseran bit her lip and glared at the both of them.

"If you must know, I was in running from that man," she said.

"Then...then why did you attack us!?" Claes snapped. "If you needed help that bad, then why the hell did you use a rune against us!? I mean, what would your dad even think about you wandering around with a free alchemist on your tail and attacking officers!?"

Claes' obviously lack of formality in her tone seemed to allude that the two were more familiar with one another than what appeared at first glance. To this Liseran didn't answer. Rather, she diverted her attention to something else.

"That stray you guys are after isn't me," she said. "Aside from the fact you both know I'm a Cartic mage and not one who uses Cantus, that man knows where she is and he wants her for himself."

"To repeat what McCrae said...who the hell is he? He's obviously using Cantus that much I know but..."

"I was following him," she said. "And he was in pursuit of the stray. It just so happened I looked a little similar...I don't know who he is either other than that he's in pursuit of that same person. Regardless, this person is dangerous."

"Like that isn't obvious," Claes said bluntly. "I'm going to call reinforcements. I only had us retreat because he was too hard to handle. But he could start attacking people before we know it and--"

To this Liseran's eyes widened and she shook her head.

"No, no, don't call anyone!" she said in panic.

"What are you!?" Claes said. "Nothing we forced on him did so much as scratch him and there were two of us. Tell me one good reason why I should let him run rampant in the city!?"

Liseran opened her mouth to say something, but then hesitated. She then explained.

"I don't think you can attack him just like that," she said. "But he might have a weakness. If you just let me go and--"

Claes scowled. "No," she said. "For one, you attacked us. Two, you're obviously hiding something. Three, your father is worried sick about you! You're going straight with us to the station and we're calling those reinforcements whether you like it or not!"

This obviously didn't bode well for Liseran. Her eyes looked at Claes desperately. Finding no sympathy in them, she turned to Goibniu.

"McCrae, I know we've only met several times and that we aren't on the best terms, but you have to believe me. Calling reinforcements will only do damage. If I can just create a proper set up, then maybe we can seal him and get him to tell us where the stray was last seen!"

She looked at him imploringly. "...please?"

This was definitely tough. After the banter they had, the aim were back to Goibniu. On one hand, he was still very apprehensive over Liseran attacking them, but on the other hand, she seemed to know more about this figure than himself and Claes. Claes was already determine to send reinforcements and detent Liseran for disrupting the peace, and on any other day of the week, Goibniu would agree with her. But this was a different case, and he had to make a tough decision.

Placing a finger on his chin thoughtfully, he contemplated his options. Turning from Claes to Liseran, he kept a stern look when he said "Well, before arriving at a decision, you tell us, what is this 'set up' you have in mind?" If it was too dangerous and would put the lives of others at risk, then he'd have to decline. But if it was viable...

Liseran sighed. She was at least being given a chance.

"I couldn't really do anything earlier because I was running out of source material," she said. "But if I could get my hands on a few more mediums then we could perform a bind the man to our will."

Claes raised her eyebrow.

"You wanted to single-handedly perform a binding on a man we can't even lay a finger on," she asked.

Liseran flushed.

"Well...that was the plan. But now that two of you are here, we can all do it together!" she said desperately. "McCrae has his roar, I have my skills in magic and Claes, you know how to perform the Expiation's process as well as I do!

Claes was quiet for a moment.

"What magic have you been learning?" she said crossly. "That you would have a binding up your sleeve? Whatever. I'm against it for the most part."

Liseran gasped.

"But--but Claes!"

Claes merely sneered at Liseran. "Don't Claes me. Come on, McCrae. We'll escort Miss Veiller back to the station and report what's happened. We need to hurry, too. Time's running out."

"..."

As Liseran explained her plan, Goibniu was in deep thought about what sort of course to take. Of course, there was something that told him to not trust Liseran, but as they were speaking, this man and the real stray were out there, probably putting others at risk. And given how the man was able to put up a fight even with their attempts, could reinforcements be able to take him down? It felt like a risk, and they needed to handle this delicately.

After all, they could end up sacrificing manpower for one person.

"Actually," Goibniu started, interrupting Claes. "the plan doesn't seem bad. Think about it, if we send a whole group to track down this man, given how strong he is, it could end up causing collateral damage and hurting more innocent than if a more reduced group tries to hold him down." He said, before turning to Liseran, looking skeptical. "However, something doesn't add up. My Roar is not a projectile, it does not discriminate. If I were to do it, you'd both be affected by it as well, thus rendering the Expiation useless. I got the materials with me, with without the spell needed, it'd be impossible." If this was another run-of-the-mill Walpurgis, Goibniu would have listened to Claes and they'd be on their way, but he knew Liseran, and believe that she wouldn't betray them.

Right?

Liseran flushed.

"O-oh, right...you'd be debilitating us, too," her voice said.

Claes crossed her arms.

"Ugh...I can't believe I'm listening to the both of you," she groaned. "This is a job for one of the higher ranked officers. Not us."

"You don't understand, Claes!" Liseran snapped. "This isn't just about apprehending him anymore. If the Expiate were to get their grasps on him and the stray, there is, without a doubt, she'll turn into a Moira. If I can just get ahold of her then I could--"

Claes' eyes narrowed.

"You could what?"

Liseran clasped her hands tightly and spoke softly.

"I could try and help her. I saw her Claes; she's a ticking time bomb. And only more stress and combat could result to her turning into a thing you guys want nothing more than to prevent."

Claes breathed out slowly and clutched her fists.

"If I didn't know, I'd call this a load of scheisse," she said. "You're lucky I do. I'll go with this on one condition."

Liseran didn't need to ask to know what it was.

"I'm bringing you to the Commander," she said. "You have too many questions to answer."

Liseran didn't hesitate to nod. "I know. I'm sorry. We should go now."

Claes undid the Cartic binds and Liseran opened and closed her fists. Claes turned to Goibniu and massaged her temple.

"I hope you realize that we better succeed or we won't be seeing another mission ever," she said. "I'll start the search for Cantus energy. You two follow along."

Liseran sighed in relief and followed after her. She turned to Goibniu.

"Thank you for helping me convince her," she said. "I know I haven't necessarily been that nice to you, but this really is for the greater good."

Once Liseran made the realization, Goibniu merely nodded, knowing that that was the answer he was expecting. It that then when Claes continued with the talk she was having with Liseran. Given the words they used, it was obvious that these two were acquaintances, and given how Claes talked about Liseran's father ebing worried about her, it showed that either Claes was very meddlesome, or Liseran was maybe under her care. But eventually Claes caved in and decided to follow Liseran's plan, whatever she had in mind.

"Fear not Officer Alfson, with our skills, we'll have success!" He said, trying to lift the spirits of the group a bit, before turning towards Liseran. "No need to thank me, Madam Dormirse. After all, the Expiate will ultimately do what it can to prevent as many losses as possible." He still remembered how she badmouthed the Expiate not too long ago, and he hoped this action would allow her to see them with a better light.

Of course, they first needed to succeed.