The Girl Who Cried Wolfe

[Toril Tempest]

The blond teenager gingerly brushed her bangs to the side as she stopped to look into an especially reflective window. Her brown eyes looked bright, and as usual her appearance was nearly flawless. She was wearing her casual uniform that she’d put together herself – a white blouse, red skirt, a set of black stockings and boots, and a white and black jacket with red accents. It had the council symbol sewn into the left breast in black, similar to the hidden blue one on the back of her neck. She had just delivered a letter to a superior for her mentor, Nines, and was off to spend the rest of her day reading the huge book Nines had given her to study.

The new marble floors weren’t reflective, but they were very nicely polished. The move back to Era was almost complete, and while Tempest had been there for nearly a month now, she’d never had a chance to come here into this building. Of course, she wouldn’t be spending her time in here for long. She wasn’t comfortable rubbing elbows with the more political of her fellows just yet, and since she was only fifteen, she was hardly noticed, except for by the ones who bothered to look at her and wonder what a recruit was doing here.

The junior paladin had the feeling something big was in the works. There was a strange tension in the air, and the two ‘ideals’ often preached by the two major parties within the Council were causing more and more arguments. Rumor had it the ruling family had been rather grumpy over it lately, though she’d never met any of them, being a lowly trainee, so she had no idea. She could feel it more in this building than anywhere else, though she suspected it had to do with the observation training Nines was having her do while he was away.

As she exited the building, she found it to be a decently cool day for the tail end of summer, when things were at their warmest. Maybe it was because the sun was going down, or because it had been rainy the last two days. She passed the decorative trees and bushes, walking past several off-duty officers who were enjoying the unusually cool weather. Her stomach rumbled, and she decided to stop for some food at a restaurant. Tempest adored food - any food, really. She knew she was quite the pig… but she really couldn’t help it. She got hungry quite often with her metabolism.

When a sign caught her attention, she glanced over at it as she kept walking, trying to decide if she should stop there or get something from home. Home was such a long walk. Unexpectedly, but somehow predictably, she ran right into a larger man, recoiling but managing to not knock herself over when she bowled into him. Looking up, she noticed the Magic Council uniform, and her eyes widened. She quickly stood at attention and saluted, causing her lacrima-implanted rings to glint in the light of one of the incredibly expensive lacrima-powered signs nearby. She was just a   junior paladin, so virtually any council member was her superior at this point. Better safe than sorry. Speaking of which… “Sir, I’m so sorry sir. I wasn’t watching where I was going!”

[Wolfe]

Era. His old home. And his first time back to the Council was in a new building they'd been working on for a good long while. Not that anyone ever told him anything. He was the dog of the Council, know for his strength and not much else. It was within all these turbulent thoughts and emotions that Wolfe was currently wandering about. He'd just come back from another scouting mission. Sighing, he'd reasoned that he'd better tell his Council masters that it was mission accomplished. On his way back, however, what appeared to be a new recruit had practically steamrolled right into him, managing to almost knock herself over. Wolfe smiled to himself and turned to face the girl. She apologized to him, which is how he knew the person who'd bumped into him was a girl, and he sighed.

"... I'd say to watch where you were going but..."

The swordsman's face adopted a a sort of wry grin and as he smirked, his gaze traveled down the halls and toward the nice, temperate skies.

"I suppose it's too nice of a day to take it easy, huh? You look new... or at least I haven't seen you before."

As the girl saluted him he frowned and shook his head.

"I guess you haven't heard about me. No matter. I'm more of a handshake type of person."

The swordsman held out his hand, expectantly. The girl saluting him might've found it odd that a Council member was acting so casual, but Wolfe wasn't really a Council member. At least, not by choice. He didn't want to be treated like one either. He'd rather just get along with the people here. However, some of the members of the Council bugged him for some reason. Most of them being the members he directly reported to. He'd never met any of the top brass here, but from what he heard they weren't the types to hold people's sons hostage as leverage for compliance from a prisoner. He sighed, trying to clear his head of such thoughts. Better to focus on the incredibly weird encounter he was having now than the ones he'd had in the past.

[Toril Tempest]

Toril blinked as the man seemed not to care one bit that he’d been run into. It was a lucky break for her. She could have easily ruined her own day running into a superior like that, on or off of duty. He looked down at her, appraising the girl with a wry grin as he told her she looked new, or at least like he hadn’t seen her before. “I’ve been in the academy for the better part of a year, sir, but I suppose I’m rather new. They don’t let recruits out to mix with soldiers much until they prove themselves.”

The man frowned and shook his head, stating that she hadn’t heard about him. He followed up by saying he was more of a handshake type person. An eyebrow shot up on her face. “With respect, sir,” she told him, taking his hand only because he’d been expectant, “My mentor, Sir Nines, is casual enough. I don’t want to get into the habit and disrespect the wrong people on accident. He’s taught me enough bad habits already, and I’ve only actually seen him twice.”

That included her willingness to talk back to Wolfe about his “I’m a casual type” mini speech. Always speak her mind, he had said. That hadn’t actually extended to other council members, but she felt the need to try and salvage what professionalism she could being apprenticed to the requip wizard with the authority problem. She was actually a decently quiet and serious girl unless she couldn’t hold an opinion or idea in. “I’m afraid you’re right. I haven’t heard of you. But I’m Junior Paladin Toril Tempest, but you can call me Tori or Tempest. I hate Toril.”

She still introduced herself as junior paladin, but she was now effectively temporarily a seeker. Captain Mathius had told her that she and Nines didn’t to answer anyone but the higher ups, but she felt the need to only mention that if it was required. For now she’d learn like the rest of the recruits and keep that fact on the down low. Besides, she was pretty sure that only applied when she was working with the actual Seeker, Nikolas “Nines” Crossley.

[Wolfe]

Though the girl shook his hand Wolfe sighed slightly theatrically. So much stuffiness around here. He was more irritated than usual, what with having to be here at the Council's new headquarters. Still, his junior was speaking the truth. As a full-fledged and fully accepted member of the Council, she would do well to remember etiquette. However, Wolfe was not only never one to stand on ceremony, but he was technically not really a part of the Council. His clothes were actually fairly plain, and whatever uniform regulations he could avoid following he did with great pride.

"I see... You might want to remember your mentor's words though, at least in the future. After all, who knows how things will change. Plus, if you were to follow protocol that would mean that listening to your immediate superior should be first and foremost on your mind, right?"

Wolfe's smirk returned a bit when the girl introduced herself.

"Heh... seems the Council has a habit of letting the strange ones in first. I'm Wolfe, and I can see why the Council might pick you as a soldier. Still..."

The swordsman trailed off. He wasn't really sure what to say. Obviously, the girl was more devoted to the Council than he was, but if he tried to make a list of everyone who met that criteria he'd be writing until his hands went numb. However, he did figure that any small gesture of respect might go a long way. No need to make any more enemies than he had to here. At least, not yet.

"Tori seems a bit common. Toril is a fairly unique name. I like it, though I bet you like your last name better. Tempest does sound a bit more imposing after all. Still, Tori it is if you mind that much. Why bother dropping the l though?"

It was a fair question and Wolfe was honestly curious. He didn't mean any harm, but he couldn't stretch his imagination enough to think that dropping one letter was really worth it, even if he was the one who had the name Toril. Most of the time, people who met him would write his name as the animal "wolf". He got annoyed by that sometimes, but never to the point of doing anything more than a gentle correction and then moving on. Granted, this was the longest conversation he'd had with another human being in a good, long while so maybe he'd learn something new from the girl. As such, he waited patiently for Tori's response.

[Toril Tempest]

Toril was a smart girl. She understood what Wolfe was trying to do when he told her to remember her mentor’s words, and that listening to her immediate superior should be first and foremost in her mind. He went on saying something about how she was strange. He had no idea, but it was still an odd thing to say to the young girl, and she tilted her head questioningly as he trailed off and seemed to change his train of thought to her name.

Alright, if he wanted to order her to be casual, she would be casual. She crossed her arms, rolling her eyes gently as she addressed his question about her name. “I normally go by Tempest. It’s what the other girls call me. Tori is because of Nines. He can’t seem to remember the L, and prefers to call me that.” She looked up at the taller man, her arms dropping. “Toril just doesn’t sound very feminine to me,” she told him as an explanation to why she didn’t like Toril. It wasn’t the best reason, but it was her reason.

Toril hadn’t missed his statement about who knew how things would change. After her meeting with Captain Mathius where she’d met Nines, she looked up at him questioningly again as she realized what he’d said. Did he know something? “What did you mean ‘who knows how things will change?”

[Wolfe]

As Toril adopted a slightly more relaxed, and slightly more irritated, position Wolfe smirk formed into a genuine smile. He looked at the girl gently and listened to her explanation.

"I see. Well, then, Tori it is. Nice to meet you."

The swordsman quirked an eyebrow when Tori asked what he'd meant by things changing. Whoops. Well, he probably shouldn't have been musing about things he wasn't sure of. All he knew for sure is that within the Council, some dangerous things were going on.

Come to think of it, if anything happened to the Council they'd likely call up Tori as a full-flegded member and have her fight. I guess that just goes to show you how bad of a shape the Council is in. I can't speak to how powerful this girl is, but I do know I wholeheartedly don't want another event like the war to happen anytime soon.

Wolfe just starred off into the distance for a few seconds, deciding on how to answer the girl. It was only polite he answer a question on a subject he brought up, if only because she'd asked him directly.

"... I don't know. That's what scares me. I meant exactly what I said. Who knows how things will change in the future. I know this might not be the time, or the place, but you are a member of the Council. Supposedly, the order and peace of the magical world. However, how can one bring order if the heart of it is in chaos? I think everyone, from the top brass, to newcomers, to recruits, to the Council's dogs..."

Wolfe paused for a second, emphasizing dogs as he starred at glossy marble floor and glared at his reflection in it. Obviously, he was talking about himself here, though he assumed Tori wouldn't know what he was talking about. Maybe the others had kept his existence a secret? Given the evidence for a divided Council that would make sense, he supposed.

"Even their dogs have noticed something big, and quite possibly terrible, is coming. And soon. Who knows from where, and who knows how, but for your sake, try and be safe. I think this country has suffered enough lose of its people already."

Wolfe knew he was saying too much. However, he would've screamed this at the top of his lungs if he could've. Instead, he probably had a load of pain to look forward to. His master's wouldn't like him hinting at anything, even if he didn't know much himself. He saluted, and started making his way passed the girl. If she followed him he'd let her. He wanted to tell someone. Whatever was in store, it would be good if he could warn at least one person, however indirectly.

[Toril Tempest]

Wolfe expressed that it was a pleasure to meet Toril, and she nodded her head in agreement. Wolfe was a confusing character. She couldn't help but feel he held some sort of contempt for his own organization. That didn't make much sense. After all, people who joined the Council were people who wanted to protect Fiore from dangerous magic and things, right? Even if the purpose of the council had slowly changed over the years because of the war and everything.... they were still there to protect people. At least that was the way Toril felt about it.

He answered her question with a lot more detail than she was expecting. Junior or not, she was also a member of the council, and she deserved to hear his thoughts, apparently. Wolfe had heard that something was going on within the Council, and that echoed what she had heard from Captain Mathius when he'd cautioned her and Nines to not trust anyone for now. How could one bring order with a heart of chaos? "Sir Wolfe," the Sir was out of habit they had built up in her more than anything, He was starting to move past her already and she turned to follow, her empty stomach temporarily forgotten.

"You call yourself a council dog. Your words sound like you hate us, and yet you're one of us..." She was young, but she was abnormally observant and curious, just like Nines. But she was also sheltered as a recruit. Up until she'd graduated, she hadn't had a single clue as to the weirdness in her beloved Council. "... I don't understand. We're comrads, aren't we? The Council works together to keep Fiore Safe, or at least that's what its soldiers do..." She left the rest of the question unasked, but it was obvious she was questioning his motives in a more concerned than suspicious way. Normally she would leave the question completely unasked, but she had been told by superiors weird things were going on, and he was as weird as anything.

[Wolfe]

Wolfe froze upon hearing Toril's words. The Council kept people safe, eh? He sighed inwardly. He knew that the soldiers were rarely told what the top brass was up to, but in this case it might've been wiser to keep quiet. After all, Wolfe wasn't even sure how much of the Council were good guys and how many were just hiding their true natures. He turned back to Toril and gently smiled at the girl, his expression converying sadness just as much as empathy and kindness.

"I suppose it's not my place to say this but I think there are other ways to protect people than by fighting and getting hurt. After all, I'm sure there are always people who are more hurt by us damaging ourselves for them then we are by protecting them. Family, for instance. Still... I think being as soldier is all well and good as long as the army you work for is righteous. Lose sight of that..."

Wolfe paused, unsure of whether he should continue. Did the girl really need to know that soon enough, another terrible disaster like the war two years back would break out? Would she be fighting if it did? He wanted to tell her, but at the same time she was new to the Council. No need to burden her with anything too heavy. Still...

"Any organization with power is bound to draw lots of people to it, and all those people are bound to have different viewpoints. In the worst case scenario, those people might not want to give up their power and eventually might turn that power on people they were supposed to be helping but now they want to control. I don't particularly know if I can say I'm your comrade, but if I can be your friend that would be better in my opinion. And as a friend, the only advice I can give you is this;"

Wolfe met the girl's gaze with his own, making sure Toril was paying full attention.

"On the battlefield, and in life, things can get confusing. However, if you ever find yourself lost and unsure of what to do, do what you WANT to do, not what you think you SHOULD be doing. After all..."

"Shouldn't you be off doing your duty, dog?"

Wolfe growled at the voice. Anyone could've recognized that voice, but Wolfe had the distinct displeasure of knowing it very personally.

"Mordekai... I was just telling this young recruit how glorious and upstanding our little pow-ow troupe was..."

"Enough of your bad jokes. Report to the main briefing room at once. My secretary awaits you there with orders."

Wolfe narrowed his eyes. New orders for him, specifically? That couldn't possibly mean anything even remotely good. Still, he wasn't about to fight the Paladin Captain here, out in the open and in front of another recruit. Especially not one he was pretty evenly matched with in terms of magic. He had a feeling the Paladin usually held back most of his strength with the two did clash on occasion, though. Being unsure he could win was essentially all the reason Wolfe needed not to fight him here and now. Sighing, he nodded to the Paladin and then turned back to to Toril for a second.

"Just be careful..."

Wolfe walked off, heading off to meet up with Allison. This wasn't going to be pleasant.

[Toril Tempest]

Toril did as she always did, listening to her superior quietly. He was unsure of things, and from the look in his eyes she was sure he was trying to give her advice for whatever was going on. He thought being a soldier might be a bad idea, especially with the stuff Toril had been made aware of by Captain Mathius and Nines. “I think you’re wrong sir,” she told him with a serious face as Mordekai Argon approached in the distance, barely noticeable in the corner of her eye. “If something is going bad, it’s good people like you or me that need to be on the inside to change the course, or to be there and remind people we’re not all bad. People like me want to fight, so that other people don't have to. I’m here because it’s what I want to do. What everyone should do in a perfect world.”

By then, Mordekai had started taunting Wolfe. Toril remained emotionless as she stood there listening. She knew that wasn’t the Mordekai she’d known before. Well, she’d never known him. She’d only seen him and heard rumors. He’d been likeable and good looking enough a lot of girls fawned over him. She wasn’t one of those girls, and he wasn’t the guy that she’d heard about. Not with the way he was talking. Maybe he was stressed. Maybe he and Wolfe just didn’t get along and it was some male thing. Toril didn’t know. She only reacted again when Mordekai left, and Wolfe told Toril to be careful. She nodded, watching him leave.

“You too, sir. Remember to listen to your own advice,” she told him, realizing now why he seemed to dislike the Council and act like he wasn’t one of them. He was caught up in whatever was going on, even if he wasn’t sure what it was. She turned, deciding to go back to the restaurant. She was starving, and she wasn’t about to ponder things on an empty stomach. No. She couldn't. Toril stopped and turned again. She needed to do her duty. Something wasn't right, and Nines had taught her to follow her gut. She decided to follow him, doing her best to stay unnoticed and figure out what she could.

[Wolfe]

Wolfe was unaware that Toril was following him as he made his way toward the briefing room. Lost in thought, he wondered how bad his orders were going to be this time. He thought back to the first time he'd met the Council members he'd be dealing with for the next long stretch of his life. He sighed, hoping that he was wrong, desperately wanting to avoid this meeting. However, he knew that he'd have to come when his masters beckoned. If only he could find a way to stop them...

I doubt that will happen anytime soon though. Right now, I'm just going to go through the motions...

Wolfe came to a stop before a large ornate door. He knew the drill. Speak his name, enter and lock the door behind him. That was always what he did. However, he couldn't help but feel like leaving the door open this time. He knew that tons of other members of the Council walked passed here every day. If he could somehow warn them or otherwise tell them of his plight maybe things would change. He spoke his name and entered, closing the door behind him, but leaving it open just enough that a person could peak through and catch glimpses of what was going on. He stood before several Council members, including Allison - Mordekai's secretary.

"... you called?"

A woman looked at him with a stern look in her eyes. He was trash as far as she was concerned, but his battle prowess was fairly well known among the brass in the Council's "Crusader" division. "Crusaders". That's what these people called themselves. Taking it upon themselves to "save" everyone, whether they wanted to be saved or not. Usually a show of overwhelming force accompanied the "rescue" of such lost souls, but Wolfe knew he could never explain to fanatics just how misplaced their fanaticism was.

"You are late. You were supposed to report back here immediately after your mission."

Wolfe frowned. He hated this. The small talk. He knew they didn't really care, but they always made a show of reminding him who held the power in this situation. He was surprised they hadn't already started threatening Zahn by name.

"It was a long mission. If there's nothing else, why don't I retire and wait for you to come up with something horrible for me to be doing?"

"Watch your mouth, dog, or we'll help you keep it closed by nailing it shut. For your sake, I will allow you to go with that fantasy of a story, that the mission took some time for you to do. In the meantime, we saw your battle with the Dragon Slayer. It is time you turned that prowess on the corruption inside the Council. The weaker members are losing faith and losing their way. They no longer know how to protect Fiore. Only we can do that, and we need you to further that goal."

"... you loathsome... You mean you're having me turn on the Council itself? Why was I brought in then? Why do you hold my son hostage?!"

Suddenly, Wolfe couldn't breathe. The woman looked at him and he imagined himself drowning. He'd felt her magical influence over him before, but not like this. He would have to get far stronger to take this woman on in a one-on-one fight. He gagged as he struggled to breathe. Soon enough, he was released from her sense-altering spell and fell to his knees. It was quick and to the point. He didn't know exactly how her magic worked, but he could feel his mind returning to normal. He sneered at the ground, his gaze cast downward.

"Are you ready to listen now?"

Bitch. One day, I'll cut off that evil tongue. You'd better not underestimate me, or it'll be your death when the time comes.

Wolfe said nothing, and just nodded. He couldn't make a move now. He didn't know what would happen if he tried, and truth be told as long as the information he was hearing was contained within this room the other people outside remained relatively safe for the time being.

"Good. Now, I don't think you can take on any of the other Council members directly, since they might band together. So, I order you to divide their ranks. Start a fire, literally. Sew confusion and make them pay attention to the small disasters while we strike their heart. We will cleanse this corruption in fire and be born anew, as crusaders for peace and justice."

Wolfe swore, mentally. This was exactly what he was afraid of. They were ordering him to hurt innocent, powerless people directly in order to keep the more powerful Council members that would resist them busy. What a heinous plan. However...

"... what if I say no?"

"We are planning an attack on the Guilds as well. You haven't heard, but recently your son joined Lamia Scale. If you refuse, we'll make sure he dies in that attack."

Wolfe's nasty look returned. He had to follow his orders then. No escaping this time. He was silent for a moment, hoping he could find a way to mitigate any damage he was going to do. Otherwise, he just might have to get himself beat up. He could probably force a number of powerful mages his way, and allow them to take him out of the game for a while. After all, he wasn't about to start fires for no reason and harm people he had no reason to. Still, he'd at least try and play along for now.

"... then I have no choice."

"Indeed. Move out."

[Toril Tempest]

Wolfe had secretly wanted a liberator of some kind. Toril didn’t consider herself a liberator. She didn’t even know what she was following. She was fifteen, and she was following a suspicious member of the council that could probably beat her to a bloody pulp without so much as breaking a sweat, even with her brains to back her up. Fortunately he didn’t seem to notice her tailing him all the way up to the floor he was summoned to. This was one of the Councilmen’s offices. “I don’t like this…” she told herself under her breath as she eased up to the door that was still cracked.

She let out a gasp, clasping her hands to her mouth as Wolfe and Ms. Tallison talked. She’d never heard a secretary talk like this. She only knew who she was because she was always seen with the Councilor, but she’d always seemed nicer than this. Now she was threatening this man, Wolfe, and his son. She was even… even telling him to… start fires. Before she knew it, she’d told him to get out, and her eyes widened again, her hands still clasped to her mouth. She had to find Nines, and she had to do it now. “Sorry, Wolfe,” she told him under her breath. “If I try to help you now I can’t help everyone else…” With that, she took off down the hallway as quickly and quietly as possible, finally breaking into a run when she was out of earshot. She couldn’t cry. She had to be a good junior paladin. She had lives to save.

[Nines]

I apologize:

Nines was having a hard time locating Tori. He could've sworn she’d be at the cafe, getting food. That sounded like normal Tori. So he decided to retrace her steps on her little errand he sent her. Only to end up standing in the middle of the Praetorium, looking at a flight of stairs to the upper floors. This of course was due to him asking about a young blonde girl in "Uniform" colors. He had a lot of answers, including some guy asking if he was her boyfriend. Nines was pretty sure that guy was still unconscious in a locker somewhere by now. He gave him a good left hook in reply.

She looked like she was busy, and was going to the fourth floor. Why would she go to the Administrative offices? The only people that would be there this time of day would be secretaries and their officials. She has no one she needs to see up there.

Nines thought about it some more, this smelled fishy. Knowing her she managed to find something more about the players in the chess game that was the Magic Council. Interesting as though this game was, Nines really only wanted to protect the pawns. They didn't deserve this mess. He crouched down and examined the rug, it was new so there were a few things he could figure out from the bent fibers. For one a young woman went up these stairs, but so did a few men in armor, but the weirdest one was the shoe print directly under the one he identified with Tori’s. It was so light at first he thought it was just the lines in the carpet, but it was definitely a footprint. Trained to the point of walking unconsciously in stealth mode. Sounded like an Assassin.

The Magic Council didn't have assassins, Von Argon didn’t believe in that kind of crap. Nines knew however a lot of people didn't believe in Von Argon. He figured this was a sign of some sort, to move him and Tori to Oak town soon. He didn't want to be here when the game went into serious mode, Neither did he want her here. She was kinda like a daughter to him at this point.

Speaking of daughters, she was sprinting down the stairs at pretty much full Tori overdrive speed. Something happened. He could tell from her face, and the rate which she was running. Assuming her normal train of thought she was looking for him. Interesting prospect taking it he was looking for her.

“Woah Tori, calm down….What's the Rush?” Nines asked nobody in particular, she was still three floors up.

[Wolfe]

((Nah, it's fine. Besides, I need to post more with Wolfe anyway.))

Wolfe turned around as he heard a voice call out. He froze for a second as he saw another man in Council garb. The man was acting rather normally, which meant he probably wasn't part of the secretive Crusader faction. Wolfe didn't want to be held up, as that might spell trouble for Zahn, but at the same time this might be his chance to undermine the Crusaders...

"You... know Toril?"

Wolfe had a horrible feeling this meeting might not go so well as the one previous. If the Crusaders knew he was about to give away their plot they certainly would be attacking Zahn. Luckily, they didn't have any long-distance mind readers that he knew of. Still, he'd have to watch his step here. One false move and it would be him fighting against this Council member, not with him. His garb was fairly unorthodox, and might give off the wrong impression to start off with. After all, as a member of the Crusaders Wolfe had always chosen to forsake the Council's vaunted uniform and just wear whatever he felt like. Today, that might not have been such a great idea, all things considered.

"Ahhh. Excuse me. The name's Wolfe. I'm in a bit of a hurry, but do give my regards to Toril if you see her."

Wolfe started to move passed Nines. He didn't want this man to get involved with him. He'd just do the job he'd been assigned and be on his way. As long as he bowed to the Crusaders now he'd get them back later. No point in causing further trouble that he might not be able to handle.

I hope this guy is one of the bad guys in disguise. I'd hate to have to fight one of the good ones right now. I'd like to tell the rest of the Council how screwed they are, but given the state of things around here, I don't even know if they could handle it.

Wolfe sighed, mostly to himself, and continued on. As he did so he muttered to himself about Mordekai's evil secretary, and the fact that Mordekai himself seems to have lost his head ever since she came around. He figured he wouldn't be heard. After all, no one really ever paid attention to some stranger's mad ramblings, right?

[Nines]

Nines held up his right arm, blocking the mans passage. The look he shot Wolfe was filled with uncontrolled emotions, a minor twitch he had developed in his short week of working with Tori. The girl was his life at this point, and this man just indirectly mentioned he knew her, and wished her the best. His steps were too light for a man in the council. Nines knew what a foot step sounded like, had memorized the natural patterns in all of Tori’s shoes, even how light she was on her feet. It was a great skill to learn while out hunting for food in the wilds, but an even better one in life.

This man was the “assassin” Nines had thought of from before. However he caught himself within an instant, and was suddenly all smiles again.

“Oh god i'm sorry, did she bother you? She could do that, I noticed she followed you upstairs to the administrative offices. Was it to file paperwork? Did she get called for a meeting with a secretary?” Nines asked raising his right arm to scratch the back of his head. The rest of his body concealed by the ankle long white coat. “Or was that you?” He asked tilting his body with his question. “If it was you, and she followed you, or accidentally overheard by accident i’ll be sure to scold her thoroughly when I find her.” He commented, opening only his left eye.

Wolfe was shifty, understandable actually. There were three things Nines noticed about him immediately. The man wanted nothing to do with Nines, but he was interested in Tori, this meant he was concerned for the child. This could mean one of several things, one he wanted to know where she was, but felt that Nines would confront him about it, meaning the hit to take out Tori wasn’t worth it at the moment. Two he was concerned for a female, however from the way the man walked, and talked that wasnt the case, the man obviously didn’t care about picking up a woman. Which left the final option, he cared for her because she was a child, this left a parental instinct, easily a father of some sort, maybe with a dead child that resembled Tori? Or a Child at risk? Both were easilly acceptable awnswers. However the first option still existed.

However the way he held himself was that of a professional, he wouldnt have made a mistake like asking her protecter where she was unless he was aboslutely sure that man was on his side. This only left option three. Interesting, especcially with the fact that he was just muttering about something Nines had been worried about. The council was on the verge of a civil war, and here this man had muttered that Mordekai Von Argon was losing his head. Mordekai would never work with a Dark Guild would he? Nines thought about it for a moment. Not the Kai he knew nine years ago, however from all the reports and the way Kai treated his case file on the Shadow Heart guild, Nines doubted such truths. It was easier to suspect however that this shifty and suspicious as hell mention of a crazy evil secretary made more sense to Nines then Kai himself. Kai hated Shadow Heart, Nines knew that when he saw Kai flare with anger when he did Nines’ report on the info he had gathered about the Dark Guild. It was competitive fierce, filled with rage.

Kai wanted the guild to burn.
Wolf theoretically, was a kind parent, a father trained for a horrible job, probably weilded some sort of combat capable magic, whose child was probably held as a bargaining chip against him in some way for the evil side of the council. Or one hell of a professional assassin to get Nines to fall for the ameature assassin part of thsi plan. Nines had to come up with a way to filter the list down. He smiled as he thought of a plan.

If Tori got involved in this, then that means he was going to get involved in this. Not like he wasn’t already.

“Hey, I have an honest question...I know we just met but I’d like to have a professional conversation about my daughter Toril in regards to you young’n. I wish to invite you to my house so that we can have it in private, is that alright with you?”

[Wolfe]

Wolfe almost let out a growl when Nines had stopped him, but contained himself. He didn't want any fights he could avoid right now. After all, if he fought this man it would be to kill him. Wolfe was tired of hurting people. He remembered the war of two years ago all too well. It was fresh in his mind almost every day, and the thought of his last son being harmed by the very organization that had caused Fiore so much grief was almost more than he could bear. However, Nines decided that now would be a good time to drop some bombshells. He pointed out that either Wolfe or Toril, or both managed to make their way to the administrative offices of the Council, where Wolfe had just come from. The swordsman's one visible eye went wide with horror.

She... she followed me? What if she heard... oh no. If she heard Allison's plan about the fires... She would've gone to prevent them... No... Oh god. No! She might be hurt... or worse... All because I opened my big mouth to her earlier and tried to warn her... What... what have I done?!

Wolfe lost himself for a moment. He already had to bear the burden of one child constantly in danger. If Toril was put in danger because of him as well... he'd never forgive himself. He once again started to move, and was once again stopped by Nines. This time however, what stopped him wasn't a physical gesture, but Nines asking to meet with him in private about his... daughter?! Toril was his daughter?!

"Oh god... Your... daughter... No, that... that can't..."

Wolfe's voice was shaky and the look of dread and regret washed over his face. He knew he couldn't stay here anymore. Even if Nines tried to stop him. Wolfe had to save Toril at the very least. He knew Zahn would never forgive him if he let another child's life be ruined. He prayed that Zahn would be safe within Lamia Scale. He trusted his son immensely. He'd watched the recent tournament, and saw his son grow as a mage and as a man and was proud of the Jinx mage. As long as Zahn was around his friends, Wolfe didn't have to worry too much. But Toril... alone against the Crusaders whose plan was 'burn everything, and don't let anyone stop you'? She didn't stand a chance.

"... I have to save her..."

Wolfe's voice was soft, and the dread that filled it made it seem small and weak. He'd be truly surprised if Nines heard what he was saying but more than anything he felt he couldn't waste another moment in this building. He pushed passed Nines and took off running. He almost hoped Nines would try to catch up with him, as Wolfe could then activate his defensive speed-boost to help him reach Toril faster in order to save her. All Wolfe could think about was how badly he'd messed up. He involved an innocent girl, albeit one sworn to protect the people, in his troubles. He let Toril take on the task of saving lives while he thought of nothing but biding his time. Whatever happened today, he was done just following the Crusader's orders. If they punished him for this, so be it. If they tried to hurt Zahn, he'd leave them then and there. If they continued to force Wolfe to work for them, he'd make damn sure he never accomplished anything in their name. However, except for Zahn's safety, none of it mattered now. He had to save Toril, and when he did he'd apologize to her for getting her involved in this mess.

[Nines]

Nines watched the man go off in an extreme hurry. A grin crept across his face, the man just proved his theory of him being a father. That was good, he was also a good person due to the panic written on his very being when he took off to go find Tori, obviously that meant one thing though. She was in danger due to what she had heard when following Wolfe.

Did Nines let Wolfe save her, or did he try to find his apprentice wizard? He sighed wasn’t that hard of a question really. He had to find her before Wolfe did. Just to make sure that Wolfe wasn’t what Nines feared he was. The best place to start was here, not where Wolfe had just taken off running. Nines wanted to follow the man, but that would lead outside not to the quickly going cold path Tori would have cut through the building. Nines followed the trail of footprints of hers he could make out up the stairs. He opened the door to the administration offices, and knew he wouldn’t be able to track her easily here. The carpet was flattened due to the amount of traffic in this area, the best thing he could do now is rely on asking questions. It was possible she would have been here for awhile and that most of the people walking around would see her.

She unconsciously had an attention issue, and thus didn’t wear the standard uniform. As such most officers and secretaries took her for a civvy, and tended to remember her. Her clothes made her stand out, even if they matched the color requirements of the Magic Council. He had been talked too more than once about her lack of wearing the uniform. He ignored the shit out of the complaints from his higher ups about it, until he got Mathius to find a way to pull rank on them for threatening to punish her for the lack of uniform without getting the two of them involved.

Nines started with the people near the entrance. Soon he was outside Mordekai’s personal secretaries office. Something Talisman. He didn't care, he was too busy kneeling and staring at the carpet. Not many people went here, the amount of traffic was quite small, the only two shoes Nines could definitely make out here were Wolfes, and Tori’s but her’s didn't go inside, they just stopped outside the door. Then ran the other direction. The length of the gap between the two shoes was short, indicating fast paced steps. She was in a hurry.

What did she hear?

Nines took off down the hallway, hunting for his charge. He would find her before the Assassin did. He would find out what was going on, and he would help her stop it.

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