[PRP] The Slow Creep (See Inside)

[Epine de Rose]

"Shouldn't we go inside...?" Adrastea rarely questioned the black lion, but he seemed to have spent a considerable amount of time loitering on this particular border. It wasn't like him to delay; once he had located what he needed he generally seemed to go and get it but when it came to this particular region, it seemed like something was amiss.

"We will in time," Metis replied smoothly and motioned for her to come back in to the shade. While he hadn't taken deliberate measures to hide himself, where he was resting now made it particularly difficult to see him. With the ever increasing heat of the sun, something that seemed to be the norm out here, he had taken to actively seeking the shade out here. Evidently, their native homeland was better shielded from the merciless eyes above, but such obstacles had never gotten in his way before and wouldn't now.

...Besides, he'd already been made aware by the chatty siblings that the weather was much more pleasant by the water.

"I'm not sure I understand the delay," Adrastea confessed, though she obediently came to his side and settled herself. Perhaps he was waiting for nightfall, but based on their current wanderings, that didn't seem to be something that he had given much thought towards.

"I am expecting visitors," he explained at last and glanced briefly towards the female with his usual, knowing smile. "Allies on this occasion, so you need not find a way to make yourself scarce."

"Allies...?" She paused. "So more of our own kind?"

"Precisely." He shook his head. "Now is the time to begin telling the next chapter in this story, and for that, we need a few more players."

"A few."

"Well," he glanced back towards the horizon and pursed his lips. "For now, by the end I imagine there will be too many to name. That is how these stories often end..."

Pollack

 

[Pollack]

In the same regards as Adrastea it was a rare occurancy for Amestris to question her male compaion, as well as vice virsa during the rare occurancies she decided to take the reigns on where they ended up next. The two twins were nortious amongst even the Phantoms for being close. If there was one of the two about the other wouldn't be shadowing too far behind.

Today it just so happened that the larger of the two was the one striding behind his steadfast sister.

"Do I really have to remind you that you still haven't explained quite yet why exactly we're out this far...?" Nasim questioned with a slow, bored drawl. It had been days since she had burst into their shared den, mumbling inconceivable babble under her breath before forcefully dragging him - quite literally - out of bed yet still he hadn't gotten much more of a reply other than a vague 'We're needed, you'll understand when we get there.' He couldn't quite say that he approved of well...whatever Amestris had gotten herself so worked up in a fit about. Whatever it happened to be he could only conclude that it was something of dire importance to her. In turn, it had become a matter of importance to him as well.

Would still have been lovely have a shred of light shed on the subject though!

With a low murr Amestris shook her head again at her brother's inquiry. It wasn't the first time, nor would it probably be the last time this trip where he would be trying to gorge more information out of her. Not that she had much information to lend out in the first place! All the missive had stated is that they were being requested in the low lands to discuss a matter.

The pique in her curiousity was enough to light a fire under her arse to get moving as quickly as she could to the low-lands.

Her eyes squinted as she studied the two shades in front of them. Pure black coats, female and male. Unless the locals in these lands started to pop out looking identical to them, which to be honest she wouldn't oppose that idea, it would seem that they had finally arrived to their destination.

"Stop picking your nose back there Nasim and look alive, we've found whom we've been looking for." She called out behind her as she strode forward, bridging the gap between the two pairs.

With a bow of her head as a greeting Amestris finally stopped herself a few feet away from the duo. Leaning back on her haunches she regarded the two with unmasked curiosity. "I'm assuming you two are the ones that requested us?"

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

Adrastea's ears flattened against her head as she glanced between Metis and the pair of phantoms. They had been remarkably disrespectful (at least in her eyes) and yet Metis didn't seem to be bothered. Then again, he rarely seemed to be riled by anything and she was beginning to wonder if the male even had the capacity to feel rage. Quite frankly, his measured reactions often seemed to imply he didn't feel much of anything, but she liked to hope that he did have the ability to display them if he so chose to... It would make him normal, right?

"I gave the instruction," Metis corrected the lioness and cast his red eyes briefly towards Adrastea to lift a brow. She was much too cautious and overly concerned with the dynamics of some of the scourge. The pair in question were not from their particular warrens and as a consequence, Metis would have been unsurprised if they lacked awareness of who he was. Those of his rank might well know, but that didn't mean those of a more subordinate position would.

...Nor should they.

It was unreasonable to expect anyone to remember everything and everyone who existed in their world, regardless of what role those individuals may play in the grand scheme of things. Consequently, Metis had no reason to display frustration or irritation towards Nasim and Amestris, after all, they had still responded to his summons and they hadn't even questioned why they were being summoned. For all intents and purposes they had both acted exactly as any phantom should have, including him.

"You are one of several summons that were made," he continued. "But the first to arrive, congratulations on your punctuality," he added.

"My name is Metis, and this quiet creature is Adrastea," he waved his paw towards the female but she held her piece.

Pollack

 

[Pollack]

The siblings mirrored each other perfectly at the hostile response from Adrastea, both of their eyebrows shot up before the two exchanged a silent look of bewilderment to each other. Nasim's expression hardened as he watched the two warily. They may have been some of their own kind but that didn't necessarily agree that they would be safe with them, and even if so like with every community there was disagreements on how things were run.

It seemed that they had made a faux pas unknowingly with the female at least, either that or she was just one of the more prissy types. Either way he didn't care to make conversation with one who reacted so hostile over a simple mistake.

Amestries on the other hand flashed a strained smile at the pair in front of them as she lowered herself down onto her rump. It hoped that perhaps showing submission and putting her body language in a less defensive stance would help alleviate the tension building in the group. If her brother and the silent female wanted to kill each other with their eyes than they were free to do so, however she would have preferred just to move on and get things done.

"We're happy to answer the call in any way. I'm surprised at the fact that we're the first ones to arrive, I would have expected the groups outside of the walls to be able to get here faster." She remarked thoughtfully. Pausing for a moment she eventually gave a casual shrug. No matter, they would arrive eventually. Not answering a summons entirely was a extremely disrespectful act, one that most would avoid doing unless they were injured or actively dying.

She gave a quick nod her head to Metis and shortly following Andrastea respectively when he introduced them. "Charmed to meet you both then! As well I'm sure you know since you instructed us I'm Amestris." Pausing for a moment she gave a flick of her paw towards Nasim still towering behind her. "And this is my twin Nasim." She finished, nudging him with her shoulder to remind him to actually be a decent civilized being and greet them.

Hesitantly he lifted a paw, giving a slow swipe up to his forehead in a lazy salute to the both of them. "What my sister said, charmed to meet you." He finally spoke up from his normal barely above a whisper tone.

With a clipped sigh of relief Amestries turned her attention back to the pair in front of them. At least her brother was being somewhat cooperative and not completely embarrassing her. "I'm assuming we will be debriefed when the others arrive?"

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

"They've been waylaid," Metis replied simply, Nasim and Amestris may have been one of the fortunate set that had yet to be pursued or actively targeted by the Justicars. The others however, had been subject to more than their fair share of run ins and as a consequence they had been forced to scatter and reassemble at a more optimal location. Metis couldn't say he was entirely surprised given that the game had changed several times in such a short period, but it had caused a considerable amount of delay for a number of their allies.

"They will however, arrive in time for the next chapter of our tale," he added. How he knew this was irrelevant, but his confidence should have left the pair in little doubt that he seemed to know what he was doing. At the very least, he seemed to be a strategist with an adequate intelligence network. Would that be enough for them? It should be, but while the Al Siq often liked to think they were all mindless thugs, the Phantoms were just as entitled to their own thoughts as any other living being.

Nasim and Amestris were free to question, though disobedience in the grand scheme of things may be ill received depending on who they disobeyed!

"Metis," Adrastea shook her head and glanced over her shoulder, though they were all comfortably hidden in the shade, what she could see on the horizon would not have escaped any of them. Metis, understandably, turned towards her if only to acknowledge her concern and what she might be observing... He was met with the sight of a considerable band of lions, most red and black, but some white... Regardless, they were distinctive.

"Ah, so it seems they took their invitation seriously," he remarked.

"They are the ones from before...?" She seemed uncertain.

"The ones the two children conversed with, yes," he confirmed and raised his brow. "A temporary visit and one that will require a pause on our plans, which should give sufficient time for the rest of us to gather," he concluded and turned towards Amestris.

"So tell me," he said at last. "How much do you know, do you have any inkling as to why we exist out here, or are we all still pretending it was simply a gap in the brambles and an urge to explore?"

Pollack

 

[Pollack]

Waylaid huh? It wasn't entirely unexpected to be hearing that the others were currently a bit more occupied with dodging the Justicars and their respective collectives. If rumors were accurate the groups on the outside had as of late been making themselves much more noticeable with their ramp up in raids and sacrifices, and in turn, easier to be traceable by those who had the knowledge and skills to hunt their kind.

Alas sometimes their hand had to be forced in these matters if they were going to be successful with their end goal especially with recent...failures.

Amestries had to wonder if that was exactly what Metis was doing with gathering them all, or if there were alternative motives behind these summons. She wouldn't express her questioning and curiosity out loud, unlike her much more outgoing brother, but the idea did give the lioness pause for thought.

She was mid-way through opening her mouth to reply to Metis when Adrastea spoke up. Snapping her mouth closed again both her and Nasim turned their eyes as well towards the subject - or better word in this case subjects - that had caught her attention. Amestris' head tilted slightly to the side as she regarded the large band with a intense, but not aggressive interest.

Nasim on the other hand reeled back as he watched them, making no moves to hide the disgust on his face building. Ugh, they reminded him far too much of the menaces back home for his liking.

Pursing her lips Amestris stared in wonder at the group for a moment longer before she turned her focus back to Metis. "We could certainly play dumb and call it the latter if you would prefer us to. Though if I had any idea if we're collecting a force this big I would guess we're after a large target..." There were only a few that she could think of that would garner this much attention and interest for the Phantoms. Most of them that came to mind however were securely hidden within the safety of the districts.

...Except one. The one that had been such a colossal failure to their organization that even those in the lower classes like Amestris and Nasim eventually heard about it. It served as a great propaganda tool on what could happen if they were not loyal to the cause and gave everything to ensure that the pure were eradicated

"I might be going out on a limb here but my best assumption given our location..." She remarked as she waved her paw around to gesture to the surrounding landscape. "Is that we're going after the one from the stories? The...ghost?"

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

Metis afforded a rare smile, though one might have been so bold as to say that it was more cunning than anything. He was, at the very least, satisfied by the fact that the lioness had been intelligent enough to put the pieces of the puzzle together. It had been years, but yes, they had fallen in to place and they had managed to locate their wayward target. It seemed that the Black Dragon himself had graced them with good fortune, even as he slumbered deep beneath the earth.

...After all, the pieces had essentially fallen into their laps. They might have had to wait several years, but their patience (and in some cases tenacity), had been rewarded in the end. Circumstance had then led them to the region and after a number of tactful scouting missions, Metis was now confident that this was where they were supposed to be. The rabbit had come this way, even the guard had come this way, and now they had encountered the children who had fitted the descriptions that Adrastea had been graced with on the preybeast's visit.

Metis only gambled when he was confident the odds were in his favour - and this time they were.

"Well done," he provided her with the recognition she deserved and nodded towards Adrastea. "My companion had a visitor not long ago, a hare, and he gave some fascinating insights into this region." He paused and peered thoughtfully at Adrastea, the lioness remained non-committal and as always, seemed to be apprehensive about opening her mouth. Metis hadn't been familiar with Adrastea before that fateful day, but he did have to wonder if perhaps she had been of a different disposition.

...She had the look of someone who had been happier, more bubbly, more idealistic. Reality had quickly sobered her, but he had said nothing and she had simply slipped into the more expected role of one of their kind.

"One of the most vital pieces of information was that one of our most vital players happens to be present in this region."

"And largely unwell," Adrastea murmured at last.

"Indeed." Metis nodded. "So as you can imagine, with some careful planning, now would be one of the ideal opportunities to correct a misstep, no?"

Pollack

 

[Pollack]

Amestris entire stature lightened and straightened from his smile. Neither of the twins had been afforded much chance to actually show their talents or achieve anything note worthy, hell they hadn't even been in direct contact with anyone higher ranking in their society. The fact that she was receiving even the slightest amount of praise coming from someone who she assumed (if he could conjure this force and be tasked with such an important target) was important had her practically beaming with pride.

It was a small victory but hey she would take it!

Her brother on the other hand was still stuck in a stunned silence. The ghost? The actual ghost? The fact that not only had someone finally tracked them down but now had pin-pointed him to a specific region was...astounding! Strangely he didn't have the horrible sense of dread that often came as a gut feeling wash over him at the sound of this plan but instead a refreshing inkling feeling of promise coursing through his gut.

They were finally going to wipe that tarnish off of their record and him and his sister were lucky enough to be a part of it. It was an amazing honor and he certainly wouldn't take it for granted.

"Agreed. Strike them when they are at their weakest and you're almost guaranteed a kill." She approved with a nod. It was a basic concept of hunting prey and it certainly would serve them well here. With his defenses weakened perhaps this time he would be more susceptible to their normal methods on subduing their targets.

If not...well a good bloodbath it would have to be.

"With all of these newcomers arriving." Nasim finally spoke up his head jerking to the large band of warm hued lions still parading by. "I'm assuming we're going to have someone scout out to see when these visitors as you earlier implied will be leaving so we can have a better shot?" He inquired innocently.

"Nasim!" Amestris hissed lowly through bared teeth. "He already knew who those people were, I'm sure he already has an idea of how many are in the group. Don't waste time with asking silly questions."

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

"Your sister is correct, I am all too aware of who these individuals are but the rest of the details are scarce at best," He replied, finally turning his gaze towards Nasim. It seemed that the brother had finally stumbled out of his stupor, or at at least found his voice; with it had also come his enthusiasm. The fact that both of them recognized what had since become a young legend in their own community was irrelevant; but the pivotal role they might claim in acquiring that elusive target was something they both seemed to appreciate - particularly the male.

"I know who they are, and where they come from," Metis paused briefly as Adrastea shuffled to his side and took a seat. She seemed to have chosen to accept their new guests, or at least she was willing to forego the social niceties now that they were here. Odd ball that she was, she was once again allowing Metis to take the lead in what was arguably his field of expertise. "I also know the purpose of their visit, but what I do not know is how much longer they intend to be in this region..."

Metis lifted his paw and motioned to Nasim with a smile.

"You have my gratitude for volunteering," he continued. "Their time in this land is limited, they will eventually go home, and that is a considerable distance away," he lifted a brow.

"You will find out when," he instructed. It was then that he returned his attention to Amestris and smiled. "He is capable, is he not? Adrastea would have noted any physical handicaps and she has been silent," he peered at the lioness pointedly.

"He is in fine health," Adrastea simply replied.

"But as we are not entirely familiar with your persons, you will have no issue vouching for him, will you?" He asked curiously. "He should perform his duties adequately, unless you have any reason to disagree with this assumption?"

Pollack

 

[Pollack]

Amestris made no moods to hide her raised eyebrows as she shot Nasim a brief 'Told you so' look when her suspections about Metis knowing who the group was were indeed confirmed. Which pulled little more than an exasperated shake of his head as he rolled his eyes. They might have been grown now, as well they might be in the middle of a war but there was still time for friendly sibling competition. After all, the two needed something other than their sheer beliefs to be driving them forward.

Sibling rivalries aside however both snapped out of their private moment amongst themselves from Metis' suggestion. Their heads swiveling in unison to stare fully back at their cunning head of the operation.

"Excuse me what? At what part did I volunteer for-" Nasim was cut short before he further made an insubordinate a** out of himself by Amestris slamming her foot against his. There was a time and a place for things but now was certainly not one for second questioning orders!

A small pregnant paused formed between the two siblings as they tensely glared at each other, fighting a grand war of wills amongst themselves. One that Nasim reluctantly surrendered with little choice. No one in their sort of position could simply refuse that order, it was just a fact of life as a Phantom. You served the cause until your death.

As much as it would pain her to see him fail this Amestris would not - could not let her brother forget his duties.

Her body relaxed as she slowly turned her head back towards the pair, clipping a nod in agreement. "Of course he's capable. He's fit, healthy, and he's willing to do whatever needs to be done. I'll gladly vouch for his abilities with my own life if need be." She confirmed with a hint of a smile tugging at her lips.

Squaring his shoulders Nasim shifted himself forward, sitting himself finally besides with his sister, his head bowed slightly as a gesture of acceptance and humbleness. "Please excuse my rude reaction. I'm honored to be given this assignment and I can assure you I won't fail with it. When would you like me to start?"

Epine de Rose

Final post from me? <3

 

[Epine de Rose]

"Immediately," Metis replied with a simply shrug.

"I would be better to wait until dark, if he were to enter now, then he would cause too much of a stir," It was rare for Adrastea to intervene in Metis's affairs, but he afforded her a curious stare as she spoke. "They already know who we are, based on everything that we have heard, though they might at first regard us as innocent...there would still be suspicion."

"And how would showing up at night impact on this?" Metis pressed.

"No one would know he had entered, so they would assume he had been there for a considerable amount of time," she pointed out gently. She fell silent as chewed on her lower lip as she tentatively met Metis's gaze, though to her great relief he seemed to be impressed with the opinion she had expressed. So far, it would have been safe to assume he was reasonably satisfied with all of those in his company!

"Then it is settled," He nodded to Nasim. "You will slip in this evening and make yourself comfortable," he pursed his lips. "Might I suggest you make a point of being seen," he added and shook his head. "If what Adrastea assumes is true, then they will grow wary if you hide within the shadows. The more obvious we are, the safer we should be from suspicion."

Adrastea merely nodded.

"Gather what information you can and all being well, we should have more than enough intel for us to bring this hunt to a conclusion," he paused and offered a rare, almost warm smile. "For now though, might I suggest you make yourself comfortable. It will be a while until sundown..."

Pollack

Fin!