Chronicles of The Omniverse Archived Lutetia City: The Monastery

As written by Rōnin

Aaro chuckled nervously, rubbing a hand behind his head. He was half-tempted to say 'yes'. Aurelie was certainly cute, and he hated to let down a pretty girl ... but he couldn't ruin the secret that he, Inarin, Jim and Celeste were sneaking out of the academy and going to a party in Merveilleux.

"It's uh. More of a private thing," Aaro winced, realizing how little that made sense, "really boring too. History. Valentine-Barrows war. It'd bore you to tears." He grinned. "Now, if you'd like to meet me some other time when I'm not beating my head against a textbook, I'd be honored..."
 
As written by glmstr

"Private? I'm not a nun or something, you don't have to worry about me telling." Aurelie grinned, gazing at Aaro.
"Besides, I don't know if it'd bore me," She began pacing ever so slowly, accentuating the natural sway of her hips,
"After all, I feel like I'm already. . ." the huntress paused until she was practically touching him, and leaned into one of his ears,
"Interested." Aurelie winked before backing up a few steps, but still standing close to him.
 
As written by Rōnin

Aaro held his breath as the girl drew near. Much as he liked to pretend otherwise, the young proselyte had little experience with women. Being a student in an academy that forbid sexual contact with other peers made it difficult to be anything other than aesthetically charismatic.

"I..." Aaro felt himself involuntarily leaning closer to Aurelie, "...don't... know if..." He shook his head. It was pointless to keep up the charade. "Alright, look. I'm not really going to study. I'm meeting Inarin and some other friends and we're..." His voice trailed off. He looked to the left and right suspiciously, as if a cleric was directly behind at that moment.

"We're... y'know."
 
As written by glmstr

Aurelie persisted with her nearly-whispering, sultry tone, "Oooh, that sounds like fun, think we could come with you? I'd love to experience a night out in the city."
The huntress was no rookie to this routine: she has had to charm various men before, be it for espionage or more simple vampiric needs.
"Even better, think of how impressed they'll be when you bring two girls like us in tow," she grinned wide and winked.
 
As written by Rōnin

Aaro looked nervous now. Much as he liked the idea of walking into the Feu with two girls on his arms, he knew that his classmates would never forgive him for so readily blowing their cover. Sneaking out of the Monastery was a huge risk. No one could know they what they were doing ... or, absent of that, no one else could be let in on it.

"I'm sorry ... but that's something I can't do." Aaro shook his head. "I've already clued you into what's going on, and I wasn't even supposed to tell you that much." He winced. "Look, do you guys think you could just pretend like this didn't happen?" He looked to Rei. "I know you're not one to tattle, but you really have to keep this on the down-low. Not even your friends. If this gets out, we could be expelled."

He looked to Aurelie, doing his best to mask his attraction for the girl and put on a stern face. "And I trust you won't be saying about this..."
 
As written by glmstr

"We won't tell, as long as we can come along," Aurelie grinned and slipped her gloves back on. She felt somewhat guilty for twisting his arm like this, but she quickly rationalized that away in her own mind.
"They shouldn't be too upset, the two of us can hold a secret as well as or better than anyone there. And, if we get caught, we can convince them it was my idea," her tone and smile became more friendly than sultry, and she turned towards the way out of campus.
"So, shall we head out then?"
 
As written by duramon

Rei looked confused through out the entire encounter, real confused. She wasn't sure what was happening, she knew what Aurelia was trying to do and why, but was unsure why she was so invested. She kept silent and analyzed, hoping to pick something up along the way she might be able to use in the future.

Aaro...was that his name?..begged them to keep it quiet and not tell their friends, Aurelie started to twist his arm before Rei piped up.

"What friends? I've been looking for Inarin or you or....somebody to be friends with at the Academy. You know I sneak out all the time, but I never really GO anywhere." She confessed, looking down at her shoes and swinging back and forth on her heels, looking quite downtrodden, and she was, she'd invested quite a lot in finding Inarin, she even verged ruining her precious sleep schedule and training regime for it. "But I guess that's too much for someone like me."

What were these...feelings. Why did she care? This was...uncomfortable...she was in front of people like this. Blood rushed to her face and burned her ears, she fiddled mercilessly with the bolts on her arm behind her back. "I'm sorry, I don't...understand what's happening to me, I usually wouldn't mind, but I really want to go somehow. I'm so incredibly sorry for troubling you." She apologized genuinely, still swinging on her heels and fiddling with her prosthetic.
 
As written by glmstr

"Come to think of it, we can come a bit later, I for one want to change, and it'll save you the heartache of bringing two 'strangers' along. We'll see you when we get there!" Aurelie smiled and gently tugged Rei along.
"So, anything you need to do before we head out to this place?"
 
As written by Rōnin

"That's perfect," Aaro breathed his relief, clearly glad that he wasn't showing up to the library with the two girls, "I guess I'll see you two later." He hurried off - perhaps not truly believing that the two of them would meet him at the party.
 
As written by duramon

Rei was becoming more confused as time went on, suddenly they were being whisked away without due process. Apparently they were now going to the party with no issues, and were to meet Aaro later. Confusing indeed, more and more perplexing the more she thought about it.

She decided she go along with it for now, try and make sense of it another time. Aurelie mentioned getting changed and asked if she needed anything, and Rei could think of a few things so she nodded and ran along, waving goodbye to Aaro as she went. She split up with Aurelie on the way with a quick "I'll meet you at the edge of the Academy entrance" and snuck back into her room, ruffling through a case near her bed to grab the gear she wanted.

She pulled out a few of her trial blades and filled her prosthetic leg with them just in case, quickly changed out of her Proselyte uniform and into a white tank top and denim shorts and fresh undergarments. Slipping on pink stockings and adjusting her usual black gloves and pink armguards. She completed the look with a black choker with a criss-cross pattern and stuffing a green hoodie into her bag in case it got cold. She piled in her repair kit, her tools, a vial of Bloodbane she slipped into a compartment in her arm and Odeur de Garou, a few bits and bobs. Money of course was required, and finally she slipped back on her combat boots and gave herself a quick look in the mirror.

"Fabulous." She whispered to her mirrorself, flipping her short hair dramatically and stifling a giggle at her own immaturity. Well, she was prepared, overstocked and looked great. So she slowly turned to the door and after checking for any patrolling teachers began her sneaky escape to meet with Aurelia and finally, to catch up with the party.
 
As written by glmstr

"Alright, I'll see you in a bit," Aurelie headed to the exit of the campus and strolled to the nearest public restroom. Upon closing the door and briefly checking the walls and corners for peepholes or cameras, she opened up a messenger bag that was covered by her cape and began removing the contents. She quickly removed her own clothes and replaced them with her new outfit: a white cropped shirt with black trim that shows a few inches of midriff, black short-shorts with a white trim and white belt, long knee-high boots, and a ankle-length open coat that hardly hides her torso, only really covering her arms, shoulders and back. Once her outfit was adjusted properly, she put her normal garb into the same bag, and slung it over her shoulder on the way out into the street again.
After a few minutes of walking, she reached the gates of the Academy and spotted the familiar Rei in a much different getup.
"Looking good!" She smiled and eyed up and down the Proselyte, nodding approvingly.
 
As written by duramon

Rei eyed up Aurelie, barely recognizing her without her dramatic hunter attire. She beamed wide at the huntress and did a little twirl, suddenly regretting not putting on a skirt instead of her mini-shorts, Ah well, in hindsight we remember to be more fabulous . She almost lost her shoulder bag from the spin but caught it and readjusted it.

Smooooooth

"Looking good yourself, I guess its time for us to knock the socks off my fellow Prose'" She cheered with a grin, walking towards Aurelie with a deliberate sway in her hips, a somewhat unpracticed sway. This is how you do it right? I swear I saw somewhere this is how you do it...to the party! She mused inwardly, finally heading out with Aurelie in tow.
 
As written by Krysis

~Literature and Rhetoric Class~

'Tiryon' was the topic of the day, and Celeste was drowning, as usual, in the literature class. She had copious notes, had read every scrap of review and synopsis she could find, but still could not find any meaning to the story. Her forehead was in the usual puzzled crease that Master Strigi almost always gave her as she tried to follow what he was saying.

It wasn't that he was obtuse, or being unclear. It was more that she couldn't wrap her head around why This was a classic. When the main character found out that his uncle had killed his father, he behaved in a way that was so completely irrational to her.

Of course, her own life was pretty irrational by the standards of most people. She had been given to the church as a baby, but had enough of a tie to her living family that their vengeance had become her main goal. Vengeance for a mother she didn't even remember, on a creature that no one had ever seen, in a case that was 17 years cold, where the evidence was blood stains, bits of gore, and a severed finger, which required her to spend her life striving to be a perfect paladin when there was something far more vital and primitive in her blood.

Recently, at the rave she and some friends had attended, she had realized that being a member of the church was merely a means to an end for her. She still wanted to be good at it, and finish the goal that would make her family happy, but she wanted a family of her own too. Someday. Once the monsters had been put down enough that it was safe.

Today, she was struggling with the old fashioned phrasing and using a glossary to help her understand the meaning of the page in front of her. Celeste's shoulders ached from how she hunched, trying not to flinch if Master Strigi looked her way. It was only a matter of time before he would start asking questions and expecting the students to have Something to say.
 
As written by Rōnin

""Noble child, this is the very coinage of your brain,'" Master Strigi pushed his oval glasses up his nose, reading from a text in his hands, "'banish these thoughts, these fears. Return to my love - love of thy mother, love of thy family, born of my blood, my body.'" The professor looked up at the class, owlish eyes aglow with excitement. Though not the most intimidating teacher, Master Strigi's passion and excitement for the material was unparalleled.

"This is important," he announced, pacing the front of the classroom, "up to this point, no one's given Tiryon a reason to stop seeking justice for his father's murder. He's pursued his goal with almost obsessive focus. But now-" He shook the text excitedly, the ends of the book flapping like bird wings, "-now, he's met an obstacle! But it's not Varos, his uncle, or Horot, his friend... but Joana. His mother. His family." He held up a finger. "And she pleads with him to stop his quest for vengeance, not appealing to any practical or moral rationale ... but on the premise of family." He paused for effect. "Family! Think about that! Why would she appeal to something like this? What about the bonds subsisting between loved ones would even tempt a man as driven as Tiryon to forsake justice for the sake of family?"

He looked expectantly around the class, waiting, hoping for a hand to go up.
 
As written by Krysis

Celeste gave a low groan of frustration, and then flinched when Master Strigi turned on her, thinking it was a start of an answer. Everyone else looked at her too, knowing how uncommon it was for the quietly dedicated proselyte to speak up in that particular class. She ducked her head to hide behind her hair, but it was too late.

She blushed, and squirmed, then admitted carefully, "I don't know. If one of my family tried to do what they want me to, tried to do the job of a paladin, I would have to stand in their way. I don't want any of them to die for the lack of training, or be arrested for killing someone. But Tiryon could have done it easily. More easily before everyone Knew what he was about. I do not know why he hesitated so long."

Celeste fiddled with her copy of the book, ashamed of her answer and not willing to meet the eyes of anyone there.
 
As written by Rōnin

"Ah, but Joana doesn't question his ability!" Master Strigi smiled, pointing to Celeste, "on the contrary, she knows that Tiryon has the ability to take vengeance. She knows that he can kill his uncle. She simply asks him not to." He closed his book, stroking his chin. "Now, maybe she does this because she thinks that Tiryon's gone crazy ... or ..." He looked around the room. "... maybe she does this because she knows he's right. She knows it, and she's afraid it. She fears what Tiryon will transform into if he goes down the path of vengeance." He looked back to Celeste, eyes bright and searching. "Maybe she understands that, sometimes, when one pursues monsters, they become the very thing they're trying to destroy. She values family, togetherness, love ... all of these things, over justice. She's not willing to sacrifice a life with her son for the sake of avenging her late husband." He put the back down on his desk and waived a hand in quick concentric circles. "This is one the key themes of this book, and something that I want all of you to pay attention to as we continue our reading! More than anything else, this text asks two questions..." He held up a finger. "One - what is the nature of justice?" The second finger. "Two - what must we sacrifice if we are to attain it?"

Two sharp knocks rapped on the classroom door before it swung open, revealing a tall figure garbed in plates of gleaming steel. His metclad boots thunked against the wood flooring as he entered the room, a blue and grey cloak trailing behind him.. He scanned the rows of proselytes, eyes obscured behind his helmet's visor. Only his mouth was visible.

"Celeste Hogan."
 
As written by Krysis

Celeste gave Master Strigi a stricken look, though he was the only one in a position to see how those questions touched her. Her long dark hair prevented others from seeing it as well as she bowed her head. Then the visitor stepped in and called her name.

The teen was suddenly awkward as she stood up quickly. She knocked her notes to the floor in a way that made her remember the way Aaro had done the same thing on purpose, though her mess was accidental. It wouldn't take her long to scoop up the papers and stuff them in her book bag though as she tried to hide her dismay that they must know what she, Aaro, Inarin, and Jimmy had done.

Trembling with guilt, she went to the paladin. She hugged the bookbag to her chest as she slowly looked up at him. "Yes?"
 
As written by Rōnin

He looked down at the girl, voice chilled into a rough monotone. "You've been selected for a field assignment. You will be graded." He turned to Strigi. "Apologies, brother."

The master touched two fingers to his lips before looking at Celeste. "Take care now. Do well." Field assignments for older proselytes were a typical occurrence. The closer a student came to graduation, the more necessary it became to give them real, hands-on experience in the Lutetian justice system. They always happened randomly and without ceremony ... and were always heavily scrutinized by the council when reviewing students for knighthood.

The paladin turned and left the way he came, expecting Celeste to follow. He didn't turn to look at her as he spoke.

"We're going to Lumenia Square to investigate two murders." They walked down the halls of the academy, his footsteps echoing off of the near-empty corridors. "You have ten minutes to gear-up in the armory and select a civilian destrier from the garage." He threw open the doors. Grey sunlight canvassed the courtyard and sheened his armor with a burnish glimmer. "This assignment will be conducted on a pass-fail system. Failure to follow proper police protocol is an automatic fail. Mishandling of evidence or contamination of the crime scene is an automatic fail. Inability to use your equipment or the loss your primary weapon is an automatic fail." He halted before the doors of the armory and turned, regarding Celeste for the first time since he'd walked into her classroom.

"As soon as you enter these doors, your examination will begin." He rested a hand on his belt - close to the grip of the massive Lawkeeper holstered at his hip. "Do you have any questions before we start?"
 
As written by Rōnin

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Master Kelve was old, even by common standards. At ninety-two, the veteran paladin was an elder to everyone he met; a wrinkled old man, hunched and frail, with only the scars criss-crossing his face and the pale stump where his left hand should have been to remind everyone of his former prowess. In his day, Sir Dantion Kelve had been a lion - a bastion of order and strength, a paragon of the Monastery. That had been a different age. The age before paladins abandoned the horse and took up the machine, when firearms were flimsy and unreliable and the sword was still the greatest weapon at a knight's disposal.

From the Monastery's perspective, Master Kelve was not just old. He was ancient. The average paladin was lucky if he lived past sixty. For a knight to live so far into his golden years was a rarity enabled only by a serious injury that kept them from returning to field work.

The master was in gardening attire, sporting a long sunhat and a glove around his right hand. He pruned a bed of flowers while singing softly to himself. It was autumn and many of the shrubs had already receded into the ground with the coming winter. The orchard blossoms were a burnished amber, the oaks glowing in shades of yellow and red.

As Robert and Peregrine entered the garden, custom would ask that they bow to the elder. Robert did so, placing two fingers to his lips and bending low.

Kelve looked up from his work, a warm smile touching his face. "Peregrine. Robert." He took off his glove with his teeth and wiped his hand on his trousers. "It is good to see you both." He picked up the willow-wood cane resting on the soil and shaked to his feet.
 
As written by Script

"Good afternoon, Master Kelve," Peregrine said with a smile, bowing respectfully to the old paladin alongside Robert - albeit with more of a flourish than the other man.

The youthful paladin folded his arms behind his back and cast his eyes over the garden. Even as the cold set in, it was still beautiful. Of course, no doubt the arrangements had been chosen for the very reason of giving it all-seasonal appeal, but that didn't detract from it.

It was a striking contrast - one of the Monastery's youngest paladins set beside one of the oldest. Especially as Perrin's slimmer build and delicate features gave him the impression of being even younger than he was.

"You summoned us?" he queried, curious to hear what matter had the old Master's personal attentions. And, indeed, why he'd asked for Peregrine specifically.
 
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