Hello there.

Hey there! How are you?

I’m doing well. How about you?

Pretty good. Not much has been going on lately, but it's my birthday this month, so that's good I guess. X)

Oh, happy birthday. I’ve been having a rather peaceful month myself.

Thanks! Sometimes it's nice to have some peace and quiet instead of being busy with things. XD

So, for this RP, I think we should jump in a few weeks after the day Shacklestone ended? It might be good to have a big timeskip. If you want to, we could skip to Dianne's return. Or we could jump in while she's still away. It's up to you.

Well, since combat isn’t a huge focus anymore, why don’t we skip to a few weeks after the end and I can introduce everyone to Dianne’s boss, Lucci? That, or we could skip to Dianne’s return.

Introducing Lucci sounds cool, so if you want to do that, we'll skip to there!

Do you want to start, or shall I?

You start. It’s your world, show us how it’s changed in the aftermath of Shacklestone.

Alrighty, give me a minute and I'll set the scene.

Alrighty

Life in Sovereign City after the war had been a strange mixture of peace and chaos. The king had returned to the palace to continue ruling, despite a large number of citizens wanting to kick him off the throne for abandoning them when Sargon's army attacked. However, the king seemed to be trying to improve himself. In an effort to show that he wasn't prejudiced against non-humans anymore, he allowed all of the people who'd helped defeat Sargon to live peacefully in his city.

The king had also offered everyone places to live, as a thank-you for taking down Sargon:

Ivy was living in an apartment, and spent most of her free time practising her gun skills, helping Jerry with his investigations, or exploring the city in search of a new date.

Frederick had gotten a job working as one of the palace guards. He hadn't wanted to settle down and live peacefully, preferring to be doing something constructive, and so he'd asked the king to hire him.

Armin was living in a small house on the distant western edge of the city. However, he wasn't there at that moment, having left a few days ago on a trip, saying that he would return soon.

{In the weeks that followed, Jerry’s family all went back home. Jerry himself, however, had opened a new investigative office, with Ivy as his junior detective.
With the majority of the Shacklestone refugees having fled to the Sovereign, Pythia’s order allowed her to set up a new temple in the city.
Dianne was still at least a week away from returning, far beyond the furthest reaches of Vallis.

{In the bustling city, there was one other visitor. In every way, he appeared to be human, but this was just a facade. He was an average looking fellow with blue eyes and blonde hair. He was walking through the square, up towards the palace.}

Frederick was sitting outside the palace with a cup of tea, seemingly on a break from his guard duties. However, upon seeing the unfamiliar man approaching, he stood up and moved to block the doors. 'Who are you, and what business do you have at the royal palace?'

Meanwhile, across the other side of the city, a gunshot rang out, shattering the peaceful morning air.

'Yes!' muttered Ivy triumphantly. She was standing on a quiet street outside her apartment, holding a small pistol and attempting to shoot a wooden target that she'd attached to a nearby tree trunk. 'Finally, I hit the stupid thing...'

( *eye emojis*
awww man I'm really sorry I haven't been around much but,,, it'd be super cool if I could yeet in here and tie up loose ends with my bois and gals and spectral cat pals??? ;w; )

{The stranger just chuckles as Fred gets up.}
Stranger: “I’m not here for the king, Frederick Alsher. I’m here to see you.”

(That’s how you spell his last name, right?)

(King - You're welcome to! Since the Important Main Plot Stuff is over, everyone's characters can pretty much do whatever they like now. XD

So feel free to join in if you want!

{As Ivy was practicing, Jerry walks up with a cup of coffee.}
Jerry: “Well, at least you hit it this time. Although, are you sure you want to shoot that thing out here in the open?”

(Hey, King. Good to see you.)

(Aggron - You're only one letter out; it's actually Alscher (I regularly forget how to spell it myself XD).)

Frederick eyed the man solemnly for a moment. 'Here to see me? Why? I don't have any idea who you are.'

Ivy glanced over her shoulder at Jerry, then returned her attention to the target. She was carefully taking aim, wanting to hit it more accurately than last time. 'Oh, nobody ever comes by here. It'll be fine.'

( Ayee cool cool!! ;w;!! Mayhaps I'll write something in a bit, I've got a bit of college hw to finish that I'm procrastinating on lol )

(King - Alrighty, good luck with that.)

{The stranger just smiles warmly.}

Stranger: “Oh, I know. But I know you nonetheless. Dianne may have mentioned me once or twice. ”

{The man offers his hand to shake.}

Stranger: “ I’m Lucci. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

{Jerry just shakes his head and chuckles.}

Jerry: “Ok, but the moment you shoot a passerby, I’m docking your pay.”

Frederick hesitated, then slowly reached forwards to shake the man's hand. 'Lucci?' he said, trying to remember where he'd heard the name before. 'Wait. Aren't you the one who asked Dianne to help us?'

Ivy rolled her eyes. 'Don't worry. Nothing's going to happen.' She pulled the trigger, mumbling a curse when the bullet only struck the outer ring of the target.

Lucci: "Yes. Yes I am. And from what I understand, it was a rough couple of weeks, but you got through it. I wanted to meet you all, see how you're all faring in the aftermath, and to thank you, for stopping that lunatic, where I couldn't step in."

{Jerry just stands and watches Ivy practice.}

Jerry: "So, how life? Find any dates? Hear anything interesting?"

'I see,' said Frederick thoughtfully. 'It /was/ rough, but we all survived - somehow. And life is much better now that we don't have to worry about Sargon for the first time in nearly three hundred years. I should thank you for sending Dianne to join us. It was probably what made the difference between us winning the war and losing it.'

Ivy replied without taking her eyes off the target. 'I've had plenty of dates, but none of them were the /right/ one,' she grumbled. 'By the way, did you hear about Armin? Apparently he left to go look for someone. He wouldn't tell me who it was, though.'

She sounded a little disappointed by this - Ivy hated not knowing things.

{Lucci gives a thoughtful look.}
Lucci: "Yes well, she was already living here, and she was more than capable of stopping him, so it seemed like the logical choice."

{He subsides into silence before continuing.}

Lucci: "So, you're a guard. That's an interesting choice in occupation."

'People keep telling me that,' said Frederick dryly. 'I just wanted something to do, and I couldn't settle for any 'normal' job. I used to work in Sargon's army, so I have skills that might serve me well as a guard or soldier.'

{Jerry tilts his head.}
"Yeah, something about finding a friend I think. I'm sure he'll tell us when he gets back. And if not, well, it is his business."

Lucci: "Yes, but after fighting for so long, I would think you'd want a break from stabbing people. But I guess that sort of thing doesn't just disappear."

'Hmph.' Ivy was silent for a few moments while she aimed and fired another shot, this time hitting closer to the centre of the target. 'Well, I want to know who it is. I'll ask him when he gets back. I didn't even know the bloodsucker /had/ any friends out there.'

'I prefer to stick with what I'm accustomed to,' said Frederick. 'Besides... this has been a very quiet job so far. It's been nice.' Remembering that he was holding a cup of tea, he paused to drink some. 'Didn't you want to see everyone else, too? Some of them aren't here right now. Dianne and Armin are both out of town, and most of the Garvey family have left.'

"He's been around a long time."
Jerry states matter-of-factly.
"He's bound to have made some friends over that time. Honestly, I'm not surprised."

Jerry looks down in thought before continuing.

"Ivy, can I ask you something?"

Ivy lowered her pistol and turned around to look at Jerry, a mixture of curiosity and suspicion on her face. 'Yeah, sure. What is it?'

Lucci: "Oh, I don't want to talk to Jerry's family. They're mostly a$$h.oles. Yes, Armin, I think went to find Rex, if I'm not mistaken. So, I'll be in town for a while waiting for him and Dianne to return."

(Gtg, bbl)

Frederick glanced at Lucci in surprise. 'You know the name of the person my father went to find? He didn't even tell /us/ who he was looking for. How do you know so much?'

(Alrighty, see you later.)

(One more.)

Jerry: “Why do you hate Armin? You always call him derogatory names and fight with him. What’s up with that?”

Lucci: “I see and know a great many things. I am technically a demigod of sorts.”

For a moment, it seemed like Ivy was going to ignore the question. But then she spoke up, her tone low and thoughtful.

'There's two reasons, I suppose. Firstly... he used to work in Sargon's army. He used to /work/ for the guy who freaking wiped out Shacklestone! And even though I /know/ he's on our side, sometimes I think about all the things he's probably done... like murdering innocents... and I kinda hate him for that.'

She fired another bullet, missing the target this time. 'And secondly... I'm pretty sure he just sees me as another stupid, weak human who can't look after myself. He thinks he's better than me just because he's a freakin' vampire with magic powers, and I'm just a /weak human,/ apparently.' She scowled and fired again. 'I'm used to people respecting me, and he doesn't.'

(Whoops, novel post.)

'Really?' said Frederick. 'I'm not sure I like the idea of someone knowing so much about us. It's a little unsettling.'

{Jerry takes a moment to consider what was said.}

Jerry: "...Yeah, I get that...Even I don't know what he's done in all his years. But I do know that he didn't do it willingly. Sargon blackmailed him for centuries. As for the respect, well...you can't force people to respect you, you have to earn it."

{Lucci just shrugs at Fred.}

"Well, the reality is that I know. I can't change what I know. So, I don't really know what I can do for you."

Ivy said nothing as she fired off her last shot and finally turned away from the target, clicking the safety back on her gun. '...Yeah, I guess so,' she said in a low voice. 'Maybe things will change. Maybe if I stop calling him a bloodsucker all the time, then he'll stop treating me like some useless human.' Leaning against the tree, she pulled her phone out of her pocket to check her messages.

'I'll get used to it,' replied Frederick. 'It just came as a surprise.' He drank the last of his tea. 'So, where are you staying while you wait for Dianne and Armin to get back?'

Lucci: “The park. I don’t need to eat or sleep, so I’ll just wander around until they show up.”

Jerry: “Yeah, maybe so. Well, does he treat me like a helpless human?”

'Alright,' said Frederick, nodding in agreement. 'I'm sure they'll be back soon.'

Ivy scrolled through a list of messages, frowning slightly. 'No,' she said. 'But why would he? You're much more capable than I am.'

{Lucci shifts his stance and puts his hands in his pockets.}
Lucci: “Yup. Well, I’ll let you get back to your duties. I’m off to to speak with Ivy and Jerry. If you want to ask me anything, I’ll be around.”

Jerry: “Is that why? Or did I earn it? I’m probably the only human he’s ever seen not run away screaming from that sort of situation. And I don’t insult him every waking moment.”

Frederick nodded. 'I'll probably see you again sometime.' Taking his empty teacup, he wandered back inside the palace to get back to work.

Ivy was silent for a moment, staring at her phone screen, lost in thought. 'Mhm... yeah, I see what you mean,' she said at last, seeming unwilling to discuss the subject any further. 'Anyway, what are you doing out here? Did you come out here looking for me, or were you going somewhere?'

Lucci: “I’m certain we will. Have a good day, Frederick.”

{With that, Lucci walks away and disappears into the crowd.}

{Jerry smirks, sipping his coffee.}
“I just decided to pass by on your day off, see how you’re doing.”

Ivy smirked, glancing up from her phone momentarily. 'Aww, that's nice of you.'

----

Meanwhile, at the city outskirts, a familiar hawk swooped down to glide over the rooftops of some low buildings. Following behind him was a scrawny-looking black raven.

//This is the place,// said Armin. //Sovereign City.//

The raven didn't answer, but quickened its pace to keep up with him, seeming a little uneasy.

{As Armin and the raven reached the outskirts, Lucci looks up and smiles.}
Lucci: “Ah, right on time.”
{He then rounds the corner on Jerry and Ivy.}
Lucci: “Mr. Garvey, Miss Ivy. Hi, my name is Lucci. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”
{Jerry looks up, recognizing Lucci, and looking at him with surprise.}

'Who?' said Ivy suspiciously, clearly not remembering who Lucci was. 'And how do you know who I am?'

Lucci: “Mr. Garvey can tell you.”

Jerry: “Um, this man approached me half a year before Sargon attacked, and gave me Dianne’s locket. He’s her boss, for lack of a better word, and the one responsible for bringing her to our side. “

'Oh.' Ivy eyed Lucci curiously, seeming a little surprised by how normal and human he looked. 'Well, thanks for helping us, I guess,' she said to him. 'Why are you here? Are you looking for someone? Or did you just want to see if we're all still alive?'

While Lucci, Jerry and Ivy were talking, Armin flew down in hawk form and landed silently on a roof about fifty feet away. He didn't say anything, but just watched and listened. //Lucci? Really? Hmm, he doesn't look how I'd have expected him to look.//

The raven didn't land, but instead circled high above Armin, surveying the view of the huge city.

Lucci: "Oh, I just wanted to make sure everyone's doing okay, get a chance to speak with you all, and thank you personally for your bravery. I intend to talk to each of you. Speaking of which..."

{Lucci then turns towards Armin and cups his hands around his mouth.}

Lucci: "Hey, Armin! What're you doing over there!? Come on over, say hello!"

Armin looked at him for a moment, then leapt off the roof and flew down to land on the street with everyone else, shifting back to human form. 'No need to shout,' he said lightly. 'I could hear everything you were saying anyway. You're Lucci, right?'

The raven shuffled to the edge of the roof, peering down. After a few seconds' hesitation, he glided over to land behind Armin, shifting into a black-haired man with a mustache and a dark-blue trench coat. He said nothing, but just stood there and watched uncertainly. Ivy's gaze immediately went to him, her expression curious and suspicious.

Sat on a wall, a vaguely familiar dark-furred cat with a white bowtie looks on, deep purple eyes narrowed. When everything had gone down, Mortikai denied any involvement in order to keep his newfound family safe, to which his spectral master had oddly been quiet about. In the time that had passed, he had only just proved that now that he was aware of Ango and Emelia, he would do everything he could to help and provide for them to make up for all that lost time.
Of course, that didn't mean he hadn't been continuing to follow under Dark Brink, who remained quiet apart from giving odd orders. For the most part, he had been allowed to roam around on his own without a heavy weight draped across his shoulders for once.
But now, he watches curiously. He knew these people, at least in passing, and wonders why they had gathered up again. All the danger had passed, after all.

{Lucci smiles, looking the two over.}
Lucci: “Yes. It’s good to finally meet you, Armin.”

{Behind him, Jerry motions a greeting to Armin, but says nothing, not wanting to interrupt.}

Lucci: “So, are you going to introduce us to your friend?”

While Lucci had been talking, Ivy caught sight of a familiar figure sitting not too far away. //Is that... Mortikai? The guy who works for Brink?// Narrowing her eyes thoughtfully, she watched him, wondering why he was here. She somehow doubted that he was here to cause trouble; he didn't look like he'd come prepared for a fight. //I wonder what Dark Brink thinks of Sargon being dead,// she mused.

Armin's gaze flickered towards Jerry for a moment, and he gave a small nod of greeting before turning back to Lucci. 'It's nice to meet you too. I know you're the one responsible for getting Dianne on our side, so thanks for that.' He glanced over his shoulder at the black-haired man, who seemed reluctant to come any closer.

'...And that's Rex, an old friend of mine from when we were in Sargon's army together. He ran away before the attack on Shacklestone happened. I wasn't sure if he was still alive, so I had to go looking for him.'

Lucci: “You’re welcome. Yes, Rex, I think he’s the only one of Sargon’s that ran and survived.”

{He then turns to Rex and offers out his hand.}

“Nice to meet you, Rex. I’m sure you, most of all, is happy to hear that Sargon and his entire regime is gone.”

Rex hesitated, then shook Lucci's offered hand. 'I am. It's certainly not something I ever expected to happen...'

'He didn't believe me when I told him Sargon was gone,' said Armin dryly. 'That's why I brought him back here, to see for himself.'

Rex then looked over at the rest of the group. 'And you two must be... Ivy and Jeremiah?'

{Lucci steps aside to let Jerry and Ivy greet Rex.}

Jerry: “Hi, I’m Jeremiah Garvey. Any friends of Armin are friends of mine.”

{Jerry steps forward and offers his hand.}

'Rex Walter,' Rex introduced himself, shaking Jerry's hand. 'So you're part of the group who're responsible for taking down Sargon?'

'Yep!' said Ivy, before Jerry could speak. She was grinning smugly. 'We beat him.'

'Then I want to thank you. You've made the world a better place. I don't want to imagine how terrible things would be if that monster had succeeded in taking over the country...' Rex trailed off uneasily.

Lucci: “Oh, it would have been bad.”

{Lucci says while nodding.}

“Widespread suffering. Wars, famine, insurrection, all kinds of bad stuff.”

Jerry: “Yeah, well, we couldn’t just let him have his way. So, we stopped him.”

"Just because one person with a evil plan and a cult following is gone, it doesn't mean that we'll be safe forever."

Mortikai grins as he steps over, having shifted back into his human form after quietly stalking up to the group. Strangely, he's not wearing his usual identifying tophat or coat, the sleeves of his black shirt rolled up to his elbows.

"I won't deny that the world is better off without Sargon in it, but if something like this were to happen again, would you fight it?"

Jerry: "Oh, hey, Mortikai, I didn't see you there."
{Lucci turns to look at Mortikai. He's smiling, but there's a slight look of concern in his eye.}
Lucci: "Ah, Mr. Ondor. I wasn't sure if you'd be joining us today. To answer your question, yes, we would fight. While it is true that peace and safety don't last, it's up to us to keep things balanced."

Ivy peered at Mortikai with a hint of suspicion, running her gaze over his slightly changed appearance. 'Why are you even asking that? Of course we'd fight if something else happened. I'm not going to let some other evil thing take over this country after we nearly all died saving it from Sargon!'

Armin was leaning close to Rex, explaining who Mortikai was in a low voice.

"Peacekeepers, eh? I have to say, it's admirable. I wasn't involved, but I saw what you all did one way or another. You did quite a good job. I'm just curious, you never know when something else is going to happen."

His gaze turns to Lucci, his grin curling a little as he offers a hand for the other to shake.

"I see my fame proceeds me. I don't believe we've been formally introduced?"

Lucci: “No, we haven’t. I’m Lucci. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

{Lucci shakes Morty’s hand firmly.}

Lucci: “I don’t know you from your fame. I’m aware of everyone who was involved. You, Ango, Emelia, Ruscar, Lila and Nate, Forrest, Ryker, everyone.

'Hey! If you know so much, then why didn't you help us yourself?' Ivy asked Lucci, not caring that she was interrupting a conversation. 'You could've given us advice, and told us what the bad guys were up to, and everything!'

{Lucci chuckles as he turns to Ivy.}

Lucci: "If I did that, I would be overstepping my bounds. Given the fact that I'm technically a divine, I'm not supposed to interfere with your lives too much. I have to do the best I can through indirect means."

'That just sounds like a bad excuse,' Ivy muttered under her breath, falling silent afterwards.

Armin and Rex seemed to have disengaged themselves from the conversation and were talking quietly between themselves.

He rolls his shoulders in order to stop the slight shiver down his spine, though he wasn't sure why it had happened. Perhaps it's the fact that he hasn't truly met anyone who could rival Dark Brink in their higher power authority.

"I see. You wouldn't happen to be acquainted with my master, would you, if you know who he's tied to? He's rather the opposite to divine, near enough occult really, but he can interfere as much as he sees fit. I suppose different rules apply for good and evil."

{Lucci eyes Mortikai, seeming concerned.}

Lucci: "Oh, I'm quite familiar with the Brinks. However, they have...a different title from me...You see, from what I understand, they can interfere because they're balance keepers between he dark and the light. Human interaction is in their job description. I, however, am the chief guardian of a different dimension entirely. Although, as of late, I think your master is beginning to overstep /his/ bounds a bit, given the state of the Stag and his sister."

{He then turns to Ivy.}

Lucci: "Ivy, I don't make excuses. That is the state of things."

(Hey guys, I can't really load this room on my DS anymore (too many comments), so we'll pause this for now, and I'll upload a new room on Saturday to continue this scene.)

(Ok)