Closed A Second Meeting[Halin'a; Cynnya]

[Halin'a]

4 Winter, 513AV

Halin'a looked around, searching the crowd for the Kelvic he'd met the night before, Cynnya. He'd come to the Seafaring Harlet, as agreed; unfortunately, she hadn't specified a time. Still, going off of how ocelots were nocturnal creatures, Halin'a had taken a chance, waiting until after Syna had left the sky to make way for Leth's ascent before heading towards the tavern.

The Seafaring Harlet was a smaller tavern, but it did decent business; the food was edible, if not exactly gourmet, and the water was clean. There were always one or two people there, either sitting at a table or by the hearth. Halin'a was currently standing outside the tavern, hoping to catch Cynnya when she walked by.

Halin'a glanced up at the the next chime approached, murmuring under his breath, "Leth, please let me not miss her; she seems like an interesting person, and I would like to get to know her."

[Cynnya]

OOC : Sorry this took so long, finally done with finals and I have no responsibilities so it's time to post EVERYWHERE! It wasn't until Cynnya was back in her room at the university, drinking hot tea to ward off the cold she had started to develop, that she realized she had never specified a time to meet Halin'a. She figured that since they both were on that rooftop in the late evening hours, and he liked to be near Leth (the moon, as he had told her last night), she would head to the tavern around the same time. However, tonight she was not going to venture out in her ocelot form, as it was impractical for communicating with humanoid species and she didn't want to end up freezing again. Cynnya wrapped herself in her cloak, reminding herself again that she really needed to get some warmer clothes, and headed out into the winter night, grateful that at least there was no breeze. She made her way to the Seafaring Harlet, enjoying the relative quiet of the streets that faded as she got closer to the tavern. A shipment must have just arrived or an important figure must have docked recently because the streets outside the tavern were crowded with rowdy sailors having a good time. She spotted Halin'a easily, as he was one of the tallest humanoid figures in the crowd, and pushed her way past a group of sailors playing an innocent dice game to get to him. "Hope it's quieter inside," she greeted him with a grin, craning her neck to look up at him. "Come on, it's cold out here." With that brief and, as it could be perceived by some, rude greeting, she ducked into the tavern. The warmth of the fire enveloped her almost immediately and she smiled with pleasure, choosing a table for the two of them close to the hearth. { made by ally of thesintax and rpgd, please leave this credit intact }

[Halin'a]

The Ethaefal grinned and waved when he caught sight of the Kelvic making her way towards him; he laughed when she immediately headed inside. Her opening comment was blunt, but Halin'a didn't mind. It was indeed quieter inside-- but only just. He followed Cynnya to the table near the hearth, holding a chair out for her from force of habit before getting into his own chair.

He ordered a simple meal, and waited while Cynnya ordered as well before smiling at the Kelvic. "So, I find myself curious about you as well. How about a bit of quid pro quo-- I answer a question from you, you answer a question from me?"

[Eldritch]

Before Cynnya would get a chance to answer the door to the establishment would open rather abruptly and with a loud bang. From outside three figures would step inside, the lead man wore the robes and cap of a University Professor and the two that flanked him bore the azure uniforms of the Wave Guards. The Professor, a hawk nosed individual with piercing blue eyes searched around, his eyes falling upon Cynnya and Halin'a.

A hush fell over the tavern, most everyone fixing their eyes upon the trio and the bartender watched the situation warily. It was not every night one saw such a thing, in fact it was highly unusual to be seen in this particular establishment. The Guards looked nervous but followed the Professor dutifully as he walked inside.

The man would stride confidently up the pair, the Wave Guards having their hands on their weapons. He would look down his nose at the pair, Cynnya in particular. He wasn't quite sneering but he obviously regarded the pair as being beneath him in almost everyway imaginable. The Guards stayed close at hand, eying both warily.

"Are you the student known as Cynnya?" The man would question imperiously.

If she responded in the positive he would turn slightly and nod imperceptibly to the Guards, who would glance almost apologetically at the woman and move to grip her shoulders. The professor would glare at her companion, as if daring him to intervene before regarding the girl again. His tone was as severe as it got.

"Your presence is demanded by Professor Ignatius Stonemiller, Head of the College of Djed. You are to come quietly." He said simply, leering down at her.

OOCSo, as per request by Cynnya I've decided to spice things up a little bit! Cynnya your post is next and then Halin'a can respond in kind. Lets have some fun with this!

[Cynnya]

Cynnya smiled a small smile at Halin'a's polite behavior; she had never had anyone pull out a chair for her before. She was about to order just an ale and answer Halin'a's suggestion affirmatively when her attention was drawn away by the loud bang of the door. Her sharp eyes flew to the new occupants of the tavern and she glanced back at Halin'a to see if he recognized the crew of tall and silent men who had just made quite an entrance. Her smile had vanished and she recognized the robes as those of a professor at the university, but which one she could not be sure. She certainly hadn't had a class with him and he didn't look familiar. Suddenly the trio was heading purposefully in their direction and she sat up tall and proud, staring at the professor with piercing eyes. It took every ounce of willpower for her to stay seated instead of running for the door, but she had done nothing wrong and could see no reason why she should fear this man and his lackeys. When he asked if she was, well, herself, she kept surprise from showing on her face just barely and raised her chin almost defiantly. "I am, who is asking?" she said, her tone just slightly icy. Her expression went from neutral to annoyed in a flash as the two guard grabbed her shoulders. "Get your paws off of me!" she hissed, trying to slip from their grasp. Her thin shoulders and small build made for a small target for them to grip. The confrontational tone of the professor made her even more agitated as he told her that some Ignatius guy 'demanded' her presence. Adrenaline rushed through her system and she was definitely ready to go into fight or flight mode, although Halin'a's presence and the firm grip of the guards made it difficult for her to do much more than squirm in her chair. "I don't know this Professor Ignatius and I certainly have no interest in meeting him especially if he doesn't have the common decency to come and meet me himself," she spat at the hook-nosed man, every muscle in her body tense with agitation. "You have no right to take me anywhere by force and I will not go anywhere quietly with you." Sure, he wore the robes of a professor but he was rude and she didn't trust him. If some professor from the College of Djed wanted to meet with her, there should have been some form of paper invitation, not a show of force by some other professor and his two brutes. { made by ally of thesintax and rpgd, please leave this credit intact }

[Halin'a]

Halin'a stiffened as the three men came into the tavern-- he didn't like the way they looked. When they grabbed Cynnya, Halin'a found himself leaping to his feet, reaching out to lay a hand on one of the men's shoulders. "Easy," he said calmly, looking all three men and Cynnya in the eye. "We will come; we don't want trouble." He stressed the last part, looking at Cynnya and begging her to play along-- he may be new to Zeltiva, but even he knew that this wasn't how things were normally done. In his opinion, the smart thing to do would be to go along with it until they knew what was going on, and then they could plan how to escape, if that was necessary.

He looked to the man in the professor's robes-- he was obviously the one in charge here. "Why does this Professor Ignatius demand Cynnya's presence?" he asked, never dropping his eyes from the other's. "Why does he not simply request it? It seems that that would be the more... diplomatic option."

[Eldritch]

The Guards stepped back a little at Cynnya's response but a quick glare from the Professor was all it took to get them to straighten up. Some of the people in the establishment looked like they were willing to get up and assist the young girl, indeed, the owner was quick to walk up and glare at the professor. Again the Wave Guards looked a bit nervous but they held their ground and firmly gripped the girl's shoulder.

"What the petch is all this about? You lot had better have some official reason for harassing my customers, otherwise I'm tossing you out University business or no!" He bellowed, crossing his arms over his chest confrontationally.

The Professor looked rather annoyed by the man's intervention but produced a rather official looking document from the fold of his robes and handed it to the owner. The man scowled as he looked over the parchment, examining it closely. His eyebrows rose considerably and he seemed to lose a bit of color in his face as he mouthed what looked like the word 'Asylum'. He glanced at Cynnya and her companion suspiciously before handing the document back to the Professor with a sigh.

"I would have preferred to have been informed beforehand of this arrest." He commented, obviously not pleased.

"We had no idea she would be here until recently, so that just your bad luck. Now back off, this is University business." The Professor said, his words terse.

The owner shook his head, turning back to the rest of the patrons and moving to calm them down. The professor placed the same document down on the table, making certain Cynnya had a good view of it. It read in simple common:

The Student known as Cynnya is to be brought in for questioning under the authority of Professor Ignatius Stonemiller and the Board of Regents. She is believed to have been connected to a recent incident at the Scholar's Asylum, so use of force is authorized if she resists. Professor Stonemiller will oversee the interrogation and investigation with the assistance of Miss Loris.

Beneath it was the official seal of the Board of Regents, the leaders of the University and one of the main governing bodies in the city. The professor's lip curled and he cocked his head to one side as he regarded the Kelvic.

"Now, you have one more chance to come quietly. I'd listen to your friend if I were you, girl, otherwise we will use force. The University does not suffer sabotage lightly." He practically sneered.

He turned his attention to Halin'a, his expression turning less outright angry and more stern.

"This is a University investigation. This woman is believed to be connected to a rather serious incident at the Scholar's Asylum that is why her presence is demanded. You are not required to come. Unless you intend to vouch for her?" He said, raising an eyebrow expectantly.

[Cynnya]

While Cynnya was grateful for Halin'a trying to defuse the situation, she was not in fact grateful for his admitting that she would come easily. She gave him a quick glare but then returned the full frontal of her staring assault to the professor, waiting his response to Halin'a's question that he had asked in a more polite way than what she had been thinking. She was slightly less annoyed as the owner of the tavern stepped forward to assist, thankful that they had someone with some authority here on their side. However, the slight feeling of relief she had when he came to her defense faded as the professor produced a paper that caused the owner to blanch. When he handed it back, her mouth practically dropped open and she narrowed her eyebrows once more. "Arrest?!" she exclaimed, grabbing at the piece of paper before he even had a chance to place it all the way down on the table. She read it thoroughly and slowly, not quite up to the reading speed of some of the other scholars at the university, but she made it through the document without stalling. When she was finished, she slowly raised her eyes to meet the professor's, practically shaking with anger. "Sabotage? What are you even talking about? I haven't been within 50 feet of the Asylum, much less committed any form of sabotage," she said, her voice low and terse. If this supposed incident caused her to lose her job as a scribe or, much worse, get kicked out of the university, someone was going to have to pay. This was quite obviously a setup of some kind and her thoughts turned to her mage roommate before she quickly dismissed that idea. Cynnya looked over at Halin'a, hoping that he didn't think she actually had done anything like what they were accusing her of. He didn't know her that well and this could ruin any chance they had at cementing any sort of friendship. After another moment, she stood up, turning an icy stare to the guards. "I will go with you," she said in a level voice, traces of anger gone from her voice and replaced with confidence. "But I do not wish to be led away like some common criminal. I will cooperate if only to prove my innocence in this matter." She looked back at Halin'a briefly. "You don't have to come, it's alright. I can take care of myself." { made by ally of thesintax and rpgd, please leave this credit intact }

[Halin'a]

Halin'a had not heard of any sabotage, but something seemed... off here, No way was he letting Cynnya face it alone, even if he didn't know her that well."I will come," he said firmly. "I cannot bring myself to believe that this woman has done what you are accusing her of." He offered Cynnya a hopefully-reassuring smile; he may not know her very well, but he had always been a fairly good judge of character. he just hoped that this time wouldn't be one of the ones where he was mistaken.

He offered the owner of the establishment a smile, wordlessly apologizing for the disruption. Then he turned back to the Men and Kelvic, lifting one eyebrow. "Well, shall we be on our way?" he asked, crossing his arms and standing tall; he knew what an imposing figure he could make, due to his height and horns. It was a tactic he didn't often use.

[Eldritch]

The man seemed pleased with himself and jerked his head towards the door, turning and walking towards it himself. The two Wave Guards would bring up the rear, watching Cynnya carefully with their hands on the hilts of their swords. Clearly they were taking no chances here and considered the girl to at least pose some threat. Halin'a was regarded much the same way, but it was more with awe that he was regarded. It wasn't everyday one met one of the fallen children of the gods.

They would proceed through the moonlit streets of Zeltiva, moving towards University grounds with caution. When they arrived on the grounds proper they would notice there was indeed some commotion, a number of individuals hurrying in the general direction of the Scholar's Asylum. The Professor also headed in that direction, leading the pair towards the dreaded building.

There was a small crowd gathered around the main entrance but they made way for the Professor and his charges. The pair of followers would likely note the double doors leading inside of the Asylum had been clear blasted off of their hinges, scorch marks visible on the ground. Something or someone had obviously been trying to get out, and was not of a mind to care for collateral damage.

Inside the normally sterile and artificial air of the Asylum would smell as though something had been burning recently. More scorch marks were visible along the walls and as they mounted the stairs to go to the second floor shards of what looked like rock were scattered here or there. The Professor wouldn't speak to the pair, neither would the Wave Guard any questions they might have were left to ruminate in their own minds.

The procession came to a halt in front of a door near the end of a long hallway, strange symbols etched onto its surface. The Professor drew a key out from the folds of his robes, this one possessing the same symbols and carefully slid the key in the lock. He was notably cautious not to touch any of the symbols on the doors, only unlocking it and placing hands on the handle to open it.

He turned to glare at Cynnya, gesturing inwards to the room beyond.

"Get in. The Professor and Miss Loris will be along momentarily to begin the interrogation. For your sake you better have some good answers, girl. A lot of people got hurt today." He said.

The room within was sterile and white, the tiles smooth and clean to a spotless degree. A large table dominated the center of the room, chairs arrayed around it. As the two would enter the door would be shut behind them, the sound of a lock being driven home audible. The same markings as before adorned the inside of the door. The pair were now left to ruminate to their own devices until Professor Stonemiller and this 'Miss Loris' arrived.

OOCOkay, so you two should do about say... two rounds each. Since the interrogation crew will be a Bell or two you guys can do as you wish for that time. Talk, try to find a way out, investigate the markings on the door, ect. After those two rounds of replies I'll jump on back in and get the ball rolling.