Capels Go!

ToV Next Gen AU RP Blog | sideblog to talesofepeolatry | written by Samee | Aria, Donnivan, and Meg Capel

[nextgenerationvesperia]

Caleb and Meg

[nextgenerationvesperia]

Caleb fell for another Capel

[capelclan]

bravingpathstogether:

The parrot bit earned him a chuckle from Ren. “S’long as you keep the crackers comin’.”

Don still had plenty of energy. So did Meg, but hers seemed more from purpose. Ren thought she looked a bit tired, now that the adrenaline faded and they all were free to think. Meg practically froze back in the fight earlier–no surprise, given how badly Aria was injured–but it felt as though there’d been something more than concern swimming in her eyes. Ren wondered if Caleb noticed.

–and Caleb would have, if he hadn’t been busy with Aria, who was getting warmer and warmer by the minute. When it came to others it was easy for him to pick up on the details. Priorities were the equivalent to blinders, though, which was apparently true for Meg as well. She led them all at a quick and steady pace that they reached Nordopolica in practically no time at all.

After Meg announced her plans and bantered with Don–just like that–she left, unfazed by the glare her brother was piercing through her back. A corner of Ren’s lips lifted a little.

To answer Don’s question, she said. “Simply put, because she knows how to use it.” She then glanced at her brother. “Leave Alex and the Walking Encyclopedia to me.”

Had he the energy, Caleb would have told her to just call the guy ‘Ed.’ “I’ll be hurrying on over to the inn, then.“ Hoisting Aria up–gently–he nodded at Ren and took a couple of steps towards the inn when he stopped, looked at Ren, hesitated, then looked at her again with more conviction.

“Oh, and… Ren?”

She raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

“Find a doctor for me.”

Well, that’s new. Caleb placed great faith in his healing spells, possibly more than his sword skills, and relied only on Estelle and medical books when he needed advice. That look in his eyes… Ren didn’t like it. It felt like something was wrong.

“Gotcha.” She spun on her heels. She stared at Don, ruffled his hair, then turned him around by the head with a laugh. “Come with. Three people’ll be tough on my own.”

    At her rebuttal, Don paused. “…. ain’t got crackers…” he muttered, then smiled. Wait- she was joking…. With a laugh, he punched her roughly in the shoulder. “Ah, right! Got it!” He had a little hop to his step as he continued walking. It was almost admirable, how very little he seemed to be worried. Of course he was absolutely concerned about Aria- she was injured and now feverish. But it was nothing they couldn’t handle! Hell, they’d been through worse and always come out for the better! The gang needed to lighten up…

    Aria didn’t go down. It was that simple. She was fine.

    And as his seemingly arrogant and bratty little sister departed, he glared after her. Seriously, he knew that they had rooms with futons, so double beds were a luxury she was usually too pissy to afford, but she didn’t have to be so mean about it! He half-heartedly glared sidelong at Ren. “I know how t’use money.” He held out his hand as if dropping something. “See somethin’ y’want, give the money, get the thing. Simple. Yeesh, all y’all make it sound like it’s hard ‘r somethin’….”

    …. and this was why he didn’t control the coin purse, and Meg kept it on such tight strings.

    And while Don would have volleyed to join Caleb in the hotel, he paused at Ren’s call, the ruffle to his hair. Oh, with her? He smiled. “Sure thing. I got eagle eyes, y’know. I can find ‘em.” He shrugged. “‘sides, not like Ed and Alex don’t stick out everywhere they go. White hair ’n uppity glasses ain’t common neither way.” With a grin, Don got to walking- not calculated or knowingly, but with all the confidence that went with it. Honestly, he was just going to go street by street and hope they came across something…

    “Think maybe one’a the vendors’ll know where a doc is?” With a slightly quieter tone, he leaned in to Ren and said in an almost comically loud whisper, “Not that I think we need one. Aria’ll get over it, eh?” Fevers were, after all, pretty common in the family. Dad’d always had a propensity for them, and Aria took after him in a lot of ways. From what Don knew and what Dad’d always said, pump her full of water and she’d be a-okay by morning… Why expend funds on a doctor? And wouldn’t Meg be pissy about it? Like she needed one more thing…

    “'Sides, we got Caleb. Why worry?” The amount of faith he had in all of them was nothing if not endearing… and perhaps a bit impractical.

    Meanwhile, the smallest Capel’s heart pounded as she slipped through the crowd. Fleet of foot and lithe of form, it was fairly easy for her to navigate much of anywhere she wanted; though, it was significantly more difficult to get merchants to take her seriously. The balking and laughter at her form, her age, and the authority she seemed to hold herself were always so infuriating, as was the way they would dissolve into putty the second she showed her affiliation with Fortune’s Market. Deplorable... Honestly, she knew the market price, and would not pay a single gald higher ( and frankly, she swindled a few of them with a fine for mistreating her… ).

    A doctor. What they probably needed was a doctor. Caleb’s interventions weren’t typically followed by inflammation or infection, and his reaction had been nothing short of surprise. Meaning he wasn’t anticipating this. Meaning it wasn’t normal. Meaning…. she had every reason to be more concerned that average. Not to mention…

    Her stomach turned at the memory, of the way Aria had gone down, the bleeding- Ducking into a side alley, Meg pressed her back into the wall, heaving a deep breath as she slid to a crouching position. Don’t think about it, don’t think about it- don’t think about how uselessly she let that happen, about the way Don’s eyes accurately accused her, about how leaden and pitiable that blade had felt half-hearted in her grasp, about the blood, the pounding of horror in her veins…

    “… pathetic….”

    And she was only continuing the trend by shivering in the hidden stretch, chilled despite the heat and bustle of the area. She needed to get ahold of herself, to do what she was good at: get supplies, get to the others, disperse those supplies, wait for the next time she was needed. She was…. well, never much good for anything else…. never…

    With a slap to her cheeks that left them red, Meg stood. She was wasting time, effort. Get the hell over her hurt pride and move on- whether they needed her in the grand scheme or not, they needed her now, if only for the bag she carried. That was fine. At least she knew. There was a misplaced fury in her eyes as she skulked out of the alleyway, shoulder-checking ( what was more like hip checking ) a few passers-by in her haste. She’d gathered a few life bottles, some gels, a few more ingredients to at least muddle together some semblance of something edible that Edmund could whip up…. some bandages, some herbs, anything medicinal….

    She’d check in at the hotel. Surely Caleb had taken Aria there straight away- he would know whether or not to dispatch her for a doctor. She honestly was just hoping he had some margin of confidence more than her. Nothing against him, but……… could he handle this…? He’d seemed so perplexed, and that in itself worried her in a great many ways.

    Not to diminish him, but now wasn’t the time she had the energy to be worried about his confidence when Aria’s well being was at stake. She hurried up the steps to the inn, inquiring at the desk about rooms. They always put the rooms under Lowell- it was just easier that way ( a name people could recognize if they were looking for it, but otherwise inconspicuous, universal to each of them ). The rooms were ordered and paid for, occupants arrived. She hoisted the bag of goods a bit on her shoulder, then trekked along. At the door with the beds instructed for the girls, she rapped her knuckles. 

        “Coming in…"

[capelclan]

edmundebner:

“Oh, aer is vital to Terca Lumireis, however at the same time puts it at risk. There’d been an incident once where the Entelexeia Gusios absorbed far too much aer and almost became an Adephagos. Since his kind are the only beings capable of regulating such raw energy, they’ve taken it upon themselves to do so. That’s why, given there are very few Entelexeia left, it’s never a good idea to stimulate aer more than necessary.”

Two known Entelexeia left, to be exact. Ba’ul, the creature that freely roamed the sky, and Krones, who swallowed an entire Krityan city. Oh, what he would give to be able to visit someday. The knowledge an ancient race could reveal. Perhaps they would be able to shed more light on the secrets of the Rizomata formula. Of course, Rita Mordio had most of it figured out studying the princess, but one could never be too careful.

He was surprised to find a living formula like Caleb, truth be told–a human who could directly manipulate aer without much thought. There had been traces of his formula being tampered with–likely the work of Rita Mordio herself. No surprise there. She and Princess Estellise were known to be close friends, of course she’d keep a close eye on her children, as well. When he checked, he found that Rita even tampered with Renilda’s formula. Less grand than Caleb’s by a large margin, but still potentially dangerous.

Careful and precise, as expected of his mentor!

Hearing the question, Edmund’s eyes practically lit up! He set his notebook rather forcefully on his lap. “Very similar! In fact, mana is actually condensed aer–a substance closer to matter more than anything else, and is therefore more stable. However, it makes handling it rather difficult. This is why spirits are essential as they are able to manipulate mana directly–they’re basically evolved forms of Entelexeia, handling an evolved version of aer.”

Edmund smiled. It was different from the condescending smirks he showed Renilda and Donnivan, far from the timid smiles Alex and Caleb tended to squeeze out of him, and from the nonexistent ones he showed Gilbert, Meg and Leticia. It was a smile oozing freedom–passion–it crinkled his eyes and pushed up his cheeks akin to how a child would, it was a smile that said he was having fun. 

“But that also means there will be evolved versions of artes! Aria, do you understand what this means?!” he leaned closer to her as if punctuating his question. “If Rita Mordio and I succeed in our research, we can perhaps introduce summoning to the world!”

Of course, they were still stuck in mere theory, but if something like that deterred him, then he’d kiss his breakthrough goodbye.

    Aria’s eyes widened, a hand lifting to her lips as she gasped, “B-became? Entelexeia can b-become one of those?” What a horrific concept! All that she had heard of Entelexeia had always been mixed- between the beast that felled an entire Imperial fleet and the docile Belius who had reigned as Duce, it seemed that there were so many extraneous details that determined friend or foe. The common denominator, though, was simple: aer. Dad had told her of what had come to happen to Belius, to many of the Entelexeia of old who had not become spirits, and those who had. Given how few remained… it was definitely obvious to see the concern, to understand how important discretion could be.

    And it made her wonder… Caleb- wasn’t he supposed to be like the Princess? No wonder he was so careful, she thought. Had he been warned? Oh, likely extensively, she imagined. And even that would make sense as to why Edmund seemed to keep such a sharp eye on him. The past was something to be learned from, and from her understanding, her aunt Estelle and aunt Rita had learned a great deal about this sort of situation well before their group had come along. Hmm…. perhaps she would ask Caleb about his abilities, too… the more she could learn, the more she could actually discuss. She was sure Edmund would appreciate that just as well.

    His smile inspired her own, a delicate twist of her lips as she watched him practically inflate with excitement. It was so unusual, a foreign expression that would have caught her off guard were she not so please that it was there ( that she had inspired it! He smiled for her! ) Her hand tightened a bit where she had returned to having them folded at her front, chest tightening. He was so happy…

    No way would she lose that now. So plain and uninspiring, and yet she of all people was able to evoke this in him? She couldn’t lose the momentum.

    “S-so where we had before major inst-stability with a-aer and Ent-tel-tele-” Damn it, that word- the frustration flashed for just a moment before she cleared her throat and continued, “…. s-spirits don’t experience the s-same issues, right?” And when he leaned in, she did not budge, instead just continuing to spur him on. “S-Summoning? Like- c-cooperating with spirits? Would it b-be like, a contract? Or more like b-blastia from before?"

[nextgenerationvesperia]

Caleb fell for another Capel

[nextgenerationvesperia]

The Postponed Wedding

[nextgenerationvesperia]

Cleansing

[xchiisai]

君に会えて嬉しかった。

I’m glad we were able to meet. (via melphisxisylvia)

[capelclan]

edmundebner:

Edmund managed to compose himself just in time for Aria to gather his things and hand them to him, to which he nodded graciously at. He wasn’t particularly bothered—just surprised, so his features showed no hint of a glare as he was normally wont to do. He couldn’t bring himself to glare seriously at her anyway, for some inexplicable reason. It most certainly begged the question ‘why.’

And when she smiled, he couldn’t help the lump forming at his throat. Attempting to clear it a couple of times barely helped, but he managed to wipe his sweaty palms on his clothes before taking his gathered things off her hands. That was… something, at least.

Cerulean eyes followed the movement of her hand as it curled around the device (fortunately handled with care) and settled eventually on chestnut ones, laced with a certain wonder that almost rivaled his own. It was… refreshing to see, rather than locking gazes with eyes that only expected results. With eyes that crushed you with their disappointment when you had none.

“Aer is essential when giving rise to an Adephagos—even the slightest use of it is unacceptable—thus the monitoring.” Edmund flipped through the pages of his notebook and stopped at the most recent page. “It’s a precautionary measure, to avoid accidentally creating technology that utilizes aer.”

They attempted to crystallize mana once. Thankfully with this device they realized they had crystallized aer, instead. “There hasn’t been much data on mana yet, being a measly twenty years or so, unlike aer which has been utilized since the Geraios civilization. Possibly earlier than that, actually. Most are hoping to find similarities between the two to save time and effort on research.” And they deigned to call themselves researchers. Edmund yearned for the unknown, to experience starting from scratch and going further and further from there. He still had much to learn compared to his mentor.

   Aria was captivated. Perhaps she didn’t entirely understand what Edmund was lecturing about ( and yes, Edmund, you were approaching lecturing here ), but that didn’t make her any less curious about the subject. The Adephagos... Dad had told her about that- a great monster that spread over the very furthest stretches of the sky; he’d said that there was no where you could be that you would not have seen it. Something so vast was incomprehensible. And something like that could reappear? Dad had made it sound like they had quelled that evil forever, yet here Edmund asserted it was still a danger. She felt a shiver up her spine at the thought- they worked to hard to rid the world of it before... To do it again... that’d be nothing short of a miracle. But it seemed much easier to just take preventative action, which Edmund was contributing to.

    He really was amazing, wasn’t he?

    She smiled, holding it up and looking at it again. “I had n-no idea aer was th-that bad.” she said wistfully. She’d heard stories about blastia and the technology of the past; it had all sounded so incredible. Artes were so much harder now; possible, but difficult to summon the mana for. But the way he talked- twenty years, measly? That was nearly Aria’s entire life. But she supposed for science... what a marvelous world he must see- all of those who were so intelligent. 

    And it was satisfying to see someone so enthused about it! Dad had always said that passion was beautiful, and Aria had never understood. He’d talked about Tessa, her interest in wildlife and her odd love of all things feline; he’d told her that he could listen to her talk about it for hours. Listening to Edmund, she wondered if that was how he’d felt- aer, blastia, mana, Geraios or whatever- none of it really made her thrill. But Edmund was so excited...

    So when he stopped talking, she cant her head to the side, fitting herself with the most curious, intrigued look she could muster. “A-Are they that sim-similar? They m-manifest artes in like ways, I gu-ess...” Tell me more...! Maybe one day, she would understand enough to be able to discuss it instead of just listening... Edmund probably didn’t have a lot of people interested in this; the least she could do was be a conduit for discussion.

[capelclan]

bravingpathstogether:

They painted a strange picture, definitely. Two Capels arguing on the front of the pack, the other unconscious and carried by a Lowell, the other Lowell currently the complete opposite of flawless. Had Aria been awake, would she be able to draw something out of it, Caleb wondered.

People have been doing a lot of worrying today. He wasn’t really up for it being directed at him, but Ren had been rather insistent that he use his healing artes sparingly ever since he fainted a few years ago. However, even she wouldn’t think to stop him from using his powers given the urgency of the situation earlier. “No, really, I’m okay,” he smiled reassuringly at Don.

“We all’ve heard that one before,” said Ren with a knowing look.

Caleb sighed. “I don’t think you’re in a position to talk. You kind of look like a mess right now.”

“But I’m an organized mess, so it’s okay.”

“U-huh,” he chuckled, then turned to Don. “I promise I’ll let you know the moment I’m tired, so let me carry her for now.”

While walking, Ren and Caleb locked gazes for a while, hers suspicious, his rather clueless. She knew why he was particularly insistent on it, but if Caleb did, she wasn’t quite sure. All his past glorifications on the topic of ‘love’ sure hadn’t helped him when it came to his own romantic feelings. The guy was clueless. Not that Ren made efforts to point it out or anything, but it made her want to bash her head against the nearest concrete wall sometimes.

“You heard him,” she told Don. “If worse comes to worst I’ll just drag him by the hair or something. No problem.”

Caleb wanted to protest that he wouldn’t let it come to that, but Meg quickened her pace as well as Ren as if following suit, so he did the same. Just a little more until they reach Nordopolica.

Edmund and Alex are gonna flip.

    Don shrugged. If Caleb was sure, he was sure, and Don could always pop in later if he needed the help. He slid his arms behind his head, eyes darting back and forth between the two as they bantered. Eyeing Ren, he said, “Gotta agree with Caleb. You’re kinda messed up. Want me to carry you?” Okay, now someone was just trying to be useful, however possible. He smiled, saying, “Y’could sit on my shoulder- scout ahead! Like a parrot!” ... oh yes, she was definitely going to be thrilled to be compared to a parrot...

    And that suspicion of Ren’s was shared with Meg, who was now purposefully leading the pack. She was thinking, if they asked why she was isolating herself. Which she was- don’t misconstrue, Meg was truly doing the math and attempting to head them off to town so that they could get the correct supplies, quickly, so that they could take care of Aria faster. If she had a fever, it was more than something that just a few gels and some sleep could handle, and she wanted to take into account how much wiggle room they had for true medicinal supplies. 

    But it was more than that. Seeing Aria in the shape she was in, dealing with Don in the him he was in, seeing that sidelong look from Ren and the slightly daft look of the boy who didn’t even know himself... she didn’t want to deal with those idiots right now. Mathematics, numbers, product, and money- simple, concrete things with finite answers and finite solutions that she could solve were much more welcoming in times of stress. As she walked, she plucked a stalk of the tall grass along the path out of the forest, folding it expertly in her gloves. Finite... solutions... clean... breaks... simple.

    Nordopolica was only a little over a half-hour walk from the forest, and they were back at the bustling merchant-quarter before too long. At the entrance of the town, Meg turned on her heel. She didn’t stop as she announced, “I’m going to fill supplies. Find Alex and Ed. I’ll be there in twenty. Here.” She tossed a bag at Ren ( the most likely of the group to catch it ), and within was a sizeable chunk of their change. “Four-hundred. Get two rooms- double beds for the boys, queen and double for the girls. Aria gets queen- not negotiable.”

    Don glared, saying, “Hey, why’d th’ boys get doubles?”

    Meg continued walking, growling, “Because we’re broke and you’re not broken. Shut up and be happy you get a bed.” And with that, she ducked into the crowd. She’d be back soon enough.

    “.... why’d we let little miss ego keep the money...?” the dark-haired Capel muttered sourly.

[bravingpathstogether]

Don always seemed so at home on the battlefield that it felt almost unnatural seeing him somewhere else. He moved with an energy that was contagious, that on a usual day, to go on without smiling was next to impossible for well-inspired Ren.

In any case, the fight ended with two thumbs ups on both their ends. Ren was free to take the gel from Meg’s hands, but not without returning the salute first. She then held the gel in place for a few seconds, seemingly staring at Meg as though wanting to say something, but ultimately decided against it. Her concern would be met with snark anyway, and Ren lacked the maturity to avoid returning the favor. Poking Meg on the forehead felt like much a better way of showing her affection.

“Thanks.”

“Yeah, I’ve got her,” Caleb responded from the back. Ren watched him turn to Aria with an excited smile. “Hear that, Aria? The fight’s over, so we have to… Aria…?”

Panic froze Caleb for a second—she wouldn’t respond—his wide eyes staring down at the figure that gradually lost its balance, his hold on her the only thing that had kept her standing at this point. But the rise and fall of her chest filled him with relief. “Oh,” he said, chuckling. “She’s asleep.”

The sound of approaching footsteps had him looking over his shoulder. Ren had jogged over to where he was, looking every bit the disheveled mess that he expected her to be. She seemed energetic, but the fatigue in her eyes wasn’t something she could ever hide from Caleb. He opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off.

“How is she?”

One arm on Aria’s shoulder, Caleb slid his other hand under her legs and hoisted her up. He met Ren’s gaze. “She should be fine. I closed the wound for now, but… she has a fever.” He said his next words quietly. “Might get worse if we don’t hurry.”

Ren checked Aria’s temperature and nodded. “Okay. We’ll hurry, then.” Ren started walking and Caleb followed suit with Aria. “What about you?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Huh?”

“Are you okay?” Caleb did cast his artes multiple times in a row. It could make a girl worry.

“Oh,” he slipped on his tough guy face. He doubted it helped much. “I’m fine.”

[capelclan]

    Meg was hardly thrilled with being poked on the head, and with a small yelp, she recoiled, hands flying to the assaulted spot as she glared. She wasn’t pouting per say, but that was definitely a pointed look to Ren. Honestly, she wasn’t five... “Yeah, yeah, just get moving.” she muttered, glowering downward now.

    Meanwhile, Don hurried over. So, Ren seemed okay, Caleb seemed okay, and Meg was.. well, she was Meg. Meg didn’t get hurt or anything, so he didn’t really check on her anyway ( Meg noticed ). He hurried toward his other sister, sword strewn over his shoulder. “She sleepin’? How is she?”

    Meg crossed her arms, glaring pointedly away. Looking at Aria seemed like a bad decision ( that sort of injury, even healed, was still definitely not something she wanted to make eyes with. “She’s sleeping, and probably in pain. Leave her alone.”

    Don shrank for a moment, then leveled a glare at Meg. “Like you’re doin’ so much that y’get to boss me around-”

    “Look, I don’t care about your attitude, let’s just go.”

    “Hey-!”

    Meg clearly was in no mood. Without another look, she turned and pointedly stalked away. Back toward town, right? They’d need a room-- no, two rooms; two boys, three girls, that’d be... Meg could sleep on the floor so Aria could have her own bed, so two rooms. Two rooms,a bout 150 gald each give or take quality... could they spare a little more for a better room at least for Aria? Okay make that... probably about 400 gald... how much did they have- they still needed to replenish whatever supplies the others had wantonly used ( or needed, but she’d rather... just think of it as frivolous ). Okay so they were set back a few hundred gald. possibly a thousand or more depending... if she made it ahead of them by some degree she could make sure the room was ready and that they all had some food for when they got there, make sure everything was already dealt with so they didn’t have to worry about it, and-

    “We need to hurry, right? Then shut up and get walking.”

    Don watched her retreat, a hand on his hip. Pouting... just like a little kid. He tut his tongue. Honestly, she was so sensitive about this stuff; he was just being truthful. She didn’t really contribute to the fighting, so she didn’t need to be so bossy. Whatever; she’d get glad in the same pants she got mad in. He turned to Caleb, catching just the tail end of the Lowells’ conversation. “Y’need me t’take ‘er? I don’ mind. Not like I ain’t carried her before.” Aria was light, but tall- didn’t make her the most convenient carry, but Don could just hold her on his back. “Y’did a lotta work back there. I don’ mind helping.”

[edmundebner]

The small, circular device he had assembled in the midst of a flower field set off like an alarm—the quick, rhythmic beeping causing his shoulders to tense up in anticipation. He nodded once before scribbling down on his notepad, looking rather excited when—

“It l-l-looks like one of… of D-Don’s toys.”

“Ya—agh!”

His pen and notebook flew in different directions—a result of his abrupt flailing. He regretted turning around when he did, seeing her face had been even closer than her voice had sounded, and then it was Edmund himself who practically flew (more like jump back—he liked to exaggerate) and landed squarely on his bottom.

“P-Please,” he sputtered, fixing his glasses in an attempt to conceal his blushing face. “I would appreciate even a small bit of warning next time you decide to sneak up on me like that.”

Given that he had the profound bravery of a field mouse, startling Edmund (a challenge most people seemed to think were entertaining, and one he most certainly did not appreciate) was a piece of cake. He straightened himself up in an attempt to salvage what little was left of his dignity.

“And this is hardly a toy.” He gestured to the device on the ground, too self-conscious to act even a tad offended. If only the hammering in his chest would stop. “This device monitors both aer and mana activity with brilliant accuracy. Despite its minuscule size, its range can cover up to a fifty-meter radius.” There was a hint of pride in his tone. It was something Rita Mordio had invented, after all, and one he’d had the honor of assisting with its completion.

[capelclan]

    Aria’s hand flew to her mouth in surprise at the positively volatile reaction she’d obtained from Edmund. Honestly, she had just been interested in discussion- her intention hadn’t been to frighten him! She bowed her head a bit hurriedly saying, “S-sorry! Sorry!” With a small smile, she shrugged her shoulders and continued, “N-never meant to st-tartle you! H-here...”

    She stooped down. She’d not meant to give him such a fright; the least she could do was collect his pen and paper. And she did, holding them out to the boy that had finally regained his footing. She smiled- a peace offering, an attempt to combat what could have been a foul mood in response to her abrupt appearance. 

    But curiosity won again. Her eyes widened, her mouth forming a small o of intrigue as her extended offering listed a bit. Her eyes trailed down to the device. Measuring mana and aer? It definitely sounded like something Aunt Rita would have made. She bent again, freeing one hand to scoop up the delicate device. She was not foolish; it was likely a sensitive and fragile piece of equipment, and she would handle it with no less than absolute reverence. But it looked so.. unassuming...

    “It can re-really do all tha-t-t?” For fifty meters, no less. She quirked a brow, twisting it in her hand as if she would be able to visibly see its capabilities. When she could not, her chestnut eyes lifted again to Edmund. “H-how? And why a-aer anymore?” They operated on mana-technology specifically because of all of the issues aer had caused in the past; shouldn’t they have just continued focusing on mana now....?

[capelclan]

@edmundebner​ || because I gotta see him blush

    He looked so deep in thought that she almost was reluctant to press the matter. But Aria was ‘curious’, as Karol had affectionately dubbed it ( most others just called her nosy or invasive, but it came from an honest and kind place! ). And in her curiosity, she would not be deterred. So she approached the boy, leaning over his shoulder to inspect the device that he was poking it.

    “It l-l-looks like one of... of D-Don’s toys.” she remarked quietly, perhaps a bit closer to him than she strictly should have been. If there was one thing most of the Capels lacked, it was a sense of personal space. ( And of course Meg was the exception to this, as an individual who required massive amounts of personal space. ) By toys, she meant the pieces of mana tech he constantly tampered with. That was likely what this was. She turned her head to look at Edmund, pulling her face back a bit so that she could properly look at him. “Wh-what does it-t do?”

[bravingpathstogether]

“I keep you around to do the fighting. What, do I do your job now?”

Ren had to smirk at that. (Glad to know you like her so much, Meg.) And no, she never meant for you to take out your knife and fight. Perhaps be on standby in case a gel was needed or, hell if Ren got pissed, maybe a limit bottle or two.

It was nice to see some of the old, cranky Capel back. The splash of vexation on her face was hard to ignore, but Ren’d take cranky Meg over terrified Meg any day. “And here I thought Alex was the brightest ball of sunshine around here,” she muttered, slinging her axe over her shoulder. No one could top Alex in the sunshine department. Meg Capel came a close… seventh–eighth, maybe. Put her and Edmund next to each other and the world would cower underneath their glares.

At Meg’s suggestion, Ren laughed flatly.  “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t let me get to that point. We do have gels–” A menacing growl cut her off mid-sentence and pulled the spotlight onto the fenrir. Ren snapped a glare, offended by the interruption. It took her around two seconds to realize that the said growl had been plural. Oh, joy.

Side-stepping in front of Meg, Ren caught the hound’s fangs with her axe when it lunged. Sparks flew. Her eyes set ablaze with purpose. “Get back! Where’d this one come from?”

Aria’s smile rinsed some of the concern off Caleb’s features, the knit in his eyebrows uncurling as he managed a smile of his own. At least she was able to speak with her normal stutter now… somewhat. “Just take it easy,” he said, coating his voice with a gentle softness. A hand moved to tuck a few strands of hair behind her ear, and he was about to ask her more questions when Don posed one of his own.

“That normal?”

What, feeling fuzzy? Caleb frowned. “She did lose a lot of blood, but…” he turned to look at Aria once more, trying to gauge the validity of Don’s concern. Come to think of it… something felt off, somehow, and it killed him to not know what. Uh-oh, he was tuning everything out again. The world tended to quiet down around him whenever he focused, so he almost didn’t hear Don when he asked Caleb to take Aria. Confusion briefly writ his face, which faded when he followed Don’s gaze. Ren was still fighting out there. Squint enough and he’d see that she was filled with cuts and bruises all over, which meant she had used the “crazy method” again. Perhaps on the Treant earlier? I know you want to end the fight as soon as possible Ren, but sheesh.

“R-right,” he nodded and took Aria in his arms, careful not to jostle her too much. When Don darted off, Caleb sighed  before yelling,. “Be careful!” He’d appreciate it if Don didn’t add to the list of people he had to heal after this.

Now that things have calmed down on this end, however, Caleb’s mind was clearing bit by bit. He realized something after touching Aria.

She was warm.

“That’s weird,” he mused, pressing a hand against her forehead. Yeah, she was definitely warm. Was it normal for someone to develop a fever immediately after injury? “You’re burning up. Did you already have a fever before the fight?”

“Make way!”

Don’s thundering voice. Ren’s face lit up almost immediately. “Ten o’clock!” she hollered out to the approaching Capel, gesturing to where the other beast was while she swung in an attempt to pry one off her axe. “I got this one.” If only it’d let go.

“Arrrgh,damn it, let go!” she snapped, then kicked the damn thing with the heel of her shoes. The fenrir yelped, freeing Ren’s weapon from its fangs, flew a few feet in the air before it landed with a sickening crack. Wasting no time she flitted forward, dust flying in her wake, and swept downwards with her blade. “Heads up.” The fenrir’s head rolled away, its body left bleeding–motionless on the ground. Ren leaned against the pole of her axe with a grin. “Or head’s off, I’m not picky.”

Taking a deep, somewhat exhausted breath, Ren glanced over at Don. “You done over there, Tiger? Let’s bolt before more of these things show up.”

[capelclan]

    Well at least Ren hadn’t taken leave of her senses. But the youngest Capel still was not going to relinquish hold on her knife. A liability- she was always such a hazard with these guys-! The situation with Aria was not on account of that, thankfully, and as worried as Meg was, she hardly took blame. But the constantly shout of stay back or Meg, go! was really starting to grate on her nerves. Everyone else could fight. Everyone else was of merit in this group. Where did she fit? She was old enough, she had lineage. The Capels didn’t back down; so why was she...

             So scared...?

     Meg watched as Ren tussled with the monster, reaching into her bag to fish for the aforementioned gels. Yes, she had a trove of them- the benefits of getting retail-price on all purchases. Yes, the group saved quite a boon from their connection to Fortune’s Market, and Meg made certain that they were stocked to the teeth. 

“Make way!”

    Oh, great, Wonder-Boy was making his entrance. Meg rolled her eyes as the two conversed. Fortunately, as vague as her brother could be, he took instruction well enough. At Ren’s beck, Don turned to his ten, swinging blindly and thankfully ripping into the beast that had come up on his side. Watching Don in battle was almost like watching a machine run- he wanted to do something, and his body would do it. The form was there, the dedication, the power- it was awe inspiring for someone of his stature to be built the way he was. And with a smile on his face, no less; it was clear that Don loved nothing more than to be dead in the center of the fight. Even with one sister in ailing form and the other going to pieces, his body would still thrill in the heat of battle. His sisters were less enthused... 

    Meg watched with irritated impatience. She couldn’t help, so they could hurry at least, right? The fight was quick, at least- Ren dealing with her beast easily enough while Donnivan made quick work of the fenrir at his disposal. Meg flit over to the girl, holding out a gel. “Gotcha, Boss.” she said with a mock salute. Ignore the slight quake in her hand- she was still trying to collect her barings, but you couldn’t tell it from looking at her face. If there was one admirable quality in her, it was her plasticity. 

    Meanwhile, Don put his boot down on the felled wolf, tugging his sword out before wiping it on the grass below. He smiled back at Renilda, giving her a thumbs up. “All clear! Y’hear that, Pinky?” He turned his attention to Caleb, motioning for him to follow. “We gotta make tracks! Y’got Aria?”

    Aria. Meg stiffened a bit at the name, dropping her jestful salute as well as her gaze to the abruptly captivating grass beneath her feet. She was... she couldn’t look back, but Aria was okay, right? Don... wouldn’t sound so chipper if she wasn’t... okay... Meg’s fists tightened at her side. Pathetic... she hated this feeling...

    As Don released his hold on her, Aria wobbled in place. It shouldn’t have been so hard, she pondered, to stay upright. Her body felt a strange combination of heavy and light, as if it were not weight that held her down, but a detachment from her form. She couldn’t move without great effort; something was holding her down... right? Or was she just... so tired...? 

    It must have been Caleb that she veritably melted against upon contact, the feeling of solid support being too much of a relief for her to endure without. Her eyes slipped closed. Why was she breathing like that? Oh, she... she wasn’t feeling well. How odd... 

    She felt something cool against her forehead, and her eyes flicked open for just a moment before shutting once more. A hand- Caleb’s-, accompanied by a voice. She could have sworn he was speaking through water; his voice sounded distorted, despite the fact that she could feel the soft rumble of speech in his chest. What had he said... she was... oh, right. That would explain why his hand was cool. 

“Did you... a fever before ... fight?”

    Aria had barely the energy to huff out a small, “Mm-mm...” of dissent. It was one of the few regards wherein Aria was not like her father that she tended to appreciate company and contact when ill or injured. She relaxed where she leaned ( almost lay, at this point ), her head almost not connecting the fact that they had just been in a battle. She just... was sleep out of the question? She would really appreciate a nap right about now...

[bravingpathstogether]

Within seconds Caleb had tuned everything out—clashing blades, the surrounding panicked screams, even his own breathing. The slightest distraction could throw him off, and he needed to be ready to cast another spell since, judging from the size of Aria’s blood pool, one Healing Circle wasn’t enough.

As if his thoughts were taking form, Caleb felt mana surging through every nerve in his body–

“Arise, o light of life!”

–and spilling out of his fingertips like waterfalls.

Meanwhile, the only waterfall Ren was spilling was blood, or whatever fluid came out of a Treant’s body, anyways. Not out of her fingertips, but through an axe. Getting close to one of the buggers was no cakewalk given its long reach, but through sheer willpower, she managed to deal the final, devastating blow. The method used was something Caleb (and were he around, Gil) would call reckless–charge forward and suck it up–however unlike Aria, Ren’s body was built for close combat.

She cracked a small, lopsided smile as the beast fell with a thud, allowing herself one moment of triumph before turning to check how things were going on Caleb’s end…

Great. Great, as in the Capels were panicking… more apparent in Meg’s form rather than Don’s, who had his hand held out and lacked the usual chip in his voice—Ren wasn’t used to seeing him angry, if that’s what you called it. It was a little difficult to tell from this distance, but he appeared more put-together than Meg, at least. And even from this distance she could make out the ever-increasing pool of blood around Aria. Ren started to make her way towards them to gather a better understanding of the situation (and help where she could) when something caught her eye.

Another fenrir, tempestuous and looking extremely hungry, was stalking behind the youngest Capel.

Damn it!

“Meg!” The terror couldn’t be hidden in her tone. “Look sharp!”

Ren broke into a sprint, lungs burning as her widening green eyes watched the beast bare its teeth at Meg. As if she’d let another one of those nasty beast get another taste of the Capels. Fat chance! 

For fear of not making it in time, Ren bounded forward, Meg in tow, while her free hand swung at (and missed) the hound. An oof escaped her when she landed on her shoulder with Meg in her arms.

“You alright?” Concern and alarm oozed from her voice, but she shook it all off and pushed off the ground. Meg was light considering how easy it was to pull her into a sitting position.  Ren rose to her feet, . “Back me up. I’m counting on you.”

“—Healing Circle!” Caleb had cast for the third time—just in case, but ultimately he had managed to close the wound without incident. The problem was the amount of blood lost. Aria was whiter than a sheet and needed rest, so this—he glanced at the battlefield—this needed to be over, fast.

He turned to Aria once more. “How are you feeling?”

[capelclan]

    Don’s attention was captivated with Aria once the bag was caught, and he lowered her to her knees as Caleb worked with the wound. Caleb could do something; the boy was gifted, better at healing than even she was. It was in his blood- the Child of the Full Moon, a burden he’d gained from his mother, was able to heal so easily. He could help her. Don just needed to be support. He set the bag, open, in front of her, nudging it toward her and Caleb in case they needed it. “See, Aria? Y’re gonna be fine. It’s all good, Sis.” No way was he bringing Aria back to Dad in anything less than fighting-fit condition. He wouldn’t have it. Dad wouldn’t--.... Aria wouldn’t let that happen, anyway. She was tough. He had no doubts in her.

    He would continue whispering small bits of encouragement, offering help to Caleb in any way he could. Say the word, Pinky- he’d do whatever you needed.

    Meg’s attention, however, was also solely caught, like a ship tethered to a dock. Her heart hammered in her chest, hands clutching each other in front of her as she fought to try to look away. It was hopeless- like a moth to flame, her eyes refused to divert, she couldn’t look away. Ensnared as she was in terror’s claws, there was no way she would notice the guttural growl of the approaching fenrir.

    A miracle, it was, that Ren appeared when she did. Meg screamed at the contact, reeling as she and the Lowell girl landed in the soft grass just out of lunge-range of the monster. Dizziness swam over her as Meg sat up, trying to realign herself. Her breathing was ragged- “Wh-wha--?” A visceral fear gripped her chest as she heard, at last, the growl of the beast. Her eyes snapped to it- just like the one on Aria. Aria- Aria-! 

“You alright?”

    Meg’s focus shifted as Ren pulled her up, getting to her feet. She was already moving again- she was still fighting-. The world didn’t end because someone was hurt, and now that Meg’s focus had been physically dragged from the scene, her breathing was mellowing, her heart slowing to a less frantic speed. The worry and anxiety were still there, apparent in the pinch of her brow and the downward tug of her lips, but there was logic in those eyes once more. 

“Back me up. I’m counting on you.”

    With a tch, Meg pushed off the ground, adjusting her bag on her shoulder. “Back you up with what?” She dug into her bag, pulling out a hunting knife that let be did not fit her grip, but was held improperly besides. “I keep you around to do the fighting. What, do I do your job now?” The terse jest was strained, even for Meg, but it was dialogue; that was more than they’d have gotten from her moments before. “I’ll drown you with a Life Bottle if you go down. Sound fair?” And that smirk was forced, too. No, Meg was not entirely in the fight...

    The healing was less familiar than nostalgic; it was to her credit that Aria tended not to be injured very often. So while she was aware of what the warm wash of artes felt like, she was not so accustomed to it. But it was comforting, assuaging the stabbing spikes of volcanic pain in her side. Slowly, slowly, the repeated waves of pain lessened and lessened and lessened still. Caleb... she would have to thank him when she caught her breath. But for the moment, she would lean on Don and wait for the pain to subside. 

    It took a few tries; she heard Don’s soft encouragement in her ear, the quiet dialogue from Caleb in her other. Or were they not quiet? Could she just not hear right? How much blood had she lost? Likely a dangerous amount... at least she was being pragmatic about this. Oh, she would loathe burdening them, but she doubted Don would settle for anything less than carrying her back to the inn, anyway. And she would rather accept help than burden them later.

“How are you feeling?”

    She lifted her head, blearily looking over to Caleb. A weak smile was on her lips as she nodded. “I-I’ll be fine. Just... a b-bit d-dizzy still...” Caleb’s healing was reliable; this was just a matter of blood loss that was keeping her feeling so fatigued and sick. Her head swam where she sat, and she dropped her gaze and pinched her eyes closed. “Everyt-thing’s.. fuzzy...”

    Don quirked a brow. Clearly he’d been relieved to hear her talking, but... fuzzy? He looked to Caleb with concern. “That normal?” Sure, she shouldn’t have been in tip-top shape or anything immediately, but... didn’t she look kind of flushed? Her cheeks were warm..

     And Ren’s fight was skewed without some kind of backup. Meg had never been a fighter, after all. Don grumbled a bit- which issue did he attend to? His sister, or his other sister... If Ren went down, they were screwed. Not to mention if Meg got hurt-- no way. He trusted Caleb. He hefted Aria to sit up straighter ( she seemed reluctant to support herself... ), holding her shoulders and demanding, “Take ‘er. I’m countin’ on ya, Caleb.” 

    He didn’t give Caleb a chance to dissent. Back into the fray he leaped, darting across the expanse and recollecting his sword before tearing off toward Ren. “Make way!” He’d try to make this quick.

[capelclan]

"Alright runt, so what have you got there?" Only being five feet tall hardly allowed Rita to call Don a runt, yet she did. "...And what are you actually hoping to accomplish by working like that?" She knew the dad to be a spazz at times, but the son took the cake.

    Normally, Don was actually a bit more confident about working on things like this. But the cheek scratching, head tilting look of confusion definitely betrayed that maybe, just maybe, he was just poking this until it did something. Process of trial and error was scientific, right?

    He peered up to Aunt Rita, glowering a bit. He was on the floor, otherwise he’d only be like, an inch shorter than her. Meg got Dad’s short genes, remember ( thank you, Tessa, for being a Neanderthal of a woman ). “I’m makin’ a box.” A cage was the correct term. And yes, maybe he was using it because he wanted to catch Meg in it and make her mad. But maybe it’d accidentally be a bomb and he didn’t want to blow her up. So.. trial and error. With this field mouse.

    .... please don’t tell Aria. She’d kill him.

[bravingpathstogether]

When it came to down to fighting monsters, it was always smooth-sailing for their little band of runaway kids. Not all of them were fighters—Edmund would rather tackle books than a vicious fenrir, Meg practiced little martial arts, Caleb tended to avoid fighting at all if he could help it, and Alex was a precious button—but when the situation called for action, oh, they delivered, in their own little ways.

Then there were people like Ren and Don who practically glued themselves to the battlefield. Fights ended quickly with them around. Some would say they even enjoy them.

Today, none of them were enjoying themselves.

“No, Aria-!”

It was Caleb who turned to face Meg, ready to pull back from Ren’s side in case he was needed in the back. He half-expected to see Meg in trouble, but he wasn’t prepared for what he saw: Aria, one of the most careful and precise people he knew, caught in the fangs of a Fenrir. His nerves shot with panic.

“Go! I’ll be fine!” Ren roared, who had seen the same sight, had worn the same surprised look on her brother’s face until priorities set her features straight.

Caleb managed to compose himself enough and nod before taking off like a gunshot towards Aria, heart racing, and left Ren to deal with the Treant by herself. He ran past a frozen Meg, skidded to a halt right next to Aria, and then drove his sword into—quite literally—the belly of the blasted beast.

Donning an apologetic smile, he told her, “Sorry, this might sting a little.” Maybe a lot, but this couldn’t wait–he released his sword to pry the fenrir’s fangs open, then he flung the beast across the field along with his sword (rather coldly, Ren might add) and prompted the spell for Healing Circle. His dark eyes were determined, trained on Aria even as he yelled,  

“Someone better hold onto her in case she passes out!”

[capelclan]

    It wasn’t as bad as it looked, Meg told herself. It couldn’t be. This was Aria. Aria was fine. Aria was always fine. She was a rock- dogs couldn’t level her. Caleb was overreacting, and there was nothing wrong. Her whole body felt hot, ready to sprint but arrested in fear. Why couldn’t she move? She couldn’t do anything, Aria had told her to stay back ( but when had she ever taken orders!? ), and she couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe--

     That was a lot of blood--

    And Don knew exactly what that meant. The beast he and his sister had aimed for had been quelled. Caleb was a speedy guy, much faster than Don, and had reached Aria first. Thankfully he’d landed the killing blow. Don discarded his sword hurriedly, sprinting over to follow Caleb’s command. “Got her! Aria- hey, you’re gonna be alright, okay? Don’t pass out- you’re gonna give Meg a heart attack, huh?” He broke a smile, but the pinch in his brow betrayed his very real fear. That was... that was quite a hit for someone like Aria. Blue eyes flicked to Meg, and his stomach dropped. Oh yeah, that was... a great face... So Meg was compromised... He tut his tongue- no, there was no time for her to go limp noodle- “Meg,” he barked, fixing her with a look that said, for once, that he meant no nonsense. “Ya got gels, right?”

    She snapped to attention, whole body stiff. Her eyes wide- unlike her, this whole visage was so unlike her- Meg nodded absently. 

    “Then get diggin’!”

    Aria, meanwhile, was listing. She’d hardly noticed much after the beast had released her, her entire body melting into a strange pseudo-numbness that she knew meant shock. Understandable; body’s weren’t made to have bites taken out of them. Don supported her side, and she would have to apologize later for relying so heavily on him to keep her up. The entire scene sounded as if it were coming from a within a wind tunnel, but there was no missing that tone. She panted, her chest a dull roar of distant pain as she softly insisted, “D-Don, that’s... that’s no-- no way to... t’talk to... M-Meg...”

    Meg’s breath hitched as she rifled through the bag, pulling out anything that she could think of that could be offered to Caleb as further help. “Aria, not now!” she demanded, her voice almost a grating shriek of anxiety. Holding the gels in her hand, Meg stood tense as a taut bowstring and eyed the scene. A step closer- no, a few steps closer. She had to. She had... to... but her eyes wouldn’t leave the slow, steady drip of crimson at her sister’s side. That... that was her sister... she was.... Aria was going to die, wasn’t she? No- no Aria wouldn’t do that to them, Aria was strong, so strong, stronger than any of them, and older, too. She was... There was a stinging in Meg’s eyes, and a marble of panic that would not vacate her throat prevented the choked whine as she reluctantly took a step back. Aria... Aria needed her... Aria--

    Meg was useless, Don seethed internally. He couldn’t blame her- not like they didn’t know the brat would go to pieces the second that someone got hur-- no, no that wasn’t it. He was panicking too. This wasn’t just some warrant injury. Growling, he shouted, “Meg. We ain’t got time.” Don held out a hand. Yelling at Meg would get him no where. “Just a couple steps. I can meet you part way.” He shimmied a couple of steps closer, keeping a hold on Aria as best as he could. She was swaying- she’d hold up for a few moments, given she didn’t collapse, but Meg needed to reach--

    Or toss. Bundled in a small pouch, a small stock of supplies jet through the air, and Don caught them with a relieved smile. “There ya go, Shortstack~!” 

    And as soon as the supplies left her hand, Meg stumbled backward, wrapping her arms over her torso. Aria was going to die. There was too much blood- Caleb couldn’t fix that. She was going to die and no one could do anything about it. Pride was a sin that described Meg, but in that moment it was tossed to the wind as horrified tears pooled in her eyes. Aria... Aria, stop bleeding now....!