[post-heart rate - visitors in ishgard]

[peacetalks]

[welcome to the holy see of ishgard.

the sky is overcast, as it always is, and there's a light flurry of snow covering everything. people walk about in heavy furs, breath fogging in the air. the streets are grey cobblestone, and tall and imposing stone buildings loom amidst wooden structures--some still in the midst of repair, although for the most part the structural damage from the end of the dragonsong war has been mitigated. the spires of a massive cathedral can be seen in the distance, towards the center of the city.

statues, too, are found in every square; the most prominent amongst them of a commanding-looking woman bearing a spear and a shield. people murmur quick prayers to her as they pass her by. "thank the fury," they say, as they mill about. there are some soldiers around wearing thick chainmail, though no one looks especially on edge. in fact, despite the chill in the air and the greyness of the sky, people look... normal. it's fair to say that the majority of them are elezen, tall individuals with pointed ears, though there are a few who look more "human". and once in a while, you might even see a young dragon flitting about.

the aetheryte plaza, where there stands a large glowing blue crystal, is most likely near where you ended up. with a bit of asking around, you can learn of a few choice locations--the forgotten knight, a prominent tavern known for their hot mulled cider; the brume, a collection of dwellings where the lower class tend to congregate; the skysteel manufactory, a workshop which develops constructs and other magitek; the chocobo stables; and the congregation of our knights most heavenly, aka the headquarters of the temple knights. you can go further into the city too, though it's probably pretty obvious where you'd find info about aymeric around here...]

Comments

[notsospeedy]

Oh shit--! SORRY......

[Roy cringes, about to make his leave, but-- um. Actually, he has to ask. Though his voice is attempting to sound hushed this time.]

Um, does anyone know where to find Aymeric de Borel? Lord Commander of the knights?

This is Ishgard, right??

[peacetalks]

[one of the priests nearby says, exasperated: "cease with the interruptions and begone already if you're not here to pray!"

a little girl in one of the pews looks amused at all of this and leans over to whisper: "the lord commander's in foundation. you're in the pillars." her mother shushes her.]

[notsospeedy]

Sorry! Please resume with the piousness!

[Shoots the nice little girl a quick smile and a whispered thanks before zooming off.

...

Except, he doesn't know where the pillars are in relation to foundation. There's not exactly handy maps posted everywhere, right? Maybe he'll just wander the halls until he finds a knight standing guard or something who can give him directions. Or better yet, lead him there?]

[peacetalks]

[unfortunately the only real direction in the cathedral is out of it at this point, considering how the guards are starting to shuffle. the good(?) news is that there's a glowing blue hovering crystal right outside the entrance... surely that's useful, right?]

[notsospeedy]

[On the one hand, he should probably ask someone about how mysterious blue crystals work before touching it.

On the other........ science.

Unsure if this is the kind of magic where you have to focus on a destination in mind, Roy thinks hard of Aymeric as he touches the crystal.]

[peacetalks]

[the crystal... doesn't respond at first, as one usually needs to have a destination in mind.

but, after a few seconds it starts to pull, and quickly roy will find himself thrown into a different dimensional space for a split second, and somewhat unceremoniously tossed out into another, different plaza on the other side of the city. roy may find himself feeling dizzy after that experience. that... probably could have gone better, but it seems to have worked...?

the crystal he stands before now is near a tavern with a sign on it--"the forgotten knight". down the street is another building, guarded by soldiers in chainmail armor, with a sign that reads: "congregation of our knights most heavenly".]

[notsospeedy]

Whew... good thing I brought a jacket.

[He takes a moment to soak in the city, now that he's outside - everything is just a fantastic as he imagined, if not moreso. These are sights no one from his world has ever seen. It's breathtaking...

Congregation of knights seems like he's headed in the right direction, though. Maybe not where Aymeric's office is, but full of people who'd know. And uh, hopefully they won't be suspicious of this weirdo asking for their boss.

LET'S GO WITH A FRIENDLY APPROACH]

Heyyy guys, working hard or hardly working? I'm kinda looking for your boss, maybe you know where he is?

[peacetalks]

[the guard in front levels him with a stare. "the knight commander is a busy woman. if you've urgent business, you can fill out a request form." he gestures to a table with a secretary scribbling on what looks like a massive stack of papers.]

[notsospeedy]

[ugh, bureaucracy. Roy scrunches his nose.]

Okay, but - what about her boss? The Lord Commander? He and I go way back.

[peacetalks]

[the guard sighs. "the lord commander is a very busy man, and appointments with him must be made well in advance. if you've urgent business, you can fill out a request form." he sounds like he's said this spiel many times before.]

[notsospeedy]

Orrrr, we could go with my suggestion where you just point me to where his fancy office is! I promised him a very special conjugal visit, and he's been waiting a long time already, so...

[peacetalks]

[now the guard looks affronted. "ser! I would watch what you say about the lord commander if I were you!"]

[notsospeedy]

Right, I guess everyone's super repressed here...

[peacetalks]

["I beg your pardon?!" he looks annoyed.]

[notsospeedy]

Look, I'm not asking for much! Just gimme directions and I'll take it from there. No fuss no muss.

[peacetalks]

["ser, you have been informed of the rules, and if you are going to continue haranguing me, I must ask you to leave."

there's a very tall "human" woman in full plate armor watching you from the other side of the room.]

[notsospeedy]

[An overly dramatic sigh!]

Fiiine. I'll fill out your dumb paperwork. Who woulda thought knights were such sticklers for the rules...

[Waltzes in without a moment's regard for propriety, over to the desk with the request papers.

...Then makes a show of flirting with the secretary.]

So, come here often?

[peacetalks]

[the guard HARRUMPHS as you leave. the woman's still watching you, and she might seem mildly amused...?

the secretary, on the other hand, is clearly a low-ranking soldier who is frantically trying to get through the pile of paperwork on time. he jumps a little at roy's comment.

"I--yes?! I work here every day, ser? Is there aught I can help you with...?"]

[notsospeedy]

Is this the form I gotta fill to meet with the Lord Commander?

[Grabs a sheet and starts scribbling it in]

I gotta say, I'm new in town and this whole place is so overwhelming, I hardly know if I'm gonna be able to find my way there even when my turn comes up!

[peacetalks]

["oh, 'tis not at all difficult to find, ser, just upstairs. b-but I am afraid you may be waiting a few suns, the lord commander has many meetings between here and the house of lords, not to mention the alliance leaders." he says sympathetically.

in the background, the woman is shaking her head to herself.]

[notsospeedy]

Oh, really? Man, thanks a bunch. By the way-- I don't have a place to stay while I wait, is your bed free?

[Before the poor man can make sense of Roy's proposition, he deftly drops a flash bomb - blinding everyone except the ones sporting cool sunglasses.

Bye]

[peacetalks]

[hey roy why are you like this

the room erupts into chaos, shouts and cries of alarm, swords being drawn in haste--someone yells, "upstairs! he must be after the lord commander!" and armored feet shuffle quickly.

a woman's voice yells, "stay calm!" but it may be too late for that...]

[notsospeedy]

[Too bad about that smoke bomb that was thrown at the entry of the stairs. Really making some chaos for the knights rushing to warn their Lord Commander.

And perfect for Roy, who had grappled up to the rafters. No one would notice a microchip sized tracking device tagged on them from a hidden, wrist mounted crossbow.]

[peacetalks]

[the armored woman leads the charge up the stairs, coughing from the smoke--she orders the knights to split up and track every room while she heads for the lord commander; there are a number of rooms on the second floor, so the knights scatter, albeit clumsily from the smoke bomb. some of them tumble into one another.

the woman quickly makes a run down a hallway, covering her mouth from the smoke.]

[notsospeedy]

[Roy follows at a more leisurely pace after the stampede of knights, following just out of view on much lighter feet. It's not hard to overhear those orders, and he makes a mental note to Follow That One.

She's alone... but she's also their boss, which means she's one tough cookie. Getting around her without hurting her was going to be hard.]