[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]

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.]

[peacetalks]

[she stops in front of a door and quickly knocks--"my lord, we've an intruder,"--she announces, before moving inside]

[notsospeedy]

[Hmmm... if she closes the door behind her, Roy's gonna sneak up to it and press his ear against the wood, to try and listen in.]

[peacetalks]

[he'll hear the woman's voice... but that's all]

[notsospeedy]

[...Maybe he'll just open the door a crack and peek in. If Aymeric's there, he can vouch for Roy.]

[peacetalks]

[as soon as the door opens he's being rushed by the woman and pinned to the ground--but for a split second he'll see that the room was empty aside from her--in fact, it looks like it's a storage room.

she holds her sword to his neck to keep him pinned. "do not try to struggle."]

[notsospeedy]

[Welp! Roy puts his hands up and cracks a hapless smile, even if the hard landing probably bruised him in a few places.]

Ah, you got me.

Y'know, I've always fantasized about being pinned to the ground by a powerful woman...

[peacetalks]

[with narrowed eyes, she presses her sword just a liiiiiiiittle closer.

"who are you, and under whose orders have you come?"]

[notsospeedy]

Would... you believe me if I said Aymeric?

I promised I would!

[peacetalks]

[her eyes narrow in thought. she tilts her head slightly.

"tell me your name."]

[notsospeedy]

Roy Harper...?

[Spoken like he really doesn't expect her to recognize it, so why is she asking?]

[peacetalks]

[she stares at him for a moment, as though assessing him. then she sighs deeply, lifts her sword away, and rises to her feet.

"I suppose as first impressions go, they could be always be worse. but not by much."

she holds out her hand to help him up.

"come, I'll show you to ser aymeric."]

[notsospeedy]

[He takes that hand, but - blinks, genuinely surprised]

Wait, he told you about me?