Lightning Catching

[Winters-Feather]

Taiyou practically choked on her food when Kaizen called out the Major for the guards' rising tension. This whole situation was uncomfortable to begin with, and she knew how fierce that woman could get. For some reason, the child was on  edge, and she didn't really like it. She could have yelped when Kaizen leaned back in his chair and called out Major Rolan for being so on guard. By the way the woman pursed her lips together, Taiyou could tell she didn't like it, not one bit, but to the girl's surprise, the woman seemed... fine with this. She just curtly nodded at the mention of the girl and uniform, and sat back, her arms crossed. Taiyou gawked for a moment, in awe. Was this thing that important, then, that the Major allowed herself to be talked back to in this way?

Taiyou also sank back into her chair, a bit uncomfortably, as she  listened with wide-eyed wonder at Kaizen's words. A group that sought to 'free the world of its impurities'? The Redemption... The girl shifted in her seat.
"Impurities?," she asked quickly, but quietly before the Major could respond, "You mean like magic?"
Was it a Connloathian cult? No, Kaizen came from Essyrn. Of course, it was likely, but she had the hunch it was a familiar group to him.
The Major shot the girl an annoyed glare.
"Yes, we've caught wind of such an organization," she curtly replied, contemplating over the matter.
"We don't know much, I'm afraid, but we know a bit about their goals."
The woman sighed, annoyed by this fact.
"Our scientists have been studying ways to cultivate different forms of energy, obtained chiefly magically, and harness them. That's as much as I'm able to tell you."

Taiyou's eyes wandered towards her staff.
All that lightning is stored within it, she thought, a bit worried. What was she going to do with all of it? Keep it?
The Major seemed to mind read Taiyou, for she waved her hand.
"You'll be assigned to return whatever energy you've stored later," she said.
"Can I do it tomorrow morning?" the girl demanded anxiously. Taiyou suddenly found herself desperate- she knew how long these things took, and she wasn't about to let this opportunity to travel go so quickly! The girl was a bit frightened by how easily she was accepting all of this, now, but it didn't matter. Decisions had to be made, and they had to be made fast; this was her choice.

"Why the morning?" the Major demanded.
Taiyou wanted to slump back into her chair, but instead, she sat up as straight and rigidly as she could.
"Because," she informed, "I want to go to Essyrn. By your leave Ma'am, of course."
Taiyou gave Kaizen a pleading glance before turning her attention back towards the Major, who made a gagging noise out of shock.
"Excuse me?" she asked in a dangerous sort of way, her eyes shooting daggers at the pair as she leaned in close.
Now probably wasn't the best time to bring this up, Tai, the girl scowled at herself. Way to go.

"In case you haven't noticed, Student Nanji, we're in the middle of an attack here, and you want to go on vacation! What's so important about Essyrn?!" Major Rolan chided fiercely at the girl, "Further more, your duty to your country is here!"
For some reason, these last words made Taiyou frustrated and angry, but she only took in a deep breath before calmly replying.
"I want to go to Essyrn to meet my father. That's why I offered to return the energy tomorrow morning. Tonight, even," she explained quite bluntly, "Besides, if the researchers need more, there are other mages to help gather energy. Also, consider that Kaizen's from Essyrn. This group, The Redemption, originated there, right? I could attempt to look into it more. Nobody would suspect me to be an informant," she added boldly.
The girl pouted.
"Plus," she pointed out, "I'm not sworn in yet. I don't technically have to stay."

The Major scoffed at the girl's check.
"Maybe, but would we let you back in, eh?" she demanded.
Taiyou didn't respond to which Major Rolan nodded before continuing.
"However, what you said is true. We could spare you-"
Taiyou cheered up at those words.
"- though the idea of you scouting out information is rather absurd. How would you send messages back to the base? What if you get yourself captured, and this organization finds out you're working for the Adelan military through torture? Are you prepared for that? Think about the consequences, you foolish child!"
Taiyou blankly stared at the table as Rolan fumed, embarrassed for being called off so.  
"I can do it," she replied bitterly, "There are ways to send messages secretly."

The Major grunted at those words and rubbed her temple.
"It's absurd, that's what it is, but the fact of the matter is that we need more eyes out there, and I'd prefer it to be done secretly. I assume you're travelling with this one?"
She glared at Kaizen. Taiyou nodded. The woman made a face and turned to Lt. Hoi.
"Fetch me one of the mirrors," she ordered, "And be quick about it."
The Lt. clicked his heels together smartly before going out the door. Taiyou beamed.
"Does this mean I can do it?" she piped up, eagerly.
The Major scowled as she turned towards Kaizen.
"If she goes with you and accepts this mission to gather more intellect about this organization, then I suppose that makes you a hire hand, too. For a good price, of course. Abandoning it, however, would mean both of your deaths. Do you accept?"

[Ookakiba]

Kaizen's finger slowly came to a stop on the rim of the glass while he glanced towards Taiyou then back to the major. "Harnessing magic energy? That explains why they were attacked. Still, for them to attack this facility means they're working on something big here. But the Major won't tell me anything, how am I supposed to pry more information from her?" He would sigh to show his disappoint at the major's response, his eyes glanced from Taiyou to the Major as the tension began to rise.

"This should be interesting." Kaizen mused at the thought while he watched the two women exchange words back and forth. "She's definitely part of our family, snappy-ness and everything. At least she knows how to argue." He gave a faint smile as he watched the major become more annoyed with losing the argument. This conversation was amusing, though Kaizen couldn't ignore the faint feeling of worry inside of him. The Redemption was not an organization to be taken lightly, though few in numbers, they're presence was strong, despite being unnoticed by most of the world. He would pinch the bridge of his nose and close his eyes while the scent of blood and screams of filled his mind once more, the world around him seemed to go dark.

"Kaizen!" A feminine voice would call out from the darkness, as a figure came into view. The figure was breathing heavily with a crimson-spotted blade, blood dripped from the tip onto the floor. The vision would zoom into a pair of blue eyes, tinted with an orange outline. "Please don't!" The feminine voice would call out once more, while a crimson tinted blade extended slashing into an unknown figure, releasing a female scream which echoed throughout the place.

Kaizen's eyes would open to find both Taiyou and the Major ending their argument. A small amount of sweat would drip down the side of his face, while he glanced at his trembling right hand. His left hand would instantly grab his wrist in order to calm his shaking hand and to avoid questioning. "Damn....and here I thought I was finally avoiding them." The swordsman thought to himself before he turned to face the Major. Unknown to him, his eyes changed demeanor from their calm state to a more predatory and wild state while he glanced at the Major and Taiyou.

"To gather more intellect on this organization will be dangerous, but seeing as she's pretty determined, then I will be glad to accompany. I am nothing but a wanderer and a bodyguard for hire, my life is my job, and I stick to what I started, that I do." Kaizen would respond in a calm state, while his eyes returned back to normal. He would place his left hand beneath the guard of his blade, picked it up, and placed it onto his lap. His gaze would turn towards Taiyou. "Are you sure you want to do this Miss Taiyou? If you decide to go to Essryn, then my blade will serve as your guardian, that it will."

Without hesitation Kaizen stood up and gave a glance towards Major Rolan. "Miss Rolan, I suggest you move the location of your facility and appoint different staff to operate there. The Redemption is a relentless organization and I can guarantee with this failure, they will be back to finish the job. They don't take failure to kindly, so they'll probably be back for the mage we captured as well. I suggest tightening up security." He would hate for the facility to go to ruins due to a security slip, especially after this incident. He had left this past behind him, but it seemed the past had a funny way of returning.

[Winters-Feather]

Taiyou's face lit up at the Major's words. She was stunned; those words weren't supposed to come out of her mouth. The major was supposed to forbid her from going, and Taiyou was fairly certain that she had crossed most all the lines she could have possibly done- this was all rather un-Adelan like of her. The words she had said herself had flown out of her mouth- Taiyou was just as surprised as everyone in the room at her own feelings.
I don't even know much about this Koen guy other than that letter Kaizen, and I'm already acknowledging him as my father, she thought, horrified at her own conviction. The girl could feel her face grow hot with shame.
Then again, she reasoned, repeating the old argument in her head, It's not like Kaizen has a reason to lie... Unless this is all just one bit, stupid plot. But why me? And... Did the Major just say our lives were on the line?
The thought that the people Taiyou had been aiming to work for could potentially hunt her down and kill her was mind boggling. The girl felt embarrassed for her recklessness, and would have sank into her chair, shrinking in submission had she not felt this excited.

Her mind too much in a whirl for her to pay much attention to anything, she had
completely overlooked Kaizen's unpleasant spasm. Taiyou held her breath as Kaizen responded to the Major's question and addressed her, though quickly scowled at the title of 'miss'. And why did he talk so funny? Taiyou mused it was because Essyrini was his original language, but most foreigners didn't talk like that. Instead of vocalizing any of those thoughts, however, she only nodded in an attempt to calm herself down; she could feel the light draft in the room tugging at her magic, which was begging to be free. Under the glare of the Major, Taiyou bit her lower lip as her lips irresistibly spread into a wide grin, and sat on her hands as she tried to sit as still as possible. However, though she was still, the girl wasn't that quiet; her left foot began to tap, anxiously. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to get out of this office and fly towards her bedroom, or Shioko. There was too much to take in, and the girl wasn't quite sure how to handle it all.

Taiyou's eyes widened at Kaizen's suggestion about security. What? Move the facilities?  They couldn't move them or the base- what was he, crazy?! Major Rolan, however, seemed to take the last statement to heart, for she gave a curt nod.
"We'll keep that in mind," she dryly replied as her gaze wearily brushed past Taiyou.
"You are dismissed, Mr. Kaizen. Taiyou can escort you to the guest chambers in just one moment."
"Thank you for everything!" Taiyou chirped as she sprung to her feet; she had overheard the last few words.
The Major held up her hand to stop her.
"Student Nanji," she growled, "Wait."
"Oh. Sorry," the girl meekly replied as she reached for her staff.
She was worried. Was there something wrong?

A few moments later, Lt. Hoi came into the room holding a small and smooth plain wooden box in his arms. Taiyou could tell immediately that it was charmed shut. As if to guess her thoughts, the man nodded as he carefully placed it on the table in front of Major Rolan.
"To open it, you need a password," he explained, "It changed now and then."
The Major waved her hand over the box as she muttered the secret word, and gingerly held out the artifact towards Taiyou. The girl examined it in awe. It was a small and round mirror that closed. Its frame and cover were made of wood and engraved with an intricate pattern of flowers native to Adela and vines. Taiyou tried to pry it open, but it, too, was sealed shut with magic.
"I've the privilege of possessing its sister," the Major explained, "The password for that one is 'Abeo'. I want a report every week, or immediately after you've discovered something new. Got it?"
"Abeo," Taiyou repeated with a nod.
The Lt. grinned at the password.

"Isn't that your daughter's name, ma'am?" he gently asked.
His question was returned with an angry scowl and a frustrated sigh.
"That is all," the Major snapped, "You're dismissed!"
Taiyou grasped the mirror tightly in her hands and gave a salute.
"Yes, ma'am!" she eagerly said as she turned towards Kaizen.
"Come," the girl urged, "Follow me!"

Taiyou walked quickly down the corridor and out the building. The guest dorms was a small building next to the hospital; sometimes civilians, warriors, and students who were being treated in the hospital were moved there if they were healthy enough and there wasn't any room in the hospital itself. She felt embarrassed; she didn't really know what to start talking about.
I ought to say something, right?
"Are you okay with this?" she inquired as she looked up at the tall man.
"It went from the objective of meeting this Master Keon to scooping out this Redemption."
Taiyou paused.
"You said that you know their uniform," she said as she looked around to make sure no body was listening to her.
"The Redemption," she whispered as she narrowed her eyes.
 "How?"

[Ookakiba]

(ooc: really short post, but it's just to get things moving again.)

Kaizen walked in silence while he followed Taiyou towards the dorm he was required to stay in for the night. It was a refreshing change from sleeping on hay, leaning on trees, or sleeping in broken beds in broken down taverns. Still, his thoughts trailed to the organization known as the Redemption and the past that it had brought with it. He stopped for a moment as Taiyou's words made their way into his ears and processed through his brain. With a heavy sigh he turned towards the young girl, a faint, yet warm smile found on his face. 

"The howl of a wolf can mean many things, yet in the end your ears pick it up as just a howl, am I correct? Through the ears of another wolf, they are able to decipher the message and carry on the tale. The same does not, unfortunately, apply to a lone wolf. A lone wolf no longer howls it travels searching for a new life, a new place to call home. Therefore, the howl of a lone wolf will never be heard."

Kaizen ended his short speech with the same warm smile before he turned around and began to continue to walk towards his room. If Taiyou would notice, a small white cloth, similar to the clothing of the female redemption member would drift from Kaizen's sleeve onto the floor beneath them. As they arrived towards his dorm room, Kaizen opened it slightly before he addressed Taiyou. "I suggest you get some sleep Miss Taiyou, tomorrow is going to be a long day. When the sun rises, we shall be leaving. Also, remember, a lone wolf was never always a lone wolf. That wolf did have a pack, but not all wolves stick with their pack." With that Kaizen would give a polite bow to the girl, before he would shut his door. He gave a slight sigh while he removed his blade from the sash which held it. He leaned against the wall while he faced the window and glared at the night sky, it was beautiful and peaceful. His body would slide down the floor while his eyes slowly closed and his mind drifted off to sleep.

-----------

As the sun rose above the horizon, Kaizen found himself leaning against the wall outside of his room. Perhaps he should have told the girl to wake up early, though he didn't mind it. It allowed him for a few moments of quiet before the place erupted with excessive noise. "Maybe I should go find her and wake her up?" He thought to himself while he took deep breaths to relax his body and mind. He had several errands to run, such as pick up his second blade at a nearby ironsmith, as well as accomplish the task here.

"Where is that girl?"

[Winters-Feather]

Taiyou frowned at Kaizen's words.
"That doesn't make any sense!" she exclaimed, utterly confused.
Wolves, again. Lone wolves and packs? Wolves howling at the moon? What did any of that had to do with his relationship to the Redemption? Why a riddle? Why couldn't he answer the question like a normal person would?
It's important that I know, she thought, haughtily.
Frustrated, Taiyou failed to notice the piece of cloth that had fell out of Kaizen's sleeve. Her mind was too preoccupied with the puzzle he had presented her.

What is his past with that organization? she thought.
There could have been a million reasons why he knew of their uniform. Suddenly, the girl felt rather frightened. She knew next to nothing about this man, save he was her supposed brother, yet they were going to travel together to Essyrn.
I've power enough to him in a heartbeat, she reminded herself,  I'm a weather witch and a dragon rider.
So caught up in her thoughts that she was startled when they arrived at the room assigned for Kaizen.
"Huh?" she replied as he began to speak.
Taiyou made a face at being called 'miss'. Her eyes narrowed even more when he mentioned wolves,  again.

"Good night, mister," she muttered, still confused whether she could address him by name or not.
Not all wolves stick with their path.
The girl stared at the door for a half second before slowly walking away.
Wolves, again.
She had always admired the whistle around her neck, but now she was starting to wonder if there was a significance to the creature and her new found supposed family. Who was the lone wolf? Herself? But she wasn't a wolf, she was a dragon.
Was Kaizen ever involved with the Redemption? she wondered, the thought making her shudder.

It was then that she was made aware of the cloth on the ground. The girl bent down to pick it up. It was white, like that woman's coat from before. The cloth didn't feel familiar to her, either.
Weird, Taiyou thought, Is it Kaizen's? I'll ask in the morning.
She stuffed it into her sash. The walk back to her dorm building seemed like a long one, but Taiyou welcomed it. It was the last night for a long time, she realized, that she would be home. A dull pain gripped at her heart as she walked down the clean and pretty road, taking in all the sights. Her thoughts crowded her mind, annoying her. She could only half believe that she was half Essyrni, half foreigner. Why hadn't her mother told her that?
Mama didn't bother to tell me about many things, she sorely  thought, I don't know why, but tomorrow I need to know. I must.
Furthermore, what did all this lone wolf and pack gibberish mean?
Overwhelmed and in need of a distraction, the girl caught hold of a breeze and idly played with it.  She allowed  it to twist and turn around her until she got back to her dorm.

Resolving to pack in the morning, Taiyou quickly got ready for bed and curled up under the covers.
Now that I think about it, she thought as she drifted off to sleep, I never did get that letter back.
----

Taiyou wolfed down her breakfast. It was barely dawn, yet she was already busy doing chores. The girl had been roused from her sleep by a pounding on the door. She had dressed and done her hair as quickly as she could, wrapping her braid in red cloth to keep it from getting dusty. This barely left the girl enough time to pack to travel, complete with her sword on her hip and her staff secured on her back. Though she was in a rush, the girl took a moment to scan her room one last time before locking the door behind her. After that, was escorted to the labs, where she had to restore all the lightning that she had temperately borrowed.
Good riddance, she thought as she gulped down milk. The girl felt a little bit more at ease without so much. Her eyes danced around the dining hall.
Where's Kaizen? she thought.
Curious, Taiyou stood up and grabbed another hot honey bun, nibbling on it. She slung her bag over her shoulder and made her way towards the dorms.

She found him loafing outside of his room.
"Good morning, Kaizen," she greeted,  resolving to call him that.
"What are you standing around here for?" she asked.
"Aren't you hungry? There's breakfast in the dining hall."
She paused with an uncomfortable frown. Taiyou really wanted to ask about so many things, but she didn't think that  first thing in the morning was the proper time for it.
"Nothing is quite open in the city yet, not even Mama's shop," she continued softly, glancing out the window. The skies were clear and the wind calm, a perfect day for flying.
"But we should leave Ketra before it gets too busy in the afternoon."
She paused.
"You don't mind flying, do you?" she asked, "Because if you do, you could always get a horse...."
Taiyou's voice  trailed off in mid sentence when the fact that he didn't have a horse when they met hit her.
"How did you get here all the way from Essyrn, anyway?" Taiyou asked.

[Ookakiba]

"I can acquire breakfast in town; I have a few meals from people who owe me a favor."

The man responded with his sentence being accompanied by a faint smile. Although he appreciated the free food, the taste of food in scientific or military compounds was disappointing to say the least. There were also more important issues to take care of, such as heading to Ketra to retrieve a few items he needed and to pay a visit to Taiyou's mom.

"True, it would be an inconvenience to stay in Ketra to long. Perhaps we should head out now before it gets too late. I'm sure your mother would like to hear the news of your departure, who knows, she might even be able to provide more information for you." With his finished statement, Kaizen would begin to walk down the halls of the dorm, towards the girl's dragon. A short, yet sharp whistle would signal the girl to start following if she wished to begin the journey early. Although he had only spent a night in the dorms, the way out was not difficult to remember, and the signs that lead to the exit helped out. "Such as a wolf travels and follows the herd for a meal, and the elk travels to find fresh food, I traveled here using the same method. In simple terms, I walked here." His voice remained stoic and his face showed no sign of emotion while he walked.

His mind was deep in thought about the events that occurred over the past day and about the organization known as the "Redemption." It was an annoyance, but perhaps this would be the last that they heard of them. That was a wish mostly on his part, though deep inside his gut responded with the opposite feeling that he had wished for. It would not be long before they arrived near the gate where Taiyou's dragon rested and Kaizen came to an abrupt stop before he turned to face her.

"Miss Taiyou, I just want to be clear, are you sure you want to make this journey? The road to Essryn is quite tedious and treacherous. I'll do my best to protect you, but there are dangers that may place your life in danger. Are you sure you'd like to continue? If you want to go, then I will not stop you, and as such let us begin to head to Ketra." A faint smile appeared on his lips while his eyes changed from an icy gaze to a warm and friendly blue hue. As much as he'd like to find out about the connections between his father and this woman, to let her go without informing her of the risk to her life would be as iniquitous as sentencing her to death.

[Winters-Feather]

Taiyou couldn't imagine who could possibly owe Kaizen food, though she thought it best not to raise questions on such a matter. She nodded at his suggestion, following close behind him. The girl scowled at his whistle.
I'm not a pet, she thought as she once again struggled with Kaizen's metaphors. She narrowed her eyes as he spoke of wolves and elk. The girl was about to mouth words of protest, until he cut straight to the point. Her frustrated expression quickly warped into one of astonishment and disbelief.
"You what?!" she cried out, her voice echoing in the empty halls.
How could anyone possibly walk for that long and far?
Well, I'm not walking the whole way, she stubbornly thought, I'm a dragon rider.

Taiyou wished the walk to the stables wasn't so silent, but she couldn't really figure out what to say. She had questions, but she didn't want to overload the man. Plus, she still had to give Kaizen back his stupid piece of cloth. It really could have belonged to anybody, she reasoned, but it's a matter of principle. Plus, though Kaizen seemed fond of wasting breath on talk of animals, he didn't seem to like talk to people much.
Maybe he's just like that in the morning, she tried to reason.

As Kaizen came to an abrupt stop at the door, Taiyou glanced up at him wide eyed, startled. However, as he began to speak, her expression turned to that of an unusually solemn one. He was right, of course. The journey would be a long and hard one, but she also knew that she was often underestimated because of her youth. Besides, this special mission and the chance to meet her father... Though the road was mysterious and unknown, she knew it was her fate, and Taiyou was willing to embrace it.
"Yes, I'm sure," she replied, clutching her staff. The girl stood as tall as she could.
"I swore to go find information on this Redemption crowd, and if they're in Essyrn, then I'll go there. Even though I'm young, I'm at the brink of becoming a mage class soldier of Adela. The only thing that's holding me back is..."
The girl paused as she  faltered. Taiyou shook her head, her cheeks growing hot. No, no, her training with weaponry wasn't the point!
"Well, in any case, I can be strong, you'll see. I won't accept defeat!"she said.

The girl sheepishly looked up towards Kaizen.
"I... But this isn't only for Adela," she continued, finding it hard to articulate the right words.  "I really, really, really want to meet the man that claims to be my father. Now, of all times, he wants to meet me. Haah... "
Taiyou let out a bitter scoff as she gestured for the traveler to follow her into the dragon stables. She'd thought she had gotten control over herself, but the young girl could feel her face burning and her eyes were starting to smarten. The girl shook her head, shifting her attention towards the dragons. She rushed over to Shioko, carefully putting her bag down by the door of his man made cove. She quickly checked to make sure he was well fed, which he was.
"In any case," she said in a much more cheerful tone as she worked on saddling up her dragon.
"This is going to be fun!"

---

Since the city was no place for a dragon, Taiyou had instructed Shioko to meet them by a creek in the forest and to keep an ear out for her whistle. The dragon snorted his content at this before flying off into the sky. Now, two hours later, the travelers were in the middle of Ketra, almost done with gathering all of their supplies. Taiyou had taken upon the task of helping Kaizen navigate through the  city and barter with merchants who offered those from the base lower prices.

"I still think you need a horse," she said with a pout as he entered the ironsmith's shop.
Suddenly, a voice broke through the crowd, calling out for the girl's name. Taiyou jolted as she spun around in alarm to find a tall dark skinned woman with a small basket in her arms come running towards them. 
Oh, no, Taiyou thought. She hadn't been expecting this.
The woman appeared to be of an average weight with a heavy bosom and hips, dressed in a green tunic and pants with an artisan's apron. Her twisted black and red hair was piled on top her head in a bun with some coils framing her face. It wasn't hard to distinguish who she was, given her keen green eyes, pout, and determined look.

"Mama, what are you doing here- mmph!," Taiyou weakly greeted Anwar as the woman embraced the girl in her arms.
"Child, least you can do is properly greet your mother when you see her! Look at you," the woman replied with a  frown, her eyes frantically examining her daughter's get up.
"You're all dressed up, ready to travel. Where are you going, out to some training? How long will you be gone?" she demanded as she tried to flatten the hair on top of Taiyou's head.
"Mooom," Taiyou complained, trying to speak up again, but the woman wouldn't let her.
"Those people never give much a heads up, do they?," Anwar scowled, but in such a way that said she was sadly used to this. She  looked towards the smithy, curious.
"Who are you waiting on?" she asked, loosing her grip around her daughter.
"Mother," Taiyou scowled as she took the opportunity to wrangle free and straighten out her jacket. 
The girl bit her lip as she nervously looked into the shop.
"Someone that you need to meet," she said, softly.
Anwar arched a brow in anticipation.