Straightens her hair, and just heads up to her room to freshen up. She can't really do much else right now...well, she can of course, but nothing that interests her since she can't very well interrupt an interrogation session, and she's earned a few minutes off. Slips her ring back on once she's on more secure levels of the tower, to a small smile she can't quite help.

When she passes one of the guard stations, Yin might hear some of the guards laughing.

"Who is that?" one of them snickers.
"Does it really matter? That's journalism."

They're looking at their television, at the channel nine news live broadcast of "the Ziji Saga", where live, outside Grace tower, a ten foot spider has just crashed through the parking lot.

Followed by a man parading around with a torn shirt tied around his face to hide his features, buck naked, inviting them all to have a look as he runs away.

Yin covers her face with a hand when she glances up at a monitor, just...trying so hard to contain her laughter to little snickers and occasional snort, chest heaving at the effort and tears glistening at the edge of her eyes. He's way too proud of that new...physique.

One of the guards looks at the other. "I feel good for the general," one of them says. "If she's laughing at a hose like THAT, he must have an entire horse in his shorts."

Yin, of course, purports to not hear this. Once she's finally upstairs, though...she shuts the door quietly. And proceeds to laugh until she's very literally crying, leaning back against it for support. Oh, god. She has the best friends in the world.

Upstairs, of course, the sound is enough to draw Revilier out of the interrogation room. He has a pair of pinking shears in one hand.

"Yin, what's wrong?"

She smiles a bit at him, holding up a finger to give her a minute while she catches her breath. Grins. "I'm sorry. I was just laughing." She snickers a bit. "It has something to do with a giant robot labelled "distraction" and a mysterious masked spider streaking through a whole crowd of reporters to let me get inside, followed by assorted fun responses."

She snickers, and wipes her eyes. Yes, yes...this is serious. "I'm sorry. How are things going in there?"

Revilier smiles a bit at all that. yup. That sounds like Kaz and Alou. To think they were his enemies only a couple of years ago; he never got good stories like this then.

"She's really tough. She just won't speak. I've tried all the good stuff." He pauses. "Well. Almost. Some of it I can't do anymore. Wanna try your hand at it?"

"Your fiance appreciates the restraint." She smiles, amused. "Couldn't hurt. Do you think it would help to give her awhile to stew, though? If you have her chained up like I was, the waiting was the worst part."

"I thought it might be prudent to act before the sodium pentathol wears off. I don't want to inject her again." Revilier puts the shears down. 

She nods. "Good point. Alright, I'll try talking to her." Yin smiles, leans up to kiss Revilier's cheek, and heads off towards the interrogation room, thinking as she goes.

It's the same room yin was in years ago. Same table. Same chair by the door, only no Prata keeping watch. Same cameras and sensors. same straps.

And truce, strapped in the same stark-naked position. Her tattoos are absolutely telling for anyone with even elementary magical knowledge; all of them, and there are many, bear the symbol of fire in the center.

Truce doesn't acknowledge Yin.

Yin breathes out quietly. This is...hm. Deja vu? Though a role reversal. She closes the door, and finally leans against the wall. After a bit... "Alou's okay. I thought you'd like to know."

Truce doesn't raise her head. Just stares at the spot twelve inches in front of her nose, and concentrates on breathing evenly.

"Well enough to put on a mask and run naked through a crew of paparazzi broadcasting live." Yin shrugs a bit. "Actually, I'm not making that part up."

Still, no answer. Truce doesn't even acknowlege Yin.

Revilier watches all of this going on through the security monitor in his study. He could swear he's met Truce before. Maybe it was wishful thinking. 

"Don't care. Okay, fair enough and noted. I guess I should have gathered that by his injuries in the first place." Yin sits quietly in Prata's chair.

Truce still doesn't speak. Just stares at the floor, now.

"I guess I'm disappointed, more than anything," Yin muses quietly, slowly. "I've been exposed to this sort of nasty corner of military and politics since I could only be called 'adult' on a technicality. That's far more than enough time to learn that a lot of people have very good, very noble reasons for doing what they do, no matter how ugly it looks. One casualty sometimes saves thousands or more. Subterfuge prevents wars, saves lives. There's honor in what we do. At first glance, you seemed like an interesting person. I'd been able to picture you in that category. Maybe or maybe not a good person, that was left to be seen, but an interesting one. I would have had reservations about you on an airplane had I thought that you might attack a good man for being far more straightforward and honest than his profession should dictate. I hadn't thought that, at the time. I guess my own idealism is the reason I forget...sometimes a serial arson-assassin is just a serial arson-assassin."

Truce blinks, trying to stop the tears welling in her eyes.

"You think you know so much about me," she quietly sighs, "you don't."

"No," Yin admits, voice no louder. "But you're the only source we have to go on on that matter, Truce. There's no one else we can ask. Help me get to know you, and understand why your life is the way it is. Otherwise, we have only your actions to draw conclusions from."

She closes her eyes. "You said that you panicked when Alou said that he was a spy. His story corraborated that. That's not really consistent with some hardened killer."

"Tell me something I don't already know, or ask me something you don't." Truce tries to shrug. "So is that blond wyvern yours?"

Yin nods, smiling just a little. It's actually a dangerous statement, it will start feeling even more like they're teaming up on her, but then, she can't expect candor without returning the same. "Yes. My fiance, now. It's the reason I'm so involved with wyvern affairs like the conference these days."

"I don't suppose groping me is part of the interrogation?" Truce finally looks up at Yin, her eyes hard, accusing.

Yin cocks an eyebrow. "Say again?"

"You heard me." Truce's stare doesn't waver. "I hope you aren't planning to do it, too."

Yin...actually closes her eyes, not normally something she'd do in a staring match with someone she's supposed to be interrogating. It hadn't been quite fast enough to hide startled hurt, but close. When they open again, it's gone. She smiles a bit. "No, I don't swing that way. I'm sorry about that. I'll talk to him later." Will she ever.

"Good. I feel awkward enough as it is." Truce smirks a little. "So when are you going to ask me something important? If you aren't, I'd like to be let down so I can pee."

"Well. To me, you reek of someone who, at some point in her life, got pulled into things far, far more deeply than she'd ever intended to be. I think that was part of why Alou was burned: not because of anything he said, exactly, but because he was a sudden reminder of just where your life is right now. I have to admit that it also concerns me that my guardian dragon growls half the time you're nearby. Just who are you working for, anyway, that's responsible for all of this?"

"I'm a Jehovah's witness. Would you like a bible?"

"Fair enough. The restroom is unlikely in the near future...you can get someone to help you with that when they're around, or, the floor is easy enough to mop." Yin stands, and just turns to go.

Truce just smirks a little. "Hope you have a big mop," she answers, and returns her stare to the floor. 

Outside the door...Yin just leans back against it. She could not possibly be more frustrated. The interrogation had been going so, so damned well. She'd had Truce opening up, talking. She'd been confident it was going good places. And then Truce had said...

Yin closes her eyes. Damn me. Damn me. DAMN me. She knows better than to let a captive take control like that. More, she's shown Truce a major weakness that may make future interrogation impossible.

Revilier emeges from the study soon enough. There'd been no audio, so he was less informed than he'd like, but still.

"How did it go?" he asks, smiling some.

Her eyes are down. "Beautifully, at first. It was on the right track, she opening up. Then she managed to take control, though. Found enough of a chink that I'm not sure I'll be able to have success with her in the future."

The general's smile goes away. "That's not something I expected to hear from you, love. What happened?" His eyes sparkle with concern, though for what is hard to tell.

"She told me that you groped her."

A smirk touches the corner of his lips. "Of course I didn't. What else did she tell you?" His eyes shift to the door. 

She smiles just faintly after a few moments, almost apologetically though her eyes remain down. "I know. You told me just a minute ago that you didn't. I'm sorry." Looks up. "Nothing of substance, unfortunately. I was just getting her to open up when she turned the tables pretty handily. She's good at this." Pause. "And. I need a hug."

Revilier smiles a little, but just a little. She had doubts. Still, he opens his arms and pulls her into them, holding her, and staring a hole into the door.

She did, and feels awful for it. She should know better. The thing with the succubus alone had proven that. She hugs him tightly, just taking cover in his arms. "I'm sorry," she murmurs again. "It was the room and...everything's just the same, she caught me off guard. But that's not an excuse. I trust you, I do, and believe you when you say nothing happened. And I'm sorry."

"Stop that. It's alright." Revilier holds her, still staring at the door. "Look. I'll take a turn in there. She'll talk. If you want to come with me, you can." If you want to watch me, he thinks.

Yin looks up to him. Shakes her head a bit. "No. I need a break and...I know I don't need to." Smiles a bit.

The general nods a little bit. "Okay. What are you going to do?"

"I'm not sure," Yin admits. "Until hell broke loose like usual, my only plans for the next several days involved being your devoted stalker. I think I'll head dow nto the gym and blow off some steam." The punching bag is replaced pretty often.

"I'll join you in a little while, okay?" Revilier plants a soft kiss on her cheek.

She beams. "I can't wait, Revilier." She returns it, heart lightening quite a bit actually, and heads back towards her room. A yoga outfit and taped hands later, she's downstairs warming up, and then sets to methodically shadow-boxing to finish the process. That was...hm. Intense. Damn Truce. She'd done that too easily...on luck, too, she couldn't possibly have known why it would work as well as it did.

Still. Excellent psychology, and such a kid. Pity she's a psychopath.

---

Revilier makes it to the gym about forty minutes later, hair wet with perspiration, breathing ragged, his shirt marked with scorches.

"Yin?" he calls, looking for her.

She's running through a gradual workout on the machines...stops dead, almost droping the weight before quickly setting it down and running towards him, eyes wide and concerned. "Revilier! Are you okay? What happened?"

Now she's kicking herself for not going, hands lighting with the spell before she even gets to him and setting to either side of his face the instant she does.

Revilier, smiles at her, and quite abruptly wraps his arms around her waist, moving forward to kiss her, intent on making her heart race the way his is right now.

Her eyes snap open, startled, but he's quite succeeded in his goal as her pulse flutters. He is the love of her life, after all. Her arms shift to wrap around his neck, and her kiss has all the enthusiam common decency wouldn't allow in the airport.

Revilier lifts her up a little, kissing her a little more gently, a little more gently, until they're just softly making out a little. He lets her down, and looks into her eyes.

"Sorry," he breathes, "but you're so hot when you're out of sorts and sweaty."

She giggles a bit...looks up at him and smirks, brushing a hand through his own less-than-fresh hair. "I could make exactly the same statement, you know. Now. Before I'm forced to use the phrase 'we could both use a bath,' what happened?" She grins. Any of those fool reporters who had doubts that she was madly in love with this man would lose them at a glance into her eyes right now.

Revilier buries his hands in her sweaty hair, smiling at her. 

"She fought a little. She's crucified right now. I'll go back and heal her in a minute."

Yin nods. "Want some backup?" Her hands are still glowing, thumb stroking his cheek lightly.

He reaches down, hands glowing gold suddenly as he squeezes her bottom.

"Maybe."

She jumps a little, since she hadn't expected it...the very effect he was going for, no doubt. Her grin regains a coy tint despite a slight blush. "Well. I do have a new outfit to show you, you remember." Leans up to kiss him again, for just a few moments.

And he enjoys it for even longer than that. "When you've rested," he nods. "And we're clean."

"Fair enough," she purrs. "It's a date. shall we go see about Truce, then?"

"Sure." The general sneaks a gentle forehead kiss. "Just be careful with her. It seems like she has control problems with her fire attacks when she's in pain."

Yin nods. Smiles softly at the kiss as she takes his arm. "Noted, thank you. Although I'm still curious about why I wasn't burned earlier." She hadn't noticed the red glow on her hand amidst the blaze. She loosens a fairly tight necklace with a certain ring on it, and slips this back on as they walk. No good for hitting bags with...for her or the ring.

"I don't know," he notes. "But I'm happy you weren't."

It doesn't take long for them to reach the room again. Revilier looks to Yin for confirmation.

"You sure you want to go in there?"

"Yeah. I have you, I'll be fine. Healing's mostly on you, I think, though...I've been using far too much of the spell today; Alou's injuries were really extensive." She smiles a bit.

"No problem." Revilier nods, and opens the door.

Inside, Truce's head hangs low. She's barely conscious, and her wrists are caked with dried blood. Her hair is damp with sweat.

Yin takes this in quietly, though she doesn't react with horror or any such. It isn't the first time she's seen the more usual route of Revilier's interrogations. There's a reason everyone--including Prata and even the General himself--had been so surprised at the course of their own interations. She doesn't speak, just releases Revilier's arm quietly so that he can move it, though remaining close by his side.

"Truce," he calls. "Pay attention. Are you conscious?"

"Fuck you," Truce responds. A spark of fire crackles in front of her.

"Are you ready to talk?" Revilier continues. "The pain will only get worse."

Truce doesn't answer.

"You told my fiance I groped you."

"You did."

"Bullshit."

"You did it just a few minutes ago! Yin, I know you don't believe it. But you're welcome to check me for proof."

Yin shakes her head. "I don't need to. I trust Revilier absolutely. I'll admit you threw me off before, but for a reason I seriously doubt you know, and it has nothing to do with Revilier having ever given me a reason to doubt him. He said he didn't do it, and that's quite enough for me."

Truce nods a little bit. "I don't care. He'll tell you the truth eventually."

Revilier glares at her.

Yin sets a hand gently on her lover's shoulder to steady him, and smiles a touch. Come on. Let's get her healed and be done with it for a little while.

Revilier's no mind reader, though. He looks at Truce.

"If you're not gonna talk, you're not important, and if you're dead, you can't assassinate anyone," he points out.

"Go ahead," Truce sighs. "I don't care."

Revilier holds up a hand, glaring as it coats with a conical steel spike. "I'm serious."

"Fuck you."

Yin's expression fades. "Revilier," she notes, quite softly, "maybe we should give the spiders a shot at questioning her first?"

"Why?" Revilier looks at Yin.

"Because there's more than one of them. Truce was in the photographs of almost all the arsons, but there was another girl with orange-streaked hair with her on several occasions. She's our only link at the moment to whatever threat we're facing."

"Then this one should be able to tell us all about it. Right?" Revilier looks at Truce again. 

Yin nods. "I would assume so."

"So there's no reason to send her away." Revilier looks to Truce again. "This is going to go on as long as it has to, Truce. I'm not going to play good cop with you."

Truce tries to raise her head. She can't. Everything hurts, everything screams like she wishes she could.

Yin closes her eyes. She does feel sorry for Truce, in a way...she reeks of someone who's just now realizing that she's in this way too deep, had taken a step too far somewhere whether by herself or from being pushed, and slid downward too fast until she was in far over her head. But...it happens to everyone in similar professions eventually. It had certainly happened to her, that terrifying moment of reckoning.

But one way or the other, Truce's actions had gotten her here. Hopefully she'll get out of it alive.

Revilier shrugs.

"Okay."

And rams the spike into Truce's belly. Truce dry-heaves, but nothing comes up, nothing, then a stream of blood.

Yin winces just barely...mostly because she hadn't really expected it, since she hadn't been looking at Revilier's face. The Golden spell isn't actually good for captives...it's problematic for the same reason a vampire's healing ability is: tremendous, fatal bows can be struck, healed, and re-struck.

Revilier pulls the spike back. It's not pretty.

"We can dance all night," he growls as the spell begins to knit the wound. Truce's voice comes in sobs and gasps, nothing else. "Come on. Wouldn't you rather play nice?"

Truce breathes heavily. For a while, nothing happens.

And then small, yellow wisps appear in front of her. Fatten, lengthen, surround themsleves with red.

And then the flare ignites. Revilier's eyes shock wide just as the flames rush over him and over Yin, Truce's furious growl still broken with sobs.

Revilier tries to block the flame, but hasn't time.

Yin's eyes snap open. She tries to leap forward, in front of her lover, arms wrapped around him and back to the flame so that she can cover them both in ice. And cover them, and cover, to struggle to grow even as it melts away.

Truce's flames intensify. She's pouring her strength into this, but only for a moment as the security system quickly runs a heavy current into her body. She jerks twice and goes limp, the flame going with it.

Yin's ice melted. Revilier's hair and arms are scorched, but Yin is untouched.

Yin's panting. Even though it had only lasted a few seconds, she's never put that much power into ice casting before...ever, and she's been pushing the edges of her power a lot these last few years. The room is full of steam and hot, near-boiling water rising halfway up their shins as the scant last of the ice cracks away. She more or less slumps against the wyvern, chest heaving...but even as she does, her hands light vividly gold-yellow against him.

Revilier, once he realizes they're okay, shoves the door open and all but falls backwards through it, his own hands glowing gold as well.

"Yin," he gasps when they're clear of the water, "are you alright?"

She nods a bit. It takes a few seconds to gather the strength to do more. "...Yeah. Are you?" Her ankles, oddly enough, are burned from the hot water against her ice dragoon tendencies, though knitting under his touch.

"Fine." He pauses. "Why aren't you burned, Yin?"

"I have no idea whatsoever....I should be far worse off than you." Her eyes fall shut again, leaning on Revilier. Just...too tired, too drained, to contemplate it. Finally... "are we going to detain Truce to figure out her allies, or dispose of her as too dangerous to keep around?"

Revilier squeezes Yin, just holding her, knowing she's drained.

"I don't know. Honestly, she hasn't done anything worth killing her." He looks down. "What do you think?"

"I agree. I don't think she's pulling her own strings and...well, it was kind of self-defense this time.." Yin looks up at him. Smiles a bit. God she loves him. He's not nearly as heartless even with prisoners as he leads them to believe. "She needs to be healed. For whatever reason, her fire doesn't seem to affect me...let me do it, and we can put the matter to bed for at least a few hours.

"You're not strong enough. She's okay for now. Let her stew." Revilier holds Yin tighter. Considers. "Actually... I trust you.. Do what you think is right, love."

Yin's eyes soften, and she nods. "You're right. And I'll need help afterward. But I think I can fix her all right. And it's safer for me." She breathes out. Stops leaning on him, checking her balance and making sure she's steady--and, more importantly, looks it--before kissing his cheek. "Wait for me?"

And she turns to head back around teh corner through the open door, approaching Truce quietly.

"Of course," revilier nods. "Of course."

The smell of burnt hair and shirt and skin still linger inside of this room. It's pretty bad, actually.

Truce doesn't say anything to Yin.

Yin doesn't say anything either. She just approaches Truce quietly, rune scripting for the fourth time today, and just sets her palm flag against the fire dancer's abdomen.

Flickers of flame whip Yin's face, to no effect. Truce glares at her.

"Stop touching me," she whisper-pleads. "What do you want from me?"

"At the moment, to knit your injuries. Then I'm going to rest." She can feel it closing...not quite as fast as normal, and it's a pretty severe injury, but it is closing.

Truce can't do much about it. She still glares at Yin, though.

"So I guess you took his word," she softly puts in.

"Yep."

Truce nods.

"Good."

The dragoon smiles just a little at this. Breathes out a few seconds later when she feels the gaping wound finish sealing. Breathes out. "It won't feel good, but you won't bleed out. It's not like this room is a comfortable locale anyway, so at least it's not losing any ambiance to it." She turns and heads towards the door...has to catch her balance once, step unsteady. "It certainly wasn't as of when I was the one in those chains."

Truce looks up a little at that. "So that's how you two ended up together," she notes. She actually has no idea. "Pain and pleasure."

"Not exactly. I hated him at the time, for being hard to peg, I suppose, though I respected him as a good interrogator and was intrigued by him. Later circumstances dictated our seeing one another again. I was in here for four days." Two unconscious. "Not sure how long you will be. But good luck." Yin just closes the door behind her, still a few moments. Takes a step towards Revilier, trips, and goes down like a rock.

He catches her, of course. "Okay. Bed time. You have no concept of when to quit."

She snickers sheepishly, clinging to his arms. "Yes, but you knew that." Carefully, carefully gets back to her feet--happy to stay in his arms for balance.

"Alright. Go get a bath. Let me get someone to watch her, and I'll be along. Okay?"

"Mmkay. I'll be waiting eagerly." Yin smiles at him and takes a deep breath, making sure she has her balance. Squeezes his hand, and heads off towards her room. It really is her home by now. The suite, her permanent residence is a nice one, long since redecorated to suit her tastes, and consists of a nice bathroom, bedroom with oversized closet, living room with many-times-reinforced picture windows, and a tiny kitchen. The place can quite comfortably accomodate two people...and, as often as not, does.

Now she wastes little time in casting aside her workout clothes and drawing a lukewarm, feels-hot-to-her bath, situating a suggestive bathrobe and fluffy towel nearby, and settling happily into her water. After a short bit of scrubbing...she pauses. Picks up her left hand to gaze at the sparkling, beautiful thing there.

Yin smiles faintly, and settles into the water with a contented sigh.

Upstairs, Revilier faces Truce. His stare is complicated, but the irritation floating inside his visage wastes no time with subtlety.

"If you think you're going to drive a wedge between Yin and I, you're wrong. Just so you're aware. I don't care why you're here. Well. I didn't. So tell me who you're here to kill, I'll decide if I'm okay with it, and we'll go from there." He has a shield prepared to go, just in case.

Truce sighs.

"You people really suck at interrogation. All your girlfriend knows how to do is pretend to play good cop and be a smug bitch. All you know is pain. Though, I get the idea that you would've touched me a little more if you weren't afraid she would find out." She looks at Revilier then, with those smoldering green eyes. "You might as well. You'd never get a chance if I weren't in this position."

He folds his arms.

"Yin looks better than your best day on her worst." Revilier smirks a little. "Bitch, please."

"Whatever. You still want to. But you can't. Are you going to tell her you're a fag now, or after you're married and pop out a few fag babies?"

His smirk fades.

"She can't have babies, you twit."

Truce looks at him more closely, eyes narrowing. "Oh. Sorry. I didn't mean to hit any genuine sore spots."

Revilier grits his teeth. "You're good at this."

"None better."

He turns to leave.

"Wait." Truce calls quickly, as though worried, and Revilier knows he had broken her momentum.

"What?" he calls back.

"Is she a vampire?" Truce breaths deeply. She does hope no.

Revilier leaves the room then. Seething, really, but impressed.

---

 A while later, he wanders into Yin's suite, looking dishevelled, irritated, and thoughtful.

"Yin?" he calls, looking around.

"Mm...in here." She smiles a bit. Her eyes are closed...she's just lying across the bed in her robe, untied though closed by virtue of gravity, concentrating on not falling asleep before he got here.

He wanders into her bedroom, peering around. He wishes he had thought to clean up first.

"Hey sleepy." He smiles. Looks her over, horns to toes and back.

"Hi." She opens her eyes...grins up at him a bit. "You know, I got plenty of sleep. But it was a very creative morning."

"It sort of was." He smiles, but is hesitant to sit next to her. He's still smoky, after all. "You look spectacular, Yin. That's a killer robe on you."

"Of course. You do make me want to be a little more careful shopping, just too look my best." Yin smiles a bit. Holds out her hand for him to take, smoke and grime be damned. "Alou used a phrase I really liked earlier."

He pauses again. She's all clean. Still... he takes her hand, lays his lips against her knuckles. Doesn't move to sit, though. "Yeah?"

Her eyes soften as her fingers curl around his. "'Mrs. Omeaux.'"

Revilier just smiles at this, softly. He doesn't mention that Kaz had called him "the future Mrs. Iejir" just the other day. Bad timing.

"I like that, too." He sits, cautiously apart from her. "I love that. And you."

"I love you too. I just..." She closes her eyes, still smiling faintly. Thoughtfully. "You know, I could never have pictured myself getting married. Four years ago, I would have been riduced to snorting giggles at the thought." Pause. Opens her eyes. "The ring is gorgeous, too. Seriously. Well done, man." She grins.

"The ring is a ring. You're the important component of the picture anyway." He smiles, patting himself on the back. Not too humble, not too boastful, not too cheesy much.

"You are allowed to sit with me, you know," Yin purrs, rubbing his hand gently. "The tub is right there if you're that bad a contaminant."

"Well, I do need a bath. Wait for me, love?" He kisses knuckle again, softly.

She beams, blushing a touch. "Don't be too long. Eight days is plenty, you know." She smiles, and closes her eyes again.

He squeezes her hand, the general who is no longer a general. Just a man. He'll be that way until he leaves the suite, anyway.

"I'll try my best." With that, Revilier releases her hand and dashes to the nearest shower, only after riffing through Yin's closet for a nice black bathrobe. One of his, of course. And soap and shampoo later, he's sitting on the bench in the shower, just letting the smoke and the day wash away.

Yin, meanwhile, opens her eyes, gazing at the ceiling a bit. Should she...? Hm. Yes. She is awfully eager to show it to him. And she's not truly tired, after all. She smiles a bit.

As Revilier showers, Yin's also hurrying to get ready a bit...hurrying quite a bit, actually, she wants to at least fake doing her hair. It's a traditional Filipino dancing outfit in a rich, deep red, adorned with gold stitching and metalwork...except, all of the red is comprised of sheer silk. Yin fairly purrs at her reflection as she quickly finishes pinning in the ornate golden headdress over a fast fascimile of the correct hairstyle. Oh yes. He'll like this.

Revilier dries himself thoroughly, staring at himself in the mirror for a while. At his face. Thinking about marrying her. He'll grow older. Eventually die. SHe won't, not that way. She'll still be gorgeous in a hundred years. And yet, she is his now.

He looks at the scars on his abs. A chicken beak did most of it.

It's funny, now.

He looks at the names of his children tattooed on his arm. At the top name, scratched out and inked over with another celtic knot. How a few years can change things.

He brushes his teeth, quickly runs a razor over his cheeks-- hardly ever necessary-- and applies a matching deodorant and after shave set he knows Yin likes. Or she says she likes. She bought it.

He's such a bitch.

He runs a razor carefully along his pubic mound, as well. Smooth, of course. He'd gotten that done a while back. Still.

Cleans his nails. They don't need clipped. He's a military man, for god's sake.

Clean belly button. Check. Everything clean.

He slides the bath robe over his still glistening shoulders, lean and wirey with muscle that's more functional than adornment. Pauses in front of the mirror again.

Ties it. Yes. Ties it.

And heads back into their room.

"Yin," he whispers, wondering if she is asleep before he goes inside.

"Mm-hm?" She's actually running her thumb over the blade of a gorgeous new espada...she's placed the orders for it before even flying to the islands. It was supposed to be for his birthday, though...hm. After some thought, she sheaths it quietly and slips it under the mattress, standing again quickly.

Revilier peers inside, blinks twice. "That," he pauses. "Yin..." He admires her attire as he enters the room entirely, stepping around her too look from every possible angle. "You never cease to amaze, love."

"I thought you'd like it," she purrs. "I know you were disappointed you couldn't take Manila yourself this time." She steps to intercept him in his circle, slipping her arms around his waist and pressing close. "I didn't think you'd mind, too much, if I brought some back to you."

She'd brought quite a bit of Manila back, as it happened, but he says nothing of Truce. Finds it odd he'd thought of her.

"Well," he answers, arms pinning hers by hugging around them, "just so you know, I have nothing clever to say." Smiles a little. "Thank you, Yinxirziji."

"Always my pleasure," the vampiress coos, wiggling a bit at her immobilized arms. She grins. "I tried to pick up a little bit of the dancing, but I didn't really have time. You'll have to just make do with the regional wrestling styles you taught me."

"Sounds good." He smiles. "Kiss me." Eyes sparkle. "Now."

She smiles, and leans up...brushes his lips with hers, just a peck, a faint promise. "I think..." she murmurs.... Sets a palm over his mouth and grins, eyes gleaming... "you're going to have to work harder than that for it."

Revilier smiles. Disentangles from her arms. "What did you have in mind?" Pushes her gently back.

"Well..." she muses... "a little known fact about these headdresses is that they involve superpowers." Nods wisely. "It's true. A kiss couldn't go far, anyway, since you couldn't get me near the bed if you tried."

"You're probably right." At this he shrugs, starts to walk past her.

Pounces to tackle her just as he gets in "hey where you goin" distance.

She eeps, taken down. As they hit the ground, though, they hit it in a single roll, her trying to pin him instead in that exact wrestling style just discussed. He's better at it, of course, but she learned fast. Also, is quick. A little bit of a growl--a happy, playful-aggressive one, he's no doubt used to it by now--actually crackles in the back of her throat.

He lets her pin him, with enough of a show of resistance that she might not believe it. Smiles up at her. "What," he teases. "I'm out of gold stars."

"I think there might be a couple on the back of my belt," she teases, grinning. And, just for giggles, he gest a little burst of ice-mist in the small of his back.

... which of course causes him to lift off the ground a little bit, with an eep of his own.

Yin laughs aloud at this, and kisses him before he can close his mouth, eyes sparkling with affectionate mischief until they close.

He smiles a little, and returns her kiss. Much better. He honestly hadn't been looking forward to the usual game-playing, teasing and hoop-jumping. After eight days and a proposal, he just wants to hold her... for once, to share a romantic night instead of a kinky one.

And so he kisses, arms wrapping around her shoulders, hands staying quite still on her back.

She smiles faintly. Picks up on the mood...of course she does. That's her job, as his devoted lover. She looses his wrists, just allowing her weight to rest gently on top of him, arms wrapping around the back of his neck and kissing softly.

"There's a bed right there," he points out, only after a minute of just the right embrace. "You know."

(ooc: Troix's Mentor)

"Mm...so there is. Do I need to let you go for that, though?"

"Maybe."

She smiles a bit. Kisses him softly, and at least sits back on his legs so he can sit up.

He does. "Hey. I've been working on this."

He holds onto her arms, thinking a moment. If any part of Yin is touching the floor, she might feel it go suddenly cool as a sheet of metal spreads beneath them.

And rises with quite a bit of concentration, to lift them up and over Yin's bed.

She blinks. "I'm impressed," she admits alongside a soft, appreciative laugh. Smiles at him, and slips off of his legs to settle herself on the bed, sitting on her feet.

He lets the metal dissolve, then, and plops down in front of her. "Parlor tricks are a lot more fun than genuine feats when genuine feats happen every day," he points out. Sits on his own feet, looking at her. "Hi."

"Hi there." She smiles at him. "Know what I think?"

Revilier considers this. "I'll bet you're going to tell me."

"That line was almost as old as mine." She grins. "I think," she purrs, "that we ought to have dinner brought up," of course it's an option; the kitchen is there because they're both self-sufficient people and because it can be sweet to cook, "and spend the rest of a quiet evening just the two of us. We can deal with the rest of the world tomorrow tonight...we have plenty to celebrate just between ourselves," she purrs, fiddling with the edge of his robe. "Also, probably take advantage of the fact that the kitchen has been awfully slow these last few weeks...."

"Well," he pauses at this. "I could eat. You know me, love. I could always eat." Smiles a little. Reaches down, lays his hand on her forearm. "I was thinking I'd like to feed you tonight, myself."

Her smile broadens a bit. In her completely unbiased opinion, his is still the best-tasting blood anywhere. "Well, it's certainly not an affront to me," she beams. Smiles. Reaches up, and strokes his cheek gently with a thumb. "It's funny. Words don't quite convey things. Thank you for asking me to be your wife."

"Thank you for making me want to ask," he quickly answers, as if he's been waiting to say that for a while. His cheek warms a little bit. Sex without love had been great. A water-cooler story, but great. Sex with love had been even better.

Now... even without sex, it's pretty damned good.

He just looks at her, and holds her arms.

She looks back...just a few moments. God she loves him. God he's attractive...and an amazing man. And god she's the luckiest woman on the planet. She must have counterbalanced her earned karma somewhere down the line.

She leans forward again to kiss him softly, then less so.

He lets her have her way, for the moment, and just receives and reciprocates. Yin is his entire world.

And that headdress looks fantastic on her. He wonders how she got it around her horns.

As they kiss, he lets his hands at last begin to wander. Just a little.

Its maker had adjusted the headdress for her at no extra charge...happy to keep the gold and shells from the holes, after all. Yin's breath is gradually beginning to quicken...not so much from being turned on, though she's that too. Just...swept away by how much she loves this man. She slowly urges his robe off the edges of his shoulders to set a cool hand to his chest, gently running over the taught musculature she so adores.

He shivers at her touch, that unearthly coolness he's come to treasure so deeply. He lays his hand over hers, pinning hers to his chest, and just gazing into her eyes, the splashes of gold sparkling just for her. His free hand falls to her side, and stays there. For now.

He moves her hand over his left nipple, presses it gently so she can feel his heartbeat quickening.

She smiles faintly, fingers curling a bit over the spot, and leans down to kiss his chest.

He chest muscles jump a little bit at her lips, at the cool sensation spreading along his skin. Revilier reaches around her to take her shoulders, holding them, kneading them gently. His breathing comes a little more quickly, warm and shallow. He can feel something stirring, a fullness below his heart, a feeling made physical by the woman he loves.

One of two feelings made physical at the moment.

She reaches around behind him, still kissing his chest gently, to rub his back gently with her ever-manicured nails. Certainly not without effect, herself.

He lets his fingers play along the edges of Yin' dancing outfit, lets them brush the soft silk covering his lover's delicious curves. His lips fall to her hair, where he can reach it, and softly press.

Revilier's fingers tighten around Yin's shoulders. Abruptly he pushes her back, intent on freeing her lips for his own.

She catches her breath, but only for a moment before her eyes slide shut under his touch. It's deeper this time, searching, just...god, she misses him so much while she's away.

Rev kisses Yin in a succession of quick, breathless pecks, pulling at her lips a little more each time. His grip tightens on her shoulders as he kisses her cheek, her jaw, and finally her neck, nipping it softly before kissing hard below her ear, his tongue flicking out to wet her cool, cool skin.

She's squirmings now, just writing with anticipation, her own breath quickly and slipping in her own ardent kisses where she can. "God I missed you..." she manages to murmur.

His hands slide down her body, slipping past silk and skin and curve until they reach the gentle swell of her ass. He kisses along along her lovely neck, passing her throat with a flick of his tongue, and mashes his lips to her, declaring his love for her between each hard, nipping kiss. Rev's hands tighten against her bottom, pushing the strong muscle there gently up and back down, pulling her hips against his own.

Yin gasps now and again, shuddering or groaning at the anticipation. He's having too much fun, teasing and torturing. Himself as well, each tension couldn't be more shared. Each has missed this as much as the other. For now she just kisses him hard, her own arms reaching down, wrapping tightly around his lower waist to hold him close.

Rev gently tests her lips with the tip of his tongue as they kiss, searching for the right moment to begin caressing hers with his own. Eight days. In eight days he felt he'd had his purpose ripped away, mechanically going to meetings, conferences, signing things... and now she's back.

And his.

His robe, open now, begins to slide down his shoulders when he moves, down the tight, toned muscles he's worked on for her, down the biceps and triceps that swell to hold her, pin her to himself.

Rev finds his moment. His muscles contract explosively as he lifts Yin's gorgeous legs out from under her, suddenly lashing her tongue with his.

Her eyes snap open, startled and squeaking as she's taken down...though this is quite muffled. Her arms shift. One wraps tightly around the back of his neck, just holding him there for all she's worth The other travels down to that fantastic ass of his, clinging and kneading.

Revilier bears her down against the bed, kissing her harder, gently, harder, letting his his begin to roll a little under her touch upon his ass. He breathes hot breaths against her neck, kissing them away in a blink, his heart pounding for her. He pushes against her creamy-firm thighs, urging them apart, urging her to cradle him between them.

She certainly has no qualms, shifting just bit...this is where an athletic, flexible girlfriend--and athletic-flexible fiance--is a wonderful thing. Her legs fold wide around his, and she shudders. "Revilier..."

Revilier beams at her, letting his weight settle on top of her. He kisses softly here and their, letting his his hips roll, smacking himself against her center, a little harder, a little harder.

When their bed opens in a blazing red circle, he's too preoccupied to notice. In fact, it isn't until both of them begin to fall that it even registers something is wrong.

They'll be in Ischreibe shortly.

---

The first thing an exhausted Yin is after, as per usual, is proof. As soon as she and Revilier step back into the room--using the door, which of course didn't connect to what it should have--she reaches for her phone, and dials Kaz.

...

"There you are! Fuck lady! I've been calling you for a hundred years!"

A little smirk threads across her lips. "Uh-huh. I'll ask Petrovic to start picking up and answering in a sexy voice, how's that? Hey, can you triangulate this call and confirm where we are?"

"I always know where you are. You're in your tower. We've got satellite images from the place you were before, and the whole fucking thing is on fire. It's the damndest thing!"

She blinks. "Um. Wow. Okay, I'm going to fail to worry since the whole place seems fire-aligned, but still. Thanks, Kaz. How is everything going?"

"Well. I'm glad you asked. My people in Julen City have caught about six dedicated assassins milling around. The ones who've talked were after you two, of course. And get this. Three of 'em are dragons. Not dragoons, either."

"Ah, hell. Well, it's not like it's a surprise." Though it does mean that Arux can't have anything to do with tipping them off. "I'll bet you a used bra their orders are either on both or on me."

"Phhp. Since when do you wear a bra?"

"I can't afford to not, sweetie," Yin purrs, a touch of amusement creeping back into a tired voice. Though...it occurs to her that she's not at the moment. And that Kaz is likely to have pictures of her topless self up on the big screen next time she walks into his house, just to poke fun. "Alright. Thank you. I guess we'll get started on damage control...or sleep, then damage control. One of the two." She smiles wryly at Revilier.

"Eh. Sleep comfy, baby. See, the ones who talked also gave up their factions. If you like rubble, and I think you do, check the news tomorrow for pictures!"

Smirk broadens. "You're the best Kaz."

"I am. Now get some ugly sleep so other women have a prayer, eh?"

She smiles a bit. Awww. "Thanks, Kaz. You should, too...you sound exhausted. Talk to you later." Hangs up, breathes out. Looks to Revilier. "This is, in fact, the Tower, not some elaborate ruse. Kaz has intercepted six assassins, three full dragons, today, but has managed to neutralize--meaning, blow up--the factions of the three who talked. Want to try to run some damage control, or get some sleep first?"

"I'm for sleep, if you are. Though I could almost use another shower." Revilier smiles a little bit. "Will you take a stinky nap with me, love?"

"Of course." She smiles, just...relieved, to be back. "We may need to use your room, though. Mine is...er...lacking." She glances at where the bed was.

"Of course." He takes her hand, squeezes it gently, and leads her that way.

Revilier's bedroom is pretty Spartan. When they get inside, he locks the door behind Yin and says "lights!"

The lights click on.

"Ritzy, right? I had that done while you were away."

"It's fancy," she laughs. There are a few traps around here and there...he knows she knows them like the back of her hand, though, and even this tired, she sidesteps them without a thought.

He smiles at that. "This is the best part, Yin. I had this room re-coded for you." He steps through one of the invisible alarm beams. "They can't detect you anymore. Just in case you're here and forget, or something. You know. After things."

Her smile warms. "Aww...thank you, Revilier. It does make life easier. Goodness knows there's plenty of excitement around without adding to the pile." She laughs...steps over, and hugs him. Just...hugs. God, what a day.

He hugs her, too. Holds her, lets her lean her weight against him if she wants.

"I have you, Yin," he softly croons into her ear. "Just rest, love."

"Yeah..." the tension and limited doubt instilled in the trials finally evaporates at his voice, to a faint smile. "Yeah. Stinky nap it is." She chuckles, stepping towards the bed hopefully with her favorite wyvern in tow.

He goes with her... pulls the sheet back for her, too. For a brief moment he remembers their unfinished business, but... not now. She'd probably bite him, and now isn't really the time anyway.

Revilier settle in behind her when she's comfortably down. Pulls her against his chest, and then just lets her get comfy as she likes.

Yin is more than happy to cuddle up with him, just...secure. Not as secure as she usually feels sleeping beside him, since their bed had dropped into a really unpleasant sidequest just today, but...still, feels much better, smiling faintly before it fades to sleepiness. A cool hand lies lightly over one of his arms, and she's asleep in no time at all.

It takes him a bit longer, but not for discomfort. He just manages to start thinking about September before sleep can come over him.

But when it does, it is with his beloved, and it is a pleasant one.

Yin actually sleeps through the night. Mostly...awakens twice, disturbed by various things of the day--and a nightmare inspired by the talk of September--but finds Revilier by her side each time and eases easily back to sleep.

When she finally awakens for real, it's gradually. Blinks heavily against weighted eyelids. She's...in Revilier's room. That's right. Feels and listens for the General himself. He awakens before her sometimes, having this or that to attend to, and has actually learned to do it without awakening her.

He is, but Revilier has not gotten far. Instead, he sits on a chair next to the bed, just watching her sleep, a contented look on his face.

"Good morning, my love," he all but whispers to her.

A sleepy smile--and in such, one with no facade--answers from her eyes and lips before words do. "Good morning, beloved. Mm. Fiance now, isn't it?"

"Yes, but the first is still true." He smiles at her. "Mind if I join you...?"

Her expression softens, and she holds out an arm. "Never."

The general smiles at her, a contented smile, and slips into bed with her, resting his head on her arm for a moment. He gently kisses her bicep, and cuddles up to her. "Hi."

"Hi there." She can't help but smile a bit any more than she can keep a hand from brushing through his truncated hair. God he's hot. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Better," he nods, laying a kiss against her collar as he does. "And you, my love?"

"Much better." She nods. Smiles a bit. "Wondering what today will bring. As soon as we get out of bed--or I do, if you've looked--the reactions of all the nations of the world to our engagement are going to be laid out to see. I'm nervous."

He nods. Cuddles close and holds her, doesn't move to kiss or pet her. Just holds.

"I am, too. But we'll get through whatever they think, Yin."

"That, yes. And stuff it up their asses as necessary." Pause. "Well. I'll go back to being ladylike once we get back into public." She snickers, and settles into her lover's arms.

"Nah. Just be you," he says, grinning, and holding her tighter.

"Mmkay. International relations are overrated anyway." she laughs softly, and stays. Runs her fingers idly along what bits of his chest are exposed. "I missed three calls from my dad amongst yesterday the many others." She snickers. "I'll have some explaining to do on that one.

"Which reminds me," the general softly says, gripping her shoulder a little at the same time. "I haven't met your family in person."

"You will before we're married, I'm sure. There will be plenty of insistence, and it's only fair anyway...Daddy's wanted to meet you for quite awhile, anyway." Yin grins. "Oh, that will be so much fun. I can just picture you pretending to not be nervous. 'I'm one of the most powerful men in the world. I'm a badass! I have absolutely nothing to worry about! And...oh sweet mother of Jesus that's still my girlfriend's father.'" She snickers.

"It should be an experience, anyway." He doesn't really care. But it's important to her. "We'll find a bonding experience, I'm sure."

"That sounds like the teaser of a truly awful piece of slash, dear," Yin observes.

"For you or for me?" Rev smiles at her. "What's your dad look like?"

Yin laughs. "He's just your type, Revilier." She grins. Considers the question for real. "Well, he's actually exactly my height. He leans a little towards heavyset, not too much, but nor particularly toned either. He looks very Scandinavian, and I get my white hair and grey eyes--they used to be grey--from him." She smiles. "And dresses like you'd expect a vampire too, really, sans the black and red. Anachronistic."

"I'll bring my poodle skirt," Revilier nods. Squeezes her gently.

She grins. Cuddles closer to his chest. Considers things. Smile fades a bit. "A lot of the other calls were from my commanding officer, or ones that looked like Okarthel numbers. I'm not sure what to do there. If they're calling to let me know I've committed treason or something stupid like that. Or to tell me I have to come back. I can't do that...either I'd be arrested right off the plane, or killed before a day was out. And when I don't, then it will be treason."

She's been on the brink a long time. Of course she has. But that doesn't mean it doesn't bother her, or that it doesn't hurt against the fact that she's struggled so, so much to keep what she knows private and not betray the Draconic nation.

"I wish I knew what to say to help you," Revilier quietly answers. "Halfway never works for me. The Wyvern nation wants you. Julen wants you, Yin. I know you don't want to give up your ties to Okarthel, but..." he lets it hang.

She nods a bit. "It was a vain, stupid hope. A fairy tale, and I knew it from the start, to think I could actually balance both." Leans her forehead against his chest. "I knew that. I'll never really be accepted Julen, not on a deep level. No matter what I've done, or will do...I'll always be a dragoon." She closes her eyes. Starts to smile, though she fails. "We'll see what happens in the next few days. In the next few hours. But...whatever does happen, whatever it means...I'm going to choose you, Revilier."

He just holds her. Ponders.

He wonders if it would be possible for Yin to part ways with Sphyxian. Choose a new guardian spirit.

The pure wyverns have been incredibly quiet on earth. But there are some left. And a cobalt wyvern might be perfect for Yin.

"Yin. What does Sphyxian think about you leaving Okarthel?"

"I don't know..." her eyes squeeze shut, clings a little closer to her lover. She doesn't want to think about Sphyxian leaving her. He's been a constant presence in her life, almost a paternal figure or at least uncle...really, for far more minutes and hours than anyone else, even her own father. "He's not happy. But, I don't think he's decided what to do I were actually to expatriate...."

Another phrase she hates to use. Goddamnit, but she does love the Draconic nation. It's her home. Or...has been. But then, no one said life was a mess of easy choices.

Revilier holds onto her. This is such a tough decision for her, but he absolutely hates being a part of it. The answer for Yin is "go back to Okarthel, forget about me". He knows that. She loves him, but this thing is going to haunt them for years to come.

And so he just holds her, pets her, and does what he can to soothe her.

She's happy to stay...sniffles a bit. Finally, though, wipes her eyes, and smiles up at him a bit. "I'm okay. I knew about all this, after all. I'm not stupid, I know how it works. It's just the reality...you know. It hits hard. But a future with you I can look forward to."

"I hope so," he nods. "It should be a hell of a ride." He doesn't really know what else to say.

Yin does. She shifts a bit, and leans up to kiss him softly. Never before him had she known how to kiss someone and say "I love you."

Revilier accepts her kiss, folding her tightly and compltely in his arms. Yeah. That's what he should have said just now. He kisses gently, holding her close and tight to his lips and chest.

It lasts quite awhile. Yin finally sighs softly--a happy, relieved sort of sigh--and breaks it. Smiles a bit. "I hate to admit it. Hate to. But...we should probably get up and start beating down corners of the lynch mob as they present themselves."

"Probably." Revilier smiles at her. "The paparrazzi has been at the door since daybreak."

"Ugh. Bitches." She snickers. Smiles at Revilier. "I need to make some oh-so-enjoyable calls to Okarthel before I can be surer I won't end up forced to contradict myself on public statement. Once that's done, do you want to do this press conference style, information 'leaks', or...? I vote for press conference, by the way." She's learned to hate the press, it grates against every spy sensibility she has...but this does say "not ashamed, not hiding it, deal with it."

"Press conference is fine. I haven't had a good one in a while."  The general hugs her shoulders again, and rolls ought of bed. "Do you think pants are in order?"

"Not if you want to impress them." She grins, and follows...remembers that the alarms are friendly with an inward smile as she stands up. "I'm going to grab some breakfast, then a shower. Want to join me?"

"Of course. Breakfast sounds great." He smiles at her. He's sure he knows he had an easy one-liner there, but honestly, he feels avoiding the easy ones is that much more impressive.

Yin smiles, sneaks a quick kiss, and heads back towards her suite. "It looks like Petrovic restocked my kitchen at some point in the last couple of days," he doesn't shop, of course, isn't a gopher, but he is one of the very few people with enough clearance to get onto these levels at all, "so I'll make you something. Omelette sound good?"

"Only if I can watch you make it and made lewd comments about how good you look in an apron." Revilier boosts himself up to sit on the countertip.

The vampiress smirks as she runs some water to wash her hands in, and scrubs yesterday's yuck off. "You'd have to wrestle me into an apron to do that, sweetie." She laughs, and pulls out a few ingredients to set to chopping while a pan heats.

Revilier snatches the decorative apron hanging from a cabinet door. The joke gift he'd gotten her the year before that says "Kiss the Cook('s ass)".

He slides off the countertop.

"Okay." And he lunges for her.

Yin eep!s...she has to divert attention to tossing the knife safely away on the counter, so doesn't mount too much resistance as she goes down. That's the end of the passive routine, though, as an amused, occasionally laughing, vampiress, tries to wrestle this arms back and keep from being pinned.

He's pretty strong naturally, in addition to being a genuine Wyvern, so Yin is not too successful at pushing his arms back. Still, he's gripping the apron, so he isn't able to wrestle as well as he might with both hands. He pushes up with his hips, lifting and trying to straddle her belly by passing over her knees, growling at her playfully.

The playful growl is certainly returned, although her is interrupted by laughing.

He's better at groundfighting, too, since her techniques are more hit-and-run based. He does end up thrown up and back a bit by a foot planted against the gut--she's very flexible, definite perk in a girlfriend--but a rather spiffy twist later, ends up on her belly as planned. She blinks. "When the hell did you learn that move?"

She's in trouble. So, she resorts to a lover's ultimate weapon and begins tickling the hell out of his sides.

He eeps, but snatches at her wrists as quickly as he can to try and pin them down and, when that doesn't work, just lays down on her, to smoosh her face against his chest.

"Mmmf...!" Cheap for cheap, that was. A leg crosses over one of his, foot planting, and she tries to flip him over to get on top.

And over he goes, mmmfing when he hits his back.

A contented purr responds to the moment she takes advantage of the impact shock and pins his arms. "You're so cute under an apron."

He smiles at her.

Quite suddenly shoots his legs out to both sides and tries to hook around her back with them.

This works just fine, and her eyes snap open, surprised, when they grab her.

"Gotcha." He smiles at her. Just as suddenly he shoves out on with his arms, throwing her just off-balance enough that he can free his hands, wrap them under and around her shoulders and pull her into a fierce, tight kiss.

There's no time to catch her breath...and that isn't a high priority, anyway. Yin's eyes flutter shut and she returns the kiss with equal intensity. God yes. This, she'd missed on a deep, aching level without even being fully aware of it.

He's a man, so he had been quite aware of it. He holds onto her so tightly that he's almost afraid it will hurt her, but doesn't let up, kissing her with lips and tongue and breath and voice until she decides to change the course of their embrace.

She's in no hurry at all, more than content at where she is. Okay. So, maybe breakfast can be put off. One of her hands pulls at the belt of his donated gi until the knot is exposed, and a single set of deft fingers has it untied in short order.

He trails one hand down her arm, toward the fingers fiddling with the belt, and covers her hand, pushing it gently against the tight hills and valleys of his abs. Their kiss breaks, and he catches his breath, gazing at her, stroking the back of her hand.

He lets his legs relax, and smiles at her. Just waiting... for now.

Yin beams quietly at him. Eyes soft, just...brimming with her feelings for this man. Her hand leaves his belt, its work done, and just joins the other on his face, stroking gently. "I love you," she barely whispers.

And he covers her hand there, too. He doesn't feel like he needs to say it, really. She knows.

But he does, anyway.

"I love you, Yin. Even with your clothes on." He smiles, and tries to sit up with her, moving to press his lips against her elegant neck.

She grins a bit...lets him sit up, of course, remaining in his lap, and just tilts her head and acceptance, looping her arms over his shoulders.

He kisses her from collar to jaw and back, lashing her here and again with the tip of his tongue. His breath flows hot against her soft skin.

After a moment, Revilier kisses further down her neck, past her collar. He uses his chin to part the top of her gi as he goes, and presses pink marks all the way down her chest.

As he moves away from her head and throat, Yin's finally able to move her own again, kissing his hair, the fishie ear she's grown to love, and running her nails slowly down his back under his gi. No, not really taking things that slowly. God she needs him. It's been what...nine days? Ten? And they'd come so close, to add insult to injury...

He shivers at her kisses, like he always does. His hands, strong, aggressive hands, caress her back from shoulder to hip, smoothing the gi against her creamy skin.

One hand slides around her waist. Revilier takes hold of the belt and tugs it softly, but only once, before working it loose enough that one solid jerk unknots it entirely.

In the same motion, he jerks her backward by the collar of her gi, leaning forward to bite and kiss her suddenly-exposed belly.

She draws a contented breath--holding a faint hint of the overhyped vampire's hiss. Racial patchwork means that Yin can make a lot of different sounds, a fact she knows Revilier loves.

She can't really reach him well, now...and isn't adversed to lying back and just accepting for a minutes. A hand does, however, search downward for whatever she can find...the back of his neck, which she clings to gently, a faint touch of the golden spell glowing there.

It feels heavenly, of course, the gold power runnning up and down his spinal column and tingling every corner of his body. He leans forward a little farther, gently easing her off his lap and onto the floor. He sits up on his knees and, entirely for her, begins to slowly, slowly push his gi away from his shoulders.

She's more than happy to watch...wait, and anticipate, but absolutely content in the moment as the soft black material slips slowly away from the taught musclature it contrasts so sharply against. Her first thought is to wait. Flirt and be coy and let him undress her himself, like opening a much-anticipated present. But...well. It's without her direct instruction that her own gi hits the floor and she leans forward, reaching out to embrace and kiss him again.

He reaches out, too, just as ready to accept her. Their lips mesh, they are stormclouds, split too long, their lips crashing together to clap with thunder, and their hands and legs and arms flash with white lightning. His arms encircle her waist, dragging her up and off the ground and squeezing her to himself, her belly, her legs brushing against what is fast becoming the hottest part of his body.

"Mm..." Yin is happy to follow him, but her legs push at the floor behind her, going further, to press him back and lie on top of him. One hand wraps tightly around his waist, kneading it, holding him close as she searches his mouth. The other hand slips beneath his loose pants, lithe fingers wrapping around his member gently.

He lies back with her, caressing her lips and tongue with his own. He pushes her gi pants down as well, running fingernails along the gentle swell at her hips, reaching down, heart pounding in her hand. A pulse runs up and down him, but for the moment, he is hers.

She smiles faintly, though her eyes are closed. She's had quite enough time to learn his preferences by now, and embellish them. Her fingernails run up and down his length, gently, teasing, and again. Tracing turns to slow rubbing, gradually quicker, pressure on teh tips of her fingers. A fingernail nip twice, by design, and is repaired in gold. Her hand traces lower. The entire thing lights in gold when she finally takes his head in hand, thumb massaging its tip and glowing brighter still.

His head drops back to a harsh breath, his pectoral and abdominal muscles tightening, tightening. Yin's hands are pure heaven wrapped around him that way. He reaches down and begins to shove his pants further down, freeing him from the cloth and giving Yin plenty of room. The black cloth slides over his powerful quads, showing off the muscular legs he is so very proud of.

Revilier breathes quickly, deeply. With his pants pushed down he reaches one hand up drag nails gently along her breast, and one hand down to gently cup and squeeze himself below the member Yin is so beautifully caressing.

Yin's eyes are quite gleaming with contentedness. She loves the pleasure that she gives to her, of course she does. But she also loves to give him the same. Just as much, more at times. She kisses him as he rubs, a parting kiss for the moment, and begins to slip down his body, kisses and tongue trailing as she goes. Down his length, towards her massaging hand. Her lips close gently around the tip of his manhood...the the tip, for pragmatic reasons. Her fangs scrape, but are angled and never threaten to cut, as her fingers move faster.

Perhaps the most beautiful part of all this, to Revilier, is that he realizes he trusts a set of fangs so close to it. Her motions are sheer fiery agony, and before long his ass begins to push his hips up, a little more, a little more, the pulsing throb below growing into a glorious ache. His hand leaves her and strokes up and down his own body, nails scratching taut flesh here, fingers squeezing and twisting gently there, a show for her.

"Just a little more," his voice only just manages to say, warning her of what her talents are about to produce.

She beams. A last kiss and teasing lick, and she moves her face away, a preference he knows. She isn't about to let his sensation drop, though...her hand tightens just enough to not really hurt, the golden spell flashing to vivid intensity.

He reaches out to grab her wrist, to stop it, to keep himself from going too fast, but is too late. His essence drains, sendinig a tingling strain into every single muscle in his body. He almost loses his breath, reaching down to take hold of her hair or her arm or anything to steady himself.

It's over in moments, and he is left in her hand, breathing hard, sucking air deeply into his lungs and just... recovering. His eyes seek hers.

And he has no trouble finding them. They're right there, sparkling in affection. "Tsk...he's such a very forward boy. But I..." Her hand traces back up his chest, just...holding him. She kisses his neck softly. "...Know just how to hand that. He'll need to collect the rest just a bit later." She grins. Anticipation for her, too, of course...she's incredibly turned on right now. But anticipation, as he's taught her so well, is a sumptuous pleasure in its own right. "Did you miss me, lover?"

"Ssh. Come here." He reaches out to grab her shoulders and hold onto her, needing to feel her against his chest.

Her expression softens absolutely....she's more than happy to rest on her chest, face supremely content. If she could purr, she would, hands playing idly against his pectorals until finally lying still--tired, honestly--holding gently again him. Whatever the rest of the day brings, whatever news...she's with her beloved. Her fiance. The man she'll be with forever. What a beautiful thought that was. She just lays her head against his chest and listens to his heartbeat, smiling faintly.

He holds onto her, stroking her back, her hair. Just for a moment, though--it isn't in him to receive and not give in return.

Just as Revilier pulls her up to begin kissing her again, though, a pair of phones ring just at the same time.

One rings "spider-man, spider-man."

The other rings "cat scratch fever."

Yin groans...not inwardly. Damnit, her body's on fire. "Gonna kill one of 'em..." she murmurs directly into Revilier's mouth. "I suppose we probably have to take those, huh?"

"Nope," he answers into hers, and pulls her back into a tight embrace.

The ringing stops.

Yin beams, kissing him in earnest. A few seconds later, though...her conscience is twinging at her big time. Reluctantly, very reluctantly, she urges herself back. "Ugh. I'm sorry. I just...we always pick up. Things as they are, they probably think something happened to us." She kisses...a hard, longing kiss. "I really hope we can pick this up shortly." She smiles--a sheepish sort of smile, both solutions leave her feeling bad, and shifts to stand without hurting him.

He accepts the kisses, but... almost half heartedly. He leans back when she stands up, sighs almost inaudibly, and gets to his feet.

Yin feels bad. Of course she does. She'll try to make it up to him later, somehow. Also, her own body isn't thrilled. She washes her hands, retrieves her phone, and hits 'call back."

"Yo ho," Alou's voice chirps into the phone. "Heya Yin. Nice to know you're back okay. Just checking in."

Meanwhile, Revilier picks up his phone and does the same. His expression almost immediately goes from irritation to business.

"What? When? Here? Okay. I'll send her back to Hong Kong in a box. Right. Two boxes."

Yin smiles a bit at Alou, though Revilier's conversation gets that "I'm so going to ask you about that once I'm off the phone" eyebrow. "Hey Alou. Yeah...I think whatever drugs we were taking during the Grimoire thing must have been involved, but at least violence was negligible this time. How's everything going on your end?"

"Honestly? Things are weird. We have security breaches all over the city, but can't catch whoever it is. It's like someone's tripping all our alarms on purpose and getting out of the way."

Yin's brow creases. "That is a bit odd, yeah." Considers. "The assassins you turned up, did the breaches have anything to do with apprehending them?"

"Nah. They came first. This happened about thirty minutes ago."

"Trippy. Anything I can help look into?"

"Dunno. Menayen knows more than me, but honestly, you're not as useful as a foot unit as you used to be. People know you now."

"Even if I were, I'm too attached to breathing to wander around alone for the next week or so. But I do have people to pester for information. I'll keep my ears open. Just keep me posted on whether there's anything I can do, hm?"

"Sure sure. But c'mon. You're about to be basically royalty. Better get used to having everything done for you."

"Is this going to be followed up with questions involving bathing?"

"Nope. Kaz'll probably ask, though."

"Well, yeah. Oh, also, no idea where Truce went. As far as we know, she was back on that island, but they seemed to be allies of hers. and I'm not too worried."

"Okee day. We'll watch for her too. Anything else on your mind?"

What we were doing before you called. "Not in particular. I just woke up, too, so the cobwebs are still intact." Pause. Snickers. "No offense."

"Hey, if I took offense from every spider joke someone made, I'd have a whole lot of fences. I'll talk to you later."

Revilier's suited up by now and is already out the door.

"Bye bye." Yin glances to the door after she hangs up. Sighs. Damnit. Oh well. She's the one who had said to answer the phones. She quietly cleans up the mess and then puts away what food had been started. A quiet, rather lonely bath later, she takes about twenty minutes painstakingly picking an outfit suitable for a press conference if it happens--particularly, something that would be absolutely suited for the part of Revilier's wife to keep from causing even further scrutiny over a trivial detail.

She stands beside the picture windows--bulletproof, of course--for quite awhile, looking out over the city thoughtfully and sipping away a flask of blood when she remembers.

Finally, she picks up her phone, dials, and holds to her ear. Matthias MacInery.

"... awha?"

Yup, that's him.

Normally she'd be amused. He is an interesting guy, that's never in question. "Hi, Matthias. It's Esign Iejir. Sorry I missed your call." Calls.

"Don't worry. We found out from Kaz what happened. I trust you're safe if not sound?"

She smiles a bit. Thanks, Perv. "Yeah. Didn't suffer anything worse than a bumped head this time through. Thank you."

"Good, good. So is it true about you and a ring?"

"Yes. It is."

"So protocol is protocol, dear, and I tried to tell you this sooner. Marrying Revilier is an act of high treason, et cetera, we have sent an Ivory Dragoon to bring you back to Okarthel."

Yin nods a bit, unnecessarily. Her face is more or less blank. Her emotions had been taken out on Revilier's chest this morning, and she's run through this scenario in her mind dozens of times in her windowside vigil of the last few minutes. "Okay. I understand. How long ago did he leave?"

"He left about... eighteen hours ago. I'm sorry, Yin. It took me twelve hours to get the bugs cleared out of this line, after I got away from the facility. I've been sitting in a McDonald's for four hours."

Her face softens a bit. "Thank you, Matthias. And...I knew there was a good chance of this happening when I said 'yes,' you know. Whatever happens, it's all right."

"I know. Hey. If you see my wife after this, tell her I'm sorry, eh? As it turns out, screwing with the dragoon's orders is not looked well upon."

Yin snickers. "You're the best. And I'll do that. Is there anything else? The longer we talk, the more chance there is of trouble." Namely, him getting caught. She and Revilier had taken a risk for themselves. Damage to the people around them is less acceptable.

"Nah. Get ready, though. Ivory Dragoons are unpleasant news. I'll call you in two days."

"Of course. Thanks for everything. Bye." And she hangs up. Quiet a minute. It may have been a last goodbye and she knows it. Ivory Dragoon. Hm. For all dragoons readily take knee to dragons, acknowledging them as stronger and generally superior creatures through culture...she'd rather deal with a dragon any day. Dragoons also know the truth. An outstanding soldier is transcendant of race.

How interesting. That may complicate the press conference idea. However, if apprehension is the goal, they probably don't want to resort to assassination so soon; the political statement would be much different.

For now, Yin straightens her hair quietly and touches up her makeup, and heads off to Petrovic's office one floor down. Of course he's nearby. It's the only way he could get to her if the building were to go into lockdown.

The officer in question is sitting behind his desk, phone in hand, keyboard in the other. He's become quite the organized mercenary asskicking secretary.

"Hang up," he says into the phone when he sees Yin. "Ma'am."

The last bit gets an inward eye cock. Outside of Revilier, this is the wyvern she trusts most...acually, she thinks that if Revilier were to ever order something against her, not that he would, Petrovic may very well take his longtime assignment to her security to heart and try to secure her safety by whatever means necessary. But right now, she's wary of the world.

But of course she plays ignorant to noticing it.

"Good morning, Petrovic. Are things as insane here as I might imagine?"

"Good morning, ma'am. How big is your imaginaton?" He stands up, and hands her a fax--paper is harder to trace than data, in some instances. It has a picture of a man with chestnut hair, a strong nose and piercing, focused eyes-- rather like Prata in attack mode. He's dressed anachronistically, in a white chinese officer's outfit from way back.

"This is an Ivory Dragoon. Coming for you, I think."

"He is." Yin smiles a bit at the picture. Ah, fuck. Yep, that's who she'd thought it was. "Actually, this is exactly what I came to tell you about. I know this fellow. Of him, anyway. He's insanely good at what he does on top of his power." And for Yin to use the phrase "insanely good," considering that she's not exactly a world-saving slouch herself, she'd like to think merits some atention.

"I've sent a few men to find him and eradicate him," Petrovic announces. "Good men. He will not make it inside this city."

Yin's expression fades a bit. "I hope they've been advised to use surreptitious tactics." Otherwise we're going have dead good men.

"They are quite skilled. If he proves to be too dangerous, they have instructions not to pursue." Petrovic holds up a pager. "They will page me if they are in danger."

It beeps.

"Fuck."

Yin winces a little. Lovely. Damnit, she likes his unit. She just examines the picture quietly while Petrovic does his thing, waiting patiently for updates once he has them or requests for anything she can do to help. If half the rumours about this guy are true, the next few days will be interesting.

Petrovic sits in front of his desktop computer, clicks and types a moment. Skype is fun.

"Sitrep?" He says into the microphone attached to the monitor.

"He's on the train. We can't get near him."

"Why?"

"He's got two dragons with him. Little ones, but they're translucent. They look like ghosts. They're long snake-looking bastards, and they're reconnoitering the area all around him."

Petrovic looks at Yin. "They're Bailongs."

Her brow creases a little. So he has two...ephemeral, dragons, actually travelling with him? That certainly goes above and beyond what you'd expect from a dragoon. "It's news to me," she admits. "I'd more or less been under the impression he was alone. For my confirmation: which train? The subway in this city?"

"He's coming from Germany. He's on train number 1996, scheduled to arrive in Julen City at noon from Stuttgart."

Yin nods, ineffectively. "Much friendlier. Thank you." A little time to get something done, anyway. She considers quietly. "Mm...well, keep me posted, Petrovic, I won't tangle whatever plans you have. If there's anything you need from me," she's good for both asking things from departments not under his control, most of which actually listen to her in a "take the suggestion to someone who can actually give the order" sense, or through her contact with Tarantella operatives.

"Of course. You have my cell number." Petrovic gives her stiff salute.

"Is it My Queen now?"

Yin has to smile a bit at this, returning the salute more casually so he can put his hand down. "Not until the wedding. And ten bucks say I'll get tired enough of it to throw said phone at you eventually, anyway." She grins a bit. "But there's nothing wrong with an defacto promotion. 'Head of the Queen's Security' sounds much prettier than 'Head of Diplomatic Security.'" She shrugs as she turns and heads out the door. "And you shouldn't have to deal with the French Ambassador anymore."

"You warm an old soldier's heart." Petrovic drops his hand. "Take care of yourself, and I will let you know when the situation is neutralized."

"Will do. Thanks, I trust you, and I'll see what I can do from my end. Will inform you of anything major, of course, for planning purposes. Later." Yin isn't sure where she's heading. She just walks. She needs to think.

She's surprised by how...not calm, she's always calm in intense situations, but...accepting, she is? She's mentally and emotionally prepared to deal with whatever comes next, she's reasonably sure...though she dearly hopes that she won't be separated from Revilier, as much for his sake as hers. He couldn't handle losing another loved one. She's all he has left, really, though she's happy to fill the gap wherever she can. Him being hurt--and worse, guilting himself into responsibility should anything happen to her--is her only real concern in all of this.

Yin wanders downstairs, out of the secure levels. She isn't sure why, but she thinks it has something to do with being around other people. Wyverns, specifically. From the top of an open area, she leans on a railing and watches people milling below.

As it turns out, they aren't all sneaky, conniving, exciteable, honor-free snakes any more than dragons are all power-hungry, arrogant, bullying bastards. No one remembers where the tension came from originally. She tends to think, quietly, that it's because the races are so similar. So similar, but with just enough differences to notice. Humans have certainly proved that tiny cultural and facial differences are cause enough for centuries of war. The more insignificant, the better. Hell, they hate vampires, so similar sans a few details, of the same stock, for the same reason. That and fear.

She's tired of it. The partisan nature of everything. The wyvern-dragon divide. Maybe she and Revilier, so in love and leading by example, can begin to make a difference. Maybe they won't. But maybe they will. She's still a dragoon, but she's outgrown her orders. The greatest service she could ever do for dragonkind, one they're too biased to ever see for themselves, is to put this insipid, pointless cycle of wars to bed. That's what she wants to offer dragons. That's what she wants to offer Wyverns. For that, and for her beloved, she's more than willing to die.

It's a while before anyone disturbs her. When it happens, though, it's Revilier's ringtone on her phone.

She pulls slowly from her thoughts, still watching the people below, and picks up on the third ring. "Hi."

"Hey. Sorry I dashed out a minute ago. Some assassin bitch from Hong Kong actually got in the building somehow. Security caught her on the nineteenth floor. How are you doing?"

"No problem. And I'm all right. Okarthel dispatched a hyper-elite dragoon to come bring me back, apparently. Petrovic's working on that, though." She steps back off of the elevator-platform, and it becomes all right to talk again. "I'm being brought up on charges of high treason. I'm strangely calm about that, though. So is everyone safe regarding assassin-bitch?"

"Yeah. She's a stealthy type, so no force. Also, aparently we have enough press outside for a pretty extensive conference. Shall I have some folks check them out and start bringing them in?"

"Sure, that would be fine. I'll freshen up a little. When and where would you like me to meet you?"

"It'll take them about an hour to get through my security. That might be enough time for me to repay you for earlier."

A smile has to trace across her lips at this. "'Upstairs and I can get there sooner' it is, then," she purrs. "See you soon, Revilier."

"I'll be wait-ing!" A picture of the general's room flashes on her camera, just in case-- it still has a bed, afterall. "Hey. I love you, Yin. Hurry up, though, before I start without you."

Yin laughs. Smirks. "I love you too. See you soon." Hangs up, and heads that way. Ah...the next hour will be so nice.

In his room, Revilier decides to prepare as best he can for Yin, and really do his best to make her happy and satisfied with things. Life is about to get extra complex for them. This at least should be a treat.

And so, having quickly washed up again after the assassin is handled, he goes into his wardrobe and picks out something to wear for her... not much.

And so, before long, he is waiting for her, dressed in the same type of tight black underwear he'd worn the first time they had made love, with a black choker and deep maroon button down shirt, unbuttoned to show off his chest and abs. He glances in a mirror, just for a second. Unbuttons the cuffs. Tugs the underwear-which is really a lot like the tiny bike shorts fighters sometimes wear- down as far as it will go without immediately showing anything off. There... the material hugs his ass perfectly, and pulling the underwear down any further will begin to show something off in front as well.

He is almost ready.

Breathing slowly, Revilier reaches down, fingers pressing beneath the waistband, to give himself a gentle stroke. Two, squeezing softly, wrapping his hand lightly around his hot, lightly pulsing shaft. Okay. Now he is ready... not erect, just awake, his heart beating a little faster, his breath quicker, the tingling chill of anticipation streaming from his heart to the warm, fattening tip of his manhood and back.

Revilier waits by the door for his beloved, fully intending to sweep her into his arms as soon as she walks through the door.

This is certainly successful...as soon as she's sure of who it is, instinct dissolves and the moment of resistance does too, dragoon swept off her own center of gravity and securely into his arms, melting into the kiss that follows.

Yin finally catches her breath, quite a bit...well...swept off her feet. God she loves this man. "Revilier..." a smile threads across her lips. Looks him up and down, appreciatively. "You look great."

He brushes her hair away from her face and gently nudges the door shut. His hand caresses her jaw, eyes set to hers.

"Shh..." he whispers, leaning close to kiss her cheek. To kiss her lips, and lightly shove her against the wall. Revilier takes hold of her wrist and pushes it down, guiding her hand to rest against his tight, gorgeously chiseled ass and leans into her, pressing his chest to hers. He flicks at her lips with the tip of his tongue, pulling back, flicking again, and gazing into her eyes all the while.

Yin's cheeks are a bit flushed, the edges of her mouth turned up before her lips part for him. Oh, my. She's seen this side of him before. Many times, but she can never get tired of it. Sometimes he pull out all the stops when they make love. This is going to be an amazing hour, all of the joyous engagement celebration they' been cheated out of before.

God, oh God, but she loves this man.

Revilier wraps his arms over and under her respective shoulders, clasping them behind her to pull her more and more tightly into what quickly becomes a deep, searching kiss. His hot, aggressive tongue sweeps her lips and caresses her cooler one.

He breathes in her scent, moans her name softly into her mouth. A knee gently works between hers, parting her legs enough for him to straddle one, forcing her to straddle one of his as well. His kiss intensifies, his lips sucking, sucking at hers and locking as she returns it.

And now that he has her attention at her lips... Revilier thrusts forward with his scantly-clad ass, shoving her ass against the wall and grinding his just-covered shaft between her elegant thighs.

Yin catches a sharp breath, something between a yelp and a groan from her mouth to his, breaking the kiss a little to gasp.

When she breaks the kiss, his lips snap and snap against her cheek, popping wetly all the way along her jaw to her lithe, beautiful neck.

His breath flows hot against it, and he thrusts his hips again just as his tongue slides along her neck, lips pressing along the warm trail and popping, suckling at her gorgeous skin.

Yin sucks in a shaking breath, not withholding a soft moan. She hates her pants right now. She wants him, only him. God she loves him. And how he makes her feel. And him.

The kitchen floor encounter of this morning actually proved helpful in ways, making it easier to slow down and enjoy now though it's been so long, too long. The faint, winded, contented smile interrupted here and there by white, sweat-soaked tresses is unmistakable. Yin could not possibly be more content than she is right now, curled securely against the wyvern's glistening, only gradually slowing chest as she catches her own breath.

Revilier holds her, holds her for dear life. Men aren't supposed to cry during sex, but he nearly did. What began as animal passion continued as animal passion for quite a while before slowing down, becoming an emotive experience. A bonding, even though they have done this before. He feels her heartbeat against his skin, feels their sweat still mingling, their breath swirling together in the air, and all he knows or wants to know is Yin.

His hold on her tightens somewhat. "Tell me you love me again," he whispers, clinging to her milk-soft shoulders.

"I love you..." she shifts a bit so that her face nestles against his neck, forehead pressing securely to his chin... "more than anything, or anything I ever have," she whispers in return.

His lips gently press to her forehead every so often, just light pressure. He holds her, and even though he tried not to... he does cry. Just a little bit.

"I love you too, god save us both," he whispers, and just holds Yinxirziji against his sparkling chest. "So much, Yin... so much."

She stays...just...holds tightly, resting for these few minutes in his embrace."No matter what," she finishes. Smiles a bit and shifts her hand just a little...her left, that he can feel that controversial, world-shaking, wonderful, wonderful ring.

He smiles a little brighter, and kisses her horns for that one.

"It's not good enough for you," he softly whispers.

"Mm. But you are."

He kisses her lips at this, gently, casually... just because it feels right.

Yin's more than happy to return the gentle touch. She hasn't doubted their relationship in a long time despite all complications. They're perfect. He's perfect. And life is wonderful.

"It's almost time, Yin," he says into her hair, loving the way the strands feel against his lips.

"I know..." she admits. Laughs softly after a few moments. "We need to wash up, too. We look all levels of disheveled." Pulls back a little to look at him...grins a touch. "Though this was all levels of worth it."

His fingers brush through her hair, palm gently cupping her cheek.

"Yeah. It was." He smiles. "Shall we use my shower, or yours?"

"Yours is just fine. I need to run back to my room after for make-up, though." She smiles, leans forward, and kisses a last, lingering kiss.

He holds it as long as she wants it, all but crushing her to his chest. When their lips part, he lets out his breath and kisses her nose.

"Then let's get going," he purrs into her ear, "and we can both be soaking wet this time."

---

In the wide, industrially decorated foyer of Grace Tower, a gaggle of reporters sit or stand with laptops and microphones, talking to each other, talking to Petrovic's security, and bitching that Soze Malenko, the tower's communication specialist, has insisted that their only video footage should come through the tower's own cameras. Some our outraged, of course, but are immediately referred to Petrovic for a lecture about how large cameras could potentially have guns in them, which would lead to a vigorous case of death for the shooter.

Revilier stands at the top of the stairs, dressed in black, a high-collared uniform with a white sash. It's pretty fitted, with strong shoulders and a lovely emphasis of his ass and chest. He'd had it especially made for photo ops with Yin... to keep up.

"Are you ready?" he asks her, glowing.

"Yes, I think so." She smiles at him and, as any good wife-sort is obligated by law, straightens his collar a little. Her own softly blue attire centers around her unique ability to be crisply military-oriented and distinctly feminine at the same time, featuring a knee-length, double-breasted coat with just enough flare after the waist to subtly accent her figure, over slacks. "You look very handsome. I do so love a man in uniform." Yin grins.

He grins back. "You don't think it's too much? I look like an anime villain." He turns a bit for her.

"Well, I'm also a sucker for the proverbial Bad Boy." She smirks, and flicks him for the posing.

"Good. I can keep it up, then." He smiles at her. 

"The press bit is ready to go," Soze Malenko tells them, a mousy, cunning-looking wyvern with a black fin and brown hair. He's a latin fellow, and a cute one. "Whenever you're ready, we've got an honest-to-Dio crier ready to announce you."

"Oh, Lord." It's half joking. But only half. She knows he does his job well and doesn't second guess it, but Yin's allergy to being too heralded is well-known by now. They don't know why--her history is buttoned up remarkably securely--but it's certainly there. Still, she smiles. "Thank you, Soze." Looks to Revilier. "I'm ready. Are you?"

"Always." 

Soze covers an ear, and speaks into his headset. "We're rolling. Good show people. Anyone who gets belligerent, mute their mic and show them the door. They've all been informed of the rules. And... cue royal couple." 

Revilier rolls his eyes. Soze's great. He is. But a showman to the end.

"If I can have everyone's attention please," shouts a black wyvern with golden-speckled fins, "ask your questions only after you are called upon. Now... I give you the supreme general of Julen, Revilier Omeaux, and Ambassador Yinxirziji Iejir!"

Flashbulbs are already going off.

"Into the abyss, my love," Revilier softly says, reaching for her hand.

She takes it, of course. "That's all right. We've been there and back together a dozen times." Smiles at him sidelong, breathes out, and then she's in a faintly smiling game face: confident, quietly calm, content, secure, unafraid, and unashamed. And then, General on her arm, it's off to the dais.

The sea of flashing light is no problem. She's wearing protective contacts.

Revilier steps down with her, smiling, but reservedly. This is probably not going to be fun, and he's a little furious that it requires a press junket to explain.  Still... she's on his arm. That's all that matters.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen of the press," he speaks into the microphones. It's a pretty standard podium setup. "You've all been camped out on our doorstep for a while, so we thought you should come in before it rains or something."

From the wings, Soze tilts his head. That is NOT a Revilier Omeaux speech intro. He wonders what's up.

"Now, Yinxirziji and I are here to field your questions. I'm not gonna lie to you; I'm probably gonna lie to you a few times today. Man up and accept it. So. Shall we begin?" He smiles at Yin. "Um... red pantsuit, second row."

A reporter in a red pantsuit--a human-- stands with her notepad and recorder. "Mme. Iejir, is it true that you accepted General Omeaux's marriage proposal and, if so, what political motivations did you have?"

She's certainly amused by the intro...though of course seriousness takes over inwardly as the questions start. No, not likely fun at all.

"Yes, I have accepted the General's proposal. While I'll admit interest in promoting the peaceful coexistance of Dragonkind and Wyverns through example, that same example could be set as business partners. This marriage is not a political maneuver. The effects of working side by side for years to rebuild a nation and reconcile a shattered international stage can hardly be overstated. We developed a deep bond through shared experience and eventually fell in love."

"Next question," Revilier says before pantsuit can follow-up. "Um... how about gray jacket and green tie in the third row?"

The indicated reporter--clearly a dragonic national--stands up to an impressive height with his notepad. 

"General Omeaux. Are you aware of the risks marrying a dragoon presents to your life?"

Revilier smiles broadly. "Quite aware, but humor me, and elaborate."

"Have you considered the possibility that, once you and Mme. Iejir are married, there will be an increased dragonic threat to you, that is to say, that dragons will try to assassinate you to leave Mme. Iejir in power over julen?"

Revilier glances at Yin. "Yes."

She meets the glance. Can't smile at the sheer trust due to the way the press would interpret the expression...but her eyes do. Looks back out to the reporters. "In any case," she elaborates, "a title is just a title. In any scenario, any degree of power can only be maintained by the people supporting it. Julen nationals, in this case. Navy suit, black tie, third row."

A human stands up, a tiny little man with blond hair and a goatee.

"Have the two of you set a date?" he asks, looking somewhat starstruck.

Yin has to smile just a little. Awww. Cute. "Not yet. We haven't had a spare moment to discuss the details of the ceremony itself Near the back, plum suit," pimp suit.

Pimp suit stands up, a wyvern with white fins and a beret. "Do you know who the naked man was, or the owner of the spider robot that attacked the press two days ago?"

"No, but if he or they are watching, they have my sincere thanks for making a spectacle of themselves without causing any injuries or property damage. Whatever their intention, it was lovely to go inside and just head to bed while jet-lagged. Grey suit, black shirt, towards the middle."

Gray suit stands up, a human with white hair and sunglasses.

And black lips.

"Yes. Mademoiselle. How did you like Sidarsis' little amusement park in the Pacific?"

He takes away his sunglasses, black shark-eyes gazing at her over a cold smile.

Her facial mask doesn't alter, but her inner self face-faults. Despite herself, there's a pause. "It was a lovely time. Everyone needs a vacation. Grey suit, maroon shirt," third row." Her eyes linger on Gabriel unduly long, before she forces them away. What's he doing back here? "See about the domes"...?

The reporters are talking fast by now, to each other, to their editors, finding out who Sidarsis is and what this odd man is talking about. Radivishe Moorn slips the sunglasses back onto his face.

Revilier looks at Yin. Then back to the crowd.

"Who is Sidarsis?" asks maroon shirt.

In her head, Yin's teeth are gritted. What a bastard. They have to steer this conversation. "Sidarsis is the teacher of a young friend of mine. She offered us a quiet place," well, it probably is most of the time, "to collect our thoughts," and royally fuck them up, "and make some decisions regarding our upcoming marriage. Her initial offer was made in response to the abruptly ended conference in Manila, figuring that stress relief was pertinent." Yes, bitches, I was firebombed the day before yesterday. Please bite that subject.

Revilier lays a hand on her shoulder.

"We will answer no more questions on the subject of our little vacation. White suit?"

"Is there any truth to the rumor, General, that you are planning to retire?"

Revilier blinks. Fuck. How the hell...?

"Yes."

Yin blinks. Still, neither her expression nor her steady, casual, gentle hold on his arm flinches.

"What do you plan to do after you've retired?"

Revilier feels her hold on his arm change.

"I thought I'd start by fucking your mothers, one by one, or two by two, if they'd have it, and Yin didn't mind."

A rush of conversation, with some scattered laughter, fills the foyer.

Soze drops his head. "My production is ruined," he sighs.

Yin grins sidelong at her fiance. "Individual permission slips and applications will be required."

"How can you justify holding a press conference and then making a mockery of the process?" the same reporter asks, undeterred.

"Press conferences provide information and insight. The core information won't be harmed unless you're deterred by creative spins on 'none of your business'," Yin observes smoothly. "Tweed suit, back row."

The dragonic reporter stands up slowly. Looks around. Looks at Yin. "Will you be having a public ceremony?"

Yin nods. It was sure to be a question, so they'd talked about it. The state ceremony would be auxilliary after a small, private ceremony just for themselves and very close friends and family, where they actually tie the knot. "Yes, if security allows."

The old dragon smiles. And sits.

Revilier looks over them. "Anyone else? Just... whoever talks first."

"It's common knowledge that France, Spain and Australia are not pleased politically with the union. French and Spanish leaders have already made public comments suggesting the possibility of open war. What do you two think about the rumors concerning Wyverns and Dragons consolidating their power base to stand against humans?

Yin's face grows a touch more serious. Good question. And serious stuff now. "First, it's a serious mistake to consider humans and non-humans a strictly 'us against them' situation. The whole overt political stage there is quite new, and it would be best for all involved if some breed of peaceful coexistance were reached when the dust finishes settling. However, greater draconic-wyvern tolerance would reduce drains on the economies of both, not to mention ease social and political tension that human nations currently have to maneuver through and finally put a centuries' old, nearly constant threat of open warfare to bed. Greater unity on this front would be a boon not only to wyverns and dragons, but to every group that could conceivably caught in crossfire.

"That," she finishes, "was my opinion, and should not be interpreted as that of the Draconic Nation. We are still waiting on Okarthel's response to the engagement." Technically, she shouldn't know. "These actions were those of Revilier and I personally, not those of a greater agenda."

"How aware are you," Radivishe Moorn shouts about the din, "of the astral dragons en route to this planet?"

Revilier looks at him. "Not?"

Yin's silent several moments at that. She's keeping herself from freaking out, is what she's doing. "Say what?" Moorn certainly has her undivided attention.

"Don't be a nit, woman. You heard me, and it annoys me to no end that you require repetition." The sorcerer looks at Revilier. "You both probably know that one of their dragoons is on his way here right now."

Yin's eyes travel to revilier. She nods just a little, nearly imperceptibly. She thinks they should acknowledge that...even if it's public, it may be pressing. But what does he think?

Revilier apparently has a different idea. "Thank you all for coming. On behalf of myself, I invite you all to get out of my tower. Petrovic." He nods to the old soldier, who quickly signals his men to persuade the media to leave.

Yin reaches out, shuts off the mike, and turns to speak softly to Revilier. "I know him. Take Kaz's 'know how everything works' and mix it with Felina's general omnipotence, and you get that guy. We need to find out more."

"I don't like omipotence," Revilier answers, "it cramps my style. I still can't figure out why all these ultra-powerful types don't handle things instead of pawning them off on us."

"Valid point. Maybe we're just that cute?" She checks her watch. We have fifteen minutes until that dragoon's train is supposed to get here. But I didn't know an astral dragon itself was going to get involved..." she looks out to where Gabriel had been, hoping he hadn't done the "enigmatic" bit and allowed himself to be shooed out.

He is still there, calmly informing a soldier that he needs to speak with the 'new royal family' and that refusing him this audience will result in something that rhymes with "I'll choke you with your own mick."

"I'll be right back," Yin notes softly to Revilier. She kisses his cheek briefly, and proceeds to jump off the stage and head over to the soldier in question. "He's fine. Gabriel. It's been awhile. Join us upstairs, then?"

"I might be delighted," he shrugs. "Pity. It would have been the first autofellatio suicide since the last time I did that to someone."

The soldier steps back, but only at Yin's command.

"Show me the way, dear."

Yin nods to the soldier--he'd done a good job, after all, and heads back to the stage. Looks up to Revilier. "Want to head up to my office to talk, then?" It's closer than his, and, since it's a diplomat's office, has a pretty nice sitting area.

"Sure." Revilier sits back, and lets Yin take charge this time.

Even so, once they're on the same level, Yin takes his arm softly, glances back to make sure the sorcerer's with them, and just heads that way. Gabriel isn't one for small talk, as she recalls, and they can't say anything substantial here, so it's quiet until the door slides shut behind them. "Revilier," she begins once it has and they're heading towards her public rooms, "this is Gabriel Orr. He's the one I mentioned before who transported the assorted teams around the world to frustrate Millarca's plans. You did encounter him briefly at the prison, but I'd be surprised if you remembered with the shape you were in."

Revilier looks Moorn over. "Orr? German?"

Moorn smiles a little. "Spanish. Actually."

"Right. So why are you here, again?"

The sorcerer leans against the door. Pulls away his sunglasses.

"Because in the history of this pitiful little planet, astral dragons have come to its surfaces four times. Three of those times ended in worldwide disasters. I can't do anything with a broken world."

"What brought them here each of those times?" Yin inquires. She takes one of the comfortable four chairs, herself. That had been a really stressful twenty minutes.

"The last time was a pending threat to dragonkind. A disease, I think. Carried in humans in Europe, hence the dragonslaying tales being such heavy favorites here. They could kill the beasts through mere contact over a course of an hour. So the bubonic plague happened and wiped the carriers out."

"Efficient, anyway," Yin admits. Ouch. "But why the visit this time?"

"Wyverns are winning the war." Moorn shifts his weight a little bit.

Yin quiets at this, face a touch more solemn. Considers this. No, they haven't been at open war, but... "That's not exactly a new development," she observes quietly. "That's why they started tying dragoons to the spirits of past dragons rather than living, flesh-and-blood partners like in the Old Days. The population lost its ability to support the scope of the dragoon military...which is more important than ever." Old Days is more or less a real term in the Draconic language, not just a colloquialism. "What changed? Why now?"

"Because someone has been fighting harder than ever with weapons he picked up in a place he never should have been," Moorn spits, glaring at Revilier. "Quava's staff, Revilier. Where is it?"

Revilier glares right back. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"The staff the wraith carried. The one made from the spine of a mercurial wyvern." The sorcerer's arms unfold. "I know you have it. I am here to take it from you."

Yin blinks slowly. Looks to Revilier, face questioning.

The general's teeth set hard. "I don't have it."

"Where is it?" Moorn has obviously been in this situation a few times before.

"You need to leave."

Moorn looks to Yin instead. "Do you know where it is?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Of course, this is true.

The sorceror nods. "Yes, I thought not. Ah well. I suppose I was wrong." He smirks a bit. "I'll leave you two be for now. Talk amongst yourselves."

"Mm. See you soon, then." She doesn't know Moorn well. But she thinks she knows him well enough to think that "oops, I goofed like a sillikins, you won't be seeing me again!" isn't actually going to pass his lips.

The sorcerer steps out the door, vanishing as soon as it closes.

"Weird." Yin shakes her head, and looks to Revilier once he's gone. "Do you have any idea what he's talking about?" It's not accusatory. It's a pretty standard procedure for him to lie to a diplomat's face and then have a curious, generally amused Yin inquire as to the real truth.

"It's sort of a national secret," he sheepishly replies. True, she's hardly got the option of sleeping with the enemy for him at this point, but... force of habit. If Yin knew he had stolen that thing from Quava and had Kaz build a weapon out of it... well, that would probably not bother her.

Knowing that he had its sights set on Okarthel probably would.

Yin smiles a bit. Of course, that means he has it. And it bothers her that he hadn't denied the massive "threat to dragonkind" Moorn had noted. But... "Well. Just make sure to be careful. I've never been on the bad side of Gabriel there, but I get the feeling that it's a bad thing."

He smiles at her. "I love that you're concerned, baby. It'll be fine. Now... we just have to worry about what the media's going to say about the conference. Was it over the top?"

"Most of it was fine. They're used to gross political incorrectness. They're going to be more concerned about the abrupt ending. How many people do you suppose heard the bit about an astral dragon? With the conference dismissing immediately after the statement, it will be given credibility even if just by word of mouth."

"Point." Revilier sits on the desk, lips bunching as they do when he's thoughtful. "So what do you know about Astral dragons? And... how much time to we have before our Ivory friend arrives?"

She checks her watch. "If all's on schedule...nine minutes." Yin looks up to Revilier. Is quiet a few moments. "I honestly don't know a lot. They're the ultimate rulers of all dragon affairs...anythign they say is almost impossible to overturn even centuries or millenia after one's spoken. Their power is absolutely obscene, though I don't know that I can properly class it into an element. Their dragoons, too, while still technically bound under the restrictons of dragoon society, are significantly stronger than most dragons. More than that, they are treated more or less differently...this guy's from an old family of dragoons, traditional and likely follows all protocols of respect, but that's almost a farce. If he said something, the Council would pay attention. The main reason being that Ivory dragoons aren't tied to spiritual dragons...they're tied to living ones. In such, they pretty much serve as a mouthpiece the big bosses."

"So if he's violent, and we kill him, we should expect repercussions?"

"Oh yes. Dramatic ones."

The general nods. "Okay, then. We should find out if he's trying to kill us, then." 

Yin smiles a bit. "Good plan. The information from Petrovic's end," she has no intention of incriminating Matthias to anyone, "suggests that he's here to take me back to Okarthel, 'alive' implied. I'm actually inclined to believe that, though there's no way to be sure."

"I'll have him brought here, then. We can talk. If it goes poorly, he might vanish." Revilier nods. And then he might have to level Okarthel. "But hopefully not."

Yin nods...almost tentatively, but she wouldn't have agreed if she weren't willing. Honestly, this guy scares the hell out of her. Not so much in and of himself, as for the signal that he presents of Okarthel's level of interest in this. But..well. They'll see. "All right. Sounds like a plan." She breathes out.

"Now, here's another question." Revilier glances at the door, then back at her, eyes shining. "Do you want to go meet him with me, or shall I send him a car instead?"

Yin's a bit quiet. The right answer is to go meet him. Finally... "I'm not sure. I'm having trouble figuring out whether my opinion is biased. The proper thing--and better thing to promote a reasonable talk--is to go meet him. But between security threats and the fact that we would be completely mobbed, while heavy disguises would just be silly presenting ourselves to someone." Pause. "Sorry, that's the explanatory preface. I think we should send a car, but I can't decide whether that's pragmatism or falsely justified by the fact that I'm actually a bit afraid."

"We'll send a car. I'll make a call." Revilier clicks his phone again. "Why don't you get some rest? Else find some way to let the tension off. Kaz gave me a PSP the other day if you want to do something mindless."

"Yeah...I don't know. Maybe I'll lie down or something. I'll keep my cell around, of course." She stands.

"Of course. I'll just call..."

His phone rings, playing the old Soviet national anthem.

He answers it, of course. "Petrovic."

"You two should see this. Turn on your TV to the BBC."

Revilier looks at Yin, holding up a hand to tell her not to leave yet as he flicks on the wall-monitor. The television displays a newscast with footage of a train stopped on the tracks between Germany and Julen City. The bewildered anchor is calling what he sees without the benefit of an on-scene reporter, and the footage is clearly amateur.

"... just minutes ago. This footage, taken with a digital from the road, shows the chaotic scene unfolding. Authorities are still searching..."

Revilier blinks at the screen. The footage clearly displays a train with the number 1996 scripted on its engine, stalled on the tracks. A green circle glows on the side. There is no audio, of course, but as he watches, a certain pale fellow steps into the camera's field of vision and hands what looks to be about fifty Euros toward the camera.

"... looks as though the man in makeup is paying off our cameraman..." the anchor narrates.

On the screen, Moorn takes two finger and presses them to the underside of his jaw. He points at the camera, just for a second.

Revilier tenses.

The sorcerer's hand whips toward the train, and in that instant, a spark of red flits from the green circle and the entire train floods over, doused in flames just before blasting into a billion shreds of white-hot shrapnel.

Yin gapes...open-mouthed for just a moment. Then her fingers find her eyelids. Regardless of what's the case, Moorn's a known associate of theirs, after the press conference. "Oh. Fuck. That's beautiful."

"That... whore-mouthed freak!" Revilier could bite right through his phone right now. "How long was he planning that?"

The image on the screen cuts off abruptly, and the newscasters look back to the camera.

"If you encounter this man, do not attempt to interact with him. Call your local police department with his location. The government has issued a warning that this man is to be considered an armed and extremely dangerous terrorist."

Revilier turns off the TV.

He looks at Yin.

"We have to start damage control."

She nods. "I should go to the scene, since I'm the dragoon of us it would be a show of good faith, and I can find out more from there to relay and start handily denying involvement. Will need more security than usual, of course, but yeah."

"Hell no. You're not going down there." Revilier shuts his phone in his haste, accidentally hanging up on Petrovic.

She nods. "Okay. Why?"

The general tilts his head just slightly. "First off, if they see you there, no matter why, they'll just think you were involved. Second, if that maniac is still there, you might put yourself directly in danger."

She nods. "If Gabriel wanted to strike at me, he could do it regardless of where I was. But the other's a fair concern. We do need to make some varity of public statement or to Okarthel, though, soon to immediately, denying responsibility." Pause. "Also, we need to confirm that that dragoon is actually dead."

Revilier nods at all this. Maybe bristles just a little bit. "I'll handle it. Why don't you go get that rest we were talking about?"

Yin considers quietly. "Well...officially, I should still think that I'm a Dragon ambassador without complication. I should consider trying to act in that facility...and will almost certainly be contacted in it, I'd think."

"That depends on how many people knew this guy was coming," the general answers.

"Oh...point. I missed the obvious, love, thank you." She smiles a bit. "We weren't supposed to, though of course it will be the assumption. All right. You win. I'll go lie down."

"Thank you, Yin." He smiles at her, a nice, quiet smile. "I'll keep you posted."

She steps over to him, leans up to lightly kiss his cheek, and just heads quietly for the door.

He smiles at the kiss, and pulls his phone back out to go to work.

Radivishe Moorn wonders why Yin's bedroom lacks a bed. Still, he waits quietly inside. This is, of course, the modern timeframe's Moorn, dressed in his open coat and black pants, skin as smooth as glass.

Yin is tense and thoughtful as she heads upstairs. This...all of this. Could Revilier really be planning something large against dragons? Of course she'd be left totally out of the loop if so...even she's not certain as to what her reaction would be. But if he is, would it only be a contingency for emergency retaliation? Could she live with that if it were really so damaging? But he wouldn't strike offensively. He's sympathetic to the idea of dragon-wyvern peace coexistance too...isn't he?

The muddle is just...hell. Well, she can flip on the news and see how the various international channels are handling it...

She freezes just a moment when she steps into her apartment. Isn't sure why, until she glances to the bedroom and spots a familiar figure. She closes the door quietly, and turns that way. "See. This is why I told Revilier that staying home to avoid a possible strike from you just didn't make a difference."

The sorcerer nods a bit. "He cares about you. That's all. It makes him stupid. Your fiance is playing a very risky game, Yin. Suffice to say wrecking diplomacy between your nations is a slap on the wrist compared to what I plan to do if he does not turn that staff over to me."

"I'll take that as confirmation that that dragoon is dead, then?"

Moorn's face crunches up.

"Of course he isn't dead you blithering buffoon. He IS sealed inside a cul-de-sac somewhere outside of this world's reach. For now." 

Yin breathes out. And quite expects to have at least six elaborate insults tagged to her in any conversation with this guy, so she doesn't particularly react. "This is the first I've heard of any staff, but I can look into it."

"If you value his life, you should. Don't think of this as something against you. You are fine. But being married to an idiot is the same as being an idiot when matters of cosmic importance arise."

"More domestic importance, too." She nods a bit. "One undercurrent of saying 'yes' involved my accepting that we would rise and fall together...with both being possible in a dramatic way. I'm not about to balk and scream 'you hate me' now that it's a more pressing possibility." She breathes out once, and heads over to the kitchenette. Specifically, to the liquor cabinet, withdrawing a glass and a bottle of cognac. The day calls for it. "I'll check into the staff. Is there anything else you came to say? Also, want something?" Referring to her current activity of pouring about two shots' worth into the glass.

"No, thank you. Just know that the the only things that staff could possibly be useful for are a walking stick and a dragon-smasher. So you know."

Pause. And she nods. "Okay. Thank you." A bit of blood--human only, she considers dragon's blood mixed with liquor is just overbearing--tinges the cognac pink, and she proceeds to throw back the whole concoction in one shot. Just...damnit. The conflict here, trust in Revilier's level-headedness regarding dragons--which is better than most wyverns but still far from unbiased--against Dragoon loyalty. While, meanwhile, enormous consequences may follow every possible choice. Oh, well. C'est ma vie.

"I'm assuming the usual 'don't worry about contacting you, you'll be in touch if it's interesting' thought is in play?"

Moorn reaches into his pocket and holds up a shiny black box--a cell phone.

"Believe it or not, I am not entirely anachronistic." And he reads off the number for her.

"Alright, I've..." Pauses when she finishes entering it. "...Is your number really 33-BITCH?"

"As long as you don't precede it with 1-900, yes." The sorcerer's eyes twinkle a little. "Never let it be said that my sense of humor is entirely based on the boundless folly of others."

"Not based on it, just tickled by it." Her thumb punches "save" and the number's there. "All right. I'll let if I turn up anything interesting." Probably. She needs to think about things. Where her loyalties lie, exactly.

"I hope you do." He smiles that pleasantly malicious smile of his. "There are only two people I trust to make good decisions in this existence. One of them is me." He vanishes, then, leaving the implication in the air.

Yin considers this a moment...but only a moment, before she decides she has no idea who. She sighs quietly...sits, and flips on the TV to check the various international news stations. Thinks as she does. She doesn't want to do this. She doesn't. Because she's afraid of what she might find.

Finally, that phone comes up again, dialing a certain floppy-eared psycho.

The news has some interesting tidbits, actually. In addition to the destruction of the train, a certain island in the south pacific was apparently struck with "a blast equal to the Hiroshima bomb" minutes ago.

"Hey." Menayen's voice is not the hyped up crazy kitty it usually is.

"Hey." His voice gets her attention enough to put off her question. Friends first. "You sound like you need a drink and nap in quick succession. You all right?"

"I'm just mad because one of my inventions works."

"That's usually a good thing and results in fewer purple people. What's wrong with this one?"

"It blows up cities."

"Erf..." she winces. "Is that why I just watched a story about about sixty thousand palm trees transitioning into constellations?"

"Yup. I thought you knew about it."

"Nope. I've been sidetracked on the Ivory Dragoon thing. Are you all right, though? This isn't exactly your comfort zone."

"What was I supposed to do? Tall blond and abs-y handed me this sweet stick and said "this is what I want, go to town on it" and it was the most amazing thing I've ever seen. So I did what he wanted, figured on using the rest of the thing for energy cells or something. So now I'm blowing shit up because no one else knows how to run the targetting system for the pulse cannon."

Yin's face falls gradually too this, heart sinking with it. She's quiet at first. Finally, quietly... "to use against Okarthel. Right?"

"You sound really surprised about that, you know." Menayen's voice is quizzical.

Yin leans back. Another pause. "It's one of the biggest ways I've lost my edge over the last few years, Menayen. It used to be that I'd never not know something, just because I didn't want to."

"No, I mean, he told me you knew."

"What? No. My loyalty's as split as hell, trying to balance the welfares of two nations and promote tolerance between them, and he knows it. There's no way I would have kept my lip buttoned about a super-weapon against dragons."

"Well, you can tell him I'm not shooting this thing at Okarthel anyway. He told me it was just a failsafe precaution, but I don't like it anyway."

Yin breathes out. Smiles just a bit. "Now I owe you two lunches. Two and half. Hey. Remember Gabriel?"

"Scary, cocksucking lips?"

"That's the one. He was just here. He's looking for the staff you put into that weapon. Says that there are astral dragons concerned about it and heading here to neutralize the threat."

"So what do you want me to do? If I disengage that thing, lover boy's gonna know."

"I don't know. I wanted to give you a heads-up. I think I need to talk to Revilier about this myself." Not something she's looking forward to.

"I don't know what he'll say to you. 'Whoops, I forgot like a silikins,' is not something a guy like him says."

"No...but I'm supposed to be marrying that man. I could probably get things handled by myself...but to do that without even talking to him about what's going on, just relying on what other people say and going behind his back...well. That wouldn't be off to a really great start."

"Hey, I agree. But you two have been really good about keeping your respective national business secrets, y'know, secret. Married means you'll both have to quit it. It's gonna be quite a hump to get over."

"Yeah. I wouldn't expect him to tell me old ones that were still pertinent, or for him to expect that of me, but...stop making new ones anyway." Her voice is fairly thoughtful. Aaaand...they're getting off on a tangent. "Hey, listen, there is one thing I'd like to ask from you, if you're up to it. Do you have anything in your techie-area 51-mumbo-jumbo arsenal that might be able to confirm that there are actually astral dragons headed this way? Some proof from someone I can fully trust would make this a lot simpler." Pause. "Or, you know. Hack hubble again and this time not point it at George Bush's hot tub. Which still was not funny, by the way." Poor retinas.

"It was when I put it on YouTube," Menayen argues. "And yeah. Hang on. Any specific direction?"

"No idea, sweetie, sorry. That's the challenge."

"I'll look into it. Is there anything else I can do for you?" His voice changes a bit here, softening. This is his friend, and things just got extra complicated for her.

"Mm-hm. Take a nap or a nice, leisurely lunch or give a corner whore a hug and a flower or something. The world will still be equally fucked up when you're done, so you shouldn't miss much."

Silence.

"I'm not hugging Alou again, seriously, that THING touched my leg. And I'm short."

Yin snickers. "You don't have to. He got to parade it around on international television just yesterday. He should still be happy."

"Yeah, I saw *that* on YouTube too. Alright, I'm gonna start checking into stuff. You call me if you need anything. Kay? Pretty kitty please?"

"I will, Kaz. You too, right? See you later, take care." Yin hangs up, and breathes out. Turns off the TV. This...she is not looking forward to. Damn this all. She really might be in danger of losing Revilier over this mess. But...that's part of what being a spy was, what being a public figure is. What being a dragoon is. Taking your own happiness and putting it on the line for the sake of the greater people.

She did promise him she'd grab a nap, though. A twenty-minute powersnooze later, she wanders out, refreshed, and rather solemnly seeks her beloved.

Revilier is still in his office, surrounded by screens keeping him abreast of various situations.

He smiles at her when she enters, though.

"Feeling better, love?"

"Mm-hm. Sleep is always good." She smiles a bit. Wanders over, and seats herself sidelong on one of his legs as per usual if they're alone. There's an alarm-type setup that alerts him if anything is approaching his office, so there's no danger of her blundering in and seeing something she shouldn't. Looks at his screen. "How are things going in here?" She fiddles idly with her ring. Goood ring.

"Not terrible. Okarthel isn't directly blaming us for what happened, but they're blaming someone and haven't crossed us off the list." He smiles at her, loops an arm around her waist. Pinches her only just existant belly.

She can't help but grin back at him. He's so good at what he does, and so sweet besides. She does love him. "I asked Kaz to look into the 'astral dragon' thing. Confirmation would be nice before any action, and all."

He smiles at her. "You're going to make a fabulous queen, you know." Ponders. "Is Queen too much? I don't know that there's an equivalent gender title for general."

She has to grin at this. "You know, if you want to break down the government system, you are technically the king around here. Even if tomato-pelting is the recommended punishment for calling you such." She laughs, and pokes his belly.

He grins at that. "Well, in a way... My family is responsible for all this. You know how silver wyvern nobility passes down." He looks at the screens. Huh. "Hey. Isn't that Truce?" He looks at the front gate security camera.

Sure enough, the fire elemental is standing there, handing papers to the door guards.

Yin blinks. "Shall I go investigate, love?" She was on better terms with Truce than Revilier last time, after all.

"Would you?" He hugs her waist. "She's no threat to you, and I need to be here right now."

"Of course. See you soon." She kisses him softly, slips off his lap, and heads for the door.

He kisses back, gently, eyes closing just a little, and watches her leave. 

Yup. Nothing like saving the nation with a raging erection.

He goes right back to his work, though. Mostly, he's gathering test data on that pulse cannon test. The Arbiter, he called it. Cheesy, but fitting.

Sidarsis' island is gone... which is part of why he's a little concerned at seeing Truce here.

Of course, all things considered, Truce is still fussing with another set of guards when Yin approaches. "Truce," she greets, "it's been ages. Twenty-four hour-long ones, but hey. What can we do for you?"

Truce looks at Yin. Her green eyes have gone gray. Her cheeks are pale, and her hair has begun to go silver.

She doesn't say anything. Her lips part a bit, close, ashen.

Yin blinks slowly, taken aback. "Maybe you'd better come somwhere we can talk," she observes quietly. "Let her pass, it's alright," she instructs the guards. Looks to the fire-type. "Follow me, we'll head to my office." And she heads off that way.

Truce follows wordlessly.

Upstairs reveals the little parlor in front of Yin's more utilitarian office. "You look just about ready to fold over. Have a seat. Want something to drink? before you detail what's brought you here?"

"We were warned." Truce looks at Yin, but not AT Yin-- more like through her. "The phoenix and I. Before the light came down from the sky. A man with cat ears told us. He called my phone. He warned me. The phoenix was restoring me when it happened. We had no time."

Yin's expression fades. Okay. Kaz is not going to hear about any of this. "What happened to the phoenix?"

Truce blinks, still staring past Yin. "Dead. But a phoenix, still. It will return." She blinks again, slowly, out of synch.

Yin nods a bit. So Truce's power is drawn from the phoenix...that one, specifically. That's fairly obvious. "What did you come here to accomplish, Truce?"

"Find the weapon." Her lip turns a little. "Destroy it."

Yin nods a bit. "It may be destroyed anyway. You're probably better off waiting, especially at your current power level." She leans against a wall, folding her arms.

Truce's eyes move to meet Yin's.

"My power is not less. Dead power is different."

"Fair enough. But the point stands."

"Do you know," Truce begins, eyes shifting away again, "where the weapon is?"

"Well. If I did, I certainly wouldn't tell you."

Truce smiles a little bit. "Then why did you bring me here?"

"To find out your business."

"You know, now. I will go ask him." Truce tries to open the door and, if it hasn't magically locked or something, she will go searching for Revilier.

Ice has indeed formed in the ice and mechanisms, though it gives no particular indication of this. In her arm-folding, Yin has also hit a little "Security now, please" mechanism she wears. "I'm thinking not, Truce. You may be useful in exactly this end, but not yet. This situation is too complicated."

Truce tries the door. Doesn't open.

"Open the door," she quietly hisses, blinking out of sequence again.

"No."

"Must fight, then." Truce faces her completely, her back toward the door. A deep, red violet flowers into her irises, bright and loud.

Her mouth drops open, and there between her lips swirls a vortex, a glowing, bright white nexus of nothing.

She screams, her voice reverberating, echoing against itself. A picture frame crashes to the floor.

Oh shi... Yin's hands slam to her ears, cringing. She actually drops to a knee, jerking at what feels like a sharp snap. Shudders, mind still racing through quivering. She can't use her ice. It will shatter, she's sure. A hand snaps out, to a severe cringe and pause at that ear being exposed, and and icy mist shivers into existance through most of the room Truce. She has to fill her lungs again sometime to scream, even if she doesn't have to breathe.

Truce's body lifts about ten inches off the ground, swirling in orange flame. It's not as huge and hot as before, but certainly enough to keep her warm for now. Her hair lifts and flows every which way.

Her mouth shuts, and she breathes.

Yin hopes any of the ice crystals got through, even as water vapor. She jerked her hand and tries to freeze Truce's throat hard, pushing the freeze colder and colder, fighting against any possible fire-magic.

She certainly hopes it works, because she springs counting on that advantage, punching hard towards the pressure point at Truce's jawline.

Truce coughs, or tries to, at the ice in her throat. She can't scream. She can barely breathe, but really... doesn't have to.

The flames surge as Yin's fist meets her jaw to a sick crunching sound. Truce tumbles back to the ground, stumbling, off balance.

Her eyes and nose blaze yellow and orange as she burns away the ice inside her throat.

Nuh-uh. Yin doesn't even pause, pursuing with that strike speed Revilier finds so attractive in jeans, throwing another powerful punch at her philtrum, entirely intent on Truce's mouth and disabling that damning scream, trying to shatter bone inward. Damnit. Where's Petrovic?

Truce moves this time, just missing Yin's fist. The dodge sends her careening to the floor, and she lands hard on her shoulder.

Her mouth opens again.

The door dents inward about then. A wall-shaking blow strikes it again, pushing the hinges loose.

Truce screams, and tries to scramble to her feet.

Yin recoils. Cringes, faltering but this time grits her--vibrating--teeth and strikes a hard, ice-fisted at the scrambling Truce's jaw as the ice in the lock shatters, intent on silencing her.

Truce is still a spy. She is still a dancer, and trained very, very well. And so she throws up her forearms to catch most of the punch--just as the door bursts open. Petrovic is inside in a moment, eyes instantly crossing at the sonic assault of Truce.

His ears quite suddenly fill with stone, but he's muddled, and Truce tries to dash past him and out the door.

Yin just misses stopping to her, as off-balance as she is as her inner ear proclaims its unhappiness. Son of a... "Lock down this level," Yin barks as she jumps to her feet and sprints after Truce. It's a measured statement though she means it: had she heard it in Truce's position, she would have taken it as a signal that Revilier isn't on the level and to get the hell off of it before it's closed off. A wall of ice tries to block off the hall meanwhile--on the floor, too, she's hoping that Truce's melting will make it a skating rink--as she does what she should have initially and draws a pistol from under her coat.

Truce goes, and a click from Petrovic's handy little security remote device sends shutters crashing down in front of every door, window, and stairwell. Truce slides across Yin's trap, flying out of control until she smashes into one of the gates and drops back, blinking again.

She floats up, and slowly begins to lift to her feet. Her neck and shoulders hang at first, body forming a limp arc until she is vertical again.

Yin's pistol is up as she approaches, fanged mouth set into a snarl. "Alright, Truce, you're just about pissing me off. You just can't make things simple. If you try to do what you're here to do now, you will fail. You're going to wait like a sane human being a smart, patient spy for a better moment. Knock it the hell off and surrender. I'm tired of you, I don't need you, and neither I nor the rest of the security on this level--many stationed in the hall and all armed--have any qualms about killing you. Surrender now."

"I died. Your lover killed me." Truce lands softly on her feet.

Kneels, and puts her hands behind her head.

"I must haunt him. I have nothing else."

"We can talk about that later." Yin's pistol doesn't go down, but she doesn't go on or taunt. She's waiting for Petrovic. He has restraints.

Petrovic is just listening, for the moment. Or was. Now that Yin's quiet again, he moves forward to restrain Truce.

Which he does, starting with a granite-fisted uppercut and ending with the banshee's mouth muzzled by rock.

"What do you want done with her," Yin's mostly-bodyguard asks, face as hard as the stone on his knuckles.

Yin's face is much the same--though she's trying to keep from wincing, hand over her ear. Goshdangit. Second time in four years. No fun. "Put her in one of our more secure cells. Soundproof, fireproof, monitored. Have someone post two guards at interval," Petrovic's elite unit isn't for that sort of thing. "Get them earplugs, though do make sure everyone knows it so they'll be flagged down in an emergency. She doesn't need to be restrained, though, yet. Just contained." Ow ow ow damnitall.

"Fine. Go get checked out with the general." Petrovic hauls Truce onto his shoulder and begins to walk, ignoring the fact that she smells idly like death.

Yin nods, and heads off that way, glancing up at the assorted blast doors when they unlatch and slide back into their homes. The security in place really is impressive. They do get your attention if you're not expecting it, though, as she's found out.

Revilier is waiting for Yin when she arrives. 

"I saw the alert. Are you okay?" His hands are already glowing gold as he approaches her.

"Yeah." Yin smiles a bit, breathing out when he touches her. "Broken eardrum, is all."

The golden spell filters into the wound, searching it, clearing the blood and mending the damage. Revilier holds onto her, eyes glittering, concerned.

"Mind telling me what happened..?"

"It wasn't anything dramatic, really." Yin leans on him, breathing out. Content, and feeling better. The possibility of losing this is the only reason she's torn on what to do in this whole "staff" situation. She smiles, a reassuring smile. "I brought her upstairs to find out why she was here. The phoenix--it looks like she's attached to it like I am to Sphyxian--was killed when that island became a constellation. So, she came looking for you. Told me that she wanted to see you, I said no, things went downhill from there. It's fine, though, I just need a chair and a door replaced. Petrovic took her downstairs, I'll deal with her when we have more time. Also, she has a bit of a banshee scream thing going on now. Not sure whether she's living or not, her blood smells wrong."

"She needs to be destroyed, then." The general wastse no time in coming to this conclusion.

"Probably. I'd like to find out more about this little 'dead stalker' thing she's got going on in case there are more, but there probably aren't. I'll take that as a go-ahead to give that order, though." She smiles at him. "You are okay, right? No creepies in here? Other than you, I mean." Her face is serious, but her eyes sparkle impishly as she straightens his already-straight collar.

"I'm fine, and it's perfectly safe in here. Well. You're dangerous. But that," he hugs her, "is good."

Yin hugs him tight. Clings a little...before relaxing, and kisses his cheek. She breathes out, and smiles a bit. "I'm okay. So, how are thing going in here?"

"Surprisingly well. But then, it's only been a few minutes." The general moves back to his chair. "Okarthel's publically sad about the train, privately blaming us entirely. But they aren't risking anything yet."

Yin nods. She doesn't sit in his lap this time...just stands behind, setting her hands on his shoulder and rubbing gently. "It's probably a good thing." A very good thing. Pause. "Especially considering what you could do to them right now."

"We're not in the best position if they decide to risk, though." Revilier clicks a mouse, bringing up another security monitor for the parking lot. "I mean, no more than usual. It always ends in stalemate." If he suspects she knows about Menayen's Arbiter, he doesn't show it.

She's quiet a few moments. Considering. Should she wait until she has Kaz's confirmation of the threat? It would let her have resolve she's not sure she can muster, conflicted as she is. But...if Okarthel moves and he retaliates before she gets that...well. There would be nothing left of Julen if it's true. "Well. It might be different if Okarthel were hit like that island was this morning."

"Would you be offended if I said 'if only?' Yin?" He glances at her, an amused smirk set to his lips. Lovely. He had not wanted to deal with this particular problem with her, but... she is a spy. She probably knows other national secrets, as well.

That makes her incredibly dangerous.

But... Revilier loves her.

"Why don't you just tell me what you think you know, Yin," he says, almost angrily, "and I'll tell you whether you're right. Fair enough?"

She's taken aback at his tone, and her hands stop rubbing. Gazes at his face, considering, her own features solemn. The smirk doesn't confuse her. He smiles when upset or defensive, which was incredibly off-putting for their first couple of years together...but now she knows the nuances of those smiles so well that it's nothing to dissect them.

No.

He hadn't been looking forward to this conversation, either.

"The staff that Gabriel mentioned...you did have it, and had it configured into a super-weapon of sorts against dragons on a large scale. That's what the 'blast bigger than the Hiroshima bomb' was early this morning. To move into the realm of educated guesswork, I'd say that you haven't been able to find an appropriate test site but, when that island 'volunteered' yesterday, you made your test strike there. Of course it was a test, it wouldn't' be like you to accrue that kind of energy expense to sate annoyance. You hit it as soon as it showed agression for fear that Okarthel will declare war in response to our engagement and strike before this weapon was reliably ready to put a quick and decisive end to things. There was no more time."

The general nods, slowly, smile still there. She's absolutely right about that, by the by.

"Well. It is a super weapon. But it isn't just against dragons. It just happens to be especially effective at getting past dragon shields." He clicks the mouse, bringing up a password screen, and types in a 22-character code. This brings up a folder titled "burritos" which actually contains the information on the staff project. "There's a lot of technical garbage in this. I trust it was Kaz who blabbed this to you. He's the one who made the thing, and it turned out better than I ever could have imagined." The images show a staff that looks kind of like the medical symbol, the rod of Ascelepius. A second picture shows the staff locked into a metal casing. A third shows all sorts of chips and shiny bits in dissection-view. A fourth shows the thing attached to a massive silver disc with solar panels on the back.

"An orbiting cannon with the power of the atomic bomb, solar-powered and 99.75% accurate. I could shoot down a basketball with this thing." Revilier can't help but smile a little genuinely.

Yin lays her chin on the top of his head, gazing at the screen quietly, hands folded in front of him. Part of her is subdued. Of course she is, this is a WMD aimed at her home for most of her life. Another part has to observe how much trust he's showing in her, a dragoon of all people, by showing her this.

"What's its minimum blast radius?" she inquires softly. "I mean...could it single out just the central government buildings?" Unfortunately, Okarthel had been designed and, at its center, built back when centralizing everything right up against the palaces and courthouses was a strategically good thing.

"Most of its power comes in the form of the electromagnetic pulse that spreads out from the center of the blast zone. If I did shoot that basketball out of the sky, the pulse would level an eight-block radius." Revilier brings up another screen, with an animated diagram showing how power percentage in the weapon determines blast radius... anywhere from eight blocks at 2% power to... well. An entire city at around 75%. "I'm not planning on wiping out Okarthel, Yin. Not aggressively, anyway."

The general looks up at her. Waiting for her reaction.

Yin nods slowly. "I know. You're an honorable man." She kisses his hair, and returns her chin to his skull. Just...thinking. Finally sighs quietly. "I guess there's nothing really to do except wait for Kaz to confirm the astral dragon thing, if he can. My concern in all of this is...well. Want to hear a national secret?" She looks down at him.

"I'm comfortable hearing whatever you're comfortable telling me, Yin." He reaches up to touch her cheek, still looking at the screens. "As always."

She smiles softly at the touch. Is quiet a few moments. "Atlantis," she finally notes. "They'll never find it, because they already have. It was mistaken for an archaic sea battle for how little there is left of it. Atlantis was a draconic province. It got self-important, though, and challenged the power structure in really serious ways. They were causing problems. They were a threat to both Okarthel and Dragon/Feral balance. The Astral dragons stepped in then, and...well. At least your cannon left the island intact. We don't have that kind of firepower."

Revilier smiles up at her. "Says you. But trust me when I say that if there is such a thing as an astral dragon, it'll never get close to this planet. I have my weapon, and I'll blast them into cosmic dust."

Yin wrinkles her nose. "Please don't mistake them for a legend, love. I won't cite a case for you unless you want me to, but I'm a spy. I question information, and this checks out. In any case...how quickly can this satellite flip a 180? Quicker than a creature can maneuver around it if the first shot misses? And what happens when they get really pissy if one's killed and show up in force?" She smiles a bit. "I don't mean to be argumentative. But I'm worried. If Kaz doesn't find any trace of these things...okay. I don't like it, I know why you kept it from me and you were right to, but I understand the core concept of WMDs. I do. They end wars fast to cut down on net casualties. But if he can confirm it...being ready to dismantle it if the demand is made may be in the best interests of this whole city and everyone in it."

Revilier nods at this. "You're essentially asking me to surrender to a dragon."

I'm asking you to make a gesture of good faith..." Pause. "Sorry, stuck in 'political bullshit' mode. Yes, to surrender this one thing to a really fucking big dragon if one even shows up, putting your pride and nationalism on the chopping block in lieu of a lot of civilian lives being laid there instead. This is a sort of...almost 'higher power' thing with dragons. If things did happen this way and the normal draconic leaders you deal with take the concession as a sign of weakness and try to push afterward, I promise I'll show you some ways to make their lives a bit more difficult as a big, shining middle finger."

Revilier's smile fades a little bit.

"I need a favor from you." He pauses. "Go harass Kaz until you find out what's going on with this." Subtext? You're telling me what to do with my country and you need to leave before I react badly.

Yin pauses...nods a bit. She knows when to not push. "Of course, beloved. I'm sorry." She squeezes his shoulder, and heads quietly away to do as bidden, sucking in a shakey breath. Wonders when the last time she'd breathed was.

He lets her go. There's just too much going on now. Great. SO he finally gets an advantage over damned dragons, and suddenly they have a bigger gun.

Ah, well. Priority, right? When Yin finds out whether or not this is true, he'll decide. Till then, the gun remains pointed at Okarthel.

Yin leans against the wall outside. That hadn't been fun. It hadn't gone as well as she would have liked. But it didn't go as badly as it could have, either. Still, she's not used to Revilier being so annoyed with her. Usually someone else caused it while she's the one who keeps him sane.

She grabs the secure elevator to an upstairs garden area to clear her head, and dials Kaz.

"Baby, it's been like five minutes."

There's a pause at this. "...Seriously?" Pause. "Well, huh. I've started to have a non-fun conversation with my fiance, been interrupted by an unwanted visitor, punched a banshee or something in the face--rare addition to the 'haven't done that before' list, by the way--been under a full security lockdown and back, and then had said nasty conversation."

Yin purses her lips to the side as she steps off of the elevator platform into the very top floor of the tower: not as secure as the rest of the areas she frequents, but reasonably so. Mostly, a rush of crisp, cool air carrying the scents of assorted friendly plants usually calm her down.

"Hm. So, what I called you for aside, then...I don't suppose you have a gizmo that synchs me back to 'sane people' time?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Yin. It just feels like only five minutes, I guess. I'm sorry." Menayen's voice is quivering a little. Yin can't see it from her end, but the entire runt is shaking right now, quite on the verge of a stress-induced breakdown. "What do you need?"

Pause. "Kaz," Yin coos softly...."I was teasing me, not you. You're right, the clock says it's only been twelve minutes. Hey, listen, do you want to grab a quick lunch together or something? My treat, and we both need a break in the worst way."

"...is it wise for you to go out in public right now?"

"I'll worry about that. Tarantella is more neutral than Julen anyway. Just get your programs locked down, and put on some pants, and I'll grab you in about twenty-five to thirty-five minutes and take you to that Italian place you like. Sound like a plan?"

"... yeah. Okay. Yeah." Silence. "Yeah. Okay. I'll put on my pants."

"Alright, Menayen. See you soon. Bye bye." Yin's quiet a few moments after she hangs up. Yeesh. Poor little guy. Well...it'll be good for both of them. Friends are good things when things get complicated.

For now, she heads downstairs. Her jacket is traded in short order for a gently embroidered, loose-fitted dress and a head-wrap of the same color, which she doesn't put on yet. She'd lived in Afghanistan for several years back in the days before it had been Taliban-controlled, and had adopted Islamic dress in that time to be inconspicuous. A pair of glasses with a faint orange tinge in teh middle finish off the look. The orange serves to dull her now-famous blue eyes--celebrity magazines adore she and Revilier soley because they're a pretty couple--to a demure grey.

Then, it's off to find Petrovic. Heh. He's going to love this. Good thing he'd just had a vacation.
...

"No." 

Petrovic stands from behind his desk, features as stern as Yin has ever seen them.

Yin giggles inwardly. It's not that she doesn't take him seriously, she does, but oh what she puts this poor man through. Her face gives absolutely no indication of the mirth, of course. "It's necessary, I'm afraid, or a major national security measure is in danger of getting shut down, with widespread consequences. Also, I've never been recognized in this getup, for how multi-ethnic this city is. I just need a couple of discreet guards for an hour or two in case of emergency."

"Can someone go in your place?" Petrovic folds his hands in front of his waist. It isn't that he doesn't understand the desire to get out sometimes. But this is an important part of the dance; he insists, she negotiates, he bends, she bats her eyes, he gives in.

"No, and him coming here won't work, either. Believe me I considered it. One of our most important players is heading for a bit of a meltdown, and when he does that, only a handful of people can talk him back from it, and the others aren't particularly reachable. The tower freaks him out and just won't help matters. We need him functioning at his best for at least the next thirty-six hours or so or everything is going to hell." Also, he's her friend.

Petrovic pauses. As always.

"I go with you, then."

Yin nods once. "Whatever you think is best." She's gotten better about actually telling him when she does this kind of thing and letting him do job, anyway, even if she's still kind of a pain in the ass to handle security for. Still, there's some kind of perk in her ability to personally flatten the rare attacker who slips through the grid.

"I need ten minutes to prepare. Also, your ass is showing." He points at the back of her outfit. He's lying, but god save him, he's a good liar.

She blinks, and looks. "Pardon? Oh, damnit."

He smiles, just the littlest bit. "Wait for me downstairs."

"I'm supposed to be the snarky one," she mock-pouts. "Alright, I'll meet you in the west conference room." That way she'll avoid being questioned by the receptionists and security on whether she needs anything, just hanging out. Yin slips her glasses on and wraps her hijab securely around her head, and heads off that way.

Petrovic runs about five minutes late, but a last-minute fashion-choice had occupied him. He comes down the stairs in a white polo over tan khakis, looking just about as normal as Yin has ever seen him, this time. He has an evening jacket over his arm, where all of his appropriate security remotes are hidden.

"Is your ass covered?" he quietly asks when he enters the conference room.

"Yes, unfortunately for those tabloid reporters who love to catch me at hotel pools." Her figurative ass is covered, too, of course. Well, not really, Revilier won't be thrilled, but well enough. "Everything covered from your end?"

"You would not believe it if I told you." And he won't. That way she won't try to lose her guards again.

She has to snicker appreciatively at this. "Ah, he's learning. All right. This is in Tarantella and a pretty simple outing, so...to the airport, then?"

"Lead the way." Petrovic puts on a pair of sunglasses, smiles for the cameras on the wall.

Yin nods, heading that way. Her normal glasses are one of the tricks of her outfit...by altering the most glaringly well-known detail of her eyes rather than just hiding them, she becomes much less conspicuous. It helps that they change the sex-kitten vibe quite a bit, and the rest of her face is covered.

She sucks in her breath when they step out into the courtyard. She really doesn't expect detection, but the reporters are still swarming over the Tower's sizeable, unwalled "courtyard" like kittens over an exploded yarn factory. She can see at least three "continuous status updates" being given as they step outside.

A few errant reporters notice them and point cameras that way. 

A few errant reporters begin wondering why their cameras are suddenly malfunctioning.

Inside the building, Soze chuckles his little heart out. It's great what EMP can do in small bursts.

Yin, of course, is oblivious, but she'd be appreciative were it otherwise. Petrovic, predictably, has a car and driver of his choosing picked out, and they're soon heading towards the airport that leads to Tarantella. The vampiress looks out over the city quietly as they drive. It really a good place. There are a lot of good people here. And damned if she doesn't feel responsible for it. She won't let anything happen to it. She won't.

--To Julen City.--