An intricate, labyrinthine palace that's actually not difficult to navigate if one possesses the proper keys. Arabic in design, pastel blue and violet in decor, it's a pretty place full of images of love and lust of all sorts. With multiple floors and a wide base, Synesthesia is a daunting place for those Sidarsis decides to test.

---

Once inside, Yin looks slowly up, and down. Glancing at each hall, noting branches and patterns. Architectural analysis was one of the more importantdetails ofher lifetime career, after all. She finally thinks she knows what she's going to know and, not saying a word to Truce, just starts up towards the stairs.

Truce, still smiling, just goes along. The stairs lead to an open chamber where five paintings hang on the wall. Or they would be, except they are entirely black. Truce gazes at them, considering them.

"Well," she softly says, "someone has poor sense in decorating."

At the edge of the room, there is a patch of tall grass growing from a sandbox. And by that box there stands a magnificent buck deer, its horns tipped with jets of flames.

"What is your beloved's name?" it asks, staring at them.

Note to self, Yin muses: am currently imbibing whatever drug led to Grimoire. "Revilier Omeaux."

"And you?"

"Revilier Omeaux," Truce answers, smiling. Hey. He was hot. And Yin, she hates... for numerous reasons.

The deer nods its great head.

"You are to find his home in these paintings," it thunders. The paintings turn in the wall, each revealing a map of the earth. "Find the country from whence he came."

A faint draconic growl rumbles in the back of Yin's throat. "I really can't fathom what your problem is, sans massive personality disorders," she observes softly. Looks to the paintings. Points to France on the map. "Here by birth, but..." finger travels to the particular island he'd lived and trained on. "Here in spirit and young life."

The paintings zoom in on the islands, close enough that most of the rest of the world is off the edges.

Truce smiles at Yin.

Steps up to the paintings.

"France by birth," she notes, "this island, and..." she smiles. "This city." Runs her finger along a small strip of what looks like a valley. "This village. And. This house." She points at each in succession. "As he grew up."

The deer looks to Yin for rebuttal or agreement.

Yin's eyes narrow. Yes, he'd taken her there on one of the two occasions they'd been able to visit the Philippines together. "How the hell did you know that?"

Truce shrugs.

The paintings turn again, leaving five doors open in the wall.

"Do not worry," the deer calls, "they all lead to the same place when you are correct."

Yin nods...eyes finally leave Truce, and she just heads through one of the doors. Now she's really concerned that Revilier is Truce's target.

The doors lead into a gigantic chamber, a sweeping oval in construction with walls as smooth as air. An entire forest grows here, lit from above.

And at the entrance, Makyon stands leaning against a tree, arms folded, lost in thought.

The deer enters behind them.

"This forest will lose you if you cannot keep up with the clues," it tells them.

Makyon smirks. "I hear that."

Yin smiles a bit at Makyon...though most of her thoughts are still on Truce, concerned for Revilier's safety. "Oh well. Between three of us," unless she stabs the fire one, "I'm sure we can work our way through. Didn't catch your name earlier, by the by."

"Makyon."

Truce smiles a little smile at him. "It means Eagle Killer, right?"

Makyon shrugs. "I don't know. It means me. So... what are you two doing in here? My luck isn't good enough for you to be lovers."

"Well, you met my fiance earlier." Mine, bitch. "One really odd fireball later, he's supposedly somewhere here and I'd very much like to find him. What about you?"

"I don't really know. It's supposed to be a love test place, but my beloved is gone." He misses Ting. He hasn't seen her since Tingnarok. "Maybe I'm supposed to meet someone here."

Yin's eyes soften, genuinely sympathetic. She wouldn't have been a few years ago. "It's hard to tell. Oh well. I guess there's only one way to find out. She looks into the forest, scanning for a hint about which way to go next.

The forest itself does not look that difficult to traverse. The path is mostly open, but there isn't immediately a hint on where they need to end up.

Until the deer lopes past them.

"The only way through the forest is to find the pond at the center of this room," it tells them. "Each pink leaf tree will challenge you, and if you fail, this world will change and you will have to find your way out."

Yin nods. "Fair enough." And just heads off in what looks like roughly the right direction.

Makyon looks at Truce, who shrugs, and just follows right along, happily brushing her hand through the leaves.

The path is wide enough-- spacious and comfortable. There are animals here, squirrels and birds. It's nice. Truce finds herself humming softly; her voice is actually quite pretty.

Until they come to an enormous cherry tree, blooming pink and white.

"This is a challenge, eh?" Makyon approaches it. "It doesn't look like a challenge."

In the center of the tree, a squirrel sticks out of a knothole.

"Hello," it chirps. "There are four of us. We'll each have a fun little question for you. It's weird that you both have the same man in mind, and you, well," it looks at Makyon, "seem to have nothing in mind."

Truce smiles brighter.

"Anyway. What was his mom's name?"

"Ivonne." Pause. Wonders if she should let Truce elaborate just to test the bitch's knowledge. Mm. Not this time. "Ivonne Joan Vinet," by maiden name.

The squirrel looks at Truce.

"She's right," the fire wizard smiles. "Ivonne with two N's, Vinet with one."

The squirrel disappears into the tree. It comes out a second later with a shiny red acorn-- pure ruby. "Take this," it notes. "You'll need it to find the next tree. It will hum, when you approach."

Yin nods. The squirrel is higher than she is, so she just steps towards the tree and holds up a hand for the gem to drop into. "Thank you."

The squirrel drops the gem.

"Anytime."

As soon as it touches Yin's hand, it begins to hum softly.

Truce looks at Makyon. "Why did it not ask you a question?"

"Because I have nobody," Makyon answers back. Shrugs his massive shoulders.

Yin doesn't particularly acknowledge this...there's no reason to rub things in. "Well, either way, getting out of here and going home are good things. Shall we?" And she turns to head off...mindful of the fact that it's already humming, though that may be in response to this tree.

As soon as Yin turns, the hum grows a little louder. Truce gazes at the stone.

"Good guess," the chuckles.

A long, winding pathway of trees with a brook bubbling nearby is their reward. A second tree sits in the distance, and a woodpecker is busily bashing its face into the the bark.

"Must be a long day at work," Makyon notes.

Yin snickers. "I'll bet he's involved in politics, too."

"Yup. That's a government tree." Makyon cracks a little smile. Its a handsome smile. Kaies' smile.

The woodpecker instantly stops headbanging.

"Oh. Hi! Sorry. I hand an itch on my beak." It flaps down to a closer branch to look at them. "So. You know the drill by now. What's his favorite movie, food, and sport?"

"Movie..." Yin considers. They don't really watch many movies, or have time to. "His favorite food, or one of them, is vermicelli al dente. Spectator sport, not counting martial arts, is baseball. Movie...I'm not as sure. Tombstone, maybe?"

The woodpecker looks at Truce.

"His favorite food is lechon, basted with light pepper and butter sauce. He hasn't had it in a while, though." She looks at Yin. Winks. "His favorite sport is competitive Eskrima. But you're right on Tombstone. He always had a thing for cowboy stories."

The bird squawks. "Well. This is a conundrum. See. Yin, you qualified your answer. Baseball is true provided you're not counting martial arts. Eskrima is just true. Truce, his favorite food is lechon, but he can never get it. His favorite food that he can get is vermicelli al dente. Hm. Bonus question. Makyon close your ears."

The bird pauses. "Revilier shaves his face. Is that the only part?"

Truce's lips purse a moment. "Nope."

Yin blushes..smiles a little behind her hand. Composes herself a moment later. "No...but only as a touch-up. The other bits he prefers to have waxed." For some ungodly masochistic reason.

Because he thinks Yin likes smooth.

"Well, that's good enough for me. Normally, I'd keep you ladies longer but, you both know this guy. Oh. By the way. You two are ice and fire powered, right?"

"Yes. To our mutual delight."

"Yes. So before too long, you won't be."

Truce blinks. "What what?"

"Well. You are very strong, both of you. Honestly. But what are you risking if you're so strong? Humans have the best capacity for love, anyway."

Yin's brow creases just a touch. Imperceptibly, really, the change is more in her eyes. "Strength is the ability to protect the people you love. Once enemies are made at power, they can't be unmade; you can't turn back."

"Oh, I hate philosophy. You can do anything you please," the bird shrugs, its wings extending a little. "So anyway. Don't count on being powerful for much longer in here. The next Tree is just across the brook to your left."

Yin nods once. "Thank you." Glances that way. Not powerful much longer...? Huh. She wonders if the best way to Revilier would be to leave and find another way in...maybe not. On the outside chance they really aren't in danger now, they may get there at the agitation. She starts off that way without further hesitation, quietly thoughtful.

Truce follows, and Makyon as well. Makyon's mostly wondering how he's supposed to tempt this woman. She seems pretty fixated on the blond man.

The other tree is wider, with an enormous knothole in the center of a redwood trunk. A television screen is built into it.

A sloth hangs from one of the branches.

"Haallloooo..." it murmurs, slothlike. "Yiinnn and Truuuuce?"

Truce smiles at it. Sloths are so disgusting and cute.

"Quite," she says.

"Oh. Well. I have a question for you. Yin. Who was Revilieeerrrs... childhoooood best friend?" The sloth yawns.

Yin actually hesitates this time. "Well...the one he talks about is a boy named Arturo...he died when they were thirteen." A conflict involving youthful pride from both Julen-hopeful and a dragon.

The sloth looks at Truce. 

"Doon't answer. It's not fair."

Truce shrugs.

"Wait. Why's it not fair?" The statement certainly hints at just how Truce knows everything about Revilier.

"The correct answer is me," Truce smirks at Yin.

The sloth sighs. "Correct. Cheater."

The dragoon is quiet at this. It explains some things, certainly...she'd also been very wrong about Truce's age, though, which bothers her. Very wrong. "...Interesting. Though it raises more questions, since he legitimately didn't seem to know who you were, only to note that you reminded him of someone he knew once."

"Here's a reality check for you, Yinxirziji," Truce half-hisses. "Do you honestly think your boyfriend is going to say "hey, I used to sleep with that chick" right in front of you?" She smiles a little bit. "You ought to know better than that."

"Actually...yes. He has before, to keep it from coming out as a surprise." Interesting. So calling him her beloved...is actually true?

"Huh. I wonder why he didn't say it this time." Truce smiles a bit. "Wonder if it has anything to do with that mountain on your finger."

"Could be." Or it could be that there's more going here. She's fairly confident that Revilier had been genuine earlier, trying to figure out who she was. Yin looks up to the sloth. "So what's next?"

"Ohh. Sorry. I was asleeping." The sloth yawns again. "Well.  Please watch this television screen for my response to your answer, Yin."

The screen flickers to life to reveal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrjwaqZfjIY&feature=related
to Yin's eyes.

Yin closes her eyes a moment...sighs. "This is the part where everything rearranges labyrinth-style, right?"

"Nope. This is the part where you realize your lover is nooooot always telling you the truth. Or all the truth. He is a veeery convincing liar." The sloth yawns again. "I have to sleeping. The other tree is in the center of the titan's garden a quarter mile that way." It points. And promptly starts snoring.

Yin's still a few moments, and then just turns to head off that way. Quiet.

Truce follows her. Of course she does.  At a safe distance.

Makyon as well, though he's not as concerned about being blasted.

The titan's garden is pretty obvious. Basketball sized apples are a dead giveaway.

The tree, as well, is a fat, enormous and sprawling old redwood.

And the titan standing at its base is anything but fat, though the other two adjectives apply succinctly. He looks at them, heavily bearded and rippling with muscle, from a height of about seven and a half feet.

"Visitors?" he growls, amused.

"Yes." Yin looks up--way up, but it's amusing how natural it feels when so many of her dealings are with dragons. "We're looking for someone."

"Yin, then, and Truce. Alright then." The titan lays down the log he'd been carrying. Stretches out a bit.

"This is the part where we learn if you're willing to make sacrifices for your beloved." He walks across the garden to a stump, where a woodchopping axe is stuck in a stump. He takes the handle and jerks it free.

Yin blinks. Okay...this one rather annoys her. Raises her hand. "Uh. Yeah. I've willingly thrashed my career, left my home and moved across the world, abandoned any chance of military advancement ever, lost dear friends, left my own culture and language, completely reversed the extremely treasured secrecy and ostentatiously private nature of my life in favor of international media sources reporting every sneeze I make, and gave up being surrounded by people who don't smile to my face while an immense 'dragon, it's a goddamned dragon disdain sits barely under their voices. And, by accepting his proposal, am facing down the very real risk of losing my nationality entirely, not to mention the vast majority of everything I own...to say nothing of the assassination risks since they're not as applicable."

"Which leads me to ask you why you would do such a thing. And if you say 'because I love him' I think I'll throw this axe at you." The titan shoulders the weapon as Truce and Makyon look on. "Your life isn't all that different from what it was before. You were a spy. Now you're a diplomat. Both are dangerous jobs that involve lying to peoples' faces and leave you with no one you can trust to call your friends. Your life is still private. The face you show to all of those people who dislike you is not your real face. You're a dragoon so your nationality has been on edge for a long time. Also people have been trying to kill you for a long time. You haven't left your own language if you can still speak it. Do you hear Revilier talking to you in Wyvern-speak? And what importance are possessions to you when you can just as easily replace them being engaged to a man who just bought you a five thousand Euro ring?"

Yin's jaw is clenched by the end of this, even as another part of her mind sends off alarms about him knowing an extremely hush-hush detail of her. Her fists, too, though they loosen as soon as she's aware of it a second later. To have all of that trivialized...the homesickness, the ostracization. Pining for a time when she'd loved her job as opposed to now, when alcohol and sheer willpower get her out of bed if Revilier isn't around. Wishing that she were a shadow again, an enigmatic face with no name that melted away from everyone's notice the instant it wanted or needed to. The money's a big deal, too...not for itself, but because a spy/politician who's never been able to trust anyone is thus throwing all of her faith into someone else supporting her with no sizeable lifeline.

Finally, softly..."Fine. I've sacrificed nothing. What do I have to do?"

The titan's eyebrow lifts. "Does he know that you resent him for all of those things? Spewing them out in a flood, it seems pretty obvious to me."

Truce smiles a little. Burn.

"That's quite the leap there. Don't confuse bottling serious life difficulties with projecting them directly onto someone else. I don't resent Revilier. If I did, I wouldn't still be waking up beside him; I would have left. I resent a deepset racism and vitriol between two entire societies that causes our difficulties." It never bothered her before, really. Dragons didn't like wyverns and they returned it, it used to be just a fact of life.

The titan shrugs. "I don't care one way or another. All I'm asking you to do is figure out those feelings, Yin. You WILL blame him one day if you don't already. Trust me. Or don't. I don't care. In fact, I don't even care about testing you. you're doing a good job on your own."

He tosses the axe to the ground at their feet. "Strike the ground with that to find your pond."

Yin takes the axe quietly. She just wants to get out of here. Get Revilier, and get out of this nasty place. She steps far enough from the others that she won't hit them, raises the axe, and brings it down hard--unduly hard, honestly--towards the ground.

The grounds collapses beneath them, shallow shards of rock shooting everywhere. Truce is first to fall, standing closest to the weakest section of ground, and Makyon is next, plummetting into darkness.

Yin should be next.

Fifty feet down, an underground lake awaits them. On the shore, a passage into the rock is marked with a golden leaf.

The ground falling out from you is startling, sure. But not quite as much as a fresh, flowing lake below to a vampire. Ah, hell.

She quickly makes some decisions...slow as it's flowing, it'll still probably do more damage than the alternative. a column of ice bursts and twists upward from the lake, meeting her about thirty feet down. A hard slam and skid later, she finally crashes onto a bobbing chunk of ice in the water below as the spire shatters and falls.

Owfuck. Yin lies still a moment before grudgingly getting to her feet. There's a little bit of blood on the ice, she's not sure from where, but not much. Hand to a newly throbbing head, she scans the water for her companions.

Makyon is already on the shore, dragging Truce out of the water. He'd phase-shifted most of the way to the water and tried to soften her fall with Ting's platforms, but she's landed on her head on the first one anyway. She's okay, just knocked a little stupid.

"You okay?" he shouts at Yin once Truce has been laid on the shore.

"Yeah," she calls back after a moment, looking that way. Ah. All accounted for. A thin film of ice crystallizes out in front as she walks, providing a path back to shore. She looks down at Truce once there, then to Makyon. "You okay?"

Truce looks at her, eyes glazed. Just a very human, very wounded look.

"She's fine. She just had her bell rung a little." Makyon waves a hand in front of her face. She doesn't really look at it.

"And picked up a shiny new concussion to go with it." Yin sighs inwardly. She hadn't hated Truce when first coming to this place. But her utter bitchiness is certainly coaxing that way. Still...she finally sighs. The golden rune writes across the back of her hand, and she sets the palm to the fire sorceress's forehead.

Makyon jerks his hand back as soon as he realizes what's going on. he hides the burn from the healing spell, though.

Truce's eyes start to clear up. But they stop, and the golden glow quite suddenly fades.

"There's your sacrifice," the titan shouts from above. "The water has your lovely power now. Suck on it!"

Yin's fangs bare a bit. Shit. Shit. Her hand turns over, palm up where she can see, and she tries to encase it in ice.

A few small shards appear, the size of pebbles.

Yin closes her eyes a few moments. Finally smirks, insincerely. "Oh, good. Well, I can still defend myself just fine if just provided with a peashooter." Opens her eyes, smile gone. Glances down to Truce. "Wonderful. So, concussion, I can't fix it, so now what...yes. Yes I noticed, please just...yes. I know, I'm sure there's..." at this point, Yin winces and quickly covers her ears as though something deafening is about in the soft ambient sounds of the cavern.

Makyon blinks at her. "Did you hit your head too?"

"Not that I remember." She smirks a bit at the weak joke. "My Guardian Dragon just isn't pleased at the moment, and unusually vocal about it."

"Unless your dragon plans on helping out, tell him to shut up. We need to get her somewhere a little safer."

Truce shakes her head. "I'm fine," she quietly protests, her pupils the size of pinpoints.

"You have a concussion, Truce. A moderate one at that. We need to get you sitting somewhere safe." She looks to Makyon. "Though staying here may be prudent for at least a few minutes without evidence that it's dangerous. Her neck needs to stay straight."

"What happened to no danger?" Truce complains. "Maybe they just meant you. Maybe that means you win already."

"We're competing?" Yin gazes at her hand, increasingly frustrated at failing to generate anything more than a feeble mist. Wonders if the change will snake through her physiology...that wouldn't be good. Dragoons stripped of their elemental aligment are usually in a bad way for awhile.

"I guess not. Just ask him where he was last September. Ask him when you get out of here." Truce drags herself upright, despite Makyon's warnings. Stumbles. "I'm leaving," she declares.

Yin blinks slowly. Just...wonders. Finally... "You should wait until you can walk straight, Truce. Just give it ten minutes."

"I should. I should." Takes a step. Stumbles again, but Makyon catches her.

"Oookay then. Stay down, or I'm going to put you down," he growls at her. Truce looks at him. Smiles a little.

"Okay. Put me down, then."

He lifts her, quite easily, and deposits her on the ground before she can really protest. And puts his foot on her chest.

"Stay."

Yin grins just a little. "Well. That's effective." She sits on a rock, herself. She's beginning to feel kind of...warm? Which bothers her. "So, Makyon..." she finally begins, "feel free to shoo me from teh question if prudent, but what exactly are you? Your blood smells like old death, but not like kindred."

"I'm a revenant," he's quick to tell her. "And you can tell this how?"

"Ah...never met one before. And, vampires can smell blood from quite a distance away. Generally we recognize the presence of other vampires...not through any intuition, but because their blood smells like death. Yours is similar, but seriously off somehow, and you don't quite act like any sort of Kindred I've met. So, I was curious."

Makyon smiles some at all this, that charming smile of his. "Well. I like to think I'm mostly normal. Except I can do this." He holds out his arm, phase shifting the spot right in front of himself, and waves at her from behind his back. That's a tough one, requiring four separate shifts, but fun at parties.

Yin cocks an eyebrow, smirking a bit. "Yes, that's...hm. Unique. And probably helpful near womens' locker rooms."

"I," Makyon smiles a little brighter, "am a perfect gentleman, thank you."

The hand smacks him in the side of the head.

"Hey!"

It waggles a finger at him.

"Most of the time."

It gives him a thumbs up, and quite suddenly is back where it should be.

Yin snickers. "Ah, well. There's no need to pay mind to rabble-rousers. How are you feeling, Truce?"

"He should be wearing a kilt," she whines.

Makyon looks down. "I have a kilt." He moves his foot and Truce sits up, wobbly, and holding her neck with one hand.

Yin, meanwhile, dangles her fingertips just barely above the water, trying to freeze just a little portion of it for Truce's head. Damnit. This is just ridiculous.

Some of it cools. Little chunks of ice float at the surface, but not much of interest.

While Yin's back is turned, Makyon lays a hand on Truce's neck. The healing spell Ting taught him flows over her, just a little, and she stiffens and looks at him.

He holds a finger to his lips.

Truce smiles a little.

"We can go," she says to Yin. "I'm fine. I'm ready to nuke this place." She snaps a finger, expecting a flame to light at the tip.

It doesn't.'

"Oh, hell."

Yin had looked back just in time to catch this...smirks just a little...though it does mean Truce is being tested right along beside her, which bothers her immensely. "Yeah. I'm not having fun either. This resort had terribly misleading advertising." She looks Truce up and down...huh. She really looks much better. Odd. Glances at Makyon...but only a moment, and doesn't press. Stands. "Fair enough. Let's work on getting the hell out of here." And she heads off towards the door.

They follow her, almost dutifully.

The gold-leaf exit leads into a wide cavern hallway that opens into an enormous subterranean amphitheatre. Dusty, but well lit with torch light, the entire place has a coliseum-esque feel to it.

"What is that pounding sound?" Truce demands as they reach the stairs.

Below, in the center of a sandy ring, a dozens of assailants swarm around Revilier. His fists are up, but he looks tired; breathing through his mouth, his chest heaving, his shirt gone, his chest cut in one or two places.

One of the assailants, some sort of stone golem or mud man, charges him. But when the general throws a punch, Truce can see the gleam of metal surrounding his fist and the source of the pounding sound becomes evident.

Revilier...!

Yin doesn't take the time to converse with her companions. Or plan, or wonder, or debate whether she should because of anything or she's heard or because she's lost her ice ability. She's just running down the stairs and seats towards the pit.

Truce hesitates. But then goes, too, nearly stumbling over the stairs.

Revilier smashes another lifeless stone face, tries to breathe before a wicked uppercut buries itself in his diaphragm. The hit is enough to stall him a moment.

Two of the golems turn on Yin and Truce. One swings a hammer-like arm at Yin's face, the other lunges at Truce.

Makyon just watches. For now.

Yin is nothign if not quick and agile...these are her best friends combat. She ducks under the hammer arm, sliding just a couple of controlled feet before her pounding step spreads to full again. She's not interested in a challenger. She's interested in kicking out the knees of that thing that's about to strike the wyvern.

It works pretty well. Yin ends up within a few feet of the golem whose arm has raised to smash Revilier's head. A shield of metal has already formed, so the danger is not as imminent as it might be.

Truce stares at the incoming golem, but she is no slouch in combat, either. She needs a weapon, though, and rolls underneath her attacker's arms to get it-- a fallen golem's arm. 

Revilier sees Yin coming, and his eyes light up. Still golden.

Yin saves the pleasantries until the golem's legs go out from a crushing kick to the side of the knees. Though not a showy fighter, a tae kwon do-esque flying kick had been appropriate for speed.

And comes up smiling, finding a defensive stance at his back. "Hello, beloved. Hey, you know, I've had creatures quizzing the hell out of me and messing with my head. Why do you get to have all the fun, just standing around and punching golems?" She grins and briefly squeezes one of his arms, though her eyes remain ahead and the other hand stays up in readiness.

"This was a quiz," the general half-gasps as he gets his breath back. "I guess they get mad if you get too many right in a row."

Awww... "You are so going to like the reward for that later," the dragoon purrs. "Meanwhile, I think trying to push towards door out towards your right is our best bet. Thoughts?" At this point, she dodges, punches an attacker in the gut, and then kicks him in the lowered face. "...God that was fun."

She's actually tense. She's far too vulnerable to these guys, they're too strong, without her ice.

He smiles at her, without looking fully at her. "Well, keep it up!" Another golem's arm whacks him upside the chin, and he reels, but uses the momentum to roll back find his feet again.

About then Truce smashes her borrowed arm across the back of the golem who hit Revilier, shattering both the arm and the target's head.

One of the walls begins to grind open, and from below an orange-red light spills into the arena. Its a slow grinding, though, and does not reveal anything major just yet.

Yin certainly takes note of this. "We need to vacate!" she calls to the others over the racket. As she does, a forearm flies up in easy, unconscious defense against an overhead attack from a stone golem...a horrible move. Her fighting style is absolutely integrated with Sphyxian's power...and instinct thinks that her arm and elbow are shielded with three inches of ice.

The golem's arm smashes into hers, but Yin's defense is right on the money-- as three inches of solid steel quite suddenly protect her arm. Revilier glares that way, and is nearly kicked by an assailant before Truce shoulder-tackles him out of the way.

It throws her off a little--the metal recoils much differently than ice--but the vampiress recovers and slams the metal arm towards the thing's head.

She lets out her breath. Too close, that would have shattered her arm and possibly worse. No idea how Revilier had figured out that she needed it, but...he's a brilliant man, he really is. Scans for immediate danger to the other two, sees none, and her eyes dart to the spreading orange glow, trying to see what the hell's going on.

He'd been watching her attacker instead of his, which is why he'd been hit so cleanly.

A paw reaches under the door. The flickering light grows brighter, hotter.

And then the door opens completely, and the creature streams into the pit.

Truce's eyes go wide, and instantly she drops to her knees and bows her head to the floor. The rock monsters shatter as an enormous ferret glides into sight, flames pouring off its snow white fur. It opens its great mouth, swinging its nose side to side, but doesn't roar or make a sound.

Revilier stares at it.

"What the fuck is that?"

"Um..." Yin steps quietly up beside him, voice soft. "Well, in fairness, a giant flaming weasel isn't out of step with the rest of our day."

Truce's head snaps back to them.

"That's a phoenix you idiots! Show some respect," she barks.

Makyon just watches from above, arms folded. This is getting weird. The temptation bit is apparently out.

Yin glances to Truce, then back to the phoenix. The last boxcar meanders into place? Truce is to phoenixes as dragoons are to dragons...as they've been dragged to a fire "prophet's" island inabited by a phoenix? It may explain the arsonist's initial introduction into their lives.

She takes Revilier's arm quietly and just gazes up at the Phoenix. She doesn't drop to her knees or bow...just waits quietly. She firmly believes that insincere gestures that just mimic someone else's aren't respectful at all.

The phoenix looks at Yin, and at Revilier, with its flaming eyes. It seems to consider them both, opening its mouth now and again and hopping sideways.

Truce watches it move, as if every step it makes is some kind of code to be broken.

"The phoenix says," Truce begins, "you two have come through the test reasonably well. Yin. Your power will be restored. Provided you two can iron your secrets out in this place."

Yin breathes out... eyes close a moment. She hadn't realized how worried she'd been until just now. They open again...and he looks up to the phoenix quietly. "Which secrets?" she finally inquires, softly.

The phoenix hops sideways again. Backflips. Opens its mouth and swings it back and forth.

Truce smirks. "The phoenix says you ought to have some questions after your part of the test, or else you haven't learned anything."

Yin's quiet a few moments. Damnit. Because everyone likes to have intimate personal moments with an audience. Finally...looks over to Revilier. "Did anything come up that you'd like to know?" She inquires quietly. Smiles a bit.

"What we're doing here would be nice," Revilier shrugs, "and not some bullshit answer about testing our relationship. But no, not really. I got the six questions right, apparently."

Yin has to smirk a little. She agrees...on so many levels. Nods. Looks down. Damnit. She doesn't want to be doing this...and wouldn't if it didn't mean probably going home. "I was...told to ask you where you were last September." She gazes quietly up at him, eyes reassuring. She thinks...she's ready for anything, she does.

He looks at her. Pulls away from her arm, to face her fully. Truce sits on her butt next to the phoenix, who swishes and stares impatiently.

"I was in the Australia. I told you about that, remember?" He did. He'd told her about needing to iron out the beginnings of that trade agreement there.

Yin smiles a bit. She nods. "The trade agreement. If you say that's all there is to it, and that the question was just brought up to sow seeds of doubt, I'll believe you."

"If you tell her that," Truce warns, "I swear to my master phoenix that I will burn the truth out of you."

The phoenix hops sideways, skitters a circle around Truce.

Revilier looks at Yin. "That is exactly why I was there."

Truce almost leaps to her feet. The phoenix circles her again. She grits her teeth.

"You're a liar. A liar! He's lying!" Truce balls up her fists, squeezing them so tightly they go red. Little wisps of heat well in front of her, but nothing significant.

Yin looks to Truce. Her face finally hardens. She's been more than patient with this bitch, at least by her standards. "Just like he was lying about groping you, right?"

Truce stares at her. "No. This is a totally different lie."

The phoenix tosses its head.

"The phoenix says we're welcome to contend our points here. Just you and me." Truce folds her arms. "I'm fine with it. I wanted to like you even though you're undead filth. But it's become clear to me that you are so cock-starved that you've traded in what probably used to be a tough independence for a horny housewifism. And it will be my pleasure to burn you down."

"How much are you paid to be such a bitch?" Yin purrs. Her face drops to cold. "And yes, I suppose you could call flying all over the world to every major summit that crops up for the purpose of rebuilding a nation, working a drastically new visible world-order, and fighting to maintain the peace in two separate rivalries qualifies as 'horny housewifism'. Frankly, you have absolutely no credibility with me. You quite randomly followed me back to Julen, whether by coincidence or intention. You set my best friend on fire at no particular provocation. You immediately set to trying to drive a wedge between Revilier and I with what you more or less acknowledged as a lie not long after. You've since been making a solid run at being the biggest bitch humanly possible and further thrust yourself between us. You've proven yourself to be nothing more than a violent rabble-rouser with the maturity level of a gossiping high school girl and a vindictive streak a mile long. If you're more, you should have demonstrated that instead. I have neither the inclination nor the reason to dignify you with some farce of a civilized debate with you."

"And yet you felt the need to whine about your situation again at exhausting length." Truce shrugs again. "I'm like you. I'm a spy. If you had any trace of your instinct left, you would be trying to figure out why I'm doing these things the way I am." She takes a few steps into the theatre.

"That's enough, Truce," Revilier snaps. "I'll kill you myself if--"

The phoenix reacts in a heartbeat. Flames engulf Revilier again. He lifts from the ground and is throw into the stands just as a wall a fire rises around Truce and Yin, spitting white-hot flares at intervals.

The general lands, unhurt, on the bleachers.

Half Yin's attention snaps that way, worried...assures that he's safe. The other half, quickly the rest of her attention, remains on Truce. "So. You were in on all this from the beginning, right?"

"In on what? Being kidnapped? I wanted him back," Truce spits. "i saw you, and saw how great you look, and realized that he was really going to be lost to me forever with you. Come on. He basically replaced me with you. We're almost the same person." She pauses. "But that doesn't mean I had anything to do with this mess."

"You'll excuse my skepticism. A spy has to understand how bad this looks. A mess of fire-aligned creatures taking us the day after meeting you, not to mention a 'phoenix' thing you seem to be able to communicate with, and which is protecting you to some degree? Okay, fine. For the sake of argument, you're not related. What point do you 'contend,' so that we can get on with our lives?"

"Maybe the phoenix wanted to talk to you and needed a translator. I don't really know. All I know is I'm here with you and him and my deity made manifest, and things are screwed up." Truce stands across the theatre from her, not too close, not too far. "If he won't tell you about September, I will. Unless you'd rather I clam up and let you live your little fairy tale."

"And what happened in September?" All information is good information with her background.

Truce shrugs a little bit. "Probably not what you've been led to think."

Revilier stands up in the bleachers and begins to head down. The phoenix dashes around the ring, though, and flares blaze to the ceiling, cutting him off from the women.

Truce goes on as if nothing has happened.

"Your lover wasn't in Australia for a trade agreement. He was there," she pauses, a nearly troubled look in her eyes. "He was there overseeing a mass execution of Dragonic separatists."

Yin's expression does cloud a bit. That...she can actually believe, all things, considered. Finally... "Well," she finally notes, somewhat softly, "I can see why he would have kept something like that from me."

Truce chuckles quietly. "Yeah. He's pretty good at relationships." She folds her arms. "So. Now what?"

"Tell me, Truce, were you telling the truth when you sid that you wanted him back?"

The fire wizard stares at Yin. 

"Yeah."

"Despite knowing about the execution." Nods a bit. Yin closes her eyes. Considers. "I am loyal to dragonkind. And it hurts deeply to hear things like this. But there are two sides to every story. I know the nastier corners of Revilier's administration. I've been a spy for the opposing team almost since the beginning of it." She looks up. "That's part of why he and I work so well. We're not nice people, exactly. Honorable, I'd like to think, trying to make the best decisions for the greatest number of people, but not nice. We're not hiding dark, secret past lives from one another...we already know about them. I've killed a fair number of people too. I can't tell him which ones, and he never presses me to betray classified information regardless of what Okarthel thinks...but he can guess, and some losses I'm sure he regrets. To hear about Australia...it's awful. But I trust Revilier Omeaux. It's a horrible thing, but I trust that he made a balanced decision, that he acted in what he felt was the best interests of a larger situation. He wouldn't order an arbitrary slaughter based on some old-as-time grudge...and I wouldn't have told me about it, either. He's a good man. Otherwise, I wouldn't be marrying him."

'Well. If that's the case, I suppose I should be going. It's nice to hear you have so much trust. It is. And I--"

Truce's voice cuts into a shriek when a pure steel spire shoots from the floor, piercing her left foot. Revilier, wrapped in a blanket of what looks lie mercury, walks through the flaming wall about the same time.

"Are you okay, Yin," he asks, eyes stuck on Truce.

Yin winces. Timing, timing...she steps jumps around to catch Truce so that her falling weight doesn't jerk against the spike, which is too high to pull her off of easily. "Yes. Er...we were just talking. I think we'd just hit the 'amicable end' stage...would you mind fixing her foot...?" Still...she can't help being apprecitive of the whole-body blanket thing. That's a new one on her, and bloody impressive.

Revillier looks at Truce, who stares at him, fury more than pain dominating her expression.

"No, I think enough is enough. It's better if Truce doesn't come back with us." There's a coldness in his eyes, one that Yin has no doubt seen before. A detachment.

She has. It's the same look that he'd worn when Tragedy had demanded her death from the cross."Revilier...?" What do you mean? Her brow's creased just barely, concerned.

"She's a spy. She's not one of mine or yours, so that makes her an enemy spy. She clearly has something against us. I think it's best for me," he holds up an arm, and the mercury flows along until it balls up at his fist and splits into four gleaming, iridescent knives that fit rather like a katar. "Best for us, to remove her."

Yin is quiet. She's had a hard time reading Truce and has been wrong before...thus, the whole "he used to be my boyfriend and I wanted him back" may very well be too convenient, too trite, to be true. Maybe it is. She has no way of knowing. She can't fault his reasoning.

After several moments...she opts towards pragmatism. "You may be right. But if that 'phoenix' is on her side and we'd be right in associating her with it, killing her may bring this whole island's forces down on our heads."

Revilier looks at Truce. The blades disappear.

"Fine."

The spire in Truce's foot liquifies and flows away, leaving Truce to stumble backwards, clutching the wound. She's staring at Revilier now, but doesn't say anything-- the phoenix skitters through the flame, running a ring around the three of them, and this prevents Truce from saying anything she wants to. 

It wiggles and does a flip.

"The phoenix says," Truce hisses, "that you two have proven your strength of character here."

Yin should feel her ice power returning, about now.

"And are free to go."

"How?" It's a practical question, anyway.

The phoenix slinks over to Truce. Wriggles.

"The phoenix says use your imagination," she quietly says. The foot hurts. A lot. She's also wondering why her own power isn't returning yet.

The fire around the theater goes out, and all the various gates and doors in Synesthesia open. Makyon, still standing in the bleachers, growls a little to himself. This was such a waste of his time.

At about this time, a short claw taps the back of Makyon's shoulder. "Excuse me, sir," she inquires quietly..."but would you like a cookie?" And there actually is a plate of purple cookies involved.

He looks back at that voice. That voice. Blinks. Cookies? Purple?

Ting.

He's reaching out to snatch her and squish hug her before he even realizes that he's doing it.

Her eyes are wide open under hair that's much longer now. "Mm mmmf m mmmkmm, bmmm!" she murfs, face quite smashed against his chest. She could turn her head, of course, if she tried, but this way's more fun. Translation: "you squished my cookies, bitch!"

He doesn't let her go too quickly.  When he does, he looks into her cute Ting eyes and just smiles.

"So I'll bake you some more, other bitch."

Ting snickers. "You'd better. Um...hi!" She beams. Her white hair is tied back, and she's actually dressed in modest, robe-like garments. "You felt like you needed a friend."

"Oh. I'm just a little put off. Troix's teacher sent me here to help lead these two around," Makyon gestures at Yin and Revilier, "but they seem to be doing just fine."

Ting beams her clueless little smile. "Well. Maybe she's a cryptic betch like my mom, and didn't send you here for them at all?"

"Maybe?" He shrugs. "I wish I knew. Actually, I don't care. I just... you. You know. You." He smiles.

Ting titters. "If Yoru were here, she'd be making all kinds of fun of you. You know that." Her smile softens. "I missed you too." Hugs him, then takes his hand, cookie plate mysteriously gone, as is typical with this family. "Now come on. I have my own house now! I'll show you."

Makyon just melts at her. He's missed her so much... after nearly losing her in what's beign called 'tingnarok', he gathered the nerve to tell her everything he felt and beg her to stay with him, but missed her by a few hours and... then that was that.

"I'd love to see it. These crazy kids will be fine on their own."

Ting smiles, and just as quickly, they're off to Beyu.

Yin blinks. "Was that Felina's daughter...?"

"I don't know. Let's go." Revilier gently touches Yin's arm.

"Yeah." She looks up at him, just a moment, and takes the arm. She doesn't smile because she rarely fakes them for him. She's tired. Mentally and emotionally. She's confused about all this. And she just wants to go home. Heads quietly towards one of the gates, wondering what the hell this has all been about and a thousand very bad scenarios burbling in the back of her mind.

The phoenix races around Truce after they're gone. The fire wizard just lays back, letting its flames consume her, wondering why things have gone this way. She can understand its voice, telling her to leave them be and move on to her purpose in Julen-- finding Troix.

At the underground lake, the cavern ceiling's broken section pours light inside. Revilier looks over it. He doesn't remember coming in this way.

Yin glances up to the hole, and then looks around. Is there another way out, or do they really have to head up?

Yin might be able to see a set of gargoyle doors in the occasional sparkle across the lake. Their eyes flash when the shifting light above hits them just right.

She points that way. "I came in those doors initially, I'm pretty sure...though I'm disoriented on teh layout, apparently. If it's wrong, we can always just head up after?" This as a narrow path begins to freeze into the water before them--to Yin's quiet relief. She steps onto it, letting go of his arm, and starts walking.

Revilier follows, making sure to brace the ice with steel every soften.

"Hello again," the gargoyle calls out from the left. "Well. That was fast."

"Hello...and yes." Yin smiles just a touch. "May we pass?"

"Oh. Yeah." The gargoyle yawns, and the doors open...

... revealing their bedroom in Grace Tower. Sans bed.

Yin breathes out. Smiles a bit at Revilier, takes his hand--making damn sure they aren't separated again, thank you--and heads on through.