Warning Signs - Lancefer

Sky blue eyes stared up towards the grey clouds. More snow soon to come they promised. Something that was not an usual occurrence for Ishgard. He had trouble remembering anymore what his city used to look like without the cold and snow. Hard to believe it had been so long already.

He knew he should have returned home last eve. Was probably going to hear about it from his mother at the very least. Hopefully his father was too busy with work for Dzemael to even be home at this hour. He could slip in an find his spare armor. The chainmail he had worn yesterday needed repairs. There was no way he could wear it to duty without questions being raised. He had no answers to give. None that made sense. There was no way he could explain it without seeming as if he was crazy. Though he had seen a good many crazy things since he had started following his cousin around.

Yesterday… The man with the snow white hair and teeth like razors. The one Tenrai had called a foul water sprite. His left hand came to rest over his right shoulder. There was no real pain. Tara had taken good care of the injury he had sustained. Yet… The memories of that brief fight still disturbed him. There was still no name to put with the stranger’s face yet he had claimed to know Destiney. Which disturbed him even more…

Chaotic. His cousin had some very chaotic choices of people to claim knowing. That was the best way he could think of it. Like turbulent waters of the sea. He hadn’t had a chance to see her an ask about the strange man he had found outside of Dragonhead.

It had started as mere curiosity and concern. The man had been sitting in the snow against the outer wall. Wanting to make sure the fool hadn’t frozen to death mere feet from the camp itself. There was a sort of madness about the stranger wearing the half-mask. Talking about dragon blood. Saying how it had no effect on him an wanting to test it on Lance. An then… The odd way the man fought like a demon. Trying to pierce Lance with those… Things! Like the tentacles of a octopus but far more dangerous. Their shape was not solid. More like half frozen water able to shift shape. The edges tipped crimson with blood. There was no way Lance wanted to find out if it was truly dragon blood in those dangerous tendrils.

Lance hadn’t wanted to fight. Not at first. However there was no way he was going to allow someone so dangerous to walk freely. Not in that state of madness. However he had no idea where his cousin was to call her to deal with the masked man. It had been like fighting a Hydra. Cut off one an two regrew. Until he was facing at least seven tendrils. In the end it wasn’t one of those tipped in the color of blood that caught him. He had opened up a gaping wound in the man’s chest but even that did not seem to faze the man. From there something shot out like those tendrils, caught him in the right shoulder. His chainmail hadn’t seemed to be much of an obstacle for it either. That creeping cold. Like something crawling under his skin. Then it was nearly over as quickly as it had begun. The man withdrew and fled away. Leaving him there stunned and wounded. Leaving him to wonder what sort of creature that man was.

His thoughts finally drifted back to the present as he approached the door to the house. A deep breath before his hands reached up to give it a push open. Cautiously without seeming like a thief sneaking about his own home, Lance made his way towards his room.

“Lancefer?”

He paused an mentally cursed his luck. His mother’s voice. So much for getting in an out without notice. Elviane always seemed to be keeping an eye or ear out for his coming and goings. Especially when it came to trying to set him up with a potential wife.

“Yes mother. I had to stop by an fetch something from my room. I have another shift of duty shortly.” He knew she wasn’t going to come out of the other room to see him though. She rarely did anymore. Not unless she had something specific she needed him for. Nor did he feel truly bad for lying about having duty soon. He mere wanted to avoid the possible conversation about his love life. Or rather lack of one.

“Your father and grandfather wished to see you in the study. Do not keep them waiting. You know how they hate being made to wait.”

Halone have mercy… Both of them? He grimaced an looked down the hall towards the closed doors to the study. It would have been easier to turn around an run. But he didn’t run. With a deep breath he pushed forward towards those doors. Looming ahead of him like the gates to hell. Dealing with them one at a time was bad enough. Dealing with both at once… Maybe he should have let that man kill him yesterday.

Inside the room Grandfather was his usual place. Behind the sturdy manor desk, polished to a shine. Papers spread across it’s surface. A tray of tea that was no longer steaming. Obviously they had been waiting for him for some time. His father frowned from where he stood near the windows looking out into Ishgard.

“You’re late.”

The urge to cringe was there as his father spoke. Vairemont was never a patient man. Yet Lance kept his face passive. He had been dancing to this game long enough. A respectable bow to both of his elders. He didn’t dare look up at either of them. Gaze kept down to the floor. They would not tolerate being lied to. Yet they didn’t truly know the lies he told them on a regular basis. There was no reason to give them a chance to suspect him now though. Tread careful. Dealing with both at once was like walking on cracked glass. One wrong step would have disastrous consequences.

“I apologize. I got caught up in business last eve an chose to rest before returning. It was already far late for travel back to Ishgard.”

He heard his father’s steps more then saw them. Felt his father’s displeasure. The man always seemed to radiate that feeling around him anymore. Ever since his fateful choice of Haillenarte over Dzamael. He was no longer the favored son. Had not been for many years.

“Resting at the beach I heard.”

Surprised eyes found his father’s stern gaze. Had they realized? Was his ruse up? Did they know every bit of information he fed them since finding out who the lady they had him following was, was false? Surely he had not slipped up that much to give himself away so soon. He was no shadow yet surely they couldn’t have found out. Unless… They had begun to suspect an had him followed… Or he was truly unlucky that someone his father knew was there at Costa…

“Her free company goes to the beach at the end of the week, every week. As I said. Business. Unless you no longer wish for me to keep trying to find information for you.” He tried hard to keep the venom from his voice. He hated what they demanded of him. The orders chaffed an cut at him. Defying them was hard. They were his family. Yet… They also made it so easy to do. His time among the men and women of Haillenarte had given him a better understanding of how family should be. Even his time learning of his cousin an her crazy free company that she considered family… Even they were more family then the one he had.

Fast. His father’s hand struck out at him. Hand on his injured right shoulder. Fingers digging into that wound. On purpose. The intent was clear on his father’s face. Lance couldn’t keep his face passive any longer. His teeth were gritted against the pain as those fingers pressed hard against that injury. Tara’s hard work… It pissed him off. Finally the pain subsided as his father shoved him back into the nearby bookshelf. A few of the books tumbled to the floor at the jolt of a body hitting the shelves.

“You will not take the tone with me, boy.” His father’s voice a snarl.

“Enough!” Age wizened eyes looked on at the scene of father and son before finally settling on Lancefer. Their disappointment was clear. “You have been failing to provide us with anything useful lately. If this keeps up… Well. I don’t have to remind you now do? Consider this a warning, Lancefer. You will not get another. You know what was asked of you.”

“Yes, Grandfather.” Lance bowed his head. A warning. They were indeed beginning to suspect. His lies had not been clearly as clever as he had thought they had been. Maybe he had been wise in warning Nate last evening. If they suspected it would not be long before they took this matter out of his hands. If they did that he would no longer be able to control the flow of information. He would need the help of men like Raiden and Nate. The purple-eyed aevis and the wolf of Dzamael. But would it be enough?

“You are dismissed.”

Lance did not wait around. Nor did he hurry in his departure. He would not give them the satisfaction of thinking they had him running scared. Once in the safety of his room, he slid down the closed door to sit on the floor. Slowly he removed his jacket and shirt. Trying to be careful of the bandages on his shoulder. They were stained with fresh blood where his father had dug his fingers into the wound. A quiet curse under his breath as he leaned his head back against the door behind him. He would have to think of something. Surely he could do this.

“Halone… Please help me…”