Skye had run ahead of the group, over the field of soft green grass, beneath the golden rays of the sunrise from the East. She approached the door of a wooden cottage, and reached for the handle. Upon feeling its cool surface against her fingertips, she paused and lifted her chin to take in a lungful of fresh, earthy air. It was strange being in a place like Offtopic for so long, and suddenly return to her homeland. She was finally home, after what seemed like an eternity, to the house whose walls her father had built skillfully with his own hands. After a moment more, she opened the door. The creak of a floorboard filled the air as she carefully stepped inside and examined her surroundings; a small kitchen, dining space and modest living area all packed comfortably into a single room. She set her helmet and longbow on the rectangular oak table, complete with three mismatching chairs and covered in a layer of dust instead of plates of hot food for supper. Her green gaze glided over the wood burning stove in the corner who had long lost the warmth of its embers on chilly nights. As she ventured deeper into the room, her hand brushed against the cushion of a plain upholstered chair, where Lyle would have sat after a hard day’s work and a filling meal. Though all was mostly where she left it, instead of the glow of lanterns there was the pale light that crept in through the windows. It contrasted against the cool darkness that embraced the furniture and reflected dimly off of Skye’s silvery armor, giving the space a new eeriness that wasn’t there even before she left. Her hand lingered on the chair a little longer at the many memories that were made there. She could almost hear her father’s voice, his hammering on white hot metal at his smithy outside, the laughter of her and her brother as they practiced what they learned in their training. No, it wasn’t the building itself she missed, not truly. She became aware that she missed the way things used to be so long ago. An ache began to well up in her heart, and the same regret she bore since that moment everything changed. If she hadn’t first failed saving Lyle, and then failed again in being there for Errol, perhaps that house would still feel as welcome as it did five years before. How would she know for certain she wouldn’t fail again in facing him, even with the help of her friends from Offtopic? Then she turned to the pair of doors on the side. One was left ajar, leading to her own bedroom which she had all to herself. The other, closed shut, was the room that Lyle and Errol had shared. Skye made her way to the door and entered. Two beds sat on either side of the bedroom, each with its own end table and lamp, and a rough-textured rug in between. A table stood by the entrance, where a radio rested in waiting to be needed again. Pictures flashed through her mind, of the night when Lyle was killed, and Errol sat at the chair before the radio calling for help from the city miles away. All that while, she was curled up in a ball on one of the beds, and she held a bandage to her bleeding cheek. Errol’s hands trembled, and his voice cracked when he spoke. She looked away to shut out the memory, when she noticed the drawer of Lyle’s end table was cracked open. Inside she could barely see what appeared to be a small book. Her brow furrowed curiously, and she stooped to open the drawer and take it in her hand. She straightened herself and examined it. The cover was simple, though the edges of the leather had elegant, knotted designs pressed into them. Her eyes widened and she let out a breath, and eagerly turned to the first page. Her excitement was met with the sight of his handwriting, and she quickly realized that this little book was his journal. The date of the first entry was a little less than a year before he died. [quote][i]Errol and Skye are excelling, I am certain that they would be able to take care of themselves. My only concerns are the weaknesses they’ve yet to overcome. Errol can have the temper of a storm. He is skilled, and seems gentler in the presence of his sister, but she will not always be at his side, and skills are meaningless when your mind is distracted by anger. It can be a struggle to remind him that sometimes calm words and a cool head is the better way to deal with a problem. Skye, on the other hand, is rather doubtful of herself. In certain circumstances she hesitates, and I haven’t yet discovered why. It is not only prevalent in her combat, but also in many other things that she does, including when she speaks with people other and her brother and I. I worry that one day Errol will break under his own fire, and that Skye under her fear. However… as the time draws closer, I can only hope that what little knowledge and wisdom I am able to give will be enough to prepare them.[/i][/quote] Skye blinked. She never knew how much her father understood about her, and how much he understood about Errol. However, the final sentence of the paragraph stood out to her the most. The time for what was drawing closer? What was he preparing them for? She flipped through page after page, scanning the words for anything that could answer her questions, but there was nothing until the very end. She paused as her eyes were laid on the date of his final entry, only a day before he died. [quote][i]They’ve discovered where I am, I can feel it. They are coming. Whether it be in the next month or the next year, I do not know, yet it wearies me to think about. I will have to tell my son and daughter the truth; why we live in the wilderness, why I teach them how to survive, to stay together, to defend themselves. What will they say when I tell them I was part of a band of mercenaries, of men who willingly shed blood only for coin? The anticipation of it is heavy on me, but they deserve to know. I’ve put it off for far too long, and it will be difficult to find the right time. Once it is done, I will send Errol and Skye to the nearest town. I don’t know what the men I once called “friends” would do if they found them with me. As long as I remain here, and they are a distance away, they will be safe. I hope they can forgive me—for everything—for I do not expect to be here when the dust settles. When I was told so many years ago by my wife that I would have a son, I had long since abandoned those ways, but it doesn’t erase how I’ve failed in the past.[/i][/quote] She lifted a hand to cover her mouth. Though it wasn’t only because of the secret he kept, but also because he knew those men were coming, and she and her brother were oblivious to it. A part of her wanted to be angry. How could someone as caring and gentle of a father once be mercenary? Why did he wait so long? Why didn’t he tell them sooner? [quote][i]The world is dangerous, and has a terrible tendency to take us by surprise. I never expected any of what has happened in the last eighteen years to happen, and so much has changed. I won’t deny that I am still afraid to fail in teaching my children. But I cannot let my fear keep me from doing what is right. It is better to stand after a fall than to have never tried to run. I may not be able to make them ready for the loose stones in their path, as they cannot be easily seen, nor can they always be avoided. However, while I am protecting them, I can teach them to be ready to rise again. And how much stronger will they be if they lifted up each other?[/i][/quote] [i]They could be angry with me for sending them away, but my mistakes have already effected them more than they deserve. I will not risk their lives. I hope that, even if I do not make it through, they will understand that all of this was and will be so that they would use the years that they have for good, an opportunity that I did not take until it was too late.[/i] Skye took a step back and leaned against the doorframe, overwhelmed. She let the book close, and the arm holding it fall at her side. He had gone through the same doubts that she had, but he did not let them stand in his way to do what he thought was right as a father. There was still a sorrow in her, but she was comforted in knowing that he did not die for nothing; that he did not die because of her. He lived to raise them as rightly as he could, and he willingly gave up his life so that they could run where he had fallen. And if he could stand in spite of his mistakes, so could she. Even if Lyle’s passing was not her fault, she still wasn’t there for Errol when she needed to be. She had to fulfill the promise she had made that day they sat on the cliff watching the sea, and she couldn’t let their father’s self-sacrifice be in vain. There wasn’t a confirmation of success, but she would not be alone. Her allies would be with her, and seeing them offer their support returned her hope to her. Though she did not know what would happen that day, with them by her side she felt more prepared than she ever did. [spoiler]Alrighty, so this is where it begins (finally). The land around the house is open, so there is plenty of room for ships/jets. If you didn’t come in your own transportation, you came via one of Ring’s Vertibirds. There was a sign up for this RP, so really only the people who got a spot can attend. However, depending on how quickly this goes, I might open it up for solos. If you have a spot, and are unable to attend a majority of the RP, please let me know so that I can still keep everything rolling. I’ll try to end this at midnight, but since I posted this a little late we might have to continue tomorrow. I’ll wait a little while for everyone to show up, then we’ll head out to confront Errol. Just meet Skye inside and feel free to talk to her in the meantime![/spoiler]