The Prodigal Son [Ophelia + anyone in the capital region]

[Yos]

"What do you mean..." Yos leaned his head forwards at one of the guards as they stood before the castle gates. "The queen is not seeing poor people?" Yos furrowed his brows rapidly, still keeping his calm demeanor as he huffed. "Let me inform you one more time on who I am." He rested his face against his palm as he huffed very loudly and clearly, clearing his throat once more. "I am Yos, the royal spy who has been missing for some time." He was not sure on how long he had been gone. "And I am to report my findings now, to someone high in the authority ladder."

He leaned his face almost to rubbing distance at the guard, snorting loudly as he then stared. "You will be fired if you do not let me in. Am I completely clear?" The answer to his question was silence and a sudden push to the chest as he pushed down into the muddy pool of water that had gathered on the ground. It had been raining the day before. He closed his eyes as the guardsman stared down at him. "Leave now, rodent. Get back to your streets and scurry for some food instead of wasting our time."

He needed to get in.

Ophelia

[Ophelia]

"Are you sure of this?"

"No ma'am, that's why I thought to inform you."

Ophelia hummed in thought for a moment. The other Guard's report of a spy returning from a mission he went missing on was quite something. And given the current lack of an actual spymaster due to the old one's passing, it made the situation more troublesome. She was aware of a number of their identities, but if this truly was one of the Crown's spies and she didn't recognize him, it could be just as problematic as letting in someone without actual clearance. Eventually the golden haired Captain of The Royal Guard sighed and began to head towards the front gates herself.

After arriving, she could certainly see why the other Royal Guards had thought him full of it. The "spy" looked like he'd taken a nap in a gutter, slept in refuge, and then took a shower with days old stew. Seeing the guard shove him down into the mud, she shook her head and walked over, the man that had been giving the dark haired individual trouble snapping to attention and saluting his Captain.

"What is going on here?" As she spoke, Ophelia reached out with a hand and offered it to the fallen individual without a second thought. Regardless of truth or lie, it was no cause to forget one's civility.

---
Tags: Yos

[Yos]

He did not snarl or curse as the hand was offered to him, staring at it for a long while before climbing up himself. It was not that he did not TRUST this person who had offered him their hand, it was just that he did not trust the person. If that made any sense. He dusted himself off along with swiping some of the mud onto the ground as he then raised his head to look at the person who had helped him up. He tilted his head for a moment as he tried to remember the woman. She had to have authority.

"I don't remember you."

Well, it was probably because he had been gone for a long while. Who had even been ruling during the time he had left for his job? It was a king. Or well, so he remembered. Was she around at the time? Does she know Brunhilde? She probably did. She had to be someone high up in the ladder to have someone salute her like that. She... Captain of the guard? Maybe the royal guard, even? He just could not remember her at all. It was bothering the hell out of him, and one could see it. He was twitching like crazy.

"... I'm reporting from my mission. Yos, royal spying division." He bowed his head once, stroking his chin for a moment. His curiosity got the best of him. "Do you happen to know anyone named... Brunhilde?" She had to still be alive.

Ophelia

[Ophelia]

Ophelia drew her hand back as the scruffy fellow stood once more. "I cannot say that I know you either. My name is Ophelia." She spoke cordially with Yos, humming slightly once more after he mentioned his name. "Yos, eh?" She turned briefly to look at the Royal Guard that had retrieved her. "John! Get me the roster of M.I.A. warriors." The man nodded and then ran off once more to do as she had bid. With the other man's departure, Ophelia turned her attention to Yos once more. The name did seem familiar and the roster would contain that name if it was true.

"Brunhilde? Hm. I believe I had a soldier by that name under my command once. Why do you ask?" Come to think of it, it had been quite a many years since she spoke with that one as well. A good soldier that did her duty, but always seemed more than a little shut off to others. A fine warrior, at any rate. "Can she testify to your identity?" It would certainly help if Brunhilde could.

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Tags: Yos

[Yos]

"Yes she could I need to see her I'm not dead and I want to see h--" He quickly shut his mouth, simply staring forwards awkwardly for a moment before raising his scarf up a moment, hiding his face up to his eyes as he coughed, a little flush perhaps being able to be seen as he then dropped the scar, coughing again. He had to be professional. The lady had saved him from having to break into the palace, he should at the very least answer with not being a total complete social wreck. He took a deep breath, and then releasing it.

"Yes, she can. We... Know each other." She was alive. He could feel his whole body relax as his thoughts moved over to her for a split second before then once more returning gis gaze to the woman in front of him, folding his hands behind his back. "I shall relay a short report on my findings during my mission. Although the information might be out of date considering the situation I was for... The time I was away."

"I was sent to infiltrate the ranks of Grimleal in an effort to keep a close eye on the organization. They had been acting more suspciously than the Grimleal usually do, so... Well. I was captured rather early in my mission, but I had managed to gather some information. Mostly simple rumors regarding the... Recruitment process, some went trough with one of the female figures in the organization." He coughed for a moment. "I also found out about their plans regarding the Kingdom, and... It has probably already happened, but some mentions of war were abound."

Ophelia

[Brunhilde]

Every once in a while, Brunhilde would take visits to the castle within the capital region, mostly asking around if they had heard news of (or even heard of, period) her closest friend, Yos. Of course, with how many years had passed, she had been met with disappointment nearly every time. Wearing her jet-black armor streaked with red, she clamored over to the castle gates herself, where today would certainly end up being her lucky day. In the distance she saw a small commotion breaking out. Two of the figures she recognized. One of them was an old superior, Ophelia, Captain of the Royal Guard, who she had been under for a good deal of time, and the other... That scruffy demeanor was impossible for her NOT to recognize. Was it really him? By all that was Holy, please, let that be him. Quickening her pace, Brunhilde eventually made it to the castle gates and blinked. "Geez, Yos, is that you?!" Brunhilde called out despite not being very far from him and Ophelia. "And the Captain, too! I... Well! Yos, you had me worried! For once! Worried sick, for once! How many drat years has it been?" Brunhilde trembled, as she had displayed some manner of emotion in front of the Captain for probably the first time in her life.

tagges: Ophelia Yos

[Ophelia]

Ophelia held up a hand with the palm facing the scruffy individual as Yos seemed to lapse into a hundred words a second, his whole sentence coming out as a garbled mess. It seemed that whatever he said began to lapse into something embarrassing judging by his behavior afterwords. "Take a deep breathe. And then try explaining that a little slower." He confirmed her suspicion regarding Brunhilde, going on to explain a bit of what he had managed to gather after being away for so long. The war bit was more or less common knowledge given their current situation, but it did make Ophelia wonder if the Grimleal were going to attempt something due to the recent Ylissean aggression. They would be foolish enough to do so she was sure.

And something about a recruitment process as well. A 'female figure', huh? He probably meant the High Priestess or some other high ranking figure. Ophelia didn't know the actual ranking structure the cultists used, but regardless.

"I see. Well, I'll consider what you have said and send someone after Brun-"

It was then a voice interrupted the Captain of The Royal Guards and Ophelia turned slightly to see who it was that was calling out for Yos. And sure enough, it was Brunhilde already on the scene. "Speak of the Fell Dragon," as the saying went. Well, regardless. Brunhilde was certainly showing more emotion on this one day than she'd seen in the years that Brunhilde was under her command. Whoever this Yos really was, he certainly seemed to have made an impression on the soldier girl.

"Well. I suppose that confirms your name is Yos, at least. Let's see what John brings and then we can sort this out."

---
Tags: Yos Brunhilde

[Yos]

His heart could PLUNGE. And well, it did. It truly did. He turned his head to the calling voice, ignoring for now what the other female had said. Something about rosters and Johns. Not that important, clearly. He admitted that he had learned some things while he had been imprisoned. What was important, what he cared for. It had taken him a lot of thinking in the end too. He had been stuck in a box, only being taken out for the necessary things, and he... He wanted to see her. The want had gone past simple friendship. And it had done that even before his capture.

Yos took a few steps. He did not, for once, care about other people around him. He had a set goal. That goal was in front of him, trembling. He lowered his head to stare down at the ground as he walked, still thinking what he was about to do over for a moment before deciding on his course. Once he stopped in front of Brunhilde, he suddenly wrapped his hands around her as he pulled her into a hug. He rested his head against his shoulder as he let out a deep breath, shivering a bit.

He proceeded to barely whisper, still shivering. "I... Missed you."

Brunhilde Ophelia

[Brunhilde]

"Woah... buddy. I missed you too, but... In front of her? Man... This is a little embarrassing..." Brunhilde simply said in response to Yos giving her a hug, resting his head against her shoulder. It fortunately wasn't that awkward, the soldier being a smidge taller than her close friend. But... it sure did feel good to see him again. However, while Yos seemed to ignore Captain Ophelia, Brunhilde did not, despite one of her arms being around Yos himself. "Forgive me for this sudden display, Captain. Yos is just... a very close friend of mine. Honestly, I think he's the only person I could consider... my friend. So you can understand how I must feel to be seeing him again when he has been gone for such a long time. Ah... shucks. I'm not usually like this, but... Well, you can see now. I'll vouch for him. You can trust him, Cap'n." Brunhilde simply said now to Ophelia, seeing the situation with the closed gates, Yos was trying to get in to explain the results of his mission, where he had seemingly disappeared for a long time.

Brunhilde's search finally came to an end, in such an unlikely meeting.

tagges: Yos Ophelia

[Ophelia]

Hrm...

The knightly Dame still wasn't entirely sure about this Yos, but it was only natural if he truly was missing for years. Trust was a rare thing these days after the chaos of the last few years. And truth be told, Ophelia liked to believe that trust was a good thing to have. She may be paranoid at times, but the Captain of The Royal Guards still believed in the better sides of individuals. Add in the way the scruffy Yos was acting and it certainly didn't seem like false emotion. Ophelia tended to be good at reading people and the impression he gave off with Brunhilde definitely seemed genuine.

"Alright. I'll take your word for it, Brunhilde. Now, I think we've had all stood around here long enough. Let's head to my office and we can discuss more about what info you've managed to retrieve, Yos. I'd wager you can use a bit of an update on current events yourself."

With those words spoken, Ophelia led the two on a path towards that exact location. They passed by the barracks of the Royal Guards, as well as a training ground where they could see a number of individuals training.

Once they reached her office itself, it was rather surprisingly spartan for someone in her position. The only real things of note aside from her desk was an array of swords lined up against one wall, a collection that Ophelia had obtained over the years from fearsome foes and those that had surrendered to her. A great many of them were actually from leaders of bandit groups or mercenary captains that had turned over new leafs thanks to the second chance that Ophelia had given them. And it was some of those swords that would also be familiar to Brunhilde given her part in aiding that long campaign to both redeem people and destroy the Risen menace. Aside from the collection, there were portraits of the last three rulers as well. The old King that was the patriarch of the Royal Family, as well as King Sin who had ruled after his father's demise, and the lovely Queen Maeve that now held the throne.

Ophelia took a seat behind her desk, a couple of seats in front of it for the other two, as well as a couple extra that could easily be moved aside for the moment. "Have a seat, you two."

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Tags: Yos Brunhilde

[Yos]

He reluctantly released Brunhilde from his hold and took a few steps back, seemingly not at all embarrassed from the sudden showing of affection he had just committed. He then turned his head to Ophelia, nodding once as he then begun to follow her. He paid not much attention to the training soldiers as they went past them, being more focused on his own thoughts than anything else at the moment. What had he missed while he had been missing? How many rulers had gone and come while he himself had been gone for who knows how long.

Once they arrived to the office and once Yos sat down he was provided with an answer. The portraits he saw shed some light onto the scene, especially after he recognized everyone in the portraits. The king and his prince and princess. Although, was there not also another royal prince? He could not remember. That was important.

Brunhilde Ophelia

[Brunhilde]

Brunhilde heaved a sigh of relief as Yos finally released her from his hold. While she did miss him very much, she would have much rather have done that in private rather than in front of the Captain. Granted, she no longer served under Ophelia, but the sentiment still remained. Regardless, Ophelia took her word for it and decided to lead the two towards Ophelia's office, it was a familiar sight to the soldier. Many swords were lined up against one of the walls. Some of them struck Brunhilde as swords she had seen their enemies... Well, former enemies, anyway - Ophelia seemed to have a knack for getting people to see the error of their ways, getting them to redeem themselves in numerous ways. They were nice, but Brunhilde liked her own the most. In any case, as Ophelia took her seat behind the desk, she offered Brun and Yos the seats before her.

Brunhilde silently nodded and sat down next to Yos as well. She said nothing yet, only speaking when she would be addressed.


tagges: Ophelia Yos

[Ophelia]

"Things have been quite chaotic in the last couple of years."

Ophelia started to speak once more after both of the other Plegians were seated. "How long ago were you sent on your mission, Yos? I'll need a good frame of reference to start from." The golden haired Dame was not exactly looking forward to the recap. So many terrible events in such a short span of time was never anything fun to speak of though. "Suffice to say, we already well know the Grimleal's intent of war. But another brews to the east as well." The reports grew by the day of Ylissean aggression reappearing towards Plegia. It was only a matter of time at this point.

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Tags: Yos Brunhilde

[Yos]

"Well..." He rubbed the back of his head, looking to Brunhilde for a moment before then looking back to Ophelia, raising his scarf again to hide a great part of his face as he then bowed his head down in what seemed to be shame. "I... I must apologize, but I do not exactly know. I was captured early on my mission, and for the time I was gone, well..." He coughed a bit, the scarf now covering his eyes too. He was clearly rather embarrassed. "I was stuck in a rather large metal box, only taken out to eat and to... Relieve myself."

He lowered the scar, tugging it nervously as he then continued on. "I was never told by the guards on how long I had been there. I lost count of the days after the thirty fifth one, and my thoughts went elsewhere. My days were more spent on keeping my will to live alive and such. I do know I finally managed to escape once the group that was moving me from place to place was stopping at Plegia."

"From there, a female person, most possibly the daughter of a local duke, helped me leave and cross the border into here. And that's how I ended up here."

Brunhilde Ophelia

[Brunhilde]

Brunhilde simply listened to Ophelia and Yos as they discussed the transpirations that occurred during Yos' captivity, as he pointed out. Ophelia apparently was not sure of the duration of it, but Brunhilde herself knew that it must have been an incredibly long period of time. "If I may interrupt. Well, I remember quite vividly that it had been an insufferably long amount of time. I remember being much younger the day Yos was assigned to get on this mission. That's why I had been so fervent about his return. Well, Captain, I can only infer that the seeds of war had only been just planted during the time Yos had set off on his mission; battle had begun quite a while thereafter." Brunhilde interjected, as if trying to fill the gap with her own memories. Indeed, it had felt like an eternity since they had last spoken. She had hoped that her testimony would help increase the credibility of what Yos was explaining to Ophelia.

Yos Ophelia