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“I agree,” Jack told Jhanandra. His eyes swept over the three of them again, still trying to figure it out.
Seeing how restricted Murcary was, Jack was beginning to feel grateful for his adequacy.
“What did you say your name was?” Jack asked the man. Maybe he had heard of him?

(( it is starting 😆 nothing wrong with laying down a little foundation ))

"Murcary Levi, But you can call me Murcary" he said Looking towards jacks direction. "I third that, it is extremely unusual that were all in here together despite the varying extremities" He said as he stares up to the ceiling. "I'd love to know what the chancellor and his crowns are up to".

A thoughtful look came to Eona's face, nothing was making sense, but if they had more information maybe they could start coming up with answers. "How long have you all been here? I've been here a few days, but I don't think it's been a full week."

Jack nodded his acknowledgment to Murcary’s name and repeated all of their titles in his mind.
’Jahandra.. Fiona. And.. Murcury.’ He looked at each one, proud that he could remember all of them.

“This is only my second day,” Jack said, then joined Eona in the game of questions. "What kind of skills does everyone possess? I'm merely an expert with the sword."

She was escorted towards the transitional cell by a full fist of five. The larger cell that houses Eona, Jhanandra, Jack, and Murcary was intended to keep prisoners for the shirt term, those that were about to be transported off, most often to either to the quarries for hard labor or the gallows.

The slip of a girl was fully restrained. Not in the common sense but in terms of magic. With fingers bound, and a gag in place, there was little that a magician could do to weave the flows that moved through all things.

There was something different about her since emerging from the cell. Once she'd known she was being transported she realized that her opportunity to play one of the guards had passed. Thus gone was the timid, meek girl that had sought aid from a burly, righteous, guardsman and now existed something else.

The blonde elven woman was a restrained queen, commanding in her presence, demanding the respect of her those that escorted her. Despite her situation the guards responded to her carriage without being conscious of it. At first glance one would think they were her guards, protecting her.

They opened the cell for for her and stepped aside but they remained, crossbows at the rest in case one of the other prisoners attempted to remove Assallya's bindings or gag.

The blonde elven sorceress' strode fourth as is it were her dungeon, not as if she were a prisoner in it, and entered the cell. As she couldn't speak she simply looked over each of the other prisoners in what was clearly a look of open appraisal, weighing them in heart, deed and manner.

"I have been here for only a night, things are moving quickly if we have all been put in this cell only now- there are guards approaching." Naturally she picked up the sound of heavy footfalls long before the others and not to her suprise yet another prisoner was added to the menagerie, an actual elf this time... "Ah, about time." Jhanandra said sarcastically. "Come, we all have been getting to know one another. Sit and speak of your misdeeds with us."

Vivid blonde eyes ruined back into their sockets in beseechment of delivery from simpletons.

In response all she did was look towards the guards for assent for permission to have her gag removed.

"We have crossbows," the guard said by easy of warning, "if one of us turns on his fellows you'll not live to see him taken down. Am I understood?"

A single unembellished bud was her only reply.

"One of you may do it but touch not her hands," the guard added getting the crossbow, "lest you wish to sprout branches."

No one moved at first, then Eona stood from where she was still sitting on the floor. The blonde elf must have do e something terrible to end up in such a condition, but something must connect them or else why would they all be in the same cell?

She walked cautiously across the cell, partially because she was still a bit tired and partially because she really wasn't sure this was a good idea. Eona approached the elf, tried to give a reassuring smile and took off the gag.

"Um, hi," she said. "I'm Eona."

The poise, the commanding presence, it was but an act but the blonde sorceress was nothing if not a mistress of manipulation.

"Assa'alliyeh Kessanthair," the regal woman replied, "Sorceress as you'll discover soon enough. Buy me ten breaths with hands and mouth unhampered and I can free the lot of us."

It was brazen, making such a claim before the guards but Assallya knew their orders. She was only to be killed if she did something suspicious. A spell to unlock all locks within a hundred paces. Spells to turn guards against one another, spells to paralyze or place multiple guards to sleep, to summon creatures to aid them in battle.

"Oi! We're standing right here," a guard called out.

"Well I'm skilled in an assortment or weapons, both wielding and making them". "I can also take a large array of hits before going down, and i can recover pretty fast thanks to a certain magic bond, i can heal wounds that would take months in a week or two" He replies to Jack. "Oh and I've only been here since last night as well" he responds to Eona's question.

Looking towards the door as another person enters pretty restricted with guards on standby, "Well shes probably in here for something similar to me" he says with a smirk. After Eona removes her gag and the guard shuts up about being right there agreeing with Jhanandra "Yes come sit oh fifth one tell us your crimes and join your think bubble on why we're all in here" he says nodding toward the empty bench space.

Regal but not come condescending, Assallya reminded herself, if you want to lead these ruffians and wastrels.

"My misdeeds are of no import. Let us say that even a blind man may strike true once or twice," she said, tilting her long, supple neck, "but as to why we're not swinging upon the gallows would suggest a need for something no single one of us can provide."

No shit Azuth, Assallya chided herself, if that wasn't completely obvious.

"However, I'm sure you all came to such a conclusion. Beyond that is just conjecture," she said as she began to theorize, "Based on what I can read of you it's not gladiatorial combat or a simple task any adventuring band might undertake. I would theorize they need deniable assets and thus surmise it's theft of something from some other power, a preemptive strike on an enemy they do not wish to be at war with or something along that ley line."

“I see,” Jack said, nodding at Murcary’s explanation of his skills. “I’ve done some blacksmithing myself. Healing powers would be nice.” He added the last part in the way he always spoke of other beings' higher powers; he agreed that they sounded great, but he also knew he could never have them. C’est La Vie.

Jack straightened up in his seat at the sound of several pairs of footsteps. He had yet to hear so many at once and the sight of the strangely restrained elf did nothing to ease his concerns. Her.. fingers were shackled. He blinked at that then looked at her face. The gag made her mouth open wide and put a carnal veil over the dominant way she walked. Jack already wanted to do things to for her. She had him- hook, line, and sinker.

It was only when a guard suddenly shouted about having crossbows that Jack startled enough to jump and he cleared his throat. The guard added that they could remove her gag, but warned of spells. Jack glanced at Assallya, but looked away just as quickly, as if protecting himself. Had she even been using magic on him?

Eona stood and Jack felt himself relax, grateful that someone else stepped up. It saved him from himself. And he helped the last person that needed it! It was someone else’s turn. When Assallya spoke, Jack watched her as if she were putting on a grand show, despite the fact that she was really testing the guards’ patience.

“I agree,” Jack said in response to Assallya’s theories, nodding as he did. “Exactly that.”

Then they were all sitting in the Chancellor’s chamber, listening to a much less ravishing being speak. ”What is the task?” Jack asked him, carefully breaking the silence.

Throughout all this Jhanandra had remained quiet, she was to observe everything- ready to act if needs be to preserve her life. As for these misfits, they could either assist her when the time came or act upon their own, their choice to make.

"Reconsidered." Assallya didn't like the sound of that. She dwelt upon that word overlong. No, she didn't like that word at all. It wasn't a promise or a contract.

Sharp blue eyes wandered across the chancellor's form, analyzing the man's posture, his demeanour, trying to determine of the man's word could be relied upon. Of course it couldn't. Any noble could ignore or waylay his commands provided they went simply relayed from the king's tongue itself.

She could only hope that her beauty stirred him so that she might seduce her way free of this mess but she doubted he would be so foolish

Then the brunette young man amongt them, without preamble, asked the question one everyone's lips.

That was exactly what she was thinking. She was an enchantress after all, specializing in the unseen arts. Any cool could hurl a ball of fire but a real wizard defeated you without ever revealing herself.

Secondly, who cared if they could be tracked should they cross the border? He clearly stated that they were worried about the Udrium border. That meant they wouldn't pursue across the border.

It didn't make sense. He was holding something back. Something he was withholding with relish. She wanted to scream at him to, "Out with it!", but that would be foolish.

Still, she sensed he was waiting, waiting for someone to say something so he could spring whatever he was holding back.

"-and more...?" she asked, raising a near invisible blonde eyebrow, giving him the opening he so craved.

Eona was paralyzed with shock and fear. All she had done was accidentally kill one of the kings rabbits and now that could happen to her? She could just not exist anymore? She had no idea what they wanted with her or how she had ended up in this situation. Druids weren't that uncommon, were they? All she could do was change shape. Yes, she knew how to fight, but she'd never actually done it outside of practice before. And she did have healing skills, but there were others who were so much better at it.

Her one and only hope was that the chancellor wasn't lying when he said that if she did whatever it was they wanted her to do and didn't cause any trouble that her sentence might be reconsidered. That was the one thing that she could hang on to and hope for. The one thing that was keeping her from completely loosing it.

When the Chancellor explained that they would not be under guard while traveling to the border, Jack looked at him and his lackeys like they were morons. Then the man answered Jack’s silent question, making him stare and wait for further clarification. Assallya asked his next silent question for him–they were already reading each other’s minds –and Jack, along with everyone else, waited for an answer.

He watched the Chancellor with strained interest and took quick, worried glances at Assallya. ‘Demonstration’ meant something was about to happen to her and he didn’t like the sound of that. Not to his beloved, no! They better not mangle her or ruin those delicate features. Jack didn’t think he could handle it. His skin crawled with the desire to act, to do something, to move. But he continued to sit, rigid in his chair.

And then she was gone.

“Wh-” Jack’s mouth noised, but it dissolved in his breath.
“Where?..” He whispered, coherent this time. “No…”
The muscles in his legs tensed to stand.

Someone next to him might snap him out of it with a shoulder bump or a cleared throat, reminding him of where he was. If not, he would stand as he continued to babble, as if he had just watched his one true love die in front of him.

Well... idle threats were not this kingdom's forté... if it was not so horrific making a living being at one's mercy turn to dust on a whim Jhanandra woudl he impressed at the Chancellor's gumption- vut the point was clear, they could do as they pleased so long as it fell within the crown's parameters...

One of the males was disturbed and getting hectic, a firm hand of hers upon his shoulder may just bring his mind into focus before this little party was down another member.

Truly it paid to remain quiet and patient sometimes...

Jack had only made it a couple inches from his seat before he felt his ass hit the surface again. He looked from Jhanandra’s hand to her eyes then blinked his gaze away. Woah. He had really lost himself there. He wanted to say ‘thanks’ or something of the sort, but he thought he had pushed it with the guards badly enough, so he settled for a small smile. These guys were serious. Whatever the Chancellor said after that was met with nothing but sobering stoicism from Jack.

Once back in the cell, Jack returned to his original seat and sat with his thoughts for a while. His skin crawled at the fact that there was something underneath it. How asleep had he been?? Why did he feel no pain during the procedure or during the recovery? Jack started pulling his gloves off in jerky, rushed movements. His bare hands swept over his neck then his arms, trying to find where this rune was placed. Once nothing was found there, he began to undress, ladies in the room be damned. He would look over every blasted inch of himself, if only for the comforting fact of knowing where the rune was placed.

Eona was in awe of Jhanandra's seeming calm. She herself was still struggling not to loose it.

Then watched Jack's frantic movements and figured out after a little while that he was trying to find the rune. She understood the impulse, it was hard to think about having something that could do that on your body and not even know it was there. "I...I don't think you're going to be able to find it. Something with that much power...they're not going to want us to find it and do anything to it."

She paused and took a breath, seeing if she could work a calming spell on herself, or if her nerves would be too much in the way. The spell worked a little, not as well as it could have, but it helped.

"If you want, I could cast a calming spell on you. These cuffs only stop me from shifting, not from healing or anything like that. It might help, at least for a little while."