Private Into The Unknown

[Forrest Dinn]

Forrest hid a smile as he heard Dariens jaded barb at both the Ossian and his mother. He needed to strike out on his own, and soon, before his mother turned her ire into him. She wouldn't care that everything he had done up to this point was for the Pantheon, well, everything other than Aoede and their current predicament. That was solely personal. And he didn't care one bit.

Forrest nodded in agreement. "I can't speak for Aoede, but I'm sure an arrangement can be made. Most of the people there have probably never left the city, they may not want to leave it and Aoede doesn't seem the sort to force their hand. If they choose to venture with their goddess then I'm sure we can convince those with knowledge of how the city works to stay and help, at least for a time. I will leave that decision in the Goddess of the Souls capable hands."

Forrest found himself once again agreeing with Darien as he spoke of accommodations for Aoede and the manchild. He nodded his agreement once more. "A generous offer Lord Cordel. I will speak with lady Aoede, but she has already expressed staying with me as long as possible without going back to the city. Allowing her to stay with Prince Theryn is a good alternative." he his the nagging fear that gripped him at leaving Aoede with someone he didn't feel could protect her, but there shouldn't be a threat within the city.

Forrest bristled slightly at his father's warnings. He was beginning to get annoyed at his parents actions, especially when it was he who had solely pulled back the threat of war within the Pantheon. With a smile plastered to his face he spoke back so only his father could hear. "The only things I plan to tear apart are the slavers that held her captive for so long, and possibly mother's puppet if he gets out of line. You show your weakness in allowing him to speak in such a way to those who govern over him, whether he truly speaks for mother or not. Please remember it was I and I alone who made peace with Darien, and have put myself in grave danger with mother in doing so. Next thing she could want is my immediate withdrawal from life and back to earth. You should get things in order in your own bedroom before you come worrying about what I bring into mine. Everything I have done up to this point, has been to do the job you appointed me for. Protecting the Pantheon. It was my negotiation and my sacrifice that stopped the possibility of my mother's war with Darien. Me, while you ran away with your tail between your legs from her ire. With all due respect father, my mind is clear, regardless of my feelings, I'm afraid you can't say the same about your own."

Forrest played a dangerous game speaking to his father that way, but something had to be done to curtail mother's paranoia and her ambition to make the Pantheon Dinn and Dinn alone. Yes, after today he would need to strike out on his own and make a place for himself. Before his father left he did what needed to be done. "With your permission father, I would like to go and make a domain of my own. Whether given by you yourself, or found on my own is no matter to me, but I defer to the Lord of this planet for permission."

Forrest turned his attention back to the Ossian as he spoke and anger gripped him as he spoke. Still new to all of this the force flowed out of him as storm clouds darkened the sky and thunder rumbled in the distance. "You knew of this and told no one? Mother knew of this and did nothing?" he finished snapping his head back to direct the last statement at his father. Forrest shook his head in anger and disappointment. "I fear I was made to protect a Pantheon that isn't worth saving. You have failed this Goddess Father, Mother knew and kept it from everyone to be told this way? I'm ashamed of our involvement in these people's slavery, especially after just coming back from a campaign to eradicate slavers." he turned to Darien. "Lord Cordel, I thank you for the allowance of this campaign and the generous offers you have made, I will take you up on the offer for Aoede to stay in your city, and if you would agree I may stay myself until a time I can have my own domain if you are okay with that." he turned to the Ossian then and smiled a cruel and evil smile. "Come if you like puppet, but be warned. We will be far from my mother's protection. Give me one reason to end you, and I will gladly take it." with that he turned taking Aoede's hand and leaving for his room to prepare for war.

 

[Darien Cordel]

Arcturus finally stepped in to put an end to Ossian's attempts to ferment discord, for that must be what he was trying to do. Whether it was by turning her against them or stepping beyond his place to test her. As if it were his prerogative to assess her loyalties. As if he were a god and not a meagre mouthpiece. The rebuke from Arc seemed to do little to trouble the red-skinned Shaal and that was a problem. Arcturus could not even command full respect from his wife's servants.

Yet it seemed for just a moment he was going to question Darien's jurisdiction over this so-called city of Muses. Thankfully it seemed he was not and Darien said nothing. He spared Arcturus another glare, too many in so short a time would dimmish them. Make him look petulant not reasonable but aggrieved. He also did not wish to make enmity between them. He still needed to remain in Arcturus' good graces, even if he also needed the man to wise up and start leading.

He seemed to Darien to merely be bouncing from reacting to one crisis then another there was nothing proactive being done.

He did respond to Dev though "When a garden is blighted by rot and disease you have to destroy it before you can replant it" He said "We will break this economy of flesh and blood and I will put a new economy in its place your mistress can be assured of that" He was doing the Shaal the favour of assuming his concern for the prosperity of the region came from Rhiannon and not merely his own ambition to be a god. He even turned to look at the Shaal properly to answer his next question.

"When I must"

Darien did not like to fight but he knew how, he had been hand reared off and on by a Sith lord and architect of empire. He'd been duelling since he could be trusted to balance on his own two feet.

Forrest returned matters to their proper priority as he addressed Darien's hopes for the occupants of the city, who would not be culled wholesale as this Shaal seemed to want. He confirmed nothing that Darien did not already know or suspect but it was something. A confirmation that they were now perhaps a team. It was a strange turn of events when just two weeks ago they had been at each other's throats. Necessity had demanded they put aside their swords though and Darien did have to admit he'd seen a change in Forrest.

There was a mess between father and son and Arcturus gave a warning to Forrest before turning his attention to matters going forward, suggesting that they pick the Shaal's brains for information and designating his proxy for this campaign. A Proxy he placed in Darien's charge. The general offered a nod of confirmation of his orders and Darien offered him a respectful nod of greeting. There was little time to say more before Dev was spilling revelations. It was clear he had known of Aoede well in advance of her escape and predictably Forrest took that very poorly raging against his father and mother.

"I do not think your mother and father knew," Darien remarked "This Shaal seems to revel in causing strife and dripping words into ears when they suit his purposes I can not see either your mother or father permitting the city to exist to this point if they knew of it, your father's hatred of slavery is clear to see and I do not see your mother tolerating a Goddess not part of the pantheon to be left to exist unapproached and outside the pantheon" He lay a hand on Theryn "She wished to kill Theryn and he had nothing to threaten her with ... I doubt she would ignore Aeode who had a city to threaten her with"

"Still you may stay in my city if you wish to live apart from your parents until you find a land of your own, I will find you a house once the campaign is done unless Prince Theryn is comfortable having you in the Ziggurat beyond the end of our liberation of the city of muses" He would not force Theryn to live with a man who had threatened his life. Then Forrest was gone and Arc seemed to be itching to go "I will talk to Forrest Lord Dinn ... you ought to talk to your wife about her pet before he succeeds in destroying this endeavour before it is even begun" Forrest was right Arcturus needed to get his house in order. He had promised he would but then recent weeks had seen many a promise of Arcturus Dinn shattered and unfulfilled.

They would need to address just how they were to meet the shy goddess' mother another time.

He turned to Theryn then "Shall we get you home again?" he asked rhetorically before finally settling his gaze upon the general "General gather your forces, we will muster outside Mercuitie in two days' time, I trust that will be sufficient to do all you need to" It would need to be of course Darien did not foresee Forrest waiting once Aeode was settled in the city.