Home Sweet Home (Open)

[Jehanne]

Home. It was reduced to ashes twice and cursed to darkness and yet through a miracle of God it stood where it once stood since her birth again. Enduring in much the same way the surviving citizens and soldiers endured after everything that has happened in the past year and the many lives that were lost.

Jehanne was dressed in Aircano's standard issue light armor, enchanted by Lord Yahweh's magic and equipped with a blessed sword and shield which were both on her back. She stood in front of the holy temple of Lord Yahweh, a place she has gone to every Sabbath for as long as she could remember. The same temple that was cut in half and then reduced to rubble with nothing but the altar remaining. This place has seen just as many miracles as it has tragedies. Some times you could only see the tragedies, and some times you could only see the miracles.

"Home sweet home."

[Miracle]

"Praise be to Yahweh!"

Miracle rejoiced at the scene of her home restored to its former glory, truly a miracle from God rewarding their unwavering faith. Any doubt that God was not a loving, merciful god would be settled right here with the resurrection of Aircano as alas they had a home again. And this time Miracle didn't have to make it from something else.

"Home sweet home."

"Yes."

The High Priestess walked up to Jehanne's side and looked over to her with a smile on her face.

"It's good to be back."

And she didn't just mean Aircano.

[Jehanne]

"Lady Miracle."

Jehanne went down to one knee, her hand on the ground and closed up into a fist as she bowed her head.

"Things haven't been the same without you."

[Solomon]

Solomon stood before the gate of the rebuilt holy city and looked upon the city in awe. No longer did they have to embrace the cold of the Crystal Expanse, no longer did they have to dwell with heretics and blasphemers and no longer were they an army without a country. With Miracle by their side and the Lord smiling down upon them from heaven, they were finally whole again. But there was still much work to be done.

The General of Aircano walked up to Miracle and Jehanne and looked over to the High Priestess. "Lady Miracle, as joyous occasion as this is I must ask you not to venture far from my side until the area is cleared." Solomon had already ordered his men to sweep the area and eliminate any unholy presence that may have remained in the new resurrected city. He would not allow the darkness to take this place from them a fourth time. "Jehanne, go and join the soldiers to the east part of the city and assist in securing the area. May the Lord and his spirit guide and protect you. Amen."

[grimmhallows]

Sebastion Alastar wouldn't call himself a wanderer; more an adventurer who liked to walk around. Except this time simply walking around had gotten him caught by a group of guards.

Mind, 4 of them tripped over a few rocks, and another 3 didn't seem to react right away, but the two that had been paying attention and didn't stumble still managed to catch the handsome young man and place him in rather tight bonds.
"Hardly the right way to treat a gentleman." He said, but none-the-less was dragged off; and only then did he see the massive, overly impressive temple.

Must be some sort of religious city. Better be careful with my words today... he thought to himself as he was forced up the stairs.
"Mind the uniform and wings, would you? Sort of the only ones I got!" he shouted at the guards who pushed him roughly, and his blonde hair fell over his face; his left eye's strange flame a darker than normal red; the center being a rather menacing black.
The guards both put a hand to the back of his head, and pushed him to face down to the ground. It seemed that moments later, they reached the top, and Sebastion found himself pushed to the ground and forced to look at the dirt.

"My, what impressive stones you use in these paths; perfect for abusing and man-handling poor explorers and adventurers." He stated rather loud.
He half expected the worse to come however; and he tried to wriggle free of his binds.

This is worse than the time I was ambushed by bandits. Then again, I was able to steal food from that lot... Sebastion Alastar thought to himself.

[Sincara]

"Jehanne, go and join the soldiers to the east part of the city and assist in securing the area. May the Lord and his spirit guide and protect you. Amen."

"Amen."

When the three by the temple turned their heads they would see a female around the same age as Miracle cloaked in a brown trench coat, a matching brown hat atop her head and a Six Shooter held in her right hand currently pointed at the ground. The top part of her eyes covered beneath the rim of the hat as she stared towards the High Priestess, Avatar of the Arashi and the woman she nearly killed back in the Crystal Expanse alongside the Seductress. And if looks could kill she would have finished the job here and now.

"Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe."

Sincara recited holy scripture, never forgetting the lessons she learned growing up.

"Life for life."

Sincara removed the hat from her head and brought it down to her chest as her face was now in clear view of the three.

"My name is Janus De' Marone. Daughter of Darius and Elizabeth Marone. The parents who died after you vowed to protect them. Struck down by an extension of God's will."

The rims on the hat suddenly sharpened as it was launched towards the High Priestess, threatening to slice through her flesh like knife through butter to spill the blood of Yahweh's anointed.

[Jehanne]

Jehanne heard the ruckus by the gate and something falling from the sky but the thing to catch her attention would be the one who made an attempt on Miracle's life. Quickly jumping in the way, the trainee held up her shield and blocked the hat while bringing a hand over to the High Priestess.

"Stay behind me."

Jehanne drew her sword and looked towards Sincara from behind her shield spotting the weapon in her hand that made her think twice about charging.

[grimmhallows]

Sebastion heard guards rush away from him; and if there was one thing Sebastion hated, it was being left tied up for no good reason. His gun-scythe flashed into view, and he quickly had it cut off the ropes that tied him up.
"Tch, no good guards. What the hell is this place...." The young man's eyes caught the attention of a small ruckus over by the pillars of the temple. Sighing, he walked up feeling annoyed already.
"For a holy city, it sounds awfully violent..." he mused quietly to himself. Feeling hale as he walked up the steps strongly, he was just in time to see a young woman's hat come rebounding off the shield.
Sebastion quickly took note of three women.

A high priestess....interesting..... a knight as well, it seems..... and one barely out of childhood, from the looks of it.....
he shook his head, and walked over, readying his scythe and stabbing it in the ground; it's direction facing Miracle and her knight-captain.
Sliding himself onto it, his wings shifting and adjusting to allow for easy movement along the now horizontal shaft of his gun-scythe, he gave a rather distracting wave to all three.

Smiling, he pulled out his blade from the ground, and decided now would be a good time to glide over to assess the beauties in front of him. He threw his scythe rather violently when he got airborne, it's blade slashing into the ground to come to a stop mid way between what seemed to be a fight. Having made something of an entrance, he seemed to lazily fly to land on the scythe, giving a rather amused look to both sides of this particular face-off.

"My, lady knight. That armor does little to compliment those lovely eyes of yours..." He stated with a smile on his face. His next words, however, were not so cordial;
"Tell your men that if they tie me up and abuse me again, I'm going to rip them to pieces."

His face was now dark, and that flame on his left eye had grown quite dark, seemingly with anger. He sighed, and seemed to breathe a bit.
"Sorry, fair maidens.... I seem to have gotten quite annoyed there.... Though, a quick glance at your stunning faces reminded me of the fine company I have the pleasure of sharing..."
Giving an apologetic smile to both Miracle and Jehanne, he even bowed a little.

He now gave a small wave to the young lass with the six-shooter, and warm smile. it changed quickly however....
"Don't suppose you're going to try to kill me as well?" A tired look now coming across Sebastion Alastar's face as he asked the question of Sincara. Noting well her rather splendid appearance, his face was quickly set to a strange sort of seriousness that didn't suit his handsome face at all.

It's going to be one of those days....

[Miracle]

"Lady Miracle. Things haven't been the same without you."

"Please, rise. You do not have to bow."

"Lady Miracle, as joyous occasion as this is I must ask you not to venture far from my side until the area is cleared."

The High Priestess turned to face Solomon and couldn't help but smile a little in reply. Some things never changed.

"Oh, Solomon. Have faith! The Lord will protect us as he has before. We've nothing to fear."

"Jehanne, go and join the soldiers to the east part of the city and assist in securing the area. May the Lord and his spirit guide and protect you. Amen."

"Amen."

Miracle turned to see Sincara now standing across from the three of them down a couple of steps, staring towards the three with a weapon held out. Already she expected both Solomon and Jehanne to be in front of her soon due to the weapon alone. Before Miracle could say anything the girl in brown would speak.

"Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe."

Exodus 21:24 - 25.

"Life for life."

"Who are you and what business do you have here at the temple?"

"My name is Janus De' Marone. Daughter of Darius and Elizabeth Marone. The parents who died after you vowed to protect them. Struck down by an extension of God's will."

Before Miracle could respond Sincara has thrown her hat towards her, and before she could move out of the way Jehanne already stepped in front of Miracle to protect her. Keeping the High Priestess positioned behind her so her shield could do the rest. Miracle drew her staff but not her sword, she did not want to draw blood if she could help it.

"Janus, please! I am sorry for what happened to your family but this is not the way."

And now to make matters worse a stranger got involved in these proceedings further complicating things. Miracle looked at Sebastion from behind Jehanne, ignoring his compliments as she said to him, "Stand down! This is not your fight."

[Solomon]

Solomon cut Sebastion off, "Silence, beast of Lucifer! You are an abomination against God and all that is just, leave this place or I will strike you down with my blade." Solomon stepped forward and drew his long sword, the blade of pure silver shinning brightly in the rays of the suns as his eyes were now set upon Sincara. "Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm." Solomon showed no fear towards the Six Shooter or the hat. He knew the Lord would protect him. "Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord." Solomon charged the child and swung down his blade towards her head to unleash God's wrath for the sins she has committed on this day in her anger.

[grimmhallows]

Stand down! This is not your fight.
Sebastion ignored this plea, instead moving quickly. He and his scythe seemed to disappear; a slight delay later to reappear to block Solomon's attack against Janus. Giving the man a dark scorn as he pressed back against the blade.
"Is it not a sin to harm another? You hypocritical, discriminatory, HOLIER-THAN-THOU PREACHER!" Sebastion yelled into this man's face. His enflamed eye suddenly burst into a pure dark black rage; and heat now radiated from it's source. Setting his stance harder, a trigger on the scythe appeared; the artificial reaper already berserk at the accusation of being an 'abomination'.

"Protest or kill me later, Miss Janus. But Mr Self-Righteous here needs a lesson in manners and social etiquette, I believe. " he said, turning back sights on his adversary. He pushed back roughly and a strange, disturbing violin seem to screech sharp, dissonant chords from somewhere distant. His wings folded themselves, and the scythe itself seemed to steal the light from the suns shining high above.

"How dare you label me without knowing who I am. Without asking first if I be friend or foe. How dare you attack a lady, whom grieves and seeks her own release from pain!
How dare you think you can simply strike me down." His verbal assault was much more emotionally restrained; or perhaps, he was simply so mad he'd gone to pure resentment already.
"I will send you to your designated place in whatever hell you should choose to fear."

And Sebastion's flame went an odd purple color finally; the scythe taking on a similar flame all over.

I knew it'd be one of those days..... time teach some inter-racial tolerance, Lady Luck. Forgive my violence, but it seems they know no other course.........

[Sincara]

The hat rebound off the shield and headed back to Sincara like a boomerang, being caught in her free hand and returned to her head, turned slightly as she lifted up the Six Shooter to retaliate.

"And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death."

Sincara replied to Miracle, both in reference to her parents death and to remind the High Priestess that her god demanded the murder of many people in the past and if kept in power would demand the murder of even more. For the lives taken by Yahweh's hand far outweighed the ones taken by Beelzebub. Her eyes then moved to Solomon.

"Better a beast of Lucifer than a child of God."

Sincara was ready when Solomon came with his sword raised but would not have to do anything as Sebastion stepped between them. Capitalizing on this latest development, Sincara stepped to the side and unloaded a charge shot of .357 Magnum bullets powered by a surge of holy energy to battle against the blessed enchantment of the shield to break through Jehanne and continue onward to Miracle.

Time to show them there was no God.

[Jehanne]

Jehanne shield didn't possess a simple enchantment, it was blessed by the strongest of holiest magic and touched by the hand of the High Priestess herself before being given to their soldiers. It held off Sincara's assault as Jehanne moved backwards with Miracle behind her and retreated into the holy temple barricading the door.

"Stay close to me, Lady Miracle. I swear on my life not a single hair on your head will be touched on this day."

[Miracle]

Miracle retreated into the holy temple with an expression of sorrow on her features as it appeared that once again peace would not even be attempted to be sought by those outside the doors of the temple. This was meant to be a day to rejoice for the resurrection of Aircano and instead a battle ensued following its return.

"Stay close to me, Lady Miracle. I swear on my life not a single hair on your head will be touched on this day."

"Your bravery and determination is admirable but do not forget..."

Miracle lifted up her staff giving Solomon the strength to fight off the two that now opposed him.

"I am a warrior too."

[Sincara]

Sincara departed from the stairs and walked around to the side of the temple. Aiming the Six Shooter at a high up window she shot in the glass and then a grappling hook from the barrel of the gun hoisting herself up and then jumping through the window landing inside and now walking between the pews.

"I'm over here."

Said Sincara, Six Shooter still by her side as she looked towards Miracle.

"Go on, summon him. I want to look into the eye of my parents killer!"