The look on her face was something that shocked him -- her mouth was open, hand over it, tears streaming down her face as she surveyed the scene before them. It marked one of the few times that he had seen that side of her, and each instance still surprised him. This was far worse than the others -- the look of horror on her face actually made him want to shield her from it, or comfort her. Nonetheless, their relationship was a working one. The gleam in her eyes and shift in color made it easy enough for him to realize she was using her power to visualize the scene in a different way, though it was impossible for him to know how until she told him.
"It... it's killing everything... Maxim, it's not just stopping with us. Everything, everyone, everywhere... there's nothing alive here, yes, but..." she finally forced the words out, and he absently realized she wasn't quite as cold and cruel as she wanted him to believe. She turned and looked directly at him, and then shook her head vehemently before looking away again. "It's that there's no life here, in any form whatsoever. If it remains this way, then nothing comes after this. It'll be just another empty, dead place littered with just a few ruined cities to show we were ever here in the first place." She closed her eyes, and Maxim was finally able to ignore the surprise of seeing her display emotions like that and mean it.
Against his better judgment, he gently put one arm around her shoulders and two fingers beneath her chin, forcing her to look at him again.
"It doesn't end here, and you need to believe that. Even if you or I were to die, if we both fell... there are so many others fighting to survive that we need not worry about this place," the undead Redmont reminded her, before finally releasing her and stepping back. She nodded and looked away again, and then towards the direction of Grand City, with a sigh. Maxim, however, cast a glance back in the direction of Jade City; there was a sense of responsibility that he hadn't felt in a very long time, and her revelation only meant that time was running out, as if they didn't already have precious little left.
"I know you're also checking for the book I requested, but... are you going to seek out either of them, Maxim?" He sighed, and then looked back towards her before shaking his head once again; the same answer she had received when she had asked him the last time. "No. As far as I'm concerned, we walk separate paths now, and there's no point in pouring salt in old wounds, for any of us," he replied, already settling into that brisk stride again. This time, she actually moved along beside him, tilting her head as she studied his expression. That was useless -- by now, she was well aware that she couldn't read his thoughts or feelings very well. "Did you ever think perhaps Deanna or even Quinn might want to know that you're sti-"
"Drop the subject. Now."
"Fine. I suppose this isn't the best time to tell you, but after you left, I noticed you have a much nicer bed than I do, so I'm using it until you get back."
He stopped in mid-step, and sighed -- there was no point in replying, as she was already gone. Instead, he simply continued upon his way, his footsteps the only sound in an expanse that was devoid of anything else.
Grand City, Eiler -- the palace of King Alerion...
The Redmont marched up the steps of the palace, unable to tear his gaze away from the ruined city -- if it had been so thoroughly decimated, he wondered if there were any survivors from Joi other than the man he had seen at Jade City. The guards took one look at his armor, and both of them crossed their halberds to prevent him from entering, sneers on their faces. He shook his head and lifted a hand to silence them before either of them could make a remark, and began speaking in cold, quiet tones. "Before you say something that could damage further diplomacy between your home and Jade City, let me inform you that I've convinced them to change their stance. I need to speak with King Alerion, as soon as possible," he explained, causing the two sentries to exchange startled, hopeful looks. "Well, that changes a lot. Who shall I tell him has arrived, my friend?" the first man asked, and Maxim's fiery eyes lowered slightly. "Commander Maxim Redmont, of Jade City," he muttered, almost adding the word 'temporarily,' though he didn't. The pair nodded, and pushed the doors of the castle open.
The interior was even worse than he had imagined -- Alerion was trying to shelter as many people as he could, and Maxim could already tell some of them were refugees from other places that had either been devastated or even completely destroyed. It only served to further spark his ire towards Mayor MacJacqass -- if that was indeed his name -- since Jade City could've been helping their fellow Alerisians the whole time.
Better late than never, I suppose, he silently reasoned, waiting for the guards to take him to Alerion.
Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 10:15 pm