Magus Potentae

Narrel frowned as she looked at the mountain of paperwork that lie on her desk. This was what she got for just one day on the field. It was ridiculous. She had to report each instance that she used her powers, and write detailed descriptions of the circumstances they had been used for. The kingdom had also put a small magical bracelet on her that measured how much energy she drew from her surroundings. This new device made lying on her reports impossible. Which meant that the King would not be happy. On the last mission, she had used her Magus to heal a wounded enemy soldier, which was strictly against the rules. She sighed, and got to work. It looked like she would have another sleepless night on her hands.

When she finally finished her paperwork - or most of it - she stood up from her desk to look out the window. It was such a beautiful night. . . she would give anything to go outdoors. But she didn't want to bother with the required escort. With an exhillarating feeling of rebeliousness, she slipped out the large window that seconded as a door onto her balcony. It would be so much easier if she could just make the ground below catch her, but her wrist monitor would pick up even that small amount of Magus. She was therefore forced to climb down the nearest tree, which was easier in her head then in real practice. She landed on the hard pressed dirt with a grunt. She stood up, rubbing her now-sore bottom. With a sigh of relief at having temporarily escaped the castle, she began walking around the courtyard. She considered climbing the fence and completely leaving the property, but she was too afraid of what would happen if she was discovered. The king was not known for being generous or forgiving.

She looked up at the moon, wondering not for the first time what her life would be like if she had refused the king's "request". She would be alone and scared in the dark forest, probably. She had heard rumors of camps of rouge Magi that met and kept each other company. That wouldn't be too bad. But the king had denied such places existed. And she was too much of a coward to risk it. With a frustrated groan, she leaned up against a tree. It was so hard not to call upon her Magus. It made her feel so alive, so complete when she used it. That is, if she used it the right way; for healing. Using it in battle simply made her sick to her stomach.

Taiju yawned in boredom as he walked through the city, hands in his pockets and cloak drawn up around his throat and chin. He knew he shouldn't be in the city. The townsfolk generally frowned upon rogue Magae, and that was what he was. But, perhaps being the rebellious teenager that he was, he didn't much care. There were few people outside tonight, and nobody cast him a second glance as long as he didn't use his Magus to do anything. Granted, that was a pain, considering he'd made the mistake of walking through a large puddle in the road and now his pant legs and boots were soaked, but he couldn't pull the water without someone noticing and throwing him out.

Oh well.

At one point, he paused in the road so he could take another glance around. It was probably particularly risky to be here. The king liked to keep headquarters here for his little dogs, and a rogue definitely wouldn't be too welcome among the king's private magicians. Taiju couldn't help making a face at this; the government was so corrupt that it wasn't even humorous, and those who willingly worked for the system were just pathetic.

He shrugged off the thoughts as he kept walking again. He hoped to find an inn of some sort, or something. He didn't like to sleep outside and he hadn't had a good and proper meal in a couple of days. He knew how to live off bread and jerky, but it didn't mean that he liked to.

Narrel was about to fall asleep under her tree. It was so nice to be sitting here on her element. She hadn't realized how cruel her king was until he ordered her to stay on a room above the ground floor; as far away from her beloved earth as he could make her. What's worse, he completely reconstructed to room to make it out of wood rather than the white marble that the rest of the castle was made of. It drained her to have nothing around to comfort her. She heard the watch dogs begin to bark, and a Magus Incindeae quickly lit all of the torches in the courtyard. She sighed. They must have realized her absence. With a sigh, she stood up and went to face the consequences. On the way, she ran into her only friend, a servant that was sympathetic to Magi.
"Narrel, I imagine the king will want to discus what you were doing out here later," she said in a tight voice, "but we have reports of rouge Magi in the royal city. All Magi are to report to the king for assignment." With that, she rushed off to find any other Magi who might not be in their rooms. The last thing Narrel wanted was to hunt down rouges again. They always seemed so free and innocent, it hardly felt right to drive them away. Or in the worst cases, kill them. A man's face appeared in her head, and she felt tears welling up in her eyes as she remembered that first, horrible mission.

It was in her first year after signing on with the kingdom. To prove her loyalty, she had been sent to flush out a rouge that had been reported in the royal forest. She had gone of course, expecting only to chase off some stranger. Instead, she had found her lover and friend hiding among the trees. He was a Magi Lunae, and had no powers to draw on in the day. She had tried to reason with him to leave before her supervisor got there, but he refused. He said that he had come to rescue her. No matter how Narrel pleaded, he wouldn't leave without her. Then her supervisor came. When Narrel refused to use her powers against her defenseless friend, the woman had acted. Her eyes were just as cold as her heart as she froze the blood that ran through the boy's veins. Narrel had to watch her lover writhe in agony as he froze from the inside out. She had tried to run away then, but her supervisor had caught her, and threatened the same execution if she didn't return.

It had been years since then, but the wound was still very fresh in her heart. She could forgive the kingdom no more than she could escape them. And so with a heavy heart, she went to report to her superior. Since the reports came from all over the city, different groups of Magi were sent to patrol. Narrel was a senior member now, and was trusted to act alone. She ran out of the gates, hoping to be the first to find a rouge. A daring new plan had just formed in her head. If she could follow every direction to the letter, if she could earn the king's approval and trust, perhaps she could be appointed to his private council. Once she was there, she could find a way to become the prince's nanny and body guard. The prince was still young, but he seemed soft hearted and easily guided. If she could just become close to him, perhaps she could make it so that the next king would be a fair and kind one. She might just hate herself for the things she would have to do to get there, though

Taiju paused when he heard the beginnings of commotion coming from the castle. A scowl began to form on his lips as he thought about the reasons. There could be an immediate threat to the city, which didn't seem likely, as calm as the night was, or there could be a new search for rogues. It wasn't the first time it had happened just because he or someone else set foot where they weren't supposed to.

"The king is just such a loving person," he said out loud, giving a roll of his eyes. "Just like my family. Wow, people are great." Before he could go into a depressing thought about his life, which he felt would be undeserved anyway, he focused again on what was happening. Just in case it was a search for rogues, he ducked down into a smaller private street, on either side of which were peoples' homes. He pulled his cloak closer around his shoulders, hoping that he wouldn't get into any more trouble.

Footsteps sounded past the opening to the street, making Taiju tense up. One of the patrols had gone past him. Thankfully, none of them seemed to notice him, but it made him quicken his step as he continued walking. Perhaps he should either find that inn now or get out of town until the morning to avoid this.

Narrel walked slowly down the street with her eyes closed. A half-smile played on her lips. Ah, but it felt good to be able to use her Magus without worry. With its power flowing through her body allowed her to sense the vibrations of people walking on the street, so she was able to avoid everybody, even with her eyes closed. She felt someone running down a side street, and she followed. Most people wouldn't run from a Royal Magi unless they had something to fear. She followed her feet until she reached the end of an ally way. And there she waited. It wasn't long until the person's footsteps were right in front of her. When they didn't slow down however, she opened her eyes in surprise. She was just in time to watch the boy crash into her.

They both landed on the dirt with a thud. Narrel stood up with a grimace, and repelled the dirt from her dress. That was the second time she had fallen down that night. She grimaced, and looked down at the ruffian that had knocked her down. His hood had fallen down from the fall, and his brown hair was a mess. His square glasses had been knocked crocked on his face. Narrel frowned. He was definitely a Magi; she could feel his power pulsing in him. With a sigh, she offered him a hand to help him up. She had to remind herself why she was doing this. The impulse to just let him go was strong, but she had to ignore it. She had to find a way to assure a better future for her country and her people.

"My name is Magi Narrel," she said formally. "You are under arrest for use of the Magus without a license." She found it hard to look him in the eyes. He had the same hazel eyes that her late lover had had. And right now, they were frozen in the same look of terror that he had had before his death. She took a deep breath to calm herself.

Syl's posts will be in blue.

Taiju was too busy watching over his shoulder, half-expecting one of the royal watchdogs to jump him from the alley. As a result, he didn't notice the girl before he crashed into her and they were sent tumbling to the ground in a painful heap. He was quick to separate himself from her and jump back up to his feet, simultaneously reaching up one hand to fix his glasses and the other to comb back through his hair.

An apology was on the tip of his tongue before he heard the girl's title. Then he scowled. "Great," he said darkly. "I dare to want real food for one night and I get stuck in the middle of the king's personal dogs. Well, I don't intend to go. Just so you know."

He watched her quietly, waiting for her reply. Every muscle in his body was tensed for a fight. He noticed from the corner of his eye a puddle in the street, and made a mental check of that. It could prove useful. He didn't want to kill her if he could help it, but it would prove an asset no matter what.

Narrel shook her head. It was just her luck that he would decide to be difficult. She wondered what kind of Magus he had. She saw him glance at the small puddle next to them. Ah. So he was most likely a Magi Undae, just like her old mentor. She would have to watch out for any tricks he might have. She sighed and took on a more defensive pose. She hated to fight, but she wasn't going to let this man kill her, either.

"I'm afraid you have no choice, sir," she said quietly. "Either you come to the castle willingly - where you can either sign up for an official license or accept the punishment - or you can be dragged kicking and screaming. Either way, I can't just let you walk away."

Although her words were fierce, her tone of voice was less than convincing. Why couldn't he just let her be a healer? If only there was some way to earn his trust without selling out her fellow Magi. . . but she could think of nothing. And it was her duty to do whatever she could.

"I am sorry," she said quietly. "I wish it didn't have to be like this."

Taiju lifted a delicate brow. "Yeah, sounds fun. I can apply to be in hell, willfully accept hell, or be dragged to hell. My options are just so diverse, I can't possibly begin to choose," he said flatly, sarcasm heavily evident in his voice. "Meanwhile, you don't sound all that convincing. I think I'll choose to get myself out of here instead."

However, at her last words, Taiju had to raise both brows in a mix of confusion and curiosity. "Then don't do it," he said, as though the choice were obvious. He put his hands in his pockets, looking around in disinterest. "'Cause then that makes two of us who want out of here."

Despite his sarcastic tones and general lack of care in the whole situation, Taiju's heart still pounded against his chest. He didn't know what this Magi could do, or how strong she was. He was confident in his abilities to escape without too much harm to either of them, but there was always that apprehension. Prison didn't sound good to him.

Narrel shook her head.
"It's not that simple. I have a duty to preform. I have. . . a plan. One that could help all Magi. And I have to stick around to make it happen. Besides that. . ." she motioned to the bracelet that hung like lead from her wrist. "I couldn't leave if I wanted to. They can track me with this." She sighed. But she was not here to feel sorry for herself. She had a job to do.

"Now then, I still have to take you in. You can try to fight me if you want, but I'll warn you, I'm no pushover." She called on the power of the earth around her, ready to defend herself if need be. Why did this all have to be so difficult? All she wanted was to live in peace. She almost wished she hadn't been born with these powers. Then life would at least be simple. Although not necessarily better.

"If you come to the castle," she said quickly, "it's possible that he'll just kick you back out of the city. We were getting alarms from all over, so we'll probably have a lot of rouges to deal with. I doubt he'll want to punish them all." She really shouldn't be giving out that kind of confidential information, but she didn't care. Her duty was to Magus before anything. And that meant trying to make life easy for all Magi.

Taiju rolled his eyes, heaving a sigh. "Fine, never mind. I'll fight my way out of this as I always do," he replied, taking his hands back out of his pockets. "Not that I want to, and not that I've ever done anything to deserve it, but what do I know?" The water puddle to his side swished slightly as he cast another glance from the corner of his eye, debating what he could do best to get himself out without harming her.

He waited for her her to make the next move, wondering if she would even fight. "I'm not going to go back there," he said coolly. "Not to just get kicked out. I'll leave on my own if it's that big of a deal, but I'm not going to go on your precious dictator's terms just so he can feel good about one little rogue."

Just to see what Narrel would do, he took a half-step backward, his eyes not leaving hers. He wanted to avoid a fight, too, mostly because it was a waste of his time. He didn't mind his powers, but he didn't feel like putting them to such an ignoble cause.

Narrel shook her head. Why did they always have to do things the hard way? Luckily, it seemed like he was giving her a moment to think. If she let him go now, no one would ever know that they had met. She could just say she didn't find any rouges. It might not look great for her record, but it wouldn't look bad. Her other option was to fight him. Although she was fairly confident in her abilities, she hated fighting. And there was a small chance that she could loose. Now that would look bad on her record. She sighed, and relaxed. She glared at the man.

She didn't really have a choice in this, which bothered her. Most of her comrades would strike him down without hesitation for the things he had said against the king. She was not that loyal though, and she didn't want trouble.

"Fine then. Go away on your own. Just. . . don't come back, okay? It's not fair that you're not allowed in here, but it's the rules." And if her plan worked, there was a chance that none of this would be necessary someday. She stayed where she was, determined to make sure that he actually left. She would even escort him out, if she had to.

Taiju held back a tiny sigh of relief. There wouldn't be a fight after all. He let his tight muscles relax just a little bit when he realized that he wouldn't have to worry. Though he hated to admit it, he wasn't completely sure how well he would do against someone who worked for the king.

"No guarantees that I won't come back," he said honestly. He could've said that he never would return, and maybe he wouldn't, but honesty was a virtue that he wanted to see in more people. "But fine. Good to see I won't be struck down where I stand for daring to resist, or something." He started to walk forward again, brushing past Narrel without another word of thanks or a good-bye.

He stopped at the end of the road for a moment, considering again where to go. The patrols were still out, and he was still practically in the middle of town. But he'd find a way. He always managed. Thinking this, he took a turn down the road to head off.

Narrel watched him go with a frown on her face. He could have at least pretended to be thankful. She saw a watch heading the way he had just went, and she quickly ran up to them.
"Excuse me, I feel a bunch of people with Magus running that way," she said, pointing in the opposite direction. The patrol leader gave her a salute, clearly thankful for the help. She felt bad for tricking him, but she wanted that strange hazel-eyed Magi to get away. She couldn't really say why. And who knew, perhaps there really were rouges in that direction.

She returned to her patrol, but it seemed like most of the fuss was over. She sighed with relief as the "return" light was set ablaze at the top of the tower. She turned on her heels and walked slowly back to the castle. As always, it made her feel horrible to let her Magus go, but it was forbidden inside the castle.

She trudged up to her room, hoping that she wouldn't be summoned again that night. She was exhausted and depressed, and she just wanted to go to sleep. She slipped quietly into her room, and turned off the light. That way, if someone did come to try and fetch her, it might seem that she hadn't returned yet.

Taiju had to hide for a little while before he could begin making his way out of the city. With all the patrols, trying to walk the streets would have been suicide. Once the patrols began flooding back toward the castle, he began making his wary way to the front city gates before he could get into any more trouble. One run-in with the king's Magi was enough, and more than that would be pushing all the patience he had allotted for today.

Once he reached the front gates, though, he hesitated. He didn't want to leave--not because he held any particular attachment to the city, or anything in it, but because it was a lot safer to sleep inside city walls rather than outside. By now he wasn't going to be able to obtain a room at a cheap inn or anything of the sort, but he could at least sleep in an empty alley or something and leave in the morning.

He waited for a minute, silently debating this. Then he gave in to his own selfish desires and went off to lay in the back alley between a couple of shops, using his cloak as a blanket. It was demeaning, and still risky, but it was better than sleeping outside the city when he had no supplies or money to his name. Besides, if he stayed, he might be able to get a little work from somebody who didn't know what he was. Then he would leave.

Narrel got ready for an audience with the king. Despite her best efforts to avoid attention tonight, she had been summoned. She put on her best dress, which actually wasn't that nice. It was a simple blue dress with some purple flowers that she had embroidered on herself. A quick glance in the mirror revealed that her hair needed some attention. She grabbed her brush, and ran it through as efficiently as she could. Far too soon for her taste, a page was knocking on the door. She took a deep breath, and walked towards the audience chamber.

The king was an imposing figure, sitting on his tall throne. He looked down his thin nose at her.
"Report."
Narrel gave a deep curtsy, and obeyed.
"I used my Magus to seek out persons who were behaving suspiciously, sir," she said briefly. "However, no one in my section was an unlicensed Magi, sir." She left it at that. Her bracelet would confirm that she had been in no fight. The king nodded, and motioned her away.
"That will be all. Report to Review in the morning to clear your Magi Band."
Narrel gave another deep curtsy, and left.

She couldn't help breathing a sigh of relief as she left the chamber. It could have been worse. He may not have given her the raise she was looking for, but she didn't expect it after tonight's performance. She would have to check her compassion from now on. She couldn't be making exceptions to the rules if her plan was ever going to work. With that thought in mind, she went to bed.

After an uncomfortable night spent sleeping on the hard ground and stone, covered by nothing more than the thin fabric of his favorite cloak, Taiju awoke blearily to the early bustle of the city and the sun's morning light peering between buildings and landing in his eyes. He groaned in protest and tried to roll over, but in the end decided that it was best for him to get up. If he intended to find work, and therefore earn his money and food, it would be best to start as soon as possible so he could leave the city. He didn't want any more trouble, even if he despised the king and everyone who worked for him.

Shaking his head to rid himself of the last little bits of tiredness, Taiju pushed himself to his feet and started out into the city. He manged to find himself some work with a shopkeeper, performing manual labor for most of the morning. While it wasn't his preferred method of work, Taiju resigned himself to it for the sake of a paycheck and the prospect of a good meal that would follow. Beggars couldn't be choosers, this he knew, and if he wanted to eat something that wasn't bread and jerky he would have to live with it. His only regret was that he was thin and wiry, but not muscular. He was worn out by noon.

He took a break for lunch and made his way down to a nearby pub, where he sat in the corner to avoid prying eyes. Still, even as he tucked into a proper meal, he was aware of people staring at him. Taiju made an attempt to ignore them, but someone at a nearer table was whispering about him. When he heard something along the lines of "He's a Magi," he stood up and made for the door. Somebody knew, and while he didn't know who, he was sure it was a Magi of the kingdom. He strode quickly out of the pub, followed shortly by a larger man.

Narrel woke up with the sun, and quickly got ready for her day. She didn't take too much care with her appearance; she didn't have any important summons today. She went promptly to the Review to get her information read. She sighed as she entered the colorless room. It was always so dreary in here. She sat down at an empty booth, where a bored looking receptionist took a hold of her Band. She stiffened as a shock ran up her arm. As always, it hurt when they read her Magus. It was an "unfortunate side-effect to perfection". Damned king. She didn't cry out though, she had gotten used to this. Almost. She sagged with relief as it finished.

The receptionist looked at her with pitiless eyes.
"You're Magus use will be reviewed. For your lack of performance in last night's crisis, you will be assigned to street duty today. That is all. You may leave." Narrel stood up, and left. Street was usually used as punishment, since it was the most boring and uneventful task there was. She didn't mind it today, though. It would be kind of nice to spend the whole day out in the sun with full access to her Magus.

She walked out of the castle. As soon as she was clear of the gates, she stretched out her Magus as one would stretch a cramped muscle. It really was a beautiful day. She laid out her Magus on the ground, searching for any unusual movement. She even found herself humming cheerfully.

Taiju attempted to look casual as he made his way down the street, but it was difficult. Every muscle in his body was tense as he waited to be attacked. He knew his follower was a Magi; he could sense the power, but he didn't know what the man could do. Taiju unconsciously quickened his walking pace as he went down the road, and finally broke into a full run. He bolted toward where he thought the city gates were, thinking there was a slim chance to avoid conflict if he could make it out first.

In his mad run, he passed Narrel. He didn't recognize the girl for who she was and didn't care to, but his pursuer did. He skid to a halt in front of Narrel. "Hey!" he said sharply. "I found some rogue that we must have missed during last night's call. Help me catch him before he gets out of town!" With that, he bolted off again for Taiju, who was doing his best to cover as much distance as possible during the Magi's short distraction.

Taiju kept looking around for any source of water that could help him, but there seemed to be none. All he could think to do was turn around and use the water in the human body . . . but that would kill. Taiju refused to take a life until his own was in too much danger; at the moment, he hoped that the worst that would happen was an obnoxious punishment from the king. That wasn't lethal, so Tiaiu dismissed the idea of killing anyone.

Taiju might not have recognized Narrel, but she recognized him. She sighed. She had given the boy a chance to get out, and he had wasted it. This time, with her fellow Royal around, she would not be able to do that. It was catch him or nothing. She quickly sprinted after him and the other Royal. He was a Magi Incindeae with a hot temper to match. For that reason, he had not been given a field assignment recently. He had obviously been ignoring the King's order to keep in shape, for when she easily passed him, she could hear him wheezing for breath.

She began to panic as the main gates came in to view. She forced her legs to pump faster. She couldn't let him escape, not with the Royal watching. Finally, she decided that she would have to use her Magus. She stretched it out before her, causing the earth to rumble and shake under the fleeing Magi's feet. She didn't use anything too serious yet. It was not a good idea to rip up the King's city without due cause.

But if neccissary, she would tear the ground right from underneath the boy's feet. She needed this; needed the recognition. She couldn't let the king's tyranny continue.
"Stop, in the name of the King!" she cried, only slightly out of breath.

Taiju gasped out when he felt the ground under him give a violent shift. He tried to adjust his balance accordingly to keep himself upright, but was tripped up and fell flat on his face. He panicked and pushed himself back onto his feet quickly, but he knew that the stumble had given both of his pursuers time to catch up. He pushed himself to reach the gates before either of them could catch him. At least one seemed out of shape, but Taiju had a feeling that would just make that one in particular angrier because he couldn't be caught.

He was less than a hundred feet from the gates when something else stopped him. A small flame was crawling up the back of his cloak, and growing. He yelped and stumbled to stop at the same time as yanking off the article of clothing, but it slowed him down just as the Magus Incindeae had meant when he sent the small streak of flame ahead of himself. Taiju managed to rip off his cloak, but by that time, he could easily have been caught up to.

With a sinking feeling he had already lost, Taiju stopped and turned back to face the other two. He didn't intend to go down without a fight. He would either get himself out of this, or severely bruise anyone who attempted to stop him.

Narrel stopped abruptly a few feet away from her prey.
"Don't do this, kid," she whispered. "Just come quietly, okay?"
From the look on his face though, he didn't seem to be ready to cooperate. She drew in as much power from her Magus as she could. She didn't know how strong this guy was. But with two Royals against one rouge, it was unlikely that they would have any trouble.

At least, that's what she thought until her 'partner' caught up with her. Without even a warning to give the boy a chance to surrender, he hurled a fire ball straight at the Magi's head. Narrel acted without thinking. A shield of dirt and sand came up between the boy and danger.
"What do you think you're doing?" she scolded the Incindeae. "That's against regulation, and you know it. I'll write you up, if you're not careful!" The chubby man sneered down at her.

"You can't write me up if I do it to you first. You protected a rouge from punishment by a Royal. That's as much against the rules as what I did. Now move aside and let me take care of this guy." Narrel found herself torn. She couldn't let this guy kill in cold blood, but she had to protect her kingdom. Finally, her conscious won out. She stepped in between two men.
"Don't misunderstand," she said over her shoulder to the rouge, "I'm still taking you in." Her eyes turned to the Incindeae. "But I won't let anyone get killed here today." She could see the man's rage burning. He had begun to call upon his Magus, and flames were beginning to lick around him. He snarled at her.
"This is treason."

Taiju, although seeing a perfect opportunity for him to run at that moment, found himself stuck, watching this argument. Why were two Magi of the kingdom standing in front of him, arguing over what to do with him? It was a little confusing. They both wanted to take him into the king, though, and so he didn't have time to sit and wonder what was wrong with the two of them.

"That was my favorite cloak," he muttered aloud to anyone who would care. Not that he expected either of them to think the piece of cloth to be of any significance; it held sentimental value to him, but clearly, the kingdom's dogs didn't mind tearing apart a few of his possessions. He took off his glasses and sighed, pretending to wipe the lenses clean on the hem of his shirt while waiting for them to settle their dispute, but actually looking for something to get him out alive. There was another small water puddle at the edge of the road, which he noted, but had a feeling wouldn't help much. It wasn't enough water to protect him from a Magi who could summon flames at will.

He took a small step backward, wondering if either of them would notice. He was testing his luck, and he knew it, but he wouldn't hold still for very long.

Narrel sighed, and addressed the man behind her.
"Don't even think about it. I can have the dirt under your very feet wrap you up tighter than a sailor's knot if you even think about taking one more step. I won't allow harm to come to you, but you will be brought in." As she was giving her speech, the fired up Magi threw another flame ball at them. She blocked it without a second thought. This was truly getting annoying.

She summoned as much power as she could, and ripped up the ground from outside of the city. It came flying in from all directions, forming a ball around the group of three. With a grunt of effort, she lifted the whole orb, people and all, in to the air. She raised her eyebrows at the two stubborn men.
"Now then, we are going to take a little trip to the castle. The first one who angers me again will find a hole under their feet. Understand?"

She was bluffing, of course. She could hardly believe that she was able to keep the thing a float. There was no way she would have enough control to crumple just a part of her orb. Beads of sweat began to pop out of her forehead. She had better make the trip to the castle quick, or they would all end up falling to the ground. The orb began to move, taking it's passengers with it.

(I don't want it to seem like I'm giving her too much power. Remember that most soil will have traces of water in it as well. Feel free to use that to your advantage, if he still feels like fighting back._

((Heh, I don't think Taiju wants to drop to his death. XD We'll figure it out.))

Taiju rubbed his eyes tiredly under his glasses. The one time that he decided to stay in the city and not run away, as he had dozens of times already in his life, he got caught. At least he'd gotten his pay from the shopkeeper, but at the rate his day was going, he was going to be out on the streets naked before evening anyway, so a few copper pieces weren't of much help.

He thought about trying to get out of the orb. It was only earth, and there was still enough water left in the soil that he could easily use. But, he thought again, it would be difficult to use water, even ice, to slow his fall back to the ground once he got out. He would have to wait. Besides, he'd like a nice look at the king's smug face. Maybe throw in a few words.

He opened his eyes again and looked to the messenger bag still around his shoulder. Near the bag itself, the strap was beginning to fray. The Magus Incindeae had singed it at the same time as his cloak. Taiju scowled and lifted the bag off his shoulder, kneeling to examine the damage and his belongings inside. "Jeez, jackass, you really don't mind what you destroy, do you?" he spat, glaring up at the offender. "I hope I don't get everything taken away from me at the castle, 'cause I don't want it all back in ashes."

The Incidneae magi sneered down his nose at the kneeling man.
"If I got my way, dirt bag, you'd be in ashes." He spat on the ground to show his distaste for the rouge. Narrel glared at the both of them. Of course it would be her that had to keep these two idiots from killing each other. This had never been her specialty. She detested violence, but it had been forced on her. Now, it was hard not to resort to it. She checked herself though, by reminding herself why she was currently carrying the three of them to the palace. It was to keep every one involved alive. And it was extremely important.

She turned to glare solely at the rouge.
"Are you trying to start something? Just sit tight until we get to the palace." Luckily, she was beginning to be able to feel high-class shoes pounding on marble floors just on the edge of her range. It would only be a few more minutes before the reached their destination.

"That's right, reject. At least this girlie knows better than to cross me. I'll burn you up in a second, and turn all your precious water into nothing." He laughed, content with his own supposed power. Narrel rolled her eyes. For once, she could hardly wait to see the king. At least it would get these two away from each other.

Taiju dug his fingers into his knee to keep himself from doing anything rash. His nails began to leave marks even through the cloth of his pants. This was the only thing, aside from a scowl, that belied his otherwise calm visage as he returned to his search through his bag.

However, he did feel it necessary to make a retort, despite how Narrel felt on the subject. "Yeah. You certainly look all high and powerful," he said back to the older man, raising a doubting eyebrow. "Considering how you're just as stuck as me . . . and looking considerably less in shape than I am. Even if you did have your way, I think you'd be dead." He smirked. "Unless you evaporate all the water in your own body, too, I'm not without a weapon. And I don't even need that to fight back."

After skimming through his bag and making sure that nothing else, mostly his sketchbook, had been singed, he stood back up and crossed his arms with the bag at his feet. He couldn't afford the risk of breaking the strap by putting it back on. He didn't want to lose everything that was of value to him. The cloak was enough.

Narrel decided to ignore the rest of the bickering. She would feel it if either of them tried to build enough Magus to fight. Finally, she could feel the castle walls. She set them down just inside of them, and allowed her dirt prison to crumble. She sent the soil back to where she had found it; the king didn’t like it when she left his courtyard dirty. She couldn’t help but breath a sigh of relief as her Magus power flowed back into her. The felt the hot power of the other Magi begin to flare up. She checked him with one look.

“Really? Do you really want to do that? We’re within the king’s castle now. Any violence will not be tolerated.” The Incidneae Magi grunted. He pointed one sausage finger at the rouge.
“You’d better hope that I never see you in this city again, traitor.” He turned his attention to Narrel. “And you’d better be watching your back too, dirt witch.” He stormed away. Narrel couldn’t help but snicker once he was out of earshot. He had looked truly ridiculous as he waddled away from them.
“He’s mostly hot air.” she said. “No pun intended.”

She put a comforting, but firm hand on his shoulder, and began leading him forward.
“Now then, are you ready to see the king? I promise to try and make this as painless as possible. Of course, it would be easiest if you would just sign up with the kingdom. ” She leaned in closer to whisper in his ear.
“When they kick you out this time, you should stay out. I tried to look after you.”

Taiju cast one more dirty look after the Incindeae, then brushed Narrel's hand off his shoulder. "I'll do as I will," he said bluntly, "because I'm sure I've already made my feelings on the whole matter very clear. And asking me if I'm 'ready' sure seems pointless, considering I have no choice in the matter."

He picked up his bag and started to sling it over his shoulder, then paused. "Let me guess, you'll want everything of mine until I'm walking in there in my undergarments, right?" he asked flatly. "So that I can't possibly do anything? Because I know we dirty, filthy rogues are simply the worst things walking this earth and all." It was becoming increasingly apparently just how fond of sarcasm Taiju was, and how little he wanted to be there.

While awaiting an answer, Taiju scuffed boredly at the floor with the toe of his boot as they walked. It left a tiny mark of dirt, which made the corners of his lips turn upward in a smirk. Anything to make the king upset would make him happy, even if it was only a little bit of dust. All that could be done before being thrown out of the city again.

Narrel shook her head.
“You’re allowed to keep your things. You won’t be staying here long.“ She noted the mark on the floor, but let it go. She had no problem with irritating the king every now and again; as long as it couldn’t impede her plans for the future. She lead him to the audience chamber in silence.
“Your Highness. I’ve apprehended a rouge in the city.” She considered mentioning the inappropriate behavior of the Incidneae, but decided against it. After all, he could claim that she had acted against the kingdom, and she didn’t need that.

“Very good, Magi Narrel. You may take him to Processing now. That will be all.” Narrel bowed, and left the room. The walk to Processing was long and boring. Narrel decided to break the silence.
“So, what’s in the bag? It seems very important to you.”

She had never really been good at small talk, but she figured she’d give it a try. After all, they had time. What she really wanted to know was why he would choose to fight the system as he did. She may hate the king, but at least she was trying to do something about it. Rouges were simply hiding from the true problem. She would get to that later though, when she escorted him out of the city.

Taiju was silent throughout the entire audience in the king's chamber. He ached to say something that would have been considered traitorous, but he bit his tongue and held his remarks. He couldn't afford to get himself into any more trouble, no matter how much he wanted to make his feelings known about being dragged around and his things destroyed in the process. He suffered on in silence.

Outside, he stared blankly down at his bag, which he carried in his arms to salvage the strap. "Things," he replied flatly to Narrel's question, his tone insinuating that it was his business what he had and not hers. "Things I'd prefer to not have almost been set aflame . . ."

He was quiet again for a long moment, his expression set firmly into one of annoyance. Finally, he was driven to ask, "So what is Processing and why am I being sent for it?" He'd heard the king mention that and assumed it was some sort of punishment, despite the name sounding not in the least bit vicious. Desire to know what he was being thrown into forced him to inquire.

Narrel shrugged. If he didn’t want to talk about it, then she couldn’t force him. She hated the silence though, and was relieved when he broke it.
“Processing is really just that. They’ll take your name, record your Magus, and ask you to give a sample of your power. After that, you will be given the chance to sign on as an official Royal Magi. If you choose to do that, you will be given a Magi bracelet, and you will report to the king for assignments. Of course, rouges turned Royal are on probation for the first few months, with supervision by a senior Magi.”

She lead him into the room.
“You’re free to make your own choice, of course. I must suggest that you join up with us. The kingdom can’t stay crooked forever.” She smiled in a kindly fashion. Despite her suggestion, she thought that it was unlikely that he would join up. He seemed to hate the kingdom even more than she did.

The Processing personnel didn’t even look up when they entered.
“Take a seat, and you will be seen when one of our Royal Processors is available.”
Narrel rolled her eyes. The Processing office was never very busy, but they always liked to pretend they were. And they loved to keep people waiting.

Although he was making half an attempt to be less traitorous while in the castle, surrounded by people who hated him and his beliefs, Taiju couldn't help a derisive snort of laughter. "Yeah . . . that is certainly going to happen. And if I refuse to give up my name and everything?" It struck him then that he hadn't even given Narrel his name yet. Not that it mattered significantly, but it was a little strange to know her name but not to have her know his.

He leaned back against the wall with one foot propped against it, choosing not to sit. He just wanted out of here as soon as possible. To pass the time, he produced his pocket watch and began methodically opening and closing it, mildly amused by the action. At one point he paused to run his thumb along the symbol raised into the silver lid, then went back to his regular fidgeting.

He was getting impatient. Why couldn't the king just order him out of the city and call it good? Having his name on record wasn't going to make anything easier for the kingdom, and he didn't really feel like giving them a name to match with his face. There were a number of rogues who were on file with the king, subjected to the same thing he was, but Taiju would prefer to be left out of it.

Narrel shrugged.
"If you don't give up your name, you'll be kept here until you do. The king doesn't tolerate such things."
She sighed, and leaned her head against the wall. It really was irritating when she knew they could be seen to, but weren't. Finally, they were called up. A bored looking receptionist led them up to a desk.
"Name, Age, and Magus." she said in monotone.

Narrel stood back for this part. There was really no need for her to be here anymore, but protocol demanded that she stay. After all, as the Magi that brought him in, he was her responsibility. She closed her eyes, hoping that that would make time pass faster. This kind of thing bored her like no other. She hated mindless paperwork, and this job was littered with it.

"Please also place all your belongings on this table. They will be filtered through to make sure you did not carry any unauthorized weapons into the kingdom."
Narrel looked up. That wasn't part of the normal protocol. What were they doing? Her attention sharpened. Something didn't feel right.

Taiju rubbed his eyes under his glasses, a common habit when he was frustrated or tired. "Taiju Soulin, seventee, Undae," he said flatly. It was easier, he decided, to go with it. Even if they had his name on file, they couldn't force him to be part of the kingdom's Magi group. And the more he agreed with them, the sooner he would be able to get out of here and back out onto the open road--which, in itself, wasn't too great either, but it was better than here. He thought he could feel his individuality breaking apart with each passing second.

At the request to give up his things, though, he frowned. "Why?" he asked. "I was just told two minutes ago that I would get to keep everything of mine, and in fact that all you'd need is some information. You don't need my bag."

He cast a glance at Narrel. Judging by her reaction, she didn't find this request to be normal, either. Taiju kept his satchel under his arm, showing no intention to give it up. Admittedly, he was carrying one weapon . . . but it wasn't in his bag. And while there was nothing particularly private in his belongings, either, he didn't approve of anyone going through them, particularly after today's close encounters.