The Southern Gate [POST HERE FIRST]

After Serafine has left, Orville heaves a huffy sort of sigh. Those who aren’t trying to conceal goods from him try to lie to him, and those who do not lie apparently try to sleep with him! Recalling the terms upon which he accepted this assignment, Orville notes that he did not sign up for this sort of shit. Just trying to make an honest living and provide for his family, not get a face-full from every strumpet that passes through the border. Hmmph.

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In any case, Serafine would find it quite easy to exit back out to the hallway, and from there back outside through the sturdy door. Things outside are more or less as she left them, her dear bear remains as he was, and the guards seem to be just as they were. As a matter of some note, there is still a pronounced lack of traffic through the southern gate, no travelers approaching down the road, and though the city and a selection of its citizens is visible through the portcullis, none of them seem to be expressing any interest in exiting through the southern gate.

Serafine’s friend, the younger of the two notable guards, glances backward as he hears the door open, but does not move from his spot.

The young guardsman observes as Serafine saunters back over toward him, and gets increasingly more flustered as she draws closer. Listening as she speaks, he swallows, throat bobbing, face flushed.

It takes a moment to formulate his response, but is simply, “Good…?”

He isn’t quite sure what to say, isn’t quite sure what she wants out of him, and it's visible on his face. He’s not often given much thought, as a gate guard. He stands at the gate and occasionally makes mean faces at unscrupulous individuals that are on Isra’s bad side. All people ever want him to do is look at their papers or open the gate. Which… he supposes, Serafine also probably would like. He glances down toward her pass for a moment, and after ascertaining that it is indeed a pass and not some unassociated bit of paper she had in her pocket, he looks up, but not quite all the way.

“... Would you like me to open the gate, then?”

Nodding vigorously, he seems visibly relieved to have something to do, and in his task, he wastes no time, proceeding directly into the gate and calling up into the space above it, “Open the gate, this lady has a pass!”

Without any verbal response, the portcullis rises gradually over the course of a half minute.

Again, the guard nods vigorously, apparently satisfied with a job well done. Turning back to Serafine, he asks, “Anything else, miss?”

After being dropped off by @shaitana in the free plains, Rani made her way through the southern gate. It was a crazy ride inside the worm, but exciting to be within the earth like that.

Dusk had almost fallen when Julia finally made her way to the South Gate. The last hour or so had been something of a race from the steady soldier’s march and the sun to see if she could make it before the gates were closed for the night. Now that she’s close, Julia breathes a slight sigh of relief, but doesn’t break her stride. It had been a long march from Medan… or at least it seemed to have been.

Julia honestly couldn’t remember much of the journey in any detail. Hopefully just a bit of marching trance and not a sign of serious head injury. After the Goraians had surrendered, the Legion had been put to work occupying New Brimiarde and putting down pockets of resistance. That was the phrase command had used. Pockets of resistance. What that actually meant was bands of fanatical soldiers with nothing to lose looking to go out in a blaze of glory and carnage.

A pack of them had rushed the cohort in a frenzy, and Julia had caught a hammer to the helm. By the time she came to, the fighting was over. Unfortunately, it looked like it had turned into a running skirmish, and she was well separated from the rest of her unit. What follows is a blur of wandering and searching and finally… the road home with the gate ahead.

Julia shook her head, focusing on the present as she approaches the guard at the gate. With any luck, the missing information would be filled in soon. “Third Centurion Rafine, of the First Legion.” She snaps off a crisp salute. “Soldier, can you tell me if the First is in garrison?” In the fading light, Julia looks almost solid, but on closer inspection, the guard would find they could see through her.

Suppressing a huff of exasperation, Julia gives the guard a polite nod instead. After all, he is right. It isn't his fault if he's completely out of the loop regarding troop movements. She relaxes slightly, and offers a bit of a smile to the man. "Nothing lowly about keeping the people safe." She gives him a friendly clap on the shoulder, failing to notice that her hand actually passes through him like a chill wind, then turns and marches into the city.

A dark premonition had come over the young priest when he first gazed upon the Free Plains. Master William seemed certain that their search was coming to an end, yet he had made no attempt to divine future proceeding from his tarot deck. Upon seeing the Tower Brother John had felt the same presence as when his Master did a reading. The Black Tower was a bad omen. John knew that the Tower itself was probably not dangerous, it was the path to come that would be rough.

For these reasons Brother John had taken the road to the Black Tower, "Thank you for your help sirs, I should be returning before tonight."

The Sakandi caravan came in during the midst of the Prospernalia Feast. Once again, they were eye-catching if only for their exotic look. Papers would be provided if asked, and no trouble given through customs. The Emira was on her way to the festival, for which she had been invited by the Minister of Art.