((The following was inspired by the many, many wonderful minds that took part in Live Play on Monday evening, September 19th, in both the Inn and the Back Alley. This is an open thread to all involved.))

Her flight back to the Sanctuary had been an exhausting one. Not for the distance, she had Trixie with her for company and a level to lean on. But in the time that it took the Judges to go from the alleyway behind the Red Dragon to their home on the Northwest Cliffs, Isuelt felt as if she had lived three lifetimes. The events of the evening were replayed over and over again in the mind of the brooding Scathachian. Trixie knew better than to prod her Sister, and she further knew that all would be told to her when the moment was right.

As it turned out, that moment was just minutes before they arrived at home. Isuelt confessed, through hot tears, what had occurred after Brian seemingly "rescued" Renna from the assault laid to her in the Inn. While the dark-haired Scathachian was heartbroken at the apparent betrayal of the Elder Ravenlock, she was still holding fast to a thin thread of a chance that perhaps he had an angle. She prayed that he did, as she searched in vain for some reason why the friend she had counted on for longer than she could remember had cut her to the quick with his scathing and acidic words. Brian's verbal tirade had done more damage than any weapon that Renna could have lifted against her. Ravenlock blamed Isuelt for the death of Jewell, for the sacking of the city, for the citizens that perished, for the hell he had personally endured; and he told her exactly that, plus some.

He had called her a failure, a coward, she had let them all down, she had neglected her duties as a protector of the weak and a guardian of the city. His wrath was unleashed and Isuelt stood there defenseless.

Icer had said that there was something not right, and Isuelt clung to that small speck of hope. Renna could possibly have control over him, but that would make her even more dangerous than before.

As Isuelt and Trixie arrived back at home, the sea wind swept through the Sanctuary on the cliffside compound. The great double doors were opened and left that way. Isuelt wasn't sure exactly who would be arriving to discuss the Renna problem, but she knew that the Scathachians were about to get an earful.

She was afraid to admit it, and perhaps she wouldn't. Not to herself, not to her Sisters, not to those who would soon be gathering. But Brian Ravenlock, friend to the Scathachian Nation, husband to Scathachian Sister Jenai, had just switched sides.

Finding the Sanctuary had been something of an adventure in itself, and Karadesh had been able to explore parts of the city he'd never seen before. The Sanctuary itself was suitably impressive, evoking the safety and serenity the Sisters themselves promised the people of Rhydin.

Karadesh padded barefoot across the marble courtyard, nodding politely to the guards who stood at the entrance, then stepped into the Sanctuary proper. He wasn't sure exactly where he should go, so he looked around for some kind of a guide, absently scratching at a long ear while he waited.

Different goddess, similar mission...

She had learned of some of the troubles from one of her own Sisters. The Pocasett Huntress was a little more outgoing that the two ancients given that she was the youngest of the troupe.

A message was sent via a runner. During the daytime, the Hunters rested. However, Jissin had left instructions with the Squire Regis to deliver a message.

The message was simple enough...

To the Sisters of Scathach...

The swords of the Dark Hunters are at your side....And Sanctuary can be found with the Were-hunters.

We regret that we cannot be at your side during the time when Apollo is riding in the skies. But at night we Hunt...

The message was signed simple with the symbol of the Bow and Arrow...

Artemis' Symbol.

It had been an interesting series of days. With Leo down and Ed doing...whatever it was Ed was doing, it had been left to him to bring their newest security department employee to the Scathachians.

Not that he minded. Most of the time he spent in the offices of the Batten Industries, either here in Rhy'din, or, like he had been much of the past few months, in New Orleans and other places back on 'their' Earth. He kept an unpredictable schedule of places he would visit to check up on things - mostly to keep the men running their various holdings and industrial centers and such on their toes, but also partly to keep himself from being bored.

But then a couple days ago he'd gotten a message from Ed that he needed his right hand man back in Rhy'din, and that in a right hurry - Leo had been seriously injured, the message said, and the boss needed someone to fill the spot.

But by the time he got back, Ed, it seemed, was down for the count too. Diana had, at Kyle's request, transmitted an initial scan of Ed's vitals and stats, and Kyle had been shocked that the man hadn't gone to a hospital first. The injuries had been severe - blood loss from multiple stab wounds, broken bones, fractured vertebrae, severe cerebral trauma, and - most disturbing of all - an anomalous reading caused by some kind of biotech infection. When he tried to pull up the analysis of the infection, however, he found that the details had been locked down, inaccessible even by him.

Twenty four hours later, Diana had sent him a status update.

There was a lot to be concerned about, but this last report read that not only was the boss fine, he had subjected himself to a highly experimental treatment of his own devising...one which had repaired all the damage done by whatever Ed had pitted himself against and then went on to alter and enhance his physiology in some truly fantastic ways.

Another update had come through on Leo, as well - apparently he was awake, but the man was showing signs of amnesia which had erased the man of all his personal memories of his past.

It made things complicated, to say the least. With Leo deprived of his memories, Ed had given the task of going to a meeting being held by the Scathachians to Kyle, and had briefed him on the woman he was supposed to take with him, a new hire to the company by the name of Julianna, who had been assigned the post of liaison to the Scathachians by Leo, with Ed's approval.

It might have been enough to bother most men. But he and Ed had been friends for the better part of eight years now, and he knew that the man had reasons for doing things the way he did, even if Kyle didn't always know or understand them.

Still, a part of him hoped that the boss knew what he was doing.

He had managed to find Julianna at her apartment at Toujours le Vert, and she seemed almost to be expecting him...and when he had told her where they were going, she hadn't seem surprised. From what she indicated, Leo had just enough time to brief her on her assignment before he got involved in the incident that cost him his memories, so it saved time.

He wasn't much for taking limo rides, himself, and had informed Julianna they would be walking to the Sanctuary that housed the Scathachian Order. Thankfully she didn't appear to have a problem with that, responding with a rather crisply delivered inquiry as to just what precisely they were waiting on.

He liked her already.

It only took an hour, perhaps slightly more, to arrive at the gates of the Sanctuary, which had been left open, and he motioned for Julianna to walk next to him as they entered the room just as the woman who seemed to be leading the Scathachians, Isuelt DeRomiano, as he remembered her name being, was addressing the others already gathered. Silently he took a seat and indicated Julianna to do the same as he settled into his own, listening attentively.