Eladria walks the tower walls in his armor, keeping careful watch over the environs, the forest, etc. He's half watching for trouble. . .and half watching for Lonneke. . .Okay, who are we kidding? An army of gargoyles could be going through that forest, and he may not notice. He's a little distracted.

Justin is quite similarly a bit head-down at the moment, although this is more due to a few days' rapid travel than any real preoccupation. He still wears the robes that Kaze had provided for him at the castle. It must be said, he makes a far more convincing mage than he does a knight. As he draws within sight of the rebuilt tower, he slows, gazing on it and upward to it, studying the workmanship.

Razz walks closely behind Justin, and comes to the slow halt as he does. "Are we there?" She asked, a bit tired.

Eladria is oblivious to their approach, at least for the moment, but he's picked one wall, and is patrolling that.

Justin nods, slowly. "We're there. They've done a good job; you can't hardly tell it'd been damaged, even." He follows the curve of the wall down the mountainside, to the gatehouse. "Mmm, they've reinstated the gateway. Come on, let's go announce ourselves."

Razz nods, a bit slowly, and follows.

Eladria spots them now. More because he briefly thought Razz might just be Lonneke than anything else. But still, he'd best go down and find them anyway. He heads for the gatehouse to meet them.

Justin leads, up to the gatehouse, and waits with the patience of one who is really enjoying not moving. "Kiran! All quiet on the western front?"

Eladria waves to them. "The front is quiet. The TOWER is in a stir, but the front's quiet. Haven't seen head nor tail of an enemy unit in a while. Is that why you returned?"

Justin smiles, faintly. "Mmm, partly. Partly. We'd heard that there was, ahh... something going on in which you were involved?"

Eladria raises an eyebrow, and the gates at the same time. "It wasn't a very big deal, but the students got wind of it, and made it such. I take it the Lady is with you, as well?"

Justin verifies, quickly, that the Lady is indeed with him, before telling Eladria as much. "His Highness was no trouble at all, amazingly enough. I begin to think I'd misjudged him originally."

Razz blinks, at that. She tugs on a corner of Justin's robe for his attention. "What do you mean?"

Eladria shrugs. "I've never been a big monarch fan, myself. But it doesn't much matter out here, does it? But the trip was a success, then?"

Justin shrugs elaborately at Razz. "Like Kiran, I don't usually much care for kings. Especially newly-crowned ones. Kaze seems to be at least as decent a fellow as I am, though. Just goes to show. And, ah, yes, I believe it was. I should perhaps discuss that with you, Eladria, at some point."

Eladria says: If you like. Well, you're back in time for the wedding, certainly. Actually, Justin, I had hoped to ask you a favor.

Justin says: Perhaps we could step inside, first? We've been out all day. And the one before that.

Eladria nods, the gate is, of course, open by now.

Headquarters of the Blades of the Red Heart

This is the foyer in the Tower of the Blades of the Red Heart. There is a desk in the middle of the room with a book on it, and a few paintings and tapestries on the walls. A staircase can been seen through the doorway to the east.

Justin precedes Kiran and Razz into the Tower proper, snapping off a salute to the rather suprised receptionist as he enters.

Razz held onto Justin's robe as she walked through the newly built headquarters. Never know where they might put a set of stairs here or there.

Eladria follows the duo in, refusing to acknowledge the whistles and catcalls of random students.

Justin quickly locates the row of chairs for waiting patrons, and all but dives for one. "Much better." He nods to Eladria. "Now, what is it I can do for you?"

Eladria looks at him. "Well, apparently, matrimonial tradition sorta requires that I have a 'best man' to be there for the ceremony. And since I haven't met many people here, and you're the best of them, and you're a man. . .I was hoping you'd help me out."

Razz finds her seat besides Justin, and breaths a sigh of relief. Tired. Day. Way too hot.... And guess who comes around the corner... who else but Shiroi Kirameki, after taking off without a word a week ago and suddenly popping up again just two days ago? "Yo, Eladria." Shiroi waved, walking over. "Who're your friends?"

Eladria peers at Shiroi. "Oh, it's you. This is Justin Childs. He's in charge."

Eladria says: This is Razz, his. . .ward.

Eladria points to each in turn.

Justin very carefully fails to laugh at the concept of him being in charge of anything, since about a year and a quarter ago. He offers Shiroi the same salute he's been using all day.

Razz lifted her face, reaching out to the new girl with her psy, and Shiroi takes a step back, a hard look coming into her eyes, but it quickly goes away. "Ward?" Shiroi pondered for a moment. "Justin Childs... Aaah, pardon my manners." She curtseys, rather gracefully to both Justin, and Razz. "I see, you're the guy that everyone's been looking for. Heh." She ponders again. "Ward, huh? That wasn't what I heard." She peers intently at Razz.

Eladria waits for a response from Justin.

Justin is, indeed, waiting for a response from himself. Awkward, that. One is eventually forthcoming, however. "...I would be honored to, Eladria." Indeed he would. He's never done anything to merit such an honor, to his mind. Worthless, he is. Can't understand what people see in him.

Razz brushed Shiroi again with her psy, and this time, she get an impression that most people get from looking at her. Not quite sure what to make of her, really. Shiroi smiles at Razz, the same confident smile she gives everyone.

Eladria nods. "Well, I thank you. I'd better get back out to the wall. I'm on watch." He turns to Shiroi. "As for you, young . . .woman, if I hear you've been on anything but your best behavior, I'll have your ass in my classroom."

Shiroi raises an eyebrow, at that. Then she whistled and made a suggestive grind with her hips, winking at Eladria. "But Ela! You're engaged!" She cried out in a voice that can almost be described as being orgasmic, and she chuckled.

Eladria goes red, bows quickly to Razz and Justin, casts a scowl toward Shiroi, and quickly heads for the wall.

Justin regards Shiroi blankly. Quite blankly. Until Eladria leaves, at least, at which point he quietly dissolves into a fit of giggles. "That was really uncalled-for, you know."

Razz, of course, has no idea what Shiroi'd done to extract such a comment from Justin. Shiroi gives Justin a side glance, and grins, quite mischieviously, then shrugs. "Well, you have to admit, he was practically asking for it."

Shiroi then gave Justin a more intent gaze, sizing him up, almost. "So, where have you been all this time?" She eyes Razz, as well. Hmm. From what she'd heard, Justin's girlfriend was pregnant. The elfing in front of her looks anything but pregnant.

Justin ceases his giggling. "Everywhere but here, more or less. It's only just become safe for us to return."

Shiroi crossed her arms, and shifts her leg onto her right leg, looking rather interested. "So, why did you leave in the first place?"

Justin frowns slightly. "In what turned out to be a quite futile attempt to keep Crulath from levelling the tower to get at us."

Shiroi pondered at that. Oh, right, seems that the tower was just built when she'd arrived. "Crulath, hmm? I've met him. Not the greatest at taking hints, was what I gathered."

Justin almost laughs again at that. "Indeed not. Quite admirably single-minded, he is. We're hoping that the last time he took the place down, when Lord Raven gave him a right tossing, that he finally got the idea. And so far he hasn't shown his face."

Shiroi nodded. "So, explain to me again, what is Crulath again? Some god?"

Justin gestures ambiguously. "In a manner of speaking. Ancients aren't /truly/ godlike. Near enough as makes no nevermind, but the Ancient Guardians make them look paltry."

Shiroi crouched down, her arms stretched out over her knees. Only Shiroi can do that while wearing that kind of clothes and not flash anyone. "Aah. Yet another system completely foreign to me. I miss the days when the gods were merely myths and all you had to know was that your school master is evil."

Justin would resent that if it weren't true. Since it is, he nods solemnly. "So you /are/ a student here?"

Shiroi turned her face over and smirked at Justin. "Something tells me that I'm as much of a student here as you are a leader here."

Justin nods. "So you are a student here. Well, rest assured, your schoolmaster is evil."

Shiroi peered at Justin, smirk still plastered over her face. "Evil. You can't be worse than my last one. He has a fetish for blood from rotting corpses."

Justin blinks a few times. "Mmm, no, I suspect I can't. Sounds like a charming fellow, though."

Shiroi then started counting off her fingers. "His fiancee screwed my boyfriend and blew her own head off at a Christmas party, he gets his jollies from killing people and resurrecting them days later, he set a student on fire, placed curses, and of course he names himself after the devil."

Justin winces appreciatively. "Sounds like a real winner. Good thing you got out of there, then, I'd imagine.

Shiroi nodded. "Yes, the whole 'completely evil and powerful and supposedly unpredictable' parade was starting to wear on me. Besides," Shiroi pouted. "He plays favorites!" And here she made out a mocking sob.

Justin shakes his head sadly. "Dreadful. Absolutely reprehensible. Whatever happened to him?"

Shiroi looked up at the ceiling, eyes mornful. "Think his mother dropped him when he was born. Repeatedly. On uneven pavement. In front of racing cars a couple times."

Justin shakes his head sadly again. "Nothing to be done for him then. Best just put him out of his misery."