Romance RP

Ryan nodded but looking at Lycoris, he could see how sad she was and wished that he could comfort her although he'd have to wait until they were alone to talk.  He replied,

"Thank you.  I think we all have a lot to discuss, right?"

**************

Alex took a breath and replied, "You still have me, right?  Sia and the others still think that you have me as a hostage."

He hoped that the shapeshifter would be able to figure out what he was hinting, that she could use him to get Lycoris back.

Irene nodded and replied, "We definitely do. A lot happened since last time you two were here and there are a lot of things to talk about."

Lisianthus finally spoke up in a serious tone, "There's something you two must see first. It's going to be a surprise to you two. Would you follow me to the dungeons?"

********************

The shapeshifter didn't reply right away but understanding what Alex was hinting at, she raised an eyebrow and replied,

"You think that could work? That other personality of Lycoris isn't like the real her. She won't be the one to hand over herself to save you."

Ryan wondered what Lisianthus was talking about but he nodded, agreeing to go to the dungeons.  He looked to Duchess Irene to see if she knew what Lisianthus was hinting at.

**************

Alex replied, "That's true but I think I know how to get the real Lycoris to come out.  If she hears someone she cares about in pain, she'll appear.  I think this will work but we need to have a plan to execute it well."

Irene only sighed and nodded to Ryan, knowing what Lisianthus was talking about. Lisianthus then led the way out of the room and Ryan, Lycoris and Duchess Irene followed her to the dungeons. They soon made it at a heavily guarded cell and Lisianthus opened the door to it to let everyone inside.

Inside, the prisoner was none other than Lady Penelope, who looked calm and composed. Upon seeing Ryan and Lycoris and everyone else, she only smiled and said,

"Why, hello, dears. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

*******************

The shapeshifter replied, "No, it won't work. If they think that I didn't release you the first time, then they'll believe that I won't release you this time either and they won't risk handing over Lycoris again."

Ryan was shocked as he saw Lady Penelope in the dungeons and asked,

"Umm what's going on?  Why is Lady Penelope a prisoner here?"

**************

Alex replied, "Perhaps if they think that you'll simply torture or kill me but how about something worse?  You probably don't have this ability but it couldn't hurt to fake it.  If we could make them think that you'll brainwash me so that I become your powerful minion and we reveal my ability to use magic, then that might make them think things over."

(Getting sleepy here so I'll get off for the night now and go to sleep.  I'll post again tomorrow in between classes and all.  Nite, nite, Love.  ^^)

(Nite, nite, phoenix. ^^)

Lisianthus looked coldly at Lady Penelope as she replied, "When we found out which temple you were at, I investigated who it belonged to. It belonged to the prisoner you see here, Lady Penelope. And by getting her here and questioning her, we found out that she's also the shapeshifter's mother."

Lady Penelope remained calm all along, her smile never fading.

**************

The shapeshifter remained doubtful but as she was desperate at that moment, she thought things over in her head and replied,

"Would they really hand over Lycoris just so you don't become on my side? I don't know. I really doubt that that human would care whether you're brainwashed or not. If they don't care about your life or fate for that Lycoris, why would they care about whether I brainwash you or not?"

It took a while for Ryan to process this information but he thought it made sense that Lady Penelope would be the shapeshifter's mother.  He looked to her and quietly asked,

"So you know the true reason that Lycoris was held there?"

***************

Alex replied, "Not the others but Lycoris would.  I think seeing and hearing such a scene would be enough for the real Lycoris to come out and take control.  She was the one willing to stay and help in the first place, right?  The only reason they all escaped is that impostor wanted it."

(I have another class later today so I'll post again once I'm back.  XD)

(Finally back. XD)

Lady Penelope continued maintaining her smile and composure as she replied,

"Of course I know. She's my daughter after all and she tells me everything."

Lycoris was groaning angrily, extremely agitated that Lady Penelope was a traitor who was lying to them all along.

*********************

The shapeshifter thought about Alex's suggestion for a few moments and it did sound like it could work. Raising an eyebrow, she said,

"You're really betting your chances on the real Lycoris, aren't you? Does she care that much about you, enough to hand herself over again even if it wasn't 100% guaranteed that you'd be saved?"

(Welcome back.  ^^)

Ryan could sense how upset Lycoris was and he touched her arm, trying to calm her down.  He looked to Lady Penelope and replied,

"I see.  I can't help but ask this.  If you and your daughter wanted Lycoris for a noble purpose, why couldn't you have told all of us this from the beginning?  Why the elaborate deception?"

****************

Alex looked confidently in the shapeshifter's eyes and replied,

"I know it's a risk but I'm willing to take it.  Unless you have another idea we haven't considered."

(Thanks. ^^)

Lady Penelope's smile faded and there was a serious look over her face as she replied,

"This was what my daughter wanted. Frankly, she couldn't trust you, Ryan. She was always wary and careful that if she told you, you might end up telling the captain and make him fight her. After all, he still believes to this moment that she's really helping him have Lycoris' powers for himself."

****************

The shapeshifter could see the confidence in Alex's eyes and as she didn't have another idea in mind, she had to listen to him. She rubbed her forehead tiredly and replied,

"Alright, we'll take this as our next plan. But right now, we'll need to think of another place to take as our hideout."

(Back and free now.  XD)

Ryan replied, "So you two were using the captain and you were afraid that I would spill your true plan to him?"

He couldn't help but feel saddened, wondering if he really was that untrustworthy.

*************

Alex nodded and replied, "Ok.  Is there another place we can go in the meantime?"

(Welcome back. XD)

Lady Penelope was silent for a moment but then she replied,

"You can say so although it was really my daughter's idea. I wanted to tell you especially when I came here and got to know you two. I had a feeling you would cooperate but when you deceived my daughter and sent her that bomb, I began to doubt you. It was a risk to tell you because you really seemed to protect Lycoris at any cost."

She paused then thinking of something, she asked, "But how do you know all of this? My daughter couldn't have told you."

********************

The shapeshifter was silent for a few moments then shaking her head, she replied,

"Not one I can think of right now. There's our previous hideout in the devils' world of course but they know of that one. It would be dangerous to go back to it."

(Thanks.  ^^)

Ryan bit his lower lip, as he knew that Alex was the one who had told them what was really going on.  He was silent for a moment and then replied,

"Let's just say that I hear things."

He wanted to tell Lady Penelope the truth although he couldn't risk it with the others around.

**************

Alex nodded and replied, "Yes, that's true.  What would the captain suggest or would he not have any ideas as well?"

Lady Penelope raised an eyebrow but didn't inquire further, knowing that there was something Ryan was hiding. Lycoris was finally overcome by her anger and her voice of it, she said,

"You traitor. We trusted you all along but you were lying to us and deceiving us. You really deserve more than just being thrown in here mercilessly!"

******************

The shapeshifter replied, "I don't even know where that idiot is although he might have an idea actually. But I'll need to locate him first."

She paused then said, "Hang on. I'll try to contact him."

Using her telepathy, she tried to reach the captain.

Ryan looked at Lisianthus and a part of him could understand her anger over everything that had happened.  However, he didn't feel as much anger towards Lady Penelope, for he had understood her reasons.  He leaned in to Duchess Irene and whispered,

"What's going to happen to Lady Penelope?"

*************

Alex nodded and waited patiently while the shapeshifter attempted to make contact with the captain, wondering what would happen next.

(BTW, I finished To the Moon and you were right.  It was a great game.  ^^)

(Glad you liked it. XD It's a very nice game with wonderful atmosphere. XD There's another cool RPG game I tried a while back, too. It's called Skyborn. I wonder if you heard of it?)

Duchess Irene had observed Lycoris' anger at Lady Penelope and was a little surprised by it although she had to remember that this was her other self speaking. Turning to Ryan, she whispered back,

"It's Lisianthus' decision but I think she wants you and Lycoris to have a hand in deciding it as well."

She glanced at Lisianthus, who was quiet all the while although the look over her face was stern and almost cold.

*****************

The shapeshifter took a few minutes but finally finished, she turned to Alex and said,

"He managed to make it. Fortunately, he has a place. It's a small place but it should do especially that it's far from Cephiron so it won't be easy to find."

(Ahh yup, I have.  I've seen it on Steam.  Might give it a try sometime.  ^^)

Ryan nodded and deciding to take a chance, he used his telepathy to reach out to Lady Penelope and asked,

"Would you like me to come see you later so we can talk privately?"

***************

Alex replied, "Ok.  Then we should all head there next, right?  Are some soldiers with the captain?"

(Ahh yup, you totally should. It's a nice game although it's a little on the short side. But the story and characters are well done and the gameplay is enjoyable. ^^)

Lady Penelope was naturally curious to hear what Ryan had to tell her privately so she replied,

By all means. There isn't much to do around here now, is there? Some company would do.

******************

The shapeshifter nodded and replied, "Yes, he has a group of them although it's not a large number. Most of them were captured and some were killed."

She paused then said, "Let's not waste time. We need to go back to those soldiers and let them know of the plan."

(Coolies.  I'll add it to my wishlist then.  XD)

Ryan replied, 

All right.  I'll visit you as soon as I'm able to although I'm not sure when that will be.


***************

Alex nodded and replied, "Ok, let's get the others and head on over to the captain."

He followed the shapeshifter so that everyone could regroup.

(Cool. XD)

Lady Penelope nodded although she didn't say anything further. Lisianthus then spoke up,

"If we're done here, we should probably leave. Lady Penelope will be staying here though, of course."

She gave Lady Penelope a stern look but Lady Penelope only looked shrugged innocently.

*****************

The shapeshifter led the way to the soldiers and there, she told them of the new plan and where to head. The soldiers nodded and prepared themselves for the journey. They would head to a nearby stable first to get horses and then they could start heading to the captain's place.

Ryan nodded and replied, "Ok.  Well, we should head back upstairs and discuss some more things."

He turned to Lycoris and added, "And I'm sure you could some rest, too, right?"

************

Alex followed the shapeshifter as she told the soldiers about the plan and followed them, wondering what his next move should be.

Lycoris was still quite angry but figuring that it was more important to discuss Lady Penelope's fate, she nodded without saying anything. Lisianthus then led the way out of the cell and back to the room where they were.

******************

The party walked for a while before they finally made it at the stable and the shapeshifter took care of the arrangements, getting a horse for every two soldiers. As they waited for the stableman to prepare them, she turned to Alex and said,

"I and you will be riding one horse. It's what I can afford right now until we rearrange ourselves."

Ryan followed Lisianthus as she led everyone away from the dungeons.  As they walked, he turned to Duchess Irene and asked,

"How are the others?  Bryan and Rosaline-are they all right?"

*************

Alex nodded and replied, "Ok.  Since you know the way, it's best that you take the lead."

Irene nodded and replied, "Yes, they're fine and you know that Nerine is here too and she's ok as well. They all should know that you two are here by now so we can expect to see them soon. Bryan and Rosaline especially will be happy to see you as they were worried about you."

*****************

The shapeshifter nodded and after a while, the horses were prepared. The party organized themselves and each two soldiers rode together on a horse. The shapeshifter led the way to her and Alex's horse and after she got on it, she helped Alex get on as well. Once they were all secure, they headed off.

Ryan smiled and replied, "I'm glad they're safe.  I didn't want them to get harmed during all of this and I can't wait to see them."

**************

As Alex held on to the shapeshifter riding on the horse, he hoped that she still trusted him despite everything.