Was there Victory? (Open)

[David B.]

OOC: This takes place directly after Barkers death, several hours later, at dusk as a celebration goes on outside.

The door to the war room clicked shut behind him, encasing him in cold silence. The room was sound proofed, offering David solitude. Outside, men were cheering at celebrating at the news that Sean Barker, supposed enemy of the free world, was dead. His body was gone- Mathew, of course- and that would have to be addressed, but for now he let them celebrate.

Leaning against the door, his eyes found the table, his chair. The maps laid out, carefully detailing his plans and the plans of the Elder Council to assault Barkers base. He, unlike the others, felt no need to celebrate. Felt no desire to hoop and holler. He had been on of maybe a handful of those on the battlefield to truly see how Barker died, and the result was unsurprising. There was no jubilation for him. He knew that, with Barkers death, the harder battle was to come. Tonight, tomorrow...in a week, his entire territory could be in ruins. Still...few of his men had died. Olesya was alive. Kiyr too. Leon, Mathew, Rai, Delilah, Lucien, Levi, Kazuya.... his men were in good spirits. He let them have it.

Approaching the table, he ran his fingers along the wood, walking along side it. It had been cleared of all chairs but his, so as to allow room for people to stand and pour over the gadgets and papers. He reached his chair, running his hand over it, before slowly seating himself and leaning back. There was nobody here, for him. Scarlet was with Kiyr. Olesya had Maddie and Youichi and August. Mathew would be busy trying to bring the dead to life, or so he assumed by the man carrying away Barkers body...and the rest? They had troops and soldiers and friends...David had them too, but stood separate. Apart. The weight of the Elder.

He took out a folder and opened it, a short paper inside that he filled out, detailing the victory and next moves. Within a week, the landscape would change...and he had no time to slack off. After scribbling some things down, he closed it and set it aside....before leaning forward and rubbing his eyes. The task ahead of him...they spent so much time focusing on Barker, only to have someone who was, apparently, stronger and faster and...more, in every way. He ran a hand through his hair, steeling himself as he looked around the room, at the emptiness, and let out a breath.

He would save such thoughts for tomorrow. For now...he let this night be what it was, trying to ignore the thoughts that plagued him.

Was there victory?

'Tomorrow.', he thought. 'Tomorrow.'

[Lucien DeChain]

There was no victory for Lucien tonight.

The melancholic wave that encompassed him hours before had not dissipated, still strong were the feelings of regret, of more work to be done, and of a false start to the celebrations. Of course, he understood why other people would celebrate; they hadn't seen what he saw. They didn't know just how powerful this new threat was.

Lucien himself was trying to hide in a corner, quietly, with a bottle of vodka. Seems he couldn't even get drunk right when he was in this frame of mind. Funny, it seemed so easy when he was in a better place, a better time.

The din of the party was getting too much for the young man. Seeing David slip into the war room, Lucien decided to follow him. Maybe he could find some solace. Entering the room slowly, he would look to David.

"Yo." He breathed messily. Maybe he was drunk...

[David B.]

David looked up from the papers he had spread out in front of him, eyes catching on the man who had caused quite a stir recently. He leaned back in his chair, setting some of the papers off to the side, and indicated that he could come in and close the door.

"Lightning Dragon- come, sit."

David didn't know how this man was feeling, and therefore was pulling an almost imperceptibly fake air of happiness around himself so he didn't get him down. He wanted his men to celebrate, and wasn't about to drag them to the same level he was resting on.

"You're not celebrating- you should be happy. Barker is dead."

[Kyrie Blaze]

The small blonde at the fringes of the celebration, eyes alight but overall demeanor watchful and protective. She was a mass of conflicted feelings...and wondered if it was alright for her to be so confused on what she was feeling.

But then, the day wasn't nearly so happy for everyone.

The petite woman had one arm crossed over her midriff, the elbow of her other arm resting just above her wrist to allow her hand to twist...to absentmindedly stroke the tiny dragon nestled in her shirt just within the slight dip where her collarbone was.

Kyrie absorbed the joy.

Not because she was a reveler like the others. Even if Barker was brought to see his own death for what he had done, she knew the troubling news. Something worse; there was always something and someone worse. No, the blonde soaked in the joy because it was life, and their joy strengthened her own resolve further than it already was.

It was all for them, after all.

With Lucien stumbling off to the War Room - and having noted David steal away into the building - Kyrie glanced at the small Dragon. Instead of moving, she simply...expanded her qi along the ground, straight into Lucien's shadow.

And disappeared.

Nobody would miss her at the moment, and she wanted to remove herself from the presence of so many, if only for a while. Tomorrow would be a new day.

She was quiet in her contemplation, and the lurch of being flipped upside down was practically a comfort. She remained in Lucien's shadow in the somewhat dim room. Blue eyes watched from the world of charcoal blacks and silvery greys. If Lucien proceeded, Kyrie would simply disconnect herself from his shadow into the shadow near the door...and allow him to move forward.

Only when - or if - he neared closer to David than halfway would Kyrie rematerialize from the shadows, standing with her back lightly touching back against the wall. Her arms found themselves regaining their positions they held outside as she watched.

[Lucien DeChain]

Lucien accepted the invitation, walking forward slowly, his sore muscles aching from the day's strain. Taking a seat, he would sigh and place the half-full bottle on the table. It clanged noisily as Lucien began to answer David's query.

"Truthfully I'm not sure how I feel. Barker is dead, but... We know the truth, now, don't we?" He replied, in a matter-of-fact sort of way. He was assuming that David knew about John Strike, and how he had been controlling the situation the whole time.

At this point, he shivered, and turned around. "Oh, Kiyr, I didn't notice you come in. Come, have a seat."