l'arrivée (Dated)

Joan trotted slowly down main street. She had not been in a city environment for a long time and the scene was rather overwhelming. The overcast clouds blocked out much of the midday warmth, causing a brisk chill to overtake much of her. She had not spoken to anyone yet, out of confusion more than fear. Who does she look for? Who can she speak to? Was there something already going on to drive the Griffons out? As she continued, she realized that things were far worse than she had imagined.

Beaten and dirty ponies lay on the sides in the drainage ditches. Trash and debris littered areas and allies. Most of the buildings were either boarded up or looked trashed. The few good buildings either had griffons in them or in front of them. This filled Joan with anger, but now was not the time. She was chosen, no reason to get herself killed before she could get a proper army and gear.

She eyed the hidden sword. The hilt barely poked out from under her pack and cloak. She wondered if ponies were allowed to carry weapons or if this would get her in trouble. She then wondered where in the city was pony friendly, then where she could get food, where she could get shelter, how much things cost, how to get money; and with all this, reality hit her. She left home with close to nothing, and no destination aside from Manehatten, and no mission but to kick the griffons out.

She stopped and starred wide eyed in front of her. Nothing was there but reality, cold and dark. A shiver went down her spine. Alone was all she could think. It was at this time the voice spoke to her. Trust me. Those two simple words were all it took. Joan broke into a laugh, a rather loud laugh...in the street...at no particular thing.

It had been a slow day for Stormcloud, what with wandering the sewers to find a suitable exit and then to find where she was, so she could find a smithy with the capability to repair her armor. All she had visited were confused by the armor at first, promptly realized what it was and turned her down. Thus far, no luck with anything. Still, she had heard about another smithy in the downtown area, and wished to go there. The fastest route, albeit not safest? Through Main Street, which Stormcloud, aided by cloak, proceeded down.

Eventually, a pony along the road began to laugh hysterically, for no good reason. As far as Storm could tell, nothing funny happened at all. So, what was she laughing at? Regardless, it attracted a lot of attention, which Storm didn't quite like. So, Storm trotted up to the laughing pony and delivered a swift slap to the back of her head. "Quiet down. You're making a scene," she said in a tone not unlike that of a displeased mother.

Joan felt a sharp pain as he head was forced forward, stopping her laughter. She quickly turned and glared at the other pony. She was about to protest, when she realized that another pony was talking to her. The look quickly changed to a smile, as if she had forgotten about the smack. She rubbed the back of her head with a hoof and looked around. The pony was right, a lot of creatures were looking. She quickly blushed and looked back to the new friend.

"Oh, so sorry. I'm new here and z'I don't quite know where it tis I'm supposed to go."

Storm sighed at the pony, finding how quickly she changed from angry to happy once again disturbing. Storm shrugged, the slight metallic sound of shifting plates ringing from beneath her cloak. A bit of the hilt of her sword stuck out from this, with Storm quickly shifting her cloak back over it. She had come prepared to be a wanted mare, to fight griffons, and hopefully, she wouldn't have to do that. Last time she had to, she suffered severe injuries to her wing, rendering her unable to fly for a long time. After a few moments of silence, she entered a fit of coughing, which took her several seconds to revover from. When she did, she began to speak:

"I can't help you if you have no idea where to go... What are you after, anyway?"

"z'I'm here to lead equestria to freedom from z'he griffons," this was spoken matter of factly, a not in a whispered tone. Joan stood proper with her head held high, as if she were proud of this fact. The young mare looked down the street, determination a zeal in her eyes. Turning back to the pony, she cocked a smile, "Is z'here some way jou could help me with 'is?"

Again, she was dead serious.

Flying overhead, two griffons could be seen by a keen-eyed observer. One fair of appearance, obviously from a noble family, with subdued tan feathers and brown fur. His companion was a large specimen, broad of Wong and not lacking in muscle, with a uniform earthy brown pigmentation. These two flying griffons were Virgil and Umber, respectively.

Hearing laughter, Virgil looked down below at the massive "Main Street" of Manehatten. With the keen senses of youth, he discovered the source of the high-pitched laughter; a young mare, with a colour of coat similiar to his own feathers. What caught his attention was the... "suddenness" of the laughter. He suspected that something was amiss here.

"Umber, look down. See that mare, with the coat the colour of my feathers?" Virgil called out to his companion, the earthen coloured griffon, his clear, well-educated accent drifting over his words like fine wine.

Umber looked down. Seeing what Virgil pointed out, he furrowed his brow. "Aye, I do see the mare in question. She th' lass that gave that mad-as-a-hatter laugh moments ago?" Umber had a harsh accent from the northernmost areas of the Courts, gruff and full, like himself.

"Well, I think we should have a look. She might need some help. And I still feel poorly of that... "last" encounter we had, at the bar. The...."Steelhoof"." Virgil put on a guilty expression, evidently displeased at some past behaviour.

Umber shook his head. "Damn it lad, that good heart of yours will get you killed. If ye insist we investigate, aye, I'll follow ye, daft bastard." He smiled in assurance to Virgil. It was obvious that they shared a close bond of service together.

Virgil grinned. "Now, let's take a gander at this situation- oh look, she has a friend. Looks like... a cloaked pony, can't tell if she's a pegasus or earth." Circling down, Virgil looked with concern at the two ponies. Snippets of coversation he heard made it seem like the mare was troubled indeed... likely starving, poor girl.

Calming himself, Virgil landed with a reassuring smile.

"Is everything alright miss? My companion and I saw that you appear lost." as if on cue, Umber landed with a heavy thud when Virgil said "companion". Both wore plain iron swords at their sides, and had a bag each, with their food and drink inside.

"D'uh... uh... uh..." Storm stammered, dumbfounded by the pony's... sheer idiocy and lack of self-preservation. Was she insane? "You're insane," Storm's mouth answered for her. It was simply how blatantly dumb that struck Storm as off... and how old was she, anyway? She seemed young, actually, maybe fifteen or so years her younger. She let out a sigh, unable to express her disappointment in this pony.

Then, suddenly, out of the sky, a pair of griffons came, one incredibly imposing and bulky. She eyed their weapons and armor; seemed light, in fact. Probably a regular patrol. Storm tensed a bit at their arrival, hoping there was no common knowledge of her encounter with the griffons yet. She remained quiet as they spoke, expecting the other pony to answer the question clearly directed toward her.

Joan was at first shocked by the two griffons sudden arrival. In all honesty, she had not seen many griffons up close, especially large military ones. Shaking her head once to knock herself out of it, she looked up and glared at them. "Tis not I who's lost, z'yet jou seem far from your home lands, griffons," the word 'griffons' seemed to be spoken out of spite. "Peh'rhaps tis 'ou who are lost." She kept herself upright, her eyes fixed on them. Aside from the initial surprise, she seemed to have no fear or intimidation, unlike the other ponies who starred at the ground or shrunk in the griffons presence.

Virgil let out a chuckle at her words, and looked at her with a soft expression.

"Well, you certainly are brave, miss...?"

Umber rolls his eyes at the mare's seeming bravery. He suspected that this "will" was less of the character... and more related to that mad laugh of before. He'd be keeping an eye on her. And her friend seemed to be keeping quiet... perhaps she would pipe up later.

"Joan, Joan d'Arcana, and jou best remember it, for tis z'he name z'hat will kick jou off our land." Her body did not move an inch as she starred down the griffons. However, she would be lying if she said she was not afraid. Truth was, she was terrified. But her steadfast faith in her belief that she was chosen gave her the courage to stand fast.

And maybe she was having a little fun.

Virgil lowered himself so that he was eye to eye with the mare.

"I will remember that name, Joan. Now, do you require my friend and I to take you to a nearby cafe? I think you're feeling a little unwell..." He had a very concerned look on his face. He really just wanted to help.

Umber meanwhile clenched his beak. She was cutting it close... this "Joan" definitely didn't have all the bats in the belfry, for certain. However, he trusted Virgil's good nature on smoothing this all over.

Joan gritted her teeth. She wanted nothing more than to strike the griffon down. But she was not that stupid. A no combat experience pony would stand no chance against one griffon guard, let alone two. Suddenly, it was clear what she needed, training. She would find some pony to train her in combat so that she might fulfill her calling.

Till then, she would have to play nice with the griffons. With a heavy sigh, she lowered her head. "No, z'I am fine. z'I must be getting to my destination." She looked back at the griffons, this time there was restraint in her glare.

Virgil gave a smile, and nodded his head knowingly. "Do you need an escort to your destination, Joan?" He hoped his offer was taken well. This city was a very dangerous place... especially to a young mare. Less scrupulous or moral griffons would no doubt harass her on her way if she was unaccompanied.

While Virgil spoke to the mare, Umber began discreetly scanning the mare beside "Joan". Taking in her cloak and posture, Umber suspected that this mare was a pegasus, due to the bumps on her back. She definitely seemed a bit more "worn" then the young one, for sure. He'd remember this ones face... both of them, in fact. Virgilcould be a naive griffon at times, and it was evident in how he had no idea that the mare he was talking to severely wanted to beat his head in with a shod hoof. Her body language told Umber that she was itching for a fight.

Joan narrowed her eyes at the griffon, in the hopes that he would get the point and leave. Even though she had never really interacted with griffons personally, she hated them. She grew up with the war, and saw what these griffons had done. Now this one was trying to be civil, it was almost insulting.

"z'I have no bui'sness whit your kind, nor any need to be escorted," her voice was calm and calculated. How she wished she could fight now.

"She's fine," Storm added in a forceful tone of voice, demonstrating how much business she meant to the griffons. "I'm her escort," she added further, now glaring toward the griffon scrutinizing her, whilst the pommel of her sword was visible below the cloak. She didn't want her newfound 'companion' to be harassed by these two guards, and simply standing in the presence of two armed griffons made Storm want to kill them, which would be suicide. She had tried to remain quiet and get out as fast as possible, but with the conversation dragging on, she felt the need to intervene.

Virgil blinked at the two mares, not noticing the blade of the second.

"Well, if you insist, I can't do anything. Umber, shall we take our leave?" Looking to his companion with a smile, Virgil's expression turned to one of confusion as he observed Umber's face twist in disgust.

The earthy-coloured griffon spoke to Stormcloud. "What's that blade doing at yer side, mare? Ye know the laws of the Commander and this city."

Joan's eyes widened. Immediately turning around, she could see the hilt of a blade, almost concealed. Her heart skipped a beat, both out of excitement and despair. It would seem that this pony may be martially inclined, and the way she said "escort", this pony may be the one to train Joan.

However, they would need to survive their current encounter.

She looked back to the griffons quickly. She opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't think of anything to say. Instead, all she could do was smile sheepishly. She started to back up slowly. If the griffons were to draw on them, she would do her best to assist her new "friend".

"A blade? No, no. It's an ornamental cane. I need it sometimes, one of my legs can act up at times," she said as she bowed her head toward the accusing guard, the emotionless state of her betraying the amount of emotion welling up within herself. She had to protect the pony by her from the guards, otherwise, that would be just one more slave to their Tsar.

Virgil backed away from the two, hand on the hilt of his blade, eyes narrowed. "Miss, I'd drop that weapon. We'll let you go your way for the sake of the young mare, and we'll go ours. Sound fair?"

Umber looked at Virgil with annoyance at the offer. "Lad, what're ye doing?" He said with a great deal of stress in his voice. He put his hand on his hilt on instinct, his wings beginning to flare up in preparation for a fight.

Storm quirked a brow at the griffons, then glanced toward the other mare. With that, she sighed, and with a huff, undid the straps holding the sheathe to her armor, letting it drop. The blade clattered to the ground, unsheathing slightly on the way; the fine steel glimmered regardless of light around, as it had been recently polished. She glared at the griffons, walking up to the one with the sword. "Don't think your kind is welcome here, you worthless, feathered cock-sucker of a guard. You know nothing of real service, nothing of guarding those dear to your people," she said as she turned around and stormed off, walking in a measured, fast pace.

Umber twitched an eye, and began to move forwards towards the two ponies. He was stopped by an outstretched tan wing.

"Umber... they did as I asked. Let's honour our part of the bargain." Virgil looked to the two ponies with distaste in his eyes, and gave a small sigh. "However, if we see them again... I doubt I'll give them the same civility as before."

Umber looked at Virgil, grunting in agreeance. "Tis a fine blade the mare dropped... worth quite a bit o'gold-" Virgil shook his head.

"Leave it. If she comes back for it, we can't stop her. However, I'd much rather not have a vengeance driven pony on my tail." He chuckled and flared his wings. "Let's head to the HEadquarters for a meal." Flying up, Umber followed Virgil with a grumbling stomach, grinning in anticipation of the hot meal to come.

Joan blinked for a few moments as she watched the griffons leave. They were not only letting them go, but also keep their weapon? Why? Decidedly, the answer did not matter, they must have been stupid. Looking to the other pony, Joan smiled. "Thank you," she said softly looking to the fine weapon on the ground, much better looking than her hunk of metal. She waited to see if the pony would respond or say anything, before asking her question.

Storm sighed as she went to pick up her blade, slightly embarrassed that her temper had flared so hotly in public. She truly hated the griffons- eight years in a military service, fighting against them and losing makes one remember their foe for a very long time, with a hot prejudice against all of their kind. Her foe showed her up in honor, and she was pissed.

Face still red hot in embarrassment, Storm picked up her sword in her mouth, sheathing it all the way and stowing it below her cloak, on a strap below her wing. As the mare behind her gave Storm her thanks, Storm blushed even harder. Why was she being thanked for such a failure? Regardless, she turned around and gave her a bow. "It's nothing... forget about it," she said as she raised her head, beginning to walk away.

Joan watched the mare take a few steps, unable to think of something to say. She wanted to follow her, to learn how to fight, and maybe she also didn't like being alone.

"Wait!" she said quickly, "um..." she tried to think of something good to say, but nothing was coming to mind. Instead it was only one word phrases scattered, "I...jou...sword...fight...win...griffon." She almost sounded like a broken record.

After a moment of this, she stopped and hung her head, her face turning red from embarrassment. Finding a reason to stay with the mare eluded the poor pony.

Storm never stopped, merely shaking her head and moving along, completely ignoring the incoherent mare. She had no reason to be about her, as she had no reason to remain about Storm. Thus, Storm merely wanted to part ways, and she did, simply moving along.