Chapter Nineteen - Medal of Valor

5 Seleszeni 10.076 Z.C., Afternoon

The room fell quiet as they all listened for several long heartbeats.

“Sounds like shouting,” Nadine remarked. Yarik shrugged and resumed munching.

“They just started the ceremony. Senator Orric, he’s a very popular man,” he returned without looking up, unconcerned by the apparent commotion outside.

Nadine frowned and looked around at the others. Bron sat up straight, head cocked to the side as he analyzed the nuances of the muted shouts. Raf tugged at the sleeve covering his hybrid arm, his face pensive.

“We don’t want to go out too soon and disturb the ceremony, if that’s really all it is,” Bron mused aloud, nevertheless sounding a bit unconvinced. “We are the guests of honor, after all.”

Yarik nodded again as he reviewed the offerings on the refreshments table before plucking a golden delicacy from the center of a tray and popping it in his mouth. Nadine fidgeted as his jaw worked, crushing the delight’s nutty center with loud chomps. Lilla found Nadine’s reaction to his loud chewing surprising, given her boisterous household’s volume earlier today.

Lilla also strained to hear anything specific outside the cottage, cursing the lack of windows in this little room. The shouts didn’t seem like usual party sounds, nor did they seem like screams of terror.

I’ve got to know what’s happening out there. What if they’re celebrating someone else? Her mind jumped to Mav and his stupid secret mission, imagining the crowd chanting the pretty boy’s name as they carried him to the stage.

“One of us should go check on it,” she suggested, glancing at Nadine and then staring at Rafiel. Nadine looked at Raf too, smiling with the sickening sweetness she reserved for Mav, and his face reddened at the sudden attention. Bron considered the idea and nodded as though he thought of it, clearing his throat as he waited for his friend to step up.

“What?” Raf asked, seeming perplexed at the sudden turn of events.

“Poke your head outside and see what all the fuss is about,” Bron clarified, leaning back into his comfortable seat on the couch.

Raf set aside his platter of Simic shrimp and rose from his perch on the armchair.

“No, no! You’re heroes, yeah?” Yarik relented, Raf’s lips curling into a relieved smile. “You relax. I’ll check what’s going on outside.” Yarik popped another crunchy snack into his mouth before walking over to the door. He opened it just enough to peer out.

A cacophony of terrified screams echoed in from the courtyard, and the heroes exchanged anxious looks.

Yarik closed the door. “Looks fine to me,” he announced to the tense room, his lips speckled with crumbs.

“It doesn’t sound fine,” Lilla exclaimed, rising to her feet with an awkward hop. The dress limited her mobility as she tried to jump up, almost glueing her knees together, and she cursed Nadine for talking her into wearing such a restrictive garment. Plus, her hip felt empty without the familiar weight of her rapier by her side. She would have to rely on her magic, or find a weapon somewhere.

Raf, Bron, and Nadine all stood as well.

“That’s right! We’re the heroes here, let’s get out there and deal with ... whatever the problem is!” Bron exclaimed with pompous panache, retrieving a fork from the refreshments table and brandishing it like a longsword.

Nadine rolled her eyes and smirked. “What are you going to do with that, kill a shrimp?”

“Everyone just settle down, please,” Yarik announced, raising his hands as he motioned for everyone to return to their seats. “The situation is under control. Just wait until they call for us. They will send someone as soon as it is time for you.”

“Are you crazy?” Nadine spat, turning to glare at Yarik where he stood near the door. “There are people in trouble out there, we need to go help them!”

“Yeah,” Bron seconded, replacing his fork with a cheese knife. “Better than nothing,” he followed up after a concerned look from Nadine.

“I told you, everything is under control,” Yarik repeated, his face betraying a hint of frustration.

Lilla, Bron, and Nadine all stopped and studied him, while Raf scraped the colorful shrimp tails from the emptied platter into a bin near the refreshments table.

“Are you trying to keep us in here?” Bron accused. Yarik raised his voice to answer and tried to block the exit, but he couldn’t stop all four of them from pushing past him. Nadine threw the door open and stepped outside, the others on her heels.

Before them, the courtyard stood in shambles. Wealthy partygoers cowered in their finery or ran for safety as at least three dozen goblins cackled, shaking down the crowd, swinging from streamers overhead, and brandishing crude knives and clubs.

“‘Looks fine’?” Lilla raged back at Yarik.

The goblins wore the black and red of the Cult, soon joined by even more goblins who scaled and leapt down from the high walls around the courtyard. The hired guards, already outnumbered, backed away to a set of doors where Lilla presumed the senator retreated. The guards let a steady stream of guests through their ranks, taking caution no goblins slipped past undetected.

“Maybe ... we should let the guards handle this,” Bron waffled beside her. Lilla choked at his sudden cowardice; maybe the bright light of the upper city washed out his skin, but he looked a little pale. Noting her revulsion, he clarified: “We don’t have any armor or weapons; we’re just going to get in the guards’ way!”

Conjuring a bolt of flame, rimmed with the destructive runes of the Gruul, Lilla blasted a swinging goblin out of the air and leapt into the fray. Lilla harbored scant fear of goblins, no stranger to their impulse for rash brawls. Their stubby knives could hurt - but only if they could reach her. Confident her magical abilities would let her stay out of harm’s way, she relished the chance to send these pathetic little goblins scampering before her mighty wrath, with an audience no less. She imagined Boulder Tooth’s face over theirs, and felt a sudden rush of pleasure as she blew the next one away.

A few feet away, Nadine joined in the fight with a sword she liberated from somewhere. Across the courtyard, a flash of motion caught her eye as another figure leapt over the walls, and raised her hand to blast the newcomer before they could hit the ground.

Mav?! Stunned, she dropped her hand and saw Mav slide down the opposite wall of the courtyard and then begin unbarring the gate. Her eyes narrowed. Mav…

Everyone knew Mav was a gob-lover - his close friendship with Splatz proved that. Did he set this attack up, just to save and one-up them all at the last minute? I knew it! This arrogant jerk! Always trying to steal the show; thinks he’s cooler than us ‘cause his daddy was famous, huh?

Blasting a fleeing goblin in the back as he tried to run away with pockets stuffed full of the senator’s silverware, Lilla started across the courtyard to confront Mav. Typical gobs, a bunch of thieves with no respect for authority. Nadine followed her, moving in trained synchronicity.

She made it halfway across the courtyard when she heard a loud bang accompanied by a flash of light off to her left. A plume of smoke billowed upward, obscuring the cloudless sky. Ahead, she saw Mav pull the gates open, revealing a platoon of Azorius arresters waiting outside. He then spun on a heel to face the smoke, and Lilla braced herself as a familiar shape flew out of the dark cloud.

Rocman seized one of the Rakdos goblins mid-flight and threw them into another, where they both tumbled and landed in a contorted heap on the floor. A mechanized contraption built into the wrist of Rocman’s armor released three darts in quick succession. Thunk, thunk, thunk: three more goblins hit the ground.

Now, as the goblins shrieked and scattered, Lilla watched Rocman deal swift retribution to the party crashers in awe, a blur of black armor, dark feathers, and twisting cape.

“Wait, what’s that? A roc?” shouted one confused guest.

“A crane?” pondered another.

“No, it’s Rocman!” Bron declared at the top of his lungs, holding his cheese knife aloft to signal victory. The crowd gasped and then began to applaud Rocman’s showy fighting style.

Tempered fury etched on his face, Mav joined Rocman’s side in the middle of the melee. Sizing up the situation, Lilla realized the battle would end soon, as the arresters closed in around the perimeter and Rocman and Mav took out the remaining troublemakers.

Stupid Mav. Typical of him to show up at the last minute and steal her glory. And now he thinks he’s as cool as Rocman? Loser.

She felt Nadine approach beside her, cleaning the blade of her acquired sword with a napkin.

“Wow. Wouldn’t want to fight against either of them,” she remarked, and Lilla shrugged.

“I’ve fought better.”

“Mhmm.”

Lilla ignored Nadine’s skepticism and looked around for Yarik. He stood near the cottage door, leaning back against the wall with his arms crossed over his broad chest, his face darkened by shade. She spotted Bron and Raf starting toward him, too. Nudging Nadine, she strode toward the cottage, ignoring the rest of the fight. Behind her, she heard another loud boom and stifled the urge to turn around and look. Gruul spies don’t look at explosions.

Lilla gritted her teeth when Nadine and the crowd gasped together, fighting the impulse to glance back.

“What?” she hissed through her teeth, relenting at least that much.

“Rocman, he vanished in smoke again!” Nadine exclaimed, giddy with excitement. Lilla decided to turn around. Mav stood alone, sheathing his weapons and addressing the arresters closing in around him, empty hands held open and away from his sides. No sign of Rocman.

Shaking her head, Lilla marched over to Yarik.

“-ceremony will continue. Don’t worry now, this ... unforeseen incident won’t disrupt the main event,” the hulking human explained to Bron and Raf. Bron stood, arms crossed, with all the righteous authority a fop could muster.

“Fine! We’ll go back in and wait, but the door stays open this time,” Bron demanded in no uncertain terms.

“Of course, whatever the heroes want,” Yarik replied with a shrug.

One more glance around the courtyard confirmed the absence of any more heroic opportunities, as servants and arresters cleared away bodies and treated injured guests. They retreated into the cottage to wait for the festivities to resume, and several minutes later a duo of arresters led Mav to the door. Yarik spoke with them in a low exchange, then welcomed Mav in his trademark bombastic style.

“He has the worst timing,” Lilla muttered, forgetting to leave this particular sore subject alone. Nadine glared daggers at her before fixing her hair and moving to a different couch.

Mav joined them in the cottage, opting to stand behind one of the large armchairs rather than sit. Lilla tried to ignore his brooding, but Nadine’s expectant looks in his direction got under her skin.

“Soooo Mav,” she drawled, ignoring Nadine’s sharp glance. “What are you doing here?”

He pointed to the scout’s insignia on his uniform, as if it explained everything. Lilla squinted at the pin, pretending she couldn't make out the symbol.

“Scout work,” he explained.

Liar, Lilla thought as he avoided eye contact. He's acting way too casual. And where’s his satchel, hmmm?

Fingers tapping on the arm of the couch, she considered making use of that knowledge, but decided against it. Making an ass out of Mav in present company would only make Nadine angry. Besides, if she kept her observations hidden, perhaps she could catch him in bigger lies later.

Then again, he did just steal the show from the rest of them; a few jabs wouldn’t hurt.

“Rocman was sooo cool out there,” she remarked, looking at Bron. He seemed like a Rocfan, judging by his earlier remarks. As if on cue, Bron nodded.

“Yeah, Rocman saved the day,” he mumbled, less enthusiastic than she expected. “Some heroes we are, saved by a serial scroll character...”

“- and finally, tonight’s star guests, the heroes of the Guildpact Day Parade!”

With that announcement, attendants ushered them onstage. A line of ministers and dignitaries waited to shake their hands, Senator Orric at the far end. His charismatic smile contagious, Lilla felt her cheeks swell with pride as she climbed the stairs. The crowd fawned over her, smiling, cheering, and waving.

Finally, my greatness is recognized, she bragged to herself, pausing for a moment to wave back at the crowd. She felt a hot thrill run up her legs when they cheered her on even louder.

Nadine waved and whistled from the front of the crowd. Ahead of the boys, Lilla stepped forward, shaking the hands of the assembled ministers. Besides Orric she didn’t know any of their faces, and only recognized one of their names, but who cared? The rich and powerful attendees knew these pompous old ministers, and that’s what really mattered.

Each one heaped quiet praises on her in turn, and by the end of the line, Lilla felt a little dizzy from the adulation. Orric beamed at her and then to a sea of flashing holographers as she reached out and shook his hand. He produced a dazzling medal, strung on a fine blue and silver ribbon. Hah! It matches my skin perfectly.

Lilla closed her eyes and bowed her head as the senator placed the medal around her neck, his practiced hands careful not to clip her meticulously-crafted hairstyle. The tangible weight of the medallion reassured her, and she thanked him before stepping down off the stage and onto what felt like a cloud. Attendants met her with a refreshing glass of cool juice, which she sipped offstage while counting breaths to calm her nerves.

Now out of the spotlight, she finally noticed the reporters taking holos in the crowd. Bron strutted across the stage like a peacock, and she saw him glance over his shoulder at one of the ministers when Orric presented him with a medal. His father, she remembered. He gave Bron an almost-imperceptible nod, then looked away. Hmmm.

Rafiel and Yarik both collected their medals with grace. Behind them, Mav looked uncomfortable. He took soft, slow steps across the stage.

He lingered for a moment with one minister, an old vedalken man. Lilla watched with interest as the two stared each other down, both looking like they’d smite the other if they could. The old man rubbed his hand with tender care after Mav tossed it aside with gruff flippance. Good grief, what is his problem? She made a mental note to bring the minister up later, to learn more from Mav about this.

Nadine squeezed through the crowd to rejoin them as Mav hurried off the stage, taking the small steps two at a time. Close behind Nadine, another familiar figure approached. Lilla smiled at the brown-haired reporter from the parade.

“A moment of your time,” they asked with irresistible curiosity. Lilla watched, amused, as Mav’s jaw tensed.

“As many moments as you need!” she answered for the group, looping her arm through Mav’s to keep him from getting away. On Mav’s other side, Nadine cooperated without hesitation, taking his other arm. Hah! Nowhere to run now. You want to steal my glory? Well, now you’ve got it!

“Mr. Viktorr, you always seem to be in the same place as Rocman when he saves the day,” the reporter started. Lilla felt Mav shift and gripped his arm tighter. He glared down at her, but didn’t try to escape. “Tell me, what do you know about this mysterious man?”

“Rocman didn’t save anyone,” Mav asserted, fire in his voice. “Arresters arrived promptly on the scene and contained the situation in mere moments. Vigilantes should leave matters of law enforcement to the professionals,”

The reporter looked up at him through a flop of brown hair. “Professionals like yourself and your fellow legionnaires?” they asked, gesturing to Lilla.

“That’s correct,” Mav replied, clenching his jaw again.

"Even though you're off duty?" the reporter clarified, giving Mav a sharp look over their spectacles. Lilla felt his teeth grind through his arm.

"Yes."

“Interesting," they hemmed, before letting Mav off the hook. "Ms. Arven, any thoughts on today’s events?” they asked, turning to Lilla.

She grinned. “The party is amazing! So many nice and fun people here; so glad we saved the senator’s life in the parade, and again today!”

The reporter nodded, scribbling some notes before turning to Nadine. “Greetings, my name is Celes Coop, I work for the Beacon. You are?”

“Nadine Stoutheart, that’s Stout-H-E-A-R-T,” she responded, spelling the last half of her name as Celes wrote it down.

“I see. And you are here today with Mr. Viktorr?” She blushed and demurred, caught in a sweet fantasy.

“She’s here with Lilla, I mean Ms. Arven, her best friend, who is also in the Legion.” Mav almost tripped over his words to correct Celes before any lasting damage could occur. He flapped his arms, freeing them from Lilla and Nadine in one swift motion. The reporter nodded.

“Before you go, Mr. Viktorr, a holo?” Celes implored up to the tall man.

“It’s Mav,” he responded through clenched teeth. Lilla rolled her eyes.

What a drama queen.

Interpreting his reply as consent, Celes motioned for them to return to an area near the cottage to stage a holo, asking Raf and Bron additional questions along the way. Lilla scoffed at Bron’s wild claim of wrestling a four-armed goblin to the ground; I knew that story about riding a maaka out of the Wastes was boarshit.

Glancing at Nadine, she expected to see a similar sarcastic smirk on her friend’s face. Instead, she found her friend ogling Mav as he led them a few paces ahead. Nadine’s eyes were so filled with unrequited desire, Lilla couldn’t help but look away.

How can he be so cruel, completely ignoring her like this. She adores him, worships the ground he walks on, she thought, her mood souring as she eyed Mav’s broad frame. She didn’t know what Nadine found so compelling about the oaf, but decided she would help her friend if she could.