planning and scheming ;; tamar, Holli$, aran

For a while now, Luka had been sending secret messages to Tamar in Dian. He kept her up to date on everything Reid had been doing in Solas, all of Kole's plans, and any other information he had deemed useful. Unfortunately the messages between Solas and Dian hadn't started until after the attack on Redfern, otherwise a lot of children could have been saved that night. He had told Tamar that Amerie was alive, but he didn't know where she was being held. Tamar told him that she had somebody she wanted him to meet. Although he had no clue as to whom that could be, he trusted Tamar.

Luka decided it best for them to meet in Dahlin. It was neutral grounds, (as far as he knew), and it didn't seem as suspicious to be in Dahlin. He also made sure to send out a message to Aran. With Reid kicking her out of Solas, it was hard to find her sometimes, and he hoped this one reached her.

The meeting place was at his parents' old home. With his father now in Nabakza, and his mother MIA, (she fell off the face of Amelia after the scandal, Gods forbid she did anything for her children), the house was empty. The only thing occupying the home were the cleaning crew that came in daily, and the furniture. He made sure to schedule this meeting after the cleaners had been long gone.

He sat in the large living room, occasionally standing to peek out the window. He wasn't sure what he was checking for, whether it was his invited guests or even members of Kole's army, but he kept looking nonetheless.

After checking out the window for what was probably the hundredth time, Luka retreated back to the floral couch and sat. He looked around, remembering all the times he spent with his "family" in here. His father had beat both him and his brother many times in this room.

Luka sighed and shook his head, sucked in air sharply through his nose, and closed his eyes tight, trying to forget those memories. Iris snuggled into his neck to try and comfort her daemon. The two stayed like that for an undetermined amount of time, and they didn't look up until the first knock at the door.

When Aran had gotten Luka's message, she rushed to Dahlin as fast as she could. It was tough, considering she had pretty much no money now. But she made it. Luka wanted to make a plan to save Amerie, and Aran would do anything, give anything, to save Amerie. She'd believed all along that Amerie was still alive, but with no way to know where, she was helpless to do anything. But if Luka had gotten Tamar to help them, then that changed everything. An overloridian would have every resource they needed to find Am.

Aran arrived at the address and knocked at the door. Somewhere in the back of her mind she sort of wondered if this could be some kind of trap by that Reid guy. But if so, why would he include her? She was just some nobody, no threat to him on her own. She had to trust that this was Luka, and he was telling the truth.

Around the same time, Tamar was arriving as well. She didn't travel with any bodyguards, like some of the other overloridians may have been doing now. She was more than capable of defending herself, whether this was a trap or not.

She brought Holli$ with her. That was a little more risky than she was comfortable with, but the annoying brat had insisted. Claimed that if she didn't let him help, he would run off and try something on his own. Idiot. She would be so happy to be rid of him from her estate, once they'd executed Kole.

She saw Amerie's bodyguard, Aran, already at the door. From what she had seen, that young woman was nothing but loyal to Amerie. They could trust her with Holli$' secret. She nodded at her in greeting as they arrived.

Holli$ had been getting more and more antsy as the days went by. Tamar kept vigilantly training him, to the point where he felt competent in everything there was to know about running an eilemaiden, but she still continued to shove boring things down his throat. He had been aware of the messages that were traveling between Dian and Solas for some time now, so of course he wanted to come when he found out that this mysterious Luka wanted to have a meeting. He vaguely knew of the Snow family; when it came out that the father was abusive it was all over the newspapers, but it didn't interest Holli$ enough for him to really look into it. He wondered what his Luka was going to be like.

When he arrived at the meeting place with Tamar, he saw the young woman waiting at the door and his stomach immediately twisted into a nervous fit. What if this was some kind of trap? What if Kole was on the other side of that door? But Tamar only nodded at the woman, and if she wasn't jumping into a fight with this clio, then he trusted that this clio wasn't part of Kole's army.

---

Luka opened the door slowly, peeking out through the small opening before actually opening it all the way. He saw Aran and Tamar, and a boy he didn't recognize. He nodded once to the trio, then held the door open for them to enter. He stood out on the porch for a moment before going inside, scanning the street for anything suspicious. Feeling satisfied that nothing was amiss, he went back inside, making sure to lock the door behind him.

The three clio had been waiting in the foyer, and Luka motioned for them to follow him into the living room. He took his seat back on the couch and didn't speak until the rest of them sat, (or stood, wherever they choose to go).

"Thank you all for coming," he finally said. "Aran, Tamar, it's so good to see the both of you..." Then he glanced at the boy. "Who are you?"

Before sitting down across from the boy Luka, Tamar had Telpin go off to inspect the nearby rooms. He couldn't go far from her, but his sense of smell was strong enough that he'd be able to detect if anyone was hiding in the house. He reported back--they were safe.

"This is Holli$," she said, before Holli$ could answer himself. "The next overloridian of Deilig."

Aran's eyes widened in shock. "That means Overloridian Fuckface is going to die soon, doesn't it?" she asked, hopeful. After saving Amerie, Aran wanted nothing more than to see that asshole dead.

"Yes, assuming Holli$ doesn't die before he settles, which he seems awfully keen to do," Tamar said, glaring at Holli$. All she wanted to do was keep the little moron in Dian, where he could settle in safety. But no, he had to be part of the action. Gods, teenagers were stupid.

Luka stared at the boy in disbelief. The next overloridian of deilig? He was very close to settling, and this fact gave Luka a new hope. As long as Holli$ really didn't die like Tamar had said.

---

Holli$ opened his mouth to speak before Tamar spoke for him, then he nodded as if to confirm that that was who he was.

Tamar wrote:"Yes, assuming Holli$ doesn't die before he settles, which he seems awfully keen to do,"

There was that twist in his stomach again. Holli$ bit his bottom lip, but still managed to grin sheepishly and shrugged.

"I'm not getting anywhere sitting in your safe estate and hiding," he replied. "I want to do something, I want to be active."

Besides, it's not like he could avoid war forever. He was going to be an overloridian. If there was another war in the future, Gods forbid, he'd have to be a part of it anyway

"You don't need to get anywhere, you just need to keep breathing until you settle," Tamar snapped at him. They'd had this exact argument many times before. Unfortunately, she knew the little shithead would go off on his own and get himself killed if she didn't allow him to do anything. She would rather him risk his life under her supervision than alone.

Though Aran was extremely excited about the idea of Overloridian Fuckface dying, she was already over this subject. There was something more important to talk about. "So what are we doing for Amerie?" she asked loudly.

Holli$ rolled his eyes as Tamar lectured him again. They had been through this conversation a million and one times. He was going to say more, to defend himself, but Jasmine who in in the form of a small dog, nipped and Holli$' ankle. He pushed her gently away with his foot, annoyed.

---

Aran wrote:"So what are we doing for Amerie?"

Luka had been watching the exchange between Tamar and Holli$ before Aran spoke, and then he looked to her.

"Well," he said with a sigh. "We don't know where he his keeping her, however I believe that he would definitely want to keep her close."

Luka only assumed that though, didn't actually know for sure. He just believed that Kole would have wanted to keep her somewhere where he would have access to her at all times. Plus, after Amerie wasn't found (that he was aware of) after the rescue of the children, it confirmed his beliefs even more.

"I think we may need to break into Kole's estate," Luka finally said.

---

Holli$ raised his eyebrows, surprised at how ballsy this guy was. That sounded a little crazy, and deadly. It sounded like a good idea.

"Let's do it," he said excitedly. "Let's go right now!"

"That's absolutely insane," Tamar interjected. She was annoyed that Luka had even suggested it, because it had gotten Holli$ all worked up. "Look, the other overloridian have finally gotten up off their asses and started helping the war effort. We have Kole surrounded and outnumbered. We'll defeat him with our army, and get Amerie back in the aftermath."

Aran was furious with that idea. "He could kill her by then!" she yelled angrily, standing up. "Saving Amerie comes first, I don't care about your stupid fucking war."

Tamar stood up too. "There's more at stake here than one clio's life," she said, forcing herself to remain calm when all she wanted to do was scream at these three idiots and knock some sense into them. "If Holli$ gets killed, then it's over. For everyone."

"This is my girlfriend we're talking about," Luka piped up, trying to not get too heated in the process. "And an overloridian."

He knew Tamar was right though. Why would a few measley clio risk their lives like that? He felt like an idiot, especially after the girlfriend comment. Although he did care deeply for Amerie, he knew it wasn't going to change Tamar's mind. He could feel the eye roll already.

"Aran is right," he said. "We need to save Amerie." He cleared his throat, "But you're also right, Tamar...there is a lot at stake here."

---

"I'm not going to die," Holli$ said to Tamar. "It's my destiny to become the next overloridian."

Although he wasn't so sure himself. If he died, he knew that there would just be another overloridian behind him that the Gods had chosen. Or Kole would just live forever...either or.

"We don't know that," Tamar said to Holli$. "Overloridians have died young many times before. Some have died before settling."

Aran glared at Luka, immensely pissed off at how easily he was swayed by Tamar. Fuck them. Fuck both of them. If they wouldn't help save Ameria as soon as possible, Aran would go to the Deilig mansion and do it herself.

Holli$, on the other hand, still seemed willing to go. Maybe if Tamar and Luka were out, she could still get him to sneak into Deilig with her. Every little bit could help, and if he'd been training with Tamar, he couldn't be bad at fighting. "Fine," she said to Tamar. "I understand."

Meanwhile, Gamma snuck over to Holli$' daemon, several feet away from where the clio were talking. "Aran still wants to go save Amerie ASAP," she whispered so that only the other daemon could hear. "She wants to know if Holli$ will come with her."

Luka and Tamar began to delve into strategic military plans and what not, while unbeknownst to them Aran and Holli$ were exchanging words via their daemons.

Jasmine knew it was a terrible idea, for the two clio going in alone like this, but it's not like she could stop her clio.

Aran wants to sneak into Kole's estate with you, she told Holli$ telepathically. I think it's a terrible idea.

But when did Holli$ ever listen to his daemon?

Then you tell her daemon to tell her that I'm in, he responded.

"He wants to do it," Jasmine whispered to Gamma with a roll of her little dog eyes. "They're going to get us all killed you know."

Gamma grinned a toothy hyena grin. She disagreed with Jasmine, this was going to be great. They would save Amerie and be heroes! He's in! she told Aran. Aran had to suppress a smile and she went about pretending to help Tamar and Luka with their stupid, useless plan.

Tell him I'll come get him from Dian later tonight, she said. We're saving Am tomorrow.