Old Habits Never Die

[Kiara Karador]

Kiara shook her head slowly, winced and then laughed. “You are never going to win if you continue to use that sword like it was some sort of bat, boy.. Stand straight, keep your eyes on the enemy and never, and I repeat NEVER let your guard down, else you will end up just where it is you are now, again and again.” She spoke to the soldier as he rose once more from the training room floor. “Now, try again, this time, don’t pay attention to the cute girl in the front row.” S he snarled and then grinned all the same.

Kiara often enjoyed coming down and watching the new soldiers train, and often would give them advise or push them in a manner that might help them along the way. Of course, this was, after all, her usual playground, the military, her life, when she was alive, that is. She had her other reasons for coming here, but that was her business and would never disclose her mind to any, and so, it seemed this was her soul purpose for being here, and as such, it would remain, she thought.

As she floated just off the side of the training soldiers, her eyes watching them as they moved about like sluggish oafs, some of them, the less advanced group, of course, she often allowed her eyes to wonder about the field just to catch a glimpse of her other reason for being here, and sometimes, just sometimes, she would be rewarded. Though, more often than not, she was disappointed. Today it seemed was no different than the more often than not days, but it really made no matter to her just now, as she seemed to have found a small boy, probably no older than 13, sparing with a great huge man in his late twenties, far more experienced, but, just a bit above the skill of this green, but very talented younger boy. She would watch his progress closely, this small boy, he was quick to learn and even quicker to enjoy the fight, good traits that she liked to see in upcoming knights. Of course, it wasn’t her job to sort them out, but it was still quite a habit to find them, something she would do subconsciously if for no other reason.

“Oooh that had to hurt…” She winced again as the young boy took a rather hard blow to his head. “Well, I guess that’s what they make helmets for, get up and try again.” She urged him, and he did.

[Cassius Ado Virtus]

A green tent flap across the training ground rustled and opened, and a tall and thick shouldered man stepped out. He wore a flowing orange cape over ornate armour, and held an upturned helmet in the crook of his arm. The soldiers short hair was white with age, and wisdom as he liked to think, and the oak leaf broach that distinguished him as a general decorated his uniform.
General Cassius Ado Virtus was in full armour, as always, inspecting the training grounds inside the military keep and making sure everything, or at least most things were running well.
Blinking and squinting slightly as his eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight, the general looked out across the square. The younger men were being trained the rudiments of swordsmanship, and weren't doing too badly.
Cassius winced as a small lad took a blow to the head, knocking him down and denting his helmet. A real sword would have probably killed him, Cassius thought morbidly, but was impressed when the lad simply stood and shook himself off, preparing to spar again.
It was then that Cassius noticed a spectral form floating about the square, paying particular attention to that young lad. He almost smiled, as he recognised Kiara, the long dead sister of his queen. At times Cassius wondered why she had not found eternal rest, but knew it was terribly inappropriate to pry. He then began to wonder how he would die. A morbid line of thought, but Cassius wasn't sure if he would prefer to die a heroic death on the battlefield, or to simply slip away from old age into death, perhaps leaving behind children and loved ones.
Cassius stopped his train of thought dead in it's tracks. There was no sense in thinking about that, what would happen would happen. Till then he had a job to do, and he intended to do it well. Many thousands of lives, more perhaps, rested upon his decisions, his strategies, his commands, and Cassius could not begin to allow his mind to wander or become clouded. He had a responsibility to his men, his kindom and his friends.
Cassius simply frowned, and continued to watch Kiara's student as he grappled with the rudiments of sword fighting.

[Kiara Karador]

Just as the two young soldiers began to spar again, she caught a movement from behind her and her eyes darted to the side and a slight smile turned up the corners of her lips a she saw Lord Cassius come out from his tent. She allowed her gaze to watch him for a few moments and then after inclining her head toward him, noting that he had spotted them, she returned her attentions to the two at hand just in time to watch the small boy parry and doge the others sword with the ease of a badger side stepping a wolf in battle.

“Good..” She said and then halted the spar for a moment to talk with the older of the two, whispering something that the young male couldn’t hear. “Ok, go.” She stated once more and the large male advanced on the miner his actions fully intending to devastate the younger. He moved forward with more agility than he’d showed before, sending blow after blow toward the small boy, each time the boy parried or sidestepped rolled and then finally, after what seemed forever, thrust his training sword forward for a kill, or what would have been, if they had been using actually swords.

Kiara grinned at the pair and then after clasping the both on the shoulder, sent them away to take a break and then turned about and strode toward Cassius, grinning the entire time.

“You better watch it old man, that one will some day have your job.” She said as she approached the General, her onyx, ghostly eyes sparking with mirth as she gave him a slight incline of her head, as a show of respect.

Kiara was in good ‘spirits’ this day, having found a little project to keep her occupied. That and the fact that she was surrounded by everything she had ever loved in her entire life, and unlife at the moment.

[Cassius Ado Virtus]

(( OOC: A lot of the post that follows is an insight into my character, not told by Cassius, but by a narrator ))

Cassius almost smiled, almost. "We shall see, but by then I expect to be at peace with the world. . ." Cassius said, referring to death, as he so often did with such a casual, uncaring air. He was not afraid of death, no one questioned that, but some worried he might welcome it, for reasons known only to him.
Cassius's frown hardened, "Ah, Forgive me. I forgot who I was talking to for a second there. . ." He apologised, his eyes meeting with Kiara's spectral gaze.
An almost awkward moment seemed to pass by. Some brief flicker of discomfort, or something similar fled from his eyes, to be replaced once again by that isolated, serious stare.
Iron fist was a name that Cassius picked up during his time as a captain in the third army, commanding the ninth cohort. He established a reputation for ruthless efficiency and iron hard discipline among his men, and righteous fury amongst his foes.
Those who faced him man to man in battle were as dust before the wind, as the general in the making cut swathes through his enemies.
Now he maintained that reputation in everything he did, said, organised. Cassius was the perfect soldier, a brilliant strategist, able to detach himself from his emotions to do what needed to be done, and a lion of a man, even at his current age.

At least, that was until something like this happened. A brief flicker of humanity, caring, emotion, escaping. Those who knew Cassius well saw a different man to the man that others did, thought perhaps that was the hardest thing of all - getting to know him.
The general of the Karadorian Armies was almost a perfect soldier, but though he was a loyal friend, he was no councillor, an awkward companion, and a useless lover.
Many rumours surrounded the man behind the armour, both vicious and kind, terrible and heart warming.
Some said he had been married once, but his wife had been murdered. Some said his childhood sweetheart had run away with another man, some even suggested that he had never before held a woman, and never would.

Everything that the people thought they knew about Cassius was rumour or speculation, and few wished to know more.
His only friends were his officers, his queen and a few others. Perhaps he was simply protecting himself from something he saw as the single largest threat, shielding himself from the thing he feared most - loss.

Indeed, it would be wise to cast aside all of our previous speculation, as one thing that was known about the general, one solid fact - was what had happened to his father.
How could any man watch the one thing he loved in his life be torn apart by demons and the dead and yet emerge sane?
How could any man emerge from such a horror with his mind intact? As a result, Cassius inspired awe and respect in most men, and fear and obedience in others. His close friends however, suspected that he had simply cut himself off from commitment and care, retreating behind duty and discipline to keep his sanity.

[Kiara Karador]

Kiara pursed her lips together in a sort of smirk at his reply and then closed her lids slowly, only to open them once again in the same manner, her long, ghostly lashed reaching up to near touch her brow. She was beautiful both in life and death, a woman that had never shown her beauty to another, had not allowed anyone to know her, not allowed herself anything but her love for the military and her people. Perhaps the closest thing she had even come to allowing another into her life had been just before the terrible rising of the Devil and its armies. However, the young knight had been killed on the field before he even had a chance to sway the General in his direction fully and thus, Kiara never did find what a ‘normal’ human would call love, nor did she entirely care, by that time, her only focus was entirely upon the safety of her lands and perhaps the entire world.

“Indeed I would assume that by the time he has the chance to find out what you are made of, you might be in the ground.” She replied just as forward as he had stated his answer to her quirky statement.

Kiara did not hold back the reality of life when it came to anyone, much less those she was close to and to her, death was a playground, though still quite a frustrating and cruel playground, a playground nonetheless.

An awkward moment of silence as his eyes looked into her ghostly and gentle gaze. She had thought, for a moment, she had caught something in that gaze given her, but it was snatched up just as quickly as any she had ever given another in her entire existence. Yes, Cassius Ado Virtus was every bit as closed up as she had ever been and she knew he would remain as such until his dying days. This did not discourage her though as she knew him too well to know that he wasn’t so stupid as to forget that she’d always be here to aid in his advance to seek out the greater good in all that resided in and or around the lands of Karador and perhaps beyond, as she, even in death would protect what she loved with everything she had.

“How goes the progress in the field?” She asked then, now taking on her usual self, her gaze moving away from his to gaze at nothing in particular, her hands reaching behind her back to clasp one another as she remained as still as any statue that ever sat upon a throne of ivory to be studied by any who wished.

[Cassius Ado Virtus]

Cassius continued to look at her, even after she had turned to look away. It had just occured to him that she was a beautiful woman, as her ethereal form stood before him staring at nothing in particular, Cassius found himself noticing some peculiar things about her, that he had neglected before. Perhaps he had just realised that she was a woman, or that she was once living, flesh and blood, and perhaps he had just realised how alike they were. How curious.
Cassius still wondered about death, an unhealthy amount even for a man in his profession. The rings on his hands guarenteed many more years to come for the general, lest he fall to any of his foes, and he was somewhat disconnected from mortality, yet before him stood the very result of the human condition.
Bah, he was thinking too much again. Best to concentrate on what mattered. Do what needed to be done. Slowly, he turned to look away over the tent riddled square as armoured men trained in the art of war. His art.

"As expected," Cassius replied, "Small skirmishes with the dead outside the city and in the far reaches of the kingdom, but nothing resembling a real fight. Dead servants are no match for my men. I believe we have two killed, three wounded in seven separate skirmishes with up to 120 dead in total. So far our enemy is hiding and testing our deployment, testing our defences. The bulk of the army has recently arrived from the other cities in the kingdom. The rest are spread out strategically, protecting everything from the crudest hovel to this great city." Cassius trawled out the details with disconnected precision, "I have several hundered thousand men mobilised across the lands at the moment. It doesn't hurt to be prepared."

Cassius almost smiled as he listened to himself. He was actually quite proud of how he's handled the situation so far, but with no enemy army to confront as yet, he'd have to settle for itting, waiting, preparing.
Preparing for what may be the end of not just his career, or his life, but Karador herself. He could not let it come to that.

[Kiara Karador]

Kiara listened to him, very closely, her mind taking in every word he managed to say, and even perhaps some he had not. She allowed a gentle smile to grace her lips as he continued to update her on the current deployment as well the number of casualties of the small boarder skirmished continued on. She was proud of the way he conducted ‘business’ and not surprised in the least that he should be happy, as he had every right to be, he has done good, nay great, so far. Things were of course heading to something much larger in the very near future and she could almost taste the longing to fight along side him on the battle field, she knew she could not actually fight, but she could be there, and she could do what damage she could and would, if only to just simply be there.

“Do you have the time for a short stroll as we converse General?” She asked then, her onyx eyes once again turning to look at him, the long lashes reaching to near her brow as she smiled his way. “I think we have much to talk about for the upcoming war that is most certainly evident, as anyone can feel it on its way, it doesn’t hide but stands up and nearly screams its arrival.” She went on, her voice not droning but full of the same passion he felt for the very same reasons.

Kiara then allowed her arms to fall to her sides her left resting upon the hilt of the great broadsword strapped at her side, her fingers unconsciously running over the hilt with an almost loving touch, her index finger moving around the runes intricately carved there, as if she were a blind woman, reading the brail imprint on an ancient artifact, her other hand moved forward to suggest a path to take through the grounds.

[Cassius Ado Virtus]

Cassius's frown softened, and he stepped forward to follow Kiara as she indicated with a gesture, the way she wished to go. "I'd be happy to walk with you, Kiara." He said, looking about at the tents, small buildings, training grounds and the masses of cloaked and armoured soldiers that filled the inside of the keep, like a shifting sea of silver, red and orange. There were so many of them, each as brave as a lion and willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for their kindom, their friends and their family.
Cassius however, had no family. But perhaps he did, or perhaps not. In fact, perhaps he could settle the matter once and for all. "Kiara, there is something I'd like to ask you. Some might see it as a slightly personal question, but may I be so bold as to ask?"

[Kiara Karador]

Kiara let her smile appear again as she noticed his frown soften slightly, it was good to see Cassius at the very least, try to relax a bit, he deserved as much, in her eyes. He reminded her so much of, well her when she had headed the Armies of Karador; nothing else ever mattered. As they began to walk, she allowed her eyes to travel over the great vastness of the compound her slight smile turning into more of a delighted smirk. Kiara loved these sights, the sounds of the soldiers training to become the best they could be to not only make their country proud but perhaps a father or mother as well.

When Cassius spoke, Kiara noticed something in his voice, it was as though he had finally reached a resolve in something and she turned her face towards him and offered him a soft, ghostly smile.

“Of course you can, I am here to listen to you, to aid you and am willing to answer anything you might find necessary to ask, I don’t mind at all.” She paused. “There is little behind these lips that I would hold from you, and perhaps nothing at all.” She finished awaiting his question.

[Cassius Ado Virtus]

Cassius half smiled, "That's good to know, thank you Kiara." He paused, "I happened to notice you toying with the hilt of your sword before, as i do at times and wondered if that very same sword hangs at my side." Cassius raised a quizzical eyebrow.
"I iherited this from my father, who inherited it from an uncle, who inherited it from someone else. It has been in my family a long time, but has it always been in my family? Am I in actual fact descended from your line?"
Cassius coughed uncomfortably, "And here's the more personal bit." He glanced to one side, "Did you have any children? Or are my family the descendants of the one who took up your sword? Rumour and speculation has surrounded this matter for centuries and more, and I must admit, my curiosity has beaten back my sense of decency. Please don't be offended, and don't feel that you must answer."
Cassius explained haltingly, not looking holding Kiara's gaze, but gazing about him, as if afraid of what he might see in those eyes.

[Kiara Karador]

Kiara closed her eyes softly and quietly when he had finished his line of questions. He was due answers to his wonderings and it was time the truth be told about his line, where it had come from and then, Kiara reached out and allowed her hand to caress his cheek slightly, allowing him to feel her touch, as cold as it may have been, before dropping it back to her side once more.

“The sword is one in the same, yes, it was once the sword I wielded against the evil that would try and suppress Karador over 2000years ago…” She started and then stopped her forward movements and turned to face Cassius. “But no, you are not of the Karador line I never had a child…” She gave him a small form of a smile, an almost sad look that had been with her for her eternity. “I never allowed myself to become close to any, I was consumed in what it was I did, consumed by…” She waved her hand around them, indicating the entire Keep. “That sword I gave to a man, one who may have been the only one to have captured my heart... I gave it to him to wield towards the end of the war against the devil’s armies… It protected him well... I am to understand he married another, an Elf and had a child... His line is yours, and your line has been protecting Karador from the very beginning…” She ended and then leaned her face forward and peered at him, as he still looked away. “Do not ever fear to ask me anything Cassius, I wouldn’t be offended, not if it comes from you.” She finished, holding his gaze in hers now, her look one of total softness, a look nothing like the harden warrior she was and it told him that she would forever be at his side, no matter what it was he had to say or do.

“Promise me something Cassius, would you?” She asked then, her ghostly onyx gaze now turning away from him to gaze about the Keep once more, her turn to avoid his eye contact. “Promise me you will not be as stupid as I was when I lived, let yourself find love, don’t let the world as it is consume you and draw you into this world so much that you forget your human emotions.” She said, now beginning to walk forward slowly again.

She knew it wasn’t her place to ask him this, but she felt so much for him and saw in him so much of who and what she had been that she knew he would follow her footsteps near as close to perfection as he was and to her, it was sad to see. She had to at the very least allow him to know that she saw it, she knew his unhappiness for his father, for his life, the total loyalties to his sword and the way of life he allowed to consume him to burry any sense of humanity he could, just as she had.

[Cassius Ado Virtus]

Cassius stood, frozen to the spot with an emotion that lay somewhere in the hazy regions between shock, fear and sorrow. Yes, emotion. It was clearly visible in his expression, though it looked as if it were alien, and did not belong.
Cassius, Over General of the armies of mighty Karador, brilliant strategist, fearsome warrior, devout son of god, true servant of his kingdom and queen - was at a loss for words.
"I. . ." He began, then quickly stopped himself short. "But. . . I-" He stuttered.
Cassius's face slowly sank back into a deep frown, but his eyes did not harden. Behind them now realization was clearly visible. They brimmed with sorrow, the pain of loss, the fear of closeness, the confusion of his feelings as they flooded back, briefly escaping his iron hard grasp.
Slowly, the moment passed, and his agate hard gaze returned, curbing his emotions.
"I . . . can see now, that I have a lot more to deal with than I had first suspected." He half murmured, "First the necromancer and the dark mage, now this." Cassius actually laughed. It was a halting, unnatural sound, but it was a start. A step foward onto a path that lead to a different man, and pehaps a better life. Time would tell.

[Kiara Karador]

Kiara, still facing away from him allowed a slight smile to turn up the edges of her lips again at his response. She hit home and she knew it… Perhaps now, Cassius would be forced to look into whom he was, take another look into what he was, and that, was human. She hated to have to do this to him but she also, as a friend as well as one who loved him more than perhaps anything in the entire world, refused to watch him become, her.

“Things aren’t that bad Cassius.” She replied in a quiet, yet near amused tone. “It just simply means that when you are not issuing orders or making decisions, you can actually smile once in a while, now come on, that isn’t so bad, is it?” She stated more than asked as she turned around to gaze at him, her onyx gaze showing nothing of her amusement, but every bit of her friendship and something much, much more, something that even she would not put on his shoulders, something that he more than likely couldn’t handle just at the moment. One step at a time, one shock to his system as it were.

“So, you coming or are we just going to stand here in front of the mess hall all day?” She asked then, holding her hand out to him.

[Cassius Ado Virtus]

Cassius risked a smile, the expression slowly invading his grimace, claiming it's new territory, like a spring flood washing away the winter. The expression almost suited him, and would look completely natural, were it not for the fact that it seemed forced, slightly uncomfortable and somewhat out of place on the General's Iron hard features. It would come to be more natural with time, as would a great many other things, the General reminded himself.
Cassius looked down at Kiara'a outstretched hand, then back up to meet her gaze. "Can I. . .?" He sounded uncertain, and in truth he was. Should he take her hand? He, a General, and she a proud warrior of times past? Would it be appropriate? More importantly, could it be done? Would his hand slide through nothing, making for an awkward situation - or should he refuse, making for an awkward situation all the same.
"damnation" Cassius silently cursed, as he stood gazing into kiara's eyes for a brief moment. He thought he saw something in the depths of those eyes for a brief second, a fleeting glimpse of something irrational and alien to him. . .
"A fleeting glimpse of your overactive imagination old man" Cassius told himself, looking away somewhat.

[Kiara Karador]

Kiara grinned as he smiled, the look coming out as forced, yet she could tell, that it was meant as genuine all the same. They way he seemed to have received her words pleased her greatly, making her feel much more at easy with him, glad nay, extraordinarily happy to know that he was going to at the least, put forth an effort to become so much more than she had ever been… he was going to try and allow himself the pleasure of being human.

“Of course you can…” She started, almost amused at the expression on his face. “I promise, I will not bite and I honestly don’t think there is a living soul here who would dare even to think wrongly about it.” She responded with a very warming smile, her onyx eyes seemingly to come to life as she spoke to him now. “Here, will this make it better?” She asked and as her words fell from her lips, her entire being seemed to shimmer with a bluish haze, her form becoming solid, real, even her armor had been shed, to allow, for the first time ever, herself as she was, without the armor, dressed now in a long blue gown trimmed in silver her raven locks hanging loosely about her shoulders. The only thing that would set her apart from the living at this point, would indeed be the aura of blue that shimmered about her as she continued to stand there, her gaze never leaving his, waiting for him to take her hand.

Kiara was surprised at herself, and her form shimmered slightly, though did not change. She had not thought of dropping the warrior guise, not once, purposely at any rate, it just sort of happened all at once. She was not used to changing allowing her energies to be spent in the natural world. This of course, would mean she’d not be around for a few days, as her energy would be spent in a matter of hours, but to her, it was certainly well worth the rest she would need after.