Everything Happens for a Reason

It was a dark, cold night in Drachma. A few miles outside the Moscow city limits, Nina Shostakovitch and a small group of Loyalist survivors gathered together. Them meeting like this was risky, especially this close to the Soviets main base of operations. Yet this had to be done. Without the military support of the Loyalist survivors, the RRR would fall to its demise faster than Nina was willing to admit. Even with the weapons and ammo they received from Gelemorte, and the strong friendship that had built between her and Wolfy, they could only do so much without proper training and leadership. She could only do so much, and she was just one person. With their help, they could start training and preparing the Resistance Fighters for the upcoming rebellion. It was close, Nina could smell it in the air. There was something else though, something that she couldn't quite figure out. A hostility, and impending winds of something greater at work. If only she knew what was happening...

Miss Shostakovitch shrugged this feeling off however, as there was business to attend to. She walked in, her head held high. Beside her walked her two bodyguards, Nikolai and Viktor. They'd been with her since the beginning, both trained by Dmitri as well. She saw them almost like brothers, and even when she took over they stood by her every step of the way. It was good to have them by her side. Not to mention having Liberty and Justice on person again kept her at ease. The small hut they had agreed to meet in was bland, just like every other one in the village. A lot of these houses had been put together to house those that lost their homes in Moscow during the recent battle there. Nina had just come from the capital, helping the homeless alongside a Xingese man from Kuvalda named Hei. She had gained some good recruits during that venture, and had some interesting experiences as well.

Inside the hut, there were two men sitting down drinking vodka. One was big, and not from fat. The other was small compared to him, but his age also looked far beyond the other mans. This gentle looking old man was Boris, leader of the remaining Loyalist forces in Moscow. They had been hitting important targets, convoys, things like that recently, being a thorn in the Communists sides since they lost a few weeks ago. Nina didn't see what they were accomplishing though, besides personal glory. Her plan on the other hand, it would start and end the war in a single go, leaving nothing but victory and all of Drachma to be claimed by the RRR. It would be glorious, and Nina couldn't wait for it all to begin. She nodded to her brothers, who nodded back and turned, taking places on either side of the door. They knew what to do. "General, it is good to see you again. I assume you've thought about our offer?" she started, smiling in return and shaking the man's hand.

"As I thought. Our fair General was up to suspicious actions." Slowly stepping out of a dark shadow, a petite female in a black suit was brought up into the light. A soft chuckle emanated from the back of her throat, her blonde hair tied in a ponytail that hung behind her head. She rose her gaze up to meet that of the female with the red ribbon around her arm; piercing blue-green eyes met with the other; she must have been not much older than Sablya herself, maybe by two to three years? No matter. Raising a hand into the air to move a piece of hair off of her face, the black-suited Knight sighed and shook her head. "I had suspected this man of foul play; I felt that today was the best time to track him. I came across this camp and hid in this very tent--watching, waiting." The General himself finally looked up at the source of his voice, sputtering out words of worry: "M-miss Sablya!" She cast a quick and cold look at the man; his voice quietened down without haste after that. Slowly returning her gaze to Nina, a black-gloved hand gripped around the hilt of a golden sword in its golden sheathe; Excalibur, the Holy Sword of Promised Victory. She turned away from Nina, however, walking around the table slowly and quietly, still keeping her gaze on the leader of the Rebellion.

"You know, when Lady Alena told me that there were people going against her regime, I couldn't believe my ears..." She chuckled quietly. "Loyalists to the previous Drachma? A strange idea that is. To think that, even with everything that she can do, Lady Alena still had no way of getting rid of every last surviving Loyalist." That chuckle quietly grew into a laugh as she walked around the table and approached Nina herself. She could already see the girl's personal guards flinching and reaching for their own weapons. What, were they threatened by this young blonde woman, a whole two inches SHORTER than the one that they were obviously protecting? "Weapons down. If I had wanted to attack you, I wouldn't have come alone, nor would I be so brash as to show up right away. As our mutual friend over there had said, I am Sablya. Sablya Pendragon, to be specific. The Guard to Lady Alena... though I have to wonder for how much longer." Stepping past Nina now, Sablya closed her eyes and didn't speak on that matter--it would wait. She needed to gauge how serious this resistance was, first. What, you say? She wouldn't know this to be a resistance? Oh, but it was quite obvious.

Most, if not all of the soldiers here had been reported as loyalists to the former rule of the Czar. It was simple deduction from here. The woman that she was confronting here might as well be their leader, for all she knew. She could be a messenger, though a messenger wouldn't have such a guard. Sablya may not have known anything about books, but a military tactic such as this was far too easy to see through. "You there. Miss... whatever-your-name-is." Her words were harshly aimed towards Nina now, the girl turning and staring at her through a pair of eyes that tried to see everything within the other's words. Would she tell enough for Sablya to support their cause? She had to know. She had to know, she had to know so that she could think on it for a long time. Once she'd thought on it, she would give her answer. But for now, she needed to think. "I promise, upon my honor as a Knight, that I will not attack or betray your trust. I am not going to bring down hell upon people who do not wish for it to happen. I just need to know... is what you're doing right and honorable? Is what you're doing really the best thing that you can do for Drachma?" Tears lined her eyes now, Sablya starting to truly think.

"If you think so, then fight. Prove it to me."

She needed proof. A show of trust. A show of strength. SOMETHING of the kind...

...anything to get her out of this slump.

Nina stood like a statue, unmovable, yet cool and calm. She was ready for anything that happened, but gave off the air of complete relaxation. The young blonde woman walked around them, talking primarily to her. That was when she introduced herself. Nina nearly flinched from the mere mention of it. Sablaya Pendragon... in the flesh and standing before her. The Knight of Drachma, as many called her, she was Alena's right hand, her personal bodyguard, and from the intelligence, close friend. Yet here she was, ranting in this tent, as if asking for a fight. But something was off here, because Nina didn't see anger or hatred towards the Loyalists, or even her for that matter. She saw confusion, curiosity, yet a strong confidence. It was a strange combination to say the least, and something Nina did not expect in Lady Sablaya. Nonetheless, Miss Melody griped her knife at her back, her other hand near the holster to her pistol on her leg.

"You there. Miss... whatever-your-name-is. I promise, upon my honor as a Knight, that I will not attack or betray your trust. I am not going to bring down hell upon people who do not wish for it to happen. I just need to know... is what you're doing right and honorable? Is what you're doing really the best thing that you can do for Drachma? If you think so, then fight. Prove it to me." Nina was taken aback, her face slightly showing this. It all made sense now. Her confronting them alone, the way she had been talking, all of it! She was here not just to investigate the actions of the Loyalists, but to see if their cause was Just enough to join. She never thought she'd see something like this happen, yet here it was, happening right before her eyes! Nina regained her composure quickly, hoping that it went unnoticed. A smile found itself on her face, then a chuckle escaped her lips.

"Miss Nina Shostakovitch, at your service," she replied, bowing slightly and then returning her eyes to those of the Knight. "Stand down boys, there's no need to complicate things," she continued, waving at the guards to loosen up. "Thank you Miss Pendragon, your mercy is most honorable." Nina didn't know whether Sablaya was wanting a fight, or just a conversation, but she hoped for the later. She focused on the last thing she had said. Time to open up. "I believe wholeheartedly that what we will do is not only for the people of Drachma, but for this country as a whole. We wish to make our motherland whole once again, united and strong." As she began, she started to move forward, towards the Knight. "Many will die, on both sides. Yet, these men and women's deaths will not be pointless. They sacrifice themselves for a better tomorrow, for our children, and all future generations," she continued, a single tear rolling down her cheek. That had been something her father had said once. Wiping it away, she stood tall once again. "We are willing to fight to the last man, until our dying breaths to bring Drachma back to its former glory. Free of betrayal, deceit, war, and corruption." Now she was directly in front of her, staring right into her eyes. "Are you?"

"Miss Nina Shostakovitch, at your service," Ah, so she now had a name to place against this face. Nina. Miss Shostakovitch. She would decide what this woman would be called, but in certain due time. There was no need to rush such relations, especially if it was going to end up in an alliance. Though it was certainly not confirmed that Sablya would give up her loyalty to the Communist cause, there was a slight chance there. If this was doomed to fail, then she would not assist it. But... if there was a chance that Sablya could free Drachma from the mass-murdering evil that was known as RIOTE? Free them from people that put everything before honor? What sort of... what sort of person mass-murdered civilians?! Killed countless numbers simply so they could prove a point! It had to stop! Sablya... she... she... "Thank you Miss Pendragon, your mercy is most honorable." Nobody deserved to die, unless they themselves were willing to kill most despicably. Closing her eyes, she chuckled. "No need to thank me. It is natural for me." Smiling briefly, Sablya turned to watch the men as they returned their weapons to their hips.

"I believe wholeheartedly that what we will do is not only for the people of Drachma, but for this country as a whole. We wish to make our motherland whole once again, united and strong." Strength. Honor. No, Sablya would not be able to return to Drachma if she left their service. She would only be able to assist whomever she pledged herself to, before leaving Drachma for good. Betrayal was... was not honorable. If she was to leave the service of her military, then she would not be able to return, no matter what the political situation was like. "Many will die, on both sides. Yet, these men and women's deaths will not be pointless. They sacrifice themselves for a better tomorrow, for our children, and all future generations," She nodded slowly and gravely. A better tomorrow. What was that? Was it something to aspire to? Or something to dream about, with that knowledge of not being able to reach it? "We are willing to fight to the last man, until our dying breaths to bring Drachma back to its former glory. Free of betrayal, deceit, war, and corruption." Standing before her was this girl, two inches taller, staring into her eyes.

Cyan met cyan, Sablya and Nina watching each other through the entirety of the meeting. "Tch." "Are you?" As if she was dropping the hammer onto that last nail, Nina asked a heavy question. With a simple speech, she had attempted to destroy Sablya's doubt and bring her into the cause. Turning away from the gaze, the smaller Knight sighed softly and shook her head. "I... it is against my honor to betray those I have sworn allegiance to, so this is no easy task for me to think about, I hope you understand." She swallowed briefly, shaking her head. "I... this is... I... if I can decide, you will receive my answer. One way, we would be enemies. Another, and we would become allies. Please, explain yourself further. I wish to truly know of your cause, and if it is utterly Just."

"I... it is against my honor to betray those I have sworn allegiance to, so this is no easy task for me to think about, I hope you understand," the young woman said, obviously struggling to make a decision in her mind. Nina knew she wouldn't be swayed with a little speech, but it was worth a shot. "I... this is... I... if I can decide, you will receive my answer. One way, we would be enemies. Another, and we would become allies. Please, explain yourself further. I wish to truly know of your cause, and if it is utterly Just." She nodded in return, understanding what she meant. Sablya was a Knight, bound by duty and honor. To betray these principles would be to betray the code she follows, to betray herself. Nina could see this, yet the Knight seemed unsure, as if the ones she swore to protect were not what she expected. The one called Vanity was a heartless killer, in her eyes at least, but this young woman before her wasn't sure yet. So it was Nina's job to clear her mind, and help her upon the path fate had set before her.

"Of course, I understand. To make your decision so hastily would be pointless. Please, take your time," she began, readying herself for yet another small speech. "I am the leader of a rebel group known as the Red Ribbon Resistance, or RRR for short. You most likely haven't heard of us, but that is because we are a little new, and have kept our true identity well hidden thus far." Nina turned away from Sablya, the first time she had taken her eyes off of her. She walked to the table and turned on her heels, leaning against it for support. "Our cause is simple enough. Defeat the Communist Regime and their RIOTE leaders to free Drachma from their oppression. For too long our country has been embroiled in war and fighting, while our people starve and die by the thousands to fuel their war machine. We've been like this for decades, but no more. We believe in a government for the people, by the people. A democracy, a republic. A unified power, ruled by its citizens for the greater good. No more corruption, no more greed, no more power hungry monsters leading us to our destruction. Instead, we would look to the future and see peace, prosperity, and happiness. This, is what we wish to accomplish." Phew, that was a long one. It was a good thing she was so passionate for their cause, otherwise she would have a harder time explaining things. She wasn't the leader for nothing though.

"How we plan to accomplish this, is through revolution. For years, many men and women have attempted to stand against the evil of our leaders, and every time they have been struck down. Killed in cold blood for their ideas and dreams. Yet their sacrifices seem to make little difference. No matter how many protests or meetings we had, they didn't care in the least! So it is time to take fate into our own hands. We will fight for this country, for its peoples, and for our beliefs! Because if we don't, no one will..." she continued, becoming more into it. She took a deep breath, trying to calm down. Getting excited like this wasn't going to help, not like she was rousing the men before a mission or anything. Nina chuckled lightly and continued.

"Seems hypocritical, right? Fighting a bloody war to achieve peace. But it needs to be done, and soon. Because if we can't stop the Soviets, or whatever other corrupt groups take over next, then we won't have a country to call home any longer. We won't have people to protect, just an empty, snow filled wasteland covered in blood and shame." Nina stood up once again. "And I for one am not willing to let that happen. Not now, not ever! We will fight until the end to free this country, and when that day comes, Drachma will be stronger than ever before. We fight for the people, because we are the people. We fight for Drachma, because we ARE Drachma." Letting out a long breath, she leaned back on the table once again. "Sorry, I always get little carried away when it comes to this. Call it my life's passion," she said, chuckling afterwards. Her edge disappeared, as if she was a different person. Going from straight up and almost military, she was now relaxed, laid back. It was strange, she normally didn't get like this with strangers, yet with Sablya she felt safety, trust even. This was odd, to say the least.