A drowsy blue morning woke Jakery up from his rest. The little one stretched every muscle he had after helping relocate forces and resources back to Krugi.
Frigid winds flowed through the open window, one that Jakery looked out from. His eyes scanned the calm streets, catching glimpses of Zegi leaving homes to work and troopers learning from their parents.
Down the street, Jakery noticed his brother loomed through a window. It was Danitour's home and that window belonged to the same room Oria rested in.
Ether jumped, smiled, and moved more than usual. Heavily implying he was in his excited Yonie mood while talking to his Feral friend.
"Mmm. Wonder if it's true. I mean, Ether would not shut up about how sorry he was and how happy he became after finding out Oria was doing better," Jakery murmured.
Not long after waking up, Jakery stumbled through the door and down the street to check in on them. Everything felt colder than normal, notifying them of the changing weather.
Jakery held his arms behind his back, curiously listening to Ether and Oria's conversation. He leaned closer, getting a better earshot of what was happening.
"Thank you - thank you! Odiiii Etheeeer!" Oria mimicked. "But uh... I have a tiny problem."
"What?"
"Who's that guy..? Danny... Danny something..." Oria snapped her fingers. "Danitour, yeah. He seems to ignore me a lot. Did I do something wrong?"
Ether softly chuckled. "You did kinda appear in one of his rooms all of a sudden. But I'll take the blame for it. I was acting too quick and wasn't thinking right. I'm still really sorry."
Oria reached out of the window to tug on one of Ether's cheeks. When she leaned out of it, she noticed Jakery standing not too far away from them. She smiled, catching Ether's attention.
"So about that meeting..?" Jakery awkwardly muttered.
"The meeting! Well, Oria, I'll see you later. Keep being odi for me," Ether concluded.
Before Ether walked away, Oria tugged his cheek closer to her before giving him a peck on the forehead. "I'll be odi just for you, then!"
Jakery stepped aside, letting his older brother take the lead. Which he did. In a short couple of minutes later, they found themselves walking through the streets in awkward silence.
From time to time, Jakery would glance over to his brother for any hints of being interested in Oria. Trying to figure out where does his heart rest. But each attempt was futile.
Six minutes later, and the duo found themselves in the war room. Watching Valentine and Danitour exchange ideas with each other as the fireplace burned bright.
The comforting warmth of the flames nearly sent Jakery to sleep upon feeling their touch. Something about being in this room under the outside conditions felt special.
Even Ether realized this, making his shoulders ease up more as he stumbled closer to the table in the middle of the room. By then, Valentine greeted them both. Prompting Danitour to reach for the map.
His footsteps were firm on the wooden floor as he stepped to and from the bookshelf in the corner of the room. Coming back with a rolled-up map in hand along with a notebook and a charred stick.
"Planning time. Who else was looking forward to this?" Danitour joked. "There's some things we need to look over before we storm Onum. They are the last faction of a forgotten Legion for a reason."
Valentine knocked along the shores, where the Legion rested. "Ether, what's the plan?"
"Okay," he took a seat beside Valentine. "Warriors line the walls outside Onum, pelting away at their defenses. There won't be many out there but just enough to build a masquerade of an invasion."
Danitour began writing down how the plan was going to go inside the notebook. The smooth brown texture of the stick made it easy for him to write quickly.
As he wrote, Valentine brought a hand up to his unmasked face. "Maybe we should put Thawed out there. We can hold our own and our size makes us seem like many when there's only a few."
Before Danitour wrote that down, he glanced over at Ether. Who nodded, approving of the addition. Ether turned to face Valentine, keeping a relaxed face on.
"How about you lead them? Hizentre could be there too, giving the illusion of several elites," Ether suggested.
Jakery yawned, stretching his arms out again. "Maybe giving that guy that much power is not a good idea. We just met him anyway."
Ether smiled. "That's how we build trust! I trust him to pledge loyalty, he trusts me in providing for his Thawed when the time calls."
Danitour brought a finger over Onum's location. "The skies are vast and free. Maybe we should let out a couple of riders out there and see what we can do?"
"That's perfect. Hey Jakery!" Ether smiled. "You're a good rider, maybe lead this one?"
"Wh - wh - me?" Jakery's eyes lit up with excitement. "Well... of course, I'll do it."
It was settled, allowing Danitour to write that phase down and mark Jakery as the leader. His hand moved swiftly, noting every important detail down as the group continued to draft.
After some time, Valentine brought up the final point: what would their response be when Onum's forces come to aid them?
"Simple. I guide a battalion and charge through them. Our goal is to divide and dominate here, it's how we'll break Onum's defenses and claim victory," Ether replied.
Danitour wrote it down, marking Ether as the leader for the final phase. Everything was put into play, except for one key factor: there was not enough Sky Beasts open for this.
"We need more beasts, think we can trade for those?" Danitour asked Valentine.
In response, Valentine chuckled. "Jakery, Ether, let's get ready for some taming today. We'll need to dance with the beasts themselves for those!"
While both elites talked to each other about possible alternatives, Ether got up from his seat and drifted closer to Jakery. Keeping a hint of ease as he did so.
"Don't be afraid of large falls, or at least try not to be."