Martin throws a dagger at Brand.
((Feel free to take it from here guys.))
Casper watches the moronic mayhem from above, like watching a dance of homicidal clowns hell bent on killing each other in the most stupid ways possible.
Why don't they just whip out the sharpened fish and take it all the way.
There are so many things wrong with what's going on, he just can't take it seriously. How can he stop the stupidity? It's like a tidal wave of idiocy has washed over the universe.
Maybe I've gone mad. It could be, the universe used to make some kind of sense until a short while ago. Where did I start to lose it?
He sets down the crossbow and starts to go downstairs to go look closer at the currently shattering pieces of his reality.
He almost makes it outside unmolested when he finds himself almost run through. A cook's assistant babbles a nervous apology and continues on toward the dining room with the platter containing an enormous swordfish.
Thanking the gods for his good fortune to not have to explain that particular injury to his father, Casper continues on into the courtyard where all hell is breaking loose.
Marita notices a rather bored and disgusted looking gentleman wandering out behind Benedict and Martin. He doesn't appear to be armed. Perhaps he is a mage. Perhaps not. It's hard to tell. He doesn't seem to be taking up for any particular side for the time being.
At the sight or Benedict, Marita slowly lowers, then drops her sword. It is his Keep, for now she is the invader, no matter how honorable her intentions.
Stepping slowly to the side, she puts herself between Riley and Kay, willing to take a bolt for her sister if need be.
She casts the power word "Askiir Brand" (psychic disrupt) in an attempt to aid her sister.
To Benedict she then shouts, "Uncle, you said our father was here and injured, we have only come to aid him. Call off your attack and let us do our work and leave."
Marita sees Martin launch the dagger. There is nothing she can do to stop it, nor would she even if she could. Brand is certainly not her family and they are the only ones she is here to protect. Almost as if in slow motion she watches it's graceful tumble through the air as it rushes towards its target, wondering if Martin is aiming to kill or wound, and not sure what she is hoping for.
At the words, "Call off your attack and let us do our work and leave." Casper stares at the moronic woman.
What work, kiss Caine? Kill him? Do what? Is this woman so mad she expects to break into someones castle and then expect the people inside to just roll over?
Casper screams at Marita. "What the hell do you want? Why are you attacking Brand? Why are you fighting us!"
He's not even sure why he's even bothering to yell. He feels like the only adult in a universe populated by psychopathic two year olds.
(OOC: What happened to Brand?)
The power word breaks Brand's concentration and Kay's psychic assault causes the man to crumple to the ground unconscious, blood running freely from his nose, ears, and eyes.
Martin’s dagger whirls over the prone body of Brand and plunges somewhere between Kay’s shoulder and chest, knocking her to the ground.
Kay wraps her hands around the dagger and says breathlessly, “Don’t move it.”
Benedict gives Casper an odd look when he asks why people are attacking Brand. It’s not like Brand won the Amber version of Mr. Congeniality recently.
Seeing that Marita has dropped her weapon, Benedict tells Martin to bide and instructs a nearby guard to summon medical help immediately.
Benedict tells Marita dryly, “Sometimes just dropping in for a visit isn’t always a good idea.”
Casper quickly runs over to check on the collapsed Brand. After making sure the artist didn't hurt his neck, he silently picks him up in his arms and takes him back inside. Apparently Casper isn't aware that there are popularity contests going on, not that he gives those things much shrift. Maybe Brand would have done better if he wore a bikini.
He quickly takes the limp man to the hospital infirmary. He would check on Brand's mind, but he finds he really doesn't have a way to do that. The doctors will have to do their best. After making sure Brand is in good care, Casper walks back to Benedict's office to see if the stonebinding spell is still keeping Caine in stasis.
Marita watches in horror as the dagger misses Brand and hits her sister. Moving quickly to her side she replies curtly to Benedict, more mad at the situation and herself than at him,
"You said my father was here and likely stabbed, as far as I knew you were still in some hospital, what exactly did you expect me to do, send a diplomatic mission in a month or two. I don't have your Trump, I was borrowing my brother's when I talked to you. If my father lives you can lecture him on not giving his kids sufficient Trumps later, but right now I have two emergencies to deal with."
She looks to Martin, "What the fuck is is with you and stabbing my family today? How about you go finish off the redheaded bastard you were aiming at and we'll call it even?"
Hearing Kay's instructions she turns to Benedict, "Call off your dogs, I am going to pull a real doctor through. He is a non-combatant, so no knives, arrows or pointy things of any sort, please?"
She waits for Benedict's permission or at least acquiesence, then Trumps Mace and asks him to come through to her now. He can use Kay's medical bag and if anyone makes a wrong move in his direction she will kill them even if it means losing her own life in return.
Brand moans slightly with the movement but doesn't open his eyes. He hears the doctor grumbling about the man having swelling in his brain and he orders the nurse to pack the man's head in ice.
Caine still appears in stasis. Of course if Brand dies, there is no doubt the stonebinding would dispel immediately. Probably a good thing for Caine's little girls that the man didn't end up dead like they seemed to wish.
Benedict smothers a smile when Marita mentions him lecturing Caine.
Martin looks pissed at first and then seems to think Marita has a good idea. He gives her a nod and says, "My apologies, Lady…"
"Marita," prompts Benedict, his lips twitching again with a suppressed smile.
Martin nods his thanks to Benedict and continues, "Lady Marita. I had no intention of injuring your sister. Ka'ohu is not unknown to me. As far as your father goes, he got what he had coming to him. It was he that attacked first after all. Frankly, if I'd known it was him I probably would have cut off his head to make sure that he stayed dead. Your father has a habit of recovering from "death" if you know what I mean. Now, if you will excuse me, I believe I have a redheaded bastard I need to attend to."
He smiles charmingly and bows before turning and quickly heading back into the keep.
Benedict has already indicated to his men that they should not fire upon the two women, but they remain at the ready should he choose to change his mind.
Mace answers, "Hello, beautiful. Ready to come home?"
He realizes quickly enough that the call is not a social one and frowning he steps through. He looks around with an incredibly pissed off look on his face.
"Who did this?" he asks as he kneels beside Kay and begins summoning things with the logrus.
He reaches to pull the dagger out.
"Don't!" Kay snaps at him.
"Don't fucking tell me how to practice medicine, Kay or I'll knock your sorry ass out."
He pulls the dagger from her and immediately a sucking chest wound is revealed. Mace doesn't seem bothered and he begins treating it using battlefield medicine techniques with incredible efficiency.
Without looking up at Marita he growls, "Who the hell brought her into a combat situation? She's a tactical menace. You're goddamn lucky she didn't get you killed."
While his expression is calm, Marita knows him well enough to sense that he's extremely upset.
Kay opens her mouth to argue with him and he glares down at her as he says, "Do not make me shut off the blood supply to your brain, Missy. I will do it. You just keep your mouth shut."
Kay looks over at Marita with a scowl and says, "I want a real doctor."
Mace mutters something about Kay being more of a bitch than Lumi and the next thing she knows, Mace slugs Kay in the jaw.
"You try and bring the Pattern up like that again and you're going to end up dead. Now just lie still and let me do my job."
Benedict arches an eyebrow as he watches and says in an amused tone, "Interesting."
Marita listens calmly to Martin, at least calmly given the situation, then nods to him,
"Yeah, that would be my father alright, but you explain that part about cutting his head off to this one and Lumi. Have fun with whatever is left of Brand. If you could kindly return what is left of my father we will more than happy to get him out of your hair."
Marita pulls Mace through,
"No, not quite ready to come home yet."
"Well, the arrow wound would be from some common archer, but the knife wound is from the Regent of Amber, I think it is supposed to be some kind of honor if they stab you. My family is apparently highly honored here," she tells Mace quite sarcastically.
He watches Mace and her sister get along swimmingly as usual, then when he asks who brought her here, Marita answers,
"Well, I did, sorry" she replies a bit embarassed, then raises an eyebrow and stops apologizing,
"How the hell was I supposed to know she doesn't know when to fight like Lumi and I do, she took Lumi down after all the only time I saw her in action. In the first place we just came here to rescue my father, don't ask me why or it will make me remember that I wouldn't normally do this, hence I brought a doctor who can cast spells. She doesn't get out much, does she?" she asks quizically, realizing Kay is one very unusual daughter of Caine.
Maybe sanity is kind of a disability in her family, she thinks to herself.
"In the second place I am still in one piece, for now, she took out two guards and an archer, plus seems to have melted Brand's brain with a little help from me, so other than becoming a human pin cushion she seems to have done pretty well. Maybe being blonde makes the two of them easier targets to find and aim at?" she offers since Lumi seems to attract sharp objects too.
She watches in macabre fascination as her sister and lover fight more viciously over her medical care than the men defending Benedict's Keep did, cringing visibly when Mace slugs Kay.
Trying to be helpful she offers her sister, "Um, if you start behaving Kay, maybe when you are up to it I will teach you a few combat moves, you really have some raw talent, you just have trouble with the ducking part, Honey. You can teach me some spells, it'll be fun," she says, "And until then you and Lumi can bunk together in the hospital…hey, don't you dare cast on me, I was just joking about that part, sort of."
Looking over to Benedict she shrugs and smiles politely, "Yep, they are mine. Can't storm the castle with 'em, can't live without 'em. Now do you understand why we never visit Amber much?"
"Any word on Selune yet? She disappeared with your brother after all, he's here, where is she?" she asks more seriously while standing guard over Mace and Kay.
Casper looks down at Caine's body and shakes his head. He slowly strokes the head of the noble bird and winces at the thought of Caine's bite and the word "traitor"
I've done everything I can, lost someone I love trying to help. Traitor, that word burns Caine.
He slowly shakes his head doing his best to try to stay sane. Without Brand and without the ability to use magic, there is little he can do do to fix Martin. That makes Martin incredibly dangerous and his father seems to be ignoring the situation like a bloody fool. Maybe Luke will be able to help Brand, perhaps the font could heal him, whatever the hell that it does.
Carrying Caine's box and Sara's vase, Casper returns to the infirmary to call Luke again from Brand's side. Perhaps there is away to get around the annoying message system.