Burning Away

[Epsir]

Her farewells said, Maria lowered her head and stood her ground by the gangplank. The quiet sound of Milo's footsteps, indiscernible when he had first arrived, now just as much a sound of comfort as loneliness. She wasn't saving anyone, that was pure delusion, but it was still possible to keep the innocent and uninvolved out of Lindwell's sordid world. She leaned further on the pier railing, cloak bowing out with her elbows. The moment that the scout had settled into monitoring the unnamed ship ported in front of her, Milo spoke again. Maria turned about quickly, pushing herself away from the rail upon hearing such a sappy sentiment. It was the sort of thing the dying said. She wanted to grumble some sort of protest after the lieutenant, but found only his back quickly retreating into the city. With a short, frustrated sigh, she went back around and descended the gangplank. Arms crossed, the captain took to leaning against the center mast. I'm an idiot, the short declaration summed up the entirety of her findings, all of which came moments too late. Somewhat unwilling to try kicking herself, she planted a boot against the mast behind her, glaring up into Lieda and searching for something other than her attempts at being personable. The crew. That was alarming. The fire still burned in the distance, or it at least seemed such from the continued billowing of smoke into the sky, and yet their skeleton crew of strange men had yet to return from whatever their business in the city was. A tingle of worry crept its way down her spine. There wasn't much she could do besides await Gregori's return before searching for them. For a moment, her eyes fell on the way to the captain's quarters. Alerting Lindwell couldn't solve anything, in the worst case it would only make him act rashly. Steeled and sulking, the traitor made ready to wait and keep watch.

 

[DrowsyPangolin]

Shortly after Milo's departure, the sound of a multitude of footsteps began to softly echo in the distance. After a few seconds, the silhouettes of the crew began to materialize from the darkness of the night. Six figures emerged, crossing the gangplank in silence. One of them carried a lantern, a warm light serving as their beacon in the dark. In a single file line, the group descended below the ship's deck in silence. Five made their way down the small stairway, leaving only one, an older looking man with greying black hair and a thick beard carrying a simple lantern made of brass, behind on the deck. He approached Maria, and after looking her over for a moment gave a slight bow. It was evident the man couldn't speak, but he motioned towards the entrance to the ship's interior with a questioning look, apparently asking if she needed to see her quarters. The man was visibly older than the other men, possibly some kind elder or high-ranking member amongst the crew. The glow of his lantern silhouetted his and Maria's shadows against the deck of the ship. The man doubted his captain had returned yet, his mission had apparently been something quite serious.

 

[Epsir]

The crew had returned. She counted six figures in the dark. crossing the gangplank. Without a word, perhaps to be expected, most of them filed away to rest or work elsewhere on the ship. Her head turned to watch the sixth as he broke away from the group and came to her. Maria nodded, giving the sailor a quiet, "Hey, welcome back," to acknowledge his arrival. The night was quickly growing cold, and even under her cloak she was starting to feel the chill. The constant barrage of sea spray and ever present oceanic mist did nothing to help that condition. She would have held her watch for days if it was called for, but as long as they were being hunted exhausting herself was out of the question. As the man gestured something to her, indicating the way below deck, she silently regretted her ignorance of sign language. Maybe she could find a pad and pen for the mute man, but for now they'd just have to do as he already was and reason along with simple gestures. Her eyes followed his hand towards the way below deck. "Do you have a spare bedroll around? Anywhere there's extra room, I can set up after my watch," she said, deciding to keep her questioning yes and no for the sake of the crewman, who seemed to be the one left to handling her.

 

[Urbanite]

Jasper smiled at the stranger, stepping aside to let him in. "Well, whatever business you have with Gareth, we can settle it inside my suite." Jasper tried his best to put on a show of a generous and giving host, and doing his best to ignore Gareth's questioning of the man. Jasper stepped over to the bar, mixing a simple drink for his new guest, placing it within a very nice and ornate glass. "So, may I ask what's exactly so urgent? It must be important to come at this hour." Jasper took the glass, and brought it over to Gregori, streching out the gift to the man with a bright smile.

 

[DrowsyPangolin]

Gregori's eyes met Gareth's as he began his questioning. It was clear there was a great deal of distrust coming from the young man, which was to be expected. Before he could reply, the prince invited him into the suite. Still holding his contented appearance, Gregori nodded and followed Jasper into the room. He took the drink and spoke. "I appreciate your hospitality, thank you." He took a small sip from the glass and turned back to Gareth. "My acquaintance is a man named Ethan Lindwell. He wishes to meet with you, Mister Harker, on a ship currently docked in the harbor." He looked back and forth between Jasper and Gareth. "As for exactly what he wishes to discuss, I am sorry to admit my ignorance on the matter. Mister Lindwell kept the details to himself." He turned towards Jasper, taking another small, measured sip from the glass. "Thus, I can not be certain what the urgency of the situation is. All I know is he was quite eager to discuss something with the representative from Keilaudrin." Gregori's words were careful but calm. He had been truthful. He honestly had no idea what Lindwell planned to do, though he did dread the possibilities. He motioned to the glass. "Thank you again for your hospitality. I have traveled a great deal lately, so such a thing is quite pleasant." He paused for a moment, his eyes slowly sliding over towards Gareth. "I only arrived in Lieda today, in fact, and it is quite a journey from Lyok." His eyes met Gareth's as he spoke the final word. Ordinarily, he would have seen divulging his homeland as a dangerous, or even foolish, mistake. In the current situation, however, it was one of the few things that might lessen the young man's distrust.

 

[ravenDivinity]

Gareth sighed as Jasper shattered the squire's interrogation and replaced it with a more homely invitation. Harker smiled, his eyes still unsure but his overall face fairly composed in his distrust. This distrust was justified by the things he'd seen before Lieda and the things he'd seen in it; this distrust was born of omens and fears, the ilk of human corruption. And so Gareth stepped aside to allow Gregori entry, the young man's features noticeably softening to accommodate the unexpected 'guest.' The diplomat listened to the man he held suspect and carefully traced Gregori's every move and subtle facial quirk with such idle fixation that telling if Gareth was actually paying attention was a task unto itself of divine proportion. Ethan Lindwell. That was the man Gareth had seen the previous mornings in the town. A new point on the young man's list, a puzzle shrouded in doubt uncovered by curiosity. The questions came first. Who was Ethan Lindwell? What business did Lindwell have with Keilaudrin? What were Lindwell's connections? Who did Lindwell associ—Gareth stopped himself. Listen now and ask later. Frantically his mind fingered carefully over a list of responses and a table of information. "Well, a long journey indeed. I do not know how I'd fancy such lengths. I do know that I have... mixed... feelings about snakes." Gareth moistened his lips, frequently dried in the brittle cold of the outside. "If Lindwell wants me, I do not mind going if it means no harm. Of course, any such mishap would create new hells for the living and the dead."