Map & Compass, Pt 2 - IC

[Sketching101]

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Credit to Josh Hutchinson​

Beaureve Needle, Near the Montacier Stop - 14:34​

The Beaureve Needle rumbled lightly as it glided over the train tracks hundreds of meters above ground. This machine of technological and magical marvel was headed to its final destination, the capital Cartetoile, after having toured all over the kingdom. As always, the first class carriages were full of oddities. Many of the travellers had already settled in at the lounge, where the staff had gotten used to seeing most of their faces over the decades.

The three professors from the Royal Academy sat around a small table in their armchairs, having what seemed to be a friendly conversation. Carla Méndez was a princess, and the professor of Chronomancy. While she had only started teaching at the Academy two years prior, she had already made a name for herself as an excellent mage with great promise. The renowned professor of Divination, Rayan Gutiérrez, was quite renowned himself, even among other professors, as he had been one of the most beloved and amicable teachers at the academy for the last century. In contrast, Lydia Robillard, the professor of Aerothurgy for the last three decades, had a reputation for being unapproachable among the students, despite having a relatively good rapport with most professors.

Around another table were sat two people the staff had little knowledge of. On one chair sat a four armed young woman with long, wavy, orange hair. She had a burn mark on the right side of her face, running from her eye back to her ear. Across her, sat an older looking gentleman. For the last several hours, he hadn't moved from his spot, or turned his gaze from the window. This man would ride the train back and forth into cities and towns. On the table beside them, was the prince Konstantin Friedrich Saxe-Altenburg, the pride of the Saxe-Altenburgs.

At another table sat another young woman with burns on her face, sprawling from her forehead, all the way down to her right cheek. Her blond hair was braided all the way down to her shoulder blades. Whenever she spoke, there was a strangeness to her soft voice that sounded almost wrong to anyone within earshot. She pronounced most words with small mistakes strewn about. Across from her was the young Aepian mage, Winona Nito, the proud descendent of one of Ydran's disciples. At the table right beside them were two recent graduates of the Royal Academy: Eldhi Arc, of the draconic Arc family, and Prince Aubel, until recently, the Aubel family's hope of attaining more power.

Finally, at the bar with the bartender was the odd one out of the lot of passengers: Kade Bernaut, the gambler. The staff had been giving him the strangest looks whenever they thought he wouldn't be able to see. It was very uncommon to see people like him to have a room in the Needle, let alone in first class.

As the train was calmly humming along, suddenly everything in the carriage was violently pulled toward the front of the train with an ear piercing screeching sound.

BZZT "This is your conductor speaking. A hazard has been spotted on the tracks, but we should soon be able to clear it up. We apologize for the delay. In the meantime, please enjoy the many--" BZZT "--at the lounge." BZZT

The voice echoed out of the ornate speakers hanging from the ceiling on each corner of the carriage with static cutting in.

Mentioned: @TheQueensGuard, @Izurich, @Hecatty, @Flame, @RedArmyShotgun, @Malfis

Unnamed Templar Airship, 09:34 - Theo Russell​

Nineteen hours after the fall of Sunderlake Isle's prison, the escapees managed to lose their pursuers. They managed to recognize some of the people on the ship that followed them the farthest, as most of them were their fellow inmates, led by Addrick Beaureve, the 13th prince of Enia. After what could only be called a battle of attrition, with Omen's skill at the helm, and Arturo's engineering in the boiler room, they managed to outmaneuver the prince's crew and lose them in the clouds. As they emerged once again above Irve, with land in sight, Theo clasped the railings on the front of the airship, and leaned forward. "Finally, dry land!" he bellowed before pausing to think. "Solid land," he corrected himself quietly. He squinted to try and make out what the splotch of gray and beige in the distance was. Those who could see properly without need for glasses could tell that it was a large city by the sea. The tracks seemed to be heading in that direction, in any case.

With a loud bang, the ship shuddered and started leaving a trail of black smoke. Theo managed to keep himself on the ship after almost taking a tumble. "That didn't sound too good." Theo said to Willow. The ship started, very slowly, to lose altitude. Theo made his way down to the boiler room, where Arturo had been managing to keep the engine alive. "Did that old hunk of junk finally give in?" he asked.

Mentioned: @TheQueensGuard, @ItariChan, @Polaris North, @Jess Incognito

 

[TheQueensGuard]

Kade Bernaut
Beaureve Needle
14:34
Mentioned: @RedArmyShogun
Interaction: @Hecatty​

As the train lurched to a sudden stop, Kade's drink sloshed and spilled over onto his coats sleeve. He frowned for a moment; not from the drink wetting his clothes or the delay in their travel but from the irritating static from the speakers. "A train this nice you'd think they would invest in a better intercom." He said to the bartender, smiling once again. Taking a quick sip and setting it back on the counter he turned in the bar stool to read the rest of the room. While he didn't know anyone personally, he'd pick up some interesting names and titles from the wait staff when they were talking among themselves. The trio of professors for instance; each interesting in their own ways but likely to smart to fall for one of his scams.

There was the quiet gentleman near the window, who Kade knew nothing about, but he doubt'd he was interested in anything Kade would have to say. Beside the older man was a rather attractive, orange haired, four armed woman. Never been with a lady with four arms.
Kade thought with a sly smirk. Better to not burn that bridge in case she saw through his scheme. He'd have to strike up a conversation with her before they reached Cartetoile though.

Spotting a young, assumingly naive girl Kade decided she'd be easy enough to score a few coins off of. So taking one last long drink as he stood up, he gave his thanks to the bartender with two coins and a smile before setting off across the room. Reaching into his coat and procuring a nice leather pouch he spoke out to the two ladies as he neared. "Good afternoon ladies, would either of you like your fortune read?" Sliding his deck of cards from the pouch and showing them, he gave Winona a friendly smile. "How 'bout you kiddo?" He spread three cards out from the rest of the deck with a flick of his thumb. "Three coins for three cards. Guaranteed to predict what the near future has in store for you." Three coins wasn't a lot but it'd pay for his drinks. Plus, he wasn't wanting to trying and rob the poor girl blind. She surely had to have some money from her parents if she was managing to ride aboard first class.
​

Omen Bridger
Templar Airship
9:40
Mentioned: @Jess Incognito
Interaction: @ItariChan​

The ship gave a lurch and groan as something gave out internally. "Damn airships" Omen grumbled under his breath, unflinching as the ship slowly started to descend. This is why he hated airships. A normal ship you only had to rely on ocean currents and which way the wind blew. In the sky you had to rely on a dozen different variables; engine included. "Sasha!" He called out, grabbing a pitcher of water and taking a drink directly from it. Whenever she did come over to him, he motioned to the trail of black smoke the airship was leaving. "Arturo broke the damn engine." Omen knew the engineer had done all he could but that wouldn't stop the captain from complaining. "Whenever we make landfall we head to whatever city that is in the distance. Try and keep a low profile, then charter a ship back to Lucilla. Head to the hideout and see if who all from the Drowned survived the Templar ambush." He grabbed a cup and filled it full of water and offered it to Sasha. "Unless you have other plans." Sasha had been through a lot the past few weeks. Hell, she had been through a lot since she had found herself a stowaway on his ship. He'd understand if she wanted to take up a fresh start.​

 

[Izurich]

Interaction: @Flame​

Mentioned: @TheQueensGuard @Hecatty​

It had been some time since Eldhi graduated from the Royal Academy of Enia, with flying colors too. Someone of her talents and skills should normally be scouted by the Templar order and scouted she was, however, the tanned blonde respectfully declined the offer for reasons she couldn't outwardly express to said order. One, she was a Polymorph like the rest of her noble house, it would be suicide to endanger everyone by joining an order that was so hell-bent in exterminating her kind. Second, she had learned from the few privileged commoners in the academy that Enia wasn't an utopian realm as it first appeared on the surface.

There were so many problems and issues rotting just underneath the idyllic exterior that Eldhi could no longer ignore them in good conscience. In fact, the draconic polymorph had decided upon her goal in life post-graduation. One day, she would smite down the ruling royal family and templar order, bringing proper benevolent order upon the whole of Irve. Order and liberty weren't mutually exclusive, relatedly, order and tyranny didn't have to go hand-in-hand either.

Was it a far-fetched lofty goal of a single mere noblewoman? Perhaps, she would even agree herself, but she believed the reason things could go on like this was the complacency of the masses, including most of the oppressed. Yet, history had shown that the people could rise up when pushed or motivated enough, as exemplified by the country of Aepia. The same thing could happen to Irve... and she couldn't wait for the figurative fuse to finally blow.

---

"..." Eldhi didn't even budge or rocked from her seat even as the carriage violently jerked, although she frowned at the discomfort of having her ears screeched at. "...a hazard, huh? Hopefully this won't delay the trip more than necessary." She mused mentally.

"Skree..." One of her mini-dragons hissed as if sharing their mistress' thoughts

Right now, the warrior noble found herself boarded in a first-class carriage of the Beaureve Needle train, heading toward Cartetoile, the capital of Enia, a kingdom she once loved but now resented. From there, she planned to continue on her way to her family's estate where she would discuss her plans for the future in more concrete detail. She was confident her family would support her. After all, if the templars were to be eradicated, polymorphs would no longer have to live in hiding. For the moment, she was involved in a pleasant conversation with a fellow alumnus of the Royal Academy, Princess Erica Aubel.

After performing a quick perceptive glance at the table beside her own, where a suave gentleman was entertaining a brunette teenager and a blonde woman with facial burns with some kind of trick involving cards, she returned her attention back to the brown-haired royalty across from her. "Aubel..." Eldhi murmured inquisitively, digging through her own memories, "Ah, I knew I have heard your house name before, Erica. If I may presume, are you perhaps related to Prince Eric, also of House Aubel?"

Aside from them sharing a last name and masculine-feminine counterpart of their first name, the two possessed similar facial characteristics, similar enough to think of them as siblings, most likely brother and sister.

"Skree~" As if confirming Eldhi's inquiry, one of the two blue dragons perched on her shoulders made a low screech, its eyes - a pair of white solid patches - inquisitively examined Erica, just like a curious canine companion. The other diminutive dragon was just content observing its surroundings, acting more like a calm feline than its counterpart.

 

[Flame]

Interaction: @Izurich​

It hadn't been too terribly long ago that Prince Eric Aubel... nay, Erica now, had made her final decision in her first act of defiance against the life that had been handed to her by fate. She refused to be married off and carry out some sort of duty to sire a templar members of the royal family to boost their station in life. She would not be a tool to these people... if they wanted a prince, it would be best for them to choose one who was a prince both inside and out. She didn't exactly begrudge her noble family, or any of society for that matter. How could they understand what she was going through? Even as a noble, she was just one cog in the mechanism of one giant machine. Even the people playing their part in this game of nobility probably only did so because it was all they knew... after all, it was human nature to aspire to be something greater, Erica's idea of "greater" just happened to be far different from those in power. She wanted comfort and peace, that's all. If she hadn't been... in this position, perhaps she would be just like them. Surely her life would have been vastly different.

But, now wasn't the time for such thoughts. She'd made her choice, and she was here now. There was no turning back. She'd managed to buy herself a little time with a story about visiting some friends to invite them and reconnect, but she was certain that when she didn't return here in a day or two, they would be looking for her... maybe sooner if they realized she had decided to take this train on her own, destined to go far away from the city she called home, and certainly not in the direction of her "friends". She'd changed her appearance a little to something more comfortable for herself, though nothing would ever be as comforting as the proper body... Still, maybe those who were looking for her might have to look twice or more to realize who they were looking at... and that would be all the opportunity she needed to slip away.

---

Erica squeaked, getting jostled from the comfortable position in which she had been seated as one of her notebooks found itself slipping out of the bag to her side, and flopping on the floor. She frowned slightly at the sudden jolt, but the announcement made her heart race. 'A hazard? What could that mean? What's going on?' , she thought, as she scooped her book up off the carriage's floor. Whatever it was, it was probably some debris on the track, whatever it was, it likely had nothing to do with her. She put her hand to her chest and took a few deep breaths, calming down the rush of her heart. 'Just a bump in the road to my goal... nothing to be so shook up about.', she reassured herself, as she closed the book, and fixed her hair.

She had had... perhaps it would be rude to say, the misfortune of being seated quite close to one of her fellow graduating class... not that talking with her was a displeasure, far from it, but this woman seeing Erica on the train and talking about it later might be all she needed to have a botched escape attempt... thankfully, they hadn't exactly known each other that well, and Erica had managed to fool her (she hoped) into believing that she was not Eric. Lying made her feel uncomfortable, of course, but it was a necessary evil to ensure her safety... so, the conversation continued.

"The very same.", she replied with a polite bow of the head, and a placid smile upon her face despite the tumultuous mix of guilt and fear hiding just behind her peaceful facade. "Though, unlike my brother, I am not of royal blood...", she smiled weakly, feigning shyness. "Naturally, the family only wants to put their best foot forward, so to speak, so if you haven't heard of me, that's understandable.", she laughed lightly. "I assume you must have been acquainted with my brother through the academy, yes? Unfortunately, I was kept at home, so I couldn't have had the pleasure of meeting you sooner... regardless, it is my pleasure.", she held out a soft hand to the tanned girl, as if this was the first time they were meeting, her soft voice thankfully nothing like the firm tone she used as "Eric".

"I wonder what could have caused this delay....", Erica wondered aloud, after returning her hand to her lap. Despite having reassured herself earlier, she was still curious and antsy as to the circumstances of this abrupt stop... so much so that the worry might have seeped into her usually placid expression.

 

[Jess Incognito]

ARTURO LEONE

mentions:
interactions: @Sketching101

Never a chance for rest - it seemed as soon as they managed to get into the air, they were being pursued. For a while, the ship sailed along without issue and Art watched wide eyed as the large fellow, Omen, manned the helm and bellowed instructions, keeping the ship, and their ragtag group, out of reach of their assailants.

The ship sailed along smoothly for awhile, but at some point its mechanisms began struggling. Arturo felt it first as a vibration, then a grating that coincided with dips in speed and control. Concentrating his senses on the ship instead of the chase, it didn't take much to diagnose the issue. This particular ship wasn't made for long distance hauls. The engine block radiated heat, its pistons expanding into their cylinders, grinding harder as the Prince gained on them.

In all his time developing the technology that made airships work, he'd never been asked to repair one under such circumstances. After convening with his fellows, he made his way down to the boiler room, getting as close as he could to the engine. Valves and meters cluttered the control wall, but they were all off calibration anyway, telling him what he already knew. In the first hour, he could only accomplish so much correcting them as any operator would. The heat from the engine vents sucked the moisture from his skin in a minute, but he leaned in and concentrated again on the ship's mechanisms.

He had cultivated for many years an ability to sense the working parts of machines, but for the first time actively exerted force upon them. Compelling the pistons forward in their cylinders to start the cycle of combustion, the ship righted itself and picked up speed again. It worked!

The novelty of this wore off not long after losing sight of Sunderlake, but he continued compensating for the cheap machine for hours as they crossed the sea. Maybe it was fate that kept the thing going just until they managed to truly escape Addrick, maybe it was sheer luck, but eventually one of the pistons lodged beyond his ability to coerce it and the pressure build-up made a small explosion in the engine. The others failed one by one as black smoke trailed the ship.

Arturo looked up to see Theo - the voice hitting his ears funny after so long surrounded by the hum of the engine.

"Did that old hunk of junk finally give in?"

"There's nothing more I can do," he called back over the whoosh of air that gusted through the compartment, which was open to the sky on both sides. He'd thrown open the doors long ago to vent the excess heat.

Art moved to the edge of the wide track door where Theo stood. From here, he was just glad to see land instead of sea, nevermind that they were lilting downward now. "We'd better get off this level before she goes down," he said calmly, ready to follow Theo back the way he'd come. He was drained of all ability to be hysterical after all that had happened.

​

 

[Hecatty]

Unsettling, that was the word that best described traveling by train. Especially on this route. Winona had made the conscious decision to stay away from any windows. The idea of being hundreds of meters above the ground was unsettling enough. No need to reconfirm that reality by taking a curious glance at the surrounding scenery. Luckily, there was a multitude of things inside the train to keep herself distracted from what was going on outside the train. For example, one of the ladies seated across from her brought along dragons. Dragons! Alright, they were somewhat small, but dragons nonetheless!

She'd been observing the dragons for a while, pondering internally whether or not dragons were pettable. Whilst partially hidden behind one of her books, she had already come to the conclusion one of them seemed more approachable than the other. Even though they both seemed kind of angry. Though, maybe that was simply because they weren't being petted enough. A vicious circle indeed. As her sparkling green eyes stared on in awe of the fascinating creatures, she flipped the pages of her book. Reaching a blank page after a few filled with drawings accompanied by writing. Upon the blank page, she began to make the crudest of drawings representing the dragon that had been deemed 'most pettable'. Beginning to circle certain areas of the drawing and crossing off others.

As the drawing started to turn out to her liking, she'd clearly forgotten this was supposed to be a less obvious observation. Then again, how could she focus on being secretive when the formula for the prime petting area was within reach! Just a few more spots to narrow down and-!

Winona practically fell forward as the train was rapidly brought to a halt. The suddenness of the jerking motion combined with her undivided attention for the dragons created an incorrect link within her mind. In a rush, she stumbled out, "I'm sorry!" Protecting the book close to her chest she awaited the inevitable lecture she'd receive due to her spying. Yet, after a moment of gathering her thoughts, she realized the dragon lady didn't seem all too concerned with her. Nobody did. It took the explanation voiced over the ornate speakers to make Winona realize she hadn't been caught, yet. However, it scared her good regardless. Enough to put the book away. Stuffing it in the bag next to her seat and reluctantly give up on getting herself psyched enough to ask the dragon lady about petting her companions.

With the train being delayed, and her source of distraction deemed too risky to proceed, Winona began to lazily swing her feet. Trying to think of something to occupy her mind. Something other than swinging feet. With a huff, she slumped back into the seat. Practically disappearing into her attire as the collar of her clothing and the rim of her hat worked in tandem to obscure the girl's face. Her eyes peering out through a thin slit in between. What to do, what to do... "Good afternoon ladies, would either of you like your fortune read?" Winona's eyes lit up and focused in on the man that had approached. Emerging from her clothes like a turtle from its shell.

"Yes, please!" she chimed, practically diving into her bag to fish out the fee. Within moments she produced a remarkable amount of noise from within the bag, but also the required coins. They were caked in some kind of dust, but three coins no less. Handing over the fee, Winona kept her sparkling eyes locked onto the stranger. To know her future would be so helpful!

Mentions: @Izurich
Interactions: @TheQueensGuard

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Eliana Crescentia

Interactions: None
Mentions: Various
​

Humming along the woman takes her own time to look out the window every so often. So far things were going well, the man she was tasked with guarding was fairly quiet and seemed to enjoy staring out at the scenery, the fact he didn't want to move around made her work all the more easy. Seated immediately next to her was a rather large man in stature at least, if she recalled he was some sort of royalty. To her front were instructors from the Academy, of some renown to put it lightly, she didn't worry too much about them making any moves. Then lastly with a slow turn of her head followed with a stretch were the final six in the room, or train car really.

The Bartender, the man he was serving and the four at the table. A fellow burned lady who had an odd manner of speech, a young girl that seemed to be of no relation to those around, what seemed to be a dragon tamer, and lastly another man or woman. Eliana wasn't exactly sure in this case. That group somewhat aroused her suspicions but there was no reason to directly confront them as the other man made his way to them playing some sort of game.

Stretching her two upper arms up and above with fingers interlocked and the two below and out the woman lets out a soft yawn, making it seem she was just stretching rather than studying those around her, returning her body to normal and her attention forward, it was suddenly that the the train would come to a halt rather suddenly and somewhat violently, jerking all else forward. "Huh.. Wonder what that's about." She says aloud and to no one in particular. A part of her wished to see why they had stopped, but for now her place was here, least the other decided to move about.

 

[Itari]

The chase after the escape was quite fun. She had never been on an airship before, but her knowledge of sailing still helped. The steering was left to Omen while Sasha ran around following his instructions and translating the sailor lingo for the others. After they had safely lost their persuiers, Sasha had immediately gone to look for food and a place to nap. Rummaging around the ship's supplies yielded her a bag of some very dry jerky. She immediately stuffed a handful of the food in her mouth. It was a bit of a mistake. The meat was unbelievably tough and it felt like no matter how much she chewed she couldn't get it to a point where she could comfortably swallow. Spitting it out though would be a waste. Suddenly she felt the ship lurch and heard Omen call for her. Well she hadn't expected the ship to last forever.

Cap'n!" Sasha responded to Omen's call and ran over to him, her mouth full of the meat rations. Man these things were tough. Her jaw was starting to get sore. She gratefully accepted the cup of water Omen gave her and raised an eyebrow at him. "You don't really think I'd leave the crew do you? Getting arrested and breaking out of prison was the most fun I've had in months! Are you not coming back with me to Lucilla?" Shewaved to Arturo and Theo as they emerged from the below decks where the engine was and then peered down at the ground below, "You guys want some beef jerky? Are we back in Enia right now? That's the train right? I've heard it takes your right to the capital. If we're lucky maybe we can get on." There was a note of excitement in her voice as she talked. Jumping on a train. Another thing she had never done. Even better would be if they could jump out of the airship directly on top of the train. Wouldn't that be fun?

They were falling at a good speed, with the bow starting to tilt slightly to the ground. It seemed the engines had enough in them to at least stop them for falling and crash landing to their deaths.

@TheQueensGuard @Sketching101 @Jess Incognito

 

[Polaris North]

Willow Howst​

Interacting with: @TheQueensGuard @Sketching101 @Jess Incognito @ItariChan
Location: Airship
​

Willow wasn't a stranger to overnight hunts and walks. Especially in this case where they didn't actually have to physically run to get away from their captors - but they were relentless and they couldn't stop for a moment. Not to refuel. Not to find any sort of food. None of them were well fed and they'd been running on fumes for the past few hours. Willow believed that she was resilient, but if it goes any further, she doubted she could work efficiently and in top performance.

Still, she managed to put aside the thoughts of hunger in favor of learning the airship controls with Omen. It'd be in their best interests to have at least three people to rotate with when maneuvering the airship just in case one of them needed a rest. She knew Sasha was capable too but Willow had always wondered how they operated these kinds of vehicles.

Curiously, she couldn't get the face of the prince-general's companion back then. She looked so much like the elusive Elodie that Willow couldn't help but convince herself that it was her. But it didn't seem like she recognized either Theo or herself, or were they just too far for her to see? Questioning the templar - Jacques - about it only yielded with him raising an eyebrow and just saying that Elle was part of the prince-general's group. No one questions the prince's decisions so they just went with it when she came back with the girl.

An explosion followed by a shudder snapped Willow out of her thoughts. She watched as Theo headed down to the boiler room where Arturo was. She whistled. "Looks like we're going down huh?" She idly mused but at least they weren't going at a speed where it would seem like they'd die from the crash. And even if they were, Theo could probably portal them out of there or she could fly them down one by one.

"Find a good landing area?" She asked, approaching Omen to scan the landscape before them.

Jacques Lumoise​

Interacting with: @ItariChan @Jess Incognito @TheQueensGuard @Sketching101
Location: Airship
​

Jacques would like to think that he's made worse decisions in his life - like, following family tradition and turning away from the blatantly immoral practices of the templars. However, running away with a bunch of polymorphs he barely knew - due to them being new to the prison - was surely up there in terms of bad decision making.

At least they acknowledged the fact that he helped them escape and was currently, probably, wanted by the templars so they didn't seem to find the need to leave him behind or throw him out of the ship. And Arturo was there - at least there was someone that he did actually know in the group, even if the man was apprehensive in putting back some form of trust into Jacques which he completely understands.

Jacques kept a lookout for the prince's crew who were hot on their heels back then. It had been a few hours since he's seen the ships so it was likely that they had finally escaped. He leaned onto the railings and watched as the young bespectacled boy, Theo, came out and praised seeing land again. Jacques looked over his shoulder and found that he was right, they could finally land and get supplies.

But the dreading explosion from the boiler room made him let out a huff of breath. He didn't expect the damn thing to run for very far so he supposed it was a miracle it took them this far. The ship began descending slowly and he idly wondered if he should get back to the others. Well, it would be for the best to know what the plan was - if they were supposed to split up or if they were going to stick with each other until the next town.

He made his way to the others but made no remark of his presence, simply standing to the side to hear their thoughts.

 

[Sketching101]

Beaureve Needle, Near the Montacier Stop - 14:37​

Mentions: @TheQueensGuard, @Izurich, @Hecatty, @Flame, @RedArmyShotgun, @Malfis
Interactions:

After a few minutes passed, another announcement came through the speakers. BZZT "Hello, again, this is your conductor speaking," the voice said, followed by the sound of a throat clearing. "It would seem it will be another few hours before we can continue on our journey. In the meanti--" BZZT "--rvice at the lounge is susp--" BZZZZT "--pologize for the inconvenience." BZZT "...." BZZT "What's wrong with --" BZZT.

Hearing the last part of the announcement, the barman put away the open wine bottles in the cold-boxes, and started cleaning up without a word. "Fooey!" yelled Rayan, the elderly professor of divination. He stood up to his towering full height, and walked through the front door of the carriage. The other two professors got up as well, with Robillard, the Aerothurgy professor walking through the back door, and Méndez, the Chronomancy professor, following Rayan.

The young woman sitting at the table Kade had approached was watching the man and the young girl intently, as though she hadn't heard the announcement at all. Similarly, the old man sitting across Eliana seemed to be mostly unperturbed, even as the barman was subtly giving them the stink-eye.

ROOM ASSIGNMENTS

Rooms through the front door: Rayan, Méndez, Eliana, Eliana's client, Kade, and Konstantin.
Rooms through the back door: Erica, Eldhi, Winona, Robillard, blond woman with burn mark

Unnamed Templar Airship, 09:37 - Theo Russell​

Mentioned: @TheQueensGuard, @ItariChan, @Polaris North
Interacted: @Jess Incognito

"There's nothing more I can do. We'd better get off this level before she goes down."

Theo gave a curt nod. "Probably best that we do," he said, and turned to climb back up. Once they got up top, a gust of hot wind flowed out of the room with another loud bang. "In fact, we might want to get off the ship altogether, before we start plummeting," he said as he tried to clean the fog off his glasses with his shirt. He put them back on, and turned to Arturo. He seemed to be about to say something when his gaze locked onto something in the distance, over Arturo's shoulder. "Isn't that--?"

In the distance, the clouds split apart in a flash of light. The tired airship suddenly cracked into two, separating the front and back. Near the helm, Omen, Sasha, and Willow, were thrown back from the ship, beginning their descent. Right next to the gash that split the ship apart, Arturo, Theo, and Jacques felt their feet separate from the wood of the ship with the impact. The front of the ship started falling as well, rather than simply floating downward as it was before.

Before Theo could get his bearings to realize what happened, what remained of the ship was blasted to splinters with a similar impact as before.

NOTE

The fall is ~200 meters. Willow, Sasha, and Omen were thrown in the same direction as one of the pillars holding the train tracks. Jacques, Arturo, and Theo are in free fall, but they have tons of debris from stuff like the hull of the ship, the engine, the cannons, the cargo etc.

 

[Izurich]

Interaction: Flame TheQueensGuard​

Mentioned: TheQueensGuard​

"I see, what a peculiar coincidence." The tanned blonde murmured with a gloved hand lightly rubbing her chin in an intrigued manner. This was definitely one of those events that made one think the world was quite small. Whether the concept of fate truly existed or not, this was certainly an pleasant coincidence. Eldhi had heard good things about Prince Eric. While she wouldn't say that out loud due to respective Erica being her own individual and thus it wasn't fair to compare the siblings, the warrior-noble would be lying if Eric's reputation didn't somewhat affect her impression of Erica.

"Hmmm, she's a bastard child then." She mused in her thoughts as to her understanding, the Enian royalty were supremely strict and meticulous in managing their lineage. Although even that was debatable due to... His Royal Majesty's extreme virility. Out of those fifty, sixty, hundreds, who-knows-at-this point princes and princesses sired by him, certainly not all of them could be of the same royal pedigree. It was a public secret that everyone knew but no one dared to critique openly for fear of high treason.

This would mean that Erica was one of those unwanted children among the many, how unfortunate. Eldhi would hate to be in her position as she preferred to let her figurative and literal wings soar freely. It was sad... but, what could she do? Well, if she - somehow - managed to achieve her goal of toppling the royal rule, then perhaps... "..." For the moment, she kept that thought to herself as she reached out to grab and shake Erica's hand with her own gloved one. "I, Eldhi of House Arc, am honored to meet you as well, Lady Erica."

She didn't claim royal blood so calling her "Princess" would likely offend her.

---

Meanwhile, one of the Eldhi's mini blue dragons, specifically Levia the female and inquisitive one, swished her ribboned scaly tail curiously. She found her attention taken by the card trick show that Kade was performing on the table right beside her mistress'. Just like an excitable puppy, she was seemingly infected by Winona's enthusiasm as Levia soared off Eldhi's right shoulder and proceed to perch on top of the young necromancer's large pointy hat! Her long neck peering at the colorful cards laid on the table by Kade.

"Skree..." This elicited an unamused quiet screech from Rev, the male dragon perched on Eldhi's left shoulder. He was used to his twin sister's antics by now. Secretly, he wished he could tell Eldhi to just desummon her when she's being a little hyper lizard like this.

This happened at roughly the same time as another set of announcement from the - apparently malfunctioning - speakers. Eldhi quirked an eyebrow, now starting to get annoyed at the provided service, but also, a bit of concern. Why? The conductor's voice sounded higher-pitched than before. How peculiar... "It seems lounge service is suspended," She mentioned to Erica, "However, did you notice anything strange about the conductor's voice? ...eh?" It was at this moment that she realized Levia was no longer on her right shoulder. She swiveled her head to the side, widening her red eyes a bit when she saw the female dragon so casually invading another person's personal space.

"Levia, cease that at once!" She commanded as the offending dragon yipped then jump-soared back to Eldhi's shoulder. With a grit of her teeth, a deep inhale, then a long exasperated sigh, she dipped her head a bit at Winona, "My sincerest apologies, young lady."

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Eliana Crescentia
Interactions: @Sketching101
Mentions: Various​

Listening to the scattered speech of the conductor, now Eliana's interest was very much focused on this little delay. More so given it conflicted with what he said before.. More so with the delay now stretching into hours and the service of the barkeep being suspended, that puzzled her for sure. Narrowing her eyes it made little sense to her, but at the same time now was not the time to explore. There was a hint of panic in the conductors voice as well, or at least a rising shift in tone, something was not right there and for now she had a job to do, one which did not allow for her to explore.

More so given who she was guarding. Speaking of that, she now had an awkward position to be in. Standing up, the woman bows, using her lower arms to lift her "skirt" lightly at the sides, while keeping the front fold down with her upper hands. "Y.." Pausing for a bit, Eliana considered how to address her employer, whom she was entrusted with guarding the life of. If the man wished to be difficult there was little she could do and truth be told, this was not the sort of job one person alone should be doing, no matter how skilled they may or may not be. If anything the pressure of it was barely outweighed by the honor and potential.

"Sir. We should head back to the rooms, though by all means if you wish to stay here I'll make sure you are not disturbed. But if you would like to return to your room, I will of course accompany you." It would likely be a strange site seeing what was normally considered a personal representation of the Goddess bowing to another. Whoever this man was he was likely of some importance, likely a minor Governing official if one considered how plainly he was dressed and lack of fanfare, but a noble none the less.

"I can make arrangements if you are not ready, but the others are also leaving, so it may not be best to stay here, the barkeep might need to clean the car. Is there anything you may need sir?" She says in a respectul manner, curous to how he would take being told to leave, if not in a round about fashion

 

[TheQueensGuard]

Kade Bernaut
Beaureve Needle
Interaction: @Hecatty @Izurich ​

Pocketing the coins with a smile, Kade nodded his thanks and began shuffling the deck. "You won't regret the investment! Always good to know what future Lady Luck has in store for you!" Throwing a little flair into shuffling, he sprung the cards from one hand to the other before drawing the first card. It depicted an armored woman, a sword and shield strapped to her back as she faced away towards the sun. "Interesting!"
Kade proclaimed, laying the card on the table for her and anyone close by too see. A small golden channel of light glowed from the corners of the card with the wave of his hand and the card began moving. The sun gave off a dim glow, the womans hair blew in an invisible wind and her eye open'd with a knowing glance before closing again. "It seems the good lady has an adventure in your future! Now this may mean spiritually or physically but keep in mind all good adventures have trials and tribulations with them." He paused to point towards the sun. "However the sun is shining true. Things will fair well for you and in the end it will bring you good fortune and happiness."

Returning to shuffling the deck, the glow an animations from the adventures card came to a slow stop as the magic wore off. Setting another card beside the first, this one was relatively plain. It was entirely black with white spider webbing traced through out. Kade grew solemn some, letting his demeanor darken some. "Trails and tribulations indeed." Once again a golden glow emitted from the card as he waved a hand over it. At first nothing happened, then a large spider descended from the top of the card. Green venom oozed from its mouth, its many eyes staring out of the card appearing to look directly at whoever looked at the card. "The Spider. It can symbolize creativity, beauty, or what I believe it is be saying in your case...." He paused again for dramatic effect, pointing to the venom dripping from the spiders mouth. "You will likely face your greatest fear. A trial of sorts."

As the magic faded from the card, the spider ascended back up and disappeared from view, leaving only the webbing behind on the card. He began shuffling once again, this time twirling one card in between his fingers before setting it on the table. Kade smiled once again.
"The Snake." The familiar golden glow appeared on the card, this time a snake sat curled through a fern, its tongue flicking out every so often, a small hiss accompanying the card. "Notice how the snake doesn't bare its fangs. It is a sign of growth, not of ill omens." He knelt down to eye level with the young girl. "It is telling you-" Kade stopped mid-sentence, distracted by the addition of a blue wyvern landing on the girls pointed hat.

"I uh.." He stammered, blinking a few times as he tried to regain focus once again. "That once you go through this adventure and face your fears you will, like a snake, shed your skin and be reborn into a better version of yourself." He said the last bit rather hurriedly, but gaveher a smile and wink. "Seems like you have a bright future ahead of you Miss!" Scooping up the cards and shuffling them back in your deck. Kade smiled, satisfied with the story he told Winona.

Of course it was all bullshit. The only magic in the cards was his own doing and none of it was capable of reading any ones future. Purely made to entertain and score a few easy coins. The youngin' would likely get to Cartetoile, visit whatever family member or schooling she was going to the city for and live whatever mundane life she would live without any sort of actual adventure. At least Kade gave her a fun story to tell people whenever she arrived to her destination.
The intercom came on again as Kade shuffled the cards effortlessly in his hand.
It would seem it will be another few hours before we can continue on our journey. In the meanti--" BZZT "--rvice at the lounge is susp--" BZZZZT "--pologize for the inconvenience." BZZT "...." BZZT "What's wrong with --" BZZT.

Kade frowned, annoyed once again at the buzzing. He could entertain himself a bit longer, maybe even make some more money."Well now that we all have some time to kill, would anyone else like their fortune read for a few coins?" He announced, hoping the spectacle he put on with the young girl would garner the interest of some of the other passengers. "How about you madame?" He said addressing the blonde haired woman with the burn make on her face. She seemed to had been concentrating on him pretty hard when he was telling the story. "Or perhaps you and your little fliers would like a glimpse of what fate has to offer?" He said, looking towards the owner of the two little dragons. Kades smirk was friendly yet cocky as he scanned the room. Some of the other guests were heading to their rooms but Kade was hoping for a little more social interaction. He'd been craving it since the train ride started and now seemed like the perfect time.​

Omen Bridger
Templar Airship
Interaction: @ItariChan @Polaris North
​

"Good." Omen said with a small smile, as Sasha agreed that she would be staying with his crew. It was the most facial expression Omen would muster, aside from annoyance or anger. As Sasha started talking to other members of the crew, Omen glanced towards Jacques standing to the side. The smile was replaced with a glare as the captain let out an annoyed breath. He let the others know he didn't approve of the ex-Templar riding alongside them, even if he had helped free them.
Maybe he had a hand in destroying the airships engine. Slow us down so the Temps' could catch up easier.
He thought to himself.

Willow's voice grabbed his attention as she asked. "Find a good landing area yet?" Omen shook his head, walking to the side of the ship to look down. "Hopefully on the water but no certain area. This ship isn't too precise to begin with so it'll make landing gently a hard trick to pull off." Omens gravely voice responded, eyes scanning the landscape below. "What will you do after this Willow?" He asked, glancing back to the woman. He'd need more hands on his ship after the attack, and people Omen tolerated tended to be few. She had shone interest in learning how to pilot and navigate a ship; perhaps she'd like to continue her training on the Galley. "I could use-"

Before he could offer her the position, a loud crack echo'd from the ship in the middle. Omen felt himself being tossed back off the ship, and for a moment he managed to catch himself on the railing before his fingers slipped off and he began plummeting to the ground below.​

 

[Hecatty]

From the moment Kade shuffled his deck, Winona's undivided attention belonged to the cards. Leaning forward in her chair. Inquisitive eyes locked on the image of an armored woman. Awaiting an explanation she couldn't begin to fathom herself. As the card began moving, the whole experience became infinitely more engaging. Inherently, magic was so cool! She knew her craft but seeing unfamiliar magic still filled her eyes with a childlike wonder. As if she'd never witnessed anything magical in her life before this moment.

Her locked-on gaze didn't falter even as Kade began explaining. Yet, she took in every bit of information the man had to tell her. Her adventure would bring her happiness… That had to mean she could stop the ongoing civil war. After all, people couldn't be happy fighting all day, right? And on top of that, she wouldn't ever be happy while all the fighting continued. Yes! Her exciting train of through slammed on the brakes when the second card appeared on the table.

One that, at first glance, would be an image she could do without. Not because spiders were scary or anything, but it was less sparkling and pretty than the other one. The explanation of the card matched the energy of the image. "Greatest fear…" she murmured to herself, "That's alright, I'm not scared! I ca-" While her mind ran wild, the cards reminded her to curb her enthusiasm and pay attention. This was important information. No time for distractions!

Next up was a card with a snake on it. It seemed like another bad card, but the explanation suggested differently. As Kade knelt before her, Winona's eyes lit up. Sparkling with wonder. "Ye- HEY!" Suddenly, blackness. Something had pushed her hat down over her eyes. "Who turned off the lights?!" she questioned. Pushing up the rim of her hat with some effort from both hands. Whatever it was, it was still there. While she still had sight, she quickly scanned the seats. Everybody was still where they were before. Then, who? Wait, where'd-

Upon realizing what had caused her hat to grow so heavy, she gasped shortly. Going as far as to hold her breath. Anything to not disturb the dragon sitting on her head. For a moment she managed to keep composure, and then her expression changed to a goofy grin. "Ehm- hello? Mister, or maybe Miss, dragon? Did you come to watch the cards too?" No direct response. Maybe dragons didn't understand humans? Regardless, Winona's expression clearly showed she was more than happy to hold up her hat while the dragon sat atop it.

Having slightly overcome the draconic distraction, she once again tried to focus on the cards. And even though it was the last one, it proved infinitely more difficult. Yet, between the two, future trumped dragon. For now. After Kade finished the explanation for the final card, she attempted to nod. Almost tipping forward thanks to the added weight on her head. "Th- thanks for telling the future! I'll remember it, I promise!" She chimed. Managing to politely thank the man before completely disregarding him, and anything else in existence, in favor of the dragon. She even missed the follow-up announcement coming from the speakers. Completely distracted by trying to figure out how to get her hands on this dragon without disturbing it.

It took the command of the dragon's owner to break her undivided attention. Pulling her hands back and letting the hat fall over her eyes again in the process. "I'm sorry, I didn't do anything!" she hurriedly responded. Realizing the command wasn't directed at her when she felt the weight lift off her hat. Pushing up the hat for the second time, it felt light again. Something which disappointed her a bit. With her sight returned she immediately turned her eyes to the lady. Finding her, to Winona's surprise, dipping her head at her. Accompanied by an apology. "For… what?" she questioned with a prominent confusion in her voice. Had something happened while she'd been blinded? "Did something happen?"

Mentions: -
Interactions: @TheQueensGuard @Izurich

 

[Flame]

For a moment, the fortune telling show caught Erica's attention, distracting her from the conversation at hand as she raised an eyebrow at the moving cards and what the man said. She knew it was ironic for one living in a world such as this to not believe in the concept of fate, and the ability to foretell things given the existence of magics so strong that one could shape the very world around them, but... to her the only magic to be found in these cards were the illusions that made them glamorous, not their ability to foretell the future... after all, would a real future-telling spell not require a more sophisticated ritual than this, a simple pull of the cards? Truly, this fortune reading was nothing more than a show meant to entertain individuals and relieve them of their coin... but, she wasn't exactly upset by the events unfolding before her... after all, the show had been cheap, and it was a good show. It partly nagged at her inside to want to shell out some coins herself, if not to see what he might say... but there were other matters at hand to attend to than card tricks.

Erica had been so distracted by the whirl of events happening around her, namely individuals around this train car getting up and leaving, and the strange fortune-telling man's card reading that she hadn't paid too close attention to the announcement, other than what had been said, not the tone. Eldhi had brought to her attention, however, that something might not entirely been right with the broadcast-ed announcement, perhaps something was amiss up front? Unfortunately, she hadn't paid good enough attention to their tone of voice to parse any educated guesses herself, but if Eldhi thought there was something more to the announcement, then maybe there wasn't some sort of track obstruction or damage after all? That was the only reason she could think of for such an abrupt stop, and of course, the announcement that their delay might be hours. But why would they order this car to be closed for service? If they were simply going to clean the tracks or call for service, they didn't need to shut down service in this car... unless their intent was to force passengers to be in their rooms. It didn't add up.

Erica's calm look soured for just a moment as she considered that something might be amiss. "Now that you bring it to my attention, I am... concerned about what may have caused our stop.", Erica paused, glancing over to the bartender, who was preparing the bar to be closed. "I am not sure what you might've heard in the message, but, it got me thinking... Why would they close service on this car? If we were to wait for the tracks to be cleared or repaired, why would closing this car be necessary?", she sighed, tapping her chin as she closed her eyes to think. "It does not add up. I... wouldn't want to make any rash assumptions, but wouldn't you say they are encouraging us to return to our rooms and wait? But why... I can only assume the problem halting this train's progress is not a matter of maintenance, but rather people.", she stated her guess carefully... she could be dead wrong, maybe even to the point of causing unnecessary unrest, especially with a child right next to her, but she couldn't in good conscience not share her worries with them.

"If... such is the case, then I doubt it is the wisest decision to return to our rooms at this time, wouldn't you say?", she asked as she began to rise from her seat, and affix the sheathed rapier she'd detached from her belt to more comfortably sit back in it's proper location on her belt. A particularly observant individual who knew Eric from the past might've noticed that the design of the ornate basket hilt was uncannily, almost exactly so, like the sword of that prince... or perhaps a sister-sword to it.

Erica glanced over to the fortune teller, and the young girl that ha been seated beside her. "My apologies, miss, but I'll be needing to pass through. Would you mind?", she asked the girl. She turned back to Eldhi once more as she passed through to the main walkway. "I can't say I'm the best equipped to handle a situation like this if I'm right... but if people are going to get hurt, I can't just stand idly by either... I wouldn't blame you for doing whatever it takes to ensure your own safety, but as...", she paused, realizing she was about to say something Eric would have said. "I believe it is my duty to help those who may be unable to help themselves. I feel I must investigate... If I am wrong, It would be quite the relief, wouldn't it?", she finished stating with a confident smile, before turning to walk up the walkway, towards the front end of the train. Would it be best to walk up the train or step outside? If a fight ensued, she might have the advantage in the narrow halls of this train with her weapon of choice.

 

[Izurich]

Interaction: Flame Hecatty TheQueensGuard​

Mentioned: None​

For what...? Now that was a respond that Eldhi didn't expect, but certainly welcomed. This young girl was the innocent and cheerful fellow, Eldhi concurred, and thus, didn't take offense to Levia's little stunt as a personal offense. However, the dragon still made a mistake and would have to be scolded later, regardless of Winona being offended or not. What if the dragon did it to someone less tolerant? "For my friend's actions, young lady. She disturbed both your privacy and activity." The tanned girl said with a polite tone as she straightened back up. "I will teach her to be more considerate next time."

Then, she turned her attention to the suave man also wearing a - smaller - rimmed hat like green-eyed girl. She assumed he was referring to her when he mentioned 'little fliers', she was right. "Fortune telling, I see..." Eldhi knew about it, in fact, it would quite unlikely for civilized individuals to not know what fortune telling is. It was just whether someone truly believed in it or realize what it truly was, a show meant to entertain an audience, not literally discerning future events. "Perhaps another time, good sir." She politely declined. In casual circumstances, she would humor the performer and be entertained.

However, there was still the rather urgent matter of the train having problems, the lounge service being closed, and that strange pitch to the announcer's voice earlier. In fact, Erica had similar concerns. With a slight frown of her brows, she listened to what the brunette woman had to say. "I concur... when you put it that way, things are quite suspicious." One might think she and Erica were being too paranoid, public transportation having delays and/or disruptions were nothing new and, while unfortunate, were always a possibility. Eldhi wouldn't fault them for thinking as such. Still, her gut instinct was telling her something was just not right.

"I'm coming with you." Eldhi announced bluntly as she moved to walk with Erica, heading toward the front locomotive through the central walkways. "My family are martial warriors, I can handle myself in hostile situations." That bit of trivia should hopefully be enough to ascertain Erica about her capabilities. With a small gesture of her left hand, the two summoned dragons went on alert, swiveling their necks around for any signs of trouble. Her right hand wrapped around the grip of the longsword stored on her back, ready to brandish them upon a moment's notice.

"Indeed, let us hope we are wrong..."

 

[Polaris North]

Willow Howst​

Interacting with: @TheQueensGuard @ItariChan
Location: F A L L I N G​

Willow let out a small sigh at the idea that it would be a rough landing if ever. She tilted her head in curiosity as Omen continued on to ask her about her future plans. Aside from helping Theo find Elodie - which they honestly might have already which posed a very different set of problems - Willow didn't really have much to go off on. She was sent to this world by her father with little to no instructions so she wandered for a long time. Before she could voice out any of her thoughts, however, the ship suddenly broke in half.

She was thrown violently off the ship - but it only took her a moment to recover. Every second counted now that they were in the air instead of solid ground. For a second time, her body shifted into that of a dragon's - scales lined her body and two wings sprouted off her back. She wasted no time in trying to slow herself down as she spotted Sasha and Omen falling near her. She sucked in her breath as the next thing she saw was the pillar they were going to collide with.

She immediately tucked her wings in to get to Omen and Sasha, reaching out to the both of them and grabbing them by whatever limb was closest to her before immediately trying to change their direction so they would miss the pillar while simultaneously trying to slow their fall down.

Jacques Lumoise​

Interacting with: @Jess Incognito @Sketching101
Location: F A L L I N G
​

There didn't seem to be a dull moment with this group and Jacques couldn't be any more tired of it. As if the ship malfunctioning wasn't enough, something had shot right through the ship - halving it and sending three of their members into the sky. He couldn't even let out a curse before he, Arturo and Theo were subjected to the same thing as the rest of the ship seemed to blow up before them.

With the wind roaring against his ears and the ground coming up at a worryingly fast rate, Jacques needed to think fast. He made a motion with his hands and the engine floated towards him and he grabbed onto it. "Grab onto this!" He shouted out as he brought the engine closer to them and hopefully within arm's length so that they could grab on. Once they were secure, he tried to slow down the descent of the engine as much as he can. At least so they don't splatter onto the ground.

He did not go through all that trouble escaping the Templars only to die at the last second.

 

[Jess Incognito]

ARTURO LEONE

mentions: @Sketching101 @Polaris North
interactions:

Art followed Theo's gaze over his own shoulder, but felt the floorboards go out from under him before he could find out where it went. For ten seconds he heard nothing but the distressed cracking of the ship as it was torn to pieces and the whoosh of wind as it was carried off; he saw nothing but debris flying past as the general dimness of the ship tore into the bright light of daytime.

And then he was falling, wind dragging on his clothes and limbs, simultaneously dropping faster than he could comprehend and suspended in mid-air with the wreckage of the ship peppering the sky.

He couldn't make out Jacques' words, but the sound of his voice righted the world's up and down. When the engine block swung into reach, Arturo grabbed for it same as the others and climbed up, where he clung to it, afraid to move a muscle. Their falling slowed relative to surrounding debris, but he wasn't certain it would be enough.


​

 

[Itari]

Sasha's first instinct when the ship broke apart was to use her trusty rope and grappling hook she kept on her leg. Except she had lost it in the fight against the giant clockworker. She swore as and she attempted to turn her body in the air to look for anything she could use. Thankfully, she had been knocked in the same direction as Willow who could very conveniently turn into a dragon. She managed to reach out and grabbed Willows hand, while Willow grabbed Omen who had been blown in the same direction as them. They were heading towards one of the pillars on the side of the tracks and Willow seemed to be struggling to keep the three of them from plummeting towards their deaths. Crash into a pillar or crash into the ground? Sasha decided the former sounded better. "Willow go towards the pillar but don't hit it! I can use it to slow our fall!"

Sasha used her own Sopia, 8 large tentacles growing from her waist. As they neared the pillar, the tentacles reached out to grab onto it, using the suction cups to help slow their fall. With Willow's help, she managed to get the three of them to crash in a heap at the base of the pillar bruised but alive. Sasha groaned and rolled out from the heap. She hurt all over. "Is everyone alive?"

 

[Sketching101]

Beaureve Needle, Near the Montacier Stop - 14:40​

Mentions: @Hecatty
Interactions: @RedArmyShotgun, @TheQueensGuard, @Izurich, @Flame

Old Man's Contemplation

The old man considered Eliana's words, turning away from the window for the first time in hours. He only spoke up once Erica finished talking. "I'd grown quite comfortable here," he said, with a deep, booming voice. He waited for a few seconds before slowly getting up to his feet. "However, I suppose it cannot be helped." He pushed back his chair and gestured to the front door, his piercing gaze locked onto Erica, even though he was clearly still talking to Eliana. "I would like to see what is going on as well. Let us join this young princeling and brute in their inquiry, Eliana."

Across the corridor, as Erica and Eldhi prepared to leave, the scarred young woman stretched her hand over to the man, and opened her fist to reveal two gold coins. "Would you tell my fortune as well, ser?" she said enthusiastically.

The bartender left promptly after everyone who was planning on leaving got up to their feet.

Falling, 09:37:10 - Theo Russell​

Mentioned: @TheQueensGuard, @ItariChan, @Polaris North
Interacted: @Jess Incognito, @Polaris North

It took Theo a few seconds to gather his bearings, and once he managed to recover, he let out a shrill shriek. They were already more than half way down to the ground. When he saw the engine drifting toward him and Arturo, he reached out to grab it with his right hand, while throwing up his left.

"C'mon, come on..." he muttered to himself. Jacques, Arturo, and Theo, seemed to be slowing down in their descent, for the short few seconds before they came crashing down. The engine slammed into the top of a large tree, breaking free of the three men's grips, letting them tumble down through the tree's branches. Theo fell on the ground with some cuts on his cheeks and forehead, and a shallow cut on his left eyelid, with his now empty glass frame lying nearby. The young man forced himself to sit up, clutching his chest. "Is everyone ok?" he called out shakily, looking around and trying to see where the others were. As he got to his feet, he stumbled as the ground shook for a brief moment with a large crash. One half of the ship had fallen just a few dozen meters away, having flattened some of the younger trees of the forest they found themselves in.

NOTE FOR SASHA, OMEN, WILLOW

From where you three are, you can now see a familiar airship emerging from the clouds. The Pious Wayfarer, Prince Thibault's flagship, and the ship you were brought to Sunderlake Prison on. It doesn't seem to be preparing another attack, and is moving toward the city.