Pirate Age: The Golden Era

[Fox of Hearts]

Location: Reinout Herdenkingspark

Runali, Amaiya, Chester and Cassidy

Cassidy hovered eagerly against the side of the sky gondola. She couldn't help grinning as she enjoyed the feeling of her hair whipping in the wind. Humming happily, she grabbed two mugs of the hot chocolate from the stand and sauntered over to Runali, Chester and Amaiya. "These are for you. They're free for all passengers so drink as much as you want," Cass winked. "Yesterday it was mulled wine and in the evening a hearty chowder."

Sitting down on an empty spot on the bench, Jack's sister sighed happily as she felt the warmth coming from the crackling fires inside the bronze brazier. "Bonifaas sure has changed a lot since the last time Jack visited. During winter months, tiny huts are set up around town where you can warm up before continuing on your errands. I heard that they keep the fires going at night so the homeless have a decent shelter. Haven't seen it myself but it doesn't surprise me. The Prince Consort and his children really care about the people."

She helped herself to a mug of hot chocolate as well when the gondola staff passed by with a laden tray. "Did you feel the warm mist earlier? It comes from hidden pipes built into the buildings along the street. Gets released every hour or so to keep temperatures tolerable. I heard they were installing the same fixtures along the canals as well. Really can't wait for them to be done. It'll keep the commuting more pleasant after Yulemas."

"Yeaaaaah," she tapered off. It didn't feel like the friendly chatter was appreciated even though she hoped to take their minds off things during the ride. She hummed appreciatively as she drained the last of her drink. "If you look to your left after this stop, you should see Reinout Herdenkingspark."

Not wanting to spoil the surprise, Cass replaced her empty cup with a full on from a passing tray. She stood up and inclined her head. The rows of narrow townhouses thinned out gradually, leaving fields covered in a blanket of fresh snow. Black, naked trees reached for the skies like grabbing hands but these were far and few in between. The cobbled paths below met the foot of a large dome of glass and bronze, looking very much like a colourful snow globe. Even from this far away, they could see trees from warmer temperate countries growing luxuriantly inside. Birds flying around behind the glass added flashes of colour among the greenery. Chester seemed extremely fascinated by the birds.

"Reinout Memorial Park was rebuilt into this greenhouse. It's usually nice and quiet inside," she commented with a slight frown. "Seems to be busy today for some reason," she added as she motioned to the people flocking towards the entrances on the ground floor.

The three women disembarked on the platform. Cass led the captain and her first mate towards a winding, metal staircase. She paused at the very top of the stairs when she realised where the crowds were gathering. "Looks like people are gathering around the statue of Saint Agony. Hope we'll be able to find Jemima in this crowd."

They were on the landing on the third floor when a small boy caught their attention. Runali would have no problem recognising Levon; he hadn't changed much since he took his last photo. The boy had climbed onto the pedestal and peered at the woman's face. He tiptoed and reached out with his handkerchief. Having caught Ru's expression, Cass realised this must be the child accompanying Jemima. However, his mother was nowhere in sight.

"Look!" she exclaimed suddenly, grabbing Amaiya's arm.

Standing close to the boy was a young man in a hooded coat. Based on the colour and cutting of his pants, he appeared to be a Navy cadet. Cassidy felt a chill running down her spine when she noticed a number of Navy officers mixed in with the crowd. She chewed her lips as she figured out what to say. She couldn't figure out why the Navy would put a young cadet in such a position. The Stardusk were clearly beyond anything he could handle.

"Let me know how I can help?" She offered after much deliberation. "I can get closer to the kid easily without them suspecting a thing. They don't know that I know you."

"Rrrraow," Chester echoed. His intelligent eyes looking towards Amaiya as he waited for her or Runali to give him his instructions. He had promised Jack, for some cream of course, to be the liaison for this group.

"It is a pretty view." The captain had been relatively quiet for the most of the trip, offering small nods or requests for cocoa to fight off the chill. "Be on your guard." She commented at one point as they looked out from the gondola. She adjusted Coral's sling as they began to walk, and Runali made the effort to keep her hood up and not attract too much attention- for once. She was mistaken for a noble once, she wasn't sure how many times she could get away with that- especially with the Navy roaming about.

"That's definitely him - Jem's kid." Runali told the two women. "A mother never strays too far away from her kid… Unless the kid is being babysat." She pointed towards the Navy cadet. "Would be helpful if you kept him distracted. Nothing to cause attention, just to keep his attention for a few minutes." She made a soft click with her tongue to get Chester's attention. When she felt the familiar weight, she reached up and scratched his side. "Go unnoticed. Warn us if any navy soldiers get too close. Follow me." She gestured to Amaiya, moving away from Cassidy and falling in step with the crowd. Every now and then, she'd glance at the kid, keeping his attention without drawing more, up until she and Amaiya disappeared completely into the hustle and bustle.

The two appeared on the opposite side of Levon and Runali quickly put a finger to her lips to keep him quiet. "You're growing up as a navy soldier, like your mom huh? Tsk, tsk not fun at all." Her voice was low but she still teased. "You've seen Amai- hm, Alicia in the posters before, right?" She gestured over to Amaiya and quickly looked back where the cadet had been to make sure they weren't noticed. When the coast was clear, she spoke again. "We'll have to chat a bit later little Lev, I need to know where your mom is. Do you know where we can find her?"

"Don't cry, Miss."

The four-year-old did his best to wipe the bloody tears from the stone woman's face. He pouted when he realised Ems' handkerchief was soaked. Giving up, he scrunched it up in his baby hands and looked for the big brother. It was then that he noticed Runali signalling to him. His eyes widened as he tried puzzling who that was. He couldn't really tell with the shadow over her face.

"Huh? Who you? How you know my Mommy?"

He tucked his hands behind his back and started rocking on his feet. But, he didn't inch any closer to the strange women. Ems warned him to be careful. Bad people were coming for him and they got Mommy into trouble. He glanced behind the Stardusk as he tried to find a familiar face.

"Mommy say 'Licia has w'ite 'aair. I don't see it," he offered after spotting Ems. He decided to wait until the teen got closer before running. "Won't tell you nuthing 'till I sees it."

'Meooow.' Chester alerted Ru and Amaiya.

The cadet's hand was an inch from Ru's shoulder when he leaped back. His sneaking up on them failed. Confusion threaded his brow as his hood fell off to reveal his face. He didn't get a chance to pull it back up when the onlookers recognised him. He gasped as his body turned numb. He had jeopardised the mission.

"Prince Emerens!"

"Look! It's His Highness."

 

[SilentxChaos]

​

Jack pulled his brother close, as much to silence any further protests as to provide much-needed body warmth. "If you want listen to the captain, then listen to me hm?" he whispered into Cedric's ear. "You're not a burden. You're wounded and need to allow your body to rest. You're being useful by doing that, alright?"

He looked above his brother's head to see Lily and her small nod of approval. She sat next to Luro, basking in his natural heat, arms crossed and vigilantly surveying their surroundings. Jack did, too, no longer trusting those around them. Both however blanched at Cassidy's parting words.

"Over my dead body," Jack grumbled under his breath.

Lily shook her head. Locks of orange and silver danced amid the snowflakes that had collected on her fur cloak. "I banned those pickled eggs from our quarters back in Norja. The whole place reeked of them after a jar broke and soaked into the carpet."

"The Lizard actually listened to you?" A note of surprise colored Jack's voice. "He barely listens to Mother Song."

"He shouldn't have named me as his successor if all he wanted to do was ignore my direction." There was a smirk hidden in those words, though a long time of arduous practice at checking her emotions kept it from her face. Jack heard though, and smiled knowingly.

To Luro, he said, "When we get to the Guild we'll be meeting Lazarus, or Lizard as I like to call him. He's a... family frien--"

"Jack," Lily admonished with a smile.

He rolled his eyes. "Fine. He's my eldest mother's lover, let's say, and may see me as his grandchild. Either way, he's also the Thieves' Guildmaster. He'll be able to help us out with our... many, many problems."

Overhead, a flock of crows cawed and took flight from a series of rooftops. Their hurried flight momentarily covered the sky in black feathers. Mother and son paused to look up. They watched the birds circle, then head east. Jack watched until the last tailfeather had vanished with a glower etched into his features. The birds reminded him of Adenin's own familiar -- and the message that had been left to Runali. Are they watching us now? If there was anytime to attack us, it'd be now. When we're separated and one member down. His grip tightened on Cedric.

"Jack." Lily recalled his attention. She knew what that look was saying, and cautioned him with her own hard gaze. "Lazarus will have more information for us. We'll be there soon."

"He better," was all the chef had to say. He leaned back, and watched the shoreline roll by, anxious to get to their next destination.

 

[Mizos]

​

Moving through the forest

"Watch out for wha-"
Luro said before his head bumped into a tree, a small smile found its way on the doctor's face as the shipwright held his forehead shaking a little in pain, the branches proving no problem for Zilia.
"That's why you need to-"
Zilia cut herself off as she tripped over a root only to be caught by Luro before she could fully fall, she glanced at him and remained silent at the grin on his face, she admitted she deserved that bit of Karma.
Continuing through the forest there seemed to be a fair amount of navy patrols, that made sense considering the circumstances but it still bothered her that they were on high alert. Luro's hand started moving towards his rifle but Zilia grabbed his sleeve slowly pulling it back down.
Thankfully Luro seemed to get distracted by something else, she noticed it was Jack after following his eyes. Her eyebrows lowered every so slightly seeing the change in Jack, she wanted to say something but Luro's gentle nudge forward stopped her. She looked over at him only to receive a small smile in response, she seemed to understand what he was trying to convey and Jack seemed to continue on his own, they could address the matter later if need be.

Place of safety...probably

To say Zilia was relieved to be inside where people weren't looking for them was an understatement, there wasn't much time to relax for her however, she had to check on every one of her patients, but she hoped the others would take a moment to regain their bearings, her eyes glanced over at the conversation with Amaiya but she paid little mind to it, they seem acquainted but it wasn't her concern and pursuing it out of curiosity wasn't proper right now.
When the food was served Zilia only offered a nod and smile as thanks to the assistant; she motioned to a nearby table with her head at the offer, her arms were essentially elbow deep in someone's insides, she would eat later.

Luro meanwhile was shoving whatever he could into his mouth and downing the drink that was provided to them, only looking up when he was spoken too, swallowing what was in his mouth before responding with a bright grin.
"It's hard not to enjoy food that's so good," Luro said with a small laugh. "I don't mind at all. That's the drink from Yula Fei right, it's good too."
His attention was pulled to the woman dressed in the strangely familiar clothes and he seemed to stare at her for a moment before returning to the food, only stopping once more to respond to Cassidy.
"Oh right, so I was saying the guy goes 'I'll never forgive you' and that's how I made my first friend in that town."

The dinner was well and good but somewhere along the line the familiars started getting into a fight with another animal, Luro looked up taking notice of it, though his hand was still drifting towards the buttery biscuit a few inches away. Once he took hold of it he tossed it in his mouth returning to his meal.
Zilia seemed to noticed the disturbance but only took note it wasn't heading in her direction, the fact the others weren't on high alert meant she should be safe to continue her own affairs.
The fight seemed to end as quick as it started the creatures disappearing, and upon receiving an answer on what actions should be taken about them, thanks to Jack, Luro and Zilia's attention moved to the Captain as she spoke of her 'friend'.
"Someone who wants to kill you doesn't to be friends...this lady is weird."
"There are multiple things wrong with that observation Luro," Zilia respond. "Still...she seems to have a thing for the Captain...and we can't let anything happen to Miss Jemima...anyone that survived as a Doctor of this crew deserves a long happy life."

At the mention of the strange woman's power Luro tilted his head slightly, he looked down at himself patting his body a few times before looking back up at the Captain.
"I don't have any powers so it's not a big deal if she bites me. Well maybe, I've only met a few nice cannibals after all, the rest were kind of bitey."
Luro gave a small nod at this before looking back at Zilia.
"You worried about it Z?"
Zilia didn't respond for a moment, more focused on her task but eventually spoke up.
"I'm sure we discussed about revealing my powers Luro...but I suppose all company already knows anyway."
With a small sigh Zilia continued.
"Acquiring my power in it's exact state would be more of a burden then a blessing, it's difficult to control after all. You're more likely to kill yourself than another person…that being said the Captain said similar, if she get's my power without that backlash that would be a problem."
Luro gave a small nod and seemed to wait for something but when Zilia remained quiet he spoke up once more.
"You're not gonna say anything about walking into the fun trap."
"There's no point, we know where the danger is...I expect we're walking towards it as usual...and I doubt it's fun."
"All traps are fun Z," Luro said smiling at her.

At the appearance of Lily Zilia had to stop herself from fully jumping at the sudden appearance of another person.
"...why does no one use doors anymore..." she mumbled hanging her head a bit.
Luro chuckled a bit seeing Lily and offered a wave but didn't move towards her, seeing she was in the middle of a reunion, they could talk later.
The discussion that followed caused him to lean fully on the table, though at the mention of embellishment concerning Kane'arteum his eyes glanced to the side.
With a small groan as the conversation continued he stretched fully out over the table, face first on the table with his arms out.
"I don't get all these names and stuff being said. Who's this Gerloje lady? That shooter guy is from an opera?"
"Luro...perhaps we should just inquire later....they seem to be sharing information, we can ask for details once everything is on the table," Zilia said.
"I hope you're writing the names down Z. I've already forgotten about Gerin-Lajoie."

Headin' to the place

Moving to the next location came earlier than expected but Zilia had no qualms with making it to their destination faster. What was once again supposed to be a simple matter had put them into a precarious situation, with people who appeared to have abilities like in Trovale and their ship in possession of the navy. She knew Luro would erase all existence within a five mile radius for that ship so that was a problem to deal with later.
Her eyes moved to Cedric catching his gaze, a heavy sigh seemed to escape from her at the idea of him moving about, but she held up a spare towel as a silent indication that she was prepared and thus wasn't as upset.
"I would feel far more comfortable if we hadn't arrived with trouble," Zilia said. "Just once I'd like us to go somewhere and everything is boring."
"That's no fun Z. We gotta find the trouble and I am me Cedric, no worries about that," Luro said raising a hand to the man.

Once on the boat Zilia relaxed a bit as she wrote in her book, she finally had her hands free once again. She didn't show it immediately but she was glad Coral was okay, with everything going on she finally found time to smile a little at their feathered friend feeling better. She was pulled from her joy however noticing for the first time the extra weight attached to Luro's hips.
Two blades rested on each side of Luro's hips, her eyelids lowered slightly as they looked oddly familiar, she looked at Luro's blades, then over at Alicia's swords, then back at Luro's blades before her eyes fully narrowed.
"Luro...you can't use Feian...or rather any blades to save your life...why do you have them...."
"Reasons," Luro said with a grin.
"...how did you even get them?"
"I got them from the lady. She was dressed like the people at Yula Fei so I thought she had Yula Fei stuff."
Zilia started to put the pen back to paper but froze as she realized that Luro had a very valid point, and immediately her hand trembled realizing she hadn't come to that conclusion herself.

When Cassidy spoke to her pulling her from her slightly ,yet shamefully jealous musings, about the relation to Brass Cape a small sigh escaped from the doctor as she held up her note.
"Luro would be more excited to hear of such things...while I don't mind Brass Cape my memories there are...complicated...it does answer some questions though...hm..." Though she didn't show an interest at first a thought seemed to draw Zilia into her own world.

"Whoaaaaaa look at that," Luro said pointing at the moving objects above. "That too. Wait bicycles! CD tell more more about those things!"
Luro was scribbling in his notebook as he watched the strange creations.
"Oooooh is that how they move. I wonder if you applied that to-"
Luro went into his mumblings only pulled away from them when Runali spoke to the group, though his shoulders drooped a little at not being able to meet Jemima he understood.
"I got ya Captain. I'll let Jack know if I feel any bloodlust again. Just don't get shot again while I'm gone. Oh and pass along my greetings as Z likes to say."
"...when did I like to say that?"

Once everyone was separated Luro settled into his spot, glancing over at Lily then Jack when they moved closer.
He offered a small nod happy for the company, however his eyes twitched slightly and his gaze immediately moved towards the crows, his eyes seemed to follow them for a long moment even after they had passed by.
"Luro we need to discuss...what's wrong.?
"Huh...oh nothing. What's up Z?"

 

[Fox of Hearts]

Collab Between Capt. Blu, Winter and Fox of Hearts

Location: Reinout Herdenkingspark

"The Prince is in trouble!" one of the Naval officers yelled.

They had seen Emerens trying to stop the women from approaching Levon. His appearance was a big slap in the face since the teen was supposed to be safe in the barracks. Signalling to one another, they shoved their way in a coordinated fashion to the aid of their star cadet. All of them knew their jobs were on the line if the late Queen's son was harmed.

The first to break through was a lean man with eastern features. From his accent, it was clear he was from Eto'Saiteiry, Yula Fei's fiercest rival. He plucked his dadao sword from its scabbard and pointed the blade in Ru and Amaiya's direction. "You are surrounded. Come with us peacefully."

Levon began sniffling as he saw more Navy soldiers coming towards them. Big brother Ems promised it was going to be safe but now it looked like they were in big trouble. He bawled, backing further away from the two hooded women.

"Levon," Emerens cried desperately. He struggled harder but two officers were pulling him slowly, and as respectfully as they could, into the safety of the crowd. The teen yelled at them in Een Taal, demanding to be freed. But, his demands fell on deaf ears.

The swordswoman had a soft heart for children, having spent a good portion of her time back home helping them learn the art of the sword at her estate. She'd reached a hand, making a move to comfort the child before retracting it as navy soldiers quickly arrived, drawing weapons which caused the swordswoman to narrow her gaze ever so slightly.

'Of course we'd run into trouble, why should I expect any different.' she thought to herself before drawing her black blade to her side in one smooth motion, holding it extended with the tip tilted towards the ground. "You draw weapons and make demands without so much as a mention of reason. I won't entertain underlings playing haphazardly with their own laws. Make clear what your intentions are… or sheath your sword and move on."

She wasn't usually this confrontational but it seemed something had gotten to the swordswoman, perhaps the crying child or maybe she was tired of the government throwing its weight around at every opportunity. Yula Fei had never been on good terms with the World Government ever since they attempted to extend their jurisdiction into their territory, the fallout from that had left a bitter taste in most of the Fein's peoples mouths however. Though Amaiya was willing to admit there were exceptions within the navy who appeared better than those they served.

"Ah, Maiden of Misery. Looks like that ship we found was indeed Lady Luck," the Saiterian drawled. His face was a mask of cool detachment. He swung his blade expertly from hand to hand. "We saw you threatening His Highness and that in itself is provocation enough. However, given your killing spree yesterday, I'd say we have every reason to attack you."

He gripped his sword with both hands and leaped at Alicia, intending to knock her blade out of her hands. His attack triggered a cascade reaction and more soldiers joined him. It wasn't long before Amaiya, Ru and Levon were surrounded. Those not joining in the fray were doing their best to evacuate the crowd in an orderly manner.

"Do your worse! All of us are willing to die to protect the citizens from your murderous intent."

A different officer was speaking. Based on his outfit, he outranked the rest of the group. This reedy scarecrow brandished a set of gleaming wind-and-fire wheels. Attached to them were similar orbs to the ones decorating Ru's chakrams, which he made sure to show them off as his final warning. Not giving the Stardusk a chance to respond, the in-charge raised an arm, ordering the snipers to start firing.

Chapped lips tightened more when he focused on the figure beside Amaiya. Try as he might, he couldn't identify the miscreant, so his best guess, based on current intel, was that it had to be pretty boy Cedric Langley or that shifty Jackal, Jack Kunal. He started watching those hands carefully, hoping to catch the 'maybe' Summoner before the man cast his spell. He thought he saw the smallest twitch of the fingers and he made a snap decision to target that person.

'Meow?' Chester asked. He wanted to know if Amaiya needed Cassidy's aid; keeping somewhat alert, the cat yawned lazily from where he was lying flat against a massive branch. Its spade-shaped leaves formed a delicate curtain shielding him from view. The cat added an off-hand observation that a lone sniper was crouched so temptingly beneath him, indicating that it would be too easy to land on that straw coloured mess of curls and throw the shaking man off his game.

Amaiya turned her attention briefly in Ru's direction, "It seems I let their presence get the best of me." she commented before returning her attention towards the officers. "I wont waste my breath further, if you're so eager for a fight there is little more to say." she replied just as the man gripped his sword before making his lunge for her.

She twisted her hand to angle the spine of Shusui towards her attackers, unveiling an upward swing which blurred through the air before connecting against his sword with considerable force. The swordswoman swept her foot to the side, following up with a vertical cut following with the wake of wind to forcefully shove the group back and create some distance.

She assumed Ru was more than capable of handling those which had attacked her, so she stepped forwards after the group before readying herself into a stance, briefly casting a glance towards Chester before shaking her head gently. This wasn't anything they couldn't handle, although the consequences will probably make things difficult from here on out.

The moment they got caught, Runali mumbled something in Jaipurian which, if anyone could understand, translated into, "Sometimes a blessing, always a curse. For once I was hoping that we weren't gonna run into trouble." She looked around at all the guards, looked at Levon in arm's distance of her and then could only click her tongue in response to Amaiya's comment. When the ranked navy soldier lunged forward at her swordswoman she finally moved. "It's okay little Lev, you won't be hurt. I promise." As she said that, one of the soldiers caught her eye as he attacked. With a playful grin, she took Levon's hand and spun him around, taking a step backwards to trip the soldier into a group of others, right as Amaiya's gust of wind knocked them all back. The gust of wind managed to drop her hood, making a cold chill run up her spine. Before Levon could lose balance, she steadied him and put a thumbs up. "See? It'll be fun." Runali looked at the officer and then nodded to Levon. "Watch."

The Saiterian leaped back to his feet with a martial artist's finesse. He stepped forward, disappearing in a blurry haze, and reappearing ready to strike. He bore down on Amaiya's far right. He would have preferred attacking from behind but her defense was too strong. His blade swung down with similar force, cracking the stone tiles beneath their feet.

"I've heard much about your prowess, Sakura's daughter. I too am an apprentice to a great master. Let's see whose training is far superior!"

He slid back gracefully and changed to a one-legged stance. His sword held firmly in one hand suspended close to his ear. Dropped all pretense of defending, he opted for precision instead and fired up a crackling yellow aura which enveloped him. Those attacking with him back away to the edges of the courtyard without him needing to say a single word.

"Ladies first," he mocked.

The swordswoman released a short sigh in response after recomposing from his strike, the cracked ground now uneven beneath her feet. She looked around briefly once again, noticing that the civilians had finally finished being evacuated away from the immediate danger. "Putting civilian lives at risk to saturate your own ego, I'd be surprised were you not wearing a navy uniform." she replied in a tone conveying her dislike for the navy in general.

"Very well, allow me to educate you." she added as her left eye suddenly erupted to be consumed in the familiar aura of her own power before her attention moved back towards Ru for a moment. "Captain, I'll handle the rest from here and provide an obstacle they can't ignore, please use the distraction to continue with the objective. Once I'm finished I'll catch up with you." she nodded confidently.

She took a few steps in the direction of the officer with her sword extended to her side, the tip once again pointed towards the floor with the spine exposed in his direction. Two steps later the ground beneath her feet exploded as the air distorted around her, vanishing in an instant as she sped towards her opponent at a staggering pace. She closed in, appearing before him as she readied to deliver a devastating downward cut only to vanish once again mid attack before flash stepping behind him to aim an upwards Shudan to launch him skyward, her initial movement being nothing more than a deceptive feint.

For a moment, Runali watched the Feian in awe as she skillfully fought the soldier, up until she almost forgot about all the rest of the soldiers around. "Right. Let's clear a path." As soldiers began to close in, Runali weaved through the two sword fighters' battle, stopping anyone that tried to get in their way- and also stopping those that tried to subdue her. "Careful, careful!" She hissed out when one attack got a bit too close to hitting Coral. It was deflected with a high kick to the chest as she peeked into her coat. Seeing the bird still resting, she sighed in relief and dodged a few soldiers running at her. Though, when her first mate called out, she couldn't help but laugh a little. "And who said I'm the one that gets into trouble?" A little louder she called back, "I'd say don't draw too much attention but seems like you've beat our carpenter to that one."

"Alright little Lev, would you like to go on a little adventure? I gotta find your mom. We gotta go now while Alicia there stops these soldiers." Runali didn't know why she was trying to reason with a four year old, but she figured if he was more willing, that'd be less fitful crying. Plus, she was almost sure Jem wouldn't want her randomly snatching her kid… Though she could have left better coordinates.

Levon's eyes went round as he thought he recognised the woman in front of him. "Big sis?"

His tears stopped the instant he assumed she was Ems' sister. Wishing to be safe in her arms, and smelling her comforting perfume, he toddled, tear-stained face and all, towards her. He was barely two steps in when the fire-and-water wheels almost severed his head. Levon's face screwed up in an instant and fat tears spilled down his redden face. "Big sis, I scared. I no wanna be here."

Cassidy's gentle voice tugged at Ru's mind. Snipers are done. Me and the furball make a dream team! She reassured the captain via cat communication. Clear these men then you're free to grab kiddo and make a run for the exit. I'll keep them distracted as you run."

Winds began picking up speed, startling the colourful birds in the trees. Fissures spidered across the many glass panels, making visible the mounting pressure fighting against the stiff confines. Lev, not knowing why there were so many scary noises, leaped at Ru's leg and clung tightly. His tears wetted the Captain's pant leg as the two began breathing steam. The inside of the park was slowly meeting the temperatures outside.

Too engrossed in their battle, the men failed to realise that an enemy fruit user was up to mischief. They thought of only one thing, subduing Amaiya Tashigi! So mindless was their intent that they started grouping up to rush her two or three at a time. Sparks flew when they happened to catch her blade but most ended up flying away. Bruised and slightly dazed they jumped back to their feet and dashed back with renewed vigor. A figure leaped over the heads of the latest wave, the Saiterian twisted in mid-air and swung his blade in a wide crescent.

His aura coated the blade seconds before he released his attack. Thunder splintered the air, releasing hundreds of cracking light discs in Amaiya's direction. The man landed on his feet and kicked off immediately. His body speeding up and adding more force to his next attack.

From a distance, the leader launched his own attack by aiming his fire-and-water wheels at Runali. The spiked metal hoops whizzed in a collapsing parabolic arc, colliding less than a feet from their target, and unleashing a fiery shockwave. Levon, who continued clinging to her, would be the one taking the brunt of the damage.

Runali had crouched down in front of Levon, coaxing him to relax while ignoring the sounds of battle around her. Some tried to rush in to attack, but they were parried with a quick strike to either disarm or send them backwards. She still had the gloves Luro gave her so she gently pressed one to Levon's cheek in effort to warm him a little from the cold. "Yeah, we're gonna leave soon. It's too loud here." Despite her relaxed nature, she was well aware of her surroundings. So it was no surprise to her when the leader of this attack directed his attention to her.

"Hold on, kid." The captain moved with a calm yet quick fluidity. The way she acted, it was hard to say she was looking in the face of danger and whether it was a threat to them or not. Her long coat sleeves hid the armament that seeped into the gloves as she flexed them. A quick scan of the battlefield showed that the shockwave was dangerous and wild enough to cause most of the other soldiers to scatter in the opposite direction. It gave all of them the opportunity to see the captain move with an assured confidence as fire rushed towards her. She stood tall with Levon clinging to her leg behind her and Amaiya falling in close to her and raised her gloved hand towards the fire and huffed. "Alright, enough of this."

There were countless times her carpenter had explained how the gloves worked and she… still couldn't quite say she knew how they worked. But, she did know how to make them work and that's all she really needed to know. The wave of fire stopped in its tracks, wisps of it trailing around her arm as she controlled the flame. She looked over at Alicia and sported a toothy grin, "I know you're having fun sparring with this guy, but it's time to go." She snapped her fingers, redirecting the shockwave outward and making it larger to surround them on all sides. Once they were momentarily hidden, she turned and scooped Levon up, careful not to squish Coral in the process, and gestured towards the exit. "You can prove you're the better swords lady another time, now it's time to go!" She laughed a little and patted Levon's head while she ran towards the exit. "We're getting outta here!"

The swordswoman backstepped, batting away more swings from her opponent as she began to steadily put pace and perform her opponents after having gauged their style and patterns. She readied herself to deliver a settling blow to finish the fight before Ru stepped in to blow them back, creating a window for them to escape. "I thought I told you I'd catch up" she replied, running beside the captain as Shusui slid comfortably back into its saya. She wore a small smile, shaking her head a little. "I should have known you wouldn't listen… " she added.

 

[Mizos]

​

Zilia wrote in her notebook as the boat trudged along, all the information didn't make sense in her head so she decided to try and write things down. Perhaps looking at the information in front of her would help piece everything together easier. So much was happening all around them, processing it was hard enough without the knowledge that not only was the navy probably aware they were here but their ship was in their possession which meant they couldn't leave even if they wanted to.
"Well without losing the ship at least...."
Which considering the many books she hadn't read yet on the ship wasn't an option, but the warning letter from that woman was also a problem, and they had yet to deal with the main reason that they were here. In the span of a day everything had gone horribly wrong and she worried this was only the beginning.

Zilia stared at the words on her page before her gaze moved over to Jack, there seemed to be an understanding between the gathered family members. Jack also seemed to understand exactly what happened back there with Cedric as well, a small sigh escaped from the doctor recalling the last time summoners and such matters had become their opponents. They almost lost two members that day, almost three in a sense.
She had questions, far too many questions that she hoped this Lizard would be able to answer. She couldn't cease her worry of the other group as well, Alicia was there so that was a comfort but something bothered her and she couldn't determine what it was. Zilia looked over at Luro remembering that they still had to finish their discussion, something to at least take her mind away from dangerous thoughts. When her eyes landed on him Luro was staring at his hands opening and closing them, a half-done contraption laying on the ground in front of him.
"...Luro?"
Luro raised his head at the doctor's approach and tilted his head at her note as a response..
"Are you okay?"
"I don't know...for some reason I feel...cheated."
"Cheated?"
"Yeah like...I was beaten to something."
Luro looked over at Lily and Jack.
"You guys every felt that? Like someone did something really fun and you weren't a part of it, or created the fun before you?"
"You mainly cause trouble. The captain is keeping a low profile and Alicia is with her. Unless Cassidy did something...which...is that possible Jack?"
Though she looked at Jack Zilia eyed the group as a whole for an answer before Luro spoke.
"I think Alicia could have done something?"
A low scoff escaped from Zilia and she shook her head, Luro mouth twitched to the side and he held up a finger.
"You wanna bet on it?"
"That Alicia Tashigi, first mate of Stardusk and one of the more responsible ones on the ship pulled a Luro or something close to it with Runali nearby. Sure I'll take that wager."
"Loser has to do a favor for the winner."
"Deal."
The two shook on it and Zilia eyes narrowed before she shook her head and pulled her hand away.
"Now isn't the time for this...lets focus on the task ahead."
"...so bet's off?"
"I didn't say that."

 

[Fox of Hearts]

The Mysterious Guest at Jensen

GM Post​

Location: Exiting Reinout Herdenkingspark
Cassidy

Snow piled up inside the dome and the soldiers found themselves knee deep before their vision cleared. The more stubborn fought against the slushy blanket; their progress ceasing as the snow packed into ice. Shouts of dismay filled the air as they watched the women leave with Levi safe in Runali's arms. The dome exit slowly disappearing behind a wall of ice.

"Damn Tashigi!" The Saiterian cussed. "Why didn't anyone mention her being able to manipulate ice and snow?"

The fruit user responsible for the mess stifled her giggle, noting - with pleasure - that their in-fighting gave her ample time to slip away. As Cassidy climbed onto the sky gondola platform, she noticed the Bonfiaan prince struggling harder than ever. She was intrigued enough to let her get-away leave without her.

"Eline, wait!" He cried.

The flame haired cadet elbowed the men restraining him and dashed after the Stardusk duo. Not even the ice wall could deter him; the boy hurled himself into the frozen pane, smashing it like glass, which left him with cuts on his arms and face. His seniors stared in horror but they couldn't reach him in time. The wall reformed shortly after he went through it.

Above them, Cass bounced on her toes, tears of mirth flowing down her cheeks. Ru was finally going to learn the answer she could have gotten over a day ago. In a very sad way, Jack as the crew's spymaster ought to shoulder most of the blame. For he failed to help his captain make a very important connection. It was the sort of inquiry that would have helped them identify Jemima's friend without these unnecessary detours. Perhaps, a more direct approach was needed moving forward.

Leaping to the opposite platform, the thief secretary boarded the next incoming gondola. "Daamensquare," she told the ticketing officer before settling into the nearest seat.

Cass gave Captain Lev and Tashigi an hour to reach their next destination. And, it was there she'd meet all of them if only to laugh in Jack's face. But, of course, she would hold back enough to avoid antagonizing the Stardusk. That much she had promised Grandpa.

Truthfully speaking, they were worried Jack might crumble once he realised the stakes involved. Everything coming back to Lady Gerin-Lajoie and the demon Sid freed in Trovale - the templar wanted him dead because she sought the demon for herself, or so Lily speculated, since it was one of the two free to walk the earth. And, no summoner dared pursue the other since its possessor was the strongest among them.

Telling Jack all that would be quite the task given their estrangement. Her older brother wasn't lying when he hinted they were siblings in name and not much else. Cass grabbed a mug of cocoa from a passing tray and started sipping from it, her mind teasing out the best way to accomplish her goal.

Assuming Lily hadn't spoken to him by the time they regrouped, she would need someone to mediate, perhaps Sid, perhaps another. Now that she had time to mull over her options, she recalled Lily hinting that Luro was her best bet, something about him being Jack's sworn brother.

Cass huffed. "Why are you so difficult, Jack?"

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x​

Location: Outside Reinout Herdenkingspark
Runali, Amaiya, Levon and Chester

Back outside the crumbling glass dome, Emerens laid face down and panting into the frozen earth. Knowing that time was running short, he pressed his gloved hands against the ground to push off. He barely added any pressure but he winced audibly, dropping back into a splayed heap. Sitting up, he turned to the problem side and saw a jagged piece of ice wedged in his bicep. He reached for it then dropped his hand. No, not yet, he told himself.

The fifteen-year-old jumped back to his feet and chased after the woman with his sister's face. He stretched out a bloodied hand and smeared her clothed arm down to the elbow after he missed. He was simply not as agile as the Stardusk captain. Yelping, the young royal found himself falling on his injured side, driving the ice shard deeper into his arm.

"No, no, big sis! That Ems. No hurt him," Levon protested as his tiny fists pounded on her arm. "No hurt your brother."

"Your Highnesses," an older teen yelled as he leaped down from where he was hiding. Dressed in a well-pressed butler's uniform, it was clear that he served the prince.

"My Princess," he stepped in front of Emerens quickly and shielded him from Ru's view. Politely, and rather nervously, he bowed. "Please don't hurt your younger brother. I can assure he had no intention of attacking you. We -- or rather, I was shocked to find you here of all places. Are you hurt in any way? You appear to be in a lot of distress."

The eighteen-year-old kept his face trained to the ground waiting for his princess's permission to look up. However, even in that position, he was studying Amaiya out of the corner of his eyes. This wait, bogged by heavy silence, dragged on infinitely and his suspicion sharpened. He decided to break the tension since his first duty would always be Prince Emerens's safety.

"Princess, I notice Lady Tashigi, First Mate of the Stardusk, by your side. May I ask how you know they'd be here? I find this too much of a coincidence since this secret meeting had been carefully arranged."

"You may look up, Salem." Emerens managed to pick himself up despite the intense pain. "I don't think that's Eline even if they have the same face." Furrowed brows showed how much he was struggling to make sense of this bizarre situation. "I believe she is Dr. Jemima's friend, Captain Runali Lev."

Salem's grey eyes scanned the woman carefully. They flicked right left and up down a few times before he spotted the minute differences in their features. Hiding his surprise, the servant bowed again.

"My apologies, Captain Lev. I hope you aren't offended by our mistake. After all, His Highness had taken it upon himself to meet you here in Dr. Bentham's place. She was, most unfortunately, arrested last night for the murder of the Prince Consort."

Emerens nodded solemnly to confirm his servant's words. "My father regarded her as a trusted friend and it is in his memory that I gave her the benefit of the doubt. Unfortunately, without concrete evidence or the Crown Princess's pardon, she can't be freed. I - oh, you seem confused," he broke off looking visibly embarrassed.

"Please allow me to explain the situation on your behalf, my Prince," Salem offered. "I believe Dr. Bentham wrote that she hoped you would come to Bonifaas to help her find her friend's missing daughter, is that correct?"

Getting the consensus he needed, Salem continued. "Her friend was the Prince Consort, Baron van Vries, Prince Emerens' father. She omitted the fact because she was worried your letters might get intercepted. After all, Bonifaas is one of the biggest Navy headquarters in the northern hemisphere."

Reverently, he reached out to support the injured cadet. He could tell his prince needed to sit down or risk passing out. "Captain Lev, First Mate Tashigi, His Highness needs medical attention. I hope you would consent to continuing this conversation in the carriage."

There was a finality in the older boy's voice that left no room for negotiation. Salem nodded in the direction of two guards, both of whom had stayed hidden all this while, and in minutes the royal carriage pulled to a stop in front of them. After Salem helped Emerens into one of the plush seats, he stepped down and offered Runali his hand. "Captain Lev, may I have the honor of helping you up the carriage?"

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x​

Location: Enroute to Castle Jensen
Runali, Amaiya, Levon and Chester

Salem tended to Emerens' injury as best as he could, gladly taking directions from the women when it was offered and thanking them afterwards. Once done, he focused on drying the cold sweat pouring down his charge's face.

The prince did his best to remain sitting but he felt extremely faint. From opposite him, Ru and Amaiya could see his other injuries bleeding through the white uniform. Ems smiled to reassure them after catching one such glance.

"I apologise for the lack of hospitality. Normally, I would have Salem serve you some refreshments but I lacked the foresight to have him prepare beforehand. Let me make it up to you when we are back at the castle."

The carriage jolted slightly as the horses were steered onto a waiting barge. There was no through road back to Castle Jensen from the memorial park, Salem explained politely, having noticed their surprise. He reached over and tied back the curtains so the Stardusk ladies could see the view.

"We need about twenty minutes to reach the castle. Please enjoy the scenery on the way. It is lovely even in the evenings with the street lamps lit up."

After a hush filled the space, a familiar weight pressed onto Amaiya's shoulder. Chester kept invisible while studying the teenagers on the seat opposite hers. He rumbled, communicating his version of the events to the women.

Part of his 'catepathic' (cat telepathy, a term coined by the brothers) narration included what his sisters saw. That segment focused on a particular bird that the humans missed. Amaiya could feel his fur puffing up when Gemini was mentioned. Clearly, there was no love lost between the two familiars.

He ended the report then slipped, still invisible, onto her lap and settled there. After doing his signature Cheshire Cat fade-in, Chester flashed the astonished boys his smuggest half-lidded gaze. "Rrrrrr," he rumbled nonchalantly while secretly expecting ear ruffles and praises from his favorite Feian.

"A familiar?" Salem whispered with his eyebrows rising. His earlier formality was replaced by youthful wonder as he leaned forward to get a better look. "I heard you are a sorceress of much renown and mistress of light and wind, Lady Tashigi, but I had no idea you studied the Summoning Arts. I thought it was a gift native to Trovale."

Ems could scarcely contain his excitement once he got over his shock. Vividly, he recalled all the amazing displays he witnessed Lord Gerin-Lajoie perform in his father's courtyard and he hastened to join his servant in crowding out Amaiya's personal space.

"Salem's right! I've never heard of Feian summoners before. Lady Summoner -- er, the Grand Summoner of Trovale -- told me that it is a hereditary gift passed down the noble bloodlines. Hardly any are born outside these families. Lady Tashigi, you're really amazing!" he exclaimed with his eyes aglow.

Remembering his manners, Emerens ducked his head with embarrassment before pretending to be overly interested in the scene outside his window. He tapped his bleeding knee with his good hand, praying that the Feian noble wouldn't scold him for behaving like a small child.

His sister often reminded him that he was old enough to be king if he was the first born. Meaning she hoped he would start behaving in a manner befitting his position as the second-in-line to the throne. Such days made him miss the old Eline. Back then, she had been a fun big sister instead of a surrogate mother.

Slowly, he gazed back at the beautiful Amaiya and he whispered, again, sounding more like a boy his age than a prince. "I'm sorry I couldn't help it."

Salem, wishing to show he empathized with his young charge, reached over and rubbed Em's good shoulder from behind. The young royal responded by placing his own hand over Salem's. Even though the prince's ears continued to burn with embarrassment, he managed to focus on his guests again.

"I, um, realized you haven't had the chance to ask me questions about this strange situation we're in. There is much I haven't figured out but I promise to do my best to answer them. Those questions left unanswered will be handled by Alfonse, the head butler. He was my late father's closest confidante so he would know more."

Nodding more to himself than to the women, he repeated his offer. "So please, Captain Lev, Lady Tashigi, ask me as many questions as you like. We have some time before we reach the castle."

 

[Fox of Hearts]

Killer Knots

GM Collab between Silent and Fox​

Location: Kaanal Centrale
Jack, Sid, Kadi and furballs

Cedric's lungs burned painfully as he struggled to halt his coughing fit. Weakening in the lull, he slumped back into Jack's waiting arms. Those trusting eyes glazed over rapidly, showing that his fever was returning. Sid shook his head stubbornly, fighting back the exhaustion gripping him, afraid that if he let go he would distract Jack too much.

"Fére, prendre de l'neige (get some snow)," he requested, trusting his older brother knew what to do. Sid had no idea how much further it would take to reach the guild or if they would reach in time. All he knew was that his fever was spiking dangerously.

"You should sleep," Jack murmured back while shoveling snow off the ship's railing. Every coughing fit that racked through Sid had Jack throwing nervous glances at Zilia. Watching her to gauge his brother's deteriorating condition. Because he was getting worse, and it was impossible to say if it was due to the rebound from when the protection spell broke on Lady Luck, or his chronic illness seizing him in his weakened state, or something worse. Who could say with Adenin?

I'm watching him die before my eyes.

Purple eyes black with pain turned to the winter skies above for solace; he found none. A shadow blacked out the view as their boat crossed under a bridge. At that moment, a chill raced down Sid's spine like an omen. And, not for the first time since Femke Beach, he wondered if he'd leave Bonifaas alive. No, seeing Gerin-Lajoie's last moments made him wonder if he'd leave this place alive. It was like a premonition of his own end.

Fear more intense than what he had shown the crew before shattered his stoic mask revealing the broken man behind it. Sid dug his fingers deeper into Jack's jacket like he wanted to claw out his brother's heart as he continued burying his face in the nape of the neck. "Ne me laisse pas mourir seul. Don't let that vision become real, fère please."

Ne me laisse pas mourir seul (I don't want to die alone). Those were the first words he howled into darkness onboard Hoshi's ship days after Jack saved him. Back then, his fére had been too scared to hold him. So, Hoshi was the one who held him in her arms and pushed away the memories of the rope and chains binding him to his uncle's bed. Her words not quite reaching him as he played out his horror.

Once bound, his uncle hurt him as he pleased before leaving him on those dirty sheets for hours. Often an entire day would pass by before the man returned from the whore house drunk and more violent. This shameful fear, the fear of being abandoned and forgotten, could never be erased. And, it was this fear that Adenin exploited to keep him in line. Trusting others had become even more frightening ever since; he could never tell who would torture and humiliate him next.

Sid guessed Jack had been the reason he remained sane so long. His brother was a tiny ember of solace comforting him whenever Adenin bullied him because nothing else worked. Certainly not complaining since he was a nobody compared to the Vontiago heir. Such was the bane in Trovale. The rich and the nobles could bend the laws to their whims and their king couldn't do anything about it.

Sid's shoulders quivered as tears moistened the dried blood caking the corners of his mouth and chin. He never hated himself more. Why was he this pathetic? This useless. He was getting worked up over a pathetic fever. It was so embarrassing!

Cedric sobbed his apologies to his big brother. Sometimes begging, in Trovalian, for Jack not to abandon him again. He sank slowly back into those dark days, the missing six months of his life, when Jack was nowhere to be found. It was obvious to those watching that he tethered ever closer to the edge of full blown hysteria.

Jack held onto his baby brother and whispered consolations in his ear. It was like they were back in Trovale again -- just them, alone, far from his mothers' support and guidance, in a strange and untrustworthy land. Jack had no idea how to help Cedric then, except hug and soothe away the nightmares, and with sickening clarity he realized nothing had changed.

What am I doing here? Playing at being a spymaster and watching my brother die? I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know how to solve any of this. I don't…

Greying light rolled over them once they passed the bridge. The precious few hours of sun fled in the wake of clustering clouds. Fine snow fell from the heavens making the crowds thin. Gas lamps, automated by Brass Cape gadgetry, leaped to life. The hundreds of glass encased flames appeared like ghost lights from Feian lore luring people towards them with the promise of warmth. Peering from the railings of the boat were two sets of cat eyes. The fur sisters had finally reappeared after a lengthy absence; their focus trained on the two brothers.

A third pair of eyes, both milky blue from age, belonged to a shadow-cloaked form crouching between Sid's familiars. The Stardusk, those attentive enough, could hear the crunching of shells between teeth, could smell the faint whiff of vinegar and could, if they tried hard enough, see the harsh contours of a dessicated face. With more lamps winking to life on deck, his features became more apparent. And, he gazed with jagged, yellow teeth at Zilia. The hunger in his gaze could easily be mistaken for cannibal intent.

Shrugging off the folds of his cape, the unwrapped mummy of a man revealed the precious cargo nestled between his legs; both of which were the thickness of fleshless femurs. He popped open the metal lid of that gigantic glass jar, reached into the clear foul smelling liquid and pulled out one of the many eggs nestled at the bottom. As the one he dragged to the surface separated from the rest, cloudy mould rose from the gaps like a warped jellyfish. His lipless mouth pulled into a crescent chasm, the most unsettling smile in all of Bonifaas, as he offered the delicacy to Luro and Kadi. The latter seemed to have backed away in disgust. So strong were the vinegar fumes that even the fishing crew started retreating.

Lazarus, or Lizard, chuckled as he rolled the egg into the Stardusk's hand and he fished out three more eggs. He brought that hand in Lily's direction. "Be a good bird like this red 'ed lad and take the yummy treat. It has nutrients to keep you strong in the cold and a wonderful taste. 'Tis the jar I kept from the day you left for Trovale ahead of the revolution. And you, Vilimar lass, don't be shy. Let grandpa fatten you too. All of you are no more than sacks of bones."

Lily crossed her arms. She frowned, and her brow pinched together. "You're being disgusting, Guildmaster. And creepy not like either of those are unusual."

Unfazed by Lily's rebuff, Laz popped the unclaimed eggs into his mouth and chewed messily while observing his grandsons. A tongue flicked out of the corner of his mouth to moisten his lips. When it retreated, he swallowed visibly before leaning forward until his arms rested on the closed jar. "Haven't seen Sid in this state since we found him half dead in Norja. But now isn't the time to focus on him," he warned. "Adenin's trying to follow you to the Thieves."

Those lizard eyes sucked the souls of all they looked upon. In them was an unmistakable fury that seemed to be directed at the man he just named. Laz turned his head towards Luro and pointed at him. "You sensed his familiar around, didn't you? I bet you that it'd be back soon with more trouble. Lily, Kadi, I want you to help Luro flush it out or you'll end up in a jail cell beside Doctor Bentham before the night is done."

Halting all questions from Lily and Kadi with a wave of his hand, Laz's attention swivelled back to Jack. "As for you, Jackie boy, I need you to become that spymaster. Ask me the questions you need answered, everything. Because in two days the Grand Summoner will arrive, and I want you to be prepared for your sake as well as Sid's." In that same breath, he nudged Zilia's attention towards them. "Doctor Vilimar, please join our conversation. The more people well-informed the better off you'll be."

The perveying stench of pickled eggs preceded Lazarus's appearance for Jack. He snapped out the mental hellscape he was creating for himself, and launched a half-sneer at the wizened man. And yet, Cedric felt his brother physically relax. Despite the surface distaste, Jack was thankful to see the old thief.

Gently, he moved so Cedric leaned into a more comfortable position and he could give Lazarus his full attention. He gave a wry smile. "It's nice to see you too, Laz. How many years has it been now? Five? How's Mother Song?"

Laz chittered with amusement at his grandson's innocent question. Did the boy forget what his grandpa did for a living? "Weeks, boy, literal weeks would be more accurate. I have enough secretaries to handle things while I travel, giving me the opportunity to watch performances in Treya or trail behind someone carrying a large-ish slab of whale meat," he frog bounced up and down as he avoided Lily's eye. Admitting to saddling her staff with work so that he could stalk Jack probably put him on shaky ground.

The glare burning the back of his neck confirmed his hunch, but the lizard was confident he remained in Lady Hawk's good graces. After all, he was the one with the answers. "As for Clara, I feel the difference in our ages. Just five years younger but she's definitely the more enthusiastic one in our recent couplings. No matter, k'alan sadiq! Or, it is wonderful as intended by the Almighty, as Lily often writes when translating my letters from Arbirean. Say, why don't you visit your Mother Song? She's feeling lonely with only one beautiful granddaughter left in Norja."

Jack nodded while slipping his hand into his pocket. He flinched -- a momentary twitch of the eye that was hard to catch -- and nodded again. He abruptly returned to the subject at hand. "You can start by telling me why Adenin du Vontiago is here to begin with those pirate hunters, and why the Grand Summoner from Trovale is arriving too?"

Teasing Jack in Arbirean, Laz said, "And so the spymaster arrives." But all that levity slipped away when he started answering those questions. "Let's start with Adenin Du Vontiago, that thorn in your side."

A beady gaze fell on the petite doctor as if inviting her to add questions of her own. Laz slowed his speech thereafter giving Zilia ample time to cut in. "After he was ousted as a double agent by Cedric, the details of which you've probably heard from Lily and Adelaide, Adenin was hunted by his own flesh and blood. His punishment was to be more severe for Charlotte truly believed he had killed Cedric out of revenge. But, given what Siddy boy suffered, maybe death would have been kinder."

For a moment, he considered sharing those gruesome details with the Stardusk but a glance in Lily's direction made him clam up; she looked like she was ready to rip him apart for hinting about it. "Ah well, that isn't my story to tell. Anyway, as you can imagine, such a hunted man would do anything to save himself. Even betraying his own family twice over."

"He appeased to the Summoner's Council?" It was more a statement than question. Jack stiffened at the mere notion of it of Adenin being sponsored by such a formidable force. Charlotte's lucky to evade them this long — and that's saying something. Does he hope to become the new spymaster if he plays nice?

Jack didn't know enough about Adenin to accurately guess his ambitions, beyond keeping his own noble status. But he wouldn't be surprised either.

"Yes, Jack. After you engineered Charlotte's downfall in Trovale, Adenin offered to help the Council hunt the summoners who remained loyal to her, leading to a number of bloody executions. Cedric remains, however, at the top of his list. Reaching out to the pirate hunters was merely seen as a means of achieving his goal more efficiently. Talk about balls, eh?"

Laz had a new egg in his hand by the time he finished. It rolled around in his withered palm as he proceeded to the next part of his answer. "That's the working theory, anyway. The biggest flaw is that it doesn't explain why he would want the Grand Summoner here. Or, why she would come when she was last reported to be hunting down an unsealed demon. That's where you come in useful, Jack. You and your crew helping us find the missing link and, of course, keeping Cedric out of trouble. Any other questions, boy? You, my dear? What say you, tiny lass, to old grandpa?"

Jack frowned. "Has there been any fresh news or gossip in the last week? Anything that might point to a clue of the Grand's appearance? I don't like the idea of Adenin having enough grounds to gain her attention and ear."

"None my end. Ask Lily later if she had tidings from Trovale recently. But I think your best bet is to figure out why the Grand Summoner wants the demon. There has to be records in the university libraries here, history, anthropology, mythology, the like. Lily bird and I don't have time to go through mountains of books."

He paused long enough to take a bite out of the egg. Spitting out egg crumbs as he spoke, Laz threw an alternate suggestion, one not meant to be taken too seriously. "Or, if you have more balls than Vontiago, I suggest you try kidnapping a templar. They arrive the day after tomorrow so you have plenty of chances."

His eyes slid back to Sid and he sighed. Jack scratched the back of his neck, making a face. "If you're wanting our help, I'm assuming you have somewhere for us to start. Where are we going?"

"I'm waiting on the results of the bird hunt. Once it's safe, I'll take you to Castle Jensen," he replied nonchalantly as he watched the cogs turning in Jack's head. That shocked expression frozen on the handsome gypsy features.

"Jensen? The house of Bonifaas' royal family?"

"And that's my little spymaster. No more crutches, eh?"

"Yeah, well," Jack turned his glowering stare onto the passing banks. "Let's hope they don't remember I was their cook once."

*******​

Lily Rose turned her weathered gaze up to the gray skies. Arms crossed, she scanned across rooftops and chimneys as their boat pulled under a large stone bridge, the shadow casting the passengers into a faux night. The Blossom mistress closed her eyes as thundering footsteps crossed above them, and shouts from Navy soldiers. Jack also raised his eyes.

"They're looking for Stardusk." He announced, and then covered his tattoo with dreadlocks.

Sighing, Lily picked up a bundle beside her and motioned for Luro to bend down. She handed him what looked to be a large, furry hat with earflaps and a thick wool scarf. "You'll want to cover up that hair while we're out. The familiar following us can't be far. I will ferret it out in my hawk shape. Can you find a suitable nest to shoot it from once I do?"

She also handed him an iron cage. "Use this to capture him once he falls from the sky. We'll need to borrow an aeter to seal the familiar in. Cedric?"

Eyes went to the sick summoner, but it was Jack who wordlessly took Jackie's stone earring from his ear and handed it to Luro. "Keep her safe. Both of them."

 

[Capt. Blu]

Location: To the Castle


'Eline, this. Eline, that. Who is Eline!?' The captain's thoughts jumped from questions to escape plans to the safety of her crew -- so the usual any time they were wrapped up in trouble.

Had Levon not been tossing his small weight around to get her attention, she wouldn't have slid to a stop. "Brother? What-" She noticed the blood on her nice new jacket and then back that the young… whoever he was struggling to keep up. "Relax little bug, I'm not hurting anybody." She quickly scanned the area, but relaxed when she was sure they weren't being followed anymore. "My… brother… seems to have done that on his own-"

She turned on her heel, hearing yet another person yell out. Seeing another person dressed in a uniform, a butler's outfit no less, made her raise a brow. <"This place is full of crazy people."> Runali muttered in her native tongue not trying to alarm anyone more than they were. It was odd though, how this new one recognized Alicia and not her. Sure, Alicia was a great first mate, but she was the captain of the ship! How could he not know who she was!?

Runali didn't stay huffy about it too long because the other had finally caught up to them. His confusion echoed her own, although it was more suspicion at the thought of someone looking so similarly to her. "There's no one like me… except me." Whether it was for self reassurance or a declaration to the strangers, her tone was matter of fact. And when things slowly began to become unveiled, Runali let out a small sigh, watching her breath escape in a cold fog. "Flattered you'd think I'm royalty, and only slightly offended you'd not know who I am. But, I'll get over it." At some point, she set Levon on his feet now that they weren't on the run, but made sure he stuck close. Jem wouldn't forgive her for losing her son, especially not while she was imprisoned, a fact that made her huff like an annoyed bull.

"I see…" Once more she looked at her first mate, now with muted exasperation. "Plans have changed. Unfortunately."

As Levon scrambled into the carriage, Runali eyed it over for a bit assessing if it was safe. Where there were castles, there were guards. Guards and the navy were practically the same thing… but judging by their words and lack of animosity, they'd at least have some semblance of peace. If only for a moment.

"I am here with my crew for Jem's sake." She allowed Salem to help her into the carriage, not that she needed it. However, she paused halfway to add, "Should this carriage ride end with weapons directed at us well," Salem still looked like a child and not much of a threat to her. "The name you see in the papers is more than just a title." It was a thinly veiled threat topped with a light hearted smile. She was never one to come off as threatening, but Runali was always careful to make it clear that she wasn't one to push around… when she needed to of course.

While Emerens got treated, Runali cocked her head towards Alicia and cracked a small smile. "How the tables have turned." The teasing tone rose in her voice. "Seems you aren't the only princess of the crew. Apparently here, I get to be one as well." She snorted at the idea. Being a 'princess' sounded ridiculous- specifically, Runali being one. She couldn't imagine people waiting hand and foot on her or having to be so dainty and proper. In her musings, Chester made his appearance, giving an update to the two. She didn't react, letting the boys fluster over Alicia. Instead, she took a moment to unzip her coat a quarter of the way down to check on Coral. "Apologies for the bumpy ride. Seems we've gotten into a little bit more trouble. I'll make sure to tuck you away somewhere safe."

Coral ruffled her feathers as the cold breached, but otherwise responded in a soft coo. Zilia had done a fine job of bandaging her up, but her wing was still set in place and unfortunately wouldn't be usable for a while.

"Questions?" Her coat, now a little dirtier than it was when she got off the ship, was closed once more (with space for Coral to breathe). "Seems we've stumbled into somethin' we didn't quite bargain for… But that is the Stardusk life I s'pose." Her brow furrowed and her brain began to wrack on what happened since they had gotten there ignoring all her complaints about the cold and missing the warmth of the tavern and free drinks. "So… finding the friend's daughter… Jem wanted us to look for the princess? And you all suspected me of being the princess. Hm…" Her gaze had drifted to the scenery and then back to Alicia. "A hunch at best, but I imagine the ones that attacked and framed us may be a part of this." She shrugged. It was a guess at best, and even if it wasn't true, they were loose ends that needed to be tied.

"Your castle doesn't seem to be doing a good job if they're not aware their princess is missing… Or is it, this town doesn't know and the castle is trying not to go under flame?" Runali reached over and pet the top of Chester's head. "This is navy country, which means we can't just break Jem out of prison- as much as I want to. It would do her no good and they know where our ship is…" An idea popped in her head and she looked at Salem. "Say, if I'm the princess, I could pardon Jem for her crimes yeah? Would be an easy lie. Get in, get her out, I dunno pardon us for the sake of it and then get out of the ice town." It sounded like an easy enough plan, until she realized a more… crucial point… They'd still have to find the princess.

As a captain, her life was constantly ticking with plans, worst case scenarios, options that could or couldn't be taken. However, it was harder to do when she didn't have answers- or when she didn't have eyes on her entire crew. There were too many pieces missing to this puzzle they were thrusted in. Too many sudden variables.

Dueful consideration bowed Salem's head as he wisely tapped the prince's wrist to stop the boy from rushing to answer. There were good points raised, embarrassing for them, but good nonetheless. He guessed he could try being honest with the two women and see how they respond.

"We know she's missing, Captain Lev, but our authority hangs in equilibrium with the Navy. To let them know about our troubles would be to cede even more power, which our citizens would refuse given our shared heritage."

He hummed softly, watching Chester walk over to Ru's lap. Those lidded eyes doing a poor job of concealing the feline's interest. "The princess is regarded as the heir apparent so her disappearance will cause undue panic once we announce her father's passing. Such is her popularity, I'm afraid. We are at a stalemate unless she is found."

Smiling softly at the potential checkmate to Ru's plan, he continued a little more confidently. "While your plan appears sound, a pardon hinges on you being crowned queen. Meaning you need to wait for us to make the former announcement of the Prince Consort's passing and you winning over your people. A formality, technically, since you've already gotten their approval."

He chuckled nervously at the thought that he started this battle of wits. It was a bargain he refused to lose because the future of the crown hinged on it. "Of course, if the real princess is found before the coronation, it would be the best outcome for all of us," he emphasised. "You can leave with a full pardon and we are able to maintain the political equilibrium."

"...Sounds like we're going to have to hunt down a princess..."
Politics. Another boon in Runali's plans. She remembered the last few times she had gotten tangled up in royal business and none of it was painless. Yula Fei, there was a war… Even in Waterdeep she nearly drowned saving a kid. The captain leaned back in her seat, watching the town pass by and let out another sigh. It was one thing to help or save a royal, but there was no way she was going to pretend to be one and by the sound of it, that was exactly what Salem was implying. 'The princess has gotten their approval, not me… Maybe if I don't acknowledge it, they won't ask…' It was the captain who sort of put her foot in her mouth for even suggesting it, but that didn't stop her from trying to quietly back out of it if there was another way to fix the mess they had nothing to do with.

 

[Winter]

To say this was becoming ever more complicated would be an understatement as the swordswoman silently observed the red headed prince and the dark haired butler. Her brows twitched a little when it appeared they would be taking another ride in a carriage, something she wasn't all that thrilled about given what happened last time. With a small sigh she'd follow after Runali before taking a seat beside her as she untied Shusui from her waist to rest it down between the seat and her leg. Then everything appeared to become stranger by the minute, her silver eyes moving towards Runali's smug expression before returning it with a half lidded expression of exhausted irritation. "You're enjoying this aren't you... " she replied, losing count of the amount of times she'd protested that she wasn't Feian royalty.

After giving a small nod in response to Chester's report her hands came down to gently massage into the felines fur, one of her hands stroking behind his ears while her other delicately stroked his belly. As the two young boys suddenly appeared to brighten with renewed vigour in response to Chester's sudden appearance, Alicia's eyes would widen before her head leaned back a little. "Oh I... think you may misunder-" her softly spoken words were lost in their excitement causing the white haired woman to awkwardly chuckle as she held up a palm towards them. "I'm not a summoner, sorry to disappoint you." she spoke eventually once the two had calmed down from their initial excitement. "This spirit is from a close friend of mine. His name is Chester and we seem to have a mutual fondness for one another."

When the young teen apologised she offered a soft reassuring smile. "Worry not. I am the least likely to reprimand harmless curiosity, even if it might be boldly exclaimed by royalty." she hoped her words would be enough to put his mind at ease. Alicia hadn't appeared worried by the wound on his leg, having seen plenty of cuts by now to know which ones were worth worrying about. Zilia would most definitely chastise her for having such thoughts, but she was confident after a short observation that he'd recover just fine. Instead she turned her attention to the political discussion between the World Navy and the inhabitants, her brow furrowing a little with a thought stretching to the back of her mind about her own home and how it could have ended up the same way had they not firmly declined their attempts.

After listening to Ru's plan she raised her own voice to the matter deciding to instead seek out details that might hasten them towards the finish line. No one had said it but she got the impression that time was of the essence and if this princess was missing, it wouldn't bode well to dawdle when finding her could prove to be the answer to many of the problems... problems which appeared to have mutual ground between them and the Stardusk crew. "Tell us everything you know about her disappearance. When, where and at what time are all important as are potential enemies, usurpers and rivals that you know of. If you want our help, you must lay everything you know in the open so that we can act as surely and appropriately against the problem." the swordswoman spoke, silver eyes moving between the two as she spoke.

 

[Mizos]

​

There were pages in Zilia's book she always kept to herself. She knew it by heart, could flip to them with ease and knew the contents within her mind. It was a page she was told to keep once she became a doctor. The segment in the book was a list of every patient she failed to save. Their names and what caused them to perish. It was generally meant to avoid making the same mistakes twice, if a name ended up on there it was never to be for the same reason as another. Learn from the ones you save and the ones you lose, don't just remember the successes, a failure here will mean a success later. A harsh and almost heartless statement but a true one that came with her profession.
It was because of that list she knew that Cedric's condition could be treated, her observations, her visits, it was possible to deal with Cedric's illness, it would just take time.
That unfortunately was the main issue.
She didn't want to add Cedric to that list, she had one too many friends in there already.
Each time she found him wandering the ship and not in bed, each cough he tried to hide, each usage of his powers which strained his body that tiny fear surfaced in the back her mind.
For Zilia those coughs weren't just a sign of his sickness, it was a sign of time.
Every cough was a lost minute, lost hour, day, week, month, years, that's what the doctor saw with each cough and perhaps it was because of that she couldn't look at Jack though she could feel his gaze. She didn't have magic that cure with a single touch, she couldn't stop the illness yet, only slow it, and with everything going on, being surrounded by cold weather, the backlash of his powers, whatever this Adenin did it was only going to slow it for so long. Even as she pat her pocket mentally counting the medicine she had left it brought her little comfort.
If this didn't stop Cedric could die.

His current state wasn't a surprise to the doctor, she had been watching him after all so she couldn't share in Jack's feelings completely, her 'intellectual' side informed her why he was that way and should and could be done to prevent it.
At least that's what she told herself, honestly she was frustrated at too many things to name.
A part of her wished she could be as thick-skinned as her mentor in times like this.
"Z."
Zilia jumped a bit at the sudden calling of her name, she glanced over at Luro who had a hand on her shoulder, he had the same small smile on his face as always and his eyes moved downwards, following his gaze she realized her fists were clenched at her side, she slowly opened them and released a breath she was holding. Luro continued walking saying nothing further.
It wasn't much but Zilia closed her eyes and seemed to regain her calm, which seemed to be just in time considering the timely appearance of the stranger.

Zilia's body immediately lowered and she felt energy start to flow through her body as she opened her mouth, however Luro's hand stopped her.
"That scent's not one of them," Luro said to her.
Zilia glanced at Luro but slowly raised her body but remain tensed, she trusted Luro's nose as it was the only thing keeping him from shooting all of them in the middle of fighting. When the man came into view Zilia felt her eyes twitch slightly at the visage of the elderly visitor but she did her utmost not to be rude to the stranger, who chose to reveal himself and not just attack. Though she pulled her coat a little closer around her not wholly uncomfortable at his gaze, ignoring most of the comment Luro made.
When Luro took the man's egg with a 'thanks' she wanted to say something when Luro handed her an egg as well, she stared at it eyes twitching before watching Luro toss it in his mouth and eat it.
She waited for a moment eyeing Luro to see if he would keel over deciding to give it a few minutes focusing her eyes back on the stranger.

At the old man's inquiry towards him, Luro offered a nod before swallowing his snack.
"Yep. Wasn't sure what the feeling was. I know the eyes of humans, familiar's are kinda new. Well except Chester and Chaos I know their gazes, it kind of felt like that but...less friendly. I know the feeling now so I can find him if he get's close again," Luro said grinning.
Though his grin faded as he picked up the rest of what Lazarus had said.
"Wait prison huh?'

Zilia raised a hand to Luro indicating she would ask about it as she was invited to join the conversation, offering a nod as she made sure to stand close enough to show interest but keep a polite distance from the man who as Luro so politely commented, 'eyed her like she was a snack' earlier.
Zilia chose to listen to see what was covered by the man who had answers, her eyes narrowing a bit as more and more things came up.

"I'd like to know everything that's happened to Dr. Bentham, or at least what you know. Especially considering the Captain is supposed to be meeting her, also I expect with the name Vontiago, this Adenin is connected to Charlotte," Zilia said bringing a hand to her bang. "Let's save that for after though considering it's another subject, who is this Grand Summoner and why are they a problem in two days? What's this Summoner's Circle? Who's Gerin-Lajoie? What was that strange thing Adenin put in Cedric's hand? With so much going on I may have also missed about this Kellerway and supposed bomb threat."

There were so many questions far too many questions, even now she wondered if she was forgetting something while waiting for answers and trying to fill in the blanks.
"What is the Demon and wait libraries," Zilia cut herself off. "I volunteer to comb through the information. Give me a few hours, I can read some other languages as well if need be. Just give me information on the Demon and I'll look it up."
Luro chuckled a little seeing that familiar gleam in Zilia's eyes, he was sure she'd get some books for herself in the process but better her than him.
"Oh kidnapping someone that sounds fun. That's a good option."
"It is not a good option Luro," Zilia wrote pulling herself from her own musings.

Apparently Zilia's emotions had become heightened she was taking precautions, probably because of the information she had received.
"We're already in trouble what's some more," Luro said shrugging.
"We don't know what these templar's can do."
Luro nodded in agreement before looking over at Lazarus
"Gramps tell me what the Templar's can do so I know how to steal one...maybe two if the opportunity presents itself."
"....why don't we go through other options before jumping to kidnapping. I'm sure I can find information on the demon."
".....couldn't hurt to kidnap one."
"Luro."
"I'm good at kidnapping Z. I'll go whoosh then snatch and that'll be it."
"Snatch isn't a sound."
"Z leave this to the experts. When you snatch someone it makes a sound if you're fast enough."

Zilia was happily pulled back to the other conversation hearing they were apparently meeting the royal family.
"...is there some history we should be aware of as associates of yours Jack?"
"I got questions too," Luro said raising a hand Whose Mother Song and Clara and what's Coupling?"
"Don't answer the latter question," Zilia said holding up her notebook. "I'll explain later."
"I wanna know now though..."
"It's not important."
"...sounds important."
"Luro stop."

Some time Later....​

While Luro was bending down at Lily's request Zilia used that chance to throw the scarf around him and adjust it so it would hide the Stardusk symbol on his chest. She of course didn't tell Luro this before moving behind him and standing on a crate to tie his hair up into twin buns to make it easier to hide his hair.
Judging by her efficiency, it showed she had done this before.
"Sure consider it done," Luro said grabbing the cage from Lily. "Hold on."
His eyes went to Jack before he took the earring and eyed it before slipping it into his sleeve, he looked at Jack and offered a nod.
"Of course. I got someone around to do all the complicated thinking. It'll go great. Oh one sec."
Luro slipped his glove on his hand before opening and closing it ice surrounding the glove as he did so, making a gun with his finger he fired towards the sky, sending a shard of ice flying outwards before removing the glove.
Zilia arched a brow before something slammed onto the deck shortly after, she jumped as that 'something' landed next to her.
Luro walked over to the twitching bird before putting it in the cage, he held it towards Lily.
"This guy right," he said pointing to the strange familiar. "Here you go."

 

[Capt. Blu]

Collab Between Capt. Blu and Fox of Hearts

Runali, Amaiya, Chester and Levon
Location: Sailing Towards Jensen

"Potential usurpers and rivals …?" Salem weighed each word on his tongue as he admired Amaiya's sharp mind. He tapped his prince's wrist lightly to ask the boy to lean closer.

Emerens tilted gingerly towards his injured arm as requested and the older boy whispered into his ear, instructions perhaps about what they ought to share. The royal's frown only deepened as he answered back in their tongue, a quick exclamation that was promptly quelled. Sighing, Emerebs blinked his consent. A short history lesson was in order and he would be the one to deliver it. Practice, as Salem said, for his future role as envoy to other lands.

Emerens cleared his throat nervously, squeaking a little when he finally started speaking. "The House of van Vries is an unbroken line that began with the city's founding by Captain Braam van Vries and his crew. Following his death, leadership was passed to his son and later to his grandson. Continuing like this for over twelve centuries down to my mother. My father, on the other hand, was a pirate. First Mate to Captain Will Carabis' father, or so I was told by Will himself. He left the crew when … "

There was a slight pause when he caught a glimpse of the expression crossing Ru's face. "Do you know my godfather, Captain Lev?"

The captain's gaze had been out the window during the explanation but her brow raised hearing Will's name. She kept a cool expression and gave the smallest shrug. "Will is another of the Worst Generation is all. I know nothing beyond it." Ever since she found out that she was family to the Red Pirates captain, she pressed her mother for answers and stories. She learned of the Red Pirates previous captain, her uncle, and the crew that accompanied, but that was information she kept to herself. There was no reason to share her family story to strangers. With another shrug, she gestured for him to carry on with his tale.

"I thought … Ah, never mind." Emerens was curious about Runali's eyebrow raise. For a moment, he thought she'd confirm what his godfather mentioned once - about them being cousins - but it seemed like she didn't trust him yet. He was surprised, considering all that had happened since they arrived here.

"Naturally, I won't be admitting to having pirate blood this openly given our situation," Emerens admitted while waving vaguely towards the window. "I have a feeling the Emperor of Op Die Fiet planted the Navy Headquarters here so that he has an excuse to spy on us."

"You see," Salem cut in to supply a detail his prince overlooked. "Our "pirate kingdom" has gained enough wealth and influence to declare our independence from the empire. It was a plan set in motion by His Highness's great, great, great grandmother, Queen Kaatje van Vries."

Emerens nodded his thanks. "Father suspected the Emperor was aware of our plans because the first prince sent my sister a marriage proposal when she turned eighteen. It's the one proposal she hadn't declined officially out of fear of retaliation."

"Little fancy to be a pirate kingdom." Her thoughts flitted to the Cutthroats' desert sanctuary. "But I suppose to each their own." She wondered if she wanted a kingdom of her own one day, but ultimately decided against it. Formalities weren't her style. "So? What's all that gotta do with this? With us?"

It was Salem's turn to raise an eyebrow. "We are trying to answer Lady Tashigi's question. There are no rival claimants for the throne, at least not from this bloodline. Our biggest threat would be the Emperor himself."

Emerens' shoulders sagged as he felt, once more, the weight of that threat hanging over them. "We may be a prosperous kingdom but we are small compared to the empire that surrounds us. Perhaps, if the pagan Goddess was real and not a myth, we might be able to keep them at bay."

"My Prince?"

"It's nothing Salem. I heard the story about Saint Agony in town three days ago, an old puppet master from Uitibuken, apparently. He was entertaining a group of children as their parents set up stalls for the upcoming bazaar. I personally invited him to take part in the festivities that period. It's been awhile since we had such a masterful storyteller."

"Perhaps Your Highness should tell Lady Tashigi and Captain Lev about the Princess's disappearance."

"Yes, I almost forgot. Thank you, Salem."

Emerens stretched his legs a bit, feeling them go numb from the cold. Salem reached under their seat and pulled out colourful blankets, which he offered the women and then the Prince.

Emerens thanked his butler again before continuing. "My sister's kidnapping happened under very strange circumstances. You see, there were guards stationed outside her door from the moment she entered with Paul and young Isaac. No one else entered the room and the guards patrolling the grounds didn't see anyone scaling the walls. But, around midnight, the guards outside the room heard her scream. Paul started shouting only to be silenced shortly after."

He paused to suck in his breath. Somehow, he had speed through the details without releasing it. "Then, the men heard the bay windows shattering as they broke down the door…"

"They entered," the teen said dramatically, "Into an empty room. Glass all over the floor, the bed sheets a mess and young Isaac crying as he curled up among the pillows. His father and step-mother, my sister, vanished into thin air. It was like magic … "

"I saids it was a big bird, Ems! I told you that what Isaac saw!" Levon protested loudly as he crossed his arms. His cheeks puffing indignantly.

"It was a bad dream, Levon. He must have imagined those people as birds."

Levon shook his head vehemently and turned to his godmother for support. "Big sis, tell him! It was a biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig bird lady. Like this big," he exclaimed, as his arms wind-milled energetically.

Runali clicked her tongue at the story. The gears turned in her brain. It wasn't the most complicated thing to do; bypass guards that is. But to do so without the slightest trace in…? Well, Cedric's cats managed to get to and from places unseen and unheard. "Hm." She responded to Levon's claims. "Bird ladies aren't… impossible." She scratched her cheek. "And we've seen a large bird before." She thought of the familiar that they encountered before and the new enemies they came face to face with not too long ago. "Tell me," Her one eye held a more curious gaze to Levon. "What else did you see?"

"Feaders (feathers)! Isaacs and I have 'em. Showed 'em to Becky but she told us to throw 'em away."

She hummed in response and leaned back against the seat, now talking to the rest of them. "Who knows. Maybe you've got a bad apple in your bunch of servants and guards. Someone's lookin' for trouble? Or maybe someone's trying t'cause it." Runali certainly didn't know. "I know little about wars save for most are the product of greed. I know even less about political drama that's not Navy after our own tails. But, hopefully this princess hasn't gotten too far away from her kingdom."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x​

Luro, Jack, Zilia, Cedric and Lily
Location: Docked Under A Bridge

Sounds of the evening fell on them, quiet and distant, making their isolation more apparent. Lazarus' mouth fell open in an unmistakable yawn that showed off his jagged teeth. Snapping the misaligned jaws together, he snaked closer to the tiny doctor. And, he peered unblinkingly at the fiery passion Zilia showed upon hearing about the library.

Inwardly, he chittered with satisfaction at successfully foisting his task onto another. The result, he hoped, would be Lily thanking him for picking the perfect replacement this time. "Your hunger for knowledge would be justly rewarded in this place. As long as there is more than one copy of a book in any of our ten libraries, you can borrow it infinitely long. The university scribes would replace any missing copies sooner or later."

His tongue flicked out of the corner of his mouth as he leaned even closer. His skeletal hands firmly on those plumper shoulders; both soft enough to be pillows. If only Lily were this fleshy, he hummed, thinking of all the missed opportunities he could have had of using her as a makeshift pillow. Those long, dreary days pouring over books that might contain clues about Cedric's worsening health.

"I heard you can even find tomes on rare diseases. Accounts of poor mining towns in Trovale for example and the disease that took seed in them. Coal cough, they called them," he enticed.

"Buuuuut I won't show you the more precious medical tomes until you ferret information on the demon. The one clue we have that he is connected to the first king of Trovale, Grand Summoner Giraud Delmont, a summoner made legend for his ability to subdue the Gods. But, since this is history written in Trovalian, fact and make believe becomes harder to sieve."

He scuttled towards Jack and rested his cold hands on those muscular shoulders. "Best you check with the spymaster and the summoner. These boys are a gold mine when it comes to information on the Summoners' Council," he strung on as he cherry picked his way through the doctor's question. "All I know is that the members are the elite of their generation and the templars are not just protectors but future successors for every seat. The number corresponding to the number of noble houses. Twelve, I believe, like the number sitting in the celestial pantheon."

"Thirteen," Sid corrected automatically as he roused from his fitful sleep. The blush on his cheeks deepened in colour as he curled forward, coughing more violently, sending bright blood through the cracks between his fingers. "Th-irteen with the royal h-ouse. They back the Grand Summoner as per tradition."

Laz gave Z and Jack a thumbs up. "Waddaya I tell you? The boys are your best source about demons and summoners. Well, maybe more the latter than the former. Unless," he narrowed his eyes towards his sickly grandson. "Sid has been hiding other things from Jack. The reason he appears to be dying…"

Blood hit the deck with an audible splat; Sid collapsed onto the palms of his hand, vomiting and choking at the same time. Tinging the red pool were sticky, black globules, a sign of his illness eating it's way deeper into his lungs. He groped around until he found Jack's hand. Squeezing it, Sid's eyes rolled back and he collapsed into a shivering heap.

"Prop him up, Jack. Don't want him suffocating now. From what Jemima sent ya, seems like the worst danger is him drowning in his sleep. Best I think that the crew gets to Jensen. A friend of mine waits for you there, Doctor Bashir, the royal physician. And, of course, Alfonse, the man who hired you last, Jackie boy."

Nodding to Luro and Lily as they returned with Gemini, he ended with another hint. "Alfonse posted the original reward for information on Kellerway's crew. The reward was tripled this morning, which means that he thinks they've framed Jemima for the Prince Consort's murder."

"Annnnd as for your question, Luro. I didn't forget. Coupling is when a man and a woman shed their clothes, climb into bed and join at the hip. Rolling together as one. Fitting like a finger in a tight ring." He chuckled lightly, wondering if he should be more specific. Educating the next generation had always been his hobby since Lily stepped up. "Bringing the wh - "

A loud shriek from Gemini distracted the Lizard. And, the two regarded each other with equal animosity. Laz's face soured at the end. "You ain't fooling me, bird. Your summoner is no monk."

 

[SilentxChaos]

​

Still on the Boat...

"Adenin du Vontiago is Charlotte's nephew." It was Jack who answered Zilia, not the old man. He paused long enough to light a cigarillo.

"In Trovale, there's a government branch called the Summoner's Council. They have legal authority to oversee the finding, raising and employing of all known summoners. They also act as a court of law. In a way, summoners are their own country within Trovale. Only in certain circumstances does the Royal Court or the King himself have permission to prosecute them.

"Their leader is called the Grand Summoner; the templars are their elite fighting force. Defenders. Or executioners. Or personal guards of the Grand Summoner -- like the Lady Gerin-Lajoie. I have her stone in my pocket; she's dead, and I assume she was helping Adenin before she expired."

Jack paused to puff. He blew a long tendril of smoke up into the sky, letting it waft away in the cold breeze. "Adenin wants Cedric dead. They… have a past. An ugly one. He hurt my brother and it led to his downfall as a Vontiago spy. He likely blames Sid for his own humiliation."

"I imagine he knows about the Demon Sid summoned in Trovale." Jack had to swallow down a surge of bloody hate when talking about Adenin and Sid. He shook in his furs, casting aside emotion and picking up a mask of detachment. "The monster that nearly killed him, and blinded me. It's possible Adenin wished for the Grand Summoner's aid to fight this Demon, if Sid should summon it again, or extricate it or… I don't know. But a demon's summoning is blood magic -- which is illegal for how dangerous it can be, as you two saw. If Adenin or the K-13 don't succeed in killing Sid, the Grand Summoner and her templars will do so, and maybe kill us too just for association. Well -- Sid and me for sure."

The cigarillo disintegrated into a stub, marking the passage of time. Jack flicked it into the river after savoring one last inhale. He breathed out slowly. Hiding his discomfort at the next answer to Zilia's more… personal question.

He threw an awkward glance at Lily, who'd been uncharacteristically silent throughout their conversations. Her eyes were glued to the sky but he knew she was listening to everything.

"...is there some history we should be aware of as associates of yours Jack?"

"First off, I'd like to voice dissent at your use of 'associates', doctor," Jack said, the flash of his hidden mischief coming out, "I thought we'd at least be friends by now. But -- yes and no. My work under Charlotte du Vontiago brought me here several years ago. Bonifaas's royal family was holding a lavish party, entertaining foreign royal cousins, high-ranking Navy officers and heads of World Government. Adelaide and I were tasked with infiltrating the housekeep and kidnapping--"

"Excuse me?" The interruption came in Lily's neutral, soft voice, no different from what Zilia and Luro had heard before. "Kidnapped who?"

Jack was not fooled. His spine straightened when he saw the flame of disapproval flicker in her eyes. "A delegate of W.G. He oversaw the loans between the royal families and the government."

"Why would Charlotte care about such a man?"

"He didn't just move money between parties; he made exchanges of food, labor, arms and weaponry. They're all approved by his office. And when there's meant to be a paperless deal, he went personally."

Lily saw the connection faster than her son anticipated. "He was helping King Rohan with sharing summoner stones with the World Government."

"Yes. The one thing Charlotte wanted to prevent, at all costs."

"What did you do with him?"

The question came without accusation, or judgement, but Jack couldn't answer it. He looked away from his mother and his shame. "It doesn't matter. It's not important here. To finish my to you, Zilia, I was only meant to be a bread baker during this party but at the last moment, the head chef caught sick. They asked me to step up; I'd made an impression on them. Needless to say I became more visible than intended. Someone in the castle might recognize my face, among the staff."

 

[SilentxChaos]

Group Collab

Emerens, Amaiya, Jack and Kadi

​

The clock in the hall struck ten past nine in the evening; its chimes echoed throughout the halls, brassy and solemn. Despite the late hour, the Stardusk were finally seated for dinner, a good five hours since they arrived.

"I hope you had enough time to freshen up," their host enquired; the young prince smiled warmly as he followed Salem to the head of the table. After nodding politely to each guest in turn, he sat down and motioned for them to do the same. "Please let me know if you need anything. I'm very grateful that you'll be helping me find my missing sister."

Hanging in the air was the expectation that Runali would finally relent. She was the perfect stand in for the missing Princess; the two women were so painfully identical that Emerens had to remind himself that his sister didn't have a twin.

He gazed politely at each Stardusk, waiting to answer any questions they might have. Delaying dinner had been his way of giving them time to discuss the day's happenings and come to a consensus on how to solve their own dilemma. But, waiting to learn their decision wasn't easy. Ems was riddled with anxiety after he realised that Alfonse's spies hadn't been able to learn anything useful.

Speaking of the head butler, Emerens eyes watched the stately man pour wine into Luro's golden goblet. The servants assigned to attend to each Stardusk were gently laying down soup plates; each person had been served a soup packed with flavours from their home country. Even their personal bread basket, or in Alicia's case - a basket of spiced crackers, followed the same theme.

"Where is Guildmistress Rose? Is she feeling unwell?" Emerens asked Amaiya, who was seated to his right. Runali, whom he would have asked, was seated at the other end of the table. As she should, being the captain of the visiting crew. However, speaking to her from here would be deemed extremely rude, because it meant he was ignoring the guests closest to him.

He turned slowly to Jack after that. "And what of your brother, Spymaster Kunal? I heard he hasn't been well. I offered to have Doctor Bashir assist Doctor Vilimar earlier but I sense she prefers tending to him herself."

​

"We prefer to tend to our own, but your concern is gracious." Jack responded diplomatically to the Prince. Jack's demeanor had shifted since arriving at Castle Jensen like an actor trading masks. Put him in silks and gems, he'd look right at home among the regalness. "My brother is indeed ill. He needs rest more than anything, for now."

That wouldn't fix his brother, but he wasn't about to get into that with Emerens. He concentrated on his soup so he wouldn't have to keep talking to the prince. His attention drifted again. Eyes tracked the feather Runali passed to Luro while his tongue noticed the imbalance of seasonings in his dish, and idly, he wondered where Lazarus went. Not far, he guessed.

The main source of his stress remained back in his assigned quarters. Gemini -- Adenin's captured familiar -- fumed in its cloth-covered cage. It was too risky to bring the familiar to their dinner; Jack feared it reporting back to Adenin telepathically. Already, he could know where Stardusk was now. Jack feared a surprise attack happening while they regrouped in this vulnerable castle. He'd requested the familiar to be placed under heavy guard. He asked Luro to set a trap on the cage, and in the room. He took all the precautions… and it still didn't feel enough.

The hard truth of our luck is that when the attack comes, we won't be able to stop it. Just survive it. He sighed heavily. More than anything, he wished he was sitting next to Runali. At least her quips would provide a chuckle.

​

Alicia took her seat along with everyone else, setting her sword down beside her after having removed it once more from her waist. Despite the hospitality shown towards them she couldn't rightly let herself feel entirely comfortable, after all this wouldn't be the first time new faces wore masks to deceive them first. "I'm afraid I don't know." she admitted in response to the question about 'Guildmistress Rose'. At least there was no response she could give that wouldn't mostly be a complete guess.

She wanted to speak more about the missing princess and move towards finding an answer to that particular problem. In fact she wanted to request access to the princesses room so that she could conduct a more thorough investigation, but now was perhaps the wrong time to ask for such a thing given it'd seem the congregation were locked into greeting pleasantries. For now she'd merely listen and attempt to find an opening to pry a little further, perhaps she could learn more of the situation too once the conversation for the finer details began.

Seeing that his conversation partners were lukewarm, Emerens wove his way into the other conversation, making Alfonse bow out discreetly. "I don't see anything unusual about a brightly coloured feather. Birds from the south do stray further north occasionally," he offered politely. "My sister's disappearance is quite the opposite."

The prince paused to get a feel of the room, ignoring Luro's attempts to burn the feather despite Levon's protests. "I'd be more than happy to accept your earlier proposal, Captain Lev, and in return - what by the names of the four winds is that!"

All eyes in the household were on the burning feather, watching it shimmer brighter than heated steel and casting a glow best likened to phoenix fire. Goosebumps trailed down Emerens's skin in the presence of such an other worldly glare. The prince sucked in his breath, not aware that he was standing up with his hands gripping the table.

"What did the gods breathe unto thee, Master Makachi?" (their equivalent of "what did you do?")

His words prompted Salem to start walking towards Luro. But, the gunner waited for no one. He had moved on to the next experiment, literally slicing his hand against an unguarded blade and -

The feather burst into a shower of sparks.

Not a cinder was left to prove its existence. Almost as if it had melted into the man's skin, healing him of his wound. It was a miracle once known to Bonifaas.

"No, not here. Not now …" Emerens whispered, as a ghost of a memory peeked into his consciousness. This was not something he was equipped to deal with. No, this was something not even the Navy could deal. Unless, he prayed, there was a more rational explanation for it all.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Runali, Luro, Alfonse and Levon

​

As the Prince continued making polite conversation with Jack, Amaiya and Kadi, Alfonse started filling Runali's goblet with sweet Jaipuran wine. "I hope the Lugdi is to your liking. It said to be from the colder regions of your home and helps to dispel the winter chill."

His glasses gleamed in the firelight as he smiled. "Young Will enjoyed the drink whenever he visited. As did Captain, when he was alive."

There was a long pause before he ventured further. "And, how are Daya and Edward these days? I had met them but a rare instance while I served my Captain." He chuckled. "They are the sort you would never forget."

He stopped to observe how Runali was taking all that in. There was a chance she wouldn't react well to his friendly overture but he had to try. Without her, they could only stall the inevitable for so long. And, that was something he refused to subject young Emerens to.

"Who are Daya and Edward?" Levon chirped from Runali's lap. He squirmed slightly, resisting the spoon approaching his lips. "Don' wanna," he protested while he continued twirling the large feather in his hands.

Ru's godson waved the orange feather again, hoping she would take it from him, and feel how warm it was. He liked that the heat was gentle, like the steam washing onto the streets, and it never got cold. Not even Becca, Isaac's nanny could explain why it felt like this. She had simply insisted that he had placed it near the fireplace until it soaked up the heat. But, Levon was certain that wasn't true. He had taken it to bed and placed it near his feet. When he got up the next morning, the feather remained just as warm.

Ru didn't seem bothered with suddenly having a child attached to her hip. Grant it, it was a little getting used to with Coral tucked in a makeshift sling and also the fact that she'd never actually babysat before. So far, it wasn't that hard. Most of her attention fell on the royals though, with how overly… appeasing they were trying to be. While Runali couldn't complain about the free room and board, she knew at the forefront of their minds was the proposal she was carefully avoiding. She took an appreciative sip from the cup she was given, but her brow furrowed a bit at the mention of her parents.

With Levon on her lap, the look faded as quickly as it came. "Y'know, Alfonse was it?" She set the cup down, moving it out of Levon's reach and continued. "Most that care to bring up my family usually follow with threats." She idly waved her hand. "A sort of leverage I suppose. 'Do what we want and we won't go after them', situation." Her one eye fell on Levon, opting to take the spoon from who tried to feed him and placed it back down. She gave him some of the bread in the nearest basket instead as she continued. "There's a handful of people I openly trust, most sitting at this table… Respectfully, I'd like to keep my family's… business to myself until I'm sure there's no prying eyes and ears to think they've got some advantage they don't need." She picked up the cup and thought about how she wouldn't hear the end of it from her mother about people destroying the merchant stalls or her own home. She was quick to learn that some did learn about Jaipur and thanks to her parents and the Red Pirates, most didn't last to tell the tale-- not that any of the royals here needed to know that.

"But… they are fine." Runali finished off her cup and easily slipped the feather out of Levon's grasp. "And there are more prevalent things to talk about. Like this feather." She handed it over to Luro so he could inspect it. "Or y'know the fall of a kingdom because a princess got misplaced."

​

Luro reached across the table grabbing a far away napkin, the blades attached to his waist making noise as he grabbed the napkin on the opposing side, it was only when he looked down next to his plate that he noticed there was one already there.

"Oh right you don't have to steal napkins in fancy places," Luro said tossing the other napkin back in its place.

When the wine was poured into his goblet he gave a wave and smile as thanks before quickly downing it and setting the goblet back down.

The carpenter seemed more focused on the buffett around him then the conversation at hand, more than likely because it was complicated talk that Jack, Runali and Alicia were good at handling.

Taking a sip from his soup he seemed to stop for a moment his brows arching slightly.

The moment of pause faded quickly as Luro started digging into his bread basket.

"Oh man this looks great," Luro said taking a bite from his own basket.

His eyes raised and he grinned before reaching over his neighbors soup and tilting their basket slightly over to look inside.

"Oh yours looks good too. Let me get one of em',"
Luro moved the bread around humming to himself before he found a good looking piece and returned to his seat.

He wasn't sure about all that was going on but apparently Jemima was in trouble, Levon was her son, which meant he was family and thus a Little Star, and some important person was dead.

He was stopped from his attempt to pull Jack's basket over to him by the dining cloth, seeing Runali hold out the feather. He took it with a piece of bread hanging half out of his mouth. His eyes rested on the Captain as he held it, then to Levon, then back up to Runali before he swallowed the piece and returned his attention to his feather.

"Your opinion is noted," Luro said to himself though there was no joy in his voice as he said so, his full focus moving to the item in his hand.

Taking a moment to observed the feather, Luro poked it with his finger, sniffed it and bit down on it before his eyes narrowed a bit.

"....this doesn't smell or taste like a normal feather," Luro said.

Luro pointed at the feather before snapping his fingers, fire quickly consuming the future quill. He stared at the burning feather holding a hand up as a silent indication he wasn't going to let it spread...probably.

He stared at the feather for a long moment only watching as it changed colors, with another snap of his fingers the fire vanished fizzling out and Luro watched as the feather returned to normal as if nothing happened.

"Ohhhhh this is a fancy feather," Luro said standing up. "Lemme try something else."

Grabbing one of the swords at his waist Luro chuckled and went to draw it, however the sword at his side was upside down, something the rifleman missed as he accidently cut his hand releasing the blade causing it to fall back into its sheath.

"Ow…" Luro mumbled shaking his hand, leaving speckles of blood around the area he was in while doing so. "I'm really bad with these things…."

Eyeing the now sizeable cut on his hand, running from one end of the the palm to another, his mouth twitched to the side realizing Z was going to be mad at him later.

Luro picked the feather up with his bleeding hand and moved to return it to Runali.

"The Feather's not norm-"

Luro cut himself off as the feather suddenly turned to nothing in his hand, disintegrating at his touch. His eyes widened a bit before a warm glow suddenly surrounded his hand, the cut from the wound closing as it healed itself, the glow eventually fading away as he stared at his now healed appendage.

"...huh that's neat," Luro said opening and closing his hand. "....ah."

His eyes moved to Levon as Luro realized in the span of what was probably a minute and half, he had set the child's feather on fire and subsequently lost it.
"S-sorry Little Star," Luro said moving his healed hand behind his back. "I uh...I think I lost your feather…"

Watery eyes shone in the dimmer orange light, a sad imitation of the glow they witnessed twice over. Most adults would recognise the expression, with the taunting, quivering lips, and characteristic fidget. That downcast gaze. Levon's shoulders shook as he balled his fists, as he fought to speak.

"That was awesome!" he yelled with eyes shining brightly under those unshed tears. His face was all smiles as he attempted to stand on Ru's knees. "I knew that feder (feather) wasn't from a bird's. Ems' see?" he pointed. "No bird does that."

"No bird studied by ornithologists," Alfonse agreed after regaining his composure. "No bird should have healing powers."

"Not unless it was a bird that ate a devil fruit," a gentle voice added. The speaker was a pleasant looking woman only a year or two Alfonse's senior. Nelle, his wife, joined her husband's side as she too stared at Luro's hand. "Animals rarely consume devil fruits but there are cases now and then."

"It is the more logical explanation. More so, than what we, like His Highness, would immediately assume," he agreed though his frown was becoming more pronounced. "Clearly, those involved know our history better than we want to admit. If not, why would they leave us such a clue?"

"I already said it was a bird lady!" Levon shouted, flailing angrily. "She has-ed red wings with lots of these feders. Biiiiiiiig wings, like angels in stowies (stories)."

Alfonse shook his silver head. "And I've explained, young Levon, angels don't exist. Master Isaac must have had a bad dream after he saw the bad men take his parents."

"But Isaac din' lie. We showed you the magic feders."

Every time Levon tried to stand, Runali, without a break in her own attention, would set him back down. She watched with mild intrigue as Luro inspected the feather only to reveal it's true nature. Similar to Levon, but much more muted, she gave a look of fascination as his injury was healed. To be sure, she held her own palm out and wiggled her fingers to encourage Luro to mock her action. Of course she wanted to be sure- if the accident prone could somehow skip yet another trip to Z it was no short of a miracle.

Or magic.

"I dunno, he- Little Star, might be right. Could be magic. Just because things shouldn't… doesn't mean they can't." Runali could attest that to how many times they had died. The fact that it was more than once was already a testament to that sentiment. Each one of her crew had also done something that seemed impossible, but she saw it with her own eye. A lot of things were possible whether people like the royals wanted to believe it or not.

She turned her attention back to the table. "I've heard stories of birds that could regenerate. That could heal. Phoenixes they're called. But," She pointed a spoon towards Jack. "He's got a magic brother, I can't rule it out as unbelievable." She nudged Levon in her lap even though she was looking at Alfonse. "The stories kids tell sometimes have truth to them I think… After all, I've met a few devils so I'd believe their counterparts existed." She waved a hand nonchalantly and continued. "Where's Isaac? I'd be curious to hear the story from the source itself. If you've got bird people flying about with magic feathers, I think it'll take a little more than practice shots from Luro to bring 'em down."

Luro opened and closed his hand at the Captain's request following her instructions, apparently having no issues, he seemed to sigh a bit in relief seeing he hadn't upset Levon. Not only cause he liked the kid but he had a feeling he'd end up in pain later if Z found out. She seemed awfully protective of everything involving Ben, and wouldn't explain why.
Once the talk returned to complicated stuff he took some of Alicia's bread and continued eating while they discussed the situation at hand.

Nelle inclined her head in Ru's direction. "I'm afraid Ms. Becca has taken Master Isaac to bed. It's well past his bedtime by this hour. If you like, Captain Lev, I can have him meet you at breakfast in the morning. If he is willing, of course, he's awfully shy."

She considered diverting attention from the feather and back to the actual problem - the pirate hunters and the missing princess. A glance in her husband's direction showed that he was thinking the same thing. She nodded discreetly at his unasked question. Yes, she implied. She would like him to take the lead.

Jack shifted in his chair. An angel descended from the heavens with the color of fire in their wings? Mother Lily's feathers were dark red and brown, true to nature, and possessed no ability to heal. A phoenix then, as the captain said, personified. It was then he recalled all the phoenix figurines and basques he knew to be around Bonifaas. He hadn't been paying attention on their way in, but he knew them from visits past. It was like an unnamed mascot; it didn't feel like coincidence.

Another enemy, then? Or a hidden friend? He banked his money on it being a Devil Fruit user. The growing list of new characters just made him feel tired.

Dabbing at his mouth, he placed a napkin neatly on the table and then turned to Emerens. "Your Highness, your hospitality is well received, but I think it's time to get down to business." He hesitated. Not many noble customs permitted such talk over dinner. However, Emerens seemed like a reasonable sort and Jack hoped their special circumstances proved greater than the rules of high society. "What do you want from us? Plainly and to the point, if you don't mind."

Jack had little time to get the full story from Runali when they reunited at Jensen. He'd been with his brother until dinner, only getting snippets of understanding from the people who visited, and what whispers he gleaned from people passing in the hall. What he had heard seemed more trouble for them than good. He wasn't sure if he would like what the prince proposed.

Emerens blinked as he finally registered that Jack was talking to him. The young noble flapped his jaw unable to figure out what to say. His mind kept obsessing over the feather to the point of distraction. Desperate to make himself small, the fifteen-year-old duck his head and started twiddling his thumbs.

"Um …" he fumbled again, fully aware that most of the attention was on him.

Deciding to rescue his charge, Alfonse spoke up. "If I may, Spymaster Kunal. We haven't changed our stance from the first time we spoke. All we ask is for Captain Lev to stand in for Princess Eline while the rest of you help us rescue her."

He tucked one hand behind his back while panning his other hand around the room. "This flaming feather they left behind is their way of taunting us, I'm sure. Another girl, a daughter of a retired pirate, disappeared a few nights before our princess was kidnapped. The same night her entire family was murdered in their beds. And …"

Reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out a feather identical to the one Luro lost. "This was found at the foot of her bed when I went to investigate. I'm sure this isn't a coincidence."

"If you don't believe me," he offered. "You can ask around Uitibuken. The locals will know which family I'm talking about."

Jack frowned at the sight of a second feather. "Do you know what that is? Who, or what, it belongs to?"

Sensing an opportunity to finally get to her own proposal she turned her attention towards the royal and those who stood close around him, her brow furrowing a little in thought before her lips parted. "I would ask permission to access the Princess's room. Assuming it hasn't been disturbed already, I'd like to search for additional clues that would hasten our search." she paused in thought for a moment before adding. "In a situation such as this, information will only increase our level of success. And even if I can turn up nothing, it's a detail that can then be eliminated from the puzzle."

She brought a hand against her chin in thought as she cast her gaze down towards the basket of spiced crackers. The Feian then looked towards Ru, "Maybe you could take a look at the room of the other missing girl? If there are any similarities, we could compare notes and perhaps get a stronger idea of who the culprit might be. Of course, this is all at your discretion captain. However you see fit to proceed is how we'll look to handle this issue." she nodded.

Emerens glanced at Alfonse, Nellie and Salem, but they didn't speak up on his behalf. It felt like they wanted him to make this decision on his own. The young teen squirmed uncomfortably at the idea. He worried that he would say or do something wrong; his father and sister weren't here to correct him.

He tilted his chin up and gazed at Amaiya. There was a flicker of a smile which died abruptly. "Um … no, I mean yes. Yes, I give you permission to search my sister's room. Tomorrow, I have Salem sneak you into Uitibuken if necessary, Lady Tashigi."

Upon hearing Emerens's offer, Salem bowed to the crew. Ems smiled more openly after that. Salem had his back and that was all that matters. And, from Alfonse's silence, it seemed like he didn't object to his decision.

"Captain Lev, are you agreeable to Alfonse's proposal? We will make sure you are well compensated for your trouble."

"How?" Jack interrupted. Hostility was beginning to simmer to the surface. "What's our compensation? It needs to be more than money, I think. We're already in a rough situation and you're asking us to stick our necks out further. Will you help us get back to our ship when this is over? Get us safe passage out of Bonifaas? Because if-- if--"

Eyes lost focus and Jack's jaw went slack as suddenly, he wasn't seeing the dining hall where they sat, but Cedric's room. He didn't know how but he could tell he was seeing things through Chester's perspective. The images came fast -- near incoherent.

Cedric, sweating and tossing in his bed. A door opened; candlelight spilled onto his face. Shadows fell again as a familiar silhouette -- one that could've fit Adenin's description -- filled the doorway. A red hawk, perched on the headboard, looked up. Her wings spread and she screamed at the intruder.

Jack shot up from his chair. His eyes landed on Runali. "I need Luro. Someone's in Cedric's room."

The moment the captain heard the request again, aloud and in front of her entire crew, she awkwardly sipped from her cup again. To the royals, she seemingly looked down in thought, but to those who knew her long enough her hesitance was a little clearer. Runali knew it was important but the request was something well over her head. Even she knew when she was out of her depth.

Had it not been for Levon on her lap, she would have slid lower into her seat to attempt avoiding all the stares that rose with the question.

But then her first mate came to her rescue, or rather diverted their attention to something else important. Runali sighed, some part relief and another in realization that the mess they were being put in wouldn't end soon. "No, you're right Alicia. That would be a good idea. The more we know, the better."

"Ah… well," Runali hesitated, this time in her words when the question was placed in front of her again. The weight of suddenly becoming a princess for an entire kingdom was not something she wanted, whether it was for pretend or not. "Jack… does have a point. We have our own issues and to do something like this would be…" She thought about her words. It wasn't the danger she was worried about, no. Danger was something they faced everyday. She faced death before, jumping into danger wasn't what she was hesitant about.

Another sigh escaped her and she looked at her crew, a more comforting visage compared to the royals. "If there really is… no other way-"

Mindful of Levon, Runali slipped him into the seat she was in as she stood after Jack. Her command quickly followed. "Luro, go with him. Hurry." In a snap of the moment, Runali was back to being what she was: The Captain of the Stardusk. Her palms were pressed onto the table and her gaze went to Alfonse and Salem. "What good are castle guards if they can't spot intruders? Have them scope outside, see if they can find whoever it is- or at least where they went. Have some check inside as well." She didn't wait for them to respond, there was no time for debating. "I knew I shouldn't have left the two alone." She pulled her captain's coat from off her chair before motioning towards Alicia. "It was dumb to think they'd be safe here."

Luro had already risen to his feet at Jack's request dropping the food in his grip, he grinned waiting for the Captains permission as he wrapped his now healed hand back up in bandages hidden within his sleeve.
"Works for me I don't trust these guys anyway," Luro said grinning. "Ah no offense though."

Luro said this raising hand to the royals present.
"It's not you as people, I just don't like people who ignore what kids say cause their kids. It's just habit. I'm sure I'll like you eventually, just not right now. You also got this weird scent about ya."

At the Captain's order Luro grinned and nodded slamming his two bandaged fists together.
"Aye Captain, a meal and fight, these royals really know how to treat guests huh!"

Alicia closed her eyes and released a short exhale through her nose, quelling the rising irritation that began to form from having to jump hurdles in order to see this whole situation resolved. The prince's hesitation in allowing her to investigate, their insistence on their request for Runali to play princess… all the while conveying the feeling that they weren't being one hundred percent forthcoming with what they knew about the problem. She could foresee control of the situation loosening gradually and then Jack was bringing up good points regarding their future assuming everything worked out well in the end.

She was about to press the issue when suddenly Jack jumped up followed by Ru, prompting her to rise mostly on instinct as she stood and turned her attention between the cook and captain. Her brow furrowed before returning Ru's words with a simple nod. "Should I go on ahead? I can get there the fastest." She kept her words short, choosing not to question how Jack knew something was amiss and seeming willing to trust him despite not knowing how he'd possibly know something was wrong.

She held a hand out towards Alicia before she could rush forward. "Something tells me they're long gone from the scene. You're faster so I need you to grab Chester. Use his eyes to see if you can catch just where Cedric's being taken."

 

[Fox of Hearts]

Cedric's cough echoed in empty space. He shivered as the pervasive chill penetrated deeper into his bony frame, a sensation more miserable than winter. Yet, he was too weak to break away from the arms that carried him. He tried cracking his eyes open but he couldn't stay awake long enough to see his captor's face.

All he gathered was that the person was tall, appearing to fill a good portion of the hall, hooded and strong. Strong, despite the slenderness of their arms. There was also a scentlessness about them that he long associated with another - the demon that lingered by his side. Not him, his tired mind supplied, as he dropped off again.

They were - as far as his disappearing consciousness could tell - moving stealthily in the gaps of time. Shrouding them was the same silence he experienced in Trovale. Those few seconds in limbo before Zilia yanked him back into the world of the living.

Was he dead? Or finally dying ….?

As his thoughts shut down, Sid's arm slid limply towards the ground and blood from his last cough stained the carpet, forming a breadcrumb trail towards the balcony at the end of the hall.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x​

The person exiting Sid's room was tall enough to be passed off as a man. Additionally, they were slender, athletic, descriptors that matched Adenin's. This case of mistaken identity amused them greatly, because no human could tell who or what they were with their face hidden by the shadows of their hood.

Their amusement deepened as Sid's fading thoughts filtered into their mind. Such a bond they shared, with psychic talents so similar, it was a pity he met their brother first, a feminine voice concluded in their head. No matter, said the other, a boy's voice that sounded as young, Cedric was theirs. Once they were back in their garden, brother dearest won't be able to come after them.

Time, as Sid noted, trickled over them and to their side, with the people around them in near stasis. Movements that should take seconds stretched into minutes. At least, from their perspective as the caster of this spell. To everyone else, Cedric was gone in a blink of an eye.

The doctor, in particular, would see nothing but an empty bed when the spell broke and the hawk-shifter, the guards looking forlorn and staring down the hall. That blonde maid who flirted with them was long gone. Lebov, or Lottie as Jensen staff call her, had quite the charm. A thought loudly protested by the Gris-familiar.

"Without her, Gemini, you would have remained in the cage," they reminded the disgruntled familiar. "Hate her as much as you want but your summoner has uses for her. Remember that as you take you leave."

Changing persona, the mysterious person continued. "Go find Adenin and tell him that we shall meet on the night of the demon moon."

When they stopped speaking, the balcony doors flung open and winter rushed in, bringing with it fresh snow. Gemini shot into the sky. His feathers melded perfectly with the darkness. But, he wouldn't be able to fly far. Not until the bubble shattered.

"I wonder …. " the boy's voice spoke. "What would Jack Kunal think of our little surprise?"

The girl answered gleefully. "His room in ruins? It was a clever trap by Luro Makachi. That red haired man forced our hand."

"But he also helped us get what we need. For that, we should thank him."

"Thank him we will. When we meet him next."

Red wings burst from their back, scattering tiny cinders everywhere. As they took to the sky with Sid tucked closer to their body, loose feathers rolled across the floor, disappearing into a far corner, where they might not be discovered by the diligent maids for the next few days.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x​

The time bubble shattered.

Sound, movement and consciousness converged, leaving only the highly sensitive feeling disorientated. To everyone else, barely a second of recorded time had passed. The guards patrolling the guest hallway stopped marching when they noticed the freezing wind.

Turning around, they made their way towards the swinging balcony doors and away from Jack's room. The two men were picking up the orange feathers scattered on the carpet when a loud click caught their ears. They whirled around when ...

Luro's trap exploded.

Jack's door shattered against the opposing wall as glass shards fell like shooting stars into the garden below. Fire fled the room as the smell of ruin filled the wind-swept hall. The aftershock drilled into stone and rocked the chandelier in the dining hall three floors down.

The magnificent piece shook itself loose and smashed into the center of the table. Its crystal diamonds pelting those caught unaware; Salem took the brunt of it as he shielded his father and Emerens. The young butler grunted as he pretended to flick dust from his person but it wasn't hard to tell he was in pain.

"It came from Master Kunal's room," Alfonse deduced as he waved for the guards to run ahead. Ru's earlier instructions were completely ignored. "Salem, come. I want to catch the stragglers before they flee."

Salem glanced at Jack. "Master Kunal? Wait! Where are you going?"

 

[SilentxChaos]

​

It was a nightmare, and one that'd been following him for quite some time. He gave his brother everything: protection, friendship, parenting, guidance, a home. He gave up his life so Cedric to get the most out of his own; it wasn't enough. No matter what he did, Jack was never there when his brother needed him the most.

Jack needed only a glance into his own room to understand the situation. Luro's trap did its job in incinerating everything contained in the four walls -- everything except the intruders, and Gemini's cage. It was gone.

He turned on his heel and ran. "Someone, find Jackie's stone!" he yelled over his shoulder, not bothering to wait to see who, if anyone, would follow his order.

Winded and heart growing cold in his chest, Jack arrived at Cedric's room. Eyes flicked about rapidly. Blood on the floor -- cards scattered -- bed disheveled. Zilia and Lily were the only bodies in the room. He froze, shoulders to his ears. Lily was on the empty bed, head in her hands. She looked up at him and he saw the tears in her eyes. Both women looked completely unharmed. It was a welcoming surprise, if in confusion. Jack wordlessly entered with questions on his face and gave his hand to Lily when she reached out for it.

"I don't know what happened," her voice broke. She cared for Cedric like her own son, like she had for Jack. His vanishing was equally traumatic to her. "Someone entered the room. Shadowed--"

"I saw you scream at him," Jack whispered, indicating to Sid's stones, his familiars that allowed telepathic connections to a chosen few.

Lily nodded. She swiped at her tears and straightened up. She dropped Jack's hand. "He was there one moment and then… the next, he was gone. Gone with Sid. And the room was like this. It happened in less than a breath, Jack."

"You didn't see anything?"

"No. It must have been magic."

Yes, but what kind? The unspoken question hung between them. They had no idea how to speculate, so it wasn't pulled into the air.

Jack swallowed, looking away from his mother. "Was it Adenin?"

He whispered it and the room grew cold. Neither son or mother paid attention to what was around them. Fists clenched, and they didn't dare meet eyes.

"I don't know," she said. "His face was covered."

"Could it have been him?"

She hesitated. "They shared a similar build. Similar silhouettes… but I didn't see his face. I can't say for sure."

He didn't answer long enough for her to look up. Lily blinked in shock when she saw a trickle of blood leak down the corner of his mouth from where he bit his cheek in anger. She stood up to comfort him but he moved away. His internal struggle, keeping his emotions, threatened to shatter.

"I need to go talk to Lazarus," he muttered. Jack peddled out of the room, stooping long enough to pick up Chester and Chaos's stones, and only giving quipped excuses to any of the crew that had begun to filter in. They could talk to Zilia and Lily for their answers.

Fifteen minutes later, Jack found himself on a snow-covered balcony. The frigidity began setting into his clothes, his normal seafaring wear, uncovered by protective furs and leathers. He didn't care nor feel it. He stared up at the glowing moon, and tried to ignore the broken glass doorway behind him. It had originally been locked and, in a temporary blackout of rage, Jack assumed he'd smashed it to bits to get outside. He didn't remember doing it and wasn't sure how he'd explain this to the prince.

"You should be nicer to the kitten," a familiar reptilian voice admonished. His scentlessness and change of garb made him unrecognizable from the crypt keeper hours earlier. Instead of a skeletal man dressed in rags, the person behind Jack looked like one of Ma Song's well-heeled clientele. The only constant was his milky blue right eye, a culmination of age and the hardships he endured to reach his position.

​

Lazarus offered a whimpering Jackie and the charred earring containing her aeter to his grandson without attempting to smile. Jack, he could see, had been pushed to the brink despite his warnings. It was exactly as Cassie reported, Jack was too caught up with the tiny threads and failed to see the tapestry they formed. The thief master kept his disappointment to a minimum as he approached the topic from a different angle.

"Do you remember the day the circus came to Norja? Ma Song and I brought you there and you ran eagerly from stall to stall. You stopped beside a weaver and stared at the colourful threads. Your eyes never stopped moving as you followed her fingers. And, when Clara asked you what she was making, you frowned. You were too enthralled by the whizzing threads to see the tapestry."

He kept his distance unsure if Jack would lash out given the fury cutting through the cold. "Cassidy and I have pointed out the individual threads to you, hinting at the bigger happenings. I need you to see, Jack, that this isn't about Adenin, Sid. Try, boy. Tell me what you see. Tell Papa Laz exactly what you need to know."

Chaos joined Jack and Jackie, draping herself around the chef's neck to keep him warm. Chester, on the other hand, had taken his stone to Amaiya, as a way of offering his assistance to the swordswoman. Rubbing her aeter against Jack's skin, Chaos allowed her thoughts to brush against the man's consciousness and, for the first time, he could almost make out the "voice" narrating her thoughts. Not that words were spoken but it was a clarity he never had before. She offered him comfort the way Ma Zhi would, a gentle balm to his stressed out mind.

"So boy, what are you thinking?" Laz prodded unsure what the cat spirit was trying to tell Jack.

Jack's fingers intertwined with the cats' fur, giving comfort as much as receiving it. Jackie was taken into the protective folds of his shirt. Jack was slapped with guilt at leaving her after seeing the state she was in. One hand sheltered the shivering ball under his shirt. But even in these soft gestures, all he had for Lazarus was a cold laugh.

"You don't think I know that? You really believe I've been jaunting around, thinking about Adenin and Sid, when the first reason we even came here was Jemima?" His voice climbed as he turned on Lazarus, and began to list, "She's being accused of murder! The princess is missing. Templars are coming; the Navy's hovering ever closer. Adenin is here with an exiled templar, who let's not forget, was murdered by someone wearing white gloves!"

In emphasis, Jack took out the dead's templar's aeterium, holding it against his bare skin. He put it away before Lazarus could say anything about it. "Let's not forget the Grand Summoner is coming to deal with a demon. For all I know, it's the fucking demons who are the problem."

Taking a deep breath, he let it out in a big whoosh, and then coughed as the cold bit at the back of his throat. "So if you have any clarity to provide, please do. Otherwise, why are you here?"

"Let's par back some of that information. After taking away the bit about the Grand Summoner, we are left with Adenin, an ex-templar on the run, pirate hunters and a missing princess." He watched Jack carefully. If there was any hint that the young man was starting to piece things together, he would let go. This was supposed to be a guiding moment after all.

"Adenin has been cut off from his family and their network. Someone like him would be desperate to restore as much influence as possible. Meaning, he'd be less discerning about his allies, making him a prime candidate for the pirate hunters. They, as you might have heard, are constantly looking for powerful, yet desperate individuals." He cracked his neck. "For simplicity's sake, let's assume he was contacted here in Bonifaas. Wouldn't that mean the murders and the kidnapping could be some sort of initiation test?"

Laz grinned as he watched the light in those yellow eyes. "Or, maybe it could be done on behest of another? It isn't uncommon for some to request a favour as a condition for their joining. More than likely, someone with even more power than Adenin. Don't you think the ex-templar fits that criteria? Assuming, of course, she isn't as dead as you currently believe."

Jack frowned, a hard thin line. He didn't say anything.

"The third strand I'm adding is information we know and hinted to you. Gerin-Lajoie wants the demon for herself." Laz spoke solemnly as a shadow fell across his eyes and a cruel grin reached up his jaw. It was a look that promised blood to those who dreamed of hurting his family, a look Jack saw before Laz killed the child thieves who tried taking him away. "She'll have no qualms about killing Sid to get what she wants."

Laz tapped Jack's shoulders lightly to get his grandson to relax. He needed the young man to pay attention to what he had to say. No matter how hard it would be to accept. "To cut the bond between him and the demon, she needs to perform a ritual, one that involves a human sacrifice. The princess being chosen was probably Pierce's sick way of taunting the Navy. Can you imagine the anger that would boil over if she were to be killed, hm?"

"You're… saying that Gerin-Lajoie is still alive?"

"That is a question only her brother can answer. Summoner siblings are believed to share a bond that breaks upon the death of one. I was half serious when I suggested kidnapping l'capitaine d'Templiers earlier," the old man chuckled. "My sources say his train arrives in the morning."

Not able to resist goading Jack, Laz asked. "Would you rather Adenin be more powerful?"

Jack's eyes closed. Demons. So he hadn't been wrong. Not entirely. Adenin wanted Cedric and the princess as sacrifices to summon a demon; or maybe he settled for the princess as a second sacrifice after the pirate hunters dealt with Gerin-Lajoie. While Jack was inclined to believe her death, Lazarus's use of present tense hadn't gone unnoticed. His throat ran dry as fear set into his bones. He couldn't let that outcome become reality. He couldn't.

"Do you know where Sid and the princess could be?" He whispered. His bowed -- a reluctant submission to his elder's teachings. "Or Adenin or Jem?"

"Can't help you with Sid or the princess. Jem, she's locked up in the castle dungeon. I've talked to her and she said she is willing to assist you and Lev. As for Adenin - hm, I saw Lebov walking the halls earlier. I'm sure she must have slipped away during the commotion."

Jack started at this news. "Lebov was here? Did you see anything else? Where did you see her last?"

"She entered your room unaccosted since the guards recognised her as one of the maids. Without setting off the traps, she came out and started flirting with the same guards. She left shortly before the explosion happened." He bit the bottom of his lip as something else occurred to him. "I don't know if you felt it …? My mind swore there was a pause before the explosion went off fully. As if someone stopped time …. rare power, I'd say, for a summoner of Adenin's level."

"Great," Jack said with sardonicism. He turned fully around to face Lazarus, lifting away from the balcony. "Anything else?"

"Gemini was carrying a note when he flew away. He headed northwards towards the University of Natural Sciences. Probably it's best you talk to Jem. Safer option, I feel. Unless, you plan to dress warmly and chase the bird across town."

He nodded. He stepped closer to his grandfather. "And… exactly, how long did you and Cassidy have this information? Did Lily know?"

"Know about what? Lebov? I spotted her for the first time tonight. Can't believe the spies missed that! A raging Lily will be dealing with those young 'uns after this." He cackled before sobering up. "As for the threads? Well, I asked Cassidy to tell you about them. Just not the Adenin part, that was pure speculation until I learned Sid was kidnapped."

"You should have told me." Jack worked his jaw, hands half-curling into fists. The shift in conversation sang with the tension rolling off him. Black threads painted the edges of his skin.

"You should have stopped us the moment we got off Lady Luck. Speculations, no speculations, you at least knew Adenin was here. You collected the answers and didn't once come to me! What, is giving me a lesson as a spymaster more important than protecting your family? Why didn't you tell me all this on the boat or the first chance you had?"

Accusations strained under his questions. His fury at being kept in the dark had won out. Cassidy didn't tell me anything. He presents pieces of the puzzle like I should have seen them on the table, but they were hidden in his palm all along.

"If I stopped you, would things have happened differently? Answer me honestly."

"That's not the point!" Jack exploded. His fist cracked the stone balcony and it was only the care he felt towards his adoptive grandfather that kept the strike from hitting flesh. "You chose to withhold information that pertained to my brother's and my crew's safety. It wasn't your right; it's not for you to decide what may or may not have happened if we'd been informed earlier. And now we will never get to find out."

When he proclaimed himself as Runali's spymaster, Jack knew he had his work cut out for him. He didn't have Lazarus's cunning, or Hoshi North's brilliance, or Charlotte du Vontiago's tenacity. He knew he was missing the bigger picture of the plot unfolding around them… but anyone who knew Lazarus, also knew the man always had more answers than he gave. The satisfaction at being proved right left a bitter taste in Jack's mouth.

Quick as it was released, Jack concealed his turmoil back beneath the flesh. A switch was flipped and his eyes snapped back to cold, focused intensity. But try as he might, the sting of betrayal still came through.

"'Family comes first'. That's what Mother Song always preached. I know you love us but by not being straight with me from the start, you put us second."

Laz contemplated those words, frowning deeply in confusion. He had to his knowledge done what he felt was best for family. Feeding Jack everything at once was not how his grandson learned best. Added to that was that concern that the boy had ways to grow before he could hold his own as a spymaster to a promising WG captain. He cupped his chin irritably before admitting defeat.

"Nay, your Ma Song was a wise woman. She'd understand your anger more than this cold heart of mine," Laz tipped his head in apology as elder to younger. "I assumed you had enough practice to play this game of chess between you and Adenin. Both of you students of Charlotte."

Pushing off from the iced railing, he leaped up into a sitting position and hunched over with his fingers steepling together. "What does your mind tell you to do next, spymaster? Are you going to pull rank among the Thieves … or, are you going to spend resources tracking down your brother?"

Jack shook his head. "I play the games with my enemies."

Unbeknownst to Lazarus, that was a quote from the ex-Royal Spymaster herself. Jack leaned both forearms on the balcony and looked toward the horizon. He thought for several moments. "Have the Thieves split. Cedric is my priority, but we need to know what the K-13 are up to and where Gemini is headed, decoy or no. Their location. I'll talk to the prince about releasing Jemima from the castle's holding cell.

"Of course," he added, "The rest is up to my captain." He side-eyed Lazarus. "I'm loyal to her."

"Welcome back into the fold, my fickle son." Laz beamed as he offered Jack his hand. "Take my hand and seal the bargain, the promise you've been denying all this while."

Jack warily took the offered hand. As they shook, he nearly jerked back when something sharp cut his wrist. He withdrew, and found a small cut bleeding onto the white snow. The small brand of the Thieves' Guild etched permanently into his skin. He stared at it blankly.

"I'd appreciate if you went to Ma Lily what we discussed. I… need another moment alone." Jack said as he pulled out a cigarillo and resumed leaning against the banister.

"As you will, boy. As you will. And, oh! Do bring yourself and a friend or two for breakfast in the morning. I think your Ma Lily would want to make sure you're fed." He thumped Jack on the back jovially. "And don't you worry, there'll be your Norjan favorites and none of the pickled foods you detest so much."

 

[Mizos]

​

Luro's whole body flinched and the color left his eyes for a moment, a second later his fingers twitched and walls of ice shot up in front of Alicia and Runali when the chandelier dropped blocking the shards of glass. He moved his own head out of the way but a piece of glass still got his cheek as he didn't put one up for himself. What looked like black smoke flowed off his body for a moment before dissipating, the color returning to his eyes as he blinked. The smell of his trap made him recognize it went off before his eyes moved over to the scene. His eyes went to the ice walls and with a motion of his hands the ice broke apart and he gave a small apologetic nod to the two.
"Sorry...I acted without thinking. I would have left it alone otherwise," he said raising a hand.
"Imposter....did you..." Luro thought as his eyes moved over to the now injured Salem.
How interesting.....truly this is turning into a fascinating day."
"Did you take me over?"
"Huh....ah yeah I borrowed you for a second don't worry about it. I wanna see where this goes so I decided not to let you die. Not like you woulda been able to do anything anyway....being trapped in you is annoying you know....everyone else on this crew has some version of powers..."
Luro knew Imposter didn't do things by accident...probably so he wasn't sure why he made an effort to assist Runali and Alicia, much less himself. Either way he now owed him one and he could hear the man's...woman's chuckle inside his mind at the concept.

Normally he would have chased after Jack but the Captain was right, Cedric and whoever took him was gone. Even with the smoke Luro could tell Cedric was no longer in the room. Luro glanced towards his rifle, he wasn't sure what that whole thing was but something felt off for some reason. The quiet ticking of the gears within his rifle, a comfort to him seemed out of sorts, as if he missed a beat in its monotonous but familiar cycle, though it lasted only a second. He moved to grab Jackie's stone and went to follow after Jack, as he did so he looked over at Runali.
"Captain. Figured I'd go ahead and ask. If I should encounter one of the people who stole Cedric am I permitted to deal with them my way,? Luro said with a small smile. "If our way doesn't work out."
There was a look in the Carpenter's eyes, not so much anger that wasn't an emotion common to Luro, not sadness or panic either none of that existed in them currently. There wasn't a doubt in his mind they were going to go get him back so such emotions weren't needed. No the look in his eyes seemed that of a caged beast, wild and unfocused yet withdrawn, waiting for its cage to be opened so it could do its job properly.
Luro unconsciously tugged at the invisible collar around his neck while waiting for Runali's answer.
"I'll follow whatever order you give of course Captain, figured I'd ask in case you're not nearby and I meet one. I wanna make sure I give em a proper response for taking my friend."

​

What....just happened.
It took Zilia a moment to contemplate what was happening, she was staring down at the emptiness in front of her, once inhabited by a body. Blood still dripped from her gloves and remained in front of her, the only proof that Cedric had been there now. She had blinked and he was gone, a strange feeling had rushed through her almost causing her to stumble but she somehow maintained her balance and now she was staring at nothing.
She didn't realize Jack or his conversation with Lily at first, much less the fact Luro's explosion had gone off signaling that someone had entered the room. The creator himself currently standing in the doorway staring at the mess with the same small smile that normally rested on his face, but she could feel the bloodlust from him at the missing Cedric, all these things coming together forced her to acknowledge that Cedric was indeed gone.
She let out a long shaky breath and straightened her body, shutting her eyes as she took in what she could from the two's conversation.
"You okay Z?" Luro said walking fully into the room.
"They took my patient."
The fact Zilia wasn't speaking answered his question, that and the curled fist at her side.
Luro seemed to understanding talking more about it wouldn't solve anything and moved to the other end of the room, Zilia watched him pick a feather up off the ground and twirl it with his fingers, she reached for her pen when he spoke.
"I know the scent."
She lowered her pen as Luro walked back out into the hall.

Once things had settled slightly Zilia had offered to assist Salem with his own wounds when Luro stopped her.
"He has the magic healing feather he can heal those wounds easily," Luro said. "He'll be fine. Sides with instincts like that he's probably hard to kill."
Luro then had to explain about the magic healing feather and caught Zilia up on their conversation, with everything up to speed Zilia crossed her arms.
"...I need to know more about this demon," Zilia said.
Opening her notebook she flipped to a page.
"So...Adenin was Smid and had an eye on us from the beginning....the princess was kidnapped along with the daughter of a retired pirate a few days prior...and now Cedric. Kelleryway has the navy on high alert because of his threat...Adenin apparently has a connection to the navy since we had to stop the bird so that's another problem and-"
Zilia cut herself off turning a page during her quick recollection.
"He's throwing a hissy fit because of his past with Cedric. He was also apparently working with Lajoie but she's considered dead....and the Templar's along with the Grand Summoner want Cedric dead...because of that demon and blood magic."
Zilia turned another page her eyes narrowing.
"On top of that Miss Jemima the wonderful Doctor is currently imprisoned-"
"Uh Z why are you showing respect to Jem?"
"Thrown in there for a murder she didn't commit, and since it wasn't her it had to be someone else, more than likely in or near the room to confirm his death before it was pinned on Jemima...at least if they were smart. Yet we don't even know that."
Zilia shut her book.
"That's not even counting everything else. I need to figure out what this demon is all about and the methods to summon it. The fact they're kidnapping people...probably has something to do with it I'm guessing. If they got that close and didn't just slit their throat it's probably for a reason...maybe it has something to do with the summoning....the type of blood maybe."
"Z?"
Zilia looked up at Luro seeing his tilted head.
"Ah sorry. I ended up reading up on demons after that whole Trovale incident, and learned what I could about blood magic. The fact that not just anyone can do it means they're may be specifications or some 'rule' to do it. Similar to some Devil Fruits for comparison. Understanding more about the demon and how to bring it forth may reveal what they're trying to do...but now they have Cedric...so I worry about finding it out too late."
Zilia's eyes narrowed.
"Back when you fought them...Adenin didn't just kill Cedric, he just hurt him and gave him that stone. For all the supposed hate he had for him he didn't just try to end him. Even when it was just the two of us he didn't take a shot at him...instead they waited and kidnapped him from under our noses."
Zilia crossed her arms.
"They're clearly planning something....it's obvious but..."
Zilia shut her eyes finding herself going in circles.

 

[Fox of Hearts]

Collab between Capt. Blu & Fox

GM Post I​

Location: Castle Jensen
Winter Solstice Day 40 (6 Days to Yulemas)
Evening (9:30 PM)

She didn't anticipate all the fire that began spreading down the hall, but that didn't stop her from weaving through servants frantically trying to stop it. Runali considered following after the two but had to trust that they could handle the situation. Alicia would be following the cats should Cedric- or the intruder manage to get away from castle grounds so she stopped to gather her thoughts. "There's gotta be something I'm missing…" Frustration ebbed at her while she tried to gather her thoughts and figure out some sort of plan, but it was hard to do when chaos was going around her.

Her gaze followed the crowd going back and forth but slowly started to drift towards the quieter spaces of the halls, where no one was running. With a more thorough look, she noticed the trail of blood leading the opposite way. The captain quickened her pace and followed the trail up until she was at the doors of a balcony. She shoved the doors open and began looking around to see if there was any sight of them.

A boy around three hid behind one of the two doors; he stared mutely with a thumb in his mouth and an orange feather grasped firmly in the other hand. Isaac Newman, Eline's stepson, blinked in surprise at the frustration rolling off the lithe captain. It alarmed him somewhat since angry adults often scare him.

Hearing Ru's footsteps returning inside, the toddler ducked behind the door. His blue eyes widened in surprise when he realised the door was made of polish glass. Tiny hands tapped the winter-bitten surface as he tried his best to stay quiet. Maybe - his innocent mind whispered - the scary woman won't see him. His sucked thumb disappeared from between his lips and that free hand grasped the feather too. There was something comforting about the warmth it exuded, especially when the wind was whipping through his nightgown.

Runali looked about for any sign of an intruder, ignoring the chill of the cold. "Hmmm." Her hum of frustration died down when she heard the faintest sound behind her. Where her vision lacked, her hearing managed to be a lot more successful. The captain spun on her heel to see just who it was hiding away, only to tilt her head a bit to see a small kid cowering behind the door.

"Huh." Her one eye examined him quickly before she ended up squatting down to match his height. "You must be the kid that Alfonse guy was talking about..." Her expression relaxed and she gave the kid a small wave. "Isaac, right?" It was almost immediate that she realized she was talking to a… literal baby so she quickly changed her tune. "Hey," She started with a soft voice. "M'not here to hurt you or anything. I'm lookin' for my friend and," She pointed to the feather in his hand. "I'm lookin' for something… or someone with feathers like that. Can you help me?"

Those innocent eyes gazed behind Runali then swivelled to the carpeted floor. It was then that he spotted the dark red patches she had followed. He stared harder, wondering what made them. The colour and flakiness didn't remind him of paint.

"Um, ok," he whispered to his bunny slippers as he rocked on his heels. "You find bird too?" he asked; his hands extending the feather out to Ru. "White man look for her," he informed her in that same nervous voice.

From the way he kept looking over Ru's shoulder, it was clear that they were not alone. Someone loomed behind her, a twisting figure with horns adorning its head. Metallic clicks sounded whenever the curved fingers moved, bringing to mind sharpened claws. And, when she deigned to turn around, a wall of stiletto teeth met her gaze. Their presence very much an oddity in the elongated skull-face. If anything, this 'it' looked like a predatory bison.

"Captain Runali Lev," the creature sullied the name with his mocking tone, taking extra care to roll his 'r's to goad the woman further. He clicked his teeth in a deathly grin, shifting his wispy cloak subtly. "It's a pleasure to talk to you in person. Seeing through Cedric's eyes will never do your beauty justice."

Isaac leaped at Runali's legs and buried his chubby face in the cloth, shivering and whimpering. He clung tighter as he felt the white man pass through their bodies and stand closer to him. He shook his head, shifting subtly to the other side for protection.

"Does my face scare you, Isaac? I've been told I'm handsome by human standards. Or, I would be if the ritual was completed. Not that it won't eventually."

Instead of offering his name, the creature held up his left hand to show off the gleaming red thread that flowed from it, pulled taunt by someone or something although no one could tell since the other end hung in mid-air. Again, that amused rumble rattled his hidden ribs as he tried to discern if Ru's interest was piqued. He twiddled his hooked nails to keep calling attention to that thread. A low hum - surprisingly pleasant - filled the void around the three of them. It was clear that he was waiting for her to respond.

Runali remained patient while trying to coax a child to her and despite the sudden chills down her spine, she remained calm. Danger felt near and her hearing was sharp enough to catch the soft clicking as it drew near. But she moved slow, keeping herself in between the sudden intruder and Isaac. Standing at her full height, her one eye examined the creature carefully to commit it to memory.

The moment this creature turned its attention onto Isaac, her hand went out, not in a threatening manner, but in a way that pulled the creature's attention back to her.

"You're what's making Cedric sick." It wasn't a question. It wasn't said in malice. It was simply a statement of fact as Runali kept her eye on the creature. "Tell me, if he dies, do you go free?" She held a hand up before he could speak, making note of where the thread pointed, acting as a compass to point out the direction Cedric was probably in. "I do not have time for your attempts to toy with those as you see fit. I need answers. You have your desires. Consider this a parlay until I have Cedric again. Either you can give me the answers I need so that Cedric can return to the Stardusk safely or you can do nothing."

"Aren't you a clever cat? My sister will adore you enough to try and grab you too." Invisible bones clattered and creaked as the hands rested greedily on Ru's petite shoulders. "I'll indulge your questions but only because they amuse me…"

Air devoid of life brushed against her hair as he chuckled. "Cedric houses me the way a mother would a child. From him, I drain all life so that I may manifest in your realm. My true body is, of course, sealed away. His illness has nothing to do with me. It blossomed as it would eventually due to the stresses he is experiencing. So, I'd appreciate you not giving me undue credit. But, with all contracts, I'm willing to alter it for a price."

A sharp crick indicated the twisting of the head long before Ru could stare into the hollow sockets. The darkness dug deeper into the windows of her soul as bony digits tilted her chin up. "The price I can negotiate, but fret not. It will be lower since there is a second bidder around, and I hate to lose."

He released her gently and floated to a corner, swooping down he snatched a feather trembling in the breeze. "I sense more questions stirring in your mind. What do you, my dear, want to ask the deity of dreams?"

"Your amusement is noted." She shrugged the creature off of her and took a step back with Isaac still behind her. "But your touch isn't appreciated." Instinct told her to fight. It told her that this was all a waste of time. But she had to be patient. It wasn't the first time she'd been tauntingly confronted when she needed something else. It happened with Zil… And Jack… Luro… Kadi… Her patience ran thin whenever her crew's livelihoods were on the line. And usually that's when she made the most wrong moves. So, straightening up, she quelled the instinct.

"Excuse me, you're not a disease, you're a leech. And so is your sister I'm guessing." Her expression feigned relaxed again despite the cold insult and she kept her hands at her side. "I can't see how that's something to be confident over, but I… digress." Her brow furrowed. "You'll address me as Captain Lev and nothing else." She hated the patronizing tone but she kept her voice steady and firm. "I do not need a name from you unless you plan to share. What I need to know is why your sister and whoever else is involved has taken Cedric and the princess. More importantly, I need to know where they are."

"You don't deserve the title, little Ru, so I shall not address you as such. Brazen as you act, nothing you say or do will ever upset me. Such is my fascination with you and your crew. And thus, Sid hangs by an ever extending thread. It is likely that his illness would kill him before I."

The deity hovered behind Ru again, clasping her shoulders tightly. This time it was clearly out of spite. "Where did she take them? Hm? Do or do I not know?" he pondered out loud with a lone digit tapping his pointed jaw.

Ru ignored the comment, taking the moment to glance and make sure Isaac was okay. When she was satisfied with the quick examination, she pinched the bridge of her nose. "You do know. You don't want to tell me because you want me to figure it out on my own. You want me to play this little game of yours. Of course."

"I'm not wasting your time, mon capitaine. There are no words to describe the place. It is… hm, it's the place where you'll find the goddess of this land. Her temple is submerged in the waters of the biggest canal. There, I'm sure, you'll find the clues you need. That is if you can survive a dive that deep."

A finger wagged in Jaipuran's face. "You need to slow down and think. Think. Is it necessary to go for a dive? I hinted earlier that my sister would come for you if she found you fascinating. And, nothing would pique her interest more than a fake princess masquerading as the future queen."

She wasn't entirely sure what the demon meant by the temple- or at least whether or not to take it literally or figuratively. Wherever 'this' was, though, wasn't where she had been when she first found the trail of blood- that she guessed. Demons and their weird magic…

"Yeah, yeah. I'm well aware. Play princess. Get kidnapped so her plan isn't ruined. I've heard it, I know. And you're not giving me anything but a run around of making me do the guesswork." She heaved a sigh and turned to pick Isaac up. "I can do that with my own time. It may not be necessary to 'go for a dive' as you say, but it's also unnecessary for this entire cat and mouse chase in the first place." She raised a brow, almost expectantly. "If you have nothing else useful to give, feel free to scurry back into hiding until your sister has use for you. Deals with demons don't sound any more appealing than me dying so I'll do what I've been doing." She adjusted Isaac's clothes to make sure he was warm and looked off to the scenery past the balcony. "I'll figure it out myself."

"Did I say it doesn't ruin her plan? You should stop assuming that my sister and I are fond of each other. The truth might be the opposite, you know. Also, I never intended to hide. Your eyes can't see me unless I do this."

"Be more direct and I wouldn't have to." She mumbled, mostly to herself as the creature began to move again.

A single hand pressed over Ru's eyes and she felt wind wash over her face. The creature eventually removed his hand, but nothing appeared to have changed. Not yet at least. "You will see me, Ru. A great white stag in the background. You and Jack, once I bestow this gift on him as well. A gift of true sight -- one that let's you see those that traverse the veil of life and death, especially those who no longer are."

Wisps from the scenery tore away and began wrapping around his hands like a tapestry unravelling. Behind the colours was nothingness, or rather an emptiness that looked like rolling fog, some dark, some bright. And, with the tendrils swirling around her ankles, came a bone tingling chill. "When you wake up, Captain Lev, please try not to overcomplicate things. I gave you answers but you kept questioning them. Things in Bonifaas are exactly as they appear."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x​

Location: Castle Jensen (Princess's Bedroom)
Winter Solstice Day 41 (5 Days to Yulemas)
Morning (10:00 AM)

Winter's light, like a grandmother's touch, kissed Ru's slumbering face. From somewhere behind those closed eyes was movement - the sound of cautious footsteps and the drawing of curtains. Next came the soft rattling of china as a trolley was rolled in, followed by the appetising smell of freshly scrambled eggs, pan fried bacon, newly baked bread and Jaipuran spiced coffee. Subtle but still noticeable were the citrus nodes of freshly squeezed orange juice.

"Good morning, Captain Lev," a shy maiden whispered to the slumbering guest. "Salem and I are here to attend to your morning needs. The rest of our staff is attending to your crew as well."

Runali pressed a hand to her face, not remembering ever going to sleep. Her senses came back to her and she quickly began to realize where she was. It made the strange happenings on the balcony seem like a dream; but if it was, there would be unexplained gaps between the time she stepped onto the balcony and when she got into bed. The new gap in her memory made her jolt up and nearly out of the bed. Hearing the stranger's voice made her reach for her weapons, but they weren't at her hip.

Salem was quick to supply an answer to the sudden near frantic captain. "We found you passed out on the balcony yesterday. So, father carried you to the princess's room and I got your ship's doctor to check on you. You were … in deep sleep for some reason. Maybe exhaustion, we weren't sure."

Runali took the second to examine her surroundings, reminding herself she hadn't woken up in a prison cell. "Ugh." Was the first sound she made since she had woken up, barely acknowledging Salem and the maid there. Runali quickly hopped the rest of the way out of bed. "Where's the rest of my crew? What happened while I was out?" She started towards the door, but paused when she realized she lacked most of her belongings. "How's the kid- uh, Isaac? And where's my things??"

Upon her uttering the name Isaac, a pale child peeked from behind the curtain, his features blurry and translucent, and his clothes a throwback to days long gone. Across his neck was a gaping gash that no longer bled. However, when he spotted the skeletal face waving to Ru from atop her dresser, the ghost child darted back behind the curtains. The ripple appeared to alert a ghostly maid dusting the fireplace mantle, her presence again unnoticed by Salem and Bethany. In fact, they didn't even flinch when several dogs, with ribs showing, rushed through them and scampered playfully around Ru.

The self-claimed deity of dreams appeared, once again, very amused as he picked up a teacup from the dresser and sipped nonchalantly. "Good morning, Ru-ie. Can you say I'm cowardly anymore? I'm sitting here in plain sight."

Not only did she catch the kid, but she spotted… other things to say the least. Runali felt like a cat the way she practically bristled in response. But she adjusted her stance, relaxing as much as she could. "Attacking a child is pretty cowardice." Despite it being directed at the skeletal figure, it seemed as though it was mumbled under her breath as she turned to face people doting on her.

"Are you alright, Captain Lev?" Salem and Bethany exclaimed as they darted forward to catch their princess lookalike in case she fainted.

Salem frowned. "Shall I call Doctor Vilimar? You look pale."

"I'll get her," the maid accompanying him volunteered quickly.

"Get who?" Alfonse enquired from the doorway, as he appeared with large crystal vase filled with winter flowers, their beauty unique to this region so far north. "Oh, Captain Lev, are you taking ill? I was hoping we could get you into the role today."

"Role, hm? What say you, Ru Lev?" the demon from the night before whispered, his invisible hands landing once more on her shoulders. "Remember, don't overthink your options."

"What?" Runali started, wondering why the two were getting so worried. Quickly realizing the issue, Runali waved her hand dismissively. "I'm fine. You don't need to get- actually, do get Zil- and the rest of my crew." She turned to her belongings, finding her coat, boots, and weapons off neatly to the side. Runali reached down into her boot, pulling out a knife that was stashed away. She examined it for a brief moment before tossing it across the room where the creature was. As she expected, it went right through him and into the wall.

"<Ghosts… If I wanted to see them, I would have asked Jones.>" Runali mumbled in her native tongue.
She seemed to completely ignore Alfonse as she walked over to pull her knife out of the wall. The entire walk back to her belongings, she looked as though she fell into thought. But really, Runali was fighting the urge to outwardly express the frustration she had with the string of events that led her to seeing these ghosts in the first place.

"Jones would be amused." The creature hummed.

"Fine." Runali finally looked at Alfonse. She put on her boots and grabbed her jacket. "But this kingdom owes me. So, so much."

Alfonse didn't raise an eyebrow when Ru tossed her knife. He side-stepped it adroitly, bowing as he would addressing his princess. "Well, my Princess, would you let Bethany attend to your outfit for the day? She is your new lady's maid."

 

[Fox of Hearts]

Location: Bonifaas Shopping District

GM Post II​

Winter Solstice Day 41 (5 Days to Yulemas)
Midday

It took some complaints, some compromises, and a few more grievances before Runali was finally awkwardly moving about in a dress. Granted, that was under a few layers and a warm coat because Runali was walking down the road with all eyes on her.

"This won't be so bad…" A bit of self motivation didn't hurt. "I mean… when I become Pirate Lord it'll be… similar." Under her breath she coaxed herself into comfort as she now held the guise of 'Princess' to a kingdom she'd forget the name of the moment they left.

But this was all a part of the plan. In order to stir up trouble, they had to prevent some trouble. If the people knew that the princess was gone, Runali wouldn't get anything she wanted. She reminded herself of that with Coral still injured and Cedric taken.

Without her eyepatch, Runali felt a little more hyper aware than she usually was. Her hair was pushed over her blind eye, obscuring it from everyone that didn't know she was lying. No one seemed to pay any mind about that though. They were all excitedly waving at her while she nodded or waved right back at them, albeit more calmly.

A bony hand pushed back the hair to reveal a blue, seeing eye, or that's what it looked like to onlookers. Cheekily, the same hand tucked the lock behind the neat ear. "Why do you need to hide the eye when it doesn't look blind?" The still unidentified demon spoke.

He waved jauntily in Jack's direction as he noticed the man glancing their way. Slowly, the creature tapped Ru's arm and pointed to a flock of crows perched on the roof. He hummed thoughtfully. "Do I see a black bird? Oh no, I see a slight shimmer which you can't see." He chuckled. "There are limits, unfortunately, to true sight. But yes, there you'll find a bird familiar and not the cats."

"If you must haunt me, I'd prefer you not touch." Runali adjusted her hat so her hair was back over her eye. "I didn't ask for you to do that." She never answered the question, opting to ignore it and continue waving at the people. When he grabbed her attention again, she looked over at the birds but remained silent, unsure of what he was getting at.

He clicked his tongue. "I think maybe another of your crew should go. I remembered your spymaster has to leave for breakfast with his grandfather."

"Oh, now you're giving advice?" She looked around for her crew, making a subtle motion towards the roof so they could follow that lead. "Do you prattle this much with Cedric or are you feeling especially cheery with me?" Considering it must have looked as though she was talking to herself, she kept her voice low. She was sure acute hearing was probably in the arsenal of weird abilities it had.

"Cedric wasn't the talkative sort. Kept to himself mostly and guarded his thoughts. I sensed that he hated being vulnerable, but he started opening up to you and a few others on your crew. You, on the other hand, vocalise your thoughts even in your head. My, if only your crew can hear the words spinning around in there. I'm sure they would go deaf in a matter of days."

Not really looking for an answer, she carried on with her "new duties" as a princess and headed towards the ribbon cutting ceremony. Alfonse had explained what it was for but she made little attempt to pay close attention or retain much of what he said- one part put of stubbornness and another out of disinterest. Royalty was all fun and games until the responsibilities were thrusted on her.

From the distance, came the calls for the crowd to part. Another important guest, supposedly a noble, was headed Ru's way. He appeared in her line of vision, a blonde lord dressed in flowing white templar's robes, white gloved hands tugging on the reigns of a stallion, whose coat blended with the wintery scene. Lord Gerin-Lajoie pulled to a stop in front of the disguised pirate captain, slid off his steed and bowed.

"Princess Eline, the Grand Summoner humbly thanks you for your invitation to spend Yulemas at Castle Jensen. She has to decline, regrettably, as the Emperor wishes for her counsel. I, Lord Gerin-Lajoie, captain of her elite guard, have been sent here to represent her and I too would like to thank you for your generosity given the grim circumstances. Please accept our sincere condolences over the loss of your father, Prince Consort Baron van Vries."

Pulling to his full height, he was a good head and a half taller than Runali. Slender, as most Trovalian noble men, well-dressed and soft spoken. Steel lay beneath his eyes, adding an intensity to his demeanor that advertised his position as Capitaine d'Templier. Following behind him was a small retinue, consisting of summoners and soldiers. All of whom immediately stood at attention after bowing to the royal.

"Would Your Highness like to ride the rest of the way? I feel that it would be rude of me to let a lady walk in this weather. Fine day by Bonifiaan standards but bitterly cold for Trovalians," he offered, although there was room for doubt, thanks to the roguish smile on his lips. "If we make haste, I believe we would be back at Jensen in an hour, where we could discuss your letters to Madame Summoner."

With all the kind spirit she could muster, Runali played the part of Princess. She gave a small disappointed pout about the neglected invite, but nodded anyway. And upon hearing about "her" deceased father, she gave a more solemn look gathering enough believability in it all. If there was one thing she could've been thankful for while being a pirate, it was being able to lie on a whim. "Thank you for your condolences." Runali kept her voice soft, making sure to keep her usual boisterous tone in check. "And thank you for coming."

She perked up a little at the offer and gave him the sweetest smile. "Oh, I would love the offer actually. Cold, absolutely, but I'd gladly take any opportunity to get off my feet." Runali chuckled at the little joke. Her gaze turned to the ones accompanying her before turning back to Lord Gerin-Lajoie. "Let's make haste, shall we? And oh, my apologies, how was your trip? Hopefully safe and quick?" Runali followed the noble, keeping up with the small talk, managing to keep the ploy of knowing what she was talking about.

Landry responded by dropping to one knee in order to give the eager princess a leg up, all the while noting the strangeness in Eline's behaviour. He remembered her being vivacious but she was reserved in manner, often preferring to walk rather than ride. It made him wonder if the woman he was entertaining was indeed the princess. He decided the matter could be investigated back at the castle, perhaps through conversation with Alfonse. That butler was often more aware of things even when the Prince Consort was alive.

A thought crossed his mind briefly, which he thought would be a good test. After all, there was this possibility that this version of Eline was tied to the rumoured Stardusk presence in the area. Either she was trying her best to hide the fact or she was more involved than he suspected initially.

"There's also the matter of the extradition agreement if the Jackal and his brother were to be arrested in your kingdom, Princess Eline. I'm sure you have heard about the evil deeds that Norjan wrought in Trovale. The Grand Summoner is now overseeing the matter and I believe she is contemplating his immediate execution once he is back on our shores. It's a messy affair and the details dull, so I won't bother you with the trifles on the matter," he tempted in a neutral voice.

"A man and his horse. Must be hard to bring a familiar that size around," the demon commented. "In battle, on the other hand, more useful than a cat."

There was anticipation in that hollow voice as the demon clicked his teeth in ecstasy. "Your move, princess, who are the people you're sending after Gemini and the people you're keeping close? Nay, closer. I see your crew hovering close by, even some pretending to be one of your guards."

Oblivious to the supernatural being standing on the other side of his familiar, Landry decided to pull any potential accomplices into the conversation between him and this "Eline". "I'd be happy to answer any questions you or your bodyguards might have, my lady. It could be about the Jackal or it could be about Trovale." This he hoped was enough to draw Jack over and reveal this to be an elaborate sham.

Runali thanked Landry for the assistance even though she didn't really need it, taking the moment to listen and take in what he was saying. Runali held a contemplative look for a moment, trying to assess if what he said could be useful-- or if she even knew what he was talking about. But, contemplation was played off as more of a sad somberness when she spoke. "I do appreciate the information, really. But you'll have to forgive me if I'm not as… lively." She was no princess, and being thrown into a role without knowing how the woman acted meant she would have to be coy- or at least tactical about her mannerisms. "The loss of my father is still taking its toll on me. I just don't want to come off as a bad host."

The nickname 'Jackal' rang a bell, and the talks of summoners only told her what she and the rest had already guessed. "If it means… the safety of the kingdoms, I suppose they're doing what they see fit… but I've not seen the person with that title." She lied effortlessly. Seeing the citizens still around, she continued giving them polite waves as they passed. "If a criminal with as much of a background as the rumors say is around, he'd be smart to lay low." Runali shrugged and looked at him with something akin to an innocent gaze. "But I, at the moment, do not have questions for you. There's still plenty of time for that to change though, I imagine."

 

[SilentxChaos]

Collab bet'w Capt. and Silent​

​

Time: Morning; Before Runali Becomes Full-Princess
Location: Jensen Castle, Infirmary

In the hours where only the castle's servants, and one pirate captain, stirred, a blood-curdling scream echoed through the empty halls.

Runali and her entourage were making their way to the dining hall when a lone maid came scampering out of a room. She was pale with fear and tears streaming down her face. The moment she saw the group, she threw herself into Alfonse's arms..

"T-there's a madman! A madman in the infirmary! He-he threw a knife at me and… and fire! From his hands! Sa-said somethin' about ghosts. His eyes were wild… and gold like a fiends'!"

The frantic made was the most entertainment she had gotten since she decided to 'play princess'. Nonstop she'd been pestered by maids and servants with questions and concerns, most falling on deaf ears. To be pampered was one thing, but to have to sit and listen to do's and don'ts of a princess was different and… well, worse. So when the maid came, her one eye widened ever so slightly in intrigue. "Alright, alright that's enough outta you all. I'll call you when I need you." She shooed them away, ignoring their protests. "Your guards are useless and I'm right here." She responded at one point when some questioned about the 'madman'.

When Runali entered the infirmary, she found it teeming with ghosts. They layered over each other, creating a thick fog, and obscuring much of the room. They didn't seem to mind. Most walked listless, shaking from a fever, cradling a wound, or missing a limb. Some laid on the beds they died in, moaning and crying soundlessly. The white spectres were so thick, it took a moment for the captain to spot the upturned bed and one trailing blanket that made a lazy compass to the far right corner. Jack crouched there with his back to the wall and his head burrowed in his knees. One of the shimi blades, gifted to him by Cedric, shook in a tight gloved grasp.

A cold chill went up her spine, remembering this new 'sight' she was given. While she wasn't happy with it, she at least could be happy that the creature wasn't rattling through her brain at the moment. But that was the least of her concerns as she made her way through the crowd of death to Jack. The maid's words alongside Jack's cowering made it click for her. "Ah… you see them too." Her voice was as gentle as she was being with her approach. She didn't want to startle him, but by the looks of it they were well past that. "Jack." She started reaching out to him, careful of the knife in hand.

"Hey, Jack?" When she didn't get a response, she sat on her knees directly in front of him. "Jack, focus. Look at me. You're still here. We're still here." It was hard not to notice the ghosts around, aimlessly drifting. It reminded her of Jones but more importantly, it reminded her of when she and her crew died… and that wasn't a memory she liked to be reminded about. "You're not dead." She reassured him.

It took several long moments for the words to sink in. Jack's head inched up, first revealing a sweaty brow, then eyes wide as saucers and shining with fright. It was like someone had casted a spell over her cook; even when his fear was palpable, Jack maintained a clear head and tight control. He never wanted to worry others with his emotions.

A ghost brushed against Jack's arm as in knelt beside them. He sucked in a gasp and folded back into himself, cringing away from the ghostly specters. A hysterical choking sound came from the depths of his rumpled clothes.

"Death would-- would be preferable right now… Captain. This is… a damned living nightmare. Like I'm six-years-old again. Lost in the dark with-- with…"

Jack took a shuddering breath. He seemed to calm just a little when he couldn't see the ghosts. Talking with Runali helped. His mind scrambled for anything to distract himself, and found it in the captain's own words.

"You… you see them too? How?"

The moment he began to shrivel up again, Runali reached out and gently moved his face in her direction. "Eyes on me, chef." It was somewhat of a blessing that her peripheral was only half of what it used to be, considering she couldn't see on one side of her, but that didn't stop her from knowing they were there. "You're not allowed to die on me, you know this. These things… these ghosts can't hurt you."

She frowned a little at Jack's question, standing to her feet and holding out her hand to Jack. "Cedric's… inner demon is watching the show and decided to add his own weird addition." She waited for Jack to stand, giving him a light face pat to remember to focus on her. "I'm assuming once we get rid of the problem this will go away too. Which means it's gotta be done sooner than later. But I can't do that without your help."

Cedric's name got his attention, like nothing else could. His head snapped back and he stared at Runali. When she offered her hand, he took it. He seemed happy enough to follow her out of the room, like a frightened child at the bid of its mother.

Back out in the hallway, the ghost dissipated. Less death occurrences beyond the infirmary's walls. Jack shivered and raced to a window. He slammed it open and, for the first time, welcomed the biting cold that whistled in. Shaky fingers sheathed his blade and scrambled for a smoke, during which, bit by bit Jack began returning to himself.

"True sight. You're talking about… true sight. Fucking demons and their interventions." Lighter sparked. Puff puff puff. Jack groaned with relief and sagged into the windowsill. "Did the demon say why it decided to grace us with this unholy ability?"

Outside, the city landscape sprawled before them in its snow-covered majesty, already bright in the dawn hours. It helped obscure the new beings visible to Jack and Runali. Occasional ghostly wisps filtered the streets, but they were easy to ignore. Jack kept his gaze keenly on the horizon while inhaling deep on his cigarillo. Two minutes, and it was half-disintegrated.

Jack sideglanced his captain. "I'm sorry. Did I hurt your hand?" He had a crushing grip on her during their short trip out of the infirmary.

They walked until he took the lead and ran off. She ended up leaning against the wall by Jack's side, mostly to avoid the cold and to avoid having to deal with the passerbys that may try to spot her at a distance. "True sight, Jack, is having two eyes and being able to see what's in front of you and what's on the side of you. What we were given was a curse. The truth about the dead is that they died, what happens afterwards is no concern of ours." Before she could ramble too much on this new soapbox about how she felt about the sight, she paused when she spotted a few maids shuffling by. Before they could say anything, she dismissed them with a wave. "...Anyway, it was as cryptic as ever. I am not too… er, gifted, in the ways of knowing what symbolism and metaphors mean." She shrugged and gave an explanation, mostly echoing what the demon told her and what happened. Though, when he paused to check on her, the captain couldn't help the small snort.

"S'funny you think you could actually hurt me." She teased before stretching her hands out and wiggling her fingers. "I'm fine. My woes lie in every dress these servants stuff me in. I'll tell ya, princess work? Terrible." Her tone was a lot more lighthearted than her explanation, hoping to coax Jack into some sort of peace- at least enough to get him to focus back on the task at hand.

He drew a thumb across his brow, offering a wry smile to his captain. "Now you understand why I dislike acting royalty. For all their riches — they are the least free people I've ever met."

Jack's gaze drifted over Runali's shoulder as he contemplated what she told him. The occasional flinch and pale complexion belied his continuous struggle with his phobia, but for the time being, he had himself under control.

"You know, when we first arrived here I came across a puppet storyteller. He told a story about this land's goddess cursing a woman, creating Saint Agony… if we ask around, I imagine there's someone who knows the location of the sunken temple. Cedric could be there, if we can trust what Er'is told you."

He held up a hand before Runali could reply. "Wait. I have information to tell you, too. I talked to me grandfather last night…" and Jack launched into what he gleaned from Lazarus.

"We can't do too much." Before he could question, she pointed to a few maids shuffling past. "I'm one part tied to princess duties here so I'm counting on you all to do the searching." She pouted a bit at the idea of them having more fun than her, but she sighed it away. She mulled over the extra information but ultimately came to the conclusion of, "Your grandfather sounds kinda cruddy… No offense." She agreed with his sentiments of it being something the man should have told them sooner, but she didn't press. It was too late for that anyway.

"I think our next move… our best move, unfortunately, is me playing bait while you all lay low and be ready for when... the worst happens." She spotted a ghost drift through the hall and into a room. "Worse than that I imagine."

Jack snorted at the Lazarus comment. "On that we can agree. If he'd never met Mother Song, I imagine he would've become a villain one day. His heart's trying to be in the right place."

It was said with some sour sentiment. He ignored the ghost Runali saw and waved away his resentments.

"I don't like waiting," he confessed. "They have both Cedric and the real princess. I don't know what's stopping them from performing their sacrifice, but every moment we wait is another risk. And I... I can't..."

His head sank into his hands. Bitterness, terror, guilt. They formed a writhing pool in his gut, crashing up like waves against his muscles and bones in an effort to collapse his body from the inside. He tried to breathe through it. It was like swallowing tar. Shaking his head, Jack forced himself to straighten up.

"I have an idea. It's risky and I don't think you're going to like it."

"Waiting isn't fun." Runali commented, letting him air out his own thoughts. The new proposal made her raise a brow but she ran fingers through her hair. She couldn't offer words of comfort this time. Runali felt the same way, but held her tongue. This was already a disaster so airing out her grievances would do nothing more than stress her and everyone else around her.

Before she answered him, she eyed him over, inspecting his state of being at the moment. He was rattled, well within his right, so she chose her words carefully. "While we work in risky business, life and death… Don't choose to do something that will… ruin you in the long run. But," Runali gestured for him to speak. "What's the idea?"

Jack blinked and flicked his cigarillo out the window. "Captain, I don't plan on dying today. Not as long as there's a chance to save Sid."

He paused to consider what he had to say. "Wouldn't it make more sense that, if you must be bait, not to leave it all to chance? This demon comes for you and maybe we're lucky enough to capture it and get answers. Or we manage to track you. Or neither of those things. And then you are alone, cut off, and we might not make it in time to find you or Cedric.

"What I'm suggesting is: I go and find this drowned temple. I scout it, and maybe I find Sid. I can remain out of sight until you and the crew arrive. I can be your support if the worst happens. And if we're wrong, then Lazarus or my mother can take care of Gemini's location and the rest of the crew will still be near, ready to act as needed."

Meeting Runali's eyes, she found his gaze clear and steady. His emotional turmoil still lurked deep down but in the need of an action plan, they did not interfere. They only remained because he was within safe company.

"I don't like the demon bringing up the temple, and then saying it's unnecessary to go. I especially don't like having you carry all the risk. And I wouldn't suggest going alone unless I felt it necessary. We shouldn't split the crew up more. Whatever fight's ahead we need our hardest hitters together."

Every one of their crew was gifted and powerful in battle. In this case, Jack was thinking of Alicia, Runali and Luro. They had the biggest damage output, and they would need Zilia's healing expertise to keep them going.

Jack gave her his signature crooked smile. "Also, I am the best at sneaking into places -- not like we've had much reason to put those skills to use."

Runali's tongue clicked. He was right, she didn't like that idea very much. "I'm not leaving it all to chance. Most of it is chance, but there's a reason they captured the princess. One we don't know and one that we can guess." She gestured out the window, still keeping away from the cold. "People who steal royals want to cause a scene. Whether it's just for show or for some motive, they'll have to change plans- even if it's not by a lot." She leaned her head back until it rested against the wall. Jack was also right about her carrying the risk- even if she didn't think it was all of it. Playing damsel in distress just to 'hopefully' get kidnapped wasn't that much of a risk to her, especially if her crew was around to help. But she understood the danger of it all. It was nothing compared to the trouble Cedric was in.

"Who's to say you won't get stuck in the same situation? Trapped and with no one there to help… I don't like that." Her brow furrowed. "But, we shouldn't keep separating our crew… why not take another of your family? Cassidy seems… capable I think. Either way, you need some form of immediate backup. I can't guarantee I'll be able to rip off a dress and run to the temple as quick as I'd like… plus the servants mentioned something about a ribbon cutting ceremony… And a prince or something." Runali shuddered at the thought. "Hopefully it's quick…" Runali tilted her head towards Jack with a raised brow. "If you must go, at least try to be quick about it."

Jack went from nodding along to shaking his head before she finished. "I can bring Cassidy or Lazarus, hopefully, but this… if the dive is deeper than we can hold breath, I'll have to use these," he raised an Armament glove. "Myself and one other I can do. I do not think I could protect four people from drowning and still have enough strength to fight. Unless the demon is lying and no one is in the temple, if I go down there, I'll have to hide until you and the crew arrive or…"

Or I can no longer wait to save Sid, was the thing he couldn't say. Jack swallowed. "I want all of us to get out of this alive -- myself included. If you think this idea will hurt us more than help, tell me now. I won't do it."

Runali stood up straight, turning to face Jack completely. "There'll probably be less opportunity to go later than just doing so now. Our options are spread thin and we would be spread thinner. It's not the greatest plan and I wouldn't forgive myself knowing I let you walk into danger." She held a finger up before he could speak. "But I also trust you and your judgement. I trust your skill as well so when I say make it quick, I trust that you'll do your best to." She patted his arm. "And if there's the slightest bit of trouble, we can use the cats to get the message across quicker." She frowned a little about Coral, but could only sigh it away. "We'll find him." It was hard to discern if it was reassurance for Jack or herself at this point, but she followed it up with a nod. "Make sure you've got a few supplies from Z before you go."

"Aye aye, Captain" Jack said with a growing smile. It diminished when a specter fluttered by, its mouth agape in a silent moan. Jack fished for another smoke.

Once it was lit, he moved away from the window, and handed Runali Chaos's stone so one familiar would be with her.

"I also have these." From his waistcoat, Jack pulled out a cloth bundle and carefully unraveled it. Fiery orange feathers, a good bunch of them, glowed against the dimness around them. They were identical to the one that healed Luro the previous night. "I found them in the hallway after the attack last night. I figured if they really have healing properties, they could come in handy. I have some with me but the rest of these can be divided amongst the crew. There's 22 feathers here." He handed them to Runali.

"We should go talk to the crew; I imagine they'll be awake now. I can leave immediately after."

 

[Mizos]

​

Before the Sixth day

Luro closed his eyes after the Captain had left, he brought a hand to his chin tuning out the world around him, voices faded into nothing, and the world around him slowly slipped away with even sound itself leaving the small space he had created. Within that darkness he took a moment to recall all that had happened. Just as he was about to think about what to do something crashed into his body, and immense force that passed through him causing his instincts to wake up, his eyes shot open and he gripped his throat for a moment, almost as if the very air around him had changed, trying to suffocate him.
"Oh you felt that?"
Luro's eyes twitched as his sister's altered voice echoed in his skull, he wasn't expecting Imposter to actually comment.
"…was that you?"
"Oh no it wasn't me. It's familiar though isn't it…or maybe it's not. Well whatever it is you felt it….I thought my existence had no effect on you minus all the horrible things I'm doing in here…but guess having me made your sensitive to…'that'….wonder of Alicia felt it too even without 'him'."
"…why does it remind me of Cedric…the scent seems like his…but…it's not…it's different."

Luro tried to take a step forward but something in his body stopped him and the annoyingly familiar voice called out to him.
"Don't get involved…even if you can…'smell' that you can't do anything…I don't like that I'm giving you a benefit with nothing returned."
"What is…'that'?"
"No fun if I tell you, it's more fun watching you confused and struggling…especially with it lingering near Runali….I actually had to step in to stop you from rushing forward. I want to see this play out Makachi…besides…if you don't play your role who knows how things may change."
"Imposter…"
"That being said it's not like I have all the answers either. So can't help you anyway."
"Are you lying to me again?"
"Probably. It doesn't matter as I'm not going to tell you anything either way. Your instincts are the only good thing about you, make this fun. There's a certain joy to watching you all struggle to do the 'wrong' thing."
"Imposter you're not-"
"Our conversation ends here Makachi. I prefer being an observer to things like this. I'll tell you what though. Throw away your humanity, your friendship and your will and I'll give you a hint."
"I'm not doing that."
"Eh there was no guarantee I had one anyway....but maybe I did. Well don't regret it later. I wonder when you're staring at his dead body if you'll think back and regret this choice."
Luro opened his eyes and reality returned as he let out a small breath he was holding, reaching up he wiped a bit of sweat from his forehead and glanced in the direction Runali had gone, he started that way but seeing the others also moving in that direction he stopped.
He took a few steady breaths ignoring the look from Zilia and stared at his hands, noticing them trembling he realized what had happened.

That feeling almost 'woke' something up in him, if he had let his guard down Imposter probably would have taken him over right there, maybe he was so focused on that feeling he missed the opportunity himself. Whatever the reason he decided it wasn't the time for that, he closed his hands into fists, and let out a small sigh.
A bit of black smoke escaped from his mouth and he closed it quickly swallowing the remains, ignoring the soot taste he rotated his shoulders and made his way towards Runali.
"Let's make sure to find Cedric," Luro said with a small smile.

That Night

Luro made his way out of the castle when night fell, Runali had passed out for some reason and as nice as it was to be waited on hand and foot, he didn't feel like staying in one place, with everything going on he decided to get some air. Sneaking out took a bit of effort with all the people around but that was resolved with the wind gloves, a bit of ice and an open window.
Once out he made his way into town deciding to take a stroll, the night air and a nice walk would be enough to do what was needed.
Once he made it to the town he came to a sudden stop as he noticed the sights stretched out in front of him.

For a moment he thought he had returned to Brass Cape, inventions and machinations normally present in one of his favorite places was now in front of him, multiple stalls lined up alongside the road, with people showing off their works, the hiss of the steam coming from a few of the objects brought a strange calm to Luro. His eyes moved past the stands to further ones down the road, filled with food which the vendors waved outwards, handing them to passerby, his eyes widened as a low growl escaped from his stomach.
"What's going on?"
Luro gaze moved around the town seeing decorations strewn from building to building, it took him a moment and a few questions to realize it was an inventor fair.
"…This is my third favorite place…well minus the whole Cedric thing but besides that," Luro said. "All right! May as well enjoy myself!"

Luro wasted little time taking in everything the festival had to offer, with a grin and spring in his step he went from stand to stand grabbing all the free food he could as she spoke with the locals, on occasion with mouth full of food. He went to each stand along the road, including the inventors and spoke to each one at length asking them about their creations, training ideas and sharing a few of his own. He took notes in his notebook finding new inspirations hitting him as she spoke to the innovators that came there, and there were many creations that drew his attention; though not everyone was willing to share trade secrets on each invention, many were happy to talk about the different methods, alternate approaches and ideas for future creations.
If not for the offer to ride the water bikes he more than likely would have talked until the festival had ended.
Gliding along the waters with others, laughing at the few who managed not to make it all the way, causing him to plummet into the water himself, such was most of his night. Eating, drinking, getting a few brass cape materials, buying a few inventions, going on the bikes again, drinking some more. The hours seemed to fly by as she took in the inventor's fair and all it had to offer.

While Luro was talking with one of the inventors about one of his approaches he suddenly stopped talking mid-sentence. The inventor tilted their head at him and Luro moved away from the stand and with a smile waved goodbye to them before walking away. He left the festival, walked into the forest keeping a steady pace and moved away from civilization stopping as he neared a river, when he came to a stop he glanced behind him.
"Guessin' you guys know who I am then."
Luro turned around as three navy officers stepped forward out of the shadows, Luro grinned at them his hands resting on the two blades still attached to his waist.
"…you followed me all this way though…you guys low on the ladder trying to shoot up? You didn't even call for reinforcements…knowing you were dealing with a worst gen."
Luro's grin grew a little wider.
"I like ambitious people too and honestly the title doesn't really matter none to me, I'm still bad fighting people up close so I'm at a disadvantage against three trained officers ya know…but I can't cause trouble right now…so I have to kill all of you…which is causing a different kind of trouble kind of… but in a good way....with murder...yeah that makes sense."
Luro raised his gloved hand and blue flames suddenly enveloped his form, the officers drew their weapons as the flames completely consumed Luro.
"Guess I'll use a little of what I borrowed since my gun would make too much noise."

When the flames faded a different man stood in front of them, instead of fiery red hair, locks the color of a raven adorned the young man's head. His clothing seemed akin to Feian garb and though strange he seemed slightly shorter than the giant that had stood there moments before, a bright grin rested on his face as two different colored eyes stared back at the group.
The young man stared at his hands as the officers stared in confusion, as he opened and closed them.
"Hmmm…interesting…perhaps because it's connected to Alicia I ended up like this," Luro said.
Even his voice had changed, it seemed more steady, almost proper in a sense and a little higher than usual, puling a pair of glasses out of his sleeve he placed them on his face.
"That feels more natural."
His hands drifted to the blades on his waist and the officers seemed to recover realizing his intent; Luro had already closed the distance however his body fading in and out of reality as he passed over each one of them, the blades left their sheath and dances of silver passed over the men, like a lovers caress the navy officials felt the blades pass over them, their bodies froze feeling the blades embrace more times then they could register. By the time they could recover Luro was already behind them, with a twirl of his blades he put the tips against the opening of his sheaths.
"Interesting."
A loud clink followed as the blades returned to their homes.
The officer's behind them remained frozen in place, waiting for the pain to follow...but even after a moment passed nothing happened.
Luro watched his 'victims' pat themselves all over and his eyebrows lowered a bit.
"I missed all those attacks…man I'm still bad with swords and stuff."
Luro made a sweeping motion with his hand and shards of ice shot out penetrating the officer's skulls, he watched their bodies fall to the ground and he rested his hands on his hips.
"…hmm the blades didn't feel as foreign in my hands like usual...probably because of Alicia's influence…but it still felt 'wrong'….interesting. This experiment was worth it…. I learned a lot."
The blue flames consumed Luro and he returned to normal removing the glasses off his face.

After Luro threw the bodies in the river, wrapping parts of them in blocks of ice so they'd sink to the bottom he made his way back to the castle, he hid his appearance as he made his way back. He had made sure no one was around but for some reason he decided to be extra careful, he wasn't entirely sure himself why.
"Any luck there Luro?"
Luro came to a stop on his way back as a voice called out in his mind, but he only stopped for a moment continuing forward as he responded.
"You're being awfully talkative lately…"
"Am I? This is normal for us right? Still you didn't answer my question."
"I don't know what you're talking about so how can I answer."
"Any luck finding Cedric?"
Luro stopped once again and Imposter's chuckle echoed in his skull.
"I'm guessing no since you're heading back empty handed."
"…if you knew the answer why did you ask?"
"Just to remind you. You walked the entire festival trying to find his scent, even rode those bikes so many times to go around the area searching for him…yet got nothing out of it…"
Luro started walking forward again shaking his head slightly as he continued his trek back.
"There's not much else I can really do. Figured no harm in it."
"You're putting in some extra effort this time aren't ya? Your mind is all clear…well for now. Probably because of the Power of Destruction, forced you to concentrate…means you have a somewhat good understanding of your emotions currently."

Luro didn't responded but that didn't stop Imposter from continuing.
"This is personal for you. You know all too well what it's like to lose a sibling. You gave up your future for Lina and lived your life for her and the other orphans….it's no lie saying Jack gave up a good chunk of his for Cedric as well. In a weird way you understand that feeling, that need to protect, so a part of you can understand his panic….because you failed."
Luro's eyes twitched but he kept his pace forward, he tried not to show any weakness to the being speaking to him, but he knew he could sense it, he could feel it.
"You don't want Jack to become you."

Luro footsteps paused and he leaned against a nearby building, he brought a hand to his stomach as a sick feeling tried to rise up in him. He put it to all the food he ate, or rather he told himself that to keep from losing it.
"Jack may hide his emotions but you can tell they're still there. He can still regret, still feel's fear, his conscience still exists. They're not…'gone', just pushed down…you worry he's on that line. That one you were on so long ago…the one you crossed. The line that no human can go back from, the kind that turns you into something else. Even with all the love of your friends, even with those precious friendships there are things you can't take back, there are things you can do…are willing to do because of those feelings you 'abandoned'. The last thing you want…is for Jack or Cedric to become what you 'chose' to be. That's why you're fighting so hard. There needs to only be one person on that ship willing to cross that line. You'd throw away your humanity in a heartbeat…even if Runali begged you not too."

Luro leaned off the wall and taking in a deep breath continued forward.
"You really are talkative lately Imposter."
"Haha…consider it your current state of mind…and my interest in the affairs around you…I'd personally like to see Jack drop into the abyss so our desires for the present circumstances clash yet again causing a separation between us. That's also why you walked away isn't it…you subconsciously felt that change in you….my presence is slowly overshadowing you…you can feel it."
Luro reached up and rubbed the side of his head, almost in an attempt to be rid of the voice talking to him.
"Don't worry…I'll let you watch the suffering of your friends Luro…we are allies after all. I'll let you fight with all you have, do everything in your power, and when you fail to do anything…just like that little child before…you'll have no excuse when the consequences creep up on you. That and if I take you over Alicia will cut off your head and Runali will lose two crew mates instead of one...wouldn't that be terribly entertaining? Cedric dies and you struck by grief lose to Imposter...then Alicia draws her blade knowing she's going to lose two friends that day, but on her honor moves to keep her promise with tears stinging her eyes as Runali screams for her to stop. It's almost poetic."
"I won't let that happen…I'll do all I can and I'll believe in everyone."
"Belief doesn't mean much without action Makachi…and far as I can see none of ya'll have done anything right. Hahaha…but you keep at that. Don't worry when we find Cedric's body I won't say 'I told you so'. I'm not that mean."
Luro could almost feel Imposter shrug in his head.
"Well you'll be drunk tomorrow and back to usual so it won't matter...but in this moment...this small moment where you can peer past that veil of yours….you know Jack's pain...his panic. You won't realize why you want to help him, nor why you're trying so hard...but that's okay...because in the end you'll face suffering in one way or another...and I'll be right there watching."

A sigh escaped from Luro and he decided to just speak normally to the voice in his head, since he was being so talkative there was no reason not to engage a conversation with him, at the very least it'd change the subject.
"Are you jealous about the demons?"
"Eh a little. I can't manifest through such means sadly. Well I can but not without consequences. I don't need Jones knowing what I really am, much less the other players in this 'game'."
Luro was admittedly surprised Imposter so willingly changed the subject, but he was a creature that made no real sense.
"...aren't you a demon too? You seem to be thinking too much about this."
A heavy somewhat agitated sigh echoed in his mind and Luro felt Imposter put his feet up on something, probably his favorite table knowing him.
"Let me clear this up right now...you humans like giving things names like 'demons', yet have different ideas about them. Giving me a title like that makes no real sense...but if it helps you classify me then I guess I can't complain. That being said I'll pass on the kind of 'demons' these people are talking about."
"...why's that?"
"You remember what the little doctor and the others said right? There's a catch to them, contracts and all that remember? They can materialize but are bound to this world by their 'summoner' or what have you. That's not true freedom, there'd be no point coming out like that. I wouldn't doubt it if some of them don't seek true freedom in some way. I wouldn't mind stretching my legs in reality...but to fully materialize...I'd want to do it without being tied to someone. Granted you shouldn't believe everything you hear."
"....you can't do that right now though…"
"Regretfully not...but that's fine. I'll be an observer, I prefer it anyway. That being said…you really wanted to find Cedric huh, isn't that adorable."
"....could you not read my mind?"
"Can't be helped we're together on this, go back and try again tomorrow."
"....yeah that's a good-"
"Well if they didn't kill him tonight. They could do that. He could be dead right now, you all failing to save him, that's a reality to consider….Jack will feel that same sense of loss...that powerlessness that you felt….Oh I hope he gets to hold him dying in his arms...just like you did...something else to talk about as brothers right? 'Hey we both died with the people we love in our arms, the pain still destroys me what about you'?"
"…You really are talking a lot Imposter."
"This is personal to you...of course I'd be here to remind you of that. Do your best Luro so it hurts all the more later."

​

The Day Before

Zilia had stepped out the castle after the long day informing she would return after running a few errands and would be cautious. With the captain asleep and everyone on edge she didn't want to sit still. While enjoying the wonders of nobility was all well and good she wanted to get started on researching this demon as soon as possible, she at least had a place to start.
'The one clue we have is that he is connected to the first king of Trovale, Grand Summoner Giraud Delmont, a summoner made legend for his ability to subdue the Gods'.

It wasn't much but it was something, if she could find the original legend all the better, Jack could speak Trovalian if she needed a translator, looking at the history of the town would be a good idea as well, the more she understood about this place, it's surroundings, and it's history the better.
Being able to borrow any book with copies would be handy as well.
She could bring some back and have the others look over them with her if she found anything useful. Though she was interested in those medical tomes priorities came first.
That scene from earlier replayed in her head the more she thought about it, even now she wasn't sure what had happened to the doctor who had been with her and how she lost Cedric who she was touching just moments before, she could only imagine the worst with the mess that was left.

Whoever had taken Cedric, had stolen her crew mate, her friend and her patient. In one act they had wronged her in three ways, even she was having trouble advocating mercy.
If she counted not being able to visit these libraries for fun, which she did, then four.
For the time being she would go from library to library, look up the first king, books on demons, summoning, summoners and anything she could find that seemed the tiniest bit useful.
She had to make sure to get back before morning however, tomorrow would more than likely be a long day, losing herself to books until daylight wasn't an option…but she was going to lose a chunk of the rest of this day, and some of the night at least.
"I can't give up...worry later and work now. I won't mess this up because I didn't try with all I had."


Present

​

Luro kept a bit of distance from Runali trailing behind and making his way through the crowd, hiding wasn't his forte especially with his height but thankfully his looks were common that fitting in with the people wasn't too difficult. Due to the strange confusion of being the princess fiancé before and those around perhaps having met the man before, Zilia recommended he keep some distance. He had the Captain's scent, finding her wouldn't be too hard, and if no one knew what he looked like he could approach then.
"From what you told me Luro you and that guy are completely different, he's Norjan and your Bonifaan apparently. If need be change your hair color, you can do that without much effort right? For now though maintain a distance and approach if the….'princess' asks you too…but you're not good a playing Nobility so let's avoid that. Don't yo u dare lose those feathers either...and don't randomly cut yourself on something silly like paper and waste them."
That was the general conversation the two had, she spoke to Runali about this as well, until they knew how much the other half knew, pretending he was someone else wasn't a good idea, Luro couldn't act after all, he spoke honestly so he was bad with nobles.
Instead Zilia with her hood up and face mostly hidden stayed nearby.
"She looks uncomfortable...I love it. I want to paint a picture of her misery."
"Are you gonna help at all?" Luro thought back to his loud neighbor.
"Of course not. The Crew's success or failure doesn't change my life one bit. Why would I do something with no reward? In fact watching you all fail, your friendship not measuring up with the harsh reality in front of you...all that belief for nothing, those doubts you pushed aside...all made manifest in your lowest moments....ahhhh....just thinking about it really get's me excited."
"...that's weird."
"Yeah you're right I don't really feel like that. I just don't care what happens to you all. Is that better?"
"I preferred the former."
"Then my desire for your endless suffering it is. Reason doesn't matter anyway."

It had come to Zilia's attention during breakfast after their talk but Luro was staring at the Captain, at least more than usual. He kept the smile on his face as he usually did but she'd known him long enough to know when his eyes spoke something else, he was looking at Runali but not directly at her, to Zilia it seemed he was looking at the spot next to her, but his attention refocused back on her just as quickly.
At Runali's 'motion' he turned and went to investigate the bird while Zilia kept trailing the Captain.

'Feian' Luro

Respect to Kana