Shattered crown: Into Snowview

## Page 1

End of Part 4, Chapter 1

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

Evelyn was relieved to hear Mr. Parrish say he didn't intend to cause any problems, though she wasn't sure she believed him. She watched Ryouki and Usami's duel through the window next to her, intrigued. Any other day, she might have been upset, but it was honestly too early to take their antics seriously. Whatever those two needed to sort out, she didn't care how they did it as long as it got done. "Drama, drama, drama," she muttered.

As if the word had summoned it, the sound of a hundred or more collective screams suddenly built up in Evelyn's hearing, more and more voices joining in from somewhere just north of her position. There he is. It was starting. They had no time to waste. Taking advantage of the adrenaline beginning to flood her system, preparing for the coming race, she donned a shocked expression and darted outside to see what was happening. Erick followed on her heels, having shot up from his seat as soon as he heard the shouts. People were filling the streets, running past the inn, many of them covering their mouths and coughing - even stumbling over their own feet in their panic.

"It's here! I saw it!" Some of them shouted the words as they ran.

"Everyone run!"

"This city is doomed!" Several people added warnings to the rising clamor, and a pale haze could be seen rising over several nearby buildings, creeping over the roofs and through the streets.

Apparently, Erick recognized the scene for what it was and knew better than to stand around watching. Maybe he wasn't a lost cause after all. He turned to Ryouki, eyes wide. "I'm sorry, Ryouki, but we need to get everyone out of here - right now."

"Then don't just stand around! Go do it!" Evelyn snapped, retreating to the inn. The haze moved slowly, as expected, but it was was already too close for comfort, and Doctor would inevitably follow it. Once Evelyn was inside, she slammed the door behind her to get everyone's attention. "Everyone, this area is under attack! We have to leave!" Evelyn moved to Kristen's side and placed a hand firmly on her arm, trying to hold the girl's focus. "Stay put for now. We're leaving together." She looked up from Kristen, surveying the inn. "Someone get over here and carry this girl!"

Danor Arkaitz - Gunsmith - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

The dark-haired woman's warning and the sound of terrified screams filled Danor's senses, leaving no room for anything else. She dropped to the floor from her seat and rushed for the stairs, but the white-haired man, Asbel, called after her. "Are you insane?"

Without answering, she ascended the staircase, heading for her room. She had to get her notes. There was no way she was leaving those behind, no matter the circumstances. Besides, if they were under attack, she would be wanting her gun too.

From the top of the stairs, Danor turned and glanced downward for one second to peek out the front windows, and she saw countless people running by. She also saw Asbel's attention turn to Mr. Dermon, his voice shakily raising. "Can you still pull Leif?" Another person? The man in that cart, probably. No, she didn't have time to think about that. She was a fast runner; she would get her things, and then she could worry about everything else - everyone else. Maybe she could help them.

-Ryouki Sato-

As Erick attained his attention, Ryouki then examined the panic that waved over his surroundings. Out of breath from activity, he turned to Usami, who looked worse for wear, and bent down to help him up. "Usami, can you stand?"
"Yeah, I can stand. Watch." Usami groaned as he struggled to his feet. "I'll get our sisters. We gotta get out of here..."
"No shit." Ryouki exhaled. He turned back to Erick as Usami gathered the twins. "Erick, do you know what's got everyone-" Ryouki then was able to catch some of the people coughing, crying from pain as the rising gas went into their eyes, noses, and mouths. He drew up the collar of his shirt to cover at least that much, and his insides already began to writhe.

--

-Tula Nikos-

As the crowd in and outside of the inn went into a panicked frenzy, Tula's blood crashed and boiled within. She caught sight of the gas rising and panicked. "Not again!!" Tula snatched Dimitry's hand with a tight grasp. "We need to go, now."

--

-Alina Andreyevich-

That morning, a knock had come at the Embassy's door, which startled Alina as she was making her rounds. A woman guard went to answer, but Alina stayed nearby, curious.

The woman guard answered sternly, opening the door with protective conviction, like a guard, Alina thought. "Good morning, sir. Do you want me to carry a message or are you approved to meet with the Rojyan Ambassador?"

It occurred to Alina that riots outside were still going. She chewed on the inside of her cheek, annoyed. What kind of fools would waste their time like that just to rub in Rojya's face that Rojya is unwanted in Falcon's Reach? If she didn't like someone-which was a lot of people-she had the decency to keep it to herself, or at least she was supposed to and did as told.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven.

Dimitry heard the screams and stood up fast. He looked out the window, and seeing the gas grabbed his mask.

He noticed something slightly off about Evelyn's response, but he didn't know how she normally acted during terrorist attacks, so this might be her normal reaction.

In a smooth motion he drew his sniper rifle off his back and slapped a magazine into the receiver. He swept the room with his eyes and seeing no seven foot tall shadow beast he cursed in Grail. He could see other inn patrons looking about in panic.

"Evelyn, take them through the back! Less chance of running into a crowd!" Dimitry shouted to be heard. What he didn't tell her was that poisonous gas might not be in the alleyway behind the inn. He didn't want to explain why he knew that.

"Listen, I'll get you through this. I promise." He whispered to Tula, looking directly into her eyes. He wouldn't put his mask on just yet, it would limit his situational awareness and that was something he needed right now.

Matthew Barton - Outlaw - Rojyan Embassy, Fairhaven.

Matthew made a slight bow to the guard that opened the door and tipped his hat. "No ma'am. I don't think I'm approved to meet the ambassador. I was actually coming here to see if I could get some help."

"You see, my sister's husband is sort of a gambler, and he owes a great deal of money to this Caravaner fellow. And if I don't find this man and give him the money he's owed I don't really know what he'll do." Matthew said, making up the story as he went. He was a very convincing when he told a lie and doubted the guard had any idea that the story was utterly false. He didn't even have a sister.

"And I was going to ask the people at the Grail embassy, but I don't think they would have let me in. If you have any information about the whereabouts of someone named Dimitry Popov it would really help me out. Put me in your debt so to speak." He said everything in a genuine tone that had fooled dozens of people before.

-Tula Nikos-

"I'm not worried that you won't," Tula whispered back, her mouth guarding her nose and mouth. "I'm worried that I'll be discovered with you trying."

--

-Alina Andreyevich-

The guard raised a brow at the man's story, and frowned in disapproval. "Then the Rojyan Embassy is the wrong place. As far as I know, you'd have better luck at the Grail El Embassy-"

Having come up with small bits of a plan, Alina emerged from the shadows and smiled at the total stranger. "There you are...Ivan!" She hesitated to come up with a familiar name and then turned to the guard. "This is Ivan Moneta. He's a lawyer. We had been meaning to discuss Mr. Popov and the aftermath of Miss Nikos's exile."
"She was exiled yesterday." The guard's eyes narrowed.
Alina, feeling cornered continued. "More or less, he just came for tea, but I wanted to discuss the issue with him. You got my letter, yes?" The Princess spoke quickly, not giving him a chance to respond. "Anyway, he's welcome. You don't have to be so defensive."
The guard sighed and moved away from the door to allow the stranger entry. "It's kind of my job to be so, Ambassador Andreyevich."
Alina beamed and then showed him in with a firm grip on his wrist. She led him through the hallways with pointed, quick steps, until she reached a hall near the Embassy's tea room.
"Who are you? Why are you looking for Dimitry Popov? What posessed you to come to the Rojyan Embassy? Do you know about Tula Nikos? What's your actual name? Are you from Hydris? Did someone send you here?" Her questions came out faster and more clipped and rushed than Alina intended, almost to the point of being incoherent.

## Page 2

Frederick Dermon - GAS?! -Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

I couldn't help but snort a bit as Asbel delivered a line with his signature deadpan. Seems sleep evaded most of us. In a rush, Evelyn swept through the room, and screams rushed down the streets outside. Wisps of a smoke began to penetrate the cracks of the inn. Didn't think this place had termites.

Mr. Reid was still outside, and that woman had gone upstairs; both foolish. I didn't have much time to think about them. I nodded my head in response to Asbel's question, although a certain Shadow's help would've been nice. The escape would be slow going, even on cobblestone.

"Can you help Kirsten?" I asked as I stood and positioned myself behind the cart's bars. I wrapped a dingy scrap of material around my mouth and nose, my breaths coming out hot and smothered as the cart creaked forward.

Silas Reid - Botanist and Odd-Job Part-Timer - Snowview, Fairhaven

It was strange, really. Maybe not the strangest thing that's happened to him in the last two days, but when Silas saw the cloud of gas rise up, consuming the city streets, stores, and people, his first instinct was to go back to the inn. And he did.

Never mind that the cloud was already dangerously close to the place. Never mind that from where he was he could have easily escaped to safety by himself. Perhaps it was his conscience nagging him again, or his sense of self-preservation telling him he might need them in the long run, or even Mr. Sutherlin's bloody foolishness that lingered after saving the boy on the train.

Whatever possessed him, he pulled his shirt up and over his nose, ran through the opposing crowd to the side of the inn furthest from the cloud, pulled open the door there with his free hand, and said, "Quickly, quickly. We haven't got time to dally." The alley was oddly a little too clear, but it may not be for long.

To be honest, he knew they were a tenacious bunch and they wouldn't have needed him to escape, whether he came back or not; he just wanted to ensure their safety with his own eyes.

Matthew Barton - Talks alot - Rojyan embassy, Fairhaven.

Matthew played along with the strange woman, making the proper gestures and expressions at the proper time. When he discovered that it was the Ambassador his heart stopped for a second, and stopped again when the name left the ambassador's lips.

Once he was marched into what looked like a tea room Aline sprayed him down with questions. "You're highness, my name Matthew Barton. Before I go on I feel that it would be wise to inform you that I have a hatchet and cut down shotgun on my person. This is not meant as a threat, I just feel that it would be better that you knew of their existence instead of being surprised if you see either weapon on my person."

"Now that is dealt with I will explain why I came knocking on this door. Yesterday I was at a bar in Lucan, trying to find out which train was attacked, a friend of mine was on a train at the time and I was worried about her. But that is unimportant. While I was at this bar a man, I couldn't see his face, but his accent was Grail. This man shoved the barrel of a rather large pistol into my back and said that if I didn't find this man by the name of Dimitry Popov in a week he would kill me."

"I figured that this Dimitry fellow must be something of a criminal if someone looking for him is going around threatening people into looking for him. My first thought would be to go to the Grail-El embassy and ask if they knew about him. Once I got there I couldn't get in, what with all the riots and shooting. I don't think the kings people would be much help. I hoped that you would have some sort of information." What he didn't add was he could tell she knew something about Popov.

"To answer your other questions, no, I have never heard the name Tula Nikos before you said it. I came here because I thought this would be the best place to check since the Grail-El embassy is under what amounts to a siege."

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Rainy Crane Inn, Lynne.

"I don't know how that can be helped. Without killing anyone that sees us that is, and I don't feel like that would fix more problems than it would create." Dimitry didn't know what to say, maybe he was just more used to being a wanted man, then again, she might have quite chance at returning to her old life if she kept on the laws good side.

Without looking he attached the bayonet to his rifle, loosened the sling, and rolled his shoulders in preparation for the rush. Then he put his mask on, tightened the straps and checked to see that the filter was active. He would probably have to replace the filter soon, but it would have enough for getting out of the city.

-Alina Andreyevich-

Her posture stiffened at the mention of his weapons, but she remained alert and tried hard to not look somewhat intimidated. After he explained himself, Alina made an effort to look a bit more relaxed, and responded. "I'm surprised you managed to crawl in here. Rojya's Embassy has rioters as well."

"I don't know much about Dimitry other than that he is the beau of my bodyguard and special friend, Tula Nikos. She tried, foolishly, to disband some rioters around the Grail-El Embassy but her...her personality is quick to anger sometimes and she made it worse and got herself banished to Lynne. An associate of mine informed me that she is with Dimitry there." Alina's voice grew more and more steady as she relayed Matthew the details.

"Matthew," The Princess implored. "does this man want Dimitry dead or alive? Do you know? I don't care much for him, but he makes Tula so happy and..." As her eyes began to sting, she exhaled sharply to push aside her emotions. "Nevermind, it's nothing."

--

-Tula Nikos-

She glanced briefly at the cuffs of her long shirt sleeves and used her teeth to rip the fabric off both to make a hasty facial mask. After a check to make sure the Rojyan flag was not visible on the jacket around her waist, she turned back to Dimitry as she tied the fabric behind her head over her mouth and nose. "Then we'll bloody kill if we have to. If I'm discovered again, Alina will be endangered and embarassed more than when I started problems in the first place. My loyalty to her runs deeper than a simple military contract, and I can't let that happen. If it means killing someone who suspects something, so be it."

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

Asbel's heart raced as he saw what almost amounted to a river of people form between himself and everywhere he wanted to go: Boraci, Kristen, the exit. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to second-guess himself - or Boraci's request. He made his way over to the girl, where Evelyn was waiting. "Leave through the back exit," she said, following Dimitry's plan of action. "We'll wait for you outside." With that, she hurried off to attend to the others.

Asbel moved to Kristen's side where she could more easily see him, unsure of exactly what to do. "Well, we're going to have to run, so just, um..." After a muffled swear and a moment of hesitation, he gingerly attempted to pick the girl up and carry her. The slow, almost chalky mist was already beginning to seep into the room, and he was feeling like a mouse caught in a trap.

As far as he knew, the stuff was just a very strong irritant and nothing designed to kill, but if they ended up caught in that cloud, anything could happen. He might pass out, he would hardly be able to see, and it would be extremely unpleasant. With Kristen in the state she was, that would be even more dangerous for her.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

Erick watched Usami rise to his feet and go to find the twins, and he couldn't help struggling to keep a cool head. If Doctor was near there, he or she definitely knew who Erick was - probably knew who just about all the King's men were - and he couldn't help being wary of anyone who, for whatever reason, would take the time to build up such a menacing image.

Replacing fear with focus, he nodded to Ryouki. "We can do this." He took Ryouki's hand and headed back inside, his eyes, nose, and throat beginning to prickle unpleasantly with just the faint traces of mist that had crept into the air around the inn. He blinked rapidly, clearing his vision, and tried to get his bearings. Evelyn was directing everyone toward the inn's back door, and he saw that Boraci and Asbel were taking care of Leif and Kristen respectively. He looked around for Usami and the twins, searching for their faces past the chaotic movement that threatened to break his concentration.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

Evelyn watched Tula and Dimitry get ready to leave, and Boraci seemed able to get Leif out of the inn.  The Sato kids, Boraci, Asbel, Kristen, Erick... Where the hell was Mr. Reid? Evelyn dodged several people passing by and looked out the front door again, searching for him outside, but he was nowhere to be seen. She could only hope Silas had already started running, because she didn't have time to look for him. By the time she had gone back inside and closed the door, she was out of breath and coughing. They only had another minute or so of clean(ish) air left.

Evelyn took a secondto clear her head before she made her way to the back exit, hoping to find it open enough to pass through without worrying about the group being broken up. To her surprise - and relief - Mr. Reid stood by the door, directing everyone outside. The sight of it all coming together put her at ease, but she was mindful to keep herself from appearing suspiciously calm.

 Griffin Parrish – Rebel Officer – Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

As Griffin marched outside the inn to see what all the ruckus was about, he discovered that the man with the mechanical arm and his brother were in a fight. He scanned the crowd as the fight came to a quick end and spotted his group. Elizabeth was watching in entertainment and Rocky was cheering them on. The big guy could never pass up a good brawl. But there was something off about Garth. He sensed his uneasiness, but soon figured out why. Griffin had a knack for sensing things. There was a thickness in the air, one that suggested that something was about to happen.

Within seconds of this thought, he could hear faint screaming. He looked down the street to see several people running and coughing. “The city is doomed!” one man said as he ran passed. Griffin looked beyond to see a large cloud of smoke. Gas? He shot his team members a look that said, “It’s time.” Rocky swung his huge pack off of his back and unzipped it as Griffin ran over to them.

“I didn’t expect Doctor to reveal himself,” Elizabeth paused, “or herself, so quickly. An attack was inevitable, but who knew it would be right when we stepped into Fairhaven.” Griffin had to agree with her. But they couldn’t get excited, they were about to dive headfirst into the gas. Rocky pulled out masks, goggles and other protective gear and distributed it to the group. They all quickly put on their provisions and nodded to one another.

“If any of you get into trouble, use the flares.” Griffin pulled his revolvers from his side and ran for the gas cloud. It’s time to find out who Doctor was.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven.

Dimitry raised an eyebrow as Griffin and his rebels decided to charge into the cloud. They had some protective equipment, but even so, they didn't know what it was, for all they knew it would burn the flesh from their bones. Or it might be a simple irritant. The later was much more likely, it wasn't like the gas had come from air ship bombing run.

He turned to Tula. "Lets go. There's no time to waste." He would get her some Caravaner clothing when he had a chance, it would be harder for people to recognize her, and put two and two together.

He headed out the back door, nodding to Reid as he passed. At least the man hadn't frozen up in the face of possibly mortal danger, which was something.

Matthew Barton - Outlaw - Rojyan Embassy, Fairhaven.

Matthew shook his head. "I have no idea what he wants with Popov, he just told me to tell Dimitry something about 'The Winter Contingency' don't have any idea what that is. For all I know it's a warning, or a threat."

"I had start leaving, I doubt I have much time before the borders are closed completely. Do you have a message you wish me to convey to your bodyguard, Ms Nikos? On the off chance I find her." Matthew asked.

-Alina Andreyevich-

The Princess bit her lip in thought, and then replied with newfound conviction. "If you find Tula, tell her that I've relieved her from her duties as a bodyguard until I find a way to lift or soften her sentence. That is all. I'll...I'll escort you out then." A soft blush coloured her ivory features. She wanted to be able to tell her more, that she loved Tula and that she would miss her dearly, that if possible, she wanted Tula to flee to her home in Grecia, which was arguably safer than Falcon's Reach now that she's a wanted woman again. However, the man was practically a total stranger, and she doubted the message would reach her quickly enough anyway.

The woman guard had been replaced then by a male one with dark skin as the afternoon replaced the morning. The male guard opened the door just enough to fit one person and just as the opening was made, several bottles of liquor flew into the Embassy's corridor, hitting the wall or the tile floor and shattering on impact. Alina yelped, astonished. "They're throwing projectiles now?!"
The male guard had slammed the door shut and exhaled. "Yes, your Excellency."
"And the King HASN'T arrested any one of them for destruction of property?" She fumed.
The male guard shook his head. "Some members of the Royal Police have actually joined the rioters. A lot of the damages have gone entirely unnoticed..."
Alina wanted to scream, to tear out her hair, to take the decorative and unusable sword off the wall and jam it into someone's ear. However, she pushed that aside and turned to Matthew. "You may want to leave out the back. I'll show you there." Her voice went higher than usual and thinly veiled her irritation. Her attention briefly turned to the guard. "Dasvedanya, Yuri."
"G-Goodbye, your Excellency." Yuri replied. "Are you sure you want to-"
"YES, I am sure." She bit back. "S-Sorry...goodbye." Alina then took Matthew by the arm and walked with purpose towards the back of the Embassy, her head feeling faint and about to explode.

--

-Tula Nikos-

She nodded in agreement and followed Dimitry out the back door.

--

-Ryouki Sato-

"Usami? Tsukiko? Tai-"
"Over here!" The youngest of the Satos called out to Ryouki as he and Erick writhed through the panic to escape the gas. Taiyo led both of her siblings by the hand and ventured toward her brother. Ryouki held his shirt collar up over his mouth, but his eyes had begun to really sting He noticed Taiyo did not protect herself and made a subtle motion to his impromptu mask. Taiyo followed suit. She then stopped, along with her other siblings, and removed a half-facial mask from her bag.
Ryouki recognised Usami wearing one of these when the rebels stormed the train station, but didn't realize that Tsukiko and Taiyo matched.
"Sorry we don't have one for you or Erick." Tsukiko said, coughing briefly as a bit off harmful gas entered her mouth before she put on the mask.
Ryouki shook his head. "We're making do with what we have. Come on, everyone's going out the back door of the inn."

??? - Doctor #2 - Near the Rainy Crane Inn

He moved freely within the rising wall of smoke that hid him from view, setting down more canisters of the foul stuff as he moved along. Soon enough, he recognized his surroundings as those near the inn Evelyn was staying at. He moved closer to the building for a better look, and it seemed everything was going according to plan.

Just when the man's worries began to quiet, he saw someone leave the inn and walk toward him, taking along a small group that had been gathered outside. Why could nothing ever happen as they planned it? Worse yet, those people had masks, and they were heavily armed. Doctor used their low visibility to his advantage, moving slowly and quietly toward a nearby alley where he might be able to hide in case they tried something. They looked like rebels, so maybe they wouldn't attack him, but if they did, he wouldn't be able to retaliate. Killing rebels was against the rules; Doctor needed their respect in order to function properly. He could, however, try to scare them off. If that didn't work, he might have to flee the scene and hope for the best.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

Erick nodded in agreement with Ryouki, trying to hold his breath as much as possible. As he followed Ryouki and his siblings toward the inn's back exit, he couldn't help wondering just how dangerous this gas was. So far, it was intensely uncomfortable, but he wasn't feeling faint or ill. Why would Doctor attack with such an ineffective weapon? Was it because of all the civilians around? Come to think of it, why would Doctor strike a place like this anyway?

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Outside the Rainy Crane Inn

Evelyn caught sight of Mr. Parrish leaving the inn and tracked his path through the window, confused. Was he going toward the cloud of mysterious chemicals and screaming people? She could only imagine his motives for doing so, and she didn't have time to chase him. She only hoped her double could take care of himself if the need arose. She made her way outside and into the alley, near Dimitry and Mr. Reid. If they followed the back roads away from the cloud, they probably wouldn't encounter any trouble.

After today, Falcon's Reach would be different. Last night, her double had made a deal with a rebel party located just south of the inn. He gave them a safe escape route from the coming attack and in return, they promised to help him punch a hole through the Braile and Lynne borders. He had provided enough concentrated sleeping sickness to take out the guards, so all he needed from the rebels was a few extra hands. If the King sent reinforcements to the borders, he would either risk a confrontation with Doctor and civilian casualties by going through the cloud or waste time by going around it. Whatever the case, the gates would be open for quite a while.

If things went the way Evelyn hoped the would, all hell would soon break loose in Fairhaven. As for her, provided the remaining rebels near the inn followed her escape route, she simply had to find them somewhere along the way and follow them to safety. Easy peasy.

Danor Arkaitz - Gunsmith - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

Danor grabbed her few belongings that weren't already packed and put them away, hanging one bag from each shoulder before sprinting from her room to the top of the stairs. The air was beginning to look hazy, so she took a deep breath and held it before she descended, her gaze searching the room for Mr. Reid or Mr. Dermon. The first thing she spotted, however, was a pair of crutches leaning against a table across the room, and though Danor couldn't quite remember who they belonged to, it was a safe bet that whoever it was would be missing them. Besides, the situation didn't seem too dire yet, so she didn't see the harm in stopping to get them.

Danor waded through a thinning crowd of people as they ran for the back exit, taking small breaths through her nose, and looped an arm around the crutches. They were fairly light, but definitely awkward. Once she had a secure hold on them, she rushed for the exit.

Griffin Parrish – Rebel Officer – Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

As the thick gas swirled around them, Griffin tapped a button on the side of his goggles and the lenses lit up green. He looked around to test the new technology. The heat sensor worked, just as Hiram had said it would. Griffin could make out the red and orange shapes of his three colleagues as well as some civilians running out of the fog. He scanned the street and spotted a figure dodge down an alleyway. The other three must have saw it too, for they all headed in the direction of the alleyway.

“Hello?” He said sharply down the alley. The figure was closer now, just standing there, not making a noise. Maybe they didn’t think they could seem them. Griffin raised his revolvers. “Don’t move a muscle.”

## Page 3

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Outside Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven.

The gauges inside of his mask were reading low to medium concentrations of military grade irritant gas, the same sort of thing used to disperse riots and flush out squatters in the Agnorak sewers. The use of the gas was interesting, almost like it was meant to push them somewhere, that was, if someone who knew what they were doing had set off the gas.

Dimitry really hoped this wasn't planned, and just the fickle nature of the wind. What worried him was the quality of the gas, it was the sort of thing that came out of the industrial laboratories in Agnorak, not a hideout in an abandoned village.

Because of his slight apprehension he brought his rifle up to a ready position, so he could take a snap shot if they were attacked. He hoped his increased level of readiness went unnoticed by his comrades, they didn't need to worry about an ambush now, just keeping the gas out of their lungs.

Matthew Barton - Outlaw - Rojyan embassy, Fairhaven.

Matthew nodded. "I will tell her if I see her."

The sound of the riot outside concerned him a great deal, the news that some of the royal police were taking part didn't help. The country was spinning out of control, and while some chaos was good for an outlaw like him, travel restrictions would mean that no one would travel on the roads, which made highway man a less than profitable business.

The exchange between the ambassador and her bodyguard confused Matthew, but he didn't really care. He had a general idea of where to look, now all he had to do was find a way to get into Lynne.

As the ambassador lead him toward the rear exit he wondered what "Winter Contingency" even meant, it didn't sound like something a bunch of criminals would say. It almost sounded military, and it coming from a caravaner concerned him. From what he knew the Grail living in Falcon's Reach were for the most part criminals, mercenaries, or merchant's peddling weapons used by criminals and mercenaries.

??? - Doctor #2 - Near the Rainy Crane Inn

To Doctor's surprise, those people found their way right to him. He stood perfectly still in the alleyway, as unable to read their expressions as they were his. They drew closer, now blocking the path he had come from, and their leader aimed a pair of revolvers in his direction.

Oh, how he wished he could just open his mouth and speak. That was one of the worst things about this damn disguise: he couldn't afford to say a word when he and Evelyn sounded so different. They had played around with methods of disguising their voices, but nothing worked. The man faced his pursuers directly and raised his empty hands, questioning them with a sideways tilt of his head that made him appear even more birdlike. What did they want?

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Outside Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

Evelyn saw Asbel leaving the inn with Kristen, and he stopped to wait for the others as soon as he was outside. Evelyn pulled her shirt up over her nose, letting out a single cough. The gas was getting thicker. Most of it, however, was still gathered in one large mass, which was heading their way. Once that hit, things might get dangerous. They wouldn't be able to see, and even an irritant could become dangerous after prolonged exposure. "Everyone into the alley!" She shouted back into the inn just as a small Grail woman rushed past her, stopping next to Asbel.

He furrowed his eyebrows at the woman as she coughed, leaning forward and holding a sleeve over her mouth. "You're coming with us?"

Despite how miserable she was, this question made the woman roll her eyes. "No, I'm stealing these crutches."

Alina Andreyevich

Alina navigated the halls of the Embassy with care, racking her brain to remember where Viktor had pointed out the back entryway to her. It led into a small garden area, which fed into one of the streets of the city from either side of the large, flora-filled space.

The door soon appeared before them, and Alina's steps slowed from a quick canter towards the back to an easier, slower pace. "Here it is..." She breathed and opened the door for Matthew's exit, struggling slightly with the heavy frame, but managing to open a person-sized gap. The garden, thankfully, had not been touched by the rioters, and Alina was thankful that her idea proved fruitful.

 Griffin Parrish – Rebel Officer – Near Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

Doctor tilted their head and Griffin moved in closer. They had no intention of harming them, just to find out who the mysterious figure was. Hiram liked to know about all rebel activity, and when the Doctor character showed up he sent Griffin and his team to investigate. Little did they know how easy it would be to catch him.

Rocky and Garth moved in and grabbed the Doctor’s arms and began to march them out of the alleyway. “We have a few questions for you Doctor.” Griffin patted him on the back. Elizabeth kept herself concealed in the fog so Doctor only thought there were three of them. If they tried anything, she would be there for backup. She held up her blow dart and readied for any unexpected turn of events.

 Matthew Barton - Outlaw - Rojyan Embassy, Fairhaven.

Matthew followed the ambassador outside and helped pull the gate open.

"Thank you for your time." Matthew said with a bow. "And best of luck." He tipped his hat as he walked away. Getting to Lynne would be hard, finding an individual would be more difficult. And once he found Dimitry Matthew was unsure how the man would respond. For all he knew Popov would blow his head off the minute he said "Winter Contingency."

Rankin - Caravner special activities - Abandoned mine shaft, Fairhaven.

Rankin sat at the table, feet up, sharpening his kukri knife. That was the problem with red steel, it was so strong that it could take hours to put an edge on a blade, even with an industrial grind wheel. A hand held sharpening stone like the one Rankin had meant he needed to work on it for almost all his down time. But it was a family weapon, passed down through generations, and he wasn't about to trade it for a normal weapon.

Alexi was stalking about muttering angrily, the officer they had captured was not talking, and Jefferson wasn't here to start applying more forceful methods.

Rankin glanced at his watch, Jefferson should have been back already, it didn't take this long to make sure no one followed them. Unless someone had followed them, but Jefferson could deal with a couple rebels or guards, a couple dozen if he had time to set up his belt feed and had a decent position.

"How long are we going to be here?" Rankin asked, tired of living in an abandoned mine shaft, tired of this climate.

"Until we get the order to move to the next phase, which isn't up to us, it's all dependent on the rebels, how they react, when they make a move." Alexi grunted.

"Maybe we should sell more of the equipment, especially the vision enhancement gear, the price for those is high enough that we could buy out way out of this mess once we sell the crates." Rankin responded.

"That would make them too bold. Remember the mission." Alexi snapped.

??? - Doctor #2 - Near Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

The man breathed an inaudible sigh as his arms were restrained and he was led out of the alley. Their leader explained the gist of their intentions, but Doctor wasn't sure he believed them. Still, he didn't resist; he did, however, attempt to make a request of these strangers. Snapping his fingers to catch the leader's attention, he flattened his left hand, fingers together, and made a writing motion with his right. He might not be able to disguise his voice, but he could easily disguise his handwriting. Given all he had done to help them, it seemed only fair to pay him this courtesy, so he couldn't help but ask.

Evelyn Luciole - Outside the Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

Once everyone was in sight, either out of the inn or on their way, Evelyn turned to leave the alley. She moved slowly, often looking over her shoulder to make sure no one lost track of their surroundings and ran off in the wrong direction. The hazy cloud hadn't picked up much speed anyway, and it was worth the risk to make sure she didn't leave anyone behind. In all honesty, she dreaded meeting up with the rebels. If they found out who she was, it might cause problems; the same went for Erick. She just hoped they didn't shoot anyone before they gave her a chance to explain herself.

Though Erick and Asbel seemed too preoccupied to notice, Evelyn saw Dimitry ready his rifle, and her worries were eased slightly. With instincts like that, maybe he could help prevent a conflict if it came down to it. She hoped Mr. Parrish and his group came back soon as well, and that they hadn't tried to engage her double in a fight. She had forbidden "Doctor" from retaliating against the rebels, but he tended to forget those sorts of details when he felt threatened.

Enrico Accosi

Enrico peered through the haze, keeping her eye on the mysterious, masked Doctor, and his interaction with what he could only assume were either rebels or a suspiciously large group of...friends?

"Cosa vedi?" One of the younger kids in her own group hissed and Enrico turned to shush them with a raise of his commanding hand. ((What do you see?))

Enrico responded with a whisper. "Rimani qui. Eis vi terrà e gli altri nascosti. Io vado a indagare." She looked at the Vallakian boy-Eis-who was her temporary second, and added. "Watch the group. I'm going in." ((Stay here. Eis will keep you and the others hidden. I'm going to investigate.))

Enrico adjusted his gas mask over his face, tightening the strap so it felt more secure around his head, and moved steadily and stealthily towards the estranged and panicked group facing off the Doctor with a hand right at his gun hilt just in case. The Doctor, by then, had been apprehended, and worrying for his own safety, Enrico pressed himself against the wall of the inn. He glanced back at the alley several blocks away where the group of Voce kids he led in were hiding, and his shoulders heaved a silent sigh.

As he observed, a woman then made a dash out of the alley and almost passed right by him. Beautiful, with long dark hair and carrying a sharp, pointed disposition. Enrico nearly took off his mask to try and flash her a charming smile, but she passed too quickly. "Ciao, bella." He purred-half to himself, and half with hopes that the mysterious woman heard him. She's focused on something... Enrico glanced back and forth between the group at the inn and then again at the woman. that maybe I should be interested in. He peeled slightly off the wall, and crouched backwards to remain hidden, keeping one eye on her, and the other on the strange group trying to escape the gas cloud and apprehend the Doctor.

 Griffin Parrish – Rebel Officer – Near Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

They took Doctor to a building and closed the door behind them. Rocky and Garth set him down on a small wooden chair. Elizabeth slipped in and kept an eye on the door. Griffin pulled up a chair in front of Doctor and gave a polite smile. “Hello.” He said nonchalantly. Elizabeth rolled her eyes. She would have already ripped off the mask and demanded who they were. “So you’re probably wondering why we captured you.” After getting no reply Griffin scooted closer. “We have no intention of harming you, only to find out your identity. As part of a rebel group you should understand that when a masked figure comes along it is a bit off-putting.”

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Outside the Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven.

Dimitry moved quickly, stopping briefly every so often so the others could catch up. The gas cloud was difficult to see through, and every shadow, every movement seemed to hide a possible ambush.

Up ahead the alley they had been moving along spilled into a larger street. Just before the intersection he stopped, put his back to the wall and peered around, all he saw was civilians running. As he waited for everyone else to catch up he noticed a figure on a roof top several blocks distant.

The figure was crouched over something, Dimitry couldn't tell what at this distance, but part of him felt it wasn't a roof garden. The figure dropped down and Dimitry lost sight of his whoever it was.

Jefferson - SVT13 operative - The same city as the Rainy Crane, Fairhaven.

Once the timed charge was set Jefferson ran for it, jumping down from his perch, rolling on impact and standing up pistol in one hand, saber in the other. Two guards pointed at him and shouted that he stop. He shot them both in the head, stepped over their bodies as he headed toward the wall.

Another guard rushed him, but ended up with the three foot long sword in the chest for his efforts. Jefferson could feel the thrill running through him, the simple, brutal ecstasy that came from a fight.

He had set several bombs on guard barracks, telegraph lines, the armory, and the rail road bridge. The charges were set to go off in twenty minutes. It was designed as a logistical strike, leaving the military in the area homeless, low on ammunition and weapons, and most importantly, cut off from their headquarters.

He sprinted through the city streets, leaping over obstacles, pushing off of walls to make sharp turns. Several guards shot at him, in response he unloaded his pistol in their direction, the range was too great for him to hit any of them, but it forced them to take cover. Leveraging off a drain pipe he landed in their midst, his saber flashed in the morning light, and the men died in a spray of red on the walls and street.

Jefferson took a moment to clean his sword and reload his pistol before climbing a roof, leaping onto another near by building, and jumping onto the parapet of the city wall. Six shots of his pistol dispatched the three guards, and before the last one had hit the ground Jefferson had attached his grappling hook to the wall and was repelling down.

Frederick Dermon - Toxins and Genetics Amateur - Outside Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

It felt like hours, but I managed to squeeze the cart into the alley, that fog curling menacingly. It seemed everyone had gotten out okay - even that Danor woman. I surprised myself to find that I had a concern for all these people, even those not involved in the Second War. It felt like a leaking liquor barrel, the bars slowly being pushed apart.

I followed Dimitry's eyes to a rooftop, where a shadowy figure promptly disappeared. Too many groups of people. Too many motives. And what of those caught in the crossfire? Orphanages and hospitals would probably be overworked soon enough. The heavy man behind me reminded me that I could keep one corpse out of morgue. Kristen hardly seemed conscious, though, but Asbel could handle that. Maybe. Digging into my bag, I pulled out a hollow metal tube, inserting a couple of poisonous darts. There was a nice little pocket in my sleeve that could harbor it nicely, if the need arose. I switched the rifle from my back to my chest, taking the safety off.

"Where exactly are we going?" I yelled, mostly to Evelyn. At the moment, I was just following the curve of the alley.

## Page 4

??? - Doctor #2 - Snowview, Fairhaven

The man stared at his captors through his mask, the room around them already filled from floor to ceiling with a pale haze. They were being awfully nice to him, weren't they? At the leader's comment on his mask, Doctor struggled to keep a laugh from shattering his grim facade, casually laying his palms against the edge of the table and drumming his fingers on its surface. Despite how stupid Evelyn would call him for saying so, he was suddenly inclined to trust these people.

Even if they were lying, he had trouble seeing such a pleasant fellow as a threat; besides, Evelyn and her other double would still be safe as long as he chose his words carefully. So, through the spacious mask that amplified his voice the slightest bit, he whispered a reply. "I understand - truly. But if you learn my identity, it may affect my ability to help you." Doctor leaned forward as well, mimicking the leader's posture. "You should flee this place. His Majesty's men will be looking for me soon."

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Snowview, Fairhaven

Evelyn continued forward, surveying the area and recalling the details of their path to safety. She had gone over it a million times in her head before she went to sleep the day before, but the possibility of an unforeseen variable constantly nagged at the back of her mind; the plan was far from foolproof. Around her, people were still exiting buildings and rushing past her, and the occasional shout or scream could be heard every so often. Drawing her gun with one hand and keeping the other free, she fought the urge to rub her eyes, which were beginning to burn.

Boraci soon asked where they were going, pulling Leif behind him with a rifle at the ready, and she was quick to reply. "This stuff looks like it's headed back the way we came. Instead of undoing our progress trying to outrun the cloud, let's see if we can go around it - get ourselves upwind somehow." She pointed northwest, in the general direction she planned to take them. "That way."

Evelyn had been worried that Asbel might not be able to keep up, but it seemed like he was doing a decent job, even carrying Kristen. He was obviously struggling, and he was at the rear of the group, but he wasn't falling behind; that was the important thing. She just hoped he could hold out until they were past the worst of the fog. The woman with Kristen's crutches was running alongside him, constantly taking in their surroundings from every possible angle. At one point, Evelyn noticed that she seemed startled by something above and ahead of them, but by the time Evelyn could follow her line of sight, whatever it was had already disappeared. Odd, but probably not important, so she cast the occurrence aside for the moment.

Erick, meanwhile, looked more serious than she had ever seen him. That wasn't saying much, granted, but it still struck her as interesting. He was sticking close to the Sato siblings, often glancing over his shoulder into the cloud of mist as if fearing that something might reach out and try to grab him. He had a good reason to be uneasy, but Evelyn was grateful for the fact he didn't seem to be panicking - yet.

Griffin Parrish – Rebel Officer – Snowview, Fairhaven

Griffin knew that they wouldn’t get Doctor’s identity by simply asking for it. He wasn’t going to use force either. Seeing that they would get nowhere with this, and hearing distant yelling and running of the King’s Men, he sighed and leaned back on the wooden chair. The room was filled with thick grey fog almost making it impossible to see. Griffin tapped the button on the side of his goggles and the lenses lit up green. He could make out the heated figures in the room. Doctor looked eerie with his mask on. At least they knew he was a male now. Although, he didn’t know what Hiram would think if they brought him nothing. Griffin leaned in and whispered back.

“The least you could do is tell us why you are doing this all by yourself. There are plenty of rebel groups, why not join one of them? Why go through the trouble of disguising yourself?” Griffin tapped the nose of the Doctor’s mask. He heard Elizabeth’s grunt of disagreement. He wouldn’t be surprised if she left their little group and went complaining to Hiram, or went off to join another rebel group. Griffin knew he was going to have to deal with her rage later. But now, he tried to stay calm and quiet as he heard the rattling of what he came to familiarize himself as the King’s Men.

 ??? - Doctor #2 - Snowview, Fairhaven

Doctor was surprised by the rebels' continued civil behavior despite the fact that he hadn't given them many real answers, and it almost made him more nervous. Where they hiding something? The leader posed a few more questions and gave his mask a light tap, which seemed to annoy one of his friends for some reason. She seemed impatient, and Doctor guessed she probably wasn't fond of how little the leader was pushing him for information.

Whatever the case, Doctor was happy to answer those particular questions, so he lowered his voice to a breathy whisper again and spoke. "Doctor exists for two reasons. The first is to cause chaos at all the right times, in all the right places, so that people like you can do your jobs. The second is to frighten the King." He reached up and tapped his mask again. "That's why I'm alone. To the King, this mask must remain empty. I have no political motives, no identity, no weaknesses. I am an event - a phenomenon. To expose the human within Doctor is to destroy him." Just as the explanation behind a magic trick nullifies its effect, a mundane explanation for Doctor would reveal the boogeyman under His Majesty's bed to be nothing more than a figment of his imagination. The illusion would be broken.

The sound of people somewhere outside, possibly knights and almost certainly not friendly, reached Doctor's ears, and he straightened in his seat. "Well, speak of the devil."

-Ryouki Sato-

He and his siblings raced with the group to escape the cloud. Ryouki was a slight distance in front, nearby Erick, followed by the twins and Usami who-thanks to their masks-seemed to not have as much trouble breathing.

--

-Enrico Accosi-

As the woman flew from his vision, the motley crew followed and Enrico darted away to hide. Several strange men went out, all young but not old. There was a group of two men and two young girls that may be related, but Enrico couldn't tell from his hiding place.

One man had his gun at the ready and was joined by another beautiful woman, who wore a flimsy mask over her mouth and nose...and had a head of hair that only matched one person in Enrico's mind.

"Well, I'll be damned..." Enrico murmured to himself and began to stealthily follow the group at it's very tail.

Griffin Parrish – Rebel Officer – Snowview, Fairhaven

Griffin stood from his chair and looked out the window. Down the street he could make out the heated figures of the King’s Men. He turned back to Doctor. “We’ll cover you so you can make a quick escape.” Garth and Rocky made their way to the front door and swung it open gently. They both held small grenades in their hands. Griffin nodded to them and they threw them out, making sure no civilians were in blast range. They waited a few seconds and darted out of the doorway as soon as they heard the two blasts. The shouts coming from down the streets were for backup. They picked a few of the men off with their rifles and then darted down the street to get out of the thick fog.

Matthew Barton - Outlaw - Road outside of Hydris, Fairhaven.

Horse theft was a major crime, especially of such a fine horse, but he needed to move quickly, and he wasn't about to steal an automobile. Anyway he would hang if he was never caught, an extra horse wouldn't make much difference.

With his hat stuffed in his bag nothing stopped the wind from running through his hair, a feeling that reminded him of joy riding on his father's horse as a child. The rhythmic swaying and rattling of horseback was something he hadn't experienced in a long time.

He had stolen the horse from a messenger post after knocking the guard out with a manure rake. The horse had already been saddled, but the saddle bags were empty. He passed a road sign and angled toward Snowview, he could get supplies there.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Snowveiw, Fairhaven.

In the distance Dimitry heard explosions and gunfire. It was some ways away, and he wanted to ignore it, but he couldn't. He hated any sort of urban combat, he had been trained to fight in the wastes, with limitless sightlines, few obstructions, clear dry air, and he was out of his element, that made him nervous, and when Tabaraamon appeared next to him Dimitry almost opened fire on the shadow.

"Where did you come from?" Dimitry asked, not stopping as he followed Evelyn.

"Hell. Now, I've got something interesting you might want to know. You know the theater? Well last night, when you guys were hanging out at the hospital I went back, and guess what I saw.. Grail commandos, at least they were dressed like you, had weapons like yours."

"And you're telling me this why?" Dimitry asked.

"Remember something you said a couple months back, about some organization asking you to join, what was it called?"

"Chimera, and what does that matter? It was some gun running group, connections in Grail-El, to big of risk." Dimitry responded.

"I think that they aren't just gun runners, because one of the other seven spoke with me a few minutes ago, something about Chimera having vested interest in the rebellion."

Frederick Dermon - Cart Puller - Snowview, Fairhaven

I nodded curtly, and adjusted the cart's wheels to follow Evelyn's directions. She had a point; the fog would most likely linger near the ground, but an incline didn't sound like much fun. I imagined my eyes were starting to redden, and I used my left hand to readjust my scarf. Pausing, I let the cart handle rest against my pelvis while turning around to cover Leif with a thin blanket, his skin already spotting with angry red splotches. He looked eerily like a dead body like that, but it was the best that could be done.

Several members of the group passed, my lead decreasing slightly. Just as I was about to turn my head forward, my ears picked up a muffled step. I may not have had my regular hearing, but with my vision decreased with the fog, my hearing adapted accordingly. Behind Asbel. Medium weight, judging from the way the ground gave, but I couldn't determine intent, as the breaths were lost to me. But the hazy posture didn't exactly scream 'harmless.'

"Duck, Asbel!" I yelled, the metal pipe sliding out of my sleeve. Within a second, I sent a dart flying.

 -Enrico Accosi-

One of the men of the group seemed to have caught Enrico, and he felt his blood run chilly as a dart nearly got him had he not quickly dodged it. The sucker nicked the side of his ear, and he winced at the irritation but was thankful nothing worse happened. This slowed him down, and he followed the group from shadows in pursuit of seeing Tula again, and finding out who this new beau of her may be.

--

-Tula Nikos-

Tabaraamon had arrived and offered some ominous information of Grail-El rebels joining the fight. She frowned behind her mask. "Well, that's just one more-" At the sound of a struggle from the back, her head turned around to see Boraci fire a dart towards the back and an unrecognizable figure rolling away into the shadows. It all happened too quickly to point out any details, but it was enough to raise a red flag.
"Someone's tailing the group."

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Snowview, Fairhaven.

"Yeah, a vested interest in sales, you don't understand how capitalism do you?" Dimitry said sarcastically to Tabaraamon before Boraci shot off a blow dart.

"Someone's tailing the group." Tula said

He nodded, "So it would seem. I wonder what they want."

Part of him wanted to toss a fragmentation grenade and be done with it, but if he didn't know who was following them he couldn't, what if it was a kid.

"Go check on that, stay out of sight, keep on them a while, figure out as much as you can." Dimitry said to the Shadow who nodded, pressed a hand against a nearby wall, and seemed to melt into the shaded surface.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw the wounded girl gasp and make some sort of gesture, like she was trying to ward off evil. Dimitry smirked under his mask, hand movements didn't mean squat against a shadowed one. And if she ever had to go Tabaraamon was unlikely to do it, he didn't like killing defenseless people, though everyone was effectively defenseless against him.

He half thought about what Tabaraamon had said. From what he knew of Chimera it was a bunch of smugglers with connections in the military, connections that let them acquire just about any weapon system in Grail possession, other than sand ships and big airships, since those were usually hard to steal.

And it made sense that they had a vested interest in the rebellion, so did he. The longer it lasted the more money smugglers and mercenaries could get. Wasn't anything other than a business plan.

??? - Doctor #2 - Snowview, Fairhaven

Doctor was grateful for the offer of a safe escape, which he gladly took. He rose from his seat and drew a handgun before rushing out the door, warily eyeing his new opponents. As he had hoped, they seemed preoccupied with the rebels, and he was able to sneak away. Despite the fact that little group had brought him there against his will, he couldn't help appreciating their generosity, and he hoped they made it out alright. And fortunately for them, Doctor had no intention of letting the King's men wander there as they pleased. Evelyn had tasked him with stalling reinforcements to the border, and he wouldn't disappoint her. Once he was in a more defensible position, he would wait there in the fog, and if anyone tried to pursue those rebels - if anyone in uniform set foot within the mist - they would sorely regret it.

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Snowview, Fairhaven

Asbel was dimly aware of the conversation between Dimitry and Tabaraamon, mulling it over in his head, when the sound of scattered explosions and gunshots some distance away shoved him back into reality. Out of curiosity, he looked up from the feet of the person in front of him just long enough to see Boraci turn and point something small and metallic in his general direction. He was warned to duck and clumsily stepped out of the way, nearly losing his balance enough to fall backward. Confused and startled, he glanced down at Kristen to make sure she was alright before turning to look behind him. What had Boraci been aiming at?

Asbel just barely caught a flurry of movement before its source moved out of his line of sight, and he still had no idea what was going on. Then again, he guessed he would have to get used to that now that he was hanging out with this particular crowd again. Without a word or another moment's hesitation, Asbel moved to keep up with the group, shooting Boraci an expression bordering on amusement.

Coughing from beside him broke his focus, and he saw the woman with Kristen's crutches struggling under the weight of all the stuff she was carrying. "What's in those bags?" He couldn't help asking, after she had rushed back into the inn for them. Either it was very important or she was very materialistic.

She let out a few more coughs, then a weary sigh, as if she had heard this question far too many times. "Nearly decade's worth of time and effort." Well, that did sound important.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Snowview, Fairhaven

Evelyn gripped her gun with both hands and slowed for a moment when she heard the explosions; those weren't part of the plan. She guessed those rebels could still have caused them, but did it really matter at this point? There wasn't much she could do about it. Hearing Boraci's warning to Asbel, she looked over her shoulder and caught movement behind her, further into the mist. Who in the world...? This, meanwhile, did matter. She couldn't allow anyone to stop them from reaching their destination.

Before she could otherwise react, Evelyn noticed Tabaraamon, whom she hadn't seen for a while, disappear into a wall after Dimitry told him to keep an eye on the mysterious figure. Deciding to trust them with the problem for the time being, she faced forward again, still tightly gripping her gun. Whoever it was couldn't already know where they were going; that was impossible. So what was it, then?

Before long, Evelyn noticed that the group had put a decent amount of distance between themselves and the cloud, which was good. If they were going to try and go around it before they reached the border, they would need that head start. So far, she wasn't seeing too many civilians anymore, but every so often, a few people would rush out into the open air. She just hoped she would recognize her contacts when she saw them, because it probably wouldn't be much longer until they crossed paths.

## Page 5

-Enrico Accosi-

Keeping in the shadows, Enrico tailed the group at an even pace. After a while, he noticed the gas starting to dissipate around their location, but didn't take off his mask just yet. The cloud was still over the other side of the area and still very threatening...or maybe it was the darkness of the alleys Enrico was presently weaving in and out of.

/I hope Eis and the others got out of there too...He's probably already met up with our contact./

Griffin Parrish – Rebel Officer – Snowview, Fairhaven

The more they ran the harder it was to see through the fog, even with the thermal goggles. Now that mostly everyone had fled out of the town, they couldn’t make out any heated figures to follow. Griffin tapped the button on the side of the goggles and the green light faded. All he could see was the cloud of fog around him. “I can’t see, we need to get to higher ground.”

“You can’t see?” Garth asked in surprise. “Neither can I, but I thought you knew where you were going.” The group came to a halt and one by one they turned off their goggles.

“Does he ever know where he’s going?” Elizabeth said in annoyance. Griffin could tell she was still upset about the encounter they had with Doctor. So far, Griffin hadn’t steered them wrong. None of them had died, so she had no reason to believe that he was a bad leader. So what if Hiram had given him the position? She needed to get over it and start working with the team. If anything, she would be the one to get them killed. Unfortunately, Griffin would never say that to her face in fear she might just murder him on the spot.

Rocky was the first to break the silence. “Our best bet is to scale a building. We aren’t going to be able to navigate through this fog.”  Griffin was caught by surprise. Rocky barely spoke a few words at a time, but two whole sentences?

“Yes, I think that would be the best way to go.” He nodded and strained his eyes to see into the fog. “I think I see a promising building over there.” He pointed at an old brick building with a few lights on.

“Where?” The remaining three said in unison. Griffin forgot that they could hardly see.

“To the left,” he said, waving his hand in that direction. Without another word, they all made their way to the building. In no time they were able to lift each other onto the roof. After that, they began hopping from building to building until they were high enough to see above the cloud.

 Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Snowview, Fairhaven

Time moved slowly as Evelyn pressed on, and once the group began moving parallel to the mist's path, the distance between them lessened bit by bit. The border wasn't far, and she didn't want to risk getting too close to it, so she continued to lead them through the predetermined back roads and alleys until, finally, she found what she was looking for.

The small crowd of people were standing in the middle of the street, discussing - almost arguing - over something, before they eventually sorted the unknown matter out and continued on exactly the path she would expect them to take. There were six people total, with one man at the head of the pack who was clearly meant to be leading it. Thankfully, they did seem to know where they were going, so perhaps her following request would go over smoothly - possibly. Really, it was often hard to tell with these people, as unpredictable as they were. Speaking of which, she wondered if that person was still following them.

Reminding herself to focus on the task at hand, Evelyn looked over the faces of her companions as if to silently ask their opinions on the sighting of these new people. She didn't dare suggest anything yet. Then again, Asbel looked like he was about to fall flat on his face, and Erick's cough was beginning to sound painful; she couldn't afford to waste time either.

Rankin - Svt13 member - Fairhaven.

Rankin sat outside, watching several hundred soldiers march past. They were over two miles away, far enough away that they had no idea they were being watched through a pair of massive binoculars, so large that they were supported by a tripod.

It was not a first line unit, the obsolete muzzle loading cannon alone meant that it was a reserve force. Though the cavalry units were remarkably well equipped, which was odd. But rebels didn't have much in the way of cavalry, or cavalry defenses. And despite the few somewhat trained rebel groups Rankin figured most of the rebels would run in terror when the armored men armed with twenty foot long lances came riding toward them at thirty miles an hour.

Jessica Stuart - Ambassador - Hydris, Fairhaven.

Jessica looked at the order. It didn't make much sense, she was supposed to offer the king a deal that would allow him to equip at least seven hundred soldiers with automatic weapons, ammunition, and high quality body armor. It wouldn't be cheap, it would cost as much as the kingdom's yearly military budget, but desperate times called for desperate measures, and she felt the king would be quite happy to give his best units decent weapons.

She frowned, everything she had previously been ordered to do was aimed at distancing Grail-El from the current government. She stood up, folded the letter and slid it into her pocket.

She left the embassy through the back door, escorted by five fully armed soldiers, who made no attempt at being anything but intimidating. The gate guards at the palace stammered, but let them in, not wanting to raise the ire of the five bayoneted rifles pointed at his head.

Flanked by her guards she stalked through the castle, stopping only at the waiting chambers to the great hall. "I request audience with the king, with the purpose of negotiating a trade deal that would assist in ending the current unrest."

Tabaraamon - Shadowed One - Snowview, Fairhaven.

Moving silently is easy when you have no material substance, since you make no sort of impact on the ground, and there isn't any chance of knocking things over if you run into them.

Keeping unseen is more complicated, even when you are ethereal, but Tabaraamon had plenty of practice, and the ability to meld into patches of shadow helped as well. As such he followed who ever was following Dimitry's friends. The gas despite clearing somewhat still obstructed his vision, and he didn't want to risk detection. Once the gas cleared more he would be able to see who ever it was more easily. It was funny, the person he was following was keeping to the shadows, which helped stay hidden, except of course, from him.

He was worried about Dimitry, the stress of worrying about Tula would not help his moods, or his less pleasant tendencies. Like murder. Tabaraamon would advise meditation, but there wouldn't be any opportunity to meditate since they were on the run, and he didn't really know any other ways to relieve stress.

-Ryouki Sato-

He held tightly on Erick's hand, and felt his own breath running quite short as well. Erick's coughing seemed to rattle Erick's body and it sent pain riveting through Ryouki's own failing lungs.

Taiyo caught up to them and removed her half mask.
"T-Taiyo-!" Ryouki coughed.
Her tone was solemnly out of character as she handed Erick her mask. "He needs it more than me." She placed one hand over her mouth and nose. "Usami'll be pissed at me, but fuck him. Your boyfriend needs help."
Ryouki nodded. "Erick..."

--

-Enrico Accosi-

Enrico peered out from the dark alleys, and his mask as he ran, still trying to keep tabs on the group. Suddenly, a chill ran up his spine, snapping his posture straight in heightened awareness. He turned sharply behind him, but saw nothing, and focused back on the task at hand.

Celaena Moonlight - Assassin - ??? Snowview Fairhaven

Bored out of her mind, she waits for the other members of the rebel group to come back. "Scout the place." she says in a mimicking voice of the her 'leader'. Ugh. Then what, there's nothing to do here. She grabs a bottle of rum and pours some in a shot glass, and gulps it down. The alcohol burns her throat and she pulls her hood back over her face more and she sighs. She puts the bottle back since it was her third glass so she wont get in trouble. She fiddles with a small throwing knife, just in case someone that wasn't welcomed walked in. Why do they put me on lame ass missions. While they have all the fun. She reaches into the back of her hood and pulls her fiery red hair, parting it then pulling it over her shoulders, then goes back to fiddling with her knife.

 Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Snowview, Fairhaven

Erick's eyes lifted from the ground when he heard Ryouki call Taiyo's name with alarm in his voice, and it took him a moment to realize what she was trying to do. He hesitated at first, shooting her a worried look. Not only would Usami be pissed, but it felt unfair to let her take that sort of risk.

Still, it didn't look like she'd be backing down anytime soon, so Erick accepted the mask and put it on, instantly grateful for the cleaner air that filled his lungs. He cleared his throat, trying to even out his voice. "Thanks." Erick gave a quick thumbs-up and looked to Ryouki, who had also been coughing quite a bit. If they had to run for much longer, he thought, maybe they could take turns using the mask.

Erick noticed the mysterious people walking ahead of the group and frowned, instantly suspicious. Like a bunch of clueless tourists, they constantly exchanged questioning looks and hurried whispers, following what seemed to be a very deliberate path along the edge of the mist. Evelyn trailed them from a distance, either believing they might know something or simply curious, and they hardly seemed to notice or care. Even so, Erick wasn't sure it was the best idea to follow them; at that point, it wouldn't surprise him if it turned out to be some kind of elaborate trap.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Snowview, Fairhaven

Evelyn kept a fair distance from the rebels ahead, knowing their destination wouldn't be too far off. Since Tabaraamon was still nowhere to be seen, that person from before was probably still following them, but they could be dealt with later - preferably once the simple act of breathing was no longer an issue.

The wall of mist was thinning as it moved but still drawing ever closer, and Evelyn worried for the group. She was used to dealing with this stuff, even though she didn't have a proper mask with her, but she wasn't so sure about them. "Everyone alright?" She did her best to speak quietly and avoid drawing the rebels' attention, even though it probably didn't matter all that much.

Boraci was keeping up well enough, but he looked extremely uncomfortable. "How much farther?" Asbel's attention was caught then; she guessed he was probably wondering the same thing.

"It's hard to tell for sure, but we should be getting close to the edge by now."

Asbel groaned weakly, discouraged, but Evelyn wasn't sure what else to say. She wasn't about to lie to them.

King Walkelin - Great Hall, Hydris, Fairhaven

When the doors of the great hall began to open, King Walkelin sat upright and leaned back in his seat, putting as much distance as possible between himself and whoever was about to enter the room. Had something else gone wrong? It wouldn't surprise him. Almost everything that could possibly have gone wrong had done so in that past twenty-four hours, and it seemed that every time those doors opened, another piece of disturbing news came into view. Still, he supposed he couldn't hide from it. He was a king, after all.

He recognized the woman who entered the room, and did his best to appear at ease in front of her. "Ah, Ambassador Stuart. Always a pleasure." He laced his fingers together and attempted a pleasant smile, the corners of his mouth occasionally twitching in protest. "How can I help you?"

## Page 6

Jessica Stuart - Ambassador - Great hall, Hydris, Fairhaven.

Jessica advanced her guards standing near the entrance, weapons held at parade rest. "My government wishes to extend a highly profitable opportunity to you. Something that may well ensure your victory over the rebels."

She paved in front of the king, she preferred to circle people during negotiations, it made them distracted, which gave her an advantage. But it wasn't possible to circle the king, so she made do.

"I'm sure you are aware that our arms shipments to you are of weapons that my military does not use, for the simple reason they are obsolete. And yet, these obsolete weapons are the ones used by your elite units."

"My government is offering you enough modern weapons, body armor, and ammunition to equipped at least seven hundred soldiers. Weapons some of our military units have yet to be equipped with. Do I have your attention?" She said with a sly smile. She had a feeling that the king couldn't resist such an offer.

There was some fine print, but she would get to that, let the man think of the implications, get nice and greedy.

Matthew "Black Bart" Barton - Outlaw - Fifty miles from Snowview, Fairhaven.

Matthew brought his horse to a halt by the rail road crossing as a troop train sped past, heading in the direction of Snowview. Once it passed he spurred his horse on. The roads were essentially empty, no one wanted to be out and about after the bombing and mass kidnappings in Lynne. He didn't care, if any rebels he would see if they believed in their cause enough to risk buckshot. He doubted it, so many of the rebels were young, angry, stupid, and thought they were invincible. They were also so arrogant and self righteous. Fighting local police and guard units wouldn't do much to prepare them from artillery fire or a heavy cavalry charge.

If he was going to throw his lot in with the rebels it would be with the former military fellows with the long name everyone seemed to forget. At they might actually know how to fight, not think they could.

Celaena - Assassin - ?? Snowview, Fairhaven.

Celaena twirls the knife between her fingers before slamming it into the table, and gets off the chair. She marches to a window and peeks outside at the empty street and sighs dramatically and spins around, her cloak flowing around her legs and she sits back at the table, pulling out the knife out of the table and carves out a bird cage in the wooden table top. While propping up her head with her hand, resting her elbow on the table focusing on her small carving. She got into the rebel group because she needed to, because it was part of her job. Assassination.  This is nothing new, Celaena. A girl gotta eat, once I finish off the leader and collect the gold.

-Enrico Accosi-

He passed by the window of a pub, and caught sight of a peculiar looking girl, who must have been his squad's client. /Well, look where my detour took me./ Enrico skidded to a halt and turned round to enter and greet her, first removing his mask and then fluffing his hair back to it's original, over the eyes, style. "Bella, are you waiting for someone?" He purred slightly to grab the girl's attention. She was young, and cute enough. But knowing girls like her from Voce, he only assumed that she was definitely more vicious under the surface, especially with that mean-looking knife in her hands. "I don't think someone your age should be all alone right now."

Celaena - Assassin- Snowview Fairhaven

Her body stiffen and she grips the hilt of her knife as she stares at this stranger who walked in. She looks him over with her ice cold blue eyes that shine through the shadow that was cast over her face by her hooded cloak. "Who are you?" She hissed out through her teeth, judging by his size, she could easily take him out if necessary. He doesn't look threatening but you can never be sure. Her eyes narrow at him, as she looks at his clothes and tries to figure out if he's armed or not.

King Walkelin - The Great Hall, Hydris, Fairhaven

The King's eyes widened with disbelief at Stuart's offer, and his eyes followed her intently while she paced as far back and forth as the confines of the Hall would allow. Modern equipment? And so much of it... But why? Did it matter? If he had those weapons, then would anything else really matter? He would finally be able to snuff out the rebellion, which seemed to lie at the root of all his most recent and troubling problems. If he had those weapons, no one would dare threaten him anymore.

After carefully considering his choice of words, he replied politely, "Yes, you do." He wanted to ask why Grail-El would offer such a thing, but he didn't dare - not yet. He had to be careful, or he might ruin his chance. With one hand, he motioned for her to speak. "Please continue, Ambassador. Tell me how I might acquire this advanced weaponry."

Danor Arkaitz - Gunsmith - Snowview, Fairhaven

Danor hurried along the edge of the mist beside this odd group of strangers, teetering on the brink of regretting her decision to follow them. They were obviously trouble - and in trouble, no doubt - but there was something about them that promised adventure - opportunity. The only surviving Shade host in existence and a Shadowed One traveling with a member of the secret police? Danor knew there was more to this than she was seeing, and she was determined to find out what it was. Still, the unpleasant effects of the fog were enough to make anyone second-guess themselves. She hoped all the civilians had made it out alright.

-Enrico Accosi-

Enrico chuckled slightly as the client took on a defensive stance. He shrugged. "That depends on your response to my actions. I'm either a pig, an Adonis, or simply Enrico Accosi." Enrico eased closer, as not to be threatening. "Do you mind giving me your name, belleza?" He kept his attention to her eyes, which almost blazed with irritation underneath a shadow cast by a hood, but simultaneously turned around his back satchel to sock away the gas mask.

Celaena - Assassin - ?? Snowview Fairhaven

She watches him carefully, "My name is not important, Enrico" Still figuring out if he was a threat, but she relaxes her stance. Her cloak hiding most of her weapons that were strapped to her thighs and hips. "What are you doing here?" She asks coldly, still cautious. They should be back soon, what's taking them. I don't know if he's part of the plan or not. Damn they don't tell me anything.

-Enrico Accosi-

"Oh, belleza, I believe names are very important, especially since I'm looking for someone." Enrico grinned, chuckling, and then sighed dramatically as he feigned ignorance as he lowered his voice. "Well, I suppose you don't know anyone by the name of Celaena Moonlight? I hear she's breathtakingly beautiful and a group of my friends and I were looking to uh...what's the word in this dialect...collaborate?" Enrico steepled his fingers, appearing to be deep in thought for a moment, and then shrugged. "I was told she'd be somewhere in this area, and I guess I won't find her now. Forgive my intrusion on your..." Enrico eyed the girl's knife and a brow quirked. "Your valuable time."

Celaena- Assassin - ?? Snowview Fairview

She blinks, "My name is Celaena Moonlight." She sits on the table, seeming to look more relax but she still on guard. She twirls her knife in her hand and a small smirk tugs on her lips. "What business do you have with me? I'm already...busy" She studies him carefully as she speaks.

## Page 7

Jessica Stuart - Ambassador - Great hall, Hydris, Fairhaven.

Jessica smiled. "As one obtains most things, with money. But because we are nations, not merchants the money used is gold. The going price is three tons of pure gold bullion. That is non-negotiable."

"If you agree the shipments will arrive with in five days by airship. Training in the use of these weapons will be provided for your men."

She didn't go into what would happen if the Falcon's Reach government tried to reverse engineer the weapons, threats were usually best kept out of trade talks. She didn't let on how important this would be to her government, they were almost out of gold, and despite expeditions into the underground ruins scattered across the wastes there was little gold coming into their coffers.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Snowview, Fairhaven.

Dimitry felt they were nearing the edge of the city, but he wasn't entirely sure. He didn't think they were being followed as closely, and wondered where Griffin and his people went.

He shivered slightly, not from the cold, but from tension. He quickly glanced hoping none of the people he was with had noticed, he didn't want them to think he was worried. It was just that he hated cities, they reminded him of the tunnels that ran through the wastes, just without roofs. So many different possible directions of ambush, so cramped he couldn't make use of his skill at sniping. He glanced at the others, they didn't look good, the gas was starting to take a toll.

He felt especially bad for Tula, he should have just giving her his mask, it wasn't like they were going to be kidnapped. He hoped.

-Enrico Accosi-

Enrico's eyebrows lifted and he suddenly laughed. "No way!" Glancing around at the other pub patrons, who thankfully did not seem to pay any mind. "Don't take me for a fool..." He trailed off as he strode closer to Celaena, and whispered in her ear. "Good, glad to see you, Miss Moonlight. Do you recall being hired by associates of Voce?" Enrico couldn't hide a smile. "Forgive the facade, I can't exactly speak openly about my group's activities..."

--

-Tula Nikos-

Her 'mask' by now only managed to stay covering her face by her hand holding it. Tula's eyes had begun to sting, and, although thankful that the group may have outrun the cloud, she was paranoid of it spreading further. Tula's endurance held out, and she wasn't as tired as much of the others. The tempest under her skin surged with heightened emotion as the group neared the city's edge.

She thought back to that person who was tailing the group, and turned to see if they were still there. Out of her peripheral vision, Tula was a masked man exit the shadow and enter a pub, and remove the mask as he stepped in. /Why on Earth.../ She mused. /That man was too calm...Gods, I hope he doesn't come back, whoever he was./

Celaena - Assassin- ?? Snowview Fairhaven

Celaena stiffen again and pulls her hood down more, "I see...sorry my group didn't mention you." She slide her hand under her cloak to a slightly large dagger just in case. "so what exactly do you want?" She slowed her heartbeat, calming herself  in case they get into a fight. Never can be too careful. You can never trust anyone.

-Enrico Accosi-

"You need to come with me to my hirer's set location. But first, I have a group of kids a few blocks back to regroup with. And a rather interesting person to trail," He waved a hand nonchalantly. "But that's of no importance to the assignment. Eis, my second will brief you the rest, piccola coccinella." ((Little ladybug)) Pulling back, he extended an offered hand to hold at first, and than took it back for a brief moment to put on his mask. "You may want to protect your beautiful face, Miss Moonlight. That gas cloud is not as intense over here, but it's still thick where the kids are."

Celaena - Assassin- ?? Snowview Fairhaven

"You need not to worry about me." She pulls up a cloth mask that was just hanging around her neck, up over her mouth and nose concealing the rest of her face. "I'll be right behind you," she puts her knife in its strap on her thigh. She took a glance at his hand then looks back him and walks past him to the door, and pulls it open swiftly, holding it open for him.

King Walkelin - The Great Hall, Hydris, Fairhaven

The King's hopeful expression withered as the ambassador spoke, and he realized this deal wouldn't be as simple as he had originally hoped. Three tons of gold? With almost the entire kingdom's transportation systems shut down, it wouldn't be long before Falcon's Reach found itself in trouble economically; did he really have room to spend so much money? But then again, once the rebels were gone, he could allow normal transportation to resume, couldn't he? Still, that was so much gold...

"Non-negotiable, eh?" The King concealed his worry with a smile. "Hmm." He was tempted to ask for more time, but what good would that do? His kingdom was already coming apart at the seams, and he needed those weapons. He stalled for as long as he could, weighing the risks and benefits without a word to Ambassador Stuart, before eventually giving in. "Yes. Yes, I agree. Payment will be delivered to you as soon as the, ah...quality of the equipment is verified."

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Snowview, Fairhaven

Before long, the edge of the cloud was in sight, and cleaner air was almost within reach. The rebels ahead looked back at her every so often, obviously unnerved by her presence. If her double had followed her instructions, those rebels already knew to expect something like this, but she understood their unease nonetheless.

Looking back, she saw Erick, who looked much better, remove his borrowed mask and offer it to Ryouki. Asbel was squeezing his eyes open and shut again in a vain attempt to relieve the irritation in them, both hands already busy carrying Kristen. She reminded herself to apologize to him later, since she hadn't been able to properly explain what to expect before the attack had already begun. Now that they were finally nearing clear air, the rebel base wouldn't be too far off from there. After that, she would have to truly test her skills as an actress.

Jessica Stuart - Ambassador - Great Hall, Hydris, Fairhaven.

Jessica smiled, it wasn't a nice smile, it was the sort her mother used to make when she had swindled some one out of something of value. "I'm sorry, but that will not work. Half of the gold on delivery, and the rest once you are convinced of the weapons value."

"Of course, I'm sure the Rojyan government would be more than happy to buy the same weapons, as they are experiencing problems similar to yours." It was a threat, but not much of one. A threat to go elsewhere, a common occurrence in haggling, though she doubted the king had any experience haggling on the commerce deck of a sand ship.

She wasn't entirely sure why the government wanted to provide the king's army with high end fire arms, maybe they decided that they knew king, knew his preference, his personality, and didn't want to have to deal with a new faction in power. Also a weak ruler was what Falcon's Reach needed, a strong ruler might try to expand into the unclaimed territory, an area that the Grail wanted. Or maybe they needed money more than Jessica thought, and the gold sitting in the vaults under Hydris beckoned to them.

Tabaraamon - Sneaking, Sneaking, Spying - Snowview, Fairhaven.

Tabaraamon watched the person he was tasked with following speak to a woman who had the look of an assassin. He was half formed in a pool of shadow under a table, listening. He didn't like what he heard, but couldn't leave, having snuck in as part of the shadow of the one he followed, and since there was no continuous shade he couldn't move without reforming, which would be less than subtle. A seven foot tall creature bursting out from under a table was hard to miss.

Maybe he should attack now, leave nothing but a few bodies and vanish, but Dimitry hadn't given him a kill order, and as such he could not spill blood. So he would watch, and listen, waiting for them to continue on their way.

Enrico Accosi

"Rude..." Enrico murmured under his breath as he led her out, only to nearly topple over one of the smaller boys in his squadron.

"Arturo?" Enrico questioned, startled, and then scolded the young scoundrel. "Metti la maschera spalle! Dov'è il gruppo?" ((Put your mask back on! Where's the group?))

Arturo nodded towards a corner store not far off, and soon enough, Eis surfaced along with the rest of the kids.

Enrico turned to Celaena. "Well, I guess now our journey's cut in half."

"Chi è quella ragazza brutta?" Arturo crossed his arms over his little body defensively. ((Who is that ugly girl?))

Enrico ruffled the boy's head in a scolding manner. "Non chiamarla così! E parla Reacher ora. Hai undici anni, Dio..." ((Don't call her that! And speak Reacher now. You're eleven years old, God. ))

"Who is this, Enrico?" Eis's eyes were narrowed, expression revealing impatience.

Enrico motioned to Celeana. "This, my friends, is our client." He enunciated the word to command the attention of his group. "And I would reccomend being respectful and polite. This means no fighting words, no concealed insults in our native tongues, and no backtalk about my rules. Understand?"

The younger kids in the group groaned, but the older one's and Eis were there to keep them in line.

Enrico grinned behind his mask, and continued."Now, I saw the odd rebel crew headed for what may be our next location. Celaena, join us for the time being, and once we've reached out destination, the next instruction will be carried out. Until then, we are your plethora of...less than uncouth escorts. Welcome to Voce!"

Ryouki Sato

As he put on the offered bask, the air was filtered through instantly, and brought relief to his aching lungs. He turned to his youngest sister then. "What kind of money did your former rebel group have to get this technology?"

"Smuggled in, really. Only the higher ups had these, really." Taiyo responded with a grin, and a slight cough as she struggled a bit for breath.  "Usa, Kiko, and our mom smuggled them out of the ranks... for us."

Ryouki's jaw would have fallen open had the mask not kept his facial expressiveness limited. "Mom?!"

"Yeah...! You'd have been surprised at how daring Mom was..." Taiyo mused, and then seemed to have a revelation. "I think that's what we might do..!"

"Do what?"

"Find Mom." Taiyo responded with sincerity. "Kiko and Usa seem to think she died out there, but maybe she's just lost...or the revolution got so out of hand...or she's," Taiyo took a moment to catch her fading breath, and Ryouki swapped the mask onto his sister's face, where it originally fit and belonged. "She could have gone to Kyushu....I remember her saying something...about wanting to get away from Falcon's Reach for a while...I dunno, I just don't want to lose hope about our mom yet...but that may just be me."

 Celaena - Assassin - Snowview Fairhaven

She rolls her eyes and sighs, "Can we get going, please?" She glances at the kids, she was leaning a bit away from them, not quite noticeable but noticeable enough to tell that kids aren't exactly her favorite. However when she over heard them about talking about their mother, her shoulders drop a bit and she seemed almost sad. But it soon vanished as she straighten herself.

 King Walkelin - The Great Hall, Hydris, Fairhaven

The King raised his head and glared distrustfully at the ambassador, second-guessing his decision to agree to this. In the end, he would probably have to agree to her terms, which was exactly what made him so angry. She had him backed into a corner. Her threats made it difficult for him to keep his composure, and he took a moment to gather himself before speaking. "Half, then! So be it." He couldn't let this opportunity pass, especially if the alternative to taking the weaponry himself was to let Rojya have it.

He leaned forward slightly in his seat, eyes fixed on Ambassador Stuart. "Your offer is much appreciated. I'll arrange for half of your gold to be provided to you as soon as possible. Until then, please be discreet about this exchange. If word gets out about this, things might..." He shook his head. There was already trouble brewing in Fairhaven, and he didn't want his enemies to know about the weaponry in his possession until the moment he used it on them. "Well, it may aggravate the rebels even more. Right? You understand."

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Snowview, Fairhaven

Erick kept a close eye on the handful of strangers ahead, half-expecting them to lead everyone into some sort of ambush. Evelyn seemed keen on following them, and they were getting close to the edge of the fog, but something still didn't seem right. The exchange between Ryouki and Taiyo briefly distracted him, however, and he had to fight the urge to speak up. He didn't know enough to intervene, and now probably wasn't the time anyway. But if there was even a chance their mother was still alive, they had to go after her, right? "It's not just you," was all he said to Taiyo, still focused on the clearer air ahead of them.

Mere seconds later, they were past the leading edge of the cloud, and it looked bizarre from the outside. It was like a solid wall of dust, inching forward and thinning out as it moved. He was almost surprised they had been able to breathe at all, even if they had managed to avoid the worst of it. He had stopped to look behind him, but Evelyn was still moving forward at a surprisingly fast pace. Maybe she she wasn't just talk after all.

This was no surprise at all, though, compared to what happened next: the mysterious group's leader turned around, looked directly at Evelyn and the others, and waved them forward. "It's not far from here!" Erick scowled at this. Just what, exactly, wasn't far from there? The stranger pointed ahead of them; from where he stood, Erick could just barely see the building the man meant to indicate. It looked like some kind of mill, abandoned but in decent shape, and Erick didn't see any movement inside. What were those guys planning?

## Page 8

Jessica Stuart - Ambassador - Great Hall, Hydris, Fairhaven

"Send a messenger to my embassy with a place several airships can land and unload with out suspicion. The man in command of the flight will not unload the weapons until the gold is there and ready to be loaded." Jessica said, still pacing.

"The airships will leave their docks once I have the landing zone confirmation. We do not have a problem being discrete, if you worry about information leaking out to the rebels it won't be from us." The implication was that there were spies within the king's inner circle, which would make sense, if Grail-El had successfully gotten spies among the guards, servants, and even hired kings jester, it was more than likely that other factions had spies in higher places.

"If this deal is successful, I might be able to convince my government to lend your army a battery of long range artillery, of course I would need gesture of good will, maybe the removal of those protesters. Think about it, you could hammer Glassvale from one of the fortresses along the regional border." With that she turned at began to leave.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Snowveiw, Fairhaven.

At first Dimitry thought they were just going in the same direction as the group ahead of them, that they both had similar destinations and Evelyn wasn't deliberately following. When the man waved them on and said that it wasn't far Dimitry went on alert. He drew his knife, the blade faintly glowing red, he could feel the pure malice humming through the entire weapon. He didn't know if it effected people nearby, he rarely drew it in a crowd.

He glanced at Tula and murmured "Get ready, this might get violent."

He half thought about ducking into a cross street, climbing on to the roof and watching to see what happened. But it wouldn't go unnoticed, and who ever they were following might become aggressive, no, it was better to risk it, they might be hostile, or they might not. He didn't want to make them angry, yet. His personality would do that if they started conversing.

Tula Nikos

She placed a hand at the gun she recieved from Dimitry that rested on her hip, and she nodded at him. Upon hearing faintly raised voices and lumbering, she turned and faintly caught a large group seemingly following herself and the others. "What the hell..." She muttered, and after a second, she found the voice at the front somewhat familiar. "Holy shit, that can't be...!"

--

Enrico Accosi

"Of course, belleza. No time to dally!" Enrico nodded, and promptly slapped Celaena's butt before taking off, the group at his heels. "Come on, men!" He called out to the group of children and adolescents-minus himself, Eis, and Celaena. "Look alive! Keep those masks tight!"

 Celaena - Assassin - Snowview fairhaven

She jumps a bit and glares at Enrico. "If you touch me again I will slit your throat," She growls out in his ear as walks next to him. She grips the dagger that rested on her hip.

Enrico Accosi

He looked down at the threatening prescence, and flicked Celaena's nose lightly with a callused fingertip. "Try me."

Eis frowned. "Both of you, play nice!"

"I am!" Enrico whined, sounding somewhat feminine, which made him blush and promptly drop his voice again. "She's just not understanding my sense of humour." Enrico frowned playfully at Eis. "You're my second. I give the orders."

Eis tried hard not to laugh, earning his platinum hair a good mussing from his superior as the group kept its pace forward.

 Celaena - Assassin - Snowview Fairhaven

 She lets out another growl and rolls her eyes, "Can we hurry up?" She huffs and puts her hands on her hips, moving her cloak out of the way, to show the daggers strapped to her waist and thighs, along with a whip that hanged on her hip. She wears black leather pants and a black long sleeve shirt that's low cut with a black breast plate that was covered both breast and went over only one shoulder.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Abandoned Mill, Snowview, Fairhaven

Evelyn hesitated to follow the rebels toward the building when one of them turned to urge her forward. She didn't trust them, for one thing, but she also didn't want anyone to know she was a double agent yet. Some of her new acquaintances probably had their suspicions, but that was different from a flat-out confession. Ignoring the rebel's looking back at her and saying what he did, not making a point to show that it fazed her, would be incredibly suspicious.

Then again, she seriously doubted the authorities would believe her new buddies if they tattled on her without some truly damning evidence. Erick might be able to convince her superiors, but he didn't seem like the type to go to all that trouble based only on a hunch. Having momentarily stopped in her tracks, Evelyn turned to glance questioningly back at the others, Dimitry in particular. He had drawn some sort of knife, she noticed: a glowing, mean-looking one that gave her the creeps. What sort of weapon was that, she wondered?

She decided to keep an eye on it just in case, but for the time being, she was more focused on the people following them. After a short while, they could be seen emerging from the fog; they all looked fairly young, but some of them were definitely armed. After giving it a moment's thought, Evelyn decided the mill could wait. Her contacts weren't going anywhere.

Resting a hand on the gun at her side, she looked to Dimitry and the others. "Honestly, if it's all the same to you, I'm curious about the people who just ran into that building. But," She nodded toward the approaching strangers. "They're making me nervous. Please stay put for a minute or two."

"Maybe we should keep going," Erick chimed in. "After we figure out who's following us, I mean."

Evelyn raised her eyebrows at him. "But the people we followed here - are you telling me you don't find them strange?"

"No, but now might not be the best time to go chasing after every strange person you see, Officer. We have bigger problems."

Evelyn opened her mouth to counter his remark but quickly stopped herself, deciding she was content to settle the issue after she had identified their pursuers. She made her way to the rear of her group, waiting for the strangers to come to them. "Lovely morning, isn't it?"

King Walkelin - The Great Hall, Hydris, Fairhaven

The King considered Ambassador Stuart's offer for a long while after she left, torn between yearning for the power to silence his enemies and hesitance to comply with her terms too easily. He guessed he would just have to wait and see how this deal went. As Stuart had said, if it went well, maybe there were more deals yet to be made. With enough firepower at his disposal, no one would dare try any of the things he'd had to deal with over the past few days. If there was even a chance for that, he was prepared to deal with a few protesters outside the Embassy.

 Silas Reid - Botanist and Odd-Job Part-Timer - Snowview, Fairhaven

Silas was beginning to regret coming for them, but not in the way that one might expect. He was so far behind the group that at one point, he thought they might be the ones leaving him behind. A headstart could have actually done him some good.

He thought they might have said something important at one point or another, but he wasn't close enough to be sure and he could barely hear anything beyond his own heartbeat. He just had to keep following them until they were safe.

When they stopped, every cell in his body collectively shuddered with relief. He felt a round of coughs come on soon after and covered his mouth. It was a painful, wrenching sound, one that could put the cries of a tortured cat to shame—and brought a sinking feeling in his chest. When he straightened himself and brought his hand away, he saw blood for the second time. Just as before, he merely stared it, motionless, as if he were struck in a trance. Or a horrible dream.

Seconds passed and eventually he blinked. Like that, the moment was gone. He closed his eyes, sighed through his nose, and brought out the scrap of coat from his pocket. He didn't stop scrubbing at his hand until there wasn't a single speck of red, glancing occasionally between the gas cloud and the figures approaching them.

With the way he'd been pushing his body lately, and the environments he'd been forced to endure, it should have come sooner. He should have never made it out of Glassvale. Given his current situation, he didn't know whether he should count his blessings or curse his strange newfound endurance.

-Enrico Accosi-

The group in front of them stopped, and Enrico shot Celaena a glare as its leader-the woman from earlier with dark hair-turned to greet them.

Enrico squared his shoulders and flashed her a one-sided smile. "Not as lovely as you, belleza. My friends and I were just on our way to escape the gas outbreak, and I am sorry if we disturbed you-"
"I. Fucking. Knew it." There came a voice that had lost it's Grecian accent from years ago, but was still very recognizable as it's source emerged from the crowd with a stern glare.
Eis went on the defensive, but Enrico held him back, and his expression changed when his eyes met Tula's own, sending her a warning not to speak out just yet, which the stubborn woman did not seem to heed as she marched forward and slapped Enrico, very very hard, as it knocked the Italian back a step or so. His face was left feeling very raw, and his jaw locked in an open mouthed expression of pain. Working it closed for a moment, he made an effort to regain his collected demeanor. "I'm sorry if my friends and I have disturbed you."
"Your FRIENDS?!" Tula, barely concealing her rage, fumed. "What the HELL-"
"Eis!" Enrico ordered the boy to start talking first, but as he was about to start explaining and Tula was about to begin a tangent, Enrico kissed Tula roughly in an effort to shut her up.

--

-Ryouki Sato-

Just as everything appeared to settle down, a new face and group stirred up drama again, and sparked some curiosity in Ryouki. /How does Miss Nikos know this person? She's from Grecia, not Italio.../

--

-Taiyo Sato-

/How is Dimitry going to react? Who is this Italian guy?/ Taiyo mused in shock. /Oh my god, are things heating up again! I'll have to actually catch my breath if this settles down.../

--

-Tsukiko Sato-

/This. This is who I aspire to be./ Tsukiko felt a blush creep up her skin as she eyed the scene. /So masculine and bold...wow, that Italian chick is cool! But...kind of daft too./

## Page 9

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Snowview, Fairhaven

When Tula slapped the new comer Dimitry was surprised, but when the new comer attached to Tula's face Dimitry could feel the rage exploded throughout his body. His natural tendency toward anger made worse by the cursed dagger clamped in his hands. He stalked forward, shouldering people aside, making threatening motions with his pistol toward anyone that tried to stop him.

"Let her go before I spray your brain across this street" Dimitry snarled as he cocked his pistol and leveled it on the man's head. His eyes were visible through the lenses of his mask and they burned with rage and hatred. His finger tightened on the trigger, his heart thundering in his ears, parts of his mind screaming to shoot now. To kill. To destroy. Let the beast inside out.

The rational part of his mind understood that Tula knew this man some time ago, and assumed she didn't particularly want that part of her past to return. The slap said enough, it was a wonder his jaw didn't dislocate when she struck him. His anger distorted these thoughts and turned them into something else, something he didn't fully know himself.

Celaena - Assassin - Snowview Fairhaven

She huffs and mutters, "One delay after another," She crosses her arms and watches the strange lady with her icy stare from under her hood. Getting bored of this, wondering if this mission is even worth the effort. She could always find another client. She looks at the lady's group and spots a boy with green in his hair, she tilts her head a bit, he seems familiar, she sighs and dismisses the thought, everyone she knew was dead. He may just have been someone she passed by in a town or something. It doesn't matter, forget about him, she thought to herself. She reaches behind her hood and pulls her hair over her shoulder, not able to stay still for so long.

Enrico Accosi

As soon as metal pressed into his head, he let go of Tula, who promptly began to curse him out in Grecian, rapidly and with passionately angry conviction. "Che palle..." He muttered to himself. ((What a pain in the ass...))

The Italian glanced at the source and smiled. "Nice to meet you too, sir. I'm Enrico." He pulled out his own weapons quickly and pressed each revolver at the side of this person's head. "Is this how greetings are done in Falcon's Reach? Because last time I checked, that was rather rude where I come from-"

"Dimitry. Enrico." Tula seethed. "Put. The Guns. Down."

"Dio, fine." Enrico exhaled. "Just tell me who the hell this guy is and why he's so pissed off at me."

"Dimitry is my boyfriend. He is livid because you forced yourself onto me in front of a large group of people without my consent or his approval."

"What led you to seek the approval of men, Miss Tula?" Enrico quirked a brow. "My, have you changed."

Tula turned to the other man, Dimitry, and explained in a manner that struggled to remain calm. "Enrico was my most recent partner who um...was sort of an honorary associate of myself and my sisters while I was in Grecia, years ago."

"That's right, before that military cazzo decided to sway you away from me and the girls." ((dickhead))

Tula glared daggers at Enrico. "Keep pushing your luck. I dare you."

 Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Snowview, Fairhaven

Evelyn's first impression of the man leading the odd group was that he didn't intend to cause them any immediate harm, which was a relief. The fact that he was flirting with her at a time like this, however, struck her as odd. Given how calm he appeared, he was probably either aware of the attack's origin and therefore a rebel (sympathizer)? or that irritant wasn't the only smoke he'd recently been exposed to.

Before she could reply, all hell broke loose. Evelyn gathered what she could from the following confrontation, but she was so infuriated by everyone's behavior that she blanked halfway through. By the time the guns were raised, she thought her head was going to explode, and she gave up the idea of trying to calm them down. She was in charge of keeping them alive, not resolving their relationship issues, and she doubted Enrico actually planned to shoot Dimitry. When she noticed a girl near the front of the group glaring daggers at her, though, it just about pushed her over the edge. She placed a hand over her eyes and chuckled to herself, rubbing her temples as if to relieve a headache. Once everyone was more or less using their inside voices again, she spoke up.

Dimitry's attitude came first, since it posed the most urgent problem. "Dimitry, lower that gun and get a hold of yourself." Enrico caught her attention next. "Actually, don't keep pushing your luck. You've been here for less than five minutes and you're already causing trouble for me." She crossed her arms, turning her nose up at the Enrico and the unfamiliar faces behind him. "Who are you?"

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Snowview, Fairhaven

Erick kept an eye on the newcomers, nearly jumping into the fray when things got heated. He had known the basics of Tula's old life back when she lived in Grecia, and seeing an ex of hers was definitely a shock. "Small world," he mumbled, looking on with a mix of curiosity and concern. When he heard Silas behind them, though, seemingly coughing up a lung, his eyes shot wide open and he turned around. By the time he did, the man had already straightened up again, but Erick had a bad feeling about that sound.

Apparently, Asbel did too, because he was frequently glancing over at him from where he stood. Donning a tentative smile, Erick made his way over to Silas. "Hey, you gonna make it?" The question had been phrased as a joke, but he was half-serious.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Snowview, Fairahven

"I'm not from around here, Kvailys." ((Dumbass))

He snarled in response to the man's comments about his manners.

Evelyn did her best to stabilize the situation, and Dimitry complied, because that was what he was being payed for.

"Next time you don't get a warning."
Dimitry growled as he backed up and sheathed his dagger and holstered his pistol. He didn't leave his combat stance and kept his hand on the stock of the rifle strapped across his back, ready to bring it to bear.

He pulled his mask off so he could see if any of the rebels tried to sneak up behind him, then spat on the ground at his feet. To another caravaner that would be seen as a major insult, Dimitry doubted this Enrico had any idea what it meant.

He glanced around, much of his rage dissipated when he sheathed his blade, his anger replaced with a simmering despise. This was going to be a bad day.

Leif Regnar - Confused and Angry - Snowview, Fairhaven.

Leif bellowed "Why are people shouting? I want to know what's going on!" Now breathing hurt more, the gas having severely irritated his lungs. Also, it felt like his face had been dunked in the mixture commonly used to strip barnacles off of the hulls of longships. At least he didn't need to relieve himself and, he couldn't really feel the lower half of his body, probably his face hurt so much it and it distracted him from the rest of his body.

He would strangle who ever set off that gas. Or smash them with his hammer. Which was gone, probably never to be found again. At least, not by him. If anyone found it they wouldn't be able to do anything with it at least, and he sort of wanted to watch who ever found it try to pick up the weapon, much less swing it about like he could.

-Enrico Accosi-

As Dimitry spat to the ground, Enrico felt his hand instinctively go to one holster at his hip only to have it slapped away by Tula.
He turned sharply. "Che cazzo?!" ((What the fuck?)))
"State indietro!" Tula growled back. ((Back off!))

Enrico turned back to the group's leader. "Who am I? If you listened, my name is Enrico. Enrico Accosi. I am a simple man with a family and a purpose in Falcon's Reach. Miss Nikos, is unexpectedly, a part of my journey once again." He smiled at her, to be returned with a look of contempt, and then turned his attention back to Evelyn. "I honestly meant no harm, and I consider myself quite an honest man. We just want to pass through."

Silas Reid - Botanist and Odd-Job Part-Timer - Snowview, Fairhaven

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Silas replied hoarsely, quick to wave away Mr. Bailee's concern. It was an obvious lie, but he could handle this particular problem himself. He always did, anyway. As casually as he possibly could, he tucked the red-stained cloth in his pocket, cleared his throat and tried to carry himself a little more upright.

"Who-who are they," he asked, "more rebels?" He looked past the one calling himself Enrico, to the little people in gas masks huddled together. Seeing the weapons in their hands disturbed him more than he could ever imagine. So they're recruiting children now.

Silas nearly jumped back when the guns came out. Did trouble find these people often or was it just these uncertain times? He was glad to see Ms. Luciole step in before it erupted into another firefight. He thought about looking for a cover though, just in case things went awry. He didn't like the look in Mr. Accosi or Mr. Popov's eyes.

Griffin Parrish – Rebel Officer – Snowview, Fairhaven

“Are you bunch always fighting?” Elizabeth called down from the nearest rooftop. Down below stood Evelyn and her group and a few other people. She seemed to be breaking up a fight between Dimitry and another fellow. Griffin walked up beside Elizabeth and peered down at them. He skillfully climbed down from the roof and landed next to the new people. The rest of his gang followed him. Garth didn’t find his way to the ground as gracefully as the rest of them.

## Page 10

Celaena - Assassin - Snowview, Fairhaven

She leans against a pole and just watches calmly. She sighs then bites her bottom lip a bit as her stomach growls softly, Why of all times do you have to growl now?! she thought to herself. She glances up at the roof top, then back at the group. Celaena turns her head into her arm and coughs a bit, damn it. If they keep stalling, I'm leaving. She pulls her hood down more, glancing around at everyone sizing them up.

-Enrico Accosi-

A woman's voice from up high distracted Enrico briefly. "Always? I just got here. If anything, my girlfriend started this-"
"EX." Tula clarified. "Ex-girlfriend."
"As you say, belleza." Enrico grinned.
Tula growled. "I'm committed to someone else now."
"Since WHEN?" Enrico exclaimed, baffled. "Since WHEN were you so devoted to one person, Tula? You think you're pure now because that Rojyan pig put you in a military academy?"
"Insult Viktor ONE MORE TIME-"
"His eyebrows are much to big for his face." Enrico mused. "Or did you knock some sense into him and had him shave them?"

Eis protested. "Sir!"
Enrico then backed down before Tula could burn through him with the glare she wore. "Alright, alright, ALRIGHT. That last one was a joke."
Tula's eyes narrowed.
"Viktor Starkov's eyebrows are a thing to be feared and respected." Enrico straightened his postured, worked his jaw a bit, and continued. "Now, if you, madam" he referred to the leader. "Could direct my party to the nearest uh...mill, that's it. If you know the area and could direct my party to there in a way that doesn't threaten your group or its sensitivities, that would be a lovely favour."

Tabaraamon - Shadowed One - Snowview, Fairhaven.

Tabaraamon devaporated next to Dimitry, glanced about and sighed.

An unfamiliar woman asked if they always fought. "Yes, yes we do. Often in the worst situations, it's what gives us our charm." Tabaraamon responded. It was meant as a joke but his tone made him sound dead serious.

The latest exchange between Tula and the man Dimitry had him follow made Tabaraamon put a restraining hand on Dimitry's arm. He would have to keep a close eye on the two of them, just in case Dimitry decided to ram his bayonet into the other man's chest.
"Not now, it's not worth it." Tabaraamon whispered into Dimitry's ear. The smaller man growled something that Tabaraamon couldn't hear, but nodded and seemed to slightly relax his grip on his rifle.

Jessica Stuart - Ambassador - Grail-El Embassy, Fairhaven.

Under normal circumstances she would consider it to have been a successful business agreement. The profit from selling those weapons would outstrip all their other profits for the year.

But she had a nagging feeling deep down in her gut. It didn't feel right to sell these weapons to this tyrant, weapons he would turn on his own people. And even the offer of artillery made her stomach churn. She had seen what such weapons did, but they had been used against monsters that did nothing but destroy, not normal humans.

Because they were the ones that would die. The rebels would hide from retaliation, leaving the civilians to take the brunt, because warning innocents would put the rebels at risk of discovery by the secret police. Cowards.

That was the problem with rebellions, no matter which side won, the common people would suffer. She half agreed with the people in the council that wanted to force the rebels and the king to come to the negotiating table, even if they needed to use military force. But that would never happen, and if sand ships rolled over the border it would be for invasion, not peace keeping.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Snowview, Fairhaven

Evelyn sighed with relief when the weapons were finally put away, but Leif's yelling quickly fixed that. In a sudden burst of pent up frustration, she shouted over her shoulder a little more loudly than she'd intended. "Someone fill him in!" Something was going on with Reid, too, but she couldn't tell what it was and it seemed Bailee was already looking into it, so she let it go for the time being.

Yet another surprise presented itself when the Wood's Men from before returned, one of them tossing a snarky question in her general direction before making her way down to the ground. Tabaraamon returned to Dimitry's side just in time to answer Elizabeth's question, which Evelyn was grateful for, as it was one she was ashamed to honestly answer. Besides that, the look Evelyn gave her was telling enough. You have no idea, it said. "I'm glad to see you're all still alive."

She looked to Enrico and took a deep breath, trying to settle her nerves, which threatened to lash out at the nearest human being like a mass of barbed tentacles. So, these people were allies? She hated seeing so many kids among them, but in her line of work, it wasn't unheard of. "See, here's the best part of all this," she began, raising both hands. "That is exactly where we're going, Mr. Accosi. What are the odds, right? So, how about you let us show you to the mill? We may have gotten off on the wrong foot, but we mean you no harm. You have my word."

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Snowview, Fairhaven

Asbel's energy had run out. That fog had done a number on his entire face and throat, and running all the way there with Kristen was more work than he normally did in an entire month. He was tired, feeling sorry for himself, and pissed off at Evelyn for not warning him about the attack. Erick seemed to be focused on trying to help Silas, and Asbel watched as he debated whether or not to persist after the man insisted he was fine. Before Erick could even try it, though, Silas changed the subject, and Erick reluctantly followed the line of conversation.

"That'd be my guess, yeah." Erick looked over the group, and his gaze seemed to catch on a girl near the front whose face was covered with a hood, but he didn't say anything to explain this. When Leif began yelling and Silas told Kristen to stop him, Asbel shot Silas a weary look. "Leave her be, Mr. Reid."

Erick wrung his hands for a few seconds, suddenly conflicted. His eyes darted around and settled on Ryouki for a few seconds, as if all he wanted to do was plant himself by the man's side again, but before he could come to a decision, Danor made her way over to Leif and, letting her cargo drop to the ground, folded her arms over the side of his cart.

"Alright, let's see," she muttered, looking over everyone's faces and organizing her thoughts. "So, these new people have shown up, and one of yours - Tula, I think - was once in a relationship with that handsome person in the front. And they were arguing because said handsome fellow kissed Tula, which upset her, and then her boyfriend got upset, and they started yelling at each other - something about commitment and eyebrows. And now, it appears that angry dark-haired woman is trying to calm everyone down." She nodded, satisfied with her explanation, then looked down at Leif. Her eyebrows furrowed. "Can I ask what happened to you?"

Celaena- Assassin - Snowview, Fairview

She pulls out a flask, and pulls down her mask to drink the water. It will sustain her for the time being, but not for long. Acting calmly with all that's happening, once she finished drinking. She tucks away the flask and pulls up her  cloth mask again. "Can we please get going now? And get out of this mist," This mask only last so long, She thought the last part to herself. Not really liking when people fuss, and get worried over her.

Griffin Parrish – Rebel Officer – Snowview, Fairhaven

The Shadowed One returned Elizabeth’s question in a way that would seem humorous but for the stoic tone of his voice. Griffin pulled his goggles off of his eyes so they rested comfortably on his head. “You folks do have charm, I’ll give ya that.” He made finger guns at the Shadowed One and weaved his way to the back of the group, the rest of the three at his heel. Sweat dripped from all four of them. Jumping rooftops wasn’t as easy as it looked.

“I’m glad to see you’re all still alive.” Evelyn said.

“Barely.” Garth said, chest moving up and down from the sharp intake of breath. Rocky patted him on the back and almost sent him sprawling to the ground. Elizabeth pulled her gear off and put it neatly back into Rocky’s backpack and then found a comfortable wall to lean on.

“What’s this about a mill?” Griffin cut in. “I’m guessing this is rebel business? Something that you were trying to get away from, right?” He shot Evelyn a questioning look.

-Enrico Accosi-

"Si! YES! Thank you, VERY much, madam." Enrico lit up and flashed a cheeky grin at a distressed Tula. "We will all go together. My kids are well behaved-"
Eis cut in. "Unlike you-" Enrico glared back at him, only for the boy to add. "...sir!"

"So it's an agreement then-" As a clear Rebel affiliate spoke up, mentioning something about the woman leader trying to evade Rebel activity. "Wait...is this? What side are you on, cara? Are you going to help me and my men or end up turning us in to the police?"

Several of the kids in the group tensed, a Grecian girl even spoke up. "Kyrie, eíthe na afxísoun ta ópla mas?" ((Sir, do we raise our weapons?))
"Chalará." Enrico chided the girl, and raised a hand to signal the other tense children to stand down. ((At ease.))

--

-Ryouki Sato-

He caught Erick's disturbed disposition and as his boyfriend's attention turned to the hooded girl and then Leif, Ryouki went back to studying the newcomer, Enrico. The Italian couldn't help but make Ryouki think of Klaus, the openness of the man's sex drive, paternal instinctivness, and the jabs he made to drive Tula absolutely batty.

There was something else about Enrico, however, that was strikingly different, and he soon placed it and found it very difficult to hide his surprise.

Taiyo whispered up to Ryouki, seeming to catch his reaction. "Late reaction, huh? I can't believe he's Tula's ex! What drama, am I right?"
"Kare was jouseidesu." Ryouki whispered back. ((He's a woman.))
"Nani?" Taiyo shook her head. "Ie..."((What? No...))
Ryouki raised a brow and softly laughed, keeping the incredible hushed tones and staying in his first language. . "Watashi wa hitotsu o mita tiki, watashi wa josō o shirimasu." ((I know a crossdresser when I see one.))
"No wa sore o dainashi ni shinai yō ni shimashou." ((Well, let's not blow his cover.)) Taiyo pouted. "Sore was shitsureidarou." ((It would be rude.))

Silas Reid - Botanist and Odd-Job Part-Timer - Snowview, Fairhaven

Although Silas never regretted his actions, no matter how cruel the circumstance, he felt no pride from dragging the wounded Ms. Mernoth into this mess. When Mr. Sutherlin admonished him, something in him snapped just the same. He didn't like this man. He most especially didn't like how he made him think about any repercussions that might come from his doing.

"Oh, take your chivalry somewhere else, Mister Sutherlin," Silas barked back. However, he forced himself to stop his tirade short when he caught wind of the other conversation happening with Ms. Luciole.

The other rebel group—those cads from Wood's Men—finally decided to join them. As much as he detested their renewed presence, they posed an intriguing point. Again, he found himself questioning who Ms. Luciole and her partners were. He wanted to believe that no matter which side they were on, they would be looking out for the group and therefore, his safety, but now he wasn't so sure.

He heard one of Mr. Accosi's people above the terse exchange. "Can we please get going now?" the woman said. "And get out of this mist?"

Silas had to agree with her sentiment; he could only hold-out and disguise his true well-being for so long. Yet if Ms. Luciole purposely intended to lead them into another sort of danger, it might as well be no better than staying here.

Celaena - Assassin - Snowview Fairhaven

She sighs, just listening to them. Getting bored, she pulls out a small knife and fiddles with it.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Snowview, Fairhaven.

"Listen, let's continue this discussion inside, so we don't get bombed to death if those airships that attacked Glassvale show up here." Dimitry growled. "And if we start shooting each other, being outside or not won't make much difference. For me."

He wanted to add some sort of insult at the end directed at these rebels and their combat training, but decided against aggravating them any further. Pissing people off wasn't his job, it was Evelyn's, he was just here to killing anyone that got too irritated. Though he seemed to do a fine job at making people angry.

He had to remind himself that it always could be worse. They could be in the wastes, or be in prison, or dead. He was sort of glad Tabaraamon was here, not so much for his fighting abilities, more for his simple intimidation quality. The rebels didn't seem to fully grasp what the tall man in the cloak actually was, maybe they hadn't seen him appear, maybe because Tabaraamon hadn't looked up yet, he had kept his head bowed, hiding his teeth and eyes.

## Page 11

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Snowview, Fairhaven

Asbel's eyebrows raised slightly at Silas's retort, betraying his surprise, but he kept his thoughts to himself. Now wasn't the time for jokes or arguing, and those were the only options he had a taste for at the moment. Silas seemed preoccupied with the rebel situation after that and Asbel followed suit, pleasantly surprised to see the Wood's Men people again. When their leader started asking Evelyn questions, however, he felt dread begin to crawl up from his stomach and into his chest. He didn't like where this was headed.

He looked to Boraci, who was still near Leif and Danor, and saw him watching the conversation closely. He looked about as tired and fed up as one could expect. Erick, meanwhile, was full of energy - not the good kind, though, unfortunately. When Mr. Parrish voiced his concerns with Evelyn's intentions, Erick's eyes fixed on her, and he made his way back to Ryouki's side. He seemed to be expecting some kind of confrontation, and Asbel knew that was a possibility. They would just have to wait and see.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Snowview, Fairhaven

Evelyn nodded in agreement when she heard the red-haired girl speak up, also eager to put some more distance between herself and the mist. When Griffin spoke, however, all thoughts of moving to safety fled her mind. Without a word of response, Evelyn locked him in a probing stare. She could tell he was running on suspicion alone, but those questions probably just cost her a great deal of trust between herself and these newcomers.

Of course, Enrico quickly became concerned with Evelyn's motives, as did his associates, but Dimitry spoke up soon enough with his perspective. Evelyn quite liked the sound of it, actually. "Yes, let's just wait until we're all inside and then we can learn a little more about each other. And really, Mr. Accosi, I hardly know any of these people. Do you think I would be able to turn in aaaalll of you," she said, sweeping a hand over Enrico's group, Griffin's, and hers "all by myself? I'm flattered, but I don't think that would work." She flashed him a hollow smile before turning to leave, secretly praying she wouldn't end up with a gun to her head or a blade to her throat. "Your friend is right, Mr. Accosi. Let's get out of this mist."

Enrico Accosi

He heeded the woman's restatement of Celaena's curt complaint, and lead the group of kids to merge with the group. Tula had darted away from him immediately, flashing a signal to her still rather peeved boyfriend to follow, and Enrico sighed. He muttered under his breath to Eis. "Our squad isn't that large. It's you, me...then the party of seven-"

"Twelve, actually." Eis clarified. "Remember? Five more joined up just earlier today."

"Riiiiiight." Enrico mused. "Next time any stray Voce kids decide to join up on an existing mission, gouge my eyes out so I can resist the temptation of sweeping them under my wing because of their stupid cucciolo eyes." ((puppy))

--

Ryouki Sato

Erick had drawn back to Ryouki, and Ryouki instantly felt more at ease.

"So," he began. "was that encounter deja vu for you too or just me?" Ryouki couldn't hide a smile.

 Griffin Parrish - Rebel Officer - Snowview, Fairhaven

The tensions were rising between everyone. With Griffin’s suspicious questions and the new group with their concerns, all eyes were on Evelyn. She remained calm and collected as the many voices spoke up. Dimitry suggested they all get a move on. Elizabeth rolled her eyes and silently agreed. She strolled back to her group, although she was still upset with Griffin. Griffin was trying his best to ignore her, but he could sense her resentful stares in his direction. Elizabeth had intense eyes that, even with your back turned, could seem to penetrate you.

Griffin heard gunshots in the distance. The King’s Men were getting closer. “Yeah, it would be best if we leave all conversation for later. If we sit here and ‘talk’ we’ll be caught soon enough.” With that, he awaited for their departure.