Shattered crown: Escape from Lynne

## Page 1

Part 4 - Chapter 1

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Lynne/Fairhaven Border, Mirfield, Lynne

An old, disheveled stone wall, a few feet taller than Evelyn, marked the boundary between Lynne and Fairhaven. By the time it had moved into her line of view, a handful of guards had long since made themselves at home by the large, iron gates, and Evelyn could tell they weren’t exactly secret police material. Most of them were young and looked bored out of their minds, leaning slouched against their posts and passing idle chatter back and forth.

She slowed down to look back at the others, fixing a stern look on each person in turn. Though, admittedly, she had to stifle a laugh when she noticed Asbel trying to shake the last few remaining drops of soup out of the container and into his mouth. “Don’t say a word unless I tell you to,” she warned. “Act natural, keep your hands out of your pockets, and try to appear nonthreatening.” As she turned forward again, she heard an amused snort from Erick’s general direction.

Despite his reaction, there was some genuine concern in the young bodyguard’s voice when he spoke up. “Do you have a backup plan just in case we’re turned away?”

“By tomorrow morning, it will be nearly impossible to get out of Lynne, regardless of whatever leverage we might have. One way or another, we’re getting past that wall tonight.”

When the guards saw the party approaching from a distance, they all seemed to tense at once, grasping at their weapons and standing upright. Well, this was going to be interesting. Unfortunately, inexperienced guards were usually much more inflexible than those who knew their way around the rules, but they were also much easier to fluster if it came down to that. After the day she’d had, it wouldn’t take much to bring out her monstrous temper if its assistance was called for.

 Dimitry Popov - Yet to be a terrorist - Lynne/Fairhaven border.

Dimitry kept towards the back of the group and surveyed the border wall. It wouldn't be a problem to scale, even by the least athletic members of their party, except that they had wounded, and there was no way to get them over the wall.

He kept his gas mask on, just in case the guards had seen the wanted posters that Grail security forces had posted where ever they could. He adjusted the magnification of the lenses and watched the guards, identifying the ones that would put up a fight if it came down to it. Tabaraamon was gone, which was probably a good thing, since the guards would be less likely to let them pass if the demon was present.

He kept his hands crossed, ready to go for his pistol of things got ugly. He would prefer that they didn't, blowing away a border patrol would get them all labeled as terrorists. He was a lot of things, but had yet to be a terrorist. This would be an interesting demonstration of what sort of person Evelyn was, how she would pressure these guards into letting them pass. He didn't trust the woman, she was a member of the secret police, and he didn't trust members of secret government groups, he learned that first hand.

Kristen Mernoth - Noble - Lynne/Fairhaven border.

Kristen was panting from the effort of hobbling about on the crutches and sighed in relief at the sight of the wall. At the very least it would give her time to catch her breath. She glanced at Leif who was in an ale assisted sleep. She saw the road leading into the distance and groaned, she doubted they would eve stopping anytime soon, and when they did stop it would be for another short break.

She looked up towards the moon and saw five oblong shapes pass in front of it, heading out toward the wastes. Airships, doing what she didn't know, she wished she could just climb onto a airship, fly home, lie in her warm bed and let her leg heal.

Boraci - \*non-threatening kitten\* - Lynne/Fairhaven Border, Mirfield, Lynne

The walk wasn't that long, however by the time we approached the border gate, my feet were throbbing in my boots. This could have been due to size of my feet, though. Leif had blissfully fallen asleep in the cart I tugged behind me, his snores shaking the wooden frame. With each breath out, I could smell alcohol drift into the air, intermingling with the sweat of those in the group, gunpowder, metal polish, well-worn leather, and beneath all that, their heart beats. I noticed the small noblewoman, Kristen, was really struggling. I didn't feel much inclined to help; this was the kind of adventures people wrote about, right?

When Evelyn announced the plan, I could only agree with Erick's appropriate response. Me? Non-threatening? Those young guards might think they've drifted off into a nightmare if they saw under my hood. One could only imagine their screams, then the painful gunfire that would soon follow. I exhaled in amused disbelief before crouching down, so that my back curved beneath my heavy cloaks, my wings forming false shoulders. My head had lowered at least two feet, and my hands were covered by the long sleeves. I wrapped my scarf around my neck. As I held my aching position, I longingly scanned the border.

That's hardly as tall as me. Just a quick jump, and I'd be up and over...

But I couldn't abandon my makeshift Swarm. Who else would pull Leif? Asbel? I snorted.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Lynne/Fairhaven Border

Evelyn stopped within earshot of the guards, expecting them to get the first word in, and one of them soon caught her attention with his raised voice. "Evening. What brings an armed band of travelers such as yourselves to the gates at this late hour?"

"Same thing that brought you here: the attacks in Glassvale. I was sent here by the King to resolve a situation with a rebel faction there, and these people were caught in the crossfire, so I'm escorting them back to Fairhaven." Evelyn turned out one side of her jacket, revealing a small, falcon-shaped metal pin that glimmered in the moonlight. "I'm a high-ranking member of the King's political police. My name is Evelyn Luciole."

"I'm afraid you'll still have to leave, Ma'am. Even if you are who you say you are, no one is allowed through just now."

Evelyn resisted the powerful temptation to roll her eyes. "I'm required to return to Hydris immediately, and I'm traveling with one of the King's bodyguards: Erick Bailee. There will be hell for all of us to pay if we can't get there." Evelyn looked back to find the man dully glaring at her, making his way to the front of the group where the guards could see him. Evelyn sighed; he could pout all he liked. Frankly, the royal lapdog's personal drama was none of her concern, and she didn't plan on sugarcoating anything for his sake.

Despite her argument, the guard remained unconvinced. "I agree that your situation is unfortunate, but we were given strict orders. I suggest you find a place to stay the night."

"Sir, I have the authority to make sure none of you receive so much as a slap on the wrist for letting us pass. You won't get in trouble."

The guards visibly tensed, and their makeshift negotiator's posture straightened. "And why should I take your word for that? With all due respect, Ma'am, you secret police aren't the most trustworthy lot - always prowling around and acting as if the laws don't apply to you. You may be above us, but you're not above the King, and he ordered us to make sure no one enters or leaves through this gate."

Before Evelyn could respond, Erick impatiently motioned to the group behind them. "Are you really going to punish these civilians just to spite her? Some of them are seriously hurt, and they've been walking all day." The guard's expression softened slightly, and there was a brief silence.

Ryouki Sato

As the amassed group had neared the guards at the border, Ryouki slipped a slightly distance away from Erick-enough to remain near, but also to keep their closeness on the down low around other members of the Royal Services.

When Erick had gestured to the group as he and Evelyn negotiated to get the group through, Ryouki couldn't hide a smirk at the boldness of their argument. Taiyo-who had been first blending in like the rest of the younger Satos-moved toward the front of the group and spoke out, despite what Ryouki could register as silent protest from Usami and Tsukiko. "Shoes can only be comfortable for so long! It's only a small favour." She crossed her arms underneath her chest.

A small sanguine flush darted over one of the younger guard's tanned cheeks as he briefly glanced over Taiyo(which made Ryouki's skin crawl. How old are you, 12? Grow up.) and his attention turned back to Evelyn. "It's orders, ma'am. Please, you and your motley crew need to find another path-or better yet, a different goal that isn't headed through this border."

--

Ryan Petrushkov

Ryan is finally near the Embassy, and stalks up to the gates. He is soaked through, and the rain isn't lightening up in the slightest. In fact, it almost beats down harder.

The guards at the Embassy are first startled by his wild appearance, but upon recognising him from the uniform, they rush Ryan inside.

Alina is there to greet him, and her eyes well up with tears as she rushes to embrace the giant of a soldier. Ryan staggers back. "Princess, you'll get your dress wet..." He stammers.

"Whoever bloody washes it will just have to suck it up!" Alina sobs into his torso, her fingers clutching at the wet fabric of Ryan's shirt. Ryan wraps his arms around her middle, and pulls the crying girl closer. He turns to look at the other guards, and briefly glares at them in a way to shoo them off, and they oblige.

"Where's Viktor?" Ryan asks.

"In our quarters..." Alina manages after a few minutes of unintelligible sobbing. "he misses you probably more than I do. You miss him probably more than me..."

Ryan knelt down so that he was eye-level with Alina and shook his head. He cupped her face in his wet palms and smiled. "You are my duty, and my love. I may not be attracted to you like I am to Viktor, but I love you like a father would love his daughter. Printsessa, don't forget that."

Alina's pinched face softens, and she nods.

Ryan strokes her choppy hair behind her ears. "The revolutionaries are on fire, and the forces are growing rapidly and everywhere..." He then remembered, and added in a low whisper. "Tula is safe."

Alina's eyes widened. "She is-?" He covered her mouth so no one could hear the projected realisation. More tears flowed from Alina's eyes after Ryan took his hand away and she lowered her voice. "She's truly safe?"

Ryan nodded. "That boyfriend of hers has it covered, and you know she can handle defending herself just fine."

"I would hope so..." Alina mused and then wriggled out of Ryan's arms. "Y-You probably want to talk to Viktor."

"I do. You said he's in our quarters, da?"

Alina nodded. "I'll let you two have some time."

Ryan beamed and immediately set off for the bedrooms of the Rojyan royal and guards, not caring one bit about his wet feet staining the carpet. or the large grin that remained on his face. He burst into the bedroom and found Viktor hunched over the desk and scrawling angrily under the candlelight. Viktor glanced up, and immediately rose from the desk. The two stared for a minute, and then Viktor opened his mouth to speak. "Ryan..."

"Tishina. . Prosto trakhat' menya." Ryan whispered in a husky tone and captured Viktor by the hand and dragged him over to the bed, nearly throwing him down onto the plush duvet.

"Ryan-!" Viktor's voice caught and the break hung in the air as Ryan kissed him, but Viktor broke it off early. "Talk to me."

"Maybe I don't want to talk. Maybe I just want you." Ryan whined.

"Calm down...you just got back..." Viktor grimaced. "You're sopping wet! Clean yourself up, you shlyukha." Ryan laughed as Viktor pushed Ryan by the shoulders up and off the bed. "You'll ruin the sheets!"

"Chistyy urod." Ryan teased. ((Clean freak.))

"Razvratnik," Viktor responded with equal vigor, and just before Ryan steps out to the bathroom, he presses the taller man against the wall, and kisses him. "Tak zhe, kak Klaus" ((Lecher, just like Klaus.))

"Ya ne khotel Klaus!" Ryan laughed, open-mouthed and accepting the now unspoken consent of his former advance. ((I am not like Klaus!))

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Lynne/Fairhaven border.

The guards didn't seem to be willing to let them past. Though, Dimitry was too far back to hear what was being said. Boraci was too far away for Dimitry to ask with out walking over, and possibly make the new recruits worry that the two of them were planning to attack. Despite the outdated weapons the guards were equipped with, if they started shooting a lot of civilians would die before they were stopped.

Because of that, Dimitry felt that going weapons free was not an option unless there was a direct threat on their lives or freedom. Like a bunch of rebels coming along. He could see that the majority of the guards were barely adults, some possibly younger than Ryouki's siblings. They were poorly trained, their slouching postures and loose grip on their weapons would have earned them a thrashing if they had been Grail-El soldiers.

He pulled his mask up slightly and took a swig of his hip flask despite his better judgement. The alcohol would not be beneficial if bullets started going through the air, but it helped his nerves, reducing the chance he would be the one to shoot first.

Kristen Mernoth - Noble - Lynne/Fairhaven border.

Kristen closed her eyes and thought if she could do  anything to help. Her family wasn't very important as noble families went, and she doubted that these guards would know about the Mernoth family, and even if they did, it was even more doubtful they would believe her. She could act the spoiled noble brat well, but felt that wouldn't improve the guards disposition toward them.

She slowly hobbled forward, trying to find a softer patch of ground so the tips of her crutches would sink in, helping her keep balanced.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Lynne/Fairhaven Border

With the growing tension in the air pricking at the back of her thoughts, Evelyn made a point to speak calmly and politely. "If we had another, more favorable option, I would have taken it already. If you turn us away, we'll be stuck."

"You're wasting our time," the guard replied. His patience was waning. When he caught sight of Kristen hobbling forward, however, his expression became riddled with conflict.

"And you ours," Evelyn replied. "Fortunately, I have enough left to teach you all how the chain of command works, since you seem a bit rusty in that regard."

"Evelyn," Erick muttered, sensing danger in the guards' eyes.

Oblivious to his complaints, she continued. "The superiors you got your orders from actually answer to the King, much like I've been known to do. You may not like the secret police, but the fact remains that preventing me from doing my job could easily get you sacked. As far as you're concerned," Evelyn stopped when she saw the guard's right shoulder shift slightly and drew her gun, leveling it with his chest.

Sure enough, the man had raised his gun as well. "How about I let them pass and use you for target practice?"

Erick put a hand on Evelyn's shoulder and tried to create some distance between her and the guard, but said guard's friends already had their weapons raised. Aiming to test the other guards, Erick took a somewhat threatening stance toward them as they slowly advanced, and two visibly hesitated. They could hardly be considered a threat without those guns, he thought.

If that man was serious about his offer, maybe it was their only option if they didn't want to start a fight. If they left Evelyn behind, though, would she really be able to take care of herself?

-Taiyo Sato-

As the guards raised their weapons, Taiyo yelped in fear and felt familiar hands grab hers from behind to pull her back into the huddle of the group.
"Tsuki-" Taiyo began but her words cut off at the sight of the forming standoff.

Taiyo heard her eldest brother speak up. "There must be another way, for either of us. No guns, no threats to society..."
The guard that had glanced Taiyo up and down earlier replied. "Are you actually involved with these people? Or the country even? You're from the Isles, aren't you?"
Ryouki sighed. "I may be of Kyushu descent, but I'm born and raised Braille. My /family/" Taiyo felt guilty as he cocked his head in her direction for emphasis. "is among this group, therefore thus is the side I choose, and I reccomend opening up your border just for the simple opportunity for our two little groups to move on with our lives. Understood?"
The young guard's mouth fell open in slight shock-and embarassment of Ryouki's 'protective Oniisan' mode coming out.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Lynne / Fairhaven border.

Dimitry saw the weapons come out, and knew it was time to do something. He spoke softly to Tula. "Stay down. Try to get the others to as well. I love you."
He didn't know why he said the last part, he was convinced both of them would live through this.

Then he ran at an angle so he wouldn't be part of the rest of the group, and he would be more visible to the guards. He hoped the intimidation value his presence provided would convince the guards to stand down.

He pulled the rifle off his back, unfolded the stock and racked the slide, the high velocity bullet locked in the chamber, ready to tear through anything that crossed its path. He lined the cross hairs up on the head of one of the guards, not the one aiming for Evelyn, there was a risk of sudden movement and didn't want to shoot one of his allies.

He was easily evident, back lit by a few lanterns their group carried. The light glinted off the polished metal of the bayonet and the glass of the scope. He waited, finger resting on the trigger, for some sort of indication it was time to fire. He saw one of the guards spot him, tap another on the shoulder and gesture towards Dimitry. One of them whispered to the guard holding the gun on Evelyn.

Dimitry hoped this wouldn't increase tensions, the guards had probably thought they had the upper hand, and maybe the anti-material rifle pointed at their heads would make them rethink the current situation. He wondered where Tabaraamon was, the sight of the demon would probably change the guards perspective on life and their duty.
He could see several of the guards were breathing heavily, they were probably panicking, finally understanding the mess they had gotten themselves in. Maybe they would pity the wounded and let them pass, or be convinced by Erick or Ryouki that it would be a good thing to do. Dimitry didn't want to kill these younger recruits, who were probably far from home and scared, but desperate times...

Kristen Mernoth - Noble - Lynne / Fairhaven border.

Kristen froze at the sight of the guns coming out. They were dead, they were all dead. Either the guards would kill them all, or they would kill the guards and the king would have them executed as rebels. If they went back the rebels would catch them.

She slowly lowered herself to the ground as her father's bodyguard had taught her to do when faced by gun men. She didn't lay down, since she doubted she could get back up, but she did her best to be a small as she could.

Griffin Parrish – Rebel Officer – Lynne / Fairhaven Border

“Bullets will go blazing soon enough.” Griffin’s voice echoed in the silence. “That is almost guaranteed, the condition that this kingdom is in.” He had finally found the group that had been at the theatre. By the looks of it, they didn’t seem to be in good condition. And now they were trying to get passed the border, something that he and his group had tried many times.

“What have I told you?” The guard said irritably down at Griffin, realizing that he was another problem to add on to the current situation. “No one is allowed through at this time. Same thing I’ve been trying to tell this lot.” He shook his gun at the small group.

Griffin sighed and pointed to the bald man with the rifle. “Do you really want this man to blow your head clean off. Because by the looks of this rifle, that pretty little head of yours will come clean off.” He could tell the guards were getting ready for an attack, just in the way they glanced around at each other nervously.

“Can you at least tell me why you won’t let people through?” Griffin walked to the front of the group with a few apologies as he bumped shoulders.

## Page 2

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Lynne/Fairhaven Border

Asbel smiled at Ryouki's eloquent argument, which seemed to temporarily stun the guard on the receiving end of it. The ease with which he squashed the guard's confidence like a bug was really a thing of beauty. When he heard the faint rustling of fabric nearby as Kristen carefully lowered herself to the ground - as far as she could manage, anyway - he genuinely felt bad for the girl. He hadn't heard a word of complaint from her all the way from the inn to the gate, but now she looked absolutely miserable.

Still, he didn't dare move from his position to help her and risk spooking the guards, and he trusted Dimitry's rifle seemed to scare their opponents stiff, which was probably a step in the right direction, but they still didn't seem ready to let them pass. And then, as if through some form of divine intervention, a new person appeared. He waded through the small crowd of people and approached the guards, paying little mind to all the weapons being pointed in his general direction. Asbel was intrigued, but Evelyn's expression made it quite clear that she found the newcomer suspicious.

With some hesitation, the guard answered the newcomer's question. "To contain the rebel activity in Lynne and keep civilians safe, we've been ordered to secure the borders for the time being. And we will not be bullied into complying with the whims of a backstabbing secret officer who thinks she's above the law."

Evelyn's knuckles went white as she gripped her pistol, and her voice took on a strained calmness. Asbel knew how much she hated defending the secret police, but sometimes it was necessary to put on a bit of an act. "We bend the rules for a reason, kid. Now, if you're not going to shoot us, you should put those guns away before you start something."

"You're the ones who are trying to start something!"

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Lynne/Fairhaven Border

Erick had to fight back a smile when Ryouki spoke up against the guard, but the newcomer quickly sobered him up again. Who in the world...? Whoever he was, it seemed like he was trying to help - probably trying to get out of Lynne as well. Evelyn seemed apprehensive about him, but Erick was content to hear the man out unless he ended up riling the guards up even more. Maybe he could help them solve this peacefully. As scared as the guards were, they could either snap or give in and let them through, but either would probably result in a victory, as inexperienced as these guys were. But the party would definitely suffer losses, and that wasn't worth trying to solve the problem in a rush.

-Tula Nikos-

She felt her heart pound as the standoff grew in intensity. That newcomer's outburst, Ryouki's eloquent argument(which seemed very plausible. Tula couldn't hide a smile at that.), and Dimitry's plan to suddenly take out his rifle and aim it at the other line of guards.

Tula knew they couldn't stand a chance-now more than aware of her lover's abilities. However, the others here wouldn't be safe either. That caring side of Tula always seemed to be the perfect spoilsport for the side of Tula that relished in blood and chaos.

She turned to the second eldest of the Sato siblings. "Can you do me a favour?" Tula whispered low.
He didn't really respond, but sort of gave her a curt nod when their eyes met.
"I'll get you and your siblings out of this safely, and you make me a trident. Doesn't have to be fancy, but I'll get you all out with your lives."
"We can defend ourselves fine, ma'am." His response was blunt, and annoyingly flippant.
Tula pouted. "I'll give you a kiss."
"No thanks. I thought you're with 21 Guns." The young man subtly pointed out Dimitry with a shake of his long fringe.
Tula scoffed. "I don't have any money-and I wasn't being serious."
Usami responded. "Then good luck finding yourself a trident because there aren't any proper forges around and no payment means no service."
"You could lighten up a little, like your brother."
She immediately felt a slight sense of regret from Usami's reaction, the way his defined muscles contracted and his jaw set tight. Tula mouthed. "O-Kay...." and scooted in a different direction away from Usami to think of a new plan. Her path moved toward the front where she caught a slight glimpse of the newcomer and she eyed Evelyn began to draw her pistol.

Dimitry Popov -  Mercenary - Lynne Fairhaven border.

Dimitry tightened his finger on the trigger, slowly breathing in and out. One of the guards moved in such a way to get a better shot. Dimitry followed him with rifle and the man slowly backed up, having noticed the weapon tracking his movements.

Dimitry zoomed out slightly, widening his field of view enough that he could watch the new comers moments. He hadn't noticed anyone following them, but they had been leaving a trail that a blind person could follow, so anyone who knew what they were doing would be able to stay far enough back that no one would see them.

He wondered what this man's motives were, if he was good samaritan, or a rebel that wanted to use them to get across the border. But, if they got across with out resorting to violence, Dimitry wouldn't really care what their new allies' motives where.

He could see Evelyn tightening her grip on her hand gun and started to get the feeling that there would be a change in the lead content of the atmosphere very soon.

Leif Regnar - Bodyguard - Lynne Fairhaven border.

Leif woke up with a snort, and seeing nothing but stars groaned. He hadn't been able to sleep through the night, and that was depressing since he probably wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. They weren't moving, and he could hear voices. Why weren't they moving? He wondered silently. Then, tired, a little tipsy, and in a less than good mood bellowed "Why the devil are we not moving?" Followed by a violent coughing fit and groaning.

By the change in the moon he hadn't been asleep very long, and he had no idea how much time had been spent on the move. He tried to sit up, by the cast prevented him. He growled and lay back down, glaring up at the heavens, willing a star to fall and crush them, that would be quite the story.

Griffin Parrish – Rebel Officer – Lynne / Fairhaven Border

Griffin eyed the guards on the wall, one of them glancing to his back pocket where he had stuffed his green cloth that usually found its home around his waist. When the guard leaned in to whisper something into his comrade’s ear, Griffin knew that he had been discovered. He tried to keep his composure the best he could. His gaze wandered back to their leader who still had his gun pointed at all of them.

“Well,” Griffin sighed. “I guess I will just have to come back tomorrow and pick your ear about it.” He watched as one of the guards went up to his leader and whispered into his ear, pointing in Griffin’s direction. No doubt he had just made the situation worse for their little group.

Before Griffin could casually walk away, their leader spoke abruptly. “Stop right there.” Griffin closed his eyes in despair and turned to face the man.

“Yes sir?” He saw that the men were shifting their guns in his direction. What would happen now? He beat himself mentally for not just leaving his green cloth behind with his group.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Lynne/Fairhaven Border

Evelyn saw a couple of the guards' eyes linger on the stranger, and when they began whispering to one another, Evelyn knew they were done for if they didn't act immediately. The stranger was out of her direct line of vision, and she wasn't about to look away from her opponents in order to figure out why they were staring at him. She was done - so very, very done - with these guards. Her five year old son caught on quicker than these morons.

Drawing her dagger in the blink of an eye, she struck the guard before her with the heavy metal hilt, causing his head to snap back from the blunt force. He stumbled backward, and as his friends trained their guns on her, Erick drew his swords and she aimed her pistol. While Erick seemed more interested in self-defense, she was interested in getting the hell out of there; she fired a warning shot at the guards' feet and seemingly hit one, as he immediately dropped his gun and leaned down, frantically grabbing at his boot.

"You wanna pit your two, maybe three years of training against my lifetime of being pissed off?!" She shouted, moving her aim from head to head. The stricken guard had fallen to his knees, blood seeping between his fingers as he clasped both hands over his broken nose. "If you were my subordinates, I'd be ashamed. We're going through this gate - now. And you all are going to put your weapons away, shut your mouths, and watch us."

The guards - those who were still able - slowly lowered their weapons, their eyes flying between her, Dimitry, the stranger, and Erick. Erick sighed and knelt down next to the first bleeding guard, putting his weapons away. He asked the man to move his hands so he could see the injury, but he was in such hysterics that it didn't seem likely. Feeling a slight twinge of guilt, Evelyn returned her attention to the group. "We're leaving. Our next stop will be for a night's rest, so try to keep up a decent pace until we find it."

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Lynne/Fairhaven Border

Asbel chuckled at the exchange between Tula and Usami, arms crossed. When Leif awoke, evidently not in the cheeriest of moods, Asbel quickly and quietly answered his question so as not to be overheard. "Guards at the border. Things are looking rather bleak." He hoped it didn't come to a shootout, but he didn't dare get his hopes up too much.

Before long, though, the victor was clear, and it seemed they were ready to move along. As Asbel started walking, both his and Evelyn's gaze shifted to the mysterious stranger, and the latter called out to him. "You - stranger. What business do you have in Fairhaven?" It was then that Asbel saw one of the guards raise his gun again, pointing it straight at Evelyn, and time seemed to slow; his finger moved to the trigger, the weapon pointed directly at her, and as she caught him in her peripheral vision, she raised her own.

She hadn't seen him quickly enough, had she? How fast was his aim? Hers? His heart fell like a boulder and he involuntarily took a step forward, eyes wide. The other able guard, seeing this as a signal, took aim at Dimitry. Were they fast enough, as inexperienced as these guards were? If something happened to them...

Griffin Parrish – Rebel Officer – Lynne / Fairhaven Border

The dark haired woman was getting irritated. Tensions quickly rose when she drew her dagger and rammed the hilt into the guard’s face. He stumbled backwards while the remainder of the guards drew their guns and took aim. But she wouldn’t have it. She fired a shot that stunned Griffin. After he recovered he saw one of the guards grabbing his boot frantically, blood trickling from the hole in the leather. The rest of them could sense her anger and slowly set their weapons on the ground. That had went a lot smoother than he expected.

"We're leaving. Our next stop will be for a night's rest, so try to keep up a decent pace until we find it." The woman had an authority in her voice that left Griffin nodding in agreement as if he was part of their group.

 "You - stranger. What business do you have in Fairhaven?" A lanky man asked him. Griffin observed this new figure. He was tall and lanky, with white hair. His skin was pale and he wasn’t exactly a sight for sore eyes. Griffin opened his mouth to answer but closed it with hesitation.

Before Griffin could answer the man’s question, something happened. The man’s eyes quickly shifted to the guards and his got wide. Griffin knew exactly what was going to happen. Almost in slow motion, he swung around and shoved the woman to the side as the guard’s bullet whizzed past the both of them. He quickly drew his revolver and pointed it at the man’s head and fired. In a blink of an eye the man hit the ground.

“Griffin!” A familiar voice shouted. Within moments, his ragtag team of rebels were among the group, all with weapons raised. They all wore the green cloth around their waist and were ready to fight.

“Take cover!” Griffin yelled as the rest of the guards raised their guns and took aim at them. The rest happened in slow motion.

 Tsukiko Sato

Erick, Evelyn, and Dimitry were all poised to fight. And God, Evelyn. Tsukiko couldn't hide the blush creep to her cheeks as she stared wide-eyed at that woman's presence and dominance over the group's adversary.

Tula whistled low for Tsukiko-upon coincidence-and Tsukiko caught her with a cheeky smirk that pulled at her taut lips as she followed up near the front. "Y'know, I really like your style. Whatever you say, boss."

"Whatever you say, boss..." Tsukiko whispered to herself, mimicking Tula's confident inflection, and Taiyo snickered at her sister.

"Nandato?" Tsukiko flushed a deeper red. ((What?!))

"Dochira anata wa motto sukidesu ka?" Taiyo teased. "Anata no sono fechi ni wa totemo kawaīdesu!" ((Which one do you like more? That fetish of yours is adorable!))

"Uzendayo..." Tsukiko muttered, rolling her eyes, as she led Taiyo by the hand to move forward with the group. ((Shut up...))

Suddenly, guns went out, and Tsukiko tensed. Her hand went to her sword's hilt at her hip, but Taiyo stopped her. "That's not going to help in a gunfight, Kiko. Just stay down."

"R-Right..." Tsukiko stammered, and edged closer to her sister, adding in a whisper. "Boku wa ki o tora... to kowaidesu." ((I'm distracted...and scared.))

"Kore wa nani mo arimasen. Watashitachiha otagai o motte iru, to watashitachi no kyōdai no ryōhō. Anata ga tsūjōdearu yō ni dake chūi shite." ((This is nothing. We have each other, and both of our brothers. Just be alert like you usually are.)) Taiyo whispered back with a comforting squeeze of her hand.

"Keikai shimasu...maii..." Tsukiko exhaled, shaking her short, choppy hair in exasperation. ((Be alert...what a pain...))

 --

Ryouki Sato

As guns started to blaze, Ryouki began to search himself for something, anything that could be of use, and then his eyes met with Usami, who had already started to draw familiarly shaped, iron chakrams, twirling each in his hands with anticipation. Usami was poised to fight, which stirred a sense of worry in the eldest of the siblings. He saw Tsukiko begin to reach for a sword he didn't notice had been hilted at her hip, and Taiyo was holding her back.

He felt the large blade of his machete stacked at the very back of his bag's fabric, and it gave him a defensive sense of relief as he drew the blade discreetly. Things were starting to get ugly...

Dimitry Popov - In his element - Lynne Fairhaven border.

Dimitry saw tensions go critical and a rifle point toward him. That was unacceptable. He squeezed the trigger, removing that threat to his person with an thundering blast of brimstone and lead.

He moved his scope to another guard, who was already stumbling back from a bullet. His rifle boomed again, taking a guard in the chest with results similar to a Roc's talons. He waited a second to let the barrel cool before finding another target. This guard was running for it, probably to bring reinforcements, Dimitry coolly brought the weapon back up and shot the man in the back. It wasn't pretty, but it was either that, or that man getting more guards or half decent soldiers, and if that happened, Dimitry didn't want to think about the casualties. Kill one to save many, sometimes it had to be done.

He wondered who these new comers were, they were clearly rebels, and clearly connected with the man who had shown up only moments before. What faction they worked for was not clear, Dimitry just hoped this lot hadn't been send to retrieve the hostages.

Kristen Mernoth - Noble - Lynne Fairhaven border.

Kristen looked up at the sound of gunshots, and instantly wished she hadn't. She would never be able to unsee the sight that met her eyes. Blood from the dead man sprayed across her, as did other things she didn't want to consider. She vomited, then passed out. Rolling on to her side, her head spashing into a muddy puddle.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Lynne/Fairhaven Border

When Erick heard the gunshots begin, he drew his swords and took a moment to get his bearings, knowing he risked running into the line of fire if he wasn't careful. Ryouki was still with the others, Evelyn seemed to have escaped the first shot unscathed with the help of their new friend(?), and Dimitry was picking off the guards one by one. Hissing a curse under his breath, Erick turned his attention to the guard he had been trying to help, who was in absolute hysterics. Erick grabbed the man's shirt and shoved him all the way to the ground, yelling over the gunshots. "Stay down! Don't move!"

The man gave a hurried nod and Erick grabbed his gun, taking a few steps back and surveying the area. There were only three guards left, not counting the poor bastard with the broken nose. Dimitry had taken care of the rest, who looked like some kind of monster had taken a bite out of them. The sight of it made Erick's stomach turn and his heart pound; this was wrong. They should have gone another way, waited, something. Something other than this.

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Lynne/Fairhaven Border

When the shooting started, Asbel tried his damnedest not to stare at Evelyn, who had regained her balance after being pushed out of the line of fire. She took aim and fired at one of the guards Dimitry hadn't yet hit, then noticed the one with the broken nose. He could see her weighing the value of his life against the risk he posed, hesitant, and Asbel did the same. If the guard made it out of there, he knew their faces and some of their names. But he was so young...

Evelyn eventually let the guard be, and Asbel breathed a sigh of relief. This didn't last, though; he soon noticed Kristen lying unconscious in the mud, and caught a sour smell in the air. There was blood - had she been shot? Asbel moved closer and knelt down next to her, realizing the truth of the situation. He glanced up at his surroundings, conflicted. Should he help her? Someone else would, right? Was that a heartless thing to think? Asbel sighed and carefully moved the girl onto drier ground, gingerly wiping her face clean with his coat sleeve - a coat which he planned to burn at the earliest opportunity. Honestly, Dimitry couldn't have waited until that guard was out of splattering distance before he shot him?

-Tsukiko Sato-

Taiyo screamed and buried herself into her elder twin's chest as blood bloomed from the guard at the front with a resounding BOOM of nitrates and sulfur. Tsukiko held onto her distressed sister tightly, keeping the both of them down.

-Ryouki Sato-

Usami was enraged and he began to lunge for the guards when Ryouki suddenly had an iron grip on their brother's wrist.
"Let go of me!"
"Did they hit her?"
"No, but she got scared-"
"Our sisters will hold fast on their own." Ryouki enunciated. "What we need to do is try and get whoever is not fighting out safe, understood?"
"I don't need you to tell me what to do like you're some kind of replacement for Dad!"
Ryouki gripped tighter, Usami whimpering. "This. Is. Not. Your. FIGHT!" Usami visibly flinched, having never seen Ryouki glare and snap in such a way. Usami relaxed. "Where do I start?"
Ryouki turned to the twins, huddled together and moving out of harms way. "Our family is set..." He turned to Asbel and Kristen, and nodded sternly. "Let's help with the casualties."
Ryouki then let go and began to hurriedly make his way towards the unconscious woman in the mud. Asbel had been tending to her dirty face then, and Ryouki looked briefly at him, and then to the woman. He rolled up his sleeves and was hesitant to touch her at first. "Did you see her get hit?" He questioned Asbel.

## Page 3

Boraci - Border of Lynne

I needed to relieve myself. But just now didn't seem the moment. As tensions and weapons rose, blood pressure did as well. I could hear every beat, rhythmic and chaotic at the same time. Each had a unique marker to separate it from the others, so much so that I could identify who was going to make a stupid decision in the near future. I had ducked five seconds before the attempted shot at Evelyn. Hopefully Leif could suck in his considerable gut. My ears followed each beat, messily mixed with gunfire and shouts of distress. I listened as once strong hearts slowly gave out, or all at once stopped. It was like a symphony.

One that I really needed to piss in the middle of.

But that was going to have to wait. Evelyn and Dimitry made quick work of the guards, while a party came into play. I couldn't distinguish the color very well, but they smelled like they'd been living off the radar for quite some time. Rebels, judging from the recently deceased guard's tone. This was getting more interesting. A plop brought me back to my senses, and I straightened up to my full height, bones in my back cracking. Kristen was in the mud, but I hadn't heard her get shot. Very fast heart beat, that one.

"Did you see her get hit?" Ryouki asked Asbel, who had helped the woman.

"She's fine," I said dismissively. "Besides the broken leg. She just fainted." She hadn't been doing that well thus far on the crutches and now she was unconscious. I certainly had my wings full tugging Leif in the cart, and there wasn't much room in there for another body. "I have a, um, painkiller that might help her." I said this last statement a bit hesitantly, before shrugging to myself. It was worth a shot.

My long, red tongue snaked out of my mouth and onto the side of the small woman's neck, where a yellow sack oozed liquid into her pores before it returned to my mouth. I imagined the effects would be memorable to the members of the original group; drunk confusion is the best confusion, after all. Worth a few laughs. But I begrudgingly hoped that it would do the noble some good, even if she was a chronicler.

 Kristen Mernoth - Tripping - Lynne Fairhaven border.

Kristen rolled on to her side and groaned. Everything was sort of shimmery, and... Wavy, like on a hot day. But it wasn't hot.

She tried to slap the white haired man, but missed badly. She didn't know why she would slap him. It sort of seemed like the right thing to do. She tried to stand up, but couldn't, so she didn't.

Was this the after life? She hoped not, it was too dark and muddy to spend eternity here. It also smelled funny, and if she remembered right, she was in Lynne, so at the very least she wasn't in heaven. Maybe she was a ghost, it would explain why she missed hitting Asbel, her hand had just past through.

Using her hands she pushed her self up. Leaving imprints in the mud. Which seemed to suggest she wasn't a ghost.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Lynne Fairhaven border.

Dimitry slowly walked up to the others, as he walked he prodded the bodies with his foot and kicked away their weapons. He felt the tingle of adrenaline running through his body, and smelled the particular scents left by a shootout, the acrid reek of gunpowder, the saltiness of sweat, and of course the sharp metallic under tones of blood.

At least there was equipment here for the unarmed members of their party. He slung his rifle across his back and approached the leader of the rebels.

"Dimitry Popov. Appreciate the assistance." He said and extended his hand to shake the other man's. He kept his other hand resting on his belt, thumb hooked through one of the loops. He didn't think that this lot meant them harm, if they had all they would have needed to do was shoot at the guards and let the whole thing unravel into a fire fight. Save themselves work and ammunition.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Boraci inject the noble woman with "fun juice" and half smiled, half grimaced at the memory of the last time he had seen someone under the influence of that drug.

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Lynne/Fairhaven Border

Boraci assured Ryouki that the girl hadn't been hit, and Asbel nodded in agreement, but what he said next was a little confusing. Painkiller? Before Asbel could put two and two together, he was startled by Kristen's hand barely missing his face. He put both hands up defensively and leaned away from her, visibly confused. It wasn't that venom, was it?

Unfortunately, if the look on Kristen's face was any indication, that's exactly what it was. Asbel slowly stood up and simply watched her attempt the same, hesitant to get any closer to her while she was in an "altered state." This could spell hilarity or disaster depending on the results, but Asbel was more worried about her spooking that pack of rebels than anything else. The last thing they needed was another shootout, especially if they were outnumbered. "Boraci, how long is this 'painkiller' going to last?"

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Lynne/Fairhaven Border

Once the fighting was done, Erick walked over to Evelyn and lowered his voice, hoping to avoid being overheard. "How exactly do you plan on covering this up? It might be kind of difficult to justify gunning down a bunch of rookies like that."

Evelyn seemed to sense the frustration in his tone, but her focus remained primarily on the nearby rebels. She observed them from a distance, occasionally stealing a glance at first one to show up: Griffin. "Not necessarily. Are you suggesting I was wrong to start the fight?"

Erick sighed, avoiding all eye contact. "Not really. Too late to think about that now anyway; I just want to know if I should be worried about this coming back to bite us later."

"Someday, maybe. But we won't be punished, if that's what you mean. Take those guns and hand them out; I'll return them to the authorities when I get the chance." Erick paused but eventually complied, moving to retrieve the rest of the guards' weapons. He guessed it was better than just leaving them out in the open, even if they weren't very good. The last remaining guard, his face still bleeding profusely, was shaking like a leaf - presumably crying.

Erick muttered a warning to him as he passed by, hoping to avoid any more bloodshed. "Keep still until we're gone." With that, he began taking each of the guards' guns, his now bloody hands shaking as the stench of gore brought back memories he was never prepared for. He made his way back to the group to find Kristen dazed on the ground, but his worries were soon eased by what he heard from Boraci and the others. She hadn't been shot.

He tapped the shoulder from which the guards' guns were hanging. "Anyone who knows how to handle a gun and doesn't have one, help yourself." He held one out to Ryouki, eyeing him with concern. "Is everyone okay?"

Griffin Parrish – Rebel Leader – Lynne / Fairhaven Border

It had been a few weeks since Griffin had been in a gunfight. In fact, he liked to avoid such confrontations. But that was nearly impossible, the way things were getting. Before the border went up, everywhere they walked they were threatened with a bullet in their heads. But things are changing. The King may think he has things under control, but soon he will realize that he cannot hold off the inevitable uprising.

Griffin took the green cloth that he had tried to conceal in his back pocket and tied it around his waist. He took in the smell of gunpowder and stared at the large iron gates. How very fortunate this group came to the wall, the very place they needed to get passed.

“Dimitry Popov. Appreciate the assistance.” The man with the shaved head extended his hand. Griffin shook it and nodded his head. A slight smile crossed his face and he surveyed the carnage around them.

“Your lot did most of the work.” He pointed to the guards lying on the ground. Griffin watched as man started collecting the weapons from the dead and injured.

“Griffin!” A familiar voice echoed out once again. “Are you alright?” A tall muscular man made his way through the group. “We heard gunshots and came running.” Griffin patted the man on the shoulder and smiled.

“All is well Eldon.” The man, named Eldon gave a sigh of relief and stared at the gates. Griffin spotted the rest of his group. Foster, Garth, Issac, Rocky, Wes, Tarrin, and Elizabeth. He waved them over. The largest man of the small rebel group towered over everyone. He wore nothing but a brown leather vest, black cloth pants, and large leather boots. On his back he had several weapons: axes, guns, knives, hammers, etc. He had a large black beard and shaggy hair.

“Alright there Rocky?” Griffin asked. The large man nodded. Foster was a small man who never smiled. He seemed to have a permanent frown on his face. Garth was the youngest of the group. Eighteen years old with blond hair and dark brown eyes, Garth was a silent fellow, most of the time shy. Issac and Wes were twin brothers who grew up on the streets. They both had the same evil look in their eye as if they were about to mug you. But Griffin had gained their trust.

Tarrin was the second in command. With broad shoulders, he wasn’t very tall. But he had the look of murder in his eyes. His long black hair and thick beard were menacing. Even Griffin was a bit frightened of the guy at first. Eldon was the brains of the group. Then there was Elizabeth. With long flowing brown hair and hazel eyes, everyone in the group had to admit they had a crush on her sometime or another.

 Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Lynne, Fairhaven Border.

Dimitry was about to speak with the rebel when more rebels showed up. Dimitry nodded to the leader, who had been identified as Griffin by one of the other rebels, and walked over to where Evelyn was standing. "Look, my time of doing this for free is over. You want my help you've got to pay, or I'll take my expertise elsewhere. I'm not going to put my life on the line for free, or because of some loyalty to either faction."

He paused before continuing. "I have to look out for my own interests, and while this rebellion is of critical importance to citizens of Falcon's Reach, I am not such a citizen, and have no ideological or emotional reason to contribute to its out come, purely economic. You've seen what I can do. "

He said this in a calm, level tone, devoid of any real emotions. He always did his best to not over sell, since that made him seem desperate. He had done the mental calculations and figured that during the battle in the theater and the most recent fire fight had probably cost him upwards of six hundred marks, what with military grade ammunition prices where they were. He was pretty sure Evelyn would agree, but if she didn't, there would be plenty of people looking for a gun for hire.

Kristen Mernoth - Riding the dragon - Lynne, Fairhaven border.

Kristen took another swipe at Asbel grabbed at his arm, pulled him in close and laid one on him hard. She wasn't particularly good at kissing, at least that's what her old boy friends had all said, but she tried to make up for her lack of skill by applying brute force to the problem, and sucked on his lips hard.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Lynne/Fairhaven Border

As the rebel group reunited with their lost member, Evelyn's nerves settled somewhat, and she put her weapons away. Her hand still rested on the gun at her hip, but she doubted these people would try anything. They looked almost as exhausted as she felt. When Dimitry approached her, his words came as a momentary shock, but she caught on soon enough. She supposed he hadn't much reason to stay if she didn't make it worth his while, especially after he had just come so close to taking a bullet. "Hm," she responded quietly, taking a moment to think.

"Your help has been invaluable, Mr. Popov. I'm willing and able to pay you for your trouble, and I'd like you to keep traveling with us. However..." she drawled, her eyes wandering. "At the moment, I can't offer very much; probably not enough to pay off what I owe. I'll give you what I have, and I'll be able to - I'll have to - acquire more money before we find somewhere to spend the night. Otherwise we'll be sleeping on the dirt."

She gave him a weary smile, turning away from the rebels to hide the money she drew from her pocket and offered to Dimitry. "I'm no cheat. But if you want everything you're owed, you'll have to stick around until I can get it for you."

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Lynne/Fairhaven Border

Before Boraci could even answer his question, Kristen suddenly took hold of Asbel's arm and pulled him forward with surprising force, nearly missing his mouth when she planted a kiss on him with no warning whatsoever. His eyes opened wide with shock at first and then squeezed shut as every muscle in his body tensed; this was undoubtedly his punishment for trying to be helpful. Never again. He tried to lean away from her, using his height to his advantage, and fought to twist his arm out of her grasp.

The thought of what had just passed through Kristen's mouth not five minutes earlier kept flashing through Asbel's mind, and he let out an incomprehensible whine of protest. He didn't claim to be a kissing expert by any stretch of the imagination, but he was fairly sure it wasn't supposed to feel like your face was being slowly eaten off.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Lynne/Fairhaven Border

Erick's eyes followed Ryouki's to his three siblings, who were still recovering from the earlier mayhem. Taiyo was obviously shaken up, Tsukiko was doing her best to hold them together, and Usami looked like he was just waiting for an excuse to punch something, which Erick could relate to. They were probably reaching their limits.

His own worries beginning to fade, Erick reached out to place a hand on Ryouki's wrist as he held the gun but stopped just short, remembering that his hands were covered in blood. Immediately letting them fall to his sides, hoping the unnerving realization had gone unnoticed, he smiled lovingly up at Ryouki. "We'll take care of them. And I can teach you the basics of shooting if you want. If you want to master the craft, though, you should probably talk to Dimitry."

Upon hearing a squeaky, almost pained sound from Asbel, Erick turned to see him swapping spit with Kristen, and he nearly gave an audible gasp. The look on Kristen's face was somewhat familiar, though, and Boraci's talk of "painkillers" suddenly made sense. "Whoa."

Boraci - Drug Dealer - Lynne Border

All these people were really giving me a headache. It was hard enough to keep track of everyone as it was, but adding, what, nine?, new heartbeats was a bit of a stretch. My hearing would improve as the night progressed. I listened as Dimitry introduced himself to the rebels, curt as always, then his short exchange with Evelyn. There was something about brutal honesty and absent conflicts of interest that I admired in the mercenary. As Erick returned from the bodies with guns, I plucked a rifle from his shoulder and crossed it over my chest. I had my knives, but guns were the way to go, it seemed.

An odd sound brought my attention closer to home. It was if a small mouse was being strangled. I realized it was Asbel. He seemed to be wrestling with Kristen, who had decided to attach her face onto his. I let out a scratchy, boisterous laugh, almost doubling over in an effort to control my bladder. I remembered his question from earlier.

"Well, she is rather small, and her body's ability to handle the toxin wouldn't be as effective as, say, Leif's." I nodded to the lying man. "A perfect target, really. I'd say 2 hours, 3 at the max. Enough time to get into somebody's pants, if she was fully functioning." I grinned wickedly, although slightly regretful that Asbel had become the noblewoman's target of interest.

I scanned tops of heads. "Hey, Taiyo," I called. "Make sure Leif doesn't move. I need to go beyond the border for a second." I found myself tolerating the Sato siblings. I eyed the rebels from under my hood as I zig-zagged between fallen bodies, then opened up the metal gate. On the other side, I relaxed and emptied my system. Blood didn't stay in me for long. Approximately 8,000 fluid units of urine splashed onto the dirt, quickly creating a pool. It was probably the least glorious part of my feedings. I tried to speed it up, not wanting to miss any light-hearted drama between Asbel and Kristen.

-Ryouki Sato-

Ryouki quirked a brow as a slight stain of blood brushed the top of his wrist on the heavy gun, but said nothing of it. Instead, he grinned. "For now, the basics should suffice. I've be honored to have you as a teacher, Master Bailee." Ryouki glanced up at the spectacle of the now vigorous Kristen and his eyes widened. He considered giving Boraci a talking to about whatever he put inside her bloodstream, but again decided not to pry. "She...her um...her condition seems to have improved rapidly..."

Boraci had called out to his youngest sister, stirring her out of a daze and she responded with an affirmative call. "Alright!" Taiyo paused. "Wait, who's Leif?"

Ryouki whistled sharp to get her attention and nodded to the lying Vallakian. Taiyo stood on her toes and saluted before running quickly over to Leif to keep an eye on him.

Griffin Parrish – Rebel Leader – Lynne / Fairhaven Border

Garth, the youngest of the rebel group, stared down at the limp bodies of the guards. He strapped his revolver to his side and sighed. “This could have been a lot smoother.” Garth was still not used to the fighting. He had only joined a few weeks prior and was still adjusting to the life of a rebel. Griffin recounted the short but gory battle between the small group and the guards. Elizabeth whistled as he told how the Secret Officer woman took authority over the situation.

“Now that’s someone I would respect.” Elizabeth said. She shot Griffin a piercing look. She hadn’t been so fond of having Griffin as her leader. Having been part of Woods Men longer than him, she was irritated to find out that he was made an Officer. Griffin rolled his eyes and turned to the Secret Officer, who seemed to be talking to Dimitry about something important.

Griffin cleared his throat. “We would like to thank you. This border has been quite the thorn in our side the past couple of weeks.” He paused and looked at their ragtag team. They didn’t seem to be in good condition. There was a woman who seemed to be on some sort of drugs and a big man, Vallakian by the looks, who looked a bit worse for wear. “I’m Griffin Parrish and this is my group.” Some of them waved, others just stared, their guns looking more threatening than ever. The only one who smiled was Garth.

“I am a bit curious. What brings you to the border?” Griffin let his question hang in the air as he looked over the rest of their group. He tried to look as friendly as possible. But when you have eight heavily armed rebels behind you, it’s a hard feat to conquer.

## Page 4

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Lynne, Fairhaven border.

Dimitry nodded. "That's fine. Though I'd rather not be paid in marks, the exchange rate with the Grail denar is not good." He didn't voice his concern that the current common currency of Falcon's Reach wouldn't have any value in the not to distant future. Unrest tended to mess with the monetary system, governmental collapse did to a much greater extent.

"Gold  is my preferred method of payment, but I know that is probably not feasible. Definitely not feasible, which is fine. My rate is a flat fee, calculated to cover most expenses, except for tolls and travel costs. I'll give you numbers once we aren't in a free fire zone."

He didn't pay for transportation since there were so many ways to travel, some, like in the baggage car of train were cheap, others, like a chartered luxury airship, would take up more money than he could make in a month.

He turned to look at the bunch of rebels and cocked an eyebrow at Evelyn, and stepped away slightly, arms crossed, waiting for her to speak. It was an interesting group, half of them looked like former criminals, the big one might have been ex military, Dimitry wasn't sure.

Kristen Mernoth - Noble - Lynne, Fairhaven border.

Kristen detached from Asbel and sighted her next target. It would be less than easy, considering her injury, the fact they were moving, and the chance of getting tangled up in Asbel. Using her arms and uninjured foot she lept at Taiyo as she moved toward Leif.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Lynne/Fairhaven Border

Evelyn nodded to Dimitry, relieved to have avoided the usual back-and-forth about whether or not her word could be trusted. His proposition sounded reasonable, but she didn't dare get too comfortable until she had solid numbers to go by. "Sounds fair," she said. Shortly after, she heard Griffin, who seemed to be leading the rebel team, address her directly. Dimitry turned to face him and Evelyn followed suit, genuinely curious. Rebels thanking a secret officer: that was new - not that she was going to complain. In her peripheral vision, she saw Boraci leaving through the gate, which was curious. The others didn't seem too surprised, though, so it probably wasn't an emergency.

"We're putting some distance between ourselves and the rebel conflict," she answered Griffin, eyeing the intimidating figures over his shoulder. "Our individual motives differ, but that's the gist of it." She gave a slight bow of her head. "Evelyn Luciole. Pleasure to meet you all."

She stole a glance at her group, where she noticed Kristen and Asbel sucking face, and promptly returned her attention to Griffin, trying to forget what she had just seen. Weird. Definitely weird, but not important at the moment. "We really should be going now, Mr. Parrish, but I won't try to stop you from following if you're headed for Fairhaven. Truth be told, I've had enough fighting for one day." She raised her eyebrows questioningly. "Was that your plan? Leaving Lynne?"

If these people had any info on their rebel group's plans, she wanted it, and Asbel was good at that sort of thing when he wasn't too busy making out with strangers. Besides that, they might prove useful if and when her cover ended up being blown. Without the authority of a secret officer, she would need allies.

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Lynne/Fairhaven Border

Finally, Asbel was released, and he stumbled backward as if he had been shoved. Acutely aware of the string of drool now left hanging from his chin, he wiped his face and took a moment to catch his breath. By the time he did, Kristen was already going for Taiyo, and Asbel took the opportunity to slink away toward the outer edge of the group. His eyes settled on the nearby gate, and he patiently waited for Boraci to come walking through it again so he could punch him in the gut. Kristen seemed like a sweet girl, but she was a monster while under the influence of Boraci's hallucinogenic spittle, and Asbel was not a fan of having his personal space invaded.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Lynne/Fairhaven Border

Erick chuckled at Ryouki's comment and added one of his own, shaking his head. "Just like old times. Though, Kristen's probably a little easier to get away from than Alice."

"Wrong," Asbel muttered, and Erick had to stifle an actual laugh.

He turned to look at Evelyn, Dimitry, and the rebels, who all seemed to be having an almost friendly conversation. It was strange to see them being so courteous to one another, but it made him happy to see secret officers, mercenaries, and rebels all getting along - if only for a while. What were they doing at the gate, though, he wondered?

Silas Reid - Botanist and Odd Job Part-Timer - Fairhaven-Lynne Border

"I'm beginning to learn I shouldn't question things with you people," Silas murmured.

He was leaning against the boulder he'd taken cover behind when the fighting had started. Still very much shaken, what with the killing and snake tongues, but he was getting used to it, which was a bit of a frighting thought. A little more and he'd be having pleasant teatime conversations over the bodies of their bullet-ridden enemies too.

"Tch." He crossed his arms, his hands gripping tightly at his sleeves. It had happened so fast. Everthing was.

He shook his head, and focused his attention to Ms. Mernoth and the man who had approached Ms Luciole. Each of his... friends wore a green marker on them, like the rebels who had gotten them into this mess. If he wasn't completely and utterly exhausted, and they didn't have their weapons, why he'd march over there and...

Griffin Parrish – Rebel Officer – Lynne / Fairhaven Border

"We really should be going now, Mr. Parrish, but I won't try to stop you from following if you're headed for Fairhaven. Truth be told, I've had enough fighting for one day." Evelyn raised her eyebrows questioningly. "Was that your plan? Leaving Lynne?" Griffin nodded and took a deep breath.

“Yes, fighting wasn’t on our agenda for today, although you were a great help with getting past the border. You’re a secret officer am I correct? I heard the guard talking. I had thought you were a rebel group myself when we started trailing you.” Griffin eyed them all with great caution. It seemed that all of them had their own reasons for tagging along. Although it was understandable that they wanted to get away from the rebel conflict, he couldn’t figure out their main motive. He analyzed Evelyn some more as he spoke. She seemed the most interesting character at the moment.

Taiyo Sato

"M-Mr. Leif, is it? Are you-aiyeeee!" Taiyo yelped and started to step back away from the lunging woman but tripped backwards, falling into her bum which she rubbed with a slight whine. "Ow..."

--

Ryouki Sato

"I can imagine Alice under the influence was something from another world entirely." Ryouki smiled, and noted a realization. "It's amazing how the mood has completely flipped from utter horror to-" He jumped at Taiyo's cry and turned sharply to see Kristen going after her.

Usami stepped in before Ryouki could get there. "Hold it, lady! You're not sucking my little sister's face without her consent."

Taiyo was now mortified. "Usami, stooooop..."

Ryouki then looked on, curious yet unwilling to possibly tick off his brother, and muttered to himself with a grin. "Her consent...go Usa."

 Kristen Mernoth - I'm out of drug user slang - Fairhaven, Lynne border.

Kristen turned to the man who had stepped over, and lunged for him. She saw the man's lips moving, but had no idea what he was saying. As she sailed through the air she saw the rebels, but didn't identify them as such. She would get to them later.

Tabaraamon - Shadowed One - The Fairhaven and Lynne border.

Tabaraamon had been slowly walking back toward the group, having been busy looking for an old grave yard so he could try his hand at necromancy. He hadn't found a grave yard, and wasn't even sure it was possible to raise the dead anyway. By the time he got back all the guards were either dead or maimed. He hadn't heard the gunshots, but his ears were so bad he didn't hear a lot of things.

Everything seemed to be going normally, as normally as they did with this lot. They seemed to be making friends with the local rebels, which was strange, but the dead guards cast in doubt his assumptions about Evelyn's loyalties.

Abel looked worse for wear, and since he was on decent terms with the white haired shade host Tabaraamon was going to ask Asbel what exactly happened.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - The Fairhaven and Lynne border.

Dimitry looked around by his feet and spotted the body of the guards leader. He rolled the body over and started going through its pockets, tossing personal effects over his shoulder, taking a rather nice pocket watch and finally withdrawing the key. The lock was too big for his picks, and he wasn't going to waste any of his expensive armor piercing bullets on it, so this was the most expedient option.

He jammed the key in the gate and unlocked it. With his pistol drawn he peered around the edge, and, seeing nothing opened it the rest of the way. Something caught his eye and he pulled the piece of paper off the wall, it was a wanted poster, old, faded by the sun, much of the ink had run down the paper from water damage. Despite this he did recognize the face in it, a face that brought back bad memories. Memories marked with blood, fire and toxic gas.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Lynne/Fairhaven Border

Erick's eyes widened when he heard a piercing shriek of alarm from Taiyo, and he immediately turned in her direction. His hands tightened around the gun hanging from his shoulder - until he realized what had startled the girl. Oh, shit... Erick's brow furrowed as Usami stepped in and tried to help Taiyo, which only put him in the line of fire instead. What were they going to do about this? What if Kristen hurt herself? Eventually, he guessed they might have to restrain her somehow once they started moving again.

Erick heard Silas speak and smiled weakly, feeling genuinely sorry for him. "Now you're getting it. The worst is over, though. We'll all be sleeping soundly before long." That is, if those rebels didn't try anything. Though, they didn't seem interested in a fight at the moment.

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Lynne/Fairhaven Border

The faintest trace of a smile pricked at Asbel's features when he heard Silas' comment: one of the most sensible things he had heard all day. While brooding near the outer edge of the crowd, he noticed that Tabaraamon had returned and was approaching them, which seemed to scare the one remaining guard out of his wits. Still, the man followed Erick's instructions to stay put; maybe he was the smartest of the bunch. Asbel frowned at Tabaraamon, envious of the fact that he was just now showing up. "And what have you been up to?"

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Lynne/Fairhaven Border

The more noise Evelyn caught from the group, which sounded like nothing more than roughhousing and whining, the harder it got for Evelyn to keep herself from telling them all to shut the hell up and let the adults talk. Griffin's remark about how he had mistaken them for rebels caused a brief flicker of nervousness in Evelyn, but she cast it aside.

"Yes, I am. Generally speaking, the knights and what-have-you aren't any more fond of the secret police than the rebels are. The only difference is that the former parties usually have the common sense to cooperate with us anyway." She shot a glare at the last remaining guard to illustrate her point, and saw Tabaraamon returning to the group as well. She wasn't sure how his presence would affect their new friends, but she decided to just wait and see. She met Griffin's eyes again, beginning to rethink her plans in Hydris. She might have to move things a long a little more quickly.

"In any case, due to the, uh..." Evelyn made a vague sweeping motion with one hand as if to mimic Griffin's pushing her aside during the earlier confrontation. "It seems I've found myself in your debt. So, I will not have you all shot or arrested - provided you give me no compelling reason to." She nodded sagely, finding no humor in the suggestion, and then heard Usami yell something. This was just about enough to wear her patience down completely. "Bailee, what's going on over there?"

"Well, I guess you could say we're having some problems with Kristen."

Had all the drama finally taken its toll on her mind? Evelyn squinted at the girl, confused by her behavior. "What kind of problems?" Bailee didn't answer, motioning for Evelyn to come closer, and she eventually did. It didn't take her long to more or less figure out what was going on. "You've got to be joking," she muttered.

 Dimitry Popov - Master of Non-Secrets - The Lynne and Fairhaven border.

Dimitry folded the old poster and shoved it in to his pocket, hoping no one saw him. He didn't want to explain his connection to the man in that poster. He glanced around some more, but saw nothing new. There was a small shack where the guards would take shelter during rain, and provided storage for their ammunition. Inside was a small wooden box with a padlock.

The padlock was of poor quality and he snapped it off with a sharp strike with the butt of his rifle. The contents mostly consisted of documents, but there was some money. He would split it with Tula, who had a greater need than he did. He shoved the money into one of the many pouches in his gear and began looking over the documents. Orders, logistical requests, several semi filled out reports, and other such paper work that an army seemed to run on. He left those, and began walking back. Tabaraamon was back from what ever he had been doing and Boraci seemed to be irritated at the shadow for some reason.

He walked over to where Evelyn was standing and said "Other side of the wall looks clear. No sign of reinforcements. Though we should move fast, get into Hydris before new of this reaches the capital, they may well lock the city down to prevent rebels getting through the breach."

He noticed that both Evelyn and Erick were staring at the same thing. He looked over and groaned. "Damnit Boraci." He said under his breath.

Tabaraamon - Shadowed One - The Lynne and Fairhaven border.

"Well that isn't my problem now is it?" Tabaraamon said. "Anyway, it looks like my help wasn't required. So what's the problem?"

He looked over the bodies, all dispatched with fire arms, which was a slight affront to his more classical principles. The new weapons were just so impersonal, and all honor had gone from warfare. Though he hadn't been in an honorable fight in centuries, he still liked to see them happen, which was why he often watched illegal fist fights, to the great annoyance of the local bookies who complained that never placed any bets.

He causally formed his sword and jabbed it into the earth and leaned against it in a relaxed fashion. "So. What did I miss?" He asked Asbel.

Kristen Mernoth - Noble - Fairhaven and Lynne border.

Kristen tried to wriggle free but was unable to. She kicked at the legs of the man holding her, and finally resorted to the most dangerous attack she still had. Twisting her neck so she was in range she tried to bite the man's arm. As she did, the combined forces of exhaustion, hunger, shock, and medicine finally pushed her into unconsciousness.

## Page 5

Griffin Parrish – Rebel Officer – Lynne / Fairhaven Border

The sudden appearance of the dark figure sent chills down Griffin’s back. He could sense the uncomfortableness from his group as they noticed him too. A Shadowed One traveling with a group that wanted to get away from the rebellion, a fact that Griffin found harder to believe the more he talked to them. Perhaps this group had a different motive. Maybe he hadn’t imagined the slight nervousness that had flashed in Evelyn’s eyes when he mentioned them being rebels. Were they in fact a rebel group trying to get passed the border? If so, they weren’t very different from him and his gang. He continued to observe them.

Griffin’s eyes wandered to Dimitry as he walked to the gate. The man had definitely been through things that his group and he could hardly imagine. What was his reasoning for traveling with them? He realized that he was beginning to overanalyze things and quickly regained his focus. He smiled at Evelyn politely. “Some of us will be tagging along, yes. Give us a moment to take inventory.” Griffin turned to his group who huddled together.

“Alright, I have a feeling that these people aren’t trying to get away from the rebellion. If they’re rebels or not, I don’t know.” He sighed and took out a notepad and separated it into two lists. Elizabeth nodded in agreement.

“I could sense that too. There seems to be some odd characters traveling with them. They don’t seem like the ‘run-from-the-problem’ kind of folk.”

Griffin wrote the letters one and two above the separate columns. “Someone needs to report back to Hiram and let him know of the current situation. Rocky, inventory?” The large man began to take inventory of his possessions, food storage, and weaponry. The rest of the group followed his example as Griffin wrote everything down on the two separate lists.

“Alright,” he split the paper in half and handed the second piece to Tarrin. “Tarrin, you take Eldon, Foster, Issac and Wes. Garth, Rocky, and Elizabeth, you’re with me.” They all nodded in unison. Elizabeth didn’t look too happy about the arrangement. “You know what to tell Hiram.” Griffin eyed Tarrin who nodded in understanding.

Eldon gave Griffin a pat on the shoulder. “Good luck, and be safe. All of you.” With that, the second half of the group split off and headed the opposite direction. Griffin turned back to the other group.

“Alright, ready when you are.”

Usami Sato

Usami yelped and jerked his arm away as she went to clamp her teeth down on it. She didn't miss by much, and her teeth snagged his skin, leaving a deep red welt in the shape of her top row of teeth and quite an amount of slobber. He winced in pain and groaned in disgust as he tried to wipe it away. "What the hell is wrong with you, lady?"

 Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Lynne/Fairhaven Border

Asbel's eyes followed Boraci until he stood almost within an arm's length, and he waited patiently until his friend was done speaking - and wiggling his arms - to throw a pathetic punch at his chest. "You..." he trailed off, unable to put his heart into a good insult. "I am not happy with you." Tabaraamon's question finally pushed him over the line between miserably tired and deliriously tired, his usual lazy voice becoming somewhat shrill with agitation.

"You missed a lot of things, actually. You missed these ex-guards being completely unreasonable, you missed us getting into a shootout with them after they tried to kill that secret officer, you missed Boraci giving Kristen some incredibly potent 'painkillers' after she lost her lunch and passed out at the sight of all the gore..." Asbel paused to take a breath and gather his thoughts again. "Oh, and you also arrived mere moments to late to see her try and eat my face, which is a shame. She got one of the Sato siblings too, but now it looks like the poor thing's run out of steam."

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Lynne/Fairhaven Border

Evelyn gave Griffin an acknowledging nod before he left to have a quick talk with his allies, and Evelyn took the opportunity to get a few things straightened out with her own people. By then, Kristen was unconscious after trying to bite Usami, and Dimitry had come back with his observations from the other side of the gate. "Agreed. Things the way they are now, a lockdown wouldn't surprise me in the least." She made her way over to Kristen and Usami, her eyes lingering on the former. "Someone please explain this to me. Did I see what I think I saw?"

Erick sighed, and was the first to come forward with an explanation. "The shootout scared her so much that Boraci sort of gave her something to help her relax."

"And it did its job too well," Evelyn added, but Erick didn't seem to agree.

"Actually, I think that's just part of its effect." Evelyn raised an eyebrow at him, and he tried to politely wave her away. "Never mind." He looked to Usami with a cautious smile. "Think you can carry her, or do you want me to?"

Evelyn looked to the rebels, who appeared to be all set after halving in number. When Griffin let her know they were ready, she raised her voice to address her party. "Let's try this again. We're leaving; finding a place to stay the night is our first priority. We'll be taking a less-traveled route through the city, but we'll stand out enough as it is, so don't make any scenes." She nodded toward Griffin and his three remaining subordinates. "These four will be traveling with us for the time being." With that, she turned toward the gate. "Alright. Let's go."

-Usami Sato-

He opened his mouth to protest, but then exhaled. "Sure. I'll carry her." He dipped down to lift the fallen woman into his arms. Her upper torso dropped back and he supported her head with a quick twist of his arm. She was light, and Usami frowned in thought. With a quick shake to get his fringe out of his eyes, he looked back to Erick and Evelyn, and then at Ryouki, who was a distance off, listening to Evelyn's announcement. Taiyo stood and then placed a hand on his shoulder and whispered. "You heard her, don't make a scene."
"I can't just..." He began in a whisper back, and then stopped. "I just need a chance to try and not think about the fact that our brother never really came back."
Taiyo glared at Usami. "Stop." He did, and focused on the group instead and moved forward towards the gate with the rest of them.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - The Border of Fairhaven and Lynne.

Dimitry tapped his forehead with his pointer and middle fingers in a sort of sloppy salute when Evelyn finished speaking and began tightening some straps on his gear and loosening others so he would be more comfortable during the march.

He went over to the pile of looted weapons and rifled through them, finally finding a cavalry carbine of decent quality, at least compared to the rest of the firearms in the pile. He looked over the dead and finally found the ammunition pouch that fed the carbine.

He handed both to Tula. "It isn't much, but it's better than nothing, and if worse comes to worse, it'll make a pretty nasty club." He paused before adding. "I just don't want to have to worry about you being unable to defend your self in a gun fight."
He didn't want to seem over protective, but he didn't want to loose her over something he could have prevented.

Then he took a deep pull from his water canteen and offered it to her. He would try to get Tula some of decent equipment, and something other than a Rojyan military uniform, which stuck out like the citadel in this country. He doubted there would be many Caravaner shops open after the riots in Hydris, but the black market would be happy to provide anything he asked for.

Tabaraamon - Shadowed One - The Fairhaven and Lynne border.

"I'll pull the Vallak wagon this time." Tabaraamon said and strode over to the wagon, grabbed the handles and yanked them up. Earning a growl from the cargo.

"Oh shut up." The shadow muttered, the wheels had sunken in the mud some what, and for a moment he strained against it, until, with a sucking sound the wagon came free. The sudden jolt forward sent Tabaraamon staggering ahead in a cloud of black mist. Once he regained his balance he started pulling the wagon back onto the road.

Tula Nikos

Tula eagerly took the weapon, and the offered water. After taking a quick pull from Dimitry's canteen, she handed it back with a smile. "Thank you very much, darling. It's perfect! Now I should be able to be a bit more competent if we land ourselves in another big gun brawl." Sticking a hand inside her front pocket, she jingled some of the large coins inside. "I also managed to loot some 'Reacher currency, so now I'm set!"

 Boraci - Takin' Off Like A Terd Of Hurtles - Gate

The Shadow was unfazed, and didn't seem that concerned. Why should he? I knew there was some sketchy connection between him and Dimitry, who had just given the corpses the once-over. Goodbye, valuables. At least the guy had Tula in his life. Maybe smooth over those rough edges a bit. I snorted to myself. Yeah, like sandpaper on granite. Said man-of-granite muttered as he spotted the ruckus by the cart.

Asbel punched me somewhere in the midsection area. "I'm not happy with you." I shrugged, a small grin growing on my face. "I probably deserved that grievous punishment, then," I replied sarcastically before turning my attention back to the hub.

"I heard that!" I shouted in reply, half-teasingly, but realized too late that that tone wasn't really for me. And I didn't want to be on any rebel's radar. Well, any unfriendly rebel. Evelyn gave her very 'official' instructions and we moved out.

Our Shadow friend offered to pull Leif, and I was not one to argue. He misjudged, though, as I had back at the inn, and it took a while for him to get back on course. As we passed the gate, I threw an arm around Asbel's shoulder. (Granted, it was harder. So short.)

 "More walking. Exciting."

   Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Fairhaven/Lynne Border

Erick fought the urge to look back at Usami, beginning to regret his decision to ask the man for help. Probably not the best way to lighten his mood, but it seemed like the best option. Despite Kristen's small size, Erick doubted he would be able to carry her all the way to their destination. When he passed by the guard with the broken nose, he caught the man glaring up at him before he silently made his exit, constantly looking over his shoulders. The venom in his eyes made Erick nervous; the worst part was that it was kind of justified.

He stole a glance at Ryouki, who had been relatively quiet, and scooted a little closer to him without a word as they walked forward. Things were looking pretty grim. It would probably be easier to plan everything out in the morning, though, he guessed. One thing at a time.

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Fairhaven/Lynne Border

Asbel paused to watch Tabaraamon struggling with the wagon for a moment or two, as the time it had spent immobile made it difficult to pull from the mud. Usami was carrying Kristen, who was still out cold, and Asbel noticed him having a hushed conversation with his sister. They were too quiet to hear, but he got the feeling it was something serious. Dimitry and Tula seemed to be having a serious conversation too, but going by Dimitry's actions, at least Asbel had some idea of what theirs was about despite the fact he couldn't hear it.

As Asbel faced forward again, Boraci laid an arm over his shoulder, which surprised him slightly. Despite the awkward height difference, he smiled a little. Big ol' softy. "Yes, it never gets old." As if on queue, Asbel let out a yawn that made his eyes water.

He heard another yawn from somewhere behind him, which turned out to be Erick's. "Don't you start, Asbel. We'll all fall asleep."

Asbel looked to Evelyn, who was making a point to ignore everyone's idle chitchat. "Do we really need to find an inn? I see an awfully comfy-looking patch of dead grass over there."

Erick chuckled at this, but if the comment had amused Evelyn, Asbel couldn't tell. "Find a patch of live grass and I'll think about it," she replied.

Ryouki Sato

As Erick drew closer, Ryouki took his hand gently with a warm smile and a small breathy laugh when Erick had yawned. "To say we've had a long day would be the understatement of the century." The warmth between their palms was comforting as the night gradually grew colder, and slightly damp. Was it raining earlier? Shit...what if it starts raining now?  I'll have to ask... Out of his peripheral vision, he glanced at Usami, who was tense, but appeared to have simmered down slightly. Knowing Usami, however, that aggression would probably not falter until he was able to release it on something(like work) or someone(like his brother). Another time. I'll live.

Ryouki himself felt a yawn coming on, but muffled it with tightly pressed lips, resulting in a hunch of his shoulders and his cheeks puffing out slightly to contain the noise. He then proceeded to shrug it off like nothing happened-even if the wetness that rose to his eyes from the yawn smudged whatever eyeliner was left around his eyes.

## Page 6

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - On the march, Fairhaven.

Dimitry watched the overall pace of the others and matched it, he was tired and hungry, but unlike many of his companions, he was used to those hardships. What he was not used to was this climate.

In the wastes rain was rare, and when you live in the bowels of a huge metal warship it didn't really have an effect. Even when he was outside during rain it was soaked up by the sands nearly instantly.

He glared at the sky all he could see was nothing, the clouds had blanked out th stars. He overheard small sections of conversation, but did not join in. He simply moved his legs in the most efficient method possible and thought to himself.

It was only a matter of time before the council decided to send military assistance to one of the sides in this conflict. He just hoped it would be the side he was on, if not, he would make a run for it. He did not want to face Caravaner troops, no matter his allies, it just wasn't something he could survive.

He had a nagging feeling that the aid would go to the rebels, not so much for ideological reasons, though there would be some of that. Dimitry figured the council wanted any excuse to storm Hydris, and loot the royal treasury. Over the past five years a great deal of Grial gold had gone to Falcon's Reach to buy food, and that fact was greatly resented in all levels of Caravaner society.

He wanted to loot the treasury before anyone else did. If he did, and got even a small percentage he would be rich until he died. If he got most of it, not an easy feat, he could afford to buy a personal sand ship, or maybe an island.

But he would need help.

Boraci - lalalala - Fairhaven Hinterlands

Asbel let out an enormously loud yawn, followed by Erick. I felt my cheek muscles slowly start to twitch. No, no, no... And there it was. A yawn. I shoved the white-haired rebel, the ending of my exhale ending in a hiss. Stupid yawns were contagious. I wasn't even tired. In fact, I was more awake than I had been in a long while. It was rather hard to find a good raw-foods restaurant that was open all hours.

"Live grass, eh?" I said. "Were you hoping to reach Hydris by morning, Evelyn? 'Cause I can tell you now that's not happening unless everyone is hyped up on happy juice." While the Shadow could have probably pulled Leif's cart, or better yet, whooshed it away, he wasn't exactly the over-helpful type. Everyone else looked like they'd been hit by a train. In a way, they had. The heavy breathing of the group flooded my ears, pounding against my skull. I tried my wings, but there was still an ache. No flying in the near future.

"It's at times like these that I miss Alice," I muttered.

 Part 4 - Chapter 2

Evelyn Luciole - Still Tired - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

Evelyn stared at the tiny sliver of window visible between her room's curtains, hoping to see the sky begin to brighten, but she had no such luck. She had woken up too late to go back to sleep and too early to wake everyone else up. Eventually, the events of the previous night entered her thoughts, and she mulled them over as she stared up at the ceiling.

Almost everyone had been exhausted, and Asbel had set off a chain reaction of yawns that earned him a shove from Boraci. Something Boraci said after that, too quiet for Evelyn to hear from her position, got a chuckle out of Asbel. "We won't be walking all night," she clarified. "Just long enough to find a roof to sleep under."

This had turned out to be less of a challenge than she anticipated. They came across a fairly large inn, far enough from the gate and decently priced, without having to search for very long. The worst part was that she'd had to leave in the middle of the night, get all the way to headquarters, collect her money, check on Gavin, track her backup down to have a chat with him, and then come all the way back before she could so much as think about going to bed. But go to bed she did, and now it was time to prepare for the road ahead. Sleeping in might have some rather unsightly consequences on this day in particular.

She dreaded having to wake Kristen, though - poor girl probably felt half-dead. Maybe Evelyn could find another cart and just pull her around in that instead, she mused. And then there were those rebels... She just hoped they were still around. She could end up in a bit of a tough spot if they told anyone about the incident at the gate before she had a chance to do it herself.

Erick Bailee - Infuriating Morning Person - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

Erick stared at the thin beam of light stretching across the room for a solid five minutes before its meaning registered, at which point he admitted it was probably time to face facts. The sun was rising and he hated rushing, so he might as well try and wake up. Erick didn't know Evelyn very well, but he wouldn't put it past her to start kicking down doors if they took too long to get ready. He let out a yawn, one arm hanging over the edge of the bed. Ugh, he was sore... Getting thrown at that brick wall like a rag doll yesterday didn't do him any favors. "Did I fall out of an airship last night?"

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven.

Dimitry woke up with what felt like a hang over. With one hand clenched over his eyes he felt around for his hip flask as shook it. Sounded full. Must have been from the shock wave of those bombs that got dumped on the theater.

He rubbed his left shoulder. It sore, which was odd, since he didn't shoot from his left. The bed he had been in was a crude wooden frame with a thin mattress and was less than comfortable.
He wondered why he hadn't slept on the floor, which would have been somewhat more comfortable.

Dimitry slowly began dressing, doing his best to make as little noise as possible. He didn't know if any one in then other rooms could hear him. The door was closed, and the chair he had wedged against it hadn't moved, so there was little chance anyone had broken in during the night.

He rubbed his scalp and sighed, it was time for a shave. If it got any longer it would start scratching him when he had his mask on.

The pump was in the middle of the court yard, surrounded by other people waiting for their water. He spat out the window then jumped back with a startled yelp as a black arrow embedded itself in the window sill before it vanished in mist. Following the air was a string of Grail curses, from the irritated shadow.

Leif Regnar - Pissed off - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven.

Leif glowered at the people sitting around tables conversing. The big shadow and his idiot friend in the gas mask had decided it would be to big of a pain to drag him up the stairs into one of the beds, and had propped him against the wall like a broom.

Kristen sat on a nearby table, and every few minutes she would fall asleep, bash her forehead on the table and wake up. To Leif it looked like she had a night worse than his, if that was possible.

"Would some one get me something to eat!" Leif roared at no one in particular. Kristen tipped over and started snoring.

Tula Nikos

She woke slowly to the sound of light rustling and her eyes opened slowly to drink in the light the an open window brought in, and she jumped, startled as something struck the room. Tula rose sharply, using the duvet of the bed to keep her half-nude body not as cold as the leftover chill of the previous night's rain was let in, and pushed some of her hair out of her eyes and into the tangled mess it had become after sleeping. The Grecian woman squinted for her eyes to adjust, and then opened them to let in a clearer picture of a startled Dimitry and the clearer sound of a crowd amassed in front of the inn. Her stomach plummeted, and she moaned in frustration as she slid back underneath the duvet and sheets with a thud. "Noooooo! I don't want to get banished again!"

--

Ryouki Sato

The restless and anxious Ryouki had been up the entire night, unable to sleep with what events had transpired that previous day , and as the sun started to creak through the windows, he looked back from his chair that faced the window to see Erick wake up. He rose from the chair and sat on the bed next to Erick, kissing his forehead lightly. "No, love. You're quite alright, just tired. Take it easy today," Ryouki delicately pushed some of Erick's hair out of Erick's face and grinned sweetly. "If you can fit that under Miss Evelyn's schedule, that is. I'm going to do the same." Ryouki then started to pull his hair up into a tail and out of his own eyes, which still had slightly smudged eyeliner on the outer corners and underneath, his usual dark circles seemed to be darker. There was the dull noise of busybodies and everymen outside of the inn that kept Ryouki distracted for a brief second, but only a brief one as he turned back to Erick. "I'm sorry I didn't sleep with you...I-I couldn't. I know it could have made things more comfortable for you, perhaps..."

 Silas Reid - The Wrong Side of the Bed - Rainy Crane Inn, Snowview, Fairhaven

"'Another Season has passed for Hydris’s most elusive bachelor, who—to no surprise of the author—has yet to show any indication that he plans to marry. When it comes to playing the rake, it seems the duke takes the cake.'"

Upon finishing the last line of the article, Silas casually crumpled the paper up and proceed to throw it in the nearest rubbish bin, where—to no surprise of the reader—it firmly belonged. He could scarcely find an article around that could tell him anything about what had happened yesterday. The ones he did find were no more than a few paragraphs of what he already knew and stuffed in the back pages.

He picked up the silver spoon he'd set aside and stirred the sugar in his coffee, staring into the little whirlpool he'd made. It may be short notice, but they should be all over this story nonetheless. He blamed the nobles and their twisted tastes. In Braile, he'd find more information, and now that he was in Fairhaven, he had a better change of contacting someone he knew to take him there.

"Would someone get me something to eat?" Mr. Regnar boomed, drawing Silas's eyes to him.

His ward was asleep nearby. Since he was uncomfortable at the thought of sitting next to a wounded but pissed off brute and a sleeping woman who may not be done with her kissing spree, he had sat just far enough to keep a safe distance. It would be better if he kept it like this with the rest of the group too. He stayed and put up with their nonsense so that he could be fed and protected, not so that he could make friends.

"You really haven't changed."

Silas scowled into his cup. "Pest." Even in his mind, Ada felt the need to guilt him.

"... it pains me to see clever people make stupid choices."

So his conscience had developed a taste for theatrics. He sighed. Was he really such a villian?

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

Erick smiled blearily up at Ryouki and sat up, reaching for the clothes hanging over the foot of the bed. "You don't have to apologize for that. After yesterday, I kind of figured..." he trailed off, his smile fading. He'd had a feeling the previous day's events would stay with Ryouki. Both of them had been so exhausted by the time they reached the inn, though, that it seemed needlessly cruel to try and get any answers out of him. Erick stood up and finished dressing in silence, lost in thought. He had avoided the subject so as not to keep Ryouki awake over something upsetting, but that was exactly how it happened in the end.

Fully clothed and having woken up enough to have a coherent conversation, Erick took a few steps toward Ryouki and loosely wrapped his arms around him. "Anything you feel like getting off your chest?" If he so much as heard Evelyn's footsteps outside, he was going to toss a shoe at the doorway. "Or did you just need to think some things over?"

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

Evelyn made her way downstairs to see a number of familiar faces already sitting down with their coffee, and of course, Leif was right where they had left him. Obviously fed up with being helpless and stuck in one place, he demanded something to eat, and Evelyn decided it would be best to oblige. She eyed Kristen warily as she passed by and gave Mr. Reid a polite nod, though he seemed to have something more pressing on his mind than passing greetings.

She stood in front of Leif and put on the most agreeable face she could manage, hoping her offer wouldn't come off as sarcastic. "What is it you want to eat, then? I'll go get it."

Danor Arkaitz - Gunsmith - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

Danor sat on the edge of her bed, tying her hair back, and took the time to reconsider a few life choices. She had really put herself in a difficult position, hadn't she? Had it been worth the trouble, coming to this place? She was more independent here than she had ever been in her life, but after the events of the past few days, she wasn't sure if that was a fair trade for feeling so lip-chewingly uneasy. In any case, it was too late for regrets. The best she could do was try and move forward.

Slowly and cautiously, she walked downstairs to see full tables of chattering people, along with some others hovering at the outskirts of the room. Deciding the quieter, more spacious outskirts suited her a little more at the moment, she took a seat there, with the closest guests being a smart young man with peach-colored hair and a petite woman who looked either hungover or violently ill - possibly both. The latter definitely didn't look like she was in the mood to talk, but Danor wasn't sure about the former, so she silently examined the wall on the other side of the room, fidgeting with the hem of her sleeves as she tried to read his expression without looking at it. Which, as it turned out, was rather difficult.

```
 Tabaraamon - Shadowed One - Rainy Crane Inn, Lynne.

```

Tabaraamon put his bow away, figuring that Dimitry had learned not to spit before looking and headed inside. He didn't really care what the other people thought of him. It's not like it would matter if they refused to serve him.

As common courtesy he opened the door and walked through, and plopped down on one of the unoccupied tables, leaned his chair back and stuck his feet on the edge.

He quietly sang fragments from an ancient drinking song. "When I get back from a mighty quest I have no need for sleep or rest, I head to tavern for a drink and get so drunk I can not think."

It didn't sound right whispered like a love ballad, since it was meant to be shouted by several dozen warriors after consuming several pints of liquid grain.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven.

Dimitry shook his head. "No. There isn't a riot, everything is fine, well, there is a rather large line for the water pump. The arrow was from a friend of mine, I'lll introduce you two later."

He stretched, the tattoos across his bare back distorting as his tightly coiled muscles twisted under his skin and the road map of scars writhing like a bucket of snakes.

He sat next to Tula. "How are you feeling?" He asked, concern obvious in his voice. He knew her banishment must be eating her nerves into ragged, frayed edges.

Leif Regnar - Bodyguard - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven.

Leif did his best to look at Evelyn, which wasn't easy to do, he was already taller than she was, and the angle he was propped at meant he was looking at the ceiling. The cast prevented him from bending, and his beard obstructed his vision when he looked down with his eyes only.

"Could you get me some beef stew please? And someone other than Asbel to feed me?" He asked in the most civil tone he could muster despite his embarrassing predicament. He didn't want Asbel near him, since the younger man's pale skin, scars and white hair reminded him of the monsters his grandfather used to tell him about, the ones that drag you down to hell by your ears. And while he didn't really believe those stories Asbel still made him nervous.

 Boraci - When I'm human... - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

I had taken the most isolated room available, which turned out to be the attic. Most of the dark hours had been spent willing myself to sleep, but just as a buzz would start to consume my mind, a mouse's scuttle or Asbel's snores from the floor below would alert me once again. Then, around 4, it began. An ache in my bones, organs rearranging themselves. I let out occasional yelps and cut myself multiple times before my mind, thoroughly exhausted, plunged me into darkness. I could have only slept an hour by the time the window glare hit my eyes, which I squeezed shut.

I was curled up in sweaty sheets, my body wearing much looser clothing. My skin, as usual, no longer green, and my features entirely human. I stretched my legs for a few minutes before slipping on my giant boots and slipping my arms into the dirty cloak, hiding the rifle and bag underneath it. My shoulder felt good, which was more than I could say for the rest of me. I attempted to straighten my straw-like brown hair, but gave up. With my shoulders slumped, I exited the low door and descended the tight stairway until I reached Asbel's door, pounding on it with both fists.

"Get up, old man!" I left before any disgruntled guests could glare at me. Downstairs, my tongue ran across the top of my dull teeth. I picked up a plate with beans on toast, paid the attendant, and turned around, passing Evelyn, to find a seat. The Shadow was there, creating a sense of unease for everyone. Mr. Reid (sourpuss), Kristen (sorry 'bout that), and Leif were arranged near a corner, but a stranger caught my now-functioning eyes. She looked to be in her early twenties, tan skin like Dimitry, and dark, wavy hair. Short. But what was interesting was the eye patch. Huh. I figured she would have nothing bad to say about me, unlike the others, so I sat on the opposite side of the table, a chair down. The beans were only washed down by the coffee, which sloshed into my empty belly.

 Griffin Parrish – Rebel Officer – Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

Although he was as tired as everyone else, Griffin couldn’t bring himself to shut his eyes. The night dragged on and his eyelids got heavier. He didn’t remember falling asleep, but he was suddenly awoken by the chatter from a floor below. Rubbing his eyes and letting out a yawn, he lifted his legs over the side of the bed and stood on his feet. He pushed the curtains aside and let the morning sunlight through. Squinting through the brightness, Griffin could make out the street below.

His eyes wandered to a small piece of paper that must have been slid under the door. He groggily picked it up and read what it said.

Went for a morning stroll with Rocky and Garth, will be back later.

Elizabeth

Griffin folded the piece of paper and put it neatly in his pocket. Hopefully she didn’t cause any trouble, Elizabeth was known for that. But now that they were inside the border, they would have to be careful. They didn’t want to openly call themselves rebels. Last night Griffin had made them all take off the green cloth around their waists and store them away for the time being.

After getting dressed and gathering all of his provisions, Griffin made his way down to the ground level of the inn. To his surprise, there were a lot of people. He tried to fix his messy hair but was unsuccessful. His hair never seemed to do what he wanted it to do.

## Page 7

-Tula Nikos-

She slid out slightly from underneath the bedsheets and covers and smiled at Dimitry. "I'm about as relaxed as a hurricane, darling." Tula sat up straighter, keeping the sheets and things over and around her body due to the chill, and kissed Dimitry slowly on the mouth. After breaking away fleetingly, she grinned. "And you?"

--

-Ryouki Sato-

As he felt Erick's arms link around him, Ryouki felt more at ease instantly. He clasped his hands over Erick's, and confessed. "I thought meeting my siblings again would be different. They've grown so hard, so cold...because of what I've indirectly put them through, because of what the revolution has turned them into." He turned to face Erick. "It's blatant that Usami hates you to the core because you work for the King, and I'm worried he's going to kill me for fraternizing with 'the enemy' or something. I-I have to reach him somehow. The twins definitely haven't changed as much as he-and that's saying a LOT." Ryouki exhaled. "I talk way too much."

Danor Arkaitz - Gunsmith - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

Danor finally started nibbling away at a piece of toast, hoping some food in her stomach might clear her head, when something odd reached her ears: among the quiet voices all around her, she was able to pick out a tune. Someone was singing? Her gaze shifted from the wall to the voice's source, which nearly caused her to fall out of her seat. Alone at his table, a shadowy apparition sat with his chair leaning back, singing to himself. Was she seeing things? No, the other patrons saw him too, didn't they?

Oddly enough, he wasn't as terrifying as the stories would suggest when he was sitting in such a well-lit, casual place. Still, his presence was shocking, to say the least, and Danor found her hands growing somewhat shaky. She noticed, however, that he seemed oddly laid back for someone so scary. Then again, she guessed scary people needed time for relaxation as much as anyone else.

Before long, more people came down from the upstairs rooms, one of whom - a very tall man with straight brown hair - sat down nearby with a plate of food and some coffee. Topping the musical Shadowed One was nigh impossible, but he did seem like an interesting fellow, so Danor decided to see if she could get some information and/or civil company from him - and the peach-haired man. "Excuse me," she began, banishing the drowsiness from her voice. "Good morning. Um... Have either of you heard anything about the eastern border lately? Is it still shut down?"

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

Evelyn stifled a smirk at the second half of the man's request, and promptly agreed. "I'll see what I can do." Shortly after she left to fetch said beef stew, she caught sight of the rebel officer from yesterday: Griffin Parrish. Maybe Mr. Regnar would be a little more comfortable around him than Asbel, she thought.

Stew in hand, along with some water, she walked over to Mr. Parrish, dodging a few other patrons on their respective desperate quests for caffeine. "Good morning. Sleep well?" Without waiting for an answer, she continued, turning to the side so Leif could be seen behind her. "I was wondering if I could ask a small favor of you. We're a bit worse for wear, you see, and I have a lot to do before we leave, so could I ask you to help Mr. Regnar with his breakfast? Hungry as he is, I'm sure it won't take long."

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

Erick's expression tensed with worry as Ryouki spoke, until the final comment forced a small chuckle out of him. "Sometimes I really wish you would talk more." He paused to think, his eyes wandering, and his voice had become uncharacteristically small by the time he spoke again. "I know the reunion didn't go well, but I don't think things have to be this way forever. You've all changed a lot, so I'm sure it must be shocking, and it may be a while before you can really become familiar with each other again. And really, I'm fine with Usami hating me. But..."

Erick shook his head and breathed a humorless laugh, his eyes lowering. "Ryouki, you're not at fault for this. I would never forgive myself if I broke up your family, and I don't want Usami to kill you, so... Promise me you won't just let him hurt you. I'll keep my distance for now if you want me to, but please don't let him walk all over you just because he's your brother." He paused when he realized his voice had become unsteady, and looked up at Ryouki with a sheepish grin. "You can get through to them. I know you can."

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven.

Dimitry shrugged. "I'm doing pretty well all in all. I'm used to mercenary work, and I'm used this life, moving about, sleeping in pits like this place, wondering where my loyalties should lie."

He didn't trust Evelyn, or Asbel, or any of the younger Sato siblings, and he especially didn't trust Griffin and his merry band of rebels. He would try to stay behind the rebels, so if they tired anything he could shoot them in the back, and not give them an opportunity to do the same.

"We should get ready. I don't want to be the last one inn the line for breakfast." He said before kissing her then standing up. He tossed her clothing over and started putting the rest of his on.

Jessica Stuart - Ambassador - Hydris, Fairhaven.

Jessica woke up to the sound of  gunfire. She slept in a light dress so she wouldn't have to get dressed when this sort of thing. Throwing her covers off she stepped into a pair of shoes and exited her room. A solider was already on her way.

"Ma'am, we are requesting permission to use heavy mounted weapons against the mob." The soldier said as she snapped a quick salute.

"Why?" Jessica asked, startled that the protests had escalated to this point.

"Four of the men watching the gate were shot, they're all dead. They were hit by crossbow bolts dipped in concentrated sleeping sickness from the look of it. We don't know where the shots came from." The soldier responded.

"No. Pull everyone back, but my order still stands, snipers may return fire, and snipers only. If they breach let the dogs loose, see how well they stand up against hellhounds."

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

Silas hadn't thought it was possible to feel the presence of evil, until the moment that Shadowed One had appeared behind the window of the Friendly Skeleton, with a crooked smile of jagged teeth and glowing eyes that pierced through the darkness. A true monster of the Wastes, he had thought. Seeing him here now, propping his legs against the table and singing a quiet melody, felt no better than it did then.

Just don't think about it. All that matters is getting home. He squeezed his eyes shut, breathed out, and discreetly turned his head away from the creature's general direction.

He was caught by surprise to see Mr. Dermon instead, descending down the stairway. The Kyuketsuki, correct? But those clothes...

"Good morning." Silas glanced at the dark-haired woman with the eyepatch sitting across from Mr. Dermon. "Um... Have either of you heard anything about the eastern border lately? Is it still shut down?"

"The eastern border," he repeated, careful to keep his expression neutral. "I'm not sure. Though, I would advise against traveling into Lynne. I believe something may have... happened." Really, he didn't know how he could explain it, or if he should explain it at all.

Asbel Sutherlin - Grouchy Old Man - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

Asbel hid his face from the sun and rolled onto his side to face the wall, merely a human-shaped lump beneath a pile of blankets and clothes. As he settled on the brink of consciousness, he retraced his steps, trying to remember what he could have done to make his head hurt so much. He remembered hearing Evelyn leave the inn, and he went downstairs because he couldn't fall asleep... That was it. Though, the fact that he didn't remember anything else was probably a clue in itself. Well, shit.

He was jarred from his thoughts by a loud pounding on the door that startled him somewhat, but the sound of Boraci's voice along with it was enough to remind him he had probably just slept in. Come to think of it, he'd slept pretty well. "Old man, huh?" He muttered, peeking out from beneath his blanket cocoon and groaning as sunlight jabbed at his eyes. If he didn't get up, he thought, someone would eventually come and drag him out of bed. With that, he sluggishly rose into a sitting position and started getting dressed, letting out a yawn every minute or so.

Danor Arkaitz - Gunsmith - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

Danor raised an eyebrow at the peach-haired man's response, her curiosity piqued by his advice. Was he talking about the train, or was there something she had missed? "It's funny," she replied weakly, her gaze returning to the piece of toast in her hand. "That's exactly where I was going." Aaagghhh, why did her plans always blow up in her face? It was getting to be more unbearably frustrating than funny, truth be told.

 -Tula Nikos-

"I promise not to slow you down. I'm hungry too!" Tula caught her clothing on impact, dropped the sheets, and began to change while sitting cross-legged in the bed. Once dressed-for the most part, she looked at her military jacket and frowned briefly while looking on at it, then tied the bolero-style formal jacket around her waist. Tula pushed herself out of bed and padded in bare feet to get to her boots that lay at the foot of the bed haphazardly, and quickly slipped her socks on first, and then laced up each boot over her feet. The soldier then stood, and with a spring in her step, moved over to the door and smirked at Dimitry with a look saying 'ready when you are.'

--

-Ryouki Sato-

"If anything, I need you closer to me." Ryouki purred. "You keep me grounded, Erick, and I don't think I've needed that more until the day we met." His eyes narrowed playfully. "That, and you're sexy as hell when you school me." Ryouki winked and kissed Erick's neck with devilish intent before retiring to the other end of the room to freshen up at least a little before he and Erick would probably go downstairs to get breakfast.

--

-Tsukiko Sato-

Having risen before her sister, and unknowing of Usami's state of being, Tsukiko sneaked her way down to the breakfast hall. She combed her hair with her fingers slightly over her eyes to remain a little inconspicuous as her eyes roamed the area. She spotted Evelyn, the policewoman, a slight distance off, speaking and eating with some of the others from before, and flushed again. /Geez, Kiko, stop it! She's probably straight and taken just like everyone else you think is attractive...also with how mad Usami was at Ryouki for dating that guard-forget about it!/ Tsukiko internally scolded herself as she moved to another table to be alone, not far from where Evelyn was but not close either. A plain, yet attractive, inn waitress arrived and inquired Tsukiko of what she would wantto eat, and Tsukiko responded in a quiet tone. "J-Just some fruit please, if you have any..."
"That's all, ma'am?"
"Y-Yes."
The inn woman nodded, and went in to the back as Tsukiko was left to desperately want the ground to swallow her whole. /'Just some fruits please.' God, you're an idiot. Stammering like that...Why can't I act like a normal person?/

Then, a pair of hands latched onto Tsukiko's shoulder's, making the girl jump, startled, only to find it was Taiyo, and the moon twin exhaled.
Taiyo giggled. "Your face was priceless!"
Tsukiko sighed, regaining her composure. "A simple 'good morning' would be fine, Taiyo." She kept her voice low.
"Why are we whispering?" Taiyo followed suit.
"I want to lay low."
"Why?"
"I just..." Tsukiko hung her head and paused a moment to think as Taiyo ordered some tea from the woman who now brought Tsukiko a small bowl of assorted berries and cut fruit.
Taiyo filled in when the woman left. "You having one of those moments, Kiko?"
Tsukiko nodded.
Taiyo nodded, understanding. "Take your time. We have a very stressful day yesterday..."

Frederick Dermon - Travel Agent - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

I was nodding along with Tabaraamon's tune when the eye-patch woman posed a tentative question. Surprisingly, Mr. Reid actually responded. Maybe he wasn't a lost case after all. His response caused me to choke on my coffee. Very smooth, peach man. It was all I could do to keep my laughter and breakfast inside.

I sent a meaningful glance to the studious man before looking at the woman, who, I observed, ate like a mouse.

"The border's pretty tight, for sure. Those government types don't have a 'light' setting." I grinned and extended a bruised hand. "Frederick Dermon, ma'am. This man over here-" I hiked a thumb in his general direction, "Mr. Reid." I quickly realized leftover blood was dribbling out of the corner of my mouth and licked it off.

Why did this woman want to go to Lynne, anyway? That place was trouble, and I guessed harsh carnage would not encourage the journey.

Silas Reid - Botanist and Odd-Job Part-Timer - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

"My sympathies," Silas muttered after Mr. Dermon finished. It was all he could offer.

As unlikely as it seemed, he had to face the facts. Unless the disfigured figure had left Mr. Demon his clothes, the latter of whom somehow managed to get to the same inn as they did and have a strikingly similar voice, those two were one in the same.

He flinched at the red drop of liquid that escaped Mr. Dermon's lips. He had hoped that it was that man's own blood or his coffee had taken an unusual hue, but knowing Kyuketsuki...

Was he really a vampire? Silas suddenly thought. Acid spit, flying abilities, and transformations at night didn't match up with what he knew of them. Then again, he was no expert on the subject—he was seeing things last night—and it didn't matter as far as he was affected. Just more questions to entertain him.

Griffin Parrish – Rebel Officer – Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

Griffin looked over Evelyn’s shoulder at the large Vallakian man. He smiled and nodded politely. “And ah,” he paused and sat down next to Mr. Regnar. “Sleep was rather hard to come by last night. With everything going on, it’s hard for the mind to rest. I’m sure you understand?” Griffin studied Evelyn’s eyes and began to help Mr. Regnar with his food.

“We should probably get back to the Inn.” Garth’s eyes darted around like a dog afraid of his food being stolen. Elizabeth sighed and paid the merchant for their food.

“You need to calm your nerves Garth. Be like Rocky here,” she gestured to the large bearded man. “He’s like, well, a rock. As you should be Garth. Nothing good ever comes from your mouth. If anything, you will be the one to expose us.” After seeing Garth’s innocent face she rolled her eyes. “All I am trying to say is that you need to be calm and collected. We are in enemy territory right now. So please try your best.” She offered Garth one of her apples in a gesture of attempted kindness.

“But we really should get back before Griffin starts to worry.” He stopped talking before Elizabeth could get heated again. Stuffing the apple in his bag, he shot another glance down the cobblestone road. Keep calm and collected.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven.

Dimitry pulled on his backpack and slung his rifle over his shoulder. "Better safe than sorry." He said as he slowly pushed the door open and peered around the corner. Seeing nothing threatening he walked out and made his way down the stairs.

"Coffee, black, half pound of sausage, two slices of toast, an Apple, and a wrapped one pound wheel of hard cheese." He ordered the server, who's expression went from mild disinterest to startled confusion.

"That'll be... Twenty marks... Twenty five marks. Yeah, twenty five marks." The server stammered.

"Here you go." Dimitry counted out the correct amount and tossed the coins to the server.

He liked to have plenty of meat for breakfast, since it would hold him most of the day. The cheese wheel would give him something to eat while on the march, since he could simply shave bits off while he walked.

Matthew "Black Bart" Barton - Outlaw - Hydris, Fairhaven.

Matthew stood several blocks from the Grail-El embassy listening to the sporadic gunfire coming from that direction. He had seen several wounded people being carried away, several missing limbs from the large caliber bullets they had been struck by.

It didn't look like there was much chance of him getting in the embassy, at least, not without bringing half the mob in with him, and he doubted there would be much chance of him getting the information he wanted that way.

Maybe if he tried at the Rojyan embassy, they might at least be able to get a message to the Grail, and he might have a chance. Turning into a small side street he passed a pair of women with hoods pulled over their faces armed with crossbows who were speaking in hushed voices. They grew silent when he passed, and pulled their hoods down further.

Matthew tipped his hat to them and continued on his way.

Leif Regnar - Bodyguard - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven.

As he ate Leif watched the unknown man with some suspicion. He didn't trust people he didn't know, especially in a honorless nation like this. The Grail were even worse, though he did have some respect for their quasi sea fairing past. At one point the man took a break from feeding him, and Leif simply said "Thank you."

The itching had begun in earnest, and the scabs seemed to have rubbed off, which hurt. But at least he had gotten some sleep, and hadn't gone through what ever Kristen had. He couldn't imagine what she had drank that left her like that.

He saw the shadow, an unnatural beast, sitting alone and muttering to itself. Leif ignored it best he could, though silently prayed that the beast wasn't casting a spell.

## Page 8

Danor Arkaitz - Gunsmith - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

Danor gave a defeated nod in agreement with the taller man's statement on the status of the border. She didn't stand a chance of getting by those guards. When the tall man introduced himself as Mr. Dermon and the peach-haired man as Mr. Reid, Danor's expression lit up, and she happily reached out to shake his hand. "Danor Arkaitz! It's a pleasure to meet you both." Hearing Mr. Reid's apology(?), she shook her head. "Oh, it doesn't really matter. I'm sure I'll figure something out."

It was then that she noticed the blood on the corner of Mr. Dermon's mouth, and her smile seemed to curl inward with discomfort as he licked it off. Despite the sudden urge to put a little more distance between herself and Mr. Dermon, she tried not to let on how unnerved she was. Just how did that get there? Perhaps he had gotten into a fight recently.

In the hopes of relieving some of the resulting tension, which was already high enough in that room, she tried to keep the conversation alive. "Well, thank you for the information. And what brings you here?" She chuckled, taking a bite out of her toast as her eye darted between the two men. "Something tells me you're not on a business trip."

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

Erick smiled at the reassurance from Ryouki, but the final remark he made before he kissed Erick on the neck was instantly enough to loosen his tightly wound nerves. Erick rolled his eyes, blushing slightly after the unexpected kiss. "Trying to be serious here!" He jokingly called after Ryouki, and was reminded that he needed to get ready to go downstairs. That was going to be interesting. The thought of facing those rebels again made him nervous, but maybe everyone was in higher spirits today than they were yesterday.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

Evelyn's thin eyebrows shot up at Griffin's rhetorical question. She still got the feeling he was sizing her up, whether it was to find out if she was a threat or just out of curiosity. "I'm sure I do." If Mr. Parrish thought his mind was restless then, she dreaded the next few days on his behalf. Evelyn crossed her arms, glancing down at Leif before turning to leave. "Excuse me for a moment." She nodded a greeting to Tabaraamon as she passed him, retrieving a glass of water and carefully setting it by Kristen. She was still completely out of it, as far as Evelyn could tell.

Surveying the area again, she noticed that Dimitry and the Sato twins were sitting down to breakfast, and Asbel was on his way downstairs, his eyes barely open. Well, that was more than she had expected from him. Maybe the threat of impending doom was sufficient motivation to get him out of bed at a decent hour. Evelyn gave Kristen a light pat on the shoulder and moved closer to her previous spot near Leif and Griffin, shooting the latter a questioning look. "Will your group be heading farther west with us?"

  Frederick Dermon - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

The woman brightened slightly, albeit with a slight cringe. What was that about? Had I forgotten a common courtesy? No, I didn't think so. The room was filling up. Among those was Asbel, who looked like a ghost. I smirked, then shook my head in response to Danor's question. I thought better of it, and my head movement sort of just morphed into a shrug, my shoulders protesting.

"I'm actually headed, eventually, to Hydris; see if I can't get some insights from a genetics scientist or two." It was technically true. "And what about you, now?"

I took a long slurp of coffee, draining it. She looked to be in a fairly rough business, but still exuded optimism. Sort of like Tula, I supposed.

-Ryouki Sato-

"All the more reason for me to try and not be serious for once." Ryouki laughed for what felt like the first time in years as he began to adjust a few joints in his prosthetic arm that had become a little stiff that morning. After glancing at his reflection in the little mirror that rested on a chest of drawers, Ryouki frowned deeply. "Ugh, I look worse than I feel." He muttered and scrutinized his appearance, his hollow cheekbones and smudged eyeliner, the dark circles under his eyes that had become more visible after just a day. After wetting the tip of his ring finger with his tongue, he made an attempt to smudge the remnants of eyeliner in a somewhat attractive fashion-at least so he didn't look undead.

--

-Tula Nikos-

She followed Dimitry down to the hall and after he ordered food, she followed suit after checking her earning-a substantial amount of marks. "Coffee with milk, and..." Tula's brow furrowed in thought as she glossed over the small menu. "Eggs. Sunny-side, please. And I would like a bag of roasted nuts and chocolates."
The inn server nodded and Tula paid the correct amount. She took a slight hesitation to convert rubles to 'Reacher marks and figure out which coins were which, but made an effort to do so quickly as to not appear to be a total foreigner and blow her cover. The small pouch of nuts was handed to her right away and she smiled at the feeling of its warmth in her palms and she followed Dimitry to find a spot.

Tula spotted Evelyn speaking with one of the rebels from before, and two others she wasn't able to recognize, and the younger Sato siblings having a private meal to themselves. Taiyo looked up from consoling her sister to meet Tula's eyes and grinned. "Good morning, Tula!" Tsukiko flashed Taiyo a look to grab her sister's attention back before Tula could properly respond, so the Grecian woman simply waved in greeting, making no effort to pry-especially since Tsukiko appeared very distressed. /Well, that prude of their brother, Usami, isn't around...maybe that's why Tsukiko wants to lay low.../

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

Dimitry began eating, carefully chewing his food and sipping his coffee. With out moving his head he watched the doors of the inn. This seemed like a well traveled area, and he didn't want to be surprised if any bounty hunters, hostile rebels, or militant loyalists came through the doors. He had to be ever alert, Evelyn hired him to help get them all to safety, and he would honor the yet unsigned contract.

A large, heavy hand, incased by a gauntlet came down on the table, followed by another. Tabaraamon sat down next to Dimitry and sighed. "What is going on?"

Dimitry swallowed the bite of apple and shrugged. "What do you mean?"

"Your agreement to escort all these people. For us to escort these people, I'm basically part of any contract you sign. I though you said you wouldn't take contracts like this one, because of your experience with the second war." Tabaraamon muttered so no one at the other tables would hear.

"An awful lot of people I consider friends, or at least friendly acquaintances are in this group, at least I could help them out. Also, I can get information, which is crucial." He finished his thought and went back to eating.

"So... Are you going to introduce me?" Tabaraamon asked.

"Right." Dimitry sighed. "Tula, this is Tabaraamon, a... Good friend of friend mine. If you use the loosest definition of friend, and good. He's also my distant ancestor, kept semi alive more than half a millennia through black magic. Also, he sort of has a crush on Anya, which is disgusting because of their age difference."

"Tabaraamon this is Tula. My loved one. To put in politely."

Tabaraamon grinned, his teeth glinting in the light. "Pleased to meet you."

Matthew Barton - Outlaw - Hydris, Fairhaven.

Matthew made his way through the city, weaving around angry gangs of people, ignoring insults hurled his direction, and occasionally exposing his sawed off shotgun to anyone who seemed like they meant him harm.

He had never expected that his false nobility would garner such hatred. He wouldn't change it, since it would give him less trouble with loyalists and any guards he encountered. He ducked under a thrown bottle and drew his hatchet, if it came down to it he would be ready. A big fellow approached him and in a gruff voice demanded "You pay a tax to come through here. That goes for any nobles."

Matthew reached into his coat and withdrew his shotgun, and in a sudden, graceless movement grabbed the big man, pulled him close and placed both barrels under his chin.

"My name's Bart, Black Bart, you may have heard of me, I'm a highwayman, and I've wasted my fair share of lard brained footpads in my day, so screw off." Matthew snarled.

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

Erick felt like he hadn't heard Ryouki's laughter in ages, and the sound of it surprised him. A grin tugged at his mouth as he shuffled over to the nearby window, recalling a water pump somewhere outside. Sure enough, there it was, but there were so many people... Erick chuckled, leaning away from the glass. "Yeah, to hell with that. I think I'll wait until the morning rush is over."

Hearing Ryouki's comment as he frowned at his reflection, Erick's brow furrowed. He attempted to fix his own hair, managing to make it look fairly neat, and then, quiet as a mouse, he crept up behind Ryouki. He crouched so only the top half of his face was visible over the man's right shoulder, and when Ryouki looked more or less through with fixing his eyeliner, Erick crossed his eyes. "You're gorgeous. Let's go eat."

Danor Arkaitz - Gunsmith - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

Danor's smile became strained upon hearing Mr. Dermon's reasons for traveling, knowing what she knew about the situation in Hydris. Still, at the same time, she was intrigued. Genetics? That wasn't exactly the kind of scientist one often went looking for, and she couldn't help wondering why, at a time like this, he had traveled to Fairhaven in search of one.

Despite the thoughtful mood this put her in, Dermon's following question almost forced a laugh out of her. "I'm taking a vacation. Hydris has a few 'issues' to work through, so I'm putting some space between us for the time being." She breathed a small sigh, taking a drink of her coffee. "Finish your business quickly, Mr. Dermon. If Hydris has ever been safe to begin with, that won't last much longer."

Tula Nikos

Tula took her coffee from one of the inn servers and almost jumped as a shadowy figure appeared at the table with them. Dimitry seemed calm, however, and Tula had seen almost as scary before, so she held it together decently. As Dimitry introduced the two, she put on a sweet smile for Dimitry's 'friend.' "Well, I'm glad to meet you. Otherwordly beings aren't exactly common folk, so it's always interesting to meet more. As for Anya..." She winced playfully. "Sorry to inform you, mate, but she swings quite the other direction in terms of gender preference." Tula added to Dimitry. "Age makes no difference to the undead, as I learned from Klaus, but Anya is very much afraid of most things, men in particular. I find that's a big factor in why she fancies women more."

After a pull of warm coffee, Tula then questioned the distant ancestor. "Black magic, hm?"

--

Ryouki Sato

Ryouki laughed at Erick's antics, and nuzzled his lover's cheek, pushing him gently and playfully. "Don't lie to me, darling. No one looks good with raccoon eyes unless they are, in fact, a raccoon." He turned away from the mirror and nodded. "However, I will agree that we should get downstairs quickly. Breakfast could do us," Ryouki suddenly found himself yawning. "...Breakfast could do us both some good."

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

"What do you mean?" Silas asked Ms. Arkaitz, his tone a little sharper than he intended. So something had happened at Hydris after all. It was all the more reason to get back to Braile as soon as possible. He dug his nails into his palms, hating how helpless he felt in the midst of all this. Unfortunately, it was just another thing he had to accept.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven.

Upon Tula's revelation about Anya Dimitry broke down into laughter. It was just too much for him. "Well, it's not like you would have the guts to ask her anyway." Dimitry chuckled.

"Oh shut up Dimitry, it's not like you have the greatest track record when it comes to that sort of thing." Tabaraamon growled.

"No need to be rude." Dimitry said in between bites of sausage.

The shadow turned to Tula. "Yes, black magic. White magic typically doesn't create nigh immortal darkness monsters. Neither are that great anyway. Elemental magic is much better, it doesn't go around screwing  with anyone's soul."

"As you can see, he's a bit... Bitter, to say the least, about his condition, since he didn't want it." Dimitry explained.

Kristen Mernoth - Noble - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven.

Kristen slowly opened her eyes and looked around in a daze she knew where she was, she had been semi lucid when she had been left here. There was a glass of water ahead of her and she grabbed it, chugging it down in one go. It left good as it tumbled down her throat, and slowly she sat up the rest of the way.

She felt light headed and lowered her head back onto the table.

Rankin - Rogue Special Activities trooper - Unpopulated area, Fairhaven.

Rankin looked through the scope of the sniper rifle at the ten men following the single man on horse back.
"He's got an escort." He hissed Alexi.

His commander nodded. "We planned for that. Remember, none of those people can survive, we need to make it look like the rebels did it."

"Yes, I know that. But every extra solider reduces the chance of success."  Rankin growled.

"You do your job, we'll do ours. Just don't kill the officer, we need what he knows." Alexi responded and crawled away.

"Don't tell me how to do someone else's job." Rankin muttered as he rechecked his rifle and aimed for the horse. He hated using the sniper rifle, but he was the best shot out of the three of them, so he was on rifle duty.

The sound of of automatic fire signaled the beginning the attack. Rankin pulled the trigger, the bullet instantly killing the horse, which fell on its side, trapping the officer. He swept his scope toward the infantry escort, to see all of them had been cut down by Jefferson's automatic shotgun.

He looked back at the officer who was fumbling for his side arm, and finally removed it from its holster, only to have Alexi kick it out of his hands, and slammed the prongs of a shock baton into the officers neck.

Jefferson walked over, with a kick unpinned the unconscious officer from the horse and slung the man over his shoulder.

Rankin stood up and the three operatives moved out.

Griffin Parrish – Rebel Officer – Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

"Will your group be heading farther west with us?" Evelyn asked. Griffin finished helping Mr. Regnar and spun slightly on his chair to face the woman.

“I think we will.” He answered. After ordering a quick drink he resumed. “So your group is heading to Hydris?” Griffin was slightly annoyed that he knew next to nothing about their group. If what Evelyn had told him at the border was truthful, then he had no other reason to be suspicious. But there was still a nagging feeling at the back of his head that told him something was off. Maybe he was just paranoid. He had a knack for overthinking things.

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

Erick scowled halfheartedly into the mirror at Ryouki's reflection; he hated not getting the last word in, but he was pretty hungry. He faced Ryouki, who had turned away from the mirror, and followed him downstairs. When he was three steps from the ground, he jumped the rest of the way, throwing his arms out dramatically when he landed. "We have returned!" He had caught on to the tired, somewhat tense atmosphere of the room as soon as it came within view, and he figured he might as well try and get a chuckle out of Evelyn and Mr. Silas Grumpy-Pants over there.

To his surprise, Dimitry seemed like one of the least tense people in the room, and he had Tula to thank for that. Dimitry, Tula, and Tabaraamon were having a conversation nearby, and though he had no desire to eavesdrop, Erick was glad to see they were doing okay.

"Could you try being a little louder, Erick? I think some people in Rojya might not have heard you." Asbel muttered, leaning against a nearby wall and squinting at Erick as if it hurt his eyes to look at him.

"Hello, Asbel! You're looking especially tall and mysterious this morning!" Asbel smiled pleasantly and made an obscene hand gesture that dissolved the smile on Erick's face, causing him to squint back at Asbel. "Hey now, there are children present."

Danor Akraitz - Gunsmith - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

Danor noted Mr. Reid's discomfort, but since he seemed determined to hide it, she decided to let it slide for the moment. "I guess you haven't heard. Well, there are the riots, for one thing. The Rojyan and Grail embassies were attacked yesterday, and things got very ugly. And also..." She paused, both for dramatic effect and to take another drink. "Doctor was spotted right on Hydris' front doorstep. Whoever it is has some nerve, getting that close to the castle, which doesn't bode well for the city."

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

Evelyn glanced over her shoulder at Kristen, watching as she managed to down an entire glass of water in one go. Even the waitress noticed how out of it the girl was, shooting Evelyn a small smile and a nod as she discreetly took the glass and left to get Kristen some more water. Evelyn perched on the corner of Kristen's table, returning her attention to Mr. Parrish when he answered her question as she absently tapped her shoes against the floor. "Correct."

Evelyn thought over how much time they had left, determined to avoid any unpleasant surprises. "Bailee and I need to get back to work, and since I'm supposed to write a detailed report on the rebel activity yesterday, I'll need to question the others. By that time, you and your group should do your best to stay out of my way. If I find that you're still out playing soldier with your friends, I'll have to arrest you all.

## Page 9

-Tula Nikos-

"Well, that's understandable." Tula agreed. "I can imagine having your soul mucked with unwillingly is the worst." She popped a chocolate from her small pouch into her mouth nonchalantly. "Now what's with this track record?" Tula quirked a wry smile. "I can't imagine yours is as bad as mine."

--

-Ryouki Sato-

As he and Erick approached Asbel, Ryouki saw his sisters at a table, alone. Taiyo caught sight of him and smiled, bounding over with a wary Tsukiko behind her. "Good morning, Brother! And Erick, and Asbel, is it?" Taiyo questioned. "I just remember your crazy hair."
Tsukiko hissed. "Tai..!"
Taiyo rolled her eyes. "You are SO not a morning person!"
Ryouki asked his sister in an effort to changed the subject. "Where's Usami?"
"Still asleep, probably." Taiyo rolled her eyes. "That, or he really doesn't want breakfast. He's kind of pissed that you're dating a member of the guard. We, I mean, Kiko and I, don't really care, but he was all like-" Taiyo squared her shoulders and bent her knees to sink to Usami's height. " 'He's fraternizing with the enemy! We'll never be a real family again and it's all his fault'"-Then she returned to her normal, relaxed and feminine posture. "Ugh, he's annoyingly serious!"
Ryouki's eyes lowered. "Yeah, right..."
Tsukiko placed a hand in Ryouki's prosthetic arm. "Don't take what Usami says to heart. We'll get through this. After breakfast."

Dimitry Popov - Might have a thing for crazy chicks - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven.

"Right. Though it's less of my inability to figure out what someone's sexuality. It's that two of my previous lovers have been less than mental stable. And he thinks it's the funniest thing." Dimitry said and jabbed Tabaraamon.

"Okay, let's see...  Natasha was a bigger psychopath than me and Dimitry combined, which is bad. And Jessica has anger issues like you have never seen. Since he was drunk at the time he met you, there is a decent chance you'll be somewhat more normal. Unlike most of the people he is friends with. Like me." Tabaraamon said with a smirk.

"What's your track record like then?" Dimitry asked before turning his attention back to the apple he was gnawing on. He thought about what Tabaraamon had said, and the big shadow was right. None of the people that would consider his friends were that normal. Lucas could reincarnate, Asbel was connected to a waste monster, and Boraci was a waste monster, but only at night.

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

"How could have things gone bad so quickly?" Silas said as he gazed into the rest of his coffee. It was a question geared mostly to himself, something he didn't expect anyone to answer. It was as if misfortune favored humanity. If the Wastes couldn't destroy them, they would eventually finish the job themselves.

He stood up then. "I'm sorry," he said. "You'll have to excuse me. It was, ah, informative meeting you, Miss Arkaitz." It was rude to just get up and leave the conversation—when the people involved weren't particularly unpleasant, at least—but he never denied the need to take a walk, sudden or not. In his current situation, there was no debating it.

When would that luxury end, he wondered. How soon would it be when he would see airships take to the skies and people to the streets of his city? There would be nowhere left to go. He could only hole himself in his apartment and hope.

Tula Nikos

After a long pull of her coffee, Tula shrugged. "It's mostly Grecian and Kyushu businessmen that I...propositioned, as a teenager. They're dead now, thanks to me and my girls. If there's anyone that I actually had feelings for, I don't exactly remember. What I do remember, however, is a I experienced lot of sexual deviance in my youth, and a handful of men and women with names I don't remember but tattoos that were to die for." She laughed. "Your track record's better than mine, seeing as I hardly had one at all."

 Danor Arkaitz - Gunsmith - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

Mr. Reid's unexpected exit sparked Danor's curiosity further, and her gaze followed him closely as he left. He didn't seem to mean any harm by it, but it actually made her feel a bit guilty. Should she have softened the news a little? She really hadn't expected it to hit him so hard, but she supposed that could have been mere carelessness on her part. "Shame on me," she muttered. "I've upset him."

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

Asbel's eyes wandered the room, lingering on any familiar faces he spotted. Quite a few important conversations were happening. He would hate to see them interrupted. By the time Asbel's attention returned to the twins, Ryouki, and Erick, the latter was willing himself to disappear into the wall pattern; Asbel could recognize the expression from a mile away, especially since it was a permanent fixture on the face of Evelyn's son. "Those are strong words," Asbel warned, referring to Usami's earlier claims that their family was broken beyond repair.

Erick's face flushed and he forced a small, lighthearted smile as if to imply Asbel was joking, which he wasn't. "If there's any way you two think I might be able to help, I'll do my best."

"Really, must people these days be so intense?" Asbel continued, grumbling to himself at this point with his eyes directed elsewhere in the room. Erick probably thought he was rambling like a grumpy curmudgeon. "Everything is life and death with them. Absolutely ridiculous." He then noticed Silas leaving his table and discreetly watched him go, his tired rantings slowly dulling into thoughtful silence.

 Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven.

Tabaraamon stood and sighed. "I'm going to go look for possible sites. I'll see you later." He said to Dimitry. "Good to meet you Tula." And then he vaporized.

"Once we reach Hydris what do you plan to do? I'm sorry to say, but I doubt you will be welcomed back with open arms." Dimitry slowly said. "I would be happy if you stayed with me. We'd be moving around a lot, probably working for less than moral people."

He didn't mention his idea to break into the Hydris treasury. It wasn't a plan yet, just a thought, a thought that would require much more effort before it became an actual plan. But if it worked... If it worked he would be so rich he wouldn't need to think. He could buy himself a sand ship with that sort of cash.

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

Jessica had finished dressing when the airship came thundering overhead. Since she was unsure what the ship was delivering she ran up toward the semi protected docking point. If it was just a courier flight it wouldn't matter, but if it was some important official she didn't want to insult them.

The first thing she noticed when she stepped outside was that there were three airships, one coming in to land, and the other two circling above, watching the crowd.

Once the airship had touched down a pair of heavy assault troopers in full armor stepped out, followed by four men dragging a large crate out. Both of the soldiers escorting the crate had the wolf emblem of the first fleet on their shoulders. Once the box was set down one of the men carrying it handed a clipboard to Jessica. "Sign here that you accepted delivery."

"What's in it?" Jessica asked.

"No clue. It's important though. We don't get much escort normally." The man said as Jessica signed the paper.

The men climbed back onto the airship and it took to the air.

Jessica motioned that some of her security troops move the box down to her office. Once it was on the floor of her office she had the top removed with a crowbar.

In side sat several metal boxes. Jessica opened one and scratched her head. On white cloth sat several dozen small black crystals that gave off a sort of evil aura. Several looked like some one had bled on them a long time ago.

Tula Nikos

After Tabaraamon vanished, Tula listened to Dimitry intently, occaisionally sipping her coffee. "Well, I don't want to just wander alone as a wanted fugitive, so naturally I'm staying with you. I would, however, like to have a word with Alina if possible, maybe get discharged from service for a while since I'm still technically a soldier..." She ran a hand through her wild, tangled curls and sighed, eyes lowered. "I can't go back to Rojya either though. The coup being staged there has, I'm sure, gotten worse, and to think of what Genya might say or think of me. Both she and Alina are only so aware of my history..." Tula shook her head. "Nope. Can't dwell on that..." She glanced back at Dimitry and smiled, placing her hand over his. "I'll go with you. I just need to get a word in with Alina, personally. I have to at least let her know I'm not going to suffer in my absence."

--

Tsukiko Sato

In response to Asbel, Tsukiko spoke up. "It kind of is, at least with Usami. This revolt means a lot to him, because the King's sorry excuse for politics has thrown all of us under the dust, and now has our father dead and our mother missing or gone with him." She felt Taiyo's hand clasp hers and became suddenly aware of her posture growing tense and defensive. Tsukiko then relaxed.

After a brief moment, she saw Ryouki give a miniscule flinch and her attention turned to the very tired, and very pissed off Usami come groggily down the stairs with a bag slung over his back. He mouthed something to Ryouki that Tsukiko couldn't quite understand until her second-eldest brother's head nodded to the door of the inn.

"I...I think I may have something to attend to." Ryouki smiled, weakly, to ease the newly brought in tension, and then Tsukiko grabbed Ryouki's wrist.

"Don't go."

"Tsukiko, this is between me and Usami. I'll make it quick, he probably just wants to talk."

Tsukiko protested. "I don't think so."

Ryouk sighed. "If things get ugly...well, I'll have to manage that, will I?"

Tsukiko then let go of Ryouki, who then kissed Erick's cheek and moved some of Erick's hair out of Erick's eyes in a romantic parting gesture before exiting the inn.

--

-Ryouki Sato-

There was a light crowd at the front of the inn, which played on Ryouki's nerves, but he pushed that to the back of his mind to focus on his very angry younger brother, who stood a distance away.

"Um..." Ryouki weakly greeted. "Good morning, Usami."

Usami nodded. "Yeah." Usami then motioned to the bag that had formerly been on his back that now rested on the ground between them. "I want you to take the first thing you see out of my bag."

"Alright." Ryouki muttered, and did as asked. He knelt down to look inside, and his mind went into a panic at the sight of the varied weaponry within the bag's confines. Ryouki's hand had first wrapped around a pair of chakram, clearly crafted in his family's style, and then he stepped away, holding each in one hand.

After a moment's hesitation, he stepped forward to put them back, but was stopped by Usami, speaking. "You wanted a duel, right Brother?"

Ryouki scoffed. "Not this early in the morning, and not when you're this pissed off at me. You don't focus when you're angry, Usami."

Usami shook his head. "I'm not angry."

"Lies you tell."

"You've..." Usami exclaimed. "You change with every man you find, and now that you're dating one of the King's puppets-"

Ryouki held up his hands, still holding the chakrams to appease his brother-and possibly defend himself. "Hold it right there! Don't assume that Erick is going to change me. Bastien changed me, and not for good, you know that. Just because I have a new man in my life doesn't mean I'm going to disappear off the face of the Earth again-especially now that I've found you and the twins and-"

Usami growled. "No. The thing is, we've changed too. We are facing an enemy, and fighting a war, willingly. Not because some pretty face led us on some big adventure. Think about it, Ryouki. If you didn't meet that son of a bitch, you'd still have your arm. You wouldn't be unemployed. You wouldn't be forgotten."

Appalled, Ryouki tried to supress his emotion for the sake of a quicker arguement, and the less likely chance of causing a scene. "I didn't want to be a war hero, Usami. I made sure that I wasn't in an inch of text about the Second War. But you know what? I don't regret it, because I met someone I would certainly not want to live without. And who's to say I would find someone better if I stayed doing drag in Hydris? Who's to say that I would have made an effort to come back to you and the twins when I was perfectly content whoring myself out every night?"

"You're really starting to piss me off..." Usami reached into the bag and revealed the chain of a pair of nunchaku.

Ryouki smiled with bitter, aggressive intent. "Heh, starting?" He lunged forward and knocked Usami backward with raw force, going in physical first, and initiating the duel.

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

Silas only managed to get a few feet away from the inn before he heard the sounds of a fight. "Don't tell me they got themselves into trouble already," he grumbled. He whirled around to see the crowd that gathered, apparently egging on whoever was fighting in their makeshift ring. He frowned at the spectacle, knowing that it was one of his strange companions, shook his head, and turned to the quieter side of the street. He'd see to the aftermath when he was finished.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven.

"I can help you get into and out of the city unnoticed though the tunnels. Shouldn't be too difficult, and we can use the defunct system so there won't be any sewage in it." Dimitry said, mentally charting out a route that would keep them underground through most of the capital.

"I doubt the king will have people watching the tunnels, I sort of think he doesn't really know about their existence." Dimitry said distractedly. Out of the window he could see a fight brewing. "Shit. Tell me, do those mechanical limbs provide additional strength? Because if they do... Ryuoki's little brother is in for quite the ass whooping" he suddenly asked Tula as Ryouki attacked.

Jessica Stuart - Ambassador - Embassy, Fairhaven.

Jessica looked at the letter again. The box contained weapons of last resort. Most she had heard of, such as the corrosive gas in the titanium canisters, or the fuel air grenades. The crystals, were another matter. Unlike the other weapons, which had several pages of instructions, protocols, minimum safe distance statistics, the crystals had barely information.

"Do not touch crystals, handle with metal tongs, highly unstable on contact with skin and clothing. For use during full breach of security.
To use simply launch toward hostile forces."

That's all it said, nothing about its effects, it's manufacturer, or anything else. Jessica shivered again, the crystals made her uncomfortable, just something about them. Even when they were in the box she had felt uneasy.

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

Erick gave Ryouki a pleading look before he followed Usami out, but it didn't work, and soon the two of them were arguing. He moved a bit closer to the nearest window and watched as they prepared to fight, catching the attention of a few people in room, as well as Mr. Reid outside. When Erick caught the end of Dimitry's question to Tula, quickly understanding the gist of it, he shouted a response at no one in particular. "I'm going to whoop both their asses when they get back!" He kicked the leg of a nearby empty chair in frustration before sitting down in it, running a hand through his hair.

Asbel chuckled from his place near the stairs, and Erick heard the man's response to Tsukiko from where he sat. "I despise politics." From a seat near Boraci's, Asbel noticed a young woman with an eyepatch look over her shoulder at him, curious, and shot her a glare. "See something interesting?"

"I see lots of interesting things," she replied cryptically, then turned her attention to the fight outside. She seemed to be interested in Dimitry and Tula as well, but she was obviously being careful not to stare at anyone for too long.

## Page 10

Griffin Parrish – Rebel Officer – Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

 A slight smirk crossed Griffin’s face as Evelyn threatened him with the arrest of him and his group. He took another sip of his drink and set it lightly back down on the wooden counter. “There will be no need for any of that, I assure you. You can have full confidence that we will stay out of your way.” He bowed his head and lifted his mug in a humble gesture.

Enjoying the rest of his morning beverage, Griffin strained his ears to listen in on the chatter of the inn. He could pick out a few conversations, but ruled them out to be unimportant. That quickly changed when he zoned in on Dimitry’s conversation. It was hard to hear over the rising voices but he made out a few sentences.

“We'd be moving around a lot, probably working for less than moral people.” Griffin furrowed his eyebrows and turned his ear in Dimitry’s direction. “I doubt the king will have people watching the tunnels, I sort of think he doesn't really know about their existence.” Now why would Dimitry want to sneak around in tunnels? Although he did seem like the type, Griffin thought their group was just trying to get away from the fighting.

His eyes wandered back to Evelyn as he began to think intently. But his train of thought was interrupted when a ruckus outside of the inn began to catch everyone’s attention. A fight?

--

A sizable crowd was beginning to gather around the two men outside of the inn. Elizabeth eyed them both intently. Gareth was still dodging glances and being paranoid, while Rocky was egging on the fight. She waited in silence as the tension rose and was pleasantly surprised when the man with the mechanic arm struck first. Maybe this would be more entertaining than she thought. Reaching into her pack she pulled out an apple and took an enthusiastic bite.

-Usami Sato-

The two bartered back and forth, almost equally matched. As he would land a blow with his weapon, Ryouki would counter, and once used his prosthetic arm as a very effective guard. A crowd had begun to draw around the two, but the faces of the people in it blurred around the whir of metal against metal. Ryouki had managed to get some pretty decently sized wounds in, and cuts from the chakram blades welled up along Usami's arms and one on his chest just underneath the collarbone.

Suddenly, Usami found himself weakened, and his shirt collar was in the fist of a very pissed off Ryouki. The brothers both panted heavily, and Usami caught a sheen of sweat glisten on Ryouki's forehead.
Ryouki held up his prosthetic hand with an open palm that closed in and out of a fist. "See this? You repaired this, you're a mechanic. You know what this arm is capable of. I could snap your sternum in half like it's made of air."
"You're bluffing..." Usami coughed and then was suddenly pinned, hard, against the wall of the inn. The prosthetic hand was gripping his shoulder with inhuman strength, and he cried out in pain.
"I don't bluff, Usami." Ryouki grew grimly serious and his grip tightened. "Now, if you could try to have an open mind for five minutes-"
"Nngaaah-I can't let you keep deluding yourself!" Usami exclaimed.
Ryouki then fell back, sobering for a moment. "I'm not going to hurt you any more..."
"Then END IT." Usami spat.
"I meant physically." Ryouki groaned and then threw his brother to the ground. He turned and addressed the crowd. "Um...sorry for disturbing the peace?"

As Ryouki made a desperate attempt to dissolve the crowd, Usami groaned in pain, at the soreness in his shoulder, sides, and the sting of the untreated cuts that decorated his arms.

--

-Tula Nikos-

As her attention shifted the the fight that had started just outside the window, Tula mused over Dimitry's question. "Looks like it. Ryouki had his brother pinned up like a little rag doll..."
Taiyo moaned in frustration. "Oh god, whyyyyyyyy? I'm gonna kill Usami, I swear!"
Tula rose slightly to get the youngest Sato's attention. "Sweetheart, life and death claims like that started this fight. That's not going to make it better."
Taiyo fumed. "He's just...ugh! Usami's been a thorn in my side longer than these two days and picking a fight with Brother is the straw breaking my back."

Matthew Barton - Outlaw - Hydris, Fairhaven.

Now clear of the angry crowd Matthew started walking toward the Rojyan embassy. As he was walking he passed a wanted poster. Just to make sure it wasn't him he looked it over. Drawing was poor, but Nathan could see the man's general features, such as the scars across his face and strangely tight skin that stretched across his cheek bones.

The face was vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. With a shrug Matthew continued toward the embassy Rojyan embassy. He stood at the gate and struck the knocker several times.

Kristen Mernoth - Noble - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven.

Kristen hiccuped and sat up straight. Then she jammed her hand into her pocket and removed a broken pen. She just starred at the snapped writing instrument with a look of total defeat. Her notes were gone, her carefully recorded references destroyed, and now the ball point pen that she had learned to depend on was ruined.

"When everything is hopeless, just remember that I've survived worse than you ever will." She said so quietly she couldn't even hear it. It had been something her father's bodyguard had told her once when she was very sick. It sort of comforted her.

Frederick Dermon - Rainy Crane Inn

I didn't pay much attention to Mr. Reid. Quite the antisocial, and that was saying something, coming from me. But as the fight outside quickly started and ended, I began to wonder if he had a sixth sense for conflict, like a young Hellhound. Avoidance for survival and all.

"I see lots of interesting things," Danor's voice said, in response to Asbel's glare. I munched thoughtfully on a scone, slipping one in my pocket for later.

"Not hungry, Asbel?" I said, not especially eager for this woman to get any more bad impressions of our group. Impressions led to curiosity, which often led to death.

Asbel Sutherlin - Blegh... - Rainy Crane Inn, Fairhaven

Asbel was almost startled by Boraci's question, and paused to think it over. Food didn't sound very appealing at the moment, but it would probably make him feel better. He eventually mumbled something inaudible in Boraci's general direction and sat down where Mr. Reid had been, catching the eye of a waitress who made her way over to take his order. He asked for some bread and cheese, since he would be able to take that with them if (when) they had to leave in a hurry, and a glass of water.

"It seems like quite a few of you know each other," the woman observed, her eye still settling on Asbel occasionally. "Are you going with Mr. Dermon to see that geneticist, then?"

Asbel looked up at Boraci, then back to the woman. "Yes. As you can see, I have a skin condition," he answered flatly. Asbel caught Erick staring at him from across the room and struggled to ignore the hilariously confused look on his face. Soon after, his food was brought, and he turned his attention to eating rather than the fact that Danor looked anything but convinced by his reply. Was she suspicious of them or something? He couldn't imagine why that might be.