The youngest son of Ol' Samroke ma'Deu was not the world's greatest liar. Nor did he wish to be. To a trained and familiar ear, his silence spoke louder than any words he could muster. Any one of the villagers or dockworkers or retired smugglers he had known his entire life would read his silence like an open book. And he knew it. A good thing she had not lived with him so many years, then. Still, he worried his distance would tell her too much.

Boj glanced at her, and then at the skinned animals with clear surprise. He hadn't even noticed them upon his return. "And just where did you learn to do that?" he asked, sounding the tiniest bit impressed.

He jutted his chin the littlest bit up at her apology, attempting a threatening air but managing to look only as if he perhaps needed to sneeze. "Maybe she was some city girl who talked too much, too." His voice hardened with the attempt at scaring her, but not well enough. And his eyes betrayed too much sadness.

Rynn knew there was something he wasn't telling her, he had suffered some great tragedy in his past, but he also saw something in her that made him what to help her. He was an odd one that was for sure.

"This? Well I had to get from Cann all the way to here, and I certainly didn't buy a ticket on a travel ship. I adventured. I've already been on my own a few months, and through a little assistance by an Aun woman I met at the beginning of my journey, I learned how to prepare food." Rynn took the first rabbit, now fully cooked, off the spit and handed it to him. "Here, go ahead, I'll take the next one."

She heard his voice change, and it certainly sounded threatening, but looking at his face she knew he was lying. "You don't have to explain it to me Boj, I'm not going to force you to open up to me if you don't want too." She said, knowing her was just trying to be brave for some reason, and she wasn't going to push him another way.

Nine thousand feet if an inch, through the lowest strata of the clouds, burning from where the Fortune's Friend had sent shrapnel rounds through the primary engine-works and the entire keel section.

"Couldn't say for sure, Highness." Fort hooked his thumbs behind his belt buckle, accepting the invitation to approach the throne with an unhurried, loping limp of a stride. "Altimeter and verispex are in the stern, near the helm. I was at the prow. Ground did get awful big, awful fast."

His stance widened to shoulder width, his feet remembering parade rest with the autonomous will of an old Tyrisian Academy cadet, even as he tossed his head, flicking a displaced lock of fading red hair from his eyes, to consider the queen with an insouciant smile. "Patched for the most part. Not 100% but flight-worthy." He didn't indicate whether he was speaking of the ship or his crew. Always keep the Crowned Heads guessing. Did them good to spend some time a little unsure of themselves. See how the other half lives.

His eyes narrowed as she came around to the point. "You want to hire the Ardent? You, Highness?" His barritone dropped an octave as disbelief colored his voice. "Did I not see the Invidious moored at the Northtown quays? Or the Launcelot? Or the Furore? Throne, Highness, my brother Warden captains the Shadowcat; I'm sure he'd be thrilled to recieve this sort of assignment. We're freelancers...what does a woman who owns her own Navy need with freelancers?"

That sinking feeling in his stomach already had him filling in the answer to his own question: "The Navy is not expendable."

Nerifai smiled at his purposely ambiguous answer, shifting more of her weight onto her curled hand. "I've read reports, of course. Amazing, to survive that fall..." she finished somewhat obligatorily. Something in the pitch of her voice, the too-little emotion behind that last sentence...to the sharp of eye and ear, it seemed something was a little off in how she said it.

Nevertheless, her smiles were mostly sincere. She had expected his surprise. "You aren't the only one I'm hiring. A few of whom, you've mentioned." She leaned back in her chair and drew her hand to her lips, which curled in turn. Her voice turned teasing. "Oh, come, captain. Are you telling me you haven't heard what happened to the Diver?Fortune's Friend? And all the rest?"

Her laugh was like a bell, and it made her son roll his eyes back.

"The Fortune's Friend came back in more pieces than your Ardent. And the Diver didn't come back at all." She leaned forward, looking him in the eyes from her lofty seat. "You think so little of me that I'd endeavor to open my country to invaders?" Regal lips twitched, parted and made way for a teasing smile. If Fort didn't know any better, he might think she fancied him.

"I simply offer my funding, no obligations on your part. Asking mercenaries to find it for me does me little good if they never return. And I trust the reward will be enough, should your crew manage to find it. I can, however, offer valuable information my researchers have uncovered...at a price, of course. Taking one of my representatives aboard your ship, to report back to me. Nothing more."

Her smile grew. "Of course, the other captains I'm funding have chosen to accept this information, at its price..."

Boj's hair rustled with his soft exhale at her explanation, and he shook his head and...chuckled as he accepted the meal. "Good. Thank you."

He ate quietly, eyes on the fingers of orange-yellow light which reached and strained for them through the trees. On the other end of the sky rose the red moon, its unobtrusive glow beginning to dominate the failing daylight. As the last of it fell below the horizon and into the depths, Boj prodded the faltering campfire with a stray twig.

"How did you know her?"

Fort shifted his feet as she reminded him how lucky he was to be alive. Few days went by that he did not wonder just what force managed to intercede on the behalf of a two-bit sky-dog like himself. Still, no use thinking too hard upon the inconsequential. He'd lived. Remarkable. Moving on.

There we are. "You aren't the only one I'm hiring." That was more in keeping with expectations. Nerifai wasn't one to put all of her eggs in a single basket. If she was interested enough to finance an expedition to the Shift Particle, she'd be interested enough to finance a fleet of them. So this was more a race than a straightforward death-defying stunt. Or a race through a murder-course...odds were that she'd given coin to men who'd be willing to do anything to ensure they arrived home with the treasure first.

"I seem to recall something about Rudain limping home, yes, and I doubt that Sorin will be missed overmuch. Neither of them are a match for a Naval cruiser." He closed his eyes and drew a steadying breath.

Money was tight after piecing the Ardent back together. She was held together with twine, glue, and prayer. The crew, the older ones, were hesitant to put back out. The newer ones were grumbling and discontent. Work was at a premium for freelancers, especially honest ones. So what was it that he was waiting for? The Queen herself was offering him a golden opportunity to write his own ticket; pay the crew, set the ship to rights, lay in stores, give the Ardent a direction. She was handing him a purpose; hope.

Fort exhaled through his nose and his eyes, slate blue and alert in the manner of a feral predator, opened. He brought his black-gloved hand, the hand ruined in the previous expedition, a grim reminder of the price of failure, to run against the line of his jaw. "You've got my attention, Highness. Let us speak of price and who exactly it is that will be peering over my shoulder."

Throne blind him, it wasn't as though he had anything better to do.

The Queen was watching the Captain. Carefully, eyes plied for hints of disagreement, arrogance, eagerness. Anything that might weigh in her favor and allow her to skew her words to the moment. He seemed...reluctant, perhaps. But without opposition to her plan. So he was open-minded. She'd already met one too many captains whose pride nearly got in the way of valuable information.

Motioning vaguely to the court, she speaks. "Perhaps one of my guards, or another loyal to me. I wish to ensure that my coin goes towards its intended purpose, and I would not give hard-earned information away freely. A fair trade. You may even help me choose this representative, if you wish."

A tightly wound curl of red hair sprung from the edge of her headdress as she turned her head to the courtiers and guards, glancing among them for any eager faces.

"You are welcome" Rynn said with a smile, taking the second one for herself and putting the deer on. It seemed they were making some progress. She'd gotten him to laugh, and apparently her knowledge of skinning had served her well. Rynn was surprised that he looked up and directed a question her way. But she was glad to answer.

"I didn't know her very well. She was from Cann, a noble as you are aware. She was a couple of years older than me. Before she left, her and I would talk at balls. We were not close, but she would tell me not to lose my spirit. Even though she was married at such a young age, she still kept up hope of a different life. As we got older, she got more serious about the ideas, and it made me look up to her even more" She chuckled softly "The girl had guts, thats for sure. She told me the night before she was going to leave, told me not to give up. And thanks to her, I never did, and how I'm free."

"The impact she made on me was immense. Because of her, I had the courage to run away for my own freedom. I don't know if I would have done if she hadn't done it first." She smiled at the memory of the woman who had given her the desire to fight rather than take it. "I had a lot of respect for her." Rynn wanted to ask how he knew her, but she was filling in the blanks on her own and didn't want to upset him, so she didn't ask.

There it was, his way in. With a small satisfied smile to himself, Nathaniel Randersvayne stepped forward, looking up at the queen. This was better than he'd expected to get, the chance to be on the man's ship hunting for her under a different purpose. It was perfect.

"Your highness, I will take the position if you would like to honor me with it. I have been meaning to travel, as I am sure you are aware" he was alluding to Rynn's disappearance. The court had been told it was a kidnapping so as to protect their reputations, so his wanting to go find her made sense "This seems like an ideal opportunity to do it." He gave a low bow of the style that was popular in court, standing up straight once more. He turned to the captain, decided to at least introduce himself.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Captain, I am Lord Nathaniel Randersvayne." The man had a pleasing countenance and a friendly demeanor. He seemed harmless enough.

Nerifai's querying gaze turned to her cousin, arching a thin brow. "I understand your wish to look in Kerria yourself, but this is a job for one of my guards. Is there any special reason I should assign you and risk the loss of family and a valuable member of court, cousin?"

Boj listened silently, eyes never moving from the would-be furnace. Giant hands gripped the twig tightly, bending it and putting it in grave danger of snapping. "I see."

He tossed it aside and flicked a few embers into the fire to give it a little extra life. Why he had asked her to start the fire when he could more easily, she could only guess at. Boj nodded what might have been a gesture of parting for the night before lying down and rolling into his bedroll, facing away from her.

The morning would be unfortunate for the both of them.

A guard. Or a sycophant. A spy. Eyes and ears for the Crowned Head and her lackeys. They'd be a pull on the compass needle, dragging him ever so slightly off the true-North of his own intention; shackles on the boundless freedom that the Ardent had always embodied for him. She could dress it up if she wanted, give him the illusion of choice. He could pick his own serpent if he'd like. Lovely.

"I yield to your judgement, Highness." He considered for a moment, his lips pressing into a grim line as he did a bit of arithmetic. "I'll need twenty-thousand sovereigns up front for expenses. And I'll assume that the bounty on the Particle will be matching any other offers floating in the domestic markets when I return, yes?"

He turned when the young lordling announced his candidacy for Queen's Rat, looking the nobleman from boot-tips to brow and back again. Well-dressed, primped and polished in the fashion of the court with impeccable manner and inflection. Fort arched an eyebrow at his sudden appearance from the assembled mass of courtiers, but with all the politeness he could muster he offered a nod of acknowledgement. "Morning, y'lordship."

His eyes whipped back toward the Queen, a wolf's smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Pay my way, mam'zel, and you'll have your Particle. Ardent's already got a stake in this game. We took that last spat rather sore. Wouldn't mind having another go, should the price be right."

"Same to you Captain." He smiled oblidgeingly.

"It is my duty to bring back my fiance alive your highness. I will take some of the guard if it please you. I am very obliged to your concern, but I feel I need to be the one to bring Miss Arokit home." Nathaniel spoke gently, his voice echoing concern for the woman in every word. It was true, he wanted her back, but not for the tender loving reason he made it sound like "I have had much experience in the art of battle, if you recall my father did have me serve as a member of his guard for several years before he allowed me to take up the family name. I know it is a great risk, but I want my face to be the first that Rynn sees when she is liberated." 'Liberated from her foolish dreams of freedom' he added in his mind.

"If however, my highness, you truly do not wish me to go, I shall stay here, as I would not want to upset my lady." He said with a gentle smile.

Whenever Rynn does go to sleep, an unfamiliar, translucent face trails her in her dreams. How does Rynn react in her dream?

The Queen was deep in her thoughts, resting her chin on her palm and regarding the two. She saw the captain take in her cousin, her cousin take in the captain. She took them in, both. After a moment she straightened up somewhat and spoke firmly. "My current offer of reward stands at double any other. If the need arises, I will match any grander offer you receive. It is unlikely to be an issue."

"Twenty thousand sovereigns it is. I trust you will use each of them wisely, no?" She waved her hand vaguely at one of her assistants, a quivering cake of a man who clutched his quill and parchment at her direction. "Put that down. See he gets it tonight."

She turned her cordial gaze to Fortinbras. "What say you, then? Would you take him on, guards and all? Him alone? A simple guard? Or," she finished, clasping her fingers and smiling thinly at him, "would you prefer the disadvantage?"

I have had much experience in the arts of battle...Fortinbras Carlyle had heard that particular tune sung a time or two; often by silk swaddled youths with dashing new cloaks and Dazzleshine treated swords, bragging about the battles they would win once they were out from under the fencing-master's thumb. Damsels and derring-do for all! Huzzah!

Fools.

Still, Fort was floored enough by the Queens ready acceptance of his 20,000 sovereign advance and her offer to pay double the current bounty for the Shift Particle, a sum that would keep the Ardent well-stocked and flying for the rest of the sky-dog's life and well into his grand childrens' lives, that he didn't so much have a mind to ponder the lordling any longer. His jaw worked a moment as though he meant to say something. With a cough, he cleared his throat and shut his mouth, swiping the black-gloved hand across his mouth. "Too kind, by half, Highness. Indeed. We have an accord."

She'd called the lordling "cousin", Fort realized with a sinking dread. Not just a loyalist dandy, but blood of the Queen herself peering over his shoulder and taking notes. Fort turned to regard the man who'd called himself Randersvayne with a critical eye. "I've got no reason to play with anything less than a full deck. If his lordship is eager to accompany me, so be it. The Ardent is docked at Eastdown number three. Have you sailed before, lordship?"

Rynn watched him silently, feeling bad for the poor man. But she would not ask, as much as she wanted too. She pulled her cloak tightly around her and laid down on her bedroll, falling asleep quite quickly.

The mist cleared, Rynn was in a beautiful valley. She looked around herself, seeing an unfamiliar face behind her. How odd, but it didn't bother her too much. She looked at the other end of the valley. There was a massive house, and something in Rynn told her it was hers. She bounded towards it, curious to see what lie inside. She heard footsteps behind her, seeing the girl following her again. Perhaps she was her daughter or something. Rynn opened the doors to her grand mansion, excited to see how lovely the inside was.

What greeted her was far different, it was dark and cold in here. Beautiful and opulent, but there was no love in the room. A man descended the stairs. She knew his face instantly. It was Nathaniel. He walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her softly on the lips. "You've finally come home my dear...."

Rynn gasped in horror, breaking from his grip and staring at him in awe. The unfamiliar face was still there, watching always watching. "No... I haven't.. you are not home, I will NEVER marry you!" She yelled, turning to run. He grabbed her arm tightly, pulling her to him painfully.

"You listen to me..." he hissed "The kind loving face I show the world is not how I feel about you, behind these doors you are mine to do with as I please, do you understand me? I say come, and follow, I say lie down you damn well lie down. Do you understand me!!?" his voice was a harsh whisper, and she pulled her into a painful kiss, his hands holding her so tightly she bled. All the while the face just kept watching...

The queen unlocked her twined fingers and rested a hand each on the carved-lion mahogany. Annoyance flickered in her eyes as the captain turned to speak to Randersvayne, and she motioned with her hand for them to leave. "The day grows late. Speak outside, if you will."

"Oh, and Carlyle?"

"Don't crash this time."

"To some extent yes, my father had me stay on a navy vessels for a few months when I was younger. I was there alongside the soldiers, and I worked with them, though I will admit not as much. He wanted me to appreciate what our family had and what we were in charge of, so he made sure I knew a soldier's struggle. But I have not sailed on anything other than a navy vessel. I will stay out of you and you crew's way, Captain, and by all means, just call me Nathaniel." He said, giving the captain a polite nod. "I just want to see my beloved again." Nathaniel finished, waiting for the Captain's orders of when to be at the ship.

Carlyle furrowed his brow, but turned as lithely as his game knee would allow to offer another martial bow to the queen.

Huh. Don't Crash. Genius.

"Well bargained and done, Highness. Have my money ready."

Fort led the way toward the double doors already yawning to allow the two dismissed gentlemen to exit. The seneschal behind the doors proferred a black velvet pillow toward the Captain. He'd been allowed to keep the rapier at his side, as the guards had been confident that, had Fortinbras harbored ill will upon the life of the Queen, they could burn him down a dozen times before he crossed the space. The heavy bolt-pistol, however, they had asked him to surrender. Fort retrieved the weapon and fitted it into his holster and fastened the safety strap with a click.

"Naval ships, huh. Well and good. Then you'll get your soar-legs quickly, lordship." He squinted, considering again. "Beloved? You risking your neck on this little venture for a woman?" He snorted a derisive little laugh, "Must be one hell of a girl."

The woman was young. Dark of skin and hair and eye, but...not...quite Kerrian. Too short, too round, the odd white jacket hung flat from her frame. A strange little pocket rested on her breast, on the jacket's left side. Protruding from it, a little crystalline and painted-blue stick. She watched as Rynn opened the door, as the lord-man gripped her and made her cry out.

Rynn felt herself jolted from her sleep just as the not-Kerrian spoke in the softest of voices and in an accent only vaguely resembling Kerrian. Her voice was distorted, broken, wavering, like ripples through a wall of glass.

"Ardent--kssshk--don't trust them--I--their guide--" Boj was over her, shaking her violently, soft brown eyes saucer-wide.

"Girl. Girl!"

He pressed a finger to his lips and pointed to the woods, his voice less than a whisper. "Your sleep. You screamed. We should move, before you invite more spirits. Be quiet. Pack your things." It was hardly morning, the sky still red with twilight and the ground wet with fog.

Nathaniel nodded at the queen's request, walking away from the throne. He only had one more question for the Captain. "Captain when shall I be at the ship?"

Rynn gasped awake, feeling the violent shaking being done by Boj "What? What's happened!?!" She asked, still groggy from her sleep. Rynn sat up, shaking Boj off. "What is it?" she asked again, confused by the girls words. SHe needed to tell them to Boj, tell him of the girl but he seemed distracted.

As the two left, a face Fortinbras would find a familiar face approach them, the numbers-gopher who had taken note of the queen's order for payment. The aide handed Fortinbras a thick envelope sealed with Nerifai's lioness seal, and bowed low before returning to the throne of the high queen.

If and when Fortinbras opens it, see Private Messages.

Boj gripped her jaw in his massive palm, eyes wide and brows carved deep into his forehead. Again he spoke, in less than a whisper. "Quiet. We need to leave, now. Pack."

Fort turned to stare fully into the face of his new patron for the first time, meeting his gaze. "These things take time, son. Need to lay in provisions. Take on crew. Effect repairs. Cann wasn't built in a day."

It was true. There was a lot that had to be done to simply cross the Vast and make one's way to Kerria. All manner of ugliness could occur with little or no warning, and it was best to have one's contingencies nicely covered. And of course, he'd have to gather the crew that was currently scattered to the four winds...assuming that they'd all come back.

And the Ardent was only barely hanging together. She'd need a dry-dock and at least a couple of months of intensive overhaul...

"Look here, lordship. Go ahead and get your affairs in order; say your goodbyes, pack your valise; do what you do. When time comes, I'll send word. But pack some good Cann living into these next few weeks. Ardent's a good sight rougher than your Navy barges..."

His grip hurt, but she didn't cry out, though she might have a bruise later. She nodded as he told her to be quiet. She clasped her cloak around her shoulder and rolled her bedroll up quickly. Rynn put her blades back on her belt and stood up, looking at Boj. She nodded, she was ready.

"I understand, I should have thought that on through better." Nathaniel nodded as he gave her advice. "I will do as you suggest Captain. See you in a few weeks." he said in his very mild-mannered way. Nathaniel then walked away, climbing into his carriage and riding back to his home.

That had been much easier than expected. Thank goodness he was practiced in the art of making people think he was much nicer than he was. He was nearly salivating at the thought of seeing her again, of touching her. When he returned with her there would be a grand ceremony, though Rynn would have to be kept under lock and key. And those were the matters he would be attending too these next few weeks, setting up the house for their return. When he got his hands on that blasted woman, she would learn very quickly who was in charge and what a grave mistake she had made in running away from him.

An all too familiar growl--no, several--surrounded the pair. Boj was already packed, and midway through just picking the damn girl up, throwing her over his shoulder, and taking off. But the voice of Asphedalia Hurphine slipped around a tree trunk and gripped the burly beast of a man in the iciest of grips.

"Boo..." came the words, spoken from some unhappy place. Boj was frozen, unable to draw up the inner strength to turn and see the un-face. A multitude of masked, horned figures slipped from between the trees and closer, speaking in too many voices.

With a child's vocal chords--"Can?"--a rumble of thunder's--"cannot"--a young man's--"help you?"--Asphedalia's--"find Boo? Where?"

They drew closer to the pair, and Boj could not even turn to look at them.

Rynn had settled in for another one of their speedy rides when she felt them stop moving. She looked around, shuddered as she heard the voices. Then she heard Asphedalia's, and Rynn knew the battle was lost at the moment. Boj ahd been hiding something important, and it was going to be the death of them.

"Go...." She whispered harshly in his ear, a barely audible sound. "Boj go...." she said again, still quiet enough to where the creatures couldn't hear. But it was useless, Boj wasn't moving. Rynn struggled out from under his strong arms and landing on the ground. She was thankful she'd been paying attention to the destruction of the creature from earlier. Rynn leapt at the one that was using Asphedelia's voice and tore the mask from its face, throwing it to the ground at Boj's feet. Rynn reached her hand through the empty face and grabbed a hard stone inside, ripping it out and putting it away in her pack. Perhaps now he would unfreeze. Rynn leapt off of that one and turned her attention to the next one nearby, hoping she was doing the right thing.