Thread: Don't Let Your Hope Fade

Jenny Lynn Walker, Kyle Alan Gear, and Teresa Relline are all heading to this terminal in search of a pilot. Since Jenny Lynn has been told to stay put in Kittmund, the female has to sneak past the wary eyes of the la'Ronk guards. To leave this area, she will have to seek a passage on a black market ship. Walking straight into danger, she wants to ask the thugs on the rear terminal for help. Although it's what she wants it might not be the best idea.

Furthermore, she has no idea Antonio Giuliani is nearby. That is until now.

Thetrip was relativly short. But it was hard findind a place to dock on the port that always seemed busy. Antoino paid his fare and then filed out behind a hand ful of other passengers onto the busstling docks. Hands in his pockets he sighed. The docks always reminded him of his child hood. His father. They had gotten along until Ant decided to go to medical school instead of flight school. Happier times before this stupid assignment.

"What the hell?" it was more of a statement than a question as he saw Jenny pushing her way through the crowds with two other people. Rolling his eyes he walked over to them, eyes trained on the woman in charge. "I figured I'd find you here." He said flatly, brushing dark hair out of his eyes. "I take it you are trying to head off without me again? You know that only lands you in trouble, expecially with that new boy toy of yours." He wasn't normally so mouthy, but he was in an odd mood today. Maybe it was that kiss that had him so off kilter.

Just then, her ears picked up an all too familiar voice. Groaning at her luck, he gave Ant one hell of a death glare.

"Don't you dare throw that BS in my face! You know you left me. I have had strict orders to stay here. For the most part, I have. Until now. I'm busting outta the joint. You can either keep that pie hole of yours shut and follow us, or I will yell rape and you'll find yourself in prison. Your pick."

Snarling like a wolf, she nipped at Ant's neck. "And he's not a boy toy. He's my fiance. Show some respect or I'll have you fired!" Crossing her arms over her chest, the female popped open and eye to check on Teresa and Kyle. Holding a finger up to Ant's lips, she beckoned the three to follow her off to the shady spot beside the crates. Just on the other side of the shady air pad, the woman rose to stalk her prey. They didn't seem that bad. She was sure a few gold coins would keep their yaps' shut.

Antonio couldn't help but chuckle to himself. She couldn't fire him if she tried. Kill him, probably, but not fire him. He wasthe best. And her fiancé made sure he wasthe one picked to follow around his prized woman. No one else was deemed good enough, not that Ant really wanted the job.

Following the woman towards the thugs he couldn't help but roll his eyes. Again with the thugs! he thought. When will she ever learn... his eyes drifted over to the girl and man at his side. Lovely. More people he would be stuck taking care of. Shoving his hands into his pockets he let out a long stream of air and blew his dark hair from his eyes.

"I don't get paid enough for this..." he mumbled under his breath. He really didn't want to be there, but he had to figure out what she knew, what her plans were. That way she could go and warn the Heroes. They had to win this.

Antonio was never really sure why he was so set on sabatoging his employer. They never really did anything to him. He just hated them with a passion. He didn't want them to win. But more than he hated the la'Ronk. He hated Jenny. Ant took care of her like a good medic, but he wasn't about to go out of his way to be nice to the woman.

Teresa had gamely followed Jenny through Kishmal to the the air terminal. It was only taking her so long cause she couldn't help but stare at everything all around her. She assumed everything would work out fine when they were stopped by a young man with dark hair, who seemed to know Jenny and didn't think much of her. Teresa was shocked most people she knew didn't speak this way to each other. though she was beginning to suspect that the rules had changed some what. When Jenny beckoned them all over to some crates she followed.

Leaning against the crates. she hoped that her next question wasn't going to turn Jenny's sudden anger on her. "I hate to ask, but apparently we have a new companion. Who is he? And why are we hiding behind crates?" she wasn't sure she was going to like the answers but knowing was always better then not knowing in her book. Besides the worst they could do was just not answer in which case she'd still find out eventually.

Growling that same deep throat tingling growl, Jenny Lynn could only find worse of disgust for Ant. He had recently acquired this new 'I'm too good for you' attitude and she hated it. There was once a time where she thought about asking the male on a date, but she never got around to it. Thanking herself for not finding the time, her head swiveled over to Teresa. A natural smile was on her face.

"This jerk is Antonio Giuliani. He's my personal Medic. A Med la'Ronk, if you please. Anyway, my fiance entrusted him with my life. So now this baboon is stuck following me everywhere. He's quiet terrible at it. He's always off getting himself lost. I can't help but wonder if he's betraying the prince. Tsk tsk tsk, if you are."

Well that answered one question. Now I supposed I ought to inform the ass who these two adorable partners are.

"Ant, these are my new comrades. They shall be joining us on the trip. This is Kyle. He's my butler. And this doll is Teresa. She's my cook."

Obviously lying for a reason, Jenny winked at the two and prayed they would play along. Her gut was warning her that something just wasn't right about Ant. In time, the Med la'Ronk would discover their true ranks, but, for the time being, there identities were beyond his grasp. She conveniently left out their last names so he couldn't do any side research on the two. Furthermore, Jenny knew Kyle was a fairly common name among the la'Ronk. Teresa was rarer, but the few Teresa she knew matched her description almost to the T.

Knowing that their secrets were hers, she turned to Teresa to answer the woman's other question. "We're hiding because I want to see if these thugs are trustworthy. They seem fitting to pilot and crew a ship." Her eyes met with Kyle's. Although he had a ship, she knew Ant would take the licence from it and run it against the database. She wanted Kyle's title to remain a mystery for as long as she could. The less Ant knew, the better.

"Now if you'll excuse me," she said brushing past the trio. Stepping up to the pirates, she pulled a few gold coins from her bosom. "If you boys would like more of this, you'll get us a ship and help us flee from Kittmund. We're wanted fugitives. Like you, we're pirates of the sky, land, and sea." Her lips twisted up at the thought of seeing Teresa's face. She was going to love becoming a pirate. Although, Jenny wasn't too sure her father would like hearing that. Oh well!

Oh good Jenny Lynn hadn't yelled more anyway, and the new man was her medic. That explained some of the hostility, Jenny hadn't sounded to fond of him when he was mentioned earlier. However the man was la'Ronk and Teresa gave him a slight curtsey, with more difficulty then normal considering they were hiding behind the crates. But what she didn't quite understand was why Jenny hadn't given their full names and ranks. Clearly she didn't want this man to know, he looked fairly harmless, but then again so did many dangerous things. But couldn't it have been something other then cook. she couldn't cook, she had tried to learn when she was younger but her mother hadn't wanted her disrupt their cook. She only remembered how to make gingersnap cookies, and you couldn't really live off of gingersnap cookies. Hopefully there wouldn't actually be a need for her to cook for everyone.

As for the other answer, it didn't make sense either. Kyle had a ship he mentioned it. Why weren't they trying to use it. but before she could blurt out that question, Jenny had shot kyle one of her death glares and stepped out to deal with some of the most horrible looking men Teresa had ever seen in her life. when she listened into the conversation and heard about the pirates and more specifically that they were going to be pirates, she clasped her hands together and grinned from ear to ear while her blue eyes shown in excitement. She was barely able to stop her self from jumping up and down and squealing in excitement. But she did, especially when she remembered that she was still hiding behind crates with two relatively strange gentlemen.

Antonito knew she was lying. She always did. But normally they weren't so hostile with ine another.His contact with the heroes had definitely left him off his norm. Eyeing the girl asking about him he shook his head. There was no way she was a cook. He could just tell, but... it was better safe than sorry. Gently reaching out and taking one of her small hands in his own, he looked for some key clues. Her nails were too perfect, cuticls trimed and proper. And her skin was far to soft than that of a person who constantly washed them in a sink.

Before she would realize he was looking for clues he would brush a feather light kiss across her knuckles, his more proper side coming to show. "I am indeed Antonio, but please, it's just Ant. And I would say its a pleasure but I don't exactly want to be here so it really isn't." He wrinkled his nose and pointed to Jenny mouthing 'It's her fault' grinning. "You'll have to forgive my attitude, I'm too sure what is eating at me today, but normally I'm alot nicer."
His eyes shifted over to where Jenny was haggling with the pirates. He rolled his eyes. "I know she lied about you two, but I don't exactly care. Just... try not to get yourselves hurt. If you are with her, you are with me which means I've gotta take care of you. I don't exactly want to have to patch you guys up." He gave the rather pretty girl a smile before looking to Kyle. Butler my ass.... he looks like a fighter... but Ant wouldn't say a word about it. Instead he turned his gaze back to Jenny to see if she was winning against the thugs before her.

"Miss, that man ya told us ta watch is speakin' wit da woman. He kissed har hand. 'N I believe he just gave da lad a good lookin' ta." His gold crowned teeth revealed a rather repulsive smile, but Jenny didn't care about that. She had other things to worry about. More specifically, a man who went by the name Ant. So he's called my bluff. Eh, oh well. What's he going to do? Run away and tell the heroes I'm coming...! That's exactly what he'll do. I must keep this to myself. At some point, I will have to tell Kyle and Teresa. But, for now, this knowledge is useless for them."Great news! We have ourselves a ship and a crew! And I'm captain. So ya'll better get your gear on! We're heading out and rocking this ship."

Bounding over to the trio, she poked Ant square in the forehead with her index and middle finger. A cutesy grin then appeared, but was quickly replaced by a tongue. Giggling, she spun herself in a few circles before following the crew of pirates over to another bay. They one was disconnected from the la'Ronk bay and was actually quite the hike away.

As soon as she stepped foot in the bay, she knew she was right to trust these pirates. Even though they were ruthless plunderers, they had a nice terminal and even nicer ships. Illegal ships, but who care? Not her! She had a mission she needed to fulfill and the large black, white, and gold ship before her would suit the group flawlessly.

About seven pirates had signed up for the trip. Jenny and the others brought the grand total to eleven. Thieving a hat as she brushed before a few drunken fools, she placed the hat atop her head. With a smug look, she barked out her commands. "Arrrg! Let's get this ship a movin' or else ya pirates ain't gettin' no booty!"

Kyle had been at the Air terminal just the day before. He had taken the trip up to Kishmal from New Vegra. It had taken a little while, but it was interesting. Especially when the pirates hit. It was comical actually. He only ordered the pilot to ram into them a few times and shot crossbow bolts at the three that actually managed to get his door open. Then he kicked their bodies off the side, into a hay field.

At the introduction of Ant Kyle only nodded. He figured a Med la'Ronk would've been assigned to Jenny. The man was taller than Himself and seemed older. Not that Kyle was afraid, he had taken down men bigger than himself before, he just liked noticing the size of his companions. He was a near head taller than Teresa and taller than Jenny a few inches. They were both older than himself, or at least it seemed that way as far as Teresa was concerned. He knew Jenny's age. When Jenny went up to the thugs and claimed they were pirates, he laughed. A noblewoman, a medic, and two assassins were far from mere pirates. At least it wasn't as bad as what she told Ant. He would never be a butler. He couldn't be. A butler was required to take crap from people. He would beat the crap out of them for talking down at him. If there was one thing being an assassin gave you, it was respect, even from nobles. They wouldn't be buddies, but they'd respect you. Mainly because they know how easily assassins can hide weapons. He sat back as Ant went through his rambling and Jenny with her attempt at intimidation. He didn't understand how the big soldiers in the la'Ronk were scared of her. It didn't matter, maybe her engagement to the prince was the source. Marrying a man like that would send many men to the corner in fear.

He smirked at the antics but said nothing.

When Jenny came back with news of the ship he laughed, an impossible lie would only work on blundering drunk and idiot pirates. "If you captain, who's first mate?" he said jokingly. It wasn't going to be long.

Teresa couldn't help but giggle at Jenny's antics and gleefully followed her to the pirate bay. she didn't know much about air ships but the ones here certainly looked nicer, it didn't occur to her how they were probably obtained. And as for Ant, he certainly knew proper manners, but he seemed grouchy and he had guessed Jenny's bluff, so something was definitely up. When Kyle asked Jenny who was going to be first mate. she laughed out loud. the situation was so peculiar and different from the norm. Firstly she was on an adventure with people she had just met, one of them one of the most famous people she knew of. Secondly they got to be pirates, well pretend to be pirates anyway. and then kyle had to go be funny, he didn't seem like that sort of person, not that she knew him well. Previously though he had been all quiet.

Once she stopped laughing. she was still grinning then one horrible thought popped into her head and escaping years of training in not saying the first thing that comes to mind, she blurted out "oh gods! what are my parents going to think." she giggled again to herself and muttered much quieter "well it really doesn't matter now i suppose."

"Oh Kyle, you're so silly! You can definitely be my first date!" Suddenly her face flushed. Wiggling her hands back and forth, the woman covered her mouth before bursting into a fit of laughter. "I mean mate! No... wait... I don't want you as my mate. Erm... uhh... yeah... I quit. You can be captain."

Retiring her hat to Kyle's head, the woman bounded over to Teresa's side. Those baby blues of hers drifted up to the clouds that were still above the floating nation. There was a light that shined brighter than anything she had ever seen before. Watching it, the woman cussed to herself. She had a gut feeling that it was related to the heroes.

Eyes fluttering to Teresa, she noticed a strange look overcome her pretty face. Head cocked and hands wrapping around the girl's body, Jenny Lynn supposed the woman that she wouldn't collapse. Peering at the light, her nose wrinkled as the scent of blood ran deep. Being naturally keen to such things, the blonde whirled around to glaze at Kyle.

"This will make for an interesting adventure. I foresee things getting ugly before no time. Let's just hope we don't get stopped along the way. Since we're traveling at night, I believe we should be veiled by the black sky. If we do run into trouble, I'll just scream "rape" and someone will come to our rescue... while we're obviously making our get away. Ha ha!"

Jenny's eyes didn't waver as she looked at Teresa. She didn't know what was wrong, but she felt that something was different in the woman. For a moment, she thought it was something bad, but then she recalled the comment the girl had made. "Wow, Teresa! You've already got your pirate face on. Next time, Nazzinivia. Get some sleep while we fly down. Tomorrow will be a long day."

Teresa barely noticed Jenny's further banter with kyle her eyes were caught by a strange phenomenon, through the cloud filled sky a light shown, brighter then anything she had ever seen before, it was beautiful, more stunning then anything she had ever imagined. she whispered so quietly she could barely hear herself "what are you?" stranger still it answered or at least it seemed to. we are you and light seemed to her at least to enter to mind and body and she thought she could feel it resting there right out of reach. Her mind snapped back to reality, when Jenny Lynn caught her. The moment was gone she couldn't quite feel anything different anymore. "Sorry i must be tired, sleep would be good." She regained her own balance and grinned "And of course i have my pirate face on! I can't wait! "

Once they were aboard the ship and safely on their way to Nazzinivia, Teresa had trouble sleeping despite previous comments about being tired, and she was really she was. But what was keeping her up she had been so sure something had happened. But now it felt like nothing had changed. Something warned her though telling Jenny wasn't a good idea, it wasn't that she didn't trust the older girl, she did. But it seemed she had enough on her plate and well, she had no evidence or proof, just a glimmer of a thought that maybe the light was more then just a light. Of course this didn't mean she wasn't going to try to figure it out, she just had to know. Out loud she muttered to her self in bed "i'll just add it to the list then."

The list was of course the growing one that she had started in her head the moment she had met Jenny Lynn and Kyle when everything had gotten exciting. At the moment if she wrote it out it would probably take up a page or so. and she would tomorrow if there was time. she didn't want to forget anything. with those final thoughts she slept.

Kyle laughed at Jenny's antics. He donned the hat and just sat back. When the mysterious light came out, he simply nodded. Jenny caught the girl when she feinted. The Light may have had something to do with the heroes. He honestly didn't care. He began to shout orders to the crew. When Jenny came over, he simply nodded and began telling the crew to work faster.

(FYI I',m figuring the Airship works kinda like the solar ships from Treasure Planet.)

Patting Kyle on the shoulder, Jenny Lynn then wandered over to Teresa. Sliding down ever so gracefully, she rested her rump against the wooden floorboards of the majestic ship. Her face was still delightful and filled with awe as she rested her wore feet. Tugging off her boots, she wiggled her toes in the cool air. A small 'ah' even pursed her lips when her toes were freed from their boot prison.

A yawn escaped as did another one. Eyes heavy with sleep, the blonde leader rest her head against the side boards of the ship. The last image that was ingrained in her brain was that of a starry sky. Smile on her face, Jenny Lynn drifted into a light sleep. The light of the morning sun would cause her to stir when it eventually came time to rise. To her dismay, the arrival and Vesper would awaken her before the rising sun.

Needless to say, her mind played visions of her past and of a future she sought to make true. Nicholas, she dreamed with a smile, you shall be my husband.

Kyle looked up when the men started shouting something about being boarded. He had to laugh.

Then Let them board. he thought, seeing the girl board. She had a la'Ronk badge. He saw one of the men reach for his weapon, "If you touch that blade, Jensen, I will personally shoot you down."

"You're not me capt'n!" Jensen said, hefting the huge ax at the girl. With only the slightest move of his hand, Kyle embedded a throwing knife in the man's shoulder, causing him to drop the ax. It didn't deter him, however from pick up a smaller knife with his good hand and lunging at the girl. Kyle tsked as the crossbow bolt burrowed into the man's side. The knive had been a warning, the bolt was a kill shot. If Teresa had seen more blood in her life, he would've jumped down and stabbed the man, but the crossbow bolt left a much smaller hole an a lot less blood.

"Anyone else who wants to attack this young woman, do so at your on risk." The crew all looked down at this. "Hello Madame la'Ronk." he said, walking over, "Now what are we forgetting again? I won't ask you how you know my name, but I would like to know yours." he said, as politely as he could. "Somebody clean this mess up and toss the body overboard... Don't want it smelling up the ship."

"But sir..." one of the men began, only to be cut off by Kyle.

"So you're offering to share a bed with Jensen tonight, Beiny?" he said, eyes cold and voice emotionless. When he saw the man's face pale he smirked. "Then I suggest you listen to your orders." he said with a snarl.

"Now, what were we saying?" He said turning back to the young woman.

Teresa woke up to the sound of fighting going on above her. Or at least she assumed it was fighting. It was banging and loud and kyle was shouting though she wasn't sure the words. Uncurling from the ball she has ended up she decided to go investigate. Her long hair which had been previously bound on top of her head had managed to come undone and hung in curls down her back almost reaching her waist. She ran towards the main deck of the ship just in time to hear kyle asking who someone was. and made it on to the deck in time to hear him threaten the other sailor. She was shocked. Not really at the fact kyle would threaten a man it seemed right up his alley, but that he had so much at one given time. She felt bad for the Beiny (she assumed this was the sailor being threatened, he was only voicing an opinion.) She also wondered who this Jensen was though she assumed he was another sailor, she had fallen asleep that night before she had learned anyone's name.

And then as all of that raced through her brain a mile a min, she noticed the dead body on the floor and the pretty la' Ronk girl standing at the other end of the deck of the ship. She recognized the family symbol on the girls badge. But not the girl herself. Biting the urge to panic about the dead body and start asking 50 billion questions that were going through her head, she put on her best noble la' Ronk face and curtsied to the other woman "Hello Miss Riddle, I recognize your family name from your badge, but i don't recognize you. Have you spent any time Kishmal? Also i really must insist you fully cooperate and answer any and all of Captain Gear's questions. First and for most, who are you? He seems quite willing to kill people tonight who displease him."

She nodded to Kyle in a silent apology for undermining his role as captain. However the stranger was clearly la' Ronk and for all his good traits Kyle was not and that meant socially this lady didn't have to tell him anything. Teresa knew nobles, and how to interact. And she was good at it. This girl was her equal in every way, the badge she wore at her hip noted it at every level, and while she was still to far away to read the first name, the family name and rank stood out clear as day. She hoped Kyle would follow along and ask questions and not shoot the girl. she had made the connection from the crossbow in his hand to the dead sailor. She had no illusions that he would hesitate to use it if he thought the situation demanded. And there really was no reason for killing anymore this could be solved with words. She moved forward to stand closer to the action or the aftermath, oh gods dead bodies smelled! She waited to see what would happen next.

"I figured with your dogs here you could handle it yourself, but Jensen has been annoying the entire voyage. And I needed to shoot something. The kill shot was a total accident." he lied. No need to make himself seem too bad ass. He noticed she hadn't answered his question but didn't particularly care. It wasn't important anyway. He smirked at her introduction and politely nodded to her curtesy, not that he thought it was directed at him.. He knew better. La'Ronk only bowed to La'Ronk. "So I presume you will be joining us on our grand voyage huh?"

Growling, the woman's eyes shot open. Bounding onto her heels, she toppled into Kyle before shaking a fit at Kyna. Snarl still on her face, the blonde flicked her hair from her eyes before a smile parted her face.

"Tch, you just want to wreck havoc on the world, Kyna. Don't lie. You enjoy the thought of squashing the little heroes."

Kissing her teeth, she walked over to the two creatures that accompanied Kyna. "Why hello, sweeties. Jenny has some treats for you, yes!" Pulling a piece of jerky from her pocket, she dangled it before their dog-like noses. As the scent of the meat distracted them, Jenny ran her fingers through their fur. It was coarse, but in a soothing sort of way. Smile coming back onto her face, she twisted her head up to look at Kyle. The moonlight in her eyes caused them to shine and shimmer a metallic blue color. Her face was masked with a great many shadows, but the bright light from above helped to light her face up so that her expressions could be read.

A yawn escaped from her smiling lips, which caused the woman to bend at her hips. Stretching, she laid a pair of blue eyes on Teresa. "Teresa, I would like you to keep your eyes on this woman. She's of the same class as you, but, like yourself, she sought out the life of adventure. You might be able to learn a thing or two from Kyna."

Exchanging a grin for one of Kyna's, Jenny walked forward to embrace the woman. You could say they were friends, but that wouldn't be all that accurate. They had a history, but it was a little more complicated than some. There was a time where the two ran about the streets of Kittmund causing chaos, but that week of terror was short lived. Jenny was engaged to the Prince and it seemed to put a damper on their friendship. Having known each other for a small amount of time, Jenny couldn't help but wonder what their friendship would be like had she not been swept into the Mon la'Ronk lifestyle.

"We should be arriving at the port within the next few hours. Until then, perhaps we can shut our eyes. We'll be able to sleep more when we make it to Nick's house. I'm assuming he'll be a wonderful host, so he should grant us a pleasant stay."

Folding her hands behind her head, Jenny looked up at the moon. "She's beautiful tonight," she whispered under her breath. Eyes closing, she could almost hear the faint voice of a man. Yes, you are beautiful. The words seemed so surreal. For so long, Jenny had prayed to hear those words come from Nick's mouth, but the day that would have happened, she was swept away to the world of the la'Ronk.

Teresa decided there was something Kyna wasn't telling, but Kyle wasn't asking and Jenny Lynn knew the girl so she decided it wasn't worth pressing it right now. And besides her only advantage had been a slightly higher social rank which if she used again would completely undermine Kyle's authority and probably anger Jenny, two things she really did want to avoid. Especially since Jenny said she could learn from this Kyna. And she did want to learn, all of this was new to her and much harder to navigate then the endless politics and court games that had ruled her life previously. The rules were different and she needed to learn them all. She turned towards the new girl " its a pleasure to meet you Kyna, I'm Teresa Relline, only daughter of Senator James Relline."

She smiled she wasn't sure if she liked the newest addition to their group but that wasn't a reason to not be friendly. She remembered the lessons her mother had drilled into her head when she was as young as five "Smile at anyone you meet, its easier to be a friend then an enemy. And on top of that a smile shows you're confident and not frightened, If you act as if you are not frightened or nervous no one can take advantage of it. Confidence is a shield against those who wish to make you a pawn in their own games. If they want you on their side they must work much harder now. She had thought some of the advice was stupid over confidence could get you killed, but her mother was right on most accounts, if you are nervous and acted weak everyone was stronger then you and able to control you, and back home that meant your downfall.

With night still playing a role in the delayed arrival, the crew was able to get a bit of shut eye before they would be awoken by the morning's rays. When they would finally come to, they would be hovering over the city of Vesper. Within no time, Teresa, Kyna, Jenny Lynn, and Kyle would be off the ship and being met with the lovely Garnette.

With the strongest la'Ronk assembling, it is only a matter of time before the heroes start running into trouble. What will happen? Well, my friends, I cannot tell you that for not even I know. All I do know is that trouble is a brewing and there is a storm on the horizon.

[[ All posts should now be moved to Vesper. You might want to reflect on the night's journey. If interested, you can talk about the city below them. ]]

Kyle Alan Gear just walked away after the confrontation. Apparently Jenny Lynn and the new comer were not exactly friendly. The dogs seemed loyal, and extremely rare. A benefit about being a la'Ronk. You get all the best pets and the best toys. He was almost disgusted but he couldn't be. He looked at the crew and shouted "Get Moving!" extremely loudly. They all gave a start and then rushed around to get things ready. When Jenny mentioned something about resting Kyle only nodded and returned to the wheel of the ship.

Exhaustion kicked in and the woman let out a yawn. Turning her attention to the crew, she suggested that they try to get a wink of sleep.

Falling into a deep dream, Jenny found herself torn between two options. In her dream, Nick had become a hero. Her fiance, as everyone knew, was a la'Ronk. How was she to chose which path to follow? Could she slay Nick and stop him from overthrowing her fiance? Or would she betray the man she's been wed off to for a past lover? As the dream toyed with her mind and drew up great waves of doubt and decisions, the Mon la'Ronk whimpered. Tonight would be, without a doubt, a long night.

[[ Jenny Lynn is here - Vesper - when she awakens. ]]

Elias Diden couldn't believe he was here in Lief tutoring the youngest princess and yet at the same time it was truly feasible. He was the prodigal son of the illustrious genius couple that were responsible for a few wonders in Kittmund. Honestly though he couldn't understand the la'Ronk and their odd ways, and had a hard time fitting in these dubious halls with their exalted guests. Where he did spend most of time was at the library- researching every little piece of knowledge that could fit inside the well of his mind. It was a fathomless depth and it honestly had no end or beginning. While he was more talented at mechanics, schematics, and the inner workings of modern technology there were unknown secrets locked away in those papery bindings and all he had to do was tip a book open.

Yet for everything that Elias could understand he failed to comprehend one very important factoid- why wouldn't this tiara come off of his head? A few days ago he had retrieved his mail only to find this odd piece of jewelry lost amongst the tabloids there. For a while he just stared at it and wondered which one of his many colleagues it had been that had sent this to him. Out of an odd curiosity- and somewhat planning a joke- he had placed it atop his crown only to find that it wouldn't come off. He tried several ways to remove it and they all ended up rather desperately failing (a couple had bruised him- but honestly he didn't know where he had placed his intelligence he had grabbed a baseball bat). He was left with a few options- one involved cutting his hair off for fear that his friends had invented some new peptide bonded glue that wouldn't' come undone for anything- or he could always research an odd hunch he had. That pictorial memory of his shot a few pleasant images of various pages of a book that spoke of a tiara an and it compelled him to journey to the library in hopes of quelling that surge of questions.
Glancing at himself in the mirror- Eli figured he could probably hide the tiara via a hat and that it would work quite well with his ensemble. The man was of average height and weight- his muscular build hidden by his clothing layers. He was wearing a deep cerulean blue button up, white tie, gray waistcoat, equally gray slacks, white shoes and interestingly patterned argyle socks. So he just grabbed that gray fedora that hung unused on his hat rack and bolted towards the library.

Adjusting his glasses didn't help- what he was reading seemed to almost mock him. The same tiara that was atop his head (and neatly hidden) was the same one in this book, but that seemed impossible. It spoke of heroes that would come and overthrow the la'Ronk and one such hero of ice would be eternally bonded to a gilded tiara until death. "This is preposterous, unfeasible, and probably some poor joke perpetrated by those of lesser stature than myself." He sighed, "damn peer groups. Very well- this might be of use if it truly was penned by the same people who did this to me."
It wasn't that Eli was a criminal but he had lifted several books from the library before- he just slid them under his shirt and waddled away towards his room.

When he entered- he became swiftly aware of the time- the princess would arrive any moment for her tutoring session and he hadn't prepared tea, set out her lecture or shooed Percival (the male calico cat that lurked constantly under footfall) from the main room. He dumped the book on a small table by the door as he began to busy himself with preparations- all the while keeping that fedora snugly on his head.
Elias was assured he could fix this- but wished not to cut his own locks to free himself from this humiliation. Eyes flicked about and made sure the colossal walls of books, crates of computer parts, and the ordered study desk in the corner were all in its place (of course one would wonder why he ever checked as he was an anal perfectionist to the tightest of 'T's). Well he did spot one article out of place- a picture of him as a child with his parents. The backdrop was the undersea of Wayfter with his parents arms draped over his shoulders. There he was- massive glasses, semi-curly hair, those light freckles he still had over his nose, and the brightest grin one could imagine over his suspender little-boy suit. Only problem was the fact that he was rather immensely overweight and all the cuteness of that he radiated was from the fact that his cheeks were undeniable chubby (and probably seemed jovial whenever he was in a hissy as well). While waiting for the tea to boil he grabbed the picture and turned it down- glancing in the mirror as he did. While he was cloistered in the nerdiest of clothing imaginable he was still sleek and exhaled everyday that he would never return to that- foulest of forms.

About that time his teapot whistled and he returned stove-side. The heat roiling off of the burners caused him a moment of faintness before he had to step away; he glanced at the steeping pot. Vertigo racked his form for a lazy moment and he had to grip the edge of the kitchen counter top before he felt righted again. "What was that about-?" He questioned slowly- but only in enough to hear the buzzer ring outside his door. Quickly he turned the stove off and pulled the somewhat frilly white apron from his body before running to answer the door.

"Oooooohh, Eli-Weely!" Lani burst through the door not even giving it a second thought that she was, technically, breaking and entering into someone's house. Granted, she was a princess, so, technically, she was allowed to do as she pleased (within reason).

Nonetheless, there she was. After the morning meeting's swift end (which she was more than proud of as she hated the boring lectures that her sisters always drew on for hours on end), Lani had skipped, hopped, and danced her way to Eli's doorstep. Now, despite her age, you could easily assume that Lani had the world's biggest crush on the nerdy male. Batting her lashes and trying to look prettier than ever, the young princess seized Eli's hand and tugged him into the living room.

"Oh, Eli-Weely! Today's meeting was so boring. Can we just read fun stories today? I don't want to learn. Learning hurts my brain. And after all that fussin' from my sisters... well, I just want to have fun."

Wiggling her cute, little nose, Lani pushed a sincere grin to her face.

Just then, she recalled some wondrous news she just had to share with the male. "Oh oh oh! Eli-Weely! We caught the Hero of Darkness! We did, we did! He's in prison right now. Serves that hero right! He's been really naughty. Sis says that he's a 'glutton for punishment.' No idea what she means, but she sounded real angry...." Trailing off, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I heard he's pretty cute though... hope they don't behead him."

Honestly if there wasn’t a chance for him to be marked a traitor and thrown off of the side of Kittmund like some pitiable refuse- Eli would promptly halt the calling of himself ’Eli-weely’. Out of all the nicknames that could be contrived from his more than colorful existence he was quite baffled at the sheer childish ‘complexity’ of this one. Either way- he enjoyed his job (and on a higher note- living) and so put up with Lani’s almost unbearable mutilation of his name.

Yet beyond the grating renaming and almost inglorious tone she used to say his name (or any word really)- Eli didn’t much mind her presence. The uptightness of his colleagues and fellow engineers was almost unbearable and so on occasion it was fun to tutor a child if only to wonder how one’s imagination spawns from the smallest molecule of interest.

“’Fuss-ing’,” he corrected. “ ‘Fussin’ sounds like you are not well equipped to speak amongst royalty- which you are Princess Lani.” He exhaled as she practically adhered to him much like cyanine does to guanine. “And I suppose we can go over a few things that are ‘extracurricular’ today- though we should really learn about physics and how even the slightest movement or alteration in reality has a cataclysmic affects somewhere else- every action has a reaction. Have you ever heard that the flap of a butterfly wing could plausibly bring forth a mighty hurricane over the ocean?” He hesitated for a moment. Right she had asked for something lighthearted and here he was telling her that beautiful insects could bring the ruin of a peoples.

It wasn’t that Eli was macabre he was just practical to the point of cynicism.

Yet what Lani said next made him pause. “Oh the hero of darkness?” It was then his eyes skidded over to the book on the stand by the door and he exhaled. “Yes how about we discuss that- you tell me what you know about these legends. Does that sound like fun? You can even act it out if you want.” It was then he patted her head softly and smiled, “and we’ll just leave explaining ‘glutton for punishment’ until you are older and possibly married. I’m not getting thrown off the side of Kittmund for allowing you to understand exactly what that means.”

Eli pondered if the arrival of this ‘hero’ and the tiara adhering itself to his head were connected. Yet he quickly brushed that aside- very quickly. If they threatened to behead some hero that they caught far away from Kittmund- what would they do to him?

Preposterous.

He was considering himself to be this fabled ‘ice hero’- that was- incalculable.

’Shhh- you can almost hear everyone else’s back snapping in two from the immense weight of your intelligence. Yeash- would you listen to yourself? Common sense Eli- or you are going to get yourself in trouble.’

With that Eli quickly jerked around and glanced about the room in a frantic haze. “Who said that?” He questioned tightly and then turned his gaze to Lani. The voice was obviously masculine and not at all what was the norm for the princess. “Um,” he paused. “Yes go on- explain it to me. Here I even have a book to help.” He grabbed the tome and brought it over to the table- almost losing his balance all the while. His hat slipped off for a second- a flicker of the tiara shown underneath- before he rammed it back atop his head.

Honestly the last thing Elias Diden needed was more nicknames.

"Explain. Oi. You're supposed to be the smart one, but I suppose it can't be helped! You aren't a royal like me. So, peasant, I guess I shall have to educate you on the heroes and their forsaken ways of destruction... I quoted my sis on that last part." Eyes flicking to the door, the girl shoved her hands into her pits at the sound of a gentle knock. "Stupid sissy, she's trying to steal you from me..." Lani pouted.

Like Lani, Lorraine didn't even wait to be welcomed in. Although, to Lani's surprise, it wasn't the sister she suspected. "Ohhh~ It's Rainy!" she spoke in the tune and rhythm of a song bird. "Rainy, Rainy! You are just in time to tell Eli-Weely the story of the stupid heroes."

"Am I now?" Lorraine said with a smirk and an almost matter-of-fact chide.

Twisting her arms and whirling them around as if they were a toy, she battered her way into the prettiest princess of them all. "PLEASE! You have to."

"Very well..." slid out of her mouth like the hissing sound of a snake's tongue.

Glancing over at Eli, who she was not really all that fond of, Lorraine slipped her dainty body over to the nearby patted chair. It was really quiet the ugly chair, but Lorraine knew better than to nit-pick the man's home. After all, it wasn't like he was royalty... yet.

Once she was seated as comfortably as she could, Lorraine pointed her slender, pale fingers toward the book that rested beside Lani's round face. "Bring that here," she breathed in her soft-spoken voice, "I would like to make sure I don't stray off the beaten path for I know all too well what happens to those that start rumors and lies."

Lani's chubby little fingers wormed there way around the binding of the book. With her innocence vanishing by the second, the once baby-faced princess started to look more and more like her demonic sibling. Both were out for blood and both hated the heroes with no end.

"Make it bloody," the little piped in before handing the book off.

That ghastly smirk that she worn before came sliding back onto her face. Like Lani, Lorraine's face lost its beauty and became jaded with wrath and sin. Despite her outer beauty, Lorraine was as ugly as the rest on the inside. All machine and cold. Not an ounce of justice or concern for the lives of those that dared betray their crown.

"More than seven hundred years ago, the world was at chaos. Peace was impossible due to the opinions of those that refused to be governed. They fought - tooth and nail - to destroy and even overthrow the rulers of the time. Sickened by the sinful nature of mankind, the son of the king poisoned his father. He did it because he knew the world needed to be shown what would happen if people lied, cheated, and fought the crown."

"Although chaos followed for a great many years, it eventually vanished -- and not because people lived in fear. No, no. It vanished because the people knew what would happen if disorder were allowed to wreck havoc over the world. All vowed to stomp out traitors. Those that opposed the crown... they faced the most gruesome of deaths."

"It was then when two foolish humans cried out to the gods and begged to have man sin. One offered her life to Balance. The other offered his life to Void. It was because of these two that the world was purged and civilization was forced to restart."

"A hundred years had passed and all seemed to be okay, but there were whispered rumors that darkness was creeping in. The night of darkness was thwarted when a strong, brave, and valiant young woman took control of the land. She, with her own two hands, tried the broken nations back together under one rule. It was she who was able to save mankind from their sinister nature. It was she who brought unity and hope to the people."

"But Balance and Void refused to let her live with a bit of happiness. They both took the lives of her children. All but one, that is. He, the one left alive was our great, great grandfather."

Looking from Eli to Lani, who was acting out the various scenes between her gawking and squeeing, Lorraine rolled her lip up in disgust. "Which now brings us to the Prophecy of the Balance and the Curse of Void."

Without hesitation or respect for the book, Lorraine peeled the ancient-looking book open. "Before the la'Ronk ever came to power, the six gods spoke of seven heroes and a forgotten priest. The forgotten priest was said to be the knot between the string of the heroes."

"I'm jumping ahead," Lorraine moaned. "Let me step back."

"It was the gods that originally spoke of the heroes. They said that when Balance and Void were not strong enough to save the planet and seven heroes would rise from the ashes of those oppressed by the doers of evil. The doers of evil, though I refuse to believe it, are the la'Ronk."

"Needless to say, the gods each crafted a hero's affinity. The Goddess of Life created the Hero of Light. The Goddess of Death was to craft the Hero of Darkness. The God of Earth took control of the Hero of Earth. The God of Wind was given the Hero of Lightning. The God of Water begged to have the Hero of Water. And the God of Fire reigned over the Hero of Fire. It was then when the heroes realized that one was missing - the Hero of Ice. Why was he missing? Well, he wasn't. They just needed a seventh member to tip the scale should the heroes not agree on something. And thus, the Hero of Ice was born."

"With the heroes conceived in the hearts and souls of the gods, the gods have had to wait a lifetime to give deserving humans the chance to be infused with their godly powers. Now, I should mention that the gods and goddesses got to hand pick who they wanted to entrust with their powers. And I should also mention that by giving mortals their power, the gods are rumored to have lost their elemental affinities. But, being gods and all, it's impossible to slay them. That and it is unwise for the la'Ronk would never want to destroy a god as it is the gods that watch over their ruling."

"It was not until recently that Void and Balance came to the High Temple and told the priests that the heroes were being born. They are believed to be anywhere from sixteen to twenty-six years old, as they fall within the timeline." Lorraine just wanted to add that part on for she knew Lani was going to ask if she could marry one. Of course, within seconds, the girl pouted and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Anyway, the Prophecy of Balance says that...

'Upon the dawn of the bloody sky, the heroes will cast away the hatred of those with too much pride.'

...very cryptic if you ask me. There's not etched in stone date or time, so we can't even be certain it will even happen in this lifetime. And then, the Curse of Void was sent to us in our dreams. It went like this...

'Blood you seek and blood you shall pay.
When the curse of justice reaches the gates of hell,
All the land will be freed from your rule.
Try as you might and fight as you will,
You shant not win this duel.
Blinded by hate and guided by sin,
You will be defeated from within.'

...again, it's very mysterious."

Lorraine sighed before her eyes flicked over to the clock on the wall. "Oh, shit! I need to go. I was to meet Lauren minutes ago," and just like that, the woman was gone.

"Well that's lame. She didn't even finish the story. Oh well, maybe next time?" Lani plopped herself on Eli's lap and purred a bit before jumping up from him. With a devious look in her eyes, the young princess plowed her way into the slender male - arms flailing and head moving. "Fear the wrath of the mighty Lani!" she shouted with the utmost amount of glee.

Eli wasn't going to lie- truly- he found Lani to be adorable in the oddest of manners. Sure sometimes she carried on a bit too high pitched than he would have wished, or was a bit more hyperactive than he wanted to deal with considering how many books, articles, and parts were stacked about in his living space. Still she seemed more well intentioned than her siblings- which currently could easily be rated on a steep scale of elitism. While the boy had far from grown up in poverty- he had also not known the decadence that was currently flaunted about in the la'Ronk. So along with Lani's lessons he occasionally attempted to instill morals of even-handedness. Honestly he had no idea if they held true given her continuing mannerisms.
At least the history books could record that he did try.

Yet Raine- who floated into his abode as effortlessly as a wasp on the breeze- was far from altruistic and Eli could honestly feel it ebbing off of her. Yet the odd timing of her arrival coincided with his question- which Lani easily pawned off to her elder sister. Immediately he felt a shimmer of cold run down his spine, and his fingers glistened along the edge of his hat he attempted to pull it down further. This honestly was a bit more stressful than he wished to find purchase in. "Princess Lorraine- I was not expecting you or I would have taken some extra care in cleaning my living quarters." It was then his eyes flicked to Lani, "but I do appreciate your visit. What do I owe this unexpected surprise?" It wasn't really that hard to guess why the princess was there- probably to make sure he wasn't slacking off in his education to her younger sister. Either that or she enjoyed watching the tutor squirm underneath her indomitable gaze.

'Make it bloody,' Lani piped as they sat down in their allotted places for this story. "My princess- you shouldn't speak like that- it isn't very noble." He on occasion corrected her manners in hopes that she would barrel from here someday and speak the most foul of incredulity and he would have a mob wielding pitchforks and torches outside his door- not that he assumed they would go that barbaric to filed him. "Either way I am honored for such a history lesson." He stated in his most prostrated of manners.

The tale of the Seven Heroes was not what he expected- and Eli wished so increasingly so to be able to haul out a few of his history manuscripts to match up the events via date and time. This all sounded so familiar but at the same time it lacked the sustenance to lodge itself in the pit of his mind. Either way the way that Princess Lorraine spun the tale it was almost ghastly to assume what would happen if these events came into fruition.
Or at least he supposed they had- considering Princess Lani's previous words involving the Hero of Darkness being locked inside the castle.
'Also may have something to do with that fairy-princess crown atop your noggin'- and there it was again that obnoxious voice that kept chiming again and again in the back of his head. It was particularly easy to snuff out with a bit of concentration in which he returned his attentions back to Lorraine.

Yet as swift as she began- she ended it. Eli's mind swam with the various heroes, of Balance and Void, and inevitably the footnote that was the 'Hero of Ice'. How very pleasant that was- once again he was nothing more than an unimportant footnote.
'So you are accepting your fate now?'
Eli just scoffed a bit- to inform that pestering voice that he was not. That this was all a fun fairytale and he running his thoughts in manners of 'what if'.

Still maybe some of his nervousness was alleviated when Princess Lorraine excused herself from the room- and he bowed softly at her departure and wished her a good day. Not that he figured she recognized any of it or acknowledged it. Either way he flopped back in his chair and turned his attention to Lani- which was steadily climbing into his lap as she usually did. "Alright- I suppose story time is over. Time to get back to your tutoring- and if you are good I'll-" about that time Lani decided to be her overly childish self and take this time to 'play'. Of course she would choose now- it only made sense.

By the time the tutor stilled the girl his hat had been knocked clean off of his head, and his hands were quite delicately looped around her hands in hopes of stilling her writhing form. "Hey now Princess Lani- no rough housing. You know if I am going to be your boyfriend- when you get older far older- you need to not act like a crazy person." Stating any sort of romantic obligation to Lani was the best way to calm her down. He always felt a bit vile for doing so- even if he mentioned over and over again it wouldn't come to pass until she was of age- but the feeling waned when she usually calmed down.
It was then Eli was aware of a soft coolness upon the top of his head- which was then met with a tight blush as he realized what was evident now. Maybe she wouldn't make the correlation~ he hoped. Yet his lips failed to blubber out any excuse regarding it.