The Ashlanders - Chapter 6: The Blind Man's Last Gambit (Closed, Started)

[NinjaDeathSlap]

After going to the training gym to punch things for a little bit after breakfast, Amy had returned to her room, where she had been quietly sulking since. It wasn't often that somebody got one over on her, but no matter how she reviewed the situation in her head, Bennie had won this round. Not that Amy was lacking in imagination. There were plenty of ways, just of the top of her head, she could think of to make Bennie's life that much more of a headache... just none in her current situation that wouldn't also be just as damaging to her. She was a pro at this game though. In the end, Amy knew all she had to do for now was bide her time, and reinforce her position while waiting for an opportunity to present itself.

Still, the thought of that man taking Sandra away from her, to keep under his smug, sanctimonious little wing, couldn't help but burn beneath her skin, turning her sister against her. Why? For all his talk about wanting things to go smoothly, why was he systematically dismantling everything that was important to her? Wasn't stealing Pixie enough?!

Upon hearing the knock at her door, Amy clapped her hands to her face and rubbed her eyes, clearing her head. She didn't know quite what she was going to do about this new transgression, not yet. Sure enough, somehow and at some point, Bennie would get his in full. You never fucked with Amy Turner. That was the rule, and Amy had learned a long time ago that she must always find a way of enforcing it. She'd chalked up her quota of losses too early in life. If she did't want the whole world to be lining up to walk all over her, one at a time, then from now on, she must always find a way to get on top. However, right now she wasn't helping herself by shutting herself away and wallowing. In the meantime, she might as well take comfort in whatever distractions the day had in store for her. Getting up of the bed, Amy went to the door, and was greeted on the other side by Whiskey.

"Oh, hello Captain." she said pleasantly. "Did you need me for something?"

===========================================================================================================================

Sandra had been sitting in silence, her chin resting on her fist as she looked out of the window. She wasn't particularly comfortable, acutely aware of her company. As far as the Maiden's went, at least, she was just a grunt, barely a handful of them even knew her name at this point, and yet she was now riding shotgun with the Captain? This wasn't a position she had earned. Sandra had been placed here. It wasn't so much that she was scared of Bennie (for even what little she knew so far, she was sure he was already a big step up from Austin), however, he was a game-player. It came with the territory of rank and responsibility, she supposed, but nevertheless; he had brought Sandra out on this mission, away from Amy, for a reason. He had sat her up front with him, apart from all the others, for a reason...

"how are the other's treating you? You satisfied with how things have been going so far?"

... And now she was being interrogated for a reason. It was his prerogative, she supposed, but Sandra was guarded nonetheless, furtively glancing in Bennie's direction, like a small animal trapped in his cage.

"Dunno." she mumbled, shrugging her shoulders. "Not really done much to be dissatisfied about yet, have we. 'Suppose everyone's still finding their feet, coming to terms with how much things have changed, y'know? Everyone's been alright to me, I guess. Been getting a few looks from some of the boys, but nobody's tried nothing."

 

[The Funslinger]

"Oh, hello Captain."

Whiskey couldn't help but chuckle at this. "Oh man, 'Captain.' I'm loving it already."

"Did you need me for something?"

"Uh, kind of," said Whiskey. "See, I figure since nothing's most likely gonna happen here while Bennie's meeting the WV guys, I might as well run some combat drills. Make sure the next generation are up to speed, and all that shit."

And now, the awkward request. "Anyway, I was wondering if you could do me a huge favour, and watch Millie for a couple of hours. She's no trouble, really!"

====================================================

"Sorry, I just... I dunno."

Ruffles sighed. "Hey, don't worry about it," he said kindly. "If Wilkes-Vines were gonna pull some shit on us, they'd have done it by now, and taking ships is our specialty. Besides, even if something goes wrong, they'll be with Bennie. I can't think of a safer pair of hands."

 

[Dogmatic99]

Erik had spent the last few hours moaning and griping in Alexei's general direction while trying to drown himself in any alcohol that hadn't been spilled all over the floor. When it became clear that he wasn't going to try and make a dent in his tab or clean up any of his damages the toyboy barkeep sent him packing, shooing him out with the business end of a mop. After that he just wandered around, nowhere felt like a good place to go right now. How was he supposed to deal with all this in just one day? It wasn't fair, but then fair had never been a factor in his life.

After a while he found himself at the tower compound. The place seemed a lot larger now than it did during the attack. Most of the outside had gone by in a blur for him, his arm of the attack had focused on the tower itself. The rest seemed massive, like a tiny city all of its own. That was how the others were treating it. Their own private hive of scum and villainy. Erik found his way to one of the smaller manors, he saw the name Carthage scattered about the place - why did that sound so familiar?

He found something that looked like a smoking lounge and pilfered himself what meager scraps remained. It was quiet enough at least, just him and a handful of named men playing at being fancy folk. He found a high backed chair and brooded. Erik managed to lose himself for a while until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

["I haven't seen you around here in a while."] It was Vasa, he awkwardly walked around the small table and lowered himself into the chair opposite. ["I thought you didn't care for these kind of places."]

Erik had to remind himself to breath again as he almost jumped straight out of the chair. {"I... I felt like a change."]

{"And what a time to try it."] Vasa cheered, helping himself to a cigarette. He was being uncharacteristically chirpy today. ["Have you heard the good news?"]

{"What?"] Erik froze. Could he know as well?

["Research is making progress. With luck we'll be able to find out what makes those plasma weapons tick. God willing we'll even be able to engineer our own. It's not really my interest but you know... after my moment of weakness I think... I think I lost myself for a time. Everything done, a world at my feet and no one to leave it to."] Vasa blew smoke from the corner of his mouth with lazy ease.

Erik just wanted to scream out. 'You do, Vasa! He's back, our boy is back! God or Satan or whatever blessed bastard that runs the world has given us a second chance! We don't have to consign ourselves to fading anymore, we can have it all back! Things can be just like they were, all we have to do is put our pride down for five goddamn minutes!'

That wouldn't work though. Florian had rejected his birthright, he'd said as much straight to Erik's face. He wouldn't come back easily. And if he knew Vasa he wouldn't be a barrel of laughs about this either. The two of them were always so damn difficult about everything, not like Erik at all. Florian did want to talk though, he had a way in. If he could just find out what was going on with him and Irena, whatever they were planning, if Erik could make himself a part of it then maybe he could steer them in a better direction. Florian listened to him once, he could do it again. If Erik played this right... then everybody could win.

["Is everything okay with you? I hear you got into some trouble downtown today."]

Erik woke from his musing and couldn't help but grin to himself. ["I had my own moment of weakness too but... I think I'm better now."]
===============================================================================================

Gale sat, quietly caving in on herself as she played the reluctant filling in this testosterone sandwich, her hand idly rubbing at the metal fox that now rested against her chest. Her own little silent travelling companion. She hadn't been able to wipe the quiet smile off her face since they set off as she spent most of the trip just examining him in all his little details. Easier said then done mind you, if she wanted to keep him safe from a bad bump or lumbering man flesh. She'd keep him safe though.

No one had given her a gift just because since she got Martin the guitar and never anything this sweet. Stuff she needed, stuff she could use, sure. This little guy was a special entity though. now what to name him?

The fellas were busy hollering over some super manly gossip. Something about Sprout busting his cherry wide open, all in all it was pretty tame compared to how the boys back in the caravan used to talk when it came to bumping uglies.

"Give the lady a break, Sprout. No doubt you're making a very awkward situation worse for her. An amateur mistake."

Well wasn't this one just the little gentleman? Gale tucked her fox back into the folds of her clothes, something to give him a little extra padding for the trip. She'd dressed pretty reserved compared to her usual loose fit for this trip. Mostly it was her usual kind of attire, jeans, shirt, psychedelic scarf (long enough to double as a head scarf or bandanna should she need it) but added with a thick jacket and a pair of tattered fingerless gloves she'd gotten spare on the maiden. At least she assumed they were spare. No one claimed them when she took them. All in all it helped to make her seem a little bulkier and hid the bulge of her vest well enough. Fingers crossed she wouldn't need it. gale knew she was going to walk away from this job but she still didn't fancy the thought of taking a hit from anything.

"No need to be squeamish for me dears. What we doing, comparing notes?"

 

[Fappy]

Spoiler: Elizabeth's Majesty

Tsubaki's face blushed the color of her crimson dress when she spotted Asad from across the ballroom. He, with his charge at his side, strode in through the center of the crowd, which parted to make way for them. Elizabeth looked radiant of course. Most would never guess what turmoil dwelt within her heart. She wore a deceptive, inviting smile that fooled even Tsubaki.

Pixie could see right through her, however.

Wearing the same dress she had the night before (though altered for added modesty), Pixie was confident in her disguise. Her tattoos were concealed by the light-violet, silk underlay and she wore a long, wavy wig. Its deep red was unnatural, implying to those it deceived that she'd dyed her hair. Her dead eye had always been the primary concern in these instances, so she took extra care to conceal its true nature. Several layers of cover up had been applied to the scarred area and she wore hazel-colored contacts. A long, curled lock of the wig concealed her eye from most angles, a nuiance in fashion that was common among the nobility, fortunately.

Like everyone else, Pixie applauded the young lady's arrival from her place in the back of the ballroom. Though she marched with an air of confidence around her, Pixie could practically taste the youth's terror.

I should'a never let you outta my sight.

Once they were close, Tsubaki smiled at Asad, and watched as they passed her by. If she had to guess, he would stand nearby while Dio re-introduced his betrothed to the gathering. After that, the two of them could speak to one another.

She didn't mean to stare, but she couldn't help notice something off about him. He looked troubled. Asad had never struck her as the kind of man to wear his emotions son his sleeve. Had anyone else noticed?

Are you okay?

Though she was trembling under her mask, Elizabeth's bravado held against the crowd's applause. She just had to hold it together a little longer. Soon enough, she'd be able to sneak away from their prying eyes and breath.

As she and Asad ascended the stairway, Dio turned from his servant, Raphael, to take her hand and and greet her. He smiled at her. The man who had claimed he'd killed her sister, who threatened her with violence and suffering, and who hurt so many of her friends and allies. He was right there before her, offering his hand and smiling.

He had no right to look upon her, much less touch her. She returned the smile, despite herself, and took his hand. "M'Lord," she chirped and fluttered her eyelashes.

"M'Lady," he replied, taking her hand and leading her to the center of the platform. "Ladies and Gentleman, I..."

Pixie had been focusing on Elizabeth since the moment she'd entered the room. Through no conscious effort of her own, she'd avoided looking at Dio, though she was aware of his relative location in the room. Now, however, looking upon him was unavoidable.

Dio...

The memories of that night hit her like a freight train: the look in Cherry's eyes as he stole her final breath, the agony she felt as his cold steel rent her flesh, the horrified cries of the child and the elated laughter of the madman... it was overwhelming.

Pixie shuddered and hugged the Margaret's book tightly against her chest. Averting her gaze, a million thoughts raced through her mind, deafening her to the bland speech he was giving. She hadn't see him in over twelve years. The last time she'd set her eye on him she had two, and she'd thought she was looking at his corpse. Her fingers trembling, Pixie reached up her cheek and covered her dead, left eye; tears already quivering in both. It took every ounce of self control she had within her to keep from doing... something. Whatever it was, she couldn't be sure, but she was too afraid to let go.

Instead, she did the only thing she could thing to do. She tried to run.

Before she could take more than two steps backwards, she had bumped into someone. "Be still, darling," a soothing voice whispered, hushing Pixie's frantic, ragged breaths. A warm hand touched Pixie's shoulder. "Do not be afraid. He cannot hurt you hear. He does not know you."

Slowly, Pixie turned her head. It was Contessa. "Please," Contessa cooed, holding out her other hand. "Give me the book, Lady Cogburn. I must give it to Lady Maribel."

Unable to speak through the dry knot in her throat, Pixie simply nodded in compliance and, hesitantly, handed over the tome. Once the book was in her hands, Pixie hung her head and gave the woman a painfully pathetic look. Reaching out, Contessa held the bandit's face in her free hand. "You poor dear," she told her. "Do not worry so much." Her warm smile suddenly turned into a cunning grin. "You just need to wait a little longer. You will have your chance to deliver justice, soon enough."

Again, Pixie nodded. "You look miserable, child. Please, excuse yourself if you must," the Golden Empress suggested. Without a word, Pixie pushed past her and bee-lined for the bathroom.

She needed to get out of there. If she didn't... she wasn't sure what she was going to do.

Elizabeth stood by Dio's side during the length of his speech and was very grateful when it was all over. The bright, hot lights shining in her face were one thing, but having to fake a smile while in the presence of your most hated enemy was simply too bitter a meal to choke down. Thankfully the crowd converged on them in the wake of the speech and it took little effort to put space between them.

Ignoring most of the words sent her way, Elizabeth spotted Asad's CO coming up from behind him and decided to point her out before disappearing into the crowd somewhere. When he turned to see what she'd pointed at, Asad caught his first glimpse of Tsubaki's beauty. "H-hi," she stammered sheepishly. "You look... hansom."

***********************************************************************************************************************************************************

"... Been getting a few looks from some of the boys, but nobody's tried nothing."

Bennie grunted. "Pixie always took a hard-line one that sort of thing," he told her. "With this lifestyle, it's easy for men to forget themselves. I don't imagine you're a stranger to handling hungry wolves, but still, if anyone bothers you like that don't be afraid to get help. Me, Whiskey, Ruffles, any of the 'grown ups', really."

A short silence followed. She was on-edge. Despite whatever training she'd received, Bennie could tell just by the way she rested her chin on her knuckles that she was uncomfortable. "Listen," he began awkwardly, "I'm a blunt kind of guy. I usually approach problems head-on. 'This' is unfair, I admit it, and I don't intend to put you in this position again. I just wanted to clear the air a bit." He clenched his jaw. "And to do that I think I'll have to give you a bit of a history lesson."

Bennie glanced in the rear-view mirror. The three teenagers in the back were pre-occupied with their own trivial discussion. With the sound of wind filling the cabin with, Bennie was confident his words would reach her ears alone. "When this all started the Iron Maiden was a very different environment," he said. "Sure, people joined up because they had nowhere else to go, but it was more than that. There was a profound hatred in each and every one of them back then, save for Jake, possibly. They hated the nobility. They hated the system. They hated the whole goddamn world.

"It was a family built by mutual disdain, not love. Things changed though. After a time, the Iron Maiden became a real family, and in their love for each other they found love for others. That 'Robin Hood' shit we pull now? That wasn't there at the start." Bennie laughed sadly. "Fuck, back when I first joined up I thought it was dumb as hell. I was like Amy, you know? Calculating, methodical; I had been running on pure logic my whole life. I think I got it from my dad, actually. My family, the Carmines... we were a cold bunch. There was love there, sure, but it was muted and sterile. It was all about duty. All about results."

Bennie laughed. "And like Amy, I ultimately joined this gig for one reason," he looked to Sandra, grinning under his bandanna, "Pixie," he admitted. "But you know, after awhile, I came to love the family she'd built just as much as I loved her. Maybe the same will happen for Amy." He looked back towards the road. "I guess what I am trying to say is that... we got hurt bad in Yuteni. Things changed and they will never be the same. That transformation the Maidens went through over years and years of turmoil? It's lost on all of you. We're a fresh crew. It's all new, and as much as me and the other veterans wish it were otherwise, this is not the same Iron Maiden it once was.

"Sandra, if we're to survive... if we're to live up to the legacy all those men and women died to build, we have to find some common ground. We need to work together. But you know, I'm not Austin... hell, I ain't even Pixie. I can't be yours or anyone else's surrogate father. I'm just not cut out for it. But I can be your friend."

He looked at her with a hint of concern. He wondered if any of this was getting through to her. "People on this crew have special relationships," he suddenly said, seemingly changing the subject. "Me and Sprout? I'd die for that kid under almost any circumstance. There isn't a single other person on that ship I care more about. And you know, that's fine. I don't expect you or anyone else to put their loyalty to the Maiden above that of their real family. You and Amy? I get what you mean to each other, and I don't intend to get in the way.

"That said, you two are Maidens now and Maidens don't play petty politics. The two of you won't be treated any differently than the rest. Sometimes, you'll have different responsibilities. Sometimes you won't be together. That's just the nature of our trade, unfortunately, and that's something the two of you will have to reconcile. I don't imagine Amy will be too happy when you return to her tonight, but she'll get over it. Sooner or later she'll realize I'm her Captain and it's just as much my responsibility to protect you as it is hers, now."

When he was finished, he looked at her for a long while. "I'm sorry if I came on too strong," he apologized. "I'm still getting used to this whole... being Captain thing." He chuckled nervously.

*********************************************************************************************************************************************************

Give the lady a break, Sprout. No doubt you're making a very awkward situation worse for her. An amateur mistake."

Oh, FUUUUUUCK YOUUUUU!

"No need to be squeamish for me dears. What we doing, comparing notes?"

Sprout blushed a bit. Though he'd normally boast about his achievements, he felt uncharacteristically uncomfortable discussing such things with a girl his own age. "Well, uh," he stammered, "yeah, I reckon we ar'." Then suddenly, he felt very bold. "How 'bout you, Gale? You 'ave any stories of yer own?"

Again, he felt oddly embarrassed. Did something change in him when he lost his virginity or was he now just painfully aware of how sensitive the subject was?

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Asad clenched his jaw as Dio began doing his little song and dance. Credit to Elizabeth, she was doing an amazing job keeping up appearances. Balling his hand into a fist, his eye bored holes into the back of Basilio's head. 'He's standing right there, and there's nothing I can do about it.' He'd never felt so impotent.

Glancing at Elizabeth, the woman was looking right back at him, nodding her head, her eyes looking behind him. Turning his head, his heart almost stopped in his chest.

"H-hi,"

Tsubaki looked amazing, Asad had never seen her so beautiful. Blinking a few times, a small smiled curled his lips.

"You look... handsome."

"Who me?" He chuckled as he took a step towards the woman "I just threw this on." He looked at Tsubaki for a few moments, taking in every detail of her shy face. "Wow, you look... amazing, Tsu." He spoke softly, his expression softening. "Really ... amazing."

For a brief moment, it's like there was nobody else in the room.


---------------------------------

"I can't think of a safer pair of hands."

Allie smiled, nodding her head. "You're right, I'm just worrying over nothing." That's what she told herself, but that didn't stop the niggling feeling at the back of her brain. Hopefully she could drown it out with work.

"Do we really have to do this?" She groaned. "Plumbing sucks! Can't we go mess around with the flux capacitor instead?" She grinned. There was no such thing as a flux capacitor.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

They went the rest of the way to the meeting point on foot, through block after block of empty streets, hidden the the shadow of faded or burned out shells of what were once apartment buildings. With every step, the old business district drew nearer, and beyond that, the power plant and the Broken Tower, that seemed to dominate the ruddy skyline at the end of every avenue. They did not speak, both of them too alert for that, acutely aware of the ominous silence that peered down on them wherever they went. It was as if the dome itself recognised the long lost presence of the living within its cracked walls, and demanded to know their business in a place that had banished all such creatures. What's more, it was a question for which there was no safe answer, for nobody truly belonged in a place like this. To speak up would be to admit to their trespass; and so, the only sounds that accompanied them were the scuffing of their shoes along the dusty roads, the low whistle of the wind between the empty buildings, and the slow, regular ticking that their Geiger Counters made in the safe zone, that reminded The Gentleman, in some odd way, of the breathing of a sleeping beast, who's den they had entered but had not, yet, awoken to their intrusion.

Deathly quiet as it may have been, they were not, however, alone. More than once had The Gentleman's keen eyes had spotted the tell-tale signs that they were being watched. Sometimes, it was a momentary flash, as the glare of the Suns reflected off the lens of a pair of binoculars (or perhaps a sniper's scope); and others, it was a faint scuffing of boots that feel outside the regular rhythm of his and Owain's walking. One or twice, he had even seen small plumes of ochre dust being kicked up in his peripheral vision, as a figure that had been waiting, unseen, moments before, retreated round a corner or a dark alley. It was too soon to be certain yet whether this other presence was friend or foe. Still, nobody had shot at them so far, that was always a good sign.

Their final destination was located about as close to the tower compound as anyone would dare venture. Certainly, from this direction, the border of the safe zone was far deeper into the city than anywhere else. It was an old multi-level crawler park, an grey, crumbling eyesore that looked ugly even in comparison to the rest of the city. The rusted remains of a few letters, that at one point had formed a heading stretching out across the east side of the structures roof, where still clinging on bravely, though nobody could now tell what they had once spelled out. Without delay, The Gentleman entered the building, and ascended up the stairwell to the sixteenth floor. Right in the middle of the structure was the safest place to meet. On the higher levels, snipers on adjacent buildings could get a clear shot at them, but stay to low or go into the underground levels, and an ambush attack could corner them easily. When they arrived there, striding out into the empty cavern, the white lines on the floor long since faded away, and the last of the paintwork peeling and crumbling on the support pillars, they did not have long to wait until they had company.

With a roar of engines and screeching of tyres, three armed, armoured, and war-painted crawlers came up the ascent ramp, and moved towards them at a steady pace. The Gentleman turned to face these new arrivals, adjusting his gloves before letting his arms rest by his sides.

"The man we're about to meet has a reputation for being... volatile." The Gentleman said to Owain, As the crawlers began to fan out, coming to a halt about fifty feet away from their position. "However, do not let that fool you. He's a professional, and an intelligent man who does not work with those who give him reason to feel uncomfortable. He will know who you are, I'm sure, and he will try to test you. Meekness bores him, so feel free to give as good as you get, but don't, under any circumstances, let him get under your skin."

=========================================================================================================================

Sandra didn't interrupt through all of Bennie's lecture. It was clear he wasn't a natural at this, and she figured the whole thing would go a lot smoother if she just let him finish, and cut through the crap inside her head as he went along. When he was done, and she had discarding everything that had sounded like rambling with didn't quite tie into the over-arching point, Sandra couldn't say that she felt altogether more comforted. Still, the Captain had at least been honest with her, and she would give him the same courtesy.

"Captain..." she began, for she wasn't certain they were really on first name terms yet. "I hope you don't mind me saying so, but there's a lot you don't get about Amy, about me and Amy. What we are? It's not like a crew, and it's not really like family either. I guess it's somewhere in between. It's about... understanding. Behind the make-up and the dresses and the flirts, we all understand what it is to be who we are, how the world is to us. The point is, there's no code, no ranks, and no orders. I'm not her soldier. Her beef with you, is her business. I don't make it my business unless I choose to. So, you don't have to sell me on this," she gestured with her arm around the inside of the crawler. "or on you. I'll make up my own mind about both. Amy gets that, and so she hasn't said a single word about you to me in all of this, 'cause that's not how she works. You should probably do the same..."

But," she continued, turning back towards the window. "if you think she'll come round if you just give her time, or if you take her aside and give her a stern talking to because 'Your The Boss', then you're making the same mistake every other guy makes, just because she looks pretty and sweet and clean. You have no idea where she came from, and what she had to do to get to where she is. I don't reckon anybody else but her has the full story, and what little I know for sure isn't my story to tell. Just know that when she's picked a fight, she never backs down. She can't, because if she ever goes back to that place again, if she's ever made to get down on her knees, while somebody else lords it over her... then everything she's made for herself gets taken away, and it'll have all been for nothing. That's how she thinks; and right now in her head, you're not just you. You're every single man who's ever done her wrong, and I gotta tell you Captain, that's a long, long list of dues to pay."

=========================================================================================================================

"Anyway, I was wondering if you could do me a huge favour, and watch Millie for a couple of hours. She's no trouble, really!"

"Oh..." said Amy, taken off-guard by the request. She'd never really imagined that any mother would be comfortable leaving their child in the care of, well, someone like her; and Whiskey had already seen a lot more of Amy's more brutal side that most ever did. Was the woman mad? Was she playing a game? Or, was she making a trusting gesture that Amy hadn't had to do anything to earn?

"Well sure!" she replied eventually, having the good sense to smile. "I mean, I don't have a whole lot of experience with kids, but I'm sure we can keep each-other busy."

 

[Terratina.]

'Oh, so that's how it's going to be.' Jesse thought to himself as the topic of the conversation changed to something very interesting. Sprout was wavering between the timid virgin and the driven sex-fiend. Seriously, if Gale had no problem with the topic, 'Jesse' had no problem with the topic and so should Sprout. Time to knock the feeble wind out of those sails before they got back up again. A dangerous smile was plastered on Astor's face, however, he couldn't be too hasty. He turned towards Gale and asked, "Gale, if you would be ever so kind, may I go first? I have a rather interesting story to tell regarding these matters and I feel like we should get this one of the way, since it is pretty long."

 

[Fappy]

"... That's how she thinks; and right now in her head, you're not just you. You're every single man who's ever done her wrong, and I gotta tell you Captain, that's a long, long list of dues to pay."

Bennie kept his eyes ahead during her whole spiel. Though he may have made a few missteps in his speech, it was clear he'd been right in taking her aside like this. She'd given him a lot to think about. "Thanks, Sandra," he said. "Really, the insight's appreciated." His wrist resting on the top of the steering-wheel, Bennie picked at his nails and hummed quietly as he considered Sandra's words.

Bennie preferred his enemies simple, and Amy was anything but.

'Enemy' is the wrong word. That's what she wants you to think.

"I have to let her win," Bennie suddenly muttered. "She wants something from me, and I am pretty sure I know what it is. She saw right through me when I lied to her. The truth ain't as bad as she thinks, but I can't blame her for drawing that conclusion." Bennie laughed sadly. "Fuck. Amy's too smart for her own good. She's a psycho, but fuck me if she's not clever." The big man looked to Sandra and grinned under his mask. Reaching out to her, he shook her shoulder playfully. "I can see why you like her. Normal people are boring, anyway."

He looked back towards the road. "She's a special kid," he admitted. "Pixie tried to help her, and I imagine her failure's part of the reason Amy's upset. I won't make the same mistake. I'm not cut out to be anyone's therapist, anyway." He looked in the rear-view mirror once more, focusing on Sprout especially. "I'll leave that to someone a little more qualified."

He glanced back over at Sandra. "Enough about Amy," he grunted. "I've been trying to get a good feel for where the crew's at. Talked to a few of the kids last night, including Gale back there. You told me things were 'okay', but if there's anything you think myself or the crew can improve on, don't hesitate to tell me. This is a learning experience for all of us."

*************************************************************************************************************************************************

"Wow, you look... amazing, Tsu."

Tsubaki shied away, but her smile remained. "Th-thanks," she stammered.

"Really ... amazing."

"S-stop gawking at me," she pleaded. Then she took him by the hand. "Come on, let's get out of this crowd."

Once they were safely away from the crowd, Tsubaki took moment to look him over again. He was looking very sharp, indeed. Once she was done leering, she looked Asad in the eye. Despite his boyish expression, she could tell there was still something bothering him in the back of his mind. "Hey," she whispered. "Are you okay, Asad? You look pale as a ghost."

 

[Dogmatic99]

Gale took a moment to consider her answer, most domers didn't care for the traveller brand of honesty when it came to matters in the bedroom. Course these folks didn't seem like your regular puritan uptights so...

"Gale, if you would be ever so kind, may I go first? I have a rather interesting story to tell regarding these matters and I feel like we should get this one of the way, since it is pretty long."

Or never mind and let this turn into another matter of dick measuring between the two pups. Well what the hell, let her get a better handle on the enigmatic Jesse and these two could get whatever was getting their hackles up out of their systems.

"Go nuts. Nothin' like a good story to help the trip go by." She shrugged Jesse off.

 

[The Funslinger]

"However, do not let that fool you. He's a professional, and an intelligent man who does not work with those who give him reason to feel uncomfortable. He will know who you are, I'm sure, and he will try to test you. Meekness bores him, so feel free to give as good as you get, but don't, under any circumstances, let him get under your skin."

Owain smiled. "I think you know me better than to mention someone who might pick an argument with me, and skin in the same sentence," he replied sardonically.

======================================================================

"I mean, I don't have a whole lot of experience with kids, but I'm sure we can keep each-other busy."

"Thanks," replied Whiskey, sounding relieved. "Uhhh, she doesn't really complain about anything. She's... pretty amazing like that, but if she's being quiet and staring at her feet a lot, she's probably bored. If you run out of stuff to do, try taking her up to the lookout post. She likes it there." She made to leave, but remembered at the last second. "Oh, she's just in my room, organizing some toys I found for her. Let yourself in."

With that, she was gone. Not a young Maiden would be sleeping without fresh bruises tonight, if she had her way.

======================================================================

"Plumbing sucks! Can't we go mess around with the flux capacitor instead?"

"You've been going through my movie collection, haven't you?" he asked, grinning. "But hey, you know what sucks more than learning about plumbing? Shit-water exploding out of the pipes, and you not knowing how to fix it. Remember, never let Brock cook chili. It's just..."

He shuddered. Then, "tell you what, listen to me rant for ten more minutes, then tell me everything I've been saying to you in your own words, let me make sure you understand it. Then if you promise to keep well back, and not to try it on your own until I... get back from my 'away' job, I'll let you watch me synthesize plasma for the ship's defense systems. Austin used damn near everything we had."

 

[Terratina.]

"Go nuts. Nothin' like a good story to help the trip go by."

Well, it was time to do as the lady commanded. Astor cleared his throat before getting down with telling the dirty tale, his smile ever growing. 'Thank you, dear Uncle, however, I'm going to have to steal the credit with this one.'

"As you command, mademoiselle." Astor began with a flourish, "It was a night I'll never forget. My dear father had taken some of his own merchandise and was... temporarily incapacitated, so I decided to see the sights as it were. One thing caught my eye: an... exotic dancer named Shae. Her movements were hypnotic, she writhed around the pole like some sort of snake and that awoke my own... 'snake'. As soon as the show ended, I sought her out and the most beautiful of moments occurred when we finally met. Beautiful in its simplicity as we both knew what we wanted from another: pleasure, pure and simple. Naturally, I gave her first choice. She immediately got down, unzipped my pants, pulled my underwear down and showed me what exactly she could do with her mouth. After a few moments of pure bliss she got up and whispered into my ear, 'Your turn, handsome'."

'Jesse' paused, as if filled with nostalgia for that moment and continued, "I did the exact same to Shae, and played her like a flute. She moaned in ecstasy as I explored the depths, they greeted me with thick, luscious lips of their own."

He then turned to Sprout, "The moral of the story? There's plenty you can do besides sticking it in."

 

[Fappy]

"You told me things were 'okay', but if there's anything you think myself or the crew can improve on, don't hesitate to tell me. This is a learning experience for all of us."

For the first time, Sandra gave him a reassuring smile. Bennie was alright, all things considered. He meant well, at the very least, and that was more than could be said for many.

"Well, it's like you said..." she replied. "The old Maiden didn't become a happy family overnight. I guess these things get forged the more people go through together. Right now, a lot of us I still thinking more about what we've lost than what we've gained. Just... be there, in time. Prove to everyone that you won't leave them stranded when the chips are down, and the rest will take care of itself."

It was then that Sandra picked up on the conversation that was happening in the back.

Spoiler: Just Palin' around

"The moral of the story? There's plenty you can do besides sticking it in."

Sandra couldn't help herself, a not-very-feminine snort of laughter escaping her lips.

"Very true, very true..." she said, adding a slow clap for the cherry on the cake on condescension that she was presenting to the puffed up little ferret. "I suppose, if you never make it that far, you have to find some way to make do."

Sprout stared at the boy, blinking stupidly as the vulgar story sunk in. And then, he began chortling. The tears came next, and then he was laughing out loud.

'Jesse' tried his utmost to ignore the laughter and tried to move things on, "So, dear Sprout, do you have a tale for us as well?"

"Jesse," Sprout choked, unable to quell the laughter, "J-jesse... you played 'er 'like a flute'?" He laughed louder. "You sure she was a... she?!"

"Oh, most definitely." Jesse replied, "If she was a he, then I would've played that like a recorder. Anyway, it's time for your tale."

"See like whatever instrument your talkin' though that's - that's nice. That's a nice guy thing to do." Gale nodded sagely. "Cus, like no one's ever offered to play me like a nothin. You even bring it up, the fella goes all whaaaah?" Gale seemed oblivious to any looks this was getting her. She was too busy telling it like it was.

"Dear Gale, the offer always stands." Astor winked.

Sprout cocked an eyebrow at Jesse and then looked to Gale. He didn't say anything, but the look he gave her screamed, 'RUN, *****! RUN!'

Sandra looked from Jesse, then to Gale, and then back to Jesse, before hooting with laughter again.

"Maybe you should take him up on that Gale. If you're ever feeling restless in the night, Jesse'll get down there and tell you vagina another one of his stories. Send you right to sleep!"

Sprout leaned over the seat and offered his hand to Sandra for a highfive. "BOOM!" Sprout cheered.

He clearly wasn't getting through to anyone. Jesse sighed and cleared his throat again, "AS I SAID, it's time for someone else's tale."

"Well, you went off an' assumed I dived right in ta' the pussy last night," Sprout remarked bluntly. "Truth is, we don' started slow an' steady. I kissed an' licked every inch of 'er body before I stuck the monster in it's cave. I know how ta' treat a woman."

Bennie cocked an eyebrow.

She works fast.

"Tallahassee," Bennie barked.

Sprout's eyes buldged, Shit, he heard me!

"Sup, Capn'?" the blonde bandit replied lazily.

"You hear these kids?"

"Yup," he replied. "It's fuckin' hilarious."

Bennie shook his head. "I do not envy you girls," he said with a chuckle.

"Well, somebody's grown a few inches overnight." Sandra cooed. She was enjoying this. "Boy, just you wait until she shows you what's inside her Black Box... You're feet won't touch the ground for a week!"

Sprout glowed bright red and shrunk in his seat.

Guess who wasn't enjoying this? 'Jesse'! That one sentence had earned him a ticket to Beat Up Street. However, there was still an uncomfortable Sprout to toy with.

"Embarrassed?" Astor smirked, "Please, there's nothing to be embarrassed about. For all your talk, you're still pretty green."

"No shame in that, Shads, we all had to start somewhere." Gale shoulder bumped him like one of the guys. She was too crammed in to raise an arm to pat him without smacking someone upside the head.

"I hear that!" Sandra cheered. "And hey, if you're starting in the Major League, you've gotta be doing something right. I should know..." she winked. Hopefully that wasn't below the belt.

With a shy smile, Sprout perked up. Narrowing his eyes at the other boy, Sprout gave him the finger. "Fuck you, Jesse," he announced. "All the bitches prefer me, Axel!" Shifting his body awkwardly, Sprout managed to weasel an arm around Gale's shoulder.

Bennie groaned disapprovingly. "Don't call them bitches, Sprout," he warned him.

Sprout ignored Bennie's sound advice and looked to Gale. "So," he chirped, "I think it's 'bout time you shared one of yer tales."

"Again, an amateur mistake." Astor muttered and tried to lift Sprout's arm off Gale, "Then again, I expected as much from you."

Sprout tried to fight off Jesse's hand, shaking Gale around violently as a consequence. It did not appear to be very fun.

"Hey!" Tallahassee barked, looking over the back of their seat. "Leave the girl alone. You two lil' punks can sit back here with me if you can' behave!"

They didn't quite stop right away. Luckily Gale had spent her whole life crammed into rumbling vehicles with a bunch of guys suffering from excess machismo.

"Fellas..g-g- guys... if can jus-" Exasperated she let out a sigh. It was just like dealing with the little 'uns all over again. Only one way to deal with it. It was tricky but all the shaking around had helped her get her arms free. She managed to stretch them out just far enough to side shot aaaand...

BAP! A swift downward swipe to the nose for each of them. "No." She said firmly, as if talking to a pair of misbehaving puppies. "No. Do I need to separate you two?"

"As long as he doesn't molest you again, that was simply too dreadful to watch." 'Jesse' replied, rubbing his nose.

"Yeah, Sprout." Sandra chided. "At least you're getting some somewhere else. Leave the poor girl alone!"

Sprout bowed his head. "S-sorry," he muttered, withdrawing himself from Gale.

Bennie sighed and looked to Sandra with a grin. "This is what happens when you're raised by a nymphomaniac, I reckon," he told her.

Sprout did not look at all amused and looked away, out towards the rolling wasteland, pouting.

Sandra returned his grin.

"Hey, if one's not enough. She's an open minded girl. I'm sure if you asked nicely, she'd let you get double helpings!" she said with a wink, figured that mental picture should perk Sprout right up.

Sprout indeed perked up.

Bennie rolled his eyes. "Don't go getting him all excited," he pleaded. "You should have to earn those kinds of nights."

"Yeah, sure," Tallahassee said with a scoff, "I ain't earned anythin' in all my life an' I've had plenty of threesomes. It's called booze and loose pussy." Peering over the edge of the back seat, he shrugged. "Not sayin' either of you two fit that category, of course."

As amazing as it sounded, Sprout felt it dangerous to ponder the idea too much. He still didn't know what he was doing with just one woman... how could he handle two?!

An' we're kinda like... a thing, right? Aren' we s'posed ta'... be true to each other or some shit?

"It's okay, Sandra," Sprout told her. "I 'preciate the offer. Yer purdy an' all, but I reckon she's enough fer me." Though he imagined Bennie knew who they were all talking about, Sprout still didn't feel comfortable naming her in front of him.

Sandra smiled at him devilishly.

"Well, I don't see you getting bored anytime soon, but I look forward to seeing whether the student becomes the master one day. Anyway..." she turned to Gale "Somebody's been entirely too quiet the last few minutes, and none of my stories are suitable for this PG crowd, so spill!"

"Ooooh I didn't get anything nearly so freaky as flutes and tripods. On your own, out on the road, you gotta take what you can get an' be careful about the choosing." She paused for thought for a second. "What that left me with a few good memories for the evenings though... Donnell Carver!" Gale practically grinned from ear to ear. "Last time I had him just before I left the caravan. Oh that boy! Broad as a crawler door and twice as thick. In all the right ways! eh, eh?" Gale raised her fist, ready for a bump from Sprout.

Was Gale just a young, hippy-dippy version of Cameron? Sprout thought so, and he was very comfortable with this arrangement. He joined in her laugh and fist bumped her. "I knew you were a player," he mused. "Gonna 'ave ta' give me some pointers one of these days. Purdy sure the older Maidens 'ave been givin' me all the wrong advice 'bout this shit my whole life."

"You caught me," Tallahassee chimed in.

"If the Maiden ever makes a homecoming tour for you, you'll have to introduce me." Sandra chimed in, winking at Gale. The other girl's story had made her a little more aware of the... impressive, male presence in the seat next to her, and she discreetly gave Bennie the once over. Maybe... just the once, if he'd go for it.

"Ah yes." 'Jesse' nodded, a tad deflated, "I do enjoy stories of your home, Gale."

"My ever moving home." Gale smirked.

"A life on the road... isn't it so romantic?" Astor beamed, "I only had a small taste of it, but I yearn for more."

Sprout rolled his eyes.

Another second in this crawler with Jesse and he swore he was going to have an epileptic episode.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

"Oh, she's just in my room, organizing some toys I found for her. Let yourself in."

"Okay, thanks a lot!" Amy called down the hallway to Whiskey's retreating form, before she herself set off in the direction of Whiskey's quarters. It wasn't very far, and a couple of minutes later Amy was knocking on the door to announce her presence.

"Hey there." she said, poking her head around the door. "What'cha up to?"

 

[Daystar Clarion]

"Are you okay, Asad? You look pale as a ghost."

Asad nodded his head slowly, forcing a smile. "I'm fine, just... didn't get much sleep night." He reached forward and brushed a strand of hair from Tsubaki's face, placing it behind her ear. "Sorry for bailing last night, "Elizabeth..." He averted his eyes slightly before chuckling. "She was drunk, and she wouldn't stop talking, and by the time she passed out it was way too late to rejoin the party, you know?" He shrugged his shoulders. "And after everything that had happened, it was just really awkward." He looked back up at the woman, his expression softening.

"Look, I owe you an explanation, about last night. Bryan told me some stuff, feelings stuff, you know, about you." He averted his eyes. "True, me and you were drunk the first time, we could have said that was a once time thing, and we'd never talk about it again." He gently grabbed Tsubaki's hand, clasping it between his palms. "I didn't want to do that, I didn't want to stop being with you, and if that makes me a bad friend, then so be it." He smiled as he raised the woman's hand, gently brushing his lips on the back of her fingers. "I'm sorry, and I'll understand if you don't want... whatever we have, to continue, not if it causes friction between the team."

'Sure, why not, might as well heap more shit on the pile while it's still warm.'

==================
tell you what, listen to me rant for ten more minutes, then tell me everything I've been saying to you in your own words, let me make sure you understand it. Then if you promise to keep well back, and not to try it on your own until I... get back from my 'away' job, I'll let you watch me synthesize plasma for the ship's defense systems. Austin used damn near everything we had."

"Deal." Allie nodded, a small smile curling her lips. "Worst case scenario, everyone's toilet explodes, and if they ask why I ain't fixing it, I'll just say I'm in the middle of some calibrations, works every time. Or I could hide in the bowels of the ship." She narrowed her eyes playfully. "They'll never find me."

 

[Fappy]

"She was drunk, and she wouldn't stop talking, and by the time she passed out it was way too late to rejoin the party, you know?"

Tsubaki may have been completely clueless when it came to empathy, but she knew Asad well. He was lying... or at least, he wasn't telling the whole truth. She'd never seen him like this before.

"I'm sorry, and I'll understand if you don't want... whatever we have, to continue, not if it causes friction between the team."

He said it before she could.

She wanted to be with Asad, but at what cost? Would Bryan resent them for the rest of their lives? She couldn't live with that. They had to make things right somehow.

"Asad, I..." she stammered, unsure of herself. She averted her gaze. "It's not our ability to function as a team that concerns me, it's..."

Spoiler: The Music Begins

Tsubaki blinked stupidly as the violins began to echo around the enormous ballroom. Looking side-to-side, she noticed that many of the nobles around them had begun to dance. What had she been saying to Asad?

Stall!

She grabbed his wrist and blushed. "H-hey," she began awkwardly, "come with me!" Guiding him by the hand, Tsubaki led Asad into the middle of the ballroom, turned to face him, and smiled warmly. Hesitantly she reached her hands around his neck, her cheeks even rosier now. "I've, uhhh... I've never danced like this before."

******************************************************************************************************************************************************

After managing to sneak away from the Dio and the other nobles, Elizabeth stood by the bar, rested her arm on the counter and sighed heavily. Keeping her mask up continually was more draining than she'd anticipated. She ordered a light cocktail and took a few sips as she watched the crowd. How many of them were in on Dio's machinations? Were any at all? They certainly couldn't all be as simple as they seemed.

Maybe not all of them.

She spotted Contessa in the crowd. She was speaking to a red-haired woman and looked very... pleased about something.

There was a woman Elizabeth would need to be careful around. The young noble could practically taste the honey in Contessa's words. She had reason enough to empathize with Elizabeth, even help her, but something deep within Elizabeth told her this Golden Empress was not to be trusted. She had an agenda, that much was obvious.

"A fine ball, M'Lady."

Speak of the devil.

Raising her cocktail in the air, Elizabeth gave the young Lombardi prince a warm smile. "It certainly is, Lord Lombardi," she replied.

"Please," the man said, holding his hands up in protest, "call me Franz."

"Well, Franz," she chirped, "you may call me Elizabeth then."

Franz offered a sinister grin. "Oh, how scandalous!" he joked. "What would Lord Basilio think if I referred to his betrothed in such an intimate fashion?!"

"He would fume with jealousy one suspects," she told him. "Lord Basilio is a very passionate man. Perhaps I shouldn't endanger your life so. Call me whatever you believe will keep your heart in your chest." She giggled.

"Ah, but my heart frequently disobeys me, you see," he said. "It's desires are often times... dangerous." He held a hand out to her. "May I have this dance, Elizabeth?"

"You may," she cooed in response. With that, she finished her drink and the two broke away from the bar. Together now, they danced to the soothing music filling the room.

She found herself searching the young man's eyes. The former Elizabeth would be enamored by this dashing, young man. She was far too jaded for that now, however. She could see right through him. See right through his false, love-struck smile and his alluring gaze.

Contessa wanted Elizabeth on her side and this gesture was just another one in a long line of appeasements to come.

As they swayed together in circles, they exchanged a number of forgettable words. Harmless flirting, it seemed. But then, when Franz was in the middle of serenading her, Elizabeth suddenly broke character. "Franz, enough of this," she spoke in a hushed tone. Her cute, innocent eyes were now deadly serious. "Tell me what the fuck Contessa wants. Now."

Franz froze for a moment, and then smiled. "She was right about you," he mused. "You're a dangerously clever woman, Lady Maribel." Elizabeth's eyes narrowed. Franz's grin grew vile. "Dio will die before the week is out."

It was now Elizabeth's turn to freeze.

No way...

*******************************************************************************************************************************************************

Pixie needed to get out of there. She needed to find a bathroom or a closet or something and just hide. Curl up in a ball and disappear. She hadn't felt like this in so long. Fear... deep, intimate, immediate terror, was just not something she'd allowed herself to feel since before the Iron Maiden. Sure, she feared for the sake of others, but never for herself.

What had gotten into her?

Then she saw it. A bathroom. Staggering forward as she pushed through the crowd, Pixie accidentally bumped into a middle-aged fellow. Spinning on his heel, he caught her before she could fall. "Watch out Miss!" he warned her, helping her to steady herself.

Spoiler: That Man

That voice...

Pixie would have walked right on by, ignoring him completely if not for his voice. Who was he? Why did she recognize it? Trembling, Pixie looked up at him.

It was that man from the night of the heist. There was no mistaking it.

And Contessa's party...

She was sure of it.

Her eyes wide in surprise, Pixie pulled her arm away from him and continued her retreat. Dr. Pym had recognized her that night. She couldn't risk him finding her here. "Tell me," he said to her, "is the boy really Basilio's?"

She stopped dead in her tracks.

"So he is," the scientist concluded. "I suspected as much." Pixie stood there for a time with her back turned to him, completely calm. Perfectly still. Then, suddenly, she threw herself at him as if embracing the man for an intimate kiss.

He felt the cold touch of her blade pressing against the side of his trachea. Holding him close, she whispered into his ear. "Give me one good reason not ta' cut yer throat," she whispered. "You 'ave two seconds."

"You would forfeit Contessa's plot," he replied calmly. "She has a lot riding on you, you know." He smiled. "You were running, weren't you?"

Pixie's clenched her jaw and dug the blade in deep enough to draw blood. The scientist winced slightly. "How the fuck do you know anythin' 'bout that?" She demanded.

"Keep your voice down," he threatened, looking around to make sure no one noticed them. "You want to protect her legacy, don't you?" Pixie didn't respond. "Do as Contessa commands and her child and daughter will be safe. I promise you."

"Why ar' you 'elpin' Lombardi?" Pixie asked, easing off on the knife.

"Call it sympathy if you want to," he offered with a smug grin. "I have a debt to a ghost, as I suspect you do."

Pixie scowled at him accusingly. "You knew Margaret?" she hissed through her teeth.

His condescending grin faded into a stern frown. "She chose you," he said cryptically.

"Wh-what?!"

"You owe her, Holly," he said.

Pixie loosened her grip and practically dropped her knife. Shivering, the helpless bandit searched Dr. Pym's eyes desperately. "H-h-h-h-how do you know that name?!" she muttered. "N-no one alive knows that name!"

"You owe her everything, Holly," he continued, ignoring her panic. He placed a hand on her shoulder and stepped around the trembling blade. "Don't forget that."

And then, he was gone, leaving Pixie alone with her thoughts.

Wh-what is happenin' here?

The next thing she knew she was doubled over a toilet vomiting and crying. She had just decided that morning that she would abandon this suicide mission and return to the Maiden. She'd return and protect her loved ones the only way she knew how. But now... but now she was being guilt tripped by a man she didn't know... but who somehow knew her true name. Not even Margaret knew it. She'd given her a fake name when they'd met.

'Meredith Monroe', a name she'd made herself to match the persona. An amazing girl who laughed in the face of danger and fear. This persona was all she had to protect herself from the memories of her youth. A childhood that knew only pain and suffering.

'Holly Clementine' had been dead for nearly two decades... but here she was now, pouring her heart out into a toilet bowl.

*******************************************************************************************************************************************************

After another hour in the crawler they had finally reached their destination.

Pebblebrook was the very definition of a 'mini-dome'. These smaller domes were created primarily as fueling stations for land transportation. Naturally, communities sprang up around them, but few of them flourished, least of them Pebblebrook.

Bennie hopped out of the crawler and gave Tallahassee some brief instruction before the sharpshooter ran off someplace. Turning to face Sprout and the others, Bennie frowned solemnly. "Y'all have skills now, but you never know what you'll do when shit gets real until it happens, not without proper experience," he told them. "Being able to control yourself in a life-or-death situation is the hardest part about this profession. Sprout ain't exactly there yet, but make sure to pay close attention to him if anything goes down."

Then, he looked to Sprout specifically. "You need to show these guys what it means to be a Maiden," he said. "Enough of this peacock bullshit you have goin' on with Jesse. His life is in your hands."

Reluctantly, Sprout nodded. "Yes Captain," he replied. "Ar' we expectin' trouble?"

"No," Bennie shook his head. "But be ready just in case. We're heading to the post-office here in town. I'll need you, Jesse and Gale on the street, watching for our Wilkes-Vines buddies." He looked to Sandra. "You're with me."

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

"What'cha up to?"

Millie jumped out from behind the room's desk. A plastic toy revolver was in her hands, and Eddie's hat was on her head, threatening to slide over her eyes. Lilith's poker chip hung on a cord around her neck, spilling down to her stomach.

"Pew pew pew!" she yelled, 'firing' the toy gun at Amy. "I'm being like mommy," she said. "I gotta fight a bajillion bad guys to save my daddy!"

Thinking fast, Amy let out a mock frightened shriek, and threw herself to the side, along the floor. Getting to her feet, she grabbed the rim of a chair, bringing it off it's legs and up to her chest as she wheeled round to face Millie, before crouching beside it in a defensive stance.

"Aha!" she exclaimed, with a whoop of triumph "You can't get me behind my Impenetrable Shield of Indestructibility!"

"Yeah," said Millie, "but I can throw a grendade over it!"

Reaching into the pocket on the front of her dress, she produced a balled up sock and threw it, bouncing it off of Amy's head.

Amy mimicked the carton sound-effect of an explosion, dropping the chair and reeling theatrically, before collapsing in a heap at Millie's feet. She stayed still and silent, just long enough for Millie to come and peer over her face, before blowing a huge raspberry and springing to her feet.

"Woooooooo..." she moaned, reaching out towards Millie with grasping fingers. "IIIII am the ghooooooost of Aaaaaaaamy Tuuuuuurrrrner. Your grenades are uuuuuuuuuseless noooowwwwwwww. What'cha gonna doooooooooooooooooooo about it?"

Millie blew a raspberry of her own and said, "ghosts aren't real. If I don't believe in you, you can't hurt me!"

Crossing over to the bed, she pulled a cardboard box out from under it, and dropped the toy revolver inside. "Where's mommy?" she asked.

A shame. Amy had actually been enjoying herself. Play of this sort was a somewhat unusual province for her. Growing up (in the years that remained for her to do so after her escape, that is) most of the girls she fraternised with were either well over her age, or like her, had had to grow up incredibly fast. In either event, their was neither the time nor the inclination for playing pretend. They all did enough of that in a day's work. Unfortunately, it seemed Millie was very much the boss of this particular arrangement.

"Your mommy's got work to do." Amy replied sympathetically, squatting down to Millie's height, and adjusting her hat before the little girl's entire head became lost inside it. "I'll be keeping you company today."

Amy smiled at her, before peering over her shoulder into the box.

"Now, what else can we play?" she asked.

"Ummmm... I was gonna have a tea party," Millie replied.

"That sounds fun!" Amy said. "Who's joining us?"

Millie pulled the cardboard box out, and then reached behind where it had been, pulling out a foot high plastic table. Reaching into the box, she began rooting around for dolls.

"Mr Bear, Princess Fiona, and... this duck I haven't named yet."

And so, the first test of Amy's hitherto unpractised childcare skills had come. She must name the duck, and from this one attempt her future as a fully rounded human being would forever be judged...

"Erm, okay... how about..." she considered the duck's yellow plastic plumage for a second. "Daffodil! Or, 'Daffy' for short. Daffy the Duck?"

Millie thought for a second, staring at the toy duck in her hand.

"Yeah, okay!"

A vacant expression passed over Amy's face for half a second, the only external sign of the confetti and balloons being released inside her head.

"Daffy it is." she said happily, as she helped to arrange the chairs and put everyone in their places.

With that, the tea party commenced. Millie picked up the plastic teapot and began dispensing cups of air to her guests. There was extensive conversation, with all of Millie's guests having suitably posh accents. After struggling to remember her father's last name, Millie loudly introduced herself as Lady Amelia of the 'Canton Dynasty,' and proceeded to ask Mr Bear how this year's harvest was going.

Roughly an hour passed before Millie marched her toys back into their box, waving each of them out with a hug and goodbye.

Amy had anticipated having to fix on a smile and play along with Millie's games. That much was part for the course with her. What she hadn't counted on, was actually getting swept up in them. However, Millie's enthusiasm and commitment to the Drama was infectious, and Amy found herself laughing easily, debating fervently with the mute, stuffed animals, and sipping invisible tea with her little finger stuck out, slurping for effect.

Thank heaven nobody else was around to see this! She'd never live it down.

As Millie packed her toys away, making a performance out of even that, Amy took a second just to take in her new companion. The little girl couldn't have been much older than six; roughly, if not exactly the same age as her own child might have been.

'Would you have played pretend with it, raising it in the middle of a whorehouse? Could you have earned a living for the two of you, and protected him from the brutal realities of the world, like Whiskey does? Did you have in in you once, to be a good mother... a good person?'

That chance had been lost to Amy, if the doctors she had seen had the right of it. Some women, like Pixie, had the privilege of wearing their scars on the outside, each one telling their own story of having beaten the odds. For her, the broken pieces were all inside, at her core, where they won her no valour or sympathy; an ever present reminder of the fights she had lost, and the future she had been denied. Even with all the beauty and charm in the world, love would always abandon her sooner or later, if she could not provide it with a future, the likes of which was personified in the figure right in front of her now.

When Millie turned back around, Amy was forced to very quickly turn her head and wipe her eyes.

'Not in front of the kid, dammit! Pull yourself together!'

"Say, Millie..." she said, clearing her throat first so that her voice wouldn't crack. "How would you like to go on a treasure hunt?"

Millie nodded her head vigorously. "Yeah!"

Putting her father's hat back on and shoring up Lilith's enamelled poker chip, she asked, "what are we looking for?"

Smiling, Amy took Millie's hand and led her out of the room.

"I have a surprise planned for when Axel and the others get back." she explained "We're gonna need some supplies. Snacks and music, mainly. If you can help me find everything we need in time, then I'll have a surprise for you as well. How's that sound?"

"Okay!" Millie replied. "I go down to the engine room sometimes when Ruffles is there. I like the music he plays, it's really loud and fun. Aunt Lilith has some stuff in her room too, but it sounds kinda boring. She has lots of those bottles I'm not allowed to touch, though. Grown ups like to drink that at parties, right?"

'Oh Christ! If Whiskey discovers her daughter scoring vodka for me, I'm a dead woman...'

"Tell you what," Amy replied with an embarrassed chuckle. "I'll worry about the Grown-Up drinks, you help me with the rest of it, okay?"

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Spoiler

"I've, uhhh... I've never danced like this before."

Asad opened his mouth to object, but the words never left his throat as the woman gently pressed herself against him, her arms around his neck. Hesitating, his hands hovered over her for a few moments before he finally lowered them onto her hips. He began swaying with gently, the smell of her perfume pervaded his senses as he rested his cheek on Tsubaki's hair. Despite everything, he could still find comfort in her company.

Tsubaki's heart fluttered when she felt his touch. It was not unlike the feeling she'd experienced those few nights together. Close to Asad like this... it made her feel safe.

Happy.

Tsubaki closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest. He was so much taller than her. For a time, they swayed in silence.

"Asad," she eventually whispered. "You know you can talk to me, right? I'm here for you, whatever you need."

Closing his eyes, Asad dulled out everything around him. This. This is what he needed right now, more than anything in the world. Tsubaki knew something was wrong, was it that obvious? He was usually very good at keeping a straight face, even in the most stressful of situations.

Without moving his cheek from her hair, Asad thought for a few moments. "Some new stuff has... come to light." The man muttered quietly. "And I'm not sure I can deal with it." He sounded so defeated, even in his head.

Tsubaki could feel his heart trembling against her cheek. "I've seen you overcome every obstacle you've been faced with since I've known you," she told him, her voice tender. "Whatever it is, I know you'll find an answer."

Asad wanted to tell her everything, he had no idea why, he'd never felt so helpless before, he was never to one to share his problems. Things happened, and he dealt with them, that was what he did, there was no need to think, his goal had always been clear, well defined.

"I'm not sure I can this time." He mumbled as he held Tsubaki tighter. "He's a monster, Tsu. He's a monster, and nobody can stop him."

Tsubaki furrowed her brow and withdrew her head. She looked up into his eyes. "Who?"

Clenching his jaw, Asad searched the woman's concerned face. He didn't want to say the name, not here. Glancing upwards, his eyes panned the room before finding Basilio. His expression hardening. "You know who I mean." He mumbled, his eyes burning as he refused to tear them from the man.

"Oh," Tsubaki muttered, placing her head against Asad's chest once more. "What..." She was afraid to ask. "What did he do?"

"What does he always do?" He nearly spat as he finally managed to pull his eyes away from Dio, nuzzling Tsubaki's head slightly as he rested his cheek against her. "First you, now Elizabeth." He mumbled. "Fucking animal needs putting down."

Tsubaki's eyes shot back open. "No," she whimpered, "he didn't... he didn't do that to her, did he?" She was trembling ever so slightly.

Asad's face softened. Looking down at Tsubaki, he gently grabbed the woman's chin, aiming her eyes at his. "Hey, hey, shhh, it's okay, I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." He closed his eyes, sighing as he tried to gather his thoughts. "No, he didn't but he threatened her, and there's... something else." The Major paused for a moment. "Did you know there's a research lab under this building?"

"Yes," she admitted, "but I don't know what's down there. I don't have clearance. Only Lord Basilio's scientists and Dr. Pym's operatives are allowed down there. I think Ortega has access. Why?"

"Stop calling him Lord." Asad mumbled, averting his eyes. "I... can't tell you, not here, but it's fucking big Tsu." He locked eyes with her once again. "It's fucked up Tsu." His voice cracked slightly.

"Hey," she said to him, reaching up and holding his face. "It's okay, Asad." She pulled down on his neck so that his forehead rested on hers. "He's got big plans. I don't know what he's doing down there, but he's told me... he's told me he will have to do many terrible things if he's going to save this world. I-I know it doesn't look like it, but he is trying to save it. Truly."

Tsubaki wasn't sure who exactly she was trying to convince.

"No, Tsu." He shook his head head gently, his forehead still resting against her's. "He isn't, and I don't know how much longer I pretend to ignore what he's doing." How could she still defend him after all this time? After everything he had done?

"Wh-what are you saying, Asad?"

Letting out an exasperated sigh, shaking his head slightly. "Just being melodramatic is all. A bit shaken up, a lot to hear in one night, you know? Along with the whole Bryan thing, I'm just a bit overwhelmed right now." He kissed Tsubaki on the brow. "I just wish his methods weren't so... extreme."

He couldn't do it, he couldn't tell Tsubaki how he really felt about the situation, what be was prepared to do if things got out of hand again.

'It's for the best.'

Tsubaki nodded and slid her hands down, along the sides of his arms. She squeezed them and pressed her forehead against his lips when he kissed her. "It's okay, we'll be okay," she promised him.

Though she put on a brave face, she was terrified by his implications. What exactly was he trying to tell her? How far was he willing to go to defy their Lord? Squeezing her eyes shut, she banished the worries from her mind.

"About Bryan," she suddenly said with a sigh, "I... I don't want this to ruin our friendship, but I don't really know what to do."

Asad grabbed Tsubaki's chin, raising her eyes to look at his. Opening his mouth to say something, he hesitated before a small smile curled his lips. Leaning down, he gently brushed his lips against her's.

'If I'm going to fuck everything up, I doubt Samsara will be getting back together.' He thought sadly. 'At least not with me in it.'

What did it matter then, if Tsubaki was his lover? Wasn't he allowed one small comfort in the world?

Tsubaki blushed and leaned into the kiss.

That's one way to answer, I guess.

It was a brief kiss, but it was good. When their lips parted she smiled sadly. "What do we do?" she asked. "I want to be with you, but I don't want to hurt Bryan." She looked frustrated. "How the hell did I not see it before? If I had known how he felt I could have spoken to him about this before it all exploded. I'm so stupid."

"It's not your fault." Asad brused the hair from Tsubaki's eyes. "I blame Jun, personally." The man pursed his lips, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "Seems like the kinda thing he'd do, you know?"

"Asad," she groaned, "I'm not joking around. This is really important to me. You know you two are my only friends, right?"

Asad's face softened. "This line of work doesn't really mesh well with a healthy social life." The man sighed as he brushed his lips against Tsubaki's cheek. "Whatever you wanna do, I'll go along with it."

She shrugged. "That's the thing, I don't know what to do," she admitted. "I know what I want, and I think that's fairly obvious." She clenched her jaw and searched his eyes. "I've never felt the way Bryan does about another person before. I-I-I don't know what exactly I feel for you, and maybe it's the same thing, but... how hard is it for someone to move past that? Can he just... get over me? Can we still be friends if he does?"

"Of course you can still be friends. When have you ever known Bryan to hold a grudge? He respects the man who put him in hospital for god's sake." Asad wasn't really sure what to do either, all he knew was that he wanted Tsubaki. "Let's just put that on the back burner for now." He pulled her close to his chest. "Let's just enjoy this while we can." Asad spoke softly as he rested his cheek on her head.

"Okay," she whispered in reply. She closed her eyes then and let the soothing music spirit her thoughts away from all that troubled her. She'd enjoy this moment.

With her luck, she wouldn't get another chance.

She wrapped her arms around his back and pressed her hands against his shoulder blades, squeezing him tight. She wouldn't let him go.

Not for anything.

 

[The Funslinger]

Whiskey was panting lightly as her two opponents turned again to face her. They both had a good swing, but if they couldn't learn to make contact, it was useless.

"Again!" she ordered.

The smaller one was in first, coming right at her like a boxer, with a flurry of jabs at her chest and face. Whiskey backpedaled, swatting aside the blows she couldn't easily avoid. Suddenly she stopped, trapping the kid's foot under hers and shoving him in the chest so that he sprawled just as the larger recruit reached her, swerving in from the side.

His roundhouse kick would have shattered her jaw if she'd let it, but instead, she ducked under it, and as the foot came down, she caught his ankle and backed up, making him hop after her to keep balance. After enjoying the amusement of it for a moment, Whiskey took her feet off the ground, bringing one leg up and around to ax down into the teenager's gut as they both hit the floor. Whiskey's landing was painless enough, but the impact only served to worsen the crushing blow of her heel into the big guy's torso. Rolling onto her feet, Whiskey let him crawl away. The smaller guy was still kicking, though. Motioning for one of the onlookers to take the big guy's place, she readied herself again.

The two charged at the same time, coming in from different sides. Whiskey caught their punches on her forearms and twisted lithely between them. Once behind them, she reached out and slammed their heads together. Both went down. As she picked up her water bottle for a drink, Whiskey contemplated the idea that she might have gone a little too far.

======================================================================

With Allie safely at the far end of the environment shelter they had put up, Ruffles rolled up the first empty plasma cell, and screwed the end of a long tube into the slot on one of the flat sides. Then he screwed the other end into the gas canister and opened the valve. He repeated this several times, until all the massive plasma cells they had brought out with them over several crawler trips were full. Then he rolled them all away except for one, around which he began setting up angled reflector dishes. After that, he began setting up the large, powerful electromagnetism apparatus that had been the final thing they had brought out. When it was set up, he pulled on a pair of thick leather gloves going up to his forearms, and a heavy apron. Finally, he put the breathing mask on his face, and pulled down his engineer goggles. He didn't need any of the latter two items for their actual purposes, but if something went wrong, they'd give his face token protection.

"If I say to leave, you don't ask questions. Just get out. This is the dangerous part."

Finally, opening his holdall, Ruffles took out what looked like some kind of weird, giant thermometer, although its actual purpose was more complex. He used a length of duct tape to attach it to the side of the plasma cell. Then he picked up the control box for the electromagnetism machine.

It was something of a homespun setup. He had built the electromagnetism machine himself, although it looked very professional, and the reflector dishes he had looted on some mission years ago. Ready to go, he pressed the button on the control box, and turned the dial. There was a low hum, and the plasma cell twitched. It did not leave the ground, however, still being weighed down by its non-metallic parts. The meter taped to it started to glow yellow.

Over several minutes, Ruffles turned up the dial, very slowly. Occasionally, he turned it down a little, when the humming started to become erratic, or when the meter turned orange approaching red suddenly, or sometimes due to some small, imperceptible sign that only he could have said. It might have been gut instinct, even he wasn't sure.

Up, up the dial went, until the meter was consistently orange, and the cell itself was rocking gently. He kept turning the dial. Eventually, the cell shot up, sticking to the plate of the electromagnetism machine. At the same time, the reflector plates, also drawn by the power of the magnets, turned up on their axis, following the cell and continuing to bounce the waves back at it. The humming was almost unbearably loud now, and slowly, the cell itself was becoming suffused with a green inner-glow. Ruffles turned the dial down to zero. The cell hit the ground, and he hit the power button. Holding them by the frames so as not to burn himself, Ruffles moved the reflector dishes out of the way, and started rolling the cell towards the environment shelter's door.

"Alright," he said. "We have to take these cells back one at a time when they're done, so back in the crawler. And I'm coming back out here on my own. One is all you get today, Allie."

 

[Dogmatic99]

Irena had done a poor job of keeping her promise to save Lilith within a twenty minute time limit. Erik and Florian took things to their usual extremes and tried to find themselves on opposites of town. It wasn't surprising that Florian found his way to the cemetery after what was said between them. He always was a simple creature. They didn't talk much. There wasn't anything she could say to him anyway. So Irena left him to brood.

She found Lilith a while later, looking a little worse for wares. There wasn't much the boys could do right now so Irena took Lilith back to her place, a better option than the holes Florian had been hiding in. Without Erik they were in need of a plan B. Their best bet was winning over the remaining Boykov Loyalists and she had a hunch that Lilith, as an outsider, might have a better chance of helping that along than one of the faces of their oppressors.

Their planning dragged on into the evening. The Sherwood girl was some pleasant company once she proved herself more trust worthy. Irena had to let Florian in later. He traipsed in like some stray cat.

Lilith was leaning over the table, staring down at a map. Turning her head as Florian skulked into the room, the girl smiled sympathetically. "Hello, sunshine." She cooed. She hoped Erik would take them up on their offer, she hated seeing Florian like this.

"Hey." He mumbled, forcing his head to not hang so low. "You two have been...busy?"

"Backup plan." Irena said plainly.

"Always pays to have one." Florian nodded along.

"Oh you know, girl stuff." Lilith grinned as she pushed herself away from the table. Crossing her arms over her chest, she took a few steps towards Florian. "We're getting our nails done later, we've really bonded, ain't that right, Renny?" Lilith cooed.

The two Frostfall natives just looked at each other. "This is the company you keep these days." Irena said. "I'm glad that among all your talk of changing, your taste has stayed exactly the fucking same." There was no venom in her words. Just a simple statement.

"You know it." Florian's demeanor brightened a little. He couldn't help but smile a little at Lilith's face.

"See? Best mates." Lilith smirked playfully. Placing her hands on her hips, she looked back at Florian, her eyes searching his face. This whole Erik situation must have hit him pretty hard, he looked exhausted.

"Hey." She cooed, he face softening. "You feeling okay? Want me to make you some tea?" She tilted her head. "I can tell you all of Renny's childhood secrets, I know those now, what with us being the best of friends and all." She chuckled. "Did you know she has a teddy bear called Alphonese that she cuddles in bed?" She nodded her head solemnly. "It's true, ask her yourself."

"That's a lie. I don't need a teddy since I got Trotsky." Irena stopped her there.

"Trotsky's alive?" Florian was the very picture of surprise.

"Of course he is. Unlike you, I'm responsible and look after those under my care. He's staying with my mother right now, it's safer for him there."

"How is that even possible?" Florian would have to wait for an answer though as there was a knock at the door.

Everyone went quiet as Irena slowly made her way to the door, giving a quick hand sign to the others as Florian reached for his gun and took up a more defensive position. Their host checked through the peephole, let out a sigh of relief and slowly swung the door open. Revealing Erik, taking up the doorway. Irena backed away to let him in.

"I...uuh... peace?" Erik mumbled awkwardly, holding up a seemingly industrial sized bottle of liquor.

All eyes were on Florian. "Okay..." He said at last. "You... you wanna sit down?"

Lilith could barely contain her grin as her eyes fell on the huge man, but for the sake of the emotional moment unfolding before her, she managed to stifle it to a small smirk. Glancing over at Irena, their eyes met, Lilith gave the woman a small nod.

"Florian." She whispered. "You should introduce me." There was no need for him to know of her hand in all this, hopefully Erik would get the message too.

"Oh um, Erik, this is Lilith. She's a friend we brought in to help with... with uh..." Florian stumbled for the proper words. he hadn't even gotten past the first hurdle to bringing Erik on board. How was he supposed to explain a coup to him.

"To help people cut shit?" Erik helped him get there as he looked between Florian and the little blonde girl. He wasn't sure why she was acting coy about things but he could find that out later. Too many secrets and schemes going around these days. "Is nice to meet you." He nodded to her.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Ablev." Lilith bowed her head slightly as her eyes locked onto Erik's. "I've heard a lot about you." She smiled knowingly.

It seemed to go unnoticed as Erik advanced further into the room and Florian backed off, the two of them like wary animals edging out their territory. Irena just watched, anxiously hoping that her home wouldn't turn into their next warzone.

["So we need to talk."] Erik said at last.

["We do."] Florian nodded.

["With our words."]

["Agreed."] Yet another awkward pause followed. ["Do you, uh, want to... take this in the other room?"]

["That'd... probably be good."] Erik conceded, giving a cursory nod to their host. He and Florian quietly left for the direction of the kitchen, closing the door behind them. Everything was very quiet after that.

"They're going to burn my kitchen down again." Irena sighed, consigning herself to the couch in defeat. "Do your crew make you put up with this kind of crap?" She asked Lilith.
====================================================================================

Gale mostly stuck to the back of the group, making sure her gear was all in order and working properly. Her rifle was all wrapped up in a grease stained sheet as she often kept it when travelling. It was clear enough what it was but didn't scream out that she was looking for trouble. Looking at their group all gathered up though, well, it was clear they looked ready for it at least.

"-We're heading to the post-office here in town. I'll need you, Jesse and Gale on the street, watching for our Wilkes-Vines buddies."

"Aye aye on that, Chief." Gale gave a little salute.

She didn't see why they would be getting any trouble. This was a simple sounding deal that'd help both parties. No need for anyone to try and turn nasty and no way did a quiet den like this place to have anyone as serious as the maidens or dragon wearing lads. Sounded like a pretty easy job all in all.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Now this was more like it. Allie watched attentively as Ruffles went through the process of refilling the plasma cells. It was all very intricate stuff. Making notes on a pad, the girl grinned as stuff started to glow.

Glowing stuff was always cool.

"We have to take these cells back one at a time when they're done, so back in the crawler. And I'm coming back out here on my own. One is all you get today, Allie."

"Awww, why?" Allie pouted. "High fatality chances is my middle name." She crossed her arms over her chest.

======================

"Do your crew make you put up with this kind of crap?"

"You have no idea." Lilith chuckled, stretching her arms over her head as she collapsed onto the couch next to Irena. "Pixie would love it here, everyone fights." She sighed. "Her and Erik would be best friends, I'd wager." She narrowed her eyes as a smirk curled her lips. "The look on her face when she figures out why she can't seduce him, I'd pay to see that."


======================

Tsubaki had nearly fallen asleep in Asad's arms as they swayed back-and-forth in the center of the ballroom. It was a kind of bliss she'd seldom known.

Comfort and love were rare commodities in her line of work. This moment she was sharing with Asad now? She wished it could last forever.

"Good Morning Commander Saburo," a bold voice said to her. "And Major Harel."

It was Dio.

Tsubaki withdrew her head from her partner's chest and looked at her Lord in surprise. "How can I help you, M'Lord?" she asked.

Dio grinned at Asad. "Could I borrow your date for one quick dance, Major," he asked him. "I promise she'll still love you when it's over."

Tsubaki's cheeks flushed a bright crimson.

Asad unconsciously tightened his arms around Tsubaki as anxiousness raised in the back of his throat.

'You can burn in hell you son of a *****.'

"Of course, my Lord, I never really learned how to dance anyway." He chuckled convincingly. And like that the mask was on, looking down at Tsubaki, Asad smiled. "That is, if the commander wouldn't mind, obviously."

Blind-sided by Asad's sudden tact, Tsubaki blinked stupidly and nodded. "U-um, okay," she stammered. "It would be an honor to dance with you, M'Lord."

Dio's grin was wicked. "The honor is mine, Tsubaki," he purred. Taking her by the hand, he whisked Tsubaki away from Asad. She gave him one last desperate look before they disappeared into the crowd.

Clenching his jaw, Asad watched as he took her away. The look she gave him almost broke his heart.

'I'm sorry Tsu, but he can't suspect me, not even a little bit.'

Adjusting his bowtie, the Major made his way off the dance floor and towards the refreshment table. Was it too early to start drinking?

Spoiler

"He's insufferable, isn't he?" an unfamiliar voice suddenly said to him. When Asad turned his head to find the source of the voice he found a tall, elegant woman whose long, white dress was adorned in all manner of golden jewellery. Her long, black hair framed her beautiful face well, but something told Asad this woman was much older than she appeared. "Dio, I mean."

"Lady Lombardi." Asad forced a smile as he turned to face the woman, holding his hands behind his back as he bowed slightly. "You look radiant as ever." The man smiled weakly as he began layering on the typical platitudes. "It was probably for the best, I doubt Commander Saburo's feet would survive a prolonged encounter with my dancing prowess." He decided to purposefully skip over the woman's scandalous comment.

'Out of the frying pan and into the fire.'

Contessa flashed the soldier a dangerous smile. "Is that the truth?" she asked. She glanced past him and eyeballed the bar. "An open bar? Such a pointless gesture at an event like this. Only lost souls like the two of us would be derranged enough to take advantage of free drinks this early in the day." She found his eyes once more. "Is that an appropriate assessment?"

Asad chuckled. "An astute observation, m'lady, it appears I have been caught out." Couldn't he drown his sorrows in peace? "Technically, I'm not on duty, as per Lord Basilio's generosity. It would be remiss of me to not partake the fine selection of beverages on offer." He grinned cheekily.

She turned around, crossed her arms over her check and leaned her back against the bar. "He's on to you, you know?" she said matter-of-factly. "He suspects Lady Maribel has converted you. You need to be more careful."

Asad's heart stopped in his chest. "I'm... not sure what you mean M'lady." his perplexed expression belied the panic now spreading through his mind. "It is true that I am protective of young Lady Maribel, but only on Lord Basilio's orders." How could she know? How could Dio know? Were they being spied on?

Contessa's condescending laughter chilled Asad to the bone. "Please Major, no need to act coy," she said. "You've surrounded yourself with professional liars. Considering your profession, I figured you would be better at it. Even the young Maribel can put on a more convincing show."

A thousand thoughts began rushing through the Major's mind. Every second he spent in this place, with these people, the more cornered he began to feel. Even with all his years of training, all his experience, none of it helped in the situation he currently found himself in.

This was all like some dangerous game, one he wanted no part in, but the dice was being rolled for him regardless.

His posture going rigid as every muscle in his body tensed, Asad narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?" He mumbled.

"That's better," she purred, quite pleased with herself. "I'd like a dance, actually. I want to see your so-called 'dancing prowess' first hand, if you don't mind."

Asad grunted, stepping forward he offered his arm to Lombardi. Snakes. All of them were snakes. He couldn't stand the look on the woman's face. "Very well, but I wasn't lying. I am quite bad." He forced a smile.

'If I'm being forced to play this game, I might as well try.'

After stepping out onto the dance floor Contessa quickly took charge. It was clearly she'd been doing this literal dance all her life. While Asad couldn't keep his eyes off his feet (her's moved remarkably fast), Contessa's venomous gaze bore down on him. "Please, do at least pretend you are enjoying yourself, Major," she pleaded. "If you can't do something so simple then you are of no use to me at all."

"Forgive me M'Lady, I generally don't perform my best with a sword dangling over my head." The man sneered as he finally began to match the woman's rhythm. "What use would you have for me exactly?"

"There's a storm coming, Major," she told him. They spun swiftly before settling back into a slow sway. "This kingdom will crumble and I need you to be by her side when it does. Dio's legacy dies with this tower, and you need to make sure Lady Maribel doesn't burn along with it."

"What do you mean?" The man furrowed his brow. Was there a plot against Basilio? Was Contessa involved or did she merely have an ear out for trouble? "Why me? You obviously know more than I do, so why not protect her yourself?"

"She trusts you," she said simply. "You're the only one she trusts."


Averting his eyes, Asad clenched his jaw. How did she know all this? As the pair continued to dance for a few silent moments, Asad met Contessa's eyes. "I won't let you hurt her either." His expression hardened. "Whatever it is you have planned, leave her out of this, she's just a girl, she doesn't deserve to be used as tool by Basillio, by you, by anyone." Perhaps threatening Lombardi wasn't the wisest decision he ever made.

'I'm still new to this, that much is clear.'

Again, Contessa laughed mockingly. "I was right to come to you, it seems," she mused. "You do care about her. That's good. True, I do have... other motives, but as her late sister's godmother I have an obligation to protect her. Believe me when I tell you that I wish there was another way, but Elizabeth was born a noble. There are certain things that are expected of her. She cannot escape that fact. I am offering her aid with a price and she knows that." She chuckled. "She's smarter than you think, Major."

"I don't underestimate her intelligence for a moment, M'Lady." Asad stated simply. "And that's the problem, she thinks she can change the world, make it better." He smile sadly. "We both know that isn't going to happen."


"The girl can have her dreams," Contessa muttered, her cheerfully evil grin all but gone now. "Just make sure they don't kill her like they did her sister."

'Why do people keep saying that to me?' Asad mused. "What can I do exactly? I can't guard the girl every hour of every day, and if Dio suspects me like you claim, then I don't imagine I'll be in a position to protect her much longer."

Contessa glared at him. "You've worked for the man for years," she accused. "You should know by now what makes him tick. It's simple enough to wrap him around your finger if you know what buttons to press... or rather, what buttons to let him press on you." The sinister grin returned. "That Commander you're so fond of? She'd know what I'm talking about."

"Leave Tsubaki out of this." Asad snapped. "She's more terrified of him than she is loyal, but that won't stop her from trying to protect him." His eyes pleaded. "I don't know what you have planned, just make sure she isn't around when you do it, that's my request, please."

Contessa searched the man's desperate eyes. "I cannot promise anything, Major," she told him, "but we can try to... distract her. In the end, however, she's her own person. She may follow her own path; one we cannot predict."

"That's all I ask." He bowed his head slightly. "She has certain... delusions." Asad pursed his lips. "She's a lot like Elizabeth in that regard. I seem to have a talent in surrounding myself with women such as them." He allowed himself a small smile. "Present company excluded, of course."

What he wouldn't give to be in a room surrounded by men with guns. At least then he'd know what he was up against.

"Of course," she repeated. As they continued to dance slowly, the Golden Empress studied his wary face. "Tell me Major, what is it like to fear words rather than bullets? Are you starting to get a taste for the world that exists above your own?" She giggled. "Trust me when I say, a piece of paper is just as deadly as a knife in our world.

"Bullets are simple." Asad averted his eyes. "There are no tricks, no politics. Just ability." He looked back at the woman. "There is a certain honour in combat, but this?" He nodded at the room. "This... terrifies me. This was not what I signed up for, ordered to protect a woman by the very man who seeks to harm her... for sport." He did nothing to hide the distaste in his voice.

"I know about Margaret Maribel, Eliabeth told me, who in turn heard it from the Iron Maidens of all people." He chuckled incredulously. "The Cook asked me to do the very thing you're suggesting now, and I'm just supposed to go along with it? What happens after we leave this place? What happens to me? How useful am I after I've done my job and she's out of Basilio's reach?" A look of defeat softened Asad's features. "Who do I trust? You? I get the feeling you'd think less of being so naive, I know I'm just a tool to you, there's no need to sugar coat it, I've been a tool my entire adult life."

"Trust Elizabeth," Contessa told him without missing a beat. Her words almost sounded sincere. "She'll know where to go when this is all over. She will figure out what to do. If you don't want to be a 'tool', I suppose you could leave her side the moment danger passes, but I don't suspect you'll do that. You care about her too much."

Asad sighed, furrowing his brow. "She's just a kid, have no idea why I'm so eager to throw away my career for her." He averted his eyes. "You must think I'm a fool." He chuckled sardonically. "It's like some cliché fairy tale."

"It's amusing," Contessa assured him. "If nothing else, you've got my attention. There are leagues of men from here to Frostfall that would do anything for that."

"Forgive me, my Lady." Asad bowed his head. "But I do not count myself among them."

She offered a wry smile. "I suppose not, Major," she said. "You've got your eyes on a much younger prize, it seems." Leaning forward suddenly, she kissed him on the cheek. "I had a pleasant time. Take care of yourself, Major." And with that, Contessa was gone, lost in the sea of bodies surrounding Asad.

Asad watched as the woman sauntered away. Possibly the most dangerous woman on the entire continent, and he had her attention.

Raising his hand, he gently brushed his fingers over where she had kissed him.

"I'm so screwed." He chuckled to himself.