In the Crimsian Borough, Sunrise

Cassia woke with a start as a hand clamped over her mouth, stifling the scream that followed. Her panicked eyes adjusted to the dim light to see Dimitri looking down at her, with a finger to his lips indicating silence. Whispering, "Get dressed, quickly, we have to get out of here." He began packing food, waterskins, and other necessities from her apartment into their knapsacks. Having dressed herself, "Dimitri, what is going on?"

"The former Marked Ones, they are up to something, and they intend to kidnap you to accomplish it. I don't know what it is exactly, but we have to get you somewhere safe."

She nodded, and helped him in the packing. Shortly after, the two were ready, and Dimitri creaked open the door, glancing down the street, seeing no threat. He crept out, staying close to the walls of the shacks, with Cassia following close behind. The pair made their way through the shaded back streets and alleys, heading for the center of the city. The city was slowly awakening, people heading to work, couriers making way with their first deliveries, and it seemed as if they were going to make it out unnoticed. They turned into an alley, when Dimitri picked up the pace, "We're being followed, hurry."

They raced down the alley, and turned left, only to find themselves at a dead end. Dimitri turned, drawing his shortsword, knowing that whoever was following would have to reveal themselves. Cassia backed further into the dead end, to give Dimitri the space he needed to fight without worry. Her eyes fell upon a small weed growing near the wall of the alley, when she gasped, her world going white, as a Vision took over her.

Cassia was watching herself from above, as she ran. There was a nagging in the back of her head when she spoke, "The Unflowering leads to safety." She could tell that her running self had heard it, but didn't stop. She could see that her running self was following the advice, leading her through the city to a small shop called Letixia's Soothing Salves and Clinic.

Coming out of the vision with another gasp, she saw Dimitri and a Marked Man fighting fiercely. Dimitri wasn't in her Vision, and she was worried as to why. The problem with Visions was that by seeing them, one could change the outcome. They were possibilities, not definite. Dimitri caught the man's arm and pushed him against the wall, the two grappling for control. "I'm sorry Dimitri!" She took the opening and ran past him, distracting him for a moment. The Marked Man stabbed him in the left side. He pushed Dimitri down, leaving the knife stuck in him as he turned to chase Cassia. He made it four steps before he choked, and fell to the ground, dead, his knife lodged in his neck, thrown from a fallen Dimitri. Cassia had disappeared into the workwork of the city, as Dimitri stood slowly. He'd failed her.

---

Letixia was up bright and early as usual, having just finished checking her crop of herbs and plants in her garden. Her loyal companion, Rufus, was following her everywhere she went. She grabbed a few jars and pouches from her shelves, and placed them in a knapsack, ready to make her deliveries. Her first stop was the Shipyard, she was delivering a replenishment of preservative herbs for food. She smiled and greeted those that she passed, for most were either current or previous customers. Stopping at a small stand, she purchased a small hunk of bread, cheese, and an apple. She split them as she walked, nibbling on some, and feeding the rest to Rufus, who took it quite happily.

Making her way through the twists and turns of the city, quite easy for an Indigan native, she eventually made it to the docks, just as the sun was shining high in the morning. The Sailor's Guild was her favorite customer, and not just because they made her the most money. They were always good to her, protective even, calling her "Their Auburn Witch-Doctor" in jest. They all knew that many of their journeys might not have been nearly as successful had she not supplied them, and many had been treated by her for some ailment or injury.

Making her way to the Overseer's office, she dropped off her delivery and picked up the order for tomorrow. She had time to kill, so she stepped back outside, and sat upon a stack of crates, watching the hustle and bustle of the docks with Rufus.

Sam reached into the folds of his coat and pulled out a pair of lockpicks and hastily opened the lock of the warehouse, it belonged to The Sailor's Guild and was where a good portion of their fishing spoils were kept. Keeping to the shadows behind some crates he leant out and saw a guard patrol coming. Waiting until they passed, he slipped out silently and searched for a means to transport the crate full of fresh fish he had just found, their dead eyes looking up at him.

He found a cart on rails leading to the front of the building, and just about managed to haul the heavy crate into the rusted cart. Taking off his cost and stuffing it beside the crate in the cart, he attempted to look like he was supposed to be there and started the cart forwards with a laborious push. The guards he had seen walking past early barely seemed to notice them as he trundled past, and he reached the main door of the warehouse without a hitch. As the tracks for the cart stopped, a guard glanced at his cargo and waved for him to take it to the awaiting horse and cart, piled high with fish crates.

He wrestled the crate into the cart and the driver started forwards, quickly he slipped out of view of the guard at the warehouse door and pulled on his coat which he had snatched back just as the cart load of fish departed. When the horse and cart turned the corner into a less busy he street, he had planned the site of the hijacking in advance, he leapt into the back of the cart and choked out the driver. Lowering him to the floor he took his hat and grabbed the reins for the cart, steering it towards the market.

He set up a stall and shouted repeatedly "High quality fish! Lowest ever prices! All must go!" All went well for a few hours and the bag he had brought was gradually filling with gold, in these impoverished times nobody asked questions about cheap prices. Just as he was about to call out his sales cry again, a group of guards were looking purposeful l, shouldering their way through the crowd towards him.

"Oh for gods sa-" he was cut short as he snatched up the bag of gold and broke into a sprint.

The sounds of waves crashing a boat seem to bother this man very little, as he slept heavily against the knocking of the boat. With every inhale the boat tipped and every exhale it found itself back at equilibrium. The constant motion of sea was almost comforting to the him, seeming more at home here like a fish then at on shore like a man. Sleep never lasts forever and he awoke slowly, with a creak like a rusted metal hinge. His feet planted on the deck, he could hear men on the outside working. They where tending to the sails, watching the course, or just making sure the bounty stayed safe from those who might like to take it. As he made his way onto the deck suddenly the rocking of the boat stopped. There were no men. He had clearly just heard the bustling and toiling of sailors hard at work and where did the sound of the crashing waves go. He looked around the outside of the boat and in the distance he could clearly see an island with smoke slowly piling from it's large stack in the middle. The skies and seas were clear for as far as the eye could see.

His eyes peered over the ship looking for someone, entering the crew quarters they where completely bare. "Wha-!" He exclaimed unable to finish his sentence as a earth-shattering boom hit the ship. The whole thing almost tipped over as a sound wave slammed straight into the starboard side of the ship. He lost his footing as he thrown across the room thrown into the walls at a tremendous force. After the ringing had finally left his ears and he got himself up, sounds were once again coming from the outside. He quickly ran onto the deck once more to see all his crew, and many other people screaming and yelling. "Hurry! Get the rope! Put out the fire! We have to get the hell out of here!" Yelled the crew and large group of foreigners on board. That's when he saw the whole scene unfolding in front of him. Fire raged across the ship, people desperately attempting to put it out. Women and children screaming and jumping overboard in a crazed suicidal tendency. As if the world they knew it was ending. That's when his eye looked up and saw in front of him the island was much closer. The stack that had bellowed turned out to be a volcano. He attempted to breath in but all he could now breath was ash. His whole ship covered now with the smoke and brimstone of the eruption he clutched at his throat wanting to breath. Then a blackness seem to overtake him.

Till sat straight up and awoke from his slumber as he grasped at his throat. It was only a dream again he had told himself. It seemed like only yesterday when all these people had gotten here. Foreigners like him he went in to save those who stayed behind. [i]Your a fool to think you could of done anything[i], he had thought as he wiped the sweat from his body. He had gotten out before the worst of the eruption came but as he heard the screams of those who watched their home burn to ashes it brought shivers to his spine. As he looked around he found himself in his 'captains' quarters. Really just a small room with a chest, closet, and a bed all sitting on different walls of the room with the door by itself on the last wall. "Wish these things would leave my head" He said softly, in a whisper as if to keep it a secret from anyone who could possibly be listening. He got out of bed and quickly readied himself for the day ahead. He wasn't one to mull on things like this. It was just to sad and to serious for right now. There was a full day ahead of work that needed to be done and contemplating on a dream all day wasn't going to make any of it go away. A loud pounding knock came at his door as he attached his short sword to his hilt. "Just a second!" Till exclaimed as he raced to find his pants. Hopping into them as he opened the door, stood before him was a large man in Indigan Navy clothes. He had recognized him right away! "Terrius!" Till yelled as he put an arm around the man and gave him a light punch in the shoulder. "What brings you to my humble abode?"

Terrius smiled halfheartedly as if looking at a dog who didn't know any better. They had served together for 4 years on the same ship, Till being the NCO and he was still just a seaman in training. It was strange to see Till so changed, no long clean shaven with short hair but a deep scruff and hair that laid on his shoulders. A lot had changed since he had left. "Well, I was asked to come here and give you this. It's a formal request for you to go to the Indigan Council and speak to recruiting. It seems we need more men for the Navy with the recent murmur of revolt among the foreigners that live in our mists. It's precautionary at best but...." Terrius was going to continue forever in his dull monotone nature if Till hadn't surprised him by interrupting him. "Terrius I already gave the place 8 years of my life! How can they ask this of me? I love this place it is my home, but I don't want to go back to being stuck." Till said trying to get his thoughts straight. He should've left the first chance he had. He had grown too comfortable and now here he was again going to have to be stuck with no other choice but giving up another 8 years. "Till, it's just a request and you're not required but you should think this over." Terrius had said this his voice now leaving the monotone for almost a serious and understanding one.

Till pushed past him as he jumped off the small boat and his feet landed squarely on the pier. "Don't worry Terrius! I'll figure this out." Till said now knocking himself out of the funk that had surrounded him since this morning. A smile coming across his face as he gave him a wave. "I'll see you soon, and when you do it wont be uniform." Till said waving Terrius off as he headed towards the city. He looked over the letter and read it very closely.

You are summoned Till Hermann for a duty of 8 years as apart of the Indigan Navy.
Your help is needed today! For Indiga! For her people!

He couldn't read anymore of it. He had served his time and that was that. They couldn't make him serve. Part of him knew though, that he would always want to protect this place and keep it safe. It had done the same to him.

His eyes darted up from the paper and next thing he knew he had left the pier and found himself in the markets. He looked around people selling fish and their wares. Yelling for attention "Get the cheapest spice around!" "The finest jewelry in all the Violletta Bay!" "Fresh caught fish at competitive prices!" Yelled the shopkeeps, some extremely wealthy and others just trying to get by. A dichotomy that was no more present then right here. With the rich and the poor sometimes shopping close together. Till's stomach started to growl and he looked up. "Can't figure things out with an empty stomach!" He said smiling as he looked around. His eyes meeting bakers fresh goods as he almost floated over sticking his face against the glass window peering inside to see all the goods. He reached in his pockets and soon dismay fell over him. "Dammit!" He said as he reached deeper and deeper in his pockets as if there was a secret compartment somewhere where his gold had been hiding. "I swear I kept my money in this pocket." He murmured and he made his way back to the docks. It must be back on his ship.

(Edited slightly)

The day started like any other: well before the crack of dawn. Artyom woke with the sounds of birds on his open windowsill. He rolled out of bed, already dressed in his work clothes, and stumbled to the kitchen for his pre-made breakfast. Today's food was a lump of cheese and some crackers, along with the usual lukewarm herbal tea. The stuff tasted like garbage, but it gave him enough energy to start the day. Then he was out the door, following the familiar trail down to the docks. Artyom worked for a small fishing company that provided their catch to the Sailor's Guild for a nice price. Their food would then be sold to businesses who did not catch their own wares, and then the shopkeepers would sell it to the public. Artyom, his father, and the other 17 men were paid monthly in gold and provided fish to feed their families. It was an easy business where everyone made money.

Artyom arrived on the docks to see the beginnings of the sunrise, a steady lightening of the deep blue sky. The waves were calm and the birds glided lazily over the ocean. He closed his eyes and reached out with his magic. As expected, not many fish were hanging around the docks, but he could feel the beginnings of a school near the surface a mile away, perfect for catching in nets. He opened his eyes and climbed onto the boat. They sailed out on the lazy morning breeze.

The catch wasn't amazing today. In fact, it was less than last weeks catch, but still enough to fit their quota. Artyom was right about the school of fish. They netted half of it and left the other half to repopulate. The crab traps were empty, which surprised Artyom, since he was sure the locations he suggested were full of crab and lobster. His father shook him by the shoulders, "C'mon boy, gotta do better than that." The men teased him, and he laughed, asserting that, "even magic is wrong sometimes." The rest of the trip went uneventfully, and they pulled back into the docks with the sun high over their heads. Artyom headed down to the shop district to get some groceries, preferably not fish. (As delicious as fish is, he can't live on just fish alone.)

Artyom arrived just in time to see the guards chasing after some man with a bag of gold. Oh, great, a robbery! Sighing at the state of Indiga these days, he shopped at the vegetable and dairy stalls, picking up some nice looking cheese and corn ears. He eyed an exotic-looking fruit, but it was much too expensive, and smelled like sweaty socks. After that, he headed home, which was close to the docks.

Her foot was yanked hard from under the animal pelt she had peacefully slumbered under. "Evangeline!" her mother sneered, trying to wake the girl up for her morning duties. "Please ma..." Eva begged, pulling her slender leg away from her mother's grasp as she turned around and tried to catch a few more winks. Within seconds her blanket of warmth was cast from her, being thrown on the floor into a pile. The bedroom door slammed hard with a resonating sound. The young woman supposed it was time to get up.

Laying in the bare bed for a moment Evangeline peered around the room, her green eyes glistening from the morning sun that had been shining in. Lifting both of her hands in the air, she admired the sun rays upon her olive skin. Evangeline had never been superficial, but she had confidence to say, she thought herself as a beautiful and strong young woman. She wondered why no man had asked for her hand in all these years. She had all the good attributes of any woman from Indiga; A good head on her shoulders, a strong work ethic, and a stomach for fish. Just as her mind had wandered, the door slammed open again, revealing a sour woman. "Evangeline, Do you want to know why no man will take you?" Eva turned, her arms dropping as her gaze looked up at her mother's figure in the doorway. She pondered if her mother had been influenced by magic, or perhaps it was just a mother's intuition. "You're useless during the waking moments of the sun, you're useless in the afternoon when the sun is at it's highest, and you're useless at night when the sun is down to rest."

Evangeline stared, "So, perhaps my calling is during the evening as a sailor's prostitute?" a sly small crawled across her face as her mother returned a glare of pure disrespect. "The shop. Now." her mother barked. It was Evangeline's last warning, and she decided she better get up before she ended up on the street, homeless.

Quickly she adorned her body in a dress she had sewn together herself. It was a dark maroon color, cinched at the waist, very feminine but not flimsy in the slightest. She combed out her hair and made her way out into the front of their home, which also served as their business location. Evangeline and her mother had sewn everything from working clothes to formal dresses. They had small tasks such as baptism dress for a child. They had large tasks such as fixing a ripping sail of a small boat. It was perhaps the only thing the two could work on in a team these days without wanting to rip one another's throats out.

Cassia had managed to get lost, despite the assistance from the Vision earlier. There were no weeds or plants to follow, try as hard as she looked. But she kept moving, to keep herself away from her potential captors. She turned a corner and slammed bodily into another person, falling backwards onto her rump, the unmistakeable sound of a large amount of coins clanging on stone joining her. Looking up, she saw a tall man, an Indigan native if she had to guess. "I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying any mind as to where I was going. Let me help you." She began picking up the coins, handing them to him. Back on Crimsia, she might've been tempted to keep some of them, but ever since she became the Marked Prophet, she really wanted for nothing but a little freedom. There were days it made her sick, that her people would give her a lavish lifestyle while they suffer in poverty. Cassia knew it was the power religion had over man, but it would never change. She just tried to make sure their efforts weren't in vain. Standing up, she handed over the last of the coins when a large group of guards stormed right past them. Where ever they were heading, it was in quite the hurry.

Cassia stuck out her hand in front of the man, "My name is Cassia, from Crimsia, and you are?" Waiting for his reply, she noticed that there was a plant stuck to the side of his boot, one that she'd seen before, one that had no flowers. It was a sign, she was sure of it. He would lead her to where she needed to be, even if he didn't realize it. Then the city shook, followed by a massive booming roar emanating from the docks. An explosion. Cassia immediately knew that this must be part of the Marked Ones' plan. Panicking, she went for broke, "I know you don't know me, nor do I know you, but I must go with you, where ever it is you go. Please, my people's lives depend on it. Will you help me stranger?"

---

Dimitri didn't know this part of town as well, as he clutched his wounded side, which he kept covered by his jacket. He tried to act casual, to not attract unwanted attention. He knew a bit of field medicine from serving in the Crimsian Navy, but he didn't have the supplies, nor knew of a clinic anywhere in the area. His eyes scanned ahead along the street, trying to find anything that could be of use. His eyes fell upon a particular shop, and prayed the people within would be of help. Pushing open the door, he stumbled in to the Seamstress' shop, and approached the counter. An older woman, who looked slightly annoyed, greeted him. "I have an emergency sewing job, and can pay handsomely. I will answer no questions, you simply perform the service, and I pay you. Do we have an agreement?" He then pulled open his jacket and lifted his shirt revealing his wound. The woman didn't respond nearly how he expected however, kicking him out of her shop, and threatening to call the guards. He turned tail and left, making sure to leak blood on her floor before exiting, then turned down the alley beside the store. His strength was waning, and he needed to rest.

He slumped down the wall, sitting, knowing that he couldn't fall asleep, for if he did, he might not wake up again. "And Cassia has the wine skin, today's just not my day."

---

As Letixia sat upon her perch, she learned that the large galleon nearest to her was carrying various oils. Olive oil for cooking, oil used in making pitch for torches and lamps, many varying types from several distant cities. But something caught her eye, there was a large foreigner walking nervously toward her, then turning towards the galleon. His face was completely covered in tattoos, and he was sweating through his shirt, despite the day not being so hot, not yet at least. Her eyes watched him approach the gangplank, only to be stopped by the quartermaster in charge of tracking the inventory being brought off. They talked, then yelled, then the quartermaster was pushed off the dock into the bay, and the foreigner ran up onto the massive ship.

While sailors were busy trying to figure out what had just happened, Letixia told a guard what she saw, and he quickly made his way to the ship, to arrest what was suspected to be a thief. He made it halfway down the dock, when the innards of the ship seemed to bulge in slow motion. The ship then exploded outwards, throwing the guard backwards, hard, and knocking him unconscious. Leti was knocked from her seat, falling painfully to the wooden docks, and Rufus rushing to her side. Then a splash landed near her, radiating heat, when she saw that it was flaming oil. Barrels, both on the ship, and on the docks around it were exploding and raining flaming oil down upon the docks and nearby boroughs.

Leti stood up quickly, slapped her hands together, and focused her energies to the centers of her palms. It felt as if she were trying to push her very heartbeat out through her hands. A lavender glow began to emanate from her hands and she pulled them apart, putting them over her head, continually forcing the energy out. It formed into a glowing barrier above her, and just in time, as a spat of oil sizzled and disappeared as it struck it. She felt it draining her energy, but she would be needed to help the wounded, and therefore she couldn't die, not yet. Rufus stayed close to her, growling at the nearby fire, as Leti got a good look at the hell forming around them. With most of the buildings being made of wood, as well as the various ships, docks, cargo, and carts, it was a veritable tinderbox. People were screaming in agony, a smell of burnt flesh and wood was beginning to mix with the wind. But she couldn't help anyone until it stopped raining hellfire on the city. So she stood there waiting, watching and listening as the horror unfolded.

Escaping the guards was not too hard. Sam had done it many a time. But escaping the guards with a bulging back of gold in one hand and in a crowded street was a different matter. He was moving as fast as possible through the thronging crowds, which wasn't that fast at all, and was only too aware of the guards shouting "Stop, thief!" behind him.

In an attempt to shake them, he veered into an alley and took a series of random turns, eagre to lose his persuers in the network of backstreets. The noise of the guards was fading, and with a glance over his shoulder, he confirmed the dank alleyway was empty for now. Slowing to a brisk jog, he turned a corner, right into the path of a panicked looking woman. They collided and the bag of money slipped his grasp. The women immediately apologised and knelt to help pick up the scattered coins, twinkling in the early day sun like a hundred miniature suns of his own.

Sam took this opportunity to study her. She was crimsean, judging by her appearance, and looked as if she was all too keen to lose a persuer too. The women spoke, confirming what he had thought of a Crimsian heritage, and identified herself as cassia. just as he was about to introduce himself in a return,the noise of an explosion reached the pair and the look of worry intensified on Cassia's face. "I know you don't know me, nor do I know you, but I must go with you, where ever it is you go. Please, my people's lives depend on it. Will you help me stranger?" she exclaimed.

Sam quickly thought this over, he had nothing against Crimseans, in fact if anything he pitited them. They had their homeland ripped away from them and their culture was at risk by being dilutes. Some however, as Sam knew, held different views. Perhaps that is why she is worried, he mused in his head, maybe she was being persued by some racist thugs.

Deciding it would probably serve them both to get out of the alley he simply said "Follow me". Pulling his lockpicks and what looked like a metal syringe from within hidden pockets stitched into the lining of his greatcoat. Using the 'syringe' he applied some oil to the hinges of a nearby door, it was a large, simple door which Sam was hoping would lead to a house. He set to work on the lock and within about 15 seconds a soft click could be heard, easing the door open he motioned for Cassia to be quiet and they both slipped inside. After Sam left Cassia in the kitchen of the home, he checked the rest of the home and found it unoccupied. He returned downstairs and set the bag of gold on the table, "Right" he said "Who or what are you running from?".

Till stared out amongst the crowd and how it seemed to ebb and flow like the sea. It was almost calming and helped keep his mind off of everything going on in his head. He could still hear the blood curdling screams they would make as they watched all they had get taken from them. Gripping so hard to life and then all of a sudden throwing it away as soon as they looked back at the island. It was like he could almost smell it and that's when he swore he could see fire. As his eyes slowly turned upward it was as if he could see magma drop from the sky like he was there all over again. His breath deepened and slowed and his pupils widened, this can't be happening again. He shook his head and closed his eyes, like a dog covered in water to shake off the vision or nightmares.

"Help!" "Put out the fire!" "It burns oh god!"

That's when he realized it wasn't a dream this was just to real. The he felt a burning as a piece of 'magma' as it skimmed the back of his right arm. He quickly gave a roll he was taught to put out fires on the ships if they where to break out and fall on you. He was so busy daydreaming and didn't even to bother look up. Till had somehow managed his way back to the docks again, but now the whole of the docks where raging with an unquenchable thirst, fires jumping from ships and flames raining from the sky like drops of water. He wasn't going to lose anyone again! With an injured arm and a determined mind he quickly sprinted off to the ship to see if he could possible dress some wounds or help put out the fire.

As he got closer to the epicenter, he focused on something. It was like an lavender blur in the blazing heat that was coming from the burning decks nearby. He saw bodies burnt to a crisp and people screaming trying to put out the fire by throwing nearby water on things that where ablaze. One group threw it on a person only to see him become engulfed as the fire fed on the water almost. This was no normal fire, but an oil fire. Dangerous and worse than most other fires, what kind of idiot did this? Was this the trouble that Terrius had tried to say there was coming?

Every plank brought him closer to the volcano, it brought him closer to the epicenter and the heat from the wood around him only grew. It was like a forest fire smoke suffocating and dark you saw little when you got into the heart. He came up to groups of people some on fire, he dunked his shirt in the water and covered them with it to suffocate the fire that engulfed some of these people. Person after person he helped extinguish, some too late others lay there after being set ablaze just too overwhelmed with the pain. He wasn't helping much he said, he didn't know what to do. The center maybe someone there knew something, he had to save who ever was there. The lavender blur took shape. It was a shield against the fire and was clear. There was a dog and girl in that shield! He hadn't ever really seen magic up-close and it almost startled him more than the fire. He quickly looked, the way to her was small and closing quick. If she was to wait there any longer, the dock would collapse underneath her and the oil wouldn't become extinguished by the water below it could survive on the oil for hours if there was enough fuel. "Hay!" He yelled waving at her, she had to have seen something. That's when he realized who it was, the Auburn Witch-Doctor. Her real name escaped his lips but she was quite liked among the sailors. "Take my -cough- hand this pier wont hold long -cough- you wont even be able to see out of the smoke!" Till was able to yell this out but soon the smoke was filling his lungs and he wasn't even gonna make it long if he didn't escape. He out stretched one arm as if to offer it to help and the other he used to cover his mouth.

The two women were in the midst of bickering back and forth as Evangeline swept.

"You're sweeping too hard!" Mrs. Delvine complained from behind the counter as she checked a few of the packages that were ready for pick up that day. The young woman began sweeping in smaller, lighter brushes. "Now you're sweeping too softly!" she called, her eyes narrowing as she looked at her daughter. The girl stopped sweeping together as she turned towards her, "Why don't you bend over and I'll show you where you can stick this broom- right up your a-" Eva's comment was cut off by a man stumbling into the store's front door. One would assume It would be too early to be drunk, but with the people struggling as they were; it wouldn't be too surprising.

"Good Morning sir. Welcome to E&E tailoring and alterations. The E's stand for my name; Elyncia and my daughter here Evangeline." The woman started, noticing the man was not too familiar looking. " What can I do for you this morning? Are you here to pick up a package for your wife? Perhaps the captain of the ship you've stumbled off of?" her foot pushed the satchel of gold coins she hard farther underneath the counter as he approached closer, her mind a little weary. There had been several robberies in the last few months, and she did not want to take a chance on a drunken stranger.

"I have an emergency sewing job, and can pay handsomely. I will answer no questions, you simply perform the service, and I pay you. Do we have an agreement?"

The man spoke and Evangeline's mouth gaped in shock. Alas, did this man have a lot of moxie. Mrs. Delvine looked at the man as if he had asked for her hand in marriage. Her blood pressure raising as this stranger asked her for such a filthy job in her well respected store. "I'm not sure if you heard me correctly." Elyncia started, "I do alterations and tailoring, I'm not a doctor! No amount of your filthy money would encourage me to help the likes of you!" she exclaimed. Coming from behind the counter and snatching the broom from Evangeline and shooing the man out with the end of it. "Stay out of my sight!" she exclaimed angrily, threatening to call the guards as she did.

Eva couldn't believe her eyes. Her mother had too much pride, her mother was being unreasonable. "Evangeline! Clean up this blood quickly before anyone else comes in this morning. I don't want to be seen as filthy lower class." Elyncia scolded her daughter, finding a bucket of water and a spare rag for Eva to use to clean up. "You're going to let that man die in an alley somewhere? What if that had been my father many years ago? Would you have let him go and bleed out like a hog?" Eva stated, throwing the rag she was handed onto the ground. " I can't stand idle while that happens. You might not want to appear as lower class scum, but you sure act like it." she spoke, scurrying from the front room and back into the small bedroom she had to herself. She began collecting a few items; A scrap of fabric, a needle, some thread and a half empty liquor she had hidden in a chest her father had brought home for her once. She walked back out to the front room to her mother scrubbing the ground from the blood the man had dripped. Eva felt badly, but showed no remorse as she walked out past her mother and followed the small blood trail into the alley that was on the side of the store.

The man appeared weary, his eyes heavy as his toned body was slumped against the wall. Evangeline opened the bottle and began soaking the rag with most of what was left of the alcohol as she approached the man. Dipping down onto her knees she pulled up the man's shirt without permission and slapped the rag on it with a wet splat. "This might hurt, but I'm one of the most steady handed people this side of the port." Evangeline handed the man the almost empty bottle, "You're welcome." she smirked removing the rag and wiping the needle with it. "I'll count you down from three." she warned, as she threaded the needle quickly. "Three!" Eva spoke as she shoved the needle deep into the man's skin, doing a quick but proficient job of closing the wound. "Two, one." she grinned, reaching her head down to the man's stomach as she used her teeth to snip the end of the thread. Her dark green eyes looked up at the man as she lifted her shoulders back up into a sitting position, waiting for the man's response.

Half an hour from Indiga, Lucan handed the wheel over to his first mate. He would likely have to meet with some aspect of the Guild when they pulled into port and his current attire, dirty and worn, was not really fitting of a Captain. He made his way down from the poop deck and towards his cabin. The Aurelia was a small ship and his cabin took up all of the stern, the rest being devoted to the cargo hold. Inside, Lucan stripped off, throwing his dirty clothes on to the bed and replacing them with something cleaner. Kicking open a chest, he took out his Captain's jacket as he called it. It was a dark blue adorned with golden trimmings, styled like the uniform of an officer of the navy. Pulling on the jacket he grabbed his tricorn hat from the back of the door and headed back out on to the deck of The Aurelia, leaving most of the buttons on his jacket undone.

Stepping through the door, the sea air hit him. It was a smell he had always loved. At sea he felt at home, the wind and spray on his face, the crash of the waves on The Aurelia's hull. He strode across the ship, his jacket billowing in the wind. Just before he reached the prow, a rogue wave rocked the ship, sending a couple of the more inexperienced crewman staggering back, although Lucan appeared to have barely felt the movement, not losing his balance for even a moment. Stood at the prow of his ship, Lucan surveyed what lay ahead. In the distance Indiga could be seen, about five minutes away with the current winds by Lucan's reckoning, however something didn't look right. A large plume of black smoke was rising from the harbour. Worried, Lucan made his way to take back the wheel.

"What has happened here?" Lucan said, mostly rhetorically, as The Aurelia slowly made its way into the harbour. In truth in was fairly obvious, the water was littered with pieces of wood, fire and oil. Further into the harbour, the flames were more intense and Lucan could make out a set of masts.
"That must be where it happened." Lucan's First Mate, Jack, said, coming to the same conclusion as Lucan.
"My thoughts exactly." Lucan replied. "Let's moor as far away as possible. We're meant to be past that inferno but I'll take inconveniencing the Sailor's Guild over losing my ship." He continued, turning the ship towards the nearest empty moorings.