Kirkpatrick House: The Lady Kirkpatrick waited for the parchment and ink to be brought back by by Maeve. Sitting there she studied the letter over and over again. Her fingers running over the ink as she looked at it. Once Maeve came back she took the items and set them down. Setting the letter down she looked over it again. Dipping the ink into the well she glanced over towards Meave and smirked a bit. "The one controlling him," she said in a knowing voice before looking a the letter again. "Time to take the upper hand my dear."

Then she began. Her hand moving steady over the paper. She took her time and seemed to be writing. Leaning back she set the quill down and blew over the paper slowly. Picking up the original she looked them over and then flipped the original over. "Do be a dear and fetch me a potato uncooked from the kitchen. Cook should be able to find you one," she said as she set it back down. The two letters looked identical, minus the extra line of text added to the last bit of the letter.

Road to Gretna Green From The Kirkpatricks: The woman looked around slowly. Her azure eyes looking around slowly but the rest of her body seemed to stand perfectly still, like a painting. Slowly she took a breath and looked back over to the men, particularly the one that was speaking to her. "Da Circus," she said before kneeling down and running her blade clean on the dead Soulless's clothing. Standing back up she started to step towards the carriage but the door flung open as Rutherford shoved his head out.

"Just what in the hell...." he started before stopping what was sure to be a long slew of beratements. Slowly he stepped out of the carriage as his eyes narrowed. "Grand Duchess?" he asked. The woman stiffened, her fingers tightening on her sword for a moment before slipping it into the waist. "What are you doing here?"

Straightening up, she started walking towards the man but brushed passed him and looked into the carriage. One could feel the small jostling as Millicent jumped from surprise. "Dere you are," she whispered before looking back out. "Ve have much to discuss."

"Hey just wait a minute!" Rutherford said as he came towards the woman but she was cut short as her sword came out and the tip topped just at his throat.

"You vill not enter, ve go, nov," the woman said in a song like voice but so strong. Holding his hands up, he grumbled under his breath but took a step back. The woman climbed into the carriage and shut the door. Rutherford looked around confused before climbing up and taking the back upper seat, which was more of a luggage rack than anything.

"God damn it, you heard the woman, let's go..." he muttered. The driver looked confused but snapped the reins and the carriage pulled forward slowly. Rutherford winged his hands together as they started moving again.

Road To House Kirkpatrick: The road from Port Annan to the House Kirkpatrick was well worn but decently maintained. They seemed to be making good time. The man looking over towards Colette from time to time to make sure she was keeping up but she was doing fine with the ride. The horse she had been sold was good enough and they were not making a breakneck speed. The weather was holding for them and soon the man brought Colette to a small road and turned off, before a wall and a gate could be seen. The multiple story dwelling was there, with a plaque on the gate that read Kirkpatrick. Two bodies lay in the front yard and an old man that looked to be a butler was crossing their arms over their chest.

He stopped and looked at the two as they road up, wiping his brow away with a piece of linen. "Can I help you?" he asked but the man that road and lead Colette here didn't say anything, simply looking over towards her with a slight motion of his brows.

Road to Gretna Green From Port Annan: Three very weird men, all headed in the same direction. Well, three men, two horses, and Dieter. The ferret, not the brother, because if it had been the brother then there would have been four men traveling, or three men and a corpse. Either way it would have thrown the numbers off and we wouldn't want to do that now would we? Ludwig went back to his study, looking over his books, every so often popping his head up and making sure they were on the right track or if they needed to adjust their course. Then he would pop his head back down, after a bit he popped his head back up and looked confused, as if that was something new. "What was I looking up again?" he asked. Seemed he might have gotten a little off track.



Road To Gretna Green From Carlisle: Ny smiled over towards her and reached out, resting his hand over Virginia's. "He had to be alive to send the message, so worry not. I have yet to met a Crypt that was not full of surprises," he said in a reassuring voice before releasing his hand and sitting back in his seat. Looking back down at the paper he kept writing and writing, until the carriage pulled to a stop.

"Gretna Green," the driver called out and one could feel the carriage shift as he climbed down. The door swung open slowly and the driver grinned at them. "Here safe and sound," he said proudly, motioning with a sweeping hand towards the small town around them.

Ny smacked his lips and climbed out as he tucked his things back into his sack and used his walking cane to lean against. "Oh yes, this is not near as Green as I thought it would be, pity," he mused.

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The lady seemed to be checking her surroundings, and William had to stop himself from holding his breath. Whoever this figure was, she had power, and although she had slain the Soulless, William still didn't know for sure what allegiances she held. With that in mind, he didn't totally relax his grip on the dirk in his belt as she turned back to face them, not yet. And the Circus? Before he could even open his mouth to question her answer, someone beat him to it.

To call the interaction between Rutherford and the woman an exchange would be an overstatement. Rutherford clearly recognized the woman, even going so far as to call her by her title, although looking at her... interesting dress sense, she wasn't like any Duchess that he had come across before. And it wasn't Rutherford that the woman seemed interested in talking to, brushing past him and greeting Millicent, still inside the carriage. However, just as William's curiosity was piqued, it was quickly made clear that whatever the two women had to talk about, it was a private affair. The 'Duchess' made that crystal clear.

Once Rutherford had clambered up to take an awkward seat on the roof of the carriage, his face looking like thunder, the driver started them forwards again, just as speechless about the turn of events as William was. He had wished for excitement, and excitement had, by all accounts, arrived. He should be careful about what he wished for next, in case it was waiting for them around the next bend. Glancing back at Rutherford, William saw that the other man hardly looked to be in a conversational mood. But of the three of them, he was the one who seemed to have the slightest idea of what was going on, so William spoke regardless.

"Still on to Gretna Green, sir?"

They were moving with speed of the trained horses ever forward. Being on the road had made his mood a lot better overall, knowing he was hopefully getting closer to Veta and to confirm her safety... or demise. No the second option was not going to happen. It couldn't happen, she had to be alive and well. He sighed inwardly as the grim possibility had managed to worm it's way into his mind despite his rejection to accept it. Still the very fact he feared it, made it quite a big issue, because... what would htey do if something really had happened to Veta?

Suddenly his attention was pulled away from his dark thoughts, luckily for him, as Ludwig seemed to have lost attention or something and forgotten what he was researching about. Admittedly Constantin suspected it might be his fault for posing aditional questions like hte origin of the soulless on the German man. The firewalker took a breath to calm down and started to reply." You vere searching for a big many headed flying tentacly thing that can create ice and mist supposedly. It was what attacked as un London by lake. Seemed really dangerous, though no idea vhere it cravled out of." The firewalker quickly reminded Ludwig, wondering if he and Dieter were comfortable enough in that bag, he couldn't imagine being in some cloth bag while a horse was carrying him. Didn't seem like the best of way to travel, well to him at least.

"You and Dieter hanging alright in that bag? It's not too bumpy ride I hope?" He asked, making sure to keep the road and pay attention to the state of hte horse.

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Colette enjoyed the ride, such as it was. The countryside itself was beautiful, but then again, she enjoyed being outside in general. And she wasn’t on the ship anymore. Or lost in town. Now she had the goal in front of her. She was making progress. She had plenty of time to think of a plan. She wouldn’t lie, per se. She did have a message; it just wouldn’t be what Lord Rutherford expected. She could use what sway her family had to get an in, hopefully. And then find a way to get Millicent alone and express the real reason she was there. If all went well, she would be there to help Millicent.

They made decent time as they neared the house. She read the plaque to the best of her ability. This was the Kirkpatrick’s place. As she rode up, she saw two people laying on the lawn. One looked to be a butler that eyed them as they approached. Protocol taught her to get off her horse, so she swung herself over and patted the horse gently on the head for a job well done.

Then she faced the man. “Good day to you sir. I am sorry to trouble you. I have journeyed far to get here, and I am hoping I am in the right place. I have a message for Lord Rutherford and was told he and his party came this way. Pray tell me I have the right place?”

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Ludwig was ever the motivating factor for Vladimir to want to make intense physical connection between his face and the palm of his hand. The mad German had been crucial in the Circus's egress from London, moreover he was responsible for the positive results of the chance meeting with La Canela in the ocean. This was good. Highly beneficial. Probably the single most significant factor that put them on a path to the success of their venture. Without him, Vladimir would most likely be riding ahead of his beloved Circus with a small advance scouting group of similarly Trained horsemen and warriors, far ahead of the main body but still way tor far behind to be of any help to the Grand Duchess, the Lady Crypt, or Scary Catholic Girl. For this, Ludwig had Vladimir's gratitude.

The utter facepalming moment came when, despite being fully on point with everything else (be it mixed hopelessly with more than a touch of randomness and offputting color), he had apparently forgotten what he was supposed to be researching for them. Just in case it made another appearance, of course. Vladimir gave him a massive benefit of the doubt, being as he was accessing both his knowledge of the hidden paths that he had apparently been versed in for quite some time, plus engaging in research while taking on the form of a tiny fairy-man and riding in a saddlebag with a ferret. One that was, apparently, not his brother. Perhaps he was stretched.

Fine. Permit this slip without much in the way of comment. He needs to stay as loose as possible to get this job done, and Vlad didn't need to "act the heavy" if they were to remain spirited for the fight to come. It was always a fight to come. So as his horse thundered up and down the secret paths of southwestern Scotland, The Great Bazhooli merely nodded and smiled. Constantin had readdressed the problem. He did add, calling back behind him as they traveled, "Da! Great silencing in fog around flying rubbery monster, for too! Could not hear music of our people!"

Kirkpatrick House: The butler looked at the woman oddly for a moment before nodding just slightly. "Yes Miss, though I would say you would need to speak to the lady of the house first. Lady Kirkpatrick," he said as he stepped over towards the horse and took the edge of the reins to keep the horse steady and held out a hand to her to help her down. "If you would, I can show you inside," he said before glancing over towards the man that had come with her. "Will you be joining sir?" he asked as he gave the man a look over.

"Nope. My job is done." His voice was flat as he spoke and then glanced over towards Colette and tipped his hat slightly. "Miss," he said before turning his horse around slowly. Then he took off back in the direction they had come and headed back towards Port Annan. The butler shrugged to himself before looking back over towards Colette.

"Let us get you down and tie off your mare before we go in," he said as he still held his hand out.

Road to Gretna Green From The Kirkpatricks: "Yeah," Rutherford said as he still wrung at his hands. Rutherford looked anything but happy right then as he sat on the top of the carriage and tried to keep his balance and not topple off as they road towards Gretna Green. It was some time that passed before there was a knock from inside the carriage that caused the driver to pull over and stop their travels. The door swung open and the light haired woman stepped out. "What now?" Rutherford asked as he looked down at the woman, a vexed looked deepening on his features.

"Get in," she said as she stood there. She had managed to clean up some while in the carriage with Millicent but Milli had not peaked her head out.

"Yes, of course Duchess, whatever you say Duchess. You do know this is not your country right?" he sneered as he climbed down and stumbled back. She didn't say anything, simply standing perfectly still as she waited for him to finally climb into the carriage. She shut the door hard and climbed up to the top of the carriage and took his place, sitting where Rutherford had during the first part of the impromptu portion of the journey.

"Ve go nov," she said towards the driver. Her voice was much kinder to him than it had been towards Rutherford. The driver had this look of I don't get paid enough for this on his features but did as she instructed. Her hands planted on either side of her and she seemed to remain perfectly still even as the carriage began pulling forward again. Her eyes fixed ahead of them as he wind blew her hair back and caught pieces of her "attire" causing it to ripple against her skin.

Road to Gretna Green From Port Annan: "Oh yes yes, of course. That is what I was looking for!" Ludwig exclaimed as he stuck his head back down into the bag and went back about his research. Sure, it was a bit of a face palm moment but Ludwig wasn't exactly in a calm situation right then. He was just a fairy, trying to do a good job and answer all questions. People should not be mad, they should be glad, and he tried to do that. He wouldn't help his mind wandered like the fluttering of butterfly wings. Down, back to the books, to read what he had written. To read what he knew. To look at what he had seen or maybe no seen. It was all up for debate. Still every so often he adjusted their course. They were getting close. Oh so close. Maybe he would have something when they arrived. Maybe not. Who knew with Ludwig, he sure didn't.

Gretna Green: Will update next round.

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Rutherford was clearly not in the mood for conversation, and William left him to it, even if it did mean turning away from the entertaining sight of the Lord struggling to cling on as the carriage rattled along the road. Taking advantage of the brief pause in excitement, William tried to make sense of recent events. Another Soulless, he'd been around long enough to recognise what that creature was, but it was the woman that intrigued him. Rutherford clearly recognized her, and she clearly had something to discuss with Millicent. But judging by her disheveled appearance, and her confusion over where she was, it didn't seem as if she had intended to cross paths with Millicent here, if at all.

As the carriage continued forwards, William racked his brains, but it was no use. If he had ever heard of 'the Circus', then he had long forgotten about it, and with no clues to go on, he had no idea who 'the Duchess' that was currently perched atop the carriage was. It seemed as if their journey to Gretna Green was becoming more eventful with every passing moment, who knows what could be waiting for them around the next corner? This did somewhat complicate William's half-formed plan. While he had been glad to see the group part company with Egerton, loyal to Rutherford but hardly much of a fighter, they had now been joined by a clearly dangerous woman, with her loyalties as yet unknown. If it came to it, would she protect Millicent? Or was her purpose altogether more complicated? With so many pieces in play, the board was becoming crowded.

Deciding it could be a good idea to not forget his manners, and intrigued by the woman sitting a few feet from him, William turned back to face the mysterious 'Duchess', careful to keep his gaze on her face.

"Forgive me for intruding, m'lady, but is there anything you require? Some water perhaps?"

Trees, grass and more grass, this was the road and these were the surroundings. Constantin couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed at it. While going ever forward in their search for Veta was a good thing, this monotonous hurried journey wasn't the best on the mood, especially through grounds that didn't catch his attention much. This was probably caused by the fact he lived as a part of the Circus, meaning they traveled a lot, seeing many different locations and places.

'When are we going to arrive?' He pondered as the pace was being kept steady. He threw yet another look at the beg containing the ferret not the brother and the German fairy man. Constantin was about to speak out, but his mouth just opened for a moment, no sounds coming out of it before it got closed again. He made a snap decision that interrupting Ludwig was probably not the best idea if they wanted any possible answers from him. He had proven well enough already that his attention was way to easy to pull away from whatever he was doing right now. The firewalker then sighed and returned his eyes on the road, then down at his horse. He threw a following look at Vlad and then pondered something for a moment.

"Bazhooli, vhat vould ve do if Veta's not at the greens?" He finally asked out a slight concern that was on his mind. This was the least negative of all questions he had in his mind." Ve knov this vas probably her destination, but ve took a ship here... she didn't have a ship. So ve've may have arrived vay ahead of her."

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It was a decent, satisfying feeling when Ludwig announced that he had regained his tenuous grasp upon the topic of study. Big, black, flying tentacle-monster with more than one head. It seemed like this kind of a thing might stand out, being that the description of it sounded like a massively tall tale, even for a world that contained the various types of Soulless. Odder and more dangerous than anything he had encountered previously, yet no one seemed to know anything about it. Maybe they weren't asking the right questions. For that matter, the more scholarly Ludwig would probably be the guy to ask the right ones. In truth, most of what Vladimir wanted to know could boil down to the simple inquiry as to how one might kill it. There were other supporting questions, true, but how to kill it was by far the biggest and most important one. Vlad would be insanely happy if, among the ways it could be slain outright, hurling a knife did the trick. But that was a naive, "fingers crossed" moment. A very many problems could be solved by throwing sharp things. He wouldn't have that kind of insanely positive luck with this one, too.

Meanwhile, the thundering hooves of an ebon Brivaldi horse kept sounding rhythmically upon the ground, acting as the hyperactive second hand of a clock ticking down their time until they reached their destination. How long it would be escaped the reckoning of The Great Bazhooli, but from what he had heard from his German associate, it would not be extremely long by this point. Compared to what, he could not say. But the fact remained that they were closing in on their destination. Ever forward. In fact, the thought of it began to give a tiny bit of concern to The Great Bazhooli; it was often a given that, were something disruptive to be planned by opposition, it would be a higher probability that it would be revealed the closer one came to them. He had no idea if anyone this far north even knew who they were or which path they might take, but the way things had been going lately he didn't want to take any chances he didn't have to.

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Colette noted the man’s odd look at her direction. Had she said something off? Her grasp on the English language was fine, but she did make the odd mistake. Either way, she was here and, hopefully, in the right place. She looked over at the man who had so kindly led her here. “Thank you, kind sir, for showing me the way. Safe travels on your way back.” As he rode off, the butler offered her a hand and she gladly accepted it as she moved off her horse. She pet her new purchase along its neck. It had done a fine job. She took the reins and followed the butler to tie her horse.

“I am sorry to bother you. I will gladly speak to Lady Kirkpatrick. Excuse me if I have caused any offense. I have been traveling quite a while, you see, and am growing tired.” She looked around her at the estate. It was quaint and picturesque. Something she wouldn’t mind having later on down her life when she was older and her children have all moved on to their own things.

“This is a lovely place. I hope I am not too forward, but what is Lady Kirkpatrick like? She runs a fine home if outward appearances are anything to go by.” And, maybe, she would find something to get her an in with the lady of the house.

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"What other Crypts have you met?" Virginia asked, a bit curious as to what other branches of her family this man had encountered. Crypts tended to defy nationality and sovereign borders, being found in various locations all over the world. Of course, she and her immediate family were British but that did not apply universally to the extended lot. A Crypt was a Crypt first, then their respective nationalities second. His words about her father did bring her comfort and Virginia nodded, blinking ever so slightly. There was no shame in crying but she didn't feel like it at the moment. There was work to be done.

As the carriage came to a halt, Virginia collected her items, ensuring that the gifted journal was stowed away carefully. She departed the carriage, ready to pull an axe from their sheaths at a moment's notice if that was deemed necessary. The quaint town did not strike her as dangerous - all the more reason to be prepared. Taking the money she had offered the driver, she handed it over to him. "Thank you for the safe passage," she said calmly. "If you are ever in need of the aid of the Crypt Family, please tell them that the Lady Crypt sent you," she instructed him. Her family was rather helpful - one of the commonalities amongst all of the branches. She glanced around Gretna Green for a moment, wondering where here exactly Millicent would be found.

"If you had ventured to Gretna Green in order to be married, where would you go in this town?" she mused, glancing at her companion.

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Maeve could appreciate to a certain extent the cryptic nature of Lady Kirkpatrick - but it frustrated her equally. She didn't like having a half answer be provided to her - the answer that the one to worry about was the one controlling him was one thing, but it didn't give her much to go on. It didn't explain a motive or who this individual might have been. She didn't know much about the young woman's fiancé so she couldn't fathom a guess as to what was going on. "T'be sure. it'll be a moment," Maeve answered succinctly. She glanced at the paper Lady Kirkpatrick had been written on, getting a gut feeling that perhaps she was replacing the letter Millicent wished to be sent. She couldn't confirm it or anything, beyond asking to see both and just looking to see if the squiggles on the page looked the same to her. It just more or less seemed the type of careful deception that Lady Kirkpatrick would employ.

Heading off to the kitchen, she spoke quickly with Cook and retrieved an uncooked potato, before coming back to the parlor where she had left Lady Kirkpatrick. She was not exactly certain what the Lady Kirkpatrick wanted with a potato, but she was waiting to pass judgment on it. She doubted that she had been sent off to retrieve a snack and she imagined it had something to do with this entire affair at hand. "'ere yer are. Might I ask what changes yer made?" she inquired, figuring that it couldn't hurt. Lady Kirkpatrick hadn't shushed her inquisitive mind just yet. She wanted as much information as she could about what was going on, since it concerned Lady Kirkpatrick and that meant that it concerned their deal as far as Maeve was concerned. There was nothing she would not do for her daughter.

Okay - we only have 2 areas now - Things have just got interesting. Talk to LLA.

Kirkpatrick House: The Lady Kirkpatrick looked over towards Maeve and took the potato. Picking up a knife from the table she started cutting it all while looking at the seal that had been used to keep the original letter closed. "Any information she is sending for is to be sent directly to me," she said with a grin on her lips as she carved and cut and chipped away at the potato. Once she was done, she pressed it against a napkin to dry away any moisture from it. "Can you fetch the same wax that Miss Wyndham used from the study?" she asked. It would be right there on the desk where she had left it. Apparently the Lady Kirkpatrick was making a temporary press to recreate the seal that had been used. The woman might have been old but seemed she had some skills.

Outside the Butler lead Colette back to the stables so they could tie her mare off. "It is nothing, you are far more personable than other guests I have had to receive," he said before motioning back towards the front of the house. "She is an experience. Be forthright and to the point and ya shouldn't have any issues with the Lady of the House," he said as he went to the door and opened it. "Your name miss? So that I may announce you."

Gretna Green: My heart.... My poor heart. Before we get Gretna Green fully, let's look outside of the small town. Just a mile off. One can see it in the distance. A dark rush of cloud from out of nowhere pushes through like a tornado and spooks the horses that Vlad and Constantin are riding. They are able to recover them beautifully and the wind is gone just as quickly as it came. The thing is, our smallest passenger wasn't so lucky. Deep in the bag, Dieter, the ferret, not the brother lays there trying to lick the face of his owner, his trainer, his father so to speak. Little Ludwig... Oh his wings could not handle the jostling, my poor crazed little man... He lays broken. A raspy slow breath, until he draws his last. Dieter, the ferret, not the brother, had half a second to jump out of the bag as the magic of his training left him as well. Ripping the bag open as his lifeless body fell to the ground. Rest in sweet dreams my Ludwig... LLA struck hard but left your Dieter, the ferret not the brother, behind. Join your brother. (FUCK!!!!!!!!!) Vlad is the first to notice this going own. Give me a minute. I need to go scream....

Okay, back. Now, a carriage is pulling into Gretna Green from another road. The Grand Duchess is sitting on top and looking around. She turns and looks over at William. "Da, yes, that vould be vonderful," she said in a sweet voice. The wind that just hit the Russians (Vlad and Constantin)? Well it seems to be targeting the other Russian (Veta). It tears through the carriage, spooking the horses and causing them to buck and break free from the carriage. Taking the driver with them! He hits the ground, and is sped off with them! The carriage comes to an abrupt halt and Veta flies forward, crashing into William but catching herself and him before causing them both to fall off. "Vhat in the vorld?" she asks to no one in particular as she grips William and the winds tear off, leaving as quickly as they came. Inside the carriage you can hear Rutherford cussing but he hasn't gotten out yet.

Now, actually in Gretna Green - Nothing is happening. Apparently LLA has done her wrath for now and leaves both Virginia and Ny perfectly alone and whatever the fuck that wind was doesn't even come to them. They don't know it was even around. Everything in the village is calm and quiet. Okay, well not everything. Just as Ny is about to answer her, about three minutes after the whole shit show went down with William and Veta - that part of the carriage that tore off with the driver and the horses - well it comes speeding through town towards them. The driver is caught by his wrists and seems either dead or unconscious, hard to tell. The horses are not slowing their pace.

I'm fucking done this round. I can't handle anymore rolls right now!

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William still didn't know if he could trust the strange woman, but she hadn't bitten anyone's head off yet, and she seemed friendly enough. In fact, he figured he could even hear a warmth in her voice as she replied to him. Maybe here he could finally find a woman that wasn't engaged or Irish! If nothing else, she might hold some answers, things were quickly becoming complicated after all. He had half turned, realising he didn't know for certain if they even had any water on the carriage, when the world exploded.

Wind, the noise of it like some unholy howl, hit the carriage like a wild animal. The horses screamed and broke away, and in an instant, the driver was gone. Before William could even think to reach out, the other man was wrenched away, the reins dragging him along. The roar in his ears disorientating, William was almost thrown from the carriage himself, clinging on desperately as the carriage ground to an abrupt halt. He had only barely kept his own balance when a shape slammed into him. It didn't take long for him to realise the shape was the Duchess, thrown forwards by the movement of the carriage. William thought they were both destined to be thrown to the ground, but the Duchess proved to be impressively agile, catching both of them before they fell.

And then, just as quickly as it had arrived, the wind was gone. The Duchess, still clinging to William, looked around as she asked for some kind of explanation, but William was in no position to offer one, gasping for air, the breath knocked from him by the collision by the Duchess. For now, he seemed to all be in one piece at least. A quick glancing over of the Duchess suggested she was fine as well. And the shouting emerging from within the carriage itself suggested that Rutherford had also survived the freak storm. William started to detach himself from his entanglement with the Duchess, glancing around, waiting for some kind of explanation.

Many were the dangers on the roads and even more were said dangers when soulless could be put into the situation, but even with this crazy set of things to happen, Constantin didn't expect this. They were so close, the distance showed they may be getting closer, but something rushed at them. What rushed at them though? A dark cloud, a thing that shouldn't be was what came like a stormy winds at them." ДЯВОЛСКА РАБОТА!" Constantin shouted as teh horse was spooked! What a crazy madness was this, what just tried to affect them like this? Was this an attempt to have the horses thrown them off their backs?

He had no answer to that, as the cloud seemed to leave and he managed to pull the trained horse back under control, making it settle down within reasonable time." Alright... all fine?" He asked, as he threw a glance at Vlad. Then he looked at teh Bazhooli before he heard something tearing and then he swore hard as teh balance of the saddle was torn asunder, causing him to move to keep balance before he heard a really heavy thud. He turned around only too see a big now Ludwig laying on the ground lifeless!" VHAT!?" Constantin shouted in shock as he threw a look at Vlad." Bazhooli, did you see vhat happened?" He asked, making the horse stop to a halt as he hopped off it to check on Ludwig.

He checked up on the lifeless looking Ludwig only to confirm it after bringing a hand to his face, putting it in front of his mouth and nose, not sensing any breath hitting his arms." He's... dead? But... vhy? Vhat do ve do, Bazhooli?"

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Virginia's eyes widened slightly, spotting the horses barreling towards them, dragging a man behind them that she took to be the carriage driver. If he was still alive, he was doing an excellent impression of a corpse - though it was really too hard for her to tell. And while Virginia lacked experience with riding horses, she was not ignorant by any means. Those horses would not slow down and were more liable to trample them in their path. Without pausing to ask Ny if he needed assistance, Virginia took a strong hold of her traveling companion's arm. "We need to get out of the way - or we will be sent on our next adventure earlier than anticipated," she told him calmly, before she began to assist Ny in getting out of the warpath, so to speak.

At the very least, she was certain that the carriage driver being pulled to an early grave was not her and Ny's. She had to wonder who exactly else would have been traveling to Gretna Green. To her knowledge, no one else had been in pursuit of Millicent and her betrothed. Now, while it was possible that the carriage was being used by Millicent, Virginia was not banking on that being the case. It was all too possible for it to be a carriage of another couple wishing to go get married at the Green, or perhaps someone coming to the Green for another purpose. "...Perhaps the driver was bringing dear Millicent here," Virginia mused. She also considered the possibility that it might have been someone in pursuit of the Grand Duchess, given that she was more or less going to rule a country and she had slipped off under the cover of darkness.

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Maeve couldn't help but be impressed. She had imagined that it would be a more significant alteration to the original letter, especially since Lady Kirkpatrick had recopied it onto a fresh page and was going through all of this trouble. But given that Maeve could neither read nor write, she had no idea if the original letter had enough room for that addition - or perhaps Lady Kirkpatrick wanted the forgery to be thorough and complete, as to avoid a subtle change in style during it? She did know that everyone had a unique hand when it came to writing - she didn't need to be able to read to have heard some of her family members in the gang discuss that. "Aye, m'lady," Maeve responded, leaving the parlor once more and heading into the study. It was fortunate that she had already found most of these things with Millicent, allowing her to expedite the process for Lady Kirkpatrick some.

Fetching the wax, she went back into the study and presented the wax to Lady Kirkpatrick. It now was becoming clear to her just exactly why she had needed the potato. It was something that Lady Kirkpatrick could manipulate in order to fashion an identical seal and close the letter - something needed in order to allow the letter to pass as genuine. Although Maeve did not often (read: practically never) interact with members of the peerage, she felt a certain kinship with Lady Kirkpatrick. Her methods was inspiring and awesome. "'ere ya are - the wax," she said.

Kirkpatrick House: While the butler was waiting for a name so he could announce the new guest, the Lady Kirkpatrick kept working on drying out the carving in the potato. It wasn't the best medium for her to do her work but it would work in the temporary and destroying the evidence was much simpler than casting an actual wax press out of wood or metal. It would work for this. The design was simple enough anyways. Leaning back in her seat she waited for Maeve to return with the wax. When she did she took it and nodded. "Very good dear," she said as she started to heat up the wax in the candle.

It would take a moment before it was ready. "When I was young, such things were needed. Much simpler when I was dealing with those of lower classes as their papers were not as complicated. Such a note like this brings me back to those days. Official papers can take such time, such inks, brush strokes. Perhaps," she said as she brought the melting stick over and let it drip on the letter before pressing the fresh carved potato into it. Letting it set for a moment before pulling it out. It worked and she grinned. "This particular set of skills would be useful for you in the future," she said with a slight grin coming to her lips as she picked up a knife and destroyed the make shift emblem. Picking up the original letter she held it over the candle's flame and let it catch on fire before dropping it on her plate, letting it burn to ash.

Gretna Green: Veta looked around slowly as she sat up carefully, standing up once she was untangled from William and gripping the hilt of her sword. "Dat was not normal vas it?" she asked. She hadn't ever been to Scotland, so she had no idea what weather could or could not be present. She didn't think anything about what had happened was normal but she couldn't be sure and at this point, she wasn't ruling anything out. The carriage door flung open and Rutherford stumbled out, holding his head, he had cracked it on the side of the carriage and it was bleeding slowly through his fingers.

"What the hell just happened?" he asked looking around, stopping dead in his tracks as he spotted they were now missing the front of the carriage, the driver, and the horses. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the Grand Duchess. "What did you do?" he asked in an accusatory tone. Slowly, Millicent peeked her head out and looked around. Despite the accident, she looked to be intact. Her hair was messed and her clothing ruffled but all in all she looked no worse for the wear.

Poor Ludwig, my sweet poor Ludwig. Dieter, the ferret not the brother, crawled out and nudged the side of Ludwigs lifeless cheek with his nose, squeaking slightly. Ludwig didn't move and the little creature tried again. He seemed lost as he looked over at Constantin. A whimpering call coming from his mouth. The little thing had lost his trainer, his friend, the one that took care of him. Ludwig had raised him from a tiny pup, they had been together for nearly seven years so far. Dieter was supposed to die first, not Ludwig.

In Gretna Green proper, the horses barreled towards Ny and Virginia. Yes, they needed to get out of the way. While Virginia was standing there, Ny said nothing. He wasn't thinking on the who's or the why's. That would have been out of place right then. As when something is barreling towards you about to trample you to death you don't think of things outside of that. Especially things that were abit above the pay grade of their mind, that was best left to the dice to determine. (Having close to a meta there >.>) Ny, thankfully did something, grabbing Virginia and pulling her out of the way as the carriage remains and the man being drug behind it whooshed past them. (Roll: 19) "When facing danger, act," he said as he started to look around for a way to stop the carriage but nothing was coming to his mind right then.

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The coming wisp of dark cloud took Vladimir completely by surprise. Such was not one of the things that he was expecting to find, apparently, as he had committed a high portion of his concentration toward his more travel-based skillset. Sadly, before any of that could come to fruition, the unimaginable happened. Instinct had Vladimir placing control of his horse with his heels and knees, settling the rearing yet noble beast as best he could. His hands were kept quite occupied, quickdrawing two of his larger knives underhand grips. Vladimir's teeth were bared and he let out a wordless roar of challenge, restrained only by the clenching of his teeth as he scanned his surroundings for potential threats. This "ill wind" could just be the vanguard of a fresh, new brand of Hell, and no one would catch The Great Bazhooli unawares - not this close to their destination.

It was at this point that Vlad noticed the fallen Ludwig. "AH!" he cried aloud, his hands rising to either side of his head though they still carried blades, framing his face with sharpened steel. "For vhy? For vhy does the fortunes take such beatings to our qvest? Vhy does silly German man, our most noble and loyal of allies, have to go on this adventure before ve?" Vlad shook his head vigorously. "NO! This I cannot accept!"

The Great Bazhooli kicked one of his feet from its stirrup ad sifted his weight to one side, rolling off the horse with gusto and landing promptly. The second his feet touched the earth beneath him, he walked with purposeful stride to the prostrated and prone form of Master Ludwig Zimmer. "I refuse accepting of this!" He sheathed his knives in one gallant flourish and dashed to he knees, sliding the remaining foot to the crumpled Ludwig. Vladimir flexed his hands and cracked his knuckles, followed by his neck, followed by his shoulders, each in rapid succession of each other. The man looked like he meant business. "I vill give you such the Krasnoye-ing, Master Zimmer..." he started, laying his hands roughly upon the man. His face was anger, frustration, and grim determination beyond the capacity of less dramatic men to summon.

Then it all fell away from his face. Looking quite surprised, even a little embarrassed, Vladimir quickly retracted his hands. "Ах, дерьмо."₁ He gave a very matter-of-factly nod, "Da, is dead. Okays! Town is that vay." He hoisted the man onto the flank of his horse, Tolstoy(!) and remounted, glad that they were traveling lightly. "Ve go!" The best arrangements were to be made in town one mile off, and the mission was supposed to be in there anyway.

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Colette debated about using her full working title or if she wished to appear as an everyday sort of person. If Lord Rutherford was there, he knew her name and might question why she did not use her full title. On the other hand, Lady Kirkpatrick might not want her inside or might question why a woman of her standing was riding around Europe just to deliver a message. Perhaps she was thinking too much into it. Either way, she needed to answer the man.

”My name is Lady Colette de la Fontaine. My father is Count Alexandre de la Fontaine in France. If the lady requires more information I will be happy to provide it.” Hopefully that would do for introductions as she debated on how to approach this. She had been subtly lying up until this point and if her target was here she would be faced with a predicament. Hopefully, the Lady of the house was inviting, and she wouldn’t be turned away at the door. She really had nowhere else to go other than to ride back to the town and find a room at the inn. She had traveled far enough as it was. If there was no hope here than she may as well return home and face whatever might happen. She wondered how the Captain would handle her future betrothal. She worried it might involve violence, but was she truly saddened by that?

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William did what he could to brush himself down, not ignoring the fact that the Duchess had her hand resting on the hilt of her sword. He managed a weak smile at her question, glad that they both seemed to at least be in one piece, considering what had just happened. Scotland might have some wild weather, but whatever had just hit them, it seemed like more than just a freak storm.

"Not in my experience, m'lady. There's no weather like that around here."

He didn't have long to ponder the force of nature, Rutherford making his voice heard as he stumbled out of the carriage, looking suitably disheveled from the battering he had likely taken inside the carriage. The blow he looked to have taken to the side of his certainly hadn't cooled his temperament. If anything, it seemed to have only made it worse. A temperament that quickly turned on the Duchess.

From what he could tell, the Duchess wasn't to blame for what had just happened to them. Not directly at least. William liked to think that he was a good judge of character, and the look of shock on the face of the Duchess as it rushed towards him had seemed genuine. William hadn't encountered anything, or anyone, that could control the weather like that, but he knew it wasn't natural. And he knew that whatever had caused it could come back.

"Forgive me for speaking out of turn, my lord, m'lady, but this carriage isn't going anywhere, and we still have ground to cover before we reach Gretna Green. Unless we can find a new form of transport, might I suggest we start walking?"

This was an impossible to comprehend situation that they found themselves in. What the hell was that wind or was it even wind? It was dark, didn't seem like regular wind. Constantin was now really concerned, but his even greater concern was the now lifeless Ludwig who laid on the ground. Poor guy, the firewalker was just starting to warm up to him, granted they weren't on the best terms on one side at first, but Constantin had finally warmed up! He was starting to like the weird German and his ferret Dieter, teh ferret not the brother. Now only Dieter was left and the poor little guy seemed so lost and sad. The firewalker couldn't help but feel the intelligence of the little animal.

"I'm sorry, little guy." He said softly to the ferret who was still trying to get his owner to move." There's nothing ve can do..." He added as Vlad decided to attept to heal him with their trained skills, but the dead cannot be healed. He looked at the tiny loyal animal again as Vlad proceeded to move Ludwig's body over to his horse, they couldn't just leave him out here on the road after all and if Vlad didn't do it, Constantin would have." Vill you ride vith your owner for the last time, you loyal creature?" Constantin asked of the little ferret, feeling that hte animal probably understood them way better than they could imagine. He waited for the little creature to do what it was going to do and only then remounted his horse.

"This, didn't it seems too... precise." Constnatin murmured." Ths black vind... presence came at us vhen ve neared the Gretna Greens. Vhy do such things happen vhenever ve manage to make some ground in our tasks?" The firewalker added, he was suspecting htere was a grand force at work here. Though at the same time, it didn't affect him and Vlad too much. It spooked the horses, lil Ludwig was dead because of something, Constantin couldn't be sure what exactly, but wasn't sure it was the wind itself. What had transpired? Why did the wind appear? This was a mystery, a piece of a puzzle and he didn't like being in said puzzle.