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Virginia was slightly confused by Ny's words. She had grabbed onto his arm and started attempting her very best to assist him, in order to get him out of the way. At any rate, it wasn't the immediate problem, the intricacies of his perception of her and awareness of what she was doing. They needed to find a way to stop the runaway carriage. It wasn't out of the kindness of her heart or for the poor soul stuck to it, but rather from practicality. If they let the carriage keep on barreling around, then others were potentially standing on Death's door. Stopping the horses in the carriage also might give them insight onto who the carriage had belonged to. She really hoped that it wasn't a matter of a Soulless attack sending the carriage off like that - though if she needed to shed more blood with her axes, then so be it.

She started to look for something that would allow her to stall the horses quickly, since the only thing she had thought of thus far was throwing her axes at them and trying to kill the horses, but the idea struck her as rash and hasty. There had to be a better thing to do. Maybe Ny would think of something but she was a Crypt and she was certain that she could come up with some sort of solution. "Do you have any idea of how to stop it?" Virginia asked Ny, still mulling the entire thing over and knowing that time was of the essence.

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Maeve watched the Lady Kirkpatrick with care, pausing slightly as the topic turned to the potential that she could learn this set of skills. Instantly, however, she found a slight problem with it - she didn't know how to read. She didn't know how to write. In order to forge a letter, both of those struck her as necessary skills to obtain. But as much as she wanted to learn these skills for her own trade, she also saw an advantage for Roisin. Her daughter was going to be in Rome, training and growing up in as normal a life as Maeve could give her. If she learned to read and write, she could communicate with her daughter while she was abroad. "I would need ter learn ter read an' write, but... I would be pure keen ter learn these things, m'lady," Maeve answered respectfully.

At the very least, she would be able to learn the art of carving potatoes in order to fake a seal. That much didn't seem to require needing any sort of familiarity with reading and writing. And it was understandable to her if Lady Kirkpatrick didn't want to put in the time or funds or resources into teaching Maeve how to read and write. Not very many people in the lower classes these days were literate, much less women. "Is there anythin' else I can do for yer?" Maeve then asked politely. She really was enjoying her time with Lady Kirkpatrick. It made her wonder how her family back home would have reacted to this news - though she recalled the words about the Soulless attacks and her heart faltered slightly. Roisin was fine and that was all that mattered - but what of the others?

Kirkpatrick House: The Lady Kirkpatrick looked over at Maeve and chuckles in the slightest. Had Maeve said something funny? It wasn't clear but then she explained. "It is more a skill of being able to copy what you see than know what you read," she began before going into a short story of how the first things she had forged she did not herself yet know how to read and over the years she had had to do the same for papers that were not in a language she understood. That the skills are more about mimicing what one sees. Yet she finishes with a stern look. "Though reading does make it easier when you need to use it for personal reasons. We will start studying post haste. I will not have you be within my service and unable to read my child. You must be able to read letters your daughter will send you," she said with a curt nod. "In a way you already do read though, but what is sign language but the language we speak written in the air? Yes, I will tutor you. This is a moral imperative."

Leaning back in her chair slightly she shook her head. "Refill our drinks and sit with me, we can send the letter with this evenings post." It was her response to if there was anything else the girl could do.

The butler smiled at her and shook his head. "No My Lady, that will be more than adequate for an introduction," he said in a kind voice before motioning for him to follow her. Glancing around he walked over to a door and knocked on it.

"What is it?" a voice called out. Opening the door slightly at first the butler looked around before opening it fully and standing in the door way. "Yes?"

"Lady Colette de la Fontaine. Daughter of Count Alexandre de la Fontaine," he announced before stepping to the side so that Collette could enter the room. The room held two women, one younger dressed well and looked to be a servant of sorts. The other was an older woman with a stern face and dressed in upperclass finery sitting there having tea it looked like. There was the smell of burning paper in the air.

Gretna Green: Out with the Russian pair, poor Ludiwgs body hung limp where it was laid. Dieter, the ferret not the brother, scurried up and to his handler, curling up and resting against the mans body. Some say animals have no feelings, that they do not possess a soul, but any that had worked with the Circus would know differently. Especially those with bonded animals or had seen how Veta had been with her Tiger. Dieter, the ferret not the brother, seemed to prove no matter how small the animal they could still be connected to those that took care of them. The two would be able to be able to travel to the outskirts of town this round, coming to the edge of town from the west.

Veta looked over towards William and then looked around. "I hope it does not return then," she said before looking back towards him. Her eyes narrowed towards Lord Rutherford. "Ve do not do such things," she said in a cool even voice before making her way down the side of what remained of the carriage gracefully. Millicent's head turned this way and that looking around before trying to help Lord Rutherford as she pulled a silk handkerchief from her dress. Snatching it he pressed it to his head.

There was a thinning of Veta's lips before turning her attention back to William. "Dah, ve should valk. Tis better than remaining here and vaiting for vhat the vind may blov next," she said as she walked over to Millicent and took the woman's arm. Pulling her gently with her, the two started walking. Millicent glancing over her shoulder at Rutherford, who grimaced and grumbled under his breath but he started walking. Passing William, Veta looked at him. "Dank you," she said in a song like voice before looking back at the road ahead of them. They were not far and it wouldn't take long to get to the northern end of Gretna Green.

In Gretna Green Ny is still not sure what to do right then to stop the runaway horses before they cause more damage or even worse, end up trampling someone. Yet, Virginia is on point right now. There are supplies piled up outside various shops and in those supplies is plenty of rope. There are pillars around town, strong ones where people would tie off horses and carriages. If they could string the rope between two of them high enough it might stop the horses in their tracks since they would be unable to jump it with the added weight of the front of the carriage. It is a shot and if they move quickly, they just might get it done.

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"Am not knowing, Constantin Firevalker," remarked Vladimir solemnly. "Dark Omening and things vanting to prevent us from noble qvest. Is bad." He shook his head. This was not the grand adventure that he had hoped it might be, but what grand adventure went off without a hitch? Not the death of a comrade; that was a tragedy. No, the long stretches of nothing happening, followed by surprises that alternated between annoying and destroying. This wasn't a quest. This was a pony ride through a firing range, and a random leaden ball could shatter them at any moment.

Vlad gave some assistance to the fuzzy little Dieter (the ferret, not the brother) so that he could ride in with his fallen master. Perhaps on his way back, Vlad would compose the words that he needed to tell Adam, Ludwig's apprentice, what had befallen him. That was a talk for later. Right now they were almost to the rendezvous point, the end scene, the apex of their travel. While The Great Bazhooli spoke through a veil of grief for their fallen ally, his words remained hopeful. "Come, Constantin! Ve must not allow adversity to make the tossing of cold vater on our adventure! Never! Ve are Circus! VE are vones who face darkness that gives the terror to others! Ve stand for those who cannot! Ve fight, FIGHT to see best of Humanities remain, and those vithout Soul retreat back into dark to die from vounds birthed of Russian iron!" He grunted an affirmation and reined his horse back in the direction of Gretna Green. "Almost there! So close, can taste the Greenness! And the Gretna! Cannot stop now!"

The thunder of hooves followed his last gush of speech as he brought his grand horse to bear down upon the town of Gretna Green. Whatever sort of ending marked the close of this chapter of his story was looming in their very near future. Vladimir couldn't wait.

Alas poor Ludwig, they didn't know him well. Constantin observed as the little ferret went to his master, resting against him! Such a loyalty! Animals were the best friends of men. Should you treat it well, raise it, animals can be more loyal than any human. Bonded animals much more so! Thus watching Dieter, the ferret not the brother, and Ludwig, made the firewalker feel grief. As they headed towards hte town, he briefly considered, what would happen with this brave loyal creature now that it's master had passed away. Would it forever wait by his final resting place? That wouldn't be impossible! Or would it return to where Ludwig came from originally, maybe to a place he called home? These were the thoughts on his mind when he heard Vlad's heated speech.

"Yes Bazhooli! The Soulless vill tremble before us! These attacks vill be avenged!" Constantin added in to Vlad's words as he ushered the horse after his circus leader. They weer close to the town now! He looked at the other man and then steeled his eyes on the road. His fists had tightened around hte reigns, his muscles felt tension. Constantin was not going to be caught unprepared now. If something jumped at them, he would be ready to react. The sabre at his waist was waiting to be drawn so blood can be spilt. Though well many soulless had no blood! Hmm... Then he would use it to dismember them! Yes even not killing them, by virtue of hindering them it benefits follow! A walker creature without legs cannot walk!

And here they were arriving at the Gretna Greens. Coming in from the west, they had arrived at the edge of the town." Ve've arrived..." He stated flatly." Not hov I imagined it to be." He added... Guess the anticipation to arrive had affected his expectations. Well expectations down to earth again, he made a steeled face." Ve here, but vhere do ve start searching from? Do ve valk all around tovn to find if Veta is here?" He asked Vlad and looked at Ludwig and Dieter, the ferret not the brother." Maybe ve should find church first... Ve should rest Ludwig down. He deserves at least that."

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William was glad that his comment hadn't sparked any argument. Maybe it was the shock from the freak wind, but Rutherford seemed almost obedient. He grimaced and he grumbled, but he held his tongue, walking down the road and nursing the wound on his head. Maybe it had knocked some manners into him. Whatever connection the Duchess had with Millicent, she seemed keen to preserve it, taking the other woman's arm as she led the group down the road. Clearly some purpose drove the Duchess, and for now, that purpose seemed to be protecting Millicent.

Hesitating slightly, William smiled slightly as he nodded at the Duchess' thanks. He tried to stop himself from watching her as she walked away, busying himself with collecting his things from the carriage. He knew next to nothing about the Duchess, but he knew a dangerous woman when he saw one. Who she was dangerous for, William didn't know yet. But she clearly wielded some power if she could silence Rutherford, and she could clearly use her sword. Not only that, but there was another detail that intrigued William. For a woman that held the title of Grand Duchess, her hands were calloused and worn like a common worker. Whatever she was, she was far from a pampered noble. For now, William resolved to play the part of the courteous gentleman, and any passions that the sight of the beautiful Duchess might stoke, would be quickly dampened.

Belongings gathered, William set off down the road after the others. He found himself falling into step, taking up the position of an impromptu rearguard. Something had caused that freak wind, and until they were safely indoors, then it could come back at anytime. Almost instinctively, he rested a hand on the hilt of his dirk. The blade at his hip might not do anything to the weather, or whatever creature had caused it, but he wasn't planning on going down without trying. For now though, their surroundings were still, but William didn't allow himself to relax. He had lived a good life, and he didn't intend on stopping any time soon.

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Colette was a bit nervous entering the home of a person she did not know under a sort of guise, but she was here now, and she would press onward. As she was introduced, she came into the room. She was able to briefly observe what she saw. A younger woman who was dressed well was there. She appeared to be a servant, perhaps Lady Kirkpatrick’s servant or protégé. And Lady Kirkpatrick herself, she assumed, looked regal and refined. She appeared to be just what Colette imagined.

She gave a deep curtsy towards the woman and bowed her head lightly. ”Good day to you ladies. I apologize if I am interrupting but I am here on for important matters. I have been tasked with finding a man named Lord Rutherford and I have tracked him down to this area. I’ll admit, I am unsure if he was ever here, but his description matched, and I was informed he made his way here. I have an important message for him, you see. Pray tell me, have you seen this man and know where I might find him?”

She did not outwardly say so, but she had hoped her journey was not for nothing. If she had to go back to the port, she would be disappointed. After all, she had been through quite a lot and it only strengthened her resolve.

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Virginia's eyes darted around the area of Gretna Green proper they were in, before she managed to formulate a plan. The shops had some wares on the outside - rope in particular. If they were able to tie the rope to two sturdy posts, then they could hopefully force the horses to come to a halt. Of course, they'd have to work incredibly quickly and there would be no time to debate the finer points of it. "Take the other end of this and secure it to a pillar on this side - I'll take the far side and do the same. It should slow the horses," Virginia told Ny, as she grabbed some rope from the supplies in front of one of the shops. She held out an end to Ny, and assuming he took it, she then sprinted across the road.

She didn't make knots on a regular basis, a regret of hers since her parents had spoken of some rather intricate ones that had interesting descriptions. However, she hoped that she would be able to get her end of the rope securely fastened to the pillar. If she was unable to do so, it wouldn't matter if Ny executed his portion of this plan perfectly, but she had to have faith in herself. It was one difference she had noticed in her religion as compared to the more traditional religions of the Brits. Whereas they placed their faith in the higher powers, hoping for a miracle, Virginia knew that the Dark Mother was not going to intervene for every little thing. She had to have faith in herself, that she was capable of such a task.

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Maeve nodded at Lady Kirkpatrick, supposing that she knew better than her when it came to these matters. If reading and writing was not required for this skill, then so be it - though Maeve still felt in her gut that those skills would make the matters of forgery far easier. Yet then the Lady Kirkpatrick gave her explanation, detailing her own experiences and Maeve's hesitation went away. Once again, the Lady Kirkpatrick seemed to have come from an eerily similar position as Maeve and defied all the odds. She nodded again, already determined to master this - if not for herself and these matters, then at least for Roisin. "Thank ye, m'lady," Maeve responded. Lady Kirkpatrick didn't have to do this for her. Lady Kirkpatrick had already done more for Maeve then, well, almost anyone in her life had before - the only other person being her late husband.

"Aye," Maeve answered, taking the glasses and going to refill the drinks. She continued serving Lady Kirkpatrick a strong drink, figuring that the strength of her drink ought to match Lady Kirkpatrick's personality. She went and handed Lady Kirkpatrick her drink, before doubling back and fetching her own, just as there was a knock at the door. Had Millicent or her fiancé returned? If so, it was a good thing that the Lady Kirkpatrick had burned the original letter. Instead, it seemed to be a peeress - Maeve didn't recognize the surnames or the woman's father's identity. The woman then started asking about the very individuals who had been there earlier, but Maeve didn't say a word to respond. This entire situation was of interest to Lady Kirkpatrick and Maeve didn't want to mess up her employer's designs by revealing information to Colette without Lady Kirkpatrick's say so.

Kirkpatrick House: The Lady Kirkpatrick looks over towards Maeve as the girl is introduced and speaks. She nods slightly towards her before looking back towards Collette. "Yes, you have come to the correct house but I do have to wonder what message could be so important to send a woman alone into the lands of Scotland from France," she said as she sat there, resting her hand on her cane. It was a play it by ear scenario right then, as many were. Right then she needed Maeve to play the servant that she was supposed to be. To listen and watch and be there if needed. Picking up the letter the Lady Kirkpatrick already had before her, the wax now cooled. "I am having a letter delivered for the Lord Rutherford's fiance post haste, do you have one that needs to be taken to him?" she asked. "We could include your own should you have one with the post."

Gretna Green: On entering Gretna Green from the North, the four from the broken carriage are finding it difficult to follow the path the rest of their carriage had taken through town. The place is in chaos and the wake of destruction that the horses and body they were dragging is making it hard to move. It is best to walk the long way around. Veta leads Millicent around south and towards the west, hoping to find some sort of way back to the main area of town. Rutherford is dragging feet far behind the group.

Over on the west end of town, the Russian Duo have to slow their pace as people are leaving the center of town and trying to get away from whatever chaos is going on. Taking their horses from a steady pace to a near stop. Dieter, the ferret not the brother, is staying with his lifeless keeper, curled up against the body and still trying to nudge him from time to time. Vlad will notice out of the corner of his eyes two women coming towards them. One with dark hair looking a bit confused and ruffled, her hair frizzing as she walks with her head down. The other is a champagne blonde woman with sharp features and a distinct air about her as she walks with her head held high. Dressed scantily for some but nothing out of the ordinary for the circus. Silks wrapped over her body to cover her chest and flowing from her waist in a make shift gypsy like skirt. She has blood and dirt on her and looks to have seen battle. The way she walks is almost motionless as she glides over the ground in her bare feet.

Stopping as her bright eyes see the two men on horseback above the crowd. There is a look of relief on her royal features. "Dyadya Vlad! Constantin!" she called out to them in a song like voice that carried, raising a single hand as she kept hold of Millicent. Millicent looking up slowly, she recognized the men from Almack's. They had come in with the Grand Duchess. Rutherford slowly came up behind them, still holding his head and grumbling something about fucking Russians under his breath.

Over in the main part of town Ny took one end of the rope and nodded. "Yes, brilliant, very brilliant idea, what a light in your mind," he said as he went to secure it Virginia taking care of the other end. The horses didn't stop on their own but the rope stopped them. They got caught in it, dust kicking up from the pillars as they threatened to give under the force and weight but they didn't Sadly the horses would not survive this but it stopped them from taking anymore lives. The ropes broke finally and once the tumbling and falling and cracking of bones came to a stop, there was a pile of ropes, horses and a body slung into the pile due to the velocity. Stepping forward slowly, Ny looked at the pile. "Oh shame but well done Lady Crypt, reminds me of an art piece I once saw hanging in ruins back in the Carpathians," he said with a slight chuckle.

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With much in the way of cost in terms of life and some personal hardship besides, the representatives of the Russian Imperial Circus entered the edge of Gretna Green, their fine horses slowed to a more cautious walk. Vladimir let out a dramatic sigh. "Ve have arrived, Constantin. Last vay of Ludvig, German finder-of-paths has been traveled to conclusion." He nodded with a feeling of grim yet nostalgic certainty. The man had passed, but his last piece of work had been fulfilled. "Ve have arrived," he repeated, though now it felt less like the end of something and more like the beginning of the real labors. "Constantin Firevalker, ve may yet find holy place for Master Zimmer. But living, living must be first." Granted, the plan that involved the living had them arriving in Gretna Green and crashing a wedding, thusly fulfilling the quest of the Grand Duchess, Lady Crypt, and the Scary Catholic Girl, which might or might not actually involve finding a holy place anyway. Vladimir mulled this thought over for a second or two, then shrugged. Da, okays. Church maybe first."

Naturally, he was paying little attention to the throng of people escaping from the center of town. Unless they were screaming about Soulless, Vlad was content to allow whatever disturbance was going on to wait for a moment or two. He was having a mildly dramatic moment. Add to this the movement of people perpendicular to the general path of the townsfolk, which he immediately snapped his head toward.

Vladimir's eyebrows began an epic climb, ascending his forehead with the speed and desperation of an escaping convict. At first, he thought that his eyes must be playing tricks on him. He wasn't as young as he once was, and this could be an example of wishful thinking playing with failing eyesight or early senility. It wasn't until he heard a Russian accent calling their names that he allowed the exuberance of the situation to claim him. "HA!" he wordlessly exclaimed into the heavy Scottish air. "I am saying again, vith manyfolded happys: HA!" Vladimir looked to his traveling companion, the joy evident upon his face, "Constantin! Vill you not join me in grand and ear-breaking HAing?" He shook his head vigorously, pointing in the direction of the approaching women, "Vill demonstrate again!" He indeed did. HA!"

The generation's incarnation of The Great Bazhooli located his fine, tall hat from among his belongings purely for the purpose of setting it on his head, whipping it off in a grandiose fashion, and waving it toward Elizaveta and company. But first, he lifted himself out of his saddle, planted his feet where he was sitting, and stood tall atop his great, ebon stallion. One hand waved his hat about, while the other lofted a large and sharp item from his person, as if to confirm from a distance that yes, he was indeed The Great Bazhooli, Russian Knife Guy Extraordinaire.

Plopping back down in his saddle, Vlad turned his horse, Tolstoy(!), in the general direction of the two women and directed it thusly. Looking back to Constantin, "Object of qvest is here! Master Ludvig has succeeded. Now is our turn."

"Mhm." Constantin nodded as Vlad decided on the pathway to follow. Find church, rest Ludwig, check for Veta in town while at it. He was making a little bit of a list inside his head as he noted something odd. Town was in a bit of a chaos." Vhat's... happening? Did Vind cause problem here too?" Constantin couldn't help it and said aloud in slight concern and confusion as he watched people trying to leave the center bits of the settlement, causing their progress deeper into it to slow down ever more to a near halt in fact. He frowned, this didn't bode well. Or maybe it did!

There was a sudden outburst of a 'HA', which caused him to jolt as he turned to look at Vlad, before he followed to Vlad's gaze to check what caused the man to have one of his Bazhoolish outbursts. Then there was voice, then there was Veta's voice! He doubt it for a moment, yes he almost doubted it. As if it would be this easy, but a second look, a third look didn't lie!" HA!" He also joined in the outburst. At this point there was not even a need for the Bazhooli to propose joining him, this was but hte natural thing to do!" YES! FINALLY!" He shouted in happy voice and returned to the waving hand. She was alive and hopefully well! Only when they got closer would he be able to tell.

The firewalker was almost livind as he saw Veta's alive. Then he wasn't as pleased about her appaerent looks. Then his mood went lower when he saw the man getting near them that was holding his head. As Constantin followed in haste after Vlad, he silently pondered if it was normal for him to want to hit Rutherford for him getting close to the Grand Duchess given the situation. He didn't like that Veta had seen battle." Of course, Great Bazhooli." Constantin snapped out of his narrowing eyes at Rutherford as he resumed focusing on Veta and Vlad." He indeed did. Ve shall make sure he goes vith greatest honors!" He nodded and looked back at Veta. The woman that she was holding didn't look too well herself too... What had transpired with them!? Constantin suddenly had a big urge to know whom or what were responsible for the condition of these women and give it a good stab... or ten. Maybe toss it on a field of burning embers and dance on top of it for good measure.

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The unusual group made it to Gretna Green, but William quickly realised that that did not mean safety. The place was in chaos, no doubt caused by the wake destruction that the horses had left behind them. William squared his jaw slightly as he look at the chaos. He had liked the driver, the two forming almost a camaraderie, but no-one could have survived the scene before him. He realised with a heavy heart that he didn't even know the man's name. Beneath his breath, William uttered a prayer to the Old Gods. He didn't know what the man had believed, but he hoped that it was enough.

The Duchess had clearly decided it was wise to take the long way into town, and the rest of the group followed after her. Rutherford was lagging behind, but William was in no mood for conversation, and kept his distance from the other man, walking a few paces behind Veta and Millicent, still arm in arm with each other. As they made their way towards the center of town, they found themselves going against the tide, the townspeople heading out and way from whatever chaos had blown in. William saw the two men on horses just as the Duchess did, the mysterious woman calling out to the strangers and waving towards them, joy and relief evident in her voice. Whoever the two men were, she clearly knew them, but William still found himself instinctively gripping the handle of his trusty dirk.

Rutherford wasn't trying to hide his annoyance as he finally caught up with them, but William was almost enjoying himself. The day only continued to get stranger, and the flamboyant and extravagant Russian that leapt onto his saddle when he saw the Duchess was no exception. The other mounted man, also Russian if his thick accent was anything to go by, was more conservatively dressed, but he was clearly just as excited to see the Duchess, although his joy seemed to dip slightly. William couldn't be sure why, or even confirm that he had seen any change in expression, but he knew what he thought he had seen. Something held William back from introducing himself to these newcomers. He had the feeling he had found himself in the middle of something far greater than himself, and for now, he would wait to see where this journey took him.

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Colette was worried about this moment and now she was faced with it. She would have to tell the truth somewhat. She did have a message, sure. It just wasn’t what was expected. She glanced at the two women, wondering if they could sense something amiss. After all, the Lady pointed it out that it was weird that she was alone. ”With all do respect, my Lady, I was not alone for much of my journey. I was accompanied by a gentleman, but he went off to take care of his own business once we docked. And I am quite capable of handling myself should the need arise. But I talk too much. The message is of great importance as it deals not only with Lord Rutherford, but with his bride to be, Lady Millicent. And it is not a message to be sent by the mail. I have given my word I would speak about it in private with both of them present and thus why it is important I know where they are.”

She gave herself some amount of credit for coming up with all of that. She hadn’t exactly fibbed either. ”If my Lady wishes, I could take the letter with me and travel to wherever they are and deliver it for you. Otherwise, a direction would be greatly appreciated and I will make my way there and not take up more of your time.”

Kirkpatrick House: The Lady Kirkpatrick looked over Colette and her brow quirked ever so slightly at the mention of Millicent. So was she here to talk to Rutherford or Millicent? That could be the changing tide in all of this. Rutherford came off as someone she wouldn't help for a kings ransom but Millicent, while none of her concern really seemed to have a part to play and perhaps unwillingly so, or perhaps willingly so but for certain reasons. Setting down her tea cup she took a long breath before she spoke. Directly, and to the point.

"The Lord Rutherford can take a short walk off a long pier as far as I am concerned Lady de La Fontaine but if you are here for Miss Wyndham, then perhaps I can assist you. That would depend though. It seems you will not let us take a letter nor will you tell us why but do, please give me a reason that I should assist you with this, otherwise we may be a cross roads," she said as she spoke plainly before casting a glance towards Maeve.

Gretna Green: Millicent looked at the two coming towards them a bit oddly. She had seen them before, at Almack's when the attack happened. "Are those?" she began to say but then she stopped, leaving the full question hanging in the air as she was not exactly sure how to word what was she was trying to say right then. Where they the woman's guards? Companions? Subjects? She wasn't exactly sure just what the woman helping her down the road was, the Russians were very cut off from the rest of the world and she hadn't ever seen one much less talked to one until Almack's. Even then she didn't, only seeing them in passing at one point.

Rutherford grumbled. "The goddamn circus," he muttered as he kept walking. Not really want to be dealing with any of them right then. He just wanted to get married and be done with all this.

Veta turned and glared at Rutherford. "That is blasphemy and you vould do vise not to utter such vords in my presence," she warned. Rutherford's glared hardened but Veta paid him no mind as she turned and kept leaning Millicent over until the two groups joined as one. "Great Bazhooli, Constantin, vhat brings you here?" she asked quickly before stopping and gasping as she laid eyes on the dead Ludwig. "Oh no, vhat has happened to sweet Master Zimmer?" she asked as she let go of Millicent and walked over to the body. Running her fingers through his hair before snapping her head around. "Vas it Soulless? If so I must perform the Ostanavlivat'sya most quickly."

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"A dark light, perhaps," Virginia replied to Ny's compliment of her mind. Her plan was well executed but it resulted in the deaths of the horses - a shame, it was a waste of life. Virginia took a moment, surveying the scene and she wondered briefly what the afterlife looked like for animals. "The Carpathians?" Virginia inquired. She had spoken of that area with the Russian Circus not too long ago, in connection as to where to find information on her family. The more she spoke with Ny, the more information she learned. "Dear Ny, it seems you must be a Crypt if not by blood then by proximity," she told him with a slight smile.

She ventured towards the pile of carnage, taking a moment to make sure that none of the horses and such in the mixture were still alive. With the horses stopped, she had to wonder as to the identity of the poor corpse that had been dragged along with them, as well as what had spooked them so much. Gretna Green seemed like such a calm and quaint town - not the sort of place for horses to come in wildly running, dragging a corpse behind them. "Unless you have another idea for a course of action, I'd like to see what can be learned about the chain of events resulting in this corpse pile," Virginia told Ny. She was open for doing something different if he had a better idea - two minds were better than one and all.

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Maeve observed the Lady Kirkpatrick's behavior and demeanor, before giving a subtle nod to her employer as she figured her intentions. Given that she was acting as just a servant, Maeve was not making any comments - at least, not verbally. Mentally, she was making notes of the woman before them - a member of the peerage from outside of Britain - from France. Maeve disliked the Brits as much as any Irish girl did, and she knew that the Brits and the French hardly felt warm and happy thoughts about each other. Her eyes darted over towards Lady Kirkpatrick as she suggested adding an additional letter to those that already were going to be sent out with the post.

However, that did not seem to be enough for the Frenchwoman. Her message had to be delivered verbally. That caught Maeve's attention. Perhaps it had something to do with the affairs Lady Kirkpatrick had started to involve herself in? She imagined that Lady Kirkpatrick would want to know whatever exactly it was that the peeress had to say, though she imagined that the Frenchwoman would not tell them. She had already explained that the information was private and that she had promised to discuss it just in there company - maybe the Lady Kirkpatrick would then ask her to accompany the Frenchwoman on this trip? As predicted, the Lady Kirkpatrick didn't wish to provide help without further answers.

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Vladimir swung himself from his saddle with flair and the barest hint of shininess, landing deftly upon his sturdy yet flexible boots. He walked a step or two over toward Elizaveta, arms outstretched to sweep her up into a big bear hug. Yet this was not to be the usual sort of meeting between people that, while of differing social strata, held to each other with taut familiarity. And no small amount of native color in common. No, the Grand Duchess had a very real concern that needed to be voiced and dealt with. Then they might make with the hugging and the drinking and the very amiable observances of nostalgia that made them truly of one people. Then of course, the actual reason that they were there. There was an order to these things. All in good time.

"I am not knowing, Grand Duchess!" admitted The Great Bazhooli with some dramatized dismay. "I cannot speak to exactness of vhat makes for Soulless in country ve stand on anymore. Things ve have seen... ah, but vas not from natural. Angry dark vind tears through and does damage within instant! Poor Master Zimmer, friend and ally, has fallen to treachery and and foulness of dark vind. But... But! Could not stop him from showing us paths for to get to you, my Grand Duchess. He dies hero. Soulless killing him? I do not know. I vould not take chance. Vhat are you thinking, Constantin Firevalker?"

Vladimir had a lot to say right then. Much needed to be processed and reported upon, but the urgent and secretive nature of their primary reason for being there prompted a little subtlety, such as The Great Bazhooli, in any incarnation throughout the ages, could hold any claim upon direct subtlety. "Безопасно ли говорить перед этими людьми, Елизавета?"

As they got closer to Veta and company, Cosntantin noted the other man who was acompanying them. Suddenly he was extremely curious how Veta ended with them as a group... His curiosity was quietly towards William and not so much towards Rutherford. The firewalker had a really vague impression of the man that wanted to wed the Millicent woman. It wasn't a good impression, but vague one non the less. It was mostly of random hearsay earlier and some thoughts on the matter if the woman in the vision he had was Millicent and the possibility of her husband to be being the cause! Well they did find them in the Greens so vision was true!

He kept his eyes locked on the group with Veta when they finally arrived closer and hurried to get down from his horse, part to be on even ground with Veta and part because it would be easier to defend her if something unexpected happened! Worst came to shove, he could just hel pher get on horse and she could escape! Flawless thinking indeed!

His eyes gazed at Veta who asked what they were doing here. His expression was a mixture of releave that she was alive and as if saying are you kidding me? It should be quite obvious why they were here! They came for her obviously! Still in the end he just gave a wry smile, sighed and let out a low laugh."Рад видеть вас в добром здравии, великая княгиня." He said with extremely happy voice finally and looked at Ludwig's body as the topic moved on what had transpired with the brave German.

"Unnatural vinds struck not far from tovn." Constantin confirmed and pointed at teh torn saddle bag on the horse." He vas riding in there vhen it happened. Horses got spooked, got roudy before ve brought them under control... By the time ve realized, his body already returned to normal and he fell on the ground." The firewalker gave a quick recounting of what had transpired indeed." Vell vind didn't quite hurt the tvo of us vith the Great Bazhooli, so..." There was no real way to know for sure if the wind had intended the death of the Ludwig, but it had happened as a result non the less." Not completely sure if soulless, but I think better safe than sorry and he doesn't serverve to turn. He was a good man."

He had things he wanted to ask such as why she seemed to have seen battle, but held his tongue. Vlad was here, Vlad was teh Bazhooli! The lead on this was to be left to the man, Constantin calmed himself for the moment, still corner of his eyes was kept on the men in Veta's group. He didn't know the people.

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Things certainly weren't getting any simpler. Millicent seemed to recognise the two men, but considering William had only known the woman for a matter of hours, that hardly helped him. Rutherford may well have recognized them too, but he took the opportunity to curse about the Circus again, although that name still meant nothing to William. Truth be told, William was starting to feel thoroughly out of his depth.

He had names for the two newcomers at least, but one of them sounded like gibberish, and the other was foreign to William. Hardly any clues as to who they were. Things only grew stranger still as William caught sight of the same thing that grabbed the attention of the Duchess. A man, or corpse rather, that the Duchess clearly had some affection for, although he was dressed differently from the three Russians, his clothes plain compared to the extravagance of the others. The mere name of whatever action the Duchess was suggesting she perform was enough to give William a headache, but what was it she was calling for? Some way to stop the body from returning as a Soulless most likely, but William's imagination was already whirling. Who was to say that the woman standing before him wasn't capable of raising the dead...

William realised that he'd half-missed a conversation, absorbed in his thoughts, and hurried to catch up. From the sound of it, the winds that had hit the carriage hadn't just hit them, they were also responsible for the death of this "Zimmer". By the sounds of it, these two men were just as in the dark about what had caused the winds, a fact that did nothing to reassure William. Regardless, the three figures were obviously close, and William struggled to tell if their behavior was out of sorts, to him it was all strange.

It didn't help that the more extravagantly dressed of the two men slipped into Russian, and the marginal grasp of the conversation that William had had slipped into non-existence. All of this was starting to give him a headache, and he was seriously starting to regret his thirst for adventure. If he had known that this is where that thirst would lead him, then he would have found roving the inns of Scotland, and the subsequent barmaids, plenty adventure enough.

Kirkpatrick House: The Lady Kirkpatrick waited to see what Colette would say. In the meantime Maeve isn't having a lot of luck trying to figure out Colette's story right then or if she is telling the truth or not. She can figure out however that she is holding back but whether or not that is just because she isn't sure what she should say or not, or if it is a language barrier, that is still up in the air. Either way, there is more going on here than what is being said but the higher ups do tend to like to keep their secrets close to the vest. While the lower classes are better at using their fists and not really as worried about the whole play for power, the Peers and Gentry use information like a dagger. They can do far more damage with the right information in the wrong hands than an arrow to the heart can.

Gretna Green: Ny looks over towards Virginia and there is a little smile on the old mans lips. "Well, I, I do think that is the nicest thing anyones ever said to me. Yes, quite, I will take that," he said before walking over with Virginia to see the damage that was done. "Oh such a waste," he added. This whole thing would be simple for Virginia. Carriages breaking free weren't exactly a rare thing back in London. She will see the splintered front of the carriage, the harnesses, and so forth and be able to tell very quickly they need to find the other half of the carriage as there were probably move people involved in this. By the looks of the wood, this was a for a hire carriage and not something that a lord would own and travel in.

Veta nodded slowly. "Da, at least for nov," she said towards Vlad and Constantin. Sighing as she ran her fingers through Ludwigs hair. "I do not have relic, I need holy ground." she said in reference to using the Ostanavlivat'sya to help poor fallen Ludwig. Looking around she sighed. "Quickly, Bazhooli, you are best rider. Find church, ve vill go center of city to viat," she ordered as she looked over towards Millicent and William.

Millicent didn't know what to do right then. She only knew a couple of people in passing and well she wasn't exactly close to her fiance. Rutherford had obviously had enough of this entire situation and walked over towards Millicent. "Well this has been grand but we have somewhere to be," he said firmly before taking Millicents arm. She didn't struggle but she looked a little shocked as he started pulling her away from the group. Yet, despite this she went along with him. A look of defeat on her features but she wasn't fighting against it. She just nodded as she started walking to keep up with him and to keep his grip from pulling at her.

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Colette hadn’t expected it, but it seemed her end goal aligned along with the Lady Kirkpatrick. She got the feeling her opinion on Lord Rutherford and Lady Millicent aligned and she felt a bit foolish at having tried to lie her way through it. But she, of course, had not expected it and was afraid she would find an ally of the Lord that would tell him and further cause harm to Lady Millicent. So, she decided to finally tell the truth, safely assured that she found an ally in this and someone that could help her.

”I have no letter to give, madame Kirkpatrick, because there is none. I have not been entirely honest about my reasoning. I am here on behalf of Lady Millicent. I agree with your sentiments about Lord Rutherford. I found him to be brash and I fear he has been harming Lady Millicent and preventing her from taking what is rightfully hers. So I have been on this journey to find them both and see about aiding her in finding a way away from him. I may have jumped, how you say, head first into this, but I see myself in her and I have had aid in helping me avoid a marriage that would be abusive and damaging. So I feel it is an obligation I owe to her to help.”

She had laid her mission bare. Hopefully the ladies were willing to help otherwise this was all for naught.

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Yes. It was for the best that a holy place be found. With the latest upswing in the Soulless population and the less and less predictable nature of the rules which applied to them, tending to Ludwig's situation was important, perhaps even vital. If that evil wind was a form of Soulless or the extension of a power therefrom, then there was no telling what kind of creature would rise from what was left behind of Ludwig. Perhaps even something stranger and less recognizable than the unholy thing which discorporated him. And even if that was not the fate of the Mad German, he was their staunch ally, if but for a short while. The performance of the Ostanavlivat'sya was a respectful sendoff, and extremely rare in this part of the world. Vladimir would like to think that the odd fellow might look down on the application of it, taking notes even in death.

Though there was no true hesitance in the desire to carry out the wished of the Grand Duchess, there was desire to remain in her presence. The reasoning was two-fold: He had just gotten back to her after an extended period away, his journey's intent to find and assist/protect the Grand Duchess, Lady Crypt, and the Scary Catholic Girl as they completed their own mission involving the marriage. That brought him around to Millicent, the other lady of the hour and central figure of the mission in the first place. There she was, right there, with the grumbling highborn that was acting in a manner most ungentlemanly. Vladimir gave a look laced with harshness in his direction, surely this was part of the mission, wasn't it? No, no there must be something else at play for them to be so close to completing their objective only to be sent away, even for the proper honors of their fallen comrade.

The wishes of the Grand Duchess were the final arbiter of matters such as this, now that she had come of age. Vlad had to trust that she knew what was going on and that his absence, even as temporary as he could make it, would be a greater asset than his presence. The Great Bazhooli eyed the remainder of people in tow of Elizaveta with as much graciousness as he could muster despite his misgivings. "But for of course, my Grand Duchess! For you, I vill make vith the finding of fine, most holy of place for observing ov Ostanavlivat'sya! Am hoping is not much ov delaying. I am off, at the vonce, Your Imperial Grace." Vladimir swept off his fine, tall hat once again, arcing in in front of him whilst effecting a low, reaching bow, and then sprang back up with vigor that contradicted his years. A grin decorating his face amid meticulously styled and oiled facial hair, The Great Bazhooli swung himself into his saddle and, following the dramatic, neighing rear of his great ebon stallion, bid his short-term farewell in the hopes of locating a proper piece of consecrated ground, hopefully with a building dedicated to worship atop it.