@Blade17

Val forced himself to chuckle dryly, although he feared that it wasn't convincing enough. The man certainly seemed to be hiding something and he was running out of bluffs. Eventually, he would have to resort to raw power in order to get more out of him- if he took out his sword now it would be to suspicious and the spymaster was delegated to investigate the docks. With his hands still behind his back, Val signed to the surrounding soldiers to follow but not engage. Looking at the younger man, he plastered a stressed expression on his face

''Let me walk you back at least. I beg you! I can't stand miss Jane and her constant whining- I need to stay away from her as much as possible''

Desperate times call for desperate measures. His soldiers will never let him live this down but as long as the case was solved, he would bear the future teasing of his comrades.

Blake thought i can't use force. Can't lead them to the docks. He look at the guard and said," No i don't need you to do that." He turned and started to walk away and continue saying," Have fun with the annoying lady." He tried to walk away.

[Anyalex]

@Blade17

Val rolled his eyes. Of course, it wasn't going to be that easy. He couldn't go back without anything- Jane probably spread the tale of her encounter to the castle staff and lower nobility and it wasn't long until the monarchs heard about it. Pulling out his sword, he aimed the end of the shiny blade at the man: '' I'm afraid that it wasn't a request kind sir. Gents if you may...''

The other guards emerged from the crowd, some with and some without weapons. The group attempted to surround the man. This was only a fraction of the guards stationed in the square. The rest, being of lower rank, were only patrolling the area for anything suspicious. Those let their guard down seeing that Val had seemingly everything under control.

@AnyAlex

Blake looks and walks closer to the blade to the point of the blade touches his skin. He started to laugh. He then stopped and stared straight to the guard with the sword and grin and said," You think I'm afraid of a sword." He finally revealed what he had in his hand and with a grin continues," You messed with the wrong person I'm not really in a patient mood right now. But don't be alarmed this isn't a bomb bomb it's a smoke bomb." He throw it to the grown and exploded covering the whole area in smoke as he walked around him and popped out his wrist blade and put it to the guards throat and said," I'll take my leave now and you won't be able to follow me." He soon took off running.

Jack Pearson

Jack stood up and walked towards Anya and Hope. "I'll help out." He said more to himself than to anyone else, while avoiding eye contact with Anya. He took some of the jars and packages and tried to balance them properly while walking towards the galley. @AnyAlex

Hope Hopkins

She nodded towards Anya with a smile on her face. It was a good thing that Blake was looking for the captain, just to be sure that nothing woul happen. She was surprised to see that Jack interrupted their conversation to help out. He usually didn't do that, especially with Anya nearby. @AnyAlex

Marcus saw the commotion near the centre of the square, his eyes narrowed. The guards that stood not too far away from him rushed to capture Blake, but they seemed too drunk to do so successfully. If the guard wasn't set on capturing the crew before, they certainly were now. The smoke bomb attracted too much attention and some people emerged from their houses to see what was going on- it would be impossible for Marcus to leave unseen. He ducked back into the alleyway he came from. It would still be a couple of hours until the sunrise- he just needed to bind his time until the guards moved on.

---

@Squirrel98

Anya smiled awkwardly at Jack, trying to ignore the sudden awkwardness in the air. It was quite a while since he bothered to be in her proximity, let alone come without any prompting from the other crew members. She was surprised that he didn't try to poison her with the way he seemed to avoid her like the plague. Still, an extra pair of arms was useful, especially with heavy loot. Grabbing as many jars as she could, she grinned nervously at Hope while placing some of them inside of her skirt's pockets: '' I suppose we should follow his lead? He knows where the food goes.''

---

@Blade17
Val coughed violently, as he barked for his men to stay put. He feared that if they panicked there would be multiple casualties and he didn't want to explain any deaths to the King. The man was gone by the time the smoke cleared and Val was sure that they were dealing with some sort of spy or assassin. Based on the fact that he avoided the topic of the other man it looked to Val like they worked together. For once, he appreciated Jane's nosiness- they could be scouts from another kingdom. Smoke bombs were hard to acquire around these parts and only those with permission from the spy's guild were allowed to legally use them. Instructing the guards to stay alert, he headed down to the docks to meet with the spymaster- he was more versed in the areas of intrigue than him. Hopefully, he would find him before both men got away.

@AnyAlex
Blake was hiding on one of the roofs near the docks and said to himself," Shit. Can't lead him to the rest of the crew." He just chilled there. And sat there till things were clear. Blake started to fidget with his pendant. He sighed as he soon looks around, cost clear he got back onto the ship and went below deck and sat on the bench.

Jack Pearson

While walking, he tried to figure out what kind of food was hidden in the jars and packages, but it was hard to do so. A sigh escaped his throat. It obviously wasn't the best quality, but at least he got something to work with. He carefully put everything down in a small room at the back. Afterwards, he went back to the kitchen to make room for Anya and Hope. @AnyAlex

Hope Hopkins

She chuckled softly. "I guess so." She whispered back at Anya. she followed Jack to the small room at the back of the kitchen, put everything down and went back to the kitchen to make room for Anya. "Thanks for helping out, Jack." She sai in Jack's direction. The guy simply pulled up his shoulders as a reply. @AnyAlex

Breathing shallowly, Marcus walked slowly through the darkened alleyways. Blake should've been able to get away so there was no need to worry about him at the moment-although that didn't rule out the possibility of the rest of the crew being captured. His arms began to grow stiff with tiredness and he decided that the goods needed to be dropped off somewhere while he investigated. After a while, he found an empty sack (he assumed it was used to store flour) and he discarded his belongings inside. Not wanting to lose them, he slung the bag over his shoulder. While it was still heavy, he could walk properly and limit the effect the weight had on his movements. Noting the direction in which the guard (the one who was clearly in charge), he followed stealthily.

---

@Squirrel98

Anya followed the pair into the small room and carefully placed the rest of the jars near where the other two put theirs. Returning to the kitchen, she nervously played with the cuff of her blouse. She rarely came down to the galley, unless she was ordered to drop something off. Looking around, she stated '' It was really nice of you. Thanks.''

Feeling out of place and like she was invading Jack's privacy, Anya continued '' I ought to check if Marcus has returned - we still need to work out which route we should take. I'll see you around''. Carefully she ducked out of the galley. Despite not understanding Jack's aversion to her presence, she didn't feel the need to ask why. It was like this for years, and she doubted that it would change anytime soon. Emerging onto the upper deck, she leaned over the edge of the ship to observe the town. The captain should be making his back now.

Javier the man that warned the young assassin to leave was in the ally way that Marcus was in he was sitting acting like a homeless person. He just watch waiting he then followed him.

Blake on the ship sat as he saw Anya and said," Anya couldn't really find the captain and i might of gotten in trouble with the royal guard." He chuckled a bit and sighed and said," Im sorry i couldn't do much." Blake walked by her and leans his back on the frame
@AnyAlex

As he walked, Marcus realised that they were getting closer to the docks. That was bad- someone might've ratted them out. While it was unlikely, Marcus still felt betrayed. No one was supposed to know about the city in which they planned to stop meaning that a crew member might've let it slip while they were still at sea. Someone really should monitor the messenger birds coming in and out. Taking out his crossbow from under his cloak, Marcus carefully observed the guard who began to talk to a lanky spriggan. There was less noise around- he could finally focus in on what the man was saying.

---

@Blade17

''I'm sure that your did you best. Besides, I don't see any guards around here- I doubt anything bad happened'' muttered Anya looking out onto the town. Assuming that Marcus was captured and therefore Blake couldn't find him, someone would have to take over as captain. However, if the guard was looking for them, then everyone would be panicked and there would be no one level-headed to give out orders. No one really was used to being in charge of the entire crew and Anya could still recall the early days of Marcus' leadership where even he didn't know what to do. She understood that they had to leave before sunrise, but leaving would be useless without a leader.

Without looking up, she asked ''How mad do you think Marcus would be if someone were to disobey an order?''

Blake looks at her and said," Anya if its staying longer we have to go. We can't stay here longer. I get it Anya we need a leader, but Marcus will be pissed if we don't follow orders." He looks at her with somewhat worried face," Look i i know that our captain is going to show. He the best captain around i don't think he's going to himself get captured." He sighs. Then looks around he just sensed that something was coming.

@AnyAlex

Jack Pearson

He smiled uncomfortably at Anya when she complimented him. He wasn't used to talking to her or even be near her, so he didn't quite know what to say. He simply nodded when she told them that she needed to go and sighed out of relieve when she did leave.

He moved his glance towards his dirty scar and sighed again. Hopefully the crew would do the laundry soon, so it could get clean again. @AnyAlex

Hope Hopkins

She smiled at Anya and said: "I'm coming to!". She followed Anya back to the deck and noticed that Blake was back, but without the captain. Silently, she listened to the conversation between Anya and Blake. "Look, the captain said to wait for him 'till sunrise, so let's wait for a bit more. I'm sure he'll show and then we'll leave." The smile on her face grew out of confidence in their captain. @AnyAlex @Blade17

@Squirrel98@Blade17

Anya scoffed: '' I doubt he will be able to be pissed if he dies.'' . It wasn't common for the crew to lose members while travelling between towns but it happened from time to time. She wanted to be positive- but she was tired and growing more annoyed with each passing minute. Marcus was skilled, sure, but she knew he mostly worked alone. Sighing, partially due to her worry for the captain and partially due to tiredness, she stated: '' If he doesn't show up by sunrise, I will go look for him. I can always swim back to the ship once you all depart'', then jokingly she added, ''What's he gonna do if I disobey? Throw me overboard?''

Looking around the ship in consideration, she hummed before turning back to Hope and Blake: ''So... is there anything that we still need to do before leaving?''

Jack Pearson

He looked around in the kitchen, but noticed that he didn't have anything to do anymore, so he went to the deck to see if the captain had finally arrived. He hadn't. He was about to step towards the edge of the ship to get a better look at the town, but the noises of the waves clashing stopped him.

"He'll come. He always does."

He said, not having heard the conversation the others were having. Of course was Jack strong enough to save the captain if he really was in trouble, but his promise to not fight ever again anymore forbade him from interfering. @AnyAlex @Blade17

Hope Hopkins

She looked at Anya and tried to find the words that could form a decent reply to her comments, but couldn't. "I don't think there is anything to do for now." She finally said with her eyes focused on the town where their captain had disappeared to. @AnyAlex @Blade17

Blake turned his back to the town and said," Anya if you go I'll go with. Im not abandoning anyone." He looks at her then the others. He softly sighed and look up to the sky and then back down and said," After all he is the captain and we need him here."
@Squirrel98@AnyAlex

@Squirrel98@Blade17

'' If you go, I won't be able to carry both you and the captain back onto the ship. I know I will be able to swim back with one person if the ship departs- it would be concerning if I couldn't '' said Anya fixing her ponytail.

Looking out into the distance, Anya fiddled with her coat. There were around 3 hours until the sunrise and she had nothing to do. Looking down onto her shoes, she remembered her fabrics. They still needed to be washed and she was sure that some of the other crew members would appreciate some clean clothing. Leaning away from the edge of the ship, she chirpily announced: '' I think I will get the cabin boys started on the laundry. We should have enough time to wash a quarter of it. Anyone have anything that they desperately need to be cleaned?''



The spymaster pointed out a foreign ship that supposedly arrived at night, although the guard who was meant to patrol the area was too drunk to take seriously. Still, the ship didn't bear any known insignia and Val couldn't match the shape of the ship to any known styles in the region. Concerned, he sent out one of the guards to inform the king and the spymaster ventured to the navy's barracks(located not too far from where they stood) to prevent the ship from leaving. They wouldn't engage without an order from the King in case this was just a misunderstanding- they couldn't risk starting a war.

Jack Pearson

As he heard Anya's announcement about the laundry and immediately looked up. He hesitated to go near her, but he did eventually walked slowly in her direction. "If my scarf could get washed, it would be nice..." He whispered, taking of his scarf and handing it to her with a shaky grasp. @AnyAlex

Hope Hopkins

She looked back at the town and thinks about Anya's hesitation. "I can take a quick look at the city from the sky, nobody will notice me in the middle of the night. They'll just assume that I'm a bird or something." She said as she already spread out her wings and lifted her body a bit from the ground. @AnyAlex @Blade17

@Squirrel98@Blade17

'' Of course. I will have one of the boys return it to you once it dries.'' said Anya somewhat awkwardly, gently taking Jack's scarf and waving some of the cabin boys over. He was clearly nervous, so she didn't want to do anything to stress him out even further. Turning back to Hope she shook her head '' Maybe I'm overreacting. He still has time to return.''. Immediately she regretted sharing her worries. She didn't want anyone to waste their energy because she was making a big deal out of nothing. There were more important things to be done once they departed and everyone would need a lot of energy for the first few days. Telling the cabin boys to fill up the washtubs with water and take out some alcohol for the tougher stains, she took off her coat as it got slightly dirty when she and Blake were returning to the ship. Flashing a smile back at the group, she followed the cabin boys down under the deck, hoping that everyone else would forget about what she said earlier.

Jack Pearson

He sighed relieved when Anya took the scarf, but didn't really started a conversation with him. He simply nodded at her comment with a soft, thankful smile on his face. Then, he walked back to the kitchen as if to catch his breath after being near Anya so much during that single morning. @AnyAlex

Hope Hopkins

She smiled back at Anya. "Alright, if you're sure." She said as she retraced her wings and got back to the ground. With a confident look on her face, she walked up to the edge of the deck and leaned on it to look at the water and listen to the relaxing sounds of it. The captain was alright and should be back in a bit, she just knew it. A smile grew on her face. @AnyAlex @Blade17