@A5G @wierdw

“Keep an eye on her, I do not want an incident because of this girl getting out of control.” She said looking over at the injured girl. Feeling something strange about the girl, she could not put her finger on it. Shaking the feeling, as it was not important right now.

“It should be easy enough of a task for you to preform, you will coax one into bringing a message to the king."” She didn’t know what birds would want exactly, she assumed the promise of food or shelter from the wild would be enough. “And do it quickly, there is something urgent I need to deliver to the king." If anything she could get Anderson or someone she trusts to bring the message.

It looked like she would have to wait until Cedar attend to the girl before he went off looking for a messenger bird. Walking out of the room and down the stairs to where Jazdia was. she noticed Anderson’s arrival. “Speak of the devil, Anderson I may need you to do something for me. Depending if Cedar can coax a messenger bird to bring my report.”

[NPC Post]

Ah, there she was. Turning around to glance at Veronica for a second, Anderson offered a slight nod before approaching closer to his knight. Let's see. There's several suspicious looking individuals in the room, but they're keeping to themselves. Since Matilda spoke without hesitation, it should be safe enough.

"A bird, ma'am? If you dont mind it arriving slower I'm sure I can deliver a message with less risk." He gestured to the vampire that came with him. "I brought lady Veronica, she arrived earlier this morning. Aside from that, there's some words from the king. Is it secure to speak here?"

Cedar crossed his arms, and was getting a little irritated.

He was hungry, and being accosted by too many people, too quickly, outside an area he had subconsciously staked territorial exclusion over, with contradictory demands.

"Lis'n. I'd be happy tuh try an' fin'ya somebody--er-- A nice bird ta deliver whate'er ya tryin' ta deliver tuh da castle. But be reason'ble here. Decides what ya gunna do, be sure 'bout it, DEN come sees me, aright?"

The words came out more cross than he had intended, and he winced inwardly at it. Why was it so difficult to deal with people sometimes, and not others? He didn't understand it.

"Uh means... " he stammered, then sighed. "Look, it ain't at hard, and talkin' bout it in da hallway ain't da bes' place. When ya knows what ya want, come tell me, aright? Until den, we's all pluggin' up da hall."

"Suit yourself." Said Yvonne, not really paying much attention to anything beside the meal.

Chounan gave her a warmth smile as a gratitude and joined her table for a meal. He tested out his arm again as he pulled a chopstick from his inventory. Picking the spoon between two sticks, he eat his stew scooped by a spoon while getting picked up by a chopsticks. For him it was to test his grip strength while helping himself and it seems he doesn't bother from the people who are getting weirded on him.

Location: Hdur, Kindeance.

---

This was a disaster.

Veronica forced herself to stow the unproductive thought, as she strode beside Anderson, loyal squire of the Head of Guard. Even so, for those familiar with her, the unnervingly extended quiet that had been shared for most of the hurried journey to the humble village of Hdur was all her companion might need to discern the tension within her. The Capitol they had left was in a right state of chaos. Though the Guard had done well in their efforts to quell the worst of the public unease, three fiery bombings upon prominent Guild warehouses had both civilian and merchant alike in a tizzy... to say nothing of the aggrieved party, the Black Serpent Guild.

Oh, and don't even get her started on the Delvings and the rest of the Noble court! Rumor had it that the bloody Royal Tutor had assaulted Aaron Delving and his guards completely unprovoked in his office. Luckily, the elder Delving, Admiral Silas, had been there to put a stop to the foolishness at hand, and somehow, Henri had not been arrested on the spot. If that were all, it would have been one thing... but what Henri had been pursuing in their less than amicable discussion... Well, the rumors were wild, but Veronica had heard several truths, truths that she knew for a fact should not have been available to the public forum. And so did the King.

Fredricus was furious, and frankly, for her own part, Veronica was nearly as much so. All of her work to fly under the radar. All her efforts to be discreet, to uncover the Prince's location. All of it might have been for nothing.

As it turned out, Henri was another member of the off-the-record team Veronica been too late to join from the get-go... and she was starting to wonder if that wasn't a good thing. Not more than a day hence, and one of the mission's core objectives was compromised, inexorably so. It wasn't necessarily that the Delvings couldn't be trusted. After all, Admiral Silas and his family had served in an exemplary and loyal manner for many years. But it was simply the principle of the matter. The Prince's abduction and a nearly successful assassination attempt on the Crown itself were cause for unusual means and assumptions in these troubling times... Rather, that Veronica's Lord King would send for someone- something like her to aid him in such a personal and national matter truly spoke of the desperation at hand.

The situation was a disaster. The Delvings had obviously brought their alarming findings to the public forum, and the other nobles now clamored for answers. Fredricus had denied the claims, but the nobles had demanded proof... proof the King did not have. He had claimed the Prince was in a safehouse a fair distance away after the inciting incident and would need several days to be called back to the Capitol. All in all, the summit had ended with the promise to send for the prince at once, and the nobles had dispersed, dissatisfied but mollified... for now. It was half-assed bandage over a festering wound at this point.

Whatever narrow time limit they had been on just got a whole lot narrower... as had the King's patience. Veronica, personally, wasn't particularly worried on her own behalf... insofar as her own culpability in the present fanned flames of the crises... which was to say, no culpability at all. Between herself and Anderson, they had gotten results, and all that was left was to corroborate with the rest of Matilda's charges. Indeed, Veronica wasn't worried that she would be held culpable for the chaos; her end of the mission had gone the closest thing to flawless as it could have, given the circumstances. No, for the young vampire, the true worry was the stability of the kingdom and safety of the royal lineage that had so graciously offered her a chance to prove herself. It was for the King, whom she worried, surrounded on all sides by schemers and possible traitors. It was for the guiltless young prince she worried, whose life may very well be in greater danger should his kidnappers have been alerted to the existence of the investigation.

The only grace to be found was that... well, that was what they were here to meet Matilda's team about.

There was no time to waste. The fate of Kindeance was in the balance.

---

It almost felt like she was walking underwater. Not in a physical sense, nor really the sense that she was actually hindered in her movements, but as the noonday sun glared down from above, Veronica mercifully found herself free of its baleful vengeance. Sometimes, she found herself seeing her magic as a mixed blessing. In many ways, it was responsible for her life being ruined, for her death... or undeath as it were. In others, it was the only reason she could live anything close to a normal life at all... the only reason she was even free and beholden to herself to begin with. Shaking her head, Veronica tugged her simple brown cloak a bit tighter, almond-shaped pupils peering about at the bustling village.

It wasn't a large place, Hdur. It was the sort of place where just about everyone was as liable to know everyone else, tight knit, localized. And a bit of risky place to be to avoid attention. The concept of "fading into the crowd" might as well have not existed around these parts, so the less of a show they gave the locals, the less likely the mission's operational security would be even more devastated than it already was. Between herself and Anderson, Veronica was sure they already were quite the pair. One clad in armor and exemplifying the Royal Guard. And the other cloaked and concealed, aside from glints of steel and flashes of velvety red and black fabrics.

Even going to the effort of donning a cloak, even were she to have changed into something even less conspicuous, Veronica knew it would have done little good the moment someone caught a glimpse of her eyes. She'd long-since given up trying to appear normal. If anything, in her experience, the more you tried to hide, the more people seemed to sense it and want to find out more about you. Thus, "refuge in audacity" had become her staple, and it was only that the situation was presently so dire that she bothered to do anything differently here and now.

A seemingly nameless inn and a local bakery crested into sight, as the two travelers made haste without hurrying... if that made any sense... towards where they were to rendezvous with the erstwhile black ops team of their Majesty's conception. Veronica's fists tightened minutely atop the handles of her sheathed sai daggers, resisting the urge to twist her expression into a snarl of ire at what might lay beyond. Forcibly relaxing herself, she shoved down the call for bloody violence and placed aside the impulse to execute the Royal Tutor for treason the moment she laid eyes on him. It wasn't like it would have brought her much satisfaction in a practical sense anyway. She'd never found herself hungry in his presence, so she was somehow certain that, whatever he was... he probably didn't bleed. Not exactly her idea of an ideal opponent.

Speaking of bleeding... Veronica gave a couple audible sniffs of the air, as she and Anderson neared the inn. The smell of breadstuffs filled the air in accompaniment to many an equally appetizing scent... but there was a far more delectable aroma on the wind. Not even hours old. Hell, maybe not even minutes old. It was nearly overpowered by an array of medicinal scents, but there was no mistaking that which her body craved more than life itself.

Veronica gave a couple more audible sniffs, her eyes darting to Anderson. They'd worked well enough together on the occasion over the years, and in that time, Veronica had developed an array of signals to her closer comrades. Any that knew her mannerisms well, knew that she didn't make unnecessary efforts, and noisy breaths were certainly one of them. It was as good a signal as any, a simple and concise one to convey to her allies.

Blood had been shed.

"After you, milady."

Briefly schooling her expression into an almost girlishly vapid one not dissimilar to a spoiled noble girl, Veronica rolled her eyes playfully at the squire opening the inn door for her, the delicious scent of sanguine essence billowing out from within. "Many thanks, Ser~." Obligingly, she smiled without teeth, the corners of her eyes crinkling in mirth, as she acquiesced to his prompt and stepped inside the establishment.

Initial impressions of the sorry band? Not great. Crimson eyes panned across the room, taking in the battered state of half the occupants. The smell of blood was tantalizingly thick in the air, and Veronica had to swallow back the light burn in her throat, drifting away from the immediate conversation to moderately discreetly draw forth one of her waterskins and take a swig of the glorious nectar within. Tongue flicking across pale lips to catch any lingering droplets, Veronica swallowed thickly, the burn doused, and replaced her waterskin at her hip.

The distraction of her Thirst -that she hadn't noticed building- now kept at bay, Veronica's slitted eyes returned to those present. She resisted frowning. The faces she was seeing weren't all in alignment with what Anderson had told her to expect. The blonde elf, the cloaked shadow of a man, the ronin Samurai, and the runaway noblewoman were present... but the royal guardsman was new... along with three other unknowns at their own table, one of whom might have been napping if the sound of his breathing patterns was any clue. Veronica's eyes narrowed. What little secrecy they had left was paramount. She had nothing against this guard or these possible civilians in particular. Perhaps they were even valuable witnesses, but if they weren't... The pale girl shook her head lightly. Killing any of them would likely serve no purpose at this stage, not with the Capitol in such a state as it was.

As Ser Anderson and Lady Rosenving exchanged pleasantries, Veronica set to a small task of her own. Relatively unhurried, she passed by each of the large windows that were set into the front of the building and presently letting in a healthy breeze and beams of sunlight, and she began firmly closing the shutters of each in turn and untying the curtains, drawing them across the windows and casting the living area into comparatively muddled shades of candlelight. Letting out a small sigh of relief, Veronica finally released her magic, rolling her shoulders, as the watery sensation slid from her body.

Her ears perked up at the steady thudding of an armored figure descending the stairs into the common room, and Veronica felt a genuine smile finally slide into place across her lips. Striding forward to stand next to Anderson once more, the pale girl favored the Head of the Royal Guard, Matilda, with a nod and a brief, small crease of the waist, hands clasped behind her back.

"A bird, ma'am? If you don't mind it arriving slower I'm sure I can deliver a message with less risk." He gestured to the vampire that came with him. "I brought lady Veronica, she arrived earlier this morning. Aside from that, there's some words from the king. Is it secure to speak here?"

Veronica only smiled knowingly, barely more than the slightest upturn of the corner of her lips, one she didn't bother to conceal from the black knight with a mirthful eye squint to accompany it. There was no need at this moment to correct the squire about just how long a vampire had actually gone unchecked within the very castle walls themselves before she had deemed her end of the investigation sufficiently explored enough to present findings to another involved and sanctioned party. "Dame Matilda," she greeted with her usual close-mouthed smile, "were it only that we should reunite under kinder circumstances." She shook her head in a show of disappointment, ebony waves of hair swaying about her chin. "One of these days, surely, we shall meet outside the eve of violence."

Quickly, however, her tone and demeanor sobered, her arms folding across her ample chest. "However, today is unfortunately not one such day." She nodded at Anderson. "We bring ill news from the Capitol. Any measure of security we can afford, no matter how small, is paramount at this juncture." Her crimson eyes drifted towards the others occupying the commons, particularly the seemingly random presence of a guardsman... and three other unknown men occupying their own table, almond-shaped pupils briefly narrowing to nearly paper-thin slits.

Several Hours Ago, in Rascade Royal Palace

Fredricus was not in a good mood. Barely a few hours after the investigation team departed and he already got the first bout of ill news involving them, and it seemingly only grew worse as the clock ticked. Some of them caused a ruckus at the mausoleum. The monarch understood that it was highly likely for the two incidents to be involved, and investigating both ends may yield results. That much was within an acceptable bound. But then his men had caught wind on a particular message that was spreading quickly among the nobles currently present in the capital, the content which brought him to the brink of cursing and breaking things. The royal tutor, one of the more trusted member of the team, had leaked its purpose toward the Delving. The loudest proponent to the war, given the best ammunition they could've possibly hoped for. It took all his self control not to tear his hair out and scream in frustration.

Just which part of discreet was so difficult to understand?

The nobles would've crowded into his court by the next morning. That much was predictable, and Fredricus had already drafted the right set of excuses to buy some time. It wouldn't be all; yet another incident resurfaced. And then another one, soon after.

The king barely got a few hours of sleep when he was woken up to be informed of terrorist attacks in the capital. As if there's not enough unrest already.

Just which part of discreet was SO DIFFICULT to understand?

The morning court went... better than expected, surprisingly. Fredricus managed to appease them by claiming that he had the prince sent to a secret safe house. The nobles weren't satisfied with just that, of course. They demand to see the prince to truly dispel the rumor. But Fredricus insisted that recalling his heir was possible, but it'll take time to be done in secret. He wouldn't want to give any chance for an assassination attempt to happen after all. That pretext bought him... three, four days. Maybe five, if he truly stretches it.

That fool Henri had just brought the timetable down by weeks, and all he could hope was Matilda and Jazdia pulling through on their joint effort to recover his son.

Shortly after he retreated to his chamber, Fredricus threw himself to his chair and waved at his chamberlain.

"Summon him now."

Admiral Silas Delving walked in. A war hero and always been, Champion of the Delving clan and the shining herald of the Kindeance navy. However, for a knight in shining armor like him, his bearing was surprisingly languid today, and he didn’t look particularly happy to have this exclusive audience with the King himself. In fact, he looked like he desperately would like to
slink away unnoticed.

And Fredricus knew damn well why.

No, it was completely unrelated to the secret Henri had leaked. Though Fredricus knew that Delvings were the one who relayed the news, he knew a baseless accusation would only serve him so much, and being a prominent clan they were, Delving could evade the allegation and use it against him. No, that can wait, now Silas was here to explain the blunder made by his brother, Aaron Delving, Rascade's own constable. The second heir of the clan got into some bad raid against the local crime element and got the entire squad decimated. The man was spirited away by his family way too quickly, leaving behind only a very one-sided report that... of course implicated part of the investigation team.

Of course, Fredricus was not amused with that report alone and summoned the constable to explain himself. The emissary he sent returned to inform him that Aaron Delving was badly injured and Silas would explain it in his stead, both as a brother, and the second-in-command of that ill-fated raid. It was surprising, but not entirely unexpected.


"It was bad enough that your brother thought it a good idea to conduct a raid without coordinating with other Generals... with me,” Fredricus began. "But to criminalize people bearing my seal and threaten to kill them? I must ask, Admiral, what in the God’s name were both of you thinking?"

"It is indeed an unfortunate turn of events My lord. But rest assured that we have everything under control."

"Under control? Seven guards were killed, and a few more injured!" The King blared. "Whatever your definition of under control is irreversible damage now. I was expected better of you."

A frown appeared on Silas' handsome visage. The admiral rallied somehow, but still remain knelt. "I am sure of that, Your Highness, and we too expected some trust for His Majesty toward his own men, as he demonstrates toward the Royal Guards even after that fateful day."

It was a hit on Silas' part. Fredricus still smarted from the fact that the assassins were escaped under the nose of his trusted guards. But it wasn’t a particularly wise hit. The King frowned and continued.

"Admiral. I hope your pathetic attempt to compare isn't a part of some disturbing trend. Their failure to capture the traitors was regrettable, but they did exceptionally well as my shield. I still couldn't say the same to your brother and his men, especially after the utter incompetence the whole constabulary had shown. You and your brother would do well to remember that.

Silas raised his head. There was a deviant glint in his eyes when he spoke."We do remember. And I’m sure His Majesty understands how I must feel. But, Mercy, lord! I know time is precious and Your Highness wanted the result to come swiftly, but to think he would appoint foreign investigators and put aside those who have served and are ever at his service is lamentable... and no wise man will deem it wise."

Fredricus stared at him in utter astonishment. He was perfectly aware of what this Delving had implied. But to do anything about was too late now, his kingdom grew, and so did his allies, and he did not need a stuffy Admiral to remind him that every decision he made would bring political consequences.

Brushed aside the implied threat like it was nothing, Fredricus rumbled. "So you think you're smarter than me, huh?"

"No... Your Highness, no, I was simply trying to voice my concern that His Majesty was too quick to judge carefulness as incompetency."

"Then what the hell would you call it then?!" Snapped Fredricus, he glared at the Admiral who now seemed to physically diminish right in front of his eyes. That old suspicion resurfaced, but now for no particular reason other than he was exhausted and easily agitated.

Only after a full minute regaining his composure, Fred continued, his eyes were bloodshot when he spoke with deceptive mildness "Admiral, you shall not speak about this anymore. I know Aaron is your brother, but I do hope your ties will not cloud your judgment. Your brother was lucky his revocation was solely based on sheer incompetency alone, and not something else that I deem based on the lack of loyalty. Now I want to hear your plan for the aftermath of that botched raid, so we can conclude this meeting."

"Very well, your highness. On behalf of my family I offer an apology for my younger brother's behavior. We shall spare no effort to investigate on what exactly happened in that raid, and the families of the victims shall be well-compensated. This I guarantee under the name of Delving."

Sighed, Fredricus leaned on his chair, he still had a lot to say, but again, it best not to press it now. "Very well, Admiral. You are dismissed."

'Your Highness." bowing obsequiously the whole way out, Silas left the room. His face was calm yet seemed to contemplate. If it was because of fear, Fredricus thought it would be a good sign, if not, well, The King had no shortage of ways to make his point.



The meetings were not over yet. One left, other came in. Soon He was joined by Matilda's squire, who was present to listen in on that mess of a circus earlier.

"And that's the gist of it, squire Anderson. I believe you understand how tight our timeline have become?" Fredricus looked closely on the squire's kneeling figure, unable to fully hide the weariness in his voice. He was trying his best, he truly was. It was just so, so, tiring to do what's right.

"Yes, your majesty. I shall depart to deliver this news at once. I'm sure Dame Matilda had found some progress since we last met."

"I hope so too, young man. There is much at stake here. Go, and may that vampire lord guide you to the straightest path."

"Your will be done."

As the squire left him alone with his demons, Fredricus couldn't quite hold back from letting out a deep sigh. When will this ordeal end? He hope it's soon. Fredricus wasn't sure how much longer can he last. The pressure's mounting, and any time now it might well break his back and that'll be it.

"I really could use some drinks right now..."

@Lewascan2 @A5G

“Yes I agree, a bird would be very unreliable to deliver the message. So Anderson I need you to bring a message to the king after our conversation.” She knew she could trust Anderson, he was as loyal to the king as she was. Turning her attention toward the vampire, she read the report on Veronica. She could trust the vampire, as they had done a few tasks for the king together. Including Yvonne who had accompanied them a few times. “Yes, and hopefully we will be able to bring peace quickly before things get out of control.” Matilda nodded her head in agreement.

“You may speak here, there are only trusted ears inside this inn.” The knight scanned the room again, ensuring the guard from before was out of ear shoot. She planned on speaking to Jazdia about the injured girl after this.

[NPC Post]

"Understood. So far there are several incidents in the capital since your departure, but one thing is most immediately relevant to your present undertaking." Anderson stood straight and delivered the report in a neutral tone despite the soon to be apparent grave nature of it. "The royal tutor had leaked the purpose of investigation to the Delving brothers yesterday. The words of it quickly spread through the ranks of nobility that are present in the capital, and this morning they came to demand explanation from his majesty. King Fredricus managed to temporarily appease them by claiming that the prince is currently secured in a safehouse far from the capital, and will need at least three days to be recalled back. You will need to bring him back before that time, ma'am. The political fallout otherwise may be impossible to revert."

Three days. A very tight deadline, especially considering the party's condition.

"If Ser Henri is present, I am to escort him back to his majesty for questioning and punishment. Besides that, there's the bombing incident as well as Constable Delving's doomed raid, but I have the impression that your investigation team knows more than what we could gleam from the smouldering ruins."

Location: Hdur, Kindeance.
@Eviledd1984@A5G

---

“You may speak here, there are only trusted ears inside this inn.”

"Even the-?" Veronica's eyes darted to the four unknowns in the room, but at Matilda's seemingly confident assurances, her narrowed pupils reluctantly relaxed back into more almond-shaped slits. As long as they spoke lowly, hopefully, they should go unheard by the prying ears of the wrong sort. While Veronica would have vastly preferred to take this conversation to a secluded room, just to be sure, she relented nonetheless and made no further pursuit of the matter. "Very well." That she simply trusted Matilda's judgement went unsaid.

Sighing, Veronica briefly ran a hand down her face, brow pinched. "Then let me be thoroughly candid. I can think of no kinder way to put it, but Ser Henri has committed what can only be deemed as treason against the Crown. In this dire time of national need, with the safety of the Prince and the kingdom at large in the balance and a war brewing on the horizon, the Royal Tutor has gone explicitly against the mission statement and our King's direct orders and compromised us and likely the Prince's safety." Her expression darkened, one hand falling to grip a sheathed sai tightly. "Were it not for his prior record of loyalty as the Royal Tutor, I've little doubt that my orders would be to execute him where he stood." Her dangerously level tone spoke that the idea still wasn't completely off the table if the Royal Tutor refused to come anything less than quietly.

Drawing in a calming -if technically unnecessary- breath of air, Veronica shook her head. "That said, it's not all misfortune, thank the stars." Smiling, this time with bared teeth and a glint of impending retribution in her ruby eyes, Veronica reached into her pack slid out a small scroll case. "I didn't have time to corroborate with other scrying practitioners, given the situation, however, I do believe my own independent investigations have borne fruit." She drew out and unrolled a small, regional map, tucking the case under her armpit. She spoke in a lower tone, just to be certain. "But after much trial and error, I'm confident in my results. I was hoping to be able to corroborate with your own end of the investigation, but it's my belief that we have located the Prince." Upon the regional map, she had scrawled in pencil several marks in a roughly circular radius. Haphazard additional markings dotted the interior of that circle. "His location is warded, but..." She grinned viciously. "That just meant I needed a few extra catalysts than normal."

Cedar backed away from the hall, opened the door after a gentle knock to let the girl know he was coming back in, then quickly darted back inside. He shut the door behind him with an almost palpable feeling of relief.

He really disliked being in such a confined space with so many people. It set off too many instinctual cues. He envied how 'easily' and "fluidly" full humans could handle that, and wondered how the odd fox-man managed it. He would have to ask more candidly later, when it was just the two of them. How he did that fancy trick to conceal his appearance was another, though he felt it was a two edged sword-- On the one hand, being able to fully pass as human in public would be very helpful in some circumstances, but on the other-- using it as a way of life? He was not at all ashamed of what he was-- how the world felt about it be damned. "Hiding" was not an acceptable recourse in his view.

"Sorry 'bout 'at." he said to the seemingly empty room, knowing full well the girl was hiding beneath the bed again. "E'res just too damn many people ou'side righ' naow. If'n I thought I'd fit, I'd be tempted ta hide unner 'at bed muself."

He plodded up to the side of the bed, then laid down on the floor beside it, with his back to the bed. Close enough that his presence would have to be tolerated, but not too close to invade her sanctum of refuge.

"I'mma take a nap. If'n ya needs anythung, or jus' wants ta talk, I'd be happy tuh."

He stretched and yawned. He was hungry enough to eat the butthole out of a 3 day old dead skunk-- RAW-- but that would mean having to endure that clusterfuck of a crowd downstairs again, and his nerves were shot. The repeated intrusions, conflictory requests, and other demands of his attention had rattled him, and he needed to calm down and relax. The terrified girl was at least quiet.

"If'n ya gits cold or summat, lemme know. I kin pull the blanket and pillaw down fer ya, and stuff it unner dere-- or ya can lay on muh back-- either one. I dun care."

@A5G @Lewascan2

Matilda once again felt her blood boiling. Henri will have to be more worried about her catching up to him than Devling’s men. Now it was obvious to her that Devling and his allies are planning to pressure the king to war with Meche. Which would only destabilize the country, and loosen the king’s hold on the people. The three day time limit was very stressful to hear, she thought she didn’t have good leads on the prince’s whereabouts. The lead Reinhold had could prove fruitful, but she doubt that would lead anywhere.

“We have had a few leads that could lead us to find him. I am hopeful that we will be able to find him before things get out of control.” She only hoped that she would be able to find the prince. “There is a possibility that Henri will be willing to come quietly, I will make sure that happens.” She glared at Veronica’s hand reaching for her sai. Matilda did not want to lose a valuable assist like Henri, or internally she did not want to lose a close friend.

Her ears perked up at the possibility that Veronica had found the prince. "Well, there is a place I was told where the prince possibility could be. But my informant needs a good night's rest before he can take us there. It is a village surrounding a fort, and from what I was told it is a two days on foot from here. And apparently, he had seen the kidnapping happen, while he was out hunting with his brother and his friends. Although I am unsure if he truly knows the location where the prince could be. Nor if he had really seen the kidnapping itself."

[NPC Post]

"That's good to hear. So, where is Ser Henri?" The king likely had some harsh words in store for the tutor. Hopefully he wouldn't resist arrest or something dumb like that, Matilda wasn't a terribly patient woman. "Once you've convince him to come along I can take your message and return. How urgent is it?"

From the look of it, they already had good lead. Much better than what Anderson could've gleamed from five days combing the woods. Say whatever about the investigation team, but they did bring results despite the... hiccup, that occured. As long as they didn't cross the king's bottom line it should all end well.

Of course, that entirely depend on actually completing the job. Nothing's set for certain until the prince was recovered.

[GM Post]

"Scuse me, coming through! Hot water, coming through!"

Nina's loud voice could be heard approaching the corner room, stopping before the door and placing the bucket with a puffy huff. Water always some deceptive quality to them. It didn't look that much but then when she tried to lift it the weight felt like a ton! Thankfully she's no stranger to manual labor like that. Running an inn, the kitchen in particular, require a certain degree of strength after all. Not much, but the girl was relatively fit for a woman her age.

"Mister bear? I got the hot water!" She called as she knocked.

---

Their conversation over, Chounan, the guard, and the affluent looking stranger went on to finish their own business. Solomon decided to sit back and watch as everyone was making sense of everything else. As the fire burned mid day, and the creak of wood as the party rearranged itself. The occasional clink of cooking utensils from the back of the house. In some regards it was a bit peaceful. Though, perhaps it wasn’t a good time to feel as such. The prince was still missing, and war with Meche was still teetering on the edge. To make matters worse, there were new variables such as Reinold’s narcolepsy and the mage girl the guard carried with Jazdia.

Solomon looked over when the familiar face appeared through the door. The young squire of Matilda had also arrived in Hdur. Perhaps he had news from the king, or a new lead discovered from the forest. Solomon leaned forward in his chair, ready to hear what Anderson might have to say. He wasn’t alone. Another came through the door. She wasn’t one of the men Anderson was in charge of at the forest, so who she was eluded Solomon. Matilda recognized her, so that was enough. Solomon stood to join her as Matilda hurriedly descended down the stairs and ask for any new information. The news was grim. The already fragile peace between Meche and Kindeance was at its tipping point. A much shorter deadline was assigned. The events leading to it were not to pleasant to hear either. Almost everything was done to prevent the mission’s secrecy, a component the king made very clear.

“If I may have a look at your map, young lady.” said Solomon as he glanced over the markings Anderson’s company scrawled. So the young woman was a seer of sorts. Impressive. But seeing as how her attempts to scry for the prince had been blocked by some unknown force, the King’s decision to create a covert investigatory team made sense. She had essentially had a circled area of where she was unable to scry, significantly narrowing down the search radius should Reinold be ineffective. Even better, the area she had marked was right there where the hunters claimed to have seen the captors run off to.

“It is as Guard Captain Matilda says. With two sources, I agree that likelihood of finding the prince here is good. Let’s see.” Solomon reached over the map and touched a couple of the villages named on the map, “The hunters say they saw the captors flee to a small village watched over by a lord. These villages are of decent size while having lord’s residence. This one in particular is a fort, constructed around the same time period as the lake ruins.”

Location: Hdur, Kindeance.
@Eviledd1984@A5G@Randomness

---

“There is a possibility that Henri will be willing to come quietly, I will make sure that happens.”

Veronica resisted the impulse to audibly "tsk" her tongue at the brief glare her... enthusiasm received, but she didn't bother looking contrite, not when she didn't feel a lick of sympathy. Honestly, it was beyond her how Matilda and Henri were considered friendly acquaintances, given his recent actions. Veronica certainly didn't know Henri in a personal capacity, but she didn't expect he'd be any different now than he had in the past. He was trusted to be the Royal Tutor, so he wasn't an idiot. He certainly wasn't a fool by any measure. Which meant there were precious few other conclusions to reach about his recent actions than active malice or some level of reckless arrogance.

Either way, Veronica wasn't particularly fussed about how the Royal Tutor was removed as a potential threat to the mission at hand, but she'd certainly admit to wishing to exact retribution upon him both for the Royal Family's sake... and on a pettier level, for compromising a mission she was personally involved in. The perfectionist within her recoiled violently every time she thought about the state of the mission. Veronica wasn't sure which she found more unforgivable in an ostensible ally, malice or incompetence, but she was starting to put some thought into it now.

"Well, there is a place I was told where the prince possibility could be. But my informant needs a good night's rest before he can take us there. It is a village surrounding a fort, and from what I was told it is a two days on foot from here. And apparently, he had seen the kidnapping happen, while he was out hunting with his brother and his friends. Although I am unsure if he truly knows the location where the prince could be. Nor if he had really seen the kidnapping itself."

"A night's rest?" Veronica muttered, borderline aghast. She glanced at the now closed windows, knowing the sun had yet to even reach high noon. "We don't have a night's rest. With the unrest in the capitol and the compromising of this team's secrecy, conspirators will have surely sent a message by some means to the Prince's captors. Every hour we wait is another hour the enemy has to prepare... assuming they don't just kill the Prince and hammer another nail into this country's coffin," she finished grimly. Shaking her head, she added, "To say nothing of our present time limit. If it does take us two days to even reach the Prince -assuming we even have the right location, that'll already be a day longer than our time limit, assuming a similarly lengthy return. No, we don't have time to wait."

And then, her gloomy demeanor faded, as her expression was overtaken by a fresh, toothy grin. "And thankfully, we shan't need to."

“If I may have a look at your map, young lady.”

The tall, shadowed man interjected, carrying a pungent medicinal scent intermixed with something... other and simultaneously familiar. Raising a single brow, Veronica replied, "Just a moment, Ser." Rather than grant him immediate access to her map, the young vampire strode over to an empty table. Veronica unrolled the map a bit further on the table surface and steadied it, placing the case down on one end to hold it open and slipping a pencil out of said case.

"Dame Matilda, you've given me just the information we need to narrow things down drastically." Arching a brow slyly back at Matilda, she smirked with a once more closed mouth. "Two days by foot, was it?" The pencil in her hand sketched a quick series of flashes, drawing invisible lines in the air away from Hdur's marked location on the map towards several areas relatively near to the center of the vague circle. "My scrying attempts kept getting rebounded. Kept having to adjust power input, constellation degree. Needed to see how the defense reacted. It's really an impressive thing, throws you back further the more power you hit it with, and you need to come at it with a certain minimum level of high force to even hope to latch onto anything inside. Means you can't really avoid being rebounded pretty far. Still, I did manage to find approximately the... 'center' in a sense."

She shook her head. "But I digress..." The pencil etched several new marks on the map, emphasized and encircled a couple prior ones. Each of the locations had a thin line sketched to them, several straighter than others, cutting through forests and wilds instead of using roads. "With a distance like 'two days on foot' as our guide, I can narrow this down to these few. I've accounted for both options that can be accessed by typical means -that is, the roads, which include the town of Thurn and the villages, Pesti and Fanghorn. I've also marked those that could be reached if we rough it straight through the wilds, which include the town of Darude and the village of Vickerville." Tapping her pale lips with the pencil, Veronica's brows furrowed, as she considered the array of locations. All in all, that was still a lot of potential hiding places for the enemy and their captive, too many really.

Sliding her hood back and shaking her ebony tresses free, Veronica pulled out a chair at the table and seated herself heavily. "Admittedly, I'm not greatly familiar with this area except in passing, so any perspectives the rest of you could offer would go a long way." She tucked a little hair behind one ear, perching the pencil there. "Granted, most of these locations are so close together that we could probably search two in a single day, but every moment counts."

“It is as Guard Captain Matilda says. With two sources, I agree that likelihood of finding the prince here is good. Let’s see.” Solomon reached over the map and touched a couple of the villages named on the map, “The hunters say they saw the captors flee to a small village watched over by a lord. These villages are of decent size while having lord’s residence. This one in particular is a fort, constructed around the same time period as the lake ruins.”

"Small village, huh?" Veronica remarked, nodding and listening intently to the cloth-swaddled man's input. "Then that removes Thurn and Darude from the possibilities..." Solomon further elaborated the existence of a lord's residence as a feature, which ended up marking off Vickerville too. "So, that just leaves Pesti and Fanghorn, both accessible by two day's travel on the road, faster if we push with urgency or access to a sufficient number of steeds."

Her crimson gaze rose once more to meet with the orcish black knight. "Dame Matilda, it is my utmost recommendation that we set course at once, with or without your informant's rest. If need be, someone can carry him by horseback and do his share of the walking, but I fear we have not an ounce of spare time to wait. The moment we can possibly be in readiness, I will chart a course to pass through both of these locations." She frowned and drew silent momentarily, considering the logistics of traveling with injured in a practical and hasty manner. "With time being critically of the essence, any recovery that must be done from injury or fatigue may be best done on the road. I suppose we could purchase a cart for them to ride in if necessary."

Sighing, her gaze turned imploring. "I should clarify: my worry is not that we cannot bring the Prince back within the designated time... though that certainly contributes. Rather, it is that if we delay, we shall most likely be walking straight into a well-prepared trap." She half-grimaced, mouth curling oddly with the impulse to open and yet stay closed enough to conceal her fangs. "Furthermore, if the enemy gets a message back to the Prince's captors before we arrive, who is to say they won't have moved him by the time we arrive?"

"Oh, A'course miss Nina! Jus' a minute!" huffed the bear, as he levered himself upright at an almost alarming speed, then shuffled to the door, before opening it gently.

"C'mon in-- Lil' thang's all hidin' un'er da bed. Prolly scared o' a big thang like I is, but more ascared o's the people downstairs. Bringin' 'er up were prolly a good idear."

He turned his head over his shoulder and practically bellowed, but in a smooth and clam candor--

"Hey 'ere lil' miss! 'IS nice lady a 'ere ta help ya gits all cleaned up! 'Er name's Nina, an' she seem real nice. Won't ya come ou'? I's'll wait ou'side and e'vruthung. Ain't nuthin ta be a scared a- Jus' warm water & soap! Be a shame ta le' it all goes ta waste!"

He returned his attention to Nina. "I think's she more an' half-deaf. Poor thang. Ha'f blin' tuh, but 'at on'y work in muh favor. Mama say I is handsome, buh not many peoples agrees. Mos' seem ta think I's is scary." he chuckled. "Plenty a bears thinks I's cute 'dou."

He heaved in a sigh, not really relieved by his own attempt at humor. "I jus' don' wanna scare er no more an she already is.. Ya know? I's worried 'bout 'er." He leaned closer to Nina, much like he had down stairs. "I hears she was a "Owned" by sumbody, and she right mad as the folks downstairs as 'put a stop ta it', if'n ya knows what I mean. I dun think she e'er had a .. normal .. life. Aint tuh late to start naow, but gittin 'er ta sees it at way? ... Gonna take a bit I fear. ... She thinks I's had a han' in it... But I's jus' foun' out 'bout it like ya has. I jus' wan' her ta has a shot a' a normal life, ya know?"

"I jus' wan' her ta has a shot a' a normal life, ya know?"

The encouraging words were kinda nice to hear, though rather redundant. Pretty sure Nina herself can pull that off a way better than that. If she herself was the one hiding under the bed, the last thing she wanted to see, or hear was a talking bear persuading her to come out.

Nina was not too thrilled to hear the Bearman's plea. Not every day she got a chance to listen to such tragic story and be a living witness to its aftermath. Not that she wanted it anyway, her daily routine was already troublesome as is, and thrills and frills should be off the menu.

Who are these people anyway?

"Well then! The first step to a normal life coming right up!" Nina shifted away from Cedar and brought in her water. "So, Mr. Bear! Please leave and let the girls do their things!"

Nina gestured Cedar to leave, and he left, though in a rather awkward manner, The innkeeper could still see him peeking at the door before having it closed shut.

Satisfied, Nina kneeled and peered at the frightened girl. "It's alright, he is gone..." she said, smiling. "You can come out now, it's only me!"

Like trying to lure and pet a puny animal, Nina extended her hand. Jorry the cornered girl looked at her cautiously, but a moment later, she realized that Nina was not lying, and she wanted to trust her.

Inched for a bit, her cold hand reached the innkeeper's. As she crawled out of that, Jorry glanced for the door and felt an impulse to run, she thought that she could make it, running out of here, hiding, and making tunnels if needed until she returned home. And then what?

"Are you okay?" Nina's cheerful tone, though filtered by her partial deafness was well received, and it felt like warm sunshine. "If you feel parched I can get you water. Do you have a name? My name is Nina."

Name. Jorry froze, trying to remember. Her master gave her one. Jormungand. Yes, that was what she was called. Though she never quite grasp the importance of having one, at least it was not trash, not bastard child, not disaster or other hateful sobriquets that makes her bones ache.

"Jorr..." Jormungand was her name, and her master used to call that name with sheer pride.

"well met then, Jor." Said Nina, resting a hand gently and assuringly on her shoulder, surprisingly Jorry did not feel frightened by this stranger's touch.



Downstairs, Jazdia Crystalspark listened patiently to the very important meeting being held at the neighboring table. Accompanied by a rather plain blonde boy, a beautiful pale woman opened a map and started to convey a message from Fred himself. There was some suggestion too after a lengthy update about what happened inside the King's court when they were gone.

"Hello there," she chimed in, glancing at the newcomers with genuine mirth. "I don't know we have such an important meeting here. What gives with my invitation?"

Location: Hdur, Kindeance.
@Eviledd1984@A5G@Randomness@Pakde

---

"Hello there," she chimed in, glancing at the newcomers with genuine mirth. "I don't know we have such an important meeting here. What gives with my invitation?"

Victoria's head perked up, swiveling away from the Guard Captain to one of the battered members of the team. The blonde elf had spoken up, and despite being in such a state, she didn't seem ready to let that stop her from contributing. "Greetings." Leaning back in her chair, the pale girl gestured broadly above the map and smiled without teeth. Why have the meeting here, where just about anyone could possibly see? It was beyond Veronica, but Matilda had given the go-ahead, which would just have to do, she supposed.

As for why she'd not chosen to "settle down" where the elf was seated... Slitted eyes drifted to the table in front of the elf, loaded with croissants and teaware. Yeah, there wasn't any space there, and like hell she was going to risk getting food -or stars forbid, drink- spilled on her map. Her ruby gaze rose from that sight to meet the elf's, a single brow rising with the upward perk of one corner of her lips. "By all means, feel welcome. Any aid you can offer would hardly go amiss." She could have apologized for the unintentional snub, but given the elf's amused tone, it seemed that would be unnecessary.

Jazdia waved, a bit too much she had to grip the backrest of a chair to keep her balance. Noticing her less-than-ideal posture, the elf mentally corrected her bearing and steadily pulled the same chair and sit there

"Thank you. I am Jazdia Crystalspark, I assume we know each other already." there was a brief pause for nods and affirmation. "Miss, your assessment intrigues me, you vehemently recommended us to depart immediately with consideration for the Prince's survival. I must say I doubt it. If the information is as crucial as you suggested so much it would force the capturers to take drastic action, then how can we know the prince is not already dead now as we speak? Why don't we hear about it already? What could be gained from killing the monarch silently and dumping his body on a river hoping his vengeful father would lose interest in hounding the killer's trails?"

Jazdia exhaled a breath. Sadly there was no tea on the table in front of her.

"The perpetrators are not stupid. The prince is a valuable political tool. I don't think they would waste their bargaining chip just because they heard some group of people are commissioned to search for the crown prince. Hell, even if Fredricus mobilize his entire army to the perpetrators' stronghold they would know it better to keep The Prince alive to be used for parlay."

Jazdia glanced at Matilda with veiled disappointment. Lack of general initiative was likely the main reason. She should had been the one who speaks the loudest in this matter.

"The well-prepared trap is unavoidable, it's still a few hours ride without stopping and if the news were relayed yesterday, they had the entire night to prepare their welcome mats. I'd say departing now and tomorrow morning would not make any difference, except we will be less ready the sooner we get there."

Cedar walked out uneasily into the hall. He very much hoped the young tavern girl would be alright in there, given the dire warnings he had been given about the abused girl in the room-- and he hoped that the abused girl in the room would be treated well and fairly, and given a fair shake. Both things he was very nervous about. He very much hoped he was doing the right thing.

The fox-man was still in the hallway, and had resumed his disguise.

Cedar greeted him.

"Sorry 'bout before.." he stammered. "I gits... Uncomf'terble 'round too many people... and I's is very worried 'bout 'at girl... Both o' 'em. They both seems like they really nice people un'er neath, but... I' aint always easy ta tell."

He patted the fox-man on the shoulder.

"Muh name's Cedar, and I's half-bear, as ya kin see. I see's ya part fox-- bu' I dun min'. I knows it aint always easy being what we is-- but ya shouldn' hide what ya is neither. People aint always nice, nor understandin'--- Bu' ya shouldn' be ashamed a what yas is neither. I sure aint-- I jus' wish people were nicer sumtimes. But ya knows what? Sometimes they is! Likes me-- Ya dun has to hide what ya is 'roun' me. Jus' be yaself, an dun be 'shamed. Ne'r be ashamed a who an' what ya is, un'erstand?"

He tilted his head to one side in kind of a shrug, and made a weak but honest hint of a weary smile.

"AN' thank-ya for tellin' me 'bout the girl. I's'l see at she won't git hurt, and try ta convince 'er not tuh hurt nuhbody. Righ' naow, she just a scared lil' girl, surroun'ed by scary people."

He looked back at the door, hearing the dull murmur of Nina talking kindly inside.

"An sadly, I's seems no exception...."