20. Aboard the Merlin
General Summary
Leaving Midnight
Full Scene The party makes their way to the airship docks, stopping briefly at the inn to collect the rest of their belongings as well as retrieve Toby from the stables. The pegasus is mildly miffed at his stabling. He believes Marwa is an actual princess, and thus that as her steed, he deserves stabling of suitable decadence. The airship docks are elevated, since most airships have lateral or lower fins, and its a bit of a stairs climb. Mirage can hover. "Nice not to have to board this one in a water barrel, "she remarks, a comment that earns a chuckle from her groundbound companions. They all get a pretty decent view of the district from so high. The city buzzes like an ants nest, never ceasing. As they climb, Cypher points out a few things. Siobhan's house, not fully visible but distinct for its white stone construction, a foundry where Melody works most frequently (she runs contract but they hire her a lot). "Oh, and, that one, that one, those over there-" indicating piers, loading docks, various infrastructure around the docks "-and this one-" tapping one foot on the metal stairs they're ascending. "Shit dad built." "Wait for real?" Mirage turns from the vista to look at him, incredulous. "Yeah. Not by himself, obviously, but yeah." "That's awesome! He and your Mom are total badasses." He smiles. The airship you have a ride on is a merchant vessel, a fairly simple canvas and wood one, enchantd with antigravity and further supported by its balloon, like a cross between a caravel and a blimp. Most of the relatively small crew is already aboard, busy with the rigging, cargo, and generally getting ready to make way. The captain and mate meet you as you climb the gangplank. They're both tabaxi, the captain has the muscular build and square muzzle of a jaguar, and his tawny, black-spotted fur is glossy as fuck. The mate has longer black fur like a domestic longhair cat, but still looks resplendent in his scarlet pressed jacket. The captain introduces himself as Ashes of Sunset, who they may call Ash, and the mate as Peaceful Flower of the Soul, who they can call Peace. Saeldor has better posture than anyone has ever seen as they cross the gangplank, very studiously not looking down. Deeply connected to the earth, the firbolg has not been looking forward to this part of the journey. Ta'lok has arranged their passage for a combination of a coin fee and the promise that the party will help if the ship needs defending against skypirates, wild perytons, etc. As they board, he introduces the rest of the party besides saeldor (who was there when they got the deal). "Mirage, our rogue and auromancer. Cypher, our irregular and striker. Cri, druid and healer." The party shake hands and exchange greetings as they're introduced. When they're all aboard, the captain passes them to the boatswain, a tanned human with short auburn hair wearing a strong fragrance. He's a cheerful fellow but also a consummate professional. He's introduced by the captain as Mr. James Thorne, but informs them with a handshake smile that literally everyone else just calls him Jamie. Noting Ta'lok's professional interest, he points out some particulars of the ship's construction as he shows them the way to the passenger quarters, which have had a heavy curtain put up to bisect the open room, mindful of your group's mixed company. Saeldor and Ta'lok will be a little short of elbow room, but they are both used to that and were expecting it.Strategy Meeting
The ship gets underway pretty soon after they're aboard. Once they've been shown to the room and put their stuff down, Ta'lok calls a meeting to fill Cypher in and confirm details of the plan they came up with that morning. The warlock listens to the plan with a growing frown, and by the end he's just shaking his head "no" before Ta'lok is even done talking. "No, absolutely not, at the very least Saeldor has to stay with her so they don't get fey-ambushed. Cover story's also flawed. Even if we go in there, say 'oh we've always hated her actually lets help you catch her'" - visibly galled even with the 'fake-argument' voice - "He's obviously going to want to send some of his own people with us." "Cypher, I can't have both of our medics. It doesn't make any sense." "Don't need a medic for a business meeting, if that's how we're playing it." "I KNOW you know there's a possibility that this 'business meeting' goes sideways." "It's always a possibility, but listen, listen," the warlock looks like a lightbulb in his head has just switched on. "Nobody wants it to turn into a fight because fucker has a private army, yeah? What if we used the ruse to drain the barracks?" Ta'lok has his tree-trunk arms crossed over his chest. "How do you figure?" "By selling information, not assistance. Tell him, 'she's at such-and-such plausible location, and when we told her we wouldn't put up with her shit any more she went and hired some protection so you better go prepared.' "His people move out, he either goes with them and we can double back for snooping purposes, or - and my money's on this one - fucker's a coward as well as an asshole, he'll stay behind and we can question him properly." There is a cold smile with that last part. The party absorbs that, considers. "And if he decides to detain you or request some sort of assurance that you're not sending him on a wild goose chase?" Mirage asks. "The original plan doesn't account for that either, just for the record," he says, "the workaround here is that if I touch his mind just a little, he's miles away when it comes back around." Everyone but Cri gives Cypher varying looks of - not scrutiny, but hesitance, as if to ask "What does 'just a little' mean?" Mirage sits down, looking kind of miserable. "I can't...that puts you at so much risk. But I can't think of an alternative. What if we - WAIT - what if you went in and tried to gain his favor, like, 'Hey, we were looking for her and we know she was here, have you seen her?' No, that's dumb." She tugs on her hair in frustration. "It's not dumb" -instant from the warlock. "Wait, I could be bait! Out here, we lure him outside, so if it comes to it and we need to run, I can run!" "Absolutely the fuck not." Cypher is as horrified as he is dumbfounded. Cri and Saeldor quickly voice their less-crass agreement, but Ta'lok has a considering look on his face, knowing sometimes you have to move a pawn out of protection to bait out a bishop. Cypher was sitting on the edge of his bunk, but when he clocks the minotaur's absent voice in this point, he is standing up so fast. "Are you out of your goddamn mind? NO!" Saeldor raises their hands at the raised voice, "Hey, let's all just be cool. Everybody take a big breath, no decisions have been made yet." He sits back down but does not break eye contact with the boss. Mirage doesn't even seem to hear them anymore. She stands and starts to pace, aggressively, fast steps, Nimbus darting back and forth around her. Her face is tight with frown-furrows, downward-facing. She takes deep breaths, mutters to herself, "I just have to...I just have to do it. There's no other way. This makes the most sense." That gets Cypher's gaze redirected. "Mirage, no, there's tons of other ways, what the fuck are you talking about?" She gulps, "I'm a fucking rogue. I gotta...I gotta infiltrate. You keep him busy, I'll poke around." Cri reaches out a hand, she doesn't seem to see it. Cypher's frown has lost its anger. "Hey." "I know...I know the layout, kind of." She continues pacing, shoudlers tight as a bowstring, hair twisting in an agitated tempest. "Hey." "He'll never expect me to be IN the building, with all of you. It's the last place...he'll... And it'll be fine." Cypher stands before Saeldor can speak, moving in front of her to get in her eye-line. She bumps into him, still looking down, in a staring contest with the front of his shirt. "I can do it. I know I can do it." He gives an exasperated sigh, looks to the ceiling, over-aware of all the eyes in the room, fighting impulse for two literal seconds before he nudges her chin with his thumb, tilting her face gently upward, half expecting a swatted hand. Instead, she looks up, face compressed, eyes shining with barely-suppressed tears, and any thought of maintaining appearances flies from his mind. He pulls her into a hug, and her fingers curl into his shoulders in a grip as instant as it is unbreaking. "There's no splitting off," he says, ostensibly as much to the group as to her, despite the lowered volume. Her cheek on his shoulder feels hot. He's not sure how to let go. He's less sure he wants to learn. "Whatever we do," a shuddering breath that reverberates against his chest, "we do it together." Her grip on his shoulders relaxes, he lets her go, holding her at arms length briefly before dropping his hands. "Or have I been getting my notes wrong?" he asks, rotating a glare around the room as if daring anyone to say a word. A defensive hostility that withers under Cri's beaming smile. Behind him, Ta'lok's eyes briefly widen, his eyebrows twitching upward. Saeldor catches his eye briefly with a smug grin, as if to say "welcome to the party, have fun watching these idiots sort their shit out." "We're working on too many unknowns anyway," Cypher continues, stepping back. "We need more information on this fucker. And I still say we don't need to talk to him to find out what's going on, if we can catch a time he's not home or something, that'd work too." Mirage stretches her neck back and forth, rolling her shoulders, exhales like she's been holding her breath for a year, trying to shake the lingering tension from her body. "Sorry about that, friends," she says, "Been a wild several weeks. Okay." She takes a steadying breath, chafes her arms with her hands. "Information. We want information. We can either convince him to give it to us, or we can steal it. I lost my cool there for a minute but I think...I do think I could do it. And if it's the way that keeps you all safest, then I want to try." Cypher offers a crooked half-smile. "No one here's doubting your ability to get in places you're not supposed to be," he says, "It's just a matter of distracting the security in the meanwhile" "We should also try to find out what we can before going in. There may be a few Aurians on board who could have heard of him, even rumours would be useful. And we're supposed to pass through a major port, we should keep our ears open there, too." He's looking at Mirage, considering. Cri pipes up, "Marwa, if you...if you want me to come with you, I can always use my spider form. Or beetle? Something so you know you're not alone." Mirage smiles gratefully, but there's a downward tug on the corners of it. "We can't make a decision right now anyway," Ta'lok says, uncrossing his arms with a 'meeting's over' finality in his tone that everyone recognizes. Saeldor stands, fishing their pipe from its pocket. They start to head for the door, then hesitate, cracking a window instead. Mirage takes a seat nearby him. "No time like the present," Cypher mutters, mostly to himself, exiting the cabin. Ta'lok heads after him, catches him by a skinny shoulder that predictably flinches away. "we should settle a consistent cover story," Ta'lok notes, deciding to overlook that Cypher hadn't stopped walking until he said that. The warlock thinks for a moment, then looks over his shoulder. "Crew already knows we're a merc company. Why not looking for work, scouting prospects?" Ta'lok considers, rubbing his chin. "You think he takes contractors?" Cypher shrugs, turning to face him. "I doubt the rules are as strict as the Norish Forces, and even if he doesn't, we literally don't know that, so we can still say we're looking." "True," Ta'lok conceded. "Then I'll ask around the helm." "Fine. I'm heading below, then." "Meet back after dinner?" A silent, over-the-shoulder thumbs up was his only reply. Cypher was already walking away.Checking In
Mirage passed the afternoon mostly in the cabin, except for when Cri could coax her into a walk in the fresh air of the deck. Trying to sketch what layout she could remember of Amir's palace-fortress, scribbling notes on faces she'd seen, defenses she'd noticed. There wasn't nearly as much as she wanted. searching for details made her chest feel right, her stomach sore. The boatswain, Jamie, poked his head in a couple times. Once to ask how they were finding the accommodations, another to drop off a plate of cookies and carafe of coffee. Her appetite over dinner was poor, pushing food that she couldn't name later around her plate. She brought her work with her, and is still frowning at it after the meal, circling her pen in a shapeless, inattentive doodle as she wracks her exhausted mind for more details. Ta'lok's bass nudges her back to the present. "You got a minute?" He's offering her a mug of steaming coffee. She takes it, trying to focus on the warmth spreading to her hands. "Sure, boss. What do you need?" Ta'lok pulls up a seat next to her. "I know this is hard for you, Mirage. Going back." She stiffens up at this. "Wouldn't blame you for wanting to just skip town and not come back." She looks down, kind of guilty. Like she's still feeling that urge to run. "But," he continues, "if you run, you'll always be running. And that's not how I'm built. That's not what this team is about." "I understand." She says after a short silence. "And I even..." She hesitates to say this. "What you all went through in that tower was unspeakable. I feel like such a wuss for letting this little bitch of a man get to me." Ta'lok nods. "Had lots of friends in the military who felt the same way about some of the things they'd seen. Couldn't figure why it would keep them up at night when others had seen worse. It's just the way it is, Mirage. "But listen - tell me straight, because I'll be real fucking pissed with you if you let your bravado speak for you now - do you honestly think you're ready to go back into that place?" A long minute passes where she looks at him, then she stares at her hands in her lap. Then she looks up at him again, and says, "Yeah. I'm sure. FUCK that guy." Ta'lok smirks wide "Fuck that guy." He bumps her fist as she smiles back. He gets up to leave her to her thoughts, but on his way out, he says, "You've got some pretty fierce protectors in this group, you know," he says with a knowing grin, "It won't be like last time. Promise." Then he ducks out, leaving her to her thoughts.
Report Date
24 Feb 2025
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