Flight of Fancy: IC (Mature) {Currently Closed}

[justacritic]

Hobbies turned towards whoever called his name and when he noticed that it was the timber wolf, he brightened up slightly. When Jakob asked that the fennec shouldn't need to sleep anymore he shook his head. "I still need to cause of some things about our clan and actually we're encouraged to do so. How was that dinner with the captain?"

[Tapewolf]

[Oops, didn't see the reply - only caught the OOC thread]

Jakob looked around shiftily in case the Captain's men might be watching.  "It wasn't anything particularly special," he admitted quietly, before resuming his normal tone.  "Just a meal.  A nice one, but not much more.  The Captain didn't say anything much, probably the most interesting thing that happened was when a drunken Angel attempted to make out with me.  I haven't seen him since," he added in a whisper.  "I hope the captain hasn't roughed him up too much."

"That reminds me," he added conversationally, "I need to drop my shirt off at the laundry or whatever they have here, so it can be repaired."

[Boog]

Slave Hold

"Hm, at ease comrade," The cheshire's eyes twinkled at the coatimundi, "Rescue is coming, but not just yet, per se. We are, unfortunately, in Qaggath, and our dear friend with the horns has officials in his pocket across the land. Letting you out here would basically mean taking you out of one cage, and putting you in a bigger one. And the second cage is on fire, or something." There was a sheepish shrug, "Thorialtor gave me this whole speech because he wanted to make sure the point got across but I forgot to write it down."
"Which means, dear friend, that we need you to remain our liason amongst the disenfranchised," There's an edge to the cheshire's voice, easily missed by most and almost DEFINITELY missed by the idealistic coatimundi, suggesting this whole thing was fantastically funny, "Your skills are at their best here."
"However, I come baring sad news as well. Our forces on the outside are, tragically, limited in their capacity, and throughout the ship we're spread thin. For additional recon and sabotage... We are looking for volunteers."
"They call me Singing Grin, a humble hand of the Resistance, and I'm looking for a few good men and women. But, tragically, just a few."
Other slaves began to rouse at these last words, plans formulating...

--

The Cafeteria

Jeremiah finished his meal and made his way out the door. He still had a few minutes, maybe he'd swing by the boarding gate, get some fresh air...

--

The Hallways

The first person Eden grabbed, interestingly, was a guard. The wolf demon gulped in surprise.
"Ma'am if you could calm down a- wait." He seemed to collect himself, "I'm sorry, describe him again?"

--

The common room

"Haugh, gods no, I've just worked on a similar boat and I've always found these bean-counters obnoxious. Once caught an auditor rummaging through crew quarters, claimed they were 'cracking down on customs-evasion." The reptile looked like he was going to spit, then thought better of it.

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel looked through her packed clothing carefully. She had checked on the outside weather and found it was disgustingly hot and humid down in the town. Normally she'd just use her magic to create something acceptably scruffy for bargain hunting and use one of her prepared charms to protect herself from the heat. Finally she decided that a simple skirt and blouse with a pocketed vest would keep her covered from the sun and heat until her magic kicked in and she could make her personal environment suitable for an ice dragon.

Heading for the boarding ramp Mel passed one of the dining rooms. Just exiting was a frog in the uniform of the airship company. If the airship was going to block her magic that she normally used when shopping she was just going to "borrow" one of their employees to carry her purchases. She caught his eye. "Come along. I am in a hurry." Mel hoped he was so accustomed to being bossed around he'd be halfway off the ship before he thought to question her.

[Inumo]

Xyrtia sighed, placing her head in her hand as she remembered the words she wanted to say. "I ask again," she finally declared, raising her head back up. "Who are you people?"

[Paladin Sheppard]

Upon the Brown and black furred Wolf's arrival at the gym he promptly went to he change rooms and switched his clothing for some swimming shorts. Armed with a towel and some goggles Paladin proceeded to start a leisurely 2km swim for a warmup.




**************


Ephrael made her way back to her cabin, quickly stripping down and heading to the shower/fur dryer, for which she was grateful - normally it took her a good twenty minutes to get her fur/hair dried on its own.

Brushing her fangs and rinsing a couple of times to get the taste of her reversed breakfast out her mouth the Diminutive Devil started to grab some clothes out of her pack, a simple White T-Shirt and a blue Skort, plus boots seemed enough to go Hunting for Eden's 'Friend'. 

Making a last minute check of herself in the mirror Ephy nodded to her reflection and departed back towards the Demon Bunny's room.

[Angel]

Kenyan glanced between Mateo and Xyrtia, tail twitching and ears flat as he listened to the smiling newcomer. Much of what she said resembled what the coati had said, and he didn't like that sort of news to come from someone so happy. Her attempts at humor were also lost on him in his anger. <Do they truly not care even a little about our lives and decisions? At least this one doesn't claim to be good, like the coati.> He remained silent, waiting for Xyrtia's question to be answered, and for Jake and Wallard to offer their opinions, before he spoke. But his mind was already made up.

[VAE]

"Now that takes some gall. Should have sent him to look for contraband up captain's arse . .. but eh. There's the chance he'd take it seriously. But I guess that's what you get when you screw up running a country this hard. A ton of useless bureaucrats with nothing to do but cause trouble."
The lynx brushed his cheek fur with his paw, as if to clean himself off from even the mention.
"Well, best get going, I guess - the ship won't sit here together. Nice finding someone sensible to talk to. Though... I wouldn't mind someone to tag along, double so since you seem to know your way about here."

[Tezkat]

Mateo's whiskers sagged visibly at the news about their situation. There was no way to escape even with the airship stopped at port? And little help coming from the outside...

"So all we're just stuck in here then."

He sighed and slumped against the wall, wondering why their would-be rescuers seemed so pleased with themselves.

[Kafzeil]

As the angel and the adventurer appoarched the first class cabins, Kafzeil was able to signal to Aisha to leave.

However he saw something. A vaguely bunny-demon shaped whirlwind tearing down the corridor. Nervously Kafzeil tapped his companion's shoulder.

"Um...I think that's her."  the angel said rather sheepishly. It appeared as though Eden hadn't seen them yet.

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha had seen the blur across the corridor about the same time that Kafzeil had, and had even guessed at the presence before he had confirmed it.  Her tail ring gave a small thrum against her appendage, though the dark-magic sensor hadn't yet started its steady emerald glow.

For a moment she was torn with decision.  On the one hand, the demon was approaching right now.  But though Aisha knew who it was, she didn't feel at all prepared to meet their new comrade.  The Creatures never ceased to cause a sense of sudden unease in the otherwise stoic adventurer.  She'd made her decision in a heartbeat.

"I'll leave you to her then, amigo," the panthress stated with haste.  "You can find me later as we're disembarking; or I'll find you."  Her tail swished forward, showing her ring and the growing luminous shade.  "If your friend's with you."

With that, hopefully just as the one called Eden was to come into eyeshot of them, Aisha leaped off and down another hall to the area which held her quarters.

It took her all of a few seconds to produce the key and lock herself back inside her room.  She let out a steadying breath.  Remember, you're better than this now.  You'll give the demon a chance.  But only when you are prepared.

Shaking her head, Aisha looked herself over in the mirror and placed her hair back into a more manageable braid, and then replaced her cape and other weapons back to her personage.  For a moment she glanced over the knife-edged boomerang and the writing on it, her father's signature from all of his forged blades.  Though the light-oriented magic in its shining steel couldn't be felt through the ship's suppressor, she knew that it was there, and through it there was reassurance.

Another glance in the mirror, and she saw the visage of a confident adventurer.  One that could probably give any Creatures working under the demon Captain a pause to think on their actions of the current scheme, or so she liked to believe.

All the better.

A smirk on her face, the black jaguar left the room and headed off to see where the crowds waited to disembark.  Hopefully there would be some interesting things to see on land, and people to meet.

*     *     *

Back in the slave hold, the coatimundi messenger let out a loud groan.  "You gotta be kiddin'!  Qaggath?  Well, there goes my next few breakfasts.  But fine, if I'm needed here, I'm needed here."  The long-snouted creature then looked back at Xyrtia, who hadn't had her questions answered.  "We're basically the resistance, and we're out to save ya, provided that you cooperate, as I'd said before."

"And if yer gonna keep disrespectin' us like that, yer not gonna live to see the next breakfast," grouched Wallard.  "We'll decide for ourselves how we'll be saved."

With a glare, the wingless gryphon turned his eyes back to the set of sparkling eyes watching them from the slot.  The de facto leader of the slaves was trying as best he could to weigh both sides of this recent encounter.  He noted the unimpressed look on Kenyan's intelligent, nigh-feral eyes, and the look of dejection from the college student who'd already seemed to give up a chance.  A few people looked as if they were willing to volunteer, but only one or two looked completely unaware of the risks.  Out of one army and into another.

And then there was Jake, who before Wallard could take him into account, stood up.  "I'll go."

That earned the young Knight a few stares, including one from his kinsman.  "Ain't ya jumpin' th' spear a bit, boy?"

"No," he crossed his bird-skin arms, "I admit that these words of hers all seem like sugar-coated promises.  'We'll free you, but we need your help', I get it.  But I for one am tired of sitting and waiting.  Would it not behoove a few of us to see what this is all about?  It's still a chance that might be worth taking."

Wallard's eyes narrowed, and he stared Jake down.  "Boy, that kinda attitude could either make ya a right hero, or killed about ten dif'rent ways.  And I'm bein' gen'rous by sayin' ten."

He sighed, and the sound came out as roughly as his voice.  "...But ya have a point."

He turned back to the waiting eyes on the other side.  "Listen here, Ms. Grin.  Yer bein' awfully secretive about this, especially ta people ya say ya wanna save.  I ain't movin' from this spot; I've taken responsibility fer these lives you see here; some of us were taken from our families.  Some would kill themselves if'n they could.  I've been here for long enough to know.  Dead or alive, we'll leave here free if'n I have anythin' ta say.  We ain't no pawns, y'hear?  We ain't no pawns."

With that, he pulled Jake aside, away from the door and prying ears, his voice lowered to a whisper.  "Kid, if'n you are goin' with 'em, make sure ya come back with some info, yeah?"

"I rush into things, doesn't mean I'm stupid," the younger gryphon grinned and nodded.  "I'll be back."

With a nod, Wallard faced the others.  The slaves were already paying attention, though some of their faces looked resolute on one choice or another.

"Th' Knight's goin'.  Any other volunteers fer our esteemed savior, here?"

At the side, the coati hummed an old hymn about freedom to himself.  One couldn't tell if he was sincere or mocking.

[Angel]

Kenyan was expecting Jake or Wallard to respond first. He did NOT expect them to decide on the opposite courses of action. The lion watched and waited as the two discussed their positions on the issue, and remembered that there was more at stake than just his pride and freedom. Xyrtia could likely protect herself, but Mateo was emotionally shattered, and seemed to look up to Kenyan so far. Regardless, he had promised to protect them from harm, and that was what he was going to do, regardless of which side they joined.

"I told your scout," he growled at the Cheshire, "I pick up a sword for no Being, and I will not move from one cage to go in another. But I promised to keep people from dying, and I must know where they will go first." He looked meaningfully at the jay and the ocelot, as well as the others in the hold.

[justacritic]

"Want me to help?" Hobbies asked. "I'm pretty good with thread and fibers, comes with being a puppeteer and maintaining my livelihood" 

[Tapewolf]

"Are you sure?" Jakob asked uncertainly.  "I mean, I don't want to put you out.  It wasn't you that ripped my shirt, after all."  He paused.  "I guess it wasn't strictly the crew's fault either, though they were a little lax with security.  I mean, supposing it was an assassin or something?  Whatever... if you can just point me at the laundry that would be fine," he said.

Jakob paused for a moment and changed the subject.  "How about you?  Got anything planned for tonight's show?  Have you ever been to this island we're docking at?"

[Kafzeil]

As if remembering the guard, Eden swung around and made her way back to the guard.

Kaf gave a salute to Aisha as she walked away, before noting Eden took off before she noticed him. The Angel gave chase, hoping to catch her and perhaps explain and apologize to her.

[Inumo]

With a glare at the coatimundi, Xyrtia declared, "Nothing is done for good." It wasn't exactly what she wanted to say, but she couldn't figure out how to say, "Since you're the Resistance, you're resisting something, and I'm not sure that means you're doing this on principle or because it's one more way to fight against whoever or whatever you're resisting." Turning now to, what was it, Singing Grin?, she continued, "You can't... whatever the word... on our skills. Are we shields, or darts and knives?" She wanted to get home, but few of her skills were usable until she moulted again, and she was pretty sure that was around a year away.

[Boog]

The Slavehold HEADQUARTERS OF THE GLORIOUS RESISTANCE

"Mm, was hoping for someone a bit subtler, but I like your attitude." The cheshire purred, casually renewing the sleep spell on the guard, "Fortunately you're perfect for part of what we need, but we'll need someone of less intimidating shoulderspan," there was a clink as a screwdriver and hammer were nudged through the opening, "In your cell you'll find a grating leading to the cooling systems; fortunately, with the heating and ventilation demands on this hulk, you should have enough room to at least crouch semi-comfortably in there. We'll need a team of one or two who can, and I can't stress this enough, QUIETLY move through there and locate a few targets key to your escape. A portable blue crystal ball, belonging to the captain. Should look like it has a little frost on it, even in a warm room. Keys to the bridge. And the captain's personal map-room. Plus a few persons of interest we'd like followed and listened in on," an arcane sound-recorder was pushed through the slot, a rectangular crystal with a tuning fork sticking out of the side and an assortment of glyphs etched all over ("Activation phrase is 'for the people,' deactivation is 'by the people.' Don't forget it, loves.").

Almost as an afterthought, she turned her attention to the concerns that had been voiced. Starting with Wallard, "Well, someone woke up feeling like a grumpy goose. Darling, trust me or don't. If you're finding your cell so comfy I wont disturb you. I am, after all, a fighter for freedom," she said the word much the way you'd expect a man in an alleyway to describe whatever he was offering you a hit of, "And if you dislike your alternatives, you are free to stay here."
"Apart from the team in the vents, I'll need one or two 'guards,' with me. I'm infiltrating a bit of a... Invitation-only soiree the captain is holding tonight, I'll need two extra sets of eyes, ears and hands that aren't as recogniseable as my glamorous and beautiful self. So, no," and her eyes twinkle at Kenyan in a discomforting way, "I had no intention of giving you a sword."

--

Disembarking the ship

Breakfast. What a great idea, breakfast. Jeremiah was in a good place. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and the cat that had been giving him the dirty eyeball at the casino the other night was telling him to do stuff.
... Wait...
Jeremiah tugged the sleeve of a passing ostrich, "Oi, Mackie?"
"Wlrm?" The other servant swallowed a cocktail weenie that, Jeremiah was certain, he was not supposed to be taking off the plate he was carrying. "Yah, Jerry?"
"Jeremiah. And I think I just got reassigned into hospitality, I need you to cover me at the casinos."
"Whu- Oh come on Jerry I'm always dropping the cards."
"Jeremiah. And you'll be fine, chalk your fingers a little first, I keep a jar under my table."
"Aight, sure. Good luck Jerry."
"Jeremiah."

Jeremiah caught up with the customer, panting just a little. Girl could move. "How may I be of service, Madam?"

--

Common Room LAND OF FRIENDSHIP

"Be my pleasure," The iguana stood up; maybe his creature heritage went further than the teeth. He had a funny way of moving, just a little too slick and graceful. If he lived amongst beings, elementary school must've been hell. "Name's Christopher."
"So tell me 'boucher self, friend, what'dya do? Wocha lookin' for in this," A snort, "Fine, fine town?"

--

The hallway

Unfortunately, Kaf caught up with Eden at about the same time that Eden caught up with the guard. The guard's face seemed to blanche a little. "You-!"
"Madam, thanks for you, um, cooperation, but we've actually been looking for this gentleman ourselves." The guard gestured to another nearby guard and one of the larger servants, who approached quietly. Not quite flanking Kaf but... Prepared. "The captain wanted a quick word with you, sir; nothing serious, just a security measure after some incidents at the captain's dinner."

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel gave the frog a careless wave of her hand, "You will be my personal assistant for the time I am off the ship. I have a bunch of errands to run and need someone to fetch and carry. You will get a day's pay, a really good lunch, and a souvenir tee-shirt. You can read a map can't you?"

She handed the frog the tourist map of the town as she continued down the gangplank, "Which direction for the Messaging Center?"

The dragon inwardly rolled her eyes, playing the ditzy debutante was hard work. Hopefully the frog would follow along at least until her magic returned. If she got a little insight into the casino at the same time that was just a bonus. Hopefully her grandmother would release her from the investigation and she wouldn't need to investigate further.

[Kafzeil]

The angel found this slightly amusing. Two rather large figures at his side, like he was dangerous~ Him!

"Oh, okay."He tried to keep a straight face. "My memory is bit fuzzy. Can I at least know who I happened to molest? Anyone important?" He asked plainly. "Perhaps I can offer him an apology?"

The guard would find a set of hands digging into his shoulder, almost painfully so before he was forcefully turned to face the bunny demon. "Excuse me." she said in a sugary sweet voice. "But where the fuck do you get off hauling my fiancé away from me before I even get to know why?" She smiled at him.

"Eden, honey, calm down." Kafzeil assured her. "I'm certain no harm will befall me." He glanced at the gorillas, then back at Eden. Knowing her she was already anticipating their movements...and plotting takedowns. This would be awkward enough without trying to explain to the Captain why one of his guards took a light fixture to the head.

"The Captain just wants a chat, I'm sure. Nothing serious." He smiled. not at her, but the poor sap in the demon's grip. "Right, I'll be in and out. Right, my good friend?"

Eden looked back at him, awaiting a response. The blank stare was likely discomforting. It was hard to tell if her fiancé had succeeded, and he would be released, or if his own arm would be used as a weapon against him.

[Tapewolf]

"You okay?" Jakob asked Hobbies.  "You seem a bit distracted."

[justacritic]

"Oh sorry " Hobbies said, " I took your advice to heart and looked at the more serious scripts. " He sighed " But a lot of the plots would get one group or another up in arms.."

[Tapewolf]

"Hmm," Jakob said.  "Well, I can think of a few ways around that.  You could start with a disclaimer.  You could rotate them so that each night it's a different group's turn to be the butt of the story just to be fair.  Heck, you could mention that in the disclaimer.  Failing those, you could just insult the least powerful group."

[Angel]

The Grin woman was...unnerving Kenyan, to say the least. A few pieces of her plan sounded like tasks he'd be very capable of doing, but nothing about the woman said "trust me, I'm safe" - least of all the way she looked at Kenyan after trying to "reassure" him that he wouldn't be needed to do anything violent. Xyrtia's concerns made sense, even in her broken tongue. And suddenly, it occurred to the lion that the coati had dodged his earlier question, and that this woman, while possibly psychotic, may be able to provide a better answer for him. He relaxed his body a bit, trying to coax away the anger from earlier.

"You did not answer her," he nodded at Xyrtia, "and your scout did not answer me. So I will ask again. If we join you, what happens after we are free?" He didn't add what he BELIEVED would happen. There was no sense in giving Ms. Grin any ideas.

[Boog]

Slavehold

"I believe the point of freedom is that that's your call, dumpling," the cat shrugged, "Frankly most people seem to consider it a pretty tiresome way to live, I can think of folks that would kill for your position. Free room and board, work with straightforward goals, you know how much your contributions are valued, competent management... Why I'm just about tempted to join you in there."
"Really, that's about it. Once you're free you have the appreciation of the resistance, perhaps a small reward for your contributions, a pat on the back and directions to the nearest train. Which, I might add, is more than you have presently."

The source of her blase demeanor was becoming readily apparent; her bargaining position really couldn't improve much further.

Disembarking the Ship

"Yesmarm, rightawaymarm," Jeremiah slid into the role smoothly, accepting the map and unfolding it in what looked like a suitably professional manner."
A t-shirt?
You've gotten worse tips.
Fair.
"Messaging center, eh?" Oh god... The city had a street layout that said it had grown organically from a small settlement, and had never seen the pruning touch of a planner. Roads crossed in grids and diagonals, looped through each other, passed through some buildings... "Right away, madam."
He hoped right away.

They looped through three terrifying neighborhoods and one nice one, but eventually they managed to find the messaging center. Even in the administrative sections of town, buildings were noticeably poorly maintained. Recent paint covered obvious cracks and flaws in the concrete of the wide, three-story center.

Ship Hallway

"The Daryil Clan Emmesary," The guard replied, deadpan, to Kaf's initial question, "A man of fairly important rank. We'll be gathering him shortly, so you may get the chance for that apology," The guard nodded to Eden, picture of courtesy; legitimate authority or not, Eden was obviously the stronger demon. These little social dominance games could take one far, in a race obsessed with Power. "We may request," the choice of words was noteworthy, request, "An audience with yourself as well Ma'am. Nothing serious, but when you transport as many VIPs as we do, it pays to be thorough. If this turns out to be a clan or council matter, we could be liable."
The guards didn't grab Kafziel's arms. Simply stood too close, perhaps half a centimeter inside the angel's personal space. It was somehow worse.
"If nothing's amiss, he'll be out and about again before lunch. This way, sir."

[Kafzeil]

Daryil Clan? He lucked out. If his research was correct they were about as threatening as a moist poundcake in front of his brother Gabriel. He was pretty sure the main reason the Harkonnens never dealt with the Pretender Clan Leader's children was the perceived lack of clout, threat, and having anything of value.

He could chalk it up to his grandfather not liking Daryil Clan but to be fair, Gilgamesh Harkonnen didn't particularly like anyone.

For a moment he wanted to just grab the guards arms and force them to hold them.  None of this passive aggressive bullshit. Kafzeil hated half measures.

Eden meanwhile released the guard, but not before squeezing his should *just* hard enough to leave a slight bruise. A reminder of sorts.

"Of course~" She smiled sweetly. Again likely not helping anyone actually feel relaxed. "I completely understand. " She looked at Kafzeil. "I'll be waiting in the stateroom, hun~" She then glanced at the guard and leaned in. A sly grin formed accross her face. "If you or your Captain forget all else about me, remember this;

"A Keter always repays her debts." She then coyly walked away, swaying her hips as she headed back to the stateroom. Hopefully these grunts understand dual meanings.

Kafzeil noted it was awfully nice of Eden to give him a bit of a view, all things considered. As he was escorted away, he began recounting what he knew of the Daryil Clan, and mentally pictured a meeting between his own grandfather and the clan leader.

if even Half of what he heard about Daryil was true, that meeting would be hilariously awkward, though it did make the ferret  tad jealous his stone faced grandfather never had to deal with these problems.

Okay this problem was self inflicted so maybe it didn't count.

[Inumo]

Xyrtia thought. She thought long, and she thought hard, and at last she decided, Nothing ventured, nothing gained. "I'll do the vents," she finally announced. Taking up the hammer, screwdriver, and arcane recorder - "By the people, for the people kra tee for the people, by the people, rrup chrp," she whispered - she asked, "Details. Who, where, how long, and how to get there. And slow; I don't speak merchant well." As she listened to Singing Grin's response, she used a finger to trace an invisible map on her thigh for directions.

[Boog]

Slavehold

"There's a handful, give me a sec to write them down," With another definite volunteer on hand the cheshire seemed to be taking it all a little more seriously, "Captain Uidnetan, for one thing. Tall demonic fellow, wearing the fanciest uniform. He's target numero uno; there's very little about him that isn't likely to be useful. Specifically, the location of a few key objects. A portable magic mirror, might have a slight layer of frost over it, and we need the activation phrases for its message recipients. We believe he may be getting some of his funding from a powerful draconic family that may not know the full details of his operation. There's also a small black book that we would need to know the location of." The smirk returned, "Our captain appears to be the old fashioned sort, and feels the need to write things down."
"Apart from him there's a few key individuals. A grey canine from the Daryil cubi clan may be making contact with the captain, and another representative from the Keter clan of demons may be involved. Rabbit girl. Beige fur. Information on their purpose on this trip would be useful.
Finally, there are a few of his confirmed clients on board. A bulldog in a Vermli military uniform, a green mythos, about eight feet tall, mouths on his elbows. Hell, he may be relevant to YOUR interests too, nobody really knows what he does with the slaves he buys.
"Keep an eye out for anything else that seems of note, too. Anyone on this ship could be involved, and any information can be useful.
"Finally, and this is more of a personal favor than something useful to the resistance," Singing Grin smiled, "I would personally appreciate any information that could be found on the habits or intentions of a moose on board by the name of Thorialtor Kastnessen. If the opportunity should arise, I repay my favors well." A small slip of paper made its way though the slot in the door. "I suggest a large info-gathering team. It's a big ship. If needed I can get you more recorders later."
There was a muttering amongst the slavehold. A close listener could probably closely track the intimate details of the decision-making process in action...

Ship Proper, or, The Incredible Traveling Interrogation

"This is him then?"
"Yessir."
They'd been walking for ten minutes when Kaf realized that his host had already caught up with them, toward the back of the group. Captain Uidnetan was handed a paper from one of the guards that he read over, "You're sure?" There was a slight smirk, "I don't think I recognize him with both his eyes looking in the same direction."
"Very droll sir."
"You're damn right it is. So, Mr. Harkonnen, enjoying our ship so far? I am sorry about this inconvenience," This bit, ironically, seemed rather sincere, "But with the clientele I keep a failure to make a proper show of investigation could come back to me. You understand, clan matters."
One of the serving staff opened a door for the group; not the captain's office, as expected, but apparently an unused guest room.

[Tapewolf]

"Well, you've got most of the day to decide," Jakob shrugged.  "And if you're really serious about the shirt, we can talk about that later.  Right now, I need to send a message, so if you don't mind, I'll take my leave."

Selecting something less ostentatious that would allow him to mingle better, Jakob changed and went to look for the nearest post office or similar facility.  Teleprinter, Messaging orb, it doesn't matter how, he thought.

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel looked at the Messaging Center with a touch of worry. It didn't look very prosperous and Grandmother always preferred to be contacted by magic mirror. Message orbs were cheaper to acquire and easier to use but the rounded surfaces tended to distort faces unpleasantly, unless one was going for that "my what big teeth you have" look. If the stupid airship weren't still suppressing her magic she would have just put a temporary charm on the mirror in her cabin. When she realized she was clenching and unclenching her hand in annoyance at her inability to do magic she forced herself to stop. Turning to her frognapped assistant she said, "Please look up the merchant district while I am inside. The real one and not the area they herd the tourists to. I hope this conversation will be short and I will be back out quickly."

Inside the Center was as genteel-shabby as Mel had feared. It took several rounds of ignoring the fast-talking receptionist's offered alternatives to be shown into a cubicle with a mirror. It was gray and spotted with age but it reacted quickly enough when activated. She sat back and waited for the face of one of Grandmother's assistants to appear.

[Kafzeil]

Entering her stateroom the demoness slammed the door, took off her clothing and swung a right into the private bathroom and started up the shower. Remembering a certain Tazzy devil, she made sure the stateroom door, was unlocked, and she could hear if it was knocked on or opened. Just so she could return and Eden could call off the hunt.

as she climbed into the shower and removed her spectacles, Eden counted the possibility of a guard or some stranger wandering in while she was showering.

Closing the stall with an eager grin, she was pleased with herself. The chance to break someone's, face in and having an excuse to do so calmed her down somewhat. Not enough to kill he bastard but cetrainly enough to make him regret walking in on a showering demon.

She chuckled, washing herself as she sung.

What will do with a drunken sailor, what will we do with a drunken sailor...

******

Kafzeil sighed as he waited for the signal to be seated. He glanced lazily at the Captain. "Well, to be honest I think the idea  of strapping a a bar and casino to a balloon filled with explosive gas hideously frightening, magic dampeners be damned, Judging from this room and the one you kept me in the builders made some glaring oversights in construction and proper faculties, notably in proper containment and holding cells for rowdy patrons. " He sighed for a second." But clearly this would not be fault of your own, Captain. You didn't build the vessel. However, If you don't mind me being blunt I can't help but notice your crew trips over each other on the way to kiss your ass." He paused."My apologies for being so blunt, but I accept apology the inconveniences. Security is important. Especially when treading around diplomatic matters with patrons who may very well attempt to kill each other. It's a task I know far too much about."