ACT COMPLETE Angelcynn: The Myrcian Conflict - Act 2

[Ether]

Adeltrudis flinched a little bit as her Father brought up Cassandra. She had been holding onto a vague, and honestly nearly impossible hope that he had been unaware of... such things. Well, at least it was a load off of her shoulders to not need to try and hide it from him.

"I suppose I'm not surprised that you knew. I will try to keep things... more under wraps, as much as I can. I had been hoping that our long-standing friendship would perhaps ease people's suspicion, but it appears that is not working out quite so well." Adeltrudis admitted with a sigh, leaning back into the chair she occupied.

"I suppose now is as good a time to ask as any, Father. I am grateful for your acceptance on the matter, but I would still like to hear your thoughts on it. As you said, it most certainly must not be what you had hoped for."

[charlie_]

Angus too? Claire felt like they were trying to make up for the cancelled party a couple of night ago at this point, although Angus seemed to be here on business based on his question. "Kitted up?" She frowned slightly. "For what?" This was a surprise. What kind of mess has he got himself into this time?

[Terrador]

Angus shrugs--he didn't know of a specific battle coming, honestly, but it was his job now. "Your fightin' kit in general. I'm... well, I've been passed a couple of Sir Lionel's duties, and one of 'em is makin' sure the Prince's people are properly equipped." The mooncalf's tome slides onto the counter, and he inquires as to what it might be worth.

"So, you interested in one o' these?"

[Dandragon]

Serge smiled. At least someone was recognizing that he was tough. At least, that's what he thought was happening. Cassandra had already gone in, so now it was his turn. He walked into the bar in search of Ratty, hoping that he wasn't getting harassed.

[Shin]

The search goes on

With access to the Codger, the group, now with Alain, were invited inside. Serge knew too well how foul the bar was, it hadn't been a place his nostrils had missed. Goons occupied most of the tables, caught up in their own conversations. There didn't appear to be any signs of Ratty, although Serge certainly recognised some of the other brutes - who definitely chortled to themselves as Serge entered.

Alain's book donor was also sat in his corner, almost unmoved from the last time he'd visited. Larissa gave Serge a nudge, looking around. "I don't see him here, maybe someone knows where he is?" she suggested, pointing to a few men. "I've seen them with him a few times, it might be worth a try."

Bible salesman

The vendor looked at the tome, flicking through the pages carefully. "It's in good condition." she replied, collecting some coins from under the counter. "I'll give you three hundred for it. It's not a particularly potent tome but it's not terribly common."

Papa don't preach

"It was truthfully only relatively recently that I realised, Jeeves had let it slip casually as he was serving tea one afternoon with a passing comment. He had quite the sense of humour, I would have been shocked otherwise. " Tobias replied, taking another sip from his cup. "What I say or do won't change how you feel, but neither the church nor state are going to recognise your bond with the Princess. As much as I would have preferred to have grandchildren, there's no point pursuing the issue. You are as you are, nothing's change so I see no reason to be too upset." Tobias laughed, his expression brightening up considerably "I'm sure I'll have better luck convincing Graham. He was always easier to appease anyway."

Edited May 6, 2016 by Shin

[Nanami Touko]

"Then, let's get talking." Cassandra pushed past Serge and the group, not wishing to waste time here, as it was indeed a foul bar. She didn't hesitate walking up to the men Larissa had pointed out, simply doing her best to keep her head covered. They seemed less foul than the door keeper, but that wasn't saying much. "Excuse me. I'm looking for a small, shy fellow. Goes by the name of Ratty around these parts. Has he been here recently? If not, where do you think I'd have luck finding him?" Cass cut straight to the point. Not that she thought they'd know, if even the guards couldn't find their own wanted men.

[Ether]

"Yes, I am aware that it is... a difficult path. Cassandra herself was not quite so... I only hope that she comes to that realization as well. Telling her will only budge her so much, after all." Adeltrudis replied, glad to see her Father appearing rather jovial after speaking. It lifted her spirits to be certain.

"We've been over this many times, Father. It is not any distaste I have for men, so much as that you never seemed to find a suitor that stuck with me. To be honest, with how close you are to the King, I always wondered why I was never set up with Prince Owen... it always seemed like a natural thing, yet it never happened." Adele noted, chuckling again at the mention of her brother.

"I thought that was why you sent him off in the first place? So he would speak to someone his own age aside from myself and the Gaffneys? Everyone who's known someone in that Academy has heard stories of how... aggressive, some of the women there can be. And none of them are from particularly bad families to begin with."

[charlie_]

"Oh. Really?" Claire knew that Lionel had left for the time being, but hearing that his duties had been passed over to Angus of all people was pretty unexpected. "Erm..." She took another look over the wares for anything that she'd missed before, but nothing jumped out at her as necessary. "I'm fine for now Angus, thank you." Nothing there was worth the money, as far as she was concerned, and she already had what she needed.

[Shin]

Find that Rat!

The brutes Cass approached looked at each other, smiling stupidly. "Gosh, we never met no Princess before." one replied, looking genuinely shocked to be speaking to Cass. "We slooshed that yer be dank, but we didn't think yer ever come here. We knows the droog yer be sayin' about. He normally stays under the bridge near the sewers, it's got a baddiwad von but I figure he at least stays dry. If yers need any help, Princess, we be dobby to lend a rook."

A large man got up from the back of the room, heading towards Serge. It took a little time, because of the lighting, but it soon be Dank Dave. He'd caught eye of Serge and it seemed that he was ready for round two.

--

Some questions and then some

Tobias sat for a moment, trying to find a way to word his answer. "If I were to set you with Prince Owen, you'd be under pressure to accept it. I presented you with the finest men I could find, but it seemed none of them were suitable. If you'd wanted to pursue Prince Owen, I would have supported it, but that was your choice to make, not mine." he replied, taking a scone from the plate. Chewing cautiously, he looked up to Sebastian. "Perhaps a tad too much jam, I suppose you'll get better with practice."

The mention of his intentions for Graham amused Tobias, he was impressed Adele had seen through his plan.

"Well spotted, Adeltrudis. There were only so many times I could arrange meetings with the likes of the Gorlois or Esclabors. Graham may not have confidence, but he's resilient. I trust that he'll be able to make it through the Academy."

Edited May 7, 2016 by Shin

[Ether]

"I see... well, at least that is a suitable reason. It is probably for the best, at any rate." Adeltrudis replied, also trying one of the scones Sebastian had brought in. Her Father's assessment had been mostly correct, it tasted good, but compared to how Jeeves had prepared them, they were a tad on the sweeter side. No need to echo it really, she simply gave a light nod in agreement.

"I am sure Graham will do fine... I think the loss of Theodore effected him more than either of us, even if he refuses to show it... he was rather young at the time, after all. He simply needs to get used to speaking to people, again."

[Nanami Touko]

Cass took a small step back as she was addressed. She figured her speech was much further above what people were used to hearing, but was her hair sticking out? She tried to ignore it, but... Letting the hood back some, she looked between them? "How did you know?" was her question in response. "And if that's where he is, then I hope he's there right now... I was told to find him so that I could get to the thieves guild. I don't suppose either of you fine gentlemen know where that is, hmm?" Rough or not, they seemed nice enough, actually. A bit of a surprise, honestly, but a pleasant one. Perhaps... She let her hood down fully, figuring that, if these two were being friendly, the rest of the bar wouldn't put up much of a hassle. Until she spotted-- "Oh... Oh, is he going to be fine?" she added, watching the large brute move towards Serge. She didn't quite care, but it felt pertinent to ask in case he brought trouble for the rest of them.

[riariadne]

"No rest for the weary, hmm? Well, if that's all... if you need someone to talk about your difficulties with, I'm here for you. Problems are easier when you don't have to bear them alone." Sidney pat his shoulder gently, smiling in turn too. "I'm glad the negotiations are going well. Queen Ethel is kind but quiet, from what I remember, though I can't say I've seen her since the death of King Edwin. Would you like any assistance in anything you have going on, since you mentioned being very busy? Truth be told, I wasn't really planning on doing much the rest of the day, but if I could be of assistance to you I would love to be."

[Xinnidy]

"Hmm..." Owen pondered for a moment, "Good question. Most of my duties today are to speak with others, so I wonder..." With a hand to his chin, Owen recalled the tasks he set for himself that day. "You've spoke to my mother a few times, right? Could you speak to her that I'm to travel to Raewald? I'm sure she'd love to know how I'm doing, but I've been so busy that I've barely had the time to speak to her." I hope she isn't getting to concerned about me, now that I think of it...

[Terrador]

Angus nods, pocketing the gold from the vendor--if he didn't know any better, he'd consider three hundred generous! Still, even if Claire was well-equipped, the new baron had something to ask of her.

"So Claire, would you mind if we spoke soon, just 'tween us? A Baron Kearney could... use a wise ear." Angus leaves on that note, departing for the Rusty Cutlass to offload the accursed blade. He offers it handle-first for appraisal.

"What kinda cutter we viddyin', droog?"

[riariadne]

"Yes, I've spoken with her a couple times in the garden," Sid confirmed. "I can let her know, but... you should try and speak to her too still if you get a chance. She's your mother- I'm sure she's concerned for you, too. Do you know where she'd be right now? I didn't see her when I was in the garden earlier, but I may have missed her."

[Toogee]

Money Time

The man shook his head, gesturing to a large sack of gold by his side. "It's actual real money, and up front too." he chortled, looking at Oldtimer. "I can even hook you up with a man who could sell you one of those flying dragons cheap. It's like being paid for an upgrade! Do we have a deal, son? I'm eager to get this fella into the routine, can't be waiting around too long."

"...Deal."

"Oh boy! A harem!"

Doug handed over the reins to Oldtimer to the circus man. He figured it was the right choice, given the pegasus's age.

"I'll take you up on that offer on dragons," he continued, though with a bit of reluctance. He was never a fan of having something with sharp teeth between his legs. The rider figured he'd try, especially with so few pegasi around.

[Dandragon]

Of all the people he had to find, it was this bugger. This was the last thing he needed, right now. Thankfully, 'Dank Dave' only seemed concerned about Serge. No doubt looking to fight someone obviously weaker than him. But Serge was not concerned about who Dave thought was strong and who was weak. One of the guys had seen through Cassandra's 'disguise', but thankfully gave a location as to where Ratty usually hung out, and had even offered assistance. Still, there was the matter of the huge man moving towards Serge. "I ain't got time for you, Dave. Go bother someone else." He honestly doubted that would work, but he had to try.

[Juliette]

"Why you!" Freya was about ready to force this doorman to let her in, before this Serge did so instead. When two men approached the princess, she tensed up, but this too appeared unnecessary. Wow, easy job right now. Still, it turned out the person they were looking for wasn't even present here in the first place, though at least now they had a better location. "Well, I'm ready when you all are," the soldier proposed, before once again something else came up- someone approaching Serge. "Get lost," she told him. "We don't have time to play around here, whatever you want."

[Xinnidy]

"Yeah... I probably should." Owen sighed, "If I'm back soon enough, I certainly will." It certainly didn't feel good to just put his own mother as an afterthought like that... Is there anything I can do about it? ...If I made better use of my time, maybe. I definitely should talk to her before going though, in person. There was another sigh, and a pause to think. "She's not in the gardens? I wonder..." She devotes so much time to that place, I'm surprised she's not there. "I'm guessing she's in her chambers, then. A maid could confirm to you if she's around, for certain. Otherwise... huh." Owen furrowed his brows. "I don't see why mother would leave the castle, but my best guess would be the cathedral."

[Shin]

A father's lament

"There will always be a hole in our hearts where Theodore once was, I only hope that the edges of the wound will draw closer with time." Tobias replied, looking down at his cup. "Hopefully when he returns we can welcome him with open arms, whatever or who ever you both are or become, you shall always be my children."

Sebastian nodded in agreement. "A servant serves his master, no matter the creed. I'm less familiar with Master Graham than I am with yourself, Lady Adeltrudis, but I shall do what I can."

--

A surprising turn

The other man pitched in, the other being rather stumped by Cass' question. "My appy polly loggy, Princess. We didn't means to dut yer maskovat. All us droogs be liking the princess an' her luscious glory. We figured it be you since yers got a storoz with yer an' the Eggiweg, we thought 'e was yer rab. A few of us viddy yer after something went down in da sewers." he replied, looking at Cass with admiring eyes. "We be baddiwad, but only a bratchny would want to rizraz the princess. We got no rabbit wid royalty, don't matter that yer bugatty."

Dank Dave practically ignored Freya, the brute more interested in Serge. "I ain't 'ere to cause rabbit. I wanted to spas yer for 'elping the Princess. Yer might be an Eggiweg, but we be appreciatin' that." he thanked, taking Serge's hands in his own giant mitts and shaking them. "I don't know where the thieves guild be, but Ratty definitely spends his raz pod mostom. If we viddy 'im, we'll send i'm your way."

--

Deal!

The man clapped his hands in glee, thrusting Doug the sack of money. It was certainly heavy, and the real deal. "Thank you kindly, Douglas!" he chirped, his voice full of joy. "It was a pleasure doing business! Drop by the circus any time you want!"

Leading Oldtimer away by his rein, it was the end of a beautiful partnership. However, with enough money to replace Oldtimer and then some, things were starting to look up!

Doug gains 20,000G!

[Ether]

"Yes, of course. Now, more than any other time, we need to be strong, after all. Wyke itself, the royal family... they're both in need, right now." Adeltrudis replied rather solemnly, placing down her now-empty teacup.

"Thank you, Sebastian. I appreciate it."

[Nanami Touko]

Despite the quality of the bar and the men there, Cass couldn't stop herself from blushing under their praise. After dealing with someone like Stan and his goons, she'd thought these people couldn't ever be anything better than awful. But the two at the table, and then Dank Dave even, saying they respected her and would help out with Ratty, well, she had a smile growing that she couldn't stop. "Thank you," she finally managed, trying to hide her excitement. "Should we still check the bridge for Ratty? If he's not there, send him to... Oh, bother... Freya, Serge, Larissa, do any of you have a piece of paper and some ink?" She took a step back over to them, still a bit giddy. "I must say, I didn't expect something like that, not after Stan... But... Well, you're all dobby droogs to me." Cass laughed a bit as she said it. She'd been prepared to try and talk like them if they had more trouble at the door, but being all happy and saying it made her even happier, this weird fan club of sorts having formed.

[Dandragon]

Serge was surprised. He had expected a fight to break out, but instead was thanked for assisting the princess. What's more, Dank Dave had even offered to bring Ratty to Cassandra, should he find him. But this put Serge on edge. He remembered how Ratty had helped him for standing up to Dave in the first place. Was Ratty just scared of Dave, or was there more to this relationship? He decided against bringing it up, however, as it seemed like the princess was having a good time. "Well, I thank you for the offer." He said, nodding to Dave. Things seemed to be going well, for a change.

Edited May 7, 2016 by Dandragon

[scorri]

"Well, Serge already debriefed me and then I discussed the events with the prince and princess, so you don't need to worry about not having reported to me, Emmet." He frowned and then added, "I do wish to hear your side of one specific event though. You shot their leader. Why?"

[riariadne]

Sidney frowned at Owen's sigh and worried look. "Are you sure I can't help you with anything else? You don't have to hide what you're thinking from me, and I can tell you seem upset... I think speaking with your mother would be nice for you. It's difficult to focus well if your mind is so distracted, so maybe you would feel better if you could see her for yourself." She walked closer to the prince, wrapping her arms around him awkwardly. "I just think you should be careful not to get overwhelmed. There are a lot of people who want to help you, so remember that. Queen Eowa is one, I'm one, I'm sure your father wants you to do well... don't be afraid to ask for help."