"Is Squirrel going with us? Are you, Drake? This could be dangerous. And if Squirrel is going, why has he left the ship?" Rasha's eyes flash with annoyance, her desire to hurry their departure quite obvious.
"I'm sure he'll be fine." Cassie says putting an hand upon soft cappuccino coloured arm of Rashida. "It'll take a while to get permission to leave and start the motors. And I could always wait and use the ornithopter..." she stops realising her error. The dancers face drops, a breach in her composure - the disturbed nights rest has worn on her nerves slightly. Although DuSollier always lived on the knife-edge of her emotions, trusting to her instincts.
She then leans in close to Rashida, "I think we need to talk, soon, in private." she whispers.
Rashida blinks in surprise at Cassie, then gives her a tiny nod.
"I could go look for him -- Squirrel, I mean," Alyce volunteers shyly, trying to be useful.
Biting her lip lightly, an enticingly and unconscious gesture of apprehension, Cassie pauses at Alices' statement. "That would be most generous of you, but you need to be careful. Squirrel wouldn't want to get you into trouble." Her eye catches the shining epaulettes of a guard across the hall, an idea forms.
"Alyce, why don't you take Jacque. The assistant navigator?" her suggestion filled with concern.
Drake shakes his head, "I will attend to you as wwll as Jacque. It is only fair as you and squirrel are my charges. He says and puts out his arm for the young lady, a twinkle in his eye but he is more concerned for her safety then he lets on.
"That's good to hear, Drake. You keep safe too..." she looks to the doctor warmly, then a treacherous thought pops into her head which she instantly dismisses as a paranoid fantasy. 'What if Squirrel hasn't left the ship and the Doctor is just trying to isolate one of us?'
With a quick shake of her head, auburn tresses flick out catching the light in an autumnal cascade. The dancer looks to the pair that hopefully will only be quickly venturing outside, a tight smile on her face. A uniformed man saunters over to the group introducing himself as "Jack, at your service. Need any help?" he announces in a cock-sure manner.
The Duchess strides out of her room towards the other nobles. Her little ears flick and she glances at all of the others present and says, "I was out of sorts for awhile there. How long was I asleep? I usually only take, excuse the pun, catnaps. A little siesta here and there. Such a solid block of sleep is rather uncommon for me."
"I heard some talk about reclaiming the Virago... If we approach it, I can see about displacing my mother, but that would leave my body vulnerable. She killed ten people with her body, slighter than mine, as effectively as any assassin, until an Intergalactic Agent and the only civilian remaining managed to kill her, and not before she corrupted his mind in turn. The alien immortal. I do not think it would be wise to give her any mobile recourse..." She glances towards Vorian a few moments and sniffs the air, sitting down. "I am so sorry about what she did to your crew. She was once noble, the most noble helmetcat I have known, but an act that she thought was heroic corrupted her. She thought she was sacrificing her life, but instead sacrificed her mind. I have lived her life and death, and I wish nothing more than to put my mother's soul, her true soul, to rest. If she is travelling with Rashida's brother, then I cannot imagine what she is doing... she is using him for something, but I don't know what he could offer her aside from a means to slake her bloodlust. That is too much a short game for her purposes, though."
"You must have been exhausted, Duchess," Rashida sympathizes, "Do you think it will be possible for all of us together to take Virago, with proper planning? My brother is little more than a savage killing machine, so there is not much worry about brains there. But if your mother is anything like you, she is our worry."
Corrupted...
"It is as much my fault as it is yours," Vorian says to the Duchess, shaking his head, "Virago and Answerer are things that should not exist on this world. It is only through my own hubris that they escaped destruction - I had wanted to make them mine. The same can be said of many of the artifacts I keep on board... some of which I fear will only make our job more difficult. Things that were not meant to see the light of day. Thankfully, the ones on the ship are not particularly dangerous. They should mean nothing to your mother."
Vorian sits back in his chair, having touched none of his food. Something in the context of the conversation had simply slew his appetite. On top of that, despite having not eaten for quite some, he was not particularly malnourished. For a moment he regrets his gamble, but rejects the feeling immediately. He needed to focus on the matter at hand.
"The combination of the two is the real threat. Unless we can somehow separate them from one another, I fear that they will simply overwhelm us. "
"My mother is clever, yes... but disembodied, and likely unfamiliar with using something like the Virago as a body. I think with proper planning, we can retake it. While she is clever, probably more clever than me, I have the advantage of seeing her life flash before my eyes, I know many of her tricks," says the Duchess, "And while we have the advantage in numbers, even with the Phantom, they may have the advantage in raw strength. We will need a strategy."
"Answerer?" Cassie wonders before her eyes mist over; "But is it not in the nature of man to want what they cannot have, to preserve that which is unique - especially if it's dangerous." she waxes philosophical. "To play with fire, such is our nature." the French noble is obviously thinking of some of her own exploits.
Then she drifts back to the present; "Are you alright, Duchess? And my condolences for your mother... though we must be outwit a helmet cat. A tough prospect indeed." She pauses to think; "Could we bring something she'd want to get close to her? Fight Gahiji to a stand-still, whilst we take back the ship."
"Maybe, catch them whilst they are resupplying?" the dancer wonders.
"Virago's main gun," Vorian says to Cassie, smiling wanly at her words, "Large and powerful enough to merit its own name. The two were not always one, but humans have always an odd habit of finding new ways to kill one another. Playing with fire, as you put it." Wanting to avoid going on a tangent, he returns to the subject of strategy.
"She may have control over the ship, but there is only so much Virago can do without a crew," Vorians thinks aloud, attempting to recall any more useful details about the ship, "She only had so much fuel, so much ammunition loaded - she may have been a warship, but she is far from combat-worthy. That was not to be her purpose anymore. And of course, she was never fully repaired after Von Ryuko's rampage. If your mother wishes to resupply... I presume she will need Gahiji to act for her."
Cassie sighs; "Why is it men always name their guns." she adds with a roll of her eyes.
"Then we hit them when they are re-supply, upon some Moroccan airfield it sounds like? Stop Gahiji. We need to get The Duchess to isolate her mother, then we can remove her." she adds with a touch of sadness.
"So... are we agreed? We can at least cast off and head in the right direction. Morocco makes a great deal of sense. We can plan specifics on the way. Is it good?" Rashida looks from face to face anxiously. "If so, we should set our course and leave as quickly as possible, to delay no further. "
"Yes, that would be for the best." Pushing his chair back, Vorian stands, paying no mind to his breakfast. "Ah, we took a rather large sum of marks from the Old Duke's account. If the news of his death gets out, someone will connect the dots in an unfavorable manner. Yes... I think we should leave from here as soon as possible. With that in mind, there is a matter I should tend to before our departure. It will not take long." He nods to his fellow aristocrats once before taking his leave.
Cassie nods eagerly at Rashida's words, however she goes slightly ashen at Vorians' admittance of the theft. "Errrr...."
"Morocco is a good place to start. Though it's rough there, however I'm sure we can handle ourselves." she says hopefully and changing the subject.
Alyce looks alarmed. "If we are in a hurry, I will go find Sir Squirrel. It won't do to leave him behind. He has... talents. But maybe he has returned to the ship. I'll check his quarters first." With a blush, she dashes off.
"I will go to the bridge and tell the navigator to plot a course. They may have an extra map that we can use for planning. I shall return here." With a furtive glance at Cassie, Rashida slips from the room.
Cassie looks across and smiles at Drake and the Duchess, "Guess we'll wait here for a moment? Your Opera ship is one of the finest I have ever seen - as befitting such an amazing owner. Is it a family ship?" The dancer lounges gracefully upon the back of a chair, thoughts of her own ship slipping by.
As Rashida gets onto the bridge more action is taking place. Not the violence of yesterday, for not all action is big guns and explosions, or even the pre-requisites of love-play.
The navigator is arguing with an ensign, the peaked cap pulled low over his face and a large moustache domination the remainder of the ensigns' visage. "I'm trying my best. The guards didn't see anything last night." he replies in a weaselly voice.
From the corner of their eye the navigator spots Rashida, striding over to the lady in a serious manner. Stoicism written across their countenance, only one the navigators a handful of paces away do you realise they are female. The tight buttoned jacket and military demeanour hiding the fact. "Afraid Milady, there has been a slight case of sabotage. Nothing too important, however it'll mean during any trip I'll have to be on deck." she says a slight Russian accent leaking out.
"Someone cracked the compass." she looks accusingly at the Ensign.
"That is not my problem, nor do I see why it is serious. After all, it should still know north from south, and we all know where the Pole Sar is," Rashida replies, "My problem is that we are still here and need to be elsewhere. Plot a course for North Africa and be ready to take off when all our party are accounted for. And I need an extra map of North Africa, as well. Hurry, if you please."
"Well Milady, I am the navigator. You may say where we are going, but I plot the course." she says proudly. "We will leave as soon as possible. There are many variables that go with flying an airship, wind currents, cloud cover and so forth. I'll not bore you with the details just keeping you appraised of the facts"
With a quick perfunctory brush of her epaulette, getting rid of some lint, she moves over to a map table. Opening a draw and removing a large sheet of paper, only just thicker than tissue thin but taller and wider than a person. "A map of Mediterranean Africa."
"Thank you." Rashida swiftly and neatly rolls up the paper, holding her long, gilt nails clear of the surface, then gives the navigator a nod. "This will be in the guest dining room if you have need of it," she tells the uniformed woman. Her long, white gown swirls around her bronze legs as she strides rapidly from the room, barely glancing at the impressive view from the wrap-around windows of the bridge. Outside, the blue sky and sparkling water are a jarring frame to the smoldering wreckage of the Grand Hotel.
She re-enters the dining room right after Alice, who dashes up to Cassie. "Squirrel is back on board. We met him near the foot of the ramp. He said he had to get something from town, but he's ready to go. I think all of us are... ma'am." She finishes softly as Rashida unrolls the map across the largest table.
"Somebody conversant with geography come here and help me," Rashida demands, "Where on here is... oh, wait. There is the island. And nearest landfall, well... I can see options." She pores over the map, nail tapping at several spots.
Cassie greets Alice with a hug, pleased that the young woman is happy. "That's great. You did very well." she says with a warm encouraging smile. Putting a hold around the budding protégé shoulders she draws her to the map table.
After positioning Alice at the table, Cassie glides around it. Looking at the map from all angles; "I'm passingly familiar with the geography and air currents." the French woman runs her hand across the taut seat of her jodhpurs, ensuring there's no wrinkles in the materials.
"Travelling South, they'll be taken by the currents..." her delicate fingers describe a curved line over the map as across her lovers body - barely touching it. "Tunis or Tripoli are the most likely places - if one wishes to head to Alexandria. However Algiers is the lock into Africa and particularly friendly at the moment. Or Gibraltar if they are heading down the west coast - a last bastion of Western culture." She quirks her lips into a small smile at a memory of a dance.
Relatively minor chaos ensues in the engine room as crewmen from different ships bustle about, sometimes exchanging dark stares at one another over paltry disagreements regarding protocol. There were simply far more hands in the room than the ship actually needed. Nonetheless, they just barely manage to cooperate, keeping their passive-aggressiveness in check. The ship had to leave as soon as possible, and no crew member wished to provoke the ire of their liege. Each and every one of them knew how fearsome an aristocrat could be. And so, nobody seems to notice the absence of one of their number - if anything, this only made their job easier.
Slipping away from the Phantom is easy enough for Second Engineer Hubert Schiffer III. Donning a simple long coat over his uniform, as well as a flat cap, he blends into streets of Friedrichshafen effortlessly. Nobody spares him a second glance as he as walks down a few blocks, before stepping into a pedicab. "To the market," he tells the driver in German, leaning back in his seat. As the vehicle starts to move, the crewman reaches into his coat, pulling out a beat-up bronze flask and looking down at his. He frowns, recalling the last of his lord's puzzling order.
Give it to him - he will know what it means. And... tell him that he was right.
Hubert did not relish missing out on the opportunity to be reunited with Virago, but he had been told that his mission was of the utmost importance. As always, he was proud to do his duty. Besides, I have not had the chance to meet grandfather in quite some time, he thinks to himself, suppressing a grin. It never quite occurs to him that he had been chosen for that very reason.
Back on board the ship, in his cabin, Vorian straps the empty silver flask from his suitcase onto his belt. He rests a hand on it for a moment, wondering if he would live long enough to get to fill it. Or if I should done so to begin with. He shudders, recalling the previous night's dream. It had been so... vivid. After everything that had happened, even he found himself wondering if it had been something more. Was the secret he had held so dear truly the stuff of legends?
At this rate, I will no longer be able to call you human.
Having already cheated a slow and painful death, Vorian leaves his cabin wondering if there would be a price to pay for his means.
Rashida hovers over the map as Cassie points, nearly leaning against the dancer and nodding at Cassie's rumination. "Yes... possibly. I can tell you, though, that Alexandria would be only a stopover - IF they stop there. Gahiji will want to return quickly to the family home with his prizes, once he tires of mayhem. And that, of course, is Thebes. Now, will they go straight across the desert, or hug the coast? It would be easy to say if they were rational, but it seems each has their own particular madness."
Cassie and Rashida are jolted together as the ship jumps from its mooring.
"Casting off?" Cassie softly asks glad that they are on the move, a slight quirk of her lips as Rashida's mood seems to have lightened. "Well, if the wind is with you then the coast is good. However, it's more visible and can be blustery. The desert is stiller with better time, if you have some locomotion and willing to take risks."
She pauses; "There's a big fuel store in Triploi. It's not well manned, though there's a Arabic tribe that mans it... they are rather... determined." she casts a shifty look at the map as she remembers the last time visit. 'Hmmm I wonder if they'll accept Marks for my back-payment?'
"Shall I tell the navigator our course?" Cassie asks, though knowing it matters not for at least a few hours until they are clear of the forest of masts. "Did you know she spend a year studying under Werner Voss!" her tone has a touch of awe.
"The journey should take a couple of days, but we'll be able to find if they refuelled in Tripoli - they might even be there still." she adds optimistically. 'Especially since they have no crew...'
Running her fingers across Taraz's toned chest, she smiles to herself. Though a voice deep down is filled with apprehension, Mimi locks that voice away. Since discovering her mortality every moment is precious and every feeling could be ripped away from her.
Languidly she rolls from the bed, her legs barely supporting her. The fizzy feeling from sleeping next to the Servo-bot master, making her shapely legs feel like jelly. Slowly she totters over to the bay window and pulls back the curtain, ensuring the mornings' light doesn't fall directly on Taraz's sleeping face.
Golden light caresses her naked body, insubstantial hands of a delicate lover and she sighs with a feline purr. The vista opens up before her, certainly Taraz's suite was magnificent.
Drake moved close to Cassie, leaning partially over her shoulder to see what was so interesting on the map, "A couple of days with you beauties? I believe that I can handle that." He winked at Cassie, a twinkle in his eye.
Cassie looks at Drake and follows his sight-line; "Handle these beauties? she looks down at her firm curves restrained in the silk shirt; "For a couple of days? You are bold, sir." she jokingly replies, enjoying the attention.
With a grin and a chuckle the doctor actor takes a better look at her firm curves, "Bold? That I am. Which reminds me: this may be a good time to look over your curves to make sure your wounds are ... healing properly."
Cassie leans into Alice and whispers softly;
She looks back to Drake with an appraising glance; "Oh my, you haven't seen enough?" she raises a curved eyebrow.
Lifting her hand to show the bandages (of her broken fingers) he put on the previous evening. "I suppose you did have a delicate touch. And if we sun ourselves it will be hard to put on suncream..." she leaves the sentence open for Drakes' imagination.
"Hmm." He answers as he tenderly works on the bandages, for the moment forgetting all about their flirting. He looks up her body as he realizes that he'd immediately gone to his knees in order to do his work, "I don't believe it would be that difficult as long as the person who puts it on you has a smooth delivery. Bandaged or not you still pose a fine figure."
Cassie glances at Rashida with a cheeky smile and trying to assess the Goddesses mood, for though it has disrupted the planning they had days to do it and the tension would just increase.
Her thoughts are shattered as she feels Drakes' warm breath upon her skin from his kneeling position it causes her to flush slightly. "Thanks, glad you enjoy the view. Even from down there?"
"It's gratifying from here too." she places her healthy hand against his soft cheek.
"Excellent. With luck, we'll get clear of the Alps before sundown and head down the Italian coast. We can stop in Corsica or Sardinia if need be." Rashida ignores the salacious horseplay and moves to the windows, watching the ground fall away as the ship gained altitude. Sighing, she turned back to the room at large.
"I don't know about you folks, but yesterday was quite tiring. I'm going back to my cabin to rest further and recuperate, then to the library to do a bit of research. We should meet tomorrow morning, bright and early, to put our heads together and create a plan. That is, unless the Duchess intends to perform on this, her own ship, tonight. I would not miss that."
"The mountains, good idea - the altitude will ensure good time. The politics of the Italian provinces should be of little consequence." she looks wistfully at Rashida, rather than the equally impressive vista beyond. A slight look of concentration passes over her.
Running a pair of crooked fingers inside here collar; "It's quite warm in here." removes them with a flick and the a fluid motion undoes the top button of her shirt. Just a hint of supple tanned skin is revealed, the beginning curves of her collar bone. However, suggestive enough for the observer to want the next button to slip open.
"A performance by the Duchess would be exquisite." the French-woman replies with genuine enthusiasm and warmth.
"Particularly since we were denied one by the ruckus at the Clockwork Theater. I was rather vexed about that. Of course, the Duchess might decline to perform for such a small group as ours," Rashida concludes mournfully. "And for now, I bid you adieu. Until dinnertime, my friends." Bowing gracefully, the Egyptian turns and sweeps from the room.
Cassie inclines with a smile and a nod as Rashida leaves; then turns to Alice. "How about we go on deck? The cloud should be light and the weather mild - a bit of sunbathing? Maybe a talk or working on mechanics at the same time?"
She looks to Drake; "I did promise that you could put some oil on." she winks, a vague tinkle of the promise to Squirrel in the back of he mind.
"I would not be disinclined to put on a performance for my friends," states the Duchess, who is sitting outside of the room and licking her paw lightly. "With all the activities going on lately, a bit of leisure would be something worthwhile to have. We have survived quite the trials together, each one of you is more important to me than an entire crowd."
Drake winks at Cassie again and sighs, "But then I would have to make sure my charge, Alyce, is properly protected against the sun's rays as well. I'm not sure if she is ready for such an administration to her health."
As the Duchess speaks he looks at the helmet cat and grins, "And I look forward to your performance. I'm not quite one who faced trials with you but I hope that does not disqualify me. Would you like a good rub down before I start on sunscreening people? You deserve a bit of attention as well, my dear."
Alyce nods at Cassie. "I'd be happy to get some sun, and to hear the Duchess sing tonight would be amazing! Whatever happens at the end of the journey, today is going to be worth remembering."
Rashida found her way to her private cabin and locked the door behind her, leaning against it wearily. The note at the university had been disappointing. One word - 'Siwa' - and it was what she should have known. After all, it was where everything had started for her, yet not at the heart of the Massri world. In the know, but on the margins. The perfect place for rebellion to foment.
Foolish to go there. You will certainly be recognized. Every instinct for self-preservation was at work undermining her confidence as she unpacked her purchases from the previous day. Her long fingers paused to caress the vials from the pharmacist/alchemist. I hope these work properly. Who knows what kind of skill these amateurs have? Still, he works near the University. He must know something of his craft. She set them carefully into a pile of satin in one drawer of the tiny bureau, then settled down on the bed to stare out the window at the passing landscape.
Too early to use them, she lied to herself. It was never too early to contact the goddess. It was, however, unlikely that a certain man, laughter in his eyes and a bottle in his hand, would be asleep now, and she was uncertain of this new elixer's ability to take her deep enough to contact his mind while he was awake. She needed to wait until he was bound to be asleep, to touch his drifting, dreaming mind and be with him again in mind and heart, though not in body. She would wait, for now.
Lulled by the gentle swaying of the cabin, she soon drifted into a light slumber.
Ralph comes over to the others as they're talking about sunning and rubbing oils. He approaches from behind Alyce, and moves to lightly put a hand on her shoulder "Can' take ma eyes offa ya fer a sec'nd cin ah Chuck?" He smirks towards Drake "Ah step out fer a minnit an' ya try ta steal 'way all da purdiest dames?" The young man leans in closer to Alice saying in a mock whisper loud enough so the others can hear "Dis Joe's wurse'n me." The street urchin smiles towards the young woman "Course, I s'pect he has sum be'er luck'n me" he continues with a soft sigh "whut wit dat dashin mug o' 'is an' dem fancy werds. Sad sack like me ain't got a shot ya know?"
The young man is dirty again, not nearly as bad as when Cassie first met him, but certainly not as clean as when he was last seen. He has a smear of dirt across his cheek and spots here and there on his clothes, which are relatively nice, but clearly too big, they were quite likely tailored to someone else.
Squirrel's eyes turn towards the Dutchess " 's real nice o' ya ta put onna performance fer e'eryone. Not sur I cin be dere dough, I still gots lots ta lern 'bout dis ship I oughta spend summore time learnin from Cheif an dat Joe... Jack?" This arbitrary name could refer to pretty much anyone. "I ain't real fit ta be cap'n if I ain't know nuttin 'bout da ship. Ain't sur I's fit ta be cap'n eider way, but 'll do whut I cin."
Drake smirks at Ralph and waits to allow the other man the time to talk before saying anything himself. He'd gotten to like the street urchin and he certainly did not want to do anything that would compromise any friendship they were starting to build, if at all.
He turned to Alyce and bowed, "You may not have the fancy words, my friend, but you have the 'tude. I'm just shmoozing. Have you been enjoying yourself?"
"Good to hear you are being so hands on, Captain." she cocks an eyebrow at the youth.
Linking arms with Alice and with a flick of her hips to the men daring them to follow, she heads to the fore-deck (with only a brief diversion to the cabins to get changed).
Wearing an azure bikini in compliment to the pale Alpine sky and in contrast to her own tanned shapely figure. Sun oil glistens upon her exposed flesh protecting her from both the slight chill of the altitude and the suns violent rays. Whilst the suit protects her modesty as she lays face down upon the lounger.
"The oil minimises blemishes too," she whispers to Alice leaning forward with a wink; "Grandma's recipe."
A parasol nearby acts as a wind-break against the mountain breeze. Tucking a cloth nearby to take care of the grease, the adventurous Cassie works on her silver pistol. Never one to be idle, she takes apart the delicate mechanism with precision to ensure that it's in working order whilst continuing the conversation.
"That colour really suits." she adds looking at Alices' attire. "It's best to top up your colour before we journey to the Arabic lands, you wouldn't want to burn."
With languid grace Mimi moves over to the speaking tube and uncorks it. This funnel takes the sounds of the room down to the reception desk, allowing instructions to be relayed. [smaller]"Lord Rorensons' suite. Could we have some grapefruit, eggs Benedict, Danish bacon with a honeyed glaze of a slice of farmhouse granary bread and a garnish of salad. Some orange juice and maybe a Churchill of champagne, if you'd please." she requests for breakfast.
There's a slight knot of tension in her stomach hoping that he'd like it, Taraz had seemingly kept his distance from her, at least emotionally. Which was just as well, however she realised how alone she was - even surrounded by uncaring technicians there was at least an interest in her, but the Lord.... well she wasn't sure of his thoughts.
Banishing her worries, with a leonine grace she grasps a dressing gown. Sliding it's silken and gauzy folds over herself, she moves to look out over the rising sun - maybe her last.
Alyce reclines upon the deck near her mentor, their auburn hair occasionally flying in the tendrils of chill wind that sneak around the parasol, welcome cooling from the heat of the sun as the ship gains altitude. Not daring enough to sport a bikini. she dons a white maillot and lies face down propped on her elbows, making notes in a little diary as she surveys the magnificent alpine vista crawling below.
"Thanks so much for letting me tag along, Lady DuSollier," she says quietly, not wishing to disturb Cassie's technical efforts, "It's so good to be away from there. I'm tired of disappointing Mum and Dad. Maybe now I can do something useful. But can you tell me what's been going on? I'm certain I don't know the whole story, possibly Mr. Drake and Sir Squirrel would like to know, too. We can help better if we understand everything."
She listens thoughtfully to whatever Cassie deigns to tell about the party and its aftermath.
"It's no trouble, I enjoy the company." Cassie continues with her fiddling, not insinuating that Alyce is not worthy of her full attention but rather that she's comfortable in her presence and wants like-wise.
"I don't think you could disappoint anyone, belle dame. Certainly the choices we make may not be those our parents would have made or even understand. However they love you and can see your good heart, how much you try - only a fool could be disappointed in that." she reaches across to pat Alyce on the arm reassuringly.
Then she pushes back, arching her back severely as she comes to her elbows. "Well the politics seems too complicated, I think Vorian or Rashida understand. However it started at a party, as things are wont to." the sun slips out from behind a gauzy cloud. "That's very flattering on you." she adds.
"Anyway, we were at Baron Ryuko's party. I knew it was a bad idea, he had somewhat of a crush on me - but it was to be the social event of the season. Everyone was there Rorenson, Duke Leto, Duchess Meowelsworth..." she trails off getting away from the subject.
"However it was a set up, the Baron only wanted to assassinate us - or capture us. He infiltrated the crowd with his thugs, however somehow some of us survived...." she thinks back sadly to those who didn't, then trying hard to have a wane smile. "Though in the end we found the assassins, Duke Leto and Baron Gigus - who was controlled by Ryuko despite him trying to break his programming."
"Thus the party broke up, it was then he sent in his Bolshevik soldiers - to cover his escape. Rashida's brother helped me..." he tone is guarded talking about him as she still has ambivalent feelings about the sociopath. "Though he stole Vorian's ship and escaped, a dangerous war-ship. It is that we are to rescue - though Rashida seems very guarded about what's happening."
"We also learnt of the attacks upon the Masons, Ryuko and his pals from the Great Houses are trying to kill all the Masons & obtain the hidden knowledge of centuries."