The Ashlanders - Chapter 6: The Blind Man's Last Gambit (Closed, Started)

[Daystar Clarion]

"Think I should fight that guy? I really want to fight 'im fer some reason. Punch 'im in his smug, stupid lil' face."

A bemused expression creased Lilith's brow. "What?" She followed the boy's burning gaze over to the Casanova from earlier. "Why? He piss on your teddy bear or something?" The girl chuckled as she ruffled the boy's hair. "I don't think Bennie would appreciate you breaking the boy's poor face so early in his bandit career, it could be really disheartening." Lilith narrowed her eyes in amusement as she took a long drag of her cigarette.

'That's right, this is all new to him, living with so many kids around his own age.' She didn't take Axel for type to have a rival, but it seemed everyone was full of surprises lately.


"My thanks. Oh, and don't worry about me, little one, I'll be on my best behaviour. I promise."

'Who're you calling little? ya fuzzy chinned bampot.'

"Aye, well you better." Allie didn't sound particularly amused. "Especially if Gale can get those guys to join us, ya ken?" The last thing the girl wanted was to get labeled as a troublemaker, she didn't want to jeopardise her apprenticeship over this floppy-haired sweet talker.

=============================

"I never pegged you for a soldier of fortune. Tell me, does following orders come easy? Has there ever been a time where your morals did not align with your master's? Surely you have a mind of your own, Major."

Asad tilted his slightly, a look of amusement in his eye. "You ask a lot of questions." She was right though, it was never just about the money. Every thing was varying shades of grey, the man typically had no trouble legitimising his past actions as a soldier. Soldiers killed soldiers, plays were made, but it was always against others looking to make plays themselves. Asad relished these challenges, but the whole Feroxi situation, with Elizabeth and the Maidens, that seemed to veer too close into black and white territory.

He wondered if it would have been better if he didn't know the details, didn't know Basilio's plans for Elizabeth, and although those plans changed, the man who signed his paycheck was still willing to kill an innocent girl, just to make one more play, because it suited his plans. And Asad would have played a part in it.

The man didn't like that, he didn't like knowing that. Every soldier is taught not to question why they do what they do, but that was one thing Asad could never switch off, it was always at the back of his mind, and now the seed was planted, and he questioned everything, when before he would have chosen to remain ignorant.

'Out of sight, out of mind, as they say.' He couldn't do that any more, what kind of man would he be if he chose to go back to that way of thinking? Knowing what he knew now?

'What kind of game are you trying to play, I wonder?' Asad narrowed his eyes as he smiled at the girl. "Have you ever been shown something, something you can't ignore, no matter how much you want to?" The man looked down at the tablecloth as he sipped his wine. "I think we all have those moments." He raised eyes to the girl's. "For you it was the Maidens, wasn't it." He wasn't asking.

 

[ProtoChimp]

The sinking feeling in his gut was getting deeper, like a digger was carving deeper into a pit in the ground. It had been a full year that week since he had joined the maidens, but not once did he ever have anything to offer. He wasn't a mechanical genius like Ruffles, he didn't have the skills of Cranston, the luck of Lilith, the explosive expertise of Ricky, the tactical mind of Pixie or the berserker rage poor Warren was able to dish out; and even what he did do ended up nearly getting him killed every time, unlike Warren. He could do it easily until...

"We all do thin's we ain't proud of. We all... regret... some of us more so'n others. But ya' know, I reckon it's never too late to repent. It's never too late ta' forgive yerself fer what you've done. An' what you've failed ta' do."

The pit in his stomach was now a crater. Aesop hadn't done a single thing to make up for anything he had done, to repent for any of it. Yeah he'd been a part of some jobs that helped people, that didn't change the fact that he spent eight years stealing and killing for his master on the label. It certainly didn't change that he had abandoned his friends. He only made things worse, the chaos in Boomhower after he murdered Rodrigo, trying to murder his nephew and no doubt hurting Pixie most of all, the one person who he had already gone to hell for and would do so in a heartbeat even if she just wanted to get rid of him.

"I heard 'bout you'n Carlos. I reckon you wanna finish what you've started."

'Oh God speak of the Devil. This is it isn't it?' She was finally going to chew him out for what he had done. Her silence on his attack must have been building up until now.

"Mind listenin' to a lil' story?"

Aesop's eyes widened in surprise as he turned around to face her. "S-Sure." He replied, he was sure she was going to verbally, possibly physically kick his ass for what he had done. Perhaps she still would.

 

[Evrant-Knight]

After they had finished up with breakfast, Viola went off to have a shower and got dressed before heading out and exploring the city that she hadn't called home in such a long time. She didn't bring her full assortment of weapons, thinking that it was a bit overkill, and instead opted to carry a single revolver.

As Viola exited the house, the nearby clock-tower began to chime for twelve noon, which meant that the street market that took place in the city center would be starting soon, and figured that would be something else she ought to check out as well, as she used to enjoy going down there and seeing what goods and other trinkets from the other towns of Caliburn were on offer. Back when she was younger, Viola would often purchase these sour candies that you could only find in Trinsic.

First thing first though, a visit to gunsmith.

It was only a short walk, as the store was situated halfway between the house and the center; and upon entering it, Viola found it to be moderately busy. There were a few others customers browsing the selection, some of the more common firearms, like pistols and shotguns were located in racks along the center; whereas some of the more high class gear was situated behind the counter and locked in cabinets. The store itself had the look as though it had been refurbished once or twice in the last ten or so years, but still maintained that uniqueness of it. Viola finally made her way up to the counter after a quick browse, where the man behind it was busy cleaning a pistol.

"Excuse me." Viola said with a small cough to attract the man's attention, who looked at her with a semi-startled expression.

"Sorry about dat miss, didn't notice you sneak up on me. What can I do for you on a fine day like this?" The man asked as he stood up, revealing his name tag to be none other than Kurtis. Viola had to admit, the man had certainly gotten better looking over the years, as she remembered Kurtis being rather skinny back then, with black hair instead of auburn.

"Surprise you didn't recognize me Kurtis, then again, it has been ten years." Remarked Viola with a smile as she raised her hat, allowing the man to get a good look at her.

"Oh my gosh! I can't believe it's you Viola, and my my, has it really been ten years? I mean, aside from a few scars here and there, you look as pretty as the day you left. When did you roll back into town?" Kurtis asked in amazement, that last comment made the gunslinger blush a little.

"Only got back in last night, figured I'd take some time off from all this work I've been doing. Mom said I should came here to see how the place was doing, and I'll admit, was surprised to see you working here; didn't think guns was your thing?"

"Well, to tell you the truth, it was more my parents idea that I get myself an honest job a couple of years back after some business went down, and I figured that since I had always been friends with your family, that maybe a place like this would suit me just fine. And I've come to respect what a gun can do in the right hands, as one gun can keep another in the holster so to speak."

"Didn't have you pegged as the philosophical sort Kurtis."

"You can blame your mother for that one, but in a good way of course. Anyway, why don't you come on in the back, and we can talk about how successful you've been as a bounty hunter, no doubt you got some amazing stories to tell." Kurtis then pulled up the flap that separated the two halves of the store, and beckoned Viola to come through.

"Whilst this was only meant to be a short visit, I can stay for a bit and share a tale or two; if there is a cup of coffee included of course?" Viola asked with a look of sweetness in her eyes.

"Aww shoot, you know I can't resist those seductive eyes of ours V. Let me just get Marcy to mind the front. Go on into the staff room, I'll be back in a minute." As Viola headed into the staff room, she could hear Kurtis shout to someone upstairs.

"MARCY! Can you come down and watch the shop for me for a spell? An old friend of mine's come to visit."

"Sure Kurt, I'll be down in a minute." A female voice said in response, at guess Viola reckoned that Marcy was roughly in her late teens. A few minutes later, Kurtis sat down at the table where Viola had been nursing a cup of coffee.

"Now then, where did you want to start?"

"Well..." And Viola began to recount to Kurtis one of her earliest adventures after having taken down one Diego Macaulay.

 

[Dogmatic99]

"You're Gale right? I'm glad you two got put together. You guys seem to have really hit it off."

"That's me." Gale prodded her chest with her thumb, her grin implying she was way too proud of such a simple fact than she should have been. "An' that's our Allie, yup, you could say we had a few teethin' pains but we got through it. besides I couldn't let her get away, redheads are lucky to have around."

Least Gale thought that was a thing. If it wasn't she'd make it one.

"So yeah, I guess the odds are in our favour a little bit. Maybe wanna give it a miss if you're goin' down a bad streak. But, y'know, we can put on some other entertainment, we got music an' stuff. Allie tells me Ruffle's has got some secret stuff he keeps for parties or something, she's not sure what it is but maybe she'll get him to share."

Gale had to reign herself in, she had to be reminded sometimes that domers were a reserved bunch mostly, even if she was getting excited about planning her first greeting party. Looked like Shadow did it for her though as he leaned over to Lady Lil and mumbled something Gale didn't quite catch but it sounded like he was talking about fighting somebody.

"Think I should fight that guy? I really want to fight 'im fer some reason. Punch 'im in his smug, stupid lil' face."

"Or... we start unarmed training a little early, start a fight club. Bit of an acquired taste but some fella's are into that, no judgments here. Gotta say though, thought it be a little longer before some guy had me going a few rounds." If you knew what Gale was saying.

 

[The Funslinger]

"Watching her lose to the newbies will just be plain painful."

Ruffles stopped dead in his tracks. "No way. No god damn way. She lost!?" He started laughing. "Oh my fucking god, that's awesome! Alright, now you have to play. You're our anti-Lilith!"

=============================================================

"Think I should fight that guy? I really want to fight 'im fer some reason. Punch 'im in his smug, stupid lil' face."

Whiskey had lingered in the Nav-room, wanting to have a word with Bennie, but this seemed just as worth getting involved in.

"Why settle for breaking his nose when you can destroy his smug ass at poker and win the clothes off his back?" she said, punching the boy on the arm. "Come on, I'll go if you go. Reckon this shit ain't gonna start before I put Millie to bed anyhow."

 

[Fappy]

"S-Sure."

Aesop's distress was painted all over his face. Pixie couldn't help but cringe, "Christ, Aesop! Chill the fuck out! Yer not on trial here." She reached forward and patted him on the shoulder. "Yer not allowed to pity yerself in this room, you hear me? There won' be no story time until you give me yer word on that."

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

"You ask a lot of questions."

Elizabeth shrugged and smiled. She wouldn't deny that.

With the quip out of the way, he began to consider her words.

"Have you ever been shown something, something you can't ignore, no matter how much you want to?"

And there it was.

Elizabeth straightened up.

"For you it was the Maidens, wasn't it."

"There was something about them," As she spoke she looked past Asad. "Something... honest? I'm not sure how to describe it. I emphasized with them. We were... friends." Her expression softened as her eyes wandered down to her wine glass. "Despite all of that, I wouldn't simply turn my back on my duty unless there was a good reason. It was because of them that I learned the truth about Lord Basilio. About what he did to my sister."

Her bottom lip quivered, "I wanted so badly to deny it. To tell Lilith that her captain was a liar. But... I couldn't. I believed her." She met Asad's gaze. "And I still do."

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

"I don't think Bennie would appreciate you breaking the boy's poor face so early in his bandit career, it could be really disheartening."

Sprout shrugged, "Fuck 'im."

That's right... Bennie...

As Sprout's thoughts began to find their way to more pressing matters, the gypsy girl chimed in.

"Or... we start unarmed training a little early, start a fight club. Bit of an acquired taste but some fella's are into that, no judgments here. Gotta say though, thought it be a little longer before some guy had me going a few rounds."

Sprout perked up and shot her a mischievous grin, "I reckon I'd be down fer a few rounds, lil' lady."

"Why settle for breaking his nose when you can destroy his smug ass at poker and win the clothes off his back?"

Reckon I'd rather win the cloths off yer back instead.

"Come on, I'll go if you go. Reckon this shit ain't gonna start before I put Millie to bed anyhow."

"Sure," Sprout agreed as he rubbed his newly sore arm. "I gotta check in with Bennie 'bout somethin' anyhow. I reckon I'll be done before we get this shit started." And with that, Sprout made his exit. He hated needing to leave the company of such fine specimens, but duty called.

After stepping into the mess hall it didn't take the boy long to find his captain. Bennie was standing by the coffee machine, brewing himself something to drink. He looked... stressed, "Howdy, Bennie."

"Hey, kid." He mumbled, trying his best to sound enthusiastic.

"You talk to 'er?"

"Yep."

"How'd that go?" Sprout felt he already knew the answer.

"She's gonna be trouble, kid. Keep an eye on her and don't let her get to you."

Sprout laughed nervously, "What, you think I'm gonna bone my Ma's girlfriend?"

"I'm serious, Sprout," He glared at the boy. "Don't trust her."

"Okay," Sprout replied with a swift nod. Whatever had happened between the two of them, it must have been serious. "You, uh, need anythin' else?"

Bennie shook his head, "No, not right now."

Sprout waited a moment before turning to leave, "Well, let me know if--"

"Kid." Sprout turned his head. Bennie was frowning. "I know we haven't had much time to really catch up. You want to hang out later tonight? Stay up late like we used to?"

Sprout grinned, "Sure thing, Bennie." Bennie nodded and turned his attention back towards the coffee machine.

Amy had really shaken him up. Though he knew he probably shouldn't get involved, he couldn't help himself. He needed to know what was up. The Maidens had gone through so much lately... the last thing they needed was a petty squabble between rival lovers.

Ma' ain't even here right now, anyway...

Finding Amy and Sandra's room, Sprout gave a light knock, "Can I come in? It's Sprout."

 

[Terratina.]

"You're our anti-Lilith!"

"That might be Elizabeth, y'know." Maria said as she nudged Ruffles, "But I guess we should test whether it is in fact me - hypotheses and all. There you have it, I'm in."

***​

"Well now, and I thought the captain's son would live up to his word." 'Jesse' called out to Sprout as he left.

Axel's hatred of Astor was no secret, it just made the kid more delightfully predictable anyway.

All this talk of fighting and no actions? Astor had to admit that he was disappointed, nothing better than a fight for an excuse to show the ladies his marvelous physique. Still, at least the lout was gone - another stroke of luck. Hopefully, that would continue into the night. However, the kid's dagger stares did have an effect: it only made Astor want to pay Sprout his due for that sort of treatment even more. It was simply a case of somebody not accepting who was superior. Astor sighed, jealous boys were such bores.

Goddamn growling mongrels.

Regardless, Astor was still all smiles, "Oh my, the green-eyed monster hath doth made its appearance. However, it is gone and the air is clear, shall we carry on?"

 

[ProtoChimp]

Aesop had to hide a flinch when she shouted, sighing after she was done. 'God why am I being such a pussy I'm a grown ass man for fuck sake.'

"Aye Aye Captain." He said with a tired two finger salute.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

As Sprout left the three women, Lilith chuckled. "A fight club, huh?" She crossed her arms over her chest. "Y'know, that wouldn't be a bad idea, and it makes sense, now that we have so many new Maidens, better all that new frustration be taken out in a controlled environment than some poor twat getting shanked in the shower." Lilith pursed her lips as she nodded sagely.

"When I was Sprout's age, me and him where the only kids on the ship, it's weird seeing the old girl so full of fresh young faces." Lilith smiled as she remembered those days fondly. "Pretty boy over there might be full of beans right now." The woman smirked as she nodded towards Casanova. "But I'd bet my sweet arse he doesn't have training my boy has." She narrowed her eyes as a sly smile curled her lips, glancing at Gale. "I don't need a pack of tarot cards to foresee a world of hurt in that boy's future."


Sighing, Lilith puffed smoke from her nostrils as she looked at Whiskey. "Where is my Millie, anyway?" She smiled. "Establishing the pecking order no doubt, teaching all these damn kids who's in charge of this place." The girl chuckled.

"Oh my, the green-eyed monster hath doth made its appearance."

Allie rolled her eyes as she fiddled with the goggles in her head, wincing slightly as some wayward hair was caught in the strap. "What did I jus' say aboot not causing trouble?" She sighed. "Bloody boys." Shuffling over to the three other women, Allie playfully nudged Gale aside. "A'right lassie, I'mma go help Roofles with his drive plate, I dannae ken how he managed to do anything before I got here, toodle loo!" Half walking and half skipping, her curls bobbing up and down, Allie quickly made her exit from the bridge.

Lilith shook her head, closing her eyes as she chuckled. "She better not let Roofles hear her say that, who I'm totally calling that from now until forever." Lilith grinned. "All that hair will make it easy for him to toss her out on her arse."

======================

"I wanted so badly to deny it. To tell Lilith that her captain was a liar. But... I couldn't. I believed her. And I still do."

Asad remembered what the Cook said, about not letting Elizabeth share the fate of her sister. He wanted to ask, he wanted to know what happened, but he still had a modicum of professionalism to maintain. He was there to make sure the girl didn't get into trouble, nothing more.

"They must have felt the same way about. The Maidens being your friends, I mean." He smiled as he diverted the topic. "Not very often you see bandits risking their lives for nobles, you obviously meant something to them." He placed his glass down before folding his arms on the table. "People find friends in the unlikeliest of places, it seems." An amused smile curled his lips.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

Amy swung the door shut after she's half swaggered, half stumbled through the porthole. She was alone, Sandra obviously being out mingling with the others. The bottle teetered a little when she set it down on her bedside table, now with little more than a third of the rum left in it. She was perhaps drunker, by volume if nothing else, than she'd ever been in her life, and yet she did not feel woozy, and her vision was clear. The heat of the rum flushed her, it's bitterness turning the bile in her stomach to venom, cleansing her. She felt... animalistic, her head clearer than it had been in weeks. Viciously, she ripped her new scarf away from her neck, and started down at it, clenched in her fist.

A gold rose, and a red one, twining together...

'A lie! A bad joke! A silly trinket to keep you distracted, cowed, while they laughed at you!'

Her imagination was her enemy, conjuring up images of Pixie and Bennie together. Her tongue reaching down his throat, as his hands lifted up her clothes. She wanted to be sick, to stop looking, but when she shut her eyes it only made the image clearer.

'They made you give them everything. Your work, you sister's, your... control. Everything that mattered, everything you needed, and together they took it away from you.'

Both her fists were clenched now, at either end of the fabric, it would be the easiest thing to rip the offending garment in two, burn the pieces, and spit on the ashes. She tensed, ready to tear... but she couldn't do it. She had the strength, but she just couldn't.

She'd hurt them, somehow. She'd make them feel the way she felt. However, the drink hadn't made her so bold as to not know that her threats to Bennie were hollow. He wasn't Pixie, he really would throw her off the ship if she tried to seduce the crew so blatantly, before she could do any lasting damage. For now, it served a purpose just to keep him perched uncomfortably, looking over his shoulder wondering what she would do next. It helped that she was‏ drunk. She could pass her words off as inebriated rantings. Bennie still wouldn't believe her at first, but after a while of apparent calm he might just let his guard down, and the time that would take, would give Amy time to figure out how to hit them, just the two of them, where it would really hurt.

"Can I come in? It's Sprout."

And there it was, as if served up to her on a plate. Amy suppressed a broad grin.

"Sure."

Sprout opened the door and stepped in, ?Hey, I was jus--? His words died in his throat when he took in the girl before him. Despite whatever measures she?d taken to clean up, she was still quite obviously drunk off her ass. Sprout took a step back. ?Oh, sorry. If now?s a bad time I reckon I can come back later.?

"No, no. It's a perfect time. Come on."

Amy beckoned him to sit. The cog's turning in her head. Axel was a smart kid, and he was devoted to Bennie and his mother. This wouldn't be easy, and she'd only get one shot at it. She'd have to play this well, which for now, meant playing it very, very carefully indeed.

"You want to chew me out too?" she asked, not sounding too accusatory. "S'alright, I'd rather listen to you anyway."

Sprout swallowed his anxiety and did as he was told. Something seemed... off about all this.

Jus? relax. You can handle her.

Sitting down on the edge of Sandra?s bed, his eyes found themselves glued to the bottle, ?No, I ain?t here ta? chew you out. Hell, I barely know you.? He pursed his lips and looked at Amy. ?I-I jus? wanna know what?s up. Ma? leavin? all of a sudden?s hard ta? swallow fer all of us. Trust me, no one knows that better than I do.? There was something extra heavy behind those last few words. He sighed. ?I care about this hunk of junk more?n anythin? in the world. Not jus? the ship, obviously, but what it means to me an? everyone else who has ever served on it. I used ta? take a back seat on these thin?s, but with my Ma? gone I?ve gotta step up. If I see a potential problem it?s my duty ta? sort it out.?

He searched Amy?s eyes, ?So please, tell me, what?s goin? on??

"What's going on?" Amy repeated, bitterly. "You want me to start at the beginning, because that might take a while..."

She lifted her head, her eyes searching his face as he sat across from her. If she'd met him a couple of months ago, Amy reckoned that she might find it hard to believe that there was only two years in age between them. However, Axel had the look of someone who had aged a lot in a short space of time. Maybe not so much physically, but it was written all over his face all the same.

"I don't know who I am anymore." She told him, eventually. "What I did before... I'm not going to sit here and tell you that it was always pretty, but I had a place. I belonged. I knew the rules to the game and I played it better than anybody else. Is... is it so wrong to admit that it felt good to be wanted, by so many people, even if it was all an act? Maybe I enjoyed it so much that I forgot what was inside, or maybe there never was an inside? I don't know, so when people look at me and see the worst, when they don't trust me..." she shrugged, and laughed half-heartedly "who am I to say they're wrong?"

She picked up the bottle once more and drank, dipping her head when she was done. Her voice grew softer, and quieter, forcing Axel to lean forward to hear.

"I left it for her. I left the place I belonged, because I thought I might belong here... and now she's left me, The Gentleman's off God Knows Where doing God Knows What. I'm alone, and Maiden or no Maiden, I'm useless. There's more than a hundred other girls out there who I promised I'd look out for, and I can do nothing for them."

Wordlessly, she held the bottle out in front of her, offering to share with him.

"I should ask... It doesn't bother you, does it? Me, talking about what I a-what I used to be?"

Sprout took the bottle, hesitating for a moment before taking a sip. It was strong.

Laughing off the bitter taste, he shook his head and forced it down. He was certain he looked like a moron, ?Of course not,? Sprout offered a warm smile. ?I don? remember much about my childhood, but there was this woman... Ma? tells me she was, well... you know. Anyway, she stayed with us fer a bit. Took care of me when Ma? was out thievin? an? shit. The only thing I really remember ?bout ?er was the warmth an? the lullabies she sung me.?

He shrugged, ?I doubt Ma? had a problem with yer profession so I see no reason why I would. ?We do what we gotta do?. That?s what ol? Chromey always used ta? tell us. ?Don? doubt yerself, an? always know yer doin? it fer the right reasons?.? He looked down at the bottle in his hands. ?I?ve spent a lot of time wonderin? about who I am. What I?m doin?. I mean, it ain?t normal fer a kid ta? grow up doin? what I do, right? Well, I ain?t got any answers yet, but the ol? man?s words keep me goin?. I know that, whatever route I take... no matter what I do with my life, as long as I am doin? it fer a good reason, it?s worth doin?. Success or failure, it don? matter.?

He took a swig.

'Time to test the water.'

"That was pretty inspirational." Amy said, not at all patronising. She looked up at him and smiled. "Maybe you should be Captain?"

Sprout laughed, ?Yeah, maybe some day. I reckon I gotta long way ta? go before that day comes, though.? He nodded. ?Ma? would probably want me to do somethin?... safer, but that don? mean she ain?t been preparin? me jus? in case. I?ve learned a lot from her. Hell, I?ve learned a lot from everyone.? His grin slowly faded into a frown. He rolled the bottle between his hands and continued. ?Bennie loves the Iron Maiden, but I hope it doesn? get to ?im the same way it did Ma?.?

I wish I could do more fer her...

"I... I think having you beside him will help a lot." Amy replied. Tentatively, she stood up, gliding over the distance between them to sit down beside him. "Bennie and I, well... we haven't exactly got off on the right foot, or any kind of foot really. I won't lie to you Axel, I don't know if he's ever going to trust me, and I'm not sure if I can ever respect him... but if it counts for anything." She looked right into his eyes. "I respect you."

'Don't get greedy now. Let his head make all the suggestions.'

Amy held the stare for just long enough that she was beginning to get a little dazed herself, at how warm Axel's eyes were. She blinked and looked away. It was probably just the drink.

"You don't need to say anything." She said. "I don't want to always be the one in need of an ear." A smile formed at the corners of her mouth, mischievous. "Why don't you tell me something I don't know. Anyone giving you a hard time, or just rubbing you the wrong way?"

Sprout blinked stupidly as he stared back at the girl next to him. There was something... enchanting about her.

An? somethin?... off-puttin?.

Sprout wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, but it was hard for him to shrug off the feeling he was being played somehow.

Jus? play along. She seems nice enough...

Sprout chuckled nerviously, ?Oh, no... there ain?t anythin? worth complainin? about really. I mean, I really miss my Ma?, but I don? think bitchin? about that?ll make me feel any better at this point.? He sighed and looked away. ?She?s doin? what she thinks is right...?

"Oh come on!" She said, nudging him playfully. "I don't actually get to gossip very often, believe it or not. You'd be doing me a favour. Surely you're not so nice that you like everyone? None of the newbies getting your goat?"

Sprout laughed, sadly, ?Nothin? serious, no. There?s that fresh ****** who?s tryin? ta? woo all the ladies, but that?s an easy fix.? He looked at his clenched fist and grinned. ?I reckon he ain?t thrown a punch in ?is life. One good wallop an? I?ll set everythin? right, don?t you worry.?

Amy beamed. She couldn't move on Axel directly, not yet, not while Pixie's shadow loomed over the pair of them. She'd have to find a way to provoke him into making the moves himself. For that, a rival would be ideal.

"Oh, does that mean any of the ladies have caught your eye?" She said, reaching over and taking back her bottle, taking another drink.

Sprout laughed like the pervy teenager and nodded, ?Hell yeah! All of them ?ave my eye!? He closed his eyes and pointed his finger to the ceiling. ?I don? discriminate. There?s enough Sprout ta? go around!?

Amy laughed with him.

"Really? Even the fighty one that's hanging onto Jake's ankles? You know, big hair, bigger accent, would probably be more into you if you had engine grease running through you instead of blood?"

She laughed again.

"Come on," she said, getting up and grabbing his hand. "We should both go and get more acquainted with them. I want to do something fun for once."

Sprout blushed slightly and nodded enthusiastically, ?They were talkin? ?bout playin? cards earlier. Let?s see if they?ve got it set up!?

 

[Terratina.]

"Bloody boys."

"Boys will be boys." Astor chimed as memories of the rough 'n' tumble moments with his older brothers entered into his mind. He treated the memories like one would with a delicacy which unfortunately had the downside of being an acquired taste. Though, only nostalgia could make bloody beatdowns seem quaint. They were such bores as well! Moving on, seeing as yet another person had made their exit, now was the time for Astor Horatio Catamitus Beauregard Chetwynd-Talbot IV to strike!

"'Casino' and the Seer of Fates..." 'Jesse' began as he approached the two lovely ladies, "Care to tell me the secret to wooing Lady Luck onto my side?"

 

[Fappy]

"Aye Aye Captain."

"Good," Pixie grinned and shifted her position on the sofa. After pulling both knees up to her chest, she slouched over and rested her chin on top of them. She looked down at the floor as she began to speak. "Considerin' you fucked up Carlos' shit, I reckon he told you about what he did to me. There's... more to that story that he doesn' tell anyone. Hell, the only person I 'ave ever even told is Bennie. But, ya' know, all thin's considered..." She glanced up at Aesop. "I reckon you should know. Not jus' 'cause I need you ta' work with 'im, but because you need to know how far I've gone. I need you ta' know what can 'appen if you don' keep yerself from divin' off the deep end."

Spoiler: Regret

The wary outlaw let her eye wander again as she recalled the painful memory, "Though he protested against it, Carlos did join in. Honestly, the whole thin' was a blur. I can' even remember Carlos' involvement specifically." A pained expression washed over her when she admitted that. "It was... painful... fuckin' humiliatin'. I try not to remember much more than that. It wasn' the first time a bandito had... done that to me, but it was certainly the last." She grit her teeth. "You know that feelin' you had when you first learned what Carlos did? Well, imagine that rage but ten times worse. When they were... done with me, they locked me up in a cellar."

She bowed her head. She didn't want Aesop to see her face, "Beaten. Broken. Naked. I was left there ta' rot. In that time I thought of nuthin' but revenge. I wanted ta' deliver unto them a pain that dwarfed what they'd done to me. I was... possessed by a desire for revenge." She shook her head. "Then the worst thin' 'appened. That piece of shit had the gall to take pity on me. He sat in the cellar with me an' begged fer fergivness. He said he was sorry. He said he loved me. I didn' say a goddamn thin'. I had nuthin' to say to 'im. I jus' wanted 'im dead."

Pixie bit her lip, "Well, eventually the guilt got the better of 'im. He turned on 'is brothers. He killed 'em an' then he let me go. When I stepped out into the main room, an' took in' all the corpses around me... I felt nuthin'. I hadn't watched them suffer... I hadn' been the one to end them. He'd taken that from me. Ironically, what insulted me the most was that, despite everythin' that had happened, he didn' 'ave the balls to kill the worst of them. His blood brother was spared."

She laughed, sadly. A strong sense of guilt could be felt in the words that followed, "I couldn' accept that. That the man who had wronged me the most was ta' be left alive. Carlos was weak. That's what I thought... so, I took matters into my own hands. When he wasn' lookin' I picked up a lamp an' clocked 'im over the head with it. His brother was already unconscious, so it was easy enough ta' tie them both down. When they both came to, I carefully explained ta' them what I was to do with them. They begged fer mercy. They cried." Pixie chuckled. "It was pathetic."

Finally, Pixie looked at Aesop again, "With 'is brother watchin', I took a dirty, dull razor to his groin. I ain't never heard a man scream like that in my life. I hear the infection hurt more 'in the removal though. Probably should 'ave sterilized the damn thin'. Anyway, after removin' is balls I stitched 'im up good to keep 'im from bleedin' out. He was kinda out of it at the time, but I reckon he'll never ferget what happened next." Pixie clenched her fingers into a fist and jabbed the air. "I shoved the fuckers down 'is brother's throat an' as he was chokin' on them I gutted 'im... like a fuckin' pig."

She curled back up into a ball and looked down at her feet, "Once it was done, I left with Carlos. I told 'im he'd be my ***** fer life. After that, I felt empowered. I felt... invincible. No one could fuck with Pixie an' get away with it. That much was clear. But you know what," Pixie sighed. "Not a day 'as gone by since then that I 'aven't regretted what I did to 'im. I should'a jus' killed 'im. I'd 'ave gotten revenge an' he would 'ave been put out of his misery. Instead I've... ruined 'is life. Sure, I could kill 'im now, but what of all the time I've forced 'im to live with this shame? It's too cruel, either way." She sighed, desperately. "I keep hopin' an answer would come to me someday, but I reckon that'll never happen. It was easier when I never saw 'im. When I figured he'd either died or gotten past what we did to each other." She shook her head. "Clearly, that ain't the case."

Pixie buried her face behind her knees, "It may be hard Aesop, but revenge... it's the worst poison you can swallow. Austin's dead. That part of yer life is over. It's time ta' look forward. Yer gonna get hurt again one day, but swear to me, Aesop. Swear that you won' let yer rage control you. If you can'," She frowned. "Yer no better than the rest of the scum on this rock."

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

"People find friends in the unlikeliest of places, it seems."

Elizabeth nodded, "That they do." She finished her wine and asked the waiter for another. Once he was gone, she turned her attention back towards Asad. "Tell me the truth, Major. My friends... they did escape, right?" Her concern was written all over her face.

 

[ProtoChimp]

Aesop was frozen still by her tale as he sat down on the couch, listening to her, watching her shame unfold in front of him. He was utterly speechless, blinking stupidly. After an uncomfortable amount of time he opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out, as much as he tried nothing came out. With all his effort he managed to cough out the word, "Okay. Okay."

He was shaken right down to his gut, his intestines twisting inside of him, his heart shot to hell. "Should..." he stopped before he could continue, he couldn't continue. "Pixie... Mere..." he never had heard her bear her soul like that, other than to the dead.

 

[Dogmatic99]

Gale gave a wave to the Laughing Fox as she hurried back to her rumbling burrow. This sun's stars had been favorable the day she'd drawn that cunning little creature to travel beside her on the road. Travelers and bandits had never got on well. The old hands of the caravan had been warning gale off their kind for as long as she could remember, and with good reason, she wasn't so young as to have not seen some of the cruelty domers had to offer each other and the extra helpings they reserved for her people.

She couldn't say what Mama Colburn or the others would say if they heard, if she ever told them. 'The Wandering Sun's thrown her lot in with the bloody vagabonds! She's turned her back on her kind!'

But the winds called you where they would and this was where Gale had been thrown. These ones at least seemed to treat their own alright and she was certain that Shadow had something to show her. Mama Colburn would understand. Besides, Gale had Foxy now. Despite their differences Allie and Gale were in the same boat here, they'd need each other soon enough no doubt... Gale wasn't too proud to admit there were things about the Maiden life that made her nervous. It was still early days between them but Allie made things calmer for her, gave her purpose and stability, like her anchor. Despite how she acted, there were times when Allie seemed so small, so like her age.

She gave Gale something to protect.

'Silly Sun, she prob'ly sees you the same way.' Gale snorted at herself internally.

"'Casino' and the Seer of Fates... care to tell me the secret to wooing Lady Luck onto my side?"

"I'mma lil' lady and a seer of the fates! Today is turning out to be a productive day." Gale laughed away, all too happy with how this group was turning out so far. "For you though, Chappy. I'd say shiny stones from the top of moonlit mountain but we're workin' against the clock. Maybe Fortune here has some more practical advice." Gale tilted her head in Lilith's direction.

"Me though, I got a den of party times to prep." She made her exit, giving a backwards wave as she went.

Their room was among the smaller ones on The Maiden. Gale and Allie, being among the few maidens under six foot tall didn't need as much space apparently. They even shared a literal bunk bed. Gale had managed to pilfer a short legged round table for the night, either from the maidens or from Yuteni, she wasn't sure where it started life. No self respecting reader didn't have a selection of decks, playing cards, arcana of old and the spirit ones that Mama Colburn had helped Gale put together years back.

She'd drawn their symbols and forms herself, adding and editing them over time.

Those, plus a few drinks, hopefully people would bring their own drinks or snacks too. Gale remembered hearing that was something domers were supposed to do. With all the big stuff done and no jobs burning away for her to do, Gale sat on her bunk (the bottom one) and set about freshly tuning Martin, strumming away without a care.

 

[The Funslinger]

"So basically, if there's even a drop of moisture on the ceramic under plating, then... well, imagine what super heated water would do to ceramic. It's essentially clay with attitude," Ruffles was saying, as he and Allie walked up the corridor some time later. He had changed out of his jump suit into jeans and a T-shirt. The shirt depicted a mustached man in a top hat at a stall marked 'cats for sale'. Above was a caption of large block capitals that read, 'PUSSY MAGNATE'. He wasn't sure that Allie had gotten the joke.

"And you have to lower the engine to silent running and then bring it back up real gently," he continued. "It gives the over plate time to uh... well, it's kinda like a tempering process. Raising the heat gradually lets it adapt. The metal sort expands, y'know. Do it wrong and it doesn't seal properly, which leads to a mild case of massive, hull rupturing explosions. Now, that plate's gonna hold for like... fifteen years, but it's gonna need taking off again every now and then so the shit underneath can be properly maintained, so I'll make sure you can do it without killing everyone before I leave."

It was then that they came to a fork in the corridor and encountered Whiskey.

"Oh, hey, 'Roofles', she said, grinning.

"Hey, Whisk. How's Millie?"

"Oh, I wrestled her until she got all tuckered out, so she's sound asleep."

Ruffles grinned. "That's so sweet, I think Maria might have to start giving me insulin shots. You excited for this poker game?"

Whiskey shrugged. "Yeah, man. Time to chill out with the new blood." She grinned at Allie. "I reckon this one's a card shark. I mean look at the hair. You could hide a whole second deck in there!"

"You'll probably just swear incomprehensibly until everyone folds, right, Allie?" said Ruffles. "You bringing anything good, Whiskey?"

"Yeah, 'course. Staying true to my name." She raised a hand hanging at her side. Clutched in it was a bottle of scotch. "What about you?"

"Oh, I got something," said ruffles, patting a bulge in his jeans pocket cryptically.

"It's weed, ain't it?"

"Well you don't have to be so blunt about it!"

"Is that a pun?"

"Sure."

=======================================================

Bryan walked back out of their room's en suite, the toilet flushing behind him. Heading towards his bed, he bent to retrieve his copy of 'The Goblet of Fire', and paused. "Hey Jun," he said, grinning. "Before I get settled, ya need a hand with anything?"

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Allie listened attentively as Ruffles talked shop, the young girl absorbing every word of it. Not even nana McTavish was as enthusiastic about her work as the girl's new mentor. Ever since Gale had started complaining about the smell of engine oil ruining her 'serenity', Allie had began keeping a clean change of clothes in the engine room. Today she was wearing a bright yellow t-shirt, with a small cartoon mouse/rabbit. It had a lightning bolt shaped tail and red pouches on it's cheeks. Allie wasn't sure if it was based on a real animal, or if it was fictional, but she found it adorable all the same. As well as her tartan scarf, she was also wearing some baggy beige cargo trousers, with a pair of open toed sandals.

The pair ran into Whiskey, the young girl smiled as her and Roofles exchanged pleasantries, until the topic turned to the task at hand.

"I reckon this one's a card shark. I mean look at the hair. You could hide a whole second deck in there!"

"Shhhhhhh." Allie held a finger to her pursed lips as she shushed the woman. "Dannae tell no one."

"You'll probably just swear incomprehensibly until everyone folds, right, Allie?"

Allie closed her eyes, nodding sagely. "Fookin' too right."

As Whiskey revealed her, well, whiskey, and Ruffles tapped his own offering, Allie pouted. "Why dannae anyone ever bring anythin' I wan' to the party." She shook her head. "That's okay though." She rummaged through the several pockets on her trousers. "I got some sweeties." She prouduced a handful of boiled candies, some of them had managed to come half unwrapped and were of questionable state of cleanliness. Plucking some pocket lint off one of them, the girl placed on of the sweets in her mouth. "Oh aye, now the party can really begin, fookin' blue flavour, my favourite."

======================

Walking down the corridor from her own room, Lilith yawned as she stretched her arms above her head. She had decided to take a nap, evident by the unkemptness of her hair and her lazy posture. A cigarette hanging loosely from her lips, the woman lifted the side of her vest up as she scratched her hip. "Playing cards with a bunch of kids, truly Lily, you have reached the peak of the social ladder. Who needs the pleasurable company of a certain man of the cloth, no, you've got a bottle of..." She squinted her eyes as she raised the bottle she mindlessly grabbed from her hidden stash. "'Captain Crunk's Cantankerous Reserve.'" She grunted as she lowered her arm, the bottle hanging loosely from her fingers. "Lovely."

Barefooted, Lilith was wearing one of her infamous loose fitting vests, this one blue in colour, and a long pair of khaki shorts, cut off just below the knee. And of course, her new scarf.

Lilith had decided to wait to talk to Bennie about the Florian situation. She pretty much already knew what the response would be, but she still kept some naive hope that he might change his idea about sending a party to Frostfall. If the man was gonna put her in a bad mood, better he do it after she spends her first night with the new Maidens. Reaching the room of the two girls, Allie and Gale, leaned against the door frame, gently banging the bottle against the door a few times.

"It's Lil, open up punks, room inspection." She chuckled as she took a deep drag of her cigarette.


===================================

"Tell me the truth, Major. My friends... they did escape, right?"

Asad smiled at the girl's concern. "They did, Elizabeth. Myself and Lieutenant Gamble were the only ones left at the South gate, there was nobody else to give chase, and as far as I know, there were no orders given to tail them." The man put the girl at ease. "Last I heard, The Maiden was retaken by her original crew in Yuteni. I'm guessing that's where they would head. Where they going to take you there too?"

 

[Terratina.]

The conversation had died down, which was slightly disappointing but you couldn't win them all, and Astor was back to wandering about the Iron Maiden, playing about with the Mare's Leg - just generally twirling it about as well as he could. Well, even if he wouldn't win any gunplay competition, at least it wasn't currently loaded.

Then the stench of cigarettes filled the air, Astor put his gun away followed the smelly trail and encountered a messy-haired and scantly-clad Lilith. His grin grew as he looked her over, it certainly beat the fashions of the nobility. What was that old saying? Less is more? That was certainly the case here: less clothes, more skin and definitely more for teenage boys to ogle!

"You are a vision of beauty, senorita." He said, bowing his head.

Unfortunately, the little show was interrupted by the resident latina doctor.

"Easy on the Spanish, hombre." She began, arriving in the nick of time, "You're no dashing Hispanic and you never will be."

Seriously, it was like somebody had taken Sprout, cloned him and made him less lewd and more foppish. Maria was surprised that he hadn't been slapped in the face by the ladies or given a Sprout knuckle sandwich yet. Still, that didn't stop her from keeping a count of the days Jesse went without comeuppance and it wasn't like she didn't have or desire ventures into relationship when she was his age.

But that was besides the point!

***​

"Before I get settled, ya need a hand with anything?"

"No." Jun replied, giving a slight groan at the overused pun. Honestly, it must have been used at least five times before. Just soul-crushing aspect of his hospital stay, though things were mostly too boring to be outright offensive.

 

[Fappy]

Spoiler: Fear and Self Loathing

Pixie sat in silence, all but her good eye hidden behind her knees as Aesop struggled to make sense of her tale. She watched him in her periphery.

"Pixie... Mere..."

Digging up such an old memory was painful and... shameful, but Pixie couldn't just spill her guts and leave the poor guy to sort through the bile alone. She bit down on her bottom lip hard before letting one of her knees fall to her side. Furrowing her brow, she grabbed hold of Aesop's hand and laid it down on her bare thigh. She squeezed it tight and looked him in the eye, "Please, don' pity me. I do enough of that as it is." She smiled, sadly. "I've made a lot of mistakes in my life. Even now... comin' here... I won' pretend that part of the reason I'm here is 'cause I've been promised Dio's head. Or that I jus'... had to get away." Her gaze downcast, she shook her head in frustration. "I don' know what's gotten into me. Sure, I used ta' run away when the goin' got tough every now an' then, but for a long while there I was tough as nails. I'd get pissed all the time, yeah, but not so much so that it would cloud my judgement."

She couldn't help but laugh. She sounded... weak, "I guess you can only take so much punishment before the bruises start ta' show. I feel like... I'm at the end of a rope. Like there ain't nowhere fer me to go but further down. Deeper into the abyss." She frowned. "Part of me wants it. Part of me wants it all to end, not jus' 'cause I think y'all would be better off without me, but because of the pain. It's jus'... God, fuck... I'm sorry," She chuckled. "Listen to me. I sound so fuckin' pathetic. I'm the most feared ***** in all the land? Yeah right. I shouldn' be feared, I'm jus' a lil' pussy."

She rolled her eye and laughed, "Fuck, I'm startin' ta' sound like you now, buddy." She met his gaze once more. "Tell you what: let's make a deal. I'm gonna try ta' stop bein' so self-loathin' an' you 'ave ta' do the same. Okay?" She searched his eyes for a moment before continuing. "Let's use this time we 'ave before the raid ta' jus'... have fun. Relax. Reflect. All that kinda bullshit." A legitimate grin appeared on her face. "I can teach you tai chi!"

Pixie wanted so desperately to make it end. To squelch the voice in the back of her head telling her how utterly useless she was. How she was a ruthless killer. A poor leader. A bipolar lunatic. A cold-hearted *****.

A bad mother.

All she could think to do now was to reach out to someone like her. If they could work past their own shit, surely she could.

She had had the same hope with Amy, as well.

Pixie put all that in the back of her mind, however. No, she wouldn't wallow away like this. All she needed was for this lost soul to return her smile. To take her hand so that they could both work through their suffering together.

She couldn't ask that of Sprout or Lilith. Nor Jake for that matter. She wanted to protect them. She couldn't have her issues bring them down as well. And Bennie... she'd hurt him so much already.

But, Aesop?

He was right down there in the pit with her. Perhaps together they'd be able to claw their way out.

I won' be givin' up on yer ass anytime soon, you fruitcake.

The smile she offered him was as sincere as he'd ever been given.

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

"Last I heard, The Maiden was retaken by her original crew in Yuteni. I'm guessing that's where they would head. Were they going to take you there too?"

Elizabeth shrugged, "I believe that was the plan, but honestly, I am not so sure. I was Pixie's prisoner beforehand because she couldn't risk telling me the truth of my situation. She reconsidered her position later, once I was already in Feroxi, and chose to let me in on the truth. If I had gone to Yuteni with them, I am sure she would have insisted I remain with them for my own safety but I don't know if I'd have followed along." She stared absentmindedly at the wine glass in her hand. "I'm... I'm not sure where I need to go or... what I need to do. I know there's something I need to do. Someway I can use my influence for good. There has to be."

She was clearly disheartened. Perhaps the alcohol was working its magic; slowly tearing away the wall she had erected between them, "My elder sister... though I may not have really known her..." She looked up at Asad. "I've been told she was a true woman of the people. A legitimate altruist. The rest of my family? Opportunists and cowards. All of them. I don't want to be like that. I want to be... better than my sister, even. I want to do what she couldn't..." Her eyes wandered down to her glass once more. "Whatever that may have been..."

 

[Daystar Clarion]

"Whatever that may have been..."

"There was a pretty large age gap between you two, it's understandable that you don't really know much about her." Asad smiled as he topped up the young woman's glass, before tending to his own. Asad did a little digging, nothing he think would garner any attention. The official story was that Margaret Maribel was murdered by an unknown assailant, along with her infant son.

Asad forrowed his brow as he thought on the Cook's words.

"Don't let her share the fate of her sister. Don't let that monster devour her."

There was obviously more to the incident than had been released to the public, it didn't take a genius to figure out Elizabeth had been privy to something. Whether it was true or not, that was a different matter entirely. He would need to hear what Elizabeth had been told before he made any calls on it's legitimacy.

Shifting his eyes slightly, he glanced at the neighbouring tables. Last think he wanted was to appear like he was digging too deeply. Taking a sip from his glass, Asad looked at the girl. She had visibly relaxed, her expression was a lot softer and her posture less stiff. He didn't doubt she'd be the type to spill her guts after a few drink, after all, she couldn't keep her mouth shut when she was sober.

"Have you heard anything from your family? Any letters?"

 

[ProtoChimp]

Aesop felt strange as she placed his hand on her thigh. Nothing at all sexual, he worshipped Pixie. He loved Pixie, and feeling so close to her after she had told him so much... and feeling so similar? Everything she was explaining echoed in his mind, which for once remained silent. No thoughts, no doubts, no ghosts or imaginary murderers. Her pity was like his, her anger, her wants, need for it to just end. Yet, he wondered if she shared his fear of the-

"Fuck, I'm startin' ta' sound like you now, buddy."

Aesop burst out laughing as she said this, she wasn't wrong.

"Tell you what: let's make a deal. I'm gonna try ta' stop bein' so self-loathin' an' you 'ave ta' do the same. Okay Let's use this time we 'ave before the raid ta' jus'... have fun. Relax. Reflect. All that kinda bullshit." She grinned. Actually grinned. "I can teach you tai chi!"

"Hell yeah." He replied. "But first, you're getting a hug." This one moment he wasn't scared to overstep his boundaries with Pixie like he had this whole year with her. He reached in and embraced his captain. "No homo." He said as he hugged her whether she wanted it or not. After the hug he leant back on the armrest of the chair, pulling out the baggy Ruffles had given him. She said she didn't mind but he still worried if he should or shouldn't light up.

"Shit, you know its been a year this week since I joined? Mother fuckers better be throwing me a birthday bash when we get back." He knew he might not make it back. If it was for Pixie, he wasn't afraid of death, and he would die a thousand times over if it meant pulling her out of the fire. Still, that didn't mean he had to. Maybe he would return, maybe he could go back to the maiden with Pixie and Cameron, and if that other one needed to come Aesop wouldn't question Pixie. Maybe he could go home to the maiden.

Maybe he could go home to Yuteni even.