Fantasy Flight of the Phoenix Main

[Emixlin]

As the guards moved forward, handcuffs poised in their hands, one hunter quickly turned and pulled Emaliah toward him. "C'mere," he hissed.

Emaliah yelped as she was dragged forward, a pair of thick, hairy arms wrapping tightly around her. "S-stop!" she cried, panicked. "What are you doing?!"

He didn't respond, but flicked a dagger out of his pocket and pressed it to her neck. Emaliah screamed. "GET OVER HERE RIGHT NOW," he yelled at the phoenixes, "OR I'LL CUT YOUR FRIEND'S--"

Before he could finish his sentence, the guards were on him and the rest of the hunters, shoving them to the ground and cuffing their wrists. Emaliah tumbled to the ground and released a choked sob, clutching at her neck.

"Oh, for gods' sake," Duke William groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose with frustration. These hunters were supposed to be the best that money could buy, and they'd not only gotten themselves arrested within five minutes of the expedition, but one of them had had the fucking nerve to hold his own daughter hostage. Fucking amateurs. There were too many guards around, too many phoenixes, too little time. He was sick of it all. He almost wanted to just go home with his daughter - at least he'd have one fucking phoenix - but where else could he find five or six phoenixes all together at once? It was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

"Sweetheart, come here," he called. Emaliah picked herself up and made her way to her father's side, trembling. "I'm sorry that happened to you; I won't hire such awful bodyguards again. But we still need to get your friends, right?" Emaliah nodded slowly. "Right. So I'm going to need you to get on that ship and tell your friends to come over here on their own."

"I... I don't want to," Emaliah whispered. "I'm scared. Some of them don't even know me." She sighed softly. "Can we just go home?"

The duke frowned. "I thought you wanted to repay these people for saving your life. Didn't they help you get to the guild hall, to find me?"

Emaliah nodded reluctantly. "But the guards are angry at us, and I don't want them to find out I'm a phoenix too... and maybe they don't need our help. Maybe they can just leave on their own airship."

"But where will they go?" the duke asked. "You know there are phoenix hunters. They can't find anywhere safer than a special refuge in Gildaneth. This is their best chance."

"Well... But Daddy, this is just so stressful, and--"

"Stop that; stop being so selfish. Can't you just shut up for once and do as you're told? I'm doing all of this for you, you know. You're the one who asked me to help them in the first place."

There was a moment of silence as Emaliah absorbed these words. "You're right, Daddy. I'm sorry," she murmured, ashamed. She headed toward the ship and boarded it without a second thought.

Her eyes flitted over the faces of the people she'd met only a little while ago, many of which she barely remembered from their brief encounter. She was glad, though, to see Peter and Harlow on the ship - they'd made it back safely, after all. "Hello," Emaliah greeted them hesitantly. "I'm sorry about those bodyguards back there; I realize they looked very intimidating, but they were actually here to help. My father, Duke William Bryce Rousseau II, has promised to find all of you refuge in the kingdom of Gildaneth. If you'll just come with us, we can take you to our airship."

 

[Tapfic]

Lan watched in shock as Flame tackled a hunter-and then another-and another. Well there went the whole " distract the guys why everyone else left" idea. Whatever, he could work with this. Hopefully the surrounding crowd took the fire for a dragon thing, and not a phoenix thing.

" God damn kid; do you have rabies? " he called- preparing to hop over the ledge of the ship and lend a hand (or a bat more specifically ) before Mr.Fuck-You's voice caught his attention.

Oh, that's right. They were in the midst of a living space that included other people, most importantly guards. Guards meant government, government meant king, king meant they should try not to get noticed by the king.

Lan backed away from the ledge ever so slightly, keeping a " not concerned " eye on Blondie, and a hand on his bat. There was a game of chess being played here that he had yet to learn the rules of; but anyone in on the game could see the stakes were high as hell. Luckily it seemed Fuck-You ( Lan made a mental note to figure out a new nickname soon ) was moving the pieces just fine so far.

It hurt his heart for him to bite his tongue and hold back on these bastards, but he figured fucking up and hurting one of the good guys would be worse. Lan reluctantly decided to listen to the older phoenix; just until he knew enough of the rules to play the game himself.

An then the whole fucking board was tossed right out the window; because some motherfucker decided to threaten Blondie.

Really, the hunter should have been grateful the guards got to him first, as Lan had every intention of removing as many of the guy's teeth as he could manage.

As one could imagine, all this stress was really not great for his heart, nor his temperament. He may have had a little body, but boy- could it fit a good amount of rage in it.
The boy's glare looked as though it could belong to a personified teapot; only a few seconds from boiling over. The relief when the last member of their group was safe on the boat dissipated completely and instantly when she began talking about bodyguards and Gildaneth and going back down there. Lan's knuckles were strained white and his brows knit together.

" Bodyguards? Really? That's what they called themselves? Who the hell's body do you think they're trying to guard exactly, cuz you sure didn't look too fuckin safe with a knife pressed against your neck," He started, dropping the bat on the deck to point and gesture with his hands, " Is that guy down there the Duke? Your "Father" ? " he didn't make air quotes with his fingers, but the implication was in his voice.
" Gonna go out on the thickest fucking limb here and assume Mr. Rich-Bitch-Dick-Kick the third's the one that hired the world's shittiest hunters, gave zero fucks about sending his daughter chasing after his next sentient pot of gold, and then instead of saying " sorry my goon almost used you as a can of red dock paint, why don't you go home and see a therapist about it now" sent you right the hell up here to keep on his dirty work? That guy, right? Man, he sure sounds fucking lovely- doesn't he? Who in their right mind wouldn't trust 'im? "

Lan did not wait for an answer, as usual. Instead he put two hands over his face in a feeble attempt to calm down, the difference in heat between his palms and his cheeks was astounding.
The aforementioned feeble attempt, was in fact far too feeble to do any good.

Lan was gonna beat the shit out of Blondie's dad, he decided.
"Yeah, okay, I'm gonna beat the shit out of your dad. " he stated, the words muffled from under his hands, but clear enough to get the point across.
" Hear that motherfucker? Don't try shit because I'm this fucking close, " he held up two fingers, but they were touching " to loosing my fucking cool! " Lan yelled down at the duke, having obviously lost his cool quite a while ago.

 

[AncientBird]

There were so many things happening around and it was a bit tiresome for Juniper to process. The group waited for the remaining of the phoenixes to arrive. Two came soon after Jun had her wound fixed, one was supposed to come with them but was left behind somehow. As the girl watched the group discussing on what to do, suddenly a group of people appeared heading toward them. They were huge men, built like a tank... And behind them, a couple of people of what seemed to be a noble man and a girl coming after.

The group seemed on edge at the presence of these people... And just as the atmosphere suggested, they didn't come in peace. As the situation got tense up, suddenly a teenage dragon girl Juniper didn't even notice staying on the ship before, launched out of nowhere and started attacking the guard. It took the Mr. gloomy dragonfly who just woke up to go drag the enraged teen away from the men group.

The commotion attracted a couple of guards in the area and they came rushing in to investigate. One of the big men, upon seeing the guards, suddenly lashed out and grasped the girl that came with them as a hostage to force the people on the ship to come to them. The worst thing was that the noble man that came with the girl, which Juniper assumed would relate somehow to her, didn't even try to do anything...

The guards immediately rushed the brute and arrest them. The noble man and the girl reunited, just for him to sent her back toward the ship again... And the girl... Who just was threatened by knife in the neck earlier, came back and did exactly the same thing, trying to persuade the people on the ship to go with her again!

From her seat, Juniper frowned... It seemed to her that these people had been exposed of their identities and somehow, the girl over there believed that they would be safer going with her and the noble man, which she confirmed later to actually be her dad. (making his earlier action to not intervene his own daughter being held by knife even more diabolical.)

Although the concern wasn't hers to begin with, Juniper couldn't help but to object the idea of the phoenixes following the girl... These nobles were definitely up to no good. The small owl phoenix seemed to share Juniper's thought and openly showed it as he raged in front of everyone... Loudly

"Wow, that's definitely NOT going to attract more prying eyes that it already has. It is not like there are already enough GUARDS everywhere looking for the slightest sight of violence anyway..." Said Juniper. The girl then turned to asked the giant tern doctor who helped tending her wound earlier, who wasn't much further away from her seat, so that she could have someone to express her confusion with. "Did you wake up this morning expecting this many things going on, doctor?"

Featuring: ScatheAriiasqDrayceon Tapfic BittyBobcat Emixlin

 

[ScatheAriiasqDrayceon]

Jet startled as Gray started speaking, perking a brow and cautiously sliding out of a defensive position, able to see where that was going. "That would have been a good bit of information to be aware of," he murmured—not unkindly; just a comment—before straightening and chirping something positively incomprehensible at Flame, who responded by leaping back over—knocking their latest victim backward—and gliding over Jet's shoulder, tapping it lightly as they passed.

They landed behind him slightly hunched over. Liquid fire clung to their bottom jaw, dripping at a snail-like pace down to the ship only to be stamped out by their pacing, stilling only briefly when one of the neutrals was threatened. The hair on the back of their neck rose, and they tensed, dropping back down to pretty much all-fours.

"Flame," Jet hissed, the sound seeping out from between bared teeth, "Hold."

Hold. Stay. But do not stand down.

The neutral was sent back, Flame moving to circle them and investigate, movements vaguely reminiscent of a feral predator. They dimly heard what they said, but were more interested in scrutinizing whoever it was—they couldn't tell in the haze of keeping their attention split just about five different ways.

That is, until one of the other neutrals—smaller than the rest, so definitely the owl—started yelling.

Flame whipped around so fast, something popped audibly, pupils pinned in preparation to spit more fire at whatever it is was causing him to make the noise. They hissed deep in their throat, turning their attention toward Jet, who was speaking.

"To be honest," he huffed, seemingly addressing the bee-eater, "I was hoping we could get through without too much trouble, but this was probably inevitable either way."

 

[spiralingheretic]

Harlow nearly fucking lost it when one of the hunters threatened Emaliah with the knife. What happened to wanting to just let her die? asked some distant part of her, which she promptly ignored.

Luckily, the guards intervened, possibly the only time Harlow had encountered a security team to be useful. As the dust settled, Harlow spotted Em in a semi-heated conversation with the man she no longer felt an ounce of guilt about planning to rob. Emaliah ended up boarding the ship, and to Harlow’s astonishment, was still trying to convince the group to go with her father, after everything that had happened.

Harlow almost couldn’t blame the Fussy One when he reamed her out. She might have done the same had she not gotten to know the other girl, maybe not very well, but, well, the noble girl’s personality wasn’t really that difficult to discern, was it? Emaliah herself still looked on the verge of tears.

What Harlow was about to do she would later attribute in part to her remaining itch to fight someone. (The bee-eater was right, too; the shouting would likely draw unwanted attention and their alliance with the dock’s guards was already tenuous at best.) Not to mention that tears made her the eensiest bit uncomfortable. As it was, her legs moved without permission and surprised her by stepping between the noble girl and the shouting owl.

“Hey back off, shorty,” she said to the owl, who had to be a full inch smaller than she was. “You’re only going to make things worse, you tiny asshole.”

Then Harlow turned to Emaliah, who still looked distinctly shell-shocked from the whole series of events. She groaned internally, being incredibly Not Good at comforting people. A memory briefly presented itself in her head, that of holding out a baby sibling (David? Millie?) at arm’s length as the baby screeched and fought, and younger Harlow having no fucking clue what to do for the snot-nosed ugly little thing. In the present, Harlow raked her fingers through her hair in frustration.

“Em, you precious idiot.” Okay, so probably not the best start, but at least Harlow wasn’t yelling. In fact, her own voice was unfamiliar to her. “Open your eyes. That duke guy’s kept you locked up in a gilded cage for eighteen fucking years.” (As someone who ran away from home as a twelve-year-old, this still astonished her.) “Think of everything you’ve seen today, everything you’ve done.”

Emaliah was clearly in denial about her father being garbage, which Harlow sort of got. Harlow had dealt with denial before and knew that trying to convince the blonde that her father had ulterior motives (and that those "bodyguards" were very obviously hunters) would be like trying to talk to a brick wall. Instead she tried to appeal to something else in the girl, something Harlow herself had been bothered by since it came up as they were climbing down towards the docks.

“Are you really going to let yourself be caged again? Do you really think you could be happy? Do you really think we,” she said, gesturing in particular to herself and Peter, “could possibly be happy?”

 

[BittyBobcat]

Peter had thought, for a short while, that once they reached the ship that everything would be fine. One look at it's occupants proved him wrong. Already, he could see the tension hanging around the ship like the stinging scent of smoke and ash that still clung to his clothes. A new stranger stood aboard it's deck. Gray was leaning against the mast like it was the only thing keeping him standing. Owl-kid was pacing the deck and ranting with a frustrated rapidness that reminded Peter of a small dog snarling at whoever happened to catch it's attention -which, it turned out, was him and Harlow.

He took a short step back. Angry people and lack of escape routes never made for a good result, but the weight of Harlow's hand on his shoulder stopped his miniature retreat. She took a step forward, no doubt about to spin some sort of lie (hopefully a believable one), when it seemed everyone's eye was drawn by a group of armor-clad men. It didn't take a genius to guess what they were here for.

Before he could react, the dragon-winged kid lunged forward. Peter was half a second from leaping into the fray himself when the all too familiar sound of marching guards reached his ears. He scrambled behind the outspread wings of what had to be the tallest person he'd ever seen (and, he noted with a slight tinge of worry, one of the few non-phoenixes on the deck). Getting spotted could be disastrous, so he had to stay hidden. Even if he really wanted to see what was going on. Especially if it sounded like the meatheads were getting a taste of their own medicine. Certainly, he wouldn't reveal himself for something as stupid as watching the guards arrest someone that wasn't him for once.

...Well, it couldn't hurt just to peek, right?

He edged toward the end of the tern's wings and snuck one wary glance at the skirmish just as one of the hunters snatched Emaliah and pressed a dagger to her neck. For the second time in a matter of minutes, Peter almost jumped into the fight. In fact, he would've had Gray not shoved him back like a dismissive nanny stopping a kid from doing something dumb (Peter resented that... even if he was about to do something dumb).

Fortunately, he didn't stay resentful for long because yappy owl kid gave him an entirely different problem to worry about -why in the world would you scream threats on a dock full of guards?

On some level, Peter understood. The fact that the duke had not only gotten Em's life threatened, but then instantly turned around and ordered her onto the ship... Peter had a very low opinion of fathers, but this? His blood would be boiling if he wasn't more occupied with the churning guilt in his gut (how could he have left her with him?).

Whether he understood the response or not, he couldn't hold back a small smile when Harlow told him to back off in what seemed to be her usual colorful way (Peter hadn't known her for long, but it was hard to imagine her going more than a few sentences without a swear). "Besides, do you really think he's gonna let your life get back to normal after this?" Peter added. "No asshat who sends his daughter to make deals with people after she's just had a knife at her neck isn't gonna take advantage of the fact that she's a walking gold mine."

Behind him, Gray sighed loudly. "We get it, family is disappointing- maybe we should discuss this somewhere with less people?"

Peter turned to find him glaring at them from a wooden doorway toward the end of the ship with an expression that made him wonder if he was reconsidering letting them aboard his ship (although, that might've just been how he looked normally). If nothing else, his arms were crossed, which never meant happy. For a moment, Peter wondered if it was really a good idea to follow him below deck, but -grumpy as he looked- he had a point, and he reluctantly followed inside.

The interior of the ship reflected its owner's appearance -that is to say, unkempt. They made their way down dirty, scuffed stairs and emerged into a long hallway dotted with doors. "The med bay is down the hall if any of you need supplies," Gray said, abruptly turning to face the ragged group, "But if you don't, then we have some filling in to do."

His arms crossed again and leaned against the wall. "I ran into a trio of hunters on the way here, and-" He made a vague gesture to the bee-eater girl. "That one helped out- didn't catch your name, by the way." If that was meant as a prompting to share it, then he didn't wait for an answer to address everyone else. "The rest of you, I figured that if I could get you out of here then there would be more phoenixes, meaning less hunters on me. If we can get this ship out of the docks, then I can drop you off at the Gathering of Kingdoms, and we'll never have to see eachother again."

Peter perked up at the Gathering's mention. It was an annual event marking the end of the Great Frost -in a few more months, the Kingdom of Amethyst would land at it, along with almost every other floating kingdom that could make the journey. Among the chaos and partings for Storm season trade routes, a handful of phoenixes may be able to slip into the crowds unnoticed. Parting there would mean the perfect chance to travel... well, nearly anywhere. But before he could be drawn away into fantasies of far away lands, Gray continued.

"However, we have to get out of here first. Since the docks are on lockdown, I don't think the hunters will be making any moves against us while we're on the ship -they wouldn't be able to capture us and escape unnoticed. But we can't wait this out. The longer we stay, the more desperate they'll get, and I want to be gone before they make a move." Solid logic... why did his cold tone make Peter nervous, then? "Meaning we have to either get around the lockdown or find a way to end it, and for both of those, we have to sneak out of the ship. For that, I'd like to know who exactly we're dealing with. Which brings me to my next point," His glare flickered toward Peter, Harlow, and Em. "What in the everloving fuck did you three idiots do?"

 

[Emixlin]

Emaliah was very much taken aback when the child - He's a child, right? Right??? - immediately jumped into lecturing her about the bodyguards, as well as her father. He seemed remarkably irate toward the duke, even threatening to assault him. The others chimed in, and she felt more and more miserable by the minute.

Fine. Maybe her father wasn't the most thoughtful. Maybe he could've been a bit kinder toward her after she'd been threatened by her own bodyguard.

But Gildaneth, and her estate - it wasn't a cage. Her father was just doing what was best for her. And he would most certainly not be taking advantage of her newfound phoenix status. No. Of course not. It wasn't like their kingdom even had a phoenix farm anywhere, that she knew of. She would be safe at home.

Emaliah wanted to give these people that same safety, find them a place in Gildaneth... but what Harlow said was true. She and Peter, and most likely several of the other phoenixes, could never be happy there. Gildaneth was small, compared to most kingdoms. It was mainly mountainous terrain, and thus a majority of the population lived underground. The streets were narrow, the people were fragile, and honestly, the entertainment was pretty bland. Such freedom-loving people would never last a week there, let alone a lifetime.

So she had to let them go.

Emaliah followed the rest of the phoenixes below the deck of the ship uncertainly. She had to tell them. She would leave them alone and go home - that was all there was to it. That was all there was left for her to do.

But the words wouldn't leave her mouth. They sat comfortably on the tip of her tongue, but made no move to make themselves heard. The dragonfly began his speech, and the only words that reached Emaliah's ears were "the Gathering of Kingdoms".

The realization sparked from her belly and shot up to her eyes, which widened considerably. She wanted to go with them. She wanted to board the ship and travel with this ragtag band of phoenixes. She wanted to get away from the life she'd always known and find something new, something she could never have if she let her father lock her up again. And he would. She didn't know if he really wanted only to protect her, or if there was a more sinister reason, but she had only stepped off the property of the Golden Grove Estate three times in her entire life. Maybe it really was a bit of a cage, a prison. She would give up too much to go back.

"What in the everloving fuck did you three idiots do?" The dragonfly finished with a glare.

There was a long pause before Emaliah spoke up. "I'm sorry." It came out as more of a whisper than an apology. She cleared her throat and tried again. "I'm sorry. We went to find my father so I could ask him for help, and I insisted he find refuge for all of you in Gildaneth. But the bodyguards were an incompetent mess, and the royal guards are everywhere. We just wanted to take you to our airship, to our kingdom. But you wouldn't... like it. So you don't have to go." She twirled a strand of hair around her finger nervously. "But I think that... I don't want to go home, either. So please, take me with you."

 

[ScatheAriiasqDrayceon]

Jet watched carefully as Flame wove in between people, all-but pacing yet never stepping past a certain point. They snarled and snapped occasionally, prompted by something Jet couldn't see.

He did note—with some amusement—that a few of the hunters Flame'd lunged were looking at them cautiously, dented, scratched, and twisted armor no-doubt quite uncomfortable, if not outright painful. Yeah, he remembered how that felt well enough, thank you. Maybe not armor, but there was multiple reasons he stopped wearing clip-on ties, and the small gremlin-child currently making quite a good impression of a stalking cat was one of them.

The older phoenix called out, prompting Jet and Flame to turn in some eerie form of unison, the taller of the two tilting his head. It was a moment as they (or, maybe just Jet) considered that before they moved to follow slowly, Flame following almost mechanically.

As they were led into a hallway, Jet paused just outside of it, crouching down to get eye-level (ish) with Arii. "Heyya, kiddo. You good?" They were tensed, wings half-open and poised to jump... again. Barely-visible slit pupils stared blankly back at him, protection to keep their retina from being damaged from their fire.

They blinked, tilting their head. It was a moment before they managed to open their mouth, but only a soft, rasping hiss made it out.

"Alright, that's okay. You're good. You can stand down, now."

The older phoenix's raised voice had them whirling, however, poised to leap. They weren't listening to words; just tone, and the frayed nerves of the people in the room weren't doing them any favors. "Hey, hey," Jet snapped his fingers softly—he never really could snap them well; better with things that needed him still. "Eyes on me. We're good; no hostiles."

Flame's head had whipped back around at the soft snapping sound, ears perked forward. He really needed them to calm down before they attacked someone.

"There we go, there you are. Care to give me a word? What're they saying in the hallway?"

They blinked blankly for a moment before they turned their attention to the halls, closing their eyes and focusing.

"The noble's talking. ' But I think that... I don't want to go home, either. So please, take me with you'." Flame took a long, deep breath and opened their eyes again, the massive gold void of gold giving way to spheres of black. The rest of the tension drained out of them, their shoulders returning to a semi-normal position.

Jet offered a smile, ruffling their hair. Pride bloomed in his chest when they didn't jerk up to look at his hand, having already come down out of their offensive headspace. "There you go! That was much faster than... last time."

They both knew what last time was.

All he got in return was a wordless, pleased hum, as they leaned into the positive touch, but that was honestly all he needed. They stood in one motion and rejoined the group. Jet'd heard all of it so he was fine, but Flame had a tad bit of catching up to do, though that would likely be easy enough for them.

Jet let out a long breath, feathers twitching absently. He turned to the noble with a small, gentle smile. "It's good of you to think of our feelings like that." Then, at the next closest opportunity, he shot anyone who looked like they were about to say anything else about her statement a Look; a silent warning to keep their mouths shut.

 

[Tapfic]

“Hey back off, shorty, You’re only going to make things worse, you tiny asshole.”

Lan scowled. It was far from the worst thing he's been called in the past week, but generally he'd be in a better mood when he got into an argument with an entitled customer or creepy drunk. Well- he was rarely ever in a "good mood" to be fair, but right now he was in a " absolutely fucking terrible mood".
He huffed and held his breath for twenty seconds- that usually calmed him down. When the time was up he took a deep breath, and immediately started talking again; this time more quietly.

" Okay; even if I over reacted- was calling me small twice in the same sentence really necessary? " he grumbled out the retort; crossing his arms and looking to the side. He did have to admit-the scruffy girl and little kid did a better job with Blondie than he had. Still wanted to punch her dad, though he acknowledged now wasn't the best time. Luckily it seemed the guards where still too preoccupied with the hunters and finding the arsonist to worry about some "kid" yelling threats.

The older phoenix ( well, assumed older, other than the grey hairs and stubble he didn't look too much older than Lan actually was ) sighed and spoke up.
"We get it, family is disappointing- maybe we should discuss this somewhere with less people?"
Okay yeah, that was a good idea.

The group was moving inside now; and so Lan figured he should follow along. He shot another glare at the Duke, before collecting his things from the deck and following the Dragonfly below. What he saw well- he guessed he should have expected the lack of up-keep, considering the owner of the vessel constantly looked like he was leaning on the edge of passing the fuck out. Lan stuffed his hands into his pockets and fiddled with the contents; effectively suppressing the urge to whip out a duster and start cleaning. He hadn't brought a duster. He regretted not bringing a bigger bag with him, one that could fit at least one more duster, and perhaps a broom.

Mr.Fuck-You's plan to split up at the Gathering of kingdoms sounded reasonable enough- it should give them all enough time to get used to their respective situations; and all that. Even though the guy's explanation for why he helped them in the first place made him sound like an ass.
But before any of that could matter too much there was still a lock down and they were all still being hunted, as Fuck pointed out. Currently, by Blondie's dad- and whatever group attacked him and Attention Span on their way over. They could add the whole royal guard to the list too if they fucked up badly enough- so that was fun.

Visible relief flashed over Lan's face when Blondie asked to stay, before quickly being replaced by some mix between confusion and irritation. He might have said something mean about their whole little escapade to fetch daddy duke being an " incredibly braindead and irresponsible " scheme had he not caught Dr.Kadoshi's gaze.
Instead of ranting about that particular subject, he simply sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
" Fine, okay, everyone's done stupid shit before; I guess it's all dandy as long as you learned a lesson," he had shut his eyes when he started talking, so now it just looked like he was speaking to himself very loudly.
" I vote we skip the rest of whatever conversation that mess might of dug out of the trash heap and get right to introductions 'cuz I swear if I have to keep calling this guy," he gestured to the Dragonfly " some variation of Mr. Fuck-You in my head I'm gonna need a type of therapy that doesn't exist yet," that was a joke, obviously. Lan was well rounded and didn't need any sort of medical professional for the rest of his ( long ) life.
" Here, I'll make it easy for the shy folks in the room by going first. I'm Lan Clementine, turn 22 next month, and until about a few hours ago I worked at a shop in the city. See? Easy. Now you guys go. "

 

[spiralingheretic]

Harlow reluctantly followed the other phoenixes below deck-- tight spaces made her twitchy. She considered raiding the med bay to take care of her arms which, as she came off her adrenaline high, stung like anything, but curiosity overtook her, as it often did. Hell if she was going to be the one person out of the loop, either.

The ship wasn’t much different than Harlow was used to: much smaller than the galleon she’d worked on before it was raided, but about the same size as the pirate ship that raided it and whose crew she later joined. Particularly now that she was below deck was she reminded of the pirates, who were not known for their cleanliness. She relaxed only slightly at the familiar environs, and discreetly wiped her sweaty palms on her trousers.

When the owner of the ship began to speak, Harlow forced herself to pay attention. He got attacked by hunters on his way here, he said, slipping in what could hardly be called an introduction to the bee-eater. Ha! Harlow knew she hadn’t recognized the girl. Good to know her memory was still sharp.

Dragonfly’s reason for why he was giving them a ride was sound, as far as Harlow was concerned. She’d be more suspicious if the man claimed to be helping them out of the goodness of his heart.

The Gathering, huh? That was his plan? Made sense. It was advantageous for Harlow as well, the perfect place to figure out what she was going to do next, whether that be finding work or scamming some bigwig. Hopefully she wouldn’t run into anyone she knew… So caught up in her plans, she didn’t notice the dragonfly turn his attention toward her, Peter, and Emaliah. “What the everloving fuck did you three idiots do?”

For the second time that night Harlow was interrupted before she could put together some bold-faced lie, this time not by hunters, but by Emaliah. She… apologized? What? Harlow’s surprise only grew as the noble girl continued. She wanted to come with them?

Well that was easy, said some still-functioning, distant part of Harlow’s mind.

The tern responded first, and kindly, as you would speak to a contrite child. While Harlow appreciated the glare he shot at those who would disagree with him, there was something in her that resented it. She was aggravated further by the tiny asshole, who she already knew was going to end up annoying the hell out of her. As long as you learned a lesson-- she’d teach him a fucking lesson. And now he wanted to play the name game. Fucking fantastic. Here she was thinking she’d left behind grade school forever.

Also there was no way Len Tangerine or whatever (some kind of citrus) was 22 years old. Bullshit. Harlow cleared her throat.

“Name’s Boneripper,” she said boredly. “You may call me Captain Boneripper the third. I’m 500 years old and psychic. My favorite color is chartreuse and I eat babies for fun.” Harlow closed her eyes and leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, exasperated and tired and hungry. This wasn’t fun anymore.

 

[AncientBird]

The gloomy dragonfly called to get everyone under the deck, possibly to discuss what to do next with the phoenixes. Juniper followed, she was the one voluntarily followed the man in the first place, might as well heard what he has to say, even though it might not be directly for her.

Walking down the stair into the dark and dusty hall under the deck, Juniper looked around and frowned in displeased. This place is a big bowl of mess!.. As her family runs a service job, Juniper had been raised to keep thing clean and tidy. Seeing all the dust and unorganized objects piling around made her wanted to just grab some tools then run this place down until its floor sparkles.

Gathering up, the dragonfly began to explained his earlier encounter with the hunters as well as (barely) introduced Juniper. He then revealed his plan of taking all of them to the Gathering of Kingdoms, an event created annually by the end of The Great Frost where many of the floating kingdoms congregates. Juniper remembered the gathering of the the previous years. They are the time of opportunity. People from other kingdoms came pouring in and they would exchange goods, news and other information.

Maybe if she could get the information from the gathering? Maybe she didn’t even need to seek a help from this dragonfly at all? However, the gathering is coming in several months, and she couldn’t wait that long... The faster she get the clue for Merlin the better...

“I am Juniper, Juniper Penna.” She introduced herself to the dragonfly. “I have some questions to ask you, that’s why I followed you in the first place, Mr... What’s your name?” Added the girl.

Featuring: BittyBobcat

 

[BittyBobcat]

Gray wasn't an idiot. He knew he'd invited these people -these strangers- onto his ship. More than that, he was bringing them below deck. They had to follow him downstairs. There was no point to being nervous about some stupid superstition only he held.

The hairs on the back of his neck prickled at the footsteps behind him anyway.

With an edge of vertigo already coming back, he leaned on the wall and gave his short speech. In reality, he hadn't thought much at all before telling them to get to the ship. All he needed to guilt himself into it was the mental image of a single one of them shut in a phoenix farm cage. Torn wings and a metal collar at their neck- Gray wouldn't wish that upon anyone. But it would be a cold day in hell when he admitted that, and selfishness was as good an excuse as any.

He took the butterfly girl's apology with a simple nod. Even if he had wanted to comment on how stupid what she and the rest of the grounded group had done was (because at this point he was fairly certain that everyone in the room was fully aware of what her 'bodyguards' actually were), the tall tern's sweeping glare made Gray decide that perhaps his thoughts were best left to himself.

That being said, he nearly groaned aloud when one of the shorter of their number -Lan, apparently- kickstarted a round of introductions. Sure, it was inevitable, but that didn't make it any less annoying.

~~~

"Name's Boneripper." Peter rolled his eyes. Really? That was the lie she went with? He wasn't calling her captain anything.

"That's a real funny way of saying Harlow," He said, voice dripping with sarcasm as his arms crossed (and then promptly uncrossed with a wince because oh right, they were still very burnt).

Peter's weight shifted back and forth between slightly tiptoed feet while he spoke, giving him his normal vaguely hyper appearance. "My name's Peter- or Pete, whatever works. I'm... fifteen?" One by one, he absently flicked out four fingers on his less injured hand -as if he was counting something. "Fourteen," He corrected with a tilt of his head (Peter always did have trouble remembering if his birthday came before or after the Harvest Festival -it wasn't like anyone celebrated it, anyway). "And I'm a messenger," He finished, forcing himself to stop fidgeting for a moment before giving up and resuming his small heel bounces a few seconds later.

Juniper introduced herself next and drew Gray back into the conversation (something that, judging by his narrowed eyes, he was not happy about). His wings gave a short buzz, reminding Peter of a fly that had just been swatted, before he grumbled, "Gray." Pete almost expected him to say more, but his apparent silence told him that there was no point in waiting.

 

[ScatheAriiasqDrayceon]

For a moment, it looked like the owl was about to say something, but settled for something far less harsh than it could have been and he nodded, humming in satisfaction.

Then the introductions started. Jet seemed to take in this information for a moment, glancing down at Flame and earning a pair of perked ears. Well, that's at least a good sign, he figured. Though, the dragonfly—now named Gray—didn't seem to enjoy the concept.

And... the gull—Boneripper—nope—Harlow seemed to view the whole introductions thing as a bit of a joke. He opted to just make a combination of Peter and Lan's introductions. That seemed easiest.

"Jet Kadoshi," he offered, voice rumbling now that he didn't have to shout across airspace. "He-him, and until about a month ago, I was a head surgeon... speaking of, if anyone's injured, come to me; I'd prefer to minimize hazards, especially with—" he gestured around at the ship, specifically at the suspiciously red stains—"this." His wings twitched, and he carded a hand through Flame's hair absently. Was age a thing people put in their introductions? Apparently. "I'm thirty-seven."

Ariiasq hummed, opening and closing their mouth a few times before just managing a toneless, seemingly careless drawl. "Ariiasq Kadoshi—but you can call me Flame because it's hard to pronounce." They paused, ears twitching. They could do this. It's fine. Just channel Sev... despite being on the ground. And not racing. And having to talk to people right there—yeah, this isn't helping. "They-them, fourteen, and... I race? I guess?" Their voice all-but dripped with boredom and disdain, mostly concealing the anxiety.

Jet sighed, lightly with a fond expression. "Mostly full-contact," he clarified. "They definitely race."

Flame offered him a sheepish grin.

Now that their stress levels had calmed down, Anxiety brain had made a bit of a reappearance. Jet helped, though. He was familiar, and solid, and real, and they knew that. So it helped. Helped keep them from drifting, at least.

They resisted the urge to hide behind Jet, the sensation of people staring making their skin itch. Even though they were sure people weren't staring. There wasn't any escape, either, and—and they need to stop thinking about it. The docks were bad enough.

 

[Emixlin]

Emaliah smiled gratefully at the tall tern when he responded kindly to her little confession, relieved that no one seemed to oppose her joining them in their escape. She was a bit startled when the child jumped right back into his lecturing style of speech, and much more startled when he announced he was 22 years old. 22. Lan was older than Emaliah herself?!

She had to choke back a laugh when Harlow proceeded to identify herself as "Captain Boneripper the Third". It was the most ridiculous name she'd ever heard of. Then there was Peter, and the new girl, Juniper, and the dragonfly - Gray, did he say? - and the very tall pair, Dr. Kadoshi and Flame. She was thankful that her memory was excellent, after years of meeting new guests at the Golden Grove Estate, and she wouldn't be embarrassing herself anytime soon by forgetting their names.

Then it seemed to be her turn. "Well, hello. I'm—" She paused, the words stuck in her throat. To be perfectly honest, she wasn't entirely sure how to introduce herself, now that she was giving up her past life. She feigned an awkward cough to cover her hesitation. "Uh, I'm, uh, Emaliah. I'm, or, I was, the daughter of a noble, although I suppose I'm renouncing the title now." It took everything she had not to dip into a curtsy - but it was thrilling, as well, to be defying the cultural norms she'd obeyed all her life. These weren't nobles, and they couldn't care less about noble etiquette. "I appreciate you letting me come along."

--

Meanwhile, out on the docks, Duke William was fuming as he paced back and forth in front of the ship. His daughter had vanished below deck and he had no idea whether or not she was successfully convincing them to come out. First and foremost, she was supposed to be dead in the Diamond Plaza - he'd been furious when he saw her at the guild hall. It was no more than a stroke of luck when she turned out to be a phoenix, with a whole slew of new phoenix friends. But now they all seemed to be slipping from his grasp, along with his dreams of getting promoted to Premier Duke. At this point, he had half a mind to get on that ship himself just to find out what the fuck was going on.

The duke glanced around and found that everyone else seemed to be preoccupied with either preparing their ships for departure or getting questioned by the royal guards. The guards weren't anywhere nearby at the moment, and no one appeared to be watching him.

He stepped forward impulsively, and before he knew it he was standing on the deck of the ship. He snuck below deck before anyone could spot him and wrinkled his nose at the disastrous, outdated décor as he crept along the halls. Eventually, he came across the room where he could hear a discussion taking place. It was Emaliah's voice coming through the door... "I appreciate you letting me come along." Come alo—?! The duke tripped in shock, causing a small thump where his foot landed a bit too hard. He stumbled into the nearest room and pulled a black market tranquilizer gun out of his suit jacket. Just put them all to sleep, and then sail the ship to Gildaneth. Fine. It seemed like a solid plan.

He waited with bated breath in the pitch-black room for someone to find him.

 

[Tapfic]

Lan was not amused by Harlow "Boneripper" the third's introduction. Fine; if she wanted to play that game, Lan would certainly play it. Hope she enjoys being Boneripper for the rest of the trip; because Lan was never gonna let that go.

The others introduced themselves in a similar fashion, minus the bullshit sarcasm. Holy shit fire kid was 14? Lan had assumed they were like- 16 at least. Well, seeing as their dad was a literal fucking giant; It made sense he guessed.

Lan glanced around the room; repeating everyone's names in his head to make sure he didnt forget them- because that would have been really fucking awkward- before speaking. Had he been more perceptive he might have heard the quiet thump from the hall behind him. But he was not.

" Great, now that that's checked off the to-do list, anyone have any ideas on how to get this boat out of port without getting blown up?" Lan crossed his arms as he spoke- " because I personally have no idea."

He expected Gray would be their best bet at a plan; considering he had the whole " battle hardened veteran of being a pheonix" thing going on; but any ideas would be better than what he had at the moment.

 

[spiralingheretic]

Harlow went to elbow Pete for giving up the game, as the introductions continued, but stopped and frowned when she noticed his arms. Those were quite badly burnt, weren’t they? Why hadn’t he gone to the med bay when the dragonfly--Gray, her mind supplied--had offered? The poor kid had had even a longer day than her, it seemed, and he was what, fourteen did he say? Distantly, Harlow tried to remember what she was doing at fourteen. She was with the bandits still, probably. She’d gotten into some scrapes back then, but nothing like this.

The tern introduced himself next. Harlow’s ears perked up. A doctor? Well wasn’t that convenient? She’d have to get him to look at Peter’s arms ASAP.

Jet’s ridiculously tall kid was the same age as Peter. Ariiasq--Flame--introduced themself. (Damn, gotta get myself a cool nickname like that, thought Harlow privately. A real one, not fuckin Boneripper.) A full-contact racer, huh? That was pretty metal. Harlow felt a little put out that this teenager was objectively cooler than her, but she would get over it. I guess.

Then Emaliah introduced herself. Oh shit, she was renouncing her title? Girl really didn’t do things half-way did she? Harlow had to respect that. Her introduction was a far-cry from the one she’d given to Harlow and Peter in the burnt out plaza earlier. It caused Harlow a little pang in her chest that she refused to think about too much.

(There was a small thump in the hallway that Harlow didn’t pay much attention to. A ship like this, especially in this condition, was bound to be host to rats and any other manner of pests.)

Glen Tangerine (regrettably) started talking again. He wanted to know if anyone had a plan to get out of there. Harlow was great at sneaking in and out of places, but this was beyond her. It was so much easier when it was just her and she didn’t have to worry about anyone else or a huge-ass ship. It occurred to her that she could just ditch now and make her way to the Gathering by herself, but here she was being offered a free ride and medical care. Not to mention, Harlow knew very little about this whole being-a-phoenix thing.

“We need a distraction,” thought Harlow out loud. As helpful as the guards had been with the duke, it had the downside of drawing their attention. She considered for only a moment the idea of using Peter’s fire powers, but her eyes turned back again to the state of his arms. For some reason, the idea of him getting hurt again was out of the question. “We need to give them something to focus on that isn’t us, something to chase, and far away from here. They’re looking for the guy that blew up the plaza, right? If the guards thought they had them they wouldn’t pay any attention to us and we could book it.”

It was only the vaguest outline of a plan, but it was something. They needed a decoy, a scapegoat. But who?

 

[AncientBird]

Juniper was about o continued with her questions, but then she realized how the others were more concerned and occupied about their next move to get out of this place. Barging in with the questions that only concern about her wouldn't be appropriate, not to mention, Mr. Gray here wouldn't be able to help her at all if he and the other phoenixes were discovered and captured. No, she will hold her questions for later... Now she would have to help them get to safety as best as she could.

"I remember something... A couple of guards said they would come back here to check on me... Well, I guess they might have been on their way here if not already waiting outside. I will be looking out for you all and try to direct them away from the ship while you all decide on this... Escape plan of yours, alright?" Said Juniper as she slipped out of their meeting room and back into the dark hall way under the deck.

Again, the stench of mess and dust irritated Juniper to no end... She looked around, trying to control herself not to grab a near by bloom. No, not now.... She had no time for that. Taking a few steps forward, suddenly her ears caught something... Noise, like someone breathing heavily nearby.

Juniper turned toward the source of the noise... Just as a dart flew past her shoulder, missing it by the tip of loose thread. Her blood ran cold when she saw a figure of man standing in the darkness, his hand holding something looking like a dart gun.

"HUNTER ABOARD!!! HUNTER ABOARD!!! HELPPPP!!!" She screamed on top of her lungs.

Featuring: Emixlin (Duke)

 

[BittyBobcat]

Gray listened to Jet's introduction with a muted nervousness that forced his wings to twitch every few seconds. Having one non-phoenix on the ship was bad enough, but at least the girl -Juniper, apparently- seemed rather easy to take down if the situation demanded it. Kadoshi would present more of a challenge based on size alone (seriously, who the fuck needed to be that tall?). Still, he had to snort at the doctor's apparent need to "minimize hazards". More than half the people present couldn't properly die anymore. Gray hardly thought-

Thump.

His head whipped around to face the muffled noise with narrowed eyes. That... had to just be the cat, right? He was yet to see Pest since they got on board. Surely that meant she was prancing around in the lab, knocking equipment that had somehow displeased her off tables (even if the sound didn't match that of a beaker shattering on the floor). Gray leaned slightly forward to glimpse outside the room. Dust (mostly) undisturbed, no obvious pawprints, a few spiderwebs. Of course, that was only what he could see from the dining room... Being so caught up in his worry, he scarcely acknowledged Juniper's exit -that is until her scream echoed down the hall.

Gray's hand was in his coat pocket in an instant, sliding a short dagger into his palm. Though it wasn't a weapon he had any significant amount of mastery over, it was better than being unarmed. He took a step forward- Apparently too late, as someone darted past him and, faster than he could process that it was Peter, disappeared through the open doorway.

~~~

Peter had one goal. Get out alive (well, uncaptured, but it was basically the same thing). That meant there couldn't be hunters on the ship. Except that there were. Meaning he needed to get rid of this one. Simple enough, right?

He sprinted down the hall before any better ideas could so much as brush his mind.

It did not occur to him in this lightning-fast moment of (admittedly only half-logical) reasoning there were other people that could take care of it, likely quicker and more effectively than he could. Instead, Peter noticed a dart sticking out of the wall. Another whizzed past him just as he scrambled to a stop beside the newly dubbed Juniper, hitting the wood behind with a sharp thunk. Maybe a little less simple than he'd hoped.

He leapt forward in the same instant that he caught sight of the man's shadowy figure. Halfway through his jump, Peter remembered his burnt hands and the fact that he probably didn't weigh enough to have much effect and wow, he really hadn't thought this through, had he? Regardless, he leaned into a tackle with his shoulder angled to ram the hunter in the stomach and reached still-red fingers toward the dart gun.

 

[ScatheAriiasqDrayceon]

Flame acknowledged Jun's exit with a hum, Jet a little too caught up with eyeing the many suspicious color variations in the ship.

Thump.

Jet and Flame whirled at the sudden sound, the more offensive of the two's pupils pinning as they dropped into what appeared to be their signature fighting stance. Jet, however, remained mostly upright, though, he balanced his weight more evenly in anticipation.

"Careful," Jet muttered, getting a simple huff in reply. They both appeared to be on a hair-trigger, Flame's breathing slowing in favor of bring prepared should their airways be cut off by their fire.

Then a scream and something—Peter—shot past them and Flame moved, once again using Jet as a platform to fling themself higher than they should be in a confined area, wings half-spreading with the clawed tips digging into the wall of the ship.

Both of the youngest of the newfound crew bolted off, Jet sliding into a bladed posture with a wingtip brushing any accessible metal.

Meanwhile, Flame stilled and clung to the roof upside-down as Peter made to ram the—oh, it's the duke. With a gun.

Lovely.

Well, they couldn't fight properly with a neutral getting in the way, so they stayed upside-down, managing to catch the bee-eater in the corner of their eye. That's the one who screamed. No fighting for now, just reconnaissance.

Curling their tongue to the roof of their mouth, Flame whistled sharply, jittering their jaw to make a quick trill. Four, change pitch, five, change pitch, eleven, five, pause. Seven, change pitch, five, change pitch, fourteen.

Jet paused, perking at the sound of Flame's whistling. "It's the Duke," he muttered a moment after the whistling stopped. "With a gun."

 

[Emixlin]

The duke yelled in surprise as the fire boy slammed into him, and he blindly squeezed the trigger on his tranquilizer gun as many times as he could before crashing to the floor with a thud. He fought to find his balance as he rolled across the floor in a frenzy, but the boy was fierce and persistent and the gun was quickly pried out of the duke's hands. He couldn't even bother to try to get it back as he doubled over with pain, moaning expletives as he curled up on the ground.

Emaliah hurried into the hallway at the sound of her father's voice, her eyes wide with shock as she spotted him rolling around in agony. "Daddy! What— How did you— What are you doing here?" she exclaimed.

"For fuck's sake, Emaliah," The duke puffed out, glaring up at his daughter. "Haven't you figured it out yet?" She stared at him questioningly. "I'm a phoenix hunter, you imbecile. I was trying to capture your friends to start a phoenix farm in Gildaneth, but it looks like they've captured me instead."

"...Huh?" Emaliah glanced around at the others, shocked. "R-Really?"

"Yes, now are you going to help me get out of this mess or not?"

"Wait, but..." She frowned at her father, who was beginning to sit up against the wall now. "You wanted to put my friends on a phoenix farm?"

"You heard me."

"Why should I help you, then?" she said incredulously. "I won't let you hurt them."

"I'll leave them alone, then. Just let me go." The duke scowled at Peter and the other phoenixes surrounding him, holding him hostage. Emaliah turned to the others, hoping they could decide for her.

 

[Tapfic]

"HUNTER ABOARD!!! HUNTER ABOARD!!! HELPPPP!!!"

Juniper’s voice rang out almost as soon as she left for the hall. By the time Lan had processed the words, both kids had already leapt into action- one in a literal sense. Wait. Oh fuck, the kids went out there- with a hunter-

"It's the Duke," Jet provided, oh- it’s just the old man- "With a gun."
Shit.

Lan turned heel and followed after the others.
Luckily it seemed his fears were unfounded. Duke Dick the Third had already been disarmed and neutralized by the time he made it to the scene. He seemed to be trying to convince Emaliah to help him out again.

So now he wanted to be let off the hook? Just like that? This guy had to be fifteen different kinds of high if he seriously thought that pathetic excuse for a negotiation was going to cut it in the slightest.

Lan had very, very many words to say. Angry words. Down right livid words. He took a deep breath; in order to control his volume before he said them.

“ You know, it really sounds like you don’t fully understand the depth of the shit you’ve just dug yourself a grave in, fucker,” he seethed. Really, fuck this guy- this rich, evil, and shitty parent of a guy that seemed to have just picked up a checklist of things Lan hated most in a person and made them his whole personality. What’s worse, he wasn’t even smart about it. Or maybe that was better? For them? Nah. It was worse because Lan was pissed and decided it was.

“ I warned you, I said “ don’t try shit, because i’m this close to loosing my fucking cool” and then you went and tried the dumbest of shit anyways! What made you think you were gonna get away with any of this? What made you think that, despite the very, very clear warning- not only would I not loose my fucking cool- as I said I would, loudly and clearly; but none of us would? ”
“ Do you have a brain? Is there anything alive in your head? Did you try and shove a lump of gold in you ear and force out any leftover sludge that might have told you to stop pushing your luck when all your goons got arrested? “

He would have punched the guy already, had he not become enraptured in his own lecture, and for the fact there was way less satisfaction in hitting a guy when he already lost. It was certainly not because even if the guy was the human equivalent of a mosquito carrying malaria but worse; his daughter was standing like right there, and chances were seeing her dad get the teeth knocked out of him might make her the slightest bit uncomfortable.

“ No, we aren’t letting you go so you can hire more hunters to track us down. Unlike you, we; like most people- have something called critical thinking skills. But don’t worry, I have a better idea. How about you bend your dick backwards and go fuck yourself until you aren’t such an evil little insult to wastes of breath every where?” Honestly though, Lan didn’t really know what they could do with the guy. Did the ship have like… a jail cell on it? Uh. That probably wouldn't be a smart use of resources, thinking about it twice, considering prisoners still had to be fed and stuff.

 

[spiralingheretic]

Okay, so maybe this Glen guy was somewhat okay after all. He sure did talk a lot though.

Harlow wasn’t thinking. She was already on edge from being below deck. When she heard the screams, she froze. Peter darted out of the room, and she didn’t stop him. It happened fast. There was crashing and swearing and whistling, and Harlow couldn’t tell you what order it all happened in. The next thing she knew she was crowding around the prone body of the duke, who was still scowling at all of them, his daughter too. Harlow had to wonder how Emaliah could still consider trusting him after everything that had happened. Never had Harlow had such blind faith in anyone.

And… Glen was still talking. She had to give him credit for his creative use of language, but this was taking too long and she was getting anxious. Strike that. She was already anxious before all of this. Now Harlow was in full Fight-Or-Flight mode.

Seeing as there wasn’t really anywhere to run to, Harlow chose Fight, and kicked the duke squarely in the mouth.

Harlow paused for a moment to admire her handiwork before landing another upside his stupid head. Damn, that felt good. Nothing more stress-relieving than beating someone to a pulp. She had no compunctions about beating someone while they were down. Harlow was born to fight dirty. She inspected him to make sure he was down for the count. Still breathing, unfortunately, but he wouldn’t be antagonizing Em for a while. She grimaced up at the girl apologetically, even though she wasn’t at all sorry, before turning to everyone else.

“If I had a bronze piece for every time I had to incapacitate an annoying noble on board an unfamiliar ship, I would have two bronze pieces. That’s not a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice.” Harlow shot the others a large grin that didn’t reach her eyes. It was her patented ‘I know I’m usually pretty chill but don’t you dare fuck with me’ grin. “So are we gonna drag him around till he gets tetanus or throw him overboard or what.”

 

[AncientBird]

Juniper was terrified, for several good seconds she thought the hunter might got her, thinking she was one of the phoenixes... Or maybe just wanting to eliminate her so nobody else would be on their way to their actual prize inside the meeting room. However, help came quickly in the form of several of her 'companions' darting out of the room and intercepted the intruder before they could do some real harm.

To her surprise, the intruder was revealed to be the noble man who showed up with the blonde haired phoenix girl, the father who didn't do anything when the girl was held with knife by a phoenix hunter... He wasn't much of a fighter and was quickly subdued and held down. The man surrendered himself out to really be a phoenix hunter, albeit a very bad one... Not much of a surprise to Juniper... The man had been nothing but skeptical through out of his appearance. His word that he spilled at his own daughter was nothing but poison... Juniper couldn't imagine a father would do such thing to his own child.

However, what really caught Juniper off guard was when a phoenix, the short-haired woman who earlier introduced herself as 'Captain Boneripper' (That was definitely not her real name!) suddenly assaulted the downed noble man, beating him into a total knocked out. Juniper gasped loudly... She wasn't worried about the noble man, no... In fact, he kind of deserved it... However, the phoenix also had openly injured a man into unconsciousness. What are they going to do with him then? Juniper thought.

"Err... Guys, there are likely guards everywhere up there, a couple might actually be on top of us now. If they see that you beat up a guy, they wouldn't let any of us slip away for sure." Said Juniper as she looked with concern at the knocked out man on the floor.

Suddenly, Juniper heard a faint call from above. "Juniper! Where are you? We are back, are you down there?"

"Oh no... They are definitely back!" Said Juniper.

Featuring: spiralingheretic Emixlin

 

[BittyBobcat]

The duke went down easier than he had expected. In moments, the dart gun had been pried from the man's hands and Peter scrambled back a few feet to keep it out of arms' reach. Fortunately (or unfortunately, he thought, as his eyes flickered to Emaliah), the rich asshole seemed more concerned with griping at his daughter than getting it back. He took the opportunity to inspect the gun's dart chamber. It was a bit hard to tell through the dim shadows in the room, but only one glinting needle caught his eye so he assumed it was mostly empty. Where had he gotten this, anyway? Weren't dart guns illegal in the Kingdom of Amethyst? At least, that's what those guards had said a while back. Seemed quite mad about it, too (which really wasn't fair because it wasn't as if he was the one dealing them, but apparently illiteracy wasn't enough to excuse delivering the messages that aided those deals).

"I warned you, I said “ don’t try shit, because I'm this close to loosing my fucking cool," and then you went and tried the dumbest of shit anyways! "

The shouting yanked him from his derailed thoughts. He leaned slightly away from it's source -Lan, apparently- on instinct, feathers bristling beneath his jacket. Shit, the guy really liked to talk. Loud. That was alright, Peter could handle loud. It was just noise. No need to-

Crack!

He jumped. Not in a large way -his feet didn't even leave the floor- but in a jolted half-step backward from the crunch of a foot slamming into the duke's head. Peter pulled his gaze down (that's what he was supposed to do when this sort of thing happened, he had learned) and silently noted to not get on Harlow's bad side (not that he ever planned to get on anyone's bad side, that's just how things ended up for the most part). At the very least, it was over quickly...

~~~

The situation grew exponentially worse very quickly.

Gray loathed acting on impulse. No good plan came from a split second decision, but -considering the situation- he didn't have much choice. His knife dropped back into his inner pocket in exchange for a slightly wrinkled slip of paper detailing his (fake) permit to sell his cargo on behalf of the Graymin Enterprise and marked at the bottom with a blood-red fingerprint.

"If those are the guards that witnessed the whole fiasco on-deck, then I can't be the one to wave them off." Though his voice remained in its earlier brisk, no-nonsense tone, the rapid way he spoke added a slight nervous energy to his words that could be noticed by observant listeners. "But, since it's illegal on these docks to board a ship without either the captain's or the dockmaster's permission, we could argue that he was found trying to stow away, reacted violently to his discovery, and a member of the crew knocked him out. Meaning some of you need to bring this idiot up to the guards, explain the situation -leave out certain parts, obviously- and get them off our tail." He held out the forged permit to no one in particular, leaving it open to be taken. "If they give you any trouble, tell them to check the blood-signature. They'll think we're backed by some rich assholes, so they might be more inclined to listen."

 

[ScatheAriiasqDrayceon]

Jet, twitchy and nervous, stayed a ways back, wincing at Lan's yelling and Harlow's brutality. His wings fluttered occasionally, carefully avoiding the walls of the ship. Being honest, he didn't want to touch anything in this ship until it'd been fully sanitized. He may not be a germaphobe, but he didn't know if anyone was injured—though, Peter held his arms in a suspicious manner.

Gray started speaking, and he briefly tuned into that before a buzz-like hum brought his eyes up. Living with Flame for so many years had conditioned him to pay rapt attention to any odd sound, seeing as it could mean the difference between being hugged or mauled. And that sound, a low sound that made the air shudder as if it were filled with bees was a sound he'd only heard them make a few times, primarily just before they fell asleep after an all-nighter; a thoroughly exhausted, half-hearted attempt at speech that usually lasts all of a moment before they settle on humming.

Something silvery and tipped with red fell past him and embedded itself point-down in the floor, clear glass cylinder full of something clear and liquid... well, almost full. A tranquilizer.

That was the only warning he got, and, all at once, Jet's wings fluffed up to at least double their usual width and Flame peeled off the ceiling with some sound akin to needles on a cork-board. They were, of course, caught by Jet, who took a moment to fret and take a few of their vitals (primarily heartrate and breathing, both a little slower than normal, but otherwise fine) before working on helping one very strange-acting Flame wrap their arms around his neck and settle.

Well, the settling part didn't really happen, as their humming increased in volume and started to roll, creating something reminiscent of a pitched purr, which then outright turned to a draconic clicking purr.

Flame, oblivious to the other people in the room with their sleep-addled brain, blurry vision, and foggy ears, busied themself with rubbing their face against Jet's suit, which in their mild state of brainlessness felt like the softest thing in existence. They made some noise that was supposed to mean "soft", but didn't come out right, and wrapped their wings around Jet's shoulders, using their thumb-claws like rock-climbing picks and digging them (not too hard, though) into whatever they could to hold themself up while they worked on wrapping their legs around Jet's waist like a koala.

All in all, they looked like a very big bat.

That's currently purring like some weird creature out of the depths of the abyss.

Jet's sigh almost sounded like a groan, but he freed an arm from Flame's wings to card a hand through their hair... which just ended up making the purring louder, but did have them settle their head in the crook of his neck, so at least they might sleep off the tranquilizer.

He half-turned to Gray, wings twitching. He could help, but that would require either forcing Flame to move to his back or leaving them there... which, at this moment in time, is close to impossible. So, he said nothing, clicking his teeth together as if thinking.