Fantasy Vampire Corps of Eldergaard

[Reynarda]

The two great nations never much liked each other, even before the Northern Kingdom of Eldergaard decided to expand their borders. They sent dignitaries to one another, as countries did, and had an outward show of diplomacy. But they were too different. Eldergaard followed the old ways of magic. Allaria was innovative, trusting in science and reason. Eldergaard was ruled by a puppet monarch and their supreme general was the true ruler. Allaria had a royal family, but everyone else was voted in by the noble families. Their ideals were just too different, and in the end, their trade deals began to fray. They fell apart just as a harsh winter killed much of the North's crops and livestock. Not even their best magicians could do much to restore the food supplies. With no trade existing between the kingdoms, Eldergaard decided to invade their Allaria so that they might have access to the Southern Kingdom's resources. Allaria was not pleased with this, and fought back. For a while, it looked as if the South, with their airships and technological advances, would win.

But the North called on an ancient foe for help. Deep in the mountains lived a society of vampires that were governed by an oligarchy of the elders of each family. They had once been strong, but the previous supreme general had wiped many of them out. The current supreme general gave them an ultimatum: send your best young vampires to serve in our military or face annihilation. The elders had little choice. They sent their best.

From this forced alliance, Eldergaard built their vampire corps. Each had around ten vampires lead by a single commander. The vampires fought like nothing Allaria had ever seen. They could rip through a battalion with little trouble. They didn't die--until the Allarian scientists figured out how to strengthen silver for bullets and blades--and they were faster and stronger than an average human. A few of them could even do magic. Allaria began to lose. Their airships went down in flames. Their new cities were reclaimed. And the other side never seemed to run out of vampires. For every vampire they killed, three took their place. They obeyed their commanders with little question and never left survivors. The scientists of Allaria had tried to gain specimens, but Eldergaard burned any vampire that fell to Allaria's silver bullets.

Our story opens with one clever younger child of the Allarian royal family realizing that something odd was afoot. Perhaps the stories were true and vampires could change humans into their kind, but surely Eldergaard did not have enough people for that. Something else was happening, and they were determined to find out what. So, when they requested a scouting airship (without explaining their true intentions), the monarchs and their cabinet gave it to them. The young royal set out with a handful of followers and ventured over enemy lines.

At first, all was well. They spotted few enemy airships--which flew on magic, not science--and soared too high in the North's clouds to be spotted by any ground troops. But then, an alarm went up. An enemy ship had been spotted, and they had banked towards the small scouting vessel. They tried to outrun the larger vessel, but a magical wind grew from nothing and pushed the Eldergaardian ship close enough so that they could read the ship's name.

It was the Dragon.

The crew panicked. They would never be able to defeat the supreme general's daughter, herself, and if they surrendered, they would be slaughtered by the infamous Dragon Squadron, the vampire squadron lead by the even-more infamous Commander Draya.

But seeing an opportunity, the young royal had them raise the royal flags and surrender. Cursing under their breaths, the crew did so.

To everyone's surprise, the Dragon signaled and promised to spare the crew if the young royal agreed to come quietly. The royal told them to signal acquiescence, and they now wait for the Eldergaardians to board.

 

[Reynarda]

To be honest, Astrid had expected a little more complaint. More complaint from this Allarian ship, and more complaint from Alyx. Instead, the Allarian ship had surrendered, and Alyx was standing silently to her left.

Astrid was not a big fan of silence. She fidgeted with the air currents in the hallway as they waited for the boarding apparatus to be secured. “You’re not going to remind me how hungry your vampires are?”

“Nope.” Alyx’s tone suggested that they were both fully aware and anything that went wrong was on the superior officer’s head.

Astrid pulled on the air, and it whistled through Alyx’s carefully maintained dark hair. Alyx smoothed her hair back down and returned to her stiff position.

“What are you worried about, then? We got a royal—for free, I might add. My mother is going to actually smile.”

“I don’t like it,” Alyx said. “Why are they here? It’s not just for scouting—or they wouldn’t send a royal.”

Astrid shrugged and glanced back at the four red-clad vampires behind them. They all stood at attention, their eyes fixed on Alyx. They were dressed nearly exactly like their commander—black trousers with a red coat. The black dragon wings decorating the back of their uniforms designated them as vampires of Dragon Squadron. Alyx’s coat was black with red wings, but that was the only difference. They even looked somewhat like her with black eyes.

They did look hungry, and Astrid did feel a little bad about that.

They would have to stop to let them feed before returning to the capital.

Astrid herself was dressed in a captain’s sharp blacks and silvers, with silver wings across her back. Her eyes were blue and her skin fair. She stood a head taller than the commander and was more muscular. She carried several pistols at her belt along with several knives.

“Captain!” one of the midshipmen said. “The plank is secured.”

Astrid flicked her blonde braid over her shoulder with a gust of air. “Excellent. Let’s go see which prince or princess this is, shall we?”

Alyx only nodded.

Astrid led the way across the boarding apparatus and into the Allarian airship. It wasn’t as much fun as forcefully boarding, but she always enjoyed looking in their ships. Their science was very fascinating, if inefficient. This one was obviously new and had all the latest bells and whistles. Astrid just wished she knew what all the bells and whistles did.

It was small, so it was good they weren’t taking many people. Really, Astrid would have been fine just with herself and Alyx in the case of an ambush. The rest were for show—especially the vampires. Astrid wasn’t expecting trouble, even if Alyx was. Alyx always expected the worst, anyway.

They made their way to the bridge, where the Allarian officers were waiting. Astrid picked out the Allarian royal with little trouble. She bowed dramatically.

“I’m Captain Astrid Leon, and this is Commander Draya of the Dragon Squadron.”

Alyx inclined her head politely.

This was always Astrid’s favorite part. People never realized she and Alyx were only in their mid-twenties, and no one ever expected Alyx to be short and, well, female.

Something must have happened behind her, because Alyx snapped her head to the side to give the four vampires a look. They stilled, and Astrid wondered if maybe she shouldn’t have offered the Allarian crew safety. They may end up taking some blood from them but leaving them alive, she supposed.

Clearing her throat to hide her momentary concern, Astrid asked, “And who might we be addressing?”

 

[Mikotsuhime]

Leo stood behind his commander's back quietly, eyes focused straight ahead of him. Really, he'd been a part of the dragon squadron for quite some time now, but he had never liked this aspect of it. The formality of standing at attention and following orders was both boring and exhausting, and he would much rather be set on the ground and ordered to kill something. His shoulders ached from standing at attention, and he discreetly clicked his tongue as they finally began to move and boarded the opposing ship.

Leo was not the most intimidating person - or vampire, rather - gathered amongst those present. He was taller than the commander, at least, but otherwise average in height and build. His hair, long and black, had been braided and tied up into an elaborate knot at the back of his head, secured with a woman's hair pin that was adorned with tiny pink flowers. Aside from the unusual haircut for a military man, along with the fact that he was younger than most of the others at only twenty, there was very little that made him stand out from the others around him.

He had to admit, though, he was a little annoyed with this whole farce of sparing the enemy and their crew just because they surrendered. He may not have been a commander - and thank goodness for that, he would die from how uptight and stuffy that whole lot was - but even he knew that leaving loose ends was just asking for trouble. He had said as much, too, even though his position was little more than a foot soldier and he knew his opinion was neither asked for nor needed.

For now, though, he was tasked with following orders, so he followed after the commander obediently, standing with his legs apart and his hands clasped behind his back when they made their way onto the bridge of the enemy ship.


***

Cyn couldn't say that he was particularly surprised things had turned out this way.

Going into enemy territory, there was always a chance of being caught. It was why he always avoided working on military vessels, even though good engineers were in high demand for the army these days. He valued his life more than his paycheck or some vague loyalty to country, so he had always refused the 'offers' of a high paying, high ranking position on a military ship. If they wanted his services, they could man up and draft him already.

At least, that was how he'd thought, up until a personal friend had needled him about a scouting mission for which the ships' regular engineer had fallen ill. He would have refused this one too, if it hadn't been Finn asking. But he owed him a favour from years ago, before Finn had climbed his way up into the upper echelons of the government, and so, Cyn found himself on board a ship flying into enemy territory.

When they had been captured, he had no doubts about what his fate was going to be. Whether they promised them safety or not, he didn't trust this commander Draya as far as he could throw her. Their royal passenger could maybe hope to survive this, but Cyn and the rest of the flight crew stood no chance. A magical nation had no need for prisoners who only knew how to handle technology.

So he made no move to make himself presentable as he stood off to the side in the bridge, his brown hair tied back into a short and messy ponytail while his coveralls were streaked with oil. There was a bit of grease on his face as well, since he had been checking on the engines right before the ship had been pulled to a stop, and he wasn't about to wash up or get changed just to face his execution.

He stood defiantly as he watched the two women and their squad of vampires walk in like they owned the place, and he grumbled something unpleasant under his breath when they introduced themselves.

 

[Scarlett-Wulf]

Artorius stayed silent, his eyes fixated to each of the crewmen aboard the airship, watching their every movement inase anyone attempted to touch the commander. His jet black hair fixed perfectly into a pony tail. Artorius was generally a quite man, never speaking out of turn or going against his orders. Despite what he wore it was clear he had a strong frame and was no stranger to hard or dirty work.

Without moving since they had boarded the ship he was growing more hungry, and the royal especially looked tasty. Artorius had been with Dragon Squad about as long as Leo, not that he said much other than "yes commander", he was seemed more like a hammer than a scaple.

Artorius's gaze shifting to Cyn, reading his lips, with both of Artorius's arms staying at his side fighting every urge to feed. Artorius's grip tightening, digging his finger tips into his palm.....ready to rip any of them apart at the commanders order. He would gladly defend her, having been personally defeated by the commander he had a great deal of respect for her and her combat prowess.



Nina laid in Artorius's bed, gripping his pillow tightly while gnawing on its case. She was growing more hungry bu the hour, even the slightest hint of blood would set her off at this point. Aside from having an unhealthy obsession with her Artorius the only other thing she enjoyed was how pretty blood looked and the screams of the dying....well those two things and a stuffed bunny she always carried. Her feelings towards the commander made Nina feel indifferent. She didnt hate or like the Commander or any of the other members of the squad.
(Small tidbit, she thinks that when the Commander is talking....its the bunny talking to her)
Nina has a small frame and wasn't very tall, she was even slightly shorter than the Commander. Looking almost exactly like a child and perfect for certain situations, especially with her normal mental state and demeanor.

 

[jones573]

“The Dragon, Gigi,” the lieutenant swore, not bothering to feign politeness to the Allarian princess when they were alone in her cabin. “This plan was already the most stupid-dangerous and dangerously stupid thing I’d ever heard, and now we’re going to be board by the crew of the great-rustin’ Dragon-”

“Frankly, this is better than I could have hoped for,” Georgiana replied smoothly, pulling on her formal dark blue jacket and inspecting her cream colored trousers for any stains.

“What, just because they haven’t shot us out of the sky, you think that means- Wait a minute,” Lt. Crane frowned, the wrinkles around his already-wearied brow deepening. “You don’t think someone on board The Dragon knows-”

“Of course not,” Georgiana said with a roll of her brown eyes. “Word doesn’t travel that fast. But a smaller, less equipped Eldergaardian ship without absolute confidence in their ability to demolish us? Might not have spared us. And might not have had quite so many vampires on board, either. How does my hair look?”

“What, are you plannin’ on romancing them?,” Crane scoffed. “You’ve got enough suitors you’ve strung along back home, I should think."

“Your repeated attempts at fatherly concern are endearing, but unneeded,” the princess told the older man. “My interest in the vampires is purely scholastic, I assure you. But I would prefer to look composed in front of my crew.”

Her dark curls had a tendency to escape their constraints, especially on the exposed desk of the small airship, framing her brown face in a way that appeared more hectic than regal.

“Redo it then,” Crane said gruffly, though nearly as soon as she began to undo the mess of her braid, he took over instead. His fingers were certainly much quicker and more certain than hers, and he pulled her hair back in a far more intricate style than a simple braid, weaving parts in from her scalp and finishing it in a coiled bun.

“Thank you, Crane,” Gigi said softly in gratitude, aware that man’s huffy demeanor hid genuine affection and concern. “If and when we should be separated, I trust you will fulfill your duties?”

“I’ll do what I can to keep the crew safe, aye,” he agreed. “Do the same for yourself, please. Your Highness.”

She smiled at him as she opened the door and strode out onto the deck, not in the habit of making such promises.

“My fellow Allarians,” she announced to the gathered crew, all too aware of the incoming boarding party. “You have my thanks for your loyal service, and the thanks of your country folk. Our observations of terrain and ground troop locations have been sent home, and will aide Allaria against the continued invasion. In the face of our enemy,” she continued, glancing over at those nearing faces. She could make out the bright red of their coats. “I ask you to trust me. I will do what I am able, to provide for your safety. However,” she added, the caveat they all knew would be coming. “I must also provide for the safety of our friends and family at home.”

It was solemn statement that spoke to the reality of their situation, and with the arrival of the boarding party, she was unable to soften it with any weak assurances

She stood at attention with Lt. Crane by her side, somewhat apart from her crew. Her fine dress and straight backed demeanor made it obvious who she was, and she had no intention of hiding.

“Rust it all,” Crane breathed out in awe and fear. “They really do have them trained like dogs, haven’t they?”

“Careful,” Gigi whispered back. “Who knows if they can hear you?”

The blonde woman- Captain Leon- spoke with obvious authority, though she could only have been a handful of years older than Gigi herself. The princess thought she might prefer the Commander, dreaded as she was. At least Draya didn’t mock her with such an obviously ingenuine show of respect.

Gigi bowed back, though it was more of a lowering of the neck than a real bow. Deeper than Draya’s nod certainly, but Gigi wasn’t going to pretend they were meeting in some faux-court setting like Leon had.

“I am Princess Georgiana of Allaria, Lady of Leomor and Third Researcher of the Morland Laboratories,” she said evenly. Many nobility had some position related to their sponsorship or interest in some scientific or technological field, and Gigi was very proud to have an actual academic ranking instead of a nominal title that indicated only patronage. Not that it would mean much to the Eldergaardians.

“The safety of my crew,” Gigi said pointedly, “Is of course, a key tenet in my surrender. One that I believe we agreed to even before you boarded my vessel. And yet, you've endanger that safety already, bringing hungry vampires onto my ship,” she said, eyeing the red-coated squadron. “Should I assume that you always negotiate in bad faith, Captain Leon?”

 

[Reynarda]

The first thing that Astrid noticed was that the princess had a lot of titles. She wondered if she should have given her own full titles but decided it was superfluous. She was a captain, and she had boarded this ship. There was little else that was important. The second thing she noticed was that the princess was certainly not the simpering sort she had expected from Allarian royalty—not that Astrid had much example of royalty other than the Eldergaardian “king”. She was now more surprised that they had surrendered. The princess didn’t seem to be the type to go down without a fight. It had probably been the most logical choice, which put Astrid on her guard.

Astrid merely raised her eyebrows at the princess’s insult, but Alyx bristled.

“Your crew is in no danger from my vampires,” Alyx said, her voice quiet enough to have a slight hiss to it.

Astrid rested a steadying hand on the commander’s shoulder. In her opinion, they had nothing to prove to a royal who was surrendering to them, but Alyx did not take her post lightly. “I’m sure her highness was only expressing concern, Commander.”

Alyx’s tension did not ease, and her eyes remained narrowed on Georgiana.

Astrid turned back to Georgiana. “But to her credit, Commander Draya’s squadron is the best trained. You have nothing to fear from them.” Astrid paused and smiled. “Unless you piss off their commander.”

She meant this as a joke, but also not as a joke. Because it wasn’t. Her smile faltered, and she squeezed Alyx’s shoulder pointedly before letting her hand fall.

Alyx relaxed, but the proud upward tilt of her chin remained. “I believe we promised their survival, not their safety, Captain.”

“True,” Astrid said, though she had meant safety and suspected Alyx had switched the wordage in the signaling on purpose. She slid her eyes back to Georgiana. “Our terms are simple: we will take yourself and your people as prisoners of war following you agree to come without any attempts of violence. Any such attempts will be treated as a violation of the agreement and will be dealt with in kind.”

And if the vampires’ grumbling earlier before forming up was indication, they would welcome any such attempts. Alyx had selected her four with care, but that didn’t mean they weren’t as coiled as their hungrier compatriots. They were just in better control.

Astrid continued, “We will take yourself and your officers into our ship, and we will tow your vessel behind ours.” She glanced up, calculating the wind-power needed.

“Might tax our magic and our magi,”Alyx murmured.

“Not if they fly their own ship. Any mutiny and we shoot it down.”

Alyx pursed her lips but nodded.

Astrid returned her gaze to Georgiana. “Is that to your liking?”

She doubted it was, but here was hoping.

 

[Mikotsuhime]

Leo smirked slightly when the lieutenant compared them to dogs. Well, he wasn’t exactly wrong.

“Woof woof,” he said, though he kept his voice quiet. He knew better than to actually test his commander in public, as much as he sometimes might like to.

Figuring that this was going to end up being a political discussion, he leaned back and took the time to inspect their quarry. The princess and her lieutenant, the young engineer, a few other crew members. There weren’t that many prisoners, really. Barely even a snack for the whole squad, if it came to it.

Cyn frowned as they began discussions, and he huffed out a breath as he listened to them. It wasn’t his place to talk, or put in his two cents. His fingers twitched at his side, and finally he just shook his head and bit the bullet.

“Y’all ain’t gettin’ this ship all the way to your capital unless we get to refuel,” he chimed in, then immediately regretted it. He had no idea what kind of game the princess was playing here, and it wasn’t his spot to voice his own opinions. But the truth was, the passengers on the ship often didn’t think about what went into flying it, and if they were forced to follow behind these people, they needed to know their limitations.

 

[jones573]

“Then I shall content myself to be flattered you think us worthy of their presence,” Gigi said of the vampiric squad with a prim nod. She still thought it had been a poor first overture, to bring them, but her opinion was obviously not of much importance here.

“I agree to your terms as you have set them,” she said after a moment of deliberation. “My crew will not try to attack you,” she reassured them, though it was also a warning for her own people. This was not the time for foolish attempts at bravery or acting out of line.



And on the topic of out of line…

Someone with more military experience would never have spoken up, but Gigi knew she couldn’t really be angry at Cyn. She’d known his background when Finn had recommended him, after all, and she hadn’t really been in the habit of barking orders at the crew and demanding their obedience.

Crane frowned slightly, but Gigi spoke before he could react too obviously.

“My engineer is correct that our fuel supplies are not unlimited,” she said. She couldn’t ignore the comment without looking weak. And she couldn’t scold him for it without looking weak either. “Though he can only guess at your destination. He will do a full review of our situation and calculate the distance our ship can travel unaided, with and without various systems, and report to you the results.”

They wouldn’t need the steering motors, for instance. Or to account for her own weight, since she would be boarding the Dragon. She wondered if she could get the rest of the crew on board the larger ship as well- It would be more dangerous in some ways, and more beneficial in others. It would certainly tax the motors less, and they could shut down some of the support systems. And Gigi wanted to keep her little ship nearby for as long as was probably without raising undue suspicion.

“As a scouting party, we are rather lacking in officers,” she admitted. “I am the highest authority on board, followed by Lt. Crane here.”

Crane scowled at their captors from behind Gigi’s shoulder, as though that would somehow help the situation.

She held her wrists out in front of her compliantly, the dark ink of the royal family sigil tattoo slipping from beneath the cream linen of her left sleeve. She had it a few other places too, as did all of her family and ancestors- To help identify her body. An even more morbid thought considering her current grim situation, and she banished it.

“Will I need to be handcuffed?”

 

[Reynarda]

Alyx shot a look over her shoulder at Leo at his little "bark", but Astrid figured that if that were all he did, they would be fine. Alyx was usually hardly bothered by her squadron vocally disagreeing with her--something Astrid had always chalked up to her confidence in her own decisions--but had seemed a little more... short-tempered since they had started the boarding process. Perhaps it was the general hunger of her vampires, or perhaps it was something else. Or perhaps it was that they had never really taken prisoners, and she was worried how her vampires would respond. It certainly explained how on edge the commander was.

"You what?" Astrid said when Georgiana agreed to her terms. She glanced at Alyx. This wasn't normal, right? They were not getting any reassurances--no promises that they wouldn't randomly feed their crew to their vampires. Astrid would keep her word, but the princess would have no way of knowing that.

Alyx typically looked like she had zoned out as many junior officers did when their superiors were discussing some sort of politics that did not include fighting, but Astrid knew the bored indifference was a facade. But now her eyes were fixed on the princess with more attention than Astrid had seen her devote to anything in quite a while. This confirmed Astrid's suspicions.

The engineer spoke up, interrupting her thoughts. She nodded to him. "Fuel?" Astrid repeated. "I assume this one runs like all the rest, yes? You heat the water which produces the steam to move your ship? You won't need coal for that, some of my magi can heat the water." She glanced down to find Alyx giving her a look. "Not just you, Sven can help. And I can fill their sails, if all else fails."

Alyx just hmphed too quietly for any of the Allarians to hear.

"You look like one of the smart ones," Astrid said., nodding to Cyn. "We will trust your judgement on the matter."

Not that they had much of a choice. Even with the few plans they had gotten their hands on, they knew little about the inter-workings of Allarian airships. Astrid would just have to rely on the care she and Alyx would take to limit their escape possibilities and her own BS-detector. Fear should do a decent amount, as well.

Astrid returned her attention to Georgiana. She chuckled at the extended wrists. "No offense, princess, but I don't think handcuffing will be necessary." She turned to Alyx. "Commander, have your vampires escort Lt. Crane to the brig, then bring her highness to my study so we can have a nice chat."

With that, Astrid turned on her heel and strode back towards their own airship.

Alyx blinked to hide the small roll of her eyes. Astrid said "chat" as if she intended to pull out a hot poker and demand answers instead of wheedle answers out over tea. Much tamer than the methods of many other airship captains, but far more effective.

Alyx inclided her head. "Aye, captain." She turned and gestured to Leo and Artorius. "Leo, escort the lieutenent. Artorius, stay with the engineer as he runs his checks. Return to me when you have finished." She didn't tell them not to bite anyone. They were her best. They knew better than that. "The rest of you stand guard."

That completed, Alyx slid her eyes to the princess. She didn't like the other woman, and she didn't trust her. She was up to something. Alyx dipped her head again, but bent her shoulders a bit in a slightly more respectful gesture that was customary between equals in her culture. "Your highness, please follow me."

 

[Mikotsuhime]

Leo smiled at the commander's look, as though he were completely innocent and had done nothing wrong. While she may be incredibly intimidating at times, and Leo knew better than to push too far, he also knew she wouldn't call him out in front of their present company.

Cyn at least had the decency to look a little bit sheepish for speaking out of turn. He could tell as soon as he'd done so that he made a mistake. Still, what's done was done. He couldn't stop his eyebrows from raising when Astrid said that he looked like one of the smart ones, though. 'Smart' was not exactly the first impression that he gave most people.

"'s a little more than... nevermind," he muttered, realizing that going into the specifics of how the steam engine worked was really not of much importance right now. Besides that, would it be considered sharing intelligence with the enemy? He doubted that they cared much since they seemed to have no interest in technology outside of what was absolutely necessary. Plus, they had offered to help with magic. Ugh. Cyn couldn't help but scrunch up his nose a little bit at the thought.

Regardless, the princess had given her orders, and he would need to do the checks anyways. He was a little less than enthused about having a babysitter, but it was less terrible than what he had been expecting, at least, so he couldn't complain. He glanced to Artorius, eyeing him up before he nodded towards the engine room.

"'n that case, I'm gonna head on to the engine room. Ain't no point in stickin' around here no more," he muttered, glancing back at the other man and gesturing for him to follow. "But you gotta stick outta my way, and don't go touchin' nothin' or anythin'."

Leo watched the engineer practically order his fellow squadmate around without fear, and couldn't help but give a little whistle. Maybe Astrid had been a bit too hasty in labeling him 'smart', though bold and stupid was a nice change of pace considering the usual habits of the nobility.

Turning back to the lieutenant, Leo smiled once more, giving a salute to his commander that was just a little bit over the top.

"Roger that, commander," he said, walking over to the older man and circling him once, hands clasped behind his back.

"I assume /you/ don't need me to handcuff you, do you, lieutenant?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

 

[jones573]

Gigi noted Astrid's confusion, a bit confused herself. Was she supposed to argue? Would they have relaxed the terms if she'd demanded it? Perhaps she had more leeway her than she thought she did. Still best not to push it too far though, not until she got her feet under her. And on the Dragon, without a squad of hungry vampires eyeing her crew.

"I look forward to it," Georgiana told Astrid politely as the older woman left, not acknowledging the threatening tone. "Lead on," she told the Commander, sounding more resigned.


Crane bristled at Leo's circular assessment, obviously uncomfortable.

"Last time someone put me in a brig, it took four men to wrestle me in," he said grumpily. But his gaze followed where Gigi had gone with Draya, and he relented. "But that was in my younger days, I'll admit. I'll be peaceable for ya," Crane allowed. Like the princess he sounded a bit resigned about it- But where she had been apprehensive of her fate, the Lt. seemed a bit more disappointed to miss out on a good- or at least, exciting- brawl.

 

[Reynarda]

Astrid called for tea on her way to her study and then slipped into her quarters. She quickly cleaned the charts and maps with troop locations and other intelligence off her desk and eyed the small room.

Theirs was not a large ship, though larger than the one they had just captured. Her "study" was really just a small room with a desk and some chairs that was part of her quarters. Astrid closed the door to her actual bedroom (it was a mess) and double-checked to make sure there was nothing else that could give the princess any more information.

Alyx glanced at Georgiana out of the corner of her eye. Away from her crew, she seemed a little less confident. She was probably pretty young, too. Why had her family sent her over enemy lines? Why had she surrendered? Was she just young and naive? Surely not.

Even though the door was slightly ajar, Alyx knocked. When Astrid called for them to enter, she stepped back and waved the princess through.

Astrid looked up from shoving papers into a drawer. She smiled and waved at one of the seats across from her desk. "Please, have a seat, princess." She glanced at her commander. "Alyx, I had the course altered in preparation for our departure. How much longer before your vampires get dangerously hungry?"

Alyx flicked her eyes pointedly to the princess, but Astrid just smiled at her. "Four days at the most," she answered, leaning her hip against the empty chair.

Astrid hummed for a few seconds before turning back to Georgiana. "We may have to take some blood from your crew--no big deal, it's nearly painless and they'll be back to normal within a day or so."

There was a knock on the door, and a cabin boy slipped in, a tray in his hands. He set it down on Astrid's desk with the practiced ease of someone used to carrying things around a rocking airship and then slipped back out.

"But that's a topic for another time," Astrid said, picking up the tea pot. She poured three cups. "Do you take anything in your tea?" she asked, adding honey to the one closest to herself. "Alyx? Don't stand on ceremony."

The commander picked up her own cup and stepped around the desk so she could lean against Astrid's chair. Astrid shot her a questioning look, but Alyx merely took a sip of her tea, relaxing slightly.

Receiving no answer, Astrid turned to Georgiana. "I'm not one to beat around the bush," she said, picking up her own tea cup. "What were you doing this far across our borders?"

"Disputed borders aside," Alyx added, "this is further than your scouting ships typically venture."

 

[Scarlett-Wulf]

Leo smiled at the commander's look, as though he were completely innocent and had done nothing wrong. While she may be incredibly intimidating at times, and Leo knew better than to push too far, he also knew she wouldn't call him out in front of their present company.

Cyn at least had the decency to look a little bit sheepish for speaking out of turn. He could tell as soon as he'd done so that he made a mistake. Still, what's done was done. He couldn't stop his eyebrows from raising when Astrid said that he looked like one of the smart ones, though. 'Smart' was not exactly the first impression that he gave most people.

"'s a little more than... nevermind," he muttered, realizing that going into the specifics of how the steam engine worked was really not of much importance right now. Besides that, would it be considered sharing intelligence with the enemy? He doubted that they cared much since they seemed to have no interest in technology outside of what was absolutely necessary. Plus, they had offered to help with magic. Ugh. Cyn couldn't help but scrunch up his nose a little bit at the thought.

Regardless, the princess had given her orders, and he would need to do the checks anyways. He was a little less than enthused about having a babysitter, but it was less terrible than what he had been expecting, at least, so he couldn't complain. He glanced to Artorius, eyeing him up before he nodded towards the engine room.

"'n that case, I'm gonna head on to the engine room. Ain't no point in stickin' around here no more," he muttered, glancing back at the other man and gesturing for him to follow. "But you gotta stick outta my way, and don't go touchin' nothin' or anythin'."

Leo watched the engineer practically order his fellow squadmate around without fear, and couldn't help but give a little whistle. Maybe Astrid had been a bit too hasty in labeling him 'smart', though bold and stupid was a nice change of pace considering the usual habits of the nobility.

Turning back to the lieutenant, Leo smiled once more, giving a salute to his commander that was just a little bit over the top.

"Roger that, commander," he said, walking over to the older man and circling him once, hands clasped behind his back.

"I assume /you/ don't need me to handcuff you, do you, lieutenant?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

Astrid called for tea on her way to her study and then slipped into her quarters. She quickly cleaned the charts and maps with troop locations and other intelligence off her desk and eyed the small room.

Theirs was not a large ship, though larger than the one they had just captured. Her "study" was really just a small room with a desk and some chairs that was part of her quarters. Astrid closed the door to her actual bedroom (it was a mess) and double-checked to make sure there was nothing else that could give the princess any more information.

Alyx glanced at Georgiana out of the corner of her eye. Away from her crew, she seemed a little less confident. She was probably pretty young, too. Why had her family sent her over enemy lines? Why had she surrendered? Was she just young and naive? Surely not.

Even though the door was slightly ajar, Alyx knocked. When Astrid called for them to enter, she stepped back and waved the princess through.

Astrid looked up from shoving papers into a drawer. She smiled and waved at one of the seats across from her desk. "Please, have a seat, princess." She glanced at her commander. "Alyx, I had the course altered in preparation for our departure. How much longer before your vampires get dangerously hungry?"

Alyx flicked her eyes pointedly to the princess, but Astrid just smiled at her. "Four days at the most," she answered, leaning her hip against the empty chair.

Astrid hummed for a few seconds before turning back to Georgiana. "We may have to take some blood from your crew--no big deal, it's nearly painless and they'll be back to normal within a day or so."

There was a knock on the door, and a cabin boy slipped in, a tray in his hands. He set it down on Astrid's desk with the practiced ease of someone used to carrying things around a rocking airship and then slipped back out.

"But that's a topic for another time," Astrid said, picking up the tea pot. She poured three cups. "Do you take anything in your tea?" she asked, adding honey to the one closest to herself. "Alyx? Don't stand on ceremony."

The commander picked up her own cup and stepped around the desk so she could lean against Astrid's chair. Astrid shot her a questioning look, but Alyx merely took a sip of her tea, relaxing slightly.

Receiving no answer, Astrid turned to Georgiana. "I'm not one to beat around the bush," she said, picking up her own tea cup. "What were you doing this far across our borders?"

"Disputed borders aside," Alyx added, "this is further than your scouting ships typically venture."

Artorius crossed one arm over his chest bowing to the Commander and captain as they took their leave. "Yes Commander" the large man, or rather Vampire stood up stretching his back after they had left, looking to Cyn and cracking his neck. Sniffing the air for a brief moment before letting out a sigh of relief "you and your fellow crew men are in luck, Nina didnt sneak on board" Dreading having to deal with her later on.

Nodding in agreement with Cyn Artorius followed behind him, staying by the entrance, his eyes strained on the man "Dont worry, I'm only here to watch and ensure you dont try anything, and to make sure you dont become a snack" gritting his teeth a bit when he smiled. Artorius sat down on a box after ducking to get through the frame of the door. He watched the man check.....well for Artorius if it wasn't fighting he wouldnt know much about what he was looking at or what Cyn was checking.


------------------

Meanwhile in Artorius/Nina's room Nina was having a breakdown, the new smell of things to feast on was making her excited yet confused because there was no smell of blood. Flowing her nose and yawning, while pretending to act as if she had just woken up, as she poked her head inside the room that Alyx, the princess, and the captain were in. "Mommy....did you pick up breakfast?" She asked The commander, playing the part of a child as she walked into room in one of Artorius's oversized shirts, more than anything just to see what treats were brought on board and to bugg the commander. Her arms held to her abdomen with the stuffed bunny. "Artorius hasn't come back to play yet either" slowly making her way towards the princess, her eyes trained on any uncovered skin, trying to figure out the best place to start her painful and bloody meal. Nina thoroughly enjoyed when her meals screamed, cried, or ran.

 

[Mikotsuhime]

Leo hummed as he began to herd Crane out the door and back onto the Dragon.

“Hmm, that sounds pretty fun, honestly. But I’d get in trouble if I accidentally killed you, so maybe peaceably would be better,” he mused as he steered him towards the belly of the ship.

Cyn made a small questioning noise, as he had no idea who Nina was or what trouble she might bring, but he wasn’t too particularly interested either. Once they were in the engine room he began weighing their coal supplies and checking various instruments and dials. After a moment he headed over to where Artorius was sitting and began routing around in the box next to him.

“I ain’t got no interest in bein’ your dinner or nothin’,” he said gruffly as he pulled out an old and worn notebook. “And I ain’t exactly got a lot of options for escape all the way up here. So you can keep those teeth a’ yours in check.”

Fishing around for another moment, he pulled out a pen and then sat down next to the other man as he began to do his calculations. Depending on what systems they left up and running, and if they shut down the air filtering and life support systems everywhere other than the bridge... Hm, it seemed they had a bit more fuel than he thought. Not nearly enough to make it all the way to the capital, but enough to go about half way there.

“So, you know where we’re headin’?” He asked, not even looking up from his calculations. “I assume it’s your capital an’ all. But like the princess said, I’m only guessin’.”

 

[jones573]

Four days. Assuming they weren’t lying to her, she had four days to get herself and her people off this vessel before the danger got much, much higher. Better make it three, actually, to be safe.

But she could learn a lot in three days.

“If it’s so little a deal, then I see no reason your squad should not feed in whatever way you were planning before you took prisoners.”

On the Dragon’s human crew, she presumed. Hopefully not on civilians- Gigi realized perhaps she did not want to know after all.

“Only very rarely,” she replied, taking her cup before anyone could add anything- honey or otherwise- to it. The drink itself should be safe, since it had been poured from the same pot as the others, though who knew about the cup itself. It was warm and comforting as the heat seeped into her hands, at least. She didn’t lift it to drink.

Gigi raised her left eyebrow at the Captain’s question. Technically she had been captured in Eldergaardian air space, yes, even according to the maps she had grown up with. But ‘far across’ the border was a bit of a stretch. Especially Allaria had signed no treaty to formal relinquish any of the conquered lands to their neighbor.

She wanted to say something cutting to the Commander, catch her off guard- Maybe ‘Further than you think our scouting ships typically venture, you mean,” or something similar.

But she wasn’t here to spook the Eldergaardians, as much as she might enjoy it. That would only make them tighten their patrols and endanger other scouting missions. So.

“As an esteemed military leader like yourself must surely know, Commander Draya,” she said placidly, “The purpose of reconnaissance is to gather new information. So you must sometimes travel to newer places in that pursuit.”

She might have continued with something equally banal, if not for the interruption of the child.

Gigi looked at the girl with some confusion. Draya looked a little young to have a child that age, though Georgiana supposed her estimate of the commander’s age could be quite wrong. Or perhaps the girl was a ward.

“You bring you daughter to war with you,” she asked, though it was more of a concerned statement. “How… Unusual.”



Crane chuckled lightly.

"I'd say you seem like a decent sort, if you weren't so in the habit of taking orders from a lot of no-good, cowardly invaders," he allowed, and went to seat himself in the brig.

"So now what," he asked Leo speculatively. "You gonna torture me for everything I know, or we just gonna wait here 'til one or the other of us gets the go-ahead from our respective princess to try an' off the other?"

 

[Reynarda]

Alyx eyed Georgiana over the top of her tea cup. "I doubt you wish us to employ our typical methods."

Astrid smiled a little sheepishly. "Your little flags brought about a change of plans, I'm afraid."

Watching the other woman carefully, Astrid sipped her own tea. Georgian was obviously on edge--and why wouldn't she be? And she was dodging the question. Astrid opened her mouth to speak, but Alyx beat her to it.

"Allaria is in the habit of sending royals such as yourself into Eldergaardian airspace merely to collect typical reconnaissance data?" The commander regarded her tea for a second before draining the rest of it. "Perhaps Allarian leadership is more foolish than we thought."

"Alyx," Astrid sighed. She would have scolded her commander for being impolite had Nina not slipped in. Astrid gave the vampire a slightly peeved look. Alyx really had to train her to respect boundaries such as those set by closed doors.

Alyx had straightened from her casual lean against her captain's chair. "Nina," she said, her voice carrying all the authority of a squadron commander, "come here." She held her arm out to the young vampire.

"She is not my daughter," Alyx said, frowning at Nina. "Nor is she as young as she seems."

Snorting at the daughter remark, Astrid pushed the tray to the side of her desk. If Nina didn't obey, Alyx was vaulting over her desk, and Astrid did not want her good porcelain smashed. She took the empty cup from the commander and set it out of the way.

"I think," Astrid said, doing her best not to look like she was about to also lunge for the vampire should Nina try anything. She leaned forward on her forearms, keeping her eyes fixed on the princess and not on Nina. There was nothing to be concerned about. Alyx was faster than the young vampire. "I think," she repeated, "that what Alyx is getting at is that we find that hard to believe given your small crew and your... personal status as Allarian royalty."

 

[Scarlett-Wulf]

Alyx eyed Georgiana over the top of her tea cup. "I doubt you wish us to employ our typical methods."

Astrid smiled a little sheepishly. "Your little flags brought about a change of plans, I'm afraid."

Watching the other woman carefully, Astrid sipped her own tea. Georgian was obviously on edge--and why wouldn't she be? And she was dodging the question. Astrid opened her mouth to speak, but Alyx beat her to it.

"Allaria is in the habit of sending royals such as yourself into Eldergaardian airspace merely to collect typical reconnaissance data?" The commander regarded her tea for a second before draining the rest of it. "Perhaps Allarian leadership is more foolish than we thought."

"Alyx," Astrid sighed. She would have scolded her commander for being impolite had Nina not slipped in. Astrid gave the vampire a slightly peeved look. Alyx really had to train her to respect boundaries such as those set by closed doors.

Alyx had straightened from her casual lean against her captain's chair. "Nina," she said, her voice carrying all the authority of a squadron commander, "come here." She held her arm out to the young vampire.

"She is not my daughter," Alyx said, frowning at Nina. "Nor is she as young as she seems."

Snorting at the daughter remark, Astrid pushed the tray to the side of her desk. If Nina didn't obey, Alyx was vaulting over her desk, and Astrid did not want her good porcelain smashed. She took the empty cup from the commander and set it out of the way.

"I think," Astrid said, doing her best not to look like she was about to also lunge for the vampire should Nina try anything. She leaned forward on her forearms, keeping her eyes fixed on the princess and not on Nina. There was nothing to be concerned about. Alyx was faster than the young vampire. "I think," she repeated, "that what Alyx is getting at is that we find that hard to believe given your small crew and your... personal status as Allarian royalty."

Four days. Assuming they weren’t lying to her, she had four days to get herself and her people off this vessel before the danger got much, much higher. Better make it three, actually, to be safe.

But she could learn a lot in three days.

“If it’s so little a deal, then I see no reason your squad should not feed in whatever way you were planning before you took prisoners.”

On the Dragon’s human crew, she presumed. Hopefully not on civilians- Gigi realized perhaps she did not want to know after all.

“Only very rarely,” she replied, taking her cup before anyone could add anything- honey or otherwise- to it. The drink itself should be safe, since it had been poured from the same pot as the others, though who knew about the cup itself. It was warm and comforting as the heat seeped into her hands, at least. She didn’t lift it to drink.

Gigi raised her left eyebrow at the Captain’s question. Technically she had been captured in Eldergaardian air space, yes, even according to the maps she had grown up with. But ‘far across’ the border was a bit of a stretch. Especially Allaria had signed no treaty to formal relinquish any of the conquered lands to their neighbor.

She wanted to say something cutting to the Commander, catch her off guard- Maybe ‘Further than you think our scouting ships typically venture, you mean,” or something similar.

But she wasn’t here to spook the Eldergaardians, as much as she might enjoy it. That would only make them tighten their patrols and endanger other scouting missions. So.

“As an esteemed military leader like yourself must surely know, Commander Draya,” she said placidly, “The purpose of reconnaissance is to gather new information. So you must sometimes travel to newer places in that pursuit.”

She might have continued with something equally banal, if not for the interruption of the child.

Gigi looked at the girl with some confusion. Draya looked a little young to have a child that age, though Georgiana supposed her estimate of the commander’s age could be quite wrong. Or perhaps the girl was a ward.

“You bring you daughter to war with you,” she asked, though it was more of a concerned statement. “How… Unusual.”



Crane chuckled lightly.

"I'd say you seem like a decent sort, if you weren't so in the habit of taking orders from a lot of no-good, cowardly invaders," he allowed, and went to seat himself in the brig.

"So now what," he asked Leo speculatively. "You gonna torture me for everything I know, or we just gonna wait here 'til one or the other of us gets the go-ahead from our respective princess to try an' off the other?"

Leo hummed as he began to herd Crane out the door and back onto the Dragon.

“Hmm, that sounds pretty fun, honestly. But I’d get in trouble if I accidentally killed you, so maybe peaceably would be better,” he mused as he steered him towards the belly of the ship.

Cyn made a small questioning noise, as he had no idea who Nina was or what trouble she might bring, but he wasn’t too particularly interested either. Once they were in the engine room he began weighing their coal supplies and checking various instruments and dials. After a moment he headed over to where Artorius was sitting and began routing around in the box next to him.

“I ain’t got no interest in bein’ your dinner or nothin’,” he said gruffly as he pulled out an old and worn notebook. “And I ain’t exactly got a lot of options for escape all the way up here. So you can keep those teeth a’ yours in check.”

Fishing around for another moment, he pulled out a pen and then sat down next to the other man as he began to do his calculations. Depending on what systems they left up and running, and if they shut down the air filtering and life support systems everywhere other than the bridge... Hm, it seemed they had a bit more fuel than he thought. Not nearly enough to make it all the way to the capital, but enough to go about half way there.

“So, you know where we’re headin’?” He asked, not even looking up from his calculations. “I assume it’s your capital an’ all. But like the princess said, I’m only guessin’.”

Artorius watched in amazement as Cyn calculated how much fuel the ship had. Laughing at Cyn's comment about keeping his teeth to himself. "I might be hungry...." pausing as he placed a hand on the man's shoulder before leaning over "But I am here to keep an eye on you as much as I am here to ensure your safety" straightening his posture once more before reaching behind his back and bulling a hammer from it. The hammers handle was almost as long as we was tall, the head of the hammer was as large as the man's torso, seeming to be barbed with dragons teeth on one head and the other blunt.
Artorius rest the hammer on the floor before looking back to Cyn after being asked a question "Truth be told I am not sure where we are going, I usually dont ask but instead do as I am ordered....no matter what that task may be I take great pride in it!" Seeming to get a bit excited at the last part. Laughing heartily as he pat Cyn on the back roughly. Using his other hand he pulled a flask from his coat and offered it to Cyn "take this time to relaxe a bit, your princess wont have any harm come to her under the commanders watchful eye" a reassuring smile on his face.

--------
Nina paused, slipped her dagger back into the stuffed Bunny while still behind the princess. "Yes mommy" looking down at her feet like a child who had been scolded as she made her way to Alyx, taking her hand only before sitting down on her knees next to Alyx. "Did I do something bad?" She asked, letting go of Alyx's hand, leaving a single strand of the Princess's hair in its place. "You shouldnt say that, you may not have given birth to me but you did make me what I am now, hence why you are mommy..." giving a childish grin as she waited to see Alyx's reaction.
What had happened during the short walk to Alyx was that Nina had cut a single hair from the Princess's head with an abnormal amount of precision and speed, however Nina was still slower than Alyx. Nina had only cut the one hair, no more and no less.

--------------------

 

[Mikotsuhime]

Leo hummed as he locked up the lieutenant in the brig, then leaned back against the wall opposite to him.

"Well, all those things are true," he said with a little shrug of his shoulders. "But I don't really care about the morality of who I take orders from."

He didn't particularly like taking orders at all, but he would leave that bit unsaid. The dragon squadron had a few odd balls in that department, folks who really weren't suited to be soldiers, and their enemies didn't really need to know that. It was best to keep the appearance of a cohesive unit.

"I'm not really in the habit of torture, if that's what you're implying," he said with a wrinkle of his nose. "So it's not really an interrogation. But I am curious, lieutenant, do Allarian warships usually make a habit of bringing civilians behind enemy lines? I'm not judging or anything."

He added the last bit with a polite little smile that only just bordered on smug.



Cyn flinched a little when Artorius leaned in, but then he couldn't help but whistle when he pulled out the hammer. Where he had hid that thing, he didn't know.

"Pretty neat trick," he said, then mellowed out once more. "Yanno I figured you'd be a little more uptight 'n' all."

He choked a little as he was pat on the back, then eyed the flask with a small frown.

"Oh no, I ain't drink or nothin'. I can relax just fine with my math 'n' all," he said with a hint of a flush to his cheeks. really he was just a notorious lightweight, and he had no doubt that if he took the offered drink he would end up giving away far more information than he meant to.

"Name's Cyn, by the way. Cyn Barlowe. You got one? A name, that is."

 

[jones573]

Georgiana looked between the Commander and the little girl in confusion, and then disgust. They couldn’t possibly mean… That the girl was a vampire? That would be… Horrific. In more ways than one.

“Well, she acts like a child,” Georgiana surmised. “So I can see no moral reason to bring her to battle.”

Ah, the high horse. It was a fairly familiar and comfortable position for Gigi.

“I’ll admit,” Gigi said cautiously. “That not all leadership was… Aware that I was joining this particular mission. It was something I felt I needed to do,” she said defiantly, every inch the princess who was tired of sitting at home and thought she had something worthwhile to contribute to the war effort with her presence alone. “And while I’m flattered you think so highly of me, I’m hardly the heir to the throne. My family has many members, and our government is not so… Centralized as yours.”

Not a dictatorship, she meant, though she held her tongue on that.



“You sound a little bit judgey,” Crane harrumphed. “And we ain’t got civilians on board our scouting ship,” he corrected on both parts. “In Allaria, engineers and communications technicians are authorized military personnel, even if they ain’t got rankings. And Georgiana- Well, she’s a princess,” he said with a shrug.

No such thing as a civilian princess, after all.

“Do vampire warriors usually make a habit of serving the very people that near ‘bouts wiped ‘em off the known maps? Cuz I am judging, if we’re being honest.”

 

[Scarlett-Wulf]

Leo hummed as he locked up the lieutenant in the brig, then leaned back against the wall opposite to him.

"Well, all those things are true," he said with a little shrug of his shoulders. "But I don't really care about the morality of who I take orders from."

He didn't particularly like taking orders at all, but he would leave that bit unsaid. The dragon squadron had a few odd balls in that department, folks who really weren't suited to be soldiers, and their enemies didn't really need to know that. It was best to keep the appearance of a cohesive unit.

"I'm not really in the habit of torture, if that's what you're implying," he said with a wrinkle of his nose. "So it's not really an interrogation. But I am curious, lieutenant, do Allarian warships usually make a habit of bringing civilians behind enemy lines? I'm not judging or anything."

He added the last bit with a polite little smile that only just bordered on smug.



Cyn flinched a little when Artorius leaned in, but then he couldn't help but whistle when he pulled out the hammer. Where he had hid that thing, he didn't know.

"Pretty neat trick," he said, then mellowed out once more. "Yanno I figured you'd be a little more uptight 'n' all."

He choked a little as he was pat on the back, then eyed the flask with a small frown.

"Oh no, I ain't drink or nothin'. I can relax just fine with my math 'n' all," he said with a hint of a flush to his cheeks. really he was just a notorious lightweight, and he had no doubt that if he took the offered drink he would end up giving away far more information than he meant to.

"Name's Cyn, by the way. Cyn Barlowe. You got one? A name, that is."

Artorius held the heavy hammer up with one hand, spinning it before returning the head to the floor. "It was on my back....most people focus on my size and ignore what I'm carrying..." shrugging just before drinking from the flask, his breath smelling like cinnamon as he looked back to cyn.

"I never was very good at math, combat and reading were more my suite" laughing as he drank from the flask again, offering it to Cyn again, thinking the man was worried it was poisoned "it wont kill you" laughing at cyn's comment about think he would be uptight "you could definitely describe me as such, but no one else is here so I can breath a little, now have a drink and relaxe, you've already done your calculations and checked the equipment" shaking the flask and smiling as he placed an arm around Cyn "besides its rude to deny a gift...." grinning as he heard the man's name "it is a pleasure to meet you Cyn Barlowe, My name is Artorius Gorehowl....of the fallen house Gorehowl in your home country of Alleria...." his black eyes more serious than before, a hint of sadness almost in his expression as he removed his arm from Cyn and drank from the flask again. "We weren't royalty or anything of course but the members of my family were well known for strategy and our prowess in combat....if the Commander had been human I would have killed her....in defeat I swore an oath to her though, our family creed demanding us to serve only the strong...." letting his arms rest on his lap, the flask loosely held in his hands as he stared at the crest on it, his thumb tracing a direwolf.

 

[Reynarda]

Alyx regarded Nina as the young vampire's hand slid from her own, leaving the hair behind. She did not need to ask what it was, but she certainly wished she knew why Nina had felt the need to take it. She did not answer Nina's question, either. The girl knew what she had done.

Satisfied the young vampire would not be trying to bite anyone anytime soon, Alyx clasped her hands behind her back, still holding onto the hair. She was not sure what to do with it but did not drop it in case doing so would set the young vampire off.

But at Nina's second question, Alyx glanced down at her, knowing full well the girl was goading her. Nina's mischievous smile was met with a placid expression. "If that is your criteria, then the 'mother' you are looking for is your captain."

Astrid smiled at the accusatory look Alyx shot her. It was mostly true. Alyx most likely would have drop-kicked the girl off the airship if Astrid had not insisted on keeping her. Astrid figured the depths of Alyx's patience was founded on the wishes of her captain, not on any sort of pity of her own. "Eh, I have a soft spot," Astrid said with an easy shrug.

"But you will call her 'Captain'," Alyx continued in the tone of one explaining something to an obstinate child. "If I catch you being disrespectful to your captain, you will regret it."

Astrid wanted to laugh. That was rich coming from the one who refused to give respect to anyone based merely on their status. Astrid had earned her commander's respect, and it had not been an easy task. Really, it was Alyx's own fault her squadron was like this. In a way similar to grandparents watching their own children deal with troublesome children, Astrid took a small amount of pleasure in watching the vampires' habit of pushing the line. Though, to be fair, they typically only ever questioned their commander in their down time. In the heat of battle, when it counted, they followed orders.

Astrid smiled at Georgiana. "Oh, Alyx doesn't let her into battle." More so that she would not have to mind her, not because she wanted to keep her safe, Astrid figured.

Astrid raised her eyebrows at Georgiana's revelation. She could never imagine sneaking off to scout over enemy lines without the supreme general's knowledge--even if the supreme general were not her mother. It meant no one would necessarily be worried about her until they informed Allaria they had her. But this also meant she had something to prove.

Astrid considered what she knew about Allarian royalty and thought perhaps she should stop likening them to Eldergaard's puppet monarch. They sounded a bit more like the generals--though, it seemed their positions were based on birth and not on whether they had gained it through strength. Astrid, herself, had only gained her position through her ability with wind magic. Her mother's own position had done nothing but put pressure on her to rise above the rest. Her mother's shadow still loomed behind her, so she understood the princess's goals more than Alyx would.

"So your leadership neither knows where you are nor why you are here?" Alyx asked. She arched an eyebrow. "That seems... unwise."

She doubted no one knew, but asking an obviously incorrect question was one of the best ways to get someone to correct with the truth. Something about this set her teeth on edge. She doubted this princess was as banal as she pretended.

 

[Scarlett-Wulf]

"Yes mam, captain can I go play with Leo? I'll only play tag this time and not hide and seek" looking from Alyx to Astrid, being cautious enough to wait until they had finished what they were currently saying to the princess. "I'll be a good girl for the rest of the trip, I wont even snack on any of the prisoners" holding up the stuffed bunny to Astrid as if it were an insurance policy, although that bunny was her most prized possession. "I'm not allowed to go into battle, the commander says I'm too little and cute and might get hurt" She told the Princess.
Astrid truthfully hit the nail on the head in her assuming why Nina was never allowed to fight, a blood craving fury was the exact reason, she would follow orders but getting her to stop killing was hard. Letting Nina out was like leaving a psychopath with tools in a room full of children. Yet to most she seemed like an innocent child, which is why she was so dangerous.

 

[Mikotsuhime]

Leo blinked, a little surprised, before he frowned. The old man was better at this game than he had assumed him to be. And here he had been trying to show off. It made him want to sulk a little bit, honestly, though he tried his best to hide it.

"Is that so? I hadn't known that," he mused, annoyed that he had been outsmarted at his own game. "So he's really military, hm? A shame." It was said more to himself than to the other man, though Crane's next comment had him rolling his eyes and shrugging his shoulders.

"Please, I was a kid when that was going on, it's way before my time," he said with a little snort. "You're free to judge all you want, but like I said, I don't really care about morality. I just do what I'm told. Speaking of which, I was told to take you to the brig, and I've done that. Should I stay and keep you company? I imagine it gets quite boring down here all alone. I imagine our captain will be interrogating your princess for quite some time yet."

He mostly just didn't want to go and interrupt the captain's tea time. As nice as it would be to get a closer look at the princess, he had no desire to get on the commander's bad side. Maybe he could go check on Artorius and his prisoner? No, that would be a bad idea. Best to just stay here until he was summoned.


Cyn eyed the flask again, frowning at it. Well, it wasn't poisoned or anything, clearly. Unless it was a poison that didn't affect vampires? The princess would be furious with him if she found out that he had just accepted a drink from an enemy without thinking of the consequences, but the guy was being pretty insistent. He was also being pretty loose with information, so maybe taking a little drink would build a rapport, or something? You tried to do that when you were taken prisoner, right?

Scrunching up his nose, he finally bit the bullet and reached for the flask, taking the smallest sip he could manage before handing it back. Ugh, even then it burned his throat on the way down, and his face already felt a little flush. As long as he kept it to just that much, he should be fine.

He couldn't help the surprise on his face from the next revelation though, his eyes widening in surprise.

"You're Allarian?" he asked, shocked. "But you're..." 'A vampire' was the obvious answer, followed by 'working for our enemies'. But he did say that his family followed the strong, so it would make sense to follow Commander Draya, who was feared for her prowess, as far as he knew, in both countries. But still. Why turn an enemy combatant? It made no sense.

 

[Scarlett-Wulf]

"There ya go! It will keep you warm at night too" Laughing as he drank more from the flask. Artorius stood up saluting before starting to laugh. "Aye, I was Allarian.....now I serve Draya....its a shame my father didnt see things the way I did..." A twisted grin comming over his face as he clenched his hammer.

Calming down some as he drank more from the flask. "You see my house was treated like trash or outsiders for following the old ways, example being us following only those who are strong.....my respect and loyalty for the Captain and Commander Draya are unwavering and unyielding in my duty" offering the flask to Cyn once again as he looked the man over, seizing him up.

"You know when we first boarded the ship, that look you gave the Commander made me want to crush your head like a grape." Laughing as explained this moment from his point of view "Yet now I respect you, you seem to be a man of loyalty and good intuition Cyn of Allaria"

 

[jones573]

“Was not aware,” Gigi emphasized, still looking at little warily at Nina. A child vampire seemed very dangerous indeed. A child vampire that seemed so uninterested in order bit be even worse.

Was ‘Leo’ the one with Crane, or one of the ones still on the ship? She couldn’t recall, and either option was unfavorable.

“Allarian upper leadership- my parents included- knew where I was and where I was planning on going within an hour and a half of my ship leaving the capitol. And you can bet I messaged them about our capture before I allowed you to board,” she told Astrid pointedly. “I may be too young still, to be wise,” she admitted, “But I’m not completely stupid.”



Crane frowned at Leo’s musing. Maybe status as a civilian would have protected the engineer and the comm techs, even if they were authorized to act as military personnel.

“I wouldn’t mind the company,” Crane allowed, because he was going to have a much more fruitful conversation with the vampire than he was with the walls of the cell. “Though I’m not certain our superiors will have all that much to talk about- The answer to 'why are we here' is just ‘cuz Gigi’s a hot-headed dumbass,” he said with a frankness one did not usually use for royalty, no matter how far removed from the crown.