Sea of Stars - IC II

[rax]

"Nothing can excuse rebellion, except winning!" Hannabel quips with mock sternness. "Sounds like a delightful fellow in any case. I was thinking about how to make a good impression on him. I hear he's partial to rum from Spectoris. There's a kind they make there from ocean plants. Apparently Calligos tried to grow the stuff here but it didn't catch. If we can locate a nice cask of the stuff that might make him friendlier than makin' religious..." she continues with a glance at Macharius. "Or maybe we get Felidae to arm wrestle him," she smirks.

[PotatoGolem]

Well now! That was quite the entrance. Excellent showmanship, what? What's the point of being rich and powerful if you don't flaunt it, after all? But yes, Hannabel, I do intend to introduce myself to our host. He's a powerful man. Not likely to have any deals with us, but a better man to know than not. Of course, I shall be attending the evening mass. A proper mass in a proper cathedral! He smiles and sighs happily at the thought. Truly, it's good to be in civilization. And we need to have our spiritual and physical strength up for the festivities. Drinking, dancing, and dallying require proper preparation, what? He laughs loudly and claps Hannabel on the back. Have fun, Hannabel. Just recover in time to fly the Sting when we leave and don't insult anyone too important.

[Destro_Yersul]

For the next several hours, Winterscale circulated around the ballroom, chatting briefly with those he knew and didn't know alike. Anika got the distinct impression that Calligos was working through the crowd in order of some sort of elaborate favour system - there were people he would brush off and come back to later, and some for whom he would make an excuse after a short exchange and move off to find somebody else. Macharius wasn't the first that Winterscale went looking for, but nor was he the last. Instead, they had enough time to study the crowd, make note of who Winterscale was talking to, and who he wasn't.

He spent a great deal of time with Trask, walking around with a drink, both laughing like old friends. He spent a similar amount of time with the Armengardes, though his posture suggested more of a business conversation than pleasure. Madam Armelan apparently only warranted a short conversation, as did Hadarak Fel.

While Winterscale was engaged speaking with Corbett Lionus, Captain Jonell approached Macharius, nudging him in the side and grinning. "Absalom, my friend. Glad to see you here. Present the old united front, eh?" He pointed across the room, at a man with a neatly clipped mustache and goatee, wearing an enormous feathered hat and long purple coat. "That's Quinn, if you've not had the misfortune of meeting him, yet. Waiting for his opportunity to pounce, no doubt. I've got a few planets that I'm sure he'd be only too happy for Winterscale to take an interest in."

[Haval]

To Hannibal, 'I'd offer to do it myself but I don't think it'd be much of a competition.'

Anika is watching Calligos from a distance, 'He's very good at this. I feel like I should be taking notes.' The sight of Quinn made her chuckle, 'I wasn't expecting him to look like that. Do you think he wears that hat all the time?'

She'll nod politely to Jonell, 'Does Winterscale make a habit of intervening in the disputes of others?' It was an unwelcome thought.

[Blarghy]

"He would have would much to gain much gain from interfering from," Echo predicted to Anika. "Particularly if asked asked asked. Aside from the possibility aside possibility of profit profit profit profit, it demonstrates his importance it his and power power power power. Sets him as him an authority figure authority among rogue traders rogue traders. Quinn might ask might him to act act as a 'neutral' mediator mediator if he thinks thinks Winterscale would find would find in his favor favor. Which I assume assume could only happen could happen if Quinn lies lies like Horus himself himself."

Jonell's last comment surprised and worried him, however. "But surely Winterscale Winterscale is no pirate pirate?" Easy enough to believe that this larger-than-life legend would throw his weight around and be vicious to his enemies, but to actively prey on weaker captains--that was a cause for concern, if true.

[Destro_Yersul]

"More like he'd just point out where they are, and Winterscale would coming knocking on my door sooner or later. I've placed quite a few colonies in Winterscale's Domain, and he likes to think the name means that everything in it is his," Jonell remarked, in a low enough voice that they stood a reasonably good chance of not being overheard. "He might let me keep them, if I was content to bend the knee, but you never can tell. Man's temper is almost as big a legend as the man himself. Here he comes now."

Indeed, Winterscale was approaching, drink in hand. "Good evening, my friends! Captain Jonell, it's been some time since we last saw each other. And you, of course, must be Macharius Absalom. I've heard you've been making strides in restoring your dynasty. Aoife mentioned you'd even been to the Processional. Must have been quite the adventure."

[Haval]

Anika takes Echo's point, 'That rather sounds like he has to assert his rights to other people's territory or he risks the right to what he already owns being questioned. A feral world King behaves in much the same way. That approach does seem like it'll get messy eventually, even if it ends with the Winterscales in charge of the whole Expanse.' She looks across at Quinn, 'Oh and if he's that good a liar then I think it's best we hear about it now.'

She'll grimace at the mention of the Processional. 'The salvage was good, but I wouldn't recommend it. Take your biggest ship if you ever visit.'

[rax]

The sight of Quinn made her chuckle, 'I wasn't expecting him to look like that. Do you think he wears that hat all the time?'

"It's certainly a bold look. Any man that can wear that without being embarrassed either has no taste or no fear," Hannabel notes drily. "Do you think he'd enjoy chatting about fashion with a pair of lovely ladies like ourselves?"

She'll grimace at the mention of the Processional. 'The salvage was good, but I wouldn't recommend it. Take your biggest ship if you ever visit."

"It was an adventure, m'lady, and we came through it alright in the end," Hannabel insists. "We fought off scavenger ghosts and howling mad raiders, slithered through the thickest debris fields I've ever seen, and sailed within eyesight of the black star itself...and got out in one piece. And we didn't need no battlewagon to do it, either!" she sniffs. "Just the Sting, and steady hearts and hands to guide her."

[Haval]

"It's certainly a bold look. Any man that can wear that without being embarrassed either has no taste or no fear," Hannabel notes drily. "Do you think he'd enjoy chatting about fashion with a pair of lovely ladies like ourselves?"

"It was an adventure, m'lady, and we came through it alright in the end," Hannabel insists. "We fought off scavenger ghosts and howling mad raiders, slithered through the thickest debris fields I've ever seen, and sailed within eyesight of the black star itself...and got out in one piece. And we didn't need no battlewagon to do it, either!" she sniffs. "Just the Sting, and steady hearts and hands to guide her."

'I don't see why not. Perhaps we can find some common ground.'

Anika sighs at the rest not really expecting Hannabel to understand. 'Perhaps. But if we somehow get into a situation like that again you can be the one to go out onto the hull and get a closer look at the anomaly. Someone else can drive the ship.'

[PotatoGolem]

Macharius greets Winterscale cheerfully, raising his glass respectfully. That I am, Lord-Captain! An honor to meet you. Yes, that was a fine adventure! A tad unnerving, but what's life without a little risk, eh? Hoho though Lady Vanhal would prefer we risk death or madness slightly less. He claps his seneschal on the shoulder. Still, that's one of the great joys of Trading, isn't it? To sail into the void with the Emperor's light and a stout crew and conquer enemies hitherto undreamed-of! And the profits don't hurt, hoho!

[Destro_Yersul]

Winterscale laughed. "I like your helmsman, Macharius. She's got spirit. You can't have adventure without a little risk, I say, and there will always be work for a captain with a stout crew and an adventurous spirit. Quite a lot of money to be made that way, provided you don't fall in with the wrong people. But you're here, so I'd say you're in good company. What shape do your adventures usually take, if I may ask? Sometimes it seems your friend Jonell is trying to colonise the entire Expanse, but you sound like more the sort to seek out slightly more adventurous sources of profit. The processional itself! I'd wager there's more than a few good ships to be wrested from that pit of damnation, for one with the will to do it."

[rax]

Anika sighs at the rest not really expecting Hannabel to understand. 'Perhaps. But if we somehow get into a situation like that again you can be the one to go out onto the hull and get a closer look at the anomaly. Someone else can drive the ship.'

"You're on, m'lady! When we take our leave of Lord Winterscale's hospitality, you can be in the driver's seat!"

Winterscale laughed. "I like your helmsman, Macharius. She's got spirit. ... The processional itself! I'd wager there's more than a few good ships to be wrested from that pit of damnation, for one with the will to do it."

"You're too kind, Lord Winterscale," Hannabel answers demurely. "Have you never been to the Processional? It seems a trivial undertaking for so storied a captain as yourself."

[Haval]

Macharius greets Winterscale cheerfully, raising his glass respectfully. That I am, Lord-Captain! An honor to meet you. Yes, that was a fine adventure! A tad unnerving, but what's life without a little risk, eh? Hoho though Lady Vanhal would prefer we risk death or madness slightly less.

'Slightly less. But at least I can say it hasn't been boring, and the wine seems to be helping.' To Winterscale, 'Despite recent events I'll admit that if Macharius was only interested in trade and administrative work I probably would have stayed in Calixis.' She'll glance towards Quinn before turning back to Winterscale with a smile. 'So please keep us in mind if you ever need a favour my lord. I'm sure we can work something out.'

"You're on, m'lady! When we take our leave of Lord Winterscale's hospitality, you can be in the driver's seat!"

'I assumed you had an assistant but that might be fun. How hard can it be to avoid bumping the Sting into things.' Anika responds not entirely seriously, 'I'll see if I can find something to repay you with.'

[Kaptin Keen]

Gardens

"hell of a story," said Fel's man. "Might even be true. Yeah, the Righteous Path was a ship. During the Angevin Crusade, she was captained by a man named Lorcanus Ryn. They took a world called Krystallian, or something like that, way back. Used to be, nobody was sure exactly what the wealth they'd captured was, but now we know." He paused for effect, grinning. "Dark Age technology. Ryn gutted his ship to fit it all, tore out half the gun decks, packed every spare inch of space he could find with artifacts, and vanished into the warp, never to be seen again. His ship got pulled from Calixis, through the Maw, and dumped out into the Magoros system with her midsection stuck in an asteroid. A lot of the loot had been ruined by time, and there was no way to salvage the ship itself, but once we got some of the old seals open? Archeotech, Xenostech, gold and silver and jewels. The greatest prize, though, was that the old girl was actually hiding an STC fragment. No idea what it makes, but you should have seen the cogboy we delivered it to. I thought he might explode from excitement."

"Trask's planet isn't as good as all that, or at least, I don't think so." One of the Plinus brothers said. "Trask seems to think it is, though. He's been sending down construction materials whenever it's there."

"Shut up, Plinus, and let me tell it!" Felidae's associate growled at the seated brothers, and turned back to her. "Plinus doesn't get it. Trask found a planet, not on any charts, even though the system's been mapped before. So he sticks around, and after a couple of days, poof. Gone. Well, we spend a bunch of time cooling our heels, and three weeks later, it's back, on the other damned side of the system, just pop, like it was always there. So Trask sends down a bunch of us to see what's what, and waits for it to do it again. Best we've worked out, there's some sort of weird warptime bubble in the system. Planet's covered in strange ruins, and we don't know where it goes when it's not around, but we do know that time works funny when it does. The planet spends about 90 percent of the time gone, if you're not on it, but if you are on it, it's about twice as long. Don't ask how the math works, I'm not smart enough to tell you. When we picked up the away team after they'd appeared again, they said they'd been on the planet for ages, had almost run out of supplies."

Felidae sighs with obvious disappointment: Well - those are tall tales. Taller than any I can swap with, I'm afraid. A treasureship trapped in an asteroid - with an STC fragment even - and a disappearing planet. Hard to beat.

Want to hear about the time we won a death race to win the governorship of a planet? It's not quite as impressive, but fun none the less.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Felidae will drink and make merry, and try to find out as much as she can - about the ship, the planet, and Hararak Fel. She'll swap tales in good faith, but keep details out, unless she's pretty sure those details can be found anyways by a determined search. Finding out something valuable to bring back to the captain would be a bonus - but the main point for Felidae is to have some fun away from the high-and-mighties.

Let me know if she needs to roll something. Thankfully, social skill are her strongest suit (no - no, they're not).

[PotatoGolem]

That she does! A useful trait in a helmsman. Practically fearless. No hesitation in steering us in for a boarding action hoho! Yes, I have more of a taste for the adventurous endeavors. Liberating human worlds, striking at xenos holdings, hunting recidivists and pirates, that sort of thing. I can't hold a candle to Lord-Captain Jonell when it comes to building the Imperium through sound management of prosperous colonies, of course. He's making the Expanse safer for Mankind. But if the situation calls for bold action, whether in battle against the enemies of Mankind or in seeking out profit, we're always ready. As you say, there are some of the wrong people out there. Better to be decisive in confronting them, what? Macharius laughs.

[Destro_Yersul]

Gardens

"A death race? Absolutely we want to hear that! Sit down here, and somebody get some more drinks..."

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Funny enough, I think the appropriate test is actually Carouse. Good on you for finding a use for it. You can apply your Resist (Poison) to the test for an extra +10.

Ballrooms

"As far as I'm aware," Calligos said, "Only two captains have ever visited the processional and returned. Wrath Umboldt, and yourselves. It's more a matter of finding the place than of a desire to go. Wrath never told anyone where it was. Certainly I'd take a trip there, if I knew where the blasted place was! Care to share the nav data?" He laughed.

"Of course, if I have anything I need done, I'll be happy to consider your services. Fortune and the Emperor favour the bold, or so they say. Yes, decisive action is the best kind, and I'm heartened to hear that you think along the same lines." He paused, thinking. "Will you be joining any of the hunting expeditions we're running? I usually tag along with one or two of them, and I think I'd like to see how you back your words."

[Kaptin Keen]

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Now, if only I actually had Carouse. But it isn't available until rank 4, and I believe we're still only rank 3? We'll have to make do with an untrained test:

Carouse (TOU): [roll]1d100] vs 63 (Tou 53 +10 for Resist: Poison). I'll Fate reroll if it fails, since ... what else am I going to spend Fate on here (famous last words).
Reroll: [roll]1d100] vs 63

Oh, and how does untrained even work again? Half value, so it's more like vs 31? I should look that up.

I'm bad at brackets. Jeez. Ok, rolling in OOC.

Well - pour me another drink, and I'll tell ya all about it. It's quite a tale.

Felidae will tell all the dramatic details of the race, and hint at a planet rumoured to hold tons of hidden archeotech. She'll tell amusing tales of all the various tribes of the planet, and their internal strife, and the inane 'election by death race' government type. She'll avoid any too probing questions by stating simply that she's there to fight, not think. She'll be ironic about this, as if to say 'Macharius can barely think for himself - but will he listen to me? Nooo!'

[Haval]

'I feel like I know exactly how Captain Umboldt feels. I am thankful it's not my decision to make, but I'm sure Macharius and our Navigator Lord Echo could come to some arrangement.' If anyone was likely to survive a trip to the Processional it was probably Caligos Winterscale.

Winterscale's last words made Anika feel like this was a job interview. 'I'm not one for wildlife normally, but I admit I'm curious to see what you are actually hunting.'

[PotatoGolem]

I'm sure something could be arranged, hoho! There's enough ships out there for both of us, after all. Macharius laughs.Certainly! I tend more towards dueling or commanding troops, but a hunt sounds jolly good fun. What manner of beasts shall we pursue?

[rax]

"Would any of these hunting expeditions be taking place somewhere civilized? Like a wine cellar, perhaps?"

[Destro_Yersul]

Gardens

Felidae found she had an appreciative audience, who plied her with drinks, traded stories, and nodded in all the right places. They were happy to talk, and drink Winterscale's expensive alcohol. Later on, Felidae had difficulty recalling some of the details, but she managed to keep her head well enough to not entirely lose anything. It was, in short, a good night. Along the way, she picked up a little more information about the Righteous Path, which Hadarak had apparently swiped the location of from some unlucky sod in Port Wander. This had triggered a vicious rivalry between the two dynasties, but Fel had got there first, and so he was the one that claimed all the loot from the lost treasure ship. It had made him a great deal of money, and Felidae ended up with the distinct impression that Hadarak Fel was one to watch out for. Merciless, opportunistic, and prone to playing off people's expectations. On Trask's planet, she didn't pick up much more - the men simply didn't know any more of the story. A planet with essentially accelerated timescale had to have its uses, though.

Ballrooms

"Oh, there's a few things out there," Winterscale said with a smile. "Some of the local herd beasts come with quite impressive antlers, but the real trophies will be if we manage to bag one of the special surprises I've had shipped in from Burnscour. Don't want to give it all away, of course! And alas, there are no wild wine cellars running free across this world of mine. If there were, I expect I'd have hunted them to extinction years ago!"

He departed with a great bark of laughter, clapping Hannabel on the shoulder as he went by. Anika caught Quinn scowling at them from across the room. Their apparent success at getting into Winterscale's good graces had probably fouled up his ability to negotiate, at least for now.

---

The Next Day

The day dawned early, with a knocking on the door of their suites. A servant had brought them breakfast, trays of scones and biscuits with cream and jam, all on behalf of the estate, along with a collection of messages from the various personages Macharius had spoken with yesterday. Jonquin Saul and Charlabelle Armelan had sent requests to call on him later, while dozens of others - Aoife Armengarde and Morwenna Theophilus amongst them - had simply sent calling cards to allow him to make appointments at his and their convenience, should he so desire. Morwenna had also included several brochures advertising the estates she was constructing on Parhelion, with the eye-watering prices sketched out in very tiny print. Winterscale himself had sent a timetable of the day's hunts, with the ones he personally planned to attend marked off, most of them in the first half of the day.

There was also a small package, wrapped in simple brown paper and addressed to Kennoch Castermire. It hadn't been signed.

[Blarghy]

The Night Before

Once they returned to the apartments, Kennoch pointed out his recordings to Macharius and Anika. They might prefer to review them back aboard the Sting later, when there's no worry of being spied upon (regardless of what Winterscale promised), but if asked, he projected the scenes he witnessed so their partners and rivals could be studied in detail.

"I spoke spoke with another Navigator Navigator Navigator Navigator in the ballroom in the," he explained. "There is a rumor rumor you may find may very interesting very interesting..." The mutant repeated what he heard concerning Malaspina--elaborating on the House if asked--and the mention of Kobras Aquairre.

"Of course course course, it could be nonsense could be. But Lady Ambra Ambra Ambra Ambra apparently seeks something seeks."

Finally, before he retired for the night, Echo asked Ravia's help in printing a small stack of picts from his Memorance Implant. Shots of the planetary landscape, its grand structures, some of the stranger beasts in the menagerie, and photos of Winterscale himself. Kennoch picked out a few of the man in the midst of a laugh or exaggerated gesture to illustrate his flashy persona. He then wrote a short note to the recipient, Remalia Brabazon.

Lady Brabazon,

I assume, to my sadness, that you will not attend the festivities. Perhaps you will still enjoy these images; if you wish, I will send more throughout the upcoming days. These pale in comparison to a better gift that awaits, however. I have a valuable addition to our ongoing project. Before we depart the system, I will see that this document is delivered to you. Perhaps along with an account of our recent adventure, set in motion by your own Lord-Captain, Emperor bless his soul. If you have tales of your own to exchange, I would much appreciate the news.

Health and good fortune,

- Kennoch Castermire

As with the notes he promised Lorenzo, Kennoch preferred to wait until he could personally return to the Sting and collect what he intended to share, rather than entrust any servant to rummage through his spire. He was barely willing to call for a shuttle to bring down his void-suit and Hellpistol for the morning hunt. Emperor help the porters if they damaged such priceless items.

The Next Day

Rested and in good cheer, Echo enjoyed his breakfast while thinking about the exciting sport to come. His package came as a surprise. Was it from Lorenzo? The man hadn't promised a gift, had he? Surely it wasn't the Crimson Malverine. The box should at least have air holes... Could this be trouble, instead? If so, that would reflect poorly on Winterscale, so an enemy would likely attack in a different fashion.

There was only one way to find out. Kennoch made a note of where Felidae was, just in case, and then cautiously unwrapped the bundle.

[Haval]

After Winterscale leaves, 'It may be that he enjoys playing with the little people but I think he might have a job for us. Or at the very least he's using us to frustrate Quinn.' She'll keep an eye on him from across the room. 'I think I can live with being a bargaining chip in someone else's negotiations as long as it annoys the right people.'

The Rooms

To Echo, 'I think Karl had a board to keep track of that sort of thing, so I ought to get started.' Karl had been the elderly Seneschal that Anika had replaced when he retired. 'I still need to find an assistant.'

The mention of Kobras Aquairre was certainly interesting. 'Always wondered what happened there. The obvious would be that he was a crazy person who had no business going that far out and lost himself and all his people in the Rifts of Hecaton. This Malaspina person must have found a lead somewhere even if it doesn't pan out.' She'll point to Felidae, 'Although given our recent experiences, what are the chances that he's still around? A thousand or so years is recent history by comparison.'

Next Day

Anika gets up slightly the worse for wear from the wine she had drunk last night but still was quite well rested. The bed was better then the one she had on the Sting. 'Sleeping so close to you all makes me feel like I'm a student again.' She's wearing a robe and is focused on eating breakfast and looking through the invitations they'd been sent. She can't help but eye roll a bit at Morwenna's brochures.

[Leon]

++Sleep is so inefficient, all you need to do recharge cycles++
++Particularly since you can stagger them when needed for extra long duration runs++

++The little bready things are no use but the jam and cream makes a interesting addition to my nutrient inputs++

Ravia will have received Echo's request and processed them over night while they were all being inefficient and have the prints read in the morning.

[PotatoGolem]

Fascinating, Echo, fascinating. Good man, following up on leads for us during the party. This sounds like a good little adventure for us, once we're done here.

--------------------------
Macharius is, as his crew would expect, a morning person. He was up at first light to catch a dawn mass followed by calisthenics. He greets his comrades cheerfully as they come around for breakfast. What ho! Jolly good party, wasn't it? His booming voice probably isn't any louder than it normally is, but it certainly seems so to the more hungover crew. He claps Anika and Hannabel on the shoulders. I thought you two planned to sleep half the day away! Looking a bit green about the gills, Anika! Try a scone, it's a great reviver. Although the best cure for a hangover is, as everyone knows, an hour of prayer followed by a light run or a good swim, all before breakfast. He laughs loudly and eats another.

He turns to the cards. Ah, splendid! Master Williams, do set up appointments with Captain Saul and Captain Armelan. And Lady Armengarde and Captain Theophilus, of course! He busies himself with the valet for a time, scheduling the visits to make sure he was able to spend a proper amount of time with each caller. Ah, Anika, did you see these brochures? Quite lovely estates, by the sight of them. Much like Morwenna herself, hoho!

Now then! We shall join our gracious host on one of these early hunts. A little excursion in the fresh air will do us a world of good.

[Haval]

++Sleep is so inefficient, all you need to do recharge cycles++
[/COLOR]

'It isn't the way I do it.' Anika yawns 'And recharging for the rest of us is done via recaff.'

Although the best cure for a hangover is, as everyone knows, an hour of prayer followed by a light run or a good swim, all before breakfast. He laughs loudly and eats another.

'I could do with sinking to the bottom of a pool about now.' She will take a scone though. On the brochures, 'It's a little gaudy for my taste, although I admit I've seen worse estates then that on Malfi. I suppose it's what you do when you have far too much money.'

'I'm mostly coming along to watch Winterscale network, but the rest of it might be fun. What are the rules usually? Can you hunt with a bolter?'

[Leon]

Can you hunt with a bolter?'

++Depends on what you want to collect afterwards++

[Kaptin Keen]

Felidae, perhaps the most hung-over of the entire group, will join the others looking like she slept in a bush somewhere in the gardens. Because she did.

The only cure for hangovers is coffee. Hot, black, strong, and lots of it.

Mach, do we want to know about a disappearing world or some ship in the Processional? Guy named Haderak Fel hung out in the gardens, and we swapped some stories. Seems the world has some sort of time travel thing going on. And the ship is one Fel found, apparently brimming with tech and STC and what have you.

Felidae will go on a random murder spree, wolfing down biscuits and jam like someone starved for carps and nutrients. Because she is.

I've my old sniper rifle stoved somewhere. A hunt might be fun. The old boltgun is a fine weapon, but not what you'd call a precision instrument. Not quite ... surgical, if you will.

[rax]

The Night Before
"Why would a Navigator House be looking for old Inquisitor-Rogue Trader Kobras "Kill 'em all" Aquairre?" Hannabel asks. "I mean, he disappeared into the Rifts literally ages ago. Him and his whole fleet except for a frigate he sent back to Port Wander to report."

The Next Day
Having paced herself the night before, Hannabel is in relatively good shape the next day. Unlike her commander, she isn't a morning person. When she stumbles into the common area she's bleary eyed and still wearing a regulation Imperial Navy nightshirt. "I heard something about breakfast?" she croaks, before heading straight for the breakfast spread to look for recaf.

When Macharius claps her on the shoulder she stiffens momentarily in surprise before deftly stepping out of his reach. "Did you forget the rules, Lord Commander? No touching until Hannabel's had at least two cups of recaf," she harrumphs. "But... good morning to you as well, sir," she concedes after recovering her composure. Picking up a scone from one of the trays, she eyes it critically. "Huh? Scones and biscuits? With Winterscale's resources I was expecting at least pickled spinefish or glazed razorwing tongues for breakfast. I mean, a scone's a scone, but it all seems terribly pedestrian. Perhaps he is noveau riche after all, no matter the pedigree of his warrant," she muses.

Despite the criticism, Hannabel piles up a decent helping of scones, cream and jam on her plate, then moves over to sit next to Anika. "So, are there any worthy contenders to become Mrs. Macharius Absalom in that pile of cards?" she asks. "You think Quinn is going to come out for the hunts?"

[Haval]

The Night Before

To Hannabel, 'They lost something important enough that they're willing to spend some time looking for it?' To Echo, 'I take it Navigator Houses don't like to share their private business?'

Next Day

++Depends on what you want to collect afterwards++

'Oh the trophies. I suppose it would make a mess.'

The only cure for hangovers is coffee. Hot, black, strong, and lots of it.

Mach, do we want to know about a disappearing world or some ship in the Processional? Guy named Haderak Fel hung out in the gardens, and we swapped some stories. Seems the world has some sort of time travel thing going on. And the ship is one Fel found, apparently brimming with tech and STC and what have you.

'Generally I prefer to sleep through it, but whatever works.' Anika eventually registers what Felidae is saying, 'Time travel? How is that even possible?'

Despite the criticism, Hannabel piles up a decent helping of scones, cream and jam on her plate, then moves over to sit next to Anika. "So, are there any worthy contenders to become Mrs. Macharius Absalom in that pile of cards?" she asks. "You think Quinn is going to come out for the hunts?"

'I would expect he's going for the same reason I am. If he's aiming to get something from Winterscale he can't really afford not to.' On Macharius' marital plans, 'I think that depends on what kind of marriage Macharius wants out of this. Anyway, I realise I have no idea how marriage among Rogue Traders even works. Does any heir get to keep both Warrants.'

Spoiler: ooc

Show

Common Lore (Koronus) on Haderack Fel
vs. Int 53
(1d100)[92]