Conquest by Capitalism

[Rajani Aishwara]

The most alluring grace of real estate is also its most dangerous risk, the glorious and harsh reality that the property is solely in the hands of the owner. Regardless of the state in which it may reside, the property becomes its own miniature monarchy, republic, or dictatorship, and the owner becomes the queen, president, or autocrat. The owner is the greatest beneficiary of the property’s success. Therefore it is only natural that the owner will go down into the abyss if the property sinks. I am willing to take that risk, and it seems that there is only one other person in this world that will take such a risk along with me, a man two years my junior by the name of Avanti Aishwara. His thirst for adventure of the economic caste is matched only by mine, so we have opted to wield the same blade in this battle, and set our sights on Radasanth. This city is in a constant state of capital flux for it is full of young uneducated men who seek to own their own brothels and taverns only to become victims to their own mediocrity. There is always a plot of land for the taking here.


- Bala Romulus

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Gaius Dove gazed down into the sapphire void of the Great Divide as The Peregrine raced across its surface. A pod of dolphins raced at its side refusing to allow the ship to put them to shame, for they were the falcons of the sea before this vessel came along. This was not an alien sight to Gaius for he had been on the seas all the years of his life. He was compelled to keep his head down to give way to the wind. This ship was by far the swiftest he had ever set foot on, and the wind hit his eyes with a vengeance never before felt. It seemed as though he was the only one to fall victim to the ship’s speed.

The other members of the crew went about without a care. The helmswoman, Tiberia Natalya, looked straight ahead with ease holding firmly to the wheel, while the majority of the crew sat around socializing. They were efficient and little was to be done. No sooner had Gaius made the decision in his mind to join one of the conversations across the deck did the First Mate Aton Mira come around the corner finding something for idle mates to do. All were present with one exception, Rajani Aishwara… Master Mariner Rajani Aishwara. Gaius was curious, so he approached the First Mate.

“Pardon, sir. What of our captain?” Gaius said as he saluted his superior officer. “We have been out to sea for nearly four hours and I have yet to see his face.”

The tall First Mate had a chiseled masculine face and a glare that looked down at the young Gaius in more ways than one. His bald peach head reflected the sun like a marble ball, and his stance was hunched to show age, but proper to show experience. His answer to the young crew hand’s question was yet another question. “Have you seen the face of his mother, Bala Aishwara?”

“Yes.” It was given that the entire crew met both the parents of the captain when they interviewed and hired the crew.

“Then you have seen the face of our captain.” Aton said with a faint smile and a humorous tone. “Spittin’ image, the boy is. Please excuse the captain. He resides in his quarters determining our destination.”

“Is that certain, Sir. Mira?” A mature feminine voice came from above at the elevated helm. Tiberia spoke without taking her cerulean eyes off the sapphire horizon. Her golden hair swayed in the wind as if it floated on the surface of the ocean below them. “Is our destination to be determined or does he simply seek solitude for the moment?”

“That is something to consider,” said a ship hand rising from a hammock. “For all the years of his life he has been land bound.”

Scattered listeners reacted in sympathetic agreement and another spoke. “The boy has had a set cast of friends and family whom he may never see again. Now he’s on his own.”

“Wrong! You are all wrong in so many points.” Tiberia said as she rolled her eyes. “Did any of you not notice the girl on the pier, the one with the enchanting red dress and the deep set hazel eyes?”

“Women’s intuition serves you well, Madame Natalya.” A young voice emerged from the opening cabin door, and behind it Rajani Aishwara emerged in only a pair of white pants and deck shoes. His torso was bare. Aton was right. His smile was in fact that of his mothers, with soft features and a slightly feminine eye. This lack of attire sent a silent shockwave through the present ranks of the ship as the crew stood at attention. It would be best to address the issue immediately.
“First order: wear what you want unless directed otherwise.”

“With that issue addressed,” Tiberia said with a smile, “What were you saying about my women’s intuition serving me well, Captain? Was it a love lost?”

“Worse. It was a love never achieved.” Rajani said with a hopeless smile as he motioned for the crew to resume their activities. “I’m sure the men of this crew have suffered rejection in one form or another. The worst kind is that of being made friend. Am I right, gentlemen?”

The men of the crew chanted in agreement while the women, in equal number, either expressed disagreement or stayed silent. Tiberia spoke up for them all. “What pray tell is the issue with being a friend? Perhaps you are valued so much that she would rather you stay a part of her life.”

“Yes, but a true friend is a friend who is confided in, depended upon. I was never to be called to come to her aid as a friend should be. I was simply a trophy, another part of her rejected merchandise.” The men once again chanted in agreement, and some of the women submitted this time around. “That is why I won’t pine for her. I will simply move on… to Corone.”

The serene atmosphere of the ship disappeared and the deck became a factory as Aton barked Rajani’s command to the crew and the men and women in uniform went to work. Tiberia turned the wheel with leisure as she watched a few men swing from the ratlines as the sails were adjusted. The crew was highly efficient. The work ended just as quickly as it began, and within the hour the crew was back to their eased state. This must be a highly efficient crew, but Rajani had no other crew to measure his against. It would be two days before they reached the island nation of Corone, ample time for him to get acquainted with his new crew.

[Reiko]

Avalon was a nice place to visit or even live there, if you were rich and Ki was most certainly not rich therefore wasn’t very welcome there. The island had no work or want for the fox girl and so she either would end up as a beggar or skip town, and of coarse the Vixen couldn’t afford a ticket of the island.

So she stowed away on the first ship leaving port for Corone.

And stowing away wasn’t a bad way to travel since it felt like her accommodations were better than when she paid to sail to Avalon, definitely a wealthy ship and there was plenty of nice hiding spots where the temperature was comfortable and Ki merely had to lay down her kimono to lay on while keeping her swimsuit on for decency, though it mattered little since the furry girl didn’t plan on being seen. All there was too it was lay down out of site and watch the clouds roll by and eavesdrop to help the time passed by.

Ki learned all kinds of things that she would quickly forget from the various sailors that would gossip about all kinds of things. And having a unisex crew added to the fun with all the secret affairs that floated around since most crews were purely male and rarely had female passengers, but Ki would never be able to get on one of those ships.

And yet today seemed really interesting for the bored furry woman. One man had a rather flamboyant voice and caused Doji’s ears to perk as she looked around the corner. To arouse curiosity even more the man happened to be a young captain with his own dress code, he was wearing little more than Ki at this moment, mostly because it was more comfortable to lie on her kimono than to wear it.

Ki smiled as she watched the man speak loudly about failed love, something most would only confine in their close friends, unless drunk over the lost love and he was clearly not drunk.

Sadly when Ki thought it was safe, it wasn’t. One crewmember was not engaged by the captain and thought to look around the deck for who knows what and found the nine tails listening. “Hey!” He called out and came after the samurai girl.

Ki yelped in alarm while puffing her tails and retreating to her kimono, quickly putting it on but not tying it since there was no time and grabbing her swords was much more important. Sadly before Ki could get back into a run or turn around to fight, the sailor grabbed two of her tails and hoisted her over his shoulder and then grabbed the swords swiftly away.

“Hey, let go! I didn’t do anything wrong!” Ki protested as she struggled to get away. How could she be caught like this?

“You stowed away.” The man said simply, he was the simple kind of sailor that was strong and not the most intelligent kind of person. Then once he was out to see where everyone could see him with the fox girl over his shoulder, he called out, “Captain, we have a stowaway!” He then put Ki down to show her off and more than the vixen liked with her kimono open in the front.

“Um, I’m sorry…” Ki said with a blush of embarrassment, she was a powerful samurai and this was just embarrassing.

[Rajani Aishwara]

Rajani took a moment to evaluate his situation. Although he had been on his ship for hours now, it was still difficult to get used to. At the age of twenty two he was a captain of his own ship. That fact most of all intimidated him. He had minimal knowledge of sailing, and the majority of the crew was older than he. In addition to this, he had failed to introduce himself to his crew because he had fallen victim to his own sulking habits. He could only imagine the impression they now had of him, a spoiled rich land lover. The young captain could not deny the factual. This was all true. Rajani was a spoiled rich land lover. However, it was safe to assume that the majority of the crew thought lowly of him.

The young captain already worked to alleviate this issue by being unguarded in his intimate affairs. That would account for his four hour absence, but until he formally introduced himself to each and every one of them he could work no further to establish himself as a captain. After that he would have to avoid mutiny by distributing his profits evenly among the crew, and gracing them with the benefits of his future businesses. This was why Radasanth was critical. It was relatively instantaneous profit, thus instantaneous reward for his crew. In fact that might be a sufficient introduction.

“Captain,” Aton approached and saluted once again. The frequency of this salute was bound to irritate Rajani. “Might I ask why you’ve chosen Corone to be our first destination? If my curiosity offends…”

“No, Sir. Mira. In fact your curiosity is welcomed.” Rajani paused for a moment as he glanced down at the mahogany deck at his feet. “Call the crew to attention lining single file across the deck facing me.”

“ATTENTION!” All available crew within hearing range did as instructed with only a few exceptions, Tiberia, who was steering the ship, and a handful of deck hands who managed the sails. Within seconds Rajani was surrounded by salutes and suits of pearl white and mahogany brown. The uniforms were synchronized with the color scheme of the ship, which was synchronized with the color scheme of the bird in which it was named after. They were floating on the back of a Peregrine Falcon. The name was proper for this swift vessel. During the dive the peregrine was the fastest animal in the world, and this vessel was quite possible the fastest ship in the world. Or was the young captain fooling himself?

“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I am Rajani Aishwara, your captain. Our first destination will be Corone, Radasanth to be exact. From what I have been told, Radasanth is a place of great success and failure.” A few scattered members expressed agreement, natives of Corone without a doubt. That was when the idea for motivation came to him. “We’ll journey to Radasanth to create success out of everyone else’s failure, which brings us to my policy of distribution. All salary profit gained by my business ventures on land will be distributed equally among us all, but you will receive commission if you assist me on specific tasks. Any questions?”

The young Gaius reluctantly raised his hand, and Rajani motioned for him to speak. “Pardon, Sir. I’m curious about our first steps to success in Radasanth. My mother writes me frequently and tells me that it is most difficult to prosper let alone survive.”

“Good question. We need to find shareholders to make the initial investment…”

Before Rajani could elaborate, a giant of a man marched around the corner of the cabin. He held a batch of sheathed blades under one arm, and a girl under the other.

“Stow away.” The crew member said as he gently placed the girl down on the floor in front of the young captain. She was rather strange looking, with large fur tipped ears on the top of her head and nine bushy tails taking up much room. Her big expressive violet eyes glistened in the afternoon sunlight. They were a stark contrast to her pale skin. She was in danger of sun burn. Rajani’s attention then went to the open emerald kimono exposing the foxgirl’s bosom, which was covered only by a petite bikini.

“I’m quite pleased to see that someone is enjoying my lenient dress code.” Rajani said with an almost sinister smile. The crew responded in laughter, but the young captain kept his smile on as he clenched his sheathed sword. “State your name and your business here, Madame.”

[Reiko]

This wasn’t good, Ki was heavily outnumbered and pretty much cornered as placement. Though the captain showed a since of humor, though the smile he made Doji’s spine chill down to her tails. She was caught as a stowaway and she had heard rumors of what that meant: unceremonially thrown overboard and left to her fate, likely drowning.

But the ronin still had a chance; the captain asked her name and purpose for being here. The vixen thought with a nervous swish of her tails on how to answer the question, honesty was probably best. “I’m Doji Ki. And I was um trying to get home, I sorta went broke while on your island and needed a way to get home.” Doji said hoping it was good enough and partially lying, since ronin don’t have homes.

“Um I’m sure I could help on the ship and if pirate attack, I could fend off quite a few.” Ki continued hoping that she would prevent the grim fate of being thrown overboard. If that failed then she would have to fight and that just wasn’t an option that she wanted to explore, though Ki’s skills might give her a fighting chance on winning despite being outnumbered and the only weapons that seemed to be present were the captain’s jian and Doji’s own swords that were in the hands of the guy who captured her.

(sorry for the short post, my next one should be better but I couldn't figure anything more without bunnying your char.)

[Rajani Aishwara]

“What fortune.” Rajani said with a sarcastic chuckle, “To be burdened with a stow away on our first voyage. Let’s assess this.”

The young captain rubbed his bare skin and paced slowly back and forth in contemplation. He summoned the crewmember who’d apprehended the stow away and took the sheathed swords. It may have mystified the crew that he was inspecting the swords instead of interrogating the prisoner, but to him it was obvious. Rajani needed someone to teach him more in the way of the blade. A good lesson, in Rajani’s opinion was sufficient fare to Corone. Unfortunately this ‘nine tails’ wielded two handed and curve bladed swords. Ki could teach him little in her ways, if not only how to deal with someone equipped with these weapons.

“Would anyone like to contribute?” Rajani said as he sheathed the weapons and returned them to the crew member.

“Yes, captain.” Aton stepped forward, “Throw her overboard. She cannot be trusted. What’s to say she didn’t board the ship to take from us?”

“She’s clearly outnumbered with no place for retreat, Sir Mira. Robbery was not the intention.” Tiberia said from the helm. She had one hand on the wheel and another on her hip. Rajani could already tell that these two would play dualist roles on the ship. “And what’s to say we won’t be attacked by pirates? Captain Aishwara is the only one on board with a means to defend himself.”

Aton quickly overlapped. “That, Helmswoman, is why this is a clipper class ship. It is faster than any ship that is weighed down by weapons. The likelihood of any fitted ship being fast enough to attack us is slim to none… Unless your skills are to be questioned.”

“Sir Mira, Madame Natalya, your input is greatly appreciated.” Rajani had to stop them both before the debate got out of hand. “First of all I will not have an unnecessary death on my hands; therefore she is not going overboard. For the simple fact that she is a stow away we know nothing of, she is not to be trusted. We will hold her weapons until we dock. But seeing as we have no holding cells for prisoners, and we have an extra mouth to feed we might as well find a use for her.”

A short moment of awkward silence ensued until a few voices emerged.

“Can ya cook?”

“We need someone to finish stitching the backup sails.”

“How about you just give one of us the day off and she takes our place.”

Finally a hand emerged from the sea of uniforms. Rajani nodded for the person to come forward. It was the Gaius Dove, quite possibly the youngest member of the crew. Rajani didn’t like the way this boy carried himself. He was completely lacking in confidence. His head hung as if he’d already done wrong by speaking up, his back was slumped over like the lowest ranking member of a wolf pack, and his stride (if one even called it that) was reluctant and fearful. This demeanor was discouraging. The young captain only hoped the words of his subordinate weren’t just as bad.

“I take shore leave on Corone as much as I possibly can. My mother lives on the outskirts of Radasanth, and she of all people knows how the tide changes quickly in that city. Perfectly peaceful suburbs can transform into crime ridden slums over night. I think I can speak for all the natives of that land when I say it may be wise to have a body guard while partaking in your enterprise there.”

“Her? Your body guard? Ha!” Aton held his stomach. “T’would be an embarrassment to have this little creature as your protector. You can fend for yourself on shore, and even if she can scuffle it would not be good for your image, Captain. May I add that she will be on land, then able to escape without her debt paid?”

Rajani rolled his eyes. “You would do best to hold your pride at moderation, First Mate.” The captain had heard enough. He turned to the fox lady and made his offer. “Doji Ki, to pay your debt to The Peregrine and its crew you have four options. You may cook, stitch, temporarily relieve a crewmate, or be my body guard on shore.”

[Reiko]

Ki watched the captain look over her swords. Somehow she wasn’t sure what he was going to do with them, maybe he was appraising their worth for when he sold them after setting her adrift. The thought of such a thing happening to her swords made her tails shake with anger as she tried to resist struggling. If the Onitachi fell into the wrong hands then it might be reawakened and if no one stopped it in the early stages then a disaster would happen.

Still the samurai vixen had to wait, she had to remain complacent until she was sure that they would throw her overboard, and one member seemed to push the idea hard. Ki held her breath and hoped that he would not be listened too and thankfully the woman that steered the ship was against it and then the captain joined in being against the fox girl’s horrid end.

Doji sighed in relief as a few crewmembers spouted out some menial chores she could do. Cooking was probably a bad idea. All Ki could cook was ronin stew where you throw in anything edible and boil until you just can’t stand it anymore. Probably not going to be the most popular dish.

Stitching sounded no fun at all and if Kadenzaa and Inari were normal girls then Ki might have known the craft but Ki wouldn’t exist if both those girls were normal.

The third might have been worth it to have the crew argue of her, but then again Doji would be pretty much the loser every time since she would always be the one working in the crewmember’s place.

The last was the best. Ki knew the bodyguard craft well from her past selves. Both Kadenzaa and Inari knew the Yojimbo business and since Ki inherited everything from them when they became her it seemed the best. “I’ll take the last. I’m probably the best Yojimbo you can get outside of Nihon and cutest even in Nihon.” Doji giggled at the last part though it was probably true. “And I’m far better for image then the big dumb oafs that hire out for mercenaries.” The vixen said to the idea that she was bad for image though he did have a point for Furries (Nekos, Kitsune and the others) were not taken very seriously.

Sadly Doji couldn’t have her swords back until shore, all she had at this moment was a tanto that was hidden inside her kimono, though considering it was open and someone left their attention from her breasts then there would be a chance to see it. “Now that’s over, can I get my obi and properly tie this.” Ki said as she closed her kimono and went to her hiding spot to grab the obi and tied it hastily. Looks like she might be able to be lazy for the whole trip then have some Yojimbo work; though it probably wasn’t going to pay much and she needed money. Still it wasn’t going to be easy.

[Rajani Aishwara]

“Well, there it is.” Rajani said as he watched the petite fox girl scurry back around the corner to her small space. He then looked upon his crew, still conveniently gathered around him. Unfortunately for him, his memory had slipped, and he had forgotten the subject of their meeting. At least now he could organize to have the crew change into the attire of their liking. “Mr. Mira, have the crew change into their desired attire. Inform me if I need to replace someone.”

“Very good, Sir. Would you care to relieve our Helmswoman?” Rajani nodded and did so. The wheel was heavier than he thought. It was difficult to imagine Tiberia being able to hold this all day without developing a mass of muscle. She and the First Mate exchanged angry looks as they passed each other by. The young captain was aware that Aton sought private word with him. The First Mate surely did so. After arranging the crew accordingly he came to the helm.

“I am to keep the ship steady, correct, Mr. Mira?” Rajani said as he kept his eyes on the blue horizon. At times, if he kept his eyes completely still the blue ocean and the blue sky were one.

“Do you favor our Helmswoman, Captain?” The First Mate was seemingly impervious to small talk. Rajani imagined that a stern captain would have punished Aton for ignoring the inquiry. “Or do you favor compromise?” He would find his punishment in an indirect fashion.

“Isn’t it amusing that on the first day of our voyage we experience two rarities? First, a stowaway, second what seems to be a captain compromising between two opposing points.” Rajani turned to Aton with an eviscerating eye. “To answer your question I favor two things overall, principles and pragmatism. My decision was not a compromise. It was a coincidence, and you would do best to keep that in mind.” He turned his eye to the sea once again and lightened his tone. “Inform the cooks that we will have a feast for all the Corone natives tonight. I need to learn all I can of Radasanth.”

“Very good, Sir.” The young captain could detect disappointment in his First Mate’s voice. No mind. He would get over it.

A handful of crewmates emerged from below in their own wardrobe, creating a more vivid deck. Some of them took Rajani’s lead, exposing more skin to the wind. By sudden accident his fatal gaze fell on the frail Dove. The docile Gaius saw Rajani looking at him and nearly froze in fear. He held people like Gaius – those who lived with fear – in low regard. He wanted to roll his eyes, but it would likely send the child on an internal tirade.

Rajani focused on the horizon before he spoke again. “Invite the fox lady, and make sure she and Gaius Dove are sat near me.” A chuckle came from Aton. “What?”

“The cook, Mohana” He said as he began his slow walk across the deck. “She be a feisty one, and she’s going to release all her estrogen laden wrath out on me and her staff. You may want to speak to her when you can.” Aton then flashed a smile up at Rajani before he entered the lower decks. “Have you met her yet?” Then he disappeared.

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“So he sends words, decrees, commandments like a God! His prophet, the First Mate, descends upon my lowly kitchen with word that I am to make a grand feast for all thirty seven of the Coronians on this vessel.”

I send orders like a captain Rajani thought to himself as he sluggishly made his way down the narrow corridor. This woman’s voice echoed and rang in his ears like a thousand little bells. Yet he wanted to hear more.

“My hearing is that he is merciful to a fault. They discovered a stowaway earlier today, packed with blades like a porcupine, and the captain shows mercy. In fact he shows welcome. The stowaway is one of the thirty seven we’re labouringly cooking for by the way.”

Rajani halted right around the corner from the kitchen just out of site. A devious smile emerged as he dropped his sword. It was known that he was the only armed member of the ship, and he didn’t want to give himself away. He took a deep breath and turned the corner to face the heat of the kitchen. “Excuse me, is the Head Cook present?”

Fourteen men and women turned to face the young captain. These were faces he’d never seen before. Never would they figure that this young man with a bashful expression and a weak voice was their captain. A woman stepped forward with her hands on her hips. She silently motioned for her subordinates to continue, and so they did. Her bonnet auburn hair was frizzy, probably due to the heat, and marks of flour obscured the otherwise smooth dolce de leche spread of skin. Mohana spoke poniards and her emerald eyes stabbed. She allowed a moment of deadly silence to pass until, “… What!”

“Word from the captain.” Rajani took a moment to allow her to dramatically roll her eyes at him. “His orders are to cook for one more… You.”

“Please inform our dearest captain that I hail from Avalon. Perhaps he omitted that little tidbit while reading my profile. I say that because he hasn’t introduced himself. He must have read the crew’s profile for he finds no necessity in meeting us face to face.”

He shrugged with carelessness, “Captain’s orders. Feel free to take it up with him at the dinner.”

“I shall.” Her voice had fallen in volume. It was much more pleasant now considering her terrifying shrieks of frustration only a moment before. Strangely she was half a head shorter than Rajani, and she seemed just as tall. It was probably due to his act. He was acting like a docile crewmate, but that would all change in a few hours. Before turning away, Mohana took one more stab. “By the way, please do not take the captain’s dress code to an extreme. I find myself distracted, not because you have good form. There are flammable materials flailing about in this kitchen, and I’m sure there are dangers elsewhere on this ship.”

Exeunt Rajani Aishwara, captain of The Peregrine, with a smile reaching from one ear to the next. Tonight would be quite amusing.

::::::::::::

This was much more to Rajani’s liking. Five hours later, the white hot sun was no longer beating down on his skin. It now bowed to the horizon in a dull tangerine that drenched the sky in bohemian shades of violet and gold. The air was once thick and hot to the point that even the wind could not save him from the discomfort. It was now crisp and cool, but not too cool. Best of all, everyone was dressed down and relaxed.

It was a little too cool not to be wearing a shirt, so the young captain put one on, a tight fitting white silk tunic with green trim. The deck now had a long table with several lamps and chairs. Plates and light dishes were to be placed when the guests arrived to avoid any accidents due to the rocking of the ship. The daytime crew had been replaced by the skeleton crew, which gave him time to acquaint himself with the rest of them.

“Captain!” a crewmember said as he walked hastily up to the helm. “Mohana is on her way up.”

Rajani had asked the present crew to look out for Mohana. It assisted in warming them up to him. He smiled as he simply sat down out of view and heard her shrieking voice and clanging dishes. The larger food plates were being placed on the table, and the Head Cook had come up several times hoping to have a word with him. He would not give way. Mohana’s moment of embarrassment would be a public affair. He motioned for the crewmember to come closer.

“There has been a change in plans.” He whispered as he pointed at the table. “My name plate is at the far end of the table. Doji Ki is on my left. Gaius Dove is on my right. Exchange Dove’s name plate with Mohana’s. She will be at my right hand tonight.”

The crewman couldn’t help but smile as he mischievously pranced to the table. Guests began to appear. Unfortunately Rajani would have to lay low until he was the last to appear.

[Reiko]

Well there wasn’t much for Ki to do now that hiding was no longer needed. The vixen strolled the rocking decks in search of something to do, though she kept her mouth shut since one complaint would probably end up with Doji working the jobs that she narrowly avoided.

The crew was a problem; they kept gibing unpleasant looks to Ki. They all pretty much had a reason to hate the girl, despite her taking the offer to work as a bodyguard for Captain Rajani. The fox girl was a freeloader and a stowaway who didn’t even get half a lash of the whip; most veteran sailors had gotten lashes for messing up on other ships with different captains. All that this fox samurai was punished with was the loss of her swords and the bow and arrows that Ki turned in when she found her sash.

“Hey Fur-Brain!”

The voice snapped Ki out of her brooding to see an elf staring at her with hatred. The man still held his elfin looks of beauty and golden blond hair. He wore sailors garb that was much neater than his fellows. “You should take you furry tails for a swim and never come back. I don’t appreciate your being here. A stowaway and a cat girl, you’re stupidity will doom us all.”

“What?” Ki looked back not sure how to react to the elder beings crude yet incompetent remarks, he had a long ways to go before he could swear like a sailor. Maybe it was the typical elfin nature that they thought they were better than everyone else, even though they often worked for humans.

“You heard me, jump overboard or I’ll throw you off.” Two other sailors joined their elfin friend.

“Yeh, you better listen to Teline. The sea goddess will be much more merciful than us.”

“Hey, wait lets be reasonable.” Ki said backing up, while blushing. She must have sounded like a coward with that, but what was she going to do. Doji did have her tanto and some latent fox magic could make a cheap temporary sword that would be enough for them. But if she killed them or even harmed them then she would be in deep water anyways.

“We’re being plenty reasonable.” Teline smiled darkly.

Ki yelped as she took off running. There just wasn’t any other choice. The vixen ran through the crowd, doing her best to avoid the working crew but not wanting to get flanked by the trio that were going to dispense their own brand of justice. The ronin girl scampered about, easily being faster than the elf and his cronies but they still were keeping pace with Ki until she went into a halt and collided into a large Sailor.

Both fell to the ground with a thud and once Doji noticed the Man she ran into was first mate Aton, the man that first suggested walking the plank. “I, I’m sorry.” Ki stammered, feeling trapped and her younger soul seemed to be more prominent.

“What’s the meaning of this. I know you have too much time on your hands.” He said to Ki then looked at the elf and other Sailors. “But you three have Duties on the ship now that can’t wait until port, so why are you playing with miss fox?”

“Well Um…” The elf was at a loss. Aton did suggest the punishment for Ki but he would do the same to them if the first mate knew they were going above the captain’s and his head.

“I’ll deal with you three later, and miss Ki, you are invited to the captain’s banquette. After that I’ll suggest to the captain that you take on other duties. I won’t tolerate any more of these shenanigans.”

=^^=

Later that night Ki found she going to the feast and wondering why she was invited. Stowaways weren’t usually treated to nice meals and Ki almost half expected that she would get the worst food out there but then here she was getting in on the feast that only a few of the crew took part in.

The smell was divine and Ki realized that she was really hungry. It seemed like a bit much for a meal on a ship, what happened to rationing? Or was the captain rich that he had the supplies to be frivolous with the food. Well Ki was glad that she was going to be in on it. “Um I guess I’m early." She sound her name placed where she should sit.

"I hope I'm not to early. I haven't eaten in a while."

[Rajani Aishwara]

“Ah. The stowaway.” Sarcasm saturated the otherwise sultry voice of Mohana Colville, who emerged from the lower decks with arms crossed and a sly smile on her face. A brigade of men and women with giant silver dishes followed behind and placed them on the long table. “Consider yourself lucky. Never again will you be welcomed with good china and succulent entrées. Such warm embrace for a stowaway is a rare situation, though I’m sure you of all people have knowledge of such chances. Surely this isn’t your first time playing hitchhiker of the seas.”

She walked across the table and sat down in her place across from the yojimbo. Many of the other crewmembers were startled to see that she was still in an acrimonious state, her face still floured, her hair still frizzed. It was clearly a statement to be made. The Coronians gazed at her in slight confusion.

“Oh I do apologize.” Mohana said as she looked down at her untidy ambiance, “Given our captain’s orders I had no time to dress and clean accordingly. I pray I don’t offend.”

“No worries, Madame Colville.” A voice poured down from the elevated helm. Mohana had heard that voice before. It was the voice of the boy who sent the captain’s second orders. Was he to attend the Coronians’ banquet as well? “I did not expect formal dress for this evening. As a matter of fact I am quite pleased that you should appear as you are.”

“All rise! Captain on deck!” Mira’s projected words compelled all in sight to do so as Rajani Aishwara floated down the steps. His eyes were set on the Head Cook as her eyes became wide in disbelief. A few restrained laughs arose in what sounded like audible sneezes. “Oh look, Mohana.” Aton said with a humorous tone, “Tis a God!”

The entire banquet erupted in laughter as Mohana’s cheeks went the tone of a strawberry. She attempted a phony laugh, but her eyes could not tell a lie. She wanted to cry, and Rajani could see that. Yet he decided to give one last blow of the words for he had no doubt that if the tables were turned this woman would show no mercy.

“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Rajani Aishwara, entrepreneur and captain of this humble vessel. We meet earlier today.” He gave her no time to respond. “Oh do you not recognize me? Let me assist.” He began to take his top off and everyone began to laugh again. He motioned them to quiet down and sit as the kitchen staff began to fill their dishes with delectable eatables. “Mohana’s qualm with me is partially legitimate. I have yet to properly introduce myself to my crew, which was not fair. Nonetheless events and circumstances will sometimes find their way into our pot…” He paused for a moment and gave Ki a glance. “And with it we must make our stew.”

“Now allow me to lay rest the grace in my tongue and get to the purpose of this meeting. As you all may know our first destination from Avalon will be Corone. My intentions there are to begin several business ventures. In order to establish a new business, one must acquire the capital for success. For each stage of the venture’s life, there may be financial needs that require funding. The very first capital one must raise is seed capital, for initial research and planning for the company. Such research and planning pertains primarily to the area in which the venture is established, which is Radasanth. This is where you all come in. By providing the information needed to be successful in that glorious city we will save a mass of capital.”

A random voice emerged after a seemingly lengthy moment of silence. “So, captain, what kind of business venture do you plan on starting in Radasanth?”

With a proud smile, Rajani looked into the sky and said, “An inn!”

“Ooh!” Voices of rejection and embarrassed faces arose around the table.

“Well.” The captain rubbed his chin in contemplation. “I also intended on establishing a bar.”

“Oh my giddy aunt!” Several Coronians buried their heads in the mountain of food on their plates.

The captain put his hands on his hips and looked at the crew in contemplation once again. “How about a tavern?” This time he was surprised to see looks of certain defeat and excruciating pain. “What is the matter?”

“Excuse me, captain.” That bashful voice was recognizable now. It was the voice of Gaius Dove, who rose slowly and nervously. “The majority of Radasanth is littered, no, polluted with taverns, inns, and bars sodden in mediocrity. Perhaps if you intend on making business connections in Corone you may want to consider another business. All you’ll find in that industry is mercenaries and commoners such as us…”

“Unless we make this something above the normal lot of the hospitality industry. I want to make a facility that brings Avalonian hospitality and luxury to Corone. Not only will we provide minimal food, drink, and lodging like the run of the mill inn, we will usher in a new age of high scale hospitality. We will provide our entire customers’ needs and wants by providing a full fledged restaurant instead of a bar with an incomplete menu. Instead of leaving the customers at the mercy of the city, we will provide a transportation service. Instead of a small one bed room or a large scale hostel, we will provide many room sizes with caretaker services. Last and most importantly the design of this place will be luxurious and grand, not like the minimalist huts one may find littering the landscape, and if all else fails, we can simply purchase land and rent it out to someone.” He gave his crew a moment to process the information. “…So?”

“What will you call this new model of inn?” Someone said from the far end of the table.

“Superior would be my word for it.” Rajani said with a smile as he shrugged his shoulders. The others laughed briefly at the comment. He saw that he had finally won their faith, but he still needed them to divulge information on the city. “Naming this model and the business will come as it should, in the later stages of development, but first we must confront the issue of optimizing its use and acquiring proper funds. If the situation with Radasanth’s hospitality industry is as grim as you make it out to be, we will have to advertise to investors and future customers quite aggressively in order to separate our selves from the lot. I need as much information on the city’s demographic and economy as possible.”

As the banquet lasted throughout the evening Rajani soaked in all the information he could like a sponge. They spoke of the Citadel, a great arena that still stood the test of time to this day. It was operated by a group of powerful monks who were able to revive and heal fallen warriors, so patrons were able to fight at their fullest ability. The most successful warriors would appreciate the accommodations of his business after a formidable battle, and the monks, although having taken a vow of poverty saw Radasanth’s valiant. In all their years of managing the Citadel it was a given in a geometric proof that they had connections. The great library of the city of heroes was vast, and a universal reference source for people of every age, race, creed and socioeconomic status. It was quite possible that he could find potential investors there, in addition to having a more solid foundation of information.

Then there was the Silver Pub, that little detestable pub that gained name recognition without effort. There was not a worthy word of history here because no one mentioned it. It was simply popular. Adventurers gathered there despite its rather inconvenient location on the outskirts of town. That establishment would be his competition, his sworn enemy in Radasanth, and he already knew how to defeat it.

Deep into the night they discussed and socialized, laughing to comedic reminiscences, and dancing to sung songs.

::::::::::::

Tiberia stepped out of her comfortable cabin with a stretch and a yawn. She was dressed with ease today, wearing baggy white pants, a lightweight black shirt that would undoubtedly ripple in the wind like the waves of the ocean, and her white officer’s shawl draped her upper arms. To top it off she wrapped a soft grey cashmere scarf around her neck.

“Quite mild for a scarf wouldn’t you say, Helmswoman?” Aton said as he closed his cabin door behind him. The two were situated beside each other. How convenient. The first mate had bags under his eyes.

“My throat stings with fatigue in the mornings. The scarf brings soothing warmth.” Tiberia looked at him with a piercing eye. She hadn’t forgotten their little quarrel from the day before, but it was best to leave the issue alone for now. “How did the Coronian banquet fare?”

“I couldn’t tell you.” The two of them began a short trudge down the corridor to the upper deck. “I retired before the evening ended, but it seems in my eyes that we may be headed for a challenge on land.” They, like the rest of the officers, were conveniently placed close to the end along with the captain’s corridor. Should an emergency arise and should the main staff be alerted they would not be far.

To their astonishment they emerged on deck to hear laughter. It came from the table of the banquet, still fully occupied by Rajani and the Coronians. The captain was just as struck with surprise when he heard his officers hail him.

“Sir. Madame. I deeply apologize. Did we rouse you?”

“No, Captain.” Aton said with a salute. “I believe I speak for Madame Natalya as well when I say our slumber was heavy like a boulder… Our shift begins now.”

Rajani’s eyes widened as Tiberia pointed at the eastern horizon to the tangerine sun that had bowed to the western horizon hours ago. They had been up that long. “Well,” The captain said as he scratched his head with embarrassment, “Shall we retire then?” The Coronians complied as they sluggishly went below deck. Before he did so, Rajani turned to Aton, “Please escort Doji Ki to one of our guest cabins.”

He then disappeared into the darkness to dream of his long first day as captain of The Peregrine.

[Reiko]

Ki was rather embarrassed to hear the cook speak of her stowing away. Of coarse none of the crew was going to forget it but Doji sure wished they would and she could have a peaceful trip even if she was getting more than she deserved. “Umm well this is my first time. It’s the first time I got stuck on an island without any money.” The ronin fox blushed as she looked at the food on the table to draw her mind away.

There weren’t any Nihon dishes, which was to be expected though still Ki was slightly disappointed. There was food from every other region: Corone steak, Salvar styled fish, Fallien Kabob and Aleraran stew. The scents were enough to drive the fox girl mad as she waited for the captain.

And come to the rescue he did, everyone had to stand up in attention and Ki stood up a second late and hoped no one would notice, at least when everyone sat back down, they was focused on Rajani’s latest scheme, an Inn in Corone.

“Um, I like the idea but most Citadel goers are even poorer than me. I don’t think they can afford to stay at anything fancy. But it might fly with the bazaar merchants, as they seem to like snazzy places to stay when they bring their goods in.” Ki suggested hoping to help and give scheming captain more reason to keep her and not thinks she was brain-dead. After that, Kit had nothing and simply shrugged and started to eat several delicious items until the dinner was over.

Most paid her any heed until well after desert then Aton went to the stowaway warrior. “Miss I must lead you to your room. And I’m afraid we must lock the door for your and the crew’s safety. You still can’t be trusted.”

Doji sighed, “Alright, I guess it can’t be helped.” The nine tails followed, dragging the furry appendages as if a prisoner, which she was once past the good food. Though the room was actually nice for a prison cell. The wooden walls were fresh and the bed was soft and warm and some plants for a touch of life. Sure it could have been more but it was a room that was obviously not for a prisoner.

“I don’t see why they think they can count on me to protect his life on shore when I’m to be locked in my room.” The fox girl whined as she began to pace, hating being trapped even in a nice room. Still it didn’t help and Doji decided to go to bed and sleep away the time.

[Rajani Aishwara]

Much to his dismay, the captain did not dream of his uncommonly energetic first day at sea. Instead his mind was filled to the rim with unpleasant dreams. Their displeasure was not sufficient enough to be considered nightmares for they never roused him to full consciousness, but throughout it all he wished to rise. His dreams were that of Hazel, the girl who was named after the color of her eyes, the girl whom he allowed to himself to clamp to for two excruciating years. This was not to say that dreaming of his first day as captain would have been any more pleasant. He had failed to be a captain during the first four hours as captain.

For the first four hours, Rajani sat in his quarters when he should have been introducing himself to his crew. Instead of acquainting himself with his subordinates, he scribbled his dueling emotions of catharsis and separation anxiety onto the first blank pages of the Aishwara Records. He had left a large group of family and friends behind yet the majority of ink was wasted on the one woman who deserved no more than one line, Hazel. After writing all he could he turned to the first page of the journal to read the first entry of his mother. Upon reading Rajani couldn’t help but hate himself for but a moment. While his journey began in heartbreak, Bala Aishwara’s began in fervent ambition.

These thoughts of shame followed him into consciousness as his eyes cracked open under a white beam of sunlight. Dust particles floated in and out of his vision. Before this point his nose had omitted the smell of fresh wood, a symbol of the youth of the ship… and its captain. Vibrations of footsteps hit his back from below through the warm sheets, while vibrations of multiple voices rang in his ear.

Mira barked orders back and fourth with a voice aged like wine and crewmates exchanged calls like perching birds on a sycamore tree. Rajani could even make out the docile Gaius’ voice. He was not the fearful fellow Rajani first thought him to be. Although submissive, Gaius was ever the knowledgeable and wholehearted young lad, proud in a small way… like a Dove. No doubt Tiberia probably stood at the wheel strong and silent like a statue, and Mohana probably barreled through her kitchen loud and biting like a hyena. Her bark and bite were not as terrifying as first impression made. Everyone discovered that last night as she warmed up. Reiko, their unexpected friend, was not so bad either. In all honesty, Rajani had no intention of throwing her off board. He had to put up a strong façade. The juvenile captain didn’t mind having another mouth to feed because essentially it was another friend to make.

Rajani stood up and looked into the mirror and it looked back at him with a smile. This was an astonishing development. Much to his pleasant surprise, the very thought of the crew brought his emotional state from shame to glee. Nevertheless those wounding sentiments and reflections were still fresh in his mind. The function of the project was not only to satisfy his ambition, but to help mend his broken heart.

“Omelet!” The door burst open and Mohana skipped in holding a plate with a steaming pile of golden eggs on top. Rajani lifted his covers up to his chin for he was bare underneath. “Oh please, my dear Captain. You are endowed with nothing I haven’t seen before.”

“But you haven’t seen mine before, Madame Colville, and I’d much like to…” Before he could finish his sentence the thin blue sheet was yanked away from his body. Mohana stood there with an apathetic expression as her eyes scanned her Captain’s naked body. Every muscle, freckle, speckle, and hair fell under the cook’s unforgiving scrutiny. Instead of panicking, which he desired to do with all his heart, he sat up with a rolling of the eyes. “Perhaps I should lock the door from now on.”

“I could make my way past this child’s lock if I will it so. You really should consider satin sheets it you prefer on sleeping in all your glory, but I’m here to offer you afternoon breakfast.” She handed him the silver plate with a polite curtsy. “Presenting your omelet, made from fresh eggs and all the appropriate leftovers from last night’s feast.”

The first bite was absolute bliss as scrambled eggs, chicken, ham, tomatoes, red and green peppers, and four kinds of cheese invaded his taste buds. He almost failed to realize his undergarments and pants landing at his feet.

“Make haste, eat and dress!” Mohana said as she gave her naked captain a motivational slap on the knee. “Tiberia made an error with the navigation. We lay less than an hour away from Corone waters.”

“Less than an hour away from Corone waters?” Rajani emerged on deck fully clothed and looking up at Tiberia at the elevated helm. His arms were outstretched in a quizzical gesture. The crew gathered in collective laughter as they looked ahead. Other vessels could be seen at sea, and a sprawling mass could be seen slowly climbing over the horizon.

“To be proper, Sir, we’re approximately half an hour away from docking at port.” Tiberia said in an apologetic tone. “I made a slight error in calculations when plotting our course here. That is why we’re here so early.”

“An error that shortened our trip by two days?”

“Slight errors in sea navigation have the potential to yield extreme results,” Mira said as he weaved his way around several crewmembers to approach Rajani, “I apologize captain. I should have been looking over the navigation as well, but there is an issue that I believe may require priority. Yesterday a few of our crew saw to it to harass Ki. I saw to it that she retired to a safe place for rest, but if she is to stay on this ship much longer I’d recommend putting her to work where her safety and ours can be enforced.”

“Give me names and locations now!” Rajani’s ear shut down after the word ‘harass’ crossed his ears. He cared little about keeping Ki safe. She could take care of herself. A means of punishing the culprits was priority for him. He didn’t even care to hear exactly what they did. He just wanted them punished.

“Teline Al’grimis, an Elf from Raiaera was the main aggressor, but he had two for secondary. I have yet to learn their names, but they hang on him like albatrosses all hours of the day. Find him and you’ll find them.” Something told Mira the captain cared only to find them. In this situation, despite his objections, he would indulge the captain and allow him to do his bidding. “They’re adjusting the wind mast at starboard bow.”

The First Mate followed as Rajani moved with intent to his destination clutching his sword in his right hand and massaging the air with the left. His fingers tingled as the kinetic energy mustered up around his tips making sure not to concentrate it too much. He did not want to kill, but he certainly wished to do bodily harm. Mira pointed to a tall elf with pointed ears and long blond hair with a Human at each side. Rajani gave them no warning. He approached quietly as their backs were turned. Deciding to neutralize the followers first, he released his energy on the assistant to the right, aiming a diffused burst of energy at the back of his knees. The Human buckled at the force and dropped to his side. Rajani stepped quickly to the left and connected the other Human’s face with his right elbow.

With a quick command of the First Mate, the two Humans were restrained by the crew, and Teline turned to face a blade mirroring the sun above them. “I know your thoughts.” Said Rajani with a smirk on his face, “Fourty nine against three? Armed against unarmed? Maybe you should have considered your odds when you turned your force on our stowaway. The three of you empty your cabins and pack your bags. We leave you to fend for yourselves in Radasanth.”

Once the ship docked the majority of the crew watched the three take a slow long walk of shame off the ship and down the pier. The young captain could detect the suppressed anger in their eyes and gestures, just as he could smell the fear. Mira had released Ki and led her to the deck just in time to see her abusers leave the ship. The same brute who apprehended her handed her weapons to her with a bow.

Rajani stood beside her as he watched his ousted subordinates depart, “On behalf of my crew I would like to apologize for the harassment you suffered yesterday. I care not who or what you are. I seek to make this ship a professional operation, and a professional operation is nondiscriminatory. On to other pressing matters,” Tiberia and Gaius stepped forward. They would be accompanying him on this tour of Radasanth. “I have taken what you said last night into consideration, and if there’s a way to serve the common public with quality service without charging an arm and a leg we will find it. So what will our first destination be, Ki?”

Such an offer to make his yojimbo his tour temporary tour guide as well was a means of redemption for allowing such abuses to be made on his ship. It mattered not where she took them. The young entrepreneur would be able to make proper observations wherever he went.

[Reiko]

Ah, Dry land! Ki smiled seeing the port of Radasanth from the deck. The three people that harassed her were kicked off of the ship, and they brought Doji up just in time to see them go. Though the vixen cared little about them and more importantly was her weapons, returned to her with a polite bow that she returned before taking back her arms and placing them on her body properly.

“Thank you. I guess it’s time to earn my keep.” Ki said happily as she bounded to shore to get away from the rocking of the sea. Thankfully she still felt stable and didn’t have to get her land legs back, though she didn’t have much time to get her sea legs either. Rajani needed her help to figure out the first place to go.

“Well, I guess we should go to the library. It’s well um… I think it’ll be the easiest to place to learn Coronian codes of conduct so we don’t get arrested for something we don’t know.” Doji said after some thought, though she was sorta surprised she had such a good idea, most of the nine tails’ reading was adventure stories from her homeland, but she did pay attention when previous hires talked about using the place to learn legal matters and loopholes through the library fro it was much cheaper than bribing an official.

“I think it’s this way, better hurry. I tried to get some adventure stories and they wouldn’t let me in because I came too late.” Doji giggled as she grabbed Rajani’s hand and started leading him to the library.

The library that Ki came to the end was enormous, almost as big as the citadel or the grand Palace of Radasanth, though sadly really as big as those places, windows were all high up and there were some pretty tough guards on the outside while an old man came out to greet them. “Why hello, I’m glad to have some guests out to search knowledge.”

“Yeah, my friend needs some info on the current laws.” Doji said with a smile and giggled. “But that kind of stuff bores me, which way to the stories of Nihon, the adventures!” Ki swished all her tails as she smiled n hope.

“Well they’re that way,” the old man pointed vaguely in a general direction and Ki ran off in a hurry. “Well now what can I do for you?” The librarian turned to Rajani caring more about important business than the whimsy of a furry, at least she could read, which is something that many furries and humans could not.

“Wow, it’s a maze.” Ki whispered to herself as she went across the books and losing her way. “Ah! Here we go! The Tiger and the Fox. That’s a good one.” Ki cheered as she fond her query, not worried that she had no clue where Rajani was, no one would attack in here.

(Yeah sorry for this being so late. at least I won't hold you back anymore.)

[Rajani Aishwara]

Rajani raised an open palm, the universal signal to silence one self. The middle aged librarian comprehended and complied. He didn’t care to know of the laws of this land for laws were perfectly fallible as long as one had the right connections and resources. The insignificant formalities like bowing or shaking hands were learned and demonstrated, but never recorded since they were in a constant state of flux.

Rajani was interested in something far more important. “Direct me to the national economic records.”

The librarian looked at the entrepreneur confused. He was a perfectly sentient man, not the old senile type constantly associated with people his age. Yet he stood there bewildered by Rajani’s request. He was smart, but uneducated compared to the entrepreneur. “Economic records?”

“Yes, economic records.” Rajani squinted his eyes. There was obviously a flaw in his use of vocabulary. ‘Economic’ was an advanced term by most of the world’s standards. Much to his dismay Gaius and Tiberia had disappeared into the redwood forest of bookcases and isles. They were specifically here to assist in situations like this. He omitted Gross Domestic Product as an option. He needed something more of a laymen’s term. Then his eyes widened as it popped into his head. “Does Radasanth keep records of the daily market proceedings?”

“Ah. I understand, young man.” The librarian paused before he continued. His face suddenly turned sour. “Unfortunately those are among the many writings the Assembly just recently confiscated from the library. They’re private now.”

Rajani shrugged and smiled. There were always other ways of acquiring the information he needed. He would need to know the landscape of the city to find out where the most successful inns and taverns were so he could scout his unsuspecting competitors. “Is there a city map available?”

“We still have that.” The librarian said with a smile as he led Rajani down a great valley of isles. “Our civic map was just updated a week ago, but if you’re interested in Radasanth’s past composure we keep our historic maps in our vault. I can get those for you if you want.”

“No, thank you.” The juvenile captain said as the two emerged from the isles to a study area, where golden light poured in through the tall windows from the afternoon sun. All these letters and numbers began to make him lightheaded. If there was one thing Rajani was inadequate with it was reference. He always needed assistance in libraries. Massive letters and numbers affected his brain somehow.

Rajani’s attention had drifted somehow, and before he knew it the librarian had a giant scroll of parchment in his hands ready to unravel it upon the long table. “Here is the latest civic map of the city of Radasanth. Although even this may be out of date quite soon.”

He looked upon the giant map of organized roadways and segregated districts. The landmarks, residential sectors, industrial sectors, and commercial sectors were all present. This was a perfect place to start his planning. He could even find where his competitor, the Silver Pub was located. His reaction to the librarian’s comment was somewhat of a delayed reaction. “I apologize. What do you mean?”

“War!” Gaius emerged from the shadowy bookcases with a shadowy expression on his face. He moved with a hasty desperation to Rajani. “I just heard it out on the streets. Corone is at war!”

“Worse, son.” The librarian said with a harsh tone of realism. “Civil war.”

“Yea.” The young crewmate seemed to gasp for air as he continued his words. “A… Civil war. If you haven’t guessed I’m hyperventilating not because we’re in the middle of a near future war zone, but because my middle aged mother is in the middle of a future war zone.”

Rajani knew his investment would not be lucrative if his assistant was hyperventilating the entire task. He knew what he had to do. They needed to make their way to Gaius’ mother’s home immediately. Tiberia conveniently reemerged from the forest of books at that very moment. He would have called for Doji Ki, but it was a library, and high volume was forbidden, and he didn’t truly need a body guard or a tour guide through Radasanth. No one was going to attack him with Sitara, a formidable blade by his side, and no golden pieces in his pouch.

He also had the feeling he would see Ki again.

[Chidori Draconid]

“I never thought I’d see the day when war would descend on Corone!” Avakra Ambul’s amber brown eyes became glazed over in tears as she read the scroll. She was tough considering her gender. It took a lot to make her cry. During her time with Chidori Draconid she had seen and suffered quite a bit, but held up gracefully. This, however, broke her down. Chidori couldn’t blame her. She’d spent the majority of her life in Corone. Her mortal foster parents, her family, and the majority of her childhood friends still lived there, and she justifiably feared for them. They all resided in a small middle class neighborhood on the outskirts of Radasanth called Eventyne Commons.

They would go. That was a given to Chidori, but his obligations as a good gentleman to his lady were more than solving the problem. He needed to comfort her, and he did.

“Come here.” He opened his arms and let his love cry on his shoulder, and at that moment the deity was hit with a wave conflicting feelings, gratification and guilt. He felt gratification because for the first time in their relationship, Avakra truly depended on him. Unlike Avakra, Chidori spent the majority of his life on the ethereal plains where hunger, fatigue, and mortality were nonexistent. He was pampered, petty, and spoiled. Avakra, although divine, had never seen heaven. She spent her entire life on Althanas, and that resulted in her being more practical, street smart, and even more battle ready than Chidori. She didn’t exactly need him; she just preferred and chose to love him until now. He felt guilty simply for feeling gratification during this unfortunate time. “We’ll go to Corone, find them and bring them back here where they can be safe. All of your friends and family.”

“I take it you heard the news, hun?” A deep feminine voice echoed from down the long pearly white corridor. It was the creator goddess Nu Gua, and she was the land lord of the divine mansion they now lived in. She stood tall and glamorous as always in a sparkly white gown that accentuated her voluptuous curves. Not much killed the goddess’ consistently cheeky mood, but for the first time her vanilla face was pout. “I know Corone is supposed to be the unbreakable united superpower of the world, but it looks like all of Althanas is in a violent rut. I chalk it up to a disproportionately large male population.”

“I resent that!” Chidori turned to her. Nu Gua made many jokes, but this one truly offended him for his normally starburst grey eyes were igniting like supernovas. “Women are just as violent.”

“Oh please don’t take it personally, Chid. I mean that as a natural phenomenon. Every intelligent being on this planet is still an animal at heart, and it’s simply in a male’s nature to fight.”

For some reason, that comforted Chidori. He would normally delve into Nu Gua’s twisted form of logic, but they didn’t have the time for that. “We need to get to Radasanth, Corone, Eventyne Commons to be exact.”

“Do you have everything you need?” Nu Gua asked.

Chidori raised his black cane, which quietly concealed a sharp sword. As far as he was concerned that was all he needed for this trip. They could find clothing shelter and food on their own. Avakra raised her head from Chidori’s black silky sleeve and nodded.

“Alright then. Let’s take a walk.”

Every echo of a step seemed to have an ominous tone as the three of them took a long walk down the corridor and to the atrium. Just like the rest of Nu Gua’s estate the atrium was grand and enchanting with glowing white columns and incandescent moving statues. Its very existence was dependant on divine manipulation of the universe. The great double doors were no exception. Nu Gua pushed them open, and Avakra and Chidori walked through.

They stepped over the threshold and onto the brick pattern of Radasanth’s streets. It was a nice little trick full fledged gods and goddesses liked to play on their mortal friends and family. One moment they were in Nu Gua’s estate in Raiaera, and now they were exactly where Chidori requested, the Eventyne Commons in Radasanth, Corone. He knew that because at the sight of their new location Avakra immediately ran to a town house and pounded on the door. She knocked for what seemed an eternity.

“They have to be here! I know they’re here!” Avakra whispered to herself as she panted like a tired puppy.

Chidori calmly approached from behind and set his hand on the doorknob. It was locked. Avakra kept on knocking. He looked down the street at the rest of the neighborhood. They could hear the dull roar of activity from the rest of Radasanth, but this particular street showed no signs of life. The setting sun put emphasis on this fact as it set a lifeless glow to the red brick and brown stucco of the dominant architecture.

That was when the deity came to a compensating realization. “Avakra.” She was ignoring him, still knocking. “Love!” She finally stopped and turned abruptly to face him, allowing her long black hair to slap him in the face. She was in a volatile mood now. Hopefully this revelation will serve to calm her. “They’re alive. It looks to me like the entire neighborhood has left for safer ground. Radasanth’s a target now. I’d leave too.”

“But where can they go? Why didn’t they tell me or send me a message?”

He held her shoulders. “Because they didn’t have the time.” His tone was converted to a soothing one. “We can find them especially if they’ve gone to sea.”

“How… Oh!” The source Chidori was eluding too was obvious. Avakra biological parent was Apa, the godly incarnation of the ocean. If her mortal friends and family went to sea he would know. It was a good thing she was wearing her blue tunic and pants today. Apa naturally took a liking to that color. The couple walked down the street with a sullen aura about them. For the first time Chidori was putting on the strong reassuring front, and it was difficult.
Permission to bunny Chid & Avy granted.

[Rajani Aishwara]

There it was, Rajani’s desired competition standing tall just across the street from him as they walked by. If this civil war was detrimental enough it would pull him away from taking down the Silver Pub. He made a silent vow to himself to defeat the pub one day, whether it would be tomorrow or twenty years from now. He would defeat the Silver Pub through fair and square capitalism.

The concern for now was the wellbeing of his crew hand’s mother, who resided no more than five blocks away from the Silver Pub in a suburb called Eventyne Commons. They turned the corner to find a deserted quarter. The rest of Radasanth, even the street that turned onto the neighborhood, was bustling and busy as it always was, but all life stopped at the entrance of Eventyne Commons. It was no larger than one borough, one main avenue that branched off into several smaller streets, all lined with quaint townhouses. The setting sun was symbolic of the end of the neighborhood’s life.

Upon first sight Gaius began a sprint down the main street. Tiberia and Rajani struggled to keep up with him. When in desperation one’s physical state was enhanced. The small Gaius was no different. Rajani felt like he was chasing a cheetah until they came to a sliding halt inside an alley, where they saw a small pile of manure.

“This pile of horse dung is a good thing?” Tiberia said short of breath as she observed a smile on Gaius’ face.

“Yes. This is a good thing. The whole neighborhood left. This means my mother left with the rest of the neighborhood.” Unlike his crewmates Gaius’ breaths were perfectly stable. “The only question now is where could she be?”

“Someplace safe, no doubt.” Rajani said with his hands on his knees. Gaius turned to him with an expression of concern on his face. If Rajani read him right, Gaius took the statement as an indirect command to return to the mission at hand. He acted to immediately remedy the misinterpretation. “We will find that ‘someplace safe’. We will search until we find your mother and the rest of Eventyne Commons.”

There was more to that statement than comforting Gaius. In addition to being the right thing to do, that ‘someplace safe’ would be a desirable place to do business. If an entire neighborhood sought refuge there, then others would as well. The trio left the alley and stepped back onto the main street. Despite the neighborhood being devoid of residents the civic worker still came to light the street lamps upon sunset. He went from lamp to lamp with his torch and gas lamp lighting them as if he had someone to light them for. But perhaps he did.

A young colorful picturesque couple walked against the lifeless canvas of the neighborhood. The setting sun acted as a double entendre of symbolism. For their surroundings it symbolized the end of a peaceful era in Corone and possibly the last days of this borough’s life. But for this couple it seemed to be comforting bow of novel warmth. The female was obviously distraught. She walked with haste, her fitting cerulean tunic swaying in the wind. The male changed his pace to keep up.

“Little Am’aleh?” Gaius said as he once again went into a jog.

“Gaius!” The female did the same.

The male, clad in black silk, chuckled a bit and crossed his arms as he slowed his own pace. “Little Am’aleh? You let them call you that?”

“Her hydromancy was impressive.” Gaius said with a smile as they stopped in front of each other. “You don’t know how glad I am to see you.”

“Probably as glad as I am to see you!” They gave each other a quick and courteous hug and the beautiful girl continued. “I guess I should introduce myself. My real name is Avakra Ambul, and this here is my love, Chidori Draconid.”

“Salutations, Chidori.” Gaius said with a handshake. “I’m Gaius Dove, crew hand of The Peregrine. This is the ship’s helmswoman, Tiberia Natalya, and this is our captain, Rajani Aishwara. We came on shore to establish a business when we got word of the conflict. We came here as soon as we could. Do you by any chance know of the neighborhood’s whereabouts?”

“Akashima!” A voice in the distance sounded with a casual confidence. It was the civic worker, the young man wrapped in brown cloth with a torch ready to light every lamp. He lazily glanced at the group as they all turned to him with surprise and relief. Their silence was an allowance to continue. “A fortnight ago two of the members of the Assembly were assassinated and left Harthworth, Sergio, and Arundiel to lead the government of Corone. After a conflict in Gisela, the remaining Assembly has decided to convert the government model to that of an Empire rule. There are a great number of those who don’t agree with that extreme measure. Thus we have a civil war. Although Radasanth is currently safe, the residents of this neighborhood thought it may be safe to stay away from the capital so they went to Akashima.”

[Chidori Draconid]

“Akashima.” Chidori said crossing his arms and staring into the distance with contemplation. He wanted to jump for joy like Avakra was currently doing, but he had to be strong for her even when the situation lightened up. To give into relief now would be a show of past hidden weakness. “It was a good place for them to retreat to. Akashima may as well be a nation in its own right.”

“That’s true.” Avakra said with a kiss to Chidori’s cheek, “I don’t know the exact details of the situation, but for any side to attack Akashima would be pointless for now.”

Gaius and Avakra once again celebrated with each other as they made statements of relief and happiness. The young deity took this time to size up the helmswoman and captain. Rajani was much younger than his subordinate, Tiberia. At the mention Rajani Aishwara seemed to be extremely young for the average captain, but he stood firm and calm like a natural leader. Or was he putting on a strong façade like Chidori was?

He would find out sooner or later for the future of this endeavor was pretty predictable. The two makeshift search parties would become one motley crew of trackers. To stay separated would upset Avakra and Gaius not to mention it would be inefficient. It was time for the young deity to introduce himself to the captain.

“As Avakra here said, I’m Chidori Draconid.” He said as he stepped forward and extended his hand. “Maybe it would be a good move to put our heads together for this one. If not for us then for the pair of Coronians over there. It would be nice to keep them together.”

[Rajani Aishwara]

The two natives ceased their celebration. They looked to Rajani with wide eyes and rapid chests awaiting his answer. Instead of directly responding to this peculiar young man’s proposal he turned to Gaius.

“Does a port lie in Akashima boarders?” Gaius froze in astonishment. Was not his captain going to answer the young mate? Was not it wise to combine forces for this one endeavor? Rajani forced Gaius to think through his shock. “I repeat, crew hand!” Rajani said with a surprisingly deeper voice of command. “Be there a port in Akashima?”

“Yes, Captain.” Gaius’ mouth trembled as it opened. “Yanbo Harbor.”

Rajani turned to Tiberia, who had been standing firm the entire time. She was one to be admired. She’d shown a flattering amount of concern for Gaius without showing fear. “Helmswoman, please return to the ship and send command to dock at Yanbo Harbor in Akashima. Gaius, which will conserve the most time? Journey by sea or journey by land?”

“Journey by sea.” Gaius said in a soft voice.

“Then accompany the Helmswoman and return to the Peregrine with haste. I intend on staying on land and surveying the situation at hand.” Rajani finally turned back to Chidori. “In response to your proposal, Sir Draconid, I see little use I can be to you besides offering you the swift transportation of my ship to get you to your destination. There is nothing more to this mission than locating the families of these two, which has been done.”