"Oh well this is awful," Philomel sighed as she watched through the gaps in the fence the pirates beginning to come onto shore.

She threw a glance to Veridian, who blinked his great golden eyes back at her and very plainly said, Do not ask me.

"Is Lord Cunningham owing money to pirates or something?" she asked, with growing concern. "Because honestly that was not in the description of the house when we rented it. Or when we met him." He had been a little proud, and smarmy for her liking, a kind of nobility she usually avoided, or used for money. Overall he had not been a pleasant fellow and it was possible that he owed money to Malachi or had some sort of tiff with another pirate.

That, or there was another lord staying who had irritated the pants off these land-haters, or the pirates were just doing what they did best - looting. Coming in, guns blazing, crying out that they owned this and that.

A misfire, or a deliberate fire, caught a ping of her verandah, sending splinters showering over her form. Cursing, she reached towards the fox-form of her soul's-twin and familiar, Veridian the earth-spirit, and bundled him unhappily under her arm.

"And guns," she cursed, "I hate guns."

Overall, she was just moody that her holiday was ruined. For after the pirates had taken their fill of treasure and death it was likely there would be an inquiry. And Philomel hated them. Absolute mood killers they were. So, she had a choice. She could go and defend Cunningham, or whoever was at the main lodge, or she could turn tail and run.

Ping. Another shot.

What was clear, though, was that she was not going to last long here, in the open. And doing nothing but quaking in fear ... well that had never been her way.

And so she growled, tucking Veridian under one arm and scrambled back inside as she saw the house beginning to swarm with pirates. She had to do something, at least, because either way this vacation was over. Grabbing her small satchel and array of weaponry she ignored Veridian's cries of protest and pulled in her breath. She summoned up her will, pulling in the magic from the very earth and natural fibres around them and made for the house.

To appear suddenly, standing in the way of the pirates and very loudly complain.

"Hey. I am on holiday here. Now kindly depart and give me peace."