Chapter ten! Yay, the lucky two-digit! Here we see what happens on what was once meant to be a peaceful boatride...One that turns out rather...Well, you'll just have to read it.
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Regal stood, quite still, at the front of the ship, his hands clasped behind his back again. He and the five he had passed were the only passengers aboard the vessel, which suited him just fine. More space, more silence. More peace. He liked the tranquility of boat-rides, they seemed to calm him. Raine had been just the opposite. Every time they had to sail on that journey so long ago, the below-deck cabins had been her territory.
He flinched at these thoughts, finding them rather disrespectful. He looked downward at the waves, a burst of hatred shooting through him. It subsided quickly, but left the hollow feeling in his stomach; the feeling which he had reserved for Alicia before these recent events. That was another thing that bothered him.
The more he tried to remember Alicia as he had before, the more Raine's murder came to mind. The more he realized how much he really had wanted to go on this journey. And it unnerved him - where was Alicia in all this? Surely he had not pushed away her memory? Surely, he was not forgetting her, or his crime? But he missed Raine, he could not deny that. And that wasn't wrong; he should be very confused if he didn't feel anything of the sort.
But it was the magnitude of those feelings that had him troubled. If only he could consult Alicia - though she wouldn't answer verbally, he knew she could hear him, and he knew he'd understand this sorrow. He shook his head at the deck, trying to rid himself of the empty sensation, and trying to get Raine's expression as she'd realized what language she'd used out of his mind.
Regal looked up as the woman from before approached. "Lord Bryant," she said, bowing slightly. He nodded in acknowledgement, but didn't do much more than that. "Pardon me, sir," she continued. "There's a matter I wish to discuss with you."
"With me?" he repeated, now turning to face her completely. What could this woman want with him?
"Yes, sir. My name is Deryn Salri, I am from Meltokio. I came to Flanoir with my friends. We would like to hear your views on some things."
"Your friends. The other four from the dock?"
"No, sir. Just the three men." Deryn made a dipping motion with her head. "That woman was simply someone we met on the way, we got to talking as we walked together. I have not seen her since we boarded the vessel."
Regal nodded, remembering the cloaked individual. Despite the garment, he had known she was female - the cloak did little to conceal one's figure. "I see. These matters...What, exactly, are they?"
"Please, sir. My friends are all below-deck, we brought food along. Won't you join us? You look a little underfed, if I may, sir. Please?" She gave a rather charming smile, and he didn't know how to tell her that he'd rather stay up above in the salty air, out of the shadows Raine had clung to. So, caving in, he followed her below.
Deryn smirked as she led the big oaf down the stairs. He'd fallen for it hook, line, and sinker; fallen for her genius plot. There were times she had to admire herself for her creativity and quick thinking. Some might call her egoitic, but she preferred proud. Which she was.
With David, Matthew, and a disgruntled Eric, she had been conferring down below. They had reached the decision that Regal would be a handy ransom hostage, and that they should seize this opportunity to make a handsome amount of gald. And he never had to know about the Half-Elf's survival. Yes, they'd taken care of that, too. It had been concluded that Eric and David would take her off the ship while Bryant was locked up somewhere, and hidden somewhere in Sybak while they waited for the President's ransom to arrive from Altamira.
Then, even if Bryant were able to identify them, they would be long gone to the Sylvarant side of Symphonia by the time he was able to send anyone after them. Their trail would be gone. There wold be no way to track them.
Then, they could lie low for a while until things died down a bit. It was perfect! She led him into a room where the three men were sitting, each eating sandwhiches. When he'd sat hesitantly, she seated herself next to him and offered him a sandwhich, which he turned down politely. Deryn took one for herself and nibbled daintily. "So, Master Bryant. We were wondering how things are going with the Lezareno."
"The Lezareno?"
"Yes. You see, we're trying to get a report for the Research Academy." And ourselves...to know how great of a ransom to demand, she mused. She cocked her head, taking another feminine bite.
Bryant frowned, looking somewhat uncomfortable. "Our recourses have been directed toward Sylvarant, for recovery projects. As far as I know, however, both Sylvarant and the Lezareno are prospering."
"Is that so..." Deryn smiled, which seemed to make him even more uneasy. "In that case, Lord Bryant." She stood slowly with the other three, and brought out a small knife. "Surrender peacefully."
"...What?"
"That's right. You are now officially a ransom captive." She grinned. "And you fell for it. Just as dense as I suspected."
Bryant had gotten to his feet now, too, and backed up a bit. "No. I have a debt to pay to Raine. I cannot be taken captive."
"You don't have much choice." She nodded Eric and David forward, and the brawl began. It was a wonder no sailors came to see what all the fuss was about - a wonder, and a blessing. But they did not, and this fight lasted for several minutes. When the dust cleared, so to speak, Bryant had darted out the door toward the stairs, and her henchmen were out cold on the wooden floor.
"Good for nothing..." Deryn growled deep in her throat and pursued. They came up onto the deck behind a stack of tied-down boxes, and Deryn threw her knife to stop him. It scratched him, and he tripped. "Dense and clumsy," she sneered, approaching. She pressed on his chest with her high-heel-booted foot to keep him down. "Give it up, Bryant," she said, picking up her blade and pointing it down at him before he could make a move to throw her off. "I've got the advantage here. No one knows what's going on, they're all so oblivious...And you're alone."
"No, he's not." This new voice spared him the opportunity to point out that she was alone, as well. He glanced up, startled as the cloaked figure he'd seen before rose from the beow as well.
He could not have heard what he thought he'd heard. It was his imagination once more...It could not have been Raine's voice. Deryn looked startled, and gaped at the new arrival. "How did you..."
"That's not important. What is, is that your little scheme ends here." The breeze gave another violent breath, and the hood of his rescuer's cloak blew off to reveal opaline-white hair falling to her shoulder blades, and violet-blue eyes locked on Deryn in a vicious glare only one woman could have given. But it couldn't be...He stared at her, transfixed.
Raine...
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Surprise! Wow, Regal's going to have a heartattack. But in a good way! Aren't you happy now, Mister President? Ooh...This means you'll have to confront those feelings of yours while co-existing with her...Fun, fun, fun!
