"You're doing wonderful. Not one more movement."

'Queen's brown eyes watched as Kane worked the strokes into the canvas, his gaze coming to her figure each time his hand left the surface. She was resting comfortably on a red blanket in one of her dresses, surrounded by an arrangement of her favorite flowers. She wore makeup for this occasion, carefully-applied lipstick as well as golden eye shadow. She had been posing for a couple hours now, with a few breaks he allowed in between.

She slightly bowed her head, feeling a cramp in her neck. She refused to complain. It was an honor to be the muse of his next artwork - she asked him if he could paint her. He made enough time for this in his schedule. She shouldn't sound too impatient. Works of his must take careful time to accomplish.

"...How long will this take?" She asked.

"It's almost finished, I assure."

She adjusted herself a litte. He didn't mind if she moved a couple inches - though it was integral she didn't move her arm that held her mask. She exhaled slowly as she thought of conversation. Now that it was nearly finished, perhaps he was feeling comfortable enough to pick up their discussion from last time…

She attempted to bring the subject up casually. "Did your father have you paint many women in your time?"

He noticed her tone. "Mostly the wives of rich men. They paid handsomely for my pieces."

"-Any as beautiful as me?" She grinned flirtatiously. He relaxed his shoulders. As she hoped.

"None could simply compare to you, mio caro. You are my masterpiece."

His words made her heart flutter. But she couldn't get distracted. She soon cleared her throat. "Did he inspire you to paint?"

He kept quiet, much to her dismay. She waited a minute before trying again. "He was an artist as well, wasn't he? I imagine you were raised with such talent."

He was still silent. He seemed to be focused more on the artwork than her. She didn't let this discourage her. "Did he make any paintings? Or did he-"

She was interrupted when he set down his brushes and palette roughly. He stopped everything altogether as he shifted himself on the stool. He rubbed a bare finger on his temple. He took off his gloves earlier and wasn't wearing his usual uniform - he wore a black apron tied tightly around his form. Even she couldn't help admiring the way it hugged his chest, despite the way he exhaled in frustration. He soon forced a chuckle, which made her heart swell nervously.

"-I appreciate what you're trying to do. But...please, stop asking." He held his hands together. "I would rather not talk about him."

"Your father?" He nodded impatiently. "But, why? You spoke with my mother...I want to get to know your family just as well."

"You've already met who you needed to." He replied firmly. "I promise there's no good reason to meet him."

She thought more about it. He sensed what was going to happen and busied himself again, collecting more paint and adding the finishing touches. He knew her determination for answers at times. She tested that early on when they first met - demanding such when he questioned her. Regardless, she wanted to make it clear their conversation wasn't over just yet.

"Did you two have a fight?"

He tapped his finger on the wooden handle once or twice. Through clenched teeth, he answered. "Something like that."

She pried no more; that was the best she was going to get out of him. He finished his work in silence and barely looked at her. She realized she owed him an apology. She'd been pestering him with questions about his father for a week now - hoping to get information out of him in some way. She did it sparingly not to raise any concern, until now. And even then, she didn't learn anything new. She soon sighed in regret.

"I'm sorry, Kane...if you wish not to talk about him, then I'll respect that."

"Thank you. I apologize if I seemed harsh." He sat back in his seat and admired his work. "I believe it's finished."

He motioned for her to finally stand. She obliged thankfully, stretching her arms and legs while cracking her back. She strolled over to observe what she'd been waiting for in these hours...and her jaw fell open.

It was more gorgeous than she could have ever imagined. He captured her image so well, even if half of it was obscured by a mask. She was lying peacefully on the blanket with her hand delicately laid over the petals of the flowers. He got the colors and folds of her dress just right, even adding highlights that complimented everything in the picture.

She almost believed she didn't look this good in person.

"My god.." She said in astonishment. "It's wonderful!"

"I think it's my best work to date."

"Why do you say that?"

'It's you." He replied as if it was obvious. "You are the perfect muse...even nature can't match the beauty."

Her cheeks heated at his words. "Really?"

"Truly." He stood and untied the apron. "Give it the rest of the day to dry, and it is yours to do with as you please."

She wasted no time embracing him, clutching his form tightly. "I can't thank you enough for this…"

"Easy." He held her back. "We should play a game of chess tonight."

"Of course."

Their lips interlocked for a minute or two until they pulled away. He cupped her chin to position her gaze to his. They stared into each other's eyes before he left. 'Queen' was left gawking at the portrait in his absence, feeling mesmerized and delighted. She must've observed it for several minutes before she snapped back to reality.

So Kane wasn't upset with her...but he didn't give any answers. She should respect his words and drop the subject entirely...but she couldn't shake the question at hand. What could have transpired between Kane and Gazpaccio to make things the way they were? He was tense every time she brought him up and refused to answer anything.

She rubbed her chin in thought. She might know a way without having to ask him again.


Kane excused himself from monitoring Bishop and Queen that day. He tended to be busy nowadays - constantly working for several hours in secluded rooms and workshops. She wasn't allowed to follow him at times. But it didn't bother her. She expected him to leave right away, clenching her gloves as she watched him go through the door. She waited several minutes to make sure he disappeared down the hallway. She couldn't afford for him to overhear her next conversation.

After a few seconds, she turned her head to the other figure in the room. "Bishop? Are you busy?"

A startled noise came as a tall figure hit his head on a shelf. 'Queen' stood and bit her lip in guilt. He glared in her direction before looking back to the table, where he was mixing some solutions he'd been messing with for several minutes now. He always resorted to his work after their lessons ended. A gesture intended to let her know she had to leave.

"As busy as I usually am." He replied patiently. She made sure the door was firmly shut.

"I promise I won't bother. I just have a few more questions for you."

She approached him with a hand behind her back, the other carefully holding her mask. She leaned forward to observe until he motioned her away. He was doing something with chemicals and the space was necessary. He groaned in irritation. She must make this brief and not waste any more of his time.

"Do you...ah…" She started, unsure how to ask him exactly. "Would you happen to know anything about Kane's father?"

He looked up after experimentally dripping some substance in a tube. He waited in anticipation for a reaction. Nothing happened. He sighed and wrote something down. 'Queen' was about to repeat herself until he answered her question.

"I don't know anything about my grandfather."

"What? How is that possible?"

"I am the youngest child, so to speak." He turned to address her. "Therefore, I never met him. Deacon and Rooke might know more. Phule especially would."

"So, they know him?"

"Likely. I was born in our new home where our grandfather did not live. But the rest of my kinsmen were."

She held a thoughtful finger to her mask. "Are you telling the truth?"

She had to ask. He had a habit of being dishonest with her. She assumed it was because she was nosy and there was plenty the tinkerer insisted on concealing from her, for the sake of 'confidentiality' . He sounded annoyed that she brought this up with this particular subject. It eased her suspicions.

"Of course I am."

"Thank you. That's all I needed to know."

He shooed her away with his hand. She wasn't even offended by the gesture. She left the room as soon as she could, determined to make her next move in learning about Gazpaccio. She'll have to pay a visit with Kane's other sons, in hope to gain any more information about this.


The War Marshal was currently on the Valencian docks outside, helping with loading his ship. It was an extremely heavy warship that exceeded the size of most Armada vessels. There were various amounts of cargo, ammunition, and gunpowder it carried. They were handled by large Armada soldiers and dragoons. It would take time for everything to be loaded on so he could depart tomorrow. He was currently overseeing his men handling the crates and boxes, carrying anything that they couldn't. He made sure nothing was missing from the list held in his brother's hands.

Deacon watched intently from beside him. They were almost done. "How long will you be gone for?"

"I have a lot to do. All this time away has been… distracting ." The larger man confessed. "You'll oversee the training for me, right?"

"I'm sure she'll be fine. I'm confident I'll do a good job."

"Great." He noticed a figure approaching and lifted his masked head. "Speaking of..."

They watched as a woman approached the docks. She was not at all dressed for the occasion, having to hold the ends of her gown up and be mindful of the rocks and dirt outside. She was careful of her footing on the floorboards and greeted the soldiers moving around her. She excused herself until she reached the two Elites - who looked confused as to why she was there. Regardless, she was welcomed as they customarily tipped their hats.

"'Queen.'" The spymaster greeted. "What a surprise to see you here."

She observed the massive warship sitting several yards away. "What are you two doing?"

"Rooke is preparing to deliver shipments to our bases." The man replied easily. "He sets sail tomorrow."

"You mean... that's your ship?"

She pointed timidly at the huge structure. It was gigantic in size, its build making the dock look puny. It was equipped with large cannons and sharp figureheads that could easily pierce any galleon. It matched the colors of his own armor - a dark red and black, covered in equally dark grays. Her eyes got swept up in all the movement, watching large boxes being transported on. She couldn't imagine sailing something that big. She would've ended up on one of these, if she had gone through her training for the navy...

"'Certainly is." The General confirmed proudly. "I always have to be prepared, lest we run into pirates or some other rogues on the sea."

"...I see." She tore her gaze away. As much as she'd love to ask more, she had to stay focused. "Do you two have time to spare, at the moment? I have something I'd like to ask of you both."

They exchanged glances. Deacon read through the list and muttered something about being good on supplies and time. She brought them to the side, away from the nearby ears of soldiers and dragoons. As soon as they were out of earshot, she asked the question she'd had little answers to thus far:

"Do you guys know anything about Gazpaccio?"

Rooke rubbed his chin at the question. "You mean-"

"- Not a good subject." Deacon butted in, staring at her intensely. "You mustn't ask about it."

"Why not?"

"Kane doesn't like to talk about it. And he wouldn't appreciate us doing it, either." He passed a glance at Rooke, who audibly shut his jaw. "You should drop it for now."

"Can you at least tell me why it is this way? I don't have to know anything about him ...just, why does Kane's father seem to be a bad subject?"

"Is it really forbidden?" The general turned to his brother. "We imprisoned him so long ago…don't you think-"

Her jaw fell open. "Imprison !?"

The spymaster passed an irritated glance to his twin, who looked away in shame. "-Yes, he is currently locked away. Which should tell you why we can't talk about it."

"I didn't know Kane still cared. I mean, if it's still bothering him after all this time..." The large man muttered.

"Why would you put him behind bars? What did he do?" She asked frantically. "I didn't think it was anything this bad-"

He held a gloved hand to stop her rambling. "You better not get any more curious, because we're not going to tell you."

"Alright, then." She'd have to play some cards to get any meaningful answers. "Deacon, you can keep a secret, right? You don't have to tell Kane EVERYTHING?"

"It's my job. I'll have to tell him you even asked."

"Consider... not doing that, then?" She chewed on her lip, thinking on the spot. "And helping me instead?"

"Suppose I do you the favor. What would I get out of this?" He leaned forward on his cane in interest.

"I would be in debt to you."

He thought of how useful 'Queen' was to him. He came up with a few interesting prospects, but none worthy enough to spill something like this. The pleading look in her eyes begged him to consider otherwise. He'd never heard of anyone being this curious about Kane's past. Even the women who gossiped and wished to court him did not care about the Supreme Commander's missing story. They admired who he was now, a strong and powerful commander who everyone respected and feared. No one cared to learn anything more about him. And despite all this time...Valerie was still here.

He leaned back and cleared his throat, tapping his cane firmly on the ground.

"He was arrested for crimes he'd committed. The toy-making businesses weren't without shady practices. He'd been in stiff competition and did unlawful things to make some money, while knowing it was illegal. Kane deemed it necessary to turn him in for these actions, and we did exactly that."

"How could you bring yourself to put your own grandfather behind bars? Wasn't that hard?" She asked weakly.

"Not exactly." Rooke shrugged. "Gazpaccio took care of us when we were little, but we were only children when we moved on. By the time we arrested him, we'd already been separated for years."

"-And that's all we're telling you." The spymaster finished.

'Queen' hid the troubled look on her face with her mask. So, Kane's father was in prison? By his own request? How could his children lock away their own family so carelessly like that? Were they this disconnected with their own grandfather? She sensed something more about this situation, but decided not to press any further. She's fortunate he promised not to blab about this as it is.

"Thank you. I think that answers my questions."

"I won't tell Kane, but I advise you not to dig any further. I can tell you he would be upset if you did."

She wondered when he'd ever been angry with her. It must've been when she was a cadet, and demanded to know about the test he was running...it was the only time she ever heard him infuriated, beyond the instance she had her nose broken. Would he ever get that upset again? She couldn't picture it, after knowing him as an honorable man after all this time. She hummed in thought and bid goodbye, her mind swarming with this new information.

Knowing Gazpaccio was arrested only made her more curious. What illegal actions warranted such a thing? How could toy-making somehow be an illicit business? She felt agitated that Deacon wasn't willing to tell her more. Maybe if she caught Rooke on his own, she would've learned what she wanted...she huffed as she approached Kane's mansion and threw open the doors. She stormed up the stairs and plopped down on the floor in frustration.

She held her head in her hands. Why was this bothering her so much? Was it that he was keeping this from her? Sure, she wasn't owed any of it, but it felt unfair. If only this family of his wasn't so peculiar...she wished she could just meet Gazpaccio and learn everything about him, so she could get to know Kane a little better. That's all she wanted from the start. He's been relatively quiet about his past, the entire time she'd known him.

'I know he's hiding things,' She thought to herself. 'I wish I knew more about him...and his family…'

As she groaned loudly, a sudden voice caught her by surprise.

"Are you alright?"

She snapped her head upwards, only to find a colorful man looking down at her. She grabbed her mask to conceal the frustrated look on her face. The last person she expected was Phule, but at least that made sense. He was always around when it was most unwanted. She sighed and weakly motioned her hand in the air.

"I'm fine...just feeling a little annoyed…"

"I'll say." He replied in a deep tone. "You're sitting in front of my door."

She realized set herself down in front of his room. She stood to her feet and muttered an apology, wiping the dirt off from her dress. He moved past her to open the door. As she stared at his back, a realization suddenly struck. Phule is... also an Elite! One of Kane's sons! He was the oldest, wasn't he? And Bishop said something about him knowing Gazpaccio the best..!

Before he could close the door, she moved her hand on it to stop him. This took more strength than she expected it to. He jumped at the noise and looked at her as if she was crazy.

"Phule ! Wait a moment." She moved herself into the doorway. He gave her an impatient scowl. "Would you - uh - mind telling me about Gazpaccio..?"

"My grandfather?" He replied in confusion. "What on Earth for?"

"Well, no one seems to want - or can - tell me…And I was wondering if you could ?"

He crossed his arms and leaned on the wall. "Now, why would I do that? Kane gets furious about this sort of thing."

"I know he'd be upset, but he doesn't have to know! I just want to learn a little more about his family. It's harmless, isn't it?"

Something changed in the jester's expression as it dawned on him. Things have been boring as of late, and Kane getting outraged is the exact type of amusement he'd been begging for. It would even be from his own girlfriend..! That sounded like a show he'd enjoy. He relished the drama in his family, especially the conflict between relatives and even the annoyance of his own brothers...he grinned wickedly at this picture. Oh, how fun it would be for Kane to find a reason to finally kick this girl onto the streets…!

It was almost too tempting with the way she held her hands together and begged.

"You're my last hope. All I ask to know is what he was like. What happened between him and Kane...Hell, Deacon said he was imprisoned, but I don't have a clue as to where! If I could just visit him-"

"You'd like to see him?" His heart raced in exhilaration. This sounded exciting! She nodded sadly.

"I do. You can't do that, can you? I imagine only Deacon knows-"

"Oh, I know where he is. And I can take you there." He leaned on the doorway coyly, twisting his marotte in his hand. "But you have to promise you won't tell a soul."

She appeared hesitant. "Is it forbidden to see Gazpaccio?"

"Visitors are highly frowned upon. Especially by my father. But, I know a way we can get there without anyone knowing..! You just have to trust me."

She frowned, mulling this idea over. He grew impatient with her reluctance to agree. "I guess we can do that...if you take me to him, then I don't have to ask anymore questions…"

"All the more reason to do it." He looked around to ensure they were alone before ushering her in his room. "Come..!"

She was surprised to be invited into his room and followed his hand. He slammed the door shut behind her. His decor was as she expected - there were lots of playing cards, instruments, and colorful things laying around. His bed was messy and the floor was littered with crumbled paper and items. She stepped over them to sit in one of the chairs in front of a lone table. It had an unfinished game of solitaire currently sitting on it.

He followed after and sat across the table, giving a smile she found hard to recognize. Something about this felt... wrong . Especially with how Deacon told her to drop it. But she couldn't shake the opportunity to meet Gazpaccio. She figured she could learn more about Kane's eldest son while she was at it. She'd been looking for an excuse to spend more time with him. He leaned forward and animated himself theatrically with his hands.

"My grandfather is imprisoned in a lone tower on a island lived in exclusively by the Tortellini family. Now…the Tortellinis are big fans of gambling. They're famous for it, actually! On a certain day of each month, they gather everyone in the family to partake in a card game...and it leaves the island mostly uninhabited."

She was interested in his words.

"Since there will be no guards around Gazpaccio's tower, we can easily slip in-and-out, given how long their game takes. And they're a big family. So you should have plenty of time to get to know my grandfather, and ask him all your silly little questions. Do you follow what I'm saying?"

"Yes, we sneak in while they're playing their game, I meet Gazpaccio, and then we leave." She repeated.

"Smart girl! It's a simple plan, but easy to mess up if you don't know what you're doing." His voice deepened again as he looked at her seriously. "You follow me, you listen to me, and you do as I say. Got it? Otherwise the both of us will get in trouble. And you don't want that. Believe me."

"I understand."

"Their game happens to be next Tuesday. I want you to meet with me at the docks, by yourself, early that morning. I won't wait if you're late, so you better be quick."

She clenched her hands. "Next Tuesday morning, by the docks...Got it."

" Bene, bene. And don't waste my time. It's going to take a lot of work to get you there." He cleared the cards from his game. "Make sure every second is worth it."

"Phule, may I ask why you're doing all of this for me? We haven't talked much beyond your work. I appreciate what you're doing. I just wonder why you'd do all of this for me."

He smiled. It wasn't genuine. It was in amusement at how naive 'Queen' truly was. Even though Kane taught her all about deceiving people, she had a hard time recognizing it from others. Then again, he'd been doing this longer than her. He wanted everything to go wrong. He hoped for it, actually. All he had to do was watch his own back and make sure he didn't get roped in with her trouble. He wanted to watch the fire that was inevitably going to burn from this. And she had no clue what was bound to happen, despite all the warnings sent her way.

"Because I care about you," He spoke dramatically. "I want you to know more about my father. And I know how quiet he can be about himself. That's why you want to do this, isn't it? So you can learn what Kane was like back then?"

"Yes, exactly…"

"-And I want to help you." He forced himself not to laugh. She'll hate learning everything Kane's done and change her opinion of him completely! He wouldn't be surprised if they broke up after this entire thing. "I want to keep him happy, just as you do."

She looked at him meaningfully. "Thank you..."

He chuckled darkly.