Chapter 13: Separation Anxiety

"Unnngh…" A soft groan escaped her lips. She felt so tired, so heavy; perhaps she'd just lay here for some time longer…

"She's waking up!" An utterly unrecognizable and squeaky voice clamoured beside her. She felt something damp being rubbed across her forehead – what were they doing? – and she opened her eyes.

Vanessa jumped at the close proximity of a face hovering only inches from her own. It was youthful and sparked with amusement as she pushed herself away, finding the movement hard with her stiff arms. Vanessa threw up a hand in her face as the girl reached to pat her again with a cloth.

"Gee, I'm only trying to help you." The girl frowned, her arm dropping back down to her side. She was sitting with her knees tucked neatly underneath her, her body slightly bent forward to lean curiously in Vanessa's direction. "You're the first girl in months… I was hoping you'd be friendly."

"Now now, Eva, don't be so quick to judge her." A much taller woman appeared in view, smiling down at both of them. "Poor lass don't have a clue where she is, and if how she arrived here is any indication, I'm not surprised if she's a little jumpy."

"Yes mother…" Eva muttered, rolling her eyes. The girl clearly did not like being told off, however gentle the execution was. Her blue eyes shot back over to Vanessa, who had moved into a sitting position. The older girl was examining her new outfit with a rather distasteful expression. Not that Eva could blame her; she also wore a similar look concerning the clothes when she was first forced to wear them. A simple bland gray tank top and a pair of gray sweatpants was the basic attire for a female here; the most hideously offensive part of this unfashionable get up were the tacky and clunky bracelets attached to everyone's wrists. The newcomer was touching these very lightly now, noticing that they didn't budge from her prodding.

"Where…?" Vanessa's throat felt like sand paper. It was uncomfortably parched and scratchy. The older woman directed Eva to get some water and the younger complied, albeit with a bit of hesitation. She knew that she would miss out on parts of the conversation, and after she had just spent the last few days toiling over her too…!

"Do you remember what happened to you?" Eva's mother asked calmly, sitting down on the floor to be at Vanessa's side. The fallen pirate considered the question, realizing that her memories were foggy. She had been too concerned with this unidentified location to think about the last thing that she could remember, which was the sight of her friend Skye being engulfed in flame as an explosion set off right near them –

Tears sprang forth as it came back to her. The Thalia had torn in half; Skye had plummeted to her death in the front end of the ship while she and Theora desperately tried to escape the bridge…

"So you do…" She spoke softly, sympathetic to the grief etched across the teen's face. "It is a miracle that you managed to survive. Eva and I had to nurse you back to health over the last few days; the young one that arrived with you has been pestering about your condition ever since then –"

"Where is she…? Where is Theora?" Vanessa's eyes spoke volumes of relief that she knew that Theora was nearby… wherever this was. The older woman did not seem too comfortable with answering the question, though.

"I do not have the time to explain much right now… just know that she's safe for the moment. You are on Daikokuya the Wealthy's ship. When he comes for you… answer honestly. If you do not…" Eva's mother straightened herself, looking notably shaken. "Please. It is in your best interest… and ours." The woman, who seemed to develop urgency for time, headed towards the door.

"Wait!" Vanessa called out, finding the strength to push her words out. "Who… Who are you?"

"Irene. Evangeline is my daughter."

"I'm Vanessa." She introduced herself quickly before Irene could leave. She was thankful that there was at least someone on board that was kind. Irene gave a nod, her simple form of acknowledgment, before she left the room. Vanessa had caught a small light flashing on Irene's bracelets… what did it mean? She would soon find out.

"So the mystery guest has finally awakened, I hear." It did not even seem like a minute had gone by before a new occupant blocked the light that filtered through the open doorway. He was short, one of the shortest older men that Vanessa had ever seen. If he were not adorned with tacky jewellery and accompanied by floating robots, Vanessa's first impression of him would have been of a misunderstood but kind old man. This would have been wrong on all accounts.

He stopped walking when he reached the base of her boots. If nothing else, Vanessa was grateful for the familiarity of her boots… and her necklace in this odd place. His squinty eyes scanned her up and down, lingering a moment too long on a particularly tight section of the tank top she wore. His eyes finally settled on hers, looking delighted. "Now for what do I owe the pleasure of this meeting?"

Vanessa was reluctant to open her mouth to say anything. After all, it was instinctive to be as conservative about herself as possible. Irene's hastily made departure and pleading eyes, however… told her to answer him.

"My ship exploded." It was a simple response, but it rang true.

"So it did, so it did… quite a nice ship, as it were. Way too fancy for two girls playing pirate though, wouldn't you say? Where did you get it?" Vanessa did not like his interrogative methods; he was almost daring her to lie to him. But why be so provocative?

"Sailor's Island. We stole it." still a short reply. Vanessa coughed; her voice raspy from her dry throat.

"Would you like a glass of water, my dear? First one is on me." He tapped a few buttons on a piece of machinery he had strapped on his right forearm; it gave a quiet ding to confirm that it understood his input. He stared expectantly at the door that he had just come through. What was he doing? Surely no one could arrive that fast –

"I'm here!" A high-pitched voice panted as the young girl hovered at the entrance with a glass of water. "Permission to come in, sir?"

"Right away, Evangeline! I will not have my reputation as an honourable host be tarnished, thank you!" He ushered the girl in, who swiftly handed Vanessa the glass she had been carrying. Vanessa accepted it gratefully, murmuring a small thanks as the short man waved the girl out and closed the door. She took a sip, her throat relinquishing the comforts of the liquid that slid down it. She felt better immediately. "Speaking of horrible manners, I have forgotten to introduce myself! My name is Daikokuya. My friends call me Daiko. And you are?" He held out his hand for her to shake it. His hospitality was confusing when she had just been warned not too long before about him.

"Vanessa…" She managed to say, discomforted by being alone with one who was clearly a perverted man. The way his eyes lit up as she spoke, too…

"Vanessa? I've heard of that name before…" He tapped his chin, as if he were thinking hard about it. He snapped his fingers. "Oh, I know! Your name was on the wanted list, just under mine. Always a pleasure to meet another whose sole purpose is to cause mischief in the world. You are part of the Red Rogues, right? Where is your blonde friend?" Vanessa flinched at the question. How many times would she be reminded of Skye's death while she was here? Her heart felt heavy just pondering about it.

Vanessa jumped in place as she received violent shocks up her arms. The glass of water she had held so delicately was dropped and shattered upon impact to the floor. Where the hell had that come from? A small light was flashing red on the bracelets, and as she looked up at Daikokuya, he was giving her a knowing smile, one finger resting on the forearm technology.

"An answer, if you would?" Daikokuya was testing the limits of her composure. Normally she would handle herself relatively well, but given that she was in a state of emotional vulnerability for having just lost one of her best friends…

"Bite me." She snapped, quickly moving to kick him in the knees. He already knew what she was going to do, of course, and took an easy step back before pressing down on the button once more. Vanessa let out a surprised gasp of pain as it bolted up her arms like fire, eagerly racing down her body until she could feel the pain all the way down to her boots. He smirked as he watched her folding her arms against herself, biting her lip to keep from crying out again. Daikokuya always took pleasure in whipping the spirited ones. It would not be long before she too obediently came at his command.

"Now, Red Rogue; let this be made very clear right away." His eyes narrowed as she shakily pushed herself back up, hatred evident in her eyes. "As soon as you set foot on this ship, or landed rather haphazardly the way you did on my deck, but I digress, you became my property. You are to heed to my instructions as soon as I give them, or there will be consequences, do you understand?"

"Like what, exactly?" Vanessa, despite her body weakened by the voltage, challenged. Daikokuya scowled, though secretly inside he was enjoying this. My, it had been quite some time since one with so much potential had taken residence on his ship…

"Normally, I'd do what any regular guy would do if his ship was getting dirty; I'd take out the trash." He emphasized this point as he glared down at her, her hazel eyes refusing to admit defeat as they stared back at him. "Sometimes I humour myself with target practice; other times I like to clean the skies of Arcadia with the humanitarian method of chucking useless baggage into deep sky. All depends about what I am in the mood for, really." He shrugged nonchalantly, as if his decisions were everyday outcomes and not a cruel joke. His face lit up when a thought came to him. "You, however, you… will have the opportunity to make one mistake, and it will not cost you at all. Why, might you be asking? Patience is key, my lady, for the grand revelation!"

Daikokuya gave himself a short round of applause, enjoying the dramatics. Vanessa had never met a stranger man. She already knew what he was going to suggest, and the mere thought filled her with dread. Of course he would resort to blackmail. Any man like him would be stupid not to, considering who had landed – quite literally – on his doorstep.

"That annoying young gal that we found with you… Theora, her name is? She means a lot to you, doesn't she? Must be, considering the amount of effort you made to rescue her." He crossed his arms as he paced a few steps back and forth in front of her. "Would be a real shame if such valiant efforts and such a spirited youth were to meet her untimely end, wouldn't you say?"

"Leave her alone." Vanessa warned, clenching her hands into fists. "Your beef is with me. She has nothing to do with this."

"Alas, but that is where you are wrong, dear Red Rogue. She has everything to do with it. After all, what else would guarantee me your cooperation? I know your type. If you were alone, you would be incredibly resistant to everything and likely die before bending to anyone's whim. A commendable trait in you, but I'm afraid it won't get you far here. Not if you value precious little Theora's life, that is."

"What do you want?" Vanessa growled. One of the floating robots in the room swirled over her head, staring down at her with its one large lens. Daikokuya patted down his sides, as if he were dusting himself off, before responding.

"It's down to business, finally!" His voice was chipper as he stopped pacing. "Glad you can see things my way, Vanessa. I believe this is to be the start of a wonderful relationship."

"Whatever…" Vanessa muttered; gritting her teeth as she knew that life was about to get very difficult… and very frustrating. With no chances of a rescue (the only two that cared about her were either dead or being used as a piece of bargaining meat over her head); her hopes were all but dashed.

"Right then…" Daikokuya rubbed his hands together excitedly. "I've heard plenty about the Red Rogues… several successful exploits involving thievery and killing, in fact! I have a need for such abilities… do you get me?"

"Who do you need dead, and what objects do you want to have added into your collection?" Vanessa stood up, feeling like she towered over the dwarf of a man that giddily hopped before her.

"So cold, so ruthless! Just my style. Well, my dear Vanessa, there have been many pirates of late that have been ticking me off. Flying in my territory, trying to down my ship or take the bounty on my head. Most of these are Black Pirates, because they don't give a shit on whose lives they ruin to get what they want. Well, you're going to teach them a lesson." He grabbed her hand suddenly, resting the palm of his other on it.

"… I do hope that you are not expecting results if I have to work in this outfit." Daikokuya's mouth twitched, though whether it was because he was amused or offended Vanessa couldn't tell.

"It is quite flattering for a figure such as yours." His eyes cheekily settled on her breasts again. From the deepening frown on her face, however, he retracted his comment. "Fine, I will arrange for one of my servants to retrieve your clothes if you feel that you would operate better in them. It's the least I can do."

"Thanks… I guess." Vanessa gently tugged at the ends of the tank top, feeling distinctly uncomfortable in it while the older man continued to give her the ups and downs. Satisfying himself for now, he made his way back to the door.

"You've already met Irene, right? While you're on board, you will be working under her. Ask her about what you should be doing." He turned the corner, lingering a moment longer to pop his head back in. "Oh, and tell her I'm hungry. There's a place to start. Good day to you." With that, he was gone, leaving Vanessa alone to wonder just what the hell she was getting herself into.

The air bore a crisp sense of belonging, as most of the residents of Glacia would come to appreciate over time. The buildings, unlike any other structure known to any Arcadian, hung from the thick ice that covered their entire horizon. Clean rows of buildings (home to thousands upon thousands of the city's residents) had graced above them, like giant stalactites in a cave. The streets were neatly carved from ice, sprinkled with the finest moonstones to give traction needed to prevent slipping and preserve the beauty of the icy terrain.

Glacia's most prized building, the Royal Palace, resided north of the city, hidden behind a great wall. Unlike the buildings built in the city, the palace was built from the ground up. The dome like structure held it's originality up high, and theorized to be an accommodating place to visit in the old world due to the comfort it gave it's visitors who weren't too used to the upside-down structures before it. Ice sculptures decorated the Palace entrance; a strong line of their native animal gracing the walkway, the penguin.

On normal occasions the throne room bore more of the most interesting of conversations; however the infirmary downstairs had the most interesting of occurrences. Two of the palace guards were hovering near the entrance, conversing about the most bizarre occurrence in a while, a girl who had fallen from the sky.

Speaking in his native tongue, the shorter and rounder guard, clad in exquisite ice resembling armour spoke.

"Are you out of your mind, sir? We can't keep an outsider here!" His voice chocked in stress. "Outsiders are forbidden!" The guard stomped his foot down to further emphasize his point.

The taller guard, holding a firmer build on his comrade, in the same armor, smiled, waving his hand down at the other man.

"Drake, calm down. " Before the man could speak he added in "Do you think the Advisor herself would allow an enemy into our land?"

"Ah, Karen." He paused, stroking his chin. "Her judgment is sound …but how could she allow an outsider-"

"-Leave the worrying to her, my friend." He smiled, hoping his calm front would relieve Drake.

"B-But sir!"

The taller man sighed, shaking his head. "Karen is taking to the girl's injuries. I'm quite sure she's no threat."

"And if you were wrong?" Drake hummed in question.

"We'd all be done for as we know it." He winked. "Especially since our defensive line is so infantile that we'd let a simple Arcadian girl harm our entire land and culture." A thought Drake took personally.

"It's happened before." Drake noted, knowing full well there wasn't any way his captain could get around his statement. Before he could comment, the Royal Advisor stepped out from the infirmary.

"Good evening, Drake."Her silver hair rested behind her ears, a few strands covering her jade eyes. Her violet shaded robe represented her position, the symbol of their land embroidered around the seam. She placed her arm in front of her, her robe contained by her gesture, bowing slightly out of courtesy. "May you excuse us?"

"Of course. Sir, I'll be taking my leave. Where shall I be posted?"

"The main gate." He paused. "And Drake?"

"Yes Sir?"

"Please call me Michelin." A grin escaped his lips. "I beg of you."

Drake saluted and dismissed himself.

"Quite the odd fellow." Karen giggled. Michelin had stepped back to give his friend some room, to give her some room. "The girl is doing much better. Rohan and I make quite the team!" She beamed, Michelin not amused in the slightest.

"Your expertise and healing abilities exceed the knowledge and practices of that pipsqueak." He scoffed.

"Michelin!" She scolded, raising her finger to him. He hadn't looked too impressed. "Rohan is quite the prodigy! I've never seen someone more qualified to be the Royal Doctor!"

Michelin groaned knowing Karen was too considerate for her own good. Of course the proof was right there. Karen had attended to the girl for at least a few hours before exiting the infirmary. He'd know. Waiting for someone for a good two hours wasn't too much fun.

"If you are finished belittling the Royal Doctor, I'll be off to inform the Liege of our little foreigner."

"Is that the best idea, Karen?" Michelin rested his hand on her shoulder. "Please, rest."

"I'll be alright." Karen haphazardly let out a smile to reassure her childhood friend. "If I had kept this from our Liege… he'd want to know. If anything, she could answer questions that he's had for years. You know what I'm talking about."

That he did, and if any luck, this girl had resided from the place referred to as Nasrad. If that were the case …oh, that'd be a prayer from the moons finally answered.

"Oh, and Michelin?"Karen said before taking off. "Please accompany Rohan… just in case she causes any trouble."

"Karen, you honestly don't believe she would." He joked. "Unless she was carrying a gun or knife or whatever."

"She was accompanied with a gun. It's the most interesting contraption I have ever laid eyes on." She mused.

Oh Moons, he was kidding.

"Karen, I can't be at two places at once. "I have a shift in a few minutes."

"Michelin! I need you here with her, and Rohan! There's no way he could defend himself if anything were to happen."

Michelin laughed, wishing he could contain the amusing picture of the faceless girl attacking their 'Prodigy.'

"Why are you so against him? He's doing the best he can for himself and his daughter."

"He's a bit too cheeky, Karen. I can't stand people like that." He rolled his eyes. "The way he idolizes you is a little too creepy for my liking."

"Oh Michelin, stop. He does not idolize me. He's a very considerate fellow." Karen folded her arms, ready to change the subject. "I'll have one of the guards tell Jorge of your new position. Now, problem solved."

The sigh was not gone unnoticed by Karen, as she headed upstairs to meet with her Liege.

Michelin headed into the infirmary, noting Rohan, a far shorter man in comparison, sitting by the girl's bedside. He hadn't the opportunity to glimpse at her, for Rohan's body blocked her face, as the blankets shielded the rest of her. Rohan however, had noticed Michelin try to get a peek. The dirty blonde couldn't help but grin.

"Curious, are we?" He spoke in Arcadian tongue.

"Use the Glacic tongue unless otherwise stated. You know better than that." Michelin crossed his arms in displeasure.

"It's quite appropriate, you know. Before us, we do indeed have an Arcadian." Rohan raised a brow. "And what brings you here?"

"Karen requested my assistance just in case our foreigner decided to kick your ass." He grinned.

"My what?" Rohan's eyes widened in embarrassment; his quick impulse to readjust his glasses not ignored by Michelin. He feared Michelin had noticed. Rohan had never been able to hide his embarrassment well. However, had Karen thought of him to be that weak to require the assistance of …this brute?

"You heard me my good man." He made sure to sound out the last two words in plain Arcadian. "Your Ass." Michelin patted Rohan's back, a little too harshly as noted by Rohan's sudden switch in posture. How dare Michelin insult his intelligence! He coughed, his body struggling to recompose itself.

"You may leave anytime, Michelin."

"I would if I had orders stating otherwise, believe you me." He would too. Damn! He really wished he hadn't had such a soft spot for the Glacian girl…

Michelin sat down, his eyes on the girl wrapped in the light purple sheet. Her eyes were closed; her face was graced with a little scab on her cheek. Karen had done a fine job with the girl, as she knew she would. No one who didn't know about the ship crash would have identified that she had been in a mess. This girl was mighty lucky that Karen had found her; she'd be dead otherwise. Rohan cleared his throat; as if he were about to say something. He hadn't, however his eyes spoke volumes. He could tell the royal doctor was intrigued; smitten even. He snickered; Rohan clearly noticed Michelin staring at him, and returned a raised brow.

"You like what you see, Doctor?" He snickered, his grin overwhelmingly arrogant.

"N-No, not at all. I was merely observing her appearance. You would think an outsider would be racially visible. He replied, pushing up his glasses to clarify his vision. "Are you sure she's from the land above?"

"Were you not there when Karen examined her, Rohan? She said you were." Michelin's eyes narrowed. "Not really a person deserving of your position, Doctor."

"I was there, Michelin. I wasn't going to strip the girl down and tend to her wounds when Karen was the more appropriate choice. I stepped out of the infirmary at Karen's request." He paused for further emphasis. "I respect Karen's words, Michelin. This is why I'm presently sharing the same room as you."

"Ouch." Michelin held his hand to his heart. "Aren't you a feisty little man."

Rohan ignored his comment. "Karen hadn't told me the details behind the crash; however, she looks a lot like one of us. I know what you're going to say, Michelin, you're going to mention her skin." Rohan paused, placing a hand hear the girl's bare arm. "Her skin is sun touched, but then again, if we were on the surface …"

"Are you going to babble on all day, Rohan? I wasn't going to question you." Michelin laughed.

Rohan again ignored Michelin's intrusive comments. "The council had stated that Rhian was a person of no good; her raven hair and dark skin an indication of what was to come of our society. I didn't know Her Highness when she was alive; I was but a baby."

"She was a kindhearted woman, as I've heard from the older folks." Michelin responded, growing solemn. "The council does throw things out of proportion; even if they mean to protect us."

"Do we have a common interest there, brute?" Rohan raised a brow at the taller man before him. "I do agree with you on the matters of the council. It makes me wonder how our Liege feels about the situation."

Michelin fell silent at the mention of their Prince. His mother, Queen Rhian was from Nasrad; an outside continent. As a loyal guard and best friend to the Prince, he couldn't imagine what his friend endured. The council decided together that it'd be in the better interest if they took it upon themselves to break his curiosity about his mother from a young age. After they ripped the young prince of his inquisitive nature, they crippled his independence; making each and every decision for the boy harder and harder, until his mind shut down. It wasn't the councils' brightest moment, handicapping their Prince. The citizens of Glacia, however, came first; even at the cost of their own ruler's sanity. Michelin sadly reflected on this truth; it had explained quite well why the Prince displayed a dull mind; he never had the chance to develop one.

It must have been tough to be Prince Marion…

END CHAPTER 13