[center][b]Joy[/b][/center]

Throughout most of Joy's life, she was fine with the fact that she was born with reflexes that were quicker and sharper than her mind. After all, being able to properly quip and bitingly taunt your opponent didn't matter if they were already slicing through your throat. However, it was the times like these that she wished she had been blessed with a bark that could replace her bite. By the time the prospect of even raising a question on how Diane could refer to herself as a lady after her unladylike first impression had even begun to form in Joy's mind the conversation had already moved on. Joy fixed a neutral expression upon her face, her eyes narrowing as Diane mentioned her less than respectable departure. Joy knew she'd gain nothing from antagonizing her, and had even less of a reason to win the woman over. She had already soured her relations with half of the Barcean noble family's when she was Vesta Debove; no reason to try and mend them now.

There was something else that stopped the woman from wanting to make amends. Something that Joy wouldn't want to admit. She shifted her weight uncomfortably as the Prince began explaining to the others, ignoring Sampson's nervous glances and Gortful's confused expression. The other Sentinels had it, too. There was a connection between the group and Cyril that was more than just being soldiers together. It made the air feel weird; it made Joy's chest feel tight. She drifted in and out of the conversation, her mind struggling against her gut reaction to reach for her flask. When she was young, when she led briefings, when she was in command, this room didn't feel like this. She had kept her men at arms length. Strict, professional, efficient, or so she had thought. In hindsight, it had probably been her first major mistake as captain.

 [i]Am I jealous?[/i] she thought. She didn't know. Joy needed to find the answer. She was told by her gut that she wouldn't find it here in this room. Maybe at the bottom of a bottle? The Sentinels had just lucked out. Drinking would have to replace her plans for drilling. [i]Just need to clear my mind. It's fine.[/i]

“Unfortunately, I must rescind my offer. I just recalled that a certain ambassador requested my presence, and I can only keep him waiting for so long,” said Joy, using Ennis as an excuse to escape to any bar she could find. “I'll have time when we make camp to see how your men hold up. Take care, Your Royal Highnesses.” She nodded to Cyril and Ayano and excused herself to Calypso and Etsuko, giving a cold shoulder to the Sentinels as she limped out of the room.

[center][b]Ennis[/b][/center]

Ennis drew in a deep breath and tried to slow down his hammering heart. Nobody was in this room. He would have certainly found out earlier if that was the case. Picking back up his sword, he slowly crept out of his office and back into the hallway. Three rooms to check. He started with Yan's. Touching his hand to the door knob, he twisted it open as he placed his back against the hallway wall. Gesturing with  his hand, he threw a spell into the middle of the room and closed the door shut. There was a tiny, unimpressive crack sound, followed by a brilliant white flash that snuck through the bottom of the door.  No expressions or noises that sounded like he had blinded somebody. Still, he checked through Yan's room, his sword extended out in front of him. Nothing. He cleared the next two rooms. Again, nobody was there.

Sighing with relief, he went back to his desk and studied his discovery: a boot print in the now dried ink that had spilled from his desk. Feeling foolish, he optimistically leaned up against his desk and looked at the bottom of his boots, hoping that in his hurry earlier he had just stepped in the puddle and hadn't realized it. He felt his stomach drop: both his shoes were clean. The footprints led to the front door. That explained why his balcony was ajar and his door unlocked, although how somebody broke into his balcony that faced the street without raising an alarm beguiled Ennis. He stepped next to the footprints, trying to measure the size of the stride but failing to draw any conclusions from it. 

He walked through his apartment again, checking the rooms to see if anything of value had been stolen. Nothing appeared to have been touched. Ennis fumed for a second; he had plenty of valuables, meaning whomever had broken in wasn't just some random thief. He checked his desk, rummaging through the files and documents. Some seemed shifted out of place, but nothing struck him as missing. Still, he knew somebody had been in his apartment while he was at the castle. [i]What could they have been looking for?[/i] He pinched the bridge of his nose as he thought. [i]Who had reason to do this?[/i]

His eyes studied his desk. Nothing of interest had been in any of his official reports—he had made a habit of sending what he sent back to H'kela to Kori as well to serve a sign of good faith (although if she ever actually got them was an uncertainty). Perhaps a Barcean thought he was spying and had taken time to look through his unofficial reports...except those didn't exist and never would exist. Ennis refused to spy for Gartian. Maybe a H'kelan, then? Somebody who hated his family and wanted to find something to defame him? [i]But what would it be? My family has always done things by...[/i] His train of thought was cut off as he reached for the letter his father had sent him, warning him about Gartian's attacks and begging him to come home. It had read to Ennis like the letter from a concerned father. To others? It'd probably read closer to a traitor revealing military secrets. His head hurt as he continued thinking hundreds of questions with no answers. He cast a spell on himself to ease the ache. 

There was one thing Ennis knew for certain: he had to get rid of this letter. Striking a fire to life in his fireplace, he tossed the letter into the flames and watched as the licked around the edges of the envelope and crisped it black. He slumped into one of his chairs. [i]Who knew about the letter?[/i] thought Ennis. There was Nia, but she had known about the letter before he had even opened it. The idea that she had planted it on Ennis to set him up didn't even form in his head. He knew she wouldn't betray him. Yan, then? He was still missing, although Ennis didn't believe he was working for anybody else but him. It didn't make sense. Gartian did have spies in Barcea. Perhaps one of them had been watching? He wouldn't get any help from the guard, and troubling the Queen was not high on his list. Besides, he doubted she would send her men to examine the entire kingdom for dirty boots.

[i]Think.[/i]

[i]Think...[/i]

[b]Thud![/b]

The noise stirred Ennis. Judging by the view from his balcony, it was now dark outside. [i]You fell asleep? You idiot![/i] He looked around the room in a panic, before his better senses told him to calm his nerves. The thud had come from outside; the loud cursing from his front door confirmed it. Another thud, followed by even more fluent cursing. Surely, some of them had to have been made up on the spot there thought Ennis as he cautiously approached the door. He pulled the door open. He felt tears form in his eyes as the smell of hard alcohol punched him in the nose. 

“Come on, ya whoremongering, sandswallowing, dogloving, sonofabitch, open the...open...open the door,” said Joy, slurring her words.

The woman rose her hand up to knock again, swinging forcefully at the now open door. Her body followed after her fist, and Ennis clumsily ducked out of the way to avoid getting hit. She tripped forward, crumpling to the ground as she laughed and swore in pain. Joy was saying something about his mother as Ennis tried to help her up. The drunk woman offered no assistance, prattling on in further and further graphic detail. 

“Miss Joy, please, perhaps you shouldn't talk about people you don't know,” said Ennis, finally pulling the woman up to her feet and giving her his shoulder. 

“Don't...don't know? I know that bi...” She fell silent. Ennis was worried that she might have been getting sick, and contemplated pushing her away from making a mess on his clothes. “Fucking...fugging...frogging...grog and...you have a drink?” She wiggled her flask in front of his face and giggled.  Ennis didn't know the woman well, but it sounded very unnatural and made his skin crawl.“I'm all...alllllllllll gone.” 

“Yes, I could tell,” said Ennis, leading the woman into the bathroom. Not the finest of quarters, but he refused to have a mess in the morning and imagined the first thing the woman would want to do is bathe the stench away. “While I appreciate you stopping by, I was hoping you'd be a little more...clear headed, so you would be able to fully appreciate my points. Still, I-”

“Goddamned stupid, dumb, concieted, little noble fuck,” said  Joy, cutting Ennis off. At first, he thought she was talking about him, but she continued. “Calling me a mutt, hah, the...the Laues are...” She blew a raspberry. “Stupid, dumb. Lady Laues, should've said, I should've said, hah, I should've said Lady Loser to her big dumb stupid bitch face.”

“Yes, I'm sure that would cut Lady Laues very deeply, Miss Joy. Come on, give me a leg up or something.”

“Eating jerk. Stupid smile. Buncha....buncha nobodies. Faster than...fucking crippled and faster than all of 'em,” she struck her hand and sliced the air, making chopping sounds with her mouth for emphasis. It was anything but impressive. Ennis casually leaned out of the way of the hits. “Assholes. Everyone else...everyone else is an asshole...”

“Mm, yes, clearly that must be it,” said Ennis, lifting one leg followed by another so that Joy was now in the tub. “Sit for me, please?”

“You're...you're cuter than your brother,” she said. “Whatshisname? Pfft, he was a....a loser asshole, too. Couldn't even...weak. You got his stupid dumb big nose. Stupid dumb big H'kelan loser asshole nose.”

“And there you go,” said Ennis, shoving Joy onto her rear with a less than careful push. “I'll check on you to make sure you're asleep and don't hurt yourself soon.”

He cast one spell on the woman as he walked out of the bathroom. Joy was still rambling in gibberish as he closed the door behind him and went to his room, taking a minute to double check the locks on his doors and windows. He had invited her over to ask a question and to see if he could win, or buy, her help. That would have to wait until morning. Now, he'd just have to find a way to sleep knowing that a burgular was on the loose and that there was a boozed bandit in his bathtub.