[h2]R O W E N A[/H2]
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Lady Rowena Henrietta Imperia-Airwright, the niece of the Lord Captain, Malcolm Imperia-Airwright, had never liked the Supreme Commander.

He was an irritating little brat, with a penchant for arresting people who, you know, broke the law. And when your family has made a fortune off of doing just that-well, it's quite frustrating, to say the least.

So she was more than surprised when Adrianna came to her for help.

Captain Adrianna Iphigenia Kingsford was Rowena's closest friend in finishing school. However, Adrianna was nothing if not a goody two-shoes, so it was understandable that Rowena and Adrianna fell out of contact after completing their education. 

[i]We're not all that different, though,[/i] Rowena mused to herself as she and her uncle walked up the long pathway to the entrance of the Supreme Commander's home.

Indeed, they were not. Though Adrianna applied the fine art of finishing others to honorable ("honorable" being a relative term) causes, while Rowena preferred to apply her education to, ah, [i]less[/i] honorable causes, they were both, at the core, graduates of Madame Geraldine's Finishing School for Young Ladies of Quality.

And anyone who's anyone will tell you that Madame Geraldine's girls are [i]dangerous[/i], overtly or otherwise.

Perhaps that was why Adrianna came to Rowena. She knew that Rowena could be [i]very[/i] useful, when it came to anything illegal. 

So, would they be doing anything illegal during the impeding investigation? Most likely, if Adrianna decided to get Rowena involved. [i]Though,[/i] Rowena thought, [i]Adrianna will probably fight against doing [/i]anything[i] illegal. Which is perfectly ridiculous. How does one expect to get something done without resorting to breaking the law?[/i]

Rowena remembered Adrianna's exact words-"I need your help, Rowena. Now, more than ever, I [i]need[/i] your help."

Rowena's heart had softened at that. "Oh, very well, Adrianna," she'd replied breezily, making a vague gesture with one of her hands. "As long as the honorable Commander chooses not to grace us with his [i]venerable[/i] presence, I see no reason to refuse."

The actual investigation itself would be tricky, though. Rowena didn't like dealing with what she didn't know, and she wasn't so much of a fool as to admit that she knew about Myalo. She knew what it [i]was[/i], yes, and what it could do...but how did one go about obtaining it? How did one go about storing it? How did one go about [i]using[/i] it? These were questions for scientists, and Rowena was no scientist. 

The inclusion of Institute graduates made Rowena nervous. Mad scientists were annoyingly unpredictable (as befitting the job description, of course, but still), and they were secretive and eccentric and sometimes completely immune to her charms, seeing as they were always focused on some crazy project or the other. 

Rowena sighed to herself. She and her uncle had reached the main entrance, and she let herself be ushered towards the Supreme Commander. Lord Malcolm Imperia-Airwright, the Minister of the Merchant Guild, and Supreme Commander Phillip Osborne, the Minister of the Legionnaire Guild, were on rather...[i]rocky[/i] terms, to say the least. But appearances must be maintained, and so the two shook hands and exchanged all the required pleasantries, even though both of their eyes remained wary and alert. Rowena herself curtsied exactly the way that she'd been taught to at Madame Geraldine's (while resisting the urge to launch her favorite dagger at the Supreme Commander), and she smiled sweetly at his daughter, the honorable Corporal Olivia Osborne.

Rowena watched as Olivia gave her a stiff smile in response. She could practically [i]see[/i] the woman struggling not to let out some snappy, undoubtedly self-righteously indignant complaint about the mere existence of the Imperia-Airwrights. 

Rowena made her usual rounds, dancing with the people she was expected to dance with, conversing with the people she was expected to converse with, smiling when she was supposed to smile, laughing when she was supposed to laugh. She spoke briefly to the Head Scholar ("Lady Zhang-Langridge, you look as lovely as always. I trust that you are doing well?"), the Surgeon General's cousin ("Oh, I am simply [i]delighted[/i] to see you here!"), and Dr. Roderick Oswald, an instructor at the Polytechnique Institute of Arts and Sciences ("Calm down, Dr. Oswald, do. I can assure you that I've not ingested anything poisonous since the last time we encountered each other,") before seeking out the library.

The library was supposed to be where the young ladies and respectable gentlemen who'd accepted Adrianna's offer were supposed to convene, apparently. And as Adrianna's "second-in-command" (anyone who knew Rowena knew that she would [i]always[/i] be wielding an equal amount of power, no matter what the situation. But sometimes, alternative facts had to be given in order to placate certain irritating commanders, whose first names were Phillip and last names were Osborne), Rowena would be watching, waiting, and observing...and flirting (in the case that any of the individuals proved to be of the male persuasion and unexpectedly adverse to revealing a couple of secrets), if she had to.

After all, hadn't Lady Kat (an instructor of music and creative arts, intelligence gathering, principles of deceit, fundamental espionage, and rudimentary seduction at Madame Geraldine's Finishing School for Young Ladies of Quality) repeatedly told her that "if you must flirt, flirt with danger"? And mad scientists and evil geniuses could be [i]very[/i] dangerous indeed. They could positively kill somebody with some of the atrocious [i]things[/i] that they wore in place of proper clothing!

The library was absolutely exquisite, even to a person who was not particularly interested in spending their life reading about obscure academic subjects (such as Rowena). The honorable Captain Kingsford was already there, a decorated book with an intricately designed cover in her hands. Rowena arched an eyebrow-she seemed to be genuinely engrossed in whatever the book was about.

Rowena went to find a seat at the other end of the library, as previously agreed upon, but when Adrianna heard Rowena enter, she stood up and walked over to her.

"Lady Imp-Rowena. I...er...well...thank you for agreeing to this."

Rowena mentally rolled her eyes. Adrianna was [i]not[/i] very good at making small talk. "Perhaps you should lower your voice," she said pleasantly. "So as not to disturb the other guests who may be in the library as well."

Adrianna gave her a puzzled look, then realized what exactly Rowena was trying to say. "Oh. Don't worry; we're alone."

Rowena was still not assured. "Are we, indeed? Perhaps we should peruse the history section, then. I am told that it is rather hard to find. I do so hope that nobody is there right now."

Adrianna sighed. "I've checked countless times already, Rowena, all throughout the library. We went to the same school, you know. Really-we are quite alone. You don't have to talk in circles, though I do appreciate your...wariness."

Rowena shrugged, lowering her voice nevertheless. "Precautions, my dear captain. Precautions." She paused. "I've seen some of the other associated ladies and gentlemen already. Dr. Oswald from the Institute is here; I was not aware that he would be in attendance. Perhaps Lord Henderson-Kipps sent him? Anyway. I do believe that the rest of the people shall soon be amongst us. We are following the original plan, yes?"

"That is correct." Adrianna sighed again, and Rowena took the opportunity to assess her gown.

"Really, Adrianna," Rowena admonished in a lightly teasing voice. "What would Lady Kat say about-about [i]that[/i]-" and here Rowena waved a hand in the general direction of Adrianna's ensemble-"at a [i]ball[/i]? What color is that called? Tree-bark brown?" Rowena herself wore an evening gown of red silk brocaded with black rose, rubies glittering at her throat and around the slits in her mask. Her gloves were made of black satin, with tiny pearl buttons running down one side. 

Rowena was more than certain that Adrianna was armed (the [i]one thing[/i] the captain had gotten out of finishing school, it seemed like; always have a weapon of some sort on you. As well as a handkerchief), and Rowena was too. She had lemon juice in a perfume bottle and and a bladed fan; the fan's leaves were a fine crimson fabric but its ribs and guards were metal, the tips razor sharp. She also had a pretty little pistol with gilt metalwork and a mother-of-pearl handle in her reticule, and handkerchiefs and red doilies.

Rowena watched as Adrianna relaxed slightly, reassured by her playful humor. "Well, it [i]is[/i] the Supreme Commander's ball, after all, to celebrate his daughter's birthday, no less. You've met Olivia, right? I thought that I should dress to the drabness of the occasion. Have I succeeded?"

Rowena laughed-a bright, twinkling laugh, like the glint of chandelier light skipping across delicate flutes of champagne-her eyes dancing with mirth. "You've more than succeeded, my dear." 

And for a moment, it was like Rowena was back at finishing school again, when Adrianna was her best friend-nothing more, nothing less.

But all too soon, reality came back to both of them; they were grown women now, and they should have been at each other's throats, but they weren't because they had to save their city from black magic and the Minefield Triarchy and who knew what else, and the moment was broken and Adrianna cleared her throat and Rowena nodded and sailed across the room to take a seat in the corner, a random book about munitions spread across her lap (munitions, of all things-[i]such[/i] an unladylike subject, especially for somebody like Rowena!) and they both ignored each other for the sake of the investigation and for the sake of their own consciences-because Adrianna didn't know if she could trust Rowena and Rowena didn't know if she could trust Adrianna and they weren't in finishing school anymore and things were just very, very complicated.

Rowena sighed. It was going to be a long, long night.