[center][color=#008b8b][h2]Fionn MacKerracher[/h2][/color][/center]
[hr][@VitaVitaAR][@VahkiDane][@ERode][@Psyker Landshark][@PigeonOfAstora][@Crimson Paladin][@Raineh Daze][@HereComesTheSnow][@Rune_Alchemist][@Creative Chaos]
[hr]

Lein's smack on his chest met with a raised eyebrow, but Fionn declined to comment either on it or on the idea of the diminutive Hundi riding atop Steffen's great shoulders. The Crown Knights had quickly surrounded the princesses and started escorting them back deeper within the castle; while he'd been inclined to follow along very shortly, the assassin's capture and Steffen's own comment about having looked through the halls before arriving in the great hall gave him reason to believe things would remain...calm [i]enough[/i] for the next few moments, at least.

No matter how strange it all was, as even the short evacuation seemed to grind to a halt given the peculiarity of the overall situation. The snippets of the conversation from around the assassin reaching back to his ears only reinforced how odd it all was. [color=#008b8b]"Lein, you're quick and slippery. Keep close to Steffen and keep your ears open if you go looking around—if you can't see any sort of special or hidden entrance, you might still hear something from the other side. I'll keep a finger on things here...there's something very strange about this, like, and I've got a feeling that there really is going to be more to deal with before the night is through."[/color]

Something about a sister, the Nem couldn't speak, something about a mastermind. Coercion, then? A sick practice, threatening the family of one to force them to do such dirty work, though he couldn't deny his own disapproval of the Nem's actions. Rarely could the sorts who used such tactics be expected to uphold their end of the bargain. It was just as likely that the would-be assassin and her sister got killed afterwards for all their trouble, to tie up loose ends and let the plotter make good on their escape; why, then, bother to harm an innocent when there was likely no real gain for it?

But at least, in her failure, the Nem had opened up the chance to have her sister saved. Some small good came out of the attempt, misguided as it may have been.

With Lein and Steffen dismissed (if they so chose to take the chance to go and search), Fionn made his way up to the rest of the group, drawing a handkerchief from one pocket and holding it out wordlessly to Serenity as he came up just within her peripheral vision. Her clenched fist and the hint of red starting to well up in her palm was as easily noticeable to him as the rest of her body language in reply to what was going on. One of the rare benefits to practicing swordplay as one's life's work—it made reading people into a force of habit.

[color=#008b8b]"Captain."[/color] As Renar and Gerard made their inquiries, he focused his attention back on their leader. [color=#008b8b]"If we're to remain here much longer, whether or not this can be pursued tonight, we'll need equipment. Shall I go ask Sir Adeforth if we can access the Crown Knights' armoury?"[/color]