Derren Krenshaw

Pieces of 8: Bones of the North

A belated Happy Birthday to you, Hellis.

Been a busy couple weeks here, but I should be getting a post of my own up later tonight.

Masques and Daggers (Derren Krenshaw & Igraine)

"No apologies necessary, Miss Demidova, your input is more than welcome."

It was easy enough to say those words with genuine feeling. In any other scenario, at any other time, he truly would welcome her input on any mission that passed his way. She kept her gaze wide and missed no little detail, and he had no doubt that her age hid a wealth of experience that one would be foolish to underestimate. She seemed to be going along with him for now, and while that was all he really needed, it was still far too soon to relax.

Her softening voice was met by a charming smile and nod of Goemon's head... though he bore no illusions it would disarm her in the least.

"I agree with your thoughts there, an- Ah!" The main course was served, the waiter moving down their table with their plates, serving the good ladies first. Fish dominated the plates -Salmon or one of it's close relatives, if the orange flesh was any indication- a butter sauce dotted with capers and pepper glazing it's surface. A carefully arranged bed of greens pillowed one end of the fish, onion and cherry tomatoes nestled within it's leaves. A coarse, brown rice specked with slices of mushroom hugged the edge of the filet to complete the plate, everything looking just a little too much of this and too little of that for the Japanese spy.

"I suppose raw was too much to ask for..." He spoke up after the waiter had left, offering a slight bow towards the meal before looking over to Galina once more. "What is the term Americans have adopted? Bon Appet?"

On Winding Roads (Lillian & Derren )

Alexi had plenty of time to think and be afraid... although the fear seemed to be cutting into his thinking time...

He stumbled back as Katherine leapt forwards, and continued to retreat as she engaged the three in a sudden, fierce scramble of blades. Part of him raged that he did so, angry at the rest of himself that wished to flee in terror. It's howling proved the minority, but it did keep Alexi from falling back any further, allowed him a modicum of reason to act on.

"Right- GUARDS!" He liked to think his voice remained calm and collected. If asked sometime later, he would probably say that it was, that his shouting rang with clear authority rather than terror.

And if those listening knew him at all, they would understand that to be completely untrue.

"Guards! Help!" Oh Lord, if your eyes are watching, let them come in time. "HELP!"

He thought he heard footsteps, hurried stomping barely noticed beyond the cringing crashes of blade on blade. He fancied hearing voices, official shouts in response to his own cries. He dared hope it was true, dared pray that his escort would come out on top and that assistance would arrive to ensure that. But until he saw the flash of armor accompanied by that hurried, drilled-in gait those of the military were known for, he would continue to bolster hope with what action he could muster.

"Help! Thieves on the streets! Guards!"

On Winding Roads (Lillian & Derren )

"Ah... well... uh..."

Don't panic. Don't panic. Stay collected, appear sure. He had Katherine to guard him and was still within the city itself. He just needed to stay composed, trust his escort... and find out what under his Grace they were asking from him.

Katherine shot him a glance at the lead thug's words, but Alexi couldn't reply with any more than terrified confusion. What did they thing he had? What did he have? Travel supplies, maps and money- but they weren't asking for money, where they? The documents he was taking to Avantshire, then? They were still incomplete -not that the thugs could know that- and... what use would footpads gain from them anyways? They wouldn't know how to capitalize on the papers, would they even know who to try and sell them to?

"I'm.... sorry, but I think you've been misinformed." Alexi remained close to Katherine, trying to keep his head facing the man before them, and not whip it back to keep glancing at those behind. She seemed content to threaten for now, looking quite ready to fight but holding back. She hoped they'd go on their way then? If so, Alexi felt it only proper to follow suit. She was the one with battle experience and skill, so it seemed only wise to follow her lead in a situation such as this.

"I'm not carrying anything you would find valuable, Sir. And if you're looking for coin, I should mention I am under protection of both Church and Sword." He gave a meaningful nod towards Katherine as he spoke, gaining a measure of confidence in words. "Surely there are easier marks about than I."

The threat of the church was a gamble, but hopefully one that would give them pause. There were reasons priests, monks and select merchants could travel the lands without fear. Lords feared the reprisals of the church should one under their protection go missing, and zealously hunted down those foolish enough to rob or kill such travelers. That was before the church itself took action, boasting enough wealth and political power to rival most kingdoms.

Of course, priests and protected merchants still went missing here and there. In some cases the threat was simply too ephemeral to scare away attackers. Alexi had to hope that -here within the city walls- that wouldn't be the case, especially with a mercenary at his side.

"Leave us, Sirs. This is a waste of your time."

Masques and Daggers (Derren Krenshaw & Igraine)

Goemon offered Galina a small smile, absently swirling the wine in his glass, seemingly unconcerned by her sudden rousing suspicion. Oh, he was concerned, the sweat on the back of his neck and under the sleeves of his coat running cold as he worked to keep composed on the surface.

"I don't see it as a shame, and yes, Miss Galina Demidova, I am convinced I brought the person I needed. It often seems precision and planning accomplish more than brawn could dream of... even if the task seems to require the latter."

Daisuke would not be pleased to hear that comment. Takahiro's fist took as much pride in his role as Goemon did in his own, and there were just as many times where brawn was found needed when precision and planning collapsed before the finish. Luckily, however, Daisuke wasn't around, and so Goemon could continue climbing out of this whole in peace.

"The Lifeboats on this vessel are quite easy to lower, and provide both a buffer between this ship and my companion's, as well as a more stable platform to descend and cross over from. I've helped board others onto vessels with this plan, and from what I've seen around the ship so far, the reverse should not be hard to accomplish."

He took far more care in his words this time, noting with grave importance how quickly she had latched on to the brief comment he had made before. She didn't trust him in the least, a fact that his constant reassurances and compromises had not helped -and maybe had made worse. But admitting the lie would be worse, far worse, than almost any other option. When dealing openly with another spy, you didn't admit lies like that. It marked you as weak, desperate, even pitiful. If such a light jab sent him stammering with confession, how could he ever convince her to work with him?

No, Goemon had more pride in his words than that.

"In the worst case -say the weather worsens by the time you are ready to depart- I have found out a few people who I could convince to helping us. Notably among the engineers Mister Selvin advises, it's not a risk I'd like to take, but I'd rather have the option than none at all."

Pieces of 8: Bones of the North

"NO!"

More of the grasping dead pressed in, drawn by those not-quite-dead in their midst, drawn by whatever it was Daisy was doing to Fenris from this side. They surged forwards in greater numbers now, as if realizing their prey could not be brought down any other way.

Semyon met them head on. He had to. There was no choice.

Grasping arms were batted away or broken by the Wight's own. Lunging forms were deflected, defeated, and cast into the waters whenever the opportunity raised its head. Snapping blocks, brutal limb breaks, and vicious throws proved able weapons, and he put them to tireless use against the horde. They pressed forwards, he pressed back, centuries of combat experience pitted against a mass of primal hunger.

And then Max was charging Daisy.

He caught it from the corner of his eye- and froze, for a moment stilled into fatal inaction. It was everything he feared, the possibility that he could very well be stranded here, that one of his own comrades, who he bore a duty to protect, would kill him. The dead creatures took advantage of the pause, bearing down on his form, locking him in place and driving him to kneel into the chilling waters, while Max drove closer to the Reaper.

His comrade had all-but betrayed him, his charge was in danger and it appeared the entire world of the dead was set on breaking him.

But Semyon had to keep standing. He had to. There was no choice.

For ones like him, there was never a choice.

[["Dimitritch, our hero, failed. But we succeeded."]] Semyon drove against the pressing mass, breaking free long enough to fall back, out of the water and fully upon his feet once more. Those legs rooted themselves to the ground, words flowing freely as he concentrated solely on defending himself with an upraised arm. His other arm, left to instinct, separated from the mind that would undoubtedly cause him to fail, raised itself as he fought and spoke, reaching out behind the embattled Wight.

[["His Sergeyevna was lost, but I have eternity to find mine."]] A weighty snubnosed revolver pulled itself from beneath the cuff of Semyon's leg, held tightly in that forgotten arm as it centered on target. A short-cut sigh managed to escape his lips, the smallest flinch as he couldn't completely lock away what he was doing. What he had to do.

[["I will not die here..."

"...I am sorry."]]

With the dead still pressing him from the front. Semyon had no option but to aim the revolver to the center of Max's back, and drive the trigger home until the chambers spun empty.

(( [[ <- being spoken in Russian-> ]] ))

On Winding Roads (Lillian & Derren )

Sounds good to me : )

On Winding Roads (Lillian & Derren )

Hmmmm, that is something we could work with. He was translating an official document for the town, I haven't come to a decision on what specifically it is, but it would A) Be valuable enough for the town to pay a hefty fee to get translated and delivered and B) probably could be used by someone who understood the laws of the kingdom well enough to exploit it.

If someone knew what the document was, and either knew how to take advantage of it or knew someone who did, then yeah, I could certainly see them hiring people to try and steal it from him. Gogo have fun : ) Things like that I tend to keep on the vague side for a while, just in case fun ideas like this pop up.

Masques and Daggers (Derren Krenshaw & Igraine)

More questions, Goemon had to believe it was a good thing. He didn't know Russian, not anywhere near well enough to follow the quickly-spoken words Galina shared with Klara beside her. He didn't try to listen to hard either, feeling his position tenuous enough without inviting offense. She was continuing the conversation, seeming to accept all he told her and staying on the path to accepting the proposal in its entirety. A good thing, a great thing, but he forced himself to remain composed.

He had still utterly failed to draw her in. She listened, she smiled, she spoke and seemed to go along, but still remained very much of her own mind. There would never be a time to get complacent.

"I'm afraid I came aboard alone, but if you deem it acceptable, I can accompany Madame Antanova on the rest of the voyage." He offered the older woman a low nod of his head as he spoke. "That is, if she finds it acceptable, as well."

"As for the boat in question, it is a former sloop converted into a motorboat. Not the fastest boat you'll find, but roomy, low-profile, and quiet. My comrade is waiting along the Empress' planned route, and should be pulling up alongside this vessel late in the evening, when most are focused indoors or on sleep."

"As for meeting Mister Selvin, he seems to prefer staying belowdecks, and did say that he'd be in his cabin for much of the evening. There should be plenty of time for us to enjoy our meal, then go down and speak with Selvin before we depart."

Taking another sip of his wine, Goemon stilled his voice and nodded to the waiter who happened to pass by. Catching the cue, the man cleared his place, someone else moving in almost immediately to replace the dirtied silver. Mechanical precision it seemed. Certainly impressive, though if ever asked later what he thought about the meal, he'd likely have very little to say.

The conversation he was having during the meal, however...

"The only challenge might be when it actually comes time to leave the ship. The boat will approach to starboard, shielded from the moonlight by the Empress, but we'll likely want to make sure no one comes stumbling across us while we are tying off ropes and lowering people from the side of this vessel. Though maybe not that much of a challenge to overcome..." He offered a slight shrug as he spoke, nodding again in appreciation for the talents he knew Galina possessed. "But I feel I should mention that this plan isn't without risk... Not that I've ever found one that is."

That was truth so pure you could weigh it against a feather. The actual risk for this mission- for what Takahiro had planned- was daunting, but necessary. Some actions had to be taken, and while the precise way they were executed could be left open for interpretation, it remained fact that there was no alternative to what Goemon was doing here.

On Winding Roads (Lillian & Derren )

"Both probably, at least." Alexi couldn't help but chuckle along with Katherine's own amusement. It was a common joke among the few friends he still had, that the clergy would preach on any perceived slight. He appreciated all the church had done for him, and the thanks he gave each day was genuine and heartfelt, but at times it seemed they expected him to play the part of a priest himself. He had a different life now -a better life now- with the church and God... but he was still a man.

The mirth -and his thoughts- were cut short before long, first by the unease gained from the sudden, subtle changes of Katherine's gait, and second by the words she whispered back to him.

"Nice, quiet... yeah- yes. I can... do that." He tried to force himself to keep walking as he had been before, looking ahead, strolling calmly. He tried to keep from pulling nervously at his shirt, from trying to stand as tall as possible, from seeming like he thought something was wrong.

Of course, something was wrong. Even looking ahead, Alexi's eyes darted in their sockets, unable to be restrained. He had an escort -already earning her pay by the second- but that proved small reassurance. He didn't go out much in the evenings anymore, and the times he did had always been in better neighborhoods, moving as a group on streets better lit and better patrolled. This was different, this was dangerous. But if he was going to travel to Avantshire and beyond, this would happen far more than once.

Alexi steeled himself, working to remain calm, to walk naturally, and to keep his trust in Katherine. She wouldn't let anything happen, not now, not so soon after being hired. He had to keep his composure, lest he scare himself out of wanting to leave the city completely.

"Of course." He whispered the last two words with noticeably more courage than previous, continuing to walk beside his escort. It wasn't that far now, he wasn't alone, and he'd have to get used to things like this.

So he did... or at least, he began to try.