Terrans

In The Black (A Clean-Up Crew RP)

A post has been given.

RNG has brought a VIP to our intrepid (and secrecy violating) security team.

The goliath has gone down but it was a bit more difficult than expected.

The reporter has fled from sight.

Out concealment team unfortunately had no new updates but at least no setbacks.

Till next time.

(PS, thumbs up if you like the summary of events or face icon if you prefer I don't do a summary)

In The Black (A Clean-Up Crew RP)

Field Commander Daniel Graves
Obsidian Dynamics Research Facility
Utah
Loading Bay

'Well, at least it's not a rift.'

That was the first thought to come to Graves mind as he took in the tableau of the loading bay. On full view as he swapped a magazine into his rifle. The bodies of the cobbled together tech-zombies intermingled with what had been a fireteam worth of Kilo shooters.

But the massive Goliath like figure was still standing. Blood dotted it's jumpsuit intermittently and yet it showed no signs of pain as it focused on Kilo team member.

He dropped his slung PDW and swiftly gripped the revolver with both hands. He lined up the crude sights with the beast's head and fired a hefty .44 magnum round, praying it would crack it's skull and bury itself in the right places to make it go limp.

@JFK

The massive report and muzzle flash of a .44 came from somewhere on the other side of the bay. The goliath staggered, a chunk of visible skull and gore shooting away from a corner of it's head. The Kilo shooter audibly inhaling as the pressure lessened. The Tech-Zombies were down. GOliath was going down; Graves was about to lower his rifle when he noticed it.

The goliath had staggered but caught itself on unsteady feet. It looked confused but it wobbled as it gazed around the bay with that electric blue gaze. It still didn't fall; despite the visible brain matter Daniel could see even from this distance. It eventually reoriented in the direction of the magnum shot and began to wobble unsteadily there. The gait resembled the tech-zombies; nothing like its earlier grace.

A distinction Graves noted as he sent the bolt home on a fresh magazine and reshouldered the rifle.

"Pour it on!!!!" Graves, Lima, and the still functional members of Kilo fired from their various positions within the room. A mad twenty seconds of converging fire that hit the goliath from seemingly every angle. The giant falling to its knees somewhere in the fusillade as it flesh and bone were pummeled by the gunfire. It reached a futile hand towards Stoke's position; as if it could still reach him.

Then, a bullet hit whatever the goliath needed to keep moving past the headshot and the fusillade. The collapse was almost anti-climatic for the size of the target and the ammunition they had expended.

"Clear." Graves sent as he took in the bay now. Six dead science experiments. Three dead Acheron. One wounded to an unknown degree. A sigh. Not the worst start to an op but definitely not the best. "Kilo, get the casualties to the LZ and set up defenses in the lobby. Stokes! You in here?"

Graces saw the Alton wearing helmet of Stokes appear; the revolver he had used still in his hands.

"Nice shot; I'll make sure you get a sticker. Anyways.." He motioned at a Lima fireteam. "Take these boys from Lima and go pick up the gals from Concealment. Let them do their jobs; just make sure they get where they need to go. Clear? Rest of Lima, police up this bay and get back to Juliet. Let's move people!"

---------
Obsidian Dynamics Research Facility
Utah
Security Room

The security room was a mad house. Blood, overturned furniture and bullet holes dotted the walls. Empty arms lockers and scattered magazine holders pointed to a desperate race to arm before the battle had reached the room. But for all the chaos outside the room and the signs of battle within; the room held no threats.

An examination of the security system however revealed an unsettling development. The systems had all been slaved to a terminal somewhere in the basement. An oddly named "Sector Null Zero" listed as the new security access point. The security footage erased too by whatever process had moved its functions deeper into the facility. The only upside was that whatever had overridden the system had also wiped the door control systems. Had they been intact; the team would have had to hunt down colored keycards to access sectors of the facility.

The pounding of footsteps resounding from the hall; heavy footfalls. But the footfall's were preceded by a commanding, female voice.

"Friendlies!!!!! Friendlies!!!!!" There were four of them rushing down the hall. Cradling Mossberg shotguns with death grips and casting fearful glances around. All four of them were dressed in dark uniforms; the logo of Obsidian Dynamics the sole bit of color on their otherwise stark uniforms.

Three were the typical large shouldered, skull cracker look of private corporate security. Too much time in the gym and not enough time at the firing range. The fourth had sharp angular features and fair hair that had been styled before the events of the day had left it coated in grime and matted to her skull. A name tap and security badge proclaimed her as one of their VIP's; Head of Security Ava Wiberg.

The four came to a jumbling stop near the security room. Not seeming to mind the guns pointed at them; a testament to whatever had occurred that they preferred the company of armed strangers.

Head of Security Wiberg, looked on the trio of Acheron shooters with a mixture of relief and disbelief.

"Are you three the only extraction team?" Her gaze taking in the dead tech-zombies and Fabio taking a selfie with said tech zombies. Her grip readjusting on her shotgun. "You are the extraction team right?"

An edge to her words.
@Dyelli Beybi, @Theyra, @PrinceAlexus

--------

As the next tech-zombie fell; the reporter scrambled to her feet. A spray of gunk from a headshot splattering her formerly white blouse. She took a panicked look around the office before darting through the newly battered open door.

Taking to danger of the building over the shattered safety that had been her previous hiding place. The reporter disappearing from sight somewhere in the fourth floor. Away from the windows and sightlines of the sniper teams.

@Flarbinia

-------
Field Contract Advisor Samantha Norr
Obsidian Dynamics Research Facility
Utah

"This will lead us to them." Soraya looked up at both Imogen and Samantha, a hint of a smile on her lips. "I do not know who else would be calling from inside the facility. I think we go in. Offer help: we can think of a story as we search, yes?"

@Tesserach

Sam took in the display. A road map that would lead at least to one of the reporters. The other somewhere on the fourth floor. The gunfire from the facility having died down at least. Not the abrupt way of a team being wiped out; but the petering fire of a one-sided firefight dying out.

"Let's start with the location we know exactly." Sam examined the dot, somewhere on the far side of the building from the lobby. Though she couldn't figure out which floor it was on.

The van unlocked with a beep. A standard news van; monitors, spare equipment, empty cases and personal effects scattered among its shelfs and nooks. Beside a moderately fashionable purse was a smart phone, silent now, but obviously the one that had been ringing. Sam picked the phone up with cursory. The lock screen revealing a flurry of missed calls and texts; the most recent from a contact labeled "Intern: Whitney". The rest appeared acquaintances of some kind that were worried for her.

"Looks like we're going to need a cover story for this." She showed the phone towards Imogen. Passing the device over as she stepped out. Boots making a clacking as she stepped out and pulled her weapon around for a reassuring heft of its weight.

She stepped beside Soraya.

"I guess its time to head in now." She hoped the words sounded casual. Not at all displaying the nervousness she felt. Nor did she pay attention to the slight phantom ache of the scar on her collarbone.
@Tesserach, @PatientBean

In The Black (A Clean-Up Crew RP)

Is thr office intact

How far do we have, like cameras, doors etc?

@PrinceAlexus

The office is wrecked. The security functions are all slaved to a location somewhere underground. Though most of the doors have been....removed. Signs of a heavy fight but no bodies.

In The Black (A Clean-Up Crew RP)

@Flarbinia

While I do appreciate the enthusiasm. Could you tone down the amount of work the snipers are doing? Believe me, I will give you action so everyone can be satisfied.

Empire of the Clouds

A bit of frontline flashback for anyone interested.

Empire of the Clouds

Tales From the Front

Aden

The makeshift dance had ended a while ago. Leaving a comfortable silence as the pair had fallen back into the couch. Aden moving to light up a cigar before he stopped; the unlit cigar halfway to his lighter. The emblem of the 46th Alpine visible. Memories returning as his suddenly shaky hands closed the lighter.

"You know I never used to smoke." He cut through the silence. Finger's rubbing over chipped facade of the lighter. "Started a few days after this whole mess started. It was actually my friend, Ellis....."

Frontline Vendetta

"Inhale deeply when you take a puff." Aden copied his friend, suddenly hacking up a lung as the trio of soldiers around him laughed. Ellis slapping his back. "First one's always the hardest."

Aden tried to smile through the coughing. Moments of levity were brief nowadays. It was easy for the four soldier's crowded into the rocky outcropping to pretend this was just a trip into the rough lands around the mountains. That this wasn't the latest hasty bivouac in the jumbled retreat. That they hadn't left the bodies of their company south under the guns of Communalist artillery and gas.

They were all tired. Rock dust and grime coated their uniforms and gear. Their rations would last another couple of days if they stretched them; a little more for the water. Ammunition at least was plentiful; plenty of their comrades had fallen without firing their weapons. Same for the discarded gear they had found on their path north.

Ellis took a puff on his dying stub of a cigarette and flicked the butt away with annoyance. A glance at the dwindling sun with discontent on his face.

"Well, let's move while we still have some light." Moving during the day was dangerous but it was more dangerous navigating this broken, rough terrain in the darkness of a new moon. The Inburian soldier's dutifully packing away their rations and gears and making to sta-

POP. POP. POP.

The sounds were distant. A week ago Aden couldn't have told you what they were. Now everyone knew that sound.

"Mortars!!!!" The cry resounded as the four dove in scattered directions. The dreaded whistle arriving as Aden had reached what he hoped was the safety of a slight depression.

Then the world was shaking and fire. Aden covered his head as his ears rang. He wasn't sure how long it lasted; an eternity could have passed in a second in the time it took for Aden to lift his head up. Impact craters surrounded him; shards of rock and strewn dirt mingled with red and pink. Aden's eyes widened as he took in the three masses that he had been laughing with a brief moment ago.

Luck, some would say bad luck, had meant Aden had come out untouched. His comrades however had taken a direct round. The 62mm round having found the perfect angle to hit all of their makeshift redoubts. Aden staggered over on unsteady legs. The only one he could recognize was Ellis; the man missing from mid chest down. Other then the blood spattering his rapidly paling face; Ellis looked peaceful.

First, it had been Lucius. Now, Ellis.

A distant glint drew his attention. A consistent one; like sunlight reflecting off-

His hands reached for the tangled straps of his field glasses. The binoculars coming up in time to see the distant figures of a dozen or so men sliding down a hill. Sunlight glinting off a wayward pair of binoculars judging by its position on the man's body. The distant Calarians labored under what looked a load of circular objects and long tubes.

'Mortars and baseplates' Aden realized. The mortar section displacing after firing a round of opportunity at Aden's squad. Probably thinking him dead when he hadn't emerged.

Something stirred in his chest. The mortars were too far away for his rifle. They were definitely on the part of the high ground that favored the Communalist advances. They would continue to do their job. Lobbing mortars at whatever they needed. At Inburian squads that had men like Ellis and Aden.

Aden glanced north. In the direction of relatively safer terrain and more Inburian army units.

Then he glanced south. In the direction the mortars had gone.

The mortars didn't know Aden. He didn't know any of the mortars section.

But this was personal.

He took a precious few seconds to close Ellis' eyes. A few guilty seconds to pull whatever was useful off his former friend. A dog tag, a couple of stripper clips that were stuffed in a chest pocket; and an abused lighter. The fading chipped emblem of the 46th Alpine looking muted and sad.

Aden stared at the object for a few wasted seconds before he stuffed it in a chest pocket; a mirror of where Ellis had stored it. The private setting off south.

---------

It had taken two days for Aden to pick up the trail. The mountains and hills made tracking rough; pursuing said trails even rougher. Not helped by having to avoid the scattering of forces that made their way through the terrain. The lightning advance of the Calarian's having the effect of leaving their vanguards, at least in the moment, as disorganized as the retreating Inburians.

Which meant Aden only had to sneak around platoons and squads and not companies and battalions. Sleep was quick thirty minute affairs he took fitfully; wrapped in a blanket and clutching his rifle.

He was tired. Exhausted, more so then any time in the last week. But here he was.

Prone, on a rise overlooking the shallow valley. Fourteen Calarian mortarman loitered below him. Three tubes and their equipment stacked neatly on side of their campsite. A pair of fires had been started with the sparse vegetation and branches they had scrounged. Their bedrolls were rolled out and a pot had been affixed over one fire. The team taking a break; confident in security despite the mixed natures of the lines.

Though given how far south they were; Aden guessed they figured they could afford the cockiness.

How wrong that was.

He took his time. Waiting for the right time as he set the scene. Carefully laying out the spare ammunition he would need. Prepping, his pack to use as a rest. Guessing the range of the nearest to farthest shots he would take. All while he waited for the sun to set behind him.

'There'

The valley below was illuminated, the sun over his shoulder so they would have to squint to see him; if they could make him out at that distance.

His finger found the trigger; setting against it gently as the reticule floated over his first victim.

A slow exhale. A slower squeeze-

The recoil of the shot. Instinct, as he threw the bolt back and sighted back in. Chaos below as the mortarmen saw their first fellow fall. No cover was in the valley though; the sparse vegetation having been gathered for their campfires. Another mortarman fell in his sight. Another squeeze.

A familiar pattern for the next three minutes. Aden struck down the brave first. The ones that tried to run. Tried to rally the section. One attempted to turn a mortar; futile but better then nothing. Aden's round struck him through the jaw. Higher then he wanted but effective.

Rounds thumbed into the chamber and just as quickly fired. A man tried to low crawl; to where Aden had no idea. The angle meant Aden could se the length of the man's body. The shot took the man somewhere in the back; Aden saw him spasming through his reticule.

Then it was quiet. No movement below. No distant cries of wounded. No report of Aden's rifle. He would have to move fast before any nearby units investigated.

But first.....

Picking his way down the four hundred meters to the valley was tricky. Dangerous if he had missed someone.

But he had come this far for a personal feeling. It was poor form to leave a job unfinished.

At first he found what he expected. The sprawled corpses that had once been a Calarian mortar section. Enemy uniforms in rapidly expanding pools of red. Dead as if each of his bullets had been touched by Death itself. A satisfied internal smirk even as he tipped over corpses with a boot; pistol at the ready.

Then he found them.

There were two of them. One's face was slack; their eyes closed and face white like a ghost. Their laborious breathing the only sign that the kid was still alive. That's what he was; a kid. Younger then even Aden and wearing a Calarian uniform with a red stain expanding from the bullet wound in the chest.

The second's features were finer. A second for Aden to realize that the second soldier was a female; hair cut boyishly short. Still young too; the same age as the first soldier. Her breaths rapid panting that flecked her lips with pink froth. A hasty bandage applied to her side spoke of a lung shot. A soon to be fatal wound. Not that she seemed to care her focus on the first soldier. Clinging to him with a grip Aden could tell was all her strength.

The two shared similar features that spoke of familial relations. Similar cheekbones and jaws that looked too alike for random chance. Even if the strength of which the second clung to the boy didn't clue Aden in to a deeper bond.

But what struck him was her gaze. It looked at him not with hate. Not helplessness. Hazel orbs, nearly black with dilation and glassy from unshed tears of pain. They looked at him with confusion.

She said something. He couldn't make it out. Her labored, breathing getting slower. Accent undecipherable. Her intent lost to pain and desperation. It could have been a curse. A question. A plea.

Aden didn't know.

What he did know was neither of them would make it. Not with those wounds. Not this deep into the wilderness.

It had been so detached on the ledge. Sniping down. Even the after effects had seem so detached; with everyone neatly dead. Yet here were two victims of his handiwork; alive.

Killing them... With a scope from four hundred meters it would have been easy. Here, as the scent of death began to swell and the still-conscious soldier looked up at him. Still cradling their brother. Not even reaching for a weapon.

But helping them... He had tracked this section to avenge his brothers. Fourteen had to die to pay for the death of three. Why would he help two that he himself had shot? Even he knew that any help he gave would be an impossible shot at best.

Another gurgling string of words from the soldier. More desperate now as she shook her brother. Aden stepped back. Suddenly, unable to meet her gaze. Movement and more gurgling as he backed away.

Guilt now overcoming the satisfaction of earlier.

He had caused this suffering. These two would suffer because he wasn't able to make a decision. Because he wasn't enough of a soldier to follow through on either option.

So he left. Picking his way back through the detritus of what had been fourteen men (and a woman). The gurgling cries following him until they fell silent with the more distance he put between him and that damned valley.

Yet, even as he trekked back north. He swore he could still hear that voice. Undecipherable, panicked breaths that Aden would now always hear as accusations.

"... I.... I never....I hadn't seen my work up close before that. They were just doing their job." A ragged breath as his eyes began to water.

He tried not to cry. Especially in front of a girl. Especially if that girl was Zoe. But it was like ripping off a band aid.

"But I made it personal. Killed a whole section because they killed one friend. Left a brother and sister dying on a mountain because I couldn't figure out what to do...." A sob as he buried his head in his hands.

In The Black (A Clean-Up Crew RP)

I'm here, I've just had a bunch of holiday family stuff happening. Hoping to have time free for a reply Tuesday.

@Tesserach

That’s fine.

If you wish just to streamline things. The cell phone in the van going off belongs to the reporter (who is not in the van). The caller is the intern, Whitney. Do with that as you will.

In The Black (A Clean-Up Crew RP)

@Terrans Moved the goliath in my post. Hope that's alright. If you aren't a fan or had other plans, let me know and I'll edit :)

@JFK

It’s fine. Like I said I have a rough plan for how each arc ends. The in between is left to the wonders of cobbling together posts and RNG.

Graveyard Orbit

”Captain” James Castleton

"OK...we're going with what the old soldier says," she said hurriedly, her voice lower than before, "I'm a good candidate to go ahead and ask for some donations. If what he said is right about this world, I'm going to look like a friendly face. Dhasath tend to look after other dhasath... who wants to come with me? I'll take the first two hands up."

@Dyelli Beybi

“Allow me to humbly offer my support and services to your escapade miss.” Castleton strode forward to stop before the plumber-turned-convict. “While only human I believe I will at least be able to look out of my depth and thus illicit pity for our cause.”

He did pause to kneel by the ground and scoop up a few handfuls of dirt. Rubbing the grit onto his hand and over his face to make his appearance more battered, and hopefully, sympathetic.

Empire of the Clouds

Aden and Zoe

Co-Write Between Terrans and @Dyelli Beybi

Aden felt naked. Not literally; though the borrowed jumpsuit combined with his army boots drew a wrinkling nose from the concierge.

The lobby was relatively appointed. As fancy as any he had stayed in at ports throughout his upbringing. The low classical notes of a piano floated from the corner.

He still felt as if he was going to crawl out of his skin. Part of it was his lack of weapons. His Kraussers having been politely relieved back at the airfield along with his fighting knife.

But the biggest part was the people. The largest amount of people he had seen out of uniform since the war started. Chaotically going about their day or chatting.

He ground his teeth and tried to decided whether to make a break for the stairs and his room or wait for the lobby to thin out.

The people did start to thin out as they went about the business of the day, enough that when Zoe appeared, she didn't disappear amongst the shoulders of those taller than her. She walked quickly, her brows furrowed in thought, chewing her lip in the thoughts she seemed lost in.

Zoe was not the only one lost in thought however. Aden's gaze glazed over as he gritted his teeth and tried to make his way through the crowd.

At least until he more or less stumbled into Zoe. Letting off a curse under his breath as he went to apologize profusely. Until he saw the familiar face of Zoe; his hands now steadying his companion.

"Sorry bout that. You alright?"

Zoe looked shocked for a moment, then smiled, looking visibly more relaxed than she had appeared a moment ago, "Oh hello! It's good to see you... since you're here, do you mind if I ask you a small favour? I'm going to check into a suite here. I would like you to stay with me for a little while, until the person I'm meeting arrives," she paused, then gave a wry laugh, appreciating how her comment might have been misconstrued, "It's nothing salacious! Just meeting an old friend."

Aden considered for a few seconds. Zoe didn't strike him as the devious type. A secret keeper perhaps but not a malicious one. Beside, some time with a familiar friendly face sounded preferable to isolation in a room or in the company of strangers.

"Very well my lady..." He slipped back into the joking tone he had used on the airship. Offering his free arm. "...I am at your service."

"Ha..." she seemed about to pass a comment, but didn't, instead engaging with the concierge who seemed to be expecting her. The room key she was given was for high up in the building. She continued to chew her lip, offering nothing in the way of conversation as they took the lift up to to top floor of the building and after she had let them into the room, which turned out to be a very, expensive looking suite with ornate furniture, tall mirrors and several rooms. It was only then that she blurted out some of what she had been up to while everything was going on on the airship, "So when everything was going on, I slipped out and presented myself at the Inburian Embassy and... well... I can't really undo what I've done, but I think I'm going to have to go back to my old life... and I don't want to! It was stuffy and boring. Either that or I might get arrested."

“What was your old life?” Aden said as he wandered around the suite. Taking in the furnishings; a step above his.

Then, the earlier part of her conversation registered.

“Wait… who did you see at the embassy?”

"Some rude clerk and then the Ambassador," she replied, "I know how things can go when a situation spirals into chaos and I wanted to make sure none of our people get into serious trouble and end up in a prison, or worse." She flopped back in a plush, cream coloured couch, "I wish we could go back to when we were having that party on the airship," she remarked wistfully, "We were so far away from any real problems."

“Far away doesn’t mean the problems stopped.” He added. Dropping beside with a slightly more restrained flop.

“How did you get a meeting with the ambassador anyways? You don’t strike me as the officer type.”

Zoe gave Aden a coy smile, tapping her lip with a finger, "And what type do I strike you as? No I'm not an Officer."

“Someone used to the finer things.” He motioned at the wooden fixtures and plush accoutrements. “You didn’t even take a second glance at any of this.”

Zoe laughed, sounding impressed, "Well spotted... yes, I am. It actually sounds a bit silly when I tell the actual story. I imagine people aren't going to believe me... however, at some point in the next little while one of my cousins will arrive to, hopefully confirm who I am."

“Your cousin works at the Mitteland embassy?” Aden turned to look over his companion with a closer eye. “Why didn’t you mention that sooner?”

"No... my cousin is, err..." she looked a bit sheepish before saying, in a slightly lower town, "Prince Maximilian."

“Your cousin is Prince….” His echo died on his tongue. Eyes searching her face before a shock of distant recognition struck.

His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. Surprise plain on his face as he scooted back to the edge of the couch. Looking as if he was about to fall off.

“You’re a royal.”

Zoe pouted, "You make that sound like a disease! " she stood, giving a curtsey that made her seem to be mocking the institution she was a part of, "Philazoea Hasikos, at your service," she said, before sitting back down, "Or Zoe for short."

“Why… Why did you hide it? I mean there were at least two Inburian soldiers with you.” Aden seemed cognizant of trying to keep the distance between them professional.

"Well... it seemed a bit far fetched," she gave a slight shrug, "Plus, you never know who was a communalist or might be tempted by whatever bounty they have on me."

“Me a communalist?” Aden sounded incredulous. He thought back over the conversations he had with her. “Wait… Is this why you were asking about me guarding people?”

"Well, yes," Zoe looked a little sheepish, colour creeping into her cheeks, "I trust you and I enjoy talking to you. And no, I wasn't thinking of you when I said I didn't know 'who might be a communalist'. However, if I can point to the reason I was worried - we did just have someone succumb to temptation and try to make off with some of the gold. You know," she added, "it's a funny thing being the Emperor's daughter. People love you or hate you for a whole lot of reasons that really have nothing to do with who you are... I'm really hoping that you'll treat me the same as won't get funny about the title."

“Treat you diff- You’re in line to rule a country. You know about things like a gold reserve off the top of your head. We can’t exactly dance again like when I thought-” ‘ -you were just a normal girl ’. Aden bit back that last part. Knowing how it sounded.

A few beats of awkward silence. Before he lifted his gaze.

“Why did you want me here really?”

"I wanted you here," Zoe replied with unusual sincerity, "Because I was very happy being a nobody-in-particular. I don't want to do this, but I have to, and I wanted a friend with me," she cocked her head to one side, studying Aden carefully before adding, in a slightly teasing tone, "You like me... actually like me, rather than like the idea of personal advancement through proximity to a royal." She stood up, taking a step back from the sofa, "The most important question right now though is 'why can't we dance again'?" she asked, "I know there isn't any music, but we could right now. I can hum a tune if you need that."

Two feelings warred inside Aden. One was about protocol. Discipline. Privates, even the son of merchants, didn't mingle with royalty of this level. They definitely didn't perform clumsy dances to hummed tunes.

On the other hand Zoe's face was so....open. No subterfuge or veiled inuendoes. Just a earnest, vulnerable expression. As if this was a major leap she had just taken.

And he would be lying if he said that Zoe was one of the few people he had met as of recent that didn't want to make him go back to the front. Calming the noise, ever so slightly, in the back of his mind.

So he stood slowly. An echo of the airship.

"My waltz is serviceable, my lady."

Arm and hand extended and waiting for her acceptance.

Zoe stepped forward, clasping one of Aden's hands in her own, placing her other hand lightly on his forearm. She glanced to one side, a slight smile on her lips as she began to hum a Mittelandische waltz, letting Aden lead her through the steps for a few long moments, waiting until she felt that the barriers of awkwardness thrown up by an announced title had begun to break down before she spoke up, "Royalty is a Gilded Cage. It's gilded so I can't really complain without sounding irredeemably spoiled... but it is still a cage. Being on the airship was fun for me! I got to be myself for a change."

“We had two different experiences on the airship.” He replied; trying not to step on her toes. “Though I’ll admit. I did enjoy our earlier dance.”

A few beats where he just enjoyed the silence and company.

“So what’s next?”

He pulled back slightly enough to meet her gaze.

"After Max, hopefully, agrees that I'm me, then we get to the interesting bit," she said, stopping, but not letting go of Aden's arm, "That's the bit where they tell me I need to go and sit in a palace somewhere and I say 'sod off, my palace is an airship now'. We will be the Empire of the Clouds! Interested in coming along for the ride?"

"While I admit that becoming the Duke of Cumulus sounds tempting. I'm a private technically deserting; you're a princess absconding with an airship. How would we get away?"

Aden didn't move. Keeping the same grasp that Zoe maintained.

"Well people will complain, but I can do what I like," Zoe replied, studying his face, "This Airship is a part of the Inburian Fleet, so in a manner of speaking it belongs to me. I'm reasonably sure they can't overrule me... I think."

“I think…” A humoring grin accompanied a chuckle. “…That will go well at the trial.”

He met her eyes when he spoke next.

“But I guess we came this far together. I’ll follow once more.”

"If anything goes wrong, just say I told you to do it," Zoe assured him, with a smirk, "Nobody can blame you for that!"