Sword of Embera: Wild Sky

[Chavah]

Chapter One: Raid in the Casino
​
The lights were flashing. The sounds of a few coins coming out of gambling machines, along with the cries of people losing their pay check made for MJ’s Royal Casino to be an overwhelming place. Tonight was a card tournament.

They were all sitting around a circular table. Almost everyone within the casino was watching this match. The group was playing a game that would be foreign looking to most people; it involved a set of numbers and monster runes. Whoever could draw a dragon and 150 runes would be considered the winner. Purple runes were considered the best ones to have. It was a game that required one to be a step ahead of their opponents for runes could be stolen.

The crowd’s eyes fell upon a young woman with jet black hair named Skye Jungbluth. She sat with her legs crossed upon the chair she was sitting on. She looked like she was having a lot of fun, compared to the other two players. Her yellow goggles obscured the glitter of mischievous in her eyes. She looked at the other players, trying to figure out what their next moves would be.

“These chumps are all rookies. Gotta watch out for the loser in the suit, he looks like the type that could pull a comeback. Blondie is about to fold. She’s got a nervous jitter to her form. So once she’s out, I just need to draw a purple stone, Awesome. Soon I’ll win enough cash to cover the costs of getting my airship even more streamlined. Really, this is all just child’s play.” Skie thought to herself.

“I’ll draw.” She then pressed a holographic button and a blue rune was dropped.

“Hmm, well, I’ll just have to swap 5 blues for one more purple~” Skie said with a big dumb smile on her face.

The mustached man that sat across from her pressed the escape button. He was out of the game. It wasn’t the person she thought would fold first but one less opponent, the better. That just left the blond haired woman, wearing a regal sky blue and white ruffled shirt and khaki trousers. She looked very stubborn.

The woman then whispered something into the dealer’s ear. He nodded. Skie paid little attention at first. Skie was actually here, waiting to get an answer from her partners Mel and Aryeh. She had joined this game to distract the patrons and staff of the casino in order to get clues about the whereabouts of a target. It seemed that her brother couldn’t use his elite soldiers to find this person, so he hired his little sister to do the job. If she could play if, the trio would be paid by the government a handsome reward.

“Miss Jungbluth, I’ve already asked you more than once not to wear your goggles while playing this game. The other players find it to be unsettling. If I have to do ask one more time, you will be removed from this game and forfeit all the money you have placed down.” The dealer said.

Skye grumbled as she lifted upon her googles. Upon doing so, it revealed that she had yellow cat-like irises. This was a fact that she wanted to keep to herself. As she figured, some of the crowd began to murmur.

“She’s one of those See—ers!” The blond woman named Aysha said, trying to distract from the fact that she was going to lose this next hand. “That’s cheating! They can read people’s emotions.”

“Eh? No, I ain’t.” Skie said, “Just had an accident when I was a kid. Nothin’ to write home about, lady.”

“Prove it!” Aysha said. “Everyone knows that anyone with yellow eyes is connected to that witch that caused the world war!”

“You’re makin’ an ass out of yourself. I don’t gotta prove anythin’ to you. Rane, that witch you’re talkin’ about has been gone for decades; before, I was even born.” Skie said. “Just play the bloody game. I can beat ya with skill alone~”

“H-hmph, the nerve of a girl like you! You should learn to respect people higher in class than you.” Aysha huffed.

In such settings, Skie would often play up a punk girl attitude. It seemed to work, since Aysha stopped bugging her once the dealer gave the blond an irritated glare. Though, the room was tense. The two girls had managed to outlast all of the middle aged men that made up the majority of contestants. The both of them disliked each other with a passion. So the insults and snarky banter between the two made this match more interesting in the long run. Though, it was easy to tell that Aysha was starting to crack.

Aysha then slapped down a card that was labelled with a large number. Skie in return slapped down a card that had a dragon that looked slightly like a “G,” along with five purple runes. This meant that she won the game.

The blond growled and then reached into her pocket and drew out a semiautomatic pistol. The people in the crowd then gasped. Skie just stared at the blond with a bored expression.

“Y-You….You’ve done nothing but mock me this entire match! I should have just blasted your brains all over the floor several rounds ago!” The blonde growled.

“Oh. Knowing me, I probably would have done the same in your shoes. I’m quite an asshole, ain’t it?” Skie said, while yawning.

“STOP MOCKING ME!” The blond growled.

[Chavah]

Skie had everyone right where she wanted them. For the most part. Well enough so that Aryeh could do his job, that's what was important here.

His task was to seek out their target and direct his team's attention to them. Easier said than done. For the moment, he was trying to blend in with the crowds, acting as a guest rather than one of Skie's allies. The downside was that he wasn't allowed to dress as glamorous as he'd like to, since he didn't want to be attracting much attention. Even so, that didn't stop him from spending a good twenty minutes on what outfit he wanted to wear for this operation. A collared navy blue shirt suited him nicely, with the buttons undone down his chest to expose a white undershirt, and blue pants to match. Twirling around two fingers was a white fedora with navy ribbon around it, tied into a neat little bow; his own personal touch. There was an assortment of colors he liked adding to this hat.

Casually he walked wherever he was allowed, stopping every so often to watch the tournament so as to not look too suspicious. The handsome faye made a fluid motion that returned the fedora to his head, sitting nicely upon the styled pink hair. "Boy, things are getting intense out there, aren't they?" he asked woman who was next to him, his voice velvety with a pitch that indicated he'd be singing tenor in a choir. She at first didn't realize she was being spoken to, seeming to blush upon apologizing for her delayed response, but only blushed darker as she met eyes with the lovely looking man. Ary could do more than wink at her, turning his head to watch the game once more.

He did not envy Skie in the slightest for having to deal with this whiny blond. Privately he smirked, taking satisfaction in watching the spunky young woman put the competitor in her place.

Meanwhile, Mel Rogero was on standby, watching silently from behind Skie. As her bodyguard, he wouldn't be straying far from her. He, in fact, held no interest in this tournament whatsoever. The focused expression suggested he cared only about looking out for her safety. With perfect posture, he was posed in a professional manner, wearing a neutral expression so no one would be able to guess what he was thinking about. Yet, there he stood with a warm, welcoming presence that made others feel like they could trust him immediately.

Just enough attention was subtracted from his duties so he could acknowledge the winning card Skie presented. The smile he made at this was short lived as he watched the cocky competitor withdraw a weapon with intention to shoot. At least, he was pretty sure that was the plan. This lady looked crazy enough to do it!

"Goddamn sore losers," Aryeh muttered, having to back away from his spot so he could do a more thorough scoping of the area. With the situation getting more heated, he needed to find their target more swiftly. All while thinking of a long string of curse words, because this fairly relaxed job was quickly turning into a far more pressing matter. Good things weren't meant to last, he supposed.

Mel, of course, was quick to intervene. The handgun wouldn't be pointed at Skie for long, not while he was here. In the blink of an eye, the twilight faye was on the move. Cards went flying in scattered directions upon his arrival, his cape whipping in an unintentional flourish. A gloved hand went out to strike at the threat's wrist, his palm pressing down forcefully while his digits squeezed. Though he maintained a calm expression, his eyes lit with a fire that warned he really shouldn't be pushed to do anything worse than this. He kept the menacing eye contact between himself and Skie's attacker, the slightest growl coming from him as she squealed out in pain from her wrist getting nearly broken. The agony forced her to drop the gun, her sore wrist getting immediately rubbed by her good hand while she glared at Mel.

"A pity that someone of such high class would stoop so low," he commented with a click of his tongue, his haunting voice seeming soft yet stern. The technical pacifist withdrew his hand to wrap it around the hilt of his sword, just daring this woman to try her luck with Skie again. The cards weren't in her favor and it was unlikely that a fight would be as well.

By Fluffy

[Chavah]

With her wrist nearly broken, Aysha dropped the pistol. Her eyes widened and soon she ran off. The crowd had more or less fled the area as well, even though the game had been won. The sight of Mel in action caused several people to run off. Someone with that much skill was most likely a member of Unit Zero. Unit Zero was a team of elite warriors assigned to protect various sectors of the port city of Zeledin.

Skie looked on bored at the whole affair. She knew that Mel was going to be there to help her out, if anything was going
to happen. Skie then wiped her finger under the card table. She had been picking her nose while Mel had taken care of the threat. She quickly made sure he didn’t see her doing so.

“Weird. I never knew that people of her tribe could be aggressors.” Skie muttered.

She then stood up and stretched. Skie once again yawned before snapping her goggles back over her yellow eyes. The woman walked over to the teller and held out her hand.

“Just give me the chip and I’ll be out of your way. Nothing at this casino is that much of a challenge anymore.” She said impolitely.

“That’s because you know the systems too well, Jungbluth. You’re lucky that Lady Rogero doesn’t bar you from using this establishment any longer.” The teller said, begrudgingly dropping a pink coin with a picture of a somewhat plump woman with black hair on it.

“Your sister is really letting herself go.” Skie then spoke to Mel. “Not that I can view her any other way. Hahahahhhh.”

She then pressed a button on the side of her goggles and a screen opened up. A list of faces popped up. Using her irises, she moved the list up and down, until she came across the face of Aryeh. She pressed the button again, sending a lightly buzzing alarm on Aryeh’s wristwatch.

“Hey Pinko.” Skie said. “What’s the 401? Just give me a jingle and I’ll catch up with you.”

[Chavah]

Seeing that no further action would be necessary, Mel dropped his arms to his sides and allowed himself to slouch a moment. He was visibly relieved that there wouldn't be anymore fuss, at least not for a while. With Skie, it was hopeless to predict the next time you'll have to disarm someone of a gun that's pointed right at her.

His posture snapped into its formal straightness before making way to the teller with his companion. The two of them exchanged attitudes with one another while he silently took their surroundings into account. Needless to say, Mel was the overly cautious sort. He figured it was better to be safe instead of sorry.

The comment towards his sister earned a shrug and a smirk; he couldn't be phased by the rude jokes. "Just don't let her hear you say that," he said more as a tease than a warning. "You catch up with Aryeh, Skie. I'm going to expand our search out this way," Mel then suggested, moving his hands to fold behind his back. "Be careful," he reminded her with genuine care, darting off to cover more ground.

Meanwhile, Ary's seemingly endless search did, in fact, come to an end. Keeping his footsteps as quiet as possible, he followed a shady looking character who very well could be their pirate target. They were cleverly blending in with a small crowd that was on its way to one of the casino's exits. Either they got what they needed already or were about to do something. Whatever the case, he knew they had to act more swiftly.

Much to his relief, Skie got a hold of him through his communicative watch. Immediately he answered the buzzing tone and held his wrist up to his face. To keep himself invisible to the moving target, he tucked himself against a wall that would stay out of their view. "He's going to the exit that's near the snack bar. Head towards there. I'm blending in but you'll be able to find me easily," he said quietly but urgently. "I'm keeping my eyes on him. We might be able to flank from both sides if you get here in time." With that being said, he made a run across to crouch into another hiding place, his eyes picking out the pirate after a quick scan.

by Fluffy

[Chavah]

"Be careful as well." Skie said before Mel darted off. She then gave the teller a stern look, "Don't cheat me out of the cash. I'll be right back."

The brown haired woman then placed both of her hands into her pockets and slowly marched forward. The actual reason that the trio had come to the Royal Casino was because they were requested by the elite intelligence corps, Unit Zero, to track down a pirate by the name of 'Handsome' Murphy. For several months, the mainland had been getting reports of raids being done by the infamous Yellow Brothers Syndicate under the leadership of a flamboyant 'king' by the name of Medus Tenpenny. He proved to be a difficult person to track down and few of the Syndicates on the mainland even knew where he had come from other than urban legends.

"Alright, Pinkie." Skie then chimed in. I'm heading towards the area nearest to that exit. Keep your watch or goggles on you. I'll be using some of my moon charms and attempting to blend in with the black curtains. I'm going to see if my mom's genes are any good with my current spell pool."

Skie then reached for her pocket and drew up seven purple crystals. This was an element called Embera. It helped to amplify Skie's magic, though it was not one she used often in public like this.

"Mel. If something goes wrong with this spell, I'm hoping you know your tribes cure. I don't want to be stuck looking like a part of my surroundings whenever I walk around." Skie then said as she spoke into a secondary line on her goggles.

[Chavah]

The use of 'Pinkie' used to always make Aryeh roll his eyes. By now he was so used to the nickname that he barely reacted to it anymore. Rather, Skie was given a professional "Roger that." Following the quiet response was a fluid emotion in which his handy goggles were put into place. "I await your cue." Even though they argued on several stupid subjects, they made a good team and he very much respected her.

From his hiding place, he kept his eyes on the culprit so they wouldn't risk losing him. His nimble form kept a readied stance that would send him in an impressive sprint if the situation may call for him to change his location. Ever so briefly did he look away to watch for Skie, knowing she could arrive any minute to overpower their foe.

Meanwhile, Mel was experiencing the proper amount of worry. It didn't show on the surface thanks to his composed demeanor, but beneath all that he was having a mild panic. He held off on reminding her to be careful; no need to repeat what he said only moments ago. While tucking himself into a corner, in a mostly empty area because people had left already, he held his watch up to signal Skie back. "No matter what happens, you know I'll find a way," he assured her with confidence. "I don't want to interfere with your ambush, so I'll join up with you shortly. The rest of the place should be checked for anything odd or armed with a trap." You never knew what these sneaky pirates were doing. They just might look to rob one of the vaults nearly overflowing with loot.

By Fluffy

[Chavah]

Thanks Mel. You’re a dear.” Skie joked to Mel via her intercom. “If anything odd happens, just let me know.”

After stripping the goggles off of her head, Skie bolted towards the black curtains near the walls. She then pulled one of them back and hid behind it. “Here goes nothing…”

Skie then shut her eyes and attempted to ignore the world around her. It was a hard task, since the casino was busy with cries of hope, despair, anger, and machines all working. Such a setting was hardly ideal for a magus to attempt what she was going to do, but she was a risk taker.

“Etiam dicunt pro eu.” Skie said three times. The Embera in her palms started to glow a faint shade of purple. Soon as she looked down, her skin started to blend in with the curtains. However, her clothing didn’t.

“Dammit…I am not running around in the buff just to stop this asshole.” Skie growled in her head. “Screw it. I’m going.”
She then reappeared from behind the curtains. To a few curious onlookers, it appeared that there was a heavy leather jacket seemingly wandering around by itself. Just a broken hologram, after all.
Skie then moved quicker as she saw the target moving towards the door.

“Da ‘ell is that?” The guy mumbled to himself as he saw the jacket moving towards him. “Why are youse followin’ me? Shoo.”

[Chavah]

The pirate was carelessly shooing at the floating clothes with one hand while the other made a motion for his side arm. His captain would be most displeased if he didn't deliver the pretty pocket watch he kept in his breast pocket. Although what they were doing here was wrong...it also wasn't wrong, sort of. One of the fellow pirates stupidly traded the captain's timepiece for money to gamble at this establishment. So the mission was to sneak in here and steal it from the stranger that idiot sold it to.

Before he could do anything, he was tackled by the pink haired man that had been following him this whole time. Ary had come too far for this mission to go up in flames! All of his weight was thrown at the enemy, knocking him on his back with the fae landing on top. The next few moments was a whole lot of rolling across the floor while wrestling one another for a chance to pin down the other. In the end, Aryeh managed to flip him onto his front and pin an arm to his back. For good measure, he took a seat on the other's lower back. The pirate, of course, was persistently struggling in an effort to throw his captor off of him.

"Le' me go, you pretty boy! LE' ME--AGH!" His angry yelling was interrupted by a scoff followed by a hand pressing to the back of his head to knock his forehead to the floor. Then a fistful of hair was tilting the prisoner's head up so he'd be forced to make eye contact with the invisible girl close by them.

By Fluffy

[Chavah]

Skie's flesh soon became visible again and she huffed. Attempting to turn invisible was an exhausting spell and it was not always going to be a success. She had taxed herself so much, that several standards of her hair had turned silver. If she wasn't more careful in the future, she might wind up looking like one of the magi that she used as a mentor.

"Alright Buck." Skie said, wiping some sweat off of her brow. "We know why you are here. Your boss can't stay hidden forever. I don't work for the Category, but I sure do love the pay they give me. Now. We can do the whole good cop, bad cop thing. However, as you can plainly see. Neither Pinkie nor I are, as you can guess....Good cops."

She then squatted down and then gave the subdued pirate a shit eating grin. "So gives us the info we want and you might just come out of here with most of your bones in tact."

[Chavah]

With nothing more to scout for, Mel was in a hurry to rejoin his allies. Serious determination was on his face while he ran with a hand on his sword, scoping for suspicions on his way to the given location.

Meanwhile, Arryeh was grinning cheekily at the pirate he'd managed to pin down. The man's refusal to talk eared him a harsh tug to the back of the head, causing him to howl angrily at the hair pulling. Just as a swear word was about to erupt, all were interrupted by the loudness of the doors being forced open.

Arriving in the doorway was none other than Medus Tenpenny. With the brawn of his chest sticking out proudly, and his chin pompously pointing towards the ceiling, he laid his ocean colored irises on the three people in his sights. They glistened with mischief, complimenting the roguish smirk that settled on his handsome face. He looked so clean and proper, yet so much like a scoundrel as well. With a dramatic flap of his cape, he was entering the scene with a militaristic look to his posture.

A gloved hand smoothed a wrinkle from his crimson jacket as his boots thudded against the floor. "Hmpf. That is quite enough, you ruffians," he casually insisted with a dismissive gesture. Arryeh replied with a stern look, despite the light redness filling his cheeks as the Pirate King got closer to them. "Seriously," Medus sighed out, touching a finger to his forehead to express frustration. "You do not want me to raise my voice." Eyebrows risen, he gave the pink haired man a moment to get off their prisoner. Not without grumbling to himself, clearly displeased that their mission was being interfered with. "Ah yes, good. Very good indeed," Medus said with a haughty chuckle, sending both hands behind his back to intertwine the fingers.

Getting a look at Skie, he couldn't help but scoff. "Hello, ragamuffin," he greeted with mock delight, returning his nose to the air as a show of disinterest. He'd promised to stop calling her that when she finally started dressing more ladylike. Also, he simply enjoyed the immature exchanges they had. When his lips parted to say something, he slightly jumped as Mel came rushing to the scene, putting himself between Skie and Medus. He stood at his full height in an attempt to look intimidating, eyes growing fiercer as he warned Medus with a lowly spoken: "Don't."

The water faye blinked and then giggled in a condescending way, lowering a hand to pat the bodyguard on the head. Mel snarled and shut one eye, somewhat wishing he was the sort to punch someone for insulting him. But, he simply wasn't.

by Fluffy

[Chavah]

Skie was going to start a fight against Medus. His water magic was not as powerful as some of the archaic spells that she had been studying. Though, she knew that using such magic in public was bound to cause even more of a backlash against her. It was a good thing that Mel showed up when he did. Skie was a hothead and he was like the water that simmered her fires into ash.

“Thanks Mel.” She said as she patted her guard on the shoulder. The young woman then crossed her arms and then stuck her tongue out at Medus.

“You sure have balls, coming into Zeledin City when there’s a warrant for your arrest. Are you finally getting bored with just controlling Azar and want to start a scuffle here? My brother would be more than thrilled to take down the biggest scourge to the region since the Paladins fled.” Skie retorted safely behind Mel.

This wasn’t the first time that she had encountered Medus. Skie and her team had been paid several hundred guild currency for any information that they could get on his crew of pirates. Officially, the Category guild had no legal right to send their military onto the island of Azar, so using non-government agencies was the only way they could spy on the workings of the Yellow Brother Syndicate.

She then lowered her goggles to cover her yellow eyes once again. “I’m not going to dress as a preppy officer in the navy. Ain’t that why you’re paired with that blond haired first mate of yours?” Skie was referring to Naomi, Medus’ second in command. It didn’t seem that she came with him this time around, which was curious to Skie. “This jacket belonged to my father, whom you might remember as one of the greatest heroes of these lands. So, there’s no way I am not going to wear it.”

[Chavah]

Medus pointed a gloved index finger towards himself while making an innocent expression, over-dramatizing how pleased he was to be called the biggest scourge in the region. Then he lowered his hand to place it over the brawn of his chest. "You flatter me, my dear," the pirate king commented arrogantly. It was quite difficult to insult him. Skie was just the same, which could be as entertaining as it was frustrating.

Meanwhile, Mel was trying to not let any of his inner worries rise to the surface. That would compromise the stern expression he was maintaining in an effort to look intimidating. Such was the nature of a bodyguard, after all. Nothing could quiet the concerns relating to Skie's banter with Medus, though. From time to time, her sassiness got them into needless trouble.

He chuckled at the tease towards his second-in-command. Naomi's professionalism was admirable, but it wasn't just because she had a uniform appearance. "If only you'd follow her example," Medus said with a click of his tongue, flashing a roguish grin at Mel to unnerve him. Seconds later he turned away, looking around the entrance of the casino. The place was somewhat messy. "Adorable," was the snarky response he had for her sentimental jacket. Attention went to the doorway he'd come into. The pirate king would be making his exit quite shortly.

"Now, there's no need to call brother dearest about the big scary pirate ruining your mission," he began to say while waving his hand about dismissively, taking a couple of steps backwards. "And there's no need for me to humiliate you more than I already have, so--" Mischief glimmered in his eyes as he tipped his hat. "Until next time."

by Fluffy

[Chavah]

"I flatter you? Well, that's just about the most disappointing thing I've ever heard." Skie snapped back. "Come on guys. This was a waste of time." Skie said as she turned around.

She placed both of her hands into her trenchcoat and whipped her middle fingers up, not that anyone would be aware of what she was doing. Skie stomped off, grumbling a few choice words that she really shouldn't have muttered in public. The crowds were starting to gather and she wasn't in the mood to deal with the repercussions. Her brother back in Chenoa would have to wait.

A few minutes later, Skie was standing outside of the casino. Her heavy leather boots had been tossed off and she was leaning next to a wall with her one of her bare feet touching the cool granite. Skie began to shuffle around for a cigarette. She knew that Mel hated to see her with them but at a time like this, she didn't care.

"Almost get shot by an annoying jerk. Pirate got away. And now I have to bail...Bah. I'll just have to keep this stupid gold token I won in the card game as a symbol for what could have been. A fixed airship. Hmph."

[Fluffy]

The unsuccessful results of their mission left a bitter taste in everyone's mouth. None suffered it as bad as Skie did, though. The two males exchanged glances as she prepped herself to step out of the building. Before too long they were following behind, silently agreeing that a breath of fresh air would remedy the humiliation at least a little bit.

Mel knew better than to comment on the ill effects cigarettes had on the body. She did as she pleased, when she pleased. Being a healer of sorts, he couldn't help but want the best for his friend's well-being. At the same time, he understood the psychological benefits of the activity. You could always trust him to see the good in just about anything.

Aryeh kept his back to the wall with his arms crossed, a sigh coming out in a way that made his lips flap. An arm shuffled loose just long enough to adjust the hat on his head. Mel blinked at the pink haired gentleman before making a walk over to Skie with his hands linked behind his back. As much as he wanted to say something, he didn't know what would help in this situation. So he did what he often did, which was essentially being the always accessible mountain Skie could lean on for support. He figured at the very least, people could appreciate his naturally calming presence.

[Chavah]

"We shouldn't stick around this port for too long." Skie said as she flicked what remind of her cigarette to the ground. "I didn't expect him to actually show his cocky face this early on in the investigation. My bad, really."

She placed both of her hands back into the the worn pockets of her father's leather trench coat. "Don't worry...This time around, I promise that I won't go all ape shit and start blasting holes into sea cliffs. I'm bitter...Just need to take a page from your book for once. Anymore attention and I could wind up attracting the attention of the Redhead. Between her and Medus, I'd rather take my chances with the goddamn pirate."

[Fluffy]

Skie and Aryeh were given all the time they needed to brood on the previous events. While he himself wasn't too happy with the results, Mel had an easier time moving on than others. It wasn't always so simple, of course. Achieving that level of inner peace took a lot of time and patience. He aspired to be much like the water he was known to symbolize. Just as well though, he could smack you silly like a violent tidal wave if you stirred him up badly enough.



When they were ready, he led them back to the ship. There was nothing more for them to do there on the ground. Once the door hissed open, they made their way into the main hold. The control panel to the right had soft glowing lights indicating that the ship’s functions were in good condition. Immediately, Ary walked past them with his hands in his pockets so he could go through the corridor and head to his private quarters. He was tired, and not quite feeling like his bubbly self. Mel expected that would change after he had some alone time.

Though, as usual, it was Skie he was most concerned about. She was a tough young woman who probably didn’t need his help, but he still liked to think he was useful. “Do you need anything?” was asked of her while he tended to a mess he saw at the left-hand table. The waste basket next to the seats was overflowing, which must have been why the trash wasn’t properly disposed of. That, or whoever left it there was just plain lazy. Yet, he voiced no complaints as he got the trash bag taken care of, then swept the crumpled papers and packages into the empty one. It crossed his mind to jokingly request that they play a game of cards, but he dismissed the thought for fear it would be in poor taste.

[Chavah]

Skie hung her father's leather trench coat onto a hook in the main hold. Next she undid the first two buttons on her white shirt. This revealed a white cross symbol that to most would have looked like a bull's eye. This was the sign of the nation of Chenoa that both Skie and Mel were originally from.

"I was hoping that those earnings in the game could have been used to fix this airship up. To be honest, I am more pissed about not getting the money than losing track of that slavish arse."

She then began to punch buttons on the wall. This was going to start getting enough magical energies into the lift to get this airship off the ground. Skie then gave Mel a forced smile. "I'll get over it. Flying always makes me feel better. Maybe I shoot down some Yellow Brother's scouts. Haha...Oh that reminds me."

Skie reached into her opened shirt and grabbed for an item that she stored in her bra. It was a golden locket on a chain. "I saw that you really wanted one of these while we were walking around the city. Figured might as well be your month's payment. Hahah."

She then swung the door to the cockpit open. There she found Aryeh sitting in the pilot's chair. It seemed that he did this a lot. Skie just gave him a dry stare. She then grabbed for a magazine that was rolled up in the basket that was tied behind the chair and smacked him on the head with it.

"I'm the captain of the ship~"

[Fluffy]

"Yeah," Mel sighed in response to her frustrations. He felt similarly, to tell the truth. That money would have been able to do more for them than get the ship fixed up. As usual, he was the one to concern the most for each individual's well-being. He felt they could use a better food supply as of currently, for example. Much as they may roll their eyes at his 'health obsessions,' it in the long run benefits them.

Turning his head to her direction, she was getting the ship started up. The forced smile made him smirk in a way that was private to him and Skie. A mix of teasing and genuine appreciation was what it held. She may or may not think much of it, but Mel generally wasn't the playful sort. Friendly at best, with a memorably calm presence.

The piece of treasure she had hidden in her clothing was caught without fail. Immediately, he recognized the golden heart as it landed in his gloved palm. His eyes widened with wonder, light redness painting over his cheeks mainly because she noticed him admiring this a while back. "Thank you, Captain," said the soft-spoken gentleman, dipping his head to her as she left. Didn't take him long to go back to examining the trinket he held, all while pondering what picture he should put in the locket.

Aryeh, annoyingly, could fall asleep anywhere in a short amount of time. By the time Skie found him in the cockpit, he was already several minutes into a nice nap with his hat pulled over his eyes. It didn't seem to matter that he was laid back in the chair awkwardly with his limbs in random places. He was quick to sit up though when he was so rudely smacked by a rolled up magazine. "What the--!?" A glare was made around the room after his hat flipped off his head. When his sights settled onto Skie, his expression turned deadpan. "Oh," the man scoffed, getting up so he would no longer be in her way. "Sorry~" he sang with as much attitude as he always did, faking an innocent grin before going to retrieve his hat.

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