Far above a patch of torchlight Savan, another series of lights flickers as airmen try to get a handle on a surprise attack. A moored airship bleeds smoke from a wound in its hull, sky sailors on the gun deck staggering around to check for fires, assess the damage, and generally figure out just what the Dagh happened. Busy with this, the adventurers below have a brief chance to catch their breath and get out of the way of falling debris. Dasha's Dashers, of the Empire's Third Cavalry division have once the airship's guns were silenced, and their medic tends to a battered Kin as worried friends hover nearby.

Once she has recovered her strength and senses, Anisa goes to stand by Xander and the captives. She looks up to the mooring lines, biting her lip at the scene before her. "Should one of us go up the lines after them? I don't think these guys are going anywhere."

"Mmmnnpth," Kin says and skews up her snout as the medic waves some sort of chemical under her nose. Weakly, she tries to push away the hand of the medic. It does at least have one useful effect, the Kiriga isn't as completely out of it now. Though with the pain in her side and back she may wish she was. "Deal with enemies first," she complains. Well, she complains up to the point she sees Long-Shadow there as well and actually tries to push herself into sitting up. Ow.

"We need to get them to land," Xander replies. "If we go up, they could just cut the lines. Keep an eye out for Lilac too."

I can't wait to tell Kinny and Gibson about this, Lilac thinks as she watches the airship smoke. Her appraisal of her work is short lived, as the shadows on the mooring ropes catch her attention. Are those Dasha's … No! They must be from the ship! They better not be running away – we can't let them run away! She assays the ship, thinking about what to do and, more importantly, how to do it without bodily injury.

Long-Shadow watches Kin with concern in his dark eyes, kneeling nearby. He raises his hands to try to keep Kin from sitting up, but the medic, after a suspicious look at the tribesman, says, "She should be alright… took Dagh's own beating, though." He plays a round of 'how many fingers am I holding up' with Kin, and she does well enough to be judged able to 'walk it off'. It looks a lot to walk off… where some of the armor has been shifted away, purple bruises swell angrily, spreading golden scales apart.

Long Tooth squats on the other side of his student, uncorking his ever-present wine gourd and offering it to Kin. "You did well, my student. Choose your battles carefully, however. When possible."

Anisa scratches her ears impatiently, squinting up at the ship for any sign of Lilac. "She's a small thing, I don't know what she'd be able to do against that ship. Carrots! They're just gonna get away!" She sets her sights on the robed captives, zeroing in on the nearest one. "You! What in Dagh's name were you doing with these hoods? Answer me!"

Ah-hah, Lilac thinks, as she gets an idea. Ducking from her approach of the airship's wound, she banks and begins to circle low, preparing to ascend around the aft of the ship. There, she aims for the colored glass sparkling in the night.

From Lilac's aerial vantage, she can see into the hole she made with Xander's explosives. Many of the airmen have fled the gun deck for fresh air on the upper deck, though some remain still trying to make sure no fires spark up. Circling around the ship brings her to the aft, where colored glass framed in wood allows lantern light to glow out, but doesn't reveal much else.

Removing the armor definitely gets a wince from the Kiriga; any contact with the bruised area does. And in rather an unusual action, she takes the gourd and does drink for it. After a round of coughing, she says, "There was no choice to be made, he was in danger; the path was clear." The 'he' in question is obvious enough when she looks to the Savanite. "Help me up?" she asks him as she extends her hand towards him.

Tooth nods grim agreement, and Long-Shadow gladly extends a long arm, grasping one of Kin's hands to help her to her feet.

The guardsmen throw their hands up again as Anisa addresses them angrily, and the leader stammers, "W-we, we weren't doing anything, honest!"

Kin takes the offered hand gratefully and pulls herself to her feet. It's then she noticed the Savanite was cut … but other than a small frown, she doesn't comment on it, though. When up, the Kiriga leans against the cheetah and wraps an around around his thin waist, glad for having his steadying presence. Instead of bending down to pick up her weapons, though, she hooks her toes under the blade at roughly the balance point and lifts one up at a time so she can grab it. They're quickly put away.

Kin also notices the ship is still flying and hisses, "It is still flying?"

"If we shout, I don't think they can hear us down here," Xander mutters, looking for a shadow against the procession that might be Lilac – the only one who can relay messages!

The small doe stomps angrily over to the reptiles, fists on hips and a stern look on her face. "Like Dagh you were! Your countrymen are only a few miles away getting slaughtered, and here you are having a blasted picnic with the ones doin' the slaughterin'! I ought to wring your scaly neck right here!" The small Lapine gets right in the reptile's face, looking for all the world like she's about to deck him.

Though the rabbit is considerably shorter, the lizards look no less cowed, and the leader takes an involuntary step back. "I, I'm sorry! We w-were just following orders! We were to track the outlanders to the wreck… "

Kin looks around and finally spots where Anisa and Xander went. "Come, let us go see what Anisa has learned," she says to Longtooth and Long-Shadow. She even tries to walk towards them … though without help from someone she likely won't get very far for the moment.

The cheetah nods, and since he's too tall to really offer a shoulder, he lets Kin lean against his side for support to help her walk.

Grabbing the leader by his robe's collar, Anisa yanks the reptile down to her level. "Outlanders? You mean us?! Who ordered you to do it?" She closes one eye, staring at her captive with the other. "If you say 'Vandringar', so help me Star, I'll knock you into next Tuesday!"

Landing against the large window, Lilac can immediately see she won't be breaking in easily. This glass is as thick as the windows in a tavern! She leans forward, trying to see through it, but can only make out vague blurs. I need something to break it, if I try and crash through all I'll break is myself. She looks around and, upon not spotting a likely solid object, detaches and decides to descend and grab a rock.

"Thank you for coming to my aide," Kin tells the Savanite as they head towards the gathering. As they get closer to Anisa and the guards, the outfits register with her. Her small frown turns into a near snarl.

The lizard gasps, shying his head back as if already expecting to be struck. "Nuh! No no, not you! I don't know who you are! The, the other outlanders, the Kirigai and the Lapi and their little dog-girl too! Governor Des ordered it!"

"The Governor ordered us killed?" Kin hisses in Imperial towards the guards when they are close enough, her slit eyes narrowing. "Why?"

"I think I see Lilac coming," Xander says. "Or else someone is falling very slowly."

Anisa looks back as Kin and the others approach, then resets her attention on the Naga. "Yeah, why?"

A nictating membrane closes over the gecko-like man's eyes, his actual eyelids squinting as if expecting a blow any moment. "H-he knows Viper's Hold is going to fall… h… he made a deal. If he keeps the Empire out of this, and he turns the seat over to these invaders, he can k-keep his office."

Lieutenant Dasha says nothing, but her eyes narrow to yellowish slits.

"And you would just turn over with him? Have you no honor?" Kin rasps angrily, "Have you no shame?" Weakly, she actually draws Floating Blossom and throws it point down into the dirt where it sticks. "A man with honor would sooner take up that blade and end their lives before betraying their Lords."

The assembled guardsmen don't look inclined to commit ritual suicide, but neither can they meet Kin's gaze.

"And who are these invaders," asks Anisa angrily, yanking on the lizard's lapel once more. "Who are they working for? I saw more than just Imperial citizens in that mob."

"I d-don't know!" moans the shiga. "Some rabble rouser! A petty warlord! He, he had friends. Outlanders, like you."

Meanwhile, a few steps away, Gibson trots up alongside Xander, peering up at the sky as well and making out the shadow that floats down from above. "Lilac! You made it!"

"If he is so petty, then why do you bend to him?" Kin hisses as she reaches down and pulls her short sword free of the dirt. "I do not believe you. You know more than you will say."

Hearing Gibson's voice, Lilac alters her flight to descend towards the source. "Gibson! You made it!" She lands awkwardly, stumbling from the exhaustion of having flown so much in the last few days. "Is everyone okay? I need something solid! A rock, or some-such!"

The captives shift uneasily, and the gecko in Anisa's steely grip keeps his eyes on the sword, struggling uselessly. "I'm t-t-telling the truth! There's… there's always been warlords in the region, some in the Beastlands or Savan. A lot used to be slavers." He glances at Long-Shadow and seems to wish he hadn't said that, but keeps stammering on. "Most fight each other over little chunks of land or ch… choice hiding spots, sometimes they raided around the Hold, b-but they never used to be a direct threat. This one, he's brought a lot of the r-rabble together, and he's g-getting backing somehow. Maybe from the outlanders!"

The tall black Lapi trots over and gives Lilac a brief hug, then gestures at everyone. "I knew you could do it! We're alright. Kin took quite a thumping, but not before she brought her foe down. The rest of us are none the worse for wear. They're interrogating some of these vermites from Viper's Hold… turns out they were going to stab us in the back."

Gibson misses a beat, then adds, "A rock? What for?"

"Describe the other outlanders," Kin says as she sheathes her sword. "And tell us where to find this warlord. If you are working with him, you should know."

Lilac hugs Gibson back, sniffing at him a moment before skipping back and grinning. Her ears perk as she listens to his assessment of the battle so far, and she immediately flattens her ears at the mention of Kin. "A thumping? Oh, no. I knew I should have stayed down here with Kinny! She needs me," the woman tells the buck. Looking past him, she frowns at the soldiers, and is about to comment on them when Gibson speaks up. "Oh, I need to break a window. I have an idea! Say," she points at the captured men, "I know them!"

Anisa's ears catch the comment of Lilacs, and she swivel's around – gecko still in tow. "You know these clowns? How?"

The quailing guardsman swallows hard. "I saw some of their agents, not their leaders. Me and my men were simply accompanying the Governor, that's all. They had… had men in cowls, we couldn't see their faces well. They relayed their missives through intermediaries… strange Jadai women with m-masks like mirrors." He clams back up when he's dragged in a circle, scaly face scrunched up at the sight of Lilac.

"I saw them when I was catching up to Kinny and Xander! They said they were guards from Viper's Hold, and they didn't know where Kinny went. They seemed a little surprised to see me, but … " she leans forward to peer at the men, then shrugs, "I do get that a lot."

Lieutenant Dasha seethes, and raises her lance. "Giving up Nagai land to outlanders?! Were they with the Emirate? Treasonous scum, I'll kill you where you stand!"

Kin twitches. "Anisa … those intermediaries are … effectively slaves for an ally of Vandringar's; the accursed artist, Hakuu," she tells the Lapi. She then raises her hand towards Dasha, stating, "Hold your hand. As much as I wish to kill them, they may serve a better purpose alive."

The Rokuga lowers her lance again, her jaw hard, but nods. "Who is this Hakuu? Or this Vandringar?"

"Did you say Hakuu?" Lilac looks up, smiling when she sees Kin … then frowning she she sees the bruises. "Kinny!" She rushes over, about to hug the woman but stopping short. "Um, what happened? I should never leave you alone! This always happens."

Anisa's fur stands on end at Kin's revelation, and she turns her attention back to the gecko. "So you are working for Vandringar – you're just too stupid to know it!" Disgustedly, she shoves the reptile forward and back at his compatriots. "Vandringar is a piece of work, that's what he is. He's a nutso archaeologist who more or less wants to take over the world, and anyone who doesn't follow him gets turned into some freakish animal. These root-heads have been helping him seal their own fates!"

The lizard staggers backwards and rolls into a heap in the dust. His comrades don't dare to pick him up, and the gecko just lays there, cowering.

"Hakuu is a very powerful noble of Jadai with many connections. What he is planning … I do not know. You will likely not be able to link the mirrored women to him easily and accusing him may raise ire in even Nagai lands. And even if you did, he could claim that he was being framed," Kin growls. To Lilac, she says, "A battle happened. Injuries happen. I will live."

Lilac lays her ears back at Kin's curtness, but she does reach over and pat Kin carefully. "Oh. Well, I'd better get back to my plan, then." She steps away, then turns to look around.

"What plan?" Xander asks. "We need to get that ship down."

"But thank you for your concern, Lilac," Kin adds in a softer voice when she notices her ears flatten.

Lilac glances over her shoulder and beams a smile at Kin, wagging her tail. When she returns to searching, she shortly spots what she seems to be looking for. "Ah-HA!" Hurrying over, she picks up an abandoned mace and hefts it. "I think this will work – can I borrow someone's flint and tinder? I'm going back to the airship."

A serpentine shape held aloft by broad wings skims down, long tail swinging under to coil onto a landing spot. "I agree," says Captain Soban. He cocks his head to look up. "I think they're getting the damage you did under control, the gun deck won't stay smoked out for much longer. They'll be back down there, and once they realize the ravine is emptied out, they'll either try to get range on us, or flee altogether to report to their leaders." Dasha nods grimly. "As much as I hate to say it, my troops still can't get up there. We'll have to get going before they can rain Dagh's fire on us again."

"Lilac, tell them to surrender and land, or else we'll shoot them down," Xander says to the bard.

Soban scoffs. "They'll just fill her with bolts."

Arms still crossed, Anisa goes to stand near the others. "I don't think they'd listen, Hotfoot. Especially not if they're with Vandringar – they're most likely fanatics."

"It would be better suited for our needs that they did not return to their leaders at all," Kin says, then winces as a surge of pain in her side. She compensates by leaning a bit more heavily against Long-Shadow. "We could then send these cowards back to the Viper's Hold in our stead and report we were killed after a pitched battle. Then we track them to their warlord contact's meeting. They have already proven their ability to betray."

"What?" Lilac blinks at Xander. "If we could shoot them down, why haven't we done it yet? I don't think they'll buy that – not yet. I have a better plan!" She gives Kin a 'he's still crazy, isn't he' sort of look, then explains, "I'm going to break in to the captain's cabin, take all his important stuff, barricade the door, then set it all on fire! By the time they notice, it'll be too late!"

"Well, for one, I didn't know where you were," Xander notes. "And if the shock wave doesn't critically damage them, you'd need to fly up and finish it… "

"I think Xander's insanity is rubbing off on you, Lilac. What would you do if the Captain's quarters are occupied?" Kin asks.

"Not go inside, of course! I don't think he'll be inside, though. He's probably yelling orders on deck, or something," Lilac insists.

"His papers could be of use," Kin admits after a moment of thought. "He may have maps to the warlord's stronghold."

Fwirfwirfwirfwirfwirp! There's a whipping sound as one of the mooring cables thrashes the air on its descent down. It slaps the Savan ground and raises a great cloud of dust.

"Anyway, I need to go now. Captain Soban is right, I saw them trying to stop the fire. Once they do that, they'll probably turn around and focus on us," the human woman explains. "Can I go? Please?" She looks at Kin for confirmation.

Anisa grimaces. "That sounds risky, but its up to you, Lilac. I say, we split the best of both – go in and get the stuff if you want, but give us a signal when you're clear. That way, Hotfoot can finish the job-" The Lapi dives to the ground at the sound of the cables, covering her head.

Growling when the cable drops and crouching as much as she's able, Kin says, "They're getting ready to leave. If you must, then hurry Lilac. Xander, you be ready to fire at them the moment you hear Lilac give an all clear."

"Wah!" Lilac ducks as well, her wings wrapping around her like a closing flower bud. "Gah, okay, okay. I'm going. I'll, um … try and drop a lantern or torch or something from the back! The … aft, right?" She unfolds her wings again, then takes for the sky.

"Damn, I hope she's fast!" Xander notes, then looks around. "Everyone clear out of this spot! Lie down and keep your ears covered and your mouths opened. As soon as I see the signal, I'm firing!"

"Xander," Kin says as she eases back up. "Come here. Please."

"What, now?" Xander asks as he hurries over to Kin. "What is it?"

Whippitywhippitywhippity! Another mooring rope whistles past Lilac as she flies up, nearly dragging her back down. Above, the smoke seems to have mostly cleared from the gun deck, and men scurry about, moving things away from the gaping hole in the side of the hull. A few are staring out of it in disbelief, some down at the ruined camp below.

Feeling herself over to make certain nothings been chopped off from the cables, Anisa begins to get back to her feet, only to duck again at the sound of the second cable. "Dagh!"

What it is, is Kin pulling Xander into a hug briefly. "Don't you dare die. I cannot protect you when you use magic," she says with a frowns. To Long-Shadow and the others, she says, "Let'sdo as he says, out of the clearing. Lieutenant, bring the prisoners as well." And with that the Kiriga tries to hurry out of the camp as fast as she can manage with Long-Shadow's assistance.

Lilac manages to make it to the aft, returning to her perch on the window. The mace she hefts – with blood on it she tries hard to ignore – and tries to use the butt to break a small section of the window. I hope it's too noisy inside to hear this. If I don't hurry, I'm going to be leave with them!

"I won't die, promise!" Xander says. Never mind that he has no idea what adding twenty pounds of material components to his fireball will result in, or if he'll be outside of the blast radius when shooting straight up. He does know he'll feel the shock wave first though.

The cavalrymen gather up a prisoner each, and Dasha leads her men out, with Captain Soban taking wing and keeping pace.

Krink! The soda bottle looking piece that Lilac hits fractures. It looks like it's going to take a full force swing to smash through this, popping out sections one at a time won't work, they're each maybe five inches across.

"Why can't this be simple?" Lilac thinks as sge takes a deep breath, pulls the mace back, and with all her might swings it forward against the fractured glass.

As Kin and Long-Shadow make their way out of the clearing, she calls over to Anisa, "Why does he do this? Is this is what is called 'trying to impress women with prowess'?"

Springing back to her feet, Anisa hurries over to join up with Kin and Long-Shadow. "I think it'll called 'pyromania', but its also because he has a job to do."

CRASH! The stone mace head is quite heavy, meant to crush bone, and the leverage of Lilac's swing gives her the force to break the framework and spray glass shards into the cabin. Luckily, the place doesn't seem occupied. There's a bed under the now broken window, as well as a table, writing desk, dresser, coatrack, "sea" chest, weapon rack, and various knick-knacks scattered about, all lit by the glow of several lanterns.

Swishityswishitswishityswishity. The third of four ropes comes tumbling down, landing in a haphazard coil amidst the scrub and short trees.

"He had better not die," is all Kin says further on the subject. She lopes along as fast as she can manage right now, each step causing the woman to wince with pain due to the muscles in her side and back having to work under bruise and under protest.

First thing's first! For a brief moment, Lilac has a certain giddiness about seeing an empty, goody-filled cabin. She quickly resists the urge to be too glad, though. For one, she's not safe yet, and for another it makes her feel too much like a thief. Let'ssee … I'll have to push the desk by the door, then maybe the bed behind that …

Once inside, Lilac abandons the mace in favor of securing the door. First, she tries to push the desk over!

The desk doesn't seem to want to go anywhere. Upon closer inspection, it's quite firmly nailed to the floor.

Stacks of paper have carved rocks on them as weights, along with a compass (made with real brass!) inkwell, quill, and ledger.

Oh, right. Well, that makes sense. Lilac shrugs, turning instead to quickly start throwing visible items on the bed. She tosses the papers, which land in a mess, the compass, then the ledger. I'll just the sheet like a bag, and … what else? She takes a second to survey the room again.

Fwirfwrifwirfwirfwir! The ship lurches as its last mooring is cut. Lilac's excellent reflexes easily keep her from being dumped onto her bottom, despite a lack of 'air legs'.

On the ground, Xander curses and tries to keep underneath the airship.

The charts come next, tossed on the bed in a haphazard pile. This isn't stealing. This is … Something else, Lilac assures herself. She rocks as the ship lurches, then glances nervously at the door. I … I better go. She begins securing what she's taken, wrapping it all in the sheet and making a makeshift bag. I'll throw the lanterns before I do, and throw one out as I exit!

Kin lowers herself to the ground now and covers here ears. She also opens her mouth and even closes her eyes. "I hope this works," she thinks.

Anisa follows Kin's lead, getting low and grabbing her ears to the side of her cheeks. She opens her mouth in a buck-toothed gape… and can't help but feel a bit silly.

Lilac secures the bag over her shoulder, eying the dress saber for a moment. Gibson would really like tha- … NO. I have to go, she shakes her head to clear her larcenous thoughts, then grabs one lantern, backs towards the window, and hurls it at the floor near the door.

Smash! The thing is sturdy, but the glass parts come apart with enough force to leak oil and flame onto the floor. The spreading puddle alights, flames dancing higher.

Good enough! Lilac snatches another lantern, then quickly makes her exit!

Mouth still agape, Anisa squints up at the airship, looking for any sign of Lilac. C'mon, give the signal…

The lantern flips end over end, becoming a mote of light falling away in the darkness outside.

"C'mon, C'mon… there!" Xander mutters as he sees the signal. He drops to the ground and rolls onto his back, folding his ears as tightly closed as he can. Aiming straight up at the airship, he mutters, "Infernum!" and launches his fireball.

For a second time, Lilac is forced in to a dive. Tired, she decides to forgo landing and simply glide as far as she can, this time. The bag of stolen stuff makes her flight a little unstable.

A cloud of dust spreads away from Xander, sparks seeming to gather from the night air around him and zig-zag as they converge on him like glow bugs. Light gathers at his hands, a miniature sun forming there and growing with a steadily increasing roar. With a sudden shriek, it throws Xander to the ground as it flies straight up, crackling and illuminating its own trail of smoke…

The fireball wiggles a little on its way up, striking the ship slightly off center while the craft lifts away. The results aren't immediately apparent as the fiery projectile blossoms with a great boom that rolls across the Savan like a thunderclap, felt deep in the chest of everyone on the ground. The burst lights up its own cloud, rolling flames filling out puffs of dense smoke, streamers wobbling away from the central mass with smoldering bits of debris that twinkle as they descend to earth, tumbling end over end.

A wall of force and heat seems to smash into Lilac's back, curling her dark hair and throwing her through a cartwheel high up in the sky. Fortunately, she's able to cling to her loot bag and level out, and after a quick check nothing seems to be on fire.

"Great Gods," Kin says when the explosion erupts overhead. She can't help but watch in amazement. Momentarily blinded, she blinks repeatedly to see if she can make out what remains of the ship.

After an incomprehensible scream, Lilac adds a sore "ow," to her reaction at being strucj by the shockwave. Checking her bag affords her a look at the burning ship, like a giant torch hanging in the sky. She shakes her head a little, then just decides to land. The faster she can rest her wings, the better, she thinks! I am so sore.

With a groan, Xander looks up to see if anything is about fall on top of him. Mental Note: extra gunpowder helps.

Anisa winces at the explosion – even with her ears covered, the boom is much louder than she'd like. As soon as the shock wave passes, she leaps to her feet, running back over to Xander. "Did it work? Did it?!"

A vibration passes through the ground, a splash of dirt pitched into the air as the first of the ship's cannons lands with a whump, followed by a thick ironwood timber several yards away.

"Okay, time to get up," Xander mutters and gets to his feet. He's a bit buzzed from the spell, and tries to wobble out of the debris field until he can run again.

Lilac stumbles when she touches down, wobbling when the cannon impacts somewhere behind her. She lets the momentum take her, letting herself fall back in to the grass with her bag of stolen goods beside her. "Ow," she tells the night. Getting up seems like a good idea, but she can't quite convince her body to do it yet.

The cloud of devastation continues to spread, gradually quieting from firestorm to sullen thunderhead… but enough light from burning sails allows one to make out an outline… the envelope is intact. The hull is gutted, but the top deck seems to be more or less in one piece. Updraft from the explosion carries what remains of the ship in a crazy spin upward and northwest, still throwing timbers and dead crewmen away from the sky borne wreck, now at the mercy of the currents.

Kin pushes herself back upright so she can watch for falling debris as well as looking over to where Xander and Anisa now are. Wincing, she says, "I hope Lilac made it safely away. I also … well, I will be glad when I can lie down and just rest."

Lilac rolls her eyes back to watch the airship drift away. "I guess they're getting away," she murmurs to herself. When another assortment of burning wood – and people – falls off, she grimaces, and adds, "Sort of."

"I think it worked," Xander says to Anisa, and still giddy, he dares to grab her cheeks and tries to give her a big sloppy kiss (even if it will earn him a sooty mustache – or possibly worse!)

Okay, I'm getting up, Lilac tells herself. Her body doesn't want to listen, at first, but soon she's sitting up and walking towards the ring of torches.

The doe is taken off guard, her ears shooting upward in surprise as Xander plants the wet one on her lips. It only lingers for a moment, however, and the buck is soon rewarded with a powerful shove to the ground. "Bleah! Xander, jeez!" Anisa wipes her lips off on her sleeve. "Remind me never to get around you on Landing Day!"

When a large piece of timber promptly crushes one of the torches, Lilac grimaces and lays her ears back. "Okay, not that way." She turns and tries to spot her friends in the dark, heading their way.

"I'm hungry," the Fire Mage says once he gets back to his feet, and dusts off the rear of his pants. "Really hungry. And thirsty and sleepy. Let's head back," he suggests. "I'm sure the cannon will make up for losing Captain Soban's mug… "

Anisa just gives the buck an amused grin, "Nice mustache."

---

The aerial conflagration is left far back in the distance, and with some help from the now safe Dasha's Dashers, the whole group is brought back to the hulk of Soban's frigate lodged in the ravine they originally sheltered in. Both the Captain and Lieutenant are present, as well as the now-bound guardsmen from Viper's Hold. The scryer lays deathly still on his cot, and Dasha's medic trots over to kneel down by the mage again, looking close. Soban sits coiled, arms crossed over his uniform. He flicks his tongue every so often in what Kin recognizes as irritation, but there is a certain grim satisfaction there still.

"You did good tonight, Lilac," Xander tells the bard. "And you did it without transforming, either." To Gibson, he whispers in Skeek, "Be sure to caress her ears tonight, she likes that."

Kin is shedding what remains of her armor so she can bind her bruised side and back tightly to try and force the swelling down. "You both did well," she says, sounding a bit tired, to Xander and Lilac, "We would have lost the day potentially if it had not been for you two. Then rolling her head a bit to the side, she asks Captain Soban, "What is on your mind, Honored Captain?"

The naturally black Lapi eyes Xander sidelong. "Er, I'll keep that in mind." He turns his attention to the officers.

Anisa- currently sitting on a floor mat and taking a large gulp from one of the water gourds – arches her brow at Xander's comment, eying the bucks quizzically. Shaking her head, she takes another swig, then wipes her mouth off on her sleeve.

Lilac, now dusty, dirty, and slightly singed, sits with her bag in lap. She seems content to just lay back and rest, eyes closed. "Thanks you Xander," she says in reply to the mage's praise. "I guess I don't need it to be helpful." She smiles at Kin's words, wagging her tail. "I did manage to … borrow some things from the airship."

"I've been a shipman my whole career, Lady Ryuu," replies Soban. "I know what a ship and its crew can and cannot survive. That airship is the next best thing to destroyed, and I am certain most, if not all of her crew have perished. What remains is adrift, however. NOT destroyed. I feel my ship has been avenged, but I don't know whether a ghost may come back to haunt you. We won't know for now, at any rate. The sky has taken her."

Noticing the medic and the seer, Xander asks Kin, "Want me to go bring the wagon here? I'll take Long Shadow along when I get up there."

"I don't think I could catch up to the airship, even if I wasn't tired," Lilac says. "It's too high and the burning is pushing it away faster than I can fly." She opens her eyes and leans forward, opening the bag and beginning to sort through the goods. Slightly crumpled papers get stacked in a pile beside her.

"I would appreciate it, Xander," Kin answers with a small smile, "I would go too but … I fear I am of no use to anyone right now. I … to be honest, could not walk for long distances right now." Then to Soban, she says, "Ah, I understand. If a ghost haunts me from this, well, then it will just join the others which follow me on my path until I reach my destination." With the way she says that, it's as if she knows what her destination is, "But no matter, we should see if Lilac recovered anything that may be of use."

The winged Naga shakes his head ruefully. "I wouldn't have asked anyone to dare that firestorm either," he says, nodding at Lilac.

"You've got Lilac's loot to look over," Xander says to the Kiriga with a grin, then heads for the side of the ravine.

Anisa stands, and walks over to the human. "So what'd you nab? Anything on who those clowns were working for?"

Dasha impatiently thumps the butt of her lance against the packed dirt. "What of the Emperor?" she interjects. "He must know of this. This whole incident, it was an act of war!"

"Oh! Well, I appreciate that," says a surprised sounding Lilac, as if she half-expected someone would ask her. Her ear perks, rotating to listen to Kin talk before she says, "Can you sort these papers out, Kinny?" She pushes the rumbled stack of papers to Kin, then pulls out a ledger. This gets added to Kin's pile, before Lilac pulls out what looks like maps. "I have some papers … that ledger … these maps … Mmmm … "

A sextant flops out with the maps, and the compass that had been rolled up in it all. The charts and maps are liberally marked.

"A war against what enemy, Honored Lieutenant? Removing the Governor would not solve the ultimate problem, the one who is pressuring him," Kin observes calmly as she accepts the papers. "We must locate the enemy before we can strike. And now that we have leverage against the Governor, well, he may be better served to help us find his allies, than simply dying for his dishonor."

"Oh wow, I didn't see that," Lilac says as she notices the sextant. She picks it up and turns it this way and that, wondering what it is. "Oh! And I got you a compass, Gibson! It's actually brass."

Gibson hunkers down to survey the maps and doodads with Lilac, but a tall ear is kept swiveled toward the conversation.

The taurid shifts on her four feet, agitated. "But what do I report, then? I have to go back with half my company dead, missing a warship and one of the Emperor's priceless magic pets."

"Hhh… still alive… you know," rasps the scryer.

"Magic pet?" Kin asks, then looks to the scryer. She shakes her head slowly and says, "You do not report yet. You lay low and seek out more information on the enemy." She then opens the ledger and starts leafing through it, skimming for something that might stand out.

Lilac puts the sextant aside after having noodled with it a bit. Instead, she takes up one of the charts and holds it up to examine it. "Maybe you can make sense of these maps, Captain?"

Anisa shifts through Lilac's loot, looking for anything out of the ordinary, absentmindedly stroking the pendant around her neck. Like her brother, she keeps one ear on the reptiles' conversation.

"And speaking of information, what did you learn from the book? Or were you not able to locate it?" Kin asks Gibson and Anisa absently as she skims the ledger.

"We located it," Anisa says somewhat sheepishly, "but it was pretty much useless to us. Without Royce or someone else to translate it for us, we couldn't do anything with it, and we didn't have time to go back to Rephidim to get him." She shrugs. "So we left it with the contact."

Captain Soban smirks in that curious manner of snakes, somehow managing to keep all warmth and mirth out of his expression. "We have to report sometime, that's half what the scryer came along for." He accepts the maps and unrolls them, folding his wings over his shoulders as he studies.

"And what would you report?" Kin inquires.

Lilac turns the map over in her hands, frowning. "Do you think one of these maps shows where their hideout is, Kinny?"

"We can hope, Lilac. We can hope," Kin says.

The officers exchange glances. It's Dasha who replies first. "That we came under attack by independent forces organized under a regional warlord, with the apparent intent and capability of taking Viper's Hold." Soban adds to it while he reads the maps. "Don't be naive, young one. The Emperor didn't send us out here just to play Temple Scouts for that idiot Des. He's waiting. Watching."

Lilac puts aside the map, handing it to the Captain. Instead, she picks up the compass, flipping it open and amusing herself by holding it this way and that. "It's like magic," she remarks.

The compass needle spins about, wobbling but insistently pointing north.

"There are larger issues at work than just the Honored Emperor. I find a few things curious about all this. As you state, Des is an idiot. He did not particularly impress me when we met him. Now, why would a Warlord even bother talking to him? If they have the means of taking over, why would they want to keep him? Personally, I think someone is trying to start a war by recruiting someone who is ineffectual and hoping he is caught. A war is a great distraction to allow them to locate their ultimate goal, for instance. I could be wrong, but know this, the allies backing this warlord are dangerous and have connections all over the world. Do not take anything that appears as obvious for granted," Kin says and shrugs lightly. "So, bear that in mind when you report to the Emperor. I would recommend that you suggest a more subtle approach than an all-out attack."

"Or," Anisa adds, "they want someone weak and ineffectual that they can control. I'd wager they're looking for… something in this land. One of the ancient artifacts most likely."

"In the Beast Lands," Lilac adds, still playing with the compass.

The reptilian centaur crosses her beefy arms, frowning. "There is no larger issue than the Emperor," she begins, but Soban raises his hand, flicking his forked tongue. "No, Lady Ryuu has a point. The puppeteer is cagey. We expected nothing like this," he admits. He then points at Anisa. "But it is just so. It may be that the warlord is more or less accepting Des' surrender, and he is evidently fine with using the Governor's resources to try to track you down and wipe out any chance of Imperial intervention. Burying both you and us, it may have been weeks before what happened to us came to light. By then, whatever your… persons are looking for might be well in hand."

Dasha looks disgusted. "Then then maybe one of the outlanders should file the report," she snorts. Soban nods thoughtfully, and the taurid looks horrified. "I was being sarcastic!" she adds, needlessly.

"And if they find it, it may be the end of the world. The end of everything. They will warp and destroy that which does not bend to them, including the empire," Kin says quietly. At the suggestion, the Kiriga waves her hand, saying, "We must not be mentioned in the report."

"Um, yes. Please don't mention us," Lilac insists as she hands the compass over to Gibson.

Dasha throws her hands in the air. "Absurd! This gets more ridiculous by the moment. Some kind of doomsday artifact now? Lunacy!" The captain looks grave. "Are you so sure? Remember the boomer that wiped out Babel." This last part is said more as command than question.

"It's not lunacy," Anisa chimes in, looking grim as she caresses her pendant. "I've seen what these men are capable of – of what these things they're after are capable of. If they find any of them, however innocent it may seem, it could make the boomer look like nothing in comparison."

The lieutenant puts her hands on where her hips merge with her quadrupedal body. "Then if it's such a dangerous thing, why would we throw a handful of people against an army for it?"

"Well, you don't," Lilac puts in. "We'll go – we always do, I guess!"

"Because a handful of people can move quicker and quieter than an army. If they already have it, well, they would simply obliterate the army as they approached. A smaller group can move unnoticed," Kin points out. "Not to mention if we fail, it does not bring dishonor to the Empire."

Anisa nods in agreement with Kin. "And if you're too scared, then we can always go it alone. You'd probably just slow us down any road." The rabbit crosses her arms.

Dasha shifts from side to side, agitated. "By your account, if you fail, it brings utter disaster to the Empire… " The Captain interjects. "They've done us a great service, Lieutenant. We should respect their wishes where possible." Dasha picks up again, sighing. "It's not that I don't appreciate what they've done. I should think high command would reward them, in fact. I ju-" A hitch after Anisa speaks, and the officer glowers. "I'm not arguing against going anywhere, and I fear no one!"

Kin taps one of the minute horns on the bridge of her snout in frustration. "Both of you, please calm yourselves," she says to Anisa and Dasha, "We are not enemies here. Fighting amongst ourselves only helps further their goal."

Anisa raises her paws up defensively. "We're not fighting! I'm just saying, seems like she's stalling is all. The more we still here jabbering, the more time Vandringar has to do… well, whatever it is he's doing."

"Stalling? Well, then I am stalling too, Anisa. I can't travel tonight; I must rest," Kin points out to the Lapi. "She is voicing her concerns, which is expected from an experienced commander. We should not completely disregard them, either. She has been in these lands longer than us. Only a fool ignores advice when offered."

"I agree with Anisa, although I would like a bit of a rest break before we leave again," Lilac says. She reaches over her shoulder and rubs at one of the base of her wings, wincing at the soreness. "But, I also don't think we should wait too long. The giant flaming bar of fire that floated away from here, well, that's a little obvious."

The bleat of Dromodons from atop the ravine herald the return of Xander and Long-Shadow, and within a few moments the fire mage is back, wearing his robes this time. "Did I miss anything?" he asks.

Anisa's ears wilt slightly at Kin's reprieve, and she remains silent, keeping her arms crossed.

The lieutenant breaks off at Kin's remark, and she settles back on her haunches some, sighing and rubbing her scarred nose. "I'm not preventing you from going wherever you please. I just have to explain to command what happened to the IAS Oressa, her crew, half my men, and one of his precious mages. Out of respect for your wishes, I will exclude you from the report if you wish, but I still cannot guess how the Empire will react. We thank you for rescuing us, and we don't want you to regret doing so, so we're willing to offer support, or you may present your case to command along with us."

Captain Soban speaks up now. "We can't lie on your behalf. Not with how I know Dasha. But the Imperial Military is a large organization, so whole truths don't spread everywhere, if you understand my meaning."

"React?" Xander asks Dasha. "Aren't you going to go back to Viper's Hold and arrest the Governor now?"

"Before we decide anything, we should at the least look over what we did recover from the ship. It may give us more information to go on, such as the location of the foes or communications perhaps on their plans," Kin suggests, "Then we can make an informed decision on how to proceed."

"I was able to get all this, but I didn't have time to get in to all that was in that cabin. There may have been more, but … " Lilac shrugs, then twitches when her sore shoulders protest the motion, "Well, you'd have to find the airship and sort through it all, now!"

"A little and your life is worth more than a lot but you're dead. With life there is hope, Lilac," Kin tells the human, "Do not concern yourself over what you could not obtain."

The lieutenant rubs her neck. "I'd like to," she replies to Xander. "And it may come to that. But we can't press on right now, not in this condition. We still have wounded, and we still have to inform our central command, they may wish us to proceed differently."

Anisa's nose twitches rapidly as she turns her attention to Lilac's salvage. "Besides, even if we found it, its all smoke and ash now anyway." She walks closer to the human, and looks down to the items. "Did we get anything promising?"

"How is Long-Shadow doing?" Kin asks Xander, "He was wounded in the battle as well. And, if you will permit, I have a favor I need to ask of you."

Soban nods at Kin, flicking his tongue and shaking out the maps he was holding up, studying them again. "From what I can tell of this, this details some patrol routes, supply lines, depots, and movements around Viper's Hold. It would seem to suggest more significant forces than just a few airships."

"He wasn't complaining about it," Xander tells Kin. "And what do you need?"

Kin then nods to Soban, saying, "That is not unexpected. Vandringar himself was amassing an army of mercenaries when I saw him last. And he is but one of a large organization. Do the charts show any directions that they would come from? If we extrapolate back , we may be able to get an idea of a source base." To Xander, she says, "I will need assistance in removing the soot from my scales. Since you have had some instruction on the procedure, I wished to ask you for help."

"Mercenaries? Is that all?" Anisa grins, swiveling her ears forward. "Last time I met him, he had an army of dagh-crazed monsters. He's moving down in the world."

Lilac peers at Kin a moment, then grins and reaches over and pats her arm. "I can always count on you, Kinny," she says, fondly. Glancing at the spoils, Lilac begins to count off. "I got these two navigation dodads, the maps, the ledger – can you read the ledger, Kinny? – ummmm… "

"Oh, uh, certainly, Kin," Xander says. With water at a premium, he figures Kin may be the only person who can be soot-free anytime soon.

Looking at Xander curiously after his reply, he says, "If you really do not wish to, though, I understand. I do not mean to impose on you." At this point, Lilac's prodding gets her to return her attention to the ledger to see if she can read it.

"Oh, it's no imposition," Xander notes. "It's just… I thought you'd like to rest up before possibly aggravating any bruises."

"I would honestly prefer to be somewhat clean before I bed down," Kin admits. "I look horrible."

Soban looks the charts over some more. "There seem to be several staging areas to the west of Viper's Hold. Most in the Desolate Band, I would imagine there's less scrutiny there. Movement seems to be flowing to the staging area from multiple sources… oddly, some out of Kilmanjar, some out of the former Savan Territories, independent states. That'd be consistent with bringing smaller warbands together."

Meanwhile, Lilac grins over at Gibson. "It's made of bronze, did you see? BRONZE! It's probably worth a small fortune." She slides the compass back over to him, and wags.

"A little bit of dirt never hurt anyone," Anisa says, her white grin peering out from sooty fur as she takes a seat by the Kiriga. "Although… bleah, I'd like a bath too." The doe looks up to Soban. "The Desolate band? Is that one of those crazy chaos magic places?"

The warmly colored metal casing of the compass glints, and the needle wobbles.

After thinking about it a bit, Xander tells Kin, "Alright. It's not like you're completely covered. Combing it out of your hair might be a bit more time-consuming though. I don't know if we have dry-soap in our supplies." To Anisa, he whispers, "I can help brush out your fur as well if you want. At least the back of your head."

Looking to Anisa briefly, Kin says, "I was not able to say this earlier, but … thank you for saving Xander."

"Yes, he may be a pain and such a Lapi male, but he doesn't deserve to die," Lilac adds, to Anisa.

Anisa smirks at Xander. Straightening out her legs, she fishes around in her pockets, and pulls out her ear brush, tossing it to the buck. "Get to work then, Hotfoot. I better be able to reflect the procession off my neck by the time you're done, or else its your tail!" Turning to the others, Anisa shrugs with a small smile. "Nothing to thank me for. Bucks do dumb things some times, and we gotta save 'em. Besides, Xander's like a seventh brother to me. Or maybe like a sister, I haven't decided yet."

To that, Lilac suddenly giggles.

"I'm sorry you won't be able to wash off your soot until we find a river or spring," Xander says to Lilac. "Dry-soap powder isn't very useful on bare skin." He then tries to brush out some of the soot from Anisa's fur, thinking, "Gee Xander, you blew up the airship! I'm sooo impressed! Now comb my hair and rub my feet, lackey!"

"Captain Soban, Lieutenant Dasha," Kin says absently, "Have you ever heard the phrase 'State of Being' before?"

Xander's comment causes the human woman to shrug a little, even as she grins from laughing. "It's all right, I'm used to being a little dirty," she replies. Absently, she reaches back and pulls her tail around, then frowns. "Oh, by the trees. My tail is singed! It may be an odd tail. but it's mine. Oh, nuts, and the bow is singed too! I never get to keep anything nice!"

Anisa visibly relaxes at the combing, giving Xander an appreciative pat on the foot in thanks – and to let him know that she's just giving him a hard time. "'State of Being'? Is that like the 'State of the City' address the Astromancer used to give on Landing Day?"

The officers glance at each other. Dasha's the one to shrug first, and the Captain shakes his head. "Not in any but the most general sense," says the winged Naga. "If I remember my studies before academy, I think philosophers use the phrase to describe the sum total of a person, mind, body, soul."

"Well, yes, that is how I have heard it before as well. I was curious if there were alternate meanings. The main clue we have on tracking down that which they seek here is the cryptic phrase, 'State of Being'," Kin explains with a small sigh. "It may, I believe, have some ties to Jadai as well, though I cannot explain how. Have you ever heard any stories that link Jadai to these chaotic lands?"

Lilac picks at her tail, removing clumps of solidified fur and soot. "Captain? Do those maps ever lead to destinations near the Beast Lands?"

Soban shakes his head again. "Jadai has always been something of an enigma to we on the mainland, an exotic part of the Empire with proud warriors and odd traditions. Jadai's isolationism would seem to preclude any notion of involvement in the Savan. For State of Being, I'm not sure." He stops, and glances over at Lilac, then back down at the charts. "Hmmm… funny you should mention that. Not -exactly-, but… "

Anisa opens her eyes – which were previously closed in calm due to the brushing – and looks to Kin. "Vandringar mentioned 'State of Being'? Do you think it has to do with that whole… devalution… devlotion… Dagh, what was it called, Gibson?"

"He didn't mention it directly. It was in some notes that your brother borrowed from him," Kin explains.

"Devolution," answers Gibson helpfully. "It does kind of make sense, now that you bring that up."

"Devolution?" Xander asks. "I'm not familiar with that term?"

"Devaluation?" Lilac asks, blinking at the others as she scoots closer to the Captain to see what he found.

Gibson rolls his hands over one another as he tries to work out an explanation. "Royce could do this better than me, but essentially it means to regress to a lesser form. Like the difference between Captain Soban here and a Creen."

The Captain, who paused to listen to this theorizing, smirks. He lowers the maps so Lilac can see better, and indicates the general area of Viper's Hold. "Unsurprisingly, many of the convergent forces are directed inward through the outlying villages and eventually to the heart of of Viper's Hold. What surprises me is that some charted courses seem to swing upward into the Beast Lands. There aren't any destinations marked there, but there's also no reason to fly over that Serpent forsaken place."

YANK goes Anisa's brush as Xander realizes what Gibson is talking about. "You mean they want to turn us into bunnies? Like in Sylvania?" he asks in disbelief.

"OW!" Ansia yanks her head forward, rubbing the back of her neck with a paw. "Dagh, Xander! Be careful! And what's a bunny?"

Gibson shrugs his broad shoulders. "That's what they wanted to do originally," he says. "With the Artifact of Calderas. I think that got tripped up by a black Khatta. Then they made a bid for something at the center of Levitha's Pearl, but we never fully understood what he wanted there, and we thought his attempted destroyed the lot of them. Now, it's anyone's guess."

Leaning over to whisper directly into Anisa's ear, Xander asks, "When you went to Amazonia, did you see the special sacrifice animals? Those were bunnies."

"Turn people in to … ? But, I'm already … I mean … Um … " Lilac shrugs again, ears going askew in confusion. She shakes her head, then inspects the map. "Maybe there isn't a destination, they're just … dropping people off? Or looking for something! Is there any camp nearby? I'd bet that's where they're all camping at, the wherever that Vandringer sent to investigate it all. I'd be really surprised if he hired mercenaries to do something important, like find what he's looking for."

"I cannot get rid of the nagging feeling I am somehow connected to what they seek," Kin mutters and rubs her eyelids slowly as she takes a break from the ledger. "I just do not see how or why. I am nothing."

Anisa thinks back at Xander's words, eyes going wide in realization. "I thought those things were called rabbits! Dagh, they were creepy," she shudders. "Like… tiny Lapi that ran around like bromthen hogs, or vermites… "

"There are a few species of animals like that in Sylvania," Xander notes quietly. "And that's where we were going next… "

Speaking up, Kin says, "The ledger shows a flow of money from someone with the initial of 'C'. The payments went to someone named 'Vexing', which were then disbursed to someone called 'Beshret the Razer'. Do the names or initials hold any meaning to you?"

The doe shudders at Xander's comment. "Next time I see Vandringar in that dreamy place, I'm gonna slug him. Well, try to anyway." She grabs Xander's paw behind her back, and idly makes him continue with the brushing. "'C' could stand for 'Cinders'… "

"I've never heard of any of those names, Kinny," Lilac puts in.

"And don't say you're nothing! I don't look after nothings, and I'll follow you anywhere," Lilac adds, to Kin.

"'Vexing' must be the Governor," says Lt. Dasha. "I've heard him called Des Vexing."

"Is it enough to arrest him and declare martial law and have the Empire send more troops?" Xander asks, obediently brushing Anisa's fur again before she can break his wrist.

"Then we can presume the last name, Beshret the Razer, is the warlord," Kin concludes and rubs her chin thoughtfully. "I wish we had more information on him, but I imagine we will be meeting him soon enough."

The Captain rubs his chin. "I wouldn't be surprised if it were, mage."

"So… I suppose we want to look into the Beast Lands where those paths seem to go?" Xander asks, looking around. "Lilac can search from the air, after all."

"Just don't ask be to blow up another airship. One airship is enough for a lifetime," Lilac insists. "I should be reday to go tomorrow, too. Shouldn't we get some rest?"

"I would presume so, yes," Kin says with a nod. "Do you think Long-Shadow will wish to go with us or return home? I do not wish to put him in further danger, but his tracking skills would prove useful."

"That seems like the place to go," Anisa says, nodding in agreement with the buck. "Makes sense that Vandringar would base himself in some crazy land like that. Its right up his alley."

"If it is indeed even the Vandringar you knew," Kin reminds the others, "Remember what I said about hos his touch felt. I still feel it is possible that this Vandringar may be an animated golem of some sort and the real one still trapped in the Pearl, perhaps."

"Don't worry Lilac, I have my spell components with me now," Xander says, patting his robe. "We'll just have to ask Long Shadow, Kin. Oh… uh, did we want to leave the wagon behind? For the wounded? I know it will mean Master Tooth has to actually stay awake, but… "

In answer to Xander's question, Kin looks to the imperials. "Do you wish to take our wagon for your wounded?" she asks.

"Oh, its Vandringar," Anisa says grimly, looking to Kin with a nod. "One way or another, its him." She places her paw on the pendant, fiddling with it between thumb and forefinger.

"May I see that pendant?" Kin asks Anisa when she spots the Lapi playing with it.

Dasha shakes her head. "We are grateful, but it isn't necessary. We could fit perhaps three in it. With the water we've recovered, we can remain out here safely for several more days, and I can send fit runners back to civilization to bring help and to pass off our report."

"Oh, in that case… you'd better send a second group to shadow the first group, just to be safe," the mage suggests, and in his distraction nibbles on the end of one of Anisa's ears while he brushes.

The white doe freezes at the question, just staring at Kin for a long while. Hesitantly, she starts to slip the artifact from around her neck, but then stops, and instead slips it underneath her shirt collar. "Um, not right now," she replies to the Kiriga, leaning back onto Xander's knees tensely. "Maybe… maybe when you're in better shape."

Yawning softly, Lilac lays back and studies the Captain's map. "Is there anything else I need to know, for tomorrow?"

"There is your answer, Xander," Kin relays to the Lapi. And on seeing him nibble on the doe's ear, she notes, "And it will provide you privacy for yourself and your friend, at least." To Anisa, she then dips her head, "As you like. I understand your concerns about me; you do not know me well."

"What time do we want to be up and moving?" Xander asks, after spitting out Anisa's ear-tip and trying to scrape the soot off his tongue.

Anisa seems to come to suddenly, and wordlessly smacks Xander's foot, wiping off her ear tip. "It's not that, its just… complicated. Let'sjust say that this pendant and I have been through a lot together."

"You do not have to explain," Kin says with a dismissive wave of a scaled hand. "As for when we should leave, well, when we are all able. I imagine some of you will be very stiff in the morning. I do not expect we will get an early start."

Captain Soban returns the charts and maps to their bundle. "That's about all I can glean from these without the navigator's head. It looks like they took some pains to be vague."

"Well, it's better than nothing. Me, I'm going to see about finding somewhere to get some rest," the human woman says.

"Our tents are in the wagon, Lilac," Xander notes. "Gibson can probably help you set one up."

"You're welcome to what comforts we can manage," says the Lieutenant. "In the morning, I'll send runners toward Nagai with news, and arrange a burial detail. If you have anything to bring before the Empire, you're free to make appeals. The Captain and I would vouch for you, I'm sure. Otherwise, we'll leave your involvement out if that's what you wish."

"Oh." Lilac's ears perk, then skew. "Would you like to help me set up a tent, Gibson? It'll be like old times." She smiles at him, wagging her tail.

Anisa gets to her feet, leaning to pop her back as she does so. "The less known about us, the better I think. Things may get 'lost' in the empire, but then again, Vandringar has a way of finding things too." She holds out her paw to Xander for her comb.

"Perhaps some day I will be able to appeal to the Empire, so I will hold the offer for now. But as it stands today, I am not sure listing our involvement will be of any assistance to you and may hinder our ability to move quietly," Kin answers and gets to her feet, "As for bed, I will go back up to the wagon. I do not feel right leaving Long Shadow alone."

Xander hands the comb over, and asks Anisa, "Did you want to share a tent tonight?" Then adds, "You know, for just sleeping in?"

Anisa grimaces to Xander, then playfully flicks one of his ears with her fingers. "Only as long as you're on one side, and me on the other. In that case, sure." She places the comb back in her pocket, and yawns.

"As you wish," says the Rokuga. "The Captain and I will likely be discussing the situation, but should you wish to speak to us, we'll be on hand."

Pausing on her way out, Kin turns and glances back. "Has the Emperor called all the outlying nobles and governors yet?" she asks.

"You can still spoon me from the back if you want to though," the mage offers, then rubs a bit of soot from Kin's neck to see how tough it will be to polish off.

The Captain shakes his head. "Not as yet. There's been no word on the delay, but it seems as though the Emperor is waiting on something."

The soot smears a bit, but probably with using some sand or dust for the soot to stick to, it'll mostly come off. It'll likely remain in the seams, though, and really make the scales stand out.

Kin nods at that. "Thank you," she tells the captain.

"In your dreams, Hotfoot," Anisa replies to the buck, following Kin out. "Wait… scratch that. I don't even want to know what you dream about in that head of yours."

"Nobody appreciates cuddling anymore," Xander laments. Except maybe for Kin, he recalls.

Gibson holds in a laugh, and just nods at everyone. "Guess that leaves us, Lilac. C'mon, let's get some shelter set up.

Lilac hips to her feet, then takes Gibson's arm. "You can tell me all about what you were doing, as we work," she tells the large buck. The two vanish off in to the shadows, presumably to work on their tent.