The Cloud Sea

Sierus turned to look at the woman buying alcohol. Interesting...Captain of the Daedalus? Didn't they already have one? The one armed man though to himself....? Of course, then there was a sudden hand on his shoulder. His blood almost instantly heated up, as if expecting some form of sucker punch to smash into the back of his head....

Alas... it was Shi. He turned on his heels, looking at her through his one jade eye. They didn't even make eye-contact. There were no words between them, the short exposure they had to each other sort of gave them some kind of telepathic synergy. Sierus's smile softened lightly, and he nodded in appreciation to the woman. To be honest he never truly cared for Shi...but perhaps... perhaps she was not as bad as he infered. He would pat her hand on his shoulder, the thick leather probably not the most pleasant thing, but he appreciated it. He would have said something to her, but she began to walk again. She needed to walk her own path..and he was plenty sure she knew how to do that damn well better than he did.

Untill that is, he saw that little hellion behind her...

It hit him like a brick wall. Parallelism within them. Reuben was to Seirus as Lyle was to Shi. Instantly he felt his heart turn to mush, and eye began watering again. He felt a sudden connection to Shi. He couldn't stop smirking goofily... of course, he finally caught himself. He didn't want to be called out by Shi...

He didn't want to, but he took his eyes off Shi, and looked back to his crowd of peoples. "Free drinks?! Why not?" He said brightly, propping his arm on his hip.

Angel bit her lip. Well, so much for sneaking off unnoticed. It wasn't as if she could say no, though. It was the least she could do, seeing as Rikki wasn't too fond of the idea of her leaving. Edwin didn't seem too happy about it either, though he seemed to be looking on the bright side of the situation. Typical Elf. The halfblooded reckoned she'd miss that hopeless optimism. "I, uh, don't see why not," she finally answered with a small smile. It wasn't until her two companions had started down the boarding plank that she heaved a quiet, exasperated sight. Okay, slight hiccup in the plan. Nothing she couldn't handle. She'd have one drink, excuse herself, and that would be the end of it. That in mind, she shifted the pack on her shoulder and followed close behind the mechanic and medic, keeping a look out for her next destination once she was on her own.

Edwin was right; finding a bar wasn't all that difficult. Granted, the Drunken Ratflail was by no means the nicest place for a drink, but it certainly had character. Besides which, she was more than a little interested in the story behind the name. As the daughter of a former sky pirate, she'd heard all the best stories time and time again from her father. Even despite he adoptive family's scorn toward such tales, she'd often recite them in her head before falling asleep. Elco's story was one of the lesser known in Illeria, but enjoyable to hear all the same.

The half-blood took a gulp from the mug that was placed before her, then promptly choked on its contents. Damn, that was some powerful stuff. She'd had alcohol before, of course, but only fancy wines and whatnot. Definitely nothing as potent as this. After a brief coughing fit she was able to recover, shooting a harsh glare at anyone dumb enough to laugh at her ill fortune. Glowering, she took another swig, this time knowing what to expect. It was actually quite good, once you got past the sting of the alcohol. Angel bit back a chuckled when as she took note of Edwin's decidedly more tame beverage choice. Some people just couldn't hold their liquor; others, apparently, didn't even try.

She also took note of the weapon he'd chosen for self defense. The half-blood's eyes widened at the sight. She'd never seen a gun like that before. It looked like a rifle, but there was definitely more to it than that. "Uh, Ed? What exactly…is that thing?" Curiosity was one of the qualities she'd have liked to have born with less of. When something caught her interest, though, she simply had to know more. That's where her habit of watching and learning had come from: an intense need to simply know.

Silence... Well that was time well spent allen thought. He paced back and forth thinking of ways to get on the boat. There was no way other than inventing a quantum displacer to put him on the ship with nothing except a few pieces of wood. Not the best materials to use. What now? Well he could go and follow the people who passed him a few minutes ago. Their crew on the Deardelus, maybe they could tell him how to get on the crew list. He started for the pubs again, the one place you can always find the captain of a ship.
He decieded to check the dropped stone nothing, he checked a few more, nothing either. Probably still to early for a beer (he really doubted that though). He did a bit of inquiring and found out that the most likely bar to be occupied was the drunken ratflail. a weird name but he was the one to complain. He walked through the doors and sure enough there were people here, the same people he passed. Finally.
"excuse me, are any of you a member of the crew of the Deardelus?"

"Man,this stuff is great!",Victoria said on her fifth one."And the best thing is it is literally impossible for me to get drunk ever!" She didn't want to sound rude,"Not to brag or anything",she said.There was one little thing she forgot about,she felt like she was carrying a big jug or water inside of her,her eyes widen.For just like anyone,what comes up most come down.She then heard somebody ask about the Daedalus.

"I am! By the way,where can I find the nearest Ladies' Room?" She felt like a balloon about to pop,or a dyke in a flood,needless to say she didn't feel very good.It didn't help that she was sitting next to a painting of a waterfall.

Rikki smiled and kept pace with Ed as they left the ship and wandered through the streets. She noticed Ed walked defensively, protecting his coinpurse as the crowd pressed in around them at times. Having spent the last seven years or so of her life at sea, it was pretty easy for her to spot the ones with the shifty eyes. The presence of her numerous daggers at her belt did much to stymie those who might wish to pick her pockets, but one fool still decided to try his luck. She saw him coming from a long ways off, but let him think he still had the upper hand. With a flash of one of her daggers, the man quickly drew back his now bleeding hand, and would later find that his own coinpurse was much lighter. Smiling, Rikki wiped her knife on her shorts and slipped it back into her belt.

"Drinks are on me, guys," Rikki said with a smile, shaking her now laden bag of coins when they arrived at the Drunken Ratflail. It seemed a decent enough place, the dirt was just something one got used to after sailing so many years. The story of Elco was something she heard many times, since she knew the doctor at the prison here from when she first began sailing. "Eh, I've heard a few different counts of that story, but it en't a lie."

The mug placed before Rikki seemed to be steaming, but she took a gulp with an air of one used to drinking. Angel, on the other hand, seemed unused to it, and spluttered on her first sip. Smiling, Rikki drained half the mug on her second gulp, feeling the alcohol taking its effect on her aching head. Despite being a doctor, Rikki really did love her liquor, albeit she didn't drink as often as most sailors did. But when she did drink, she drank to get drunk. It was just when her second mug arrived that she heard Ed question her as to the nature of her tattoo.

"Well, Ed, ta be honest, I do enjoy watchin' the stars at night, which is but one of the reasons I got this tattoo," Rikki said brightly, a barely noticeable slur creeping into her speech. "The other reason was to prove to me former crew that I could take a whole 'ell of a lot more pain than they could. Mind you, the skin around de eye is purty sensitive. Ya should see me other tattoo, s'long as Angel won't get jealous fer me showin' some skin to ya."

With a laugh, Rikki winked at both Ed and Angel, draining her second cup. The more shady patrons stared at her and she glared right back, asserting her dominance among them despite her small stature. Some laughed and guffawed at her, but the smarter ones could tell she was not a lass to mess with.

Captain Jones burst into the bar laughing, his arms spread wide open. He had a jolly look about him. As he walked to the table where most of his crew was sitting at, he grabbed on to a young man's collar and lifted him up off the ground. Jones carried Allen on his shoulder until he made it to the table.T captain threw the kid down on a chair and then took a seat himself.

"So you're looking for the Crew of the Daedalus ya say? Looks like I came in at the right time eh lads?" He said to Rose and the others. "Lila my dear! Be a dear and get me the usual!" Jones waved at the waitress, she smiled back and went to the bar to get the captain a drink.

"So who have we got ere'? By the look of ye you're some sort of scholar ain't ya, that emblem on your clothes there it belongs to a very reputable university. The name completely escapes me though so you'll have to forgive me." He looked over at the other robots who were sitting at the table with them.
"Right then, whats all this business with machine people, you two don't look like any ordinary machines." The captain gestured at Victoria and Red with a waving fork.

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Edwin smiled at the story behind Rikki's tattoos, sounded like something she would do. He blushed at her later comment, both for her offering to show some skin, which he interpreted as something more than it really was, and for winking after suggesting Angel would be jealous.
He tried to change the patch of the conversation by answering Angel's earlier question.

"This old thing? Well it's nothing really, I made it a few months back before registering for the Daedalus. It's the first of it's kind. At least the first I know of. It can shoot supercharged rounds of highly energized ammunition. Gunbead packs a serious punch despite it's strange looking appearance. Took me about two years to figure out how to make it shoot without blowing up. Another half a year to make it shoot straight. Damn thing took a lot of money too.Suppose it's a good thing I didn't need much to get by, being a mechanic payed well, not fantastic by any means but I never really struggled."

As the afternoon went on Edwin began to feel somewhat uneasy. The bar was full of humans, not very reputable looking ones either. Many of the waitresses were being sexually harassed, damn near all of them were elven girls as well. His ears twitched every time he heard some sort of racial slur, which happened more and more frequently the more he listened.

"That knife-eared bastard, who does he think he is?"

"Damned scum ever since they allowed elves to buy their own freedom they've started thinking they're our equals"

"All they are is trash, I'm surprised we didn't leave them all behind when the founders first fled to the skies."

"We needed some one to clean shit up."[/]

He tried to focus on the conversation at hand Rikki was looking a little tipsy and had been telling some story about her former crew. Angel was somewhat preoccupied with her surroundings. Something seemed off about her, she kept glancing at the exits. Was she planning on leaving without saying goodbye?
His thoughts were interrupted by yet another conversation.

[i]"That bloody muckskin* tried to steal my coin again this morning!"

"What did you do to him Largo?"

"Haha, I enjoyed ripping the damned hands of the fool. Let's see him try and steal from anyone ever again."

Edwin gritted his teeth and tried to clam down, his foot was shaking uncontrollably and it was now easy to see he was unnerved by the whole idea of sitting still for one more second without blowing the heads off every single bastard in this place.

"I'm sorry sir!" a young girls voice screamed from a table near the back wall. Edwin turned to see a man angrily yelling at the elven slave who messed up his order.

"You dirty knife-eared wench!" The man stood up and grabbed the girl by her wrist, forcefully throwing her down to the floor. His hand curled up into a fist and struck her across the face. Edwin looked around and noticed no one payed the scene any attention. The sound of the man's fist making contact with the girls face caused him to cringe.

"I'll teach you to." The man lifted up his fist high above his head, ready to come crushing down with full force on the helpless elven girl. Soon enough the component's of his skull had been splattered all over the wall. No one even heard the noise of Gunbead firing, all they felt was a small rush of wind fly by them as the bullet released all it's charged energy. Most of the canteen was quiet, the man's drinking mates were at a total loss.

"Thank you." The elven slave said weakly, the other elven waitresses ran to her aid.
Edwin walked out of the bar without saying another word. He walked though the streets until he reached the edge of the sky-city. It was quiet there. The wind the only noise Edwin could hear. There he dropped to his knees and punched the steel ground of Tirdwell. He looked at the clouds and screamed at the top of his lungs.

*Muckskin refers to the Elves natural tanned skin color. The fact that they do not have that many different shades creates a unity amongst the elves for there is no such thing as racism, between each other. To humans, who have a history of prejudice it is just one more thing to dislike about the elves, they call them Muckskins as a reference to their skin color being like dirt.

It was a warm, relatively calm day out at sea, which came as a welcome relief to the exhausted seabird. She had spent the entire night flying for her life in a treacherous storm, and it was a miracle that her wings hadn’t been ripped clean off. She coasted easily through the thermal currents, giving her tired wings a rest as she searched for a spot to land. If her internal compass was functioning, there should be a port city nearby, but she wasn’t sure she could make it that far...

Off in the distance, something red caught her eye. A book? An article of clothing? Whatever it was, it seemed solid. The seabird fixed her gaze on the scarlet object and dove straight at it, claws extended to make a smooth, firm landi-

“AAAAGHHH!”

It wasn’t a book. It was a head, a head of a boy who now had six vertical scratches across his face.The seabird responded with a scream of her own and took off, flapping her wings in terror. Shouting half-coherent insults about claws and birds and the idiotic deity who had created both, Reuben wiped the blood off his face with one hand, the other still firmly wrapped around the wooden board that had saved his life. “...and noo, wings aren’t enough, you just had to give them claws, didn’t you? What sort of creator are you, you stupid...”

Halfway through his sentence, Reuben broke off and looked around him. It was blue. It was watery. It was the ocean, and it stretched on forever in every visible direction, aside from a tiny spot in the distance which might or might not have been land.

Where was he?

As he rubbed his eye to get the crusted seasalt out of it, the memories came rushing back like a flood. The farthest back that Reuben could remember was standing atop the crow’s nest on the Daedalus with a crossbow that was probably broken. Now why was he...oh, right, the pirates...and the Gulf of Storms, and the random ship that had attacked them, and those three idiots who had climbed the mast and made him chop the rope ladder in two so that there was no way to get down...Reuben didn’t remember anything after that. There must have been a cannonball, or a collision, or something, because he didn’t just jump off ships with nothing but a wooden plank to keep himself afloat for fun. Well. Okay. That was once.

A weaker wight would have wept and wailed and languished out in the sun, but Reuben was not a weak wight. He was a pirate-raised, sailor-taught wight, and he wasn’t about to let dehydration get to him. So he did the only thing that he could think to do. Both arms draped over the wooden plank for dear life, he gave his legs a kick and started paddling his way to shore.

~

It wasn’t until he actually got to shore that Reuben realized exactly how tired he was. The profundity of the situation had somehow made him forget the details- like the fact that he hadn’t eaten in days. But he had taken a seventy-two hour long nap. And that should have been refreshing...right?

Wrong. To the bystander, Reuben must have looked like a drunken idiot as he reeled his way across the dock and into the city, totally lost as to what he was doing or where he was going. "I miss Rose," he mumbled.

His first thought was that he should probably find his crew. Wait- no. His first thought was that he missed Rose. His second thought was that he should probably find his crew. His third thought was that he didn’t even know where the Daedalus was, much less where he was. He could have washed up anywhere in the world, for all he knew. He could be at the far ends of the earth, in strange and mystical lands that no one had ever set foot in, in a completely unknown region that he had no hope of identifying- in his delusions, Reuben walked straight into a wooden sign-

“Welcome To Tirwelld”

...or that.

If Reuben had an ounce more common sense (or an ounce more of brain), he would have realized that he was in the City of Liars, where the thieves ran rampant and the murderers stalked the streets. Instead, Reuben decided that he was in dire need of a drink- a free drink, since his pockets were empty. So he did what any normal person would do- he walked straight into the nearest bar, hopped up onto the counter next to the lugs that were nearly twice his size, and began chattering away.

“Well hello there, Miss, you look like you could do with some love in your life...I’m not a crazy idiot! I’m just kidding, don’t give me that look, I only meant that you were so beautiful that you ought to have a husband or fiance or the world would be at a miserable loss- no, I didn’t mean it like that, I just meant that any gentleman who sees your face has a moral obligation to ask you out- no, I’m not hitting on you, I was just wondering if you had some extra bread- no bread? Spinach then, or something because I haven’t eaten in days...no, of course that doesn’t mean I haven’t showered in days, in fact, I’ve been taking a continuous shower, although not a very clean one...no, I’m not an idiot, nor am I crazy or drunk or anything of that sort- hey, why are you pointing to the door? No, I told you I wasn’t crazy, I just want some spinach, otherwise I’ll starve to death, and I don’t think you want that on your consc- agh! Ohh, okay fine, throw me out of your bar, I’ll just shuffle along here and wait until a nice rich couple adopts me...stop looking at me like that, kid, it’s not just your grandma who talks to herself...I AM NOT CRAZY!”

Again, Angel choked on her drink, this time laughing at Edwin's reaction to Rikki's less than subtle implications. Absolutely priceless! Of course, she knew it was meant as a joke at her own expense as well, but pointedly ignored that fact. Why in the four winds would she be jealous? The half-blood could care less who or what the elf looked at. Jealous? Ha! Not in the least…

Shaking that thought away, she was more than happy when Edwin changed the subject back to the rifle on his lap. Truthfully, she only understood about half of his explanation, but she could at least figure out that he'd built this thing, by himself, over the past few years. "You made this?" she asked, grinning incredulously. "That's…impressive. Wow!" She couldn't even pretend not to be interested; building your own firearm was a pretty impressive thing. If he was so smart, what was he doing working on a ship when he could be living the good life? Of course the answer came to her almost immediately: because the good life wasn't really all that good, to be honest. Just a bunch of people telling you what to do and who do be. No fun, no excitement. No freedom. That's why she left, after all.

That's why she should already be leaving now. Getting attached would mean losing the freedom to come and go as she pleased. Already, the concept of leaving was a bit painful. She had to go now, before she ended up tied down to this ragtag lot, however crazy and wonderful they were. Mood effectively soured, Angel turned her attention to any exit she could find, trying to locate a straight path outside. Unfortunately, every route was blocked by shouting, laughing drunkards, so intoxicated they could barely stand. The stowaway scowled. There was no way she was getting out through this mess.

"You dirty knife-eared wench!"

Angel's gaze immediately shifted from the back door to the source of the shout, a human who was currently pissed beyond belief and towering over one of the elven waitresses. The half-blood's eyes narrowed. She hadn't seen the cause of the fray, but could only assume that the elf had tried to pick the man's pocket or something. Typical. Edwin may've been alright, but he was an exception to the rule stating that all elves are natural-born thieves. Lucky her own ears were hidden, otherwise she'd have probably been unjustly grouped with them. Whatever happened, there was little doubt in her mind that the elf probably deserved it.

What she didn't expect, though, was to see the man's head suddenly combust, giving the walls of the Drunken Ratflail a new paint job. Angel stared at the horrific sight, flabbergasted. What in the seven hells was that?! There hadn't even been a gunshot, let alone anyone stupid enough to shoot the man. It wasn't until she realized that the mechanic was gone that she managed to piece things together. Had Edwin…? No way! It just didn't seem possible for someone so cheerful and carefree to just kill another person like that. Sure, he'd done his fair share of combat during the pirate attack, but this…this was murder.

It'd occurred to her that there were now multiple paths outside now. She could easily make a run for it and no one would notice. But somehow, all she could think about was tracking down Edwin. Cursing under her breath, the half-blood hopped off of her barstool and raced out the door, leaving Rikki on her own. It took surprisingly little effort to find the elf. Well, maybe not surprising, with all the yelling he was doing. Angel came to a halt a few yards behind Edwin. "Hey! What the hell was all that, then?" He voice was calm, but forceful. "You realize you just killed a man, right? Unarmed, wasn't trying to attack you, didn't even see it coming." She chuckled humorlessly, slightly hysterical as she raked a hand through her hair. "I mean, what the bloody hell were you thinking!? You just killed someone! And what, for some random elf you don't even know, are you out of your mind!?"

Lyle stared at the babbling woman. He couldn’t make out quite what she was saying. Something about alcohol and undeveloped brains and rat people. Where did the rat people come from? He’d never heard of those in his whole life. He gave her a quizzical look, decided that she was probably inebriated herself. One thing he had figured early on in life was that it was impossible to make a coherent conversation with a guy drowned in his cups. She might even be indulging in some other worldly delights, considering her unusual bubbliness.

“Yeah, yeah,” Lyle said dismissively. He glanced behind him and realized that Shi was getting away. He waved impudently at Victoria, and then dashed off in pursuit of his keeper.

Rikki decided it would be better not to show her other tattoo, the one around her waist, knowing full-well she would continue drinking and probably would end up showing a bit more than just her waist. It had happened a few times before, but she had been lucky to be with former crewmembers that valued her as a person, not just for her body. They prevented some very embarrassing and traumatic events from happening to her in her drunken state. Granted, they had to throw her in the brig with her clothing so she could cool off, but it was better than waking up in the gutter completely naked, or worse, some stranger's bed. Yeah... It was better not to tempt fate at this time, especially being in the city of Tirwelld.

Sighing, she took a swig from her third drink and blearily stared at Ed as he went on about how he made his rifle. It was actually interesting, at least to the part of her brain that was still sober. Rikki noticed that Angel was getting a little antsy, as if she were going to bolt at any moment. The girl still seemed unsure of whether or not to leave, though, and Rikki began trying to think of something to say before the girl did bolt. The chatter around them began to finally reach her ears as their own conversation died off.

The stark and bold racism that came from all over the bar left her inebriated head positively reeling. Rikki drained the mug of her third and final drink, letting it clatter noisily onto the table. Glancing at Ed, she could tell it was getting to him as well. She began receding into herself, the hatred for these ignorant patrons around her coupled with her acute awareness of the pain of those targeted by these racist pricks fueled her own racing thoughts. Her fists became balled, the nails digging into her palms and drawing a bit of blood. Indeed, her entire body became balled as she hugged her knees to her chest, unaware of what her companions might think of her actions.

Rikki couldn't control how she acted during these times, and her mind flashed tidbits of her past while she continued to listen to the hateful chatter.

"No! Stop, p-please!" The cries of her mother were as clear as the day she heard them.

Rikki was huddled on the floor in her ball of depression before a door, the sounds of scuffling and grunting coming through it. Garrett, her younger brother, tried to console her as they both listened to the sounds of their step-father beating their mother. Again and again, they could hear her shouting for him to stop, but it only led to him hitting her with renewed energy. Finally, Garrett stood and slammed his palm several times against the door.

"Go away, runt!" Emil shouted when he opened the door to see who it was.

Instead of listening as he had every time before, Garrett, only thirteen years old and hardly a match for the bigger man, rushed forward and slammed his head into Emil's stomach. Emil merely grunted in slight discomfort, uppercutting Garrett viciously in the chin for his misdemeanor. Garrett flew back and struck the wall near Rikki, sliding down, unconscious. His jaw was broken and would never heal properly.

"You, slut, get off your ass and come give your step-father the respect he deserves," Emil chuckled, implying that Rikki, fifteen years old and still yet innocent, should do something much more than just showing respect.

Rikki looked up through tear-filled eyes, seeing her brother with a badly broken jaw, and her mother huddled on the floor beyond Emil's legs. She had enough of this eternal torment on her family, her rage was at it's peak upon seeing the two people she loved most in immense anguish. Rikki held the dagger in her hand, the very same dagger she held on every night Emil came home piss-drunk, planning but never having the guts to put him out of her family's misery once and for all. Without warning, she flew forward and thrust the dagger into Emil's gut, again and again. Even after the man was unconscious or dead, she stabbed him several more times.

After realising what she had done, she fled her home, carrying the dagger with her, never to return again.

A scuffle tore Rikki from her pained memories. Turning to the source of the noise, she saw a man beating up on one of the Elven waitresses. It was enough to make her blood boil, and she already started sliding out her pistol. Before she could even stand though, the man's brain matter painted the walls of the Ratflail. Something told her to turn and look at Ed, but she only caught a glimpse of him flashing out the nearest exit, Gunbead slightly smoking. Moments later, Angel followed after him. Knowing that those two were bound to get into trouble, Rikki followed after them, if a bit unsteadily.

"That man was beatin' an Elf-maid senseless fer gettin' an order wrong," Rikki murmured slowly, stepping around the corner she heard Angel shouting at Ed from. "I'd've done tha same t'ing, no soul daserfs ta git beaten fer sich a small t'ing. 'ee wuz beatin' her jest 'cuz she were an Elf..."

Rikki trailed off in her drunken speech, not really aware that Ed nor Angel might not understand her.

Edwin stared off into the clouds for a few moments. He was taking in all that just happened. He turned to face Angel once she arrived.
He gazed at her with clenched fists and narrow eyes. The look he gave her was filled with so much anger he felt he could almost kill her as well. He stared silently for a few more seconds.

"Thats how it always is. One of us 'knife-eared bastards' do somethin' wrong, and we can be punished however you humans see fit. We mess up your orders and you beat us down like we're nothin', like we don't feel pain, like every blow doesn't break our will to live little by little.Worse part is we can;t ever do anythin'. We can't fight back, or else its death. We can't run or else its prison. We can't even talk back without fear of losing our tongues. We live in constant fear that our actions will leave us on the ground in the middle of a fucking bar bleedin', with no a single being liftin' a finger to help us. My people live their entire lives in servitude, without even so much as a choice as to who will rule over them with fear for their whole life.

You go around throwing accusations that our entire race cannot be trusted because deep down we are all thieves and liars, when the only reason so many of us are forced into the life of crime is because you're damned rules prevent us from makin' an honest earning. You humans steal from us, insult us, kill us without any remorse, the entire fuckin' world turns a blind eye to your crimes against our race. But if one of of even thinks about anythin' like that the whole damned universe somehow learns about it and turns it into some sort of gigantic fiasco. Some elven girl accidentally kills her master because she defended herself when he tried to rape her, and suddenly she becomes the bad guy. How the fuck does that make any sense?

What the hell was I thinkin' you ask me? I'll tell you what I was thinkin'. At first I only wanted to ignore it just like everyone else, pretend like it wasn't happenin', but with each punch that he landed on her my intentions began to change. What I did was only deal the punishment the man deserved, just the way he punished her."

Edwin spoke with true feeling, this wasn't just anger taking over and making him say things he didn't mean. He meant it all. This was the darker side of Ed, one that many people didn't ever get to see. This was the true elven part of him. These were the emotions kept hidden from the world, the suppressed feeling of another elven citizen in fear of the world. He always held it back, so that he could prove to the humans that elves could be good, that they were not weak little pests. There were tears in his eyes but he maintained his intense stare focused at Angel. Even as Rikki drunkenly sauntered over to them. He payed little mind to what she said. He knew well enough there were good humans out there. At the moment he was too upset to care though.

"'I make a point not to associate with vermin.' Do you remember what you said to me the first time I found you? Back then I payed it no mind because for some reason you seemed different. Your're a half blood, I though you of all people might understand, then I found out who you really were. Miss Angelina Vega Flare. Ha! Like you could ever understand the pain we go through. Your blood may be part elven, but you've definitely thrown your lot in with theirs.

Now leave me alone. I made a promise to you, and I won't break it now. I may be 'vermin', but I still have some pride. Have a fun life in Tirdwell."

Edwin turned away from her and began to walk away.

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The prison was quiet now. The Guards had calmed down the prisoners and sealed off the hole that the prisoner had created. They made sure to keep the whole thing quiet, they passed the explosion of as a 'badly maintained gas line'. The people who saw it happen believed every word of it.

It was now a month later. He received news that the Daedalus had made anchor in the ports of Tirdwell. What an interesting report, he thought but otherwise payed no attention to it. His plans involved something much bigger than the Daedalus. While escaping he managed to free two other prisoners. Former partners. In a month he managed to recruit enough men to successfully run a strong gang. After gaining some rep in the underground he managed to find the people he was looking for.

"So, you're an ancient you say?" He asked in a defiant tone.

"Yes. From I come from the world below the clouds. I was hoping to recruit you in a very important task. A man of your reputation should find an operation such as this quite easy."

"You flatter me sir, now what did you have in mind?"

It was now time to begin that plan. As he walked through the street, to his first objective, he over heard a strange conversation. A young elf was yelling at his girlfriend, apparently things hadn't gone so well. He noticed the craftsmanship of the rifle on his back and decided, that in his rage the buy might be susceptible to making a few bad decisions. So he prepared to stalk the boy.

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"Alright boys the charges are set!" A gruff looking man with snake tattoos all over his face, yelled at a crew of gang members who had set up some explosives in the ventilation tunnels of the city. Soon enough, they would set off the explosives, and the festivities would begin.

"Join the club",Victoria said,returning from the Ladies' Room.She meant it sincerely,but said it sarcastically for effect. "I was insulted,almost sold and almost shot just this day." This she didn't say sarcastically,just a bit bitterly. "I'm a gynoid,a female android,but you can call me Victoria or Vicky or Tory,just don't refer to me as it." She sighed,she knew she was artificial,but she also knew she wasn't a toaster."Can't thank you guys enough for saving my life,you're all great." Well,maybe not the kid.

"I hope in the new world we discover,things are better.And thanks for saving the girl,that sir looked awesome!" She looked around the room and all the glasses and remembered something,"There are good things about being non-organic,replaceable parts,being incapable of drunkenness,not gaining weight" She realized an overweight woman was staring at her as if offended.",But we still don't get equal treatment."

So you're looking for the Crew of the Daedalus ya say? Looks like I came in at the right time eh lads?" He said to Rose and the others. "Lila my dear! Be a dear and get me the usual!" Woah, the man just picked allen up and threw him on to the seat. Perhaps i should gain some more wieght allen thought. "So who have we got ere'? By the look of ye you're some sort of scholar ain't ya, that emblem on your clothes there it belongs to a very reputable university. The name completely escapes me though so you'll have to forgive me." Yes, i should probally get rid of that emblem, just attracts attention, someone might attack him and put his brain in a robot. "captain jones i presume?" He was indeed famous on his campus.
"Yes thats me, studied science for as long as i've known. I'm hoping you have space on your ship for me, i can be of great use, i can cook? But thats not why i want to go on the voyage. I plan to document the out side, to study and bring it back. It will change everything we know about our world, we'll finally have some answers to why were living on floating islands." He exhaled, Allen knew how to get everything out in one breath, a perk. "But unfortunately i've had no time to study beer so i don't know what's good, can you teach me?" he smiled on his last comment, getting things right with this guy obviously seemed like a good idea.

Angel just stood there, speechless. She'd never seen Edwin like this before. Normally, he was so irritatingly chipper, not a single care in the world, but now? He was like a completely different person. And throughout his entire speech, the girl found herself actually feeling...bad. As horrible as it may sound, it'd never occurred to her that the elven race actually cared. Her mother certainly hadn't given that impression when she'd walked away without looking back. All her life, she'd kind of just assumed that they were just indifferent. Unfeeling. Inhuman. And that, somehow, Edwin was a special exception to that rule.

Just when she'd started to sympathize, though, that train of thought came to a screeching halt. Brown eyes widened in panic. Oh, gods above. He knew? How could he know?! She'd been so careful, hadn't brought a single thing from her previous life of luxury. How could he possible have figured out who she was? Fear and shock quickly shifted it cold anger as the elf just kept running that mouth of his. Angel's hands clenched to tight fists as her eyes narrowed. How dare he? This...muckskin didn't know a gods-damned thing about her! How dare he group her in with those spoiled brats, especially when he knew her better than that? Any kind of sympathy she'd felt before was long gone, replaced with pure hatred for the boy standing defiantly in front of her.

"You know what?" she shouted at his back as he retreated. "I actually thought you were different from them. Guess I was wrong. You're just as cold and heartless as the rest of them!" Seething, she turned on her heel and stormed off in the other direction, barely acknowledging Rikki as she shoved past the medic. This was her good-bye to the Daedalus and everyone involved with it, and she sure as hell wasn't coming back. With any amount of luck, she'd never have to see any of them--specifically that knife-eared git--again.

*****

"Lousy pointy-eared bastard. Who the fuck does he think he is? Doesn't know a damned thing about me." Angel sat on the filthy curb, muttering darkly to herself and ignoring pointed glances in her direction. The half-blood was still pissed about her previous exchange with the elf. She still had no idea how he'd figured out her secret. And if he'd known, why hadn't he just turned her in? There was bound to be a reward for returning the girl to her 'family.' Well, that wasn't important; what really bugged her was the fact that he'd just grouped her in with those hoity-toity twits. Did it ever occur to him, for even a second, that maybe she'd left for a reason? Because she wanted to be as far away from that lifestyle as possible? Of course not! He'd just taken the fact that she'd been adopted by a couple of rich nobles and judged her

But then...she'd done the same to her, hadn't she?

The half-blood groaned, running a hand through her bangs. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she really had felt something akin to guilt when during his monologue. Glancing up, she looked at the busy street around her. Normally, she would've seen nothing wrong with this picture, but now…it seemed bleaker somehow. Less pleasant. Now instead of humans going about their everyday lives, she saw elves struggling to make end's meet everywhere she looked. How could she have missed the hateful looks they drew every time they passed someone on the street? The answer was obvious of course: she'd just ignored it. Angel groaned, burying her face in her hands. She used to be so certain about everything, now she couldn't even be sure which way was up. Had she been blinded by her father's teachings? The man had taught her everything she knew; it'd never occurred to her that he could ever be wrong about something.

"Daddy, why do I have to wear this?" a five-year-old girl whined, pulling at the bandana on her head.

"I told you, Angie," her father answered gently, keeping a firm grip on the child's hand. "We've got to hide your ears when we're out and about."

"Why?" she asked in that ever-inquisitive way of a young child.

It took a moment for the man to find the right words to answer with. "Because…you're special. Unique. And to some people, unique isn't a good thing."

"…Is that why Momma left?"

Her father stopped, heaving a quiet, sad sigh before kneeling down to his daughter's low level. The former pirate could've cared less that the were in the middle of a crowded street. "Hey, you listen to me now." His tone was firm, but gentle. "Momma didn't leave because of you. She left because she was an elf, and that's what elves do. The take what they want and leave you with nothing. Remember that, 'lright?"

"But she didn't leave you with nothing. You've got me, right?" The girl's innocent smile could've melted even the iciest heart. The man chuckled, hoisting his daughter onto his shoulders.

"You're right." he said with a chuckle. "I was one of the lucky ones."

The half-blood was rudely snapped out of her trip down memory lane by a noise breaking the relative peace of the moment. Screaming. From the sound of it, a kid. Definitely in pain. Acting on instinct, she grabbed the pistol out of her pack and raced toward the sound, skidding to a halt when she reached the alley it was coming from. She'd been right: it was a kid, a boy no older than seven or eight by the looks of it. An elf. And circled around him was a group of five particularly nasty looking brutes. "Hey!" In probably the stupidest thing she could've done in such a situation, Angel stormed right up the them, eyes blazing. "The hell do you think you're doing?!"

The biggest and likely ugliest of the bunch blinked in surprise, as if the answer was obvious. "This little muckskin's in our territory. We was just teaching him a lesson."

"What, by beating him to death? This is a child, you ass!"

"And you I s'pose you're gonna do somethin' about it, girly?" another sneered, brandishing a knife. The lot of them laughed, causing the elf boy to curl tighter into a protective ball. The laughter stopped immediately, though, when the human found themselves looking down the barrel of a pissed-off half-blood's gun. Obviously, they hadn't expected the "girly" to be better armed than they were.

"As a matter of fact, I am. Now, seeing as you've caught me in a good mood, I'll give you guys to the count of ten to clear out of here." She cocked the weapon, glaring at each in turn. "I'll start with nine."

They didn't need any more warning than that. It was quite a sight, five grown men running in terror from a girl half their size. Angel didn't take the time to enjoy it, though, uncocking the pistol and tucking it in her belt before slowly approaching the boy. "Hey. You alright." His sobbing grew louder, face pressed against his knees and arms shielding his head. Poor kid was scared to death. She needed to make sure he was okay, though. Kneeling, he half-blood gently placed a hand on his arm, only causing him to yelp and look up at her with wide, teary eyes. There were a number of bruises on his face, and his lip was split, but it could've been a lot worse. "It's alright," she coaxed, trying to calm him down. Nothing seemed to work until, on a spur of the moment thought, she slipped off her bandana, freeing her own tipped ears. "See? I'm one of you."

The boy relaxed visibly, and after a few moments uncurled from his tight ball. He looked as though he'd spent his entire life on the streets, and, all things considered, he probably had. Angel bit her lip, unable to keep from feeling a pang of sympathy. She couldn't just walk away, even if he was safe for the moment. With a heavy sigh, she opened her pack, stuffing the knife and puzzle box into her coat before handing it to the kid. "Here." He stared at the bag, then looked up at her, not quite understanding. "Go on. Take it," she persisted, a bit more forcefully. "You need it more than I do." Shyly, he took the bag, holding it to his chest like a teddy bear. For a moment, he looked at her as if she was really the heavenly creature her name suggested she was. Then, without warning, he through his arms around her in a hug, murmur a quiet thank you. Before she could even react, he pulled back, giving her a genuine smile before hurrying off with the bag clutched to his chest.

Angel watched him go, thinking over what she'd just done. That bag had held everything she'd need until she found a job or a new ship. And she'd just handed if over to an elf. If it'd been anyone else in her position, she'd have scolded them for their stupidity. But now…she smiled. It'd been worth it. That kid didn't deserve a life like this. No one did. And she was finally starting to realize that. Sighing, she rose to her feet, dusting herself off. Well, so much for moving on. Now the Daedalus was her only option, until she got some more money and supplies at least. There could be worse fates, she decided. Tucking her hands into her pockets, she headed off in search of the crew. One member in particular. Whether she liked it or not, she owed Edwin a serious apology.

That was gonna be fun.

Spot reserved*

Ed walked through dark alleyways for about an hour before realizing he had become lost. He tried to remember his wway back, but he had been walking with his head down and had payed little attention to where he was going. He walked over to the wall of a nearby house, he leaned against it and let himself slide down until he was sitting. He banged his head back against the wall out of frustration. A loud metallic clang rang out in the quiet alleyway. He was full of regret, full of fear, anger. He was completely confused about how he felt. He wasn't sure of anything anymore. He even though about abandoning the Daedalus himself.

Somewhere deeper in the street he heard footsteps approaching. His ears twitched with the sound of each step as the person got closer and closer. Edwin stared into the darkness but found nothing. The houses were very closely packed here, he must have been near the center of the city. The way the houses were places it let in very little light in certain places. But one could normally still see.

"Hello there." A voice suddenly erupted from the silence. Beside Ed there was a man sitting down like he had been there all along. He wore a strange white coat, it seemed to resemble some sort of straight jacket, although the sleeve on his right arm had been torn off, and most of the buckles were undone. he wore a matching set of pants. His hair was slicked down, looked almost formal. It was black, but so oily it caught the slightest bit of light and it shone. His eyes were calm and happy, they shone a strangely orange shade, there was nothing at all threatening about his expression. Strange, this human was about the same age as he was. He offered his right hand as a polite gesture. Although Edwin was too freaked out to shake his hand. He stood up quickly and turned to look at the man, who slowly stood up and faced Edwin.

"You don't need them Ed. You're better off without them." he spoke in a clam and almost whispering voice.

"Who are you how do you know my name?

"I have a proposition for you friend. Would you like to hear it?

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The men moved quickly through the tunnels, everyone wanted to get out faster than each other. They pushed each other aside violently, slamming each other into the walls, trampling the ones who fell. You didn't want to be left behind, you couldn't stop to help them. Because those who failed to et out quickly enough, weren't going to make it through the rest of the operation.

At the gate of the tunnel existed a large gathering of wires, all of the extending into the depths of the ventilation tunnels. A single man prepared all of the fuses so that when it was time to pull the trigger there would be no misfires. He finished with good time to spare. He looked at his watch and followed the seconds hand as it slowly crept into position. With each tick anther group of bandits came rushing out from one of the vents. Only a few more made it out. It was time.

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What he had just heard made his heart drop. What this man was planning was absolutely insane. Could he really want to put so many lives in danger. Dammit what was the greater purpose he spoke of? Did he really believe that what he was about to do was of any good at all?

Edwin rushed back to the Daedalus. His legs were moving faster than they ever had before. Could what that man said really have been true? It didn't matter, he had to try and do something about it. He sprinted through a group of people knocking them over as he moved through the crowd. He had run into a market place, which was good hopefully it would mean he was near the docks. He vaulted over a few crates, kicking them over. He made sure his only priority was that he could keep moving forward.

"Dammit Angel, where are you?"
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The explosions happened all at once. It felt like the entire world had suddenly begun to fall apart. The pipes all over the city ruptured, sending large pieces of metal and shrapnel flying in every direction. Fire began to spew from the vents now. It felt like the whole world was in slow motion. Nobody saw it coming. At fist there were no screams, everything happened so fast, time moved slowly for everyone. Soon enough though they panic erupted. Peoples screams began to fill the air, loud explosion near and far could be heard all over Tirdwell. There was nowhere to hide.

The Ratflail was one of the last places to be hit. The vents below the bar tore the metal floors apart, splitting the bar in half. The captain moved quickly, he grabbed onto the young scholar and threw him back away from the fissure than began to form. Rose was the first to fall, the large tear in the ground swallowed her up before she could react. He turned and managed to grab on to Shi and Sierus's collars before the floor fell out from under them. He couldn't move quickly enough to save the child Lyle. He watched in horror as he slipped into the darkness of the fissure. The larger robot fell shortly after as a nearby explosion sent him hurdling towards the void.

Riki was left all alone in the middle of the street when the explosion happened. She tried to run from the explosions but a large hole opened up in front of her, she tried to make the jump but came short. She screamed as she began to fall into the darkness.

Reuben was caught completely off guard. He fled from the explosions as bet as he could. He ran to the docks, maybe he could find the ship and get out. As he ran a building beside him erupted in flames. The force of the explosion knocked him off of his feet. As the building began to collapse, Reuben went along with it. Falling into the lower levels of the city.
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Edwin's legs were on fire and every breath felt painful as it came into his lungs. He couldn't stop though, he had to make sure everyone was safe. The explosions began to happen but he payed them little attention. He had a goal set in his mind and he couldn't stop until he reached it. He ran desperately trying to outrun the explosions. It had begun, that man's plan had begun. He was too late. Ed turned the corner of a street, he was still unsure of where he was but he couldn't slow down.

He turned one final corner and saw what he was looking for. Angel was being pushed about as a crowd of people rushed past her.

"Angel!" He screamed at the top of his lungs.

The young girl turned to look at him and stopped running. Ed ran one last time, he began to run towards her. Each step though became harder and harder to take. The floor beneath them was collapsing. As he fell he reached out to grab hold of her. But it was no use she was too far away and they both fell into the darkness of the crevice below.

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"The city was now in ruins. Tirdwell had been torn apart. The explosions were placed with incredible precision. The docks were now split away from the central district, a large fissure separating them from each other. The prison was now overflowing as the newly freed criminals poured out from their home. "

"Wait a minute captain. Did like half of them just die?" Asked the little girl clearly upset and confused by what happened.

"Haha, no girl it's just called suspense. You see the dark man's plans, began with splitting the city districts more so than they already where. The central district now found that there was a large tear in the city that prevented them from reaching the ships. The lower district which was filled by the prisoners was still connected though. That's where most of the military and half of the crew ended up as well. "

"Wow, why would that guy do something like that?"

"Well, the whole thing was the beginning of something much greater. But I'm getting ahead of myself, right now we have to focus on what the crew of the Daedalus will do."

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Edwin awoke face down in a pile of rubble. Ashes were spread all around him and he could still hear distant screams. He took a minute to asses the situation he was in, the fall, it could have left him badly wounded. After a few minutes he gathered the strength to get up. It seemed like everything was fine, although most of his body ached. He groaned as he stood up completely, he dusted himself off and began to look around. The place was dimly lit, the only light came from the fires and the large opening in the ceiling high above where he stood. These were the lower districts of the city, usually they would have been lit by electric lamps, but it seemed like the explosions must have knocked out the power.

He walked wearily for a few yards until he heard some pained groans. To his right buried below some debris, he could see Angel's white hair. The moved quickly and began to pull the metal off of her. Thankfully it had fallen around her not on her. He lifted her up and set her down away from the pile. Behind him he heard the loud and familiar curses of a boy everyone thought lost. Reuben stood up from a pile of debris. He seemed to be alright. Edwin whistled for him to come over to where he was. It looked like Reuben noticed him for he started to walk in his direction.

He heard rustling and groaning all around him now. How many people were buried under all this devastation. How many died? How many are in need of help. He looked down at Angel who seemed to be unconscious. He laid his head on her chest to hear her heart beat. He left out a deep sigh of relief when he heard it beating. She would be fine. He wondered who else may have been stuck down in the lower levels with them.

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The Captain screamed obscenities in to the black void. One could tell he was clearly upset. He looked at the rest of his crew and crossed his arms.

"Alright you lazy lot. Looks like some one's gone about and disrupted our peaceful drinking session. Now, we need to figure out what to do next. Half my bloody crew is missing, and the damned ship is in danger of being stolen. Some one is going to pay for this. You there scholar boy, you still in for being part of the Daedalus? You too robit lady, you sure you want in on this kind of life?"

Edwin's rant took Rikki completely by surprise. Well, actually, some niggling feeling in the sober part of her mind told her that the Elven lad had reacted naturally. He had every right to be pissed off, being beaten down as he was by Angel. Reflecting upon what just took place, Rikki was more surprised at Angel. She too had known Angel was a half-blood, but not because of her ears. Having treated numerous patients, both human and Elven alike, in her stead as a doctor, Rikki could tell she had Elven blood on that fateful night before the battle when she treated Angel's calf.

Sobriety won the battle over her inebriation as Ed ended his righteous yet wrathful speech and stormed off into the streets of Tirwelld. Angel's reaction wasn't much different, and it stung her that neither of her fellow crewmembers and friends had even acknowledged her presence or her words. The time of Rikki's introversion was over, however, and she knew both of them would need her before the day was out. As Angel angrily shoved past her, Rikki watched her go for a moment. There was only one question that remained, however. Whom should she follow first?

Before Angel disappeared around the next corner, Rikki made her decision. Ed would eventually calm down and return to the ship if he didn't run into any trouble beforehand, but Angel was still keen on leaving for good, she could tell. And, it was more likely that Angel would get into trouble, being half-blood and female, an even deadlier combination than merely being an elf. Women, regardless of their race were always beaten down and used, Rikki had both experienced it and witnessed it first-hand. It was a poor testament to the human race, that even in these years of advancement, they were still very, very, sexist.

Following Angel at a respectful distance, well, a distance that Angel wouldn't realise she was being followed, Rikki kept her head down and her eyes and ears alert for any danger. She didn't even notice the strange man who was obviously shadowing Ed in her more immediate concern of Angel. Once she placated the girl, they would both go find Ed together. Rikki leaned against a wall when Angel stopped and sat on a curb. Now was not the time to approach the girl just yet. The girl seemed to be talking to herself, but few words reached Rikki's ears.

When Angel seemed to come to a conclusion about her feelings, a disturbance in the alley across from them reached both of them at the same time. Somebody was screaming in anguish and fright, with the undertone of male voices shouting in both anger and delight (unintentional rhyme). It was enough to make Rikki rush forward behind Angel, drawing her pistol as well. In such a closed area, her lack of practice with the clockwork pistol would be quite negligible. Fortunately, both Angel and herself were better armed than the brutes tearing into the young Elf child, and they fled at merely the sight of Angel's pistol. Biting back the urge to fire a round into the back of one of the men's skulls, Rikki holstered her pistol, knowing full-well she could have easily missed and struck Angel or the boy instead. Score one for Angel.

What Angel did next made Rikki smile brightly, and a warm feeling enveloped her. She gave the child her pack, signifying that she did intend to return to the Deadalus. Watching from a reasonable distance, but in plain sight of Angel, Rikki waited for the girl to turn and walk back out the end of the alley.

"Girl, t'was a mighty fine t'ing you did just now," Rikki murmured, the smile still on her face. "I have a feelin' your Elven lover needs our help, though. S'best if we just forget the sentimental bullshit and get movin'."

Then the explosions happened...
(Sorry for the wonky post, I didn't have much to go on. I promise it'll get better, though!)

Red picked himself up with a creak and looked around, he remembered the events that led him here he was busy talking to his master when out of nowhere explosions started to happen all over and to make it worse one explosion came from right behind where he was standing pushing him into the crevice but being designed as he is he was able to take the explosion but the fall is what hurt. He spotted his rifle where it was dropped and went to pick it up after he checked it for any damage his system ran the situation in his mind:

Primary objectives: Find master and friends, get off Tirdwell and kill any hostile forces in you way.

Secondary objective: Find another gun: Ammo for rifle is scarce must find another firearm to conserve said ammo: Marksman's Rifle preferably

Objectives in mind Red set off to find his master and her companions, making his way through what he remembered to be the lower city he knew that this place was dangerous but only to a lower extent to him seeing as how most crooks will get out of your way if your a huge rig of metal that happens to be alive, as he made his way through the district he noticed that most of the prisoners had escaped and where causing all sorts of chaos breaking up store fronts and assaulting unlucky people who they could get their hands on this he could not allow, one of his guidelines was as you might recall was "Protect the innocent" he ran to a nearby wall seeing that some military man had also fallen through a crevice and had taken his gun with him but he didn't need it now, Red scooped up the gun and looked it over it was just a common rifle iron sights, bolt action etc. but it had a bayonet which was good for how much it would do for him with his leg and all. He stood up taking the nearest group of prisoners in his sights they where trying to break open a door to what looked like to be a bank, he fired taking the first one down the other prisoners started to run and red aimed and fired again.

Victoria looked at him,surprised that he didn't know her name.Maybe my deadbeat father was ashamed of me,and didn't want to tell his best friend that he married a half-elven woman and made a daughter instead of actually having one. She thought she might cry.Then she realized maybe that maybe he did,after all,she never meet the captain. "That's what I came here for,sir,to join the Daedalus,go on adventures,discover a place where everyone is treated equal."

She pulled out the paper,"This is the only thing my father,my co-maker ever gave me after he walked out on Mama and me. It says here you're his best friend",she said pointing at one particular line,"Is it true?",she asked asking him and herself.One things for sure,even if a crazy bum had really been the one to put this on her door,she wanted this life and didn't know of anything else she wanted to do."I'm Victoria Elizabeth Bellamy,and I do not know my father's name." She looked around,they were missing the mouthy,the half-elven woman,and Red.
"Well,according to this,I'm pilot so shall I watch the ship,Captain?" She felt nervous,excited,scared,a whole range of emotions.Now,the Gynoid who dreamed of adventures in the sky knew her life would change forever.

She hadn't expected to run into anyone from the Daedalus so soon, especially not as soon as she left the alley. Somehow, though, it didn't really surprise her that Rikki had been following her. Well, alright, it had surprised her, but just for a moment. Angel supposed she should've expected it anyway; the medic was like an overprotective big sister, not that she could really complain. Just because she could look after herself didn't mean it wasn't nice to have someone who had her back. The half-blood blushed slightly when she realized the elder had probably seen what she'd just done, but promptly shrugged if off, trying to look nonchalant. "Yeah, well…don't go spreading it around, alright? I've got a reputation to protect." She knew she wasn't fooling anyone, but you can't blame a girl for trying. 

The half-blood flushed bright red at Rikki's next words. "Whoa, what?! You think he and I…Oh, come on, that's ridiculous!" 'Besides, he probably want nothing to do with me after what happened…' The girl banished that thought as soon as it popped into her head. She was going to set things right with Edwin, no matter how much it damaged her pride. But that didn't mean there was anything going on between them in the least! "Look, let's just get going, alright? Don't want to keep the others waiting." Shoving her hands into her pockets, she started down the street toward the docks, trusting Rikki to follow. After all, that's apparently what she'd been doing. Not only was she eager to end the uncomfortable topic they were on, but to be honest, she wanted to get as far away from Tirdwell as possible. Call it whatever you will, but something in her gut told her that something was about to happen and whatever it was, it wouldn't be good. "So, any idea where the elf mi--"

The rest of her question was lost in the proceeding explosion, knocking Angel to the ground and causing her ears to ring painfully. The fuck?! Adrenaline immediately started rushing through her veins and Angel scrambled to her feet, barely staying upright as yet another blast shook the ground. It was like some kind of bizarre domino effect: when one explosion died away, another quickly took it's place. After a minute or so of deaf panic, the ringing sound gave way to screaming. Not much of an improvement, really. The half-blood looked around frantically for the medic, shoving through the frenzied crowd, but could find no sign of her. "Rikki!" getting through the crowds against the flow was like sailing against a wind current; none too easy and nigh impossible. For her friend, though, she was willing to try anything. "Rikki, where are you?!"

"Angel!"

It wasn't Rikki's voice that called back, though, but nor was it one she wasn't happy to hear. Sure enough, she could just barely make out blond hair and tan skin though the crowd to match the voice. "Edwin! Over here!" It'd be safer for both of them if the stuck together, especially seeing as their spat earlier was the farthest thing from either of their minds. Shoving through the crowds with renewed vigor, Angel struggled to make her way to the elf, wondering why the hell everyone was so keen on going the opposite way that she was. It didn't take her too much longer to figure it out, but by that time it was too late. No sooner had she seen the chasm rend apart what used to be a street than Edwin lost his footing and plunged into the depths. "NO!!" Racing forward, she made a grab for the elf's hand. Too late; he was already gone. And with a sudden lurch of the metal ground, so was she, falling inside the black.

******

"Uuuugh…"

The first thing Angel noticed as she woke up was that it was dark. Actually, that was an understatement; it was pitch fucking black. The other thing was that every part of her body hurt like a bitch except maybe her earlobes. And third...there was something on her chest. And it wasn't metal. This last thing was what convinced her to look down. Even in all the soot and ash, the blonde head and pointed ears were recognizable. Nice to see the mechanic was alright. He wasn't unconscious, just seemed to be checking her pulse, seeing if she was alright. Well, she could answer that question.

"Get your head off of my chest, you fucking pervert," she deadpanned with a wry grin, lifting an arm to gently flick Edwin in the head. As soon as she did it, though, she let out a groan of pain. Gods above, what happened? The half-blood tried to recall, ignoring her pounding headache. She remembered the fight with Edwin (how could she forget), saving that kid, running into Rikki, and then…what the hell had happened then? Everything had just started blowing up at random! Well, all in all, she seemed to be alright, albeit a little sore. Gods, had she been out all day? What time was it? Must've been the middle of the night, judging by the darkness. Groaning in pain, she pushed herself up into a seated position.

Then froze when her eyes adjusted to the darkness.

This wasn't good. In fact, it was the exact opposite of good. It wasn't dark because night had fallen; it was because she had fallen. Into some dark, ungodly little hole. The half-blood swallowed, throat going dry and heart rate starting to speed up. She was trapped. No, she couldn't be trapped! There had to be a way out of here. If there was, though, Angel didn't make an effort to look for it. She just sat there, staring at the walls that seemed to be closing in on her, pulling her legs firmly to her chest. "Oh gods, it can't end like this," she mumbled to herself, near hysterics. The half-blood barely acknowledged that she wasn't the only one trapped down here, too concerned with her own debilitating fear. She wanted to get out of here, see the sky again, the sun and the stars. She didn't like this, the suffocating darkness. "Please don't let it end like this…"

((Aaaand here's where Angel's claustrophobia comes into play. Poor girl.))

Being thrown off his feet while surrounded in flying shrapnel and suffocating smoke, was not something that Reuben could say he particularly enjoyed on any given day. Being thrown off his feet while surrounded in flying shrapnel and suffocating smoke was especially not something Reuben could say he particularly enjoyed when he was dehydrated, exhausted, starved, and rather confused about where he was and what he was doing. In his delirium, he had actually imagined that he was floating in a sea of water. A sea of water! Who would ever imagine that? He had attempted to avoid the explosion at first by running to the docks, but the blast quickly overtook his pathetic speed. Reuben found himself flung clear off the ground by the shockwaves. Rather than attempt to deal with all the lovely messiness that was sure to follow, Reuben decided instead to just black out and wake up when things weren't so...chaotic.

"Reuben?"

The voice was clear, lovely, melodious. Reuben opened his eye hazily and looked upwards. Gold. There was lots of gold. Not the money-gold but more like the soft, warm gold that for some reason always appeared when one was having a hallucination. "Where am I..."

"Reuben!"

Above him, a woman's face came into view. She was beautiful, so beautiful that she almost seemed to be...glowing. Unlike Reuben, she was pale-skinned, but she possessed the same fiery locks. She was inexplicably dressed like a bride, but there was no time to dwell on petty matters. Reuben sat up, miraculously unharmed. "Are you..."

"Son!"

A man appeared behind the red-haired woman. He seemed to be illuminated within just like the woman, and he was dressed in a handsome black suit, as if he were a groom.

He looked remarkably like Sierus.

"Mom?" Reuben said wonderingly. "Dad?"

They smiled sweetly at him for a moment. And then the woman burst into tears. "Oh, Reuben! We're so glad you're alive!"

"After that witch stole you from our kingdom and hid you in a tower, we thought we'd never see you again," the man added. "We've spent years looking for you, you have no idea! But here you are, all safe and sound..."

"And now you can come back with us to our wonderful mansion in the city where you can study navigation and geography at the world's most prestigious Academy and become a scholar like you always wanted! And when you're tired of books, you can just come home and roll around in the piles of money we've been saving up just for-"

"Hey, you okay, mate?"

Reuben's eyes popped open. He was lying on top of what seemed to be a barrel- no, make that two barrels- and his entire body felt numb. He attempted to sit up and ended up completely winded, amazed at the amount of effort it had taken. He didn't even have the energy to frown, which was saying something, since Reuben was usually phenomenally hyperactive. After catching his breath, he staggered to his feet and began to walk around, completely lost as to where he was.

Rikki smiled in a knowing way that would probably only irritate Angel as she listened to the girl's defensive spluttering. She kept pace beside the born-again half-elf easily, but said nothing in response. There was no need to speak; they were on a mission. Rikki felt that it was her duty to stand beside Angel and help her out, as she had grown attached to the moody youngster. She too remembered her moody teenage years, and Angel reminded her, well, of herself. Comfortable with the adoptive big sister role for all her fellow younger crewmates, Rikki was unaware that she was at times a little too overprotective. Ed had replaced Garrett in her life, so to speak, as well. She knew she could never go back to her birthplace, no matter how much she truly wanted to. That door was closed when she killed her stepfather, the lock, his blood, the key she could never use again was the dagger at the place of honour on her right hip.

Angel's words were lost to her in the near-deafening sounds of the explosions. The first one threw Rikki off her feet as it did Angel, but she was up and sprinting half a step behind the girl in moments. Remembering to unclench her jaw in case one of the shockwaves burst her eardrums, Rikki's mind was racing frantically. This was insanity! What the hell was going on?!? Another explosion made Rikki stumble, and a chasm opened up between her and her adoptive baby sister. Eying the distance between them, Rikki made the split-second decision to make the jump. A final rocking explosion widened the gap, and her hands caught the jagged edges of the metal before she slipped down into the abyss.

"Rikki!"

She barely heard Angel's terrified shout above her own screaming.

---

A sharp, biting, burning pain just below her right kneecap awakened her rather abruptly. Opening her eyes didn't do much to help her current situation. Rikki could barely see anything in the dim light around her. Without waiting for her eyes to adjust, she gingerly felt around her knee, finding a metal shard lodged just beneath her patella.

"Oh, bloody fuckin' 'ell, just the shite I need, a torn fuckin' patellar tendon!" Rikki shouted quite loudly in her frustration. She couldn't find Angel, Ed, nor any of her other crewmates if she couldn't walk, especially if they needed medical attention like she did. As her eyes finally adjusted to the light, she could make out the shard in her knee more easily. Sliding a dagger from her belt, she quickly tore off her shirt and cut it up, leaving only her brassiere to maintain her decency. At this point, decency wasn't a concern, Rikki knew there were others most likely far more injured than she was. What she was about to do went against all of her 'standard' medical training. Although, it showed her rather strong improvisational first aid skills.

Wrapping her bloodied palms in the smaller strips, Rikki bit the blade of her dagger and pulled the metal shard out of her knee. Whimpering slightly, she tossed the bit of metal away and quickly wrapped the wound with the last bits of her shirt to staunch the bleeding. It would have to do for now until she could reach the ship and get a proper tourniquet to dress the wound. Now, all she needed to do was find something, or someone, to help her walk.

"OI!" Rikki roared into the dimly lit area, quite loudly for someone her size. "Anybody out there?!? Doctor in need of support here! I know there are others in need of my assistance!"

Rose hadn't ordered a drink as she sat and watched her crew...no, her friends. They were friends now, weren't they? For some reason, the laughing and joking only made her mood worse. She looked up to the ceiling, drifting off to la la land when a loud snap brought her back to reality.

And then ceiling was getting farther away.

She realized she was falling into a crack in the floor, and tried to grab fro something, but it was to late. The darkness had engulfed her and she couldn't even see the ceiling anymore. Then with a loud thud, she landed on damp, hot ground. She slowly sat up, rubbing her head and already feeling her left wrist start to swell from landing on it. It could've been broken.

She stood up and took in her surroundings. She was in the lower half of the city, and completely alone. Completely. She could already feel the panic rise inside her, gripping her heart and clawing at her throat as she felt the urge to scream. She needed to find someone, preferably someone she knew, and soon. She reached for her sword with her left hand first, grimaced, and then grabbed it with her right. She then began to run heading in a random direction as she saw no one.

"Hello!? Red!?" Where was that robot when she needed him? Didn't he belong to her now? Plus, he was right next to her, surly he was close. Who else had fallen? She faintly remembered hearing a scream that sounded like Lyle. Maybe he was around here as well? "HELLO!?" The fact that no one had yet to answer her calls, freaked her out even more.

Red Was busy shooting any convict that came into the square he was standing in, some of them had smarted up bringing crowbars or any blunt weapons they could scavenge from the rubble a few of them had brought guns but that was cut short when they realized that they needed armor-penetrating bullets, he had scavenged through the guns off the bodies sorting out ammo for his rifles and picking up a few pistols in case he meet up with some of the crew he did find a strange looking of what he assumed to be a fire arm.

But right now he was shooting a few convicts who where charging into the square, they had a few blunt weapons nothing he could not handle as he shot them down one after the other he heard his name being called he looked to where the noise was coming from seeing it was rose he said. "Greeting: Ahh master! it is good to see you are alright i was afraid i might have to become a wanderer again." He shot the last convict. "Concern: Are you okay? and do you have means to defend yourself? I have a few guns right here but one I cannot identify." He walked closer to where she was.

As she ran, she could hear gun shots. She ran for them. Despite that running towards them was a pretty bad idea, the panic had just about taken over. She rounded a corner and yelled again, this time getting an answer.

The gunshots were Red, shooting at a crowd of men. What was going on? She ran towards him, relief washing over her as she knew she wasn't alone anymore. "Hey, I'm fine." She answered as she held up her sword. "I've got my sword, but I guess I'll take a gun. I've got shitty aim, but I'll use it if needed." She said as she took one from him. She then looked at the gun he could not identify. All she knew, was that it kinda looked like elf technology...maybe. "It might be elf tech..." She told him. She then looked around, looking for any others that had fallen through the hole in the ground. "I know very little about elf tech."