World Tree MUSH

    Welcome to the great Empire of Harwel, an imperial democracy that calls one of the many worlds in the Serene Branches home. Today, they're celebrating their six hundredth year of founding, which of course means one thing: It's party time. On the docket there is food, music, and a tour of treasures and relics so painstakingly collected throughout six hundred years of prestigious history. It's a black-tie event with folks dressed to the nines and showing off their glittering regalia.
    Offworlders are welcomed with open arms in this prosperous place, and enjoy something of a rock star status among the populace. Those without something suitable to wear are given threads and fitted by professional Imperial tailors. They're given free reign over the food and entertainment, and people will ask for autographs, conversation, and other sundries.
    The main ballroom hosts the food, the music, and the gathering; it's here that the lively dances are performed, a troupe of professional dancers have come to strut their stuff, and exotic instruments all tuning up before launching into the next lively waltz. There's lots of light, exotic wood, cut stone, and other decorative touches. It's all quite lavish. Guests are encouraged to drop in and have fun! It's a celebration, after all. The food is really very good.
    Up at the podium, some official or another is giving a very long-winded and enthusiastic speech about the history of the great empire and how happy he is that the offworlders are here to help them celebrate. It drones on in a similar manner enough that even some of the guests are shifting their weight uncomfortably.
    Imperial security forces patrol this place vigilantly, although they're not above smiling or laughing at a joke from a guest here and there. Their eyes never stop moving, though, and the wicked-looking polearms they carry are a contrast to their smart-looking dress uniforms.
    Meanwhile, south of the administrative compound's main ballroom, there is a gathering hall that's been turned into a museum exhibit. That, too, is quite lavish. Gold and silver, jewels, rich wood, precious stones, and the likenesses of early emperors wrought in gold and silver masks.
    It's all quite lavish.
    It's also quite valuable.
    That alone is what attracted a certain pair of sky pirates, although the Strahl is not actually docked anywhere nearby. There are two figures on the roof of the exhibition hall, although nobody's noticed them up there just yet. There are pockets of dark where the floodlamps don't reach, and it's here that two figures lounge.
    "Is that stuffed shirt still talking?" A man's smooth voice issues from the shadows, along with a long-suffering sigh heaved in the darkness. Perched on the edge of the roof, elbows at knees, the figure drops his head into his hands. "Gods be good, he's been going on for half an hour, already. We could have been in, gotten what we wanted, and left by now."
    "Patience." A woman's voice, strangely inflected; accented exotically. "We wait. The timing is not yet right. The patrols, they walk still. They would find us."
    "I know you Viera are exceptionally long-lived, but we hume are a different story," the man points out, blandly. "If we don't get this show started, soon, I'm liable to expire of old age."
    A snort of amusement. "Patience."
    "You're really no fun at all, Fran."
    Thus far, the watchers above remain hidden -- for the moment. It's time enough for guests to get in and situated, because this is a totally ordinary celebration where nothing extraordinary is going to happen at all.

        It's almost comfortable enough for her to relax. That is, if she weren't here officially anyway. A not-quite-so-long debate over the merits of sending one Rusalka Stojespal to a black-tie event on another world, well...her mother certainly wasn't one to avoid the requirements of nobility. She hadn't even been permitted to drive herself, riding with a chauffeur being the ultimate indignity.

    Maybe she should keep some opinions to herself next time, in that regard...at least she kept her hairband.

    Clad in a short, gathered black dress, silk scarf, stockings, and (thankfully low) heels, Rusalka makes her way among the various guests - learning a little about the land, mostly listening to speeches, and doing her best to be a proper heiress and representative of her own family and world. After all, one never knows what contacts may grow from such an event, despite how boring it could potentially be.

    At least there's more than just rich and powerful people in private conversations deciding things amongst themselves; the food is good and the music equally so. And even she can respect a six-century celebration politely, introducing herself here and there and ... enjoying herself. Well. That probably won't last too long, even if some of the people here have been legitimately nice and interesting.

Lighting the place on fire.

Summon eldritch horrors from her father's home.

Coating the place in dark magic.

Raising the dead in an unholy army of monstrous might.

Throwing herself from the bloody balcony and impaling herself on one of the guard's pole arms.

LITERALLY ANYTHING ELSE!

Raven mentally went over the list of things she would rather be doing than listening to some blow hard go on. And on. And on. And oh my gosh on. Yes. She gets it. How wonderful they came. She wouldn't even be here but... 600 years of artifacts? That meant ancient tomes and old magics and, well, all of that had her interest.....

 So it was with a sigh she finally said 'screw it' and just walked towards the exhibit portion, tuning out the long winding bag. Yes, it would have been polite to wait for him to finish.

But polite went out the window when they said 'Let us take your measurements' and a ruler went UNDER the cloak. They TOUCHED her. People don't TOUCH her. She's an empath! And those that made the mistake, well, would likely think twice before grabbing an off worlder without permission.

But now she had some... overly lavish black robe that weighed twice what she liked and made her look like some kind of strange princess of darklandia. She did appreciate the skull emblazoned on it, though. It was a nice touch. Though, seriously. WHY DID SHE NEED SO MANY BELTS?! Ugh.

 Her focus was the ancient magics, the andcient relics... And ummm... She grabbed one of the books in her magic, very delicately flipping through it. Mumbling as she studied it. Then moved on and like... She tended to drift from item to item, only really focusing on ones that seemed more magical in nature. Or things that were said to be 'cursed' or 'enchanted.

    Yumi arrived in a dress that was, she thought, fairly nice! For her price range it was relatively expensive, too.

    Apparently the imperial tailors disagreed.

    So now that dress is safely stored away to be picked up later, and Yumi is wrapped in a dress approximately three times more gorgeous and five times more expensive. At least it's the same color! Primarily white, trimmed here and there with blue or gold, a look that works well with that signature cream-orange hair. She's handling the attention from the locals quite deftly, accepting praise at face value and making ample use of the free food. But the prospect of seeing interesting artifacts of the empire is just intriguing enough that the schoolgirl eventually meanders her way over there.

    That takes her right by Raven, as it so happens, and she calls out warmly. "Oh, hey, I remember you! Raven, right? From-" Oh dear, she's lifting one of the tomes. She's using magic to do it, but still. "Ah, I'd- I'd be careful with that, I'm not sure it's alright to be handling those, even indirectly."

    The local guests are all a friendly sort, and more than eager to chat with offworlders about offworld things. They're also happy to share history where they find it. The history of this place almost sounds like some kind of Bizarro Rome, only there were no gladitorial games.
    To hear the stuffed shirt drone on about it, it was more of a battle against greater foes to keep from being dissolved and enslaved, and everything turned out pretty alright in the end. They didn't even have to step on the backs of anyone else to get where they are today. Hooray? It's all really more than can be believed, to any cynic who knows history.
    Up on the roof, the figures continue to lurk, waiting for the opportune moment.
    Although the guards look a little disappointed, none of them actually try to stop Raven from travelling to the exhibit hall. The guards there welcome her, and some of them try to regale her with histories of the objects she's studying. When it's clear she isn't listening, though, they drift back to resume their posts. Boot heels on the ground announce the patrol that passes by outside.
    There is a guard waiting over Raven's shoulder, just in case that book gets dropped, but he doesn't tell her to stop. Not yet.
    Up above, the stars glimmer in the night sky, where the bright lights aren't drowning them out.
    "Oh, please." The man's voice, again. "Everyone knows anything calling itself an empire has to be stepping on folk somewhere down the line. You don't get to being a contender on the world stage by saying 'please' and 'thank you.'"
    "So cynical."
    "I'm only telling it as I see it..."
    "It is time."
    "That's the sweetest thing I've heard all day." A grunt, as the man lurches to his feet. Both figures jump down from the roof.
    And rather all of a sudden, there is an explosion -- further distant, somewhere else in the city. The lights flicker dangerously, and then they shut off. It's enough to send guards running outside to see what's the matter; footfalls echo from the marble halls in urgent staccato. Only a few are left inside.
    There's a grunt, a thud, and one guard less. A second follows.
    When the lights flicker back on, there are no more guards. At least, not yet. And there is a rather nicely dressed man in a white silk shirt, gold-chased vest, and black leather pants. He is holding an elegant clockwork-like rifle, and it is slung almost casually over his shoulder. One brow arches.
    "Well, well. I thought I was quite alone in coming here for the knowledge of the ages. Fran?"
    The man's partner steps from the shadows. She is by far taller than he is, with long rabbit-like ears of mottled black and white; hair of stark white as well. Her features are just a little shy of human, exotic enough to declare her a different race than the smooth-spoken gentleman. She has a bow over her shoulder; her fingertips end in either claws or long nails. It's difficult to say which. Her eyes, reddish-brown, slide to the man with a questioning tilt of a white eyebrow.
    Both stare at the offworlders for a moment, and they have the air of deciding what to do with them.
    The man finally flicks a glance at the doorway, where the guards had fled out to.
    "We haven't got much time before they come running back." The rifle taps against his shoulder, but doesn't lower to point at anybody. "Well, well. What have we here? Burgeoning thieves? I don't suppose you've come across any shiny rocks in your travels, hmmm...?"

        It may be an empire, but at least it has some things of interest. An occasional empire of industry that knows more than just what they're talking about, some genteel old fellows who would fit right at home at the Stojespal camp...she can't help but find herself warming to the company. Slightly. On that note, things of interest.

    At least the main speech is winding down, and it's not hard to excuse herself from the crowd. It's a good time to hit the exhibit hall, actually; the majority of the party is still in the main banquet area but will likely fill the hall up soon enough. Rusalka has more than a few people back home interested in just what they have available, so it's time to do some extra work on top of being a good little baroness' daughter.

    There's a polite nod to the guards as she makes her way to, by chance, where Yumi and Raven examine things. Somehow, that book is levitating...? Now that just turned curious on its head, and she's about to ask questions - interrupted by distant thunder, it seems. Thunder, followed by sudden blackness; she can't help a yelp of surprise as the power goes out.

    At least it doesn't last long - though the two guards have been replaced by two others, when the light returns. "Thieves?" Cobalt-blue eyes narrow, a hard stare at Balthier and Fran and a glance at the two men on the floor. "You call /us/ that?" Granted, the new duo haven't stolen anything yet, but...very clearly, give them time...

Raven blinked and glanced over to Yumi. "Err... Hello... Youuuu?" she said, hoping the girl would come to her.

She did not. "I'm... sorry to say, but I seem to have forgotten who you are." She could have done a ten minute portion of the episode dedicated to that confusion and all... but she wasn't twelve and was able to tell people 'Hey, I don't remember you. I'm sorry.'

She cocked her head and listened to the man talk in the other room and... "I'd love to hear the actual history of this place," she mumbled. "Even the mushroom kingdom has their own troubles and their ruler is a saint,..." Not biased at all. Noooope.

Then darkness, thump, thump, all kinds of sounds and... When it all came back... She was... Staring at a man. A rather... strange man. She waved her hand, and the object she was studying glided back to its post... Only for him to mention 'shiny rocks'. Her cheeks burned and then... She lifted her hood over her head. Or rather, WANTED to. But her new outfit didn't have one. Instead she sighed and moved a hand up to touch the gemstone on her forehead and... "It's azarathian. And it's personal. And trust me. Not worth your life if you tried to steal it." She didn't have much from her home but... What she did, she valued. A lot.

She looked him and her up and down and... "You are... A thief, then, I take it? I'd comment on the choices in life that led to this but... Well... I'm hardly in any position to judge. I'm Raven, by the way. A pleasure." She was... Relatively calm.

"They don't mean us any harm," she told the other two. Then blinked. "Empath. I can sense feelings. And they aren't violent towards us," she added. As if that explained everything and didn't add a THOUSAND more questions. At the top of that list being likely 'Was he going to shoot anyone if he meant them no harm?' "I'm just a guest, I have no intention of trying to stop you, as any thievery your permit doesn't really... well. Affect me. And it'd do a lot more damage if I tried to fight you. So please, leave the books alone and stick to the shiny things."

Her eyes hadn't left the gun, though. She'd... Seen them in action. And under her cloak, her right hand glowed dark. If he tried to aim it at someone she wasn't going to be nice...

    Yumi blinks blandly once or twice at the blunt reply from Raven, but soldiers on; she's about to reply, when the lights go out, and then come back up, and then... pirates. "Ah, no, I'm not a thief, just an ordinary party guest," Yumi finally replies to Balthier, shaking her head. There's a touch of amusement when she adds, "If I'd planned to rob the place, I'd have probably come armed, and set up a distraction. Something like turning out the lights."

    Thieves? The man sighs and tilts his head to his companion, an expression of skepticism.who looks back at him without outward emotion. Her head twitches faintly to the side; a warning. No, Balthier. No. Don't take that bait. Don't--
    "Please. Your mistake is this: We are no mere thieves." The man heaves a long-sufferingsigh and tilts his head in skeptical gesture, something in his tone almost approaching disgust as he corrects Rusalka. He gestures with his free hand to indicate both himself and Fran. "We are sky pirates."
    "As to whether /you/ are thieves or not, I suppose the next few minutes will decide that quite nicely, hm? There are a few key items my partner and I are after, and we'd rather like it if we could abscond with those and be on our way." His eyes flicker away from Rusalka to Raven.
    And his eyebrow arches, the barest ghost of movement. "Are you so sure about that, girl?" The magitech rifle swings down from his shoulder, pointed at the floor for the moment. His eyes have gone awfully cold. "That depends on you. Get in our way, and I'm afraid certain sacrifices might just need to be made. I'd rather keep things convivial if I can help it, but, well, everyone knows how things have a habit of getting messy, from time to time."
    He looks between the three, then glancing back over his shoulder toward the door, as though he were coming to some sort of decision. "I told you," he adds to Raven, "the books are of no interest to my associate and I. Keep it, for all I care."
    "Well, then." Another sigh, this time more resigned. He gestures with the rifle's muzzle. "Aren't we at a little stalemate?" His gaze settles this time on Yumi. "Clever. I like that. Come on, then. You three. With me. Fran, the magicite," he adds, casting a brief look at his partner.
    She gives a curt nod, before stalking away into the shadow.
    Balthier turns, waiting for the other three to take the south exit. That's moving away from the front entrance. "I'll do you the benefit of getting you away from the guards, because I hardly expect they're going to look kindly on /any/ offworlder, once they discover offworlders have absconded with their things. Consider it doing you a service, if you're feeling charitable. If not... congratulations. You've just become temporary hostages. Cooperate, and this is going to end just fine, with you no worse for the wear."
    Rusalka's hard stare, in point, is given a cool, calm stare of his own, and his fingers drum agains the stock of his rifle. "If you're going to suffer a sudden crisis of conscience, be quick about it. I've no time to tarry here. The guards will be back, soon. Or would you like to explain to them why several key artifacts are missing from their archives? It really will go better for you if you come along... cooperatively." He gives a faint, forced smile. "Make no mistake, I disdain taking hostages, and this shouldn't last long at all. My associate will find what we're looking for, I'll abscond to the south entrance of the estate with you three in tow, and you'll be out of our company before you know it."

        Raven may not be in a position to judge, but Rusalka Petrivna Stojespal, heiress and scion of House Stojespal of Polyuchyn, certainly is. And that judgement shows instantly on her face as Raven speaks. Though when the magician steps out of the way verbally, and Yumi speaks truth, she steps forward to stand between the blond and the bunny, and the other two girls.

    Sky...pirate? "Not just thieves, but mad and delusional. Grandeur is not lost, it seems..." She spares half a glance at Raven and Yumi, then stares back at Balthier. "Shall I list the ways, sir? No doubt the lighting was your work, not even Senna had such fortuitous timing." A reference lost, no doubt. "Let alone the guards. Assault is a thing, I suspect."

    And then her tone turns sour as she takes in the rifle. "And I am sure there are weapon ordnances about that..." Distasteful glare. "Thing in your hand."

    She can feel the pressure, not just from the smooth-mouthed pirate but also from her own family name - especially her mother. The affront that it would cause, to be even suspected of being in league with someone like this rankles her deeply, and the idea of letting what might have been a friendly relation sour over a simple breaking and entering? Not to mention the sheer lack of care and the utter ego this man has.

    Somewhere in her, her mother's blood stirs.

    "No. No hostages. No prize for you. Begone, /thief./" An icy edge to her voice that wasn't there before precludes the need for an 'or else.' Rusalka takes one solid, echoing step forward - dropping into, she realizes, a fencing en-garde stance, with nothing in her hands but the program book for the collection on display. A bluff, certainly, but somewhere between the icy anger, sheer fear, and determination, she's rock solid and unmoving.

    "And then we're going to look like accomplices," Yumi replies, already lifting her hands up - but not above pointing out the obvious in the process. "Unless they've got ample security footage around here, the three of us pretty much can't come back to this world. Not for a while, anyway." There's a resigned sigh. "Well, I guess as long as no one's getting hurt." It doesn't sit well letting them get away with some sort of priceless artifact, but unless Raven and-or Rusalka are willing to do something, that's pretty much the only solution that ends well-

    Oh, Rusalka's doing something. Oh dear. Thaaaaat could get dangerous quickly. Yumi takes a half-step or so backwards, already looking for where she can dive for cover... or possibly find some sort of weapon, just in case. Oh this poor dress, it's probably going to get shredded. Ah well, it's just fabric in the end.

Raven blinked a few times. "Sky... pirates?" she asked, cocking her head to the side. "I... met a few sky pirates once. Sadly I didn't get to talk to them, much. But they did seem fascinating," she said softly. "That means you have an air ship then, correct?" she asked, suddenly interested. "I never got a chance to examine the last. I wonder, does it fly via magic, or is it more of a balloon aparatus?" she asked.

And then he said the magic word. Hostage. she considered it for a moment... Then shrugged. "Okay. I've never been a hostage before. It might be..." Well. Not FUN! Interesting. It might be interesting. It sounded like it'd be interesting. She started to walk with him... Then paused.

She turned back, held out her hand so the book flew to it... then turned to follow his directions, opening the book.

Well, he didn't seem to want to hurt them(yet) and there was honesty in what he said. Once they figured out 'off worlders' stole from them... well... She likely wouldn't want to be here either.

And besides, how could see pass up a chance to see an airship? Who knew what magic made a whole ship fly? I mean, yes, she could do it. But it wasn't exactly an easy thing!

Of course, then... rusalka stepped up to do some damage. The girl actually... "Huh," she mumbled, moving a bit aside so the two could duke it out with words. Why she had to give them space for this, no one knew. But she'd read a few books with pirates in them(always the sea based version, to be honest. Sky pirates seemed more efficient. You could beat pirates by like... Just not living near the water. Sky pirates? Not so much.

"Or... huh. Nevermind. We're being protected, so you heard the lady," she said with a small fmile, flipping a page. "This is all very exciting, though. I look forward to telling it later. I assure you I am taking notes." ... The worst part was? She was mentally taking notes because she knew she'd have to recount this to Peach and Ash later.

    The sky pirate lifts a brow, lifting his chin almost imperceptibly at the aristocrat girl's accusations. "Oh, we've a blooded lady of Archades in our midst, is it? Gods be good, girl, have some sense. Of /course/ the lights were my work. Some of Nono's finest work, in point of fact. And the guards are merely unconscious. They'll come to a few hours later and wonder what wonderful diversion they missed from their terminally boring duties."
    "More the pity for them," he adds, shaking his head. "They'll have missed all the fun. But better unlucky than dead. Leaving a trail of bodies is the work of an amateur."
    His eyes flick down to the rifle, and his brows quirk again in unconcerned acquiesce. "I'm certain they do. No doubt they've never seen Ivalician work before. And with luck, I'll not have to use it... but that's up to you, isn't it?"
    Apparently he comes to the same realisation over Rusalka's powerlessness at the same time she does, and he simply casts her a long, searching glance. The rifle swings -- but it points at the floor at Rusalka's feet.
    Altair barks and flashes, once. Marble chips just beneath Rusalka's feet. The roar is deafening.
    In the silence that ensues, Balthier lifts his chin and speaks: "This is no mummer's game, lass."
    To say nothing of Raven's bizarrely anticipatory attitude. That actually does bring him to blink twice in sequence, owlishly, brow momentarily furrowing as though in silent askance.
    Attention back on the game. He looks levelly to Rusalka, staring her in the eye, even as he listens to what the orange-haired Yumi has to say. "On the contrary," he points out reasonably to Yumi, even as he faces Rusalka and keeps his rifle aimed squarely at the stone beneath her feet. "Any witnesses are going to agree I've fired on you, I'm pointing a weapon, and it was really quite reasonable that you go along with our demands. You'll be a hostage. A tourist, caught in the wrong place, at the wrong time."
    A flicker of a cynical smile twists its way across his face. "Don't," he advises congenially, when he catches Yumi checking around for a weapon. "I'd really prefer to finish this the easy way. You see, I really /don't/ want to shoot you, when it comes down to it. My associate should be back from the other wing, momentarily, and then we can be on our merry way."
    He tilts his head as though listening, but his eyes and rifle remain fixed on Rusalka.
    A shadow slips back into the periphery. It's Fran, black and white hare's ears swivelled straight back; she's clutching something that glimmers in her right hand. Her red-brown eyes are piercing as she reads the situation.
    "Bad business," she says simply to Balthier. To the others, she sweeps her red-brown eyes. "We are leaving. Come with us. We will get you out safely. The crowds, beyond. They panic. You'll be trampled." Her ears swivel straight back in distaste. "They are fighting, but not ours. Something has changed. Insurgents?" She shakes her head at her own conjecture.
    Balthier shrugs. "You heard the woman. Listen, and you can hear it. Do you really want to be caught in the middle of a revolution? I know I don't."

        The truth is, it's Yumi's fault. If she hadn't mouthed off at Balthier, Sally wouldn't have been quite so apt to stand him down - probably, anyway. The man's attitude certainly was rubbing her the wrong way anyway, but it didn't help matters. Her point about accomplices, though, and not coming back anytime soon? Precisely what's got Rusalka's ire up.

    That, and having to explain that she'd blown the chance to make initial ties with this world. Some things she really doesn't want to do.

    At the moment, being where she is right now is one of them. //Don't call my bluff, you arrogant ass...but you're going to, aren't you...// She can feel it. Raven speaks, and while she'd agree that there'd be something interesting to seeing an airship - if it's anything more than a blimp, at least - right now she's got to focus.

    A focus that splinters all to hell when that rifle caps off, loud as hell and echoing in the marble hallway. She's no idea where the bullet went, but bits of rock tear a couple small holes in her stocking at the ankle. She can't help shudder in fright, never having been quite this close to being shot herself - that she's aware of, at least. The gun remains where it is, with all the promise of being re-aimed, as Balthier makes his offer.

    "J-just...just me, these two..." Such conviction, almost a whimper. She's trying. "They you can let go, yes?" But then the two start blathering about insurrection and fighting, and she can hear faintly some kind of very clear disorder. And Raven, at least, seems amenable to the idea - Sally turns back, that blue eyed gaze seeking the others.

    What do we do?!

Raven had been content to just be a hostage. To just be calm, and obedient, and see the airship. It wasn't that she wanted to like... Help a thief. But well... She coughed and... "If you'll allow me to make one thing clear."

Her eyes glowed red and a wall of darkness rose in front of Rusalka as her glowing eyes just... glared at him.

"I know barely anything of this land. So it's far more advantageous for me to not be involved and just go along. For all I know, you're some hero and the empire is some dystopian tyranical kingdom of slavery and misery." Then her voice turned... violent. Angry. "The moment you cross the line into murder, that advantage of me not taking sides will be gone and I WILL get involved." When she said that, panes of glass across the room shattered. "So why don't you put that gun down before we cross that threshold? Or you can try shooting me. But I'll warn you now... Unless that is some holy, blessed weapon... it will only. Make. Me. Angry. Er. And trust me. You do not want that."

And then the eyes dyed down, and the darkness faded. "Deep breaths, let the anger go," she said softly, calming herself, a hand going to her chest and pushing out. "Now. He was telling the truth. Something is going on out there and... Azarath, metrion, zinthos," she said, before holding her palms out towards the doors. Darkness enveloped them. "That spell will hold for a bit if they try to break it down. And if it's okay with everyone else, I'd prefer the exit that seems far less likely to result in violence. Sky pirate, if you would? We shall follow." She then glanced to the other two. 

"I trust there are no objections." That... wasn't... a question.

    "Hey, you blame me?" Yumi replies to Balthier, shrugging faintly. "Looked like things were about to get a little rough." She's utterly calm about having just had a gun fired so close to her; far more calm about this whole situation than any middle school girl ought to be. And when Rusalka tuns to glance her way, the older woman will find Yumi's hand reaching up (slowly, so Balthier can see she's not trying anything funny) to give her shoulder a squeeze. "Hey, it's alright. They're not here to hurt anyone, and they're not gonna hurt us if we play along. They might even be our best shot getting out through all of... that." The chaos outside might just be a problem, after all. "It's alright if we just go with it for now. I think they're on the level." And if they are, a priceless artifact or two is a small price to pay for no one getting hur-

    Oh holy crap.

    Even Yumi takes a step or two back from Raven at that. "I... I only have one objection," she says after a moment to gather herself from sheer surprise. "/Please/ don't use the Outside Voice on someone who's got a gun pointed at us."

    Balthier's gaze remains locked on Rusalka, watching her reactions to his own threat, and he seems to recognise that shudder for what it is. Very slowly, almost imperceptibly, he nods. "Point taken, I see. Good."
    And then there is a light show and a shattering of much glass. The sky pirate doesn't so much as flinch, not even when a shard or two rake lines of red past his cheekbone. His eyes do narrow, though, at the threat. Something in his posture and something in his eyes go very, very still.
    "Your mistakes are twofold, I'm afraid. First, I've frankly insulted bigger nasties than you, with far more immediate consequences. Second, if this is your reaction to threats, lass, you'll not be living a very long or productive in the World Tree." He clears his throat discretely. "Besides which, if you're going to wind up doing what I wanted to do in the first place, what exactly is the point of such an outburst...?
    His eyes flick back to Yumi, gauging. She, at least, seems to be the smart one of the bunch. Or at least the most reasonable. Her lack of even a flinch at the shot, however, bears some scrutiny. She might be worth marking and keeping an eye on. Something strange...
    "You should listen to your friend," he says instead, moving his chin deliberately toward Yumi while watching Raven.
    The shadows shift nearby, and -- how does somebody so tall, with tall bright white hare's ears, move so quietly? Fran peels herself from the shadows beside Balthier, something gleaming and green clutched in her right hand. "The magicite," she says simply.
    "Well played, Fran," Balthier says, suddenly cheerful. "Let's get out of here, everyone, shall we?"
    Fran turns and walks right past the others. Her eyes slide toward the side to regard Raven as she passes, but there's no fear in the Viera's assessment. As she strides past Yumi, she eyes her as well, something vaguely approving in her eyes. Rusalka is given a look, too, calm and detached, free of pity or sympathy. Them's the breaks.
    With that, the sky pirates are heading for the door opposite to the one Raven barricades. Fran takes point, tossing something into the air--
    --and, catching the glittering stone neatly in his palm, Balthier strolls ahead to take the lead, Fran falling in to form the rear guard, watching all three girls like a hawk. A hawk with bunny ears. Her bow is still slung over her shoulder, but something in her liquid grace suggests that could change in the time it takes to blink.
    "The grounds are set up in the most labyrinthine way possible," Balthier explains over his shoulder, for the benefit of Team Hostage. "Ostensibly, it was to prove they had the resources to do so, and to slow down anyone intent on storming the castle. Damned waste of resources, if you ask me. If a man rules so badly it has to end like /that/, he's got it coming."
    Fran eyes all three, but for the moment the red-eyed Viera remains silent.

        Half a glance - a mix of a glare and confusion - is thrown at Raven when she mentions the possibility of this gun-wielding lunatic 'pirate' being some sort of hero against a dystopian tyranny. Granted, they might have long speeches, but it seemed hardly the case from where Rusalka was seeing things. Only half a glance, though, as the commotion outside gets louder.

    Then Raven drops into her Exorcist voice, as glass shatters. //This is no longer about family honor or connections this is about living the next few minutes.// Okay, she'd seen the floating book, and magic was something she knew existed in the other worlds; she'd seen it often enough. Between the rifle and the witch, she knows her position is to sit down and be quiet with the rest of the peasantry.

    So be it.

    Yumi's hand on her shoulder gets a thankful nod. The calm demeanor of the girl, and the raw strength from Raven, help square her shoulders up a bit. Eyes turn back to Balthier and Fran, sizing them up as well as any other options they might have, which quickly turn to nothing. Very well - but she will not go as a peasant.

    Ignoring the tears in her stocking, and doing her best to ignore the rifle before her, she gives a small, but at least somewhat respectable, curtsey. "I am Rusalka Stojespal, sir. May I have the name of our companion and temporary benefactor, as well as whom to bill my clothing to?" She's doing the best to summon her mother's cool hardness, and trying to make her request into a demand. Even if he has a gun.

    And with that she steps in behind the other two, heels clicking on the marble as the sound from outside continues. //Thank God the door is barred,// she thinks with a glance at Raven. //Or...whomever.// The thief has her number quite well assessed, and she can't help but go on with it, despite his assumption at the end.

    "A ruler can be kind and benevolent and still need defenses. Especially defenses that protect his own people, especially those 'labyrinthine grounds' you speak of." Maybe she can do something on the way out...either a trail, or something to keep them quite from escaping? Or should she, with the sounds of what seems to be a growing riot?

    Or is that all just this 'sky pirate' at work...? Too little to know, she decides.

Raven blinked and then glanced to Yumi. "O-oh. Right. Yes. Sorry," she said, quite a bit meeker now. "It's err... Kind of an all or... sorry," she said. She wasn't like them, though. 

IT was obvious in the way she moved, while the others seemed more calm, she... Had jumped at the gun shot. Had seemed a bit more anxious as they traveled, her eyes going left and right. Her movements had been big, and grand, but they hadn't been focused. More like a child splashing the waves and making a tidal wave, than a precise, controlled strike. Powerful she was, but she didn't have the experience to really back up her light show. Still. An inexperienced way overpowered demon mage wasn't entirely to be just... underestimated.

'I don't like you shooting at people, that's all..." she grumbled mildly under her breath. "I don't want anyone to get hurt..." Her tone was softer than before, though. It seemed with her anger gone, so was most of that spark.

Also she totally stole the book that caught her interest. She forgot she had it and just... hugged it to her chest. She glanced and looked up at the maze. "Really, a hedge maze? I've heard of those, but never been in one. I'm guessing you have it all memorized, then?"

She glanced to Rusalka as they walked. She couldn't help but be impressed by her. No, by both Rusalka and Yumi, to be honest. As far as she could tell, they... were normal. They seemed human. And yet they seemed to be keeping their calm relatively well. Raven was doing... mostly fine, she felt. But then, she had any number of ways to get away or protect herself. These two... likely didn't. It was impressive...

Then she glanced to Fran and... "Err... if you don't... mind me asking. Are you a pokemon?" Pause. "Oh, and his lover?" GEEZ!

    Yumi's eyes track Fran the entire time the leporine woman is walking by them; she doesn't miss a beat, even when they're most likely safe by her own admission. It looks like the group is moving, so the redhead falls into step soon enough, sticking by Rusalka in a bid to be reassuring. "I think making the seat of government defensible is tradition. Most worlds, it comes from a time when a king was responsible for protecting his kingdom from barbarian invaders." Or ambitious neighbors. Ah, feudalism. "Though I guess if there's an uprising happening out there, there must have been /something/ wrong." In the end, it's not really her place to judge; she was just here for the party.

    And look where /that/ got her.

    Then as they're walking, something finally happens to break her cool - someone finally says something that disrupts her calm. Raven asks a question. And Yumi Tachibana sputters in surprise. She has to fight back a laugh, but most of it's pure surprise that someone would just come right out and ask it in that way.

    "I suppose that's as much true," Balthier concedes, glancing sidelong to regard Rusalka from the corner of one hazel eye. The face of Ashelia comes to mind. He shakes his head. "Though only a fool discounts the possibility of misfortune, no matter how vigilant they are. It happens to everyone, sooner or later. The Wheel turns 'round, or some silly fortune-teller's blather."
    "That is why you plan," Fran chips in.
    "Fran has the right of it. Oh, dear. Have I forgotten to introduce myself? I am terribly sorry about that," he says, in a tone that suggests he frankly doesn't care at all. "My name is Balthier... and this is my partner, Fran." No last name, for either. Nothing. Just 'Balthier' and 'Fran,' simple as that. "We're sky pirates, as has already been made clear. A mere thief is so much less than that."
    For the moment, he ignores Raven. Or, at least, he /appears/ to ignore Raven. It may be that Fran is keeping rear guard to keep an eye on Raven.
    Yumi, however, is in Balthier's attention, to the point where he turns to walk backwards, conversing with her as they go. He must be really confident indeed to know where he's going. Maybe he's some kind of phenom with eidetic memory or something. Maybe he's just studied the schematics /really hard/. Or maybe he just trusts Fran to correct him if he errs.
    "Just so," he observes, to Yumi. "Clearly, not everything was quite as rosy as all would seem. And so long as people are busy sorting things out, well, it's better for all of us if we aren't here. Especially when they inevitably decide to storm the castle."
    He glances to the side. The roar of the crowd outside and the clash of steel seem to be coming closer. Balthier narrows his eyes.
    "This way." He abruptly turns into the hedge maze, assuming the others are following him. A few more twists and turns, taken as Balthier clearly concentrates on recalling the correct path. Fran looks behind them every so often, but doesn't seem disturbed by the presence of a revolution right beyond the palatial walls.
    He glances to Yumi, regarding her in languid study, slipping his free hand into his pocket, hefting the rifle back over his shoulder.
    He utterly ignores the question Raven asks of Fran.
    Fran's red-brown eyes settle on Raven with what may be disquieting stillness. She simply stares at the girl, expression unreadable.
    "My relationship with Fran is strictly professional," Balthier remarks, throwing his free hand up into the air in dismissive gesture. "If you really must know."
    "What /is/ a Pokemon?" he asks, conversationally. "Third left, was it, Fran?"
    "Fourth," the Viera answers.
    He grunts in evident assent. "Right, then. The hover's waiting?"
    "Nono has seen to it."
    "I love it when a plan comes together," he comments to no one in particular, voice pleasant.

        If Raven thinks she's keeping her calm well, that's a testament to her family's work in bearing and dignity. Inside, Rusalka's a turmoil - angry at the break-in, annoyed at their thief, terrified at nearly getting shot, just a bit scared by whatever the hell Raven had done, and thankful for Yumi's quiet confidence and presence. It just makes a very stoic, brittle young woman - and she's already planning a //very// long drive to unwind after this, chauffeur be damned.

    Raven's words get a small smile of thanks. One she makes sure Balthier can't see; she appreciates the sentiment about not being hurt. Yumi, meanwhile, gets a nod. "If a lord cannot protect their people, will not fight for them, they are no lord. The obligations of nobility require it; they are //your// people." The mention of the uprising gets a frown, but it's not something she wants to think about or comment on.

    Really, they had been fine hosts, and six hundred years was hardly something to overthrow in one night. But she'll keep her opinions to herself, in that regard - with this fellow, it seems discretion is definitely a path to the future.

    And then there's Raven's question, and Rusalka's face just turns ever so slightly wooden. Not...the best thing to ask, considering they're currently hostages of an armed pair, but at least the freewheeling //thief// is freely brushing it off. Ahem.

    Hover? Ah, their escape route. Eyes narrow slightly as half a plan starts forming; she's debating - if he's just going to abandon them to this particular mob, the three of them won't be alone. Keep him talking, at least. What...ahhh, yes.

    "This thing you have stolen. Magicite, you called it. What is it?" Hover, hover, what kind of hover? Please have wires, you infernal machine...

Raven blinked a few times and... He didn't answer her! How dare her. However, she glanced back to Yumi. "What?" she asked. Then glanced to Fran. "Oh. Well, my friend who is..." she considered for a moment. Thought about it. Then sighed. "A long story. A pokemon is a... creature. That may or may not be as smart, or smarter, than some humans. And have weird abilities. And yet are... enslaved by humans and... I honestly am not a 100% sure on what they are. This multiverse is confusing. So many different species, factions. And I didn't have to know, I was merely curious," she said softly.

Her eyes did waver between Fran and Balthier for a moment. It was... oddly hard for her to keep a good grip on either of them. But she was beginning to suspect Balthier was the leader... But Fran was the one who made the job work.

"... Balthier is human though, correct? and I suspect you are not?" She paused and.... "I am not human," she added quickly siunce... She really suspected if she didn't say it, she'd get some kind of sarcastic quip.

Also, she felt a small bit of excitement at the thought of this 'hover'. She hoped it flew through magic...

    Despite her dress, Yumi moves with the fluid, brisk movements of someone used to acting in a crisis. For that matter, her balance is quite good, and she's staying constantly alert even when they get into the hedge maze. Not for Balthier and Fran so much anymore, but rather for the chaos going on outside. "Yumi, if we're introducing. Tachibana Yumi. I'm... it's complicated, but I'm basically just a middle school student with a nose for trouble." A middle school student with the poise and situational awareness of a veteran warrior. Complicated, indeed. "If something's going on between the citizens and the government, I don't have a lot of confidence whoever's guarding the Vines will just let anyone through. Is it too much to ask you drop us off on the /other/ side of a gate?"

    "Something like that," Balthier affords to Rusalka, with a satisfied nod. "Nobody follows a coward. Certainly they don't respect him, even if they do follow. They'll just follow the next strong ruler who helps himself to the prize, if you know catch my meaning. Survival of the fittest. These little problems tend to correct themselves in due course, one way or another."
    He looks up as they walk, eyes lingering on the topiary as though he were thinking hard on it. Either he's recalling some minute detail, or he's counting something.
    "Left," he says abruptly, swerving in that direction and assuming the rest of the party follows. Fran doesn't correct him. It must be the correct one this time.
    He turns slightly, just enough to fix Rusalka with the corner of a hazel eye. "Magicite. Consider it... hm. The most painless explanation is condensed magick. Power, in the palm of your hand, in the right sources. Pure specimens are quite valuable. In the right markets, of course."
    His hand shifts over the rifle, but he doesn't yet lay it down. Instead, he glances back at Raven, and this time he almost does stop. His gaze turns a little cold, even while Fran's never changes.
    The rifle bobs in his hand, but it doesn't point directly at Raven.
    "Mind your manners," he says, mildly. "Or I'll be forced to mind them for you, and you'll be leaving this place wearing a gag. Do you want to wear a gag?" Balthier shakes his head. "I didn't think so."
    The more she explains about this Pokemon thing, the more his expression turns to one of annoyed bafflement. What?
    "Why do you people keep calling it 'human?' It's 'hume,'" Balthier sighs. "And yes, I am. Not particularly difficult to believe, is it?" He holds out a hand as though he were indicating the Viera, although she walks behind them all. "She, on the other hand, is not. Not too hard to tell that, either. She's one of the Viera. The People of the Wood. And if you're even thinking about trying something ill-advised, I don't doubt she'll see it before you do. Nothing gets by Fran."
    Yumi earns a look and a quirked eyebrow. Perfectly normal girl, is it? He's seen perfectly normal people in very abnormal situations, before. That whole Rabanastre business... Penelo had no real attachment to anything else the group had been doing. Vaan, either. Yet they turned out to be extraordinary in their capability to stand up and act when it mattered... a skill of shocking scarcity. Yumi, however, seems to possess that quality.
    The sky pirate makes a thoughtful sound in the back of his throat as he walks.
    "If there's a war going on betwen the citizenry and the government, dear Tachibana Yumi, nobody's going to be guarding the Vines. Well, I suppose there's the part where I arranged that."
    "Nono says the Strahl is ready." Fran's red-brown eyes fix on Balthier, and he gives a curt nod. "Go get the hover. We'll wait around the next corner."
    Without a word, Fran lopes off, with just as much liquid grace as any jungle predator. She's gone in the span of a breath.
    "Stay with me. She'll be back in--"
    There's an electrical whine. Balthier flicks a hand, pointing at the shadows. Something glows in bright hues of cyan and green -- it might be a motorcycle, if it were made into a huge cruiser, and it had no wheels. Instead, it hovers over rings of cyan light within the chassis, whining almost electrically.
    "--just a tick. All aboard," he calls, gesturing to get everyone to the vehicle. "There aren't enough seats for quite this many, but Fran can get us out of here and to the nearest Vine. If you're having second thoughts, you're free to go explain yourselves to the locals. Whichever you decide, make it quick. We haven't much time before they break through their vaunted royal gates."
    And, clinging to the hover, the sky pirate settles into the rearmost seat; Fran is at the front, doing the driving. "Other side of the gate, is it? I see no reason why not, that being the way we're headed to begin with." Yeah, no, they're not gonna be sticking around /here/.

        She can sympathize with Raven. "There is...much out there." Whatever a pokemon is, it doesn't seem to live a good life; this long-hared woman apparently isn't one of them. Something to look up later, perhaps. Though that gets Raven a doubletake when she mentions not being human - granted, it's hard to see under all the ornate robes, but the pale grey girl certainly had passed as such so far.

    The more you know.

    "Yumi. Despite the circumstances, a pleasure, I am sure. Once..." Her voice is quiet, the conversation hopefully just for the three of them, but she suspects Fran overhears everything with her oversize ears, and Balthier overhears everything with his oversize smug. "If we come across a vehicle, I will return you home. I know the Vines," she adds, tracing one finger over the back of her hand. The offer is for Raven as well, though she doesn't yet know the other girl's name.

    Nono. Fran. Balthier. And the 'Strahl.' At least she has names to remember, people to identify in the future. Why couldn't she have brought a smartphone, and taken photographs! Or something, some kind of evidence. All they have...is his words, and the fact he hasn't lied to them yet.

    That they know of anyway; she half suspects him of fomenting this little revolt to cover his theft. And then her prayer is answered, at least...somehow. With that kind of whine, it's definitely an electrical system; it's got to have wiring somehow but a hard look at the hovercycle doesn't give much away. Too much fairing on it, not enough of the detailed and important go-bits. She frowns a little, before deciding.

    "The two of you, climb on. I will find a space." This to Raven and Yumi, making sure the others are quite well set in. Maybe for the moment they're 'her people' in the definition she'd used before, and she's doing what she can for their safety. Even if one of them happens to be a more than slightly frightening sorceress...

    ...and maybe, just maybe, she's hoping to hang on to the outside-most spot and get a better look at what passes for an motor. Not that she's likely to keep that engineer's eye secret from Balthier for long...

Raven glanced back to Yumi. She almost spoke. But... What Balthier said made her freeze. She glanced to Balthier. 

Then... "Condensed... magic?" she asked softly. "You can condense magic, here? Does it work with magic from other worlds? what process is required?" And it seems he hit a note of interest to her. 

And then he threatened. A gag? He couldn't-- he wouldn't-- that wasn't... "Fine..." she grumbled, red faced. Like. She didn't WANT to listen to him... but... he did have a small air of authority... And she'd been gagged before. It sucked. And all but made her powers useless.

Of course, her annoyance was short lived when she saw the device. And oh my gosh... "It's beautiful..." she whispered. She'd fly up to it, to examine it more closely "So it's like a normal plane, then. But it's an airship in this world, absolutely fascinating, breathtaking, even..." she whispered. "Does it fly entirely through its own power, or is magic involved? After this is over, would you allow me to scan it?" she asked. Then glanced to Rusalka and then shook her head. "There is no need. I can fly under my own power. I merely wanted to examine the magical properties of this device. I will keep up fine." Ah ha ha ha ha... Oh dear. She may be underestimating the speed of this thing.

    Once everybody's situated, which Balthier tolerates with increasing impatience, he slings his rifle down from his shoulder, lifting it to brace against his shoulder and sight down the barrel over the side of the hovercar. True to his profession, heights must not bother him at at all.
    Then again, one probably needs a certain threshold on ability to cope to thrive in a high-stakes vocation like thievery.
    He either ignores or doesn't hear Rusalka's comment, but it's most likely the former. Very little seems to get by him; and less past his partner.
    A few seconds of silence pass.
    "I can feel you staring at my hoverbike, and the answer is no," he says, mildly. "I happen to like this model quite a lot. It's a custom job. Fran's heart and soul, you know. Besides which, I rather like the idea of living, and I'd like to keep on doing it, if it's all the same to you. I wouldn't play with the repulsor-driven vehicle while you're at cruising altitude. At least, not if I were in your position."
    He ignores Raven's endless questions about magicite for the moment, mostly because he's waiting for her to comply and stop /talking/ quite so much.
    "No, technically yes, and no," Balthier answers, to Raven's rapid-fire questions about the hover. Will she keep up with it? Probably not. So he shrugs. "Suit yourself. We're heading that way, toward the south, where I know a Vine is not far from an ill-used city square. There won't be any patrols."
    And then Fran shows what kind of stuff the hoverbike is made of -- speedy stuff.
    It would leave Raven in the dust if it actually left any dust. It doesn't; all she's left with instead is a wash of cyan light, and a stiff wind smelling of burnt ozone. The hovercycle is soon lost to the night, unless she's able to keep up with at least the freeway speed of modern traffic.
    True to his word, though, Balthier will drop them all -- whoever hitches a ride, anyway -- off on the other side of the nearest Vine. He will not, however, take any of them to his airship, and tells his passengers so in no uncertain terms at some point during their travels southward.
    They'll be let out safely, though. True to his word, no harm will have come to them, except maybe heart palpitations from Fran's stunt driving.