Nieven peered over Ambika’s shoulder as the runner from this morning suddenly ran by and gave her something.

“What does it say?”, he questioned before taking a look at the detailed map that the older lady held in her hands. That was a perfect way to get out of the city and quickly considering how much of a rush they were in. Even if it was a private ship and that ran the risk of being a trap Nieven didn’t particularly mind one bit.

He’d then glance over at Yoriko as she popped up from a room very angry at Ambika as Nieven gave her a friendly wave.

“Hello there again my friend! I was saying we should go and especially if it is a gift from you then I’m sure we can trust it. Though that seems kind of unlikely considering this intense and odd civil war that appears to be going on in your family”.

Nieven then nodded as Ambika filled him and Ishya in on her plan, “Alright just don’t die out there okay? I would feel kind of bad being left here alone with such a mean person like her”, he’d say pointing at the gremling artisan.

The Sylvan elf then sprinted towards the ship as the smoke bomb went off with Ishya following close behind. Not knowing where he was going, Nieven began checking every room on board until finally he found the control room. However, it seemed to be a different world entirely as buttons and levers surrounded the table.

“Okay good heavens how am I supposed to get this thing started?”, he muttered to himself.

Yoriko deeply loathed having to deal with the excessively prideful Oakenthorn, if only half as much as she dreaded having to deal with the Phairot matriarch. She could, unfortunately, see the reasoning behind her mother's extreme actions, especially now that she had visual confirmation that the aged woman was none the worse for wear despite the hired assassins. That the Sylvan Elf was equally unmarred provided little reassurance, given the reputation the latter had as an adventurer himself.

Ishya glared at the accusatory finger pointed at her by Nieven, before stomping ahead into the ship without a word. Her wounds would not be healed easily, if they ever do.

Luckily for Nieven though, Ishya had noticed an operating manual sitting on the shelf behind the door and presented it to him. She did not like the idea of having to work with the man, but there were more important matters at hand as she started the ship moving. Navigation could come later.

Meanwhile, at the deck, Ambika was keeping an eye still at the port for any hostile intent that may be directed at them, though the obscuring smoke was doing well to dissuade any possible attackers at the moment.
"So. Are you intended to follow us, or am I to find a way to have you disembark?" the old soul inquired.
"The ship is magically set to explode after a certain amount of time, and I am the only one who knows how to delay its activation. Its original caster is in the Crescent Isles." Yoriko answered with pure, unadulerated disdain in her voice. That blasted old fox really thought of everything, huh.
"I see." Ambika released her stranglehold over the Yata daughter once she believed there was enough distance that they would not face possible retaliation, and set forth towards the operations room, following after the latter, where she would notice Yoriko and Ishya glaring at one another like sworn enemies. Sigh. At the very least, they will live.
"We are headed for the Crescent Isles." Ambika declared, surmising it better to come from her lips. She will have to take time to learn how to operate the ship herself sometime.

“Ahem wonderful job”, the Sylvan elf would say quickly, grabbing the manual and combing through it while the gremling tapped her foot impatiently.

Nieven would equally as impatient skim through the manual just trying to look for any signs of how to get them going, "Okay Yes yes brakes…boring…steering..not important…weather protocols…not necessary…OH YES HERE IT IS START-UP PROCESS BRILLIANT”, he’d exclaim speed reading the text and throwing it on the floor.

He ran towards the control panel and began tapping on the correct levers and knobs before pushing the big final lever that began the ship. The vessel would shake alive and begin to start moving at a slow pace away from the dock.

“Uhhh smartypants, how do we get this thing to go fast because there’s no way we’ll be able to escape at this pace?”Ishya would question, irritated.

Nieven would call out, “Ahaha yes well just wait one moment”, before diving towards the floor and picking the manual back up.

Once again without any regard for reading comprehension, the sylvan elf would skim through the pages trying to find any words that mentioned going faster.

“Uhhh pirate protocols…not useful…docking instructions..not important..what to do when the captain eats poison berries again…how absurd next…OKAY THERE IT IS SETTING SPEED”, he’d call out rushing towards the control panel again.

He’d find the red lever and hit it to the maximum level causing the ship to go from slow to extremely fast almost causing Nieven to stumble back, “HUZZAH I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I'M DOING”.

The sudden jerk caused both Ishya and Yoriko to trip onto the floor from the abrupt shift in momentum, though Ambika's feet would remain planted to the floor^[1] and with a quick leap across the floor, she would deftly pull at the lever to bring the ship to a more manageable speed before moving to help the two civilians back to their feet.

"You ought to consider that not everyone can handle a ship's full acceleration." The old woman was curt, and to the point in her chastisement. Better to just be factual when dealing with overly arrogant airheads.

"I have but one question for you, Yoriko." Her visible eye was as sharp as a dagger as she directed her attention to the young noblewoman. "Was Ishya a deliberate casualty?"
"What? You dare accuse us of throwing a sheep to slaughter!?" Yoriko was visibly offended at the idea, while Ishya stood aghast at the very suggestion being elaborated in front of her.
"The client was Priere Ocias Haysinthe, was it not?" Both Yoriko and Ishya's expressions shifted near immediately upon hearing that name - the colours drained from the former, while the latter's eyes and mouth widened in pure surprise. "A woman with loathsome predilections." She would know. That perverse cockroach in gilded robes tried to lay her hands on a young Ambika once, and died for it before being summarily revived only thanks to Florentio. Knew to keep her hands off the assassin after that, though the disgusting interest would only wane in earnest after Florentio was disowned and forced out of the family.
"You- YOU!" Ishya charged towards Yoriko with frenzied rage, a sculpting knife on hand. Ambika would force her to the floor post-haste before the implement saw blood. "Why? Let me at her! LET ME AT HER!"
"It-it's not our fault! If anything, it's because of the Haysinthe that bloody grandma on top of you married to that got us involved with that fucking family in the first place!" All pretense of civility had been lost at this point. "What were we supposed to do, say no to one of the most secretive and influential families in Sol City? None of this would have happened if you had died with the rest of your family, you godsforsaken bitch!"

The sculpting knife was stuck on the nearby wall the next instant, and blood trickled from the side of Yoriko's neck.

"I will not miss the next time." Ambika's eyes were wide and filled to the brim with murderous rage. "This conversation is over." She raised herself from Ishya and walked out the room to get some air outside.

---

[1]Cats Grace

SPOILER: Click to show

Your reflexes and basic body movement become extremely agile and nimble, allowing you to move around without the fear of falling or tripping over something. As long as you are moving you can not be knocked over or knocked off of something. If you do fall you will take no damage, landing safely on your feet as long as you have fallen less than two hundred feet. (falling off a mountain does not help you)

“Aha sorry, I was a little busy trying to figure out how this thing worked, plus isn’t faster always better? After all, we’re trying to get out of here as fast as possible so I say let’s put it on maximum speed but considering our passengers stumbling I shall keep it at the current pace”, the sylvan elf would retort ignorantly not finding fault in his piloting.

Nieven then intently watched as Ambika and Yoriko went back and forth. He honestly wished that he had some popcorn or snacks because the drama was beginning to get juicy. His eyes went back and forth with each rebuttal kept a close eye on the gremling as she also stared at this exchange fury beginning to build in her expression. He then was shocked but not surprised to see Ishya charge at Yoriko seeing as how the woman so haphazardly disregarded her life.

“Violence is never the answer my friend even if someone disrespects and is callous toward you just keep calm. If they see that they get a rise out of you then it’s like they won't. Stay unbothered and relaxed after all I’m quite sure that you are the correct one here”

Nieven’s eyes go wide as Yoriko unleashes a series of malicious and vile words. He had no real idea of any of the personal drama going on but even he knew that she just dropped all hopes of being civilized.

“Ouuuuu, She did not just say that”, he exclaimed as he carefully piloted the ship. Then as soon as Ambika flicked the knife at Yoriko, nearly missing her, he knew full well that tensions had reached a breaking point.

He called out, “Hey Ishya, mind taking charge? Awesome I’ll be right back”, before following Ambika outside to check on her.

The salty winds blew briskly all over her being, causing Ambika's loose hairs and overcoat to wave and flutter as she stared at the fading Sol City in the distance with her arms on the rails, laden with emotional fatigue throughout her being. Sol City was more of a home to the old soul than the deserts will ever be, not that she was unprepared to have to live a life on the run once more. She never really stopped, in all honesty. It was either by some miracle that she never found herself targeted like this until now, or the past 30-some years of relative peace was the true extent of her partner's capacity to keep her and her family safe from retribution. 

At the very least though, there had not been anyone who came for her specifically because of who she was in her past, and in that she could gain some measure of solace. Even if she was painfully aware the real reason for that was likely because she had scarcely left anyone alive who could have avenged their loved ones. Perhaps that was the true reason for the attack at her household 2 years ago. She had no real way of knowing given that she slaughtered the murderers without mercy, and all of them refused to divulge anything until their last breath. One could argue it was simply karma that she would like to see everything she held dear die in front of her, just as she stole countless lives from others and their loved ones. The former assassin would not pretend she deserved a happy ending. The world was horribly unjust, where the best could break and the worst could thrive given the right opportunities.

The old soul could hear Nieven's footsteps as he came out from the control room, but she was in no mood to indulge his curiosity at the moment, so she would pretend to not acknowledge his presence until he made himself known. She had only been with him for half a day, but she already knew the man would speak soon enough as he was very much in love with his own voice, and to allow for silence would be to deny the surrounding air his superfluous grace in his rose-tinted view. Ambika braced herself for whatever conversation was going to happen next.