2nd Interlude: The Conspiracy

May nods in agreement and drinks some wine. "Vould Sam like to spar before meeting? May still vound up."

"Why, vat have you heard?"

Prince Arthur Hammerfist and Minister of Imperial Affairs is said to spend his money frivolously on prostitutes, large feasts and luxurious items. The Emperor attempted to teach his son moderation by cutting his allowance, but Arthur found money elsewhere.

In the last year, he has strengthened his political ties to a faction of the Imperial Court known as the Moneymakers, a group of nobles and merchants from across the isles who believe in deregulating the financial sectors. They argue that regulations harm the economy and that eliminating them would usher a new golden age of peace and prosperity. Their opponents argue it would undermine the financial and political stability of the Empire, impoverish the citizens by taking away their rights and enrich the Moneymakers.

He is also known for rewarding people based on their loyalty instead of their merit, drawing the criticism of many. The Emperor has curtailed these efforts, but there's only so much he can do. Despite these flaws, the Prince is reputed for being a ruthless and cruel manager, but nevertheless efficient—at least when it comes to bureaucracy.

He is rumored to seek the hand of the first daughter of the King of Lorinth, whose father is ambivalent about whether or not to join the Moneymaker faction.

What does May know about the first princess of Lorinth?

Knowledge Politics (Trained) 15

May:

Samantha can briefly feel her satchel wiggle.

May ponders this revelation and finally answers, "May not imagine Princess Frauke too happy about it and that she let all know, vether they vant to or not. Her tongue as sharp as your sword, Sam."

For a moment, Sam nearly has a panic attack, thinking that there might be a bug wiggling about inside her satchel. Curious, and a little suspicious, she picks it up and inspects it, and when she realizes it must be Jacob, she opens it and lets the poor guy out. "Oops, I'm sorry Jacob! Are you alright?"

The fairy sticks his head out of the satchel and looks around the cabin. "Is it safe?" he asks.

May looks apologetic and says, "It safe. Sam check for bugs."

"Okay, I'll be discreet," Jacob says. "Can I sit here?"

He approaches the pillow, climbs it with some difficulty until he reaches the top, and then sits on it.

"It's called a ‘pillow’, right? It's soft."

He bounces on it a little.

"Ja, pillow. May's pillow tonight. Vould you like to lay down for a bit? May no mind."

"No... no bed." He starts to stroke the pillow with a pensive look. He stops after a few seconds and says to May, "I think I'll stay awake for now; I'm not tired yet. Can you keep talking about the Prince?"

"His Majesty?" Jacob repeats. "You mean Mr. Hammerfist, right? I don't know him very well, but... I don't think he's stupid."

He ponders the possibility.

She nods. "I just hope he isn't putting all his eggs into one basket. Sorry May, I'm holding up our fencing match, aren't I? Jacob, would you like to see?"

"Come vatch May make Sam cry. Great fun."

Sam grins. "Make me cry? You're on, Punchdrunk."

"Oh! What's a ‘fenzing’ match?"

Samantha and May enthusiastically proceed to perform a demonstration.
____________

Meanwhile...

Nick doesn't get to brood for a long time. A few minutes after he's shut himself in his cabin, he hears a knock on the door.

"Nick?" He recognizes Anne's voice. "Can I come in?"

Nick is obviously not entirely surprised, but still nervous. Which shows when he opens the door, and stands out of the way so she can come in. The white mage offers a shy smile to her comrade as she enters the room. She then waits for him to close the door before she speaks. "Hey, I—I hope I didn't tease you too much back there...." She pauses. "I'm sorry if I did."

Nicks looks down for a moment, before looking up at her again with a faint smile and shaking his head reassuringly.

"Oh, good." She lets out a sigh of relief and chuckles—her cheeks are flushed. "Can I... can I sit?" she asks.

The only furniture present in this room is a small nightstand and a clean, but dusty bed. Nick gives a slight awkward frown at the state of his accommodations, but finally gestures to the bed.

Was that too forward!? he thinks.

Anne sits down and straightens her gray robe. She looks up to Nick and says, "Uh, you can sit down too you know. It's weird if you're the only one standing."

"Uh..." Nick utters soundlessly, though his nervousness is apparent when he hesitates for a moment between the bed and the nightstand, before sitting down next to Anne.

Anne moves a lock of hair behind her ear and asks, "So, could you teach me?"

Nick is confused for a split second, flusters for a moment after, then decides to stop fooling around and gathers his courage. He places one hand on hers, the other caressing her face, leans in close enough to feel her breath and...

"Uh, Nick...?" Anne says, her face completely red. "I—I meant sign language."

Nick freezes in place, and has to make such an effort to pull himself back you could almost hear the gears grind. He gets up, his face red as a hot pepper. He takes a breath that does nothing to calm him down. He tries to say something reflexively, but doesn't even remember he's mute as he struggles in vain to form so much as a word. He sits back down, slumped, looking at the floor. He raises his palm, and a pebble jumps from the desk right in from of them, and starts dancing in the air, leaving a trail to form a word.

"Uhhhh........" After another moment, he manages. "Sign language."

Anne is still befuddled by what just happened, and this has become so awkward that it takes a few seconds before she can look at Nick again. When he starts writing with his magical pebble however, she lets out a hearty laugh.

"Yeah. Sign language." She hesitantly intertwines her hand in his, and asks in a soft voice, "So, can you teach me?"

Nick still hasn't recovered, and now has to deal with the embarrassment on top of everything. His mouth trembles as he raises his free hand and gestures. The pebble dances in the air again. "Embarrassed beyond words."

Anne laughs loudly at these words, being very amused for some reason. "Being mute, you would be." She manages to relax a little. "So, where do we start?"

12:43 PM, 29th of July, 203 A.F.
The Happy Frog, Haven Bay, Medial

To the crew's absolute delight, Samantha and May decide to fence on the upper deck. The sailors loudly cheer on for both women while Jacob stays hidden in the satchel, which has been positioned so he could enjoy the demonstration his new comrades promised him. Five minutes before the scheduled time of the meeting, Smirk—who's been standing on the upper deck since Colonel Riddle dismissed the party—suddenly laughs out loud, for no apparent reason. No one knows what he found so funny, and when asked about it, he bursts into laughter some more.

The fun soon ends however, and the squad gathers into the small meeting room Captain Oldturn has prepared for them. Jacob appears relieved that he won't have to spend more time in the satchel, and decides to sit on Samantha's knee—with her permission of course.

Colonel Riddle eyes the Aspect suspiciously and asks him, "So... what's so funny Smirk?"

"Ja, don't hold out on May, Ghostyman. Erzähle allen!"