(Chat logs from 04.29.13)

Verial Akilara
After Deanna had kissed Francis on the cheek, he grinned like a man who had never been kissed by a woman except perhaps his mother. A light blush dampened the color of his cheek and he beamed like he had won a championship trophy in a race. Honestly, Verial couldn't blame the young soldier as charming and warmly as Deanna had acted towards him. Verial snickered slightly as he and Deanna headed shortly past Francis and went up the stairs towards one of the watch towers where Sedric was keeping post. Soon enough, Sedric was called out by Deanna who told him he better stop making her wait. The man was drawn out of his tower, like a fish on a hook out of the sea, and smiled as he came to meet the two of them right at the top of the steps. After Sedric's warning about Deanna kissing Francis on the cheek, Verial nodded and flashed a light grin to Deanna. "If the cold or some beast outside Chaliceton doesn't kill Francis, I'm sure the mere fact of Lady Amelia being a woman might." Verial then continued to listen to Sedric's report nodding occasionally to what the man had to say. It seemed like things, since Verial's period of rest, were going fine and strangely, there were no dire situations to tend to. "Good news, Sedric, and even better that Spring seems to be on its way here. Perhaps winter will be shorter than we thought." Verial noted the way Sedric puffed out his chest with pride at his accomplishments and Verial gave Sedric a slight approving bow in return. "Nothing else needed, Sedric. We're going to partake in some much needed fresh air, but if you need us, we shouldn't be far." With that, Verial descended the stairs, turning his head and looked momentarily towards Deanna who was by his side. "Feel up for a horse ride? I'm thinking the ocean sounds nice, as cold as it might be still." Before Deanna could answer, he was already directing his feet towards the stables.

Deanna DiCorvino
Deanna waved goodbye to the Captain before turning toward Verial once more. Her lips curled into a warm smile at the prospect of horseback riding. The ocean. Sheer bliss for Deanna and she closed her eyes briefly as if listening to the sound of the waves crashing against the cliffs. Her eyes slowly opened again and she murmured, "You really have to ask me?" but Verial was already steering her toward the stables. Sure the air was chilly despite the oncoming of spring, but nothing got Deanna's blood flowing like riding. Well...almost nothing. Her pace matched his and before she knew it, the stables were in view. It was then that she finally released his arm and entered into the building, offering a hasty wave to the stablehands as her purposeful stride took her directly to the chestnut mare she had fallen in love with at first sight. The beast seemed to recognize her as it snorted and blew at her upon seeing Deanna approach. "Hello there, pretty girl," Deanna crooned as she entered the mare's stall to rub a hand over the beast's mane. "I've come to liberate you. Let's get you saddled," Deanna grinned and placed a kiss on the mare's nose before gesturing to one of the young men to see that her horse was fit to ride.

Verial Akilara
Upon entering the Chaliceton stables, the horse that Deanna usually rode look delighted to see her entering the building. As if the two were kin, the idea of riding and running across Arthuran's snowy land sparked life in their eyes. On the other hand, Verial's horse he typically rode did not seem too keen on leaving the stables and Verial swore if it was possible, the animal was giving him a raised, questioning brow. "Don't look at me like that," Verial said walking towards the horse as it was beginning to be saddled by some of the stable hands. "I remembered this time." Out of his pockets, Verial pulled an apple and laying it flat in his open palms, fed it to the horse. Deanna's own horse looked curiously at her as if she had forgotten to bring her a treat. Not soon after the horses were saddled, Verial and Deanna were riding away from the stables and once the city walls were behind them, the two were galloping across Arthuran without a care. They reached the part of Arthuran's ocean at the edge of a cliff that made a portion of the continent's perimeter. Verial dismounted, helped Deanna slide off her own horse and took a few more steps towards the cliff where the waves crashed freely against it. It was there that Verial breathed in deeply and closed his odd colored eyes. "For some reason, this air feels amazing right now. Must have really been inside too long."

Deanna DiCorvino
Deanna did not offer her mare an apology concerning the lack of treats even as the female eyed the apple with great longing and jealousy. "He's just sucking up, little girl, so you know, your boy toy doesn't buck him off." Deanna gave the mare a pat and chuckled as she eyed Verial and then they were off. Feeling a bit competitive, and knowing she probably shouldn't have pushed herself so hard, or even riding to begin with, Deanna urged her mare faster, and the horse all too happily agreed to leave her male counterpart in the dust or rather snow. Deanna, gripping the reigns tightly, would glance back at Verial from time to time with a sense of smug superiority in her smile, but there was genuine warmth in her eyes. Finally they reached the cliffs and dismounted. Her fingers entwined with Verial's, they made their way to the edge, or as close as Deanna was willing to go. Despite her many capabilities, Deanna was truly terrified of heights, but would always force herself to face her fears and deal with them whether she liked them or not. Looking down, she nodded in agreement to him as great whitecaps appeared and slammed against rock, her nostrils flaring some as she inhaled deeply and leaned against him. "Smells clean." Deanna slid him a sidways look and a grin appeared as a thought crossed her mind. "Tell me you're not dying to go all lizard on me right now? Tell me you don't want to spread those leathery wings of yours and fly right now?"

Verial Akilara
He opened his eyes after hearing Deanna's voice and her equal appreciation of the setting before them. An arm wrapped around the small of her back as Deanna leaned into his side. Verial smiled softly, kissed the top of her forehead and looked at her curiously as she asked him if he wanted to change into a dragon and fly away. Verial turned his vision down to her and smirked ever so slightly. "Of course I do," Verial said, "but I might have an urge to eat the horses if I transform into a dragon." One of the horses neighed in a response that was likely protest, though Verial did not see which one it was. "Why? The horse ride wasn't good enough? Want to fly on a dragon?" Verial was only half kidding, but it was not an idea he was going to dismiss if Deanna wanted to really. "Don't you have sort of the same feeling though standing out here? Though I suppose, unless there's something hidden inside of you that I don't know about, that you've never flown by yourself." Verial tucked a strand of raven hair behind a pointed ear that was being played with by the wind and turned his gaze back out towards the sea.

(Chat logs from 06.04.13)

Deanna DiCorvino
She chewed on her lower lip for a moment, her right hand subconciously reaching toward the dragon scale that hung on the cord around her neck, the scale iteself tucked safely under the bodice of her dress. Nimble fingers grazed reverently over the obsidian colored scale as she debated on the oh so tempting offer made by Verial. To fly. To fly off the cliff and above the icy waters below, which seemed to Deanna...a really, really long way down. Amber orbs lowered in the sockets to peer off the edge, and upon viewing the whitecaps of the waves breaking against large rocks that jutted upward, Deanna swallowed the lump in her throat and the feeling of bile that rose with it. Hoping to hide her fear, she could only imagine falling...falling...to become nothing more than a bloodied husk of woman only to have all traces of her washed away. Fear. It was the mind killer, and though Deanna was not one to shy away from risks, heights yet proved something she could master. Oh sure, she had scaled walls, mountains even when the time came for it, but that was duty, obligation. There were no options then for her. Now she could easily say no, and Verial would completely understand, especially with the unspoken knowledge of her 'delicate' condition. But something nagged at her. Something deep inside told her that this could very well be the last chance she had to do this, and not flying. Trust. She had to trust him to keep her safe. Trust her to keep her safe, his child safe, himself safe. Was this the inner workings of her mind trying to sway her, or perhaps something else? As if on cue, the little monster that resided safely within her womb stirred, and she squelched the high pitched sound of startlement that threatened to spill out of thinly pressed lips. "Let's do it," she blurted then, already regretting her decision as she whipped her head toward him, fixating him with a determined, or slightly insane, gaze. "I'll fly with you. So... change or whatever it is you do." Before she lost her nerve, was what she meant to finish that sentence with, but pride dominated her fear at the moment. Pride, or incredible stupidity.

Verial Akilara
He had been gazing towards the sea that surrounded Arthuran, into the waves that played and crashed against the rocky cliffs. Deanna was quiet for some time, contemplating his offer and to his surprise, taking it seriously. When she finally answered him saying she did want to fly, Verial blinked and turned his odd colored eyes to her. For a brief split second, there was a hint of confusion on his face, but this was quickly replaced by a soft smile. Verial turned, taking a few steps to Deanna and pulled away his coat and handed it to her. "You may need the extra clothing," Verial said with a wink. The weather was not as cold, spring having settled in, but it was still Arthuran the land of snow and ice no matter what season it was. There would be a chill in the air and even more so once flying. Verial turned on his feet and brought the horses quite a few feet away, hoping he would not startle them upon transformation. On that thought, Verial tilted his head towards Deanna studying her and suddenly felt a bit awkward changing in front of her. "Hmm... I'm not sure when was the last time I've done this in front of someone." A hand rested under his chin in thought, but he dismissively dropped it to his side and offered a slight shrug. "Then again, I'm sure this isn't the most frightening you've seen me at." A grin again before Verial took a few steps back, giving himself enough space to transform into his dragon form. Verial closed his eyes, obsidian colored energy swirling about him in tendril-like form. His body began to shape, his back giving way to leather-like wings and black scales replacing where skin once was. Hands and feet grew talons and where once was Verial now stood a dragon, towering above the treetops and stretching out wings. Verial opened his eyes, revealing the same odd colors Deanna was familiar with and lowered his body down towards the ground, his head and neck resting against the earth so that she might hop on more easily, as if he were some sort of overgrown reptilian horse.

Deanna DiCorvino
Had she called his bluff, caught him off guard? Deanna smiled faintly at him as he wrapped his coat around her and she slipped her arms into the heavy material, feeling the butterflies in her stomach subside a bit. She watched silently as he led the horses to a safer location, her brows lofted as she wondered curiously how he was going to go about this transformation. Would he burst out of his skin? Send bits of flesh flying as the scaly lizard that he was errupted? Would he morph into a half dragon half human hybrid before completing the change? All of these thoughts ran through her head and in doing so, she almost missed seeing a rather large and leathery wing that stretched out not but twenty feet from her. "Holy shit," she swore softly as she regarded the newly dragonfied Verial with sheer amazement. The scale that hung between her breasts seemed to grow heavier, warmer against her skin. Slowly she lifted her head to take in the full sight of Verial as he stood to his full height. Sure she had seen him in this form before...but he was quite the distance away and fighting the Val'nothe at the time. Never this close. Verial opened his eyes and she saw instantly that they had not changed, not one iota. For some reason this put Deanna at ease upon seeing those familiar odd colored orbs, but just as she was relaxing, she reminded herself he had not opened his mouth, and suddenly images of razor sharp teeth filled her brain forcing her to shake her head and laugh out of nervousness. "Wow. Just... wow. I am impressed." He had lowered himself, indicating she should climb upon him, and the fear crept back into Deanna once more. Climb onto his back? What the hell was she supposed to hold onto? Not to mention the challenge of finding her footing to climb him. "Uh...right then." She approached slowly and when she was close enough to, Deanna ran a hand across the length of his side, marvelling at the texture of his scaly skin. "Huh. Not as disgusting as I thought it would be," she muttered before climbing onto his back with the grace of a fat pregnant cow. Deanna lowered herself so that her upper body hugged against his back, her hands clutching onto the scales of his neck for dear life, her legs turning to jelly. "Ok...r-ready," Deanna squeazed her eyes shut and though not a god fearing woman, said a quick prayer to whomever was listening that she didn't want to die.

Verial Akilara
When Deanna said she was impressed, Verial looked briefly proud of himself. He might have preened and puffed his chest out, even stood a little taller, but instead he kept his head to the ground and smiled softly, revealing a set razor sharp teeth. "Well, thank you. I'm glad I haven't completely repulsed you." His voice, thought it sounded mostly like him, had a hint of roughness to it. Even as Deanna ran her hand across the smooth scales, Verial could feel her fingertips despite the heavy plated armor. Deanna climbed onto his back, trying to find her footing and get a good hold of where she could sit and not well, fall in the process. He had to admit, it was tricky at first, but riding a dragon was not as complicated as one might think, especially if you had the dragon telling you what to do. "Just relax. The scales are pretty durable. You can find your footing underneath them and hold on pretty tightly with your hands." Verial waited until Deanna situated herself and he contemplated how to take off. Normally he would have sprung of the cliff with a burst of speed, but in Deanna's condition, he didn't know if that was such a good idea. Instead, sensing her nervousness, he started for a more gentle approach and lifted his wings in slow movements until they were hovering off ground. Not soon after, they had left the cliffs and were a few miles out over sea, Verial doing circles every now and then and rising slightly higher into the sky as the world turned smaller beneath them.

Deanna DiCorvino
Relax, he said. Oh sure. No problem. Deanna's fingers were white as she clutched his scales in a death grip, her thighs aching from effort as she pressed them as firmly as possible against his side. "I'm fine!" Her voice rose rather hysterically, and she forced herself to breathe normally despite the urge to hyperventilate. Verial was trying not to throw her into a full blown panic attack, she gave him that, but his consideration did absolutely nothing to quelch the fear of imminent death that would soon approach her. A tiny scream escaped her lips as she felt him hover, felt his wings beat lightly and slowly and suddenly there was zero ground below her. The air felt cooler as they began to rise, rise, rise and Deanna buried her head against her upper arm to smother the hysterics. "Gonna die... die! Ohmygodsohmygodsohmygods... save me.... stupid idea.... gonna die.... gonna be sick... gonna throw up.... gonna... hey... look... it's the Villa!" Mid insanity please, Deanna's eyes pried open ever so slightly and she could see Northsea just below her as well as Chaliceton and the little ant people that lived there. Oh sure, her stomach heaved and rolled, and yeah she totally considered letting chunks fly on her scaly lizard lovetoy... but after a while she seemed to calm herself. Perhaps it was the rush that was making her lightheaded, or maybe her blood pressure spiked, but whatever it was, a slight euphoric feeling overcame her and suddenly the woman slowly lifted herself into sitting position and relaxed her bone crushing grip on her man just enough to look around and marvel at the beauty of the skies. "I'm... flying! I'm flying! Dear gods I'm not falling! I'M ALIVE!" Deanna's grin reached ear to ear as she urged Verial to do that awesome circle thing a bit faster this time, maybe she was even feeling brave enough for a dive bomb... or maybe not.

Verial Akilara
Unfortunately, he couldn't help himself from laughing as Deanna practically squealed in terror as they flew through the sky. Verial considered himself lucky that he hadn't been thrown up on yet and was hoping that despite her condition of being pregnant, that she would would get over the initial fear and enjoy the sensation of flying. Not that he wasn't amused by Deanna screaming for mercy. After quite some time though, her fear did subside and the tone in Deanna's voice changed; she was shouting happily into the wind this time. With that bit of approval from Deanna, Verial flew faster as she urged him into some more of those circles he had been doing earlier. After about three more of those turns though, Verial moved in the direction towards the ocean, passing over Chaliceton and before Deanna could stop him, he did indeed dive at the ocean. Verial dropped his wings and right before seemingly crashing into the waves, he pulled up skimming the water with wings and talons. "Are you going to vomit yet?" Verial said craning his head back in her direction as he flew more smoothly now.

Deanna DiCorvino
Deanna had finally settled her nerves just enough to actually enjoy the flight...and then Verial had to go and do what he did next. Without warning they did indeed dive and the ocean's cerulean waters came into closer view at the approaching descent. Death... it was calling her. She was going to die now. Her screams surely were heard for miles and miles away until no sound came out of her opened mouth, her eyes bulging out of their sockets. Only when Verial in all of his cruelty finally decided enough was enough and pulled his rotten lizard hide just enough so that Deanna did not end up chum for the sharks, did her heart resume its somewhat normal beating. Verial the rotten dragon bastard actually had the audacity to ask if she was going to spew forth her breakfast on him, and perhaps she would have if she were able to do anything besides remain frozen to her spot. A few moments of smooth sailing ticked by and when the color resumed in her face and she was positive she was breathing again, she finally spoke in a screeching voice, "Down... down now... ground down. DOWN!" The little demon spawn seemed to fare well from its biological housing unit's scare fest and bounced merrily in the sea of fluid and gods knew what else in that cute cushioned Casa de Uterus. "Down...down now," Deanna repeated in a hoarse voice, absolutely positive that once her feet touched solid footing, and providing Verial changed back into something less...devour threatening...she would give him the most righteous ass beating that hybrid drow had ever received in his soon to be short life.

Verial Akilara
And finally the cries for mercy came in the form of many downs repeated over and over again. Verial pursed his lips together and tried to hide the laugh the threatened to spill forth. When he finally did get an audible word out without a hint of a giggle, it was, "You're lucky that the water is too cold or else you'd be soaked right now." For the current time, Deanna held in her food until he was flying back to the horses, which seemed startled at their return, and landed as gracefully onto the ground as he could. Verial lowered his head and neck so Deanna could quickly stumble or slide off of him, whichever she managed. As her feet met the earth again and her breathing eventually returned to normal, Verial shifted back and immediately held himself in a stance in an attempt to at least weaken the ass kicking of his life he was about to get. "That was fun, right? At least, you'll never forget it. So, want to go again?" Perhaps he was pushing his luck, but honestly he had no idea that Deanna who appeared otherwise fearless, was terrified of heights.

Deanna DiCorvino
Blessed ground. Blessed earth. Stable earth. Deanna slid, jumped, fumbled off the overgrown lizard and landed on her hands and knees, her fingers flexing against hard stone undernearth slowly thawing patches of grass and soil. "I love you so much," she whispered to the ground before finding her footing and rising, death in her eyes. "Fun." She stated flatly as she took slow predatory steps toward him, amber orbs darkening. "Fun is breaking the headboard of your bed during wild jungle sex." Another step. "Fun is weilding a sword in hand when you face your enemy, knowing that their blood will soon pool at your feet." Another step put her a mere foot from him. "Fun...was NOT watching your life flash before your eyes because the dragon you love thinks it is a fucking hoot to plummet toward the cruel mistress that is the ocean, Verial!" Deanna stood six inches from Verial, and though she reached only his shoulder, there was no denying that should she want to, she could straight up murder his ass if she chose to. Her eyes narrowed to mere slits as she considered doing so, but then she recalled this would be her last day with him before she departed for however long it took to pop out the little vermin spawn. Instead Deanna jabbed a finger square into his chest. "YOU will give me HOURS of pleasure this evening to make up for this injustice! Hours! I don't give a shit if you're near death by the time I am done with you!" Her cheeks flushed against her pallor, Deanna attempted to appear threatening to Verial, but there was no hiding the smile that hinted to appear on her lips...a most devious of grins indeed. "I am so going to break you."

Verial Akilara
Part of him was sorry really, but mostly because he didn't know if he should laugh or fear for his own safety. His life and fate was in the hands of a woman he had pissed off and one that was "secretly" pregnant. Verial had no idea of Deanna's departure, but perhaps subconsciously he was terrorizing her or as much as he could before she spread her own invisible wings and flew away. In any case, when Deanna mentioned something about breaking the headboard during wild jungle sex, Verial lost it and laughter tumbled from his lips. His arms fell away from his chest where he was previously blocking any possibly aimed fists and they wrapped around his side as he leaned over and chuckled. His head tilted up and as she neared him, Verial straightened and tried to regain his composure. When Deanna poked him with her finger, a sharp jab to the shoulder, Verial made an attempt at looking serious. "My apologies, M'Lady," Verial said with a half bow. When he stood tall again, Verial grinned softly to her, "Of course you realize this was my plan all along? Get you riled up and be forced to pleasure you for hours and hours on end." Verial waved his hand a bit dismissively and then placed it on Deanna's shoulder pulling him closer to her, so that he could lower his head and place his lips on her own. When Verial pulled away, despite her ire, there was no mistaking a smile on her face. "I wouldn't have it any other way." With that, Verial slid an arm around her waist, still assuming he might receive a fist to the cheek and guided Deanna back towards the horses. "Let's head back to Chaliceton, unless of course, the offer still stands if you want to fly some more." Verial nodded his head towards the ocean.

The still figure of the Lord of Arthuran slept with a faint smile upon his lips. One arm was thrown in abandon behind his head, the other rested upon his stomach, his palm flat against the light blanket that covered his naked form. Even in his sleep he appeared as if up to no good, and Deanna could only imagine the wicked thoughts that filled his dreams. Perhaps he dreamed of their incredible day they spent together, filled with terrifying dragon rides and thrilling shrieks (those were Verial's...at least that's what she told herself), good food and entertainment, or perhaps he dreamed of the last several hours they spent holed up in his bedroom, filled with bubble baths, mad amounts of sex and smothered screams (those were Verial's too....and maybe hers).

She stood by the bedside for gods knew how long, just watching the even slow breaths he took, her amber eyes occasionally glancing at the empty wine glass that was the only object presently on the nightstand. Her guilt weighed heavy in the pocket of her robe, the small glass vial that had once been filled with a potent sleeping potion, one that was used on both not too particularly long ago on both. Sahar would be livid if she discovered Deanna had used it for less than healing purposes, but it was a required sin on her part. Verial was part drow and as such had excellent hearing, asleep or not. It would only take a subtle shift in bed, light footsteps of her own to awaken him and alert him of her plans. It also did not help her cause that he suffered from bouts of insomnia as did she. The sleeping potion was a necessary evil as far as she was concerned, and as such, would spare him the pain of watching her leave Arthuran, leave him.

Her fingers brushed against his cheek, the fair amount of stubble on his newly grown beard scratched against them and this caused Deanna to smile, though there was no joy in the act. She would miss him terribly and despite the fact it had occurred to her many times before, had hit her with a shocking realization now that the time was actually coming to pass. It was for the best, she knew this, but the affirmation did not ease her silent suffering, just as whatever explanation she or anyone else chose to give Verial would justify her actions. Perhaps he would even come to hate her knowing her leaving was not a spontaneous reaction to fear and panic of impending motherhood, but one that had been carefully planned for the last couple of months. Perhaps he would feel that each moment they had spent together, including this particular day and evening, was nothing more than a lie, that he would come to believe that Deanna had never truly loved him at all. That she was nothing more than a caged bird who simply found an opportunity to be free of him.

One last brush of her lips against his, and Deanna knew it was time to leave. The blue liquid was powerful in its own right, but truly she had no real idea of how long its effects would last on Verial. She knew it was important to be on that ship that was departing in but a few hours to Eiler before Verial’s eyes fluttered open and he realized that Deanna was well and truly gone. For a split second she considered leaving the dragon scale pendant that she wore around her neck, a gift from Verial that she refused to take off for any reason, save one moment of weakness. In her anger, her hurt, she had flung it at him, claiming she did not want it or him, but both Verial and she knew better, and so the obsidian colored disk hung between her breasts, never to be removed. Until now it had never been another consideration, as she feared he might be able to use what was, and still is, part of him to locate her, but the very idea of having that small part of him away from her was a most devastating blow indeed to her heart, so Deanna nixed the idea the second it popped in her head.

She would risk it, but deep in her heart Deanna knew Verial would not come for her. He would not seek her out. He would respect her choice to leave, even if he did not agree or understood why. He would not beg, would not cling, would not push. That was one of the reasons she loved him so. He expected nothing from her, just as she did not him save that it was she, and she alone who shared his bed. Their relationship was not complicated in that aspect, yet still made absolutely no sense except to the two individuals involved. The rhyme or reason was theirs and theirs alone.

She was grateful they had spent one last incredible and memorable evening together, and this time the smile that graced her lips was nothing short of a leer. Verial was talented in so many ways only matched by his strength, stamina, and crazed amounts of creativity. He might have appeared shy and perhaps reserved to the outside world, but in his bedchambers, or really...anywhere...with her, he was nothing of the sort. Verial gave as good as he got, and Deanna prided herself on giving...and giving...until both of them lay sweaty, aching and laughing only to rest for a few moments before going at it all over again. Tonight was no exception, save for the fact that her jaw was a bit tender and sore. Quite frankly she was surprised he could manage to...excite...so easily well into the night after such vigorous activity, but even after copious amounts of drug laced wine, Verial had not disappointed and neither had Deanna. The poor dear had suffered so, but the look of great appreciation on his face after she finally lifted her head from between his legs was worth all of her efforts and she regretted none of it.

She stifled her sigh as she quietly left his room only to make her way to her own where her bag was packed and hidden behind a heavy curtain. Deanna planned to travel light, taking only what was needed in the warmer continent during summer months. Currently she was wearing her leathers though the pants didn’t quite fit as well around her waistline and she had to modify that to accommodate her rounded abdomen, and the increase of breast size left the vest rather snug across the bodice. Muttering a few curses, Deanna drew a light cloak around her shoulders, grateful for the deep cowl that would cover her facial features....and the blades that rested against her back. Her newest purchase lay hidden safely at the bottom of her sack, ready to be given to the recipient when the time was right. Anyone who dared to try to snatch her belongings, and let’s face it...Eiler was filled with criminal activity lately, would be in for a rude awakening indeed.

The villa itself was silent, with everyone tucked into their beds, so there was need for goodbyes. Deanna had no trouble slipping out of Northsea in the wee hours of the morning undetected even though sentries patrolled the perimeter. It was a waiting game. Eventually one would walk a few feet or turn a corner and that was all the opportunity she needed. The shrouded figure clad in black made her way into town where she located her contact, Liam. It would be him who led her to his brother’s ship under the pretense that the Lady Amelia was travelling to the Grand City carrying a list of supplies that would be purchased for Chaliceton, and within a week or so, cargo and Lady would return home. Unbeknownst to the crew, they would be minus one member of their party.

The air was crisp and cool, and dawn was just breaking over the horizon when Deanna, accompanied by Liam finally reached the small harbor. The cargo ship was sturdy and surprisingly larger than previously thought, and after introductions and minor pleasantries, Deanna bid Liam farewell after slipping him a considerable amount of gold for his trouble.

The Lady Amelia handed the Captain a sheet of parchment that bore Verial’s unbroken seal and within seconds, had read the instructions written in what appeared to be the Lord's own hand. The message was short but the essentials was the naming of Lady Amelia as charge in his stead and a list of goods required. The Captain nodded, appreciating the written confirmation and not long after, the ship aptly named Ice Queen, set sail. Deanna was informed it would take a bit more than a week to sail to Hinewai Harbor, perhaps less if the winds and weather were favorable. Another few days in the City to acquire the goods needed and then the time allotted for the return trip home.

The Captain of the ship, whose name was given but forgotten by Deanna led her below deck not to his quarters, but to another cabin which he deemed suitable for a lady. Deanna thanked him and settled her belongings into her room only to appear on deck after a fashion. Deanna remained on deck for another hour until weariness overtook her. One of the deckhands escorted her to her room and promised to return with food to break her fast with before suggesting she rest. Deanna smiled tiredly and nodded with agreement. Food and sleep sounded wonderful and after she ate, snuggled under the covers of the small but soft bed prepared for her.

Verial’s face floated behind closed lids, staring at her with solemn odd colored eyes as she wrapped her fingers around the dragonscale as sleep began to claim her.