...would you believe I'm having them cleaned?

...would you believe I'm having them cleaned?
Date of Scene:	21 January 2014
Location:	Castle of Dreams
Synopsis:	Warden breaks back into the Castle of Dreams to leave a fun presents for the people there. However he is intrupted by a pair of no good do gooders. Will our not-so-heroic pirate survive?! Of course he will.
Cast of Characters:	Avira, Maira, Warden Thache

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Warden Thache has posed:
Two days after the assault on the Castle of Dreams, and the detris of battle has not yet been entirely cleared. Heartless and programs are easy to get rid of. They go poof once gone, the marks they make on walls and the landscape itself are a touch more perminant.

However though good fortune and hard work, the goodly people have managed to do much in short a time. Though still there are of course patrols and the like making sure no one is going to mess with the damaged defences.

The pair of Investigators might even be part of one of these patrols, they might be checking on one, they might even be just out for a midnight stroll around the castle grounds.

Most of the guards they have passed have smiled and waved at least. They are tired of course, but happy they defended the castle.

As they get to...oh...around the second floor of the castle. At the entrence to a long portrait gallery they find one that dosen't wave. He doesn't smile. He doesn't even react to their prescene.

If the investigators...er...investigate? They would find this is because he's asleep. Propped up in a corner.

From a distance he just looks napping.

But even shaking the poor man doesn't quite wake him up. He just mutters something about butterflies and snores all the louder.

...there also is the matter of hushed voices coming from further down the gallery hall, and an open window with its curtins fluttering lightly in the breeze.

Maira has posed:
Maira hasn't left the castle as of yet, though she intends to once she's at least healed up enough to make the journey. Magical healing and potions can do a lot, but most injuries also just need rest. Thus, Maira had slept /a lot/.

Maira had also enjoyed palace food. What a treat!

Apparently though, while she and Avira at least were still here, they'd been roped into some investigating. If it means more delicious pastries, Maira is on board. Hopefully, it will not end in being stabbed. Maira is pretty much over being stabbed.

After trying to wake the (no doubt drugged) guard quietly, she listens to the hushed voices that carry down the hallway, frowning lightly. Has someone broken in? A glance down the hall shows an open window. For likely the thousandth time, she curses not having Uist. He's been so good at stealth. What with being a ghost and invisible to almost everyone.

Maira looks to Avira, shrugs her shoulders, then moves slowly and quietly down the hallway toward the voices.

Avira has posed:
AVIRA, ACE INVESTIGATOR!

She's technically, kind of sort of a detective. So investigating the castle was a fantastic thing to do, especially if snacks were involved. Avira remains close to Maira as they walk through the castle, knowing full well that her fire-mage friend is not at a hundred percent yet.

Their investigation reveals happy guards, happy guards, sleepy guard...sleepy guard? Avira actually tries to rouse him a little and, after failing, looks to Maira.

Alongside her friend, she quietly follows after the mysterious voices.

Warden Thache has posed:
As the pair of them creep towards the voices they might notice a few details. One is a man's, and passingly familiar. The other one is quieter, the owner of the voice seemingly smaller than the first.

The deeper voice sounds delighted, the other more exasperated.

The other thing that might become evident in the flickering light of the moon and the stars is that the paintings? They have been. Tampered with. At first glance they look there. Every frame at the right angle. Every picture uncut and still hanging in its noble pose.

...at first glance....

...on closer inspection? Any picture with a male member of the Charming family that they pass is...different. The pictures are in the same pose? But the subject isn't a noble. The subject is a slightly familiar looking pirate.

Over a half-dozen pictures that they pass have been swiched so far and as they close on the voices a pair of figures resolve themselves to be lifting yet another picture off the wall.

One looks quite like a pirate, down to the hat, the coat, the boots. The other? A winged racoon.

He's the one that seems exasperated.

"Look Spooks, you let me spend my part of our haul how I want and I don't tell you what to do with yours." Warden's voice sounds amused as anything as he glances at the nice painting there. His ears flick with amusement, tell swishing back and forth with enjoyment.

He's having a bit of fun.

Who says Shadow Lords can't have fun.

"Look boss," The racoon squeaks out. "You're going to get your tail caught!" He hisses out towards the distracted captain. "And I'm not going to..." The racoon twitches slightly as he hears something, head cranning around to peer towards the oncoming investigators. One little paw starts to tug at Warden's ear. "Yes...what? WHAT?!"

He swings his head about and green cats eyes fall on Avira and Maira.

Pause.

"...would you believe I'm taking them out to be cleaned?"

Maira has posed:
Maira isn't officially a detective like Avira, but she's hung around with detectives and that counts for something, right?

Maira looks toward the paintings, blinking after the third one. She stops, looks the over again, then slowly facepalms. THAT GUY! Is he just totally mad!?

...It's actually pretty funny though. A little.

Maira looks up when Warden notices them, placing a hand on her hip. "Not even for a second. I can't believe you came /back/ in here, to do /this/ she says," gesturing to the paintings, flabbergasted but also trying not to giggle.

Remember, this guy is seriously bad news!

Avira has posed:
Creeping along, Avira pays rapt attention to her surroundings. Just like she was taught by a certain werewolf ages ago. It was imperative that neither of them are snuck up upon! As they move along, she does notice the paintings. Something seems...off.

She pauses to inspect them a bit closer. Something seemed off indeed-there was a man that was certainly not a Charming. No, in fact, it was someone who was NOT CHARMING AT ALL! Avira grinds her teeth as she recognizes Warden in the picture.

She sneaks on up with her friend, spying Warden in intense conversation with his adorable winged raccoon. When Warden turns, he'll find the scarred woman standing there, eyebrow twitching.

"Youuuuuu!"

She made a promise. She will fulfill it! Avira suddenly surges forward and tries to smack Warden across the face.

Warden Thache has posed:
To his credit, the pirate does take it like a man. Cat. Catman.

The smack echos down the corridor as the pirate staggers backwards. His head snaps to one side at the impact, Maira has seen how fast the man was. Did he /let/ Avira hit him?

Who will ever know.

As he catches himself his eyes can be seen to almost glow with some kind of bright inner fire and the reflection of the moon. He brings one hand to his lip to wipe of just a bare trickle of blood.

"And good evening to you too Lady Wolf," The man still seems amused by this whole thing. Not worried that he's just been caught. He seems relaxed, enjoying the moment.

He even seeps into a bow, removing his hat. The movement is so liquid and elegant it almost seems to be making a mockery of the nobility that usually use such gestures. "I'm happy that you remember my not-so-humble self. Warden Thache, at your service." He adds as he replaces his hat. "I'm sure you remember Spooks here."

"I WAS NOT PARTY TO THIS PLAN!" The racoon squeaks.

"Traitor."

The pirate turns his attention to the other woman there before chuckling. "Or perhaps I just came back here to see you two, and the pictures were just a whim of the moment." A pause. "I get those, quite a bit."

Maira has posed:
Maira watches Avira move forward, wondering if she should call the guards at this point. The only reason she hasn't already is that she's sort of worried for /them/. Warden did a number on her and Angantyr, no mean feat.

Maira sighs heavily. "Did you come back to finish me off? Or finish your kidnapping attempt?" she asks, her eyes holding a smoldering light all their own. Warden ought to know where that leads.

Still, introductions are introductions. "Is that your name? I'm Maira," not that it matters, he's probably not going to use her name anyway. Didn't really seem his 'thing'.

Then Maira looks to Spooks, and her expression changes, getting that adoring look people sometimes get when they are faced with an adorable fuzzy thing. "Oooh, Spooks is it? That's an adorable name! Do you want something to eat Spooks?" she asks, distracted now by /the adorables/. She pulls a pastry out of her pocket and kneels down to offer it to the racoon, seeing if she'll approach her.

Avira has posed:
"Put the real paintings back." Avira's quick to interrupt right after the greeting. She's a little put off at Warden's reaction to being smacked across the face. She's...never really smacked a guy like that so she'd been expecting a more dismayed reaction. She at least expected Warden to be dismayed at being caught!

"Don't worry, Maira, I'm not going to let this /scoundrel/ do either!" She shifts so she's standing protectively in front of Maira, one hand perched upon the hilt of her unusual weapon. There is no introduction from Avira, she knows he knows her name and will instead call her by the 'Lady Wolf' moniker.

She won't admit that she kind of likes that name.

It's heartwarming to see Maira interacting with Spooks though. Spooks is adorable. But it will not sway Avira from her purpose of protecting Maira!

"Ahem, like I was saying, put the paintings back."

Warden Thache has posed:
There are very few things that dismay Warden. Kinks in his tail? Those are dismaying things. Being slapped across the face? Oh no. Thats not dismaying. Thats /intriguing/. Or at least kind of adorable. She had to look up at him to do that.

He /was/ very tall after all.

"Scoundrel? Lady Wolf I am /hurt/." He doesn't look hurt. Not the way he's grinning like that. "Shocked. Appaled that you think of me so." The grin only grows more, his fangs appearing as it does so.

"I would think I'd at least rate a 'rapscallian' or 'bastard'. You though put me in my place with mere 'scoundrel'." A pause. "I prefer puckish rogue, if you are wondering."

His eyes turn towards Maira before he blows out a sigh. "Lord Idiot is rubbing off on you my dear, I think you need to find better company. I /wasn't/ trying to kill you, else you would be dead. A curtesy that you 'heroes'." He snorts at that. "Didn't feel like extending to me. Ever seen what a sixty gun broadside of energy cannon does to a castle like this? Not very pretty."
here is something there that is telling. His manner isn't one full of bravado and fire, just one person helpfully informing another.

He would say more, but Spooks takes this moment to fling himself off Warden's shoulder and swoop towards Maira, landing next to her to snatch at the sweet-roll and being nomming on this.

"See boss!" He pipes up. "She likes /me/. Good taste this one."

He shakes his head again, the pirate clearly amused before crossing his arms. "Get back over here before they decide to hold you hostage." He calls towards the little fellow as he turns back to Avira.

"The paintings?" A pause. "Oh yes. Those. A bit late for that. Those are already long gone. Including a few /quite/ intresting ones. Charming has quite the sinister ancestry, don't you know." A pause. "No, you wouldn't know. I supose thats why they kept them locked up. Ah well! What matters is that they arn't here anymore." A wide grin. "So sorry."

Warden Thache has posed:
He neither confirms or denies a second attempted kidnapping either.

Maira has posed:
Maira looks to Avira, nodding, hoping Avira would remember her warning. Warden was very dangerous, which was easy to forget when he was disarming you with his banter and egotistical blathering.

Or his adorable talking racoon.

Maira's eyes light up with delight as the racoon talks. "Oh goodness you talk! That's just wonderful! May I pet you?" she asks, extending a hand tentatively.

Maira does look up again, her expression souring. "Don't call him that. He's not an idiot. He's cautious and has good reason. Sure he can be brutal but...well, things have really had a way of coming back to bite him," she explains. "Besides, you still want to kidnap the princess, which means you must be allied with some Shadow Lord. I'm not new to all this you know, I know there is nothing good in store for those taken by the Shadow Lords," she says, as if she has some experience with this.

Avira has posed:
Avira does remember Maira's warning about Warden. Unfortunately, Avira's also very cross right now, helpfully displayed to the tall feline pirate as she glowers at him. It's hard for Avira to really be intimidating when she's so short, but she tries!

"With how you are carrying on, you sound like you /enjoy/ being called these names! Well I think I'll stick with scoundrel until I feel like calling you something stronger." Which shouldn't take long since this guy did hurt Maira and seems to be calling Angantyr 'Lord Idiot'. She edges closer to the pirate.

Glare. GLARE.

"What do you MEAN they are gone?! What did you do with them! What do you mean 'interesting?!'" She takes in a breath and jabs a finger up at Warden's chest, "You better start answering questions, pronto!"

Warden Thache has posed:
"Lady Flame, he /knocked holes/ in the wall trying to kill me. I think that goes a bit far and beyond being brutal." His voice drops to a stage whisper. "I think he might have some anger issues. Just saying.

He pauses again though, rocking slightly back on his heels as he peers towards her. "Oh? Must I be allied with the Shadow Lords. I could /be/ a Shadow Lord!" A flash of a grin. "Or I could just hate nobility and think a princess would be a hell of a rich bounty! I mean governers pay /quite/ a bit to get their family back. I can only imagine what a /king/ would pay."

There is a glitter in his eyes for a moment before he shrugs slightly.

"But I'm new to this world, and don't know neaaar as much about all this as you all seem to." That smile remains on his face, who knows just what is truth and what is lies there.

Spooks just bumps into Maira's hand. "I am perticularly fond of behind-the-ear scritches." He informs her quietly.

Warden rolls his eyes as his incorragaeable pet even as he other two seem intent on reading him the riot act. "Oh ho? Is that a challenge? Do I have to up the ante to actually get a better responce out of you?" Then she edges closer.

She pokes him in the chest.

And the man simply moves. Fast as smoke, one hand comes up to take her fist. He bends too-gracefully from the waist and instead of directly poking him in the chest she might find her hand taken and then feel just the ghost of his lips against the back of her knuckles.

"You only get one free hit, Lady Wolf. You have to earn the rest." His breath gusts warm across her hand, burning green eyes fixed on hers. That fanged smile fixed on his face as he stand again and takes a sharp half-step back.

"I took them of course. Part of my haul. They are safe, at least till I find a collector that might want them. As for intresting, well if you can find them before I sell them you can find out."

Maira has posed:
Maira reaches over and picks up Spook, cradling him easily in her arms and against her chest to provide behind the ear scritchings. Most animals were particularly fond of that. Men don't seem to mind either. "Why do you hang around with this guy?" she asks Spooks quietly.

Maira listens to Warden, frowning gently as she watches him and Avira. She sort of just looks shifty eyed when he claims Angan has anger issues. She can't really deny that, but everyone has problems! And so often, that anger was in defense of her and the others he cared about.

Maira shakes her head. Is he a Shadow Lord himself? She'd believe it. "Are you then? A Shadow Lord?" she just asks, because why not? "I wish I could believe you only meant to ransom her, walk away richer," Maira could understand wanting riches. She'd grown up about as poor as one could get. But what was his story? If there was anything Mateus taught her, it was that they were all people once. They had stories, reasons...

It didn't make it right, but it was something.

"But you'd have to earn that belief, and we didn't really start off very well, did we?"

Avira has posed:
Spooks really is going to be held hostage at this rate. Or at least stolen away onto a grand adventure of pettings and scritches.

Avira would have gone about the business of jabbing her finger at him multiple times, especially as he goes on about bounties and selling paintings. Personally, Avira has a hard time pegging this man as a Shadow Lord. He really did sound more like an opportunist of a pirate.

But the poking backfires. There is no poking and instead she feels his lips brushing against the back of her fist, much like a mockery of a gentleman's gesture. Why he was even bowing! It's enough to make Avira redden slightly at the gesture.

She glares at him and yanks her hand away.

"There will be a second slap shortly at this rate." Avira informs him, listening as he waxes poetic about where the paintings might have gone. "Alright, then where on earth are you keeping them?"

Warden Thache has posed:
The racoon just shrugs slightly as Maira picks him up. Now what she might /not/ notice is how he is seeing if she's wearing a money belt. Seeing if he can pluck a gem of shiny from a pouch. "He's just lucky I supose." Is the Racoons repsonce to the question as he leans into the scritches.

"If I were to tell you one way or the other just what profit would I get out of it?" Warden asks of the pair of them as he stands mockingly relaxed infront of them. "Believe what you want and what you will my dear ladies. I don't require that you believe me."

He's watching Avira as she blushes slightly, however he makes no comment on it. She continues to stand up to him. They all do. Curious people they have in this world. Strong ones. He at least can respect and approve of that.

"You are welcome to try again, but remember. Only the first one is free." He does look qute suprised at the question however. Infact he lets free a deep laugh. He has a suprisingly warm laugh for a scoundrel.

"Oh my dear Lady Wolf, if I told you that would take all the fun out of things. No no no. I've been told you're an investigator. So you shall have to investigate. What kind of pirate would I be if I just let you have my take?"

Maira has posed:
Maira doesn't have any money. The only thing in her pouch is a couple of health potions and some pastries. "I'm totally luckier! You should see me at the slot machines...I mean, when I'm not being kidnapped or something," she says to the racoon. Stupid Pete! "And hey there, if you want another pastry just ask," she says, pulling one out and giving it to the cute creature.

Maira looks back up at Warden, shaking her head. "He's definitely not going to tell us. Its a game. I at least prefer games to getting stabbed," she replies with a small shrug. "We could always call the guards. I know they are still nearby," she offers.

"Anyway, Warden, I don't have anything to offer you. I suppose wether or not you are a Shadow Lord doesn't really matter. All that darkness in your heart..." Maira would let Spooks down now. She's not going to hold onto him against his will. "It was nice to meet you Spooks," she says, standing.

"I'm tired, so...are we going to fight or not?" she asks.

Avira has posed:
"Well, the currency I am willing to deal with is one called 'negative reinforcement.' It's where I don't do something, like punch you in the nose, if you do something for me." Avira tries her best to sound intimidating about this! "Though more importantly, I don't plan on forking over cash to retrieve what you /stole/ from this castle." Stubbornly, she folds her arms across her chest.

She'd take a go at Warden right here and right now...but not with Maira here, actually. At least, not with Maira in the condition she was currently in at the moment. She could get hurt easily again and Avira didn't want that. "No, I don't think there's any need for us to cause a commotion in this castle. I am partial to your suggestion of calling guards over to arrest this thief. We, however, are investigators and therefore, we need to get..."

Avira narrows her eyes at Warden, "...investigating."

Warden Thache has posed:
"Lady Wolf, you don't know cats very well do you?" Warden asks with a bright grin on his feline features. "Negative reinforcement doesn't quite work all that well. Though I am /sure/ you do love giving it out."

He paces away from her, stalking slowly back and forth between the pair of them. The little racoon chuckles quietly. "Oh miss, you smell nice and you might be luckier, but ain' no one with more luck than Captain Thache. His father gave him the luck." The little guy seems sure of that as he trundles away from Maira before flapping a few times to lauch herself from the floor to land on Warden's shoulder.

...and passes Warden a pair of healing potions.

"Not much there boss," The racoon replies as he drapes over the man shoulder.

Warden just laughs before spinning to a stop and facing the pair of them. His head cants slightly to one side as he contemplates. "No. No fight. You're not in the best of shape, and I'm not really feeling like a battle at the moment. I'm not bloodthirsty as you heros are."

He waves a hand as he starts moving again. Pacing. Pacing. However Avira might notice closer and closer he gets with every turn to the open window.

"I'll get the value out of the paintings one way or the other. Blackmail, selling, or just wating you all flail around for them." He adds lightly. "And please. No guards. I nearly got by Lord Idiot and Lady Flame last time, without even trying too hard. Do you /want/ to see just what I would do to a bunch of palace guards?"

Maira has posed:
Maira sighs quietly. She's pretty relieved that there isn't going to be a fight right now. "Hey, I am not blood thirsty!" she responds, frowning deeply. "Passionate, yes, and I've had to do a lot of fighting since everything changed, but I am not blood thirsty," she continues.

She watches Spook pass over the healing potions and checks her bag, frown intensifying. "That wasn't very nice. I want those back, or you can pay for them," she says, starting to approach the pair.

Avira has posed:
"I'm not really a cat person. I'm more of a dog person." Avira confesses, not that such a thing wasn't already obvious to some degree to begin with. In truth, Avira was an animal person though she didn't want to say that and flatter this pirate bastard even further.

A frown passes over her face when she realizes that the adorable animal companion has pickpocketed Maira. Then again, maybe it's a good thing that Maira went to scoop up the little devil-Avira actually has money on her in one of her many pouches.

Avira rolls her eyes, though, "Bloodthirsty? Bloodthirsty, says the /pirate/. Tsk. Being a hypocrite isn't going to make me doubt myself, /Warden/."

Very carefully, she watches him pace, noticing that he's slowly moving towards the open window. Perhaps to escape? Perhaps to distract? It's obvious this man doesn't have the paintings ON him right now so if he does escape, he won't be taking them with him. Unless he already moved them to a waiting cart outside that he'll be boarding?

She stalks around, matching his pacing, giving him the distinct feeling that she's trying to corner him.

Warden Thache has posed:
"No! Really? I would /never/ have guessed," Warden's voice is mocking as Avira gives her preference of pets. His smile never ceasing as he pockets the potions that Spooks just handed him.

He sighs though before he shakes his head. "Thats the problem with you 'noble heroes'. Never willing to be honest with yourselves." His tone still conversational, almost amusement. Defintally mockings. "Never willing to admit to the same vices that you would ascribe to those less noble than yerselves." He continues his pace, if he notices how Avira starts to move he gives little sign.

However, its sure that he /does/ notice. He just won't give her the satisfaction of knowing that.

"Darkness in my heart?" He laughs at that as he turns to Maira. "Everyone has darkness my dear lady. Everyone. I'm just more honest about it than either of you are. Honest and unashamed."

His grin grows however as she demands payment for those boubles.

"Pirate Creed my dear. Take what you can..."

Spooks grins as well as he finishes. "...and give nothing back."

With that he makes for the window. Leaving his collection of Warden paintings for the both of thim, should they not feel like stopping him.

Maira has posed:
Maira shakes her head, then smiles. "Oh, I know. I'm not afraid of the dark," she replies.

She seems pretty unsurprised when Warden refuses to give back her potions or pay for them, instead making a dive for the window to escape.

Maira sighs, then reaches out toward Avira. "Let him go," she suggests, facing her best friend, smiling....slyly!?

"He may have taken the paintings, and my potions, but I took something from him as well," she says with a grin, reaching up to pluck a few racoon hairs from her clothing from when she was snuggling Spooks. She holds the hairs up for Avira to see, eyes sparkling. "...and /we/ know a wizard."

Avira has posed:
That mocking smile! It made Avira want to hit Warden again. "I am very honest with myself. I am certainly not /bloodthirsty/. I have seen bloodthirsty, Mr. Pirate."

Stalk stalk. Warden does indeed seem to be going for the window. If Avira timed it right, maybe she could cut him off and take him down. A quick scuffle on the ground and-

Maria speaks and puts a hand to her arm. "Oh...Oh! Nice work, Maira~" Avira turns to smirk at Warden. "...but can I still defenstrate him? Please?"

Warden Thache has posed:
Warden is fairly sure that /everything/ will make Avira want to hit him again.

Its sort of cute really.

The man however is indeed already out the window as Maira speaks, and before Avira can make that last tackle towards him. However...well...Avira /does/ know that he has /very/ good ears.

"There will be other times my dear!" His voice floats back though the window. "I look forwards to it! I hope to see you both soon!"

Should Avira look /out/ the window. Well the man seems to just be calmly floating down from a great height. Into the hovering form of a small single-man airship.

He lands on his feet.

Of course.

He even gives them a jaunty little bow as he kicks the throttle on the airship and pulls away, waving his hat towards them like a gentleman leaving port.

The many Warden's on the walls just seem to smirk towards the investigators.

He hopes they enjoy them.