| Logs |
1999-10-17
| Starfall |
| Realms |
Retired
| Reality Fault |
General Info
 |
Set Up to Take the Fall
- Commercial Piers
Wooden and stone docks extend out into the natural harbor here, lined with ships of all types bringing in the food that Starfall needs and taking away it's manufactures. The waterfront is lined with inns, chandlers, warehouses with naval supplies, and trading offices, providing a bustling area at all hours. The main commercial shipyard can be seen a little to the south, and the fisher's wharf is a little beyond it. To the north can be seen the guarded enclave of the Starfall Navy. West leads back into the city toward the Warehouse District, while to the east you look out over the quiet waters of Starfall Bay.
As dusk falls, the lamps are lit by the harborside and the evening shift of longshoremen arrives to continue loading the horde of shipping. Carroll watches the cargo being loaded, keeping an eye on both crew, getting to know how they work, what comes aboard, and where it goes. The crew are not all that smooth, though mostly they seem to know their business. It looks like they've been put together recently from furs who had not worked together before. Alexandra stands next to Carroll, a faintly puzzled look on her face... finally she stands on tiptoes to whisper to him, "Carroll... do you recognize any of the old crew here?"
Carroll shakes his head to his sister, and murrs, "No. Do you?"
Alexandra frowns puzzledly, "No... I hope they all got good jobs. Daddy would want that... but why would the Pravin fire a seasoned crew?"
Carroll murrs, softly, "I don't know. It worries me a little. Perhaps we should ask. Perhaps it would be a waste of time."
Alexandra gives Carroll a more confused look, "Huh?" She brightens, "Maybe he promoted them!"
Carroll nods, looking somewhat serious, and murrs, "That would be a fine excuse, yes," for his sister's ears.
Alexandra blinks, looking suddenly worried, and murmurs softly, "You... have that 'sneaky worry' look on your face, Carroll... what's going on?"
Carroll nods to Alexandra, and murrs, "Yes, I do. If I knew what was going on, I wouldn't have the worry now, would I? I don't trust the Councilman." He murrs softly to her, hoping Lt. Baynes doesn't hear, or has wandered off. At his words Alexandra's ruff fur suddenly fluffs up unconsciously, and she looks around with a more wary, alert tilt to her ears. Unconsciously she rests her right hand on the small pommel of her rapier, and her tail switches nervously a few times before she stills it. Carroll quietly informs his sister, "The offer to take on the rest of our debts was simply too good to be true; hence it must not be. As to the crew... who do these work for, and report to?"
Alexandra nods, looking more worried... then she takes a deep breath, and smoothes her ruff down. Her small smile up at her older brother isn't her usual joie du vivre, but she doesn't show any longer that she's braced for instant attack either... to someone that doesn't know her, at least. "Well! You always said one should get folks to underestimate you... this is my chance to show I was listening, yes?" She takes another deep breath, then with a firmly cheerful, more normal tone of voice adds, "Guess I'll go check how the hold's being packed... we don't want any damaged boxes, eh?" She patters swiftly down to the hold, so she can watch the cargo being loaded into it. She nods with a calm smile to the crew she passes that look at her.
Carroll nods and murrs, "Good idea." and begins to walk, slowly, around the deck, watching loading, and crew.
The crew look at Alexandra curiously, but the bosun has things moving along nicely. The boxes don't seem to be particularly heavy judging by the way furrs are carrying them. Alexandra wanders deep into the hold, pattering over the tops of boxes where necessary, stopping to study them with a practiced eye. She's checking for nice, clean, close loading. She's also looking to see who they're addressed to, if they're all to the same person/company, and (most important) she's looking for a damaged or slightly broken box... or one that looks like it could be pried easily open. She thinks it's a little odd that the boxes appear so light... clothing is heavy, she knows. So... could they be just empty boxes?
- A gray shadow quietly walks along the edge of the docks, his
pace a precise step-and-step. The shadow pauses to lean upon what appears
to be a long cross-barred staff, tarrying a moment upon his way.
Carroll walks the deck, checking lines, rigging, and generally looking things over, as a captain should before departing on a voyage. The bosun nods to Carroll. "Excuse me, sir. You're the captain?"
Carroll goes over, and murrs, "Yes, I am. Can I help you?"
The bosun, a grizzled muskrat, looks puzzled for a moment, then shrugs and salutes. "They told us you'd be arriving tonight, but they didn't tell me your name, sir. Jared Graytail at your service, sir."
Carroll ahs, and murrs, "Hello there. My name is Carroll St. Genevieve. The energetic vixen in the cargo hold is my sister, Alexandra." He smiles and asks, "Have you worked with any of these sailors before?"
The bosun scratches his head for a moment. "Well, sir...I've worked with one or two of them before, not recently mind you...and I know a few of 'em from shore leave. Good sailors those are, but some of 'em are a bit... outspoken, y'know what I mean?"
Carroll looks quizzically at the muskrat, and murrs, "What, exactly, do you mean, outspoken?"
Jared lowers his voice. "Well... don't like to say it right out, but I know that ol' Short-tail was on the beach for five years after telling one of Mr. P's captains he didn't know what he was doing. Stuff like that. Turns out Shorty was right, though... that fellow left him on the beach and two voyages later he lost both masts in a light gale. First time I've seen him on a deck since then, 'less you count fishing boats here in the bay."
Carroll hmms and murrs, "Interesting." He looks around and murrs, "Do you know the histories of any of these others?"
Jared shrugs. "Not so well as Shorty. Offhand, I'd say that Mr. P's put a whole pile of troublemakers here. Either they trouble the powers that be, or they're just trouble in their own right." The muskrat sighs. "Don't know rightly what to make of it, Captain."
Carroll looks at Jared and nods. He murrs, "I appreciate you telling me this, a great deal. It always helps to know what you're getting in to." Looking back out over the deck, he replies to the other, "I'm not sure myself."
Carroll smiles a half grin and asks Jared, "So what is it you have done to cause House Pravinchandra irritation?"
Jared grins, slightly embarrassed. "Don't rightly know, sir, except maybe complaining about spoiled rations on the last voyage. Didn't know the captain of that ship was one of his nephews."
Carroll chuckles. Looking back at the muskrat he adds, "Well, I'm not upset at that. Honestly, I'd rather hear what everyone has to say than have it surprise me later."
The bosun gives Carroll a rather sharp look. "Sounds like you're in the same boat as the rest of us, begging the Captain's pardon." He turns at a thump and starts berating one of the longshoremen for dropping a crate.
Down belowdecks Alexandra notices the dropped box and watches it... maybe that one can be pried carefully open later. One of the crewmen loading is a rather dangerous-looking marten. He sees the young fox and gives her a rather... suggestive leer. Alex gives him an icy stare, then ignores him as beneath her notice... but she'll remember him. She starts to head for the ladder to tell Carroll that the loading is all being properly stowed, and looks to be on schedule. They should be ready to go at high tide.
On the ladder, on his next trip down, the marten lags behind and grins at Alexandra again. She snaps sharply to him, "You have work to do, sirrah. I suggest you get to it!"
He just grins. "Now don't be that way. We'll have a nice long voyage together, you might want to be friendlier."
Alexandra whips around on the ladder, a shocked look on her face... then with a silent snarl she draws her hand back and SLAPS the marten as hard as she can across the muzzle! "You vermin... up on deck at ONCE!" He looks astonished for a moment, then furious. He steps toward Alex, then thinks twice.
Alexandra comes boiling out on deck, fury in her eyes and her fur all bristled up. She whirls and stares down into the hold expectantly, her hand on her rapier's pommel, and barks sharply, "NOW!!"
Carroll murrs "True, really," to the bosun, and then sees his sister. He begins to walk to her, and asks, "What is it?" The marten comes back up the companionway, glaring at Alexandra. He's a rather evil-looking sort, in a bullying petty-criminal sort of way. Carroll's seen him going up and down, helping load -- although not any more help than he has to be.
The dockside shadow's head jerks at the sharp and loud bark. The shadow straightens and silently paces towards the ship.
Alexandra snaps sharply, her furious gaze still upon the marten, "Captain sir, reporting that as I was leaving the hold, this... 'individual' seemed to be slacking off to follow me around. Upon being told he had work to do his reply was that we would be having a 'nice long voyage together' and that I might 'want to be friendlier'! So... I slapped him and told him to report on deck at ONCE."
Horatio pokes his head out of the foc's'le door, blinking in the bright light. Did he just hear his sister... oh. Yes. There she is, looking ready to bite off some crewman's head. He slips out the doorway, being careful to not let the door slam on his satchel, instead forgetting to not let it slam on his sword scabbard. He spends a few frustrating moments extracting his sword from the door, before ambling over to the commotion. Jared comes over to see what the altercation is about. He waits to see what the new captain will do.
The marten looks sullen. "I didn't mean nothin' by it." Alexandra looks like she would cheerfully rip the marten's head off with her teeth at that comment!
The tall shadow silently walks up the gangplank, towering behind the crowd. A soft voice speaks. "Of course he didn't mean anything of it. No one would make the mistake of speaking to MY sister that way. Correct?"
- Midnight. Coal black, he is, with fur as rich as a starless
nighttime sky. Brown eyes flash, above his sharply chiseled muzzle, quiet
and sure, like a sea whose currents run deep. From one tall ear sparkles
three rings of gold, as plain as any crest, campaign rings of Blackpool's
Marines. The color of dusk wraps about the darkling fox, all the shades
of gray falling in severe loose folds, as if carven from weatherstained
quarry rock. Midnight black is his accent, the color of his tall polished
boots into which his stone tinted breeches are precisely tucked. A black
belt, tight, with silver fittings bright, complements his dashing tunic,
that too the color of a fell evening fog. Beneath the tunic hides the only
splash of color, where a pristine shirt of white hides, and mayhaps the
hint of fine ruffles. Each movement is simple and professional, betraying
a trained discipline. From beneath a long and rich tail occasionally
sneaks, just as dark, touched hither and yon with a highlight of deep
crimson. In one hand he carries a long and narrow package, wrapped in
black leather and trimmed with pale gray fur. As long as he is tall it
is, deadly steel scabbarded and held safe at bay.
Alexandra's head whips around again, her eyes still furious, "What do you MEAN he di..." she stares at the tall cloaked person, her mouth dropping open.
The marten looks sullen, but a bit fearful now, recognizing another fighter. "Course not."
Alexandra squeals delightedly, "DIMITRIIII!!!" and throws herself on the tall man!
Carroll looks at the marten and sighs. He murrs, "Apologize to the lady, sailor, and then get back to work." The marten mumbles an apology and shuffles back toward the dock to help with another crate. Carroll looks at Dimitri, and smiles. He murrs, "Hello, brother! What are you doing here?"
Dimitri stands still, wrapping one arm about his sister, strong, like a rock. "I'd tell you, once I can... breathe... again." Carroll, not having a crowbar, hopes the hint is enough to dislodge his sister.
Alexandra giggles delightedly, hugging him happily, "How ARE you where've you BEEN we've MISSED you we need you to help find Daddy I've been practicing religiously just like you told me to ooh it's so GOOD to finally have you back, Dimitri!!" She grins over her shoulder at Carroll and quits bouncing quite so much, just slipping an arm around Dimitri's waist instead of her earlier cheerful throttlings, "Heehee! C'mon, Dimitri, whatcha been doing? Hey Horatio! Wanna flip for third mate, or do you want it for sure?"
Horatio stops cleaning his glasses, and perches them back on his muzzle. Ah, yes, it IS brother Dimitri! "Oh, it IS good to see you again, Dimitri, I didn't recognize you at -- huh? Oh! Er... Third mate?" He looks around, blinking. "Oh! Of the Saucy Mare! Uhm... I'm not entirely sure, Alex, I mean, I've never been the officer type, though I can navigate her. You know, I modified her sextant, oh, about a year ago, before-"
Alexandra giggles again, "Okay, I'll do it! You can tell us all about it over dinner, how's that?" She beams up at Dimitri, "So, what's up?"
Dimitri blinks twice beneath the hood, his head shaking. Patiently, patiently waiting out the pummel. He leans back. Sifting through the quick rattle of information, he takes a breath, letting one hand rest over Alex's shoulder. "Nothing changes, I see. I almost walked right past this ship. And me, I've been cashiered, by her nobleness' personal request. I didn't know why... except." He turns, looking towards his older brother. "Carroll, what happened to Father? And why is the house practically abandoned?" He reaches up, and with a simple sharp motion folds down the hood of his cloak, then shakes his head, his gold rings jingling.
Carroll gets a rather pained look. He turns to Jared and murrs, "Can you make a pass around the ship and into the hold to make sure everything is going well? I need to talk to my brother."
Alexandra looks suddenly less cheerful, her ears tilting down a bit despondently... she murmurs softly, "That was nice of her..." Horatio shuffles his feet at the mention of Father, nervously taking his glasses off and cleaning them on the edge of his tabard even though he just did that.
The bosun nods, and leaves you to yourselves. Alexandra looks around, then at Carroll, "Your quarters? We need to talk, don't we."
Carroll looks back to Dimitri and murrs, "Father is missing, possibly dead. His ship and its cargo vanished, leaving us responsible for its value. Our assets have been seized by Councilman Pravinchandra who is giving us a 'chance' to work for him."
Alexandra says fiercely, "Daddy isn't dead, Carroll, don't say that! He's just... missing."
Carroll nods at his sister and murrs, apparently to Dimitri, "Would you like a glass of wine, after your trip? I think we've got some in my quarters."
Dimitri says, "A chance. How. Well. Nice."
Alexandra's tail droops. She looks up at Dimitri's face unhappily, then gently tugs on one hand, "Let's... go have the glass of wine?"
Dimitri says, "And a bit of drink would serve me well. Quite a walk it is, from Blackpool Manor."
Carroll nods, and murrs, "Tell me, does Lady Blackpool know Mr. Pravinchandra?" He gestures and leads off to his cabin, apparently making small talk. Alexandra catches Horatio's hand too as they walk after Carroll. Horatio blinks as his sister takes his hand and tags along after her.
Dimitri says, "Yesterday morning I would have said of course not. However, tonight I might think differently. But then you and Horatio usually out thought me, brother."
Alexandra murmurs softly, "It was nice of her to let you go... she knew we'd need you."
Carroll leads you all in to his cabin, and closes the door, before he murrs, "Either that, or she was bribed so we could all be on this vessel." He finds glasses and a bottle, setting them on a small table for his siblings, before he murrs, "I think we're in grave trouble here."
Horatio blinks, extracting his sword from the doorjamb again. "Er... why? I mean, well, aside from being on a ship run by House Pravinchandra and... and all the rumors that he... well..."
Alexandra says, "Oh! I um... forgot Carroll, I'm sorry..." She looks a little sheepish, "-but um... well, the boxes seem very light for clothing? There's one box that I think I can pry open later tonight too? And the hold's well packed... the crew's competent... we should be able to set sail as scheduled, at high tide just before dawn?"
Dimitri shakes his head. "Lady Blackpool has no love of Pravinchandra. However, no fleet ship can afford to have trouble maintaining its supplies. And bratling, I was cashiered for conduct unbecoming an officer. Though unbecoming might seem to mean now just having the wrong last name."
Alexandra gives Dimitri a slightly startled look, "You?! No! What happened?" Her expression gets fierce, "It must have been a frame!" She thinks, remembering what she knows... the Countess stays pretty busy with the Navy. But she's got a reputation for being unbribable, and her family estates are in good shape.
Dimitri shrugs off his heavy great-cloak, carefully folding it before setting it aside. He takes up a glass. "It was a surprise to me."
Carroll nods and murrs "It probably does, Dimitri." He smiles and adds, "I am glad to see you, despite my worry." He continues, "We have apparently been given a crew of general misfits, troublemakers, and more importantly, people who have spoken out against the House Pravinchandra. We are carrying a suspiciously light load."
Horatio blinks in shock and starts cleaning his glasses again worriedly. "You? Conduct unbecoming...? But brother, that's not possible, your record's been spotless..."
Alexandra settles next to Dimitri, drawing up her legs, settling the scabbard with absent, practiced ease, and wrapping her arms around her knees. She looks very unhappy, even her whiskers drooping, as she leans her head against Dimitri's shoulder.
Carroll adds, "Our bosun Jared, for instance, once complained to a captain about rotten rations. Unluckily for him, the captain was a nephew of the Pravinchandra family. He's had little work since. Another crewman he knows here had similar experiences."
Alexandra murmurs, "Shouldn't we have fired the marten?"
Carroll murrs, "Perhaps. Getting the crew hostile towards us is not something we particularly need. If he touches you, cut his hand off. Or, whatever it is he touches you with."
Alexandra glowers at Carroll, "I'll kill him, Carroll, you know that."
Carroll shrugs at his sister, "If you don't, Dimitri will."
Alexandra blinks -- then sighs softly, her anger draining away, "I'm sorry, Carroll... I didn't mean to make problems before we'd even set sail."
Horatio fidgets a little with all this talking about killing. "As much as little sister would be in the right if she did, ah, maybe we should think about what kind of effect that would have on the crew? I mean... I don't know how many mutinies there were in last year's statistics, but I don't think we should be among this year's."
Dimitri shrugs. "But her marines need to eat, Horatio. I probably should have said something but that's not the type of melee I am good at. As for your small marten, if he was stupid he'd be dead. He's been told to back off. Let's trust he remains smart. There's no place to run, on a ship." Alexandra nods silently.
Carroll sighs and adds, "Anyway, I can't help but fear that this is a doomed mission to take care of a whole bunch of past problems the House Pravinchandra has had all at once. Probably at the expense of our family name and properties, although no one will object because I expect we'd be dead one way or another. Am I paranoid, or should we worry?"
Alexandra says, "We need to find Daddy. Once we find him, he'll have the proof we need to show the mongoose is using pirates... right?" Her voice is wistfully coaxing, "You always have such clever plans, Carroll... come up with one now for us, please?"
Dimitri laughs softly, his earrings jingling. "Of course you should be. Father's missing, you're working on a Pravinchandra commission, and the prodigal son is home. The trick is not to let them know."
Carroll nods. He murrs, "Horatio, you're clever. We need to know what's in these crates before we leave port. Find a way to get in one without marring it. I worry we'll arrive with empty boxes and be accused of theft, or worse."
Alexandra smiles, "I can help with that, Carroll. Like I said, I even have a box picked out."
Horatio bobs his head, and starts digging around in his satchel. "That would be wonderful, Alex, I think I have something in here... uhm... somewhere... blast, no, left that in the workshop maybe..."
Carroll nods and murrs, "Good, help him."
Dimitri shrugs quietly, reaching to his belt. "There's another way."
Alexandra thinks a bit, then adds, "I'll get the keys from the bosun... Jared, is that his name? No need to have an unknown crew able to get into the weaponry, yes?" She pauses, glancing curiously at Dimitri.
Carroll murrs, "Jared Graytail, yes."
Dimitri tosses a gold coin to Carroll. "Here. I'm a passenger. That way when I break open a crate they can't blame you." Alexandra grins at Carroll, then at Dimitri... her ears are beginning to come back up to their usual enthusiastic tilt.
Carroll chuckles, "Personally I'd have rather seen one of the crates dropped 'accidentally' down the hold and broken, so we could blame sailors. You're too much family, too close. And they have authorized no passengers."
Alexandra nods, "And don't you want Dimitri as second mate, Carroll?"
Carroll nods, "Yes, I do." He looks at his brother and adds, "I may need your skill to keep the crew disciplined. I'm awful at that." He tosses the coin back. Alexandra covers a grin at Carroll's comment, assiduously examining the um... the overhead, that's it!
Dimitri catches it with one hand. "Carroll, you know I know nothing about running a ship. As any sort of mate. The sailors know that. See the rings? That's why Father and I never got along."
Carroll asks, "Did you lead men in the military?"
Alexandra says happily, "You don't have to run the ship, Dimitri -- just manage the men! Carroll and I can do the ship stuff and Horatio can navigate!" She beams and adds happily, "I'm glad we're all back together again..." She hugs Dimitri, adding softly, "Daddy missed you a lot, Dimitri, he just wasn't real good at saying it. You know how Daddy can be."
Horatio bobs his head. "Oh yes, I can navigate! In fact I think tomorrow'll be an exceptionally good day to do it; the moon is coming full at about twilight tomorrow and if we're lucky we'll have a cloudless local apparent noon and... er." He fidgets a little. "Ah, yes, I can navigate." Alexandra grins affectionately at Horatio.
Carroll nods, and murrs, "Alex has it. If you'd rather swap second and third with her, I don't much care, but I need your experience there if we're going to lead any voyage, much less this one."
Alexandra blinks, then says in a shocked tone, "Carroll, I couldn't order Dimitri around! He should be second, not me!"
Dimitri chuckles dryly. "I won't be your mate, but if you wish a major of... marine."
Carroll nods. He murrs, "Good, Horatio. I'd also like you to keep an eye on the mechanical workings of the ship, make sure everything is as it should be. Unobtrusively, if you can."
Horatio bobs his head again. "Certainly, brother."
Carroll nods to his brother and murrs, "If that's what you can do, Dimitri, that's what you'll do."
Alexandra counts on her fingers, "Wait, I got that wrong... Carroll's captain, Dimitri's major of marines, Horatio's navigator, you need a um..." She blinks, then looks up with a wide-eyed hopeful look at Carroll, "Um... a first mate?"
Carroll smiles at his sister and murrs, "I thought you'd have figured that out by now."
Dimitri looks back to Alex and smiles. "That's marine. Singular. There's only one of me."
Alexandra blushes hotly! but beams, "Really?! You'd let me be the first mate?!" She sounds like she's been offered the holy grail. Horatio blinks, looking between Carroll and Alexandra, and wonders if he should worry or be happy...
Carroll chuckles, "Of course. You could be Captain if you'd like. I'll stay home..." He grins.
Alexandra looks shocked again, "No! No, you-" She eyes Carroll suspiciously, then grins, "You're teasing me again!"
Carroll says very quietly, "Only mostly, Alex, only mostly. I wish I could think of an excuse to look for Father along the way."
Dimitri shrugs quietly, trying to look on the level and not teasing. "Well, you certainly can't be a marine with that little plaything of yours."
Alexandra gives Dimitri a hurt look, "What? I know how to use it -- I practiced every day, like I promised!" Alexandra doesn't mention, of course, the numerous times her cheerful enthusiasm with her practice got her in trouble... Carroll rather kindly doesn't mention it, either.
Dimitri looks back and just nudges Alex. "One can tell."
Alexandra says, "Oh!" She looks relieved, then adds with cheerful challenge, "So... what's wrong with my rapier, huh?"
Dimitri looks back, "Its good for these corridors, where my blade is a bit unwieldy, but on deck it's a bit light. You might want to consider a cutlass.
Horatio says, "Uhm, sister... you did run it through several pages of a book I was reading the other day..." He frowns. "Or did I do that myself in my workshop..."
Carroll tchs, and murrs, "Family, what are we going to do, not to get ourselves framed?"
Alexandra cheerfully 'misses' what Horatio said as she frowns, "Should we gather more info on the ship first?"
Carroll asks, "What did you have in mind?"
Alexandra blinks interestedly, "A... cutlass... hm. The weight would be real different..." She brightens, "Would you train me again, Dimitri?" Without breaking mental pace she adds to Carroll, "Well, we should take inventory of the weapons-locker, Horatio should check out all his nifty new additions that Daddy had him put in, and we should open a box, right, Carroll?" She looks much happier now they're working on a plan.
Dimitri leans back, his ears flattening. "And a choice that needs to be made."
Alexandra looks at Dimitri in surprise, "What?"
Carroll looks at Dimitri, and asks, "Oh?"
Dimitri says, "Think about it. Not like bad luck. Like a game of chess, Horatio. Like trying to get all of us to agree to something, Carroll. Look where we are. We are all in one ship. One place. Our fates tied together. We have the manor and its lands hanging by a handful of payments. We have a ship with a cargo... on the good wishes of someone who can't but benefit by our failure. We can do what's expected. Follow the path laid out for us. Do you really believe, even if there is cargo in these boxes, that everything will work out? If someone wants the house, lands, and ships, do you think they will let us succeed if it all hangs on one precious shipment?"
Carroll murrs, "No, I don't. Look how we got in to this situation. I'm glad someone else agrees with me."
Dimitri says, "We can ride their path, Carroll."
Alexandra nods slowly, thinking, "We need to find Daddy... but while we're looking we need to be free to look."
Horatio blinks. "Er... offhand, I would have to say that we are... in a lot of trouble."
Carroll murrs, "You see something I don't, Dimitri. Explain, please."
Dimitri leans forward, resting his head at against the cold steel of his sword. "A campaign was never won by doing what they want us to do. We can go after those hunting us. First."
Carroll asks, "How?"
Dimitri ruffles his ruff, his brow furrowing. "This is a merchant war, yes? Give the others some losses of their own to reconcile."
Horatio blinks to Dimitri. "But... it sounds like... that you're suggesting... that we..."
Alexandra frowns puzzledly, "Piracy? But... isn't that... dishonorable...? I mean, not everyone did this to us... just the mongoose?"
Horatio says, "Not to mention getting us in trouble with... well, everyone?!" He takes off his glasses, nervously cleaning them again.
Carroll murrs, "We'll be named outlaws, and the estate seized." He smiles and murrs, "Unless we're more subtle, and don't get caught."
Dimitri says, "Fighting for the survival of St. Genevieve, Horatio. That's what we'd be doing." Alexandra straightens slightly, still a bit confused looking but rallying unconsciously to the family name.
Carroll murrs, "Did you have something in mind, or are you leaving deviousness to me? Personally I'd lean towards arson, myself." Alexandra is getting rather bewildered looking, her head turning back and forth between Carroll and Dimitri.
Dimitri says, "Carroll, of course I am leaving the deviousness to you. I am as subtle as a loose ballast stone." Alexandra grins faintly at that, and looks towards Carroll expectantly.
Horatio sighs and sets his glasses on his head, and remembering to straighten like his sister tells him to do constantly. "Arson? I think I have something back at my workshop, it's rather good for that... do you remember when the Academy almost burned down a year ago and Dr. Marran's office -- oh, that's right, Dr. Marran wasn't teaching at the Academy then..."
Alexandra gives Horatio a shocked, delighted look, "That was YOU, Horatio?!" She covers a giggle, then looks back at Carroll.
Carroll murrs, "All we really need to do is to make ourselves invaluable." He tries to think. Nothing much happens.
Horatio blinks at Alexandra nervously. "Who? Me? Doing what? OH! Uhm... they, ah, never proved anything..."
Alexandra grins again at Horatio -- how wonderful, something to mention to him when he mentions the rapier damage! -- then adds, "Well... Dimitri always tells me reconnoitering is indispensable to any campaign... so I'm gonna go get the keys! Horatio, can you check out the stuff you added to the ship? Dimitri, can you open a box with me? Carroll, do you think we should send someone back to the estate to pick up our stuff?" She bounces excitedly -- a plan is in the offing, she can feel it!
Carroll looks at the vixen and murrs, "I don't know what to do, Alexandra. That will buy us some time, I guess."
Horatio bobs his head again. "I was doing that before. The crew managed to get most of it back to the way it was before -- the rigging is back to a standard set, but I think I can get it back to the way I set it up. But the bow chasers are still there behind the secret panels... or were they secret? I don't remember, I found them easily enough so they can't be all that secret... or was this even the ship with the bow chaser ballistae? Oh, dear, let me check my notes..."
Alexandra nods happily, "It's okay, Carroll... you'll come up with something! You always do... we'll give you some peace 'n quiet to think in." She grins at Horatio affectionately, "This is the ship with the secret panels, silly... don't you remember? I shut the ship's cat into one by accident?"
Dimitri shakes his head, watching Horatio ramble. He does, however, nod to Carroll. "Not being an expert at merchanting, a warehouse or two being damaged would make the ships at sea more valuable, correct? Especially since a ship at sea can't be blamed for something happening at port?"
Carroll murrs, "Horatio, make sure you know what we've got." He murrs tiredly, "And, open a box."
Dimitri's ears droop. "We have a cat?"
Carroll nods to Dimitri, and murrs, "Yes, I was thinking that 'alibi' thought too." He adds, "It's a cat, Dimitri, for rats."
Alexandra punches Dimitri's shoulder lightly and happily, "Gosh, it's nice to have you back! So, do you know anybody that can make a fire... for St. Genevieve?" She gives Carroll a thoughtful glance, "Do you know, I haven't seen her... she might be hiding in the hold?" Alexandra, of course, makes little to no impact on Dimitri when she 'punches'... she never does.
Horatio ahs! and rummages through his satchel. The sound of parchment is audible. "Yes, yes, you're right, sister, I remember now. Father did have a fondness for those things..."
Carroll adds, "Think about fire, Horatio. Something we can light with a fuse, hours after we leave. If you need to make a trip to your workshop, do."
Alexandra says, "And I want a change of clothes before we set sail... I need some sturdier shirts, I think! And my leather vest!"
Carroll smirks at the vixen and murrs, "Careful. Make yourself too pretty and you'll have to fend off more crew."
Horatio blinks up at Carroll and nods a little absently. "Uhm... oh, yes! Yes, I think there's something... but I'm not sure if it's workable, really. I had a wonderful book on the subject but I lost that some time ago... oh, yes, it was during the Academy fire."
Dimitri rubs his muzzle and frowns. "Sometimes I prefer the rats..." Standing, he notices the tap upon his shoulder and nods. "Horatio. And as for cats, when I start sneezing, you will know it's near. Show me this box of yours, yes?"
Alexandra blinks at Carroll, then blushes, "Aw, quit teasing me, Carroll! It wasn't my fault Nanna dressed me up in that stupid dress that time!" She looks glum, then grins wickedly, "Was SUCH a shame it ripped..."
Carroll murrs, "Gently, Dimitri!" He adds, "A trip to the house is probably a good idea for all of us, honestly. Better clothing, at the least." He adds, "I'd like my brush and things, too."
Alexandra bounces happily to her feet, "Okay, box, keys, trip home, got it! Carroll, you'll need to address the crew too, yes?"
Dimitri turns back to Carroll, "And you are looking at everything I own." Alexandra patters swiftly out of the cabin, and they can hear her light-voiced call to Jared.
Carroll stands then, and murrs, "I'd better go find our bosun and see what mischief the crew is in to." Looking back over his shoulder at his brother, he smiles and murrs, "You may be in good company soon, brother." He turns and walks out to the deck.
Alexandra leans back into the cabin and winks at Dimitri, "I saved a few of your things, silly!" She vanishes again.
Dimitri says, "Cor!" He pads quickly after his sister. "Always too bloody fast..." Carroll heads on to the deck looking for Jared, as well.
The bosun comes over as the siblings come back on deck. Carroll murrs, "Jared, there you are. Is everything well?"
The muskrat salutes. "Everything's fine so far. Almost done loading -- these crates are real easy to shift. What's in 'em?"
Carroll murrs, "Jared, let me formally introduce you. This is my sister, Alexandra St. Genevieve. She will be the first mate for this voyage." He murrs, "We're told clothing. Have we a complete manifest?"
Alexandra grins cheerfully and nods politely to Jared, "I'd like to check one of the boxes as it is, Jared."
Jared salutes the young lady. "Ma'am. Umm, begging your pardon, but do you have much experience?"
Alexandra raises an amused eyebrow at Jared, "Mr. Graytail, my father is the St. Genevieve. Yes, I was taught the family's business."
Jared nods. "Good to know, milady. Sometimes, well, folks think their name means they don't have to learn the business."
Carroll clamps a paw on her shoulder and adds, "However, if you think of anything you feel you'd like to suggest, please do so."
Alexandra thinks a moment, then says politely, "Mr. Graytail, it might be easiest for the crew if they simply called me sir, instead of milady... since here I am filling the role of first mate. Would you tell them this for me, please?"
Jared breaks into a grin. "Milady, you don't much look like a sir. How about just ma'am, if you don't want to stand on too much ceremony?"
Alexandra thinks a bit more... then smiles, "I think you know the crew better than I, sir, so if that's what you suggest then by all means let's go with that." She glances sideways up at her brother... she can so be diplomatic, really, especially if she's reminded gently! Carroll lets go of Alex's shoulder.
Carroll smiles at her, and murrs, "Why don't you and Jared go take an inventory."
Alexandra salutes crisply, internally relieved Daddy made certain she'd learned how to do that, "Certainly, Captain. Mr. Graytail, if you please?"
Alexandra walks briskly off with Jared to do inventories. She realizes she's in a different position than her brothers, in some ways. She's small, female, and while she won't tell anyone, this is her first command... she's going to have to prove competence repeatedly on board ship as the first mate, and she knows it. One of the best ways she's been taught to be respected is to give respect where it's due. She'll treat her beloved brothers like her brothers in private, but in public (i.e. in front of crew) she's crisply formal and as intimidatingly competent as she can pull off.
Horatio clambers about the ship, finishing checking on the modifications that Father had urged him to make to the ship that one wonderful summer while the Saucy Mare was up on blocks. Alexandra courteously asks the bosun for the ship's keys, and asks him to accompany her on inventory. After some research she discovers the stores are in good shape, at least the ones they can get at easily. Since the ship's stores are piled in the hold, they can't get at the lower tiers without unloading the upper tiers. No time right now. Dimitri quietly walks the deck, his blade held balanced over his shoulder, as the crew continues to load in the cargo.
Dimitri wanders towards the deck crew, his pace even and nonchalant. He shrugs his shoulders, shifting the sword's balance, so that only the first foot or so of the scabbarded blade extends forward his shoulder, the rest hangs back. Watching the loading crew, he notices the crates are small and are being taken on board by hand, two furs to a crate.
Carroll calls, "Horatio! Where have you got to?" and looks for the fox. Horatio, meanwhile, is cheerfully crawling throughout the ship, managing to not make a nuisance of himself amongst the crew but likely raising a few eyebrows at what he's looking for or looking at. Carroll checks out the decks, calling out instead of trying to follow in to every nook.
Dimitri stands next to the spot where the furrs are loading the crates into the hold. Looks like one box has already been dropped by accident into the hold. It didn't break completely, though. Too light. He watches as the crates are being lowered, getting used to the pattern and rhythm... hmm... if something were to clip a crate, like a sword, and send it tumbling down hard into the hold...
Dimitri calls out loud, "ALEX!" And spins fast and sharp, the long length of his blade sweeping in a scabbarded arc right at the cargo furr's head level... the crewwoman carrying it yelps and dives out of the way, dropping her end of the crate, which bangs on the deck but doesn't break. Alexandra ducks and whirls, rapier half out of the scabbard, her shoulder shoving Jared aside -- the last time Dimitri did that it was a warning of impending attack!
Carroll looks up towards the deck, and murrs, "Uh-oh!" He begins climbing the ladder very quickly.
Alexandra blinks, then points and shouts back, "Look out!" If that doesn't add to the commotion, nothing will. She shoves her rapier back into the scabbard and heads for Dimitri and the hold.
Horatio's ears perk and he straightens -- bang! -- right into a crossbeam. Blinking to un-cross his eyes, he starts trying to scramble out of the foc's'le. Carroll comes bursting up the top of the ladder of the hold, rather suddenly, asking, "What?"
Alexandra slows to a walk, an amused and exasperated look on her face, "Sheesh, Dimitri, I thought you were in danger or something! Were they about to drop a crate on her or something?" She looks down into the hold searchingly.
Dimitri frowns and sits down upon the bobbled crate. "Let me stay out of your way."
Alexandra whews softly, and rests a hand on Dimitri's shoulder for a moment. She grins at him, almost eye-level with him while he's seated... then turns, "Mr. Graytail, we were going to conduct an inventory. Shall we continue?" Jared looks a little exasperated by all the fooling around, but goes back to work supervising the loading. Alex guesses Jared, being an old hand at this, is going to figure out pretty quickly he's got an inexperienced first mate on his hands -- it wouldn't occur to her that any of her brothers could be seen as inexperienced in their fields of specialty, of course -- so while she's very proper about procedurals, she's also very happy to hear any suggestions the bosun has! Jared is a good top sergeant. He'll figure Alex out right quick, he will. She's just hoping he'll be kind while she does her best.
Carroll murrs, "Be careful," shakes his head, and meanders off to find Horatio again.
Horatio emerges from one of the foc's'le hatches -- one of the ones used more for ventilation than egress -- onto the deck, blinking at what was going on. "Oh! Yes, Car-r-r- um, Captain?" Carroll ahs, and heads over to Horatio, speaking to him quietly, pointing up at the rigging.
Carroll murrs, conversationally, "You were mentioning something about the rigging?"
Horatio blinks, looking up at the rigging. "Oh! Oh, yes. Father had me put in a new arrangement for the rigging, one we thought might be better, let us haul in on the sails a little more, tack a little tighter, get a couple of extra knots of speed out of the Saucy Mare. Uhm... but the crew all put it back to how it was before..."
Carroll nods, and asks, "How long will it take to change?"
Horatio grimaces slightly and rummages briefly in his satchel before pulling out a small sheaf of parchment. "I'm not sure. Uhm, a day while we're not underway. We can do most of it bit by bit while we're under way, though."
Carroll murrs, "Most of it? Let's make a point to get all the things that can't be done while we're still here."
Horatio bobs his head. "Okay! Uhm, I'll need the carpenter and the sailing master, and some of their mates..." Carroll nods and calls Jared over to explain what his brother needs. Carroll translates his brother's rambling explanations in to manageable orders for Jared. He seems used to this, rather like Groucho translating for Chico.
Dimitri watches quietly as the crew loads the crates into the hold, waiting for them to regain their pattern of work, until they no longer notice the clumsy fox. Then he quietly stands and walks away, taking his chair with him. He sets his chair down by the hatchway to Carroll's quarters and sits down upon it again, then waves Carroll over as he spots him doing his rounds. Carroll excuses himself, and goes over to Dimitri.
Dimitri looks up as Carroll approaches, at the edge of the accessway. "Things seem to have quieted down, yes?" The chair the black fox is sitting on is one of the suspect crates.
Carroll nods, and murrs, "So far so good. I fear this thing with the riggings will make us a bit late departing, though."
Dimitri says, "Might we need to discuss scheduling in your quarters?"
Carroll murrs, "That might not be a bad idea. We should decide who gets the late watch."
Dimitri says, "After you, brother."
Carroll opens the door, and heads in to the cabins, thinking aloud... Dimitri stands, between Carroll and the cargo hold. And once Carroll gets two steps down the stairs, he carefully ooshes the crate after him. Carroll hears the sliding sound and lingers, rather casually picking up the forward edge of the box with a hand and moving inside.
Alexandra catches her favorite brother out of the corner of her eye entering Carroll's cabin with a crate... she nods briskly, tells Jared to carry on (probably much to his relief), and heads that way. On the way she grabs Horatio, "Just the person! I need you to show me that thing with the sextant in the captain's quarters... come along!" She will drag him along with her, with a conspiratorial wink. Then she taps lightly on Carroll's door, "It's me and Horatio, Captain. May we come in?"
Horatio eeeps? "Oh! Uh, certainly, sister, it's really pretty simple..." He completely misses the conspiratorial wink, however. Alexandra is grinning to herself about Horatio as she knocks.
Carroll opens the door and murrs, "Come in." Once they're in the door closes quickly behind them.
Horatio, a moment too late, checks to see if his sword caught in the doorjamb again, and breathes a sigh of relief that it hasn't. It would be nice if he could avoid doing that to himself when he opens and closes doors himself, though.
Alexandra grins happily at Dimitri, towing in Horatio, "Hiya! we're all here... whatcha got? Oh, Carroll? The supplies we could get to easily are all okay, and are enough to get us to our scheduled port... the rest are already packed into the hold. Also, the weapons locker is in order. The weapons are cutlasses and boarding pikes and bows and arrows. Normal stuff."
Carroll didn't close the door on Horatio's sword. Unlike Horatio, he pays attention -- and he knows his youngest brother well. He turns and murrs, "That still worries me. I'd like to have the rest examined, and think we've just made time, and I have an excuse." He grins, foxishly. Turning to the larger brother, he murrs, "Well? Let's get it open."
The crate is a fairly solid thing, about the size of a steamer trunk. Seems a little small for clothing unless it's folded up. Horatio blinks at the crate, tilting his head to the side. "That's what our cargo is made up of?"
Carroll nods, "Yes. They warned us it was light. I was wondering if we could find something dense to move on the side, like say, ballistae quarrels or chain or something, but this is worse than I expected."
Dimitri kneels down next to the crate. "You got a hammer or something? Alexandra produces a crowbar, having just been in the holds.
Carroll grins, and murrs, "Smart girl." Alexandra beams!
Horatio starts rummaging around in his clothing. "Uhm, if it's light it's going to cause us stability problems..." He blinks at Alexandra, then pats down himself again. "Oh, so that's where it went off to!" he says, convinced he MUST have had a crowbar on his person at some point. Alexandra giggles delightedly at Horatio! ;)
Dimitri sits back, "Have at it, Alex.
Carroll murrs, "Gently, gently." He backs out of the way, and leans idly against the door, holding it closed, just in case.
Alexandra nods, and carefully inserts the pronged teeth... then heaves with all her might! There's a horrible screeching of nails leaving wood... and... the lid pries off without too much trouble. There is indeed clothing in the box, but oddly it does not look at all like something that would be urgently wanted for an Imperial court. Typical rough peasant clothing. Full, but loosely packed.
Carroll hmms, "Is it full? Odd clothes for the Imperial court."
Alexandra blinks and says in an odd voice, "Well... yes, it's full..." She leans forward and picks up a rough shirt, "Sort of..." She holds up the shirt so everyone can see.
Horatio blinks at the clothing. He produces a short, thin metal rod, the sort of thing an inventor uses to prod at random things. He pokes around gingerly into the crate, lifting some of the clothing to the side. "Strange..."
Carroll asks, "Is that all that's in it? No false bottoms? No, say, smuggling going on?"
Alexandra says, "Um... give Horatio a moment..."
Dimitri says, "This is. Not. Good."
Carroll agrees, "We're being used. Set up or otherwise." Alexandra looks faintly stunned, as if she hadn't really believed yet, as she stares at the shirt in her hands.
Horatio frets. "Nothing. This is the only things in here. Unless there's something in SOME of the crates but not all of them... who are we supposed to deliver these to?"
Carroll murrs, "The Imperial court, I think. Check the crate."
Alexandra checks and nods, "Yep. Well, to the House P factor at Alburtis, since Karado City is hundreds of kilometers inland."
Horatio says, "Uhm, brother, you know I'm the least likely of all of us to even imagine seeing the Imperial court, but offhand I'd say that we'd be laughed at if we delivered this to the majordomo at the court. Which means..."
Carroll adds, "Yes, there could be many decoys with a few ringers. Or we could be exposed as thieves, replacing the missing goods -- which will show up on the black market conveniently -- with this garbage. Or we could simply be attacked by 'pirates' and sunk, a worthless cargo lost, and claimed on insurance. The mind boggles. And I'm certain that if I go charging to the Councilman and demand an explanation he'll have one... it's the new fashion, or it's a practical joke, or maybe the warehouse did the thieving."
Dimitri says, "Or they ask us what did we do with the real cargo. They confiscate ship, house and lands." Carroll nods.
Alexandra suddenly, angrily throws the shirt back into the crate, and fumes, "How DARE he treat us so? Who does he think we are?" She whirls to Carroll, "Carroll, were you serious about the arson? Do you have warehouses in mind? Do you know someone who can do this on short notice?"
Carroll looks at his sister and says sternly, "We're money he can have, a competitor to destroy, an example of what happens if you stand against Pravinchandra. Of course he can treat us this way."
Alexandra snaps, "I don't know about you, but I'm certainly not going to just stand idly by and let him make a laughingstock of us so! I think Dimitri is right -- we should do something unexpected! So it's only House Pravinchandra that's treating us so -- all right! Let's make them pay!"
Dimitri laughs quietly. "Carroll, where could we get ourselves a hold full of fine clothing?"
Carroll looks over at Dimitri, then snickers. He laughs... "Oh, I like that. Why, I expect there's some in their warehouse to be shipped later once this has arrived; those things take time to arrange. All we'd have to do is swap the boxes."
Alexandra grins suddenly, her teeth showing, "It'd be a shame if that was a warehouse that burned down too!"
Carroll chuckles, "Yes, indeedy."
Alexandra frowns thoughtfully, "We need to call in some family favors... who do we know that will do hauling on short notice, late at night?"
Horatio blinks, looking between Carroll and Dimitri. Oh, now, that sounds rather good! Still... "Uhm, sister, before you get any more incendiary about House Pravinchandra..."
Carroll frowns and murrs, "However, moving it all would be problematic. If I knew I could trust the crew, we might... although, most of them have no love for Pravinchandra."
Alexandra nods, "Get Jared to pick a crew, Carroll. If we can't trust him we're sunk anyways. Bring him in... show him this."
Carroll murrs, "Better would be to get Pravinchandra to pay for it. We'd still need longshoremen, though. Unless you want to drag stuff all the way from the warehouses by hand." He chuckles, "Do we know anyone on his clerical staff? Someone who could 'realize' this is a mistake, and order the cargoes swapped?"
Alexandra thinks very hard... Horatio frowns, and barely knows anyone in his own family's clerical staff, let alone that of another House.
Carroll rrfs, "There's so much cargo to move. If we try anything 'stealthy,' we'll be caught. However if a team arrives to unload, that's explainable. Happens all the time here. The problem will be getting replacements. And, if we do it here, people might notice. Is there anywhere between here and there, hopefully, where we have a favor or three? Someone who hates Pravinchandra would be lovely."
Alexandra mutters, "I'm thinking, I'm thinking... moment..."
Carroll begins to go over the manifest carefully. He murrs, "I don't know where we'd get this much cargo this quickly, or how we'd move it. We haven't the cash to buy it. We are acting as Pravinchandra's agents right now. I suppose I could go to him and expose this, saying we checked the cargo against the manifest and it's wrong, what's happened? It wouldn't be our fault then. We'd be responsible shippers, checking the cargo carefully, to be sure we had all of it before we said we could deliver it."
Dimitri sits back, leaning against the bulkhead. Alexandra looks blankly at Carroll, "I... have no idea, Carroll. We know what Daddy would do... but Daddy doesn't use pirates either, you know?"
Carroll murrs, "He might still claim we'd stolen it and were trying to blame someone else. And I fear things would still show up on the black market, conveniently."
Horatio says, "Uhm, yes, but, aren't there rules about shippers opening cargo crated?"
Carroll shrugs, "Crate broke. I'm sure I can arrange that with Jared's help."
Alexandra says slowly, "You know... this is very specific, expensive clothing listed on the bill of lading... not the sort of thing you just find lying around waiting to be bought. I think... I think that our bridges are getting burned behind us, right now... that if we've been set up so far, there's a contingency plan for us discovering this before we set sail too. And... and if that's the case, I think looking like we're doing what we're supposed to be doing, setting sail on time... I think that will buy us some much needed time to decide how to handle this?"
Dimitri says, "Actually, who cares. If this does go public, explaining how the rags got in there will become the issue, not how they were discovered. The problem, however, is different. What are we going to do knowing that if we try the official routes Pravinchandra is going to have the money to stop us, and by the time it would take to prove we were set up the land and house would be gone."
Carroll nods and murrs, "The trap closes."
Alexandra nods to Dimitri, and adds, "If we can get any sort of real cargo, I think we'd best use it to... to bankroll ourselves, to do whatever we're going to do."
Horatio fidgets nervously. He's a tinkerer, never was going to get involved in the politics of trade, but here he is. "So... we, ah, set sail on time and expect trouble?"
Alexandra grins slowly, "You know... we don't want to be branded outlaws, right? So... what if we took Carroll's plan, and did it a LOT? What if the mongoose just... had a string of bad luck, like we were supposed to have?"
Carroll asks, "Horatio, is there any cities between here and our destination?"
Alexandra says, "But we were always careful to not be seen? To never hurt any innocent bystanders? To not harm the other families? What would you bet Pravinchandra would have a lot of trouble getting folks riled up against us if we did that?"
Carroll nods to Alex, and murrs, "It might work, but it might also take too long. I expect we can squeeze an extra day, maybe two in port, then have to set sail, and arrive somewhat on time. If we had time, we could do it."
Alexandra studies Dimitri with a thoughtful frown, then says, "Dimitri, if this were a military campaign, what would you do?"
Horatio taps his chin, thinking deeply... Carroll murrs, "My current thought was to dump some of this junk -- maybe sell it if we can, get some real cargo, drop it off someplace between here and there, and then use the profits to order the things we'd need to be arriving with. But I don't know if it's feasible."
Alexandra frowns, still thinking, "Why make the effort to give Pravinchandra what he wants? This sort of clothing is really specific, and I don't think we can come up with it by buying a few bits here, a few bits there... why don't we just take the ship and all the profits we can from this -- and go look for Daddy?"
Dimitri shakes his head. "Is this going to be a long campaign, Carroll?
Carroll murrs, "I don't know, Dimitri. Depends on if we decide to try and salvage this or become a vigilante anti-Pravinchandra group. He may have made a mistake with this particular crew, and it may be the only favor we get."
Alexandra says fiercely, "As long as it takes to teach the mongoose a lesson, and clear our family name, and get Daddy back!"
Dimitri looks to Alex, "Would you be willing to give up the house and lands to Pravinchandra, on the hope we could one day win them back?
Alexandra says equally fiercely, "We will, Dimitri -- because we're in the right here!"
Horatio says, "Uhm, Falkirk isn't too far off our route..." He looks from one person to the next. "I have to agree with our sister here, my brothers." Alexandra looks faintly surprised -- then beams, encouraged, at Horatio.
Carroll murrs, "I hope you all picked up everything important to you from the house. I don't know that we'll get it back." He ignores the naive beaming of his sister and asks Dimitri, "What do you think?"
Dimitri says, "Bratling, you are not listening. If that was a sword thrust you would have betrayed it with your first hint of motion. You asked what I would do if this was a military campaign. I need to know the answer to a serious question. Are we willing to temporarily lose house and lands."
Alexandra looks chagrined, then thinks carefully... finally she looks up at Dimitri, "Mitya, what good is house and lands without honor? If we believe this will happen, we need to take care of the servants first -- Daddy would want that -- but yes, I am willing to lose the house and lands temporarily." She straightens and adds proudly, "I think we all would do so, to clear the family name."
Carroll nods, "I would, too." He looks up and asks, "What of them? Do we warn them? Bring them with us? Hope that Pravin simply keeps them on as experienced staff? I don't know that we have the luxury to worry about them right now. Our own skins, and the ship will be enough trouble."
Alexandra shakes her head at Carroll's words, "We warn them that we may be gone for a long time, Carroll. They know what's up... they'll understand. They're family retainers for a reason."
Dimitri says, "Because if we need to keep the house and lands our goal has to be hard cash, fast. That's a different and desperate battle. One we could win if we are as fast as Alex, smart as Carroll and Horatio, and I can beat a few heads in. But letting the house go. It buys us time, mobility, and flexibility. Save that once the house goes, so does title to the Saucy Mare, doesn't it Carroll?"
Carroll murrs, "This is already Pravinchandra's ship, actually. Father's debts were heavy, for that last voyage. I don't understand why he did it, even now. The loans that I rearranged on the house and lands don't actually come due for another six months."
Horatio sighs, and takes his spectacles off, cleaning them but not nervously, slowly, deliberately. "Look, I know I'm absent-minded, and sometimes that bothers me, but even I can see that for all the trouble Pravinchandra's gone to get Father out of the way and all but ruin our house, he's not going to let the four St. Genevieve children live to pose any sort of threat. This voyage is meant to be our last." He shakes his head, setting the spectacles back on his muzzle.
Carroll murrs, "Yes, Horatio, I agree. So, I'm hearing that we're going to do this?" He adds to Dimitri, "We might have six months before they take the house."
Dimitri says, "And believe me. At least one of them up there, maybe more, are on someone else's payroll."
Carroll nods, "But many also hate him."
Alexandra blinks... then grins at Carroll, "Yes, big brother. St. Genevieve may only be us and what we are standing in... but we are a family. We stand together, we will regain what is rightfully ours."
Dimitri says, "Your job needs to be figuring out who is on whose payroll, Carroll."
Carroll hmms, "Before we discuss plans, let me ask, finally: are we committed to doing this?"
Alexandra looks at Carroll... then steps forward and puts a small hand on Carroll's. She says firmly, "For Daddy, and for St. Genevieve. Yes. Let's do this."
Horatio nods and steps forward, putting his hand over Alex's. "I agree."
Dimitri quietly walks up behind his little sister, resting a paw on her shoulder. "Someone has to look out for this one."
Carroll smiles, and puts his free hand on Dimitri's and murrs, "Then we do it."
Alexandra grins up at Dimitri, her eyes suspiciously bright, "Silly. Don't worry, I'll keep you safe too, eh?"
Carroll looks up, businesslike, "We need to go back to the house and collect valuables, weapons, and Horatio's workshop at the least, and warn the staff."
Alexandra hastily rubs a hand across her eyes and nods briskly, "I can take care of the staff, Carroll."
Carroll adds, "We might also lay in extra supplies, while we can simply still buy them, of all sorts. Rope, sails, ammunition, medicine, food."
Horatio blinks abruptly. "Uhm... I don't know if the entire workshop'll fit aboard the Saucy Mare. I'll... ah, pare it down, though." Alexandra beams at her brothers.
Carroll looks to Horatio, and murrs, "Three crates. You get three crates."
Dimitri says, "What do you need me to do, Carroll?"
Carroll hmms, "Go help with the house. We'll stop when we should be en-route, sell these rags, and buy supplies, before we're persona non grata in town. Anyone who objects we'll let off then."
Horatio opens his mouth, then nods. "Ah. I think I can get a good portion of it in three crates. Oh dear, but I'll probably have to leave behind the Treatises on General Cartography; maybe I can ask the housekeeper to bring them by the Academy..."
Carroll nods to Horatio, "Crate them and send them to the Academy. We might be able to sneak there, or at least scholars will have them."
Alexandra grins, "We've still got an open account with the mongoose -- if there's anything expensive we need we should buy it right before we sail, eh?"
Carroll snickers, "He did offer us extra loans, too."
Alexandra suddenly lights up, "Oh! I can sell those awful frilly dresses Nanny talked Daddy into getting for me! They're worth a mint!"
Dimitri looks to Carroll, his head tilting. "Can you plant a false rumor in the crew so when it pops up again we know who talked?"
Carroll grins, "Sure. We'll tell 'em we're on a secret mission for P to find pirates, which is why the secrecy." Alexandra giggles at the rumor!
Dimitri ruffles Alex's ears. "Found a pirate. Now what?"
Carroll chuckles, "True, true."
Alexandra giggles at Dimitri again, and leans happily against him, "Now we make the mongoose pay!"
Carroll murrs, "Then we try to find a place to hole up for a bit -- maybe out on Ettore island. Put together a base there -- and find ways to cost him money, that's what. He laughs, "Maybe we need to get another Pravinchandra ship to deliver this crap, first."