Colonizing the Dark Continent (For Weiss Ritter)

[Xatarias]

Milly leans in and gives you a hard, watery kiss.


"Well keep thinking, Pretty Boy," She whispers fiercely after tugging on your bottom lip with her teeth, "Cause I'm not going away. Whatever the future holds, Natty boy, you'd better make room for me."


She looks at her feet for a moment before rising. The pirate slings your stolen loot over her shoulder and begins crossing the remaining distance to the fort, leaving you alone with your thoughts.


You planned your operation to start just as the sun slipped below the horizon, so the night is still young. You could turn in early for some much needed rest, confer with your followers about the state of things, or engage in some other mischief yet unplanned.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

"Ah..." The kiss caught Nathaniel by surprise, but he returned it with gusto almost immediately. His lips pressed against Milly's with a loving mixture of eager tenderness. It didn't erase those lingering fears and doubts from his mind, but it did push them back for the time being.


Whatever happened, he knew he would face it with Milly at his side.


"I will. That's what I'm supposed to be good at, after all," A ghost of a grin formed on Nathaniel's features as Milly reached to collect the sack of silver and guns.


So, what next? Assuming Claire was able to bluff Cynthia, or the Lentani businesswoman decided to let this little adventure slide in favor of future profits, an attempt at diplomacy with the Forest Folk seemed called for. The silk deal was the surest, most lucrative option available to his expedition and even with this successful heist they could use more funds. Plus, the risk of being trapped on the coastline by rampaging squirrel warriors would be a disaster if the warchief managed to rally support even without Avalonian firearms.


Of course, all that was going to have to wait until tomorrow. One didn't just casually assemble a task force to travel through such dangerous lands. Particularly not without a night's rest and a half dozen of the Forest Folk's rivals mentally bound to him personally...


A debriefing with Telai and Milly then. Just to ensure everything had gone smoothly on the amazon's end...and to inform both of his lieutenants on the role Claire had played in the success of the whole operation. The maid made it clear she was expecting lessons in emotions most took for granted tomorrow, and he didn't want to give her reason to lash out or reconsider her promise of secrecy by seeing her turned away from the fort. Assuming sneaking into wherever his quarters were in broad daylight while he was surrounded by his expedition wasn't beyond her.


...After what happened earlier, Nathaniel wasn't inclined to underestimate the unassuming woman turned ninja-maid!

 

[Xatarias]

You find Telai waiting for you near the entrance to the half-finished palisade. Dodging around several large knee-deep puddles, you make a note to dig some ditches around the place. Telai splashes through, headless of the muck to help you traverse the rough terrain.


"Milly just came through carting the loot. She wasn't brimming with details, but I take it the mission went well?... Nothing else happened?"


You realize that the dusky amazon must have seen Milly's tear-streaked face and assumed some sort of emotional calamity occurred.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

"We talked. I think things are stable for the moment," Nathaniel gave the soldier a faintly uncertain look and shrug.


"There is something you should both know that I didn't get a chance to mention back there. Claire, Cynthia Lentani's maid, saw me at the very least. She promised not to tell about the money, though," The last sentence was spoken very quickly to cut off any palisade-punching tirade Telai might have been tempted to engage in.


"She's...much more capable than she appears. Not only is she the Gifted individual I grappled with during the skirmish, but she claims she followed me from the rooftops and when I was struggling to carry our prize under the ship-" Nathaniel gestured to the newest cut on his leg. He wore a frown and a furrowed brow that made it clear he was probably having as hard a time as Telai imagining how the Lentani maid could be so capable in so many areas despite her unassuming form. "She pulled me to the shore. With the entire sack. I promised to help her experience...well, basic emotions in exchange for her silence..."

 

[Xatarias]

Telai merely quirks an eyebrow at your explanation.


"I can't say I'm comfortable letting our security hinge on the good faith of one... Maid. Call me paranoid, but she might have taken the opportunity to save you as a means to gain your trust. What if she uses these meetings to gather intel for Cynthia?" She sighs, "I suppose we'll find out soon enough."

 

[Weiss Ritter]

"I'm aware there are risks and this arrangement isn't an ideal one in my eyes either. I'll keep my mental guard up...although, in the short term, I'm not sure what new intelligence there is to Claire to acquire that she and her mistress don't already know..."


Nathaniel shrugged and glanced over the inside of the fort. The skirmish for Newport had certainly given the Lentani a protracted look at what his forces were capable of and how well-supplied they were. Her...interrogation of him and pillaging of his notes had probably taken care of any lingering details. All that left was the burglary he and his lieutenants had just committed, and keeping that a secret would have depending on Claire's good will no matter what he did.

 

[Xatarias]

The southerner lets out a slow, calming breath.


"Sorry. You did the best you could have, given the situation. Besides, I shouldn't be so glum with the prize well in hand." She gives you a nudge, flashing a bright smile. "I knew you had it in you. Soon you'll be leading the foraging parties and Drail will have to learn how to write!"

 

[Weiss Ritter]

A ghost of a smile lit up Nathaniel's expression at the Amazon's apology. Only a few minutes ago he and Milly had been wracked with guilt and fright over what their future held even in the wake this victory. A little concern over a security breach was nothing compared to that.


"I would like to resume studying the native flora and fauna here for alchemical purposes...ah, but we have that delegation to the Forest Folk to assemble on top my agreement with Claire. Another time, I suppose," Nathaniel smiled wryly to set Telai at ease and made a move towards his quarters. "...Does that take care of everything that can't wait until morning?"

 

[Xatarias]

Telai smiles sympathetically, weariness weighing down her own posture.


"I think sleep tops the list of our current priorities. Wouldn't do much good planning while our minds are this exhausted- oh, Nathanial... Milly. She's erm. Well she's already in your quarters. Just thought you should know."


The amazon gives you a helpless shrug and heads off to the barracks, barking at the men to quiet down so she can get some rest.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

"...Oh?" Nathaniel frowned slightly and furrowed his brow. What could Milly want at this hour? Their talk had been a trying, soul-baring experience. The complications that caused it were certainly unsolved, but he could hardly imaging the corsair captain seeking to start up another discussion so soon.


"Thank you," He gave Telai a polite nod and made his way to his quarters.


"Milly...?"

 

[Xatarias]

You look in the dim, low ceilinged room set against the south palisade. Hanging from nails on the wall are a fraction of Milly's gun collection- the rest must have been confiscated during Cynthia's seizure of collateral. Against the back wall a three legged stool is tucked under a roughly constructed table with some of your possessions lying on top. In the corner is a mat of furs with Milly curled up at its center.


The pirate has stripped to her night shift and lies motionless save for the steady rise and fall of her belly, her hair unbraided and spread out in a fan around her head.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

Nathaniel's eyes quickly scanned the room out of habit. The lessened gun collection was yet another reminder of the potential costs of his truce with Cynthia until the Syndicate acted strongly enough to prompt a more cooperative mindset from his Lentani counterpart. His things were more or less where he'd left and and Milly was-


"A-ah..." The young man froze, his gaze sweeping across Milly's form. Hormones played as much a part as habit in ensuring his eyes took a moment or two to return to her face. And yet, the expression he wore was an uncertain one.


He hadn't forgotten the pain and grief she'd expressed this day. The buxom captain might have made it fairly clear she didn't hate him for what had happened, and that none of this would have mattered if she weren't still fond of him...but she'd made it equally clear there were lingering tensions.


"You felt like you needed company this night?" Nathaniel stepped into the room but kept a respectable distance away. When he said 'company', he meant it.  No innuendo.

 

[Xatarias]

Milly's eyes remain close, convincing you she's actually asleep. Just as you're about to plan your next course of action given that fact, a callused hand reaches for your own. Milly gently tugs you down to lay beside her. She doesn't speak, just rested her cheek against your shoulder and tickles your neck with her slow, measured breath.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

Nathaniel was about to turn away to get some rest on his own. Whatever Milly's intent before she drifted off, it couldn't have been worth waking her up. Not after the day they'd had tog-


He tensed as a hand suddenly grabbed his.


The young man glanced down once more with a faint smile and happily took his place among the furs. His body tenderly melted against her's, pulling them together in a gentle embrace. Darkness ate away at the corners of his vision until finally he was lost to the world around him. Perhaps tonight, with Milly's warmth, he would be allowed to sleep free of nightmares.

 

[Xatarias]

Mercifully, your dreams are free from the corrupting nightmares that have left you so haggard these past few nights. Perhaps your exhaustion has effectively turned off your brain, or maybe it is the steady heartbeat of your slumbering partner that puts your consciousness at ease.


Whatever the cause, you fade into a warm, dark oblivion, your last sensation is MIlly softness pressed against your body...


Daylight creeps beneath your eyelids. Whatever temptation you have of lingering in the warmth of your bed is destroyed when a nail-biting squawking sound tears you awake. The annoying noise continues until the report of a gunshot and then silence...


The indent beside you let's you deduce that Milly is up and about. Checking your timepiece, your realize it is very nearly noon.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

After back-to-back nights devoid of proper sleep, culminating in a burglary while the rest of Newport slept, Nathaniel was all too willing to embrace true rest now that it had come to him.


The daylight piercing past his eyelids merely prompted him to groan and flop the other way. He didn't want to get up yet. The warm, the softness...so good...


<SQUAWK!>


"Grah!" Nathaniel jerked up, a shot of adrenaline coursing through him. Any hope he had of falling back asleep was quashed in an instant. His hands balled into fists around the furs and for a moment her seriously considered lashing out with all the drowsy fury his mind could muster.


A gunshot rang out through the fort. Milly's absence, something he only just now noticed, left no doubt in his mind who had put an end to it.


He sighed and reached for his timepiece, wondering just how much time that stupid avian had cost him. "Noon?!"


The young man bolted to his feet, changing his clothes as rapidly as he could before all but sprinting out.


Gods...Forest Folk delegation planning, Claire's lessons, general administration duties...so much to do and he'd just slept away half the day!

 

[Xatarias]

You pull on your overcoat and burst through the door, nearly trampling Drail and Milly who are arguing over the edibility of the very large parrot-like creature that lies at their feet. By their rather irate gestures and short-tempered exchange, you get the sense that Drail resents Milly's bossy nature. The rebellious fighter only recently having grudgingly accepted you as a worth leader must be having a hard time coping with someone completely outside of the chain of command.


Their squabble ends when Shen'ri stroll passed and scoops up the bird, casually tearing its head off and crunching it in his teeth. Milly looks at Drail like she won some sort of argument.


"That doesn't-he's not..." Drail stomps off muttering under his breath.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

"Tch..." Nathaniel hissed under his breath as his momentum almost carried him right into Drail and Milly. His mind was just still waking up despite the surge of adrenaline. He should have been more careful. At the very least, it wouldn't do much for the dignified airs he tried to put on to be seen sprinting out of his quarters like an upper class twit who couldn't even plan his own day out without being waited on hand and foot. The three emotionally charged conversations he'd had in a single night had done enough to crack that perfect porcelain exterior he prized to two of the most important people in his life on their own.


"It's good to see my rag-tag expedition is getting along so well," Nathaniel approached Milly with a ghost of a smile. In truth, Milly's place in his hierarchy wasn't an issue he'd given too much thought to. Before, Milly had her own ship and crew to manage. Leaving her to those duties while Telai retained sole command of his expedition was a logical arrangement, particularly when it seemed like the corsair would soon be bound to take a shipment of silk and exotic plant life back to his family.


Now, the silk wasn't guaranteed, Cynthia had taken her ship and crew, and even if none of that were true Agatha's taunts made him wary of sending the best markswoman he'd ever seen away from his side for such an extended period.


"...Did I miss anything of importance?" Nathaniel looked at Milly with a concerned frown and adjusted a stray, twisted strand of hair so that he looked marginally less unkempt.

 

[Xatarias]

Milly smirks at Drail's back. "Nah, just showing some hardheads that I'm not going to back down just cause their say so. I didn't run a crew of cutthroats by saying please and smiling pretty. It's the little things that show you're slipping, and I don't slip. Ever."


She tosses her hair back, catching fire in the noonday sun. You notice that she has elected to wear a simple bandana rather than her array of corsair braids.


"Come on sleepy bones, your lieutenant just got back from her patrol."

 

[Weiss Ritter]

"I see," It was certainly food for thought. His expedition, while certainly more professional than most pirate crews, were still mercenaries fighting more for profit than duty or patriotism. How much overlap was there between the sort of leadership style needed to command either group...?


"Ah. That sounds promising..." Nathaniel tried not to frown when Milly called him sleepy bones. Hopefully word hadn't been spreading too quickly throughout the camp. It wouldn't have killed Milly and Telai to claim he was studying salvaged plant samples for alchemical purposes that could benefit the whole expedition, would it? It wouldn't even be a total lie! He'd risked lungs full of seawater to get the money that would be putting food on their plates last night!


Regardless, he was rather curious about the results of the patrol. Mostly whether it was uneventful or involved hateful looks from a small army of Forest Folk warriors.

 

[Xatarias]

Telai meets you in the courtyard that is emerging amongst the new construction. All around you, beams are being toted by Hillfolk and handed to human laborers in the rafters. To say that your carpenters regard your bestial henchmen with wariness would be a huge understatement, but their trepidation clearly isn't enough for them to pass up steady wages.


The lieutenant lifts something up for your examination. The chipped obsidian tip of the arrow in her hand gleams menacingly in the sunlight.


"A little gift from one of the locals. I saw a few others, but they either ran after catching sight of me or simply watched as I passed through. Obviously I can't say this for certain, but I'd say there's a diversity of sentiments among the forest tribes. Some of them still might be willing to treat with us, but the journey to the Home Tree might not be safe."

 

[Weiss Ritter]

"Hm..." Seeing the hired workers gave Nathaniel more food for thought. Just what he needed to try and kick his brain into fully awakening. All things considered, the human laborers' reaction to the Hillfolk was about as good as he could expect. If it was any indication of the future trends other settlers in the region might have, then his prospects for peaceful, long term profits and shoving Agatha's predictions back into the Syndicate's collective face seemed fairly promising.


But all that was for the distant future. In the here and now, the black arrowhead prompted a wary frown from the young Brightland.


"There are. according to the Warchief, his people's council was divided enough that his vote could either stalemate or pass the motion to for them to uphold their end of the silk deal. And that was just for their clan. If there are others who have suffered similarly at the hands of pirates and Agatha, then they may be even less inclined to great us with anything but spears and arrows..."


By now, Telai knew Nathaniel enough to recognize the thoughtful frown he wore as a silent 'But we have to try'. It was simply the details of the how that concerned him.


"...I may have to test and see how far I can get from the Hillfolk and for how long. Besides you and Milly, I'm not sure if I would trust anyone else to protect me more effectively, but given the apparent history between them and the Forest Folk, I'm concerned over what message it might send if I travel through the woods with a half dozen of them as my bodyguards. Also, Claire will be expecting a meeting today unless plans have changed. I don't want to disappoint her. Especially not if I'll be leaving our soldiers for an extended period."

 

[Xatarias]

"They're not exactly easily fit into the command structure," Telai says referring to your Hillfolk cohort, "I didn't tell them to help with construction, Shen'ri just started hauling stuff and the others followed suit. They catch on to basic signs pretty quick, but it's a far cry from actual communication... Some of the carpenters, erm... Well, I think some of they think of them as some exotic beast of labor you procured from the forest."


Milly frowns.


"Well that'll get cleared up the moment one of them gets their face clawed off or their ball-"


"Which is exactly what we want to avoid," Telai finishes, "Craftsmen are hard enough to come by as it is... But more importantly, this sets a precedent. Are natives welcome among us? Are Shen'ri and the others to be considered of the company? It's not inconceivable for Hillfolk or Forestfolk to set up a settlement nearby should the trade deal come through... We need a policy in place."

 

[Weiss Ritter]

"Well...at least Shen'ri and the others have initiative..." Nathaniel frowned.


Milly promptly echoed his own thoughts, even if he wouldn't have voiced them so crassly.


"Shen'ri and his fellows are a somewhat...unique example..." Nathaniel shifted faintly. He still wasn't terribly comfortable with the arrangement, useful as the Hillfolk might be. And it was only going to get more complicated from here on out.


"Still, I would prefer that our expedition and the people of Newport get used to seeing Hillfolk and Forestfolk, and as people rather than intelligent beasts of burden. We're going to be reliant on trade for revenue and bartering. I don't want to see any settlement or routes our deals lead to being molested, or the Syndicate effortlessly turning most of Newport against the 'beastmen savages,'"


Nathaniel's lips curled in a hint of a snarl. Agatha's smug expression was flashing before his eyes all over again. "...I don't want to see our enemies reduce Avalon into a coterie of thugs feigning sophistication beneath a gilded mask."

 

[Xatarias]

"Well you're going to have to explain this unique situation to the rest of the town, not to mention the Hillfolk themselves," Telai says firmly, "You and I might know all that these people are capable of, but that doesn't alleviate the prejudice of the general population. Shen'ri will likely win over the more reasonable residents, but there will always be a stubborn few. It took me half a week to assert my authority aboard ship, and that was only after I held Drail over the railing."


She flushes recounting an event that likely happened while you were in your cabin green as a frog and attempting to keep the contents of your stomach contained.


"My point is, people are set in their ways, even in a place as lenient as Newport. First impressions will be key."


Milly pouts a bit at all this talk of public relations.


"I find shooting the biggest loudmouth tends to make the rest of the voyage a smoother process," She says idly twirling a double-barreled Wheellock pistol. 'Still, I get where the lieutenant is coming from. Sounds like some sort of rule should be in place, if not for all of Newport, then at least amongst everyone in Nathanial's employ."

 

[Weiss Ritter]

Nathaniel immediately flashed Telai an incredulous look. He'd  expected the woman's physical prowess played some part in her leadership position among the mercenaries but that...that wasn't quite how he imagined her assuming command.


"Points taken. Well, for the time being, I believe we should treat them as we would civilians or soldiers not associated with our expedition. I don't believe the Hillfolk are hostile or interested in sabotaging us, but until tensions with the Forest Folk die down we neither afford to take risks nor turn away their diplomatic overtures. So, don't let them linger in our fort or around crucial supplies in large numbers. If we must let them in, ensure someone is there to keep an eye on things just in case. The Forest Folk warchief made it clear procuring some of our weapons would be a significant political boon to him."


Nathaniel took a breath and glanced over Shen'ri and his cohorts. "...The next time I enter Newport, I suppose I might take some of them with me? We will need to buy that food and Claire will want to collect on her mental lessons today anyway. We may as well gauge Newport's reaction and see if we can prepare them for when the actual clan representatives make their presence known."

 

[Xatarias]

Telai nods.


"Getting the residents gradually acclimatized is a sound plan. After all, the exposure most have had is reports of monsters from half-crazed explorers and conquistadors... That and arrow-filled corpses flushed downriver."


It occurs to you that you were lucky having stumbled into Brokenstream's sphere of influence. Cautious and slow-to-action as the old squirrel had been, he had at least given you the chance to explain yourself and was even willing to establish commerce. What would happen now that his confederation had lost its executive?


"Meanwhile, I'll keep things running here. Luckily the tree line has been cut down at a distance well out of bow-shot, and I've ordered our long guns to be turned towards the town while the carronades are pointed at the forest. The tree-jumpers move too fast for long-range bombardment, so we might as well keep the inaccurate pieces reserved for them with loads of grapeshot at the ready."


Her cold, capable design of fortification is a stark contrast to your hopes of peaceful trade and gradual cultural admixture, but then again, it never pays to be too careful.


After Telai turns to help the men, Milly grabs your elbow.


"Since you're taking Shen'ri to town, I figured I could come too. I'm not exactly carpenter material, and I don't want to step on Telai's toes anyhow... Besides, I'd like to be there when Claire... You know."

 

[Weiss Ritter]

He had indeed been quite lucky to happen upon Brokenstream's clan. It wasn't too hard to imagine what would have happened if his expedition had chanced upon a more militant and territorial band of squirrel warriors. Assuming he survived the encounter, he would have been forced to retreat to Newport to draw up plans against the seemingly savage monsters. Any negotiation would have needed to be done from a position of strength or at the end of a musket...and what of Agatha? Would she have changed her story? Come to him with tales of how monstrous the natives were? Offered to help guide his campaign against them out of a feigned desire to protect the people of Newport even as she plotted to spirit him away the moment he and his forces had served their purpose in the Syndicate's designs?


...Nathaniel didn't want to think of it anymore.


"That sounds prudent, Telai," Nathaniel said with a nod that was only slightly reluctant. Yes, it wasn't exactly a diplomatic gesture, but even forts along allied borders were expected to prepare themselves for an attack-however unlikely. And with the Forest Folk in a deadlock with their Warchief actively angling for a way to confine his entire species to the coast, they were hardly allies yet.


"Oh?" Nathaniel looked curiously to Milly at first. Then she mentioned Claire. "Oh. Yes, I understand."


Nathaniel squeezed her arm in return and offered a faint, reassuring smile. "I appreciate it. Shen'ri is quite the bodyguard, but I'll feel even more comfortable having you at my side."

 

[Xatarias]

Shen'ri presses his golden hide against you in greeting, your thoughts drawing his presence. The melody of his consciousness becomes more pronounced as he nears. You sense his amusement at your being pushed about by two mates eager to extoll some favor from you. You get the sense that such a domestic scene is not uncommon amongst his people- perhaps Hillfolk and Avalonians were more alike than you thought.


Shen'ri's willingness to rely on your special connection to communicate draws your attention. The golden hulk is more than articulate this way, but it might cause problems in the future if he continues to use your private frequency as a social crutch.


Still you can't deny it's utility as he grasps your plans in milliseconds and excitedly bounds over to the fort's entrance, eager to see the nearby town and all its curiosities.


"Well he's certainly bright-eyed and bushy tailed... Literally I guess too," Milly says with a wry grin. "You told him everything with the.. Woo woo stuff?"


She vaguely twiddles her fingers around her temples, reducing your science-defying abilities to a childish gesture. It's pretty hard to phase Milly.

 

[Weiss Ritter]

Nathaniel gave Shen'ri a flat look when he sense the golden furred Hillfolk's amusement. It was probably a pointless gesture so long as their mental connection remained. Unless Shen'ri happened to have some advice on the subject given his culture's apparently considerable expertise in dealing with polyamory compelled by extreme situations and overactive male urges, he wasn't inclined to find it all that funny.


Making a mental note to ask Telai to continue trying to teach him how to communicate in a more conventional manner, just in case his own time was too limited to do so, Nathaniel proceeded to the gate with Milly in tow.


"More like he peeked in, saw them, and I didn't feel lie objecting," Nathaniel replied with an equally wry grin. "Keh...!"


He visibly struggled to stifle the laughter her simply yet not wholly inaccurate summation of his newfound powers caused. "Woo woo...if I write a book about any of this, I am going to find a way to use that..."