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Post by Deleted on May 17, 2014 23:12:45 GMT -6
"This way, ma'am."
Selene followed the hooded papal knight without a response, taking in the surroundings of the massive cathedral as they walked. A temple of glass and stone, quiet as a sepulcher despite the men - and presumably women, not that she could tell from this distance - engaged in prayer or scurrying about on errands unknown. There was a somber beauty to it, she supposed, but it was an oppressive one; grey stone obscured the sky and the stained glass windows filtered the naked light of the sun into dull rays of colored hues, the very air thick with incense rather than the salt she was used to. Wasteful and overdone, a prison rather than a place of hope. "A monument to faith, or to sin?" "Admiral?" Hm. She hadn't realized she'd muttered it out loud. She speared him with a glance. "Nothing." She couldn't see his face through the obscuring hood, but his uncertainty was evident in his hesitation, the way he held himself suggesting that he had heard her, albeit imperfectly, and was struck with - curiosity? She hadn't said anything particularly heretical. And she didn't want to stand here forever. "Move."
She had no authority over the church, but weak men were the same everywhere, and rather than argue he automatically turned to continue leading her down the hall. She hated this place. It was - unnatural. If Elimine had wanted these idiots to waste so much time and money on a church, she would have said so. Could've built and crewed an entire fleet of ships or enough farms to provide food to half of Etruria with the sheer amount of funding that had been wasted here. Not that she could do much here. The Church held sway over Etruria, above the mere mortals that crewed the entirely-human army and navy, and picking fights with them was unwise. Also, boring. She'd just get stabbed in the back or something without having a chance to at least go down fighting. Selene couldn't help but crack a momentary smile, though she wasn't sure if it was at the thought or the irony of contemplating suicide by stupidity by attacking the church from within one of their greatest strongholds.
Well. Hopefully she could get this over with soon and get back to work. She wanted to inspect her temporary new home; while the Sathanas was in port for refitting, she had been forced to make do for a temporary new flagship, and Selene was not particularly optimistic about the prospects of setting sail to take on a pirate armada in a bloody dinghy, which was about all she could expect from idiots who couldn't see the beauty and majesty, much less the potential, of naval power. And the bloody chanting in the background was going to drive her to manslaughter if they didn't stop it.
Thoughts of a brutal massacre slipped from her mind when her guide stopped in front of a door that looked exactly the same as every other one on the hallway, almost prompting a curious query about how he knew which one to stop at before she caught herself. Focus. Pretend to be professional, tell the jackass what they want to hear, get the hell out of here and back to doing actually important work. Selene looked up, sighing in naked exasperation as her shoulders slumped for a moment, letting out her stress and frustration before squaring her shoulders and re-assuming her facade of not wanting to kill everyone there. She nodded to the guard and pushed the door open with slightly more force than was entirely necessary, which was not at all a tiny action of rebellion fit for a teenager more so than the admiral of most of Etruria's fleet. Might as well get this over with.
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Post by Karen on May 18, 2014 0:54:51 GMT -6
Karen was rarely actually in Etruria these days. The moments she were generally amounted to a visit to The Herald or another Inquisitor to report results, swap information, and then be on her way on another mission. It was rare that she got time to herself, but when she did, it was usually spent visiting her mother in the countryside. It was always nice to simply relax and get a change to be herself with someone who would judge her no different for the things she'd done. And St. Elimine forgive her, the Inquisitor had done some very bloody things.
Still, today was not one of those that she got to spend with her mother. It was a visit to The Herald promptly followed by being sent over to her current location. The cathedral was not a small one by any means and was quite the work of art even among many of the other grand cathedrals that dotted the landscape of Etruria. It gave Karen a certain sense of calm as she'd stepped through the doors, the heady smell of incense relaxing the false Acolyte as prayers to the Saint filled the halls. A couple of papal knights saluted the icy haired woman as she passed, one in particular fancy dress stepping forward and escorting her to the High Priest's office.
The aging Bishop was quite prompt in his instructions for the Karen after their tea had arrived. A grand undertaking would be on going towards the Western Isles, the home of many a heretical degenerate and vile scoundrel. A great cleansing would begin soon enough and those that would contribute to the effort were arranged into the grand fleet of Fleet Admiral Selene Aurion, the Iron Maiden who's dramatic rise to heights of authority could be compared to those of Kraft himself. An immense undertaking under a competent and loyal woman like none other, a task that truly befit the ever growing armies of holy Etruria.
Karen herself would act as an aide to the Admiral, dispensing whatever aid she could to see to the success of the "Great Western Cleansing" as he had begun to take to calling it. Along with that aid of course, she was to watch for spies among their ranks or other heretical factors that could threaten the success of Etruria in their great undertaking. And the Inquisitor had to admit, she was actually looking forward to this assignment. The Fleet Admiral was an inspiring woman indeed, though the most interesting thing to Karen was sailing aboard a ship at all. It wouldn't be the first time she'd been on a ship before, but a naval fleet was something entirely different. She'd always been a fan of the sea, but never really a fan of actually becoming a sailor.
After the High Priest finished his lengthy explanation, he took the time to drink his tea before starting to discuss other matters with Karen, though those tended to be of a more religious nature. Thoughts on certain scriptures or maybe a confession to make to St. Elimine before undertaking the mission. In time their idle chatter was broken with the opening of the door and the appearance of the very Fleet Admiral Selene Aurion that they had been waiting for, her personage cutting a quite imposing figure upon first glance.
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2014 1:39:45 GMT -6
"Admiral Selene Aurion reporting." She cut a smart salute, but her attention was elsewhere. The candle stand could make a tolerable makeshift lance. The priest - magic user? Too old and decrepit to be a weapon user. Magic or harmless. Which meant the other woman might be his guard. Unarmed? Magic? Certainly not a soldier. Concealed weapons? Possibly the greater threat. Or maybe it was just an elderly priest and a favored young acolyte, both harmless. Selene almost smiled. Nothing about the Church was harmless anymore. For all she knew, they were both the Prophet in disguise and possessed by devils and also dragons.
She closed the door behind her without hesitating, though in truth she didn't like removing her only exit. Not that she was expecting to use it, of course, but it always paid to be ready for anything. Especially when the church was involved. She didn't trust any of these curs as far as she could throw them... which was actually relatively far. She would have sighed again if it wouldn't have been a remarkably stupid thing to do; the prospect of interacting with two fanatics was even more daunting to her patience than dealing with one. "My apologies for interrupting you, and my thanks for not making me wait." She really hoped that this was just a routine visit to 'bulwark her soul against temptation' or whatever the official line was.
"I'm sure your time is..." Selene took in the tea set with a raised eyebrow, resolving not to comment. "-valuable, so I will not take more of it than necessary. What would you ask of me?" As if she actually gave a flying fig about his 'valuable' time flirting with acolytes, she just wanted to be out of there as quickly as possible. Not that she was liable to say, or even imply, as much. The elderly man seemed oblivious to any possible implications of her words, which meant literally nothing when it came to these damnable church types, instead smiling warmly as if she was his favored daughter... which also meant less than nothing. "Admiral! So good to see you alive and well. Tardiness is the enemy of devotion, so I appreciate your timely arrival."
She offhandedly wondered what lesson his quote came from, or if he had come up with it himself. It was hard to tell with people who talked like that. Selene took a moment to consider whether a broken teacup could provide a lethal blow if aimed well enough before forcing herself to focus on the subject at hand. "My associate and I were just discussing how glorious your crusade shall be and how grateful the people of the Isles will doubtless be to join our great family under the blessed saint!" Was she suspected of something? Surely they had not called her here just to talk about how great of a job she was going to do. "We are fortunate to have men willing to give their lives for Etruria," Selene opted to guardedly agree, not unintentionally bringing up the potential cost in life that was by necessity a part of any major operation. It was easy to forget that all these 'glorious battles' and 'great crusades' had a cost in human life - in good men, capable sailors, who would spill their life's blood in order for these idealistic to come to pass.
Once more her implications went seemingly unnoticed by the man, who was either an incredibly dense and well-meaning dupe or much more intelligent than he looked. He continued smiling, this time turning to the blue-haired woman sitting there was well. "Why don't you introduce yourself, dear?" Fantastic! Someone else to not care about.
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Post by Karen on May 18, 2014 2:14:09 GMT -6
Perhaps the Priest chose to ignore and simply was oblivious to the way the Fleet Admiral spoke, but Karen had been taught to always listen to the way words were spoken, to watch the body language of another, to always be on edge. And if she were any kind of judge, Selene was as on an edge like no other. Everything about her spoke of a preparedness. A ready shift that could occur at the drop of a pin, from cordial and business-like to a ready and willingness to fight. And perhaps... to kill.
Still, Karen believed this woman was of no worry for the time being at least. There was a certain inflection to her words that showed she had some reservations about the great crusade that she was to embark upon. Perhaps it was simply the tone that one in command had in any engagement, often worrying over their numbers of men, women, of ships, of horses, and so on and so forth. Regardless, it was something she'd keep in mind.
"Why don't you introduce yourself, dear?"
Karen began to smile slightly as she rose, bowing slightly to the Fleet Admiral. "I am Karen, a humble servant of the Elimine Church." She gave a simple introduction before rising back to her proper height once more. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Admiral Aurion. I have heard quite a few stories about your prowess at sea." And impressive stories they were, at that. Given her youth, one would be excused of a brief doubt in believing that she was rising star of Etruria's naval forces.
"I am to be at your disposal for the Great Cleansing, acting as your shadow. My skills are your's to use in whatever way you see fit." The mention of being a 'shadow' to the Admiral was quite clear in what it meant for the military woman, a hint toward the true occupation that the Inquisitor bore. Assassination, spying, guarding the Admiral, or rooting out spies within, the icy haired Assassin's tasks could and most likely would be many fold during the course of this lengthy mission.
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2014 2:47:36 GMT -6
Selene crossed her arms behind her back, grudgingly recognizing that her best bet at getting out of here quickly was to play along with these people... as usual. While she didn't show it on her face, she wasn't entirely certain how to react to the blue-haired women, this 'Karen' - truthfully she still felt a bit out of place when people attempted to flatter her or wax poetic about her accomplishments, not least because people who did that usually wanted something. What might this woman want of her? "Stories have a way of taking on a life of their own." She smiled, a brittle one that did little to soften her features or bring warmth to her stony gaze as she sized Karen up again.
Something about the woman's words bothered her. A shadow. Selene had no delusions about glorious fair fights and chivalry, but the idea of an inquisitorial butcher accompanying her, keeping a close eye on her and her crew and possibly cutting out anyone who didn't profess their love of the holy Saint often enough... it was enough to set her more on edge. Not least because neither of the two had bothered offering any explanation of -why- they cared to attach a... thing like this to her retinue. And neither of them seemed eager to offer a reason. It was evident that this was not an idle offer solely out of friendly concern for her well being; Selene did not believe the church was even capable of such a thing. Not any more. To rule by fear, rather than respect - she was close to saying as much, but stilled her tongue out of recognition of her situation.
This was not a fight she could win by going on the offensive, she knew. The Church would not like having its authority questioned, and arguing directly could be taken as hesitation to deal with oversight. Perhaps that was why she was here; they suspected her of lack of faith, or worse, if there was anything worse to the Church? It was certainly clear that she had been right to suspect the woman of being dangerous, but there had been no hint given of what her abilities were - knives, magic, there was little evident on her person but a myriad of possibilities.The only question was if the poisoned blade would come from behind or openly to bring 'judgement' to a 'heretic.'
Selene momentarily wished she had the ability to simply tell them both off, to say 'no' and walk out of the room, but no action was without consequences, and she did not care to pay dues for a move such as that. She continued to stare at Karen impassively, but did not address her directly. "I see. Are those your orders, High Priest?" A simple question on the surface, but one with an implied subtext - can I refuse? She didn't much care what this 'Karen' thought of her, or the priest for that matter, but the church neatly superseded military authority by this point so there was little she could do to refuse directly.
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Post by Karen on May 18, 2014 3:24:12 GMT -6
"Stories have a way of taking on a life of their own."
"So I am aware." Karen spoke again briefly before a pregnant pause followed, finally being broken once more as Selene spoke to the High Priest.
"I see. Are those your orders, High Priest?"
The old priest continued to smile, that same kindly look adorning his face as he began to speak once more. "If that is how you wish to take it, Admiral." Whether he truly intended it as a "gift" or whether it was indeed orders were veiled behind the same wistful nature of the High Priest's words, but the latter certainly seemed alot more likely all things considered. "Know that the Church truly appreciates your work. And we shall certainly do what we can to aid you."
The Inquisitor stayed quiet as the two spoke, taking in the atmosphere and finding it a rather suffocating one to speak in. The Priest on the other hand started to wave an arm toward his desk and subsequently the tea set. "Would you like a spot of tea, Admiral? It's quite nice during a chat, you know?" He began to walk around and sit down once more.
"Though I'm certain that you wish to be off soon, yes?" His smile never faded all the while.
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2014 3:57:28 GMT -6
If that was how she wished to take it. How quaint. That was the nature of the chain of command, she supposed; those above ordered, those below obeyed. Certainly it was necessary, but the interference of the church into martial matters had never sat well with her and likely never would - churches were a place to heal men's souls, not to cleave them from their bodies. Etruria had changed much.
Still. He was just doing his job. So was Karen. She couldn't fault them for that, and there was little point in arguing the point when the decision had already been made; Selene was quite aware that she held her current position only by avoiding power struggles or pissing off anyone in authority too much, so while she was not happy about the prospect, she was not fool enough to fight it. Her glacial smile faded into one more neutral, perhaps even a touch of fleeting warmth eked out by the seemingly kind old man. She remembered a priest from her youth that was about the closest she had ever come to liking the Church. This one was a far different beast, a wily opponent who hid behind a mask of serenity - and yet fond memories could paint a rosy picture that even reality was hard pressed to cleave.
Not THAT hard pressed, of course. "...Then I will accept your aid gratefully. We must all work together to protect Etruria and advance her interests." Wouldn't be the first assignment she wasn't entirely happy with, certainly wouldn't be the last, but in the end it was a fleeting moment of sourness to temper what might indeed be a bloodily beautiful campaign. An opportunity to prove her doctrine beyond reproach, to live life at its rawest, and to share that joy with her men - the Church and its machinations be damned, she would do this because she wanted to, and she would enjoy it all the while.
In what was perhaps a small act of mercy, the church official allowed her an easy out, though at the cost of leaving what smelled like remarkably good tea aside. It was a harder decision than she was likely to admit, her fondness for tea very likely known to the Church's intelligence - or maybe it was just an innocent offer. Maybe there was more to things behind the scenes that she could not fathom, and yet all things considered she had made it through the encounter remarkably easily, almost suspiciously so in fact. "I may take you up on that offer another time, sir, but I ought return to work. There is much to do and little time remaining before I set off." She inclined her head slightly, a barely perceptible nod in deference to his authority... and his mercy in letting her get the hell out of there as quickly as possible. She glanced at Karen again, addressing them both formally. "May we meet again under Elimine's light."
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Post by Karen on May 18, 2014 4:24:42 GMT -6
The High Priest and the Inquisitor echoed the parting words. A brief pause passing as the Fleet Admiral began to open the door once more. "Ah, Karen. Why don't you go ahead and go with the Admiral? It's important that you two get used to working together, after all." He spared another smile for the two before starting to take a sip of tea once more. Karen for her part nodded to the High Priest a final time this day before departing quickly after Selene. The Admiral's pace was definitely a quick one, but she was used to tracking down those with much fleeter feet.
"I will be in your care then, Admiral." The icy haired woman started to speak up once more as she caught up to the young officer. The Inquisitor had to admit, the assignment was already proving a touch interesting given the other woman's reactions so far. Karen found a certain like for her straight forward approach. It was much better than the twisting words of Zerachiel. She could never stand being around that man for long, but he was good at what he did, she'd give him that. Hopefully Admiral Selene would prove a better conversationalist since the latter part was already a given for her position.
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2014 5:13:05 GMT -6
"Selene's fine." She waved aside the papal guard outside the door when he started to move, not particularly relishing another silent escort. "I can see myself out." She might've felt bad for him if she - well, no, she really couldn't have even if she tried, but there was no need to be particularly unpleasant about it even if he was a dog of the church. She left him standing there, resigning herself to her fate to be hounded by the blue-haired assassin... or whatever pretty-sound word for her job she preferred to use for the time being.
Forced to keep a reasonably staid pace by the presence of both Karen and the countless nearby acolytes, Selene occupied herself by keeping an eye on their surroundings. So the usual, basically. It was a depressing and dreary place, but she supposed that to true believers, it might seem like a haven of holiness. What sort of mindset would it take to see the cathedral in that way? The admiral could not conceive of it, an alien concept completely unknown to her. What kind of person could convince themselves that living in gloomy silence in a grey world was a blessing? She'd take even farm life over that in a heartbeat.
Well, she had one victim to interrogate right now, Selene realized in a moment of almost vengeful clarity, one that was stuck with her whether she liked it or not. She glanced at the other woman for a moment out of the corner of her eye, pondering her words carefully. "What do you think of this building?"
(OOC: I was wrong in my earlier profession field entry, Selene is an admiral not a fleet admiral apparently)
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Post by Karen on May 18, 2014 12:50:24 GMT -6
"What do you think of this building?"
Karen looked to Selene, quirking an eyebrow slightly before looking about somewhat. "A certain peace of mind, I suppose. My father was a simple man and my mother an Acolyte. After he passed, the Church took us in. When they were of a kinder nature." The Assassin truly valued the Elimine Church. They did much in her life and for her mother. Though the Church now held a certain coercive quality, she still remembered the kindness it once held as well.
"Though now, things are more heavy handed. And I do what I must." There was a certain sense of resigned duty about her words. Much like the Iron Maiden, Karen held no blindness to the way the Church and the Martial Forces, be they Army or Navy, could clash in terms. "And that means that as awkward as it sounds, I'm your's to do with as you please." She rubbed her forehead a bit at this, not exactly against working for the Admiral, but more used to working on her own terms.
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2014 18:22:24 GMT -6
"Hmm." Neither agreeing nor arguing, Selene grunted her noncommittal response without much care for immediate conversation. She wasn't entirely sure how to respond; she had expected the initial part of Karen's answer, but not the rest. At least she wasn't traveling with a fanatic. Probably. Unless that answer had been carefully calculated to try to lure her into revealing something. She took a moment to consider whether she had reminded herself that she seriously hated dealing with the church, and decided after a few moments that yes, she was very aware of that.
Heavy handed, huh? Certainly one of the nicer ways to put it. "A church that cuts itself off from the light makes an interesting decision indeed. Not even the Saint could see what happens here, nor could her pure light filter through those windows." A momentary pause before she added, in a slightly more dour tone, "-and there's no wind." She didn't particularly care on a practical level, but for all the blathering these fanatics did about their special connection to their deity of choice, they sure didn't seem to want said deity to see what they got up to. Assassins operating under the cover of night, strongholds that filtered and blocked the sight of their object of worship - there was something diseased about the church, a festering wrongness that she could not describe or begin to comprehend, but one that her instincts could not ignore.
Actually, that sounded like a much better excuse for hating this place than just not liking the people. Yeah, she'd remember that in the future; it almost made her sound deep and philosophical! Her mood lifted slightly by the silliness of the whole thing, Selene continued in a slightly brighter tone. "Hm. I suppose we could use a new cabin boy. The last one was eaten rather gruesomely by the Kraken. If only he had possessed the decency to not bleed all over my ship."
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Post by Karen on May 18, 2014 18:39:59 GMT -6
"A church that cuts itself off from the light makes an interesting decision indeed. Not even the Saint could see what happens here, nor could her pure light filter through those windows." A momentary pause before she added, in a slightly more dour tone, "-and there's no wind."
It was Karen's turn to give a noncommittal response to the other woman with a measured hum of thought. In a certain fashion, she could agree with the hardened Admiral. She'd seen cathedrals that were alot more open than this. The newer cathedrals that were built following The Prophet's rise all seemed to favor enclosed spaces with beautiful stained glass windows, distinct from the simple and more open cathedrals that were built before he came. Perhaps it was simply a sign of the change in the Church itself. And the will of St. Elimine...
"Hm. I suppose we could use a new cabin boy. The last one was eaten rather gruesomely by the Kraken. If only he had possessed the decency to not bleed all over my ship."
Karen began to laugh despite herself. Certainly an improvement over the neutral tone that she had been speaking with before now. "I don't think I'd make much of a cabin boy, mind you. I suppose you'll have to settle with a cabin girl instead." She smiled slightly, feeling a bit more at ease with the tension broken.
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2014 19:02:24 GMT -6
"You'd be surprised how easy it is. People see what they want to see." Selene couldn't hold back a mysterious smile - that was something the Church likely wouldn't know, considering how long she'd been off the grid during her early (mis)adventures. A reminder of simpler times, though not necessarily better. She didn't mind the responsibility, and actually being able to fight was certainly a huge improvement over the weaker her of the time. Maybe her mood was lightening since they were near the door and they couldn't get the hell out of here soon enough.
The realization that she likely wouldn't be back here for years was rather pleasant. While the Church's presence on the Western Isles was a given, at least there wouldn't be any enormous cathedrals... probably. Saluting the squad of guards at the door as she passed, Selene exited into the glorious light of the sun with a tired spirit that welcomed the change in clime. Fresh air, natural light - the sooner she was back on board a ship, the better. "So. What experience do you have with the seas, Karen?"
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Post by Karen on May 18, 2014 19:26:05 GMT -6
"You'd be surprised how easy it is. People see what they want to see."
Karen quirked an eyebrow slightly as she looked at Selene once more. Certainly a curious comment though it also seemed a bit whimsical. Perhaps there was alot more to this cunning woman than anyone realized.
"So. What experience do you have with the seas, Karen?"
"I've traveled on the seas before, though I admit my actual experience as a sailor is subpar." It was better to be truthful on this subject, inexperience on the seas could mean some bad things. "I'm quick to pick up on new trades though, so I'm willing to learn." Learning new skills like these would prove an interesting use of time, if a bit of a distraction to her usual work.
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2014 22:01:14 GMT -6
Outside the colossal cathedral, there was far more activity, which was not entirely surprising given that they were in the middle of a major city. Truthfully she didn't much like crowds, too hard to tell what was going on and too many opportunities for surprise attacks, but there was nothing that could be done for it; she would simply endure, as she always had. There were more guards outside as well, quite a few of them in fact, all very prim and proper and dutiful, but there was an alertness to them that suggested they were not there simply to look pretty, nor were they simply random idiots tossed into a suit of armor and given an old lance. Their weapons fairly glittered in the sunlight, as polished and pristine as their armor and their discipline.
A church better guarded than some military installations. Yet another of Etruria's little 'jokes.' She made a beeline for the sergeant, who noticed her coming long before she reached him and already had her sheathed weapon in hand with a smile that did not reach his eyes. She returned it the smile, albeit with one slightly more genuine, willing to acknowledge a military man who did not hide behind empty concepts like faith and niceties regardless of who he worked for. Soldiers were the same regardless of country, of owner - most were good men who lived to protect their country and their family, with no interest in the politics of the lords and ladies who ordered them around without a care in the world for their well-being. Sailors, soldiers, marines... as many differences as each branch held, she liked being around any of them more than bureaucrats and the acolytes of Elimine.
There was no need for casual pleasantries, so she accepted the blade with a slight nod and turned her attention to affixing it to her side once more. She would have liked a lance as well, but wandering around Etruria armed to the teeth was likely only to worry civilians and invite questioning, so she had made do with a single weapon from her collection for her business today. And she could 'borrow' a lance from a soldier if push came to shove anyways, authority be damned. The sergeant saluted her with a grim smile before turning his attention back to watching those nearby, already quite aware of who she was and not interested in dragging things out, so she acquiesced by moving along with her companion in tow.
"I doubt we'll need much out of you. Ships don't run any differently with one extra person on board." Meanings within meanings. Whether she was talking about the work of sailors or the ship in general, and what that meant to Karen, she left intentionally vague, but there was a message to be taken from it - don't interfere. Or maybe it was meant to be taken simply as a friendly way of assuring Karen that she wouldn't have to do any backbreaking rowing, and that was simply a pessimistic view? Selene didn't clarify. "I have some errands to do, starting with an inspection of some new technology at the foundry. You may accompany me if you wish."
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