the great escape.The Circle has quite a lot on their plate, this time around. Multiple players are fighting for the control of Akvos, and many difficult choices to make. No matter what path you choose, though, one thing is for certain: it is a bitter fight to the death to ensure that Akvos remains standing, one way or another. There are three main areas for the characters to explore in the final log of Akvos: (1) The Kingdom of Akvos, where the King is fighting to seize control; (2) The Rift, where the characters will encounter the Dreamscapes; and (3) The Kingdom of Polankos, which is where King Ka'pouli has reigned since his arrival in the pocket dimension. Decisions made in all there areas will affect the outcome of Akvos, so get to exploring.  THE ASSAULT ON WAHINE.The King’s forces will attack in three different fronts. There will be mermen attacking from above, riding saddled giant seahorses and manta rays, launching spears at the mermaid-warriors below with terrifying precision. They seem to be indiscriminate, in their aim -- the weaponry, charged with the same dark energy that the shadow creatures seem to be made out of, find their target in civilians and warriors alike, raining down a sea of terror upon the central stronghold of the Kingdom of Akvos.
The mermen will also be attacking at the ground-level, attempting to burst their way through the Palace Gates to flood the city with numbers. While the mermaids outnumber the mermen, the mermen are certainly more brutal than the mermaids. Some of them, though, in finding the city, are more concerned with looting it than with senselessly murdering everyone inside. Indeed, this is the most food they have seen in a long time -- and markets are destroyed in grabbing as much food and riches as they can, pressing closer to the Palace, and toward the Queen's stronghold.
And, finally, they will be attacking from below, navigating their way through a network of tunnels meant to transport goods and bursting their way into people’s homes, to sneak their way closer to their ultimate goal, which seems to be the Palace itself.
The Circle's main goal, here, is to protect civilians, usher theminto the underground strongholds beneath the Palace, and fight for their own lives should they attack the mermen first. Man the wall, if you so choose, to attempt to block the air attacks from the mantas. Fight on the ground, to protect Akvos from destruction. Or make your way to the underground strongholds and tunnels, to block access to the Palace. All of these will certainly assist in keeping Akvos safe.
In addition, please remember that shadow creatures (which can only be killed by magical means) are still making their way through the entirety of Akvos. While King Ka'pouli's forces are targeting the Palace of Wahine, the shadow creatures are still present everywhere. Get to killing!  INTO THE RIFT.Some of you, however, have elected to traverse into the mysterious rift that appeared in the midst of the Fields of Akvosia. It looks like a black hole into nothingness, crackling with odd energy . . . and passing through it feels as though you have stepped through an icy waterfall. For a moment, you cannot breathe -- and then, you are treated to beauty.
The gaps between time and space are full of sparkling lights, bolts of rainbow starlight winding around you as you move through the uncertainty that is the void. It seems endless, but something inside you is tugging you forward . . . and, suddenly, there is a soft voice in your ear. A familiar one, to those who reside within the Circle . . . the confused voice of Astoria.
 "Hello? My Travelers? How are you within the Void?" The Void? That word hadn't been used to describe whatever this magical place is before, but . . . well, a witch with the ability to send you all across the universe probably knows what she's talking about, right? "That should not be possible . . . who opened this doorway?"
You can tell her, or you can not. It seems to matter not, because: "Is this not getting through? Why can I not hear you . . . but I can feel you, I can -- please, if you can hear this, be careful. The Void is not something for mortals to interact with, and it can show you terrible things -- terrible things, so please--"
And, right before you have the opportunity to respond to our benevolent witch (or captor, depending on your point of view), you see a bizarre glass-like surface in front of you. It looks like a mirror, and you see a perfect reflection of yourself. It is absolutely captivating, and it beckons you . . . almost urging you to touch it. And Astoria's whisper grows a bit louder, more urgent:
"My dear Traveler, be careful what you encounter here -- can you hear me? Can you see me? I am trying to get you out of there, to bring you back home--Akvos is--"
But it is too late.
Your fingers graze the edge of the mirror, and you are pulled -- a sensation that is familiar to you, the same pull in your stomach that you feel whenever Astoria thrusts you across the universe, into new realities. And, when you blink your eyes again, and look around . . . you are no longer in Akvos, or the Void. You are somewhere entirely new.
Welcome to the Dreamscape.  THE KINGDOM OF POLANKOS.Once the Circle emerges from the Rift and the Dreamscape, they will stumble into another world . . . but this one's wateris shallow, in comparison to the massive depths of the crystal-clear kingdom of Akvos. You can quite clearly see the surface, here, and there are shallows that allow you to come up onto islands, tropical in nature with fruit, odd creatures that appear to be multiple-headed monkeys and parrots, and sandy shores. It's a bit jarring to see, after spending so long underwater. Indeed, you emerge to trudge onto land, and look around, somewhat mystified that the deep-dwelling mermen would be from a place like this.
However, exploring the islands (which is not very difficult to do, as they are all small and will not take very much time) will yield the discovery that on the islands themselves are tunnels -- underwater caverns that thread through the islands to much deeper water. It's almost as if the islands themselves are barriers to the underwater caverns below -- shallow water, a layer of land, and then a (mer)man-made bubble of water below the barrier of land. And that whoever lived on these islands tunneled through them to find deeper water. Princess Kea, (who will attend on these journeys, while remaining in the water), will tell the Circle members that King Ka'pouli told her that when the mermen were cast out, they landed on solid land, and had to slowly dig deeper to their salvation.
Navigating through these tunnels will be somewhat perilous -- and the Circle members will need to carry Princess Kea to the nearest tunnel to get her into some water, because while she can breathe on the surface for a certain period of time, she cannot navigate the land as quickly as you people with legs. Additionally, underwater caving isn't exactly a blast, but the deeper you go, the more clues of civilization you can find. And, eventually, once you go deep enough, you emerge into a massive underwater cavern to find the small Kingdom of Polankos.
In comparison to the Kingdom of Akvos, Polankos is witheringly depressing. It is not brightly colored, nor open -- indeed, it is tiny, with mermen huddled together waiting patiently for the forces that went through the rift to return. There is not a lot to find here, save for some interesting weapons that possess a dark energy, versus a lightning energy -- and those weapons will be given to the Circle members who ask for them, because those who wield them are in no condition to fight. There is little food, little room to sleep, and these are a people clearly in need of assistance.
In order to get them out of Polankos, you will need to usher them through the tunnels back up to the Rift above -- it seems that King Ka'pouli opened the Rift on the surface, rather than risk the city below in case it did not work. The mermen there (who seem to be elderly and weak) will be eager for the assistance to get out Polankos, and at the promise of being brought into Akvos, they will happily go. There will be no resistance from them.
You may also see Princess Kea, who has filtered in and out of the Rift to assist on the journey -- teary-eyed, heartbroken at the sight of these individuals who require rescue, organizing the mermen with the promise of keeping them safe in Akvos.
"Hurry," she tells you, as she rouses another merman into getting to the nearest tunnel. "We do not have a lot of time to pull this off, and we must work quickly." Additionally, please feel free to write up and work with your own prompts! These areas of the world are presented as jumping off points for your characters, not limitations. The idea of this world- as with all the others- is to explore -- you may use as much leeway as you want in order to come up with what your character will do, especially in the Dreamscapes. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask them back on the various threads back in the OOC post from before! |
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acatalepsy_logs2019-01-04 10:22 am
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he hasn't yet had time to figure out what is going on, or what he thinks is going on. he doesn't recognize the tent, or the place, or any of the people, but that doesn't give him much. the familiar languages tip him off that it's not where they're supposed to be, and the tension of that is slowly building in his gut.
but that is when the tent flap opens, and out walks inej - in beautiful silks, barefoot, her hair tied back. it takes most, if not all, of kaz to keep himself from reacting any other way than the smile he gives her and the woman at her side. excited, simple, expectant. his eyes go from them to the man and then back. he can't understand the suli they're speaking, but it doesn't matter, if inej just- ]
Ah! [ the sound is part theatric, part surprise, as she takes his arm and pulls him along. she yells something back in continued suli, and kaz simply bows his head back towards the man and woman. ] Thank you very much. [ before following inej...wherever it is she has deemed to lead them. her hand around his arm is a presence, one that he is constantly aware of as they walk, his limp keeping them a bit slower than inej would probably like. ]
What would you have preferred? A friend? [ his voice drops back to its normal octave with his reply, a certain kind of edge to the word. no, it wouldn't have made sense to say friend - if they became suspicious because they'd never seen him before, if they started to ask him questions, it would all get so much more complicated.
instead, he follows her into the tent, pulling his arm away from her grip to turn back and face her. his eyes are, as always, scanning the space around them but he can't just keep walking like this without asking, his voice still barely above a whisper. ] What is going on? Who were those people?
no subject
inej allows kaz to pull his arm away, more concerned with closing the tent flap behind them, to block any semblance of actual conversation from the individuals outside. ]
My parents, Kaz. Those people are my parents.
[ in an equally low hiss, a defensive tilt to her tone that is not normally there. she moves closer, opening her mouth to say something else, before inej seems to think better of it, turning back toward the mirror set up in the corner, resting her hands on the surface of the wooden table set up in front of it, drawing in a deep breath to let it out slowly.
none of this is real. she knew none of it was real, when she showed up here, because she recognized the setting instantly. this is the last night she has -- the last night of freedom, before the slavers, before she's taken. kaz doesn't know that, he hasn't experienced it, and if inej has her way, he never will know that level of fear. but taking out her fear and anger on kaz will solve nothing.
she closes her eyes, searching for her center, to calm down before she continues speaking, her tone a bit more soft: ]
We need to get out of this city before nightfall.
no subject
unless none of this is real.
the thought settles in his chest, calming that panic that had slowly been rising. that witch- she called this some kind of void. to be careful about what they saw. that it would show them terrible things. kaz's eyes scan around the room, trying to find some kind of...something. when he turns back, inej's back is to him, her hands on the table in front of the mirror, which means he has just enough of a vantage point to see that her eyes are closed. to see the practiced way she is breathing.
none of this is real.
the thought brings him just enough comfort to settle his shoulders, his chest. he watches the mirror as she speaks, waiting to see if she'll look up with her answer. ]
What happens at nightfall?
[ because inej knows this place. because those were her parents, she is in the matching silks, this room looks like it could even be her's. he's trying to put together pieces of a story he hasn't been told, but he has a feeling he could possibly know. he knows how inej came to ketterdam, how she arrived at the menagerie. how, or why, they are here is still a mystery, but he thinks he could possibly understand. ]
Where are we?
no subject
but does he? he knows she went to the menagerie. he knows tante halene bought her, paid for her, and used her body to make money. he knows the barest of facts, but inej has never once told him exactly what happened to her, or why she came to be here. he's smart, he can figure it out, but even though inej knows she needs to answer the question, she can't find the words to say it.
her fingers dig into the wood of the table. she isn't a scared little girl. she was the wraith. the ghost of ketterdam that made people look over their shoulder twice before going down an alleyway. men like van eck and pekka rollins wanted her dead because of how dangerous she was, and inej wanted it that way. she wanted to be a warrior, and she wanted to be strong, and to have no man ever make her feel helpless again. but being here, being faced with her parents -- ]
Inej? [ a light voice from the other end of the tent, the voice of her mother, sounding conerned, speaking in suli, and inej's head snaps to he right, startled from her thoughts. ] Are you alright?
[ this is the devil's work, inej thinks to herself. her mother is not here, she has not seen her mother in years. her mother has no idea about ketterdam, about the menagerie, about what she's become -- but inej blocks that from her mind, swallowing before closing her eyes, speaking with all of the confidence and quiet purposeful airs of grace that she typically does: ]
I am fine, Mama, I will be out soon. I promise, I can take care of myself. [ and, once inej hears the footsteps of her mother leave, she bites the inside of her cheek, willing the tears threatening to well to keep themselves at bay before she speaks in kerch. ] Rafka. We are in Rafka. We set up near the ports, to entertain the tourists and the sailors before moving further inland. I was the main act, this is what I wore on that night.
[ in other words: she knew it wasn't real, the moment she woke here. but she still isn't answering kaz's question, and inej digs her fingernails a bit more into the table, continuing. ]
My mother has me wear the crown, so that when I adjust my weight, the petals fall to the floor. They pay more, if they think someone is going to fall. [ but she never falls. ] She left it in my dressing room that night, with a note reminding me that I have no net. [ as always, but her mother is fond of reminding her. ] She and my father took me to the tent, and my uncle distracted the crowd while I climbed. It was a success. We made a lot of money, and we had a big dinner, afterwards. We celebrated our fortunes, and we were going to move to the next town. I never made it.
[ why is she telling him all of this? it doesn't matter. it's irrelevant to the task at hand. but now that she's started, she can't quite stop. and she wipes her eyes with the back of her hand, frustrated at her own weakness, before she turns to him, eyes dark, wet with tears that she stubbornly refuses to let fall. ]
I will put a knife through my own heart before I am put in chains again, Kaz.
no subject
his eyes go towards the source of the voice, his fists tense at his sides. a voice in the back of his head tries to abate him - that is her mother - but the urge to fight or flee is still coursing through him, right under his skin. inej responds, kaz's eyes flitting to her back and how she's still got her head tilted down, her eyes closed. but the tone is unmistakeable. familiar. and sure enough the footsteps leave them, and kaz slowly lets himself breathe once more.
when inej switches back to kerch, kaz's eyes fall back on the back of her head. he doesn't need to see her face to feel the air shift, to know she feels vulnerable, upset, panicked. they are in rafka, she was the main act, this was what she wore. that night. he is not dumb. he can put the pieces together - inej's dream to hunt down slavers, her innate abilities when it came to heights. it feels surreal, in the vaguest way, to see it played out before him - but it's not impossible. this, what he is seeing, is not impossible.
the details she starts in on begin to make him tense, feeling inej bare herself out for him in the briefest of comments. his eyes scan the room again, like he could possibly see the men trying to sneak through the tent walls even now. like he'll have to be party to the scene, to what he can only imagine happens.
i never made it.
kaz's hand tightens around his cane, his body nearly vibrating with the building tension of the room. when inej turns to face him, her eyes dark, he feels like tearing someone apart - limb by limb. ]
We are leaving. [ he responds, his face impassive compared to the electricity under his skin. ] Before nightfall. There will be no chains, tonight.
[ it's a promise he knows he shouldn't make, but he makes anyway, keeping inej's eye contact for the next few moments before he moves to walk back to the tent flap. he listens, hearing the sounds of footfalls, of people, of movement and low conversations in a variety of languages. his mind is slowly starting to piece this together. ]
When does the show start?
cw: sexual assault.
the lynx. even the name reduced her to an animal, and it began here. she was a little girl when she was bought and sold, held against her will, forced to sell herself for a debt she would never repay. and kaz, though he probably did not know it, had saved her life. but how many times is she going to rely on him, when he says no chains tonight and yet, back in ketterdam, she is in chains again.
the pressure in her chest builds, as kaz stares at her, and inej is desperate to yell at him, to demand proof that he can change whatever he is going to change. another empty promise, another empty wish, another assurance it will be fine when she throws herself down the rabbit hole for him again, and nothing --
when kaz moves toward the tent, inej bites the inside of her cheek. focus. he is trying to get you out, and panicking will do nothing. he needed her to be level-headed, calm, and ready to work. and she would do all of those things, because she was inej ghafa, and she did not panic.
she was the wraith; she would not allow anyone to make her feel helpless again.
perhaps, if she repeated it to herself, she would believe it.
he asked you a question, inej, answer it. but her throat is dry, and her eyes follow him to the flap of the tent. he would get them out of this. he promised that he was going to come for her. she has no choice but to believe him in this situation, too. ]
Thirty minutes. [ her tone sounds forced, a calm that was about as authentic as it sounded. ] I am supposed to enter the large tent in thirty minutes, and begin my ascent to the high-wire.
[ which takes time in and of itself. but after she says that, she looks down at her hands, her barely trembling fingers, the weakness in her knees . . . climbing and going across the wire when her mind is not focused on the task is suicide. and while inej is almost certain this is not real, she can't guarantee it.
she's scared. she's petrified. and while she is often carrying nerves in her stomach, butterflies in her chest, inej is never scared, when she climbs. that is when she feels free, but the thought of walking across the wire, toward her own slavery -- ]
I don't know if I can do this, Kaz.
[ it's whispered, and the moment the words escape her lips, she hates herself for admitting it. but once they're spoken, she can't take them back. and she raises her hands, running them over her hair as she moves away from the door, to move, to work off her own energy, her stomach twisting into knots -- before she seems to realize that he is the only thing that tethers her to reality, and not this fake mockery of what it is, and she instinctively grabs his free hand, a voice inside her head telling her to not, but the larger part of her not caring in a need to feel connected to the tiny shred of reality that exists. ]
But you can.
[ it's said quietly. ]
Promise me that you will not leave me here, and we will get out of here.
no subject
( you should stay. you should meet these men. see their faces, know them, tear them to shreds. )
there are no figures hiding there, no obvious signs of what is to come. kaz did not expect to find any, but the chance to look has given him more time. thirty minutes she says, her fear and uncertainty hiding under the surface. she’s terrified, and that twisted sense of everything curls tighter in his chest. he will get them out of this. it will not happen. no matter how real, or unreal, this whole scenario is - he will.]
Where do you enter the tent? Walk me through your entrance.
[ he can’t draw attention to them, but he needs to know how to hold off on the crowd, the information that she’ll be gone. he doesn’t want to tip them off any earlier than possible, but how far could they get in the next thirty minutes? how well could he hide the fact she left?
inej’s voice pulls his eyes back from the tent flap, his attention away from his plans. it’s the honesty in it, but something more. i don’t know if i can do this, kaz. it’s not her faith in him that causes him to freeze, but the way she looks at him. desperate, petrified, young. she grabs out at him, grabs his hand, and kaz tenses as usual. he doesn't pull away, though, because he can see something else in her face. her eyes.
but you can.
everything stops, in that moment. with inej's grip on his hand. there is a feeling, a very low crawling, right under his skin. it tells him to flee, to pull away from her, but he doesn’t. he can’t bring himself to do it.
promise me. ]
We will get out of here. [ he shifts slightly, moving to set a gloved hand over her wrist. not to remove it, but to settle it there, to affirm it. ] I will not leave you here.
no subject
there is a stark moment, a crawling of her skin, as his hand closes over her wrist -- the sudden urge to pull away, to prevent herself from feeling trapped. a man's hand on her wrist, and suddenly, she is back in the menagerie.
being grabbed, being held in place, was normal. men taking her by the wrist and pulling her closer. she learned not to cry quickly; tante halene did not tolerate that, and she was whipped if she showed anything but the delight at being violated that she expected of her charges. the heart in her chest quickens, her arm quivers, and for a moment, she nearly yanks her wrist out of kaz's hand.
but the sound of his voice brings her back to realty, the rough tone that she's long since come to accept as comfort. safety, security. plenty of people were terrified of kaz, but not her. she never has been, not really. he infuriates her, and makes her want to scream, but he has never once hurt her.
he's holding your wrist not to keep you here. he's doing it because he wants to make you feel better, a little voice whispers in her mind. he's doing it to try. pulling away will make you no better than he is.
saints, she was just as broken as he was. ]
I come into the tent from the back. No one sees me enter. The first time the crowd sees me is at the top of the wire, where I announce myself.
[ it's said quietly, squeezing his fingers once before slowly releasing them. her tone is still faint, and there are still tears in her eyes, but she speaks with a focus that she didn't have before.
no mourners. no funerals.
she was better than a crying girl in the dark. ]
I walk across the high-wire with a pole, and my crown. No net. I make it to the other side, the audience cheers. My uncle praises my bravery, and I rappel down using silk ropes, to create the illusion that I fall, and land on my feet. I thank the audience for their belief in me, and we leave together.
[ she draws in a deep breath, letting it out slowly, evenly. keeping her focus. ]
I go to the tent, and eat dinner with my family afterward. Then, I come back to this tent, change into my pajamas. I walk toward the sleeping tent, where I find the rest of the girls. We are -- [ she stops, there, closing her eyes for a moment to find her center, before speaking. ] They take us in the night. I wake up on the ship hours later. I do not remember how I got there.
no subject
she squeezes his fingers before letting go of him, and the sensation lingers, a mixture of what was before and something lighter, something more difficult to name. missing the contact, but grateful that it has ended. he nods, instead, as she walks him through the process of the night. he trusts her knowledge of him to know if any information is important, that she would share what would help him understand.
kaz nods, once, as his eyes scan back around the small tented room. looking for materials, for things that might be useful. ]
Do you have other costumes in here? Something you could change into? [ he leans down to pick up a pile of silks on a box near his feet, turning back to meet her eyes, to give her the space to center herself but keeping them both moving. needing to get them both out of here as quickly as possible. ]
And what about the layout of the camp? What is the easiest way to the water?
no subject
the blank in her mind, where she normally has a map of rooftops, alleyways, and shadows, only solidifies that she is a different person, now, which makes her useless, in this scenario. all of her gifts from ketterdam mean nothing, here, if she can't figure out how to get them out.
wordlessly, she moves toward a trunk in the corner of the room, opening it to reveal fairly neutral-colored clothing, traditional ravkan outfits, one of which is a darker-colored cloak. she yanks it up, along with a pair of looser pants and a loose shirt. she tugs the shirt over her head, over the silks, not bothering to change out of the silks. ]
I do not know the easiest way to the water.
[ finally, as she pulls the loose pants up and over her hips -- again, over her silk pants, methodical and quick, almost immediately blending into the darkness. comfortable, quiet. ]
There are a number of tents . . . I remember three, but there may be more. I remember going to the water on the main road into the town, but I don't know the . . .
[ inej speak. and, with a slight resigned tone, which sounds much more like inej, rather than someone scared in the dark: ]
We are going to have to make it up as we go.
[ she hates making it up as they go. ]
no subject
i do not know the easiest way to the water.
he hides the surprise well enough, not quite used to the wraith not knowing something like this. but maybe that is part of it, maybe here she is not yet the wraith, but just inej. inej, before ketterdam. it makes him feel a bit like he's intruding, even more like he's not supposed to be here, but he pushes the thoughts back into his chest.
for later. for now, he has to get them out of this. out of here.
he retraces his steps, goes back to the road between the tents, tries to remember if he saw water, if he could map out the routes through the city. inej is....inej is struggling. struggling in a way that throws him off. he nods - three tents - on the way to the water. he lets out a breath, not quite a sigh - before he nods. ]
Then we will be adaptable. [ his eyes go to the door then back to her, seeing her in her new clothes. her new look. the adrenaline slowly starts to build under his skin. ] Are you ready?
no subject
her parents who . . . are not real. they would know their daughter looked different, was older. had a scar along her side, right into her stomach, where pekka rollins' men attempted to gut her, peeking through the silks of her performance outfit. they would know her hair was longer, she was more muscular, and more . . . darkened, really. by ketterdam, by the menagerie. but no, they had greeted her as they always had. as they had in the memory, without noticing the differences.
it was then, really, that she knew this was not real.
she should have explored more, she should have tracked out their escape. she shouldn't have allowed herself to become paralyzed in this room and waste precious time. she should be able to answer kaz's questions, but she can't, and there is no changing that now. instead, she has to leave. again. there is a vicious prickling at the back of her eyes, but inej swallows it back, refusing to shed another tear over this mockery of comfort and home.
instead, she pulls up her hood, the shadows obscuring her face. ]
I always am.
[ it's said quietly. inej has never been a good liar, so she won't lie and say yes. but she makes her very best effort, now. ]
Let's go.
no subject
kaz, like the slavers supposably coming for her, are unwelcome guests. reminders of the horrors of what happen. of what will happen.
he was not supposed to be here.
but he was, and he had made inez a promise. a promise to get her out of here, before any of the rest could happen. he doesn’t know how this all works, what it means or if it will do anything at all, but inej flips up her hood and it is back to the task at hand.
i always am.
she was never a good liar. but kaz does not bring it up, nodding once and checking out the flap for any eyes or figures that could be looking towards them or coming for inej. when he deems it clear, he holds it open, letting her step through with him, casual and simple.
they have to make it through the camp, and then to the water. they are on a port town of rafka, but they would need to get out. get away from the city. without much information at all, he sets off between a set of tents as his leg throbs, assuming that she follows. ]
no subject
at the next set of tents, though, inej gently takes kaz's arm, stopping him before stepping out onto the main road. her eyes scan the surroundings quickly, wracking her brain for any semblance of memory before she notices a set of carriages, tucked away further down the road. not her family, but they appear to be merchant carts . . . with cargo, surely, that came from ships further down the port. and in the air, there is the distinct scent of the sea, salty, brisk, cool. ]
That way.
[ it's murmured, quietly, as she releases his arm to move down the street, keeping to the shadowed areas, moving along the stopped carts and impromptu merchant tents pitched along the side of the road. it doesn't take long, to move down the road, to be in view of the sea . . . but once they see the water properly, inej slows to a stop, her eyes scanning the harbor where there are no shortage of ships, and merchants, and -- inevitably, slavers.
she knows the ship, not because she saw it when she was taken, but when she was pulled from it in ketterdam. when her so-called indenture was signed, and she was brought to the menagerie. and it's almost incredible, how innocently it sits in the harbor, blending in with the other merchant ships. with white sails, and proper papers, and a crew who swears innocence.
how many girls are already in the ship? how many did they take here? did those same men attend the show, and see her perform, and decide that she was worth taking? did tante halene already buy her requests for young suli girls, to fulfill her ranks, and complete her proverbial zoo? did they come all this way specifically for her?
her fingernails dig into her palms, cutting neat semi-circles into her flesh, and it takes all of her self-control not to want to go and burn it to the ground, but instead: ]
None of this is real.
[ it's said quietly -- mostly to herself, but kaz can hear her, and inej doesn't bother to hide that she said it.
and, with that in mind, inej brushes back her hood, puts her best smile on, takes kaz by the hand, and pulls him out onto the roadway properly, right in the pathway of a nearby guard, to which inej says, in (quite good) broken kerch, despite the fact that she is perfectly fluent: ]
Ship? Ketterdam?
[ in her best attempt to portray a helpful, long-suffering suli guide for this poor lost idiot tourist, using kaz's language to maintain some level of politeness, before inej adds, in (slightly better, but still broken) ravkan: ]
We need to go to Ketterdam.
no subject
but those thoughts are quickly pushed away by the task at hand. they have to get inej out of this town before the events that follow can be put into motion. he is not letting her get taken, not when he is here to do something about it. so despite his curiosity, they continue off down the pathway between tents, inej pulling up her hood and lightly setting her hand on his arm, pulling him back from the main road. he’s about to comment on it, ask if she saw something, when they redirect. inej would know better, and he does follow her as they keep to the shadows of the paths, the tents. kaz takes in as much of it as he can, aware of how low his chances and his interests are of ever traveling to ravka outside of this impossible memory of inej’s. it’s a moment to gather information. even if they are relatively on the run.
but then again - when aren’t they?
it’s not much longer before they reach the docks, and kaz comes to a quick pause, scanning just as inej does across the line of possible escape routes. if he had more time he could have bought their way onto one (with or without the actual funds). but as it stands, they have a limited window and a need to find out a way out, fast. he can assume what each of the ships are for, can tell the merchant ships from the slavers, the ones that fly the ravkan double eagles, most likely military, and then-
inej goes still at his side, but by the time he turns to try and figure out why, her voice is whispered out. none of this is real, and instead of butting in, kaz let’s her take control of the moment for herself. giving her the space, and the time, for whatever it is she needs. he’s aware of their surroundings, keeping watch in case anyone tried to approach, and then inej lets out a breath and takes him by the hand (causing him to immediately tense, body going tight) and she pulls him down into the street. he figures out what she is trying at a moment later, and instantly slips into the role of the moment, giving the guard a slight, polite bow, repeating in much more (genuinely) broken ravkan. ]
Ketterdam?
[ the guard looks between the two of them, at first suspicious before she is able to understand the situation. ah, of course, the poor tourist and his guide. this is a familiar enough situation. easy enough to wrap her head around, and she nods, turning to point off to one of the ships a little further down the docks.
kaz feels himself tense a bit at it, the ravkan out of his understanding. something feels wrong, but he can't figure out what yet. was it going to be this easy? ]