Re: World-Marleybone

[Ulysses Septimus]

((Okay XP and tell her feel free to jump back in anytime  ))
Ulysses emerged a moment later, his mask now gone. "Cahin,"He called out softly. 

Immediately, the jester responded, sheathing his weapons with a flourish and hopped over to Ulysses, "Yes, daddy?"

"Since this is a war zone,"Ulysses' voice was soft, gentle even, "promise me you will stay safe, and not get into anything dangerous or foolish?"

Cahin nodded, "I promise, daddy, you can trust me!"

Septimus smiled, "Good." He gave the jester garbed Assassin a quick hug, and stepped off to issue an order to the marine captain Sentus Optimus.

As the black sailed ship sailed smoothly out of port, Ulysses retreated into his cabin.

Cahin giggled, this time louder, and more perceptible. He drew his knives again, throwing them around in a deadly spectacle. "They liked to laugh at me,"he hummed, "well I'll make sure they never stop laughing!"

At the last part of his sentence, his voice became a vicious snarl, animalistic, almost, before shifting with alarming speed back to the childish tone, the murderous emotions ever present. "At least I still have daddy..."

[Hannah Durante]

((haha well we would def need to give her an opening, I believe we unintentionally pushed tomas out of this thread/gave him very little to be able to do this time around.))

----

Hannah wasn't sure what to take from the interaction she had just witnessed. It seemed the admiral had at least something of a heart, but she could hardly convince herself to give him much credit on that front. After all, he was showing compassion to another crazed killer, while they insisted on treating her like some kind of horrible criminal for what, to her, seemed the pettiest of crimes. This entire thing was just...so incredibly unfair!

At the very least they didn't seem to care about paying attention to her for the moment. Though then again, the buccaneer knew that they really had very little to worry about at the moment. Even if she did break free, where would she go? Her ship was still back at the isle of fetch, so any attempt to escape now would be incredibly foolish, not to mention suicidal. She hated to wait until it would be more dangerous, but...she had no other choice, unless she wished to take her chances with whatever they had in store for somebody like her.

Since nobody was really troubled by what little she could do here, Hannah began tugging against the restraint, even starting to pull on the chain with the hand they'd left free. Maybe it was wasted effort, but if she could weaken and break it just as the ship docked then she could take drastic measures and advantage of the lack of security; the buccaneer envisioned herself leaping over the edge of the ship, as carefully as she could with so little time to spare, then taking off to one of the secure zones those friends of hers in the resistance had told her about. She hoped it would work.

..It was just too bad she would have to wait a little longer still. Especially with that jester growing creepier by the second. This time, the buccaneer did not disguise her uncertainty; cringing at what she was hearing and seeing, though it wasn't like he was paying the least bit of attention. She was curious about whether or not he had any true relation to Ulysses though, she had to admit. And where in the spiral all of these psychopaths seemed to be crawling out from.

"Who laughed at you?" She ventured, half hoping he wouldn't hear her over his own giddy insanity, though if he did, she was curious about that as well. "...I ask only because I know what it's like to be unfairly judged."

Her mind scoffed at the fact she was trying to talk to him at all, reasoning he would not care one lick about what she was saying. Especially if his dear 'father' had seen fit to gossip like a hormonal young girl about her to him as well, but she didn't see why he would bother doing so with this one. Although, she realized it was probably a bad idea to try getting the jester's attention, especially the way his moods flipped so easily and quickly...and he had already expressed his bloodlust previously.

[Ulysses Septimus]

Cahin's grinning mask snapped around within just a single second, his head cocked to the side for a moment as he slowly approached. "You want to know who did this, huh?"The jester sheathed his blades, his strides quick and graceful like a well trained swashbuckler.

"Those... other Assassin recruits, as well as a few others that were a waste of space."He hissed, almost like a serpent, now standing no more than four feet away, "they refused to acknowledge me as another Assassin, denied the fact daddy was my father... They didn't like how I was his personal apprentice... They laughed at me, called me a bastardo and weak fool because of how I cannot be like them..."

A low giggle escaped his throat once again, "They thought they could leave me to die... Fools, daddy came and saved me, he killed them all too... But since there are still many like to laugh at me so much I figured I will let them laugh all they want.... FOREVER."

At his last word, Cahin's head rolled back and another manical laugh tore out of his throat, long and insane.

His insane joy didn't last long though, because moments later a loud musket shot rang out, with the marine captain Sentus uttering a low grunt, his black gloved hand flying up to his right shoulder to touch the hole in his armor that currently wept drops of blood.

The rondel daggers flew back into the jester's grip, his stance shifting into defensive, coiled and ready to spring.

Ulysses charged from his cabin a moment later, swords drawn.

[Hannah Durante]

Perhaps she had asked for more than she really wanted to know, Hannah reflected, as the crazed man approached and decided to answer her question with a response that left her with another. What had they done? She could only assume he had meant to indicate he had not always been as deranged as he carried himself now, that whatever misery he had endured had pushed him to this point.

...But maybe there was more to it than just that, though the buccaneer felt no need to push too much there. It was likely something she was better off not fully understanding, anyway.

She watched him carefully as he went into his explanation, half-expecting him to lash out violently at any second for daring to ask what she had, for forcing him to bring what must have been severely unpleasant memories back to the surface. She didn't feel guilty for doing it, however. They had done much the same to her, with each and every accusation she'd been attacked with.

Her face remained neutral as she listened. Inwardly, Hannah felt the faintest spark of pity for what the jester was describing, briefly calling to mind the taunting she had endured from the enemy during the great war when she and the small brigade she had been sent with had been ambushed and taken completely by surprise...then tortured by the Polarians for information, fun, revenge.

It had been meant to kill them in the end, and she had watched horrible things happen to her brothers and sisters in arms. So horrible....Something had snapped inside of her then and when she and one of the others had broken free, she had enacted bloody vengeance all her own, even though that reckless frenzy had nearly cost her her very life. She could...almost understand his position, his situation, but it was hard to pity him properly given the circumstances. He certainly would not extend her that same courtesy.

"Hm...A shame isn't it, somebody always telling you that you're not good enough and beneath them? Denying your potential, everything you've ever done, because they think they know best?"

It was a bitter sentiment, though Hannah kept her voice controlled for the moment. The jester seemed so lost in his own world, she doubted he would catch onto what she was implying. Which was for the best, really. Particularly when he started to become more gleeful at the mention of the slaughter that had been waged for him, his bloodlust. A chill skittered up her spine at the way he laughed, a way that no sane man would.

But before he could get worse, a shot rang out all of the sudden. Startled, Hannah tore her attention away from the jester to where the commotion seemed to be coming from, and widened her eyes at what she saw. Somebody was attacking this ship- but who? The buccaneer hoped somebody who actually knew what they were doing, and wouldn't be immediately slaughtered or also arrested by the clockworks. Because if they were effective enough and she broke the chain.....they could be her ticket out of this mess.

[Ulysses Septimus]

Cahin was far too busy indulged in his anticipation for the possible upcoming slaughter to notice; as Ulysses commanded his Marines and Dragoons to return fire at the Marleybonean frigate targeting them, he had stationed himself at the railings, darting back and forth while waiting for the possible boarding battle Ulysses would most likely order.

Which was only a few minutes later, after the Armada admiral had filled the frigate's hull with large holes.

"Attack!"Ulysses roared, "Show them no mercy!"

The clockworks obeyed: anyone who dared to jump onto the Armada ship, if they had not been killed by Septimus' boarding party already, were immediately confronted by the Dragoons and Grenadiers*, as well as Ulysses himself.

Cahin pounced on an unfortunate Red Coat, drew his daggers again and stabbed his unfortunate victim several times in the torso, the force of his attack, his victim was pulled up slightly by his blades, before their dead body dropped onto the ground after the jester executed his final stab.

He never stopped laughing, a laugh almost childish if it wasn't for his murderous display.

Cahin straightened, then quickly dodged a Marleybonean officer's sabre with the grace of a swashbuckler, and retaliated with the brutality only an insane man is capable of-

Dodging behind them with one acrobatic jump, the Harlequin dashed over up to his target and stabs him in the waist, making him fall. Right as they begin to drop, he jams his rondel daggers in the crevices of their neck, one before the other, causing his victim to go limp and their lifeless body to fall to the ground as he withdraws his weapons.

That's when it happened..

A loud BANG, and a low string of Valencian cursing immediately made Cahin's face turn toward Ulysses' direction, who had been knocked to the ground, his left leg bleeding from a bullet wound.

"YOU DARE?"Cahin roared, the animal completely unleashed, "YOU DARE HURT MY DADDY? FOOL, YOU WILL PAY!"

*Grenadiers are basically advanced musketeers armed with bombs and a rifle with a bayonet.

[Hannah Durante]

((lol for any lurkers, that ridiculously melodramatic turn of events was approved first. ...I had to mention at least one dog before they died. ;n; Also lol this post...i'm tired, I apologize, I got lazy I admit it! ))

Naturally, the jester hadn't heard a single word she'd said. Hannah wasn't surprised by that in the least, but she couldn't help but feel annoyed by it at the same time. It was only minor at the moment however, in the midst of all the chaos currently going on around them.

Hope flitted through her as it became evident it was a Marleybonean ship that had attacked- first by the flags the other vessel was flying, then by the glimpse she got of the sailors as they opened fire and began to attack. Though she was not technically on their side in this war at the moment, she was certain at least one of them had to know she had served the role of a supplier; she had been required to make certain the war ships had known hers was not their enemy beforehand, and even if this shipload of dogs had not seen her out and about, she had enough faith in them to not just leave her here if they gained the upper hand.

Maybe the tides had turned back in her favor. Emboldened by the thought, Hannah began pulling herself away from the mast with a great deal of force; putting that much more into it as she saw the horrific sight of the dogs being mowed down left and right, none more unfortunate than the victims the jester chose. It brought back horrible memories, flashbacks of the bloody fates of several soldiers she had personally witnessed on the battlefields so many years ago.

It was almost like stepping back in time as she gawked at the carnage, old feelings she had buried away from war rushing to the surface as if they had never left her. Harder and harder she pulled, feeling the chain start to give the more she put into it, the more desperate she and the situation started to become. She could feel it bending, which would have elated her had there not been the death of so many who might have also been veterans of the great war all around her. Just a little more would do it!

Unfortunately for her pride however, she wasn't the one to finally defeat the restraints. One of the Marleyboneans had boarded the ship from the side closer to her than any of the action, and hastily decided to assist; cutting her free with an imposing-looking sabre. The dog was an officer by the looks of his highly-decorated uniform, and before she could even thank or think to warn him about the tricks these particular Armada soldiers had shown, he had encouraged her to take up arms and revenge against her captors before rushing off to join the others....and potentially his death.

"I should have listened to Tomas." The human woman grumbled to herself as she stumbled her way toward one of the dead bodies that littered the ship, quickly grabbing onto a pistol its owner no longer needed. There was a brief moment of guilt at the action, but it was quickly overridden by instinct. There was nothing she could do for him now, and as she was currently weaponless save for her fists, she needed something to help cover herself.

She jerked her head toward the sound of Valencian curses not long after they had flown through the air, smirking to herself and feeling just the slightest bit pleased to have seen somebody get the upper hand on this admiral. So, he wasn't quite as perfect and invincible as he liked to think he was? Good, maybe the Royal Navy could even capture the brute and hold him as a high-ranking prisoner of war, effectively humiliating the man in the process. She would have loved to see the tables turned on him like that.

There was a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as the jester screamed at the dogs, evidently so attached to Ulysses that he was willing to become more animal than man the second he was hurt. She thought about shooting at him to serve as a distraction for the dogs, but it was a fleeting one- she wasn't a good shot from a distance like this, and couldn't justify taking that risk at the second. For now, she would take advantage of this distraction to first liberate the weapons she was more familiar with....and go from there.

Good luck she thought to herself as she quickly turned on her heels and headed for the cabins of the ship, willing to tear apart any of the rooms she came across if she had to, in order to retrieve her prized weapon set.

[Ulysses Septimus]

Cahin leapt through the air like a dark shadow, the grin on his mask now more like a demon than a jester's. He landed before the officer who had wounded Ulysses with a loud THUD, his hand flying out to drive one of his daggers into his opponent's throat.

Using that as leverage, the Harlequin expertly flipped himself over the officer's back, ripping open his throat in the process as Cahin tore his blade back out.

The Harlequin glared upon his enemies, light reflecting from his grinning mask painting dark shadows across his features. "Warriors, to me!"He shouted, "auxilium ducis! (Latin: Protect your leader!)."

More Armada troopers rushed out from under the deck, including the Black Cadre Marines and White Cadre Musketeers... While Hannah was confronted by the lieutenant captain of the Royal Guards... Quintia Presidos, whose appearance made her look more like a female Octavian.

The warrior surrounded the Admiral as well as the Harlequin in a protective circle, and as if that wasn't bad enough, an Armada galleon was approaching in the distance, the black letters emblazoned on its hull indicating it belonged to captain Octavian Caesarus. A rather heavily armed ship as well, with its thick armor plating and intimidating 54 guns.

Cahin loomed over his fallen "father", with his daggers ready to kill anyone who made even one attempt.

Which was why he had immediately reacted when the officer who had freed Hannah rushed at him; easily deflecting his attack, Cahin aimed his arm that was armed with the Hidden Gun at his foe's heart, clicking the trigger with one deft finger.

BANG! The officer fell like a rag doll, a gaping hole in the centre of his chest.

Laughing, the Harlequin turned to face his father... Only to gasp in pain when he felt a bayonet being driven through his guts.

Cahin looked down at the blade emerging from his body... The last thing he remembered was Ulysses' concerned features, with the sound of Octavian's voice in the background, ordering the Royal Guards to pick off the rest of their foes.

[Hannah Durante]

The sounds of the utter madness outside were getting worse, even from the cabins on the other side of the ship, not at all comforting with the cries she heard issuing every so often.   Even though she didn't know many, if any, of these dogs, it wasn't hard to tell that several of those wretched sounds were those brave sailors being cut down.   She forced herself to ignore it though, no matter how cowardly and selfish it was to do so; focusing far more intently on the reason she'd started tearing through these rooms in the first place.

"There you are!"

After several minutes of frantic searching that had started to make her fear the clockworks had disposed of her trinkets rather than just confiscated them, she finally came across the shield and halberd shoved amongst other weapons in what looked to be a rather nice makeshift armory for a ship.   Even though they bore resemblance to what every clockwork Marine carried with them, Hannah would recognize her own anywhere- the subtle little decals she had etched into them just as good as the golden rose that lay at the center of the gear; an icon which had denoted her as a Valencian soldier during the Polarian war.  A trait each of the living ones had bore on their weapons or uniforms in some shape or form.

A sigh of relief escaped the buccaneer as she quickly though carefully liberated her weapons, strapping the shield to one arm while she held the halberd tightly in the other.   She could still hardly convince herself to join the Marleybonean's struggle as long as officers were out and about, unable to justify attempting to cut them down for numerous reasons even now, though she would defend herself against the lesser soldiers if need be, was there a way out.  Hopefully, the Royal Navy was still as competent as they had been during the great war, otherwise....well, she would still have nowhere to go and was uncertain how any of the clockworks would react to her attempted escape.

The human had started to make her way back to the cabin's entrance to see how the dogs were faring, or consider sneaking aboard their ship to 'borrow' any of the lifeboats they might have had for emergencies, when she was halted by a large female clockwork.   Yet another high-ranking one the buccaneer suspected, from the ornate decorations on her armor; an incredibly frustrating revelation to the twenty-seven year old.   Could nothing go right today?

She stood her ground for now, her body posture taking on a defensive edge.  She wouldn't be the first to strike if she could help it, especially since it was still unclear which group would emerge the victor of this particular battle.  The dogs had been doing well when she had barged in, but the jester's cry for help did not bode well if the ship was stocked with enough clockwork soldiers to outnumber and overwhelm them.

Besides herself, Hannah gave a dry laugh.

"Wasting your time in here with me when you could be out there?  Seems like a lot of you need you rethink your priorities.  I'm flattered by the attention, really, but come on now...You belong out there with your brothers in arms, not in here with me."

[Ulysses Septimus]

Quintia chuckled, dark and almost sinister, "Smart words, human... I bid you luck on finding a way off, haha!" She drew her greatsword, turned and charged into the fray with several other Royal Guards.

Outside, it was slowly becoming more and more clear the clockworks were gaining the upper hand, especially since now Octavian and the rest of his squadron had arrived.

Ulysses also got back onto his feet, and pulled Cahin to safety after the jester garbed Assassin was attacked.

Currently, the Admiral was fending off the last few Red Coats with the help of three Dragoons, while Optimus and his Marines rounded up the ones who had surrendered to the clockworks.

[Hannah Durante]

For a moment Hannah just stood there in shock of what had just happened. She could hardly believe the fact the clockwork had actually agreed with her on any level- where in the spiral had she been, back on the isle of fetch? Maybe if this had been the officer she'd come face to face with, she and Tomas would have been long gone from Marleybone by now.

Although the way she laughed and that last bit of her remark had her thinking twice. Perhaps the clockwork simply didn't care at the moment because, should the dogs lose, she had no means of escape. Troubled by the thought, the buccaneer emerged from the cabin herself; horrified by the sight of how the battle had indeed turned....but in favor of the clockworks, rather than the Royal Navy.

It seemed like every single sailor from the attacking ship was now assembled on this one in some way- either as prisoners or corpses, and even if she could make it to the Marleybonean galleon, the shape it was in was terrible. There was no way it would make the trip back to the isle of dogs let alone fetch, without completely falling apart along the way. She was still trapped.

Hannah's heart sank at all of this, her best bet completely shattered. Even her crazy plans that had formulated just in case they had made it back to Valencia before she could have broken free provided little comfort at the moment. She would cling to them desperately later she was sure, but right now she felt crushed, almost drained there was no lucky way out. It was forcing her to consider the fact that perhaps the scenario she had always feared was soon to come to pass- that maybe there really was nothing she could do about it.

She slunk back as she watched the soldiers take care of or round up the last of the dog soldiers, as Ulysses dragged his 'son' to safety. She didn't know what to do at the moment, what was the smartest course of action, so she decided she would merely watch....and stay away from their attention for as long as it would last.

[Ulysses Septimus]

Ulysses had completely ignored his own wound, instead, he had taken a med kit from his cabin and fixed up Cahin... His shaking hands betraying the fact he was worried sick. "Cahin, don't do this please!"Ulysses muttered, as he was still unconscious...

His hand reached out, hesitating for a moment, then slipped them under the edge of the Harlequin's mask and slowly took it off.

What was under the mask could be said was once handsome, judging from what remained-

An ugly burn sat on his left cheek, while his skin was death pale, like he had not seen the sun for some time. A scar cut across his face, starting from the corner of his right eye closest to the bridge of his surprisingly intact nose, down to the corner of his mouth.

His eyes were closed, though breathing.

Ulysses uttered a sigh of relief, relieved that Cahin was still alive. "Damn it, the aftereffects..."The Admiral give another low string of Latin cursing, though this time he didn't bother to censor anything, "now to business."

He stood, and carried Cahin into his cabin, one arm under his knees, and the other at the base of his back, then reemerged looking EXTREMELY murderous. 

"Speak!"Ulysses roared, "who is the one that attacked him!?"

Optimus, the Marine captain, pushed a captured officer forward. "It's him, Admiral Septimus... What are your orders reguarding him and the other survivors?"

"I see... no survivors. And leave that one, I will deal with him personally."

[Hannah Durante]

It was a tense period of time on the deck of the ship as Ulysses retreated to his cabin with the jester, presumably to try and save his life.   Even the clockworks assembled seemed to be infuriated with what had just happened as far as she could tell, begging the question in her mind of how they had become so loyal to the admiral in the first place they would mimic his rage as much as was possible for the likes of them.  

Though then again, one had saved her life in the war, so perhaps this was just an extension of that programming, of their original role as defenders.  The admiral burst from his cabin before she could put much more thought into the matter, and noting the expression on his face, Hannah took care to creep back that much further.   At least, as far as she could go in order to put distance between herself and the rest of them.  Nothing good was going to come of his rage and the blow the jester had suffered, she could read that much in his body language.

Her breath caught in her throat as she began to move, but had caught the order that had issued from the admiral's throat.   No survivors...  Her anxiety spiked at that, and her grip on the halberd tightened, her knuckles going white as she did so.   So, this was to become a bloodbath now, was it?  She should have suspected as much.  

A bead of cold sweat ran down her forehead as she ran out of space, just waiting for the massacre to ensue.  If they came to terminate her once they were done with the dogs, she would defend herself this time- no matter the odds, or the officers among them.   She didn't want it to come to that, but...if she were to suffer and die because of the clockworks, perhaps it was best to do so fighting, far away from Cadiz and their seat of power.   So that she never had to face the shame they had instilled in her.

[Ulysses Septimus]

"As how you command,"Optimus turned to his troopers, issuing a command in Latin. 

The Marines, their halberds already positioned above their prisoners' necks, chopped downward with precise and brutal strength.

Blood sprayed across the deck of the Interceptor, followed by the screams of the unfortunate, ear piercing shrieks that were the death tolls of Ulysses' prisoners.

"Now..."Septimus turned to the prisoner currently held captive by three of his Dragoons, "what should I do with you?"

"Feel free to try everything you got, cog heart fiend."The officer spat, "I welcome death!"

The Admiral and Assassin laughed, much like how Cahin had earlier--a laugh long and insane, throat tearing. "Then... You asked for it."

[Hannah Durante]

The second the bloodbath began, Hannah realized it had been a mistake to emerge from the cabins when she had. They were not necessarily safe, but anything had to be better than being out here in this violent frenzy. Retribution of some sort would come to her eventually no matter where she stood on this vessel as it was, and while she would only be trapping herself that much more...well, the same horde of clockworks executing the Marleyboneans could not all fit in the room. It wasn't much, but still it was something and all she could ask for at the moment.

Making up her mind, Hannah took advantage of the fact they were all too busy killing the rest of the prisoners to rush back into the cabins. It wasn't exactly a smart idea, but at this point she didn't think there were any and desperate times called for such measures. She practically slammed the door shut behind her as the piercing shrieks continued, stumbling her way through the rather large cabin before she came to a dead halt.

Crap, the jester. In the heat of the moment she had absolutely forgotten the fact he had been brought into the cabin and not returned; the detail had completely slipped her mind in her panic to somehow survive this. Well...at least he was unconscious she supposed, and hopefully in no shape to try launching any kind of sneak attack at her with the attack she'd seen him take.

She approached him cautiously just the same, making sure her shield was positioned to defend her in case of an attack. When she got close enough to get a good look at him, her eyes widened more at what she was seeing. His mask was off, and what was underneath was disturbing. She had seen things like this in the war before, bodies mutilated beyond recognition, and she truly wondered how anybody could live like this.

It and what had happened to cause it were probably the most contributing factors to why he was so crazed, Hannah thought to herself, as she quickly took several steps away from him; feeling sick at the extent of damage she had seen. Not only because it was horrific in and of itself, but it brought back memories as well...reminding her of the comrades she had seen endure the worst of torture, the bodies that had strewn the ground, when one of Nelson's arms had become so mangled that the only option had been amputation... She shook her head, trying to clear it of those thoughts.

"...At least this isn't Cadiz." She mumbled to herself as she found the furthest corner of the room she could and prepared herself for anything; the admiral would return sooner or later, and he would very likely attempt to murder her on the spot. "You will never have to face them in shame if you die here..."

It was an eerily comforting thought at the moment, no matter how morbid it was.

[Ulysses Septimus]

Ulysses entered about three minutes later.

Giving a loud sigh, the Admiral threw his black and gold brocaded coat onto his desk and strided straight over to the bed where Cahin was laying, seating himself on the edge.

"Cahin."He called softly, his voice having lost the murderous tone, "my son, answer me, please!"

Ulysses had did his best to sterilize and patch up the damage, yet there was still a part of him that suspected, and feared, the worst.

The Admiral smiled in relief when the younger Assassin stirred.

"Daddy?"Cahin's eyes slowly opened, jade colored eyes that was still very much human but hazed over due to the some of the things Ulysses was forced to administer. "Daddy is that really you?"

"Yes, my son,"Ulysses whispered soothingly, "dammit, don't scare me like this again!" The last part of his sentence was meant to be strict, though it came out more like relief.

The Harlequin focused on Ulysses with some difficulty, "I promise I won't, daddy.. I'm sorry."

Septimus reached out, "Cahin... I am not angry at you..." He pulled the younger Assassin into his arms, "Cahin... Just please don't do this again..."

The jester garbed Assassin said nothing, and only nodded. He sighed, resting his head against Ulysses' shoulder. "You are always so strong, daddy, so invincible, when I am just a flawed and broken minded freak."

"Cahin Havos!"The admiral's face hardened ever so slightly, "you are not a freak, how many times must I tell you this?"

[Hannah Durante]

She was ready when the admiral burst into the room, muscles tensing and her halberd prepared to strike. But surprisingly enough she had no need, for the moment anyway. Ulysses seemed to be almost in his own little world, where nothing but himself and the jester, Cahin, existed at the moment. Hannah wasn't sure whether that was relieving or not, especially as the other assassin stirred..though it wasn't like she hadn't been in battle outnumbered before, and two was better than twenty.

She remained as silent as humanly possibly as she watched them interact, feeling almost strangely moved by the paternal, downright sappy display. Almost. There was a great part of her that would not allow the feeling to proceed more than just a tiny spark, and it stirred up anger within her that she had considered the inkling of such emotion toward them in the first place. Why should she pity them, when not a shred of sympathy had ever been launched her way by any like them? Moving as it might have been how much the admiral seemed to care, he was still a bloodthirsty killer who insisted on viewing her as little more than a criminal. She would not waste those feelings on those who could rabidly hold her in contempt.

Well, at least I'm safe for the moment so long as they're oblivious to everything but each other. She thought, allowing herself to relax only slightly- but not enough she would be unprepared if the situation escalated once more. Though, she couldn't help but feel perhaps this was a bit too personal to be eavesdropping on. At the same time however, it was interesting insight into both of these two men. Should she get off this ship alive, she imagined it could be valuable in the future.

[Ulysses Septimus]

"Sorry, daddy."Cahin mumbled, "daddy, where is my mask? I can't let them see me like this."

Ulysses' brows scrunched for a moment, though he said nothing, simply reaching over to his desk and picked up the jester's mask, giving it to Cahin who immediately put it on.

The Harlequin chuckled, not the insane one he was so used to sport, rather, it was almost normal, sounding like how someone would at a not exactly funny but not too bad joke. "There, much better."

"Cahin, I want you to stay here until I deem it is safe for you,"Ulysses spoke as gently as he could manage, "you are hurt, thus I cannot risk it."

"Whatever you say, daddy."The jester giggled, some of his usual attitude returning though his unusually quiet voice betraying the fact he was still weakened...

Ulysses stood, getting ready to leave.

Until Cahin suddenly coughed, a streak of blood trickling from the gap between his face and mask.

"Cahin!"The Harlequin held up one hand.

"I'm okay, daddy."Cahin wiped off the blood from his grinning mask, "can you trust me?"

Ulysses' face softened, "Alright..." In truth, he was hesitant about leaving Cahin alone, but what choice does he have when he also has duties to tend to?

[Hannah Durante]

They still didn't notice her or the fact she had disappeared from the mast, it was almost too good to be true! Hannah half-expected this to be some sort of cosmic joke that would fall apart on her at any second, but she couldn't say she wasn't happy to take advantage of it while she still could. There was always the possibility of human error here too, though. Ulysses and the jester were not clockworks no matter how much like them they could behave, and as the admiral was demonstrating, human emotion was a powerful thing that could blind creatures like them in the heat of the moment.

She considered herself fortunate for that, as there was simply no way she would have gotten so lucky had the ship been full of nothing but clockworks. Although....it didn't vastly improve her situation. She couldn't very well run charging out of this room and expect to get far before something terrible happened. All she could do was wait and see what would happen- whether one of them would finally take notice of her presence and react to it, or if they really were so oblivious that she could wait for them to dock, leave, and actually escape.

It was almost insulting, really, and it made her infuriated that the admiral had only egged on that officer into arresting her. What had been the point of doing so? They could have just left her alone on the isle of fetch at this rate. She didn't want to be dragged all the way back to Cadiz to face punishment, but all of this frustration and stress seemed so...worthless. There hadn't been any need for her to have gone through this at all, and she did resent every bit of this.

Oh well...she definitely wouldn't be complaining if they up and forgot about her. It would serve her best interests, not to mention the fact it helped show her just how human, how potentially flawed Ulysses really was. Clockworks never forgot or gave up their prey.

[Ulysses Septimus]

Cahin sighed, his breathing a pained wheez as phantom pain in his lungs returned, as the Harlequin laid back down on the Armada Admiral's bed, his daggers still strapped to his sides.

But he then suddenly bolted up, like he had became a clockwork and just rebooted his system. The jester turned his masked face toward her direction, the painted smile on his mask becoming creepier by the second as he stared at her corner, saying nothing.

"It seems... I have company."Cahin hummed, one gloved hand still on his gut where the bayonet had ran him through... Though his other was on one of the rondel daggers.

[Hannah Durante]

..And just like that, any high she might have had about being practically invisible to the two of them came crashing down. Maybe she had tempted fate feeling insulted by all of this? But, it hadn't meant she had actually wanted them to suddenly recall the fact she was here too. She just...was angry at them, this entire situation, and she hated being restrained or contained in any way. It was one of the worst things imaginable in her mind, not to mention incredibly humiliating, so of course she would be upset and complain, even if only to herself!

She held the shield out in front of herself protectively, in case the jester still had enough strength left in him to decide he would throw one of his daggers at her- or actually get off the bed fully and foolishly engage her. Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully as she returned his gaze wordlessly initially, not wanting to be the first of them to speak. She kept imagining the face she had seen glowering at her, and it made her have to question just which face of his was the one that unnerved her the most.

Finally he spoke, breaking the silence though most certainly not the tension. Hannah sighed inwardly as it was obvious he knew she was in there- of course, it had been hard to deny when he had been staring right at her. At least he was wounded though. Not that he couldn't still cause a whole lot of trouble if he raised his voice enough.

"Hm, so much for being invisible." She returned, her gaze flicking toward where his hands were going, not wanting to be unprepared for any nasty surprises. "..You don't want to do anything drastic, now. Who knows how bad that wound could be? I advise you just sit there, rest, and keep to yourself...and I'll do the same."

Until I can get off this floating nightmare...

[Ulysses Septimus]

The Harlequin's head cocked to the side, an amused giggle escaping his throat. "Why so sure of this, hmm?" His breathing was still a pained wheez that sounded like someone was being suffocated, almost.

"Give me a reason to not do so."Cahin giggled, careful to not move his frame, as just about any movement sent a ripple of pain up his torso, "give me a reason to not make you play with me."

Yes, he was wounded, but his bloodlust was nevertheless the same.

Cahin was silent for a moment, then he continued in that tone everyone associated with him, the almost childish but still very much psychopathic. "Give me a reason why I shouldn't call daddy in here right here and now."

[Hannah Durante]

The thought crossed her mind that she could kill him, right here and now. That she could throw aside her fear, her weakness regarding her unwillingness to engage the higher clockworks in battle unless necessary, and show him just how rough she could 'play' if she really wanted to.  It would be unfair in his current state of course, but that wasn't the thing that held her back from attacking him on the spot for those threats.

It was Ulysses, and what he could do to her if she killed or even further wounded his beloved son.   Not to her body though, no.  It wasn't the idea he could kill her or how he would do so that bothered her the most, but what he would do to her name before and after the fact.  

"..You haven't come to make me play with you, for starters."  She retorted, fully believing his wound was the only thing that kept him on the bed at the moment with what she had previously seen.   "If you could play, you would have started the game already- unlike your father, you don't seem inclined to wait for very long.   You're too wounded to do what you'd like to, aren't you?"

She was careful with her tone despite how much his own bothered her.   This man was insane, and she didn't know what to expect from him or what exactly would set him off.   That did not mean she planned on being incredibly respectful though, as she couldn't imagine doing so would make much of a difference either.    

"A reason?" She parroted, wracking her brain for anything she could think of that would convince a psychopath to remain silent- and came up empty.   " Well, that depends on the price of your silence...What is your cost?"

Maybe if she made him feel like he had control of this situation, he wouldn't want to trouble 'daddy dearest' with an annoyance like her.   Well, so long as he didn't get so happy with that fact, he felt like proving to the admiral he could still handle things despite his wound.   It as a gamble for sure, but one she had to take.

[Ulysses Septimus]

"Clever."The Harlequin coughed again, a streak of blood running from the gap between his face and mask dripped onto his blue and green jester's garments... Curse it, those old wounds are coming back to haunt him. "If it wasn't for the fact I have been hurt... Hahaha!"

Cahin wiped the blood from his mask with the back of his leather glove, though only a moment later, he was seized by another one of those violent coughing fits, leaving his throat throbbing as well as a copious amount of his own blood on his hands. "Well isn't this troublesome."He mused to himself.

The Harlequin looked up again, "What is the price of my silence? Hmm... If I remained quiet, then you will get to leave daddy alone, yet it would insult his reputation as the best officer there is in the Armada..."

Cahin was no supporter of the Armada: he would take no other side other than his dearest daddy's, but if his daddy's reputation gets hurt in the Armada, then that would give that bumbling brick head Rooke a reason to laugh at his daddy.

And the Harlequin never liked it when that happens, it reminded him too much of the past, which he would very much rather forget about.

Sensing the slightly murderous intent, Cahin giggled again, speaking in a soft, almost imperceptible voice, "You want to kill me, don't you?"

[Hannah Durante]

She managed a faint smirk at the resigned answer he gave. Yes, she had suspected his abilities had been severely weakened by that nasty blow to the stomach. It made him less intimidating to her, with the knowledge he couldn't do much to hurt her right now, no matter how much he clearly wanted to.

"Now isn't that a shame?" she spoke up, feigning a mesh of pity and disappointment. "I suppose I'll just have to imagine what sort of game you would have cooked up for me in the meantime. Although, I'm sorry to say you would have a hard time beating the Polarians in terms of cruelty."

She knew it was unwise to provoke such a violent man like this, but she had no intention of seeing him ever again if she escaped and could help it. And since he couldn't exactly fulfill what bloody, sadistic images she was certain were filling his head, she didn't see as much harm in it, save for the fact he could call Ulysses in here at any second. If he even had the strength for that, which she questioned the way he was coughing, spewing out blood.

"I wasn't bothering your daddy in the first place." She snorted, more bitter and aggressive than she had meant to. " I wasn't doing anything wrong...I wasn't even in his way. I would gladly keep away from him, but it is rather impossible when he decides to show up and convince a clockwork into arresting and dragging me onto his ship."

Hannah frowned as she could sense this devolving, though hopefully she had something that could convince Cahin it was for both of their own good he keep his mouth shut about her presence.

"And how would it insult his reputation? Losing a prisoner? Who says the elites have to know about that....It isn't as if Kane really cares. I would have been caught and punished long ago, if he did. With that bloodbath he waged, do you really think his reputation is in danger? I believe he's only strengthened it."

Unfortunately so, she thought to herself, though she wisely kept that in her own mind. She did stiffen though, as he giggled and asked about what she had certainly thought about. Was she really that transparent? Or was he just good at reading homicidal intent, given his own?

"You wanted to kill me...I consider those thoughts self defense. But I haven't made an attempt yet, have I? It probably wouldn't even bother you, but, I won't. There are things I value too much to act in such haste. Besides, I don't want your father's attention on me- I'm happy to let you live, so that you can consume his every waking moment."

[Ulysses Septimus]

"Why so sure?"Cahin hummed, a little relieved now that he felt his old pain had retreated into its metaphorical cave. "Though... You do have a point..."

The Harlequin slumped back into his daddy's large bed, his permanently damaged lungs still sputtering.

He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling his heart steady soon thanks to the multiple mechanical augmentations Cristobal Auditore made.

"You are... Clever."Cahin fought the urge to fall asleep, at least a little longer, "yess... It will certainly be interesting once I recover..." His final words slurred, since Cahin soon gave up to the temptations of sleep.

Even when he's asleep, the Harlequin wore his grinning mask, and his dual daggers.

Something that would allow him to spring immediately to defend himself it it was ever needed.

Meanwhile, outside, Ulysses smiled to himself, relishing the soon to be smell of death.

"Do the honors, Captain Optimus."The Admiral ordered.

Optimus, once again, obeyed perfectly, using the torch in his hand to light the pile of wood underneath the stake Captain Octavian provided.

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