Welcome to Gaia! ::

Vermillion had checked most the inns in Pearle, and non had any in the registry with her name, nor had they seen anyone like her, but there was one last inn to check.

Vermillion stepped inside scanning the inside of the lobby carefully before moving to the desk. Nobdy waiting inside their matched her description, and he asked the desk clerk, and it took a few times of explaining who she was and how she looked. He knew the name vermillion spoke of, but no one of that name was registered here. Vermillion described articles of clothing most associated with esperanzians hoping like hell something would ring.

He was completely clueless as to who she was and shook his head apologizing for not being helpful. Vermillion turned to leave.

'Excuse me sir, i just remember something that may be important."

Vermillion paused in the door; "i'm listening.."

"Right well, a travler brought a person in awhile back, and someone was here to patch her back to health."

Vermillion turned his head to look at the man. "Was it a man or woman?"

"Woman, but a man bought the room and paid the healer......"

Vermillion stepped back inside; "Where is her room?"

Vermillion cold stared him, he saw the lump bing swallowed in the mans throat; "Down the hall, second to the last on the right."

Vermillion closed the door and walked down the hall stopping outside the door, and went to knock, but stopped his hand before it touched the door.

Stepping back he spoke just high enough for the sound to carry past the door. "Esperanza is beautiful in winter from the air."

Vermillion stumbled back a few paces, totally surprisd by this unexpected behavior, and words that took several seconds longer to decipher then normal.

"Its good to see you well too Nadira, and everyone's still floating about doing their specified tasks. The new queen sits on Pearle's throne, and if we keep her waiting much longer she might think we abandoned her to go to the talks ourselves."

Vermillion had a pause a moment to wipe the small grin off his face. He could only imagine how this looked from someone coming down the hall.

"You think we could move this conversation inside the room rather then hold it in the hallway?"

Vermillion closed the door and looked right at the side of Nadira's head. "I'm going to ask you this just once Nadira, and be completely honest about it. Are you okay after what you just been through the past few days?"

Vermillion looked over the report and was mildy impressed by the complexity of the plan learned thus far. He moved over tot he table and placing his palm on th e surface rose it up slowly and two cups filled with wine were standing. Vermillion took one and sipped at it as he read the report again.

"Well lets just hope the empress is not trusting on just looks these days for identification of a delegate. However since this has made a mess of things..."

Vermillion set the report aside and thought for a moment before standing up to brush his knees off. "Well I guess it can't be helped, I'll just half to fly the queen and yourself directly into the palace of the empress, and deal with what happens. So no use sticking around here any longer, i take off from the courtyard in 25 mins, Hopefully your affairs will be settled here by then."

She nodded,
Moving towards the desk she added a few notes to the bottom of the parchment and dripped hot wax onto the front using a half melted candle. She
pressed the finger bearing a ring with her personal crest engraved on the front into the wax, and waved it around quickly to dry. "I'll give this to Marta when I get to the palace. with a sigh that took the stiffness out of her shulders so they dropped in defeat, she pulled the hood of her cloak up over her face, sheilding it with shadow, and hid her hands in the folds of her dress.
"I have no affairs to settle, I came here to try and find you, and here you are, my affairs have settled themselves."
She smiled sadly and opened the door for him.

It took a moment for his words to register.

She shook her head, causing her long, white-blond tresses to swing.
"What a fool I've been." She murmured softly to herself as she reached up to pull the hood off, and then after a second thought, took the cloak off all together she was vaguely aware of the maidservants suspicious glares, they were a superstitious lot.

"Any news of Jadira, or Arkayid?"

She self consciously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and her mouth twitched in annoyance when the young servants refused to avert their gaze.

"Well... I haven't been there in person, but according to the maps I've overlooked the past few days it would be safest to land on a flat stretch of plain just in front of the castle... It was placed there strategically to stop any invaders from sneaking up on the place, and I hear the walls soar up for miles. It would be best to land out front, for, even with forewarning I fear they may shoot us out of the sky if we attempted to land directly on the palace grounds, and our deaths definitely wouldn't solve anything."

Her mouth twisted in a grimace as she wearily kneaded the flesh on her upper arm. Ever since she fell in the wasteland it had bothered her, the swelling had reduced since the healer saw to it, but weeks of being forced to use a broken arm for everyday use had taken its toll on her bones, and sent her the bill after she recovered.

"Would you like to see any of the scrolls I've been sent a bit later Vermillion? I know now isn't the best time, but I think you might want to take a look at them when we get to Houka, There's a lot of useful information about the layout of Laos's newly established citadel, and a few scraps of information about what caused that tremor a few weeks back... I haven't finished reading all of the reports, but I can't help but vainly hope for any information involving the Queen, and her whereabouts, even though I know it would have been the first thing my sergeants would have given me."

Arkayid returned to Pearle, in the dead of night, having left after his Mistress ordered him to complete an objective. He came into the castle and found Vermillion's quarters only to find that he had left, and also having found out where he left., he nodded with frustration. When you wanted the Dragon, he was no where to be found, when you didn't want him, there he was. With that, he spun around and jogged in the direction of Houka. He would catch up with them and report the details. Along the way, he had stopped certain reports coming back. No good knowing who did it, and how. That would be best left to his discretion.

As soon as he left the view of Pearle's capital, he entered into his long distance pace, which was almost like a wolf's, long strides, bouncing off of the energy from the last step... He would have to catch them as they landed, and never reveal a thing about who had done it, other then he knew how it was done.

After all, Mother's Library was quite expansive.