Walking the Field of Battle

[Lady Julia St. Claire]

In some respects, it was good to be home. Twinport was not Triadon by any means, far less convoluted and complicated, but home. The castle was quieter than usual thanks to the absence of her parent and chattering sisters, making Julia feel almost like a ghost as she drifted the halls waiting for the sun to set. She had a plan in mind to take advantage of the full moon and the low tide, scouting the waters that surrounded the inlet the steward believed was the primary delivery point for the smugglers. Word had been left for her cousin and Lord Edward to join her if they were so inclined, but Julia was resolved on going.

Taking advantage of her father's absence to purloin some of his clothes - the unrelieved black would allow her to move through the long shadows with greater ease - she tightly braided her golden hair and tucked it into one of his soft black caps. While Julia wasn't about to smear her face with ash - there were limits, after all - she knew how to keep her head down and remain still while she watched. The more information they could glean before setting their trap, the better. A coil of rope was acquired, along with a dark lantern, as she set off for the shingle that led to the beach inlet. It was a healthy walk, making her quietly glad she wore sturdy boots and not skirts. She'd be tripping over herself constantly, hardly an effective means of scouting.

Once she reached the far edge of the shingle, the scent of the sea filling her nostrils, Julia settled down in a hollow to study the lay of the land. Thoughtfully, she swept her eyes over the darkened beach, the moon starting its inexorable rise over the water. Already, the tops of the waves rolling into the shore were frosted in silver, lending them an ethereal beauty, but that was not arrested her gaze. In the distance, she thought she spotted a ship. Reaching into the satchel she wore at her side, she drew out a telescope to confirm her suspicions.

The long, narrow tube was robed in black to conceal its otherwise gleaming brass, brought to one blue eye to cross the distance of water to where the silhouette rocked gently on the tide. Julia's lip curled as she strove to catch sight of the colors the ship flew, recognizing them as... Lintenese. Of course. She knew those blasted pirates were from the north! Shaking her head, she reminded herself to seethe later, watch now. The lantern was shuttered to prevent any possibility of revealing her, allowing her to watch.

Alright, you damn pirates... I see you now. And I'll be seeing you very soon.

Lord Thomas de Lac, Lord Edward Carlisle, Caligusto

[Lord Alejandro Cerevotos]

Where the hell are they? I was told they would be unloading tonight. They were always most active on the full moon, that is what I have been told. So, where in the Hell are they?

Alejandro chewed irritably on a piece of dried meat. It was not nearly as good as barely cooked meat that his cook fed him. However, one did not keep fresh meat on a ship, unless they wanted to deal with a very unpleasant and smelly problem. The dried meat, while good, was not ameliorating Alejandro's growing sense of disappointment and agitation. Finishing off the meat, he once again pulled out his looking glass and scanned the horizon.

"Nothing. There is nothing out there," Alejandro rattled off in his native tongue. Even in anger, it was a beautiful language to listen to, full of rich sounds and flowing vowels gently kissed by consonants. "Did that son of a bitch give us the wrong information? He told us that they would be operating tonight, and we've been waiting for hours now." The frustration was becoming more apparent with each passing second.

"It's possible we've been sighted, my lord, or the informant was wrong." Carlos, his trusted right hand man and marshal of his lands back home ventured to say. Unlike the rest of the crew, the tall and powerful man did not cower away from his lord's ire.

"Or the informant was a damned double agent." Alejandro growled and almost threw the looking glass into the sea. Instead, he tucked the glass away and ran his fingers through lengthy, black hair. Alejandro was, in some ways, a typical man of Linten: tan skin, hair as black as night with eyes that nearly matched, and handsome. Like his unseen spy, he was also wearing black clothing, but it was of fine cloth, airy and comfortable.

"Prepare to unfurl the sails. We're moving closer to shore, and if we find nothing, we make for Twinport. I want to get there before the morning light. I want answers. I am going to get them." The Lintenese were famous for their passionate emotions, and Alejandro had no short supply of such. Moodily, he turned his gaze back out to shore as his crew started moving about to carry out his orders.

[Lady Julia St. Claire]

The ship flew Linten colors, but worse, it was starting for the shore. Julia cursed softly under her breath, wishing she'd not left it to Thomas to choose whether to accompany her. There was not enough time to set up the trap she intended to spring on the damned smugglers tonight, but there was no guarantee that these were they either. All of her intelligence said they moved during moon-dark, not during the full moon where their every move was illuminated almost bright as day.

Shifting on the shingle, she brought the spyglass back up, seeing movement on the decks. As the ship cut cleanly through the waters, headed for shore, she couldn't help but feel something wasn't right about this ship. It was too obvious, too open in its actions, too... large to be a true smuggler vessel. From what she'd seen, Julia knew they were narrow in the keel, and low to make for a less obvious profile, a faster speed. This ship was neither, being broad in the beam and wider of keel. It was almost... a merchantman? Her frown deepened into a scowl worthy of her father's approval as she noted... running lights?

Someone was about to muddy the waters of Twinport and Julia did not appreciate it in the slightest. This was her problem to deal with. She did not need some hotheaded, hot-blooded Lintenese interfering. And if he came ashore, she'd be sure to let him know it in no uncertain terms.

[Lord Thomas de Lac]

In terms of disguises, Thomas was not able to do much to hide his build, given how tall and broad-shouldered he was. He did, however, don a cap and nondescript clothing to catch as little attention as possible. Attempting to relax might prove difficult, but so far, they were just walking and looking around to spot anything suspicious.

Walking a great distance proved to be little problem for him, he was grateful to note, as he had built up his stamina for many years. He had promised to help Julia however possible and part of that duty was to keep her safe, in his mind. While he had no problem taking orders from a woman, he just hoped that this would not prove to be a suicide mission.

He followed from a short distance, ensuring that no one followed them, and that he remained as inconspicuous as he could. Approaching Julia was the slightly more difficult part and he managed to haul himself next to her. There was a ship in the distance at an odd place to dock and something about this did not seem right to him.

"Who are they?" he whispered.

[Lady Julia St. Claire]

Glad for Thomas's approach, she shifted over to make room for him beside her. He was a good deal taller than she and somewhat larger, but the shingle had plenty of room for both if they didn't mind being rather close together. Tonight wasn't about taking action, though. Tonight was merely about watching something that seemed out of place. Offering him the spyglass, Julia kept her voice low, whispering almost directly into his ear. "I don't think these are our troublemakers exactly. It's a ship out of Linten, but it's not a smuggler vessel that I can tell. What do you think?"

He had equal stake in this venture succeeding, and as the martially-minded aspect, Julia respected Thomas's opinion. She was tense but calm beside him, using her own eyes to keep watch on the ship in the distance. It made no move that she could see to come closer to shore, to load up a longboat or otherwise lower one to the water's surface. So what was it doing here, and why here, of all places?

[Lord Thomas de Lac]

They are related by blood, so Thomas felt less awkward than he would have had it been someone else. Besides, he needed to focus on the task at hand, which was far more important than personal comfort.

He took the spyglass from her to eye the vessel through it as she spoke, considering the situation for himself. Although it probably was not a smuggling ship, it was difficult to tell in the darkness. It seemed sturdier than one, though, and silhouettes of ropes and equipment next to it. "An assistant ship? They must be meeting another ship or waiting for someone to finish their business on shore," he whispered. He hoped he was giving her the right advice, because he had no idea.

In any case, they'd have to wait as long as it would take in order to discover the answer.

[Lady Julia St. Claire]

"Maybe," she whispered back, squinting in the direction of the ship as it gently rocked on the surface of the water. The waning moon shed enough light that the ship was obvious, a silhouette against the sky. "But I do not like this, Thomas. Something odd about this whole thing. Do we want to go down to the cove and see if there are any signs that they are here to deliver a cargo?" In this, Julia had given her word to heed Thomas's decisions, but that did not mean she wasn't going to offer her own opinion.

[Lord Alejandro Cerevotos]

The sails were unfurled, the wind filled them and the ship began to move. Alejandro saw no point in telling the captain how to do his job, even if he was itching to do so. If they got too close to shore, there was a risk of becoming stranded, but it was the only way they were going to get a good vantage point. Besides, perhaps that would trick the land crew into coming out of their hiding. The cove was a perfect one. He understood why they would take advantage of such a place. However, he was determined to put a stop to all of it.

The ship lurched closer to the shoreline. Alejandro took out his spyglass and started scanning the shoreline closely. He thought he spotted movement. His eye narrowed. "I think someone is out there," he spoke quietly toward his man, and then pointed carefully, "There, along the coast. I thought I saw something move, take a look for me and confirm." A moment or two passed, he received a nod from Carlos. "Then let's see if we can lure them out. Assemble some able bodied men, and get a boat ready. It's time to call their bluff."

On his orders, a boat was being prepared for launch. It was risky, but if Alejandro could drag the ne'er-do-wells before the Duke of Twinport, he could finally get some damned answers, he was sure of it.

[Lord Thomas de Lac]

He hoped that there was a reasonable explanation for this, or perhaps the answer was not to be a pleasant one. Either way, they needed to discover what was happening before it was too late. "Yes," Thomas whispered. Going to the cove just to ensure no one was there seemed like a good plan to him, if they were careful.

The route down from the shingle was somewhat more precarious, especially in the dark, although Thomas was surefooted on the rocks. He extended a hand out to Julia as soon as she was on stable ground, just in case she needed it. When they were both below, Thomas started making his way towards the cove, as much as he could see in the dark. The rocks were large and somewhat tricky to navigate around, especially with his large feet.

[Lady Julia St. Claire]

Careful was their only option. The dark lantern in one hand, Julia placed her other in Thomas's, a nod thanking him tacitly for his assistance down. Picking their way towards the cove, she glanced over to the water and frowned, a hand reaching to touch the back of his tunic in a warning. A subtle point indicated the ship coming further into the shore before her head jerked towards the cove. If they intended to land, they'd find a welcoming committee waiting.

Julia was armed as well, a short sword slung at her hip and a dagger at her waist. She did not trust that they were alone, and it seemed her suspicion was well-founded. They'd need the light to surprise their unwelcome guests, and she didn't care to fight in the dark. Hopefully, he would not feel compelled to inhibit her from fighting. Following him through the rocks, she kept enough distance that neither were in danger of tripping over the other as the mouth of the cove came into view.

And not a moment too soon, if her gaze was any judge. The ship was lowering a longboat. Dammit.

[Lord Thomas de Lac]

Thomas felt the touch on his back and halted to see what was the matter. They would not be the only ones entering the cove. Night cloaked them, although not for long if they were unlucky. Julia had said that tonight was not the time for fighting and he had given his word to avoid violence if necessary. If they were fortunate, their spying was to be successful.

He felt his way around the rocks, trying his best to remain surefooted despite the darkness and the jagged edges of the stones. When he had taken several steps, he glanced back to see where the ship was and if there was any chance of them approaching. The longboat in the water was worrisome -- Thomas shrunk back as much as he was able to given his height and watched the boat near them.

It was close, much too close for his liking and he kept his hand on his blade just in case he needed to use it. What was about to happen next?

[Lord Edward Carlisle]

Edward had, in fact, been with the pair the whole time but merely stayed paces back. They did not appear to have noticed him but he wasn't going to underestimate them. He was on their side, after all, considering he had been invited along on this little jaunt. His eyes narrowed as he made note of everything he could see of the ship from his position. Linten colors, he was not sure what to make of things. He had dressed to blend in, if he happened to be discovered, he could play the part of a commoner making their way home from some other place. Moving after the pair as they moved towards the cove, he moved silently along, keeping his senses sharp. Making his presence known to the pair by coming closer, he made sure to do so in a matter that would not have anyone squeaking in surprise.

[Lady Vivianne Trevelyan]

Vivianne was scouting down from the opposite direction, preferring to leave little to chance. Lady Julia probably wasn't too keen on her presence, but she strove to make herself invaluable in the venture with her knowledge of the area and her small stature. Julia was a taller, svelte blonde who couldn't blend into the rocks if her life depended on it. She didn't have that problem, dressing not in black but in mottled greys.

The ship was spotted as she ducked into the series of coves, trying to get an idea of which was the most frequently used. A frown blanketed her features as she emerged from one to see the trio approaching, and scampered over to hustle them into the middle cove. It was the largest, and logically speaking, the best choice. "They're coming. Best we be ready, my lady, my lords," a hand gestured to Edward to put some speed on as well.

[Lord Alejandro Cerevotos]

As the longboat rowed steadily toward the shoreline, Alejandro was looking toward the various crags and rocks with alert curiosity. Something was going on, he could feel it in his bones. What was it? He had no idea, but he didn't like it one bit. Nonetheless, he was determined on his course. Eventually, his attention turned to the rapidly nearing shore.

Once they arrived, he ordered his men to jump out and secure a perimeter on the shore. Two men would be responsible for pulling the boat safely ashore so that did it not get pulled back out with the tide. Alejandro himself remained behind the line of men. "If they believe us to be compatriots, then they will eventually emerge. If not, we will begin searches, but be careful about it." For now, his hand rested on the hilt of his sword, "Remain casual, though. We're all friends, no?"

And thus, the men took a relaxed stance, but kept an alert eye. Come out, come out, wherever you are...

[Lady Julia St. Claire]

She didn't like this. She did not like this one bit, but it was too late now. They were committed to action, the longboat was on its way in and so too was the tide. Sequestering herself behind one of the boulders in the cove, Julia took the precaution of drawing her blade. The lantern was left with Thomas and Edward as she kept Vivianne near her. The men were the better to deal with the initial confrontation, but she was not going to hide behind her own skirts either.

Frowning as she heard a foreign language, she spoke without thinking, hissing a single word to the three who were her own compatriots. "Lintenese!" Just as she'd suspected, the pirates, smugglers, miscreants, whatever they were best labeled, were of foreign origin. Julia herself did not speak Lintenese, but she looked over at the other three with a raised brow - did they understand the liquid syllables pouring from the putative leader's mouth? And if so, did it confirm their guilt, or were they looking at the potential of an international incident?