To see the Admiral

*Angel had waited for the right time to see Kinsen, but she felt she couldn't wait a moment longer. She paced inside his quarters of the iron ship and waited for him to arrive. Several moments passed so she ml'ed him "Kinsen, please come and see me. Do not mention I am here" Her voice tried to remain calm but there was a level of urgency. He would know that whatever had to be said would not be good..*

=Kinsen opens the door to his private cabin, his armored frame filling the doorway, he closes it behind him, producing a key and quickly locking the door. He smiles thinly at Angel, gesturing an open seat for her in his own, approaching his desk and pouring a glass of water for her, and then for himself.

He takes a deep breath, locking eyes with Angel a moment, and he nods, a silent gesture for her to speak.=

*When Angel Looked up at the door, Kinsen would know doubt notice the shorter shoulder length hair. Her blue eyes that usually sparkled with life now were hard. Still she waited for him to lock the door and tried to manage a small smile of her own. It had been such a while since she had seen her old friend.

When he offered up the chair behind the desk she gladly took it, and was grateful that he had a drink of water to hand. It was this friendly gesture that caused her to drop her guard.

"Oh Kinsen, its worse than I thought!" She said, breaking the silence and confiding in him as a friend. Angel looked down at her hands and they were still shaking. "Truly, I am concerned for Jaric..." She took a small sip of the water. "I think he has changed..he doesn't seem himself anymore, Gods help me!" By her demeanor, she wasn't talking of the normal marital changes. "He...seems to be losing his humanity." She was trying not to let the tears spill but they were there.*

=Kinsen pauses a long moment, glass in hand, but not moving to his lips. He stares into the glass, letting the silence stretch. He wanted to be surprised, nearly as much as he wanted to comfort her. She, however, was the Queen of Winter, and he was not surprised nearly as much as he'd expected himself to be.

"He has always danced with his darker side, it is true. He has never been warm, or compassionate. This, too, is well known." He looks up at Angel solidly, his eyes quicksilver pools. His expression softened. He knew she was closer than any other, and so could see the changes of which she spoke. Even kinsen's presence in the realm of the living spoke volumes of the distance his King and put between himself and his humanity. Sitting slowly in a chair across the desk from her, he leans his elbows onto it.

"Tell me of these changes, and what you fear they mean."=

*It was too much to sit at the desk so she pushed herself up to her feet and took the glass, walking across to the window. Shaking her head Angel folded her arms. He had asked a crutial question and now, by asking, it meant that she had to face the reality of the situation and say it out loud. Her demenor was tense, far from normal. Angel wanted to just fall into his arms and cry, she wanted someone she could depend on rather than feeling so horribly alone. Kinsen was one of the few she could trust.

Instead, her mind cast to Jaric and the situation at hand. Finally, after a small silence, she turned and looked at the admiral. "It is like talking to an ice wall rather than a man." she began, but knew Kinsen would need more evidence than that. "It sounds as if I am talking about Jaric on a normal day, doesn't it?" She shook her head. "He is doing things for reason and logic - but he fails to see the consequences of his actions. Human loss, it doesn't bother him. When we were in the Thunderlands, he instructed me to kill Lady Maire and her unborn children should Rensain step out of line - regardless of how innocent Maire is."

With a small pause, Angel took another sip of the water and looked out the window. "Please understand..its difficult for me to talk about him like this - so I ask that you, as a member of the church keep what I say of utmost confidence. I know you will." She shuddered a little and put her drink down on the desk.

"Jaric has gone to serve his penance. As his Queen and his highest ranking spiritual advisor I have heard his confession...what he told me...." She shook her head in shock. "What he said was evidence enough that he needs our help, which is why I gave him no choice in the matter."

=Kinsen listens very carefully, his expression a carefully constructed mask as he turns to his own thoughts. He remains silent a long moment after Angel finishes speaking, the proverbial wind taken from his sails by this.

Closing his eyes, he turns inward, silent prayers in his head for wisdom and guidance. Opening his eyes, he nods. "And so what is our help to be?" He had chosen now to do what he must, and not question the wisdom she had come into. He trusted her intuition, and would sooner act than debate=

"A treaty of peace has been signed. The realm of Aegis now belongs to me." she took a deep breath, saying it out loud made the fact all the more real. "Jaric will return to us when he's ready, and for now, we shall simply continue without him. We need to show the Aegians that we are not their enemy, yet they must understand we are not a force to be challenged."

Angel took another sip of the water and took a deep breath. "I commend your work here. However, I think it would serve well to set a good Auroran example. Blow up the Island. We will not stand for criminals."

=Kinsen blinked as she finished, and nodded hesitantly. "And what of the women and children?" he holds her gaze. "In war, we expect collateral damage, a decidedly unfavorable cost, but a necessary one. These are not soldiers, or a people at war with us. The island is a despicable hive of villainy and depravity, to be sure, but not every soul there can be so lost, can it?"=

Angel had been certain that she wanted to teach the pirates a lesson for being the sleezy criminals that they were. She wanted everyone to look at the Aurorans and not question their meaning and purpose. But Kinsen had hit her weak point, innocent people. She paused to think on his question, yet never left his own serious gaze. Finally, she had made up her mind and broke the silence.

"Then you should destory the pirate fleet, seize the pirate Island and turn the land into the new headquarters for our Auroran vessels. The people are free to leave but those who resist, aside from children, are to be dealt with swiftly - at your discretion."

=Kinsen smiles. "Aye, my queen. Sinking their damned ships I can do, and will gladly. Perhaps, as well, 'Duke' Wulfgang should present himself to 'his' city first?" he chuckled, to show it was a light-hearted comment. "Frankly, I am no siege commander, though not unskilled. The seas are my battlefield, and though I will gladly sink ships, my men are not meant to take cities." He was honest about his limitations to her, and was loathe to put his marines at risk.=

Angel returned the smile to Kinsen, nodding, pleased that he was in agreement that the pirate fleet needed to be overturned. However, it faded a little when he hesitated, discussing the flaws of taking the Island. Her expression fell into a disappointed frown. "Whilst the pirates are not opposed to the war, they are indeed untrustworthy. Criminals who are taking up valuble space. If you do not think our marines can handle some of the uneducated vermin then by all means I'll summon Wulfgang to his position to deal with them in the appropriate manner."

=Kinsen smiles, chuckling. "My queen, when you need a sword, you ask a smith. When you need a fast horse, you ask a stablemaster. My men are trained to fight other ships, and other men on ships, not to take cities. We are capable, I assure you, and if insist we must, then we shall, but I will lose many men. My marines are not trained to scour buildings and streets, no more than they are trained to cut purses or wield magic. At your wish, though, we shall do our best, and never any less. However, you'd not ask a smith to shoe a horse with his forge hammer, because it is the wrong tool."=

Listening to what he had said, she weighed up the options of how badly she wanted the Island for the Auroran fleet. After a couple of moments silence she exhaled. It was hardly as if he wasn't making a valid point, but she didn't feel that he was working with her towards the goal, either. This had somewhat taken her aback. Eventually, she felt she had the solution. "Very well, Admiral. Give sufficient warning to the pirates to vacate and we'll have the battle mages sink the land. If its gone completely, then it can't become a problem again. That way, if the pirates chose to fight back, then you have my permission to return fire."

=Kinsen snaps a fist to his chest in salute, nodding. "The message shall be sent at once." Resting his hands on the back of a chair, he leans forward slightly. "After this is done, are we to return to port at Icehold?"=

Angel was pleased that an agreement had been made about the matter and smiled. Finally it was all coming together. She paused briefly before answering his question, looking into his eyes. "No, dear admiral - send your ships to anchor in Salarain and we'll secure the port. The city has yet to be informed that I have already officially claimed Aegis as Auroran territory - so you might be met with some resistance. We shall see, I will do my best to make sure there are no misunderstandings and to minimize any damage. If anything, they might be relieved to know that the Aurorans mean no harm. The attack on Del Fuaco might give them reason enough to be silent on the new ownership." Perhaps that was wishful thinking?

=Kinsen nods. "The port will be secured. What is your wish for any resistance met?" he let that hang a moment before continuing. "Perhaps word can be sent ahead of the new state of affairs, so that our arrival is not misinterpreted?" he tilts his head, thinking. "This would potentially avoid conflict. We can also anchor outside the port until it is clear that there is no threats, perhaps from dissenters."=

Angel nodded and smiled again, her eyes sparkling bright with excitement. "Yes, wonderful idea. We'll do just that. Anchor outside of port." She walked to the desk and took a jug of water, one for herself and one for Kinsen. "A quick toast - 'To better things!' " she sat against the desk, raised her glass and took a sip. "Things have to improve from here - surely." Her eyes flashed with hope, yet also, with sadness.

Quitely, she added "I wish Jaric was here to see all this..I've worked so hard."

=Takes the proffered drink and lifts it in acknowldegment. "he knows, my queen. To peace, at last." he takes a drink, relishing the cool water in his throat, and sets it back on his desk. He allows himself a smile. "I must say, this is a relief. I had not relished the thought of protracted conflict. Now, perhaps, there will be time to attend to items of a less martial nature." he grimaces. "After the pirates are taken care of, of course."=

"Well said, Admiral." Angel smiled, laughing lightly and talking of his toast. "To peace, at last." that was worth celebrating. She found herself a seat again and slumped into it, leaning back and getting comfortable. "Mmm, yes, I'm very glad that conflict has been minimalized. I have paid a heavy price for such - I signed one of Vladamir's contracts." She sighed a little and shook her head, then she found her eyes looking back to his. Her voice tried to remain positive "I hope that its all been worth it. I look forward to better times, perhaps you might like to take time away from this vessel to concentrate on othere ventures, if you have any."

She paused briefly, her tone growing soft and sincere. "Lord knows how long you've been here - has it been months? Its felt like forever since I last saw you. You're a good friend, Kinsen, I notice when too much time passes by and you are busy with your duties."

=Kinsen's smile falters slightly. "To be fair, I often lose track of the days. Sometimes they seem very fleeting..." he trails off, letting the rest remain unspoken. He was still adjusting to living, to breathing, to the concept of being an entitity again. " he smiled again though. "I fear I came back in dark times, and now that they are lighter, the adjustment is slow. Perhaps I'm too much a creature of habit."

he chuckles. "At least now though, we'll have time for things. Perhaps a bit of catching up. Aye, and training too." he flexes his hands. 'I haven't been to a practice yard in ages."=

Kinsen had been right and she remembered well when he had returned back to them from beyond the grave. The times were dark, she had lost her children and, so she thought, him also - her beloved brother in arms. No sooner had she barely accepted the loss of his life that he was back, and now here they were, laughing and joking. Oddly, it was a matter that usually they never spoke of, instead glossing over the past and moving forward.

Angel nodded, her voice soft. "It..must have been strange..returning." Angel gave a small smile. "Death..its hard not to be afraid - yet we step into the limelight of it every day. We fight, we risk everything..I shouldn't fear it, I know - not if we have faith...still, its there, deep down. That day we fought against SoulReaver..I'd be lying if I didn't say that I have never been so scared in my entire life." She shook her head "I had nightmares for weeks afterwards...the whole thing replayed over and over in my mind. Being awake was not much better, I'd try to keep busy, but I swear that I saw you..found myself talking to you, praying that you'd met the other side safely."

She leaned forward and reached for the water jug, pouring herself another but as Angel looked down at the glass, she realized her hand was shaking. Looking back up, she realized there was a tear, and she wiped it quickly but another one fell. "God, how embarrassing...I'm sorry" She laughed lightly at herself, but suddenly a few more tears dropped.

Angel gave it a few moments, painfully aware that he was probably staring at her and straightened up with a deep breath. "Well, anyway..those training sessions sound good, its been a while since I've had the chance to brush up my skills in the courtyard." She smiled with the pretence that she had recovered from her moment of weakness, but her hand came up to her mouth and she had to put the drink down quickly and turn away from him. She felt sick, she couldn't pretend anymore and she desperately wanted to tell him what had happened.

"Jaric...he.." Angel started, but she couldn't even continue, it was too much and she shook her head, some more tears falling. "I can't even say it out loud for fear of who might hear of it. I couldn't shame him even more than what he has done to himself." But now she found herself sobbing, her heart was too heavy. Angel had been forced to hold the wicked secret to herself and it was too much.

=Kinsen nods. "then don't speak of it, until you are ready." he gestures to the chair behind his desk, for her to sit. "We will do what we must, now, because we must. There is, however, no need to rush."=