Dancing On Ice

Cole De Val

While Dalton displayed his newest prize to his honoured guests, Captain Cole De Val (pirate) swung into the Dice and Goblet and spied some of his crew in an instant. They were the ones making a ruckus in the back with a poker game where no one seemed to possess the necessary face.

"Ey! Captain! Come join us!" one of the men shouted when he spotted Cole, waving wildly.

Cole strode towards them and, ignoring the invitation, grabbed one of his men by the collar and wrenched him out of his seat.

"Come with me," he ordered.

"Ah! What did you do this time, Perry?" someone laughed.

"Ah c'mon, Cap, I was winning!" Perry cried, struggling.

"I said come with me."

"Just one more round!"

"Peregrine."

Peregrine Porter stopped struggling and let himself be dragged out of the tavern, growling as Dye Rander – the ship's Sea Artist – snatched up Perry's winnings.

Once they were out in the night, Cole released him and Perry straightened his jacket, grumbling and turning, looking towards the palace bathed in moonlight, stood off in the distance and where his captain was supposed to be at that moment, catching up with friends his social standing gave him no right to be friends with.

He glanced at his captain who was also watching the palace, a cold wind catching his hair and clothes, the moonlight glimmering off his jewellery.

"Alright?" he asked, setting a hand on his hip and shoving his chocolate brown hair from his silver eyes. "What are we doing out here? Because I'm freezing. And I won everyone's desserts in the last round and now Dye stole them."

Cole rolled his eyes at the comment and chose to ignore the trivial nature of his crew's betting habits. Instead he pointed at the palace.

"We're breaking in there tonight."

Perry looked at him for a moment.

Then blinked.

"Eh?"

"We're breaking into the palace tonight."

"We're breaking in there... into that palace... the home of your childhood friend who would just as soon open the sodding front for you? That palace?"

"Yes."

"Why?!"

"There's something in there I want you to see," Cole said, looking at him and Perry started, taken aback by his captain's eyes. They were shining with excitement, bright and happy, a lot happier than anyone of them had seen in a long time.

"What?" he asked, startled but Cole waved him off.

"I'll show you tonight. We're sneaking in."

"Are we doing this just for sake of the challenge?" Perry asked, frowning at him.

"Partly, yes. Partly because I don't want Dalton around. So tonight, the gate's at eleven. Yes?"

Perry sighed. "Yes."

Before Cole and Perry started out on their self-imposed challenge however, Aeralie was facing her own one as she leant against the wall for balance.

She was exhausted.

She was walking

But exhausted.

She wanted her wheelchair but she couldn't handle stairs on her own with that so she had to walk, or even crawl; whatever it took so long as she got back to the room Kazimir was in.