Ship of Thules

As the the cousins walk to the door, each with an unconscious mage over their shoulder, they hear a voice behind them. "Free me."

It is a gravelly voice, and fitting for the emuraptor, if the emuraptor had actually had vocal cords.

Brita is not completely convinced it isn't the emuraptor, but drums up a bobbing sorcerous light to move around the room to see what or who else they have missed.

Raven stops, pivots on her heel, and also looks around. Since Brita has the light covered, she goes for the direct approach. "And you are...?"

The bird shouldn't be able to talk, but it does. "I'm the damn fool that got transmogrified into an emuraptor. It was my fault, I see that now. But I don't deserve to die here."

Raven looks at the bird. And then she slowly turns to look at Brita. "You," she says, "get to explain this. Do you see a key, or are we breaking open the cage the hard way?"

Brita shrugs and says with a grin, "He's a Bird. It is Highly Probable that the Key is On the Cage Just to Taunt Him." She will let Raven search for it while she looks at the emuraptor with her third eye - can she see the spell? Does she scent any difference in his blood? She will be looking for a means to undo the transmogrification and wants to make sure she does nothing worse.

The key is exactly where Brita expects it to be.

When Brita looks at this emuraptor with her third eye, he seems to be a human being, albeit a small one. Brita thinks she could undo it with the Principle of Time. At worst, it might reverberate to the original magician, but the victim is unlikely to be affected.

"Thank you, my Lord, My Lady. You shall have my eternal gratitude, an' I survive the night."

"Surviving the night isn't the issue." Jerod says, catching the last bits of the conversation from the shadows. "It's the eternal gratitude part," which he does not immediately follow-up on with an explanation.

"Quiet night in Valhalla? Need some stress relief maybe?" he asks Brita with a slight smile, motioning at the surroundings.

"I like the sound of eternal gratitude," Raven says as she drops the mage she was carrying by the door. She heads for the key, although she's not unlocking anything quite yet. "Anybody arrive to break that mess up yet?"

The mage goes "Oof!" when he hits the ground. He might've been about to stir, until he was dropped...

Brita nods to Jerod and gives a slight shrug. "The Games were a Might Boring at first, but they Livened Up near The End." She looks back at the emuraptored mage and asks "What is your Name and How Long have you been Transformed?”

The Emuraptor dips its head. "I am Phillippe, called 'The Mouse' by most, or I was when I wore the shape of a man. I have been transformed for a few tennights, I think. No more than a month. I was cursed for stealing from the Governor. Well, that and escaping from his jail. You are the first people who can hear me speak. I beg your help recovering my true form!"

Jerod listens for a moment, but decides to let Brita take the point on the Emuraptor, directing his comments to Raven.

"No, nor are they likely to. They are going to be occupied for a time on the other side of town. That said, I wouldn't recommend remaining. There's a limit to how long we can mess with stuff without getting real notice."

"We were leaving," Raven says dryly. "We were waylaid by a rescue, as you can see."

She's more than willing to let Brita continue to talk to the giant bird as well.

Brita has walked around the cage to examine the Emuraptor/mage from all angles. She stops back in front and gets a far off look on her face for a few heartbeats while Raven and Jerod talk around her. Finally, she shakes her head and drops her own mage (gently) to the side. She takes a nearby hose and fills a small bucket with water. She swirls her hand through the water, purifying it as she was taught by her Father. She moves back to the cage and says "I do Not Know if You will Retain All Memories, but I Will Do what I Can. Don't Move." She walks slowly around the cage, counterclockwise seven times, dipping her fingers in the water at each side of the cage and sprinkling the emuraptor with the water. At each sprinkling, she thinks of a day of the physical transformation spell washing away from the mage. As she moves back to the front of the cage on the last rotation, she takes the remaining water in the bucket and douses the man in the cage to wash the last vestiges of the spell away.

As the water washes down the bird's body, he transforms back to a man. Or perhaps a boy. He's small and scrawny, and looks underfed. He gasps in shock and shakes water from his thin fingers. He steps forward and opens the cage and steps out, stark naked. "Thank you! Thank you your honors." He shakes hands with anyone who doesn't physical stop him. "I must be going, this place isn't safe for any of us. I am so grateful for all you've done for me. If you ever need my aid, please don’t hesitate to call..."

Jerod will shake his hand, and not let it go. His grip is firm but not crushing.

He looks over at Brita. "Useful possibly?"

Brita cocks her head and gazes at the Mage. "One with Knowledge of Workings Around the Government Would be Useful," she notes. To the newly transformed Mage, she intones, "Your Human Life is At My Will." She seems very serious - perhaps channeling Jerod or Brennan or an appropriate Uncle.

Raven nods in agreement.

He keeps pumping Jerod's hand, but it slows somewhat in frequency.

Phillipe's smile fades a bit, and then come back on just as strong. "Ah, more of a 'capture' situation than a 'rescue'. Still, it's an improvement and a trade-off, because where there's life, there's hope. My first useful advice is that we should leave very soon. Do you want me to carry your other prisoners?"

He doesn't look as if that is possible, much less a good idea.

Brita shakes her head and picks up Slagfirth to easily sling him back over a shoulder. "I have Got Mine," she notes as she makes her way towards the door.

Jerod releases Phillipe's hand and gestures to follow Brita. "You will find a leather satchel just past the door." he says. "It will contain suitable non-descript clothing to fit you. Put them on." and he makes sure of it.

Raven checks to make sure that Hat-Hatul isn't bleeding again before she collects him from the floor. If nobody objects otherwise, she'll be the last out the door. "And answer me a question, if you don't mind. This being turned into a bird and sent off to fight - that a normal thing around here?"

Philippe shakes his shaggy head. “No Sir, that takes special talent. One must first be caught stealing from the governor, so that one is placed in a cell, then one must escape the cell and use the opportunity to rob the castle, and get caught again, this time by the governor’s guest, who was the person I was hoping to rob. Then, and this the key part, once transformed and released in the forest, get captured as a bird and brought in for the games. I attribute the last of those to my lack of experience as an emuraptor.” Philippe grabs a whole loaf of bread from the table by the door.

"You, Lady and Sirs, are my fourth captors in a month, which I hope will be the end of that."

"Who was the governor's guest?" Jerod asks, his tone shifting from neutral to very focused.

"And what where you trying to steal?" Raven sounds more curious than anything else.

"And Who Turned you Into an Emuraptor?" Brita throws over her free shoulder as she leads the way outside.

Philippe busies himself putting on the clothes that Jerod so kindly arranged for him. 'Nondescript' is a perfect term for how easily he seems to blend in and look like no one important.

"I can, and will answer your questions, noble saviors. But first, I wonder if we could get a bit further away from the scene of the rescue? I advise this only out of desire to keep you from being accidentally arrested for consorting with me.

"As to my story, it is a tale worth telling, and I do not know if I can do it justice before I get some food that is not made of gobbets of raw meat. My diet of late has been rather too raptorious."

"Grab something on the way." Jerod says. "I'm sure one of your handlers was probably getting ready to eat something before all hell broke loose. We'll find it on the way out."

And Jerod is sure that they will.

Philippe reaches for a haunch of some large bird, but instead grabs a loaf of bread and some cheese. "Turns out I don't want a drumstick," he says to no one in particular.

He eats heartily, but it's clear when he steps out into the night that he's more familiar with shadows than the streetlamps. He's quiet when he steps out the door.

"And so the tale. Normally, I spend my time in Gateway. So many more opportunities for an enterprising young man such as myself, even one who isn't skilled in magic. An old friend, a woman to whom I owe a life-debt, asked me to do her a favor, and thus starts every tale told round the alehouse table.

"She had a tip from a mysterious benefactor that a rival mage was coming to this port and that she might be able to act against her here, where she had less protection. The plan was not simple, but I have told you the outlines of it. I was to get arrested in the keep, escape, do my friend's task, and cover it up with a simple but audacious robbery, which would be foiled so easily that they would just throw me back into my cell and I would escape again.

"Simple, yes? My target, as I am sure you have guessed, is none other than Dexamine, who my friend, Mage Harper, would see fall from power. One of the negatives of relying completely on magic is that it is difficult to see a more straightforward approach.

"The only frustrating part, now that I'm not an emuraptor, is that I don't know if Harper's plan succeeded or failed."

"Don't happen to know how long you were a bird, do you?" Raven asks.

"Not so long as to develop a liking for it, Captain. Two or three tendays. It's hard to know for sure." Phillipe looks out in both directions. "Would you like me to lead you to safety, or do we want to stand here and wait for trouble?"

"You were going after one of the Triumvirate?" Jerod asks. "And just exactly what was your little task that would be covered up by the robbery. Please don't squelch on the details."

"And if walking and talking ain't one of your skills, then aye, we can keep standing here while you answer," Raven says dryly. "Otherwise, let's do both."

Brita is walking backwards away from the group with her free arm up as if to say 'Well? Let's get a Move on!'

Phillipe is walking away in the same direction as Brita, but with a clear eye for the darker parts of the street. "My Lords and Ladies, You are aware that this quarter has a fair share of muggers and pickpockets, and that you are perhaps the most conspicuous party I have ever seen."

Raven snorts at that, clearly amused.

"Your Honor," he says to Jerod, "I was indeed, and if I knew what my mission was, it was removed from my mind by my patroness, who would not wish to endanger herself or her friends by letting me know too much. Suffice to say, the only reason I knew who the victim was to be was that Dexamene thinks everyone is after her, and so there is no need to hide it if you actually are.

"I will add that I have heard that she doesn't sleep anymore, and I believe it."

"Is that a magical effect she's chosen to accept or because she believes the Amberites are after her?" Jerod asks.

"Why do you believe it?" the captain adds. "Guessing it ain't just that she caught you."

He smiles, a self-effacing grin, and probably well practiced. "While there are those who say that one would have to get up very early in the morning to capture 'Phillipe Le Mouse', that is not the reason I think that, your honor.

"No, the reason I think that is that during the first three days of my captivity, I entertained the hope of escaping, while I was still in human form. I am no spell caster, but one does not succeed in this world if one does not recognize it when one sees it. If she had slept, she would've needed to use a different spell than the one she had encased me inside. My evidence is circumstantial, but convinces me."

"An unsleeping spell caster. Eight extra hours of being busy." Jerod mutters, then looks over at Brita. "You know if there are any ways to capitalize on this?"

Brita shakes her head, "I do Not. I Assume that Whatever it Required to Maintain the Sleepless State would Wear on her Resources for Other Spells, but I Cannot be Sure. I Also assume that there will be Repercussions When the Spell Ends - an Accounting." She asks Phillipe, "Do you Know if the Sleepless Spell was her Own Casting?"

Raven, having no particular theories on the magic itself, listens quietly.

"If you let me introduce you to my mistress, I am sure she can tell you more of the spell. I am a man of mostly practical talents, and philosophy and spell craft are best left to those who do not mind being turned into emuraptors.

"From what little I saw, she was stretching herself. She had some sort of potion or medicine that she took before public appearances in order to calm down. I suspect that your suggestion of 'repercussions' is very astute, your honor."

Phillippe looks around. "Are we just walking down the street to avoid talking in one place, or are we headed someplace particular?"

"What, you didn't get enough standing still as a bird in a cage?" Raven says dryly. "Whose rooms are we using as a place to chat?"

"My room is Fine," Brita notes. "There is a Back Door in the Hallway past the Kitchens and a Back stair we can take. It will be Easier," she concludes with a slight jiggling of the Mage over her shoulder.

The mage makes a slight moan. He's going to wake up bruised.

After a short walk (it is not a large town), they end up near the back of the inn, near the hallway and the stairs. Philippe says "It would be wise to distribute a small handful of coins to busboys and footmen in the inn, to remind them that they haven't seen you. If you would like to provide me with some coin, I could take care of the matter for you. Even were I to keep half of what you have, I would surely save you from the perils of both overpaying and underpaying."

Jerod drops a small pouch of gold into Philippe's hand, smiling just slightly when he realizes how many coins are in the pouch. "Don't spend it all in one place."

Brita's grin is Conner-bright. It is good to have 'Rich Friends' or at least Pattern-Wise Cousins.

She leads the way up the stairs to her room and, not ungently, drapes Slagfirth into a chair. She spends a moment to see if he is going to rouse anytime soon. If so, she does a quick spell - rubbing her hands together slowly near his ears to mimic the sound of gentle ocean waves, she hums a soft lullaby that will calm him and send him into a gentle, recovering sleep. If Raven's Mage appears wakeful, she does the same for him.

Raven helpfully deposits her mage in a chair near Brita. She checks to make sure he's not bleeding again before moving out of the way to let Brita do her spell.

Phillipe has a short chat with a young man in the back hallway and coins drop twice.

"Not only do we have privacy for our personal time, but the young bravo is interested in not having to split the tip. He'll keep the others well away."

The young man looks around the room. "We'll have to send out for food or drink." His gaze returns to the two competitors. "How does your plan require two of Thule's mightiest competitive wizards?"

Brita shrugs and looks to Jerod. "Thought Perhaps that His Lordship Here Might be able to Use them for Something, since they are Knowledgeable in the Magic of This Area." She looks back at Phillipe, "Besides, I'm Annoyed with This one," pointing at Slagfirth, "for Blowing Up a Perfectly Decent Emuraptor. Shoddy Play, in my mind; Practically Cheating."

"Shadow Mages are like cats." Jerod says. "They don't get along with each other. If these two are the mightiest of Thule, and that's not saying a hell of a lot, they might be persuaded to use a situation of opportunity to their own advantage, and create one for us. Dexamine is powerful, but that she already has your...patron...gunning for her proves she has enemies prepared to take advantage of risky situations." and he looks at Philippe. "A few more might help. Besides, I'm sure once they realize the situation, they'll be looking to be on the winning side. Or at least, to appear to be supporting the winning side when it comes time for retribution to be handed out."

He looks back at Brita. "Good call picking them up, by the way. I always thought having a redhead around would be a good idea." and he drops into a chair. "Oh, but if you tell your mother that, I'll deny it." and he pauses. "Or Bleys. Conner....he's okay, you can tell him. Brennan already knows so he's okay so that won't be a surprise."

"Also, maybe they'll be extra helpful because we didn't leave them to bleed to death in a riot," Raven says dryly. "How open are we being here? I mean, we got a confessed thief - no offense - and two mages that I'm pretty sure are gonna remember us from before they got knocked out. We talking about everything else we got going on with these guys?"

Philippe looks at them. "First, they are the best battle mages available on a Thirdsday evening, not by any means the best mages in the city. Second..." Phllippe goes over to Slagfirth and checks his pulse and eyes. "He's probably got another few hours of sleep in him, unless Your Honors choose to help him awaken sooner. Same for his competition.

"Aaaaand," he adds, "if your plan is bad for Dexamene, remember I do hold a grudge and would offer my highly skilled services at a discount."

"Mmmm...that is tempting." Jerod replies. "Except for the part about the discount. Cause in a tight situation, those who are easily bought with a discount tend to change sides at the wrong time.

"You may rest assured that those who serve well are remembered well. In ways beyond gold, though that's easy to provide as well. We were discussing your patron I believe?"

Raven takes a seat to listen.

"Well, then we are agreed upon full price," says Phillipe, smiling, "I am certainly worth it, and my patron agrees. Do I take it her fame is greater even than this shadowed realm?"

"No." Jerod says simply, with a slight smile. "If it were, I wouldn't be asking."

Phillipe nods. "As you wish, Your Honor, we'll do it as you wish. The Mage Harper was a part of the government that preceded the triumvirate, but was not in Gateway when it fell. Dexamene personally imprisioned her sister, who died in jail. Harper considers her vendetta to be in the best interests of the country."

His eyes dart between the three of them. "She also hopes to present Dexamene's head to Amber's forces, in the hopes that they will be satisfied with that outcome."

"Ah...that Harper..." Jerod says, memories filtering back. "It's been a little while. Wondered where she got to." and he leans back into his chair.

"And what do you think? Do you think the forces of Amber would be satisfied with Dexamene's demise? Given the severity of Gateway's actions? One could argue that Dexamene and her cohorts could not have been so powerful by themselves as to compel the entire kingdom to act against Amber. One might say that there would surely have been others who thought they might profit from that situation. who acted willingly. Forgiveness is not a quality that is noted in the Princes and Princesses as I recall... though vindictiveness is."

Philippe takes a big bite of bread from a plate that was on the table. He ignores the jug of wine. "Well, let me put it this way, Your Grace. If they are not satisfied, there is nothing I can do, and my own and my patroness' enemy shall die before we all do in an eschaton of Dexamene's instigation. If they are satisfied, then I have saved my world. If one excludes third options, I know which of those two I would try for."

Brita is leaning against a wall, legs crossed at the ankles and arms akimbo, her head down as she mulls over something. "Saving the World is Always a Noble Goal," she interjects, so she is obviously still listening.

"It is," Raven agrees.

"Indeed." Jerod says. "It's less messy in the long run, fewer bodies to clean up, cities to rebuild, that sort of thing.

"Though, I wonder if her demise might be sufficient. I've heard they're big on getting answers to questions. Her being dead would be relatively straight forward I suppose. Her being a prisoner... now from a merchant's perspective, we're talking some serious product value."

"I suppose it is noble if one has the option of fleeing, but most do not, and saving the world may well be a side-effect of saving oneself. I will accept the benefit of the doubt, if it is on offer. I like my world and do wish it to be saved, possibly because I know of no other." Philippe shrugs.

"As a merchant, My Lord, you have to weigh the advantages of your gain versus the risks and costs of not killing her immediately. She is tricky, and she might escape you, and then the forces of Amber might assume that you were not 'capturing' so much as 'aiding and abetting'. So you would want to minimize your delivery time. And, fairly or unfairly, if it went badly for them, they would remember you."

Jerod laughs, partly to himself, though giving a partial look to both Raven and Brita as he continues. "Indeed, I have no doubt that they would. I suspect that Amber's king would definitely be one to remember me were I to be considered as 'aiding and abetting'... I've heard he's a rather strange bird, but I suppose it's expected for a King."

"I think that we'll keep both options on the table. Certainly there is risk vs gain, but so long as the delivery of Dexamine, alive or dead, can be obtained, that I think is certain to go a long way to alleviating Gateway's position in the eyes of Amber and her Princes."

Brita comes off the wall and moves to the table of food stuff. While desultorily picking up a small sampling (i.e., a large pile of options) she notes, "She Could be Asleep. If We Bring Time to Bear at a Faster Rate than she is Expecting, We could Accelerate her Spell and Force Her to Sleep."

"If we can, probably ought to see if we can figure out how long she's going to have to sleep," Raven suggests. "Not that she can't be kept out once she gets there, but it'd be nice to know how much time we got to work with."

Phillippe is silent, letting the group talk.

"Would we do that magically, or use other means?" Jerod asks, not bothering to mention the Family gifts. "I'd also wonder if she is using a magical ability to remain awake, what would happen if magic were simply to stop? Would that have the same impact on her?"

Raven shrugs. "Magic ain't my thing. Just haven't met many that couldn't be knocked out with a good whack on the head, eventually. Probably wouldn't hurt to know what kind of protection she's got besides that, too, but I might be able to get some of that from some of the friends I've made." She snorts and tilts her head at Phillippe. "Or from a thief."

"It Could be Magic or Other Means. Taking Out her Power would Prevent Repercussions. I am Not as Skilled as Some, but We Could Manage," Brita grins.

Phillipe's eyes widen. "If you were to block her path to magic, whatever is keeping her going would probably fail. That's probably safer than just a strict kibosh to the head, but it'd have to be quick. If she detects you and counters your magic, you might wish you'd been turned into an Emuraptor."

"There would be no detection." Jerod says simply. "And it would not be magic so she would not be able to counter it."

"You are the Lead in This, Master Cambric. It is Your Call." Brita is more than willing to let Jerod 'play'. Should be interesting to see a minor Ragnarok.

Raven nods. "Ain't all that excited to make that big a noise right off, but if that's the best way, that's the best way."

Phillipe nods. "At this point, I would like to suggest that informing my mistress will have the beneficial side effect that someone would be ready to pick up the pieces for the good of Gateway. I could go do that, my Lords, if you so wished." He smiles, encouragingly.

"Let Harper know that you'll be proceeding against Dexamene." Jerod says. "You may advise her that you have allies."

Brita considered the discussion closed and moves to get more food. She also wants to find out what is happening with their fourth Horseman....

Raven stays put, keeping an eye on their new friend until he's out the door.

"As you say, Your Graces. Thank you." He pads right out the door and runs into Weyland. "Excuse me, your... bulkiness," says the boy, and scampers down the stairs.

Weyland looks down the stairs, then back into the room. "Is the riot at the bird-pit part of the plan, or just a way to spend a slow Thirdsday?"

"There was a Riot?" Brita seems genuinely surprised as she munches on a thickly proportioned sandwich.

"The youngsters were bored." Jerod says with a slight smile. "Can't take them anywhere. However, riots are sometimes useful in finding useful things...like the urchin who just scuttled out the door."

"So it's part of the plan now, I guess," Raven offers dryly. "Wasn't quite what I was aiming for."

Weyland looks around. "OK, so the urchin, that's one who tried to steal my money-pouch. right? You're sure he’s coming back? Is the plan to wait for him, or is there something else?"

"He is in the employ of the former ambassador to Amber, one named Harper. He is very light fingered and reasonably good at what he does - at least according to him. I might employ him after all this is over, if he doesn't get killed. Never know when someone like that might come in handy." Jerod says. "Harper doesn't get along well with Dexamene and is looking to re-establish the old guard. The urchin was sent to work a trap against Dexamene and we've learned a bit more about her. I intend to give him enough time to reply to Harper and await a response...but not too long. Given that she has been working against Dexamene indirectly, that makes me think she is not strong enough to challenge her directly, but she would be strong enough to deal with Dexamene's support back at the Gate. Eliminating the trio is only part of the job. Although, for you, that's the part you're most focused on."

Weyland nods. "I have my goal, you have yours. Our goals aren't mutually exclusive, which is nearly as good as two of our kind can hope for. What preparations do we need to make? And who are your other guests?"

"At the moment, I'm going to wait to see what the little urchin is up to." Jerod says. "He's pretty much going to be on a wanted list so he's not going to want to do dawdle if his comments about messing with Dexamene are true.

"I also have a visit with the Lord later to see whether he's going to arrest me for treason to the state. I think that will be a most interesting conversation."

Weyland nods. "It is a small town, and he can certainly get to his contacts and safe-house quickly. If he can or will leave once he gets there, we will see. Did you let on that you were Princes of Amber? People will respond differently to you if you let on rather than if you use the aliases you used with me."

"I am just Waiting on Ragnarok," Brita notes. "I can Also go Trail our Urchin, if Required." She looks inquiringly at Jerod.

Weyland looks at Brita oddly. "I'm pretty sure Ragnarok was a local manifestation of the Black Road and the End of the Entire World, which didn't really end it. Or are you speaking metaphorically about any world-ending event?"

"Those two," Raven jerks her head at the spare mages, "were borrowed from the riot. Couple of the players in the game of bird-ball they was playing. Thought they might chat with us, seeing as how we could have just left them to sleep it off in the middle of that mess."

Weyland nods and steps over to the closest, checking his breathing and pulse. He doesn't say anything, but moves on to the second as well.

"I did not specifically mention that we were Amberites, no." Jerod says. "But I think he is perceptive enough to figure stuff out. There are enough clues that the enterprising Gatwegian can follow, and if he is truly in the employ of Harper, then he's probably very enterprising, if a bit quick with his fingers."

He waits to hear on Brita's answer, always enjoying her responses when asked about the end of the world.

Brita has one eyebrow raised at their elder party member. "Shadow Asgard Was Undone by Black Road Ragnarok. My Da is Back There Now to Remake It. This Shadow is on the Brink of Prince Vengence Ragnarok." She hooks a thumb at Jerod. "I Believe it Will Be Gloriously Worse as None Would Restore it Afterward."

Raven snorts in amusement.

Weyland nods. "Of course, of course. Well, if you're just going to wait here for your thief to come back, I'll be back at my work. For what it's worth, I think there's more support for Dexamene than I'd like, but that may be that they just don't want any foreigners here. Harper might have a chance."

A half hour later, a child -- perhaps 10 or 12 years old, still a head shy in his growth, knocks on the door with a message. "She agrees, but will not let me return! To dangerous, P! See you after."

Brita works on trumps.

Raven searches for less dangerous drinking. Most really dangerous drinking s at the raptorshit bingo hall, so it's pretty easy.

The time comes for Jerod to present himself to the Mayor/Administrator of Thule.

Brita, cleaning off a paint brush full of a deep red color, asks Jerod, "Do you Want A Bodyguard or An Assistant for your Meeting?"

Jerod shakes his head, finishing the final touches for his attire. "No. If things go south in a really bad way, you'll be seeing the sky darken and the oceans starting to boil. I'll want someone keeping the crew on focus and telling the Weir to do their stuff. I'll want you to take care of that."

Brita and Raven watch as Jerod leaves. Weyland looks at the two of them. "I'll be outside, waiting for the Oceans to boil. I hope your ship survives that, Captain."

"So do I," Raven answers dryly.