#harbormaster daughter speech

[thebmatt]

FFXIV Write Day 4: Baleful

Baleful – threatening harm; menacing. -OR- having a harmful or destructive effect

The Lost Mountain docked in Kugane with little problems. It was a known Aerslant trading vessel with current registration and paperwork on file with the city’s harbormasters, pre-cleared for inspection but declaring no cargo, only passengers.

The gangplank extended to the dock, and down its steps marched a small docking party, all Sea Wolves. First were three men in identical wine red business attire, crisp and professional, with polarized lenses in metallic frames shielding their eyes. Each of them bore heavy and polished swords at their sides and shields on their backs.

Bringing up the rear of the retinue were four other men, similarly dressed. One carried a similar sword and shield, two others bore ornately carved longbows, and the final man carried a magical staff, topped by a carved wooden figure.

Between the two groups walked a man and a woman. The man wore gray clothing suitable for ship travel that seemed as though they’d been seldom used. The woman wore a sea-blue airy dress. Both had sour expressions on their faces. Their names were Ahldblaet Fyrilberksyn and Usynwyda Holaszirnwyn, and they had come to collect their wayward daughter.

A murmur from the front of this retinue caused Ahldblaet to take his eyes off the gangplank’s steps and look to the dock. A woman waited there for him. She wore a crisp looking grey suit that matched her blue skin and black hair well. Like his bodyguards, she too wore polarized-lens spectacles over her eyes. A thin blade was sheathed at her hip, but her hands rested behind her back.

“Lord Fyrilberksyn?” she addressed him, not bothering to even look at the bodyguards. Ahldblaet noted a faint doman accent underneath her professional manner of speech. Clearly she’d tried to erase any hint of her heritage, but not well enough.

He stood before her and fixed her with his practiced baleful gaze. “Yes, what is it? I have business to attend to, woman.”

“My name is Rheika Aliapoh. Until a few days ago, I was second-in-command of the Emerald Marauders, under Commander Pokiji”

He arched an eyebrow. Usynwyda peeked her head from behind his shoulders, curious. “Was?” he prompte

“Indeed” Rheika replied. “Until a few days ago, when the Commander made it known to the rest of the company that he had demanded an increase in payment for our current contract. I believe he expected that we would respond favorably to this news. As with many things, he was mistaken. And now, he and those loyal to him are no longer a part of our enterprise.”

She allowed a small smile to form on her otherwise still features.

Ahldblaet stroked his chin. “Then your organization will still complete the original contract?”

“At the previously agreed price, yes. Those of us remaining understand the value of our word, once given. One’s reputation is of paramount importance, after all. But of course, you understand this, given your own company’s sterling reputation.”

He nodded. “Hmph. I am glad to see there are still professionals on this star. What is our next step?”

Rheika turned and gestured to the waiting city. “Our first step, milord, is to get you and your lady wife off the streets. The former captain may have been a snake, but many of the dangers he listed about the city were not lies. Your daughter is well known here, and should word get back to her of your arrival, it will make our scheme to capture her much more difficult, assuming she simply does not bolt to another part of the world. Please, follow me, and do your best not to attract much attention.”

She walked towards the city. The bodyguards took up a standard formation surrounding their clients, who walked with practiced ease inside their protective ring.

Rheika led them into the warehouse district, not far off the piers, and took them through a series of turns and back alleys that often required the bodyguards to flatten their protective ring into a line. They remained hyper aware, constantly on the lookout for signs of a threat, murmuring back and forth to each other, their weapons in reach but undrawn.

Finally she led them to a side door of one of the buildings, an unremarkable gray and slightly dilapidated one just tall enough for a Roegadyn to use without stooping. “Here. We have temporarily requisitioned this warehouse for our needs, but the main storage area is far too open and conspicuous, so we will need to meet in these offices. Please, follow me.”

She opened the door with minimal effort. Ahldblaet ordered his people to follow.

The interior of the building was dimly lit, a single hallway which smelled of the ever present saltwater, but was otherwise fairly clean. After a couple of minutes’ walk, Rheika opened the double doors on the other end. Inside was a number of other individuals. Nearly were hyur of various sizes and skin tones, all wearing Hingan garb. Approximately half of them carried the curved sword Ahldblaet faintly remembered were popular weapons in this region, the others a mishmash of swords, spears, and axes. One man in particular stood out to him. He seemed older, with white hair and beard, and was dressed in clothes more appropriate to a airship mechanic. He wore a large flintlock on his back. Unlike the other men, he only spared them a glance before returning to the papers in front of him. The room’s sole non-hyur was a Xaela man, towering above the others, nearly equal in height to his bodyguards. He wore an intimidating and savage looking set of grayish black armor, with a wolf’s head helmet covering most of his head. His face was still visible, and he regarded the visitors with derisive sneer. He carried a double-pronged spear on his back that threated to scrape the ceiling with every move he made. Most returned to the work they’d been doing after realizing their captain had escorted these newcomers in. The Xaela did not.

Rheika stopped and turned to Ahldblaet. “The rest of my people. They are making final preparations for the capture. There is much we must discuss before that can take place, however. Please, come with me and I shall apprise you of our plan. Your people must remain here, save one bodyguard you may bring with you. You understand that we cannot have security leaks, nor can we allow any trade secrets to be compromised, especially in the wake of our schism.” She gestured to another door within the office. Unlike the exterior door, this one had been spared any wear from exposure to the elements.

Ahldblaet turned and looked to his wife, who nodded. He gestured to one of the sword bearing bodyguards. “You shall accompany us. The rest of you, wait here.” He needed to give no further instructions. These people had been handpicked by him and been well trained. They moved to take up positions near the door as he held it open for his wife to enter.

Rheika led them through a series of offices to a conference room near the end of the hallway. Another hyur, a woman, awaited them there. Like the others, she was attired in local garb, clean and well maintained. She too wore a Katana at her him and gave a bow of greeting to the group as they approached.

“This is Makoto, milord. She’s our local contact. Well known as a trader of information, she is able to move about the city undetected. As you can imagine, she has been invaluable in tracking your daughter’s movements” Rheika informed him as she opened the door to the conference room.

Inside was a large table with multiple maps of various sections of Kugane, each clearly labeled and dated, with a series of lines traced through them in red. Clearly, he thought, these people had done their due diligence.

Makoto shut the door behind them and took up a place near the end of the table. Rheika strode forward next to the bodyguard.

“Unfortunately, my Lord, I must inform you that we have good news and bad news.”

Two things happened that Ahldblaet managed to process, albeit far too slowly to do anything about. The first was that Rheika’s accent had changed. No longer was it clipped and professional, nor did it have even a hint of Doman to it. Now her voice was cheerful and soft, almost soothing.. More importantly, it was very Eorzean.

The second was that both women had drawn their weapons. Makoto had assumed a neutral samurai stance, her blade pointed at his wife. Rheika, in one fluid motion, drew a rapier from her side and slammed the pommel into his bodyguard’s head. The man went down like a sack of popotoes, not moving.

She turned to him and smiled. “The good news is we really do know where your daughter is.” She reached into her pocked and removed two triangular prisms that he recognized as glamour dispellers. One she touched to her hair and pressed one of the sides. Her short black hair shimmered and was replaced by a messy shock of purple, bangs covering her eyes. The other she touched to her suit, which also shimmered before the gray coloring was replaced by bright red.

“Ah, much better.” she said, replacing the prisms within her jacket. She reached up and removed her spectacles, folding them up and tucking them into the front of her jacket. Bright green eyes regarded the two roegadyn.

Ahldblaet drew his wife closer to him.

A brilliant smile appeared on Rheika’s face. “The bad news is that we’re not the Emerald Marauders. My name IS Rheika Aliapoh, that much is true, but I’m your daughter’s sister-by-choice and fellow Warrior of Light.”

“This” she said, gesturing to the other woman “is Makoto. In addition to being captain of the Sekiseigumi, she is also your daughter’s lover.”

Ahldblaet’s face turned nearly purple with rage and he raised his hands to activate his linkpearl. “It’s a TRAP, get in here!” he bellowed.

No one answered him.

“I wouldn’t bother.” Rheika interrupted. Her voice had lost none of its cheery demeanor. “Those people outside? They’re also Sekiseigumi. The Au ra and the bearded hyur? The other two Warriors of Light. If your bodyguards are smart, they surrendered. If not…well, the Sekiseigumi are not known for tolerating foreign troublemakers in their city. They tend to answer with steel.”

Usynwyda detached herself from her husband’s protective embrace, smoothed out her dress, and fixed Rheika with her most haughty state. “What is it that you want?”

All amusement and cheer left Rheika’s expression. “You have a choice, my lady” she replied, her voice pure steel. “You WILL be leaving Fearless alone henceforth. She wants nothing to do with you or your money, so you have a choice. You can return to your ship with all of your remaining bodyguards and sail home, declare that your daughter is dead and move on with your lives and business however you see fit. The hired mercenaries coming after her will stop. They were amusing at first, but now they’re just an annoyance, and we have bigger things to worry about.”

Ahldblaet smirked. “Oh, and I suppose if we refuse, you’ll do what? Kill us here and now? Hardly the sort of heroic act of so-called ‘warriors of light’ I would think!” His voice was mocking.

Rheika’s green eyes turned on him. She smiled sweetly, looking for all the world like a serpent that had cornered her prey. “Oh, no. See, the Sekiseigumi will search your ship and find no small amount of contraband within. Supplies and weapons, I believe. Hardly anything illegal, had you declared it. It’ll come out that the Lost Mountain shipping company used Kugane as a port to smuggle arms to Garlean holdouts throughout Othard, and the Sekiseigumi will bar any ship under the company’s registry from making port. Neutrality or not, the nation of Hingan will not tolerate its laws being broken. On the recommendation of the Warriors of Light, the Eorzean Alliance and Othard Alliance will likewise ban the company from operating in its waters as well. That’s a lot of places your customers will suddenly not be able to have their goods moved to. I’d say a large majority would probably find another shipping provider in short order, wouldn’t you?”

Both Roegadyn blanched. “You….you dare threaten us, our business??” Ahldblaet tried to summon his most booming and intimidating voice, but tremors of fear prevented it from working all that well.

“You’ve made it clear that you care about that business far more than you ever did your own daughter.” Rheika spat back. “I’m only showing you that for us, the reverse is true. Now, make your choice. Or I will make it for you.”

Ahldblaet and Usynwyda both shook with rage, and for a moment, Rheika felt that she’d have to make very good on that threat, but before long, it was Usynwyda who deflated. “Very well.” she said quietly, “We will leave. From this moment on, our Syhrwyda is dead to us.”

“She died a long time ago, your ladyship. In her place rose a woman who is confident, kindhearted, caring, and strong. It’s a real shame you don’t really care enough to get to know her”

Makoto sheathed her blade and gestured to the door. “You and your people have one bell to return to your vessel and cast off. Your vessels will continue to be welcome in our port, but you yourselves return to Kugane at your peril.”

The pair wordlessly left.

Rheika exhaled a breath. She hoped they did as she said.

Now came the hard part. Now they both had to sit Fearless down and tell them that once again, her parents proved that they didn’t love her.

#Final Fantasy XIV #FFXIV 2021 Writing Challenge #Rheika Aliapoh

[kiss-my-freckle]

Red’s problem with Tom had nothing to do with Katarina’s betrayal 30 years ago, and everything to do with the danger he brought into her life. This is The Blacklist, not Dr. Phil, and I’m pretty sure Red is a man who knows how to get over stupid shit. He was a spymaster too, and it wasn’t a one-sided war.  

If this entire story were about Red’s inability to get over Katarina’s betrayal, I’d be yawning already. The Blacklist is Red’s redemption, the saving of his soul. Not because he can’t forgive, but needs to be forgiven. In fact, he’s had nothing but positive things to say about Katarina, especially to Liz. His torture scene with Kirk was different, his life depended on it. But the man is acting as Katarina’s sin eater. Not because he can’t forgive her, but because he can’t forgive himself. 

Red is the sole carrier of guilt and blame. That’s why he apologized to Katarina in Cape May, why he spoke to Ressler about making amends, why he told Liz in the very pilot that she’s the one who could give him a second chance, and why he gave her that speech after the harbormaster trial. It wasn’t about what Katarina did, but what Red took away from her. 

“But that won’t last. It’s all a fraud. That it’s really not about her at all. That it’s all about you. And you’re just going through the motions to salve your own guilt.”

That’s why the blacklist is Liz-centered. He’s quite literally making it all about her when he could’ve chosen any agent he wanted to. The Hobson’s choice that he spoke of, he straight out said was the hardest thing he ever had to do in his life. It tore him apart just talking about it. 

He’s not gonna blow his family home over a woman’s betrayal. He’s not going to walk around talking quite certain of her death unless he knew it as fact for himself. I’m 100% sold on him having witnessed Katarina’s suicide. Why? Because Red knew her - and he knew the kind of access she had. You don’t see Red saying, “Okay, Baldur... I’ll take your word that you murdered my accountant.” No, you see him saying, “The truth, I hold it dear.” He would seek that truth rather than blindly believe it. And he sure as hell wouldn’t reenter Liz’s life, all the while knowing the danger his presence poses to her, and do so over a woman’s betrayal. The only reason I see him reentering her life, is if the threat that’s already in her life is far greater than his own presence. He stood in the shadows for 30 years, basically gave up his daughter to keep her safe. He’s not gonna screw that because he wants to find his lover... when he already believes with great certainty that Katarina is dead. 

And I’m gonna repeat myself with regard to the most ridiculous shit I’ve ever heard... the US would not place a traitor to two countries into the WITSEC program. If they were as close to her as putting her life under a microscope, they’d have shoved her in a dark hole and tortured her like they did spies at The Factory. The legendary spymaster and secret-keeper? Hell yes, they would’ve. 

So I’m just gonna say it now. If Katarina is alive, she faked her death in front of Red just like Liz did. 

#lol #Current TBL thoughts #Anti-Tom Keen #Anti-Keen2 #daddygate