((Much, thanks!))

Heiro smiled again and nodded once before Uriel slipped out, then quickly finished redressing and arming himself before rejoining the changeling. Quickly they made their way back to the throne room, the Queen's distress immediately apparent as they stepped in. No guards stood attent at her side, no court members hovered around the room and the scepter in the mighty woman's hand glowed with a vicious power. Heiro fell to one knee before her as Uriel did, a chill running down his spine.

The very air held a cold tension- her anger sharp and cutting as her voice as she spoke. The prince, kidnapped? Heiro's eyes narrowed as he stared into the stone floor. How could this have happened right under the queen's all-seeing gaze? And just before another ball to find his consort, quite convenient to be sure. Still, Heiro said nothing of his suspicions, simply raising his eyes to the Unseelie Queen and uttering a solemn. "Yes, your highness." After which, with a wave of her slender hand, he rose and backed away for a few steps before turning to leave, only keeping his pace slow to keep Uriel at his side.

((Again, sorry for not putting in enough for you to work with.))

Uriel listened intently to his queen with an expression of dread. Ignatius was as a brother to him, and to hear of his loss was doubly devastating. Prince and sibling, taken away all at once by an unseen enemy he knew little off. Even he did not know all the enemies of the court; that knowledge lay solely with Queen Phryne. White hair drifted about his features as the young man moved quickly to follow his friend.

He was eager to be off on this journey, though he suspected that the menace lay in the very heart of the city itself. Speaking of what lay ahead when so many ears lay nearby was a frightening though. "Perhaps I could show you that cove I mentioned before?" The mention had been in his mind alone, but the passers by knew no such thing. To them it would sound like some banality between friends, though they knew full well who the pair were.

Heiro's usual calm expression hardly changed, but he gave a nod to his companion. "That would be nice, but at least I should get some more suitable clothing." He said, "Silks such as these would hardly stand up against the sea air." With that, he lead the way through the labyrinth of corridors, back to his chambers. Once inside, he closed the door behind Uriel and quickly scanned the room, using the shadows about it as aide. When he was sure the room was clear, he relaxed a touch, his arm curling to rest over his wounded torso as he made his way to the foot of the bed, where his baggage lay.

"Is there anything you will need from your chambers?" He asked, tone all business as he deftly unlocked then opened the leather and wood chest. Quickly he pulled out his warm, pitch black cloak, bracers, shin guards and a few other effects. His mind was churning with all of the old and new information he had, a plan formulating already. With Uriel joining him he will have to be more careful, but it was still easily manageable, as the man's talent with illusions would help greatly.

(( Not what I wanted, but it will do, sorry for the wait again. >< ))

The changeling followed the other man trough the stone corridors without a moment's thought. He knew the importance of their next actions; knew fully that it might mean the difference between life and death for his almost brother. At the other man's words, Uriel lifted his head to gaze at the door thoughtfully, as if such an action could bring forth what he needed. All of this had nearly made him forget the wounds his friend sported.

"What about what you need? You're still wounded." Yet if Heiro took what he needed that would delay their rescue of the prince. Then again, the thought of his friend going into battle wounded as he was distressed him almost as much as the knowledge that Ignatius was in danger.

Heiro paused at Uriel's words. This entire situation was hardly in his favor- his injuries could slow him down, but what choice did he have? He could not feed from Uriel, as he had never been fed from before and the blood loss would weaken him too greatly. The Queen might agree to give him another Changeling to feed from now, with her son on the line, but it was equally likely that she would snap on him for being impudent and cut his pay for delaying the mission. The woman was far too fickle... did he want to chance her wrath, or simply carry on?

After a moment of thought, he shook his head and stood, beginning to once again shed his fine robes. "I will be fine, I have survived and pushed through worse. We need to simply focus on getting the prince back safely and eliminating the target. The sooner we accomplish this, the sooner we can worry about rest." he said, sliding the heavy silk down off his shoulders and tossing in onto the plush bedding before checking over his weapons and instruments.

Instead of protesting as he so wished to do, the young man nodded and left the room with a sigh. Practice made packing his things an easy task once he'd reached his room. Uriel didn't have very much to his name, and most was essential to his role as one of the queen's puppets. The strings binding him to the courts seemed to pull at him more strongly now then ever before. Danger lurked behind every corner, unseen and unsought by one who was nothing more then a pawn in the grand scheme of things.

Uriel banished such thoughts with a shake of his head as he slipped cloak and leather bag over his shoulders. Once more the young man retraced his steps to stand just within his friend's doorway. "The sooner we end this you said? I have the feeling that things won't be quite as simple or clear cut as we might wish." Learning all the details could wait for now. First they needed to leave the palace, and the city all together, in order to find a place where they could discuss their actions freely.

Heiro tightened the leather belt at his waist as Uriel came back up the stair, securing his small leather pack, various blades and the precious water flask at his sides. He gave a small smile at the man's words and a nod as he pulled out a strip of cloth and quickly bound his sleek hair back in his typical low tail. "You are ever the quick student, Uriel. One should never expect things to be as clear cut or simple as first thought. Instead, we must be three steps ahead, planning for the wavering clarity of chance." He said with a slight, low chuckle.

After another check over of his weapons and a few tugs on their bindings, he grabbed the voluminous white and crimson kimono he had pulled out earlier and donned it, the thick linen and silk effectively hiding his arsenal from the curious, prying eyes of the fae. "Now, my friend... shall we take that trip to the shores?" He asked as he smoothed down the pristine cloth about him, a shimmer of laughter- and perhaps something darker- in his eyes.

The pale haired man rolled his eyes slightly with an unexpected laugh. "That was quite poetic sounding, but true nonetheless." Despite the gravity of the situation, Uriel still found himself enjoying it. It was an adventure, one which gave him the chance to leave the place he'd known all his life for once. Chance was truly a fickle thing, proven all the more by the current situation.

For the first time he had an excuse to leave, and horrible as it was, Uriel was grateful for it. His mind veered away to the information he still didn't know about the situation. Ignatius had been taken by someone lurking out of sight, beneath the surface of a secretive court. "Of course, I wouldn't dream of keeping you waiting any longer." Uriel found himself wondering why he was so unusually cheerful all of a sudden.

After giving his clothing a final tug, the young man motioned for the dhampir to join him as he walked away. They passed trough familiar corridors until they reached nearly light-less halls. This was the way less traveled, where none save those truly trusted by the queen dared venture. A door creaked open as the pale haired man stepped outside and down upon the sand.

Uriel smiled slightly as he waited for his friend to join him, then began to lead the way once more until at last they passed the well known ways, and were in a hidden cove far from sight of the castle. Waves crashed into craggy rocks, to disappear into white foam. It was soothing music to his ears, and nearly made him forget why he'd been so insistent upon guiding Heiro to the cove in the first place.

((I hope this is okay, ><))

Heiro could not help but raise a brow and give a slight smile as cheer came from his new accomplice, though his expression quickly fell with the gravity of the situation. Despite everything, however, the dhampir also felt a bubble of excitement rising; that rush that came with every new job, every mission. Danger was ahead, and the fact that he would be pushed to his limits brought anticipation to his features. As they walked walked down the dark halls, a slight bounce of eagerness kept his footsteps light and quick.

When they approached the door to the stoney beach, he reached out to the darkness, slipping off the heavy white silks as he did. Bundling the kimono up quickly, he tossed it into the darkest corner available, which seemed to consume it. He knew, however, that when he returned the robe would be in his room, passed through the shadows to his closed chest. He then followed Uriel through the door and along the beach. Immediately, he felt more energized, injuries and exhaustion nearly forgotten as a rush of power rolled off the churning sea.

As he followed the changeling across the rocks and sand, his mind could not help but be split between the mission ahead and the sights before him. He attempted to take a deep breath, as if to take in as much of the pristine, moon-lit waters as he could, only to wince- his steps faltering for a moment. He muttered under his breath in his native tongue, thoughts brought back to the notion that all of this was a setup. What did that clever witch have planned?

They were outside, away from the queen's near ever present eyes. He turned to face Heiro, grey eyes sparkling at the very thought of this task set to him, forcing him to spend time with his friend. "There are rumors of a plot to wrest the throne away from the Queen's line. They could very well be the perpetrators." He shook his head, and leaned against the cliff. There were so many other possibilities, too many.

"I could name two dozen organizations and people who would want to kidnap Prince Ignatius without even thinking over much about it. How do we go about narrowing it down?" They could question the servants of the castle, in the city. People working the lower echelons knew everything, saw it all happening. Many of them even found ways to spread whatever dirty secrets their employers tried so very hard to hide. Some used their knowledge for blackmail.

It wouldn't have been surprising, really, if the kidnappers had posed as servants.

Uriel glanced down at the sand, and took a long breath. Ocean brine, seaweed, the distinctive scent of salt in the water; the smells helped calm him enough to think, to act reasonably.

Leaning against the rough stone beside Uriel, he closed his eyes and listened to what his friend had to say. He attempted to focus his thoughts on what lay ahead, and the possibilities that the changeling voiced, but the incessant pain that shot through him tore at his concentration. Still, he fought to keep his voice level and responded all the same.

"The best way to narrow it down is to examine where the crime happened. However, your queen was so kind as to deny us that, sending us away so promptly." He said through clenched teeth, his tone clearly telling the other man what he thought of the woman in control of the Fae. "Another way is to get an inside view on each of the potential offenders. Fortunately, I know just how to do that- we will need to go to Halfell, the port city that lies on the edge of these lands." He tried to take another deep breath, only to wince again. "Nothing gets past the gossip there... but first, I may need a bit to... recompose myself."

He closed his eyes tightly, cursing the obvious weakness he was showing now. Perhaps if he could take just a little... no. There was no way to tell how Uriel would react. Though... he is strong, healthy and fit. There was a good chance that a taste would be enough to jump-start his healing, and would hardly weaken the changeling. As the thoughts rapid-fired in his head, he glanced to the snow-haired man, too stubborn to ask the obvious.

The gentle wooshing sound of waves rushing in and sweeping out echoed the pounding in his ears. A deaf man would have been able hear the pain in the immortal's voice. Uriel shifted so he faced the other man, grimfaced with determination. "You need to feed."

Uriel tilted his head to the side, exposing the long column of his throat. His heart beat quickened, and red tinged his face. "You can't be expected to track the prince down without being in full form." Grey eyes flicked to Heiro's face. He had to make it clear that it was part of his duties, all part of his job, even tough it was more then that. He wanted it to be more.

Heiro opened his eyes as Uriel spoke, looking to the other man as he quite grimly offered up his throat, blush faint on his cheeks. The dhampir could not help but break out into a bit of a chuckle, then full-out laughter, nearly doubling over as he winced and laughed simultaneously. Once he caught his breath and righted himself, he turned to his friend and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Forgive me, I do not mean to mock you... you just, you looked so serious!" He gave another short laugh before calming himself again. "Yes, I should feed, but there is no need to be so stone-faced about it. As I remember, you had a much different expression when we were in my quarters... I much prefer that one." He half-teased, a slight smirk across his lips.

"However, the fact still remains that in making me fit for this mission, I make you unfit... It is, however, possible for me to take a small amount of blood. It will not heal me as you wish, but it will speed up the process a bit." He said, dropping his arm back down to rest on the hilt of his katana. Time was of the essence in this mission, but something needed to be done. The question was which was worse? His wounds slowing them, or Uriel being drained from giving blood?

Laughter? He hadn't expected that. Not at all. Uriel didn't know how to react, so he smiled a bit, shook his head, and stepped forward. The young man slid his hand over the dhampir's. He looked up at the taller man, hesitant now. "It isn't simply about the mission. It's ... I don't like seeing you like this, less then hale." He looked to the sands, to their feet. Anywhere but at Heiro's elegant face.

Uriel knew he was letting his emotions show, the ones that had no place in the courts. He was blushing, avoiding the other man's eyes, and he had his hand on Heiro's. That alone, he would never have imagined doing in the castle, and they had been about to ... The thought made his head snap up, and he searched Heiro's eyes for something, what he didn't know.

The scarred dhampir was a bit surprised by the tenderness in the changeling's voice, his expressions. It had not been a mystery to him, the young man's feelings, but he was being bold... not that it was anything to complain about. He took a moment to think, dark eyes meeting Uriel's misty grey ones. He relaxed some, a genuine smile replacing all other carefully planned expressions his narrow face usually held. "Thank you, Uriel...It means more to me than I could say, to know that somehow, someway... I have those who care about me." he said, baritone voice soft, almost sad as it competed with the sounds of the shore.

He paused another moment before clearing his throat, as if to shake away the tenderness he let fall through the masks. "If I am to feed, we should do it now, before anymore of the darkness is wasted." He said as he pulled his hand away from the other man's, only to grasp his forearm. Without further hesitation, he pushed him against the rock wall and lightly pinned him there, the dominating move cutting off any other moments of heart-felt conversation. "I hope you do not have any second thoughts." He nearly whispered as he leaned in.

The scent of the other man's blood had already stirred need in the dhampir, but now, being so close, it took considerable control not to just hold him down and bite. He reminded himself that he could only take a small amount, but that reminder was hard to pay attention to when the rushing of vitality pumping filled his ears.

A tiny smile tugged up his lips. Uriel had never seen Heiro acting in such a way before, with something more then the cold mask he let the courts see, let most anyone see. Even when it was the two of them alone, there was usually a guardedness about him, but not now. Not in that moment.

The pale haired man gasped when he felt himself being pressed up against the rocky surface. It had been such a sudden thing, he hadn't even had time to react. Uriel tilted his head to the side, heart beating fast, and exposed his throat. He clutched Heiro's clothes, afraid that the moment would be broken again, like it had been earlier in the castle.

He didn't want that to happen again.

The taller man leaned against the changeling, nearly pressing the entire length of his body against Uriel as he slipped his hand up to cradle the back of the tanned man's neck. "This will only hurt for a second." He whispered, eyes bleeding to gold as the sound of blood rushing filled his ears. Slowly, he leaned in further, breathing in the scent of the other man before baring his fangs and swiftly biting down on the pulsing flesh beneath his lips. His hand instinctively gripped the hair at the nape of Uriel's neck, holding him firm as the hot vitality filled his mouth.

Any agony was quickly washed away by pleasure as Heiro conjured up his power and pushed it into the changeling, wave after wave of it rippling over them as the dhampir swallowed mouthful after mouthful. He could not help but give a small sound as the salty tang rushed over his tongue, the life force of the other man empowering his own. His eyes fluttered, closing as he savoured every drop.

After what felt like a timeless moment, he withdrew, flicking his tongue over the two small wounds to seal them. Leaning away a touch, he looked the spot over. Satisfied that the damage would heal quickly, he released Uriel and stepped back, keeping his hands on the changeling's shoulders until he was sure he was steady.

"Any lightheadedness should fade quickly." He said, a touch of concern on his face as he watched his friend.

He didn't know what to expect. Heiro's words didn't stop him from tensing, most probably too much. Uriel winced, biting down on his lower lip, when he felt sharp points of pain on his neck. Then ... then he was immersed in feelings, then sensation of being pressed against the other man, sharing something so intimate as his blood. A strange sound, something between a gasp and chocked off moan, escaped him before he could stop it.

His hands loosened as he relaxed.

And then it was done. Uriel opened eyes he hadn't even realized were closed, and lifted a hand to his blushing cheek. Lethargic movements, lightheadedness and a sense of contentment ... he could live with that.

Seeing the worry in his friend's face, Uriel smiled. He shifted to wrap his hands over Heiro's. "It is already, a bit." Now it was his turn to glanced over the dark haired man with a hint of worry in his eyes. "How are you feeling?"

The scarred dhampir could not help but give a small smile as Uriel stood in a slight daze, touching his cheek in a rather demure way. The sight stirred a rather carnal feeling in the immortal, seeing his handiwork take its toll on the handsome man brought up feelings denied for many years, through many visits to the Fey kingdom. Now was not the time for such distractions, however, and Heiro made quick work of squashing the emotions down like he always did.

His eyes, which still held their golden sheen, roved over the changeling, noting his posture, breathing and heart rate. His thin hands twitched slightly as they were covered by Uriel's, but he did not pull away, not yet- his skin was still warm, despite having just been fed on; it felt good in the chilly ocean air. His thoughts threatened to drift away again, then Uriel spoke, causing his gaze meet the other's steely one.

"I am feeling better already... your blood is quite potent for a human." He responded with a slight smile. "The more important question is how are you feeling?" He said before giving Uriel's shoulders a light push, motioning for him to sit down. Once he had, Heiro would reach into his haversack and pull out a small bundle of food. Unfolding the cloth, he selected some dried sweet lotus root and nori cakes. Crouching down, he offered them to the changeling. "Here, this should help bring back up your blood sugar and iron."

Uriel failed to answer, still rather dazed and a bit distracted by Heiro's close proximity. He didn't want the other man to move away. How long had he wished for just such an experience? How many times had he hoped to be given such an opportunity. He swallowed hard and settled down upon the ground at the other man's silent insistence.

A rock dug into his back, so he shifted onto the sand. "Thank you." He didn't quite know what these foreign foods were, but he was sure they were good. Carefully, he too one of the cakes and bit into it. Then he tried the dried roots, and smiled. "Delicious." And now that he had food in him, he was beginning to think again.

They would need to go back into the city, and find out what factions within wanted the prince done away with, before looking elsewhere.

Heiro could not help but raise a brow slightly. "They are just travel rations, no need to compliment." He said, a bit of a laugh in his voice as he offered Uriel his water skin. He then continued to watch the other man for a few moments, worrying, as usual, that he had taken too much blood. Mentally, he shook his head and attempted to focus on the task at hand instead.

"We need to decide where to head first. We could head into the crown city and scout out the potential kidnappers, or we could head to the port and see what rumors are on the wind." He said as he knelt down on the sand beside Uriel. "Weighing the situation, heading into the city may be a better choice. I have... connections there." He offered hesitantly, voice stopping a bit before admitting to this. Were it anyone other than Uriel, he never would have said such a thing, but even this was risky. The Queen would have him banished- or worse, should she find out he was dancing with the darker of her subjects. If she found out, his life would be on the line, and she had eyes everywhere.

The young man took a good swig of the water before smiling a bit. "But it isn't like anything I've ever tasted before." He sobered soon enough. Uriel sifted sand through his fingers as the waves rushed in. Low tide was long gone. The water was rising, pushed and pulled by the moon high in the sky. The stars peeked out of the growing darkness, sparkling and adding their far away light to the moon's.

"Connections Phryne would most likely not approve of." Heiro's hesitation made that much obvious. Uriel glanced at the other man. The queen would hear of their investigation. She had others working her son's disappearance as well, almost certainly. "It would be risky." Phryne hated being reminded of the fact that there were those in her city that she didn't control, could not control.

"Hai." The dhampir responded, expression serious and contemplative as he turned to gaze out across the silver-crested waves. "I know how to get around the guard with ease- the shady side of every city is where I make my home. It will be getting them to talk willingly with you there that will be the tricky part." He said, mind churning as he attempted to calculate the variables. If one of the leaders of these crime rings realises who Uriel is, they could be in deep trouble, and they would never work a deal with him again- if they survived the encounter, that is. On the flip side, if the Queen caught wind of them talking with criminals, they would be done for, probably tried for treason or some other bollocks. He gave a brief scowl. Something about all of this, about her, did not feel right. The immortal had never cared for the fey woman, and he knew she was not the most righteous of rulers, but would she really do something that put her son in danger?

Shaking his head, he took a deep breath and looked back to Uriel. "How are you doing? Do you think we could get moving yet?" He asked. He really did not want to push him, but in a case such as kidnapping, time was of the essence. If they wanted to get any leads, they needed to hurry.

Uriel planted his hands into the sand and shoved off with a grunt. He wobbled a bit while the lightheaded feeling faded away. Then he shook his hands to clear and stretched his neck before turning to Heiro with a smile. "I'm perfectly ready to find my friend." More then ready. They had been waiting too long. The longer they took, the less likely they would be able to find Ignatius.

Queen Phryne would have both their heads if they failed.

Night time silence had fallen outside of the city, but inside Uriel knew what would be happening. The nocturnal fae would be spreading their wings, walking under the moonlight and beginning their revelry. Maybe they would even enact a hunt. The thought made him shudder. If they used Ignatius as prey ... What a horrible end for the prince that would be!

(( I hope you do not mind me taking control of things for a moment. I have been looking for a chance to really describe the shadows in an rp, and this seemed like a good a time as any. Also, have some fun foreshadowing.))

One corner of Heiro's lips curled in a small, satisfied smirk as the changeling forced himself to stand. It was clear enough that more rest would do him well, but he was able to quickly shift his focus back to the mission and carry on. Just another thing the dhampir admired about the man. "Shall we, then?" He said, more than asked as he held out a pale hand to Uriel, the shadows around him slowly rising. When Uriel grasped his hand, he closed his slender fingers tightly around the other man's wrist. "We are taking the fast way- hold on tight and do not let go, no matter what." He said, not waiting for a response before he called his power and pulled the smaller man close to him. His gut gave an all-too-familiar churn, and he closed his eyes, allowing the falling sensation to overcome him.

The darkness engulfed them, their senses numbing for a moment before coming back alive in a strange new world. No light existed here, and yet through the solid black one could tell there were creatures moving, writhing through the silky shadows. What was at first a deafening silence was now a cacophony of shrieks, howls, hisses and growls- echoing from all directions. The most startling thing, though, was the cold- a mind-numbing chill unlike any other. There was no feeling physical discomfort from the frigid realm, however. A soothing sensation of velvet and silk wrapped about them, caressing skin and tugging at cloth- a far cry from the expected bitter sting. The cold instead seeped into their auras, penetrating deep into their cores, leaving them gasping for air.

Up and down had no meaning, nor did forward and behind. There was a strange feeling of progression, yet nothing seemed to move. This limbo continued for what felt like several long minutes, time stretching as the bizarre realm held them fast. The animalistic sounds started to transform, hissing and growling becoming whispers, the hoots and roars becoming laughter.

"Uriel... Fey!"

"Changeling..."

"Hunt them."

"Down, down... off with his head!"

If the Dhampir noticed, he showed no sign of it- he just continued holding Uriel to him. Then, just as suddenly as it came, the darkness left. The two men were deposited in a dark alley on the edge of the city's downtown area, just seconds after they left the sea cove. Heiro kept an arm at Uriel's waist, cautiously holding him up in case he did not handle his first trip through the shadows well. He looked over the mortal with a bit on concern in his dark eyes. "Are you alright?" He asked, voice low as he reoriented himself on the physical plane.