Joseph... Prince?

The injury on his head throbbed. It felt like a hammer pounding on his head, right at that spot. his right hand raised toward it, trying to calm the damned thing down.

"Nnnn... Joseph. Glad to see I have a name. And this guy's a prince? Can't tell by looking at him." He turned towards the woman and said, "Is there anything else you can tell me about... well, me? Or you, for that matter."

He smiled. It was still charming. His hazel eyes seemed to shine in the sunlight that was caught in them. Even with the injury, there seemed to still be something left of his former self. Only this time, he wasn't actively trying to flirt.

"After all, wouldn't want to be stuck on a deserted island without knowing each other, now would we?"

"Huh?" Serefina was puzzled. She hadn't exactly had much experience with amnesia or anything. Though she knew a conk on the head could leave people disoriented for a while.

"You're Joseph Demeter. A hand on board Prince Marlon Zephre's merchant ship. We were on our way to Chiazu. My name is..." She thought for a second, he knew her as A'ska, and if he regained her memories, then it was quite likely she'd get blamed for the shipwreck. There was a reason most ships wouldn't take females on board.

"I'm Reinelle...." She couldn't give her occupation, since at the moment, she didn't have her sword...Oh sweet primes, her sword... Suddenly, and without warning, tears started pouring down her cheeks as her arms wrapped around her body, and she began rocking herself to calm down. Her sword was lost to the depths.

Originally Posted by Tabi Kat

She didn't know exactly what the elven woman meant, but she got the general gist, and so replied in kind, "Seasa Omentien lle, arwen Alexiel." Much like her brother, Bridget had a flare and gift for languages, and so was picking them up rather quickly. She looked at the gryphons and then over to Reginald.

"I want Lady Alexiel to have one of the best rooms, Mama will want to meet her." She grinned, she was going to get something and Marlon wouldn't even know about it. She loved to one up her brother, even if she did adore him.

Reginald looked at the elves and then back to Bridget, not sure how much the Lady Queen would truly want to have such...barbarians close to the royal quarters. "I..."

"Yes, Reginald. Do as Bridget says. I believe we owe our guests some comfort after their long sea voyage." The queen stepped out from behind the pillar, looking every inch a queen, From the crown on her head to the rich fabric of her clothing, a rich purple that matched with her green eyes quite nicely.

Alex wasn't quite sure what went on between the princess and Reginald but her attention was soon drawn to another person, a person much more lavishly dressed than the child and one who carried herself with an aire of importance. Alexiel rose to her feet then so that she could give a courtesy and a bow to the woman, shifting the creature in her arms to keep him comfortable as her body moved. Her guards behind her attempted as much of a bow as they could muster with the cages still in their hands.

Originally Posted by Tabi Kat

"Huh?" Serefina was puzzled. She hadn't exactly had much experience with amnesia or anything. Though she knew a conk on the head could leave people disoriented for a while.

"You're Joseph Demeter. A hand on board Prince Marlon Zephre's merchant ship. We were on our way to Chiazu. My name is..." She thought for a second, he knew her as A'ska, and if he regained her memories, then it was quite likely she'd get blamed for the shipwreck. There was a reason most ships wouldn't take females on board.

"I'm Reinelle...." She couldn't give her occupation, since at the moment, she didn't have her sword...Oh sweet primes, her sword... Suddenly, and without warning, tears started pouring down her cheeks as her arms wrapped around her body, and she began rocking herself to calm down. Her sword was lost to the depths.

"I see..."

His head was ringing as the memories slowly came back, one after another. Something about his father's line of work and a ship that was headed towards.... where? Erios, right. And then they had to book it out of there before they were seen for some reason that he still didn't know, and...

...And then she was crying.

Shit! Shit, shit, shit, what did I do?

His hands moved around as if they were in some kind of panic. What was wrong? Had he said something to upset her? Last he checked, he hadn't saisd much, so... it had to be something else. Without any sort of other inkling of what to do, Joseph made his way over to Reinelle and made an attempt to hold her.

"It's all right... whatever it is, it's going to be all right."

Not like he knew what was wrong, but you have to give him points for trying.

Originally Posted by Kanashimi Kurai

Alex wasn't quite sure what went on between the princess and Reginald but her attention was soon drawn to another person, a person much more lavishly dressed than the child and one who carried herself with an aire of importance. Alexiel rose to her feet then so that she could give a courtesy and a bow to the woman, shifting the creature in her arms to keep him comfortable as her body moved. Her guards behind her attempted as much of a bow as they could muster with the cages still in their hands.

"Oh, it's quite alright. Please stand.." She motioned for them to stand up. Like much of Duvah, she really wasn't one for pomp and circumstance. And much like Alexiel and her daughter, if she could get away with pants, she'd do it in a heartbeat. But there were expectations.

"Simply amazing..." She muttered as she watched Alexiel move and then to her daughter. It was strange indeed. She knew that her daughter was her husband's, but her ears had made her wonder about her own sanity and lucidity at times.

"It is a pleasure indeed to meet you, Lady Alexiel."

Bridget looked over at Reginald, and stuck her tongue out at him behind the queen's back. But the queen caught it and reached out, while talking to Alexiel and grabbed Bridget's tongue in a vice like grip. "Young ladies do not stick their tongues out at courtiers." The girl nodded, and had the decency to blush.

As Joseph wrapped his arms around Serefina, for once she didn't stop him like she would have many men. She wasn't much of one for public affection. But this time was an exception. Her sword was as close to her as her brother. It was made with her own soul energy, and forged with her own blood. And it was lost, and many a paladin had gone insane after losing their sword.

She didn't say anything, just sat there in his arms, being cradled by him while she cried like an infant, for something she couldn't name but needed desperately.

As the Persistence made it's way through the waters nearing the grouping of islands more broken pieces of the ship and items that were aboard were found drifting on the sea, an indicator that they were getting closer to the original area of the wreckage. They could never be entirely sure as to where the ship was destroyed exactly due to the tides but the officers had narrowed it down to a general 10 mile radius.

The sun was starting to set and the Persistence was still not within sight of the grouping of islands that they were to investigate. Suki, with very little sleep, had kept a keen eye on watch all day since she was awoken for anything that would be important on the horizon. A ship, a sail, the faintest shimmer on the ocean sea...

It was just then that the sun's fading but glorious light hit something that reflected in a manner that was different from the water. Suki only saw the shimmer out of the corner of her eye, but immediately turned her telescope to the water which revealed what appeared to be a floating trunk with a crest of arms on it. Suki was unable to recognize the crest from that distance but she was able to know that it was of noble blood from the silver gilding.

"Mr. Yuan. Please give my compliments to the captain and let him know that we are sending out a boat to pick up a piece of important wreckage." Suki stated to one midshipman and then turned to the other, "Mr. Xuan, please bring two hands along with you to retrieve that trunk."

--------------

"This is the piece that was retrieved?" The Captain asked, walking around the water soaked trunk that had been brought into the officer's dining area.

"Yes, sir. The markings there are Eriosian, and the gilded crest, I believe is of nobility close to the royal family." Suki replied, gesturing to the trunk.

"So this rules out your guess that the ship was infact, Duvahian then Lieutenant?" The Captain stated, pausing to inspect the crest more closely.

"Yes, sir, it does appear that way." Suki agreed, pausing before continuing, "But I am inclined to still believe that the lettering on the wreckage that was recovered was Duvahian and not Eriosian. The lettering is not at all the same."

"Can you read this inscription here, Lieutenant?"

"I'm sorry sir, I can only make out one word. I am not very fluent in Eriosian." Suki replied with a little bit of a frustrated blush.

"Ah, so you recognize this word?" The captain indicated the first word in the inscription.

"No sir, this word here," Suki replied, indicating the last word in the sentence, "Honor."

It appeared as if the Captain was quite bemused by this. Suki looked at him, slightly puzzled as to what was making his lips quirk upwards at the end ever so slightly, but she did not question him.

"The phrase here, Lieutenant Mai, is 'Love, Truth and Honor'." The Captain replied, indicating each word as he said it, "It's a phrase that is only inscribed on the crests of those in the extreme upper ranks of the nobility, those of royal descent, so you are correct in that speculation."

"Please open the trunk, Lt. Mai." The Captain continued, taking a seat at the table upon which the trunk was place, "It is vital that we know the identity of this person and bring the news at once to the Prince."

Lei Tong stood on the deck of the Assa Gaunon, hands clasped behind his back and his eyes half-closed as he slowly drew a breath of the morning air, then let it out with a relaxed sigh. He repeated this thrice, then slowly moved one foot to the side, until he was standing steadily on the deck, feet shoulder-width apart. Still moving slowly, he bent his knees and tugged lightly on the cloth of his pants at the thighs, to tug them up so he would not step on the bottom hems.

Then, a broad smile broke out across his face as he gracefully slipped into a carefully practiced martial arts form, one that he clearly knew as well as the back of his own hand.

Of course, he had to modify the form just a bit, so that he would hopefully not get in the ways of the sailors moving about the deck. The old man figured that, as long as no one complained, his morning exercises were acceptable. Nothing else got him up and feeling ready in the mornings, though, and nothing had for as long as the man could remember. So if someone did raise a fuss over his slow-moving martial arts practice, well, then Lei Tong would just have to raise his own fuss in defense.

Lei Tong was pleased to be well on his way to Duvah, though he would be grateful when the ship had arrived. With all the traveling he generally had to do around Chiazu, the old man had gotten used to boats, but that did not mean he did not get antsy a few days into traveling.

This had to be the nicest ship on which he had yet traveled, though; Lei Tong was thankful for as much room as he had on the deck.

As he completed his form, the old man took another deep breath, then wandered over to the railing. He took his steel fan from where it hung from his sash, and flicked it open to fan himself gently as he watched the horizon.

-The Dragon's Scale-

His black hair was toyed with by the breeze as he stood upon the deck of the defense group's flagship, one hand behind his back while the other held his spear. The crew was busy all around him, but he was simply content to watch the horizon as if something were out there that he could not define. The man's nostrils flared as he took in the air, and a distasteful frown followed.

"There's been a storm here."

A sailor approached him speedily, whispering something into his ear. The man with black hair and eyes that were a deep brown nodded.

"Yes, I know," he said with a hint of trepidation, "I've heard. A ship's been destroyed in the wake. The sea is unforgiving, even to those with the best of intentions. We are stopping in Duvah soon, correct?"

The sailor nodded. "Of course, Majesty."

The prince of the Chiazuite Empire sighed to himself. "We will send out a search party of two ships once we dock. Inform all captains and hands of the Persistance and the Lotus Petal. Do not ask me why I chose those ships, just go."

The sailor bowed and was off as quickly as he came.

**

Joseph had decided, for all intents and purposes, that he would be staying with this... Reinelle... until they were back on their feet, hopefully on a vessel that was headed back to Duvahian waters. Perhaps then he could get a hold of the rest of his memories. He couldn't help but notice however, that this girl- no, this young woman- was beautiful.

Even when she's sad, he added to himself.

"Hey, were you going to get something for a fire? You might want to let me help you out when you're done. I bet it'd be faster."

"Good Day Mr. Lei Tong, I could have your pants hemmed for you if you'd like." Sayuri said smiling as she approached the relaxed old man. "And you are more than welcome to 'exercise' at the bow. There are fewer people and you will have more room if you would like to do a more extensive exercise." she continued.

Just as Sayuri had opened her mouth to continue the pleasantries, "Sayuri, Osiris is coming!" Marius shouted down from the mast.

"Do not be alarmed Mr. Lei Tong, Osiris is the messenger falcon aboard Sigurd, my second's vessel." Sayuri's eyes began to shine in a pale glow, inticipating the news from Bryn; not that it would be very exciting, but anything was exciting compared to floating, waiting for the Persistance to find the castaways, if there were any. Sayuri was still a bit bitter that she was not searching for the shipwrecked, though understanding that the Expedition was a Military affair and Sayuri was not a part of the Military.

Suki was a little surprised that she was asked to open the trunk, but she did as she was told. Taking the tool that she was given by the Captain's aide, she made a few blows to the place where the lock made the hatch and sure enough, the lock broke apart.

The chest was a very large chest, large enough for Suki to lie down in and be comfortable, so the lid was of course, extremely heavy. The water that the wood had soaked up was also a little bit of a hindrance because it made the wood even heavier. Suki was very careful to make sure that she did not damage the chest itself as she opened it and placed the top behind the chest.

"I believe it's a woman's chest, sir." Suki said, as she held up a few articles of clothing that were clearly cut for a woman, "There's also some pants in here though..."

"A noble couple then, perhaps." The Captain said to himself, watching Suki go through the trunk.

"Yes, it seems so -" Suki broke off in mid sentence and just stared into the trunk.

"What is it Lieutenant?"

"Sir..." Suki said as she drew the item out of the chest with obvious awe and reverence, "A Paladin!"

The sword she pulled out was beautiful and yet deadly. The blade was wrapped in a deep purple binding and the hilt and cross guard were of from a blending of gold and white gold with various precious stones and gems on it.

"It's incredibly light weight sir, the woman who owns this must be very small." Suki stated as she held the sword, gazing down at it barely veiled amazement.

"And royalty, or very close to it." The Captain said with a tone not all too pleased, "Unwrap the sword, Lt. Mai."

Suki unwrapped the sword diligently and was astonished by the handiwork she saw underneath the deep purple material. The blade was double sided and made of a strange combination of metals that Suki had never seen before, but the strangest part was the metal was emitting a strange faint humming sound. It was as if the hum was being sent from far away, the sound of a sword missing it's owner.

"Alright Lt. Mai, you may cover it up again and put it back into the chest." The Captain said, his face dark and cloudy. Suki had never seen the Captain in this mood before and did what she was told without further questioning him, even though she had a million questions regarding the sword.

"Lt. Mai, it is vitally important that you tell no one as to the contents of this chest, especially the sword. I am trusting your word and honor on this matter, I do not want you to disappoint me." The Captain stated with a low, intense voice.

"Yes, sir. It is safe with me." Suki replied, a little hurt that her honor would be at question but happy to be given the opportunity to prove herself.

"The chest will stay in my cabin. You may go and have an hours reprieve before continuing your watch, I will have Mr. Chengeli take over your watch until then." The Captain stated, concluding their interview.

"Aye, aye sir." Suki bowed politely and exited the Captain's quarters. She knew that he would be hiding the chest, as well as hiding the rest of the information that he knew about the owner and the contents of the chest. Suki wished that she could ask him a few questions since she was pretty sure that he knew the answers, but decorum and her acute sense of knowing her place stopped her from doing so. Sleep was of course out of the question for Suki now, but she went to her cabin anyhow to lay in her cot and think things over.

"Oh, thank you, but they're fine," he said with a smile. Then he chuckled and added, "The tailor who made them for me just before I left thought me tall enough to fit them, no, if he made them this way? And at my age, well, I'm allowed to agree with him, that I'm larger than life, I should think." Lei Tong laughed and tugged a little at the britches' drawstring around the waist. "He thought me larger in every dimension!"

He fiddled with the string and retied it around his waist, then bowed to the captain and told her, his tone a bit more serious, "I mean to say that I'm thin to begin with, though, ma'am, not that you haven't been treating me kindly since I stepped aboard. Thank you again, for sparin' me room. I dunno if you would like it aboard your ship, but if you like when we're on dry land again, I could set off a few of my fireworks for you, in thanks."

Lei Tong looked up at her and winked. "'cause I'm sure you have to be wondering what pretty flowers and stars there are inside my collection of bombs you've been transportin'." That was one of the things he loved about fireworks. The old man put them together in secret, using recipies and methods that were kept only between the craftsmen themselves, and then cased everything up in bland outer wrappings to keep them safe. In the end, they all looked the same, except for perhaps slight size differences, but only he knew which ones were blue, or red, and would explode into rings, or chrysanthemums.

Maybe the world was getting smaller these days, but Lei Tong was not about to give up the playful notion that what he performed was magic.

"Osiris?" he asked, bringing his attention back to the present reality. "Interestin', using something like that to talk between ships. Do you only have him, or more than one?" Lei Tong observed that the captain seemed rather excited about whatever news was on the way. Though he was fully aware that it was none of his business, the old man found himself all the more curious about what news this might be.

"Joseph, get your hands off my wife before I hurt you..."

Oh god, his head hurt. And his lung. And his arm. For that matter, he hurt all over. Ah well. As it was, Marlon was coughing and slowly trying to sit up, using his good arm to prop himself up as he looked over at Serefina and Joseph with an annoyed look on his face.

with his comment, obviously his thoughts weren't completely straight, as he hadn't exactly gotten a chance to talk to the Princess about that yet. Ah well. Things were said, mistakes were made, and he just wanted his head to stop hurting.

"Ugh...where are we, anyways? What happened to the ship...?"

Hmm. Looks like his short term memory was gone for now too. Ah well. Of course, as a breeze came up, he noticed something else he had to question.

"And why am I naked?"

Joseph casually removed his arm from Reinelle. His wife, was she? That was fine. There were other women. And then, he blinked for a brief moment. Where did that thought come from? Shaking his head to clear it, he gave three concise answers to the questions.

"Lost, gone, and she did it."

With that, he stood and stretched out. "I'm getting things for a fire; I'll be back soon."

And then he was gone.

Serefina just blinked as Joseph stood up and spoke...and then walked away. Marlon's consciousness hadn't even really registered with her brain yet. It was still a wee bit focused on the sword, or rather the lack thereof. But the lack of a physical presence, made Serefina turn around and look at Marlon.

"You're okay...", she whispered, afraid she was half hallucinating, but then decided she was too happy with the idea of him being alive as she lunged, throwing her tiny body at him, and wrapping him in a deep and tight hug. "Thank the Primes. We don't need a two front war." Well, the paladin part of her brain was in full swing, since she was considering the ramifications of his death, more than anything else.

But eventually, as she clung to him, using his presence to calm her mind, other words sunk into her mind. She pulled back and matched her dark violet eyes to his green, her lips pursed in annoyance as their noses touched.

"...Did you say wife?"

And Marlon, though he winced some as she clung to him, couldn't help but let out a sigh at her initial reaction.

"Of course you'd care more about the war than me. I suppose it was to be expected, knowing you. And yes, wife. I tried to tell you, after you signed those papers, but you didn't exactly feel like listening, so..."

Marlon was a little annoyed, yeah, but at least she was alright. And she could probably get the marriage stopped, if she really wanted to. But ah well.

Okay. Since he didn't really have his sword anymore... though he did still have the belt that matched it... Joseph went to get a few sticks here and there- loose branches, dry leaves, things of that sort. And while he was getting a move on with gathering the materials for the fire, his mind seemed to slowly come out of its haze.

Nnn... a storm. We were headed to Chiazu, trying to get someone or something out of Erios. Marlon... yes, that Marlon. I didn't know he was a prince, but he was with us. Whatever it was we had on that ship with us, I still don't know yet- but the fact is, plain and simple, everyone might have died for that person or thing.

Joseph frowned distastefully.

"Whatever or whoever, it'd better be damned important."

With that thought, and seeing as he had gathered enough materials, he headed back towards the beach.

"Oh..."

Hey, at least she wasn't focusing on the loss of sword, right? "So that was what you wanted to talk to me about when the crew kept dragging me off..." Not that he could tell, but she would blush then. "Then maybe it's not so bad that I want to..." She didn't finish her statement but leaned a little closer and kissed his lips, gently.

"I can't help it if I was raised to think of my country first, But that doesn't mean..." She sighed, and shook her head, she didn't even know what she was thinking.

"...I am happy you're alive..."

Marlon was a bit surprised at the kiss, but you know him. Perverted, thinking she's hot, and more than willing to take this opportunity, even if marriage still wasn't something he was looking forward to. but ah well, he couldn't exactly avoid it now, especially with her as she'd hunt him down, so...

...in short, he kissed her back, after he realized what was going on.

"I'm glad you're safe too. You don't have to marry me if you don't want to, though...you shouldn't feel trapped into this."

Joseph sighed to himself as he remembered something important. To be honest, the man... the prince, Marlon... was injured, right? That meant that when trouble came, no one would be there to defend the two of them. Not like he had any skill in fighting- at least, he didn't remember it- but at least he could stand.

Shit, if only I had the sword that went with this belt here.

He shrugged to himself and began heading back with what little he had (though it would be enough to start something), wondering if anything had happened in the past few... seconds? Minutes? Whatever, he just began making his way back, feeling obligated to stay and watch over them for a bit.

She leaned back and looked at him, "I may be a bit dense sometimes, but I probably knew what I was doing when I signed the papers." There was a bit of an impish grin. "I didn't sign them after all, until I knew you were the guy they were trying to set me up with." She leaned forward, and brushed her fingers against his arm that still had the rope tied around it; she didn't have anything to cut it free except for the daggers that were on the belt that did still remain on his pants. And she hadn't wanted to touch them since they seemed important.

But rather than dwell on exactly what those emotions meant, she reached for his pants, and tugged one of the daggers free, dragging his pants across his lap as well if he didn't stop it. "I should cut that rope off of you before it becomes part of you."

"Yeah..."

Now, the pants being dragged meant he was exposed again. And he was finally actually looking her over, noticing the shredded state of her clothes, and...seeing quite a bit of her chest in the process. Which made certain parts of his start to pay more attention, until she was working on the rope.

"Ow! Fuckfuckfuckow!"

After that, he'd take a deep breath and try to not make too much of a noise, though it would still be obvious that pulling the rope out from his flesh was ore than a little painful. It had ended up wrapped in tight, what with the waves trying to pull the two of them apart.

Luckily, she was focused on making him better, instead of well...other things. She eased the rope away, cleansed the blade, so he wouldn't get an infection and then sliced a little, eased more rope away, sliced a little more. After a moment or two, the blood began to seep over her hands, making it more difficult to continue.

She looked at the wound, and then back to his face, and leaned over and kissed him. "Even if you annul the marriage, I might as well make use of it while I can." She smiled, and pressed a little longer this time, hoping the kissing would at least distract him slightly.

"Once the rope is gone, I can heal it...but there will still be scarring...I'm sorry..." She touched the blade again, and cleansed it again, finally pulling all of the rope away from his arm. "At least you'll have some scars to go with those toned thighs of yours, your majesty." She joked, "A mere merchant...I was stupid to ever believe that..."

Well, if this wasn't a bad enough situation...

"Hey, is everything- whoa."

Joseph almost dropped his sticks as he took stock of the sight before him. To be honest, he wasn't fazed in the least, but somewhat amused. With what she was looking at... well, he couldn't help but smirk a bit. "Well, you guys are married, though I don't see a ring or anything. Still..."

Then he saw the wounds from where the rope had been embedded in Marlon's arm and hissed. "Salt water is a bitch." With that, he began moving towards a good, visible spot where the smoke from the fire could be seen. He'd get more later- right now he wanted to see just how awkward he could make things.

Yeah, the kiss was nice, but the pain was kinda distracting from it. And after that, it was kinda hard to talk. So when he noticed Joseph coming back, as much as he wanted to say more right now, it'd have to wait until she'd healed his arm.

As it was, he used the one sentence he could force out for a single statement. As he felt it was kinda needed, with more people there. His voice was laced with pain, though.

"Pants, please?"