Thieves and Guards

Not in the mood for intro. To the story!
*********
Martin and Sona weren’t the first ones to arrive at Dean’s shop. The three retired soldiers were already there, joking over a drink. They had stopped quickly offering him anything to drink once he explained that drinking made him sick. They and Dean sat in the far corner of the shop, a single lantern illuminating their corner.

“Look who finally decided to show up,” Trey teased, turning as they entered.

“Nice disguise,” Jared added, noting Martin’s wig, glasses, and tattered clothes.

“I can’t just walk around Nacre after dark without guards,” Martin pointed out, pulling the wig off. “I had to do something.”

“And who’s this?” Devin asked, eyeing the pretty researcher.

“I’m Sona,” she answered, smirking a bit. “Martin asked for my help.”

“Sona?” Dean asked, frowning. “You mean the same young spy you rescued in Jewel Valley?”

Martin flinched as Sona sharply turned to him. “Yes…”

“Martin,” she said firmly. “What’s this about?”

“I didn’t start the rumors!”

“What rumors?”

“I think our prince is in trouble,” Devin muttered to the others.

“Should we save him?” Jared asked.

“Nay,” Trey brushed off. “He can handle himself.”

“I’ll explain later,” Martin promised Sona, feeling a bit uneasy. She wasn’t going to take those rumors well. “We have a reason for being here.”

“But not everyone is here,” Trey said, grinning. “We need some entertainment to pass the time.”

“What do you mean not everyone is here?”

Martin turned to find Willy, Steve, and Phillip just inside the door. All three wore nondescript clothes, though Willy still held onto his red ruby cane.

“We’re still expecting a couple of people,” Martin answered. “We’ll give them a few more minutes before we get started.”

Phillip snorted and did a quick scan of the room, as only as a thief could do. However, there was a reason why Martin had picked Dean’s shop for their meeting. Dean didn’t flaunt wealth. He was a baker who tried to make people’s days by providing the best food he could. Stealing from Mott would be pointless. However, there was one thing that caught the Head Thief’s eye.

“Hello,” he said, eyeing Sona up and down. He stepped up to her and gently took her hand. “And who are you, my beauty?”

Sona moved too quickly for the thief to even react. Without blinking an eye, she grabbed the thief’s wrist and spun him around, locking his arm behind his back. Before Phillip could do anything, she then kicked him in the butt, pushing him away from her.

The men stared in shock at the sudden display.

“Who is she?” Willy asked, his eyes wide.

“If I had it my way,” Martin said, beaming with pride. He had taught Sona that trick. “She’s your future queen.”

Shock even more powerful than before hit him. Dean and the soldiers looked as if someone had slapped them when the thieves had the blood drain from their faces.

“Martin,” Sona snorted, her hands on her hips. “You didn’t need to tell them that.”

“Why not?” he asked, shrugging. “This is a secret meeting and we’re not going to say anything about it to anyone. Beside, Devin and his crew want to talk to you.”

Sona tried to glare at him but only ended up smirking. “You stupid idiot.”

“Stupid idiot?” Dean asked, the first one to find his voice again. “You call him stupid idiot?”

“I can call him anything I want,” Sona said dismissively. “It doesn’t faze him.”

“Not much fazes our prince,” Willy agreed, keeping a safe distance from the pretty researcher.

“I can think of a couple things that can faze him.”

“Ah,” Martin said, turning again to the door. “The last of our members. For the time being, anyway.”

Thomas and Kriste entered the shop, they too wore disguises. At a casual glance, they looked like any other happily married couple.

“My friend Thomas and his wife Kriste,” Martin introduced. “Master sabotagers.”

“You flatter us,” Thomas said, grinning. “I just come up with cool toys.”

“That go boom,” Kriste teased.

“You have odd friends,” Devin said slowly, glancing at the three spies.

“He’s an odd sort of person,” Phillip said, rubbing his backside. He too kept a safe distance from Sona. “He came to us for our help.”

“And who is us?” Jared asked, now suspicious of the three thieves.

“Allow me,” Martin said, holding in a sigh. He was pretty sure that the soldiers and Dean wouldn’t mind working with thieves. At least, he hoped they would at least understand the need to.

“This is Steve Noodle,” he started first, knowing it was easier to ease the men into it. “He’s a spy master apprentice.”

The soldiers nodded. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that a spy master apprentice would hang around spies.

“And,” Martin went on, trying not to drag it out, but it was hard. “He’s Willy the Horrid, Head Thief of Evan’s Stand. And he’s Phillip, the Head Thief of Aeterna.”

“What!”

The four men exploded with the word at the same time.

“Now listen,” Martin said firmly, stepping between the honest men with clenched fits and the relaxed, unconcerned thieves. “We need their help.”

“What help can a thief give?” Trey asked, spitting to the side. “They’ll steal us out of house and home before we even turn around!”

“We’ve got an agreement with the prince,” Phillip grumbled. “We help him win this war and we get the chance to retire. Anything he says to help win the war we’ve got to do. He’s told us that we can’t steal until Terk is kicked out of Aeterna.”

“But will you obey your deal with the prince?” Dean growled, cracking his knuckles. Despite being a simple baker, Dean had a large build and he knew how to use it.

“It’s a magical contract,” Willy mumbled. “We can’t break it and neither can he.”

Thomas whistled, looking impressed. “You must have agreed to give them something worth while, my friend.”

“You could say that,” Martin said vaguely. It wasn’t necessary for others to know of the deal he had made with the thieves. The only thing they needed to know was how to work together.

“But I still don’t understand why we need thieves to help us,” Devin snorted, the first of the honest men to relax.

“We’re planning a rebellion type battle here,” Martin pointed out. “Rebellions aren’t normally on the right side of the law. We’re going to need the underground tunnels of Nacre to help us pull off this plan.”

The honest men frowned. “Underground tunnels?” Jared repeated. “I thought the police had uncovered all of them.”

“Ha!” Phillip barked out. “They haven’t all been discovered.”

“And if the Nacre police can’t find the tunnels, neither can the enemy,” Martin pointed out. “I much rather not have Venter soldiers breathing down our necks as we get ready to attack.”

The honest men shared glances. Martin could feel their strong emotions. Though they didn’t like the idea of working with thieves, they knew what he had said was right. An enemy army was going to be occupying their city. They needed every advantage, even if that meant working with thieves and their illegal tunnels.

“You did say you had this planned out,” Devin finally said. “Well, don’t leave us hanging. What is it?”

Martin took a deep breath. It was time to tell them.

“We’re essentially making Nacre into a giant trap,” he started off. “And I’m the bait. Terk hates me and he won’t stop at anything to get me.”

“Including taking over Nacre,” Thomas added.

“Exactly,” Martin said. “Now, the plan my Ghosts and I came up with is actually very simple. When Terk arrives, those who will be fighting the enemy will disappear to the tunnels. They’re large enough to hold an army and it’s supplies, so we’ll need to stock pile the tunnels before Terk gets here.”

“How long do we have?” Trey asked. “Before Terk gets here?”

“About a month,” Martin admitted. “A bit sooner than I would have liked, but we’re just going to have to deal with it.”

“How are we getting the supplies?” Jared asked. “And how are we supposed to be getting them underground?”

“That’s where I actually come in,” Thomas said, raising his hand. “I’m actually the Duke of Dawson.” Martin flinched as he felt surprise hit him again. He almost felt sorry for these men who agreed to help. They had no idea just who they were dealing with. “I’m going to be making the purchases of supplies we need. My story is that I’ll be sending them home to my estates to help them with the war effort.”

“Instead,” Kriste said, smirking, “we’ll be transferring the supplies underground. Martin’s told us that you old retired soldiers need something to do in your down time. We could always use some extra help.”

“And you need to do some recruiting too,” Thomas sighed. “People you trust. They’re most likely going to be going into hiding when Terk arrives.”

“Why?” Dean asked.

“Because we’re also going to be training them in sabotage,” Sona answered for him. “They’ll know where the supplies are and how to use them.”

“Sabotage?” Devin asked, frowning. “Why sabotage?”

“I’d rather have Terk’s army in the worst condition possible before any actual fighting starts,” Martin said.

“Fighting?” Phillip asked, turning to look at the prince in surprise. “I didn’t know there was going to be actual fighting!”

“Terk is coming here with an army,” Kriste sneered. “We’re going to have to fight them sometime.”

“But…” Dean stuttered. “But! How can we fight them? Isn’t an army coming to help with that?”

“No,” Martin said, shaking his head. “Terk is coming into a trap. There won’t be a visible army for him to attack when he gets here. I want a peaceful take over of Nacre so no one gets hurt.”

“Visible army?” Trey caught. “You’re meaning to have an invisible army here? Where? We don’t have time to train anyone for battle. A month is simply too short. Besides, all the best young men have been already drafted into the army. All we’ll have to work with are young boys and old men.”

Martin smirked. Here was part of the plan that very few people were privy to. It was time to finally tell them. “You didn’t think I came here to Nacre alone, did you?”

Even his friends stared at him, their shocked emotions pounding on him.

“My Ghosts and the army I led are slowly filling Nacre,” he explained. “Since I left the army, news of my men haven’t actually been in the news. They’re just another army now. As we speak, many of them are on official transfer to other armies. However, their real orders are to come here to Nacre, under disguise, and live as normal citizens until I send the word of attack.”

The stillness in the air was nearly pliable. Martin allowed himself a small smirk. It had been a long time since he had stunned his closest friends. Every time he had done something shocking with the Ghosts, they had a tendency to ignore it. They had merely attributed his cleverness with his magical skills. However, among these people, those who knew him at least better than that or had seen first hand what he could do without powers, it was very pleasant to have that shock again.

“You planned everything out,” Phillip finally said, staring at the prince with something close to respect. “Didn’t you? You left nothing to chance.”

“I couldn’t leave anything to chance,” Martin said seriously. “Aeterna is more important to me than anything else. This war has to end.”
*********
“There was one thing that you failed to mention to them.”

“Hum?” Martin asked. He and Sona were back in his apartment. She had insisted on coming back with him. He was sure it was because she wanted to make sure that he didn’t do any more work that day. He sat on the couch in front of the dying fire, his feet propped up on the table.

“What did I forget?”

Sona sat in another chair, her feet curled beneath her. He didn’t mind that she stayed. It was rather nice to just talk with her. She gave him a blank stare. “You didn’t tell them what exactly you were going to be doing when Terk arrives.”

Martin half smiled. “No one asked. But I thought it was obvious. I’m going to disappear.”

Sona nodded, as if she were expecting it. “Thomas, Kriste, and I would think it’s obvious, but the others didn’t.”

“Don’t be so sure,” he yawned, closing his eyes and letting his head rest on the back of the couch. “They’re smarter than you might think. They all know that I’m a master of disguise. I won’t be caught by the Mad General.”

For a long moment, she didn’t say anything. When she finally did, her voice was soft, almost afraid. “Are you sure?”

Martin frowned. He brought his head back up, frowning at her. “What do you mean?”

“Let’s be honest, Martin,” she sighed. “Terk doesn’t just hate you. He really hates you. He’s going to try everything he can to get you out in the open.”

“I know,” he said softly, his heart twisting a bit. Terk had killed Luke to get him to reveal himself. “He’s been prolonging this war to get me.”

“Exactly,” she accused, pointing a finger at him. “He’ll try everything he can to get you in the open. He’ll probably bring mages who’ll detect you using your powers, he’ll torture your friends and family, he might even start murdering citizens! Can you take that risk?”

“Yes, he can.”

They both froze. Martin stared shocked at Sona as she at him.

“You heard that?” she asked, her voice quivering.

“All the time, actually,” he said, stunned. “But… The Spirit doesn’t even talk to Sara or Abigail!”

Sona paled. “The Spirit?” she whispered, her eyes wide. “The Spirit of Aeterna? The magic you’re bound to?”

“Yes,” he said, trying to think through his shock. The Spirit was talking to someone other than him? How was that possible? As far as he knew, it could only talk to him because he was the only one with a strong enough bound to Aeterna to do it.

“Tell her it’s fine.”

“You better explain quick,” Martin said, studying Sona’s face. From the look of relief and confusion from her expression, she did not hear the Spirit this time.

“You’re right that you’re the only one with a strong enough bound to talk to us,” the Spirit answered. “But she’s the only Aeternan with a strong enough bound to you. You’re a lonely man, Martin Santer. She’s the only one you’ve ever let close. Because of that, we at times can talk to her. Not often, but there are moments when we feel that we should.”

“I’m worried about what type of moments,” Martin replied, the shock wearing off.

“Nothing to worry your head about,” the Spirit said. “We’ll take care of it.”

Martin sighed. He didn’t like it when others said that they’d take care of it. He always felt that something would go wrong.

“Well?” Sona asked, sounding worried. “What’d did Aeterna have to say?”

“That you’re the only one close enough to me to allow it to talk to you,” he summarized. He suddenly grinned, a thought brightening the stunned moment. “You know what that means, don’t you?”

She frowned. “No. What?”

He winked at her. “The Spirit approves of you.”
***********
George Petra sat behind his desk, a rare event indeed. He may be the Commander of Guards at the palace, but he rarely used his office. He had a firm belief that as a leader, he had to be with the men under his command. They deserved to know their commanding officer. Not only that, Petra believed that he shouldn’t ask his men to do anything he himself wouldn’t do.

Besides, a desk job never appealed to him.

However, there was paperwork involved with his job. Petra gave himself only one day in the office a week. The rest was spent with his men. Because he only did paper work one day a week, the pile of work for him was larger than he liked. He rubbed his temple as he read another report about a disciplinary act that he had been present for. There was so much paperwork to do, that he toyed with the idea of just skipping all the disciplinary papers, but he didn’t. Regulations stated that he had to read all of it.

“Why do you put up with this much paperwork in one sitting?”

Petra frowned. He hadn’t heard anyone enter his office. Glancing up, he was a bit surprise to see Prince Martin standing just inside the closed door, his arms folded. Just as quickly as he was surprised, Petra berated himself. Prince Martin was also the Alex. He could very easily snuck into his office, took whatever he wanted, and left, all with him inside the office and never knowing he was there.

“Your Highness,” he said, standing and bowing. He noted the slight flinch from the prince. Another reaction he wasn’t surprised to see. Petra had known Martin for a few years now, long before anyone knew the prince was still alive. Martin had been his cousin’s Luke’s friend. It had been a shock to learn that Martin was the prince, but not so much a shock to know he managed to keep the truth from everyone. Martin didn’t like anyone close.

“I know it’s a lot of paperwork,” Petra answered, straightening. “But if I get it done all in one sitting, I don’t have to worry about it later. Now, how can I serve you?”

Martin’s eyes flickered to the door then back to him. Petra wouldn’t have noticed if he didn’t know about the prince’s training as a spy. Martin may be the prince, but he had the habits of a spy. Petra didn’t say anything about it. The prince should keep those skills.

“I’m here to ask for a favor,” the prince said, leaning against the door. “No doubt you’ve had complaints from your guards about me.”

Petra nodded. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that. They’re very upset that you keep disappearing on them.”

“You don’t worry,” the prince shrewdly guessed.

Petra half smiled. “My uncle taught you how. And I’ve seen you fight. I’m not worried about you getting hurt.”

“But the guards are,” Martin pointed out. “I know that we’re not supposed to tell them about my spying skills, but we need to do something to ease their minds before they get drastic, like locking me in my rooms.”

The Guard Commander raised an eyebrow. The prince used the word ‘we.’ He had come for help. That was something he didn’t remember Luke’s friend did. Martin nearly always worked alone. “Do you have something in mind?” he asked, sitting back down. “They won’t believe us if we simply tell them to stop worrying.”

The prince smiled. “As a matter of fact, I do.”
**********
Paul Bennett and the other guards for the prince had been summoned to meet with Commander Petra.

“I wonder why he’s summoned us,” Bruce Skinner grumbled. “I hope it isn’t to chew us out.”

“Petra doesn’t chew people out,” Mel Ranglack pointed out. “He gives the dreaded silent disappointment treatment. That’s ten times worse.”

Paul couldn’t agree more. No one liked it when Petra gave the silent treatment. He had never had it happen to him and he didn’t want it to. However, there was a very real possibility that it would happen at this meeting.

“It’s unfair,” Paul grumbled. “The prince disappears on us. It’s not like we let him get away.”

“How can he pull it off?” Mel asked, sighing. “I’ve never heard of anyone able to evade eight guards surrounding them.”

“Our prince is a pain in the butt,” Bruce agreed. “I sure hope that we aren’t getting in trouble for loosing him so often.”

The other guards agreed with them. They all walked slowly to the meeting place. Instead of the usual conference room they use, Petra had asked that they meet him in the Training Hall. Paul thought it was a bit insulting to be meeting there. The Training Hall was just that, a hall used to train guards. Newbies would be put through the practice of protecting a puppet from everything ranging from fire to assassins. Every single guard assigned to a Santer had all received top scores during that training. They couldn’t leave the lives of the Santers to just anyone.

So why doesn’t our prince let us protect him? Paul thought bitterly. The excitement at the return of Prince Martin had quickly dropped to disappointment and annoyance.

Petra was waiting for them in the main hall. Petra didn’t look any different than before. At least, he didn’t look disappointed.

“All present?” Petra asked, doing a quick count of their heads. “Seems like it. Then everyone’s got my message.”

“What do you want to meet with us about?” Bruce asked, other muttering the same question under their breaths.

“It’s about a problem you’re having with our prince,” Petra answered, a bit too cheerfully for their comfort.

“You’re finally doing something about it?” Mel asked. He flinched as Petra glanced at him. “Are you going to talk with him?”

“I already have,” Petra said. “So we’ve come up with a solution to the problem. That’s why I’ve asked you to meet me here.”

Paul shared confused looks with the rest of the guards.

“We’re going to have a practice run here in the Training Hall.”

The guards began to grumble. Paul felt his jaw drop, too outraged to say anything. It was the prince who kept disappearing on them! They weren’t the ones to be blamed!

“But sir!” many of the others started to protest.

“No buts,” Petra said firmly. “This is just a simple exercise. You should be able to do it with your eyes close. Now, the puppet is down the hall in the throne room, surrounded by people. You’ve just got word that an assassin is coming. Your job is to stop him.”

“Do we know anything about the assassin?” Mel asked, quickly getting his mind into the roll. Paul wasn’t as quick. This test was ridiculous! How could Petra think they needed more training?

“No,” Petra answered. “You don’t know anything. Positions men. Your test starts…” He paused, waiting for them to scramble into position. “Now.”

Paul ran down to the throne room. It was his specialty to work with the target to get them out. The other guards quickly formed a defensive search line, looking for the assassin. They all knew that Petra was serious about an assassin. Petra always brought in real people to act as the invader. Paul wondered just who this assassin was.

He arrived in the throne room to find it like it always looked. A over large doll sat on the throne, limp over the side. He quickly scanned the room, the other guards rushing into the room to circle the others. The “others” were simple sticks representing someone. Paul ignored them, focusing on the puppet. There was a note on it, one he recognized. Petra had put it there to warn him that the target refused to be removed from danger.

He’s not making this easy on us, Paul thought, joining the other guards as they spread out in the room. His job now changed. His was to protect the target at all costs.

He was on the other side of the room when the “assassin” came in. A quick glance didn’t tell him much. The assassin was average build and dressed in all black, his face covered with a mask. The guards at the door didn’t even let a moment pass before their swords were out and they posed to strike.

The assassin dropped low, kicking out and knocking the feet out from beneath them. The guards went down with a cry. Paul ran to protect the puppet, letting the other guards rush at the intruder. A few other guards ran with him. This was their job. Protect the target once the assassin came. It was a practiced dance they played out a hundred times in this hall.

Smack!

Paul fell to his knees with a cry, pain stinging in the middle of his back. Twisting around, he saw the black painted stone that had struck him. That meant he was dead. Paul groaned. The last time a black stone had hit him during training was his first session in the hall.

Looking back up, his jaw dropped to find that the other guards had also been knocked to the ground. He quickly focused on the target, his stomach dropping.

The assassin had driven a spear through it.

How… Paul wondered, rising to his feet. Looking around the room, the other guards came in, rubbing various body parts where they got hit. There was a general state of confusion and shock. How could one man had fought through all of them and killed the target? The Santer guards weren’t known for their failures. They were feared for their abilities. Ghost recruiters often tried to lure them away into the Ghosts.

“Well,” Petra said, strolling into the room as the last trudged in. “Seems the target is dead.”

“No,” Paul said loudly and sarcastically, “really?” He had nearly lost it. “What was the point of this?” he demanded to know, pointing to the assassin on the dais. He was actually leaning against the spear that ran through the puppet, his posture almost mocking. “You bring in a man who beats us to a pulp in a few minutes and kills the target. What’s this supposed to prove? It’s the prince keeps who’s disappearing on us! If anything, you should talk to him about stopping that so we can protect him!”

“Paul’s right,” Mel agreed, clenching his fists. “We don’t need the humbling lesson. We need the prince to let us protect him!”

The other guards started shouting the same things, throwing out insults as well. Petra let them at it for a moment before he gave them the silence gesture across his throat. They fell silent, though there was still the sound of heavy breathing in the air.

“This practice run wasn’t to humiliate you,” Petra said evenly. “The assassin I brought in is, thankfully, on our side. You won’t have to worry about meeting anyone near close to what he can do.”

“Then why bring him in?” Bruce sneered. “Our problem is with our prince’s disappearance acts!”

“Would you like to meet our guest assassin?” Petra asked, ignoring the question. There were groans but no protests. Petra walked up to the dais, the assassin still leaning against the spear.

“Our assassin has been trained in fighting,” Petra said, not actually mounting the dais. “He’s one of the finest fighters I know, and that’s saying much.” Paul had to grudgingly agree. Petra never compliment people on their fighting skills unless they met a master’s level. “When he was fourteen, we had a practice fight. I had a sword and he nothing. He beat me.”

The grumbles suddenly vanished, replaced by gasps of shock. Petra was considered one of the best guards in the world. He had stopped countless attacks on the Santers. To have someone who was able to beat him with nothing, when he had a weapon, meant that the assassin was probably the most dangerous fighter in the world.

“Our assassin,” Petra said, gesturing behind him as the man took off the mask. “Prince Martin.”

Paul felt as if someone had punched him in the gut. The prince tossed the mask on the throne as he ran a hand through his short dark hair. Paul was sure that his mouth was hanging open, but he couldn’t care.

Prince Martin did this?

“What Petra said was right,” the prince said, leaning back on the spear. “This wasn’t supposed to humiliate you. It’s actually to show you what I can do.”

“Our prince has a surprising number of talents,” Petra said blandly. “I know he keeps disappearing on you and I would have confronted him about it, but…” He paused to sigh. “I’ve seen first hand just how dangerous our prince can really be.”

Paul couldn’t find his voice. No wonder Petra hadn’t said anything to them about the prince’s skills. They had to see it to believe it.

“Did you learn this as a Ghost?” Bruce asked, too shocked to use the honorific title for the prince. “Beating the enemy to a pulp with your bare hands?”

Prince Martin shrugged. “No. I learned it elsewhere.”

“Elsewhere as in where?” another guard asked.

The prince just smiled and answered nothing.

“I guess it’s pointless to protect you,” Mel groaned, his shoulders slumping. “You could easily take on ten men and win.”

“You’ve fought fifteen and won, haven’t you?” Petra asked, turning to the prince.

“That’s a rumor,” the prince said firmly. “I’ve fought nine once, and I did come out with some scratches with that one. I’m more likely to disappear when there’s any more than ten.”

“Good idea,” Petra said approvingly. “Good skills.”

“Great skills,” Paul blurted out. “What does he need us for?”

The prince gazed down at him, meeting his eyes. Paul froze, locked in place by those hazel eyes. He couldn’t explain his sudden stiffness, but the prince’s stare was hard to break.

“Personally,” Prince Martin said, his tone soft and gentle, “I actually don’t need you. But Aeterna does.”

“Aeterna?” Mel asked.

The prince finally broke his gaze to look over all of them. Paul tried not to gasp in relief.

“I’m used to being on my own,” Prince Martin explained. “It’s why I’m able to fight so well. But I’m still learning how to be a prince. You won’t be protecting me, you’re protecting an image of a prince who’s still learning.”

Paul wasn’t the only one to frown.

“You want us to protect an image?” Bruce asked, a hint of anger returning to his tone.

“No,” the prince said firmly. “I need you to protect a still learning prince. When I’m in public, I can’t go around displaying my skills with every passing assassin. You’ll be there when the public needs to see you protecting me.”

“And when the public isn’t here?” Mel asked shrewdly.

Prince Martin grinned rather mischievously. “Well, you won’t have to worry about me.”

Paul chuckled with the others.

No they had no need to worry any longer when the prince disappeared.
************
And that takes care of the guards. Now Martin can disappear without them grumbling.

Thanks for letting people know about my blog.I think a few people have been reading it now. Let's keep up the promoting, shall we?

Now I'm too preoccupied to say much more. (I'm planning on rewriting the Dawmeria). Thanks for reading and enjoy the journey!