Fable - Ask Sly Sabotage

[Soleil Verdane]

It was an easy mission. So why did they get removed from it?

Soleil had been excited. Which wasn't new. Missions always excited her. Far more than sitting in a classroom, wherein she drifted in her attention and seemed to study far more her fellow Initiates in the class than whatever material the class Proctor was teaching. Marks did not seem to be very important to her.

Missions were important to her.

What they did on missions was important to her.

So she sat, vexed, on a crate near the sparring grounds. The class below them was practicing in the rings, overseen by two Proctors. For Soleil and those of her class, it was free period.

It was a simple mission. Retrieve stolen item from a gang of thieves before they left Anirian lands and disappeared. Minor noble House wanted it done. And who replaced them, Soleil and the two others she had been tasked with? Flavien, the boy with the biggest ego in the whole of the Academy; Carter, one of the few who was part of Flavien's group, a bigger boy with a hunchback that made him look like an ogre to match his somewhat dim intelligence; and Ambrosie, the odd one out from the other two, a girl who, before the Revolution came, actually had been punished in the Box for notably saving a fellow Initiate's life.

Soleil listened to the other two who would have been on this mission with her. They didn't like being dropped from it in favor of Flavien either.

Then Soleil smiled mischievously.

And suggested into their venting conversation:

"Sabotage."

 

[Cyrus Ridgemont]

Cyrus had finished his sparring session and was headed back to get cleaned up when he heard one of his favorite words.

Sabotage.

Ridgemont stopped short and turned to look at the crate where the voice had come from. Little Soleil was the one suggesting such a thing and he was immediately interested in finding out what was up.

"Hey, Sandy!" He said by way of greeting as he came to stand in front of the crate.

Cyrus called everyone by nicknames and Sandy had just fit Soleil so well that it stuck. He didn't care if she liked it or not because it was what he did. Honestly...if you had a nickname from Cyrus that usually meant he liked you.

"Who are we sabotaging?" He smiled his lopsided smile that scrunched up his scar slightly.

---

Soleil Verdane

 

[Soleil Verdane]

Soleil brightened when Cyrus echoed the word back to her. Sabotage.

To have had their mission taken from them without explanation from the Proctors was upsetting. And here seemed to be the next best thing. A nascent idea, this sabotage, put it had surely been done in the past. Not that anyone would know, because no one, of course, would ever tell.

"Flavien. Carter. Ambrosie." The very same who had been given the mission Soleil, Cyrus, and their last companion were to have gone on themselves.

Soleil made a popping sound with her lips.

"Flavien? Big head. Carter? Big stupid. Ambrosie?"

She paused. Seemed to think on that one, why Ambrosie was deserving of the sabotage.

"Naive." She smiled, and it was a trickster's smile all right. "Opportunity! Learn lesson."

Cyrus Ridgemont

 

[Zinnia]

Cyrus had apparently been unaware of the reassignment, but Zinnia certainly was not. In fact, this was the most depressing thing to have happened to her in a good while. Sure, Zinnia was like a deer caught in a searchlight when it came to talking to her fellow initiates, but she prided herself on doing missions and following orders. That was why it came as such a heavy blow when the order was that she, Soleil, and...eugh, Cyrus, had been taken off the mission she'd quite excited to do.

Curiously enough, Soleil, the poor odd thing, seemed to be just as perturbed by all of this. Zinnia hadn't been aware that much of anything bothered Soleil. She was always just so...aloof. Yes, that was a polite word for it, "aloof."

Even more of a shock was it that Soleil had come to the conclusion that personal revenge was the appropriate reaction to having been booted from the operation. With nothing better to do for their now very open free period, Zinnia had simply been sitting nearby flipping through a war hammer treatise and memorizing the stances.

"I...Soleil, that will j-just get us in more trouble..." Zinnia warned the strange girl, though her tone was sullen and her disappointment not well hidden.

 

[Cyrus Ridgemont]

"Ahhh right..." Cyrus had heard about the reassignment but he really hadn't cared too much. Honestly, it sounded like fucking hell going on a mission with the crazy sand girl and the easily startled one. He had already moved on with his life until Soleil suggested a fun activity.

Cyrus turned at the sound of the easily startled one's voice. Zinny Zin had arrived. He turned his charming smile on the new arrival before crossing his arms over his chest.

"Maybe or it will show them that we were the best options for the assignment and they will regret their decisions..." He shrugged nonchalantly.

 

[Soleil Verdane]

Soleil nodded vigorously in agreement with Cyrus. Fissures opened up on either side of her mouth and rippled like the smooth migration of dunes up the curve of her jaw, disappearing beneath her ear as her flesh sealed itself once more.

So she focused a little more on Zinnia. "No trouble," she said.

Then she pressed a finger to the side of her head. She slid off of the crate and pressed the same finger to the side of Cyrus's head. Then finally to the side of Zinnia's head.

And she declared slyly, "Clever."

Soleil trilled her tongue then and brought her palms together and rubbed them steadily, the swish-swish-swish sound of her hands serving as a preamble to her plan.

"Find bandits. Help bandits. Embarrass!" For added emphasis: "Booooo Flavien!"

Cyrus Ridgemont Zinnia

 

[Zinnia]

Zinnia watched nervously as Soleil schemed, an impossibly wide, Cheshire grin seeming to peel across he entire face. Zinnia swallowed, unable to decide if it was her or Vasha that more regularly exhibited disturbing body horror to their peers.

The wallflower winced when Soleil slipped a finger by her hood and pressed it to her temple. It was...oddly coarse. Zinnia's brow wrinkled in concern and confusion as the odd girl declared her plan. They were to...*cleverly*....find the bandits they'd been meant to put down and...help them?

"H-how would we, um...go about all of this?"

 

[Cyrus Ridgemont]

Cyrus made a face and shook his head. He didn't mean for them to help the bandits. That was a terrible idea.

"Yeah...that isn't the best idea, Soleil, but I will let you two figure something out..."

He smiled and started to walk off with a wave.

 

[Larkin]

Larkin hadn't really minded that his] assignment had changed, it meant more time to perfect a song he'd been working on for months. He just couldn't seem to get the melody quite right. He was humming slightly, hair caught by the wind as he strolled.

He paused mid step, his mismatched eyes catching sight of Soliel and Zinnia conspiring. They too had been on the same assignment as he had been. He turned on his heel to greet the two, ever curious.

"What are you two lovely ladies up to, it looks like no good. If you need an extra hand, I'm happy to help." He gave Zinna a quick wink with his golden eye, his other twinkling with mischief.

Zinnia Soleil Verdane

 

[Soleil Verdane]

It didn't take long to get Larkin embroiled in the idea for sabotage—especially not with Soleil's truncated manner of speech. Simple: she, Zinnia, and Larkin had been dropped from the mission to recover the valuable curio from the bandits. Replaced by Flavien, Carter, and Ambrosie. So there was only one solution: make Flavien and them look like fools. Soleil, Zinnia, Larkin, they would find the bandits before Flavien. They would help the bandits escape Anirian lands with the curio still in hand.

The idea was simple, yes. But the execution might be tricky.

Soleil looked from Zinnia to Larkin, back and forth. A little fissure opened in the center of her chin and glided up toward her right eye before smoothing out and disappearing.

"Need good cover story," Soleil said. "New Proctors? Dumb." Then she wagged a finger. "But not that dumb."

That was the key: brainstorming a good reason for the three of them to disappear for some number of days from the Academy. Despite what Soleil had said, maybe they could take advantage of one of the newer Proctors. Or maybe craft some endearing lie to one of those gullible Guard Captains. Or maybe enlist the help of another Initiate who might be going on a mission elsewhere to give them an alibi.

Zinnia Larkin

 

[Zinnia]

"Beet red" didn't even begin to describe the hue that Zinnia's face took at Larkin's sudden intrusion. Larkin was one of the few boys in the world that she would have described as "pretty," and that was probably an understatement. There was no way she would have expected him to talk to her just...because, but here he had. Not only that, but he'd suggested that Zinnia was "lovely?!"

The wink that followed was a killing blow. The steel aegis of her armor made an audible hiss as steam leaked out of it, an accidental manifestation of Zinnia's magic. This, of course, only served to embarrass Zinnia further. She quickly closed her treatise and pulled down on her hood in an attempt at hiding her shame.

"H-hi...Larkin..." She squeaked out with a quick glance from under her hood.

Soleil proceeded to lay out the plan in her usual disjointed, barebones manner of speaking. None of this sounded like a good idea. Wouldn't they be actively harming Vel Anir by aiding enemies of the state?

But...if Larkin was involved...maybe it wasn't as bad as she was building it in her head to be.

Yeah. Yeah! Plus, this was sort of a rebellious kind of thing to do, right? Maybe that would make the other initiates think she was cooler. A display of her gumption! An act of defiance in the spirit of the great Anirian Rebellion!

"Um...th-there are sign-ups for r-ranger duty...the proctor in charge of it, Proctor Snicket, is n-new..." Zinnia hesitantly suggested. "That would put us out in the w-woods, and if we s-slipped away then we c-could say we got lost. Sn-Snicket m-might not say anything about it b-because of the whole...graduation...thing..."

She trailed off, realizing how devious this all sounded now that she'd said it aloud. Oh dear.

 

[Larkin]

Soleil was endearing in her strange ways, people tended to be offput by it. It didn't bother Larkin, nothing much at all bothered him. She was always entranced by new things, and it could be fun to watch if not dangerous at times.

Zinnia was obviously shy, and it made her hard to get know. With persistence, perhaps she'd be more willing to open it. He noticed he may have come on a little strong with the charm, but she deserved to be complimented.

With Soleil's offer of potential options, Zinnia was quite quick to add to it. What they were doing was absolutely wrong, but everything about the academy was wrong anyways.

He smiled softly at Zinnia as she retreated into her hood, ignoring the hiss that emanated from her. It wasn't kind to point out her embarrassment after all. He began to nod as the shy girl spoke, it was definitely plausible. Even if they did get in trouble, he was so charming he was sure he could lessen the blow.

"I think that's absolutely plausible Zinnia. I think we should try it. I'm sure we can persuade him easily enough. Smart thinking." He tapped a finger to his head in acknowledgement and mentioned fir the shy girl to lead them onward. "We have your back one hundred percent, don't we Soleil?"

 

[Soleil Verdane]

Soleil listened, the sunbathed dunes of her eyes relentless upon Zinnia in their receptive intent. Over the course of Zinnia's suggestion, Soleil's smile grew in slow proportion and split open in equally slow proportion to a grin.

We have your back one hundred percent, don't we Soleil?

"Yes." Then she leaned forward toward Zinnia (or rather, seemed to slither forward, such was the curving, deliberate movement of her lean). She reached up again. Pressed her finger to the side of Zinnia's head once more. "See? Clever."

Soleil whipped back suddenly, and apparently for little reason. She folded her hands behind her back and paced around, imitating how a Guard Major had delivered a recent speech on the Academy grounds.

"Plan!" She said as she paced. "Three things. Us three. Fitting!"

"One. Proctor Snicket. Stupid. Believe anything. Do sign-ups, us three. Easy? Mmhmm!"

"Two. Distract Flavien. Stall. Delay. Very devious! Buy time. Any means."

"Three. Ambrosie. Gullible. To her, talk! Or spy. Either way, big mouth. She tells details. Where to go, of course!"

Soleil glanced over Larkin. Over Zinnia. She seemed to be categorizing who would be best for what task. But instead, she looked to each of them again, and asked the two of them separately, "What do?"

Zinnia Larkin

 

[Zinnia]

Zinnia pursed her lips and reddened again as Soleil praised her in her curious way. That girl was always somewhere between charming and unsettling, and Zinnia could never decide which was the more dominant trait. She managed to elicit a jump from the wallflower when she snapped back into place, plotting like a villain in a storybook.

Step two was upon them now, it seemed. Zinnia sighed.
"I can t-talk to Snicket. That part was m-my idea anyways."

 

[Larkin]

Larkin could see that Zinnia was struggling a little bit, the poor girl. Confidence was something she lacked, and he hoped that it was something she'd come into eventually. He made a note to continue to try and befriend her, if she had people to count on perhaps she'd be more confident.

Soleil began to pace, she looked exactly like a proctor or guard would, mimicry seemed prevalent in her mannerisms. A flicker of amusement flashed in his mismatched eyes before growing serious again.

Zinnia took on the convincing of Snicket and he nodded. "I believe my strength will be to go after Ambrosie, she's easy enough to distract and get information from." That would leave Soliel with Flavian, and he knew she was definitely capable. "Sound reasonable, Sol?"

Soleil Verdane Zinnia

 

[Soleil Verdane]

"Good," Soleil said. "Zinnia: Snicket." She tilted her head and tiny ripples of flesh caressed their way down her cheekbones before sealing again. "Do not stutter. Or stutter, if advantageous! Good deception, used right."

Larkin took the next job.

Soleil smiled, very pleased. She nodded. Said, "Suits you. Ambrosie? Infatuous eyes. She craves. You? Pretty face. Many girls crave." She pointed over at Zinnia offhandedly. "Cheeks red. A sign! Likes you. See? With Ambrosie, you do well."

Either wholly unaware of saying what was delicate and unstated aloud or simply ignoring that she had done so, Soleil nevertheless proceeded to rub her hands together.

"Flavien? All mine."

Zinnia Larkin

 

[Zinnia]

She clearly wasn't trying to because, being realistic, Soleil was Soleil and she didn't understand the social cues, but that didn't make it any less embarrassing when she pointed out the fact that Zinnia was blushing. The "likes you" comment did not help the situation at all. The red flushed brighter again.

"I-I do not 'c-crave'--ugh." Sufficiently humiliated, Zinnia turned on her heel to go do what she'd been tasked to.

---

Right. Proctor Snicket. He was oddly portly for someone who was supposed to be a Dreadlord proctor, and even Zinnia had heard the rumor that he was supposedly the most unlucky man alive. Reasons for that rumor were all over the place. Some said he'd had seven consecutive wives all die of getting hit by horse-drawn carriages while market shopping. Others said he'd fallen down a well and gotten stuck there for three days, climbed his way back out, and then slipped on a passing rat and fallen back in. Still more claimed he'd been drafted for suicide missions to the Ixchel Wilds on twelve separate occasions.

Regardless of what was true or not, the man was very much alive and, at least visibly, in possession of all of his limbs and digits. He couldn't have been that prone to misfortune. What could be confirmed is that he had a jovial attitude to match his chub and was generally fairly agreeable in comparison to most proctors. Zinnia chalked that up to him being new. It would remain to be seen whether or not a post-revolution proctor would become just as cynical and awful as the old ones tended to.

Sign-ups for scout duty were supposed to be in his office, so that's where Zinnia headed first. No sign of the man. Perhaps the proctors' lounge? That wasn't a terribly far walk. Nope, not here either, though Proctor D'Amour was kind enough to direct Zinnia towards the eastern gates where she'd last seen him. Maybe he'd been doing some kind of demonstration for some of the younger initiates or something. It was worth checking out.

After a good ten minute walk, Zinnia found herself in the wooded area right outside the Academy's eastern gates. Where was he?? There weren't even any initiates out here at this time of day.
"P-Proctor Snicket?" Zinnia called out, cupping her hands around her mouth to help her meek voice carry. "Are y-you out here somewhere?"

A pause. There was some rustling, and then a distant, muffled voice from the tree line. A bit of a deep, bumbling tone to it, the voice sputtered for several seconds before it became coherent.

"Hello? Is someone there?? Terribly sorry, I could do with a spot of help!"

Zinnia jogged in the direction of the answer, both a bit concerned and curious by now.
"Proctor Snicket? Wh-where...?" She trailed off, glancing side to side through the brush.

"Bah, yes, quite. I'm afraid you'll have to shift your gaze upward, my dear."

Zinnia looked up the tree she'd come to stand next to and almost fell back onto her bottom. There was a portly, armored man with graying mutton chops and a coifed mustache, in perhaps the single most precariously tangled position he could have possibly gotten himself into within the boughs of the tree. It looked like a plethora of taut string had somehow gotten wrapped around him, and he dangled between branches as he spun slowly back and forth.

"G-goodness! Proctor are you--?"

"In good health? Fret not, child, for I am of sound body and mind. I fear that I've simply gotten myself into a bit of a pickle. It's a long story, I'm afraid, involving a botched hunting demonstration and a rather dubious and uncooperative bowstring, but I digress. Could you by chance do me a great favor and assist me out of this blasted tree? The blood is beginning to pool in my head and it feels full to bursting!"

The proctor blubbered on, seemingly quite focused on the predicament he'd landed in but not at all concerned on the fact that an initiate had been the one to find him.

"Um...I think so..." She muttered. The gears suddenly clicked into place as Zinnia made to dig out a dagger to cut Snicket down. This was the perfect chance. "C-could...if I help you d-down, could two of my friends and I j-join the scouting p-party for this week?"

"Bah, what? You want to be on ranger duty? Quite a queer time to be posing such a question, but I suppose I could shuffle the schedule around a bit to accommodate that, yes! Please, just get me down already, don't dally!"

"R-right, hold tight! Th-this might hurt..." Zinnia warned, drawing her longbow and knocking it with an arrow tipped in cloudy-looking glass. Her fingers twitched and suddenly the arrowhead was wreathed in stone. She loosed it and the arrow cleanly severed one segment of the twine before slamming into the side of the tree. Instead of lodging in the bark, however, the arrowhead burst, and fragments of sharpened rock scattered in a multitude of directions. Many more strands were instantly cut, and with a "WOAAAHH" and the sound of quickly sliding string on branches, Snicket tumbled out of the tree to land upside down at Zinnia's feet with a loud thud.

"Ah. Quite. You have my sincerest thanks." Proctor Snicket grumbled before pulling himself back to his feet and dusting himself off. "Very well. Scouting duty for you and your friends. Just give me some names and I'll amend the list. Oh, and, if you could avoid spreading word of this incident I would be most grateful, my dear."

"Of c-course, thank you proctor!" Zinnia replied, beaming. That could have gone a lot worse!

 

[Larkin]

Amusement from Soleil's remark begged him to cover his smiling mouth, if only for Zinnia's sake. Still his eyes twinkled with mirth as be nodded at the little sandling girl. He removed the hand from his mouth as he sobered enough to speak. "It sounds like the plan is all but figured out, good luck you two." He sent Zinnia another quick wink before making his way from the girls and to his objective.

------

Larkin hummed as he strode through the courtyard. He often did while absorbed in his thoughts, sometimes pausing to adjust the melody. It was in one of these very pauses that as he jolted to a stop, the person who had been walking behind him ran right into him.

He turned, quite apologetic to the wiry redhead that stood confused by the sudden stop. "Ambrosie, oh I am so sorry. I was lost in thought and didn't even realize you were behind me! Are you alright?"

The pale, freckled girl looked up at him and nodded. "I'm alright, I was on my way to meet my team." He could see her cheeks growing more red by the second the more his mismatched eyes gazed upon her, and he gave her another apologetic smile.

"Let me give you a proper apology. I'm sure your team can wait a while longer. Come with me, I'll make up for the trouble. I promise." The green eyed girl could only look at the pretty boy and nod, mouth slightly agape. Larkin took her arm in his and began walking the opposite direction from where he had started.

He walked aimlessly with her, as this was for information and she needed to be distracted. "So, what is this mission you're on about? Anything interesting?" He procured a flower from a trellis as they walked, sliding it behind Ambrosie's ear.

"I'm not allowed to discuss it..." Larkin sighed and nodded his head, seemingly disappointed. In her haste to recover, she pulled a map from her pocket, giving him a quick glimpse. "We're supposed to be getting something back from some bandits, but I don't know what."

Larkin nodded amicably and smiled. "I hope it goes well enough for you. Sounds like you'll be gone a while." Ambrosie tucked the map back in her pocket and Larkin eyed it briefly. The had reached a particularly pretty clearing and he turned to face her. "It'll be a shame to go without your presence, I do hope you come back quickly." He embraced her then, and she seemed to absorb it easily enough.

Larkin broke the embrace suddenly, a friend on his face. "I've just remembered I need to go meet with a Proctor. I apologize, I must go!" Before she could utter a response, he was already several feet away. He smiled to himself, the map tucked away in his sleeve.

Soleil Verdane Zinnia

 

[Soleil Verdane]

Soleil noticed things. Always noticed things. Knowing was key (and a good memory helped). Even if something was not useful in the moment, could be useful later.

For instance: Flavien had a favorite food. Something he liked to procure from the dining hall before he went out traveling on a mission and had to subsist on the usual travel rations. His favorite food? Cherries. Little sweet tooth. Like Vasha. Similarities ended there.

How to take advantage? Getting inside the dining hall unnoticed was simple. Her whole body didn't need to go. Soleil detached her arms and the clouds of sand rested and waited on the roof above the back door. Academy staff opened the door to dispose of refuse. The clouds of sand slipped in silently. Poor senses in Sandform. Best to know where everything was beforehand—and she did. Cherries? Popular item. Goes quickly. One small crate left before next shipment.

Soleil's sand infiltrated the tiny gaps in the crate. Grains burrowed into each and every cherry. Now? Wait until Flavien came in.

Right on time.

Soleil sat in a corner of the dining hall, a lunch barely touched before her, the loose sleeves of her jacket hanging limp at either side. She hummed a tune, swaying her head back and forth, and pretended to be aloof and lost in her own world. Very powerful, being underestimated, being disregarded: inflict foe with overconfidence and gain invisibility. Secretly, she watched.

Flavien couldn't resist. Sweet tooth. His big hearty meal had a generous heap of cherries on the plate. And he ate them...good. He didn't even know or suspect.

Intestines? Good target. Fragile. Unpleasant bleeding in stool. Diarrhea very painful, very embarrassing. Easy to trigger. Healers and nurses think bad food or bug bites.

The sand inside of Flavien slowly went to work. Before he was finished with his plate, he clutched at his stomach and stood up from his table and hurriedly walked from the dining hall. A privy room somewhere was going to be echoing with lamentations coming out of both ends of him.

Soleil left the dining hall. Smiling pleasantly. Pleased. Slowly, gradually, sand trickled back through the air in imperceptible grains and her arms reformed, those limp sleeves gaining definition again.

Flavien? Enjoy trip to infirmary.

* * * * *​

There was a rallying point for the scouting party by the gates. Over a dozen Initiates had gathered, this not even including the Sabotage three. A group of excellent size from which to "disappear" without too much notice at first.

Soleil approached the group. Some of the Initiates acknowledged her, most didn't. No matter. Things were going well.

She awaited Zinnia and Larkin.

Zinnia Larkin

 

[Zinnia]

Zinnia arrived in a timely fashion and gave Soleil a nod. So far, so good. Proctor Snicket was at the forefront of the pack, bumbling on about the history of scouting and the nature and importance of their duty. Under ordinary circumstances, Zinnia might have been one of the few present that was actually interested in what the eccentric fellow had to say, but she and her companions had a goal to accomplish.

Lords and ladies, this didn't feel good. But! Surely the results would be rewarding. Yes! Acceptance was just a needlessly elaborate prank away. She pulled her hood forward and slipped into the crowd alongside the granular girl. For now, not being noticed would continue to come in handy.

That just left the ostentatious peacock of a young man that was Larkin.
...Oh boy.

 

[Larkin]

Larkin found the two girls easy enough, sliding through the small crowd to stand beside Soleil. He gave the girl a coy grin, sliding the map from his sleeve and pressing it to her palm. No one would care, or notice the little transaction, too focused on whatever Snicket had to say.

Larkin gave a slight nod to Zinnia, pleased that everything had seemed to off without a hitch. This really was going to be quite the little adventure, but he was hoping to gain inspiration for the effort. Soon enough thru were released to their duty, and his lips split into a wide grin. "Well ladies, shall we begin?" He looped his arms around each girl's shoulders, guiding them gently to gate.

Soleil Verdane Zinnia

 

[Soleil Verdane]

EAST
THE FORESTED BORDER OF FALWOOD​

Ranger duty.

Part and parcel to every mission was travel. Some missions, especially those that went into the Falwood or an otherwise heavily-forested area, required stealth. Even if no such stealth was particularly necessary, it was a good practice to leave no trace, no trail by which an unexpected foe might track you. Land navigation, foraging, hunting, escape and evasion, the list went on as to why ranger duty was promoted heavily well after the required courses in it had been successfully completed by an Initiate.

Proctor Snicket attended well enough to the group of Initiates on this excursion. But he was but one set of eyes, and by this stage in an Initiate's development a certain degree of autonomy was expected.

The perfect cover. No one would bat an eye to the three of them departing the campsite. They were just foraging for food, or finding a source of water to fill their waterskins. Broad daylight didn't matter at all, and their excuse for later was already prepared. So what if other Initiates thought them inept for "getting lost?" Soleil, Zinnia, Larkin, they would know something those Initiates did not know, a secret bulwark against their taunts.

Larkin guided them along genially.

Soleil took the map out of her jacket pocket, unfolded it, and had a look. Three lines and three question marks were on it: potential routes, all leading toward Alliria. One went more north, cutting rather deeply into the Savannah, untamed but unregulated land. One went along the big and busy Border road, skimming that dividing line between the Savannah and the Falwood, the most towns dotting this route. The other dipped into the Falwood, this route the most jagged and curving to navigate the uncharitable terrain.

"If bandit? What pick?" Soleil asked, inviting each to share their thoughts. She shared her own initial thoughts on one of the options. "Falwood? Good cover. But dangerous. Long. For humans, not welcoming."

Zinnia Larkin

 

[Zinnia]

Keeping pace with her fellows, Zinnia felt admittedly more relaxed now that they were out of the Academy grounds and into the wilds between. Nature, she'd found, had a more comfortable air about it than being cramped up behind the stone walls of their esteemed school or within the confines of the typical Anirian city. Why that was the case, Zinnia did not know, but any release on her anxiety was welcome.

Zinnia eyed the map as Soleil examined it. Every moment was a reminder that Soleil was remarkably more intelligent, crafty, and...well, sentient than Zinnia had ever imagined.
"Not the Falwood. N-not unless the bandits themselves are elves. Hiding there would be s-suicide." Zinnia answered thoughtfully. "And guard patrols are th-thick along the central route. Lots of c-commerce, more worth protecting."

She tapped a leather-gloved finger on the Savannah stretch of the parchment, continuing her stride with her partners in mischief. For once she actually felt pretty confident in what she was saying.
"I think the n-northern route is our best b-bet...L-Larkin? What do you think?"

 

[Larkin]

Larkin strolled amicably betwixt the two girls, ever the positive and happy lad. The trees, the breeze, that was all he needed to be happy. He cast his gaze to Soliel as she studied the map he had dutifully gotten for her. People were fools to underestimate the sand girl, often thinking her dumb or childish. No, there was a sly, cunning, and intelligent girl behind those eyes.

He listened to the girls as the talked routes, his own mind churning the possibilities. He nodded as Zinnia spoke, she was indeed raising good points. With a soft hum, he gave his opinion, nodding his head in Zinnia's direction.

"I think Zinnia makes a lot of good points, and I am inclined to agree. The travel may not be convenient, but it's definitely something a bandit would take to avoid detection and lose a tail. I think it's our best bet."

He waited patiently for Soliel to make this decision, he was considering this her mission. She had the idea, she formed the plan, therefore he would rely on her to lead them.

Zinnia Soleil Verdane

 

[Soleil Verdane]

"Agree. Not Falwood," Soleil said, and then made a popping sound with her lips, adding offhandedly, "Kill elves another day."

The bandits were not elves; not many elves even left the new Elven Quarter. They never would have gotten far into Vel Anir's more noble districts unless they were very good at their craft. These bandits? No. They weren't so good at their craft. From what the Proctors said (before the three of them were replaced by Flavien and his company) they simply saw an opportunity to rob a drunken nobleman of House Quillion and they took it. They glided on the wings of luck out from out Vel Anir then, hoping they could sail all the way to Alliria to turn a profit.

So not Falwood. And Zinnia made a convincing case against the Border Road and for the Savannah Road. Larkin, as well, agreed. Soleil nodded empathically, and it was settled.

Soleil was practically bouncing in her step as they walked (her light travel pack jostling a little with each enthusiastic footfall), the Ranger duty camp full of their fellow Initiates lost now in the foliage behind them. She was excited to be on their way. To be doing, moreover, something that she wanted to do rather than what the Academy prescribed.

She beamed. Looked to the other girl. "Zinnia? Clever." Soleil jabbed a thumb into her own chest. "Said so! Zinnia? Make good bandit. How? Simple! Rob other bandits. They see you; they say, 'Easy!' But Zinnia?" Soleil laughed aloud in that singsong way. "Big surprise! Kill them. Take their stuff! Finders keepers."

Continuing her musing in this vein, she looked to Larkin and shared her assessment of his ability for banditry, "Larkin? Good too." She held up the stolen map and wiggled it around. "Proof! See? Girls crave. But boys? From them, how? Simple! Convince girls. They do work for you! Boys crave, many can't resist. Eyes captured by breasts. Your magic? No need!"

Zinnia Larkin