The sole thing thing that kept me from posting this earlier was the pain that ensued from having to change Lady Concubineface's name to something not stupid.

Chapter 2: In which things are stolen

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Erius asked softly, hands gently massaging Raden's scalp. The two were seated in their room, following the anchor drop an hour earlier, simply enjoying the moment they had to relax. Even without these newfound shenanigans Fareus saw fit to drag them into, personal time was limited, and they'd take whatever they could get.

"You know as well as I do that once Fareus has an idea in his head, he's gonna follow through with it." Raden answered just as softly, "Only Talon's ever stopped him, and since Talon's kinda dead, this is going to happen, whether we like it or not. Our only course of action from here on is to make sure we don't get in over our heads." He leaned backwards, so his back was resting against Erius' chest comfortably.

"And how do you think we'll be able to manage that? Neither of us are going on this mission, how're we supposed to do anything while we're here?"

"We will just have to tell the men that are going." The younger replied, "This isn't just our responsibility, Erius. We might be first and second mate, but the whole crew is in this. Together we just have to make sure that we don't end up dead."

Erius laughed bitterly, his fingers suddenly stopping in their soothing motions, "Right. Being 'real' pirates sounds like so much fun…"

—

"Fareus." No reply, "Fareus!" Still nothing, "Oi, Farry!" That got his attention, blue green eyes snapping to the former prince's face, a barely disguised hurt visible in them. The thoughts that were running through his head were quite obvious, anyone who knew him could attest to that.

"Oh, it's just you, Cal." Just you. Calyne's heart was practically breaking in his chest as those words repeated themselves over and over again in his mind. Not who Fareus wanted, no. Never who Fareus wanted. "Is there a problem?"

"Are you serious about this whole thing?" Calyne asked skeptically, folding his arms across his chest as he spoke, "Is it really so important to be 'real' pirates? Doing this could get us in loads of trouble Fareus, is it even worth it?"

"Of course it is." Fareus defended, eyes trailing back to the piece of paper he'd been writing on before his interruption, "We're pirates, Cal, this is what we do."

"So you're willing to risk more lives this way? It wasn't bad enough that we've lost Rien and Hanth, you have to get more. Have you even thought about what Beret might think of this? Losing Hanth destroyed him, Fareus. You're really ready to do that to everyone again?" The words kept rolling off of Cal's tongue, even when he wanted to stop, because clearly he wasn't getting through to the elder, if that look was any indication

A single black eyebrow was raised on the captain's face, his green eyes calculating, "What's your problem today?" He silently set his pen back down on the wooden desk, rising from his chair to move over towards his companion.

"You don't know what it's like, Fareus, being the cause of so much anguish. You shouldn't wish it upon yourself with this stupid idea of yours." Cal continued, knowing that the words needed to be said, but not wanting to be the one to say them. But someone needed to tell him, and if Cal had the opportunity, he needed to go for it. The last thing he wanted was a repeat of the previous year's incidents, losing more crew members was more than he could handle thinking about right now.

"I know what I'm doing, Calyne." Fareus replied bitterly, the last half of his lover's name emphasized, "And I don't want to talk about this any more."

—

They arrived in Corve in a couple days time, with little to no setbacks along the way. It was a bright and early morning when Fareus rounded the crew up on the deck, "Vhon, Torben, Ivrix and Beret. You guys ready?"

"As ready as we'll ever be, captain." Ivrix responded, his standard grin plastered onto his features "Shall we depart, then?" Fareus nodded, and with that, the small group made their way off of the ship, disappearing into the bustling city.

"I can't believe we're actually doing this…" Cal muttered under his breath once the five were no longer visible. Raden, who was standing beside him, couldn't help but laugh.

"You too, huh?" Cal shrugged his shoulders, smiling wryly, "This is just how Fareus is. Without Talon, there's no stopping him." It was only after the words had left his mouth that Raden realized that bringing Talon up probably wasn't the best idea he'd ever had. "He loves you, you know."

Calyne sighed, "I called him Farry last night, to see what would happen. He looked at me like I was a ghost, completely disheartened that it wasn't, in fact, Talon standing there. He may love me, but Talon still comes first…"

"Give him time. He'll come around." Raden reassured him, placing a comforting hand on the ex-prince's shoulder.

—

"Vanya, where are we going?"

"You'll see, you'll see."

With a sigh, Tasva contented himself with being pulled around the city by the elder, letting the sights and smells of Corve permeate through him. It was only a few moments when Vanya ground to a halt, making his lover nearly crash into him. Tasva shot him an annoyed look, to which Vanya merely gestured to the store before them. Only then did Tas move his eyesight, taking in the crowded little shop with a slight gasp.

"I found it the last time we docked in Corve," Vanya stated excitedly, "They have maps from everywhere, Tas, maps of everywhere."

"You are an amazing person." Tasva managed to state while still shell shocked, eyes barely able to take in everything that was there.

Vanya chuckled, "Right, 'cause I wasn't an amazing person before." He wrapped an arm around Tasva's shoulder, "It's a bit early, but… happy anniversary."

—

The distance to Belcliff from Corve wasn't particularly large, but it still took Fareus and his group two days to reach it. Along the way there were various conversations of no particular importance, merely there to pass the time. When at last they reached the outskirts of the city, it was only the middle of the afternoon. "Alright men," Fareus started, "We'll stop at this conveniently located bakery for some food before making our way to the palace. Duke Dimblesnort's having a fairly large party tonight, it shouldn't be too difficult to get in there." So at the conveniently located bakery they ate, though a hushed silence had fallen over them.

By seven o'clock they'd all eaten their fill, and continued onward into Belcliff. The palace was sprawled out along the cliff edge that had given the city its name, and hoards of people were gathered around the area.

"So what's the plan, captain?" Ivrix questioned cheerfully as they snuck around to the side of the palace, "You said we'll be infiltrating as servants, so how are we gonna go about that? Beat up real servants and steal their uniforms?"

"No, we shouldn't get them involved," Fareus stated in a momentary bout of sanity, "Vhon, I want you to go in there and act as though it's your first day, and you haven't been given a uniform yet. The target should be on the first floor tonight, before they have dinner. If we have any luck what so ever, she won't be wearing the jewel tonight, and you can continue your act and just get information on how to find her room. I'm not thinking any of us will be able to accompany you inside, though. You're good at the blending in business, which is why I think you'd be our best bet. Is that alright?"

Vhon shrugged, "Works for me. Where should I find you guys afterwards?"

"We'll meet you by that bakery we passed on the way here. But Ivrix, if you could wait around here, I'd appreciate it, in case things turn south." Ivrix nodded in agreement, "And remember, Vhon. If the situation seems too dangerous, pull back. Got it?"

"Let's do this, then." Vhon stated with a smile.

—

The palace was anything but quiet, with servants running every which way in preparation of the party that was in the process of starting at that very moment. Vhon easily blended in with the surrounding atmosphere, having three years of practice prior to being with the crew. Now if he could just get by without any commotions…

"Hey, you new around here?" A servant man asked as he stopped Vhon in his tracks, the pirate inadvertently flinching when he realized the question was directed at him, "I don't think I've seen you before…"

"Oh, yeah, today's my first day." Vhon smiled sheepishly, "Hope I don't wreck things too bad for the rest of you." The servant smiled in return.

"We'll make it. Here, I'll show you to the kitchen."

"Thanks," Vhon answered thankfully, quietly falling into step behind the stranger.

"I'm Florian, by the way," the man provided helpfully, flashing the blond a smile.

"Vhon," he answered, sending a smile right back at him, "It's nice to meet you, Florian. How long have you been working here?"

Florian shrugged, "Oh, probably about five, six years now? I don't remember exactly. It's fairly tough work, but the people are nice, and Duke Dimblesnort is fair. You'll get used to it here." With another smile coming from Vhon, the rest of their short trip to the kitchen was spent in silence, a comfortable silence, but a silence none the less. "Well, here we are." Florian stated as they stopped just outside of the kitchen door. "I suppose I'll see you around, then, Vhon." And with that, he was gone. Now being sufficiently free of distractions, Vhon glanced around to make sure no one was watching him before sneaking off to the side. From what he'd been told, Lady Aera's room was on the second floor of the vast palace, conveniently located by the top of the stairs. So all he needed to do was find the staircase and the room, all the while hoping that the jewel wasn't on Lady Aera's person tonight.

The stairs were, in fact, relatively easy to find. With all the hustle and bustle around him, no one even noticed him sneaking up the spiral staircase. The door to the room he needed in sight, Vhon allowed himself to inwardly rejoice, thinking he was home free.

"Can I help you?" A voice called from down the hall, and there was only one word left in Vhon's mind.

Fuck. All the same, he plastered a smile on his face, "No, sir, I'm afraid I've gotten the wrong room. My apologies."

The boy smiled, "Oh, what were you looking for? Maybe I could help."

Fuck fuck fuck. "I was looking for Lady Aera's room."

"Oh, then you're at the right place." The boy continued happily, and Vhon couldn't help but silently curse him, "Might I ask what your business here is?"

Well, he had no more bright ideas. So like any self respecting pirate, there was only one thing Vhon could think to do: he drew his knife and hit the boy on the back of his head, the boy crumpling to the ground unconscious.

"Sorry." Vhon whispered to the stranger, before carefully sneaking into Lady Aera's room.

It was a rather large room, an ornate bed clearly the center of its decorations. After an exceedingly hasty examination of the room, Vhon decided to take a closer inspection at the large dressing table against the far wall. If there was anywhere an exquisite jeweled necklace would be, it'd be there.

The life of a concubine was rather extravagant, he realized after shifting through dozens of articles of jewelry, none of which were the one he need. At last he found it, shoved far back in the drawer, almost as though the Lady didn't want it to be there. Extracting it carefully, trying to make as little noise as he could, in case there was anyone in the neighboring room, Vhon shoved his prize deep into one of his pants pockets before hastily making his retreat. The stranger was still lying still in the hallway when he emerged, and the cook's expression softened, "I'm really, really sorry." He said again, before hurrying back down the staircase.

There was still the hurried air all around when he returned to the site of the kitchen, no one giving him so much as a second glance. And Vhon allowed himself a small smile. Perfect. All that was left was finding the entrance he had taken to get it, and meet up with the others. He easily retraced his footsteps to the servant's entrance he'd used, and snuck out without a sound.

"So?" Ivrix questioned as soon as the younger had emerged, "How did it go?"

"Got it." Vhon answered with a smile, "But let's get out of here, kay?" The two hurried back to the site of the bakery they'd been at only earlier that day, where the other three were anxiously awaiting them. Alright, Fareus was anxiously awaiting them. Beret just sat moodily by himself, and Torben grumbled to himself about how stupid this whole thing was.

—

Dresden my love I'm sorry he hurt you