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Tranquil Waters: The Lead Crown Ch 7.3, Un-Escaping

Princess Noriene chose to stand out of the spotlight for once, giving Evelyn and her brother Theo a chance to go through the timult of emotions that had obviously hit them upon their reunion. She remained quiet, pouring herself a cup of tea as she watched them embrace, cry, and go through the introductions of the little kit Theo with his uncle Instructor Theo. It was an emotional and heartfelt affair, made all the more poignent for her due to the fact that she had, in some small way, been the catalyst for them finding one another... even if it HAD been inadvertant.

The rest of her guests seemed just as focused on the reunion as those taking part in it, which was a good thing since she needed time to process what she had learned. The brown Bear that had accompanied Professor Blackburn, however, did not seem as engrossed in the Ermines' embraces and tears; he walked right up to her and set down a small wooden box. "Metal-Eyes asked that I give this to you."

Pulling her eyes away from the heartfelt family moment, the Princess looked down at the item; she recognized it right away as a field recorder. "I see. And why did he bid you deliver it, if I might ask?"

The Bear stared right at her, but at least he was mindful to address her respectfully. "He said it holds important information about the Mechanists and the Order of Blades... your Highness."

Princess Noriene pulled the box closer and removed the hand crank from its latch. Inserting it carefully into its notch, the Wolf began to turn it slowly. The moment Professor Blackburn's voice came from the contraption everyone stopped and looked her way. She paid them no attention once she heard what the Bear had to say... or, rather, what the recording of him said. "Marcelle... What... are you doing?"

The responding voice was, without doubt, the Marten's. "What I was hired to do."

Julius' rasping voice gave her the impression that he'd been wounded. "Princess Noriene--"

Marcelle spoke over him. "Doesn't see the big picture."

Although she was almost tempted to stop turning the crank, she instead maintained a steady rotation despite feeling herself shake with mixed rage and indignation. Julius' last request of the tribal Bear was to have him deliver proof of the Order's defection. As she continued to listen, however, the evidence grew even more troubling.

What caught her attention was final piece of the recording when Marcelle said "To keep a machine running sometimes cogs must be replaced."

It was a Mechanist phrase... the phrase used when a member became more of a liability than an asset. She stopped playing the recording at that point and pulled the crank free of its hole. Everyone was looking at her. The Princess calmly stood and returned the metal bar to its latch then smoothed out her dress. Looking around, she took notice that almost everyone was exactly where they had been when the message started... but someone was missing: the fox.

She smiled reassuringly at her handmaiden and the dear girl's brother. "Please... by all means, do not stop by my account. Sit... be comfortable... I will have some refreshments served."

Evelyn trembled slightly, gazing at her with what looked like concern with a hint of pity; Noriene hated being looked at like that. The girl stepped toward her, "Your Highness... if I--"

The Wolf held up a paw and approached the two Ermines. "You need only worry about your brother and your son, my dear... it sounds as though it has been far too long since you've been together."

Theo's ears lowered as he wiped at the dampness around his eyes, "I thought she was dead."

Noriene gently took one of Evelyn's paws and one of Theo's paws and joined them. "All the more reason you should celebrate your reunion."

The scholar's voice was only just audible as he barely managed to rasp out, "Thank you."

The Princess smiled, circling the two while still facing them as she inched closer toward the door; she had no doubt that Sanmer was up to... something. "You have done me a great many favors, Professor Theo, and I will do all within my power to repay you for those. Some hospitality and time with your sister is the least I can do."

Kesst, however, seemed to have no trouble interrupting the moment by catching the subtle way Noriene was working her way closer to the exit. "Where are you going, Princess?"

The Wolf smiled, "I am the Princess and, considering the state of our nation, I think a more suitable question would be why I haven't returned to what I should be doing already."

Theo nodded, holding his free paw out toward Kesst, "She's right, Kesst... we can't expect her to play hostess all night."

Princess Noriene nodded her head slightly to him. "Indeed... please do not consider it a lack of manners. I will make certain that my servants tend to you. Excuse me."

The doors opened before her and she left the room with haste, but not too quickly as to appear unseemly. The Wolf had a strong feeling that the group knew of Sanmer LeMarre's exploits and wouldn't think twice of him missing, mostly assuming it would end up being at the Princess' expense. Truth be told, there was little in the manor that she would miss if he gave into a boulevard-wide streak of kleptomania... but, then again, 'almost' was not the same as 'nothing' and there were a number of items she would not bear to have handled.

Noriene knew that Sanmer was a crafty Fox... he was a veritable legend among the court of Newport, but, then again, he had never tangled with her. It did not take long for her to track him down and the closed-but-not-locked door to her study was a giveaway. She eased it open silently and showed herself in, closing and locking it without making a sound. Leaning back against the wall she watched the Fox who, with his back to her, was unaware that she was present... or so she thought.

Without even looking up from the desk drawer he was riffling through, the Fox greeted her with a very courteous "Good evening, your Highness."

"Find what you were looking for?"

He slowly closed the drawer and turned around to face her. "Truth be told? No. And I don't mind admitting that you have a keen mind for hiding your most important documents... your Highness."

Noriene watched the Fox's eyes glance for just a half-second... probably longer than he'd expected. She didn't need to look to where they'd gone; she could tell that he found one of her stashes. Smiling, she took a step toward him, "The flowers on the vase were supposed to face north... you returned it to its place so that they're facing north, northwest."

She had been told on many occasions that she was capable of being quite intimidating, but Noriene never really understood what about her was so frightening. As she approached the vulpine, however, she saw that something seemed to have him concerned. He took a step back, moving further from the desk and closer to the far wall. The Fox offered a helpless grin. "I... ah... suppose a list of names of Mechanist contacts isn't something you'd consider an 'important document'?"

The Princess stopped in place. "Ah... so apparently you like to read before pilfering, do you, Mr. LeMarre?"

The Fox's paw moved toward his blade; it was a subtle movement, but not nearly subtle enough to avoid the Princess' astute notice. "You have so much going on right now I'm sure you could easily forget this ever happened..."

Noriene sighed, "I'm afraid you do not comprehend my position. The fact remains that you know far too much now for me to just let you go... especially considering your impression of the Mechanists..."

Sanmer's eyes made a rapid jump to the window and the Princess' gaze followed them. "You're the Princess... you can do anything you want... including the placement of a convenient lapse to your memory." he inched his way toward it.

She took a step toward him, sliding a paw toward the holster hidden within her dress. "No lattice... no vines... no sill... and nothing soft at the bottom of a five story drop, Mr. LeMarre. Please don't tell me you're thinking of doing something stupid."

The Fox smiled, "I'm always thinking of doing something stupid." He flipped the latch on the window. "The question is whether or not I put it into action."

Noriene matched his smile, taking another step closer. Her paw came free as she drew forth the deadliest weapon in her arsenal. "Well then... perhaps I can give you some incentive to make up your mind."