The Black Crane and the Winter Rose

[The Prettiest Squish]

It had taken Rémi some days of travel on that wretched cruise ship but she finally found refuge, albeit on a bitterly frigid winter wonderland. The journey toward the nearest town took her across the snowy landscape, slapping her cheeks with high winds and frosty temperatures. It didn't take much time into her venture before the poorly dressed gal felt the cold truly strike. "Th-th-th-this is. Bu-bu-bu-bullshit." 

Her eyes followed along a nearby river, which a local near the docks informed her was the path that led directly to the only residence of the island, Norma Town. She tightly hugged her bare arms with the warmth of her gloves and shivered. All her time spent on the tropical climate of Crescent did not prepare her for this sort of environment. And the lack of any weather appropriate apparel did not help her condition either. 

Soon enough into the hiking though, she saw the light of civilization gleaming through the blizzard. The shapes of homes and shops took form in the white abyss, decorating the pale fields with the warmth of their umber presence. Rémi sighed with relief then rushed down the path, her boots sinking with every step she made.

[Flame]

He hated the Grand Line sometimes, he missed the relaxed weather of his hometown, or just that in general which was found in the more tropical areas of the Blues. This he thought sometimes, but especially today. His chase had brought him to ... Orchical Hollow, yes that was what the name of the island was. Orchical Hollow and its dumb, extreme winter island weather, he cursed the Grand Line as he sat inside a bar glancing through frosted windows at the weather outside.

His fingers tapped the table in a bored repetition. Getting awfully close to Crysiland ... Ryouto thought to himself, this was a bit concerning. So close to the home of Rokushiki, if they were actually going there he'd probably have to report in properly. The marine looked around the room at the other inhabitants of this island. His fingers grasped around a glass with a clear liquid inside. Calmly he exhaled, misty air rose from his mouth. He brought the glass to his lips

~Biri Biri Biri Biri~

Ahh, well there was only one person this could be. Ryouto placed the glass down and hopped off his chair. Carefully he pulled over the extra furry coat that hung next to him hiding his civilian clothes beneath. He was as 'undercover' as he cared to be, which was to say he was choosing to not wear his marine clothing. For multiple reasons, for his mission yes, but mostly because he didn't like them. And finally because, from what he'd heard the island wasn't very friendly to World Government agents. Which was unfortunate to say the least. He had much less resources here than he normally got.

Pushing the door open he braved the weather outside. "Yes?" He said the familiar voice coming over the line into his ear. "Yea yea, I know ..." His voice was exhausted already.

[The Prettiest Squish]

"Finally." Through the thick of snow, Rémi trudged up to a stone path specifically cleared out for the residents of this town. The light pouring out from the buildings reassured her this place was indeed inhabited. And if that were the case, that would certainly entail the presence of an establishment dedicated to the care and hospitality of travelers, eh? At least, that's what she hoped for.

The wandering missus hiked a little further up the path until she found herself at the porch of what seemed like a local saloon. A faint aroma of alcohol permeated the icy cold air but her prior years of indulgence could never let her forget the smell, as much as she wished not to. Rémi spat on the snow by her feet, feeling sick at the notion of nearing a bottle of booze anytime soon. But the cold would not stop any time soon and the fingers beneath her gloves were growing number by the second. She sighed with resignation and stepped up the stairs. Just then, as her hand reached for the door handle, a man in a fur coat came out speaking to himself like some delirious madman. 

"Uhhh. I'm just gonna go in if you don't mind..." With anxious steps, the broad lass swept in between the lad and the edge of the entrance, barely squeezing past the gap and making it into the snugly warmed tavern. She breathed out with comfort at the first kiss of heat that graced her pale skin. "Oh my gosh, that's the shit. Aww yeah." Rémi was a few seconds into rubbing herself with her gloves when the dead silence of the room got to her. She looked around with wide eyes and observed the strangely colored folk all staring at her with puzzled faces. She reacted with a nervous grin and shrugged, "It's toasty in here. Very nice. Hehe..." 

The patrons returned to their usual business as the woman breezed with embarrassment. She took a seat near the door and took off her gloves then cupped them over her mouth as she huffed hot air into them. Cold melted away from her fingers as she could finally begin to feel blood pouring through them. A wave of solace came over her as the warmth set in. She couldn't help but smile to herself knowing she was perfectly safe here. After all the trouble she went through the past few days, Rémi just had a feeling things would turn out just fine.

[Flame]

His hand cupping the den den mushi in his hand he stepped aside for some crazed person wearing not nearly enough for the island who was trying to get past him. His attention barely slipped as he listened and then spoke some quick responses to the interim leader of his squad while he was out on this mission. "No I don't know when I'll find them, this work has never been that simple." Ryouto said the annoyance starting to drip into his voice having been forced into the open by this conversation.

The response was ... Ryouto pinched the bridge of his nose. He'd pay for that restless response in some way later, he just knew it. "Is that all? I feel like I'm going to freeze out here ..." Those last words, Ryouto smiled slightly as the person on the other side of the line finally decided to let him free. As the den den went silent and he pushed it back into a secret pocket Ryouto leaned back against the nearest wall tilting his head up to look at the sky. "Right then, back inside. Out of this damnable weather." He told himself with a smile as he headed back for the door and his glass of clear liquor.

Stepping in he pulled open the door letting in a breeze of cold air and a small sprinkling of snow. The room turned with annoyed faces for half a moment before turning back as Ryouto closed the door swiftly behind him. The warmth of the room started to heat his already cool extremities. The marine exhaled allowing himself to relax slightly before sliding past someone who had the unfortunate luck to be seated right before the door. He walked over to his seat at the window, picking up the clear liquor he decanted nearly half the glass straight into his mouth.

"Better ..." He commented to himself before looking out over the crowd. Now then, perhaps he should start asking around for hints about his prey. But where to start, his ex-Cipher Pol skills started to come into work as he scanned the room looking for any tells that might help him figure out who was likely to have the information he wanted.

[The Prettiest Squish]

"What'll it be, Ma'am?" the bartender asked over the counter. Rémi looked up from her hands and saw a large gentleman looming over her. His skin was dyed a grayish purple and his throat lined with gills; he was a fishman. He spoke soft and deep with a tone as warm as the cozy air inside. But the glare in his eyes betrayed the trustworthy song he sang. She remembered the various skin tones of the patrons around her. This island may have been the wrong choice for a human to stop by.

Nevertheless, the woman couldn't afford to cause a ruckus indoors. Not when she managed to retreat from the frosty realm waiting but a few meters behind her. Instead, she smiled cheek to cheek and spoke with poise, "I'll have a warm cup of tea, if you don't mind." The man behind the counter cracked a smirk but not a smirk one would flash out of amusement but of incredulity. He turned his body sideways and waved to the shelves behind him. "Do we look like we serve tea here?" Rows of liquor lined up behind him, from whiskeys, wines, vodkas and beer. Rémi twitched her nose in disgust - the smell stank in her nostrils. Yet her smile did persist. "May I have a glass of water then?"

One of the patrons sitting beside her choked on his drink. For a party of fishmen, they're not so keen on hydration, she thought only to herself. The bartender made a grimace at the request but soon walked a few yards away where he fetched a glass and turned some knob hidden beneath the counter. The distinct sound of water shooting out of a faucet accompanied his task and soon enough he returned to her spot and gently slammed the beverage in front of her. A few drops splashed up and slapped the girl in the face but otherwise no harm came of it. She simply wiped the moisture away and kept up her mask of cordiality up until the man left her sight. The girl raised the glass in solitude and shrugged, "Cheers then."

As she took the first swig, drowning the water down her throat, the door opened abruptly and brought in the winds that followed. Rémi looked back only slightly, so as not to cause suspicion. It was the man from earlier, the lunatic talking to himself outside. She put the glass down and tapped her fingers on the wood. While she'd never been one for company, the fact they were the sole humans to reside in this dull saloon compelled her to act. The woman got up from her seat taking the glass with her and strutted beside the coated stranger. She stopped just short of entering the seat opposite of him and looked down.

"You're quite the talkative type I take it, at least from your conversation back there." Her head tilted toward the door. "Do you mind if I appease this boredom with some company?" Little did the man know this was a rhetorical question. Whether he wished to or not, she'd sit down for a chat regardless. Anything but sitting by herself at a bar alone. If memory served her right, things did not bode well for the last time that happened...

[Flame]

Ryouto scanned the room, who might have noticed. Who might've cared. Who ... he sighed, given the look of the crowd. The folk of Orchical Hollow were more likely to keep to themselves than to notice such things as he might need. Mayhaps the bartender could have some information he'd need then? Yeah that seemed like a good place for him to check in a bit.

In that case he reached for his half filled cup of liquor. And brought it before his lips once more. He took a look at it and then poured just a little bit into his lips. He allows it to pour down his throat and warm him. Or at least give him the feeling of warmth he forgot which it was in the moment as his cheeks began to pink a little from the warmth. He leaned back and looked out at the patrons of the shop. One was up and was walking in his general direction.

They walked closer and closer and then, oh she was actually walking towards him. He decided as much as she stopped before his table and looked at him. As she spoke Ryouto blinked twice trying to understand the point. Why was this person talking to him, his senses felt a little addled, what exactly was in this drink he'd had. Ryouto looked down at the clear liquor in mild confusion.

Oh- Oh that's right he should answer her. To not answer was rude and also, suspicious. Just as suspicious as this person talking to him. Did they know his real identity. But who would he was a nobody. Unless ... lines of thought connected. But maybe he should check a bit. "I don't know if I'm the talkative type but you're free to join me." Ryouto said gesturing casually to the seat across from him.

The addled marine tilted his head slightly as he looked on at whomever was across from him. "So what're you doing at this wintery hell of Orchical Hollow?" He started to talk before letting her say anything.

And then he spoke again as if just remembering another point. "Ah, sorry how rude of me. I'm Ryouto, Comm- just Ryouto. And you are?" He said cutting himself off in a half-ways moment of clarity.

[The Prettiest Squish]

The lady in black set her drink down first before taking her seat opposite of the stranger. Right from the start, she knew this little engagement would be far more amusing than drinking alone. For someone who referred to himself an untalkative type he sure asked plenty of questions to get the dialogue flowing. With rapid succession, he fired off two inquiries of interest. Normally one would answer a question as soon as it is asked, but Rémi hesitated for a moment, unsure at the lad's split-second stutter. Her mind raced with caution. He's not wearing white so I can't be sure he's a Marine. Nor does he look like a pirate. Just to be safe though, I shouldn't use my name now that I know I've got a bounty on my head. Everything should be alright, just keep it cool.

She took a sip of the water and breathed out a soothing wisp. "The name's Emilia Tatou, pleasure to meet you, Mister Ryouto." A simple grin accompanied the introduction, only to lower any suspicion the man may initially have of her. She continued, "As for my business in Orchical Hollow, well quite simply I'm a wanderer of sorts. Travel the world, see the sights, meet some..." Her face began to contort and wrinkle into a cringe. In her mind, the sound of fireworks rang in her ears. "Interesting characters..." She noticed just how odd her visage might appear and quickly shook away any oddities her face might present. The grin returned and she looked to the fellow across from her with an almost sultry gaze.

With the man's inquiries satisfied, she retorted with her own interrogation. "But enough of my boring past. What brings you all the way out here other than the lovely weather?" 

[Flame]

He tilted his head, Emilia Tatou ... that name rang zero bells whatsoever. Not that he expected it to, he just wondered. The type of person that'd approach him in a pub. Ryouto blinked thrice shaking his head back and forth and pinching the bridge of his nose tightly to help him focus. Whatever this drink was, he looked down on it. It was quite strong. Had he thought this before? Ryouto tilted his head, ooh this was definitely not good.

He blinked again. What had she said, what was she doing here. Something about travelling and interesting characters. With a certain, emphasis of interesting. Was that, was he one of those, interesting characters. His thoughts trailed off, certainly that was, well maybe. It was not abnormal to meet interesting characters, especially when hanging about the Grand Line. Even this early on, he did his best to remind himself of this every time he met his squad.

Hmm? She'd asked something, Ryouto's mind clinked through, clink clanking. What made sense, probably what he'd asked her moments ago. "Mmm, Ryouto. Comm-just Ryouto. That's my name." He said stumbling over and reminding himself that he was semi-undercover at the moment and thus not to tell his rank. "I'm ... well let's say on the hunt for some ... interesting characters. Old friends of mine, one might say ... Yes" He nodded to himself outwardly proud of his obfuscation of the truth in that statement.

Milling about his hand found its way to the glass once again, reaching for its handle he pulled it to his face and poured a little more of the liquor down his throat. The warmth blossomed in his chest.

"If you meet, or have met any of them. Please do say so. He said nodding his head at her. And no, he'd not given any description of them. It hadn't occurred to him to.

[The Prettiest Squish]

She took another sip of the glass with both eyes still locked on the man. There he went slipping again through some error of the tongue. If that consistent behavior didn't alarm her, she was a fool. Nevertheless, Rémi kept up the smile on her face and nodded with the end of Ryouto's response. "I see. So we both encounter strange people out in the world. Though I can't say I've met any of your persons of interest along my journey. So sorry." The woman took one final gulp of her water then set the glass down on the table. She examined the cup just opposite of hers and guessed Ryouto was indulging in some other refreshment judging by his constant stumbles. 

Her nose twitched at the faint vapors coming off his breath and drink. She slightly chuckled to herself. "You know, I can't say I'll enjoy the burning taste of liquor running down my throat ever again. Learned far too many lessons on letting that demon control me. I suppose you could say I've been liberated from its evil clutches." She brought her hand behind her head and stopped just short of what she wished to display. It could be dangerous considering she still knew nothing beyond the man's identity - and even then that information was questionable. But the conversation dulled her with these boiler plate inquiries. She wished to spice things up.

Her hand reached back and pulled out the visible handle of a large claymore, bright as silver and sharp as steel. The woman grinned and remarked, "Of course, I've had some help freeing myself of any problems along the way. As I'm sure you must have in your line of hunting, eh?"

[Flame]

The glass was lifted into the air by Ryouto for a moment. He glanced at the liquor line of it, far lower than he'd want it to be. "Freed yourself from its evil clutches huh ..." He contemplated the meaning of those words for a moment. Freed ... from alcohol, what a weird concept. Unnatural some might say, personally he wasn't such a big drinker, but he enjoyed it once in a while. "That's unfortunate for you." He said as the words came to his head.

"This ..." He brought the glass nearer to his lips. "Is particularly good at dealing with that." Ryouto nodded to the frosted window and by implication the weather beyond it. Then with a smile he brought the drink to his lips, downing the last of it he smiled to himself. The marine's cheeks reddened even further now such that it might seem to some that his face was fully red. If he were on a WG island with marines he might get in trouble for being so drunk on the job. But this was one of the perks of being on solo operations. He got a bit of freedom from the nitpickers.

He paused as the woman picked up the conversation once again. She reached back and suddenly he became aware of a large blade on her back. Ryouto pinched the bridge of his nose, a long sword. And then the implication that she made with her statement. "That so ... mmm, I've ... no not really ..." The marine said suddenly uncertain of what was going on. "Half a, give me a moment. I uhh, need to refill my drink." He said lifting his basically empty glass to show it was such.

Mmm, he stood up from the table and started to walk off glass in hand. Coming up to the barkeep, he pushed the glass over. "Water please, and something maybe with a little spice. A pick-me-up." Ryouto said trying to keep his head on straight. Given what the Emilia had just said, he had an odd feeling about her relation with the law.

[The Prettiest Squish]

Ryouto seemed quite normal, a bit too normal for her liking. The way he cautiously picked his words and never let on too much about himself didn't sit right with the pirate-in-hiding. She should know, after all that was the exact strategy she was using to veil her true identity. The fact that he was drinking did ease her mind however, even if he had any intention of starting a fight she figured a drunkard would be the least threatening foe she faced in a while. 

Just then, the lad got up to replenish his glass and left her alone with her thoughts. Rémi nodded and smirked innocently, "Oh of course, go ahead. I'll be right here." She watched as he stumbled out of their booth and made his way to the counter. To her surprise, he was taller than she imagined. About a whole foot over her to be exact. He didn't seem intimidating given the lackadaisical attitude he'd put on until now. But Rémi knew not to trust appearances when evaluating a person's threat potential. Once again she recalled the scent of gunpowder and sparks exploding in her face. Never trust a book by its cover. No sirree. 

While she waited for Ryouto to finish collecting his order, the girl looked out the frosted window and into the pale landscape outside. Her eyes, gray as smoke, peered beyond the white hills and looked to the edge of the island where the cruise ship lied in wait. She had left it and all its passengers behind after the great ordeal they suffered on the open seas. A part of her felt guilty for abandoning the ones she saved but such a role was not befitting of her. The girl was no hero, she was no saint. Leaving them behind was the best decision she could make. Rémi sighed under her breath. 

SLAM!

The door flew open without warning and brought in the gales of winter along with it. Surrounding patrons all groaned and jeered at the newcomer to the saloon who clearly had no sense of respect for the people's well being. Rémi however stayed quiet and simply raised a brow at the odd visitor. From the threshold, a man in a black fur coat hastily stumbled forth into the room with thick leather boots. He shivered even in his reinforced clothing and let out an audible Brrr as he shook the snow off his body. Eventually, this stranger shut the door behind him - to the relief of everyone else - and headed straight for the bar, conveniently just beside Ryouto.

Rémi squinted at this odd fellow, sensing like he spelled trouble just from the way he walked. She felt like acting on instinct but damn did the chilling embrace of mother nature put her back in her place. Instead she regrettably waited and watched as the man strutted next to Ryouto and knocked on the wood for the bartender.

"Ahem, barkeep? I hope you don't mind such a large order but my party is in desperate need of your help. We'll require three bottles of your cheapest scotch, a barrel of beer and a first aid kid if you have one." Rémi took a good hard look at the fishman behind the counter. He stared with a dead straight face at this bizarre human tourist. His body leaned over the counter until his face was inches away from the stranger's. "What's the occasion? Someone die?" The man was undeterred by such a crude display of hospitality. He cleared his throat and pointed a finger in the air in such a manner-of-factly fashion. "No, good barkeep but I'm afraid we have some heavily injured Marines aboard a civilian vessel docked at your shores. They'll need some refreshments to numb the pain before reinforcements arrive to take them off our hands. Oh and the first aid kit of course. We ran out of supplies." The bartender grunted but turned away as if to fetch the request materials. 

However, it didn't really matter much to Rémi what the grumpy old brute wanted to do. The identity of the stranger was revealed: a passenger aboard the cruise ship - and someone clearly sympathetic to the government dogs. She tapped her fingers together and breathed in quietly. Well fuck me. I'll just have to hope he keeps his damn mouth shut.

NPC: 3369ff

[Flame]

After a moment of grumbling the barkeep acceded to Ryouto's wishes. Though the price he'd been given for what ended up being a glass of water and some ginger tea was excessive Ryouto decided to pay it. For one he didn't want to start an argument and two he didn't really know too much better at the moment.

The glass of water he immediately downed hoping for some clarity. It didn't really bring that, though he did get a weird feeling in his stomach, too much liquid, not much food, that too probably. Ryouto brought his hand to his mouth as he felt a nauseous feeling welling up within him. Oh yeah, the ginger tea. He grabbed that and downed a bit of that too. A sip of it would've been enough, that tangy bite of the ginger freshened him up slightly.

At least enough so that he didn't jump when the door to the bar slammed over. Nor enough that his head hurt from the sound of the communal groan of the bar as the icy wind and small snow drifts entered the bar once more. The stranger ran in and came to his side before rolling off a number of demands. The barkeep was understandably uninterested in the demand that spewed out the table. But likely being used to enraged drunks responded in a calm matter asking what was up. Ryouto wasn't particularly paying attention, but his ears perked at the sound off of the reason.

Injured marines ... Mmmmm Ryouto groaned inwardly, he was technically undercover. But it was a bit of a bare one, given the situation he should probably help out. But then again, Ryouto scratched his head. Leaving the empty glass of water on the counter he took the mug of ginger tea back with him returning to the table with the, .... interesting girl.

He passed quietly about the bar room sitting down across from her once again before taking another sip of the ginger tea. The spice of it was helpful, he was certain of that.

"So ... what were we talking about?" Ryouto asked.

[The Prettiest Squish]

The wait for Ryouto to return to his seat was one of the most tense series of seconds she ever lived through. Every step the man took felt like an eternity for Rémi to endure. The possibility of that stranger turning around and greeting the woman by her true name felt likelier with every intense blink of her eyes. But alas, her companion arrived at the table none the wiser - and the girl breathed out a gust of relief. Before getting too comfortable though, the gentleman opposite to her posed a question to bring them back to their prior discussion, 

"What were we talking about? Um...Oh! I think we were mentioning our little careers on the road, so to speak. I believe I've already introduced you to my partner in crime? Haha...that's just a figure of speech by the way." 

Rémi turned her body sideways then pulled the two swords hanging from her back - the silver one she mentioned before and a new black claymore, more brilliant and edged than its cousin. As she placed them on the table for her acquaintance to see, her eyes gazed off to the newcomer at the bar, who still awaited for his supply of drinks. Go on and leave already...Don't cause any trouble. She refocused on Ryouto and waved a hand at the twin blades set before her. "They're not much to look at but they've gotten me through some tough times. I figure they can't be anything cooler than what you use to hunt with, huh?"

[Flame]

"Ahh yes ...." Ryouto said as he sat down placing his mug of ginger tea in front of him on the coaster he'd left behind. The marine tapped his fingers against the mug twice drumming across it with all of them. He took a momentary pause as the woman brought her blades onto the table. They seemed like good weapons, unfortunately he was not very well versed with swords so he could really only judge them by their outer sheen.

Fingers looped more firmly about the mug as he lifted it back off the coaster and bringing it to his lips. The spice of the ginger tea waking back his mind a bit more and clearing a bit of the alcoholic stupor that had been rearing its drunken head once again. His eyes flickered over them glancing back up for a moment noticing that Emilia was a bit distracted, her eyes flitting away to the newcomer. He tilted his head, as Emilia turned her head back to Ryouto. She placed a question to him. "Mmmm ... depends, that's more of an opinion than anything else. My weapons are nothing special." Ryouto's eyes flickered up to the man at the bar who was now taking on a few large bags of supplies.

Guilt trickled into him, he didn't like this feeling. His justice, personal justice, it was moving unheeded within him especially with his inhibitions still a bit under the weather of alcohol. He glanced back at Emilia, eyeing her over for a moment. "I'm ..." Why had she been so interested in the newcomer? His eyes trailed back to her blades on the table. Bounty hunter? Pirate? Revolutionary? Maybe a mercenary who else walked about with such weapons. His eyes traced back to the newcomer.

"Oi! Do you need some help with that?" Ryouto raised his voice calling to the man at the counter as he hoisted the supplies provided by the barkeep. At the counter the man's eyes turned over pausing for a moment to look at Ryouto with curiosity.

[The Prettiest Squish]

You dumb bastard, Rémi growled within. She kept up the friendly facade above the table but below it her fists clenched at the unfortunate curiosity of her drinking partner. The cyan haired woman cautiously gazed toward the man at the counter while slowly pushing her swords away from his view. He had been on the cruise ship days ago when she and that sparkling fiend had their fun dealing with the Marines. If memory served right, he would've seen her two blades in broad daylight - there was no way he'd fail to recognize them from plain sight. 

"Ahem. Ryouto, I think he can get it himself. It's not that heavy of a load, let him be, eh?" The girl chuckled with unease, unsure just how much she was giving away. For all she knew, this stranger could be a die hard loyalist to the Government. If that were the case, he would make sure she never left the island. Her hands dragged the swords away over the edge of the table then tucked them on the seat beside hers. Even so, she could not just abandon them outright; if the situation called for it, she preferred having them unsheathed and ready.

---

From the counter, the stranger turned his head. He squinted at the man calling for his attention. "Do I need any help? Oh well that's very kind of you, sir. I actually may require some assistance after all. Wouldn't want to take two round trips through this damned cold, eh? Hahaha!" He let out a hearty laugh that sent his adjacent patrons grumbling away a seat farther from him. After giving the bartender his coin, the stranger loaded up the bottles and first aid kid into a large sack on his back then rolled the barrel toward the fur coated man. As he drew closer, his eyes picked up that another patron - a woman - sat with the fine gentleman. Oddly enough, her face was turned away. "Ah pardon me miss. I did not see you from over there. Your friend is a good man, indeed. A great fella." 
 
---

She looked outside to the window, anything to avoid making contact with this bastard's face. Rémi's eyes widened with anxiety and panic. Why did you have to offer him help, you fucking idiot? The woman's hand covered her face from the stranger but she knew a longer look would eventually reveal herself to him. After all, how many others in the Grand Line possessed spiky cyan locks and a bolt of pink across their face?

---

He stared at her with intense scrutiny. Something seemed off. The attire, the musculature, the hair. The man sat down on his barrel and looked to the good samaritan who offered him help. "Apologies, my good man. We've not been introduced. The name's Veritte Cherchill. What's yours and your...lady friend?"

Veritte: 3368ff