Nicholai was wandering the ship late this night. There was much on his mind, and he was unsure of to whom he should report his thoughts and concerns to. Anne and Mary were, of course, busy planning their wedding. Alana was doing her best to protect her beautiful charge, and he had not seen Brian in some time. Since the sudden cease in the attacks on the city, it had become far too quiet for Nicholai's taste, not to mention there was a serious lack of feminine toys for him to play with. This only frustrated him more. His own personal lady, Ariana, was busy with the PR side of things, trying to make the company look good. What was a lustful man to do?

He shook his head, trying to get his mind back on track. The citizens and authorities of the city had begun to grow complacent again. The recent atrocities were already fading from memory. They even had the nerve to throw some spectacular wedding. Granted, a Ravenlock was involved, but still. Did these people not have the decency to mourn the many souls that had been lost in the past few weeks? In his opinion, it was time to cause some more trouble. But what could he do about it?

Still pacing the deck of the ship, he could not bring himself to think of anything appropriately atrocious. He stopped, looking up into the night sky, clear, crisp as it was. There were a great many stars to be seen on the backdrop of black. As he watched, a star winked out of existence. Then, strangely, a moment later, one that had been next to it also blinked out, as if it had been infected by whatever killed its partner. He pondered this thought for a moment, then the proverbial light went on over his head, and he suddenly looked back down, his memory suddenly coming back to him.

That was it! There were a great many diseases that the citizens of Rhy'din had never been exposed to, and could cause significant death and famine. If he could release just one or two, it would serve as a reminder to the populace that they were not safe. That death was always waiting just around the corner. And he knew the perfect way to distribute such a contaminate. With Ariana working to assist the city in recovering from the recent disasters, she had a great deal of access to the supplies being distributed among those most affected. If they could put something into the water, the food, something highly contagious...

He ran off, heading towards the cabin shared by Anne and Mary. He had to talk to them. He started to think about how he hoped he wouldnt interrupt anything too...intimate..., then he thought better of that, and hoped with all his lusty mind that he did indeed interrupt something just like that. A grin crossed his face as he climbed the stairs. Perhaps he could satisfy more than one urge this night.

Anne sensed Nicholai moving towards their cabin, and before he could intrude, she sent a telepathic message: "Mary and I are having private time, Nicholai. I'm flattered, but we'd like to be alone tonight...." The irritation of her mind-voice disappeared when she sensed that something heavy was on his mind. "Huh, what's this? Better let me in to take a look."

Nicholai allowed her access to his train of thought. Anne was momentarily shocked, then pleased at his ambition, then irritated all over again. "Absolutely not!" she informed him. "Good thing you came to me. The Bonny Corporation does not release plagues! However, your suggestion that chaos might benefit us is duly noted...."

He mentally repeated the point: Why not?

"It's taken care of, Nicholai! You're too important to get your hands dirty. Quit talking to Lord Veighn, this sounds like one of his ideas... half-baked."

He repeated the telepathic question: Was she sure?

"It's taken care of, damn it, watch the news. Pack your swimsuit. It's more important than ever that we get out of here." She cut off the mental communication. She had told Nicholai more than she wanted to.

But maybe he was right. This had gone on long enough. It was time to end things, with a little style and a lot of mayhem. She had it all planned, and it was fool-proof - no one important would be blamed for anything. First things first, though....

"That dress is delicious, Mary," she purred to her lover. "I love it." With a quick tear of her superhuman hands, the dress was rags. "I love you." She tossed the flowers on the bed, and tossed her lady-love down on top of them. Tackling her beloved, they rolled into a giggling tumble of limbs and flower petals.

Destroying the world could wait. It was just business.

She would not turn, in fact she did not move period. The only stirring came from her breathing. Alana?s chest gently rose and fell as she watched silently over the waves. She had not tried her way into either of their minds. In addition, it was a good thing too because Alana would have been in high disapproval of it all. She never wished to kill the innocents of Rhydin. Did she want to shake them up hard? Yes. However, she NEVER wanted to slaughter them.

Alana spoke ever so softly as she he approached. Her hands gently ran over the rail. Her touches to it were feather light and for that instant, she saw nothing else. Those eyes on the water, she did not look up until he was right upon her. She would smile and her head turned over her shoulder.

?Father, you look restless. May I inquire as to why you seem so somber tonight??

Certainly, Alana was not being herself. She was relaxed. Calm, but most of all. She spoke formally to him this night. She was becoming a new person, she had learned so much. She had been learning to read and write. She had been fighting less and attempting to entertain more and she blushed gently as she noticed how he looked at her. Looking down she smiled a bit.

?I had to buy it. The fabric was amazing and I couldn?t resist it.?

Alana smiled and looked over to Nicholai. She would nod softly. Many suitors didn?t really hit the spot there. There was only the one. He was something else. A true merit in the greater good. Something Alana couldn?t even imagine being. And she didn?t think too much into becoming like him. But that was alright. He loved her anyway. As she turned towards the dark priest she would speak softly. Almost lyrically.

?There is one. His name is Feilas. We are to be married. He proposed just recently. It will be hard to leave him behind on this trip to earth but I suppose I will have to manage.?

Alana would look out onto the water again the moonlight dancing there would set those emerald orbs a sparkling and it would illuminate the joy on her face. She hadn?t really spoken too much of her engagement to anyone. In addition, she supposed that she would have to announce it sooner or later. Perhaps at the next board meeting. Those hands would gently slide over the rail and Alana would absentmindedly allow her fingers to glide over its cool surface.

?I haven?t thought much into the wedding. It has taken me by surprise really. I never expected he would ask. Isn?t the world funny like that??