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Tranquil Waters: The Lead Crown Ch 9.2, Accountability

Sanmer liked to keep a realistic grasp of his talents, skills, and attributes. He maintained a reasonable impression of his strengths and weaknesses because he knew few men failed at what they were good at but when placed at a disadvantage the likelihood of success was that much more difficult. The Fox made it a point to avoid situations that played to his weaknesses and maximize opportunities for him to exercise his very broad set of strengths.

As far as skills he covered anything and everything involving subtlety, speed, agility, charisma, wits, good looks, silver tongues, quick paws, technique, panache-- pretty much the whole gambit of talents that didn't involve humility. But, on the occasion when he was being TRULY honest with himself, Sanmer had to admit that his pivotal fault was that he was neither as strong nor as sturdy as those who occasionally made things difficult for him. That lack of bran and fortitude was the very thing that necessitated his expansive skill set for "alternative methods" of getting things done.

To this end the talent that had seen the most use was his ability to both detect and get away with high quality subterfuge. As the Baron of Bullshit, Sanmer had no difficulty getting things his way. A self-styled Duke of Drivel, the Fox could socially engineer any scene given the time and access. The rogue was the Marquis of Malarkey and had no issues when solving problems verbally. Yet the one greatest challenge to the white-furred Prince of Poppycock was Princess Noriene, who had turned out to be quite the revelation.

He had known that she was hiding something before they'd even come face to face and once they met he had no doubt before she even opened her muzzle that she was going to be handing out more lies than an alley near the docks had files. What he wasn't ready for was when she decided it was time to tell the truth. Sanmer sat through her ample discussion of 'how things were' constantly second-guessing his own ability to differentiate between truth and lies because, to be honest, he had never expected ANYONE to be able to flip a switch and go from complete falsehood to unadulterated truth. Aside from that, however, the truth was downright frightening.

The nameless, faceless members of the organization known as The Mechanists sought to control aspects of the world from the shadows and their attention had ultimately drifted to Lehsunia and lingered there. They were collectively a puppet master with strings in every aspect of social, religious, intellectual, and even royal power. How is it she was so sure? Princess Noriene had been a high ranking member of the organization until they decided she was no longer of use.

The thought of any group being so powerful as to casually throw away a member of the royal family because they were "unneeded" was frightening indeed... especially to a rogue who survived by leap-frogging between little oases of chaos in an otherwise orderly society. Princess Noriene did a fine job though simple narration and explanation of helping him to realize that The Mechanists taking control would be the end of his way of life; they were the ultimate embodiment of order and if they won the power struggle than life as he knew it would come to an end.

Despite her willingness to share all she knew, Sanmer was well aware that Princess Noriene was not on his side; she was an ally of convenience with her own motivations and schemes. She had provided him the information he needed to work on planning ahead and even offered him some direction in the form of revealing her plans to him: get aid from her younger brother. He'd done as she'd requested in traveling to Vallara and delivering a message because he realized the Mechanists wielded too much power. She was an enemy of his enemy so, for the time being at least, he could work with her.

She had been a Mechanist and that meant she knew far more than anyone else in the group; she would be a far more attractive target for prospective assassins; she was a Princess and had access to areas he did not. It was for those reasons and more that he needed her. No-- he wasn't going to call her an ally and he wasn't about to trust her but for the moment their goals aligned. Returning to her and aiding her in escaping Newport did not bring him comfort any more than finding a sturdy blade the guards had left behind after a raid; she was a tool to be used. Joining with his friends in the process however was a welcome relief and helped him feel a little more at ease.

They were traveling to Graddin; it would hopefully be the final step in what Sanmer had come to see as one of the single longest 'jobs' in his career. Aside from the fact that he'd been working towards what had previously been an invisible end-game, the Fox's largest objection was that he wasn't actually getting PAID for it. Of course, taking into consideration he was a member of a royal procession DID suggest that there would be an opportunity for riches later... assuming he would be able to bide his time. And to think: everything had started with an unspectacular Antelope scholar and a VERY spectacular Dragon.

He was something of a strangely shaped puzzle piece-- if not a missing one altogether. The Dragon had seemed to strike up an alliance of convenience with the Princess in much the same way Sanmer had with her. The rogue wasn't able to put his finger on it which concerned him the most; he had to understand the terms of how the two were working together if he was to figure out how it factored into his own plans. If the time came when sides had to be chosen would the Dragon side with him or with the Wolf? It was an issue that was neither broken nor ideal and it would require more thought on his part. Until then, the Dragon remained a constantly shifting variable.

The Fox murmured his name in the darkness of the carriage. "Kesst."

A sleepy reply arose from the Bear-fur 'mattress' beneath him. "Mrngh?"

Sanmer slid around within Roaring-Flood's loose grasp. The Tribal Bear was not a heavy sleeper but he also seemed to be very skilled at telling the difference between danger and a vocal Fox. "Just talking to myself. Go back to sleep."

Roaring-Flood replied groggily in wild tongue. The Bear his head close enough so he could give Sanmer's muzzle a lick before letting it fall back to the pillow. A large black paw moved to rest against the Fox's back and the Bear almost immediately returned to snoring. It was cute in a lumbering, brutish sort of way and that was exactly the way Sanmer liked seeing; Roaring-Flood was a square peg that somehow still managed to fill a round hole in the Fox's life... probably with lots of force and unwillingness to give up. He flexed his tail, still feeling sore from earlier in the evening-- yea... force and perseverance sounded about right for the Bear.

Despite their closeness Sanmer had a difficult time figuring out exactly where he stood with Roaring-Flood. On one paw, Sanmer was no stranger to a fling, or even a loose-relationship of casual sex but he couldn't figure out if that's what he and Roaring-Flood shared. There was a genuine connection, strange as it was between them. He'd heard that opposites attracted but had never really given it much thought. The question he kept asking himself was how HE felt about the Bear. There was a certain benefit of having an attachment to a bodyguard that didn't require pay... was that the entirety of the attraction? Sanmer honestly couldn't tell.

The fact that Enarork seemed to tolerate their relationship made things even more difficult. As Roaring-Flood's brother the brown Bear should have had some very strong feelings in the matter and yet the jeweler only ever held his own council. Sanmer certainly never bothered bringing it up with him and apparently neither did Roaring-Flood. Despite not knowing how Enarork fit into his plans, Sanmer couldn't deny the fact that he too had his own uses. Aside from that, he seemed to be a likable enough individual; it was a rare trait among Lehsunians and yet, if the two ursine brothers were any indication it seemed almost a requirement to be a Tribal.

Having grown up on his own, Sanmer hadn't had the opportunity to experience what it was like to be a brother and the relationship the Bears shared often resulted in comments and actions that had surprised him. Family was a foreign concept for a Fox who rarely considered someone a friend, let alone related. Perhaps that was why he had such a hard time sympathizing with the Ermine scholar traveling with him. Theo had a grave, severe expression most of the time and in the intervening times he was usually gazing off in the distance with watery eyes.

Roaring-Flood had filled Sanmer in on the farewell Theo and his sister had shared and the Fox had figured that should have been the end of the drama but apparently that was not the case. The Rogue didn't share as much as a handful of words with the Ermine during the first part of their journey yet he couldn't help but feel that Theo was speaking volumes by not even saying one word. Sanmer hoped that the scholar would get his act together by the time they reached Graddin or it was possible the Ermine would be more trouble than he would be help.

Letting out a deep breath, the Fox snuggled into the embrace of his sleeping companion. It had been a long day of travel but very little exercise meant that Sanmer was left feeling restless. Of course, the nearly forty minutes of 'physical activity' before Roaring-Flood went to sleep was something but if anything it only left him feeling more energized... and sore. Regardless, Sanmer knew he had to try and sleep because they would be in Graddin before long and that meant he had to be on top of his game... attentive... astute... ready for anything. The time was coming when he would have to decide how he could come out on top... and that counted for far more than just Roaring-Flood.