Burning Skies Saloon

[Yiski]

--Western District--

Before Lauren, Yiski, and Zill watched as Zill's men along with a few defenders and guards cleaned up the bodies. Lauren gave a sigh of relief and looked to Yiski if he was feeling the same. All she saw was Yiski giving her a deadpan look and gave a grin to Zill.

"So, when did you plan on tellin' me trouble followed you?"

Her was response again was a sheepish grin. Yiski again pinched the bridge of his nose. Zill shook his head and laughed.

"Yiski, is there ever a day when people don't try and kill you."

"To be fair, they were after her."

Zill looked over to Lauren and was about to say something until Roland and Ny-Lee came running up to them.

"Heavens, are you okay Yiski? Ny-Lee and I heard shots nearby and thought something happened to you."

Now it was Yiski's turn to laugh.

"Skies, why is it when shots are fired, everybody looks at me?"

There was an awkward silence from everyone. Annoyed, Yiski threw up his hands.

"Bloody skies fine! Let's head back and get somethin' to drink."

When they started walking to the saloon, Ny-Lee was heading toward the docks. Yiski stopped and asked her.

"Where are you goin'?"

"Ah, well Ny-Lee found a letter addressed to Liu from Honeybadger."

"Oh yeah... I forgot about that."

Ny-Lee headed off for BdrLine's place and the others went to the saloon. Yiski to Zill.

"Shouldn't you get Jun?"

"She'll meet us at the saloon."

[BdrLineAzn]

--Docks--

*At his warehouse, BdrLine and his group are making preparations for the Spring Festival*
*All four of the are in the basement getting out decorations*

"Ok lets bring these up and start setting them"

*While they are moving and setting things, all four are unaware of what is happening at another part of the Western District*
*a little wile later, they are finished setting their area to be in some type of festival spirit*

"There, thanks guys see you all tomorrow"

"You too Bdr"
"See you around"

*BdrLine then starts to walk towards the Saloon*
*On the way, he spots Ny-Lee walking towards the docks*

"Hey Ny, where are you headed?"

"Towards your house, looks like Honeybadger left mother a letter"

"I'm guessing its about him and Aunt Luli?"

"Most likely"

"Alrighty, I'll be heading for the saloon. Meet you there?"

"Once after i give this to her"

*The two left their separate ways*
*Finally, Ny-Lee arrives to her brothers house and opens the door*
*Inside, Ny spots her mother in the kitchen eating*

"Oh, Hello there Ny. What brings you here?"

"Hi mother, well at the saloon Roland and I spotted a letter for you from Honeybager. Azn and I think it has to do with him and Aunt Luli"

"Hmm, here let me take a look"

*Ny-Lee hands her mother the letter which she takes and breaks the seal*
*Liu spends a few minutes reading the letter*

*Liu puts a hand to her lips after finishing reading*

"No wonder she was heart broken for a few weeks. Good thing she didn't marry that general, that was horrible what he did."

"Can I see?"

*Liu pass the letter to her*

"Aww, well at least you are right that she didn't marry that general, such a jerk. Even though i love Uncle Hao, i feel sad about reading this and what happened to them."

"Yeah, after that day, she presumed him to be dead. Your aunt eventually moved on, but she was depressed for some time."

*sigh* "Yeah, i couldn't imagine losing someone close to me."

*She thinks back to the day when the Birdman mercenaries arrived to take BdrLine and her away, and through the fighting Roland got shot*

*Liu notices this and goes and hugs her daughter*

"At least you still have him"

*Ny-Lee smiles under the embrace*
*Liu eventually releases the hug*

"Come on, lets not mope around, tomorrow there is going to be a festival. We dont want to start it off being sad do we?"

*Ny-Lee chuckles at her mother's comment* "No, you are right, I think we should head to the saloon and see the others"

"Lets"

*The two leaves the home for Yiski's Saloon*

*At the saloon, BdrLine notices that the place was locked and empty*

Hmm, where did everyone go?

[Captain Lockheart]

--Chaladon--

*Lockheart takes a seat in his own private office in the military district of Chaladon, the room was dusty and full of cobwebs as it had not been used for as long as lockheart hadn't served in the watch. A portrait of Lockheart stood valiantly in full footman military uniform was hanging at a angle, Cecelia was sat on a leather armchair reading a book, Lockheart himself was searching around his office looking for a certain book, titled "the adventures of the airmen"*

"AH-HA Gotcha"

*he pulled the book back and it revealed a small oak box, lockheart pulled it out among with several other books hitting the floor*

"here we go, i remember this"

*opens the box to reveal a collection of photographs of lockheart when he was younger and it also contained a radio with a special antenna that could only use one, experimental frequency*

Cecelia: "whats that?"

Lockheart: *enthusiastically*" this, my sweetheart is a radio that can only be used on one frequency, that no one else can access. The Whalers frequency, its a small group of us areonauts that i formed way back..., my only hope to win is if my old pall Fadeshade still listens to this thing" *he smiled*

*switches it on*

"Calling, Fadeshade do you read this is lockheart"

*the radio was awfully filled with static due too its unique frequency*

"Fadeshade come in"

*Lockhearts smile dropped*

"shit"

Fadeshade: "whoa, watch your language there Julie"

*this remark caused Cecelia to snigger*

Lockheart: "Blimey i knew i could rely on you, listen.... you up for a skirmish..."

Fadeshade: "What's in it for me Julie?"

Lockheart: "Good Coin"

*the radio paused for a second*

Fadeshade: " Give me the location and time and ill be there, of course, ill have to assemble the men like old times."

Lockheart: " Bloody Excellent, its been a while since ive seen, let alone board the Maelstrom how is she?"

Fadeshade: "oh she's fine alright, a bit rusty but this should clean her up a bit"

*Lockheart smiled, he had a reliable second for his duel, he was flushed with confidence. He then set about Cleaning his office, for he felt with a few high military ranking family members dead, there may be a promotion in order for him, he aligned the painting up and admired it for a moment*

Lockheart: "do i look different there"

Cecelia: "meh, not really dear although in my eyes you'll never change"

*Lockheart and Cecelia smiled as if they read each others mind, Lockheart gave her a long kiss, then they both left tidying the office and set off back home for a Night in*

[Yiski]

--Near the Saloon--

When the group arrived at the saloon, they saw a confused BdrLine standing outside. BdrLine sees the group and waves at them. Yiski unlocks the door.

"Sorry about that BdrLine, some business came up."

"Did it involve the feint sounds of gunfire?"

"If it makes you feel any better, I wasn't shootin'."

"Not really."

As the group went inside, Yiski could see Jun'ko, Ny-Lee, and Liu approaching and they entered as well. With the group together, Roland turns to Yiski.

"So, how is my 'aunt' Lauren related to you and my parents?"

Even though Roland asked, the similar thoughts were going through the others. Yiski walks over to the counter and starts making drinks and hands them out with Roland's help. Yiski takes a sip of Clear Skies. He was going to need it to recall the muddied past.

"You want the simple or complex answer?"

"Simple first."

"The simple answer. Lauren was your mother's closest and best friend. They were inseparable to point of being considered sisters and unofficially became your aunt."

"And the complex?"

This is where Yiski hesitated to answer. There were a lot of things he still needed answers for from Lauren. Seeing his hesitation, Lauren answered for him.

"I was proposed to by Yiski shortly before the plan to fake my death in order to keep his Crimson Bolt identity safe which apparently failed."

Zill almost choked on his drink, not because of the overall reason, but just because Yiski was almost married. Yiski gave Lauren a stern stare, but yielded to the abridged version.

"Aside from missin' a few major details, she's also now the piloting instructor at the Academy as part of her punishment."

More questions wanted to be asked, but the saloon soon found itself packed with regulars and visitors for tomorrow's festival. Any more questions would have to be addressed after closing.

[Skyraider]

*One of the first few people in the saloon was Sky, he seemed to be in a good mood, he speaks*

"Good morrow everyone! Along with the latest report from the Flying Panthers, training has been going really well, we've spent almost all of our time flying in formation and striking ground targets with bombs and rockets. Also, I've let them customize their airplanes, funny what they come up with. A lot of them have mismatching colors and different symbols..."

*He throws a picture down on the table, it shows the different planes as he described*

"I've never been a guy that likes uniform, I find it boring and to predictable."

[Honeybadger]

-- Airship near coast of Sky's End --

*The bandits circle the crowd of people at gunpoint, Honeybadger is in the front row of the group of people made up of kids and posh women*

*The one of the bandits gesture to a nearby woman also in the front row*

Bandit Thug (1): "Money or your life toots."

*The woman is clearly scared out of her mind. Honeybadger sighs*

Honeybadger: "Lay off her, stronzo."

*The bandit looks angrily at Honeybadger and shifts his gun to Honeybadger's chest*

Bandit Thug (1): "Empty your pockets you smart ass."

Honeybadger: "You want me to empty MY pockets?"

*The bandit just presses the barrel into Honeybadger's stomach*

Honeybadger: Well now that I have his attention, what now. I should think things through more.

Bandit Thug (1): "C'mon, lets see some gold."

Honeybadger: Hmm, what would Papa do?

*Honeybadger slowly reaches into his pocket and takes out his coin bag of his bounty money. He cringes inside.*

Bandit Thug (1): "Hand it over. Last chance fancy pants."

*Honeybadger lowers his brows*

Honeybadger: "Very well."

*Honeybadger drops the coin bag, while doing this, his concealed hand pulled out his modified colt .45 and pressed it into the bandits shoulder. Before he could react, Honeybadger had fired into his shoulder causing the bandits gun to fly upward.*

*when the other bandit behind the shot bandit begins to turn around. Honeybadger kicks the now dying bandit into the one behind, knocking him backwards while catching the original bandits gun with his other hand, he cocks his other gun and kills the remaining bandits with the two guns*

Honeybadger: One... Two... Three... Four... Alright, that's all of them. *Honeybadger holsters his gun while picking up his coin bag and drops the other gun* "Carry on, everything has been taken care of."

[Yiski]

--Saloon--

Even though the saloon was packed to the brim, it didn't seem all that busy. Roland, Ny-Lee, Yiski, and even Lauren (upon Yiski's insistence for her staying at the saloon) handled all the patrons quickly. Jun'ko played a few tunes on the piano and Zill just lounged around at the bar making sure nobody was causing trouble and chuckled to himself being glad he didn't have to run a saloon. Zill would prefer raiders than having to run a business.

With the current level of business, nobody had time to ask Lauren anymore questions.

[RearAdmiralZill]

-Saloon-

Zill fumbled with his mug at the bar. His mind was full of thoughts from his past. Raids, Kyle, his time in the Baronies, all eating up his attention. A kiss from Jun'ko broke his trance. He shook his head and stared at her for a moment. She spoke first.
"You seem tense tonight."

"Old thoughts."

"Bad ones I take it?"

"Yea."

He leaned over the bar and grunted. The shot from earlier hurt, though nothing serious. He hid it from Jun. Somehow, he figured she worried about enough things to warrant him hiding it.

He turned around to look at the patrons. In a flash, they turned into talking skeletons. Death surrounded his vision, and Kyle slowly walked up to him. He looked just as he did on that cursed night, gunshot still fresh. The only words, "Say the prayer." Zill shook his head and the vision was gone. He sighed and took another drink. It was going to take a lot more to drown his mind.

[BdrLineAzn]

--Saloon--

*As the time passes on, BdrLine is seen talking to some of the patrons about tomorrows festival*

*When there is not that much work happening in the busy saloon, Ny-Lee is talking with her mother about the final wedding preparations*

[Yiski]

--NARRATOR--

With the ability of subtle, but forceful persuasion, Yiski manages to close the saloon early. After the clean up, everybody was standing around looking between Lauren and Yiski. The two know everyone else is thinking up questions to ask and simply wait.

Two hours pass by with a battery of questions directed at the former couple. Most questions center around Lauren's eight years after faking her death. Another portion around her involvement in the recent events taking place in Anvala. Few questions pry into their former love life. Lauren and Yiski do a decent enough job answering questions.

Eventually, BdrLine and Liu head to his place for the night. BdrLine would be busy with all the increased traffic at all the ports and knew he'd be running around trying to fix any mechanical problems. Liu wanted an early start so she could wander around the Festival.

Roland and Ny-Lee were the next to leave, heading upstairs into the spare room of the saloon. Yiski had given the couple tomorrow so they too could have fun at the Festival. This left Zill, Jun'ko, Yiski, and Lauren.

"You two goin' to stay the night again?"

Jun'ko looks at Zill. He could read Jun'ko's expression as saying 'Let's leave these two alone.' Though Zill would have much rather sleep in the other spare room bed than the one on his galleon, he knew he didn't want to be anywhere near this drama. But in the back of his mind he knew it would be futile. Zill turns to Yiski.

"Well Jun and I are heading back to my ship. Seem like it's getting crowded a bit."

Zill walks out and Jun'ko follows, waving at the former couple.

Lauren and Yiski stand for a bit in silence on the main floor. Yiski turns towards the back and starts walking. Without facing her...

"There's a another spare room up."

Before Yiski disappears into the back...

"Do you still love me?"

The question pauses Yiski.

"Dunno. It's hard to love someone who's supposed to be dead."

With that Yiski disappears, leaving Lauren alone on the main floor. It would be minutes before she went up.

--NARRATOR END--

--END OF DAY 78--

[Yiski]

--START OF DAY 79--

--NARRATOR--

Morning came quickly and with a lot of commotion throughout Anvala. Today was the Spring Festival, the one day out of the year Anvala loosens up its strict visitor policy. Oddly enough, if the very first Festival wasn't such a huge hit, today's Festival wouldn't exist. Since then, merchants and local businesses have lobbied (so far unsuccessfully) the Council to hold more Festivals to boost Anvala's economy.

Aside from the politics involved with the Festival, the City Center was the main attraction. There were twice as many stalls active and probably four times the people.

While all the festivities were active, Yiski was getting ready to open. He was aided by Roland, Ny-Lee, and Lauren. Satisfied the saloon and himself could handle the massive one-day increase, he let Roland and Ny-Lee roam the Festival. The saloon would be managed by Yiski and Lauren. While Yiski was apprehensive still with Lauren, he couldn't complain with the help. Because of the increased traffic of the Festival, the Academy is closed for the day.

As soon as Yiski opened the saloon, a wave of people started flooding into the saloon, taking seats, and ordering drinks.

--NARRATOR END--

[RearAdmiralZill]

-Port Tar Barrel-

Zill was already up and on his galleon's watch deck peering at the crowds. Reports said the influx of people was above average of past Festivals, so he commissioned an extra levy to be ready. The Festival was always a love/hate thing for him. The added boost to Anvala's economy was priceless, but the headaches of maintaining order plagued Zill.

Jun'ko was down in the chambers getting ready for the day. She was going to the Saloon early to help out there since Zill had to keep things in check. When she finished, she went up to the watch deck.
"See anything?"

"Lots of potential."

"Yea well not everyone on this world is a terrible person."

"True, but it's my job to always think they are."

"Well, I'm off to the Saloon. When will you be done?"

"As soon as I can. I need a break from all this stress."

"Didn't you get that last night?" *chuckles*

Zill smirked and shoo'ed her off. She knew what he felt, and walked over to the Burning Skies grinning.

[Shinkurex]

*The door slowly opens, and everyone in the saloon falls quiet. Nobody could see anyone in the doorway. A couple moments later, a few patrons notice a mass of rags and bones on the floor.*

_{"Clear skies anyone?"}

*Shink manages to say before passing out*

[Honeybadger]

-- Somewhere in a small town near Sky's End --

*Honeybadger leaves the ship and makes his way down the nearest street, several merchants and beggars either shout at him or other people, despite the large population of homeless, the streets were clean.*

Honeybadger: Hard to believe I grew up here. I didn't think it would seem this different after I visited Yesha.

*A child running behind Honeybadger knocks into him, the child tuns around and gestures at Honeybadger. Honeybadger quickly grabs the boy by his collar extending his other hand. The boy reluctantly gave back the large pouch of gold*

Honeybadger: "Do you happen to know where the Tinkering Shop is?" You little shit...

*The kid, extremely scared due to Honeybadgers tight grip, points in the shops direction. Honeybadger lets go and sends the kid dropping about a foot before running off. Honeybadger Sighs and makes his way down the street*

Honeybadger: Should I have killed that kid? Na, I'll save the bullets.

*Honeybadger spots a shop that reads "Dylans Fine Inventions and Deli"*

Honeybadger: He wanted a place where people would eat and by toys I suppose.

*Honeybadger enters the store, the door bell attached to the door frame rings. The cashier looks over then lights up.*

Cashier: "Honey! You son of a bitch! Get over here!"

*The cashier walked over and gave Honeybadger a hug, Honeybadger smiled at the man*

Honeybadger: "Been a while Dylan."

Dylan: "I'll say, you've been there and over here. I can't even keep track of you."

Honeybadger: "You've always had a knack for finding and contacting me though."

Dylan: "Hey, you're not the only one whose been around. Oh, come in the back. I'll show you what I called you here for."

*Honeybadger follows Dylan to the back room. Once Honeybadger sees what is in front of him he raises both brows and his mouth drops in awe*

Honeybadger: "So... What am I looking at here?"

[Yiski]

--NARRATOR--

Yiski quickly moves to see what caused the patron to go silent. When Yiski maneuvers to the front door, he sees the body. It takes a while to realize it's Shink. Yiski immediately has a regular fetch a triage medic nearby and Yiski begins to question the patrons if they heard anything. When Shink asked for a Clear Skies, Yiski had Lauren toss him a bottle of Clear Skies. Yiski caught it and poured it down Shink's throat. He coughed a bit which gave Yiski some indication Shink was still among the living.

Twenty minutes passed before a group of triage medics showed up. Their prolonged arrival was caused by the mass congestion. The medics had a stretcher with them and asked Yiski for any information. All Yiski could do was relay information given to him by the patrons who saw him. Once the medics determined Shink was stable enough, they hauled him back to the triage. Yiski sighed.

"Never a moment when there aren't bodies around my saloon."

Meanwhile, Roland and Ny-Lee were wandering all over Anvala. Roland has experienced the Festival before, but this was Ny-Lee's first. Of course, Ny-Lee had been to multiple festivals held in Chang-ning, but Anvala's culture and dealings were a new experience and she was not shy about showing her excitement. Before the couple had stopped for lunch, Ny-Lee had bought several items, mostly souvenirs, for her mother to transport back to the Empire. Roland looked at all the goods bought and began to feel like a pack mule. Roland mentally sighed.

"If she is happy, then it is all that matters."

--NARRATOR END--