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Of Swords, Schemes, and Spies (ATTN: Pyro and Pressy)


Blueblood

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Being an advisor to a theoretically absolute ruler was tricky.  How do you stop your boss from doing something you feel is stupid, once he’s made up his mind?  There are no workarounds in the system to exploit, and direct contradiction and obstruction is dangerous to the pony who wants to keep their job.

 

Such was the dilemma facing Shiroi Boshi as she left the Canterlot debating platform, keeping an eye on the retreating figures of Halvard and Sigrun.  The latter caribou had apparently brought with her the legendary Ninhoto no Uto, the singing sword of legend, in an attempt to establish a rapport and eventual alliance between the clans loyal to the High King of Whitescar, and the Shogunate of Neighpon.  She drove a hard bargain for itm if you asked her, in only having to give up half the blade, but then, she was less sensitive to the sympathies of either side’s legends.  No, her mind was on other things.

 

She’d done research on both Sigrun and her companion, Halvard.  The latter had been instrumental in expanding his own clan’s trade networks, and was rumored to be working on breaking into the lucrative Polyneighsian market.  As far as Shiroi was concerned, that could not be allowed to happen.  If Nieghpon lost its resource monopoly in the region… a long slide down from the position of greatness would be certain, as well as it no longer being able to sustain its magitek dominance, or even to sustain its economy in general!

 

But… the Shogun had agreed to the proposal.  Unless the deal was stopped at the last minute, negotiations would likely continue.  If Shiroi tried to sabotage the deal, and was caught, that would give the caribou a diplomatic edge they’d be stupid not to take advantage of.  No, the only possibility would be for the other party to act dishonorably.  And if they did, Shiroi would make sure to catch them in the act.

 

To minimize the risk of being caught, Shiroi would employ the very latest in espionage technomancy!... One of the little robots from her homeland used to clean the floor.  With a camera on it.  To the uninitiated, it would look like a horseshoe crab with a knobbly growth on it’s back.  Hiding out from a distance, holed up in the Nieghponese retinue, the technomancer to the Shogun began her campaign of espionage…

 

~***~

 

Do you feel like we’re being watched?”  


For the past few minutes, Halvard had felt the hairs on the back of his neck prick up.  At first, he put it down to normal caution, as he was escorting his mate carrying a valuable artifact.  After not being able to see any followers as the traveled along the boulevards of Canterlot.  They’d just come off the debate, and it was possible that Neighponese sympathizers might try to snatch the blade to avoid having to split it.  He couldn’t let Sigrun’s hard work be undone now...

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"I've been getting that strange sort of feeling for a time since we left the debate." Sigrun spoke in a hushed tone to the bull at her side, "I hope I'm not sounding paranoid... but I've heard tails of the Karasu's agents. You don't suppose they've sent them to tail us, do you?" The cow turned her  head back slightly to only see some small shadow scurry underneath the stall of a vendor nearby. Canterlot's streets were thankfully nowhere near as packed as Manehattans. If anyone made some daring attempt to 'rescue' the blade from it's holders in this broad daylight, they would have no subtle way to approach unless they'd made themselves invisible. 

 

Looking back to Halvard she forced a smiled, veering to the side so she could plant a kiss on the burly bull's cheek. "I don't think we should rule out the possibility we both could be a bit on edge though..." She gestured to the unfamiliar architecture around them, the many pastel tones of the inhabitants as they muttered and whispered about various things and luxuries that this vibrant bazaar had to offer. "We are strangers in a strange land. Miles from our lo-- um. Well not ALL of our loved ones." a smile creased her lips as she laid her eyes on Halvard, "Ah... where was I headed with this? right! We've both traveled beyond the border's of Whitescar and had a productive talk with a stallion I wasn't even sure would be willing to meet with us. All in all: a full day with an unusual victory for both sides, right?"

 

Despite her upbeat tone and try for optimism, Sigrun still felt worried about that weighty silence back in the debate. She was sure she'd stepped in something that would likely come back to haunt her in some way. If not sooner than later. 

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Sandā wasn't entirely sure she agreed with the decision to split the legendary blade, but she was in favor of peace. Even though she was the daughter of the highest military officer in Neighpon, at least he was before he died and was replaced, and even though she was probably at her best in battle, she would still prefer things to go as peacefully as they could. Perhaps that was due to her current position as the most important guard in Neighpon, the one watching the Shogun himself. 

 

In any case, she could live with a sword being reforged if it meant her country would have less enemies to worry about. The mare glanced at Shiroi, who apparently had some concerns with Ryuichi's decision that she hadn't voiced to the stallion. That just made her wonder what the technomancer was planning to do.

 

Honestly, Sandā wasn't sure what to do about that right now. She had already tried to explain that this alliance did not eliminate the threat of caribou raids entirely, but she had no idea if the message had stuck at all. 

 

The pegasus had removed her armor after returning to their retinue, using hard exercise and weapon training to try and take her mind off of her father. Thankfully, it worked, and she made her way over to the other mare after stowing her spear away. 

 

"<What are you doing, Shiroi?>" She asked, simply curious as she wiped her brow with a foreleg. 

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Shiroi was at first slightly irritated by the intrusion, as she was whenever she was interrupted during any particularly intensive task.  Her expression was set back to neutral, though, upon seeing Sanda.  As the Shogun's bodyguard, the pegasus would be trained to envision and prepare for worst-case scenarios, and thus would perhaps be inclined to sympathize with her own concerns.  At least, the unicorn would be able to state them without fear of being called 'paranoid.'

 

"I am monitoring the caribou delegation, to see that no breach of the agreement occurs, nor any dishonor committed to the Ninhoto no Uta."  Either would be grounds to call the deal off, which might not make the Shogun happy, but would certainly ease the tech-mage's mind.  "Plus, I wanted to test out my new spy-golem."  Shiroi admitted, shrugging a bit.  "I coupled the principles of scyring to crystals within the lens of a camera.  Thus, enabling one to see through it as a third eye.  Observe."

 

She magically lifted her spectacles off of her face, still attached with a length of wire to her magitek supplies on her back, and offered them to Sanda.  Instead of being transparent, the left lens showed an entirely different view, displaying the caribou couple as they walked down the streets of Canterlot.  The view was brief, as Shiroi still needed to control the device to keep up with them, but it was enough to demonstrate the Principle.

 

~***~

 

"I've heard those stories too.  All spies tell them about themselves, much like sagas written in praise of the warrior.  It is an art, but to be taken with a grain of salt.  After all, if they were really that good, wouldn't they have just taken back the blade long ago?"  Halvard responded humorously, in an attempt to comfort himself as well as his mate.  He still couldn't quite shake the feeling...

 

Well, never mind that for now.  If they were ambushed, he'd be ready.  In the meantime, he smiled over at Sigrun's talk of 'loved ones,' giving the back of her neck a quick nuzzle.  "Indeed.  Speaking of which, wasn't Limi planning a trip to Nieghpon himself soon?  The little ambassador can't be faulted for his lack of ambition, in that respect.  Hopefully, we've done our part to make his welcome on arrival more likely to be hospitable."

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"Perhaps they somehow swiped it in the middle of the stage while the debate was going on right before our eye, ye we didn't see it!" The cow smirked playfully at halvard, "You never know: they say neighpon is famous it's magic and ninjas among other things." She tried to fake a laugh, only to glance back down at the case and cracking it open to hear the hum of the blade: it was still there. A subtle sigh of relief escaped her before she resumed her walk alongside her mate. 

 

The stroll continued for a few  paces into a busier section of the bazaar. Sigrun's eyes wandered the area, her stride pausing as she went wide eyed at a lovely looking garment in the window... it was almost her size! Her face fell a moment as she saw it had been made for horses of Saddle Arabia. Perhaps one day she'll find something nicely tailored for her frame, but not today evidently. 

 

Fluffy ears perked momentarily at the mention of her son, "Ah yes! He said he wished to see the place of our neighbors to the northeast. His tastes seem to pull him farther eastward than I'd anticipated it seems. Oh! Perhaps he'll be a skald ambassador for all of whitescar one day. I just hope he doesn't bite off more than he can chew while he's over there." Sigrun's tone grew more excited as she spoke of her child in the distance. It seems no matter the range she always was eager to gush about her little one. Soon enough she caught herself and chuckled, "Odyrr. I'm at risk of becoming one of -those- mothers aren't I?" 

"I've heard you've been getting more popular in my hold and now any tradesbou from your clan ask about where you are when they come to Askr's hold... the guards are starting to wonder how honest they should be."

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"<You are spying on them?>" Sandā asked, blinking a bit after seeing through Shiroi's lens. Part of her wanted to end this now, but there was another part that wanted to help in case there was some hidden threat to Ryu. 

 

The mare stood there in indecision as she watched Shiroi control the bot. After a few minutes of silent debate, she gave a firm nod and looked to the other mare. 

 

"<What can I do to help? If there is some threat to the shogun, it must be dealt with.>" She said, watching the mare. 

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"Monitoring, Sanda.  There is a distinction."  The distinction mostly being that spying could technically only occur within the Karasu's chain-of-command.  Actual espionage work was outside the Ginjutsu-sha's mandate, though counter-espionage was not.  A technicality, perhaps, but one on which retaining her position could depend.  "We are simply determining that our agreements are held to while in international territory.  I cannot say that I fully trust the opposite delegation to do so."

 

The bot scooted along, behind the booths of the Bazaar, peeking out between them at the caribou pair, while at the same time trying to avoid the sightlines of the shopkeepers.  Shiroi would have to be careful that she didn't accidentally turn on the vacuum function; even over the noise of the markets it might alert them to its presence.  "The best thing you could do is... hm, I guess hold yourself ready?  I don't exactly have the means to act myself if I discover dishonorable goings-on."

 

The unicorn pursed her lips, frustrated that she could do so little with a ready ally.  It was part of a general problem, really; her own realm was so technical in nature that her work rarely crossed over with those of the other members of the Shogun's Cabinet.  Thus, she rarely had a chance to interact and get to know the others.  There would have to be an opportunity to remedy that soon.

 

~***~

 

Halvard had to admit, he was also relieved to see that the sword was still safe in their possession.  That worry dismissed, he felt free to let his eyes roam over the merchandise, only being called once or twice to anything Sigrun was interested.  His own tastes ran to the practical and mechanical, of which there were few examples in the mostly luxury goods on display.  He did make a note of his mate's interest in the dress, though.  Perhaps he should start looking up tailors...

 

"I think all mothers are probably like that.  I know my own was quite excited when she received word of my upcoming promotion to jarl."  Halvard chuckled, remembering the scene on his last visit to his homeland, which had been a while ago.  Clan Breen's chieftain had more or less given him a permanent Vakstyra assignment to the east.  Perhaps in anticipation of certain plans...  "I don't suppose there's any point in being coy to them, anymore.  It's not as if we've made any secret of our affections."  He quickly leaned over to nuzzle under Sigrun's ear... which made him catch a quickly-moving black shape out of the corner of his eye.  "What was... was that a rat?"

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"Have we ever been coy?" She asked with a sly smile, "I don't think I've been keeping it very quiet, honestly. I've not been shrieking from the rooftops of my chosen mate, but I've not been opposed to bragging once in a while." Sigrun pursed her lips for a moment, dwelling on something Halvard had said. Now that she thought about it: neither of them had met eachother's parents. Curious. If they had the time perhaps they should seek them out, SIgrun would think it inappropriate to not at least tell them of what her plans with her mate was... and soothe any worries that is may end up like her last disastrous relationship.

 

The smile on her lips only grew as Halvard nuzzled in, falling swiftly when it was paused. Her ears perked right up at the mention of a rat, "Vermin?" She growled in annoyance, looking to the source of the motion. She followed it along to a stand selling fish... it wasn't seeing much business. A griffoness was just departing it with a few bundles of salmon. Fish was an often eaten food for the Askr clan back home. She saw something zip beneath it. Still rather wary of this strange occurrence she approached the stall and lowered her head, inspecting one of the fish visually. "Oh! Halvard! They have salmon here!" With her head above the table, and whatever was stalking them below. She was free to gesture with her head to come closer, her tone of voice earlier implying an attempt to appear as if they'd not noticed.

 

 

 

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Sandā grumbled to herself as she went back to her training. She hated being unable to do anything, it was aggravating having no say in the outcome. She picked up her spear and launched it in one smooth motion, the weapon ending up impaling a target she had set up earlier. 

 

"<Just tell me when you need me then.>" She said, walking over and pulling the spear out. 

 

------

 

Sunrise smiled as she made her way through the Canterlot market, enjoying a brief respite before she had to go home and get back to work. As she walked though, she spotted a couple interesting figures that she quickly recognized from the debate. 

 

"Excuse me? You two are the caribou delegation from the debate, correct? I am happy to see that a peaceful solution was reached. My name is Sunrise Skies, by the way. I am a fashion designer from Manehatten." She said after approaching the pair at the fish stand. "I apologize if I have interrupted anything, I just felt that you might like the company of someone more familiar with this city."

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"No, I don't suppose we have."  Halvard chuckled as he shrugged.  He'd often been able to overhear Sigrun bragging about him, to a somewhat exaggerated degree, he couldn't help but think, but he wasn't going to belabor the point.  He had some limits to modesty.

 

However, there now arose the delicate issue of confirming the existence of vermin in the market stalls without causing a panicked stampede.  It was strange, some ponies could display courage and resolve to make a Viking bow in respect, but then you had a mass that would lose their minds over something as small as a rat.  Well, at least in this case it would be a Rodent of Unusual Size.  "Ah, fantastic!  Although, this far from the coast, how fresh is it?"  With that as an excuse to closely inspect the goods, he was pretty sure that nothing could escape his notice...

 

~***~

 

"Oh, oh no."  Though her voice wasn't very loud, for obvious reasons, Sanda would be able to tell that Shiroi was now seriously worried.  Her golem was pinned behind the fish stand, and there was no way she could pick another hiding spot without being noticed.  But if she stayed put, the caribou would surely find her spy-bot immediately.

 

"Sanda, I need you to-!"

 

~***~

 

Sunrise's greeting caught Halvard's attention, and that of his mate, for just a moment.  "Oh, hello!  I have to say we were pretty pleased too."  He straightened up, back in his role as an emissary.  Thoughts of rodents escaped his mind, just as a black shape in the shadows escaped his gaze...

 

~***~

"Oh, wait, never.... phew."  Her brief moment of panic passing, the unicorn mare attempted to unruffle, or re-ruffle, herself. sitting back down.  "OK, perhaps you had better follow along as a backup, to create a distraction if they seem to be discovering the spy-golem."

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The voice of a new pony brought sigrun out of an almost predatory glare that was directed downward. Almost as if she was looking through the very fish below her, to the golem beneath it. With a perk of her ears she turned back and looked to the approaching pony, "Hail, Miss Sunrise." Sigrun inclined her head slightly, her horns bumping into the roof of the stall and earning her a glare from the owner. Giving the proprietor and nervous smile she took a step back and looked the unicorn, "It's nice to meet you! I'm glad to hear some in our audience felt that this was a good conclusion."

 

A subtle huff escaped the cow as she watched the shadow scurry off to another large group of stalls, Annoying Vermin... "Apologies, Sir. We'll have to return later for any fish... we have to bring this somewhere safe." With that she patted the box at her side gently. Before she moved along she smiled to Sunrise, "I think we'd enjoy some local company. Feel free to walk us, Miss Sunrise.... I admit I am curious about some of your equestrian fashions. What do you make? Dresses, Gowns?"

 

 

 

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Sandā paused as Shiroi freaked out about something, then immediately took it back and then suggested she go out in case more distractions were necessary. The pegasus blinked a couple times before stowing her spear and walking off. Eventually, she found what she was looking for in her second-in-command and pulled him aside. 

 

"<I need to investigate a possible threat to the Shogun. Until I return, you are in charge and you need to guard him. Do as he asks, but try to stay in the same room as him as much as you can to make your job easier.>" Sandā said to the qilin, who nodded his head and headed off to find the Shogun. 

 

With that taken care of, the mare left for the Canterlot market to watch over this golem. 

 

-------

 

Sunrise smiled at the pair as they returned her greeting, bowing slightly to answer Sigrun's head movement. 

 

"Wonderful! I shall travel with you then." She said, smiling warmly at them. "I make both of those articles at times, though I mainly create dresses."

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"Arigato, Sanda."  Shiroi gave her a deep and grateful bow of her head.  It was asking a lot for the Pegasus to step away from the Shogun like that.  "I will remember this favor."  She spared but one eye to watch the pegasus fly away, before returning to her lens, plotting her next interceptor course.  That was the key; she couldn't just shadow the pair, she had to anticipate their movements.  With the glowing of her horn, she tested out the audio receiver crystal in the spy-bot-

 

*SKREE-kc-*

 

And winced at the squeal of feedback, immediately shutting it off.

 

~****~

 

Several blocks away and down, Halvard and the whole of the market place heard the noise, too.  Everypony looked up in shock and apprehension, giving the bot just enough time to duck into an alley further down the street.  Out of sight of the caribou pair, but also now the caribou pair were out of sight of it.  Could be a problem, that.

 

"What was that?"  The caribou voiced the question on all their minds.  After two seconds where nothing seemed to happen, one pony, selling chalk and slates, guiltily raised his hoof.  "Might have been me?"  Most could tell that this was an uncertain self accusation at best, but it allowed for the others to assume that it wasn't really a problem, and business slowly began to resume.

 

"Indeed, let us go.  I feel as if my senses are set all on edge."  He shook his head.  "Anyway, Miss Sunrise... do you work on commission?"

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The cow couldn't help but smile at the curious opportunity. Perhaps the player had decided to take pity on a cow so weary about her lack of a proper wardrobe. As SIgrun, Halvard and Sunrise moved on, silver eyes kept a careful watch for any further scurrying. So far, they were in the clear. With the threat of vermin seemingly behind them She was about to inquire further, but then came that noise! Some unnatural screech, not as fierce as something from the homeland...

"What on...?" She narrowed her gaze in the direction of the noise, "I think... it was... over... here." Each word was punctuated by a step. When the word 'here' was reached, Shiroi's drone might have sent a signal as now the golem was directly next to her leg, the camera's view taken up by the brown coat and black hoof right in front of it. It was a very tough spot, any movement away from her would surely alert the caribou to it's presence... a distraction would surely be ideal. The hoof moved only to be replaced by another, from the angle this hoof belonged to a hind leg. 

 

SIgrun was scolding herself a moment at her rudeness, since this curse befell her she'd been more keen to pursue things. Having not responded to miss Sunrise was already rude, "My apologies, Miss Sunrise... You ma--" Her mate had beaten her to the question. Putting two and two together SIgrun tried not to visibly blush as she dwelled on Halvard's thoughtfulness...

"Have you Done much work for um... Non-equine clients, Miss Skies?"

 

 

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Well, this was a better idea in theory, but she was already on her way. How was she supposed to watch over something that she didn't know where it was? How was she supposed to find this small golem that was trying to hide from the caribou? 

 

Sandā contemplated how she was to go about the whole thing as she flew, which unfortunately distracted her enough that she almost ran face first into another flying pegasus. Her instinct kicked in at the last second though, leaving her hovering there with the stallion in a headlock. Thankfully, the whole thing shocked him enough that she was able to let go before he started struggling. 

 

"Sorry." She said, bowing her head apologetically for a moment before shooting off in embarrassment. She wasn't normally that distracted, but thinking about those caribou just dredged up all sorts of conflicting emotions. 

 

-------

 

Sunrise cringed at the high-pitched noise that pierced the sounds of the market quite effectively. Looking over at the chalkboard salespony that offered his blame just made her raise an eyebrow. Not that she could really say for certain, but she was fairly sure that was not a sound produced by chalkboards. At least, not that she had heard. To her it sounded like a microphone was malfunctioning or something. 

 

The unicorn put that out of her mind however, turning back to the two caribou as they spoke to her again. She smiled at them, seeing the signs of something more than friendship there. 

 

"Why yes I do, sir. Were you thinking of getting a suit? Or perhaps a dress for her? Oh! How about matching outfits?" Sunrise said, her smile becoming more of an excited one. "Unfortunately, I have never worked on caribou before, but I welcome the opportunity to do so." She added in response to Sigrun's question. 

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Mph.  This was a pickle.  Shiroi had forgotten to tell Sanda what the golem looked like, an over-sized hockey puck with knobbly bits on top.  Of course, if she ended up being able to see it, then pretty much everypony else would too.  

 

But there was one good thing, though.  Since Sanda was looking out herself, she would be able to see any dishonorable activity on the part of the caribou herself; the technomancer was reasonably certain that the pegasus would certainly remember any instance of such things she saw.  Thus, she was content to be still for now.  No sudden movements, let them move on, then follow behind.

 

"Right..."  She murmured to herself.  "Just don't lose your head again, and you'll be fine..."

 

*~*

For his part, Halvard was far from having any dishonorable thoughts.  Instead, he was focused on the entirely honorable art of doing something nice for his mate.  "Well, I was thinking an outfit for Sigrun, but perhaps... yes, maybe something for me as well, if I come south to do business.  I have often noticed," He said, with wry humor visible in his eyes, "That showing up in armor does not tend to put ponies at ease."

 

They began to start off again, leaving the alley behind.  "I believe the airship docks are down this way... unless you know a more pleasant route?"

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Sigrun turned her attention fully to Sunrise, the mare's growing excitement more or less drawing her in. As the cow re-positioned herself her cloven hoofs came dangerously close to stepping on the small golem out of sight, but it seemed luck was on Shiroi's side as she moved towards the pony once again. "Let's see. Well, I definitely couldn't disagree with matching outfits, but we should ask the one who'd be wearing the other half of the set.." She smiled playfully in Halvard's direction, "We should talk about this while talking though I believe... We shouldn't tarry with this most precious cargo." Sigrun gently patted the box at her side before moving back on their route.

 

Sunrise's curious marking drew a cruios tilt of the caribou's head, "Hmm... that Tattoo... That was by an Inkbrand in Manehattan, right?" She momentarily broke her stride to bring up a foreleg, showing the band tattoes across her upper legs and then glancing to her rump at the tattoo there. "I think I might have seen you there but we never spoke..."

 

Halvard's mention of the armor issue did get a subdued chuckle from his mate, "You don't say. I'd been planning to meet all the princesses in the full set of the Hreinn suit of armor when I finally managed to meet them! You know, the one with the caribou skull design and the spikes on top designed to look like a crown." Her tone implied she meant this in jest, "Then again I thought that I'd look far too approachable." 

The approach to the Alley made the Jarl's muzzle wrinkle, "Can't say I do... Miss skies, Do you know a way?"

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"Wonderful, would either of you have anything you would wish for me to start from? As in a specific dress or style you would wish me to emulate? I will need your measurements before making the actual clothing, of course, but I can still design them while you find the time to visit my boutique." Sunrise said, smiling at them as they set out again. 

 

"Inkbrand? Why yes, I did indeed get this tattoo from him. I believe I saw you there as well, better to meet later than not at all though, right?" She giggled, looking down at what she could see of her tattoo without a mirror. She had never regretted her decision, and she doubted she ever would. "As for a way to the docks, I believe I do know a more pleasant path. Please follow me." 

 

With that, she set off down the road, stopping briefly to make sure they were still following. 

 

-------

 

Sandā frowned as she finally made it to the market, looking around at the area. It was simple enough to spot the two caribou, but she couldn't really see anything she'd call a golem. After a few moments of searching, she decided to just watch the caribou instead, settling on a nearby roof to watch them and going from roof to roof when they started moving off with some unicorn. 

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It took a lot of effort for Halvard not to burst out laughing at Sigrun's reference to the Hreinn armor.  Keeping it in as an extended snort, he took a minute to compose himself before replying.  "Ah, yes... it would be an interesting test, actually.  How many ponies would be intimidated into silence, and how many would be emboldened by seeing the exploitable impracticalities of all those horns and protrusions."  Anything that an opponent could use to grab you with on the battlefield was a liability, and the bull thought it especially telling that he had yet to see his mate actually don that armor for any actual serious fighting.

 

He was mostly quiet as the pair talked about tattoos; his clan did not go for them very much, preferring dye to ink for marking their own out from the herd.  He was pleased to see that their guide knew a better path down to the docks.  At least, better by pony standards; Halvard was a little bemused to see the boulevard lined with poplar trees on each side.  "You let the forest into your city?"  There weren't many cities in Whitescar, mostly collections of longhouses, but the few than existed were all on cleared land, carved out of the boreal forests of Whitescar.  The trees could act as a silent army, conquering and re-settling farms and homesteads were they not continually beaten back.  But then, those were wild trees; these seemed tame, drilled to the use of their masters.

 

~***~

 

The trees proved beneficial to Shiroi as well; as each provided cover for the little bot to scoot around and behind.  As it was market day, streets that were not lined with shops and stalls were strangely quiet and empty, which prevented accidental discovery.  Hence, why she was bold enough to emerge back from the alley.  In fact, Sanda would have been able to spot the puck-like golem before it was obscured by the urban foliage...

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Sigrun smiled as she watched her beloved trying to keep a straight face. Once his time to repair his calmer demeanor was done, the cow let a playful chuckle. "Well the spikes are the head aren't -that- big..." She raised up her leg and spread her medial and lateral claws to indicate the length of the horn crown she spoke of, "But really it's a mostly ceremonial set... for ritual purposes involving Hreinn." 

 

Now that their group was back on the move, Sigrun stopped for a moment as she took note of the path they were soon to tread was laden with Poplar trees. If she recalled correctly, her shaman told her that it was best she avoid these trees. However, back then she had only been introduced to the greenery of Equestria. After all the changes she'd recently been through, Sigrun had was more hardy than before. This pollenous line of foes would not defeat her! She was a cow of Askr" Trees could never conquer this clan's chieftain!

 

... 

 

But then she swallowed her pride and gave Halvard a familiar glance. A look that said, 'A little help?' She was sure Halvard could put two and two together, especially when she glanced at his pocket that held a hoofkerchief.

 

"Indeed it is, Miss Sunrise." Sigrun grinned at the small pony walking with them, "In Regards to your question about a style... Well, I have a dress or two on board our vessel at the harbor. Would you be interested in coming aboard?" The cow tried to calm her smile down, she didn't wish to frighten their new companion off if she got a glimpse of her new canines. As far as Sigrun knew there were few ponies who took to the sight of caribou so well... unless they introduced themselves as reindeer. Perhaps Miss Sunrise would be one of the more open minded ones willing to see that Caribou were not all War, plunder, and raids.

 

Soon the chieftain was jarred from her hopeful thinking as her muzzle gave a twitch. With impressive speed she brought up her hoof and rubbed vigorously at her muzzle and heaved an annoyed sigh, glaring momentarily at the trees.

 

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"Yes?" Sunrise responded, not sure how to respond to Halvard's question about the trees.

 

"I do not see the problem, I apologize." She added as she blinked a bit before Sigrun grabbed her attention again. She decided not to comment on the supposed impracticality of any armors, seeing as she knew next to nothing about what was good or bad on armors. 

 

"You have dresses on your ship? I would very much like to see them! But would you want more like them, or something more foreign to you?" The unicorn asked, pausing as she noticed Sigrun's hesitation. "Is there something the matter, miss Sigrun?"

 

-------

 

Sandā spotted the golem as it darted from one hiding spot to another, but decided her time would be better spent if her focus was primarily on the caribou. As the group stopped, so did she, though she began moving closer slowly to try and hear what was being said. 

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Halvard nodded, looking down at his own armor, which was the closest he had to 'ceremonial wear.'  It was certainly shiny, with bring silver inlays, but in terms of overall design, it was fairly austere, his runic initials being the only obvious decoration.  "My own clan tends to be less elaborate in its ceremony.  Deliberately so, in fact.  I really should take you back on a visit sometime.  Perhaps as part of a tour for any interested foreigners?"

 

He chuckled, though he quickly cut off when he noticed Sigrun's increasing pollen-related discomfort.  "Ah, here."  Hoofing off the scrap of cloth, for what good it would do to stem the brewing storm of a sneeze.  "My mate has a problem with allergies."  He explained to the understandably confused Sunrise.  "She enjoys visiting the southern lands, but the plants are unkind to her."

 

Once the storm had passed, he continued.  "And of course you would be more than welcome to come on board.  Honestly, the more ponies get to see us, the better."  He sighed, knowing, or at least thinking, that certain ponies were not going to see the caribou in their true colors...

 

~***~

... In reality, they were.  At least, Shiroi and Sanda, through their own means, were both seeing Sigrun and Halvard.  Unfortunately, Shiroi at least could not hear them, and so could only draw conclusions based on her preconceptions.  *They've gone off to a private avenue... they must think no one can overhear them... They've picked up an associate, what are they plotting?  I hope Sanda can get close enough to hear, this could be big!*

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E9VF1tI.jpg

 

 

The Cow let out a sigh of relief as Halvard offered her the cloth. A quick thank you was given in the form of a kiss on the blue bull's cheek, "You're a true treasure, My love." Before she pulled away, Sigrun nuzzled to the bull one last time for the moment.  "A visit to the west, you say?" The kerchief met her snout as she considered, "Perhaps such a trip would be a good opportunity. I've never gotten to see any sides of Clan Breen save for the Vakstyra and the your many angles." A playful smirk was shot in Halvard's direction, "I do hope  that you may come by my hold sometime as well... the repairs on the hold and karl's homes and districts have been going along well."

 

A calmer smile was made in Sunrise's direction, "As Halvard has said... the excitement of your land's trees becomes the bane of my respiration. It used to be much worse when I first came by to help with the reconstruction of the crystal empire, but enough about the problems with my nose. I'm sure we'll find the talk of cloth more fulfilling!" 

 

Thus the walk resumed, "As for how I would like the dresses.... that is hard to say. Do you suppose you could incorperate some aspects of the traditional ones on board? Something that marries the new to the older? Hm. Given our recent exposure to our eastern neighbors, perhaps something like a caribou kimono could be an interesting sight."

 

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"Ah, that is completely understandable. I regret taking you down a path that would bother you so." Sunrise said, looking at Sigrun with a bit of pity for a couple seconds. 

 

"A blend of Equestrian, and Caribou fashion? I am sure I could make that work if that is what you wish. A kimono would be perfectly doable as well, it is up to you in the end." Sunrise said as they began walking again. 

 

---------

 

Sandā made a slight humming noise as she heard them say something about allergies and something else about fashion. Either this was some strange code between them or they were simply not talking about the sword at all. The latter seemed more likely, honestly. The pegasus continued to follow them from above, looking for any sign of wrongdoing on their part. 

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"A caribou kimono?  I wonder how their foreign delegation would take that."  Halvard mused, then sighed.  "Probably not well, I'm afraid; however complimentary we might make the gesture, it will likely be seen as mockery.  I wish they would just straight-up tell us what it was that we said that got them so upset, and why.  If we keep moving in a verbal fog, how can we avoid collisions?"  

 

He huffed, shaking his head.  "Sorry, that... just had to come out, I guess.  Shall we move on?  I don't think it's too far from here."  Though the walk was no doubt scenic, there was some haste in his pace, if only to get out from the shade of the allergy-triggering trees.  Three turns later, and the airship docks were in sight.

 

"Those are ours."  He pointed out two floating ships, anchored in the air beside the balloon-carried vessels of the Equestrians.  Unlike those, these were purely lifted by the magic in the wood, fashioned into the shape of shallow-bodied longboats, carved prows proudly reared.  "They're more spacious than they look from a distance, though they are rather narrow."

 

~***~

 

Shiroi was growing antsy.  She had been carefully creeping the puck-like golem behind the party of Caribou, yet so far to no seeming avail.  Surely they had to be up to something, right?  Well, probably they would wait until getting on board their ships.  She was just going to have to follow them, then...

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