Noctis' grasp on consciousness began to finally tighten, his muscles aching to rest just a bit longer. Besides pain, the first feeling Noctis felt in his haze was the freezing air, or rather the faint breeze rolling over his soaked clothes and body. Reluctantly, Noctis' eyes opened to the sight of the empty twilight sky above him as he lay face up on the sand of a beach. The last thing he remembered was the feeling of panic as he grabbed Devroux. The sudden recollection caused Noctis to cough and hack reflexively, his body instinctively attempting to pull in any clean air. Sitting himself up, Noctis saw the sun just barely above the horizon rising slowly, but surely.


Based on this, Noctis guessed he had only been unconscious for about five or so hours. It became clear now why his body still ached and why his clothing was still wet. Not long had passed since their escape. Scanning around, Noctis saw nothing but empty and ragged beach, save for a black mass about two meters away laying on the wet sand as waves occasionally crested over it. Bringing himself to his feet, Noctis decided to investigate. After all, he still hadn't found his partner in crime, and he had quite a few questions to ask him. It only took a few steps with Noctis' lengthy strides to reach the mass, now quite clearly his mink peer face down. Leaning down, Noctis put a gentle hand to the mink and rolled him onto his back before giving him a few quick shakes. "Hey, get up. There's no time to waste."

Noctis brought himself to his knees as Devroux awoke, taking up a more comfortable position as the mink adjusted to the situation. Noctis could tell immediately from Devroux's brief time awake that his winged companion had taken a significant blow to his pride. Noctis, who had experienced something even more humbling not long ago, picked up on the man's bruised ego. Perhaps he had not yet experienced true loss or maybe he was simply that prideful, but in that way the pair were strikingly similar. Defeat was not something to be taken lying down. Retaliation was going to come without exception, the matter was when.

Noctis' immediate goal was to strike back at Garrolt Taylor, whatever the means. Based on his past encounter with the kingpin, a face to face rematch was nowhere near being possible; the gap in strength was simply too large. It was because of that disparity that Noctis had elected to work at attacking The People's Prince indirectly. Destroying his possessions, his assets, and his ambitions. The 'Bank' he had been led too proved to be a front, but it had led to an even greater opportunity. Clovis Adder had revealed where the true bank was located, and where Noctis could strike next. A vast trove of the Kingpin's criminal assets, wealth and resources that the common man couldn't possibly imagine, all hidden away within the Lord's Castle. Bringing it to ruin could devastate not only Taylor, but the underworld in it's entirety. The removal of such an enormous amount of capital from circulation would cripple him.

Noctis was unsure of Devroux's motivations, but it seemed that simply gaining wealth was enough for him. After all, he seemed fairly straight forward with Clovis to that end. The bat mink sat pondering inquisitively for a moment before turning to Noctis, asking the longleg about Adder and Taylor's next moves. Noctis, while a former slave and having directly encountered the kingpin previously, wasn't so keen on the workings of the underworld to provide specifics. But in this case, specifics were unnecessary. "Taylor likes to keep his cards close to his chest. Having events of importance reported to him directly seems like something he would prefer." Noctis explained, standing up and extending a hand to the mink to help him up. "And now that the front that Adder was guarding has been compromised, I imagine he'll be moving to the real deal."

Noctis looked around for a moment to try and get a grasp on their location, but nothing came to mind. The area was relatively featureless and empty beyond the sands and ocean, so it was clear that they were no longer in the Ninth District, and not enough time had passed for them to have left Baltigo all together. Perhaps they had drifted to the slums, an underdeveloped portion of the island. It would explain the lack of distinguishable features, but Noctis had no way to confirm his suspicions. Noctis' stomach rumbled aggressively, pulling him away from his ceaseless drive and one-track mind. He was human, after all. That much he couldn't escape. Come to think of it, since his encounter with Taylor, he hadn't given much thought to eating, surviving on idle snacks and the care of Goldov to keep him going. He didn't have much in the way of money, but he had enough to buy himself something to last him until the Bank. "Maybe while I'm in there I'll take some for myself..." Noctis thought aloud under his breath, rubbing at his stomach idly. Hopefully his mink friend would be amicable enough to allow for some downtime to take care of themselves and plot their next move, if they decided to continue their partnership at all. Noctis certainly hoped it would; he was more interested in results rather than method. Having more hands to help could only serve to benefit him.

Noctis did his best to push his hunger to the back of his mind as Devroux also came to the same conclusion; the pair would be better off regrouping before handling the situation at hand with a bit more finesse. "Of course." Noctis replied in response to the mink's suggestion. Having drifted from the southern end of the Ninth District, Devroux turned north and began walking straight along the coastline at the base of the cliffs.

The pair had silently decided to avoid the derelict housing in the other direction and made their way back in the direction of the Ninth District. The morning breeze was cool, causing Noctis to shiver as it ran across his damp clothes and skin. His steps were paced and controlled, making an effort to match Devroux's average stride. It didn't take long, no more than twenty minutes, for their pathway to widen as the cliffs began to recede. The sounds of a civilization awakening began to carry themselves on the winds, drawing the pair to their destination.  

As they walked, it became more evident that they had drifted farther from the Ninth District than they thought, as the sands turned to gravel and began to incline. As they approached the peak of the incline, the sight that greeted them was surprising to say the least. A stack of shanties lined up haphazardly to fill the space accompanied by a cacophony of voices and noises that made identifying anything in particular impossible. The amount of disheveled people maneuvering around in the makeshift town was in stark contrast to the amount of housing that was visible, as if they packed themselves in like sardines at the end of the day. It made the housing that the pair chose to avoid look splendorous in comparison, but their path had taken them here and there was no alternative.  

Making their way through the slums would still eventually lead them into the Ninth District, and it was the shortest path to simply head north through it, but it was an unpleasant thought regardless. The odor that lingered through the air was pungent, making it evident that the area didn't even have a basic foundation of infrastructure for sewage or sanitation. Yet despite all of it's flaws, the area gave off a prideful tone; an area full of people who's gift was being alive and nothing else, making their way through life one day at a time. To Noctis, it was familiar, similar to his feelings when he first knew freedom. There was basic commerce along the streets, people most likely trying to scam the more naive, but commerce regardless.

There was no doubt that the place was going to be a den of miscreants and criminals, but such company wasn't that much worse than drifting at sea to die. Besides, even scum and filth have to eat. Noctis tapped on Devroux's shoulder, before pointing to a crudely built market place selling basic foodstuffs like stale bread and questionable fruits. It wasn't going to be the finest of cuisine, but Noctis was used to worse.

Noctis' hunger wasn't of the upmost importance, but he figured stopping before the Ninth District would be for the best. After all, he wasn't sure how far Taylor's influence spread, so the farther away they placed themselves from the Ninth District, the less likely someone hears something they shouldn't. To Noctis, it was less a matter of his hunger, and more a matter of playing it safe. Looking at the Nil District in front of them, safe was a term used loosely, but it was better than planning in the Ninth District.

"Yeah, it should be fine. Trust me, I've had to eat worse. Slave, remember?" Noctis responded, shrugging Devroux's concern off before reassuring him. "Besides, I don't know how familiar you are with Taylor, but here is probably a safer bet to buy time. Ninth District has his eyes all over. I'm sure you remember the men at the bar."

Noctis took the lead, his natural stride quickly overtaking his mink companion's. He motioned for Devroux to follow before approaching the seedy stand. The bread itself seemed too high quality to have been made here, but it was at least a day old. Noctis' guess was that it was stolen from somewhere else, likely a bakery in the Ninth District. It'd be filling enough to last them until after the bank. The fruit however, was a mixed bag. Some looked relatively fresh, again probably recently stolen, while some were rotten beyond identification. Hoping to get some variety, Noctis took hold of a loaf of bread and a half dozen apples and oranges that seemed fresh enough to last a day or two, and made his way to the stall where a skinny, jittery child, no older than 13, paced behind it.

"H-H-H-Hey! Y-y-you gonna p-pay for that?" the kid stuttered aggressively, paranoia heavy in his voice.

"Nah, I thought I'd just take it for free." Noctis jested, before placing a handful of beli on the counter, more than enough to pay for his food and then some. It exhausted his funds, but the kid probably needed it more than he did at this point.

"Yeah yeah, get gone smartass." the child said suspiciously deeply, now completely lacking the stutter and paranoia in his speech.

Noctis scowled, now fairly certain he had been played for a fool. It wasn't worth pursuing, but it was enough to get him mad. Noctis turned, now completely broke, and reached into the small burlap sack containing the food and pulled out an apple, tossing it to Devroux. "I wish we hadn't stopped here. Fucking bastards." Noctis complained, pointing to a small outcrop near where they had ascended the incline. It was as good a place as any to talk, and far enough away that Noctis could resist the urge to choke the life out of the manchild at the stall.

Once they arrived, Noctis took a seat on the gravel underneath the rock that made up the outcrop, and placed the rock against his back. He waited for his mink friend to join him before pulling out the loaf of bread and breaking it in half and handing one to him. "So, with the bank being in the Lord's Castle, a discrete approach is gonna be necessary." Noctis reiterated, taking a large bite out of his bread, taking a moment to chew and swallow before continuing. "We're two pretty distinct looking individuals, so what's your take on how we go about this?"

When Noctis actually gave it some thought, he realized that his comrade Devroux was rather fitting for nighttime activity. He had the perfect, edgy looks that made him almost invisible in darkness. At first glance, many might not even identify his status as a minkman, instead opting for something more supernatural like 'Demon' or 'Devil'. Noctis took a quick bite of his bread before replying, "Yeah, that's pretty fair. I'm definitely down to drop in from above, if that's what you're suggesting."

He had never experienced heights, so he couldn't be sure he wasn't afraid, but to put it bluntly, it didn't matter. He was far more afraid of letting this opportunity pass than anything else. Noctis found himself eating at the bread mindlessly, the stress of the situation and his hunger driving him to eat without really thinking about it. Going through the front door wasn't an option for him, especially not now. While he may have had the benefit of being dead in the eyes of Taylor, his appearance before Adder had stripped that away from him. Even if Adder thought him dead, Noctis doubted Taylor would again allow himself the naivety to think Noctis finished, especially without a body.

Having seen the aftermath of Devroux's sword swings before, Noctis felt confident that carrying someone of his size wouldn't provide much hassle for him. However, Noctis didn't have the faintest clue in regards to how his comrade's method of flight actually worked. Given that, Noctis elected to remain silent on that matter, letting Devroux bring it up himself if it mattered. Regardless, there were other things that need to be talked about. "Did you have a contingency plan? If we get caught, especially by Adder or god forbid Taylor himself, we can't count on being able to escape a second time." Noctis questioned, finishing off the last of his bread.

Noctis nodded along knowingly as Devroux spoke. It was all relatively straight forward information, things they already knew, but it helped regardless. By recalling past events, it let ideas come forward with much greater ease. An aerial infiltration was sure to leave the pair much better off, given the circumstances around the Lord's Castle, yet the problem of Clovis Adder and the People's Prince himself remained heavy just beneath the surface of the conversation.

"I've fought Garrolt once before, not too long ago even. You're not just right about him not being in the realm of possible opponents..." Noctis recalled, lifting his shirt briefly to show the heavy fresh scarring on his abdomen that the Kingpin had been kind enough to reward him with. "And that's not even the worst of it. My shoulder, arms, back, and even my damned finger. He broke them all without effort. Sometimes without even looking at me. Clovis Adder would be little more than a toddler throwing a tantrum to him. We're even worse off. We're just going to have to hope our luck runs high."

Noctis put back down his shirt and rotated his wrists, his joints suddenly feeling stiff at the memory of his absolute decimation at Taylor's hands. In a way, his absolute loss to the Kingpin made him feel hopeful at his chances against Clovis, if for no other reason but the sheer power gap between the two foes.

"Now, as for Clovis, what we know so far is that he can transform and control not just noxious gasses of varying strength, but the air itself. On top of that, he seems to be made of the gaseous substance, rendering him intangible. Your sword slash was evidence of that." briefed Noctis, leading forward to rest his upper body on his knees. "Despite that, he's not an immortal god I think. His gas can be pushed away like anything else, even the wind from my Nagare shields me from it's effects. This combined with my speed means I can serve as a distraction, but I know I definitely don't have anything to strike him down. If it comes down to us against Adder again, I'll do my best to provide you with an opening to strike. You have the range advantage on me, after all."

Noctis eyed Devroux's mysterious sword from his comfortable position. Something about the sword made him uncomfortable, like he was itchy just beneath the skin. Even having seen it in action only briefly, Noctis could understand the depths of it's power. Both he and Devroux had just barely begun to tap into their potential, leaving the sword stunted in comparison. It was a frightful thought, seeing the sword at it's prime, but one that stoked Noctis' curiosity even more so. What was it made out of? What allowed it to have such a supernatural presence? Was it alive? Noctis kept his questions to himself, not wanting to drag his companion away from the matters at hand, but one day, maybe after the siege on the bank, Noctis would learn the mysteries that Devroux's blade held.

Noctis didn't really have any doubts when it came to teamwork between him and his companion; his personal fighting style was simple and versatile enough to mesh well with almost anything. Noctis nodded along with Devroux's sentiments, watching as he pulled a Baby Den Den Mushi from his sword sheathe. It came as a small surprise to Noctis, who wasn't overly familiar with Den Den Mushi in general, that his partner had a device almost identical to his own. In response, Noctis dug into his pocket, pulling out his own and held it out in front of him.

"This makes things much simpler. Instead of having to come up with some non-verbal way to signal you mid-fight, I can just say something without worrying about distance or noise interference." Noctis responded with relief, taking a moment to bring their Den Den's into sync with each other, allowing them to share an otherwise dead frequency. Noctis then placed the small communications snail comfortably in his ear, a small amount of static coming through in the process before leveling out into silence.

Opting to save the rest of his fruit for later, Noctis tied the burlap sack onto a beltloop on his side, the sack seeming relatively minuscule in comparison to his lengthy legs. Feeling the their preparations had concluded, Noctis stood up and stretched. There was still almost an entire day left before they could act under the cover of darkness. As much as he didn't mind the mink's company, taking some time to himself sounded great. "Well, now that we have the logistics cleared up, we can meet back up outside the lord's castle at dusk. Sticking together might draw unnecessary attention, and I'd really prefer to not spend to much longer... here." Noctis explained, gesturing his head over to the stand where he had been practically robbed. "If there's nothing else left to explain, I'll get out of your, uh, hair." The play on words of his own statement brought a small grin to Noctis' face, who gave an exaggerated bow before turning to walk away back in the direction of the Ninth District.

In truth, Noctis was still unsure about the lengths that Taylor's web of information spread, but Noctis had a few places in mind where he could lay low himself should he need to. He wasn't sure about Devroux's plans from this point on, but the mink was more than capable of handling himself. Besides, with their new method of communication, the pair were much safer being separated for the moment. With a small hand wave back, Noctis picked up the pace and went on his way. The bank awaited.

[Exit]