Hearing his inquiry about what she wanted to do next, Amaryllis paused and felt her heart skip a beat. "Um... I'm not sure. Was there anything you had in mind?"

Honestly, it surprised her that he was so friendly and hadn't been scared away yet. She grew all the more hopeful.

Maria continued to throw stones at Ripper before picking up a large stick and began approaching.

Ripper turned and growled at her before he felt claws dig into his eye, causing him to roar in pain and step back. He covered his eye and cowered in pain. As much as he wanted to try and rip Sirius' throat out, he now had to deal with his new injury and he suddenly backed away.

Hearing how much pain Goldstone was in, Lapis reached to touch his hand. "I'm sorry..." she said softly. "I wish I could've gotten to you sooner." She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "Try to get some rest. Hopefully that helps."

She sighed to herself.

"Fair winds find you. I'll remember that for next time."

He spent the rest of the evening contemplating over what had transpired. She probably didn't want him to write to her, though he would likely humor her by sending her just one and see where things went.

Sitting at his desk, he tapped his finger on the paper, his head reeling. How long had it been since he sent a personal letter? How long had it been since he sent a letter to a woman he was interested in? He thought it over carefully before he finally set the pen to the paper.

Rose,

I hope this letter finds you well. I promise I won't sound as awkward as I did when we first met.

I have a view of a large garden from my window. I like to go there and just sit and meditate. It helps my clear my head whenever I need an escape from work. I also sometimes sit on the roof and look up at the sky. I find it calming. I especially enjoy it when a storm comes around and I can see the lightning in the distance. It is something I have enjoyed since my boyhood.

I have lived in the palace for roughly eight years. I was a foot soldier for a small warlord and a poor farm boy before then. Leaving my parents wasn't my choice. The last time I saw them was before we marched across the country.

I would have bled out on the battlefield if not for one of Hikurai's spies.

But I realize you wouldn't be interested in knowing how I became a prince's spymaster. You said you wanted to know the man, after all.

But a spymaster leads a more interesting life than a farm boy, no?

Also, you have a beautiful smile. You should wear it more often.

Fair winds find you,
Isao

With that, he sent the letter out, hoping to get one in return.

Isao stared up at the starry canvas for a moment before he heard her speak again. "I will remember that," he said gently. Well, he hoped he could at least sound better when he wrote to her. Before long, she pulled him up and led him back to the docks, all the while letting the silence settle between them. He certainly never met a woman like her before, and he never met a woman who was able to hold her own.

When their eyes met once more, he saw that hers held a certain warmth to them... almost as if she let her guard down, if only just. He would have to try and capture the charm he once had before even attempting to draft a letter for her. He kept himself from commenting about her eyes as much as it hurt him, though he was able to conceal that.

When told that she wanted to know the man and not the spy, he nodded. That shouldn't be so hard. Before he could speak, he felt her fingers brush his hair away and her lips press to his cheek. He knew then that she would see how much his cheeks would darken. He hoped that none of his colleagues was witnesing this... he would never hear the end of it.

"Yes... I'll, uh. I'll walk you back." He began to head to the docks as he felt a little giddy over the kiss he received. "I hope that you have safe travels," he added.

Seeing him struggle with getting the fire out, Dagny shook her head as he tried again and again to bring it out, only to cough up smoke. When asked to get him frustrated, she sot him a confused glance before shrugging.

"Ok..." She sighed to herself, thinking what her mother would do if she were here. "Oh, you can't even get one little ember out of your mouth?" she asked, clearly not meaning by what she said, but hoped that it helped. "I thought you could breathe fire and the best you can do is cough up smoke? Alduin would be obliterated this chamber in a fraction of the time that you stood there trying to get some smoke to come out."

Well, she hoped that it helped.

Ripper attempted to bite into Sirius' shoulder before he felt the other back step and punch his head. He roared, grabbing Sirius and throwing him to the ground. With one hand on the other's throat, he growled before raising one hand up.

He turned his head when he felt a few rocks hit his head.

"Leave! Him! Be!" shouted Maria, who had been inching her way back to Sirius all morning before seeing him caught in a power struggled with Ripper.