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[Slowing the Wheels of Justice Two - Merchant, Marine Part Two]
[With Leggerless as W'chaza Yheli]
The sound of high-tide swells crashing against the white-stone bulwarks hundreds of feet below was a steady accompaniment to life in Limsa Lominsa. Â This late morning was no different, the location a tiny cafe ensconced in the upper reaches of the labyrinthine city. Â It was a literal hole in the wall - or nearly so - with a small staff of energetic servers and barristas catering to a mostly foreign clientele. Â Although the Captains and maritime officers of Limsa Lominsa had begun to assimilate the more civilized traits of the great Eorzean cities, coffee-houses had not yet made their way into the Limsan mainstream.
The matter on Aya's mind was rather similar. Â The morning had been a rather lazy one, and she found herself reading local papers, thinking, and writing notes upon a few pieces of scattered parchment while sipping hot, black coffee and waiting for her appointment to arrive.
The bulk of her effort was dedicated to a few stanza of verse, scribbled together with numerous adjustments and edits.
Wind roars while cables snap and sing,
Doused in the dank of chop sea spray.
The few who dare, to battens cling,
Gritting into wind; too proud to pray.
These were the first to ply the sea,
Charting their way they searched, and strayed
Wild as the surf: damned, rough, and free.
They risked it all, to raid or trade.
More would follow, in their wake.
Then softening ways, and routes begin,
The waves were claimed for living's sake,
Organized, to be but merchantmen.
So the wild, raging, waters tamed
Leave men behind, unsure of what to make,
Without their place or name, now shamed,
By this strange new world, in which they wake.
The rules of conduct now are named,
All brought tight, strict and uniform.
What once was theirs, cannot be claimed,
The calm has settled violent storm.
And now, in anger, rage, and grief
They look to search and find once more,
For shred of peace, and sweet relief,
For what was theirs in youth or yore.
Accompanying the verse were a few stray thoughts made tangible with the aid of her ink pen. Â
"The Maelstrom are an attempt to bring order to pirates."
"Pirates have always operated by a code, but one that was flexible and adaptive to the needs of the moment, and to the desires of the most powerful, and popular pirate captains."
She'd never been fond of pirates. Â Those who gleefully take from others; disrupting and destroying lives for the sake of pillage: the taking of what is not rightfully theirs. Â Criminals were criminals, but pirates a breed a part. Â So apart that when deciding between city-states she had settled in the almost entirely unknown Ul'dah, rather than the Limsa Lominsa in which she had a history.
She touched the pen to her tongue. Â A thought lingered, not quite fully formed, looking for a place upon the parchment. Â After another moment she lowered the pen, quickly tracing the letters as if without haste the thought would flitter away:
"Piracy is a way of life that escapes other bonds. Â To pirates it does not mean glory or gold. Â It means freedom." Â In this, at least, she could relate.
Then stepped in a character from central-casting. Â The Miqo'te woman was incredibly tall for her people, patches of gray speckling the dark hair that framed a pair of active silver-blue bespectacled eyes. Â She wore the uniform of a Maelstrom Officer.
Descended from the Sun Seeker's of the Sagoli, she could not have seemed more strange at first-blush, but she could have stood in for everything the Maelstrom intended for the future of Limsa Lominsa. Â Despite appearing an outsider she had been raised within the city, and learned the ways of life upon its elevated streets and alleys. Â She was well learned, a natural scholar and voracious reader. Â She'd come to sailing late in life, and earned her Commission more for the capability of her intellect than her knowledge of the sea.
Beyond this, there was the less obvious: being possessed of the fitness of a naval officer in the prime of her life, there was nonetheless a slight plumpness to the young woman. Â A lover of life, as well of knowledge, she'd embraced the ways of modern Limsa Lominsa, founding a cafe of her own and catering to customers who came from far and away for the taste of the finest pastries in Vylbrand, or so they claimed.
Lieutenant W'chaza Yheli was everything that the Maelstrom hoped to become. Â Handsome, stylish, learned, cosmopolitan, and decidedly modern. Â Everything about her suggested a professional, without a whiff of piracy. Â
It would be hard for Aya to claim that the current case pitted these two opposing forces of Limsan politics against one another. Â If anything, the swirling conflict took the form of a gripping undercurrent that rippled below waters that appeared far calmer on the surface. Â But, to her mind, the lack of any actual political conflict in the city was not so much a matter of an actual political consensus on the matter of the Maelstrom's far-reaching reforms, but instead a testament to the Admiral's unquestioned supremacy within the city and the fleet. Â Few dared to question her intentions, whether they agreed with them or not.
W'chaza smiled with a sly confidence.  After all, it was Aya who had summoned her  with a note left earlier in the morning.  The trip to W'chaza's cafe had actually proven most profitable, the remains of a delectable cup-cake were still sitting on the table as she arrived.
"Ah, Miss Foxheart. Hope I'm not too late." She paused, glanced over at Aya and the cup-cake quickly, and put away the small book in her hands into her clothes. "Worry not, I set the staff on a supply run so the cafe's closed now. Anyways. I take it this isn't about a culinary pleasure."
Aya smiled brightly, an amused little smirk tugging upon her lips as well as the Officer took a seat at the little table.
"Mademoiselle Yheli, please allow me to get you a cup of coffee for coming all the way up here, on what I am sure is still a busy day for you."
The Miqo'te offered a surrendering shrug of her shoulders, "If you insist. I'll take it black." she demurred with a smile.
"You're right, its not entirely pleasure that brings me here this morning," stated Aya to un-surprised ears, "I am sure you remember that just a few weeks ago we appeared before the Captain's board together, and advised against the punishment of a certain Mister Leeds."
W'chaza nodded, raising the freshly poured coffee up to her lips before taking a sip. Â "Aye, that we did. Something related to that now?"
Aya nodded, "There are two more sailors accused of mutiny under similar circumstances." She paused for a moment, as if to add gravity to what followed, "I have friends who believe these sailors to, perhaps, be innocent of any actual wrong doing. Â All they are seeking is a delay in the judgement of the matter."
W'chaza's eyes opened slightly at the statement. Â "A delay? Well." She stopped to think for a moment. "If it's similar to the last case, we have a precedent established already. Problem, though, is the case against these two is solid unlike Mister Leeds." Sighing, she takes another sip of her coffee. "Opponents far more prepared to counter any attempts we'll make now. This time, they'll want the noose on their necks even if it means getting dirty."
Aya nodded, "I can agree with all of that. The only good news is that the goal is not the same. Not at the moment: a simple delay in the hearing, rather than a suspended sentence."
The Miqo'te peered at Aya for a moment, slightly piqued by the accusation before moving on. Â "Said something about friends knowing they're innocent, correct? Who might they be?"
Aya shook her head slightly, "An adventurer from the Black Shroud, and an Immortal Flames Soldier. Â I do not know what they know, except that I trust their judgement."
W'chaza's eyed flicked to Aya's with a glimmer of recognition at the description of the two familiar characters. Â
"'Trust their judgment' isn't going to work this time around." She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table, both hands wrapped around the mug as she glanced inquisitively at the collection of papers and notes lying on the table. Â "It helps you have proof on the public's opinion, but a judgment call only goes so far."
"This time around?" She asked with an inquisitiveness before smoothly moving on.  "They may be guilty. In all honesty I cannot tell you. Only that a delay in their hearing could provide evidence that exonerates them. Now, I've seen your knowledge of the Maelstrom Code first-hand, and I could think of no one better to help me in this effort."
W'chaza pursed her lips, staring at Aya for a moment with a mixture of curiosity and calculation. Â
"No secret it was drilled into me at a young age, that's for sure." she said, "Presuming I help you in the matter, what do you need from me?"
Aya looked at W'chaza with an earnest expression, her voice softening, "To employ your knowledge of Maelstrom Law to find reason for this judgment to be delayed. And, if necessary, to appear before the Board and argue for that."
The Miqo'te certainly didn't seem pleased about the thought of appearing before another Board.  But few things interested her as much as a puzzle to solve, especially when it meant diving into books, and trying to tease meaning from the vagaries of Limsa Lominsa's newly minted legal canon, even if her every instinct at the moment was pulling her away from the commission.
"Seven hells, the Board again... I'm trying to ease out of that life, not get into the thick of it." she replied, setting her coffee down with one hand, the index finger of her other hand pressed firmly down against the table. She lets out a light sigh before she speaks again. "I can play their game while I'm still around. Just understand if this all fails, I won't be the only one facing trouble with the outcome. These sailors, myself, you... maybe even these friends of yours and others to come. It's like challenging the Admiral's supremacy with this particular case; you know that, right?"
Aya knit her brow for a moment. The statement seemed far less obviously true to her. Losing a legal decision didn't come at grave personal cost even in the more barbaric sectors of Thanalan Law Practices. Was there something about Limsa she'd missed?
"Sheez... believe it or not, there's still supposed to be rules to this shite..." The Miqo'te glanced to her right, took another sip of her coffee, mulled for a moment, then looked back at Aya. "Alright. Fine. I have one condition, though. For one evening of my time, I want one evening of your time. A dinner date works, if that's fine with you." The Miqo'te nodded again, with a smile of mischief suddenly drawing over her features.
Aya managed to swallow a sigh, instead she just cocked a blonde eyebrow. She took in a breath, before answering with a charming softness drenched in the color of her Ishgard-laced voice, "Of course."
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