Making your decision, you indicate for the flag-bearers to begin signalling the fleet to come to a halt. As they do and the other two ships respond- thankfully- and you direct the captain to take you in for a boarding.
Thinking about it, this is probably the best possible time for this to happen.
Well, that's not true. Putting it off indefinitely would have been the absolute best, but, with her having followed you, talking to her where the maximum collateral was two wargalleys was about as good as you could hope for.
Eventually, your Captain aligns alongside the Witch-Hunter's ride, pulls in the oars, and sails to an almost gentle stop with anchoring ropes being thrown between the vessels to bind them together. A few boarding planks are put across the small chasm between the vessels and you begin to make you way over, only somewhat exasperated.
What say you?
[X] About
-[X] Why the following?
--[ ] Grill her one it, she needs to learn her place.
--[X] Probing, try to get the answer out without asking the question.
--[ ] She's a Witch Hunter, you already know why she was following you, ignore it.
-[X] Why you're going?
--[X] Be honest. You have nothing to hide. all you do is in the service of Sigmar.
--[ ] Be deflective. Don't lie, for Sigmar's sake, but don't tell the whole truth. Maybe you are visiting the Brettonian stronghold north of your actual objective so you can get news from the homeland.
--[ ] Lie. You mad bastard you.
-[X] What is going on with her (pick all you desire, top 3 will be asked)
--[ ] Why loss of numbers?
--[X] Coordinate forces? Have them push south?
--[ ] Any interesting news?
--[X] Offer interesting information you found? (Repentant Panther. Death of Caliph. Newest Adviser.)
--[ ] Rumblings of change in the Witch Hunter order?
--[X] Spreading the Faith?
--[ ] Write-in
-[X] Finally, do you try and prohibit her accompanying you?
--[ ] Yes. I do enjoy the smell of burning flesh in the morning.
--[X] No. I do enjoy the smell of burning flesh in the morning.
-------------------------
As you make your way across, you start as you realize that the Knight-Captain is actually quite thoroughly soaked. You are so stunned, in fact, that she starts speaking first.
"Ho, there, Graf Bernhardt! Tell me, Lord, what brings your vessels so far from the shores of the enclave? Surely the dogs of Araby do not launch against us already?"
So she's just going to dive right in, eh? Well, you doubt she is particularly proud of her current state of being soaked head-to-toe, so that is likely a strong open to hit on. With such in mind, you begin.
"Ah, well, first, I'd like to know why, exactly, you are soaked from head to toe?" You have to hold back a grin as you see her face light up somewhat. This is only exacerbated when another set of drops fall from the brim of her hat. You manage to hold back your amusement, however, and set yourself to answer her in a manner she likely did not expect. Namely, with complete honesty. "And, quite honestly, I am on my way to see about accepting a marriage proposal from an Emira. It would have been better if another Sigmarite had asked for my hand, but I felt that the opportunity to bring the word of Sigmar to an independent Lady asking for help outweighed my personal objections quite soundly." You can tell that the Knight-Captain has been knocked quite thoroughly off-balance, so you decide to ask your actual question now. "Still, though, I do hope that one of my captains was not a traitor to the realm and Sigmar. Whatever has brought you along on this journey? Be it a threat to the souls of the realm? I do promise my blade to your task if it be such."
When you finally finish your tirade, you brace for the Lady to strike back. She reaches up and takes her hat off briefly, shaking out some excess liquid before putting it back in its place. Then, she opens in a manner you were not really expecting. Also complete honesty.
"Actually, I was suspicious of your motives for leaving the Enclave so soon after your coronation. I wished to make sure that you, yourself were not a traitor to the realm of Sigmar."
You let a slight 'ah' escape at her answer and realize that you hadn't actually prepared for much beyond this. Really, you'd thought that she would avoid the question a bit more. Then again, she was rather famously undiplomatic, so maybe she was just like this all the time?
Whilst you were thinking such, the Knight-Captain began to speak again.
"As to why I'm wet, well, I fell into the port waters when the boarding plank was withdrawn. I've yet to dry out."
Behind her, you see two of her retinue hold back chuckles, though they were somewhat -snirk- dampened by their own lingering wetness. Oh, you're terrible.
You would have called them on it, but you then noticed that three of your own men were having similar reactions to the Lady's confession.
It was at this moment that you realized that both of you had come together rather suspicious of each other and both of you had been answered with what was probably complete honesty. Thus, you'd rather well run out of things to talk about.
Unfortunately, it seemed that the Knight-Captain had a fall-back plan. Namely, small talk.
"So, that weather is something, huh?"
Oh, almighty Sigmar, why! Why do you test me so?
Thankfully, you were able to avert that course of conversation by offering an exchange of information. She was quick to accept.
First, you offered to coordinate your forces with hers and vice verse whenever the situation called for it. It wasn't a binding contract or anything akin to one, rather, it was simply a pledge to mutual defense against the threats without.
The Witch Hunter was quick to agree, admitting that she desired to offer such herself.
After that, she asked after your immediate plans. Beyond merely what you planned with the wedding, she desired to know what you planned for all of Sudenberg in the near future.
[ ] Tell her
-[ ] What?
[ ] Don't tell her
When you started getting into current events, however, the Knight-Captain stopped you after you mentioned your newest adviser. Then she told something rather disturbing.
Every other intellectual in your city was missing. She'd assigned her people to look for and vet them, but had found absolutely none of them, even those whose places of residence and work were well-known. That was rather disturbing. Especially when you remember that the girl you'd hired was the only applicant.
She mentions some other things, like her near-total destruction of the mutant population in and around the enclave, but her other news takes precedence in your mind.
(Actions Unlocked!)
By the end of it, you make your way back to the flagship without incident, content to let the Witch Hunters follow after you. Then, in a flurry of activity, the small fleet is once more away.
