Moss could see the skyport breaking through the layers of clouds. It seemed almost like a floating castle to him. Several spires rose from the structure each with rows of docks that house a variety of vessels; some, small ten person ships but others, large commercial freighters that made Moss question the magic keeping it afloat. It wouldn’t be much longer until they would be able to see the town. Moss decided it would be wise to begin assembling his party. It seemed unlikely they’d be able to do it themselves at the moment. 

Moss made his way back to the loading bay balcony where he could see Niera leaning against the railing. She seemed to be contemplating something. Hopefully considering how to make amends with Hazel Moss thought wishfully. As he stepped through the doorway he was stopped by Rhenigan who stuck a hand in his path. 

“You good?” Rhenigan asked. The question was honest enough.

“You gonna point that gun at me again?” Moss shot back.

“Look, the way you feel about your brother, that’s Niera to me. No hard feelings.” Rhenigan stuck out his hand in reconciliation.

“No. We’re good.” Moss spoke as he took the Draconian’s hand, “But the next time you point your weapon at an ally, be prepared for them to no longer be your ally.”

“We’re almost at the docks. Let's go collect our things.” Niera was still looking over the edge of the ship and turned to face the two as she finished speaking. 

“Yeah. I was coming to get you for that. I also wanted to make sure you were gonna be good when we get back with the rest of our party.”

“You mean am I going to be good when we regroup with Hazel right?” 

“Yeah, basically. You kind of insulted her badly, so I didn’t know if you were ready to apologize.” 

“Apologize!?” Rhenigan scoffed, “Why should she have to apologize? Hazel is the one who helped free a thief. If anything she should be grateful we are forgiving that.” 

“You don’t think that’s part of the problem? The fact that you feel you’re the one entitled to bestow ‘forgiveness’.” 

Niera had now approached Moss by this point to stand just in front of him. She narrowed her eyes into his. “I am doing everything in my power to live up to my family’s name. I am Niera Seacrest, third child of Lord Phairan Seacrest the Second and the inheritor of the Seacrest power. Everything I do has to measure up to an entire lineage of heroes, paladins, and clerics. The moment my father dies I am imbued with the memories and wisdom of every Seacrest inheritor before me and I refuse to be unworthy to them. So when a thief lands on a ship that I am HIRED TO PROTECT, I arrest him and I don’t stop to feel guilty about doing the right thing. That’s what it means to be a hero.” 

“I think it’s funny how you talk about having all this wisdom running through your blood but you can’t stop to think about the people right next to you for a single moment. You refer to that man as just some ‘thief’ but have you thought about Hazel? How did you meet her again? A hero intern meet and greet? Oh wait, that’s right, she was robbing you. There’s more than black and white out there Niera. You talk about the pressure of living up to your family name, but have you thought about Hazel’s family?

 I may not know much from living out in the woods my whole life, but I can recognize survival instincts when I see it and that’s all Hazel is using. Have you seen her fight? Have you noticed the way she disappears into the shadows and stalks her target before killing them with no hesitation? That’s a learned skill for most people. So ask yourself. Either she was taught that by somebody for a reason or she grew up in an environment where those instincts were necessary for her survival. Which one of those options sounds like a loving home where a person has space to worry about your moral standards?”

Moss found himself growing increasingly heated over the discussion of a rogue that he admittedly didn’t even care for very much. He had seen Hazel attempt to rob people more than once and he didn’t trust her for a moment. But, in this moment, he felt Hazel was easier to understand than the rest of his party at least.

“As her comrades shouldn’t we be guiding her to be better? Should we just allow her to continue down a path of corruptness just because of her past? She has an opportunity for a new life but she’ll ruin it if she keeps making questionable choices. If we allow her to throw everything to the wind and always live in the moment without ever considering the consequences to her actions then she is doing a disservice to everyone counting on her and we are doing a disservice to her as her friends.” Niera responded willfully

“You’re quite the tactician Niera, the way you so quickly take the high ground in every discussion,” Moss paused for a moment to think, “I would warn you though. Everyone, no matter how great they seem, makes mistakes. Even the members of the great Seacrest family. Keep that in mind before you call anybody else unforgivable.” 

The three individuals stood silent. Moss’s eyes were pulled to the scenery behind Niera. The clouds had faded and now only the sky docks were in view. 

“Looks like we’re here already. We never even got our shit together.”