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"As you said, Jack... the ship will not sail alone, nor can you with only it for company. I will return as soon as I am finished."
Tessa held no room for mercy in her mind at that particular moment, and her face showed clear enough how uninterested she was in Jack's personal approach as she took off in a dead sprint towards the dais. The same place where it had begun, and the only place she knew for certain she would find answers.
"I'm not finished yet, A'isha..." she said through gritted teeth.

Tessa all but burst in, eyes quickly settling on A'isha. Her breathing was heavy, though by her facial expression one could not tell by rage or exhaustion from the run there. She stiffened slightly at the surroundings, but her glare never once removed itself from A'isha's figure.
"What is the meaning of all this?!" She demanded, "I came looking for my mother, and was led not only away from, but into the folds of death itself!"
Her hand flew to Seriel at her side, though she did have the presence of mind not to draw immediately. The weapon glowed intensely, and the slightest hint of inward turmoil showed on the Half-Elf's face.
"You had best explain yourself," she said flatly.

Tessa began to shake, but Seriel's glowing began to resonate enough energy that the blade itself seemed to hum in its sheath. The Half-Elf struggled to calm, and closed her eyes in the effort.
"I did not come all this way to have my life diverted without due time, A'isha... I want to know what happened to my mother, and I will have it confirmed before I leave in the morning. It's been over a week, and the most that's been said is that which I already knew."
Her mind throbbed, her anger quickly peaking in her subconscious. If for no better reason than to vent her frustrations, she held a hand behind her and released a long blast of water, rushing out nearly faster than could be seen by the human eye.
"If what you say is true..." she panted, "I ask again; what happened to her? Is she alive or not, even?"

Tessa blinked in surprise, closing her eyes and nodding slightly. Seriel's light dimmed at her side, and her head dropped against her chest in shame.
"I... I understand," she said in a whisper, "I am sorry, I did not mean to offend."
A small blue shine erupted from within her fist at her side, and after a moment she held it to her own inspection, a thoroughly frozen jewel in her grip. She looked up again to A'isha, her perplexed face showing equal regret.
"If it's not too much to ask... how is it that I have been led into this fate in the mountains? Do you know this, A'isha?"

Tessa pondered what had been offered her for a long moment, and after a dreadfully long hesitation she lifted her hand, offering the iced jewel to A'isha.
"I wish I could find a means to do this on my own, but it seems I am chosen for more than I would have liked. If you see my mother again, could you give this to her?"
She drew it up her fingers to hold between the tips in offering.
"Perhaps someday I might repay you, but that all depends on if I can return."

Tessa sighed, lowering her head slightly as she turned to the way she had come in, stepping back to the opening. With her hand at the side of the entrance, she turned back once more.
"Thank you," she said again, before turning and leaving.
She kept her pace down to a jog, but hurried back to the Scarlet Duchess all the same. She rushed water through herself occasionally to keep herself from losing any awareness, as her injury had not fully recovered, however well on its way.

Tessa hurried her pace, closing quickly on Jack and the Scarlet Duchess. The moment she cleared the plank and boarded, Jack's hand in her own a burst of water from beneath sent the makeshift bridge flipping onto the deck. She looked around for a moment, tilting her head with a curious stare about her. She smiled innocently.
"What? Is a lady not allowed a scenic entrance?"
She turned to Jack, giving a slight nod of appreciation for him waiting.
"We should be going, but where?"

"So I see," Tessa said with a giggle, "I belong anywhere excitement is to be found, be it land, sea... with a strangely honest man of a pirate, evidently."
She laughed again, but Seriel glowed slightly at her side and she frowned.
"Oh, no... Jack, I... need to tell you something."
She almost disappeared below deck, but she turned and called back hurriedly, "Something that in no way is good news."
She vanished behind the doorway, shaking slightly and gasping for breath.