Happily Ever After

[KoriStronghammer]

Kori stood by the door and had just took his items on the coat hooks. He had been going to walk outside, had just opened the door in fact, when the three people walked in. One of the women was an older looking woman, almost frail looking. The set of her shoulders and face alone told him that the people she was with were not welcome, and were not true guests. The little woman was like the woman who had served him his meal. Dangerous. The two women, the bar maid and the new woman were like velvet lined steel. Softer and non-menacing on the outside, but with hard and cold steel underneath. The last of the newcomers was a man. The expression on his face and the way he carried himself told Kori three things. He was either very powerful or thought he was. He was used to getting his way, and he was not a nice person. The way he was dressed alone said either warrior or magic. Kori did not like magic. Walking around them, Kori went over to the table and paid the bar maid with a bishani.

"I think I'll have my drink over here by the fire, I'm a bit chilled."

Walking over to a small corner table by the fire, Kori placed his drink on the table and his shield on the back of the chair. Taking Bearpaw and setting it down in easy reach but trying to appear non-threatening in any way, Kori took a deep drought from the excellent mead he had bought. Looking over the rim of the cup, he watched and waited to see the show he felt was coming.

[Fayane]

Fayane felt the looks of appraisal as soon as she and Mela walked through the door. She half wondered what they thought of her, but decided it didn't matter. Melagone however... Fay risked a glance at him and noticed his aloof walk. She glared at him before turning back to the scene before her. A tall man lumbered away from the door, a massive hammer and shield in hand. She eyed him even as he eyed her, one thought coming through her mind: don't let him hit you, it'll be the end of your life if he does. He moved around them and paid the barmaid for the pint in his massive hand.

"I think I'll have my drink over here by the fire, I'm a bit chilled." Fay was amused, though only vaguely. This huge man was just going to sit there and act innocent? No she doubted this very much. She turned to Derin just as she spoke to them.

"Saruna! You brought friends. Welcome to the Red Chalice Inn; I'm Derin, and I suppose I'm the barmaid today. Can I get you anything to eat or drink?" She knew that look, she'd seen it many a time on her father's face... Derin was planning. Fay managed to keep a semi-polite look on her face even as Melagone's eyes narrowed. Did he sense something?

"We thank you, but no Ms. Derin. We are here to escort you by order of the guard, you have been requested to appear before the judge. I will ask that you do not resist as, unfortunately, we will be forced to take you by force." Fayane told her, pulling her cloak back slightly to allow Derin to see one of her twin blades, she would keep the other hidden to a degree.

"Now why don't we come along nicely... after all we don't want something... bad... to happen now do we?" Melagone added, his voice hinting at the opposite. Fay felt her hackles bristle at his tone. Turning she glared at him full in the face.

"No. We don't." Fay said calmly before hissing so that only he could hear: "Now stop acting like a child and follow your masters orders."

[Saruna]

Stalling them hadn't worked quite as well as Saruna had hoped, and there was Derin. Saruna had half hoped she'd be gone when Saruna brought her escorts to the Inn, but that had been a foolish hope. After all, Derin had settled in with Saruna. Why would she leave now, when things were going so well? Saruna thought despondently of the dress Derin was working on, of her neighbors whom she'd excitedly talked to of Derin's future prospects. Were those all gone, so simply, so quickly?

"Derin, hello." Saruna said, keeping her chin up and back straight. She had to be strong for the girl. "If we might sit, my old bones are aching fiercely." She tried her best to sound weak and pitiful, and wobbled her way to an empty table and its accompanying chairs. She sat, thinking, and jumped on the first thing she could think of: "My dear," this addressed to Fayane, "Might I ask you some questions? If I am to be gone for a space of time I might need to give my neighbors instructions on caring for my house. You wouldn't mind, would you?"

[Derin Edala]

Once upon a time, Derin would have laughed in the mage’s face for his ludicrous impatience to do battle. He reminded her of the young kids always dying to prove themselves on the edge of a claimed territory. She herself hadn’t spoken like that since she was ten, or thereabouts. But once upon a time, Derin hadn’t been trapped in some feeble meatsack with no magic and no natural weapons, and in her current state she could already tell that there was no way she’d be able to mask her fear indefinitely. Don’t be afraid! An innocent wouldn’t be afraid! Give away nothing!

Saruna was stalling, but that would only work for so long. Drawing herself up with the haughtiness of a noblewoman, she glared at the mage from under her eyelashes (a difficult expression to pull off). “Sir, I will not tolerate rudeness in this bar.” Think, think!

But there was no time for thinking. The mage snatched at her wrist – her right wrist, containing her ever-precious bracelet – and she instinctively pulled the trinket away from him. One look at his expression told her she’d made a mistake (it was a stupid reflex anyway; what had she expected him to do, steal her jewellery?); with a scowl, his other arm shot out and he grabbed her upper left arm. The sharp pain of his crushing fingers against her bone was meaningless to Derin (there’d be a lot of bruising, but it’d probably heal just fine), but she’d seen other girls react to pain; she didn’t even try to suppress the sharp gasp and the tears that sprang to her eyes. It might even mask her fear, which was important unless...

Unless...

Inspiration struck.

Derin had a strategy for lying. You could never be quite certain what the mark knew, what holes they’d find with your story, so Derin always defaulted to sticking as close to the truth as possible. The more facts that lined up, the better. This had to be about Gustel, there was no other explanation; and she had no idea how much he’d said. But the truth about what happened with Gustel gave her an awful lot to work with. “You’re hurting!” she said, letting her voice tremble. She shot Kori a desperate look behind the snarling mage.

[KoriStronghammer]

Kori watched the interaction. The little man was already getting on his nerves with his attitude. This really was not his concern though, and he needed to get started on finding work. Shrugging, he drained his mug. As he stood to leave and wrapped his fingers around the grip of his hammer, he heard a gasp. Turning to see the newest development, he watched as the man gripped the bar maids arm tighter.

A rumbling growl rose in Kori's chest, a deep rumbling basso sound. Tightening the grip on Bearpaw, he lifted the hammer to lay on his shoulder, a position he could easily swing from. Taking a few steps in the general direction of the couple. He muttered a few ancients words mostly to himself, preparing the amulet he wore. All he would need was to speak the activation word, and the magic would flow into him. He was mostly hoping it wouldn't come to using it though.

Lining himself for where he would have enough room to get to work if the need arisen, he cleared his throat loudly. "I think you need to let go of the girls arms, if you want your own to stay unbroken."

[Fayane]

Fayane was about to answer Saruna when Melagone sensed Derin's bracelet. Stalking forward he grabbed her wrist roughly, not caring about her gasp, her pain or her tears. Demons felt nothing and he knew it, this one was toying with him, he hated it when things toyed with him. Melagone felt his rage rise but swallowed it down like a nasty bile - it was this that had gotten him into this... mess. Melagone narrowed his eyes.

"Demon whore, don't play me, I know what you are." Fayane blanched, a demon?

"Stay here, do you hear me?" Fay growled to Saruna, not liking how this was going. Not waiting for her reply Fay stalked towards Melagone, standing between him and the giant man with the hammer, praying to any god that may be listening the man wasn't about to smash her.

"What do you mean, demon?" "Insolent mutt, the woman here is a demon, the bracelet holds her captive in this poor woman's body." Fay ground her teeth but let the insult pass. "Then we must take her to the judge, he will decide her fate."

[Saruna]

The words, the situation, went straight over Saruna's head in a wash of dizziness. Demon? Bracelet? She was unable to comprehend the meaning of any of it. What did it mean. . . no, it wasn't important. She shook her head, feeling her limbs tremble. Her stomach was clenching tight, so she felt sick and weak. But she couldn't give in, she had to be strong for Derin. She had to protect the girl; Derin had no one else but her. And then, if she could succeed, they could put all of the terrible mess behind them.

She stood up and felt her whole body sway as if she was going to fall over. Her blood pulsed in her head, and a rough white noise rose in her ears. "Excuse me." She ventured, moving closer to Fayane. "Excuse me, I am sorry to interrupt, but I really do need to let my neighbors know that I might be gone a while. Even if it is just writing a note?"

She smiled, blandly, looking right through Melagone and the hold he had on Derin.

[Derin Edala]

Shit.

Derin hated the way magic worked here; hated it. Nobody had ever seen through the bracelet. She'd studied the design herself; it was ingenious, almost entirely self-contained, leaving very little to actually read. Anybody able to sense magic had seen only the minor protective and preservation enchantments; it had passed the notice of the inspectors on the way to its intended target and she'd worn it flagrantly through protected mansions, among gypsies and fae lands, and into Marn.

But some damn battlemage with more strength than brains had seen right through it in seconds, because the magic here didn't make any Changers-cursed sense.

The thought that he would be a valuable helper and ally didn't even have time to settle in her mind before it was dismissed; he was a danger, a huge threat to her situation. She was going to die. She had to eliminate him, eliminate everyone in this room, and...

And then what? The death of a guard and a battlemage wouldn't go unnoticed. More importantly, she couldn't take on any one of the people in the room with her, let alone all four.

No; she was just going to have to lie really, really low for a long time. Wait for the damn mage to die, and hope nobody else could do what he could. But first, she needed to get away.

They wanted to take her to a judge. She expected no mercy there. Saruna was stalling (why didn't she help? Probably wanted to hide her own power from the Guard), Kori had jumped to her defence... she glanced at him, a silent plea, and hung quietly in the mage's grip, biding her time. Hoping that she had enough of it.

[KoriStronghammer]

Kori sighed deeply. This is what he hated about these magic users, they never paid and attention. Grumbling to himself, he took Bearpaws spiky end and poked the mage with it, over little warriors head.

"Hey. You. Ugly. Turn around so I can bash you a couple times. You are being a cruel and insensitive person, and you are hurting the lady."

Stepping back, Kori took his shield to his arm and gripped the handle of Bearpaw. If he could work this right, he would distract the mage and the little one, and the old one and the barmaid could run. This could work. Honorable death? Fighting impossible odds to defend two women? If this wasn't halfway honorable, then fine, he gave up on it anyways. Swinging Bearpaw back and forth to free up his arms, he smiled and challenged the mage again.

"Well. Come to me little man. Or is only defenseless women good for your sport? Shall I fetch a small girl child so you can claim a great victory?"

Setting his feet and shield, Kori grinned.

[Fayane]

"Excuse me." She ventured, moving closer to Fayane. "Excuse me, I am sorry to interrupt, but I really do need to let my neighbors know that I might be gone a while. Even if it is just writing a note?"

Fay turned to Saruna and eyed the pale woman. Well she couldn't very well allow her to leave unattended... turning back to Melagone she eyed the situation and decided she wanted no part in it. It was clear something was going to happen that would threaten her position as a guard. Best leave now and avoid more complicated issues... I have enough of a reason to leave that I shouldn't be punished...

"Very well Ms. Saruna, I'll escort you so that you may alert your neighbors of your upcoming....absence." Fay said calmly before gently taking her wrist and turning to Melagone.

"Battlemage! I leave this to your discretion, I am escorting one of the prisoners home so she may alert her neighbors of her upcoming absence. Anything that happens here, now, is in your hands." Fayane called to him. Turning she led Saruna out gently, taking care not to hurt the older woman.

"Please forgive Melagone of his previous treatment of you... his position as a battlemage... it gives him a rather large ego I'm afraid. He believes that he may control all who are beneath him... in fact the only person he respects is his master." Fayane murmured to Saruna as they walked the streets to her home.

Meanwhile Melagone was facing a more distracting issue - this insolent giant of a man, poking him with the sharp end of his hammer like a buffoon while grinning like an idiot and insulting his power. How dare he! Releasing Derin without a second thought Melagone whirled and cast Fleshshiver on the man, feeling the muscles in the man contract with his magical sense.

[Saruna]

Saruna had been walking alongside others often in the last month. It was easy to marvel over the things that had changed; some for the better, some for the worst. The walk with Fayane -- away from Derin -- was definitely one of the worst. The first, perhaps, had been that sweaty night in the room where her children had grown, watching Gustel writhe under Derin's firm questions. But Saruna had not turned away from Derin then, and she wouldn't turn away now.

The dirt pathway puffed up dust clouds at each footfall, and Saruna made a deep decision after Fayane had spoken to her.

"My name is Saruna Rischett." She said, clear hesitancy in her voice. "I was born in Eyropa. My mother and father brought me here with my husband when I was fourteen."

She talked quickly, sometimes long pauses between her individual statements, detailing her life of hard work and brief miseries. So long as Fayane did not interrupt her she would detail her father's abrupt and grievous disappearance; her mother's heartbroken death. She spoke quietly of her children leaving her, one by one by one, and then her husbands strange death in the forest. She told Fayane about Derin's appearance into her life, and what it meant to her; Gustel's trickery.

"I only want to help people. . .I thought. . .if I have something to give, then I should give it. What wrongs have I committed that harm anyone in Marn or Shim? I have tried to live quietly, and peacefully. Derin has done nothing wrong in any case; it was my choice to take in Gustel. I saw a boy in need and . . . I thought of my sons." Her voice trailed off to a whisper, and she stopped ten feet from the doorway of her home.

"Why?" Her eyes were glistening with emotion that had been compressed and smothered her whole life, at the utter unfathomable quality of each little hurt that had befallen her.

[Derin Edala]

Derin didn't get where she was by passing up unexpected opportunities.

A moment's thought would remind her that where she was wasn't necessarily a good place, but she didn't pause for a moment's thought -- as Melagone turned to face Kori, she ran for it.

She didn't really understand why Kori was stepping in and she didn't care. Whatever use he had for her could wait; at that moment, she fled, quietly, through the blessedly open door, and towards the marketplace. She had... seconds, probably, half a minute at the absolute most... before the mage smacked down the warrior, turned, and noticed that she wasn't there any more. In any other situation she would've initiated her plan right there ouside the tavern, but with somebody who could sense magic that was far too dangerous. She darted off the path, using cover when she could.

She just had to make it to a crowd. Just had to get to the marketplace. Then people, greedy filching people, would do all the work for her.

[KoriStronghammer]

Kori shook off the electric like effects and grinned. "Best you have little man?"

Roaring out the last word to activate his amulet, Kori rushed forward, swinging his hammer as he did so. Striking from below with his shield, he caught the mage on his chin. When the head was forced up, Kori swung Bearpaw and all the strength and momentum he could muster into a hit directly to the mage's chin. With a grunt of satisfaction, Kori watched him do a flip over the bar. Now he had a paradox. Try to kill the mage, or make sure the old woman was alright with the other woman and kill the mage later. Running out the door, Kori slid the handle of Bearpaw through the strap on his belt, and began to look for the old woman and the guard called Fayane. He would get the old woman to safety, then get the barmaid to safety to although she most likely could find her own way there. If the guard tried to stop him like the mage, he would do the same to her. Smash with his hammer.

[Fayane]

Fayane didn't like the silence that accompanied her and Saruna as they walked to her cottage. It wasn't like Fayane WANTED to throw the woman to the cruel judge but... Fay's eyes darkened slightly. It was her duty as a Guard to protect and to serve.

"My name is Saruna Rischett." She said, clear hesitancy in her voice. "I was born in Eyropa. My mother and father brought me here with my husband when I was fourteen." Fayane blinked at the sudden introduction but never stopped. She listened, silently, as Saruna outlined her life, her trials and her tribulations. So much of it sounded like her own life... it made Fay's heart ache for the older woman. The children who left, the missing husband... all were replaced by the demon-possessed woman Derin. Fay halted in front of Saruna's door, trying to harden her heart.

"I only want to help people. . .I thought. . .if I have something to give, then I should give it. What wrongs have I committed that harm anyone in Marn or Shim? I have tried to live quietly, and peacefully. Derin has done nothing wrong in any case; it was my choice to take in Gustel. I saw a boy in need and . . . I thought of my sons." Her voice trailed off to a whisper, and she stopped ten feet from the doorway of her home.

"Why?"

Fayane bowed her head. "Please... come inside, we must talk." Fayane murmured, her decision made. As they stepped within the small cottage Fayane closed the door behind them and turned to Saruna, leaning against the door to bar any intruders.

"My name is Fayane Tyme. As you know I am a guard, fresh out of training. I am 18 years old, and have no family at all. You speak of your past life with heart-break, which I too can understand. My mother was taken from me at a young age by raiders. My father, driven mad by her loss, trained me in the cruelest of ways to become the assassin that would kill the being which slew my mother." Fayane took a breath, finding it hard to keep her emotions in check. Clearing her throat she continued as Saruna listened in silence. She told of her years of training alone after her father was killed, and of her reasons of joining the guard.

"You speak of wishing to help people despite your circumstances. I can understand your desire more than you can imagine. The guard does not aid or protect the people in ways that suit my taste. Many in the guard are corrupt and use their positions to only their benefit. I choose to move away from this path. So, in saying this Ms. Rischett... I will assist you in freeing yourself and Derin. I no longer wish to be one of the guard." Fayane's words were quiet but had a steel hidden within them.

"I will help you escape and will stay with you should you need further protection. Now... where is a likely meeting point in which we can meet Derin?"

Meanwhile Melagone was lying just over the bar, groaning in pain and humiliation. One swing had been all it took to knock him into the air. One hit! Melagone growled. His master will not be pleased...

[Saruna]

Saruna was clearly surprised, but too there was an unbearable amount of hope in the face she turned towards Fayane. "Help." She whispered, disbelief and joy warring in the emotion of her voice. She floundered in the sudden possibilities, and found that she had no true plan at all. She was inexperienced at this sort of thing, having never participated in any level of outright rebellion before, and wasn't necessarily optimistic about the results from that sort of thing.

She would have to make do.

"We can't stay here." She said, voice a little strangled. Even she, remote and secure in her own little world, knew that much about Marn. "We must go. We can. . .we can find asylum with my family in Eyropa." Oh, the thought sent little jabs of despair along the well worn routes of her memory, but she saw no other way. "I must collect my money, gather food. Derin will likely try to run away, but I know not where she will go. Likely out of town." She bit her lip.

She gathered a few sacks, shoved them into Fayane's hands, and directed her to the cellar with instructions of picking out food not too heavy, and not too much. She then went and gathered up her hidden stashes of bishani, painstakingly hoarded over the years. There wasn't much else to take that wouldn't be too clumsy or heavy to keep on the run, and in the midst of her flurry she stopped to shed tears for the memories and familiar objects she would not see again. She had seen the house built from the ground up, each piece of furniture within made by the hands of those dear to her. She knew every item, and its story.

But she would rather have her life, and Derin's life. Especially Derin's life.

She would meet Fayane back in the little living room, with its hearth and the small kitchen in the corner, that morning's dough turning into a dried out lump where she'd left it. "I first met Derin in the market. She might leave in that direction." She said.