In for a Pounding

[Erryl]

Iarei's awkwardness was making Erryl feel awkward himself. We wasn't really sure what to think when she said they were going to lay low for a while. How long was he going to be stuck in this situation? How long would he have to live with this scary woman? Her question made him uncomfortable as well, and he paused before answering nervously, "Not really."

He was watching how she avoided using her injured hand as she searched through her pack, and felt the guilt in his chest rise up again. She couldn't even braid her own hair because he'd been stupid enough to bump into her the day they'd met. Maybe it was her boy's fault they were being chased by murderers, but that kid was probably dead now and she didn't deserve that either.

I hate being here.

[Iarei]

The hunt for a pack of cards was frustrated when the cards were found sans the string that had kept them tied together. Iarei blew out an incoherent curse, grunting as she sat down on the ground. "Sit down. Hmmm," she half upended her bag, scattering cards across the floor. She started pulling them out of her bag, cursing as she found several bent ones. She was making faces as she straightened them, though the creases were still obvious. "It's not like we're playing competitively," she muttered to herself as she started to straighten and then flip them face-side down. "It's just the two of us, so we'll play All Fours. I'll explain, tell me if I go too fast."

Iarei wasn't a bad teacher, as it turned out. She was clear and concise, pausing every now and again to look up at Erryl to see if he looked like he understood. The act of sharing something beyond the craziness that had plagued them seemed to calm her. The stiffness in her neck and shoulders ebbed out of her, so that by the time she had gotten the deck arranged to her liking and dealt a test hand she was much more natural. At that moment, she was just a woman sharing a game with an acquaintance. The bossiness had left her along with the stress, returning to her an ease that she hadn't shown to Erryl before.

"Understand?"

There was something nice about the smile tugging at the right side of her lips, the challenging quirk to her eyebrows.

[Erryl]

The way Iarei explained it, the game didn't seem too complicated. He nodded in response to her question and almost returned her smile, but he wasn't quite there yet. Things had become much more quiet, with just the two of them and no running, and Erryl was able to put aside the fact that he was a dead man for a short while. He silently thanked Iarei for so readily providing a distraction, and concentrated on trying to beat her at her game as opposed to preserving his shortened lifespan.

"This is easier to play than I thought it would be," he admitted absently. "I don't play games like this very much."

[Iarei]

Iarei watched Erryl carefully that first day, gauging his reactions and his emotional state. The second day she watched the door, slipping out every now and again with some concocted excuse -- new bandages for her hand, a drink, she needed to stretch her legs or use the pot. The third day there were dark smudges under her eyes, and when combined with her messy hair (Erryl was not a quick one when it came to improvement) and clothes, it was fairly obvious that she was worried. While at first she'd used delaying tactics on Erryl's own concerns, that morning she didn't try to hide the potential depths of their situation. Which was about when she dropped the news on Erryl that they would be taking shelter at his place for a short while, just to re-establish the situation. He was, as boy had been, not one who took naturally to her leadership (if it could be called that), but she wore him down as she'd done with her former apprentice.

Shortly after noon they set out. Iarei had asked one of the tavern's girls to neaten up her hair and she'd spent some time tugging her clothing straight the best she could one-handed. Erryl was fairly convinced that his brother would not be happy to see him with her, or to see Erryl at all, which Iarei had waved off with a wink and a broad smile. "Let me worry about that," she'd said, even when it was plainly obvious that Erryl would, indeed, be worrying about it the whole way to the Residential District.

They'd taken the long way to that district while Iarei traded ideas about Erryl even as she kept them to the thickest crowds. She kept an eye out, patting Erryl on the shoulder whenever he started to tense up. She knew the feeling of returning home as the prodigal child (or at least the sensation of being one), so she had some sympathy for him, but she couldn't keep renting rooms forever with unreliable hired help going out and getting lost or buggering off or worse. Worse. Like the bloodied alley. Her eyes darted back and forth across the street and she felt her own back stiffen up as she tried to banish the memories. Her eggs were going into one last basket. If that didn't work, well, boy might just be on his own.

[Tal]

"Damnit Redcloud, first you get me lifting logs and hammering nails into walls, and now you have me running around as a fucking babysitter," he said to himself as he twirled what remained of his beverage within the glass.

Tal threw back the last of the alcoholic liquid he had in his glass, and then turned it upside down on the table. Taking out some bishani, he placed next to the glass on the table. He turned towards the entrance, grabbing his black jacket from the stool beside him and putting it on. Then, taking the bedroll that was propped against the bar, he slid an arm and head through the single string that connected the two ends together; that way, the bedroll rested on his back snugly, a single pull string hanging from the middle of it, maybe a foot in length. To a normal viewer, it'd look like he was a bum that traveled from town to town, but actually, he used it to hold his katana. He wasn't a fan of openly carrying such a weapon out in town. He was already a foreigner, the weapon would only make things worse.

Stepping outside into crowd, he stretched his arms into the air, his hands covered by black finger-less gloves. I can't complain to much, that construction job was getting a bit old and repetitive, at least now I might actually get to do something interesting, he thought quietly as he scanned the crowd. Erryl, the young man he was getting hired to look for, was wondering out here, getting in all sorts of trouble. Maybe he'd-- something caught his eyes, was it? It was. It's impossible to mistake Erryl's pale appearance in a crowd sometimes, and this time, it worked towards his advantage. What made him uneasy, was who was that woman with him? A friend maybe?

He moved gracefully through the crowd, being sure to not unintentionally shoulder a passerby as he moved towards Erryl and the woman with him. As he moved, he intentionally cut them off as he stepped in front of the two of them, his hands on the back of his head. "Erryl, long time no see kid." Too be honest, Erryl was only slightly younger than Tal, four years at most, but enough to separate them enough. Tal turned his attention to the girl and immediately dropped his hands as he looked her up and down; slightly surprised. Nonchalantly was not the word to describe here. "Well who do we have here? Get yourself a girlfriend while you were gone?" Tal said as he tossed her a wink.

[Erryl]

The days passed slowly. Erryl had been growing tired of spending his waking life in fear for it ending, and that made it easier than it should have been for Iarei to convince him -- gradually -- that they needed a better place to stay. Somewhere in the residential district, somewhere stable and safe, somewhere Erryl was familiar with... Koran was going to kill him.

It was hard to tell who was leading who as they made their way towards the residential district; Erryl would have to show the way, while Iarei made sure he didn't change his mind. The thought of how his brother might react was terrifying, especially once he found out that they were being hunted by... well, Erryl still wasn't sure who they were being hunted by, but it was a horrible situation and Koran would definitely be furious.

Erryl jumped when a man -- someone from Tian Xia, by his appearance -- stopped in their path. Please don't kill us, Erryl silently begged.

"Erryl, long time no see, kid." Hearing his name spoke by a stranger, the half-elf blinked and his eyes widened; the man was acting like an old friend, but Erryl had no idea who he was or what was going on. "Well who do we have here? Get yourself a girlfriend while you were gone?"

The situation was just getting more and more confusing and Erryl had no idea what to say. In the end, all that came out of his mouth was a baffled, "Huh?"

[Iarei]

Iarei was not impressed. The man looked the part of a disreputable vagabond, and though Iarei was never one to judge by first impressions, the fact remained that they were no doubt being hunted by disreputable thugs, and if the shoe fit. . .but familiarity was something that could be considered with caution. Iarei was not above taking advantage of circumstances should an opportunity present itself. Here, with a strange man whose build and stance was a better indicator of activity and awareness over something lesser, who spoke clearly to Erryl with some measure of jocularity, whose air did not bear the hulking threat of some punk who wanted something with them: she sensed that perhaps there was some gain to be had. That or it was desperation. It was likely desperation. She still refused to think of it as such.

She settled with a subtle sauciness to go along with the man's apparent sense of humor, going for an open -- if tired -- smile. "This kid?" It didn't matter that he topped her by a few inches -- the way she looked at him was akin to that of an older sister or an aunt looking at a younger sibling or nephew. "He's barely started growing hair, and you think that's what I'd go for? Hmm." She eyed the stranger, insinuating with posture that any interest in this particular meeting would be outwards, not inwards towards Erryl, but broke it off before any sort of tension could develop. She looked back towards Erryl. "You know this. . . gentleman?" She let her tone go slightly incredulous. Perhaps there was even a hint of teasing in there as she flicked another glance towards the stranger, one eyebrow rising ever-so-slightly.

[Tal]

"This kid?" There was a pause in her speech, "He's barely started growing hair, and you think that's what I'd go for? Hmm." Tal managed to crack a smile, At least she was quick to defend her position, he thought as he kept his eyes on her. Neither of them seemed too incredibly dangerous, the girl maybe, but not with the works of a weapon. They way everyone's been talking back home, it's been made like demons were hunting these two. What a shame, I was expecting something a little more interesting; I've gotten soft since the pirate career. Tal used to be among the Wokou Pirates in Tian Xia, living on the island to the far East. After a few set backs, and a bad year of traveling, he's managed to make it here, hoping to set up a living. For town as diverse as this, you'd think it would be easier to find a job; or maybe he was just looking in the wrong places. Redcloud seemed to be doing just fine.

"You know this. . . gentleman?" It was the girl again that spoke, and he turned his attention to Erryl as he scratched his head. "Actually, you may or recognize me. "I'm an old family friend from Tian Xia, and I've managed to make my way here. I've been working in that construction detail for your brother for some time now. They're worried to hell about you, so I offered to help try and find you... so here we are." Tal placed a hand in a pouch on his back, and pulled out a rolled piece of tobacco roughly eight centimeters in length and stuck it in between his lips, leaving it unlit for the time being while he waited for a not so crowded place to light the item with the small amount of magic he knew, or found an already dancing flame somewhere.

[Erryl]

Erryl furrowed his brows throughout the little exchange between Iarei and the Tian Xian man, right up until his brother was mentioned. "They're worried to hell about you, so I offered to help try and find you..." His eyes shot wide at the thought of Koran, mind racing through all the things his older brother must be thinking, how he must be feeling, and most importantly, what he might be doing about it. A stirring of emotions welled up Erryl's chest, his expression changing with it, as the reality of the situation slapped him in the face again. He didn't cry -- he was still in too much shock for that -- but his face took on a pained expression.

"I do remember hearing about you," Erryl croaked out, looking the man over before turning to Iarei. She seemed wary, but confident still, and it made him feel as though he was in safe hands. "But I don't know much about my brother's work."

[Iarei]

Iarei patted Erryl on the shoulder in response to that puppy-eyed look he gave her. He was such a kid, tall though he was. She didn't know his actual age, and hadn't ever asked, but the fact alone that he reminded her of boy (who was still shorter than her, perhaps on account of his rough life before he met her) made her guess mid-teens. The reaction he gave at the stranger's words, however, was too genuine to be put down to a childish reluctance to go home. "Are there. . .problems I should know about?" Iarei's voice went a little flatter, the cheer leaving it in increments. This time, there was no show for the stranger; it was a genuine question directed at Erryl with a clear subtext. Iarei was not about to take them to a place where either of them might be in store for rough treatment. Not after the threat the owners of the statues.

She tried to keep her body lax, but she knew she'd need to run and pull Erryl along with her if it turned out Erryl was from some home where taking punches was normal. She was not going to risk her hands again so soon after the last incident. Or her instrument, for that matter.

[Tal]

Tal looked at the two, his worried look, and her genuine, caring, question as she prodded what could possibly be wrong. Honestly, Tal had no clue what the worry was for. He had worked with Koran for some time now, and although Koran was full of hate and discontent, as Tal could tell while he worked on the construction site, more than once he wished the kid would just come back home so he didn't have to worry as much. Though, Tal wouldn't be surprised is Koran raised his voice against him, but a hug would soon follow. That was his guess anyway. "I don't know what's got you all worked up there Erryl, but Koran just wants you safe at home, yeah, he's pissed, but come on, do you really think he'd rather you run around out here with all sorts of dangers?" Tal hoped to reassure him, the last thing he wanted to do was go chasing after them.

[Erryl]

Erryl quickly shook his head, averting his eyes. "I don't want to cause trouble for him. He worries a lot." And I don't want to see the look on his face when I get home. He couldn't help but sigh when he reminded himself that he was finally going home; this was the longest he'd been away. "It'll be fine. We should just hurry instead of standing out here."

He looked Iarei in the eyes as another thought occurred to him. He had no idea how Koran would act when he found out Iarei was the reason Erryl had been away. "What are you going to tell him?"

[Iarei]

Iarei arched an eyebrow as she looked from Erryl to Tal and back to Erryl. "Has hurrying ever fixed a problem? A few minutes more will not cause undue strain." Without waiting for a reply, she turned her attention back to the stranger. "I am Iarei. May I ask your name?"

[Tal]

Man, he must know something about Koran I don't, because he really is worried, Tal thought to himself as he stood there. He looked around again, but there were still too many people, he'd have to wait until they walked through a more secluded location. He watched as they discuss among themselves, and then the woman turned towards him, "I am Iarei. May I ask your name?" Tal held out his fingerless gloved hand to her, "Tal, nice to meet you." He wanted to ask her more questions, mostly about how they met up, but he assumed she'd be doing her own explaining when they arrived. Erryl trusted her, so he saw no reason why he shouldn't, but deep down he'd keep an eye on her.

"Shall we at least head that way? This crowded area is starting to become a pain." He really just wanted to light his damn tobacco roll. That always calmed his nerves. He just wanted everything to go smoothly, the construction job was getting rather dull.

[Erryl]

Erryl looked from Tal's hand, to Iarei, and then to Tal's uncommon features. Not as many people from Tian Xia seemed to settle in Marn compared to Eyropans, as far as Erryl had seen, and it was interesting to think how their culture might differ. What's it like to live in a place where magic is allowed? The question had crossed Erryl's mind many times before, as it had many Puradyne kids who feared the monsters it created in human and animal alike.

Fortunately, the foreigner wasn't particularly threatening, unlike their previous companion. Although Iarei had been unhappy about Mather's disappearance, some part of Erryl was relieved -- even if he knew, logically, it was better for both of them to have someone to fend for them when they eventually needed it. As always, there was very little doubt in Erryl's mind that they would be in need of it sooner rather than later.

He wasn't sure what crowd Tal was talking about exactly -- the street they were in was quieter than most other streets leading to the residential district -- but he waited nervously to see whether Iarei wanted to stay and talk, or take them back to Erryl's home. He swallowed the lump in his throat at that thought, and wished this day would end.