“Ehhh…maybe you could try and be a[i] little[/i] more polite…” Kathlin volunteered nervously, now garbed in one of Liaena’s hooded cloaks she had apparently removed from the wardrobe. Hester, who was still perched on her shoulder, was glaring and fluffing up her feathers angrily to the point she was starting to look like a white, evil, puff-ball at Rithrynn’s comment. 

Reaching out to pet her, the girl deftly avoided the attempt from the bird to snap at her as she ruffled the feathers on the back of her head. “Aw, cmon. Rithrynn’s very sorry about being so rude to you, it’s just that she’s worried about Li. And we know that only [i]you[/i] are clever enough to find her…and you can have some chocolate now, if you want”

“….”

Edging closer to the bag that held all the goodies, Kathlin shot Rithrynn an imploring look as she hastily unzipped it to pull out a large chunk of chocolate and shove it into the beak that opened expectantly. Hester gave a muffled squawk and fluttered to the window, where she started to attack the glass panes viciously. Kathlin followed to open it, causing a flurry of snowflakes to come in as the bird left, blending almost immediately with the white of the storm. 

“I think she went down towards the main gate…it’s as good a place to start as any, I guess” Kathlin mumbled as she craned her head to see where the owl had gone, before shutting the window carefully behind her. Turning to Rithrynn, she gave the elf a shy smile. “Shall we head down there then?”

*

[i]“This weather is…something else. Wasn’t it supposed to be spring!?”[/i]

Trekking through the snow, Liaena was grateful for the storm wiping out all traces of her prints behind her, but less so for the flakes that found their way through her – undersized – cloak and shirt collar. Her scarf, she had already tied around her face to stop any blood leaking out of her badly bruised nose to leave a trail behind her, and it also had the secondary effect of warming her face – at least until the blood soaked through and left it cold and soggy. 

Most of the general public had taken the general precaution of going home or taking refuge in the nearest inn or shop when the storm had hit, and it left Liaena relatively isolated as she crossed one of the canal bridges. She took solace in the thought that Astrid probably felt worse than she did. 

Taking a tattered leaflet out of her pocket, she squinted at it again through the snow before turning down a side road to stop in front of a large ale-house with its large wooden door….looking recently repaired, and firmly shut. It had a very prominent ‘CLOSED FOR BUSINESS’ sign on the front as Liaena tapped on it. 

-knock knock-

“…..”

*BANG* *BANG*

This time, there was some movement before a grumpy, and slightly drunk sounding voice called out from inside. “We’re closed!”

[b]*BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG---[/b]

“WHAT!?”

At this point, a shutter near the bottom of the door slid open and a very angry looking dwarf peered out. His countenance looked nearly as battered as her own, with two black eyes and a fat lip as he glared up at her. “Dinnae read the sign!? We’re closed fer tha storm! An’ fer drinking! An’ refurbishment!”

“I want to talk to Doin Broadshield, or Fran Broadshield” Liaena snapped right back. Her bruisers, and the cold weather, made her extremely unwilling to stand around outside to bicker with a random doorkeeper. “Go and tell them that it’s about Liaena Rune, and it’s important”

The dwarf squinted at her weirdly, before adopting a very recalcitrant expression. “…An’ why should I?”

“Because. Believe me when I tell you that if you [i]don’t[/i], they’ll have a metal boot so far up your ass you won’t be able to sit down for a week afterwards” Liaena said coldly. A glint showed itself in her mittened hand as she held up a gold piece. “…and also, because you get this if you do”

Holding it up to the hatch in the door, the money was snatched in a moment out of her hand and the latch thudded shut. Liaena grimaced as she leant her back against the wall of the building to wait. [i]“I hope I won’t need to blow the door down. It looks expensive to replace”[/i]