[IC] When the Flames Die

[Epsir]

She had no idea what lunacy lead her to accept bindings before a fight, but there she was with ropes fastening her wrists and ankles. This was the sort of thing that constituted a prank at the academy, and she could at least be grateful it was a wooden chair and not a chemical locker holding her up this time. The scar across the bridge of her nose was starting to itch uncomfortably, but trying free her hands at a time like this would seem untoward when the receiving party wanted to appear very much in control. The name Kelzhar came up, but she couldn't place it; she hadn't had a notion of identifying some southern city's gangs but there was always the hope it was someone she'd worked with before. The captive Trinan stared forward, eyes slowly revolving to search the contents of the dark room, people and weapons, out of habit more than any intention to start something untoward. An attractive option had surfaced in her head on the way in: Make a bigger incident to pull attention away from the four murders outside of her inn, but that sort of thing never actually worked. The guard was not so small. A long, cold silence took hold in the time after the Guildmaster posed his questions. She sat there, choosing her words carefully. Ordinarily, she loathed giving her credentials out, but some criminal in this town was bound to have cooperated with the Scouts before, and despite how hard they pretended to be, the reason she had a career was because criminals talked. "I am Maria Trinan, Captain in the 33rd Company of the Royal Arcarti Scouts. That answers both questions. I am asking mine. The first is for clarity of purpose." She looked away from the wall, watching the Guildmaster with the unchanging, vacant glare that she'd been wearing for a while now. Should have brought a bottle from the tavern. "Why do you think one of the crown's hunting hounds is being so civil?" She nodded her head left and right, indicating the room around her and the lack of violence (on her part) that night.

[DrowsyPangolin]

Eva sighed. It didn't seem they were getting anywhere fast, anyone who could help them at this hour was either asleep or busy with the situation at hand. She could tell both Gareth and Sophia were beginning to feel their exhaustion. They needed somewhere to stay. She looked towards the Princess. "I hate to ask this at a time like this, Princess... but you still have some money with you, yes?" The girl looked at her curiously and nodded. Good. Their options had just opened up. "Okay, this isn't the most developed idea in the world, but I think our chances of finding help at this point are slim. If we leave the Palace, and go out into the town, we may be able to find an inn or tavern or something where we can rest for the night. It won't be as well defended as the Palace, but at this point I think it'd be just as safe." She couldn't believe she was suggesting they leave the Palace grounds, but their search was dragging on and it was getting extremely late. In addition, there were some people she needed a word with in town...

[ravenDivinity]

Gareth looked equally puzzled about the question of money. Who could possibly care so much about money in such a dire time except for when it was necessary? Eva explained the purpose for the money, and he gave more thought to the idea. "Ah, perhaps that would be better..." To be honest, the castle is usually the first place people look when they're seeking high-profile persons, but if they chose to take refuge in an inn instead, few could expect it. Harker nodded at the suggestion. "Yes... Let's." He led them into the night again onto the main road out of the palace, not wanting to take the risk of a quiet path where the possibility of ambush lied.

[DrowsyPangolin]

Eva nodded in agreement with the young man, and followed him out onto the road. They would have to pass through the Palace wall to get to town, but she didn't foresee any particular troubles there. Once they were out, they could make their way to an inn, and all would be well. She reminded herself to keep her eyes open for possible threats, they weren't particularly safe anywhere at this point. They walked for a while, before finally reaching the wall. The main gate still seemed to be damaged, but there were smaller side doors nearby that would allow them safe passage.

Sophia followed quietly, Jezin's helmet still tucked under her arm. At this point she didn't care where they went, she just wanted peace and quiet. The day had drained the very life from her. She could feel an aching with every step, and her side was still quite sore from being kicked. She had finally removed all the thorns in her arm, at least. She was thankful to have Eva and Gareth as companions, she still felt nervous, but being alone would be truly terrifying after what they'd been through.

[Epsir]

One of the many red-brigandined guardsmen stood post atop the gate, his fellows probably in the nearby guardhouse playing cards to pass the time. Gate duty was cozy, especially when there were hijinks on the grounds. Nobody shady ever just up and tried the front gate and besides, their was broken anyway. Contented with the night vista of Mullen, the dimly red shingled roofs and the lights of ships on the river, he turned around from the battlements in time to see a trio that looked to have originated from the palace. Oh dear. "Hold it! What's your business here?" He called out to the dark, quickly scaling the stairs down to the ground level to get a closer look at the strangers. A woman, a girl, and a young man all looking something distraught. Weren't they all? If it hadn't been for reports of strangers on the walls he would have probably just let civilian looking types go straight on through but he could tell from the silhouette in the guard house that the corporal was watching, and procedure was now his new god. Thankfully for all involved, he recognized the Lyoki royal up close, and took a step back to bow. "Apologies, your grace, but we have been told to restrict access to and fro the grounds. Might the guard be of any service to you, however?"

[DrowsyPangolin]

Sophia stepped to the front of the group as the guard spoke. It was foolish to not expect the guards to intervene. She looked up at the man, her yellow eyes reflecting the moonlight. "Oh, hello sir. We are seeking passage into the town. My room... um..." She looked to the ground, unable to think of a way to describe the situation in a calm fashion. Thankfully, Eva filled in the blanks. "Two of the Princess' servants were killed in the room earlier tonight. Understandably, she did not feel comfortable sleeping there." Sophia nodded. "So... we were going to head into town to find an inn to stay at, at least for the night." The Princess spoke again, the fatigue showing through in her tone. She clutched the helmet tightly beneath her arm. She wondered if this was the same guardsman she'd met earlier, but she couldn't tell from his voice, and the nature of their helmets nearly completely obstructed their faces.

[BingTheWing]

The Guildmaster paced around, his eyes fixed on the girl. "Another Arcarti? The last time a Scout passed through here was a week ago." He paused. "He gave away the location of one of our safehouses to... questionable men. We turned him over to the guard, but he tried to escape. I proudly announce that he is now lying at the bottom of the harbor with ten to fifteen arrows in his back."
A moderate chuckle resounded throughout the warehouse. Even Adrian let a smirk manifest on his face. "As for your second question, I can only imagine that you might be an agent for old Bardy or another of our 'questionable men'." The Guildmaster inspected her closely. "I have another question for you. What the hell is your kind doing in Mullen?"

[Epsir]

Maria cocked her head to the side as the man claimed the death of one of her fellows. The 33rd had swam from SNS Roumont that day, which meant... another company had been here. Her own name was clear, but if what the man said was true then someone else's was not. That was the worst news she could be given, because it meant they could be confronting another scout company with charges of treason, and that was not a confrontation either side was walking away from unbloodied. Her thoughts snapped back to the Guildmaster as he posed his next question. If only she really did have Bard II's approval, she wouldn't be roaming the streets at night. A tired laugh escaped her mouth as she contemplated finally having an operation under foreign sanction. As a matter of fact, she was perfectly happy to discuss what she was doing in Mullen. "I'm looking for a tavern. Four people died in the one I was staying in, that's not good for me. So I came here to solve my problems. Actually, my problems are with him," she indicated, with a nod of her head, the thug she'd earlier encountered at the Crossroads. "But, you can step in if you want." Pausing for a moment of composure, the captain straightened herself in the chair. Her patience was just about gone, she'd left her cloak with a stranger and there was a lot of sleeping she was missing out on being here. Her voice lowered, and she began her tirade. "Here's the easy way, listen to me. Clean up your mess, and I will leave you, disappear into the night and begone. No harm done to any one of your 'boys'. I'll tell you how to do it and lend a hand." She smiled brightly up at her interrogator, locating him between wine-clotted clumps of her hair. "I am a killer, I deny the ignoble and contemptuous nature of my existence through restraint. I dedicate myself to the preservation of life through the one thing I can do: violence. Help me. Ignore me, pretend none of this happened. Do either, do not get in my way."

[ravenDivinity]

Gareth nodded. "Our rooms in the castle are sort of..." He paused, searching for the easiest way to explain without going on a narrative about the events of the evening. "...dangerous to stay in right now." They couldn't live in a rooms with busted windows and bloodstains all over the place, rooms odorous with the stench of death, and they certainly couldn't stay where a killer would look to take their lives while they slept. It wasn't a sound idea, it wasn't safe. Though leaving to lodge in an inn for a night seemed brash, it was also their last option with everyone who could shelter them asleep or busy and nowhere to be found. If the guard denied them an exit, Harker would call the three of them sitting ducks, because if the guard did, they wouldn't have much luck elsewhere finding a place to rest for the night.

[Epsir]

The guard looked between everyone there, uncertainty showing in his fidgeting more than it could on his face. Ordinarily, he would have simply let a noble who clearly had... some sort of retainer with her decide her own night arrangements. Unfortunately it was the dead of night and he'd grown up in Mullen, he knew how the streets were and as peaceful and fight-free as their taverns typically were, all you had to do was go down one street thinking you'd find a better deal and end up brushing shoulders with the kind of guys the wrong crowd tended to shy away from. The Lyokis were being targeted, and there was drama afoot within the castle that meant they had no idea how safe the situation with the Order and the regent would be. How did all of this end up lumped on him, a fresh trained guard standing a lowly post? He had a call to make, and he made it. They weren't safe here and they weren't safe in the streets, but they were safer among a bunch of bar regulars than they were in an empty palace. "Alright, the doors are open. Go straight to a tavern, stay on the widest roads you can find. If you see a guard on the way stop him and show him your signet or something, get a move on please." He sighed after he granted access, it wasn't good either way, but the logic of getting them away from rooms that had already been targeted seemed sound enough to him.

[DrowsyPangolin]

Sophia gave a weak smile. "Thank you sir, I greatly appreciate this." The trio continued on through the door and out onto the road. Mullen sprawled out before them. Despite the late hour, it seemed at least a fair portion of the city was still awake. They made their way down the main street of the city, passing few travelers outside of the occasional drunk. Eva motioned towards Gareth. "Keep a lookout for any inns or taverns... and for anyone who looks suspicious." She realized that Sophia wandering the streets probably looked like a sitting duck for an aspiring pickpocket or mugger, but on the main road that was unlikely, and even if it came down to it, she and Gareth had managed to fend off Taggerung. A common crook was the least of their worries. Eventually, the Tauran caught a glimpse of what seemed to be an inn in the distance. She could faintly read the sign. 'Crossroads Inn'. She smiled. At least they'd have somewhere to rest. "I think I see one up ahead."

[BingTheWing]

"I would say the same for you." The Guildmaster chuckled beneath his breath. "There are more of us than yourself, but I am inclined to get you out of my sight." His smirk dissipated. "In your sugared-to-hell words, I can bluntly see that you either a) actually plan to do what you say or b) betray our location to Bardy's men, so you can earn some brownie points with the king and get your filthy hands on some gold." He glared at the girl from beneath his hood, stroking his fierce white beard. "The Arcarti Scouts are useful, but they are not to be trusted." He abruptly snatched a crossbow from a nearby cloak and shoved the business end up her chin. "I am sorry to say I have to kill you. Any last words?"

[ravenDivinity]

Gareth moved past the girls and took the front of the group at the door, which he politely pulled open for them. It seemed something chaotic transpired there prior to their arrival, but it was no matter, since the situation must have been controlled. "Ah, Eva, where do you suppose we start?" He gave a glazed look of askance around the room as he tried to spot the innkeeper whom they could pay for a room.

[Epsir]

The bartender and then inn-keeper of the Crossroads was looking distraught tonight. A bar fight had started on her day and the Roads was usually a peaceful place. Her employment was hardly threatened but her hobbies were, and people didn't talk or tell stories amongst themselves when they were out cold or in the care of the guard. Two men had died, and while a few samaritans had deigned to carry them off to report the deaths it certainly put a damper on the place. Alastair Menhem, a young woman with wine-colored hair, barely old enough to be apprenticed much less running a tavern in her free time, was in charge of the family's establishment that night. Even as she hurriedly cleaned glasses and set out drinks she saw something that hadn't occurred since the fight, someone walking into her bar. "Welcome in the Crossroads, wanderers," she called out. They looked like an entertaining sort, there was a story about them but she couldn't place it. Whether or not they spoke of it, they were roughed up enough that she knew they had one. "Is it board or beer you're after tonight? A lot of our rooms just, eh... cleared out."

---

"Yes, just three," she said, grinning at her joke and preparing her final words. Her eyes quickly darted around the room as she gathered information. She had no weaponry to speak of, and perhaps leaving her swords at the tavern had been a mistake. Their use was disallowed but they made for persuaders at times like this. The captain rolled her shoulders, feeling out the rope holding her hands and ankles together in the chair. More pressing was the feeling of the iron footplate of a loaded crossbow against her chin. The situation was beyond her self control at that point, she began to do what she was forged to do. A chill ran down Trinan's spine, she felt all at once cold and sick, her stomach rolled and her stare up at the Guildmaster became hollow and farsighted. All in an instant, her time for thinking was over.

Her voice took on a desperate, panicked tone and she pleaded and shook in the chair. "L-Look, please spare my life, I never meant you any harm! Please! Everything I have! I'll do anything! There is a purse containing the approximate equivalent of eight thousand in-" Mid sentence, Trinan sprung up from the chair, slipping one hand free of the figure eight around her wrists and feeling the opposing end ratchet tight around the other. A problem she could fix later. Her right hand was immediately up to the crossbow she was pushing her chin against, seizing the stock of the weapon and twisting it hard on the holder's wrist and most importantly, away from from her. If she did any damage to the man, she wasn't watching for it. Maria pressed herself as close as possible to the Guildmaster, turning herself around him and buying herself an instant of shelter from the other crossbows in the room as she oriented towards the door. A tempest of motion, her other hand went to the pouch in the small of her back. Medical. Gauze, scissors, the bottle. Just as soon as she'd thrown herself against the man, she threw the glass bottle of antiseptic ethanol over his shoulder into one of the nearby torches. The glass hip flask shattered, and the flammable fluid within combusted, spraying flaming droplets around the room and over the walls. With an inferno now started in the warehouse, she shoved herself away from the Guildmaster and with a tremendous strain of her legs, snapped one link of rope and caused the others to shed. Trinan stumbled as she felt the protest of her muscles and the familiar feeling of her internal tissues tearing, and immediately sprinted for the door of the burning building, waiting for the twang of crossbow fire to follow.

[DrowsyPangolin]

Eva looked around the room when they entered, trying to find the innkeeper, but she was immediately pulled from that endeavor by another sight. Her eyes slowly moved to the front of the room, where she noticed a mop of golden blonde hair. She froze for a minute. It seemed they'd come to the right place, but it wasn't exactly how she planned for it to go. She broke her focus on the small woman across the room when the bartender called out to them. She shook her head and approached the woman, shortly followed by Sophia. "Oh, yes miss, we're looking for three beds." She wasn't particularly one for drinks. Sophia's tiny voice cut in. "And a bottle of wine, please." The Tauran woman turned towards the Princess. It was none of her concern. The girl was stressed, it was a concession she'd make given the circumstances. Eva's orange eyes glanced back across the room, settling on the blonde woman, who now returned her gaze.

Lily had been sitting quietly, enjoying her drink in peace now that the brawl had finally cleared out, when she heard the door creak open. She turned around with a smile, figuring Maria had finally returned from her little adventure, what she saw shifted her mood instantly. Eva Stonewater, a boy she didn't recognize, and Sophia Octavia. "You've got to be fucking kidding me..." She whispered the words, sitting at the bar, mouth agape. She stared blankly at the Tauran for a moment. What in the hell was she thinking? The woman's blue eyes darted to the corner of the room, where the redheaded woman had closed her book and was watching the newcomers closely as well. Well, this was an interesting change of pace.

[Sightles]

The pair of black robes sat calmly in their corner, still. They had been far away from the barfight, and hadn't been anywhere near the damage caused. Now with the fight done, the pair still sat like rocks in a storm in the corner of the bar. The man with black hair, and thin frame, sipped on a drink, while the blonde headed woman with the eye wrap stared straight ahead, as if lost in thought, or intensely focusing on something. As Sophia, Gareth, and Eva walked in, it drew the attention of the man with the black hair, glancing at them as they walked in, before changing his gaze to once again scan the room. The Inn was still quite full, it appeared, "She's here." The woman with the blonde hair said, with a deadpan tone, unmoving as she spoke, "Yes, I know." The man replied, scanning back over to the trio, before returning his eyes back down to his drink.

[ravenDivinity]

Gareth felt like an alien at the tavern, although he was native to Keilaudrin. The type of crowd gathered in the bar at this hour starkly contrasted with the three arrivals. He hoped it wouldn't take long to get a room, for he didn't want to spend much time standing out. Then again, it wasn't like anyone cared too much about the nobody of a squire with hardly a name for himself, and Sophia practically owned the spotlight with her royalty status. Harker had no reason to fear any attention or focus on himself, unless someone was ogling him lasciviously across the bar, which would be more of a compliment than anything. He tapped his boots on the floorboards idly and stared at the ground, avoiding any random glances or stares.

[Epsir]

Alastair went into motion immediately, selecting a mid-range bottle from below the bar top to hold out towards the party. "Twenty for the room, and I'll have the third bed brought in, if a cot is okay. Otherwise it'll be thirty mint for a double and single. Oh, seven for the wine," She said, smiling brightly at the trio. The look of the girl indicated some kind of social standing, and she could only then assume her compatriots were some sort of retainer. The woman did not seem to be part of any protective detail, dressed like a courtier, Rough as they were, the guy seemed young for the post which made him... something else. Drawing conclusions was impolite, and she frankly enjoyed hearing the story far more than guessing it for herself. Whatever interest these three held, they didn't look like they were answering questions and nobody liked a nosy bartender... until they were sufficiently drunk. Absentmindedly the girl sent a flagon of ale down the bar top to some other buyer, a sailor she vaguely recognized. "Is there anything else I can do for you all?"

[DrowsyPangolin]

Sophia nodded, reaching into her pocket and removing a small pouch made of red velvet. She opened the bag and poured the appropriate amount of coins on the table, counting out the number and tossing a few extra out as a tip. She reached up, taking the wine bottle. "Thank you miss, the cot will be fine, if you don't mind." It was best if they all stayed together. Sophia was tired, but she imagined it'd take a bit for the room to be set up, being that they'd have to bring in a cot. The girl took a glass from the bar and wandered to a nearby table, taking a seat. She poured the wine into the glass and took a sip before corking the bottle. "You can have some, if you'd like." She motioned to Gareth and Eva. She was exhausted, and her eyes rested on the table.

Eva gave the innkeeper a nod and took a seat by Sophia. She glanced back towards Lily, who had turned away. She needed to talk to the woman at some point, but confronting her right now was a bad move. Lily's eyes were now glued to the wall of bottles before her. Eva had made a bold move, bringing the Princess to where they were. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the redheaded woman in the corner throw up a white hood and stroll quickly out of the room.Lily's eyes followed the woman as she left. The blonde woman looked towards the table where Eva and the others sat, and then across the room to the black robe-clad duo. They were still here. She wondered what they were doing.

[Sightles]

As he finished his drink, the man stood up from his seat, putting the glass down on the table. He glanced down at the woman seated across from him, prompting a swift nod from the woman. The man watched as the woman with the white hood left the tavern, in a sort of a huff. The man made his way up to the bar, and seated next to a woman, staring intently as the wall of alcohol that the bartender possessed, "Looking for a nice selection?" The man commented, keeping his gaze ahead as he spoke, waving off the bartender whom had came to take his order. The man's eyes traveled to the wall of alcohol, traveling down the length of it, making it possible to steal a glance at the trio of Sophia, Gareth, and Eva.