Epsir Member
FetzenStatus
User has no status, yet
Bio
User has no bio, yet
Most Recent Posts
Rarden's head looked back and forth between the woman and Louis as the man pocketed the moneybag. Finally, the reaction he fearfully felt was coming arrived and immediately he looked away from the girl to stare at his captain. In truth, that was part of the risk you took throwing a whole bag of money onto someone else's table. Especially a table crewed by a starving crew of reject sailors who hadn't seen a chicken live or salted in a long time. However, making a scene would have been poor form, he couldn't even begin to contemplate the negative possibilities of such an incident. He put his hand out to Louis, because he figured the man wasn't going to hand the bag back himself. "C'mon uh... Caesar. Let's count ourselves well off for having found a charitable stranger and return the money." He offered a fragile, feigned smile to the stranger in an effort to buy time before he resumed giving Louis a pleading glare. With any luck, nobody in the restaurant would even notice.
Truly a hardened gang of pirates
The captain figuring something out meant shenanigans but in all honesty now that he was in the hot seat it sounded like a better idea than it had as an imagined outcome on the street. Rarden nodded his approval of the captain's searching for a solution and followed the other man's gaze around the restaurant, on sure of what their of them was searching for. "That's right... we can barter some of the junk that's fallen off of the boat. Scrap value." He didn't believe it even as he said it. Some rotting wood wasn't going to get them far with a restaurant. As it turned out, their help was to come from above. A blur caught in the corner of his vision, and Rarden's head whipped around as a bag full of coins plopped down on their table with a metallic but muffled thud. By the sounds of things it was covering a lot more than the three copper they were short but... maybe they were expected to send the excess back. That was polite, wasn't it? "Look, captain. The locals have taken pity on us," he said, already trying to figure out just what about their little group set them apart from all of the other folk trying to buy a meal. "I think your hat is winning us friends," Rarden concluded.
Rarden followed his crew to the table, quickly finding a seat and following Louis' gaze to the person he was questioning the fashion of. She was certainly easy to spot, for the ferocity of her hair's coloration and the sheer volume of violent red standing out amongst the restaurant interior. "We're in foreign lands, captain," he said, turning away from the sight and writing it off as just that in his head. He wasn't a dreamer by any means, but a part of him still expected that they would see something outlandish, maybe even more so than a woman's long hair, in the journeys. Reality was not often up to par, and neither were his captain's manners, he discovered moments later when Louis emptied his pocket onto the table and came up short. He flinched, visibly, in his chair, both irked and intensely impressed by his captain. "Aye, Caesar," he said, reaching into his shorts and rummaging around for change. He stopped cold, staring wide eyed at the table a moment before resuming his search. There was nothing in the itchy interior of his pockets. Slowly, tremblingly, his gaze crept up to his captain. The liability had been him all along. Here Louis was, paying for their meal and the one to finally drop the ball was Rarden Tacklit. "Captain... I'm short," he rattled, and slowly turned to Fitch.
"How did someone as dense as you survive so long?" Wallace spat, his head jerked and fell slightly forward, leaving even less distance between the two men. His vision returned, he was done, the letter had shown him enough and he knew judgment lay at the tower. Thomas would sort himself out, as he always did. Worry fluttered away from him. "Look around you. Where is my guard? What's happening while you play the fool and squabble exactly like I made you to? For the moment, this is no longer between us. I've got what I wanted, I can tell just looking at you." Slowly, Canti's expression contorted, a slimy, mocking smile took hold of him. "Let's go to the Tower then. I will watch you kill yourself when we get there." He lifted his hands from the glass, offering them out to Thomas as he eyed him smugly. They were all perfectly safe to veer on the side of reason. He knew what the man in front of him would do, needed it to happen. It was refreshing to have someone he could be open with, but Thomas had no ears for him at the current. It was a shame, because it had been the last chance. Briefly, he wondered what Karl Leid had been planning before his vision refocused on Thomas. He couldn't tell if he loved or hated having someone like him around.
As Sir Pyp charged forward, the man's sword came up in one hand. The swift motion flung his short cloak back across his shoulders, revealing the clean cut white shirt and black uniform trousers beneath. He maneuvered the tip deftly, locating his foe's sword mid-swing. He slowed the blade, holding only the slightest contact as he veered to his foe's right side with the rolling steps of a light fighter. The other man's speed was impressive, not the kind of clunky knight he'd come to Keilaudrin expecting but quite like the men he'd fought beside for years. Pyper caught him in his turn, and he was shoved back, having just enough space between him and the battlements to catch on one foot before he careened backwards at the hips over the wall. He turned, desperately stopping himself and managing to straddle the battlements some distance down the line from the knight. He leaned over, giving a reassuring hand-wave to below before looking back at Pyper. "Are all of you backwater knights so jumpy?" He asked, catching his breath from the shock that nearly toppling had been. He brought his wall-side leg up and prepared to dismount the wall the long way in case the knight charged him again. "Send her over before the Yellows get here," he man said with an encouraging nod of his hood-veiled head.
Feril had been slowly creeping up the stairs anyway, peaking her head around the bend sheepishly at each step to figure out what was taking the knight so long. Each step seemed to grow more rickety as she neared the top, and eventually she froze as the first sliver of the walls crept into view through the door frame up ahead. Nothing was visible, but she could hear a commotion and talking and decided to keep well back from whatever was happening on the walls. It did her no good to assume that she was the 'her' being referred to. There was no running, however, she knew she'd made enough noise to be heard and running down the stairs in the dark was out of the question unless things had deteriorated to the point where suicide was her best option. Feril grimaced.
As Sir Pyp charged forward, the man's sword came up in one hand. The swift motion flung his short cloak back across his shoulders, revealing the clean cut white shirt and black uniform trousers beneath. He maneuvered the tip deftly, locating his foe's sword mid-swing. He slowed the blade, holding only the slightest contact as he veered to his foe's right side with the rolling steps of a light fighter. The other man's speed was impressive, not the kind of clunky knight he'd come to Keilaudrin expecting but quite like the men he'd fought beside for years. Pyper caught him in his turn, and he was shoved back, having just enough space between him and the battlements to catch on one foot before he careened backwards at the hips over the wall. He turned, desperately stopping himself and managing to straddle the battlements some distance down the line from the knight. He leaned over, giving a reassuring hand-wave to below before looking back at Pyper. "Are all of you backwater knights so jumpy?" He asked, catching his breath from the shock that nearly toppling had been. He brought his wall-side leg up and prepared to dismount the wall the long way in case the knight charged him again. "Send her over before the Yellows get here," he man said with an encouraging nod of his hood-veiled head.
Feril had been slowly creeping up the stairs anyway, peaking her head around the bend sheepishly at each step to figure out what was taking the knight so long. Each step seemed to grow more rickety as she neared the top, and eventually she froze as the first sliver of the walls crept into view through the door frame up ahead. Nothing was visible, but she could hear a commotion and talking and decided to keep well back from whatever was happening on the walls. It did her no good to assume that she was the 'her' being referred to. There was no running, however, she knew she'd made enough noise to be heard and running down the stairs in the dark was out of the question unless things had deteriorated to the point where suicide was her best option. Feril grimaced.
There's more blocs than blocks in this castle
He cursed himself for expecting more, and felt the old hate welling inside of him as Thomas moved around the room. By the time the man said 'no' Canti had already decided the answer for him. Canti abruptly stepped back from his table, springing off his hands and letting Thomas' fist sail by before retreating immediately to the window. He pressed his back against the glass and held his hands against the window, dragging them across a broad swath of the glass to spread his arms. "It's no secret what I'm doing, I never had to hide thanks to you." He smiled at Thomas, waiting for his next advance as his vision began to spin with pain. "You waste your time chasing ghosts. I know everything in this palace, Thomas. You made enemies when you turned Lexine's presence into a carnival, but what I want is better for you than what they're after." He met Thomas' eye with a cold glare, or at least what he presumed to be Thomas in the blur of dim and dark his vision had become. "There are more letters. How many people do you want to know the truth before you step around that desk?" As he ranted, the desk's surface began to char and blacken. If the knight in front of him didn't beat him down first, he felt prone to collapse, and leaned ever more heavily against the window. It was hard to even remember what he'd been talking about. "They have Lexine, and some burning questions for you."
The two men mostly ignored what Pyper was saying until the mention of Feril Tatchet. They looked at each other for a moment, affirming something between the two before turning back to Pyper. Any diplomacy they had hoped to conduct with the man went out of the way the instant he flipped his cloak, a motion which caused both men to draw a shortsword from under their own. "We will see Tatchet to safety," one of the men said and locked his eyes on Pyper before commanding his fellow, "Emme, go tell Yellow that we're coming out." The other man obliged, and sprinted off before any further incident could ensue. The remaining man lowered his stance, anticipating nothing but unreasonableness on the opposing side. "Seems like we're both after the same thing Pyp, so hang the threats and let's work together." That said, he didn't take a step back. Tatchet was on the shortlist with the rest of the prisoners, she was leaving whether he had to hold a Thistle Knight's hand or not for the process.
The two men mostly ignored what Pyper was saying until the mention of Feril Tatchet. They looked at each other for a moment, affirming something between the two before turning back to Pyper. Any diplomacy they had hoped to conduct with the man went out of the way the instant he flipped his cloak, a motion which caused both men to draw a shortsword from under their own. "We will see Tatchet to safety," one of the men said and locked his eyes on Pyper before commanding his fellow, "Emme, go tell Yellow that we're coming out." The other man obliged, and sprinted off before any further incident could ensue. The remaining man lowered his stance, anticipating nothing but unreasonableness on the opposing side. "Seems like we're both after the same thing Pyp, so hang the threats and let's work together." That said, he didn't take a step back. Tatchet was on the shortlist with the rest of the prisoners, she was leaving whether he had to hold a Thistle Knight's hand or not for the process.
The door turned open on a dark room drearily lit in faint orbs by a handful of low-burning candles strewn across the black. Tables, desks, and bookcases set at irregular angles around the room laid covered, as did the floor around them, with hundreds of thick tomes bearing any variety of colorful and drab covers. The fallen volumes formed a dusty, disheveled brick road up to one desk at the far end of the room. Thinly built of cheap, knotted wood, its surface alone was cleared and lit red in the last remaining light of the dying day. Silhouetted against the broad, arched window at the end of the room was Canti, his back turned on the door out. Slowly, he turned to face Thomas, a frown slowly growing on his face as he locked eyes with the jacketed knight. "You're not who I expected to come for me, Morgan." He said, the happy little croak in his low voice gone. The man opened his arms, gesturing broadly to his room as a smirk dashed his face. He felt, acted, maybe even looked younger in the tension. It was home. "All you did was lead them here, and you expect me to pay the price for your mistake?" Canti shook his head, scolding a wayward youth. "You don't want to take me. Moreover, you won't. They've already been in your tower." He put his hands down on his desk, leaning forward for a closer look at Thomas with a smarmy grin and a tilt of his head. "You're an ingrate little child aren't you? You broke something important to me and I let you walk free. I believe in redemption, so here, the last advice I can give you. Play your part, or someone will put you down."
Being commanded to stay silent didn't make the situation seem any safer, nor their escape any more legitimate. Feril looked at the pouch in her hands, it was more coin than she'd held in a while and frankly she didn't even need it for a horse, hers was still stabled. She didn't even care, she realized, because the scenario was so foggy that there was little more she could do than stand by the wayside and try to piece together what was happening while Pyper went off to handle business on the wall. The thought of running away crossed her mind again and again, although she doubted she would make it far before the knight caught up or she got lost on palace grounds. More and more it seemed her only option was to disappear into the night under whatever kind of suspicious circumstances they were.
Atop the wall, two guards stood looking into the palace. They were fewer than the normal posting of guards, but there had been a runner requesting men head into the castle on business unknown. Whatever the case, they stood their watch in knee length, smoke blue cloaks drawn around them. Each had his hood up, a pointed rain visor at the crown casting their faces in semi-dark. The noise of someone ascending the stairs soon became apparent to both men, and one of them called out to the intruder. "State your intentions when you walk on a post. Who goes there?" Both shuffled under their cloaks, presumably reaching for weapons as they waited for the unseen stranger's response.
Being commanded to stay silent didn't make the situation seem any safer, nor their escape any more legitimate. Feril looked at the pouch in her hands, it was more coin than she'd held in a while and frankly she didn't even need it for a horse, hers was still stabled. She didn't even care, she realized, because the scenario was so foggy that there was little more she could do than stand by the wayside and try to piece together what was happening while Pyper went off to handle business on the wall. The thought of running away crossed her mind again and again, although she doubted she would make it far before the knight caught up or she got lost on palace grounds. More and more it seemed her only option was to disappear into the night under whatever kind of suspicious circumstances they were.
Atop the wall, two guards stood looking into the palace. They were fewer than the normal posting of guards, but there had been a runner requesting men head into the castle on business unknown. Whatever the case, they stood their watch in knee length, smoke blue cloaks drawn around them. Each had his hood up, a pointed rain visor at the crown casting their faces in semi-dark. The noise of someone ascending the stairs soon became apparent to both men, and one of them called out to the intruder. "State your intentions when you walk on a post. Who goes there?" Both shuffled under their cloaks, presumably reaching for weapons as they waited for the unseen stranger's response.
The man narrowed his eyes at Thomas, but immediately raised his hand and signaled his men to stand aside. They didn't have the numbers to kill his congregation in the halls and the political backlash from such an action wasn't something he savored. Thomas' request was typical of a knight, and there was no harm admitting the knights at this juncture. He was never particularly big on Wallace Canti but he was a man with respect for the law, something the Order had recently eschewed The regulars moved away, staying in their wall of a formation but backing down another hallway than the one the Thistle Knights had chosen. Now they were at arms, despite whatever their corporal had told them to do. The man himself had followed them, retaining his position at the front of their line and watching the knights cautiously. He knew better than to trust Thomas' word, and although the section would have little chance fighting knights head on, keeping his troops like this they could retreat freely to the next section of soldiers, and so on.
Feril's high came crashing down with the news Pyper delivered to her. Another incident meant, first of all, that she was not leaving the capital any time soon no matter how far out of the palace they intended to take her. It did, however, explain the bells. Odd, considering they had used trumpets every time prior. Her smile slowly reversed into a frown as she walked along behind Pyper. The more she thought about it, the worse it got. She resented the thought of becoming cynical, but no treatment the palace had shown her thus far suggested that 'her safety came first.' Still, there wasn't much choice for her other than keeping following along and hope for the best. She had watched the halls when they took her here, hours ago, and they were not walking down the direction they'd originated from. That made sense, there would be an office and documentation involved. "Why are the halls so empty? What events do you mean?" She inquired tiredly, craning her head around the halls and nearly losing her step as she wondered at the change.
Feril's high came crashing down with the news Pyper delivered to her. Another incident meant, first of all, that she was not leaving the capital any time soon no matter how far out of the palace they intended to take her. It did, however, explain the bells. Odd, considering they had used trumpets every time prior. Her smile slowly reversed into a frown as she walked along behind Pyper. The more she thought about it, the worse it got. She resented the thought of becoming cynical, but no treatment the palace had shown her thus far suggested that 'her safety came first.' Still, there wasn't much choice for her other than keeping following along and hope for the best. She had watched the halls when they took her here, hours ago, and they were not walking down the direction they'd originated from. That made sense, there would be an office and documentation involved. "Why are the halls so empty? What events do you mean?" She inquired tiredly, craning her head around the halls and nearly losing her step as she wondered at the change.
The man shifted uncomfortably on his feet but he did not stand down as ordered. They sure weren't here to protect the regent, looking and talking like that. The corporal had a bad feeling about the whole affair, but he had orders to follow and the sudden onset of the Order seemed suspicious if nothing else. He had no reason to doubt them and the validity of their affairs, he really didn't, but what knights often failed to understand was that there were laws to follow. "It does Sir. This palace is under protection the Guard, and if there is an arrest in this castle it will be made lawfully by the Guard," He spoke resolutely, incorporating what he knew from the charter. "The government does not submit to the mere whim of the Order. On what grounds do you march here, and on our regent no less?" The two that had been going down the hall split at another junction further away, going down separate paths and disappearing from sight.
Feril's head shot up as a key struck home within her cell door. All the fatigue and sleepiness washed off of her, and for only an instant she felt aggravated that once more she'd been cheated out of rest before elation took hold. She sprang to her feet, taking her jacket with her and quickly donning the overgarment before the door had even opened. "Yeah, sure," She said, and nodded her head along vacantly to the man's introduction, utterly ignoring his words for the ringing chimes of freedom that accompanied his every action in her mind. With a habitual check of her boots against the stone floors, she made to follow the man out of the cell into the other darkly lit room, the much larger hallway out of the cells. She knew there would likely be some paperwork, but for the most part her ordeal was over.
Feril's head shot up as a key struck home within her cell door. All the fatigue and sleepiness washed off of her, and for only an instant she felt aggravated that once more she'd been cheated out of rest before elation took hold. She sprang to her feet, taking her jacket with her and quickly donning the overgarment before the door had even opened. "Yeah, sure," She said, and nodded her head along vacantly to the man's introduction, utterly ignoring his words for the ringing chimes of freedom that accompanied his every action in her mind. With a habitual check of her boots against the stone floors, she made to follow the man out of the cell into the other darkly lit room, the much larger hallway out of the cells. She knew there would likely be some paperwork, but for the most part her ordeal was over.
© 2007-2024