Among the Graves

[Saruna]

Saruna looked at Derin, waiting expectantly at the door, and felt a sudden uprising of her urge to help the younger woman out. Sure, she'd brought her to see Hanser, but surely there might be more she could do? She stepped outside, holding the door for Derin and shutting it gently. It occurred to her that perhaps there were other things Derin needed to take care of, things a young woman would find difficult to speak of in front of a pushy old woman who wasn't really much more than a stranger. She took a breath, and looked at Derin with a wistful smile.

"Child, Hanser is known for knowing people. He might be able to help you find your mother if you ask him. Or, well, anything else you might need. It's just that you look so troubled, and he might be able to help. Go back in, ask him whatever it is you need to ask. I will wait out here."

[Derin Edala]

Derin hesitated. It was risky... she didn't know this man. But then, what wasn't risky? The one person she felt she could trust couldn't get what she needed, and thought that maybe this man could. Derin wasn't one for taking other people's word for something, but in this strange place she had little but Saruna's opinion to go on. She was going to have to approach somebody eventually. Anybody would be risky; if anything, somebody Saruna trusted should be less so.

Besides, there was always, always plan B.

She gave Saruna a nod. "Thank you." Without any further preamble, she turned and headed back inside.

"What do you want now, girl?"

"I apologise for the intrusion, but perhaps our business is not yet complete."

The man's eyes narrowed, and Derin watched him clutch tighter at the gems he'd not yet had time to put away. "A deal is a deal."

"Indeed it is. It's a new deal that I wish to speak with you of, though." She threw a few coins on the table, careful to toss them in such a way that they ended up much closer to herself than to Hanser, where they would be easy to snatch up again. "What I need is information."

"Information?" His reply was slow, cautious and, if Derin was reading his tone correctly, vaguely accusatory. Well, there was no going back now.

She leaned forward, keeping her voice low. "I haven't told Saruna this, but... I'm a scholar. I study culture through symbols... my specialty is magic. Not current magic, you understand," she added quickly, "but with respect to history. How it was used in the past, to such terrible effect. I don't practise magic myself, but it's still something I like to keep quiet about... you know. Anyway, I have this theory about the graveyard in Shim. I think that a couple of centuries ago, that may have been the location of... well, the details aren't important. But the thing is, there's a specific type of residual magic that, if I'm right, would still linger there. I can't sense magic; I don't have a drop of it in me. What I need is somebody who can, just to confirm my suspicions, because without that sort of backup, my theory has no grounding. You wouldn't know anybody who might be willing and capable of helping out, would you?"

The man stared at Derin for a long time, and despite herself, she began to feel nervous.

"I'm sorry," he said slowly, "but I don't think I can help you."

Derin nodded and picked up her money. "Thank you for your time."

She shook her head ruefully at Saruna on the way out. "No luck. Guess I'll need to keep looking." Not that she was that worried; a plan was already forming in her mind. "This might seem a stgrange question, but you don't supposed the inn in Shim is looking for waitresses or anything, do you?"

[Saruna]

Saruna pulled her basket tighter to her as a group of rowdy youngers spun and skipped past them. She smiled after them, her eyes hollows of old memories. "I'm sure we can find you something there, dear. Is your business concluded here? If we start back now we might just make it in time for a late lunch."

She readjusted her shawl and looked at Derin, impressed despite herself at the young woman's easy determination and verve. She found herself rooting silently for her, and eager to do whatever she might to help the other out. Besides, she wanted to get out of Marn. Its walls were too close around her, and its old buildings were accusatory like towering giants. It was not her place to stay.

[Derin Edala]

Derin nodded. She was eager to get out of the city herself.

Cradling her pack in her arms where she could keep an eye on it, she followed Saruna through the town. She wasn't so worried about the guards any more; they'd barely looked over the pair on the way in, and it was unlikely that they'd screen people leaving too closely.

She was a little disappointed about not being able to find a magic-user through Hanser, but she quickly squashed that feeling. It had been a constructive day. She had currency, she had at least one local connection in Saruna, and she had somewhere to stay for now. That was a very good first day.

"Well, that went... as well as could be expected," she said. "And I'm sure there has to be somebody in Shim who can help with my mother."

[Saruna]

"One can be sure we will find a way." Saruna agreed.

They walked in companionable silence back to Shim. By the time they reached the small town and entered its borders it was edging towards late afternoon, and the sun had disappeared behind thick, puffy clouds. The air had cooled, but Saruna was almost too warm from walking and she welcomed the occasional breeze. She felt somehow bolstered, confident, in Derin's presence. It was a refreshing feeling, that she might take on the world and win. She had lost that feeling some time ago, maybe not all at once, but in spades.

And now, tentatively. . .

"Shall we sup at the Inn, and mayhaps I shall introduce you to the Keep?" Saruna asked, but she was already steering them in that direction. She was ready for it, the talking, the people, the noise. She felt good.

[Derin Edala]

Derin nodded, suddenly aware of how weary and hungry she was. She recalled that she hadn't slept since the previous day, and that had been fitful. She hadn't eaten all that much either.

Well no wonder she was making stupid decisions! She really needed to pay more attention to her physical health; at this rate she'd get herself killed. Food sounded good... and if she could just keep herself from making any other stupidly dangerous mistakes before nightfall and a chance to sleep, she should be fine.

She could handle this. She didn't like people but she'd been in inns before; the major problem would be keeping an eye on her belongings while in this state. She was amazed she hadn't been robbed already.

"Okay," she said.

[Saruna]

Entering the Red Chalice at late afternoon was a whole different scene from their early morning dip under its eaves. For one, a rowdier crowd of off work or on break men clustered the tables like flies to shit, and a headier stench of alcohol greeted Saruna with a slap to her face as she pulled open the door and felt her confidence shrivel just a bit. No one really looked at the door but the wenches, who called out words that might have been greetings, though their voices merged with the score or more other voices that chattered and hooted raucously. Under that were the bumps and scrapes and clunks of furniture and dishware alike, not counting the heavily booted feet that occasionally stomped out, or the fisted hands that beat an underscored point onto the heavy wooden tables.

It wasn't an out-of-control crowd, mostly normal and relatively mild even for a tavern; certainly nothing like the excesses that could be found in the seedier bars located on Marn's streets. To Saruna, however, it was a most noxious place suited to represent the most dangerous of wilds, and her half step in juttered and stilled. It was only Derin at her back, curious and wondering, doubtless, at the stop, that forced Saruna to take another step and another into the tavern.

The faces around the mostly occupied tables were mostly friendly, 'cept for a few engaged in cheerful outrage at this or that tale or jest, but to Saruna they might as well be the howling, slavering jaws of wolves bent open to snap her right down. Right down. She felt faint.

There was one table half jammed against the wall like a reject, a half overturned flagon spilled over its service and left in a sticky puddle with a worn rag cast over it as if in some declaration of intent to clean later. 'Don't worry,' it might say, 'we know and will clean this up.' It was not so to Saruna, who only saw the empty table and a chance at peace from bumping elbows with strangers, Changers forbid, and getting talked at and over until she might be forced to shrink away or perish from the unfamiliarity of it all.

"There." She said weakly, softly, to Derin. Her wavering finger pointed out the dismal table, and she looked at the other woman for approval.

There were other open spots, of course, but that would mean sitting quite near to strangers.

[Derin Edala]

Derin automatically started mopping up the spilled beer, took a few seconds to realise what she was doing, and stopped. It was an old habit from her childhood, a territorial declaration of "I'm maintaining this space because it is mine", a habit that had annoyed her husband to the point where more than once he'd actually forbade her from doing the servants' jobs. After staring at the spill for a few moments, she shrugged and cleaned it up anyway.

Leaving the rag in the abandoned flagon, she sat down, doing her best to control her manner so as not to betray her nervousness at the group around her. These people were not inherently hostile, she knew, but instinct was hard to control and Derin couldn't help seeing them as competition that might turn on her at any moment, especially in her current weakened state.

Weariness crashed over her in a wave as she sat. She pushed it away, not sure how long that trick would hold, and looked at Saruna. "What meal would you recommend?"

[Saruna]

Saruna shifted uncomfortably while Derin mopped at the table, and perched rigidly on her chair. A wench came by shortly after Derin had asked Saruna about the meals, and Saruna looked between Derin and the wench with her mouth slightly open.

"What's the recommended meal?" Saruna asked weakly.

"Roast venison, bread and beans." The wench replied without missing a beat, her tone unwavering like she was repeating it by rote.

Saruna looked at Derin and shrugged. "T-two of that. Please, and thanks. Tell me, is Jast here?"

The wench cocked her head to the side. "Yeah, he's in the back. Who's askin'?"

"S-Saruna. I would like to speak to him, please."

The wench hollered at an unruly table and eyed Saruna warily. Finally she jerked her head up and down and moved off to satiate the call for more booze. Saruna pulled herself inward and smaller, and stared across the table at Derin.

[Derin Edala]

Derin smiled her thanks, hoping that she would be alert enough to make a good impression. She just had to keep pushing her useless weak body for a few more hours... Derin was beginning to regret having walked through the day and night, instead of stopping to sleep through the day. But then, that way she wouldn't have met Saruna.

She stared at the tabletop and tried to collect her thoughts as they waited. She felt she should probably say somethingg to Saruna, but there wasn't much to say.

[Saruna]

Saruna was anxious enough for the both of them, but Derin's wan expression made her just that little bit more. She'd be in a fine frenzy soon if she didn't get ahold of herself as any proper woman should, but she could feel the sweat starting just from the body heat in the tavern, much less the other bodies.

Too much time passed in that nerve wracking silence before heavy booted feet strode towards the both of them, and stopped with an easy swagger and a warm smile. Saruna looked up at it, at Jast.

"Excuse me?" She said. He'd said something, and smiled again, generously, at her.

"I asked how I might serve you, Missus Rischett."

Against her will, Saruna felt herself blush. Jast was a well established gentleman, reaching middle-age about a decade younger than she. He was an honest man, a fair one, and his manners bordered on courtly.

"Ah. Ah, my young friend here, Derin, needs some work and I was wondering if you could take her on? Maybe?"

Jast's eyebrows rose and he looked with consideration at Derin. He looked between the two women, and Saruna could almost taste the questions that must have stuck at the back of his throat.

"I see," he said around a smile, "Yes, it might be possible we could use some spare hands if they're hard working. You ever worked as a wench before, girl?"

[Derin Edala]

Derin blinked at the man and violently shoved back the weariness that was again threatening to overwhelm her. "Not as such, but I have worked a lot in service industries before." That was technically true, although only a small portion of her jobs could be safely described. "I tend to pick things up quickly and can work consistently for long periods of time." And how hard could working in a bar be, really? A little dangerous, perhaps, but the health of her body was largely irrelevant, especially once she established her backup plans. And it was always possible that she might meet somebody useful.

"I also have no other commitments, so I can work whenever you need me."

[Saruna]

Jast nodded gravely, though he fairly reeked of amusement. "I see." He repeated himself after Derin's words. He paused a moment as if considering whether or not he would take Derin on, and tapped a foot for a few seconds. "Hm. For true, if you're a hard worker I believe there's some scullery work in the kitchen helping the cook. Maybe not so glorious as being a bar maid, not that's high glorious, but it'd mean getting your elbows dirty. And your hands will get rough. It's work that's hard to keep filled; not many can keep up with it. But if you're willing. . ." He shrugged expansively, "Come back tomorrow around dawn."

He'd wait to see if there was anything else before strutting back to his own job behind the bar. Saruna slid her gaze to Derin, getting a little jittery in the hopes that maybe they could both retire to her home, and get out of the way of so many people. She was excited for what tomorrow might bring.

__________________________________________

Hanser was getting ready to put up shop, a pipe stuck in his mouth. Smoke regularly left his mouth in great puffs, and his eyelids had partially shut. He looked odd, like an old tomcat waiting patiently for the mouse to leave the hole in the wall. But he was utterly relaxed, his gnarled body at ease in his great chair behind his desk. Waiting, waiting.

The door to his stall opened with a creak, and two men came in. Hanser was not surprised at the movement; his eyelids didn't even flicker an iota. But, as they arranged themselves quietly before his desk any remnants of jovial ease seemed to drain and flee the small area. The two men shifted, though their expressions remained neutral, waiting for Hanser to acknowledge them, which he did at great length.

"Late." He rumbled, and carefully set his pipe down on his desk. The two men stopped shifting, and stood straighter. "Report."

First the one on the left spoke briskly and concisely, detailing a morning spent checking on various suspected magic users throughout the city, and what evidence had been collected to be used against them. Next, he spoke of his early afternoon running errands and information to the merchants of lower standing in the stalls and carts of Marn's streets; the sort Hanser deigned collect favors from, and extracted them later at a greater cost. He did not offer instruction to the man when the man had finished speaking, and instead waved him out. After bowing, the man did so.

Hanser looked next at the man on the right, who also spoke rapidly in the rhythms and tones of one used to reporting information in an easily digestible manner. After a few minutes, the report turned to Derin and Saruna. "They left to Shim. There was talk of going to the Red Chalice. I watched them enter, and came back. I suspect the girl is looking for a job."

Hanser nodded, his movements languid. His lips turned upward at the corners. "Follow them, tomorrow. If an opportunity presents itself, use it. Be discreet." Hanser pinned the man with a hard stare. "I do not want a repeat of the tanner incident."

The man bowed and Hanser waved him out. When Hanser was alone again, he replaced the pipe in his mouth, blowing it out so it wreathed his head in a great cloud.

[Derin Edala]

Derin nodded at Jast's words, remembering to smile. "Thank you." It certainly wasn't the perfect situation she had hoped for, as it would give her almost no opportunity to scout for potential helpers, but it wasn't a total loss; some small income and a position in the town would be useful if her stay in the town was to be long-term. Wishful thinking? No, adequate preparation. If things did not work out she could easily leave.

Besides, it left the possibility of moving into a barmaid position later, if she worked hard. Derin was not afraid of hard work, nor did she have any concern whatsoever for the future condition of her body's hands.

It was an improvement, at any rate. "Thank you," she told Saruna after the man had left. The woman was extraordinarily helpful and it was beginning to make Derin nervous -- experience told her that the price Saruna would ask in return would be very high indeed.

[Saruna]

It was not long after Jast returned to the bar that the two left the tavern, meals unfinished. Saruna paid, and got them out at a much faster pace then they had entered. Not only was she eager to get out of the crowded room with its loud patrons and drunken shenanigans, but she was also looking forward to tucking Derin away in one of her children's former rooms. It would be good to have someone else in the house. It was a deep satisfaction within.

When they entered Saruna's house it became evident that Derin was exhausted past any more polite conversation or idle chit chat. Saruna prepared the girl's room for her, and left her to sleep. It was only then that she felt her own bone deep exhaustion. It had been a long, a very long day; more had happened to her than had happened in a long time. Longer than Saruna could herself believe.

She settled the house, making sure everything was locked down, few dishes washed, hearth properly swept out, embers scattered, and tomorrow's bread tucked in their pans ready for baking. Then she too dressed for sleep, and climbed into her own lonely bed. She missed the warm presence of her husband, more than she ever thought she would. She wondered, as she had for the years since his death, what had really happened to him. She sent out a wish, a prayer, silently to whatever power might turn an ear her way: please let him be happy, in the after life.

And then, thinking of more recent acquaintances, added two new wishes: Let Derin find what she is looking for, and let Mako also get whatever he is after, wherever he may be.

A few breaths later, she was asleep.